Vol.9 Issue 22 - September 24-30, 2016

The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e
Vol.9 No. 22 September 24-30, 2016 80 Cents
i n
j o u r n a l i s m
New York Edition Follow us on
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Diwali Stamp dedication and

sale at NY consulate on Oct 5
By Parveen Chopra
New York: The Consulate General

of India New York, in association
with USPS (United States Postal
Service) and the Indian community
is hosting the dedication ceremony
of the Diwali Stamp October 5 at its
Manhattan premises. Purchase and
cancellation of the stamps for cus
tomers and collectors will also be
facilitated at the consulate around
noon that day.
Besides inviting the public to the
consulate on Oct 5, a raf fle was
also announced at the press confer
ence addressed by Consul General
Riva Ganguly Das, Ranju Batra,
Chair of Diwali Stamp Project, and
Ravi Batra on Wednesday, Sept 21.
Air India is sponsoring 10 free
round trip tickets to India to drive
up the Diwali stamp sales at the
launch and people participation.
To drive record sale of Diwali stamp,

raffle to win round trip to India announced
Following Nawaz Sharifs effort

to flag Kashmir, India painted
Pakistan as a terror state.
Consul General Riva Ganguly Das, flanked by Ravi Batra

and Ranju Batra, Chair of the Diwali Stamp Project.
Explained Ranju Batra, Every per
son who comes to the Oct 5
Continued on page 27
For Diwali Stamp PreOrder

Retail Form, go to page 27
Tributes paid
to Pramukh
Swami Maharaj
the world over
Trump, Hillary in
dead heat ahead of
presidential debate
New York: The polls
this week have been
confusing, to say the
least. Some nation
wide polls like the
NBC
News/Wall
Street Journal poll,
re leased
on
Wednesday,
had
Hillary Clinton 6
points up. But some
The two candidates will come facetoface
other polls showed
for the first time at the 1st debate at Hofstra
Donald Trump ahead
of her by a couple of points tohead contest, Clinton leading
be fore the first President ial Trump by 2.1 percentage points,
Debate at Hofstra university on
Continued on page 4
Long Island. RealClearPolitics tal
lying various polls has, in Head For related stories, page 912.
New York: Tribute Assemblies for

Pramukh Swami Maharaj were
he ld
in
many parts
of the world
including
the US on
September
1718. They
were attend
ed by dignitaries, devotees, com
munity leaders and wellwishers.
T he revered head of BAPS
Swaminarayan Sanstha left his
mortal bo dy on August 13 in
Gujarat at the age of 95. From
establishing mandirs across the
Continued on page 4
Detailed story on page 15.
India claims
diplomatic
victory over
Pakistan in UN
New Delhi: India on T hursday
claimed diplomatic victory over
Pakistan at the United Nations
amid deteriorating bilateral ties
following the killing of 18 soldiers
in a terror attack in Jammu and
Kashmir.
External Af fairs Ministry
spokesperson Vikas Swarup told
reporters in Delhi that India was
"sensitizing the world" about how
Pakistan was sponsoring terror
ism. "Our actions speak for them
selves and you can see our actions
are already delivering results,"
Swarup said, a day after Pakistan
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
aggressively raised the Kashmir
issue in his speech at the UN
General Assembly in New York.
Swarup said most countries have
condemned Sunday's terror attack

at Uri near the Line of Control
(LoC) the de facto border
between India and Pakistan in
Jammu and Kashmir.
"No one, and I mean no other
country, at the UN has spoken on
the subject Nawaz Sharif devoted
80 per cent of his time to," Swarup
said. He said that, on the contrary,
virtually every country has
referred to terrorism as the main
threat to international peace and
security, a fact that Pakistan still
remains in denial of. "Four of the
five members of the Security
Council have also spoken and their
statements are also available for
everyone to see," the MEA
spokesperson added. About
Continued on page 4
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OP ED 11
FESTIVAL 18
MEDIA 25
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30
excellence in journalism
September 24-30, 2016
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Trump not worthy of Hindu

Americans backing: Neera Tanden
New York: In a strongly worded
article in Huf fington Post,
Neera Tanden, tipped to
land a position in the
Hillary Clinton administra
tion if the Democrat candi
date wins the W hite
House, has made a case
against Indian Americans
supporting
Donald
Trump.
Tanden, President of
Center for American
Progress Action Fund,
argues that for the
past 15 months,
Trump has run one
of the most preju
Neera Tanden is tipped for a position in the
diced
and polarizing
White House if Hillary Clinton wins
campaigns in modern American his

tory.
And yet, despite all this hatred
and vitriol, Illinois businessman
Shalli Kumar wants to rally support
for Trump. Kumar has already
pledged millions of dollars to
Trumps campaign, and his
Republican Hindu Coalition will
host an event for Trump next
month. Tanden quotes Shalli Kumar,
who when asked about Trumps
record of racially divisive comments
and policy proposals, said, Hes just
misunderstood. He is just as color,
religion, raceblind as anyone could
be. Misunderstood? Raceblind?
Tanden asks. Was Donald Trump
simply misunderstood when he
questioned the patriotism of federal

judge Gonzalo Curiel because of his
Mexican heritage? Was he race
blind when he was sued by the
Justice Department for not renting
apartments to people of color? How
about when Trump refused to dis
avow David Duke and other white
supremacists who support his cam
paign? Or when he mocked an
Indian call center worker at a cam
paign rally?
Tanden then lists increasing
instances of hate crimes against
South Asians. And just last month,
an IndianAmerican teenager one
of Trumps own supporters, in fact
was thrown out of a Trump rally.
If IndianAmericans arent even
we lcome at Trumps campaign

events, what makes Mr. Kumar
think well be welcome in Trumps
America?
If Judge Curiel and Khizr Khan
arent suf ficiently American for
Trump and his supporters, is Mindy
Kaling? Is Raj Shah? Is Sanjay Gupta
American enough for Donald
Trump? Tanden finally exhorts,
Hindu Americans, a religious minor
ity ourselves, to stand against the
same ugly prejudice so many of our
families have endured for genera
tions and continue to experience
to this day. As we prepare to cele
brate the festival of lights, lets
remember to always reject
darkness.
Pak selfincriminates by
US stocks gain as Fed stays rates
hailing Burhan Wani: Akbar
United Nations: Strongly reacting
to Pakistan Prime Ministers
remarks at the UN, India
Wednesday described them as
nonfactual and full of threat
bluster and said glorication of
Hizbul commander Burhan Wani
by Nawz Sharif at the world
forum is an act of selfincrimina
tion by Pakistan.
We just heard a speech full of
threat bluster and rising immatu
rity and complete disregard of
facts, Minister of State for
External Affairs M.J. Akbar said at
a press conference at Indias
Permanent Mission in New York
after Sharifs address to the UN
General Assembly.
Akbar also criticized Sharif for
glorifying Wani, who was killed in
an encounter with security forces
on July 8, and said India will not
succumb to blackmail tactics of
the Pakistan Government that
seems eager to use terrorism as
policy.
We heard the glorication of a
terrorist. Wani is declared com
mander of Hizbul, w ide ly
acknowledged as a terror group.
It is shocking that a leader of a
nation can glorify a selfadver
tised terrorist at such a forum.
T his is se lf incriminat ion by
Pakistan PM, Akbar said.
Minister of State for

External Affairs M.J. Akbar.
Rejecting Sharifs offer to India
to enter into a serious and sus
tained dialogue for the peaceful
resolution of all outstanding dis
putes, the minister said, Talks
and guns dont go together.
Pakistan at this moment seems
to be run by a war machine rather
than a government. Pakistan
wants dialogue while holding a
terrorist gun in its hand, he said.
He also rejected Sharifs allega
tions against India with regard to
the current unrest in Kashmir and
said, Kashmir occupation is by
Pakistan occupation army. The
world also knows that Pakistan
has been indulged in ethnic
cleansing
of
its
own
people.
PTI
New York: US stocks posted solid

gains as the US Federal Reserve
le ft its federal funds rate
unchanged after the conclusion
of its two day policy meeting.
T he Dow Jones
Industrial Average
on Wednesday
added 163.74
points, or 0.90
per cent, to
18,293.70.
T he S&P 500
leapt
23.36
points, or 1.09
per
cent,
to
2,163.12. The Nasdaq
Composite Index increased
53.83 points, or 1.03 per cent, to
5,295.18, Xinhua news agency
reported.
The Committee judges that the

case for an increase in the feder
al funds rate has strengthened
but decided, for the time being,
to wait for further evidence of
cont inued prog ress
toward its objec
t ives, the Feds
policymaking
committee said
in a statement
re leased
on
Wednesday
after its twoday
meeting.
The Feds updated
projections released
Wednesday showed that
policymakers expected the feder
al funds rate to rise to around
0.625 per cent at the end of
2016, implying one rate hike

this year, down from two esti
mated in June.
The Fed also said in the state
ment that nearterm risks to the
US economic outlook appear
roughly balanced, a further sign
that the central bank could raise
rates by the end of this year.
T he FOMC (Federal Open
Market Committee) thinks anoth
er rate hike is needed soon, but
participants thinking on the
pace of tightening and ultimate
level of rates when tightening is
done continues to fall, said Chris
Low, chief economist at FTN
Financial, in a note.
The Fed will hold its next two
policy meetings on November 1
2 and December 1314.
Queens hotel owner argues against

converting to homeless shelter
New York: Harshad Pate l
announced earlier this month
that despite an agreement with
the borough of Queens, NY to
establish a planned homeless
shelter at the site of the Holiday
Inn Express he coowns, he is
withdrawing from the deal.
T he Indian American busi
nessman said in a report that
protesters who had been

against the proposition of a
homeless shelter replacing the
hotel operations since Aug. 11
hurt the business dramatically.
The decision to back out was
made in part because of the
pressure from the middleclass
dominated neighborhood.
The Sept. 8 tweet sent out by
HolidayInnEx Maspeth said,

We would like to conrm that
the Hotel will not be converting
to a shelter as suggested. It will
continue to operate as a hotel.
T he citys Department of
Homeless Services would not
comment on whether the deal
had been nixed, according to a
Metro.us report.
Indian Americans to take part

in rally for Trump in Philly
Philadelphia, PA: In a potential game
changer in the 2016 presidential elec
tion, activists from around the country
have come together to organize a politi
cal rally supporting Donald Trump in
the swing state of Pennsylvania.
T he first All American Rally for
Trump will take place on October 8 at
the Peoples Plaza located near the
Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. The rally is
the creation of Indian Americans and
African Americans who have come
together and it will also feature
Hispanic Americans, Haitian Americans,
Jewish Americans and others support
ing Donald Trumps candiacy. Bruce

Carter who is the founder of Black Men
for Bernie along with Hindu activists
Satya Dosapati and Arvind Kumar are
the main organizers of the rally. Over
1,500 people are expected to attend the
rally. Satya Dosapati stated, This is a
very important election. It is the first
time the voters have seen through the
establishments manipulation of the
electoral process and have decided to
assert themselves.
The Clinton family and Bush family
partner with each other to advance the
agenda of corporate welfare and illegiti
Yahoo hack hit

500 million users
San Francisco: Yahoo said
today a massive attack on its
network in 2014 accessed
data from at least 500 mil
lion users and may have
been "state sponsored".
"Based on the ongoing inves
tigation, Yahoo believes that
information associated with
at least 500 million user
accounts was stolen," said a state
ment from the US Internet giant.
"Yahoo is working closely with
law enforcement on this matter,"
the statement added.
The comments were the first
confirmation from Yahoo on the
huge data breach, and come after
a report earlier this year quoting
a security researcher saying
some 200 million accounts may
have been accessed. Stolen infor
mation may have included
names, email address, birth
dates, and scrambled passwords,
TURN PAGE
along with encrypted or unen

crypted security questions and
answers that could help hackers
break into victims' other online
accounts, according to Yahoo.
The ongoing investigation sug
gested that looted data did not
include unprotected passwords
or information associated with
payments or bank accounts, the
Silicon Valley company said.
Yahoo is asking affected users to
change passwords, and recom
mending anyone who hasn't done
so since 2014 take the same
PTI
action as a precaution.
mate wars. This is an opportunity to

end the political fortunes of both fami
lies, added Arvind Kumar.
Philadelphia has a large black popula
tion. Elaborating on the reason for
organizing this rally, Bruce Carter stat
ed, Black voters can no longer afford
to be slaves to any party.
The organizers plan to organize a
series of rallies in other swing states
such as Florida, North Carolina and
Ohio when sufficient funds are raised.
Contact: allamericanrally@gmail.com
or contact Arvind Kumar at
(646) 3897622.
Facebook teams up with

ABC News to live stream
presidential debates
Washignton: So cial networking g iant
Facebook has teamed up with ABC News to
live stream all US presidential debates
online.
Viewers will be able to ask questions and
make comments on Facebook Live cover
age. "The debates will also be preceded by a
new show called Strait Talk and then fol
lowed by another Facebook Live show host
ed by Nightline coanchor Dan Harris," The
Verge reported on Wednesday. The first
debate is in Hempstead, New York, on
September 26.
In July this year, Democratic presidential
nominee Hillary Clinton's team took to
Facebook to counter her Republican rival
Donald Trumps' lawsuits.
Over 670,000 people have watched the
live stream till date, which lasted for four
hours.
ABC News also live streamed both
Democratic and Republican national con
ventions on Facebook in May this year that
received 28 million video views.
India claims diplomatic

victory over Pakistan
in UN
Continued from page 1
Pakistan submitting a dossier
ag ainst India to the UN,
Swarup said there was no
mention of such thing in the
readout g iven by the
Secretary General's Office.
"It makes no mention of the
dossier. It does not talk about
the Secretary General want
ing to intervene in Jammu
and Kashmir. In fact, the
Secretary General has very
wisely said that this issue
needs to be settled bilateral
ly," Swarup said, adding that
in addition there have been a
flurry of bilateral statements
issued in all the major world
capitals condemning the Uri
terror attack in the strongest
terms.
"So, I think this itself makes
very clear how successful
Pakistan's diplomatic strategy
has been," he added.
Asserting that the onus now
is squarely on Pakistan to act
against terrorist groups and
entities which find safe haven
in Pakistan, he said the coun
try must dismantle the infra
structure of terrorism if it has
to become a responsible
member of the comity of
nations.
India has said the militants
who attacked the military
base had come from Pakistan
and be longed to Jaishe
Mohammed (JeM), headed by
Masood Azhar the militant
commander re leased in
exchange for passengers of
an Indian Airlines flig ht
hijacked to Afghanistan in
December 1999.
Asked if India was prepar
ing any fresh dossier on
Pakistan's involvement in ter
rorist activities, Swarup said:
"We don't need a dossier; the
Jaipur (India) Bureau

Prakash Bhandari
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Chairman and Co-Founder
Kamlesh C. Mehta
Associate Editors:
Hiral Dholakia-Dave
Co-Founder: Saroosh Gull
Contributing Editors: Meenakshi Iyer,

Nilima Madan, Melvin Durai,
Dr Prem Kumar Sharma, Ashok Vyas,
Dr Akshat Jain, Ashok Ojha
President: Arjit Mehta
whole world is aware of

Pakistan's role in promoting
terror."
TrumpHillary in dead
heat ahead of
presidential debate
the lead reducing to 1.1 in
fourway race. By all accounts
then the first Presidential
Debate on Monday, Sept 26,
is being considered crucial,
and will clearly indicate who
takes the lead and gets set to
w in the W hite House on
November 8.
Both Clinton and Trump
have been preparing for the
debate, which will command
Super Bowl sized audience.
Clinton has been "doing her
homework."
The Democratic nominee
had very few campaign
events planned this week. For
her prep sessions, she has
reportedly surrounded her
self with a team of strategists.
Trump is more gungho. His
showmanship and exreality
TV star status makes him a
formidable debate foe. He
thrashed his 16 rivals in GOP
debates.
Tributes paid
to Pramukh Swami
Maharaj the world over
world to humanitarian work
to creating community infra
structure for education and
healthcare in remote towns,
Pramukh Swami Maharajs
contributions to society have
spanned many generations.
Attendees at tribute meet
ings shared memories of their
uplifting interactions with
Pramukh Swami Maharaj,
reminiscing upon the heart
felt connection that cemented
his influence and wisdom in
their lives.
IANS Newswire Services

IANS Washington Bureau
Arun Kumar
arun.kumar@ians,in
Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/

masalajunction.com.
Xitij Joshi/xitijphoto.com
Printing: Five Star Printing, NY
Photo Journalist: Sandeep Girhotra
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TRISTATE COMMUNITY
SIKH HERO helps police

nab NY bombing suspect
New York: The SikhAmerican
who helped police capture the
man wanted for the weekend
bombings in New York and New
Jersey, said he feared he might
have been mistaken as the perpe
trator because of the misconcep
tions about his faith.
Harinder Singh Bains, 51, said
he does not like being called a
hero for accurately identifying
28yearold Ahmad Khan Rahami,
the Afghanborn American man
behind the bombings.
Assert ing that he is "what
America looks like," Bains said he
did what any other American
would have done.

"When I heard about the attacks
and realized the suspect was
sleeping in a doorway across the
street, I did what any American
would do. I called the police. I'm
not a hero. The police are heroes;
the EMTs are heroes; everyone
who is working to bring New York
and New Jersey together today is
a hero," Bains, who owns a bar in
Linden, told reporters.
He said as a SikhAmerican, he
understands that "I could have
been mistaken for the perpetra
tor. My faith teaches me justice
and tolerance for all and I know
that I'm lucky to live in a commu

nity that shares this view."
Bains, who had emigrated from
Chandigarh in 1996, stressed that
after any attack, Americans
should target people based on evi
dence of their role in the crime
and not because of their faith or
their country of origin or their
accent.
"I came to this country from
India 20 years ago to create a bet
ter life for my family. I am a
father of four and a proud
American citizen. I am also what
America looks like," he said.
Bains said America is strongest
when all Americans

stand together in the
face
of
violence
"intended to divide us."
On the morning of
September 19, Bains
unlocked the door of his deli
when he noticed Rahami
sleeping in a
vestibule next to
a tavern across
the street. He
Harinder Singh Bains
later recognized
Rahami's face from television allegedly shot an of ficer in the
reports follow ing the failed abdomen and began a shootout
attacks and contacted police. with police that led to his arrest.
(PTI)
W hen police arrived, Rahami
Balochis, Indians protest outside UN during Pak PM Sharif's speech

United Nations: Several Baloch and Indian
activists held largescale demonstrations
outside the UN headquarters here while
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
addressed the UN General Assembly as they
were joined by other groups demanding
that it stop "exporting" terror into India.
The protestors converged across the
street from the world body's headquarters
to condemn atrocities and human rights
violations by Pakistan just as Sharif was

addressing the General Debate of the
General Assembly. The crowd shouted slo
gans of 'Free Balochistan', 'Down Down
Pakistan', 'Save World from Pakistan
Terror' as they waved banners and placards
that read 'US Government stop giving funds
to Pakistan', 'Kashmiri Hindus are Humans,
Wake up to their suf ferings', 'Remove
Pakistan from the UN', 'Stop Atrocities in
Air India to double its

SFODelhi services to
six times a week from Nov 21
New York, NY: Air India will be increasing its
nonstop service between San Francisco and
Delhi Indias Capital from three to six
flights a week, starting November 21, 2016.
The Boeing 777200LR flights will depart
every day except Tuesday. The flying time is
16 hours and 15 minutes a full 3 hours
faster than any other airline. The nonstop
flights depart San Francisco at 10:30 AM and
arrive in Delhi at 4:15 PM the next day.
Departures from Delhi are at 2:35 AM, and the
arrival time in San Francisco is 6:00 AM the
same day. For passengers traveling beyond
Delhi, Air India also offers the fastest connec
tions from San Francisco to major cities across
India, including Bangalore, Mumbai, Amritsar,
Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune and more.

Fueled by the significantly shorter flying time,
our nonstop San FranciscoDelhi service was an
immediate success when it launched last
December, said Vandana Sharma, Air Indias
Regional ManagerAmericas. The three addi
tional weekly fights are a response to the steadi
ly increasing popularity of the service among
the IndoAmerican communities on the west
coast, and the convenience of our seamless con
necting service to all the other major cities
across India, many with customs and immigra
tion formalities at the final destination."
For more information on Air Indias San
FranciscoDelhi service, and reservations, con
tact your travel agent or call 18002237776.
Karan Mahajan nominated for National Book Award

New York: An IndianAmerican author is the terrorist, in the aftermath of a 1996 explo
among the ten writers nominated for the
sion. This is Mahajans second book
prestigious National Book Award in the
after Family Planning, which was
United States. The longlist was announced
more a social satire about a minister
Sept. 15. Karan Mahajan, 32, who was born
and his family made up of his wife
in Connecticut and once worked for the
and
brood
of
12
New York City government, tackles
children. His first novel, Family
terrorism in New Delhi, the city
Planning published in 2008 in 9
where he spent the better part of
countries, won the Joseph Henry
his childhood, in his latest book,
Jackson Award and was a finalist
T he Association of Small
for the International Dylan
Bombs. The book is about the
Thomas Prize. The Association
Karan Mahajan
members of a community that
of Small Bombs, was released
includes Hindus and Muslims, that juxtaposes by Viking USA in March 2016 and by Harper
the protagonists that include the Khurana fam India and Chatto & Windus UK in May and July
ily who lose their two sons to the bombing, and 2016.
Pakistanoccupied Kashmir' and 'Killing

Fields of Pakistan Sindh and Balochistan.'
"Pakistan is a terror state and does not
want the people of Balochistan to live in
peace," Ahmar Musti Khan, founder of the
American Friends of Balochistan told Press
Trust of India.
He said Pakistan and its leaders are com
mitting crimes against the residents of
Kashmir, demanding that the country stop
"exporting terror and let its neighbors live

in peace."
He added the Pakistani leadership should
respect the right to self determination of
the Baloch people. Khan said the Baloch
people are "indebted" to Prime Minister
Narendra Mo di "for speaking out for
Balochistan's right and the right of the
Baloch people to be the masters of our own
destiny."
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
OHMKara to host Navratri

Garbas in major US cities
HMKara will organize one

Na Sarname in 2015, and Mor
of the biggest Navratri
Bani Thangaat Kare in 2016 with
Garba
Ratri
before
renowned singers and musicians
Navratri on September 30Octo
from India, OHMKara under the
ber 1, 2016, at Meadowlands in
leadership pf their Chairman
NJ and in major cities with
Pinakin Pathak and his dedicated
renowned, young and dynamic
team has been working hard to
singer Parth Oza and his talent
bring this cultural events in mul
ed singers and musicians of Saaz
tiple cities of Cleveland, New Jer
Entertainment in the USA More Singer Parth Oza sey, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and
than 5,000 people are expected to lead the troupe Chicago. The USA tour will start
to attend indoor garba event at
from September 24 in Cleveland,
Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus, NJ Ohio, followed by September 30 and Octo
on September 30 and October 1. After ber 1 in Secaucus, New Jersey and October
three years of successful promotion of Gu 7 in Rockville, Maryland, October 8 in Pitts
jarati language and literature via musical burgh, Pennsylvania and will end on Octo
concerts of Samanvay in 2014, Saat Suro ber 14 in Chicago, Illinois.
INOC (I) calls for destruction

of terrorist camps
hudh Parkash Singh Chairman of

INOC has condemned the attack on
India in URI by Pakistan trained sol
diers and stated, "My heart goes out to the
families and children of our soldiers. They
bombed our army camps, now govern
ment must give a befitting reply by bomb
ing terrorist camps."
Lavika Bhagat Singh lambasted the soft
and sweet attitude of Modi towards his
counter part. We would support the
Prime Minister for any action he decides
to take against Pakistan, she said.
Kalathil Varghese said that India should
act firmly against any attacks against it
and retaliate using all resources in its con
trol (military, diplomacy and Internation
al good will) to corner Pakistan.
Rajender Dichpally, general secretary of
the Indian National Overseas Congress (I)
released a statement condemning attack
on Indian soldiers. "It's an act of cow

ardice," he said.
We had more than 100 members of our
organization protested in front of Pak
istan Consulate under leadership of
Shudh Ji,when they killed Sarabjit Singh.
This time we will stage a bigger protest if
no firm action is taken against the terror
ists, said Phuman Singh, senior vice pres
ident. We are all together and united in
fight against terrorism, Sher Madra Pres
ident of Haryana Chapter added.
Tit for tat is the only way. Diplomacy
will not work with Pakistan, commented
Ravi Chopra, senior vice president of
INOC (I) USA. The Indian National Over
seas Congress has condemned the attack
against India and has urged the US Gov
ernment to stop all aid and support to
Pakistan till it completely stops aiding ter
rorist camps in Pakistan.
OVERSEAS FRIENDS OF BJP:

Treat Uri attack as act
of war against India
verseas Friends of BJP has con
demned the latest dastardly and
cowardly act of Pakistan spon
sored terrorist attack on an Indian
Army headquarters in Uri.
It said in a press release that Pakistan
has plotted this sinister act just ahead of
Nawaz Sharif's speech at the UN Gener
al Assembly as part of its proxy war
against India and terrorism its State pol
icy to create turmoil in the state of J &
K. Pakistan has been pursuing for al
most 30 years the state sponsored ter
rorism as its strategic policy to further
its sinister designs across its borders. In
the process, Pakistan became a cradle
and epicenter of global terrorism. At
present it is totally isolated in the glob

al community and turning into a rogue
state. OFBJPUSA said in a press release
that the attack at Indian Army in Uri by
Pakistanis should not be termed as an
other incident of terrorism by infiltra
tors, but it should be considered as an
act of war by Pakistan against India.
And accordingly India must respond to
teach a befitting lesson to Pakistan. At
the same time India should continue the
diplomatic efforts to further isolate and
build world opinion against Pakistan.
The time has come that Pakistan must
be broken further and 1971 be repeat
ed by freeing Baluchistan from the ille
gal occupation by Pakistan.
US Golf Club bestows honorary

membership upon Dhoni
he Board of the prestigious Metuchen

Golf and Country club bestowed an
honorary membership to Indian
Cricket Team Captain, Mahendera Singh
Dhoni.
The Metuchen Golf and Country Club is a
101 year old cornerstone institution and
this was a first ever honor to be given to an
international athlete.
Dhoni first played at the club in 2014
during a vacation here in the United States
and has recently been seen playing often
with the membership.
Club member Rajiv Sharma initiated
Dhoni to the club and recommended the
board to consider the honorary member
ship. "It's really a big deal when an athlete
of his stature feels comfortable playing golf
at a club. I wanted to be able to show him
our acknowledgement of his trust," said
Sharma. The honor was bestowed after the
culmination of the one day Member Guest
game on Friday Sep 16.
Club President John Gorman bestowed
the honorary membership and welcomed
Dhoni to the club. "Anyone who knows the
name Dhoni, knows what an exceptional
MS Dhoni addressing the

membership after being conferred
the honorary membership.
Photo : Gunjesh Desai/Masala Junction
athlete he is, but we were particularly im

pressed by his humbleness and ability to
quickly assimilate with the membership.
We welcome him with open arms to the
club." Club Pro and PGA professional Andy
Brock introduced Dhoni to the larger mem
bership and also announced that Dhoni and
Rajiv Sharma finished first in the tourna
ment hitting a 61 on the private course.
Speaking to the membership and a select
press gathering, Dhoni stated that he's look
ing forward to continue his golf at the club
as a member and participate in the next
MemberGuest as a member.
Sikh receives Catholic

award for unity
nity, dialogue, communion these

three words describe the heart of the
mission of the Focolare, and these
three words sum up the commitment of
Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia, a faculty mem
ber at The Ohio State University, Colum
bus, Ohio. Therefore, his nomination for
the 2016 Luminosa Award, was a perfect
match, as several speakers mentioned at
the award ceremony held Sunday, Septem
ber 18, in the Focolares little city of Mari
apolis Luminosa in Hyde Park, New York.
Your decadelong tireless effort in build
ing bridges on various levels between
members and leaders of different religions
deserves our admiration and deepest ap
preciation, wrote Focolare President
Maria Voce, congratulating Butalia. She
continued, We feel solidarity and fraternal
ties with you and the Sikh community in
promoting, together with others, peace and
Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia received the

2016 Luminosa Award for Unity for his
commitment to peacebuilding
& dialogue.
care for our common home. Butalia is one
of the pioneers in CatholicSikh relation
ships in the U.S. He was invited by Pope
Benedict XVI to the October 2011 prayer
ceremony, commemorating the 25th An
niversary of the first World Day of Prayer
for Peace in Assisi, Italy, on October 27,
1986.
INOC, USA strongly condemns the Uri attack

ndian National Overseas Congress, USA
has condemned the cowardly attack on
an Army Camp in Jammu and Kashmir
in the early hours of September 18, which
killed 17 and injured 30 service personnel.
We join the civilized people everywhere in
condemning this dastardly attack across
the border from Pakistan and offer our
condolences and prayers to families of
those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice
with their lives, said George Abraham,
Chairman, INOC, USA. We also call upon
Pakistan to stop exporting terrorism and
return the region to relative peace and

tranquility, Abraham added.
Sonai Gandhi, the President of AICC, has
expressed her outrage on behalf of all
peaceloving people everywhere that the
Uri attack is an attack on Indias national
conscience and the perpetrators should be
severely dealt with. We also concur with a
call from Shashi Tharoor, M.P. for an ur
gent review of Indias defense systems,
preparedness, and firepower to strengthen
the border and prevent infiltration of
terrorists.
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Acharya Lokesh meets Presidential

candidate Hillary Clinton
Washington, DC: Founder of
Ahimisa Vishwa Bharti and emi
nent Jain Acharya Dr. Lokesh
Muni ji recently met United States
President ial candidate Mrs.
Hillary Clinton in California and
held a round of talks with her, on
US elections, India US relations
and Modi Government develop
ment policies in detail.
Clinton in the meeting discussed
that India can play prominent role
in global af fairs in the years to
come. She also said that spiritual
leaders can also play an important
role in this. Appreciating Acharya
Dr. Lokesh Munis Peace and
Harmony Tour to USA Clinton said
that terrorism, violence, poverty
and illiteracy are the major global
problems. Political, spiritual,
social and business leaders of
America and India can work
together to solve these global
problems.
Acharya Lokesh said that not
only India and America but differ
ent parts of the world are affected
by terrorism. America and India
should together ght against ter
rorism. He said that India and US
Acharya Lokesh Muniji with Hillary Clinton

need to work together to nd
solutions for the menace of pover
ty and illiteracy in other parts of
the world.
Acharya Lokesh Muni told
Clinton during this meeting that
the Prime Minister of India
Narendra Modi is laying a strong
foundation for the development of
India. One should realize that it
takes time to x things. His gov
ernment is moving in the right
Aziz Ansari, Alan Yang win

Emmy for Outstanding
Writing for a Comedy Series
Washington, DC: Indian
American actorwriter
director Aziz Ansari picked
up
a
trophy
for
Outstanding Writing for a
Comedy Series for Master
of None, with the shows
cocreator Alan Yang at the
68th Primetime Annual
Emmy Awards 2016 on
Sept. 18 in Los Angeles.
Ansari and Yang wrote
the w inning episo de,
Parents, which focused
Alan Young and Aziz Ansari cocreators of
on the re lat ionship Master of None (Image : popsugar.com)
between immigrant par
ten by Dan OKee fe; HBOs
ents and their children.
Master of None beat off stiff Silicon Valley, The Uptick,
competition from shows such as written by Alec Berg; HBOs
Amazons Catastrophe, Episode Veep, Morning After, written
1, written by Rob Delaney and by David Mande l; and HBOs
Sharon Horga; HBOs Silicon Veep, Mother, written by Alex
Valley, Founder Friendly, writ Gregory and Peter Huyck.
direction. Its results in the coming

days would be visible.
The meeting was highlighted
worldwide by Clintons ofce.
Acharya Lokesh invited Clinton
for Jaina Convention 2017 to be
held in New Jersy from 30 June to
4 July in which around 7000 rep
resentatives from 70 Jain Centres
in America and from India,
Canada, Britain also from other
parts of the world will take part.
Raghuram Rajan
returns to academia
Washington, DC:
Having returned to
Raghuram
his ultimate home,
Rajan will
former RBI Governor
teach
Raghuram Rajan has
international
resumed his role as
corporate
Distinguished
finance at
Service Professor of
Chicago
Finance at the
Booth School
University of Chicago
(Image
Booth School of : icytales.com)
Business and would
teach international
corporate nance
there in winter of 2017. Giving depend on the environment
details of Rajans course sched one is doing business in? Most
ule for 201617, Chicago students will see this as an
Booth School said this course alternative to the case course in
will explore the challenges of corporate nance, but some
corporate nance and invest could see it as a complement,
ment in a more integrated glob it said about Rajans course.
Rajan, who was hailed as a
al economy.
How should one optimally rockstar central banker soon
organize the location of pro after assuming charge at
duction, control, and nancing? Reserve Bank of India in
What kinds of new concerns September 2013 but often
emerge when the whole world, landed in controversies during
rather than just ones domestic the threeyear tenure with his
economy, become the arena of outspoken views, had earlier
said he would return to acade
decision making?
(PTI)
How does decision making mia after leaving RBI.
2 Indians, 1 Indian-American
among 17 UN young leaders
United Nations: Two Indians and an
Indian American are among 17 peo
ple selected for the inaugural class of
UN Young Leaders for Sustainable
Development Goals for their leader
ship and contribution to end poverty,
ght inequality and injustice, and
tackle climate change by 2030.
Trisha Shetty, 25, is the founder
and CEO of 'SheSays', a platform she
launched last year to educate, reha
bilitate and empower women to take
direct action against sexual assault
in India. Ankit Kawatra, 24 founded
'Feeding India' in 2014 to address
the issues of hunger and food waste,
particularly by distributing excess
food from weddings and parties to
the needy. IndianAmerican Karan
Jerath, 19, invented a ground break
ing, subsea wellhead capping device
that contains oil spills at the source
as a solution in the aftermath of the
BP deepwater horizon oil spill the
largest marine oilspill in US history,

near his home in Texas.
UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Kimoon
said the 17 young changemakers
are a "testament to the ingenuity of
youth and I congratulate them for
their exceptional leadership and
demonstrated commitment to the
Sustainable Development Goals".
'SheSays' uniquely provides tools
and resources for women, including
access to legal, medical and psycho
logical support. "I decided to do
something when I realized that I
could go online to nd information
about restaurants, but for victims of
sexual abuse, there was nothing,"
Shetty said. Kawatra's organization
has a network of over 2,000 volun
teers in 28 cities in India for rescu
ing and redistributing excess food to
help feed people in need. The organi
zation has served over one million
meals to date and aims to reach 100
million by 2020. Kawatra, who quit

his corporate job at 22, said he
decided to focus on tackling food
waste and hunger in India when at
an Indian wedding he was "appalled"
by the amount of food going waste in
a country where 194 million are
undernourished. The idea behind his
organization was to collect excess
food from parties, events and wed
dings and redistribute to people in
need and it is now eyeing reaching
zero hunger. Jerath, a scientist and
innovator, was born in India, raised
in Malaysia and moved to the US at
the age of 13. When the BP oil spill
happened 30 minutes away from his
home in Texas, Jerath says he was
determined to take action. "I realized
that much smaller spills are happen
ing on a daily basis and negatively
af fecting our oceans and environ
ment. I had to nd a solution," he
said.
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Indian scientist led team develops program

that beats doctors at spotting brain cancer
New York: A computer program devel
oped by a team of researchers led by an
Indian American scientist has outper
formed physicians in diagnosing brain
cancer.
The program was nearly twice as accu
rate as two neuroradiologists in determin
ing whether abnormal tissue seen on mag
netic resonance images were dead brain
cells caused by radiation, called radiation
necrosis, or if brain cancer had returned,
reported a study published online in the
American Journal of Neuroradiology Sept.
15.
"One of the biggest challenges with the
evaluation of brain tumor treatment is dis
tinguishing between the confounding
ef fects of radiation and cancer recur
rence," said Pallavi Tiwari, an assistant
professor at Case Western Reserve
University in Cleveland, Ohio.
"On an MRI, they look very similar," she
said. With further confirmation of its

accuracy, radiologists using their expert
ise and the program may eliminate unnec
essary and costly biopsies Tiwari said.
Brain biopsies are currently the only
definitive test but are highly invasive and
risky, causing considerable morbidity and
mortality.
To develop the program, the researchers
employed machine learning algorithms in
conjunction with radiomics, the term used
for features extracted from images using
computer algorithms.
The team trained the computer to iden
tify radiomic features that discriminate
between brain cancer and radiation necro
sis, using routine followup MRI scans
from 43 patients.
The team then developed algorithms to
find the most discriminating radiomic fea
tures, in this case, textures that cannot be
seen by simply eyeballing the images.
Dr Swamy enlightens Texas Hindus on

issue of govt control of temples in India
Plano, Texas: Indias Identity in Hindu. This is
similar to USAs identity as AngloSaxon
Caucasian Protestant Christian. It may have cit
izens from various races and religions. Similarly
India maybe home for people practicing various
religions, the identity however is Hindu, said
Dr. Subramanian Swamy addressing an audi
ence of about 600 people in a packed hall here.
Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and a sen
ior BJP leader, Dr Swamy visited Dallas on an
invitation from Global Hindu Heritage
Foundation (GHHF) to speak on T he
Government control of Temples in India on
September 13th.
His speech covered various topics that are
dear to all Hindus such as the history and signif
icance of Hindu Temples; need for the preserva
tion of Hindu values; difference between Hindu
Temples and Christian churches and Mosques;
illegal occupation and construction of Babri
Masjid; legal battle to construct Rama Temple in
Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Rama; efforts
to repeal of the Endowment act in the Supreme
Court; and the potential problems Hindus may
Dr Subrmanian Swamy being

felicitated during the event
face after Hindu Temples are freed from the
government control. Dr Swamy addressed the
gathering by vividly describing the process that
makes the Hindu Temples sacred by doing
Pranaprathishta puja to convert murthy into a
god. Once they are sanctified, they cannot be
removed since life is infused in the murthy.
Even the British Courts have agreed to this
process. He said churches and mosques are only
places of congregation; they can be removed
and shifted with no recourse. Saudi Arabia has
demolished hundreds of mosques to widen the
roads and construct apartments.
IndianAmerican CEO charged with 30 million dollar fraud

Washington, DC: A 44yearold IndianAmerican former CEO has been charged with two separate
fraud schemes totaling more than $ 30 million and faces a maximum statutory sentence of twenty
years in prison for each count. Navin Shankar Subramaniam Xavier, who has been charged by
Indictment with 15 counts of wire fraud. He was CEO of Essex Holdings Inc. According to the
Indictment, from September 2010 through May 2014, Xavier operated Essex Holdings, raised more
than $29 million from nearly 100 investors for supposed investments in sugar transportation and
shipping, as well as iron ore mining in Chile. Xavier used a false financial statement, forged docu
ments, and false promises of fixed rates of return, to induce investors to invest with Essex Holdings,
federal prosecutors alleged.
"What the algorithms see that the radiol

ogists don't are the subtle differences in
quantitative measurements of tumour
heterogeneity and breakdown in
microarchitecture on MRI, which are
higher for tumor recurrence," Tiwari
said.
In the direct comparison, two
physicians and the computer pro
grams analyzed MRI scans from 15
patients from University of Texas
Southwest Medical Center.
One neuroradiologist diagnosed
seven patients correctly, and the
second physician correctly diag
nosed eight patients.The computer
program was correct on 12 of the 15,
the study said.
(IANS)
Dr Pallavi Tiwari
(Image : metromirror.com)
International Engineering Congress

confers Lifetime Achievement
Award on Prof. Somasundaran
New York: Professor P. Somasundaran was
conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award
at an International Engineering Congress
at its banquet in Quebec City in Canada on
September 12. Attended by about 1500 at
tendees, the award was presented by Prof.
James Finch, Chairman of the Internation
al Engineering Congress and its president
Dr Cyril O'Connor.
Dr. Somasundaran is currently the La
von Duddleson Krumb Professor, Director
of Langmuir Center for Colloids & Inter
faces, and Director of the National Science
Foundation Industry/University Coopera
tive Research Center at Columbia Universi
ty Author of 15 books and 700 scientific
publications, Somasundaran is a 1985 in
ductee of the National Academy of Engi
neering, the highest professional distinc
tion that can be conferred to an engineer at
that time, and later to the Chinese Nation
al Academy of Engineering, the Indian Na
tional Academy of Engineering, the Russian
Academy of Natural Sciences and the
Balkan Academy of Mineral Technology
Sciences. More recently he was the sole
Foreign Fellow elected to the Royal Socie
ty of Canada in 2010.
In addition, he was awarded the "Ellis Is
land Medal of Honor" in 1990. In March
2010, the President of India awarded him
Prof. Somasundaran (in the middle)

receiving Life Time Achievement Award
from the Chairman of the International
Engineering Congress Prof. James Finch
(left) and the Congress President
Dr Cyril O'Connor.
the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian
honors. He was appointed to the EPA Board
of Scientific Councilors in 2014 and chair
man of its Chemical Safety and Sustain
ability committee as well as Hazardous risk
committee. More recently he was awarded
the National Science Foundation Alex
Schwarzkopf award for Technical innova
tion and the Columbia university World
class Scholarly Achievement award from
Raj Center of School of International and
public affairs. He has worked on many
problems in collaboration with Indian sci
entists at IISc, IIT, TCS/TRDC, NCL etc.
Washington: Hillary Clinton and

Donald Trump have spent the summer throwing attacks at one another from across the country and over
the Internet. But Monday night next
week, the two will stand face to face
on a debate stage for the rst time.
The stakes are high for both
candidates. Many recent polls have
shown a narrow race, and the upcoming debate at Hofstra University on Long Island is expected to
have a Super Bowl-sized audience.
Both Clinton and Trump have
been preparing for the debate.
While neither campaign is saying much about how they ve been
doing that, it s become clear their
methods are as dierent as the
candidates themselves.
Clinton has said she s been doing her homework. The Democratic nominee has no more campaign events scheduled before the
debate. Her campaign schedule
has been purposefully light this
week so she has time to prepare.
For her prep sessions, Clinton has
reportedly surrounded herself with
US AFFAIRS
HOW CLINTON & TRUMP IN NEW POLL,

CLINTON AGAIN
ARE PREPARING FOR
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE LEADS TRUMP
a team of strategists. Several media and communications specialists for the Clinton campaign are
also participating in the prep work.
Clinton has been reviewing materials daily and rehearsing regularly,
according to her campaign sources.
I am going to do my very best
to communicate as clearly and
fearlessly as I can in the face of
the insults and the attacks and the
bullying and bigotry that we ve
seen coming from my opponent,
Clinton said on The Steve Harvey
Show on Tuesday, I can take that
kind of stu. I ve been at this. And
I understand it s a contact sport.
Trump told Fox News host Bill
O Reilly this week that he will treat
Clinton with respect if she treats

him with respect. But whatever his
temperament this coming Monday, the Clinton campaign says
Trump s showmanship will make
him a formidable debate foe .
For all his lack of substance,
Trump s showmanship, as ex-TV
star, makes him a formidable debate foe. He thrashed his rivals in
GOP debates
When conservative radio host
Hugh Hewitt asked Trump in
June if he would be practicing for
the debates, the GOP nominee expressed a worry that a candidate
can actually prepare too much.
One way Trump may have been
preparing already is by giving a
number of scripted speeches on the
campaign trail in recent weeks, as
opposed to the freewheeling style
he adopted at rallies through most
of the campaign. Those speeches
have allowed Trump to practice
delivering more measured and detailed versions of his pitch to voters.
But during the debate, the candidates will be without a script.
The closest thing voters got to
a preview of the debate was an
The two candidates will come face-to-face at Hofstra debate, NBC national security forum just
which will have Super Bowl size audience. (Photos courtesy AP) after Labor Day. Trump campaign
manager Kellyanne Conway told

NPR s Mara Liasson that the
stylistic contrast the candidates
showed there will be an advantage on Monday night.
There was a man answering
questions very concisely and very
condently, Conway said. Her answers are lengthy, they re lawyerly.
Former New York City Mayor
Rudy Giuliani, former Fox News
chairman Roger Ailes, who recently resigned over sexual harassment allegations, and conservative radio talk show host Laura
Ingraham have joined Trump for
meetings to brainstorm zingers
to use against Clinton, according
to The Washington Post.
While Trump says he won t prepare too much for the actual debate, he appears to be getting ready
for the stage in another way by
baiting his opponent on Twitter.
On Tuesday, Trump tweeted,
Hillary Clinton is taking the day o
again, she needs the rest. Sleep well
Hillary - see you at the debate!
He has also expressed reservations over unfair Anderson Cooper of CNN who is a co-moderator
for the second debate.
Courtesy: NPR
NY BOMBER S JOURNAL TELLS OF

HIS DESIRE FOR MARTYRDOM
New York: A hand-written journal belonging to Ahmad Khan
Rahami -- the man behind the
bombings in New York and New
Jersey -- speaks of his desire for
martyrdom in the name of jihad, prosecutors say.
The blood-soaked document
pierced by a bullet during the
mayhem, was recovered in Linden, NJ, at the scene of a shootout
between Rahami and the police.
The Independent cited musings
in the journal, which has been detailed in federal charges filed on
Tuesday: Inshallah [God willing]
the sounds of the bombs will be
heard in your streets. Gunshots
to your police. Death to your oppression. According to the criminal complaint by FBI, Rahami was
responsible for bombs constructed out of a pressure cooker and
placed in Manhattan s Chelsea
neighborhood on Saturday, as
well as pipe bombs in New Jersey s Seaside Park and Elizabeth,
the Guardian reported.
The criminal complaint alleges
that Rahami left copious ngerprints on one of the two bombs in
Manhattan, on 27th Street, as well
as on materials in the backpack
containing the Elizabeth bombs.
Review of surveillance footage
near the other bomb location, on
23rd Street, found a positive identification of Rahami pulling a

small suitcase two minutes before the detonation.
Adam B. Schi, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence
Committee, said Rahami wrote
about the Boston Marathon bombings in a notebook he was carrying when he was arrested.
He referenced late Al Qaeda
plotter Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born radical cleric whose online videos the Boston bombers
had watched, Schiff added.
Rahami remains at University
Hospital in Newark, recovering
from a gunshot wound to his leg.
BY 6 POINTS
Washington: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is

leading Republican rival Donald
Trump nationally by six percentage points among likely voters,
according to a new poll.
In a head-to-head between the
two major party nominees, Clinton s lead expands to seven percentage points, 48 per cent to 41
per cent. Four per cent of respondents said they would not vote for
president, while three per cent
said they were undecided, the NBC
News/Wall Street Journal poll, released on Wednesday, showed.
Half of the registered voters
backing Clinton said their vote
was more for Clinton, while 44
per cent characterized it as more
against Trump, Politico reported.
On the Republican side, only 41
per cent of registered voters said
their vote was for Trump, 51 per
cent said it was against Clinton,
the poll showed.
Registered voters gave Trump
the edge as the candidate who
would be best in dealing with the
economy, but they favored Clinton when it came to dealing with
immigration, changing the country for the better, being a good
Commander-in-Chief and handling nuclear weapons.
The survey of 922 likely voters
was conducted on Sept 16-19.
Ahmad Khan Rahami is taken into custody after a shootout

with police on Monday in Linden, N.J. (Photo: Courtesy AP)
10
US AFFAIRS
Obama urges world to pursue global integration

President Warns US voters against isolationism and ultra-nationalism.
United Nations: In his final address to the
United Nations General Assembly as US
President, Barack Obama delivered a ring
ing appeal for global integration in the
face of religious fundamentalism, the poli
tics of ethnicity, aggressive nationalism
and crude populism, even as he called for
a course correction.
It was also his stark warning to
American voters of the dire global conse
quences they face should they embrace
isolationism and ultranationalism in
November election.
Never mentioning Republican presiden
tial nominee Donald Trump by name, the
President's address was at heart an impas
sioned rebuke of the GOP candidate's poli
cies on trade, immigration and multicul
turalism and a defense of liberalism and
tolerance delivered 49 days before votes

are to be cast for his replacement.
He painted a dark picture of the future
awaiting Americans, and the world, if the
forces of "aggressive nationalism" or
"crude populism" win out. And he specifi
cally inveighed against building a wall a
centerpiece of Trump's proposal on bor
der security.
At this moment, we all face a choice. We
can choose to press forward with a better
model of cooperation and integration. Or
we can retreat into a world sharply divid
ed, and ultimately in conflict, along age
old lines of nation and tribe and race and
religion, he said, declaring that the spirit
behind the founding of the UN itself shows
what is best in humanity.
The integration of our global economy
Emergency declared in
Charlotte as unrest continues
Washington: Authorities have declared a
state of emergency in the North Carolina city
of Charlotte as protests against the police
continued after a AfricanAmerican man was
shot dead.
Following a second consecutive day of
protests, North Carolina state Governor Pat
McCrory on Wednesday night declared a
state of emergency in the city and ordered
the deployment of the National Guard and
traffic police as reinforcements for the local
police. A person who was earlier declared
dead from the impact of bullets during racial
protests in the city was on life support and in
critical condition, EFE news reported.
"Civilian who suffered gunshot wound during
protests is on life support, critical condition.
Not deceased," the North Carolina city wrote
on its official Twitter account. The city also
said the bullet was fired "by civilian on civil
ian" violence and not by the police. "We can
not tolerate violence,(...) we will not tolerate
the attacks against our police of ficers,"
Violence erupted during protests after a

black armed man was fatally shot by
police. (Photo courtesy AP)
McCrory told the media. Meanwhile, clashes
between dozens of demonstrators and the
police continued. The protests on Tuesday
began after a police official killed African
American Keith Lamonth Scott, 43, who,
according to the police, was armed. However,
Scott's family denied the police claims and
said he was waiting to pick up his son from
school and was holding a book, not a gun.
New York officials reject Trump's

call for national stop-and-frisk
New York: When Donald Trump said he
would "do stopandfrisk" across the nation
to combat urban crime on Wednesday night,
the Republican presidential candidate point
ed to his hometown as proof that his plan
would work. Officials here quickly countered
Trump's claim. Rep. Hakeem Jef fries of
Brooklyn said "there is no evidence" stop
andfrisk drove down crime. "Stopandfrisk
is a widely discredited policy and it will not
make the problem [of crime] go away," he
told Politico. Jeffries pointed to the dooms
day warnings issued by supporters of stop
andfrisk in 2013, who said any reduction in
police stops would lead to an increase in vio
lence and bloodshed. Since 2014, stopand
frisk is down, and so is crime. Trump made
his remark during a town hall meeting inside
an AfricanAmerican church in Cleveland,
organized by Fox News and moderated by

Sean Hannity, an avowed Trump supporter.
The Republican nominee said he would "do
stopandfrisk," in large part because, we did
it in New York, it worked incredibly well."
"I see whats going on in Chicago, I think
stopandfrisk, he said.
But Jeffries said Chicago is an "outlier" in
the national crime trend, which has seen
crime declines from coast to coast.
Trump's town hall was billed as an appeal
to black voters, but Jef fries, who is black,
said "Donald Trump has no interest" in
appealing to AfricanAmerican voters, and
that the candidate "has attempted to reinvent
himself [as someone] who is concerned
about the problems of urban American
because he is trying to appeal to college edu
cated whites."
has made life better for billions of men,

women and children. Over the last 25
years, the number of people living in
extreme poverty has been cut from nearly
40 per cent of humanity to under 10 per
cent. That's unprecedented. And it's not an
abstract ion. It means children have
enough to eat; mothers dont die in child
birth. But in order to move forward it has
to be acknowledged that the existing path
requires a course correction. A world in
which one per cent of humanity controls
as much wealth as the other 99 per cent
will never be stable, Mr. Obama stressed,
calling for a global economy that works
for all people. He called for rejection of all
forms of fundamentalism, racism, and
belief in ethnic superiority that make tra
ditional identities irreconcilable with
modernity.
While laying out his general vision for a
better world, Mr. Obama touched on
specifics including the vital need to com
bat climate change by building on the
accord reached in Paris last December and
the duty of the wealthiest countries to
help poorer nations leapfrog destructive
forms of energy.
He also referred to current crises tear
ing the world apart, including Russia
attempting to recover lost glory through
President Obama speaking at the UN.

(Photo courtesy AP)
force by interfering in the af fairs of its
neighbors, and the South China Sea,
where a peaceful resolution of disputes
offered by law will mean far greater sta
bility than the militarization of a few rocks
and reefs.
In Syria, he said, there is no ultimate mil
itary victory to be won, and the hard work
of diplomacy must stop the violence, and
deliver aid to those in need.
OP-ED
11
Though a liberal herself, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Maureen Dowd in her new
book does not spare Hillary. But her rival does not come out as President Trump.
SHIVAJI SENGUPTA, The South Asian Times columnist, credits Hillary with the right
kind of experience to be President, and commitment to public service.
By Shivaji Sengupta
aureen Dowds new book, The Year

of Voting Dangerously, just came
out. It is an anthology of her arti
cles and essays on the 2016 presidential
elections, specifically about Donald Trump
and Hillary Clinton, so that we, the public,
can make some sense out of this campaign
as we get ready to vote. A regular columnist
in The New York Times, she writes mostly
on politics and social issues. She is witty,
satirical and, sometimes, sardonic. Read
separate ly, her opeds are fun, even
thoughtful. But reading them together in a
book, they feel like rapid fire essays with
hardly a moment to pause and think.
The elections, about fiftysomething days
away, can be anxiety provoking for those
who have stakes in the outcome or even for
those who care whether Trump or Clinton is
the winner; or worry about who will control
the Senate (it is pretty much forgone that
the Republicans will maintain majority in
the House of Representatives.) Dowd's book,
with its high octane, ne'erletgo prose style,
perhaps serves to make us only more
intense and anxious.
What emerges from reading this book is
that the current political environment is suf
fering from two opposite forces, with the
American electorate caught in the tension:
between too much information, coming at
an immensely fast pace on the one hand;
and apathy and cynicism on the other. The
result is that the common person on the
street, hurrying to work in order to keep
working, is saying, "I know, and I don't care.
Clinton or Trump it makes no dif ference."
Dowd gives us hundreds of stories, not only
about the two candidates but also about
past presidents. One Bill Clinton plays a
major supporting role in this book; the
other two the Bushes are gigantic shad
ows clouding the election scene.
Dowd shows us just how problematic the

two candidates are.
It is not like a
choice between
Michae l Dukakis
and the first: Both
were decent, we ll
meaning people
w ith little to
choose from. Today
we have someone,
who may be seri
ously, even dan
gerously ignorant of
what the American
presidency entails;
but his opponent
seems to be an intri
cate knot of contradic
tions bordering on the
highly neurotic.
Think about Hillary: a
woman with sterling
academic credentials
(Wellesley College
and Yale Law
School), who
has made a
career of serv
ing children's
leg al rig hts;
who
has
fought against
segregation of schools; been First Lady and,
in the process got beat up by Washington
politicians for trying to bring Universal
Health Care to the United States; became
Senator from New York without really ever
living in the state; as senator, fought tire
lessly on behalf of the firefighters who fell
severely ill trying to put out the 9/11 fire
qualifying them for significant health bene
fits; appointed Secretary of State; first ever
female nominee of the Democratic Party.
Impressed? But now look at these anom
alies. Dowd recounts for us, through factual

citations about all the instances Clinton
has broken rules and regula
tions (if not the law);
catalogued all the
criticisms against her
the impact of
which has been our
realization of what a
complex and compulsive
concealer of truth she
is! For a person, with
almost a lifetime in
public service, she is
distinctly uncomfort
able with the press, and
avoids them. When con
fronted about the
mistakes she has
made with the email
servers, Benghazi, etc,
she has rarely faced
up to reporters, trying
to explain away rather
than explain. Even
when she does
admit a mis
take,
Dowd
says, it seems
like she is con
fessing simply
to end the dis
cussion, rather
than being reflective and selfcritical about
it. The overall ef fect is that people don't
quite know what to think of her. They call
her untrustworthy. Dowd thinks of her as
some sort of a political prima donna: it is as
if her lifetime of public service has given
her the right to break rules: shades of
Indian politics? Ah, but this is America.
By now those of you who support Trump
may be licking your chops, with a kind of
dancing madness "I told you so!" in your
eyes. But hold your horses.
Comparing and
contrasting
If Clinton is a contradiction, Donald

Trump is such a simpleton, so tellitlikeitis
guy, so whimsical that he is unpredictable.
Combine that with his unfathomable igno
rance about the affairs of state, you have an
UnPresident. As Dowd has shown, time and
again in her book, the rest of Mr. Trump is
quite enjoyable. He has never been disre
spectful to her, has had innumerable con
versations with her over the phone, and met
her many times to give interviews. His male
chauvinism, cavalier att itude toward
women, his bragging, boasting, and the
making outrageous claims about his success
all make him a fun guy to talk to, make him
an Everyday Joe who is rich. To other
Everyday Joes, who are not rich, Trump
should be President, they say, because he is
like them. And because he is like them, he is
going to improve the middle class who for
the last 16 years have been severely neg
lected. Right?
Wrong! I would ask all these Everyday
Joes, "Do you think you could be America's
President?" No? Then why do you think
Trump could?
The truth is that to solve the problems of
the middle class of any class a president
has to know. And Mr. Trump does not know
the first thing about governing, which is not
the same as managing. The Trump that
emerges out of Maureen Dowd's book is a
sociable, af fable Donald Trump, a hailfel
lowwellmet Donald Trump, a wealthy Mr.
Trump, but NOT, President Trump.
So, after reading the book, whom will I
vote for? The person I had chosen to begin
with: Hillary Clinton. For all her faults and
there are many she still has the right kind
of experience to be President, and the com
mitment to public service. Trump does not.
Shivaji Sengupta is Professor of English and

Vice President for Academic Affairs at
Boricua College in NYC.
Hillary in Trump lane: Baskets of bluff, bluster & baloney!

By Arun Kumar
illary Clinton thought she would bor
row a leaf from Donald Trump's book.
Instead, she reached for a dictionary
of insults and flung "half" of her presidential
rival's supporters in a "basket of
deplorables".
"Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic,
xenophobic, Islamophobic you name it,"
charged the Democrat at a New York
fundraiser kindling a firestorm.
Then as the controversy blew in her face,
Clinton "regretted" saying "half" in a "grossly
generalistic" way, yet doubled down on the
insinuation as her surrogates joined the cho
rus.
She had viciously attacked millions of hard
working Americans by putting them in bas
kets as if they were "objects and not human
beings", a "deeply shocked and alarmed"

Trump charged
"Was it her 47 percent moment?" won
dered the pundits, recalling 2012
Republican nominee Mitt Romney's costly
comments that 47 percent of the people
dependent upon government will vote for
rival Barack Obama "no matter what".
Trump called it far worse than that as an
"overheated" Clinton left a 9/11 ceremony at
ground zero early and wobbled and helped
by three secret service guys stumbled into
her van and another controversy over her
health.
Less than two hours later she emerged
unaided from her daughter Chelsea's New
York apartment and waved to the waiting
media saying "I'm feeling great" and hugged
a "conveniently" waiting little girl in what
critics called a staged event. More than her
repeated bouts of cough that she jokingly

attributed to her allergy for Trump
Clinton's failed ef forts to "power through"
her illness fanned renewed feelings of dis
trust and suspicion about the former secre
tary of state.
"Antibiotics can take care of pneumonia,"
said David Axelrod, the chief strategist for
Obama's presidential campaigns. But "what's
the cure for an unhealthy penchant for priva
cy that repeatedly creates unnecessary prob
lems?" he asked on twitter.
Trump finally conceded that Obama was
born in America, went to a black church in
Flint, Michigan, unveiled a "child care tax"
plan and promised four percent growth with
his prescription to shore up the economy.
Meanwhile, with health concerns taking cen
tre stage, both candidates released selective
medical information about themselves.
Fast foodloving Trump did so with elan on

reality TV "The Dr, Oz Show", admitting he
was overweight at 236 pounds and would
like to lose at least 15 pounds.
Clinton's doctor too proclaimed her
healthy "other than a sinus and ear infection
and her recently diagnosed pneumonia"
leaving aside a history of falls and a concus
sion back in 2012. In sum, one was "fat", the
other just "exhausted".
Meanwhile, with Trump catching up and
even winning Ohio, "the mother of all swing
states", by 5 points in a new poll, Democrats
worried if Hillary Clinton would fall through
the enthusiasm gap between the two parties.
Alan M. Dershowitz, a Harvard law profes
sor and a Clinton supporter, offered biparti
san he lp with his new book, "Electile
Dysfunction: A Guide for the Unaroused
IANS
Voter".
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
12
OP-ED
Hard to believe, but Trump could win

Which factors are turning the tide against Hillary? And what will tilt the scales on Nov 8?
By Robert Kuttner
ow can it possibly be that

Donald Trump is on the
verge of overtaking Hillary
Clinton? Despite all of the ways
Trump has demonstrated his total
unsuitability to lead the United
States, nearly half of Americas vot
ers seem willing to cut him enough
slack to quite possibly elect him.
One factor is that political elites
have underestimated the deep dis
af fection of middle and working
class, downwardly mobile white
people. Working class whites may
be we ll of f compared to most
blacks, Latinos, and immigrants,
but they dont see this that way,
and not without reason.
For decades, two trends have
been converging: Increasing eco
nomic insecurity and falling earn
ings among white men, and the
belated, entirely legitimate claims
of outgroups.
T he Democratic Party has
embraced those demands of
women, blacks, gays, lesbians and
transgender people, immigrants
and refugees. T hat is to the
Democrats great credit.
This election would be a very dif
ferent story if they also champi
oned working class people against
economic elites, but they have done
that more hesitantly. On the con
trary, to much of the white working

class Democrats seem to be in the
pockets of bankers as much as
Republicans are.
T here is one group at whose
expense these multiple claims
should be advanced corporate
moguls and other members of the
One Percent. But the coalition of
everyone else against the one per
cent has not come together.
Identity politics are at odds with
class politics. Trump, meanwhile,
does a great job of feigning indig
nation on behalf of the common
American, despite his own record
of screwing whoever he can.
The young of all races face bleak
futures, and they are unexcited
about either nominee. Normally,
that vote would go to the
Democrat. It broke heavily in favor
of both Bernie Sanders and Barack

Obama. But they represented
change.
Which brings us to the second
factor in the rise of Trump, namely
Hillary Clinton. Shes pretty liberal
on most social issues. But its a
hard sell to portray her as the can
didate of change.
The voters are in a populist mood
and in a mood to turn to an out
sider. That helps explain both the
appeal of Trump and of Bernie
Sanders near miss challenge to
Clinton. Face it among
Democrats, it would be hard to
think of a candidate who is less of a
populist and more of an insider
than Clinton. Even the fact that that
she is a woman has largely failed to
generate the excitement that you
might expect to accompany that
sort of breakthrough. The Goldman

Sachs speaking fees and the still
secret transcripts of those speech
es, are pretty tame stuff compared
to Trumps outrageous thefts and
lies, but on a symbolic level in a
campaign they take on a kind of
equivalence.
In an ordinary year, against an
ordinary opponent, Clintons record
of exceptional experience would be
a plus. This year, it is a sign of her
insiderness.
Barack Obama was able to win a
startling victory, as a young nearly
unknown senator and as an
AfricanAmerican,
precise ly
because he was not an insider. He
generated great excitement among
the young that Hillary has been
unable to rouse.
So the election will likely come
down to three factors: Whether the
Democrats can motivate their base
to get out and vote if not out of
excitement then out of duty, given
the immense stakes; how the two
candidates do in the debates; and
the role of sheer luck.
The debates will come down to a
few things. Will Trumps habit of
dominating the stage come over as
mastery or as bullying? Will
Hillarys long experience in debat
ing come across as evidence of her
superior expertise, or will it make
her seem canned?
Will Trump, offscript, make one

of his trademark blunders
inventing facts and getting caught,
making some overthetop ad lib,
overreaching to denigrate some
group and will the electorate at
last pay attention?
If I had to bet, Id wager that the
debates will be a net plus for the
seasoned Clinton against the
impetuous Trump. But Trumps
skills as a showman have been con
sistently underrated.
The final weeks, Heaven help us,
will literally boil down to random
luck. Will there be another major
terrorist episode, another Hillary
Clinton health setback, new, over
hyped revelations from email or
the
Clinton
Foundation?
Converse ly, will the impulsive
Trump fail to stay carefully script
ed? And will the voters at last grasp
what an unprecedented menace a
Trump presidency would be?
A friend suggested an election
night watch party, in Montreal.
Many Canadians have already
joked that if Trump wins, they will
put up a walland get the
Americans to pay for it.
Not funny.
Robert Kuttner is coeditor of The
American Prospect and professor
at Brandeis Universitys Heller
School.
Courtesy: Huffington Post
Termlimits: A key to stability of democracy

By Chandra K. Mittal, Ph.D.
s the world grapples with political
instability, economic chaos, religious
strife, and human misery, the political
class responsible for these seems to thrive not
only in dictatorships but also in democracies.
The citizens do not seem to have any control
or ability to improve the situation within the
established governing structures and the sup
porting institutions.
This is resulting in gross dissatisfaction
with governance regardless of countries or
continents as people feel disenfranchised, dis
possessed and frustrated without any control
of their own destiny including in the US. The
primary source of this desperation is the sys
tems inability to change or rotate the elected
legislators.
While US has had democratic institutions
that have evolved over two centuries, the
country is yet to become a perfect union as
was envisioned by the Founding Fathers. It
has continued to suffer from political antago
nism, social polarization, failures of public
policy, and dissatisfaction with the ruling
class of America regardless of their political
af filiations. In the end all politicians look
alike, insensitive to the needs of citizens.

Their basic purpose in elected office becomes
only selfenrichment through political power.
America became a sovereign nation in 1776
by declaring its independence from Britain
primarily due to exploitative selfish policies
of its king who was suppressing and subjugat
ing the citizens of American colony to enrich
himself. In creating the United States of
America, Founding Father were quite cog
nizant of the exploitative tendencies and
tyrant mindset of the ruling class, which
they did not want emulated or repeated at all
in their new country. With overriding concern
for tyranny they made the people i.e. the
public the primary purpose of the govern
ment rather than preserving or enriching the
ruling class. Founding Fathers emphasized
that ruling class was only meant to serve the
people at their will through periodic elec
tions, and considered the rotation or turnover
of the elected representatives an absolute
necessity for survival and success of
American democracy. To avoid the domina
tion by any particular group of people, US
Constitution also created a system of checks
and balances among various governing insti
tutions. Of various provisions made to create
the perfect union, most consideration was

given to TermLimits on all elected offices
in the US. Thomas Jefferson stated, "A gov
ernment by representatives elected by the
people at short periods was our object, and
our maxim... was, 'where annual election
ends, tyranny begins;' nor have our depar
tures from it been sanctioned by the happi
ness of their effects." In other words, Thomas
Jef ferson did not have careerpoliticians in
mind to run the government for fear of them
becoming tyrants.
These thoughts are most telling today in
America where the intent, philosophy and the
spirit of Founding Fathers is being blatantly
violated by both political parties as their
members seek elected office repeatedly and
aspire for lifetime political career. One has to
only look at the present day composition of
State Houses, US House of Representatives or
the US Senate where many legislators are
serving without any termlimits and enriching
themselves. The generally forwarded excuse
and justification for this pattern is either the
need to promote a particular political philoso
phy or candidates prior experience. Both of
these reasons were rejected by the Founding
Fathers in favor of public interest being the
prime focus of legislator rather than the

interest of a party or the candidate.
Today, e lected members become
entrenched in a system which they cannot
change partly because of lack of objectivity
and partly due to too many IOUs that devel
op towards the special interests over time.
Longer they serve in the elected office more
ineffective they become. This is best reflected
by the lowest popularly of US Congress
among the US citizens. Most politicians are
perceived to be se lfish, se lfenriching
scoundrel by the public.
United States needs the system of strict
termlimits for all elected legislators at all lev
els of government to create a more produc
tive and stable democracy that is responsive
to the needs of all citizens and not just a few.
An elected office should not be a career for
politician at public expense. There should not
be any pension or afteroffice benefits. It is
through monetary disincentive in the elected
office that a country can create citizenlegis
lators.
Dr. Chandra Mittal is Professor at Houston
Community College, and CoFounder of Indo
American Association Houston. Contact: drck
mittal@yahoo.com.
INDIA
13
Tamil film 'Visaranai' is India's Oscar entry

Hyderabad: National Awardwinning film
maker Vetrimaaran's critically acclaimed
Tamil drama "Visaranai" was named as
India's official pick for Oscars 2017 in the
Foreign Language Film category.
"Out of the 29 movies in the competition,
'Visaranai' was chosen by the jury unani
mously," filmmaker Ketan Mehta, jury chair
person of Film Festival of India (FFI), said
here.
A post from the official Twitter handle of
Vetrimaaran's banner Grassroot Film
Company, read: "We're on cloud9!!!
'Visaranai' has been chosen to represent
India at the Oscars."
Based on the novel "Lock Up" by autorick
shaw
driverturnedwriter
M.
Chandrakumar, the film is about organised
crime within the police force. It also throws
the spotlight on police brutality.
"Visaranai"
features
Dinesh,
Samuthirakani, Ajay Ghosh and Kishore in

the lead.
It is the ninth Tamil film to have been cho
sen as a hopeful to bring the Oscar statuette
to India. Kamal Haasan's "Hey Ram"
(released in 2000) was the last film in the
language to compete.
Last year, India put Marathi film "Court" in
the Oscar race. "Mother India", "Salaam
Bombay!" and "Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in
India" are the only Indian films that made it
to the top five in the Best Foreign Language
Film category at the Academy Awards.
Some of the film celebrities have poured in
their wishes on Twitter. Actor Allari Naresh
wrote: "We ll deserving 'Visaranai'!
Congratulations to the entire team."
"Visaranai" features Dinesh, Samuthirakani,

Ajay Ghosh and Kishore in the lead.
WILLING TO DISCUSS A DECENT WAY FOR

PAK TO QUIT BALOCHISTAN: BUGTI
New Delhi: At a time when Pakistani representative of my people I need to sit
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been with international forums, especially in
speaking of "atrocities" in Jammu and the US, and discuss our issues with the
Kashmir and the right of the people to
lawmakers and con
determine their own future, Balo ch
gressmen there to
nationalist leader Brahumdagh Bugti says
expose the real
this is precise ly what the people of
face of Pakistan.
Balo chistan want as they see k to
To day, no one
unshackle themselves from Islamabad.
can
visit
Bugti spoke on myriad issues during an
Balochistan, be it
hourlong telephonic conversation with
media, human
IANS. Excerpts:
rights organisa
Q: Why do you want asylum in India?
tions or
A: The Indian people know
the problem and the situa
t ion in Balo chistan very
well, especially after the
speech of the Prime
Minister of India.
It would be wise
to be around peo
ple who support
our cause as we
both have been
Exiled Baloch leader Brahamdagh Bugti.
vict ims of the
same Pakistani terrorist army.
NGOs. My request to India is to provide
Beside, I am voice of my people. We me asylum and travel documents. With
(India and Balochistan) were forcibly sep the he lp of Indian, Afg han and
arated. We get "apnapan" (closeness) in Bangladesh governments we want to con
India. Millions of Indians sent me encour vince the U.S. that its military or mone
aging messages. Such love and respect I tary support to Pakistan is being used
can't find in any other country.
against the Baloch people.
Also, I am unable to move from
Switzerland, which is frustrating. Being a
Q: The Baloch people are agitating all
over the world but their seems a disunity

among Baloch leaders. Why are Baloch
leaders not united?
A: All of them are respected people and
I honour them all from the bottom of my
heart, but to be a leader means to lead a
political party or an organisation or any
other group that is responsible.
When I went to the Indian consulate (in
Geneva), Mehran Marri (son of Baloch
nationalist leader Khair Bakhsh Marri)
was with me. He is not from my party but
we are all together.
Everyone is doing good job in their own
way; there are no differences amongst us
and even if there is some disparity then
its a completely normal thing. At last we
all have the same vision of a free
Balochistan.
Q: Earlier you said that you
are ready to talk with
Pakistan. Is their still such
a scope, and under what cir
cumstance would you talk
with the Pakistani government?
A: Talks are always welcome. We are
peaceful political people and believe in a
peaceful solution. There are other free
dom fighters in Balochistan who are
struggling through arms but we are not
part of that movement.
It is the Pakistani Army that always
tends to solve the problem through force,
by picking people from their houses, tor

turing and killing them and throwing
their bodies on the roadside.
So, if Pakistan accepts that what they
have done is wrong, that this madness
has no benefit for them, and that their
o ccupat ion is illeg al, and that they
will withdraw from Balochistan, then yes,
let's sit and we'll discuss what's the
decent way that Pakistan quits our
country.
Q: US State Department spokesperson
John Kirby said earlier this month it is
against Balochistan's independence. Your
comment?
A: America is a superpower and will not
directly speak in support of an
independent Balochistan. They did not
condemn our movement and also raised
concerns over the human rights viola
tions in Balochistan. I think this is not
bad but very positive.
If they say that America supports the
Balochistan independence movement
then it would become their responsibility
to support the cause.
On the other hand, Baloch nationalists
are getting asylum in the US. We are not
restricted by the US government in activi
ties regarding the Balochistan freedom
movement. Through their actions they
(America and other countries) are already
supporting us.
14
INDIA
Pakistan plays Kashmir card at UN

United Nations: Strongly raising
the Kashmir issue at the United
Nat ions General Assembly,
Pakistan accused India of being
in "illegal occupation" of Jammu
and Kashmir, and demanded a
plebiscite and an independent
inquiry into the deaths in the
current unrest.
Extending his support to the
"struggle of Kashmiri people",
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif said that peace and nor
malcy cannot be achieved
between India and Pakistan with
out resolving the Kashmir issue.
"The UN Security Council has
called for the exercise of the
right to selfdetermination by the
people of Jammu and Kashmir
through a free and fair plebiscite
held under UN auspices," Sharif
said during the general debate of
the 71st session of General
Assembly of the United Nations
in New York.
Stating that Pakistan wants
peace with India, Sharif said that
his country has gone the extra
mile seeking talks but that India
has "imposed preconditions".
"Peace and normalizat ion
between India and Pakistan can't
be achieved without discussion
on Jammu and Kashmir," Sharif
was quick to add.
He further stated that the pre
conditions imposed by India on
any dialogue "cannot work".
Calling the ongoing crisis of
Kashmir as a legitimate struggle
of people, Sharif said: "Pakistan
fully supports the demand of the
Kashmiri people." "On behalf of
SHARIF PRESENTS DOSSIER

ON RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif speaking at the UNGA.

the Kashmiri people and
Pakistani nation I demand an
independent inquiry into the
extra judicial killings and a UN
factfinding mission to investi
gate brutalities perpetrated by
the Indian forces," Sharif said,
adding he had w ith him the
dossier on "India's human rights
abuses".
Sharif also mentioned Hizbul
militant Burhan Wani, whose
killing on July 8 sparked off the
current unrest in the Kashmir
Valley, terming him a "young
leader" and the symbol of the
Kashmiri unrest. Pakistan had
observed a black day to protest
Wani's killing by Indian security
forces and termed him a martyr
an issue that has led to further
worsening of bilateral ties.
"Burhan Wani, the young
leader murdered by Indian
forces has emerged as a latest
symbol of the Kashmiri intifada

(uprising) of a popular and
peaceful freedom movement,"
said Sharif.
Sharif said the "indigenous
uprising" in Kashmir has been
met with "brutal repression by
Indian soldiers" and would "only
fort ify the determinat ion of
Kashmiris to fig ht for their
rights" "Pakistan fully supports
selfdetermination of Kashmiris'
legitimate demand," he said.
He said the UN Security
Council should ensure imple
mentat ion of resolut ions on
Kashmir.
"Pakistan fully supports the
demand of the Kashmiri people.
Their struggle is the legitimate
one for liberation from alien
occupation", he added.
Sharif also mentioned "Daesh"
(Islamic State), "Palestine" and
Afghanistan issues, supporting
New York: Pakistani Prime

Minister Nawaz Sharif has pre
sented a dossier containing
details of violations in Kashmir to
UN Secretary General Ban Ki
moon.
The Prime Minister apprised
Ban of the plight of the Kashmiri
people who he said were victims
of Indian brutality in the region
which have continued unabated
since the July 8 killing of Hizbul
Mujahideen commander Burhan
Wani which sparked violent
protests and clashes, Dawn
online reported.
The indiscriminate use of pellet
guns which have blinded hun
dreds, including women and chil
dren, was reflective of the bar
baric mindset of Indian security
forces, Nawaz told Ban.
India also continues to resort
to repressive measures such as
curfews, incarcerat ion of
Kashmiri leaders and denial of
talks between Afghanistan gov
ernment and Afg hanistan
Taliban.
Point ing out that Pakistan
itself has been a major victim of
terrorism, the Pakistani premier
said that his country carried out
the largest antiterror operation
Zarbeazb, of the world, dedicat
ing 200,000 security personnel
to fight home grown terrorist
medical treatment to the injured,

especially those blinded and poi
soned by pellet gunfire, Sharif
added.
The dossier contained photo
graphic evidence of victims of
pellet guns. The Prime Minister
emphasised that India must be
urged to abide by UN Security
Council resolutions on Kashmir
and also reiterated his demand of
an independent inquiry into
extrajudicial killings, demanding
a UN factfinding mission be sent
to invest ig ate the situat ion.
Sharif thanked the UN chief for
his strong and supportive state
ments on the situat ion in
Kashmir, and Ban praised
Pakistan for its prominent and
active role in the UN and its con
tribution for peace and security.
The meeting with the Secretary
General comes after the premier
addressed the UN General
Assembly in New York City.
outfits.
Raising concern over the rising
"Islamophobia and Xenophobia",
he called for the international
community to suppress "Daesh
(IS)".
"We w ill not w in the fig ht
against terrorism, as long as we
do not address its root cause
which lie in the poverty and
ignorance," he said.
INDIA RAISES POSSIBILITY OF PAKISTAN

BEING GUILTY OF WAR CRIMES
United Nations : India has raised
the possibility that Pakistan is
guilty of "war crimes" by spon
soring terrorism as an instru
ment of state policy, delivering
one of the harshest criticism of
its neighbour in an international
forum in recent times.
Formally responding to Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif's attacks
on India during his speech to the
General
Assembly
on
Wednesday, Indian diplomat
Eenam Gambhir said, "The worst
violation of human rights is ter
rorism. When practiced as an
instrument of state policy it is a
war crime."
Gambhir, who is a First
Secretary at India's UN Mission,
was exercising the right of reply
to Sharif 's caustic statements

about India.
She accused Pakistan of being
"a terrorist state, which chan
nelises billions of dollars, much
of it diverted from international
aid, to training, financing and
supporting terrorist groups as
militant proxies against it neigh
bours."
Gambhir invoked the 9/11
attacks on New York's World
Trade Center that killed about
3,000 people in 2001 and
marked a tectonic shift in the
international recognition of the
horrors of terrorism.
"The world has not yet forgot
ten that the trail of that dastardly
attack led all the way to
Abbottabad in Pakistan," she
said.
Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin
Laden who was responsible for
the attack was found hiding in
Abbottabad close to the Pakistan
Military Academy and killed on
May 2, 2011, in an operation led
by the US.
Terrorist organisations and
their leaders, "continue to roam
its streets freely and operate
with state support," Gambhir
said, adding "With the approval
of authorities, many terrorist
organisations raise funds openly
in flagrant violation of Pakistan's
international obligations."
Gambhir traced the web of ter
ror spanning the world that con
verges on Pakistan and said, "It is
ironical, therefore, that we have
seen to day the preaching of

human rights and ostensible sup
port for selfdetermination by a
country which has established
itself as the global epicentre of
terrorism."
"The land of Taxila, one of the
g reatest learning centres of
ancient times, is now host to the
Ivy League of terrorism," she
said. "The effect of its toxic cur
riculum are fe lt across the
globe."
She brought up Sunday's terror
attack at an army camp in
Jammu and Kashmir's Uri town
that killed 18 soldiers.
"That terrorist attack is part of
a trail of continuous flow of ter
rorists trained and armed by our
neighbour and tasked to carry
out terrorist attacks in my coun

try," Gambhir said.
Referring to Sharif 's glowing
remarks about Burhan Wani, she
said, "Even today we have heard
support by the Prime Minister of
Pakistan for a selfacknowledged
commander of a known terrorist
org anisat ion,
Hizbul
Mujahideen."
Sharif had accused India of
starting an arms race on the sub
continent. He had asserted that
Islamabad acted responsibly as a
nuclear power and made a pitch
for his country's membership of
the Nuclear Suppliers Group
(NSG), an international group
whose membership facilitates
trade in nuclear materials for
civilian use.
15
Religion
His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj. The tribute message from President Barack Obama.
(Right) Dignitaries, devotees and community leaders at the Tribute Assembly in Long Island.
Rich tributes paid to Pramukh

Swami Maharaj in NY-NJ
New York: Government officials,

community leaders, devotees, and
well-wishers gathered at the BAPS
Shri Swaminarayan Mandirs in
New York, Robbinsville, Edison,
Parsippany and Jersey City all in
New Jersey as well as in Philadelphia, Boston and Washington to
pay tributes to the life of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj on
September 17 and 18.
The fifth spiritual successor
of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and
leader of the BAPS Swaminarayan
Sanstha passed away on August
13 at the age of 95. From establishing mandirs across the world
to humanitarian work to creating
community infrastructure for education and healthcare in remote
towns, Pramukh Swami Maharajs
contributions to society have
spanned across generations. Tens
of thousands of people honored
Pramukh Swami Maharaj in special assemblies held throughout

USA. Assemblies were also held
across the globe in September to
pay tributes to his life and achievements. Attendees shared memories
of their uplifting interactions with
Pramukh Swami Maharaj, reminiscing upon the heartfelt connection that cemented his influence
and wisdom in their lives.
President Obama shared a personal message with BAPS tribute assemblies. He noted that
Pramukh Swami Maharaj was a
trusted ear and revered voice for
countless people, and the lessons
of his humility stirred not only the
hearts of his followers, but also of
men and women across the globe
who were fortunate enough to
have crossed his path. May the
memory of His Holiness Pramukh
Swami Maharaj continue to guide
you, and may his legacy give us

the courage to be our best selves.
President Bill and Hillary Clinton noted, Pramukh Swami didnt
just teach virtues he lived them
every day We hope that humanity will build upon his legacy for
generations to come.
Dr. Bhupi Patel, a Long Island
community leader praised the departed gurus social contribution
especially in de-addicting hundreds of thousands. Anand Patel,
President-FIA described Pramukh
Swamis life as an open book.
Pramukh Swami Maharajs impact on peoples lives was also
felt by those who met only his
disciples. Robbinsville, NJ Mayor
Dave Fried said, From interacting
with his disciples who all live lives
of humility and service, I can only
imagine the life that their Guru,
Pramukh Swami, lived. Through his
disciples, he has left a permanent

mark on the world, and especially
on Robbinsville.
The speakers and guests from
the Indian community present at
the assembly at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Robbinsville, NJ
on September 17, 2016 included
Dr. Manoj Kumar Mahapatra, Deputy Counsel General of India; Dr.
Navin Mehta, ENT surgeon; H.R
Shah, Chairman of TV Asia; Sunil
Hali, Publisher Indian Express;
Sharad Shah, Chairman Share and
Care Foundation; and Swami Shantananda, Resident Acharya, Chinmaya Mission, NJ to name a few.
A message from the New Jersey
Governor Chris Christie was read
out. The speakers and guests from
the Indian community present at
tribute assembly in Long Island on
September 18 included Dr. Subramanian, Cardio-thoracic surgeon
who performed on Pramukh Swami

Maharaj; Vijay Nambiar, Secretary
General Ban Ki-moons special advisor to Myanmar, Mahendrapal
Gulati, President VHP.
Former Senator Micheal Balboni, Huntington Councilman Mark
Cuthbertson were also present.
Congressmen Joseph Crowley and
Steve Israel, and Kamlesh Mehta,
Publisher of The South Asian
Times, sent their tribute message
for the assembly.
Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi had visited Sarangpur,
Gujarat and addressed saddened
devotees before the funeral rites
saying, Pramukh Swami Maharaj
was a stalwart among humans who
embodied compassion and humility Today you have lost a Guru,
but I have lost a father.
Pramukh Swami Maharaj has
been succeeded as BAPS head by
Mahant Swami Maharaj.
More details on :
http://pramukhswami.org/tributes
(Left) The Township of Robbinsville, NJ passed a resolution honoring the life of Pramukh Swami Maharaj. The resolution was presented to Pujya Yagnavallabh Swami.
(Right top) Tribute Assembly at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Robbinsville, NJ. (Right bottom) Pujya Sahajmuni Swami addresses the Tribute assembly at Hilton
Huntington in Long Island. (Bottom extreme right) Pramukh Swami Maharaj was The South Asian Times Person of the Year 2014.
16
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
PRIYANKA, HIDDLESTON GET FLIRTY

AT EMMYS AFTERPARTY
H
ollywood actor Tom

Hiddleston and
Bollywood star Priyanka
Chopra, who presented a trophy
together at the 68th annual
Emmy Primetime Awards cere
mony, were reportedly flirting
with each other at the ceremo
ny's afterparty.
Priyanka and Hiddleston
shared the stage to give away
the Outstanding Directing for a
Limited Series, Movie, or
Dramatic Special award to "The
Night Manager" director
Susanne Bier.
During the ceremony, they
participated in a little twirl as
they made their way to the
Hiddleston 'held hands,

exchanged numbers & shared a
kiss with Priyanka Chopra'.
No rivalry with Justice

Katju, says Amitabh
ollywood megastar Amitabh
Bachchan said that he has
no rivalry with former
Supreme Court judge Markandey
Katju, who recently commented
that the actor is a man with "noth
ing in his head".
On September 17, Katju, in a
Twitter post, commented:
"Amitabh Bachchan is a man with
nothing in his head, and since
most mediapersons praise him, I
doubt there is anything in their
heads."
Asked about it, Amitabh told the
media here: "Justice Katju is right.
I really don't have anything inside
my head. We can be a part of
what is going on and work
towards it. But he is right. My
head is khallas (finished)."
The 73yearold said Justice
Katju and he went to the same
school in Allahabad.
Was there any old rivalry?
"There is no rivalry between us.
I will have to fold my hands and
stand before him. He is a judge,"
said Big B, who was here to talk
about the response to his latest
Angelina
Jolie filed for
divorce from
the actor, 52,
after just two
years of
marriage,
citing
irreconcilable
differences.
Justice Katju and Amitabh Bachchan went

to the same school in Allahabad.
release "Pink". When Justice Katju
was asked to elucidate his com
ment on Amitabh, he posted:
"Amitabh Bachchan's films, like
those of Dev Anand, Shammi
Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, etc are
like drugs, they take the people to
a world of make believe, and they
are therefore very useful to our
rulers since they keep people
pacified." "Apart from being a
good actor, what is there in

Amitabh Bachchan? Has he any
scientific ideas for solving the
country's massive problems?
There are none. From time to time
he appears on some media chan
nels giving sermons and homilies,
and from time to time he is shown
to be doing good deeds, but who
cannot do this with tons of
money."
Shahid, Mira name daughter Misha

ctor Shahid Kapoor and his
wife Mira Rajput have named
their newborn daughter Misha.
Clearly, it's an amalgam of their
names. Shahid, who welcomed his
first bundle of joy with Mira last
month, took to Twitter to share the
name of with friends and wellwish
ers. "Misha Kapoor makes it impossi
ble for daddy to go anywhere.

Obsessed daddy life," Shahid tweet
ed. Shahid and Mira, who have a 12
year age gap, tied the knot in New
Delhi on July 7 last year.
They reportedly met due to their
connect with the religious group
Radha Soami Satsang Beas.
microphone.
According to eyewitnesses
present at the afterparty, the
two were openly flirting with
each other in between taking
selfies and mingling with
guests, reports eonline.com.
"Tom had his arm around her
and held her close. Afterwards,
Tom and Priyanka talked close
ly and were holding hands at
one point for a few moments.
Priyanka fixed Tom's bowtie
and then the two kissed on both
cheeks," a source said.
The source also shared that
Priyanka was seen giving her
phone to Hiddleston who then
gave his phone to her. They pro
ceeded to put their phone num
bers in each other's phones
before embracing in a long hug
and kissed on the cheek.
Brangelina to part
ways as Angelina
les for divorce
Los Angeles: One of Hollywood's
highest profile marriages has
come to an end, after actress
Angelina Jolie sought to divorce
husband Brad Pitt, who said he
was "saddened" but the well
being of their kids matter the
most now.
Angelina filed for divorce from
the actor, 52, after just two years
of marriage, citing irreconcilable
differences.
She also released a statement
addressing the divorce. "This
decision was made for the health
of the family," her attorney said.
"She will not be commenting at
this time, and asks that the fami
ly be given their privacy during
this difficult time."
Breaking his silence, Brad said
the wellbeing of their kids "mat
ter the most now". "I am very
saddened by this but what mat
ters most now is the wellbeing
of our kids," Pitt said in a state

ment released to PEOPLE maga
zine. "I kindly ask the press to
give them the space they deserve
during this challenging time."
According to court documents
obtained by PEOPLE, Jolie has
asked for physical custody of the
couple's shared six children
Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh,
Vivienne and Knox and is
requesting that Pitt be granted
visitation rights.
"Both Brad and Angelina care
very much about their kids and
there is sadness on both sides," a
source close to the situation tells
PEOPLE.
Another source close to the
couple told PEOPLE: "The divorce
is a complete shock. They have
definitely spent more time apart
this year, but it's still a shock.
They just celebrated their wed
ding anniversary together."
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
'Shivaay'
will speak
for itself:
Kajol
Varun is said to be dating his childhood friend Natasha Dalal.
Varun Dhawan opens up

about his special someone
ctor Varun Dhawan says
he has someone special
in his life, but is not sure
if he has found his life partner
yet. Varun has always been
under the scanner for his rela
tionship status since the time
he forayed into Bollywood.
First, he was linked to his
"Student of The Year" costar
Alia Bhatt, and was again in the
news recently for his close
bond with his friend Natasha
Dalal. The actor opened up
about his personal life at India

Today Mind Rocks Youth
Summit here on Saturday. But
refused to divulge any details.
When the "Badlapur" star
said that his mantra of a per
fect relationship is to be with
one person in life, the modera
tor asked him whether he is
committed to one person in life.
Varun first tried to be evasive
and said that he has that per
son in his life and that is his
mother.
fter a tepid response on its

opening day in Indian the
atres, megastar Amitabh
Bachchanstarrer "Pink", a
courtroom drama that shines
the spotlight upon issues of
stereotype faced by women in
the society, is garnering eye
balls galore courtesy positive
reviews about the powerpacked
performances and its socially rele
vant premise. The film has collected Rs
21.51 crore in its opening weekend,
according to industry experts. Directed
by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury and co
produced by Shoojit Sircar, the film,
which released on September 16, also
features Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari,
Andrea Tariang, Angad Bedi, Piyush
17
The film
Shivaay is set
to release on
Oct 28.
ctress Kajol has gone all out to support

husband Ajay Devgn's forthcoming
movie "Shivaay".
Speaking about the film which is directed
and coproduced by Ajay himself, Kajol said:
"I think it's really amazing to see the kind of
response we received for the trailer.
Thankfully, we have a very nice product
('Shivaay') in front of us."
"I think the film will speak for itself
and is going to be better than the
trailer." She said at the screening of
"Parched".
"Shivaay" that also stars
Sayyeshaa Saigal and Erika Kaar
will hit the screens on October 28
and is in for a big clash with Karan
Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil".
The 42yearold also heaped praises
on Leena Yadav's directorial "Parched"
which is produced under Ajay Devgn's
home production.
'Pink'
collects over
Rs 20 cr,
gathers
steam
Mishra
Actors Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu and
and Dhritiman
Andrea Tariang promote their film Pink.
Chatterjee in
conjecture that after a "poor
key roles. On the Saturday and Sunday
opening", collections "won't
which followed the film's release, the
collections saw a promising hike much just pick up in multiplexes, they
will shoot up" for "Pink".
in sync with trade expert Komal Nahta's
'Raaz Reboot': This secret is best left untold

A
REVIEW
A still from
the movie
Raaz
Reboot.
t the very onset of the narra

tion, we are informed by a
voiceover, "Secrets are the
enemy of love". Narrated in a non
linear manner, the film delves into
the secrets of the miseries of a
young couple, Mr & Mrs Khanna.
It is January 1, 2016. Rehaan and
Shaina return to Romania after a
few years of their marriage.
Apparently they lived there when
they were unmarried. But when
Rehaan got an offer as a Venture
Capitalist for the East European
Finance Company, Shaina was
insistent that he take up the job.
Rehaan was reluctant, since he had
a secret to hide.
On the very first day, while
unpacking her luggage, Shaina
experiences paranormal activities.
Rehaan refuses to believe her. A
month later, while on a business
trip, Rehaan receives a frantic call
from Shaina requesting for help.
She is found holed up in a tele
phone booth in a rural area.
Apparently, she had gone there to
visit a clairvoyant.
And thence, the narrative juggles
back and forth as to what plagues
them and what leads her to the
clairvoyant. With all the trappings
of the horror genre, this fourth edi
tion of the "Raaz" franchise offers

nothing exciting. The performanc
es of the cast too are perfunctory.
Gaurav Arora and Kriti Karbanda
are unrelatable as the couple
Rehaan and Shaina. Their charac
ters lack the chemistry and their
ordeal, panic and grief all seem
forced. Nevertheless, Kriti shows
promise.
With moderate production val
ues, the film is wellmounted.
Manoj Soni's cinematography is
worth a mention. He captures the
scenic locales in all their glory. And
his frames seamlessly merge with
the computer generated effects.
18
Festival
Malayalee community of
Tristate celebrates Onam
Keralas main festival is common to all irrespective of creed or caste.
Compiled by
SA Times Team
he harvest festival Onam is

the major festival celebrated
in Kerala and by Malaylee
diaspora everywhere. The 10day festival falls during AugustSeptember and, as legend has it,
honors King Mahabali who ruled
during a golden era for the state.
The King is so much attached to
his kingdom that it is believed that
he comes annually from the nether
world to see his people living happily. Many cultural elements are
associated with the 10-day festival
including Onam sadya, the feast
comprising about 26 vegetarian
dishes served on plantain leaves.
A report on Onam
celebrations in the
tristate area:
In Trumbull, CT
ver 400 people from Fairfield County, CT, participated in the 9th annual Onam
celebrations organized by the Malayalee Association of Southern
Connecticut (MASCON) at Madison
Middle School, Trumbull, CT on
September 17.
King Mahabali was welcomed
to the stage with Pancha Vadyam and a warm traditional welcome by a dozen beautiful women
who later performed Thiruvathirakkali, a folk dance well known
for its essence, grandeur and simplicity. The women clad in traditional Kerala attire lined by gold
brocade
and wearing jasmine
garlands in their hair, rhythmically moved around a lighted
Nilavilakku, singing and clapping
their hands to the tune of a particular genre of songs called Thiruvathirappaattu. Through Ottam
Thullal another traditional art of
Kerala, the evolution of MASCON
into a strong organization over a
decade was explained. Said Unni
Thoyakkattu, President of MASCON, in his welcome address, We
have grown by leaps and bounds
and we strive to meet the growing
needs of our community.
In his Onam message, Mahabali told the audience that the
beauty of the festival lies in its
secular fabric. People of all religions, castes and communities
celebrate the festival with equal
joy and verve. Onam also helps to
create an atmosphere of peace and

brotherhood by way of various
team sports organized on the day.
In Onam festival Malayalee diaspora gets a perfect opportunity to
encourage their young ones to witness, learn and appreciate these
rich traditions, even while it offers
the first generation NRIs to stay
connected and cherish the rich
cultural heritage they hold so dear.
- Ajay Ghosh
In New Jersey
Malluz Club, a vibrant

group of Malaylees, celebrated Onam in Basking
Ridge, New Jersey on Sept 17. The
day-long festivities commenced
with the making of Athapookkalam (floral carpet), proceeding to sumptuous Onam sadya,
procession welcoming King Mahabali, Thiruvathira traditional
dance, cultural programs by kids
and adults along with fun-filled
games. The celebrations upheld
the tradition of Onam, as a symbol of virtue and oneness among
Keralites breaking the barriers of
caste and religion.
In Trumbull, CT: King Mahabali being welcomed by women dressed in Keralas

traditional attire. (inset) Onam sadhya, a traditional feast, considered to be the most
elaborate and grand meal prepared by any civilization or culture in the world.
- Vineetha Nair
In Westchester, NY
ver 1,000 people from

the Tristate area participated in the 42th annual
Onam celebrations organized by
the Westchester Malayalee Association (WMA) at Woodlands High
School, White Plains, NY on September 17.
Men, women, children and
youth dressed in traditional attire were welcomed with a colorful floral carpet and the traditional lamp at the entrance of the
school. The whole ambience was
filled with nostalgia since it was
an occasion for the Malayalees to
cherish their childhood memories.
Everyone enjoyed the sumptuous
Onam Sadhya (feast), an attraction of the day with different traditional dishes and payasam.
Westchester County Executive
Rob Astorino was the chief guest
for the event, was welcomed by
WMA President Sreekumar Unnithan.
- Lijo John
In New Jersey: Women in their traditional attire posing. Photos: Ajith Prabhakar
In Westchester, NY: Malayalam and Tamil actress and dancer Divyaa Unni was
the main performer. (right) Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino,
chief guest for the event, enjoying the festivities. Photos: Lijo John
OP-ED
19
Under Modi, record rise in

unspent funds for Dalits, tribals
By Nikhil M. Babu
n the runup to the 2014 gen

eral elections, then prime min
isterial candidate Narendra
Modi, while addressing a gather
ing of Dalits and backward classes
in Kerala, had described himself
as a victim of untouchability. "The
next 10 years are going to be
yours," he had said, to loud cheers.
T he Nat ional Demo crat ic
Alliance (NDA) government osten
sibly kept his promise the 2014
15 budget witnessed a 25 per cent
increase in allocation of the two
funds meant for Dalits and the adi
vasis the Scheduled Caste Sub
Plan (SCSP) and the Tribal Sub
Plan (TSP) funds. However, more
than onethird of the funds allo
cated by central ministries Rs
32,979 crore remained unspent
in 201415.
This is an increase of 250 per
cent in the money unused, com
pared to the previous year. Prime
Minister Modi's first year in office
saw the "highest" amount unspent
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the National Conference

of Dalit Entrepreneurs at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi recently.
and also the highest percentage of
amount unspent in the last three
years (the only period for which
the central government has fig
ures). Ever since they were first
launched 35 years ago, the two
funds have been le ft mostly
untouched by successive govern

ments: Rs 2.8 lakh crore ($42.6
billion) set aside to improve the
lives of scheduled castes and
tribes have been lying unused
while their intended beneficiaries
continue to suffer severe depriva
tion. There are two big reasons for

this neglect: First, there is no leg
islat ion to back the plans.
Secondly, the committees set up
by state governments at several
levels to ensure the optimal use of
the funds are proving to be inef
fective. These panels were meant
to identify issues at the local level,
select suitable schemes to address,
and form a feedback mechanism
to fix glitches.
From school bags to midday
meals, these schemes, drawn up
for marg inalised classes, are
known to be marred by corrup
tion. "The predominant suggestion
which emerged in the interaction
with the beneficiaries was ram
pant corruption," the erstwhile
Planning Commission (now
renamed NITI Aayog) said in a
study on the impact of the SCSP
and TSP.
Three decades after they were
started, there is still no central
legislation to back the plans a
longpending demand. Separate
RTIs to states revealed that bar
ring a few, none has complete

details of expenditure. For
instance, Kerala has data from
1976 to 2015 on allocation and
expenditure of TSP funds. But
Assam couldn't provide any data
prior to 200910.
Besides, there were inconsisten
cies between the expenditure data
of NITI Aayog and states for the
same year.
Though the funds are allocated
in the budget, they are released
very late in the financial year,
leaving states with a very short
w indow to spend them. For
instance, in 201415, the
Karnataka government made
budgetary allocation for SCSP and
TSP in the state budget in
February.
The situation is not very differ
ent in Karnataka and And hra
Pradesh. "Though the bill was
passed, no law has been made on
it and the government is using
that as a shield," said Anjanayulu,
former director of the Centre for
Dalit Studies, Hyderabad.
SP turmoil: Swords back in scabbards, but for how long?

By Mohit Dubey
Lucknow: While the curtains may
have officially come down on the
"chachabhatija" slugfest in the rul
ing Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar
Pradesh, the battle for supremacy
between Chief Minister Akhilesh
Yadav and his uncle and state unit
chief Shivpal Singh Yadav contin
ues backstage.
After a hectic few days, as SP
chief Mulayam Singh seemingly
restored the power equilibrium
within the party and flew of f to
Delhi, everyone in the state, includ
ing journalists, thought of catching
up on some sleep over a quiet
weekend. This was, however, not
to be the two sides were soon on
another rampage, trying to out
smart each other.
While Akhilesh Yadav returned
Shivpal Yadav's portfolios, under
pressure from his father, he
refused to give him back PWD,
which was the "most plum" portfo
lio the latter held among those he
was divested of.
Uncle Shivpal Yadav, now calling
the shots in the organisation,
struck back by booting out two
senior youth wing leaders the
same day. Of these, one was MLC
Arvind Singh Yadav, the nephew of
his cousin Ram Gopal Yadav, who
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh.

openly sided with Akhilesh Yadav
during the power struggle.
Not stopping at this, Shivpal also
sacked seven senior youth wing
leaders known to be close to the
Chief Minister. These included
Sunil Yadav 'Sajan', Anand
Bhadauria and Sanjay Lathar. As
the word of action spread, more
than 250 leaders and office bear
ers of the frontal youth organisa
tions also put in their papers, with
some even writing their resigna
tions in blood.
Shivpal Yadav has since replaced
Rajendra Chowd hary, the SP
spokesman for more than four
decades, and dropped Rural

Deve lopment Minister Arvind
Singh Gope as general secretary
and replaced him with Tourism
Minister Om Prakash Singh. The
Chief Minister has asked them to
refrain from reacting and instead
focus on the forthcoming assembly
elections.
Sources in both camps point out
that the "bitterness still persists
pretty strongly". And the rift on
many points is already evident
with both Akhilesh Yadav and
Shivpal Yadav taking pot shots at
each other. At a media event late
last week, the latter said that "peo
ple get arrogant once they are on

the Chief Minister's chair" and
advised Akhilesh Yadav to be care
ful of the people around him and,
in fact, take some tips from his
uncle. "The Chief Minister lacks
experience and is often misguided
by people around him, it is also
said that people sitting on Chief
Minister's chair are victims of 'va
ham'," the powerful SP leader said.
At the same event earlier,
Akhilesh Yadav said he was ready
to return the portfolios he stripped
his uncle of to keep his "father
happy". He also added that he was
very hurt when he was replaced by
Shivpal Yadav as the state unit
president.
Shivpal Yadav has retorted by
saying that in 2011, when the
nephew replaced him as the state
president, he did not harbour any
resentment. "It's the way politics
happens," he mused.
And despite both Akhilesh Yadav
and party general secretary Ram
Gopal Yadav openly picking on
Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh
as the villain of the piece, Shivpal
Yadav has said that there was no
way that Amar Singh would work
against the Yadav family. "I don't
believe this outsider theory, every
one in the party is a family," he
said.
With Shivpal Yadav getting back

all his previous and powerful min
istries barring PWD and also
retaining the post of the state unit
chief, sources say, the impression
is that he is more powerful than
his Chief Minister nephew and
this will only create problems in
the future. A close aide of the Chief
Minister told IANS that "all that
'bhaiyyaji' wants is respect for the
post he is holding and a clean
image for the party and its candi
dates as they go into the elections
early next year". He also said that
most people in the party were not
opposed to this.
Mulayam Singh Yadav's order of
reinstat ing tainted minister
Gayatri Prajapati also upset the
applecart of the developmentori
ented Chief Minister, political
observers here feel. And, to bal
ance the slig ht that has been
forced upon Akhilesh Yadav, his
father is likely to allow him a
major say in selection of party can
didates for the 2017 assembly
polls, a senior leader said.
And so, even as the swords are
back in the scabbards for now, the
bureaucracy waits with baited
breath for what will happen next
and the people at large are scepti
cal about having seen the last bat
tle in this family war.
20
DIASPORA
British MP Shailesh Vara takes

charge of Conservation Party group
London: Indianorigin British MP Shailesh
Vara has been appointed cochairman of the
Conservative Friends of India group that
aims to build better links between the dias
pora and the party.
The 56yearold Gujaratiorigin MP joins
cochair Indian origin businessman Ranjit
Singh Baxi in the group, which is affiliated to
the UK's ruling Conservative Party.
"T he
re lationship
between
the
Conservative Party and the Indian diaspora
continues to grow closer by the day and I
look forward to furthering that aim," Vara
said.
"There is much work to be done, both in
terms of deepening the Conservative Party's
relationship with the British Indian diaspora
and strengthening our very close links with
India," he said.
Vara's appointment follows the recent min
isterial reshuf fle under British Prime
Minister Theresa May, when Indianorigin
MP Alok Sharma, who had been the
Conservative Friends of India (CFIndia) co
chairman, was made Minister for Asia at the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
Sharma is now working with UK foreign
secretary Boris Johnson to build links with
India following Brexit, CFIndia said in a
statement.
"We have an exciting programme of events
and activity planned for the coming year and
we can do nothing but accelerate with the
sound advice and ideas of one of the most
senior Indianorigin politicians in the UK,"
said Baxi.
"Shailesh is someone who will give time

and effort to whatever task is in hand and
we are looking forward to working with
him," he added.
Under former Prime Minister David
Cameron, Vara had served as a justice
minister and minister in the UK's
Department for Work and
Pensions. In 2014, he was
awarded the Pravasi
Bharatiya Samman by
the Indian government
Shailesh Vara has been appointed cochair
in recognition of his
of Conservation Friends of India.
work in promoting
closer ties between the UK and India. Patrick is a very able and versatile politician who
McLoughlin, Conservative Party chairman, has held a variety of government roles in the
said: "I am pleased that Shailesh Vara has past and will bring to CF India a wealth of
(PTI)
been appointed CoChairman of CF India. He experience."
Indian-owned Mohinani Group clocks 50

years in Ghana, employed over 10,000
Accra: The Indianowned Mohinani
Group says it has been able to pro
vide employment to over 10,000
people as well as awarded scholar
ships and donated educational infra
structure and portable water to
many communities in the 50 years
that it has operated in Ghana.
"Over the last 50 years, the
Mohinani Group has grown into a
diversified worldclass group of com
panies with businesses and brands
across the globe with a penchant for
innovation and industrial leader
ship," Executive Director Ashok
Mohinani told IANS.
The Group was founded by his
father, Ram Mohinani with the first
company, Poly Products, to manufac
ture flexible packaging products.

The group has now expanded and
operates across several countries in
Africa. Two months ago, the
University of Ghana awarded the
founder an honorary degree for his
achievements in industry.
To mark the Group's 50th anniver
sary, it has started a recycling cam
paign to involve more than 5,000
pupils in the Greater Accra and
Ashanti regions to build a sustain
able, healthy future and environment
for children in Ghana.
Mohinani said the group wants to
be at the "forefront of a change in
Ghana that recognises that not
everything we throw away is waste
and that so much of what we do not
need can be used again".

The campaign, in the form of a
competition, will educate pupils and
their communities on waste manage
ment. The aim is to instill in them the
habit of proper waste disposal and
make use of dustbins to promote a
clean and healthy environment. This
will also include recycling paper,
plastic and cans. The campaign tar
gets pupils aged 9 to 13 years in 20
selected primary and junior high
schools in the two regions.
Mohinani said the campaign forms
part of its commitment towards recy
cling plastic and carrier bags and,
therefore, reducing the pressure on
the environment.
(IANS)
Onam celebrated In British Parliament

London: Several British lawmakers
and members of the Kerala business
community have celebrated Onam,
the most popular festival of
Keralites, in the British Parliament.
A beautiful Pookalam (flower ran
goli) was organized in the Jubilee
Room of the Parliament yesterday
where variety of dishes, prepared
by a we ll known South Indian
restaurant, were served on a
banana leaf. As part of the celebra
tions, Indianorigin Labour MP
Virendra Sharma and Loughton
Mayor Carol Davies, presented

awards to leading Malayalee busi
nesses. The award recipients includ
ed Joyalukkus, well known Indian
Jewelers, Swayam Properties, a
reputed estate agency managed by
husband and wife duo Anil Kumar
and
Sheeba,
Mrs
Gemini
Kunnenkeril, who singlehandedly
manages Highway Services, two
petrol stations and an MOT centre
and Padma Kumar, who heads a
company providing high specifica
tion catering equipment to airlines
and railway companies.

Also present at the event was the
Managing Director of Lulu Group
Yusuff Ali.
T he event was organised by
Councillor Philip Abraham, deputy
Mayor of Loughton with support
from Kerala Business Forum lead
ers.
The harvest festival of Onam is
the biggest festival celebrated in
Kerala and marks the commemora
tion of homecoming of the King
Mahabali.
(PTI)
Indianorigin South
African to head global
blood service
Johannesburg: An
medical technolo
Indianorigin
gist with an MBA
South African has
from the University
become the first
of Natal in South
person from the
Africa. SANBS laud
African continent
ed Reddy's appoint
to head a global
ment as a particu
organization of
larly significant
medicine profes
one. In 2004, there
sionals working
was a huge outcry
for the safety of
when it emerged
blood transfusion
that blood donated
worldwide.
by the majority
Ravi Reddy, cur
Black community
Ravi Reddy will head
rently the Chief
in South Africa was
International Society for
Operations
being discarded
Blood Transfusion
Of ficer of the
due to the risk
South African National Blood associated with the high incidence
Service (SANBS), will head the of HIV/AIDS in that community.
International Society for Blood
Reddy had spearheaded a cam
Transfusion (ISBT), headquartered paign to ensure stringent testing
in Amsterdam.
and also education among donors
Although Reddy has been credit to turn this around. He cited the
ed with transforming the safety of highlyrespected international sta
blood donation and transfer in tus of SANBS as having con
South Africa with its very high tributed largely to his appoint
incidence of HIV/AIDS, he has ment. "I would not have been con
insisted that this was a team sidered for this position if it were
effort by the staff of SANBS.
not for SANBS' professionalism
He he has served in various and reputation for excellence,"
capacities for more than three Reddy said, adding that receiving
decades after starting out as a vol this vote of confidence from his
unteer at the age of 16 at SANBS. peers internationally was
(PTI)
He subsequently qualified as a humbling.
SUBCONTINENT
Uri attack: India to isolate

Pakistan at global forum
New Delhi: The government at
the hig hest leve l mulled its
options in the wake of the Uri
terror attack, with informed
sources indicating that Prime
Minister Narendra Modi has
sought a concerted global effort
to diplomatically isolate Pakistan
as an immediate step.
Modi, who chaired a meeting
here to review the situation in
Jammu and Kashmir in the wake
of the attack that left 18 soldiers
dead one more soldier suc
cumbed to his injuries in Delhi
wants clear evidence of
Pakistan's complicity to be pre
BJP leaders in Amritsar protest against Pakistan.
sented to all major global fora,
including the upcoming UN General Assembly, We will take our steps carefully," Rijiju said.
Modi's highlevel meeting was held shortly after
the sources indicated. The meeting is believed to
have also considered several other options, the Rajnath Singh reviewed the situation along the
sources said, but these were likely to be meas border and the Line of Control (LoC) at a meeting
with Home Ministry officials who were directed
ured and well thoughtout.
The sources said that Modi asked the security to coordinate with other border states like
and other investigative agencies to collect all evi Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
In Punjab, the border districts have been put on
dence that points to Pakistani involvement in the
high alert.
attack for presentation at international fora.
India has put the blame on Pakistan for the
Speaking to reporters separately, Minister of
State for Home Kiren Rijiju said India was not attack, with the Prime Minister asserting that the
concerned about Pakistani denials and reactions perpetrators will not go unpunished.
Pakistan has rejected Indian allegations that
and will react appropriately and at its own pace.
Islamabad
was to blame for the killing of soldiers
"Everything is in front of the people. We must
not give much attention to Pakistan's reaction. at the camp near Uri town on Sunday.
21
Pakistanis to protest
outside UNGA
Islamabad: Ahead of External Af fairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj's address at
the 71st session of the UN General
Assembly on September 26, overseas
Pakistanis are planning to protest
against the alleged "brutalities" by
Indian security forces in Kashmir.
As Pakistan lobbies for the support
of the international community on the
Kashmir issue the main agenda of
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's speech
at the UNGA Kashmiris from across
the border will protest to "express their
solidarity" with people of the valley,
said Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, for
mer Prime Minister of Pakistanheld
Kashmir.
"India has been committing grave
human rights violations in Kashmir for
72 days and killing innocent Kashmiri
women and children. Kashmiris from
all over the world would unmask
Indian brutality before the world com
munity," Dawn online quoted
Mahmood as telling the media.
According to him, permission for the
protest had already been sought.
"We are also trying to stage a demon
stration outside the Indian High
Commission in Canada or Canadian
parliament in protest against human
rights violations in Kashmir," he said.
Indias External Affairs Minister

Sushma Swaraj.
According to the Pakistan Tehreeke
Insaf leader, Sharif 's address at the
UNGA would be an exercise in futility.
"Kashmiris want him to truly represent
sentiments of 200 million Pakistanis
and Kashmiris instead of delivering a
formal speech."
Mahmood also criticised Sharif for
what he called his decision to send
some members of the National
Assembly for "joyrides" abroad in the
name of projecting the Kashmir cause.
Sri Lanka vows to engage with Nepal marks first Constitution

UN, human rights mechanisms Day, Madhesis hold protests
UN SecyGen Ban Kimoon delivers a speech at a gathering in Colombo (file).

Colombo: Sri Lanka affirmed its belief in
the UN system and the human rights
mechanisms and said these were in the
best interest of the country's people.
Sri Lanka will look up to the UN for
advice and views, and also expertise and
technical assistance that will benefit the
country in terms of capacity building and
strengthening of local institutions, Xinhua
news agency cited a government
spokesman as saying.
Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka
to the UN in Geneva Ravinatha P.
Aryasinha said that following an invitation
extended in December 2015 to all UN
Special Procedures Mandate Holders to
visit the island country, a number of
Special Rapporteurs regarding the coun
try's priorities have already undertaken

visits representing a broad range of man
dates.
Sri Lanka receives invaluable assistance
through the UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki
moon's Peacebuilding Fund to implement
some of the important steps in the areas of
transitional justice, reconciliation, good
governance, and resettlement and durable
solutions, he said.
The country faced a 30year civil conflict
between government troops and Tamil
Tiger rebels which ended in May 2009
with the defeat of the rebels.
Thousands of people have been listed as
missing in the final stages of the war and
the families have continuously called for
an international probe.
Kathmandu: Nepal cel

e brated the first
anniversary of the
promulg at ion of its
new Constitution amid
opposit ion
from
Madhesi parties who
marked it as a "Black
Day" and he ld a
protest rally here.
The Madhesi parties
are mif fed w ith the
newlyinstalled gov
ernment of Pushpa
The Madhesi parties are miffed with the
Kamal
Dahal
newlyinstalled govt in Nepal.
'Prachanda' that was
initially seen as comparatively sympathet through fresh amendment(s). "No country
in the world has so far achieved a com
ic to their demands.
But a month has gone since the forma plete Constitution in the maiden attempt
tion of the new government and it is per as the Constitution is a dynamic and living
ceived as having done little to address the document and gets completion through
demands and grievances of the Madhesis, timely revisions as per the needs of the
people," said Prachanda, who has cancelled
leaving them furious and agitated.
Prachanda, who came to power last his scheduled visit to the United Nations in
month, however, said in an address on the order to address the concerns of the
occasion that his government was serious Mad hesis and Janjat is over the
towards addressing through suitable Constitution.
The Constitution has established Nepal
amendments the g rievances of the
Madhesis and the Tharu and ethnic com as a Federal Democratic Republic, guaran
teed people's fundamental rights, periodic
munities regarding the Constitution.
"My government is seriously working to elections, press freedom, independent judi
make the Constitution acceptable to all ciary and the basis for a rule of law while
and expedit ing its enforcement by paving the way for the achievement of
addressing the grievances of the people, social justice, durable peace, good gover
unhappy with some of its provisions, nance, development and progress.
22 September 24-30, 2016
INTERNATIONAL
BRICS ministers call for speeding

up global pact against terror
United Nations: BRICS ministers
have condemned recent terrorist
attacks against India and other
countries, calling for speeding up
the international pact against ter
rorism in order to give legal weight
to a concerted global ef fort to
counter the scourge.
The ministers of the five emerg
ing powers Brazil, Russia, India,
China and South Africa (BRICS)
met here on the sidelines of the
71st session of the UN General
Assembly to review their strategic
partnership and discuss coopera
tion. India, which currently chairs
BRICS, was represented by M. J.
Akbar, the Minister of State for
External Affairs.
A statement issued after the meet
ing, while strongly condemning the
terrorist attacks against some
BRICS countries including India,
said: "They urged concerted efforts
to counter terrorism on a firm inter
national legal basis, under the UN
auspices, and expressed their con
viction that a comprehensive
approach was necessary to ensure
effective fight against terrorism."
"They called for an early conclu
sion of the negotiations on the
Comprehensive Convention against
terrorism," the statement said.
India took the lead in proposing
the Comprehensive Convention on
The five emerging powers met on the sidelines of 71st UNGA session.
International Convention 20 years
ago. But the convention has faced
opposition over who is a terrorist.
Pakistan as well as several other
Muslim and Arab countries do not
want it to cover organizations that
they consider national liberation
movements. W hile China went
along with the sentiments of the
other BRICS ministers on counter
ing terrorism, Beijing has been pro
vided cover at the UN to Pakistan
and JaisheMohammad chief
Masood Azhar. According to the
statement, the ministers mentioned
the convening of the BRICS National
Security Advisors meeting as well
as the constitution of BRICS
Working Group on Counter
UN suspends Syria ground

operations after convoy attack
The aid convoy was scheduled to attend to

civilians in rebelheld areas of Syria.
Geneva: All UN humanitarian
operations on Syrian territory
are to remain suspended follow
ing an attack against an aid
convoy, said a spokesman for
the UN Of fice for the
Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA).
The decision comes following
an airstrike on a convoy of
trucks coordinated by the UN
and the Syrian Arab Red
Crescent (SARC) in Aleppo
province that left 18 vehicles
destroyed and at least one aid
worker dead, according to the

Red Cross NGO.
OCHA spokesmen Jens Laerke
said the situation surrounding
the incident remained unclear,
but that operations involving
terrestrial aid convoys would be
suspended for the time being,
EFE news reported.
The aid convoy was scheduled
to attend to civilians in rebel
held areas of Syria, something
contested by various factions
supportive of President Bashar
Al Assad.
Terrorism and its first meeting in

New Delhi. The other ministers at
the meeting were Sergei Lavrov of
Russia, Wang Yi of China, Maite
NkoanaMashabane of South Africa
and Jose Serra of Brazil.
The eighth BRICS Summit is to be
held in Goa next month. China is
scheduled to take over as the chair
of BRICS next year.
Turning to the state of the global
economy, their statement noted
that the recovery continues to be
weak and uneven and reiterated the
need to improve economic gover
nance, promote international trade
and investment, and address
income inequality and achieving
sustainable development.
Putin's party
wins majority in
parliamentary elections
Moscow: Russian President
Vladimir Putin's political
party, United Russia, has
won a majority in the coun
try's parliamentary e lec
tions.
According to Russian
staterun news agency
Interfax, United Russia won
with 54.21 per cent of the
vote, with 90 per cent of all
votes counted, CNN report
ed.
T he Communist Party
came second with 13.54 per
cent, while the Liberal
Democratic Party and the
The United Russia party won with
Fair Russia Party obtained
54.21 per cent of the vote.
13.28 per cent and 6.19 per
cent of the vote respectively, the party. Russian people support
political stability, Putin said as he
poll showed.
Earlier, Put in and Prime visited the campaign office. "The
Minister Dmitry Medvedev situation is not easy and people
arrived at the United Russia see it and they want the politi
party campaign office, where the cal system and society to remain
PM, who is also the chairman of stable," the President said, as
Russia's ruling party, delivered a quoted by TASS.
"Ordinary people know that
speech to party members and
thanked the President, who is the empty promises are worth noth
party founder, for demonstrating ing," he added, commenting on
support for the party by visiting preliminary election results and
stressing that United Russia will
the campaign office.
Medvedev also called the elec cont inue its work aimed at
tion results "a victory" for the Russia's development.
Theresa May dismisses

threat of Brexit deal veto
London: Dismissing threats by
European Union (EU) nations to
veto Brexit negotiations, British
Prime Minister Theresa May has
declared that "the 27 will sign up to
a deal with us", the media reported.
May said other nations would
accept an agreement with Britain
after the Slovakian Prime minister
said four central European coun
tries were willing to block talks
unless their citizens retained their
right to work in the UK, the
Guardian reported.
Robert Fico last week said
Slovakia, Poland, the Czech
Republic and Hungary would be
"uncompromising" during talks and
were ready to veto arrangements
"unless we feel a guarantee that
these people are equal".
However, May rejected such
warnings when asked whether it
would really be possible to secure
the agreement of all other member
states for Brexit and trade talks.
"The 27 will sign up to a deal with
us," she asserted, adding: "We will
be negotiating with them. And
we will be ambitious in what we
want to see for the UK. A good deal
for the UK can also be a good deal
Prime Minister May has said there must be controls on free movement
as a priority in negotiations, but left the door open for EU citizens to be
able to work and travel in the UK on preferential terms.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said there must be controls on free
movement as a priority in negotiations.
for the other member states
because I believe in good trading
relations and I have said I want the
UK to be a global leader in free
trade."
Although the main Brexit negotia
tions were separate from trade
talks, EU countries have made it
clear that the UK will have to sign
up to some degree of free move

ment if it wants access to the single
market.
May has said there must be con
trols on free movement as a priority
in negotiations, but left the door
open for EU citizens to be able to
work and travel in the UK on pref
erential terms.
BUSINESS
23
MAJOR REFORM BY MODI:

TO MERGE RAIL, GENERAL BUDGETS
New Delhi: In a major financial sector
reform, India decided to do away with a
92yearold legacy of separate general
and railway budgets by unifying them, a
tradition that has been continuing since
British colonial times.
The budget presentation date in all like
lihood is being advanced to February 1
every year, from the last day of February
as was the norm.
"From coming year, the railway and the
general budgets will be amalgamated.
There will be only one budget. And sec
ondly, distinction between plan and non
plan expenditure will be ended from next
year. Consequently there will be only one
appropriat ion bill," Union Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley said here after a
Cabinet meeting.
Jaitley said over the years the general
budget expenditures have gone up than
the railways, and added that ministries
like defense have more expenditures
than railways but form part of the gener
al budget.
The decision to merge the rail and gen
eral budgets was mooted by Railway
Minister Suresh Prabhu and endorsed by
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
NITI Aayog's member Bibek Debroy,
which also proposed the doing away of
the distinction between plan and non
plan expenditure.
Both Jaitley and Prabhu clarified that
the dist inct ident ity of the Indian
Railways will be maintained including
the freedom to raise resources via extra
budgetary means.
"Functional autonomy of the Railways
will be maintained," Jaitley said.

"This is a historic step, matching global
benchmark and best. This will help raise
capital expenditure in Railways which
will enhance connectivity in the country
and boost economic growth," Prabhu
said.
"Distinct identity of Railways will be
maintained. Our effort to leverage extra
budgetary resources will continue," he
We aim to grow 10fold

in India by 2020: Oracle
San Francisco: Global software
and Cloud major Oracle is
expecting a phenomenal 10fold
growth in its India businesses by
2020 as the country holds an
enormous market opportunity
for its bouquet of Cloud services,
a top company executive has
said.
"Cloud will be an enormous
market opportunity for us in
India. My expectat ion is to
become 10 times the size we are
now in India by 2020. Actually
for us, it is the single largest
growth potential country," Oracle
Global CEO Safra Catz said at the
ongoing Oracle OpenWorld
(OOW) 2016 conference here.
Catz, who visited India in April
this year, promised $400 million
worth of investments in the tech
nolog y hub Beng aluru, w ith
Oracle Global CEO Safra Catz.

announcing the first "Oracle
Startup Cloud Accelerator" in the
city. She also announced nine
regional software and technology
incubation centres across the
country and an initiative to train
over 500,000 Indian students
every year. "Oracle has been in

India for over 25 years and dur
ing that time we've grown our
investments tremendously. In
fact, India now represents our
second largest employee base
outside of the US, with nearly
40,000 current employees and
an additional 2,000 current job
openings," Catz had said.
The nine incubation centres
will support entrepreneurship
and development of innovative
startups by providing software,
tools and training to new soft
ware and technology companies
utilizing Java and the Oracle plat
form.
These centres will be located in
Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurgaon,
Hyderabad, Mumbai, Noida,
Pune,
Trivandrum
and
Vijayawada.
added.
The Railways pay about Rs 10,000
crore as dividend annually.
While clarifying on the new date of the
budget, Jaitley said it will be advanced
and the government inprinciple wants
the Finance Bill to be passed before
March 31. But the date of the budget will
be decided depending on various state
elections dates.
T he advancement of the date is to
ensure the Finance Bill is passed in the
first half of the Budget session than to
spill over to the second half after recess.
Nonplan expenditure is what the gov
ernment spends on the socalled nonpro
ductive areas, such as salaries, subsidies,
loans and interest, while plan expendi
ture pertains to the money to be set aside
for productive purposes, like the various
projects of ministries.
Finance ministry officials said after the
abolition of the Planning Commission,
the re levance of plan and nonplan
expenditure is lost and a better indica
tor of productive and general expendi
ture will be a distinction under the heads
of revenue and capital.
Google enters messaging

segment with Allo
New Delhi: Internet search giant
Google announced the launch of
Google Allo a new smart messag
ing app that he lps users make
plans, find information as well as
express with ease, all within the
chat. Packed with innovative fea
tures including smart reply, options
for sharing photos, emojis and
stickers, Google Allo makes it easier
for users to respond quickly and
keep the conversation moving, even
when one is on the go.
"Whether it's planning a night out
or just catching up, we rely on mes
saging to stay in touch with friends
and family every day. But too often
we have to hit pause on our conver
sation. So we created Allo, a mes
saging app that helps you keep
your conversation going, by provid
ing assistance when you need it,"
said Amit Fulay, Group Product
Manager at Google. Users may no
longer need to leave a conversation

with friends just to grab an address,
or share a YouTube video, or pick a
dinner spot. The Google Assistant
in the Allo app will answer ques
tions. Users can also type @google
to bring the Assistant into chats
with friends the statement read.
Apart from answers, Goog le
Assistant in Google Allo can also
provide latest news, weather, traf
fic, sports, or upcoming flight sta
tus. Users can also get information
from pharmacies to ATMs, banks,
parking, gas stations and grocery
stores, etc., and directions right
within their conversation from the
Google Assistant. The app, available
on Android and iOS platforms, has
enabled smart replies in "Hinglish"
and rolled out 200 stickers created
by popular independent artists that
are specifically relevant to Indian
users.
24 September 24-30, 2016
SPORTS
India appoints new BCCI selectors

Mumbai: Former India wicketkeeper M.S.K.
Prasad was appointed the new chairman of
selectors while Ajay Shirke was retained
unopposed as the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary at its 87th
Annual General Meeting (AGM) here. No
other nominations were received for the
BCCI's secretary's post. T he AGM was
chaired by BCCI President Anurag Thakur.
Shirke became the secretary in July after
Thakur was elevated to the president's
post, vacated by Shashank Manohar who
quit BCCI to become the International
Cricket Council (ICC) chairman. He is also
chie f of the Maharashtra Cricket
Association (MCA).
A new fivemember selection panel was
formed, headed by Prasad (South Zone),
which also included former of fspinner
Sarandeep Singh (North Zone), exbatsmen
Gag an Kho da (Central Zone), Devang
Gandhi (East Zone) and Jatin Paranjpe
(West Zone).
Ajay Shirke, Board of Control for

Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary
Gandhi, Paranjpe and Singh were the new
additions to the panel. Prasad, who was
part of the earlier selection panel, replaced
Sandeep Patil as its chairman.
He played six Tests and 17 Onedayers
for India between 1998 and 2000, having
made his international debut against
Sania, Bopanna
slam Paes for
Olympic comments
Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna.

New Delhi: The infighting among
Indian tennis has flared up again
with Sania Mirza and Rohan
Bopanna lashing out at veteran
Leander Paes for his remarks on
the country's doubles teams at the
last two Olympics.
Talking to the media forllowing
India's 05 loss to Spain in their
Davis Cup World Group Playof f
tie here, Paes had said: "I can very,
very clearly say that at the past
two Olympics, we didn't put the
best teams forward. T his
Olympics, the mixed doubles was
a huge opportunity."
The reference to the mixed dou
bles combination was a direct crit
icism of Sania and Bopanna's per
formance at the Rio Olympics.
They had lost in the semifinals
before going down in the bronze
medal playof f as well. Paes had
said that the All India Tennis
Association (AITA) had selected

the wrong mixed doubles team,
insisting that it should have been
him and Sania instead.
India's men's doubles team at
the 2016 Olympics comprised
Paes and a reluctant Bopanna,
whose original choice of partner
was Saketh Myneni.
His views, however, evoked
stinging responses from Sania and
Bopanna.
"The ONLY way to win with a
toxic person, is not to play!!! #kar
maiswatching #zenmode," Sania
wrote on her Twitter handle.
Sania's message was retweeted by
Bopanna who also tweeted his dis
pleasure later.
"At it again!! ...the usual ploy to
stay in the news by slanging fel
low
players
in
media.
#Patriotism," the doubles special
ist wrote on Twitter.
Bangladesh in an ODI in 1998.

He played his first Test against New
Zealand in 1999. In 2000, however, he
was dropped from India's Test squad and
did not play international cricket again.
He featured in 96 firstclass matches,
amassing 4,021 runs at an average of
27.73 and claimed 266 dismissals. He
also scored 1,719 runs in 88 List A
games.
The 41yearold was appointed the
Andhra Pradesh captain for the 200708
Ranji Trophy season.
He announced his retirement from the
game in 2008 and later served as Andhra
Cricket Association's director for six
years.
The Gunturborn became a national selec
tor in 2015. He has also served as selector
for the India U19 team.
"It's undoubtedly a great honour. I have a
clearcut vision about how we are heading
to the 2019 World Cup," Prasad was quoted
as saying by espncricinfo.com after his

appointment.
"I always have kept notes about what I
want to do for the 2017 Champions Trophy,
for the 2019 World Cup. There is a lot of
planning. T he best thing is we have
watched as many domestic matches as pos
sible."
Former India pacer, Venkatesh Prasad
was retained as the chairman of the junior
national team's selection committee. Ashish
Kapoor and Amit Sharma were added to the
junior selection committee.
It was also decided that Thakur will con
tinue to remain BCCI representative at the
ICC and the Asian Cricket Council.
Mumbai Cricket Association vicepresi
dent Ashish Shelar was appointed market
ing committee chief.
BCCI held its AGM for 201617 despite
the Justice Lodha committee's recommen
dations which stated the board not conduct
any new business.
India will be too strong for

New Zealand: Brett Lee
New Delhi: Former Australia pace
spearhead Brett Lee feels India
will be too strong a challenge for
New Zealand when the two sides
lock horns in the upcoming three
match Test cricket rubber, start
ing with the first match on
September 22 in Kanpur.
Hailing India's Test side
as "wellbalanced", the 39
yearold said India seriously
looks to be the superior side
on paper with a strong bat
ting lineup.
"I think India will be too
strong for New Zealand.
India has got a lot
of options in the
batting order.
It's a power
packed one,
you
got
S h i k h a r
(Dhawan)
putt ing his
hand
up
after losing
his opportuni
ty," Lee told
IANS on the
side lines of a
panel discussion on the
IndiaNew Zealand
series also featuring for
mer India greats Kapil
Dev and V.V.S. Laxman.
"T hey got a serious bowling
lineup as well. I think they are a
wellbalanced side."
The cricketerturnedcommenta
tor also congratulated India, who
will feature in their 500th Test,
when the Virat Kohliled side
takes on the Kiwis in the first
match at the Green Park stadium.
"It's a great honour for India to
play 500 Test matches. It's going

to be terrific series featuring
three Test matches against New
Zealand. I feel it's really going to
be an exciting one," he said.
After the series
against New Zealand,
India have a long
Test season at home
with England play
ing five Tests at the
end of the year
besides a solitary
match
ag ainst
Bang ladesh fol
lowed by
Former Australia pace

spearhead Brett Lee
another four against Australia in
the new year.
As part of its preparations for
the Ashes series and the tour to
the subcont inent, Cricket
Australia (CA) recently appointed
Englishman Graeme Hick as the
national team's specialist batting
coach which Lee feels may poten
tially work out in their favour
while facing India.
"Yes it could work. Potentially it

may help Australia I just think it
all comes down to the individual
player. It is obviously great to
have mentors, coaches and sup
port staf f but at the end of the
day they are going to play on the
cricket field."
Lee also had a piece of advice
for the young Australian side led
by Steve Smith, when they travel
to the country, where the
Kangaroos were thrashed 04 in
the 2013 FebruaryMarch Test
series.
"One thing where Australian
cricketers have improved is work
ing on the ball and understanding
the science behind the reverse
swing. We all know there is a
right or wrong way to do it
and Australian cricketers now
know that reverse swing in India
is the key," he said.
Lee, who has played for vari
ous T20 leagues across the
world, including the Indian
Premier League (IPL), credited
the cashrich IPL for helping
Australian cricketers better
understand subcontinental condi
tions.
"Playing in the IPL definitely
helped the Australians get accus
tomed to the Indian conditions
when they play for the national
side. It's because they still play in
the low and slow wickets during
the IPL," Lee, who took 310 wick
ets in 76 Tests, said.
"It's one of those things that the
more you play cricket here the
better you become. If they would
n't have played here over the
years it's definitely going to affect
their results."
MEDIA
25
IndoAmerican Press Club hosts debate

in Houston on presidential election
Houston, TX: The IndoAmerican
Press Club Houston Chapter
recently organized and hosted a
debate and discussion on the
upcoming Presidential election. Its
purpose was to impart political edu
cation, enhance political awareness
and increase participation of the
Indian community in the political
process.
The presidential discussion with
representatives from both the
Trump and Hillary campaigns, held
at Stafford Civic Center in Houston
on Sept 11, was attended by a large
number of Indian Americans, politi
cal personalities and community
leaders. IAPC is a nonprofit formed
three years ago to create a common
platform for media professionals in
USA and Canada, thus giving them a
powerful voice in the media world
and larger society.
The event also worked as a soft
launch of IAPCs Houston chapter
with Easo Jacob as its president. In
his welcome remarks, he said, the
presidential debate followed the
motto of the press club, which is
Informed Action Promotes
Change. After Mike ONeill,
President of The Houston Press
Club, opened the event, Cyriac
Scaria, IAPC National Committee
member, spoke on Path to
Mainstream, stressing why Indian
Americans should shed their shy
ness about politics and participate
actively in the process.
Some of the dignitaries present
included Hon. Judge Joel Clouser,
HCC Trustee Neeta Sane, Ken
Mathew Pro Tem Mayor of
Staf ford, Dr. Kendell Baker State
Representative Candidate, Len
Swanson Advisor to Donald
Trump, Democratic Party Fort Bend
County Chairwoman Cynthia Gyn,
and State Representative Candidate
Sarah DeMerchant.
Presentations were made by the
panel of political experts favoring
the Democratic candidate Hillary
Clinton and Republican candidate
Donald Trump. The debate was
moderated by Attorney Scott
Brasington. Republican side includ
Many Indian American media professionals were honored at the

Houston event on September 11.
ed Dr. Kendell Baker, Dr. Nik Nikam,
Ramesh Cherivirala, Sangeeta Dua,
and Len Swanson, and Democratic
side was he lmed by State
Representative Ron Raynolds, KP
George, Amee Patel, and veteran
journalist Jawahar Malhotra.
The partisan and fiery rhetoric
from both sides excited the audi
ence to help them to contrast the
two candidates and vote their con
science in the election Nov 8.
The entertainment during the
evening was provided by singer
Grady Long who sang several songs
in different languages.
The evening concluded with a
vote of thanks by Babu Jesudas of
IAPC, and was followed by dinner.
Lakshmi Peter emceed the event.
About 40 prominent Indo
American media professionals in
the greater Houston area were rec
ognized at the event, which was
supported by other community
organizations. Afterwards, Len
Swanson said in an email: I felt I
was successful in presenting and
discussing privately with key Indian
leaders and other guests as to why
the GOP had more to of fer to the
Indian community given our mutual
conservative and entrepreneurial
values than the Democratic
Socialists. In fact I was the only
speaker who was applauded mid
way through my presentation as I
hit upon the key points that the
Presentations were made by the panel of political experts

favoring the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and
Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Indian community here in Houston

did come to the US legally not ille
gally, that their community is espe
cially a very successful model of
How to that other communities
should emulate.
(from right) Cyriac Scaria of IAPC, singer Grady Long who sings in
Indian languages also, IAPC Houston president Easo Jacob,
and Suja Long.
MEDIA CONFERENCE
The IndoAmerican Press Club is holding its 3rd Media Conference dur
ing the Columbus Day weekend (Oct 810, 2016) at the Hilton Stamford
Hotel and Executive Meeting Center in Stamford, Connecticut. IAPCs
chairman is Ginsmon Zacharia and current President is Parveen Chopra.
26
LIFESTYLE
Add some eye candy to your garden this fall

By Melinda Myers
horten the winter season
with the help of spring flow
ering bulbs that you plant in
fall. These beauties often provide
the first bit of color, fragrance
and winter relief each year.
Look for new and unique ways
to incorporate bulbs into your
landscape. Create a seasonal
water feature with a river of blue
scillas and grape hyacinths mean
dering throug h the g arden.
Welcome visitors with a front
door or walkway garden that
blooms from early spring
through early summer and is
loaded with crocus, tulips, daf
fodils and allium.
Dont overlook those shady
spots. Many of these locations
provide enough early season sun,
before the trees leaf out, for
bulbs to grow and flower. Use
more shade tolerant spring
bloomers like snowdrops, grape
hyacinths, scillas, anemones, daf
fodils, fritillarias and Camassias
in shady areas among hostas,
ferns and other shade tolerant
perennials.
Whether youre new or experi
enced, growing bulbs is an easy
endeavor. Just follow these sim
ple steps to a beautiful spring
garden.
those at Longfield Gardens. Low

g row ing
W hite
Splendor
anemone along with Ocean Magic
grape hyacinth make a striking
combination for under shrubs.
The yellow blossoms of Dutch
Master daf fodils, pink Involve
tulips and purplish blue grape
hyacinths will give you several
layers of color in the garden.
Or add a bit of eyecatching red
to the garden throughout the
spring with the Really Red collec
tion of tulips. Red Emperor starts
things out in early spring, fol
lowed by Oxford and ends with
doubleflowering Red Princess
and Sky High Scarlet.
SELECTION
Purchase bulbs that are dense
and firm, and free of bruises or
mold. Shop early for the best
selection. Mail order sources will
LOCATION
Dutch Master daffodils, Involve tulips and Muscari provide

several layers of color in the garden. (Photo credit: Longfield Gardens)
ship your bulbs at the proper
planting time. If you buy locally,
store the bulbs in a dry, wellven
tilated and cool 60degree loca
tion until its time to plant.
Dont let deer, rabbits and chip
munks dissuade you from plant
ing. Include hyacinths, grape
hyacinths, scillas, gloryofthe
snow, fritillarias, alliums and
Camassias that the animals tend
to overlook.
DESIGN IDEAS
Include a variety of bulbs for
added color throughout spring.
FIRST PERSON
By Karishma Asoodani
hile all people I know were busy meeting
their admission deadlines in India, I on the
other side of the world was preoccupied with
thoughts of whether the city I shall fly to is going to
help build my future. The world is too small to explore
and too huge to imagine. With dreams and aspira
tions, I left one mega city, New York (where I was tak
ing a shortterm media course) for another, Mumbai,
which did welcome me with rain at the drop of a hat.
How do you convince a girl to love rains when she
despises it, to admire a strange city over home (Delhi)
and to catch up with the fast rhythm of the cocooned
city. The gliding, lightfooted dance that all of the
Mumbai seems to know is not an easy catch for every
one.
I had chosen what is the dream college of every stu
dent (St Xaviers) that finds references in media all the
time. Things I learnt on my first day in college was,
Mumbai versus Delhi is not just a political battle, the
taxi driver is not your bhaiyya and vada pav is more
than pizza. While stepping over the oozing sewage on
the road, I took a cab from CST to Nariman Point. The
fare was Rs 75, I gave a hundred rupee note to the
driver and started walking away. The driver called me
back, gave me the balance of Rs 25! Hmmm.
Early bloomers like Glory of the

Snow, crocus, early tulips and
daf fodils, and grape hyacinths
(Muscari) are followed by mid
season daffodils and tulips along
w ith frit illarias. Late spring
blooming tulips and alliums fin
ish off the spring display.
Combine several bulbs that
bloom at the same time to double
the floral impact or at dif ferent
t imes to extend the color
throughout the spring. You can
create your own combinations or
look for prepackaged combina
tions prepared by experts like
Plant bulbs in welldrained soil

for best results. Avoid areas such
as next to the dryer vent or
against the south side foundation
of your home that tend to warm
up early in spring or experience a
winter thaw. These bulbs often
sprout too early and subsequent
cold temperatures can limit or
eliminate their bloom.
Reduce maintenance and boost
your gardens beauty by mixing
bulbs with perennials. Once the
bulbs are done blooming, the
neighboring perennials mask the
fading bulb foliage.
WHEN AND HOW

TO PLANT
Increase growing success in
poor soils by incorporating sever
al inches of compost, peat moss
or other organic matter into the

top 12 of soil. This improves
drainage in clay soil and the
waterholding ability of sandy
and rocky soils. Then be sure to
incorporate a low nitrogen, slow
release fertilizer.
Wait to plant your bulbs until
the soil cools. This is any time
after the night temperatures are
consistently 40 to 50 degrees,
but several weeks before the
ground freezes.
Plant spring blooming bulbs
three times as deep as the bulb is
tall. Water thoroughly to remove
air pockets and encourage fall
root g rowth. Add a layer of
mulch to conserve moisture, sup
press weeds and reduce the risk
of early sprouting.
So break out your trowel and
garden gloves and get busy plant
ing. Youll be glad you did when
spring arrives and your yard and
garden are filled with a rainbow
of beautiful flowers.
(Melinda Myers has over 30

years of gardening experience
and has written over 20 garden
ing books, including Small Space
Gardening. She hosts The Great
Courses How to Grow Anything:
Food Gardening For Everyone
DVD set and the nationally syndi
cated Melindas Garden Moment
TV & radio program. Myers is a
columnist and contributing editor
for Birds & Blooms magazine and
was commissioned by Longfield
Gardens for her expertise to write
this article.)
NEW GIRL IN THE CITY

It has been over a month since my touchdown on a
rainy Mumbai runway. While Mumbai and I got on the
wrong foot, it was still pleasant when I came across
somebody I liked. No, it was not Shah Rukh or Salman.
Like an oasis in the Sahara, I made my way towards
him tucked in a formal suit he sat there sipping cof
fee. I watched hundreds of onlookers, young and old
strangers full of life. But in that crowd I lost the one I
would have liked to talked to.
I pondered where to go in a city I did not know yet.
That night, I discovered the magic of Marine Drive,
the essence of Bhel puri and the miracle of a sad song.
The loner in me felt happy and I just wished it would
rain.
Next morning, I woke up to a bright sunlit morning,
with hopes, aspirations and dreams. Those trodden
paths, rainy mornings, blackyellow taxis now were a
perpetual painting in the making.
City of dreams, Mumbai comes alive every day to
me. Strangers have been asking me to have a good
day everywhere I go. Garrulous women in the local
train arguing over petty issues makes sense now. In a
crowd of millions, I learn a lesson every day. I had
spent all my life living as the youngest in a family of
10 members and had been told far too many times,
"You will learn when the time comes." It took me 21
years to realize why.
COMMUNITY
27
Diwali Stamp dedication and

sale at NY consulate on Oct 5
dedication and buys even one set of
20 stamps or buys by preorder will
have a chance to win one round trip
ticket to India. Those who buy multi
ples of 10 sheets of stamps will get
one chance per 10 Sheets; more
sheets you buy, more chances you
get. In addition, anyone who buys
$10,000 or more worth of Diwali
stamps by PreSale will get 1 round
trip ticket (limited to first 7 free
India tickets).
Winners of the free Air India
roundtrip tickets will be selected and
announced on the same day.
Ravi Batra has clarified that only
PreOrder Retail Forms (that you can
clip from this pg and use) received
by the Diwali Stamp Project by
October 3 are eligible for Air India
Free Raffle Roundtrip Ticket as per
the rules. The form created by the
USPS with the logos of USPS and the
Diwali Stamp Project must be mailed
by September 27, 2016 to:
Ranju Batra
Chair, Diwali Stamp Project
The Batra Building
142 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10016.
For any queries, her via email is
ranjubatra@aol.com, and cell No.
9148825670.
TV Asia is also doing a road show
for the Diwali stamp the PreSale
TV Asia Tour in New Jersey,
Washington DC, Atlanta, Chicago,
Houston and San Francisco.
The release of the Diwali postage
stamp is a momentous occasion and
the successful culmination of a long
sought goal of the IndianAmerican
community. But now that USPS has
delivered on its part the Oct 5 cer
emony will be attended by high offi
cials from USPS the community
should do its part by driving up the
sale of the Forever Stamp. When
asked by The South Asian Times,
Ranju said, they are targeting Diwali
Stamp sales of $100,000.
Ranju had taken up the Diwali
stamp project with a dire determina
tion around 201112 when she was
President of the Association of
Indians in America NY chapter
(AIA), which is known for organizing
the Deepavali Festival at South Street
Seaport in New York every year in
October. She received support from
many community leaders along the
way, but it was Rep Carloyn Maloney
who provided the legislative push.
Many other lawmakers like Grace
Meng, Ami Bera, and Tulsi Gabbard
joined the cause, which was even
blessed by President Obama and
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While festivals of other religious
communities have been honored
with postage stamps, the reluctance
to issue the Diwali stamp was diffi
cult to fathom. What convinced the
USPS advisory committee was the
paper petitions in support organized
by Ranju Batra around the year
2013.
Finally on August 23, 2016, in
front of New York City Hall Steps,
Cut here to preorder Diwali Stamps

To be eligible for Air India's free round trip ticket to India, mail this form to the Diwali Stamp Project address given in this story.
the world was informed that the
Diwali Stamp will be issued on
October 5, 2016.
With the release of the Forever
Stamp, the USPS will commemorate
the joyous festival of Diwali. The fes
tive stamp is aesthetically designed
and features a traditional diya set on
sparkling gold background. The pho
tograph of the diya, symbolic of
Diwali, was shot by Sally Andersen
Bruce of New Milford, Connecticut.
The design is by Greg Breeding of
Charlottesville, Virginia. William J.
Gicker from Washington, DC, has
been the project's art director.
The stamp can also be purchased
from USPS website, or from many

major post of fices, but those pur
chases are not eligible for Air Indias
free round trip tickets to India.
Vandana Sharma Air India
Regional Manager Americas issued
a statement on the history making
achievement: "As the national carrier
of India, it is with great pride that Air
India has been asked to help com
memorate the issuance of the first
ever Diwali Forever Stamp by the US
Postal Service. This year, India's
most festive holiday will be especial
ly noteworthy because of this out
standing achievement. All South
Asians in the US who celebrate
Diwali should be extremely proud,

and should join me in acknowledg
ing the efforts of the Diwali Stamp
Project Chair Mrs. Ranju Batra and
her team, as well as the invaluable
support of Congresswoman Mrs.
Carolyn Maloney."
At the Wednesday press confer
ence at the consulate, Ravi Batra,
Chair, National Advisory Council,
South Asian Affairs, said with liter
ary flourishes, "From Indian tea star
ring in the Boston Tea Party in
1773, the start of the American
Revolution, destiny has beckoned
United States and India to be the
closest allies.
It may have taken over 200 years,

the end of the Cold War and the Civil
Nuclear Deal, but the Forever Diwali
Stamp represents nothing short of
respectful inclusive indivisibility: E
Pluribus Unum within America and
between two sovereigns. That the
Diwali Stamp Projects campaign
successfully sought hardworking
Rep. Carolyn Maloneys national
leadership, and later even President
Obamas and Prime Minister Modis
support speaks to soft powers bene
ficial effects in nations and commu
nities embracing as a vehicle for
greater peace & security around the
world."
28
HUMOR
Funny Side by Nury Vittachi
HOW A GLITCH MADE MY FAKE NAME RICH
once told people my name was

Wazzupp Nindood.
The default greeting of that era was
Whats happenin dude? so my name was
on everyones lips and I was famous at my
new school for a while.
***
People who find it hard to think of fake
names just copy signs. Years ago, I had an
army cadet friend who adopted the pseu
donym Private Keepout.
***
The topic of fake names arose when a
reader told me about a scandal in the US
state of Massachusetts. A pharmacy boss
told staff to write fake prescriptions which
must resemble real names.
But staff typed in the names Coco Puff,
Filet OFish and Bud Weiser. They got
caught.
This seems unfair. Theres almost defi
nitely a Bud Weiser on this planet, and I
know for sure theres at least one guy
whose real name is Bud Light.
***
On my early journalistic visits to China,
arriving passengers had to fill in endless
forms for of ficials who clearly read no
English.
My colleagues and I signed in as Disney
characters, the Beatles, various US presi

dents and Pope John Paul II.
Once I just wrote Fake Name as my fake
name.
(These days some read English and have
guns, so do NOT try this now.)
***
In 2006, when Gmail was invitation only,
an Indian civil servant named Manesh
asked me to set up an account for him
using his middle name (Vinod) and moth
ers maiden name (Sarkar).
A year later, he set up an account using
his real name, but I forgot to delete his
fake one.
After 12 months, the nonexistent Vinod
Sarker began to evolve in the primordial
slime which is the internet.
With no help from me or Manesh, it sub
scribed to newsletters and junk mail, then
it joined LinkedIn, opened a Facebook
account and started getting lots of friends.
After three years, it got a mobile phone.
Recently it opened an account at ING
Bank. Its bank statement (which is copied
to me) says theres three million rupees in
it, which is about USD 48,000.
I am offended. Its a web glitch and its
putting aside more cash than I am!
***
Anyway, its existence is clear proof of

evolution. Would my children PLEASE
NOTE that it grew from a single fake name
to a successful, active socialite with zero
financial investment. It can be done.
***
The people I feel sorry for are real folk
with names which sound fake, especially if
they match their jobs.
I just hope Anna Sasin never becomes a
contract killer, Warren Peace never
becomes an author, and Cara Sterio never
goes into automobile music system sales in
places where they speak Italian English.
***
A colleague forwarded me a news clip
ping in which retired British military man

Stan Still complains that his commander
used to shout Stan Still, get a move on,
and then start laughing. Poor him. I bet
that joke got old quickly.
***
When I retire, I am going to buy three
budgerigars and call them Itza Bird, Itza
Plane and Itzu Perman.
And to ensure a happy retirement, Ill set
up another fake gmail account and pray
that it evolves into an account holder at
some fancy Swiss bank.
From now on, please address me as
Wazzupp Nindood, former celebrity.
***
Laughter is the Best Medicine
BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA
AND
PAKISTAN
New York Head Quarter
422S Broadway
HICKSVILLE
NY 11801
5168271010
by Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and
humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the
immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat,
he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
ASTROLOGY
29
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874

Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
SEPTEMBER 2430, 2016

ARIES: A firm commitment will not only
enable to achieve professional targets but
also to realise your dreams. A week when
misunderstandings at family front are sorted out
with ease. Monetary position is likely to improve
later in the week. Romantic entanglement would
add spice to your happiness. Your confidence
and energy will be high this week. Affordable
luxury vacation will explore your desires. You
might apply for bank loan as to get back the pos
session of your mortgaged property. Personal
problems would require keeping a tight hold
over emotions.
TAURUS: Cooperative nature brings
desired results at professional front.
Believe it or not someone in the family is
watching you closely and considers you a role
model. Hard work of previous weeks brings
good fortune enabling to fulfill monetary prom
ises. Chances of your love life turning into life
long bond are high on the card. A week when
smile will perpetually be on your face and
strangers will seem familiar. Perfect getaway
time for you and your partner. T here are
chances of getting good amount from an older
property of yours. Time to focus attention on
charity and helping the needy to your benefit.
GEMINI: For some change of job would
bring mental satisfaction. An important
development at personal front brings
jubilation for entire family. You succeed in mak
ing some extra cash on playing your cards well.
Exciting week as your long pending wait for
affirmation is going to materialize. Your energy
level will be high. Better to channelise it in a pos
itive direction. A group of friends or your part
ner is looking forward for a vacation with you.
The plot you were looking for can be profitable
from investment point of view. Make life sublime
by involving yourself for others benefit.
CANCER: Your inner values coupled

with a positive attitude will bring suc
cess at work. A happy time in the com
pany of friends and relatives as they do many
favours to you. An auspicious week to invest
money on items that would grow in value.
Enjoying the company of partner in a lively
restaurant would bring immense romantic pleas
ure. Positive outlook impresses those around
you besides keeping you fit & fine. A leisure trip
will prove to be a premium time for you. It is bet
ter to try for your office accommodation as soon
as possible. If possible, dont force opinion on
others no matter what the situation is.
LEO: Responding positively & quickly to
new ideas in business will go in your
favour. Enjoying the company of close rel
atives will brighten your evening. Investment on
longterm plans would pave the way for earning
financial gains. The presence of love would make
you feel life meaningful. Charity work undertaken
will bring mental peace & comfort. You might get
a chance for business trip, which will help you in
new connections. Time to think about your invest
ment plans, as investing residentially might be
profitable. High time to improve contacts especial
ly with influential persons.
VIRGO: Calculated risks at professional
front will be rewarded with success.
Shopping with family members will be
highly pleasurable and exciting. Improvement in
finances makes it convenient in clearing long
pending dues & bills. Love life brings some mem
orable moments that you could cherish rest of
your life. Meditation and selfrealization prove
beneficial. Traveling overseas would be an expe
rience full of spark that enlightens your imagina
tion. Your investment can be done on a cheap or
smaller piece of land. Time to exploit active, pio
neering and exploring nature to your benefit.
LIBRA: You will be successful in regain

ing your professional touch. You will be
at the limelight in a social gathering
provided you attend. Successful execution of
brilliant ideas would help in earning financial
profits. Your flashing smile would work as the
best antidote for romantic partners unhappiness.
You will have ample time to do things to improve
your health. Travel plans for better communica
tion will be helpful for new horizons. Family can
be helpful on acquiring your property or plot.
High time to have some principles and follow
them methodically to succeed.
SCORPIO: Selfconfidence helps in mak
ing an impact at professional front this
week. You will be the star of attraction of
familys gettogether this week. A very successful
week as far as monetary position is concerned.
Sharing candyfloss and tof fees with
lover/beloved would bring unlimited joy. Sound
physical health will enable to participate in out
door activities.
Business or vacation traveling is what you need
ed right now. Its time to invest in property and
get most profitable method to maximize your
bank balance. Be original in conversation, as put
ting up an act would only harm you.
SAGITTARIUS : Valuable support from a
colleague would help in professional
matters. Help from family members
would take care of your needs. Indications of
earning financial profits through commissions,
dividends or royalties. Company of love partner
would inspire to take initiatives this week. You
will be successful in getting rid from tensions.
Implementation of new ideas to travel will be
beneficiary for you on work front. Investing
overseas can provide you new business opportu
nities. You need to carefully listen & follow
friends advice to pass testing times.
CAPRICORN: Good week for computer

professionals as they realise their
dreams. You will enjoy the time spent
with family members and friends. Important
people will be ready to finance anything that
has a special class to it. Love works like a
panacea as you find sanity. A sparkling laugh
ter filled week when most things proceed, as
you desire.
Travel plans for ambitions are in full bloom.
Selling your plot might increase your bank
balance. Make sure you dont afraid to express
whats in your mind.
AQUARIUS: An excellent time for
developing professional contacts.
Your generous behaviour would
enable to enjoy some lovely moments with
family. Property dealings would materialize
helping in bringing fabulous gains. Love part
ner touches soul that would take imagination
to unlimited heights. Your enormous confi
dence would help in enjoying a healthy life. A
beckon destination sounds tempting to you.
Buyers will get attracted to your property as
your property value is good. You try to associ
ate yourself with voluntary work to enjoy
mental peace.
PISCES: Senior colleagues cooperation
brings success at professional front.
Friends and family members would
lend a helping hand. You are likely to earn
monetary gains through various sources.
Someones timely help would enable visualiz
ing succeeding in love.
A very healthy week filled with happiness &
vitality. Planning a trip for your love will
embrace you and your spouse. If you wish to
achieve a good deal in property then try at
commercial basis. Show willingness to help
others in any way.
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK

24th September, 2016
Ruled planet: Venus Ruled by no: 6
Traits in you: As you are ruled by Venus, you are simple,
generous, cheerful, friendly, humble, honest and peace
loving. You are pretty interested to stay in harmony with
each and everyone in your surroundings. You need to
work on your nature of being restless and pessimistic.
Health this year: You will enjoy a better health this year
as compared to last year. However, the health of an aged
family member may deteriorate and that will make you
bothered. You may end up spending lot of money for the
health issues of your family members.
Finance this year: Your past investments may yield a lot
of money for you this year. You need to be extra cautions
while investing huge amounts as it is a bit risky to put
money on unpredictable things. Overall, you will enjoy a
strong financial condition.
Career this year: You will be given more responsibility
this year as you have proved yourself to be an efficient
resource for your employer. You may expect a promotion
or salary hike later this year. You should guide your ordi
nates to perform better and bring unexpected results for
your organization.
Romance this year: If you are yet to be in a relationship,
this year is the ideal time to find a partner. You will get
ample support from your spouse in any critical decision
you have to take. You should show your love to your part
ner as it strengthens your relationship.
Ruled planet: 7 Ruled by no: Neptune
Traits in you: As you are governed by planet Neptune,
you are blessed with various positive characters. You are
confident, decisive, generous, humorous, honest, modest
and optimistic. You are not an admirer of arguments or
silly fights. You should work on your nature of being self
ish, pessimistic, and arrogant.
Health this year: You will enjoy a better health this year
as compared to last year. However, the health of an aged
family member may deteriorate and that will make you
bothered. You may end up spending lot of money for the
health issues of your family members.
Finance this year: Your undisputed energy and enthusi
asm to earn money will make you financially stable this
year. You may go for property sale this year and earn a
lot of money.
Career this year: Professionally you will enjoy a smooth
life. You may get recognition in your professional circuit
as a result of your hard work and dedication. Your pro
motion is on cards. You should take help of your seniors
to learn quickly and perform exceptionally well as it
would help you grow professionally.
Romance this year: You will spend a peaceful life with

your love interest this year. You will lead a blissful life
with your beloved with lots of love, care, concern, and
support.
Ruled planet: Saturn Ruled by no: 8
Traits in you: Your ruling planet Saturn makes you hum
ble, honest, focused, practical, realistic and enthusiastic.
You are blessed with enormous talent and imagination.
Along with the positive characters in you, there are some
negative aspects in your nature. You need to work on
your nature of being envious, unreliable, and indiscipline.
Health this year: Your health will remain good through
out the year. You need to take utmost care of your health
to maintain it and remain fit. The health of your family
members might be a concern for you this year. Try and
avoid your bad habits and start practicing yoga for the
betterment of your health.
Finance this year: You will be among major financial
gains this year. You may go for a real estate transaction
later this year and this will bring you a lot of money to
cherish. You may start up a new business. If you are
already into business, you may plan for expanding its ter
ritory this year.
Career this year: Your interest and enthusiasm to per
form will make you an extraordinary performer in your
professional circuit. You will be respected and rewarded
for your work. You need to take the leadership responsi
bility to cement your position in your organization.
Romance this year: You may try and convert your long
time romantic relationship to a married one. You will be
enjoying a great life with your spouse with lots of under
standing, love, and care. You need not get into any kind of
argument with your beloved this year.
Ruled planet: Mars Ruled by no: 9
Traits in you: Being influenced by Mars, you are believed
to be the master of a charismatic personality. You are
courteous, courageous, energetic, realistic, modest, and
responsive. You follow religion very keenly. However,
you have few problems in your attitude and that needs to
be worked on for the betterment of your individuality.
Health this year: Though you would not face any major
health related issues, you should take extra care of your
health. Do not take unwanted risk of putting your health
in stake. Go for regular medical checkups.
Finance this year: You will be among major financial
gains this year. You may go for a real estate transaction
later this year and this will bring you a lot of money to
cherish. You may start up a new business. If you are
already into business, you may plan for expanding its ter
ritory this year.

Career this year: You will be over ambitious as far as
your career goals are concerned. Take time to plan your
career. Do not be in a hurry for a job change. You will
improve your skills and expertise. You will find your
work pretty interesting and it will give you the job satis
faction you wanted.
Romance this year: Your marital life will go on smoothly
with the gradually growing understanding between you
and your spouse. You will get enough support from your
partner whenever you are in a problem. If you are yet to
marry, you may need to wait for another year.
Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1
Traits in you: Being governed by the Sun, you are
endowed with uniqueness and philosophy. You are coura
geous, daring, courteous, affectionate, decisive, and very
determined. You need to work on your impatience and
short tempered nature.
Health this year: Your overall health would remain fine
this year. Some of the aged members in your family may
fall sick frequently to add your woes. You need to take
care of your family members by providing them better
medical attention.
Finance this year: Your past investments may yield a lot
of money for you this year. You need to be extra cautions
while investing huge amounts as it is a bit risky to put
money on unpredictable things. Overall, you will enjoy a
strong financial condition.
Career this year: Your confidence and hard work will
help you earn a lot of money and you will be able to
expand your business as well. You may go ahead invest
ing on anything you want as this year is pretty rewarding
for you. Your past legal disputes will get resolved this
year and give you enough opportunity to make money.
Romance this year: Your spouse will be supportive
enough throughout the year in crucial times. You can
rely on your partner for any kind of support may be
financial or emotional. You should get married this year
as this is the best time for you.
Ruled planet: 2 Ruled by no: Moon
Traits in you: As you are influenced by the Moon, you
are confident, emotional, imaginative, simple, creative,
courteous, and warm hearted. You can easily make
friends because of your nature so you enjoy enormous
respect amongst your friends. You should control your
mood swings and you should not be lazy.
Health this year: You may enjoy a great health this year.
However, that does not mean you will start neglecting
your health. You need to take care of your diet and nutri
tion to maintain a good health. You may practice some

exercises to remain fit.
Finance this year: You may go through sudden gains and
losses this year. However, you will be capable enough to
find out the source to earn ample amount of money. Your
financial condition will be improved for a long term. If
you are into business, you may enhance your business to
gain better profits. You should invest in real estate this
year as the chances of return are high.
Career this year: Being an efficient professional, you are
highly respected in your professional circuit. Your ordi
nates and seniors may take advice from you. You may get
your long expected promotion this year. Salary hike is
also likely to happen.
Romance this year: You will share a good relationship
with your spouse. You may decide to turn your relation
ship into marriage if you are not married yet. However,
you need to understand your beloved and provide the
required emotional support for the betterment of your
relationship.
Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3
Traits in you: Being ruled by Jupiter, you are courteous,
courageous, decisive, ambitious, disciplined, and realistic.
You are gifted with high imagination power, optimism,
and enthusiasm. However, behaving restless and domi
nating may hamper your characteristics at times. You
need to work on your personality to make yourself better
as an individual.
Health this year: You need to stop your bad habits such
as smoking and consuming alcohol to remain healthy.
You should take expert advice from a doctor to avoid
health related issues. You should take your medicines at
time to avoid further complicacy in your health. Take
care of the health of your spouse and parents as well.
Finance this year: You will be in ample financial gains
this year. Your new business ventures will be successful
this year. You should go for new partnerships and busi
nesses as your star favors your luck this year. You may
go for investments in any sector. Do not spend unneces
sarily in luxury and comfort.
Career this year: You will get enough opportunities in
your professional life to prove yourself. You will create a
better impression on your seniors or higher manage
ment, which may result in promotion. You should work
efficiently to maintain your respect at your workspace.
Romance this year: Your romantic life will become stag
nant this year as you may not give enough time to your
beloved. If you are unmarried and planning to marry this
year, it may not happen because of the negative move
ments of your stars and planets.
30
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Don't stop until the goal

is reached
By Sant Rajinder Singh

Ji Maharaj
azur Baba Sawan Singh Ji

Maharaj was the g reat
spiritual Master who initi
ated Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj
and Sant Darshan Sing h Ji
Maharaj. There are still some ini
tiates left who were initiated by
Hazur and who even met him
physically. While he may have
physically left this physical realm,
he is still very much with us and
those who have their inner eye
opened can still see him within in
the higher realms.
Those who never met Hazur
physically are still entwined in
his circle of grace and love. His
g race cont inued to pour out
through Sant Kirpal Singh Ji
Maharaj and Sant Darshan Singh
Ji Maharaj, and continues even
today. Before Hazur, the teach
ings of Sant Mat were mostly
taught in India. But Hazur opened
the floodgates of spirituality
making Sant Mat available to
people around the world.
When we look at the life of
Hazur, we find that two qualities
stand out. The first quality was
that once he had the awakening
within to find God, he did not
stop until he found a Master.
Once he found his Master, he was
diligent in his meditations until
he attained communion of his
soul with God. The second quality
was that he knew that a part of
spiritual progress rested on lead
ing a life of ethical virtues.
Coupled with being regular in his
meditations, he remained true to
his ethical values.
Unfortunately, many people are
intense about reaching their
goals only for a short period of
time or in short bursts. They do
not maintain the passion and zeal
long enough to attain their goal.
For example, when people are in
the stage of seeking God or look
ing for a Master to show them
the way back to God, they have
great intensity. Often, they expe
rience an awakening in life in
which they realize life has not
given them the happiness they
want. Sometimes they experience
a dif ficulty or shock in life that
awakens them to the truth that
life is suf fering. Others experi
ence disappointment with some
aspect of their life and feel there

must be another way to joy.
Whatever route leads one to seek
God also may drive one to search
with great intensity. When such a
person finds a spiritual teacher or
Master to show him or her the
way back to God, he or she is
often dedicated and committed to
the spiritual pract ices being
taught. Such people put great
effort into meditating and follow
ing an ethical life.
They are happy when they get
some spiritual experience and
start seeing results. Over time,
though, many people become
complacent. T hey fee l that
stall out in their spiritual

progress. They wonder why they
are not making any headway and
seem to be staying in the same
place.
There is a story about a man
who made his living by cutting
down trees and selling the wood
in the market. One day, when he
went into the forest to collect
wood, he found a yogi sitting by
the side of a stream.
The yogi had been meditating,
but came out of meditation as the
man came near. The yogi smiled
at him and said, O woodcutter,
dont stop, but keep moving for
ward. Then, the yogi closed his
er into the forest. After he walked

further than he had ever gone
before, he noticed that the usual
trees he had been cutting down
ended and there was a grove of
sandalwood trees.
Ah, said the man, This must
be what the yogi was telling me. I
never knew there were sandal
wood trees here before. These
are worth much more money
than the trees I had been cutting
down. The man cut down some
sandalwood trees, took them to
the market, and earned a lot
more money for them.
After several days, the man
recalled the words of the yogi
If we see pinpoints of light or lights of any color, we should

meditate longer or more accurately until we see the inner
sky or stars. If we see the inner stars, we should meditate more
accurately, or put in more time to see the inner moon or sun.
If we are seeing the inner moon or sun, we should meditate
with more accuracy, more zeal, more passion, or more time
to see the radiant form of the Master.
because they are on the path
back to God, there is no more
need to make any ef fort. They
begin to take it easy. They feel
their intense need for God has
been met by finding a spiritual
teacher or a path and there is no
more urgency.
They begin to get caught up in
their worldly life again and forget
to put in time for meditation.
They feel because they have the
spiritual key to heaven that even
if they do not follow the ethical
virtues their failures will be over
looked and forgiven. Thus, they
become less diligent about being
nonviolent, loving, caring, and
humble. As a result of forgetting
about meditating and not improv
ing in the ethical virtues, they
eyes and resumed his meditation.

T he man continued his days
work, cutting down some trees,
and then taking them to the mar
ket to se ll. W hen the man
reached home that nig ht he
thought about the words of the
yogi.
The man asked himself, Why
did he tell me not to stop but
keep moving forward? T here
must be some meaning in this.
After giving the words of the yogi
much thought, he realized the
yogi must have meant that he
should not stop at the same place
all the time to cut the wood, but
go further into the forest.
The next day, the man decided
that instead of cutting wood in
the usual area, he would go deep
directing him to not stop but

keep moving forward. The man
thought, I followed that advice
be fore. W hat if I follow that
advice again? The man decided
to go further into the woods,
beyond the sandalwood trees. As
he did so, he discovered that
beyond the sandalwood trees
there was a silver mine. The man
said, Silver will bring me much
more money than the sandal
wood trees. He collected silver
from the mine, went to the mar
ket, and quadrupled his earnings.
Realizing the wisdom of the
yogi, the man thought, What if I
go further than the silver mine?
He went deeper into the forest.
This time he discovered a gold
mine. Digging out the gold, he
went to the market and made

even more money than he had
made with the silver.
The words of the yogi now car
ried great meaning for the man.
Going further into the forest, he
encountered a diamond mine. He
hit the jackpot. The diamonds he
found led him to earn g reat
wealth. He realized that the sim
ple words of the yogi had led him
to greater and greater riches than
he could have ever dreamed.
We are in the same condition as
the man in the story. We are toil
ing away in one part of the forest.
The Masters keep telling us to
awake, arise, and stop not until
the goal is reached. The Masters
tell us, Do not stop, but keep
moving forward. They want us
to go further in our spiritual
practices than we have ever gone
before. They do not want us to
rest on our laurels of whatever
we have attained so far. They
want us to go higher and higher.
To do this, we need to put in
more and more effort.
We should take stock of where
we are. We should examine the
effort we have made to reach the
place we have reached now.
W hatever we have done to
achieve our current state, we
should increase our ef forts to
move forward.
If we see pinpoints of light or
lights of any color, we should
meditate longer or more accu
rately until we see the inner sky
or stars. If we see the inner stars,
we should meditate more accu
rately, or put in more time to see
the inner moon or sun. If we are
seeing the inner moon or sun, we
should meditate with more accu
racy, more zeal, more passion, or
more time to see the radiant form
of the Master. If we have reached
the first realm within, the astral
realm, we should progress fur
ther to the causal realm. If we
have reached the causal realm we
should transcend to the supra
causal realm. If we have reached
the supracausal realm, we should
transcend further to Sach Khand
and merge back in God.
(To be continued....)
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj

is an internationally recognized
spiritual leader and Master of
Jyoti Meditation who affirms the
transcendent oneness at the heart
of all religions and mystic traditions, emphasizing ethical living
and meditation as building blocks
for achieving inner and outer
peace. www.sos.org.

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New York: US stocks posted solid

The Committee judges that the

2016, implying one rate hike

Queens hotel owner argues against

protesters who had been

HolidayInnEx Maspeth said,

September 24-30, 2016

Indian Americans to take part

ing Donald Trumps candiacy. Bruce

Yahoo hack hit

along with encrypted or unen

mate wars. This is an opportunity to

Facebook teams up with

India claims diplomatic

Jaipur (India) Bureau

Co-Founder: Saroosh Gull

Contributing Editors: Meenakshi Iyer,

President: Arjit Mehta

whole world is aware of

IANS Newswire Services

Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/

Printing: Five Star Printing, NY

Photo Journalist: Sandeep Girhotra

Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah

Chief Operating Officer:

West Coast Correspondent

Art and Design: Dhiraj Kumar Showaan

Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra

New Delhi Bureau

Web Editor: Bharat Bhushan Chopra

September 24-30, 2016

SIKH HERO helps police

would have done.

that I'm lucky to live in a commu

when all Americans

Balochis, Indians protest outside UN during Pak PM Sharif's speech

violations by Pakistan just as Sharif was

Air India to double its

Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune and more.

Karan Mahajan nominated for National Book Award

Pakistanoccupied Kashmir' and 'Killing

"exporting terror and let its neighbors live

September 24-30, 2016