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Vol.12 No. 15 August 10-16, 2019 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

SUSHMA SWARAJ: India revokes

A people's politician special status
New Delhi: Just a few hours
before she collapsed and died on
Tuesday, former External Affairs
TRIBUTE
Minister Sushma Swaraj had
tweeted her thanks to Prime
Minister Narendra Mo di for
revoking Article 370 on Jammu
for Kashmir
and Kashmir. "Thank you Prime Besides striking down Article 370,
Minister. Thank you very much. I Ladakh split from J&K
was waiting to see this day in my
lifetime." That was her last com‑ Modi govt gets the bold, historic
munication on the social media
measures passed in Parliament
platform on which she had over
13 million followers. She was
Surprised Pakistan reacts wildly, but muted
active on tweeting about major
happenings, though she decided reaction from other nations including US
against contesting the 2019 Lok
Sabha elections or on joining the
Continued on page 4 Sushma Swaraj was the External Affairs Minister in the first Modi govt.

Trump explores
India Day Parade of Long action on guns
Island a big success after 2 shootings
Washington: President Donald
Trump is exploring ways to use
regulatory power and executive
action to curb gun violence after a
PM Modi has praised Home Minister Amit Shah for highlighting in
pair of deadly shootings over the Rajya Sabha the "monumental injustices" of the past and
weekend ̶ a move driven by his presenting the government's vision for the people of Jammu
aidesʼ belief that Congress is inca‑ and Kashmir after the revoking of Article 370.
pable of coalescing around con‑
New Delhi: In a historic move, the pleased to declare as from 5th of
sensus legislation in a heated
Mo di government on Monday August 2019, all clauses of the
2020 election cycle, Politico has
revoked Article 370 which gave said Article 370 shall cease to be
reported.
special status to Jammu and operative... ," stated the resolution
W hite House of ficials on
Kashmir and proposed that the moved by the Home minister.
Monday said Trump and U.S.
state be bifurcated into two union Shah also moved a bill proposing
Attorney General Bill Barr are
territories, Jammu and Kashmir bifurcation of the state of Jammu
“resolved” to take action after the
and Ladakh. and Kashmir into two Union
IDP USA organized a grand India Day Parade of Long Island in shootings in El Paso, Texas, and
Meeting a long‑held promise of Territories ̶ Jammu and Kashmir
Hicksville on Sunday. Elected officials including Congressman Tom Dayton, Ohio. The administration
the BJP, Union Home Minister division and Ladakh. Shah, who
Suozzi and Nassau County Executive Laura Curran joined the Indian is exploring solutions “that actual‑
community in celebrating Indiaʼs 73rd Independence Day. Actor Amit Shah moved a resolution in intro duced the Jammu and
ly make an impact,” as opposed to
Rajkummar Rao, Indian Consul General Sandeep Chakravorty and the Rajya Sabha that Article 370, Kashmir Reorganisation bill, said
“things that feel good,” one Trump
Amneal Co‑Chairman Chintu Patel were the Grand Marshals. At the which allowed Jammu and the union territory in Ladakh will
aide said. Trump has increasingly
post‑parade gala on Monday, IDP USA President Jay Jasbir Singh Kashmir to have its own have no leg islature like
relied on his executive authority to
recognized his entire team for the successful parade and among Constitution, will no longer be Continued on page 4
address issues that have stained
those honored was Navika Groupʼs CEO & President Naveen Shah. applicable.
Details & more pictures in our Independence Day special next week. his administration, including the Detailed stories on
"The president on the recom‑
Continued on page 4 page 12 and 13.
mendat ion of Parliament is

OP ED 10 TRAVEL 15 LIFESTYLE 25 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30 excellence in journalism

TheSouthAsianTimes.info August 10-16, 2019
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY August 10-16, 2019 3

Former Nassau County Executive FIAʼs India Day Parade to honor

Thomas Gulotta dies at 75
Mineola: Thomas Gulotta, whose said Joseph Cairo, Nassau GOP
sacrifice of Armed Forces
personal touch with voters kept him chairman, who ordered party flags New York: The 39th annual
as Nassauʼs county executive for 14 to fly at half‑staf f. A Republican, India Day Parade here this
years before criti‑ Gulotta had “a kind year will honor valor and the
cism over his han‑ heart, a commit‑ sacrifices made by the Armed
dling of a fiscal cri‑ ment to the well‑ Forces. Org anized by the
sis drove him from being of the public Federat ion of Indian
office in 2001, died and a w inning Associations (FIA) – NY‑NJ‑CT,
August 4, reports smile” throughout it will have a central theme of
Newsday. He was his career, added ʻSupport Our Troops, Salute
75. Current County Cairo. Gulotta Our Troopsʼ and will be held
Execut ive Laura g raduated from on August 18. It is the largest
Curran announced Malverne Hig h parade outside India to mark
Monday that flags School in 1962. He the countryʼs independence,
would be flown at attended Trinity bringing together tens of thou‑
Thomas Gulotta served
half‑staf f in College and earned sands of people.
as the county executive
Gulottaʼs honor. She from 1987 to 2001 a law degree from The parade will run through
called Gulotta a ded‑ Columbia Law several streets of Madison Bollywood star Suniel Shetty NBA Commissioner Adam Silver
icated husband, father and public School. Before his tenure as county (Grand Marshal) (Special Guest)
Avenue in the heart of
servant. “In his career in govern‑ executive, Gulotta served as a New Manhattan and will feature Shetty as Grand Marshal while NBA Commissioner
ment that spanned over four York state assemblyman in his tableaux by various Indian‑American organizations, Adam Silver and actors Gulshan Grover and Hina
decades, Tom served our residents hometown district from 1977 to marching bands, police contingents as well as cul‑ Khan will be Special Guests.
with distinction,” Curran said in a 1981, and as Hempstead Town tural performances by Indian‑American children. The day‑long celebration will also include food
statement. “Our hearts are broken,” supervisor from 1981 to 1987. Celebs this year include Bollywood star Suniel stalls, cultural extravaganza.

Community condemns gun violence Emirates brings spirit of

AAPI backs AMA's stand, urging
govt for gun control steps
T
he American Association of
Physicians of Indian Origin
(AAPI) has condemned the trag‑
ic gun violence that took dozens of
lives in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio
past weekend, Dr. Suresh Reddy, AAPI
President said. “We at AAPI urge call
for action by policy makers to make
common‑sense reforms, supported by
the American public to protect inno‑
Sikh body slams domestic terrorism
cent lives,” he said,m adding, “As physi‑
cians, we see these victims in the hospi‑
tals and care for them. Gun violence is
a preventable health hazard. Many
innocent lives are lost every year for
no reason.” AAPI stands with American
Medical Associationʼs (AMA) recom‑
mendations such as research, back‑
ground checks, and gun buy‑back pro‑
grams, Dr. Reddy added.
Eid to all its customers
Dubai: Emirates is bringing the generosity and
spirit of Eid Al Adha to all its customers with a
special inflight of fering from the 11th to the
14th of August.
Eid Al Adha is one of the most significant
dates in the Islamic calendar, and one of the
holiest celebrations. The name translates to ʻfes‑
tival of the sacrifice,ʼ and it marks the end of the
Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Around
the world, Eid Al Adha is usually celebrated with
loved ones. To celebrate the getting together of
family and friends, an Eid menu with a touch of These mains are complemented with an Arabic

T
he American Sikh Council (ASC)
has expressed shock at multi‑
ple mass shootings across the
nation in less than a week: El Paso TX,
Dayton Ohio and Gilroy Calif. ASC has
said in a statement: “Every person of
faith with a conscience and all right‑
minded faith leaders need to stand up
and become vocal proponents against
the hate rhetoric and vitriol being
spewed on a regular basis by the
leader of our nation.
This kind of hate‑mongering which
goes beyond the usual dog‑whistles is
also a reason why some citizens pre‑
disposed to violence are being
emboldened to carry out these terri‑
ble, senseless acts of murder against
innocent Americans.” ASC recalled
Middle Eastern hospitality will be served on salad and premium customers can also choose
that the day of the El Paso shooting
board the Emirates A380 lounge. This includes from various Arabic desserts including choco‑
coincided with the seventh anniver‑
Arabic cof fee, a date cake and a selection of late fondant with labneh ice cream, date and
sary of six members of the Sikh com‑
Emirati pastries. Chocolates in a specially almond nammoura made from semolina, or
munity getting gunned down in the
designed Eid box from UAE‑ based gourmet khabees served with Arabic cof fee sauce and
gurdwara in Oak Creek, WI. ASC has
chocolatiers, Forrey & Galland, will also be pistachio cream.
also urged gurdwaras and other Sikh
served to all customers in premium classes on As a global airline, Emirates celebrates events
institutions to hold candle light vigils,
all routes. A special menu with Arabic flavours from all over the world and incorporates sea‑
join hands in any local rally being
will be introduced during the celebrations for sonal and regional flavours into its menus on
held against hate and bigotry, and
customers in all classes. Depending on the route, board and in its lounges worldwide. Next month,
continue to educate non‑Sikh neigh‑
customers in Economy Class could sample from 1st to 13th of September the airline with
bors about the Sikh message of uni‑
Emiratesʼ signature dish, a Chicken or Lamb be celebrating the Hindu Holiday of Onam on its
versal brotherhood/sisterhood to
Machbous, and enjoy a date cake for dessert. flights to and from Kerala with a special menu
spread peace and inclusiveness as
In First and Business Class, customers have of vegetable sambar, chicken sukka and mutton
directed by our faith founders.
the choice of Lamb or Chicken Ouzi, a rice dish pepper fry. Meals will be served on a traditional
ASC is the umbrella organization
popular in the Gulf where the meat is slow banana leaf design and appetisers such as
representative of Sikhs in the United
cooked with roasted nuts and raisins. A special banana chips, sharkara varatti and curd chilli,
States, with 73 gurdwaras and other
Emirati‑style King Fish with rice will also be and a dessert of palada pradhaman will be
Sikh institutions across the nation as
of fered select routes in Africa and Europe. available.
its members.
 4 August 10-16, 2019
Mass shooting
scare creates
panic in
Times Square
By Nishant Arora
New York: Women fell, babies got injured and
scores of people were left shaken to their core
as a scare of yet another mass shooting hit
tourists at the crowded Times Square in New
York late on Tuesday, at a time when anger and
frustration had already gripped people after
two back‑to‑back mass shootings in the US.
There were conflicting statements from
tourists as to whether it was a huge bang from
a motorcycle or a fight on 42nd Street. Later,
the NYPD clarified that there was no active
shooter in the area. "There is no
#ActiveShooter in #TimesSquare. Motorcycles
backfiring while passing through sounded like
gun shots. We are receiving multiple 911 calls.
Please don't panic. The Times Square area is
very safe!," said the New York Police.
Amid the stampede scare, several families
were left crying on 44th and 45th Street on
Eighth Avenue after a sea of tourists started
running all over following the scare. According
to some witnesses, they heard a loud bang,
possibly coming from a motorcycle, and every‑
one started running in all directions. They ran
into shopping stores, hotels, restaurants amid
scare of a mass shooting, in the wake of recent
Texas and Ohio incidents in which 31 people
were left dead. The NYPD and ambulances cov‑
ered the area within minutes while certain
shows on the Broadway were immediately halt‑
ed. Paramedics were seen attending to families
once the calm returned. An eyewitness told
IANS that there was a fight on 42nd street,
after which the panic triggered. People during
a popular Broadway show jumped on the stage
amid panic, leading to the show's halt. US
President Donald Trump has condemned
hatred and white supremacy in a public
address following the mass shootings in Texas
and Ohio.
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TURN PAGE
India revokes special
status for Kashmir
Continued from page 1
Chandigarh. The other union territory of
Jammu and Kashmir will have a legisla‑
ture like Delhi and Puducherry.
While most nations have supported
Indiaʼs move on Kashmir as an internal
matter, Pakistan expectedly rejected it
arguing Kashmir was an "internationally
recognized disputed territory". Prime
Minister Imran Khan even warned of
another Pulwama.
America just said it had taken “note" of
the Indiaʼs announcement.
“We are closely following the events in
Jammu and Kashmir. We take note of
India's announcement revising the consti‑
tutional status of Jammu and Kashmir
and India's plan to split the state into two
union territories," US State Department
spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in
response to a question by PTI news
agency. "We call on all parties to maintain
peace and stability along the Line of
Control," she said.
Sushma Swaraj:
A people's politician
Continued from page 1
Narendra Modi 2.0 government due to
health reasons. Sushma, who died aged
67, tweeted her condolences on Congress
leader Sheila Dikshit's death on July 20,
writing that though they were opponents
in politics, but were friends in personal
life. Sushma always brought her innate
grace and charm into her work. Though
she was overshadowed by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, who undertook the major
trips and diplomatic dealings during her
tenure as External Af fairs Minister,
Sushma Swaraj did not retire into the
shadows. She made her mark in her own
way – connecting with the diaspora far
and wide, and reaching out to help them.
She would respond to every appeal for
assistance, and make sure the Indian mis‑
sions responded to the requests. In this
way she gave the human touch to the
Ministry of External Affairs, and won mil‑
lions of admirers across the world. Many
Pakistani patients would appeal to her for
medical visas via twitter, and Sushma
Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra
P : 516.710.0508
parveen.chopra@gmail.com
Associate Editor
Hiral Dholakia-Dave
hiral@thesouthasiantimes.info
Contributing Editors:Shaker Nelanuthala,
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
would try to accommodate their requests.
She would also connect with some of the
Pakistanis who she helped get emergency
medical visas. In 2017, she won admira‑
tion when she granted a year‑long med‑
ical visa to a Pakistani girl Shireen Shiraz
for an open heart surgery.
As Leader of Opposition in the 15th Lok
Sabha, Sushma was a formidable and
compelling speaker. She would attack the
ruling Congress‑led UPA without pulling
any punches, and once Parliament was
witness to a fierce poetic exchange
between her and then Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh.
In 2013, Manmohan Singh accused the
BJP of making unwarranted attacks on
his government, reciting a couplet of
Mirza Ghalib. "Humko hai unse wafa ki
umeed, jo nahi jaante wafa kya hai (we
hope for loyalty from those who do not
know the meaning of the word)".
Retorting, Sushma quoted poet Bashir
Badr: "Kuch to majbooriya rahi hongi yun
koi bewafa nahi hota (there must have
been some compulsions, one is not disloy‑
al for no reason at all)." Sushma, who was
always attired in wide‑bordered saris and
donned a trademark big red bindi and
sindoor, had carved a niche in the BJP
through ef fective presentation of her
views both inside and outside Parliament.
Following the 2004 elections when the
Congress was set to form the government
and the name of Italian‑born Sonia
Gandhi was being touted as likely prime
minister, Sushma threatened to shave her
head, wear a white saree and eat ground‑
nuts (symbolical of mourning) if Sonia
became Prime Minister.
Married to Swaraj Kaushal, a former
Mizoram Governor, Sushma had contest‑
ed against Sonia in Bellary (Karnataka)
during the 1999 Lok Sabha elections.
While Gandhi polled 51.7 per cent of the
vote, Sushma was not too far behind with
44.7 per cent. Though she lost the polls,
Sushma moved up the party ladder.
Born on February 14, 1952 at Ambala
Cantonment, Sushma had an LL.B. from
Panjab University, Chandigarh. She mar‑
ried Swaraj Kaushal on July 13, 1975,
during the time of the Emergency.
An advocate by profession, she began
Jaipur Bureau
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Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info
her political career as a student leader in
the 1970s, organizing protests against
Indira Gandhi's government.
She was elected as a member of the
Rajya Sabha in 1990. In 1996, she was
elected to the 11th Lok Sabha from South
Delhi. She was Minister of Information
and Broadcasting in 1996, during the 13‑
day Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. She
was re‑elected to the 12th Lok Sabha for
a second term in 1998. Under the second
Vajpayee government, she retained the
I&B Ministry and had additional charge of
the Ministry of Telecommunications.
Sushma left the Union Cabinet from
October‑December 1998 to serve as the
first woman Chief Minister of Delhi. The
BJP lost the assembly elections, and she
returned to national politics.
She was made Deputy Leader of the
Opposition in June 2009 in the Lok
Sabha, and in December that year Sushma
became the first woman Leader of the
Opposition when she replaced Advani.
Trump explores action on
guns after 2 shootings
Continued from page 1
gun violence epidemic. Ten months after
a teen gunman killed 17 people at
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
in Parkland, Fla., last year, the Trump
administration issued a rule ̶ at the
presidentʼs request ̶ to ban the sale and
possession of devices known as bump
stocks, which allow semi‑automatic
firearms to simulate automatic weapons.
The National Rifle Association opposed
the rule, arguing at the time that bans
have rarely “worked on anything.” In a
nationally televised address Monday
morning, the president reaf firmed his
support for increasing the number of
states with so‑called red‑flag laws, which
would enable local of ficials to better
identify unstable individuals who should
be prohibited from owning or purchasing
firearms. But Trump went further, calling
for cultural changes that would end the
“glorification of violence” in the U.S. and
urging the Justice Department to priori‑
tize enforcement of the death penalty
against those convicted of hate crimes
and mass murder.
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY August 10-16, 2019 5

Indian American grad student Celebrating the

killed in gas station robbery
Washington, DC: A clerk who was
shot and killed during an appar‑
ent gas station robbery in south
Alabama July 24 has been identi‑
fied by the Pike County coronerʼs
of fice as 30‑year‑old Indian
American Neil Purush Kumar.
A spokesperson for Troy
University confirmed Kumar, 30,
was a graduate student assistant
pursuing his masterʼs degree in
computer science, WSFA12
reported. Leon Terrell Flowers,
23, of Troy, was arrested July 27
and is charged with capital mur‑
der and robbery, according to
Pike County Sherif f Russe ll
Thomas, WTVY reported.
“The Troy University communi‑
ty is shocked and saddened by
this act of violence and we
extend our deepest condolences
to Neilʼs family and friends,” said
university spokesman Clifton
Lusk Sr. “T he Of fice of
International Programs has been
in contact with his family and is
offering support and assistance.”
"He was a very happy
person…smiled all the t ime,
bright student as well," Dr. Bill
Zhong, chair of the Computer
Neil Purush Kumar was pursuing a masterʼs degree
in computer science
Science Department at Troy
University, said, according to the
WTVY report.
Kumar was working at the Gulf
Gas Station on Highway 10 in
Brundidge as a part‑time employ‑
ee, according to the media outlet.
Police Chief Moses Davenport
told WTVY that, upon requesting
the public for help, “Our phones
were constantly ringing.”
The victim was shot at nearly
point‑blank range, the report
Mahatma by planting
trees in Long Island
New York: In connection with
the year‑long commemorative
celebration of 150 birth
anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhi, the Consulate General
of India in New York and the
State University of New York,
Old Westbury (SUNY‑OW),
Shanti Fund, have entered into
an agreement to plant 150 trees
in the Old Westbury Campus.
150 years of the Mahatma is
being celebrated worldwide. In
the US, several organizations
around the country have under‑
taken many activities and
events to remember Gandhiji ‑
his life and works. Mahatma
said.
Gandhi is in several ways also
Making the crime even bolder,
one of the first environmental
the murder happened just a
leaders the world has seen. His
block from the Brundidge Police
word 'the world has enough for
Department, WSFA12 said.
everyone's need, but not enough
The evidence shows the shoot‑
for everyone's greed' has con‑
er went into the g as stat ion
tinued relevance even today. As
around 6 a.m. and demanded
the world is facing environmen‑
money. He then went behind the
tal challenges, it is felt that a
counter, shot the clerk at close
befitting way to remember the
range then took of f w ith an
Mahatma is to plant trees in his
unknown amount of cash,
name. The garden in in the Old
according to the report.
Westbury Campus, dedicated in
the memory of Gandhiji is to be
called "Gandhi Peace Garden". A
variety of trees from flowering
to evergreen trees will be plant‑
ed in September 2019 at a befit‑
ting peaceful open site within
the 600 acres campus of the
SUNY‑OW. A very high level dig‑
nitary from India is likely to
inaugurate the 'Gandhi Peace
Garden' in September 2019. In
the Gandhian spirit and way, the
Consulate proposed to establish
the Garden with total people's
participation bythe adoption of
the trees by people in the mem‑
ory of their loved ones or as a
symbol of love and affection. A
suitable tag indicating adopter's
name will be placed on or near
the tree. Contributions can be
made online at www.shanti‑
fund.org (Contact Arvind Vora,
President, Shanti Fund:
avora@optonline.net; Cell: 917
406 6065 for any clarifica‑
tions). The last date for adopt‑
ing the trees is August 15,
2019.

PM Narendra Modi unveiling marketing guru and Charles H. Kellstadt Chair of

Marketing in the Goizueta Business School at Emory University Dr. Jagdish Shethʼs
book ʻSustainability Edgeʼ co‑authored with Suhas Apte at the Parliament House,
New Delhi. This is the Indian edition published by Jaico Publishing House, Mumbai.

NY expands insurance coverage

Of mammograms for women
Albany, NY: Large group insurers are now
required to cover all medically necessary
mammograms for women age 35 to 39 in
New York state. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed
legislation making the change on Friday.
Under current law, many insurance com‑
panies are only required to cover mammo‑
grams for women older than 40. The meas‑
ure is known as Shannonʼs Law after
Shannon Saturno, a Long Island woman
who died from breast cancer at age 31. Sen.
Monica Martinez, a Long Island Democrat
who sponsored the bill, says itʼs imperative
to ensure that women under 40 have
access to potentially life‑saving early
screening.
6 August 10-16, 2019
1000 lights for celebrating
Mahatma Gandhiʼs 150th birthday
M T
ahatma Gandhi Library Houston
along with partnering organiza‑
tions will celebrate
Sesquicentennial, 150th birthday of
Mahatma Gandhi on Sunday, October 6
starting with Walk For Peace at 5 PM fol‑
lowed by 1000 Lights For Peace, an
LI highschooler Mansi Kinare
raises $5,500 for AIM for SEVA.
Mansi Kinare and her classmates at Sachem High School North, Long Island
M
ansi Kinare, a Long Island high
school student upon returning
from Manjakkudi, India where she
went through AIM for Seva and taught
school children knew that she had to contin‑
ue to employ the leadership skills she had
garnered through Global Yourth Leadership
Program (GYLP) and spread information
about the wonderful cause that AIM for Seva
stands for. As president of her high schoolʼs
National Honor Society, she had gained a
platform to do just that. Thus, began her
journey in organizing “The India Project.”
In collaboration with the Honor Society
advisors, Mansi began one of the monthly
meetings by talking to members about her
experience in Manjakkudi and AIM for Seva.
“I had felt a deep connection to the children
I taught in Manjakkudi not only as a mentor
but as a peer as well. As a person who has
always valued education, to see their enthu‑
siasm in the classroom was incredibly heart‑
warming. I bonded with them over our love
of various subjects from science to reading; I
wished that these children, who were not
that different from me in the classroom,
were given the same opportunities as I, they
could change the world. It was with this
mindset that I began the fundraiser,” she
elaborates. Mansi gave Honor Society mem‑
bers each a packet to act as their guide for
the fundraiser. The first few pages detailed
NATIONAL
IN BRIEF
international cultural dance and music
show from 6‑9 PM. Mayor Sylvester
Turner will be the chief guest. Dr.
Stephen Klineberg of of Kinder Institute
of Urban Research will be the keynote
speaker. Consul General of India will
grace the occasion as the guest of honor.
her trip to Manjakkudi and the issues AIM
for Seva stands to resolve. The next few
pages discussed the actual task. Each mem‑
ber was required to team up with another
member and given a minimum requirement
of $100 to raise over four months.
“We set up two collection dates, one in
February and one in April, and encouraged
all the members to ask family and friends to
donate. The packets I designed were created
so that as our members asked for donations
they also informed their donors of the
organization,” she says. The people who
donated would get information about AIM
for Seva, the cause, and the website. “I
believed this was the best way to connect
people and hopefully encourage them to
learn about the issues in education on a
global scale.” Mansi and fellow officers
received donations from memberʼs families,
friends, and even teachers and staff at
school. “In total we raised $5,500 in just a
few months which was absolutely incredible.
The India Project was one of the greatest
passions of not only my senior year, but my
high school career as well; I would not have
been able to do this fundraiser without the
help of my school advisors Ms. Iacono and
Mr. Manly, as well as the GYLP trip advisors.
I am so grateful for the opportunity I was
given to do my part in helping AIM for
Seva,” she sums up.
The South Asian American Digital
Archive presents Revolution Remix
he South Asian American Digital
Archive (SAADA), a non‑profit that
collects and shares stories from the
South Asian American community has
been developing a walking tour of
Philadelphia through the lens of South
Asian American history called Revolution
Remix. On Saturday, August 24, SAADA is
launching a soundtrack to the walking
tour with a one‑night‑only concert at
Christ Church Neighborhood House. The
non‑profit will share the narratives from
the tour and original musical composition
by five talented South Asian American
More than 300 attend IACFNJ summer
picnic at Mercer County Park
South Brunswick Mayor, Deputy Mayor & Councilwoman also attended the event
I
ndo‑American Cultural Foundation of
Central Jersey ‑ IACFNJ held their annu‑
al summer picnic at Mercer County Park
on July 28. The fun‑filled eight hour out‑
door picnic on a hot summer day was
attended by more than 300 people from
the local communities of heavily populated
Indian Americans in Central Jersey.
Despite extreme heat, this yearʼs summer
picnic was well attended and enjoyed by
people of all age groups including young
kids throughout the day with several fun‑
filled activities, bingo, cricket, live DJ and
music and singing.The live entertainment
was provided by young and talented DJ
Darshan and Ashish from Desi Experiment
LLC along with live romantic Bollywood
songs from Tanmayee and Tushar of T & T
Musical Group.
The breakfast, lunch and dinner were
provided free of charge to all members and
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
musicians. This summerʼs epic perform‑
ance brings together distinct voices to
chronicle South Asian immigrant stories
from the 1780s to the present day.
Mandeep's powerful lyrics, Rudresh
Mahanthappa's rhythmic compositions,
Anju's magical harmonies, Zain Alam's
innovative arrangements, and Arooj
Aftab's soulful melodies capture the inti‑
mate details of arrival, stories of loss,
hope, and possibilities of new beginnings.
Itʼs a ticketed event and open to all
ages. The sound tour has been supported
by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.
at a nominal charge to non‑members. The
delicious and mouth‑watering menu
included assorted gota, papdi no lot, tea,
watermelon, corn, puri, shaak, pulao,
kadhi, mung halwa and pasta for kids.
The main attractions of the picnic were
Ice Gola with assorted flavor colors and
various indoor and outdoor games for all
ages.
South Brunswick Mayor Charlie Carley,
Deputy Mayor Joe Cammarota and
Councilwoman Ann Grover attended the
picnic and extended their continued sup‑
port to IACFNJ and expressed their sincere
appreciation to all committee members for
organizing events to bring communities
together. Dr. Tushar Patel, organization
President appreciated all committee mem‑
bers and volunteers for their hard work
and dedicated community services to make
this event a huge success.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL August 10-16, 2019 7

Actor, politician Jaya Prada AAPIʼs

ambassador for womenʼs empowerment
Hyderabad: “Women face such sit‑
uations in every field,” Jaya Prada,
the popular Bollywood actor, said
while referring to sexual harass‑
ment in the fashion‑filled movie
world. “However, in Bollywood how
one presents herself is very impor‑
tant. Many aspire to be in
Bollywood where they face chal‑
lenges and abuses. In politics too,
women get targeted. You have to
protect yourself and the way you
handle each situation is very impor‑
tant.” She suggested that the
#MeToo Movement in India needs
to be handled sensitively with a
committee and need to be fast‑
tracked for assessment and resolu‑
tion. The award‑winning Bollywood
actor, called “the most beautiful
face on the Indian screen” agreed to
be “The Ambassador of AAPI in
Womenʼs Empowerment.”
Jaya Prada, was the keynote
speaker at the Womenʼs Forum dur‑
ing the 13th edition of the Global
Healthcare Summit of American
Association of Physicians of Indian
Origin (AAPI) at the Taj Krishna
Hotel in Hyderabad, India on July
22nd, 2019. Organized by the
American Association of Physicians
of Indian Orig in (AAP I) the
Womenʼs Forum had a galaxy of
successful women, who shared with
the AAPI delegates their own sto‑
ries of growing up and facing chal‑
lenges with conviction and courage,
and have today become role models
for other women around the world.
Dr. Suresh Reddy, President of
AAPI, in his opening remarks, high‑
lighted the importance of Womenʼs
Forum, which has come to be a
much sought after event at every
Convention and GHS.
Dr. Sajani Shah, Womenʼs Forum
Cahir, moderated the panel discus‑
sion. In her address, she referred to
The Me Too movement in India,
which is a manifestation of the
international Me Too movement
that occurred in late 2018 in parts
of Indian society including govern‑
ment, media, and the Bollywood
film industry.
In her we lcome remarks, Dr.
Seema Arora, Co‑Chairwoman of
the Womenʼs Forum, highlighted
the importance of the Womenʼs
Forum at AAPI. Dr. Arora, who is
an accomplished physician and the
Chair of BOT of AAPI, introduced
the panelists to the audience.
Jaya Prada pointed out that the
reality is that we are still fighting
for equality and safety. Women
politicians in India are repeatedly
targeted for their identity, is hardly
a secret. Women are always at the
receiving end of sexual innuendos
and jibes at the behest of their male
counterparts. The jibes are often on
their looks, their clothes– they are
vict imized for their gender.
“Women are highly vulnerable in
politics. This not only weakens our
democracy but also the rights of
women politicians.”
(Source: theunn.com)

Ankit Bhatt wins prestigious A musical puppet comedy on 21 city

2019 ʻDigital Banker tour to raise funds for children in India
of the yearʼ award By Manu Shah

I
n a technology‑driven world, itʼs
New York: Ankit a rare treat to see a form of sto‑
Bhatt, senior vice rytelling that goes back 5000
p r e s i d e n t , years ago and still retains its charm
omnichannel expe‑ and appeal. “Malvikaagnimitram” a
rience at U.S bank musical comedy by Dhaatu Puppet
has won the presti‑ Theater is one such show that not
gious 2019 “Digital only captivates the viewer with its
Banker of the year” brilliant production and old‑world
award. The award vibe but is also reviving the dying
was presented to art of puppetry. Dhaatu is currently
him at the Digital performing in 21 cities in the US to
Banking Summit, (Image courtesy: American Banker magazine) raise funds for Vishwa Hindu
during June 19‑21, Parishad of Americaʼs (VHPA) ini‑ VHPAʼs Support a Child initiative supports 2500 children
in Austin, Texas. Bhatt featured in internet captured his interest. tiative “Support a Child” (SAC). housed in 30 plus hostels in 15 states of India.
the June 2019 issue of the Bhatt le ft Merck for a job in Internationally famed Bengaluru
American Banker Mag azine. Citigroup's fledgling digital unit, based puppeteer Anupama Hoskere ty when socio‑economic reasons medalist is a SAC product. Likewise,
American Banker is a banking where he got his start, again, in and her crew of art ists have often rob them of that choice. The Sejal Nayar won a gold medal in the
industry organization which pub‑ analytics. In 2006, Citi's digital already performed in eight cities visit to one of SACʼs hostels before Special Olympics. Whatʼs hearten‑
lishes a magazine of the same ef forts moved from intriguing and have drawn huge crowds at coming to the US was an eye‑open‑ ing is that many children move
name. AB is essentially a resource sideshow to a core part of the every venue. Hoskere, a trained er for Hoskere. She was not only back to their villages to uplift their
for senior executives in banking business, with license to plow classical dancer brings Mahakavi impressed at the way the children communities.
and financial services, to get new ground. The team was small, Kalidasaʼs story of King Agnimitra were being educated and trained in Apart from providing a safe
updates on vital developments on and Bhatt got a taste of every‑ and Malvika to life through the vocational skills but was struck by haven and an education, SAC also
innovation, transformation, dis‑ thing ̶ strategy, marketing, tech‑ medium of puppets. The skillful how “clean the place was.” Raising provides skills such as tailoring,
ruption, technology, regulation, nology, acquisition, budgeting, manipulation of strings, the unique funds for SAC, she realized, was an computers, mechanics, auto repair
and reforms. product management. combination of beautifully decorat‑ opportunity for her to “do seva.” and commercial driving.
Bhatt was nominated by his That background turned Bhatt ed puppets w ith a live The driving force behind the proj‑ SACʼs annual fundraisers such as
employer just as 3000 other big into a sought‑after commodity. Bharatnatyam dancer who is par ect is Vice President ‑ Seva, VHPA this one help the organization sup‑
and small banks did, lauding the Over the next decade, he did excellence, vibrant costumes and Renu Gupta. The project supports port 2500 children but this year
role of their nominee executive in stints as head of digital at HSBC, English narration with its touches 2500 children who are housed in the goal has jumped to 2900 chil‑
innovative digital banking tech‑ director of mobile strategy at of dry humor makes the 70‑minute 30 plus hostels in 15 States. The dren. A donation of just $250 dol‑
nology. He spearheaded a broad American Express, vice president presentation a must‑see, particular‑ children come from socially and lars a year can give a child a new
transformation effort with heavy of mobile at JPMorgan Chase, and ly for the next generation. economically backward areas life. Donors who sponsor a child
emphasis of "digital" in bank's chief operating of ficer of digital Hoskere, who has a Masters in affected by Naxalites or other sepa‑ receive a childʼs picture, a short
strategic plans. channels at E‑Trade Financial, Engineering carves the puppets ratist groups or are orphans, run‑ biography, an academic report card
Bhatt grew up as the son of an never spending more than three herself and has designed 575 pup‑ aways or children of sex workers. and are encouraged to keep in
engineer in Gujarat. His father, years in any one place. In 2017, pets to date. Incidentally, she Renu Gupta and her husband Arun touch with the child and visit the
Ghanshyam Bhatt got a U.S. stu‑ Gareth Gaston, U.S. Bank's execu‑ received the news that she has Gupta, who is equally involved, hostel. Administration costs are a
dent visa when Bhatt was 12, and tive vice president of omnichan‑ been conferred w ith the State make it a point to visit one hostel bare 9%.
the family moved to New Jersey. nel, was looking for someone with Sangeet Natak Academy Award each time they visit India. Dhaatu has already performed in
After graduating from George a "bold vision" to turn the bank's while on her 21‑ city tour of the US. The hostels not only educate the 8 cities starting from July 13th.
Washington University in 2001 digital efforts into a differentiat‑ The performances are part of a children till the 12th grade in Future performances are scheduled
with a degree in biology, Bhatt ing force and found Bhatt's cus‑ fundraiser ef fort for SAC, a Seva Central Board Certified Schools but in Cincinnati, Detroit, Cleveland,
took a job analyzing operational tomer‑obsession a match for his program of VHPA. Established in also teach yoga, music, arts, sports, Louisville, Pittsburg, Columbus,
performance models at Merck, own. "I believe he has the drive 1985 to eradicate illiteracy, SAC and values that build character. Allentown, Hartford, Staten Island,
the pharmaceutical giant. "My ini‑ and backg round to build the believes that only education can Children are encouraged to go to Somerset, Boston, and Atlanta.
tial love was genetics," he said. "I world's best digital experience," transform the life of a child and a college and have become engineers,
wanted to be in research." said Gaston, Bhatt's boss to country, break generational pover‑ doctors, and professionals. Kalpana For more information about dates
Instead, the explosion of the American Banker in an interview. ty and open the doors of opportuni‑ Raout, the Commonwealth Olympic and venues, visit www.sacusa.org
 8 August 10-16, 2019
Top Indian-American Congressional Lawyer Kashyap Patel
Staffer to leave office gets key job in National
Washington DC: A top Indian‑American
Congressional staf fer has decided to resign
from the post following a firestorm of contro‑
versy in the last few months.
Saikat Chakrabart i, chie f of staf f to
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez,
had recently found himself at the center of
American politics after he called moderate
Democrats who had advocated for the $4.59
billion emergency border funding bill as
"Southern Democrats," thereby in effect call‑
ing them racists.
Chakrabarti drew much criticism, including
from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, for insult‑
ing other Democratic lawmakers that support‑
ed the bill. His remark even prompted a tweet
from the HouseDemocrats account, saying,
"Who is this guy and why is he explicitly sin‑
gling out a Native American woman of color?"
In addition to this, Chakrabarti also faced
backlash from several right‑wing outlets in
the country, as well as Republican supporters,
for wearing a t‑shirt with an image of Subhash
Chandra Bose emblazoned on it.
What led to the uproar is that some per‑
ceived Bose as "an Indian nationalist who col‑
laborated with the Nazis” as pointed out in a
report by Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The
report further describes Bose as a dissenting
Indian nationalist who enlisted "tens of thou‑
sands of Indian men to support the Japanese
Invasion of British India in 1944 and help
Indian-origin doctor
crowned Miss England
Bhasha Mukherjee, 23, holds two different medical degrees, has an IQ of 146,
making her officially a 'genius' and is fluent in five languages
London: A 23‑year‑old Indian‑origin doctor
has been crowned Miss England after fending
off competition from dozens of other models,
the media reported on Friday.
Bhasha Mukherjee, 23, from Derby, holds
two different medical degrees, has an IQ of
146, making her of ficially a 'genius' and is
fluent in five languages, reports The Daily
Mail. She was due to start her new job as a
junior doctor in a hospital in Boston,
Lincolnshire, just hours after the Miss
England final ended on Thursday evening.
"Some people might think pageant girls are
airheads, but we all stand for a cause," she
said before the contest.
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Saikat Chakrabarti
fight the British in Europe for Hitler."
Chakrabarti had been alongside Ocasio‑
Cortez since her initial run and was instru‑
mental in her victory last year. "Saikat has
decided to leave the of fice of Rep. Ocasio‑
Cortez to work with New Consensus to further
develop plans for a Green New Deal," the
Congresswoman's office said on Friday.
"We are extraordinarily grateful for his
service to advance a bold agenda and improve
the lives of the people in NY‑14. From his co‑
founding of Justice Democrats to his work on
the Ocasio‑Cortez campaign and in her official
of fice, Saikat's goal has always been to do
whatever he can to help the larger progres‑
sive movement, and we look forward to con‑
tinuing working with him to do that." (ANI)
DIASPORA
"My pageant career all started to happen
while I was in the middle of studying at med‑
ical school ‑ it took a lot of convincing for me
to do it, but eventually I decided to do it to
balance out my studying and give me a
break."
Mukherjee was born in India. Her family
relocated to the UK when she was nine.
She went onto complete two bachelor
degrees: one in medical sciences and one in
medicine and surgery from the University of
Nottingham.
As the winner of Miss England, she will be
entered into the Miss World contest and will
also bag a holiday to Mauritius.
Security Council
New York: Kashyap "Kash" Patel, an
Indian‑American lawyer who is a fierce
loyalist of President Donald Trump, has
been promoted as senior director of
counter‑terrorism of the White House‑
based National Security Council (NSC),
according to media reports. He is a for‑
mer senior staffer of the House of
Representatives Intelligence Committee
working for its Republican leadership,
which he left in February to join the
NSC's International Organizations and
Alliances directorate.
The NSC is the president's main outfit
for coordinating security and foreign
policy matters and is headed by
National Security Adviser John Bolton.
Earlier in his career, Patel had been a
counter‑terrorism prosecutor for the
Justice Department.
While a senior aide to Representative
Devin Nunes, who was the chairman of
the Intelligence Committee when
Republicans controlled the House, Patel
worked to raise questions credibility of
the allegations against Trump of collud‑
ing with Russians that led to the pro‑
tracted inquiry by Special Counsel
Robert Mueller.
UK working to extend
post‑study work rights
for foreign students
London: The number of Indians studying in
the UK has almost doubled in the last three
years, with over 21,000 student visas issued
to Indians till March 2019. A white paper on
extending the duration students can stay
and work post‑study is also in the works in
an effort to make Britain an attractive desti‑
nation for Indian students, officials said.
With Australia and Canada attracting
international students in droves with their
easier work and study norms and overtak‑
ing the UK as preferred student destination,
the new British government is giving serious
thought to giving education cooperation the
attention it deserves.
The Ministry of External Af fairs said in
Parliament that as many as 7,52,725 Indian
students are studying abroad, with the US
the preferred destination for higher educa‑
tion. Canada and Australia take the second
and third spots. The US has 2,11,703 Indian
students.
Canada introduced its Post‑Graduation
Work Permit Program (PGWPP) in 2006 to
allow students to gain work experience
which qualifies for permanent residency.
Australia's point‑based immigration policies
were also aimed at encouraging internation‑
al students to pursue permanent residency
in Australia.
However, after the UK announced the abo‑
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
He was the principal author of a
memo issued by Nunes that accused
Federal Bureau of Investigation and
Justice Department of bias against
Trump and of abusing laws to get war‑
rants to conduct surveillance of a
Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page.
The government agencies could find no
grounds to prosecute Page, whose sur‑
veillance contributed to the setting up
of the Mueller inquiry. Mueller report
also did not find that Trump's campaign
colluded with Russia in the 2016 elec‑
tions.
During his time with Nunes, Patel also
pursued all the way to Britain
Christopher Steele, a former British
intelligence agent, who prepared a
dossier that was ultimately paid for by
Democrats to spread unsubstantiated
scurrilous rumors about Trump and
contributed to the appointment of the
Mueller inquiry.
Patel was a public defender ‑‑ a gov‑
ernment‑paid lawyer to represent those
who could not afford an advocate ‑‑
before he joined the Justice Department
in 2014. From there he went on to the
House Intelligence Committee.
lition of post‑study work rights in 2011, the
number of Indian students went down
sharply from a peak of 38,677 in 2011 to
16,655 in 2016.
Keen to attract foreign students, who
according to a 2017 study generated more
than 25 billion pounds for the economy and
helped give a boost to regional jobs and
local businesses, the British government is
planning to increase the number of months
a foreign student can stay back and work.
"There is a proposal to increase the post‑
study work rights from the current four
months to 12 months," said Tom Birtwistle,
Director North India, British Council.
The UK government is also launching a
#GetReadyForClass campaign over the next
month to help guide international students
through the application process and encour‑
age them to apply early.
Among other measures to deepen bilateral
education cooperation, 20 Vice‑Chancellors
from UK Universities are visiting Delhi and
Hyderabad in the first week of September.
A new program ‑ the UK India Education &
Research Init iat ive (UKIERI) Mobility
Programme: Study in India ‑‑ will allow UK
undergraduate students to do part of their
degree course in Indian institutes. The pro‑
gram is funded by the governments of both
countries.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info US AFFAIRS August 10-16, 2019 9

Trump condemns white

Washington: President Donald
Trump on Monday said that the US
must condemn bigotry, racism and
white supremacy, following two

supremacy after 2 mass shootings

mass shootings over the weekend
that killed over 30 people.
On Saturday, a gunman killed 22
people at a Walmart store in El
Paso, Texas, in what officials said
appeared to be a racially‑motivat‑
ed hate crime. Later, another gun‑
man in Dayton, Ohio, killed nine
people. Dozens were also wounded
in both shootings. Addressing the
nation on Monday, Trump called
the El Paso gunman a “wicked
man” and urged the country to
condemn white supremacy.
“The shooter in El Paso posted a
manifesto online consumed by
racist hate. In one voice, our nation
must condemn racism, bigotry and
white supremacy.”
The President, however, stopped Online posting by El Paso shooting suspect Patrick Crusius
short of acknowledging his own railed against immigrants and Hispanics, blaming immigrants and
20 people perished in the shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas. first‑generation Americans for taking away jobs and for the
divisive and racist rhetoric.
blending of cultures in the US.
Officials said the El Paso shooter jobs and for the blending of cul‑ and stop mass murderers before
may face hate crime charges after tures in the US. they start,” he added. without years of needless delay”. background checks, perhaps mar‑
the police found a racist, anti‑ Trump called the weekend shoot‑ Trump said during his White Earlier in the day, the President rying this legislation with desper‑
immigrant document they believe ing attacks “domestic terrorism,” House statement that he was called on lawmakers to pass legis‑ ately needed immigration reform.
was written by the 21‑year‑old adding that he had called on the “direct ing the Department of lat ion requiring strong back‑ We must have something good, if
white male suspect. FBI to devote further resources to Justice to propose legislation ground checks for gun users fol‑ not great, come out of these two
The four‑page document posted preventing further attacks. ensuring that those who commit lowing the shootings. tragic events!”
online espoused white nationalist He said the Internet “provided a hate crimes and mass murders The President also suggested Trump also suggested that the
and racist views. It railed against dangerous avenue to radicalize dis‑ face the death penalty.” ty ing immig rat ion re form to media was responsible for the
immigrants and Hispanics, blam‑ turbed minds and perform dement‑ He added that capital punish‑ strengthening background checks. scourge of mass shootings and “the
ing immigrants and first‑genera‑ ed acts”. “We must shine a light on ment in these cases should be “Republicans and Democrats anger and rage that has built up
tion Americans for taking away the dark recesses of the internet “delivered quickly, decisively, and must come together and get strong over many years”.

Only 7 candidates have qualified Biden (and Obama) comes under

for the next Democratic debate fire over immigration in debate
Qualifiers will need to have 130,000 unique donors
and register at least 2 percent support in four polls.
Washington DC: While 20 presidential
candidates debated this past week, far
fewer are assured the chance of doing
so again in September. The
Democratic National Committee has
set stricter criteria for the third set of
debates, which will be held on Sept. 12
and Sept. 13 in Houston. If 10 or fewer
candidates qualify, the debate will take
place on only one night.
Candidates will need to have
130,000 unique donors and register at
least 2 percent support in four polls.
They have until Aug. 28 to reach those
benchmarks.
These criteria could easily halve the
field: The first two sets of debates
included 20 of the 24 candidates, but
a New York Times analysis of polls and
donor numbers shows that only 10 to
12 candidates are likely to make the
third round.
Seven candidates have already met
both qualification thresholds and are
guaranteed a spot on stage. They are:
Joseph R. Biden Jr., Cory Booker,
Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Beto
OʼRourke, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth
Warren. Three other candidates are
very close: The former housing secre‑
tary Julián Castro and the entrepre‑
neur Andrew Yang have surpassed
130,000 donations and each have
three of the four qualifying polls they
need, while Senator Amy Klobuchar of
Minnesota has met the polling thresh‑
20 candidates and two rounds of
Democratic debates later, there still is
no breakout star strong enough to
take on the incumbent President.
Advantage Trump.
old and has about 120,000 donors.
Beyond them, only three candidates
have even a single qualifying poll to
their name: the impeachment activist
Tom Steyer (2 polls), Representative
Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii (1) and for‑
mer Gov. John Hickenlooper of
Colorado (1).
Detroit: Joe Biden, the former Vice President of
the US and favorite to win the Democratic Party
nomination for the White House, was the focus
of attacks by other contenders during the sec‑
ond night of televised debate.
Biden shared the platform at Detroit's Fox
Theatre last Wednesday with senators Kamala
Harris, Cory Booker, Michael Bennet and
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York
Mayor Bill de Blasio, former
Housing Secretary Julian
Castro, Washington State
Governor Jay Inslee,
Congresswoman Tulsi
Gabbard and Businessman
Andrew Yang. On stage,
Biden was pounced on when
the conversation turned
from healthcare to immigra‑
tion, Efe news reported.
Castro, who was a part of
the Obama Cabinet along
with Biden, defended
decriminalizing the entry of
undocumented immigrants to the US, which the
former Vice President is opposed to.
"If you elect me President, you're electing me
not to follow. You're electing me to lead," Castro
said. "And open borders is a right‑wing talking
point, and frankly, I'm disappointed that some
folks on this stage have taken the bait."
Biden then took direct aim at Castro, saying: "I
found that Julian, excuse me, the Secretary, we
sat together in many meetings. I never heard
him talk about any of this when he was the
Secretary."
"If you cross the border illegally, you should
be able to be sent back," Biden added. "It's a
crime."
Castro replied: "It looks like one of us has
learned the lessons of the past. One of us has‑
n't." He then said that there still ought to be
consequences if one crosses the border without
authorization, but the penalties should be civil.
De Blasio then reproached Biden for the num‑
ber of deportations of undocumented immi‑
grants during the Obama administration, higher
than those of the current President, Donald
Trump, during the first two years of his term.
"I was Vice President ... not the President. I
keep my recommendation in private, unlike
you," Biden said, while underlining that Obama
tried to find a way to grant citizenship to DACA
beneficiaries.
Immigration then gave way to justice when
Booker pinned down Biden over the 1990
Criminal Justice Act, which he helped enact, and
which is now regarded as the source of mass
incarceration, particularly of racial minorities.
Harris, who scores highly in polls and did well
in the first debate in June, this time did not
make much of a mark and even received attacks
from Gabbard for her stint as California's
Attorney General.
"There are too many examples to cite but she
put over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana vio‑
lations and then laughed about it when she was
asked if she ever smoked marijuana," Gabbard
said.
Wednesday marked the conclusion of the sec‑
ond Democratic presidential debate, after the
10 other candidates ‑ among them progressive
senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren ‑
took part in the first round on Tuesday.
 10 August 10-16, 2019
By Robinder Nath
Sachdev
I
t is stating the obvious to say
that India has been dismayed
at the outcome of the Prime
Minister Imran Khan meeting
with President Donald Trump in
the White House.
Commentaries, by the reams,
and by countless hours on televi‑
sion shows, in India, and also in
the US, are searching answers to
questions like ‑ Why did Trump
say what he said at the joint
press gaggle with Imran Khan?
How did Imran Khan wangle a
meeting with Trump? Was India
caught napping, or did it falter, in
shepherding its strategic inter‑
ests and re lat ions w ith the
United States? What now, what
should India do to consolidate its
relationship with the US? How
about Pakistan, when will the
rogue elements in India's neigh‑
borhood stop nicking India?
The answer to all above is com‑
plex, and this single column can‑
not do justice to the nuances.
First things first. How to under‑
stand America, and how to
understand Trump. The world
must realize that Trump is the
most unconventional ever US
President in history, and it is he
alone who makes foreign policy
in the United States, and no one
else. Much like his working style
in domestic politics, where too he
has exercised his Presidential
and governmental powers to the
micro‑levels with a hammer, even
if losing some battles, Trump is
similarly the sole thinker and
decider of US foreign policy.
Today, Trump is America. And,
America is Trump. He may decide
to make U‑turns, threats, and
actions on any aspect of policy,
with any country, and his deci‑
sions and tweets have clear
impact. Some of his statements
or tweets may get lost in mael‑
stroms of controversy, but most
decisions by Trump, i.e. America,
do have big global impact. Just
ask China. Observe Japan. See
Turkey. France. Germany.
Analyse Wall Street, stocks and
stock markets, WTO, and nation‑
al policies. America is making its
presence felt in ways and meth‑
ods hitherto never imagined by
the world governments, business,
and leaders.
Above said, there is no doubt
that Trump can also be influ‑
enced a" after all he also has a
circle of friends, reads or watch‑
es TV, is active on social media,
and he has his chosen and
appointed officials and brains in
government, whose job is to
advise him. No leader lives in a
vacuum ‑ any leader uses his
time judiciously and absorbs
information that comes to him
from his chosen channels of com‑
munications. So with Trump.
Trump is America.
America is Trump
There can be a golden lining to the clouds at the horizon
of US‑India relations, and for Pakistan.
Narendra Modi must invite Donald Trump to visit India, the only major country he has not visited so far.
Trump and Pakistan
In the case of Pakistan, it seems
Trump was largely influenced by
Senator Lindsay Graham, who
very recently visited Afghanistan
and Pakistan. It is also speculated
that the Pakistan Ambassador in
the US is old pals with Jared
Kushner. He worked the phones,
and voila the White House meet‑
ing happened.
There are also reports that say
that the Crown Prince of Saudi
Arabia was the principal inter‑
locutor for this meeting, which
sounds low on probability, and
even reports that are convinced
that a "Wahabi" lobby in
Washington, DC was the instru‑
mental agency.
Whatever the channels that
reached Trump, the message that
they succeeded in se lling to
Trump was ‑ "Pakistan is Ready,
Willing and Able to help the US
in Afghanistan, and will also curb
the terrorism emanating from
inside Pakistan, if only our
Eastern Borders with India are
secure and peaceful from the
Kashmir issue. If Kashmir, our
Eastern Border is peaceful, then
we can fully apply all our mili‑
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
OP-ED
tary forces to solve and manage
the challenges on our Western
orders, and help you, the US in
Afghanistan with our full abili‑
ties.
Trump has liked and approved
of the idea, and it may not be far
to suggest that the idea of bring‑
ing peace to the Kashmir region
appealed to Jared Kushner too.
After all Kushner is also trying to
bring peace in global hot‑spots ‑
like the Middle East.
Golden lining
to the clouds
Though India may be unhappy
at this point of time, no purpose
will be served by an emotional,
or petulant response. There is a
golden lining to the clouds a" but
only and only if the following
two things can be achieved in the
next two years.
There is no doubt that right
now is the time when Pakistan is
at its weakest and amenable to
change and reform of its ways,
because of pressures like ‑ econo‑
my, FATF, exposure to terrorism,
and making promises to the US.
If this window of opportunity of
next less than two years is not
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
exploited to the fullest by India,
including in partnership with the
US, then Pakistan may go back to
its old ways against India, with a
vengeance.
India must also remember that
Trump was insist ing that
Pakistan must get rid of all
domestic and foreign terrorists
from Pakistan's soil responsible
for the attacks in Mumbai and on
the Indian Parliament. We must
remember that when India decid‑
ed to use its air force to strike
inside Pakistan at Balakot recent‑
ly, Trump gave his vehement sup‑
port to India. Trump also played
a role in asking Imran Khan to
release the captured Indian pilot,
Abhinandan.
What must India be
doing now?
It is important to understand
and appreciate how President
Trump operates and makes poli‑
cy.
Prime Minister Modi has done
well by not entangling himself
with President Trump's state‑
ments. Nothing has changed offi‑
cially between the two. In foreign
affairs, Trump has always relied
on close personal relations and
diplomacy. He has always made
sure that only he alone could
control such personal diplomacy
and rapport with the foreign
leaders.
Of course most members of US
Congress, and the politically
active Indian Diasporas, can and
do contribute significantly to US ‑
India relations, and India must
invest much more time and ener‑
gy on these constituencies than it
has been doing so far, yet there
should be no doubt that the top
agenda any day in a Trump
Presidency, are purely of choos‑
ing by Trump, and his view of the
world. India must learn to deal
with such matters. Especially
since Trump may remain US
president till 2024.
In all probability, and it must
have happened by now, PM Modi
should have called up President
Trump, and side‑stepping the
Imran Khan visit, talked of other
important topics, including an
invitation for Trump to visit India
at the earliest ‑ perhaps to join
Diwali festival in October?
So, how does India
step up its game?
By doing all of above, including
rejuvenated and urgent engage‑
ments with US Congress, with the
Indian Diasporas, with the US
administration, with the FATF,
and other world regimes. And, by
strengthening and building per‑
sonal relations and networking
with the President and his clos‑
est advisors ‑ realizing that
Trump is America, and America
is Trump.
India would also do well to
realize something e lse that
everyone knows ‑‑ President
Trump relies mostly on TV and
Twitter to learn and respond to
the issues of the day. He general‑
ly does not pre fer to read.
Therefore, Pakistan shenanigans
must be exposed on TV in the
United States, preferably on Fox
News which is Trump's favorite
stomping grounds for tracking
domestic and world affairs.
There can be a golden lining to
the clouds at the horizon of
US ‑ India re lat ions, and for
Pakistan.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
US to "fully" develop ground-launched missiles Trump signs two‑year budget
after exiting INF treaty: Pentagon chief
Washington: The United States will
fully develop ground‑launched con‑
ventional missiles after withdrawing
from the Intermediate‑Range
Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, U.S.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper
said Friday.
"Now that we have withdrawn, the
Department of
Defense will fully pursue the devel‑
opment of these
ground‑launched con‑
ventional missiles,"
Esper said, pointing
to the move as a
"prudent response
to Russia's actions."
According to the
statement, the
United States
already began
research and develop‑
ment activities for the ground‑
launched missiles in 2017. The
department's initial research and
development ef forts focused on
mobile, conventional, ground‑
launched cruise and ballistic missile
systems.
To comply with the obligations of
the INF treaty, these programs are in
the early stages, the statement
claimed. Esper released the state‑
deal to boost spending
ment on the same day the United
States officially withdrew from the
treaty.
Multiple U.S. media reported that
the United States is planning to test a
new non‑nuclear mobile‑launched
cruise missile in the coming weeks
as a show of force against Moscow.
The collapse of the INF treaty as
well as confrontational actions have
already triggered fear among ana‑
lysts that a new round of arms race
is looming.
"Most pressing and troublesome
over the medium term will be the
total loss of transparency and pre‑
dictability," Ulrich Kuehn, an arms
control expert at the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace,
said, "this combination of 'strategic
US AFFAIRS
blindness' and mistrust combined
with the potential for misunder‑
standings will fuel the new arms
race."
UN Secretary‑General Antonio
Guterres on Thursday urged the
United States and Russia to urgently
seek agreement on "a new common
path" for international arms control.
"When it expires tomorrow, the
world will lose an
invaluable brake on
nuclear war. This will
likely heighten, not
reduce, the threat posed
by ballistic missiles," he
said.
The INF Treaty was
signed by the Soviet
Union and the United
States bain 1987.
Moscow and
Washington have been accusing
each other of violating the historic
arms control deal amid increased
tensions.
U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo said
on Feb. 1 that the United States
would suspend compliance with the
landmark bilateral arms control pact
with Russia and formally withdraw
in six months if Moscow does not
end its alleged violation of the pact.
August 10-16, 2019
Washington: President Donald
Trump on Friday signed the
“Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019,”
which boosts discretionary spend‑
ing limits and suspends the public
debt limit for the next two years.
The budget deal, reached
between the President and con‑
gressional leaders earlier, was
passed 67‑28 in the US Senate on
Thursday, and was approved by
the House by 284‑149 last week,
the Xinhua news agency reported.
The deal suspends the federal
debt ceiling until July 31, 2021,
and raises overall spending levels
by $320 billion above the limits
set in the Budget Control Act of
2011, which established strict
spending caps and stipulated
automatic across‑the‑board spend‑
ing cuts.
It will lift the budget cap for dis‑
cretionary spending to $1.37 tril‑
lion in 2020 and $1.375 trillion in
2021, expanding defene outlays,
demanded by Republicans, and
boosting domestic spending,
including health care for veterans,
sought by Democrats.
Maya MacGuineas, president of
the Committee for a Responsible
11
Federal Budget, a nonpartisan
watchdog group, lashed out at
lawmakers in a statement
Thursday, saying the Senate vote
“caps a shameful period of fiscal
recklessness in Washington that is
unprecedented in the context of
our current fiscal state.”
Congress and the President
have added $4.1 trillion to the
debt since President Trump took
office, MacGuineas said. “As a
result, deficits are more than dou‑
ble what they would have been
without fiscally irresponsible tax
cuts and spending increases.”
The White House has projected
a 1‑trillion‑dollar budget deficit
for the fiscal year 2019, the high‑
est since 2012, Office of
Management and Budget said in
its recently released Mid‑Session
Review.
The debt ceiling was previously
set at $20.5 trillion, and expired
on March 1 this year. Since then,
US Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin has urged congressional
leaders to raise the federal debt
limit as the Treasury Department
began accounting maneuvers to
avoid a default.
 12 August 10-16, 2019
Amit Shah says Article 370 to go, J&K no more a state
New Delhi: Union Home Minister
Amit Shah on Monday proposed
to scrap Art icle 370 of the
Constitution which gives special
status to Jammu and Kashmir and
said the state will be split into two
Union Territories: Jammu and
Kashmir with an Assembly and
Ladakh without one.
Making a historic announce‑
ment in the Rajya Sabha that trig‑
gered bedlam, Shah said: "I am
present ing the resolut ion to
revoke Article 370 in Jammu and
Kashmir except the first clause
370 (1)."
Follow ing his speech amid
opposition protests, at times
drowning his voice, the House
was adjourned. It later resumed
business.
In a separate statement, Shah
said the government has pro‑
posed to reorganize Jammu and
Kashmir carving out two
separate Union Territories
of Ladakh and Jammu and
Kashmir.
He said this had been
done in view of constant
threats of cross border ter‑
rorism.
"T here has been a long
pending demand of the peo‑
ple to give it the status of a
Union Territory to enable
them to realize their aspira‑
tions," the statement said.
"Further, keeping in view the
prevailing internal security situa‑
tion, fuelled by cross‑border ter‑
rorism in the existing state of
Jammu and Kashmir, a separate
Union Territory for Jammu and
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's actual countdown for revok‑
ing Article 370 and bifurcation of
the state of Jammu and Kashmir
began during the third week of
June, when he chose 1987 batch
IAS of ficer of Chattisgarh cadre,
B.V.R. Subramanyam as new Chief
Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir.
Subrahmanyam, who had worked
as Joint Secretary (PMO) with the
Prime Minister earlier, was one of
the key officials in Modi's Mission
Kashmir. The entire task of Mission
Kashmir was handed over to Union
Home Minister Amit Shah, who
along with Law Minister Ravi
Shankar Prasad was reviewing legal
implications with a core team,
which included Law & Justice
Secretary Alok Srivastav, Additional
Secretary Law (Home) R.S. Verma,
Attorney General K.K. Venugopal,
Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba
and his select team of Kashmir
Division.
Before the beginning of the
Budget Session, Shah had briefed
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
(RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and his
aide (General Secretary) Bhaiyaji
Joshi about the Centre's determina‑
tion to revoke Article 370 and sub‑
sequent bifurcation of Jammu and
KASHMIR: SPECIAL REPORT
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Kashmir steps have been
taken in view of constant threats of cross‑border terrorism.
Kashmir is being created," he said. India.
Shah's announcement came "Opposition leaders are saying
after days of escalating tension in that Article 370 brought Jammu
Jammu and Kashmir, particularly and Kashmir to India. But the fact
the Kashmir Valley, where pan‑ is that the
icky residents Maharaja Hari
Singh signed on
October 27, 1947
(the Instrument of
Accession) while
Article 370 came
into existence in
1949.
"So this is
wrong to say
that Article 370
brought Jammu
and Kashmir
h a v e with India," the Minister told the
been buying up essential goods Rajya Sabha in response to
amid a security build up. Congress leader and former Chief
Also in the Rajya Sabha, Shah ‑‑ Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad who
whose BJP had made scrapping condemned the decision to axe
Article 370 an election pledge ‑‑ Article 370.
denied that it was 370 which Leader of Opposition Azad said:
linked Jammu and Kashmir with "By revoking Article 370 that
How Shah & Co executed the 'top secret' task
Kashmir into two separate Union Srinagar to assess the situation
Territories. After legal consulta‑ from a security point of view.
tions, Shah focussed on the implica‑ The NSA camped there for three
tions of the revocation of Article days. Then on July 26, the decision
370 on the valley's law and order to curtail the Amarnath Yatra was
situation. Sources close to Shah taken. Later recall of all tourists
revealed that on the Prime from the valley was also suggested
Minister's suggestion Shah then had by the NSA. Apart from this, an
a couple of meetings with National additional 100 companies of the
Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. central paramilitary were also
The sources said that once Shah rushed as back‑up to the prevailing
had reviewed the situation in security apparatus.
Kashmir himself, Doval was sent to Jammu and Kashmir Chief
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Article 370 was elephant in the
room, hurt development: Govt
New Delhi: The government said
on Monday that removing Article
370 was necessary as it had led to
terrorism and came in the way of
hampering corruption in Jammu
and Kashmir.The government
slammed the Kashmiri political
parties represented by former
Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah
and Mehbooba Mufti for constant‑
ly speaking against abrogation of
Article 370 of the Constitution.
In a detailed booklet explaining
the rationale behind the revoca‑
tion of Article 370 and provision
of 35A, the government said that
accords special status to Jammu
and Kashmir, the BJP government
has murdered the Constitution of
India."
He underlined that it was the
historic Article 370 which linked
Jammu and Kashmir to India.
Shah said Article 370 was used
as "vote bank politics" and that
earlier governments lacked the
political will to revoke it.
"But the Modi government has
the political will and we are not
bothered about vote bank poli‑
tics."
In Parliament, two members of
the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), Nazeer Ahmed Laway and
Mir Mohammad Fayaz, were told
to leave the House after they tore
up copies of the Constitution.
The Jammu and Kashmir gov‑
Secretary Subramanyam, who was
in the loop with the Prime
Minister's Of fice (PMO) and the
Ministry of Home Af fairs (MHA)
was given the blueprint of several
security measures to be taken on
ground zero ‑‑ use of sate llite
phones by key police, paramilitary
and administration officials; deploy‑
ment of QRTs in sensitive urban and
rural pockets across South Kasmir;
and a high vigil at LoC by Army,
apprehending mischief from across
the border.
The Army chief, heads of intelli‑
gence agencies and Central Para
Military Forces were also coordinat‑
ing with the Union Home Secretary
and Chief Secretary 24x7.
On the crucial night of August 4,
Chief Secretary instructed Director
General of Police ( Jammu and
Kashmir) Dilbagh Singh to take sev‑
eral preventive measures which
included house arrest of key politi‑
cal leaders, snapping mobile and
landline services, declaring Section
144 and preparing drill for clamp‑
ing curfew in the valley.
Earlier, on the Delhi front, Shah
had another key team set on the
anti‑corruption provisions like
Right to Information and
Comptroller and Auditor General
(CAG) were not application in
Jammu and Kashmir because of
this article.
The Article was the elephant in
the room, the government said.
The government said the state will
prosper after axing Article 370,
social amalgamation will reduce
threat to militancy, Kashmir will
become one of the top tourist des‑
tinations and it will also prove to
be good diplomacy to deal with
Pakistan over territorial disputes.
ernment imposed restrictions
under Section 144 of the CrPC in
Srinagar district and placed the
top leadership of the state, includ‑
ing former Chief Minister Omar
Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti,
under house arrest.
Internet services were shut
down in several parts of the
Valley and educational institu‑
tions were ordered closed. Earlier,
tourists were asked to leave
Jammu and Kashmir while the
Amarnath Yatra was curtailed.
National Conference leader
Omar Abdullah called the decision
"a betrayal of people's trust" and
amounted to "aggression".
PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti
dubbed the decision to scrap
Article 370 as "the darkest day in
Indian democracy".
job, which included Rajya Sabha
members like Anil Baluni and
Bhupendra Yadav. The team was
tasked to muster the support of fel‑
low members of the august House,
where BJP fell short of a majority.
The team which had engineered a
major defection in TDP's Rajya
Sabha members had managed
Samajwadi Party MPs, Neeraj
Shekhar, Surendra Nagar, Sanjay
Seth, and Congress MP Sanjay Singh
to quit the Rajya Sabha. Thus giving
a big boost to the BJP in the upper
House.
At the eleventh hour, the team
also managed BSP leader Satish
Mishra to support the move related
to Article 370 and bifurcation of the
state.
In the meantime, Amit Shah also
had close door meetings with key
journalists (having access in the
MHA) to be balanced in reporting
while touching highly sensitive
issues, which have international
implications. Shah's objective was to
maintain top secrecy, till he intro‑
duces the Bill, and breaks the his‑
torical news on August 5, on the
floor of Parliament itself.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info KASHMIR:SPECIAL REPORT August 10-16, 2019 13

J&K parties wanted Article 370

strengthened, Center scrapped it
New Delhi: The Modi governmentʼs
decision to scrap the relevance of
Article 370 demolished the
demands by Kashmir‑centric parties
like the National Conference and
Peoplesʼ Democratic Party, which
have been pushing for strengthen‑
ing the provision of the Constitution
that granted special status to the
state of Jammu and Kashmir.
In fact, the step is diametrically
opposite to a move by the National
Conference which had got an
ʻautonomy' resolution passed by the
state Assembly in the year 2000 to
build pressure on the Atal Bihari
Vajpayee government on the issue.
National Conference was an ally
in the Vajpayee‑led NDA govern‑
ment at that time but the Center
summarily rejected it.
T he Assembly resolution was
based on the recommendations of
the State Autonomy Committee
(SAC) which wanted restoration of
the pre‑1953 position, when the
Central government's powers, as
mandated by the Article 370, were
confined to defense, foreign policy
and communications. Any central
law to be extended to the state
required endorsement by the state's
Constituent Assembly.
In 1953, Sheikh Abdullah, then
called ʻWazir‑e‑Azam' (meaning
Prime Minister), was arrested on
the orders of Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru. In his place,
Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad was
appointed and then began the
People celebrate in Jaipur after Rajya Sabha passed the Jammu and
Kashmir Reorganization Bill. (Photo: Ravi Shankar Vyas/IANS)
process of dilution of the Article
370. W hile the Constituent
Assembly was dissolved in 1957, a
number of central laws were
extended to Jammu and Kashmir.
The nomenclature of the Head of
the State of Jammu and Kashmir
was changed from ʻSadr‑e‑Riyasat'
(meaning President) to ʻGovernor'
and that of ʻWazir‑e‑Azam' to ʻChief
Minister' in 1965.
The then central governments
had found the route of Presidential
Order to do so, the same route that
the present government used. The
Autonomy resolution, pushed by
National conference in 2000, said
that ".…the matters agreed to by
the representatives of the State and
the Union vide Delhi Agreement of
1952 should continue to apply to
the State, subject to the same excep‑
tions and modifications as are spec‑
ified in the said Order and the Delhi
Agreement.
"All orders issued thereafter
under clause (1) of Article 370 of
the Constitution of India by the
President, applying various provi‑
sions and matters of the
Constitution of India to the State
whether in full or in modified form
or making any change in the provi‑
sions or matters already applied by
1950 Order or agreed to under
Delhi Agreement should be rescind‑
ed and the provisions or matters so
applied to the State cease to apply."
It added that "the changes made
in the State Constitution vide
Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir
(First Amendment) Act, 1959 and
Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir
(Sixth Amendment) Act, 1965 be
repealed and the original provisions
of the Constitution of Jammu and
Closely following events in
Jammu and Kashmir: US
Washington: The US said that it has taken note of India's move to
change the status of Jammu and Kashmir and that New Delhi has
described it as "strictly and internal matter". In a cautious statement,
State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus voiced concern over
reports of the detention of some Kashmiri leaders, and urged "respect
for individual rights" and talks with those affected.
The US also urged for peace and stability along the Line of Control
(LoC). The statement read: "We are closely following the events in the
state of Jammu and Kashmir.A We take note of India's announcement
revising the constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir and India's
plan to split the state into two union territories.
"We note that the Indian government has described these actions as
strictly an internal matter. "We are concerned about reports of deten‑
tions and urge respect for individual rights and discussion with those in
affected communities.
"We call on all parties to maintain peace and stability along the LoC."
Kashmir as adopted by the State Union and the State which makes
Constitution Assembly on ample redress and finalizes their
November 17, 1956 be restored." re lationship by declaring a
Under the chapter ʻSAFEGUARDS ʻConstitutional Understanding' that
FOR FUTURE', the SAC spoke about Article 370 of the Constitution of
"the extent to which erosion was India beyond the ones extended
caused to the state autonomy from under the new 1950 Order and the
time to time" and said there was Delhi Agreement, 1952. This could
need "to ensure the ʻinviolability' of be embodied in new Article that
the final settlement" and "to keep in specifies the Agreement as part of
mind the need to maintain ʻharmo‑ the unamendable basis structure of
nious' relations with the Centre. the Indian Constitution." The report,
"Ever since Article 370 has as passed by the Assembly, was sent
acquired a dangerously ambiguous by then Chief Minister Farooq
aspect. Designed to protect the Abdullah to the Centre for accept‑
State's autonomy, it has been used ance but it was summarily rejected,
systematically to destroy it. A com‑ with the BJP‑led government saying
pact is necessary between the the clock could not be set back.

Pakistan Army calls J&K including POK, Aksai Chin

meet, Parliament
convened over Kashmir
Islamabad: Pakistan Army
chief General Qamar Javed
Bajwa is to chair a Corps
Commanders Conference in
Rawalpindi on Tuesday to
discuss the situation along
the LoC and the develop‑
ments in Jammu and Kashmir
even as a joint session of
Parliament has been sum‑
moned by President Arif Alvi.
The Corps Commanders
Conference comes a day after
the Indian government abol‑
ished Article 370 of the
Constitution that granted
special status to Jammu and
Kashmir.
Pakistan's Ministry of
Foreign Affairs has rejected
the Indian government's
move and said that Jammu
and Kashmir was an "interna‑
inseparable part of India: Shah
New Delhi: Union Home Minister
Amit Shah on Tuesday asserted that
Jammu and Kashmir was an insepara‑
tionally recognised disputed
ble part of India and both Pakistan‑
territory".
occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Aksai
"As the party to this inter‑
Chin were very much a part of the
national dispute, Pakistan
whole entity.
will exercise all possible
Answering clarifications sought by
options to counter the illegal
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan
steps," it said.
Choudhary in the Lok Sabha, Shah
Pakistan Foreign Minister
said that BJP leaders will give up
Shah Mehmood Qureshi said
their lives to secure PoK and added
there was a "threat of geno‑
that whenever he mentions Jammu
cide and ethnic cleansing in
and Kashmir, it includes the areas
occupied Kashmir" ‑‑ a Home Minister Amit Shah with Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad
held by Pakistan and China.
Pakistani euphemism for and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi
Shah, who presented in the Lok
Indian Jammu and Kashmir ‑‑ at Parliament in New Delhi. (Photo: IANS)
Sabha the resolution scrapping the
after India revoked Article
provisions of Article 370 of the ring a part of the opposition led by referred to the matter being pending
370.
Constitution and legislation for reor‑ the Congress. in the UN, Shimla Agreement and the
He said Pakistan would
ganization of Jammu and Kashmir, Shah said that there should be no Lahore Declaration. Shah demanded
appeal to the United Nations,
said Parliament was well within its doubt that Jammu and Kashmir was that Choudhary should explain his
Organization of Islamic
rights to take up the matter. an inseparable part of India and remark.
Cooperation, friendly coun‑
The Rajya Sabha on Monday gave sought clarification from the Shah said that Jammu and
tries and human rights
its approval to the government's Congress leader if he considered that Kashmir's boundaries include
organizations not to remain
major plan to restructure the state, it was not an internal matter of India. Pakistan‑occupied Kashmir and Aksai
silent on the issue.
with the support of most parties bar‑ Congress leader Choudhary Chin.
 14 August 10-16, 2019 INDIA NEWS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Jaishankar to visit Beijing ahead NRC re‑verification fear

of Modi‑Xi informal summit
New Delhi: External Af fairs
Minister S. Jaishankar will pay a
three‑day visit to China from
August 11, as both sides prepare
for the second informal summit
between Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and Chinese President Xi
Jinping in India in October.
During his visit Jaishankar, who
was Indian envoy to Beijing from
2009 to 2013, will hold talks with
his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi
on bilateral, regional and global
issues of mutual interest. T he
meeting between the two comes
days after they held a bilateral
meeting in Bangkok last week on
the sidelines of the ASEAN‑related
multilaterals.
This will be Jaishankar's first
visit to China after he took over as
External Affairs Minister.
The two sides will discuss the
entire gamut of bilateral relations,
including upcoming high‑level vis‑
its later this year, as we ll as
regional and g lobal issues of
mutual interest, the Ministry of
External Af fairs said in a state‑
ment. Jaishankar will co‑chair the
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
second meeting of the India‑China
High‑Level Mechanism (HLM) on
cultural and people‑to‑people
exchanges on August 12 with
Wang.
The decision to establish the
HLM was taken during the first
informal summit between Modi
and Xi in Wuhan in April 2018.
T he inaugural HLM meeting
was held on December 21 last
year.
"The second HLM meeting will
provide an opportunity to follow
up on the outcomes of the 1st
HLM meeting and discuss new ini‑
tiatives for enhancing people‑to‑
people exchanges between our
two countries," the statement said.
It said the HLM reflects the
desire on both sides to build
greater synergies in the people‑to‑
people ties between the two coun‑
tries through enhanced exchanges
in areas such as tourism, art,
films, media, culture and sports.
grips people in Assam
Guwahati: Ahead of the much‑
hyped August 31 publication of
the National Register of Citizens
(NRC), a fear of being rendered
stateless has gripped thousands
of people in some districts of
Assam after they received 24‑
hour not ices from the NRC
authorities for re‑verification of
their citizenship claim.
Thousands of people particular‑
ly from Goalpara, Barpeta,
Chenga, Boko, Chaygaon con‑
stituencies were summoned by
the NRC authorities in far of f
places like Golag hat, Jorhat,
Sivsagar, Dhemaji and others to
prove their citizenship claim. The
people were served the notices on
August 3 and 4 and were asked
them to appear before the NRC
centres on August 5, giving them
very little time to travel to such
far off places over 500 kms away.
"One bus carrying over 50 such
persons from Sontoli village in
Kamrup to Golaghat met with an
accident at Khanapara area of the
city on Sunday night injuring over
30 of them. These were all poor
people and for them it is not pos‑
sible to travel such a long dis‑
tance at such short not ice.
However, somehow they managed
to get ready but this accident hap‑
pened," said Barpeta‑based
act ivist Ashraful Hussain on
Monday.
He said that one Razia Khatun
(68) died due to heat stroke in
one of the NRC centers at
Kaliabar subdivision in Nagaon
district.
"Khatun a resident of Joakatdia
village in Kamrup district was
summoned to NRC center at
Naltoli in Kaliabar for re‑verifica‑
tion," Hussain said.
Assam Pradesh Cong ress
Committee (APCC) President
Ripun Bora dashed off a letter to
Union Home Minister Amit Shah
urging him to stop immediately
the "illegal" order for re‑verifica‑
t ion of the NRC draft list in
Assam.
Several social organizations
have also condemned the sudden
move of the NRC authorities and
said innocent poor people have
been subjected to suffering in the
name of re‑verification.

NIRMOHI AKHARA:
Muslims stopped
five‑times prayers
in 1934
New Delhi: Arguing its claim on the disputed
site in Ayodhya, Nirmohi Akhara informed
the Supreme Court on Tuesday that Muslims
stopped five‑times prayers a day at Babri
Masjid in 1934 and abandoned the "struc‑
ture" in December 1949 even for Friday
prayers.
The Nirmohi Amhara submitted before the
Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice
Ranjan Gogoi that its claim over the disputed
land was filed in 1934. And the counter
claim suit was filed by the Sunni Wakf Board
over disputed land in 1961.
The counsel for Akhara also claimed that
idols of Lord Ram were placed inside the
mosque on the night of December 22‑23,
1949. The counsel argued that Hindu parties
performed daily prayers and contested the
claims of Muslim parties that they offered
daily prayers at the disputed site.
Sushil Jain, counsel for Nirmohi Akhara,
arguing on the point that a place cannot be
considered a mosque if prayers are not
offered, said: "We have staked our claims
since 1934. No namaz has been offered
there."
The counsel also brought to the court's
notice evidence establishing its claim.
The provision of wuzu, an area where
Muslims wash hands and body parts before
beginning prayers, was absent from at the
place, added the counsel.
"The prayers were never offered there
since 1885, therefore we can arrive at a con‑
clusion that it ceased to exist as a mosque
many years ago."
Punjab CM blames Akalis for
scuttling Bargari case probe
Chandigarh: Punjab Chie f Minister
Amarinder Singh on Tuesday directed
the state Advocate General to oppose the
CBI closure report in the Bargari sacri‑
lege case, saying the agency had no juris‑
diction to file the report in light of the
January 2019 observat ions of the
Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The Chief Minister issued the directive
on the basis of the judicial and legal posi‑
t ion shared w ith him by Advo cate
General Atul Nanda after a detailed
examination of the facts and circum‑
stances preceding the closure report,
said an official spokesperson.
The case relates to torn pages from a
Sikh holy book found in Bargari village
on October 12, 2015. A month later, the
then Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) govern‑
ment had handed over its investigation
to the Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI).
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
Earlier in the state Assembly, the Chief
Minister held the former Shiromani Akali Chief Minister pointed out that they benches.
Dal (SAD) government squarely responsi‑ (Akalis) had first handed over the case to The Chief Minister said the CBI was
ble for scuttling the investigations in the the CBI to delay the investigations and earlier keen on challenging the state's
Bargari sacrilege case and failing to had now pressurised it to submit a hur‑ decision to withdraw the Bargari cases
bring the culprits to book till date. ried closure report. from it, but then suddenly and inexplica‑
Responding to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) No proper inquiry was conducted by bly decided to file its closure report. It
legislator Aman Arora who raised the the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), was obvious that the agency had acted
issue during Zero Hour, Amarinder Singh said Amarinder Singh, adding that the under political pressure, he added.
declared in the Assembly that despite the central agency deliberately did not make The fact of the CBI's failure to make
Akalis' efforts to obstruct justice, his gov‑ any headway in the case under the direc‑ any progress in the investigations had
ernment would take the case to its logi‑ tives of former deputy chief minister and been taken note of by the Punjab and
cal conclusion and ensure justice for the Home minister Sukhbir Badal. Haryana High Court, the Chief Minister
victims. Lashing out at the SAD for its "The CBI did no investigations because observed, reading out from the January
obstructive role in the entire case, the of you," he said, pointing to the Akali 25 judgment.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRAVEL August 10-16, 2019 15

Going to Thailand and having to choose between Pattaya

and Phuket? Choose the latter. The author explains why.

Wish to soar like a bird and touch the skies,

beaches in Phuket fulfil this fantasy too.

On to Patong
T
he journey back to Patong is rather
rough as if the choppy seas are in sync
with the agitated energy of my soul.
The Millennium Resort in Patong is chosen
carefully. First, it opens up right in the heart
of Jungceylon, a lively and well
stocked/equipped shopping mall in Patong
which in turn saves the two of us a zillion
sweat and rain soaked trips to our favorite
stores and spas. Secondly, it's steps away from
Bangla Walking Street. A street well known
for its delicious array of street food, happy
The huge white marble Buddha is a famous landmark of Phuket, sitting at the top of the Nakkerd Hills and standing at 45 meters tall. pubs and spunky shopkeepers hawking every‑
thing from clothes to shoes to bags to eyewear
By Aditti Ahluwalia unadulterated fun, good food and warm breaking line of the surf and the azure and watches. All copies. First copies, as they
hospitality. skies. What a vision to open your eyes say.

I
suppose she should have warned me.
I had not heard of a Divorce
Anniversary before this day. Or that
it could be perceived as grounds to
request a welcome cake on arrival.
Blessed be the hotel and the legendary
Thai hospitality which conceded to one
such demand from my impish daughter.
This trip was intended to be the first
step towards celebrating my several
decades on Earth. Like most travels for
me, this one too had a quest at its
Centre. Not the "find myself once again"
kind of a quest but perhaps the "find
how many massages can I possibly get
in a day" type. Very important too as it
had been painstakingly planned by
my daughter.
Nothing about Thailand was
new to either of us. We under‑
stood the heat and the humidity
and were ready for the thick
downpours. We anticipated the
incessant bargaining with
the street vendors and
looked forward to the famil‑
iar comfort of putting our
feet up on a deep chair for a
deeper massage. The stage
was set and there still were
experiences lined up for me
which couldn't slip my radar
now. Phuket wakes you up.
To many things.
Phuket has two God given
advantages: it's location
which offers panoramic
views of the Andaman Sea,
from wherever one views it.
The other is the emphasis on
ensuring that the vacationers
leave with memories of
To experience an uninhabited island
experience, one only has to look east.
Plenty of lovely islands, each accessible
by boat. Inclusive of land travel in a pri‑
vate limousine (pick up from hotel/ air‑
port in Phuket) to your chosen resort on
the island, it's a three hour journey,
priced at 12,000 Baht for two ($ = 31
Thai Bhat).
Holiday Inn Resort, in Phi Phi Island, is
located in an exclusive beachfront posi‑
tion. Miles and miles of finest white
sands lapped by water which seems to
change color from green to a deep indi‑
go depending on the mood of the skies
above. Adding to its luster
is a cluster of villas,
The
Bangla Walking some visually link‑
Street in Patong is ing the rooms
known for its night life, and the
fabulous food, gorgeous seascape
Ladyboys, masterful fake beyond, all the
luxury items, and way to the
all kinds of
shenanigans.
to. Breakfast is wide ranging as is the
rest of the menu, predictably genuflect‑
ing to matters maritime! However, we
are keen to embrace the salty tang so
we opt to pig out at the few standalone
shacks with their tables set on the sand.
Each night we leave, wined and dined,
with enough sea wind in our hair, blown
away by the visual impact of an intense
alfresco experience.
If you have ever wished to soar effort‑
lessly like a bird and touch the skies, the
islands fulfil this fantasy too. Try view‑
ing this expanse, tied to a parasail,
which scoops you up to 200 feet and
above in a heartbeat while a speedboat
tows you all at Godspeed.
One can find several operators on the
beach for all adventure activities and
water sports. Parasailing in particular
starts at 2500 Baht. At Sunset, romance
seems to come alive for everyone over
pre Prandial cocktails.
The ruthless ricocheting of blaring music,
the awkward attempts to keep one's belong‑
ings safe amidst the bedlam, the over enthusi‑
astic street performers and the gorgeous Lady
Boys (they charge 100 Baht+ for a pic with/of
them). The street is rigged for ruckus! Ready
for an army touting a unique menu card in
your face, hard selling an adult experience
that you may or may not be ready for? Or say‑
ing yes to being seated at a communal table of
sorts with total strangers? Or leering at the
extravagantly dolled up beauties in a cabaret
show? This isn't even peak season.
The foodscape in Thailand has undergone
enormous gentrification and between the two
of us so much food is put away in a week, it's
more outrageous than grand. Thai Green /
Red and Massaman Curry continue to be the
fiery arriviste that it always was. Chilled
smoothies and fresh coconut ice cream (100
Baht for two scoops) seem fair game 24/7 and
many savory nibbles are needed as a mid‑day
stimulant. A fiery lunch with all its trimmings
still cannot suppress the need for a lazy walk
up to The Coffee Club, an Aussie born, Thai
owned chain. From French Toast to pancakes
and smashed avocado, the place also serves
some extraordinary Mac and Cheese fritters, a
fiery Thai Chicken Curry with cashews and a
Coconut frappe that's insanely good.
The massages are unable to reverse the
damage of the gluttony. Patong caters to the
World's growing affluence, yes, but more to
those with an appetite for unadulterated fun
amidst this chaos called life. We knew that this
travel will turn out to be a fortunate stroke of
serendipity, with our days filled with equal
measures of drama and joy. Because that's just
so us. So as I recount priceless moments,
caressed by a memory of a week well spent,
it's easy to say that Phuket holds the power to
infuse life into the lifeless. Get your dose now!
 16 August 10-16, 2019
MLA pens open letter to '#UDTABollywood'
A
fter calling out Bollywood
stars like Deepika
Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor
and Vicky Kaushal at their "drug
party" hosted by filmmaker
Karan Johar, Akali Dal MLA
Manjinder Singh Sirsa wrote an
open letter to Bollywood saying
that he wishes Bollywood stars
had the guts to say sorry to the
nation for breaking their trust.
"My open letter to Bollywood.
Urging all to read and share, tag‑
ging Bollywood stars through
Instagram and Twitter. We have
#FanMoments with them; but
now is the time for
#QuestionMoment," Sirsa tweet‑
ed. "You are given the front row
in national functions and events;
you are treated like India's unof‑
ficial ambassadors abroad and
you are the trendsetter, in hair‑
cuts, hemlines and even when it
comes to the naming of children!
Does it sound fair on your part
when you escape your accounta‑
bility citing private life as an
excuse to organize and then
Rejected 'Avatar'
role but gave film
its title: Govinda
A
ctor Govinda has
claimed that
James Cameron
offered him a lead role
in his blockbuster film,
"Avatar". The actor also
claimed it he who sug‑
gested the film's title to
Cameron.
"I gave the title of the
film (Avatar). It turned
out to be a superhit. I
had informed him
(James Cameron) that
the film will do really
well. I told him that I
feel it will take seven
years for him to com‑
plete the film. He got
angry. When I said so,
he asked, 'how can you
be so sure that I won't
be able to make 'Avatar' Actor Govinda claimed he did not have
for seven years?' I told
enough dates for ʻAvatarʼ.
him that what he was imagining
was almost impossible ‑‑ that he
has named his film 'Avatar' but
is showing aliens," Govinda said.
The actor was speaking on an
episode of the television show
"Aap Ki Adalat", where he also
claimed that he had rejected sev‑
eral Bollywood biggies including
"Devdas" and "Taal".
Talking about rejecting
'Avatar", Govinda claimed he did
not have enough dates.
"Cameron wanted me to shoot
Bollywood stars in an alleged ʻdruggedʼ state. Akali Dal MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
flaunt your drug party on
Instagram?"
Sirsa was referring to a video,
featuring actors like Deepika,
Shahid Kapoor, Vicky and
Ranbir, posted by Karan a few
days ago on Instagram.
"If it was not a drug party, why
were there no food or drink
glasses? If it wasn't a powder
impacted state, why did you all
for 410 days. For someone like
me, to get painted all over the
body was something I could not
do. So, I apologized. But like I
said, the film went on to become
a super hit." Soon after
Govinda's interview went on air,
Twitterati left hilarious com‑
ments/tweets on social media.
One user wrote: "Govinda say‑
ing that he was offered 'Avatar'
is like saying Salman Khan was
offered the Nobel Prize for
physics."
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
appear stoned and shamelessly
out of your senses?
"Is your dislike for drugs and
narcotic substances limited to
on‑screen presence and just to
defame a state for some cheap
publicity (and hefty money)?" he
wrote, referring to the film "Udta
Punjab", which laid bare how
widespread the drug menace
was in the state of Punjab.
'Khandaani Shafakhana':
Message in a mess
By Vinayak Chakravorty
A
t a time when various taboo
aspects pertaining to sex
have already been explored
in delightful comic dramas such as
"Vicky Donor", "Shubh Mangal
Saavdhan" and "Badhaai Ho", you
do look forward to any new film
that seeks to open up further dis‑
cussion to dispel taboos pertaining
to the topic. "Khandaani
Shafakhana" did promise such
vibes in the trailers. You went in
expecting an experience that would
be funny, at the same time subtle in
its comment. The words ʻsex clinic'
added onto the film's title in
posters and promos also gave you
a gist of what to expect. Gautam
Mehra's script, however,
REVIEW
remains just a gist,
failing to expand its
core idea into a winner.
The setting imparts a quaint small
town impact as Baby Bedi
(Sonakshi Sinha) of Hoshiarpur
struggles to find her feet as a med‑
ical representative. She has two
mouths to feed ‑‑ her mother
(Nadira Babbar) and brother
Bhooshit (Varun Sharma). Life is
only made difficult by her uncle
(Rajesh Sharma), who has set sight
on their ancestral home because
the family cannot repay a loan they
had taken from him.
Their very ordinary existence is
thrown into turmoil when a lawyer
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Incidentally Shahid Kapoor,
one of the stars of "Udta Punjab"
was present at the party. Sirsa
had earlier taken a jibe at the
film by dubbing the party as
#UdtaBollywood.
He then went on to question
the stars: "Is there any passion
within you when you associate
with a cause or all that cam‑
paigning is a part 'drama' done
Actress Sonakshi Sinha in a still from ʻKhandaani Shafakhanaʼ.
(Annu Kapoor) informs them that
Baby's maternal uncle,
Hakim Tarachand
(Kulbhushan
Kharbanda), has passed
away and that he has left behind
his sex clinic in her name.
Sex, the script keeps reminding
you all through, is deemed a dirty
word by society, so everyone,
including her mother looks down
upon Baby's determination to do
the audacious ‑‑ accept a precondi‑
tion set by the late Mamaji. To own
the clinic, she must first dutifully
run it for six months on a nine‑to‑
five basis.
The trouble with "Khandaani
Shafakhana" is, although billed as a
comedy, the film is at best a light‑
hearted drama with stray shots at
Stars silent over
#UdtaBollywood
A
kali Dal MLA Manjinder
Singh Sirsa's open has
met with deathly silence
by the stars. The Bollywood
brigade continues to remain
mum despite the high of con‑
troversy, which stemmed after
filmmaker Johar shared a can‑
did video from his party on
Instagram, captioning it
"Saturday night vibes".
Instead, some star‑struck fans
took to social media castigating
Sirsa for what they felt was an
interference in the lives of their
beloved movie stars.
In retort, Sirsa wrote in his
letter: "Rather than asking me
to apologize, I wish Bollywood
stars had the guts to say
SORRY to the nation for break‑
ing the trust."
to please some group or agenda‑
setters?"
humor.
Humor apart, the film also falls
short on dramatic moments that
might engage. The storyline essen‑
tially revolves around just one idea
all through ‑‑ Baby's struggles to
keep the clinic running against
societal pressure. This hampers the
pace of the narrative.
Flaws in writing also affect the
actors. Sonakshi's Baby Bedi,
despite a diligent effort from the
actress, fails to drive home any sort
of resonance. Also, while Sonakshi
gets the smalltown girl's body lan‑
guage right, she needed to hone
Baby's Punjabi accent.
For the lack of imaginative writ‑
ing, too, talented actors as Annu
Kapoor, Nadira Babbar and Rajesh
Sharma are wasted.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Real‑life incidents is the Adoption was not an act of
latest Bollywood flavor charity for me: Sushmita Sen
By Simran Sethi
T
he reality‑inspired
Bollywood cinema has
moved beyond the
standard biopics and histori‑
cal incidents. New‑age writ‑
ers and filmmakers are find‑
ing inspiration in real inci‑
dents involving commoners,
which inspire, impress and
awe, and at times also make
us proud as Indians.
It has become a trend to
narrate stories about extraor‑
The film ʻPadmanʼ is inspired by the life of A.
dinary incidents involving
Muruganantham, a social entrepreneur.
ordinary people. What began
as a mainstream experiment with films, like
"Madras Cafe", "Airlift", "Padman" or
"Neerja", is finding increasing favor of film‑
makers with releases in the genre such as
"Uri: The Surgical Strike" , "Article 15",
"Kesari" and "India's Most Wanted".
These films draw inspiration from the val‑
our of commoners, who stood up to the
occasion to do something that stands out, in
a real‑life situation.
Bollywood's inclination for such real sto‑
ries will be on display this Independence
Day when "Batla House" and "Mission
Mangal" will explore two different shades of
realism in a bid to define what it means to
be a patriot. Nikkhil Advani's "Batla House",
starring John Abraham, is inspired by the
alleged encounter of 2008 in Delhi in the
wake of the serial blasts. The film seeks to
find answers to several questions about the
operation, which remains a mystery.
"Mission Mangal" stars Akshay Kumar as a set up drama in films as very few other gen‑
mission head with actresses Vidya Balan,
Taapsee Pannu, Sonakshi Sinha, Kirti
Kulhari and Nithya Menen playing the all‑
women team at ISRO who made India's
2013 Mars Orbiter Mission possible.
Film historian SMM Ausaja considers it a
"positive sign" for Bollywood.
"Cinema and art should always reflect the
society. It's a positive sign that more and
Amitabh Bachchan reveals
how he got his surname
B
ollywood megastar Amitabh
Bachchan has shared anecdotes
about his last name and said that
"Bachchan" was his father and legendary
poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan's poetic nom
de plume. The 76‑year‑old cine icon took to
his blog and discuss about the caste system
prevalent in ancient India.
He said that his father was a "strong
opposer" of the caste system. "Babuji was
born in a Kayasth home and a Srivastav. But
his temperament was always against the ail‑
ment of caste, his nome de plume, his
'takhallus' his pen name he designed as
'BACHCHAN'. Poets writers of great emi‑
nence often designed their names with a
nom de plume. So 'Bachchan' became my
Father's pen name, his poetic nom de plume
but it lent credence of its concept later when
I was born, on being admitted to my first
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
more filmmakers are coming up with films
based on reality. With the medium, like
films and shows, new generation will get to
know about the important events of the
past," he said.
Ayushmann Khurrana's latest release
"Article 15" is inspired by the 2014 Badaun
gang‑rape and murder. Although
Ayushmann plays a fictitious cop, his char‑
acter and certain fictional drama is used
intelligently in the film to highlight the sor‑
did societal reality of heartland India.
Over the past couple of years, directors
have been attempting to portray reality
through different types of movies. The com‑
mon factor about these films is they are all
stories seeped in everyday flavour, narrat‑
ing inspiring stories of common man who
triumph in unusual circumstances.
Filmmaker Raja Krishna Menon, who
directed "Airlift", said real life stories helped
res do. "Filmmakers pick stories they feel
are important. As a filmmaker I generally
look at those real life stories, which will
depict an incredible amount of bravery or
features a person who has gone out of
his/her way to accomplish the impossible,"
he said. Among upcoming films in the genre,
Sidharth Malhotra plays Kargil War hero
Captain Vikram Batra in "Shershaah".
Megastar
Amitabh
Bachchan
is actually
Amitabh
Srivastav.
School, and being asked by the teachers
what surname of this boy was to be filled in
the admission form my Mother and father
had a quick discussion and it was decided
that 'Bachchan' would be the family sur‑
name," he wrote. The actor said he became
August 10-16, 2019 17
Actress Sushmita Sen with her daughters and beau Rohman Shawl.
A
ctress Sushmita Sen, who is the the child are connected by this higher
mother of two adopted daugh‑ power, a connection that you cannot
ters, Renee and Alisah, says cut off. I have had the privilege of expe‑
adaption was one of the wisest deci‑ riencing it twice.." she said.
sions of her life. At an event, the "Main "The wisest decision I made at the age
Hoon Na" actress recently opened up of 24 was to become a mother. It stabi‑
about becoming a mother at the age of lized my life. People think it was a great
24 and what motivated her to adopt act of charity and wonderful action but
two girls. it was self‑preservation. It was me pro‑
"In the (case of) natural birth, mother tecting myself," she added.
and child connect through the umbilical Sushmita adopted Renee in 2000 and
cord but in adoption, the mother and 10 years later, she adopted Alisah.
More pressure this time:
Kashyap on 'Sacred Games 2'
A
nurag Kashyap, the poster
child of the indie cinema in
the new‑age Bollywood,
returns with the second season of
his popular and acclaimed Netflix
series, "Sacred Games" on
Independence Day. As the clock
ticks for the premiere of the new
season, Kashyap says the pressure
of living up to expectation is
heavy, but he is happy with the
content.
"I feel the pressure is more this
time. When we started the first
season, we had no idea of the
impact we were going to create.
So, we could do just what we want‑ Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui in a
ed to do," Kashyap told IANS dur‑
still from ʻSacred Games 2ʼ.
ing a set visit of the show. journey of these two characters are inter‑
"Now it (the show) has become a giant. twined, and in the end they have a face‑
We feel like, one shouldn't do something off. Over the past two years, from the
so big ‑‑ build a fan‑following that hold so time he took up the co‑directing "Sacred
much expectation that in the second sea‑ Games" till now, Kashyap has also bal‑
son, it becomes difficult to handle! Just anced his film projects, Mukkabaaz and
joking! Of course, we love the fact that we Manmarziyaan, which released during
made the show exactly as we wanted. So, I this tenure.
am under pressure but I am happy!" he Season two has been extensively shot
said. abroad, in places such as South Africa,
The story of the show revolves around Ukraine, Croatia and Kenya, apart from
Inspector Sartaj Singh and the gangster various parts of Mumbai.
Gaitonde, played by Saif Ali Khan and "Sacred Games" premieres on Netflix on
Nawazuddin Siddiqui respectively. The August 15.
 18 August 10-16, 2019
Light design can transform indoor spaces
Chandeliers are not just a source of light, but an art conversation piece.
Light pieces are more sculptural and enhance the look and feel of a home.
By Sidhi Jain
New Delhi: Chandeliers, fairy lights and
lantern‑lamps...weʼve seen them all. But the
combination of glass and light has found new
wings, as it is getting used in the light design
industry to make unique ʻlight sculpturesʼ
that compete with traditional art.
In February this year, light designers
Prateek Jain and Gautam Seth, made an elec‑
tric ''glass peacock'' that was the piece de
resistance at Indiaʼs special presentation at
German trade fair ''Ambiente''.
In July, they made an art installation out of
120 discarded blue‑coloured alcohol bottles,
giving out messages of sustainability, art and
technology. The large‑scale light sculpture ‑‑
''Sapphire Supernova'' ‑‑ re‑thinks scrap metal,
thrown‑away glass and LED lights.
As one of the pioneers of the Indian light
design industry, Jain finds it growing beyond
the clichéd chandeliers.
"I find many people who look at these light
designs as a substitute for an art piece. Many
love the light sculptures of a ''necklace'' and
would rather put that on the wall than a
painting. That taste has evolved.
"People who put chandeliers are not look‑
ing for a source of light, but an art conversa‑
Gautam Seth and Prateek Jain in their
lighting design studio Klove alongside
their ʻAlgerʼ installation.
tion piece. These light pieces are more sculp‑
tural and become talking points, which
enhance the look and feel of a home," the
designer told at their studio, Klove, where he
said installation is currently on view.
DESIGN
Gautam and Prateek design lights that look
like pieces of jewelry ‑ their ʻSapphire
Supernovaʼ is an art installation using over
120 discarded Bombay Sapphire bottles.
About the buyer‑base of light installations,
he said that it has increased substantially.
"When we started in 2005, people did not
even know thereʼs something called blown
glass. Everyone assumed that it comes only
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
from the Czech Republic or Italy. India is at a
nascent stage, but when we exhibit on inter‑
national platforms, we are not considered
inferior to others," the designer said.
Jain and Seth would be debuting at the
Milan Design Week in 2020.
Not just indoor light art, lighting has long
been used to enhance buildings. A case‑in‑
point is the US Embassy here, which recently
bathed its facade in rainbow lights to support
the LGBTQ+ community. Why use lights? "To
make a statement, to stand for something or
to highlight a space, lighting can completely
change the game," Jain said. Asked about the
future of light design, Jain expressed hope.
"Technology is getting integrated into the
light design, like just about everything else.
Apps drive lights now; LED lights can be pro‑
grammed to change colors and mood, they
can be programmed to turn on or turn off as
per movement or heat sensitivity. There is
experimentation with mobility of the sculp‑
tures and kinetic installations and all of it is
driven by technology," Jain added.
''Sapphire Supernova'', their latest installa‑
tion, is part of the ''Stir Creativity'' campaign
by gin brand Bombay Sapphire, which intends
to display later it in a partner restaurant and
donate the money generated.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Indians in Britain relive the Partition with pain
It cannot just be the stories of hate and violence which are passed down. Before the
Partition, there were also Hindu girls who tied rakhis on the wrist of their Muslim brothers,
and Muslims who brought laddoos to their Hindu friends to celebrate Diwali.
By Vishnu Makhijani
H
itherto, the thousands of
Indians who had migrated
to Britain in the wake of
the partition of the sub‑continent
had lived in silence, perhaps want‑
ing to bury the ghosts of the past
as they sought to make a new life.
Two years ago, award‑winning
journalist and broadcaster Kavita
Puri produced a three‑part series,
ʻPartition Voices for BBC Radio 4
that won the Royal Historical
Society's Radio and Podcast Award
and its overall Public History Prize.
She has now converted this into a
similarly‑titled book "to remember
the time before separation so the
next generations understand that
there were Hindus in Lahore, and
Muslims in Amritsar".
"Hindus who tied rakhis on the
wrist of their Muslim brothers, and
Muslims who brought laddoos to
their Hindu friends to celebrate
Diwali. Friends and strangers who
transcended hatred to commit acts
of kindness and humanity during
the worst of times.
"It cannot just be the stories of
hate and violence which are
passed down. Even though every
story told to me was shattering. I
felt hopeful. Hopeful that people
wanted these stories of compas‑
sion to be recognized, and that the
On the generational impact of Partition, PTSD
By Dr. Shaili Jain
M
y paternal grandfather
was murdered in the
horrific violence that
accompanied Partition. My
father, who was ten years old at
the time, was orphaned and
forced to flee and live as a
refugee in the newly independ‑
ent India. Twenty years later, he
moved to England. That was
where I was born and raised. My
childhood was disconnected from
my South Asian heritage ‑ no
photographs of ancestors or fam‑
ily heirlooms. No trips back to
visit doting relatives. I spent big
chunks of my youth living in the
shadow Partition had cast on my
Fatherʼs life and with a feeling
that no matter how much I loved
him, and he loved me, a part of
him that forever changed in
1947, remained inaccessible.
I did not know it at the time,
but the seeds of our family
tragedy and my childhood expe‑
ʻPartition Voicesʼ book cover, and the author Kavita Puri
visceral pull of the place of your
birth, and that of your ancestors ‑
the love of your land ‑ remains so
strong. Hopeful that these are the
stories that will survive too," Puri
writes in ʻPart it ion Voicesʼ
(Bloomsbury).
To this end, London‑based jour‑
nalist Poonam Joshi in her book
ʻArms to Fight, Arms to Protest:
Women Speak Out About Conflictʼ
has this quote from her mother,
Nirmal, who fled her home in
Punjab and ended up in England:
"Partition can be summarized in
great detail or in one sentence. But
I still feel great distress that what
riences were converging and
guiding my lifeʼs choices.
Choosing to become a physician
submerged me into a world of
suffering, and choosing to spe‑
cialize in psychiatry, a field dedi‑
cated to alleviating psychological
distress, meant I would learn
how to make sense of such suf‑
fering and acquire the skills to
relieve it. Today I am a Post‑
traumatic Stress Disorder spe‑
cialist, and, in my debut, non‑fic‑
tion work ʻThe Unspeakable
THE PARTITION
happened shouldn't have hap‑
pened. I think we should talk. We
should talk about it very openly ‑
we should know what happened at
that time. And there is no distress
in talking about that. It did not
happen to one or two people. It
happened on a large‑scale... it
became a part of history... and it is
no crime to be a refugee."
A similar strain runs through the
23 chapters of the book, divided
into three parts ‑ End of Empire,
Partition and Legacy.
Take the story of Gurbaksh
Garcha, "smartly dressed in a
Nehru waistcoat", exuding gentle‑
"In cases ... such as the 1947 Partition
of British India, we now know that
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can
leave an imprint that spans
generations,” writes Dr. Shaili Jain,
Stanford University
Mindʼ, I share how PTSD goes far
beyond the horrors of combat
and is an inescapable part of all
our lives.
PTSD shapes our cultures and
societies around the world. In
cases of mass traumatization
such as the 1947 Partition of
British India, we now know that
PTSD can leave an imprint that
spans generations.
The science of epigenetics
refers to how PTSD may possibly
alter the way genes express
themselves in a trauma survivor
and how such alterations can
then be inherited by children on
a cellular level and alter their
August 10-16, 2019
ness and calm, "a calm that must
have been tested many times dur‑
ing his t ime as Mayor of
Lewisham, navigating the local
politics".
"Gurbakshʼs home was in a pic‑
turesque village amid the fertile
plains of the Punjab... It was a har‑
monious and tight‑knit community.
Religious dif ference was barely
thought about. They never imag‑
ined one day they would separate
from each other," Puri writes.
"Just before partition, Gurbaksh
noticed posters going up around
the village inciting bloodshed
against the Muslims his family had
lived alongside for decades. They
said that anyone demanding India
should be split to create Pakistan
would 'get kabristan'."
And then the mayhem started ‑
and he too fled, to land up in
England in 1958.
"But this story is not one
Gurbaksh has ever talked of. It is
too painful to recount. His children
never asked. And anyway, he did
not want to expose them to things
he had witnessed.
"He is still angry at the way and
manner of the British withdrawal.
Gurbaksh calls himself an agnostic
Sikh. He feels his faith in humanity
has been shaken, that human
beings are fragile. How little it
takes to turn them into beasts,"
neurons, brain molecules, neu‑
roanatomy and genes. These epi‑
genetic changes are transmitted
to children by a process called
“intergenerational transmission”
by having a negative impact on
the parentsʼ sperm or egg quality
or impacting the mother while
she is pregnant. These children
then carry these sorrows in their
blood. Recently, South Asian
activists have highlighted the
long‑lasting psychological impact
of Partition not only on survivors
but also on their children. The
“spiral of silence” surrounding
Partition linked violence. They
argue that the unacknowledged
19
Puri writes. But then, it's not only
the migrants who feel the pain.
There is, for instance, the reverend
Canon Michael Roden from Hitchin
(now Canon Chancellor of Bristol
Cathedral). "In his church, by the
pews...stands a modest memorial.
It shows a map of British India
with a red line marking the 1947
division. A single A4 typed sheet of
paper on a music stand explains
that, in the absence of a national
memorial, this makeshift one, in
his fourteenth‑century church, will
act as a surrogate to commemo‑
rate the millions who died and
were displaced. Around the sign,
candles are lit in remembrance,"
Puri writes.
At the end, the sentence reads:
"We have screened the most beau‑
tiful part of this church to symbol‑
ize terrible loss of life, loss of
mutual trust and loss of access to
holy sites at the time of partition."
"T he part it ion generat ion
remembers a time which was not
always perfect, but when people
lived alongside one another, cele‑
brated each other's festivals, were
part of one another's happiness
and sorrows. They shared culture,
food, language and traditions. A
time before division, borders, par‑
tition. That is what they choose to
remember too, after seventy long
years," Puri concludes.
collective trauma has engen‑
dered spirals of violence between
Hindus and Muslims that contin‑
ue to be vigorously reenacted
across the South Asian subconti‑
nent. Their argument under‑
scores the vital importance of the
1947 Partition Archive. By col‑
lecting and preserving survivor
stories the archive has offered
the world an unprecedented
opportunity to showcase what
trauma scientists have known for
some time: that remembering
and narrating individual stories
about terrible events are neces‑
sary, not only for the healing of
the survivor, but in forming a
foundation for the restoration of
the overarching social order.
Shaili Jain, M.D. is a psychia‑
trist and PTSD specialist at
Stanford University and author
of “The Unspeakable Mind:
Stories of Trauma and Healing
from the Frontlines of PTSD
Science.” (Harper, 2019).@shaili‑
jainmd
 20 August 10-16, 2019 SUBCONTINENT TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Hopeful of agreement with US on

ending Afghan war: Taliban
Islamabad: The Taliban is hopeful
of sealing an agreement with the
US to end the 18‑year‑old
Afghanistan war in the crucial
round of negotiations in Qatar
this week, reports said.
Working hard for nearly one
year, the two sides have almost
readied a text which "addresss all
major issues," Suhail Shaheen,
who speaks for the Taliban nego‑
tiating team, told VOA, reported
Pakistani English daily The News.
He said the Taliban negotiators
have done their part and it is now
up to the American side, adding
he hopes the two sides will soon
reach agreement on withdrawal
of foreign troops but did not dis‑
close when exactly the meeting
will be held.
The draft text outlines a "mutu‑
ally ag reed" t ime line for US
troops to leave the country in
exchange for Taliban guarantees
US envoy for Afghan peace
Zalmay Khalilzad.
that "Afghan soil, particularly
areas under our control" do not
become a platform for trans‑
national terrorism, Shaheen said
but did not spell out any details.
He also said international guar‑
antors, possibly China, Russia, the
Afghan announces 15-member
team for talks with Taliban
Kabul: The Afghanistan govern‑
ment said it had formed a team of
15 members for peace talks with
the Taliban militant group.
However, the Ministry for Peace
Affairs didn't disclose the names
of the government negotiators,
only saying that the panel was
formed "after comprehensive con‑
sultations and discussions with
various" people.
United Nations, and neighbors of
Afghanistan, including Pakistan
and Iran, will witness the signing
of the US‑Taliban agreement.
Meanwhile, US Special
Representative Zalmay Khalilzad,
"The negotiation team forma‑
tion has been finalized and mem‑
bers appointed. But (the) names of
the team members w ill be
released in the next phase of the
process. We can assure it will be
soon," Najia Anwari, a spokes‑
woman for the Ministry, told Efe
news.
The Taliban has so far refused
to hold talks with representatives
as per his own tweet, was expect‑
ed to reach Islamabad to hold
talks with the civil and military
leadership before he flies of f to
Doha for the agreement with the
Taliban. Following the agreement
of the government, which it says
is a puppet with strings tied to
Washington.
However, the militant group
softened its approach recently,
saying its leader will be holding
talks with a joint Afghan negation
team in which besides other politi‑
cal groups, representatives of the
government will also take part as
one of the political sides.
between the US and the Taliban,
the stage w ill shift to intra‑
Afghan talks, and the Afghan gov‑
ernment has named a team to
negot iate directly w ith the
Taliban.

Pakistan appeals Ex‑Maldives VP detained

to UNSC on Kashmir
New Delhi/Islamabad: Pakistan upped
the ante on Kashmir, with Prime
Minister Imran Khan alleging use of
"cluster bombs" by India on civilians
along the LoC and appealing to the UN
Security Council to intervene, while
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood
Qureshi raised the matter with the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
(OIC).
India has strongly denied any use of
cluster bombs to target civilians along
the Line of Control.
Amid the escalating tensions in Jammu
and Kashmir, in the wake of the govern‑
ment asking tourists and pilgrims to cut
short their visit to the state following
intelligence inputs of terror threats,
Union Home Minister Amit Shah
presided over a high‑level security meet‑
ing in New Delhi.
In Islamabad, Imran Khan chaired a
meeting of the powerful National
Security Committee, where he alleged
that India has used "cluster bombs" on
civilians along the LoC and called on the
UN Security Council to take note of the
"international threat to peace and securi‑
ty". Imran Khan's move comes in the
wake of US President Donald Trump
renewing his offer to mediate on the
Kashmir issue, which India has firmly
rejected.
India has firmly stated that any discus‑
sion on Kashmir, if warranted, will be
only with Pakistan, and only bilaterally.
Referring to Trump's offer of media‑
tion, Imran said in a series of tweets:
"President Trump offered to mediate on
Kashmir. This is the time to do so as
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
[the] situation deteriorates there and
along the LoC with new aggressive
actions being taken by Indian occupa‑
tion forces," and added, "This has the
potential to blow up into a regional cri‑
sis."
In New Delhi, National Security
Advisor Ajit Doval, Home Secretary Rajiv
Gauba, Intelligence Bureau chief Arvind
Kumar, Research and Analysis Wing
(RAW) chief Samant Kumar Goel and
senior Home Ministry officials attended
the high level meeting chaired by Amit
Shah.
The Home Minister was apprised
about the situation on the border where
some Pakistani soldiers were killed by
Indian forces when they tried to infil‑
trate into Jammu and Kashmir on the
night of July 31‑August 1.
at seaport, not allowed
entry in India
New Delhi: Former Maldives Vice
President Ahmed Adeeb has been
detained at Tuticorin port while he was
reportedly trying to enter India illegally
as a crew member of a tugboat.
The Ministry of External Affairs said
that Adeeb has "not been permitted entry
into the country" since he did not possess
valid documents.
Adeeb was detained after his tugboat
was intercepted by the Coast Guard near
the coast of Thoothukudi in southern
Tamil Nadu.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesper‑
son Raveesh Kumar, answering a query
on the issue, said: "There are designated
entry points through which foreigners are
allowed entry into India. The entry is
Former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb is
facilitated on the basis of appropriate facing trial in several cases in Maldives.
valid travel documents.
"In the instant case, since he was not India on July 27, via a tugboat. He was
entering India through a designated entry detained a day later, on July 28.
point and did not possess the valid docu‑ "A crew member of the tugboat he was
ments, he has not been permitted entry travelling in has confirmed Adeeb's arrest
into India." to RaajjeMV, adding that he is currently
Adeeb reportedly attempted to pass off under India's Bureau of Immigration's
as a crew member of the Virgo 9 tugboat. custody," it said.
Acting on a tip‑off that the boat that Adeeb is facing trial in several cases
went with nine people to Maldives was including one related to an alleged plot to
returning with 10 people, authorities assassinate the then Maldives President
stopped the tugboat that was on its way Abdulla Yameen and for possessing
to the Tuticorin port. On interrogation, it firearms.
was found that the additional person was While Adeeb was sentenced to 33 years
Maldives' former Vice President Adeeb. in prison over various charges including
According to Maldives news website terrorism and corruption, he was freed
'RaajjeMV', Adeeb began his journey to earlier this year.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INTERNATIONAL August 10-16, 2019 21

Renegotiate or face no‑ N Korea fires two more

deal Brexit: UK tells EU
Brussels: A UK Minister has said
that European Union (EU) leaders
must give their Chief Negotiator
Michel Barnier the mandate to
revise the country's withdrawal
agreement, otherwise a no‑deal
Brexit is "coming down the
tracks", a media report has said.
Writ ing in the Mail, Brexit
Secretary Stephen Barclay said
"political realities" had changed
after the European Parliament
elections that were held in May,
reports the BBC.
New MEPs were elected in 61
per seats of seats, he said, marking
a "fundamental shift".
He called on EU leaders to allow
Barnier to negotiate in a way that
finds "common ground" with the
UK. Brussels has consistently
nsisted that the withdrawal agree‑
ment ‑ one of two main elements
of former Prime Minister Theresa
May's Brexit deal, which was
resoundingly rejected by MPs ‑
cannot be renegotiated.
Barclay said Barnier had told
him in their discussion last week
that he is bound by the instruc‑
t ions g iven to him by the
European Commission and leaders
British Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay.
of member states.
But the change in the EU
Parliament means there is a need
for the EU to alter its approach,
the Secretary added.
"Barnier needs to urge EU lead‑
ers to consider this if they too
want an agreement, to enable him
to negotiate in a way that finds
common ground with the UK.
Otherwise, no deal is coming down
the tracks," he wrote in the Mail
newspaper.
Barclay added that the former
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's
missiles: South Korea
Pyongyang: North Korea has North Korea says they violate
fired two unidentified missiles, ag reements reached w ith
its fourth such launch in less President Donald Trump and
than two weeks, South Korea's South Korea's President Moon
military has said. T hey were Jae‑in. In a statement, the
fired from South Hwang hae North's Foreign Ministry
province across the peninsula accused the two allies of "play‑
into the sea to the east, a state‑ ing all sorts of tricks" to justify
ment said, the BBC reported. the military exercises and said
The US said it was monitoring their "aggressive nature" could
the situation and consulting not be covered up.
with South Korea and Japan. North Korea has been the sub‑
North Korea has expressed ject of a series of US and interna‑
anger at US‑South Korean mili‑ t ional sanct ions over
tary exercises that got under Pyongyang's development of
way recently. The annual drills nuclear weapons and a series of
have been kept low key but missile tests.
appointment as Prime Minister
last month only strengthened the
UK's mandate to leave on October
31, the BBC reported.
South Korea's
Johnson has ramped up his rhet‑ President
oric over his desire to take the UK Moon Jae‑in.
out of the EU by October 31, as
part of his "do or die" commit‑
ment.
He has clashed with EU leaders
over his demands to remove the
Irish backstop ‑ which prevents a
hard border if the UK and EU fail
to agree a long‑term trade deal ‑
from the withdrawal agreement.

Lone wolves use each other US aims for early missile

as inspiration: NATO chief
Wellington: NATO's Secretary Tarrant was later charged with the
General Jens Stoltenberg warned killings. He is due to reappear in
deployment in Asia‑Pacific
that lone wolf attackers use each court next week. The NATO chief laid Washington: US Defense Secretary said. Esper said he chose Asia as the
other as inspiration, as he spoke at a a wreath at Al Noor Mosque to Mark Esper has announced that the destination of his first international
mosque in New Zealand's express his "solidarity" and "sympa‑ country was aiming to deploy the excursion "to af firm our commit‑
Christchurch where a thy" to the victims and intermediate‑range missile system in ment to the region, to reassure our
white supremacist ter‑ all involved. Asia‑Pacific within the next few allies and our partners."
ror attack earlier this Stoltenberg, who was months to reaf firm Washington's The words of the Pentagon chief
year killed 51 people. the Prime Minister of commitment to its allies in the came a day after the US pulled out of
"T hese attacks are Norway when a far‑ region. "It's fair to say, though, that the Intermediate‑Range Nuclear
committed by lone right terrorist Anders we would like to deploy a capability Forces Treaty (INF) to eliminate
wolves but they are at Breivik killed 77 peo‑ sooner rather than later," Esper told medium‑ and short‑range nuclear
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
the same time connect‑ ple in 2011, said that reporters accompanying him on an missiles that it signed with the Soviet
ed, because they use these cases and the lat‑ international tour before his arrival will be established. Union during the Cold War.
NATO Secretary
each other as inspiration est shootings in the US in Australia, where he will meet with At the same time, he did not wish Tensions between the United
General Jens
and they refer to each which killed 29 people, of ficials of that country together to give undue importance to a possi‑ States and China are reflected in
Stoltenberg.
other in the dif ferent indicate that different with US Secretary of State Mike ble response by China, and dismissed Beijing's insistence on its sovereignty
manifestos and I think we have to forms of terrorism require different Pompeo, Efe news reported. the idea that an arms race has begun in the South China Sea, an area rich
fight terrorism in many dif ferent tools. "Partly it's about the police, "I would prefer months. I just don't in the Asia‑Pacific region. in natural resources that are also
ways," Stoltenberg told national security, intelligence, NATO has a have the latest state of play on time‑ "I don't see an arms race happen‑ claimed by five other countries, dur‑
broadcaster TVNZ while on a visit to role to play, but it's also very much lines," added the new head of the ing, I do see us taking proactive ing the summit in Bangkok of minis‑
Al Noor mosque, one of the two in about attitudes, values, that we all Pentagon, who took office on July measures to develop a capability ters of the Association of Southeast
the city where the attacks took place stand up for our open and free socie‑ 23. Esper avoided specifying the that we need for both the European Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is
on March 15. Australian Brenton ty for tolerance," he told TVNZ. locations where this missile system theater and certainly this theater," he underway this week.
 22 August 10-16, 2019 BUSINESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Trump raises China tariffs, Beijing slams move

Washington/Beijing: US President
Trump escalated his trade war
with China by announcing that he
would impose a fresh 10 per cent
tarif f on another $300 billion of
Chinese goods that will take effect
September 1, prompting a swift
rebuke from Beijing and jolting
global financial markets.
The development comes after
the latest round of talks led by US
Trade Representat ive Robert
Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary
Steven Mnuchin with Chinese dele‑
gation headed by Vice Premier Liu
He in Shanghai showed little sign
of a breakthrough.
The duty is likely target a wide
range of goods, from smartphones
to clothing.
"Our representatives have just
returned from China where they
had constructive talks having to do
w ith a future Trade Deal. We
thought we had a deal with China
three months ago, but sadly, China
decided to re‑negotiate the deal
be lifted further in stages to more
than 25 per cent.
Reacting to the move, China's
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that
the decision won't solve the ongo‑
ing trade spat between the two of
the world's largest economies.
"Adding tariffs is definitely not a
constructive way to resolve eco‑
nomic and trade frictions, it's not
the correct way," Wang said on the
side lines of an Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
meet ing in the T hai capital,
according to Efe news.
China's Commerce Ministry
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (File Photo: IANS) spokesperson said that Trump's
proposal "seriously violated the
prior to signing," Trump tweeted. ing, and during the talks the US consensus" reached with Xi at the
He took aim at China for not hon‑ will start, on September 1, putting G20 in Osaka and "was not con‑
oring promises to buy more US a small additional tariff of 10 per ducive to solving the problem".
ag ricultural pro ducts at this cent on the remaining $300 billion "If the US implements the tariff,
wee k's negot iat ions. He also of goods and products coming China will have to take necessary
attacked Chinese President Xi from China into our country. This countermeasures to resolutely
Jinping for failing to do more to does not include the $250 billion defend the core interests of the
stem sales of the synthetic opioid already tarif fed at 25 per cent." country... All the consequences will
fentanyl. "Trade talks are continu‑ Trump also said that tariffs could be borne by the US," the
spokesperson added.
The Commerce Ministry said the
move would have "a chilling effect"
on the world economy.
European stocks joined the glob‑
al sell‑off sparked by Trump's deci‑
sion. Germany's DAX and France's
CAC 40 both dropped 2.2 per cent
at the open. London's FTSE 100
was down 1.5 per cent.
The pain was spread across sec‑
tors. Shares in carmakers, con‑
sumer goods companies and banks
posted losses in line with the
broader market. The US Chamber
of Commerce, which represents
over three million US companies,
said the latest tariffs on China "will
only inflict g reater pain on
American businesses, farmers,
workers and consumers, and
undermine an otherwise strong US
economy". It urged the two sides to
remove all tariffs.
Over the past year, China and the
US have imposed tariffs on billions
of dollars of one another's goods.

Cotton prices take

Maruti Suzuki sheds 1,000 a hit in US‑China
temp staff, may freeze hiring trade war
New Delhi: In the ongoing trade war between
New Delhi: To keep up with the consump‑
China and the US, cotton prices have taken a hit
tion‑led slowdown, automobile major
of more than 32 per cent in the international
Maruti Suzuki India has shed over 1,000
market in the past one year. And the crash in
temporary employees, is planning to
prices in the global market has reflected in the
freeze hiring and look at other cost cut‑
domestic market, with the Indian futures market
ting measures to tide over the current
recording a 16 per cent fall in cotton prices.
deceleration.
"The US‑China trade war has badly affected the
"Temporary employees are the first to
Indian cotton market. The US is the world's
get impacted and the same has happened
biggest cotton exporter and China its bigger con‑
in this case too," a source familiar with
sumer. The tussle between these two big busi‑
the development told IANS. However,
ness partners has hurt cotton market across the
when contacted by IANS, the company
world, including India, which is the world's
didn't offer any comment.
largest cotton grower," said Arun Shekhsaria,
According to industry observers,
Director, DD Cotton Private Limited.
month‑on‑month sales de‑growth and
"Chances of recovery at present are few. So we
inventory pileup at the dealerships have
expect the prices in the Indian market to crash
forced not just Maruti Suzuki India but
further," said Dilip Patel of Kadi (Gujarat)‑based
other auto companies also to curtail pro‑
S. Raja Exports Private Limited.
duction, which will eventually cause job The slowdown has not only decelerated the sales but also eroded
During the last business session on the coun‑
losses at both factory and retail levels. the automobile companies' bottom lines.
try's largest futures market Multi Commodity
The slowdown has not only decelerated
Exchange (MCX) on August 2 (Friday), the August
the sales but also eroded the automobile
companies' bottom lines.
Maruti Suzuki India reported a 33.5
Auto industry may further contract closed at Rs 20,060 per bale (Rs 170 kg)
with a 2.48 per cent or Rs 510 fall over the previ‑

per cent decline in total sales, including
exports for July. The company's total
sales fe ll to 1,09,264 units from
1,64,369, recorded in July of 2018‑19.
Similarly. the company's domestic sales
(domestic and OEMs) declined by 35.1
per cent to 1,00,006 units in July year‑
on‑year (YoY). Although, the total domes‑
tic passenger vehicle sales was lower by
36.7 per cent to 96,478 units YoY, the
company's light commercial vehicles'
sales in the country inched up 0.5 per
cent to 1,732 units. Exports declined by
9.4 per cent to 9,258 units from 10,219
shipped during July of FY19. Last month,
the automobile major reported a 27.3 per
cent drop in its net profit for the first
quarter of 2019‑20.
cut production
New Delhi: After denting the auto sector's
profitability, the consumption slowdown
along with the upcoming shift to BS VI
standards will further decelerate produc‑
tion, leading to eventual job losses.
Industry insiders point out that slow‑
down, which is a culmination of high GST
tax rates, farm distress, stagnant wages
and liquidity constraints, has led to the
month‑on‑month sales de‑growth.
Besides, inventory pile‑up at dealership
level and stock management of the
unsold BS IV vehicles has become a prob‑
lem for the sector.
According to Grant Thornton India
Partner Sridhar V., a further reduction in
production due to the continuing de‑
growth in sales of passenger vehicles can
be expected.
"OEMs are exploring avenues to min‑
imise cost at a operational level by defer‑
ring and tightening the spending rate,"
Sridhar V. told IANS.
"They also at times resort to production
cuts to tide over this difficult phase."
Accordingly, the sales downturn
assumes significance as the auto industry
contributes to almost half of the manu‑
facturing GDP and 11 per cent of the
total GST revenue.
ous session. Cotton was priced Rs 23,990 per
bale on the MCX on August 2, last year.
Therefore, the price has seen a fall of Rs 3,930
per bale or 16.38 per cent in the past one year.
On the US' Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) on
August 2 (Friday), the December contract for cot‑
ton closed with a 2.95 cent fall of 4.73 per cent
at 59.42 cent per pound. Cotton price on the ICE
was 88.17 cent per pound during the same peri‑
od last year. Therefore cotton prices on the ICE
registered a 32.62 per cent fall in the past one
year.
The producers are worried. "If the cotton mar‑
ket continues to remain lean, the Cotton
Corporation of India (CCI) may have to buy our
produce at a higher minimum support price
(MSP)," said Shivraj Khaitan of Salasar Balaji
Agrotech.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
With series in kitty, changes on card for India in final T20I
Georgetown (Guyana): Having
already clinched the three‑match
T20I series, Team India will aim to
go for a clean sweep while trying
to test its bench strength when
they take on West Indies in the
final match at the Providence
Stadium here.
After registering a four‑wicket
win in the first T20I, India on
Sunday secured a 22‑run win by
the DLS method in the second
T20I in Florida, thereby clinching
the series.
After Sunday's win, skipper Virat
Kohli hinted that he might experi‑
ment with the line‑up in the next
game.
"Winning is always going to be a
priority. But sealing the series
gives the chance to bring few guys
in. Idea is always going to be to
win first. But winning the first two
games, gives the cushion," skipper
Kohli had said.
Chahar brothers, Deepak and
Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer ‑‑ who till
now haven't got a chance to play ‑‑
are likely to get a place in the play‑
ing XI in Guyana.
With wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant
Ashes: Lyon, Cummins
combine to hand Oz
rare Edgbaston win
This is the first time since 2001 that Australia won a match at
Edgbaston in any format of the game.
Birmingham: Australia beat
England by 251 runs in the first
Ashes Test at Edgbaston on
Monday to take a 1‑0 lead in the
five‑Test series. This is the first
time since 2001 that Australia
have won a match at Edgbaston in
any format of the game.
In a match in which the momen‑
tum see‑sawed both ways on a
number of occasions, Australia
finally managed to consolidate
their position on Day 4 thanks to
centuries by Steve Smith and
Matthew Wade.
England started Day 5 chasing a
daunting target of 398 with 10
wickets in hand, but Pat Cummins
made the early incision by dis‑
missing first innings centurion
India secured a 22‑run win by the DLS method in the second T20I in Florida, thereby clinching the series.
failing in the first two matches, it
might be possible that K.L. Rahul
could be roped in his place. Also,
Bhuvneshwar Kumar could be rest‑
ed to give Deepak a crack while
Rahul could replace either Krunal
Pandya or Washington Sundar.
On the other hand, Windies ‑‑
Rory Burns in the 10th over of the
innings. Nathan Lyon then tore
into the England top order, pick‑
ing up the wickets of Jason Roy,
captain Joe Root and Joe Denly to
reduce the hosts to 85/4 at Lunch.
Australia never took the foot off
the peddle, with Cummins dismiss‑
ing Jos Buttler shortly after the
restart. He then dismissed Jonny
Bairstow before Lyon accounted
for Ben Stokes in the next over.
Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes
then held on to stitch together a
stand of 39 runs with Woakes
doing the bulk of the scoring. It
was England's second highest
stand of the innings after Roy and
Root's 41‑run second wicket part‑
nership earlier in the day.
SPORTS
who have already lost the series ‑‑
will look to play for lost pride and
end the three‑match rubber on a
high, before taking on the Men in
Blue in the three ODIs and the sub‑
sequent two‑Test series.
Earlier, chasing a target of 168,
West Indies labored their way to
Gambhir accuses Bedi of nepotism
New Delhi: Former India opener
Gautam Gambhir has accused ex‑
captain Bishan Singh Bedi of nepo‑
tism, saying that Bedi tried to
include his 'undeserving' son Angad
Singh Bedi in Delhis age‑group
teams. The allegation came after
Bedi denied Gambhir's accusation
of the former spinning great block‑
ing Navdeep Saini's selection in the
Delhi Ranji team.
Hours after Bedi hit out at
Gambhir by saying, "he can't stoop
to conquer", the former cricketer‑
turned BJP MP tweeted:
"BishanBedi talking about 'stooping
to conquer', man who was pushing
his undeserving son for selection or
ChetanChauhanCr bent on getting
his nephew in DDCA team. Shame.
Also reproducing Bedi's comments
on Navdeep in a protest letter of
2013." Gambhir attached a report
Divided CoA clears Kapil Dev of conflict
ahead of coach selection
New Delhi: The Supreme Court‑
appointed Committee of
Administrators (CoA) on Monday
decided that the three‑member
Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC)
comprising Kapil Dev, Anshuman
Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy
is clear of any conflict and is free to
pick the next head coach of Team
India. But it wasnt a unanimous deci‑
sion and ended with a 2‑1 verdict in
favour of giving the trio the green
signal. Speaking to IANS, sources in
the know of developments in the
CoA meeting said that there was a
August 10-16, 2019
98/4 in 15.3 overs before the rain
forced the play to be suspended.
Sunil Narine opened the innings
with Evin Lewis in the absence of
John Campbell. It took just eight
balls for India to break the open‑
ing pair, with the struggling Lewis
falling to Bhuvneshwar Kumar as
Bishan Singh Bedi.
from 2013 in which Bedi had writ‑
ten a letter questioning Saini's
selection as he wasn't from the
Delhi domicile.
After Saini starred in his India
debut against the West Indies in the
first T20 international in Florida on
Saturday, Gambhir had slammed
Delhi District Cricket Association
(DDCA) members and Chetan
Chauhan for objecting to his call to
include Saini in the Delhi Ranji
team. Saini had an impressive out‑
difference of opinion as Vinod Rai
and Lt. Gen Ravi Thodge believed
that there was no case of conflict
against the trio, while Diana Edulji
wanted Ethics Of ficer D.K. Jain to
take a call on the matter.
"Rai and Thodge were very clear
that the declarations given by the
three‑member committee were good
enough, but Diana felt that it would
be fair for the Ethics Officer to take
a call so that there is no case of con‑
flict being overlooked and any issue
arising later. She also spoke about
the adhoc committee and how there
23
the latter took a sharp catch of f
his own bowling.
Narine was dismissed in the next
over by Washington Sundar.
Nicholas Pooran and Rovman
Powell then ensured that West
Indies don't lose any more wickets
in the first 10 overs but they hard‑
ly managed to get any goo d
momentum into the innings.
Both players were dismissed in
the 14th over by Krunal Pandya.
Kieron Pollard and Shimron
Hetmyer were in the middle when
the players had to leave the field
as it started pouring and the play
had to be suspended with West
Indies well behind the D/L‑par
score.
Earlier in the day, India posted
167/5 in 20 overs, powered by
Rohit Sharma's 67 off 51 balls.
Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan man‑
aged an opening partnership of 65
before the latter was dismissed off
the last ball of the eighth over.
West Indies did well to reign the
Indians in after that but Pandya
and Ravindra Jadeja provided a
late push to take their team past
the 160‑run mark.
ing in his first international appear‑
ance, scalping 3 wickets for just 17
runs in his four overs.
Reportedly, Bedi and Chauhan
were part of the faction of DDCA
members who had not approved
Gambhir's choice to include Saini in
the Delhi team. However, Gambhir
continued to put his weight behind
Saini and the right‑arm pacer didn't
disappoint with impressive per‑
formances in the domestic circuit
that catapulted him into the India
team.
"Kudos Navdeep Saini on ur India
debut. U already have 2 wkts even
before u have bowled ‑ @BishanBedi
& @ChetanChauhanCr. Their middle
stumps are gone seeing debut of a
player whose cricketing obituary
they wrote even before he stepped
on the field, shame!!! (sic.)" Gambhir
had tweeted.
was no place for such a panel in the
new constitution. But when it came
to a vote, it was 2‑1," the source
revealed.
Speaking after the meeting, CoA
chief Rai said that the committee
looked into the declarations submit‑
ted by the trio and that they have
been cleared to pick the coach.
"We have seen, it is fine. The meet‑
ings with the shortlisted candidates
will happen in mid‑August and the
appointment will follow after that.
CAC's decision with regard to
appointment will be final," Rai said.
 24 August 10-16, 2019
Meet Anand Kumar, the real Super 30 hero
By Giridhar Jha
A coaching school ‐‐ Super 30 ‐‐ in Patna to help poor students crack the tough IIT entrance
feature film on education
is rare in India and one on
an educationist even rarer.
Movies such as Taare Zameen Par
(2007), 3 Idiots (2009) or Stanley
Ka Dabba (2011) burst forth
every once in a while but a main‑
stream film devoted entirely to
the life of a contemporary educa‑
tionist remains rather uncommon
in Bollywood. This is what makes
Super 30, a biopic of Anand
Kumar, special in Hindi cinema.
T he movie starring Hrithik
Roshan in a deglamorized role,
opened to a rousing reception on
July 12 and minted Rs 115 crore
by its third weekend.
Anand shot to global renown for
setting up a pioneering coaching
institute in Patna to help poor stu‑
dents crack the highly competi‑
tive IIT entrance examination.
“When Hrithik was chosen to
play my character, many said that
he wasnʼt suitable. But he proved
them wrong,” says Kumar, 46.
Nonetheless, the road to his
biopic was not smooth for Anand.
From #MeToo allegations against
its director Vikas Bahl to the post‑
ponement of its release for one
reason or another, the film
remained embroiled in controver‑
sies. Worse, even a lawsuit was
filed against Anand, accusing him
of having fudged the number of
successful candidates from his
institute. “I have responded to the
allegations. But I feel sad to see
some people trying to earn fame
Ravish Kumar wins Ramon Magsaysay
Award for 'ethical journalism'
By Madhuri Adnal
I
ndian journalist Ravish
Kumar has been awarded the
2019 Ramon Magsaysay
Award for "harnessing journal‑
ism to give voice to the voice‑
less". Kumar, 44, who is NDTV
India's senior executive editor is
one of India's most influential TV
journalists, the award citation
said. He is among five individu‑
als who were declared winners
of the award. The other winners
of the award, dubbed 'Asia's pre‑
mier prize and highest honour',
include Myanmar's Ko Swe Win,
also a journalist; T hailand's
Angkhana Neelapajit, human
rig hts act ivist; Philippines'
Raymundo Pujante Cayabyab,
musician; and South Korea's Kim
Jong‑Ki, an activist working with
violence and mental health
Unable to study in Cambridge due to financial constraints, Anand Kumar set up a
examination. Bollywood has put his sensational life story on celluloid titled Super 30.
by defaming me,” he says. “I have
politely declined to accept any
financial support from various
governments as well as corpo‑
rates. I have been running my
institute quietly with the help of
my brother Pranav but it still
seems to perturb some people.”
Incidentally, several well‑known
filmmakers had evinced keen
interest in making a movie on his
inspiring life story.
Anand Kumar set up the Super
30 institute in 2002 in collabora‑
t ion w ith senior IPS of ficer
issues in youth.
Kumar's "Prime Time" program
"deals w ith real‑life, under‑
reported problems of ordinary
people", the citation said. "If you
have become the voice of the
people, you are a journalist," it
added.
The awards will be presented
at a ceremony in Manila on
September 9, 2019. "In electing
Ravish Kumar to receive the
2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award,
the board of trustees recognizes
FEATURES
Abhayanand (who has since
retired as the Bihar DGP) to give
free coaching to underprivileged
children for the IIT entrance
examinat ions. In 2008,
Abhayanand opted out of the
institute due to reported dif fer‑
ences between them. Anand con‑
tinued to run Super 30 with the
help of his brother Pranav Kumar.
Anand went on to earn global
acclaim in subsequent years
through his institute, which pro‑
vides provide free foo d and
accommodation along with coach‑
NDTV anchor Ravish Kumar has been "harnessing
journalism to give voice to the voiceless", the
award citation read. The awards will be presented
at a ceremony in Manila on September 9, 2019
his unfaltering commitment to a
professional, ethical journalism
of the highest standards; his
moral courage in standing up for
truth, integrity, and independ‑
ence; and his principled belief
that it is in g iving full and
respectful voice to the voiceless,
in speaking truth bravely yet
soberly to power, that journalism
fulfills its noblest aims to
advance democracy," reads the
statement on the official website.
Established in 1957, the Ramon
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
ing to 30 poor children selected
through a written test every year.
He has been the subject of many
international documentaries. His
fascinating life story has also been
featured in many international
magazines, including Newsweek
and Time.
Looking back at the astounding
success of his institute, Anand
says it gives him immense satis‑
faction that so many of his stu‑
dents (more than 450 through
Super 30) had made it to the IITs
and other prestigious institutes.
Magsaysay Award is Asia's high‑
est honor. It celebrates the mem‑
ory and leadership example of
the third Philippine president
after whom the award is named,
and is given every year to indi‑
viduals or organizations in Asia
who manifest the same selfless
service and transformative influ‑
ence that ruled the life of the late
and beloved Filipino leader.
Kumar has worked for NDTV
for 25 years. His richly deserved
laurel comes after he has stood
“Almost all of them came from
extremely poor and marginalized
sections of society. The odds were
stacked against them before they
cracked the IIT entrance exam,”
he says. Incidentally, Anand had
himse lf secured admission to
Cambridge University in 1994,
but could not make it because of
financial constraints. Less than a
month and a half before he was
supposed to leave, his father sud‑
denly passed away, which left him
and his family to fend for them‑
selves. He says that the inspira‑
tion to set up Super 30 came from
the pain of losing that opportuni‑
ty. According to him, Bihar has
always been a cradle of talent, but
a large number of youngsters,
especially those from impover‑
ished families, do not get the right
platform or opportunities and
have to give up higher education.
Super 30 was set up to provide
the right platform to such stu‑
dents, he says. Now, all of that
has been recorded on celluloid̶
with some cinematic liberties, of
course. Even though it has been
made with a disclaimer that it is
merely a fictionalized account of
Anand Kumarʼs life, Super 30 has
succeeded in capturing the inten‑
sity of the long‑drawn struggle of
this remarkable agent of change
and champion of education.
undaunted in the face of foul
abuse, video death threats and
even rape threats to his family –
all for doing his job.
Kumar has coined the term
“Godi media” (media which sits
in the governmentʼs lap).
The past five years have been
terrible for the free Press across
the world. Strongmen leaders
compete to take away the meta‑
respectability of a free Press,
which exists as the fourth pillar
in a democracy.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Women now more competent but 'Sharenting' may put a
less ambitious and decisive: Study child's safety at risk
New York: Women are no longer
regarded less competent than men
on average but are still seen as
less ambitious and decisive ‑‑ a dis‑
advantage in the leadership role,
finds a study.
Women's perceived competence
has increased relative to men's,
consistent with their growing par‑
ticipation in the labor force and
educat ion, says a new
Northwestern University analysis
that spanned throug h seven
decades (1946‑2018). Women
now earn more bachelor's, mas‑
ter's and doctoral degrees than
men, unlike decades ago. However,
women's gains in perceived com‑
petence have not propelled them
to the top of hierarchies.
"The perceptions of women as
communal and men as agentic
have not eroded since the 1940s,
contrary to conventional wisdom
about convergence in gender
roles," said Alice Eagly, professor
of psychology in the Weinberg
College of Arts and Sciences at
Northwestern University.
Rather, communal stereotypes
have changed but increasingly
towards portraying women as
Most parents are barriers
to teens independence
P
arents, please take note. A
new survey shows that par‑
ents are often an obstacle in
teenagers becoming self‑sufficient.
“Our study suggests parents arenʼt
letting go of the reins as often as
they should to help teens make that
transition. This process of transi‑
tion from childhood to adulthood
includes everything, from prepar‑
ing for work and financial responsi‑
bility to taking care of oneʼs health
and well‑being,” said Sarah Clark
from the University of Michigan,
the UK. According to Bhagat Rajput,
consultant, psychiatry, Manipal
Hospital in Delhi, independence is
essential for childrenʼs growth, but
mostly itʼs the generation gap
between the children and the par‑
ents that acts as a barrier.
“This gap is visible because each
of them grows up in two separate
historical times and culture, impact‑
ing the views, value, and tastes. The
barrier can be minimized with par‑
ents acting as guides to adolescents
and increasing communication and
understanding in the relationship,”
Rajput told IANS.
Struggling for personal independ‑
ence, 23‑year‑old Delhi based
Muskan, said: “Parents putting bar‑
riers at every step harms more than
it helps. This is the time when we
are trying to build our own identity
and want to make our own mis‑
takes. Parents think theyʼre advis‑
more compassionate, affectionate
and sensitive than men.
"Men are still viewed as more
ambitious, aggressive and decisive
than women, and that agency
stereotype has not substantially
changed since the 1940s," Eagly
added in the paper published in
the journal American Psychologist
that analyzed 16 opinion polls
conducted in the US with more
than 30,000 adult respondents.
Most adults now report that
women and men are equal in gen‑
eral competence. But among those
who see a dif ference, most see
women as more competent than
men. For instance, in the most
recent poll, conducted in April
2018, most respondents (86 per‑
cent) said men and women are
equally intelligent.
However, 9 percent said that
women are more intelligent, com‑
ing or helping us, but too much
interference only makes us rebel.”
The researchers recommend par‑
ents to position themselves as a
backup resource, to be consulted
only if the teen canʼt handle the
issue independently.
Parents should also establish spe‑
cific milestones and create opportu‑
nities to mentor their teens in gain‑
ing experience and confidence
while reaching those goals, they
said. According to researchers, one‑
quarter of the parents surveyed
admit they are the main barrier to
their teenʼs independence as they
donʼt take the time or make an
effort to give them more responsi‑
bility.
The report was based on respons‑
es of 877 parents from the UK with
at least one child aged 14‑18 years.
Researchers also stated that 60 per‑
cent of the respondents said their
teensʼ characteristics were barriers
to becoming independent, such as
not being mature enough (24 per‑
cent), not having time (22 percent)
or not knowing enough (14 per‑
cent) to take more responsibility. In
contrast, one‑quarter of the parents
admitted that their role in impeding
their teenʼs independence, saying
itʼs quicker and less hassle to do
things themselves (19 percent) or
they donʼt think about how to give
teens more responsibility
(7 percent).
LIFESTYLE
pared to a smaller percentage (5
percent) who said that men are
more intelligent.
Interpretation of these findings,
said Eag ly, is that women's
increasing labor force participa‑
tion and education likely underlie
the increase in their perceived
competence but that occupational
segregation underlies the other
findings.
"Specifically, women are concen‑
trated in occupations that reward
social skills or of fer contribution
to society," she said.
"The current stereotypes should
favor women's employment,
because competence is, of course,
a job requirement for virtually all
positions," Eagly said.
"Also, jobs increasingly reward
social skills, making women's
greater communion an additional
advantage." However, the findings
are not all positive for women.
"Most leadership roles require
more agency than communion and
the lesser ambition, aggressive‑
ness and decisiveness ascribed to
women than men are a disadvan‑
tage in relation to leadership,'
Eagly noted.
Hot weather linked to higher
suicide rates: Research
T
he research published in the
journal Nature Climate
Change suggests that the
effects of climate change could be
as devastating as the influence of
economic recessions when it
comes to increasing suicide rates.
Projected temperature rise
through 2050 could lead to an
additional 21,000 suicides in the
US and Mexico, the findings
showed. "Surprising ly, these
ef fects dif fer very little based on
how rich populations are or if they
are used to warm weather," said
lead researcher Marshall Burke,
Assistant Professor at Stanford
University.
Researchers have recognized for
centuries that suicides tend to
August 10-16, 2019
S
harenting ‑ a parent's
habitual use of social
media to share news and
images about their children ‑ puts
the child's online privacy and,
potentially, safety at risk, warn
researchers. T he researchers
found evidence that women's feel‑
ings of vulnerability about being a
mother are linked to their posting
on social media. T hose posts
sometimes include their children's
personally identifiable informa‑
tion, such as names, birthdates,
and photographs showed the find‑
ings published online in the
Journal of Public Policy and
Marketing.
The women who participated in
the research articulated a variety
of risk factors for vulnerability ‑ a
changing body, a changing view of
self, new responsibilities associat‑
ed with motherhood, demands of
nursing, exhaustion, and issues
such as postpartum depression or
anxiety. "Posting about their expe‑
riences and sharing personal
information about themselves and
their children served as a coping
strategy, primarily related to seek‑
ing affirmation/social support or
peak during warmer months. But,
many factors beyond temperature
also vary seasonally ‑ such as
unemployment rates or the
amount of daylight ‑ and up to this
point, it has been difficult to disen‑
tangle the role of temperature
from other risk factors.
To tease out the role of tempera‑
ture from other factors, the
researchers compared historical
temperature and suicide data
across thousands of US counties
and Mexican municipalities over
25
relief from parents stress/anxi‑
ety/depression," the researchers
wrote.
The research was carried out by
Alexa K. Fox from the University of
Akron and Mariea Grubbs Hoy
from the University of Tennessee ‑
both in the US.
T he researchers suggest the
need for enhanced governmental
guidance to protect children's
online privacy from commercial
entities.
They also suggest that parents
need more education about the
consequences of sharing their chil‑
dren's personal information.
"Today's parents, many of whom
grew up sharing their own lives on
social media, may not comprehend
the full impact and potential con‑
sequences of posting such infor‑
mation about their children," the
researchers wrote.
several decades. The team also
analyzed the language in over half
a billion Twitter updates or tweets
to further determine whether hot‑
ter temperatures af fect mental
well‑being. T hey analyzed, for
example, whether tweets contain
language such as "lone ly",
"trapped" or "suicidal" more often
during hot spells. The researchers
found strong evidence linking
warmer temperature with higher
suicide rates. To understand how
future climate change might affect
suicide rates, the team used pro‑
jections from global climate mod‑
els. Temperature rise by 2050
could increase suicide rates by 1.4
percent in the US and 2.3 percent
in Mexico.
 26 August 10-16, 2019
Cook's 'doppelganger' Williams is Apple's best bet as next CEO
By Nishant Arora
New Delhi: Considered a "color‑
less, unimag inable drone",
Timothy Donald Cook who joined
Apple at age 37 in 1998 has suc‑
cessfully proved he is a better
CEO than late Steve Jobs. Apple
today is nearly a $1 trillion dollar
company and despite the global
slowdown, has been able to not
only maintain its growth trajecto‑
ry but also diversified into servic‑
es, entertainment and other verti‑
cals which are bringing in more
moolah than its devices segment.
Cook has spent over two decades
at Apple, and nine years as CEO,
and people across the globe now
have a valid question: who is
Apple's best bet to replace Cook
as CEO and keep the company on
Pune-Mumbai in 35 minutes soon to be reality with hyperloop
Mumbai: In an impetus to the
dream journey between Mumbai
and Pune in under 35 minutes,
the Maharashtra government has
approved the Virgin Hyperloop
One‑DP World consortium as the
"Original Project Proponent"
(OPP) for the Pune‑Mumbai
hyperloop project ̶ a move that
will generate jobs and over $36
billion in various socio‑economic
benefits.
According to Virgin Hyperloop
One, the state government ̶ one
of the first proponents of hyper‑
Sexting not so common
after all: Study
New York: Researchers, including
one of an Indian‑origin, have pro‑
vided a much‑needed update to
what is currently known about
the nature and extent of sexting
among the youth.
“Findings from our study pro‑
vide a very important message
for youth who may believe media
headlines that suggest sexting is
more widespread than it actually
is,” said Sameer Hinduja,
Professor at the Florida Atlantic
University.
The study, published in the
journal Archives of Sexual
Behavior, surveyed a nationally
representative sample of 5,593
American middle and high school
students (aged 12 to 17) to ana‑
lyze the prevalence rates for
sending and receiving sexually
explicit images or videos.
Results showed that across all
socio‑demographic variables
explored, the vast majority of
students were not participating
in sexting.
Approximately 14 per cent of
Apple CEO Tim Cook and COO Jeff Williams
the growth path?
For Jobs, Cook was the natural
choice and he picked him over
loop technology in the world ̶
has deemed hyperloop a public
infrastructure project, setting it
up to be the first hyperloop proj‑
ect in the world.
DP World (DPW), a global trade
leader and a major ports and
logistics operator in India, is set
to invest $500 million to com‑
plete phase 1 of the project,
which will certify this new tech‑
nology for passenger operations.
"Maharashtra will create the
first hyperloop transportation
system in the world and a global
middle and high school students
have received a sexually explicit
image from a boyfriend or girl‑
friend, while 13.6 per cent said
they received such an image
from someone who was not a
current romantic partner.
About 11 per cent of students
reported sending a sext to their
boyfriend or girlfriend.
Males were significantly more
likely to have sent and received a
sext from a current romantic
partner. However, males and
females were equally likely to
receive them from someone who
was not a current boyfriend or
girlfriend. Overall, about four per
SCITECH
more popular names around for
the CEO job, like legendary Apple
Chief Designer Jony Ive (who has
hyperloop supply chain starting
from Pune. Maharashtra and
India are at the fore front of
hyperloop infrastructure building
now and this is a moment of pride
for our people," Maharashtra
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
said in a statement.
The hyperloop project will link
central Pune with Mumbai in
under 35 minutes, as opposed to
the current over 3.5‑hour journey
by road.
"The project will create hun‑
dreds of thousands of new high‑
Showing adolescents
clear evidence that a
only a small proportion
of teens engage in
sexting could depress
the trend since it
underscores that it is
not as normal,
commonplace, or
widespread as they
might believe.
cent of students said they shared
an explicit image sent to them
with another person without
their permission, and about the
same number believed an image
of them was shared with others
without permission.
“Showing adolescents clear evi‑
dence that a relatively small pro‑
portion of teens engage in sex‑
ting could actually result in
decreased overall participation
since it underscores that it is not
as normal, commonplace, or
widespread as they might
believe,” said Justin Patchin,
Professor at the University of
Wisconsin‑Eau Claire.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
now moved on). In December
2015, Cook promoted his long‑
time lieutenant in operation ‑ Jeff
Williams ‑ to the role of Apple
COO. The duo later created histo‑
ry. Williams has been called "Tim
Cook's Tim Cook". He is in charge
of the operations side of the busi‑
ness, just as Cook used to head up
operations when Jobs was CEO.
"There are uncanny number of
similarities between Williams and
Cook," writes journalist Leander
Kahney in his biography of Tim
Cook. According to Fortune
reporter Adam Lashinsky,
"Williams is in many ways a dop‑
pelganger for Cook". "Tall, lean,
and g rey‑haired, like Cook,
Williams was said by Apple execu‑
tives to look so much like his boss
that from behind, they could be
tech jobs, generate over $36 bil‑
lion in wider socio‑economic ben‑
efits, and create new hyperloop
component and manufacturing
opportunities for Maharashtra to
export to the rest of the world,"
said Virgin Hyperloop One.
"Support for hyperloop trans‑
portation systems is mounting
across the world and India has led
the charge to bring hyperloop to
fruition since the early stages of
development," said Sultan Ahmed
bin Sulayem, group Chairman and
CEO at DP World and Chairman,
Indians fond of digital
assistants, latest
tech: Report
New Delhi: While still getting
acquainted with advanced technol‑
ogy, 68 per cent Indians are
already smitten by digital assis‑
tants‑enabled devices, according to
a report. According to the “State of
Digital Lifestyles” report by US‑
based Cloud services provider
Limelight Networks, 69 per cent
Indians believe that technology
has significantly improved their
lives. Itʼs more than double the fig‑
ure of what the US citizens believe.
As the popularity of smart‑
phones is escalating, 86 per cent
Indians confessed that they would
not be willing to give them up for
more than a day. Merely 4 per cent
smartphone users are willing to
give up the devices permanently in
the country.
Now that Internet‑based services
and latest gadgets have become an
integral part of daily lives, people,
despite their digital dependency,
are scared of online frauds and
breaches.
Over 61 per cent Indians are
more worried about personal
mistaken for each other," writes
Lashinsky in his book "Inside
Apple".
Since 2010, Williams has over‑
seen Apple's entire supply chain,
service and support and social
responsibility initiatives ‑‑ the
"last being something that has
grown in importance under Cook".
Williams played an important role
in the development of the first‑
generation iPhone, and has since
led worldwide operations for both
iPhone and iPod. Today, he also
supervises development for Apple
Watch. According to Apple, he is
also driving the company's health
initiatives, pioneering new tech‑
nologies and advancing medical
research to empower people to
better understand and manage
their health and fitness.
Virgin Hyperloop One.
"To be named OPP is an incredi‑
ble vote of confidence in our abili‑
ty to deliver this advanced tech‑
nology to the people of India and
enhance their lives," he added.
There are approximately 75
million passenger journeys
between Mumbai and Pune annu‑
ally, which is expected to skyrock‑
et to 130 million by 2026.
Virgin Hyperloop One's system
can meet this growing demand by
supporting as many as 200 mil‑
lion passengers annually.
information being stolen online
currently, than they were a year
ago. About digital assistants, 46
per cent Indians have expressed
concerns about data privacy.
“India is on a rapid growth tra‑
jectory in terms of digital adop‑
tion. More people are assimilating
digital technologies into their day‑
to‑day lifestyles as the perception
continues to improve on the
ground. With it, we are witnessing
the rise of a new, digitally‑empow‑
ered India,” said Ashwin Rao,
Director – Sales (India), Limelight
Networks.
In addition, 52 per cent Indians
listen to digital music, 41 per cent
download or watch movies and TV
shows online. Around 90 per cent
Indians have expressed frustration
with digital content, but 88 per
cent expect that 5G networking
would bring faster download
speeds.
Two‑third of the Indian con‑
sumers, 67.2 per cent, prefer to
shop online rather than choosing
an offline medium, the report said.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ENVIRONMENT August 10-16, 2019 27

Delivery vs Denial: Modi and Trump on climate change

The Indian Prime Minister continues to walk the talk on tackling climate change in the face of Trump’s delusional denial.
By Manoj Ladwa kind, the pressure of what kind of UK Prime Minister Theresa Mayʼs
legacy we want to leave for our brave commitment to reduce

A
way from the raging
debates over the state of
the Indian economy,
thereʼs another issue that is
attracting a lot of attention in
India: a 45‑second promo of ʻMan
vs Wildʼ, a popular show on the
Discovery Channel on the impor‑
tance of protecting wildlife and
the environment.
The episode featuring Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and famous adventurer‑survival‑
ist‑TV show host Edward Michael
Grylls, popularly called Bear
Grylls, was shot in the countryʼs
famous Jim Corbett National Park
and throws light on the impor‑
tance of protecting wildlife.
It came as a pleasant surprise to
many to see Modi take time off
from weighty matters of state to
spread awareness about the envi‑
ronment, but it shouldnʼt have.
Modi has always displayed a
brand of leadership that is dis‑
tinctly different from that of most
others – and it has always been
informed by a strong commit‑
ment to the environment and to
the cause of mitigating climate
change.
The Indian PM played a big part
in salvaging the Paris climate
talks after US President Donald
Trump unilaterally walked out of
it, denying that climate change
was even a valid concern. At that
time, Modi was the only big
leader who walked the talk on the
issue, committing India to a target
of 175 GW of renewable energy
by 2022.
And, along with then French
President Francois Hollande,
Modi took the initiative to launch
the International Solar Alliance
(ISA), a treaty‑based multilateral
organization comprising 122
countries that lie between the
Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic
of Capricorn. The goal: expand
the efficient use of solar energy
around the world with the aim of
reducing dependence on fossil
fuels in order to reduce global
warming and arrest and reverse
the impact of climate change. In
fact, Modi was the first leader in
Asia to establish a ministry dedi‑
cated to tackling climate change
when he was CM of Gujarat.
Famously, Modi was once asked
whether he felt pressure from
other nations to address climate
change, to which he quipped:
“There is a pressure of a different
future generations. Global warm‑
ing is a pressure… We under‑
stand this pressure and we are
responding to it.” Modiʼs bold ini‑
tiative and green leadership
stands out in a bleak global sce‑
nario marked by climate change
denial in some important coun‑
tries. Trumpʼs US administration
has refused to even acknowledge
that climate change is even an
issue facing humanity, let alone
the most important issue. Trump
also made a dubious claim that
the US has some of the worldʼs
cleanest air and water. Incorrectly
citing a cut in carbon dioxide
emissions in the US, he bragged:
“Every single one of the signato‑
ries to the Paris climate accord
lags behind America.”
The facts: Last year, emission
levels in the US increased and US
policies are expected to make
future reductions less likely.
According to a report by the
Union of Concerned Scientists,
the United States is the worldʼs
second‑largest polluter after
China, and contributes 15 per
cent of global CO2 emissions.
China emits 27 per cent, the EU
10 per cent and India 6 per cent.
The scenario is just as bad in
other regions, most notably in
western Europe, Asia and South
America notwithstanding former
Britainʼs net carbon emission lev‑
els down to zero by 2050, making
the UK the first major economy to
do so. It is no surprise then that it
is the UK that India has aligned
with to co‑launch a Global
Coalition on Disaster Resilience at
the UN General Assembly in
September. This marks Modiʼs
second major global initiative on
the lines of the solar alliance.
Studies have shown that
pledges made by most countries
under the Paris Climate Change
Agreement in 2015 will not suf‑
fice to keep temperatures within
2 degrees Celsius below pre‑
industrial levels. The
Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) estimates
that we will have to progressively
reduce our dependence on fossil
fuels and completely phase it out
by 2050 to keep temperature
increase below 1.5 degrees
Celsius.
In such a scenario, it will take a
leader like Modi, with both
domestic political capital and
international diplomatic goodwill,
who can provide the decisive
leadership required to meet this
ambitious climate goal.
Manoj Ladwa is the Founder
and CEO of India Inc., publisher of
India Global Business magazine.

IMMIGRATION

A Cancellation of removal for

non‑lawful permanent
resident (someone with‑
out a green card) who is

non-lawful permanent residents

in removal proceedings may be
eligible for cancellation of
removal. If a non‑LPR is not
scheduled to have a hearing in

VISA
Immigration Court or they U.S. citizen qualifying relative. A fessionals, and other experts may which means that even if one
already appeared in Immigration qualifying relative is a spouse, often be used. However, if grant‑ were to be granted by the court,
Court and their case is closed, child, or parent. To meet the ed, the person will not only be it may not happen immediately.

they will not be able to apply for
cancellation of removal. To apply
for cancellation of removal the
non‑LPR must submit Form
EOIR‑42B with supporting docu‑
ments showing that they meet all
of the eligibility requirements to
the Immigration Judge and the
determination to grant this relief
is discretionary.
Am I eligible for cancelation of
removal? In order to be eligible
for cancellation of removal the
non‑LPR must have been contin‑
uously physically present in the
US at least 10 years. The ten‑
year physical presence period
starts at the date of entry and
stops either when a Notice to
Appear in immigration court by
the Department of Homeland
Security is issued, or if certain
criminal offenses are committed,
TALK
or if they have a single absence
from the United States of 90 days
or multiple absences from the
United States adding up to 180
days or more. A Notice to Appear
is a document given to a non‑LPR
to put them on notice of deporta‑
tion or removal proceedings.
The non‑LPR must also have
been a person of good moral
character during the ten‑year
period of presence. The non‑LPR
must also not have any criminal
convictions which would render
them ineligible for Cancellation.
The non‑LPR would need to show
that possible deportation would
cause “exceptional and extremely
unusual hardship” to their LPR or
standard of exceptional and
extremely unusual hardship the
non‑LPR must show that their
deportation would cause the
qualifying relative to suffer hard‑
ship which would be substantial‑
ly worse that the hardship nor‑
mally expected from deportation
or separation.
Cancellation of removal can be
granted only by an Immigration
Judge and the non‑LPR needs to
present a convincing case in
order to avoid an Order of
Removal. Factors to be consid‑
ered are whether there are many
family members here; whether
there are US born children who
will have difficulty relocating,
medical problems, financial con‑
siderations and other equities
which may get weighed by the
Judge. Witnesses, medical pro‑
prevented from being deported, However, this relief is sometimes
but will also be granted a green the only chance that an individ‑
card. There are a limited number ual may have to remain in the US
of Cancellation of Removal if in proceedings and is a very
grants that are allowed per year, valuable and useful form of relief
and currently there is a backlog, to the right individual.
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 August 10-16, 2019 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Humor with Melvin Durai

Yet another cellphone victim in my family

M
y wife and I are always
slow to adopt new tech‑
nology, so it shouldnʼt
surprise you to learn that we got
our first cellphones only 12 years
ago, at least five years later than
some of our friends did. Our
phones were rather basic̶we
used them to make calls and noth‑
ing else: no texting, no browsing,
no binging on Shankar Vedantamʼs
podcast.
Since then, we have gradually
increased our dependence on cell‑
phones, and it saddens me to say
that our family of five is now sad‑
dled with five cellphones and, even
sadder, five monthly bills. Yes, we
get a family discount, but still pay
more for cellular service than for
water. (My 15‑year‑old daughter,
Divya, canʼt take a shower without
one of them.)
Itʼs been several years since
Divya and her older sister, Lekha,
got cellphones, better known as
their “Instagram devices.” In con‑
trast, our 13‑year‑old son, Rahul,
managed to resist the lure of a cell‑
phone until recently.
Most of his friends have owned
cellphones for at least a few years,
but Rahul did not ask us for one.
He just used email to keep in touch
with his buddies, and borrowed my
phone when he needed to check
something quickly, such as the lat‑
est political news on CNN.com.
But the need to have a cellphone
became urgent when Rahul left
home for a one‑week debate camp
in Bloomington, Indiana, a city
thatʼs a two‑hour drive from our
home. It was “urgent” not for Rahul
but for his mother. Without a cell‑
phone, how would she keep in
touch with her little boy? How
would she know if the camp organ‑
izers were feeding him well? How
would she be able to get any sleep?
I reluctantly bought Rahul a cell‑
phone and waved a white flag at
the cellphone companies. “Are you
happy now?” I asked. “Youʼve got
us all trapped. Every last one of
us.”
Now you may be asking yourself,
if he feels trapped, why doesnʼt he
just get rid of his cellphone? Well,
itʼs not as easy as it sounds. This is
the 21st century, after all, and
walking around without a cell‑
phone is considered far stranger
than walking around w ithout
pants.
Donʼt get me wrong. Cellphones
can be quite useful, but they can
also be burdensome. Here are
some of the advantages and disad‑
vantages of cellphones in my life:
Advantage: My wife can call or
text me wherever I go. This can be
quite helpful, especially if itʼs an
emergency of some sort. For exam‑
ple, just the other day, I was out
shopping and she texted me:
“Help!!! How do I put Netflix on
the TV?”
Disadvantage: My wife can call
or text me wherever I go. This can
be quite annoying, especially when
Iʼm at a grocery store and have to
exchange numerous texts with her.
She: “Please get ginger and go
lick.”
Me: “Lick the ginger? Iʼd rather
not.”
She: “Garlic. Damn autocorrect!
And get some papers, too.”
Me: “New York Times or USA
Today?”
She: “Peppers. You know what I
meant!”
Advantage: I can discreetly fol‑
low sporting events while attend‑
ing boring meetings by glancing
now and then at the screens of
people around me.
Disadvantage: When Iʼm speak‑
ing at a meeting, I can be fairly cer‑
tain that the only people who are
paying attention are the ones with
no data plans.
Advantage: My daughter Divya
can easily browse the internet
through her cellphone, allowing
her to do important research to
prepare for school, such as finding
out which online store has a sale
on denim shorts.
Disadvantage: Iʼm constantly
worried about the bill̶the hospi‑
tal bill when I have to take my
daughter to get the cellphone sur‑
gically removed from her hand.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA
AND Mahendra
PAKISTAN Man who sold coffee committed suicide.
Man who sold alcohol ran away from the country.
Man who sold tea is ruling the country.
New York Head Quarter
Open “Chaibucks...., not “ Starbucks”!
422‑S Broadway
HICKSVILLE
NY 11801
By Mahendra Shah
516‑827‑1010
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession,
artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording
the plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his
cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY August 10-16, 2019 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; w.premastrologer.com

AUGUST 10‑16, 2019

Aries: Good luck can favour you on the
professional front and help in achiev‑
ing something important. Monetary
bliss is very much indicated for some. You
will be successful in beating an approaching
deadline. Set your priorities to excel in aca‑
demics. First time lovers can take some time
in getting comfortable with each other. You
will be able to resurrect a flagging relation‑
ship with someone you dislike.
Taurus: Things will be totally in
your control as you have brought
some order into your life. More
avenues for promoting your interests are
likely to come to you soon. Love front
seems moderate. Robust health will find
you energetic and ready to take on the
world! You are likely to get a chance to
attend a training session or a refresher
course to hone your existing skills.
Gemini: You may not be at your best
behaviour with someone whom you
just canʼt stand. A family issue may
need to be deliberated upon, so that it does
not disturb domestic harmony. A highly
rewarding phase is foreseen on the proper‑
ty or financial front. New sources of
income would improve your living stan‑
dard and comforts. Thumbs up is indicated
for those on the pursuing higher studies.
Cancer: Having a finger in every pie
will entail a lot of travelling, but it will
be worth the effort. Some of you may
take steps to limit your expenses.
Professionals will need to give adequate time
to their clients, if they want to retain them. If
romantic thoughts are on your mind, rejoice
as partner is likely to reciprocate in full meas‑
ure. Positive changes on the health front are
likely, as you get serious towards fitness.
Leo: Someoneʼs suggestions will help
you in avoiding some obvious pitfalls
at work. An invitation to a family get‑
together promises to make the week enjoy‑
able. . Investments made during this week
would bring in good profits in the long run.
Renovation of the house or construction
related activities could be on the agenda of
some homemakers. Consistency on the fit‑
ness front will bring beneficial results.
Virgo: You will need to bear the
expenditure of something not catered
for in the budget. Planning a break is
on the cards just to be away from the dull
routine. Married couples can expect a fulfill‑
ing and enjoying week. Possibility of getting
a lucrative contract cannot be ruled out for
some. You will manage to grasp the nitty‑
gritty of a case at work before giving the cor‑
rect decision.
Libra: The coming week would be a
mixed bag. You may find yourself
slogging to finish pending work.
You will manage to maintain good image
and impress someone on the romantic
front. Expenses will be catered for without
much problem. A challenging time is on
the cards for students. Those passing
through a lean patch on the health front
will find distinct improvement.
Scorpio: A get‑together will af ford
you an opportunity to regain your
social turf. Things begin to turn
looking in the positive direction on the
financial front. Academically, your per‑
formance beyond your own expectations
will keep you in an upbeat mood. A bal‑
anced approach to a work problem will
prove beneficial. Health‑wise, your meticu‑
lous efforts bring excellent results.
Sagittarius: The upcoming week
would be very important for profes‑
sionals as new opportunities for
growth are foreseen. A lifestyle change is
very much required for the sake of good
health. Bonding of the romantic kind may
happen with someone of the opposite gen‑
der with whom you work. Students defi‑
nitely need to be more careful in their
studies to make their mark.
Capricorn: Just thinking about
someone special in your life will
keep you in an upbeat mood. You
may succeed in continuing your daily rou‑
tine of exercises and maintain fitness. On
the professional front, your platter may
have more than you can handle. You may
review your expenses and plan your budg‑
et accordingly. You may have to get a proj‑
ect rolling quickly to beat competition.
Aquarius: This is an excellent time
on the professional front, when you
get clients in droves. You will be
able to employ your office hours construc‑
tively to complete the jobs at hand. Those
looking for love are likely to get lucky. It is
best not to start aiming for monetary
returns till you ensure secure investments.
You are likely to put efforts towards your
goal of achieving perfect fitness.
Pisces: A fresh avenue for earning
opens up for you. Those in a relation‑
ship will manage to keep the bonds
strong. Catering for the family will give you
innate satisfaction. A word of praise from a
superior is like ly for doing something
entrusted to you. Academically, your attempts
to step up the pace will succeed. Your hard
work on the health front will not go in vain as
you are likely to achieve desirable results.

August 10, 2019 likely for some. Selective specula‑

Governed by number 1, and the
Sun, you are original, authorita‑
tive, dignified, determined and a
sensitive person. You are a true
asset to your friends and your
family members take pride in you,
but you need to check your ten‑
dency to overspend and dominate
at times. A very favorable period
starts this year, but you should
avoid controversial issues that
might cause arguments with loved
ones. You would make many bene‑
ficial contacts throughout the year,
some of which would bring you
financial gains. You would be best
in managing money and invest‑
ment of your own and that of the
others. Financial gains through
sale of property, accrual of rent,
dividends or interests seem cer‑
tain. Save the maximum so that
you could easily meet unexpected
expenses later in the year.
Children would also bring you
good news during this period. The
months of July, September and
February will especially prove to
be significant.
August 11, 2019
Influenced by number 2 and the
Moon, you are highly confident,
imaginative, practical, trustworthy
and a simple person. You are open
and honest in all your professional
dealings and people trust and have
complete confidence in you, but
you loose many good opportuni‑
ties to rise to the top in your
career because you behave impa‑
tient, stubborn and erratic at
times. This year the Sun shines
brig htly on you bring ing you
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
excellent career growth and finan‑
cial gains. Investments that you
make during this period would
fetch you good returns. For some,
a change of residence, purchase of
a vehicle or an overseas journey
seems very much on the cards.
Your beloved would provide you
with love as well as financial sup‑
port. This person would also make
many sacrifices for your happiness
and welfare. New ventures would
be alluring and profitable, but
speculation should be avoided.
Health needs care. The months of
April, October, November and
January will be important.
August 12, 2019
Governed by number 3 and the
planet Jupiter, you are confident,
ambitious, independent, dignified,
religious and an optimistic person.
You are able to attain a high level
of perfection in whatever you
undertake, which brings apprecia‑
tion and recognition from people
around you, but you need to con‑
trol your tendency to behave
spendthrift, jealous and reckless at
times. You should put more ener‑
gy to implement the creative ideas,
which are in your mind. Results
mig ht be slow but eventually
would be beyond your expecta‑
tions. You also need to review your
expenditures. With little planning
you would be able to save from
your budget without compromis‑
ing on necessary items. You would
be very attached with your par‑
ents, but at times this might effect
your re lat ionship w ith your
spouse who might feel neglected
and lonely. Pending court or prop‑
erty disputes will get settled, but
the results might not be to your
satisfaction. The months of June,
August and February will prove to
be important.
August 13, 2019
Ruled by number 4 and the plan‑
et Uranus. You are bright, ener‑
getic, active, methodical and sys‑
tematic person. You are fond of
good, respectable lifestyle and you
specially enjoy building new con‑
tacts and relationships, but you
need to check you tendency to
behave stubborn, destructive and
vindictive at times.
This year you would be able to
make your point heard without
being pushy or forceful. Financial
gains and other rewards would be
plenty but working under extreme
stress levels would show on your
health. Children would be interest‑
ing and a major source of your
happiness. For those who have
been unsuccessful in finding a life
partner till now should rejoice, as
a matrimonial wedlock seems later
in the year. The months of April,
July, January and March will prove
to be eventful.
August 14, 2019
Ruled by number 5 and the plan‑
et Mercury, you are strong, practi‑
cal, active, business minded and a
diplomatic person. You are a born
leader and you easily inspire oth‑
ers to do an excellent job. You are
hardworking and sincere, but your
tendency to be moody, timid and
jealous attracts enormous criti‑
cism at times.
The year ahead promises to be a
blend of both the good and the
bad. Some exciting changes would
take place in the organization that
you work for. Your colleagues
would be a support and a source
of enjoyment, but seniors would
be demanding and their erratic
behaviour would add pressure to
your mind. Financial gains are
likely from more than one source.
You would also gain if you invest
in property and bonds. New
friendships might seem promising
but would ultimately live short of
expectations. You are likely to be
more inclined towards religious as
well as spiritual activities. The
months of May, August, December
and March will be highly eventful.
August 15, 2019
Influenced by number 6 and the
planet Venus. You are active, ener‑
getic, warm‑hearted, and are fond
of worldly pleasures. You are good
at conversation and you easily
make friends because of your
helpful nature, but you need to
check your tendency to behave
spendthrift and stubborn at times.
This coming year good financial
gains are foreseen along with
appreciation and plenty of reward.
Your stars seem favourable for
building new alliances and part‑
nerships. Promotion and transfers
tion would be beneficial therefore
be extra careful not to squander
hard‑earned money. Romantic
alliances likely for those unat‑
tached, others would get tied into
a matrimonial wedlock. Distant
journey, pilgrimage or foreign
travel later in the year. You are
likely to be more inclined towards
religious and spiritual activities.
The months of July, September,
November and January will be
highly significant months.
August 16, 2019
Governed by number 7 and the
planet Neptune. You are simple,
dignified, original, dashing and
confident. You possess remarkable
leadership qualities and blessed
with strong imagination and intu‑
ition, but you need to check your
tendency to behave extravagant,
hypocrite and stubborn at times.
This year you should expect
new assignments and would hold
position of important responsibili‑
ties. Your financial position stabi‑
lizes as past investments start rak‑
ing profits. Improved finances
bring in prosperity and happiness
at domestic level. Good year for
girls and women as far as romance
is concerned. Some gains through
inheritance or expensive gifts from
relatives cannot be ruled out.
Frequent travel would be under‑
taken bringing good monetary
rewards. Distant journey maybe
overseas for some later in the year.
Avoid lending or borrow ing
money. T he months of June,
November and January will be
highly significant.
 30 August 10-16, 2019
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
D
arihe World was meant to
be a Garden of Eden and
heaven of bliss. The world
we see before us is vastly altered
from the world of yesterday. We
live in an age in which we have
made tremendous progress in the
areas of science and technology.
Despite our technological and sci‑
entific advances, the world is still
aflame with fires of war. We find
strife and dissension throughout
the world. We find countries at
war. Many nations are embroiled
in internal conflicts. The peace of
the world, for want of proper
understanding, hangs today by a
very slender thread. Daily we
hear accounts of suffering and
inhumanity. The social injustices
and economic inequalities ram‑
part everywhere have made peo‑
ple skeptical of God and distrust‑
ful of each other. The armed
peace, the perpetual fear and
inherent happiness in which we
live, is not an ideal state to be
desired.
We may wonder how God, who
has made such a beautiful world
can tolerate the tremendous suf‑
fering of His creations. Today the
world is crying out for a better
understanding for peace and free‑
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
S
aints and mystics tell us
that we are all connected.
We may have outer
appearances that differ, but with‑
in us is the soul, and all souls are
part of God.
Let us think of connectedness
as water droplets. When all the
droplets enter the ocean, they are
connected as part of a large body
of water. We can remove droplets
from the ocean and put them in
dif ferent jars of various shapes
and sizes. No matter what the
color or shape of the vessel, the
basic structure of the water does
not change. Each water droplet is
the same as when it was part of
the ocean. We can then take each
droplet out of its container and
put it back into the ocean; the
drop merges back because its
properties have not changed. This
is an analogy to show how our
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
World of peace and unity
dom from conflict. If we could
return to our true state and real‑
ize we are soul, we would find
lasting peace and ecstasy. If we
could tap deeply within ourselves,
penetrating beyond the outer
form of this physical body and
mind, we would find a spring of
eternal peace and happiness.
When we examine our day‑to‑day
life, we may question how it is
possible to realize our true self
and God.
The idea of real and lasting
inner peace is not a mere ideolo‑
gy but can be turned into an actu‑
al reality if one could but intro‑
vert and peep within to know his
real self. This can be achieved
CONNECTEDNESS OF SOULS
souls were, at one time, part of
God.
We all are drops of conscious‑
ness, radiating Light and Sound.
When these drops of conscious‑
ness are encased in a physical
body, they remain the same drops
of soul. The dif ference is that
when we look for the drops of
soul with our outer eyes, we can‑
not see them, for the soul is not
visible to our physical eyes.
Meditation is the process of
realizing our inner connected‑
ness. It allows us to turn our gaze
from the mirror in which we see
our face of flesh and blood to
invert to see our spiritual essence
made of Lig ht and Music.
Meditation is the process of self‑
knowledge where we realize our
self as soul.
Think of the power of that real‑
only through close contact with
some Godman or Spiritual
Teacher, who is not only well
versed in theory but also in prac‑
tice of Science of soul.
The art of inverting our atten‑
tion from the world outside to
that within is popularly known as
Meditation. Through meditation,
we can tap into the fountain of
bliss, light and joy within us and
return to our original state of
unity with God. The divine Light
and Sound awaits us at the seat of
the soul, between and behind the
two eyebrows.
Scriptures and mystics referred
to this point as the third or single
eye. The Bible says, "If thine eye
ization. All those people against
whom we may have bigotry and
prejudice no longer look different
from us. We see that their outer
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
be single thy whole body shall be
full of light." It is difficult to
describe ‑ using the limitations of
human language ‑ the absolute
ecstasy one experiences when we
become united with the God.
Through meditation, we can
transform ourselves into ambas‑
sadors of God's love and Light on
earth. As the soul journeys into
the beyond and experiences its
relationship with God, it has a
great realization. It sees each liv‑
ing thing, whether human, animal
or plant as a part of God. It sees
that there is a soul in every living
thing. Once we experience that
we are all a part of God, we begin
to see God's light shining in all.
shapes, sizes, faces and colors are
just an outer coat covering the
same essence as our own.
Likew ise, just as we put on
We see all creation as children of
the one Parent. This is a profound
realization that brings about fun‑
damental changes in the way we
live. We develop love for every‑
one and every living creature. We
begin to love all people equally.
We develop tolerance and
patience towards those around
us. We develop the sublime quali‑
ties of compassion and under‑
standing. There is peace, satisfac‑
tion, and harmony which fill us
completely. The soul achieves its
ultimate fulfillment and rests
eternally in joy and happiness.
One by one, step by step, all
human beings will find that they
can attain true happiness and
personal fulfillment by merging
their souls with God through the
process of meditation. In this way
we can bring about peace and
unity on our planet. Peace and
unity begin within each of us.
When we merge in God and see
the light of God in every being, we
truly realize the unity. If we truly
wish to achieve human unity, we
must first experience it ourselves.
Then only we will be able to
spread the fragrance of unity
wherever we go. Others will be
inspired by our example and will
begin to emulate us. There would
be an atmosphere of peace and
tranquillity in the world. World
peace can only become a reality
when each of us individually has
peace in our own circles. If we
bring peace into our individual
spheres, the effect will be cumula‑
tive, and it will contribute to
world peace. Each of us must do
his or her own small part to bring
about the fulfillment of the noble
dream.
clothes of dif ferent colors,
designs and textures, these gar‑
ments do not change who we are
beneath the clothes. Similarly,
when the soul puts on an outer
form of a human body, or even an
animal, it is still a soul within and
this soul is the same essence as
our self.
When we begin to rise into the
spiritual realms, we see that the
other souls inhabiting bodies
have the same essence as we do̶
all Light, all Sound, and all con‑
sciousness. At the level of the
soul, we all look the same. When
we realize we are all the same, we
treat others differently. We recog‑
nize the soul as a part of God.
Then, we come to see that we are
all children of the one Creator.
https://www.sos.org
TheSouthAsianTimes.info August 10-16, 2019
TheSouthAsianTimes.info August 10-16, 2019