The South Asian Times

e x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
Vol.11 No. 13 July 28-Aug 3, 2018 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Pakistan polls on Wednesday

Kamal Haasan, V. Richards
Imran Khan likely
to emerge PM & Chintu Patel to headline
Islamabad: Imran
Khan‑led Pakistan
Tehreek‑i‑Insaf
and the Pakistan
India Day Parade in NYC
Muslim League‑
Nawaz of jailed
former PM Nawaz
Sharif are running
"neck and neck"
with the PTI
ahead nationally
and the PML‑N
PTI party led by cricketer‑turned‑politician has
ahead in the cru‑
an edge over PML–N. (Photo courtesy Reuters)
cial province of
Punjab, according to a poll of by, 3‑6%, depending on the polls
polls computed by Gallup considered, from its vote bank of
Superstar Kamal Haasan: Cricket legend Vivian Richards and Chintu Patel, Co‑Chairman
Pakistan on Tuesday, the eve of general elections in 2013, the
Grand Marshal for the Bollywood actress Shruti Haasan: of Amneal Pharmaceuticals:
general elections in Pakistan. PTI vote bank during the same
Parade on Aug 19 Guests of Honor Community Grand Marshal
The poll of polls constitutes time period has nearly doubled
the average of poll findings by from its score of 17% in 2013. New York: Actor and politician
five different polling organiza‑
tions, Gallup Pakistan said in a
The rise of PTI is explained
both by decline of PML‑N as well
Kamal Haasan, his daughter Shruti
Haasan and legendary West Indian SATimes to publish India
cricketer Vivian Richards as well as
report.
The poll of polls indicates that
as decline in votes of other par‑
ties (as well as share of Chintu Patel, Co‑Chairman of
Amneal Pharmaceuticals, will head‑
Day Special with FIA tie-up
the dramatic rise of PTI at both Independents in the voting pat‑
line the annual India Day Parade
We are pleased to announce The South Asian Times
national and provincial level is tern), Gallup said. e x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
the collaboration and associa‑
mostly on account of winning The ascent of PTI to catch up here next month that will bring peo‑
tion for the India Day Special 2018. This yearʼs India Day
over voters of PML‑N as well as with PML‑N could cause a major ple of diverse communities and eth‑
edition with Federation of Indian Parade on August 19, organized
other parties, it said. upset for the parliamentary seat nicities together for the largest
Associations (FIA, NY‑NJ‑CT), by the FIA, will be made special
Thus, while the vote bank of distribution in Punjab, it said. parade outside India to mark the
commemorating the by the presence of superstar
PML‑N has declined nationally Continued on page 4 countryʼs Independence Day.
Independence Day of India Continued on page 4
Continued on page 4

India emerging as global manufacturing, Trump to grant $12 B to

start-up hub: Prime Minister Modi
Kampala, Uganda: India is emerging as a
global manufacturing and start‑up hub and
many of the 'Made‑in‑India' prod‑
ucts, including cars and smart‑
phones, are today exported to
nations from whom the country
used to import, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.
Addressing the Indian diaspora
in the Ugandan capital, Prime
Minister Modi also said that rail
tracks, metro train coaches and satellites are
being manufactured today in India itself by
using Indian steel.
"India is becoming a manufacturing hub,"
Modi told the Indian community
event which was also attended by
Ugandan President Yoweri
Museveni. Noting that Samsung
recently opened the world's
biggest mobile phone manufactur‑
ing plant in Uttar Pradesh, Modi
said, "It's possible that when you
buy a smartphone in Uganda next
time, you will get the one Made in India."
"Make in India Continued on page 4
farmers to ease tariffs pain
Washington/Kansas City: The Trump admin‑
istration on Tuesday said it will use a Great
Depression‑era program to pay up to
$12 billion to help U.S. farmers weath‑
er a growing trade war with China, the
European Union and others that the
president began.
It is a clear signal the President
Donald Trump is determined to
stick with tariffs as his weapon of
choice in the conflict.
The move meant to cushion the blow for a
politically important constituency was met
with broad criticism by many farmers and
farm‑belt lawmakers, including Republicans.
Rural and agricultural states sup‑
ported Trump by wide margins in
the 2016 election.
Trumpʼs trade policies have
become central in several rural‑
state U.S. Senate races ahead of
congressional elections in
November.
The president, speaking at an event in
Kansas City on Tuesday, reaffirmed his sup‑
port for tariffs and Continued on page 4

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 28-August 3, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY July 28-August 3, 2018 3

NRI minister invites expatriates to PBD, Kumbh in UP

Special to
The South Asian Times
New York: A minister from Uttar Pradesh,
on a weeklong visit to the US to drum up
support for the next Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas (PBD) in Varanasi, has appealed to
NRIs and PIOs to participate in the PBD as
well as Ardh Kumbh Mela, which follows
almost immediately.
“I appeal to all NRIs and other people of
Indian origin – not just those who hail
from UP and whose ancestors came from
our state – to attend those events and
experience the wonderful hospitality we
(the UP government, host to the events)
are going to provide,” Swati Singh, whose
portfolios include NRI relations, told The
South Asian Times in an interview on July
20 at the Consulate General of India.
The 15th version of the annual PBD
event, is scheduled for January 21‑23,
2019 in Varanasi, the constituency of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Varanasi,
also known as Banaras or Kashi, is the old‑
est city in the world. It is also one of the
holiest places in India. The Ardh Kumbh
Uttar Pradesh minister Swati Singh, whose portfolio includes NRI relations, speaking at
the consulate, with Consul General Sandeep Chakravorty on her left.
Mela is to be held in Allahabad (Prayag).
PBD is usually held in the second week
of January, but this year it is delayed by a
few days in order to combine it with the
Kumbh mela, a major gathering of devo‑
tees.
Minister Swati Singhʼs portfolios include
foreign trade, agriculture exports and
family‑child welfare. According to her esti‑
mate, 30% of Indians living abroad have
their origins in Uttar Pradesh.
Visiting the US for the first time, Swati
Singh said the law‑and‑order situation in
the state has improved considerably
under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. San
Francisco was among the US cities she vis‑
ited.
“Peaceful atmosphere is key to NRI and
other kinds of foreign investment and we
have that now,” she noted. “We now have
a single‑window system for FDI (foreign
direct investment).”
The minister cited, in this connection, an
investorsʼ report released in February that
said, “The UP government (with regard to
investment initiatives) is awesome in its
response.”
Singh added, “India is open now (to FDI)
and UP is no exception.”
In the brochure prepared by her depart‑
ment to welcome delegates to the upcom‑
ing events, Singh says: “PBD is a perfect
platform to reconnect with your mother‑
land and know the progress made in your
native land. The platform will also make
you aware of the plethora of opportunities
through which you can contribute to UP
development.”
An interactive session between Indian‑
Americans and UP officials was also held
later at the consulate.

Kremlin is coy on Indian Americans donate 1% of income

2nd summit idea
Moscow: The Kremlin was reticent on Tuesday
about whether it would accept an invitation
from President Trump to hold a second sum‑
mit with Vladimir Putin in Washington later
this year, saying only that the two men had
other chances to meet as well.
Though Moscow saw the recent Helsinki
summit between the two leaders as a success,
the fiercely negative reaction by some US
politicians to Trumpʼs performance has taken
some in Russia aback.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that though
Washington and Moscow agreed there was a
need for another Putin‑Trump meeting, Russia
had not yet begun any practical preparations
for a new meeting.
“There are other options (to meet) which our
leaders can look at,” Ushakov told reporters,
citing a meeting of G20 leaders in Argentina in
end‑November.
Ushakov did not explain why Moscow had
not yet accepted Trumpʼs invitation. He just
said, “After the (Helsinki) summit you know
what kind of atmosphere there is around its
outcome. I think it would be wise to let the
dust settle and then we can discuss all these
questions in a business‑like way. But not now.”
Russiaʼs ambassador to the United States,
Anatoly Antonov, was also cautious on Friday
about the prospects of a new summit, saying
only that Moscow was ready to discuss the
proposal.
Washington, DC: The Indiaspora‑
Dalberg Community Engagement
Survey, the first of its kind, found that
Indian Americans volunteer time at
nearly double the national average but
give substantially less financially, ulti‑
mately leaving significant social impact
on the table. The communityʼs particu‑
larly keen engagement as philanthropic
volunteers is encouraging but their lack
of financial donations is disappointing,
especially given that Indian Americans
are among the highest earning groups
in the US and have tremendous influ‑
ence here and abroad.
The study was designed and imple‑
mented by Dalberg Advisors with input
from academic advisors Dr. Devesh
Kapur (Johns Hopkins University) and
Dr. Karthick Ramakrishnan (University
of California Riverside). The survey
serves as a tool to understand the phil‑
anthropic behavior of the Indian
American community at large. Twenty‑
eight non‑profit, community organiza‑
tions helped Indiaspora disseminate the
survey to their constituents.
The surveyʼs initial findings were dis‑
cussed on July 17 during the Indiaspora
Philanthropy Summit at the Georgetown
University here.
Said Indiaspora founder, MR
Rangaswami, “Today, we are discussing
An Indiaspora survey found
that Indian Americans
volunteer time at nearly
double the national average
but give substantially
less financially,
what lies next for Indiaspora in our role diversity of interests. They are careful
as a philanthropic catalyst, which is one screeners and prolific volunteers. An
of the core pillars of our mission. We are Indian American donor typically volun‑
in the early stages of strategically plan‑ teers 220 hours each year, far exceeding
ning what we should do to move the the U.S. national average of ~130 hours
needle – which is to say, increase the annually.
amount of Indian American philanthrop‑ However, the community must not get
ic giving in America and to India, and complacent – the Indian Diaspora has a
make it more effective.” long way to go before they can be
Added Dalberg Advisorsʼ Regional called good givers: there exists a large
Director for the Americas, Joe “giving gap” in the realm of at least $2‑3
Dougherty, “At over $3 billion annually, billion. Further, there is a “passion‑dona‑
the giving potential of Indian Americans tion gap”, which means that the commu‑
is enormous. To put it into context, the nity does not necessarily give to those
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation dis‑ causes which it collectively claims to be
tributes $4‑$5 billion across the entire most passionate about.
globe every year. Imagine the kind of Indiasporaʼs Philanthropy Summit
impact the diaspora could create if they event included keynote remarks from
met their giving potential.” senior U.S. government officials and
The survey found that the community inspirational philanthropic leaders from
is passionate about social impact, has a India and various parts of America.
 4 July 28-August 3, 2018 TURN PAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

SANT CHATWAL CONDEMNS Ivanka’s fashion brand to shut shop

DETENTION OF SIKHS IN US
Amritsar (Punjab): In the wake of reports regard‑
ing the detention of 52 Sikhs at a United States
detention center, Indian‑American hotelier Sant
Singh Chatwal said an investigation is underway
into the "unfortunate" incident.
"The matter is under investigation. We are
checking on their involvement (with the contin‑
gent of illegal immigrants who are seeking asy‑
lum). I am sure that the US will make a fair deci‑
sion. What happened there is an unfortunate
thing. I can't say much, but if an Indian in the US
gets into a problem, we help them," he told ANI.
Chatwal then went on to explain how he himself
was embroiled in a huge case in the States. "I also
had a case where I gave money to Hillary Clinton
and Bill Clinton for some political interests. A
judge, who was 92 years old told me that it was
not illegal and there were no implications. In
America, there is a justice system. If that thing
wasn't there, then I would have been in jail
today," he said. Talking about the strict immigra‑
tion rules imposed by the Donald Trump adminis‑
tration, Chatwal implied that such regulations
have to be relaxed and modified.
Last week, reports emerged that 52 immi‑
grants, mostly Sikhs were being held at a deten‑
tion center in Oregon for being part of a contin‑
gent of illegal immigrants seeking asylum. The
revelation was made when a group of Democratic
Party lawmakers visited the detention center and
later told the media about the alleged ill‑treat‑
ment of the immigrants, according to several
media reports.
The 52 immigrants, who are from different
states of India, are getting legal assistance from a
law firm in the jail in Oregon (Sheridan).
Washington: President Donald Trump's
daughter, Ivanka Trump, has decided to
close down her fashion brand. The move
comes over a year after she split from
the company to enter the White House
as a senior adviser, BBC reported on
Tuesday. Ivanka launched the brand in
2014, but after her father's election was
faced with boycotts from shoppers.
She had reportedly become frustrated
by the difficulties posed by avoiding role, Ivanka Trump said she did not
possible conflicts of interest while serv‑ know "when or if I will ever return to the
ing in the White House. A spokesperson business".
for the company said the decision "has "But I do know that my focus for the
nothing to do with the performance of foreseeable future will be the work I am
the brand and is based solely on doing here in Washington, so making
Ivanka's decision to remain in this decision now is the only fair out‑
Washington indefinitely." come for my team and partners," she
After 17 months in her White House said in a statement.

Kamal Haasan, V.
Richards
& Chintu Patel to head‑
line
India Day Parade in NYC
Continued from page 1
The 38th India Day Parade,
organized by the Federation of
Indian Associations (FIA –
NY/NJ/CT), will be held on August
19 and will run through several
streets of Madison Avenue in the
heart of Manhattan, featuring
tableaux by various Indian‑
American organizations, march‑
ing bands, police contingents and
cultural performances.
Srujal Parikh, President of the
FIA, told PTI that Haasan will be
the paradeʼs Grand Marshal, while
Shruti and Richards will be the
Guests of Honor. Chintu Patel will
be the Grand Marshal
(Community)
Eminent Indian artistes Kailash
Kher and Shibani Kashyap will
also be among the special guests
at the parade, Parikh said.
Over 1,00,000 people are
expected to attend this yearʼs
parade and cultural extravaganza.
The paradeʼs central message will
be ʻVasudhaiva Kutumbakam ̶
the world is one family,ʼ and will
bring together for the first time
Indian origin communities from
other South Asian and Caribbean
nations as well.
SATimes to publish
India Day Special with
FIA tie‑up
Continued from page 1
Kamal Haasan, superstar of crick‑
et Sir Vivian Richard and soulful
singer Kailash Kher, beautiful
actress Shruti Haasan, along with
the pride of Indian‑American dias‑
pora, Community Grand Marshal
Chintu Patel.
Our collectible special edition
will feature celebrations of India
Day in India as well as in USA.
Our readers will get to read
extensive coverage on
Independence of India, insight
into FIA, exclusive interviews of
glamorous Grand Marshals and
the dynamic force behind the
largest such parade outside of
India.
This special edition will be dis‑
tributed at the parade and other
India Day related events in associ‑
ation with FIA (NY‑NJ‑NJ).
The South Asian Times is the
most read and circulated newspa‑
per of Indian‑American communi‑
ties in North America, maintain‑
ing immaculate reputation for
excellence in journalism and
value based content, display and
advertising.
Imran Khan likely to
emerge PM
Continued from page 1
This will create two key competi‑
tors for forming the federal gov‑
ernment. The national average of
expected votes computed by
Gallup Pakistan ranges between
30 to 32% for PTI; 27% to 30% for
PML‑N; and 17% to 20% for
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led
by Bilawal Zardari Bhutto.
According to poll of polls there
are still nearly 12% undecided
voters who make the forecast
unpredictable.
India emerging as global
manufacturing, start‑up
hub: Prime Minister Modi
Continued from page 1
today has become the hallmark of
India. Many of our products,
including cars, smartphones, are
sold today to countries from
whom we used to import," the
Prime Minister said amid
applause. He said 11,000 start‑
ups have been registered in India
in the last four years, making the
country a land of start‑ups.
Modi also hailed India's ties
with Uganda and other African
nations, saying the resource‑rich
continent is now in the center of
his government's foreign policy.
The Prime Minister also said
India will open 18 new embassies,
taking the total number of the
country's missions in Africa to 47.
Trump to grant $12 B to
farmers to ease tariffs pain
Continued from page 1
pledged that “farmers will be the
biggest beneficiary.” “Just be a lit‑
tle patient,” Trump said.
The relief package is intended
as a temporary boost to farmers
as the United States and China
negotiate over trade issues, offi‑
cials said. “This obviously is a
short‑term solution that will give
President Trump time to work on
a long‑term trade policy,” said
Sonny Perdue, the secretary of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The aid will be financed
through the USDAʼs Commodity
Credit Corporation and will not
require congressional approval,
Perdue said.
The administrationʼs action
appeared to divide Republicans,
with some praising the move and
others troubled by what they view
as the kind of widespread govern‑
ment‑assistance program their
party has traditionally opposed.
“This trade war is cutting the
legs out from under farmers and
the White Houseʼs ʻplanʼ is to
spend $12 billion on gold crutch‑
es,” said Senator Ben Sasse, of
Nebraska who frequently criti‑
cizes the president, a fellow
Republican.

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY July 28-August 3, 2018 5

Bharat Desai, wife make $ 2

billion from sale of their
IT firm, Syntel
New York: Indian American
couple Bharat Desai and
Neerja Sethi have sold their
IT services company Syntel to
French IT major Atos for $3.4
Billion according to a report
in The Times of India. The
two together held 57% stake
in the company, which means
they receive nearly $2 Billion
from the deal.
Desai was born in Kenya,
grew up in Mombasa and in
Ahmedabad, and then did
electric engineering from IIT‑
Bombay.
He worked with TCS briefly Bharat Desai and Neerja Sethi have sold 'Syntel'
be fore moving to the to French IT major Atos (Image courtesy: femina.in)
University of Michigan for an
MBA. That is where he met Sethi and pany but soon evolved into a firm provid‑
while studying decided to start a company ing IT applications services. Thatʼs when
(they married later) that was in some it also started its India development cen‑
ways modelled along the lines of TCS. ters.
Syntel, which had $923 million in rev‑ In 1997, it listed on NASDAQ and in the
enue in fiscal 2017, was started with following year, it was ranked 70th in
$2000. Syntel earned $30,000 in its first Business Weekʼs ʻHot Growth Companiesʼ
year and got a boost in 1982 when it and was No.2 in Forbesʼ ʻ200 Best Small
signed on General Motors as a client. Companies in America.ʼ
Syntel was initially an IT staffing com‑ (Source: The Times of India).

Pandit Jasraj unveils biography in the US

Pandit Jasraj, third from left, unveiling his biography, “Rasraj Pandit Jasraj,” at a
live TV event at the TV Asia auditorium in Edison, NJ on July 17. From left, Vikas Nangia,
TV Asia host and senior producer; H R Shah, TV Asia chairman and CEO; Sandeep
Chakravorty, Indiaʼs Consul General in New York; Durga Jasraj, Pandit Jasrajʼs daughter;
Sunita Budhiraja, author of “Rasraj Pandit Jasraj” and Arun Maheshwari, publisher
of the biography. (Image courtesy: Gunjesh Desai/TV Asia)
Edison, NJ: Legendary classical vocalist by a question‑answer session with the audi‑
Pandit Jasraj unveiled his first authorized ence.
biography during a book release ceremony at During the panel discussion, Budhiraja said
the TV Asia auditorium in Edison, NJ on July that while Pandit Jasrajʼs ragas were soulful,
17. Titled, “Rasraj Pandit Jasraj,” the biogra‑ the book focused on several untold struggles
phy is written by Sunita Budhiraja and pub‑ that went behind those renditions. “The book
lished by New Delhi‑based Vani Prakashan. is essentially the story behind his music, the
T he event was jointly hosted by the challenges and many other yet unknown
Consulate General of India in New York, TV inspiring aspects of Panditjiʼs life,” she added.
Asia and the Pandit Jasraj Institute and When asked about the importance of lyrics,
broadcast live on TV Asia across the US as Pandit Jasraj said he believed in immersing
part of its “Focus Live” nightly show. The himself into the words before singing.
event was also the first public gathering in "Words are absolutely important in my
the US announcing the launch of the biogra‑ songs because I want to live them, under‑
phy, before the official India release later this stand them, go into their depths and then
year. sing the song. The process for me is to com‑
The biographyʼs release was followed by a pletely understand the words and then
90‑minute interaction on TV Asiaʼs “Focus immerse myself in those words, that world,"
Live” with Pandit Jasraj; Consul General he said. He also recalled during the conversa‑
Sandeep Chakravorty; Durga Jasraj, Pandit tion how thankful he was to former Prime
Jasrajʼs daughter; author Sunita Budhiraja; Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee for calling him
publisher Arun Maheshwari and TV Asia host “Rasraj,” which has been borrowed in the title
and senior producer Vikas Nangia, followed for the biography.
 6 July 28-August 3, 2018 TRISTATE COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Nassau Countyʼs named health department of the year
Mineola, NY: The Nassau County
Department of Health (NCDOH) has
been named “Local Health
Department of the Year” for 2018
by the National Association of City
and County Health Officials (NAC‑
CHO). The announcement was
made at the NACCHO Annual
Conference on July 11.
“It is with great honor that I con‑
gratulate the Department of Health
staff for being national leaders in
the field of public health,” said
County Executive Laura Curran.
“This distinct recognition as LHD of
the Year is evidence of the
Department of Healthʼs commit‑
ment to developing responsive and
innovative public health programs
that improve, promote and protect
the health and safety of the resi‑
dents of Nassau County.”
As recipient of Health
Department of the Year, NCDOH
demonstrated the theme of this
yearʼs award as a Chief Heath
Strategist by successfully partner‑
ing with leaders of the countyʼs
comprehensive healthcare infra‑
structure to ensure access to
healthcare and improved preven‑
Nassau County Executive Laura
Curran & Health Commissioner
Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein.
tive health services. NCDOH
brought providers, hospitals, and
community based organizations
together to evaluate the needs of
the residents, and together created
a county‑wide Community Health
Assessment and Community Health
Improvement Plan. NCDOH is a
founding member of the Long
Island Health Collaborative, which
has grown from a three‑agency
online database to a grant‑funded
health initiative with almost 100
agencies.
“This honor from NACCHO is a
testament to the talented and dedi‑
Sanskrit residential
camp set for Labor
Day weekend
New York: Samskrita Bharati USA,
the organization that is dedicated to
promoting the ancient language in
this country, is holding a residential
camp during the Labor Day weekend
in neighboring New Jersey.
According to a press release, the
three‑day residential camp – known
as Jaahnavii 2018 ‑‑ will begin on
Friday, August 31 evening, and end
around midmorning on Monday,
September 3. The venue is Radisson
(L to R) NCDOH Model Practice award winner Michael Alarcon, Hotel Piscataway, 22 Kingsbridge
Health Commissioner Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein, NCDOH Model Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854.
Practice award winner Rosemarie Mosca and NCDOH Attorney and
Experienced Samskrita Bharati
NACCHO Legal Workgroup Chair Gerard Giuliano.
instructors from India and the US
cated staff at the Nassau County Environmental Health Air Quality will teach the attendees who may
Department of Health who work Protection Program, as well as a have different levels of knowledge
tirelessly every day to protect and Promising Practice award, Using about the language. No previous
promote the health of all,” said Public Health Enforcement as an knowledge of Samskrutam (Sanskrit)
Health Commissioner Dr. Lawrence Instrument of Change: An is needed, as there are classes for the
Eisenstein. A recognized national Integrated Regulatory/Non‑regula‑ beginners also. Similarly there will
public health leader, NCDOH was tory Approach. Since 2013 the be classes for children under 12
concurrently awarded two 2018 Department has won 15 Model and years. Though early‑bird registration
NACCHO Model Practice awards: Promising Practice Awards, which is set to end, discounted registration
The Enhanced‑Early Intervention places NCDOH as the leading NAC‑ is still available. Please log on
Service Coordination: A Health CHO award winner of all local www.samskritabharatiusa.org and
Equity Initiative for Early health departments in New send an email to jaahnavii@samskri‑
Intervention, and The York State. tabharatiusa.org, OR call Suresh 917‑
971‑0871, Deepa 480‑277‑5839.

Indian Overseas
Uma Swaminathan elected Congress to hold a one‑
new AIA-NJ president day conference in NY
New York: Indian Overseas
New Jersey: Uma Swaminathan has her private pilotʼs license. Congress, USA will be holding a one‑
been elected as the new president “I want to continue our legacy, day national conference on July
for Association of Indians in considering that New Jersey is the 28th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel near
America (AIA) New Jersey Chapter. mother of AIA, I have great plans to JFK airport. Delegates from across
Swaminathan is a founding and revive the chapter. It has to be rele‑ the country are expected to attend.
lifetime member of AIA, according vant for the next generation of Sam Pitroda, Chairman of the Indian
to a press release. She is a cultural Asian Indians, addressing the Overseas Congress, AICC will be pre‑
anthropologist spe‑ issues of discrimina‑ siding over the conference. The pur‑
cializing in the medic‑ tion against the pose the conference is to bring
inal value of herbs broad Indian diaspo‑ together like‑minded people from
and spices in indige‑ ra, creating a safe around the country who believe in
nous cultures. place for our children the values and principles of the
Swaminathan has and grandchildren, Congress party that gained inde‑
published a book and dignified aging. pendence for India and helped to
called “Herbal My focus will also be build the nation into one of the top
Transformations: Uma Swaminathan to bring in young economic powerhouses in the world
Healing with Herbs” people, listen to their based on a secular democracy that
The Nritya Madhavi School of Dance earlier this month pre‑ and gives wellness talks. She has needs and grievances and provide preserved freedom, liberty and jus‑
sented Lalita Parameshwari, which was directed by Divya been invited by many groups counseling services for parents and tice for each and every citizen
Yeluri. The dance drama, created by Mrs. A.B. Bala Kondala Rao, around the United States as a children,” Swaminathan is quoted regardless of the caste, color, region‑
depicts the birth of Lalita Devi who finally kills the oppressive speaker and panelist and has given saying in a press release. al or linguistic differences. The con‑
demon Bhandasura, as described in the Lalitopakhyanam. many cooking demonstrations. AIA has served the Indian ference will be discussing the cur‑
Among the dancers was Anjali Sukhavasi, who plays the Swaminathan is an advisor to the American community for 50 years rent challenges to the democracy in
Mohiniʼs role. Other lead roles are played by Aasha Yeluri
Monmouth Center of World now and they will be celebrating India and exploring the possibilities
(Parvathi), Sai Aishwarya (Kameshwari), Anukula Aditya
Religions Organization and Ethical their 50th anniversary on of strengthening the Overseas
(Bhandasura) and Divya Yeluri (Lalita). The dance drama was
performed at the recently concluded convention held by NATA Thought and is also a classical December 1 in Long Island and in Congress Units in the U.S and
and other Telugu organizations in Philadelphia. Bharatnatyam dancer, a visual New Jersey sometime in the expanding the cooperation between
artist and a prolific painter and has spring of 2019. the NRIs and their motherland.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY July 28-August 3, 2018 7

Edison based India Day Parade Couple charged with

kicks off in Washington D.C Tollywood prostitution
Washington, DC: The members of
the Indian Business Association
descended on Capitol Hill for a
kickoff event of the annual India
Day Parade, taking place this year
on August 12th in Edison to pro‑
mote national awareness of the
annual celebration and highlight
policy issues affecting Indian‑
Americans.
The event, held in the conference
room of House Minority Whip
Steny Hoyer, was hosted by Illinois
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi
and afforded IBA supporters the
opportunity to meet with 18 mem‑
bers of Congress, including house‑
hold names like House Minority
Leader Nancy Pelosi and House
Minority Whip Steny Hoyer.
The IBA delegation was led by
Teaneck Mayor Mohammed
Hameeduddin, Edison Council
President Ajay Patil, Jersey City
Council President Rolando R.
Lavarro, Jr., Woodbridge
Councilman Viru Patel, and
Woodbridge Committeewoman
Priya Aggarwal. It included busi‑
ness leaders, professionals, repre‑
sentatives of religious congrega‑
tions, policymakers, and communi‑
IBA delegation meeting Members of Congress
(Image courtesy: tapinto.net)
ty organizers. Multiple sectors of
the business community were rep‑
resented in IBA delegation, includ‑
ing health, retail, hotel/tourism,
entertainment, and media.
Seven of New Jerseyʼs
Congressional Delegation attended,
including Rep. McArthur, Rep.
Norcross, Rep. Watson Coleman,
Rep. Lance, Rep. Sires, Rep.
Gottheimer, and Rep. Pascrell.
The IBAʼs flagship event is the
yearly India Day Parade, drawing
about 40,000 people from across
the country. The IBA trip to
Washington marks a new effort the
organization has made to expand
the non‑profit into new charitable
causes, while expanding the audi‑
ence to a more national level.
“The IBA is excited to enter a new
period of expansion, both in the
scope of our capabilities and the
outreach to a larger audience. The
success of our event today is a
great indicator of the potential of
our progress,” said Dhiren Amin,
IBA President. (Source: tapinto.net)
racket pleads not guilty
Washington, DC: A Chicago cou‑
ple, accused by federal prosecu‑
tors of luring Telugu actresses
from India to the U.S. to have paid
sex with Indian Americans, plead‑
ed not guilty July 18 according to
media reports.
Kishan Modugumudi and his
wife, Chandra, have each been
indicted on nine counts of prosti‑
tution involving a total of six vic‑
tims, who were not named in the
indictment, but believed to be
actresses and models from South
India. If convicted on all charges,
the Indian American couple faces
10 years in prison. They are cur‑
rently being held ̶ without bail
̶ at the Federal Bureau of
Prisons in Illinois.
According to the 42‑page indict‑
ment, Modugumudi, who promot‑
ed himself as a Tollywood agent,
and his wife bought airline tickets
for the victims on the premise that
they would be performing at
Telugu and other Indian American
conferences. In one instance, the
American Telugu Association in
2016, the Modugumudis allegedly
housed the young women at their
Chicago home and area hotels,
and held their passports, render‑
ing the victims virtual captives.
It is unclear how far back the
Modugumudis allegedly perpetu‑
ated their scheme: the indictment
notes only the year 2017. But in
2016, the American Telugu
Association went public with a
complaint against Modugumudi –
known then as Chennupati – say‑
ing he had failed to deliver three
female television anchors to the
organizationʼs Silver Jubilee cele‑
brations in Chicago.
The complaint alleged that
Kishan Modugumudi threatened
the life of one of the actresses and
her family if she told law enforce‑
ment the truth about what she did
while in the country. The Movie
Artists Association of India said in
a press release after the couple
was arrested: “We are aware of
Kishan Modugumudiʼs suspicious
activities. We have been warning
artists not to go abroad for per‑
formances with those with dubi‑
ous antecedents.”

In new film ʻDeath of a

Nationʼ Dinesh DʼSouza
compares Trump with Lincoln
Washington, DC: Weeks after being par‑
doned by President Donald Trump, Dinesh
DʼSouza is unveiling the trailer for his latest
movie. Quality Flix opens the conservativeʼs
latest documentary film, Death of a Nation,
in 1,000 theaters on Aug. 3. The film likens
Abraham Lincoln to Donald Trump ̶ saying
that the situations they found themselves in
as U.S. presidents
are very similar,
according to the
filmmaker.
“Lincoln was
elected to unite a
country and stop
slavery. Democrats
smeared him; went
to war against him;
assassinated him. Now, their target is
Trump,” DʼSouza intones at the top of the
trailer before announcing the movie is pro‑
duced by Gerald Molen, the Oscar‑winning
producer of Schindlerʼs List and Jurassic
Park.
DʼSouzaʼs first three films, 2016: Obamaʼs
America; America: Imagine a World Without
Her; and Hillaryʼs America: The Secret
History of the Democratic Party, were huge
hits as far as documentaries go.
They were also very controversial, and
DʼSouzaʼs newest effort promises to be dou‑
bly so, considering its favorable treatment of
Trump comes on the heels of a presidential
pardon for the filmmaker, who was on pro‑
bation for using straw donors to give more
to a friendʼs campaign for U.S. senator than
the law allows.
Snippets seen in the two‑minute trailer
include actor Pavel Kriz as Adolf Hitler in
scenes filmed at Zeppelin Field where Nazi
rallies took place eight decades ago, plus
reenactments of the
Civil War and of
slaves being
unmercifully beat‑
en. “Lincoln saved
America the first
time. Itʼs now up to
us to save it a sec‑
ond time,” he says
at the trailerʼs end.
“The primary theme of the movie is racism
and fascism,” DʼSouza tells The Hollywood
Reporter. “Look at the timeliness of this with
the immigration debate, where Trump is
being called a ʻNazi,ʼ ʻfascistʼ and ʻracist.ʼ This
tells me that people donʼt have a clue, not
only about the history of fascism and racism,
but where it exists today.”
According to the filmʼs official description,
“Death of a Nation” cuts through “progres‑
sive big lies to expose hidden history and
explosive truths through stunning historical
recreations and a searching examination of
fascism and white supremacy.”
(Source: theunn.com)
 8 July 28-August 3, 2018 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Kerala CM urges diaspora to invest in

ʻIntellectual Capitalʼ at FOKANA convention
New York: T he Chief Minister of Kerala,
Pinarayi Vijayan urged Non Resident Keralites
to invest in ʻIntellectual Capitalʼ at the 18th
biennial convention of the Federation of Kerala
Associations in North America (FOKANA) held
from July 5‑8 at the Valley Forge Convention
Center in Pennsylvania. More than money,
Kerala is in need of the communityʼs expertise
and intellectual collaboration to foster its
development, the Marxist chief minister told
the 2,000 people at the convention, stating
that it was nonresident Keralites who changed
Kerala after land regulation. “It is the contribu‑
tion of the NRKs that gives the state its
stature,” Vijayan was quoted as saying in a
press release. The last state chief minister to
attend the convention was E.K. Nayanar, also a
Marxist, who went to the gathering in Dallas
22 years ago.
This yearʼs convention was also attended by
Opposition Leader in the state assembly
Ramesh Chennithala who belongs to the
Congress party. Also attending was K.K. Sailaja,
minister for health, Katakampalli Surendran,
minister for tourism and state lawmakers Raju
Abraham, Monce Joseph, Chittayam
Gopakumar and V.P. Sajeendran.
Vijayan noted that although Keralites adapt
to local cultures around the globe when they
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurating the
convention traditionally (Image courtesy: theunn.com)
resettle, they keep their identity, language and
culture intact. He said people celebrate their
culture and language more when they live in
other countries.
“Our language and our land of the forefa‑
thers give the identity to us. If you go away
from the language and culture we inherited
from our fathers, we lose our address.
Organizations like FOKANA should work to
impart the culture and language to the new
generation,” the chief minister said.
He said Kerala has changed much where the
government and the opposition work together
for projects important for the state. He said
many projects, which were considered impossi‑
ble earlier, are being completed. “New projects
are coming up. We believe in development that
is inclusive of all. It should benefit all,” he said.
Chennithala said work opportunities are dry‑
ing up and the governments cannot ignore
them. Vijayan said in a market‑oriented society
everything becomes a commodity and people
will value things if they are useful to them. In
such a society people will discard anything
that is not found useful ̶ including old or
invalid parents who may be viewed as a bur‑
den. “We should tell the children to be success‑
ful without forgetting values. The children who
grow up without values are the ones who shot
their classmates,” he said.
The chief minister also called for uniting
with the rival Federation of Malayalee
Associations of Americas (FOMAA), the mother
organization and asked FOKANA leaders to
take the initiative on this. He said that 10 per‑
cent of the estimated four million Indians liv‑
ing in the U.S., are from the Malayalee commu‑
nity. He called for dual citizenship and for vot‑
ing rights for all NRIs.
T he chief minister earlier visited the
Institute of Human Virology in Baltimore to
discuss about possible collaboration for the
Institute of Advanced Virology Center being
built in Kerala. Dr. Robert Charles Gallo, insti‑
tute director credited for his work in helping
discover the human immunodeficiency virus,
or HIV, in 1984, promised intellectual collabo‑
ration. During the convention, Prabha Thomas
(Philadelphia) was crowned the Ms. Malayalee
Manka FOKANA 2018. Asha Agustine
(Philadelphia) was the First Runner up winner.
Reethu Sreekanth was the Second Runner up.
Fifteen married women competed in 2018
Malayalee Manka FOKANA 2018.
(Source: theunn.com)

Tumbbad becomes first Indian

Film to open Venice Film Festival
New York: Presented by Aanand L
Rai and Eros International, Sohum
Shah's Tumbbad becomes the first
ever Indian Film ever to open the
prestigious Venice International
Film Critic's week, sweeping in
major accolades from critics.
Despite being based on the rooted
Indian folktale, Tumbbad has man‑
aged to captivate the international
audience with the intriguing tale
and stunning visuals. The craft,
scale, and technique used in the
making of the critically acclaimed
film has presented the world with
India's moment to shine. After con‑
tent driven commercial films like
Newton and Dangal making India
proud worldwide, Tumbbad seems
to take the same route with taking
the nation's glory globally. Giona A.
Nazzaro, General Delegate of Venice
International Critics' Week who
watched the film at the film festival
The graduates were honored by campaign operatives, and progressive and private sector leaders.
appreciated the film said, "Tumbbad
is a thrilling rollercoaster ride that
questions the roots of human greed NJDSC graduates 46 future leaders
while providing entertainment of
the purest kind. Fantasy, action,
frights, and scares: Tumbbad has it
from campaign training program
all. Don't miss it, or Hastar will Trenton: This week, the New Jersey the Democratic party forward this a variety campaign task related to
come and get you!" Tumbbad is set Democratic State Committee cycle, and for years to come.” communications, data, fundraising,
to release on October 12th in Hindi, announced 46 young men and “We have given the graduates of voter engagement, and event man‑
Marathi, Tamil and Telegu. women had successfully completed this program an authentic view of agement, among others. First Lady
its Building Our Future program, a what political operatives and State Tammy Murphy addressed and

Kerala IT panel to hold set of specialized campaign trainings.

Now in its third year, Building Our
Democratic Committee employees
do to support local Democrats. Now,
engaged with the class.
"We were thrilled to bring together

networking sessions in US Future experienced its highest level

Thiruvananthapuram: The High
Power IT Committee of Kerala (HPIC)
will hold three networking sessions,
titled #Future Global Connect, in the
US early next month as part of a
multi‑pronged strategy, involving the
state government and the Kerala
diaspora in the technology sector to
position the state as a digital destina‑
tion of choice. The three sessions of
the series will be held in Boston,
Seattle and San Francisco on August
6, 7 and 8, respectively.
HPIC members S.D. Shibulal, Kris
Gopalakrishnan (both founders of
Infosys), V.K. Mathews, head of IBS
Software, besides IT administrators
of the Kerala government will form
the delegation. The visit is to activate
a "Kerala Conversation" in technolo‑
gy circles, engaging with those who
can contribute to the digital cause of
the state, building interest and gen‑
erating leads for potential invest‑
ments and expanding and widening
the Digital Achievers Network (DAN).
According to the IT Department,
the meet will see participation by
widely networked global profession‑
als, mostly of Indian and Kerala ori‑
gin, who are potential investors and
influencers with linkages to
investors including senior executives
from small and large companies,
achievers in the knowledge industry
and academicians.
of interest with 257 applicants.
Graduates, who represent 16 out of
New Jerseyʼs 21 counties, were given
the tools to help the Democratic
Party win elections at the local,
county and state level.
“The Building our Future program
was created to inspire young minds
and support the leaders of tomor‑
row, and I think we have achieved
that goal. I was again impressed by
our applicants and our graduates, all
of whom brought new and interest‑
ing perspectives to the mix,” said
NJDSC Chairman John Currie. "The
program offers unique insight one
can only get from working on a coor‑
dinated political campaign. I know
these young leaders will help propel
with the critical midterm elections
upon us, we will be looking to them
to help elect people who care about
working families, immigrants, mem‑
bers of LGBTQ community,” said
NJDSC Vice Chair Lizette Delgado
Polanco.
The program was conducted at the
law offices of Wilentz, Goldman, and
Spitzer in Woodbridge. Guest speak‑
ers for the five‑day program featured
Trenton Councilman Jerell Blakeley,
Genova Burns Law partner Angelo
Genova, Planned Parenthood Action
Fund of New Jersey Field Director
Amber Margentina, legislative
staffers, representatives from con‑
sulting firms, and the state party
leadership. During seminars, partici‑
pants were instructed how to handle
people ‑ new people ‑ from different
geographic backgrounds in the
hopes of growing the party from
within,” said NJDSC Executive
Director Liz Gilbert. “And I am confi‑
dent that after hearing from people
who have lived the campaign life and
accomplished great things, our grad‑
uates are capable of shaping candi‑
date campaigns for the better.”
Building our Future graduates like
Tilak Bhatnagar, an intern with the
Department of Legislative Af fairs
and a rising sophomore at Rutgers,
agreed. “Unlike political science
classes that teach theories and
philosophies, during Building our
Future we heard about the personal
experiences of a state legislatorʼs
Chief of Staff.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY July 28-August 3, 2018 9

Sabrina Singh plays a key Over 20 Indian-origin

role in Democrats' offensive
against Donald Trump
Washington, DC: Sabrina Singh,
whose grandfather was instrumen‑
tal in formulating a historic legis‑
lation in 1946 that enacted a
quota of 100 Indians to immigrate
to the US per year, is now a key
player in the of fensive communi‑
cation strategy of the Democratic
party against the alleged divisive
policies of the Donald Trump
administration.
Sing h, who joined the
Democratic National Committee
(DNC) last year as its spokes‑
woman and deputy communica‑
tions director, alleged that the rul‑
ing Republican party has "created
a toxic environment" and is strug‑
gling with telling the truth.
The Democratic leader said she
is inspired by the works of her
grandfather Sardar JJ Singh to
fight the divisive policies of the
Trump administration.
As head of the India League of
America, JJ Singh was a key figure
among Indians in America fighting
for the right to US citizenship.
Some 18 months after Donald
Sabrina Singh, deputy
communications director, DNC
Trump entered the White House,
Singh said, the Democrats have
gone on the offensive. "Democrats
certainly have the wind at their
backs right now. We're holding the
administration accountable and
we're not gonna let up unt il
November and onwards till 2020.
We just have to keep harnessing
the momentum to keep charging
forward," she told news agency
PTI. "What one sees every day is
the Trump administration lobby‑
ing new attacks at dif ferent
groups whether it's Latino's or
Asian American and Pacific
Islander (AAPI). The Trump admin‑
istration has not done their job of
their promise of 'draining the
swamp'. I think, if anything, it has
gotten swampier," Singh said.
In 1940s, JJ Singh along with a
group of fellow Indians mounted a
nat ionw ide campaign ag ainst
racially discriminatory policies of
the US which led the then presi‑
dent Harry Truman to sign the
Luce‑Celler Act on July 2, 1946.
The Act allowed a quota of 100
Indians to immigrate to the United
States per year.
The Act also permitted Indian
nationals already residing in the
US (of whom there were approxi‑
mately 2,500‑3,000 at the time) to
become naturalized American citi‑
zens. JJ Singh, who was born in
Abbottabad (now in Pakistan),
came to the US be fore
Independence. After partition he
and his family moved to Delhi but
soon returned to the US.
people convicted in
massive call center scam
New York: Over 20 Indian‑origin
people have been sentenced for
up to 20 years in prison in the
United States for their involve‑
ment in a multi million‑dollar
India‑based call center scam
which defrauded thousands of US
citizens of hundreds of millions of
dollars. The prison sentences for
the 21 people convicted this week
ranges from 4 to 20 years. "The
stiff sentences imposed represent
the culmination of the first‑ever
large scale, multi‑jurisdiction
prosecution targeting the India
call center scam industry," US
Attorney General Jeff Sessions
said. Several of the convicted will
be deported to India after the
completion of their sentence.
"This case represents one of the
most significant victories to date
in our continuing efforts to com‑
bat elder fraud and the victimisa‑
tion of the most vulnerable mem‑
bers of the US public.
"The transnational criminal ring
of fraudsters and money launder‑
ers who conspired to bilk older
Americans, legal immigrants and
many others out of their life sav‑
ings through their lies, threats
and financial schemes must rec‑
ognize that all resources at the
Department's disposal will be
deployed to shut down these tele‑
fraud schemes, put those respon‑
sible in jail, and bring a measure
of justice to the victims," Mr
Sessions said.
According to US officials, the
call center scam defrauded thou‑
sands of US residents of hundreds
of millions of dollars.
Prosecutors said the Indian call
centers located in Ahmedabad
used various telephone fraud
schemes to defraud mainly vul‑
nerable Americans, including the
elderly and legal immigrants.
The indictment for the case also
charged 32 India‑based conspira‑
tors and five India‑based call cen‑
ters with general conspiracy, wire
fraud conspiracy, and money
laundering conspiracy. These
defendants have not yet been
arraigned. (PTI)

DIASPORA

Entrepreneur Lyric Jain’s UK alize I w

as
n’ t re
“ I did
start-up set to combat fake news in Zon e 3 u ntil now
.
n.”
London: An Indian‑origin entrepreneur's UK‑ allows them to determine how trustworthy m a ke a pla

3
I mus t

NE
based start‑up that uses a machine‑learning the news they read really is," he said.
algorithm to sift fact from fiction is set to
combat fake news around
the world, including plans
With a growing number of cases of fake
news being exchanged
over the WhatsApp mes‑ ZO ATTAN
ANH
Alex M
for a project specifically saging service in India, his
targeted at India. start‑up is exploring ways
Lyric Jain, a Cambridge for artificial intelligence
University engineering stu‑ (AI) to accurately assess
dent originally from the validity of information
Mysore, set up Logically faster than any human can.
last year and has since India has over 200 mil‑
deve loped the West lion WhatsApp users and
Yorkshire‑based start‑up with the system being
into a machine‑learning encrypted, it becomes
platform to filter real from extremely difficult for law
fiction. T he platform,
Lyric Jain enforcement to intervene
(Image : businesscloud.co.uk)
which is currently going and stop fake stories from
through technology trials with partners and spreading.
advisors, will have its full public launch in "Because of the highly emotive nature of
September for the UK and the US, and hit these stories, people are quick to react. This
India by October. means the time it takes to disprove com‑
The aim is for the service to work as a news pelling fake news stories is often too long to
aggregator as well as an indicator of factual prevent action being taken," Jain said.
accuracy. "The Logically platform gathers the "We are still exploring options such as an
biggest news stories from over 70,000 instant verification chatbot on WhatsApp and
domains and determines the credibility of the will announce our plans by the end of the
claims across each article. It does this by year," he said.
using a machine learning algorithm that is Logically has a board of advisers made up
designed to detect logical fallacy, political of alumni from both Massachusetts Institute
bias, and incorrect statistics," the 21‑year‑old of Technology (MIT) in the US and Cambridge
techie explains. University in the UK and has raised 1 million
"By illuminating the quality of information pound in funding. It employs 38 people Visit NYC.gov/knowyourzone or call 311 to find out what to do
across these articles, Logically provides users across the UK, India and the US and is plan‑ to prepare for hurricanes in NYC #knowyourzone
with a transparent and insightful view that ning to almost double that figure.
 10 July 28-August 3, 2018 US AFFAIRS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Trump mulls revoking security

clearance of Comey, 5 other critics
Washington: President Donald
Trump is examining the possibility
of revoking the security clearances
for six former senior officials,
including ex‑CIA chief John
Brennan and former director of FBI,
James Comey.
White House Press Secretary
Sarah Sanders made the announce‑
ment on Monday, justifying the
possible move as a response to the
alleged "politicization" of the posts
and agencies those officials held
and headed in the past, Efe news
reported.
"The President is exploring the
mechanisms to remove security
clearance because they've politi‑
cized and, in some cases, monetized
their public service and security
clearances," said Sanders at a press
briefing.
"Making baseless accusations of
improper contact with Russia or
being influenced by Russia against
the President is extremely inappro‑
priate. And the fact that people
with security clearances are mak‑
ing these baseless charges provides
inappropriate legitimacy to accusa‑
tions with zero evidence," she said.
Five of the six ex‑officials Sanders
mentioned worked for former
President Barack Obama: Brennan;
James Comey, John Brennan, James Clapper
all worked for President Obama
Comey; Director of National
Intelligence James Clapper;
National Security Adviser Susan
Rice; and Andrew McCabe, who was
deputy director of the FBI.
The sixth, Michael Hayden, led
the National Security Agency prior
to his 2006 appointment by
President George Bush to run the
CIA. All of them have criticized
Trump's actions or have defended
the intelligence agencies against
the President's attacks.
Sanders defended the possible
move by saying that Trump "does‑
n't like the fact that people are
politicizing agencies and depart‑
ments that are specifically meant to
not be political and not meant to be
monetized off of security clear‑
ances".
She said that "when you're the
person that holds the nation's deep‑
est, most‑sacred secrets at your
hands, and you go out and you
make false accusations against the
President of the United States.
(Trump) thinks that is something to
be very concerned with, and we're
exploring what those options are."
Sanders made her announcement
after Republican Sen. Rand Paul
met with Trump and tweeted that
the president should revoke
Brennan's security clearance
because last week the former CIA
chief used the word "treason" to
refer to the president's actions dur‑
ing the Helsinki summit with
Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Didn't give up
anything to Putin
in Helsinki: Trump
Washington: President Donald
Trump has emphasized that he
did not make any concessions to
his Russian counterpart,
Vladimir Putin, a week after
their controversial summit in
Helsinki.
"W hen you hear the Fake
News talking negatively about
my meet ing w ith President
Putin, and all that I gave up,
remember, I gave up NOTHING,
we merely talked about future
benefits for both countries,"
Trump tweeted on Monday, Efe
news reported.
"Also, we got along very well,
which is a good thing, except for
the Corrupt Media!" the
President added in the same
tweet, referring to himself and
Putin.
Trump received a landslide of
crit icism in the US ‑ from
Demo crats and some
Republicans ‑‑ after the Helsinki
summit last week in which he
stated that he believed Putin's
denial of Kremlin interference in
the 2016 US presidential vote.
Later, the President back‑
tracked by affirming that he had
"misspoken" and said he
believed the reports of the US
intelligence agencies, including
the FBI and the CIA, that
Moscow tried to interfere in the
2016 presidential election in
which he de feated his
Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
However, a few days later, US
public opinion moved against
Trump again when the news
emerged that he had invited
Putin to a second summit in
Washington in the autumn.
That invitation opens up the
possibility that the Russian
leader may visit Washington just
before or after the US mid‑term
e lect ions, scheduled for
November 6, despite fears that
Russian intelligence agencies
are trying ‑‑ or may try ‑‑ to
interfere in those contests, as
they presumably did in 2016.

Supreme Court nominee comes Accused Russian agent said to have

knocking but Dems won't see him met Treasury and Fed officials
Washington: Many Senate Democrats have
refused to hold the traditional meet and
greet events with Supreme Court nominee
Brett Kavanaugh, arguing they have not
received all of the millions of pages of docu‑
mentation related to Kavanaughʼs time
working in the Bush White House.
Their shut out could ultimately delay the
confirmation process and has prompted a
threat from Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell, R‑Ky., to keep the Senate in ses‑
sion until Election Day if that time is need‑
ed to confirm Kavanaugh. Republicans want
to confirm Kavanaugh by Oct. 1, which is
the start of the next Supreme Court term.
To show they mean business, Republican
leaders have said they wonʼt adjourn for all‑
important campaigning this fall if
Kavanaugh isnʼt on track to making that
deadline.
“We will stay here until the bitter end, up
to the elections on Nov. 6,” Senate Majority
Whip John Cornyn, R‑Texas, said Monday.
“That would be the consequence of drag‑
ging this out for no good reason. But we
will vote on his nomination before the
midterm election.”
Kavanaugh has been making the rounds
in the Senate nearly every day since Trump
nominated him on July 9. Heʼs sat down
with nearly two dozen senators, but all
were Republicans.
Democrats told the Washington Examiner
they are holding back on meeting with
Kavanaugh, a D.C. Circuit Court judge who
if confirmed would replace Justice Anthony
Democrats fear that if confirmed,
Brett Kavanaugh will tilt the court
right‑ward for generations.
Kennedy. Kavanaugh has requested meet‑
ings with many Democrats, GOP leaders
said, but nearly all have said they have not
been able to fit him into their schedules.
One exception is Sen. Joe Manchin, D‑W.Va.,
who is running for re‑election in a deep red
state. He is among three red‑state
Democrats who voted for Justice Neil
Gorsuch last year and are likely to back
Kavanaugh. An aide to Sen. Heidi Heitkamp,
D‑N.D., told the Washington Examiner that
she, too, is trying to schedule a meeting
with Kavanaugh.
But other Democrats argue that before
agreeing to meet with Kavanaugh, they
need to examine Kavanaughʼs long paper
trail in order to try to determine how heʼll
decide on key cases that might make it
before the high court, including the legality
of abortion and Obamacare.
Washington: Accused Russian agent Maria
Butina had wider high‑level contacts in
Washington than previously known, taking
part in 2015 meetings between a visiting
Russian official and two senior officials at
the U.S. Federal Reserve and Treasury
Department.
The meetings, revealed by several people
familiar with the sessions and a report
from a Washington think tank that
arranged them, involved Stanley Fischer,
Fed vice chairman at the time, and Nathan
Sheets, then Treasury undersecretary for
international affairs.
Butina traveled to the United States in
April 2015 with Alexander Torshin, then
the Russian Central Bank deputy governor,
and they took part in separate meetings Maria Butina, founder of a
pro‑gun organization in Russia
with Fischer and Sheets to discuss U.S.‑
Russian economic relations during Russia views. The meetings were docu‑
Democratic former President Barack mented in a Center for the National
Obamaʼs administration. Interest report seen by Reuters that out‑
The two meetings, which have not been lined its Russia‑related activities from
previously reported, reveal a wider circle 2013 to 2015. The report described the
of high‑powered connections that Butina meetings as helping bring together “lead‑
sought to cultivate with American political ing figures from the financial institutions
leaders and special interest groups. of the United States and Russia.”
Butinaʼs lawyer, Robert Driscoll, did not A judge on Wednesday ordered Butina,
have any details about her participation in 29, jailed until her trial after U.S. prosecu‑
meetings with Treasury and Federal tors argued she has ties to Russian intelli‑
Reserve officials when asked about them gence and could flee the United States.
on Friday. Butina has pleaded not guilty to charges
The meetings with Fischer and Sheets she acted as a foreign agent for Russia. She
were arranged by the Center for the is scheduled to appear in court on
National Interest, a Washington foreign Wednesday for a status conference in
policy think tank that often advocates pro‑ her case.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Ex‑Trump aide denies Trump taped by lawyer on
being Russian agent payment to ex‑Playboy model
Washington: One of President Trump's for‑
mer foreign policy aides has said allegations
that he worked with the Russian government
during the 2016 US election are "misleading".
The FBI believed Carter Page was "collabo‑
rating and conspiring with the Russian gov‑
ernment" at that time, BBC reported on
Sunday. His alleged re lationships with
Russian intelligence officials are highlighted
in court applications which led to him being
put under surveillance.
Trump said it appeared that his campaign
was illegally spied on. But he provided no evi‑
dence to support the claim.
The newly released surveillance applica‑
tions were granted and renewed by several
different judges sitting in a court authorized
by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
(Fisa). The court, which has the power to
authorize wiretaps and surveillance of sus‑
pected foreign spies, has one of the most
secretive institutions in the US.
The FBI released the previously secret doc‑
ument cache on Saturday night following
Freedom of Information requests by several
US organizations.
It contains 412 pages of heavily redacted
material which includes the surveillance
applications, their later renewals, and war‑
rants surrounding the investigation into Page.
"The FBI believes that Page has been collab‑
US AFFAIRS
FBI released surveillance applications
alleging Carter Pageʼs relationships
with Russian intel.
orating and conspiring with the Russian gov‑
ernment," the October 2016 application to
the court states.
According to the documents, "the FBI
believes that the Russian government's
efforts are being coordinated with Page and
perhaps other individuals associated with"
Trump's presidential campaign.
It also said Page "has established relation‑
ships with Russian government of ficials,
including Russian intelligence officers".
Page is an energy industry consultant with
longstanding ties to Russia.
July 28-August 3, 2018 11
Washington: President FBI seized a tape of Cohen's
Trump's former lawyer that discussed payments
Michael Cohen secretly record‑ involving McDougal, but it
ed a conversation between the had some conflicting details.
two men prior to the 2016 It said that Trump and Cohen
election about paying a former were discussing a payment
Playboy model who said she for McDougal's story about
had an af fair with the leader, her alleged affair.
the media reported. American Media Inc. (AMI),
T he FBI seized the secret the publisher of the National
recording made by Cohen dur‑ Enquirer tabloid, purchased
ing a raid on his offices earlier the rights to McDougal's
this year, the New York Times story in August 2016 for
reported on Friday. $150,000 but never ran the
The report said that on the piece.
Former Playboy model
recording, Cohen and Trump Trump and Cohen discussed
Karen McDougal claims an
discussed paying Karen buying McDougal's story
affair with Donald Trump.
McDougal, who says she had a from AMI during the recorded
year‑long affair with Trump starting in 2006, conversation, according to the Post. The
shortly after he married Melania Trump. The newspaper reported that it was unclear why
conversation took place two months ahead of the men did not buy the story but they were
the 2016 election. reportedly discussing the same amount that
The Justice Department was investigating the publisher paid McDougal.
Cohen's involvement in paying women to The President's attorney Rudy Giuliani con‑
tamp down embarrassing news stories about firmed to the Post that the recording existed,
Trump ahead of the 2016 election. but did not discuss details and said a payment
His lawyer Lanny J. Davis said in a state‑ was never made. Giuliani asserted that the
ment that he was "sensitive" to the ongoing recording lasts less than two minutes and
investigation but added: "Suffice it to say that shows that Trump did nothing wrong. There
when the recording is heard, it will not hurt was no indication on the tape that Trump
Cohen. knew before the conversation about the pay‑
The Washington Post also reported that the ment from AMI to McDougal, he said.
 12 July 28-August 3, 2018
Modi confident to win 2019 election, calls Rahul childish
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi strongly hit out at
Congress President Rahul Gandhi
accusing him of arrogance, nega‑
tivity, childish conduct and a
burning desire to become PM.
Modi said he was extending
best wishes to the Congress and
other opposition parties to bring
another no‑confidence motion in
2024.
Modi replied to the debate on
no‑confidence motion, moved by
TDP's Jayadev Galla, against the
government in the Lok Sabha,
said the Congress lacked self‑con‑
fidence and had no faith in Chief
Just ice of India, Elect ion
Commission, Electronic Voting
Machines, Reserve Bank of India
and programs like Swachh Bharat.
The motion was defeated by
325 votes to 126.
Modi highlighted the work done
by his government for dif ferent
sections including farmers, youth,
women and weaker sections to
boost BJP's prospects in the state
Modi should have
met commitment
on Andhra:
Manmohan
New Delhi: Former Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said
that Special Category Status to
Andhra Pradesh was an assurance
made by him on behalf of the
Parliament and he had expected his
successor, Narendra Modi, to fulfil
it. Speaking at a discussion on
Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act
in the Rajya Sabha, Singh asserted
that in 2014, when the Andhra
Pradesh Reorganization Bill, 2014
was being debated, he had made the
solemn commitment on the floor of
the House as Prime Minister of
India.
"'For purposes of Central assis‑
tance, Special Category Status will
be extended to the successor state,'
this had been decided in view of the
fact that the revenue collection in
Hyderabad will accrue entirely to
the state of newly created
Telangana," he said.
He said this commitment of
Special Category Status to the suc‑
cessor state of Andhra Pradesh had
been discussed with then Leader of
Opposition Arun Jaitley and other
senior BJP leaders.
Narendra Modi took a dig at Rahul Gandhi over winking
to a party colleague after hugging him.
elections later this year and the
2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Replying to barbs of Gandhi,
Modi said he is "kaamdar" and
"not a naamdar" and could not
see him in the eye.
"They have confidence in noth‑
ing. Today the nation has seen the
negativity expressed by some
Rahul authorized to decide on tie‑ups
New Delhi: Virtually kicking of
its campaign for the 2019 elec‑
tions, the Congress said it will
oust the BJP‑led alliance from
power and authorized party
chief Rahul Gandhi to take a
final decision on both pre and
post‑poll alliances.
R ah u l G a n d h i w a s a l s o
announced the party's face and
Prime Ministerial candidate.
The Congress' decision to be
willing to forge state‑to‑state
alliances as also a larger
alliance was taken at the meet‑
ing of an extended Congress
Wo r k i n g C o m m i t t ee, a l s o
attended by UPA Chairperson
Sonia Gandhi and former Prime
M i n i s t e r M a n m oh a n S i n g h,
which discussed a poll strategy
with a heavy focus on farmers,
youth, women, minorities, back‑
ward classes and other weaker
sections.
T h e d ec i s i o n a b o u t R ah u l
Gandhi being the final word on
alliances came amid perceptions
that Sonia Gandhi had a wider
acceptability among present and
potential allies and was better
placed to negotiate with them.
The CWC discussed prepara‑
tions for the 2019 Lok Sabha
polls as also its readiness to
take on the Bharatiya Janata
Pa r t y i n R a j a s t h a n , M a d h y a
P r a d e sh, a n d C hh a t t i s g ar h ‑
where elections will be held at
the end of this year. It also dis‑
cussed Mizoram where elections
are due this year.
With the party having suf‑
fered electorally due to "indis‑
creet remarks" of some of its
INDIA NEWS
Modi, who was loudly cheered
by treasury benches, attacked
Gand hi over his remarks on
Doklam stand off with China and
the Rafale fighter jet deal with
France.
"One of the leaders spoke about
Doklam. The same leader, who
believed the Chinese Ambassador
over our forces. What have we
come to? Everything does not
merit a childish conduct. Due to
one careless allegation in the
House on Rafale, both nations had
to release statements. My appeal
to the Congress is please do not
bring politics in national securi‑
ty," the Prime Minister said.
He alleged the Congress had
members. India saw how some described the surgical strike of
people are so deeply opposed to 2016 as "jumla strike". "We have
deve lopment. W hat we saw seen how the Army chief was
among members of the opposi‑ insulted by their leaders. You
tion was sheer arrogance. The have called surgical strike a jumla
only thing they have to say‑ strike, the country will not forgive
remove Modi. To remove one you. You can abuse Modi but not
Modi, see who all they are trying the forces. Stop insulting the
to bring together," he said. jawans of India," he said.
UPA Chairperson and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Congress
President Rahul Gandhi and party leader Manmohan Singh at the
Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting. (Photo: IANS)
leaders close to elections, Rahul and to keeping the party line in
Gandhi emphasised on "gravitas mind while making statements.
of the language and conduct" While he asked party workers
Mamata announces oust BJP campaign
Kolkata: Stepping on the acceler‑
ator in her bid to play a promi‑
nent part in the anti‑BJP political
space nationally, Trinamool
Congress chief Mamata Banerjee
said her party would launch a
fortnight‑long campaign from
August 1 calling for the ouster of
the saffron outfit from power at
the centre.
She also announced her party
would organize a "huge" rally in would call for defeating the BJP
the city on January 19 next year, at the centre.
where "leaders from all over the "We will invite all anti‑BJP
country", including those of the political parties. I will invite (for‑
Federal Front proposed by her, mer Congress chief) Sonia
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi
over winking to a party colleague
after hugging him, Modi said:
"The entire nation saw what the
eyes did. It is clear in front of
everyone. In the morning, the vot‑
ing was not over, the debate was
also not over one member comes
running to me saying ‑ Utho Utho
Utho...
"What is his hurry to come to
power? Let me tell this member it
is the people who elected us. That
is how we have come here," he
said referring to Gandhi coming
to hug him.
Countering Gandhi's jibe that
Modi was not a "chowkidar" but a
"bhagidaar" in the gains of corpo‑
rates, Modi said he was a bhagi‑
dar in the march of poor for
development, but not a "sauda‑
g ar" or "the kedar" like the
Congress.
He also accused the Congress of
practicing the politics of "emo‑
tional blackmailing Dalits and the
deprived".
not to leave any stone unturned
to oust the "failed" Narendra
Modi government, party sources
said several leaders stressed the
need to strengthen the party at
the booth‑level, and outpace the
BJP in poll management.
Announcing the decisions on
alliances, Congress spokesman
Randeep Singh Surjewala said
the party President was also
authorised to form a small com‑
mittee for the purpose, if needed
as well as campaign committees
and other panels for 2019 elec‑
tions.
Asked if Rahul Gandhi will be
face of the election, Surjewala
said: "Congress will fight this
election under the stewardship,
leadership and by putting for‑
ward our leader Rahul Gandhi.
On that we neither have a doubt,
n o r w e h a v e a n y s ec o n d
thoughts”.
Gandhi. I will invite the CPI‑M
too," Banerjee, also the West
Bengal Chief Minister, said later.
Addressing her party's annual
Martyrs' Day rally, Banerjee pre‑
dicted the BJP could end up with
less than 100 seats in next year's
general election. "The maximum
they can get is 150."
She appealed to Trinamool
activists to work for the victory
of the party in all 42 Lok Sabha
seats in West Bengal.
"We will organize the next July
21 rally after our India triumph,"
she said.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Indian black money in
Swiss banks down 80%
New Delhi: Indian black money
deposits in Swiss banks went
down by 34 per cent between
2016 and 2017 and by over 80
per cent since the BJP govern‑
ment came to power in 2014,
an official statement said.
Referring to Swiss National
Bank (SNB) data last month
which showed that after falling
for three years in succession,
money parked by Indians in
Swiss banks rose 50 per cent
to Swiss francs 1.02 billion in
2017 over the previous year, a
Finance Ministry release here
said that a more reliable source
of Indian black money stashed
in Swiss banks is available
from the data which the SNB
collects jointly w ith the
Bank for Internat ional
Settlements.
"More often than not, the
media reports have not taken
account of the way the (SNB)
figures have to be interpreted,
which has resulted in mislead‑
ing headlines and analyses.
Moreover, it is frequently
assumed that any assets held
by Indian residents in
Switzerland are undeclared (so‑
called 'Black Money')," it said.
"However, the cited figures
that show an increase of 50
per cent in Swiss banks' total
liabilities towards India also
include non‑deposit liabilities
as well as business of Swiss
branches located in India. To
analyze Indian residents'
deposits held in Switzerland,
another data source should be
used.
"This is the so‑called 'loca‑
tional banking statistics', which
the SNB collects in collabora‑
t ion w ith the Bank for
International Settlements (BIS).
This data source shows that
the liabilities in the form of
loans and deposits of Swiss‑
domiciled banks towards
Indian non‑banks decreased by
44 per cent between 2016 and
2017," it added.
It said Swiss non‑bank loans
and deposits have reduced by a
significant 80.2 per cent under
the NDA government between
2013 and 2017.
INDIA July 28-August 3, 2018 13
India, Rwanda review
bilateral ties, sign 8 MoUs
New Delhi: India and Rwanda
reviewed their entire gamut of
bilateral ties and signed eight
agreements across different sec‑
tors during the course of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's two‑
day visit to the East African
nat ion, the External Af fairs
Ministry said on Tuesday.
"During the talks, both leaders
reviewed the entire gamut of
bilateral cooperat ion and
expressed satisfaction at the
exce llent re lat ions between
Rwanda and India in the overall
Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Rwanda President Paul
context of Strategic Partnership,"
Kagame in Rwanda's Kigali. (Photo: IANS/MEA)
the ministry said in a statement
following delegation‑level talks its relations with Rwanda. country in 1994.
chaired by Modi and Rwandan Ag reements in the area of Around 500,000 to one million
President Paul Kagame in Kigali. trade, defense, dairy cooperation, people were killed in the mass
Ties between India and Rwanda agriculture, culture, leather and genocide against the Tutsi people
were e levated to that of a allied sectors and two lines of by the majority Hutu government
Strategic Partnership in January credit worth $200 million for of that time.
last year. expansion of the special econom‑ Mo di visited the Kig ali
Modi highlighted the fact that ic zone and irrigation scheme Genocide Memorial honoring the
Rwanda would house the first of were signed. memory of the 1994 genocide
the 18 new resident Indian mis‑ In his address, Modi appreciat‑ victims and laid a wreath there.
sions to be opened in Africa in ed the steps for peace that have This was the first ever Prime
2018 and this underlined the been adopted in Rwanda follow‑ Ministrial visit from India to
importance attached by India to ing the mass genocide in that Rwanda.
 14 July 28-August 3, 2018 OP-ED TheSouthAsianTimes.info

It is not just the usual suspects insinuating Russia has something on Trump. Will Hurd, a Republican and now a Congressman,
has written in The New York Times: “Over the course of my career as an undercover officer in the CIA I saw Russian
intelligence manipulate many people. I never thought I would see the day when an American president would be one of them.”
By Shivaji Sengupta

S Prump & Tutin

o, no sooner had the first
summit between presidents
Trump and Putin ended
than the second is being planned
for this fall in Washington D.C. The
justification for the “re‑summit”
being given by the White House,
and Trump himself, includes
removing any appearance of the
misunderstanding that the
President himself created by “miss‑
peaking” during his press confer‑
ence in Helsinki, given with the
Russian at his side ‑ that he didnʼt
see any reason why Russia (read
“Putin”) “would” meddle in the
2016 presidential election. He mis‑
spoke in Helsinki. Once back
home, he reluctantly corrected
himself: he didnʼt see any reason
why Russia wouldnʼt meddle. This
kind of contradictory remarks by
the President obviously reinforces
opinions like Jonathan Chaitʼs pub‑
lished in the New York Magazine:
“I think [Trump] is afraid of the
president of Russia. The Russians
may have something on him per‑
sonally that they could always roll
out and make his life more diffi‑
cult.”
And not just Chait. Even a former
CIA Director, John Brennan sug‑
gested something similar. Of
course, neither may have a corner
on the truth. But the mere fact that
a former CIA Director would sug‑
gest anything like this, should give
The world seen
upside down
us some pause to think.
The case gets stronger with The
New York Times article written by
Will Hurd, another CIA officer, a
Republican and now a Congress
man. He writes, “Over the course
of my career as an undercover offi‑
cer in the CIA I saw Russian intelli‑
gence manipulate many people. I
never thought I would see the day
when an American president
would be one of them.”
Hurd adds that the Presidentʼs
failure to defend the US intelʼs
unanimous conclusions of Russian
meddling in the 2016 election and
“by playing into Vladimir Putinʼs
hands, the leader of the free world
actively participated in a Russian
disinformation campaign that
legitimized Russian denial and
weakened our credibility to both
our friends and foes abroad.”
So there we have it. President
Trump himself participating in
false information intended to dis‑
credit the official version of events,
or the very notion of reliable truth.
The question is why? Why would
this President seem to go out of his
way to protect Putin from being
implicated in the Russian meddling
in the elections of 2016?
Trump may have been advised to
hearken back to the times of
Nixon‑Brezhnev camaraderie,
which helped the US and the Soviet
Union probably enjoy the best
relationship during the Cold War.
The Nixon‑Brezhnev bonhomie
ended with Nixon having to leave
the presidency because of
Watergate and the relationship
between the two countries pro‑
gressively worsened, reaching its
nadir (from the Soviet perspective)
when Reagan became president.
Overturning President Carterʼs
policies on weapons reduction,
Reagan launched into an unprece‑
dented escalation of American mil‑
itary power, not unlike what we
are witnessing in the US today
under President Trump. Reaganʼs
strategy was simple and hugely
effective: bring Gorbachev to his
knees by overwhelming him with
the superiority of US military
power and then negotiate peaceful
terms between the two with the
U.S. holding the upper hand.
Putin was at that time a relative‑
ly junior member of the Kremlin.
Apparently, he hated what he saw:
the slow decline of Russia under
Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. He
sought to rise in power systemati‑
cally, methodically, finally succeed‑
ing through a fledgling (and cor‑
rupt) democratic process. He wait‑
ed and waited for the conditions in
America to be conducive to his
scheme of making Russia the
supreme power of the world again.
He hated Barack Obama (who did‑
nʼt seem to like him either) and
hated Hillary Clinton even more.
But also, typical of Russian
intrigues, he had been scheming
the rise (and maybe eventual fall)
of Donald Trump secretly and
egregiously. Apparently, when
Trump visited Russia in 2013, the
Russians blatantly planted the idea
of the presidency in his head, lured
him into some yet unknown com‑
promat; and they are now holding
him hostage to that compromise.
In Putinʼs scheme of things if he
can put the American president in
his pocket, he could then have his
will.
Then Trump would be Putinʼs;
the equation would reverse to
Prump: Tutin! And Russia under
Putin would be supreme.

India could become Republic of the Mob

By Shiv Visvanathan Instead of submitting to the rule of law, it of a mad parliament. The court focused on
becomes a monstrous version of law and the pathology of lynchings, showing how

T
he Supreme Court has often been
accused of overplaying its hand and
taking on an activist role. But this has
not prevented the court from playing the
role of philosopher of democracy and a soci‑
ologist of change. Its little reflections in a
Burkian sense on the revolutions of our time
have ranged from gay rights to the nature of
citizenship. Now, a three‑member bench lead
by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra
has produced a major critique of mobocracy,
while asking Parliament to make it a sepa‑
rate offence.
A mob comes into being when citizens lose
this sensitivity driven by a self‑projected and
propelled morality. When morality turns
hysterical and irrational, democracy loses its
dignity. Citizenship is disfigured twice.
First, when the citizen loses his restraint
and individuality to become a crude collec‑
tivity called a mob. Second, citizenship as a
creative and critical role is destroyed when
violence becomes a spectacle and citizenship
is reduced to spectatorship.
The difference between the rationality of
public space and the anarchy of the street is
lost. A mob defies civics and the rituals of
civility by demanding instant gratification.
order itself. When rationality loses out to
hysteria, democracy becomes mobocracy.
The court is particularly hard on what it
dubs “the apathy of the bystander, the numb‑
ness of the spectator” on the one hand, and
the vulgar grandstanding of the perpetrator
on the other. The vigilante becomes the new
monstrosity of citizenship. The courtʼs cri‑
tique of an apathetic citizen is matched by its
indictment of the mob. The court realises
that while the mob is a primordial phenome‑
non, its current impetus is modern. It sur‑
vives on the technological mulch of fake
news and false stories. The court warns that
when citizens take the law into their own
hands, they inaugurate the Republic of
Intolerance. The opposition between the vio‑
lence of intolerance and the civics of rational
reflection now underwrites the dynamic of
democracy.
The judgment of the court could be a com‑
pact history of the violence of contemporary
times. The vigilante, who in his need for
instant gratification, becomes the instant
law‑giver, a mad Moses driven by prejudices
other than an understanding of the logic of
law. The metaphor is worth pursuing
because with the mob playing the equivalent
intolerance with a technological impetus
becomes an instant mob. A mob is a monster
which deprives a citizen of the dignity and
protection of law. The court wants lynching
capitalised as a special crime. It wanted the
legislature to prepare ground for this by also
creating a separate system of compensation
for mob victims.
The court sensed that it was meditating on
a classic moment of history, realising that
more than rebellion, terror, subversion, it
was the self‑generated mob that had become
the greatest threat to democracy. In his judg‑
ment, Dipak Misra added a literary reference
that lynchings were so rampant that the
writer Mark Twain dubbed America the
United States of Lyncherdom.
Oddly, India, which loves to mimic the US,
might become the new United States of
Lynch Mobs. This would be one of the great
ironies of modern democracy, requiring in
this case not satire but a sociological analy‑
sis of how a tolerant India, unless checked in
time, could become a Republic of the Mob.
One wishes the court had continued its les‑
son in pedagogy and democracy. Oddly, India, which loves to mimic
(The opinion piece appeared in the US, might become the new
The Hindustan Times) United States of Lynch Mobs.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NRI AWARDS July 28-August 3, 2018 15

Indian Footballer Sunil

Times NOW’s Chhetri and eminent
Canadian investor

NRI of the Year Prem Watsa win

awards honor global Indians
Mumbai: Times NOW, Indiaʼs lead‑
ing English news channel from the
Times Network, and ICICI Bank
hosted the 5th edition of NRI of
the Year Awards 2018 on 11th
July here at a gala. The NRI of the
Year Awards salute the spirit of
global Indians who have been an
inspiration and made a mark for
themselves worldwide. Sunil
Chhetri, Indian football team cap‑
tain, was presented Global Indian
Icon award and Prem Watsa,
founder chief of Fairfax Financial
Holdings was conferred with the
Special Jury NRI of the Year
Award.
To celebrate awardsʼ 5th edition,
a coffee table book was launched
by Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of
State for Home Affairs of India,
along side MK Anand, MD and
CEO, Times Network, Vijay
Chandok, Executive Director ICICI
Bank and other dignitaries.
A new trophy designed by
renowned jewellery designer
Poonam Soni was also unveiled at
the ceremony by Bollywood
actress Chitrangada Singh.
Anukreethy Vas, Miss India
2018, Meenakshi Chaudhary and
Shreya Rao Kamavarapu, first and
Indian Footballer Sunil Chhetri
won Global Indian Icon award.
second runner up, made their first
appearances on the red carpet.
Sameer Kochhar and Mandira
Bedi were the eveningʼs hosts.
Terrence Lewis Dance Institute
performed.
Bollywood actress Chitrangada
Singh added glamor to the gala
event in Mumbai.
The awards were given in six dif‑
ferent categories – Entrepreneur,
Professional, Academics, Arts &
Culture, Philanthropy, and Start‑
up.
This year, the awards covered
Global Indian Icon and
NRI of the Year award
respectively.
Canadian investor Prem Watsa (middle) is NRI of the Year for 2018.
the top four regions across the
globe – North America, the UK,
Middle East and Asia Pacific,
where 23 winners were selected
and awarded. The jury comprised
Deepak Bagla, MD/CEO, Invest
India; Ashish Chauhan, MD & CEO,
BSE; Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC
India; Harsha Bhogle, cricket com‑
mentator, and Dalip Tahil, actor.
Naveen Chandra, Head ‑
NRI of the Year Awards 2018 – Winners
Category Name
Professional Sajeev Koshy
Sanjay Jadhao
Pratap Bose
International Business, Times
Network shared, “We are delighted
that this year, NRI of the Year
awards received an overwhelming
11500 registrations, which is testi‑
mony of the high esteem the
awards are held in.”
The awards are powered by
Global Indian International School
(GIIS) and Ernst & Young is the
Process Advisors.
Region
Asia Pacific
North America
UK & Europe

Dr. Manu Vora receives NRI award for philanthropy Prasanth Manghir Middle East

Naperville, Ill: Dr. Manu Vora has Academics Amiteash Paul Middle East
received Times NOWʼs NRI of the Narendra Kumar UK & Europe
Year Award 2018 in philanthropy Ramesh Agarwal North America
category from North America, for Aarav Rajesh Asia Pacific
his 30 years of dedicated service to Kuldip Sidhu Asia Pacific
Blind Foundation for India (BFI)
and five years of free gift of knowl‑ Entrepreneur Sarvajna Dwivedi North America
edge transfer project using tech‑ Kishore Matta Asia Pacific
nology to empower youth and pro‑ Mitesh Vekaria UK & Europe
fessionals in India with soft skills Vardaraj Shetty Middle East
and quality management knowl‑
edge. Art & Culture Jogiraj Sikidar Middle East
Dr. Vora is the Founder Director Tejinder Sharma UK & Europe
and President of BFI since 1989 Dr. Manu Vora received his trophy from Kiren Rijiju (Union MoS, Biju Dhanapalan Asia Pacific
and his team has raised over $4 Home Affairs), flanked by , Anukreethy Vas (Femina Miss India Sai Chakrawarthy North America
million to help over one million World), and Sanjay Chougule, Senior GM, ICICI Bank. Manapragada
visually impaired people in India. es, or Cataract operations as need‑ Excellence, Inc., USA. He has over
So far, BFI has supported over ed. Dr. Vora shared his "Leadership 43 years of leadership experience Start up Vivek Kopparthi North America
200,000 free Cataract operations, Excellence Series" focusing on life‑ guiding Fortune 500 companies in
donated 128 Mobile Vans for long transferable knowledge of US Baldrige Performance Philanthropy Ariful Islam Middle East
transport of eye doctors and soft skills and quality management Excellence Framework, He has Bhupendra Mistry UK & Europe
patients, distributed 10,000 Braille free‑of‑cost to over 675,000 peo‑ received 35 awards/honors for his Dr. Manu Vora North America
Kits to blind children for their edu‑ ple in 14 States of India covering life‑long community service includ‑
cation, and checked eye sight of 50 Colleges/ Universities. This is a ing U. S. President's Volunteer India's Global Icon
900,000 school children and pro‑ Free 'Gyan Daan' Project since Service Award and 52 awards/hon‑ – Sports Sunil Chhetri India
vided necessary interventions such 2013. Dr. Vora is the Chairman ors for his outstanding professional
as free eye drops, Vitamin A, glass‑ and President of Business service. Special Jury Award Prem Watsa North America
 16 July 28-August 3, 2018
ʻWHY IS HE PUTTING US
THROUGH SO MUCH PAIN?ʼ
Filmmaker Ram
Gopal Varma is
known for films
like ʻSarkarʼ and
ʻRangeelaʼ.
A
fter filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma
said that his film on actor Sanjay
Dutt will be an honest biopic, the
actorʼs sister, it seems, is not too happy
with the move.
Talking to Mid‑Day, Namrata Dutt asked
why RGV (Ram Gopal Varma) ʻwants to
bring those painful memories back?ʼ
RGVʼs film, titled, “Sanju: The Real Story”,
will reportedly focus on Duttʼs several
brushes with the law, most prominently the
terrorism charges levelled against him in
Hrithik, Kangana
set to clash again
Bollywood actors Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut.
K
angana Ranaut and Hrithik
Roshan will clash again ‑‑ this time
at the box office. The actress'
"Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi" has
been locked for release on January 25,
2019, when Hrithik's "Super 30" will also
release.
The two actors were involved in a row
which began after Kangana hinted at
Hrithik being her "ex‑boyfriend". What
followed was an exchange of legal com‑
plaints and mud‑slinging. Now their films
are set to clash on the Republic Day 2019
weekend.
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
relation to the 1993 Mumbai blasts.
“His movies are dark. Why do you want
to go on and on about Sanjayʼs life? Why is
he putting us through so much pain
again?” Namrata asked. However, she
added that if Sanjay gave a ʻgo aheadʼ for
the film then they wonʼt have the authority
to stop it.
The new film will address some of the
unanswered questions, like how Dutt came
to be in possession of an AK‑56 assault
rifle in the first place.
Zee Studios and producer Kamal Jain
announced the release date of their mag‑
num opus "Manikarnika ‑ The Queen of
Jhansi", in which Kangana will bring alive
the "extraordinary tale of strength and
valor that inspired Indians across genera‑
tions". The film is directed by Krish.
Hrithik's "Super 30", meanwhile", will
see him take on the role of real life math‑
ematics wizard Anand Kumar, who teach‑
es 30 meritorious and talented candidates
each year from economically backward
sections for the entrance examination for
the Indian Institute of Technology.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
My son has started parenting
me: Sonali Bendre
A
ctress Sonali Bendre, who is undergo‑ advice, Sonali said: "I believe that it's impera‑
ing a metastatic cancer treatment in tive to keep kids involved in a situation like
New York, in an emotional this. They are a lot more resilient than
social media post has shared how we give them credit for. It's impor‑
her 12‑year‑old son Ranveer tant to spend time with them
dealt with her cancer news. and include them, rather than
Sonali took to her Instagram make them wait on the side‑
and uploaded a picture with lines, not being told yet
her son along with the post. instinctively knowing every‑
She says since Ranveer was thing.
born, "his happiness and well‑ "In our effort to protect
being have been the centre of them from the pain and reali‑
anything" that her husband ties of life, we might end up
Goldie Behl and she did. doing the opposite."
"And so, when the Big C Ranveer is currently with
reared its ugly head, our his mother during his sum‑
biggest dilemma was what mer vacation.
and how we were going "His madness and
to tell him," Sonali shenanigans help me
wrote. And she was switch on the sun‑
surprised, "he took shine. And today, we
the news so mature‑ derive strength
ly and instantly from each other,"
became my source added the actress,
of strength and who believes in
positivity for me. taking one day at
Actor Sonali Bendre is battling
"In some situa‑ cancer with resilience. a time. Post her
tions now, he diagnosis, the
even reverses roles and takes on being the "Sarfarosh" actress is quite active on social
parent, reminding me of things I need to do," media platforms and constantly gives
Sonali added. Giving fans some parenting updates about her health to the fans.
'Dhadak': Performances
make the heart beat
D
irector Shashank Khaitan's "Dhadak"
suffers from a lack of intrigue, right
at the outset, as owing to being
based on the popular Marathi hit "Sairat",
naturally, the story and outcome are all pre‑
fixed and something the audience is
acquainted with. So it is only the perform‑
ances that you are looking forward to, albeit
with high expectations. And indeed those
keep you hooked.
Set in Udaipur, Rajasthan, "Dhadak" is the
love story of Madhu (Ishaan Khatter) and
Parthavi (Janhvi) who are classmates in col‑
lege. While he hails from an ordinary family
and helps his father run a restaurant, she is
the daughter of Ratan Singh (Ashutosh
Rana), a local politician belonging to a high‑
er caste. Smitten by her, Madhu follows her
around like a lost lamb and it is his perse‑
verance and sincerity that makes her come
round too, and fall madly in love
with him. Ishaan Khatter as the REVIEW
lovelorn Madhu, is endearing and
charm personified. His passion, sincerity
and energy are palpable and he becomes
Madhu with ease.
Jhanvi as Parthavi, is more restrained, but
The chemistry between actors Ishan Khatter
a firebrand too. She has a strong screen
and Janhvi Kapoor is endearing.
presence and emotes with confidence.
Their on‑screen chemistry is good and they original. The characters are not well‑etched
make a cutely innocent pair. It is their sincere and although the pace of the film is deliber‑
performances that involve you and make you ately slow, to help you become a part of
feel their pain, joys and anxieties. Madhu and Parthavi's life, the director
It is the script which appears to be a staid, seemed to be in a hurry to race along, by
cut copy, paste unimaginative job on the merely changing the milieu and setting, but
"Sairat" template. Thus, "Dhadak" lacks a soul otherwise, following the original to the core,
of its own. It is the dramatic end however, without adding depth to the characters and
which leaves a greater impact than even the establishing a raison dʼ etre.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD July 28-August 3, 2018 17

Netfix makes changes in subtitle of 'Sacred Games'

N
etflix company informed the
Delhi High Court that a
change had been incorporat‑
ed in the English subtitle in the
"Sacred Games" web series to remedy
an alleged insult to former Prime
Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
'Sacred Games' contains a scene in
the fourth episode in which lead actor
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is seen abusing
Rajiv Gandhi and calling him 'fattu'
(p*** as translated in the subtitle of
the show).
"Now, we are using word 'wimp' as
the English translation of Hindi word
'fattu'," the over‑the‑top media servic‑
es provider's counsel told a bench of
Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice
Chander Shekhar.
Responding to the bench's query
about the meaning of 'fattu', the coun‑
sel said it means 'coward'. The court
questioned whether they have cor‑
rectly translated the word in the sub‑
title and asked Netflix to examine case, Babri Masjid demolition
such parts in the web series. and communal riots.
However, the court said that it did During the course of
not want to curtail the freedom of hearing, the lawyer
speech and expression. apprised the court that
"Criticism or even expression of dis‑ Rajiv Gandhi's son and
satisfaction is permissible. I do not Congress President Rahul
think anyone can have objection to Gandhi had not raised any
it," the bench said. objection to the series and
The court remarked that the free‑ supported freedom of
dom of speech is on a higher pedestal speech.
even when someone is criticizing peo‑ However, the court
ple associated with politics, adding warned Netflix not to
that it is the viewer's choice what take it for granted
they want to see. and remain care‑
The PIL ‑‑ filed by lawyer Nikhil ful while broad‑
Bhalla through advocate Shashank casting any
Garg ‑‑ sought the removal of two series.
contents that according to him "tar‑
nished" the image of the former A still from
Prime Minister. popular
The lawyer claimed that the series web series
incorrectly depicted historical events
ʻSacred
Gamesʼ.
such as Bofors scandal, Shah Bano

In youth‑obsessed world,
where are films about elderly?
ʻTrollers with
narrow thoughts a
negligible minorityʼ
F
ilmmaker Anubhav Sinha, whose
forthcoming film "Mulk" ‑‑ about
the plight of a Muslim family
accused of treason ‑‑ has had online
trolls slamming him for being "anti‑
Hindu", says the idea of inclusive India
is very much secure and the people
who are trying to ruin the country's
communal harmony are really small in
number.
"The concept of original India is still
breathing in various parts of the coun‑
try and while shooting the film, my
Amitabh Bachchan plays a constipated old man in ʻPikuʼ. faith in that has strengthened.

A
t one point, R Balki planned an
autumnal love story with Amitabh
Bachchan and Sridevi on the lines of
The Bridges Of Madison County about two
aging people discovering love long after
the 'permissible age'. Balki abandoned the
idea for later. But then Sridevi left us
before Balki could get down to making the
film about love when mortality seems a
threat.
Hindi cinema shies away from making
films on the elderly. No market, they say. It
takes an artiste with vision and stature to
break this glass ceiling and peep into the
world of the aged.
In that simple and lucid Bengali film
"Shonar Pahar", that understated actor‑
turned‑director Parambrata Chattopadhyay
does a brilliant job of bringing to us a film
that is so heartwarming and gentle it
almost feels like we're floating effortlessly
in the air. The pulls and pressures of life
never weigh down the storytelling.
"Shonar Pahar" is a view from the highest
peak of the mountain where every emotion
seems to acquire the clarity of a dream
seen early in the morning. Set in Kolkata,
the film essentially scopes the bond
between a cantankerous, lonely, embittered
but dignified woman and a 7‑year old boy
whose wisdom pervades the film in unfil‑
tered showers of splendor and sublimity.
Tanuja, who makes a comeback in
"Shonar Pahar is one of those super‑talent‑
ed septuagenerians of Indian cinema who
are sitting at home wondering why no
roles are written for them in our cinema.
The one good thing about legenadry
actresses Meena Kumari, Nargis,
Madhubala, Geeta Bali, Smita Patil and
Tanuja's elder sister Nutan dying young is
that they were spared the ignominy of
being neglected by a youth‑obsessed film
industry.
Thank God Tanuja got at least one oppor‑
tunity to prove her mettle. Her legendary
seniors and contemporaries like Waheeda
Rehman, Asha Parekh, Raakhee Gulzar,
Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan and Sharmila
Tagore are sitting at home waiting for a
roles. Even the autumnal male actors are
sailing in the same boat. Only Amitabh
Bachchan, and to some extent Shabana
Azmi, are getting the work they deserve.
Wherever I shot the film, the way local
people have participated made me
believe that the very essence of India,
which is inclusive, is existing nicely,"
Sinha said.
What does he mean by original
India?
"Inclusiveness," he said, and
explained: "The problem is that the nar‑
row‑minded people, who are a tiny part
of the vast population, speak much
louder than the majority. The majority,
the inclusive people, are like a deep
ocean that stays calm, quiet and flows.
The liberal‑minded secular people
choose to flow silently.
Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha has been
"So, basically, people who are trolling
trolled for his film on Muslims.
with narrow thoughts, are a minuscule,
negligible minority." gle to prove their patriotism due to their
Sinha had earlier this week penned a long religious practices.
open letter in response to the trolls, outlin‑ Asked about what sparked the thought
ing how they are merely "under‑educated, behind the film, Sinha, who has earlier
highly energetic people with no productivi‑ made movies like "Tum Bin" and "RA.One",
ty". said: "To put it on record, ʻMulk' is not try‑
The story of "Mulk" essentially revolves ing to deal with Islamophobia or talking
around stereotyping of a minority commu‑ about the present government. The story is
nity and how they are in a constant strug‑ about us, we the people in the society”.
 18 July 28-August 3, 2018 FEATURE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Highlights of Tamil meet: A scaled down replica of

Thanjavur Brahadeeshvar

heritage and business

Temple was created in
the auditorium.

Dallas, TX: Several thousand Indi‑

an American Tamils assembled at
the Dr. Pepper Arena, Frisco, Texas
from June 29 to July 1 for the
31st National Tamil Convention of
the Federation of Tamil Sangams A scintillating
of North America (FeTNA) organ‑ performance at
the FeTNA
ized by Metroplex Tamil Sangam,
convention
Dallas. A special attraction was
one‑day entrepreneur and busi‑
ness conference TEF TALK ad‑
dressed by 30 world class busi‑
ness leaders, CIOʼs (chief informa‑
tion officers), social entrepreneurs
and community leaders.
The keynote speaker for the day
was C.K. Kumaravel, founder of Rep Raja Krishnamoorthy and C.K. Kumaravel, founder of Naturals
Naturals, Indiaʼs number one hair beauty salon chain, spoke at the business session.
and beauty salon chain. He shared crease their involvement in civic Karagam, Gummi and a forum dis‑
his wisdom and his atypical path matters. The Dallas chapter of cussion on Tamil heritage.
to success. Other speakers includ‑ American Tamil Entrepreneurs As‑ The completion of fundraising electrifying the auditorium. majestically standing in the arena
ed Lakshmanan Chidambaram, sociation (ATEA) was launched by. for setting up Harvard Tamil Chair A highlight of the convention, floor. Nearly 40 parallel sessions
President of Tech Mahindra, Muru Lena Kannappan, Ram Nagappan was celebrated where the with national coordinator Caldwell were held on a wide range of top‑
Murugappan CIO of BNSF a Berk‑ and Siva Moopanar. founders and directors of Harvard Velnambi, was the scaled down ics. A Continuing Medical Educa‑
shire Hathaway Company, Arul The second day featured a mega Tamil Chair as well as several key recreation of Thanjavur Bra‑ tion (CME) event along with a
Murugan of 11‑11 Ventures, and Broadway style dance recital by volunteers were recognized. The hadeeshvar Temple that was built medical symposium was held and
Hollywood producer Tel Ganesan. 150 children trained by day culminated with an exhilarat‑ 1000 years ago and is now a UN‑ for the first time was opened to as‑
Rep from Illinois Raja Krish‑ Bharatanatyam exponent Dr. ing light music performance by ESCO Heritage Site. Several hun‑ piring youth contemplating a ca‑
namoorthy gave the closing Narthagi Natarajan, and perform‑ singer Karthik, drummer Sivamani dred volunteers worked for nearly reer in medicine.
speech in which he exhorted the ances of traditional Tamil art and Shaktisree Gopalan when the 9 months in recreating this temple Next yearʼs convention will be
Indian American community to in‑ forms Pambai, Parai, Silambam, audience peaked to nearly 5,000 and it was a center of attraction held in Chicago on July 6‑7.

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info SUBCONTINENT July 28-August 3, 2018 19

US worried over LeT affiliates 14 killed in Kabul

contesting Pak polls blast; Vice President
Islamabad: T he US State
Department has expressed concern
over the participation of Lashkar‑
e‑Taiba‑affiliated (LeT) individuals
in the upcoming e lect ions in
Pakistan, media reports said.
However, the department has
noted with satisfaction that the
Pakistan Election Commission had
rejected the registration of Milli
Muslim League (MML) in June, cit‑
ing its linkages to LeT, an interna‑
tionally‑sanctioned terrorist organ‑
ization, Dawn News reported.
In a statement, the State
Department said it has also amend‑
ed its Foreign Terrorist
Organization designation of LeT in
survives attack
Kabul: Fourteen people have
been killed in a blast which
rocked Kabul airport shortly
after Afghan Vice President
Abdul Rashid Dostum returned
from self‑imposed exile, accord‑
ing to police.
Dostum was unhurt in the
attack on a square he had just
passed through, BBC reported.
He left for Turkey more than a
Lashkar‑e‑Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed year ago, after he was accused
of ordering his men to kidnap
‘No direct role of Army in elections’ and rape a political rival ‑‑ accu‑
sations he denies.
Militant group Islamic State
has said it carried out the
attack.
Hashmat Estankzai, of Kabul
police, said nine security forces
members and traffic officers
were among the 14 who had
died, while another 60 people
had been injured.
Estankzai earlier told the BBC
a suicide attacker on foot had
set off his explosives outside
the gate of the airport.

April to add the MML as a
"Lashkar alias".
"We have repeatedly expressed
our concerns to the Pakistani gov‑
ernment about LeT, including the
participation of LeT‑affiliated indi‑
viduals in the elections," the state‑
ment added.
The State Department earlier
encouraged the Pakistan to contin‑
ue the electoral process despite
recent terrorist attacks targeting
politicians.
"These attacks on political candi‑
dates and their supporters are
cowardly attempts to deprive the
P
akistani Army will have no direct role in the country's July 25
general elections and will work on the Election Commission's
directives to conduct peaceful polls, the Inter‑Services Public
Relations (ISPR) said.
Asif Ghafoor, Director General of the Army's media wing ISPR, reject‑
ed reports that the Army will work independently during the elections
and clarified that its personnel will follow the poll body's instructions.
"There were some rumours that Army personnel had been issued
'different' orders ‑‑ this is completely baseless," he said at the special
session of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior.
"We do not have any link with the elections... we are only working
on the Election Commission's directives to improve the law and order
situation. We do not have a direct role in polls."
An Afghan securityman carries an injured man
Pakistani people of their democrat‑ State Department's spokesperson
at the site of an attack.
ic rights," the report quoted the US Heather Nauert as saying.

BNP rallies for Sharif, Maryam unlikely to

Khaleda, demands
her release from jail
Dhaka: The Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP)
took out a rally in the capi‑
tal for the first time in two
and a half years to demand
the release of its chairper‑
son and former Prime
Minister Khaleda Zia, who
is serving a five‑year sen‑
tence in a corruption case.
BNP Secretary General
Mirza Fakhrul Islam
Alamgir presided over the
rally that began after Friday
prayers, in front of the
party's central office at
Nayapaltan, bdnews24.com
reported. Leaders and work‑
ers with banners and portraits of
Khaleda and the party's acting
chairman Tarique Rahman ral‑
lied from Fakirapool to Kakrail's
Nightingale intersection.
Separate rallies were simulta‑
neously arranged across the
country for the same demand,
according to BNP's Senior Joint
Secretary General Ruhul Kabir
Rizvi.
On February 8, a special court
found Khaleda, who is also fac‑
BNP chief and former
PM Begum Khaleda Zia.
ing several other cases of cor‑
ruption, violence and sedition,
guilty of fraud amounting to
$200,000 through a foundation
she created to finance an
orphanage.
The BNP has been demanding
her release and treatment in the
United Hospital in the city,
claiming that Khaleda is serious‑
ly ill. The last time the party
held a rally in the capital was on
January 5, 2016 with Khaleda as
the chief guest.
be shifted to guest house
Islamabad: Former Pakistani
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and
his daughter Maryam Nawaz are
unlikely to be transferred to the
Sihala Rest House owing to its
lack of proper security arrange‑
ments needed for the high‑profile
prisoners, media reports said.
The accountability court that
convicted Sharif and his daugh‑
ter in a corrupt ion case had
ordered they be sent to Adiala
Jail after they were taken into
custody at the Lahore airport
and produced before it on July
13.
However, the Islamabad Chief
Commissioner had also ordered
shifting of both the father and
the daughter and her husband
Captain (retd) Safdar Awan, who
was already in the Adiala Jail, to
the Sihala Rest House situated
inside the Sihala Police Training
College.
Authorities later said that the
rest house was not safe for the
Sharif family, according to Dawn
News. It has six rooms, all with
air conditioners, proper beds and
wash rooms, but no boundary
wall. One official said that it was
twice or thrice attempted to shift
Former Pakistani PM Nawaz
Sharif with daughter Maryam.
Maryam Nawaz to the rest house
but she firmly refused.
A major indication that the
Sharifs might not be shifted to
the rest house was that the
authorities were considering
shifting some dangerous prison‑
ers to somewhere else in the
province to ensure proper securi‑
ty for the three‑time Premier and
his daughter, the report quoted
an Adiala Jail official as saying.
Shift Nawaz
to hospital:
Medical team
Jailed Pakistan Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif who
has fallen ill and was suffer‑
ing from heart and kidney
ailments, has been asked to
be shifted to a hospital by a
medical team, a jail official
said.
The medical team, led by
retired General Azhar Kiani,
visited Adiala jail in
Rawalpindi after Sharif com‑
plained, the jail administra‑
tion official told Dawn news‑
paper.
Following his medical
check‑up, the medical team
said that Sharif "needed to be
hospitalized for immediate
treatment", he added.
The heartbeat of the for‑
mer Prime Minister was
irregular due to dehydration
and the presence of urea in
blood might affect his kid‑
neys, the medical team has
said.
 20 July 28-August 3, 2018 INTERNATIONAL TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Trump threatens Iran, warns 80% CHANCE OF

of dire 'consequences'
Washington: President Donald
Trump has warned his Iranian
counterpart Hassan Rouhani that if
Tehran threatened the US again, it
will suffer "consequences the likes
of which few have ever suf fered
before". The tweet in all‑caps fol‑
lowed an apparent warning by
Rouhani, in which he cautioned
that Americans "must understand
that war with Iran is the mother of
all wars and peace with Iran is the
mother of all peace", according to
Iranian state media reports.
Rouhani also shared a message
for Trump, saying "do not play
with the lion's tail, because you
will regret it eternally".
In response, the US leader said:
NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE US
AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER
CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF
WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HIS‑
TORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED
BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A
COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR
YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF
VIOLENCE AND DEATH. BE CAU‑
TIOUS!"
Trump's tweet came shortly after
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
delivered his own blistering speech
on Iran's leaders, accusing the cler‑
Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani had warned the US.
ics that rule the country of using
the country's revenue to line their
own pockets and fund terrorism at
the expense of average Iranians,
according to CNN.
"To the regime, prosperity, secu‑
rity and freedom for the Iranian
people are acceptable casualties in
the march to fulfil the Revolution,"
Pompeo said at the Ronald Reagan
National Library in California.
"T he level of corruption and
wealth among reg ime leaders
shows that Iran is run by some‑
thing that resembles the mafia
Khamenei rules
out talks with US
Tehran: Iran's Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruled
out talks with the US, terming it
"useless" as Washington is "fun‑
damentally at odds with the
principles of the Islamic sys‑
tem".
"I have long pointed out that it
is not possible to count on the
words and even the signatures
of the Americans, so negotia‑
tions with the US are of no
avail," Khamenei said in a meet‑
ing with the Iranian Foreign
Ministry staff in the capital.
Washington's opposition to
Iran's nuclear capabilities and
role in the region was rooted in
its hostility with "the elements
of the authority of the Islamic
system", he was cited as saying
by official IRNA news agency.
more than a government."
In May, Trump pulled the US out
of the 2015 multilateral nuclear
ag reement w ith Iran and re‑
imposed sanctions on Tehran,
which w ill come into force in
August.
BRITAIN LEAVING
EU: CAMERON
Kolkata: Former British
Prime Minister David
Cameron said that there is an
80 per cent chance that his
country will quit the EU on
the basis of an agreed deal
and it might opt for a "soft
Brexit" by staying close to a
single market. Cameron's
comments came at the annu‑
al General Meeting of the
Indian Chamber of
Commerce here.
He said there were treaties
after treaties and a series of
changes after the UK joined
the EU and it became a politi‑
cal union. Speaking on the
impact of Brexit on the econ‑
omy, he said there existed Former British PM David Cameron
essentially two possibilities ‑‑ was speaking on the impact of
either to stay close to the Brexit on the economy.
European market and keep huge," Cameron said.
some of its rules intact or to be But he also said the 'harder
totally separate by making own Brexit' would create more fric‑
rules. "It depends on what sort tion. According to him, the
of Brexit it is. If it is a Brexit backlash against market econ‑
where we remain allied to sin‑ omy and rise in strongman pol‑
gle market or somewhere, I itics are threats to global
don't think the impact will be economy.

Hamas announces Putin invited to US amid

ceasefire with Israel
after day of strife
A woman waves Palestinian flag during clashes with Israeli troops.
Jerusalem: Palestinian Islamist
group Hamas said they had
agreed on a ceasefire with
Israel after the fatal shooting
of an Israeli soldier spurred
intense strikes on Gaza that left
four Palestinians dead.
Egypt and the United Nations
acted as mediators to arrange
the cessation of hostilities, Efe
quoted Hamas spokesman
Fawzi Barhoum as saying.
Recently, Palestinian militia‑
men killed an Israeli soldier on
the Gaza border, which has
been the scene for months of
massive demonstrations insist‑
ing on the right of Palestinian
refugees to return to their for‑
mer homes in what is now
Israel. The Israel Defense
Forces (IDF) responded by tar‑
geting eight Hamas positions
in Gaza, killing three fighters
from the Islamist group's
armed wing. The IDF has killed
141 Palestinians since the start
of the mobilization on March
30, while Israeli farmers have
seen their fields scorched by
burning kites and makeshift
projectiles launched from Gaza.
criticism over Helsinki meet
Washington: The White House
has announced that the Russian
President has been invited to
Washington later this year,
despite mounting criticism over
US President Donald Trump's fail‑
ure to take Vladimir Putin to task
over Moscow's meddling in the
2016 US presidential polls.
The White House's announce‑
ment came even as leaders in
Washington were still struggling
to understand what happened
when Trump and Putin met earli‑
er this week in Helsinki, Finland.
White House Press Secretary
Sarah Huckabee Sanders in a
tweet said that National Security
Adviser John Bolton extended the
invitation and that "discussions
are already underway".
"That's gonna be special!" said
Russian President Vladimir Putin might visit US later this year.
Director of National Intelligence
Dan Coats, when he was told Ukraine, leaving his military and sulted. The announcement was
about the invitation during a live diplomatic corps in the dark, the the latest unexpected turn in a
interview. New York Times reported. week in which Trump faced a tor‑
The White House was finding it Coats said he would have rent of bipartisan criticism over
hard to explain statements made advised against Trump and Putin's his cozy approach to Putin and his
by Trump after the Helsinki meet‑ private meeting in Helsinki, which conflict ing statements about
ing as uncertainty spread worried US security of ficials Moscow's election interference, all
throughout the government about because no notes were taken and while brushing aside warnings
whether he had reached agree‑ only two interpreters were pres‑ that Putin should be viewed as an
ments with Putin on Syria and ent, but that he had not been con‑ adversary.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info BUSINESS July 28-August 3, 2018 21

India most attractive destination

for global investors: Rajnath
New Delhi: India has become the most
attractive destination for global investors
and its GDP growth has moved much
ahead of the inflation rate, Union Home
Minister Rajnath Singh has said.
Speaking at a meet ing of the
Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT)
here, he admitted that there were some
problems with demonetization and the
implementation of the Goods and Services
Tax (GST) but issues have now been sorted
out and people are aware of the benefits of
the two moves.
"India's GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
had been half of the inflation rate four
years ago. But it has gone up rapidly in the
last four years. The GDP rate now has
moved much ahead of the current inflation
rate. There has not been a single moment
in the last four years when the GDP
growth was lower than the inflation rate.
"This is a big dif ference you can see
now," he said.
Asserting that India has now become the
most attractive destination for world's
investors, he said: "India has received
more than $150 billion FDI (Foreign
Direct Investment) in last four years. There
was a time four years ago when only two
mobile factories were running in India.
Now, the number of these factories has
reached to 120."
This is an indication that the whole
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
world has belief and confidence in India's
economy, said the senior BJP leader,
adding India has gained a new height in
the ease of doing business and it jumped
from 142 to 100th place.
Citing a survey by a reputed consultancy,
the Minister said India was ranked 9th
among the world's top 10 economies in
2014 and had raced ahead of France to
emerge as the top six.
"I am confident, as economists predict, in
Sensex hits record high
Mumbai: The benchmark BSE Sensex hit a fresh all‑time high of 36,749.69 points towards
the fag end of trade led by healthy buying in banking, FMCG and consumer durable stocks.
Investor sentiments were boosted after Goods and Services Tax on many items including
electronic appliances were slashed on Saturday, analysts said.
At 3.30 p.m., the BSE Sensex provisionally closed at 36,718.60 points ‑‑ higher by 222.23
points and 0.61 per cent ‑‑ from the previous close of 36,496.37 points.
The wider Nifty50 on the National Stock Exchange closed the day's trade at 11,084.75
points, up 74.55 points or 0.68 per cent from the previous close of 11,010.20 points. As
mentioned the Sensex touched an all‑time high of 36,749.69 points, and an intra‑day low of
36491.83 points. The previous record high on Sensex was 36,747.87 hit on July 18.
the next two‑three years India's economy Stating that the GST rates have recently
will be among the top five. With this pace been slashed on several items and that
of GDP growth, by 2030 we will break into many have been brought under zero and 5
the world's top three economies." per cent slabs, Rajnath Sigh said the gov‑
In four years of our government, there ernment is open to further review of the
has been drastic financial inclusion as the slabs.
people living in huts have been the part of "Out of 6.5 crore retail traders, around
economy because of opening of their bank 1.25 crore have registered under the GST.
accounts. "Fifty‑five per cent of the total As per the Economic Survey, more than
bank accounts opened across the world 1.15 crore returns have been filed during
are in India only." November 2016‑2017. GST is a major tax‑
Describing the benefits of government's ation reform in the country where only
digitization scheme, Rajnath Singh said 6.10 crore people are under the taxation
subsidies of 431 government‑run schemes regime out of over 130 crore population,"
amounting to over Rs 365,000 crore have he said.
been transferred to the bank accounts of Taking a veiled dig at former Prime
beneficiaries through Digital Payment Minister Manmohan Singh, Rajnath Singh
Direct Transfer policy so that mediators said economic growth was dependent on a
could not do any wrong doings. realistic, not economist, Prime Minister.

Trade war a reality: French finance minister Seoul asks Washington

Paris: A trade war is now a reality, French
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has
warned as G20 ministers gather for a
summit in Argentina.
The current US trade policy of imposing
unilateral tariffs is based on "the law of
the jungle", he said, BBC reported.
But US Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin defended the tariffs and urged
the EU and China to open their markets to
allow free competition.
Last week, US President Donald Trump
described the EU as a foe on trade.
Trump later threatened to impose tar‑
iffs on all $500 billion of Chinese goods
entering the US in a growing trade row.
The US has large trade deficits with
both the 28‑member EU and China.
The two‑day talks in Buenos Aires bring
together finance ministers and central
bankers of the world's top 20 economies.
"World trade cannot base itself on the
law of the jung le and the unilateral
increase of tarif fs is the law of the jun‑
French Finance Minister
Bruno Le Maire.
gle," Le Maire said. "The law of the jungle,
the law of the fittest, this cannot be the
future of global trade relations.
"The law of the jungle will only turn out
losers, it will weaken growth, threaten the
most fragile countries and have disas‑
trous political consequences," Le Maire
said.
He added that a trade war was now a
reality, and that the EU could not consider
negotiating a free trade deal with the US
without America first withdrawing its tar‑
iffs on steel and aluminium.
T he US treasury secretary backed
Trump's stance on trade with the EU and
China, saying they both need to open
their markets.
"My message is pretty clear, it's the
same message the president delivered at
the G7 (last month in Canada): if Europe
believes in free trade, we're ready to sign
a free trade agreement with no tariffs, no
non‑tariff barriers and no subsidies. It has
to be all three," he said.
Turning to China, Mnuchin warned
punitive tarif fs against Beijing were "a
realistic possibility".
"We've been very clear with our objec‑
tives," he added.
to exempt vehicles
Seoul: South Korea has asked the US to
exempt its vehicles from the new 25 per cent
tariffs Washington is planning to impose on
imported vehicles and spare parts, officials
said.
South Korean Finance Minister Kim Dong‑
yeon made the request to his US counterpart
Steve Mnuchin in a meeting on Saturday on
the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos
Aires, Argentina, Efe news agency reported.
According to an official statement by the
finance ministry, Kim asked Mnuchin that
South Korean vehicles be excluded from the
new tariffs the White House is planning to
impose on national security grounds. The
South Korean official reminded his US col‑
league of the positive impact the Asian coun‑
try's automobile industry has had on employ‑
ment and investments in the US. Currently,
South Korean vehicles entering the US market
are not subject to import tariffs under the
free trade agreement signed by both coun‑
tries in 2012.
 22 July 28-August 3, 2018 SPORTS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

First Test against England: Swiss visa denial

jeopardises
Indian cyclists'
India have form problems participation
By Veturi Srivatsa New Delhi: Ahead of the UCI
Junior Track World

I
ndian cricketers have been in England for
over a month, the senior team playing in the
shorter formats and Rahul Dravid's 'A' squad
helping out some seniors in getting a knock
before the Test series. Yet there is no clarity on
the ideal eleven for the first Test.
The problems for the Indian team manage‑
ment stem as much from uncertain form as the
injuries to key bowlers. The form issues got
magnified as the middle order batsmen failed
to get going in the last two One‑Day
Internationals (ODI) after winning the first
game to lose the series 1‑2.
What must be worrying for captain Virat
Kohli and team director Ravi Shastri is the ease
with which English batsmen played the hitherto
dreaded wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and
Yajuvendra Chahal after looking all at sea in
the Twenty20 series and even in the first ODI
which the Indians won with ease, by eight wick‑
ets.
India's biggest worry is whether they have
the bowling to take 20 wickets in a Test like
they did in all the three Tests in South Africa.
They do not appear to have the potential wick‑
et‑takers with the new ball. They are handi‑
capped by the absence of two of their key wick‑
et‑takers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jaspirt
Bumrah, both are nursing injuries. Bumrah
might recover in time for the second Test from
his broken thumb he suffered in the first match
in Ireland, but Bhuvneshwar's low back pain
appears to be more serious. On paper, the fast
bowling still looks adequate with Mohammad
Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav being
experienced enough to man the department.
Indian captain Virat Kohli with coach Ravi Shastri.
Shami hopefully has left his personal and fit‑
ness problems behind to be fresh enough to
produce the form that made him the highest
wicket‑taker with 15 wickets in South Africa six
months ago. The next best was 14 wickets of
Bumrah ahead of Bhuvneshwar's 10 and
Ishant's eight.
As for spin, which will have a greater role to
play in the second half of the English summer,
Kuldeep Yadav's chances of playing were dent‑
ed after the way Joe Root went after him in the
last two one‑dayers. So, for the first Test at
Birmingham Ravindra Jadeja should team up
with Ravichandran Ashwin. The tour selectors
will be in a dilemma whether they should pre‑
fer the accuracy of Jadeja to tighten things
when they are not going their way or gamble
with Kuldeep. Kohli has a problem picking his
five batsman with three openers looking as
good or as uncertain. To retain the team bal‑
ance, he will have to drop one of them and it
will be a toss up between Rahul and Vijay, one
oozing talent and the other with a proven
record in overseas conditions.
The batting has to come good unlike in South
Africa where Bhuvneshwar ended up with the
second best batting average of 33 behind Kohli.
All Indian theories will work only on dry and
hard pitches, not on plenty of green and in
heavy atmosphere as back up. Whatever be the
outcome, a Test series in England for India is
lot more exciting than in any other country
what with the diaspora cheering them to make
them feel as if they are playing at home.
Championships on August 15‑19
at Aigle in Switzerland, the Swiss
embassy here has refused to
issue visa to the Indian squad cit‑
ing problems in their application,
Cycling Federation of India (CFI)
Secretary General Onkar Singh
confirmed. According to Singh,
the CFI had sent the invitation
letter from the tournament's
organising committee along with
the application. Despite that, the
Swiss embassy stated that "justi‑
fication for purpose and condi‑
tions intended for stay wasn't
provided" as the grounds for
refusing visa to the Indian play‑
ers. "We had applied for normal
visa with all the valid documents
and papers. But, unfortunately,
we were refused on grounds that
justification for purpose and con‑
ditions intended for stay wasn't
provided," Singh told IANS.
Singh, however, pointed out
that the embassy had not "reject‑
ed" the application but had only
"refused" it for the time being
with an option to appeal.
Asked if the CFI has contacted
the Sports Ministry regarding the
issue, Singh said: "We are cur‑
rently waiting for a response
from the organising committee,
after that we will consider other
options."

Hima's historic gold rejuvenates

By Tridib Baparnash

Guwahati: Not many in the country

would have been familiar with

sleepy Assam village

Kandhulimari village in Dhing ‑‑ a
small town situated approximately
20 kilometers from Nagaon district
headquarters, narrowed by a land‑
eating Brahmaputra ‑‑ until 18‑year‑
old sprinter Hima Das scripted his‑
tory by clinching a 400 metres gold
at the IAAF World U‑20
Championships at Tampere in
Finland.
Back in my native Nagaon for a
week's break, with the monsoon at
its peak, it was another lazy day
when this correspondent woke up
to the news of Hima's golden feat
even as the locals erupted in joy
and all roads leading to Dhing were
choked ‑‑ after all, Hima became the
second Assamese athlete after
Bhogeswar Baruah to win an inter‑
national gold medal.
Baruah had clinched the yellow
metal in the men's 800m event at
the Bangkok Asian Games, way
back in 1966 and had once lament‑
ed if he would live to see another
Bhogeswar but felt glad that he was
proved wrong.
"We have someone better," the
77‑year‑old said when asked about
Hima's feat.
Somehow after battling the traffic
for an hour or so, I managed to
reach Kandhulimari, one of the five
Assamese villages on the eastern
edge of the mighty Brahmaputra
where Hima was born to rice farm‑
ers Ranjit Das and Jonali Das.
The village, with a population of
around 5,000, wore a festive look
notwithstanding the showers from
the heavens, with the locals playing
the dhol, taal and gogona (musical
instruments mostly used during
Bihu celebrations), and many offer‑
ing prayers at the local 'Naamghar'
(temple).
Hima's old Assam‑type house at
No. 3, Kandhulimari village, was
thronged by hundreds of locals
even as the 18 members of the joint
family were still to come to terms
with the historic feat of the teenag‑
er the previous night ‑‑ marred by a
power cut which prevented them
from savouring her moment of
glory.
Recalling Hima's childhood, her
Hima Das scripted history by clinching a 400 metres gold at the
IAAF World U‑20 Championships in Finland.
mother Jonali said the athlete had
always been a competitive charac‑
ter and hated losing. Elaborating on
an incident when Hima's request for
a lift back home from her school
was ignored by a passenger vehicle
driver, she challenged the driver
and beat the vehicle to her home,
situated two kilometres away.
Jonali further said that her daugh‑
ter would practice running before
dawn at the local grazing ground,
around 50 metres from their house
as the villagers let their cattle loose
post sunrise.
Hima took to athletics when she
was nine under her father's tutelage
and continued doing so till Samsul
Hoque, the sports teacher at Dhing
Nobodoy Vidyalaya, noticed her at
an inter‑school competition in
which Hima, then a Class IX student
of Dhing Public School, had partici‑
pated.
Hoque had then spotted the talent
in the youngster and he introduced
her to the district and state selec‑
tors, as she went on to train under
Nipon Das in Guwahati for the past
17 months and the rest is history.
Besides her sporting abilities, the
teenager has leadership skills too
and she displayed that in style when
she led a group of local women in
dismantling an illegal liquor outlet
at Auni‑Ati, a nearby village.
The owner of the outlet dragged
her 52‑year‑old father to court but,
he appeared unperturbed and said:
"The case is going on but am not at
all worried. After all, my daughter
hasn't done anything wrong. I am
proud of her and her feats."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Going vegetarian one of my
best decisions: Anushka
(Image courtesy: bollywoodlife.com)
Mumbai: Actress‑producer
Anushka Sharma, who turned
vegetarian over three years
ago, says it is one of the best
decisions she has made.
She stars in a new campaign
for People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA)
India that proclaims, "I Am
Anushka Sharma, and I'm a
Vegetarian."
"Going vegetarian was one of
the best decisions I ever made. I
have more energy, I feel health‑
ier, and I'm so happy that no
animals had to suffer for my
meals," Sharma said in a state‑
ment.
In the ad, shot by Mazen
Abusrour, Anushka smiles joy‑
fully into the camera, flaunting
an outfit from her brand NUSH.
PETA India's motto reads, in
part, that "animals are not ours
Decoded: How to reverse signs of ageing
New York:
Scientists, including
one of Indian origin,
have found the way
to reverse the action
of wrinkled skin and
hair loss which are
considered as the
hallmarks of ageing,
in a mouse model.
The findings
showed that, when a
mutation leading to
mitochondrial dys‑
function is induced, the mouse
develops wrinkled skin and exten‑
sive, visible hair loss in a matter of
weeks.
However, when the mitochondrial
function is restored by turning off
the gene responsible for its dys‑
function, the mouse returns to
smooth skin and thick fur, indistin‑
guishable from a healthy mouse of
the same age.
According to the study authors,
the decline in mitochondrial func‑
tion among humans is seen during
ageing, and can drive age‑related
diseases.
"This mouse model should pro‑
to eat."
Anushka, according to the
animal rights organization, has
been a vegetarian for three and
half years. She was named
PETA India's Hottest Vegetarian
Celebrity in 2015 and its
Person of the Year in 2017.
Among other efforts to help
animals, she has announced
plans to open an animal shelter
near Mumbai, launched the
PAWsitive campaign to raise
awareness that animals suffer
when people set off firecrack‑
ers during Diwali, and demand‑
ed a ban on cruel carriage rides
in Mumbai.
She has joined celebrities like
Lara Dutta, Sonu Sood, Shahid
Kapoor, Esha Gupta and R.
Madhavan, who have teamed
up with PETA India to promote
meat‑free meals.
(Image courtesy: qz.com)
vide an unprecedented opportunity
for the development of preventive
and therapeutic drug development
strategies to augment the mitochon‑
drial functions for the treatment of
ageing‑associated skin and hair
pathology and other human dis‑
eases in which mitochondrial dys‑
function plays a significant
role,"said Keshav Singh, Professor at
the University of Alabama at
Birmingham.
For the study, published in the
journal Cell Death & Disease, the
team added antibiotic doxycycline ‑‑
used to treat infections caused by
bacteria and protozoa ‑‑ to food or
LIFESTYLE July 28-August 3, 2018 23
Neil Armstrong's
memorabilia to be auctioned
Houston: The personal collection
of Neil Armstrong, the first man to (Image : dazzling.news)
have set foot on the moon, is to be
sold in a series of auctions later
this year and in 2019.
The artefacts on offer range
from those associated with
Armstrong's historic 1969 lunar
landing to his private mementos,
reports Xinhua news agency.
They include pieces of a wing
and propeller from the 1903
Wright Brothers' Flyer, a heavier
than air aircraft, that the space‑ three astronauts on the Apollo 11 their mind. "I think he would be
man took with him to the moon; mission and one of the two who pleased to be remembered as
Apollo 11 Robbins medallions, sil‑ landed on the moon on July 20, being part of a program that
ver medallions commemorating 1969. The quote he made on land‑ demonstrated amazing things can
the launch, landing and return of ing on the moon ‑‑ "That's one be achieved when people come
the mission; a gold pin flown on small step for man, one giant leap together to dedicate themselves
Gemini VIII, the sixth earth‑orbit‑ for mankind" ‑‑ has become a leg‑ towards a common goal," his son
ing spacecraft in NASA's Gemini end. Armstrong died in 2012 and Rick Armstrong said.
program; and important corre‑ his two sons, left with a large col‑ The auction will be held on
spondence, according to Texas‑ lection of mementos after his November 1‑2 this year as well as
based auction company Heritage death, felt the need to conserve in May and November of 2019,
Auctions that will handle the auc‑ restore, and research them. The which marks the 50th anniversary
tion. Armstrong was one of the idea of auctioning thus came into of the Apollo 11 mission.
Mara Martin walks on runway while breastfeeding
Miami: Model Mara Martin made Martin, who was one of the 16 from the audience.
a statement when she breastfed finalists in the Swim Search show, The magazine shared on its
her five‑month‑old daughter while was breastfeeding her five‑month‑ Instagram account a video of
she was on the ramp for a fashion old daughter Aria while doing the Martin walking the runway while
show. catwalk. The new mother walked carrying her baby. The comment
The magazine Sports Illustrated, the runway in a gold two‑piece section was flooded with mes‑
which is famous for its annual bikini at the event held as a part sages praising her for normalising
swimsuit Issue, was championing of Miami Swim Week, reports breastfeeding at work. The model
motherhood and breastfeeding at aceshowbiz.com. also shared her photographs with
its recent model casting competi‑ Her appearance with her daugh‑ her daughter on the catwalk on
tion. ter drew loud cheers and applause her own Instagram page.
Smartphone use may
drinking water to induce
the mutation which
caused in depletion of
affect teenagers' memory
London: Increased exposure to Swiss Tropical and Public Health
mitochondrial DNA
radiation from mobile phones Institute (Swiss TPH) in
because the enzyme to
may impact memory in your Switzerland.
replicate the DNA
teenage children, warn Swiss "Potential risks to the brain can
becomes inactive.
researchers. be minimized by using head‑
They found that, the
The findings showed that phones or the loud speak‑
mice showed gray hair,
exposure to radiofre‑ er while calling, in par‑
reduced hair density, hair
quency electromagnetic ticular when network
loss, slowed movements
fields (RF‑EMF) emit‑ quality is low and the
and lethargy in four
ting from mobile mobile phone is func‑
weeks. Wrinkled skin was
phone use for over a tioning at maximum
seen four to eight weeks
year can have a nega‑ power."
after induction of the mutation, and
tive effect on the Importantly, other aspects
females had more severe skin wrin‑
development of figural of wireless communication use,
kles than males.
memory in adolescents. such as sending text messages,
Reversal of the mutation restored
Figural memory is mainly playing games or browsing the
mitochondrial function, as well as
located in the right brain hemi‑ internet showed only marginal
the skin and hair pathology.
sphere and association with RF‑ RF‑EMF exposure to the brain
However, little change was seen in
EMF was more pronounced in and were not associated with the
other organs when the mutation
adolescents using the mobile development of memory per‑
was induced, suggesting an impor‑
phone on the right side of the formance. However, "it is not yet
tant role for mitochondria in skin
head. clear how RF‑EMF could poten‑
compared to other tissues.
"This may suggest that indeed tially affect brain processes or
"It suggests that epigenetic mech‑
RF‑EMF absorbed by the brain is how relevant our findings are in
anisms underlying mitochondria‑to‑
responsible for the observed the long‑term", Roosli said,
nucleus cross‑talk must play an
associations," said Martin Roosli, emphasizing the need for further
important role in the restoration of
Head of Environmental research to rule out the influence
normal skin and hair phenotype,"
Exposures and Health at the of other factors.
Singh said.
 24 July 28-August 3, 2018 TRIBUTE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Doyen of Hindi poetry,

Neeraj passes away at 93
words such as:
The poet who wrote some great songs Saanson ki sargam, dharkan ki veena
Sapnon ki geetanjali tu
for Bollywood films was awarded the Mann ki gali mein mehke jo hardam

Padma Bhushan in 2007. Aisi juhi ki kali tu

Chhota safar ho, lamba safar ho
Sooni dagar ho ya mela
New Delhi: Doyen of Hindi poetry Gopal Das words: ʻSwapn jhare phool se/Meet chubhe on ʻLikhe jo khat tujheʻ (Kanyadaan, 1968). Yaad tu aaye, mann ho jaaye bheed ke
Neeraj passed away last Thursday at AIIMS shool se…ʼ In a film industry dominated by Majrooh, beech akela (Prem Pujari, 1970)
here. He was 93. Neeraj went on to write songs for several Kaifi, Sahir et al, Neeraj can be credited with A regular at the kavi sammelan and
A Padma Bhushan awardee, Neeraj had of Dev Anandʼs films such as ʻRangeela introducing a new idiom. A song such as ʻAi mushaira circuit, Neeraj also served as chan‑
earlier suffered a head injury following a fall re/tere rang mein yun ranga hai mera Bhai zara dekh ke chaloʻ (Mera Naam Joker, cellor of the Mangalayatan University in
at his house in Agra. man…ʼ (Prem Pujari, 1970) composed by 1970), with its free verse, had not been Aligarh. In the end, when it was time to go,
Tributes poured in for the poet. Prime S.D. Burman. This film was followed by Tere attempted before. Neither had ʻKal ka Hum to mast faqir hamara koi nahi
Minister Narendra Modi called his work Mere Sapne, Sharmilee and Gambler with pahiya…ʼ (Chanda aur Bijli, 1970). He thikana re
“unforgettable gems”, while former Uttar Burman. With Shankar‑Jaikishan he worked excelled in using simple, melodious Hindi Jaisa apna aana waisa apna jaana re
Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav
tweeted a picture with the legend. Rajya
Sabha on Monday mourned his death.
Neeraj's unique style connected him with
people from all walks of life, across genera‑
tions. His works are unforgettable gems,
which will live on and inspire many.
Before he gained name and fame as a lyri‑
cist, Neeraj taught Hindi at an Aligarh col‑
lege. But his increasing popularity as a poet
attracted Bollywood's attention. He got
offers to pen songs for films which gave him
wider recognition. Neeraj shifted to Mumbai
and penned one popular number after
another. However, some years later, Neeraj
again decided to shift back to Aligarh.
The songs he wrote were poetic/romantic
and meaningful. At a time when Urdu or
Hindustani was dominating Bollywood, his
vocabulary was Hindi.
ʻBaadal, bijli, chandan, paani jaisa mera
pyar
Lena hoga janam humey kai kai baar…ʻ
Or this one from Sharmilee, that eschews
difficult or even unusual words but is pro‑
foundly evocative and eminently ʻsing‑ableʼ:
Jheelon ke honthon par
Meghon ka raag hai
Phoolon ke seeney mein
Thandi thandi aag hai
Dil ke aine me tu
Yeh sama utaar de
Khilte hain gul yahan
Khil ke bhikharne ko
Though in this one, he is OK with shabab
and sharab.
ʻShokhiyon mein ghola jaye phoolon ka
shabab/Usmein phir milai jaye thhorhi si
sharab/ Hoga yun nasha jo tayyar woh pyar
hai…ʼ
Kaifi Azmi once likened a film lyricistʼs job
as first digging a grave and then looking for
a corpse to fit in it, for in the Bombay film
industry the music is composed first and
then suitable words are fitted in. And indeed
the task of writing songs to an existing dhun
is not to everyoneʼs liking.
Neeraj wrote specifically for films after the
stupendous success of ʻKarvan guzar gayaʻ, a
song he had recited on the radio in 1951,
for the film Nai Umar ki Nai Fasal (1966).
Sung by Muhammad Rafi to music set by
Roshan, it captured the angst of an entire
generation of young Indians, the tangle of
student politics, blighted spring and lost
opportunities. In his entire film oeuvre, pos‑
sibly it is this debut song that uses difficult
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
How to prepare for an active shooter incident in your community
A
ctive shooter incidents are
rare. You are 700 times
more likely to die in a car
crash, for example, than from an
active shooter event, according to
the Nat ional Safety Council.
However, these terrifying events
are on the rise. Experts say that
being prepared can save lives.
“Sometimes it takes a tragedy to
bring a community together – a
hurricane, a flood or an active
shooter. How much better would it
be to be prepared in advance and
mitigate that tragedy?” says Dan
Martin, a retired police of ficer in
New Lenox, Ill., and leader of the
New Lenox Safe Communit ies
coalition. “Each time I lead an
active shooter course I see light
bulbs go on in peopleʼs heads that
they can make a difference.”
Because most active shooter inci‑
dents are over in a couple of min‑
utes ‑‑ often before first‑respon‑
Is your retirement income Prefabricated way to affordable housing
protected? 9 questions to ask
W
hen it comes to retire‑
ment planning, anxiety
comes with the territo‑
ry. Will you be able to maintain
your lifestyle in retirement? Will
you have enough to cover your
monthly bills without depleting
your savings? Are you at risk of
outliving your money? While such
concerns are common among
Americans approaching retire‑
ment, protecting part of the
money that youʼve saved to ensure
monthly income for life can make
a dif ference in your confidence
about the future, suggests a new
study.
A new survey by the Alliance for
Lifetime Income looked at the
emotional and physical well‑being
of Gen X and Baby Boomer house‑
holds and compared those with
some form of protected lifetime
income, such as an annuity and/or
pension, to those that were unpro‑
tected and relying solely on sav‑
ings and Social Security.
Eighty‑eight percent of protect‑
ed households say they are confi‑
dent that their retirement money
will he lp them achieve their
lifestyle goals, while only sixty‑
three percent of unprotected
households feel confident.
“The American retirement dis‑
cussion has traditionally focused
on accumulating assets rather
than how to turn some of those
savings into a guaranteed monthly
income that will last as long as
you do,” says Colin Devine, educa‑
tional advisor at the Alliance for
Lifetime Income. “People donʼt
realize that Social Security is esti‑
mated to replace only about 40
percent of the average personʼs
income, which leaves millions of
ders can arrive on the scene ‑‑
Martin says itʼs crucial for private
citizens to turn their panic into
ef fective action and know what
steps they can take to improve
their chances of survival.
“Preparing for an active shooter
emergency starts with situational
awareness. Know what is going on
around you all the time, trust your
instincts and devise a plan,” he
says.
To prepare, everyone can take
the following steps:
4 Learn emergency notification
systems and distinctive alarms
used in places you frequent.
4 Identify two possible escape
routes wherever you are.
4 Find places to hide.
During an active shooter event,
donʼt spend important moments
panicking. Public safety experts
say that you should be ready to do
one of the following:
Americans vulnerable to outliving
their hard‑earned savings.”
To get confident about your
financial plan for retirement,
Devine says that you should
understand all your options for
protecting a portion of your
retirement income from the
impact of market volatility and
longer lifespans.
The Alliance outlines nine key
questions that you should ask
your financial advisor to make
sure that youʼre on track to having
the lifetime income you can count
on for the retirement you want:
1. Why is protected monthly
income in retirement important?
2. How much protected monthly
income will I need in retirement?
3. What if my expected monthly
income is less than what I need to
last my lifetime?
4. What is an annuity?
5. Are there costs associated
with guaranteed protected
income?
6. What if I need access to my
money in an annuity?
7. Can annuities help protect me
from investment losses?
8. How do I know that my pro‑
tected income is safe?
9. Are there other strategies for
protected monthly income?
“Discussing these topics with
your financial advisor can help
you become better informed
about your income planning
options, putting you one step clos‑
er to creating a financial plan that
delivers what you need to live the
life you want in retirement,” says
Devine. Visit www.RetireYourRisk.
org for more information on how
to create and protect your retire‑
ment income.
SELF HELP
4 Run: Always the first choice;
get out and take others with you.
4 Hide: Find a place to hide; act
quickly, turn of f lights, lock and
block doors, silence cell phones
4 Fight: The last resort, impro‑
vise weapons and work alone or
with others to disarm the shooter.
W
ith the cost of housing
continuing to rise faster
than wages, itʼs no won‑
der that many Americans nation‑
wide are struggling to make ends
meet. Luckily, solutions already
exist to address the af fordable
housing shortage, say experts.
For example, more than 22 mil‑
lion people in the U.S. now live in
manufactured housing ‑‑ homes
built to a federal standard in facto‑
ries and placed on a homeownerʼs
land or on rented lots in manufac‑
tured home communities, according
to the Manufactured Housing
Institute (MHI). In many parts of the
country, homes like these are the
least expensive kind of housing
available without a government
subsidy. The cost to buy a manufac‑
tured home averages about
$70,600, compared with $286,000
for a single‑family site‑built home,
not including land costs.
In response to growing market
demand, almost 93,000 new manu‑
factured homes were built in the
U.S. in 2017, a 15 percent increase
over 2016, according to MHI. But
this is still not nearly enough to
meet the nationʼs affordable hous‑
July 28-August 3, 2018
Community leaders can improve
safety in their public spaces, such
as concert venues, shopping malls,
houses of worship and other
places where people gather, by
of fering residents free act ive
shooter training from the National
Safety Council. T he Councilʼs
The cost to buy a manufactured home averages about $70,600,
compared with $286,000 for a single‑family site‑built home,
not including land costs.
ing needs, according to experts.
Advocates say that zoning restric‑
tions and other rules and regula‑
tions in many areas are preventing
manufactured housing from closing
the gap ‑‑ as certain jurisdictions
only allow manufactured housing in
locations far from town centers and
other jurisdictions have considered
banning them altogether.
“Part of this bias may be based on
the negative stereotype of earlier
generations of manufactured hous‑
ing. However, today, our homes are
built with quality construction
materials to meet rigorous federal
25
Active shooter
incidents are rare
but on the rise. And
experts say that being
prepared can save
lives.
“Surviving an Act ive Shooter
Event” is a two‑hour training that
covers how active shooter situa‑
tions unfold, how to be situational‑
ly aware and what actions are nec‑
essary to improve oneʼs odds of
survival. Training can be led by
any community leader who can
e f fect ive ly speak in front of
groups and follow detailed course
materials. To learn more about
partnering w ith NSC to bring
active shooter training to your
community, visit nsc.org/trainac‑
tiveshooter.
standards for safety, installation
and construction,” says Richard
Jennison, president and CEO of
MHI.
Whatʼs more, todayʼs manufac‑
tured housing includes features that
todayʼs homebuyers want, such as
luxury bathrooms, vaulted ceilings
and state‑of‑the‑art kitchens with
energy‑ef ficient appliances. Often
situated in communities with swim‑
ming pools, playgrounds and club‑
houses, they can be a very attrac‑
tive option for families and retirees
seeking affordability. To learn more
visit, manufacturedhousing.org.
26 July 28-August 3, 2018 HERITAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

The Magic of Vedic Mathematics Part 24

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

Extracted from ʻThe

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

To be continued in
the following issues
of The South
Asian Times.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info EDUCATION July 28-August 3, 2018 27

By Michelle I. Gao

Itʼs not Asians

The Harvard Crimson
There should be more pushback against
opinion writer all this admissions rigging against

A
sians may be called the Asians—especially among
“model minority,” but it
liberals, who tend to

who ʻgame
doesnʼt seem like weʼre
actually wanted in schools. We
are implicitly accused of taking
pride themselves on
up too many spots in elite New their championing of
York City high schools, so the
mayorʼs new plan proposes to minorities and equal

scrap the admissions exam in
favor of less objective criteria.
At the same time, we are fight‑
ing elite universities like
Harvard in court over charges of
unfair discrimination.
Negative Asian stereotypes do
not garner us much sympathy
though. We have unappealing
personalities. We are only good
at tests, and we are only good at
those because we spend all our
time studying. Perhaps, then, we
donʼt really deserve our spots in
the upper echelons of American
education.
The misconception that Asians
are somehow “gaming the sys‑
tem” is insulting and inaccurate.
Itʼs true that many Asians resort
to extensive test prep to do as
well as they do on admissions
exams like the Specialized High
School Admissions Test in New
York City and the SAT for col‑
leges. But itʼs dishonest to lump
in poor Asian families who sac‑
rifice to pay for test prep with
rich people (of any race) who
easily afford it. Forgoing vaca‑
tions, refraining from buying
amenities, and even scrimping
on food to pay for test prep are
not gaming the system.
They are sacrifices. Maybe
these sacrifices are crazy or
counterproductive; there are
certainly arguments to be made
against them. Regardless, these
are valid choices that are open
the systemʼ
to people of any race and that
have proven to be, on the whole,
effective. The people who make
these choices may be playing
the game the hardest and taking
most seriously the prize̶which
is more than just a seat in a
great school and may be no less
than the American Dream itself.
But they are not gaming the sys‑
tem.
Of course, there are groups
who really arenʼt playing by the
rules: the disproportionately
white legacy students who
sneak their way onto the
Harvard "Z‑list," a deferred
admissions pool for a small
number of students each year;
and the rich kids whose parents
donate $2.5 million to the
school before they apply, like
Jared Kushner. Itʼs obvious that
people with power and money
can game the system.
The more insidious gaming
comes within the system itself,
in admissions offices and
departments of education. The
most egregiously unfair treat‑
ment must be Harvardʼs consis‑
tently lower “personal” ratings
for Asian‑American applicants,
at times given without even
meeting the students. In the
case of New York City, it is
unfair to set one standard (the
SHSAT), not like the kind of peo‑
ple who succeed under that
standard, and then to change
the standard in order to achieve
the outcome that was desired all
along. Quotas̶as admissions
statistics over the years suggest
exist at elite schools, however
unofficially̶are also gaming
the system.
There should be more push‑
back against all this admissions
rigging against Asians̶espe‑
cially among liberals, who tend
to pride themselves on their
championing of minorities and
equal opportunity. But instead,
it is Bill de Blasio, the progres‑
sive mayor of a very liberal city,
spearheading the plan to get rid
of the admissions exam. It is
Harvard, a predominantly liber‑
al university with respect to its
students and faculty, defending
its affirmative action policies.
But this too should be no sur‑
prise. Because the real game
being played here is politics̶
racial politics, especially.
Politics is why de Blasio, longing
to be seen as a national progres‑
opportunity. Take Mayor
Bill de Blasio wanting to
get rid of the
admissions exam.
Or Harvard defending
its affirmative action
policies.
sive leader, focuses so much on
just eight specialized high
schools instead of tackling the
root of the problem̶the many
subpar schools that are current‑
ly failing primarily black and
Latino students. Politics is why
Harvard, in order to diversify its
student body, continues to hold
onto race‑conscious affirmative
action, the results of which look
good in photo spreads, instead
of emphasizing socioeconomic
diversity, which doesnʼt photo‑
graph as easily but is more
merit‑based. Politics is why,
when asked the reason that
Asians are demographically
overrepresented in elite educa‑
tion, liberals are quicker to
point their fingers at the ones
who have succeeded than at the
ones who havenʼt.
So if anything, Asians have
been playing themselves. Asians
overwhelmingly vote Democrat,
but the Democrats have taken
us for granted, excluding us
from their definitions of diversi‑
ty when it suits other people of
color. Asians do what they can
to get into the best American
institutions, but it seems like
those institutions are doing just
about everything they can to
keep us out.
The education fiascoes in New
York City and at Harvard have
revealed just how badly weʼve
been played. At least the
response̶the Asians speaking
up and gaining more attention
across the country̶has been
heartening. In politics, we need
to claim the narrative, fight for
what we earn, and stop being
political pawns. And the record
should be clear: We donʼt game
the admissions system. In any
case, education is far too serious
to be a game.
Courtesy : The Harvard
Crimson, the daily paper
of the university.

IMMIGRATION

National Interest Waiver - Employment based US immigration

By Michael Phulwani, Esq. waiver. 4 If the foreign employeeʼs status. The National Interest
& Dev B. Viswanath, Esq. The supporting documents for admission is asked for by Waiver (NIV) allows for a much
the national interest wavier are an interested U.S. govern‑ faster process towards getting a

C TALK
ertain foreign individu‑
als who would like to
work in the United
States may be eligible for an
employment‑based, second pref‑
erence visa if they have an
advanced degree or its equiva‑
lent, or have an exceptional abil‑
ity. Exceptional ability means
having a degree of skill consid‑
erably higher than usually
encountered in the fields of sci‑
ence, art, or business.
A national interest waiver peti‑
tion is part of the employment‑
based, second preference visa
category which is when a for‑
eign employee requests that the
labor certification be waived
because it is in the best interest
of the United States. There is no
definition that clearly states
which jobs qualify for a national
interest waiver, but they are
usually granted to those foreign
employees who have an excep‑
tional ability and whose employ‑
ment would benefit the United
States. A foreign employee does
not need to have both an
advanced degree and an excep‑
tional ability, it can be either
one. Foreign employees may
petition for a national interest
waiver for themselves and do
not need an employer for the
very important and key in sub‑
mitting a successful waiver
application.
There are a few important fac‑
tors that are considered in
determining whether a foreign
employee will be granted a
national interest waiver:
4 If the foreign employeeʼs
admission will be benefi‑
cial to the American econo‑
my;
4 If the foreign employeeʼs
admission will improve the
working conditions and
wages of U.S employees;
4 If the foreign employeeʼs
admission will improve
training and educational
programs; and
ment agency. green card, by removing the
Any dependents of EB‑2 visa step of the labor certification
holders, spouse and children with the Department of Labor
under the age of 21, may be eli‑ and the obstacle of having to
gible for derivative immigrant recruit for the position.
Dev Banad Viswanath is the Principal
Attorney of The Banad Law Offices PC in the
United States, and Banad Immigration in
India for which Attorney Michael Phulwani is
also affiliated as Of Counsel. With Offices in
Manhattan, Queens, Bangalore, and Mumbai,
the firm is able to assist clients with all facets
of the immigration process, including
Employment Visas, Consular Visa Assistance,
Student Visas, Removal & Deportation, US
Citizenship and Green Card Applications
based on Family or Employment. Dev B.
Viswanath can be reached at
Dev@Banadlaw.com and 718‑361‑5999.
 28 July 28 August 3, 2018 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Humor with Melvin Durai

Thereʼs nothing like a good protest

T
he tweet was liked and retweeted thou‑
sands of times. No one remembered
who the original tweeter was, but they
understood the importance of the message:
“Weʼre protesting outside the White House this
Saturday. Bring your signs and loud voices!”
Melissa Diamond, a 30‑year‑old mother of
three, showed the tweet to her husband.
“Wanna go?”
Mike Diamond shrugged. “What exactly are
we protesting?”
“Iʼm not sure,” Melissa said. “The usual
stuff, I guess.”
The Diamonds took their 16‑year‑old son,
David, along. He wanted to write a report for
his school newspaper. He was surprised to see
more than 10,000 people gathered in front of
the White House gate, coming together
through a single tweet.
David heard two young men chanting,
“Build the wall! Build the wall!”
“Are you concerned about all the people
coming across the border?” David asked.
“No, we just love walls,” said one man.
“Weʼre graffiti artists.”
Added the other man: “We want to set a
Guinness World Record for longest work of
art.”
“What are you going to draw thatʼs so long,”
David asked.
“I donʼt know,” the first man said. “Maybe
the presidentʼs nose.”
David spotted a group of women chanting,
“No more borders! No more borders!”
“You want to get rid of all borders?” David
asked.
“Well, most of them,” one woman said. “You
should see the ones on my mother‑in‑lawʼs liv‑
ing room wall. Theyʼre hideous. Iʼve told her
to remove them, but sheʼs a traditionalist. She
loves borders.”
David walked to the other end of the crowd,
leaving behind the chants of “Build the wall!”
and “No more borders!”
He spotted a man holding a sign that said,
“Axis of Evil: Russia, North Korea, Facebook.”
“Are you upset that Facebook is sharing your
data with other companies?” David asked.
The man shook his head. “No, Iʼm upset that
Facebook is allowing all my friends to share
their vacation photos. Because of that, my
wife and I are always miserable.”
“Canʼt you just unfriend them?”
“I could, but who would I share all my dog
photos with?”
David spotted a bearded man holding a sign
that said, “Mr. President, Stop Promoting
ʻAmerica First!'”
“Donʼt you want America to be first?” David
asked.
“I do, but weʼre taking it too far,” the man
said. “Weʼre first in school shootings, first in
illegal drug use, first in incarceration! Itʼs not
always good to be a world leader.”
David came across a man in a red cap hold‑
ing a sign that said, “Four More Years!” Next
to him was a woman holding a sign that said,
“Four More Ears! If you had ʼem, youʼd listen
better.”
David returned to his parents, who were
holding signs of their own. Melissa Diamond
was holding a sign that said, “Clean up Your
Mess!”
Mike Diamond was holding a sign that said,
“Stop this madness!”
“What madness are you talking about,
Dad?” David asked, hoping to get another
good quote for his article. “The presidentʼs
tweets?”
“No, your mom is trying to get me to do
more cleaning at home.”
“Why are you protesting here, Dad?” David
asked.
“So other men can join in. We mow the
lawns and take out the trash – we shouldnʼt
have to do household cleaning too.”
Melissa smiled at David. “Donʼt you just love
it?”
“Love what, Mom?”
“The freedom to protest. Thereʼs nothing
like it.”
“Does that mean Dadʼs going to get his
way?”
“No, but heʼs free to keep protesting.”

Laughter is the Best Medicine

BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA
AND
PAKISTAN

New York Head Quarter

422‑S Broadway
HICKSVILLE
By Mahendra Shah
NY 11801

516‑827‑1010 Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and

humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the
immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons.
Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY July 28-August 3, 2018 29

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

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

JULY 28‑AUGUST 3, 2018

ARIES: Someone is out to please you
for a favor, so have some fun at his or
her expense! You are likely to turn
your focus on an ex‑flame and rejuvenate
your love life. Family can get into the vaca‑
tion mood and compel you to plan a trip
soon. You will be able to clear a lot of pend‑
ing work on the professional front. You may
have to do something concrete to get previ‑
ous payments released.
TAURUS: You may need to keep a tab
on a matter that affects you most inti‑
mately. There is a likelihood of get‑
ting late for a meeting or a conference, so
start early. Spouse may persuade you to buy
a particular household item that you are not
keen on.
A family youngster is likely to start earning
soon. You can be completely bowled over by
a workplace colleague of the opposite gen‑
der. Good progress foreseen for those under‑
taking a long journey.
GEMINI: Time is of essence and you
will not falter in realizing it. A new
development at work will be a source
of joy. A family youngster is likely to do you
proud. Help will be at hand for those balanc‑
ing a job and domestic chores. Your roman‑
tic overtures are likely to get a positive
response from the one you love. Saving and
judicious spending will keep your bank bal‑
ance in a fine fettle. Donʼt lax with your diet
regimen.
CANCER: You may need to spend
some time away from your usual
surroundings, just for a refreshing
change. Students will be able to get the sub‑
jects of their choice. Less work will enable
you to take some time off for yourself. You
may find a member of the opposite camp
attractive enough to take the first step! A
lucrative deal can make the cash register
ring. Some of you can miss loved ones and
feel cut off from them.
LEO: Some adjustments may be need‑
ed for an amicable relationship, so be
open to the idea. This week, you may
need your space. Release of a payment may
come as a big relief. You may work towards
realizing your romantic aspirations. Sticking
to the workplace schedule will be in your
interest. Someone in the family may require
your help, so be available. Favorable time is
foreseen for those trying to acquire proper‑
ty. Put in efforts on the fitness front.
VIRGO: You are likely to prove a good
host. Some of you are likely to top an
exam or crack a competition. Joining
an elite organization cannot be ruled out for
some. Financing a family youngster will not
be a problem.
Love at first sight is possible, so keep your
fingers crossed! Homemakers may organize
a function at home. Some of you are likely to
get a good bargain on property. Those ailing
may recover soon.
LIBRA: Distractions and shifting
interests may make it difficult to
focus on anything. Although your
performance will be nothing to write home
about, you will be happy with it. Shifting bag
and baggage to a friendʼs place for a change
of scene cannot be ruled out. Those in the
media are likely to get the scoop they were
looking for. You will keep your romance
alive and kicking by allotting more time. An
unexpected expenditure may rock your
financial boat.
SCORPIO: You may have to be extra
quick in submitting an assignment, if
you want to beat the deadline. Positive
thoughts will keep irritation at bay. Chances
of a romantic affair are possible, so get ready
for a good time. It is best to postpone an offi‑
cial trip, as it may not meet your objective.
You may not get the expected service for an
electronic item bought by you. Investing in a
scheme may prove to be a bad call.
SAGITTARIUS: T here are some
aspects you will need to keep in mind
before you project a personal prob‑
lem. You are likely to implement some new
ideas to pep up your love life. A marriage
proposal is likely for the eligible. Someone
you are counting on at work may let you
down. Some of you can seethe with frustra‑
tion at not being able to do something you
had planned for. Your moodiness may cause
friction at home.
CAPRICORN: A good phase starts on
the professional front. Your reluc‑
tance to do the bidding of elders can
get you on their wrong side. All is not lost on
the financial front, if you are quick enough.
It may be difficult to convince a friend or a
family member for assistance on the home
front. Keep a watchful eye on the business
front as there are elements working against
your interest. Physical fitness is the key to
preventing minor ailments.
AQUARIUS: Cater to the needs of a
family elder, if you want to avoid
any misunderstanding. You can find
yourself a bit restless this weekend. A job
not completed in time by a subordinate is
likely to make you see red. Spending a quiet
evening with lover or spouse seems difficult
this week. Outside interference on the home
front may be resented by homemakers.
Students may have to put in extra hours on
the academic front. Seek guidance on the
health front.
PISCES : This is the best time to learn
the ropes and come into a position of
authority. It will be in your interest not
to succumb to workplace pressure. You are
likely to fare well in a competition. A change
of residence is foreseen for some.
Government employees may plan to buy a
luxury item. Proximity to an opposite number
can blossom into romance. New avenues of
earning will help secure the financial front.

28th July, 2018
Traits in you: Being ruled by Sun,
you will be creative by nature. Your
other characteristics include smart‑
ness, intelligence, and dignity and so
on.
Health this year: Your younger sib‑
lings may have some health issues,
which will put you in immense pres‑
sure.
Finance this year: You may go ahead
creating new contacts and casual rela‑
tionships this year. If you are a busi‑
nessperson, there are huge opportuni‑
ties for you to start new ventures and
earn lot of money as you will be suc‑
cessful whatever initiative you take
this year. Your assumptions of invest‑
ing will prove to be highly beneficial.
Career this year: Art and literature
are your area of interest and you want
to contribute to these fields. However,
you need to be sober and down to
earth to create a good impression. If
you are a scientist or a lawyer, you
may find this year to be rewarding for
you. Women professionals in advertis‑
ing and media will also be rewarded
for their good work.
Romance this year: If you are unmar‑
ried, this year may bring romance in
your lonely life.
29th July, 2018
Traits in you: The influence of your
ruling planet Moon enhances your
imagination power. You are honest,
sensitive and creative by nature. You
are helpful by heart and you help peo‑
ple in need with money and physical
support. However, you should not
behave introvert or shy. You should let
your personality grow.
Health this year: The drip in the
health of your parents might cause
concern for you.
Finance this year: Your assumptions
on investments would prove to be cor‑
rect and you will earn a handsome
amount of money from your invest‑
ments. There is a healthy chance of
overseas travel regarding business
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
meeting this year. The travel would be
successful and you may get new proj‑
ects. You should avoid financial trans‑
actions with casual friends as it may
result in loss and complications in rela‑
tionships.
Career this year: This year may bring
new opportunities for you. You may
get promotions and transfer orders.
Romance this year: Your partner will
be supportive enough and help you in
every respect. If you are eligible and
unmarried, you may get marriage pro‑
posals this year.
30th July, 2018
Traits in you: Ambition, dignity, intel‑
ligence, confidence are your inborn
qualities as you are under the influ‑
ence of the powerful planet Jupiter.
You like being philosophical and
organized. You can impress anyone on
the earth with your intellectual behav‑
ior and talks. However, you need not
behave weird to impress others. It may
be proved to be a negative aspect in
your nature.
Health this year: You may suf fer
with problems in your eyes and mouth.
So you need to get your periodic med‑
ical checkup done on time and take
prescribed medicines without negli‑
gence.
Finance this year: The rewards will
also open the door for you to earn
much more than you are earning cur‑
rently. You may win a foreign contract
or government contract this year. It
will enhance your business and earn a
lot of money and respect for you. You
may travel abroad in the last half of the
year for business meetings. You should
research well before investing on any‑
thing. You may concede enough money
on renovation and construction activi‑
ties.
Career this year: This year belongs
to you as you will be appreciated and
awarded throughout the year for your
professional achievements.
Romance this year: You will be in a
good mood throuhout the year as your
partner will provide you with lots of
love, care and concern. If you are
unmarried, this year may end our
bachelorhood or spinsterhood.
31st July, 2018
Traits in you: The planet Uranus
makes you active, dependable, ener‑
getic, systematic and honest. You have
a practical approach to lead a life. You
are serious towards you goals and
dreams.
Health this year: Some of your rela‑
tives may fall sick suddenly and that
may make you a bit bothered. You need
to drive carefully at night as there are
chances of accident this year.
Finance this year: This year is very
productive for you in terms of invest‑
ments. You should put your money in
real estate as it is very much rewarding
this year. You will be benefited from
you near and dear ones as they will
support you financially.
Career this year: You want to realize
your aspirations by working hard. You
put your duties in high esteem.
However, you have to control on your
behavioral approach. You should not
show your stubbornness to your col‑
leagues.
Romance this year: You will find
extra love and concern from your
spouse. You may tie your knots if you
are unmarried.
1st August, 2018
Traits in you: Your ruling planet, the
Sun makes you confident, intellectual,
religious, creative, and inventive. You
have exceptional speaking capacity
and you like to be among high society
people. Among all your positive charac‑
teristics, you have stubbornness as a
negative aspect in your nature. You
need to eradicate the negatives from
your nature to tend to perfection as a
human being.
Health this year: You may have to
celebrate religious functions very fre‑
quently at your place to find peace of
mind.
Finance this year: Your confidence
level will go up as a result of develop‑
ing new partnerships. Your financial
status may not take a huge leap, but
you can expect stability in future. You
may get more than expected at times
provided you put your best efforts to
achieve your goals.
Career this year: You will get support
from each and every one in your pro‑
fessional circle and that will allow to
learn a lot of things and become suc‑
cessful.
Romance this year: You will be suc‑
cessful in providing emotional support
to your spouse and children the best
way you can. Your spouse may come
good on all your expectations and
make you feel happy and satisfied.
2nd August, 2018
Traits in you: Your guiding planet
Moon blesses you with unbelievable
creativity, emotions, and simplicity.
You are the master of a very sharp
memory and an innovative mind.
Though you are very trustworthy and
dependable, you are pretty fickle‑mind‑
ed and shy. You should work on your
nature to become more successful in
your life. You may go through various
positive changes in your personal and
professional life.
Health this year: You would not suf‑
fer from any health issues provided
you take proper medication and go for
periodic checkups. You may start prac‑
ticing meditation and yoga to stay
physically and spiritually sound.
Finance this year: Your promotion
may solve your financial crisis and help
you become stable. If you have some
previous property disputes, it will be
solved according to your satisfaction
and you will be highly benefited.
Career this year: You will come
across various lucrative opportunities
to grow as a professional. This year
you may get various new projects to
work and prove your worth as an
excellent resource. You may get a pro‑
motion as well
Romance this year: You may get
involved in a new romantic relation‑
ship though it will be for a short period
of time.
3rd August, 2018
Traits in you: As you are influenced
by the planet Jupiter, you are full with
energy and ambitions. By nature you
are admirable, distinguished and intel‑
ligent. You are blessed with the capa‑
bility of working hard and you possess
an extra ordinary memory.
Health this year: You will be going
through various minor health issues
throughout the year. It is advisable
that you take your prescribed medi‑
cines regularly on time and see a doc‑
tor when necessary.
Finance this year: Your financial sta‑
tus will be improved as you will get
new job opportunities. You may invest
on real estate business this year.
Career this year: Your determination
to overtake others makes you distin‑
guished among your friends and col‑
leagues. You should be careful about
your behavior as you may let many
brilliant opportunities go away
because of your stubbornness. You
might go through crucial times this
year and you will be the only responsi‑
ble person your situations. You need
not lose your confidence on yourself as
you are capable of doing anything. You
need to grab every opportunity you get
to prove yourself. You should go for
the job of your interest area and you
will definitely find success.
Romance this year: You should cre‑
ate new contacts and revive old ones as
this year is the best time to make
romantic relationship stronger. You
may convert your romantic relation‑
ship to marriage this year. You may
carry on with your relationship if you
are not prepared to marry this year.
30 July 28-August 3, 2018 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Gratitude to the giver

truck. But, the angel collecting
prayers of thankfulness had only
a few. We may feel that God
When God was presented with only exists when
their findings, God sighed. “This
is nothing new” said God. “You everything goes our
now have a taste of what it is like way, and believe that
being God. People are always
praying for something from Me,
there is only God if we
which is all right because at least get whatever we want.
they are thinking of Me. But few
By Sant Rajinder Singh ever thank Me.”
Ji Maharaj When God checked the email, We may have had a
there were millions of email mes‑ job for 25 years, but

T
here is a story of God send‑
ing two angels to earth to
listen to the prayers of
humanity. One angel was asked to
collect the prayers asking God for
something. The other angel was
asked to collect the prayers of
thanksgiving and gratitude.
The two angels were given large
baskets to collect and descended
to earth to begin their task.The
angel collecting prayers asking
Go d for something became
extreme ly busy. Many people
prayed to God to help them earn
more money, some prayed for
improved health of their children,
spouse, parents or relatives. The
angel also collected prayers for
latest computer, exquisite jewelry,
expensive clothing and new
toys.In the meantime, the other
angel traveled far and wide look‑
ing to fill the basket with prayers
of thankfulness. Days passed, but
no prayers of gratitude were
heard. T he ange l collect ing
prayers of request had a loaded
sages of complaints and requests.
The mailbox was bombarded with
endless complaints and prayers
from billions of people requesting
things all at the same time.
There were few who thanked
God for the good they received.
This story illustrates the human
condition. People request others
to do something for them, but
how many people take an equal
amount of time to thank them?
Similarly, we pray to God for the
things we want. How many of us
take the time to thank God?
We focus more on what God has
not g iven than what Go d has
given us. If we were to fill out a
thank you note to God for all the
good we received, we would dis‑
cover that we have received much.
Let us count many things for
which we owe our gratitude to
God.
First, we are extremely fortu‑
nate that our soul was born into a
human body. We are fortunate
that we have been born into the
only species who can know our‑
selves and know God.
We may fee l that Go d only
exists when everything goes our
way, and believe that there is only
God if we get whatever we want.
We may have had a job for 25
years, but the one time we are laid
of f we say there is no God. We
may have had a loving family for
years but when one member pass‑
es away we blame God. We may
have been healthy for many years
but the one major illness we have,
we say, “What is happening to
me? There must not be any God.”
the one time we are
laid off we say there is
no God. We may have
had a loving family
for years but when
one member passes
away we blame God.
Few are grateful to God for the receive, not only physical, intellec‑
good they receive so that when tual and emotional but also for
something goes wrong they tell the spiritual gifts of God. We can
God, “Itʼs okay God, I still love You, reflect on how we can show our
and I know you are there. What gratitude by developing noble
happened to me must have been qualities and resolve to improve
something that was best for me, ourse lves to become better
under Your will.” human beings. We can also spend
How many people take such a time connecting with the Divine
grateful attitude to God? within through prayer and medi‑
Let us thank God for each day tation, and in performing selfless
that we are able to do our work, service to others. In this way, we
enjoy our family and friends, for can express our gratitude to God,
our health and be grateful our ail‑ not only in words but also
ments are not worse. We should through our deeds.
be grateful for all the gifts we (For more visit www.sos.org)

saints have come in all traditions,

We might
How God helps us in our lives
all cultures, all times, and all
walks of life. They have always
think that come to help the people in those

M
any times we may think
that God is enjoying the
heavenly regions with‑
out knowing what difficulty we
are having on earth. Little do we
know that God wants to help
each one of us.
We might think that God is not
aware of what is happening with
us, but God is aware of each
action that occurs in our lives. If
we know that God is aware of
everything that happens to us
then the next question that arises
is, "If God knows what is happen‑
ing, why is God making us suf‑
fer? Why do we have problems in
this world? If God can do any‑
thing, why doesn't God take all
the problems away?" There is an
interesting story that helps to
explain God's predicament.
There was a grandfather who
went to visit his daughter and his
grandchild. Grandparents have
great affinity for their grandchil‑
dren. When he went to his
daughter's house, he saw that the
(image : journeyquest.org)
grandchild was kept in a playpen.
As soon as the grandchild saw
the grandfather he said,
"Grandfather. Grandfather! Get
me out of this. I want to play with
you.” All grandchildren love their
grandparents, so the grandchild
wanted to get out of the playpen,
but just as the grandfather
reached his hand toward the
child, his daughter said, "Don't
touch the child. He did something
God is not
aware of
what is
happening
with us, but
God is
aware of
each action
that occurs in
very wrong, and he is being pun‑
ished." our lives.
Although the grandfather
around, walk out of the house,
wanted to pick up the child, his
and leave, but then the grand‑
daughter told him not to, so what
child would be devastated. So the
is the grandfather supposed to
grandfather came up with a solu‑
do? The grandfather could rule
tion. He climbed into the playpen
over his daughter and say, "No.
himself and played with the child.
no. no, I am picking up my grand‑
Similarly, this is what God does
child anyway," and have difficul‑
for us.
ties in that arena. The other
If we look back at history,
option is that he could turn
times. They are the ones who are
compassionate. This is why many
saints have suffered for each one
of us.
This is why many religions talk
about the founders suffering for
our sins. What are our sins? Our
sins arise from our breaking the
spiritual laws, from not living
according to the highest ethical
principles.
If we look back at our own
lives, we will find that God's hand
has always been there to support
us. Many times we do not appre‑
ciate or see God's help in our
lives because we are unable to
gravitate to that level where we
experience that God is with every
one of us at each moment. lf we
were able to sit quietly and focus
within through meditation, we
would then come into contact
with the True Reality. We would
connect to the divine Light with‑
in and begin to perceive how God
is working for our benefit at
every moment of our lives.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 28-August 3, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 28-August 3, 2018