Islamabad: Pakistan's cricket-star-

turned-politician Imran Khan sus-

pended negotiations with Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif's govern-
ment Thursday amid signs of the
country's rulers preparing for a pos-
sible crackdown on protesters.
"I have suspended the talks with
the government," Khan told his
supporters after reports of the
appointment of a new police chief
in the capital city of Islamabad,
which could be a precursor to a
crackdown. Earlier, politicians rep-
resenting Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri,
a moderate Islamic scholar, who are
Washington: The
US, which had
s h u n n e d
N a r e n d r a
Modi for
nearly 10
years, is
eager to
e n g a g e
India's new
government
led by him
and re-
energize what some see as a flag-
ging relationship, according to a
new Congressional report.
Modi "is known as a strong-willed
and effective, if perhaps autocratic,
administrator," said the background
report for US lawmakers.
"His reputation has been bur-
nished by Gujarat's impressive eco-
nomic performance during his 15-
year tenure," it said noting the state
accounts for more than 20 percent of
all Indian exports while being home
to only 5 percent of the population,"
it said.
The report on "India' s New
Government and Implications for
US Interests" has been penned by K.
Alan Kronstadt, specialist in South
Asian affairs, for the bipartisan
Congressional Research Service
(CRS).
"Garnering an outright majority in
Parliament for the first time in 30
years, Modi' s new government
promises fresh US engagement with
an Indian leader reputed to be more
pro-trade and pro-business than the
socialist-oriented ones of the past,"
it said.
Meanwhile, the White House is
looking forward to welcoming PM
Modi despite an online petition
seeking cancellation of his visit.
An online petition to the White
House initiated by US based Sikhs
for Justice had demanded that
instead of hosting Modi at White
House, President Obama should
condemn him and ban his BJP "for
perpetrating violence against
Muslims, Sikhs and Christians."
However, State Department
spokesperson Marie Harf told
reporters on Tuesday that a number
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
ENTERTAINMENT 18 RELIGION 2 I-DAY CELEBRATIONS 15 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30
Washington: The United States
launched a new barrage of
airstrikes Wednesday against the
Islamic State extremist group that
beheaded American journalist
James Foley and that has seized a
swath of territory across Iraq and
Syria. President Barack Obama
vowed relentless pursuit of the ter-
rorists and the White House
revealed that the US had launched
a secret rescue mission inside Syria
earlier this summer that failed to
rescue Foley and other Americans
still being held hostage.
In brief but forceful remarks,
Obama said the U.S. would "do
what we must to protect our peo-
ple," but he stopped short of prom-
ising to follow the Islamic State in
its safe haven within Syria, where
officials said Foley had been killed.
Later, though, the administration
revealed that several dozen special
operations troops had been on the
ground in Syria briefly in an effort
to rescue the hostages, but did not
find them.
And looking forward, the State
Department refused to rule out
future U.S. military operations in
Vol.7 No. 17 August 23-29, 2014 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Large protests may trigger crackdown in Pakistan
Continued on page 4
Continued on page 4
US eager to
engage Modi govt:
Congressional
report
Beheading spurs new attacks on Islamic militants
Ferguson, MO: Missouri's gov-
ernor announced Thursday that
the state National Guard would
begin a "systematic" withdrawal
from Ferguson, the St. Louis sub-
urb that has been rocked by
unrest over the fatal police shoot-
ing of an unarmed African
American teen.
Gov. Jay Nixon's decision fol-
lows a quiet night in Ferguson,
where tensions appear to have
eased in the wake of a visit
Wednesday by US Attorney
General Eric Holder, who prom-
ised a thorough federal investiga-
tion of the Aug. 9 death of 18-
year-old Michael Brown.
"As we continue to see
improvement, I have ordered the
Missouri National Guard to begin
a systematic process of with-
drawing from the City of
Ferguson," the governor said
Thursday in a statement.Nixon
The fatal shooting of Michael
Brown led to over a week of
racial unrest and concern all
over the country.
White House welcome for
Modi unaffected by
petition against it.
White House is looking forward to a
"very substantive and consequential visit" by
Prime Minister Modi in end-September.
Continued on page 4
Imran Khan, who has called off talks with Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif, and Tahir-ul-Qadri: leading the protests
The barbaric beheading of US
journalist James Foley by ISIS
follows a secret rescue
mission that failed.
National Guard begins pullout from riot-weary Ferguson
Continued on page 4
See our exclusive report South
Asian owned stores caught in
Ferguson crossfire on page >> 3.
2 August 23-29, 2014 RELIGION TheSouthAsianTimes.info
The spectacular
procession
(For
more
details on
the event,
turn to
page 5)
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Robbinsville, New Jersey is
built over three years at cost of $18 mand 4.7 mman-hours put in by
professional volunteers including master craftsmen, engineers and
architects. It is sustainable for over a 1000 years!
Devotees and well-wishers from across the world gathered to celebrate
the grand opening on August 10.
Girls dressed in beautiful traditional attire during the
shobha yatra (procession).
Pramukh Swami Maharaj, under whose leadership the
Mandir was constructed, at the Mandir.
The exteriors. The Mandir stands on 98 pillars and 176 beams, has two large domes and 40
small shikharas, has 91 elephant carvings and 66 peacock styled arches and idols of all major
Hindu gods and goddesses.
The exqui-
site carvings
in Italian
Carrara
marble.
Approx
68000 cubic
feet of it was
used. 13,499
pieces of
stone which
traveled a
sea-journey
of 21,500
miles went
into the
making.
By Jinal Shah
O
n August 9, Michael Brown,
an unarmed teenaged
African American, was shot
by Ferguson police officer Darren
Wilson. This led to racial unrest,
roots of which stretch far beyond the
fatal incident in St Louis suburbs.
However, the contentious clashes
and subsequent looting in Ferguson
and nearby areas have new victims -
Asian owned businesses.
A pattern developed in Ferguson
where each night protesters turned
violent. On Sunday, late night rioting
and looting spread to Dellwood. Ac-
cording to Dellwood mayor, eight
stores were affected. Pakistani
American Mumtaz Lalanis Dell-
wood Market was also ransacked and
almost burnt down by dozens of loot-
ers. It all happened minutes after
Lalanis son shut shop early fearing
an attack. Lalani recounts how a
group of masked men swarmed out-
side the store and tried to break in. I
got a call from the alarm company
and I watched live online 30-40 peo-
ple vandalizing my store. They pelt-
ed stones and other items at the glass
windows and doors to break in.
When they were unsuccessful, at
least two men opened fire with hand-
guns, recollects Lalani while talk-
ing to The South Asian Times on the
phone.
SATimes has obtained CCTV
footage of the attack on the store -
showing how these individuals,
some identified by Lalanis employ-
ees as customers, looted the shop of
liquor, cigarette packs, lottery tickets
and much more.
I felt so helpless sitting and
watching my store being looted. I
saw my livelihood going up in
flames and I could do nothing about
it, rues Lalani.
He called the police but it wasnt
until his store was robbed and set to
fire that help arrived. Firefighters
arrived first and cut the electricity.
Those thugs escaped before police
arrived as they were alerted by other
looters on scanner radio.
Still horrified, Lalani mustered
courage and visited the store around
2 am. Everything was ruined. There
was bullet holes in the store, mer-
chandise looted and store damaged.
It looked like the aftermath of a hur-
ricane, he describes.
And although customers and peo-
ple from nearby church came out to
help Lalani pick up the pieces, he
says the damage is too much for him
to be able to run the store for long. I
am keeping the store open because
this is the only convenience store in
the vicinity. But I am not sure how
long I can keep it running. My losses
have run up to $50,000, claims
Lalani who migrated from Pakistan
30 years back.
Like many immigrants of South
Asian descent, Lalani too started
with a motel and hotel business be-
fore owning a few retail shops in St
Louis 15-20 years ago. Because of
the constant fear of violence and
looting, he moved to Dellwood - a
relatively safe neighborhood. After
this incident Lalani claims Ferguson
will never be the same. This (Mi-
achel Brown) incident has changed
everything. It has turned into a ghost
city. Those thugs came again on
Tuesday to rob again and I am wor-
ried about my son and employees
lives.
Ferguson has held in relief issues
related to systemic racism in Ameri-
ca. But amid the din of racial tension,
the plight of Asian American store
owners like Lalani and Andy Patel -
who allegedly was robbed by Brown
- is left out of the conversations be-
tween the white and black America.
Based on the surveillance footage
of the store released by the police,
Brown picked up cigarettes and pro-
ceeded to leave the store along with
his friend Dorian Johnson without
paying for it. When Andy Patel asked
them to pay, Brown shoved him into
a display stand and left.
These may seem extraordinary sit-
uations but across America conven-
ience store owners, many of them
Patels, have been facing violence,
even homicides, for several years.
We recommend store owners to
install CCTV cameras and in case it
is a high risk area we advise to fit a
bullet proof glass, but again you
dont want to build a fortress, said
Vipul Patel, former director of the
Asian-American Convenience
Stores Association (AASOA).
According to Dr Kanti Bhalani,
founder of AASOA, 15-18 % of the
70,000 independent local retail
stores - below 2,500 sq ft - in the
country are owned by Asian Ameri-
cans. It is sad and disheartening to
see this level of violence expressed
toward the business owners, who
have always supported this commu-
nity in good times and bad, said
Anil Gopal, president of the St. Louis
Indian Business Association.
For Lalani, his deepest concern is
whether insurance will cover the
damages from the looting. The in-
surance companies say riots are not
covered or you have limited insur-
ance, he said.
Apart from the loss of income from
reduced customer sales, stores fear
an increase in workers compensa-
tion costs and insurance premiums
due to the robbery. Most of these
small businesses, Gopal pointed,
underinsure their inventory to avoid
paying high premium thus running
high losses in situations like these.
Despite paying a high premium,
Lalani too incurred losses which he
claims he may not recover. Its time
to sell the business and move on.
3 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Washington: The Human
Rights Campaign (HRC),
the nations largest LGBT
civil rights organization,
has renewed its call to law-
makers, advocates, and
supporters of the rights of
women and LGBT people
in New York to speak out
against the Sultan of
Bruneis multi-billion dol-
lar offer to purchase the
iconic Plaza Hotel (in mid-
town Manhattan) as well as
the Dream Downtown hotel in
New York from the Sahara group
of India. Subrata Roy, the Sahara
chief, is trying to sell these hotels
to raise money towards his bail to
get out of Tihar jail in Delhi.
The Sultan of Brunei has faced
an international backlash following
his decision in May to begin im-
plementing a horrific series of new
laws that could lead to the stoning
of women and LGBT Bruneians.
According to some industry ex-
perts, his potential ownership
could impact the Plaza hotels
business prospects and global
brand. In April, the UN Commis-
sion on Human Rights condemned
Bruneis penal code reforms.
The Sultan currently owns two
hotels in the USThe Beverly
Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel-Air,
both in California. He has offered
more than $2 billion to purchase
three hotelsincluding The
Grosvenor House Hotel in Lon-
donfrom Sahara. Sahara had
acaquired the Plaza only in 2012.
The CCTV footage of Lalanis store shows shots fired outside
and looting inside the store.
The iconic Plaza Hotel in
Manhattan: changing hands again
Sahara selling NYC hotels to Brunei
Sultan opposed by liberals
The store clerk in Ferguson,
MO, who resisted robbing
by Michael Brown was a
Patel. Among the several
stores looted and attacked
in the racial unrest follow-
ing Browns killing, some
have been South Asian
owned. The South Asian
Times spoke to the crest-
fallen owner of one store in
Dellwood near Ferguson.
EXCLUSIVE
After the vandalizing, Lalanis store looked
as if a hurricane went through it.
South Asian owned stores caught in Ferguson crossfire
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4 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TURN PAGE
US eager to engage Modi govt...
Continued from page 1
of signatures were removed from the peti-
tion as "some fraud checks indicated a high
number of anomalous signatures."
"However, we, the President, the Secretary
(of State John Kerry) look forward to wel-
coming Prime Minister Modi to the United
States," Harf said. "We have said that con-
sistently since his election, and that remains
the case."
The US is actually looking forward to a
"very substantive and consequential" visit
by PM Modi to Washington later next month
and is working on a "pretty ambitious
roadmap" for his bilateral meeting with
President Barack Obama, Assistant
Secretary of State for South and Central
Asia Nisha Desai Biswal told media persons
in New York.
Large protests may trigger...
Continued from page 1
both seeking to remove Sharif, were locked
in tense negotiations to end a weeklong
deadlock unleashed by mounting protests
that have paralyzed parts of Islamabad.
For the past week, Khan and Qadri have
together led thousands of protesters to the
streets of the nuclear-armed country's capi-
tal. Khan claims that Sharif's victory in last
summer's elections became possible through
widespread electoral fraud while Qadri is
pushing for sweeping political reforms that
will end the hold of wealthy landowners and
businessmen on the country's politics.
The protests have triggered widespread
anxieties over an eventual intervention by
Pakistan's army, which has ruled the country
for almost half of its 67 years of existence as
an independent state.
The country's military has assured Prime
Minister Sharif that there will be no coup,
but in return he must "share space with the
army", according to a government source
who was privy to recent talks between the
two sides.
"Sharing space" is a familiar euphemism
for civilian governments focusing narrowly
on domestic political affairs and leaving
security and strategic policy to the army.
The fact that the military is back in the
driving seat will make it harder for Sharif to
deliver the rapprochement with India that he
promised when he won the election last
year.
Beheading spurs new attacks on...
Continued from page 1
Syria, where Obama has long resisted inter-
vening in a three-year civil war.
Western nations agreed to speed help to
combat the militants most notably
Germany, which bucked public opposition
by announcing it would arm Iraqi Kurdish
fighters to battle the Islamic State. French
Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he was
outraged by the beheading, deeming it evi-
dence of a "caliphate of barbarism." Italy's
defense minister said the country hopes to
contribute machine guns, ammunition and
anti-tank rockets.
The Islamic State called Foley's death a
revenge killing for U.S. airstrikes against
militants in Iraq, and said other hostages
would be slain if the attacks continued.
Undeterred, the U.S. conducted 14 addition-
al strikes after a video of the beheading sur-
faced, bringing to 84 the number of
airstrikes since they began on Aug. 8.
Two U. S. officials said additional
American troops probably less than 300
could be headed to Iraq to provide extra
security around Baghdad, where the U.S.
Embassy is located. That would bring the
total number of American forces in Iraq to
well over 1,000, although officials said no
final decision had been made.
National Guard begins pullout from riot...
Continued from page 1
mobilized the Guard on Monday after an
intensification in clashes between police and
protesters in Ferguson, an escalation author-
ities largely attributed to the presence of ele-
ments from out of town.
Only seven of the 163 people arrested
since the protests began were Ferguson resi-
dents, according to press accounts. Holder
told community residents gathered at the
Florissant Valley campus of St. Louis
Community College that he had assigned the
government's "most experienced agents and
prosecutors" to the probe of Brown's death.
The African American attorney general
said he hoped his visit would have "a calm-
ing effect" on Ferguson, a mainly black
town of about 21,000 people.
Indus American Bank holds
investors meet
Letter to Editor
T
he country Columbus set out to find, celebrated its 68th year of independence
from Great Britain on Madison Avenue - after having providing tea in 1773 for
the Boston Tea Party and at least 5,000 deaths of men, women and children
upon Lord Cornwallis' arrival in Bombay after losing America to then-General George
Washington. The ties between these United States and India, to paraphrase Thomas
Jefferson, are pre-destined under natural law. The Oldest democracy and the Largest
democracy are destined after some fits and starts to be the closest of friends, so as "to
form a more perfect world."
Educational, Family, freedom of religion, press and speech and protection of minori-
ties are a hallmark of great civilizations - indeed, the oldest standing synagogue in the
world, over 2,000 years old, is in India.
American exceptionalism - the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights,
not to mention our separated powers regime, is the brightest beacon in human history
for self-governance. It is that American exceptionalism that has taken root in India,
and was celebrated August 17 on Madison Avenue with Mayor de Blasio, Public
Advocate James, City Comptroller Stringer, India' s Consul General, Amb.
Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay, India's DCM in Washington DC, Amb. Taranjit Singh
Sandhu, and many other notables.
FIA's Chairman Ramesh Patel deserves a lion's share of credit. Vikas Nangia of H.R.
Shah's TV Asia was a class act as MC. Heard were shouts of "Long Live USA/India"!
-Ravi Batra
New York Attorney
Indus American Bank held a successful investors meet in Hicksville, Long
Island on August 21. Seen in the picture are the tristate Indian community
banks Chairman Anil Bansal, CEO Jasbir Chopra and staff along with
investors and community leaders.
5 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Robbinsville, NJ: The BAPS Shri Swami-
narayan Mandir was inaugurated on Sunday,
10 August 2014 in Robbinsville, NJ by His Ho-
liness Pramukh Swami Maharaj and senior
Sadguru Swamis of BAPS.
The inauguration of this traditional stone
mandir marks the completion of the second
phase of the Swaminarayan Akshardham com-
plex that is currently planned for the site. The
mandir is 133 feet long and 87 feet wide, com-
prising of 98 pillars and two domes (ghum-
mats) 30 feet wide and 34 feet high.
The entire mandir has been covered by a per-
manent structure to increase the structures life
and accommodate darshan and worship during
the regions harsh winter. The Mandir is made
entirely of Italian marble and was completed in
three years at a cost of $18 million. This was
made possible by the dedication and selfless
service of professional volunteers, including
engineers and architects, who helped to mini-
mize the cost of the mandir.
Devotees and well-wishers from across the
world gathered on the Mandirs campus to cel-
ebrate its opening. Children frolicked on the
grass holding their parents hands; women in
their bright saris held their breath as they saw
the Mandir for the first time; elderly devotees
raised their heads and bent their backs in awe
to appreciate this traditional house of worship
that would encourage a fresh undertaking of re-
ligious ritual and beliefs in the community.
Also in attendance during the celebration were
United States Senator from New Jersey, Cory
Booker and US Representative from Maryland
Steny Hoyer, U.S. Representative from Penn-
sylvania Mike Fitzpatrick, U.S. Representative
from New Jersey Frank Pallone, Attorney Gen-
eral of the State of New Jersey, John Jay Hoff-
man and Indian Consul General Dnyaneshwa
Mulay (New York).
Speaking on the occasion, U.S. Representa-
tive Steny Hoyer said, This Mandir will sure-
ly not only be a place of worship but a place of
service.
Today is truly a day of celebration. Today is
a day that is not just good for this community
or the state of New Jersey but indeed what you
are doing is great for all of America, said
United States Senator from New Jersey, Cory
Booker. I am so impressed. I am so impressed.
Indeed, I give reverence to an extraordinary
structure (the Mandir) which will stand in all of
North America as one of the greatest places of
faith we have but I am more impressed with the
people of this community.
The inauguration festivities, spanning over
two weekends, included a yagna or Vedic ritu-
al for world peace, an evening of cultural pro-
grams performed by children, Mahila Samme-
lan (womens culture program) and the murti
pratishta rituals or ceremonies to invoke the
spirit of the deitys into the murtis or sacred im-
ages.
Prior to the consecration ritual that took place
on Sunday, after which the murtis were to re-
side permanently in their shrines, they were
taken on a festive procession around the com-
plex. Young and old lined up on the side of the
road, some dancing in excitement, some
singing, and others watching the murtis and
procession. These events infused a sense of ju-
bilance into the devotionally-charged atmos-
phere.
As the culminating event of these celebra-
tions, the Mandir was officially inaugurated in
a Vedic ceremony performed by BAPS Swamis
in the presence of His Holiness Pramukh Swa-
mi Maharaj. It is the sixth traditional BAPS
Mandir of its kind in North America.
Symbolic of the rich traditions it will carry
forward, the Mandir is a modern architectural
marvel built in accordance with guidelines
from ancient Hindu scriptures. Master crafts-
men in India first meticulously carved each
portion of Italian marble. As the individual por-
tions were completed, they were brought to
Robbinsville to be pieced together like a giant
puzzle to cover every inch of the structure. The
completed masterpiece showcases intricate de-
signs that depict meaningful stories about hero-
ism, sacrifice, and devotion.
(For a photo feature of this event visit
page 2)
Washington, DC: Amidst increasing inci-
dents of hate crimes against Sikhs, gurdwaras
in the US have decided to launch an intensive
national campaign running into $5 million to
improve the image of the community in Amer-
ica.
Representatives from over 100 gurdwaras in
the US held a meeting here over the weekend
to discuss the strategy, wherein a detailed
presentation on this was made by Geoff Garin
of Hart Research, who served as Hillary Clin-
ton's former top political strategist, and Isaac
Baker of AKPD Message and Media, Presi-
dent Barack Obama's media firm.
The two have been hired by the Sikh com-
munity leaders to help change the perceptions
about them in the US.
Garin gave the meeting's participants an ex-
clusive update on the National Sikh Cam-
paign's groundbreaking messaging research
that will underpin the effort and inform the
community how it can effectively communi-
cate to the American public, a media release
said. "The Sikh community in US has never
been more educated, more wealthy, and more
successful than today and we've also never
had this many gurdwara leaders together in a
room. We have never been more primed to do
something big," said Gurwin Ahuja, executive
director of the National Sikh Campaign.
"This is perhaps the first time a thorough
scientific data will be made available to the
community within and without to set the next
path of our campaign," he said.
According to a media release, Sikh leaders
worked together to create a realistic region by
region breakdown of US gurdwaras and
fundraising strategies were also discussed and
approved to reach an overall target of $5 mil-
lion.
Dr Rajwant Singh, president of the Sikh
Council on Religion and Education, said the
consensus was that there is a critical need for
this kind of media strategy for the Sikh com-
munity.
"All possible efforts need to be made to in-
clude as many gurdwaras as possible in the
network as partners. Our goal is to keep the fo-
cus on introducing Sikhism and the Sikh iden-
tity while showing the positive contribution of
the community in the media," he said.
Dr. Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, president of
the Oak Creek Gurdwara from Wisconsin,
said the aim of the campaign is to counteract
the negative image and perceptions Americans
have about Sikhs and Sikhism and create a
positive image of Sikhs and our faith.
Sikh representatives came from the follow-
ing states: Illinois, Connecticut, Texas, North
Carolina, South Carolina, California, Virginia,
Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New
York, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, Indiana,
Delaware, and over 70 people joined from
others states over the phone.
Hundreds traveled from far and wide for the inauguration
BAPS inaugurates traditional stone Mandir in Robbinsville, NJ
Queens, NY: Police have ar-
rested Joseph Caleca, a 55-
year-old New York male, on
charges of attempted murder as
a hate crime and assault as a
hate crime on 29-year-old
Sandeep Singh.
On July 30, on 101 Ave.&
99th street in Richmond Hill,
Queens, Caleca called Singh a
terrorist from his pickup truck
while Singh crossed the street. When
Singh protested, Caleca ran his truck over
Singh and drove away. Singh
was dragged almost 60 feet
down 101st Avenue. His body
finally came loose from Cale-
ca's truck, which kept going.
Caleca, of Setauket on Long
Island, was arrested on Mon-
day.
Singh, father of two, miracu-
lously survived being mowed
over by the truck. He has been
released from the hospital and is now re-
cuperating at home.
US gurdwaras to launch $5 m campaign to improve Sikhs' image
Long Island man arrested for hate attack on Sandeep Singh
Sandeep Singh was
dragged for 60 feet
by Calecas truck
6 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
68th Independence Day of India celebrated
at the Indian Mission to UN
T
he 68th Independence Day of India
was celebrated at the Permanent Mis-
sion of India to UN in New York on
Aug 15.
Ambassador Asoke Kumar Mukerji, Per-
manent Representative of India to UN hoist-
ed the national flag at the Permanent Mission
premises and readout salient excerpts from
the President's address to the nation.
The brief and impressive ceremony saw a
well-attended turn out of over 150 guests in-
cluding senior Indian officials of the United
Nations, Indian Army and Police officers on
deputation to the UN, in addition to officials
from PMI and the Consulate General of In-
dia, New York and their families.
Mangano announces Free Job
Preparation Workshops
N
assau County Executive Edward P.
Mangano announced that in prepa-
ration for the Private Sector Mega
Job Fair which will be held on Tuesday, Oc-
tober 7th at the Nassau Veterans Memorial
Coliseum in Uniondale, the County is pro-
viding free job preparation classes for resi-
dents. Classes include assistance with re-
sume writing, techniques for an effective
interview and how to best explore career
options.
County Executive Mangano stated, With
more than 350 companies anticipated to
register for the Private Sector Mega Job
Fair and more than 13,000 job seekers ex-
pected to attend, the competition for jobs
can be great. I encourage everyone, includ-
ing veterans, to register for one of the free
job preparation workshops as this is a great
opportunity to enhance your ability of be-
coming gainfully employed.
The Job Preparation Workshops are being
offered September 10th, September 17th,
September 23rd, and September 30th from
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Coordinating
Agency for Spanish Americans (CASA) lo-
cated at 40 Main Street, Lower Level in
Hempstead. Professionals from reputable
personnel staffing agencies will be con-
ducting these workshops. For more infor-
mation please call (516) 227-7692 or (516)
227-8656.
Huffington Post partners with Times group
to launch India edition
H
uffington Post has signed a deal
with the Times group to launch an
Indian edition of the website, the
two companies said in a statement on
Thursday. The website is set for launch lat-
er this year. The English-language website
will bring together Huffington Posts news
and blogging platform and Times groups
local expertise and reach, the companies
said while announcing the partnership.
Huffington Post will target Indias rapid-
ly expanding Internet user base, which is
expected to reach 370 million by 2015, ac-
cording to the statement. The online paper
will cover subjects ranging from politics,
media and entertainment to technology, re-
ligion and lifestyle. It will also open up
Huffington Posts blogging platform to
anyone in the country with a story to tell,
it said.
The announcement was made by Arianna
Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of
the Huffington Post Media Group, and
Satyan Gajwani, CEO of Times Internet
Ltd, the digital arm of the Times group.
Im delighted to launch HuffPost India,
which will be our 12th edition since we be-
gan our international expansion three years
ago, Huffington said.
India was a hub of global news, she said,
adding Im extremely grateful for the
chance to bring HuffPost to India to tell the
stories that matter most, and just as impor-
tant, to help people throughout India tell
their stories themselves, in words, in pic-
tures and in video.
The Huffington Post is the first real dig-
ital-first news success story globally, and
their impact is seen across the world, said
Gajwani. We are excited to combine Huff-
Posts world-class product with our local
reach with consumers and advertisers to tai-
lor-make a great new destination for Indian
consumers.
American Freedom Defensive Initiative (AFDI) organized a massive rally
at Union Square in New York City on August 17th in support of Israel
and other persecuted religious minorities. Members of Indian American
Intellectuals Forum participated in the event. (l to r): Robert Spencer,
Arish Sahani, Pamela Geller, Surinder Verma, and Narain Kataria
Chief Guest Dr. Sam Pitroda honored with Nassau County
Comptroller Citation. Dilip Chauhan presenting Citation on behalf of
Comptroller George Maragos. (l to r) President Harshad Patel,
Chairman R.D. Patel, Dr. Sam Pitroda receiving Citation.
Cultural Performance at Cultural Festival of Gujarat
(Photo courtesy : Gujarati Samaj of New York )
Hindus in NY support Israel and other victims of Jihad
Gujarati Samaj of NY celebrates cultural fest
Gujarati Samaj of New York has organized successful Cultural
Festival of Gujarat on August 8,9 & 10th. Dr. Sam Pitroda was the
chief guest. The event was attended by about 3500 people.
Diya Lighting Ceremony by key members Gujarati Samaj of NY
7 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
New York: In a unique blend of east meets
west, a top American public research univer-
sity will collaborate with Indian Institute of
Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-Kgp) to start stu-
dent-to-student programs in innovation and
entrepreneurship for developing low-cost so-
lutions.
In addition to encouraging innovations and
enhancing entrepreneurial skills, the
University of California, San Diego (UCSD),
headed by Indian-American Pradeep Khosla,
an IIT-Kgp alumnus, will tie-up with
the institute in medical sciences programs
too.
"We want students from the institutes to
work together in these projects. They will try
to develop low cost solutions to various is-
sues such as healthcare," IIT-Kgp Director
Partha Pratim Chakrabarti said.
The idea is to integrate the best of both cul-
tures for human interest, Chakrabarti said,
adding plans are being chalked out to bring
the idea to fruition.
According to Khosla, the innovation aspect
will entail students to engage in developing
low-cost technologies which could be appli-
cable in India and other countries and these
same ideas can be brought to the US at the
same cost and not ten times the cost.
New York: Nine members of the Asian
American Hotel Owners Association
(AAHOA), the Atlanta-based association
that represents about 40 percent of U.S.
hotels, have filed a lawsuit against the
chairman, Pratik Patel and other current
office-bearers of the organization, alleging
theft, embezzlement and corruption the
Atlanta Business Chronicle reported.
The lawsuit filed in the United States
District Court Atlanta Division, on August
12, alleges that AAHOA directors and offi-
cers including Patel, principal of San
Antonio, Texas-based REM Hospitality,
have engaged in misuses of the groups
funds, manipulated bid processes for con-
tracts, destroyed meeting minutes and mis-
directed charitable donations, the report
said.. The members who filed the lawsuit
want a judge to order an immediate halt to
the violations.
Absent intervention by this court,
AAHOA will be crippled, its governance
and ethics left in shambles, and its former
honest and highly qualified staff forever
lost to the organization, says the lawsuit.
AAHOA Chairman Pratik Patel, in a
statement to Atlanta Business Chronicle,
called the lawsuit wasteful and frivolous.
The current AAHOA Board of Directors
has implemented a governance process that
is the most transparent in the 25-year histo-
ry of the association, he said. Such open-
ness does not sit well with some who prefer
the old style politics of the past. It is unfor-
tunate that wild accusations, which have
been adjudicated time and again through
the AAHOA governance process, have now
become part of a wasteful and frivolous
lawsuit. We will vigorously defend our
association against such reckless claims.
AAHOA, which this year celebrates its
25th anniversary, consists of more than
12,500 members. According to the lawsuit,
the group has an annual budget of roughly
$10 million and assets worth $7 million.
The lawsuit is filed by Jay S. Patel, Anil
Patel, Bhavesh Desai, Brijesh Patel,
Chandravadan Patel, Divyesh Desai, Hiren
Patel, Manish Kumar Desai, and Shailesh
Patel. Although some other office bearers
are mentioned, the majority of the allega-
tions are against Pratik Patel, the current
chairman.
According to some of the allegations,
Pratik Patel had in March, 2010 funneled
$15,000 to his business partners company
and he also misused this funds to campaign
for office within the organization. Patel had
also travelled to London with his wife,
along with other office members using
AAHOA funds. Each individual was reim-
bursed for around $1,200, the complaint
alleges.
In 2012, Patel, its alleged, misdirected a
substantial portion of the $50,000 charitable
donation, going against the governing laws
of the organization. Around October, 2013,
Patel awarded a $290,000 entertainment
contract to a friend, which its alleged was
$50,000 more than the approved contract
ceiling. A serious allegation is also that the
annual budget allocation for last years con-
vention was hiked by several million dol-
lars, grossly exceeding the budget for
conventions in the past.
Fareed Zakaria faces fresh plagiarism charges
Washington, DC: Indian-
American journalist Fareed
Zakaria, who two years ago
got away from a plagiarism
controversy claiming he made
a "terrible mistake", is facing
fresh plagiarism charges from
anonymous internet watch-
dogs.
The website "Our Bad
Media" in a Tuesday report by
@blippoblappo and @crush-
ingbort cited 12 instances
where Zakaria appears to
have lifted passages whole-
sale from other authors.
"Their findings cast doubt on the three news
outlets -- Time Magazine, CNN and The
Washington Post -- which claimed to have
conducted reviews of Zakaria's work and
found the so-called 'mistake' to be an isolated
incident," said Politico, an influential news
site.
"Did CNN, The Washington Post, and
TIME actually check Fareed Zakaria's work
for plagiarism?" the two bloggers asked, not-
ing that Zakaria was cleared "after what three
of the biggest news outlets in America wrote
off as an isolated, one-time mistake".
But the cited instances "seem unlikely to
have been the result of another notes mix-up
by Zakaria", said Bad Media which in July
exposed Buzzfeed's Benny Johnson as a serial
plagiarist, leading to his dismissal.
Noting that "these are all articles that were
written before the plagiarism scandal in
August of 2012", the site said they "raise far
more serious questions about the integrity of
Zakaria's editors at CNN, TIME, and the
Washington Post".
"In the light of our findings,
we have to call bullshit. It took
less than an hour and a few
Google searches for us at Our
Bad Media to find an example
of lifting in Zakaria's columns
written before the 2012 plagia-
rism scandal," it said.
Zakaria dismissed the claims,
saying the bloggers' examples
focus largely on statistics "that
also appeared somewhere
else," according to the
Washington Post.
"These are all facts, not
someone else's writing or opinions or expres-
sions," the commentator was quoted as saying
in an e-mailed statement to the Post.
In a statement cited by the Washington Post,
Time said it "takes these charges very serious-
ly" and is "reviewing them carefully".
Zakaria, widely known as a foreign affairs
analyst, no longer works for Time.
The Washington Post's editorial page editor
Fred Hiatt in an email to media wrote: "If I'm
not mistaken, the newest allegations feature
only one WP column, and when I looked at
that I thought it was so far from a case of pla-
giarism that it made me question the entire
enterprise"
In a statement Wednesday, CNN said:
"CNN has the highest confidence in the excel-
lence and integrity of Fareed Zakaria's work."
"In 2012, we conducted an extensive review
of his original reporting for CNN, and beyond
the initial incident for which he was suspend-
ed and apologized for, found nothing that vio-
lated our standards. In the years since, we
have found nothing that gives us cause for
concern."
Lawsuit against AAHOA alleging theft,
embezzlement and corruption
Majority allegations are against
current chairman Pratik Patel who
called the lawsuit 'wasteful
and frivolous.'
Fareed Zakaria
UCSD partners with
IIT-Kgp to design
low-cost technologies
8 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
New York: The American Society of Hema-
tology will present the 2014 Wallace H. Coul-
ter Award for Lifetime Achievement in
Hematology to Dr. Kanti R. Rai for his 50-
year career combining landmark clinical
leukemia research, steadfast commitment to
education and mentoring, and exceptional pa-
tient care.
The Coulter Award is bestowed on an indi-
vidual who has been a vital contributor to the
field of hematology, demonstrating lifetime
achievement and leadership in research, edu-
cation, and practice.
ASH president Dr. Linda J. Burns,
of the University of Minnesota, will
present the Indian American re-
searcher with his award on Dec. 7
during the 56th ASH Annual Meet-
ing and Exposition in San Francisco.
Rai is currently chief of the Chron-
ic Lymphocytic Leukemia Research
and Treatment Program at North
Shore-LIJ Cancer Institute, an Inves-
tigator at the Peter Karches Center
for CLL of The Feinstein Institute for
Medical Research, and Joel Finkel-
stein Cancer Foundation Professor of
Medicine at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ
School of Medicine, where he also
holds the title of professor of molec-
ular medicine.
He is an international leader in the
clinical evaluation and management of pa-
tients with CLL and his research in the field
of CLL has pioneered contemporary ap-
proaches to this disease, according to a press
release.
Rai began his medical career in 1955 after
earning his bachelor of medicine and bache-
lor of surgery from the University of Ra-
jputana in Jaipur. Following medical school,
Rai completed his internship in India at
S.M.S. Medical College.
New York: Gokul Venkatachalam correctly
spelled the word becquerel during the 2014
MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee Finals to
clinch the title of National Champion. Dur-
ing the event on August 15. Gokul along with
23 other finalists competed for the title.
Vanya Shivashankar from Olathe, KS, and
Ananya Kodali from Highland Village, TX,
were National Runners-Up.
Twenty-four top spellers from the 12 re-
gional centers gathered at the Rutgers Col-
lege auditorium to battle it out for the title of
champion and a $10,000 Grand Prize from
MetLife.
The special guest at the Finals was Sriram
Hathwar, 2013 South Asian Spelling Bee Na-
tional Champion and 2014 Scripps National
Co-champion, who helped co-host a portion
of the event.
The champion received a $10,000 grand
prize from MetLife along with the South
Asian Spelling Bee trophy.
Dr Kanti Rai
014 South Asian Spelling Bee National Champion Gokul Venkatachalam
of Chesterfield, MO
Teen Gokul Venkatachalam wins 2014
MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee
Lifetime Achievement award in
Hematology for Dr Kanti Rai
NRIs join hands to support Indian farmers
Corporate Office: 385 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385
718.821.3182, www.AtlanticDialysis.Com
New York: Five NRIs came together and
started a non-profit organization called
i4Farmers with a mission is to work towards
engaging the society with farmers in India,
to enable projects for sustainable agriculture
and create a platform for NRIs to help farm-
ers. In 2013, i4Farmers organization was
started to provide minimal financial help to
21 widows, from Vidarbha, whose husbands
committed suicide due to losses in agricul-
ture. This year we are repeating this since
the unfortunate situations still continue to
prevail. And to clarify further, none of us are
related to the farmers, nor is anyone of us
from Maharashtra. The only thing common
amongst all of us and the only reason why
we came together, other than of course being
Indians is that we all eat food, they say in a
press release.
In 2014, so far, i4Farmers organization has
sponsored 20 students from Warangal to pur-
sue their education, whose parent committed
suicide, helped 20 widows from Vidarbha to
cover their losses by sowing seeds multiple
times this year. The organization also helped
a backward farmer from U.Rajapalem in
Kadapa district to setup drip irrigation in
their land.
In partnership with Center for Sustainable
Agriculture (CSA), i4Farmers adopted
Charlapally, Shekguda, Umri, Punaguda,
Kappardevi villages, in Adilabad district
and is helping tribal farmers to adopt more
sustainable farming and reduce the usage of
synthetic chemicals in their cotton crops.
It has also adopted Karirwali village in
Faridkot area of Punjab to promote Organic
farming. In India more than quarter million
farmers' suicides have been reported in the
last 16 years and it is estimated that every
day 2000 farmers are leaving farming. The
tragic effects of this crisis demands attention
of one and all to address the issue.
For info visit www.i4farmers.org
i4Farmers participated in India Day Parade in NYC
to bring farmers' issues to the mainstream.
New York: New York Gov. An-
drew Cuomo still holds a major
lead in his upcoming election, but
an overwhelming majority of the
states voters believe government
corruption is a problem, a new poll
says.
According to a Quinnipiac Uni-
versity poll released Wednesday, 83
percent of New York voters say
government corruption is at least a
somewhat serious problem. A plu-
rality of voters 48 percent be-
lieve Cuomo is part of the problem
of ethics in government, compared
to 41 percent who believe he is part
of the solution.
The governor is still a heavy fa-
vorite to win reelection in Novem-
ber, though. He holds a 28-point
edge over Republican candidate
Rob Astorino, with a 56 percent-28
percent lead. The double-digit ad-
vantage is consistent with several
other recent polls and is almost
identical to the 29-point edge Cuo-
mo held in a Quinnipiac poll in
May. Cuomo has come under
scrutiny for reports that his admin-
istration might have tampered
with the Moreland Commission, an
anticorruption panel that the gover-
nor shut down in March. U.S. At-
torney Preet Bharara who has
publicly sparred with the governor
and his office in recent weeks
has begun an investigation into the
Cuomo administrations involve-
ment with the panel.
US AFFAIRS 9 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Washington: Forty-seven people
were arrested overnight in Ferguson,
Missouri, after protestors hurled bot-
tles at police in fresh outbreak of vi-
olence over the shooting death of an
unarmed black teenager by police 11
days ago.
Until a little before midnight Tues-
day, protests in Ferguson were
peaceful, unlike the previous days
when clashes began as soon as night
fell.
Clashes broke out after rioters
threw glass bottles at the officers,
leading to the arrest of 47 people,
Missouri Highway Patrol Captain
Ron Johnson said at a press confer-
ence.
Most of the demonstrators, includ-
ing many children and families, had
staged peaceful protests during the
day and returned to their homes be-
fore dark, as recommended by au-
thorities.
Unlike the previous night, in which
two people were wounded by gunfire
and 78 were arrested, this time there
were no tear gas or Molotov cock-
tails used and no shots were fired,
Johnson said.
According to the captain, the influ-
ence of community leaders was deci-
sive in calming the angry protestors
and convincing them to restrict their
protests to daytime hours only.
Several reporters covering the
racial disturbances in Ferguson con-
firmed on social networks the arrest
of many of their colleagues. Howev-
er, their identities have not been re-
vealed and there has been no official
confirmation yet.
Meanwhile, US Attorney-General
Eric Holder called for an end to the
violence and promised a "complete,
just and independent" investigation
into the death of 18-year-old Michael
Brown at the hands of a police offi-
cer 11 days ago.
Reports Wednesday of the shoot-
ing death of a 23-year-old black man
by police in St. Louis, six km from
Ferguson, threatened to spark new
demonstrations.
The man, who was armed with a
knife, was shot when he tried to rob
a food store, police said.
The decision to deploy the Nation-
al Guard, the state military that is
usually mobilised during natural dis-
asters and to deal with public disor-
der, could not calm down the situa-
tion in Ferguson Monday, which saw
one of the most violent protests since
Brown's death.
Washington: President Obama on Wednesday
delivered an angry condemnation of the Islam-
ic militant group believed to be behind the be-
heading of an American journalist, labeling the
group a cancer and calling on Muslims around
the world to reject its brand of hateful terror-
ism.No faith teaches people to massacre in-
nocents, Obama said. No just God would
stand for what they did. The president said he
had spoken with the family of the journalist,
James Foley, and expressed his support. Jim
was taken in an act of violence that shocks the
conscience of the entire world, Obama said.
We are all heartbroken at their loss. Foley
was freelancing for the website GlobalPost
when he was kidnapped in Syria almost two
years ago. A video depicting his execution-
style murder was posted online Tuesday by the
Islamic State, an Al Qaeda offshoot that has
seized a large swath of territory in Syria and
Iraq. Its stated goal is to establish an Islamic
caliphate in the heart of the Middle East.
Washington: Governor
Rick Perry, fresh off an
indictment and then a
brief stop Tuesday at a
Texas courthouse to be
fingerprinted and re-
leased, is shining up his
boots to stage a New
Hampshire comeback
tour this week.
Yet in an odd political
twist, Perrys clash with
the law may prove to be
a valuable selling point
in his bid to run for the
GOP presidential nomi-
nation.
New Hampshire polit-
ical scientists say they
cannot recall another
would-be presidential
candidate showing up while under indict-
ment. But many New Hampshire Republi-
cans are rushing to Perrys defense, talking
about what they consider a politically mo-
tivated indictment last week, instead of fo-
cusing on Perrys disastrous 2012 run for
president.
It would be in his favor for a lot of Re-
publicans, I think, said Bill OConnor, a
commercial airline pilot who is chair of
the Strafford County Republican Party,
which includes Dover and Durham.
The indictment is the craziest thing Ive
ever heard, said Spec Bowers, chair of
the Sullivan County GOP in west central
New Hampshire, who is also an innkeeper
and candidate for state representative.
Perry, who has led Texas since Decem-
ber 2000, was indicted by a grand jury Fri-
day on two felony counts of coercing a
public servant and abusing his official ca-
pacity. The case stems from Perrys deci-
sion last year to carry out a threat to veto
$7.5 million over two years from a
statewide public corruption unit run by the
office of District Attorney Rosemary
Lehmberg. She had refused his demand to
resign after her arrest on drunken driving
charges that was documented in an embar-
rassing video.Perry has stood by the veto.
Violence in town wracked by black teens death
NY poll: Government
corruption a problem
A woman holds a bottle of milk that she used to help a protester
who was pepper-sprayed by police in Ferguson, MO.
New York Governor Andrew
Cuomo remains far ahead of
his Republican challenger
Rob Astorino in opinion polls.
N.H.-bound Rick Perry set to
capitalize on indictment
Texas Governor Rick Perry
Obama vows 'justice' after militants
kill US journalist James Foley
Photograb from a video purportedly
showing the beheading of James Foley.
10 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA
New Delhi: Pakistan continued its
hobnobbing with Kashmiri sepa-
ratists as its envoy met hardline
Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah
Geelani and then moderate leader
Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, a day after
India called off foreign secretary-
level talks with Pakistan over the
issue.
Geelani met Pakistan High
Commissioner Abdul Basit for
two-and-half hours at the Pakistan
High Commission, emerging from
the talks at 2.30 p.m.
Later, Jammu and Kashmir
Liberation Front leader
Mohammad Yasin Malik and the
Mirwaiz also met the Pakistani
envoy.
A handful of members of a group
called the Hindu Sena raised slo-
gans outside the Pakistan High
Commission when Geelani
arrived. They were detained by
police.
Around 25-30 members of the
RSS student wing Akhil Bhartiya
Vidyarthi Parishad arrived for a
protest but they were not allowed
near the high commission's gates.
They were also detained by police.
Ahead of meeting the Pakistani
high commissioner, Geelani
termed the Narendra Modi govern-
ment's decision to cancel the Aug
25 India-Pakistan foreign secretary
level talks as unfortunate.
"We have been visiting Pakistan
embassy several times to hold
talks. The decision to cancel for-
eign secretary-level talks is unde-
mocratic," he said.
"The issue of Jammu and
Kashmir is an international issue
and it should be solved. As long as
promises made to us are not ful-
filled, this issue will remain
unsolved," said Geelani.
Speaking to reporters after his
meeting with Basit, Geelani said
that during talks with the Pakistani
envoy, both had agreed that
"Kashmir is a fundamental issue
(buniyadi masla) and without par-
ticipation of Kashmiris, no lasting
solution can be found".
He said he also raised the issue
of "sacrifices" of the people of
Jammu and Kashmir during talks.
He said the "sacrifices of the peo-
ple should be taken into considera-
tion, and cannot be ignored... hous-
es have been razed, families
destroyed, rapes... all this cannot
be ignored".
Mirwaiz Umar said the Indian
government has over-reacted.
"New Delhi over-reacted on the
issue...There has to be a peaceful,
political resolution to the Kashmir
issue," Farooq said. "Kashmir is
not an economic problem, of
incentives, of a package, of change
of guard. It is a political problem
and can be addressed only by
talks."
Communications Minister Ravi
Shankar Prasad, however, said that
Pakistan should stop speaking in
different voices. "We hear different
voices, let clarity emerge on the
level of preparation and under-
standing on the part of Pakistan to
have dialogue at the level of (for-
eign) secretary," said Prasad, a sen-
ior Bharatiya Janata Party leader.
Congress leader Manish Tewari
said the Modi government is
"bereft of a Pakistan policy and
has boxed itself in a corner".
His party colleague Anand
Sharma asked the government
whether any understanding had
been reached with Pakistan before
agreeing to hold the foreign secre-
taries' meeting.
"The attitude of Pakistan when it
comes to bringing to justice the
perpetrators of Mumbai terror
attack has not been encouraging.
We want to know what assurances
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif had given before the talks
and whether those assurances were
violated? What kind of under-
standing was reached," he asked.
New Delhi: In a clear
rebuff to Pakistan,
India's external affairs
ministry said that fol-
lowing the Simla
Agreement of 1972,
India and Pakistan were
the only two stakehold-
ers on the issue of
Jammu and Kashmir and
"none else".
Ministry spokesperson
Syed Akbaruddin wrote
on Twitter: "Following
Simla Agreement there
are only 2 'stakeholders'
on the issue of Jammu & Kashmir - India
& Pakistan. None else."
"An approach different to the one laid
down in the Simla Agreement & Lahore
Declaration does not yield results in India-
Pakistan relations," he said.
Akbaruddin's statement came in reaction
to Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul
Basit saying that his meeting with
Kashmiri separatists was "a long-standing
practice" and "it is important to engage
with all stakeholders".
On the Pakistan high commissioner say-
ing that he met the Hurriyat leaders
because they were the representatives of
the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and
stakeholders in the Kashmir issue,
Akbaruddin said the Simla Agreement "is a
principle which is the bedrock of our bilat-
eral relations. This was reaffirmed in the
Lahore Declaration of 1999 between Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee". He said Pakistan
had given assurance to
India "at the highest level,
that they were committed
to a peaceful dialogue on
the issue of Jammu and
Kashmir and they would
not allow Pakistan or terri-
tories under its control to
be used for terrorism
against us".
"We know now, particu-
larly after the Mumbai ter-
ror attacks and the manner
in which Pakistan has pur-
sued subsequent investiga-
tions and trials, that this
assurance had no meaning and that an
approach that is different to the one laid
down by the Simla Agreement and Lahore
Declaration does not yield results."
Basit said his meeting with the Hurriyat
leaders was "to find a viable solution to the
Kashmir issue".
"It was in the larger context of exploring
peaceful means towards resolving the
issue. This has been a long standing prac-
tice, I have nothing more to add to this,"
Basit said.
"Kashmiris are legitimate stakeholders in
finding a peaceful solution to the issue. We
had been meeting Kashmiri leaders for the
past 20 years. The objective of this interac-
tion is to engage all stakeholders in order to
find a viable, peaceful solution to the prob-
lem," Basit said in an interaction at the
Foreign Correspondents Club here.
Basit also stressed on the need to look at
the Kashmir issue "dispassionately and in a
more realistic manner".
External Affairs Ministry
spokesperson Syed
Akbaruddin
'India, Pakistan only two
stakeholders in Kashmir issue'
Mumbai/ New Delhi: Shiv Sena
president Uddhav Thackeray
endorsed RSS chief Mohan
Bhagwat' s comments on
Hindutva and Hindu nation which
had come in for criticism from
several parties including the
Congress.
Manmohan Vaidya, chief of
publicity of Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh, also issued
a statement defending Bhagwat's
remarks.
Thackeray said Bhagwat' s
remark was a reiteration of the
ideology of the late Bal
Thackeray.
"I am in support of Bhagwat's
comments. What's wrong if he
says India is a Hindu nation?
Balasaheb Thackeray used to say the same
thing openly for a long time and it used to
create controversies. Why should we
change our stand on it now? Why should
anybody be ashamed of it," Thackeray told
media persons.
He was responding to queries on
Bhagwat's comments last Sunday that India
is a Hindu nation and Hindutva is its identi-
ty. On Narendra Modi government's deci-
sion to call off foreign secretary-level talks
with Pakistan after its envoy met Kashmiri
separatists in New Delhi, Thackeray urged
the government to handle the Pakistan
issue seriously.
"We must deal with Pakistan in a stern
manner... Any amount of negotiations we
conduct with that country won't serve any
purpose. They don' t deserve to be our
friends," he said.
Thackeray was interacting with media
after senior Nationalist Congress Party
leader Pratapsinh Mohite-Patil' s son
Dhavalsinh joined the Shiv Sena at a func-
tion.
Defending Bhagwat' s remark that
Hindutva is the identity of the nation,
Vaidya said in a statement that "Bharat and
Hindutva were akin to the flow of the
Ganga."
He said Ganga assimilates Yamuna and
many other rivers and "yet maintains its
sanctity and harmonious nature and has
been flowing since time immemorial."
"The same was conveyed earlier by
Rabindranath Tagore and S. Radhakrishnan
too, which was reiterated by Mohan
Bhagwat," Vaidya said.
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray
Uddhav endorses RSS chief's
view on Hindu nation
Talks off but Pak envoy meets Kashmiri separatists
Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit met hardline Hurriyat
leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and then moderate leader Mirwaiz
Umer Farooq.
INDIA
Patna/Bhopal: The Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) was looking
to extend its gain after the
spectacular win in the Lok
Sabha elections in the by-elec-
tions being held in four states
on August 21.
Voting for 10 seats in Bihar,
three seats each in Karnataka
and Madhya Pradesh and two
in Punjab began on a peaceful
note, officials said.
Voters were seen queuing up
to exercise their franchise in
most of the constituencies,
officials said, adding there
were no reports of violence.
Grand alliance faces test in
Bihar In Bihar, all eyes are on
the grand alliance between
Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata
Dal and Nitish Kumar Janata
Dal (United) in the by-polls
ahead of state elections next
year.
While Lalu and Nitish have
joined forces after over 20
years of bitter political feud to
contest four seats each, the
Congress party is contesting
two. The BJP is contesting in
nine seats and its ally Ramvilas
Paswan' Lok Janshakti Party
(LJP) in one.
"Voting is underway and
around 8% polling was record-
ed till 9am," an official of the
Bihar election commission
said.
Additional director general
of police Gupteshwar Pandey
said elaborate security arrange-
ments have made made and
personnel of paramilitary
forces were deployed as some
areas were identified as
Maoist-affected.
A total of 2,642,407 voters in
the 10 constituencies are eligi-
ble to exercise their franchise
to decide the fate of 94 candi-
dates, including five women.
The 10 constituencies where
by-polls are being held are
Narkatiaganj, Rajnagar, Jale,
Chapra, Hajipur,
Mohiuddinnagar, Parbatta,
Bhagalpur, Banka, and
Mohania.
Fight between Siddaramaiah,
Yeddyurappa In the by-elec-
tions to three assembly seats in
Karnataka in the first electoral
showdown after the Lok Sabha
polls, political tenacity of
Congress chief minister
Siddaramaiah and BJP national
vice-president BS
Yeddyurappa will be on test.
Siddaramaiah is under more
pressure to show results as
Congress had failed to repli-
cate the 2013 assembly poll
success in Lok Sabha elections
which saw a resurgent BJP
walk to glory drawn by the
Modi wave.
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala will soon get a
directory to enable it connect better with its two
million-strong diaspora that annually remits
home a staggering Rs.75,000 crore ($12 billion).
It's probably the first-such exercise in the coun-
try.
"The need for such a directory has been on the
cards for long but with the recent evacuation of
Kerala nurses from Iraq and Libya carried out
by the combined action of the state and the
Centre has come as a blessing in disguise for
going ahead with the diaspora directory, because
none knows how many Keralites are there in
each country," P.Sudeep, CEO of Roots-Norka,
the Kerala government agency that looks after
the welfare of the state's diaspora, said.
All the arrangements are in place for starting
the statistical exercise, which is basically meant
to find out how many Keralites are in which
country. It is estimated that 90 percent of the
Malayalee diaspora is in the Middle East.
In economic terms, diaspora remittances
account for 1.6 times the revenue receipts of the
Kerala government, 6.2 times what the state gets
from the centre as revenue transfer, and is more
than twice the government's annual expenditure.
In other words, it can meet 60 percent of the
state's public debt.
All eyes are on the grand alliance between
Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar.
11 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Peaceful voting in bypolls in 4 states
Kerala to create a
directory on its
diaspora
SEP.
New Delhi: Energy major Cairn
India has received environment
clearance to produce natural gas, as
well as raise crude oil production
from its Rajasthan block by 50 per-
cent to 300,000 barrels per day.
"It is noted that the proposal is for
augmentation of hydrocarbon pro-
duction (from 200,000 bpd to
300,000 bpd) and 165 mmscfd
(million standard cubic feet per
day) natural gas in RJ-ON-90/1
block, Barmer and Jalore districts,
Rajasthan, " the Ministry of
Environment and Forests said in
the Cairn order posted on its web-
site.
"The Ministry of Environment
and Forests hereby accords envi-
ronmental clearance to the above
project," the order added.
According to the proposal, Cairn
will develop 205 well pads for
additional production and evacua-
tion infrastructure.
The hydrocarbon resource poten-
tial of the block is estimated at 7.3
billion barrels of oil equivalent
(boe) and the estimated cost of the
project is Rs.16,000 crore, the min-
istry said.
Rajasthan block:
Cairn gets clearance
for gas, oil output
12 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA
New Delhi: Calling technology a
"key driving force", Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said India needs to
stay ahead in this sphere to become a
world leader.
Speaking at a Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO)
event here, Modi said: "The world is
changing very fast and so are the
parameters of war and defence.
Technology is becoming a key driving
force."
"I see that the big challenge is how
do we complete our work before time.
If the world will finish something in
2020, can we do it by 2018," he said.
"It should not happen that a pro-
gramme is conceived in 1992 and in
2014 someone says it will take some
more time," said the prime minister.
He said DRDO should set agenda
for the world.
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said:
"India has a peculiar geographical
location, we have lived for decades in
a disturbed neighbourhood and we
cannot change it."
"Our preparedness is the best guar-
antee for peace in south Asia region,"
he said. He added that DRDO should
expedite its programmes and look
towards exports. The prime minister,
stressing on attracting young talent to
DRDO, said scientists should be
attached with universities for a period
to set an example for students.
"Let us identify universities in this
field and then associate a scientist
with the university. It will help stu-
dents. " He also said that DRDO
should set up a laboratory with all sci-
entists under the age of 35 to utilise
the potential of the youth. The prime
minister also gave away the DRDO
awards, with former chief controller
of research and development
Dipankar Banerjee getting a life time
achievement award for his contribu-
tion to the fields of metallurgy, mate-
rial sciences and combat aircraft pro-
gramme.
New Delhi: Indian
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's ambi-
tious ' Clean Ganga'
project received a shot-
in-the-arm with the
South Australia govern-
ment showing its inter-
est in cleaning up the
river, which is consid-
ered sacred by many
Indians.South Australian
Premier Jay Weatherhill
said that his government
would propose a plan to
clean the mighty Ganga.
"We have the expertise to
clean rivers and we are
interested in taking up the
'Clean Ganga' project. We
are also planning to meet
India' s water resources
ministry and the Ministry
of Overseas Indian Affairs
to give them our proposal,"
said Weatherhill during a
promotional campaign of
the South Australian gov-
ernment for the 2015
Cricket World Cup.
'Clean Ganga's is one of
Modi' s pet project. The
prime minister, through his
MyGov site is also calling
for suggestions to clean the
Ganga. The Modi govern-
ment is keen on seeking to
bring about a radical
change in the river's condi-
tion.
Union Water Resources
Minister Uma Bharti also
claimed Wednesday that
Ganga would be free from
most of its pollution within
three years.
New Delhi: BJP leader Vijay Jolly met US
Congressman Edward R. Royce in Los
Angeles to discuss Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's forthcoming visit to the
US, said a release.
Jolly, global convenor, Overseas Friends
of BJP and Royce, chairman of the Foreign
Affairs Committee, spoke for 45 minutes
on India-US relations. Royce is also chair-
man of the India Caucus in the US.
Royce expressed keen desire to meet and
welcome Modi along with his foreign
affairs committee members in Washington
D.C.
Jolly promised to convey this to the
Indian officials arranging the prime minis-
ter's US visit in end September, said a
statement from Jolly's office.
Jolly extended an invitation to Royce to
attend the Sep 28 public programme organ-
ised by the Indian American Community
Foundation for Modi's welcome at the
Madison Square Garden, New York.
BJP leader, US Congressman
discuss Modi's US visit
New Delhi: Jharkhand chief minister
Hemant Soren was booed by the
crowd while sharing the stage with
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in
Ranchi, just two days after his
Haryana counterpart Bhupinder
Singh Hooda faced a similar humili-
ation
Soren, while addressing the crowd
during Modi's maiden visit to Ranchi
as PM was hooted by the gathering
at Prabhat Tara Ground, which con-
sisted mostly of BJP supporters.
They kept chanting Modi, Modi
even while Soren spoke.
However, unlike Hooda, Soren
took a brave stand and asked the
crowd to pay respect to the stage and
the occasion and forget political
rivalry for a day. "Political powers
keep changing; we need to respect the digni-
ty of this stage," Soren said, which irked the
crowd of about 70,000 even more and led to
louder chants .
Modi was in Ranchi to inaugurate a sub-
station of the Power Grid Corporation in the
district. The reaction of the crowd appeared
to have taken the chief minister by surprise
causing some errors in his speech. Soren
mistakenly referred to Modi as the president
at least five times.
Meanwhile Maharashtra chief minister
Prithviraj Chavan has decided to boycott a
public function to be attended by Modi in
Nagpur.
Accusing the BJP of politicising the Prime
Ministers public events ahead of assembly
polls, Chavan announced that he would not
attend the function on Thursday when Modi
will lay the foundation stone for the Nagpur
Metro network.
I have decided not to attend the Prime
Ministers function because of the incidents
that took place in recent days. As per proto-
col, a representative of the state government
will be present at the function,Chavan said,
after a cabinet meeting, on Wednesday.
The chief minister added that as a strong
reply to the BJP, the Congress-NCP govern-
ment will lay the foundation stone for the
Mumbai Metros third line in next couple of
days. However, Chavans cabinet colleagues
were taken by surprise at his decision to
boycott the function. In the run-up to the
polls, the move could cause damage to the
party in Vidarbha. The BJP has reacted to
the incidents saying its government gives
due respect to all Cms.
Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda
After Hooda, Jharkhand CM Soren
booed at Modi rally
India should stay ahead of world in technology: PM South Australia keen on
'Clean Ganga' project
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Defence Minister
Arun Jaitley at a DRDO event in New Delhi.
Global Convenor BJP Overseas Affairs
Vijay Jolly with Ed Royce in LA.
SC notice to Centre over governors' dismissal
New Delhi: The Supreme Court issued notice to the central government on a petition filed
by Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi challenging the procedure followed in securing
his resignation in the wake of BJP coming to power.
An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice R.M. Lodha said the matter would be
heard by a five-judge bench as it involved the interpretation of Article 156 of the constitu-
tion on the point of the procedure to be followed for seeking removal of the governors in
the exercise of the president's pleasure.
The court response came after senior consul Kapil Sibal said that a governor can only be
removed by the president and the home secretary could not just pick up the phone and ask
him to resign.
He said there has to be a procedure to secure the resignation of a governor. Citing an
earlier constitution bench judgement, Sibal said the apex court has held that a governor is
not an employee of the central government and occupies the office at the pleasure of the
president.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
By Saeed Naqvi
P
rime Minister Narendra Modis coura-
geous elaboration in his maiden
Independence Day speech, on the
nations need to build toilets had in it a touch
of Acharya Vinoba Bhave. It also brought
back a Devi Lal story.
During a visit to China, Devi Lal, then
Indias agricultural minister, made a great
impression on the Chinese leadership by his
knowledge of things agricultural. Even though
he had been invited to study Chinese agricul-
ture, his hosts found his observations and
queries so insightful that they took him to
more and more places so that they too could
learn from his asides.
On one field trip, Devi Lal, the tallest Jat
from Haryana, towering above his Chinese
counterpart in every sense of the term, stood
on a piece of high ground, put his hands on his
hips, and began to survey a mega farm. The
Chinese waited for his pearls of wisdom. Devi
Lal leaned over and whispered something in
the Indian ambassadors ear that made the
emissary, an expert Mandarin speaker, turn
pale, then white as a sheet.
Devi Lal had whispered a simple question.
Kisaan tatti kahan kartay hain? (Where do
the peasants shit?) The Chinese, prolific spit-
ters off the main highways, do, nevertheless,
have a sense of delicacy about the theme Devi
Lal had touched upon.
In the dictionary of his mind, the ambassa-
dor translated shit into nitrogenous waste
matter for which expression he found a suit-
ably ornate word in Mandarin. When he com-
municated the query to the Chinese agricul-
ture minister, he froze and blinked and blinked
and shook his head like a sage who had seen
light. Devi Lal had spotted the biggest gap in
Chinese agriculture: want of adequate toilet
arrangements for peasants.
I have embellished this Devi Lal yarn with a
purpose. Middle class squeamishness some-
times obviates scrutiny of basic issues. It was
courageous of Narendra Modi to have dwelt
on the absence of toilets in the countryside
and on the shame of our unclean cities. He
touched on numerous other themes. When
even our Gods and Goddesses are manufac-
tured in China, it is time someone spoke of
reviving Indian manufacture. That is an idea
whose revival will take time.
Toilets for rural households and cleanliness
in cities is a revolution the Modi government
can start tomorrow.
Let us not talk about Gujarat which is prob-
ably much better off in this regard than Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar. Let him begin with the
National Capital Region where, by Modis
own definition, he is still an outsider. Before
staleness sets in, let him appoint an official in
his own office with a strict mandate: in six
months to a year, the official must have in his
hand a comprehensive blueprint for toilets for
Delhis villages and the hundreds of thousands
of pavement dwellers. Nobody knows where
they go for their ablutions. Also, there must be
a plan for the removal of garbage dumps.
Let this official be a regular member of the
Indian Administrative Service. Try giving him
a suitable job description, say, Secretary
Toilets. My guess is that he will bolt the serv-
ice, go back to his village and arrange a hun-
dred havans to get this Rahu out of Ketu in the
quickest possible time. If he happens to be a
Muslim, Deoband will launch an agitation.
Alright, for national tranquility, let us call
him Officer on Special Duty. Let this OSD
begin his inquiries by visiting important
hotels, hospitals, major multistoreyed blocks
and seek out the managements to show him
the toilets on the premises. He will discover
that those manning these facilities are six
inches shorter and a few shades darker than
other management cadre on the premises.
They are not even on the rolls of these outfits.
They cannot be. How can a toilet cleaner be
promoted as a lobby manager, for example.
How can he even dream to ever become a
Food and Beverages manager?
Garbage dumps, thousands of them around
the city, cannot be removed for similar rea-
sons. Rag pickers employed to load the
garbage trucks have found a market, heaven
knows where, for the scrap they pick from the
garbage bins parked in these dumps. A chain
of interests has developed around each one of
these. They have become sources of liveli-
hood.
Outside of India I have seen men and
women find privacy behind the sand dunes in,
for example, the Sahara desert. The picture
cannot be very different in the sandier part of
the Thar Desert. Within an hour of daybreak,
every particle evaporates in the sharp shams
or sun.
A tropical country needs ablutions for mini-
mal hygiene. It required considerable self
belief for Modi to dwell on the theme at such
length on such an occasion.
Courageous of Modi to talk of toilets from Red Fort
13 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED
Toilets for rural households
and cleanliness in cities
is a revolution the Modi
government can start
tomorrow
Modi's foreign policy: Good beginning in protecting national interests
By Shiv Shankar Mukherjee
N
arendra Modi's visit to Nepal, the
first by an Indian prime minister in
17 years, has received kudos from all
stakeholders and commentators on both sides
of the border and, most importantly for India,
from the public in Nepal.
What is far more important than the agree-
ments signed or aid promised is the broad
vision that was unfolded by the prime minis-
ter, of the commitment of his government to
take India-Nepal relations to a higher plane,
with respect for Nepal's sovereignty, and it's
equality in partnership regardless of the
asymmetry in size, to never interfere in
Nepal' s internal affairs, and to promote
meaningful cooperation guided by trust and
friendship.
While two-and-a-half months into gover-
nance is admittedly too short a time-frame to
make informed judgments, enough has taken
place in the realm of India's international
relations to try and assess what core princi-
ples guide the prime minister. At the very
outset, then Prime Minister-designate Modi
invited the SAARC heads of government to
his swearing in ceremony.
A masterstroke this; in one fell swoop he
highlighted the overriding importance India
gave to its neighbors, underlined his commit-
ment to SAARC as a vehicle for regional
cooperation (deliberately overlooking its
woefully inadequate record so far) and
brought the Pakistan prime minister here, not
as a visiting superstar as was the policy of
Manmohan Singh's UPA, but firmly in a
regional template.
Almost unnoticed but very significant were
the invitations issued to the prime minister
in-exile of Tibet and to Mauritius. Certainly
China would have noted the first, as it was
obviously meant to, and the second was a
sound decision to extend a fraternal hand to a
small country that is of great strategic impor-
tance to us in more ways than one.
The prime minister's first foreign trip to
Bhutan is equally useful in understanding his
priorities. He quite correctly ignored the
vociferous chants of the self-appointed for-
eign policy wonks who wanted him to fall in
with strong Japanese signals to make that
country his first port of call. The message
was clear: we see Japan as a key partner,
especially in being a part of an India-Japan-
US grouping to serve our security interests in
the face of the aggressive policies of China to
seek a virtually veto-owning dominance in
Asia. But Bhutan remains an all-weather
friend that has demonstrated its readiness to
go the extra mile to protect India's security at
considerable risk to itself, and the visit was
India's tribute.
Modi has shown that he is not interested in
sulking over the silly American decision on
denying his visa or letting irritants like the
Khobragade episode and the spying brouhaha
stand in the way of bringing relations back to
strategic partnership levels, to which the
Americans seem to have responded in good
measure.
Modi has done well in pursuing our nation-
al interests through our foreign policy, which
is the only criterion for basing judgment.
A tropical country needs ablutions for minimal hygiene. It required
considerable self belief for Narendra Modi to dwell on the theme at
such length on such an occasion..
The Prime minister's first foreign trip to Bhutan is equally useful in
understanding his priorities.
By Fakir Balaji
W
orld renowned Yoga
guru B. K. S. Iyengar,
who founded the
'Iyengar Yoga' died at a private
hospital here. He was 96.
Author of several books on Yoga,
its practice and techniques, Iyengar
was conferred the Padma Shri in
1991, the Padma Bhushan in 2002
and Padma Vibhushan in 2014 and
was in 2004 named one of Time
magazine's 100 most influential
personalities, among his many
other national and international
honours.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
condoled Iyengar's death and said
he will be remembered as a fine
guru and scholar.
"I am deeply saddened to know
about yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar's
demise and offer my condolences
to his followers all over the world,"
Modi tweeted.
"Generations will remember
B.K.S. Iyengar as a fine guru,
scholar and a stalwart who brought
yoga into the lives of many across
the world," he added.
Maharashtra Chief Minister
Prithviraj Chavan expressed grief
over Iyengar's death, saying he
would be remembered for his dedi-
cation to yoga.
"We have lost a versatile person-
ality who popularized yoga, "
Chavan said in a tweet.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit
Pawar said Iyengar's spread Indian
culture to the whole world through
the medium of yoga.
Born Dec 14, 1918 in a poor
Brahmin family of Bellur in
Karnataka as Bellur
Krishnamachar Sundararaja
Iyengar, he was a sickly child, hav-
ing fallen victim to malaria,
typhoid and tuberculosis in his
early childhood.
In 1934, when he was 16, the
young Iyengar was introduced to
yoga by his teacher T.
Krishnamacharya as a cure for all
his childhood illnesses, and after
two years sent to Pune to propagate
yoga as he understood some
English.
Gradually, he developed the
'Iyengar Yoga', exploring the mean-
ing of yoga sutras by his practical
search and practice of Yoga, inte-
grating the body, mind and emo-
tions. This 'astanga style' is now
recognized and followed by certi-
fied yoga teachers globally.
In 1943, he married 16-year old
Ramamani and the couple had six
children - daughters Geeta, Vinita,
Suchita, Sunita, Savitha and son
Prashant. Geeta and Prashant
worked with Iyengar in teaching
and propagating yoga till his end.
Over the years in his yoga prac-
tice, several eminent personalities
became his disciples, including J.
Krishnamurti, Jaiprakash Narayan,
and Achyut Patwardhan.
In 1952, he had a chance meeting
with the legendary violin maestro
Yehudi Menuhin who introduced
him to the western world and
helped conduct a series of yoga
lectures and demonstrations in
Europe, US and other countries.
Among his prominent interna-
tional students was Queen Mother
Elisabeth of Belgium, whom he
taught 'sirshasana' (head stand yoga
posture) at her age of 80.
China' s Beijing Post issued a
commemorative stamp in his hon-
our in 2011, while Oct 3, 2005 was
celebrated as B.K.S. Iyengar Day
by San Francisco.
In 1975, Iyengar started the
Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga
Institute in Pune in memory of his
wife who died in 1973.
Among the books he penned
were "Light On Yoga", "Light On
Pranayama" and "Light on the
Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali", all of
them bestsellers.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
14 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA
By Arun Kumar
Washington: An India-born former World
Bank staff member turned poet and novelist
has penned a new English translation of
famous Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib's works to
meaningfully engage American readers.
Gopi Chand Narang, leading literary critic
and former President of Sahitya Akademi,
released the book titled "The Treasure: A
Modern Rendition of Ghalib's Lyrical Love
Poetry" by Surinder Deol, at a function here
Sunday. The 378-page book, beautifully
produced by Penguin-Random House
imprint Partridge, contains a complete free
verse translation of Ghalib's entire Urdu
Divan.
"Surinder Deol has dwelled deep into
Ghalib and has struck a chord with the core
of his creativity," said Narang releasing the
book.
"He believes in the inner transformation
and ecstasy of poetry, and as a translator he
has succeeded in unravelling the magical
world of Ghalib's charm and his joy and
zest for life," he said.
"Ghalib comes through alive and pulsat-
ing in this rendering. He has succeeded
where others have failed. His annotations of
exotic words and phrases are of added
value."
"Ghalib was never so close to the Western
reader as he is now with this work," Narang
added.
Satyapal Anand, a former professor of
English Literature at University of District
of Columbia, Washington DC, who has
authored several books of poetry in Urdu
and English, offered fulsome praise for the
book in his Preface.
"This compendium of Ghalib's verse is a
welcome addition to the slim corpus of
Ghalib in English translation, not only
because it has a sure method, but also
because it doesn't sacrifice the essential
Ghalib in a foreign tongue, not of the bard's
choice," he wrote.
Frances Pritchett of Columbia University
has called the work a "gallant attempt"
while Shafey Kidwai of Aligarh Muslim
University believes this book is "destined to
blaze a new trail in Ghalib studies."
Aamir Mufti, University of California,
said, "These renderings read well in English
and will give the uninitiated a wonderful
introduction to this major poet of the Indian
subcontinent."
"The Treasure" is available on
amazon.com internationally and on the
FlipKart in India.
Former Sahitya Akademi President Gopi Chand Narang (second from left)
releasing "The Treasure", a free verse translation of Ghalib's poems
by Surinder Deol (Second from right).
BKS Iyengar took yoga to the world
India-born author
gives a taste of Ghalib
to Americans
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled Iyengar's death and said
he will be remembered as a fine guru and scholar.
Tribute
I-DAY CELEBRATIONS August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 15
New York: The Indian community from the
tristate area, attired in bright and colorful
clothes, celebrated India' s 68th
Independence Day with a parade dancing
down Manhattan' s Madison Avenue on
Sunday.
One of the main fashionable avenues of
New York was a sea of Indian colors, com-
plete with floats, drums and, of course, a lot
of saris.
"It's a way of saluting those who lost their
lives" in the struggle for independence, said
Ankur Vaidya, President of the Federation of
Indian Associations (FIA NY-NJ-CT), which
organizes the annual India Day Parade, now
in its 34th year, in New York City.
The parade drew tens of thousands of
spectators, several Bollywood stars and local
elected officials.
From Bollywood the Grand Marshal was
Sunny Deol, who was joined atop the Times
Now float by fellow star Raveena Tandon.
Other celebrities from India included Daler
Mehendi, TV actors Manav Gohil and Anup
Soni, actresses Zarine Khan and Sagarika
Ghatge, tennis player Leander Paes.
Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadiv
was also Grand Marshall. He was joined by
the first player of Indian descent in the
NBA, Sim Bhullar, 7 ft 5 in, who signed
with the Kings on Aug. 15.
More than 40 floats and 25 walking groups
and bands participated in the parade, held
between 38th and 23rd streets on Madison
Avenue.
In the parade, some men wore tunic-like
kafni pajamas in white symbolizing peace.
One marcher dressed as Mahatma Gandhi,
complete with walking staff. One float in the
parade featured a replica of the 1 World
Trade Centre tower linked by a bridge to a
miniature Taj Mahal. "Bringing America and
India together," the float read. "United we
stand."
Mayor Bill de Blasio, who waved an
Indian tricolour flag, applauded the South
Asian community's commitment to educa-
tion, one of his administration's priorities.
"The fabric of New
York is defined by the
parades we go to, "
Comptroller Scott M.
Stringer added. "This is
such an exciting time I
think for the South
Asian community and
the Indian community,
because like so many
other groups, they are
coming of age political-
ly, culturally and as a
business community,"
he said.
After the parade,
crowds made their way
to the Madison Square
Park on 23rd street,
where a stage was set up
for a multitude of cultural
performances. Students from dance schools
from the tristate area performed on current
Bollywood hits. Dressed in colorful cos-
tumes, many depicting the colors of the
Indian flag, students of all age groups, per-
formed on stage, as the crowds cheered.
New York: Consul General of India in New
York, Ambassador Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay
rang the closing bell at NASDAQ Stock
Exchange, New York on 15th August 2014
to mark the 67th Anniversary of India's
independence. To mark the occasion, the
Empire State Building was also lit in the
colors of Indian flag.
The Consulate General of India, New York
also hosted a reception in the evening the
same day. About 250 guests attended,
including dignitaries such as B.S. Bisnoi,
Deputy Permanent Representative of India
to the UN, Raja Ali Ejaz and Said Lutfullah
Sadat, Consul Generals of Pakistan and
Afghanistan respectively; Yuin-Lyn Ng,
Consul of Singapore; Dr Ram Raju,
President and CEO at New York City Health
and Hospital Corporation and prominent
members of Indian community from vari-
ous walks of life such as doctors, business
people, IT professionals, and media people.
Shambhu Amitabh, Vice Consul (Culture
and Commerce) read extracts from the
Message to the Nation by President of India
Pranab Mukherjee in Hindi.
Ambassador Mulay highlighted the contri-
butions of Indian Americans in different
walks of life and appealed to the community
to work whole-heartedly for the cause of
building India-US relationship. The rich cul-
tural heritage and developments of India
during the last six and half decades should
be brought forward to the world community,
he said.
A slide show of the activities undertaken
by the Consulate in New York was appreci-
ated by the public and they welcomed these
outreach initiatives by pledging to promote
them with zeal.
NY Consulate celebrates I-Day
Consul General Amb Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay with community leaders at the
August 15 celebration.
Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadiv, Parade Grand Marshal, joined by the
first player of Indian descent in the NBA, Sim Bhullar. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, holding a tricolor, walked in the parade.
Sunny Deol and Raveena Tandon were the star
attraction at FIAs India Day Parade.
16 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info I-DAY CELEBRATIONS
F
ederation of Indian Associations-
Chicago [FIA] unveiled a grand
spectacular India Independence
Day parade led by IL Governor Pat
Quinn, Consul General Dr. Ausaf Sayeed
& star power of Zee TV star celebrities
Mohit Malik [Samrat] & Neha Merda
[Urmi] drawing near unprecedented
crowds on Devon Ave in Chicago on
Saturday, August 16.
With the giant Indian flag leading the
way, the strident shouts of Bharat Mataki
Jai reached feverish decibel as the mag-
nificent Independence Day parade convoy
advanced amidst the cheering visitors
lined up on both sides of Mahatma
Gandhi Marg waving tri-color flags in
celebration of the 68th Indian
Independence.
With the Scottish pipe band in the lead,
the parade kicked-off from Western and
Devon Ave and steered through spruced-
up streets of Mahatma Gandhi Marg led
by a large Indian flag carried by a host of
women with star-spangled American flag
next to it. Over 30 colorfully decked
floats each depicting cultural, social and
regional identity of India passed through
with a huge replica of ornate elephant
accompanied by resounding Kerala drum-
beats remained the highlight of the
parade.
Joining on the parade reviewing stand,
Governor Pat Quinn applauded the Indian
American community and praised Indias
great democracy. Consul General Dr.
Ausaf Sayeed presented greetings on the
grand occasion and thanked FIA for host-
ing the parade. Others who joined the
parade include Alderman Joe Moore,
County Court Clerk Dorothy Brown
Lt.Governor Sheila Simon joined by
Manish Sharma, Gujarat Tourism Chief
and Mafat Patel, husband of Gujarat Chief
Minister & Schiller Park Mayor Barbara
Piltaver.
Keerthi Kumar Ravoori, FIA President
said he was profoundly elated at the
groundswell crowds of visitors gathered
to honor Indias Independence; and cele-
brate the majestic India and its enduring
democracy. President Ravoori said com-
mended the collective team-work of the
FIA Trustees and executive board who
he added - worked strenuously to make
the parade a grand success. President
Keerthi Ravoori joined by Consul
General Dr. Sayeed placed a silk shawl
on Governor Pat Quinn to illustrate admi-
ration and respect.
Governor Quinn presented Parade
Manager Kanti Patel with an Outstanding
Community Leadership award.
FIA-Chicago hosts Dance &
Music centric festive Mela
T
he streets of Devon Ave erupted in
festive jubilation with the India
Independence Day festivities con-
tinued as Federation of Indian
Associations-Chicago [FIA] for the first
time hosted a Grand Mela A festival of
music, dance and singing in the heart of
Devon Ave with throngs of visitors arriv-
ing to enjoy an afternoon of eclectic
dance, music, eclectic array of music,
dance, and singing led by Chicagos cele-
brated dancer/singer Noman Khan &
Shailni Saxena who presented a talented
array of dancers and singers each building
excitement by their presentation to the
applause of the crowds.
Young dancers set an exciting tone to
the afternoon Mela presenting a string of
exciting fusion & contemporary
Bollywood dances with the music and the
beats that clearly captivated the audiences
seated in the large tent.
Zee TV Stars celebrities Mohit Malik
[Samrat] and Neha Merda [Urmi] of 'Doli
Armanon Ki' fame entertained families by
posing for pictures, giving autographs and
greeting them. The Grand Mela was host-
ed under the chairmanship of Ajeet Singh
with Co-Chairs: Minhaj Akhtar & Ankur
Choudhari who teamed up with Chicagos
prominent show-Biz team Bhavesh Patel
& Nick Patel of SAHIL & LA Tan.
Indian flag hoisted in
Chicago downtown
F
ederation of Indian Associations
[FIA] ceremoniously hoisted the
Indian tri-color flag on the Daley
Plaza in the heart of Chicago downtown
on Friday, August 15, 2014 marking the
day with enthusiastic celebrations cele-
brating the Indias Independence Day.
As the flag was gently raised to the top
of the tallest pole, the guests sang the
Indian national anthem with hands raised
in salute which was immediately followed
by the American national anthem sung
beautifully by a young participant.
President Keerthi Kumar Ravoori,
Trustee Chair Iftekhar Shareef, Trustee
Kanti Patel conducted the afternoon pro-
gram; while Consul General of India Dr.
Ausaf Sayeed, IL Secretary of State Jesse
White, State Senator Ira Silverstein,
Alderwoman Debra Silverstein joined by
FIA Trustees and Community leaders paid
rich tributes to the independence of India.
Harish Kolasani assisted by Hina Trivedi
hosted a colorful dance program to the
appreciation of downtown guests.
I
ndo-American Cultural Foundation of
Central New Jersey (IACFNJ), a non-
profit organization in central jersey
celebrated Indias 68th Independence Day
on August 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at
Reichler Park, 540 Ridge Road, South
Brunswick, New Jersey.
Fun-filled entertainment like cultural
activities, dance performances, traditional
Indian dances such as Kathak,
Bharatnatyam, classical, semi-classical,
and patriotic dances from renowned dance
schools were presented.
The Master of Ceremony was young tal-
ented boogie woggie winner Mahin Master
and his talented sister Aditi Master who
entertained the audience with their stylish
presentation. The children activities, live
music and authentic food sampling were
also the highlights of the event. In his
address, IACFNJ President Dr. Tushar
Patel welcomed and congratulated every-
one for Independence Day. He said Indian
Americans are the integral part of rich
diversity in central jersey area and event
like this will bring the communities
together and help keep our rich culture,
heritage, tradition and art alive in this
country.
South Brunswick Mayor Frank
Gambatese also congratulated the audience
and echoed his appreciation to Indian com-
munity to stay involved in cultural and
civic activities in the town to celebrate
diversity. The live DJ and music entertain-
ment with live patriotic songs were per-
formed by local talented artists from
Hidden Gems, a non-profit organization.
Authentic Indian food sampling was
sponsored by the local businesses like
Jewel of India, Chutney Mary and Udipi
Restaurant.
IL Governor Pat Quinn [raised hand] joined by [LtoR] Chicago Alderman Joe
Moore, County Court Clerk Dorothy Brown,Lt.Governor Sheila Simon, FIA
President Keerthi Ravoori, Smita Shah, Consul General Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, Zee
TV stars Neha Merda [Urmi] & Mohit Malik [Samrat] at FIA-Chicago's
India Independence Day parade.
Governor Quinn with FIA Chicago
members
FIA-Chicagos grand India
I-Day Parade draws huge crowds
IACFNJ celebrates I-Day in South Brunswick, NJ
FESTIVAL August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 17
Lord
Krishna
being
given a
milk
Abhishek
O
n Sunday, Radha Govind
Dham held its first ever
Krishn Janmashtmi
Mahotsav, block-party style!
Opened officially in December
2013, RGD is a one-of-a-kind cen-
ter for devotion in New York City.
Located on a main thoroughfare of
Queens, one that is home to many
other Hindu temples, the ashram
sits on a hub of the Indian-
American community. On the
streets surrounding the devotional
festivities, there are beauty parlors
specializing in Indian weddings,
tailors selling kurtas and saris, and
Indian groceries, restaurants and
sweet shops of all shapes and sizes.
People came right off the street to
see it all the dances, the cutest-
Krishn contest, the uplifting kirtan
and revelatory speeches. Before the
sun set, there must have been more
than 700 people jammed into the
road next to the temple.
I took two trains and a bus from
Manhattan to get to Radha Govind
Dham for the party. Others drove
from their apartments in Flushing,
Floral Park, and other areas of
Queens. Some live so close to the
temple they simple walked over.
Chirag Patel, one of the managing
members of Radha Madhav Dham,
flew in from Austin for the celebra-
tion, and gave a short, wonderful
speech to the gathered devotees.
There were Indians, Nepalis, and
Bengalis all mingling, drinking
pink lassi and chanting the name of
God with such fervor - from a dis-
tance it almost sounded like a con-
cert, not a religious festival.
It is always astounding to see this
much turnout for any event, but
especially in a place like New York.
In a city where everyone is busy all
the time, even on Sundays, some-
how these people found time in
their lives to stop by Radha Govind
Dham for a few hours for
Janmashtmi. They could have easi-
ly gone and paid their respects
quickly at any of the other nearby
temples. They could have even just
celebrated at home. Its a real testa-
ment to the organizers of the block
party that so many came and stayed
for so long. Most of them are prob-
ably, at this time of writing, still
there, chanting in the hall, watching
more performances, praying to the
end of the day. Like any good
Janmasthmi, the real celebration
wont start until midnight.
Janmashtami, NY style!
Blogpost by Young American, Hindu on Radha Govind Dham website
Children
dressed
as Gopal
and
Radha
during the
festivities
Devotees
engrossed
in the
bhajan-
keertan
The beautifully decorated idols of Radha and Krishna
18 August 23-29, 2014 ENTERTAINMENT TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Zangoora, The Gypsy Prince is a live-action, Bollywood
musical running at Kingdom of Dreams in Gurgaon.
The aerial stunts and choreographed
sequences are spectacular.
Kingdom of Dreams in Gurgaon is a theme
park where Disneyworld meets Bollywood.
The story of Zangoora is strung around dance numbers
utilizing hit Bollywood songs.
Culture Gully in Kingdom of Dreams is a cultural and cuisine
area showcasing 14 states of India.
By Parveen Chopra
D
uring my earlier trips to India, Id
heard a lot about Zangoora, the first
Broadway like show at Kingdom of
Dreams (KoD), a theme park in Gurgaon,
NCR, but never managed to get there. This
time, however, I made it a point to take my 16-
year-old son to the show. And may I say that it
should be on the must-do list of NRIs visiting
home.
But caveats are in order. Zangoora The
Gypsy Prince maybe the biggest Bollywood
musical as claimed, but it does not engage
you as theater -- the storyline is simplistic,
clichd. But it is Spectacle with a capital S.
Such an extravagant, live production has never
been tried before in India. But then such a
state-of-the-art auditorium as Nautanki Mahal
at KoD is a first too. No wonder then that in a
country where plays do not run for more than
1-2 weeks, Zangoora is completing four
years since it was premiered in September
2010.
Its predictable storyline has an infant prince,
whisked away by a loyalist after the palace
coup, brought up by Banjaras. Finding out the
truth in adulthood, he seeks revenge to claim
his rightful place on the throne. Along the way
he also finds lady love, which is not his child-
hood Banjaran friend, creating a love triangle.
The theatrical interludes in the almost three
hour long show give way to a score of the
well-choreographed, colorful dance numbers,
which are set to versions of hit Bollywood
songs of the last four decades such as
Mehbooba-Mehbooba, Yamma-Yamma, Chura
Liya and Choli ke peechey and one original
song - Zangoora, Zangoora.
The spectacle part owes itself mainly to the
aerial effects (stunts and choreographed
sequences) and two huge LED screens on both
sides of the massive stage, where animation is
seamlessly juxtaposed with live action. The
claim that Zangoora is a cinematic-theatrical
experience is justified thus.
Expectedly, Zangoora boasts Bollywood
credits. It stars Hussain Kuwajerwala (in the
title role), star of TV soaps and show host, and
actresses Gauhar Khan and Kashmira Irani.
Music is composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy,
the story is by Javed Akhtar, choreography by
Shiamak Davar. Above all, one of the promot-
ers of Kingdom of Dreams is Wizcraft, known
for spearheading the annual IIFA film awards.
KoD launched another show, Jhumroo, in
April 2012. It is a romantic comedy that
catches the effervescent spirit of legendary
Bollywood singer Kishore Kumar, weaving in
a score of his evergreen songs. But, I believe,
the visual effects of Jhumroo cannot compare
with those of Zangoora. Now the Kingdom
of Dreams is launching a new show for chil-
dren and families called Wizwits on
September 2 at the newly opened venue
ShowShaa Theatre.
After catching a show at Kindom of Dreams,
visitors also take in Culture Gully - a cultural
and cuisine area showcasing 14 states of India,
replete with their representative architecture
and decor. KoD is also developing the
Spiritual Gully, which is dominated by a
mural-fresco of Sleeping Buddha, reminiscent
of the one in Ajanta caves.
19 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TOURISM
By Dr UNB Rao
M
e and my wife, Urivi Chaya,
made our first ever visit to
China from in July-August this
year. It was a long cherished wish, which
got fulfilled rather suddenly. We had only
ten days to get going. The trip was organ-
ized through Kuoni-SOTC Tours,
Mumbai.
During the 13-day trip, we visited all
the four major municipalities of China,
namely, Beijing, Shanghai, Xian and
Zongquing; enjoyed a 3-day River Cruise
on Yangtze River (the longest river in
Asia); and took train journey covering
1,100 km from Yichang to Shanghai. It
thus afforded a wider coverage of China
and seeing a broader spectrum of people.
Despite the language barrier, the Chinese
seemed friendly to Indians and have
regard for our historic relations. The visit
was interesting and revealing often fly-
ing in the face of our perceptions or
expectations about China. Here is what
we could observe and gather about the
economic giant:
China has made phenomenal
progress over the last 30 years, especially
during the last 10 years (coinciding with
holding of the Olympic Games 2008);
Development is not only in Big
Cities such as Shanghai and Beijing but
also in other places;
China is into building skyscrapers,
by demolishing earlier shanties and dilap-
idated houses; Buildings in Shanghai,
Beijing and Zongquing are astounding
other places we visited are not lagging
behind. The general norm appeared
multi-storied flats, some of which are
given to residents whose older houses
were taken over/demolished. Bank loans
are said to be on low interest rates. It is
also learnt that almost 50% of new build-
ings (e.g. Xian, the site for Terracotta
Warriors) remained un-occupied, indicat-
ing massive constructions done by some
developers;
People do not know English (almost
99%) , but were found confident and
pushy; rarely was anyone found begging
or emaciated or in rags;
China seemed to have focused on
finding solutions to her problems by
adopting innovative approaches;
Solar energy is well utilized, espe-
cially in rural areas most of the houses
have solar energy sets on top of their
houses as we found by the side of railway
track from Yichang to Shanghai. Along
the same track, agriculture was seen well
planned plenty of water green like
delta-areas in India;
The Dam (Three Gorges Dam, also
known as New Dam) on Yangtze River is
claimed to be the longest one in Asia or
the world, producing 22,450 MW of
power in a year, from 32 turbines. In fact,
it is a tourist attraction. It is reported
experts were drawn from 17 countries,
especially Germany, France, Switzerland,
and Canada; none from USA and Japan,
whom the Chinese consider antagonistic.
There is facility of conveyer belts and
mini-vans around the dam site and vari-
ous other places, making it convenient for
visitors to go around;
Police or army were hardly seen on
roads or elsewhere. Our tour bus had a
brush with a car, when a lone policeman
arrived, on call, took a photo from a cam-
era fitted to his wireless hand set and
asked both the vehicles to move to a less
crowded road. He decided, on the spot,
for the car driver to pay a compensation
of 200 yuan (about Rs 2,000) to be paid
to our tour bus; the offender paid and just
moved off all in 20 minutes;
Most of the tourists are from within
(90%) their own country while foreign
tourists were not many... e.g. in the river
cruise that carried 250 tourists, we
Indians were 11 and another 10 were
from assorted countries: Australia, USA,
Russia, and the like; Chinese seemed
rejoicing their progress;
A country with long history and
many upheavals from within. Only
Chengiz Khan of Mongol origin was
remembered as invader; The Great China
Wall is said to have been built only to
prevent any further invasions;
The communist government seemed
to be having effective control in regulat-
ing migrants from other areas into the
four Municipalities - Beijing, Shanghai,
Zongquing, and Xian - which all could
be visited by us in the trip;
Corruption is reported to be existing
in government circles, especially at high-
er levels! Senior officers seemed to have
been planting their own people in high
positions and sending their children to
foreign countries for higher studies;
monies are also reported getting parked
in foreign places;
Dam construction called for large
scale submersion of habitats e.g., 30,000
people were displaced at one single place
for whom houses were built just at higher
level on the hill flanks and their town was
pulled down; beautiful suspension
bridges (some could be a kilometer long
or more) were found built linking both
planks;
Excellent showcasing of their her-
itage sites and tourist places, e.g.,
Terracotta soldiers in Xian, pagodas,
ghost town, etc;
People are mostly free from reli-
gious bondage or baggage; Buddhists,
Muslims and Christians add up to only
10% of the population; People have reli-
gious freedom, e.g., a Buddhists child
need not be a Buddhist;
The younger generation moves out
to cities and work places, leaving behind
senior citizens who are pursuing agricul-
ture and other traditional professions;
China seemed to have enormous
water reserves besides optimum uti-
lization of existing rivers by tapping them
and encouraging water ponds (fisheries);
Trains run in precision and passen-
gers are not allowed on platforms till the
announcement of trains arrival; changing
direction of the sitting arrangement
seats are rotatable; platforms free from
people are found spic and span;
Fastest train Maglev we experi-
enced in Shanghai which covered 30 km
from Town centre to Airport in 7 min-
utes fastest speed of 431 km is main-
tained for just 40 / 50 seconds;
Food, especially vegetarian, could
be a serious problem in China; SOTC
operators ensured supply of Indian food
through Indian restaurants at various
places and where not available, Chinese
food was got cooked the Indian waya
great facility indeed!
The author is IPS (retd), and Founder
Chairman, Urivi Vikram Charitable
Trust.
C
hinese researchers at the
A p p l i e d
S u p e r c o n d u c t i v i t y
Laboratory of Southwest Jiaotong
University claim their fast trans-
portation concept based on mag-
netic levitation (Maglev) technol-
ogy could potentially be three
times faster than an airplane.The
Shanghai Maglev train can reach
speeds of over 430 kmph. The
Super-Maglev could, however,
beat even that. Chinese
researchers have been testing a
concept train encapsulated in a vacuum
tube, thus decreasing the speed limita-
tions imposed by air resistance on regu-
lar Maglev trains.
At the moment, the testing laboratory
looks like a toy train track with the vehi-
cle running inside a 6-meter diameter
vacuum loop, reaching a speed of about
48 km per hour. The researcher doesnt
limit his innovation to land-based trans-
portation only, and hopes that similar
vacuum tube technology would be used
to launch space vehicles, or enable super-
high speeds for military weapons.
China tests 3,000-kph
super-Maglev train concept
Super-Maglev testing center.
China is into building skyscrapers. Buildings in Shanghai (seen in picture),
Beijing and Zongquing are astounding.
Nairobi: Indians living in Kenya
celebrated their 68th Independence
Day Friday wearing finest attires,
as they gathered at the house of
Indian High Commissioner to
Kenya Yogeshwar Varma.
Addressing members of the
Indian community and local peo-
ple gathered on this occasion,
Varma, who is also concurrently
the ambassador to Somalia and
Eritrea, said though an ancient civ-
ilization, India is a modern nation
with modern dreams. Its constitu-
tion is a consequence of democra-
cy and a culture which reflects
ancient values.
"A nation is very young at 68.
India has the will, energy, intellect,
values and unity to claim the 21st
century," he said. "The vision to
win the battle of freedom from
poverty is set; the journey will
seem formidable only to those
without conviction but it is the
time for India to act," Varma
asserted. "The achievement of our
independence has given us an
opportunity to take up the chal-
lenges of governance by reforming
policies, practices and systems of
governance so that the enormous
aspirations of our people can be
fulfilled...," the high commissioner
said.
He said India now is a "beacon
of democracy, equilibrium, inter-
and intra-faith harmony".
India works closely with coun-
tries all over the world, strengthen-
ing its ties in every aspect.
Hitherto as littoral states of the
Indian Ocean, trade links and com-
mercial ties between Kenya and
India go back several centuries, he
added.
"Kenya can be a long-term trade
and strategic partner of India", he
said. "Our first Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru appointed the
senior diplomat Apa Pant as High
Commissioner to Kenya. He also
gave support to Jomo Kenyatta
and the Kenyan African National
Union Party. This shows our ties
have always been strong and bene-
fiting both nations."
On this occasion, some Kenyans
also participated in the Indian cele-
brations.
20 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Kuwait City: About 10,000 peo-
ple gathered at the premises of the
Indian embassy in Kuwait to cele-
brate India's 68th Independence
Day Friday.
The celebrations were marked
by a flag hoisting ceremony and
singing of the national anthem.
Ambassador Sunil Jain read out
President Pranab Mukherjee' s
address to the nation on the occa-
sion.
The ambassador emphasized
that India-Kuwait relations have
been historically close, warm and
friendly. He commended the con-
tribution of the Indian community
in Kuwait's socio-economic devel-
opment and in nurturing India-
Kuwait ties. He extended his
greetings to all Indians in Kuwait.
The ambassador also highlighted
several measures taken by the
embassy for the welfare of the
Indian community. He announced
the opening of an outsourcing cen-
tee at Abbassiya, Open House in
the embassy on all working days
and availability of embassy audi-
torium to various Indian associa-
tions for social and cultural activi-
ties.
In a cultural program that fol-
lowed, the Bohra community band
played a variety of marching tunes
to the delight of the gathering.
This was followed by the singing
of patriotic songs by members of
various Indian associations.
Kuwait is home to more than
760,000 expatriate Indians. Their
contribution as business persons,
doctors, engineers, chartered
accountants, technicians in oil and
gas sector, construction workers,
nurses and domestic workers is
immense in the Gulf nation' s
economy.
DIASPORA
Consul General of India, Frankfurt, Raveesh Kumar unfurling the Indian National Flag.(Right)
Young Students from the Indian Music Academy sang patriotic songs to mark the occasion.
Ambassador Monica Kapil Mohta reading out Presidents
address at the 68th Independence Day celebrations
held at the New Embassy Building of Indian
Consulate in Warsaw, Poland.
Indians celebrate 68th
Independence Day in Kenya
Indians in Kuwait
celebrate 68th I-Day
I-Day Celebrations at India House Frankfurt
Ambassador P S Raghavan receives the guard
of honor. (Inset) Indians participating
in the celebration
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness organized celebrations of
Janmashtami in State Central Concert Hall Rossiya on August 17, 2014 in
Moscow. The Ambassador of India and Mrs. Barabara Raghavan were the
Guests of Honor at the celebrations. More than 6000 people visited the event,
which lasted for 10 hours.
India Day Celebrations in Moscow Janmashtami Celebrations in Moscow
Islamabad: The Pakistan Supreme Court has
restrained Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)
chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami
Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahir-ul-Qadri from ille-
gal and unlawful trespassing of prohibited
zones.
The petition was filed by the Lahore High
Court's Multan Bar Association, Dawn online
reported.
The petitioner had named Imran Khan and
Qadri as respondents.
The apex court restrained the respondents
from illegal and unlawful trespassing of pro-
hibited zones including Constitution Avenue,
offices of foreign missions, Pakistan secretari-
at and secretariat offices, the report said.
The plea also requested that they be legally
banned from conducting any sort of march,
including dharna and civil disobedience, by
offending public peace and tranquility in any
manner.
The court said that every citizen has the
right to protest according to the constitution as
long as the protests did not cause any hardship
to other citizens.
A five-member bench headed by Chief
Justice of Pakistan Nasirul Mulk admitted the
petition.
Earlier, the PTI agreed to talks with the gov-
ernment over alleged rigging of the 2013 gen-
eral elections.
Senior PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi
told Dawn newspaper over telephone that his
party has agreed to negotiate with the govern-
ment.
"We wish the government had taken our
demands seriously," the PTI leader said.
"Our strategy is clear, we want to strengthen
democracy and not derail it as opposed to the
impression that is being given," he added.
Qureshi said the PTI had a six-point agenda
which would be put forth on the negotiating
table. He, however, refused to discuss it with
the media.
PAT chief and an anti-government protest
leader Tahir-ul-Qadri earlier Wednesday
ordered his party legislators to lay siege to
parliament, even as he called for "the sanctity
of the national assembly to be maintained".
The PAT chief said that any person found
guilty of attacking army personnel would have
no association with him or his party.
Earlier, thousands of activists of the PTI and
PAT forced their way to reach the parliament
building demanding the resignation of Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Khan claims that the 2013 elections were
rigged and that Sharif has a "fake mandate".
He has demanded that fresh elections be held.
The protestors removed all hurdles to reach
the "Red Zone" in the capital city that houses
diplomatic missions and other important
buildings including the prime minister' s
house.
The Pakistani Army has called for dialogue
to resolve the political crisis.
The current "situation requires patience,
wisdom and sagacity from all stakeholders",
Xinhua quoted military spokesperson Asim
Bajwa as saying Wednesday. He called for
"meaningful dialogue in larger national and
public interest to resolve the prevailing
impasse".
Bajwa said the buildings in the "Red Zone"
are symbols of the state and are being protect-
ed by the army and "therefore sanctity of these
national symbols must be respected".
The army has been entrusted with the
responsibility of securing Islamabad's sensi-
tive Red Zone area.
SUBCONTINENT
Colombo: Sri Lankan External
Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris
said that international pressure
to probe allegations of human
rights violations is harmful for
the country.
"Because of the intensity of
international pressure, there is
a disincentive to engage in
earnest in a domestic process,"
Xinhua quoted Peiris as saying
at a conference held in
Colombo.
"And that is why this interna-
tional pressure is not only not
helpful, but is absolutely harm-
ful." In March, the UN Human
Rights Council (UNHRC)
passed a resolution led by the
US and Britain to investigate
the last seven years of Sri
Lanka' s 26-year conict
between the government and
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE).
UN Human Rights
Commissioner Navi Pillay last
month announced the names of
three experts who have agreed
to advise and support the team
set up to conduct a comprehen-
sive investigation into alleged
human rights violations in Sri
Lanka.
The experts will play a sup-
portive and advisory role, pro-
viding advice and guidance as
well as independent verica-
tion throughout the investiga-
tion.
The Sri Lankan government
has already rejected the pro-
posed investigation and refused
to allow the team members
visas to enter the country to
carry out the probe.
The government contends a
domestic process will be the
best path for reconciliation and
has expanded the mandate of a
presidential commission inves-
tigating people who went miss-
ing during the war to include
allegations of civilian deaths
caused by the Sri Lankan Army
during the last phase of the
conict, which ended in May
2009.
Akhaura (India-Bangladesh border): Border guards of
India and Bangladesh have taken up an ambitious plan to
plant millions of trees along the frontier to protect environ-
ment and to reinforce friendship among them, ofcials said.
Senior ofcials of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and
Border Security Force (BSF) at a brief function at Akhaura
border checkpost (near Agartala city) exchanged saplings of
various fruit trees to green the areas that they guard along
the 4,096 km India-Bangladesh borders.
"Bangladesh is now observing 'National Plantation Week'.
As part of the week, the BGB would plant millions of trees
along the India-Bangladesh border," Lt. Col. Salauddin
Khalid, commanding ofcer of BGB's 12th Bn told reporters
at Akhaura border check post.
Accompanied by other senior BGB ofcials, he said:
"Through the exchange of saplings, friendship between the
BSF, BGB and people on the both sides of the border would
be further strengthened."
"The trees would be planted in each BOPs (Border Out
Post) to sector and battalion headquarters all across the
India-Bangladesh border. Through this 'green mission', not
only the environment would be protected ut also the people
of bordering villages would be beneted," Khalid said.
BSF's Deputy Inspector General (DIG) B.S.Tolia, after
exchanging saplings and jointly planting ve fruit trees
along the border, said : "As part of the ongoing 'Earth
Festival' (August 15-21), the BSF also embarked upon to
plant millions of trees all along India's border with Pakistan
and Bangladesh."
He said: "The BSF aimed to enter the "Limca Book of
Records" by planting 180,000 trees along India's frontiers
with Bangladesh and Pakistan Tuesday in half-an-hour (10
a.m. to 10.30 am)."
The BSF and the BSF ofcials said that the border guards
of the two countries aim to make troopers and people on
both sides aware of climate change and global warming.
They said that the sapling exchange programme was held
in many places on the India Bangladesh borders.
BSF DIG Bhaskar Rawat said that considering the envi-
ronmental affect due to climate change and other ecological
degradation, this mission was undertaken at the instance of
BSF Director General Devendra Kumar Pathak, an IPS of-
cer of the 1979 batch of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre.
"Instead of sweets, Indian and Bangladeshi border guards
are exchanging saplings to green the bordering areas to
mark India's Independence Day celebrations," Rawat said.
21 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and
Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahir-ul-Qadri
Instead of sweets, Indian and Bangladeshi border
guards are exchanging saplings
Pakistan SC issues notice to Imran, Qadri
India, Bangladesh to plant saplings to mark I-Day
Sri Lanka criticizes international
pressure on human rights
Washington: The US, which had
shunned Narendra Modi for near-
ly 10 years, is eager to engage
India's new government led by
him and re-energize what some
see as a flagging relationship,
according to a new Congressional
report.
Modi "is known as a strong-
willed and effective, if perhaps
autocratic, administrator," said
the background report for US
lawmakers.
"His reputation has been bur-
nished by Gujarat's impressive
economic performance during his
15-year tenure," it said noting the
state accounts for more than 20
percent of all Indian exports
while being home to only 5 per-
cent of the population," it said.
The report on "India' s New
Government and Implications for
US Interests" has been penned by
K. Alan Kronstadt, specialist in
South Asian affairs, for the bipar-
tisan Congressional Research
Service (CRS).
"Garnering an outright majority
in Parliament for the first time in
30 years, Modi's new government
promises fresh US engagement
with an Indian leader reputed to
be more pro-trade and pro-busi-
ness than the socialist-oriented
ones of the past," it said.
Modi, the report noted had also
vowed to "implement a more
assertive Indian foreign policy
that could see the country shift
away from its traditional 'non-
alignment' approach to global
politics."
President Barack Obama and
other top US officials "have
expressed an interest in revitaliz-
ing bilateral fora so as to further
boost trade and investment flows,
deepen security cooperation, and
otherwise solidify the geopoliti-
cal alignment with India."
His "BJP made history by
becoming the first party to win an
outright parliamentary majority
in 30 years, meaning India's fed-
eral government is no longer con-
strained by the vagaries of coali-
tion politics," the report noted.
Domestic and international pro-
ponents of Modi' s business-
friendly policies are hopeful that
these circumstances will make
for more effective governance
and streamlined economic
reforms, it said.
But Modi "also is a controver-
sial figure for his Hindu national-
ist views" and his alleged role in
2002 Gujarat riots led the Bush
Administration to deny Modi a
visa in 2005, the report noted.
"Many observers warn that a
BJP-majority government could
have dire consequences for
human and civil rights in India,
especially if it chooses to imple-
ment openly Hindu majoritarian
policies," the report said.
However, it noted "Obama
wasted no time in ending specu-
lation on the visa issue by imme-
diately inviting Prime Minister
Modi to visit Washington, DC."
He is now set to visit the US cap-
ital in late September.
London: British Foreign
Secretary Philip Hammond
warned of the "threats"
posed by a "significant num-
ber" of Britons working
with jihadis in Syria and
Iraq, as he condemned the
video of the alleged behead-
ing of US journalist James
Foley.
Hammond said the hooded
man who was speaking in
the video appeared to be
British, saying "certainly
that is what it seems in the
beginning and obviously we
want to investigate more".
Speaking to the BBC,
Hammond said the behead-
ing of Foley by a member of
the Islamic State (IS) Sunni
extremist group after he was
abducted in Syria in
November 2012 is "an
appalling example of the
brutality of this organiza-
tion".
He added that the involve-
ment of Britons, who at
some point will return to the
Britain, with the IS in Syria
and Iraq "is one of the rea-
sons why this organisation
represents such a direct
threat to the Britain's nation-
al security".
Britain is working to track
British citizens who could
be involved in terrorist
activities, Hammond said.
In the video posted
Tuesday by the jihadis,
Foley, 40, said goodbye to
his family and accused the
US government of being
responsible for his execu-
tion due to its intervention
in Iraq.
After he spoke, a masked
militant with a British
accent warned the US it was
no longer fighting an insur-
gency but "an Islamic army
and a state that has been
accepted by a large number
of Muslims worldwide" and
appeared to cut the hostage's
neck as the video fades to
black.
The British foreign secre-
tary explained that although
the recording has not been
verified yet, "all signs prove
it as genuine".
INTERNATIONAL 22 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Jerusalem: Israel will step up the
offensive in the Gaza Strip until
rocket firing from there into Israel
stops, Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said in response to
renewed Gaza rocket attacks against
central and southern Israel earlier in
the day.
"Our policy is simple, if they
(Hamas) will shoot, they will be hit
back seven-fold," Xinhua quoted
Netanyahu as saying on TV.
Israel will use "all means" to
"restore the quiet" across the coun-
try, he added. His remarks came just
a day after the indirect Gaza truce
talks in Cairo collapsed.
On the reported assassination
attempt of Hamas' military wing
leader Mohammad Deif, which
Israel refused to confirm, Netanyahu
said "the commanders of terror
organisations are a legitimate target,
no one is immune".
Israeli air strike on Deif's home
Wednesday killed his wife and
daughter, and triggered a barrage of
more than 100 rockets fired into
Israel.
No injury was reported. Israel in
return carried out numerous air
strikes in Gaza Wednesday, in which
Palestinian officials said at least 20
Palestinians have been killed since
the cease-fire talks collapsed.
United Nations: UN Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the
destruction of Syria's declared chemi-
cal weapons material on board the US
Maritime Vessel Cape Ray.
"This marks a significant achieve-
ment in the international community's
efforts to eliminate the chemical
weapons programme of the Syrian
Arab Republic following the frame-
work agreement between the Russian
Federation and the United States of
America," Xinhua quoted a statement
issued here by Ban's spokesperson as
saying.
"The secretary-general appreciates
the cooperation of the government of
the Syrian Arab Republic and com-
mends those member states that pro-
vided crucial support to this process."
In the statement, the UN chief also
thanked the UN- Organisation for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
(OPCW) Joint Mission for its leader-
ship and commitment.
The US maritime vessel Cape Ray
has completed destruction of its entire
consignment of 600 metric tonnes of
Category 1 chemicals from Syria, the
OPCW announced Tuesday.
According to the chemical watchdog
the operation was completed weeks
ahead of the 60-day schedule that the
US had estimated.
Six days ago the OPCW already
announced that the United States com-
pleted all 581 metric tonnes of a pre-
cursor chemical for sarin gas from
Syria on the Cape Ray as well.
The Syrian government headed by
President Bashar al-Assad agreed to
turn over its declared chemical
weapons in September last year, as
Washington and some of its allies
threatened to launch air strikes in
response to Damascus' alleged use of
sarin gas in a conflict with the rebel
forces.
The report on 'India's New Government and Implications for US
Interests' has been penned by K. Alan Kronstadt
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
UN chief hails destruction of Syrian chemicals
Israel to step up Gaza offensive: Netanyahu
US eager to engage Modi government: Report
London warns of threat from
British fighters in Syria, Iraq
US journalist
James Foley
was beheaded
by a suspected
British
terrorist
New Delhi: In keeping with his
philosophy of having a more par-
ticipatory government, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi has
invited ideas from the people on
how to replace 64-year-old
Planning Commission with an
institution that can best serve
India's governance needs in the
21st Century.
"Inviting you to share your
ideas on what shape the new
institution to replace the
Planning Commission can take,"
Modi tweeted Tuesday on the
site www.mygov.nic.in, which he
intends as an interface between
his government and the people,
four days after he said in his
Independence Day speech that
the existing institution had lost
relevance today.
"We envision the proposed
Institution as one that caters to
the aspirations of the 21st centu-
ry India and strengthens partici-
pation of the states," said his
tweet, reflecting on the basic idea
that he has for the new body.
"A special Open Forum has
been created on MyGov for sug-
gestions on the new Institution.
Let the ideas flow!"
Modi had promised Aug 15 to
announce "a new institution with
a new spirit" soon in the place of
the old centralised model of
Planning Commission, of which
the prime minister is chairman,
since he felt it had outlived its
utility given the challenges India
faces today.
He said the importance of fed-
eralism was growing and institu-
tions needed to address such
reality. "This is a good thing
(growing import of federal struc-
ture). We must strengthen it," he
said, adding: "Times have
changed from the era Planning
Commission was created."
Modi's new forum has invited
ideas for a new name, logo and
tagline for the institution, and
says: "Attractive prizes will be
awarded to the winning entry.
The PM will himself recognize
the winning entry on social
media forums."
The last date is Aug 25, but
within hours of its launch,
responses have started flowing.
"Central Bureau of
Excellence", "National
Development Authority of
India", "National Commission
for Development and Reforms",
"Bharat Nirman Aayog",
"Rasthriya Vikas Seva
Commission" and "National
Developing Commission India"
are among the suggestions.
The Planning Commission was
conceived by India's first prime
minister Jawaharlal Nehru who
thought India's goals and objec-
tives can be best addressed with
a planned economy, an idea he
borrowed from the then Soviet
Union.
Accordingly, it was formed
March 15, 1950, and with it were
born the Five Year Plans from
1951 onward.
These five year plans were dis-
rupted a few times by the India-
Pakistan war and drought.
Currently, the plan panel is over-
seeing the 12th such plan,
2012-17.
New Delhi: The Indian e-commerce industry is
expected to spend an additional $500 million to $1,000
million on infrastructure, logistics and warehousing,
leading to a cumulative spend of $950 million to 1,900
million till 2017-2020, a joint study by industry body
Assocham and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said.
The growth of the e-commerce industry has a huge
potential in the country translating into beneficial
effects for the manufacturing industry, infrastructure
and jobs. In our white paper, we have tried to highlight
the spill-over effect of the growth of ec-ommerce on
infrastructure and logistics investments which will
include more warehouses, sortation and delivery cen-
tres and employment, said Saurabh Srivastava, direc-
tor, operations, PwC, releasing the study, titled
'Evolution of e-Commerce in India', here.The poten-
tial of the sector and the likely liberalisation in the
form of foreign direct investment could be a vital fac-
tor in attracting significant investments resulting in
better infrastructure and robust supply chains, he
added.
According to the study, India currently operates at a
very low level of air cargo penetration characterised by
only a few airports equipped to handle large volumes
of express delivery parcels. As the market gathers
momentum and moves to the tier-II and tier-III cities,
there will be increasing demand of expanding air cargo
connectivity to smaller towns, the study said.
New Delhi: A special court here has
granted bail to former telecom min-
ister A. Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi,
ADMK chief M. Karunanidhi's wife
Dayalu Ammal and others in a
money laundering case related to the
allocation of 2G spectrum.
Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) Special Judge O.P. Saini
allowed the bail pleas of Raja,
Kanimozhi, Dayalu Ammal, Swan
telecom promoters Shahid Usman
Balwa and Vinod Goenka,
Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt.
Ltd. (KFVPL) directors Asif Balwa
and Rajiv Agarwal, Bollywood pro-
ducer Karim Morani, Kalaignar TV
director Sharad Kumar and P.
Amirthan, who were chargesheeted
by the ED in the case.
The court granted bail to all of the
accused and asked them to furnish a
personal bond of Rs.5 lakh and two
sureties of the same amount each.
However, the court dismissed
Ammal's plea seeking discharge in
the case.
The court granted her bail observ-
ing that she is a woman, aged and
infirm, suffering from various age-
related diseases and as such present-
ly unable to make an appearance in
court despite being desirous of it,
which is indicated by the presence
of a battery of lawyers on her behalf.
The court observed that Raja and
Kanimozhi are appearing before it
regularly for the last three years. It
added that they have cooperated
with the trial.
"There is no possibility of accused
fleeing from justice or tampering
with any evidence or witness and
there is no likelihood of accused
committing the offence again," said
the court.
It viewed that sending them in
custody again would serve no pur-
pose in the eyes of law.
The court directed the nine
accused to appear before it on each
date of hearing and surrender their
passports, while allowing Ammal's
plea for permanently exemption
from personal appearance on
account of her sickness.
BUSINESS August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Indian e-commerce may
spend $500-1,000 mn
on infra
23
Former telecom minister A. Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited ideas from the
people on how to replace 64-year-old Planning Commission.
Modi wants people's ideas on replacing plan panel
2G case: Raja, Kanimozhi get bail
Mumbai : The Board of Control for Cricket in
India (BCCI) finally acted tough by clipping the
wings of chief coach Duncan Fletcher following
the team's humiliating 1-3 Test series loss in
England.
Fielding coach Trevor Penney and bowling
coach Joe Dawes, who were hand-picked by
Fletcher, were dropped and former India captain
Ravi Shastri was appointed director of the team
for the ODI series starting Aug 25.
The BCCI earlier this year extended the con-
tracts of both Penney and Dawes, along with
Fletcher, till the 2015 World Cup. But in the
aftermath of the team's disastrous show in the
five-match Test series against England, the board
decided to drop Penney and Dawes.
Under-fire Fletcher, 65, just managed to save
his job and now Shastri will be the overall in-
charge of the team. Fletcher took over from
South African Gary Kirsten after the 2011 World
Cup and India haven't won an away Test series
under him.
"In culmination of the discussions among all
the office-bearers over the last couple of weeks,
the BCCI has decided to avail the services of for-
mer India captain Ravi Shastri to oversee and
guide the Indian cricket team for the forthcoming
One-Day International (ODI) matches against
England," said a BCCI statement.
"Duncan Fletcher will continue as head coach
while Ravi Shastri will be the overall in-charge of
cricket affairs of the Indian team."
On Penney and Dawes, the official line from
the BCCI was that they were given a break for
the five-match ODI series beginning Aug 25, but
a top official said both coaches have been
dropped. India's slip catching was a cause of con-
cern in the series, but Penney claimed there was
no need to panic.
The BCCI has also appointed former India all-
rounder Sanjay Bangar and former fast bowler
Bharat Arun as the assistant coaches while R.
Sridhar, who was part of the now non-functional
National Cricket Academy (NCA), will join as
the fielding coach for the ODI series.
It was after five years that BCCI has appointed
Indians as assistant coaches. Venkatesh Prasad
and Robin Singh, who were appointed in 2007,
were sacked as the bowling and the fielding
coaches in 2009.
SPORTS 24 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
London: India skipper Mahendra Singh
Dhoni hinted at stepping down as the cap-
tain following his team's 1-3 Test series
loss to England.
India lost The Oval Test by an innings
and 244 runs here, triggering questions
over Dhoni's future as the India captain.
Asked if he has taken the team as far as
he could, Dhoni said: "Maybe, yes."
"You'll have to wait and watch. If I'm
strong enough or not strong enough,
you'll have to wait and get the news,"
Dhoni was quoted as saying by BBC Test
Match Special.
Dhoni, 33, took over the Test team in
2008 after leading India to an emphatic
win in the inaugural World Twenty20 in
2007. He has led the team in 58 Tests
with a record 27 wins.
Under Dhoni, India topped the world
Test rankings from late 2009 until the
summer of 2011, a period in which he
also led the team to victory in the World
Cup.
But India's slide started with surrender-
ing their No.1 Test rankings with a 4-0
whitewash in England in 2011.
In the current series, India took a 1-0
lead by winning the Lord's Test. But from
then on things worsened for the visitors,
who suffered three consecutive losses,
including two innings defeats. They failed
200 in five consecutive attempts that
ended with them being bowled out for 94
inside 30 overs at The Oval here Sunday.
"The last three Tests, we were not up to
the mark," said Dhoni, who has scored
4,808 runs in 88 Tests. "We never com-
peted. Today's batting was a reflection of
a loss of confidence. It's disappointing."
"Right from the start, our batsmen
haven' t performed - it was the lower
order. Later on in the series, when the
lower order didn't perform, we saw there
wasn't enough runs on the board," said
Dhoni.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar
also blasted the team for the tame surren-
der.
"I don't know what to say. What can you
say? You can get angry, say harsh things,
but what good will it do? If you do not
want to be playing Test cricket for India,
quit. Just play limited-overs cricket. You
should not be embarrassing your country
like that," said Gavaskar.
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Mumbai: With the World Cup only six
months away, the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) doesn't intend to
sack India captain Mahendra Singh
Dhoni, whose leadership has now been
put under lens by critics.
On a day when the BCCI cracked the
whip in the aftermath of the 1-3 humiliat-
ing Test series loss to England, the board
also made it clear that it was fully behind
Dhoni.
The India captain enjoys the blessings of
International Cricket Council (ICC) chair-
man N. Sriniavasan, who has been
removed as the BCCI president by the
Supreme Court.
"There is no need to remove Dhoni as the
captain," said BCCI secretary Sanjay
Patel.
The BCCI, however, has acted tough by
clipping the wings of chief coach Duncan
Fletcher.
Fletcher has not been
sidelined: Shastri
London: Former India captain Ravi Shastri
said his role would be to oversee the team
but added that chief coach Duncan Fletcher
has not been sidelined.
"My role is to oversee everything. All of
them report to me," Shastri was quoted as
saying by ESPNCricinfo.
Asked if Fletcher has been sidelined,
Shastri said: "Absolutely not. He stays as
the head coach. And these two (Bangar and
Arun) will be his assistants. I am there to
oversee."
No need to
remove Dhoni: BCCI
Dhoni, 33, took over the
Test team in 2008 after
leading India to an
emphatic win in the
inaugural World
Twenty20 in 2007. He has
led the team in 58 Tests
with a record 27 wins.
Dhoni hints at quitting after series defeat
Washington: A coalition of
US lawmakers has urged the
International Basketball
Federation (FIBA) to end its
discriminatory policy against
Sikh basketball players who
wear turbans, an important
article of their faith.
In a letter to FIBA president
Yvan Mainini, 21 Congress
members led by Democrat
Ami Bera, the lone Indian-
American Congressman and
Joe Crowley, a former chair
of the India caucus, took up
cudgels on behalf of the Sikh
players. Expressing concern
about "recent reports indicat-
ing that Sikhs are not able to
participate in FIBA games while wear-
ing a turban, which is essential to their
faith", the lawmakers sought a "change
in this discriminatory policy".
"There is no evidence showing that a
turban has been dangerous during bas-
ketball games or other popular sports
events," they wrote.
"In fact, there are many examples of
Sikhs who have safely competed in
basketball at many levels with their
articles of faith intact."
Other sports leagues, such as
Federation Internationale de Football
Association (FIFA) and the National
Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA), also allow athletes wearing
turbans to participate, the lawmakers
noted.
In July, two Sikh players were told by
referees that they must remove their
turbans if they were to play in FIBA's
Asia Cup as they were in violation of a
FIBA rule stating "Players shall not
wear equipment (objects) that may
cause injury to other players". FIBA's
governing board is expected to address
the issue of players wearing turbans
and other headgear during a meeting at
the end of August. "Basketball is a
beloved team sport that has the ability
to bring people of all backgrounds
together, regardless of history, culture,
language, and religion," the US law-
makers wrote.
'End ban on Sikh basketball
players with turbans'
In July, two Sikh players were told by
referees that they must remove their
turbans if they were to play in
FIBA's Asia Cup.
Ravi Shastri appointed Team India's director
25 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info LIFESTYLE
M
ass layoffs may trigger
increased suicide attempts
and other suicide-related
behaviors among some teenagers, a
new US study has found.
Lead author Anna Gassman-Pines
from the Duke University found that
when 1 per cent of an American
state's working population lost jobs,
suicide-related behaviors increased
by 2 to 3 percentage points among
girls and black adolescents in the
following year.
Among girls, thoughts of suicide
and suicide plans rose. Among black
teens, thoughts of suicide, suicide
plans and suicide attempts all
increased.
"Job loss can be an unanticipated
shock to a community, " said
Gassman-Pines, who teaches public
policy at Duke's Sanford School of
Public Policy.
"We know that suicide increases
among adults when communities are
hit with widespread layoffs. Now
we have evidence that teenagers are
similarly affected," said Gassman-
Pines.
The study, which appears in the
American Journal of Public Health,
is based on a nationally representa-
tive survey of 403,457 US adoles-
cents from 1997 to 2009.
Gassman-Pines also examined
mass layoffs and closings in all 50
states and the District of Columbia,
using data from the federal Bureau
of Labor Statistics. The bureau
defines a mass closing as a layoff
affecting more than 50 workers.
In their analysis, Gassman-Pines
and her Duke co-authors Elizabeth
Ananat and Christina Gibson-Davis
controlled for confounding vari-
ables, such as poverty rate and over-
all unemployment.
"Job loss was not simply a proxy
for other aspects of the state's eco-
nomic climate, but instead repre-
sented a meaningful economic
shock, which led to changes in girls'
and black adolescents' suicide-relat-
ed behaviors," Gassman-Pines said.
For girls, economic hardship
appears to have worsened existing
tendencies. On the whole, girls have
higher rates of suicide ideation and
planning than boys. Rates of suicide
attempts are higher among black
teenagers than among white teens.
Researchers note that suicide is
the third most common cause of
death among American youths ages
10 to 24, causing 4,600 deaths annu-
ally. An even larger group of
157,000 youths ages 10 to 24 are
treated for self-inflicted wounds
each year. Gassman-Pines said she
hopes the research may help mental
health workers identify teens who
could be suicide risks.
C
ramped cook-
ing space
doesn't mean
you can' t make it
big. Hang your cabi-
net high or use the-
atrical color to give a
smart look to your
kitchen.
Here are some of
the tricks, reports
huffingtonpost.com:
* Take the cabinet up: A cabinet
hung high in a corner commands
attention and draws the eye
toward the ceiling. Going with
bold wallpaper and art also dis-
tract from the size of the room.
* Show stopping color: Any the-
atrical color like bright pink gets
plenty of attention, and the cheap
cupboards almost fade away.
* Monochromatic shelves: The
shelves show off a tightly edited
collection of plates and glasses,
all within easy reach.
* See-through acrylic shelf: It
lightens a confined space and
makes an artful collection of dish-
es appear to float.
* Smart seating arrangement: A
scaled-down pedestal table plus
comfortable stools that stay out of
the way can make kitchen look
attractive.
S
ipping on a vine-
g a r - i n f u s e d
drink every
morning is the latest
health food item
endorsed by celebrities
to lose weight and
maintain a youthful
glow.
Actress Megan Fox
has said that because
of her "really big sweet
tooth", she`ll sometimes cleanse
with a combination of apple
cider vinegar and water, claim-
ing it "cleans out your system".
Supermodel Miranda Kerr
drizzles it on her salad, while
actress Gwyneth Paltrow and
singer Madonna rely on it to
keep their looks in check, reports
dailymail.co.uk.
And now there is also a restau-
rant with a menu dedicated to
fermented vinegar here.
The Raw Duck in London`s
Hackney is an eatery to have a
menu dedicated to ferments -
and apple cider vinegar with a
little sugar and grated apple left
to develop for three days is one
of its most popular concoctions.
"These are deliciously cleans-
ing and help aid digestion, "
owner Rory McCoy said.
"When we talk about probiot-
ic, we think of those mass-pro-
duced yoghurts but these are the
real thing. People should know
about them. I try to drink vinegar
or eat ferment every day for my
health," added McCoy.
Katy Mason, nutritionist at
The Nutri Centre, says vinegar
has been used for centuries for
many purposes, pickling, clean-
ing as a condiment and for
health.
"If you look on the internet
you will find claims that vinegar,
especially apple cider vinegar,
will relieve just about any ail-
ment you can think of," she said.
"Nutritional therapists have
known about this product for
years and will often recommend
it to clients to help stimulate the
digestion, alkalise the body and
help with weight loss, " she
added.
Job loss may up suicide risk
among teenagers
Want glowing skin?
Include vinegar
in diet
Turn small kitchen to
stylish one
D
o you always toss out the
yolks when you make an
omelet? If studies are to
be believed, avoiding egg yolks
could mean you are missing out
on good nutrition. Whole eggs
don't raise your risk of heart dis-
ease -- in fact, according to nutri-
tion coach Liz Wolfe, it may be
worse for your health to not eat
them, reports huffingtonpost.com.
Egg yolks, along with other
sources of saturated fat and cho-
lesterol, came under fire in the wake of
research by Nikolai Anichkov at the
turn of the 20th century. Anichkov test-
ed on rabbits and found that choles-
terol promotes heart disease.
Wolfe counters: "Rabbits have noth-
ing in common with human bodies ...
and cholesterol isn't part of their diet
anyway." Researcher Ancel Keys made
headlines in the 1950s with his Seven
Countries' Study, which almost single-
handedly set the line of thinking on
saturated fat that prevails today.
Keys claimed that after looking at
the average diets of populations in
seven different countries, he was able
to determine that those who ate the
most animal fat had the highest rates of
heart disease. But his analysis was
flawed.
Although Keys' data did show a con-
nection between fat and heart disease,
he couldn't demonstrate that the rela-
tionship was causal. Furthermore,
while mortality rates for heart disease
were higher in the countries that con-
sumed the most animal fat, deaths
from nearly ever other cause were
lower -- and overall life expectancy
was higher.
In 2010, The American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition published a meta-
analysis -- the collected findings of 21
different studies -- which stated that
"saturated fat was not associated with
an increased risk of coronary heart dis-
ease, stroke or coronary vascular dis-
ease".
Earlier this year, Time magazine
reversed the argument it made in a
1984 cover story claiming eggs and
other high-fat foods were dangerous.
Wolfe suggests the real cause of heart
disease lies in the inflammation caused
by "chronic stress levels, and the over-
consumption of vegetable oils and
processed carbohydrates."
According to Wolfe, egg yolks are "a
great source of vitamin A, which is
good for skin, B vitamins for energy
and choline, which supports brain
health, muscles and is necessary for a
healthy pregnancy". The saturated fat
in yolks is also necessary for hormone
production and the body's absorption
of vitamins and minerals. If you con-
trol your overall calories, whole egg
consumption won't cause weight gain,
despite its fat content.
Hollywood celebs
lap up aerial yoga
trend
Y
oga is a much loved fit-
ness formula for inter-
national celebrities, but
names like Gwyneth Paltrow,
Mariah Carey, Natalie Portman
and Pink have taken a special
liking to aerial yoga.
Aerial yoga involves the use
of a suspended hammock to
support your body and help you
achieve traditional yoga poses.
This also deepens the stretches
without overstressing the joints.
By using the hammock you
can quickly progress to more
difficult poses as it helps take
the weight off the spine and
joints, and it can help to
improve blood flow and is par-
ticularly good for opening up
the spine. It is also a good ab
workout, reports
femalefirst.co.uk.
The Healthy Holiday
Company retreats around the
world are offering the experi-
ence of this 'airborne' yoga.
Egg whites or whole eggs
for a healthy you?
Older couples too can
have a love story: Om Puri
T
he star of parallel cinema, Om Puri, romanced Oscar-
winning British actress Helen Mirren in the gastro-
nomic love story
"The Hundred Foot
Journey". The movie has
evoked good response and
the actor says romantic films
with older couples can be a
good watch too.
"I feel even old people can
do a nice love story, but here
we don't make that kind of
films. In the West, such
films are being made and
they make a nice romance,
which is more like compas-
sion," the 63-year-old said
during a group interview.
Co-produced by
DreamWorks Pictures,
Reliance Entertainment and
Oprah Winfrey, the culture-clash drama-comedy has been
praised by international media as "a trip worth taking".
Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom has whipped up an eclec-
tic cast for the "The Hundred Foot Journey", which also fea-
tures Indian American Manish Dayal, Bolllywood actress
Juhi Chawla, and Canadian actress Charlotte Le Bon.
A screen adaptation of Richard C. Morais' 2010 bestseller
of the same name sees Mirren's and Puri's characters as rivals
who eventually fall in love with each other.
26 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Shatrughan wonders why 'Jaya ji' is so serious
P
opular actor and senior politician
Shatrughan Sinha is known to be a
man with a sense of humour.
Unfortunately, the 68-year-old seems wor-
ried that the rest of the leaders seem to be
losing theirs.
While he maintains a neutral stand when it
comes to commenting on his fellow politi-
cian and good friend Jaya Bachchans appeal
to ban radio jockeys from mimicking parlia-
mentarians, he does feel that politicians, in
general, need to lighten up.
I wouldnt want to comment on what
Jaya ji said, because I dont know what case
she was referring to. If it was personal, I
agree, she is right. We have known each
other since college days and I was very pro-
tective of her when she was dating Amit ji
(Amitabh) those days. I remember she used
to jokingly call me papa, so its not like
she doesnt have a sense of humour. Having
said that, I think humour door jaa raha hai
(humour is going away). I dont know why.
In my opinion, it is a very sweet way to
appreciate someone.
He pauses, and adds, Even in politics, we
have people with a brilliant sense of humour.
We, of course, have Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji.
He had a good sense of humour. Lalu
(Prasad Yadav) ji, too, uses humour to good
effect, he says.
R
anbir Kapoor, who had earlier
talked about making a short
film on the life of his grandfa-
ther and legendary actor-filmmaker
Raj Kapoor, has dropped the idea.
Now he plans to make it with the three
Khans.
Encapsulating Raj Kapoor's life in a
short film is next to impossible, there-
fore, the young star plans to make a
short film on the three Khans of
Bollywood - Shah Rukh, Salman
Khan and Aamir - where the three will
sit together and simply talk.
"After I said that, I began to think
that a short film would be too small to
tell about his (Raj Kapoor) life, it will
take me 500 hours to do it,"the 31-
year-old said here Tuesday.
"But then I also began thinking on
whom can I make a short film. Then I
thought about an eight-minute short
film where Shah Rukh Khan, Salman
Khan and Aamir Khan are sitting on a
couch and only talking," Ranbir said.
"The kind of success, fans and the
work they have done, just to see them
together will be something, which
generations and generations will cher-
ish. So if I get a chance to make a
short film, it will be with them," he
added.
I
am happy to see my son doing well,"
said acclaimed actor Pankaj Kapur refer-
ring to Shahid Kapoor's work in his
forthcoming film "Haider", an Indian adap-
tation of Shakespeare's "Hamlet".
Within a span of a few weeks both father
and son will come on screen to woo the
audience. If English language "Finding
Fanny" will see Pankaj tickling the funny
bones of the audience, Shahid's "Haider"
will keep the audience on the edge of their
seats.
"I am happy to see my son doing well.
'Haider' is certainly a special film and com-
ing from Vishal Bhardwaj makes it all the
more special. I am extremely happy to see
Shahid's work in 'Haider'," Pankaj, who has
been part of Bhardwaj's well crafted dramas
"Maqbool" and "The Blue Umbrella", said.
Homi Adajania's quirky drama "Finding
Fanny", which also stars Dimple Kapadia,
Deepika Padukone and Arjun Kapoor, is
coming out on Sep 12, while "Haider", part
of director Bhardwaj's Shakespeare trilogy
after Maqbool (Macbeth) and Omkara
(Othello), will hit the screens Oct 2.
In the film Shahid has teamed up with
Shraddha Kapoor.
Actor Om Puri
Jaya Bachchan
has appealed to
ban radio
jockeys from
mimicking
parliamentarians
Ranbir wants
to make
short film
with three
Khans
Actor
Ranbir
Kapoor
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD 27 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
A
ctor Emraan Hashmi's debut
international project "Tigers",
directed by the Oscar winning
Danis Tanovic, will have its world
premiere at the prestigious Toronto
International Film Festival (TIFF)
next month.
A co-production between India,
France and Britain, the movie has
been categories under the
Contemporary World Cinema section
of TIFF, which is due to be held Sep
4-14, according to the official TIFF
website.
"Tigers" is a based-on-fact drama in
which a young salesman, who is dev-
astated when he discovers the effects
of the infant formula he's peddling,
challenges the system and the powers
that be.
Tanovic, a Bosnian director famed
for "No Mans Land", has helmed the
hard-hitting project which "explores
Pakistan's fascination with Western
drugs".
Emraan's character in the film is
called Ayan, and he features with a
principal cast including names like
Geetanjali Thapa, Danny Huston,
Khalid Abdalla, Adil Hussain,
Maryam D'Abo, Satyadeep Misra,
Heino Ferch, Sam Reid, Supriya
Pathak and Vinod Nagpal.
The producers involved in the proj-
ect are Anurag Kashyap, Guneet
Monga, Prashita Chaudhary, Kshitij
Chaudhary, Cedomir Kolar, Marc
Baschet, Andy Paterson and Cat
Villiers, while Prerna Saigal has edit-
ed it.
Aamir Khan
D
esigner Masaba Gupta showcased her fashion line
at Lakme Fashion Week Winter/ Festive 2014 and
her showstopper Shilpa Shetty grooved with the
models on the ramp.
Donning a slinky black printed cut-out gown with an
attached dupatta drape - just the right addition for a beach
time soire Shilpa Shetty said: "I feel elated taking the
ramp for Masaba. I hope I have done justice to her collec-
tion."
Masaba Gupta's collection was called as "Wanderess"
which absolutely went well with the theme.
"I was nervous about today's collection it's about free
spirit women who loves to travel," said Masaba.
Her collections that were a blend of flared minis in beige,
slinky gowns with multi prints, long sleeved, thigh length
jacket with flared pants and cut-out sari gown, created a
mood of the fun times of the 1960s.
Trapeze printed top with bell sleeves, attached dupattas
for skirts, bell bottom style shararas, long sleeved tail-coat
cholis with printed saris and drop waist will-power maxi
added to the options that Masaba offered through the show.
Lakme Fashion Week Winter/ Festive2014 which kick
started Tuesday will last till Aug 24.
H
is success is about the right decisions
at the right time, but Aamir Khan
confesses that the important deci-
sions of his life were never supported by the
people around him. However, now when he
looks back, he cherishes the fact that he lived
his life on his terms and conditions.
"This is a fascinating thing that right
through my life, every important decision of
my life, all people who are important to me,
close to me, have always told me, 'You are
making a mistake, don't do this'. I have
always been told that, " the four-time
National Award winner said.
He further said: "I always listened to them
carefully, I never ignored them. But I finally
did what I felt like doing and when I look
back after 25 years of being a professional, I
think that is the one thing that I feel happy
about. I lived on my terms."
"Today, I am successful, but I may not
have been successful as well. But I am happy
that I never compromised. Whenever I was
offered something I was not happy with, I
didn't do it."
Aamir started his full-fledged career in
1988 with "Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak" and
carved a niche for himself with films like
"Raja Hindustani", "Sarfarosh", "Lagaan",
"Fanaa", "Rang De Basanti", "Ghajini", "3
Idiots", "Dhoom 3" and many more.
As a director, he made a successful film
"Taare Zameen Par" and the film on dyslexia
earned him Filmfare's best director award.
Currently, he is gearing up for the release
of his next "P.K." that will hit the theatres in
December this year. The actor received a lot
of flak for posing nude for the film's poster.
'Singham Returns'
crosses Rs.100 crore mark
T
he combo of Rohit Shetty and
Ajay Devgn has once again hit the
jackpot - their latest offering
Singham Returns has earned over
Rs.100 crore within four days of its
release.
Also starring Kareena Kapoor, the
action-drama released on Independence
Day.
SinghamReturns Fri 32.09 cr (crore),
Sat 21.05 cr, Sun 24.55 cr, Mon 14.78 cr,
Tue 8.21 cr. Total: (Rs.) 100.68 cr nett.
India biz, trade analyst Taran Adarsh
tweeted.
The film is co-produced by Ajay
Devgn Films, Rohit Shetty Productions
and Reliance Entertainment.
In the past, Ajay-Shetty churned out
hits like "Singham", "Bol Bachchan" and
"Golmaal" series.
Emraan's
foreign film
'Tigers' to
premiere at
TIFF
A scene from
'Singham Returns'
Everyone viewed my decisions
as mistakes: Aamir
A scene from Emraan Hashmi's debut
international project 'Tigers'
Showstopper
Shilpa Shetty
M
adness. In the next few months, gov-
ernment regulators in many cities
are planning to legalize self-driving
cars.
Have these people NEVER SEEN any of the
Transformers movies?
The Decepticons must be ecstatic.
***
I was worrying out loud about this when a
friend posited a theory that The Universe had
run out of plot-lines for human destinies and
was now recycling old movie scripts.
This idea was so utterly ridiculous that it
had a kind of perverse brilliance to it.
His evidence was a TV news report about a
pair of burglars who recently broke into a
shop in the US city of Houston.
Surveillance video showed that they crept
around the store and then bumped into each
other, triggering a massive gunfight between
them.
Home Alone, I said.
Exactly, he said.
***
The theory was bolstered the following day
when a reader forwarded me a story about a
mechanic in Sichuan, China, working on an
oversized truck tire which exploded.
He flew into the air and landed on a nearby
rooftop, intact EXCEPT FOR HIS
TROUSERS, which had completely van-
ished.
Being deposited whole on a housetop is
movie-like enough, but the missing trousers
turns it into comedy gold.
You can just imagine the householder stand-
ing on the roof hanging her washing and the
pants-less guy saying: Esteemed madam! I
can explain!
***
I sent out a general appeal for examples, and
an animal-lover friend sent me a cutting which
said that an over-subscribed training school
for animal doctors in Scotland had started
employing dogs to help with interviews.
This definitely has shades of Babe, Bolt,
Up, Underdog, Look Whos Talking Now, etc.
I wonder how the interviews will go?
APPLICANT: What are my chances of get-
ting in?
DOG: Ruff.
***
The most worrying example came from a
reader collecting news cuttings about killer
robots, which are already in production in the
US, the UK, China, India, Russia, etc.
Government officials all gave the same rea-
son: Were building them so we dont have to
risk soldiers lives.
How is that EVERYONE IN THE WORLD
except them knows how these stories end?
When we try to decommission the robots,
they turn on us and the Machine Wars start.
Why do government officials NEVER DO
DUE DILIGENCE? Dont they have movies
in Governmentofficialland?
***
The final proof that The Universe is recy-
cling movie plots came the night before I
wrote this.
My friends daughter commented that
women in movies always go through a power-
ful personal transformation, but dad characters
always stay as they are, stupid and evil.
How come dads never have a mid-life cri-
sis? she asked.
Her mom replied: Because men never get
beyond adolescence, sweetie.
I must admit, it rang true for my friend.
***
Thankfully, my own kids are more respect-
ful.
Even if they do have a nickname for me,
which I overheard them using last week: Is
the ATM home from work yet?
***
What movie genre is The Universe using for
your life? For mine, it is using a tragicomic
farce featuring a hapless loser, so I better prac-
tice my lines.
Esteemed madam! I can explain!
28 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info HUMOR
Funny Bone by Nury Vittachi
Laughter is the Best Medicine
Life is a movie and mine's a bad comedy
by
Mahendra
Shah
Mahendra Shah
is an architect
by education,
entrepreneur by
profession,
artist and
humorist, car-
toonist 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.
23rd August, 2014
Traits in you: As you are ruled by Mercury, you will
be very charismatic and independent in nature. You do
not encourage people to interfere in your personal life
and help you take your own decisions. You are strong,
determined, decisive, enthusiastic, and very mature by
nature. You are overambitious and it does not let you
take your life easily.
Health this year: You may have to celebrate religious
functions very frequently at your place to find peace of
mind.
Finance this year: You may get monetary benefits
from different sources if you are a businessperson. You
will not feel running out of money this year and you
will buy luxury and comfort for your family.
Career this year: You believe in running after success.
You do not get peace until you achieve your desired
goals. You need to control your ambitions as it may
make you take the wrong way to get success.
You may witness a huge improvement in your profes-
sional success this year as you may get rewarded for
your previous performances. You might get surprise
from the higher authorities of your company as you
may get promoted to a managerial position. You will be
able to efficiently execute the responsibilities assigned
to you and this may result in a handsome salary hike.
Romance this year: If you are yet to be in a romantic
relationship, you may seek a life partner for yourself
this year as you feel this year to be the high time.
Lucky month: November, February, May and July
24th August, 2014
Traits in you: Being ruled by planet Venus, you are fun
loving, easy going, focused, faithful, and carefree in
nature. You believe yourself to be self-esteemed, con-
fident, and very generous. You have a sharp memory
power and intelligence. You should work on your traits
of behaving self-centered, indifferent and pessimistic.
Health this year: You may suffer with problems in
your eyes and mouth. So you need to get your period-
ic medical checkup done on time and take prescribed
medicines without negligence.
Finance this year: It is advisable not to invest hur-
riedly as it may make you suffer huge losses.
Career this year: You may get a promotion this year
which will help you earn more money and stabilize
your financial condition. You may be given the re-
sponsibility of an important role in your organization
as a result of your smart and efficient work. You should
get prepared to become decisive and take quick and
correct decisions as you may need to take some crucial
decisions for the organization you work for.
Romance this year: You are going to enjoy a very
pleasing romantic relationship with your love this year.
Lucky month: October, March, April and June
25th August, 2014
Traits in you: Your governing planet Neptune helps
you grow as a mature and perfect individual. You are
unique, independent, realistic and optimistic. You nev-
er believe in losing. You are always try to win with the
help of your hard-work and luck being a social person
you are well known in society and your helpful nature
makes you pretty popular in your known circles. Your
stubborn behavior may hurt people without your
knowledge so you better try and eradicate it.
Health this year: You should not ignore minor health
issues to avoid bigger problems later.
Finance this year: You may get involved in many
profitable partnerships, which may help you earn a lot
of money. You may be lucky enough to get your legal
and government work done.
Career this year: You will be able to enhance your
communication skills and your confidence will be at its
best. You can create wonders in your profession as well
as business. Your time management skills will be key
to your success this year. If you can learn new tech-
nologies, it will be better for your financial growth. You
may get a chance to work independently and prove
yourself.
Romance this year: You relationship with your part-
ner will be expectation.
Lucky month: September, November, February, May
26th August, 2014
Traits in you: As you are ruled by planet Saturn, you
are selfless, sincere, reliable, realistic, and confident.
Being the owner of huge intelligence and talent you are
pretty interested in acquiring knowledge on trending
technology. You should try to eradicate pessimism and
negativity from your characteristics.
Health this year: You will enjoy an overall good
health though you may suffer from some minor dis-
eases.
Finance this year: You may find your trips educative
and profitable this year. You should not lend or borrow
money this year as it may put you in various problems.
You will be benefited from the real estate investments
if you have any.
Career this year: The success in your professional life
may depend on your responsibility handling ability.
You may have to work on different places, which may
prove to be a challenge for you to co-ordinate with you
colleagues and provide a qualitative output.
Romance this year: Your charismatic personality will
attract opposite sex. Your relationship with your part-
ner would be pleasurable.
Lucky month: December, April, June and August
27th August, 2014
Traits in you: Your ruling planet Mars makes you daring
and intelligent by birth. Your other personal traits are dig-
nity, independent, enthusiasm, optimism, self-confidence,
and discipline. You have exceptional leadership qualities
since birth. So you can influence anyone to work accord-
ing your plans. You should not behave arrogant and im-
patient for the betterment of your personality.
Health this year: You will be in a mediocre health con-
dition this year. You have to take regular medication to
stay fit.
Finance this year: You will be able to improve your fi-
nancial condition as money may flow from various
sources. You may go for overseas journeys for business
purpose.
Career this year: You will be posthumously rewarded
for your efforts throughout the year. You will make
huge leaps as far as your career is concerned. Profes-
sionally, you will be very successful as you will be able
to create a positive impact on your seniors and higher
management.
Romance this year: You along with your partner will
solve every personal issue that has been proved to be a
huge headache for you and your family. Your romance
with your partner will touch new heights.
Lucky month: November, May and July
28th August, 2014
Traits in you: By the influence of your ruling planet
Sun, you have become very original, positive, confi-
dent, vivacious and optimistic. You need to control
your mood swings to get more success.
Health this year: You will be enjoying a better health
as compared to last year. However, you need not neg-
lect your regular medication.
Finance this year: You will get a lot of chances to earn
money and improve your standard of living.
Career this year: You do not bother about frequent job
changes as you want expertise in a particular domain.
Your honesty and helpful nature wins you admiration,
trust and respect from your colleagues and seniors. You
may take immense interest in your profession and it
would help in your salary increment.
Romance this year: Your relationship with your part-
ner and family members may get affected due to the
volume of work you are assigned to.
Lucky month: September, December, April and June
29th August, 2014
Traits in you: The calmness of your ruling planet
makes you creative, friendly, disciplined, innovative,
responsible, reliable, and imaginative.
Health this year: You will be enjoying a very good
health this year despite lot of stress.
Finance this year: You are very careful when money
is concerned. You do not spend money unnecessarily.
You will enjoy a satisfactory financial condition
throughout the year. Though you will have a lot of ex-
penditures, you need not spend all money alone as your
partner will support you financially.
Career this year: Your dedication towards your work
will bring you lot of name and fame later in the year.
Your introvert nature may make you lag behind others
so you better try to work on it and act proactively. You
deserve a lot than you are getting now. This year you
may be rewarded as per your expectations.
Romance this year: You may not find much time to
spend with your partner this year due to huge load of
work or business trips. You should add more life to
every moment you spend with your partner.
Lucky month: October, January, May and August
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: August 23-29, 2014 Annual Predictions: For those born in this week
29
ARIES: New ventures start on a posi-
tive note. A happy time in the company
of friends and relatives as they do many
favours to you. Avoid being volunteer to over-
spend otherwise you will have to come home
empty pocket. You are likely to get a new
friendship opportunity in the evening. Cutting
down the number of parties and pleasure jaunts
would help in keeping in good mood. You can
make your vacation extra special by planning it
with your family and friends. It always is excit-
ing to begin looking at homes for sale in your
area. You are likely to be full of good ideas.
TAURUS: You succeed in completing
projects efficiently provided you put in
all your efforts. Enjoying the company
of close relatives will brighten your evening. A
new financial deal gets finalized paving the
way for fresh money. New romance that some
of you are going to experience would take the
worries off mind. A beneficial week to work on
things that will improve your health. Spiritual
vacation is a quest for life, plan it and enjoy it
with your family. Buying cheap property in the
right location can provide you triple gain annu-
ally. A week when your choice of activities
would bring gains far beyond expectations.
GEMINI: Chances of misleading by
competitors in business are high.
Shopping with family members will be
highly pleasurable and exciting. Financial posi-
tion will improve later in the week. You enjoy a
memorable time with partner to cement the
lovely bond. Your confidence and energy will
be high in this week. Vacation full of beauty
and history as well as exciting is waiting for
you. Investing in property business sounds very
appealing. Self-discipline would enable to
manage you better.
CANCER: Time to learn how to tack-
le difficult & intricate problems to
enhance career prospects. You will be
at the limelight in a social gathering provided
you attend. Real estate investment would be
lucrative. You need courageous efforts to turn
love-at-first-sight into a strong romantic bond.
A week when smile will perpetually be on your
face and strangers will seem familiar. Traveling
on your own, with a friend or with the whole
family will be exciting and comfortable too.
Banks love to finance those, who invest in
properties which are underdevelopment.
Paintings bring a pleasant relief to people at the
time of crisis.
LEO: Hard work put-in the past will
yield handsome rewards in business in
this week. You will be the star of attrac-
tion of familys get-together in this week.
Investment in stocks & mutual funds would
help in earning profits. You need to make a
proper planning before embarking on love
journey. Your energy level will be high. Better
to channelise it in a positive direction. Travel in
comfort with kids to an adventurous place
might be possible. A good deal on commercial
property might occur. You succeed in cutting
yourself away from old ideas & beliefs those
have outlived their purpose.
VIRGO: Business partners behave sup-
portive on executing strategies to sort
out pending problems. Help from fami-
ly members would take care of your needs. Be
careful with whom you deal financially in this
week. You will be attracted to someone special.
Positive outlook impresses those around you
besides keeping you fit & fine. A trip that stim-
ulates and gives opportunity for work is com-
ing ahead. Their might be a chance of acquiring
a plot from your closed relative. Your efforts
keep the atmosphere buoyant around you.
LIBRA: Innovative ideas & technical
expertise would enable to win the con-
fidence of seniors at professional
front. You will enjoy the time spent with fami-
ly members and friends. Avoid overspending
on entertainment and luxuries in this week.
Warm romantic thoughts occupy mind.
Charity work undertaken will bring mental
peace & comfort. A luxurious getaway type
vacation with your spouse waiting for you.
You might deal in some ancestral property or
any other parental property. Timely action
would save from humiliation.
SCORPIO: Service people, artists and
those in creative field will get several
new opportunities. Your generous
behaviour would enable to enjoy some lovely
moments with family. Make sure you do not
overspend on household luxuries. Your charm
& generosity bring new romantic opportuni-
ties for you. Meditation and self-realization
prove beneficial. Thrilling experience is on
your way, as your trip is full of excitement A
deal regarding residential property can start
moving on its right path. You are likely to reap
rich achievements with hard work.
SAGITTARIUS: Your greatest gains will
come through your creative ideas at profes-
sional front. Friends and family members
would lend a helping hand. Long-term
investment in stocks & mutual funds
will enable to earn profits. Love life
brightens your week. You will have
ample time to do things to improve your
health. Pack your bags as a happy, fun-filled
holiday is looking forward. Discussing prop-
erty matters with parents can help for better
innovations. Dont get surprised on waking up
to a pleasant surprise.
CAPRICORN: Success is certain provided
you work as a team. An unexpected message
from a distant relative brings happy news for
the entire family. Improvement in
finances is certain. Your wit & charm
would help in catching the attention of
opposite sex. Sound physical health
will enable to participate in outdoor activities.
An enriching vacation full of fun is what you
need. Planning a property might explore new
horizons for you and your family. You will be
in an enthusiastic mood as many good things
happen around you.
AQUARIUS: You will be on the seventh
heaven when you receive recognition
for your achievements at work.
Relatives are likely to give some
valuable advice regarding personal
life. Speculation coupled with some unexpect-
ed gains improves financial health. Love part-
ner would be extremely supportive and in a
loving mood. You will be successful in getting
rid from tensions. Time to make your vacation
a dream come true. Your friends and family
will be of great support if you are trying for an
office. Persistent efforts would help in shining
in every sphere of life.
PISCES: Your creativity will amaze people
around you besides enhancing career
prospects. You receive care and affec-
tion from family members. A new
source of income will generate through influ-
ential contacts.
Avoid raising controversial issues in love
rather enjoy the company. A sparkling laugh-
ter filled week when most things proceed, as
you desire. Affordable luxury vacation will
explore your desires. Its time to make some
property investments for your kids. You are
likely to help people navigating through rough
patches of life.
August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY
30 August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Sharing the divine honey
T
here is a story of a beautiful
queen who loved to sit
under the trees and enjoy
the beauty of nature. One day, as
she looked up, she noticed a bee
flying around a honeycomb. As
she sat there, some liquid dripped
onto her face. When some dripped
onto her lips, she accidentally
licked them and was surprised by
its sweetness.
She thought, This liquid drip-
ping out is sweet. This would be
great to add to tea and give it a
sweeter flavor.
She asked her attendants to col-
lect some of this liquid and bring
it to the palace. She took this
sweet substance and experimented
by flavoring different foods with
it. She had discovered honey for
the first time and learned how the
bees made it. She continued to
experiment with it to learn how it
could improve the taste of food
and beverages.
Over time, she taught the people
in her kingdom how to cook with
honey. This new type of flavoring
became popular throughout her
kingdom. No other country had
ever seen it or heard of it before.
Over the years, word spread about
this special flavoring that was
being made in her kingdom. The
queen told the people of her king-
dom to keep the information on
how honey was made a secret.
Although people heard of the
honey, no one from her kingdom
would divulge the method of how
it was made.
Years later, the queens daughter,
the princess, was invited to visit
another country to visit the emper-
or. It was traditional to bring a gift
when visiting the emperor of
another country. She thought
deeply about what would be spe-
cial to bring to him. She asked her
father, the king, what to bring.
Whenever one had a problem, one
would ask the wise men for a solu-
tion. The king sent for the wisest
men in the land to find out what
would be the most special gift that
the princess could bring with her
for the emperor.
The princess asked, What do
you think would be the most valu-
able gift that I could bring the
emperor?
The wise men thought about it
for a while and told her, The
secret of making honey is the most
valuable gift you could bring
him.
The princess did not know what
to do. It was forbidden to share the
secret of making honey with any-
one outside of her kingdom. How
could she bring the gift without
her mother, the queen, finding
out?
She decided the best way to
bring this gift was to bring to the
emperor some of the bees that
made the honey. The princess
asked one of her attendants to put
her hair up into an elaborate hair
style. She hid the eggs of the bees
in the folds of her hair. Then she
set off for the other country. Since
no one could see the eggs in her
hair she was able to transport them
from her kingdom.
When she reached the distant
kingdom, she took care of the eggs
until they hatched. She then let
them grow into bees that produced
the honey. She presented the
honey to the emperor. He greatly
appreciated the valuable gift she
had brought. She then taught the
emperor the secret of how bees
make honey.
Emperor took care of the bees
which laid more eggs. Over time
they multiplied. They continued to
thrive in his country. Soon there
were thousands of bees. The
honey they produced was used by
the people of his land. Unlike the
queen who discovered the honey,
the emperor did not keep the infor-
mation on how honey was made a
secret. As a result, not only people
of his country, but people through-
out the world were taught the
secret of honey. Before long,
everyone around the world knew
the secret of honey.
This imaginary tale is a beautiful
analogy to describe the role of the
Masters and saints. The secret they
share with the whole world is not
physical honey, but the sweet nec-
tar of the Divine. They share with
suffering humanity the secret of
how to find the sweet nectar of the
Divine that leads the soul back to
God.
Throughout the ages, saints and
Masters have blessed this earth
with their spiritual teachings.
Through their grace, suffering
souls are able to find a way to
reunite with God.
Just like the queen who wanted
to keep knowledge of honey a
secret, so does Kal, the sustaining
power, want to keep it secret that
God exists and that we can reunite
with God. We are kept in igno-
rance of the most valuable gift of
all, experiencing our soul and
God. We are in the dark about the
fact that there is God, the soul is a
part of God, and we can reunite
the soul with God. The honeyed
divine nectar that connects us with
God is called the holy Naam,
Shabd, or the Light and Sound of
God. We have forgotten who we
are as soul and are ignorant of
reuniting our soul with the
Creator.
The Masters are like the
princess who was able to bring the
honey out of the kingdom to
impart it to the whole world. Just
as the princess was able to find a
way to bring the honey out of her
country even though the queen
tried to keep it there, so do
Masters find a way to bring us
knowledge of the divine honey.
They are able to put people in
touch with the divine nectar that
reconnects our soul with God.
How do they do it? They teach
people through the process of ini-
tiation how to find the spiritual
honey within. At the time of holy
initiation, they open our third or
single eye so we can contact the
holy Naam within. They open our
inner eye to see the Light of God,
and they open our inner ear to hear
the Celestial Music, or Sound of
God. They teach us a method of
meditation by which we can
become absorbed into the inner
Light and inner Sound within.
Once we connect with the inner
Light, we see inner vistas unfold
for us. We think that honey is deli-
cious. But tastier than outer honey
is the honey within. This inner
nectar also radiates with divine
Light and sings with divine Music.
We see Light of various colors and
radiant inner stars, moon, and sun.
We come to the most beautiful
manifestation of all, the ethereal or
radiant form of the Master. This
form serves as our inner guide on
the further journey within.
The Master takes us to even
more beautiful realms, from the
astral to the causal and supra-
causal realms until we reach the
souls eternal Home, Sach Khand.
There, our soul merges back in
God.
There is no more valuable gift
that can be brought to humanity
than contact
with the
inner Light
and Sound.
Just as the
p r i n c e s s
brought the most valuable gift her
kingdom had to offer, which was
the secret of making honey, the
Masters bring from God to
humanity the most valuable gift,
the secret of contacting the inner
nectar of the Light and Sound
within us.
The Masters are selfless and
sharing. Unlike the queen who
wanted to keep the secret for her-
self, the Masters want to share
their gift with all humanity. They
are generous and want to make
sure the whole world avails itself
of this blessing. They make their
gift known to all sincere seekers
after truth. They bring this gift to
people of all countries. They share
the gift with people of all reli-
gions. They share it with people of
all walks of life, from the rich to
the poor, from those who are high-
ly literate to those who are illiter-
ate. They share it with people of
all cultures. Just as the princess
gave the honey to the emperor
freely, and he, in turn, freely
shared the knowledge of it with
the rest of the world, so do the
Masters share the gift of Naam
with the world. They do not hold
back the secret from anyone.
How can we share the divine
honey within? How can we be like
the princess who shared the
secrets so the whole world can
benefit?
The best way we can share the
gift of what we receive with others
is to be a model to inspire others
to want to partake of this divine
honey. How can we be a model to
others? Mahatma Gandhi once
said, Be the change that you want
to see in others. This profound
statement holds the key to how we
can inspire others to taste of the
divine Nectar that has transformed
our lives. Rather than telling other
people what they should and
should not do, we can become an
example of what we want others to
try. When they see us living up to
that example, they, on their own,
will be inspired to undergo the
same transformation.
There are several ways in which
we can be the change we want oth-
ers to undergo. It is a process of
three steps: step one is meditation;
step two is ethical living; and step
three is leading a life of intoxica-
tion, joy, and bliss. If we can stop
telling others how to live, but start
leading a life of ethical living,
meditation, and bliss ourselves,
then others, on their own, will
want to follow our lead.
There are many people who
preach leading an ethical life. But
on closer examination, many of
them are hypocrites who profess
one way of living but do not fol-
low it themselves. The end result
is that when others see the mis-
match between what the hyp-
ocrites say and what they do, oth-
ers feel the hypocrites are not hon-
est. Others see through them. This
gives a bad name to leading an
ethical life because others see such
people teaching it but not living it.
If we want to inspire others to lead
an ethical life, then we need to
first do so ourselves.
(To be continued...)
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
is an internationally recognized
spiritual leader and Master of
Jyoti Meditation who affirms the
transcendent oneness at the heart
of all religions and mystic tradi-
tions, emphasizing ethical living
and meditation as building blocks
for achieving inner and outer
peace. www.sos.org.
The best way we can share the
gift of what we receive with
others is to be a model to
inspire others to want to
partake of this divine honey.
August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
August 23-29, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info