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New Delhi: The 6th BRICS sum-

mit this week was Narendra Modi's


first international conference as
India's prime minister, but his per-
formance in Brazil has won ful-
some praise from the Indian media.
Newspapers feel the PM's "debut
on the world stage" has put India
"squarely on the path of pragmatic
internationalism".
Modi pitched for a peaceful, bal-
anced and stable world and told the
leaders of the five-nation power-
house comprising Brazil, Russia,
India, China and South Africa that
it should be driven by people-to-
people contact led by the youth of
the five nations. Professing 'zero
tolerance against terrorism, Modi
The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
excellence in journalism
TOURISM 25 US AFFAIRS 9 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30
Washington: A Malaysian
Airlines passenger jet crashed in a
rebel-controlled part of eastern
Ukraine on Thursday, spurring
swift accusations from Ukrainian
officials that "terrorists" shot down
the aircraft.
The United States has concluded
a missile shot down the plane, but
hasn't pinpointed who was respon-
Vol.7 No. 12 July 19-25, 2014 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Modis diplomacy at BRICS:
Making of a statesman
PM Narendra Modi with the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff,
the President of China, Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir
Putin and President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, at the Sixth
BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil on July 15. (Photo: PIB)
OP ED 13
Brahmrishi Sri Guruvanand Swami graced the
International Guru Poornima 2014 celebration on
July 12 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center
(NJPAC). After giving a powerful and inspiring
discourse, Gurudev, as he is known among his
devotees, personally blessed over 3,000 people
from the US and 14 other countries including India
who attended the mammoth event suffused with
sounds and sights of devotion for Guru and God.
Detailed report and pictures on pages >> 15-18.
Photo: Diana De Rosa Photography
Continued on page 4
Modis coming visit
creates euphoria
in community
New York: As more details
emerge about Narendra Modis
maiden visit to the US as PM,
euphoria is gripping the Indian
community in the tristate area.
Besides visiting New York for
the UN General Assembly ses-
sion in mid-September, Modi
has accepted President Obamas
invitation for a meeting in
Washington. The grapevine has
it that there will be a state dinner
at the White House in Modis
honor.Modi has also given his
nod for a public reception in
New York.
Expectedly, many influential
Indian Americans want a piece
of the action, and have started
making discrete inquiries and
lobbying to be seen as close to
the new power center in India.
Sadly, competition to take
Former US President Bill Clinton distributes chapattis to
students during midday meals prepared by Akshaya Patra
kitchen in Jaipur on July 16. (Photo: IANS). Story on page 3. Continued on page 4
Missile shot down Malaysian plane: US
Web evidence shows missile fired by pro-Russia rebels in Ukraine
Debris of the Malaysian
Airlines flight MH17 which
had 298 aboard.
Continued on page 4
July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
3 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
By Ashok Ojha
Edison, NJ: Chaotic scenes
erupted among community lead-
ers at a meeting here on July 12
to form preparatory committees
to hold a public reception for
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
during his US visit in September.
Accusations and counter-accusa-
tions were flying until Consul
General Dnyaneshwar Mulay
took to the stage and threatened
to leave the meeting if calm did-
nt prevail.
The meeting at TV Asia audito-
rium was addressed by leaders of
Overseas Friends of BJP as well
as others who flew in from
Chicago, Texas and Florida.
Some speakers led by Dr.
Bharat Barai solicited names of
those wishing to serve on any of
the committees. But there were
loud protests over the process of
these nominations. Dr. Barai, a
Indiana based physician and
community leader known for his
close ties with Modi, failed to
pacify the audience.
All we were trying to do is to
enable as many community or-
ganizations from all parts of USA
get represented in these commit-
tees as possible, Barai told The
South Asian Times. We must
use this opportunity to prove that
we, the people of Indian origin,
speak with one voice. Modi ji
Contd. on page 4...
By Jinal Shah
New York: The Consulate General of India in
New York and TV Asia organized a reception
at the consulate ballroom to honor Member of
Parliament, classical dancer, Bollywood star
Hema Malini on Tuesday.
Hema Malini is on a multicity tour of US to
perform Durga dance ballet with her 25 mem-
ber troupe of dancers and artists from Natya Vi-
har Kalakendra. Organized by Rhythm Asia, in
association with Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and
Share & Care Foundation, the dance-drama
culled out of Devi Bhagvatam and other Pu-
ranic lores comprises three episodes - of Sati
and Shiva, Sati reborn as Parvathi, and later the
manifestation of Durga to annihilate demon
Mahishasura. Hema Malini portrays all the
three facets of the Goddess - Sati, Parvathi and
Durga.
Over 30,000 people in 13 cities in North
America have already enjoyed her dramatic
two hour show in Hindi in the past 25 days.
Now the tour is on its last leg (one show was in
Flushing, NY on July 12, and one is scheduled
for Houston on July 19) before she assumes her
duty as the newly elected MP from Mathura.
All my life he (Lord Krishna) made me
dance for him, now he gave me a chance to
work in his land, she
By Prakash Bhandari
Jaipur: Former US President Bill
Clinton has some special affinity
with Jaipur. He visited the historic
city first in 2000 and was fascinat-
ed by its color and pageantry. He
came again after completing his
second term in Oval Office to meet
people of Naila, a village near the
Pink City that he visited on his first
sojourn. Now, during his third trip,
he visited a kitchen run by an
NGO, Akshaya Patra. Clinton
evinced keen interest in the kitchen
because the Clinton Foundation
helped Akshaya Patra secure a do-
nation of $2 million (from the
earth mover giant Caterpillar) for
the various kitchens for school-
children that the NGO set up in
nine states of the country including
Jaipur.
Clinton saw the processing of
food at the Akshaya Patra state-of-
the art kitchen in Jaipur that feeds
over 1.25 million schoolchildren
studying in 1,100 government run
schools as a mid-day meal program
in and around the city. The kitchen
prepares food also for the 20,000
Anganwadi workers and 4,000 dai-
ly wage laborers at over 40 loca-
tions across the city. Akshaya Patra
provides healthy meal at a meager
Rs 5. Clinton was shown around
the kitchen by Madhu Pandit Dasa,
chairman, and Gururaj Deshpande,
head of the US chapter of Akshaya
Patra. The US chapter raises $3-4
million annually to support the
NGOs free mid day meal program.
Jaipur royal Diya Kumari, who is
now an MLA, joined Clinton as he
served food to the school children.
Akshaya Patra feeds over one
million children daily across India.
The program is part of the Clinton
Global Initiative commitment to
action made by Akshaya Patra and
Deshpande Foundation.
Clad in a greenish bush shirt and
cotton trousers, Clinton also visited
a Sanskrit school where he was
greeted by children who danced in
colorful costumes. Two whiz kids
showed their skills in solving com-
plex mathematical equations in a
jiffy to the amazement of Clinton
and the donors accompanying him
in this trip to Asia Pacific. In the
US, Clinton Foundations initia-
tives led to 20,000 schools provid-
ing kids with healthy food choices
to combat childhood obesity. The
Clinton Foundations donors in-
clude Laxmi Mittal and Amar
Singh who given over $ 1 million
each. Cinton was scheduled to vis-
it a community centre and a school
in Lucknow on July 17.
BJP MP Hema Malini speaking at
the Indian consulate in NY
Clinton visits Jaipur for Akshaya
Patras school lunch program
CG steps in to stop bickering
over community reception for Modi
President Clinton at the
Akshaya Patra facility in
Jaipur on Wednesday..
Hema Malini seeks NRIs help to develop Mathura
W
e had arranged a
meeting, inviting 2
representatives of
every Indian American associa-
tion in NY-NJ area on July 12 at
the TV Asia Auditorium. The
meeting was attended by about
260 people. Some uninvited ele-
ments also attended.
At the beginning, it appeared
that a group of 9 people tried to
question the Authority of the
people holding the meeting.
Ankur Vaidya, president of FIA,
spoke. He was explained the
process and a document from
the embassy for the Madison
Square Garden was read.
The rest of the people were
not happy at such distraction
and tried to shout him out. We
handled the situation coolly and
calmly. We invited Mr Vaidya to
give his views briefly. Others
shouted him down. I requested
the guests to respect his right to
give his views.
He gave some points and
then he and 8 others left the
auditorium calmly. Several
speakers spoke and stressed the
importance of working in a unit-
ed fashion to present the best
show in support of PM Modi,
India and the Indian American
Community. We all emphasized
that we were all working as vol-
unteers for this cause.
Then Mr. Shalli Kumar from
Chicago (who was not invited)
came and stated that he had met
the Consul General of New York
2 days ago and the CG had
called him, advising that this
meeting should be adjourned
and the CG had told him that he
will appoint a new committee
for this event.
That threw everyone in con-
fusion. He further stated that
there was no need for fund-rais-
ing and he will give $1 million.
Several members protested that
one man was trying to buy out
the program. Some members
shouted at him that in the past,
he had made many such
Contd. on page 4...
Dr Barai sets the record straight
Dr Bharat Barai (left) finds
the interruption caused by
the FIA group and
Shalli Kumar (right).
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Continued on page 4
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4 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TURN PAGE
Modis diplomacy at BRICS:...
Continued from page 1
argued, "I firmly believe that terrorism, in
any shape or form, is against humanity.
A major achievement of the BRICS
group is an announcement Tuesday about
the creation of a new $100bn development
bank and emergency reserve fund. Modi
said an open international trading regime is
critical for global economic growth. China
is likely to get its way on having the
BRICS bank headquartered in Shanghai
while India, which wanted it based in New
Delhi, will have to settle for a first shot at
its presidency.
"Taking advantage of the unique interna-
tional stage offered by the BRICS summit,
Mr Modi has begun to put his own stamp
on India' s foreign policy. The PM has
matched his imaginative first diplomatic
steps towards the subcontinent by outlining
a practical approach to global issues and
India's important bilateral ties with Russia
and China," The Indian Express said in an
editorial.
Modi met Russian President Vladimir
Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS
Summit to expand the scope of bilateral
strategic partnership that has stood the test
of time.
He also met Chinese President Xi
Jinping, which, Indian papers said, saying it
will provide a "fresh start" to bilateral ties.
"Transforming the India-China relation-
ship can yield big prizes for the region and
indeed shake the world. Mr Modi should
not lose this opportunity," The Times of
India says.
The Asian Age echoes similar sentiments,
saying the meeting "appears to underscore
the interest in both countries to upgrade
mutual relations". Improvements in India-
China ties will also be significant for
regional stability, given Beijing's "strong
influence" on Pakistan, it adds.
Missile shot down Malaysian...
Continued from page 1
sible, a senior US official told CNN. The
Boeing 777 with 298 people aboard was on
the way from Amsterdam to Kuala
Lumpur. It was flying at about 33,000 feet
when the missile hit.
Igor Girkin, a Ukrainian separatist leader,
claimed responsibility on a popular
Russian social-networking site for the
downing of what he thought was a
Ukrainian military transport plane shortly
before reports that MH17 had crashed near
the rebel held Ukrainian city of Donetsk.
After news emerged that a commercial
airliner had been taken down and its pas-
sengers and crew likely killed, Girkin
reportedly erased his claims from his page
on VKontakte, a site similar to Facebook.
The records of internet archive site The
Wayback Machine appear to confirm that.
Modis coming visit creates...
Continued from page 1
credit for the public reception for Modi led
to chaotic scenes at a preparatory meeting
on July12 at TV Asia studio. (See details on
page 3
CG steps in to stop bickering...
Continued from page 3
doesnt represent a party, he belongs to all
of us, he said.
It was out of respect for Amb. Mulay
who intervened that calm returned to the
meeting. Speaking in Hindi, he appealed
to the community that they shouldnt miss
the opportunity of Modis visit to reflect
their united strength in USA. We should-
nt worry about who sits on the commit-
tees and who doesnt. Rather, we should
contribute positively towards holding a
successful community reception for the
prime minister, he said, adding that no
one besides the PM would occupy the dais
at the public reception.
According to Dr Barai, four preparatory
committees - namely, coordinating, fi-
nance, event management, and decoration
- will be formed. The venue will be a sta-
dium that can accommodate about 50, 000
people. According to sources close to the
organizers, one and half million dollars
will be raised for the event.
Dr Barai sets the record straight...
Continued from page 3
donation promises, but never donated a pen-
ny. Some members present texted to CG
about the use of his name. CG called me and
clarified that he had not stated any such
thing. He personally came there and clari-
fied the situation appropriately. His role was
very constructive.
Mr Shalli Kumars role in using name of
many dignitaries of India and Republican
officials is well known. The meeting ended
on a good note and work will proceed as
planned. I must emphasize that out of 260
representatives of associations, only 9 (7
univited) tried to create distraction and fal-
sify-dramatize in name of the CG of NY.
We have already filed an application
with Madison Square Garden and hope to
sign the contract ASAP. The rest of the
work is proceeding as usual.
Excerpted from Dr Bharat Barais email
to Hi India
Hema Malini seeks NRIs help...
Continued from page 3
said urging Indian American community to
help in whatever way possible especially in
the Yamuna cleaning project and healthcare
and education for people living in Mathura.
Other than financial help, I am looking for
your expertise to develop Mathura. I am open
to your ideas and suggestions and will pass
them to (Narendra) Modi ji and will get back
to you all. She is the first BJP MP to visit
America after the elections early this year.
Praising the fabled dancer, Consul General
Dnyaneshwar Mulay said, What I most ad-
mire about her is her unmatched level of en-
ergy. She is a true symbol of woman empow-
erment as a mother, dancer, actor, producer,
director and a politician.
Hema Malni promised her fans that she will
be back next year with her new show Radha
Rass-Bihari.
Hema Malini also inaugurated the Film and
Literature Club, an initiative by the Consulate
General of India. The idea behind the Club
FilLit is to bring forth Indian connections in
films or literature. We plan to showcase dif-
ferent genres of writing and film for the audi-
ence of FilLit. We will invite eminent writers,
film producers, directors, actors and other
personalities collaborating on any Indian
connection, said Amb. Mulay. This monthly
event will be open to all. The first event will
be on July 23- screening a rough cut of a
wonderful documentary Blue like me: The
Art of Siona Benjamin. Benjamin is an artist
who was raised in a Jewish community in
Mumbai.
Nadella defends
decision to lay off
18,000 at Microsoft
New York: Microsoft said Thursday it
would slash 18,000 jobs from its global
workforce over the next year, the majority
from the integration of the Nokia unit
acquired this year.
A Microsoft statement said the move is
part of "a restructuring plan to simplify its
operations and align the recently acquired
Nokia Devices and Services business with
the company's overall strategy."
The cuts represent about 14% of
Microsoft's global payroll of some 127,000.
The company will take a charge of between
$1.1 billion and $1.6 billion for costs related
to the layoffs.
CEO Satya Nadella said in an email to
employees that the "difficult but necessary"
cuts are part of a plan to bring a new strate-
gic direction to the US tech giant. It's impor-
tant to note that while we are eliminating
roles in some areas, we are adding roles in
certain other strategic areas."
Murdoch puts Time
Warner on his wish list
New York: Media mogul Rupert Murdoch
has made an $80 billion takeover offer for
Time Warner Inc., which would be the
biggest media deal in more than a decade.
While Time Warner has rebuffed his effort
and no talks are underway, Murdoch is
determined and unlikely to walk away any-
time soon, people briefed on the matter told
NYT. And he has a track record of pursuing
companies that first said no before giving in.
By bidding for Time Warner, Murdochs
21st Century Fox is seeking to create a
colossus in the TV and film industries at a
time when both face pressure from the grow-
ing power of cable companies like Comcast
and online video giants like Google.
New York: An Indian-origin
woman was found dead in a
swimming pool of a house,
where she was attending a party
and local police are investigating
the drowning incident.
The body of the victim, identi-
fied as Rajkumari Motwani, 55,
was found at the bottom of the
swimming pool when residents
of a home in Long Island were
cleaning up their backyard fol-
lowing a party on Saturday night.
They noticed a body in the
deep end of the backyard pool.
Police officers responded to a
911 call from the resident early
Sunday morning and Motwani's
body was pulled out from the wa-
ter, Suffolk Police said in a state-
ment.
She was a guest at the birthday
party and was pronounced dead
at the scene.
Suffolk County Police Homi-
cide Squad detectives are investi-
gating the drowning death.
Police have not found any
criminality in relation to Mot-
wani's death following a prelimi-
nary investigation.
Detectives are seeking infor-
mation from the public about the
incident.
Residents of home and other
party-goers, who have not been
identified, are cooperating with
the investigation.
A neighbor of the house where
the party happened said the party
ended at about 11:30 pm local
time.
She said two adult children live
in the house that was once inhab-
ited by their parents, who moved
to a different city two years ago.
5 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
S
t. George's (Grenada): The
United States based Chalak
Mitra Group (CMG) are the
new franchise owners of reigning
Caribbean Premier League (CPL)
Champions, Jamaica Tallawahs, or-
ganizers have announced.
The announcement was made here
after the Tallawahs posted a thrilling
opening round victory over St. Lucia
Zouks at the national stadium here at
the weekend, reports CMC.
"We're delighted to become the
new owners of the Jamaica
Tallawahs franchise," declared Man-
ish Patel, chairman and president of
CMG.
"As a group we are passionate
about cricket and after seeing the
success of the CPL last year, we
knew this was something we wanted
to be a part of."
CMG, founded by a group of en-
trepreneurs from India is headquar-
tered in Dallas, Texas, and owns and
operates restaurant concepts across
America, including one of the
largest KFC franchises in the coun-
try.
The group, through its restaurant
businesses, has sponsorship deals
with NBA teams, the Dallas Maver-
icks and Memphis Grizzlies, as well
as several initiatives at collegiate
and grassroots levels.
"The unique and vibrant culture of
Jamaica drew us towards the
Tallawahs, and given that Indo-Ja-
maican culture has flourished for
many years, we knew it was the
right choice," said Patel.
"We can't wait to get involved
with the team and become a part of
the Jamaican community."
Chris Gayle scored the first ever
CPL century as Tallawahs, who
emerged as champions from the in-
augural CPL last year, beat AZouks
to set the tone for an exciting second
season.
"It's a testament to the strength of
the CPL and the Jamaica Tallawahs
that we are able to welcome such a
respected new franchise owner,"
noted CPL CEO Damien O'Dono-
hoe.
"CMG is a hugely successful or-
ganization with vast experience and
a passion for sport. We're looking
forward to working with them as
they help us reinforce the success of
the CPL and develop new audiences
for the Biggest Party in Sport," he
added.
New York: An Indian-Ameri-
can boy will play Mowgli's char-
acter in Disney production's
"The Jungle Book" adaptation.
Neel Sethi, 10, a New York
boy, will star in the film as the
young boy who is raised by jun-
gle animals, according to the
The Hollywood Reporter.
Sethi will be the only actor to
appear onscreen in the project,
which is a combination of live
action and animation. Disney
has slated it for release in 3D
Oct 9, 2015.
Jon Favreau is the director of
the film and the script was writ-
ten by Justin Marks.
According to the report, Idris
Elba already has been cast as the
voice of the tiger Sher Khan, and
Ben Kingsley will voice the
black panther Bagheera. Scarlett
Johansson and Lupita Nyong'o
were also in talks for Disney's
take on Rudyard Kipling's clas-
sic tale.
"Casting is the most important
element of any film, and finding
the right kid to play Mowgli was
imperative," Favreau was quot-
ed as saying.
"Neel has tremendous talent
and charisma. There is a lot rid-
ing on his little shoulders and
I'm confident he can handle it,"
Favreau added.
New York: Siddharth Kara of
Harvard University, an Indian
American expert on human traf-
ficking and contemporary slav-
ery, has sued Indian filmmaker
Anurag Kashyap for defamation
and copyright infringement in the
Delhi High Court, charging that
Kashyap stole his idea for a film
about trafficking.
Kara is adjunct lecturer in pub-
lic policy and director of the pro-
gram on human trafficking and
modern slavery at the Kennedy
School of Government at Harvard
University.
According to an Hindustan
Times report Kara alleges that the
script of the film Sold has sev-
eral substantial similarities to
unique and creative elements
present in my (Siddharth Kara)
script and book (Sex Trafficking:
Inside the Business of Modern
Slavery).
According to Kara, Kashyap
read Karas script and worked
with Kara on selecting loca-
tions for the film.
Dr. Kara is delusional,
Kashyap told the paper. I
guess Dr. Kara has probably
written only one thing in life
and he thinks no one else in the
world would be working on
the subject of human traffick-
ing. Karas lawsuit also men-
tions producer Guneet Monga,
actress Nandita Das, the films
director Jeffrey D. Brown and
producer Jane Charles.
Sold has screened at the
Indian Film Festival of Los
Angeles and the Cinequest
film festival in San Jose,
Calif.and is now being readied
for an Indian theatrical re-
lease.
NY boy Neel Sethi to play
Mowgli in Disney film
US-based Indian company,
new owners of Jamaica Tallawahs
Harvard expert on modern slavery
Kara sues Kashyap over film Sold
Neel Sethi
Siddharth Kara, director of
program on human
trafficking and modern
slavery at Kennedy School of
Government
Indian American woman
in LI found dead
in backyard pool
6 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
New York, NY: Responding to re-
ports that NSA and FBI officials
may have used the ethnic slur rag-
head in surveillance programs tar-
geting American Muslims, the Sikh
Coalition has filed a Freedom of In-
formation Act (FOIA) request with
both agencies demanding produc-
tion of all employee emails since
September 11, 2001 that contain
the anti-Sikh epithets raghead
and towelhead.
According to the FOIA request,
disclosure of the requested infor-
mation to us is in the public interest
because it is likely to contribute
significantly to public understand-
ing of the extent to which [agency]
employees have used epithets indi-
cating prejudice in official corre-
spondence. Since the 9/11 attacks,
Sikh Americans have repeatedly
endured violence and bigotry be-
cause of their religiously-mandated
turbans. Many have been called
ragheads or towelheads. In
August 2012, a gunman with
known ties to neo-Nazi groups at-
tacked a Gurdwara (Sikh House of
Worship) in Oak Creek, Wisconsin,
killing six worshippers and injuring
several others, including a local law
enforcement officer. In the months
after the massacre, a Sikh business
owner was shot and injured in Port
Orange, Florida; a Sikh octogenar-
ian was beaten with a steel rod in
Fresno, California; and a Sikh pro-
fessor was assaulted in New York
City. Given the persistence of hate
violence against Sikh Americans,
and after a lengthy campaign by the
Sikh Coalition, civil rights groups,
and numerous members of Con-
gress, the FBI finally agreed in
2013 to begin tracking hate crimes
against Sikhs.
As Americans, we expect law
enforcement officials to behave
like adults, said Amardeep Singh,
Program Director of the Sikh
Coalition. The Sikh Coalition will
not tolerate the use of racial or reli-
gious slurs by people who are sup-
posed to protect us.
We therefore demand a full ac-
counting of NSA and FBI emails to
determine the extent to which
agency employees are combating
bigotry, not promoting it.
New York: Urban Outfitters
(UO), a publicly traded retail
company headquartered in
Philadelphia which offers a vari-
ety of lifestyle merchandise, has
removed Lord Ganesha Duvet
Cover from its website after Hin-
dus protested calling it inappropri-
ate.
Hindu statesman Rajan Zed,
who spearheaded the protest,
thanked UO for understanding the
concerns of Hindu community,
which thought Lord Ganeshas
image on duvet cover was highly
inappropriate and trivializing of
highly revered Hindu deity.
Zed said that an official apolo-
gy from UO to the upset Hindu
community was still due as it was
their second incident trivializing
Lord Ganesha. First was socks
carrying Lord Ganeshas image,
which were removed in December
last. Moreover, it was sad that it
took UO 12 days to act after they
were informed, Zed added.
He suggested UO and other cor-
porations worldwide to send their
senior executives for training in
religious and cultural sensitivity
so that they had an understanding
of the feelings of customers and
communities when creating new
products or launching advertising
campaigns.
By Jinal Shah
New York: For the second time in a
row, Splendid Indian Closet fashion
show dazzled the desi American
fashionistas in New York. After a
successful first edition last year with
Indias two top designers, this year
saw 12 fashion mavens showcasing
their work to a packed audience at
the Taj Pierre on Saturday.
The Splendid India Fashion Clos-
et Tour showcased Indian couture
and pret lines by designers includ-
ing Jaya Misra, Satya Paul, Sid-
dartha Tytle, Masaba Gupta, Joy
Mitra, Samant Chauhan, Amit Tal-
war, Rajdeep Ranawat, Ankita
Chaudhry, Rosy Ahluwalia and fi-
nale by Suneet Verma. The themes
ranged from Devadasis to celebrat-
ing women empowerment and cele-
brating global Indians to just fash-
ion!
"We recognized the need for In-
dian haute couture in the United
States. India is a fashion treasure
trove with its art, heritage, textiles
and costuming which inspires bril-
liant design talent. We look to curate
this talent and have the best design-
ers from India gain exposure in the
West," said Sapna M Vats, Co-
founder, Splendid Indian Closet
Fashion Tour.
Jaya Misras designs opened the
show with a collection aptly entitled
Jai Ho. The first half of her run-
way debut collection highlighted the
Indo Western fusion theme whereas
the second half concentrated on
weaves and Tana Bana. Designer
Amit Talwar was up next. Inspired
by the legendry actress Rekha his
collection Umrao Jaan had a regal
allure attracting women scouting for
bridal finery.
While returning designer Joy Mi-
tras collection was heavily influ-
enced by Devadasi based on girls
who dedicate their lives in worship
of God, Rosy Ahluwalia's collec-
tion showcased ethnic and western
women wear in shades of green,
gold and red in her Women Power
collection. It comprised of floor-
length anarkalis, skirts and gowns
enhanced by use of gota, zardozi
and Swarovski work.
While bridal brigade (a growing
market) and Indian stores may con-
sider buying traditional collections
or outfits it may not be viable for the
international market making it hard
to push traditional Indian on the
shop floors and to those who love to
wear casual Indian wear. Not
everyone is the US is getting mar-
ried or attending a wedding. For
those of us who want to wear Indian
cloths for a casual dinner or a get-to-
gether there were hardly any options
in the show, said Shazia Wahedna
of Shazya Entertainment LLC.
However for some fashion con-
scious looking for less embellishing,
less ornate, Masaba Guptas cre-
ations struck a chord with her edgy
yet ethnic creations. The biggest
problem I am facing is with the shelf
life of Indian cloths. Indian fashion
is ever evolving and I am stuck with
wearing the same old heavily embel-
lished out of fashion cloths which
clearly become fashion faux pas. I
can relate to Masaba's collection, its
young, its chic and its me, said
Tanvi Mehta, one of the attendee.
With beautiful silk, neutral color
palette and just the right amount of
gold, New York debutant Samant
Chauhans majestic Rajputana col-
lection too offered a balance for
women who love the luxury and rich
feeling of Indian wear but who do
not want to go overboard with colors
and embellishments. The grand fi-
nale had renowned designer Suneet
Verma showcasing his opulent
bridal collection.
Sikh Coalition les FOIA Request for NSA and FBI Raghead documents
IACFNJ to celebrate Indias
68th I-Day on August 17
Samant Chauhans Rajputana collection
Model sashays a
Masaba creation
Fashion event brings Indian designers to New York
New Jersey: Indo-American Cul-
tural Foundation of Central New
Jersey (IACFNJ), a non-profit or-
ganization in central jersey will
celebrate Indias 68th Independ-
ence Day on August 17from 11
a.m. to 2 p.m. at Reichler Park, 540
Ridge Road, South Brunswick,
New Jersey. Approximately 400 to
500 people are expected to attend
this fun-filled patriotic event is free
and open to all public.
After last four years grand suc-
cess and overwhelming communi-
ty support, the organizers and ex-
ecutive committee of IACFNJ
once again are getting ready to or-
ganize 2014 patriotic celebration
of Indias Independence Day event
with fun-filled entertainment and
cultural activities, dance perform-
ances, traditional Indian dances,
patriotic dances, childrens activi-
ties, DJ, live music and authentic
food sampling. The program will
include the American and Indian
Anthems followed by the local and
state public officials and digni-
tarys addresses to the attendees
and fun filled patriotic dances from
the young and talented kids from
the renowned dance groups from
New Jersey.
The live DJ and music entertain-
ment with live patriotic songs will
be performed by local group. The
authentic Indian food sampling
will be sponsored by the local busi-
nesses. The henna tattoos, face
paintings and moon walk and
bounce will be the attractions for
the young kids for the event. Many
young high school students will
provide their community volunteer
services during this event. The
volunteer participants will be
awarded with certificate of volun-
teerism.
The duvet had
Ganeshas image on it
Urban Outtters removes Ganesha duvet cover after Hindus protest
7 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Washington, DC: An Osmania Universi-
ty, Hyderabad, graduate Viji Murali, has
been named chief information officer and
vice provost of Information and Educa-
tional Technology at the University of
California, Davis.
Murali, an IT veteran in higher educa-
tion, is coming to Davis from Washington
State University, where she has served as
vice president for Information Services
and CIO for the WSU system since 2007.
"UC Davis is incredibly fortunate to re-
cruit someone with Viji's experience and
expertise," Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi
said in announcing Murali's appointment.
"She is a leader in her field, and her ef-
forts will be essential in realizing our Vi-
sion of Excellence."
She succeeds Pete Siegel, who left UC
Davis a year ago. Professor Prasant Mo-
hapatra has served as interim vice provost
and CIO in the meantime.
Murali is set to start her new job on Aug
18. "I am excited to be joining a universi-
ty with such a wonderful reputation, to
lead the IT enterprise that contributes to the
university's excellence, in everything from
student success to research.
"I intend to develop a shared vision with the
faculty, staff and students, and we will move
the institution to even greater heights," she
said.
She received a bachelor's degree in biology
and chemistry from the Women's College at
Osmania University, India (1975), and a mas-
ter's in organic chemistry from Osmania's
College of Science (1977).
She then joined the Regional Research Lab-
oratory, affiliated with Osmania, and worked
there toward a doctoral degree in organic
chemistry until 1981.
Then, as a newlywed, she moved to the US
to join her husband, Subra Muralidharan, who
was a postdoctoral researcher at Notre Dame
and subsequently at Iowa State University.
Washington, DC: Three leading
Democratic lawmakers have vowed to
engage with the Indian-American com-
munity to identify possible areas for
near-term collaboration and work to
address challenges in the US-India part-
nership.
The three - Steny H. Hoyer, Joe
Crowley and Eliot L. Engel - voiced their
commitment to engaging with the Indian-
American community on issues concern-
ing the future of US-India relationship at
a roundtable here Thursday.
Hoyer is House Democratic Whip,
Crowley is Vice Chair of the Democratic
Caucus and co-chair of the
Congressional Caucus on India and
Indian-Americans and Engel is the lead-
ing Democrat on the House Committee
on Foreign Affairs.
The lawmakers were joined by mem-
bers of the Indian-American community,
business leaders, diplomats, and Obama
Administration officials to explore poten-
tial avenues for closer collaboration
between the two countries.
"America has much to gain through
close engagement and partnership with
the world' s largest democracy," said
Hoyer.
"A stronger India is positive for the
United States and the world, and could
serve as a force for greater stability, secu-
rity, and prosperity."
"The United States and India aren't just
friends, we are natural partners rooted in
our shared values and interests," said
Crowley.
"From economic ties and tourism, to
defence and cultural relations, the multi-
faceted relationship between the US and
India is growing at a rapid pace."
"And as India has assumed an essential
role on the global stage, US-India ties
have never been more relevant," he said.
"This dialogue is an important step in
fostering the US-India relationship and
discovering new opportunities to grow
and develop what has the potential of
becoming the most important bilateral
relationship in the world."
"The ties between the United States and
India will be one of the defining partner-
ships of the 21st century," said Engel.
"India has become an important eco-
nomic, political, and security partner for
the United States and we must find ways
to further strengthen the many areas
where we are already working together,"
he said.
Former Shopping.com CEO and eBay executive with deep
e-commerce, marketing and advertising expertise set to
position LivingSocial for growth in evolving market
Viji Murali named CIO of US varsity
Living Social appoints E-bays
Gautam Thakar as new CEO
Washington, DC: LivingSocial, a leading
online marketplace has appointed Gautam
Thakar as its new Chief Executive Officer
and President. He will assume the role pre-
viously held by Tim OShaughnessy, who
announced earlier this year his intention to
step down.
We knew we wanted a new CEO with
the ability to drive the business forward
with energy, vision and deep e-commerce
knowledge. The Board and I met with a
number of exceptional candidates, and we
all believe that Gautam is the perfect fit for
the future of LivingSocial, stated
OShaughnessy.
Thakar joins LivingSocial from eBay
Inc., where he has spent over a decade in
general management and leadership roles.
As CEO of Shopping.com (an eBay acqui-
sition), he drove the transformation to a
data-driven, demand-generating advertising
business, which he leads in his current role
as GM for eBays overall Advertising busi-
ness. Previously, he served as the head of
International Marketing for eBay and as
country manager of eBay India.
Thakar started his career in brand man-
agement at Procter & Gamble in Asia.
LivingSocial is well-positioned to play a
growing role in demand generation for both
local and national merchants, stated
Gautam Thakar. This is a huge opportunity
that will be realized by delighting con-
sumers with personalized services and
experiences at great prices. I am excited to
join LivingSocial at this important chapter
in its journey and help build on all the
accomplishments that Tim and the team
have achieved so far.
US lawmakers to foster closer
India ties through community
Viji Murali will join
University of California, Davis
Gautam Thakar
Corporate Office: 385 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385
718.821.3182, www.AtlanticDialysis.Com
8 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
New York: UCLA alumnus Sunny Tripathy
entered a general meeting at 20th Century
Fox hoping to work as a staffer for one of
the networks television shows. He walked
out of the meeting with his own TV devel-
opment deal, according to dailybruin.com.
Tripathy and 20th Century Fox agreed that
he would produce a comedy series based on
his personal and family experiences. Al-
though the shows title and details concern-
ing its premise are still confidential, Tripa-
thy is already working on the pilot script.
The shows success depends on whether a
network buys the series.
Tripathy, who graduated from UCLA in
2012, has written and directed three short
films for which he received numerous
awards. He won the award for best drama
and the Peoples Choice Award at UCLAs
Campus MovieFest in 2011 for Naked In-
nocence, a film about a young Indian boy
who struggles with school bullies and un-
forgiving parents. In addition, he wrote and
directed Keeping Up With the Guptas, a
comedic web series about an Indian family
and its everyday problems. Although this se-
ries and his upcoming show share the same
inspiration, Tripathy said the 20th Century
Fox show will experiment with new charac-
ters and stories.
Washington, DC: Ami Bera, the lone In-
dian-American member of US House of
Representatives, has called for an open di-
alogue with India on issues like liability
concerns to open Indian energy market to
US companies.
"As we move forward, it's important to
continue to have an open dialogue with the
Indian Government about issues like liabil-
ity concerns so we can tackle India's ener-
gy needs and open their energy market to
US companies," he said Thursday.
"That will benefit both our countries'
economies," he said participating in a
House Committee on Foreign Affairs hear-
ing on international civilian nuclear coop-
eration.
India's tough liability law has stalled op-
erationalization of the landmark 2008 In-
dia-US civilian nuclear agreement with US
companies fearing the law disproportion-
ately burdens suppliers of nuclear equip-
ment in case of an accident.
"With a new government in India, we
have an opportunity to work together to
continue our partnership and strengthen our
economic relationship," Bera said.
"We should make sure that as we en-
counter challenges, we maintain open
channels of communication to find solu-
tions that benefit both our great nations," he
said. Bera also expressed happiness with
"India's significant step in ratifying an In-
ternational Atomic Energy Agency agree-
ment that will open its civilian nuclear pro-
gram to unannounced spot inspections."
Washington, DC: A young Indian
mathematician, Nikhil Srivastava,
has been named a joint winner of
the prestigious George Polya Prize
for finding proof of a riddle that
had eluded mathematicians for
more than half a century.
Srivastava of Microsoft Re-
search India and Adam W. Marcus
and Daniel A. Spielman from Yale
University will be presented the
2014 George Plya Prize at the
July 7-11annual meeting of the
Society for Industrial and Applied
Mathematics (SIAM), in Chicago.
The trio had announced the
proof of what is known as the
Kadison-Singer conjecture, first
proposed by Richard Kadison and
Isadore Singer in 1959, pertaining
to the mathematical foundations of
quantum mechanics about a year
ago.
The Plya Prize named after a
Hungarian mathematician credited
with fundamental advances in
combinatorics, numerical analy-
sis, number theory, and probabili-
ty theory, is presented by SIAM
every two years.
Citing an email received by Sri-
vastava, Inside Microsoft Re-
search blog said the selection
committee wanted to recognize
him and his colleagues "for the so-
lution to the Kadison-Singer prob-
lem."
"Not only have Marcus, Spiel-
man, and Srivastava proved an im-
portant conjecture, which has con-
sequences in various areas of
mathematics, but their elegant
methods promise to be applicable
to a broad range of other prob-
lems, as well," the citation contin-
ued. In a post written by Srivasta-
va on the Windows on Theory
blog shortly after the conjecture
was proved, he emphasized the
discrepancy-theoretic nature of the
new result and explained its appli-
cation for partitioning graphs into
expanders.
"It is definitely inspiring and
motivating to be put on a list with
so many great mathematicians,"
Srivastava was quoted as saying.
Winning awards is rewarding,
but for Srivastava, the true reward
for his research is in extending its
relevance, "My focus is mainly to
better understand the techniques
that went into this proof," he said.
"I suspect it is an instance of much
more general phenomena, rather
than a one-off."
The Kadison-Singer problem
asks, at its core, if unique informa-
tion can be extrapolated from a
scenario in which not all features
can be observed or measured, ac-
cording to Yale News.
The idea is particularly relevant
to abstract fields, including quan-
tum physics, operator theory, com-
plex analysis, graph theory, signal
processing, and finite-dimensional
geometry, it said.
New York: Indian American Jai
Khanna, an executive at Brillstein
Entertainment Partners, is set to co-
produce The Black Prince, a film
based on the tragic real-life story of
Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last king
of north Indian state Punjab, India
West reported.
Written and directed by Los Ange-
les-based actor-filmmaker Kavi Raz,
who helmed 2006 9/11 drama The
Gold Bracelet, the movie will have
an international cast and crew and is
scheduled to go on floors late Sep-
tember.
The film has a budget of around $5
million and is out to potential pro-
ducing partners in India. The Black
Prince a bilingual English-Hindi
project set in India and the UK,
marks the acting debut of Punjabi
singer-poet Satinder Sartaaj.
Sartaaj plays Maharaja Duleep
Singh, the last Sikh Maharaja and
son of the powerful ruler Ranjit
Singh who was given the throne
at the age of five, after the death of
his father.
After Punjab was annexed to
British India in 1849, the young ruler
was removed from the throne and
sent to England. He attempted to re-
turn to India and reclaim the throne
but was stopped by the British. Singh
died as a pauper alone in a Paris ho-
tel in 1893.
Indian math whiz wins Polya Prize
for solving knotty riddle
Keeping Up With the Guptas
creator Tripathy inks deal
with 20th Century Fox
Brillstein to co-produce movie
on Maharaja Duleep Singh
Congressman Bera for dialogue
with India on nuclear issues
Congressman Ami Bera
Sunny Tripathy
(L to R) Srivastava, Marcus, and Spielman soon after
completing the proof of the Kadison-Singer Problem.
New York: Priya Haji, a Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur known for
her focus on socially-minded ventures in both the for-profit and non-
profit spaces, most recently as CEO and co-founder of personal finan-
cial savings app SaveUp, passed away unexpectedly of natural causes
on July 14th at the age of 44, the TechCrunch reported.
Prior to founding SaveUp, Haji co-founded and led World of Good,
a marketplace for fair trade and sustainable goods made by female
artisans from developing countries. World of Good was acquired by
eBay in February 2010. Haji founded her first social venture, a free
health clinic in her hometown of Bryan, Texas, while she was still in
high school, according to a 2011 profile published in Forbes. Haji
earned a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from UC
Berkeley.
Chicago-based entrepreneur Cheryl Dahle has established a crowd-
funding campaign on Fundly to help support Hajis young children, a
11-month-old daughter and 2-year-old son.
Techpreneur Priya Haji passes away at 44
San Francisco: A plan backed by venture
capitalist Tim Draper to split California into
six states has gained enough signatures to
make the November 2016 ballot, the plan's
backers say.
A Twitter account belonging to the non-
profit Six Californias tweeted on Monday
that "#SixCalifornias will be submitting sig-
natures in Sacramento tomorrow for place-
ment on the November 2016 ballot. Stay
tuned for coverage!"
Roger Salazar, a spokesman for the cam-
paign, said it's gathered more than the
808,000 signatures needed to place the meas-
ure on the ballot, Reuters reported.
Draper is a founding member of the venture
capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetsen, known
for its investments in successful growth ven-
tures such as Hotmail, Baidu, Tesla Motors
and Skype. Recently, Draper won the federal
government's auction of bitcoins once owned
by online drugs portal Silk Road. He's cham-
pioned the political break-up of the state for
over a year, but it's taken until recently for the
plan to gain some momentum.
Draper and other supporters of the break-up
argue that the state's 38 million people would
be better served by smaller governments and
elected officials who would be able to work
more closely with their constituents.
The six carved out states would look like
this:
Jefferson: The northern part of the state,
including Humboldt and Mendocino coun-
ties.
North California: The wine country
counties of Sonoma and Napa, as well as the
Sierra Nevada region.
Silicon Valley: Including San Francisco,
San Jose and most of what's considered the
San Francisco Bay Area.
Central California: The vast central val-
ley farm region, including Tulare and Fresno
counties.
West California: Including Santa Barbara
and Los Angeles.
South California: Including what's called
the Inland Empire of San Bernadino and
Riverside, plus San Diego.
The plan has met with resistance from Cal-
ifornia's Democratic majority, and a Field
Poll found 59% of Californians surveyed
were against the plan, according to the San
Francisco Chronicle.
US AFFAIRS 9 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
New York: New York City will offer
a municipal identity card for all resi-
dents, including illegal immigrants,
amid a federal-level deadlock over
immigration reforms that seeks to
provide citizenship to some 11 mil-
lion undocumented people, including
Indians.
The ID card will be issued to all
residents of the five NYC boroughs,
regardless of their immigration sta-
tus. The city administration would
immediately initiate implementation
of the program, with the goal of
launching the new ID card in January
2015.
The card would be issued at no
cost for applicants during the pro-
gram's first year.
"We cannot accept a city where
some of our residents are forced to
live fearfully in the shadows, unable
to visit their child's school or sign a
lease. This legislation will begin to
provide New Yorkers with the digni-
ty and peace of mind they deserve,"
Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
The card would ensure access to
city services and grant admission to
all municipal buildings to all city's
residents, including the undocument-
ed residents. The city is also aiming
to have the card recognized by
banks, as well as connecting the ID
with stores, restaurants, cultural in-
stitutions and other incentive pro-
grams. The applicants will have to
furnish proof of their identity and
their residency in New York, which
currently has 8.4 million residents.
The city would protect the confiden-
tiality of all municipal ID card appli-
cations, and would not ask applicants
about their immigration status.
By Attorney General
Eric T. Schneiderman
I
n the last three years, crime has
decreased across the board in
New York. Murder and burgla-
ry are down by double digits. At the
same time, the states prison popula-
tion has declined 4%. That is in
large part thanks to our shared ef-
forts to tackle crime in a way that is
both tough and smart. While some
folks are still pushing to bring back
the draconian drug laws from a by-
gone era policies that flooded our
prisons but did nothing to make our
streets safer we have chosen a path
that actually works.
Those of us in law enforcement
cannot and will not tolerate violent
predators or gangs that flood our
streets with illegal drugs. That is
why my offices Organized Crime
Task Force has worked with police
departments across the state to break
up some of the largest gangs and
drug trafficking rings in New York.
Since 2011, we have taken down 17
of the largest drug rings, busting at
least 345 dealers.
I partnered with leaders in the
public health and law enforcement
communities to pass the Internet
System for Tracking Overprescrib-
ing -- I-STOP -- which requires doc-
tors and pharmacists to check a real-
time database to see if a patient has
one prescription for pain pills or
20. By flagging addicts who are
doctor-shopping to get their pain
pills before they make the move to
cheaper, more dangerous drugs like
heroin, we are severing a key link in
the chain of addiction and steering
addicted patients into treatment.
Being tough and smart on crime
means partnering with responsible
gun owners and our local colleagues
in law enforcement to keep danger-
ous weapons out of our communi-
ties. That is why I have worked with
police departments across the state
to host gun buybacks. Together, we
have taken more than 800 guns off
the streets. That is also why I part-
nered with gun show operators to
develop an innovative set of proce-
dures that guarantee a background
check is performed for every
firearm sold at a gun show in New
York.
We figured out that this epidemic
of smart phone thefts would end if
we could force the industry to install
kill switches into every smart phone
so they can be shut off the way you
cancel your credit card. Initially, the
industry resisted. But in just one
year, the Secure Our Smartphones
Initiative has pressured some major
smartphone makers into installing
kill switches. And it is working. Pre-
liminary statistics suggest crimes
targeting products with theft-deter-
rent features fell, even as crimes tar-
geting smartphones from manufac-
turers that refused to install those
features rose. No approach to crime
no matter how tough or smart
can work if we dont protect the
people protecting us. When I
learned that Congress had gutted a
federal program to help local police
departments buy bulletproof vests
for their officers, I created the in-
VEST Partnership. This $3.5 mil-
lion program uses funds seized from
criminals to help police departments
buy body armor for their officers.
A shorter version of
New York Attorney
General Eric T.
Schneidermans op-
ed first published in
Huffington Post.
Washington: House Republicans are push-
ing ahead with a plan to sue President Oba-
ma, accusing him of trying to sidestep Con-
gress and make his own laws.
But the president is also using the suit,
which is considered a long shot in legal terms,
to score political points.
House Speaker John Boehner says the law-
suit will focus on the administration's deci-
sion to postpone the requirement in the Af-
fordable Care Act that large employers pro-
vide health insurance for their workers.
But the White House describes the suit as a
"taxpayer-funded political stunt," and the
president used it as a convenient punch line
this week during a boisterous campaign-style
rally in Austin, Texas.
There he told a friendly crowd that Repub-
licans are upset with him just for doing his
job.
"I've got a better idea: Do something," Oba-
ma said. "If you're mad at me for helping peo-
ple on my own, let's team up. Let's pass some
bills."
Obama complains that Republican law-
makers, especially in the House, have
blocked action that many Americans support,
such as immigration reform and a higher min-
imum wage.
In the face of congressional stalemates,
Obama says he'll continue to exercise his ex-
ecutive powers whenever possible. But
Boehner says that in doing so, the president
has overstepped his authority, which is why
the Republican-led Rules Committee will is
to meet to consider greenlighting the lawsuit.
"This isn't about me suing the president. It's
not about Republicans versus Democrats,"
Boehner said. "This is about the legislative
branch being disadvantaged by the executive
branch."
Obama suggests the complaints are driven
by party politics, and that while he'll often
highlight executive orders to show he's not
hamstrung by Congress, he's actually issued
fewer than any president since Grover Cleve-
land.
Mayor Bill
de Blasio
last
Thursday
signed into
law a plan
to offer
municipal
IDs to all
residents.
House GOP going ahead with
plan to sue Obama
Six Californias plan may
make 2016 ballot
NYC to provide ID card for all,
including the undocumented
House Speaker John Boehner said last
week that the GOP-controlled House
will file a lawsuit accusing President
Obama of failing to carry out laws like
on healthcare passed by Congress .
OPINION
The right way to be tough and smart on crime
10 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA
Brasilia/New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi called upon South American
countries to come together "to seek faster
growth and newer avenues of generating
prosperity, find solutions to the challenge of
poverty and preserve our environment, and
use our resources well".
He was addressing a group of South
American leaders in Brazil's capital to foster
cooperation between the two regions.
Assuring that India seeks to "work more
closely with South America than ever before.
At the bilateral level, as a BRICS member, in
the G-77, as well as other international
forums", the prime minister said that dis-
tance is not a barrier to opportunities.
"I firmly believe, the possibilities of coop-
eration are limited not by distance but only
by our imagination and efforts. We have
much to learn from each other, in our jour-
ney towards inclusive and sustainable devel-
opment. We must share with each other, our
experiences, best practices and innovative
solutions. India stands committed to the
same."
He said that there is a growing presence of
Indian investors in South America. But
pointed out that it is still well below poten-
tial. "From hydrocarbons to pharma, textiles
to leather, engineering goods to automobiles;
the range of opportunities is enormous,"
Modi said.
"We must utilize, the Preferential Trade
Agreement between India and the MERCO-
SUR Trade Block, and Chile, more effective-
ly. We also attach importance, to the South
American and Caribbean Business Conclave
held every year in India. A similar invest-
ment conclave is being organised in October
in India.
"Almost 250 students from South America
have been taking courses in India every year
under our International Technical and
Economic Cooperation programme. I how-
ever believe, that this is not enough. We
intend to substantially increase the same," he
added.
The prime minister said that India will
establish Centres of Excellence in
Information Technology in South American
countries to share its expertise in information
technology.
"I am pleased, that India has deputed
experts, to countries in the South American
region in the fields of agriculture, horticul-
ture, disaster management, communications
and law. We are also working together in
renewable energy," he said.
Modi also offered to expand cooperation in
areas like tele-medicine, tele-education and
e-governance. "We extend our space capabil-
ities for weather forecasting, resource map-
ping and disaster management," he said.
Citing popularity in India of authors and
poets from South America like Octavio Paz,
Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Pablo Neruda,
he said that both India and South America
share a deep bond.
"Similarly, our national poet, Rabindranath
Tagore, is widely loved here. South America
is also home to a large number of Indians,
many of whom came centuries ago.
Generations later, they remain a strong
bridge of friendship, between our nations,"
the prime minister said.
South America is emerging as a contributor
to India's energy and food security. The
countries of region have been supplying over
two billion dollars worth of minerals every
year to India. Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador and
Colombia have been supplying crude oil.
Washington: Highlighting
the critical role that a strong
India will play in shaping the
Asian landscape, the US
hopes to have a "strong and
collaborative partnership"
with the new Modi govern-
ment.
"Successive administra-
tions have made the strategic
bet that a rising India is in
the US interest," US point
person for South Asia Nisha
Desai Biswal told a Senate
panel in a hearing on
"Indispensable Partners:
Reenergizing US-India
Ties." The "unprecedented
mandate" received by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and the
Bharatiya Janata Party in India's
"historic election", had "also creat-
ed a historic opportunity to re-
energise our relationship," she
said. Noting that Asia's "success
will depend on choices Asian
nations and their partners make,"
Biswal said: "A strong India will
play a critical role in the coming
decades in shaping this Asian
landscape, and our partnership
with India will play an increasing-
ly important role in that context."
Biswal noted that the Modi gov-
ernment has identified infrastruc-
ture, manufacturing, modernizing
the military, energy security,
attracting greater foreign invest-
ment, and expanding access to
skills training and education as its
key priorities.
In all these areas that "We think
the United States, including our
businesses and universities, can
play an important role in helping
address the challenges India faces
and creating opportunities that
benefit both countries," she said.
Biswal said the US was "confi-
dent we can work in a strong and
collaborative partnership with the
Modi government to grow our
economic and strategic relations
with India in a way that benefits
both countries and both
economies."
This year's US-India Strategic
Dialogue co-chaired by US
Secretary of State John Kerry and
Minister of External Affairs
Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi later
this month will highlight how US-
India ties promote shared prosper-
ity in both countries, she said.
Chandigarh: With political activi-
ty in Haryana reaching a feverish
pitch, there are indications that
assembly elections in the state are
round the corner.
Political parties and leaders seem
to be in an overdrive these days to
complete things well in time before
the Election Commission
announces the election dates.
The term of the 90-member
assembly gets over Oct 27.
Balloting has to be held before
that. However, with most of
October enveloped by the festival
season, there are indications that
the poll panel might opt for polling
in September.
Senior police officers say the
Election Commission has been told
that it would be difficult to spare
police personnel for election duty
in October.
But the Election Commission
may decide the election dates
based on when it plans assembly
polls in states like Maharashtra,
Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi.
The manner the Congress gov-
ernment of Bhupinder Singh
Hooda last week rushed through
with a bill to hand over control of
Sikh shrines in the state to a new
body and take them out of the
ambit of the Amritsar-based
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak
Committee (SGPC) betrayed a cer-
tain urgency.
The bill was introduced in the
assembly on the very first day of
the monsoon session and passed
within three hours. The Indian
National Lok Dal (INLD) and the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
walked out over the manner the bill
was rushed through.
The assent of Haryana Governor
Jagannath Pahadia was obtained to
make it into an act. Pahadia is at
the fag end of his term which ends
this month. Despite the SGPC and
the Shiromani Akali Dal urging
him to seek legal opinion over the
controversial issue, Pahadia gave
his assent.
Chief Minister Hooda too is quite
active these days with press confer-
ences and rallies. Advertisements
being issued by his government in
print and electronic media indicate
an urgency to take steps before the
poll dates are announced and the
model code of conduct comes into
force.
Hooda, who has been chief min-
ister since March 2005 (in two
terms), seems confident that the
Congress will return to power for a
third term. This is despite the fact
that the Congress was routed in the
parliamentary polls. It won just one
of the 10 seats. In 2009, it had won
nine seats.
The BJP, which won seven of the
10 Lok Sabha seats and led in over
60 assembly constituencies, wants
to go it alone in the assembly elec-
tions. Its alliance with the Haryana
Janhit Congress (HJC) led by for-
mer MP Kuldeep Bishnoi, son of
former chief minister Bhajan Lal,
is nearing a breakup.
The BJP is, for the first time,
hopeful of winning the state elec-
tions on its own. Till now, the BJP,
which did not have a strong base in
Haryana, used to play second fid-
dle to other parties.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP),
which landed in Haryana with a lot
of promise, has decided not to con-
test the assembly elections after the
extremely poor faring of its candi-
dates in the Lok Sabha battle. All
its 10 candidates lost their security
deposit.
Come together to generate prosperity, meet challenges: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with South American Leaders during BRICS.
The BJP is, for the first time, hopeful of winning the
state elections on its own.
US seeks strong partnership
with Modi government
Is Haryana headed for early elections?
US Secretary of State John Kerry will
meet Minister of External Affairs
Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi
later this month
INDIA
By Vikas Datta
M
ulk taksim huye, dil to abhi ek
hai/Isi liye hamne khidkiyan kat
rakhi hai deewaron mein (The
nations were divided, but hearts are still
one/That is why we've cut windows into the
walls (between us))", wrote an Urdu poet.
Divided amid bloodshed, experiencing long
spells of adverse relations punctuated by
armed conflict, Indians and Pakistanis have
however never lost their fascination for
each other - despite the prevalent stereo-
types.
The enthusiastic response to a bouquet of
Pakistani shows on an Indian cable TV
channel is proof enough.
It is also a major step to breaking down
these walls, which were rendered quite
redundant by those with internet, but the
importance of a symbolic measure cannot
be underestimated. Additionally, the wider
Indian audience needed a powerful message
that life across the border is not of a gloomy
existence amidst terror outrages but a
vibrant society of people with aspirations
and facing the same problems in lives and
careers as us.
The long, shared culture has always been
a unifying element.
Not only Bollywood films, there is a craze
for Indian TV shows - soap operas, sitcoms
and game shows - in Pakistan and mutual
interest in India for Pakistani music, TV
shows, drama and even their over-the-top
films, despite the huge variety already
available here.
Leave alone singers like Noor Jehan,
Mehdi Hasan, Ghulam Ali, Farida Khanum
and Alam Lohar who are well known in
India, the folk songs of Musarrat Nazir have
been (and still are) staple fare at any
Punjabi wedding ceremony, and the raw but
melodic rendition of Reshma's "Dama dam
Mast Qalandar" is the benchmark version
for this qawwali, sung by anyone seeking to
display credentials to perform "Sufi" music.
Then there is an entire generation of peo-
ple of the 1980s who will remember queu-
ing up at video rental stores to get the latest
installments of the popular "Dhoop Kinare"
and "Ankahi" or even "Khwaja Sahab and
Son" about a venerable patriarch and his
family of six daughters and a sole son, or of
"Chor Machaye Shor" about a noveau riche
Punjabi landowner and the burlesque
goings-on in his mansion one night.
Many will also remember erupting in guf-
faws at the madcap antics and mimicry of
Umar Sharif in "Bakra Kishton Pe", with
the splendid accompaniment of the incom-
parable Moin Akhtar whose impersonations
of Indian and Pakistani actors are among
the finest ever done.
If you want to gauge how much Indian
culture has permeated life across the border,
see talk shows on current issues like Geo's
"Khabarnaak" and "Hum Sab Umeed Se
Hai.
Hosted by Aftab Iqbal, "Khabarnaak" has
not spared anyone. The gifted Ali Mir has
essayed brilliant parodies complete with
uncanny voice resemblance, of not only
Shahbaz Sharif, Pervez Musharraf, Imran
Khan, Bilawal Bhutto, Asaf Ali Zardari,
Yousuf Raza Gilani, Sheikh Rasheed,
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Rehman Malik,
and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, but also of
Manmohan Singh, Narendra Modi, Rahul
Gandhi, Lalu Prasad, Bal Thackeray,
Barack Obama, John Kerry, and Hamid
Karzai.
The ensemble cast - Amanullah, Sakhawat
(both till 2013), the Albelas - as well as
Agha Majid, Ruby Anum, Wajid Khan, as
well as co-hostesses like Zainab Jamil and
Sofia Mirza have done for a lot of others
including Sushma Swaraj, Abdullah
Abdullah and even Gen. David Petraeus.
Imagine seeing Indian politicians - even
as caricatures - on Pakistani TV screens and
whether there is anything comparable here.
It is no different with Dr Younis Butt's
"Ham Sab Umeed Se Hai". The parody
song segment frequently features an Indian
song - film or TV theme - to satirize
Pakistani politics. Can you resist Hina
Rabbani Khar singing "Sasural Genda
Phool" for a drone-firing Hilary Clinton
before the duo along with Zardari and
Obama hold hands and dance around?
Facilitating access to each other's TV,
films, newspaper, magazines and books will
not only be the biggest people-to-people
contact that the governments of India and
Pakistan can accomplish - something that
will allow us to see each other as we really
are, rather than through a skewed ideologi-
cal prism of the past decades. I hope we can
see this come about sooner than later.
Dr Younis Butt's "Ham Sab Umeed Se
Hai"satirizes Pakistani politics.
Aftab Iqbal,
the host of 'Khabarnaak'
11 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Pak TV shows: Breaking down walls of mistrust, delusions
SEP.
12 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA
New Delhi: Facing opposition heat,
a cornered government denounced
yoga guru Ramdev aide Ved Pratap
Vaidik's meeting with Pakistani ter-
rorist Hafiz Saeed and sought a
report from the Indian High
Commission in Islamabad.
The government's disapproval of
the meeting with a man wanted in
India came as an unrelenting oppo-
sition took on the Narendra Modi
government in both houses of par-
liament, leading to repeated disrup-
tions.
For the second consecutive day,
Vaidik claimed he met Saeed -- the
mastermind of the Mumbai terror
attack and one of three terrorists
India freed in 1999 after an Indian
Airlines planed was hijacked -- as a
journalist.
The government only distanced
itself from the controversial meeting
saying it had nothing to do with it. It
came out with a strong condemna-
tion Tuesday evening.
External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj told the Rajya Sabha: "The
government totally disapproves of
this meeting of Ved Pratap Vaidik...
The government condemns this
meeting with the Mumbai terror
attack accused."
She said the National Democratic
Alliance (NDA) government had
nothing to do with the meeting and
had "nothing to hide".
"We have sought a full report from
the Indian high commissioner in
Pakistan. Once the report comes, we
will share it with the house."
Despite their majority, Bharatiya
Janata Party members and their
allies were mostly quiet in the Lok
Sabha as the opposition MPs shout-
ed slogans. The opposition was
more vocal in the Rajya Sabha.
Earlier, Sushma Swaraj and her
cabinet colleagues tried to distance
the government from the fallout of
the Vaidik-Saeed meet.
"Categorically and unequivocally,
I would like to state that the govern-
ment has nothing to do with Vaidik's
trip to Pakistan or his meeting with
Hafiz Saeed there," she said.
"Neither before going to Pakistan
nor after reaching there did he
inform us that he is meeting Saeed...
It was purely a private trip and a
personal meeting."
The opposition onslaught began
Tuesday with Congress vice presi-
dent Rahul Gandhi calling Vaidik, a
journalist, a "RSS man".
Gandhi said his party was "curi-
ous" to know if the Lahore meeting
between Vaidik and Saeed was facil-
itated by the Indian mission in
Pakistan.
"The question is whether the
Indian embassy facilitated this
event... Whether they helped this
gentleman (Vaidik) in any way,"
Gandhi told the media.
He said it was a "known fact" that
Vaidik was linked to the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh.
But Vaidik insisted for a second
consecutive day that he met Saeed
as a journalist.
"I met him as a journalist. All
doors are open for me. I am not
close to anyone or any party. I am
known as the greatest opponent of
the Congress."
Terming Gandhi' s stand as
"bogus", he added: "The Congress is
associating me with the government
so that they can attack them through
me."
As soon as the Lok Sabha met,
Congress members shouted slogans
demanding an explanation from the
government.
Amid the din, Home Minister
Rajnath Singh and Parliamentary
Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu
said the government was ready for a
discussion.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned
twice over the issue. Similar scenes
were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha.
The opposition said the govern-
ment's "silence" was "intriguing"
and asked how the Indian mission in
Islamabad was not aware of it.
MPs wanted to know if any action
would be taken against Vaidik.
Leaders from the Congress, Left,
Janata Dal-United and Trinamool
Congress created a ruckus in the
upper house, forcing two adjourn-
ments before noon.
When the house reconvened,
Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi
Azad said the government must
issue a statement as Vaidik's conduct
raised concerns over national securi-
ty. s"If the intelligence agencies
were not able to tell the government
that he (Vaidik) met a wanted man,
it is a matter of grave concern."
"Vaidik told Saeed that Kashmir
should be separated from India,"
Azad said.
Vaidik insisted that this was not
true and it would be "foolishness" to
think of Jammu and Kashmir's sepa-
ration from India.
Yoga guru Ramdev aide Ved Pratap Vaidik met
terrorist Hafiz Saeed in early July
Cornered government condemns Vaidik-Hafiz meet
Indian High Commission in
Pak not aware: Govt
New Delhi: The Indian High
Commission in Pakistan was not
aware of journalist Ved Pratap
Vaidik's meeting with JuD chief
Hafiz Saeed and there was no
question of facilitating it, External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
said.
"We have received a report from
the Indian High Commission (in
Pakistan). The High Commission
has categorically stated that they
did not know about this meeting
and, therefore, question does not
arise about the High Commission
facilitating it," Swaraj said in the
Lok Sabha.
Making a brief statement after
vociferous demands for it by
Opposition Congress and RJD,
she said she had heard that Vaidik
"told some news channels that the
High Commission knew about the
meeting. We had then sought a
report from the High
Commission."
Swaraj said she had made it
clear earlier too and "I am again
saying with full responsibility that
the government had nothing to do
with either the visit of Vaidik (to
Pakistan) or his meeting with
Saeed."
Her statement came after the
Congress and RJD members
trooped into the Well, with
Congress leader Mallikarjun
Kharge asking if the Ministers can
make a statement on the matter
outside Parliament or even in
Rajya Sabha, "Why can't they do
it here (Lok Sabha)."
Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed
BJP may form
government in Delhi
New Delhi: BJP's Delhi state
unit chief Satish Upadhyay has
met has met party leader Nitin
Gadkari to discuss government
formation in the national capi-
tal, a source said.
"The two leaders had a meet-
ing at Gadkari' s house last
(Wednesday) night. It was an
hour-long meeting," the party
source said.
"Upadhyay discussed with
Gadkari the possibilities of
forming a government in
Delhi," the source added.
The meeting took place amid
speculations in the media about
the Bharatiya Janata Party,
which won 32 seats, including
one from its ally Shiromani
Akali Dal, in the 70-member
Delhi assembly, being keen to
cobble a majority.
In the recent Lok Sabha polls,
three BJP MLAs were elected
to parliament leaving the party
strength in the now 67-member
Delhi house reduced to 28.
The source said the decision
on staking claim to forming the
government in Delhi has been
left to the central party leader-
ship pending Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's return from
the BRICS summit.
BJP's Delhi state unit chief Satish Upadhyay (right)
New Delhi: India's monsoon
has covered the entire country,
the weather office said, two
days behind the normal sched-
ule in a year that is forecast to
bring below average rains.
The revival of monsoon rains
in the grain bowl of northwest
and central regions should help
speed up sowing of main sum-
mer crops such as rice, corn,
soybean and cotton.
Poor rains since the start of
the June-September season had
raised concerns of a first
drought in five years.
Rains are vital to India's farm
sector, which accounts for
about 14% of the country' s
nearly $2 trillion economy.
Two-thirds of its 1.2 billion
population live in rural areas.
Last year, monsoon rains cov-
ered the country almost a month
ahead of schedule, helping
grain output hit a record level.
Monsoon covers
entire country:
Met department
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
By Vibhuti Jha
T
he election of Narendra Modi and his
party, BJP, to lead India, for the next
five years, has been a watershed
moment in the Indian political scene in many
years. After a long time, one single party has
been voted in with majority to overcome the
malaise and sufferings of coalition politics
the country had to endure for the past ten
years of the Congress party led UPA. The peo-
ple of India are anxious to see India reach its
full potential to become a true leader in the
world economy leading to higher employ-
ment, bring good jobs and better livelihood
for all. The majority given to BJP leaves it
with no excuse if it were to fail in that promise
made to the people of India. In a complex and
complicated country like India, patience is
running short and the electorate will be, as it
must, very unforgiving, as the leaders of the
UPA government experienced in the recently
concluded national elections.
With the US as the leading economy, strug-
gling with massive debts and in need of new
markets, India and the US are keenly poised to
take advantage of the opportunity that exists
today for both the countries. To let that oppor-
tunity go by will prove to be the undoing of
the promises made to the people of both coun-
tries.
President Obama called former PM
Manmohan Singh a "wise" and "decent" man.
I am sure he will be very wisely selecting the
most appropriate words to define and describe
Mr. Modi when the two meet in Washington,
DC. India and the US have enjoyed a bitter-
sweet romantic relationship with lots of prom-
ises and also suffered a relationship mired
with exuberance and disappointments. Both
the countries share an equal amount of frustra-
tion, unhappiness, hope and possibility and
are now poised to transcend the relationship to
a deservingly high levels.
Despite massive possibilities, the potential
has never reached expected levels. Therefore,
it may perhaps be useful to examine the
potential and possibilities, and also what is
missing, to take this association and relation-
ship to a trusting and sustainable levels. Both
leaders owe this to their people, who elected
them in the first place and who they are sup-
posed to protect and defend at all times as
their primary responsibility. It is equally
important to note that despite differences at
the Government and official levels, at the peo-
ple to people levels both countries have enor-
mous respect for each other. Both India and
the US are champions of diversity and are
home to virtually all faiths and religions of the
world. Both are authentic melting pots!
I was once asked in a PBS TV program con-
versation as to what India could teach the US.
I said there is hardly anything for India to
teach but there is a lot to share and learn from
each other. India and the US are worlds two
premier democracies, in size, tradition and
demography with truly diverse populations
and both are a genuine melting pot and cham-
pion of diversity. Both the countries have an
enormous opportunity to build on these ele-
ments and must try to fill in the gaps in dis-
agreements with all sincerity! Mere word play
and offering praise for each others history,
traditions and possibilities will no longer be
sufficient to mollify the feelings. People of
India will be keenly watching and observing
the outcomes of the Modi-Obama summit
with reference to specific actions put in place.
In fairness to both leaders, they have already
risen above the moment of crisis and have
shown exemplary attitude, maturity and forti-
tude to seize the moment. Modi did not allow
the personal insult, of denial of visa, to come
in his way to visit US and Obama overcame
this moment to invite Modi for a full discus-
sion at the White House after the UN meet in
New York, instead of
meeting him on the
sidelines of the UN
General Assembly. For
both, the national self-
interest is the guiding
principle to get to
know each other to
further an actionable
relationship. While the
mandarins of Indian
Foreign Service and
various economic min-
istries, on the one
hand, and the US State
Department and busi-
ness interests, on the
other, will be working
overtime to fashion a
good PR spectacle,
both the leaders will be
well advised to get to
know each other better
than just serving verbal
platitudes.
In the light of the
above, let us take a
look at only a few
aspects of the opportu-
nity that merits a seri-
ous consideration.
One, both countries
need each other for
revival of the two
economies. India needs US technology, manu-
facturing processes and defense cooperation
to bolster its economy and security concerns.
The US needs the Indian market and its poten-
tial to create a sustainable economic future for
itself. While Modi won the elections on the
promise of Growth and Governance as his
clarion call to the people of India, Obama is
working overtime to remove income inequali-
ty and improve social justice to his people.
Both the leaders are
tweaking the capitalist
process in their own
way. India is heading
towards encouraging a
true free enterprise
economy for better
growth, higher
incomes, new employ-
ment opportunities for
the youth of India and
unfettered opportunity,
while the US is
attempting to provide
its people more social
justice. There is so
much to learn and
share with each other
and get over the avoid-
able mistakes in the
process.
Secondly, the United
States must recognize
and acknowledge the
fact that India and
Indians are perhaps the
closest friends it can
have. This is true
despite the American
frustration and gripe
about Indias flawed
and pompous non-
alignment policy.
Indian concern and
reservations about the US policy is directly
related to the American penchant for sleeping
with its enemies! Both India and the US are
direct victims of the shenanigans of its so-
called friend and Indias neighbor, Pakistan.
People of India and the US have been targeted
victims and lost hundreds of lives and both
have invested time and wasted resources in
Pakistan to no avail or any tangible outcomes.
Pakistan is a political curse for India and an
economic drain and loss of precious American
lives on both the countries. We need to jointly
address that concern. If the US wants to
improve the bilateral economic ties taking it
from current $ 100 billion to a goal of $ 500
billion, the US will have to look at the securi-
ty concerns of India with more seriousness
than it does today. If the US-India business
has to reach that great target, the US will have
to invest in creating an environment of peace
and being responsible to protect and defend its
own allies and investments.
India faces an existential threat from the
marauding and barbaric hordes of Islamic ter-
rorism and so does the USA. Everyone knows
that Pakistan is the training ground for major
terrorist acts where they all return to after
committing their murderous acts. The
American people are bewildered by the fact
that it almost appears as if we Americans fund
Pakistan to kill American lives. We the people
of America need to know and ask of our lead-
ers why Pakistan has such Anaconda like grip
on the US.
Finally, for the Indian Prime Minister, this is
the golden opportunity to define himself and
set the narrative to the western media and
news barons! So far, he has had to suffer the
indignity of being defined by the self-appoint-
ed and self-anointed India experts to the
extent that one prominent, award winning
Indian journalist called him a man with a
dark side of Hindu nationalism, as if a white
or fair side of Hindu nationalism would have
been acceptable as a lesser evil! The narrative
of India and Indians has to be restated as the
worlds IT hub, educated manpower, eager
and anxious to grow, accepting diversity as
way of life, willing to adapt and accommodate
all faiths and religions. Modi must tell the
world, who doubt Indias credibility as a secu-
lar nation, that India had, in the last ten years,
a Sikh as the Prime Minister, a Muslim and a
woman occupied the office of the President of
the country and the then ruling party (now the
largest opposition party) had/has the Roman
catholic Italian woman as its leader. No coun-
try in the world can claim or boast of accept-
ance of such diversity and the opportunities
everyone enjoys in India. The world needs to
know and learn from the Indian way of life,
despite all its inadequacies as we know about.
India is ready for the enhanced role in global
affairs, be it economic and politics or both and
she must claim it.
This meeting between the US President,
Barack Obama, and the Indian Prime Minister,
Narendra Modi, has epochal significance for
both the countries and the time to embrace
change has arrived. They cannot allow or
blame an angry duck across the street from
taking the big step forward.
New York based Vibhuti Jha is President,
Human Potential Project. Prior to joining
HP2, he was a senior officer with American
Express Bank International.
Modi, Obama and the potential new swing in India-US ties
13 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED
Both countries need each
other for revival of the two
economies. India needs US
technology, manufacturing
processes and defense
cooperation. The US needs
the Indian market and its
potential to create a sus-
tainable economic future
for itself. Secondly, the
United States must recog-
nize and acknowledge the
fact that India and Indians
are perhaps the closest
friends it can have.
The September meeting between Barack Obama and
Narendra Modi has epochal importance. In fairness to both
leaders, they have already risen above the crisis of strained
ties and have shown exemplary maturity and fortitude to
seize the moment. Rightly, Modi did not allow the personal
insult, of denial of visa, to come in his way and Obama has
invited him for a full discussion at the White House after the
UN meet in New York, instead of meeting him on the
sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
By Amulya Ganguli
W
hen L.K. Advani was
dragged kicking and
screaming from the
post of Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) president in 2005 under
orders from the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a
diplomatic cable from the US
embassy in Delhi to Washington
stated that the event "demonstrat-
ed the power of the RSS ... and
will likely increase the party's
(the BJP's) political decline".
According to Wikileaks, the
cable also noted that Advani was
"shocked" by the failure of the
"second tier" of the BJP leader-
ship comprising, among others
Murli Manohar Joshi and Sushma
Swaraj, to come to his aid. While
leaving the president' s post,
Advani called for changing the
"impression that has gained
ground that no political or organi-
zational decision can be taken (by
the BJP) without the consent of
the RSS functionaries".
Nearly a decade later, Narendra
Modi can be said to have
changed the impression by mak-
ing the party choose its own man,
Amit Shah, for the president's
post without the concurrence of
the RSS.
The latest turn of events, which
appears to have ended the "con-
tinued dominance" of the RSS
over the BJP (to quote Wikileaks
again), cannot but cause a flutter
among the Nagpur patriarchs
who had become used to select-
ing the BJP president in recent
years.
After choosing Rajnath Singh
to replace Advani, they asked
Nitin Gadkari to take Rajnath
Singh's place in 2009. But four
years later, the RSS had to
appoint Rajnath Singh again as
president in view of the allega-
tions of sleaze against Gadkari.
Now, it is clear that the RSS had
little or no say in Shah's appoint-
ment. To stretch a point, it can
also be said that neither did the
BJP, notwithstanding the party's
formal association with the selec-
tion, since it has been clear ever
since Shah was credited with
party's excellent showing in Uttar
Pradesh in the parliamentary
elections that he will be anointed
for the post with Modi's bless-
ings.
As Shah is known to be the
prime minister' s Man Friday
because of the long association
between the two through the
thick and thin of Gujarat's turbu-
lent politics, the belief had gained
ground that Modi would trust no
one but him in the key position of
party chief.
It isn't only the political and
organizational closeness of the
two which is behind Shah's ele-
vation. It is also undeniable that
Modi's insular nature makes him
work in close concert with only a
few of his hand-picked men.
At a time when a generational
shift is taking place in the BJP,
and Modi has emerged on top
despite the reservations of several
senior party members, it is obvi-
ous that Modi will be wary of
having someone with whom he is
not totally familiar to hold a key
organizational position.
While this much is in line with
Modi's penchant for running a
one-man show, whether in
Gujarat earlier and now at the
national level, what is of interest
is how the RSS will react to its
marginalization by a former
'pracharak' (preacher), who has
now risen beyond all expecta-
tions not only to be the lord and
master of the BJP, but is probably
on his way to be the predominant
figure in the Sangh Parivar, as the
Hindu nationalists groups are
known, as well.
Modi is seemingly following
his own line, which is guided by
his economic vision, which
promises improved conditions for
all Indians, Hindus and Muslims
alike. The RSS cannot be too
pleased.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
Narendra Modi is seemingly following his own line, which is guid-
ed by his economic vision, which promises improved conditions
for all Indians, Hindus and Muslims alike.
14 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED
The federal budget and India's future
By Amit Kapoor
T
he past few days have been particular-
ly historic when talking about the
impact they can have on India's trajec-
tory of growth and economic development. It
is because the maiden budget from Indias
new finance minister was announced on the
July 10. It was a test of economic manage-
ment on the part of the Narendra Modi gov-
ernment. There were a lot of expectations
from the budget from all sections of society,
be it business, agriculture or even the com-
mon man.
This was the budget document that
appeared to have provided for a strong eco-
nomic vision. In a much anticipated move,
the FDI limits in defence manufacturing and
insurance were moved up to 49 percent from
the 26 percent cap, which shows a firm intent
on the part of the government to reform the
economy.
Populism and the Economy
Over the past few years, the country has
experienced growth in expenditure which has
not been able to keep pace with the growth in
revenue, leading to a fiscal deficit which is
above the 3 percent limit prescribed by the
FRBM act of 2003. It had led the finance
minister to indicate in a speech to chartered
accountants just days before the budget
where he mentioned about the priority for fis-
cal constraint over mindless populism. It was
because, according to him, mindless pop-
ulism did not help the UPA win the general
elections. Generally speaking, there is an
either/or between populism and the econo-
my. However, the finance minister, in his
budget according to us has tried to marry the
two. The budget has not substantially cut
down on the previous schemes but has recali-
brated them in a manner, which could benefit
the country. Some schemes on infrastructure
- especially investment of Rs. 37,880 crore in
the NHAI and state roads will have a multi-
plier effect on the economy. Also, several
new schemes have been introduced, notably
among them being 100 smart cities, National
Level Skill Programme (Skill India) and
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana
which will help address urbanization,
employment and agriculture.
The focus for the budget was clearly on the
economic aspects rather that pure populism,
though continuing the previous governments
schemes goes to show the maturity of the
present government in dealing with the issues
that matter to the people. In our view, there
was clearly a distinct rightward shift as is
seen from the likes of scheme on entrepre-
neurship for which the finance minister has
set aside Rs.10,000 crore as well as the step
to increase the FDI limits.
Investment and Savings
Investments in India have taken a hit due to
a decline in the overall business environment.
The finance minister has done his bit by the
asking the PSUs to invest Rs.247,941 to cre-
ate a virtuous cycle of investment. It is in
addition to lifting the cap on FDI as well as
as providing relief (in tax terms) to Real
Estate Investment trusts (REITs) which
shows some definite steps taken to fuel
investment. Apart from this, increasing the
PPF (Public Provident Fund) limit, as well as
the investment limit under Income Tax Act to
Rs.1.5 lakh from Rs.1 lakh, will do their bit
to encourage domestic savings and invest-
ment.
Common Man and the Business
Community
One of the biggest achievements of the
budget has been in its ability to provide relief
and direction to both ordinary people and
businesses. Be it increasing the tax exemp-
tion limit very minutely from Rs.2 lakh to
Rs.2.5 lakhs in the case of individual taxpay-
ers or addressing the issue of retrospective
taxation (to be undertaken in fresh cases only
by constitution of a committee by CBDT
(Central Board of Direct Taxes) in case any
action is initiated in such matters). Also,
there is a focus on entrepreneurship and
focusing on a stable tax policy as well as eas-
ing the conditions for doing business both for
big corporations and small and medium sec-
tor enterprises.
What will separate this budget is not the
content or form of it, but the way in which it
gets implemented. We feel the revenue tar-
gets will be a difficult to meet. But all in all it
is a visionary budget. In our, opinion the
finance minister has been criticized for the 29
schemes that were of Rs.100 crore each, it is
the best way really to put in the money. If
massive allocations are done upfront the
impact of failure is catastrophic.
In a much anticipated move, the FDI limits in defence manufacturing and insur-
ance were moved up to 49 percent from the 26 percent cap, which shows a firm
intent on the part of the government to reform the economy.
Amit Shah as BJP chief: Modi sidestepping RSS?
SPIRITUALITY July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 15
Sri Guruvanand Swami mesmerized the audience at the
magnificent NJPAC auditorium with his stirring speech and
powerful personality. (Photo: Mukesh Kashiwala).
A group of
devotees
danced as
Radhas for
Gurudev.
Diana De
Rosa
Photography
The seekers in the
packed hall
waving lamps in
fullness of
devotion for
Gurudev.
(Photo: Mukesh
Kashiwala).
Lighting the traditional lamp at the start of the Guru Poornima
program. (Photo: Mukesh Kashiwala).
Event report and more pictures
on pages 16-17-18.
Brahmrishi Sri Guruvanand Swami graced the International Guru Poornima 2014
celebration on July 12 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the first time
it was held outside India. Addressed affectionately as Gurudev by his followers, he has
invoked all chakras of his kundalini and has acquired siddhis through four decades of
sadhna. After giving a powerful and inspiring discourse, the Perfected Master (Satguru)
personally blessed over 3,000 people from the US and 14 other countries who attended
the celebration suffused with devotional music and dance.
16 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPIRITUALITY
By Parveen Chopra
Newark, NJ: It was a magical night of
bhakti, anand, spirituality and celebration.
Over 3,000 people from all walks of life
from the US and 14 other countries includ-
ing India availed the once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to get personally blessed by
Brahmrishi Sri Guruvanand Swami at the
International Guru Poornima 2014 celebra-
tion on July 12 at the New Jersey
Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) here.
Melodious bhajans and devotional dance
sequences built up the mood for the power-
ful, inspirational discourse by Sri
Guruvanand Swami, lovingly addressed as
Gurudev by his devotees. Gurudev not
only wears a Swami Vivekananda style
headgear, his forceful oratorical style is also
reminiscent of the first Hindu guru to arrive
on these shores.
In his discourse which appealed to the
heart and met with repeated applause,
Gurudev promised to help pull his devotees
out of adversity and to cut their bonds of
karma with his spiritual powers and siddhis
gained after decades of sadhana. I have
come to awaken you into spirituality lest
your life goes waste, he thundered. He
asked of people not big sacrifices but start-
ing with small vows like not losing ones
temper for 24 hours. In times of crisis, he
recommended the most efficacious prayer:
Lift your hands heavenwards in surrender
and say, Oh Lord, please handle this. He
further said, Just like parents try to give
their maximum to their children, as your
guru I too promise to give you my maxi-
mum.
Gurudev, who has traveled to 170 coun-
tries and has hundreds of thousands of devo-
tees, pointed out that his one focus is on
ensuring that Indian tradition and sanskars
are kept alive in the second generation
NRIs.
A disciple of revered Yogiraj Devraha
Baba, Sri Guruvanand Swami has invoked
all seven chakras of his Kundalini and
achieved all siddhis. He is also a renowned
scholar of Hinduism and Jainism with a
deep understanding of other religions. His
simple message to people is to lead morally
uplifting and spiritually rich lives while ful-
filling worldly duties.
The song and dance during the Guru
Poornima program was all for Guru and
God. Guru Rachna Sarang, who has her own
Academy of Performing Arts, mesmerized
the audience with a Ganesh Vandana. Her
students enactment of Hanuman Chalisa in
Kathak style was superb. The grand finale
was a Guru Stuti especially composed and
dedicated to Gurudev.
Apra Bhandari emceed the evening.
Ashok Sancheti, US coordinator, thanked
the dancers, choreographers and others who
contributed to make the event an unalloyed
success. Sampat Poddar, International
President, gave the welcome address.
Prabha Bhandari, who led the team of vol-
unteers, was recognized for her tremendous
contribution to the organization and in hold-
ing this event.
The core operational committee responsi-
ble for all major activities included: Prabha
Bhandari, Rakesh Bhargava, Chandra
Bhansali, Ashok Sancheti, Sampat Poddar,
Braj Sinha, Kumar Pal Shah, Sharada
Bhansali, Satyanarayan Yadav, Ashima
Jain, Rajendra Kankariya, Raj Bhayani,
Rahul Gupta, Mahesh Naik, Ajay Thakor,
Meenu Bhargava, Ujwala Shah and Shudh
Jasuja.
The organizers of the widely-publicized
event held under the aegis of the World
Spiritual Awareness Forum are pleased with
the response. A small group of them con-
tributed funds for the three day program that
had no commercial trappings whatsoever.
The plan is to follow up with a larger set-up
to spread Gurudevs message with a web-
site, especially to engage the youths.
Attendees one spoke to were thrilled to be
part of the Guru Poornima program that lit-
Gurudev is joined on the stage by Jain Acharya Chandana ji &
Sadhvi Sanghmitra. Photos: Diana De Rosa Photography
Gurudev personally blessed each of the 3,000 attendees.
Gurudev blessed couples for a peaceful married life. Seen on stage are three
couples closely associated with the Guru Poornima event
(from left) Sharada & Chandra Bhansali, Prabha & Arvind Bhandari,
and Nirmala & Ashok Sancheti.
Brahmrishi Sri Guruvanand Swami waving to the audience grateful for showers of spiritual
blessing. (Photo: Mukesh Kashiwala).
SPIRITUALITY 17 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
erally vibrated with spiritual ener-
gy. Indeed, an event of this scale
in the ambiance of a magnificent
auditorium like the NJPAC has
never been seen in this part of the
world.
On July 11 a Bhakti Sandhya
with Gurudev was attended by
over 1,000 people including from
India, Hong Kong, Dubai and
Europe. Several people who have
contributed to the spread of
Gurudevs programs were recog-
nized that day.
Guru Poornima is the day for
paying reverence to ones teachers
and mentors, spiritual or other-
wise. This is the day when, his
disciples say, Sri Guruvanands
divine power is at its peak and
when his blessing ushers in peace
and happiness in devotees lives.
Though Gurudev has been coming
to America since 2008, it was the
first time that he graced Guru
Poornima here, the first outside
India, and blessed a stream of
seekers towards the end of the
evening even as others enjoyed a
sumptuous, vegetarian meal.
Website: www.gurupoorni-
ma2014.coms.
The enactment of Hanuman Chalisa in dance was a unique effort.
Gurudev enjoyed and applauded the dance performances, as did the audience.
(Photo: Mukesh Kashiwala)
Apra
Bhandari
ably
emceed
the
evening.
Ecstatic Experiences
Sarala Bothra, chairperson of Shri Brahmrishi Ashram in
Tirupati, India, who has organized Guru Poornimas in the past
and has attended every Guru Poornima for the past ten years,
reamrked, This is the most grandeur in a Guru Poornima I
have ever attended. It was so well organized that it set an exam-
ple for organizing future Guru Poornimas.
RANA President Dr Hadpawat said, This has been an uplifting
experience. The dance performances were exceptional.
Gurudevs discourse was very inspiring.
Expressing his gratitude to Prabha Bhandari, who led the organ-
izing committee, Madan Bhandari said, I don't have words to
express our heartfelt thanks to you and our Guru Pariwar for the
blissful experience we all had on this Guru Poornima.
President of the youth wing of Vishwa Dharma Chetna Munch,
Mahendra Daphatari, said, I have attended many Guru
Poornimas, but this has been way above any. The event was not
only magnificent, there were tremendous positive vibrations.
Dances set a new standard for artistic excellence.
I have come to
awaken you into
spirituality lest your
life goes waste,
Gurudev told the
audience. His simple
message to devotees
is to lead a morally
uplifting and
spiritually
fulfilling life.
A large group of organizers and supporters posing with Gurudev towards the culmination of the event. (Photos: Diana De Rosa Photography)
18 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPIRITUALITY
Devotees like Abrahm
Nassi made offerings
during Guru
pooja ceremony.
Kamlesh Mehta,
Director-Business and
Economic Development
of Nassau County,
presented a citation to
Gurudev on behalf of
the County Executive.
Prabha Bhandari, President of the womens wing of the organization
who led the team of volunteers, was recognized for her contribution
to the organization and in holding the July 12 event.
Sharada and Chandra
Bhansali (left) are
honored for their
selfless service by
Sampat Poddar,
International President
of World Spiritual
Awareness Forum.
Rachna Sarang,
who choreographed
many dance items,
is recognized by
Ashok Sancheti, US
coordinator.
And getting honored for service to the gurus cause
Photos Diana De Rosa Photography
To mark Guru Poornima 2014, a memento book titled The Divine Guru on Gurudev was
released. On the left is the book's author, Prof Braj Sinha. (Photo: Mukesh Kashiwala).
London: Indian-origin British MP Priti Patel
has been appointed exchequer secretary to
the Treasury department dealing with tax pol-
icy in a major cabinet reshuffle announced by
British Prime Minister David Cameron
Tuesday.
The Prime Minister's Office said Priti Patel,
42, the Conservative Party MP for Witham in
Essex, will now take charge as exchequer
secretary under Chancellor of the Exchequer
George Osborne.
Patel replaces Hertfordshire South West
MP David Gauke in her new role.
The Indian-origin leader has called for
stronger trade links between Essex, an
administrative county in Britain, and India.
Patel had previously worked in the commu-
nications industry, prior to the general elec-
tion in Britain in 2010.
She was director of corporate communica-
tions at Weber Shandwick, a public relations
firm.
The Witham MP studied economics at
Keele University and did her postgraduation
from the University of Essex.
She also chairs the All Party Parliamentary
Small Shops Group and is an active member
of the Free Enterprise Group.
Dubai: An eight-year-old
Indian boy was adjudged the
"Preacher of the Nation" in
an Arabic religious sermon
contest in the United Arab
Emirates (UAE), a media
report said Wednesday.
Ibrahim Shabandri, from
Bhatkal in the south Indian
state of Karnataka, surprised
the largely Arabic-speaking
audience and judges with
his oratory skills and sur-
passed 70 contestants to
clinch the coveted title,
Khaleej Times reported.
The contest was held as part of the 13th
annual Ramadan Forum in Dubai World
Trade Centre Monday.
The forum was hosted by Dubai' s
Department of Tourism and Commerce
Marketing (DTCM), under the patronage
of Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of the
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al
Maktoum Foundation.
Shabandri' s father,
Faheem Ahmed, said the
award provides children
with greater motivation to
learn the Arabic language.
"This is a very happy
moment for our family. His
success is the result of a lot
of hard work and commit-
ment and we are proud of
his achievement, " the
report quoted Ahmed as
saying.
Ibrahim, a student of Quran memoriza-
tion, emerged on top among the final 12
students who were selected in the areas of
religious sermon and classical poetry
recitation. The competition aimed to
attract promising talents in the field of
religious sermon and poetry recitation
among boys within the ages of six and 11
years.
Priti Patel
British Indian MP Priti Patel
appointed exchequer secretary
DIASPORA 19 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Indian boy chosen 'Preacher
of the Nation' in UAE
Ibrahim Shabandri
Indo-Canadian
charged with severely
assaulting wife
Toronto: An Indo-Canadian man is
facing charges of aggravated assault
on his wife in Canada, media report-
ed.
Baldev Singh Kalsi, 66, president
of the Brookside Sikh Gurudwara in
Surrey city in western Canada' s
British Columbia province, was
arrested after his wife was found in
severe medical distress at their
home Sunday, the Global News
reported Monday.
Subsequently, Kalsi has been
charged with one count of aggravat-
ed assault for incurring life threaten-
ing injuries to his wife.
The woman is currently fighting
for her life and is on life support,
authorities said.
Police received a call Sunday that
a woman was in distress at a home
in South Surrey.
When they arrived to the scene,
they found the woman with life-
threatening injuries.
The victim was transported to
hospital by a British Columbia Air
Ambulance.
Indian film producer and
family found dead in Dubai
Dubai: The decomposed bodies of a south
Indian film producer, his wife and daughter
have been found in mysterious circumstances
in their flat in Dubai.
The deceased identified as Santhosh Kumar,
who hails from Kerala owns a film production
company Souparnika Films and was a co-pro-
ducer of the hit Malayalam movie 'Madambi',
the Khaleej Times reported.
Family sources said the bodies of Kumar, his
wife Manju and daughter Gouri bore multiple
stab injuries.
The Dubai Police could not be reached for
comments.
It is also learnt that the case is being treated
as a suicide pact involving the couple and their
daughter. Some of the acquaintances suspected
that Kumar had resorted to the extreme step
due to huge financial liabilities. However, the
exact reason for the gruesome incident is yet to
be ascertained, the daily reported.
Police broke open the door of the flat after a
cousin of Kumar complained that nobody could
contact the family since Thursday.
"All three bodies were found inside the bed-
room. I heard there was no sign of a forced
entry into the flat," a family friend was quoted
as saying by the daily. Kumar, who also ran a
general trading company here, shifted to Dubai
about five years ago.
The Center of Indian Culture and
Touri sm was i naugurated by
Ambassador P. S. Raghavan on July
10, 2014 in Moscow. The program
of the evening included excursion
through the Cultural Center, visit to
the photo exhibition, dance class-
es, as well as visit to the Museum of
all-Russian Association of the Blind.
Guests of the evening were able to enjoy a performance of an ICCR-spon-
sored Gujarati folk dance group Saptak led by Chetan Chandrakant
Jethwa. The Center of Indian Culture and Tourism was created in order to
bring together Indian and Russian tourist companies with the aim of pro-
moting Indian culture and tourism.
Islamabad: Pakistan may not be
able to replicate Sri Lanka's suc-
cess vis-a-vis the LTTE but needs
to learn from it to overcome
Islamist militants, a Pakistani
police officer has said.
"The Sri Lankan strategy shows
that with military might and popu-
lar support the state can defeat
insurgents," Mohammad Ali
Babakhel said in an article by
Dawn newspaper.
"After the use of force, the actu-
al challenge is the capacity of the
civilian administration to retain
peace and integrate those who
surrender.
"If the (Sri) Lankan model can-
not be replicated, at least it can be
a source of inspiration (for
Pakistan)," he said.
Babakhel detailed the similari-
ties between the now vanquished
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) and the assorted militant
groups in Pakistan - and the dif-
ferences in the two situations too.
Islamabad: Indian journalist Ved
Pratap Vaidik' s meeting with
Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed has
caused ripples in India, a Pakistani
newspaper said.
The meeting has "caused ripples
in India" because of Vaidik's close
association with the ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the
Daily Times said in an editorial.
"Opposition parties swamped
BJP with questions about how an
Indian journalist could meet a man
considered responsible for the
Mumbai attack in 2008", the daily
said. The meeting took place
between Vaidik and Jamaat-ud-
Dawa chief Hafeez Saeed July 2 in
Lahore.
Vaidik had visited Pakistan with
a group of journalists and politi-
cians invited by a peace and
research institute.
Indian External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj said that the meet-
ing had nothing to do with the gov-
ernment.
Congress has asked the govern-
ment to give details about the
meeting as it is a matter of national
interest. "Hafiz Saeed was shocked
at the reaction of the Indian politi-
cians to the meeting, which accord-
ing to him revealed the true face of
India, veiled behind a so-called
secular demeanour," the editorial
said.
"Saeed tweeted, `Utterly shame-
ful' , about Indias reaction," it
added.
The editorial went on to say that
Vaidik has "defended his meeting
with Saeed by calling it a personal
matter and said that his only
motive to meet Saeed was to
analyse his mind and to understand
what makes him commit such
heinous crimes against India".
"Saeed has also said that his
party would not protest if (Indian
Prime Minister) Narendra Modi
comes to Pakistan," it said.
Kabul: The Afghan election com-
mission is set to start an unprece-
dented audit of all 8.1 million votes
cast in the June 14 run-off presi-
dential election, an official said.
The audit, which will take at
least three weeks, was agreed by
the two rival candidates Abdullah
Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani at the
weekend following two days of
frantic diplomacy by US secretary
of state John Kerry.
"The auditing will officially
begin on Thursday, it will be done
in Kabul and in commission' s
headquarters," Noor Mohammad
Noor, spokesman for the
Independent Election Commission
(IEC), told reporters.
"National and international
observers will be able to observe
the process that will take around
three weeks."
He said their staff would work in
two shifts auditing around 1,000
ballot boxes a day, with NATO
forces helping to transport the
boxes from across the country to
Kabul. Shortly after the second
round run-off on June 14 Abdullah
claimed massive fraud had robbed
him of victory and boycotted the
vote count by withdrawing his
team's observers.
The bitter impasse over the vote
to succeed President Hamid Karzai
plunged Afghanistan into crisis and
raised fears of a return to the ethnic
violence of the 1990s.
Islamabad: At least 20 mili-
tants were killed in a US
drone attack in Pakistan' s
North Waziristan region.
Four missile strikes, coming
from an unknown number of
US unmanned aircraft, pound-
ed a compound of suspected
militants in Datta Khel area
located on the Pakistan-
Afghanistan border, Xinhua
reported. The strikes levelled
the targeted compound to the
ground with officials initially
putting the toll at 15.
The toll later surged to 20
when residents pulled five
more bodies out of the rubble
of the compound.
Acording to officials, the
attack took place when a
meeting of Taliban militants,
including local and Uzbek
insurgents, was going on in
the compound. Wednesday
morning's attack is the fifth of
its kind in the area this year.
On July 10, a US drone
killed at least six people in
North Waziristan.
The Pakistan government
July 10 condemned the US
drone strikes, saying these
were counter-productive and
unacceptable as they violated
the country's sovereignty and
territorial integrity.
The attacks were also harm-
ing the military operation
Zarb-i-Azb in North
Waziristan aimed at eliminat-
ing terrorism.
The last drone strike June 18
killed at least eight militants.
Bangkok: Former Nepalese crown
prince Paras Shah has been arrest-
ed on drugs charges in Thailand
for a second time and could face
up to five years in prison, police
said Wednesday.
Shah was detained with about 13
grams (0.5 ounces) of marijuana at
a hotel in Bangkok, according to
an officer at Thonglor police sta-
tion who did not want to be
named.
"He borrowed a flash drive from
hotel security and when the securi-
ty guard entered his room to get
his flash drive back he saw mari-
juana on the counter so he told
police," the officer told AFP. He
said Shah, who is visiting Thailand
on a tourist visa, had admitted ille-
gal drug possession and was
remanded in custody.
It is not the first time the former
royal has been in trouble with the
law in Thailand.
Shah became heir to the throne
in 2001 after his cousin Crown
Prince Dipendra killed nine mem-
bers of his family including the
king and queen in a drink-and-
drugs-fuelled rampage, before
apparently turning his gun on him-
self. Nepal abolished its monarchy
in 2008. The Nepalese embassy in
Bangkok said it had been notified
of Shah's latest arrest.
Vaidik-Saeed meet causes ripples in India: Pak daily
Pak must learn from LTTE's defeat, says officer
Afghanistan to begin massive vote audit
20 militants killed in US
drone attack in Pakistan
Nepal ex-prince arrested
for drugs in Thailand
Former Nepalese crown prince Paras Shah
The audit will take at least three weeks
SUBCONTINENT 20 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
The meeting took place between Ved Pratap Vaidik
and Hafeez Saeed in Lahore.
INTERNATIONAL
F o r t a l e z a
( B r a z i l ) / Ne w
Delhi: India is
keen to further
deepen and broad-
base its strategic
partnership with
Russia, including
in defense, nuclear
energy, trade and
investment, Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi told Russian
President Vladimir
Putin in Brazil and
invited him to visit Kudankulam
Nuclear Power Project.
Modi, who met Putin on the
sidelines of the BRICS Summit
at Fortaleza Tuesday, expressed
appreciation for Russia's friend-
ship and unstinting bilateral and
international support for India's
economic development and secu-
rity since the early days of India's
Independence, said a statement
from the Prime Minister's Office.
During the meeting, which last-
ed about 40 minutes, Modi reaf-
firmed that relations with Russia
will continue to enjoy the priority
that they always had in India's
foreign policy.
Modi said he looks forward to
working with Putin to further
deepen and broad-base the strate-
gic partnership, including in the
areas of defence, nuclear energy,
space, energy, trade and invest-
ment, people-to-people contacts
and addressing regional and glob-
al challenges.
The statement said Modi con-
veyed his sincere appreciation for
Putin' s decisive leadership in
deepening and expanding the
"India-Russia special and privi-
leged strategic partnership".
Putin congratulated Modi over
his victory in India's general elec-
tions.
The two leaders looked forward
to their annual summit in New
Delhi in December 2014 as an
opportunity to outline a bold
vision and roadmap for their rela-
tionship in the years ahead, the
statement added.
Modi said he looked forward to
visiting Russia in 2015.
Modi suggested that Putin
should travel outside Delhi when
he comes for the annual summit
in December and visit a nuclear
power plant, a reference to
Kudankulam project in Tamil
Nadu which has been set up in
technical cooperation with
Russia.
Jerusalem/Gaza: The Israeli army
resumed air strikes against Hamas
targets in the Gaza Strip as rockets
continued being fired from the
coastal enclave despite Israel's uni-
lateral approval of an Egyptian-bro-
kered ceasefire proposal, media
reported. "After six hours of unilat-
eral attacks by Hamas, the Israel
Defence Forces (IDF) has resumed
operational activity in the Gaza
Strip, " Xinhua quoted an Israeli
army statement as saying.
Security officials in Gaza con-
firmed Israel's renewed attacks, say-
ing that Israeli war jets and helicop-
ters showered missiles upon several
targets in northern Gaza Strip and
on eastern, southern and western
neighborhoods of Gaza city.
Medics in Gaza said six
Palestinians were killed during
predawn airstrikes on houses in
southern Gaza Strip, including a
woman, an old man and four other
men. Gaza health ministry said in an
emailed press statement that the toll
since last Tuesday in the Gaza Strip
climbed to 192, while around 1,400
people were wounded.
Shortly after the truce deal came
into effect Tuesday, about 50 rock-
ets were fired at southern and cen-
tral Israel, according to a spokesper-
son of the Israeli army.
After the Islamist organization
rejected the Egyptian proposal,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu ordered the military "to
act strongly" against Hamas sites.
Earlier, Israel's security cabinet
agreed to an Egyptian ceasefire pro-
posal which would put an end to the
eight-day-old Operation Protective
Edge. Hamas, on its part,
announced on its website that the
ceasefire agreement was a "surren-
der" and insisted Israel release 56
Palestinians affiliated to the organi-
sation and arrested in an Israeli mili-
tary operation in the West Bank last
month, following the kidnapping
and killing of three Israeli teenagers.
More than 700 rockets and mor-
tars were fired at Israeli communi-
ties in the past week throughout
south, south central and central
Israel, with some rockets hitting the
northern city of Haifa, some 130 km
north of the Gaza Strip.
21 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Obama, Merkel vow to
improve intelligence
cooperation
Washington: US President
Barack Obama and German
Chancellor Angela Merkel have
vowed to improve intelligence
cooperation between the two
countries. Obama and Merkel
exchanged views on US-
German intelligence cooperation
during their first conversation
Tuesday after a new spy row
damaged the allies' relations.
According to a White House
statement, Obama said he would
remain in close communication
on ways to push cooperation
forward. Germany asked the US
intelligence chief in Berlin to
leave the country as a new round
of allegations of US espionage
is threatening to strain bilateral
ties. The bilateral ties were dam-
aged by revelations of data gath-
ering practices by former US
intelligence contractor Edward
Snowden last year. While talk-
ing about bilateral relations, the
two leaders also discussed the
situation in Ukraine and the
ongoing talks on Iran's nuclear
program, the statement said.
Fortaleza (Brazil)/New Delhi:
Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi met Chinese President Xi
Jinping and called for a solution to
the "boundary question" as the
two countries sought to expand
their economic relations and recti-
fy the trade imbalance.
In his first meeting with Xi since
becoming prime minister, Modi
called for enhanced Chinese
investment in India's infrastructure
as the two leaders engaged in a
freewheeling discussion and
focused on building personal rap-
port in the discussion that went
beyond the scheduled time.
China invited Modi to the Asia-
Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) meeting in November, the
first time India has been invited
for the meet.
The meeting took place within
hours of Modi and Xi arriving at
Fortaleza in Brazil for the BRICS
- Brazil, Russia, India, China and
South Africa - leaders' summit
being held July 15-16. Modi is
also scheduled to have meetings
with other leaders too.
Modi said if India and China
could amicably resolve the bound-
ary question, it would set an
example for the world in peaceful
conflict resolution. He also hoped
that trade imbalance will be
resolved and called for the two
countries to work together against
terrorism and extremism in the
region.
Also underscored the impor-
tance of bilateral relations, Xi
said: "When India and China
meet, the whole world watches."
"Both leaders went straight into
their first meeting here, indicating
the importance that both give to
this relationship and to their dis-
cussions," external affairs ministry
spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin
said. The meeting, which was
scheduled for about 30-40 min-
utes, lasted almost 80 minutes.
"The effort was to have a free-
wheeling discussion. The focus
was on establishing a personal
rapport. And I think that worked
very well because both the leaders
seemed to have prepared very well
for this meeting," Akbaruddin
said.
A statement from the Prime
Minister' s Office said the two
leaders observed that India and
China had enormous opportunities
to forge mutually beneficial part-
nerships and serve as catalytic
agents of Asian and global pros-
perity.
Both sides emphasized the need
to find a solution to the boundary
question, it said.
"The prime minister stressed the
importance of strengthening mutu-
al trust and confidence, and main-
taining peace and tranquility on
the border."
It said Xi accepted for consider-
ation Modi's suggestion for an
additional route for the Kailash
Mansarovar Yatra, giving the diffi-
cult terrain of the existing route.
Referring to Xi's planned visit to
India in September, he responded
to an invitation to him, saying he
looked forward to an early visit
to China.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting with
Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines
of 6th BRICS Summit in Fortaliza, Brazil.
Narendra Modi with Russian President
Vladimir Putin in Brazil
Barack Obama and
Angela Merkel
Modi meets Xi, seeks solution of border issues
Modi seeks stronger defense,
nuclear ties with Russia
Israel has
ordered
thousands of
Palestinians
eastern and
northern
Gaza to
leave their
homes.
Israel resumes Gaza strikes as
Hamas attacks on
Modi calls for urgent reform of UN security council, IMF
Fortaleza (Brazil)/New Delhi: Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called
for "urgent reform" of institutions such as
the UN Security Council and International
Monetary Fund while stressing the inter-
national community should have zero tol-
erance towards terrorism.
In his statement in the BRICS summit
on the agenda "Political Coordination:
International Governance and Regional
Crises", he noted it was taking place at a
time when the world was facing a high
level of turmoil and uncertainty and
"remaining mute spectators" to countries
in peril could have "grave consequences".
Modi, who addressed his first interna-
tional meeting as prime minister, said col-
lective pressure should be exerted on
states to deny sanctuaries and support to
terrorists even as he noted that terrorism
had not been combated effectively due to
"different yardsticks".
The sixth meeting of BRICS - Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa -
leaders was held July 15-16 in Brazil.
Modi said that India looked forward to
work with its BRICS partners on security
and economic development of
Afghanistan and said the grouping should
explore how they can help end the conflict
in Iraq. He stressed BRICS must translate
its political resolve into concrete and
coordinated plan of action, and move
towards advancing global peace and sta-
bility. Restoring the climate of peace and
stability was an urgent need for global
progress and the world must unite to deci-
sively confront challenges, he said.
"Corrective action must begin with the
reform of institutions of global gover-
nance. This has been on the BRICS agen-
da since its inception. Institutions like the
UN Security Council and IMF need
urgent reform. They must become more
representative and reflect ground reali-
ties," he said.
Modi noted the region stretching from
Afghanistan to Africa was experiencing
turbulence and conflict, and causing grave
instability that is fast seeping across bor-
ders.
India tops the list of global
poor: UN report
New Delhi: India tops the list of countries with
the largest share of global extreme poor though
the poverty rate in southeast Asia as whole saw a
substantial fall from 1990 to 2010, a new United
Nations report said. The poverty rate in southeast
Asia fell from 45 percent in 1990 to 14 percent in
2010. Although poverty remains widespread in
south Asia, progress in the region has been sub-
stantial, the Millenium Development Goals
Report 2014 said. However, India had the largest
share of global poor at 32.9 percent, more than
countries like China, Nigeria and Bangladesh,
said the report which was released here
Wednesday.
India also had the highest child mortality rate
worldwide in 2012 with 1.4 million children
dying before reaching their fifth birthday, it said.
In 2012, south Asia accounted for 2.1 million
of the 6.6 million deaths in children under five
worldwide and with 1.4 million children dying
before reaching their fifth birthday, India had the
highest child mortality rate worldwide, the report
which tracks progress in achieving the Millenium
Development Goals (MDGs) said. "India's role in
global development is the most important in the
world. The MDGs can't be reached globally if
they are not reached here," Lise Grande, United
Nations Resident Coordinator for India, said
while releasing the report.
IAF plans early induction of
Rafale combat jet
New Delhi: India's negotiations with French
aviation major Dassault for 126 Rafale
Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft
(MMRCA) for $20 billion "are progressing
well" and the contract is likely "sooner than
later in the current financial year (2014-15)"
a top military commander has said.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air
Chief Marshal Arup Raha, in an interview to
India Strategic ahead of the Farnborough Air
Show, the first in fact after he assumed
office about six months ago, was candid
enough to acknowledge that the force will
have to retire several legacy squadrons of
MiG-21 and MiG-27 aircraft in the coming
years. But he was also confident that the
planned induction of the Rafale, and HAL's
indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft
(LCA) will help "arrest the drawdown in the
strength of the fighter squadrons."
The number of Su-30MKI aircraft is also
steadily increasing. The IAF has planned
induction of 272 Su-30MKIs, periodically
upgraded, and nearly 60 per cent of them are
operational. The IAF's proposed strength for
combat aircraft is 42 squadrons, to be
reached by 2022. Because of the phasing out
of the old aircraft like MiG-21s and MiG-
23s, the current squadron strength is report-
ed to be 34.
Fortaleza (Brazil): The emerging-market
bloc of BRICS vowed to strive for more
comprehensive cooperation and forge a
closer economic partnership.
Since its inception, the grouping of
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa has been guided by the overarching
objectives of peace, security, development
and cooperation, they noted in a declara-
tion following their sixth summit in this
Brazilian city, Xinhua reported.
Looking into the future, they pledged to
"deepen our partnership with a renewed
vision, based on openness, inclusiveness
and mutually beneficial cooperation"
while remaining committed to those objec-
tives. "In this sense, we are ready to
explore new areas towards a comprehen-
sive cooperation and a closer economic
partnership to facilitate market inter-link-
ages, financial integration, infrastructure
connectivity as well as people-to-people
contacts," said the Fortaleza Declaration.
Highlighting their commitment to raising
their economic cooperation to a qualita-
tively new level, they emphasised the
importance of establishing a road map for
intra-BRICS economic cooperation.
They agreed to advance discussions on
the proposals for a BRICS economic coop-
eration strategy and a framework of
BRICS closer economic partnership with a
view to formulating a plan for endorse-
ment by the next summit.
Noting that further macroeconomic coor-
dination among all major economies, par-
ticularly in the Group of 20 (G20),
remains a critical factor for strengthening
the prospects for a vigorous and sustain-
able recovery worldwide, the BRICS
countries pledged to work with the global
community to "foster financial stability,
support sustainable, stronger and inclusive
growth and promote quality jobs."
The BRICS stands ready to "contribute
to the G20 goal of lifting our collective
GDP by more than 2 percent above the tra-
jectory implied by current policies over
the coming five years," said the declara-
tion.
Narendra Modi addressing the plenary session of the sixth meeting of BRICS (Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa) in Brazil.
BRICS leaders in Fortaleza, Brazil.
BRICS eyes closer partnership
BUSINESS July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 22
SPORTS 23 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
London: England fast bowler James
Anderson has been charged by the
International Cricket Council (ICC)
for violation of the Code of Conduct
by allegedly abusing and pushing
India's Ravindra Jadeja during the
first cricket Test at Trent Bridge.
Anderson could miss the final two
Tests of the series if found guilty of
the Level 3 offense, which is seen as
serious and range from physical
altercations to use of offensive lan-
guage. In retaliation, a "shocked"
England and Wales Cricket Board
(ECB) has accused Jadeja of a lesser
offense as they do not want both
players - especially Anderson - to be
forced to miss the final two Tests.
The ECB has decided to contest
the misconduct allegations against
Anderson and in turn seek sanction
against Jadeja. It is believed Dhoni is
driving the complaint and that India
are going ahead with it to try to get
Anderson banned for the final two
matches of the series and are pre-
pared to live with any ban Jadeja
could get. The fast bowler, who was
involved in world record last-wicket
partnership with Joe Root in the Test,
was involved in some verbal alterca-
tions with Jadeja as the batsman and
his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni
walked off for lunch. India allege
that when the teams were inside the
pavilion Anderson pushed the all-
rounder. Nothing more was heard of
the incident during the match, but the
England camp got a call from India
coach Duncan Fletcher, who was
quoted by Daily Mail as saying that
the tourists were pressing ahead with
a Level 3 complaint despite the fact
the ICC was keen on the teams sort-
ing it between themselves. The ICC
statement said: "Anderson has been
charged for allegedly abusing and
pushing Ravindra Jadeja immediate-
ly after they left the field for lunch
on Thursday. It is alleged that this
was a continuation of a verbal alter-
cation between Anderson and Jadeja
as they were walking from the field."
It is believed Dhoni is driving the
complaint and that India are going
ahead with it to try to get Anderson
banned for the final two matches of
the series and are prepared to live
with any ban Jadeja could get. An
ICC-appointed Judicial
Commissioner will gather evidence
in the next 14 days, meaning
Anderson will definitely be free to
play at Lord's and the Ageas Bowl,
but if found guilty could miss Old
Trafford and The Kia Oval.
Rio de Janeiro: Germany
became the first European team
to win the FIFA World Cup on
South American soil, beating
Argentina 1-0 in the final thanks
to Mario Gotzes extra time goal
at the Maracana Stadium here.
The last time the Germans,
playing as West Germany, lifted
the World Cup trophy was in
1990 beating Diego Maradona
led Argentina with the same
scoreline in Rome.
The two teams were locked 0-0
after 105 minutes of play and
took two German substitutes to
break the deadlock and give
Germany their fourth World Cup
triumph.
Andre Schurrle made inroads
down the left hand side, and loft-
ed in a neat cross towards the
near post. Gotze took it excellent-
ly on his chest and with time and
space to move, he brilliantly
found the back of the net in the
113rd minute.
Germany and Argentina could
not be separated after 90 minutes
of play. For the third time in a
row the FIFA World Cup final
went into extra time after the two
teams were locked 0-0 at full-
time.
The last two World Cup finals
went to extra time. In 2006 saw
Italy defeated France in penalties,
while in 2010 Andres Iniesta
scored with the clock running
down to clinch the trophy for
Spain against the Netherlands.
But the Germans went into
extra time with all the momentum
after going close on more than
one occasion in the final 10 min-
utes. The second half was a let
down after an intriguing opening
period. The two teams could not
find the breakthrough with
Argentina having the better
chances of the two. The score
might have been goalless at half-
time, but it wasn't a bore by any
means though. Both sides clearly
had their own designs on how
they wanted to win the game.
Germany, as ever, dominated
possession, patiently probing
their way through. Meanwhile,
Argentina were happy to tempt
them forward and use their pace
to get in behind. The second half
was a much tighter affair with
both teams slowing down the
pace of the game.
Rio de Janeiro: Argentina captain Lionel
Messi was named the Golden Ball winner while
Colombian sensation James Rodriguez won the
Golden Boot award for the 2014 FIFA World
Cup here. Argentina lost 0-1 in extra time to
Germany in the final at the Marcana stadium
here.
Messi failed to get on the scoresheet but the
voters still thought he was the best player in the
tournament. The 27-year-old appeared in all
seven of the team's matches, scoring four goals
and chipping in an assist. Other players in the
running for the award were Arjen Robben
(Netherlands), Neymar (Brazil), James
Rodriguez (Colombia) and Thomas Mueller
(Germany).
Brasilia: The Netherlands took
third place at the FIFA World
Cup thanks to a 3-0 victory over
hosts Brazil here at the Estadio
Nacional.
Louis van Gaal's side kept a
clean sheet for the third match in
a row, reports Xinhua.
Captain Robin van Persie put
his team ahead only three min-
utes into the game.
Arjen Robben dashed into the
box from his right and the
winger was pulled down by
Brazil skipper Thiago Silva.
The referee pointed to the spot
and Van Persie stepped up to find
the top corner.
In the 17th minute, David Luiz,
who replaced banned Silva to
captain Brazil in their disastrous
1-7 defeat to Germany, nodded a
header straight to Daley Blind to
strike it calmly into the roof of
the net.
Georginio Wijnaldum made it
3-0 in stoppage time of the sec-
ond half.
ICC charges Anderson of
misconduct, ECB accuses Jadeja
Gotze gives Germany their
fourth World Cup crown
Netherlands beat
Brazil to take third
place in World Cup
Germany won the World Cup after 24 years
The Netherlands defeated Brazil 3-0
Messi wins Golden Ball, Rodriguez gets Golden Boot
Singer
Shakira
performing
during the
closing
ceremony
for the
football
World Cup
at the
Maracana
Stadium in
Rio de
Janeiro,
Brazil.
Argentina
captain
Lionel
Messi
LIFESTYLE
New York: If your summer plans include
a trip to a beach or pool, West Chester
County Executive Robert P. Astorino and
Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD
have some advice to keep you safe.
County pools and beaches are open for
the season and we have worked hard to
ensure that our residents safety is first pri-
ority, Astorino said. Never swim in
areas that are marked closed and its
always good to remind children to swim
near lifeguards.
When you are in the water keeping
cool, its easy for both adults and children
to forget the need to stay hydrated and
protect your skin from the effects of the
summer sun.
Be sure you and your family drink lots
of water throughout the day at the pool or
shore to avoid heat exhaustion, said
Sherlita Amler, MD, Commissioner of
Health. Wear a hat and sunglasses, avoid
the midday sun and reapply sunscreen
with a sun protection factor of at least 15
every two hours, especially after you
swim or sweat, to avoid sunburn.
Dr. Amler had additional water safety
advice for parents.
Its also critical never to leave a baby
alone in water even for a second, and
dont leave children unattended in a pool
or at the shore, Amler said. Pool floats,
inner tubes and noodles are no substitute
for close supervision. Swimming and
alcohol, just like boating and alcohol,
dont mix. To avoid tragedy, make sure
young children and teenagers know not to
sneak into closed pools or lakes, and to
swim only where and when there are life-
guards or adults watching them without
any distractions.
Last year in the United States, between
Memorial Day and Labor Day, at least 202
children between 1 and 14 years of age
drowned in a pool or spa, according to
media reports cited by poolsafely.gov.
New York State had 11 drowning inci-
dents in 2013, making it the state with the
fifth highest count.
Health dept advice
for swimming safety
Swim only in guarded areas, drink water
and apply sunscreen often
Washington, DC: Returning employees
understand the key components of an orga-
nization's work culture and may also be
more committed to the focal organization
upon their return, making them less risky
hires, says a study.
Organizations of all types are beginning
to recognize and embrace the value of
recruiting and welcoming back former
employees, the findings showed.
"Ideally, these so-called ' boomerang
employees' already understand the key
components of the organization's work
structure and culture, which makes them
less risky hires than newcomers," said T.
Brad Harris, a professor of labor and
employment relations at University of
Illinois in the US.
"In addition to understanding the
organizational culture, returning employees
might also be more committed to
the focal organization upon their return
because, in essence, they have learned
first-hand that the grass is not
always greener on the other side," Harris
added.
From infantry soldiers to chief execu-
tives, accountants and professional basket-
ball players, many organizations proactive-
ly recruit and re-hire former employees as a
way to offset high turnover costs and hedge
against the uncertain process of socializing
replacement employees.
"After surveying and interviewing hun-
dreds of employees, we were able to see
that 'boomerang employees' were more
likely to originally leave an organization,
not because of dissatisfaction with the job,
but because of some personal reason, such
as a pregnancy, spousal relocation or an
unexpected job offer," Harris noted.
The study appeared in the journal
Personnel Psychology.
London: What if you are asked to perform
a different kind of fasting - to log out from
Facebook for 99 days!
Do not fret as this is a challenge set out
by a Dutch creative agency Just.
Called "99 Days of Freedom", the non-
profit initiative asks whether people would
be happier without Facebook.
It asks users to give up Facebook for a
99-day period, completing anonymous hap-
piness surveys on days 33, 66 and 99.
According to Facebook, a user spends an
average of 17 minutes a day on the social
networking service.
For 99 days, it would mean 28 productive
hours that can be used to learn some new
skill, the agency said.
"We found that users have at least a 'com-
plicated' relationship with Facebook,"
Merjin Straathof, art director at Just, was
quoted as saying in media reports.
Then, after seeing the news of Facebook's
controversial emotion study, the agency
launched this challenge.
"We landed on a 99-day period, hoping
that such interaction will serve as a support
group of sorts," Straathof added.
24 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Hiring former employees
beneficial: Study
Can you shun Facebook
for 99 days?
516.724.6939
718.685.6625
516.360.5980
ASAMAI HINDU TEMPLE
80 East Barclay Street
Hicksville, NY 11801
Date: Jul 21 To Jul 27, 2014
Time: 5am To 7am
Follow these tips to stay safe around
pools and beaches this summer:
Learn how to swim and teach your
child how to swim.
Never leave a child unattended in or
near the water and always watch your
children closely around all bodies of
water.
Designate a water watcher to super-
vise children in the pool, spa or at the
shore. This person should not be reading,
texting, using a smart phone, or other-
wise distracted.
Learn how to perform CPR on
children and adults.
Keep children away from pool
drains, pipes, and other openings to
avoid entrapments.
Ensure any pool and spa you use
has drain covers that comply with
federal safety standards, and, if you do
not know, ask your pool service provider
about safe drain covers.
At the beach, never fight currents;
swim parallel to shore and at an angle if
you find yourself in a rip current.
25 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TOURISM
Khopoli (Maharashtra): The
Haunted Castle of Salimgarh,
Wrath of the Gods, Wild West,
Deep Space, Prince of the Dark
Waters, Alibaba Aur Chalis Chor,
Scream Machine, Gold Rush
Express, Mr. India-The Ride and
D2-Dare Drop -- there are all these
and more at Adlabs Imagica -
arguably India' s first and only
world-class theme park some 90
km from Mumbai in Raigad dis-
trict.
Some 15 months ago, at one shot,
all of Maharashtra' s top-notch
amusement, glamour and tourism
destinations took a back seat to
these attractions with exciting
names, and many more, coupled
with top-class cuisine, entertain-
ment and fun for all age groups. All
these have now catapulted Adlabs
Imagica to the Must Visit destina-
tion category of the state in such a
short time.
"Yooooooey! Whooooaaaaa!
Aaaaahhh!" are the screams of
delirious joy that daily echo around
the area, off the Mumbai-Pune
Expressway, where Imagica has
come up over 110 acres with an
investment of around Rs.1,600
crore ($266 million).
Last week, even the Imagica
management let out shouts of joy as
the One Millionth Visitor stepped
inside the colorful, enchanting,
magical world of entertainment.
"This is India' s first and only
international-standard Theme Park,
spelling a world of infinite fun,
excitement, entertainment, dining,
shopping and incredible memories -
- all at one location," said a pleased
Adlabs Imagica CEO Kapil Bagla.
According to Bagla, there is noth-
ing of this huge scale in India and
its immediate neighborhood which
has attracted over 15,000-plus visi-
tors daily from all over India and
even abroad, since it opened in
April 2013.
"Imagica is not just rides and
thrills but a whole world of fantas-
tical themes never seen or experi-
enced before by Indian families. No
expense has been spared in bring-
ing the best architectural elements,
world-class international designers,
exciting and novel attractions to
rival any international in the
world," Bagla said.
All rides and attractions here are
designed by experts who have
worked in renowned international
theme parks like Disneyland,
Universal (both USA), Tokyo
DisneySea (Japan) and Fantawild
(China). At Imagica, the same
international experience comes at a
fraction of the cost.
A day's outing for a family of
four would cost around Rs.6,000
depending on the package chosen.
Bagla explained that unlike other
amusement parks - there are around
150 in India, mostly in the south
and the west - which offer thrills or
hair-raising experiences, Imagica
launches the visitors to a magical
world of joy and relaxation, making
them briefly forget the real world -
in a unique form of family outing.
There is something for every age
group with new experiences at
every step, 25 themed rides, non-
stop live entertainment by over 100
artistes topped off with a Grand
Imagica Parade, interspersed with
five themed restaurants offering
global cuisine, including one which
serves Jain food!
A walk through the streets of
Imagica takes visitors on many
memorable journeys - Viva Europa,
Arabia, Jambo Africa, Americana,
India and Asiana.
"At every touch-point, you will
be immersed in a new theme,
themed attractions, area design,
landscaping, dining and retail,
ambient music, character design,
building facades, props, interactive
installations, and merchandise,
which instill a feeling of escapism
in the park. This 'escapism' is what
makes Imagica different from all
other parks in India, and at par with
the best theme parks around the
world," Bagla said.
Little wonder Imagica hosted in
just one year over a million visitors
from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi,
Bangalore, Rajasthan, Punjab and
West Bengal among others, includ-
ing around 250,000 students from
over 500 schools around the coun-
try. It is also a hot favorite with cor-
porates and social groups as their
break-out destination with fabulous
returns by way of word-of-mouth
publicity.
After a hectic superhit first year,
Adlabs Imagica is now expanding
with a new attraction in August --
Aquamagica, an international stan-
dard water park with unique rides
and a promise of unprecedented
experience among water parks in
the country.
Adjacent to the venue is a new
four-star hotel coming up which
will be operational by the year-end
with alluring packages to visit
Imagica and Aquamagica, Bagla
said.
"With this hotel, people will be
able to enjoy a 3-4 day fun-filled
getaway holiday in this part of the
world, in the lap of greenery but
easily accessible by road, rail and
air, with close proximity to the
country' s commercial capital,"
Bagla added.
In tune with its philosophy of
growing with the community,
Bagla said that since its inception,
Imagica has provided 98 percent of
jobs to local youths from villages
and towns around the theme park in
Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and Pune
districts.
It has created over 2,000 jobs for
the locals, including 40 percent
freshers. Imagica has trained them
as per their competencies/roles.
At the end of an exciting and tir-
ing day, it's time to pick up some
memories at the merchandise out-
lets - cuddly soft toys, funky t-
shirts, coffee mugs, et al - to show
off to friends and neighbors who
have not yet "been there."
India gets its own Disneyland: Imagica near Mumbai
After a hectic superhit first year that saw one million visitors,
Adlabs Imagica is now expanding with a new attraction in August
-- Aquamagica, an international standard water park.
Nitro, Floorless Coaster, is one of the main thrill attractions at Imagica.
Imagica is the dream project of Manmohan Shetty,
chairman of Adlabs Entertainment, seen at the theme
park with daughters Pooja and Aarti Shetty.
The theme park has taken the best from other similar attractions around the world.
Located off the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Imagica has come up over 110 acres with an
investment of around Rs.1,600 crore ($266 million).
Emraan 'cautious' about
'Hamari Adhuri Kahani'
E
mraan Hashmi, who will soon start shooting for romantic
film "Hamari Adhuri Kahani", says he was cautious
about doing the film till he heard the script narrated by
filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.
"It's a very interesting film. It's my first out-and-out love
story. I haven't played such a charac-
ter. It is a space I was a bit cautious
to experiment with till I heard the
script from Mahesh Bhatt," the
actor told reporters here at the wrap-
up party of his film "Raja Natwarlal"
Monday.
"All the characters are very
good. It is a very heart-
felt and touching
story," he added.
To be directed by
Mohit Suri, "Hamari
Adhuri Kahani"
also stars Vidya
Balan and
Rajkummar Rao.
The film will go
on floors Sep 16.
Emraan has
earlier delivered
movies like
"Kalyug" and
"Murder 2" with
Mohit.
26 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Leone enjoys being showstopper!
A
ctress Sunny Leone was
awed by the "breathtaking
designs" that she flaunted
at the India International Jewelery
Week (IIJW) as the showstopper
of Sumit Sawhneys jewelery
brand Apala by Sumit.
Adorned in exquisite hand-craft-
ed jewelery, Sunny stole the show
as she sashayed down the ramp
wearing a Hasli with Victorian ele-
ments and gold claws, which
added a tribal touch to her look.
She also flaunted a bold calf-
piece, and even a back-piece,
which was a wreath embellished
with Jade, cascading on the
actress' back. She also wore ear-
rings, cufflinks and head-pieces.
"Sumit's jewellery has so much
creativity and finesse. Apala was a
break from the usual bling on
stage. I was awed by its breathtak-
ing designs. The back pieces were
very different and spectacular. I
absolutely loved the entire set he
designed for me," Sunny said post
the show.
WThe show was called The
Royal Tribe, an amalgamation of
the royal and tribal elements.
M
ove over Naseeruddin Shah.
Varun Dhawan is now practicing
what the veteran actor preaches -
method acting. The actor drank alcohol to
lend authenticity to scenes featuring him in
a sozzled avatar. Director Sriram Raghavan
introduced Varun Dhawan to the painful
pleasures of method acting. For two of his
important dramatic sequences in Shashank
Khaitan' s recently released "Humpty
Sharma Ki Dulhania", Varun hit the bottle.
Since Varun was off alcohol, the sudden
indulgence hit him hard. It's being said that
the actor had to be physically supported by
the crew as he wobbled and stumbled all
over. Varun blames Raghavan for the
unscheduled spot of method acting.
"I finished shooting the first half of
Sriram Raghavan's film when I came into
the climax of 'Humpty...' .So maybe I was a
little more intense in my approach than I'd
have been otherwise," he said.
Varun's drink went straight to his head.
"There is a scene where I had to be drunk
in the climax. It was shot at 4 a.m. I took a
risk and actually consumed alcohol for the
scene. Can you imagine, drinking at 4
a.m.? I hadn't had any alcohol for a while.
It suddenly hit me and I was actually
drunk," he said. Varun says he was scared
as he had lost control of his body
movements.
O
lympic gold medalist Mary Kom is
happy with actor Priyanka Chopras
first look in the biopic based on the
boxer. "Im excited for the movies release.
Hope it makes boxing even more popular
and inspires people, says Kom. Priyanka,
on her part, said she was happy with Koms
reaction to the poster.
"She really liked it. Giggled a lot! It was
very cute," said Priyanka Chopra. She is
also garnering compliments from fans and
industry colleagues. This comes as a fix for
the actor after the debacle of a social media
chat which was a letdown for the 31-year-
old, who called it cruel.
Emraan
Hashmi
Actress Sunny
Leone as the
showstopper
of Sumit
Sawhney's
jewellery
brand Apala
When
Varun got
drunk for
'Humpty
Sharma...'
Varun
Dhawan
in
'Humpty
Sharma
Ki
Dulhania'
Priyanka
Chopras
first look
in the
biopic
based on
the boxer
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 27
T
hank god for Varun Dhawan and
Alia Bhatt. The soul shivers in fear
wondering which disaster zone this
bland avatar of "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le
Jayenge" (DDLJ) would have headed to if
these two actors hadnt steered the rudder-
less revisionist saga to semblance of sensi-
tivity.
As you sit cross-eyed and tense waiting
for the young lovers in Ambala to sort out
the mess in matters of the heart, you won-
der how many rip-offs, homages, tributes
and remakes of Aditya Chopras DDLJ we
would have to bear before this...errr...clas-
sic is put to rest.
It may be sacrilegious to say this. But
DDLJ in my humble opinion, is hardly the
stuff classics are made of. It had its
moments of glory...Oh yes! But a repeat-
edly recyled classic? Nah! Thats going
too far.
"Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania" (HSKD)
takes the Raj and Simran characters,
shakes and stirs them and turns them on
their head. Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt,
two of Bollywood's most talented contem-
porary actors, dont really try to fill Shah
Rukh Khan and Kajols shoes. They have
better things to do.
He, Humpty (yes, thats what our hero is
called) cant keep it in his pants...his
money, that is! He spends it buying a
lehenga for the wedding of the girl of his
dreams. She uses the money to buy him a
car of his dreams.
You really wish the director had left
these two annoying characters to their
dreams and devices. These are the kind of
20-something over-reachers who need to
be told to get a life doesnt mean to beg
borrow steal material happiness.
When we first meet Humpty, he emerges
from a loo behind a sheepish-looking girl.
In her introduction scene, Kavya (Alia) is
shown trying to bully her father into buy-
ing her a Manish Malhotra lehenga for her
wedding to the 'perfect' NRI.
No one in HSKD seems to feel any real
emotions. It is all a pantomime of being
cool.
There are characters in Humptys saga
equivalent to the ones in DLLJ, all sub-
verted to the point of appearing farcically
over-blown. Except Ashutosh Rana, who
does a dignified take on Amrish Puri from
the original, no one else gets it right.
Clearly, the debutant director is here
doing a revisionist version of DDLJ, much
in the same way that Sanjay Leela
Bhansali did with "Romeo and Juliet" in
"Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela. With
one difference. The creator of the revision-
ist version of the 'classic' (provided you
consider DDLJ a classic) lacks the vision
to take the original characters to another
level from where they originally stood.
A
ctress Jacqueline Fernandez
agrees that "Kick" is a Salman
Khan-starrer all the way, but
she is also confident that she's not side-
lined in the movie due to his presence.
"I don't even know why people are
even asking me this question, "
Jacqueline said here to a question about
whether she fears being sidelined in the
film.
"Salman is a superstar. People come
to watch him in the movies and just for
me to be part of a movie like this and to
be with Salman Khan gives me such an
advantage. So, no, I am not sidelined at
all in this film," added the Sri Lankan beau-
ty. Jacqueline considers "Kick", directed by
Sajid Nadiadwala, as a "huge break" in her
career.
"It goes without saying that obviously it's
a big break...even for an established actress,
it's a very big deal (to work with Salman)
and the same is for me. I am no different,"
she said.
'Humpty Sharma...' - bland avatar of 'DDLJ'
I'm not sidelined in 'Kick': Jacqueline
Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt in a scene from 'Humpty Sharma...'
C
hirpy and evergreen at 81, leg-
endary playback singer Asha
Bhosle is not one to mince words.
Disturbed with the ongoing trend of
lewd lyrics in Bollywood, the Padma
Vibhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke
awardee says, "Gaalion ka gaana banta
hai aajkal, aur beech mein English mein
kuch badbad kartein hai. Yeh jo bahar ke
ladke English gaate gaate Hindi mein
gaane lage, woh English ke bahut hi
gande gande words ... jaise rape use
kartein hain. Toh agar aise words use
honge, toh humare youngsters wohi
karenge jo aap unhe sikhaenge," says
Bhosle, who holds a name in the
Guinness Book of World Records as the
most recorded artist in music history.
The singer revealed that she was once
shocked to hear a kid hum Halkat Jawani
(from Madhur Bhandarkars Heroine,
2012).
Mujhe agar kahe Halkat Jawani gaao,
main nahi gaoongi. Halkat gandi gaali
hoti hai Marathi mein. Aajkal fashion hai,
ek do item songs kisi se bhi gawa lo, bade
singers ki zaroorat hi nahin hai. Bahut
kam log hain jinka taste music mein
achha hai. Log lungi aur zandu balm
waale gaane bhi pasand karte hain," says
Bhosle, who has belted out hits such as
Piya Tu Ab To Aaja (Caravan, 1971),
Dum Maaro Dum (Hare Rama Hare
Krishna, 1971) and Yeh Mera Dil (Don,
1978), which were considered bold in
those days.
Asha Bhosle
Yeh gaane nahi gaaliyan
hain: Asha Bhosle
Actress Jacqueline Fernandez with Salman
Khan in 'Kick'
Don't give mobile phones to kids: Rohit
M
obile phones may have become an integral part of people's life, but the facility
comes with hazards, says actor Rohit Roy. He requests parents to keep chil-
dren away from the device and use it with caution.
The actor, known for his TV shows like Swabhimaan and movie stint in Shootout
At Lokhandwala, took to Twitter to talk about the cons of
mobile phones.
He also wrote that his posts shouldn't be interpreted as
preaching rather they should be treated as "information".
Cell phones are dangerous in a way that u don't realise It's
a debilitating device which will affect ur skin n nervous system
if used excessively or incorrectly. Keep it away from u while
sleeping, wrote the actor who himself is a parent.
Hold it far from ur ear while talking At least half an inch.
Better still use a headset, not bluetooth but corded one
And definitely don't give ur kids the phone Not even to
play They are most susceptible to radio waves as their skins
are thinner, he said in his posts. The actor, who directed a film
called "Rice Plate", feels that speaking on mobiles has become
such a habit that landlines are almost extinct in homes. Actor Rohit Roy
S
achin Tendulkar is one of the greatest
cricket players ever, a titan of his sport.
But poor Maria Sharapova had never
heard of him, never heard of a man who is so
beloved in India, he could endorse a brand of
darkness cream and millions of people would
buy it.
The Russian tennis star had just lost a
match at Wimbledon and was asked about
Tendulkar, who happened to be in a star-stud-
ded gallery watching her. Sharapova made
the mistake of admitting that she didnt rec-
ognize the recently retired batsman. The leg-
ends fans were aghast at this indignity to
their hero and lashed out at Sharapova on
Facebook, Twitter and other social media.
No wonder you lost your match, one fan
wrote. Thats what happens when you dont
recognize God!
Another fans message was more ominous:
Apologize immediately, Miss Sharapova, or
I will write to Narendra Modi to invade
Russia.
Thanks to angry tweets from Tendulkar
fans, the hashtag #WhoIsMariaSharapova
was soon trending on the Internet, prompting
Sharapova fans to respond with hashtags of
their own: #FiveGrandSlamTitles and
#HotterThanSaniaMirza
Millions of young Indian men who had
decorated their bedrooms with posters of
both Tendulkar and Sharapova felt compelled
to take down the images of the leggy blonde.
I put mine in a drawer, said one aggrieved
fan. If she apologizes, I will put her poster
back up. If not, I have vowed to look at it just
once a day.
Another fan was less forgiving: Apology
or not, she is not going back on my wall. I am
so upset that I am seriously considering put-
ting my wife back as my computer back-
ground.
Its hard to fault Sharapova for not recog-
nizing Tendulkar, as magnificent as he is.
Cricket, after all, isnt quite as popular as ten-
nis or soccer around the world. Tendulkar is
surely as accomplished in cricket as Roger
Federer in tennis or Lionel Messi in soccer,
but hes virtually unknown in dozens of
countries, including the two countries where
Sharapova has spent most of her life, the
United States and Russia. Among recognized
sports in America, cricket falls somewhere
between the hot dog-eating contest and the
egg-and-spoon race.
When Tendulkar is mobbed by autograph
seekers while visiting New York City, you
can bet at least half of them are immigrants
from India, Sri Lanka, Guyana and other
cricket-playing nations, while the other half
arent quite sure who he is.
Man: Hey, that guy must be famous.
Everyones going crazy. Lets get his auto-
graph!
Woman: Who do you think he is?
Man: Im not sure, but I think hes that
guy from Slumdog Millionaire, Anil
Kapoor.
None of this diminishes Tendulkars great-
ness, of course. And if you ask me, Tendulkar
has the best kind of fame. If he wants to be a
god, he can stay in India; if he wants to be a
legend, he can visit England, Australia and
South Africa; and if he wants to be just an
ordinary guy, he can visit the United States
(as long as he stays away from motels, 7-
Elevens, and the entire state of New Jersey).
Most celebrities dont like to be recognized
everywhere they go. Sometimes they want a
little privacy, a day or two without someone
screaming, Sachin! I love you! Please take a
photo with me, so I can post it on Facebook
and get one million likes.
As for Sharapova, hopefully she has
learned her lesson. In the future, if shes
asked about an Indian cricketer or movie star,
shed be wise to give safe answers that
dont reveal her ignorance.
Reporter: Did you know that Sachin
Tendulkar was watching you?
Sharapova: Sachin? Really? Thats
amazing. Im so honored. I love him.
Reporter: So you know who he is?
Sharapova: Are you kidding? Doesnt
everybody?
Reporter: What do you think of his
career?
Sharapova: Its been amazing. Hes
accomplished so much. I loved him in
Slumdog Millionaire.
Humor with Melvin Durai
28 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info HUMOR
Laughter is the Best Medicine
The Best Kind of Fame Sachin Tendulkar:
by Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and
humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the immigrant
Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania.
19th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1
Traits in you: Your star Sun makes you active, dy-
namic, confident, responsible and a talented. You have
the scope to learn new things and create new ideas.
However, you have to take care of your nature of be-
having improvident and dominating.
Health this year: You will remain healthy provided
you get your checkup done regularly.
Finance this year: You will find new money making
opportunities pretty result oriented if you concentrate
on you work and give your best. Your assumptions on
pretty things may not help you gain anything rather it
would make you feel miserable later. You may invest
on land or house for better returns.
Career this year: You will not take enough time to
complete your pending tasks this year. You will find
your job interesting enough. You may excel in your do-
main and get appreciated from your higher manage-
ment with a better salary hike.
Romance this year: You will enjoy a very good rela-
tionship with your spouse this year. Your romantic re-
lationships will be strengthened this year.
Lucky month: August, September, December, June
20th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Moon Ruled by no: 2
Traits in you: As you are ruled by Moon, you are
blessed with characteristics such as imaginative, smart,
trustworthy, generous and authoritative person.
Health this year: You may go for a pilgrimage to at-
tain peace and mental comfort. This year you will suf-
fer from various minor health issues and this will keep
you disturbed.
Finance this year: This year will bring you job secu-
rity and financial stability. You need to deal with your
money carefully to avoid loss. Your assumptions in tak-
ing hasty decisions may cause financial loss to you. If
you are a businessman, you may get into new contracts
to enhance your business. If you get into any overseas
venture, you may be befitted financially from it.
Career this year: Being an excellent professional, you
will be recognized as a very efficient resource and peo-
ple may seek your advice and support. However, you
have to avoid being selfish and moody.
Romance this year This year is the perfect time for
you to be in an emotional relationship or you may get
married.
Lucky month: September, January, April and May
21st July, 2014 Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3
Traits in you: By your inborn nature, you are intellec-
tual, distinguished, cheerful, kind and optimistic.
Health this year: You need to take more care of your
health to avoid future complicacy.
Finance this year: Your business may earn you a lot of
money if you plan your budget intelligently. You need
to have a trustworthy plan in place before you imple-
ment your budget in the business. You should not go
beyond your budget if you do not want to be in loss.
Your past investments will earn you money this year
and make you financially sound. You may find the
property or legal dispute settlement satisfactory.
Career this year: Being good at your work, you get lot
of appreciation and respect from others. Your good
work pays off with rewards. However, you should not
behave dominating and arrogant. You may find this
year promising enough when growth is concerned.
Romance this year: You may plan an overseas trip
with your beloved to spend quality time. Your relation-
ship will grow more strong with lots of love and care.
Lucky month: October, February and July
22nd July, 2014 Ruled planet: Uranus Ruled by no: 4
Traits in you: By inborn characteristics, you are active,
disciplined, and efficient. You are the master of an ap-
pealing personality. You are highly social and helpful.
However, you should work on your nature of being
jealous, self-centered, and destructive.
Health this year: You will be in good health through-
out this year. To maintain your ggod health, you need
to practice exercise or yoga.
Finance this year: You will be financially benefited
from different sources of income. You will acquire new
projects and that will improve your financial condition.
If you are travelling for business purpose, it will yield
positive results for you and you will be successful in
your business trips this year. You may invest in buying
house or stocks. However, it is recommended to have a
good research on the stock before you invest. You may
feel restless due to the abrupt expenses for the health is-
sues of your family members. You may end up spend-
ing a lot of money to settle down your legal issues. You
might decide to buy property or vehicles this year.
Career this year: You will be rewarded for your work
this year. You will gain enough professional recogni-
tion for your knowledge, skills, and efficiency. The on-
going projects may get a continuation.
Romance this year: You will enjoy a better romantic
alife as compared to the last year. You will be under-
stood by your partner and get enough support in every-
thing you do.
Lucky month: July, November, March and June
23rd July, 2014 Ruled planet: Mercury Ruled by no:5
Traits in you: Your ruling planet Mercury makes you
an active, practical, sensible, systematic and highly
diplomatic person. You need to be a bit careful and re-
move stubbornness from your nature.
Health this year: If you are a chronic patient, you have
to take extra care for your health to avoid grievances in
future.
Finance this year: You might sell your property in a
good price, which would help you enhance your finan-
cial stance. You may schedule your travel to maintain
distant relationships and gain some financial support.
Some of you may get the opportunity to travel abroad
for business purpose. You should avoid lending and
borrowing money to stay financially stable.
Career this year: You love music and literature and
want to pursue your career in those fields. You will be
able to improve your confidence level as you may find
a lot of opportunities to be grabbed.
Romance this year: Some of you also may get your
marriage fixed this year. Your romance life would get
to its peak.
Lucky month: August, December, January and April
24th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Venu Ruled by no:6
Traits in you: Your planet Venus makes you kind, re-
alistic, helpful, and adaptable. You are very simple as a
person who believes in high thinking. You are hard-
working and sincere, which helps you get appreciation
from others. However, you need to check your nature
of being rude and interfering in the affairs of others. If
you do not work on your behavior, you may end up crit-
icized badly.
Health this year: You will enjoy a better health this
year as compared to last year. You may suffer from
some minor health issues such as joint aches, back pain,
headache and so on.
Finance this year: You will enjoy financial prosperity
and a good health throughout this year. If you are a busi-
nessman, you will get ample opportunities to expand
your business by investing in more profitable areas.
Career this year: If your profession is associated with
creativity, such as artists, media professionals, and ad-
vertising professionals, you may gain popularity, ap-
preciation, and fame. If you want to create profession-
al and social contacts, you have to achieve it through
frequent get-togethers and traveling. You may receive
some help from your near and dear ones, which may
prove to be instrumental in improving your confidence
in your professional life.
Romance this year: You will find your spouse to be
very cooperative this year. You will find your required
emotional support from your spouse through love, care
and concern even if you find it difficult to understand
your partner. If you are unmarried, you may find your
romance interest this year.
Lucky month: September, January, May and June
25th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Neptune Ruled by no: 7
Traits in you: Being dominated by Neptune, you are
adorned with characteristics such as responsibility, af-
fection, creativity, simplicity and emotions.
Health this year: Your spouse may suffer from stress
related health issues, which may lead to roaming in the
premises of a hospital.
Finance this year: You are supposed to be benefited fi-
nancially from your assumptions while investing mon-
ey. However, that does not mean you will invest blindly.
Career this year: As you are committed towards your
undertaken works, you are appreciated and awarded
consistently. However, you have to work on your na-
ture of being fickle minded and careless always. You
may realize your ideas and plans this year. You will be
able to execute your plans efficiently. You will get plen-
ty of support from your partners and colleagues to im-
prove your morale and confidence.
Romance this year: You will be in a blissful romantic
relationship with your partner this year.
Lucky month: July, October, December and February
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874
Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
Stars Foretell: July 19-25, 2014 Annual Predictions: For those born in this week
29
ARIES: Hard work & dedication would
win the trust of seniors at work. An
unexpected message from a distant rela-
tive brings happy news for the entire family.
Investment in stocks & mutual funds would
help in earning profits. Romantic partner would
try innovative methods to catch your attention.
Charity work undertaken will bring mental
peace & comfort. Great time for perfect family
vacation to an exciting destination. It might be
the right time to sale your empty plot as proper-
ty rates are at peak. A week when you will excel
in the art of life with your expertise in facing
challenges.
TAURUS: The week could force you to
search a new job where your skills are
more useful. Relatives are likely to give
some valuable advice regarding personal life.
Long-term investment in stocks & mutual funds
will enable to earn profits. Initiatives in love
bring positive results as you catch the desired
attention. Meditation and self-realization prove
beneficial. Travel opportunities full of chal-
lenges are often the beginning of great enter-
prises. Your plan for a new house will be in
process very soon. Political and social reputa-
tion is likely to increase.
GEMINI: Your gullible nature would
allow people to easily take you for a
ride. You receive care and affection from
family members. Improvement in finances is
certain. Your generous attitude would con-
tribute much in your love life in this week. You
will have ample time to do things to improve
your health. You will discover travel destina-
tions that are unique and magical. Your loan
procedures for pursuing a plot will be in
process. You find developing an interest in
social servicing.
CANCER: Mental clarity would
remove past business confusions.
Matrimonial alliance for eligible bache-
lor in family brings joy to all. Speculation cou-
pled with some unexpected gains improves
financial health. Extremely supportive & loving
partner would help in withering away your trou-
bles. Sound physical health will enable to par-
ticipate in outdoor activities. A trip that is
unconventional and adventurous will be
favourable enjoy every minute of it. Investment
in hotel industry can be the right choice to be
made. A week when your actions will be backed
by your luck.
LEO: Travel undertaken for establishing
new contacts and business expansion
will be very fruitful. A new outlook will
be the source of laughter at family front. Put
your extra money at a safer place promising to
return you on time. Romantic vibrations from
someone unknown would lift your spirits taking
imaginations to scaling heights. You will be
successful in getting rid from tensions.
Dreaming of traveling is good, but if possible
than plan a trip. Investment on construction
business might give fruitful results. You suc-
cessfully solve your old disputes and land-relat-
ed problems.
VIRGO: Your artistic and creative abil-
ity would attract a lot of appreciation.
Enjoying a picnic with family will not
only bring joy but also help in clearing misun-
derstandings.
A new source of income will generate
through influential contacts. Love life brings
immense romantic pleasure. A sparkling laugh-
ter filled week when most things proceed, as
you desire. Take some time to travel with your
spouse for romance and seduction. Investing on
a ship or a cruise is an exciting venture to be
made. Keeping a close watch on your emotions
would be in your interest.
LIBRA: A long pending decision gets
finalized at professional front.
Charming nature and pleasant personal-
ity would make you the attraction of family
function. Investment made in this week would
enhance prosperity and financial security.
Traveling proves a blessing in disguise by
bringing a love in your life. Your enormous
confidence would help in enjoying a healthy
life. You can make your vacation extra special
by planning it with your family and friends. The
best ideas for investment are to on invest on
real estate business. Personal efforts would
greatly help in increasing influence in social &
political fields.
SCORPIO: Plans for new ventures get
streamlined with the help of seniors.
Family members appreciate the changes
made in & around the house. An improvement
in financial position would enable to make
important purchases. You are likely to get a new
friendship opportunity in the evening. A very
healthy week filled with happiness & vitality.
Spiritual vacation is a quest for life, plan it and
enjoy it with your family. Are you longing to
buy a farmhouse, try for it? You will be able to
increase your contacts with intellectuals.
SAGITTARIUS: Female colleagues
lend a helping hand in completing
important assignments. Make sure you
do something exciting and different with people
at home. You are likely to earn monetary profits
through most unexpected sources. New
romance that some of you are going to experi-
ence would take the worries off mind. Pleasure
trip would help in maintaining sound health in
this week. Travelling with kids can be a chal-
lenge, try to reduce the stress and nerves. If you
want to invest on property, then go for residen-
tial one. Your opponents find you a headache.
CAPRICORN: At work you will be a
part of something big, bringing appreci-
ation & rewards. Friends and family
members would encourage to work harder. A
sudden inflow of funds will take care of your
bills and immediate expenses. You enjoy a
memorable time with partner to cement the
lovely bond. Yoga and meditation would help in
keeping in shape and mentally agile.
Excitement for a vacation is not enough, plan-
ning is also required. Selling your home pri-
vately can be an excellent way of saving on
costs. Recognition and influence would
increase in social field.
AQUARIUS: You are likely to estab-
lish yourself a good manager on man-
aging people and situation without any
problem. You are likely to hear a good news
from close relatives. Monetary position is likely
to improve on recovering of delayed payments.
You will be attracted to someone special.
Blessings of a saintly person give peace of
mind. Vacation full of beauty and history as
well as exciting is waiting for you. Off-plan
property investment is one of the easiest and
most profitable methods to maximize gains in
the real estate market. Legal problem will be
solved with the timely help of friends.
PISCES: You will be successful in real-
ising your targets at professional front.
An old friend makes a pleasant visit later
in the week. Investment in antiques & jewelry
brings monetary gains and improvement in
financial position. Warm romantic thoughts
occupy mind. Chances of recovering from phys-
ical ailment are high. Traveling on your own,
with a friend or with the whole family will be
exciting and comfortable too. Your property
prices will boost in the coming period.
Unexpected accolades bring happiness. Better to
share them with close friends to double the joy.
July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY
30 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
The power of attention
A
soul is sent to a life in the
human body for a certain
period of time. During that
time the soul is confined in the
human form like a prison cell.
When the soul inhabits a body, the
soul is still a part of God and is still
one with God. The soul, however,
is now overpowered by some very
powerful forces, such as the mind,
the body, and the outer world,
which cause the soul, over time, to
forget itself. The soul slowly begins
to identify itself with the body and
mind and world outside. It sudden-
ly begins to think that it can only
receive information from the outer
world through the senses. Thus, the
soul has become attuned to only
one channelthe channel of the
world.
If we think about our life as
watching a television program, we
have multiple choices as to what to
watch. Just as there are a dozen net-
work stations and then dozens if
not hundreds of cable stations from
which to choose, so, too, there are
many activities in this world that
we can engage in.
Now, let us take a look at the
other choices available to us. This
physical planet is not a separate off-
shoot from all of creation and God.
Most religions believe that there are
higher regions of existence to
which the soul goes after it dies.
Scientists and doctors have tried to
verify this by documenting
accounts of people who were
declared clinically dead but had
near-death experiences and
described something beyond this
world. The question is, where are
these realms? They are not zones in
outer space delineated by borders.
All these realms exist concurrently
with this one. The reason we are
not aware of them is because they
operate on a different frequency or
vibration.
The saints and mystics tell us that
we have the choice to either stay
tuned to this physical world, or to
tune into the channels of God. God
wants us to watch Gods program-
ming. God is available twenty-four
hours of the day, three hundred
sixty-five days a year. Gods pro-
gramming does not turn off at three
a.m. like some networks do. It is a
free station broadcasting all the
time without any cable fees. We
only need to know how to tune into
Gods station.
The hook-up to God is not hard.
It is just a matter of making the
choice that this is what we want to
do. The steps to do this are simple.
Step one is to stop identifying with
the body, mind, and world outside,
and identify with the soul. Step two
requires that when we identify with
our soul that we shift our attention
to the frequency of the higher
realms and ultimately to God. That
is all we must do. God did not
make it hard for us to become
aware of our true Home. It is we
who have made it complicated.
So how do we accomplish step
one and step two? To accomplish
step one, we must withdraw our
attention from our body, mind, and
the world outside. We must decide
to turn off the outer programming.
When that programming is in the
off mode, then in the silence we
will experience ourselves as soul.
That is the step that we call self-
knowledge. Once we identify with
the soul, we will be able to pick up
frequencies that the soul is capable
of receiving. We can do a gradual
shift in which we go from the con-
sciousness of one region to con-
sciousness of the spiritual realms.
Once someone asked the great
saint, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji
Maharaj, how long it took to get
from here (the physical region) to
Sach Khand (the highest spiritual
region). Hazur closed his eyes, and
then opened them. He told them, I
have just been there and back. He
was showing that the shift of atten-
tion from the physical realm to
Sach Khand could be done in the
twinkling of an eye. Why? Because
we are not going anywhere physi-
cally. We are merely shifting our
attention from one state of con-
sciousness to the other. The other
state of consciousness does not
exist in time or space. They are
operating concurrently. We are
simultaneously in the other realms
and in God at the same time but we
are not aware of it because our
attention is only focused on one
regionthe physical.
So, for step one, the Masters who
have learned to be attuned to the
realm of God, teach us that we can
withdraw our attention from the
world, the body, and the mind by
sitting in meditation. If we meditate
accurately we will experience our-
selves as soul. Once we identify
with the soul, then we will also be
aware of the inner Light and Sound
that is the radiance and vibratory
sound of God within us. If we
absorb ourselves in the Light and
Sound within, we can then attain
step two. We can shift our attention
into the Light and Sound, which
attracts our soul to higher levels of
vibration.
The Light and Sound function at
different vibratory rates in the dif-
ferent regions. As we shift our
attention we find ourselves con-
scious of being in the different
regions. Ultimately, the Light and
Sound function at their highest
vibratory rate, which is the power
of God itself. When we shift our
attention to that, we have come to
the state of consciousness where we
are at one with God and merge with
God.
It is simply a matter of choosing
where we want to put our attention.
That is the true meaning of the
anecdote about Bulleh Shah and
Inayat Shah.
When Bulleh Shah asked his
Master, Inayat Shah (who was a
gardener by profession), How can
I find God? Inayat Shah pulled up
a plant and replanted it in another
place. When Bulleh Shah ques-
tioned what that demonstration
meant, Inayat Shah said, To find
God it is merely uprooting your
attention from one place and plant-
ing it in another place. That is the
simplicity of spirituality. God did
not make things complicated. It is
simple. It is only we who have to
choose to transplant the flower of
our attention from the world into
Gods garden.
I
n each persons
life a moment
comes when
we have a tran-
scendent experi-
ence or a revela-
tion in which we
become aware that
we have a higher
purpose in this
world. Suddenly,
amidst the daily rituals of waking
up, getting dressed, going to work,
eating, and sleeping, we get a
glimpse that there is something
more to this life. That moment may
come when we are a child. It may
come to us while a teenager, or it
may come in adult life. Some may
have it when they are young adults,
and some have it in their senior
years of life. Whenever it comes, it
leaves us transformed. Suddenly, we
begin to question who we are, why
we are here, where we go when we
die, and what our purpose in life is.
Read about the life of any of the
great saints and mystics and you
will find some life-transforming
experience that awakened their
quest. Once these burning questions
arise, there is no turning back. We
are restless until we find the solu-
tion.
Before our awakening, it is like
we are sleeping. Our soul has been
asleep for aeons. We started out in
the lap of God but became lost in
the attractions of the world. We have
forgotten our true Home. We are in
a state of slumber or forgetfulness
that we are souls, a part of God. We
think we are the mind and the body
and have forgotten our true essence
as soul, as a part of the Creator.
S
ant Mat, the Path of the
Saints, reflects the core
teachings of saints and mys-
tics through the ages. People new
to this path often say they are
attracted by its simplicity, integri-
ty, and effectiveness in fostering
spiritual growth.
Although Sant Mat was born
centuries ago in India, it is in
many ways ideal for the modern
seeker. Followed under the guid-
ance of a living spiritual Master,
these teachings couple meditation
on the inner Light and Sound with
an inclusive, positive way of
living.
At the heart of Sant Mat are
these simple principles: There is
one God of all creation, though
people worship the Lord by differ-
ent names and through different
practices. While Sant Mat respects
all faiths, it stresses that religion
has two dimensionsouter and
inner. Sant Mat focuses on the
inner dimensionthe deep spiri-
tual essence known as mysticism.
Mysticism looks beyond rites, rit-
uals, and scriptural knowledge
and pursues spirituality as a mat-
ter of personal inner experience.
Sant Mat expresses the deepest
values of every great spiritual tra-
ditionlove for God, compassion
for Gods creation, and a daily life
grounded in ethical values. Sant
Mats unique contribution is dis-
tilling these noble ideals into a
simple, universal spiritual path
and then providing the tools and
techniques to make them a
personal reality.
Sant Mat does not demand that
we renounce our families or soci-
eties. Instead, we can pursue our
spiritual goals while leading
normal lives.
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
-- Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
If we meditate accurately we will experience
ourselves as soul. Once we identify with the soul,
then we will also be aware of the inner Light
and Sound that is the radiance and vibratory
sound of God within us..
Lifes awakening moments
Sant Mat
The need
for a living
master
A
competent teacher
speeds our progress.
It's a common sense
principle of life: studying
with one who has mastered
the subject we wish to learn
accelerates our learning.
That's why seekers through-
out history have turned to
spiritual Masters. By virtue
of their own inner awaken-
ing, these Masters awaken
others. As much as we
revere Masters of the past,
Sant Mat stresses the
i mportance of a l i vi ng
guide.
July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

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