The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e
Vol.12 No. 35 Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 80 Cents
ʻRing of fireʼ solar eclipse seen over Asia
S
kywatchers from Saudi
Arabia and Oman to
India and Pakistan and
Singapore were treated to a rare
"ring of fire" solar eclipse on
Thursday.
Annular eclipses occur when
the Moon is not close enough to
the Earth to completely obscure
the Sun, leaving a thin ring of
the solar disc visible.
While these types of eclipses
occur every year or two, they
are only visible from a narrow
band of Earth each time and it
Indiaʼs envoy to US named
new foreign secretary
New Delhi: Indiaʼs ambassador to
the US, Harsh Vardhan Shringla,
was named by the government on
Monday as the next foreign secre‑
tary and he will take over from
Vijay Gokhale who is complete his
two‑year term in late January.
Shringla, who took over as the
envoy in Washington in January, is
a career diplomat. He is an officer
of the 1984 batch of the Indian
Foreign Service (IFS). During a
Pope Francis appeals for
peace in Xmas Day speech
Rome: In his Christmas Day
address, Pope Francis has urged
the Catholic faithful to embrace
the "light of Christ" to help end
conflict and injustice around the
world, reported CNN.
Speaking from the Vatican bal‑
cony on Wednesday, the Holy
Father prayed for people struck
by war, political instability, natu‑
ral disasters and disease among
other hardships. He mentioned
several places including Syria,
Continued on page 4
HUMOR 18 GEOPOLITICS 19
i n j o u r n a l i s m
A picture of the solar eclipse
taken from Saudi Arabia.
can be decades before the same
pattern is repeated. Depending
diplomatic career spanning 35
years, he has served as an ambas‑
sador to Bangkok from 2014 to
2016 and later as a Hig h
Commissioner to Dhaka for two
years. He has also served at
UNESCO in France, UN in New
York besides Vietnam, Israel and
Continued on page 4
Amb. Harsh Vardhan Shringla will
join his new post in late January.
Christmas celebrated the
world over – see page 2
IMMIGRATION 27
New York Edition
on weather condit ions, this
year's astronomical phenome‑
non was set to be visible from
the Middle East across southern
India and Southeast Asia before
ending over the northern
Pacific.
T he next annual eclipse in
June 2020 will be visible to a
narrow band from Africa to
northern Asia. The following
one in June 2021 will only be
seen in the Arctic and parts of
Canada, Greenland and the
remote Russian far east.
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30
Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Blindsided on CAA,
Modi govt now in
damage control mode
BJP leaders have been taken aback by the backlash,
some party members told Reuters.
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's government did
4 Readying olive branch
not anticipate the protests against for agitating students?
the new citizenship law that have 4 Indian Americans rally
raged across the country and is for and against CAA
now trying to control the damage, and NRC
members of the ruling BJP have
said, reported India Today. ship to immigrants from non‑
In PM Modi's biggest challenge Muslim minorities who have fled
since taking of fice in 2014, hun‑ Afg hanistan, Bang ladesh and
dreds of thousands have protested Continued on page 4
against the law of fering citizen‑ Also see pages 5 and 12.
Trump slams Pelosi
for delaying impeach
trial in Senate
Washington: President Donald
Trump lashed out at Democrats
and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
in a series of tweets Thursday
morning, calling for a primary
challenge for "Crazy Nancy,"
denouncing her San Francisco
district as "filthy" and "dirty" and
saying the "bogus impeachment
scam" made it more difficult for
Continued on page 4
See related stories on pg 10 & 11.
excellence in journalism
2 Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 CHRISTIANITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Some vignettes of Christmas celebrated the world over

Pope Francis
kisses a Dyker Heights
figurine of in NYC lights
baby Jesus up at
during a mass Christmas,
on Christmas with elaborate
eve on displays and
December 24, vibrant colors
2019 at St dominating
Peter's the doorsteps,
basilica in front yards and
the Vatican. footpaths of
this Brooklyn
(Photo
neighborhood.
courtesy AFP)

People from
across India
were seen
offering
midnight
prayers in
church aisles
even as
Christian
monuments
and shrines
were decked
up in bright
colors. Britain's Queen Elizabeth poses after recording her annual Christmas Day
message in Windsor Castle, Berkshire, Britain. In the message she acknowl‑
edged that 2019 has been ʻquite bumpyʼ for her country. (Photo : Reuters).

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termination without prior notice at any time. Speak with a branch representative for details. Flushing Bank is a registered trademark
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 3

Jayapal terms Jaishankar

Anil Bansal elected
FIA President
Edison NJ: Anil Bansal, founder‑
Execut ive Chairman of Indus
American Bank, has been elected
President of the Federation of
Indian Asso ciat ions (FIA‑
NY/NJ/CT) for 2020 at their annu‑
al general body meeting held on
December 17 at TV Asia
Auditorium, Edison, NJ.
The new executive team includes
Himanshu Bhatia ‑ Executive Vice
President, Saurin Parikh ‑ Vice
President, Praveen Bansal ‑ General
Secretary, Mardavi Patel ‑ Joint
Secretary and Amit Ringasia –
Treasurer.
Alok Kumar, the outgoing
President, commended the support
he received from his committee,
sponsors, and supporters to make
2019 a remarkable year for FIA.
He detailed 28 community focused
assistance programs and events
held under his Presidency.
President‑Elect Anil Bansal will
take oath of office at FIAʼs upcom‑
ing Republic Day Dance Pe Chance
event on January 25, 2020 to be
held at a bigger venue, the War
Memorial Theater in Trenton, NJ.
Anil Bansal (3rd from right) with his executive committee that
includes outgoing President Alok Kumar (3rd from left).
FIA‑Tristate is celebrating its milestone 50th year in 2020.
President‑Elect Anil Bansal is a
distinguished community leader
and an philanthropist; his Bansal
Charitable Foundation provides
financial support to many non‑
profits in the USA. Based in New
Jersey, he is a successful entrepre‑
neur with real estate holdings
across America as well as a signifi‑
cant portfolio of investments in the
IT industry. He has been an inte‑
gral part of FIA serving in various
roles. He has promised FIA scal‑
ing new heights in FIAʼs 50th year,
including a jamboree of festivities
while continuing service to the
diaspora.
Ramesh Patel, Chairman of FIAʼs
Board of Trustees, congratulated
the 2019 team for a wonderful
parade and activities that positive‑
ly impacted the community.
FIA is the oldest and largest non‑
profit grassroots umbrella organi‑
zation comprising of diversified
Indian associations and serves as
the voice of the Indian diaspora.
Website: www.fianynjct.org
refusing to meet her as
'a sign of weakness'
Washington: Rep. Pramila Jayapal
(D‑Wash.) is hitting back after
reports India's foreign minister
declined a congressional meeting
she was slated to attend, with the
lawmaker calling the move a "sign
of weakness."
It was reported last week that
Indian External Af fairs Minister S.
Jaishankar was slated to meet with
a bipartisan group of lawmakers,
but refused to do so because
Jayapal was part of the group.
Jayapal, who was born in India, is
the sponsor of a bipartisan resolu‑
tion urging the country to end com‑
munications restrictions and mass
detentions in the Jammu and
Kashmir regions.
She wrote in a Washington Post
op‑ed Monday that she was told
that the resolution was the reason
Jaishankar refused to meet her.
"It is wholly inappropriate for any
foreign government to try to dictate
which members of Congress partici‑
pate in meetings on Capitol Hill,"
the lawmaker wrote.
"Itʼs also a sign of weakness for
any great democracy to refuse to
allow those who have some criti‑
Rep. Pramila Jayapal is the
sponsor of a bipartisan
resolution in Congress on
Kashmir.
cisms to participate in a meeting ̶
a giant missed opportunity for two
countries that value dialogue and
dissent," Jayapal added.
She wrote that the U.S. must
"advocate for human rights around
the world."
"As a member of Congress and as
an Indian American, I will continue
to speak out on fundamental princi‑
ples of democracy such as freedom
of the press, religious freedom and
due process. Protecting these rights
̶ particularly in the most difficult
of circumstances ̶ is the only way
democracies can survive and
thrive," the lawmaker concluded.

Trump Jr to go on book tour to woo Indian

Americans for his fatherʼs re‑election
Washington: Donald Trump Jr, the eldest
son and fierce defender of President
Donald Trump, plans to embark on a book
tour through several US cities to engage
w ith the Indian‑American
community next year, PTI
reported Sunday.
T he first such event in
Hicksville, hosted by Shudh
Parkash Singh, was very well
received.
The organizers said Trump
Jr. is very impressed by the
electric reception his father
received at the ʻHowdy, Modiʼ
event in Houston in
September and that the book tour is
planned to take advantage of it in an elec‑
tion year. Trump Jrʼs book “Triggered”
released in November is on the New York
Times bestseller lists.
Al Mason, the brain behind the outreach
to Indian Americans, who is a New York‑
based advisor on global real estate invest‑
ments, said that Trump Jr, accompanied by
his girlfriend, TV star Kimberly Guilfoyle,
plan to visit places such as New York,
Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Los
Ange les, Silicon Valley,
Atlanta, Seattle, and Miami
which have a large presence of
the Indian community.
“All of these events are being
organized in partnership with
leading leaders and organiza‑
tions of the Indian‑American
community,” said Mason.
“T hey ( Trump Jr and
Guilfoyle) are my friends, and
they really respect and love the Indian‑
American community. Iʼm on this just to
continue strengthening ties between the
US and India,” Mason said. Notably, during
Donald Trumpʼs presidential campaign,
members of his family, engaged with the
Indian‑American community by visiting
President Trump meets
Rajnath Singh, Jaishankar
R
e flect ing his deep interest in
strengthening India‑US relation‑
ship, President Donald Trump last
Wednesday met visiting Defense Minister
Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister
S Jaishankar. During the half hour meeting
in the Oval Of fice, the president recalled
his appearance at the Howdy Modi event in
Houston.
The meeting was largely in the nature of
a courtesy call, Jaishankar said Friday as he
w inded up his three‑day visit to
Washington DC to attend the 2+2 meeting.
temples and holding meetings with them.
At a rally for Indian Americans in New
Jersey in October 2016, Trump himself
He and Rajnath Singh shared with the
President some of the key highlights of the
2+2 meeting they had with Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary
Mark Esper.
Jaishankar said the president was very
positive about the relationship and enthusi‑
astic about the various aspects. The issue of
trade came up as part of the larger agenda,
he said.
The meeting took place on a day when
Trump was being impeached by the House
of Representatives.
promised that he would be India and
Indian Americansʼ best friend in the White
House.
 4 Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 TURN PAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Blindsided on CAA, Modi govt
now in damage control mode
Continued from page 1
Pakistan. At least 21 people have died in
clashes with police.
Ruling BJP leaders were taken aback by
the backlash, some party members told
Reuters. They said they had been prepared
for some anger from Muslims, but not the
widespread protests that have convulsed
most major cities for two weeks. Now the
party and the government are reaching out
for help in defusing the crisis to allies and
opponents sidelined when the bill passed
earlier this month, the sources said.
"I really did not see the protests coming
... not just me, other BJP lawmakers were
also unable to predict this kind of anger,"
Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan told
Reuters.
Three other BJP lawmakers and two
December 22 was declared World Blood Donor Arjun Mainali Day in Town of Oyster
Bay in Long Island. TOBAY Supervisor Joseph Saladino presented the Proclamation Union ministers, who spoke on condition of
to Mainali who has set many records for blood donations and has promoted anonymity, said they were mobilizing party
the same in many countries. supporters from all walks of life to start
community dialogues and dispel discontent
over the law and NRC. "I believe that the
for and against the contentious CAA and
NRC (National Register of Citizens).
Trump slams Pelosi for
delaying impeach trial in
Senate
Continued from page 1
him to deal with foreign leaders. Trump
quoted conservat ive commentator
Bradley Blakeman as saying Pelosi had
"no leverage over the Senate," a refer‑
ence to the impasse over the transmis‑
sion of articles of impeachment to the
Senate, which the House passed against
Trump on Dec. 18 on charges of abuse of
power and obstruction of Congress.
Pelosi said she would not send the arti‑
cles over until the Senate determined its
process for a trial. Senate Majority leader
Mitch McConnell said last week that
Republicans and Democrats were at an
"impasse."
Indiaʼs envoy to US named
new foreign secretary
Continued from page 1

US sent 4 spy planes to political math behind the clearance of this

law was not taken into account," said one
South Africa. He served in the Ministry of
External Af fairs (MEA) as Joint Secretary
for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and
of the ministers.
Korean Peninsula after Kimʼs "We are all in damage control mode," said
the other Union minister, adding that the
Maldives. He was also instrumental in
steering the America policy with External

ʻChristmas giftʼ threat
Washington: In what military watchers
regard as an unusual move, the U.S. military
sent four surveillance planes, simultaneously,
over and around the Korean Peninsula this
week in reaction to North Koreaʼs cryptic ref‑
erence to a possible “Christmas gift” for the
U.S. The action followed reports last week
that North Korea had warned of a possible
missile launch or nuclear test for late
December amid stalled nuclear negotiations
with the U.S. The U.S. aircraft were detected
by Aircraft Spots, an aviation tracking site,
according to a report by South Koreaʼs
Yonhap News Agency.
The site claims that four U.S. planes – iden‑
tified as RC‑135W Rivet Joint, E‑8C, RQ‑4
Global Hawk and RC‑135S Cobra Ball – flew
their missions between Christmas Eve and
early Christmas Day, the report said.
The first two planes flew at 31,000 feet
while the Global Hawk flew at 53,000 feet,
the tracking site said. Meanwhile, the Cobra
Ball and a refueling plane flew over the East
Sea. Earlier this month, Ri Thae Song, a North
Korean vice foreign minister for U.S. affairs,
expressed doubts that the U.S. was negotiat‑
ing in good faith, accusing the Americans
instead of stalling as it tried to get better
terms.
“The dialogue touted by the U.S. is, in
essence, nothing but a foolish trick hatched to
keep the DPRK bound to dialogue and use it
in favor of the political situation and election
in the U.S.,” Ri said. “What is left to be done
now is the U.S. option ‑‑ and it is entirely up
to the U.S. what Christmas gift it will select to
get.” President Trump has downplayed the
matter, despite urging from some analysts
and advisers in Washington that he take a
harder line against Pyongyang.
BJP and allies have launched a campaign to
explain that the law is not discriminatory.
After BJP's closed‑door huddle on
Thursday on swinging the public percep‑
tion on CAA in its favor, the government
has planned a major outreach to extend an
olive branch to agitating students who they
consider as "genuine" protesters. The gov‑
ernment wishes Minority Affairs Minister
Muqhtar Abbas Naqvi to lead the outreach,
say sources.
Sources say the government is actively
mulling options to "remove" names of
those students who were "booked wrong‑
ly". The government believes that many
agitating students were caught in the
crossfire between the police and those "ele‑
ments" who sparked off the violence.
The closed‑door meeting at the BJP head‑
quarters in Delhi was chaired by BJP's
working president J.P. Nadda.
Meanwhile, Indian Americans in different
parts of America have been holding rallies
Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. He was criti‑
cal in ensuring that the decisions of Article
370 and the Citizenship Amendment Act
(CAA) do not adversely impact bilateral
relations between India and USA.
KV Kumar, President & CEO, Indian
American Internat ional Chamber of
Commerce (IAICC), commended Amb.
Shringla for the tremendous positive
impact made during his short tenure with
the US Government, private and public sec‑
tors, and Indian American community
organizations in the US.
Pope Francis appeals
for peace in Xmas
Day speech
Continued from page 1
Lebanon, Iraq, Venezuela and Ukraine ‑‑
while calling for peace. "There is darkness in
human hearts, yet the light of Christ is
greater still," the Pope told the thousands
gathered in St. Peter's Square.

Chairman and Co-Founder Consultants New Delhi Bureau News Service

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 5

Washington, DC: A large number of

Indian‑Americans have come out in
support of the amended citizenship
law and the proposed National
Register of Citizens, holding rallies in
several US cities to "dispel misinfor‑
mation and myths" surrounding the
contentious law, the organizers of the
demonstrations have said.
According to the Citizenship
Amendment Act (CAA), members of
Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and
Christian communities who have
come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and
Afghanistan till December 31, 2014,
following religious persecution there
will get Indian citizenship.
Protests are being held across India
ever since the citizenship bill was
introduced in Parliament earlier this
month. T he bill was passed by
Parliament and signed into law by
the President.
T he government on Tuesday
approved nearly Rs 12,700 crore for
carrying out the Census 2021 and
the National Population Register
(NPR) and made it clear that NPR has
no relation with the contentious
National Register of Citizens amidst
stiff opposition against the NRC.
These rallies are aimed at "dis‑
pelling the misinformation and
Indian‑Americans hold rallies in support
of CAA, NRC in US to dispel myths
myths" surrounding the law as well
as to counter the propaganda of hate,
lies and downright absurdities, the
organizers said. Indian‑Americans
held a pro‑CAA rally in Seattle in
December at Victor Steinbrueck Park,
in Austin on December 22 near
Capitol Building and in Houston on
December 20 in front of the Indian
Consulate, they said.
The rallies were also held in Dublin,
Ohio, on December 22 at Ted
Kaltenbach Park and in Raleigh
North Carolina on December 22 at
Nash Square Park. Several other
demonstrations are being planned in
the coming weeks in Dallas, Chicago,
San Francisco, New York City,
Washington DC, Atlanta, San Jose,
and other locations, the organizers
said."We held this rally to counter the
fear‑mongering of Islamic and leftist
organizations about the CAA and the
NRC and their bizarre statements
that the NRC in combination with the
CAA is designed to expel Muslims
(Photo source: opindia.com)
from India," said Vineet Goel, one of
the organizers of Dublin Ohio rally.
Archana Sunil, one of the organizers
of the Seattle rally, said the oppo‑
nents of the CAA and the NRC were
misinformed and did not want to talk
about facts or listen to the facts.
Houstonians came out in big num‑
bers in support of the CAA aimed at
providing relief to oppressed minori‑
ties (Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and
Buddhists) in Pakistan, Bangladesh
and Afghanistan, said Achalesh Amar,
spokesperson for the Houston rally.
"Instead of having civil debate
based on facts, some organizations
are bent on subverting any discourse
or the truth, by spreading completely
absurd lies and what is lost in their
discourse is the plight of those who
suffered untold sufferings since the
partition of India," he alleged.
More than 70 eminent doctors and
community leaders joined the rally in
Raleigh in North Carolina.
Arvind Modhini, a participant, said
they came together to extend their
support to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi. The participants demanded
strict punishment to protestors found
involved in destroying public proper‑
ty and targeting police personnel in
India, and not spare the mastermind
behind these activities.
Ashok K Karmakar, chairman of
Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian
Unity Council (BHBCUC), USA wel‑
comed the enactment of the CAA.
"While this piece of legislation
would help to uphold human rights
of the people (Hindu, Buddhist,
Christian, Jain, Sikhs and Parsis) who
have been persecuted for their reli‑
gious beliefs in countries like
Bangladesh, Pakistan and
Afghanistan, and have been living an
inhuman and uncertain life in India
for many many years, we also believe,
the law and the Constitution of India
will protect the rights of many
Muslims from those countries and
elsewhere who are being persecuted
for their political opinions,"
Karmakar said in a statement. (PTI)

Infosys settles visa case with California for $ 800,000
Bengaluru: Global software major
Infosys on Wednesday said it
reached an out‑of‑court settlement
for $800,000 with the California
Attorney General on charges related
to the alleged violation of B‑1 visa
rules by it to its techies.
"Our agreement concludes the
California Attorney General's inves‑
tigation into the allegations related
to the payment of state payroll
taxes for some employees traveling
on B‑1 visas dating back to 2006,"
Infosys Company Secretary A.G.S.
Manikantha said in a regulatory fil‑
ing on the BSE.
California Attorney General
Xavier Becerra said from
Sacramento that Infosys would pay
the western state $800,000 to
resolve the charges that the Indian
IT firm and its subsidiary (Infosys
BPM Ltd) had employed about 500
techies in California on B‑1 visas
rather than H‑1B visas between
2006 and 2017.
"This misclassification resulted in
Infosys avoiding California payroll
taxes such as unemployment insur‑
ance, disability insurance and
employment training taxes. H‑1B
visas also require employers to pay
workers at the local prevailing
wage," said Becerra in a statement
sourced by IANS here.
The settlement will result in the
case being dismissed with prejudice
and was reached to avoid time,
expense and distraction of protract‑
ed litigation on the charges against
the city‑based IT behemoth.
"We dispute the allegations and
admit to no wrong‑doing in the
case," asserted the $11‑billion out‑
sourcing firm.
"T he settlement shows that
attempting to evade California law
does not pay. Infosys brought in
workers on the wrong visas in order
to underpay them and avoid paying
taxes. With this settlement,
California has been made whole,"
asserted Becerra in the statement.
A whistleblower who brought
Infosys' conduct to the attention of
the Attorney General's Of fice will
receive 15 percent of the settlement
pursuant to the California False
Claims Act. The company, however,
declined to confirm to IANS the
amount it paid, including taxes and
penalty, if any, to settle the visa
fraud case out‑of‑court.
23 % South Asians in US
found diabetic: New study
Chicago, IL: Diabetes prevalence
(diagnosed and undiagnosed) was
found to be 23.3% for South Asians
in an important research on South
Asian cardiometabolic disease pub‑
lished in the Journal of the
American Medical Association
(JAMA) by Cheng YJ, Kanaya AM,
Araneta MRG, et al titled
“Prevalence of Diabetes by Race and
Ethnicity in the United States, 2011‑
2016” The American Association of
Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI)
together with the American
Association of Cardiologists of
Indian Origin (AACIO) jointly
acknowledge that the data generat‑
ed by these authors has far‑reaching
implications for the South Asian
South Asians.” Cardiovascular dis‑
ease is the leading cause of death in
the U.S., spending over $500 billion
on cardiovascular disease each year.
AAPI and AACIO immediately held
a joint meeting the same day that
the study results were unveiled (Dec
20), reflecting the urgency. Dr.
Brahma Sharma, a prominent cardi‑
ologist affiliated with VA University
of Pittsburgh and serving as the
Chair of the AAPI Ad Hoc
Committee on South Asian
Cardiovascular Disease, led the
meeting in which Dr. Trivedi and Dr.
Bhatt participated alongside the cur‑
rent President of AAPI, Dr. Suresh
Reddy, a neuroradiologist. Dr. Navin
Nanda, MD, DSc (Hon),

GOPIO‑CT elects new team at community with respect to diabetes

and cardiovascular disease.
“The 23% reflects a critical need
Distinguished Professor of Medicine
and Cardiovascular Disease at the
University of Alabama at

annual general body meeting for aggressive action towards better

GOPIO‑CT officials presenting
a check to Childrenʼs Learning Center
CEO Marc E. Jaffe
Stamford, CT: GOPIO‑CT organized its annual holi‑
day party and fundraiser for a local charity on
December 13 at the Hampton Inn and Suites in
Stamford. The group also held its annual election
with a new team taking over headed by Ashok
Nichani as president, Srinivas Akarapu as ex. VP,
Prasad Chintalapudi as VP, Dr. Rajneesh Misra as
secretary, Biru Sharma as treasurer and Meera
Banta as joint secretary Anita Bhat will continue in
the EC as immediate past president. Two trustees
elected were Shelly Nichani and Bhavna Juneja.
GOPIO‑CT Holiday Party also served as a
fundraiser for local charity, Childrenʼs Learning
Center. An amount of $5,000 was donated to the
charity and was presented to its chief executive offi‑
cer Marc E. Jaffe. In the previous years, GOPIO‑has
raised funds for other charities, Women's Mentoring
Network of Stamford, Future 5 of Stamford and
Teach for America, a national organization.
prevention and management of dia‑
betes along with the accompanying
cardiovascular risk,” stated Dr.
Kamini Trivedi, a family physician,
lipidologist, and honorary Board
Member of AACIO.
In addition, Deepak L. Bhatt, MD,
MPH, Executive Director of
Interventional Cardiovascular
Services at Brigham and Womenʼs
Hospital and Professor of Medicine
at Harvard Medical School stated,
“These valuable data demonstrate
the incredibly high, vastly underap‑
preciated burden of diabetes among
South Asians. Particularly distress‑
ing is how many South Asians have
diabetes without even knowing it.
This phenomenon is surely fueling
the cardiovascular epidemic among
Birmingham, and an internationally
renowned cardiologist,
Hanumant K. Reddy, current
Dr.
President of AACIO, and Dr. Vishal
Gupta, President‑Elect of AACIO,
have of fered their leadership on
behalf of AACIO in conjunction with
AAPIʼs leadership towards address‑
ing these challenges.
AAPI and AACIO conducted pre‑
liminary brainstorming on strategy
and will now work with increased
collaboration to educate both physi‑
cians and the U.S. South Asian
community.
Education about lifestyle modifi‑
cation, including culturally appro‑
priate nutrition and physical activi‑
ty, along with guideline‑recom‑
mended medical therapy will be the
foundation of educational efforts.
6 Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020
Undocumented immigrants in
NJ to get driverʼs licenses
I T
mmigrants in New Jersey without for‑
mal legal status will be allowed to get
state driver's licenses after Gov. Phil
Murphy signed a bill to do that capping
years of pressure from activists and sup‑
porters. The bill signing came three days
after the Assembly and Senate, both con‑
trolled by Democrats, passed the measure,
which had been stalled despite months of
demonstrations across the state. State offi‑
cials have said they expect it will take at
least a year before the actual licenses are
issued. Hundreds of immigrants, many who
likely will benefit from the new law,
cheered Murphy at Snyder Academy in
Elizabeth, where nearly two years ago a
coalition of organizations launched the
Letʼs Drive NJ campaign that aimed to get
support for the controversial measure.
“Today, is a simple recognition that our
immigrant communities, each of you are a
After criticism, Laura Curranʼs husband
withdraws from MTA appointment
N
assau County Executive Laura
Curranʼs husband will no longer
serve as outside attorney for the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
board, following concerns about potential
conflicts of interest, the MTA confirmed on
Friday.
John Curran, the Walden Macht & Haran
partner whom the board tapped for the posi‑
NY AG sues EPA over clean water rule
I
n her continued fight for environmental
safety, New York State Attorney General
Letitia James filed a lawsuit Friday
against the Trump administration for rolling
back the Clean Water Act. Under Trump, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency final‑
ized a “recodification rule” in October that
repealed the Clean Water Rule, a regulation
issued during the Obama administration
that protected lakes, rivers, streams and wet‑
lands. The Recodification Rule changed the
Clean Water Ruleʼs definition of waters to be
protected to exclude smaller or less‑flowing
water such as headwater streams, tributaries
and wetlands. “This regressive rule ignores
science and the law and strips our waters of
basic protections under the Clean Water
Act,” James said. “Attorneys general across
this nation will not stand by as the Trump
LOCAL GOVT
IN BRIEF
vital part of our state and our economy,"
Murphy said.
“We should acknowledge that many
immigrant residents are already behind the
wheel, and on our roads going to work and
school or simply to the grocery store ... you
havenʼt been asking for special treatment,
you have been asking us to acknowledge
your reality." In New Jersey, state lawmak‑
ers introduced the latest version of the bill
late last year.
The bill would allow for two types of
licenses: one compliant with the federal
Real ID Act that would let users board
domestic flights, and one strictly for driving
that would be issued to immigrants without
legal status, certain senior citizens and oth‑
ers who lack documentation.
New Jersey became the 15th state along
with Washington, D.C., to make driver's
licenses available. (source: usatoday.com)
tion, had no immediate comment, nor did
Laura Curran.
The board had hired the county execu‑
tiveʼs husband to represent it in potential
conflicts with management. He was poised
to earn up to $240,000 a year.
“John is an extremely talented attorney,"
MTA spokesperson Abbey Collins said. "We
respect the decision and wish him well."
administration seeks to reverse decades of
progress weʼve made in fighting water pollu‑
tion.” Jamesʼ suit targets the EPA and the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, claiming their
replacement of the original definition of pro‑
tected waters “is arbitrary and capricious”
and a violation of the Administrative
Procedure Act. James was joined by attor‑
neys general in 13 other states, the District
of Columbia and the Corporation Counsel
for the City of New York in her challenge to
the Trump administration.
James is continuing her officeʼs legacy of
taking the most legal action against the
Trump administration over environmental
concerns, according to a recent study pub‑
lished by the New York University School of
Lawʼs State Energy and Environmental
Impact Center.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Suffolk County Police sing Christmas
carol to warn locals of car thefts
he holidays are a
time of shopping
and gift‑giving,
which can also mean a time
for increased thefts. That's
why Suffolk County Police
released a PSA remind peo‑
ple to stay safe from thefts
‑ with a unique twist.
In a video posted on the
police department's
YouTube page, members
sang the classic carol, The
Twelve Days of Christmas,
but changed the lyrics so
that instead of describing
what "my true love sent to
A Youtube videograb of the members
me," the song described
singing the carol (Image courtesy: patch.com)
what criminals "stole from
thee." The message is meant to warn are busy holiday shopping and often
people of the community to lock their leave valuables in their vehicles," Chief
cars to avoid becoming a victim of theft. of Department Stuart Cameron said.
In 2019, police responded to 2,066 lar‑
cenies for car in Suffolk County. Last
"We thought this parody would be a fun
way to get a serious message across to
year, Suffolk Police handled 2,329 inci‑
dents of thefts from cars.
residents̶lock your vehicle and keep
your valuables out of sight."
"This is the time of year that people (source: patch.com)
Sen. Chuck Schumer warns that stores
are selling recalled products in NYC & LI
C
onsumers in New York
City and Long Island may
be wrapping potentially
dangerous gifts purchased from
TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Home
Goods Brands. The items were
sold at more than 3200 stores
across the US including stores
located in New York City and on
Long Island.
Products sold range from
clothes, toys, and electronics. The
items had all been previously
recalled and consumers pur‑
chased these items without any
Chuck Schumer
clue that they may be dangerous. (Image courtesy: nypost.com)
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer
will call for a federal investigation by bargains were allowed to become dan‑
the Consumer Product Safety gerous gifts in the first place."
Commission (CPSC) into TJX Companies Schumer demands immediate conse‑
Inc., which owns all three stores nation‑ quences, including company outreach
wide, including those in New York City to consumers & full refunds; the
and on Long Island. Senator also wants CPSC to begin for‑
Schumer said during his press confer‑ mal investigation to prevent this in
ence, "Feds must unwrap how holiday future.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 7

Alphabet new boss Sundar Trump picks Sethuraman Panchanathan

Pichai set to receive $240 to lead National Science Foundation
million stock package
Washington, DC: President Donald "As the Trump administration con‑
Trump has picked Indian‑American tinues its undeterred focus on
computer scientist Sethuraman ensuring American global leader‑
New York: Alphabet Panchanathan to lead the presti‑ ship in science and technology, Dr
Inc's new CEO Sundar gious National Science Foundation. Panchanathan's commitment, cre‑
Pichai is all set to The National Science Foundation ativity and deep insights will be
receive a staggering (NSF) is a US government agency instrumental in leading the
performance‑based that supports fundamental National Science Foundation on its
stock package of $240 research and education in all the continued path of exploration and
million over the next non‑medical fields of science and discovery," he said.
three years, the high‑ engineering. Its medical counter‑ Panchanathan is also the Vice
est‑ever offered to any part is the National Institutes of President for Strategic Initiatives of
executive, according to Health (NIH). "Dr. Sethuraman Sethuraman Panchanathan the National Academy of Inventors
a report by Reuters. Panchanathan brings to this posi‑ (NAI). In a statement,
But Pichai is no tion a wealth of experience in Of ficer at the Arizona State Panchanathan said he was "hum‑
stranger to such com‑ research, innovation, academic University (ASU). He is also the bled and honored" to be chosen as
pensation. In 2016 as administration, and policy as exem‑ Founding Director of the Centre for the NSF Director.
well, he saw his earn‑ plified by his long and distin‑ Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing at Panchanathan earned a bache‑
ings skyrocket follow‑ guished career," Ke lvin the ASU. Appointed to the National lor's degree in Physics from the
ing the $199 million Droegemeier, Director of the White Science Board (NSB) in 2014, University of Madras in 1981 and
he received in stock House Of fice of Science and Panchanathan served as the Chair in Electronics and Communication
awards at the time. Technolog y Policy, said on of the Committee on Strategy for Engineering from the Bangalore‑
Apart from this, Thursday. the NSB. He also served as a mem‑ based Indian Institute of Science
Pichai will also draw Panchanathan, 58, would suc‑ ber of the Nat ional Advisory (IISc) in 1984.
an annual paycheck of ceed France Cordova when her six‑ Council on Innovat ion and He then earned his master's
Sundar Pichai was named Alphabet CEO
$2 million start ing year term as the NSF Director ends Entrepreneurship. degree in Electrical Engineering
earlier this month in addition to his role
2020 onwards, as as Google's head in 2020. NSF Director is a Senate‑ "Dr Panchanathan brings numer‑ from the Indian Inst itute of
against the $1 salary confirmed position. ous achievements and well‑earned Technology‑Madras in 1986 and
that was drawn by Larry Page in Alphabet earlier this month, in Panchanathan is currently the recognition including from his role Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer
the same capacity last year. addition to his role as Google's Executive Vice President and the as a member of the Nat ional Engineering from Canada‑based
Pichai, 47, was named CEO of head. Chief Research and Innovation Science Board," Droegemeier said. University of Ottawa in 1989. (PTI)

Dr. Monisha Ghosh is Hindu American Foundation

first woman CTO of FCC launches ʻFight Hate:
Houston: Indian‑American Dr. Monisha
Ghosh has been appointed as the first
woman Chief Technology Of ficer at the
US government's powerful Federal
Communications Commission.
She w ill advise Indian‑American
Chairman of the FCC Ajit Pai and the
agency on technology and engineering
issues, and work closely with the Office of
Engineering and Technology. Dr Ghosh
will take charge on January 13 next year.
She replaces Dr Eric Burger.
The FCC regulates interstate and inter‑
national communications by radio, televi‑
sion, wire, satellite and cable in all 50
states, the District of Columbia and US ter‑
ritories.
An independent US government agency
overseen by Congress, the FCC is the fed‑
eral agency responsible for implementing
and enforcing America's communications
law and regulations.
"As the FCC moves aggressive ly to
advance American leadership in 5G, Dr
Ghosh's deep technical knowledge of wire‑
less technologies will be invaluable," said
Chairman Pai.
"Dr. Ghosh has both conducted and
overseen research into cutting‑edge wire‑
less issues in academia and industry. Her
expertise is also broad, ranging from the
internet of things, medical telemetry, and
broadcast standards. And it bears noting
that this is a historic appointment: I am
proud that Dr. Ghosh will be the FCC's
first female CTO, and hope her example
inspires young women everywhere to
consider careers in STEM fields. I'm grate‑
Dr. Monisha Ghosh will advise Federal
Communications Commission chairman
Ajit Pai on tech and engineering issues
ful to her for serving in this important
position at this important time," he said.
Dr. Ghosh received her Ph.D. in
Electrical Engineering from the University
of Southern California in 1991, and
B.Tech from the Indian Inst itute of
Technology, Kharagpur in 1986. She is a
Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers.
She is also a Research Professor at the
University of Chicago, where she conducts
research on wireless technologies for the
internet of things, 5G cellular, next‑gener‑
ation Wi‑Fi systems and spectrum coexis‑
tence. (PTI)
Educateʼ national campaign
Washington, DC: The Hindu American
Foundation has announced the launch
of a nationwide campaign entitled
ʻ F i g h t H a t e : E d u c a t e ʼ a s a d i r ec t
response to the rise in hate crimes
against Hindus in America.
The purpose of the campaign is to
promote a deeper understanding and
broader awareness of Hinduism,
including the culture, language, and
traditions of the Hindu American com‑
munity.
One of the ways in which HAF will
broaden the scope of HAFʼs advocacy
to date is by empowering more Hindu
American community leaders across
the US by providing them and the gen‑
eral public with cutting edge program‑
ming, e f fect ive tools, easy‑to‑read
materials, and the training necessary to
a d d r e s s t h e n eed s o f t h e H i n d u
American community in 2020 and
beyond.
“HAF believes that the best way to
fight hate is to educate. That means
creating materials for K‑12 students,
parents, and the educational institu‑
tions that support them, as well as
working with community leaders, law
enforcement, and government of ficials
to educate and properly guide them on
the positive role they can play by gain‑
ing a thorough understanding of
Hinduism and our concepts of human
dignity, mutual respect, and pluralism,”
stated Suhag Shukla, Hindu American
Foundation Co‑Founder and Executive
Director.
As HAFʼs Executive Director, Suhag
Shukla is on the front lines represent‑
ing Hindu Americans in various ways.
She was appointed to the Department
of Homeland Securityʼs Subcommittee
for the Prevention of Targeted Violence
Against Faith‑Based Communities this
year, has served on the Council on
Foreign Relations Religious Advisory
Council since 2018, and the First
Amendment Center's Committee on
Religious Liberty.
The announcement of HAFʼs "Fight
Hate. Educate" campaign comes on the
hee ls of the FBI 2018 Hate Crime
Statistics Report released in November
which documented 12 reported inci‑
dents and 14 of fenses against Hindus
in the US in 2018.
This is an increase from 11 reported
incidents in 2017 and 10 incidents in
2016, marking the third straight year
of increased violence targeting Hindu
Americans.
In 2019, HAF responded to several
hate crime incidents, such as the van‑
dalism of the Hindu temple in
Louisville, Kentucky in January, and
the brutal attack on a Hindu priest in
Queens, New York in July.
 8 Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 DIASPORA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Sikh taxi driver brutally assaulted, Indian Nurses Association of NY

hit with barbeque grill
Second such attack in less than a fortnight
New York: A 57‑year‑old Indian‑
origin Sikh taxi driver was brutally
assaulted and hit with a barbeque
grill cover in the head in front of
his home in California, media
reports said.
Baljeet Singh Sidhu, who works
as a mail carrier and an Uber driv‑
er, was attacked on Sunday while
he was parking his car outside his
home near Hilltop Mall, Richmond,
California, after finishing his
duties, SFGate.com reported.
While he was parking his car, a
man came up to his cab and asked
him for a lighter. Sidhu said he did‑
n't have one and the man left, but
then he returned with another
request.
"He asked me and said he had $5
Indian American
International Chamber of
Commerce (IAICCʼs)
Western San Francisco
Regional Chapter,
Northern California State
Chapter, and Forum on
Women in Business and
Leadership Western
Regional Chapter was
launched on December
10 in San Francisco. At
the launch, the high‑level
forum included Eleni
Kounalakis, Lt. Governor
of California, Libby
Schaaf, Mayor of
Oakland, Ambassador
Sanjay Panda, Consul General of India in San Francisco, Robyn Denholm, Tesla Chair, K V Kumar
President & CEO, IAICC Executive Board, Mary Huss, Publisher, and John China, President, SVB Capital.
Other distinguished guests including Lily Mei, Mayor of Fremont and Ash Kalra from California State
Assembly Office were also present.
conducts community health fair
and he needed a ride. It looked sus‑
picious," Sidhu was quoted as say‑
ing by the KTVU television station.
He told the man his shift was
over. Then the suspect came back
a third time and attacked Sidhu
and hit him in the head with a bar‑
beque g rill cover and then
knocked down and choked.
There were cuts, bumps, and
bruises on him. His family believes
the attack to be a hate crime, and
he was assaulted because of his
Sikh turban and appearance, the
SFGate reported.
His daughter, Gaganjot Sidhu
said, "His turban was off and blood
all over his face. It was the most
terrifying thing I've ever seen. Like
no daug hter wants to see her
father in that condition, the KTVU
reported. No slurs were used, no
money was robbed, but Gaganjot
says her father was targeted
because of how he looks.
The Council on American‑Islamic
Relations (CAIR) expressed solidar‑
ity with the Sikh community, the
report said. "We condemn this
attack and express our solidarity
with the Sikh community," said
Zahra Billoo, executive director of
the San Francisco Bay Area office
of CAIR.
The attack is second such attack
in a fortnight.
On December 5, An Indian‑origin
Sikh taxi driver was assaulted and
racially abused in Washington in a
suspected hate crime.
New York: As part of its commit‑
ment to provide service to the com‑
munity and the society in general,
the Indian Nursing Association con‑
ducted a Community Health Fair in
Floral Park, NY. The event was col‑
laborated by the Federation Of
Kerala Association In North
America (FOKANA) and KCNA com‑
munity organizations and support‑
ed by Northwell Health, one of the
largest healthcare networks in the
United States.
Indian Nurses Association of New
York (INANY) initiated this Health
Fair with the goal of reaching out to
the community to provide a com‑
prehensive health screening and
education which included screening,
assessment, and education to
increase awareness for leading a
mindful life.
The four‑hour‑long event at Tyson
Center in Floral Park, NY was
attended by about a hundred peo‑
ple. Professional staf f from
Northshore Health, the largest
healthcare network in New York
state‑administered flu shot to those
that did not get it this year. At the
physical therapy booth, people
enjoyed the fun‑filled hands‑on
learning activities with the thera‑
pists from Marathon Physical
Community
Health Fair
team at
Physical
Therapy
booth
Therapy which included technics
for balancing, muscle strengthen‑
ing, neuro‑motor coordination and
so on. Dr. Srihari Naidu, a well‑
known cardiologist, and his physi‑
cian wife conducted cardiac screen‑
ing, electrocardiogram and provid‑
ed heart‑health education. Several
people were able to undergo dia‑
betes diagnostic screening known
as Haemoglobin A1c and educated
on metabolic problems, complica‑
tions of diabetes, and health mainte‑
nance through diet management.
The soothing aromatic air in and
around the wellness promotion
booth invited the attendees to get
learn about coping mechanisms and
relaxation technics to reduce every‑
day stress. People learned that
stress is part of daily life. Still, the
impact of not managing stress
would take a toll on our body and
mind. Cardiopulmonary resuscita‑
tion training to the public was
another highlight of the event with
the goal of preparing the public to
save lives in emergencies.
T he Education Committee of
INANY under the chair of Dr. Anna
George led the organization of this
Community Health Fair. INANY
represents the Indian nurses and
nursing students in New York State.

US psychedelic pioneer & guru Ram Dass dies at 88

R
am Dass, a spiritual leader and pio‑
neer of the US psychedelic move‑
ment, passed away at his home in
Hawaii, aged 88. Born Richard Alpert, he
worked with Timothy Leary in the 1960s on
research into Lysergic acid diethylamide
(LSD), also known as acid, a hallucinogenic
drug at Harvard before traveling to India
and studying spiritualism.
He was well known for his first book, Be
Here Now, which sold over two million
copies. Ram Dass died peacefully at home,
his foundation said, but he had suf fered
bouts of illness in recent years.
Thousands expressed their condolences
on social media. 2020 US presidential hope‑
ful Marianne Williamson said Be Here Now
had a big influence on her.
American producer Judd Apatow also said
Ram Dass "had an enormous impact on my
life." Ram Dass was born into a wealthy
Jewish family in Boston, Massachusetts. His
father was president of a railroad company.
In 1952, he earned a degree in psychology
at Tuft's College and his do ctorate at
Stanford University in 1957.
He began teaching and researching psy‑
Ram Dass's first book Be Here
Now became a popular guide to
New Age spirituality. Apple co‑founder
Steve Jobs was among those who lauded
the book as transformative.
(Image : Dassima Kathleen Murphy)
chology at Harvard in 1958. During that
time, as he would later describe, he lived in
an apartment full of antiques, drove a
Mercedes‑Benz, owned a Cessna plane and
vacationed in the Caribbean.
While at Harvard, Ram Dass met fellow
professor Timothy Leary and the two
became friends. Leary helped popularise
1960s counter‑culture under the motto
"turn on, tune in, drop out."
Leary was researching the effects of psilo‑
cybin, the compound responsible for the hal‑
lucinogenic properties of some mushrooms.
Leary gave Ram Dass his first taste of
psilocybin at a party. Ram Dass wrote of his
first experience: "The rug crawled and the
pictures smiled, all of which delighted me."
The two began experimenting on the ther‑
apeutic uses of the compound, until 1963,
when both were fired from Harvard ‑ Ram
Dass because he gave LSD to an undergrad‑
uate student and Leary for shirking his
teaching duties.
Recreational LSD use became illegal in the
US in 1968 as other studies suggested the
chemical could cause dangerous psychotic
reactions.
Ram Dass began looking for alternative
ways to reach enlightenment and journeyed
to India, where he studied under guru Neem
Karoli Baba, also known as Maharaj‑ji.
Ram Dass gave the guru a high dose of
LSD, but he showed no reaction, which led
Ram Dass to believe that the higher state of
consciousness Maharaj‑ji had achieved could
not be changed by drugs.
Maharaj‑ji gave Ram Dass his name ‑
which means servant of God in Hindi ‑ and
taught him Hindu principles, meditation and
yoga.
Ram Dass returned to the US in 1968, at
the request of Maharaj‑ji, wearing white
robes, bearded and barefoot.
He began lecturing across the US on spiri‑
tuality, incorporating humor and principles
from Hinduism, Buddhism and Sufism into
his teachings.
Be Here Now, published in 1971, was his
first book and became a popular guide to
New Age spirituality. Apple co‑founder Steve
Jobs was among those who lauded the book
as transformative.
But in the 1980s, Ram Dass beg an
attempting to shed his guru image. He
shaved his beard and robes but was unable
to drop his recognizable Hindi name. He also
disavowed some of his earlier praise of LSD.
He was a co‑founder of the Seva
Foundation, a nonprofit that provides eye
care, including surgery and glasses, in over a
dozen countries.
Ram Dass is the subject of the documen‑
tary Becoming Nobody, which was released
this year.
(Source: bbc.co.uk)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
New bill to propagate Gandhi‑King philosophy
Washington, DC: A new bill has been
intro duced in the US House of
Representatives to strengthen bilateral
relations, affirm friendship with India by
enhancing shared values in education,
conflict resolution, and development as
well as to honor the 150th birth anniver‑
sary of Mahatma Gandhi. The bill (HR
5517) was introduced in the house by
Democratic lawmaker from Georgia John
Lewis on December 19.
The bill comes at a time when external
affairs minister S. Jaishankar canceled a
meeting with HFCA over the inclusion of
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who
has spoken out against the Modi govern‑
mentʼs recent policies in India.
Lewis introduced the bill that sought to
“affirm” the friendship between the two
countries and set up a bilateral partner‑
ship for collaboration to advance “devel‑
opment and shared values, and for other
purposes”, ANI reported.
Currently, the bill (HR 5517) has six co‑
sponsors ̶ all of them being Democrats.
Three of them are Indian‑American law‑
makers, including Congresswoman from
Washington state ̶ Pramila Jayapal.
UN involvement in
referendum only if national
govt asks: Spokesperson
United Nations: T he UN w ill get
involved in a referendum only at the
request of a national government,
according to the world organization's
spokesperson.
Asked at the briefing about West
Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee's
call for a UN‑conducted referendum on
citizenship issues, Secretary‑General
Antonio Guterres's
Spokesperson Stephane
Dujarric said the "standard
policy for UN involvement
in any electoral effort, any
referendum, is for request
from a national govern‑
ment; that is our standard
policy."
He said that it was not
specific to Banerjee's call,
but a statement of the standard by
which the UN operates. Banerjee said on
the UN should conduct a referendum on
the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA)
and the National Register of Citizens
(NRC) and challenged the central gov‑
ernment to go for it.
However, she changed her position a
day later, saying, "I meant an opinion
poll overseen by experts like the Human
Rights Commission. I have full faith in
my country and its people."
Asked about the protests against the
CAA, Dujarric said the UN was "closely
following it" and "we are concerned by
the violence that we see, the fatalities."
"What is very important and this
applies across the board is that the peo‑
NATIONAL
The bill proposes the
setting up of Gandhi‐King
Global Academy, which
would be a professional
development training
initiative on conflict reso‐
lution, with an allocation
of $2 million for each fiscal
year from 2020 through
2025, implemented
through the United States
Institute of Peace (USIP).
The news agency further reported that
though the details of the bill have not
been uploaded on the of ficial website,
sources said that the bill has been intro‑
duced by Lewis, a close loyalist of civil
rights leader Martin Luther King, on the
occasion of the 150th birth anniversary
of Mahatma Gandhi. The bill proposes
three initiatives all of them named jointly
ple need to be able to protest peacefully
and security forces always need to show
restraint," he added. General Assembly
President Tijjani Muhammad‑Bande's
Spokesperson Reem Abaza emphasized
"peaceful protests" when talking about
the right to protest in the context of the
upheaval in India.
She said Muhammad‑Bande's "posi‑
tion regarding protests is
that the right to protest,
the peace ful protest,
should be respected;
peacefully, of course."
She added, "He also sup‑
ports the UN entities like
the Human Rights (High
Commissioner), for exam‑
ple, in all their ef forts to
reach out in dif ferent
issues regarding human rights in multi‑
ple situations around the world."
Reflecting the common misperception
of the CAA, the reporter erroneously
phrased the question as discriminatory
to all Muslims, while the law applies
only to those from the officially Islamic
Pakistan and Afghanistan and Muslim‑
majority Bangladesh and seeks to pro‑
vide refuge for not only Hindus but also
Christians, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists and
Jains fleeing religious persecutions in
those countries by fast‑tracking their
citizenship eligibility.
The law also does not give preferen‑
tial treatment to Hindus or the other
five minorities from other countries
seeking Indian citizenship. (IANS)
after Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther
King.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a follower
of Mahatma Gandhi recalled her interest
in the leader of Indiaʼs freedom struggle
during her school days during a function
to commemorate the occasion. “I have
carried India in my heart through Gandhi
from the time I was a little girl. When I
was a little girl, at a Catholic school, the
nun said to me– Who do you think you
are? Mahatma Gandhi! I had no idea who
Mahatma Gandhi was. I went to the
library. In the 1950s, they had books on
Mahatma Gandhi for children that early!”
she said.
T he bill includes the Gandhi‑King
Scholarly Exchange Initiative with an
allocation of $2 million for each fiscal
year from 2020 through 2025, for schol‑
ars from India and the US held alternate‑
ly in the two countries that would focus
on the study of the works and philoso‑
phies of Gandhi and King and visits to
historical sites, reported ANI.
The bill proposes the setting up of
Gandhi‑King Global Academy, which
would be a professional development
Indian‑origin scientist
creates ''Lemon''
for better drugs
New York: An Indian‑American drug dis‑
covery researcher‑led team from Purdue
University has created a new framework
for mining data for training Machine
Learning models.
The framework called ''Lemon'' helps
drug researchers better mine the Protein
Data Base (PDB) ‑‑ a comprehensive
resource with more than 1,40,000 bio‑
molecular structures and with new ones
being released every week.
"PDB is an essential tool for the drug
discovery community," said Gaurav
Chopra, assistant professor of analytical
and physical chemistry in Purdue's
College of Science.
The problem is that it can take an enor‑
mous amount of time to sort through all
the accumulated data.
"Machine learning can help, but you still
need a strong framework from which the
computer can quickly analyze data to help
in the creation of safe and ef fective
drugs," Chopra said in a paper published
in the journal Bioinformatics.
T he Lemon software platform is a
library with Python bindings that mines
the PDB within minutes.
Loading all traditional files in the PDB
takes about 290 minutes, but Lemon does
this in about six minutes when applying a
simple workflow on an 8‑core machine.
Lemon allows the user to write custom
functions, include it as part of their soft‑
ware suite, and develop custom functions
in a standard manner to generate unique
benchmarking datasets for the entire sci‑
Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 9
training initiative on conflict resolution,
with an allocation of $2 million for each
fiscal year from 2020 through 2025,
implemented through the United States
Institute of Peace (USIP).
It also includes the Gand hi‑King
Development Foundation, which would
be established by the USAID under the
laws of India. The funding authorized to
USAID for the foundation is $30 million
every year from 2020 through 2025.
This foundation would have a governing
council convened by the governments of
the US and India TAGS Mahatma Gandhi
bill US.
The bill would oversee grants to NGOs
in the areas of health, pollution and cli‑
mate change, education, and women
empowerment. The bill would be a major
landmark initiated by the US Congress to
commemorate the 150th birth anniver‑
sary of Mahatma Gandhi and will supple‑
ment the Senate and House resolutions
which were introduced on October 2 by
Senators Bob Menendez (Democrat‑New
Jersey) and Ted Cruz (Republican‑Texas)
and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi
(Democrat‑Illinois), respectively.
Gaurav Chopra's drug discovery research
team has created a new framework to
mine enormous database in minutes
entific community, said the researchers.
Jonathan Fine, a Ph.D. student in chem‑
istry who worked with Chopra to develop
the platform said: "We created Lemon as a
one‑stop‑shop to quickly mine the entire
data bank and pull out the useful biologi‑
cal information that is key for developing
drugs".
Chopra has also worked with the Purdue
Research Foundation Office of Technology
Commercialization to patent other innova‑
tions from his lab. (IANS)
 10 Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 US AFFAIRS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Trump impeach trial in Moderate GOP senator

limbo as Pelosi plays a Joker
By Nikhila Natarajan
New York: T he final bend of
President Donald Trumpʼs impeach‑
ment process, a Senate trial, has
suddenly slid into limbo after his
Democratic rivals who control the
House of Representatives have
brought the until‑now rapid fire
spectacle to a screeching halt and
left politicos scratching their heads
about how this story ends.
"Timing is everything," the
President's most consequential rival
in the US Congress and the heroine
of the Democratic resistance Nancy
Pelosi said before launching the
impeachment inquiry against
Trump.
While political pundits began pre‑
dicting an early January trial, Pelosi
has now inserted a twist in the sto‑
ryline after bottling up impeach‑
ment. She is asking Senate
Republicans what a trial might look
like.
Pelosi has refused to submit arti‑
cles of impeachment to the Senate
and the standoff is likely to last a
few weeks at least before the high
stakes feud resumes on the other
side of the new year.
T hroughout the impeachment
tumult so far, the White House has
kept its sights firmly on the Senate
(Republicans control it 53‑47) trial,
where Trump is almost certain to be
acquitted.
Pelosi says the House cannot
choose impeachment managers
"until we know what sort of a trial
the Senate will conduct".
"President Trump blocked his
own witnesses and documents from
the House and from the American
people, on phony complaints about
the House process. What is his
excuse now?" Pelosi tweeted.
Bolstering Pe losi's tack, top
Democrats were now saying a trial
without witnesses would be
"Kafkaesque" and a "sham".
Trump was impeached on
December 19 by the House of
Representatives, becoming only the
third American President in the
nation's history to be impeached.
Republican and Democratic lead‑
ers have not yet agreed on the for‑
mat of the pending Senate impeach‑
ment trial and whether witnesses
'disturbed' by McConnell's
WH coordination
Washington:
Republican Senator
Speaker Nancy
Lisa Murkowski has
Pelosiʼs holding
back said that she was
impeachment "disturbed" by her
articles party's stance before
has politicos President Donald
scratching their Trump's impeach‑
heads. ment trial, it was
reported on
Thursday.
T he Alaska
should be called. Senator's comments
Republicans have made it clear come after Senate
that the Senate trial, whenever it Majority Leader
happens, isn''t going to try too hard Mitch McConne ll
to play fair. "T his is a political pledged "total co‑
process, not a legal one" is their ordination" with the
anthem. W hite House, the
Trump is already juicing the us‑ BBC said in a report.
versus‑them theme for his re‑elec‑ Murkowski told
tion campaign to re‑ignite his base. Alaska's KTUU news Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
"In reality, they're not after me. channe l on
They're after you. I'm just in the Wednesday that she was uncom‑ she said, while also criticizing
way," read his noir‑laced pinned fortable with McConnell's com‑ Democrats for the impeachment
tweet moments after he was ments about "total co‑ordina‑ proceedings being "rushed".
impeached. tion". "When I heard that I was Murkowski, a mo derate
How the Democrats plan to disturbed," she said. Republican, has crit icized
finesse Trump's impeachment for Murkowski also said there President Trump on a number of
the 2020 election was still unclear. should be distance between the policy issues.
If Trump loses next November, White House and the Senate over In October 2018, she voted
the impeachment will be hailed as a how the trial is conducted. ag ainst Brett Kavanaug h,
political class act by Pelosi, and if "To me it means that we have Trump's nominee for the
he wins, the impeachment decision to take that step back from being Supreme Court, after sexual
will be attacked as the epicenter of hand in glove with the defense," assault allegations.
his resurgence.

Google, Apple 5 qualify for the next

remove UAE spying
chat app ToTok
New York: Google and Apple have
removed the popular messaging app
ToTok amid claims that it is being
used for spying by the UAE govern‑
ment for mass surveillance.
The app has been downloaded five
million times on Android before it was
removed from the Google Play Store.
App‑tracking platform App Annie
said that ToTok was one of the most
downloaded chat apps in the US last
week.
Earlier, a New York Times report
said that ToTok (do not confuse it with
TikTok) which is billed as a secure way
to chat by video or text message with
friends and family is allegedly being
used by the UAE government as a spy‑
ing tool for mass surveillance.
ToTok "is used by the UAE govern‑
ment to try to track every conversa‑
tion, movement, relationship, appoint‑
ment, sound and image of those who
install it on their phones".
According to US of ficials familiar
with the classified intelligence assess‑
ment, the app that works like Signal or
Telegram has been downloaded mil‑
lions of times on Android and iOS
devices in the Middle East, Europe,
Asia, Africa and North America.
An investigation by NYT found that
the firm behind ToTok is known as
Breej Holding which is a front firm
af filiated with DarkMatter, an Abu
Dhabi‑based cyberintelligence and
hacking firm.
DarkMatter is already under an FBI
investigation for possible cybercrimes.
The probe also linked ToTok to Pax
AI, an Abu Dhabi‑based data mining
firm that appears to be t ied to
DarkMatter.
The UAE government declined to
comment on the report.
"While the existing ToTok users con‑
tinue to enjoy our service without
interruption, we would like to inform
our new users that we are we ll
engaged with Google and Apple to
address the issue," ToTok said in a
blog post.
Democratic Debate
Washington: After the sixth Democratic runner in the race. Minnesota senator
debate Thursday, the Democratic National Klobuchar benefited the most from the
Committee released the qualification rules smaller number of candidates on stage in
for the next debate, which will take place on the 6th debate. She got to talk a lot more
Jan. 14 in Iowa. As of Dec 20, these are the than in past debates and used that time
five candidates who have qualified: Joe very, very well.
Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizbeth Warren, Former New York City Mayor Michael
Peter Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar. Bloomberg is skipping the early states, but
For the other two candidates on stage his standing in national polls ̶ aided by his
T hursday nig ht ̶ tech entrepreneur massive ad spending ̶ got him past the
Andrew Yang and billionaire activist Tom polling requirement. Bloomberg, however,
Steyer ̶ the new requirements appear has said heʼs not seeking donations, which
reachable but arenʼt a sure thing. may make it impossible for him to make the
Joe Biden retains his status as the front‑ debate.
Democratic
presidential
candidates at
their debate
in Los
Angeles last
Thursday.
This time
Senator Amy
Klobuchar
had a good
performance.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
McConnell not ruling out calling
witnesses in Trump trial
Washington: Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell has said that
Republicans "haven't ruled out" call‑
ing witnesses in the upcoming
impeachment trial to decide whether
President Donald Trump should be
convicted and removed. "We haven't
ruled out witnesses," McConnell, a
Kentucky Republican, said in a Fox
News interview on Monday.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck
Schumer, Democrat from New York,
recently urged McConnell to call
four witnesses, including Acting
White House Chief of Staf f Mick
Mulvaney and former National
Security Adviser John Bolton, Xinhua
reported. That request was rejected
by McConnell, who suggested a
quick wrap‑up of the trial to acquit
Trump of the allegations contained
in two articles of impeachment
passed by the House last week.
Trump was impeached by the
House for what the Democrats said
was abusing his power in pressuring
Ukraine to launch political investiga‑
tions that would help with his re‑
election, and obstructing Congress's
impeachment inquiry by
stonewalling subpoenaed adminis‑
tration of ficials as well as related
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
documents. He became the third
President in US history to be
impeached. House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi in a tweet Monday defended
her decision not to hand the articles
over to the Senate anytime soon.
"The House cannot choose our
impeachment managers until we
know what sort of trial the Senate
will conduct," she said, adding that
"President Trump blocked his own
witnesses and documents from the
House, and from the American peo‑
ple, on phony complaints about the
House process. What is his excuse
now?" Reacting to Pelosi's remarks,
US AFFAIRS
McConnell said in the interview that
the Democratic congresswoman rep‑
resenting California is "apparently
trying to tell us how to run the trial."
He said he is "not anxious to have
this trial."
"We're at an impasse. We can't do
anything until the speaker sends the
papers over," McConnell said.
Trump also took to Twitter to lash
out at Pelosi. "Pelosi gives us the
most unfair trial in the history of the
US Congress, and now she is crying
for fairness in the Senate, and break‑
ing all rules while doing so," he
claimed.
Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020
Trump signs $738bn
defense bill with sanctions
on Russia and Turkey
Washington: President Donald
Trump has signed into law a $738
billion defense bill which includes
controversial provisions calling for
sanct ions ag ainst Russia and
Turkey. Trump approved the 2020
National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA), which will increase
the US military spending by about
$20 billion, or about 2.8 per cent,
on Friday night at a signing cere‑
mony he ld at the Joint Base
Andrews near Washington, reports
Xinhua news agency.
The sprawling legislation has
stirred up opposition overseas as it
contains punit ive provisions
against Russia, Turkey and other
countries.
The bill notes that the "(NDAA)
protects European energy security
by imposing sanctions related to
Russian energy pipelines Nord
Stream 2 and TurkStream".
Despite facing potential sanc‑
tions, Russia and Germany have
reaf firmed their commitments to
complete the Nord Stream 2 proj‑
ect and put it into operation.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov said last wee k in
11
Washington that "neither Nord
Stream 2 nor TurkStream will
stop".
The bill also renewed a decision
to exclude Turkey from the US‑led
F‑35 fighter jet program in retalia‑
tion against Ankara's acquisition
of Russia's S‑400 air defense sys‑
tem. It also claimed that the Trump
administration should impose
sanctions on Turkey over the S‑
400 purchase.
Turkey accused the US Congress
of "hostile" behavior after senators
passed the NDAA earlier this week.
The NDAA authorizes $635 bil‑
lion in base discretionary funds for
the Pentagon, $71.5 billion in
overseas contingency operations
funds and $23.1 billion for nuclear
prog rams at the Energ y
Department.
It also includes a 3.1 per cent
pay raise, the largest in a decade.
In a w in for Trump and
Republican lawmakers, the bill will
establish the Space Force, a new
US military branch which will be
housed in the Department of the
Air Force and led by the chief of
space operations.
 12 Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 INDIA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Modi tears into Gandhis, Mamata over CAA

New Delhi: Amid the raging anti‑
CAA protest, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi chose to start his
speech with an unusual chant,
"Vivid hta me e kta, Bharat ke
visheshta" (Unity in diversity is
India's speciality).
Though the focus of the rally at
Ramlika Maidan was the upcom‑
ing De lhi Assembly e lect ion
where the BJP's state unit
drummed up the fact that the
Center regularized illegal colonies
that benefited thousands, Modi
chose it to be the platform to
answer the raging opposition
ag ainst the Cit izenship
Amendment Act.
"Citizenship Act doesn't apply to
any Indians ‑ be it Hindu or
Muslim. It applies to the refugees
from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and
Pakistan," he said. Invoking
Mahatma Gandhi, Modi made his
point but not without taking a
sharp dig at the Gandhi family.
Modi was at his aggressive best
when he referred to certain oppo‑
sition parties as "remote control"
behind the current anti‑CAA agita‑
tion. "There's no discussion on
NRC... Some educated urban nax‑
als are spreading this rumor that
Narendra Modi speaking at Delhiʼs Ramlila Maidan.
all Muslims will be sent to deten‑
tion centers. 'Ye jhhut hai, ye
jhhut hai, ye jhhut hai' (These are
lies)," he said.
Modi spared no one. Not just the
Congress he also took a dig at
West Beng al Chie f Minister
Mamata Banerjee as we ll.
Referring to the controversial
demand of the Trinamool chief for
a UN‑monitored referendum on
the issue, Modi said she had a dif‑
ferent position on the subject a
few years ago. "Didi, what made
you change your mind?" asked
Modi. Amid fluttering BJP flags,
beating of drums and excited
attendees, Modi was the unmis‑
takable crowdpuller. Many of the
BJP supporters were seen dancing
to tunes that were dedicated to
Prime Minister.
Needless to say, BJP put its best
bet forward and hopes to use his
image to w in De lhi e lect ion,
where it was decimated by AAP in
the last polls.
Though Modi's focus largely
remained the opposition parties
and their alleged flip flops on the
CAA a legacy issue: PM
Lucknow: Condemning violence
over the new citizenship law,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
on Wednesday said the problem
over the Citizenship Amendment
Act was one of "legacy issues",
asserting that "we will challenge
the challengers".
More than a dozen people
have died across Uttar Pradesh
in protests against the law. The
damage to public property is
estimated around Rs 100 crore
in seven districts of the state.
Addressing a gathering in the
Citizenship Amendment Act, Modi
had done one thing that most in
the BJP failed to : Unite the entire
De lhi BJP unit. He flayed the
opposit ion part ies for their
alleged hypocrisy in opposing the
Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
He cornered the opposition over
the CAA and gave a clear indica‑
tion about the BJP's firm inten‑
tions on going forward with the
law. The Prime Minister recalled
how, a few years ago, former
state capital after inaugurating
the 25‑ft tall bronze statue of
former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee
at Lok Bhawan, the state secre‑
tariat, Modi said the legacy
problems included Article 370,
Ram temple issue and
Citizenship Amendment Act.
"We have solved some of the
problems that we got as lega‑
cy...We will challenge the chal‑
lengers," he said, adding the way
to give citizenship to refugees
from Pakistan, Bang ladesh,
Afghanistan has been cleared.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
had supported the idea of giving
re fuge to Hindus and other
minorities from Bangladesh. "If
the Cong ress can support
Manmohan Sing h, why is it a
crime if I propose it?" he said.
He also recalled that Rajasthan
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot who
in his previous term had support‑
ed the idea of granting citizenship
to Hindus and Sikhs. "Why is he
silent now?"

People giving befitting reply Cabinet okays National

to BJP's arrogance: Mamata
Kolkata: Ridiculing Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Home Minister
Amit Shah for making contradictory
statements on NRC, West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee on
Tuesday asked the Central dispensa‑
tion to quit, saying people have start‑
ed giving befitting replies to BJP's
"arrogance and audacity".
She also demanded the BJP govern‑
ment at the Centre to withdraw the
Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
"BJP take back NRC, take back CAA.
You also quit. You have done enough.
The country is burning, unemploy‑
ment is at an all‑time high, the econo‑
my is in very bad shape," the
Trinamool Congress supremo said.
Pointing to Modi's comments at a
rally in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan that
his government has never even dis‑
cussed the Nat ional Reg ister of
Citizens (NRC), Banerjee asked people
to search and find the truth.
"India's Home Minister says in the
Parliament that 'NRC exercise will be
held all over India, we will do it'. But
now the Prime Minister is saying the
opposite. He says we haven't dis‑
cussed anything about NRC," Banerjee
said after leading a huge rally against
the new citizenship law and NRC here.
T he Trinamool chief noted that
nowadays anything anybody says
remains in the public domain.
"Whatever we have said, everything
is in the public domain, from the
Parliament to the streets. Whatever
West Bengal
Chief
Minister
leads a
protest
rally in
Kolkata.
you are saying is also in the public
domain," she said, asking people to
search and find out who has said
what.
Banerjee said: "People have started
giving befitting replies. You have
received be fitt ing replies in
Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Shed
your arrogance and audacity."
The CHief Minister highlighted that
a movement was now raging against
the BJP across India.
"This is a movement for protecting
one's rights. Bengal started it. Now
people in Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Kerala,
Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Jaharkhand, Mad hya
Pradesh and Punjab are doing the
same," she said.
Population Register
New Delhi: T he Union
Cabinet, chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi,
on Tuesday g ave its
approval for updation of
the National Population
Reg ister (NPR) w ith no
requirement by people to
submit any document or
biometrics to prove their
identity, and conducting of
census of India 2021.
Announcing the decision
taken in the Union Cabinet
meet ing, Union Human
Resource Deve lopment
Minister Prakash
Javadekar said no proof
will be sought from people
during the process of NPR
beginning April 2020.
He said that the upcom‑
ing NPR was no dif ferent
than the one conducted in
2010 by the UPA govern‑
ment and that Census will
cover the entire population
in the country while NPR
will cover all the popula‑
tion except in Assam.
The NPR updation exer‑
cise w ill be conducted
between April and
September 2020 in all
states and Union
Territories and a head
count w ill be ready by
Fe bruary 2021 ‑‑ the
Census year.
Seeking to allay fears, the
government had stressed
that NPR is a "National
Population Register, not a
citizen register".
"There is no need of any
proof, document and bio‑
metric as we be lieve in
people. Whatever you will
say would be correct. All
states have accepted and
notified it. The states have
also started their cam‑
paign," Javadekar said at
the press briefing.
"NPR will be on self‑dec‑
laration or self‑certifica‑
tion basis and only head
count will be done."
Mentioning that all the
states are providing train‑
ing to their officers to con‑
duct NPR, the Minister said
the Cabinet has approved
the proposal for conduct‑
ing Census of India 2021
at a cost of Rs 8,754.23
crore and updation of NPR
at a cost of Rs 3,941.35
crore.
He said that the NPR was
first started in 2010 by the
UPA government led by
Prime Minister Manmohan
Sing h, ahead of Census
2011, and was last updat‑
ed in 2015.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA NEWS Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 13

Ignoring tribal sentiment hit BJP

hard in Jharkhand
New Delhi: The 2019 Jharkhand
assembly election results indicate
an overwhelming rejection of the
BJP by the state's tribal voters. Of
the 28 seats reserved for sched‑
uled tribe (ST) candidates, the BJP
managed to win only 2 seats in
these elections.
In contrast, the JMM and allies
won the remaining 26 seats or a
little more than half the 47 seats
they ultimately won and are set to
form the next government in the
state.
Predictably, the BJP is putting up
a brave face. "The party will evalu‑
ate the result as BJP always does.
All I can say, we may have lost
seats but we have got an impres‑
sive vote share in Jharkhand which
most seem to ignore." said Amit
Malviya, social media head of the
BJP.
Chief Minister‑designate Hemant
Soren and his ally, the Congress,
thanked the voters in Jharkhand's
tribal belt for the emphatic victory
they registered in the assembly
elections, results for which were
announced. It was largely due to
the stress on local issues such as
land, forest rights, employment
Jharkhand Chief Minister‑designate Hemant Soren.
among others that propelled the
alliance through.
In the three e lect ions that
Jharkhand has seen after its for‑
mat ion, the BJP and the JMM
would usually end up with almost
equal number of seats, with other
parties mopping up the remainder.
Both parties won 9 seats each in
2005 while others won the
remaining 10 seats. In 2009, the
JMM, with its tribal moorings,
managed to take a slight edge with
10 seats to the BJP's 9. In 2014,
the JMM again led with 13 seats to
the BJP's tally of 11 seats.
According to poll analysts, opt‑
ing for a non‑tribal chief minister,
in the form of Raghubar Das, also
af fected the BJP's chances in the
crucial area. Yashwant Deshmukh
of C‑Voter said that Hemant Soren
played a major role in rallying the
JMM‑led alliance's campaign, espe‑
cially in the tribal‑dominated areas
of the state.
Hemant to be sworn
in as Jharkhand CM
on Dec 29
Ranchi: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha
( JMM) leader and the JMM‑
Congress‑RJD alliance's Chief
Minister candidate Hemant
Soren was invited to form the
government in Jharkhand and
will take oath on December 29.
Accompanied by leaders of
alliance partners, the Congress
and the Rashtriya Janata Dal,
Soren met Governor Draupadi
Murmu at Raj Bhawan at 8.45
pm and staked his claim to form
the government.
The swearing‑in will take here
on 1 pm.
The BJP has traditionally never
been strong in the tribal belts, 20
of which went to polls in the first
two phases of the five‑phase
assembly polls. But when the
results came out on Monday, the
The alliance, which won 47
seats in the 81‑member house in
the November‑December
Assembly e lect ion, has also
secured support of former ally,
the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha‑
Prajatantrik.
Soren was elected leader of the
alliance at a meeting of alliance
MLAs at the residence of his
father and JMM President Shibu
Soren.
Earlier in the day, newly‑elect‑
ed JMM legislators elected him
as the leader of the legislature
party.
impact was most pronounced in
the 2019 assembly elections.
After Chattisgarh, Jharkhand is
yet another mineral rich state in
the Chhota Nagpur plateau to slip
away from the BJP fold.

All 130 crores Indians 'Inauspicious period' delays

part of Hindu Samaj: cabinet expansion
New Delhi: T he

Mohan Bhagwat first cabinet

expansion in the
Mo di govern‑
Hyderabad: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat ment's second
said that for Sangh all 130 crore term and the
Indians are part of Hindu society, irre‑ announcement of
spective of their region, religion and the new Bharatiya
culture. Janata Party (BJP)
He told a public meeting of Rashtriya president has been
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) here that delayed. The major
Sangh considers all 130 crore Indians reason behind this
as "Hindu Samaj". is said to be the
The RSS chief said that all those who "inauspicious peri‑
have nationalistic spirit, respect India's od".
culture and heritage are part of Hindu If sources are to
society. be be lieved, the
"When I say Hindu Samaj, it includes BJP will undertake
any major work No cabinet expansion has happened after the Narendra Modi
those who consider India their mother‑
govt came to power for the second time.
land, love its 'jal, jungle and janwar', related to the gov‑
have the nationalistic spirit and respect ernment or the organization only after the the new party president for the next three
its culture. Irrespective of the lan‑ inauspicious days which started from years because as per the party's tradition
guages they speak, the regions they RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said that December 14 will be over on January 14, one person can hold only one post at a
come from, their forms of worship and India is traditionally ʻHindutva‑ vadiʼ. 2020. time. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is
even if they don't follow any religion, Party sources said that the BJP believes holding the post only till the organization‑
Claiming that RSS is working selfless‑
all are children of India," he said. in doing all the important work as per the al elections end. As per the party's consti‑
ly to remove the suf ferings of others,
Stating that tha Sangh wants to unite auspicious time (Shubh Mahurat). As of tution the party president is elected after
he said every village and every habita‑
all, he asked the cadres to go door to now organizational elections are going on the organizational elections have taken
tion need teams of such selfless work‑
door to explain what the organization in the party and it was expected that the place in at least 50 per cent of the states.
ers. "This will change the society and
stands for. party will announce a new national presi‑ On the other side, no cabinet expansion
India's destiny," he said.
Bhagwat said that 'Dharma Vijay' is dent in December. But as the inauspicious has happened after the Modi government
Stating that the world is looking
the idea of Sangh, Hindu Samaj and month started from December 14 which came to power for the second time on
towards India for guidance for peace
India. He also remarked that the coun‑ w ill cont inue t ill January 14 the May 30, 2019. The sources said that the
and happiness, he said only an organ‑
try is traditionally "Hindutva‑ vadi". announcement was delayed. expansion is also expected after the inaus‑
ized 'Hindu Samaj' can deliver this.
The sources said that J.P. Nadda will be picious days are over on January 14.
 14 Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020
By Anindya Banerjee
New Delhi: May 24, 2019 ‑‑ was a
day of jubilation at the BJP head‑
quarters here with showers of
fresh flowers, red carpets rolled
out and 'dhols' going full blast
after Modi 2.0 entered with a
bang of an unprecedented man‑
date of 303 seats in the Lok
Sabha.
But come December, and with
the loss of Jharkhand on Monday,
the Bharatiya Janata Party's saf‑
fron hue appears to be on the
wane. The once blooming 'Lotus'
has been shrinking at a steady
pace across India. It all started
last December when the BJP was
wiped out in three states at one go
‑‑ Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and
Madhya Pradesh.
Then Maharashtra too, slipped
out of BJP's hand in Autumn. With
winter in full swing, BJP has now
lost Jharkhand.
It's a legitimate question then: Is
the "Congress‑mukt Bharat" an
idea whose time never came?
Here's looking at the 12 states
where the question hangs heavy.
It all started with:
1. Punjab: The state that the
Akali‑BJP combine lost after rul‑
ing two consecut ive terms.
Captain Amarinder Singh, the
giant killer as he is often referred
A Midnight's Child's fears for India
By Mihir Bose
I
am one of Midnight's Children
born just a few months before
India won her freedom. I grew
up in Nehru's India, he died the
same day in May 1964 as when
my SSC results, the equivalent of
GCSE, were published.
Throughout that period we wor‑
ried about India breaking up.
Foreign writers came visiting and
went back to write books saying
India could not survive. Even
prominent Indians shared such
views. To day we know how
absurd such fears were. Yet as I
write I am consumed by fears
about a very fundamental change
to India which could have far
reaching effects. India's secular‑
ism, which for all the twists and
turns of history, has survived and
produced a country like no other,
is now in grave danger.
Amartya Sen has identified two
principle kinds of secularism. In
one, the state can be neutral
between dif ferent religions, in
the other it prohibits any reli‑
gious association in state activi‑
ties. France is an example of that
prohibition. India, as Sen says, is
an example of the first interpre‑
tation neutrality interpretation of
secularism. T he India that is
Shrinking Lotus eclipsing BJP's
dream of Congress‑mukt Bharat
to within the Punjab Congress,
was allowed to take charge replac‑
ing Rahul Gandhi's protege Partap
Singh Bajwa, and the BJP's rout
began. The BJP was cut down to a
single digit ‑‑ two in the 117‑
member Assembly, which is worse
I no longer fear about India breaking up but the India that is
emerging is not what our founding fathers would have wanted.
emerging now under Narendra
Modi's rule has taken a very dif‑
ferent attitude to secularism. It is
clear from the persecution of
those who do not follow the edict
of banning of the slaughter of
cows.
It is demonstrated by the
recent Bill which allows illegal
mig rants from Afg hanistan,
Pakistan and Bangladesh provid‑
ed they are Hindus, Christians,
Buddhists, Parsees, Jews and
Jains cit izenship but not to
Muslims from those countries.
Modi's government is turning its
back on the tolerant, secular,
society India's founding fathers
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
OP-ED
than in Delhi.
2. Chhattisgarh: Last December,
the BJP's 15‑year‑rule came to an
abrupt end when the Congress
dethroned Raman Singh of BJP
from the naxal‑affected state. The
Congress swept to power with a
wanted.
The result is that in Mumbai,
the city I grew up in, there is now
a form of religious apartheid
when it comes to housing. Munir
Visram, a lawyer, describes how
a Muslim client of his wanted to
buy a flat in a suburb of Mumbai
but when he gave his name the
broker said, "You are a Muslim.
Sorry this building is not for
Muslims. Hindus only." Parts of
India's commercial capital and its
most vibrant city has become so
segregated that, says Visram,
"owners say this building is for
vegetarians only, so there no
Muslim, Christians, Jews, Paris or
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
three‑fourth majority on 68 seats
in the 90‑member Assembly. The
BJP was reduced to just 15 in the
state.
3. Rajasthan: With 107 MLAs in
the 200‑member Assembly, the
Congress returned to power. Soon
even meat‑eating Hindus."
Modi's followers will argue that
they are correcting the militant
secularism that Nehru preached.
In the Nehruvian India of my
youth religious discussion was
considered taboo and would have
been seen as a betrayal of
Chacha Nehru. He encouraged
the idea that any talk of religion
must mean the person talking
was sectarian, or in that catch all
Indian phrase, a communalist. In
Nehru's India there could be no
greater sin than to be branded a
communalist. It is like being
called a racist in the west nowa‑
days.
In the UK we see ourselves as a
secular country where despite
having a state re lig ion, the
monarch is the head of the
church and all major state func‑
tions are held in an Anglican
church, all other religions can
flourish. There was never any
chance that after 1947 in India
Hinduism would be the national
religion but other religions could
flourish. Nehru and the Congress
leadership were absolutely right
to reject any such idea.
However, Nehru went further
than most Congress leaders in
denying that religion should play
any part in the country. This was
after, in a press conference a con‑
fident Rahul Gandhi had said, "It's
the time for change”.
4. Madhya Pradesh: Congress'
Kamal Nath swept to power last
December in spite of the intra‑
party contradict ions. Like in
Chhattisgarh, the Congress man‑
aged to form a government in the
state after a long spell of 15 years,
though with a wafer‑thin majority.
5. Maharashtra: After an embar‑
rassing short stint of the BJP and
a breakaway faction of the NCP,
the Sena‑led NCP‑Congress‑Shiv
Sena claimed power at the
Financial capital. The BJP‑Sena
alliance fell apart, resulting in a
month‑long political uncertainty
in the state.
6. Jharkhand: The latest to join
the bandwagon of non‑BJP states
is Jharkhand where five years of
anti‑incumbency and an unpopu‑
lar Chief Minister proved costly
for the "lotus".
One of the BJP's slogans in the
run‑up to the 2014 general elec‑
tion was making India "Congress‑
mukt" (Free of Congress). Riding
high on the volley of corruption
angle against then UPA‑2 and its
top ministers, the BJP had made
"Congress mukt Bharat" a house‑
hold slogan.
Five years down the lane, that
dream appears far away.
vividly demonstrated when the
quest ion of re building the
Somnath Temple came up in
1951. T he Temple had been
destroyed by the Muslim raider
Mahmud Ghazni, in one of his
many raids on India between
1000 and 1028. For Hindus this
was their equivalent of the
destruction of the second temple
of the Jews. Nehru opposed the
proposal to rebuild Somnath led
by K.M. Munshi, then a member
of Nehru's Cabinet and was most
upset when India's first President
Rajendra Prasad agreed to inau‑
gurate the rebuilt temple.
Nehru, while well‑intentioned,
fashioned a secularism which has
provided the Hindutva move‑
ment to claim that Hindus are in
peril. Ridiculous as this argument
is, it has clearly persuaded many
Hindus and the way Modi's gov‑
ernment is driving this agenda
means the India that is emerging
is not the caring, tolerant society
I and many of my midnight's gen‑
eration grew up cherishing. I no
longer fear about India breaking
up but the India that is emerging
is not what our founding fathers
would have wanted and for
whose freedom so many Indians
gave everything up including
their lives.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info LIFESTYLE Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 15

New Yearʼs Eve popular time

London: Couples appear to have a special lik‑
ing for Christmas Eve and New Year Eve to
get cosy under the sheet, according to a sur‑
vey.

among couples for festive sex

While around 60 per cent couples who par‑
ticipated in the survey said they would prefer
to have sex on December 24, almost equal
number of people (58 per cent) expressed
desire to enjoy some “bonding time” on the
New Yearʼs Eve, revealed the results of the
research by Lovehoney ‑ Britainʼs biggest sex
toy retailer.
In comparison, just 47 per cent of respon‑
dents said they would have sex on Christmas
Day, Yahoo Style UK reported on Tuesday.
The results, based on a poll of 2,175 peo‑
ple, suggest that the festive holidays not just
pave the way for elaborate sessions of food
and drinks, but also unlock the keys to fulfill‑
ing passions.
T his could also be the reason why
September 26 is the most popular birth date
for UK babies, at 39 weeks and two days

Fast after Christmas, said the report.

But many ‑ 44 per cent of women and 50

intermittently
per cent of men ‑‑ believe that staying with
parents and in‑laws might lead to a night
without sex.

to get slim this

New Year

Narrowing eating times

window to 6‐8 hours per
day is part of the deal.
New York: As you enter New Year on a
sad note that despite gymming and
avoiding sugary food for most part of
2019, the fat around your belly refused
to go away, it is bell for a New Year reso‑
lution: Make intermittent fasting part of
your health regime.
Intermittent fasting diets fall generally
into two categories: daily time‑restricted
feeding, which narrows eating times to 6‑
8 hours per day, and so‑called 5:2 inter‑
mittent fasting, in which people limit
themselves to one moderate‑sized meal
two days each week.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine
neuroscientist Mark Mattson, studies
have shown that this improves blood
sugar regulation, increases resistance to
stress and suppresses inflammation.
“Intermittent fasting could be part of a
healthy lifestyle,” said Mattson who has
studied the health impact of intermittent
fasting for 25 years, and adopted it him‑
self about 20 years ago.
In the article published in The New
England Journal of Medicine, Mattson
said that four studies in both animals and
people found intermittent fasting also
decreased blood pressure, blood lipid lev‑
els and resting heart rates.
Alternating between times of fasting
and eating supports cellular health, prob‑
ably by triggering an age‑old adaptation
to periods of food scarcity called meta‑
bolic switching.
Such a switch occurs when cells use up
their stores of rapidly accessible, sugar‑
based fuel, and begin converting fat into
energy in a slower metabolic process.
 16 Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020
The filmi social media warriors
By Vinod Mirani
I
ndia as a country has been making defini‑
tive changes in the way it works. Drastic
laws are being planned and huge protests
are being launched. As it seems, some vital
and long overdue changes are being put in
place. There are those who approve and
there are the ones who don't.
Now, all sorts of opinions, accusations and
oppositions, have started coming up on the
outlets of social media, especially Twitter.
And most vocal on social media seem to be
some film personalities.
Suddenly, they become experts on just
about everything that happens in the coun‑
try, though what they demonstrate through
their arguments is a total lack of knowledge
as well as low IQ level. Looks like Twitter has
become the hotbed for venting frustrations
as well as drawing attention.
There were occasions like demonetization,
GST, Article 370 and, now the Citizenship
Amendment Act (CAA). And, soon as the Bill
was passed in both houses of Parliament, the
coterie got busy on Twitter. No matter what
it was, no matter the details. They had to
This is not the India I grew
up in: Vishal Bhardwaj
Filmmaker‑music director Vishal Bhardwaj.
A
mid ongoing unrest over
Citizenship Amendment Act
(CAA) in India, filmmaker‑music
director Vishal Bhardwaj has shared his
views on the current political situation,
saying the scenario is serious.
"The current scenario is grim as peo‑
ple are being divided on the basis of reli‑
gion, which is not the India I grew up in,"
Vishal told IANS.
He also took to Twitter to take a dig at
the government for imposing Section
144 of the Criminal Procedure Code
(CrPC) restricting the protesters from
gathering against or in favor of the con‑
troversial law passed by Parliament
recently, in several parts of the nation.
"Hillarious. Who knows this might
happen too," Bhardwaj tweeted, along
with a newspaper cartoon clipping that
depicts a boy expressing disappointment
over the situation.
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
oppose it! The only place where their posts
were acknowledged was on TV debates.
Major stars who matter ‑‑ like Amitabh
Bachchan, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan,
Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone ‑‑ are
among the most followed twitterati in the
country from the film field. Why are none of
Vishal is a filmmaker who has never
shied from expressing his political
beliefs in films. Be it "Haider" or "7
Khoon Maaf " or "Matru Ki Bijlee Ka
Mandola", most of his movies have a
political element.
Sharing his process of filmmaking, he
opened up on how he is inclined towards
depicting reality through his projects.
"Films are a mirror of reality. I read a
lot and I watch a lot. I wait for ideas to
emerge within me. I don't rush towards
creating ideas," Vishal said, on the side‑
lines of his musical performance at the
fifth edition of Bollywood Music Project.
Talking about his stint as a musician,
Vishal started his Bollywood journey as
a a music director in the mid‑nineties.
He has composed songs in films such as
"Maachis", "Chachi 420", and "Satya",
besides self‑directed projects such as
"Omkara", "Kaminey", and "Pataakha".
these crusaders rated among the top? And,
the most followed don't get involved in petty
social media posts. They know they can't
indulge in arguments with nonentities who
seek attention.
However, there is one person, Kangana
Ranaut, who always takes up the cudgels on
social media for issues against the biggest of
bosses of the film world. According to her,
those who don't react are cowards. That is
not really true, every dignified and success‑
ful film personality cannot get into an argu‑
ment with somebody on the basis of his or
her posts on social media.
There have been a few dissenting voices
from some actors like Aamir Khan and
Naseeruddin Shah. Not on Twitter but in
public. Shah, who played a man blowing up
terrorists in "A Wednesday" in 2008,
thought his family was not safe in India. If
you read his biography, he is not even a first‑
generation Indian!
Then there was Aamir Khan whose wife
feared for her family in India! He lost some
ad‑assignments as a result. Earlier, he had
joined forces with social activist Medha
Patkar, suggesting the blocking of Sardar
Salman asks makers
to get another host
for 'Bigg Boss 13ʼ
F
rom using abusive language to
indulging in physical fights, the
ongoing season of "Bigg Boss" has
been witnessing a lot of high drama since
the very first day. And now things have
turned uglier between the contestants ‑‑
especially Sidharth Shukla and Rashami
Desai.
In the upcoming episode, Rashami will
be seen throwing tea at Sidharth. Then,
Sidharth does the same and the situation
gets worse when Rashami's boyfriend
Arhaan comes in between the two. An agi‑
Salman Khan on ʻBigg Boss 13ʼ set.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Sarovar Dam. His film, "Fanaa", and the film's
producer (YRF) paid the price, since the film
could not be released in Gujarat. I'm not sure
if Aamir even knew the background of the
project!
Eventually, he ended up making a fool of
himself. He was anchoring a TV serial,
"Satyamev Jayate", based on social issues or
injustice done to a common man. May be, he
expected his standing up against Sardar
Sarovar would further his image as a crusad‑
er for the deprived! At times, stars use such
public platforms to promote their films. At
most times, such ideas backfire.
Amitabh Bachchan was among the first to
take to the Internet when he started writing
a blog which he still continues. Writing a
blog needs content and a valid topic. Not
many who do the rabble‑rousing on Twitter
will do so because that would need elaborat‑
ing on what they want to convey.
The irony is those who cry about democra‑
cy being in danger and complain about free‑
dom of expression enjoy all the benefits of
both ‑‑ democracy as well as freedom of all
kinds. Save for a few, no wonder, filmstars
turned crusaders are not taken seriously.
tated Sidharth loses his temper and ends
up tearing Arhaan's shirt.
Such abusive behavior of the contestants
did not go down well with host Salman
Khan at all.
During the Weekend Ka Vaar episode,
Salman will be seen taking class of the
housemates. He told the makers that if
they want to extend the show by five
weeks, they need to find a new host.
"Because I am not ready for this sh*t,"
Salman said in the promo video. "Bigg
Boss 13" airs on Colors TV.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Revolution is brought by youth, not celebrities: Sushant
S
ushant Singh made head‑
lines on being dropped as
anchor of the popular
crime show "Savdhaan India", soon
after he joined an anti‑Citizenship
Amendment Act (CAA) rally August
Kranti Maidan in Mumbai. The
actor says he doesnʼt expect too
many celebrities of the film indus‑
try to join the nationwide protests,
but he adds that it is the youth of a
country that brings revolution and
not celebrities.
"I went to August Kranti Maidan
to show solidarity with people who
are afraid because of this new Act.
There is a lot of confusion and
there are a lot of questions in peo‑
ple's mind regarding the Act, and
that includes me. We are trying to
raise our voice so that the govern‑
ment does something about it. It
was a peaceful and wonderful
protest. All of them were raising
their voice for the country. I felt so
proud of my fellow Mumbaikars,
and Mumbai Police also handled
the situation really well," said
Sushant, at a special screening of
the web series "Rangbaaz Phirse",
which features him in the cast.
'Dabangg 3': For
hardcore Chulbul fans
A
t one level, it is easy
reviewing "Dabangg 3". It
has everything the hard‑
core Chulbul fans want, so it's a
great film. For them.
For a 160‑minute celebration of
recycled kitsch that is vying to be
the year's biggest blockbuster,
simply pleasing Salman Khan's
hardcore fan base may not be
enough ‑‑ especially when there is
a killing to be made in the
Christmas season against a
rumored 90‑crore budget. So,
"Dabangg 3 opens well beyond
the superstar's familiar turf, in
three languages ‑– Tamil, Telugu,
and Kannada ‑‑ besides the orig‑
inal Hindi version.
This time, Salman and compa‑
ny show us Chulbul Pandey's
life before the first film, pushing a
prequel text of sorts in the first
half before tying the loose ends in
the second. It gives us a back
story of Chulbul tracing his
romance of the past, marking the
debut of actress Saiee Manjrekar
in what seems like an extended
cameo and little else.
Long before the film hits inter‑
mission mark, you realize this
truth: The instruction given to
Prabhudeva was obviously clear ‑–
churn out a sequel that's a rerun
of the first two films, in terms of
romance, violence, humor and
drama peddled. It has to be bigger
and glossier, if not as stylish.
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Actor Sushant Singh has been ousted from
the reality TV crime series ʻSavdhaan Indiaʼ.
About many A‑List Bollywood
stars refraining from commenting
on the issue, he said: "When you
are in a certain position, there is
an absolute pressure of taking a
stand on certain matters. People
give you a lot of love and you are
what you are because of their love.
So, they look at you with a certain
hope and feel that you will say
something about the issue."
Sushant added: "I want to tell
people that everyone has their
Review
Salman Khan in a scene from the film ʻDabangg 3ʼ.
The "Dabangg" flicks follow a
classic narrative structure of com‑
mercial Indian cinema. The hero,
an invincible do‑gooder, after ini‑
tial mooning about with the hero‑
ine (and a possible minor build‑up
conflict with the villain), will pre‑
pare for a second half that is
heavy with action and retribution.
Chulbul's adventure in this film
does not waver.
The film, incidentally written by
Salman, retains every formula, as
Chulbul's enmity with bad man
Balli Singh (Sudeep) finds it roots
in the back story of the first half,
viewpoint and we all need to
respect each other's views.
Celebrities who are talking against
it (CAA), they are with you (peo‑
ple). So, appreciate that. We
shouldn't have any problem with
celebrities who are not expressing
their opinions”.
Asked about the termination of
his contract with the Star Bharat
show "Savdhaan India", Sushant
said: "I don't know what the exact
reason is, but people are speculat‑
before being resolved by the hero
with typical violent elan in the cli‑
max.
To be fair, Salman is in his ele‑
ments, and that's what wholly
drives this film. If Bollywood ever
had a comic action hero worth his
smoking barrels, it has to be the
maverick Chulbul Pandey.
You feel sorry for poor Rajjo,
though. In a film where various
sharp objects play a major role in
the killings, the only action
Sonakshi Sinha gets with a knife is
chopping vegetables in the
kitchen.
Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 17
Angry Twitter users
call for boycotting
Farhan's movie
A
fter Bollywood actor Farhan ble request ‑‑ Please trend this... and
Akhtar came out in support ask others to tweet and retweet.
of those protesting against #BoycottToofan #FarhanAkhtar
the changes in the Citizenship Act, @FarOutAkhtar."
Twitter users opposed him on "We don't want to see movies of
Sunday and rallied to demand a such people... who aren't with the
boycott of his upcoming movie Constitution of our country... and
'Toofan'. inciting others to go against it,"
ʻToofanʼ is set for October 2020 read another post. One user
release. The sports‑based film remarked: "Don't see this upcoming
directed by Rakeysh Omprakash movie of Farhan Akhtar.
Mehra is jointly produced by #BoycottToofan" "Let's boycott peo‑
Farhan and others. ple who have zero sense and are not
One user wrote: "Friends a hum‑ responsible citizens," said a user.
ing. I went to the protest on receive any mail or I didn't have a
December 16 in the evening, and word with them. I will file a com‑
in the midnight I got the message plaint about this in CINTTA (Cine
that I am no longer a part of the And TV Artistes' Association)."
show. They didn't give a proper Sushant Singh was associated
explanation. Before that, I didn't with show as a host since 2012.
'Shikara': Vidhu Vinod
revisits Kashmiri
Pandits' exodus
T
hirty years
ago, an esti‑
mated one
lakh Kashmiri
Pandits had on the
night of January
19, 1990 witnessed
a horrific genocide
that led to their
exodus from the
Kashmir valley, and
now filmmaker
Vidhu Vinod
Chopra is all set to
revisit the tales of
those victims
through his upcom‑
ing film "Shikara ‑ A
love letter from
Kashmir". Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
Chopra has
shared the teaser of the movie more than 4,00,000 Kashmiri
on his official Twitter handle. Pandits had to flee from the
"Tees saal baad, humari Kashmir Valley," the makers
kahani kahi jayegi... Here is a captioned the video.
timeless love story in the worst "Shikara" is touted as the
of times," read the tweet. "story of resilience in the face
The makers of the film also of insurmountable odds. It's
released the official motion also the story of a love that
poster on YouTube, describing remains unextinguished
what happened to Kashmiri through 30 years of exile. A
Pandits 30 years ago. timeless love story in the worst
"What is it to know the agony of times".
of being a refugee in your own "Shikara" is scheduled to
country? The year 1990 saw release on February 7, 2020.
the biggest forced migration in The cast of the film has not
independent India whereby been revealed yet.
 18 Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Finding the right way to wish

you a Happy New Year
By Basab Dasgupta lyrics in the famous song "Imagine": one who can make a dif ference in our
"...imagine there's no heaven....above lives. Perhaps we all want to see others
us only sky...nothing to kill or die happy. We feel guilty if we do not some‑

I
t is that time of the year again. I have
already started receiving e‑mails as for....no need for g reed or how express that feeling because God
well as cards by regular mail from hunger....only a brotherhoo d of resides deep inside us! Human beings are
my friends, neighbors and colleagues man...". We all know that it means inherently good and capable of "universal
wishing me a happy New Year. At first, I nothing tangible but it feels good to love". Celebration of new year is simply
get this urge to simply neglect this join in this euphoria: "..I hope some‑ an expression of this universal love!
whole ritual and lay low; but then I start day you will join me and world will So, here is my new year's greetings to all
to feel a certain pressure that I should live as one". It is interesting to note of you: "My sweet Lord. I pray to you for
reciprocate in some way and join in this that the new year celebration may be your blessing to everyone so that they can
seasonal spreading of goodwill. Being a the only occasion when all people all feel it, surrender to you and live a blissful
huge fan of the TV show “Seinfeld”, over the world want to join in this life for this year and beyond."
which is a self‑proclaimed “show about utopia. They embrace and kiss every‑
nothing”, I started to go into a mode of one regardless of their background Basab
reflecting upon the reasons behind all and sing and dance with them. Not Dasgupta has
the things we do in life which do not surprisingly, John Lennonʼs song is a doctorate in
make much sense. almost like an anthem in these cele‑ physics from
I always wonder why most people in I always wonder why most people in this brations. University of
this country like to display all the country like to display all the Christmas/New Year On a more spiritual note, I can say Wisconsin
Christmas/New Year cards they receive cards they receive in a colorful that what we mean by "I wish" is "I and worked
in a colorful arrangement next to their arrangement next to their pray"; otherwise it is only "wishful with Sony as
Christmas tree or fireplace. Is it a way Christmas tree or fireplace. thinking"! But pray to whom? Of Vice President
of showing how popular they are by the means of demonstrating my ability to course, you can only pray to God. If a of an operat-
number of cards they get? No, I am not in express my thoughts in a novel way. person does not believe in God then the ing division.
that competition. I am not going to buy Perhaps I should write it using some concept of prayer is irrelevant to that per‑ Retired, he
cards and mail them in any event. I have unconventional language which would son. Praying to God for someone's happi‑ now he lives in San Clemente, CA.
noticed that the business of selling greet‑ make it sound more sincere or show of f ness makes sense because God is the only
ings cards is probably one of the most my creativity.

End of a tumultuous
profitable businesses of them all. The cost What is the time window for sending
of printing a card cannot possibly be more this wish? Typically, most people lump it
than 50 cents, but one can sell them at a together with a "Merry Christmas" mes‑
price between 99 cents and $ 5.99. On sage on a card and start mailing by middle
top of that you have to add postage cost. of December. Then there are others who
Thanks to the invention of e‑mail it is no want to maintain their distance with
decade
longer essential to send an actual card. Christianity and would refuse to say

T
he 2010s (pronounced ʻtwen‑ ward leanings led to the
Should I send a happy new year email to Merry Christmas"; they might say some‑ ty‑tensʼ) is the current decade Republicans controlling Congress
everyone? There are really three reasons thing like "happy holidays and a prosper‑ in the Gregorian calendar and the e lect ion of a divisive
to do that, especially since I did not have ous new year" instead. What happens if I that began on 1 January 2010 and President Donald Trump, which
any social interaction with many of these miss the December 31 deadline? I am sure
will end on 31 December 2019. turned out to be good for the econ‑
people for a long time: I) it is a social cus‑ no one would mind if they receive such a
The decade began amid a global omy but also the third impeach‑
tom and formality and I should simply message in early January. Would sending
financial crisis and subsequent ment in the countryʼs history.
adhere to it as a social creature. 2) I the message in late January be too late?
international recession dating from In India, the corruption scandals
should use this exchange of good wills as I think that it was really fortunate for
the late 2000s. Austerity policies hit Manmohan Singh government
an ice‑breaker to reopen a communication the Western people that Christmas is so
particularly af fected Portugal, was ousted and BJP led front
channel, especially with all the people close to the new year that they can com‑
Ireland, Greece, and Spain. Such g ained absolute majority. T he
who have interests similar to mine. 3) If I bine wishes for a “merry Christmas” and a
policies were among factors that Narendra Modi government, in its
do not, I would come across as a rude “happy new year“ in the same message. In
and/or callous person which is probably our Bengali custom we have to go through
led to the 15‑M and Occupy move‑ second term, has taken historic
not a good thing. There is really no reason a similar ritual twice in any given year:
ments. steps such as abrogating Article
to even pro crast inate on this issue once to wish “Shubho Noboborsho” and
Unrest in some countries – partic‑ 370 in Kashmir, banning triple
because technology has made it as simple again to wish “Shubho Bejoya” because ularly in the Arab world – evolved talaq, and passing the Citizenship
as typing “I wish you a very happy new these two occasions are months apart. into socioeconomic crises trigger‑ Amendment Act (CAA). T he
year” and clicking just on the “send” but‑ There are even somewhat morbid views
ing revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Ayodhya verdict, hailed by the
ton with everyone on a distribution list; it about celebrating new year. Why do we Bahrain, Yemen, as well as civil Hindus, did not rile the Muslims
is not like I have to write every person a take the occasion of beginning of a new wars in Libya and Syria, in a wide‑ much, but CAA has. The ensuing
separate note or make numerous tele‑ year to wish happiness? Are we not a spread phenomenon commonly nationwide protests have been
phone calls. year closer to death? Is it our way of say‑ referred to as the Arab Spring. joined by many opposition parties,
T hen I started to wonder what the ing "now that you have one less year to In the US, the Obama eraʼs left‑ and students.
phrase "I wish you a very happy New live, try to make it a happy one"? What
Year" even means. Of course, I would about "Shubho noboborsho" and "Shubho
want happiness for everyone because I am Bejoya"? Are not those also wishing
a decent person but is it necessary to someone happiness for a period of one
openly declare it? The bigger question is year? Since these one‑year intervals over‑
whether my wish, a silent one or made in lap we might be wishing happiness to the

W
writing, really makes any dif ference in same person three times over a certain e are excited to announce our
anyone's life. I doubt it as I do not have period of time. Is that redundant or is double issue, dated January
any supernatural power as far as I know. wishing more than once makes the wish 4‐17, 2020. To be released
We also do not follow up at the end of the stronger or more effective? on January 11, it will be our New Year‐
year to see if the people we wished a Perhaps what we mean by "I wish" is not cum‐Person of the Year Special Issue,
happy new year really had a happy year. really a wish but "I imagine"; it is a fantasy which our readers look forward to
Perhaps writing such a letter is just a about utopia, kind of like John Lennon's
every year. This issue will also take a
look at the 2010s decade and welcome
the New Year ‐‐ Vision 2020. Readers
are welcome to send in their views and
comments on the decade past and
what they wish for in the New Year.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info GEOPOLITICS Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 19

India as a Leading
By Ambassador
Power in the World
Sandeep Chakravorty
Presentation by

T Sandeep
he University of Chicago
historian William McNeil
has described the nature Chakravorty,
of power and its relationship
with notions of fairness and Consul General of
ethics in the following words: “It
seems unlikely that recent and India in New York,
prospect ive enlargement of
human capacities to organize at the ‘Next Steps
and exert power will be perma‑
nently arrested by scruples
for India’s Growth
against its use. Power, in short,
ingests weaker centers of power
& Development’
or stimulates its rival centers of
power to strengthen themselves.
symposium at
This fact has dominated the the Harvard
whole history of mankind. This
represents the realist school of Kennedy School,
international relations where any
ethical anchor is dispensable but Boston on
does reflect current geopolitical
reality substantially. In aspiring December 6, 2019
to be a leading power India too is
placing its bet on sinews of and investments, growth, human‑
and technology originating in systems and advanced technolo‑ have our presence felt in the
power, current and prospective. itarian assistance, peace and
Europe. The Meiji restoration of gies from apex centers and adopt third phase.
In Indiaʼs case the likelihood of security.
Japan is yet another example. them; Geopolitical factors favor the
being ʻingestedʼ by a more pow‑ China, which was the first
But the most recent example is 2) this is followed by a phase of emergence of India as a leading
erful entity can be rejected. The mover, now finds itself having to
a spectacular one, that is, of assimilat ion, mastering and center of power, co‑existing, col‑
question is whether India can be deal with pushback of several
China. In its 4 decades of open‑ internalizing of borrowed tech‑ laborating and competing with
or is stimulated to emerge as a kinds to its own expansive plans.
ing up it has soaked in Western nologies and knowledge systems; other major powers. Indiaʼs Indo‑
center of power. There is little doubt that new
knowledge and technology not 3) the emerg ing center of Pacific vision exemplifies its
McNeil has described how such pathways to a new order needs
unlike a giant sponge. During power is able to generate new ambition of being a "leading
a transference of power may take to be discovered soon.
this time it has been a student knowledge and technologies in a power". At the Shang ri‑La
place from an established to an India accepts this reality, and is
and a good apprentice. It has relatively autonomous manner. Dialogue in 2018, Indian Prime
aspiring one: “No population can w illing to embrace g reater
bided its time. This is when the displacement Minister Narendra Modi said the
overtake or surpass the rest of responsibility in anchoring a
In McNeilʼs terms, a geographi‑ of power becomes a reality and “destiny of the world will be
the world without using the most "rules‑based democratic order" in
cal displacement of power from contestation between the estab‑ deeply influenced by the course
ef ficient and powerful instru‑ the region. Indiaʼs geostrategic
the trans‑Atlantic to the trans‑ lished center of power and the of developments in the Indo‑
ments known anywhere on earth, vision for the Indo‑Pacific is
Pacific is happening with China emerging or emergent center of Pacific region”. Sheer numbers
and by definition such instru‑ unique. We are against pitting
at the center of power. The most power begins to become acute. alone elevate the importance of
ments are located at the world against any country or partici‑
obvious and consequential mani‑ China is probably in the second the Indo‑Pacific and its influence
centers of wealth and power ‑ pate in zero‑sum competitions
festation of the shift in power phase going to the third phase. In across the world. It is now home
wherever they may be. Thus any "between free and repressive
from the West to the East is the some areas it may well be in the to more than 65% of the worldʼs
geographical displacement of visions of world order". We also
geopolitical competition between third phase such as Artificial population who collectively pro‑
world leadership must be pref‑ do not accept propositions which
the United States and its chal‑ Intelligence or quantum comput‑ duce more than 60% of global
aced by successful borrowing create perverse dependencies
lenger China. W hile the US ing among others. GDP. Over half the worldʼs trade
from previously established cen‑ through economic statecraft and
remains the predominant power Where is India? In my personal passes through this region, and it
ters of the highest prevailing military coercion in a manner
China is obviously not satisfied view, I think India is mostly in hosts the fastest‑growing armada
skills. We have several examples better suited to the Cold War era.
with the status quo and intends the first phase while we have our of naval fleets along with seven
of this from history. The Roman Instead, India is positioning
to displace the US from its pre‑ centers of excellence in the sec‑ nuclear powers. This region will
empire borrowed heavily from itself to take a dif ferent path ‑
eminent position. ond phase be it in our space pro‑ also have a disproportionately
the Greek civilization and culture one that does not see the world
Let us try to understand how gram, computing, nuclear tech‑ hig h contribut ion to g lobal
in its march towards pre‑emi‑ in binaries, bifurcated between
the displacement of power hap‑ nology among others. Our aspi‑ growth in the decades ahead and
nence. During the pursuit of partners and allies on one side,
pens: ration is to graduate comprehen‑ will therefore script the new
dominance, the Arabs borrowed and competitors and adversaries
1) Countries borrow knowledge sively to the second phase and terms of trade, financial flows
heavily from the Indians, on the other.
Chinese, Central Asians and The Indo‐Pacific region will have a disproportionately high contribution India offers an opportunity for
Persians, particularly in mathe‑ engagement and dialogue to all
matics, astronomy and medical to global growth in the decades ahead and will therefore script the new states, big and small, democratic
science. The numerals that are terms such as trade and security. China, the first mover, finds itself and authoritarian, advanced or
commonly known as Arabic developing.
numerals are in fact of Indian
having to deal with pushback to its own expansive plans. So, new
The new vision moves away
origin. pathways to a new order need to be discovered soon. India accepts this from conceptions of non‑align‑
In more contemporary times
we have seen US building its
reality, and is willing to embrace greater responsibility in anchoring a ment or strategic autonomy,
tools of foreign policy that may
strengths on the basis of skills "rules‐based democratic order" in the region. Continued on page 20
 20 Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020
Continued from page 19
have outlived their correspon
ding geopolitical utility. When
Prime Minister Modi stated that
"the Indo‑Pacific region is not a
limited club of members", he sig‑
naled Indiaʼs intention to lead a
new configuration of states, guid‑
ed by communities that yearn for
deve lopment, markets that
require connectivity and nations
that seek security. Despite its
aversion of alliances, India is a
keen player in the evolving secu‑
rity architecture in Asia. The new
American focus on Indo‑Pacific
has brought India at the center.
To put in place a vision that
shapes the region and attracts
others, India needs to script its
own expectations from four key
relationships i.e. with China, US,
Indiaʼs Neighbors and the Global
Institutional Networks .
T he Asian story cannot be
scripted by China alone, whether
it is on infrastructure connectivi‑
ty or managing security disputes.
The economic prosperity of the
region will be implicated by the
strength of the India‑China part‑
nership. It is in this context that
the engagements with China
embodying the Wuhan and the
Mamallapuram spirit need to be
seen.
The US is a key partner and
will be instrumental in making
India a $ 5 trillion economy.
T here is enormous ballast,
momentum and dynamism in
this relationship and this will be
the key to Indiaʼs emergence as a
leading power. I will not get into
details of the transformation that
has taken place in our relation‑
ship in the last two decades.
Suffice to say it is a mature rela‑
tionship bringing benefits to the
people of both countries.
India is actively engaging with
its neighbors and except for
Pakistan, India is now scripting
new chapters in cooperation with
all of them. A good example is
the transformat ion in India‑
Bangladesh ties, of which I speak
from personal experience.
Our multilateral engagement is
also vigorous with the global
institutional framework. So while
we will be patient for getting a
permanent seat at the UN
Security Council, our participa‑
tion in other forums be it G‑20,
BRICS, SCO or IBSA is active and
purpose ful. A part icularly
appealing product of our multi‑
lateral engagement is Indiaʼs
leadership in the Paris Climate
Change Accord and the setting
up of the International Solar
Alliance.
The world has a stake in India
fulfilling its immense potential.
This needs to be critically lever‑
aged to encourage a critical mass
of capital and technology to flow
into India to acce lerate the
Indian growth. As a vibrant and
pluralist democracy, India shares
political values of its more pow‑
GEOPOLITICS TheSouthAsianTimes.info
to the government to make deep power there are or will be only
and far reaching economic two countries ahead of us i.e. US
reforms. A bold step was taken in and China and they are much
terms of reducing corporate tax‑ ahead, so we are not in competi‑
ation to 15% for new companies tion. In fact, with the US our aspi‑
which is the lowest in the world). ration is to work closely with the
8 Frontal attack on corruption US to achieve our ambitions as
in high places, reduction in mega there are remarkable coinci‑
scams. dence of values and views on
8 Demographic Dividend: in how we see the world. Russia,
2020, the average age in India and Japan are witnessing demo‑
will be 29 years old (compared to graphic decline and Europe, too,
37 in China) is a fast ageing continent. Africa,
8 Making India a compliant the LAC, and ASEAN are competi‑
society ‑ making India an honest tion but may lack Indiaʼs depth of
country. strength in terms of economy,
8 Cleaning up the banks, bal‑ market size, demography, techno‑
ance sheets, saying no to crony logical and innovation prowess.
capitalism. In the ultimate analysis, it is
8 A problem solving approach how the country concerned
of the Government. Bringing clo‑ grows strong internally and is
sure to issues, Ayodhya verdict, thus enabled to project its
changing the narrative and try‑ strength externally that matters.
In economic power, US and China are much ing out a new development ori‑ How this happens and how it is
ented approach in Kashmir done has to be discussed ad nau‑
ahead of us, so we are not in competition. In 8 Military: Strong military, third seum everywhere. It is like being
fact, our aspiration is to work closely with the largest in manpower, strong in on a cycle. We need to keep ped‑
defence acquisitions, creating aling for not stalling and falling
US to achieve our ambitions as there are relationships with major powers down. There is no leading from
remarkable coincidence of values and views such as the US. Has power pro‑ behind. Even so, it is merely the
jection capabilities in HADR beginning of a decadal journey,
on how we see the world. roles. The 2004 Tsunami was a which will see India shoulder the
good example. expectat ions that be fit the
erful partners and this is an mation of India:
8 Technology: India has been a worldʼs largest democratic econ‑
advantage. T he cosmopolitan 8 Ruling political dispensation
target of technology denial omy.
temperament of Indiaʼs people enjoys unprecedented political
regimes such as NSG, MTCR, Conclusion
and their ability to handle capital.
Australia Group and Wassenaar
immense diversity and adversity 8 Strong, charismatic, focused After independence India had
Arrangements. We have now
are unparalleled civilizational leadership. Absence of dissidence the choice to be satisfied with
become signatory to all except
assets in dealing with a globaliz‑ which used to plague previous economic progress and leave its
NSG. India is now in a more com‑
ing world. governments. security quest ions to be
fortable position with respect to
We are at a rare moment, at a 8 Ambitious goal setting: mak‑ addressed by other major pow‑
accessing technologies. Greater
specific juncture in history, when ing India a $5 tn economy in the ers. Countries like Australia,
IPR protection also available.
I feel the conditions are propi‑ next five years, 100 million toi‑ Canada and Japan followed this
8 Domestic Technology and
tious for India to emerge as a lets by 2019, drinking water to model. India could not accept
Innovation is being given impe‑
leading power. India has already all homes in next 5 years, all this for the simple reason that its
tus. There are several pioneering
been a leading power of sorts for homes electrified by 2019. economic, political and security
initiatives in place and Indiaʼs
quite a while. With our size, pop‑ 8 Economy: India is a $ 3tn interests are a function of its
world ranking in innovation is
ulation, GDP in PPP terms and economy and about to become unique history, geography, polity
rising.
also in dollar terms, we have sig‑ the 3rd largest economy in the and society. Indiaʼs ambitions of
8 Soft Power: India has unparal‑
nificant power projection capa‑ next 5 years. shaping the international order
leled soft power attributes.
bility in our immediate region, 8 There is a willingness to make to its own advantage are driven
Whether it is Yoga, Indian
some nuclear capability, impres‑ difficult choices‑ demonetization, by the desire to transform India
Cinema, Music, Cuisine. It gener‑
sive space capability, an increas‑ GST, IBC, corporate tax reduc‑ into a modern country and abol‑
ates tremendous goodwill and
ingly influential 35 million and tion, ambitious social sector ish poverty, hunger and illiteracy.
support for India all over the
more strong Diaspora, it can spending, Swachh Bharat The strategic elite sees foreign
world. In Soft Power I dare say
hardly be denied that India is not Abhiyan, Universal Health Care policy primarily in lig ht of
we have a big advantage over
a leading power. But more has to for 500 mn Indians under the domestic priorities.
several world powers. Our chal‑
be done, particularly in improv‑ Ayushman Bharat program, India, as a rising power, has a
lenge of course is our ability or
ing the lives of our people and Housing For All, Electricity for different set of interests, capabil‑
inability to monetize it to the
providing services for the global All, Connecting All villages, ities and strategic culture from
advantage of our peoples as
good and to the global commons. Financial Inclusion as part of the other major powers. Former
efforts are sporadic and insuffi‑
But transformation of India is on Jan Dhan Program among others Nat ional Security Advisor
cient.
and we have to work on this ( Indiaʼs Finance Minister recent‑ Shivshankar Menon summarizes
The scenario that will emerge
assiduously. ly said in New York that the huge the Indian way of conducting for‑
as this transformation is under‑
Let us see what could be inter mandate given to the eign policy “as a combination of
way is illuminating. In economic
alia the factors in the transfor‑ Government provided the basis strategic boldness in conception
and tactical caution in implemen‑
The world has a stake in India fulfilling its immense potential. tation, by a fundamentally realis‑
tic approach masked by norma‑
This needs to be leveraged to encourage a critical mass of tive rhetoric, by comfort in a plu‑
ral and diverse world and by a
capital and technology to flow into India to accelerate the consciousness of Indiaʼs destiny
Indian growth. As a vibrant and pluralist democracy, India as a great power”. Till the time
India becomes a great power, the
shares political values of its more powerful partners and this is world will see an India focused
an advantage. The cosmopolitan temperament of India’s on increasing its power as well
as taking more responsibilities
people and their ability to handle immense diversity and globally.
References
adversity are unparalleled civilizational assets in dealing 1. India's emergence as leading
with a globalizing world. power, Shyam Saran, Business
Standard, November 13, 2019.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SUBCONTINENT Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 21

Ashraf Ghani tops Afghan presidential elections

Kabul: Afg han President
Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has led
the preliminary results of the
September presidential election by
50.64 per cent, Afg han
Independent Election Commission
(IEC) announced.
Announcing the long‑awaited
results, Chairperson of IEC Hawa
Alam Nuristani told reporters that
Ghani was followed by presidential
hopeful and government's Chief
Executive Abdullah Abdullah who
secured 39.52 per cent of the
votes, Xinhua news agency report‑
ed.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of
Hizb‑e‑Islami of Afghanistan, has
bagged 3.85 per cent of the votes.
The remaining 11 candidates
had far fewer votes, w ith the
fourth place candidate winning
less than 2 per cent.
Nuristani said that the candi‑
dates and voters can register elec‑
Afghanistan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani.
tion outcome‑related complaints
w ith Independent Electoral
Complaints Commission within
three days. Fourteen out of the 18
registered hopefuls contested for
the presidency with a five‑year
term in the polls he ld on
September 28.
The preliminary results were
supposed to be announced on
October 19, but they were delayed
following audit and recount of
Abdullah refuses to
accept election result
T
he campaign team of
Afghan Chief Executive
Abdullah Abdullah has
said that it would not accept the
results of the September 28 pres‑
idential election.
T he 59‑year‑old Abdullah's
campaign said in a statement
that the candidate's Stability and
Convergence Team would not
votes amid reports of irregulari‑
ties. Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN
Secretary‑General's Special
Representative for Afghanistan,
said, "Now, all Afghan authorities
and actors must demonstrate their
commitment to safeguard and
complete the election, and to pro‑
accept any results based on
fraud, reports Efe news.
The poll results were delayed
by months due to protests over
allegations of electoral fraud.
Abdullah's campaign organiza‑
tion has said almost since the
start of the vote count that some
300,000 fraudulent or suspi‑
cious ballots had been cast.
tect the integrity of the final stage
of the process," Tolo news report‑
ed. Meanwhile, Nuristani did not
say when the final results will be
revealed. Under the Afghan law,
final results cannot be announced
until serious complaints are adju‑
dicated.

FATF seeks answers from Pak academic sentenced

Pak on madrassas linked to death over
blasphemy charges
to terror outfits
Islamabad: A global watchdog for terror financing 153 dispensaries associated with the JuD and its
has sought more clarifications and data from so‑called charity wing Falah‑i‑Insaniat Foundation
Pakistan on actions taken by it against madrassas (FIF) in province.
belonging to the banned outfits, weeks after At least 56 madrassas and facilities being run by
Islamabad submitted a report to the Paris‑based the JuD and FIF in southern Sindh province were
body detailing steps taken by the country to curb also taken over by authorities in the same month.
terrorism and money laundering. Saeed‑led JuD is believed to be the front organi‑
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which zation for the Lashkar‑e‑Taiba which is responsible
kept Pakistan on the Grey List for an extended for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The US
period till February 2020, had warned in October declared the LeT as a foreign terrorist organisation
that Islamabad would be put on the Black List if it in June 2014.
did not comply with the remaining 22 points in a Pakistan has been given January 8, 2020 dead‑
list of 27 questions. line to respond to the 150 questions, the official
Pakistan submitted a report comprising answers said.
to 22 questions to the FATF The FATF in its previous statement
on December 6. had said, "Should significant and sus‑
In response to the report, tainable progress not be made across
the FATF's Joint Group has the full range of its action plan by the Academic Junaid Hafeez was arrested for allegedly posting derogato‑
ry remarks against Prophet Mohammed on social media.
sent 150 questions to next plenary, the FATF will take
Pakistan, seeking some clarifi‑ action, which could include the FATF Islamabad: A Pakistan court sen‑ dead in May 2014 in his of fice. At
cations, updates and most calling on its members and urging all tenced Junaid Hafeez, a former uni‑ least nine judges were transferred
importantly actions taken jurisdictions to advise their FIs versity lecturer in Multan, to death on through the course of his case.
against the madrassas belong‑ (financial institutions) to give special blasphemy charges. Formerly a visit‑ Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue
ing to the proscribed outfits. attention to business relations and ing lecturer at the Department of in Pakistan, with even unproven alle‑
"We did receive a response transactions with Pakistan". Earlier, English Literature of the Bahauddin gations often prompting mob vio‑
from the FATF on our compli‑ the FATF had asked 27 questions per‑ Zakariya University (BZU), Multan, lence, said Dawn news.
ance report through an email taining to Pakistan's ef forts to stop Hafeez was booked on blasphemy Anyone convicted, or even just
in which they raised a set of terrorism financing. But Islamabad charges and was arrested by police accused, of insulting Islam, risks a
150 questions. Some of them FATF is an managed to satisfy the global watch‑ on March 13, 2013, Dawn news violent and bloody death at the hands
are seeking more data, some inter‑governmental body dog over just five of them. reported. The trial of the case started of vigilantes.
clarifications, and most impor‑ established in 1989 to Pakistan was placed on the Grey in 2014. In 2017, a mob in Abdul Wali Khan
tantly questions related to combat money laundering List by the FATF in June last year and Earlier this year, the academic's University Mardan beat student,
madrassas and actions taken and terror financing. was given a plan of action to complete parents had appealed to former Chief Mashal Khan, to death after accusing
against them having af filia‑ it by October 2019, or face the risk of Justice Asif Saeed Khosa to look into him of blasphemy over social media.
tion with proscribed outfits," The News quoted a being placed on the blacklist with Iran and North their son's case. Last year, the Supreme Court
top official source as saying. Korea. They had said their son had been acquitted Aasia Bibi, a Christian
According to officials, Mumbai terror attack mas‑ The FATF said Pakistan must demonstrate effec‑ languishing in solitary confinement in woman earlier condemned to death
termind Hafiz Saeed‑led Jamat‑ud Dawah's net‑ tive implementation of targeted financial sanctions a cell of the Central Jail, Multan, for on blasphemy charges, after accept‑
work includes 300 seminaries and schools. against all UN designated terrorists like Lashkar‑e‑ the last six years on the false charge ing her appeal against her sentence.
In March 2019, Punjab police said that govern‑ Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, Jaish‑e‑Mohammad of blasphemy. Hafeez's previous So far, no one has been executed for
ment seized control of 160 madrassas, 32 schools, founder Maulana Masood Azhar, and those acting lawyer, Rashid Rehman, was shot blasphemy in the country.
two colleges, four hospitals, 178 ambulances and for or on their behalf.
 22 Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 INTERNATIONAL TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Saudi sentences 5 to death Cuba appoints first prime

minister since 1976
over Khashoggi killing Havana: Cuban President
Miguel Diaz‑Canel has appoint‑
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has sen‑ operation" and put 11 defen‑ ed the country's first prime
tenced five people to death for dants, all of whom are Saudi minister in more than 40 years
their role in the killing of dissi‑ nationals, on trial earlier this ‑ the tourism minister, Manuel
dent journalist Jamal Khashoggi year. Marrero Cruz.
in Istanbul in 2018, the public Although the United Nations The post of prime minister
prosecutor said. and the United States Senate held was scrapped in 1976 by the
In a press conference, the crown prince responsible for then revolutionary leader Fidel
spokesman for the public prose‑ the crime, the kingdom's strong‑ Castro. It was reinstated under
cutor Shalan al‑Shalan explained man has not been prosecuted. the rules of a new constitution
that three other convicts The 59‑year‑old had been a for the communist‑run island
received a total of 24 years in jail columnist for the Washington passed earlier this year.
The post of PM was scrapped
for 'covering up the crime', Efe Post since 2017 after he left Marrero, 56, w ill take on in 1976 by the then revolu‑
news reported. Saudi Arabia and was openly crit‑ some of the responsibilities that tionary leader Fidel Castro.
He added that 10 others were ical of his country's monarchy. currently fall to the president.
released due to a lack of evi‑ Journalist Jamal Khashoggi T he Post has condemned "The head of government will deput ies in the Nat ional
dence. was a staunch critic of Khashoggi's killing, with its edito‑ be the administrative right Assembly. The state newspaper
Saudi Crown Prince. hand of the president of the Granma described Marrero as a
Investigations showed that rial page editor Fred Hiatt quali‑
"there was no prior intention to fying it as "a monstrous and republic," the BBC reported cit‑ politician who had emerged
Saudi consulate in Istanbul to
kill Khashogg i," al‑Shalan unfathomable act" if true, in a ing state‑run online news outlet "from the base" of the tourism
pick up the paperwork needed
explained. statement made in October. Cubadebate. industry, one of Cuba's main
for his planned marriage to his
Khashoggi's children, as well as He said Khashoggi was a "com‑ However, critics say any such sources of foreign exchange.
Turkish fiancée.
representatives from Turkey mitted, courageous journalist," changes are purely cosmetic as Marrero was named tourism
Saudi of ficials initially denied
have attended the hearings of the according to the Post. the Cuban Communist Party minister in 2004 by Fide l
Khashoggi's death at the con‑
case, according to al‑Shalan. Khashoggi's disappearance and the military remain the Castro and has since overseen a
sulate but later acknowledged he
Khashoggi, a staunch critic of sparked an outcry from the inter‑ only two real decision‑making major boost in tourism to the
had been killed when a fight
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed national community, drawing institutions on the island. island. It is unclear if he will
broke out.
bin Salman, was killed on condemnation from organiza‑ Marrero's appointment was now remain head of the min‑
Saudi Arabia has said
October 2 after he entered the tions and world leaders. rat ified unanimously by istry.
Khashoggi was killed in a "rogue

Turkey can't handle new IS getting stronger in

refugee wave: Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Istanbul: Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan has warned that
his country cannot handle a "new
refugee wave" from Syria, adding
that the fresh influx would be "felt
by all European countries".
Speaking at an awards ceremony,
Erdogan said more than 80,000
people from Idlib had fled to areas
near the Turkish border amid
heightened bombardments from
Syrian and Russian forces, reports
the BBC. "If the violence towards
the people of Idlib does not stop,
this number will increase even
more. In that case, Turkey will not
carry such a migrant burden on its
own," he said.
Turkey already hosts some 3.7
million Syrian refugees ‑ the largest
refugee population in the world.
Erdogan warned of a repeat of
the 2015 migrant crisis, when
more than a million people fled to
Europe, if the violence did not end.
A ceasefire negotiated by Russia
and Turkey halted a Syrian govern‑
ment assault on Idlib in August. But
skirmishes and bombardments
were still an almost daily occur‑
rence, the BBC said.
Turkey wants Syrian refugees to
return to a "safe zone" in the north‑
east of Syria that was seized from
Kurdish‑led forces in October.
But Ankara's of fensive in north‑
ern Syria drew widespread interna‑
tional condemnation, and its safe
zone plan has had little backing
from allies.
"We call on European countries
to use their energy to stop the mas‑
sacre in Idlib, rather than trying to
corner Turkey for the legitimate
steps it took in Syria," Erdogan
added.
Iraq again: Report
London: The presence of the Islamic State (IS)
terror group in Iraq was a sophisticated insur‑
gency, with a growing indication that the mili‑
tants were re‑grouping two years after losing
the last of its territory in the country, a media
report said.
Kurdish intelligence officials estimate that IS is
strong in Iraq with between 4,000 and 5,000
fighters, and a similar number of sleeper cells
and sympathizers, the BBC said in the reported.
According to Lahur Talabany, a top Kurdish
counter‑terrorism of ficial, the militants were
now more skilled and more dangerous than Al
Qaeda.
"They are able to buy vehicles, weapons, food
supplies and equipment. Technologically they're
more savvy. It's more difficult to flush them out.
So, they are like Al Qaeda on steroids."
At his base in Sulaimaniya, nestled in the hills
of the Kurdistan region of Northern Iraq,
Talabany painted a picture of an organization
that has spent the past 12 months rebuilding
from the ruins of the Caliphate.
"We see the activities are increasing now, and
we think the rebuilding phase is over," said
Talabany, who heads the Zanyari Agency, one of
two intelligence agencies in Iraqi Kurdistan.
A dif ferent kind of IS has emerged, he said,
which no longer wants to control any territory to
avoid being a target. Instead, the extremists have
gone underground, in Iraq's Hamrin Mountains.
"T his is the hub for IS rig ht now," said
Talabany, adding: "It's a long range of moun‑
tains, and very dif ficult for the Iraqi army to
control. There are a lot of hide‑outs and caves."
T he militants were also benefiting from
strained relations between Baghdad and the
Kurdistan regional government, following a
Kurdish independence referendum in 2017, the
BBC said in its report.
"In the delta between the Great Zab and Tigris
rivers we can say they (IS militants) are perma‑
nently there," an Army General told the BBC.
"There is too much activity from IS in the area
close to the Tigris. Day by day we can see the
movement of IS, and the activities."
Officials say
IS militants
are now
more
dangerous
than Al
Qaedaʼs.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info BUSINESS Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 23

China to adjust import tariffs Allow us to quit without serving

for some goods from Jan 1
Beijing: China will adjust import
tarif fs for a range of products
starting January 1, 2020 to pro‑
mote high‑quality development of
trade, the Customs Tarif f
Commission of the State Council
has said.
The adjustments will be made to
expand imports, promote the coor‑
dinated development of trade and
environment, advance the high‑
quality development of the jointly
building of the Belt and Road,
Xinhua news agency quoted the
Commission as saying.
To stimulate import potential
and opt imize the structure of
imports, China will implement pro‑
visional import tax rates that are
lower than the most‑favored‑nation
(MFN) tarif f rates for over 850
commodities.
The country will introduce or
reduce the provisional import tax
rates on products including frozen
pork, frozen avocados and non‑
frozen orange juice amid efforts to
moderately increase the import of
daily consumer goods that are rela‑
tively scarce in the country or have
foreign characteristics to better
meet people's needs.
China will impose zero import
tax on pharmaceutical products
containing alkaloids for asthma
treatment as well as raw materials
In 2020, China will continue to apply conventional tariff rates on
some products originated from 23 countries.
for the production of new diabetes
medicines to reduce medication
costs and promote the production
of new medicines, the Commission
said. The country will introduce or
cut provisional import tax rates for
commodities including ferroniobi‑
um and multi‑component integrat‑
ed circuit memories to expand the
imports of advanced technologies,
equipment and spare parts, and
support the development of high‑
tech industries. China will also
introduce or lower the provisional
import tax rates for some wood
and paper products.
In 2020, the economic giant will
continue to apply conventional tar‑
if f rates on some products origi‑
nated from 23 countries and
regions under the relevant free
trade agreements or preferential
trade arrangements.
Further tarif f reduction will be
made according to the free trade
agreements China has separately
signed with New Zealand, Peru,
Costa Rica, Switzerland, Iceland,
Singapore, Australia, South Korea,
Georgia, Chile and Pakistan, as well
as the Asia‑Pacific Trade
Agreement.
In 2020, China will continue to
apply preferential tarif f rates to
the goods from the least developed
countries that have established
diplomatic ties and completed the
exchange of notes on the establish‑
ment of diplomatic relations with
China.
notice period: Air India pilots
New Delhi: With uncer‑
tainty looming large
over the fate of Air
India, the airline's pilot
union has requested
the Centre to allow
them to quit the pas‑
senger carrier without
serving their not ice
periods.
T he Indian
Commercial Pilots'
Association said this in
a letter to Civil Aviation At present, Air India has 800 pilots.
Minister Hardeep Singh
Puri. A copy of the letter was also dues are not cleared," the letter
marked to Prime Minister said. At present, the union has
Narendra Modi and other senior 800 pilots as its members. As per
Union Ministers. the letter, currently 65 pilots
Terming the Civil Aviat ion have tendered their resignations
Minister's statement that if Air and are serving the six‑month
India is not privatized by March notice period which is due for
31, 2020, the airline will be shut completion "very soon".
down as "a matter of concern", "Experienced commanders are
the pilots' union said in the letter: also waiting to join other air car‑
"With this uncertainty over the riers on complet ion of their
survival of our national carrier respective notice period," the let‑
and with no 'Plan B', we request ter said.
you to ensure that we are not "We do not want to face the
treated like bonded labor and same fate as other employees of
allow us to quit Air India without 21 private carriers that have shut
serving the notice period and down and further add to the ris‑
clear all our dues immediately." ing unemployment in India. We
"It is unfair for the Government hope the Government of India
of India to keep us bonded with will be sensitive towards our con‑
the notice period while we are cerns and ensure our livelihood
not being paid on time and our is not affected," the letter said.

Mukesh Ambani Ex‑Maruti MD Khattar

adds $16.5 billion to
his fortune in 2019
booked for bank fraud
New Delhi: The CBI has registered
New Delhi: Re liance a case ag ainst former Marut i
Industries (RIL) Udyog Managing Director Jagdish
Former
Chairman Mukesh Khattar in connection with an
Maruti
Ambani added $16.5 bil‑ alleged bank loan fraud of Rs 110 Udyog
lion to his wealth in crore by his new company. Managing
2019 taking his total net T he Central Bureau of Director
worth to $60.8 billion, Investigation (CBI) has named Jagdish
according to the Khattar and his company, Khattar.
Bloomberg Billionaires Carnat ion Auto India Ltd, for
Index. allegedly causing a loss of Rs 110
With around $61 bil‑ crore to state‑run Punjab National
lion of net worth as of Bank (PNB). According to the FIR, a forensic cern/subsidiaries also. Thereby it
Tuesday, the petroleum‑ Khattar and his firm have been audit, conducted by the bank has committed misappropriation
to‑telecom tycoon is the named along with other unidenti‑ throug h K.G. Somani and of bank funds and has put them
Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman
12th richest person in fied persons in the recent FIR filed Company, reported that the for own use," said the FIR.
Mukesh Ambani.
the world. by the agency in the case on a accused borrower had dishonestly On his part, Khattar in a state‑
The recent consistent rise in with Jio, then into the broadband complaint by the bank. Khattar and fraudulently sold fixed assets ment said that Carnation was a
RIL's shares prices is a major rea‑ services with Jio GigaFiber. The was with Maruti Udyog Ltd from costing Rs 6,692.48 lakh for a con‑ board managed company with the
son in the past one year. Data group has also strengthened it's 1993 to 2007 and was the compa‑ sideration amount of Rs 455.9 highest ethical standards and best
from the Nat ional Sto ck retail presence and would soon ny's Managing Director before lakhs without approval of the management practices.
Exchange (NSE) shows that said enter the e‑commerce segment retirement. After almost a gap of bank. These assets had been fur‑ Furthermore, he said that some
that RIL's share price rose by giving a tough competition to the around two years after his retire‑ nished as security to the bank, but of the most reputed investors in
over 41 per cent in the past one incumbents Amazon and Flipkart. ment, Khattar launched Carnation after the sale, the accused borrow‑ the country, including Premji
year. The list of the world's richest for which he got a loan of Rs 170 er did not deposit sale proceeds Invest and Gaja Capital were board
In the past few years, the com‑ individuals is topped by Bill Gates crore sanctioned in 2009. with the bank. members who, in their own inter‑
pany has significantly diversified with a net worth of $113 billion, As per the CBI's FIR, the loan "It was also found that the est, kept a tight vigil on its opera‑
its business with its disruptive aided by an addition of $22.4 bil‑ taken by Khattar was declared a accused borrower had dishonestly tions and finances.
entry into the telecom segment lion this year. non‑performing asset in 2015, and fraudulently extended loans The company was finally sold to
with effect from 2012. and advances to its sister con‑ the Mahindra Group.
 24 Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 SPORTS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

India chase down 316 to clinch ODI series

Cuttack (Odisha): A big opening

Kohli, Dhoni in Wisden

stand between Rohit Sharma and K.L.
Rahul, Virat Kohli's 85 and a late
surge from Shardul Thakur and
Ravindra Jadeja helped India chase
down 316 and win the three‑match
series against the West Indies 2‑1 at
the Barabati Stadium here.
The West Indies seemed to have
gained the upper hand after dismiss‑
ing Kohli late in the game, but
Thakur came in and turned the game
around with the bat to see the hosts
home. India's chase started with yet
another strong opening stand
between Rahul (77) and Rohit (63).
The pair put up 122 runs in just
21.2 overs to put India firmly in the
driving seat.
During the course of his knock,
Rohit broke Sri Lanka great Sanath
Jayasuriya's 22‑year‑old record for
most runs in a calendar year by an
opener across formats. Rohit's ninth
run took his tally to 2,388 runs,
which took him past Jayasuriya's
1997 tally of 2,387 runs.
Rohit and Rahul kept India in
cruise mode in the first 20 overs
until Jason Holder got the break‑
Men in blue celebrate after winning the match against West Indies.
through with the wicket of Rohit.
Holder bowled a length delivery that
had some extra bounce and Rohit
ended up nicking it to Shai Hope
behind the stumps.
Kohli and Rahul, however, seemed
to continue the good work until the
latter was done for pace by Alzarri
Joseph. Joseph hurried Rahul into
tucking the ball away of f his hips
which led to it ballooning straight
into the hands of Hope. The West
teams of the decade
London: India skipper Virat Kohli
has been named captain of the Wisden's ODI team
Wisden Test team of the decade. of the decade:
The list which features many ace 1. Rohit Sharma (India) 2. Virat
cricketers of the world, includes Kohli (India) 3. David Warner
ace of f‑spinner Ravichandran (Australia) 4. AB de Villiers
Ashwin as the only other Indian. (South Africa) 5. Jos Buttler
Significantly in the longest for‑ (England) 6. Shakib Al Hasan
mat of the game, Kohli has (Bangladesh) 7. M.S. Dhoni 8.
amassed 7202 runs from 94 Lasith Malinga 9. Mitchell Starc
games, averaging 54.97 which (Australia) 10. Trent Boult
also includes 27 tons and 25 half‑ (New Zealand) 11. Dale Steyn
Indies tightened the noose after that
centuries. On the other hand, (South Africa)
with Keemo Paul getting Shreyas
Ashwin has scalped 362 wickets
Iyer and Rishabh Pant in quick suc‑
from 70 Tests which includes 27 David Warner (Australia) 3.
cession. Kedar Jadhav then fell to
five‑wicket hauls. Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) 4.
Sheldon Cottrell and the match was
Meanwhile, in the Wisden ODI Steve Smith (Australia) 5. Virat
poised on a knife's edge with India
team of the decade, Kohli, opener Kohli (India) 6. Ben Stokes
228/5 in 39 overs.
Rohit Sharma and former India (England) 7. AB de Villiers (South
Ravindra Jadeja then held on with
skipper M.S. Dhoni have made the Africa) 8. R Ashwin (India) 9. Dale
Kohli as the pair went about repair‑
cut. Wisden's Test team of the Steyn (South Africa) 10. Kagiso
ing the damage. The two stitched a
decade: Rabada (South Africa) 11. James
counter attacking stand to tip the
1.Alastair Cook (England) 2. Anderson (England)
balance in India's favor.

I took up boxing because Hope to make it to

of Vijender Singh: Sakshi
New Delhi: Sakshi Chaudhary has been rec‑
ognized as one of the best prospects for
India in international boxing. After Vijender
Singh won a medal in the Beijing Olympics
in 2008, Bhiwani Boxing Club in Haryana
had an energetic youngster waiting at their
doorstep eager to become a pugilist. Sakshi
had taken inspiration from Vijender and
was determined to become a boxer.
"I want to become a boxer like Vijender, I
try copying his style and I'm very
impressed with his determination. I want to
reach the highest level in boxing just like
my idol, Vijender," said Sakshi, who is cur‑
rently in Delhi for the Asian Championship
trials.
Sakshi's father, who is a farmer, was
eager that she learn a sport at a young age
and her mother supported Sakshi making
sure she did not have to focus on anything
the NBA one day:
Princepal Singh
else but the sport. Her dedication and sacri‑
fices made sure she rose to prominence
when she was only 15. She beat US
National champion Yarisel Ramirez in the
New Delhi: Princepal Singh
final of the AIBA World Junior Women's
has been living in Canberra,
Championships. The win made her deter‑
Australia, training at the
mined to work even harder.
NBA Global Academy there
"After I started boxing, I participated in
since 2018. The teenager
my first tournament after just 15 days. I
who hails from Dera Baba
won the silver medal and was even more
Nanak village in Gurdaspur
motivated after that," added the boxer.
district, is among the 12
Sakshi hailed the Khelo India Youth
young prospects who will
Games (KIYG) for supporting young talents.
undergo training for the
"Khelo India is one of the best platforms for
next two years and har‑
young talents to showcase their skills and Princepal Singh.
bours dreams of making it
also learn from opponents. I participated in
to the NBA one day. In 2014, Princepal sions when I was alone, he would be
Khelo India last year and it was a good
was a 14‑year‑old who had appeared at there and he gave me confidence to do
experience for me. I was surprised at the
Ludhiana's Guru Nanak Stadium com‑ well," he said.
level of competition in the Khelo India
plex to enroll at its volleyball academy. Princepal was soon drafted into the
Youth Games."
Basketball was a sport he was almost NBA Academy in New Delhi and from
completely unaware of. "I got to know of there, his career picked up rapidly. He
the sport only then. I was giving trials excelled in a number of camps and in
for volleyball and there were basketball 2017 received a call‑up to the junior
trials happening on the other side of the national team. A year later, he received
arena," he says. Jaipal Singh, a coach his first call up to the senior team which
from the Punjab Basketball Academy, played at the Super Kung Sheung Cup
spotted him and decided to take him in. International Championship.
Princepal now stands 6 feet 10 inches He says that the routine he has in
tall and said that the skills he had from Australia was not too different to what
Boxer Sakshi
playing volleyball came in handy in his he had to follow in New Delhi which
Chaudhary.
new sport. "I did not face any problems made adjusting to a new country easier.
while making the switch. Many of the Princepal idolizes Anthony Davis and
skills I had learnt as a volleyball player tries to emulate the Los Angeles Lakers
like jumping and running are all needed forward in the way he plays.
in basketball too," he said. In the few years he has played the
He said Jaipal taught him the basics of sport, Princepal himself has experi‑
the game and gave him the confidence enced a meteoric rise of sorts which has
of being able to do well. "He was always led to him being touted as the next face
there for me. Even in the afternoon ses‑ of Indian basketball.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Age for buying tobacco and
vapes raised to 21 in America
A T
fter the US Congress voted to
raise the age for purchasing
tobacco – rule applies to e‑
cigarettes as well as more traditional
tobacco products ‑‑ from 18 to 21,
President Donald Trump has signed
the bigger spending bill
containing this measure.
This change, which will
likely go into effect next
year, has been in the
works for a while. In
April, Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell
(R‑KY) started pushing a
bill to raise the buying age for tobac‑
co, saying he was responding to a
dramatic rise in teen vaping. Trump
publicly supported raising the vap‑
ing age to 21 in November, and 19
states plus the District of Columbia
have already passed “Tobacco 21”
laws, starting with Hawaii in 2015.
Raising the buying age could take
regulatory pressure off tobacco com‑
panies in other areas, like flavored e‑
cigarettes, which have been banned
Hangovers: This is what happens to
your body when you’ve had one too many
H
aving a few drinks on
Christmas and New Year
eve is, for some people, as
much a part of the festive tradition
as presents, decorations or carols.
So if you find yourself nursing a
hangover on Boxing Day or New
Year Day, you might be interested
to know whatʼs actually going on
inside your body and why you feel
so bad.
We tend to drink because in low
doses alcohol is initially a euphori‑
ant, it makes you feel happier. It
does this by causing the body to
release dopamine and endorphins,
chemicals that st imulate the
brainʼs reward system. But, as you
drink more, it ultimately suppress‑
es some brain activity and slows
down your heart and breathing.
Note that even before you arrive
at the typical drink drive limit, you
might experience excitement,
uncoordinat ion, impairment,
speech slurring, swaying, etc.
Small amounts of alcohol af fect
the limbic system in the brain,
which results in aggression and
the Friday and Saturday night
melees common in many town
centers.
Alcohol is also a vasodilator,
which means it widens blood ves‑
sels, diverting blood from the
bodyʼs core to its extremities. This
results in the characterist ic
flushed cheeks you can get from
consuming alcohol.
Alcohol is absorbed quicker than
most things since some is
in three states and several munici‑
palities, including New York City as
of this week.
E‑cigarettes have been singled out
for criticism in 2019 because of a
sudden lung injury crisis that affect‑
ed thousands of peo‑
ple and killed over
40. But the Tobacco
21 movement has
focused on tobacco
use in general, not
just vaping. And regu‑
lators have been
slowly moving
toward treating e‑cigarettes like
other tobacco products for years.
Research suggests that vaping can
be a safer alternative to smoking cig‑
arettes, but it poses a greater health
risk than not smoking anything at
all, and it can lead teenagers to take
up cigarette smoking. The US Food
and Drug Administration issued a
broad set of regulations for the
devices in 2016, banning their sale
to people under 18.
absorbed in the stomach (rather
than the small intestine). It then
spreads throughout the body and
is distributed to all organs includ‑
ing the brain and the liver, where
the body makes a valiant attempt
to break down and dispose of the
alcohol.
Why you vomit
As you drink more, your blood
ethanol level is being monitored
by the area postrema, the part of
your brain which checks your
blood for things that shouldnʼt be
there. If you eat some food which
causes vomiting and diarrhoea, itʼs
your postrema that has instructed
your body to get rid of the offend‑
ing comestibles.
Disulfiram (Antabuse) is a drug
used to treat chronic alcoholism
that stops the subsequent break‑
down of ethanal after you drink,
causing an immediate hangover
HEALTH
Indians are more depressed and
anxious than before
he contribution of mental
disorders to the total disease
burden in India between
1990‑2017 ̶ 28 years ̶ has
nearly doubled. Measured in terms
of years of healthy life lost due to
disability or Disability Adjusted Life
Years (DALY), mental disorders con‑
tributed 4.7% of the total DALY in
India in 2017 ̶ up from 2.5% in
1990. The result? 1 in 7 Indians
now suffers from a mental disorder.
Add to that the paucity of psychia‑
trists in India ̶ at 0.3 per 100,000
people ̶ while the ideal require‑
ment is at least 10 times that figure.
8 Depression and anxiety: 14.3%
of India's population ̶ or 197.3
million people ̶ were diagnosed as
suffering from some form of mental
health issue in 2017, according to a
study by ICMR and the Ministry of
Health & Family Welfare, published
in The Lancet Psychiatry.
Depression alone constituted a
third of all mental health DALY and
together with anxiety, comprised
and explosive vomiting. Itʼs effec‑
tively a form of aversion therapy.
Hangover causes
Unfortunately, thereʼs no drug to
treat drunkenness itself – or a
hangover. Once you are intoxicat‑
Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 25
more than half of the mental disor‑
ders. In terms of absolute numbers,
45.7 million people suffered from
depression while 44.9 million bat‑
tled anxiety disorders.
8 Women worst sufferers: Women
get the short end of the stick vis‑a‑
vis men. The prevalence of both
depression and anxiety among
women ̶ at 3.9% each ̶ is much
higher than the prevalence of these
two mental disorders among men,
at 2.7% each. Additionally, while the
prevalence of depression increased
in adults above 45, prevalence of
anxiety was higher in adolescents
and young adults.
8 Development equals depres‑
sion? The study also found that
there was a higher prevalence of
both depression and anxiety disor‑
ders in the relatively more devel‑ Goa while for anxiety, the highest
oped southern and western states prevalence was found in Kerala,
than northern states. The highest Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu,
prevalence of depression was Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra,
observed in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, along with Himachal Pradesh, West
Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Bengal and Manipur.
ed you just have to wait it out. The constrictor, which constricts your
liver can metabolize between 8g blood vessels and causes that
and 12g of alcohol in an hour and throbbing headache. Meanwhile,
the only way to become less drunk vodka might be more forgiving
is to stop drinking so the alcohol since “pure” vodka is just alcohol
can diffuse out of your brain and and water.
your liver can complete the break‑ The only other thing that might
down. help reduce your hangover after a
Aside from the vomiting, we heavy drinking session is a glass
donʼt know exactly why we feel so of water before bed. Alcohol stops
terrible when weʼre hungover, but your pituitary gland producing the
it is thought to be another effect anti‑diuretic hormone vasopressin,
of ethanal and congeners, the non‑ which normally restricts urine
alcoholic chemical clutter that is a production. This means you end
by‑product of fermentation. These up losing more water than you
include oils, minerals and other take in, causing dehydration that
forms of alcohol such as methanol irritates the blood vessels, leading
(wood alcohol), which can cause to headaches.
you to go blind in high doses. Otherwise, youʼll just have to
Darker drinks have hig her console your post‑Christmas and
amounts of congeners. Red wine New Year blues with roast dinner
also causes a particularly vicious leftovers and your favorite holiday
hangover since it contains a vaso‑ film.
 26 Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 SELF HELP TheSouthAsianTimes.info

6 ideas for a New You Are you getting all your vitamins?
in the New Year Revamping your diet in 2020
G
etting all the vitamins
and nutrients you need
each day is one of the
most important things you can do
to feel your best. The good news
is that you donʼt need to devote
hours each week to meal prep to
ensure youʼre healthfully getting
essential vitamins. As you make
your 2020 plans to revamp your
diet, here are a few things to keep
in mind:
8 Donʼt follow fads: When it
comes to your wellness, itʼs best
to rely on basic science, not the
latest fad diets or sports drinks
and supplements that rely on itʼs through meditation, journaling, cooking
added sugars, fillers, preservatives, artificial or jogging ‑‑ discover what hobbies and well‑
flavors, sweeteners, dyes, and negatives. ness activities help you reduce your stress
Look for products that transparently list all levels and be sure to make time for them.

T
he new year is the perfect time to
hit the reset button and get a fresh
start. Here are six resolution ideas,
plus tools and strategies for accomplish‑
ing each:
8 Audiobooks: Want to read more but
never seem to have an opportunity to curl
up with a good book? Downloading audio‑
books and listening to them during com‑
mutes and workouts can be the perfect
way to “read” when you donʼt have dedi‑
cated time in your day.
8 Get Fit: Working out more is one of
the most common New Yearʼs resolutions
people make. To get this one to stick, con‑
sider tools that will make reaching your
goals more fun. The latest additions to the
G‑SHOCK Womenʼs lineup of sports
watches are a good example of how wear‑
able tech can support fitness goals.
8 Control Spending: Itʼs all too easy to
spend more than one has or should in any
given day, week or month. Use digital
apps to create a budget and stick to it.
Find one that will actually send you push
notifications when youʼve exceeded your
limits.
8 Make Music: Whether learning to
play for the first time or resolving to cre‑
ate your own compositions, new tools can
support your efforts. Bonus benefits:
learning to play keyboard will improve
hand‑eye coordination and stimulate cog‑
nitive brain activity.
8 Declutter: The act of decluttering
your home is important, however it can
seem daunting, making this one resolution
that many people make but donʼt keep.
Rather than assume you need to dedicate
an entire day or weekend to tidy up, block
out just five to 10 minutes a day to clear
out small areas. Before you know it, youʼll
start to see some major improvements.
You can even make it fun by putting on
music and cleaning for three‑song seg‑
ments at a time.
their ingredients.
8 Drink your vitamins: Did you know that
liquids are the most bioavailable form for
your body to absorb nutrients? For complete
health on‑the‑go, consider drinking your
vitamins. One effective solution is Drink
Nutrient, which offers single‑serve stick
packs that make it easy to get the essential
vitamins you need. Among its offerings is
Vitamin Coffee, a natural sustained energy
booster made from 100 percent Colombian
Arabica coffee that offers 50 percent of your
daily essential vitamins in each serving.
Served hot or cold, itʼs a good choice for any‑
one who needs a caffeine boost without the
crash. Or, to get 100 percent of your daily
essential vitamins and 610 mg of elec‑
trolytes in one go, consider Vitamin
Booster+, which contains real fruit juice, less
than one gram of sugar, and is only 15 calo‑
ries per serving.
8 De‑stress: Too much stress can compro‑
mise your bodyʼs ability to absorb nutrients.
So, take steps to relax and unwind. Whether
8 Refuel wisely: If you hit the gym fre‑
quently, you likely have tried one or two
sports drinks and know how important it is
to refuel quickly and wisely after a workout.
For optimal high performance, consider
upgrading your drink of choice. With double
the electrolytes of leading sports drinks,
Liquid Nutrient has a potassium‑to‑sodium
ratio intended for high‑quality hydration, as
well as amino acids for mental focus and
muscle repair.
8 Maximize meals: To maximize meals,
make sure the bulk of the calories you con‑
sume are not “empty.” Empty calories, such
as added sugars and solid fats, contain little
to no nutritional value. Fill up on dark leafy
vegetables, berries, nuts, seeds and good‑for‑
you fats like avocado and salmon, while
avoiding chips, cakes and other junk foods.
Donʼt let your busy lifestyle get in the way of
ensuring youʼre getting all the nutrients you
need to feel your best. This new year, resolve
to revamp your diet for optimal
nutrition.

Best flu hacks every traveler should know

W
hile everyone wants to make the
most of their vacation, travel can
do a number on oneʼs health, and
during flu season, the risk of feeling unwell is
even higher. Feel your best with these tips:
8 Flu levels increase during winter
because people spend more time in enclosed
spaces together touching surfaces and breath‑
ing “shared” air. Traveling only amplifies this.
Reduce your chances of swapping germs by
avoiding contact with shared items. For exam‑
ple, donʼt put your face directly on airline‑
supplied pillows or blankets that havenʼt been
sanitized.
8 Ironically, just when handwashing is
most vital ‑‑ while traveling ‑‑ it becomes less
convenient. Carry handwipes and sanitizers
and use them when you canʼt wash your
hands. More importantly, avoid rubbing your
eyes or nose.
8 An airplane cabinʼs dry air accommo‑
dates the growth of viruses that thrive on low
humidity. Additionally, travelers often refrain
from hydrating to avoid frequent bathroom
trips. Yet, when mucous membranes are dry,
they canʼt keep germs at bay. A general rule is
to drink at least 8 ounces of water for every
hour in the air. Under the weather? Drink
more than the daily recommended 8‑10 cups
to prevent dehydration caused by fever,
loosen mucus, keep your throat moist and
lessen the chance of the virusʼ success.
8 Getting medical attention away from
home is tough. Travel smart with over‑the‑
counter products that are homeopathic and
easy to use. Some, like Oscillococcinum, are
good to pack in your carry‑on so you can take
at the first sign of symptoms. Though these
uses have not been evaluated by the Food and
Drug Administration, clinical studies show
that Oscillococcinum reduces the duration your schedule can make for stress‑free travel.
and severity of flu symptoms such as body 8 Exercise boosts energy and immunity, so
aches, headache, fever, chills and fatigue. donʼt take a vacation from workouts while
Widely available in supermarkets and drug‑ traveling. Pack workout wear and carve out
stores, this flu medicine is taken without time for exercise.
water, making it an ideal travel remedy. 8 Unusual travel schedules, unfamiliar
8 Will you arrive in time to make your beds and crossing time zones can disrupt a
connection? What if you forgot to pack Aunt sleep schedule. Get plenty of rest before your
Ethelʼs present? Thereʼs no doubt that travel trip to keep your bodyʼs natural defenses at
can cause stress, which research has shown optimum levels.
can increase susceptibility to flu and even Getting sick can put a damper on even the
increase the severity of symptoms. Being flex‑ best vacation. Take steps to feel your best.
ible, prepared and building extra time into (StatePoint)
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available in the USA and Canada.
Anyone interested in getting finance please contact me at 646‐498‐5122 or
email shomik@shomikchaudhuri.com.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Entry doors to the US do not guarantee exits too
By Suchitra Srinivas
P
lanting a foot on American
soil is a dream shared by
many across the world. The
promises of fered by this ʻland of
opportunityʼ attracts all who dare to
dream. Planning and preparation for
the entry are often an elaborate
process that begins early in the
homeland.
No sooner than setting foot, immi‑
grants start to realize that the
American entry doors work mostly
one way. Some receive their evacua‑
tion notice much earlier than expect‑
ed, while others, no matter how hard
they try, never succeed in finding the
exit doors. Then there are some
smart ones who exit out only to find
themselves back again soon.
Undoubtedly there is something
magical here that goes unexplained.
As an immigrant, one could bring a
couple of suitcases but soon will find
his possessions piling. Every dollar
bill that enters the purse is earned
by sweat and tears, making it an
exciting phase for anyone. Be it the
first car that one buys or the first
condo that one rents, to the public
parks where one enjoys a peaceful
morning stroll, the welcome smile of
By Dev Banad Viswanath, Esq. &
Michael Phulwani, Esq.
C
hild Status Protection Act
(CSPA) offers a method to
calculate a personʼs age to
see of they meet the criteria of a
child for immigration purposes.
According to the Immigration and
Nationality Act (INA) the definition of
a child is a person who is both
unmarried and under 21 years of
age. If a petitioner applies for lawful
permanent resident (LPR) status as a
child but turns 21 before their LPR
application is adjudicated, that peti‑
tioner will no longer be considered a
child for immigration purposes. This
circumstance is usually referred to
as “aging out” and means that those
petitioners would have to file a new
petition or application, or that their
petition category will convert to an
adult, and for both scenarios they
will wait even longer for a Green
Card, or it may be that they no
longer be eligible for a Green Card.
To avoid children from “aging out”
and having to start all over CSPA was
created and went into effect on
August 6, 2002.
The meaning of a child did not
change under the CSPA. The new cal‑
culated age of the child is called
“CSPA age” and it allows some peti‑
tioners to remain classified as a child
past their 21st birthday. The benefi‑
ciary MUST still be unmarried. The
following people may take advan‑
tage of the CSPA
8 Immediate relatives;
8 Family sponsored preference
principal and derivative applicants;
8 Violence Against Women Act
any stranger seen on the road, the
common laundry rooms that one
waits in queue for, the public school
that oneʼs child studies free of charge
are exciting experiences that a new
immigrant cherishes. But this honey‑
moon period ticks away too soon.
During this phase, the only
thought that holds one is that of
making the most of the new opportu‑
nity before returning. The goal veers
around extending the period of stay.
The residing duration is often deter‑
mined by the stamping on the visa
paper. On entering the country as a
student, getting a suitable placement
would be the concern. If on H‑1B,
then expected extensions are indeed
Protecting children from “aging out” of petitions
Child Status Protection Act
VISA
TALK
(VAWA) self‑petitioners and deriva‑
tive applicants;
8 Employment based preference
derivative applicants;
8 Diversity immigrant visa (DV)
derivative applicants;
8 Derivative refuges; and
8 Derivative asylees.
If a petitioner is applying for a
Green Card based on one of the cate‑
gories above, they are eligible for
CSPA consideration if the proper
forms were filed or pending on or
after August 6, 2002.
Refugees and Asylees: If a petition‑
er is a derivative refugee then their
CSPA age is their age on the date the
principal refugee parent or Form I‑
730 petitioner filed their I‑590. If
the petitioner was under the age of
21 at the time of their parentʼs inter‑
view, their age froze as of that date
and they will not age out. In order to
qualify as a derivative refugee, the
petitioner must be unmarried but
they do not need to remain unmar‑
ried in order to qualify for a Green
Card under INA section 209.
If a petitioner is a derivative asylee
COLUMNS
a cause for worry. It is here that the
best of life changes happen begin.
Marriage, dream house, dream jobs,
children, their education, social life,
vacationing around the world and
what not. Everything enjoyable, good
enough but the steep curve of joy
soon plateaus out and enthusiasm
gets satiated. With the green card
and citizenship process, one sudden‑
ly feels strangely emancipated. Most
people think now they can exert
their ʻfree willʼ with no more con‑
trols of the visa paper on their lives.
The lookout for exit doors starts
creeping at this juncture but the
real‑life situation and commitments
tie us down. “Today after 15 years, I
feel that we could have reached the
exit doors much easier had our visa
extensions been rejected then.
Would you call this regret? Not at all.
Just a desire to go back. Our belief
that ʻif we could have toiled to reach
the entry doors, exiting was our own
design,ʼ is a myth. The luxury, com‑
fort or the independence that once
beckoned no longer seem exciting.
When everything else is so con‑
ducive to return, the road to exit
seems to be sealed tight,” lamented
Ramaswami Raghavan.
“Today our children apply brakes
their CSPA is their age on the date
the principal asylee parents or Form
I‑730 petitioner filed their Form I‑
589. If the petitioner was under the
age of 21 at the time their parentʼs
filed Form I‑589, their age froze as of
that date and they will not age out.
In order to be granted derivative asy‑
lum and to qualify for a Green Card
under INA section 209 the petitioner
must be unmarried.
Immediate Relative: If a petitioner
is an immediate relative, a VAMA
self‑petitioning abused spouse or
child of a U.S. citizen, or a derivative
child of a VAMA self‑petitioning
abused spouse or child of a U.S. citi‑
zen, their age is frozen on the date
the Form I‑130 or Form I‑360 was
filed. If the petitioner was under the
age of 21 at the time the petition
was filed, they are qualified for CSPA
and will not age out. The petitioner
must remain unmarried or they will
not qualify for CSPA.
Family and Employment
Preference and Diversity Visa
Immigrants: If a petitioner is a family
preference, employment‑based pref‑
erence, or DV applicant, their CSPA
age is calculated by subtracting the
number of days their petition was
pending from their age on the date
an immigrant visa becomes available
to them. In order to qualify for CSPA
the petitioner must remain unmar‑
Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020
on our accelerated journey. Just in
high school to think of an exit is no
option. Those who do force to find
themselves out find the back‑home
adjustments hard, so they return to
the US. For many, the citizenship that
gives a choice to go back to India is
the one that draws them back too,”
rues Radha Parthasarathy, who came
back after a brief exit.
“We moved into the US with just
two suitcases and our plan was to
stay till my husbandʼs short‑term
project got concluded. 21 years and
we are still here with no regrets or
remorse except missing the memo‑
ries back home,” said Saanvi Gopal.
A lot of adjustments and compro‑
mises seem to tighten their hold on
the immigrants who slogged away to
come just to continue to stay. Each
and every family event, big and
small, the moments of joy with par‑
ents and the extended family, the
nursing option for ailing parents and
what not. At every stage, the trained
and forced mental and emotional
transformation by the immigrants to
accept these packages of immigra‑
tion is not often acknowledged. The
success is manifested by the creation
of a whole new world of friends and
family that one re‑creates in life
ried. The formula is calculated based
on the age of the child when the peti‑
tion was filed, the number of years
for the petition to become approved.
The age of the beneficiary when Visa
Numbers become available.
If the petitioner is under this cate‑
gory, in order to use the CSPA age
they must pursue to gain lawful per‑
manent resident status within one
year of a visa becoming open to
them. This is called the “seek to
acquire” requirement. If this require‑
ment is not satisfied, USCIS may use
its discretion to excuse this require‑
ment if the petitioner can show that
the requirement was not met due to
special circumstances. Under the
“seek to acquire” requirement the
petitioner must:
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.
27
abroad. The diversion through social
and cultural institutions and their
activities are worth a mention.
“Living in New Jersey, I find a sea
change in recent years. For instance,
a weekend is filled with some cultur‑
al or religious engagement that
keeps us busy and connected with
the memories from our home land.
This was not possible 20 years ago
when we were in our prime,” recalls
Rajaswamy, 75.
These are healthy trends that help
keep calm when the road leading to
an exit becomes elusive. The adjust‑
ments prepare us for the life ahead.
But those planning to enter the land
of opportunities should be beware.
You do not have access to the exit
doors at will.
Suchitra
Srinivas is a
journalist
based at
New Jersey.
She can
be contacted at
suchitrasrinivas
@hotmail.com. Column
first appeared in DTNext.
8 Properly file Form I‑485; or
8 Submit a completed Part One of
Form DS‑260; or
8 Have a Form I‑824 properly
filed on their behalf.
If an LPR becomes a naturalized
citizen before their child receives
their Green Card, their childʼs peti‑
tion is converted to either an imme‑
diate relative or family first prefer‑
ence case. There are also an addi‑
tional amount of time that can be
calculated to protect a childʼs age
because of the September 11, 2001
attacks, and the Patriot Act illus‑
trates this additional protection.
The CSPA is the saving grace for so
many families that have wait many
many years for their opportunity for
a green card.
 28 Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 LIFESTYLE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Get ready for that all‑night long party!

T
he excitement of
Christmas and New Year
parties has begun to build
up and you sure w ish to be
updated with the latest party
wear trends. Of course, that
innate desire to look the best
among your friends and family is
guaranteed to rack your nerves
till you get it right. So are some
suggestions on what can make
you stand out in the crowd with
the latest fashion trends, shared
by Myntra Fashion Stylist! Go
ahead and mix‑n‑match, relish the
envious glimpses and party hard!
Choose from a myriad
of dress styles
Dresses are the go‑to option for
this Christmas and New Year
party season. Be it lace or solid
maxi dresses, solid sheath dress‑
es or fit and flare dresses, you are
certainly spoilt for choice. Or why
leave out that bo dy hugg ing
dress or a sequined/embroidered
wrap dress or a simple solid/lace
A‑Line dress which could look
just nice on you! You could also
go with embellished dresses for
that extra shimmer and shine!
Pick some bold colors which
could certainly make you a trend‑
setter!
For the outer wear, how about
adding on some denim or solid
tailored jackets, or open‑front
shrugs for that smart look. Or
you could even add coats of all
sorts such as bomber, peplum,
trench or a cape‑style.
Add that little bling!
Just don't leave those ears,
hands and neck bare! How about
layered chains to go with your
sassy gowns/evening dress, cou‑
pled with silver or gold plated
bracelets, be it cuff or charm. But
if you wish to carry of f some
Indian jewelry, head for silver
plated or oxidized jhumkas, hoop
or drop earrings, or simply the
ever beautiful and contemporary
gold plated chaandbalis, any of
these will do justice to your cho‑
sen outfit.
Go‑glam with
make‑up!
Pick up that palette, and add a
touch of glitter eyeshadow of
some crazy colors for the eyes to
do all the talking. Stand out with
a long lasting bold lipstick (so
you can eat to your hearts con‑
tent and still have it on!), and a
hig hlig hter mixed w ith your
foundation for an over‑all moist
yet luminous glow. And don't for‑
get the regulars…a mascara, eye
liner and kajals which have now
become an everyday necessity.
Now your ensemble is sure to
stand out!
Love the footwear
St ilettoes, blo ck hee ls, flat
shoes, wedges or
platforms…options aplenty. Since
you will be dancing the night
through as you ring in the New
Year, choose the ones that can
pull you through without tiring
your little feet.
What's in store
for men?
Though it's the usual shirts and
trousers for men, go with regu‑
lar/slim fit dark solid shirts for a
toned down look or floral shirts
for that feeling of being alive and
bright! Another add‑on could be a
smart single‑breasted slim fit
casual blazer with slim‑fit chinos.
If none of these are exciting, get
into a youngster's shoes with
those skinny fit denim jeans and
a solid biker jacket for that party
night.
And what shoes to go with your
outfit? Put on some smart formal
''Derbys'' or ''Brogues,'' and you
are all set to go and rock the
party!
Since it's going to be an all
night long party, choose an attire
which is comfortable, yet takes
your fancy. Add that dash of
make‑up, wear that lovely fra‑
grance, and don't miss that state‑
ment jewelry.
And before you step out, grab
your clutch and you are there…a
perfect fashionista going places!
After all, it's the style which
speaks for you!

Indians order 95 biryanis per Manushi, Sunil Chhetri PETA India's

minute from Swiggy: Report Hottest Vegetarians of 2019
I M
ndians ordered on an average 95
biryanis per minute or 1.6 birya‑
nis every second from Swiggy in
2019, the online food delivery plat‑
form said on Monday. In fact,
biryani is the most common first
order by new users on Swiggy,
according to the company's fourth
yearly 'StatEATistics' report on
India's food ordering habits.
Biryani has topped the list of most
ordered dish for the third year in
row.
However, the year also saw a rise
in demand for 'khichdi'. Orders for
khichdi on Swiggy grew 128 per
cent this year.
"While our patrons love their
chicken biryanis, they prefer vege‑
tarian toppings on their pizzas.
Cheese, onion, paneer, extra cheese,
mushroom, capsicum, corn,
jalapenos and olives were among
the most common toppings on pizza
orders," Swiggy said, adding that
pineapple was the least preferred
topping, and were preferred by only
1.5 per cent of pizzas ordered.
While people continue to indulge
in gulab jamun and moong dal
halwa, India has found another
sweet favourite.
Besides 17,69,399 gulab jamun
orders and 2,00,301 orders for
halwa in 2019, falooda is the
newest entry to the top desserts on
Swiggy with a whopping 11,94,732
orders this year.
A special ice‑cream filled Falooda
was ordered over 6,000 times in
Mumbai. Another favourite, 'choco
pie and drink' was ordered 79,242
times in Chandigarh alone.
Other popular sweet treats
include the usual suspects such as
'death by chocolate', 'tender
coconut ice cream', 'tiramisu ice
cream' and 'kesar halwa'.
Overall, the most loved dishes in
2019 were chicken biryani, masala
dosa, paneer butter masala, chicken
fried rice, mutton biryani, chicken
dum biryani, veg fried rice, veg
biryani, tandoori chicken and dal
makhani, said the report.
With overall orders for healthy
options crossing 3.5 lakhs this year,
the latest food trend that has taken
the nation by storm is the Ketogenic
diet which includes meat, fish, poul‑
try and non‑starchy vegetables.
Swiggy noticed a 306 per cent
increase in Keto‑specific items
ordered in 2019.
Highlighting some unusual
requests, the report revealed that
customers have used Swiggy Stores
to get 'gaumutra' (cow urine) from
an ayurvedic store in Gurgaon and
rent receipts, among other things.
Swiggy's current delivery fleet of
over 2.3 lakh active delivery part‑
ners has over 1,000 women deliv‑
ery partners. Sudha from Kochi was
the platform's top woman delivery
partner for completing over 6,838
orders having joined Swiggy only
13 months ago, said the report.
T he findings are based on
Swiggy's order analysis during
January 2019 to October 2019
across over 500 cities that Swiggy
is present in.
iss World 2017 Manushi
Chillar and captain of the
Indian national football
team Sunil Chhetri have been cho‑
sen as India's Hottest Vegetarians of
2019 by People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA).
"Manushi and Sunil are living,
breathing proof that eating vegan is
good for both animals and our own
health. PETA India is honoring them
for opting for eco and animal‑
friendly fare and for encouraging
their fans to do the same," said Bangera. Last year, Anushka Vegetarians. PETA India selected
PETA India Director of Celebrity Sharma and Kartik Aaryan were the winners based on several fac‑
and Public Re lations Sachin named as PETA India's Hottest tors, including vote count.
Laughter is the Best Medicine
By Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah
is an architect by
education,
entrepreneur by
profession, artist
and humorist,
cartoonist and
writer by hobby.
He has been
recording the
plight of the
immigrant
Indians for the
past many year in
his cartoons.
Hailing from
Gujarat, he lives
in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 29

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

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

DECEMBER 28‑JANUARY 3, 2020

Aries: It is time you reached out to
someone in need of your help on the
academic front.Opportunities to
earn big bucks may soon come your way.
Financially, you will manage to bring
down expenses. Newlyweds are likely to
enjoy a blissful existence.
Earning brownie points on the social front
will not be too difficult. Overcoming lazi‑
ness is important to achieve fitness, so
work towards it.
Taurus: Romance remains on the
backburner in the coming week
since you donʼt show any extra
enthusiasm.Someone may work against
your interests on the professional front, so
watch your step.A deal may swing in your
direction, if you play your cards well.
Some of you may choose an exercise regi‑
men to come back in shape.Family life
remains stable and provides much happi‑
ness.
Gemini: Becoming more technologi‑
cally savvy is indicated for
some.Tackling a big project has its
share of difficulties, but you will overcome
them.Those newly introduced to acting or
public speaking will manage to overcome
stage fright.Diet and exercise is good for
health, but maintaining it may pose prob‑
lems for some. Differences with lover need
to be sorted out to strengthen the relation‑
ship.
Cancer: Preparing well for a com‑
petition may require extra efforts,
so give it your best.Choose only
healthy options to remain fit.Your initia‑
tive on the romantic front will keep your
chances alive w ith the one you
admire.Take steps to refurbish your social
image by being more helpful and consid‑
erate.Completed paperwork will help you
get a loan sanctioned for your dream
house.
Leo: Keep your cool, even if things
donʼt go your way; they are set to
improve as the wee k
progresses.Take full advantage of your
contacts to achieve your objectives on the
academic front.You will need to get better
acquainted with something you want to
take up in a professional way.A chance of
getting to know someone intimately is
about to materialise, so make the most
of it.
Virgo: Those pursuing higher stud‑
ies may get lucky in campus recruit‑
ment.Be more understanding of
someone not toeing your line. It is advis‑
able to consider all the options before
making an important decision at work. An
ailment or sickness can become a source
of worry if you don't take remedial meas‑
ures soon.Improvement in your financial
status is indicated, as you start earning
better.
Libra: Financial help will be forth‑
coming for those venturing on
their own. Expect favourable devel‑
opments on the academic front.Fitness bug
is likely to bite some and do their health a
lot of good.Getting even with someone
working against your interests may bring
you into a needless confrontation, so think
out subtler ways to deal with the situa‑
tion.Wait and watch policy will work won‑
ders in a contentious situation.
Scorpio: Whatever you are involved
in may take some time, but is cer‑
tain to g ive posit ive results in
future. Someone of opposite gender is like‑
ly to make this a best week on the roman‑
tic front!Those wanting to go in for higher
studies abroad can expect something posi‑
tive happening soon.A delicate domestic
issue needs to be handled with care. Your
level‑headed approach will help smooth
ruffled feathers.
Sagittarius: Some of you may get a
chance to grab an opportunity you
had been wait ing for
long.Managing time for a social event may
pose difficulty but results are certain for
those who give it a try. Financial stability
is foreseen and will encourage you to turn
your ideas into action.Travelling makes
you happy and you will find any excuse to
remain on the go!Good news regarding a
family youngster is likely.
Capricorn: Your ef forts will help
make a mark on the academic
front.It is not right to covet what is
not yours, so review your actions or deci‑
sions.Some retailers may face decreased
footfalls, but it will only be a temporary
phase.Better prospects are seen in some‑
thing that you are contemplating on the
professional front.Financial situation may
warrant cutting corners, so donʼt relax on
this account.
Aquarius: Making a positive begin‑
ning in a matter that had been
worrying you for long is indicated.
A financial issue will be satisfactorily
solved.A transfer is on the anvil for gov‑
ernment servants. Be tactful in handling a
family situation and don't let things esca‑
late.Desire to multiply your money mani‑
fold may consume you, so expect early
success. Things are likely to work for you
on the academic front.
Pisces: Your field of work may take
you places and get you immense
experience. Those not pulling along
in a relationship need to decided now, any
which way. You will find things going
smoothly in your career life. A family
memberʼs contribution will prove invalu‑
able on the business front.Don't get negli‑
gent towards your health. A change of
scene will be a great idea.Financially, you
stand to gain.

December 28, 2019 some disappointment. Long

Influenced by number 1 and the
Sun. You are active, energetic,
authoritative, sober, brilliant, sys‑
tematic and a talented person. You
are a simple person and do not
believe in exhibiting your wealth
and style, but you need to check
your tendency to behave spend‑
thrift, jealous and erratic at times.
This year will see a rise in your
se lf‑confidence. You will be
involved in activities that will
secure your future and help you
improve your lifestyle. New con‑
tacts that you develop will bring
you brilliant opportunity for busi‑
ness and growth. Strong romantic
feelings from a member of the
opposite sex will bring new excite‑
ment in your life. You will be in a
commanding position at work, and
lots will depend on your shoulders.
Exercise and proper dietary habit
will be important to stay in perfect
shape. The months of Nov, January,
May and July will be important.
December 29, 2019
Ruled by number 2 and the
Moon. You are highly creative,
smart, simple, trustworthy, gener‑
ous and possess a sharp memory.
You have excellent leadership qual‑
ities and you can easily handle any
difficult situation, but you need to
check your tendency to behave self‑
ish, moody and hypocrite at times.
This year life will to be a mixture
of good and the not so good. You
will make good financial gains, but
money will slip through your fin‑
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
gers rather easily. Speculation and
hasty decisions should be avoided
and money transaction needs to be
made very carefully. Family mem‑
bers will be caring but behave high‑
ly possessive and demanding. This
will be the perfect year for matters
relating to your heart and forming
a matrimonial alliance. Overseas
journey for some cannot be ruled
out. T he months of December,
March and May will be productive.
December 30, 2019
Influenced by number 3 and the
planet Jupiter. You are authorita‑
tive, dynamic, philosophical, inde‑
pendent and intelligent person.
Your outgoing personality and will‑
ingness to adopt new ideas keeps
you ahead of others, but you need
to check your tendency to behave
reckless, spendthrift and selfish at
times. This year you will benefit
from contacts that you have made
recently. Your vast business knowl‑
edge will help you venture into
lucrative fie lds and you will
improve your presence in the mar‑
ket. Financial gains are certain, but
unexpected losses are also fore‑
seen. Property/legal disputes will
prove expensive and time consum‑
ing. Health definitely needs more
attention, especially for those suf‑
fering from chronic ailments.
Meditation and Yoga should be
practiced for spiritual as well as
physical gains. T he months of
November, April, May and
September will be eventful.
December 31, 2019
Ruled by number 4 and the plan‑
et Uranus. You are generous, peace
loving, dashing, systematic, disci‑
plined, artistic character and intro‑
vert in nature. You possess a strong
memory and an ability to impress
others with your intelligent and
witty conversation, but you need to
control your tendency to be extrav‑
agant, reckless and moody at times.
A property transaction or acquir‑
ing a new vehicle during this peri‑
od seems likely. Visit to a religious
place or blessings from a spiritual
person will be high on your agen‑
da. Your outgoing nature will work
to your advantage as you gain
favours and benefits from impor‑
tant people.New contracts will be
highly beneficial. Frequent and
fruitful journeys will be undertaken
bringing you desired results. The
months of October, November and
March will bring prosperity.
January 1, 2020
Governed by number 1, and the
Sun, you are original, authoritative,
dignified, determined and a sensi‑
tive person. You are considered an
asset to your friends and your fami‑
ly members take pride in you, but
you need to check your tendency to
overspend and dominate at times.
A year of gifts and rewards. New
proposals and assignments will
boost your morale and confidence.
Property transaction will bring you
good returns and will also help
raise money. Travel will be under‑
taken for building important rela‑
tionships and monetary gains.
Overseas journey or business trans‑
action for some. Wedding bells will
ring for some later in the year, and
others will find romance to keep
them going. Chronic patients need
to take extra care for their health.
Avoid lending and borrowing
money. The months of March, June
and September will be highly
eventful.
January 2, 2020
Ruled by number 2 and the
Moon. You are simple, honest,
cooperative, love peace and harmo‑
ny. You are full of new and innova‑
tive ideas and simply a perfection‑
ist in whatever work you decide to
do, but you need to control your
tendency to be whimsical and jeal‑
ous at times. The coming year
brings you many opportunities to
fulfill your dreams. A pleasure trip
to an exotic destination would be
high on your agenda. Also during
this period you will establish new
contacts and fruitful partnerships.
Your spouse would be supportive
to your concerns and provide you
with love and af fection, but chil‑
dren might take advantage of your
generous behaviour and cause
expected monetary benefits will
accrue. Speculation and unexpected
gains will make your financial posi‑
tion much better than expected.
But despite all goodies, minor ten‑
sions and stress will always bother
you especially concerning health of
your parents and increase in
household expenditure. T he
months of May, July and December
seem to be significant.
January 3, 2020
Governed by number 3 and the
planet Jupiter, you are confident,
ambitious, independent, dignified,
religious and an optimistic person.
Your ability to get things done with
perfection always brings you
recognition, but you need to con‑
trol over your tendency to behave
extravagant, dominating and fickle‑
minded at times. Your next year
will see you improve your financial
position, but there will be an
increase in your expenses as well.
Arrival of guests and relatives dur‑
ing this period will be plenty, who
will bring you gifts in cash and
kind. Employment opportunities
for some of you. Romance will be
pleasant and will add a spice to
your life.Put your efforts on proj‑
ects that promise long term gains
without wasting much time on
small problems. Only selective
investment will be rewarding and
you should avoid speculation on all
fronts. The months of February,
May, July and November will be
highly significant.
 30 Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Life is restless for peace in the world

This sacred land of God has been series of realms. Beyond the physi‑
trampled with the burden of cal realm, there is the astral, causal,
oppression. and supracausal realms, and a pure‑
Life is not a dagger stained with ly spiritual realm, called Sach
the blood of hatred; Khand. Each realm contains greater
It is a branch filled with the flow‑ and greater light, celestial music,
ers of love and compassion. joy, and love. We ultimately merge
Life itself is restless for peace in back in the source of all conscious‑
the world. ness, love, and light. Then, we rec‑
Let its noble dream materialize. ognize that all humans and all
By Sant Rajinder Singh May the garden be illumined with forms of life are created by the
Ji Maharaj wave after wave of Light. Divine and comprise one family.
May the wealth of love grow This nondenominational meditation

M
ystic poetry and literature
is rich in verses addressing
the way to a peaceful, calm
life. One of the greatest mystic poet‑
saints of the past century, Sant
Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj, has writ‑
ten a verse that captures the way to
lead lives in which we reduce stress
and anger to produce calm and
peace within ourselves and for the
whole world.
The verse by Sant Darshan Singh
Ji says:
Let this world become a temple of
love and peace.
Let love and Truth illumine the
world, And the adversaries of peace
awaken to its Light
greater and greater and enrich
every heart.
These verses capture the essence
of what I consider the purpose of
life and have been the inspiration of
my life. These penetrating words
by Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj, a
past master of meditation on the
inner Light and Sound, illumine a
way to achieve peace through
uncovering the Divine within. Once
this uplifting peace permeates our
being, it can spread to others,
bathing this planet in peace.
These verses describe the unity at
the heart of all creation. The poet
realizes that the same Light of God
within us is also in all others, mak‑
ing us one human family. Even sci‑
ence points to our ones through the
Genome project. Scientists have
found that more than 99% of the
genes of all human beings are the
same, with only less than 1% being
dif ferent, accounting for dif fer‑
ences in our hair, skin, and eye
color, or our size and shape. When
we realize we are all one family, we
would not cause pain or suf fering
to others. As we would not want to
hurt our parents or children, we
would not want to hurt any other
human being. The walls that divide
us through nationality, social status,
or appearance tumble down as we
realize that we are all children of
the one Creative Power.
Through meditation on the inner
Light and Sound within each of us,
we can have a firsthand experience
of our unity. Through absorption
into this Light and Sound current,
we experience consciousness of
higher spiritual realms. This inner
journey leads back to the source of
this current and we experience one‑
ness with the Creator. Saints and
mystics have described within us a
practice, called Shabd Meditation,
or meditation on the Light and
Sound, can be performed by people
of all cultures. The introductory
form of meditation, called Jyoti
Meditation can be practiced by any
one at any place. The more time we
spend in meditation, the more we
realize the unity within each.
Spiritual progress is enhanced by
an ethical life of non‑violence, truth‑
fulness, humility, love for all, and
selfless service
As we gaze at the wonders within
through meditation, we can experi‑
ence the inner light, enjoy its nour‑
ishing peace and bliss, and radiate
that loving luminosity to all.

Culture
H dates, traditions
anukkah is a Jewish holiday, often
referred to as the "Festival of Lights."
Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days
and nights, starting on the 25th of the Jewish
month of Kislev, which may fall anywhere
between late November and early December
on the secular calendar. For eight nights, fam‑
ilies say prayers and then light candles in an
eight‑branched candelabra called a menorah.
Most families also serve special holiday foods,
sing songs, play games, and give gifts includ‑
ing Hanukah gelt (chocolate coins).
In 2019, Hanukkah will be celebrated
Sunday, December 22 through Monday,
December 30.
The Hanukkah story is based on historical
events that took place in 165 BCE in
Jerusalem. After the Second Temple in
Jerusalem was desecrated by the Seleucid
Emperor Antiochus IV and his Greco‑Syrian
troops, Jewish priest Mattathias and his sons
rebelled. Retaking Jerusalem and the Temple,
they lit the holy lamp (the menorah) but had
only enough oil for one night. Miraculously,
the lamp stayed lit for eight days until
enough holy oil could be procured.
Every community has its unique Hanukkah
traditions, but there are some traditions that
are almost universally practiced.
Jewish festival Hanukkah ‑
Eight Nights
Hanukkah is celebrated for eight nights in a
row; it is unlikely that any given family will
have a major family celebration for every one
of those nights, but they are almost certain to
light Hanukkah candles and say blessings
each night. On the Friday of Hanukkah, more
observant families may also light Shabbat
(sabbath) candles and say blessings after the
Hanukkah candles are lit. There are also com‑
plex Talmudic rules governing the placement
of the menorah, the quality of the candles,
and the treatment of the candles and their
wicks after use; these are followed by a
minority of families who may follow more
orthodox forms of Judaism.
Lighting the Menorah
Every year it is customary to commemorate
the miracle of the Hanukkah oil by lighting
candles on a menorah. Each family has its
own menorah, an eight‑branched candelabra
with a spot for a ninth candle in the center.
The central candle (the shamash) is lit, and
that candle is used to light one additional can‑
dle each night until, on the eighth night, all of
the candles are lit.
Special blessings are said or sung in
Hebrew before the Hanukkah candles are lit;
three are sung on the first day and two on
each of the remaining days. The candles are
allowed to burn down each night and are
replaced the following day.
Special Foods
Because Hanukkah celebrates the miracle
of the oil, it is traditional to eat fried foods
such as latkes and sufganiyot during the
holiday. (Souce: learnreligions.com)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020
TheSouthAsianTimes.info Dec 28-Jan 3, 2020