Vol.8 Issue 28 - Nov 21-Nov 27, 2015

The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e
Vol.8 No. 29 November 21-27, 2015 60 Cents
i n
j o u r n a l i s m
New York Edition Follow us on
Entire humanity must stand

against terrorism: PM Modi
Antalya, Turkey: Strongly con
demning the terrorist attack in
Paris, India made a case Sunday
for united global effort to combat
the menace of terrorism.
We stand united in strongly
condemning the dreadful acts of
terrorism in Paris The entire
humanity must stand together as
one against terrorism. The need
for a united global effort to com
bat terrorism has never been
more urgent, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said at the meet
ing of the BRICS leaders on the
sidelines of the G20 Summit.
India, which takes over the
Chairmanship of BRICS from
February 1, 2016, will accord pri
ority to combating terrorism, he
said. In the worst ever terror
attacks by ISIS in Paris on
PM Narendra Modi with world leaders at G20 summit in Turkey.

November 13, at least 129 peo
ple were killed and 352 injured,
many in critical condition.
Combating terrorism, Modi
said, must also be a priority for
BRICS nations.
Besides Modi, BRICS meeting
Russia's condition to work

with antiISIS coalition
US AFFAIRS 9
Continued on page 4
Continued on page 4
SELF HELP 26
Search on for more suspects as ISIS

emerges the biggest threat to world order
ISIS threatens to
blow up White
House, attack NYC
cooperation with those countries

which are part of the coalition and
are ready to develop with them
such forms of coordination that of
course would respect Syrias sover
eignty and the prerogatives of the
OP ED 14
Paris attacks
ringleader
killed in
police raid
Continued on page 4
Washington: The Islamic State

terrorist group in a new video
released on Thursday threatened
to bomb the White House and
launch more attacks in Paris.
The latest threats came one day
after the militant group released a
video that threatened to attack
New York City with mentions of
Times Square.
The new sixminute video titled
"Paris Before Rome" showed an IS
fig hter threatening to attack
French monuments and vowing to
strike the White House.
"We began with you, and we
shall conclude with the socalled
White House," a fighter in the
video said, "We shall blow it up,
just like we blew up the idols on
this good land". One fighter men
tions a "conquest of Rome." The
Vatican's St. Peter's Square was
Russian President Vladimir Putin huddled with President Obama at

G20 summit in Antalya, Turkey hinting at a coming together in fight
against ISIS. (Photo: EPA)
Moscow: Russia is ready to work
with the Western coalition fighting
the Islamic State group if its mem
bers respect Syrias sovereignty,
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
said Thursday.
We...are ready for practical
was attended by Russian

President Vladimir Putin, Chinese
President Xi Jinping, South
African President Jacob Zuma
and Brazilian President Dilma
Rousseff. Modi said: We express
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30
Abdelhamid Abaaoud, ringleader of the terror attacks in Paris.

Paris: The ringleader behind the
Paris attacks is dead, killed during
a dramatic raid Wednesday that
shook a neighborhood here and
collapsed an entire floor of an
apartment building. But French
authorities say their work is far
from finished.
Six days after a coordinated
string of shootings and bombings
killed 129 people in the French
capital, at least one suspect is still
on the run. A series of raids in
Belgium and a search of a home on
the outskirts of Paris on Thursday
were the latest signs of investiga
tors' ef forts to piece together
and take down the network of
terrorists behind the attacks
before they can strike again.

And authorities say the threat
from ISIS, which claimed responsi
bility for the attacks and threat
ened more worldwide, remains
real. "We just now have to be
ready for anything, any kind of an
attack. ... Although we know that
the mastermind of the attacks of
Paris has been killed, the risk is
st ill very hig h," Paris Deputy
Mayor Patrick Klugman told CNN's
"Erin Burnett: OutFront" on
Thursday. French officials said the
raid Wednesday at an apartment
building in the northern Paris sub
urb of SaintDenis was a signifi
cant step. On T hursday, they
Continued on page 4
See exhaustive coverage of Paris attacks on pages 1517.
excellence in journalism
November 21-27, 2015
DIPLOMACY
Modi charms UK, shows resolve

on terrorism in Turkey
ndian
Prime
Minister
Narendra Modi wrapped up
his fiveday visit to Britain and
Turkey on Monday. At the two
day
G20
summit
in
Antalya,Turkey, he made a strong
case for a united global fight
against terrorism because terror
ism is the principle global chal
lenge of today. Meeting with
leaders of BRICS nations, he
called for ef fective steps to end
funding, supplies and communi
cation channels of terrorists.
In his visit to the UK, Modi met
Queen
Elizabeth
II
at
Bucking ham
Palace
and
addressed the Indian community
at the Wembley stadium, along
w ith his Brit ish counterpart
David Cameron.
IN
UK
Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeting enthusiastic crowds after

delivering his address at Wembley Stadium in London on November
13. Sixty thousand people were in attendance, much more than the
number at MSG in New York.
PM Modi being received by his British counterpart, David Cameron,

and Samantha Cameron at Wembley.
The UK Parliamentarians and Lords call on Modi after his address at

Wembley Stadium
Narendra Modi addressed parliamentarians in
Westminster on November 12, becoming the
first Indian PM to do so.
Prime Minister Modi presented gifts to Her Majesty

Queen Elizabeth II on November 13.
IN
TURKEY
Prime Minister
Narendra
Modi greeted
by US
President
Barack Obama
at the G20
Summit 2015
in Antalya,
Turkey on
November 15.
Modi meeting
the President
of Russian
Federation,
Vladimir
Putin, at the
BRICS
meeting, on
the sidelines
of G20
Summit in
Turkey
Nov 15.
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Syed Akbaruddin named India's

Indians are largest
permanent representative to UN group of naturalized
US citizens in 9 states
New Delhi: Syed Akbaruddin, who

was the chief coordinator of the
IndiaAfrica Forum Summit (IAFS)
held in New Delhi last month, has
been appointed as the new perma
nent representative of India to the
United Nations in New York, it was
announced earlier this week.
"Syed Akbaruddin, IFS ofcer of
1985 batch, currently additional
secretary in the foreign ministry,
has been appointed as the next
ambassador/permanent representa
tive of India to the UN in New York,"
an ofcial statement said.
Akbaruddin will be replacing
Asoke Kumar Mukerji who will be
retiring.
After completing a successful
term as the External Af fairs
Ministry spokesperson in April this
Syed Akbaruddin, IFS officer of 1985 batch, is currently additional sec

retary in the external affairs ministry. He replaces Ambassador Asoke
Kumar Mukerji (right), who will be retiring.
year, Mr Akbaruddin was slated to
go to Geneva as India's permanent
representative to the UN ofces
there.
However, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi handpicked him to
be the chief coordinator of the IAFS,

a mega event that was attended by
all the 54 countries of Africa.
The event went off smoothly with
all visiting dignitaries praising the
way it was organized.
Jindal suspends presidential

campaign: This is not my time
New York: Louisiana Gov. Bobby
Jindal announced Tuesday night he
is suspending his campaign for the
Republican presidential nomina
tion, saying that he has concluded
he could not be successful in a
crazy, unpredictable year.
Ive come to the realization that
this is not my time, Jindal said on
Fox News Channel. We spent a lot
of time developing detailed policy
papers. Given this crazy, unpre
dictable election season, clearly
there wasnt an interest in those
policy papers.
Jindal, 44, who is leaving ofce at
the end of this year after complet
ing his second term as governor,
said he has not given much thought
to who he might endorse in the
Republican presidential race. Even
though Im not going to be a candi
date for president, we had better
elect the right president so that we
can restore the American dream
before its too late," said Jindal, a
former chairman of the Republican
Governors Association.
In a crowded Republican eld,
Jindal struggled to gain traction. He
focused heavily on Iowa, where he
courted social conservatives inten
sively and had begun to tick up in
state polls. Yet he remained essen
tially a nonfactor in the race
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, the first Indian American

to run for President
nationally and was relegated to the
socalled undercard stage in all four
debates so far. He struggled for
attention in the 2016 scrum and
most often got it only when elbow
ing into a dispute between other
candidates, or criticizing his rivals.
He even held a press conference
entire ly questioning Donald
Trump's tness for ofce. Jindal's
decision to end his campaign came
suddenly. Just one day earlier, he
had announced plans to continue
his tour of Iowa's 99 counties later
in the week.
Just eight years ago, Bobby
Jindals political future looked far
brighter than it does now. A native
of Baton Rouge, he was born Piyush
Jindal in 1971 but renamed himself

Bobby after the youngest son on
the Brady Bunch sitcom. He
became a Rhodes Scholar, a
McKinsey consultant and still in
his early 20s the head of the
massive Louisiana health depart
ment. Jindal ran for governor and
lost, then ran for Congress and won.
He was elected governor on his sec
ond try, in 2007, at age 36.
In a statement that accompanied
his announcement, Jindal discussed
his future plans: "One of the things I
will do is go back to work at the
think tank I started a few years ago
where I will be outlining a blue
print for making this the American
century."
More than half of naturalized US citizens from India are a

key working age: 25 to 44 years old.
Washington: Indians constitute
the largest group of naturalized
US citizens in nine states, accord
ing to data recently released by
the Department of Homeland
Security. More than 500,000
Indians became U.S. cit izens
between 2003 and 2013, the
Times of India reported after ana
lyzing the DHS data, with the
annual gure gradually rising
from 30,000 to 60,000 over that
decade.
Mexicans account for the
largest number of naturalized U.S.
citizens and make up the largest
group in 24 U.S. states. Indians
are the largest group in roughly a
third of the other 26. A
Marketwatch graphic of fers a
statebystate breakdown.
T he ndings about Indian
Americans have clear, and seem
ingly positive, economic implica
tions: More than half of natural
ized U.S. citizens from India are a
key working age: 25 to 44 years
old. From 2003 to 2013, more
than a third of this group worked
in elds such as management,
services, and sales. Of the Indians
who became U.S. citizens in 2013,
only 10% were retirees or home
makers. The numbers suggest
that many are contributing to the
U.S. economy.
The political implications are
less clear.
Polling data have shown that
IndianAmericans largely vote for

Democrats. The places where
Indians account for the largest
number of naturalized U.S. citi
zens include both red states
(Georgia, Mississippi) and blue
states (Connecticut, Delaware,
Maryland). T he presence of
IndianAmerican voters in red
states suggests that Democrats
prospects there could be
enhancedthough this voting
constituency is relatively small
(60,000 in 2013) so not neces
sarily large enough to make a
major difference in electoral poli
tics.
In time, the number of Indian
Americans elected to Congress
may increase (nine years of citi
zenship are required to serve in
the Senate and seven to serve in
the House of Representatives).
There is one IndianAmerican
member of Congress todayAmi
Bera, Democrat of Californiaand
just two have served before him.
IndianAmericans have a larger
presence on state and local levels,
including Govs. Nikki Haley (R.,
S.C.) and Bobby Jindal (R., La.).
Nevertheless, the data under
score the demographic heft of the
3 millionplus IndianAmericans
in the U.S.. They are the nations
secondlargest
immig rant
groupand are poised to deepen
their impact on U.S. economics
and politics.
TURN PAGE
Obama names Swati Dandekar

to Asian Development Bank
Washington: President Obama has nomi
nated Indiaborn Swati A. Dandekar to be
United States director of the Asian
Deve lopment Bank, with the rank of
ambassador.
The nomination of Dandekar who will
replace Robert M. Orr was announced by
the White House along with eight other
key administration posts.
"I am confident that these experienced
and hardworking individuals will help us
tackle the important challenges facing
America, and I am grateful for their serv
ice. I look forward to working with them,"
Obama said. Dandekar, who received a BS
from Nagpur University and a Post
Graduate Diploma from Bombay
University, is a former Iowa state legislator
and member of the Iowa Utilities Board,
according to her White House biography.
Swati Dandekar served as Iowa State

Senator 200911.
She served on the Iowa Utilities Board
from 2011 to 2013. Prior to joining the
Utilities Board, Dandekar served in the
Iowa State Senate from 2009 to 2011 and
in the Iowa State House of Representatives
from 2002 to 2008.
Ravi Batra questions launch

of Republican Hindu Coalition
New York: Prominent businessman
Shalabh Shalli Kumar said hes donat
ing $2 million to Republican candidates
in the runup to next years elections as
he announced the formation Tuesday of
the Republican Hindu Coalition, hoping
to turn IndianAmericans into a power
ful voting bloc.
Led by Newt Gingrich, former Speaker,
top Republican leaders including
Senator Mitch McConnell, Pete Sessions,
Chairman of House Rules Committee,
and Ed Royce, Chairman of House
Foreign Affairs Committee, blessed the
format ion of the coalit ion in
Washington.
Dr Sampat Shivang i, a leading
Republican IndianAmerican described
this as a "historic event" noting that
there is need for a powerful uniting

voice for the community.
New York attorney Ravi Batra dis
agreed. In a statement he said, "While I
applaud every IndianAmerican getting
politically active, as every citizen ought
to, to launch 'Republican Hindu
Coalition' causes two issues: Then a
Democratic Hindu Coalition should also
be formed. And Given the constitution
ally mandated separation of Church and
State and the antiestablishment clause
the use of Hindu in the political policy
setting is troubling. That Indian civiliza
tion's crown jewel has been mutual
respect and religious tolerance, only
serves to add additional pause. RHC is
an idea that either Tulsi Gabbard has to
counterbalance or reject."
Paris attacks ringleader killed in...

Continued from page 1
confirmed they'd ident ified the bo dy of
Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the ringleader of the
Paris attacks, found in the rubble of the apart
ment. Of ficials have also identified a woman
who blew herself up during the raid: 26year
old Hasna Ait Boulahcen, a relative of Abaaoud.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said
Abaaoud "played a decisive role" in the Paris
attacks and played a part in four of six terror
attacks foiled since spring, with one alleged
jihadist claiming Abaaoud had trained him per
sonally.
A key question now: Are other top ISIS opera
tives who may have worked with Abaaoud on
the Paris plot still on the loose?
establish contact with its French counterparts

and work together as allies.
Putin has been seeking to capitalize on shift
ing dynamics in the West following the Paris
carnage and the bombing of a Russian passen
ger plane over Sinai in October, arguing that
Russia and the West should unite against a
common enemy.
Lavrov said he first detected a change in the
Western position after Putin called for a broad
coalition to fight the IS jihadists in Syria.
Our Western partners realized the lack of
prospects for the approach that many of them
had taken. On Wednesday Russia submitted a
revised draft UN resolution on fighting the IS
group that France said could be partially
included in its own Security Council proposal.
Entire humanity must stand...
ISIS threatens to blow up White...

deepest sympathy and support to Russia for
the loss of life in Sinai. Ankara and Beirut are
also reminders of terrors growing spread and
impact. T he theme of Indias BRICS
Chairmanship will be Building Responsive,
Inclusive and Collective Solutions which, in
short, will be BRICS. It aptly describes the
ethos of our group, Modi said. There was a
time when the logic of BRICS and its lasting
capacity were being questioned, but today
BRICS can also give shape to G20, he added.
Russia says ready to work with...

Syrian leadership, Lavrov said in an interview
with staterun Radio of Russia.
I am convinced that such forms can be found
if we take a pragmatic approach.
Russia first launched air strikes on Syria in
September at the request of its longstanding
ally President Bashar alAssad, while a USled
coalition of countries opposed to the Syrian
strongman is conducting a separate air cam
paign against IS.
In the aftermath of the Paris attacks on
Friday, French President Francois Hollande
called this week for a broad antiIS coalition,
echoing an earlier call made by Russian strong
man Vladimir Putin made at the UN General
Assembly in September. Hollande said he
would next week discuss his proposal with US
President Barack Obama and Putin, who has
ordered his navy in the Mediterranean to
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recently featured on the cover of the terror
group's online magazine. Another fighter in the
video threatened President Barack Obama and
French President Francois Hollande. "We shall
burn you with our suicide belts and our car
bombs, we shall track you down wherever you
go". FBI Director James Comey said on
Thursday that he was not aware of any credi
ble threat of a "Paristype attack" in the US, and
saw no connection between the Paris attackers
and the US.
"IS and its supporters put out all kinds of
propaganda like videos and magazines, but
that is not credible intelligence," he said.
NYPD said it was aware of the video and was
deploying additional members of its new anti
terrorism squad out of an abundance of cau
tion. "While some of the video footage is not
new, the video reaffirms the message that New
York City remains a top terrorist target," the
statement said. "While there is no current or
specific threat to the city at this time, we will
remain at a heightened state of vigilance and
will continue to work with the FBI, the Joint
Terrorism Task Force and the entire intelli
gence community to keep the city of New York
safe." Mayor Bill de Blasio encouraged New
Yorkers to go about their normal business.
"The people of New York City will not be
intimidated," he said late Wednesday. "We
understand it is the goal of terrorists to intimi
date and disrupt our democratic society. We
will not submit to their wishes."
Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah

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TRISTATE COMMUNITY
American Pilgrimage an album of Indian

melody and jazz improvisation released
New York, NY: Released on Universal
Music Classics on November 13 American
Pilgrimage is an album of Indian melody
and jazz improvisation a crosscultural
intersection seldom heard in the jazz
world. The album is the culmination of a
lifelong dream of Bollywood music direc
tor, multiinstrumentalist and composer
Sandeep Chowta. He wanted to meet and
record with his jazz idols, including John
Scofield, Bunny Brunel, Eddie Daniels,
Andy LaVerne, Dave Valentine and more.
His friend and musical partner, vocalist
Sanjay Chitale, made it his mission to bring
this dream to reality. Several years ago, the
two embarked on a twoyearlong journey
across the United States, knocking on
doors, calling friends, crashing on couches
and recording music with the aforemen
The album cover

tioned legends they sought out.
American Pilgrimage fuses jazz improvi
sation with ethereal Indian grooves.

Sandeep would lay down tracks, creating a
backdrop of pulsing Indian rhythms and
melodies and Sanjay would add his float
ing vocals. The two would present the
tracks to the jazz artists, who all displayed
their own brand of virtuosity, finding new
voice in the context of these foreign
sounds.
Thodi Thodi features John Scofield
wailing on his guitar, reminiscent of a sitar
against the bubbling pulse of Sandeeps
tabla. Scofield recorded his solo in one
take, asking innocently Was that okay?
to stunned and satisfied Sandeep and
Sanjay. Scofield says of the project, "I
rarely find myself in a wholly dif ferent
musical world but in this instance I did. It
was a pleasure to work with these fine
musicians.
Kesariya is a traditional Rajasthani folk
composition featuring Dave Valentine on
flute and Jay Oliver on keyboard, who
infuse the tune with elements of jazz. Tu
is an echoing, atmospheric song featuring
bassist Bunny Brunel, who remarked, I
was so amazed at the freedom with which
Indian singers choose their notes. The
whole experience was simply incredible.
The final track, American Pilgrimage
Collage, is a stunning, languid composi
tion interspersed with the spoken conver
sations of Eddie Daniels, John Scofield,
Bunny Brunel and Sandeep a glimpse
into the genial nature of the remarkable
recording collaboration. T his is both
Sanjay and Sandeeps recording debut on
Universal Music Classics.
Mega Deepavali Celebration

IndianAmerican judge
by TLCA in Long Island
receives public service award
Nassau County Executive Mangano presents a citation to TLCA

President Raji Kuncham for her outstanding leadership. (Inset)
Children present cultural dances
New York: The 2015 Telugu Literary and
Cultural Association, New York, Diwali celebra
tion truly lit up everyones hearts on November
14th at the Freeport Performing Arts Center,
Freeport High School. More than 900 guests
packed the auditorium and enjoyed the festivi
ties with tremendous excitement, pride, joy,
pomp and splendor.
T he afternoon began with honoring all
youngsters on the eve of Childrens day, fol
lowed by spectacular performances by record
number of youth groups. Presentations includ
ed classical, semi classical and folk dances that
enthralled the audience! The guests enjoyed a
sumptuous elaborate dinner with authentic
Te lugu Vindu Bhojanam by Godavari,
Hicksville. The Performing Arts Center stage
and the entrance were transformed into a won

der world with spectacular and colorful drapes,
lights, and majestic statues by Glamorous
Events, Hicksville. The entire atmosphere was
just jaw dropping and the guests acknowl
edged that this was the grandest celebration
that they have ever attended.
T he prime time program began with a
prayer, chantings, and an explanation of the
significance of Deepavali presented by the
renowned Sai Mandir Pandits the Sharma
Brothers. President Raji Kuncham welcomed
the excited guests, extended warm Diwali
greetings, shared the years highlights, and
acknowledged the donors/sponsors.
Prominent elected officials joined the festivi
ties.
New York: An Indian

American woman
judge here has
become the first
recipient of a US
public service award
in recognition of her
contributions in the
field of law.
Queens
Senior
Assistant District
Attorney and newly
elected Civil Court
Judge Ushir Pandit
Durant was honored
w ith the 'South Ushir PanditDurant (left) became first South AsianAmerican
Asian Public Service
elected to a judgeship in Queens County this month.
Award' by the Office
of Immigrant Af fairs under Queens grated from India to the US when she
was 10 and "went on to excel at school
District Attorney Richard Brown.
T he award was g iven to Pandit and in her legal career," he said.
Earlier this month she became the
Durant coinciding with the commemo
ration of Diwali by the of fice of the first South AsianAmerican elected to a
judgeship in Queens County.
Queens District Attorney.
In presenting the award, Brown said,
"It is fitting that Senior Assistant
District Attorney and JudgeElect "Diversity is one of America's greatest
PanditDurant to be the first recipient strengths. Leadership comes in all
of our of fice's South Asian Public races and ethnicities...It is important in
Service Award as she personifies the public service to have a diversity which
determination, strength and vitality of reflects the makeup of the community
the Indian heritage," Brown said in a that we serve. It helps to enhance credi
bility, confidence and trust and better
statement.
PanditDurant and her family emi serve our community."
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
Actor Tirlok Malik plays Bharat

in Ramayana at the MET
Madhur Jaffrey's new

vegetarian book explores
regional, modern dishes
adhur Jaffrey, 82, in
ous trips to collect recipes
troduced Indian cook
from private homes from
ing to American audi
Mumbai to Karnataka, her
ences in 1973. She researches,
newly released "Vegetari
tests recipes and writes all her
an India: A Journey
books entirely herself. She has
through the Best of Indian
appeared in numerous films
Home Cooking" (Knopf,
and television programs, and
$35) focuses entirely on
she considers herself an actor
vegetarian recipes. In her
first.
book, Jaffrey explores
Over more than four
vegetarian cooking in In
decades, Jaffrey has written
dia through regional and
Madhur Jaffrey
more than 20 cookbooks in
modern dishes, presenting
troducing all aspects of Indian cooking to uncomplicated recipes with flavor and
new audiences. Conceived after numer history.
(from left) Tirlok Malik, Pt S.N. Charka, Pooja Bharadwaj & Cesar Gonzalez.
irlok Malik, a pioneer of films about

IndianAmerican immigrant themes
and a New York Emmy Award nom
inee, has acted many roles in the movies,
televisions, and theaters. Recently, he
played the role of Bharat (Lord Ramas
brother) in Ramayana, staged at The Met
ropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), NYC.
More than 700 seats, a state of the art
theater packed with multicultural audi
ences enjoyed the performance of Ra
mayana. The event was a full house. To a
standing ovation, the show was per
formed by the EastWest School of Dance,
choreographed and directed by Satya
Narayana Charka. The performance in
English language was backed by great
music and dance. The cast was also mul
ticultural consisting of Americans and In
dians. The show was hosted by The Mul

ticultural Audience Development Initia
tive Advisory Committee with special
thanks to advisory committee member. In
addition, Lal K. Motwani, the former pres
ident of NFIA and the president of AGSA,
was an integral part of bringing the show
to the audiences. Donna Williams, Chief
Audience Development Officer of the Met
thanked the audience to celebrate Diwali
at the Met.
Tirlok Malik said, It was an honor for
me to play the part of Bharat at the pres
tigious MET under the direction of Pt. S.N.
Charka.
Recently Tirlok Malik has launched
www.nritvfilmclub.com which is the first
ever streaming website of Indian Ameri
can movies.
Vikas Khanna cooks up new

storybook for kids
ichelinstarred chef Vikas Khan

na has served up his second sto
rybook for children, in the form
of "The Milk Moustache", a tale of good
will and friendship.
Khanna partnered with Domino's Pizza
to launch the book on Children's Day in
New Delhi.
The book's story is about children of the
village who one day refuse to drink milk,
which makes Kali the cow very sad. It is
up to Jassi, the local milkman's daughter
and Kali's best friend, to find a way to end
the children's milk boycott and lift Kali's
spirits again. The book is wellillustrated
and simply told.
Talking about his latest offering, Khan
na said in a statement: "The theme of the
book is a topic which every household in
India will identify with. Children not
Chef Vikas Khanna at the event

drinking milk is a problem faced by every
parent."
He said that he will continue to write
books for children.
"It gives me immense pleasure and
keeps the child inside me alive," Khanna
added.
Times NOW goes onair in the

United Kingdom
imes NOW, one of India's leading
English news channels is expanding
its presence in the international mar
ket. The flagship channel of Times Net
work, the broadcast arm of Bennett Cole
man & Co., Times NOW has officially
launched in the UK.
Announcing the UK launch of Times
NOW, M K Anand, CEO & MD Times Net
work, said, Times NOW has had a dream
journey in India where it is has remained a
leader in the English news space for the
past 7 years. The success of Times NOW
among the viewers here has encouraged
us to launch it for the Indians who live
abroad and want to keep completely
abreast of all the important news of their

country and its growing eminence in the
world. Under the leadership of Arnab
Goswami, Times NOW has not only made
a huge impact in India but also in over 75
other countries across the world. We are
proud to announce its launch in the UK, a
market which further strengthens our in
ternational bouquet and is an extremely
significant part of our international
Goswami said, Times NOW is not just
another English news channel that is
launching in the UK. The channel is
launching in the country because we want
to give viewers in the UK a platform to
voice their opinion.
Jayshree Ullal wins Ernst & Young

Entrepreneur of the Year award
he Santa Clara, Calif.
ceptance speech, Ullal said,
based Arista Networks
This award really goes to the
team of Jayshree Ullal
Arista family. All of the peo
and Andy Bechtolsheim was
ple who made this possible:
honored by Ernst and Young
the employees, the cus
as the 2015 Entrepreneur of
tomers, our partners and, of
the Year. Regional winners, in
course, our founder (Bechtol
cluding 13 Indian Americans,
sheim). Ullal joined Bechtol
from throughout the United
sheim in 2008 and is the
Arista Networks CEO
States were named this sum
president
and chief executive
Jayshree Ullal
mer leading to the national
officer of Arista. EY explained
award ceremony which was held Nov. 11 in a news release that together Ullal and
through Nov. 15 in Palm Desert, Calif.
Bechtolsheim Aristas founder and chief
In their acceptance speech, Ullal said, development officer have perfected the
Arista means agree to be the best. ... It's formula that has powered Aristas rapid as
very, very fitting, and we're truly honored to cent into the networking industry. The com
stand and live by our name.
pany currently counts more than 3,000 cus
Award winners were broken up into 11 tomers. Ullal has been awarded with pres
categories, as well as the national winner. In tigious honors previously. In 2005, she was
addition to claiming the national top honor, named one of the 50 Most Powerful Peo
Ullal, Bechtolsheim and Arista were named ple by Network World. And VMWorld and
the top entrepreneurs in the technology cat Forbes both dubbed her as one the Top Ex
egories. During the Technology Award ac ecutives in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
California varsity opts for

'diversity' after racial slur row
New York: The University of Southern
California (USC)Irvine has passed a
"diversity resolution" following a
demand to create an "inclusion cli
mate" for minority students after an
Indianorigin student faced discrimi
nat ion. T he authorit ies have
announced they would begin taking
steps to implement more "diversity"
programs on campus, breitbart.com
news site reported.
The announcement was made after a
student Senate vot ing, he ld on
November 10, to decide the fate of the
students' demand of $100 million in
funds to create an "inclusion climate"
for minority students on the campus.
A nal vote was held with 11 votes
in favor and one against the demand.
Michael Quick, provost and senior
vice president of the university, sent
out a memo for "Access and
Opportunity, Diversity and Inclusion"
in which he announced the establish
ment of two new funds.
The memo said the demands were
agreed to and that each of the pro
grams would receive $100,000 to sup
port, address and enhance diversity.
"Improving campus climate is of
tremendous value in itself. But creat

ing an inclusive and welcoming envi
ronment is also part of the greater
goal of how the university fulls its
commitment to enlarge access and
opportunity," Quick wrote in the
memo. He agreed that the campus was
not immune to alleged "acts of injus
tice, bias, and disrespect, against
groups and individuals, (that) have
been playing out recently across our
nation."
The demand arose from an incident
in September in which a fraternity
member subjected Rini Sampath, an
Indianorigin student and president of
the students' association at the univer
sity, to a racial slur. The fraternity
member hurled a racial epithet "You
Indian piece of s**t" and threw his
drink at Sampath. The 21yearold stu
dent then shared the incident on social
media and lambasted the racial abuse
experienced by other students from
dif ferent ethnicities. This sparked a
debate on the campus pressurizing the
university ofcials to later condemn
the incident. Meanwhile, a reporting
button has been added to the universi
ty's LiveSafe app.
Empower Indian Muslims

with education: Frank Islam
New York: Expressing sadness at the educational
plight of Indian Muslims, an IndianAmerican
entrepreneur and philanthropist has called for the
community's active participation in India's inclu
sive economic growth.
"India's Muslims must be active participant in
shaping the future of India's inclusive economic
growth. They must be partner in India's prosperi
ty," said Frank Islam in a keynote address to the
Aligarh Alumni Association Inc. New York
(AAANY).
"When they succeed, ALL of us succeed, India
succeeds, and the world succeeds. Let us together
change the face of India. One life one family and
one village at a time," he said over the weekend.
Islam has committed $2 million for the establish
ment of a management school at the Aligarh
Muslim University focused on innovation, entre
preneurship and ethical business leadership.
He was awarded the 'Sir Ross Masood Lifetime
Achievement Award for Excellence in Leadership,
Education, Community and Public Service' for the
year 2015, in recognition of his distinguished lead
ership, community and public service and philan
thropy. Citing a study by the US India Policy
Institute at the end of 2013, Islam noted that since
2006, "The literacy level and the quantum of
improvements for Muslims were modest compared
to other populations." That same study showed
that only 11 percent of Muslims in India pursue
higher education compared to a national average
Two IndianAmericans
among richest
entrepreneurs under 40
New York: Two Indian
origin businessmen have
been ranked by Forbes
mag azine among the
richest entrepreneurs in
America under the age of
40, a list that has been
topped by Facebook CEO
Mark Zuckerberg.
Vivek Ramaswamy, 30,
a former hedge fund
manager, has been
ranked 33rd on the list
with a net worth of $500
million. Forbes said his
Vivek Ramaswamy, Apoorva Mehta
source of wealth is
Zuc9kerberg leads the pack with a net
investments.
worth
of $47.1 billion, more than four times
On the 40th spot is 29year old Apoorva
as
much
as the second person in the ranks,
Mehta, the founder and CEO of Instacart, the
his
cofounder
and college friend Dustin
webbased grocery delivery service.
Moskovitz.
Mehta's net worth is $400 million.
Philanthropist Frank Islam giving keynote

address at AAANY meet
of approximately 19 percent, he said.
It also showed that the "general category of
Muslims in higher education" had actually declined
1.5percent for the period studied.
"These are devastating ndings. They demand
civic engagement both from those in India and to
the extent possible from those of us Aligarhian
Indian Americans here in the United States," Islam
said. "I specically believe that a key intervention
point should be in higher education because it is
the great equalizer and path to social and econom
ic opportunity," he said. Calling for empowering
200 million Indian Muslims with education and
economic mobility, he said: "When they move up
the ladders of success, they will get ahead, they
will stay ahead, and then they will change the face
of the world."
Jayathi Murthy named dean

of UCLA engineering school
Houston:
An Indian
American professor has
been appointed as the dean
of engineering and applied
science department at
University of California.
Jayathi
Murthy,
Department
Chair
of
Mechanical Engineering at
The University of Texas at
Austin, who also holds the
Ernest Cockrell Jr Memorial
Chair in Engineering, has
been named dean of the
Henry Samue li School of
Engineering and Applied
Science at the University of
California. Her appointment becomes
ef fective January 1, 2016. She will
be succeeding current dean Vijay
Dhir.
Murthy joined the Cockrell School
in 2012, becoming the rst woman
to head the mechanical engineering
Prof Jayathi Murthy

department at T he University of
Texas at Austin.
Murthy has launched signicant
initiatives to expand handson and
projectbased learning opportunities
and to increase female enrollment,
the University of California said in a
statement.
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
A thousand Indian Americans attend PBD in LA;

Swaraj returns midway in wake of Paris attacks
Los Angeles: The terror assaults in
France have cast a shadow over
the Regional Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas here with External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj, who was
on her way to the US to inaugurate
the event, returning to India from
midway in the wake of the Paris
attacks.
The Regional Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas kicked off Nov 14 with hun
dreds of attendees honoring the
victims of the horrific attacks with
a minute's silence.
Of ficials in New De lhi said
Swaraj, who had a transit halt at
Dubai on her way to the US, came
back from there itself after hear
ing about the attacks in Paris that
claimed over 120 lives.
As the nearly 1,000 Indian
Americans attending the twoday
event in Los Angeles mourned the
loss of lives in the Paris terror
attacks, top American lawmaker
from California Brad Sherman said
the attack in the French capital
had all the hallmarks of the
Mumbai terror attack.
"To day we should take a
moment to reflect the attacks in
Paris, New York, Iraq...and
Mumbai," said Sherman, a former
Chairman of the House Foreign
Af fairs Subcommittee on
Attendees at the event (right) V K Singh at the Regional PBD

Terrorism. In his address at the
event, Indian Ambassador to the
US Arun K Singh said there is an
increasing desire among the
IndianAmericans to connect with
India. Among the Indian diaspora,
there is consciousness about the
growing opportunities in India, he
said. Referring to the steps taken
by the Narendra Modiled govern
ment in the last 18 months, the
Ambassador said with the changes
happening in India there are
g row ing opportunit ies in the
country.
In the first six months of this
year, India received the maximum
FDI. India also topped the degree
of confidence index this year, he
said. IndianAmericans, Singh said,

have been contributing a lot to the
development of both India and the
United States. The Indian govern
ment yesterday announced new
internship program for Indian
Americans youths in India.
"Indian American community is
play ing an essent ial role in
America in every way," said
Cong resswoman Judy Chu,
Chairman of the powerful Asian
Pacific American Caucus. At the
event, Kali P Chaudhuri, Chairman
and Founder of the KPC Group of
Companies, was presented with
the NRI of the Year Award.
The Indian Consul General at the
Indian Consulate in San Francisco
USIBC applauds India's

sweeping reforms to improve
ease of doing business
Washington, DC: T he U.S.India
Business Council (USIBC) applauded the
Government of India latest reforms
announced on November 10 2015, lib
eralizing FDI norms in industries that
are starved for capital and enable the
ease of doing business in the country.
Dr. Mukesh Aghi, President of the
U.S.India Business Council said,
Putting more FDI proposals through
the automatic route is clear signal that
the government is living up to the man
date of minimum government and max
imum governance. Indias recent rise in
World Banks Ease of Doing Business,
the ruling on Minimum Alternative Tax
(MAT), its efforts to modernize the rail
ways network, lifting of FDI in the
insurance sector are all significant
achievements that will propel more
investment and innovation in the coun
try. USIBC member companies are
encouraged by the Governments
efforts to undertake economic reforms
and stay away from politically driven
distractions.
Dr. Aghi said, India continues to see
increased FDI despite an uncertain
global outlook. If the government con
tinues on the current trajectory of bold
(FDI and regulatory) reforms, then India

will easily surpass the $41 billion in FDI
from U.S. companies. During the Prime
Ministers visit to Washington DC in
September 2014, USIBC had identified
upwards of $41 billion slated for invest
ment from members over the next three
years, based on a survey of 20 percent
of USIBCs membership. Emphasizing
the benefit of a more open economy, Dr.
Aghi said, Allowing a path to relax the
norms for sourcing for single brand
retailers who sell cutting edge technolo
gy will clear many of the challenges
that hightech companies have had
when it comes to taking advantage of
the 100% opening of the single brand
retail sector. In construction develop
ment, removal of two major conditions
on minimum requirements area restric
tion of 20,000 sq. m. and capitalization
of US$ 5 million will provide much
needed boost to investment in the real
estate development sector.
T he Council is keen on further
reforms in these sectors and additional
liberalization that will aid the growth of
bilateral trade. Dr. Aghi added, FDI in
business to ecommerce still remains
restricted.
Venkatesan Ashok also spoke on

the occasion.
Anil K Agarwal, Secretary in the
Ministry of Overseas Indian
Affairs, said the Indian Diaspora is
making a very important contribu
tion to the IndiaUS relationship.
Noting that somewhere deep in
the heart of the Indian Americans
there is desire to make India a
country of opportunities as is this
country, he said, "We in Ministry
our task to provide you with a
platform to fulfill this desire of
yours." The theme of the event is
'The Indian Diaspora: Defining a
New Paradigm in IndiaUS rela
tionship' which aims to capture
the ethos of the IndiaUS relation
ship. Los Angeles is only the sec

ond US city to host the Regional
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (RPBD),
after New York.
Previous venues for RPBD
events were London, Sydney,
Toronto, Sing apore, Durban,
Mauritius and The Hague.
The Overseas Indian Facilitation
Centre (OIFC) of the Confederation
of Indian Industry also organised
an Indian Diaspora Business Meet
on the sidelines of the Regional
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
Of ficials from Andhra Pradesh,
Haryana, Jharkhand and Kerala
also participated in the business
meet. The inaugural event was fol
lowed by a cultural extravaganza.
Kshama Sawant reelected to City Council

New York: Kshama Sawant, an
others. Her main platform push is to
Indian American of ficial who was
make Seattle affordable to all and her
vying for a second term on the
way of showing she is serious about
Seattle City Council, was reelected
that motto is by taking the average
to represent the major U.S. citys
working salary for her seat in office.
third district.
The rest of the money is donated to a
Prior to the election, Sawant was
solidarity fund, she said. Sawant edged
rapidly gaining momentum with
out her competitor, Pamela Banks, for
Kshama Sawant
endorsements from dignitaries,
the District 3 seat 55.9 percent to
organizations and small business owners, among 43.81 percent, securing a fouryear term.
Sikhlens: Sikh Arts &

Film Festival
November 2022, 2015
California: Sikhlens is back for yet another year,

ready to showcase some of the top content created
by a variety of artists and talented filmmakers
from the South Asian community. This years
Festival will open on Nov. 20th at The Frida
Cinema, Santa Ana & end on Nov. 22nd evening at
Chapman Universitys Memorial Hall, Orange. The
opening night will begin at 7 PM with a red carpet
entrance and a special screening of Zubaan.
Saturday starts with the Youth session from 10
AM to 12:30 PM. This will include short films tar
geted for the younger audience. During these
screenings, in the adjacent theater, will be show
cased Valentinos Ghost a documentary film that
takes a look at Americas portrayal of Arabs and
Muslims in the media. A highlight of the day will
be the Creative Sikhs, a panel which takes place
at 1:30 PM and will feature some of the biggest
and brightest Sikh names from the television, film,
and the music Industry. The day will round out

with additional short films, a screening of The
Last King, a dance workshop for kids, and a dis
cussion panel on the State of Sikhi: A Conversation
Pre and Post Sarbat Khalsa 2015. Two fulllength
feature films: Angrej, a comedy about a thought
ful young man struggling to find a woman to
marry, and Learning to Drive, starring Oscarwin
ning actor Ben Kingsley will also be screened. The
final days programming will start at 10 AM at the
Dodge College of Film & Media Arts, Chapman
University. The first session of the day will feature
short films and run until 1:30 PM. There will also
be a youth workshop that explores the world of
art with special guest Amandeep Singh from
Inkquisitive Illustrations. A Sikh Art Expo will run
throughout the day at Memorial Hall where festi
val goers can see and purchase work from some of
todays top Sikh artists. At 4 PM the festival will
have a unique presentation at Memorial Hall, the
play The Maharajah & the Kohinoor. The festivi
ties will come to a close with a very special
concert at 5 PM featuring some very talented
musicians from around the world.
US AFFAIRS
Trump would consider shutting

31 states block Syrian
refugees; Obama pans them down radical mosques in US
Washington: Following the November 13
terrorist attacks in Paris that claimed 129
lives, about 31US states have announced
that they will not accept Syrian refugees, the
media reported on Tuesday.
The states protesting the admission of
refugees range from Alabama and Georgia,
to Texas and Arizona, to Michigan and
Illinois, to Maine and New Hampshire.
Among these 31 states, all but one have
Republican governors.
The state governors made the announce
ment on Monday after a Syrian passport was
found at the scene of one of the Paris
attacks even though it is yet to be confirmed
whether it belonged to the person next to
whom it was found.
According to media reports, one of the sus
pects of the attacks, that have been claimed
by the Islamic State, could have come to
Paris after having crossed Serbia and
Croatia as a refugee.
On September 10, Obama ordered his
administration to prepare to accept at least
10,000 refugees fleeing the war in Syria in
the next financial year that beg an on
October 1, in response to the migrant crisis
in Europe. On Sunday, Deputy National
Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said the gov
ernment is still planning to take in 10,000
Syrian refugees despite the massacre in
Paris. Republican presidential candidate
Ohio Governor John Kasich said "there is no
way that we can put any of our people at

risk" by allowing Syrian refugees inside the
country.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal isued an exec
utive order on Monday authorizing his gov
ernment "to utilize all lawful means" to
block Syrian refugees from resettling in the
state. He also instructed and authorized
state police "to utilize all lawful means to
monitor and avert threats within the State of
Louisiana" if notified of Syrian refugees
already living in the state.
Other Republican presidential hopefuls,
including Rand Paul and Ben Carson also
spoke out ag ainst we lcoming Syrian
refugees in the US.
But President Obama argues the increas
ing ly rancorous US de bate on Syrian
refugees feeds Islamic State propaganda
that the US and its European allies are at
war with the Muslim world.
For the second time this week, Obama
lashed out at lawmakers and US governors,
most of them Republicans, who are pushing
to block the administration from allowing
10,000 Syrian refugees to resettle in the
country.
I cannot think of a more potent recruit
ment tool for ISIL than some of the rhetoric
thats been coming out of here during the
course of this debate, Obama said at a news
conference Wednesday morning in the
Philippines.
Ben Carson is struggling

to grasp foreign policy
Washington: Ben
Carsons remarks
on foreign policy
have repeatedly
raised quest ions
about his grasp of
the subject, but
never more serious
ly than in the past
wee k, when he
wrong ly asserted
that China had
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is out of
intervened militari
his depth on global affairs
ly in Syria and then
failed, on national television, to rorism and national security.
name the countries he would He also said Mr. Carson needed
call on to form a coalition to weekly conference calls brief
ing him on foreign policy so
fight the Islamic State.
Faced with increasing scruti we can make him smart.
As the deadly assaults in Paris
ny about whether Mr. Carson,
who leads in some Republican claimed by the Islamic State
presidential polls, was capable reframe the presidential race,
of leading American foreign the candidates foreign policy
policy, two of his top advisers credentials are suddenly under
said in interviews that he had scrutiny. And Mr. Carson has
struggled to master the intrica attracted extra attent ion
cies of the Middle East and because his statements give rise
nat ional security and that to questions about where, as a
intense tutoring was having lit retired neurosurgeon without
government experience, he
tle effect.
Nobody has been able to sit turns for information and coun
down with him and have him sel on complex global issues.
get one iota of intelligent infor What is unusual is the candor
mation about the Middle East, of those who are tutoring him
said Duane R. Clarridge, a top about his struggle to master the
adviser to Mr. Carson on ter subject.
New York: Republican presi

dential frontrunner Donald
Trump would consider shut
tering some mosques in the
United States after last
week's deadly terror attacks
in France.
"I would hate to do it, but
it's something you're going
to have to strongly consid
er, because some of the
ideas and some of the
hatred is coming from these
areas," Trump said Monday
on MSNBC's "Morning Joe,"
As Donald Trump gains more heft, he has introduced a
arguing that such an action
new national spokeswoman, Katrina Pierson.
would be a reasonable if
mosques were indeed radicalizing their program last year that was meant to identify
potential terror networks at mosques in and
members.
The interior minister of France, Bernard around New York and New Jersey.
"You're going to have to watch and study
Cazeneuve, called for the dissolution of
"mosques where hate is preached" over the the mosques, because a lot of talk is going
weekend, following a series of coordinated on at the mosques," Trump said.
Authorities believe several of the suspect
attacks that left at least 129 people dead
ed attackers in Paris were radicalized in
across Paris.
"It's something that many people not me neighboring Belgium and communicated
are considering, and many people are with the Islamic State.
Meanwhile, Trumps new spokeswoman,
going to do," Trump added.
The real estate mogul suggested he would Katrina Pierson, wrote on Facebook. Islam
institute surveillance of mosques, as author preys on the weak and uses political correct
ities did in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror ness as cover. Two things that Americans
attacks. The New York Police Department won't be concerned w ith when
closed down a controversial surveillance @realDonaldTrump is in the White House.
NYPD DEPLOYS FIRST OFFICERS OF

'CRITICAL RESPONSE COMMAND'
FOR COUNTERTERRORISM
New York: Three days after the

deadly series of attacks in Paris,
the New York Police Department
on Monday deployed its first 100
of ficers of its Critical Response
Command (CRC), a new e lite
squad.
Earlier this year, NYC Police
Department Commissioner Bill
Bratton announced the city's plans
for the group to handle antiterror
ist duties. When fully staffed, the
new command will contain more
than 500 of ficers, including 450
dedicated antiterrorism of ficers
and their superiors, and eight
canines. At least 100 officers will

be on duty at any given time to
protect the city against terrorist
attacks, Bratton said at a press
conference Monday.
CRC officers are volunteers who
were interviewed and have
received counterterrorism training.
They will be headquartered on
Randall's Island, where of ficers
have immediate access to the
Triboro Bridge. The complex pro
vides quick entry to three of the
city's five boroughs.
"It's a new reality we are facing
here. We know that terror can tar
get us anytime, anywhere. We have

to be ready for that, and the
answer is to prepare even more
intensely," New York Mayor Bill de
Blasio said Monday, standing
alongside Bratton at the media
event.
Althoug h there weren't any
immediate threats in the wake of
the attacks in Paris, law enforce
ment of ficials in major U.S. cities
have tightened security measures.
Earlier on Monday, Bratton said
in an interview he believes New
York is the most likely target for
another ISIS attack.
Hillary is done in debate by foreign policy

New York: In the Democratic presi
dential debate a day after the Paris
attacks, Bernie Sanders campaign
expressed concern about CBS
decision to put additional empha
sis on foreign policy. Many expect
ed that Hillary Clinton would show
a command of global issues, fur
ther consolidating her status as
the frontrunner for the Democratic
nomination. Clinton indeed high
lighted her experience, but the
shift wound up working to
Sanders advantage. For the first
30 minutes of the twohour debate,
the former Secretary of State was

on the defensive about everything
from the Obama administration
being caught off guard by the rise
of the Islamic State to her vote for
the Iraq war 13 years ago.
Regime changes have unintend
ed consequences, Sanders said.
On this issue, Im a little more
conservative than the secretary.
With the world on fire, and rising
fears about terrorism at home,
Clinton quickly distanced herself
from President Obama at the top.
Yet, she refrained from using the
term radical Islam, not unlike

Obama.
To be sure, Sanders did not look
like a commanderinchief. And his
insistence that climate change is
still our biggest national security
threat made him look out of his
depth and unserious in the face of
global terrorism. But very few
Democrats still believe that some
one besides Clinton will actually be
their nominee, so theres less con
cern about him actually having the
nuclear launch codes. Instead, all
eyes were on her.
10
INDIA
Singhal: An engineer who was Babri

demolition architect
New Delhi: An engineer by educa
tion and a trained classical singer,
VHP leader Ashok Singhal, who
died this week, became a national
ly known figure for spearheading
an emotive campaign against the
16th century Babri Masjid in
Ayo d hya that was eventually
razed in 1992.
It was a watershed event in inde
pendent India, one that shook the
countrys secular foundations, led
to unprecedented HinduMuslim
riots and virtually rewrote the
political discourse.
Although the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) immensely profited
from the mosque destruction, tak
ing power in 1996 and then in
1998, the man who was the archi
tect of the campaign was Singhal,
an unapologetic Hindutva votary
whose only mission was to trans
form India into a Hindu Rashtra.
T he seeds of Hindutva were
sown in Sing hals mind as a
youngster.
Singhal born to a government
of ficial in the Taj Mahal city of
Ag ra in 1926 was hig hly
inspired by so cial re former
Dayananda Saraswati and grew up
in a religious Hindu household.
The seeds of Hindutva were sown in Ashok Singhals mind

as a youngster.
He joined the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sang h (RSS) in
1942 the year the Indian inde
pendence struggle reached a new
peak after meeting Rajendra
Singh, popularly known as Rajju
Bhaiya, the fourth Sarsanghchalak
(chief ) of the RSS.
Rajendra Sing h persuaded
Singhal's mother to let her son
join the Sangh, and she agreed.
It marked the start of a long
journey that, decades later, made

Singhal one of the most respected
figures within the Hindutva family
for being an ace organizer and a
good orator.
After finishing college, he
became a full time 'pracharak' of
the RSS.
He spent many years in Kanpur
as an RSS worker and was known
to be close to its chie f M.S.
Golwalkar. Another man who
influenced his thinking was Veda

expert Ramchandra Tiwari.
In 1980, the RSS deputed him to
the VHP, making him its joint gen
eral secretary. Four years later, he
became its general secretary and,
later, the working president, a
post he held till 2011.
Singhal played a key role in the
mega Hindu summit held in New
Delhi in 1981 called by Congress
leader Karan Singh.
He was also the main organiser
of the first VHP 'Dharma Sansad'
(Religious Parliament) in 1984 in
New Delhi that sowed the seeds of
the movement to destroy the Babri
Masjid in Ayodhya.
Singhal, who raised an army of
'kar sevaks' across the country
dedicated to building a Ram tem
ple at the site of the Babri Masjid,
himse lf led an assault on the
mosque in 1990 that security
forces repulsed.
Two years later, by when the
BJP ruled Uttar Pradesh, hundreds
of frenzied kar sevaks brought
down, in just six hours, all three
domes of the ageing Babri
mosque, as Singhal and others
cheered.
Unlike many BJP leaders who
distanced themselves from that

event, Singhal was proud of it
and vowed to keep working till
India ceased to be a secular repub
lic and became a Hindu Rashtra.
Singhal, who had a degree in
metallurgical engineering from
Banaras Hindu University Institute
of Technolog y, also had deep
interest in Hindustani classical
music. He composed many songs
for the RSS.In 1948, when the RSS
was banned for the first time in
independent India after Mahatma
Gandhis assassination, Singhal
went to jail. He completed his
graduation in 1950.
Singhal did not hide his glee
when Narendra Modi became the
prime minister in May 2014.
According to Singhal, Modis win
marked a victory of Hindutva.
No wonder, former VHP presi
dent Vishnu Hari Dalmia demand
ed that Modi should gift a grand
Ram temple at Ayodhya to Singhal
on his 90th birthday on
September 15, 2016.
Fate w illed otherw ise. On
Tuesday, suf fering from kidney
and heart problems, Singhal, 89,
passed away at a Gurgaon hospi
tal, marking the end of an era.
MUSLIMS SHOULD DECLARE Kejriwal secondmost

followed Indian
JIHAD AGAINST TERRORISM:
politician on Twitter
ISLAMIC SCHOLAR
Jamiat UlemaIHind leader

Maulana Mahmood Madani.
New Delhi: The Muslims should declare a jihad (holy
war) against terrorism as radicals and zealots have
unleashed a reign of terror that challenges the basic
tenets of Islam, which propagates and promotes peace
and harmony, an Islamic scholar said.
"Waging a jihad is a positive act intended to root out
evils from society. Killing of innocents can never be

accepted as an act of jihad," Jamiat UlemaIHind
leader Maulana Mahmood Madani said at a press con
ference at the Constitution Club here.
It is the responsibility of Islamic nations to wage war
against terrorists who are misusing the name of Islam,
the Islamic scholar said.
"There is a need to check groups spreading hatred.
Intolerance should be discouraged at all costs," he
said.
Quoting teachings of Prophet Mohammed, he said
that "saving one human being is like saving humanity".
Madani said countrywide protests would be held on
November 18 to denounce terrorism. Protest rallies
would be held in Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and over
65 other cities in which leaders of various Muslim
groups and organisations were expected to partici
pate. The Jamiat UlemaIHind leader said it is a mat
ter of great concern that terrorists are commiting bru
tal killings in the name of Islam.
"They claim they represent the real face of Islam. So,
it is incumbent upon Muslims, scholars and clerics to
preach and propagate the real message of Islam and
defeat the designs of fanatics who are out to malign
Islam," he said.
Madani said no one could deny that terrorist attacks
have caused maximum harm to the Muslims.
He said his organisation has held a series of confer
ence and rallies against terrorism since 200
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal has become the
second mostfollowed Indian
politician on microblogging site
Twitter with over six million fol
lowers.
He crossed the sixmillion mark
late Wednesday. "And ...
@ArvindKejriwal crossed the 6
million mark on @twitter," AAP's
social media chief Ankit Lal tweet
ed. The Aam Aadmi Party chief
trails Prime Minister Narendra
Modi who has over 16 million fol
lowers on Twitter.
Both the leaders are wide ly
known for utilising the power of
social media.
Kejriwal, in his early days as a
politician, used Twitter to garner
support and donation from his fol
lowers and fans. He later started
using it as a medium to connect
with people.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor
is also among the mostfollowed
Indian polit icians on the
microblogging world.
INDIA
11
Paris attack wakeup call for

Rahul challenges Modi
indifferent nations: French envoy
govt to probe
allegations, lock him up
New Delhi: Congress vicepresident
Rahul Gandhi challenged the
Narendra Modiled government to
probe multiple allegations against
him and take action within six
months.
Several dif ferent allegations
have been made against me Modi
ji, its your government, you have
agencies. Use these agencies and
investigate me. If you find anything
against me in six months, lock me
up, Gandhi said at the Indian Youth
Congress celebration of the 98th
birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi.
Indira Gandhi believed in bring
ing people together. We are against
the BJP and RSS as they are creat
ing divisions, the Congress leader
said.
Gandhi also took a dig at Modi
over the BJPs recent poll defeat in
Bihar. BJP thought there would be
a sweep in Bihar. T he PM ran
around a lot. There was a sweep,
but not theirs, ours he said.
Hitting back over BJP leader
Subramanian Swamys allegation
questioning his nationality, Gandhi
accused PM Modi of mudslinging
on him through his cronies.
Congress vicepresident Rahul

Gandhi.
Swamy said that Gandhi had
declared himself a British citizen in
the registration papers of a private
company in London. Allegations
were levelled that the UKbased
company now dissolved in its
annual return for 2005 and 2006
and in its dissolution application in
2009 told the British company law
authorities that Gandhis nationality
was British and also that he had not
disclosed all details about this par
ticular company to Indian authori
ties.
T he Congress vicepresident
replied: I have no fear. I will not
withdraw (from attacking Modi). I
will continue to fight for the poor,
the farmers.
New Delhi: The horrific Paris ter

ror attack of November 13 is a
"wakeup call" for countries indif
ferent to this rising global threat
to take stern action against perpe
trators and this will be raised at
the UN Security Council this week,
the French envoy to India has said.
"The horrific action has created a
warning among many countries
which were inclined to compro
mise (on terrorism), and this attack
is a wakeup call," French
Ambassador Francois Richier told
IANS in an exclusive interview at
the embassy here.
He expressed solidarity with
Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Mo di's stance that the world
should be united in fighting terror
ism.
Simultaneous shoot ings and
explosions at multiple locations in
Paris killed at least 129 people and
injured over 350.
Richier was especially concerned
about how "the attackers are not
targeting politicians or high profile
people but commoners".
"I be lieve no country in the
world will tolerate this. Terrorism
is an important issue. It needs to
be addressed. We are currently
raising this issue at the UN
SHEENA BORA CASE: CBI NABS EX

MEDIA TYCOON PETER MUKERJEA
Mumbai: In a dramatic develop
ment, the CBI here on Thursday
evening arrested former media
tycoon Peter Mukerjea in connec
tion with the murder of his step
daugther Sheena Bora.
Peter the husband of one of
the three prime accused and
Sheena's
mother
Indrani
Mukerjea was picked up from
his Worli residence by a CBI team
and taken to the CBI of fice in
south Mumbai.
Peter, the fourth accused in the
case so far, is a former CEO of Star
Group, and has been charged with
criminal conspiracy in the sensa
tional murder case.
Arrested on August 25, Indrani
is currently in CBI custody along
with two other prime accused
her exhusband Sanjeev Khanna
and her former driver Shyamwar
Rai.
The CBI earlier on Thursday had
filed a charge sheet ag ainst
Indrani, Khanna and Rai in a
Mumbai magistrate court.
Peter is likely to be produced
before a court on Friday morning
with the CBI expected to seek
his remand for custo dial
interrogation.
The sudden arrest has come as
an embarrassment for Mumbai
police which had questioned him
Peter Mukerjea and wife, Indrani Mukerjea,

who is accused of murdering her daughter Sheena Bora.
epeatedly after the murder case
broke out in late August.
Earlier, there were allegations of
Peter's 'close proximity' to certain
police of ficials, and several dis
crepancies in his statements to
the investigators.
Though the real motives behind
Sheena's killing are as yet unclear,
speculation revolves around sus
pected financial and property
dealings in various parts of India
and even abroad.
According to invest ig ators,
Sheena, 24, an employee with a
private company in Mumbai, was
strangulated in a car on the night
of April 24, 2012.

Her body was taken in the vehi
cle to an isolated spot in the
forests near Gagode village in
adjacent Raigad district, around
80 km south of Mumbai.
The accused trio poured petrol
over the body, set it afire and
dumped the halfburnt remains in
the thick bushes from where it
was found on May 23, a month
later, by a local villager.
Nearly three years after the
killing, forensic and other tests
confirmed that the remnants
found in the forests were indeed
of Sheena.
French Ambassador to India Francois Richier.

Security Council this week and will
propose an amendment against
terrorism," he said, w ithout
divulging any further details.
France is one of the five perma
nent members of the Security
Council with veto power. This high
table of geopolitics is entrusted
with maintenance of international
peace and security.
On terrorist outfit ISIS, which
claimed responsibility of the
attack, issuing warning of more
such attacks, Richier said: "We're
not afraid."
"I think the ISIS is betraying the
very value of Islam. Those who

attacked are trying to create fear
in the minds of people and curb
freedom. But we would like to
spread the message that it won't
af fect the freedom of people," he
said.
"It's a war which has been
declared on us but we are fighting
that war. We are not afraid."
Following the attack, Paris is
already back on its feet to host the
2015 United Nat ions Climate
Change Conference, scheduled to
start on November 30. There is
tight security.
Rajasthan reversal on empanelling

Modibaiter Anish Kapoor
By Prakash Bhandari
Jaipur: An embarrassed BJP gov
ernment of Rajasthan has
dropped famous British Indian
sculptor Anish Kapoor as govern
ing council member of the state's
cultural panel two days after
appointing him.
Kapoor in an article in The
Guardian of London dubbed the
Modi government as Hindu
Taliban in the issue dated
November 12 during the PMs
visit to UK.
Kapoor
was
nominated
November 16 to the cultural
panel of Jawahar Kala Kendra,
designed by the noted architect
Charles Correa, along with 11
others to advise the state govern
ment on issues related to art and
culture.
Rajasthan Tourism minister
Krishnendra Kaur said Nov 18
that the state government has
cancelled the nomination of all
12 members, including Kapoor,
after the state government
issued the orders of the nomina
tion without consulting the art
and culture minister Deependra
Kaur. The principal art and cul
ture secretary Shailendra
Agarwal had issued the nomina
tion order. Deependra Kaur said
UK sculptor Anish Kapoor

that she was unaware of the
nominations earlier.
Interestingly, no artist from
Rajasthan was nominated cultural
governing council that carried
names of educationist Homi K
Bhabha of Harvard University
and novelist Jeet Thayil.
Not a single person from the
state was nominated as member
of this.
Modis regime has ef fectively
tolerated if not encouraged a
saf fronclad army of Hindu
activists who monitor and vio
lently discipline those suspected
of eating beef, disobeying caste
rules or betraying the Hindu
nation, Kapoor wrote.
Originally from Mumbai,
Kapoor has been living in Britain
since the 1970s.
12
OP-ED
INTOLERANCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE:

MODI CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
By Rajendra Shende
S President Barack Obama made his

emblematic statement at the G20
summit in Turkey on November 15
that the Paris attacks were an "attack on
civilized world. If left unchecked, these ter
rorists could pose a growing threat beyond
that region, including to the United States".
The attacks overshadowed the G20 summit
as they will the Paris climate change talks
two weeks from now. However, if the cli
mate summit ends without any legally bind
ing and ambitious treaty, the global com
munity would certainly repeat President
Obama's statement, albeit replacing the
word "terrorism" with "climate change".
Minutes after Prime Minister Narendra
Modi addressed the 60,000strong audi
ence at London's Wembley stadium, terror
ists struck in Paris, just across the English
Channel with deadly bombs and gunfire.
Modi, in his speech, had said: "It is the
responsibility of every human living in this
world to fight global warming and terror
ism...India will show the world the path to
fight both."
While the climate messiah, former US vice
president Al Gore, has described global
warming as "inconvenient truth", Modi has
demonstrated, when he was chief minister
of Gujarat, by implementing ambitious
renewable energy projects there, that the
mitigation of global warming is in fact a
"convenient action". A day after start of that
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the 60,000strong

audience at London's Wembley stadium.
meet ing, the World Meteorolog ical
Organization (WMO), which monitors glob
al warming, signaled the crying need of
action on climate change. "The amount of
g reenhouse g ases in the atmosphere
reached yet another new record high in
2014...In spring 2015, the global average
concentration of CO2 crossed the 400 parts
per million (ppm) barrier," it declared.
Thus, levels of 400 ppm will now be the
new "normal" that the world has to live
with. At such rising rate, the CO2 levels in
the atmosphere will reach to the level of
1200 ppm by end of this century. And, the
global thermometer will show an average

temperature rise of about 5 degrees Celsius
against the aimed figure of 2 degrees
Celsius.
Modi stands to make dif ference at this
crucial juncture. He had, in the past, con
veyed to the world that two most formida
ble challenges today are terrorism and cli
mate change. India is now being hailed
globally as genuine player in addressing cli
mate change, mainly due to its thoughtful
INDCs and steps already taken in the area
of energy efficiency, renewable energy and
forestry. It has acquired a legitimate posi
tion by declaring that India is not part of

the problem but would like to be part of the
solution.
As the leader of the world's largest
democracy and a proponent of inclusive
deve lopment, Mo di knows we ll that
addressing climate change means using
clean energy that would reduce air pollu
tion thereby reducing 1.4 million prema
ture deaths in India. It means enhancing
renewable energy generation that would
reduce energypoverty and provide electric
ity to the remaining 80,000 villages of
India. It means deploying sustainable agri
cultural practices for farmers to conserve
water and quality of soil, increase their
income and reduce their suicides. It means
increasing energy efficiency of the air con
ditioners by us of nonHFC refrigerants to
reduce the peak loads during the summer
and subsequent power blackouts. It means
reducing poverty the key sustainable
development goal in post2015 era.
Mo di has convinced the world on
International Yoga Day. Can he convince
the world to be intolerant towards inaction
on climate change? T he G20 leaders
observed a minute of silence to remember
victims of the Paris attacks. Would Modi
lead a minute of silence at the Paris climate
summit if the world leaders do not agree on
an ambitious and legally binding treaty in
the December of 2015? Yoga teaches us to
be tolerant, but not towards terrorism and
inaction on climate change.
Star rises over Myanmar but will Syu Kyi be able to deliver
By Amitava Mukherjee
he most heartening feature
of the landslide electoral vic
tory of the National League
for Democracy (NLD) in Myanmar
is the maturity and statesmanlike
quality being displayed by its
chairperson, Aung San Suu Kyi,
who is now showing all potentiali
ty to become a beacon of hope in
south and southeast Asia.
At a time when wild jubilation is
taking place all over Myanmar
and accolades are being heaped
on the Nobel laureate, the lady, as
she is called in the length and
breadth of Myanmar, has played
her cards adroitly, knowing fully
well that in spite of the massive
numerical superiority in parlia
ment she is hamstrung by the
Myanmar army's constitutional
status.
That is the reason behind her
overture to President Thein Sein
and Senior General Min Aung
Hlaing, the all powerful command
erinchief of the army, for recon
ciliation talks. Both of them have
accepted the offer. But, even if the
Aung San Suu Kyi knows that she must neutralize the army if she
wants to usher in democratic process and lift the poverty stricken
Myanmar out of a morass.
army comes forward for talks it
may put its foot down for accept
ing the 2008 constitution as the
basis for all future negotiations.
Experience has however made
Suu Kyi wiser and she has check
mated the army at the first round
by declaring the results of the
e lection in advance from her
party headquarters as the count

ing progressed. Obviously the
lady took lessons from what hap
pened in 1990 when the military
junta managed to maintain a lull
even after the NLD had secured a
massive majority at the end of the
vote count ing pro cess and
declared the annulment of the
election within two days. At that

time, the NLD committed a fatal
mistake. It sat quietly for two
months and allowed the army to
snatch away power by using a
quasimilitary organization named
the State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC).
Suu Kyi knows that she must
neutralize the army if she wants
to usher in democratic process
and lift the poverty stricken
Myanmar out of a morass. She
knows that she cannot be the
president under the existing con
stitution unless it is amended
because she had a foreign spouse
and two children with foreign
nationality.
Hence, her thunder that she
would be above the president. But
how this can be possible is diffi
cult to guess. Either to achieve
this or to become the president
straightway she has to amend the
constitution, which may be impos
sible for her given the fact that 25
percent of seats in parliament are
reserved for the army. Seventy
five percent approval from parlia
ment is necessary for amending
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
the constitution.
However, the strategic position
being enjoyed by the commander
inchief is certain to emerge as the
biggest stumbling block before
Suu Kyi.
The army chief appoints and
controls the ministers of defence,
home and border af fairs.
T herefore Su Ky i or anybody
appointed by her as president will
have no power over the country's
security order. Moreover the gen
eral has the right to approve pres
idential or vicepresidential candi
dates. He can veto any proposal to
amend the constitution and take
back power from any government
at any time if he wishes. In a word,
the army chief, and not any elect
ed government, is the ultimate
authority in Myanmar.
Suu Kyi's real test will be finding
a solution to the long standing
armed ethnic conflicts. By voting
for the NLD en masse the ethnic
minorities, consisting of about 40
percent of Myanmar's total popu
lation, have entrusted Suu Kyi
with a responsibility she may find
it difficult to live up to.
14
OP-ED
An open letter to moderate Muslims

Unable to reconcile the assertion that Islam is a religion of peace with certain verses in the
Quran like beheading disbelievers encountered in jihad, some Muslims suggest reconsidering
treating the Quran as infallible (the other two Abrahamic religionists already dont follow
their scriptures in letter and spirit). Islam is due for reformation, and the writer suggests
starting by coming together on a sense of Muslim community, not Islamic ideology.
By Ali A. Rizvi
Let's start with what I'm not
going to do.
I'm not going to accuse you of
staying silent in the face of the hor
rific atrocities being committed
around the world by your coreli
gionists. Most of you have loudly
and unequivocally condemned
groups like the Islamic State.
But I do want to talk to you about
your increasingly waning credibili
ty. You're feeling more misunder
stood than ever, as Islamic funda
mentalists hijack the image of
Muslims, ostentatiously presenting
themselves as the "voice of Islam."
T he frustration is evident. In
response to comedian Bill Maher's
recent segment ripping liberals for
their silence on criticizing Islam,
re lig ious scholar Reza Aslan
slammed him in a CNN interview.
Aslan told his hosts that moderate
Muslims are too often painted with
the same brush as their fundamen
talist counterparts. This is often
true, and is largely unfair to moder
ates like yourselves.
But you can't simply blame this
on the "ignorance" or "bigotry" of
nonMuslims, or on media bias.
The problem is this: moderate
Muslims like you also play a signifi
cant role, if unintended, in perpetu
ating this narrative.
Tell me if this sounds familiar:

(1) A moderate Muslim states that
ISIS is wrong, they aren't "true"
Muslims, and Islam is a religion of
peace.
(2) A questioner asks: what about
verses in the Quran like 4:89, say
ing to "seize and kill" disbelievers?
Or 8:1213, saying God sent angels
to "smite the necks and fingertips"
of disbelievers, foreboding a "griev
ous penalty" for whoever opposes
Allah and his Messenger? Or 5:33,
which says those who "spread cor
ruption" (a vague phrase widely
believed to include blasphemy and
apostasy) should be "killed or cruci
fied"? Or 47:4, which also pre
scribes beheading for disbelievers
encountered in jihad?
(3) T he Muslim responds by
defending these verses as Allah's
word he insists that they have
been quoted "out of context," have
been misinterpreted, are meant as
metaphor, or that they may even
have been mistranslated.
Indian Muslims and children hold a candle light vigil in Bhopal on

November 15, 2015, for the victims of the terrorist Paris attacks. (Photo: EPA)
(4) Despite being shown multiple
translations, or told that some of
these passages (like similar pas
sages in other holy books) are ques
tionable in any context, the Muslim
insists on his/her defense of the
Scripture.
Sometimes, this kind of exchange
will lead to the questioner being
labeled an "Islamophobe," or being
accused of bigotry, as Aslan did
with Maher and his CNN hosts.
But are nonMuslims alone link
ing Islam to terrorism? We're sur
rounded with images and videos of
jihadists yelling "Allahu Akbar" and
quoting passages from the Quran
before beheading someone (usually
a nonMuslim), setting off an explo
sion, or rallying others to battle.
Who is really making this connec
tion?
Like other moderates, Reza Aslan
frequently bemoans those who read
the Quran "literally." This is telling,
and Reza isn't alone. Many of you
insist on alternative interpretations,
some kind of metaphorical reading
anything to avoid reading the
holy book the way it's actually writ
ten. To those on the outside, it
implies there is something lacking
in what you claim is God's perfect
word.
This presents an obvious dilem
ma. The belief that the Quran is the
unquestionable word of God is fun
damental to the Islamic faith, and
he ld by the vast majority of
Muslims worldwide, fundamentalist
or progressive. Many of you believe
that letting it go is as good as call
ing yourself nonMuslim. But does
it have to be that way?
Having grown up as part of a
Muslim family in several Muslim

majority countries, I've been hear
ing discussions about an Islamic
reformation for as long as I can
remember.
Ultimately, I came to believe that
the first step to any kind of sub
stantive reformation is to seriously
reconsider the concept of scriptural
inerrancy.
And I'm not the only one. Maajid
Nawaz, a committed Muslim,
speaks openly about acknowledg
ing problems in the Quran.
Recently, in a brave article here on
The Huf fington Post, Imra Nazeer
also asked Muslims to reconsider
treating the Quran as infallible.
Before the Internet, there were
many things in the Quran we didn't
know were in there. Like Aslan, we
also mistakenly thought that harsh
punishments in Saudi Arabia like
decapitation and hand amputation
were cultural and not religious.
Later, we learned that the Quran
does indeed prescribe beheadings,
and says clearly in verse 5:38 that
thieves, male or female, should
have their hands cut off.
Now, there are also other things
widely thought to be in the Quran
that aren't actually in there. A
prominent example is the hijab or
burka neither is mentioned in the
Quran.
Now, suddenly, every 12yearold
kid could search multiple transla
tions of the Quran by topic, in
dozens of languages. Nothing was
hidden. It was all right there to see.
When ISIS claims divine sanction
for its actions by citing verse 33
from Surah AlMaaidah or verse 4
from Surah Muhammad, we can
look it up for ourselves and connect

the dots.
This is a pretty serious problem,
one that you must address. When
people see moderates insisting that
Islam is peaceful while also defend
ing these verses and claiming
they're misunderstood, it appears
inconsistent. When they read these
passages and see fundamentalists
carrying out exactly what they say,
it appears consistent. That's scary.
Yes, it's wrong and unfair for any
one to judge a re ligion by the
actions of its followers, be they pro
gressive Muslims or al Qaeda. But it
is appropriate and intellectually
honest to judge it by the contents
of its canonical texts.
How, then, to respond?

For starters, it might help to read
not only the Quran, but the other
Abrahamic texts. When you do,
you'll see that the Old Testament
has just as much violence, if not
more, than the Quran. Stoning blas
phemers, stoning fornicators,
killing homosexuals it's all in
there. When you get about ten vers
es deep into Deuteronomy 20, you
may even swear you're reading a
rulebook for ISIS.
So, the book of the Jews is not
much different from my book. How,
then, are the majority of them secu
lar? How is it that most don't take
too seriously the words of the
Torah/Old Testament originally
believed to be the actual word of
God revealed to Moses much like
the Quran to Muhammad yet still
retain strong Jewish identities? Can
this happen w ith Islam and
Muslims?
The answer is: why not. And it
must start by dissociating Islamic
identity from Muslim identity by
coming together on a sense of com
munity, not ideology.
Finding consensus on ideology is
impossible. The sectarian violence
that cont inues to plague the
Muslim world, and has killed more
Muslims than any foreign army, is
blatant evidence for this. But com
ing together on a sense of commu
nity is what moves any society for
ward. Look at other Abrahamic reli
gions that underwent reformations.
Well, as much as the Pope oppos
es birth control, abortion and pre
marital sex, most Catholics today
are openly prochoice and practice
birth control. Most Jews are secu
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
lar, and many even identify as athe

ists or agnostics while retaining the
Jewish label. The dissidents and the
heretics in these communities may
get some flak here and there, but
they aren't getting killed for dis
senting.
This is in stark contrast to the
Muslim world where, according to a
worldwide 2013 Pew Research
Study, a majority of people in large
Muslimmajority countries like
Egypt and Pakistan believe that
those who leave the faith must die.
They constantly obsess over who is
a "real" Muslim and who is not.
They are quicker to defend their
faith from cartoonists and filmmak
ers than they are to condemn those
committing atrocities in its name.
(Note: To their credit, the almost
universal, unapologetic opposition
against ISIS from Muslims is a wel
come development.)
The word "moderate" has lost its
credibility. Fareed Zakaria has
referred to Middle Eastern moder
ates as a "fantasy."
Islam needs reformers, not mod
erates. And words like "reform" just
don't go very well with words like
"infallibility."
T he purpose of re form is to
change things, fix the system, and
move it in a new direction. And to
fix something, you have to acknowl
edge that it's broken not that it
looks broken, or is being falsely
portrayed as broken by the wrong
people but that it's broken. That
is your first step to reformation.
If this sounds too radical, think
back to the Prophet Muhammad
himself, who was chased out of
Mecca for being a radical dissident
fighting the Quraysh. Think of why
Jesus Christ was crucified. These
men didn't capitulate or shy away
from challenging even the most
sacred foundations of the status
quo.
T hese men certainly weren't
"moderates." They were radicals.
Rebe ls. Reformers. T hat's how
change happens. All revolutions
start out as rebellions. Islam itself
started this way. Openly challeng
ing problematic ideas isn't bigotry,
and it isn't blasphemy. If anything,
it's Sunnah.
The author is PakistaniCanadian

writer, physician and musician.
This oped is abridged from a pre
Paris article in The Huffington Post.
November 21-27, 2015 15
Two killed in police siege to get

Paris attack mastermind
A woman suicide bomber blew herself up and another terrorist was
fatally shot by a sniper in one of the biggest mass police mobilization
in France after Paris bombings that killed 129 people last week
Paris: A woman suicide bomber blew herself
up and another terrorist was fatally shot by a
sniper as police raided an apartment in a
suburb here on Wednesday to catch the mas
termind of the horrific Paris attack, media
reports said.
As many as seven deafening blasts shook
Paris suburb Saint Denis as heavy gunfire
broke out at about 4.30 a.m. Truckloads of
armed policemen swarmed the area where
terrorists were said to be holed up in an
apartment.
One of the suspects was shot by a police
sniper, while the second, a woman, blew her
self up at start of the operation, Al Jazeera
quoted Paris' prosecutor Francois Molins as
saying. An earlier report said that three were
killed.
Key suspect Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a 27
yearold Belgian of Moroccan origin, the
alleged mastermind of the Islamic State
claimed attacks that killed 129 people and
injured over 350, is the target of the ongoing
police operation.
It is not yet clear if Abaaoud had been
killed or arrested. Another suspect, Salah
Abdeslam, was also said to be a target in the
raid.
An unrelated video splashed across media
showed six bodies tied at the end of
Abaaoud's truck and being dragged across a
farm. MailOnline reported that the woman
French warplanes
launch fresh strikes
Paris: French warplanes carried out a new
round of airstrikes on Islamic State (IS)
targets in Syria's Raqqa region this week,
defense officials said.
According to the French defense min
istry, there were seven airstrikes and at
least three major explosions, CNN report
ed. The French military had already con
ducted a series of airstrikes in Raqqa on
Sunday and Monday.
The strikes destroyed a command cen
ter and training center. France has been
conducting airstrikes against IS targets in
Syria since September as part of a USled
antiterror coalition.
French President Francois Hollande, center, flanked by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls,
right, and French Education Minister Najat VallaudBelkacem, and others. (Photo: AP)
suicide bomber may be Abaaoud's bride. She
fired her AK47 at police before blowing her
self up. A police dog was killed in the suicide
bombing.
The police siege continued for over five
hours. Roads were blocked off around Rue
de la Republique in Saint Denis.
At least five people were believed to have
been in the targeted third floor flat, reported
BBC citing French media.

Three men holed up inside the apartment
were arrested, while a man and woman were
arrested near the location of the raid, Molins
said in a statement.
"The operation is still under way. It's not
over," local member of parliament Mathieu
Hanotin said on France Inter radio.
The interior minister added that 128 raids
Russian plane downed in 'terror act'; Putin

vows to 'nd and punish' attackers
Moscow: Russian President
Syria where Moscow is con
Vladimir Putin has vowed to
ducting a bombing campaign
find and punish the attackers
it says is targeting the Islamic
who brought down a plane
State group and other "terror
with 224 people on board in
ist" groups.
Egypt's Sinai last month, after
"The combat work of our
he was informed by the coun
aviation in Syria must not
try's security chief that it was
only be continued. It must be
a "terror act."
intensified so that the crimi
Russia has also said it will
nals
understand
that
pay $50 million for informa
vengeance is inevitable," Mr
tion about "terrorists" respon
Putin said.
President Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin hud
sible for the crash of the
T he Airbus A321M had
dle at G20 summit in Antalya,Turkey on Sunday: some consensus
Airbus A321M on October
crashed shortly after taking
on response to ISIS. (Photo: EPA)
31.
off from the resort of Sharm
"We will search for them anywhere from the resort city of Sharm alSheikh, elSheikh on its way to the Russian city
they might hide. We will find them in any "one of the bloodiest crimes".
of St Petersburg, killing all 224 people
"One can say unambiguously that it on board.
part of the world and punish them," Mr
Putin told Alexander Bortnikov, Russia's was a terror act," Mr Bortnikov, the head
The terror group ISIS, which controls
security chief, late on Monday. T he of Federal Security Service (FSB) told Mr swathes of Iraq and Syria and is battling
Kremlin re leased the remarks on Putin. He cited experts to say that the the Egyptian army in the Sinai Peninsula,
plane disintegrated midair due to a bomb had earlier claimed responsibility for
Tuesday.
The Russian President called the attack with the equivalent of a kilo of TNT.
downing the plane. Russia had said it was
In response to the attack, President waiting for the of ficial results of an
on Metrojet Flight 9268 which exploded
shortly after the Airbus A321 took of f Putin pledged to step up air strikes in investigation into the tragedy.
on suspected Islamist militants had been car

ried out overnight in last twothree days,
BBC reported.
A total of 104 suspects were placed under
house arrest and seized weapons that
include a rocket launcher, a CNN report said.
French warplanes carried out a new round
of airstrikes on the Islamic State's (IS) Syrian
stronghold of Raqqa earlier. Authorities
reported seven strikes and at least three
major explosions in the city.
US, France "ready" to escalate

military offensive against IS
Paris: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday
said Washington and France were ready to stage a
strong military offensive against Islamic State (IS)
insurgents in Syria in coming weeks after it
claimed responsibility for the November 13 Paris
attacks. "I'm convinced that over the course of the
next weeks, IS will feel greater pressure that we
are going to make to defeat it. They are feeling it
today. They felt it yesterday," said Kerry after he
met French President Francois Hollande at the
Elysee Palace. Kerry flew to France on Monday to
pay tribute to the 129 victims killed at coordinated
shootings and suicide bombings in Paris, Xinhua
news agency reported. "We agreed to exchange
information. We will take all the measure in all
areas to increase our efforts and action against IS,"
Kerry added.
France was the first European country to join the
USled coalition to battle IS in Iraq and Syria in a
move to halt the Islamist group's offensive in the
region where it had seized major regions. Kerry
said Hollande would travel to Washington next
week to meet his US counterpart Barack Obama. A
meeting between Hollande and Russian President
Vladimir Putin is also scheduled for next week in a
bid to forge a strong front to eradicate terrorists.
16 November 21-27, 2015
19 nationalities among victims

of Paris attack: Hollande
Versailles: There were 19 nationalities

among the 129 victims of the deadly attack
that took place on Friday night in Paris and
its suburbs, French President Francois
Hollande announced earlier on Monday.
"What was targeted by the terrorists, it's
the France open to the world," Mr Hollande
said during a rare address to the two cham
bers of parliament at Versailles.
He added: "Dozens of foreign friends are
among the victims, representing 19 national
ities." Mr Hollande, according to Xinhua, also
pointed out that the attacks were "decided
and planned in Syria, organised in Belgium
and perpetrated on our territory with French
complicities".
Following the airstrikes carried out by
French Army on Sunday night at Raqqa,
Syria, Mr Hollande announced that "France
will intensify its operations in Syria".
"We will continue the strikes in the coming
weeks," he noted, adding that the aircraft
carrier Charles de Gaulle will be deployed to
east Mediterranean, which will "triple our
capacity of action".
"There will be no respite nor truce," Mr
Hollande stressed.
Mr Hollande proposed the UN Security
Council meet as soon as possible to adopt a
resolution to destroy the Islamic State, and
he will meet with US President Barack
Victims of a shooting attack lay on the pavement outside La Belle Equipe restaurant in Paris Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. Well over 130 people
were killed in Paris on Friday night in a series of shooting, explosions.
Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin
to form "one great coalition" facing the ter
Update from around the world

Here are the most
said they didn't want
important developments
Syrian refugees in their
from Wednesday:
states, President Barack
4 Turkish authorities
Obama criticized them,
detained eight Moroccan
saying he "cannot think
men believed to be linked
of a more potent recruit
to ISIS. They had flown
ment tool for (ISIS)."
from
Casablanca,
4 T hirtythree ISIS
Morocco, to Istanbul,
members have been
according to Turkey's
killed by French and
staterun Anadolu news
other military airstrikes
Muslims worldwide take to social in the last 72 hours, the
agency.
media using the hashtag
4Two Air France flights
Syrian Observatory for
#NotInMyName to
headed for Paris one
Human Rights, a London
condemn the Paris attacks.
from Washington Dulles
based monitoring group,
International Airport and the other from said Wednesday. "Dozens of ISIS leaders and
Los Angeles were diverted to Halifax, their families" are moving from Raqqa, ISIS'
Nova Scotia, and Salt Lake City, respectively, selfproclaimed capital, in northern Syria,
after bomb threats, officials say. Both flights toward the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the
have been searched and declared safe.
Observatory said.
4 T he traditional opening of the
4German officials said they haven't made
Christmas lights in Paris, slated for any arrests or found any explosives at a sta
Wednesday, was canceled because of the dium in Hannover, Germany, that was evac
Friday terrorist attacks, organizers said.
uated just before a friendly match between
4As a growing number of U.S. governors Germany and the Netherlands on Tuesday.
US calls IS first 'social media' terrorists

Washington: US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said the capability of action of the IS in
the US "is not what it is in Europe", while warning of the challenges of dealing with the
first social media savvy terrorist group. At a security forum organized by the Wall Street
Journal in Washington, Carter called the IS "the first social media terrorists", just as Al
Qaeda were the first internet terrorists, Efe news agency reported. Carter pointed out the
jihadists have lesser capacity to carry out attacks in the US as compared to Europe due to
the higher "terrorist inclinations" of some European citizens and their geographical prox
imity to the Middle East.
rorists in Syria. Simultaneous shootings and

explosions at restaurants, Bataclan concert
hall and the national stadium in Paris on

Friday night left at least 129 people dead.
PARIS ATTACKS: What we

know about the attackers
hile police contin
ue their hunt for
suspects involved
in the attack in Paris that
killed at least 129 people,
of ficials have identified
five of the attackers along
with some of their suspect
ed accomplices.
Seven suicide attackers
in total were killed when
their explosive vests deto
nated at three of the tar
Paris terror suspects: (Clockwise from top left) Salah
geted sites: the Bataclan
Abdeslam,
Bilal Hadfi, Ahmad Almohamad, Omar Mostefai,
concert hall; the Stade de
Samy
Amimour
and Abdelhamid Abaaoud (the last one is
France; and the Comptoir
said to be the mastermind of the attacks.
Voltaire caf. Other loca
tions in the city were hit, but it is not yet corpses.
* Salah Abdeslam: Suspected of renting
clear which assailants struck where and in
car used in attacks
what number.
The Brusselsborn 26yearold is the
Still at large
* Abdelhamid Abaaoud: Suspected mas brother of Ibrahim Abdeslam, who blew
himself up at the Comptoir Voltair caf in
termind
Abaaoud, in his late 20s, is the suspected Paris. An arrest warrant has been issued for
Belgian mastermind of the attacks. He has Abdeslam, whom police had allowed to slip
been linked to earlier plots, including one from their grasp early Saturday, when they
against a Parisbound highspeed train that stopped a car carrying three men near the
was foiled by three young Americans in Belgian border. By then, hours had passed
August. He has already been well known. In since authorities had identified Abdeslam as
2014, grim footage emerged of him and his the renter of a Volkswagen Polo that carried
friends in Syria loading a pickup and a the attackers to the Paris theatre where so
makeshift trailer with a mound of bloodied many died.
November 21-27, 2015 17
PARIS ATTACKS: MUMBAI

RELIVES 2008 HORROR
Mumbai: On Sunday evening,

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji
Terminus (CST ) stat ion was
bathed in red, white and blue.
Although they may have got the
colors a little mixed up, the fact is
that of all the monuments and
structures around the world that
lit up in solidarity with Paris, this
was perhaps the most poignant.
It is a building that has known
terror and the bloodshed, and
heard screams and gunfire.
CST station was among several
other locations, including restau
rants and fivestar hote ls,
attacked by ten gunmen in
Mumbai on 26 November 2008.
As more details emerge from
Paris, striking similarit ies
between the two attacks are com
ing to light, and for so many peo
ple here in Mumbai, it's bringing
back painful memories.
In both cit ies, the carnage
began around half past nine at
night.
Mobile phone footage from out
side the concert hall in Paris
shows people hanging out of its
windows trying to escape. In
2008, many people fled Mumbai's
famous Taj Palace Hotel from its
w indows, after four gunmen
Of all the monuments and structures around the world that lit up in solidarity with Paris,
this was perhaps the most poignant. (Photo: AFP)
The Eiffel Tower is seen lit with the colors of French flag to pay a tribute
to the terror attack victims. (Photo: IANS)
opened fire there. Belle Equipe, a
popular bar and the Comptoir
Voltaire cafe were targets in
Paris. In Mumbai, it was Cafe
Leopold, a tourist hotspot.
Rupen Doshi, a Mumbai resi
dent who had just driven off from
Leopold before the firing began
and who lost a close friend in the
massacre at the Oberoi hotel,
calls the similarities "eerie and

chilling".
"It's opened up old wounds," he
says. "Looking at photographs of
those who've died in the newspa
pers, it's heartwrenching. I can
ident ify w ith it. I fee l ang ry
again."
It is with a sense of horrific deja
vu that I have been listening to
he rise of Islamic State in Iraq

and Syria (ISIS), the Islamist
militant group that has seized
a chunk of land stretching from
northern Syria to central Iraq, has
struck fear into the hearts of lead
ers around the world. CNN explains
ISIS' roots, what it controls, and
where its support comes from.
The group began in 2004 as al
Qaeda in Iraq, before rebranding as
ISIS two years later. It was an ally
of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda:
both were radical antiWestern mil
itant groups devoted to establish
ing an independent Islamic state in
the region. But ISIS unlike al
Qaeda, which disowned the group
in early 2014 has proven to be
more brutal and more effective at
controlling territory it has seized.
ISIS is putting governing struc
tures in place to rule the territories
the group conquers once the dust
settles on the battlefie ld. T he
group seized control of Mosul,
Iraq's secondlargest city, this sum
mer. But its power base is in Raqqa,
eastern Syria, where ISIS is now in
control of more than half of Syria's
oil assets along with a number of
oil fields in Iraq. The oil is finding
its way to the black market and
could be making ISIS up to $3 mil
lion each day. More than 11,000
Islamic State fighters paraded last year in northern Raqqa province

in Syria, the area of ISIS' selfproclaimed capital. (Photo: Reuters)
people have traveled from abroad
to fight in Syria and Iraq, officials
suggest, although some have gone
back home again. They align them
selves with different factions, and
sometimes change loyalties as
groups merge, disband or change
allegiances. Naturally, countries
with bigger Muslim populations
tend to send the largest number of
fighters.
The New York Times spoke to a
diverse group of experts, officials,
re ligious scholars and former
jihadis and found no simple strate
gy to defeat the Islamic State. But
there are some themes like the
need to take a decisive role in the
people recount the terror from

Paris of how there were bodies
and blood all around, how some
one played dead to survive and
how people were lined up and
shot.
But reassuringly, what has also
been quite similar is the reaction
of the cities to these brutal acts.
Mourning but, in equal measure, a
show of strength and unity. Tens

of thousands of Parisians came
out at Notre Dame cathedral, and
seven years ago a sea of people
gathered at Mumbai's Gateway of
India.
On November 26, there will be
tributes to those who died in
2008, tinged perhaps with a little
more sadness this year.
is to align with
Russia, Iran and
the
Syrian
government,
e s t a b l i sh
ing
an
alliance to
carry out
an intensi
fied war
against the
group.
An ef fective,
longterm strat
egy to defeat
the Islamic State requires an
uncomfortable acknowledgment,
some experts say: that there is an
internal conflict within Islam over
the direction of the faith, with a
radical strain that has enlisted
thousands of fighters to its side.
T he statement that this has
nothing to do with Islam is disin
genuous, said Maajid Nawaz, a for
mer recruiter for a radical Islamist
group who was imprisoned in
Egypt from 2001 to 2006.
We need to have a candid con
versation about this and recognize
that there is a correlation between
scripture and this, he said.
This is a complex and delicate
problem that must be confronted
on multiple levels, within the reli
gious community, for sure, but also

in international diplomacy, experts
say. In particular, Russian experts
said the wellspring of radical reli
gious ideology was Saudi Arabia
and the Sunni states of the Persian
Gulf. Their support of Islamic fun
damentalist causes radical
imams and schools has bred the
sort of extremist ideology that is
the backbone of groups like the
Islamic State, the experts said.
An ultimate defeat of the group
cannot happen without a reforma
tion within Islam, experts say, and
that necessitates a recognition that
interpretations of Islam are at the
core of the problem, and an out
reach to moderate Muslims. The
public, said Amaney A. Jamal, a
professor at Princeton University,
has to see Muslims as part of the
solution, not just the target of
strategies.
Nothing short of a sustained
effort among Muslims to offer an
alternative to extremist versions of
the religion is needed, religious
leaders say. ISIS is the one that is
saying, We have something to
of fer you: a sense of purpose, a
sense of fulfillment. That is what is
missing, said Imam Mohamed
Magid, a spiritual leader in
Virginia.
ISIS
and
how to
smash
it
Syrian conflict and to pushing a

broader reformation of Islam must
be part of a solution.
In August 2011, as the Syrian
government increased its use of
force to crush a popular uprising,
President Obama called for
President Bashar alAssad to go.
Even today, while willing to toler
ate Assad in power for a brief tran
sition, the US has tried to battle the
Islamic State inside Syria without
appearing to bolster Assad.
The Russians, however, insist
that the focus should be on defeat
ing the Islamic State, and that
Assad is an ally in that battle.
One option now for Washington
18
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Hollywood actor Charlie Sheen
I'm HIV positive,

admits Charlie
Sheen
ollywood actor Charlie Sheen has
revealed that he is HIV positive. He
admitted this during a television
interview this week that followed weeks
of speculation about his condition, reports
theguardian.com. "I am here to admit that
I'm in fact HIV positive and I have to put a
stop to this onslaught, this barrage of
attacks, of subtruths, very harmful...
Stories that are threatening the health of
so many others," Sheen said on the
"Today" show. He said he learned about
the diagnosis "roughly four years ago".
"Its a hard three letters to absorb," Sheen
said. Asked whether he had transmitted
HIV to anyone since his diagnosis, Sheen
said: "Impossible." After Sheen's revela
tion, his doctor Robert Huizenga
announced further details about how he
has been treated for the virus for the past
four years. Huizenga, Sheen's doctor for
"five to six years", clarified the actor's
exact medical condition at the present
time. He said Sheen had an undetectable
leve l of HIV in his blood and was
"absolutely healthy".Sheens film credits
include "Major League", "Hot Shots" and
"Being John Malkovich".
Aishwarya Bachchan, Aaradhya Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan.
Aish holds princessthemed

birthday bash for daughter
he is Abhishek Bachchan's "little
angel" and for her mother she is her
"princess", so her birthday celebra
tion was no less than a royal fable. Actress
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan org anized
princessthemed party' as Aaradhya
turned four this week. The actress, who
got married to Abhishek in 2007, organ
ised a special birthday party for her
daughter. The doting mother, whoAhas
always mentioned her attachment towards
her daughter, arranged a special 'princess

themed party' after looking at Aaradhya's
love for Disney princess, read a statement.
According to a source, the preparations
of the party were on since last four days.
"Aishwarya had kept a close eye on all
the arrangements for the special day. And
most of Bollywood celebrities and their
children were invited to be at Aaradhya's
birthday party, which was he ld at
Pratiksha here," the source said.
Meanwhile, her father wished his daugh

ter on Twitter by sharing a sketch of
Aaradhya made by an Indonesian visual
artist on his of ficial Instagram account.
"Happy birthday my little angel! This
beautiful sketch is made by the super tal
ented @fifipewz thanks," Abhishek tweet
ed. And megastar Amitabh posted on his
blog that he will be spending time with
the toddler by saying that "my presence
must remain with her".
Obituary
Saeed Jarey, a fabulous, versatile talent

M
ultifaceted Indiaborn
British actor Saeed
Jaf frey's love for cinema
can be judged through his inspira
tional journey from a theatre pro
prietor here to becoming one of
the most versatile and ef ferves
cent artists across the g lobe.
Among his other achievements, he
was the first Indian actor to stage
plays by Englishlanguage masters
including William Shakespeare.
He was married to coactress
and trave l writer Mehrunima
(Madhur Jaffrey), but they parted
ways in 1965. Together they have
three daughters Meera, Zia and
Sakina who is also an actress.
Saeed later married casting
director Jennifer Irene Sorrell in
1980. His niece Shaheen Aggarwal
took to her Facebook account to
share the news. In a response to
one of her posts, she wrote: "This
Multifaceted Indiaborn British actor Saeed Jaffrey.

is a message from my aunt for all
you kind people: 'My darling hus
band Saeed died very peacefully
on Saturday morning, in London,
following a very sudden brain
haemorrhage. I will miss Saeed
enormously (we had been together
fortyone years!) but I am comfort

ed by the fact he had a wonderful
life and a wonderful death. Thank
you all for your kind wishes
Jennifer Jaf frey'". Born in
Malerkotla, Punjab, in 1929 in a
Punjabi Muslim family, Saeed
embarked on his career by starting

up a theatre company called Unity
T heatre in New De lhi in late
1950s. He went on to found his
own English language company,
Unity T heatre, at the Royal
Academy of Dramatic Arts in
London. He also staged plays by
Englishlanguage masters includ
ing William Shakespeare and
Tennessee Williams, thus making
him first Indian actor to do so.
Thereafter, he went on to join
filmdom and carved out his own
niche in the industry through his
powerful performances in films
like "Shatranj Ke Khilari",
"Chashme Buddoor", "Masoom",
"Mandi", "Mashaal", "Ram Teri
Ganga Maili", "Chaalbaaz", "Ram
Lakhan" and "Deewana Mastana".
Saeed was best known to the
international audience for his roles
in films like "Gandhi", "The Man
Who Would Be King", "A Passage

to India", "The Horsemen" and
"The Wilby Conspiracy", among
others. He appeared regularly on
the British small screen in shows
like "Gangsters", "The Jewel in the
Crown", "Common as Muck" and
"Coronation Street".
He has worked with many well
known Indian and international
filmmakers like Shekhar Kapur,
Shyam Benegal, Raj Kapoor,
Subhash Ghai, John Huston, James
Ivory, David Lean, Richard
Attenborough and Stephen Frears.
Saeed was among the first Asian
actors to receive British and
Canadian Academy Awards nomi
nations. Among many honours and
awards, Saeed was conferred with
the Order of the British Empire for
his contributions to drama, the
first Indian to be honored with the
same.
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
19
India is extraordinary, but

complicated: Padma Lakshmi
he's a proud Indian. Supermodel, TV host, producer, cook
book author and actor Padma Lakshmi, who embarked on
a glamourfilled journey from the narrow lanes of Chennai
to the broad avenues of Hollywood, says that despite its "com
plicated" image in the West, India continues to enamor the
world with its mysterious charm, delectable cuisine and awe
inspiring crafts.
"I don't think India has a bad or a good image... I think it has
a very complicated image in the West. There are extraordinary
things, both good and bad, about our country," Lakshmi said.
Lakshmi, who adds the glamour quotient to the kitchen
world with her TV show "Top Chef ", says it's the taste and
aroma of Indian cuisine, handicrafts and bewitching folklore
that provide the pull.
"I think most Americans are dismayed about how women are
treated, but that is not a phenomenon peculiar to India only.
That's a problem that exists all over the world. "I think India is
a source of much fascinat ion and mystery to people.
Everybody wants to go to India. They love Indian food, they
love the handicrafts which come from there, and the old tradi
tions," she said.
Many Indian flavors have got an international 'tadka', but
Lakshmi says there is still a lot to be discovered from the
kitchens of India.
Her book of achievements is filling up fast with an Emmy
nomination for "Top Chef"; an awardwinning cookbook titled
"Easy Exotic" and an eponymous company; a home dcor
line; and a memoir "Love, Loss, and What We Ate" to her credit.
Supermodelactor Padma Lakshmi.
rem Ratan Dhan Payo", Sooraj

Barjatya's latest offering, with a
promise that "Prem is back",
disappoints diehard romantics.
Prem aka Salman Khan may be
back in a Rajshri production, but
certainly, love isn't.
With the premise, "It's all about
loving your family", this one is not
the quintessential love story you
expect when Prem is around, but
instead spreads the message of fil
ial love through a preachy and bor
ing threehour saga.
An ofttold, period extravaganza of a
lonely Prince who is misunderstood by
his extended family which include his
step brother and sisters and how a sim
pleton Prem Dilwale, a Ram bhakt from
Ayodhya, steps in and sets things right
for him, forms the crux of this tale.
With too many cinematic liberties,
director Sooraj Barjatya's script is not
only obsolete and stuck in a bygone era,
but also far divorced from reality in
terms of its setting, characterisation and
narration, making it farfetched, unpalat
able and silly.
Endless brands, integrated into the
screen space, also make the film seem
like an elaborate commercial, further
bringing down its credibility.
The dialogues lack the punch and
power and fail to impress. Copious
amount of English words thrown in
seem incongruous with the characters of
the film. The film belongs to Salman
Khan and Barjatya presents him in his
usual dogooder, simple, unassuming
avatar, so typical of a Rajshri film.
It's not such a major

injury: Aamir Khan
uperstar
Aamir Khan
says
his
injury is not a
major one and has
confirmed
that
after resting for a
wee k, he w ill be
back on the sets of
"Dangal". Aamir suf
fered a muscle
spasm while shoot
Aamir Khan
ing an action scene
for "Dangal" on the night of November 14. The "Raja Hindustani"
actor took to Twitter on Monday, where he shared details about
his injury. "Hey guys, it's not such a major injury. My back muscle
has gone into a spasm. A week of rest and I will be back on shoot,"
Aamir tweeted. The unit of the film, which is directed by Nitesh
Tiwari, also stars Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sana Shaikh and
Rajkumar Rao, is on a break until Aamir is able to resume work.
"Dangal" is said to be based on the life of wrestler Mahavir
Phogat.
'PREM
RATAN
DHAN PAYO'
THIS PREM
BACKFIRES
Salman
manages to
endear him
se lf to his
fans once again, in a makebelieve and
incredible character.
However, there is no novelty in his
mannerisms. He is just an extension of
himself from Big Boss.
Sonam Kapoor as his betrothed,
Princess Maithili, is a total misfit as she
appears too urbanised for the character
she portrays. She seems ill at ease, be it
in the Rajkumari avatar or dancing to
the title song. Her onscreen chemistry
with Salman too is nonexistent.
Anupam Kher, as the trusted and loyal
Diwan, is his usual self, with expected
sparks of brilliance in some scenes.
Overall, "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo"
of fers nothing new, except the latest
sartorial designs for Sonam and the
English vocabulary perhaps.
REVIEW
A scene from 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo'
'Prem Ratan...' crosses Rs.200 crore mark

ollywood superstar Salman Khan's return as 'Prem' on the silver screen through
Prem Ratan Dhan Payo is continuing its golden run at the box office globally.
The Sooraj Barjatya directorial family drama has minted Rs.202.39 crore in India
and overseas since its release. A Diwali treat for Salman's fans, the film was released a
day after the festival of lights on November 12. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo brings a royal
story on the silver screen unfolding chapters about a royal family and how an outsider,
Prem, played by Salman, tries to mend the broken bridges of the family. The total col
lection of the Hindi version of the film is Rs.143.39 crore in five days. And the first four
day collection overseas is done $ 8.9 million (Rs.59 crore) across 48 countries, read a
statement. The figures in the US are $ 2.8 million, said to be highest opening weekend
for a Salman Khan film; in Britain are $1.42 million; Middle East are $ 2.3 million,
Australia are $ 448, 711, New Zealand are $ 170,454 and Pakistan are $ 486,877.
Made on a budget of Rs.60 crore with Rs.20 crore spent on publicity and advertising
Barjatya's costliest ever film "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo" was released in 4,500 screens
in India and in 1,100 screens in traditional international markets.
20
DIASPORA
Goaorigin Antonio Costa in

line for Portuguese PM?
Panaji: Goa, with a large diaspora
spread across the world, may
well have one of its own in queue
for Portuguese premiership.
The leftleaning 54yearold
Antonio Costa, who traces his
paternal roots to Goa, may well
turn out to be Portugal's next
prime minister, after he succeed
ed in squeezing out the incum
bent Prime Minister Pedro
Passos Coelho with a historic
coming together of the country's
three main Le ft part ies on
November 10.
A cont inent away, his aunt
Sinikka Jussilainen Costa, who
resides at Costa's ancestral villa
along the majestic Rua Abade
Faria in Margao town, 35 km
from Panaji, is crossing her fin
gers, as she recalls stories about
the passionate political sparring
between young Antonio and his
father Orlando, something she
believes groomed him as a politi
cian.
"Now he has made us all so
proud... He was always keen on
Antonio Costa
politics. There used to be endless
debates between him and his
father over political issues," she
says.
In his political career spanning
about three decades, Antonio, a
lawyer and a member of the
Socialist Party, has served as
Lisbon mayor thrice and a minis
ter in Portuguese cabinet in sev
eral capacities including holding
charge of sensitive briefs such as
judiciary and internal adminis
tration.
His father Orlando was an
accomplished poet and writer
and a member of the Portuguese
Communist Party, which had
been banned under the dictatori

al regime of Oliveira Salazar.
Orlando was born in the
Portuguese
colony
of
Mozambique in 1929 but his
family migrated to Goa, whose
tropical shores he left at the age
of 18 for Lisbon, where later he
met his wife Maria Antonia Palla,
Antonio's mother.
Migration of Goans, then a
Portuguese colony, to other
Portuguesehe ld reg ions in
Africa and Portugal itself was
common pract ice, especially
among Catholics. Goa was ruled
by Portugal for 451 years before
it was liberated by the Indian
army in 1961.
Antonio's pet name was
Babush, which in Konkani means
'little boy'. His first cousin, Anna
Kaarina Jussilainen Costa, who
also lives in Margao, said that the
manner in which the 'little boy'
managed to scale his way
towards
the
summit
of
Portuguese politics is worthy of
admiration.
Canada's Sikh defence

minister racially
abused by soldier
Toronto: Canada's new ly
appointed
Sikh
De fence
Minister Harjit Sajjan has
become the target of racist
attacks by someone in his own
armed forces.
Reports said that a noncom
missioned of ficer from the
Canadian Forces Base at
Valcartier near Quebec City tar
geted Sajjan in a racist comment
on social media on November 5,
just a day after Sajjan was
sworn in as defence minister.
T he comment was later
removed.
The Globe quoted an armed
forces spokesperson as saying
that bullies have no place in the
army.
"Racist attitudes are not com
patible with military ethos and
with ef fective military service.
Any conduct that reflects such
attitudes will not be tolerated.
"The institution is entirely
committed to the principle of
equality of all people and the

dignity and worth of every
human being", it said, and noted
that "bullies have no place in
the organization."
T he Toronto Star reported
that the military's Chie f
Warrant Of ficer Kevin West
sent an email to his troops on
November 5, saying: "We have
had an incident in which a high
ranking member of the military
posted negative comments on a
Facebook page about our minis
ter. "It's totally unacceptable.
We already deal with conduct
problems on a daily bases in our
ranks and it's our duty, and that
of our leaders, to put an end to
it immediate ly. I was made
aware of this incident and to say
that I am mad is not the word."
As per military rules, the
of fending of ficer can be
relieved from the armed forces,
suspended, put on probationary
period or sent for counseling.
Andhraborn minister
Dipika Damerla blazes a
trail in Canada
Diwali festivities at
Embassy of India in
Zagreb, Croatia.
On 14th November,
students of ICC,
Consulate General
Of India, Bali
participated in Bali
carnival, Beachwalk
Kuta, under the
guidance of Kathak
Dance teacher Preeti
Sinha. The students
also walked on ramp
in traditional Indian
wedding dresses.
Toronto: Andhraborn Dipika Damerla, who

is the first Indianorigin woman minister in
Canada's biggest province of Ontario, is blaz
ing a trail in community service. If thanks to
her efforts IndianCanadians in the neighbor
ing Mississauga just enjoyed their firstever
Diwali fireworks, the community may soon
have dedicated places for cremation and dis
posal of the ashes. "Now I am working with
the authorities for getting dedicated crema
tion grounds for Hindus and Sikhs and the
spots where they can scatter the ashes.
Though the IndoCanadian population is
increasing rapidly, there is no community
specific cremation place and spots for dis
posing of the ashes," says Dikipa, who is
Ontario's associate minister for longterm
care with a budget of almost $4 billion.
Secunderabadborn Dipika is the first
Andha woman to hold any ministerial posi
tion in North America. "Maybe perhaps I am
the first Andhra woman to hold a ministerial
position outside India," says the young minis
ter who was appointed to the position last
year after her Liberal Party was reelected to
the office.
SUBCONTINENT
Sharif wants cricket

between India, Pakistan
Islamabad: Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif wants cricket between
Pakistan and India despite prevail
ing tensions between the two
neighbors, a close aide of the
prime minister has said.
Sharif is an ardent fan of cricket.
Vetoing a series between the two
countries can never be a desired
decision for him, The Nation quot
ed the aide as saying.
"The decision to bind Pakistan
Cricket Board to seek permission
for series with India is because
there are no positive signals from
India. Shiv Sena is promoting
hatred and Sharif is concerned
about the players' safety," said the
prime ministerial aide.
He said Sharif was a strong advo
cate of PakistanIndia cricket like
millions of fans on both sides of
the border.
Sharif was hoping for improved
ties with India where cricket could
be taken as a sport not war, he
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

said. "Yes, there are political ten
sions but we never wanted this.
Sport should be taken as a sport.
We hope we will be able to solve
this issue," he added.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar
Ali Khan, however, was strongly
against playing with India.
Khan said he would oppose
Pakistan's visit to India because
New De lhi backed Shiv Sena's
extremism.
Pakistan and India have not
played a full series since the 2008
terror attacks in Mumbai which

India said were carried out by mili
tants based across the border.
Given the sensitive relationship
between the two countries, a fresh
government
NonObject ion
Certicate will be required before
each series.
The chairman of PCB's executive
committee Najam Sethi said he
would advise the board not to
accept any offer from the BCCI to
play the series in India.
"In my opinion we should not go
to India as it is our home series
and the BCCI should honor the
MoU they signed with us which
states Pakistan w ill host this
series," he said.
Sethi was chairman of the board
when the PCB and BCCI signed the
MoU to play six series between
2015 and 2023 with Pakistan
host ing the rst series in
December this year in the United
Arab Emirates.
21
Sri Lanka okays

proposal to cut
president's power
Colombo: Sri Lanka's cabinet has
approved a proposal to abolish
the executive presidency and
transfer most of its power to
parliament.
President Maithripala Sirisena
submitted a cabinet paper seek
ing to abolish the executive
presidential system.
The president also sought sup
port for a new electoral system
which was approved by the cabi
net.
"It is my expectation to intro
duce a new electoral system
which is responsible to parlia
ment, abolish executive presi
dency and transfer the powers
of the president to the parlia
ment and independent commis
sions," the president had said
earlier.
He also said discussions were
being held regarding the estab
lishment of a new constitution,

fullling the promises given in
the election manifesto.
"T he new government has
taken actions to establish the
Election Commission to fulll
the expectations for free and fair
elections, about which there had
been a discussion for more than
40 years," the president stated.
"The new government also has
established institutions related
to the important areas such as
human rights, public service,
courts and bribery and corrup
tion," he added.
President Sirisena, who came
to power following elections in
January, pointed out that the
new government had imple
mented several plans regarding
alleviating poverty, establishing
freedom, strengthening free
health and education.
NRI held for ramming SUV into Attari gates

Attari (Punjab)/ Islamabad: In a
major security breach, an NRI
crashed his SUV into the security
gates at the Attari joint check post
(JCP) early Monday and reached
the zero line at the international
border between India and
Pakistan.
NonResident Indian Surinder
Singh Kang was apprehended by
Border Security Force (BSF) per
sonnel for ramming his sports
utility vehicle into the rst gate at
3.50 a.m. and then driving till the
next g ate, about 800 metres
ahead, towards the international
border. He then crashed his vehi
cle into the second gate.
The vehicle stopped only after
hitting the Pakistani gate at the
NonResident Indian Surinder Singh Kang was apprehended by BSF

personnel for ramming his sports utility vehicle into the first gate.
border after crashing through the
Indian side of the gate.
A report from Pakistan said the

Pakistan Rangers took up the mat
ter with the BSF ofcials after the

SUV damaged the gate on the
Pakistan side as well. The report
claimed that the SUV entered
Pakistan territory.
The BSF and police sources said
that the NRI appeared drunk.
Kang was questioned by securi
ty agencies and later handed over
to the Indian police. The NRI was
booked under Sect ion 307
(attempt to murder) of the Indian
Penal Co de (IPC) and other
charges.
"After preliminary questioning,
he was handed over to police for
further invest ig at ion. Police
authorities and other agencies are
inquiring the matter," BSF deputy
inspector general (DIG) R.S.
Kataria said.
The NRI, 42, a Canadian citizen
and has been living in Surrey,
British Columbia, since 1995.
Kang belongs to Adharman vil
lage of Punjab's Jalandhar district.
He arrived in India on November
9 on a vemonth visa.
"All gates were closed at that
time and it was dark. It is a seri
ous security breach that he man
aged to reach up to the zero line.
The incident is being investigat
ed," a BSF ofcer posted in the
area told IANS.
Pakistan daily Dawn quoted
security sources as saying that the
Pakistan Rangers have asked the
BSF authorities to conduct an
inquiry into the incident.
'Washington must cut funding Pak if doesn't rein in terror'

New York: An inuential
Task Force of the
group of American busi
Council on Foreign
ness leaders, academics
Relations said in a state
and policy experts has
ment on Thursday. But
recommended that if
"if Pakistan is not will
Pakistan does not rein
ing to rein in terror,
in terror, the US stop
Washington should be
funding Islamabad's
prepared, at minimum,
defense equipment pur
to end US taxpayer
chases and reimbursing
funding for defense
Pak army chief
coalition support funds.
equipment sales and
"T he US should Raheel Sharif visited reimbursement of
Washington DC
demand that Pakistan
coalition
support
this week.
meet its obligations as
funds," the experts
a state to tackle terrorism emanat said.
ing from its territory, in both India
"India is poised for power and
and Afghanistan," an Independent prosperity if it can remain focused
on its domestic transformation, and

the risk of conict with Pakistan
threatens to drag India down," the
task force said in its report,
"Working With a Rising India: A
Joint Venture for the New Century".
It added, "India should not have
to, nor should it want to, endure
further decades of having its strate
gic options limited by Pakistan." As
for New Delhi, the report said, "The
US should encourage India to
improve its re lationship with
Pakistan as an investment in its
own rise particularly, at least to
start, through greater trade connec
tivity."
Recognizing India's concerns

about the deteriorating situation in
Afghanistan which could impact
the region, the experts said that the
US "should commit to a doctrine
stating that future decisions
regarding the size, scope, and time
line for deployment of US forces
will be determined by onthe
ground realities and not articially
imposed schedules, and without a
declared date of departure."
"Such a move would help assure
India and others that US' actions
will not undermine the goal of long
term regional stability," they said
and recommended that Washington
"extend its commitment to

Afghanistan even beyond
President Barack Obama's decision
to slow the withdrawal of US troops
from Afghanistan and retain a force
of some 5,000 troops in the coun
try into 2017."
On why New Delhi is important,
the report said that India has the
capacity to develop into a $10 tril
lion economy if it keeps the current
growth trajectory and this com
bined with its national security and
global potential offers the US one
of the most substantial opportuni
ties to advance America's national
interests.
22
FOREIGN POLICY
G20 leaders push for lifting of global growth

Antalya (Turkey): Endorsing India's stand,
the G20 leaders pushed for a collective plan
to lift global growth, create employment and
promote development to eradicate poverty
and to ensure equitable, sustained and bal
anced growth.
"We remain resolute to continue our col
lective action to lift actual and potential
growth of our economies, support job cre
ation, strengthen resilience, promote devel
opment and enhance inclusiveness of our
policies," the leaders stated in a joint com
munique issued at the end of the G20
Summit at this Mediterranean resort city.
The leaders stated that a comprehensive
agenda has been adopted this year "around
the three pillars of decisive implementation
of our past commitments to deliver on our
promises, boosting investments as a power
ful driver of growth and promoting inclu
siveness in our actions so that the benets
of growth are shared by all".
Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi expressed concern over a
slowdown in global trade at on a day when
ofcial data showed India's merchandise
trade had declined for the 11th straight
month in October.
"Prospects for increase in trade momen
tum remain bleak in the prevailing global
economic environment. Efforts to accelerate
global economic growth will help trade," the
prime minister said in his intervention dur
ing the working luncheon session at the G20
Summit on the topic "trade and energy".
"Slowdown in global trade is a major con
cern," he said.
In the joint communique, the leaders over
the uneven global growth despite the posi
tive outlook in some major economies.
India can
become pillar of
global growth
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, South African President Jacob Zuma and Brazilian President Dilma
Rousseff in Antalya, Turkey.
"We will continue to implement sound
macroeconomic policies in a cooperative
manner to achieve strong, sustainable and
balanced growth. Our monetary authorities
will continue to ensure price stability and
support economic activity, consistent with
their mandates," the communique stated.
"We remain committed to achieving our
ambition to lift collective G20 GDP by an
additional 2 percent by 2018 as announced
in Brisbane last year," it added.
The leaders also said that strengthening
the resilience of nancial institutions and
enhancing stability of the nancial system
were crucial to sustaining growth and devel
opment. "To enhance the resilience of the
global nancial system, we have completed
MODI HARD SELLS

BRAND INDIA
Narendra Modi & British Prime Minister David Cameroon at

Wembley Stadium in London.
London: Asserting that diversity
was Indias pride and strength,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
November 13 hard sold brand
India during his muchawaited
address to the Indian diaspora
here even as he urged industry
captains to push IndiaBritain ties.
India is full of diversity. This
diversity is our pride and our
strength, Modi said as a frenzied
crowd of 60,000 British Indians
chanted Modi, Modi at the iconic
Wembley Stadium in London.
Kabir and Rahim have been our
inspirations. The Su tradition is
the best antidote to terrorism, he

said. India has no reason to
remain poor. I can say that after
my experience during the last 18
months, Modi, who started his
Wembley speech in English and
then turned to Hindi, said.
Such a youthful nation like India
cannot lag behind in deve lop
ment, said Modi in his over an
hour long speech. He said the fact
that the worlds condence in
India was increasing was proved
by the fact that foreign investment
into India has increased by 40 per
cent.
further core elements of the nancial reform

agenda. In particular, as a key step towards
ending toobigtofail, we have nalised the
common international standard on total
lossabsorbingcapacity (TLAC) for global
systemically important banks," the state
ment said.
Stating that the issue of climate change
was one of the greatest challenges in these
times the leaders stated that 2015 was a
critical year that required effective, strong
and collective action on climate change and
its effects.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a
number of bilateral meetings at the sidelines
of the summit. He rst met Turkish
President and host of this year's G20
Antalya: Prime Minister Narendra Modi

said India, given its size and scale, can
become a pillar of global growth.
Indias deve lopment goals are
aligned with the SDGs (Sustainable
Development Goals), Modi said in his
lead intervention at the twoday G20
Summit that got underway here.
We are promot ing g rowth and
investing in skill to create employment
for our youth; increasing the pace and
quality of infrastructure expansion;
and investing in making farms more
productive and resilient, he said.
Point ing out that India has the
worlds largest nancial program, he
said we have denite target dates for
meeting all the basic needs of our peo
ple. Through bold economic and gov
ernance reforms, we have achieved a
growth rate of 7.5 percent with strong
prospects for a higher growth in the
near future, the prime minister said.
Given our size and scale, India can
become a pillar of global growth and
stability....
Summit Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which was
followed by meetings with Spanish Prime
Minister Mariano Rajoy, Saudi Arabia's King
Salman bin Abdul Aziz, and South Korean
President Park Gyunhye.
India new bright spot of hope

London: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi told the British Parliament
that India was the new bright spot
of hope and opportunity as New
Delhi and London signed a civil
nuclear cooperation agreement.
On the rst day of his threeday
visit to Britain, Modi addressed the
British parliament the rst
Indian prime minister to do so
and dwelled on history, shared
expressions of joy and the desire on
two sides to transform the strategic
partnership.
Modi talked of winds of change,
boldness and speed in decisions,
accountability in governance and
his governments commitment to
individual liberties in his address to
the British Parliament.
Dressed in a bandhgala, Modi
received a standing ovation and
thunderous applause at the end of
his speech to the British parliament
which was heard with attention.
Hours after Modi reached
London, he and British Prime
Minister David Cameron held dele
gationlevel talks and announced
that the two countries have signed a
civil nuclear agreement.
T he conclusion of the civil
nuclear agreement is a symbol of
The PM Narendra Modi with other world leaders in a group photograph

at the G20 Summit 2015 in Turkey on November 15, 2015.
our mutual trust and our resolve to
combat climate change, Modi said
while issuing a joint statement
along with British Premier David
Cameron.
The agreement for cooperation
in Indias Global Centre for Clean
Energy Partnerships will strengthen
safety and security in the global
nuclear industry, he said.
Modi said India attached great
value to defense and security coop
eration with Britain and said UK
will participate in the International
Fleet Review in India in February
2016. Stating that Britain was
already the third largest investor in
India, he said there was more

investment from India in Britain
than in rest of the European Union
combined.
Following the delegation level
talks, he paid homage to Mahatma
Gandhi at his statue at the
Parliament Square here.
A ypast by the Red Arrows, the
aerobatics display team of the Royal
Air Force, with the Indian colors
marked the event.
The rst day of Modis visit saw
protests staged by groups opposed
to him. Pictures on Twitter showed
people gathered at Downing Street,
holding placards criticizing Modi.
BUSINESS
23
India clears bigticket projects worth 10,000 crore

New Delhi: In a spate of decisions
underlining the government's
reform drive, union cabinet has
approved 10 percent stake sale
in Coal India, initial public offer
of Co chin Shipyards, and
approved three percent interest
subsidy for exports.
The cabinet also empowered
roads ministry to revive 34
stalled projects by appropriate
measure where de lay is not
because of the builder and
cleared bigticket railway proj
ects adding up to over Rs 8,000
crore.
For the rst time, cabinet also
approved direct payment of a
production subsidy to the farm
ers. The government has decided
For the first time the government has decided to give direct subsidy to
farmers for sugarcane sold to sugar mill.
to give direct subsidy to farmers
for sugarcane sold to sugar mill.
The government will give pro
duction subsidy to farmers at the
rate of Rs 4.5/quintal of sugar

cane supplied to the sugar mills.
The government said the subsidy
was compliant with the World
Trade Organization.
The union cabinet also allowed
separation of land and construc
tion cost of road projects to
empower the highways ministry
to clear more projects without
going to cabinet where the cost
escalation is because of higher
compensation for land.
The timing and pricing of Coal
India w ill be decided by the
nance minister through the
group on disinvestment. 10%
stake sale in Coal India can fetch
the government over Rs 20,000
crore at current prices. The gov
ernment is likely to miss its disin
vestment target of Rs 69,500
crore in the current year because
the pipeline includes many met
als company that are not in

demand because of the global
slump. So far it has managed to
raise a little over Rs 12,000
crore.
Cochin Shipyard reported a net
prot of Rs 233 crore in FY15 on
a turnover of Rs 1,850 crore.
The company is both into ship
building & ship repair and its
yard can build ships upto
1,10,000 DWT and repair ships
upto 1,25,000 DWT. The union
cabinet brought back interest
subvention scheme for exports
providing for 3% subsidy to both
preshipment and postshipment
credit to exports.
T his will be available from
April 1, 2015.
IndiaAustralia civil ndeal Patanjali says its noodles

procedures completed
followed food safety norms
Antalya (Turkey): India and Australia have
completed all procedures of the civil
nuclear agreement signed by them last
year, it was announced on Sunday on the
sidelines of the G20 Summit that got
underway here.
"Another milestone achievement as 2
PMs announce complet'n of procedures
for #IndiaAustralia Civil Nuclear
Agreement," Vikas Swarup, spokesperson
in the external af fairs ministry, tweeted
soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi
he ld a bilateral meet ing w ith his
Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull
in this Mediterranean resort city.
"With the completion of procedures,
including administrative arrangements,
the #IndiaAustralia Civil Nuclear

Agreement will enter into force," Swarup
stated.
India and Australia had signed the
ag reement during the visit of then
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to
New Delhi in September last year.
Five rounds of negotiations were held
since 2012 before the milestone agree
ment was signed.
"PM
@narendramo di
and
PM
@TurnbullMalcolm discuss IndiaAustralia
relations in their rst bilateral meeting,"
PMO India tweeted.
In April, India signed another civil
agreement with Canada during Modi's
visit to that country.
Marriott buying Starwood hotel chain for $12.2B

Bethesda, Md: Marriott International (MAR)
has agreed to buy Starwood Hotels and
Resorts in a $12.2 billion deal that will
make it the largest hotel chain in the world.
The boards of directors of both companies
have unanimously approved a merger
agreement, Marriott announced this week.
The combined companies will operate or
franchise more than 5,500 hotels with 1.1
million rooms worldwide. About 35% of the
properties are outside the USA.
Shares of Marriott rose 2% to $74.21 on
the day of the announcement and Starwood
fell 3.5% to $72.34.
Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson will remain
CEO of the combined company. The compa
ny's headquarters will remain in Bethesda,
Md. The companies expect the deal to close
in mid2016, following shareholder and reg

ulatory approvals.
Sorenson said Starwood appealed to
Marriott because of its portfolio of 11
brands, many of them lifestyle hotels that
tend to attract younger travelers. Starwood
also brings with it a strong international
presence that Sorenson says will help
Marriott increase its global footprint.
The StamfordConn.based Starwood had
suffered in recent years because it had not
grown its brands in North America as quick
ly as its competitors.
Starwood has 11 brands, including W
Hotels, St. Regis, Westin, and Aloft. The com
pany had been making itself more attractive
to a buyer by creating two new brands this
year.
New Delhi: Baba Ramdev

promoted Patanjali said it
has followed all the guide
lines and regulations of the
Food Safety and Regulatory
Authority of India (FSSAI) in
the launch of its "atta"
instant noodles and other
products.
"We have followed all
rules and guidelines by the
FSSAI. We have not dis
obeyed any of them," said
S.K. Tijarawala, spokesper
son for Patanjali.
"The FSSAI has given us
the licence of relabelling
under pasta category and
on basis of which we have
given contract to various
companies to make noodles
(for us)," he said in the
statement.
The remarks come in the
wake of a top FSSAI ofcial
claiming that Patanjali's
instant
noo dles
was
launched without its prod
uct approval. The authori Baba Ramdev launching Patanjali noodles in New Delhi.
ty's chairman Ashish
Bahuguna has also been quoted as say queries" and that he had said what he
ing that product approval for pasta can wanted to. Tijarawala said Patanjali had
not apply to noodles. The chairman, taken a product licence for pasta under
however, was not available for comment. the "central category" and that noodles,
Following persistent calls, his ofce told accordingly, fell under that. Patanjali
an IANS correspondent that the chair had formally launched its wholewheat
man "cannot respond to individual instant noodles this week.
24 November 21-27, 2015
SPORTS
CRICKET ALLSTARS: SHANE

WARNE'S WARRIORS SWEEP SERIES
Los Angeles: A tter middleorder display
powered Warne's Warriors to a fourwick
et win over Sachin's Blasters and a 30
clean sweep of the Cricket AllStars Series
at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last
weekend.
The Warriors, comfortable winners in
the two previous games in NY and Texas,
were never behind the eightball despite
losing early wickets, and exploded in the
middle as Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky
Ponting and Jacques Kallis, who all made
40s, combined for 132 runs in just 69
deliveries with 11 fours and nine sixes
between them. Electing to bat, skipper
Tendulkar laid the foundation for a mam
moth score with two impressive partner
ships. After Virender Sehwag's (27) dis
missal, Tendulkar showed no signs of
stopping, striking a 74run partnership
with Mehela Jayawardene (41) off just 34
balls. Ganguly also scored 50 runs.
Starting the run chase, Warnes team
was in trouble as they lost their opener
Michael Vaughan for nought, sent back to

the pavilion by Curtley Ambrose in the
rst ball of their innings.
But Kallis' arrival at the crease proved
to be the spark they needed, the South
African allrounder smashing four fours
and four sixes in a sublime innings of 47
of f 23 balls. The formalities were com
pleted by skipper Shane Warne who loft
ed a six to seal the win. Ponting remained
unbeaten on 43 off 25 balls to cap off a
spectacular series where he scored 132
runs in three outings at an average of
132. The southpaw picked up 3 wickets
for 33 runs in his 4 overs.
For Blasters, Swann (2/21) took two
wickets, while Curtly Ambrose (1/45),
Hooper (1/37) and Sehwag (1/12)
grabbed one each.
Jacques Kallis was adjudged the Manof
theMatch for his quickre knock, while
Kumara Sangakkara took home the Man
oftheSeries trophy for his consistent
form.
India, Pak cricket

match in December
unlikely: Daily
Islamabad: T he chances of
PakistanIndia cricket match this
December seem to be over, said a
Pakistani daily which noted that
at a time "when communalism is
on the rise in India", the Pakistani
cricket team visiting the country
carries an obvious threat.
An editorial "Playing India" in
the News International said that
any chances of Pakistan and India
playing each other this December
seem to be over.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
has directed the Pakistan Cricket
Board (PCB) not to take any deci
sion over a possible tour of India
without the prior approval of the
government.
Earlier this month, after consul
tations between the PCB and the
Board of Control for Cricket in
India (BCCI), the latter had report
edly requested Pakistan to move
their home series from the UAE
to India. The request was reject
ed by the PCB on grounds of safe

ty. Earlier in October, a meeting
between the PCB and BCCI of
cials regarding the possible crick
et series had been ransacked by
Shiv Sena activists in what has
been "a growing tide of anti
Pakistan and antiMuslim violence
in India", the editorial said.
The same month, Pakistani ex
cricketers Wasim Akram and
Shoaib Akhtar and Pakistani
umpire Aleem Dar chose to return
from India over security concerns
after the Shiv Sena issued threats
against them taking part in any
cricketing activity in the country.
Pakistan and India had signed
an agreement to play six series
four hosted by Pakistan and two
by India last year.
Pakistan has been unable to
host toplevel international crick
et after the terrorist attack on the
Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009
due to security concerns.
Shane Warne holds the Cricket AllStars Series trophy after defeating Sachin's Blasters
in the final game last weekend
Pacer Johnson retires from

international cricket
Perth: The curtains came down
on the career of one of the best
pacers to g race the g ame in
recent years as Australia fast
bowler Mitchell Johnson retired
from all forms of international
cricket at the end of the second
Test against New Zealand here.
Johnson, the country's fourth
hig hest Test w ickettaker,
informed his teammates of his
decision on Monday night, say
ing that after 73 Tests he felt it
was the right time to walk away
from the game.
"I feel now is the best time to
say goodbye," Johnson said in a
Cricket Australia (CA) statement.
"I have been lucky enough to
have had a wonderful career and
enjoyed every moment of playing
for my country. Its been an
incredible ride. But the ride has
to come to an end at some point
and to do so here at the WACA is
very special," the le ftarmer
added.
"I've given the decision a lot of
thought. Beyond this match, Im
just not sure that I can continue
competing consistently at the
level required to wear the Baggy
Green."
Johnson dismissed New
Zealand openers Tom Latham
and Martin Guptill on the nal
day to nish his career with 313
Test wickets. The 34yearold sits
behind only Dennis Lillee (355),
Glenn McGrath (563) and Shane
Australian fast bowler

Mitchell Johnson
Warne (708) on the list of
Australia's greatest wickettak
ers. He was the key gure in
Australia's 50 Ashes sweep in
201314, claiming a staggering
37 wickets across the ve Tests
and leaving an indelible mark
with his pace and intimidation.
Johnson was also a use ful
lower order batsman, scoring 11
halfcenturies and one century to
amass a career haul of 2,065
runs.
He was given a guard of hon

our by the New Zealand elders
and an ovation from the crowd
as he emerged for his last Test
innings shortly before lunch on
the nal day.
"My career has certainly had its
up and downs but I can honestly
say I have given it my all and am
proud of every thing I have
achieved. To win an Ashes series
and a Cricket World Cup is some
thing I will treasure forever,"
Johnson said.
"My family have been by my
side throughout and I could not
have achieved all I have without
their support. They have made a
lot of sacrices, especially my
beautiful wife Jess who has pro
vided me with unconditional sup
port, and I am incredibly grateful
for that."
Indian batting legend Sachin
Tendulkar was among several
current and former cricketers
who heaped praise on the
Australian pace spearhead.
Tendulkar, who played along
side Johnson during the pacer's
stint with Mumbai Indians in the
Indian Premier League (IPL),
termed the bowler as someone
special.
"Good luck to Johnson who has
always been a special bowler. Got
to know him well at Mumbai
Indians and enjoyed his aggres
sive approach!" Tendulkar
tweeted.
26
Is terrorism a threat to
suburban communities?
or many living in suburban
and rural communities, the
threat of terror may seem
very remote and limited to major
metropolises. But is this compla
cency warranted?
It is common for people to
hear the word terrorism and
immediate ly think of Islamic
extremists operating abroad. But
terrorism comes in many forms,
each with its own characteristics,
says Abayomi Nurain Mumuni, a
fellow at the American Society of
Criminology and author of the
new book, Global Terrorism and
its Ef fects on Humanity, which
addresses the causes, agendas and
methods used by terrorists and
offers a prescription for eradicat
ing this worldwide threat.
Unfortunately, no community is
truly safe from terror threats, he
points out.
From eco terrorism to patholog
ical terrorism, the definitions,
causes and manifestations of ter
ror are varied. And modern tech
nologies are creating the possibili
ty for new forms of terror attack
SELF HELP
that can have global ef fects. For

example, cyberterrorism attacks
on IT and biological terrorism
(the release of toxic biological
agents) could have implications
that know no borders.
While all this may sound scary,
Mumuni offers a prescription for
hope. Terrorist groups find it
easiest to recruit among people
with a narrow or distorted view of
the world. We must therefore help
states give all their citizens a mod
ern education that encourages sci
entific inquiry and free thought,
he says. He also calls for strength
ening public health initiatives to
protect against bioterror threats
which could potentially spread
infectious disease across the
world in a matter of days. While
the World Health Organizations
Global Outbreak and Response
Network has done an impressive
job in monitoring and responding
to outbreaks of deadly infectious
disease, in the case of an over
whelming manmade outbreak, it
is the local health systems that
will be in the front line, he says.
Tips to overcome life's obstacles

ometimes it can seem impossible to surmount
lifes obstacles, particularly if you have been
dealt more than your fair share. But you can
often draw on the strength of others for inspiration
and helpful advice, especially those who have grace
fully overcome difficult trials of their own.
Author and musician Vanessa Leigh Hoffman first
learned of the power of her own strength as a
teenager when she was undergoing chemotherapy
while attending school and writing and recording
music. One can conquer anything he or she puts a
focus on, says Hoffman, who over the course of her
life, endured both stage three Hodgkins disease and
a car accident that left her in a coma for close to two
weeks. After my accident, I had to relearn to walk,
talk, write, sing and do even the most menial tasks.
While not everyone will have to deal firsthand with
that much tragedy, we are all subjected to unexpect
ed challenges in our daily lives. To help, Hoffman is
of fering some practical insights for coping with
everything, big or small.
4Be inspired: Allow your negative experiences to
be your inspiration. For example, Hof fman has
reprised some of the great themes of her life in her
art. Her new novel, Treasure, a fastpaced trilogy,
tells the story of two twin boys orphaned and sepa
rated at birth, challenging readers to ask critical
questions about how our lives are shaped. Treasure,
the winner of the Hollywood and Southern California
book festivals, was inspired by Hof fmans real life
encounter with President Kennedys former chef, a
mysterious figure in her life.
4Dont be disheartened: Whether its discourag

ing feedback from a teacher or a bleak prognosis
from a doctor, dont let the words of experts, howev
er wellintentioned, define the scope of your poten
tial. After Hoffmans accident, the medical team car
ing for her predicted that she would never talk,
walk, read or write again.
Instead of resigning herself to their expectations,
she became a veritable renaissance woman, as a
singersongwriter, businesswoman and author flu
ent in four languages, amongst other varied pur
suits.
4Have goals: Its easy to let your goals fall by the
wayside, particularly when lifes challenges prove
time consuming, distracting and demoralizing. By
embracing your passions and pursuing those things
that you hold most dear, it will be easier to stay
motivated to follow through.
Does your retirement plan How to lower your

electricity bill
consider longterm care?
A
W
hen many people consider
their ret irement, they
dream about the vacations
theyll take and the time they will
have to relax. And while many savvy
consumers are planning for their
retirement financially, experts say
that not enough people consider the
potential expense of longterm care.
In fact, only one in five future
retirees has discussed longterm
care expenses with a financial advi
sor, based on research conducted by
Lincoln Financial Group (the mar
keting name for Lincoln National Corporation
and its af filiates) and Hanover Research in
October 2014. According to the Managing
LongTerm Care Risks research, advisors
believe potential longterm care expenses are a
significant risk to clients wealth and retirement
goals. Indeed, according to Long Term Care
Group the 2014 LongTerm Cost of Care
Survey, a private room in a skilled nursing
home averages $97,611 per year, with costs ris
ing to $147,982 in certain areas of the country.
It has been estimated that 70 percent of people
age 65 and older will need some form of long
term care. It is more critical than ever that
Americans understand the need to properly pre
pare for possible longterm care events in the
future, especially as the population ages.
Planning ahead for longterm care expenses not
only helps protect a retirees finances, but can
also help protect the entire family from having
to make hard choices during an emotional and
dif ficult time, says Andrew Bucklee, Head of
Insurance Solutions Distribution at Lincoln
Financial Group. Now is an excellent time to get

a better understanding of the longterm care
landscape, the cost of care, and the solutions
available to address longterm care expenses.
While it can be challenging and uncomfortable
to have these conversations, Bucklee encourages
everyone to take the following steps.
4 Plan ahead with an advisor to help protect
your family and your wealth from potential
longterm care expenses.
4 Consider all options, including hybrid solu
tions to help address longterm care expenses
with greater financial flexibility.
4 Stretch your postretirement dollar by
downsizing your residence, if possible.
4 Inflation can be a major source of trouble
for retirees because it drives down the real value
of savings and reduces purchasing power an
effect thats exacerbated by higher rates of infla
tion in such categories as health care, a high
spend area for retirees. Seek out retirement
products that help mitigate the ef fects of
inflation.
lexander Goldstein, CEO of

Eligo Energy, a technology
driven Retail Energ y
Provider that provides electricity
to residential and commercial
customers in deregulated states,
tells us the best ways to save
money on electricity bills with
out giving up the comforts of a
warm and toasty home.
Here are some facts and busted
myths
Use LED bulbs to save some $$$!
True
When LED bulbs first appeared, they
were significantly more expensive
than a standard incandescent bulb
sometimes even costing up to $100
per bulb! But now, most LED bulbs
cost less than $10 and studies have
shown that LED bulbs are up to 10
times more energy ef ficient and last
up to 50 times longer than the incan
descent bulbs.
It doesnt matter what speed your
fan is set to. False.
Most people come home from a hot
day, turn their fan on its highest set
ting to cool off and pat themselves on
the back for saving energy and money
by resisting the urge to blast the AC.
While the impulse to use your fan to
cool down instead of your AC is the
correct one, you could save even more
money by lowering the speed of fan
even by one setting. By using the sec
ond highest, or middle, setting for
your fan you can reduce your con

sumption even more, allowing you to
achieve the most energy savings possi
ble while still enjoying a cool breeze.
Less energy is consumed if you leave
your lights on rather than turning it
off and on several times. False.
Leaving a lamp on will always con
sume more energy than turning it on
and off, as needed. If the bulb is on, it
is using electricity, and if its of f, it
isnt its as simple as that; it doesnt
take any more electricity for a light
bulb to turn itself back on. So if you
really want to save energy and money,
make it a habit to turn off your lights
when not in use. You can also make it
a point to use natural light during the
day time to reduce the amount of
energy you use each day and increase
your cost savings.
By learning more about ef ficient
energy usage and correcting past mis
takes, you will be able to significantly
reduce your energy consumption lead
ing to a greener world and ultimately
more money in your pocket!
RELIGION
27
Jains copious contribution to World Religions Parliament

The event was held in Salt Lake City, Utah last month.
T
he Jain communitys presence in

the 6th Parliament of the
Worlds Religions held in Salt Lake
City Oct. 1519 was a grand success.
The history dates back to the first
Parliament in 1893, which is known
for introducing Jain religion to the
west by Shri Virchand Raghav
Gandhi and Hindu re ligion by
Swami Vivekananda. It had set the
interfaith movement in motion.
The Parliament was attended by
10,000 participants from 73 coun
tries, representing 30 major reli
gions; and conducted 1,000 pro
grams by 1,800 presenters. If we
replicate this event of 10,000 in
proportions of the religions prac
ticed, only six would be Jains with
barely one program. Instead there
were 60 Jains. Forty of them were
represented in 40 Jain and inter
faith programs, workshops, artistic
and plenary sessions.
There were two sacred spaces cre
ated in the Parliament, a replica of
the Golden Temple by the Sikhs and
a Mahavir Swami Temple by the
Jains. The location of the Jain tem
ple by the entrance of the conven
tion center made it possible to bring
awareness about Jainism among the
attendees. The temple containing a
shikhar, pedestal, columns, granite
elephants, and lotus flowers was
assembled by Dr. Nipul Shah from
Jain Center of San Diego with the
support of the local Jain and Hindu
communities, and others. The inau
guration ceremony was performed
by Jain leaders followed by prayers
by leaders from other faiths.
Jain Temple proved a magnet for
attendees. Amrender Muni Ji and
Bhattark Charukeerthi Ji would do
chanting of Namokar Mantra, etc,
surrounded by Jain posters. Fliers
on Jainism and Jain prayers were
made available. Books on Jainism
and the Essence of World Religions
were also given away.
JAINA booth was visited by record
number of people who were seen
reading the posters and taking pic
tures with their smartphones and
tablets. For many visitors, Jainism
was a new religion, and they wanted
to know more about it. Many were
surprised to find out that it was one
of the oldest religions.
After the Parliament, the temple
was carefully taken down for reuse
to build a Jain Temple at the Loyola
University in California where they
are going to start Jain Studies by
Prof. Christopher Chapel.
The Ahimsa Award was presented
on behalf of Jain community by Dr.
Vasanth Vijay Ji Maharaj to the
Charter
for
Compassion
International for their continued
promotion of nonviolence. T his
award was given for the first time in
the Parliament with generous sup
port from Vasanth Vijay Ji from
Krishnagiri, India, and JAINA.
The Inauguration ceremony was

held on October 15 where people
from various faiths entered a large
plenary hall in a procession. The
chair of PWR, Imam Malik Mujahid,
welcomed the guests and wished for
a successful program. T he Jain
prayer Namokar Mantra and
Mangal Paath in the opening cere
mony were recited by HH Acharya
Dr. Lokesh Muni Ji. The program
was graced by the Governor of Utah
and the Mayor of Salt Lake City.
A fund raising Golden Luncheon
was arranged on Oct 18 where deli
cious Jain food was served it was
vegan without root vegetables. It
made such an impression on the
owner of the Bombay Palace, Salt
Lake City that he said that he would
make the last Langar meal as Jain
food, no root vegetables.
The Parliament officially launched
an action plan on the social issue of
climate change that af fects our
everyday lives. A plenary session on
an Interfaith Call to action on
Climate Change was held on Oct
18th. The call to action statement
was drafted by the Parliaments 4
member committee that included
the former trustee Naresh Jain. The
same evening, the Sacred Music
Concert was held in the beautiful
Mormon Tabernacle. T he Jain
Performance by Kummar Chatterjee
in the Tabernacle received standing
ovation. Jain children also took part
in a multifaith Youth Choir.
Master Kummar Chatterjee had
the maximum number (6) of artistic
performances representing Jainism.
He was also on a panel session on
Mantra, Sound Vibration and
Spiritual Evolution with Amrender
Muniji and Vasanth Vijay Ji. In one
of his solo session on Rhythms of
the Universe, the participants were
dancing almost throughout the pro
gram.
Another highlight of the
Parliament was Guru Ka Langar a
combined effort of the Sikhs across
the US and world.
HH Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muniji
participated in a panel discussion on
a crucial shift among religious lead
ers on promoting sanitation through
spirituality and faith from worship
to WASH (Water, Sanitation and
Hygiene); including the role faith
leaders can play in advocacy.
Samanis Parimal Pragya, Shukla
Pragya, Rohit Pragya and Maryada
Pragya
conducted
Preksha
Meditation sessions every morning.
There were several sessions by
Jain speakers and scholars on
Jainism. A session on Peace
Education, Conflict Resolution and
Stress Management moderated by
JAINA interfaith member Naresh
Jain included HH Lokesh Muniji, Dr.
Sohanlal Gandhi represented by Dr.
Hema Pokharna, Sudhir Shah and
Ektaa Deora from India. Parliament
Lokesh Muni Ji speaking at the Parliament of World Religions
Opening of the Jain Temple at the Parliament of World Religions by spiritual leaders of Jain and Hindu faith.
Trustee Kirit Daftary was a panelist
in another program Langar from
Sikh and Interfaith Perspective.
Vasanth Vijay Ji spoke in a solo
session on Universal call for Peace
A Divine Hope to end Violence. A
shared Jain session on a variety of
topics included Pravin K Shah on
Jain eLibrary, Arvind Vora on
Compassion for Well Being; Hema
Pokharna and Manda Pokharna on
Nonviolent Communication; and
Girish Shah on an Approach to
Sustainable Living.
Another session on Application of
Nonviolence for Existential Well
Being and Anuvrat Balodaya Model
of Education was conducted by
Samani Shukla Prajna ji and
Sanchay Jain, a designated
Ambassador of the Parliament from
India.
Bhattarak Shri Charukirtiji gave a
session on Awake: Reborn Soul
with colorful diagrams and stories
based on Jainism. A shared session
on A holistic Approach to Wellness
and Breathing was shared by Dr.
Vikram Desai and Samani Maryada
Pragya. A session on Death without
Destruction, Jainism and Ecology,
Saving the Planet, and Jain Lifestyle
was shared by Whitney Braun, Prof.
Pankaj Jain, and Samani Parimal
Pragya.
Another shared session on 3
Pillars of Peaceful Life, Jaipur Foot,
and the Anuvrata Code was shared
Chaturvidh Sangha (priest, nun, laymen, laywomen) reciting mantras for

peace and wellbeing of humanity.
L to R: Arvind Vora, Dr. Hema Pokharna, Dr. Manda Pokharna

and Girish Shah
by Dr. Sulekh Jain, Tejkaran Jain
from India and Kirit Daftary. Prior
to the closing plenary session, Kirit
Daftary had arranged for Bhakti

Sangeet to bring about a musical
end to the Jain programs.
28
HUMOR
Funny Side by Nury Vittachi
3 CASES OF ASTONISHINGLY BAD JUDGMENT

T
HE FACT THAT judges always have
tiny hammers made me realize that in
the old days they must have just gone
round attacking people, right?
BOP! Take that! Now go away and stop
murdering everyone.
Oww! Yes, my lord.
***
Judges were on my mind after Hong Kong

reader Rahul Mangal told me that court offi
cials sent an evict ion not ice to Lord
Hanuman at a temple in Indias Madhya
Pradesh state.
You have illegally encroached [on] the
road, it said.
OOOO! This was seriously unwise, Rahul
explained, as Hanuman is a powerful mon
key god deity known for throwing moun
tains around and threatening to eat the sun.
Court of ficials must have realized this,
because they withdrew the letter and now
await repercussions.
OFFICIALS WIFE: How was your day,
dear?
OFFICIAL: Fine. Except I annoyed Lord
Hanuman who is now eating the sun, ending
the solar system and all known organic life
in the universe.
WIFE: At least we wont have to wash
the dishes.
***
In my office, colleagues asked why Indian

court of ficials didnt use the traditional
Asian method of conducting evictions: get
ting spotty youths in sunglasses to loiter
and threaten violence?
Because violence sucks. Evidence of this
came right on cue in the shape of a news
item about a man in Ireland who turned to
see an ugly man staring at him.
Gerard McGaughey leapt into action and
headbutted the stranger.
Unfortunately, the victim was his own
reflection, so he actually caused significant
damage only to his own head.
Theres a deep moral here, right?
I think its some people are dumber than
rocks.
(I hope any rocks reading this dont feel
offended by the comparison.)
***
Before the day was out, a colleague shared
ANOTHER news item about an illjudged
legal threat.
A Swiss diplomat in Venezuela, annoyed
by numerous golf balls that landed in his
garden, erected a sign saying the embassy
was technically a separate country so firing

missiles into it would break the Vienna
Convention (i.e., start World War III).
That could turn out bad.
GOLFERS WIFE: Hows your day?
GOLFER: I started World War III, which is
a bit of a downer, but on the plus side I was
three under par.
***
An editor reading over my shoulder asked
me a tough question: Would you rather be
credited with starting World War III or end
ing the solar system?
Dang. Thats the kind of tough decision
that makes me stay up all night worrying.
In the end I decided that both would win
one a place in history, but only the first
would be likely to have survivors, even if
they were hardtoeradicate lowlevel life
forms, such as cockroaches, bacteria, nation
alist politicians, Britney Spears, etc.

***
But going back to evictions, its clear to me
that landlords have to be tough people.
How To Be A Landlord In Three Easy
Steps.
1) Locate your heart.
2) Rip it out.
3) Start renting.
***
In the meantime, sociologists say we all
have advanced negotiation skills, but use
them selectively.
This is so true. If I negotiated as fiercely
with my bosses as I do when talking myself
out of sticking to my diet plan, my income
would be several trillion dollars by now.
ANOTHER case of astonishingly bad judg
ment on my part.
***
Laughter is the Best Medicine
by
Mahendra
Shah
BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA
AND
PAKISTAN
New York Head Quarter
422S Broadway
HICKSVILLE
NY 11801
5168271010
Mahendra Shah
is an architect by
education, entrepreneur by profession, artist
and humorist,
cartoonist and
writer by hobby.
He has been
recording the
plight of the
immigrant
Indians for the
past many years
in his cartoons.
Hailing from
Gujarat,
he lives in
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania.
ASTROLOGY
29
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874

Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
NOVEMBER 2127, 2015

ARIES : Support and appreciation from sen
iors would raise your morale and confidence.
Friends and family members would encour
age to work harder. Investment on longterm plans
would pave the way for earning financial gains.
Chances of your love life turning into lifelong bond
are high on the card. You are likely to maintain
good health that would also give you success. Take
some time to travel with your spouse for romance
and seduction. Investing residentially is one thing
you can rely on. Your choice of activities will not
only keep you busy but also benefit you.
TAURUS : Make sure you dont forget to
motivate and guide enthusiastic & inquisi
tive minds at work. You are likely to hear a
good news from close relatives. Improvement in
finances makes it convenient in clearing long pend
ing dues & bills. Exciting week as your long pend
ing wait for affirmation is going to materialize. A
continuous positive thinking gets rewarded as you
succeed in whatever you do this week. You can
make your vacation extra special by planning it
with your family and friends. Investment on over
seas property has to be considered seriously. You
receive an invaluable guidance from a spiritual
leader.
GEMINI: Negligence at professional front
would backfire. An old friend makes a
pleasant visit later in the week. Successful
execution of brilliant ideas would help in earning
financial profits. Enjoying the company of partner
in a lively restaurant would bring immense roman
tic pleasure. Creative hobbies are likely to keep you
relaxed. Spiritual vacation is a quest for life, plan it
and enjoy it with your family. Time to spend money
on your homely accommodations. You find many
takers for your unique & innovative ideas.
CANCER: A very good week to apply for

overseas job. Evening enjoyed with family
and close relatives brings immense pleas
ure. Your creative talent proves highly lucrative
provided you make a proper use. The presence of
love would make you feel life meaningful. With a
positive outlook & confidence, you succeed in
impressing people around you. Vacation full of
beauty and history as well as exciting is waiting for
you. A good week to make some investment on
kitchen items. You would be full of good ideas espe
cially in later half of the week.
LEO: Promotions and monetary benefits for
dedicated professionals. You are likely to
plan a short trip with family. You need to
play cards exceptionally well to enable yourself to
earn profits.
Love life brings some memorable moments that
you could cherish rest of your life. Mental alertness
would enable to solve a tricky problem. Traveling
on your own, with a friend or with the whole family
will be exciting and comfortable too. You might be
purchasing a refrigerator or any other gadget for
your house. Legal battle proves fruitful as you suc
ceed in your efforts.
VIRGO: Pending proposals will get imple
mented with the he lp of seniors.
Unexpected visit by old friend could give
you a pleasant surprise.
Perfect week to purchase items that would grow in
value. Your flashing smile would work as the best
antidote for romantic partners unhappiness. A
cheerful state of mind brings mental peace. Travel
in comfort with kids to an adventurous place might
be possible. Purchasing of electrical appliances can
be done. Favourable planetary position will give
you plenty of reasons to cheer.
LIBRA: Good week for implementing new

plans and ventures. Good advice from
family members will help in reducing
mental tension/pressure. A very successful week as
far as monetary position is concerned. If possible
make sure you enjoy the lovely romantic journey to
cement the bond. Good time to divert attention to
spirituality to enhance mental toughness. A trip
that stimulates and gives opportunity for work is
coming ahead. A good deal for residential property
is ahead.
SCORPIO: You will be highly benefited by
being a livewire and making full use of your
communications skills at professional front.
Sudden good news in the evening will bring cheers
for the entire family. Indications of earning finan
cial profits through commissions, dividends or roy
alties. Sharing candyfloss and tof fees with
lover/beloved would bring unlimited joy. A pleas
ure trip gives the muchneeded tonic to health. A
luxurious getaway type vacation with your spouse
waiting for you. Time to make investments on
farmlands. Forced travelling brings pleasure more
than expectations.
SAGITTARIUS: Subordinates/coworkers
would be very helpful. Your efforts bring
success & happiness at family front.
Important people will be ready to finance anything
that has a special class to it. Company of love part
ner would inspire to take initiatives this week.
Cutting down the number of parties and pleasure
jaunts would help in keeping in good mood.
Thrilling experience is on your way, as your trip is
full of excitement Your investment plans are at full
boom and you might succeed in them. You are like
ly to be contacted by an old friend reminding some
sweet memories.
CAPRICORN: Traveling brings new over

seas business opportunities. You achieve
success in personal work with the timely
help & support provided by family members.
Property dealings would materialize helping in
bringing fabulous gains. Love works like a panacea
as you find sanity. You need to take advantage of
your enormous confidence to make new contacts
and friends. Pack your bags as a happy, funfilled
holiday is looking forward. Your girlfriends desire
for an apartment might lead to its destination. You
find many of your unrealisable dreams coming true
this week.
AQUARIUS: Auspicious week to start a
new venture. Keeping ill feelings against
family members will only harm you. If
possible put your money on the advice of innova
tive & experienced people. Love partner touches
soul that would take imagination to unlimited
heights.
A beneficial week to work on things that will
improve your health. An enriching vacation full of
fun is what you need. Time to plan a gift for your
parents may be their dream home. You are likely to
enjoy sheer pleasure & fun if you venture to take a
ride this week.
PISCES : Professional attitude at work
brings success. Misunderstandings with
near ones in the family will get cleared. You
are likely to make money, if you put savings into
conservative investments.
Someones timely help would enable visualizing
succeeding in love. Your confidence and energy will
be high this week. Time to make your vacation a
dream come true. Its high time to think of purchas
ing a new office. An improved look adds to your
personality.
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK

21st November, 2015
Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3
Traits in you: By your inborn nature, you are intel
lectual, distinguished, cheerful, kind and optimistic.
Health this year: You need to take more care of your
health to avoid future complicacy.
Finance this year: Your business may earn you a lot
of money if you plan your budget intelligently. You
need to have a trustworthy plan in place before you
implement your budget in the business. You should
not go beyond your budget if you do not want to be
in loss. Your past investments will earn you money
this year and make you financially sound. You may
find the property or legal dispute settlement satis
factory.
Career this year: Being good at your work, you get
lot of appreciation and respect from others. Your
good work pays of f with rewards. However, you
should not behave dominating and arrogant. You
may find this year promising enough when growth
is concerned.
Romance this year: You may plan an overseas trip
with your beloved to spend quality time. Your rela
tionship will grow more strong with lots of love and
care.
Lucky month: February, June and November
22nd November, 2015
Ruled planet: Uranus Ruled by no: 4
Traits in you: By inborn characteristics, you are
active, disciplined, and efficient. You are the master
of an appealing personality. You are highly social and
helpful. However, you should work on your nature of
being jealous, selfcentered, and destructive.
Health this year: You will be in good health through
out this year. To maintain your ggod health, you
need to practice exercise or yoga.
Finance this year: You will be financially benefited
from different sources of income. You will acquire
new projects and that will improve your financial
condition. If you are travelling for business purpose,
it will yield positive results for you and you will be
successful in your business trips this year. You may
invest in buying house or stocks. However, it is rec
ommended to have a good research on the stock
before you invest. You may feel restless due to the
abrupt expenses for the health issues of your family
members. You may end up spending a lot of money
to settle down your legal issues. You might decide to
buy property or vehicles this year.
Career this year: You will be rewarded for your work

this year. You will gain enough professional recogni
tion for your knowledge, skills, and efficiency. The
ongoing projects may get a continuation.
Romance this year: You will enjoy a better romantic
alife as compared to the last year. You will be under
stood by your partner and get enough support in
everything you do.
Lucky month: February, April, July and December
23rd November, 2015
Ruled planet: Mercury Ruled by no: 5
Traits in you: Your ruling planet Mercury makes
you an active, practical, sensible, systematic and
highly diplomatic person. You need to be a bit care
ful and remove stubbornness from your nature.
Health this year: If you are a chronic patient, you
have to take extra care for your health to avoid
grievances in future.
Finance this year: You might sell your property in a
good price, which would help you enhance your finan
cial stance. You may schedule your travel to maintain
distant relationships and gain some financial support.
Some of you may get the opportunity to travel abroad
for business purpose. You should avoid lending and
borrowing money to stay financially stable.
Career this year: You love music and literature and
want to pursue your career in those fields. You will
be able to improve your confidence level as you may
find a lot of opportunities to be grabbed.
Romance this year:Some of you also may get your
marriage fixed this year. Your romance life would
get to its peak.
Lucky month: March, June and September
24th November, 2015
Ruled planet: Venus Ruled by no: 6
Traits in you: Your planet Venus makes you kind,
realistic, helpful, and adaptable. You are very simple
as a person who believes in high thinking. You are
hardworking and sincere, which helps you get
appreciation from others. However, you need to
check your nature of being rude and interfering in
the af fairs of others. If you do not work on your
behavior, you may end up criticized badly.
Health this year: You will enjoy a better health this
year as compared to last year. You may suffer from
some minor health issues such as joint aches, back
pain, headache and so on.
Finance this year: You will enjoy financial prosperity
and a good health throughout this year. If you are a

businessman, you will get ample opportunities to
expand your business by investing in more prof
itable areas.
Career this year: If your profession is associated
with creativity, such as artists, media professionals,
and advertising professionals, you may gain popu
larity, appreciation, and fame. If you want to create
professional and social contacts, you have to achieve
it through frequent gettogethers and travelling. You
may receive some help from your near and dear
ones, which may prove to be instrumental in improv
ing your confidence in your professional life.
Romance this year: You will find your spouse to be
very cooperative this year. You will find your
required emotional support from your spouse
through love, care and concern even if you find it
dif ficult to understand your partner. If you are
unmarried, you may find your romance interest this
year.
Lucky month: March, August and September
25th November, 2015
Ruled planet: Neptune Ruled by no: 7
Traits in you: Being dominated by Neptune, you are
adorned with characteristics such as responsibility,
affection, creativity, simplicity and emotions.
Health this year: Your spouse may suffer from stress
related health issues, which may lead to roaming in
the premises of a hospital.
Finance this year: You are supposed to be benefited
financially from your assumptions while investing
money. However, that does not mean you will invest
blindly.
Career this year: As you are committed towards your
undertaken works, you are appreciated and awarded
consistently. However, you have to work on your
nature of being fickle minded and careless always.
You may realize your ideas and plans this year. You
will be able to execute your plans efficiently. You
will get plenty of support from your partners and
colleagues to improve your morale and confidence.
Romance this year: You will be in a blissful romantic
relationship with your partner this year.
Lucky month: February, July and November
26th November, 2015
Ruled planet: Saturn Ruled by no: 8
Traits in you: Under the influence of Neptune you
will develop your characteristics to be a dynamic,
reliable, organized, sober and disciplined person.

You are a born fighter.
Health this year: You will have few minor health
issues this year, which can be cured by regular med
ication.
Finance this year: If you have made any investments
in real estate or stocks, you will be hugely benefited
this year. You may have a foreign trip for business
purpose.
Career this year: You would never fidget in adverse
situations and fight back all the problems in your
life. However, your stubbornness may make you lag
behind others so it will be better for you to take oth
ers opinion.
Romance this year: You will find lot of love and care
from your spouse. You may think the last quarter of
the year to be idle for you wedding. Some of you
may get involved in romantic relationships, which
you help you enjoy your life the most.
Lucky month: May, August and November
27th November, 2015
Ruled planet: Mars Ruled by no: 9
Traits in you: The vigor of you ruling planet, Mars
blesses you with energy. You are charismatic, coura
geous, enthusiastic, and intellectual. You will be a
crowd puller as you have the characteristics of intel
lectuality. You will impress people with your person
ality and talks. However, you should not behave
aggressive and short tempered. This may ruin your
image in front of others.
Health this year: The last quarter of the year will
make you seek help from a spiritual person to attain
peace of mind. You may go through minor health
related problems due to stress.
Finance this year: You will earn excellent returns if
you had invested in past. Your legal issues will be
settled in your favor this year. You may receive
money unexpectedly from friends and relatives
throughout the year. Your business trips will be suc
cessful this year and you will receive earning oppor
tunities from your trips.
Career this year: This year is the best time to go
back to your old contacts and create new contacts to
receive help to make yourself better in professional
life.
Romance this year: You may get involved in a
romantic relationship this year, which may get con
verted to marriage later on.
Lucky month: April, July and September
30
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
SHOW GRATITUDE BY GIVING
By Sant Rajinder Singh

Ji Maharaj
hanksgiving is a special day

in the United States devoted
to giving thanks. It began
with the newly arrived people
from Europe who landed in
America and gave thanks to the
Native Americans for their help.
Over time, T hanksgiving has
come to symbolize giving thanks
for any thing in our lives for
which we are grateful.
Oftent imes, when we g ive
thanks, it is because we received
something from someone else.
We may have received something
from our family, our friends, our
teachers, our community, or our
country. We also may give thanks
to God for the many gifts we
received.
For those who follow a particu
lar religious belief, we may give
thanks to the founder of that reli
gion. For those who have a spiri
tual Master, we may give thanks
for the spiritual treasures we
received. Yet, most of these forms
of thanks are for what we have
received. There is another way to
show appreciation and that is not
only by thanking others, but by
giving of ourselves. When we
give thanks, it is mostly for what

we have taken or received. If we
really want to show appreciation
for what we have received, we
can express it by giving to others.
It is a way of passing on the
goo dness of what we have
received to others. In this way, we
are not only takers, but we also
become givers. Others in need
become recipients of our gifts.
Saints and Masters are shining
examples of being givers. They
want nothing for themse lves
from their disciples. They have
everything they need. They are
one with God, the source of all
bliss and love. When we have
love and joy, what else can com
pare to that? It is only we who
have forgotten that innate love
and joy who try to find it in the
material wealth and playthings of
the world.
To illustrate this, there is an
anecdote about a saintly man. He
was devoted to God and spent a
great amount of time in both
prayer and service to his fellow
human beings. He was generous
to those in need and spent a lot of
time doing charitable work. As a
result of his generosity, he was
often in financial difficulties.
His wife complained all the
time about how he spent all their
money helping others.
One day, a poor man came to
his house. The saintly man invit
ed him in and listened to his long
tale of sorrow. The man badly
needed money to help his family.
The saintly man was moved
and wanted to help the poor man.
The saintly man went to his lock
box to see if he could give the
THANKSGIVING
IS ON
NOVEMBER 26
We have seen cases of

extreme generosity in
the lives of the saints.
We have seen them
being generous with
their money and time.
They bring solace and
help to the poor, the
needy, and the downtrodden. They bring
comfort and peace to
all who come,
whether rich or poor.
man any money, but saw that he
had used up his financial
resources. His heart was so
touched by the poor mans story
that he could not bear to send the
man away emptyhanded.
W hen his w ife was in the
kitchen preparing a meal, the
saintly man crept into her room
and found her jewelry box. He
saw that she had a ring with a
small diamond in it. He took the
ring and brought it out to the
poor man.
The saintly man said to him, I
do not have any money at the
moment as I have given it all
away. But I do have this ring I
bought my wife, and you can
surely sell it to get enough to
help your family.
The poor man was grateful.
Tears came to his eyes. He
thanked the saintly man and left
with the ring.
T he w ife, who was in the
kitchen, had overheard parts of
the conversation and did not
make much of it because she
could not believe her ears and
thought she was hearing things.
She thought she heard something
about a ring, but could never
imagine her husband would be
g iving away the ring he had
bought her. But when she went to
her room and saw her jewelry
box lying open on the bed with
out the ring in it, she knew she
had heard correctly. Her husband
had, indeed, given away the ring
to the poor man.
She rushed out to the living
room and began shouting at her
husband for giving away the only
valuable thing they had leftthe
ring. She implored her husband,
Please, run after the man, and
get the ring back. Tell him you
have made a mistake. Tell him
that you accidentally gave him a
gold ring with a real diamond in

it.
The saintly man was stuck now,
because his wife was expecting
him to get the ring back from the
man. T he saintly man had no
choice but to run after the man
who had accepted the ring from
them. The saintly man raced out
of the house to catch up to the
poor man. Breathlessly, the saint
ly man, caught up to the man,
took him by the arm and said, I
have to tell you something.
The poor man turned to him
and said, Yes, what is it? The
saintly man said, My friend, I
want you to know I made a big
mistake. The poor man asked,
What is the mistake? The saint
ly man said, The ring I gave you
is solid gold and the diamond is
genuine. Make sure, then, that
when you sell it to a jeweler he
gives you its true value and does
not cheat you.
T his anecdote shows the
extreme generosity of a saintly
man. Instead of getting the ring
back, he wanted to make sure the
poor man got the fair value price
for the jewelry.
This story shows that saints
care more about helping others
than for their own material
belongings.
Saints and Masters can do all
this because they consider mate
rial earnings to be flimsy and
impermanent.
They know that worldly belong
ings will ultimately perish, and
we will leave them at the time of
death. To them, it does not matter
whether they have material
wealth or not. If they have it as a
result of their hard work or cir
cumstances in life, they are not
attached to it. If they do not have
it, they are content also. Some
saints are in circumstances of
wealth and some are in circum

stances of simplicitythey
accept the circumstances in
which God places them. They are
indifferent to their outer circum
stance because they know they
are here to distribute spiritual
wealth.
Spiritual wealth is available to
all, regardless of outer circum
stances in life. Saints teach that
we can gain that divine wealth
through receiving a conscious
contact with the holy Word or
Naam that can lead us back to
God through the help of a living
Master. If we were to come in
contact with such a Master, we
would transcend physical body
consciousness to know there are
spiritual realms beyond. Our soul
can soar through inner spiritual
realms until it is united with God.
When we reunite our soul with
God we will experience spiritual
love which penetrates to our
core. Then, we too would be over
flowing with love and radiate that
to others.
We have seen cases of extreme
generosity in the lives of the
saints. We have seen them being
generous with their money and
time. They bring solace and help
to the poor, the needy, and the
downtrodden. They bring com
fort and peace to all who come,
whether rich or poor.
(To be continued...)
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj

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

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Vol.8 Issue 28 - Nov 21-Nov 27, 2015

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The South Asian Times

Vol.8 No. 29 November 21-27, 2015 60 Cents

New York Edition Follow us on

Entire humanity must stand

PM Narendra Modi with world leaders at G20 summit in Turkey.

Russia's condition to work

Search on for more suspects as ISIS

cooperation with those countries

Washington: The Islamic State

Russian President Vladimir Putin huddled with President Obama at

was attended by Russian

Abdelhamid Abaaoud, ringleader of the terror attacks in Paris.

before they can strike again.

See exhaustive coverage of Paris attacks on pages 1517.

November 21-27, 2015

Modi charms UK, shows resolve

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeting enthusiastic crowds after

PM Modi being received by his British counterpart, David Cameron,

The UK Parliamentarians and Lords call on Modi after his address at

Prime Minister Modi presented gifts to Her Majesty

November 21-27, 2015

Syed Akbaruddin named India's

New Delhi: Syed Akbaruddin, who

Syed Akbaruddin, IFS officer of 1985 batch, is currently additional sec

be the chief coordinator of the IAFS,

Jindal suspends presidential

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, the first Indian American

Jindal in 1971 but renamed himself

More than half of naturalized US citizens from India are a

IndianAmericans largely vote for

November 21-27, 2015

Obama names Swati Dandekar

Swati Dandekar served as Iowa State

Ravi Batra questions launch

there is need for a powerful uniting

Paris attacks ringleader killed in...

establish contact with its French counterparts

Entire humanity must stand...

ISIS threatens to blow up White...

Continued from page 1

Russia says ready to work with...

New Delhi Bureau

Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra

President: Arjit Mehta

Contributing Editors: Meenakshi Iyer,

Strategy and Marketing

Continued from page 1

Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah

November 21-27, 2015

American Pilgrimage an album of Indian

The album cover

sation with ethereal Indian grooves.

Mega Deepavali Celebration

Nassau County Executive Mangano presents a citation to TLCA

and the entrance were transformed into a won

New York: An Indian

November 21-27, 2015

Actor Tirlok Malik plays Bharat

Madhur Jaffrey's new

irlok Malik, a pioneer of films about

dians. The show was hosted by The Mul

Vikas Khanna cooks up new

ichelinstarred chef Vikas Khan

Chef Vikas Khanna at the event