Vol.8 Issue 30 - Nov 28-Dec 03, 2015

The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e
Vol.8 No. 30 Nov 28-Dec 4, 2015 60 Cents
i n
New York Edition
Modi may lead

intolerance debate
in Parliament
Putin
angry
with
Turkey
for
shooting
warplane
as
tensions
rise.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Gurbani Recital on Guru Nanak
Dev Jayanti at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on November 25.
House resolution on Friday to
commemorate the making of the
Indian Constitution, reflecting its
keenness to reach out to rivals
ahead of the crucial winter session.
Modi, who joined the meeting
midway, said, If Venkaiahji is say
ing everything is alright then
something good has happened
today.
Several opposit ion part ies
announced they would press for
debates on the burning issue with
the Left and JD(U) even demand
ing a Sense of the House resolu
tionto reflect wider support
across the polit ical spectrum
against what they allege is mount
ing intolerance in the country.
Continued on page 4
Modis visit to Malaysia & Singapore page 12
US AFFAIRS 9
CINEMA 18
FOOD 24
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Russia sending
anti-aircraft
missiles to Syria
PM returns home after 4-day visit to

Malaysia and Singapore amid opposition
clamor on rising intolerance.
New Delhi: Prime Minister

Narendra Modi will intervene in a
rare parliamentary debate to com
memorate the Constitution, an
occasion he may use to speak on
intolerance in India w ith the
Opposition waiting to target him
on the issue inside the House.
To placate opposition parties,
parliamentary af fairs minister
Venkaiah Naidu announced at an
allparty meeting on Wednesday
that the government was ready for
a separate discussion in
Parliament on the raging issue,
accept ing their clamorous
demand.
The government was also willing
to accommodate the Oppositions
concerns over intolerance in a
j o u r n a l i s m
Turkish warplanes shot down a Russian fighter jet after Ankara says the plane violated
its airspace on the border with Syria (Inset: Approximate area of the crash).
Istanbul: Tensions in the Middle

East rose Wednesday, a day after
Turkey shot down a Russian war
plane, with the Turkish President
accusing Russia of deceit and
Russia announcing it would deploy

antiaircraft missiles to Syria.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey
Shoygu said on his ministry's
Tw itter feed that the country
would deploy S400 defense mis

sile systems to its Hmeymim air
base near Latakia, on Syria's
Mediterranean coast.
Continued on page 4
Obama, Hollande vow to escalate

campaign against ISIS
Washington: Pledging solidarity after the Paris attacks,
President Barack Obama promised Tuesday to work
with France and other allies to intensify the U.S.led
campaign against the Islamic State, saying America
would not be cowed by the scourge of terrorism. To this
point, Obama said, Russia is an "outlier" in the fight.
"We cannot succumb to fear," Obama said, standing
alongside French President Francois Hollande after
they met at the White House to discuss the antiISIS
mission. "Make no mistake, we will win, and groups like
ISIL will lose." Hollande's trip to Washington was part
of a diplomatic push to get the U.S. and other nations to
bolster ef forts to destroy
Continued on page 4
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30
President Barack Obama meeting with his French coun

terpart Francois Hollande in White House Tuesday.
excellence in journalism
November 28-December 4, 2015
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Anita Datar 'represented the best of

America's generous spirit': Hillary Clinton
Washington: From Maryland where she

lived, to Massachusetts where she was born,
to New Jersey in between, where she stud
ied, leaders, associates, and friends mourned
the death of the IndianAmerican aid worker
Anita Datar, whose life exemplied the risks
and sacrices of NGO professionals who
strive to give others a better life.
So loved and popular was the 41yearold
single mother that states and statesmen
claimed her legacy and friendship last week
as news spread in the US of her death at the
hands of terrorists in the siege on a Mali
hotel.
The headlines in Boston media described
her as a Massachusetts native because she
was born there; local TV stations in the DC
Maryland area ran multiple stories on the
courageous mom describing her a ''local''
who lived just outside the capital in a liberal
enclave famous for its bleeding heart poli
tics; and the press in New Jersey and New
York cottoned on to her high school and uni
IndianAmerican aid worker Anita Datar

who died in terror attack at Mali hotel.
versity (Rutgers and Columbia University)
afliations. But it was Former First Lady, for
mer Secretary of State, and putative presi
dent Hillary Clinton who gave one of the
more intimate insights into the life of a
muchloved mom and aid worker.
''I knew Anita as the loving mother of a
wonderful sevenyear old boy and the for
mer partner of David Garten, one of my sen
ior policy advisors in the Senate,'' Clinton
said in a statement. ''My prayers are with
the Datar and Garten families, especially

Anita and David's son.''
''My heart breaks thinking of the burden
he will now bear on his small shoulders and
the courage he will have to show in the days
ahead,'' she added about Rohan, the son.
In Takoma Park, a tightknit, family and
childfriendly suburb in Maryland just
beyond the Washington DC border, friends
and neighbors stepped forward to help the
family, offering friendship, food, playdates
and even a scholarship fund for the young
boy who cannot possibly comprehend that
his mother will not be taking him to school
anymore. T he lo cal Takoma Park
Elementary School, where he studies, said
that a social services committee will talk to
the school counselor about ways the school
and Takoma Park community can show their
support. Grief counseling was also planned.
At a broader level, Clinton said Anita Datar
''represented the best of America's generous
spirit'' and her murder had thrown up a
Yoga class banned over 'cultural

appropriation' in Canada
Toronto: A Canadian university has

banned a free weekly yoga class
after the varsity staff claimed the
ancient Indian meditative practice
was a form of cultural appropria
tion. The decision to cancel the
classes was made by the University
of Ottawas Student Federation, the
varsitys independent student
body.
Jennifer Scharf, a yoga practi
tioner who has offered free weekly
sessions to students at the
University of Ottawa since 2008,
said she was shocked when she
learnt her free weekly classes were
suspended because staf f said the
ancient discipline is a form of cul
tural appropriation. There are
cultural issues of implicat ion
involved in the practice. Yoga has
been under a lot of controversy
lately due to how it is being prac
tised, and which cultures those
practices are being taken from,
staff from the Centre for Students
with Disabilities, where the classes
were held for students of all abili
ties, wrote in an email.
T he email further says that
because many of those cultures
have experienced oppression, cul
There has also been criticism of commercialization and distortion of

the Indian yogic system in the West, that Hindu American Foundation
had to resort to take back yoga campaign.
tural genocide and diasporas due
to colonialism and Western
supremacy.. We need to be mindful
of this and how we express our
se lves while practising yoga,
Ottawa Sun reported. Scharf said
the complaint that killed the pro
gram came from a social justice
warrior with fainting heart ide
ologies in search of a cause cele
bre. Scharf said she suggested a
compromise by changing the name
of the classes to suggest mindful
stretching, but was re jected.

Noting that there has been no
response from the university,
Sharaf said she, however, remains
optimistic that the institution will
support her. Its crazy that some
one would nd yoga of fensive in
the way we teach it. If you look at
how, historically yoga has been so
noncontroversial, its a wonder
nobodys taking offence with kick
boxing or spin class instead,
Sharaf added
choice for Americans between fear and

resolve.
''As I said this week, America must wage
and win an immediate battle against ISIS, al
Qaeda, and other terrorist networks, as well
as a generational struggle against radical
jihadism,'' she said, adding, ''Anita's murder
should deepen our resolve. American must
lead the world to meet this threat.''
In New Jersey, whose Governor and
Presidential aspirant Chris Christie also sent
out condolences, Datar's school and college
friends recalled an eversmiling girl who
sometimes laughed so hard that she cried.
She played the ute in the marching band,
chaired the prom committee and, like most
every other teen from Flanders, hung out at
Rockaway Mall.
For her senior yearbook, reported the
website nj.com, Datar wrote that her pet
peeves included ignorance and lack of com
munication perhaps the dening qualities
of the terrorists who killed her.
Diwali @ the Met

New York: The festival of Diwali
was celebrated in full force at
the iconic Metropolitan Museum
of Art on Nov 15, bring ing
together people from all ages
and walks of life. The Met hosted
an immersive and interactive
event, which included lantern
making, the story of Diwali story
time for children, the Ram Leela
throug h the dance form of
Kathak, the amazing South Asia
exhibit, and a 3 hour perform
ance and dance workshop by the
Nartan Rang Dance Academy of
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
Showing dif ferent styles of
dance including a Maharashtrian
folk dance & Bollywood num
bers, the junior students of the
Academy showcased both their
skill and stamina during their
encore performances.
The students and assistants
taught over 200 adults and chil
dren how to move and shake to
the musical stylings of India,
while allowing the audience the
chance to immerse themselves in
an important part of Indian cul
ture.
Led by creative director Swati
Vaishnav, Nartan Rang has been
Nartan Rang Dance Academys

Swati Vaishnav with her students
at the Met Diwali celebration.
a longtime supporter of and par
ticipant in bringing a greater
awareness and knowledge of
Indian heritage and tradition to
the mainstream, and making
sure that the current generation
is able to connect with their
roots in a deeper manner.
Nartan Rang holds classes in two
Long Island locations, with a
Manhattan location beginning
midJanuary 20
After Jindal, Louisiana

elects Democrat governor,
first in a decade!
New Orleans: In a stunning election
result Nov 21, Louisiana, among the
reddest of all American states,
became the first in the deep South
to elect a Democratic governor in
more than a decade .
John Bel Edwards, a littleknown
state representative from a rural
area, positively thumped his GOP
opponent, Senator David Vitter. His
margin of victory was 5644, a
landslide by most definitions. But
the major story line of this election
was the epic crashandburn of
Vitter, once the states dominant
Republican, who mere months ago,
appeared a potent political force.
Vitters obvious Achilles heel was
the prostitution scandal that
emerged in 2007, when his tele
phone number came up repeatedly
in the records of the infamous D.C.
Madam. Edwards ran as a proud
John Bel Edwards will take over

from Bobby Jindal who has
served two terms as
Louisiana Governor.
Democrat who supported Obama in
2008 and 2012. That the twoterm
governor Bobby Jindal was veering
extreme right to bolster his fledg
ling presidential campaign may
have also turned the voters the
other way.
After smashing ton, Arjun Tendulkar

shines with the ball in U16 tourney
for 73 on the sec
New Delhi: Arjun
ond day of the
Tendulkar, son of
match. The tourna
cricket great Sachin
ment acts as a selec
Tendulkar,
made
tion trial for U16
headlines for the sec
cricketers
in
ond day in a row
Mumbai.
Arjun
claiming four wickets
went on to score 40
for his side, Sunil
runs in the second
Gavaskar
XI,
Arjun Tendulkar
innings and his cen
Wednesday after hit
ting a century (106 of f 156 tury knock was his first in three
balls) on Tuesday against Rohit years.
After his good performance
Sharma XI in the Mumbai
Cricket Asso ciat ion U16 both with the bat and ball, it did
Payyade Trophy encounter at not take the twitterverse much
the Sachin Tendulkar Gymkhana. time to acknowledge the feat of
The leftarm bowler took four the 16yearold.
TURN PAGE
Russia sending antiaircraft ...
Continued from page 1
The missiles have a range of 155 miles, and the Turkish
border is less than 30 miles away. And Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov told Russian TV on Wednesday
that Russia has "serious doubts" that Turkey's downing
of its warplane Tuesday was "an unpremeditated act."
"It looks very much like a planned provocation,"
Lavrov said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
condemned what he said was the violation of airspace
by Russian warplanes, calling the incident an infringe
ment of his country's sovereignty.
He charged Russia with propping up the Syrian
regime of Bashar alAssad a regime he said was
inflicting terrorism on its own people. His remarks
came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin
accused Turkey of being "the terrorists' accomplices"
for shooting down a plane he claimed was on an anti
terrorism mission.
Erdogan disputed that claim in a speech.
"There is no Daesh" in the area where the Russian
planes were flying, Erdogan said, using another name
for ISIS. "Do not deceive us! We know the locations of
Daesh." And experts agreed.
"None of the targets that ... the Russians were going
after had anything to do with ISIS. Those were all those
Turkmen groups," said CNN military analyst Cedric
Leighton, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel.
The Turkmen minority in that part of northern Syria
has strong ties to the Turkish government, which wants
to af ford them a degree of protection. Anyone who
bombs that area attacks "our brothers and sisters
Turkmen," Erdogan said.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his
country doesn't want to "drive a wedge" into its rela
tionship with Russia, according to the semiof ficial
Anadolu news agency. And the foreign ministers of
these two nations have already spoken by phone and
plan to meet in person over the coming days, the news
agency also reported, citing Turkish Foreign Ministry
spokesman Tanju Bilgic.
The stakes are high in Syria, where the United States,
Russia and a swarm of other global, regional and local
forces are entangled in the civil war.
Obama, Hollande vow to escalate ...

the militant group that has claimed responsibility for
the Paris attacks. Hollande emerged from his meeting
with Obama saying that France and the US had agreed
to step up a "joint response," including new efforts to
target terrorists' financial networks, take back IScon
trolled territory, scale up efforts in Syria and Iraq and
New Delhi Bureau

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increase intelligence sharing. The U.S. and France
"share the determination to fight terrorism anywhere,"
Hollande said, through a translator.
The French president had planned to urge Obama to
work with Russia to build a new coalition to fight the
extremists. But Hollande's mission quickly became
entangled with the fallout from a Russian military
plane downed by Turkey an incident with echoes of
the Cold War. The shootdown underscored what some
see as a need for better coordination among the sprawl
ing cast of interests engaged on the battlefields and in
the skies above Iraq and Syria. At the same time, con
flicting accounts and rising tensions stood to make any
closer contact between interests more difficult.
U.S. forces were not involved in the air incident,
according to an American military official.
Obama cautioned that information about the incident
was still emerging and he discouraged escalation. He
added that Turkey had a "right to defend its territory
and its airspace."
Hollande is slated to travel to Moscow later in the
week for meetings with Putin.
Modi may lead intolerance debate ...

We are going to raise the issue of intolerance. What
is happening in the country is disturbing and the Prime
Minister is silent, Congress vicepresident Rahul
Gandhi said in Bengaluru.
Indicating that the ruling party would not be on the
defensive, Naidu said at the meeting, The government
does not share the perception that intolerance is on the
rise. Some stray incidents that happened are in the
domain of responsibility of state governments. We are
wise enough to appreciate that development is possible
only in an atmosphere of peace and harmony.
The winter session, from November 26 to December
23, is expected to see fireworks as well as intense back
channel negotiations between the Opposition and the
government that has limited time for its heavy legisla
tive agenda comprising 38 bills to be passed.
But opposition parties are adamant on discussing a
wide range of subjects like drought, price rise, declining
industrial production and exports, Centrestate rela
tions including extending financial support to states
and the Supreme Court striking down the National
Judicial Appointments Commission Bill.
People have great expectations and that is why
Parliament should function and be productive, Modi
said at the meet. The government faced a near washout
in the previous parliamentary session as the Congress
led Opposition demanded resignations of senior BJP
ministers mired in controversies.
Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah

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T R I S T A T E C O M M U N I T Y November 28-December 4, 2015
Community mourns Canadian Sikh MLA Manmeet Bhullars death

Toronto: Manmeet Bhullar, a former minis
ter in Canada's Alberta province who at
the age of 28 became the youngest Indian
Canadian to get elected as an MLA, was
killed in a road accident near Red Deer
city.
Bhullar, 35, who was a sitting Calgary
MLA, died when he was hit by a vehicle on
Queen Elizabeth II Highway on Monday.
He was on his way from Calg ary to
Edmonton.
According to reports, Bhullar and anoth
er vehicle stopped on the highway near
Red Deer to help passengers of a vehicle
that had skidded off the icy highway and
rolled into the median.
Bhullar stopped on
the road side to
help a motorist and
was killed by a car
Manmeet Bhullar
SACSS honors prominent Indian

Americans in NYC at gala
New York: The South
Asian Council for
Social Services hon
ored Nisha Agarwal,
New
York
City
Commissioner
of
Immig rant Af fairs,
Nov. 8 as it celebrat
ed
its
15th
Anniversary with a
g ala
at
Utsav
Restaurant
in
Manhattan.
Agarwal was feted,
Consul General Dhyaneshwar Mulay, Raja Rajeswari
among others for her
and Runi Ratnam of SACSS
ef forts to empower
Speaking about SACSS journey,
the disadvantaged.
Agarwal congratulated SACSS for growth and forthcoming challenges,
15years of working to ensure South Sudha Acharya, executive director of
Asians were represented and making SACSS, said, With the fastgrowing
access to healthcare possible in population, it is imperative that we
immigrant communities. Also hon are ready to respond to their grow
ored was H. R. Shah, chairman and ing needs. We have been advocating
CEO TV Asia for what the organizers on issues crucial to the wellbeing of
said was providing visibility to the South Asians such as culturally com
problems faced by South Asian petent and linguistically appropriate
through the channels strong media services, healthcare access for all
presence. Present at the event were New Yorkers, keeping families safe
the consuls general of India, and together, economic stability for
all and increased civic participation.
Bangladesh and Nepal.
After receiving the award, Agarwal
Delivering the keynote address,
Raja Rajeswari, the first Indiaborn congratulated SACSS for 15years of
woman to be appointed a judge in working tirelessly to ensure South
New York in April this year, by Asians were represented and making
Mayor Bill de Blasio, congratulated access to healthcare possible in
SACSS on completing 15years of immigrant communities.
Echoing her thoughts Shah con
service to the community. She said
South Asians were among the fastest gratulated SACSS and specifically
growing immigrant community and applauded SACSS work with taxi
that while they are known for their drivers in New York City. Having
contributions to the fields of medi firsthand knowledge of the numer
cine, business and eng ineering ous stressors that affect taxi drivers
among others, now it was time for it was great that SACSS was advocat
the community to make itself known ing for the needs of taxi drivers, he
said.
in the legal and political sphere.
Bhullar was standing outside his vehicle

when another passing vehicle lost control
and struck the median and hit him.
Bhullar was rushed to a hospital where
he succumbed to his injuries.
Mourning his death, Alberta Premier
Rachel Notley said: "We have lost our col
league, CalgaryGreenway has lost a friend

and effective voice in the legislature, and
most of all, we have all lost a passionate
advocate for Alberta."
"All Albertans should be proud of his sig
nificant contributions to public life," he
said. Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said
he was "utterly gutted" by the news.
In a statement, Nenshi said: "He was a
powerful community advocate from a
young age and first elected to the Alberta
legislature at 28. He was brave and unre
lenting in his role, particularly when it
came to forcefully advocating for children
in care the least powerful people in our
society."
Vegetarian Vision hosts

Thanksgiving Dinner
New York: Vegetarian Vision, an
organization promoting vegetarian
way of life under the leadership of
Chairman & Founder H.K. Shah and
Malati Shah hosted its Thanksgiving
Dinner event with the objective of
promot ing happy healthy foo d
habits.
Chairman H.K. Shah announced
big ce le brat ions of Upcoming
Vegetarian Vision Silver Jubilee Year
in 2017, intending to promote vege
tarianism across various other com
munities. He urged for organization
Vegetarian Vision Executive Committee
and community support and volun
teers to make this a grand success.
healthy vegetarian life. Several doctors in atten
President Chandra Mehta said in her inspiring dance had an informative question /answer ses
speech emphasizing the benefits to become veg sion providing immense wealth of knowledge to
etarian. She said human being by nature is vege attendees.
tarian and veggie diets are healthy and environ
Vegetarian Vision conducted its kids annual
ment friendly. Production of nonvegetarian Essay competition in February coordinated by
food has direct effect on global warming.
Nivea Kothari, Youth Chair. All 4 Essay competi
Mrs. Mehta created beautiful pumpkin decora tion winners were felicitated with cash checks
tions making event's center of attraction. She and certificates. Amongst the winners were
informed the community about upcoming Aneesh Sabarad (1st Prize) IS237 School,
events including the vegetarian pageant in Priyansh Raval (2nd Prize), Grade 10 Hicksville
spring of 2016 and encouraged everybody to High School, Prisha Arora (3rd Prize) HB
participate and be a member.
Thompson Middle School and Rishi Rakesh Shah
Overall event was coordinated and emceed by (Prize 4th) Southwoods Middle School.
Flora Parekh (Vice President) and Vinod Shah
H.K. Shah's generous donation of $125,000
(Director) with the help of the entire executive included $25,000 for the current year and
committee and volunteers. Parekh also urged all $100,000 for the upcoming Silver Jubillee cele
interested volunteers to sign in / donate brations, was very motivating to the community.
through website at www.vegetarianvision.org
The organization also announced its Mr. and
for upcoming Silver Jubilee Celebrations in MS. Vegetarian Pageant next year.
2017.
Member Kanak Golia and many organization
A cardiologist Vegan from Michigan, Dr. Joel heads were in attendance. Entire executive com
Kahn was the esteemed speaker at this mittee and volunteers hard work made the
Thanksgiving Dinner and spoke on best heart event flow seamless and highly successful with
healthy diets and vegetarian dietary patterns an attendance of over 400 guests. The event
and mortality inspiring people to live a happy ended with sumptuous vegetarian dinner.
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Bringing Indian avors to ice cream

By Jinal Shah
rmed with a degree from NYUs Stern
School of Business, Pooja Bavishi chose
to start her own small business rather
than join a corporate giant. She decided to
make icecream albeit with Indian avors
of saffron, masala, cardamom, fennel and
rose water, seasoning that permeated the
cooking of her Gujarati mother. She start
ed selling her ice cream at the Hester
Street Fair and now sells containers and
pops of masala chai, ginger root, Turkish
cof fee and several others, online at
malai.co. The ice creams, made without
eggs, are delectably creamy yet light.
The South Asian Times: What inspired
you to start an ice cream company?
Pooja Bavishi: Since I was a child, I knew
that I wanted my own dessert business. I
always had a passion for making sweets
and wanted to turn it into a career. I start
ed making ice creams about two years ago.
Utilizing ice creams blank palate to my
advantage, I started experimenting with
the strongly avored spices of my child
hood. The end result was something that
was unique and delicious. After graduating
from Stern School of Business, I knew that
Pooja Bavishi
I was ready to pursue an ice cream busi
ness.
SATimes: What is it about the icecream
business that youre passionate about?
Pooja Baivshi: There are so many possi
bilities with ice cream, and thats why
there can be so many players in this indus
try. There is room for all kinds of ideas
and avors, all of which Im sure will be
enjoyed. I love that about the ice cream
business!
SATimes: Starting a business is challeng
ing, let alone a food business. What are the
challenges you faced in starting this com
pany?
Pooja Baivshi: I think that anyone enter
ing a completely new eld has a steep
learning curve, and experiences some
growing pains. But I have found that

those I have encountered in the food
industry thus far are extremely kind, gen
erous and supportive. It makes me feel a
part of a great enterprising food communi
ty.
SATimes: How did you come up with the
name Malai? Is it exclusively Indian?
Pooja Baivshi: I knew I wanted to create
a name that was reminiscent of eastern
culture, as well as something that sounds
luxurious. The name malai came out of a
brainstorming session.
SATimes: How is Malai rising above the
fray?
Pooja Baivshi: Malai offers a superpre
mium ice cream in specialized avors.
Moreover, the ice cream is made without
the use of eggs, creating a uniquely light
and creamy texture. This, combined with
robustly avored spices, is one of a kind,
and differentiates itself from other brands
that are currently on the market.
SATimes: How do you plan to expand
your business?
Pooja Baivshi: For the short term, we are
working to get Malai more readily avail
able outside the New York area as well as
make it more available for catering events.
NY doctor invited for

talk at premier children's
hospital in India
New York: Dr
Akshat Jain , divi
sion head of glob
al pediatric hema
tology oncology
at the North
Shore LIJ Health
System was invit
ed to deliver the
Dr Akshat Jain (left)
prestigious invit
ed international lecture at the largest children's
hospital in Rajasthan ,India on the 20th of this
month .Dr Jain spoke to the august audience of
pediatric specialists, super specialists , hematol
ogists oncologists and stem cell transplanters
at the JK Lone Hospital of the SMS Medical col
lege. T he lecture t itled "Emergencies in
Pediatric Hematology Oncology and transfusion
medicine " was extremely well attended and
received due to its interactive case based clinical
content inviting enthusiastic participation from
the listeners. Dr Jain was in town as an interna
tional invitee to the Resurgent Rajasthan
Summit hosted by the chie f minister
Vasundhara Raje Scindia to discuss collaborative
global initiatives between the US and India .
Diwali celebrated at Westbury Spanish preschool

Westbury, NY: Students and staf f
at Spanish All Year preschool
recently had the opportunity to
learn and celebrate Diwali.
Spanish All Year is a Spanish Full
Immersion Preschool for three and
four year olds located in Westbury.
Recent
transplants
from
Manhattan to Westbury, 3year old
Avana Grace Sharma and her mom
Geeta CitygirlChopra were happy
to have this opportunity to share a
bit of their heritage w ith the
school. And director Ms. Maria
Isabel Martinez was equally happy
to bring this festival (for the rst
time) into the school for all to
enjoy. It was an opportunity to
learn about culture and to cele
brate the many similarities we
have. Earlier in the week, the stu
dents created rangoli artwork to
use as decoration at the entrance
of every classroom.
Children took part in Diwali dance

My focus as a parent of Indian
origin is to share the things we cel
ebrate and appreciate about our
heritage, said Ms. CitygirlChopra.
Class began with hearing about
the festival/holiday, setting up an
altar, while vedic chants sung by

children in India played in the
background. T here were many
books, deities, lights, incense, bells,
and other items for the children to
explore. Flashcards with key words
Geeta CitygirlChopra introduced children to Diwali festivities

were created in Spanish to help
keep things easy and accessible to
the students.
Both the Nursery and PreK class
es made coconut ladoos and mango
lassi in their cooking class. In art
class, they painted diyas and used

colored tissue papers to create the
ame. The students particularly
enjoyed watching their teachers
get wrapped in a traditional
Indian sari.
Diwali celebrated with pomp at Parsippany BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

evotees at the BAPS Shri
Swaminarayan
Mandir
in
Parsippany organized various events to
share in ancient traditions with the local
community as a part of Diwali festivi
ties. Across North America, thousands of
volunteers begin preparations months
in advance of the festivities from deco
ration design and creation to food
preparation for the annakut (offering of
vegetarian dishes to Bhagwan).
This year, BAPS Mandirs across North
America marked the auspicious festival
of Diwali with reworks and cultural
exhibitions so visitors would nd their
experiences both entertaining and edu
cational.
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Clock teen demands $15

million and an apology
from city, school district
New York: Attorneys for the Texas
teen who was arrested for having
a clock that was thought to be a
bomb are demanding $15 million
for his unjust treatment.
Ahmed Mohamed, 14, was
arrested and suspended in
September after educators mis
took his homemade clock for a
bomb.
Mohamed's attorneys are now
demanding $10 million from the
city of Irving and $5 million from
the Irving Independent School
District, as well as written apolo
gies. If not received in 60 days,
attorneys will le a formal lawsuit,
the letters say.
"Ahmed never threatened any
one, never caused harm to anyone,
and never intended to," letters
obtained by the Daily News from
Mohamed's attorneys read.
The letters state that Mohamed
was interrogated by seven admin
istrators and police ofcers for
more than an hour and he wasnt
allowed to call his parents.
An Irving Police Ofcer entered
the room where Mohamed was
being questioned and said, "Yep.
T hat's who I thought it was,"
Ahmed Mohamed
according to the letters addressed
to the City of Irving's attorney,
Charles Anderson, and the school
district's chief legal counsel.
Mohamed's story garnered
national attention and sparked
nation wide debate on racism.
He was not charged for having
the suspected bomb, but he was
suspended from school.
Following Mohamed's arrest, he
was invited to visit Facebook,
Google and the White House.
Mohameds parents later decid
ed to pull him out of the Dallas
area district. He's now attending
the Young Innovators Program in
Doha, Qatar, on a full scholarship
for both high school and college.
Bantval Baliga among National

Inventors Hall of Fame inductees
New York: Indian American inven
tor Bantval Jayant Baliga was
named a National Inventors Hall
of Fame recipient, the organiza
tion recently announced.
Baliga was among 16 inventors
past and present inducted for
their work.
Baliga, 67, invented the insulat
ed gate bipolar transistor, which is
a semiconductor power switch
that has reduced gasoline con
sumpt ion by 10 percent.
Addit ionally,
the
Indian
Americans invention improved
electrical energy efciency by
more than 40 percent, which led
to more than 100 trillion pounds
of carbon dioxide emissions being
eliminated worldwide in a quarter
century.
The transistor, according to the
NIHOF, is a tiny chip that controls
energy usage in electricpowered
devices operating at high voltages.
It is used in several products
including household appliances,
cars, solar panels, uorescent
lighting, medical equipment and
bullet trains, and has impacted the
modern world, it added.
W hen Baliga joined General
Electrics R&D Center in 1974, a
pair of semiconductors were being
manufactured one for lowvolt
Smithsonian explores US
immigration story through "H1B"
Washington: In a spinof f from the Smithsonian's
"Beyond Bollywood" exhibition, 17 South Asian
American and AsianAmerican artists explore
America's immigration story in a new digital exhibi
tion simply titled "H1B". Inspired by the employment
visa coveted by Indian techies, the artists comment on
their immigration journeys depicting the range of
emotionsanxiety, dignity, isolation and opportunity
associated with living in America. Approximately one
third of H1B visas that permit foreigners highly
skilled in science, technology, engineering and mathe
matics to work in the US on a temporary basis, annu
ally are issued to South Asian workers.
"Our H1B Visa exhibition explores a historic part of
the American story from the perspective of South
Asian Indians," said Konrad Ng, director of the
Smithsonian Asian Pacic American Centre.
The H1B program has recently come under re
because the demand for H1B visas has exceeded the
65,000 cap every year since 2003, this year getting
233,000 applications in less than a week. Closely tied
is the H4 visa for dependent spouses and children of
H1B visa holders. "Drawing heavily upon my experi
ence as a spouse living on an H4 visa," wrote artist
Aishwariya in her artist statement for "Dual Intent."
"My work traces everyday manifestations of the
duality of belonging and alienation for families living
here in the United States on this visa category."
Artist and activist Tanzila Ahmed wrote in her artist
statement about "Borderless": "I wanted this painting
to reect the complexity of distance and longing that
comes with immigration, lack of a nationstate identi
ty and diaspora."
Dual Intent by Aishwariya, featured in the

Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center's H
1B digital art exhibition. (photo: Courtesy of the
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Centers)
Dr. Masum Momaya, Curator of "H1B" told NBC
News that the exhibition "illuminates an immigration
status that often gets stereotyped or left out of dia
logue around immigration in this US."
"Each year, people from all over the world come to
the United States for a better life; some nd opportu
nity, and others endure great hardship," she said.
"The artists in this show take us through the emo
tions and nuances of their journeys, illustrating new
and complex layers of what has been a dening char
acteristic of America and American history: immigra
tion." The Smithsonian Asian Pacic American Centre
is also encouraging people to share their H1B stories
using the hashtag #MyH1Bstory.
Prof Bantval Jayant Baliga

age and another for highvoltage
applications.
Though the technologies were
deemed incompatible, Baliga pro
posed a new highvoltage transis
tor to control a bipolar current
within a single device the IGBT.
It is now being manufactured
worldwide and has saved con
sumers $24 trillion by reducing
gas consumption by more than
1.5 trillion gallons, and electricity
usage by more than 75,000
TWhrs, according to the hall of
fame. It really blew everyone
away that this could be used for
all of the appliances like lighting
and air conditioning, Baliga said

in a CBS News article published
Nov. 17. After being inhouse for
a while, the device started getting
exposure when companies from
all over the world started manu
facturing the IGBT and using it in
an enormous range of applica
tions.
Throughout his career, Baliga
has been granted 120 U.S. patents.
A large portion of those patents
have been commercialized
through four successful startup
companies that he founded while
living in North Carolina. One of
them the GDMOSFET transistor
is manufactured globally for low
voltage applications in computers,
data centers and car electronics.
A graduate of IIT Madras, Baliga
later came to the U.S. where he
earned his M.S. and doctorate
deg rees
from
Rensse laer
Polytechnic Institute in New York.
He is a distinguished professor of
electrical engineering at North
Carolina State University.
Baliga and the 15 other inven
tors will be honored for their work
at the May 5, 2016, 44th annual
induct ion ceremony at the
Smithsonian American Art
Museum and the National Portrait
Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Canada's Sikh
community offers
support to Syrian
refugees
Toronto: The Sikh community in
Canada came together to offer serv
ices to support the Syrian refugees
who are expected to arrive in the
area over the next few months.
The Sikhs in Lower Mainland
name commonly applied to the
region surrounding and including
Vancouver, British Columbia
of fered help with housing, school
ing, food and clothing to the Syrian
refugees coming to Canada, CBC
News reported on Monday.
"The Sikh community themselves
have come to Canada in many dif
ferent ways from the early 1900s
and onwards," said Randeep Sarai,
Surrey Centre MP.
"Welcoming others, newcomers,
was part of their life, whether they
(Canadian people) knew them or
not. Whether immigrants came
from India, or whether they were
refugees in tumultuous times dur
ing the '80s, the Sikh way, the
Canadian way, was always to give
them a home, help them at the tem
ple and help feed them," he said.
Government ofcials estimated that

around 2,500 Syrian refugees could
land in the region within the next
few weeks. These refugees have left
Syria because of the ongoing civil
war. Some Sikh organizations
expressed a desire to help in reset
tling the refugees.
Services like free tuition for 1,000
students at Khalsa School for one
year, free meals, clothing and blan
kets for 2,000 refugees from many
gurdwaras, transportation and med
ical services would be offered to the
refugees.
The Khalsa School in Surrey has
extended its help to educate the
children of Syrian refugees. "We
even have several teachers who
speak Arabic, and we will do what
ever we can to help the new stu
dents feel welcome," Kamalpreet
Bagga, the school principal, said.
She said that interfaith teaching
would be offered to them.
The federal government plans to
bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to
Canada by the New Year.
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
TiE, CII release success book of Silicon

Valley Indian Americans
Washington, DC: The Indus Entrepreneurs

and Confederation of Indian Industry have
released a new book chronicling the success
stories of Indian Americans in the Silicon
Valley area of California.
The book, titled India Rising @ Silicon
Valley, was unveiled Nov. 17 and provides
insights on many Indian American entrepre
neurs success stories, as well as the impact
they have made on the world.
Among the entrepreneurs written about
in the book are Microsoft chief executive
officer Satya Nadella, Adobe president and
CEO Shantanu Narayen, Google CEO Sundar
Pichai, India Community Center cofounder
Talat Hasan, and SanDisk cofounder and
CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, among many others.
The book depicts the journey of the entre
preneurs some of whom have gone on to
become philanthropists, giving back to
India and the community providing per
LR) TiE Silicon Valley president Venktesh Shukla, Indian Ambassador to the US Arun K
Singh, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs secretary A K Agarwal, and CII director general
Chandrajit Banerjee unveil the new book, "India Rising @ Silicon Valley. (TiE/CII photo)
sonal anecdotes giving the reader a glimpse

into their road to success.
The contributions of Indian Americans
from Silicon Valley run both ways and this
book is a small sample of their achieve
ments, CII director general Chandrajit
Banerjee said in a statement. We hope it
will inspire technology entrepreneurs in
India to realize their aspirations for suc
cess.
Added TiE Silicon Valley president
Venktesh Shukla, I am very proud of TiEs
role in the enormous collective success of
this group.
TiE was formed in 1992 primarily as a
way to network and foster entrepreneur
ship. The principle of the organization was
that successful people are obligated to help
the next generation of entrepreneurship.
We have succeeded beyond our wildest
expectations, Shukla said.
Sanjay Patels short lm in Oscar race

IndianAmericans
celebrate Chhath pooja
on Potomac river
Washington,
DC:
Indian
Americans celebrated the festival
of Chhath on the banks of the his
toric Potomac River here as sev
eral women attired in colorful
traditional saree worshiped the
rising sun. The Chhath celebra
tions spread over three days in
Virginia saw participation of
some 250 IndianAmericans,
many of whom drove a few hun
dred kilometres to attend this
popular festival of Bihar.
"We are just trying our best to
keep our tradition alive, even
though we are thousands of miles
away from the place of our birth,"
said Kripa Shankar Singh, who
has been organizing the event for
the past eight years now.
A software engineer, Singh
comes from Patna.
"Now people call me from all
over the country and ask details
about the Chhath pooja," he said.
This year, a few families even
booked cottages on the banks of
the Potomac River so that they
can participate in the festivities
on both the days.
"I am overwhe lmed by the
response," said Kumar Singh, an
eminent IndianAmerican com
munity leader in Greater
Washington Metropolitan Area.
"Unlike other festivals, which
we celebrate on weekends, this is
the only Indian festival we cele
brate on the actual day. Still it
attracts a large number of people,
many of whom take leave from
their work to come and attend
Chhath pooja on the Potomac,"
Singh said.
Recounting how it all began,
Kripa Shankar Singh said about
eight years ago his mother asked
his wife Anita to take care of
Chhath pooja to keep the family
tradition of generations alive.
Singh said he inquired among
his friends and other Indian
American community leaders if
anyone here performed the
Chhath pooja.
He found that people did it
inside their homes or at the most
in a makeshift plastic tub full of
water.
Singh and some of his friends
once went for a picnic on the
banks of the Potomac River in
Loudon County, a suburb of
Washington.
The concrete boat ramp there,
Singh said, gave him the idea that
this place was good for perform
ing Chhath pooja in the real way
with all the traditional and reli
gious rituals.
Soon he approached the
Loudon County Parks and
Recreation Department with the
details and sought permission to
do the Chhath pooja on the river
banks.
"Permission was granted," he
said, adding that the Loudon
county is enthusiastic about sup
porting the IndianAmericans in
organizing this rare festival out
side India. Chhath pooja entails
worship of Sun God, embodied in
cosmic energy, and is observed
mainly by people from Bihar and
eastern UP.
Los Angeles: IndianAmerican

Pixar artist and director Sanjay
Pate l's animated short film
"Sanjay's Super Team" has been
shortlisted amongst 10 animated
short films to advance in the vot
ing process for the upcoming
88th Academy Awards.
As many as 60 films had origi
nally qualified in the category
before the list was narrowed
down to 10. Short films and fea
ture animation branch members
will now select five nominees for
the final shortlist, read a state
ment on the we bsite of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences.
Sanjays Super Team is

amongst 10 films to advance in
voting process
Screenings for the film will be
held in Los Angeles, London, New
York and San Francisco in

December.
"Sanjay's Super Team", inspired
by Patel's own childhood when he
felt conflicted by the modern
world and Hindu traditions of his
family, follows the daydream of a
young Indian boy, bored with his
father's religious meditation who
imagines Hindu gods as super
heroes.
"Bear Story", "Carface", "If I Was
God...", "Love in the time of March
Madness", "My Home", "An Object
at Rest", "Prologue", "We Can't
Live Without Cosmos", and
"World of Tomorrow" are the
other nine shortlisted titles.
Indianorigin student awarded

presidential scholarship in US
New York: An Indianorigin student has been award
ed a presidential scholarship in a US college for out
standing academic merit and an exceptional com
mitment to the field of culinary arts.
Kendall College School of Culinary Arts in Chicago
awarded Aashrit Abhinav Sundar the scholarship
recently following a final interview with college
president, Emily Williams Knight, a press release
said.
"Throughout his life, Aashrit has demonstrated a
passion for the hospitality and culinary industry and
a drive to build a remarkable career in the field of
baking and pastry," Knight said.
"Having completed his hospitality management

degree in India, Aashrit now wants to take his love
for baking and pastry and attend one of the best
programs in the US," she added.
Sundar began classes at the institution in October
2015 and is pursuing an "Associate of Applied
Science in Baking and Pastry."
The scholarship will cover 50 percent of the pro
gram's total cost.
"Aashrit is confident, driven, and passionate about
his field of study," Knight noted. "It is clear that he is
a leader and he is an example of the type of student
that will thrive and lead the industry in the future."
US AFFAIRS
Jeb Bush Denounces Donald

Trumps Cheering Muslims Claim
Rock Hill, SC: As GOP candidate Donald
Trump doubles down on claims that he saw
Americans in New Jersey cheering on 9/11,
his rival, Jeb Bush strongly denounced those
comments today while campaigning in
South Carolina.
"I dont recall that. There was no cheering
on any it would have been television, it
would have been recorded. A memory Bush
said he instead recalls is that of peaceful
MuslimAmericans.
What I remember were a lot of peaceful
Muslims that were disheartened and grieved

and sad and angry just as every other
American was as well, he said.
Trump defended comments he made
Saturday that he saw thousands of people
in Jersey City, New Jersey cheering when
the World Trade Center was destroyed on
Sept. 11, 2001.
"There were people that were cheering on
the other side of New Jersey where you have
large Arab populations, he told George
Stephanopoulos on ABCs This Week.
"They were cheering as the World Trade

Center came down. I know it might be not
politically correct for you to talk about it,
but there were people cheering as that
building came down as those buildings
came down, and that tells you something. It
was well covered at the time.
These claims have been widely debunked.
ABC News, among many other news organi
zations has investigated and no evidence of
such cheering in Jersey City has been found.
While there were images of people cheer
Even his own partymen are calling Donald

on Trumped up stories.
ing the towers collapse in parts of the
Middle East, there is no record of such cele
brations in New Jersey. There were some
Internet rumors of Muslims celebrating the
towers fall in Paterson, New Jersey, but
those were discounted by local police at the
time.
Politicians slam taxdodge

State Department terror
PfizerAllergan deal
warning casts shadow over
Thanksgiving travel
Washington: Americans taking to the
air and roads for Thanksgiving will bat
tle both the crush of fellow travelers and
security hassles brought on by a State
Department global travel warning.
AAA, formerly known as the American
Automobile Association, predicts that
46.9 million Americans will travel more
than 50 miles from home this holiday,
the largest number since 2007. Lower
gas prices, spokeswoman Yolanda Cade
said, are an "early holiday present" for
drivers.
Luke Jensen, who lives in the Des
Moines area, unwrapped that holiday
present early: He and his fiance packed
their four kids into their new fullsize
SUV on Friday and drove 16 hours to
Colorado for a ski vacation. The lower
gas prices left more money in the Army
veteran's pocket, and Tuesday he took
the family horseback riding with the
unexpected extra cash.

"We would have come out anyway, but
we wouldn't have done as much. That's
really helping us," Jensen said. "The kids
are really excited."
About 25 million people will fly during
the Thanksgiving holiday, and most will
fly domestically, Airlines For America,
which represents air carriers, said in a
statement.
The State Department's worldwide
travel alert cast a shadow over air travel
for many Americans, further fraying
travelfrazzled nerves.
The alert, in the wake of the attacks
Nov. 13 in Paris, warns that terrorists
may strike at sporting events, theaters
and aviation services. The TSA declined
to specify what additional security steps
it had taken but acknowledged travelers
might see longer security screening
lines.
Washington: U.S. politicians condemned

Pfizer Inc's deal with Allergan Plc as a tax
dodge on Monday, bringing another round of
handwringing in Washington over the corpo
rate tax code, though legislative action before
2017 is unlikely. Democrats heaped the most
criticism on the New Yorkbased drug maker,
with Hillary Clinton accusing Pfizer of using
legal loopholes to avoid its "fair share" of
taxes in a deal that she said "will leave U.S.
taxpayers holding the bag."
The frontrunner for the Democratic presi
dential nomination in the November 2016
election said she will propose steps to pre
vent more inversions, but she did not provide
details. "We cannot delay in cracking down
on inversions that erode our tax base," said
the exU.S. secretary of state and former New
York senator in a statement.
Republican frontrunner Donald Trump,
who has called for a corporate tax overhaul,
called the deal "disgusting" in a statement,
saying "our politicians should be ashamed."
Pfizer is doing the largest inversion deal of
all time. In a $160billion transaction, it plans
to move its tax address from the United States
to Ireland, if only on paper, by buying and

merging into Allergan, a smaller, Dublin
based competitor.
The combined company will be called Pfizer
and will be run by Pfizer's CEO, with execu
tive management staying in New York and
extensive operations across the United States,
but it will no longer be taxed as a U.S. compa
ny. More than 50 similar deals have been
done over three decades by wellknown com
panies such as Medtronic Plc, Fruit of the
Loom and IngersollRand Plc. Congressional
researchers have estimated inversions, left
unchecked, will cost the U.S. Treasury nearly
$20 billion in the next 10 years.
The White House declined to comment on
Pfizer's deal, but a spokesman told reporters
in a briefing that Congress should take action
to prevent more such transactions.
The U.S. Treasury Department last week
unveiled new rules to clamp down on inver
sions, its second attempt to do so since a
wave of deals peaked in September 2014. But
the latest rules amounted to tweaks of exist
ing law and will not impede the Pfizer
Allergan transaction, tax experts said.
Chicago protests follow 3 in custody after shooting injures

release of video of black five near protests in Minneapolis
teen shot by police
Chicago: Protesters took to the
streets in the wake of the release
of dash cam footage show ing
police shooting a teen last year.
The dash cam video, released by
police Tuesday a day ahead of a
courtordered deadline, shows
of ficers confronting 17yearold
Laquan McDonald, who later died
at a hospital, as he walked down
the street on Oct. 20, 2014.
According to the AP, protesters
blocked a police building in the
South Loop, chanting "don't shoot
me". They also had a short stand
of f with cops elsewhere in the
city.
Chicago police officials said they
were responding to a report of a
person walking down the street
with a knife and that McDonald
refused to drop the knife when
ordered. The video shows puffs of

smoke coming from the ground at
some points, which court docu
ments said were caused by bullets.
A prosecutor at Of ficer Jason
Van Dyke's hearing said that
McDonald did not step towards
the of ficer, but
the
of ficer
allegedly took at
least one step
towards him.
Van Dyke was
charged with first
deg ree murder
and stripped of
his pay and polic
ing powers, police
of ficials
said
to day. He was
he ld
w ithout
bond.
Minneapolis: Authorit ies on

Tuesday said they had three peo
ple in custody after someone
opened fire on people near a
Black Lives Matter rally against
a recent police killing of an
unarmed black man, a day after
five people were wounded in a
shooting not far from a police
building that has been the epicen

ter of protests here.
Protesters in Minneapolis were
not daunted by the previous
nights gunfire, and even as police
said they were seeking three
white suspects, demonstrators
cont inued to g ather at the
Minneapolis Police Departments
4th Precinct, as they have since
24yearold Jamar Clark was shot
earlier this month.
Late on Monday night, police
said they received multiple 911
calls after gunfire that wounded
five people a block away from the
4th Precinct. All five people, who
had been protesting at the police
building, suffered nonlifethreat
ening injuries, officials said.
Black Lives Matter Minneapolis
said in a post on Facebook that
white supremacists attacked the
group in an act of domestic ter
rorism, and the group vowed not

to be intimidated.
Minneapolis police said
Tuesday that they had arrested
two men: A 23yearold white
man taken into custo dy in
Bloomington, a nearby city, and a
32yearold Hispanic man found
in Minneapolis. Authorities said
they were still seeking additional
suspects and did not identify the
men in custody.
Later in the day, police said they
had re leased the 32yearold
Hispanic man after it was deter
mined he was not at the shooting
scene.
They also said they had a total
of three white men in custody. In
addition to the 23yearold arrest
ed
in
Bloomington,
the
Minneapolis police said a a 26
yearold and a 21yearturned
themselves into investigators.
10
INDIA
Aamir Khan a selfappointed mullah: Shiv Sena

Mumbai: Launching another attack
on Bollywood actor Aamir Khan
for alleging growing intolerance in
the country, the Shiv Sena has
labeled him a "selfappointed mul
lah". "In recent past, some individ
uals have assumed the responsibil
ity of judging whether India is a
'tolerant' or 'intolerant' nation...
Aamir Khan has joined this busi
ness by becoming a selfappointed
mullah, which is sad for those who
love him," the Sena mouthpiece
'Saamana' said.
It pointed out in an editorial how
the country had showered so much
love, af fection and respect on
Aamir, "who poked fun at Hindu
religious sentiments through his
blockbuster movie PK". "After fill
ing up his coffers, he speaks non
sense in the name of freedom of
speech... Actually, such persons
already enjoy too much freedom."
Referring to veteran actor Dilip
Kumar, whose real name is Yusuf
Khan, the editorial said he was
conferred the highest civilian
award of Pakistan Nishane
Pakistan a few years ago and
Government must talk

to Aamir: Mulayam
The BJP workers demonstrate in Allahabad against

Aamir Khans remark on intolerance.
encountered huge opposition.
"Dilip Kumar was born in
Pakistan and has love for his birth
place... But after the controversy,
he never proclaimed he was scared
and wanted to leave the country.
T hen why do Aamir Khan and
Shah Rukh Khan talk like this?
Aren't they aware that Muslims are
safer in India compared to even
Muslim countries?" the Sena said.
Sheena murder: Peter

Mukerjea brought to Delhi
Former media tycoon Peter Mukerjea

New Delhi: Former media tycoon
Peter Mukerjea, arrested over his
involvement in the Sheena Bora
murder, was brought from
Mumbai and then taken to the CBI
headquarters in Delhi for further
questioning, sources said.
Peter was arrested three months
after the discovery of Sheena's
remains in a forest near Mumbai.
Sources said Peter, who was
from from Mumbai to Delhi early
on Tuesday by a special team of
the CBI, may undergo a lie detec
tion test in the presence of foren
sic experts at the Central Forensic
Science Laboratory.
Officials in the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) said Peter was
brought to Delhi for further ques
tioning under the supervision of
senior officers including the probe
agency's joint director, special
director and director.
"Peter has been inconsistent
throughout his questioning since
his arrest. Considering a fair and
fast probe, the agency took the
step to get him to Delhi on the
direction of senior CBI of ficials,"

said sources.
Sources said the probe agency
has come across certain docu
ments of which Peter had exclu
sive knowledge but he was not
cooperating and was concealing
facts pertaining to the murder and
disposal of Sheena's body.
However, the sources said, Peter
has revealed some investments
running into crores of rupees in
fixed deposits and immovable
properties in Britain and India in
20102011, but has not disclosed
the source of the funds for the
same. The CBI is now probing a
financial dispute as the most likely
reason for the murder, in which
Peter, mastermind and Sheena's
mother Indrani Mukherjea, her
former husband Sanjeev Khanna
and driver Shyamvar Rai were
involved. The media tycoon's wife
Indrani was arrested in August,
days after the crime surfaced, for
allegedly killing her 24yearold
daughter with the help of Khanna
and Rai, who are also in jail.
It said Muslims were unwelcome

in countries like Japan while in
China they were barred from
sport ing beards or building
mosques.
"However, in India, Muslims
enjoy complete freedom to prac
tice their religion and all their
demands are fulfilled by govern
ments yet Aamir's wife (Kiran
Rao) finds this country 'intolerant'"
New Delhi: Samajwadi Party

chief Mulayam Singh Yadav
came out in support of actor
Aamir Khan and said the gov
ernment must talk to him and
find out why he feels hurt.
"He may have been hurt
somewhere," Mulayam Singh
said, responding to Aamir
Khan's wife Kiran Rao's sugges
tion that the couple must look
for another place to live in view
the editorial said.
"Today, the entire world is ter
rorised by the IS (Islamic State)
and Muslims from Syria and other
countries are fleeing... Instead of
speaking up on these issues, Khan
and other secularists point fingers
at Hindus for 'intolerance'..."
It called upon the actorproducer
to leave behind "all the honours
and respect given by this country,
of rising intolerance in India.

"The government should talk
to him and ask where he faced
problems.
It is the responsibility of the
government. He might have
been hurt somewhere, he is a
big artist.
We respect him," he said.
Aamir Khan made the com
ments at a journalism award
function here.
account for each rupee earned
here" and then happily talk of leav
ing India.
"We wonder where this 'Idiot
Ranchhoddas' will finally go...
Pakistan, Afg hanistan, Paris,
Brussels or Mali make it clear...
"If he doesn't find this country
safe, then he must stop empty
rants about 'Satyamev Jayate' and
patriotisim," it said.
Religious fervor marks Gurpurab

in Punjab, Haryana
Chandigarh: Holiest of Sikh shrines
'Harmandar Sahib', popularly
known as Golden Temple, in
Amritsar and other gurdwaras
e lsewhere across Punjab and
Haryana saw religious fervor as
'Gurpurab', the birth anniversary
of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak
Dev was celebrated.
Thousands of devout thronged
the Golden Temple complex in
Amritsar from early morning to
offer prayers.
The shrine complex, which did
not see any celebrations earlier
this month on the occasion of
Diwali and 'Bandi Chorr Diwas' due
to recent incidents of sacrilege of
Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib,
was illuminated on Tuesday
evening to mark Gurpurab eve.
There was a security ring around
all leading Sikh shrines in Punjab.
At gurdwaras across Punjab and
Haryana, devotees could be seen
of fering prayers to mark the
546th birth anniversary of the
A view of the Golden temple on the eve of Guru Nanak Jayanti

in Amritsar.
Guru. Hymns were rendered at the
holy shrine and hundreds of other
gurdwaras across the region to
mark the occasion.
'Langars' (community kitchen),
were arranged at several places in
and around gurdwaras.
Over 2,000 devotees, mostly
Sikhs, have gone to neighboring
Pakistan to celebrate Gurpurab at
Nankana Sahib, 100 km from

Lahore, at the birthplace of the
Guru Nanak Dev, who was born
there in 1469.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash
Singh Badal greeted people on the
occasion of Gurpurab and urged
them to follow the Guru's teach
ings and to maintain peace and
harmony.
BJP hopes for constructive winter session

New Delhi: The BJP hoped that par
liament's winter session beginning
from Thursday will be constructive
and that the opposition will help
pass crucial bills.
"We hope the winter session will
be a constructive, progressive and
fulfilling one. We hope the opposi
tion will support us on issues of
development," Minister of State for
Parliamentary Af fairs Mukhtar

Abbas Naqvi said. His remark came
ahead of the National Democratic
Alliance's strategy meeting at Union
Minister for Urban Development
and Parliamentary Af fairs M.
Venkaiah Naidu's residence.
Naqvi said the bills pending to be
passed in parliament do not belong
to any one particular party.
"These bills are for reforms in the

country and for the development of
all," he said. The government will
push for the Goods and Services Tax
(GST) and Real Estate Regulation
bills in the winter session.
"We are talking to everyone. We
will work with cooperation, commu
nication and coordination with the
opposition.
INDIA
11
We love India, won't leave: Aamir Khan

Mumbai: Trying to put to rest a huge row
over his comment on "growing despon
dency", Bollywood actorproducer Aamir
Khan said that he and his wife love India
and have no intention of leaving the coun
try. Aamir said in a statement that while
he stood by the interview, the avalanche
of criticism directed at him and his wife
Kiran Rao only proved what he had stated
about the situation in the country.
"First, let me state categorically that nei
ther I nor my wife Kiran have any inten
tion of leaving the country. We never did,
and nor would we like to in the future," he
said in a statement.
"Anyone implying the opposite has
either not seen my interview or is deliber
ately trying to distort what I have said.
"India is my country, I love it, I feel for
tunate for being born here, and this is
where I am staying," said the 50yearold,
one of the top earning stars of Hindi film
Actorproducer Aamir Khan
industry.
"Secondly, I stand by everything that I
have said in my interview.
"To all those people who are calling me
antinational, I would like to say that I am
proud to be Indian, and I do not need any
one's permission or endorsement for that.
"To all the people shouting obscenities
at me for speaking my heart out, it sad
dens me to say you are only proving my
point.
"To all the people who have stood by me,
thank you. We have to protect what this
beautiful and unique country of ours real
ly stands for. We have to protect its
integrity, diversity, inclusiveness, its many
languages, its culture, its history, its toler
ance, it's concept of 'anekantavada', its
love, sensit ivity and its emot ional
strength."
The actor ended his statement by quot
ing Rabindranath Tagore's poem "Where
Modi appeals for smooth

parliament session, bats for GST
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has reached out
to the opposition to let parlia
ment function smoothly, even as
the Congress said it had an open
mind on the contentious GST
bill.
Modi's appeal came at an all
party meeting, a day ahead of
the start of parliament's winter
session on Thursday. The ruling
BJPled NDA reiterated the
appeal at an evening meeting of
the ruling alliance.
The prime minister made it
clear that the government was
keen to pass the Goo ds and
Services Tax (GST) bill, saying it
was in national interest.
National Democratic Alliance
(NDA) is in majority in the Lok
Sabha, it lacks the legislative
muscle to push through legisla
tions in the Rajya Sabha where
the opposition parties have the
numbers.
With the monsoon session
washed out due to acrimony
between the treasury and oppo
sition benches, the government
on Wednesday sought coopera
tion of all parties to ensure a
smooth winter session of parlia
ment.
Modi told the allparty meet
that all political parties needed
to work together to meet the
expectations of the people.
"(There is a) need for all par
ties to work together to enable
the parliament to function to the
expectations of the people," a
spokesperson quoted him as say
ing.
Modi made a pitch for the GST,
Parliamentary Af fairs Minister
M. Venkaiah Naidu told
reporters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Union Minister for Urban

Development, M. Venkaiah Naidu and Union Home Minister Rajnath
Singh during an all party meeting in New Delhi.
Modi said Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley would allay the
doubts on the GST legislation.
The prime minister made a
similar appeal in the evening at
a meeting attended by leaders of
his Bharatiya Janata Party and
its allies, and said the govern
ment was ready to discuss all
issues.
The Congress said it had an
open mind on GST.
"For us, each bill or legislation
is important. With regard to GST,
we have made it clear the GST
was our bill... We are ready for
discussion. We have genuine
concerns and that should be
taken on board," party leader
Ghulam Nabi Azad told the
media.
In Bengaluru, Congress vice
president Rahul Gandhi said his
party "strongly believed" in the
bill and wanted the government
to engage with the opposition.
"We strongly believe in GST.
There are couple of things in
GST bill we want changed. We

want a cap on amount of tax that
can be charged.
"We are not trying to stall par
liament to stall parliament. We
want a GST that suits the coun
try," he said.
Azad said the opposition also
wanted to discuss intolerance,
price rise, farmers' plight, inci
dents of communal disharmony
and drought, besides issues of
women safety, corruption and
child labour.
"The opposition will be cooper
ating with the government but it
is for the government to accom
modate the viewpoints of the
opposition," he said.
CPIM leader Sitaram Yechury
said Rajya Sabha Chairman
Hamid Ansari had admitted a
motion to discuss rising inci
dents of religious intolerance in
the country.
Janata DalUnited leader
Sharad Yadav vowed to raise the
issue of IndiaNepal relations.
the Mind is Without fear", calling it a

prayer. He signed off with a "Jai Hind".
At an awards event in New Delhi on
Monday, Aamir spoke of "growing despon
dency" that he said he had felt in India for
the last six to eight months.
He had said: "When I sit at home and
talk to Kiran, for the first time she said,
'Should we move out of India?' Now that's
a very disastrous and a big comment to
make to me."
The comment attracted widespread criti
cism even as many defended him.
Aamir's clarification came on a day
when the Shiv Sena made another attack
on the actor, calling him a "selfappointed
mullah" who "poked fun at Hindu religious
sentiments through his blockbuster movie
'PK'". It said after making lots of money in
India, Aamir "speaks nonsense in the
name of freedom of speech... Actually such
persons already enjoy too much freedom".
India won't be bullied into a pact

at Paris climate talks: Javadekar
New Delhi: India
has made it clear
to the West that it
will be firm in its
negot iat ions on
climate change
but w ill not be
cowed down by
agg ressive pos
tures taken by
anyone, including
the United States.
"We are geared
Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate
up for the battle
Change Prakash Javadekar.
ahead in Paris,
and I want to
Human induced carbon dioxide
make it clear that India would not emissions, largely by use of fossil
be bullied into accepting the posi fue ls, are said by the United
tion of the developed countries," Nations' Intergovermental Panel
the Minister of Environment, on Climate Change to be behind
Forests and Climate Change the global warming trend seen in
Prakash Javadekar.
the last few decades, when most of
The minister was reacting to the economic g rowth in the
comments by US Secretary of State Western countries had taken place.
John Kerry that in climate change
Almost 190 countries are meet
negotiations in Paris, India would ing in Paris from November 30 to
be "a challenge" without explain work out an agreement to limit
ing what he meant.
global warming to less than two
Elaborating on earlier comments degrees celsius, which many scien
calling Kerry's remarks as "unfair tists say, would be the "upper limit
and unwarranted", Javadekar said of tolerance" that the Earth may be
that India's position had been able to endure. Some have pointed
arrived at after extensive discus to rising seas and increased fre
sions with at least 60 countries quency of extreme weather events,
and that it would stick to its stand.
including major droughts, if the
"W hat we are asking for is limit is breached. The temperature
absolutely fair and the developed rose 0.8 degree celsius in the last
world must recognise that they century.
have to atone for the historical car
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
bon emissions that they have been will be going to Paris on November
putting out in the atmosphere for 30 to address the climate change
over 150 years in their search for conference and push for an agree
prosperity."
ment on issues such as how to mit
He said what the developing igate temperature rise and cope
countries, including China, were with it in case it does so. Modi is
asking was that an "equitable and likely to be in Paris for a couple of
just" agreement be signed at Paris days, aiming to give impetus to the
taking into account the need of the talks along with around 50 heads
developing countries to usher in of state or government who have
economic growth.
confirmed their presence so far.
12
November 28-December 4, 2015 P M I N S O U T H E A S T A S I A
India, Singapore ink strategic partnership, nine deals

Singapore: India and Singapore
signed a joint declarat ion on
strategic partnership and nine
accords, the concluding day of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
twoday visit to this city state,
when he called Singapore the
Asia's lion.
Modi told the Indian diaspora at
a gathering that development was
his only task and pledged making
the Indian tax regime more trans
parent and predictable.
Modi's day began with a break
fast meeting with Singaporean
leaders, met President Tony Tan
and Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong. He witnessed the signing
of the accords, attended a lunch
hosted by Lee.
Modi laid a wreath at the INA
memorial marker, visited the
Institute of Technical Education
involved in skill development, and
addressed the IndiaSingapore
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong with Narendra Modi at the
signing ceremony of a joint declaration on strategic partnership.
Economic Convention.
Modi briefly met select CEOs
and addressed the Indian diaspora
whom he praised for building up
India's image.
The Indian prime minister then
left for home late in the night.
Singapore was the second leg of
his visit that earlier took him to

Malaysia for the AseanIndia
Summit and the East Asia Summit.
According to an of ficial state
ment, Modi and Lee signed the
joint declaration to elevate bilater
al relations to a "strategic partner
ship to deepen and broaden
engagement in existing areas of

cooperation and catalyse new
ones rang ing from polit ical,
defence and security cooperation
to economic, cultural and people
to people contact".
Besides, two agreements on
defence cooperation and loan of
artefacts from India to Singapore,
two executive programme/opera
tionalisation documents on arts
and culture, and whiteshipping,
and five memorandums of agree
ment (MoUs) on cyber security,
civil
aviat ion,
know ledge
exchange in the field of planning,
urban planning, and combating
drug trafficking were also signed.
The agreements were signed
after talks between the two prime
ministers here.
External af fairs ministry
spokesperson Vikas Swarup later
tweeted the two prime ministers
noted the importance of culture
between the two countries and

encouraged more exhibitions,
exchanges and interactions.
Modi and Lee noted their shared
interest in furthering cooperation
in the areas of science and tech
nology, particularly in space, bio
medicine and ayurveda, he aded.
The two prime ministers also
released two postal stamps show
ing Rashtrapat i Bhavan and
Istana, the Singaporean presiden
tial palace, marking 50 years of
both countries' diplomatic rela
tions. At lunch, Modi described
Singapore as Asia's economic lion
that has been a major partner in
India's transformation.
"The Asiatic lion may now only
be found in Gujarat. Asia's eco
nomic lion is to be found here in
Singapore," he said.
Lee said the diverse Indian com
munity in Singapore has played a
large part in building the country.
My only task is development: India, Malaysia to deepen defense

Modi tells diaspora
cooperation, expand trade
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the Indian community at Singapore Expo.
Singapore: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
sought greater engagement of the diaspora in
making the country strong, pointing to the
large requirement of foreign direct invest
ment and stating that his only task was devel
opment that wipes tears from the eyes of the
poor.
Addressing a gathering of the Indian dias
pora at the Singapore Expo here, Modi spoke
of his government's goals of providing round
theclock power by 2022, generating 40 per
cent energy from nonfossil sources by 2030
and generating 175 GW of renewable energy.
The prime minister was greeted by slogans
of "Modi, Modi" many times during his
speech.
Wearing a kurta, churidar pyjama and a
lightblue half jacket, Modi spoke for over one
hour in Hindi, drawing on the country's cul
ture but also emphasising that it was impor
tant to script history and not rest on the lau
rels of the past.
Modi evoked smiles with some of his
remarks.
"India is a great country but it has a lot to

learn from Singapore. The diversity that is in
India, it is in Singapore but everyone is a
Singaporean and is working shoulder to
shoulder to build the country. We have to
learn a lot from Singapore," he said.
Modi said he had started his journey with
one task before him and needed the blessings
of Indians in the country and outside.
"I have to accomplish one task and that is
development, development, development
which wipes the tears of the poor, provides
employment to youth, prosperity to farmers
and empowerment to women."
Referring to the positive image of the coun
try in the world, Modi said the reason for it
was "not Modi but you, my brothers and sis
ters living in foreign countries".
He said Indians assimilated well with the
country they went to.
"They live by Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam
the whole world is one family," Modi said.
Indians number about 350,000 in
Singapore's population of about 5.5 million.
Kuala Lumpur: India and Malaysia have

agreed to deepen defense and security coop
eration and expand bilateral trade while
signing three accords in the areas of cyber
security, culture and infrastructure.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the
third and last day of his visit to Malysia that
marked the beginning of the bilateral phase,
held delegationlevel talks with Malaysian
Premier Najib Razak, following which the
two leaders held a joint press conference.
I am particularly grateful to you (Razak)
for our security cooperation, Modi said at
the press conference.
It underlines our shared commitment to
deal with our security challenges. We will
continue to deepen our cooperation in this
area, he said. He said the recent spate of
attacks in different countries, apart from the
ceaseless terrorist attempts against India
and Afghanistan, were a reminder of the
global nature of this threat.
We will also make our defense coopera
tion stronger, including for advancing mar
itime security and strengthening disaster
Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting

Japanese PM Shinzo Abe in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
response in our region, the Indian prime
minister said.
He also said that the agreement to cooper
ate in cybersecurity between the two coun
tries was very important.
As our lives get more networked, this is
emerging as one of the most serious con
cerns of our age, he stated.
The Indian prime minister also called for
scaling up trade and investment relations
with Malaysia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays floral tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at the
Indian National Army Memorial Marker in Singapore.
OP-ED
13
To defeat ISIS, create a Sunni state
By John R. Bolton
merica is debating how to respond to the

terrorist attacks in Paris. Unfortunately,
both President Obamas current policy and
other recent proposals lack a strategic vision
for the Middle East once the Islamic State, or
ISIS, is actually defeated. T here are no
answers, or only outmoded ones, to the basic
question: What comes after the Islamic State?
Before transforming Mr. Obamas ineffective
efforts into a vigorous military campaign to
destroy the Islamic State, we need a clear view,
shared with NATO allies and others, about
what will replace it. It is critical to resolve this
issue before considering any operational
plans. Strategy does not come from the
ground up; instead, tactics flow deductively
once weve defined the ultimate objectives.
Todays reality is that Iraq and Syria as we
have known them are gone. The Islamic State
has carved out a new entity from the post
Ottoman Empire settlement, mobilizing Sunni
opposition to the regime of President Bashar
alAssad and the Irandominated government
of Iraq. Also emerging, after years of effort, is
a de facto independent Kurdistan.
If, in this context, defeating the Islamic State
means restoring to power Mr. Assad in Syria
and Irans puppets in Iraq, that outcome is nei
ther feasible nor desirable. Rather than striv
ing to recreate the postWorld War I map,
A map showing ISIS controlled areas in

Iraq and Syria last year..
Washington should recognize the new geopol
itics. The best alternative to the Islamic State
in northeastern Syria and western Iraq is a
new, independent Sunni state.
This Sunnistan has economic potential as
an oil producer (subject to negotiation with
the Kurds, to be sure), and could be a bulwark
against both Mr. Assad and Iranallied
Baghdad. The rulers of the Arab Gulf states,
who should by now have learned the risk to
their own security of funding Islamist extrem
ism, could provide significant financing. And
Turkey still a NATO ally, dont forget
would enjoy greater stability on its southern
border, making the existence of a new state at
least tolerable.
The functional independence of Kurdistan
reinforces this approach. The Kurds have
finally become too big a force in the region for
Baghdad or Damascus to push them around.

They will not be cajoled or coerced into relin
quishing territory they now control to Mr.
Assad in Syria or to Iraqs Shiite militias. The
Kurds still face enormous challenges, with
dangerously uncertain borders, especially
with Turkey. But an independent Kurdistan
that has international recognition could work
in Americas favor.
Make no mistake, this new Sunni states gov
ernment is unlikely to be a Jef fersonian
democracy for many years. But this is a region
where alternatives to secular military or semi
authoritarian governments are scarce.
Security and stability are sufficient ambitions.
As we did in Iraq with the 2006 Anbar
Awakening, the counterinsurgency operation
that dislodged Al Qaeda from its stronghold in
that Iraqi province, we and our allies must
empower viable Sunni leaders, including tribal
authorities who prize their existing social
structures. No doubt, this will involve former
Iraqi and Syrian Baath Party of ficials; and
there may still be some moderate Syrian oppo
sition leaders. All are preferable to the
Islamist extremists.
The Arab monarchies like Saudi Arabia must
not only fund much of the new states early
needs, but also ensure its stability and resist
ance to radical forces. Once, we might have
declared a Jordanian protectorate in an
American sphere of influence; for now, a new
state will do.

This Sunni state proposal dif fers sharply
from the vision of the RussianIranian axis and
its proxies (Hezbollah, Mr. Assad and Tehran
backed Baghdad). Their aim of restoring Iraqi
and Syrian governments to their former bor
ders is a goal fundamentally contrary to
American, Israeli and friendly Arab state inter
ests. Notions, therefore, of an American
Russian coalition against the Islamic State are
as undesirable as they are glib. Sunnis today
support the Islamic State for many of the
same reasons they once supported Al Qaeda
in Iraq as a bulwark against being ruled by
Tehran via Baghdad. Telling these Sunni peo
ple that their reward for rising against the
Islamic State in Syria and Iraq will be to put
them back in thrall to Mr. Assad and his ilk, or
to Shiitedominated Baghdad, will simply
intensify their support for the jihadists. Why
would they switch sides?
This is why, after destroying the Islamic
State, America should pursue the farreaching
goal of creating a new Sunni state. Though dif
ficult in the near term, over time this is more
conducive to regional order and stability.
John R. Bolton, a scholar at the American

Enterprise Institute, was the United States
ambassador to the United Nations from
August 2005 to December 2006. This article
frist appeared in The New York Times.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
14
OP-ED
After Paris attacks, Western media as arbiter

By Saeed Naqvi
he massacre in Paris is not just a
French or a Western tragedy. It has
caused universal outrage. And yet the
global medias coverage of the horror
tends to give the West a monopoly on
pain.
Why, hours before the Paris attack, near
ly 50 Shia Muslims were slaughtered by
the IS and over 200 injured in Beirut; 27
members of a Shia leaders funeral were
butchered in Baghdad which has lost count
of such occurrences. And all of this on the
heels of a Russian passenger aircraft
brought down over Sinai, killing all 224
passengers, and the October massacre in
Ankara, killing 102 and so on and so forth
including the 141 school children slaugh
tered in Peshawar at the hands of terror
ists now wearing the IS garb.
Could all those smart anchors on the
streets of Paris not have reflected on the
pain outside their immediate surround
ings? This is the parochialism of the con
temporary media, focused only on us and
our kind. The larger humanity has to be
left as the business of bards and bohemian
poets with a leftist streak.
In the imperial global hierarchy, the
media covering such events and the one
which is beamed worldwide happens to be
in exclusive control of Washington and
London. This medias perspectives are pri
After the Paris attack, the media has boosted the antiterror mood to the
sort of pitch reminiscent of the first Gulf war.
oritized by Western interests.
Whatever the explanation, the coverage
of an event like Paris divides the world
into two sets of audiences.
Folks in the West, their anxieties height
ened by the outrage, find comfort in the
international community getting into a
scrum on the issue in Vienna, Antalya
wherever. They find the coverage in tune
with their fears and concerns.
This powerful community is not even
aware of the popular Cairo blog which
asks the question:
The International Community keeps
asking what the region is doing to stop the

spread of the ISIS; the region keeps asking
why ISIS is only a problem when it strikes
Western targets. Millions in the Arab
World ask such questions.
Social media in the region lampoons the
Wests reactions. A cartoon shows two
patients in a hospital. One covered head to
toe in bandages is named Syria. The
other, in the adjacent bed, with a bandaged
finger is called Paris. A man in a three
piece suit, labeled the International com
munity, leans over to kiss the bandaged
finger.
Since there is in the Arab world (as in

India) no media capable of live coverage of
events like the attack in Paris, there is
among these populations an acute sense of
helplessness. Each family is riveted on its
TV set which blares Muslim terror at them
but never dwells on Muslim pain. Iraq,
Libya, Syria, three ef ficient dictatorships
have all been destroyed. Nearly three mil
lion have been killed by Western bombard
ment, the IS, consequent civil wars.
Hundreds of thousands are on the march
towards a Europe torn between hospitality
and its exact opposite.
These are the images which preoccupy
their brutalized lives. Self centered cover
age by the Western media come across to
them as frames from which their continu
ing tragedies are missing.
After the Paris attack, the media has
boosted the antiterror mood to the sort of
pitch reminiscent of the first Gulf war. This
time even Russia is part of the pack.
Incidentally, the media forgot to mention
the first effect of the Paris attack cancel
lat ion of Iranian President Hassan
Rouhanis visit to France, Italy and the
Vat ican, an outcome that must have
pleased Riyadh.
Western resolve to fight terror will be on
test in Africa where the entire belt from
Nigeria right upto Somalia is in the line of
fire of IS lookalikes like Boko Haram and
Al Shabab.
Bihar 'gathbandhan' a onetime exception

By Amulya Ganguli
t will be a mistake to see the
congregation of various leaders
opposed to the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) at Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar's swearingin cere
mony as the beginning of a 'maha
gathbandhan' or a grand alliance at
the national level.
Not only are their bases confined
to dif ferent parts of the country,
their respective provincial egos
and ambitions are exacerbated by
overt enmity as between the
Trinamool Congress and the com
munists. If any reminder was need
ed about their lack of commonality
apart from their dislike of the BJP,
it was Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Akhilesh Yadav's decision to stay
away. On the other hand, the Shiv
Sena's presence underlined the
selfcontradictory nature of the
gathering.
The concept of a mahagathband
han gained in importance after the
success of the experiment in Bihar.
But Bihar was a onetime affair. In
any case, the idea is no more than a
rehash of the united or third fronts
which were favoured earlier. The
dif ference is that while those
groups were directed against the
Congress, the target of the latest
one is the BJP, which has replaced
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at his swearingin ceremony with

alliance partner Laloo Prasad Yadav.
the tattered Grand Old Party as the
numero uno in Indian politics.
However, as the backandforth
statements of Akhilesh Yadav on
the subject, and his absenteeism in
Patna, show, there isn't much
chance of such an alliance taking
shape in his state prior to the 2017
elections. Even if similar alliances
are set up in West Bengal and
Tamil Nadu, which go to the polls
next year, they will be too rickety
to replicate the Bihar experiment
against the powerful regional lead
ers of the two states. Besides, the
BJP is of hardly any importance in
these states.
It's different in Assam, but there
isn't much chance of an antiBJP

alliance unless the Congress, in its
desperation over losing sitting leg
islators to the BJP, teams up with
perfume baron Badruddin Ajmal of
the United Democratic Front.
What such speculation indicates
is that there are far too many divi
sions among the antiBJP parties
for them to come together. Bihar
was an exception because the two
former foes, and current friends,
Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad,
demonstrated remarkable maturity
to forge the unity of their parties,
the Janata DalUnited and the
Rashtriya Janata Dal. Few would
have thought it possible and, even
today, it is be lieved that their

camaraderie is too fragile to last.
Arguably, it is some kind of a
message which the two leaders
received from the ground level,
combined with their intense politi
cal antipathy towards Narendra
Modi, which cemented their
alliance.
In Uttar Pradesh, however, the
fact that Mulayam Singh Yadav is
far less antagonistic towards Modi
has long been evident. After walk
ing out of the Janata Dal (United)
RJDCongress alliance in Bihar,
which also spelt doom for the pro
posed Janata parivar, Mulayam
Singh predicted the BJP's victory in
the state. The suspicion is that the
reason why Maulana Mulayam, as
the BJP called him during the
Ramjanmabhoomi movement, has
moved closer to Modi is to save
himself from too intrusive a probe
by the Central Bureau of
Investigation into the dispropor
tionate assets case against him.
In any case, the re lations
between the big guns of Uttar
Pradesh politics the Samajwadi
Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj
Party are too strained to be easily
repaired. The two together had
beaten the BJP in the aftermath of
the Babri masjid demolition to
come to power in 1993. But the
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
threat to her life which the BSP

czarina, Mayawati, felt from the SP
"goons" in 1995 led to a permanent
breach between the two parties.
Moreover, Mayawati is unlikely
to have any interest in reviving the
alliance since she believes that she
has a fair chance of returning to
power by benefitting from the anti
incumbency sentiments af fecting
the SP. If Akhilesh Yadav has at all
spoken of an alliance which he
now denies without taking per
mission from his domineering
father, the apparent reason is that
he, too, has sensed the prevailing
antiSP mood.
In the midst of these permuta
tions and combinations, what is
noteworthy is the sorry state of the
Congress. As in Bihar, it will bring
up the rear in Uttar Pradesh as the
top positions go to the big regional
players. It cannot even be too cer
tain of success in Assam. Only in
Kerala, it can expect to hold on to
power as leader of the United
Democratic Front.
However, the BJP will look with
some satisfaction at the motley
nature of the gathering in Patna.
The mere presence of several chief
ministers, a former prime minister
and a prime minister wannabe
(Rahul Gandhi) do not make a gath
bandhan.
16
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Aamir on intolerance:
BJP criticizes, Congress backs
New Delhi/Mumbai: Bollywood superstar

Aamir Khan found himself in the vortex of a
political storm over his remarks on intoler
ance, with the BJP sharply criticizing him
and the Congress stoutly defending him.
The actorproducer's candid
remarks at an awards event in New
Delhi on Monday set Twitter abuzz
and left the film fraternity divided.
Aamir, 50, had said: "For the last
six to eight months, there has been
a growing despondency I would say.
Kiran (wife Kiran Rao) and I have
lived all our life in India.
When I sit at home and
talk to Kiran, for the
first time she said,
'Should we move
out of India?'
Now that's a
very disastrous
and a big com
ment to make
to me."
Union Minister
Kiren Rijiju contra
dicted Aamir's sugges
tion and said: "The
record shows that
the number of inci
dents of communal
violence in country
have come down
since NDA came to
I am
surviving
only on 25
percent of
my liver:
Big B
Mumbai: Bollywood megastar
Amitabh Bachchan made a star
tling revelation about surviving
only on 25 per cent of his liver
having lost the rest 75 percent to
the deadly Hepatitis B virus.
Speaking at the launch of media
campaign for on Hepat it is,
Amitabh Bachchan recollected how
he contracted the disease.
Hepatitis B came to me acciden
tally. After my accident on the sets
of Coolie, I was infused with the
blood of about 200 donors and 60
bottles of blood were injected into
my system, he said.
T he
Australian
ant igen
Hepatitis B had only been detected
three months ago and it was very
new for being detected also among
various tests needed to be carried
out before giving blood to another
patient. One of my blood donors
was carrying Hepatitis B virus
power. Just to make a blatant statement

that during NDA rule the country has
become intolerant, it unnecessarily tarnish
es the image of the country."
BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli
added: "Some isolated examples,
however extreme, are exceptions
to India's inherent tolerant
nature. It would be unfortunate
to let isolated examples be
taken as a norm that defines
India..."
The Congress, however, sup
ported Aamir, with party
vice president Rahul
Gandhi suggest
ing that the
Narendra
Modi govern
ment should
reach out
to the peo
ple to
know
about the
reason they
Aamir Khan
addressing the
gathering at the
Ramnath Goenka
Excellence awards
ceremony in New
Delhi.
Let Aamir's view be heard, debated: Saeed Mirza

Panaji: Celebrated actor Aamir Khan's views should be heard and debated, veteran
award winning director Saeed Mirza said, while also objecting to
the host of charges being leveled against the popular actor for his
comments on "a sense of growing disquiet" in India.
"Look, you have points of view. Let them be heard. I heard
about the statement of Aamir Khan this morning. In fact, I read
about it. He has a point of view, let it be heard. We can debate it,"
Mirza told IANS on the sidelines of a parallel student's film festival organized by the students of the Film and Television Institute
of India here.
Mirza, an alumnus of the FTII, has also directed critically
Veteran director appreciated films like "Ghashiram Kotwal", "Albert Pinto Ko
Saeed Mirza
Gussa KyOon Aata Hai" as well as the tele-serial "Nukkad".
felt disturbed. Rahul Gandhi tweeted:
"Instead of branding all those who question
the government and Modiji as unpatriotic,
antinational or 'motivated', the govern
ment would do better to reach out to peo
ple to understand what's disturbing them."
"That's the way to solve problems in India
not by bullying, threatening and abusing!"
In a quick rebuttal, the BJP said that
Rahul Gandhi supporting Aamir's comment
only reeks of a conspiracy to defame the
nation. A police complaint was lodged
against the "PK" star by short filmmaker
Ullhas PR with Delhi Police over the
remarks. During the event, the actor also
said that Kiran "fears for her child, she fears
for the atmosphere around us, she feels
scared to open the newspapers every day.

That indicates there is a sense of growing
disquiet, despondency apart from alarm".
He added that "one part is alarm, another
part is that you feel depressed, you feel
low...you feel why is this happening. So, that
sense does exist in me, to be quite honest."
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sup
ported the actor, and tweeted: "BJP should
stop silencing voices through abuses and
threats. It's high time that central govern
ment took concrete steps to instill a sense
of security amongst people."
Some film fraternity members, including
Anupam Kher, Ram Gopal Varma and
Ashoke Pandit, slammed Aamir, saying that
he must spread hope and not fear.
Actress Richa
Chadha.
Richa wants to
screen 'Masaan'
for Francis
Ford Coppola
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan.
which went into my system.
I continued to function normal
ly till year 2000 and almost 18
years after the accident, during a
very normal medical checkup, I
was told that my liver was infected
and I had lost 75 per cent of my
liver. So, if I am standing here
today, you are looking at a person
who is surving with 25 per cent of
liver. That is the bad part. The
good part is you can survive even
with 12%. But no one wants to get
to that stage, said Amitabh
Bachchan.
Bachchan also praised the doc
tors and medical facilities in India
and certied them as second to
none when it comes to treating
patients infected with TB and
Hepatitis B. The superstar also
complimented the efforts of work
ers who go deep into rural areas to
administers vaccine doses.
Mumbai:
Actress Richa Chadha, who is gearing up to
attend the 15th edition of the Marrakech
International Film Festival, says she wants to
hold a special screening of her international
ly acclaimed film Masaan for Oscarwin
ning Hollywood filmmaker Francis Ford
Coppola.
Coppola, best known for directing films
like The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse
Now, will be heading the festival's jury this
year that also includes the Fukrey actress.
Richa, a huge fan of Coppolas work, wants
to capitalise this opportunity to hold a spe
cial screening of her film.
I'm really looking forward to the
Marrakech International Film Festival. I'm
passionate about cinema and to get the
chance to watch amazing movies and inter
act with the other jury members and film
people from all over the world is exciting,
Richa said in a statement.
'Masaan' is a very special film for me. I
would love to show it to Coppola, because it
was truly world cinema, she added.
U L T I M A T E B O L L Y W O O D November 28-December 4, 2015
17
WOULD LOVE GOING TO

PAK TO PROMOTE GIRL
CHILD EDUCATION:
KAREENA
Raipur: Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor
has said that she would love to go to
Pakistan to promote the education of the
girl child.
Asked whether she would ever consider
going to Pakistan for promoting girl child's
education, the "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" actress
told IANS: "Of course yes. I would love to go
anywhere to spread the message of girl
child's education."
According to several reports, the percent
age of the girl child's education in Pakistan
is very low as compared to boys.
While the Pakistani government puts the
overall literacy rate at 46 percent, only 26
percent of girls are educated. Independent
sources and education experts, however,
estimate that only 12 percent of girls are lit
erate in the country, according to a Unesco

report.
Kareena, who is also Unicef 's celebrity
advocate, said late here on Friday that edu
cation was every child's right and she would
do whatever she could to promote the need
of quality education for children.
"T here is no doubt that tremendous
progress has been made in India in the area
of delivering education to children. But even
today, the quality of education remains a big
challenge. Girls are the pride of India," she
told a gathering of over 6,000 schoolgirls at
an indoor stadium here.
She also urged the parents of the girls to
let them pursue higher education.
Kareena Kapoor
Kapil
denies
misbehavior
with
Marathi
actress
Famous comedian Kapil Sharma.
Mumbai: Comedian Kapil Sharma has
de fended himse lf ag ainst a Marathi
actress' accusation that he misbehaved
with her. According to media reports,
Marathi actress Deepali Sayyad pointed
fingers at Kapil for losing control of his
actions at a wrapup party to celebrate the
International Marathi Film Festival Awards
2015. Asked about it, the "Comedy Nights
With Kapil" star said: "I don't know where
this news came from. First of all I want to

clarify that I was not present at the award
function. I don't know who made a moun
tain out of a molehill. I believes everyone
is like me, who loves everybody. but there
are some people who made these news."
Kapil addressed the query about the
issue at an event where he was feted as the
PETA Person of the Year Award here on
Friday.
Paris rm to coproduce
IndianAmerican director's lm
New York: A Parisbased video production
service along with a Kolkatabased arts
and entertainment company will copro
duce an IndianAmerican director's film, a
media report said. Marc Irmer's Paris
based Dolce Vita Films will coproduce
with Kolkatabased Oddjoint Art, Bornila
Chatterjee's
"Nuclear
Hearts",
Screendaily.com reported. The exclusive
story on the news website said this English
and Bengalilanguage project was selected
for the coproduction market at Film
Bazaar 2014.
Film Bazaar is a platform created and
organised to encourage collaboration
between South Asian and international

and film communities. The coproduction
market provides a platform for South
Asian projects to find financial and artistic
support from the Indian and international
film community attending Film Bazaar.
Chatterjee's film revolves around three
characters a rich party girl of mixed
descent, a European gigolo and a teenage
Indian boy exploring his sexuality through
music and girls' dresses.
The producers are planning to cast a
French actor for party girl's role, an
American actor for the gigolo's role, and
an Indian for the lead role.
Spirituality strength of
India's humanity:
Kailash Kher
Pushkar (Rajasthan): Singer Kailash Kher,
who has enthralled music aficionados the
world over with his euphonious voice and
meaningful lyrics, reflects upon the spiri
tual essence of India, saying the country's
art and culture makes it dif ferent from
the rest of world.
"Our spirituality is the strength of our
humanity. Art, love and rich heritage
defines us. That is why people from so
called developed countries, who have
reached the extremes of development,
come to India for spirituality," Kailash told
IANS on the sidelines of The Sacred festi
val here.
Kailash, who is slated to perform on the
second day of Shree Cements The Sacred
festival, a threeday music and spirituality
festival organised by Teamwork Arts, also
commented on the lack of exposure for
art and music in India.
"Bad product, good marketing is the
only thing that is killing our strength.
First, we have to eradicate poverty and
educate people here before trying to
improve the situation of art," Kailash said.
He also stressed on the importance of
the government's involvement in cultural
events in order to give a boost to art in
the country.
"States, Centre, bureaucracy and people
representing organizations should be a
part of this culture. After education, our
next focus should be art."
"Educat ion
w ill
kill
poverty.
Entertainment comes after that. No mat
ter how much we glorify ourselves, we are
Singer Kailash Kher

still counted among third world nations.
We have a lot to improve," the "Teri dee
wani" hitmaker said.
The 42yearold also weighed upon the
contribution of music in bringing aware
ness among people while talking about
the various obstacles in the path.
18
CINEMA
'It's challenging to
get real stories into
mainstream cinema'
Panaji: Weaving in a story with a reallife context and
with superstars in mainstream cinema is quite a challenge,
says filmmaker Kabir Khan, known for films like "Kabul
Express", "New York" and the blockbuster "Bajrangi
Bhaijaan".
Commercial success is important, because in the end Im
making cinema. The struggle and challenge is to get slight
ly real cinema into mainstream cinema to be able to
make real context films with the superstars, Kabir, who
worked with superstar Salman Khan in "Bajrangi
Bhaijaan", said on the sidelines of Film Bazaar at IFFI here.
Kabir has successfully accomplished the challenge with
his craft. He says a film's box office performance is impor
tant as it instils risktaking ability among filmmakers.
Box office numbers help in creating more avenues. As a
filmmaker who has commercial success, it is easier for me
to push through ideas which are different. If I didn't have
the success of Ek Tha Tiger or New York, I would not
have had the courage or others would not have confidence
in me to do something like Bajrangi Bhaijaan. They would
suggest me to play safe, he added.
But according to Kabir, while commercial success is
important, it shouldn't be the sole parameter to judge a
film's fate.
There are so many other things and hard work that go
into a film, which is not always necessarily translated into
box office success."
Kabir, who set foot in Bollywood in 2006 with Kabul
Express, spun magic with his heartwarming story of a
mute Pakistani girl and a Hindu man with his last directo
rial Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
He took Bollywoods Dabangg star Salman on an emo
tional journey of discovering love, fondness and respect
for other religions, with his vision. The result? The audi
ence joined in the trip and helped etch a new chapter of
success in the history of cinema as the film minted over
Rs.600 crore worldwide.
Actors Anil Kapoor and Aditi Rao Hydari perform at the inauguration of the 46th International Film Festival
of India (IFFI2015) in Panaji, Goa.
Anil Kapoor unleashed

'tapori' act at IFFI inaugural
Panaji: If there was ever a 'paisa vasool'
chief guest, the organizer of
International Film Festival of India may
have found just the one in veteran actor
Anil Kapoor.
Overcoming the somberness of the
occasion and the fact that it was an offi
cial function organized by the union
ministry for information and broadcast
ing, Kapoor danced to popular film
songs picturized on him. He also gave a
Irrfan eager to play

Manto: Nandita
Panaji: Nandita Das, who will be tracing
the life of Sadat Hassan Manto in her new
directorial, says actor Irrfan Khan is "seri
ously looking at the script" as he's a big
fan of the Pakistani short story writer's
body of work.
Nandita will be going behind the camera
for the project after having he lmed
"Firaaq" in 2008. She is elated by the
interest shown by Irrfan, who has not only
garnered appreciation on home turf but
even made his mark internationally.
She hopes her project, which also focus
es on the times of partition, will bridge the
gap between India and Pakistan. She said:
"If a film on Manto can't bring us together,
then which film will?"
"Irrfan is seriously looking at it. He has
read the first draft. He fits the role to the
T. He speaks fluent Urdu, looks a lot like
Manto and above all is a wonderful actor.
He himself has read a lot of Manto and is
impacted by him. He said, 'Manto karne ke
liye to koi qabar se bhi uth ke aa jae' (To
play Manto one can even get up from the
grave). Fingers crossed," Nandita told IANS
on the sidelines of Film Bazaar here.
Manto, who died in 1955 at the age of
43, penned an impressive body of work
Actor Nandita Das.

touching various genres.
Pakistani filmmaker Sarmad Sultan
Khoosat has made a film titled "Manto",
and it was screened at the 21st Kolkata
International Film Festival earlier this
month. Talking about her obsession with
the writer, Nandita said: "I first read
Manto's stories in college and found them
to be very powerful. When I got into films,
I wanted to make short films based on his
stories. But reading his essays and know
ing about him as a person, I felt his own
life was a story worth telling."
shoutout to Dev Patel, who he acted

with in Oscar awardwinning film
'Slumdog Millionnaire', while also
returning the quips about his age from
union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
Kapoor, who initially said he was hum
bled and overcome by emotion, quickly
put it all aside by flinging his suit into
the audience and dancing extempore to
his trademark 'tapori' songs like 'One
two ka four' from 'Ram Lakhan' and the
racy number 'Dhak Dhak' from 'Beta'

along with the ceremony's cohost Aditi
Rao Hydari. From stage, he also gave a
'long time no see' shoutout to Dev Patel,
who was seated in the audience.
"I am meeting Dev Pate l from
'Slumdog Millionnaire' now since the
Oscar night," Kapoor said. Patel plays
Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar in 'The
Man Who Knew Infinity' which is the
opening film at IFFI.
Make singlewindow
clearance 'dream' a
reality soon: Filmmakers
Panaji: The government's decision
singlewindow system, but also
to put a singlewindow clearance
asserts that NFDC had taken up the
mechanism for film shooting per
job a long time ago.
missions in place, has been termed
"There are many problems and
as "fine" by popular Indian film
we do need a single window. NFDC
makers like Shyam Benegal,
is already a singlewindow for us,"
Ramesh Sippy, Prakash Jha and
Benegal said.
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.
Sippy, who is credited with giving
However, they wonder if and when
one of the biggest cult entertainers
the paperwork will turn into reality.
of Indian cinema, "Sholay", heaved
There was a sense of euphoria in
a sigh of relief as at least the work
tinsel town with the announcement
towards attaining the singlewin
of a Film Facilitation Office, which
dow clearance has started.
will be operated by the National
He said: "Declaration is not sub
Veteran filmmaker
Film Development Corporation
stantial enough at the moment. But
Shyam Benegal.
(NFDC). It aims to make the
at least it is a fine beginning. We
process to get approvals simpler by eliminat were talking about single window for years
ing all channels of bureaucracy and red tape.
and it didn't happen till now. Everybody in the
With a promise to put India on the global film fraternity experiences lot of obstacles but
map as a film shooting destination, Minister of they will not go away overnight. The greatest
State for Information and Broadcasting worry is that paperwork can be done, but will
Rajyavardhan Rathore set the ball rolling with it be a reality."
the launch of the Film Facilitation Office logo
Benegal, Sippy, Prakash Jha, Rakeysh
at Film Bazaar.
Omprakash Mehra, Anubhav Sinha, Sudhir
Benegal, a National Award winning filmmak Mishra, Kabir Khan, Bharat Bala, are some of
er, feels that the industry is in dire need of a the names representing Hindi filmdom.
Memorial plaque for

Indian techie
unveiled in Australia
Sydney: The family of an Indian IT consult

ant,
who
was
stabbed to death in
Australia's Sydney
city this year,
unveiled a plaque in
her honor, the
media reported on
Monday.
T he memorial
Parramatta Park where
was unveiled at
Prabha was stabbed
Parramatta Park,
the same park where Prabha Arun Kumar, 41,
was stabbed to death on March 7, ABC
reported. Her parents, husband, daughter
and brother, who were present at the unveil
ing, took a walk on the same path she walked
on the night she was killed. "No mother or
father should go through what they have
been through in having to bury their own
daughter," her brother said. Kumar was on
the phone with her husband G. Arun Kumar,
who lives in Bengaluru, India, when she was
attacked. She had told her husband that a
suspiciouslooking man was following her
before she started pleading with her attacker
not to harm her. "I think I've been stabbed,"
she told her husband as she collapsed. Police
later released a CCTV footage of the incident.
No arrest has been made till date in connec
tion with the murder.
English must for

Indians to join
spouses in UK
London: The UK supreme court
on Wednesday rejected a chal
lenge against immigration rules
requiring people to speak
English to join their spouses in
Britain, a landmark ruling which
could affect thousands of immi
grants from countries like India.
The case was brought by two
female British citizens whose
husbands, from Yemen and
Pakistan, want to come to the UK
to be with their families.
However, under the UK's
spouse visa rules for nationals
outside the European Union, the
men must learn basic level of
English and pass a test at an
approved center before being
allowed to enter the country.
Saiqa Bibi and Saf fana Ali
claimed their husbands would
not be able to pass a test before
coming to the UK and argued
that the men would have to learn
comput er skills and travel long
distances to take their English

tests, making it unfeasible. The
court was told that this meant
their right to a private and family
life under Art icle 8 of the
European Convention on Human
Rig hts (ECHR) was being
breached. A panel of five judges
were asked to rule whether the
preentry measure was "unrea
sonable, disproportionate and
discriminatory."
They unanimously dismissed
the appeal but indicated that the
way the scheme operated might
be unlawful and asked the
women's lawyers to present fur
ther arguments. They also sug
gested that exemptions may be
made in cases where it was
impractical to apply the rule. The
supreme court judgment follows
earlier rulings in the high court
and court of appeal that there
was no disproportionate interfer
ence with family life
Indian cultural center in Malaysia

to be named after Netaji
Kuala Lumpur: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Sunday said
that the Indian Cultural Center
in Kuala Lumpur will be named
after freedom fighter and com
mander of the Indian National
Army Netaji Subhas Chandra
Bose.
"Thousands of your forefa
thers came forward to join
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
and the Indian National Army,"
he said as he made his bynow
trademark address to the
Indian diaspora on the second
day of his visit to Malaysia.
"Independent India owes a
debt of gratitude to Malaya
Indians," he said.
"We will name our cultural
c e n t e r h e r e a f t e r S u bh a s
Chandra Bose."
A cultural extravaganza show
casing the best of Indian and
DIASPORA
Modi made announcement during his speech to

Indian diaspora in Kuala Lumpur
M a l a y s i a n t a l e n t p r ec ed ed
Modi's speech.
The event was organized by
the Welcome Partners, com
prising Indian expatriates and
around 90 cultural and commu
nity organizations from across

the country.
Of the nearly 30 million pop
ulation of Malaysia, around two
million people are of Indian ori
gin.
19
TorontoPune sister
city relationship
mooted
Toronto: Canada's biggest city Toronto may soon have
a sistercity relationship with the city of Pune in
India's Maharashtra state.
This idea was mooted at the Diwali celebrations by
Toronto Mayor John Tory jointly with the Canada
India Foundation at the city hall here on Wednesday.
The mayor said he was looking forward to his next
visit to India and would welcome the idea of develop
ing sistercity relationship with the Indian city.
"Pune and Toronto should be sister cities because
they have a lot in common. Both are auto centers. Both
are education centers and both are IT hubs. I mooted
the idea with the mayor on behalf of the CanadaIndia
Foundation and he has welcomed it," foundation chair
man Ajit Someshwar said.
Mayor Tory said he was happy to host the firstever
Diwali at the city hall. "It is my great pleasure to host
all of you here at Toronto's city hall. This is one of the
city's first Diwali celebrations here."
He lauded the CanadaIndia Foundation for champi
oning the free trade agreement, adding that he would
like his city to have a "stronger profile in India to
entice businesses to come to Toronto and use it as a
base for their larger North American efforts."
"The CanadaIndia Foundation was committed to
working with Canadian leaders in its mission of
strengthening ties and promoting IndoCanadians in
the public policy and decisionmaking space,"
Someshwar added.
Indian laborers' arrival in

South Africa commemorated
Johannesburg: A South African
organization working for inden
tured Indianorigin laborers com
memorated the 155th anniver
sary of their arrival in the coun
try, a media report said on
Thursday.
The 1860 Indentured Laborers'
Foundat ion on Sunday per
formed a play at a Civic Center in
Verulam town of KwaZuluNatal
(KZN) province and launched a
brochure about work that foun
dation has done to educate peo
ple on the history and heritage of
indentured laborers of Indian
origin.
Anand Jayrajh, chairman of the
foundation, said the history of
indentured laborers should
always be on the radar as far as
community awareness is con
cerned, News 24 reported.
"We are all aware of the fact
that these indentured laborers
worked in almost slavelike con

ditions and faced a lot of hard
ships," Jayrajh said. "Despite all
these dif ficulties, with diligence
and hard work they were able to
overcome almost unsurmount
able odds to make the lives of
their dependents much more
comfortable than what they
enjoyed," he added.
Indentured labor was a system
of bonded labor that was institut
ed following the abolition of slav
ery. Indentured laborers were
recruited to work in Brit ish
colonies in the West Indies,
Africa and South East Asia.
T he foundat ion works for
upholding and preserving the
history and heritage of the inden
tured laborers of Indian origin
who were brought to the Colony
of Natal a British colony in
southeastern Africa founded in
1843 during 18601911.
20
SUBCONTINENT
Two Bangladeshi leaders

Pakistan, US to resume
Afghanistan peace process executed for war crimes
Islamabad: Pakistan and the US
have agreed to work together
for resumption of the stalled
Afg hanistan reconciliat ion
process.
The agreement was reached
during Pakistan Army chief
General Raheel Sharif's visit to
the US where he held discus
sions with key figures of the
Obama administration, Dawn
online reported.
"Depending on the present
conditions, there is a need for
Afghanistan reconciliation," a
senior diplomatic source said
on Saturday.
The focus of Gen. Sharif 's
visit was Afghanistan. He also
discussed Pakistan's strained
ties with India, military cooper
ation, strategic (nuclear) issues
and other regional matters.
Gen. Sharif communicated
Pakistan's fears in facilitation
role that it is expected to play
for reviving the Afghan peace
process. The country is con
cerned about Afghanistan secu
rity establishment thwarting a
renewed pro cess. Military
spokesman Lt. Gen. Asim Bajwa
Bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan got

strained because of the suspension of the peace dialogue and
the increase in violence.
in his tweets said "requirement
of conducive environment for
reinit iat ing Afg han peace
process" was emphasised.
Pakistan and the US, howev
er, have not set any timeframe
for getting back on track with
the talks process, which was
disrupted after disclosure of
Taliban chief Mullah Omar's
death days before Islamabad
was set to host the second
round of reconciliation dia
logue. Bilateral re lat ions
between
Pakistan
and
Afghanistan also got strained
because of the suspension of
the peace dialogue and the

increase in violence.
Resultantly, the relationship
which had undergone a major
transformation earlier in the
year once again slipped back
into compulsive mistrust on
each other. However, the
source said it was expected
that a "lot of ground would be
covered during the Heart of
Asia Conference", which
Pakistan is cohosting with
Afghanistan on December 78.
Afghanistan President Ashraf
Ghani is expected to visit
Islamabad for the conference.
Pak proposes to host

19th Saarc Summit in
November 2016
Kathmandu: Pakistan has proposed to
host the 19th Saarc Summit in
Islamabad in November 2016, and sug
gested three sets of dates to member
states.
A top Nepali diplomat told IANS that
Pakistan had circulated November 11
12, November 1718 and November
2425 as the possible dates but none of
the member states had responded.
Pakistan earlier hosted two summits
of the South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (Saarc) 1988 and
2004.
Nepal now chairs the eightnation
regional grouping. Saarc summits are
now held every two years.
Saarc is made up of Afghanistan,
Bang ladesh, Bhutan, India, the
Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri
Lanka.
With the Pakistani proposal, pressure
is on Nepal to complete the meetings of
Saarc mechanisms including the inter
summit that reviews and assesses the
progress made in the past and takes up
new agenda for the upcoming summit.
Nepal has proposed to host the inter
summit on March 1417 next year. This
Saarc is made up of
Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, the
Maldives, Nepal,
Pakistan and
Sri Lanka.
would include meetings of the pro
gramming committee, the standing
committee and the Saarc council of for
eign ministers.
Dhaka: Bangladesh executed two

political leaders, convicted of war
crimes during the country's inde
pendence war in 1971, amid tight
security.
Bangladesh's war crimes tribunals
had found the two guilty of collabo
rating with Pakistani forces and
committing crimes, including mass
killings.
T he execut ions of Salauddin
Quader Chowd hury, a leader of
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP),
and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed,
secretary general of Bangladesh
JamaateIslami party, were carried
out at 12.55 a.m., Xinhua quoted
Jahangir Kabir, jail superintendent of
Dhaka Central Jail, as saying.
The two walked to the gallows
together at Dhaka Central Jail amid
tight security, Brigadier Gen. Syed
Iftekhar Uddin, inspector general
(prisons), told The Daily Star.
The execution took place hours
after Bangladesh President Abdul
Hamid rejected their mercy pleas,
clearing the way for their execution.
The family members of Mojaheed
and Chowdhury, who met them at
the jail for the last time before the
executions, claimed they did not
seek presidential mercy. About two
hours after executions, ambulances

carrying the bodies left the jail for
Mojaheed and Chowdhury's ances
tral homes.
Authorities have tightened security
in Dhaka and elsewhere in the coun
try in the wake of the executions.
Thousands of security personnel
have been stationed at key state
institutions. A fourmember bench of
Bangladesh Supreme Court led by
Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha
on Wednesday had dismissed the
review petitions of Mojaheed and
Chowdhury.
Chowdhury was a leader of the
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP),
which is headed by exprime minis
ter Khaleda Zia, a rival of Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina.
After returning to power in
January 2009, Hasina, the daughter
of Bangladesh's independence hero
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, established
the first tribunal in March 2010,
almost 40 years after the 1971 fight
for independence from Pakistan.
Both the BNP and Jamaate
Islami party have dismissed the
court as a government "show trial",
saying it is a domestic setup without
the oversight or involvement of
the UN.
INDIAN SIKH PILGRIMS

ARRIVE IN PAKISTAN
Islamabad: Over 2,500
Sikh pilgrims from India
have arrived in Lahore to
participate in religious rit
uals to mark the 547th
birth anniversary of Guru
Nanak Dev.
From Lahore the pil
grims left for Hasan Abdal
town in Attock district to
visit the temple of Panja
Sahib under strict security
arrangements,
Dawn
online reported. "We
respect Pakistan, in gener
al, and Punjab, in particu
lar, as it is the soil of our
Sikh pilgrims arrive at a railway station in Lahore.
gurus (spiritual leaders),"
group leader Rumeet Singh said at Wagah rail ensuring the arrival of Sikhs.
"On Thursday, the Pakistan high commission
way station. "Our top spiritual leader Guru
Nanak Dev Ji has given a message about in New Delhi had issued visas to 3,000 pil
humanity, peace and love," he added. The pil grims. Of them over 2,500 arrived in the coun
grims thanked Pakistani government for the try," he said.
The pilgrims will stay in Hasan Abdal till
arrangements during their 10day tour to the
November
22 and will depart for Nankana
country. "It reflects pilgrims' satisfaction on
Pakistan's arrangements," Evacuee Trust Sahib on the same day.
On November 24, they will proceed for
Property Board (ETPB) Chairman Siddiqul
Farooq said while receiving the pilgrims at Farooqabad (Sacha Soda) and will return back
Wagah station. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Nankana Sahib on November 25. On
wants to have good relations with India, November 26 and 27, they will stay in Lahore
at the temple of Dera Nawab Sahib. On Nov 28,
Farooq added.
Rumeet Singh said he was grateful to the the pilgrims will visit Darbar Sahib temple in
Pakistan high commissioner to India and the Narowal and will return back to India on
Indian high commissioner to Pakistan for November 29.
INTERNATIONAL
21
Putin calls plane's downing by Turkey 'stab in the back'

Moscow: Russian President
Vladimir Putin said the Russian
Su24 warplane, which was
attacked one km away from the
Syrian border with Turkey and
crashed four km away, had not
violated Turkey's airspace.
"When attacked in the air, the
plane was ying at an altitude of
6,000 metres, one kilometre away
from the Turkish territory," Putin
said as he met King Abdullah II of
Jordan in Russia's Sochi.
He said the plane was shot down
by an airtoair missile launched
by a Turkish F16 jet in Syrian air
space and the Su24 fell in Syria
four km away from the Turkish
border.
"The Russian pilots and the war
plane have in no way threatened
Turkey. This is obvious," Putin
said, describing the incident as "a
stab in the back".
"T his event goes beyond the
Su24 was shot down by a Turkish F16 jet while returning to

Syria's Hmeimim airbase.
boundaries of ghting terrorism.
It is a stab in the back from
accomplices of terrorists," Putin
said, according to a live broadcast
by Russian 24 TV channel.
Putin said the incident would
USled campaign not

affected: Pentagon
Washington: The Pentagon said
that the USled campaign against
the extremist group Islamic State
was neither af fected by nor
involved in Turkey's downing of a
Russian plane.
"This is an incident between the
Russian and the Turkish govern
ments. It is not an issue that
involves the Combined Joint Task
Force or Operat ion Inherent
Resolve," said Steve Warren, a
spokesman for the USled military
campaign against the IS.
"Our combat operations against
IS continue as planned and we are

striking both Iraq and Syria," said
Warren at a Pentagon brieng.
Earlier, a Russian Su24 crashed
in Syria "allegedly because of gun
re from the ground," said the
Russian defence ministry.
According to the Turkish military,
the Su24 had been warned 10
times in ve minutes about its
violat ion of Turkish airspace,
be fore two Turkish F16 jets
"interfered".
But Moscow said the plane was
shot down in Syria's territory.
have serious consequences on

MoscowAnkara re lat ions as
"Russia would not tolerate crimes
like what happened today".
"We have always reg arded
Turkey not only as a close neigh
As a major antiterrorism opera

tion continues in Belgium after the
Paris attacks, Cameron called for
more panEuropean measures to
tackle such threats.
In particular, we must do more
to tackle the threat of returning
foreign ghters. This requires a
panEuropean effort.
Earlier, Cameron and Hollande
visited the Bataclan concert hall,
where scores of people were killed
in the massacre. T he leaders
viewed the oral tributes placed
on antiterrorist issues.
Earlier in the day, a Russian Su
24 crashed in Syria "allegedly
because of gunre from the
ground", the Russian defence min
istry said.
According to the Turkish mili
tary, the Su24 had been warned
10 times in ve minutes about its
violation of the Turkish airspace
be fore two Turkish F16 jets
"interfered".
The latest statement released by
the Russian defence ministry said
the Su24 was shot down by a
Turkish F16 jet while returning to
Syria's Hmeimim airbase, where a
Russian air force group for anti
terrorist strikes is located.
Insisting that analysis of readout
data showed clearly no violation
of the Turkish airspace, the
ministry has already summoned
the Turkish military attache in
Russia.
US, France stand together

against terrorism: Obama
Washington: The US stands "united" with France
against terrorism, US President Barack Obama
said. At a joint press conference with his French
counterpart Francois Hollande, Obama said the
Islamic State militant group cannot be tolerated
and must be destroyed, Xinhua reported.
"The United States and France stand united, in
total solidarity, to deliver justice to these terror
ists," the US president said.
Obama also said that Turkey has the right to
defend its territory and airspace after a Russian
warplane was downed by the country, urging
measures should be taken to avoid an escalation of
tension.
Britain offers base to France

for raids on IS
Paris: British Prime Minister David
Cameron on Monday of fered
French President Francois
Hollande use of a Royal Air Force
(RAF) airbase in Cyprus to launch
airstrikes against the Islamic State
(IS) in Syria.
"The United Kingdom will do all
in its our power to support our
friend and ally France to defeat
this evil death cult," Cameron said
speaking alongside Hollande at the
Elysee Palace in Paris.
"I have of fered President
Hollande the use of RAF Akrotiri
for French aircraft engaged in
counterIS operations and addi
tional assistance for airtoair refu
elling," The Guardian quoted the
prime minister as saying.
The decision comes in the wake
of the gruesome attacks at six
locations across the French capital
on November 13 that killed 130
people and injured over 350 oth
ers.
bour, but also a friendly state. I

don't know who needed today's
incident to happen, but Russia did
n't need it in any case," said Putin.
The president promised to care
fully analyze everything that has
happened, criticising Ankara for
contacting NATO instead of estab
lishing necessary communication
with Russia immediately.
"As if it were us shooting down a
Turkish plane and not vice versa,"
said Putin.
Noting that Moscow recorded oil
supplies to Turkey from Syrian
areas captured by terrorists, Putin
reiterated the urgent need of a
united international community
against the "common evil" of ter
rorism.
"We hope very much for all
countries in the region to actively
participate in the joint antiterror
ist ght," Putin said when praising
the "constant contact" with Jordan
outside the music venue, where

fans of rock group Eagles Of Death
Metal were shot dead.
Meanwhile, Be lg ian police
arrested 16 people on Sunday
night but the key suspect Belgian
born French nat ional. Salah
Abdeslam, 26, remained at large, a
federal prosecutor said.
No arms or explosives were
found in 19 raids across Brussels
including in the Molenbeek area
from where the Paris attack was
planned and two in Charleroi.
Barack Obama with his French counterpart

Francois Hollande.
20 Indians among 170

taken hostage in Mali
Bamako (Mali): Suspected militant
gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in
Mali's capital Bamako, taking 170
people hostage that left at least 27
people dead, media reports said.
Heavily armed gunmen red
indiscriminately at guests at the
Radisson Blu Hotel hosting diplo
mats and others, which is about 15
minutes away from the Bamako
Senou International Airport, CNN
reported.
They locked in 140 guests and
30 employees out of which 20
were Indians who were later freed
as security forces launched a
counterassault.
All the attackers were killed the
and operation came to an end
later. Al Mourabitoun, an Islamist
militant group, claimed it was
jointly responsible for the attack.
The group announced it carried
out the attack with Al Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
The hotel was hosting a large

de legation for the Mali peace
process that began on Thursday
which according to Mongi Hamdi,
head of MINUSMA, might have
been a motive for the attck.
"I think this attack has been per
petrated by negative forces, terror
ists, who do not want to see peace
in Mali," Hamdi said.
Meanwhile, the Malian govern
ment has declared a 10day
nationwide state of emergency nad
it has also called for three days of
mourning, Xinhua news agency
reported.
The siege ended when Malian
troops along with forces from
MINUSMA, the UN peacekeeping
mission in Mali, US and French
troops secured the palatial hotel.
Some hostages succeeded in
escaping by their own means while
the majority of them were rescued
by the special forces.
22
BUSINESS
Free Basics app available on Reliance

Network across India: Zuckerberg
New Delhi: Keeping up with its promise to
make internet free for those who cannot
af ford it in India, social networking giant
Face book
has
chosen
Re liance
Communications Network to of fer Free
Basics its free internet sharing platform
now to everyone in the country.
"We just took another step towards con
necting India. As of today, everyone in India
nationwide can access free internet servic
es for health, education, jobs and communi
cation through internet.org's Free Basics
app on the Re liance network," wrote
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a post.
In his post, Zuckerberg also said how
Free Basics app has he lped Ganesh
Nimbalkar, a farmer in Maharashtra, not
only double his crop yield but also get a
better deal for them.
"Ganesh struggled with traditional farm

ing metho ds in a reg ion plagued by
droughts, but last year he started using
Free Basics accessing services like
AccuWeather, which helped him work bet
ter through the monsoon season, and
Reuters Market Light, which helped him
understand commodity prices and get a
better deal for his crops," Zuckerberg
wrote.
"By using Free Basics, Ganesh has dou
bled his crop yield, eradicated insect infes
tations and even invested in new crops and
livestock," he further posted.
In February, the app was available in
India for Reliance customers in six states
Tamil Nadu, Mahararashtra, And hra
Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, and Telangana.
However, with the recent announcement,
Virginia firm signs

deal to export
apples to India
Washington: As part of a state push to
pursue trade opportunities and new
investments in India, a Virginia state
company has signed a deal for export
of Virginia apples with a major Indian
importer.
The deal between Virginia's Crown
Orchard Company of Covesville and
India's IG International was witnessed
by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe
in Mumbai during his just concluded
trade and marketing mission to the
Middle East and India.
"The deal is a significant develop
ment that strengthens Virginia's part
nership with one of the world's largest
economies and population bases,"
according to a news release from the
governor's office.
"After opening the Indian apple mar
ket for Virginia producers last year, it
was important that we continue that
momentum and push hard to expand
those sales," McAulif fe said announc
ing the new sale into the highly com
petitive Indian produce market.
"Export deals like this one play a
vital role in generating additional rev
enue and jobs for the Commonwealth
and are critical to my work to build a

new Virginia economy," he said.
Virg inia's First Lady Dorothy
McAuliffe visited several Mumbai fruit
and vegetable markets w ith IG
International leadership to promote
the growing Virginia apple trade with
India.
"We have focused on India as an
important strateg ic market for
Virginia agricultural and forestry
products since launching the export
growth initiative in 2011," said Todd
Haymore, Secretary of Agriculture and
Forestry.
"Virginia has emerged as the second
largest apple exporting state to India,
and we are working continuously to
drive more sales and make new intro
ductions between our producers and
Indian apple importers."
Agricultural and forestry exports
from Virginia reached a record high of
$3.35 billion in 2014. While currently
a relatively small market for these
products, the Indian market is growing
and holds strong potent ial for
Virginia's agricultural and forestry
industries.
Reliance customers all across the country

will now have access to Free Basics.
Facebook rebranded internet.org app
which it developed in conjunction with
Reliance Communications as "Free Basics
by Facebook" in September this year.
"Today, nearly one billion people are cur
rently without internet access in India. Now
with Internet.org's Free Basics available to
everyone in India, many more people like
Ganesh and his wife Bharati will have
access to the information and opportunity
the internet brings," the Facebook founder
posted.
During his India visit in October,
Zuckerberg has reinstated that the world
cannot be connected without India.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
India's exports to
outpace China by
2025: HSBC
New Delhi: Global
banking major HSBC
forecast a strong
growth for India's
export
segment
which is projected to
outpace China in the
perio d
between
2025 and 2050.
As per new fore
casts in HSBC's
report 'Trade Winds'
the merchandise
exports from India
are expected to
grown by an average
of six percent a year in the period between
2025 and 2050.
T he report commissioned by HSBC
Commercial Banking and compiled by
Oxford Economics pegs China's exports to
grow just under five percent a year for the
period under review.
Currently, the slowdown in g lobal
demand scenario and a dip in prices of
petroleum products has dented India's
exports. India is a major exporter of refin
ery products. The country's goods ship
ments were down for the eleventh straight

month in October w ith merchandise
exports declining by 17.53 percent to
$21.35 billion from $25.89 billion worth
of goods sold abroad during the correspon
ding month of last year.
Besides India, the report cite Asia as the
prime region which is expected to ignite a
decade of global trade growth which will
culminate into quadrupling of worldwide
exports to an estimated $68.5 trillion by
2050.
SPORTS
23
India unveil spin venom after posting 215

Nagpur: India reduced South Africa to 11/2
afer getting bowled out for 215 runs in
their first innings on the first day of the
third Test at the Vidarbha Cricket
Association Stadium here.
For South Africa, Dean Elgar (7 not out)
and skipper Hashim Amla (0 not out) were
at the crease at the end of the day after
spinners Ravichandran Ashw in and
Ravindra Jadeja picked one wicket each for
India.For the hosts, opener Murali Vijay
(40) was the topscorer alongside Ravindra
Jadeja (34) and Wriddhiman Saha (32) who
provided some handy runs towards the end
which helped the side cross the 200run
mark in the first innings.
For the visitors, of fspinner Simon
Harmer (4/78) and seamer Morne Morkel
(3/35) were the pick of the bowlers while
Dean Elgar, Kagiso Rabada, and Imran
Tahir picked one wicket each.
Opting to bat first on a dry and slow
pitch, India got off to a modest start, taking
time to settle down and assessing the
nature of the pitch.
Both openers Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan
(12) made sure they spent considerable
time at the crease.
South African cricketers celebrate fall of a wicket during the third test between India
and South Africa in Nagpur.
But soon after their 50run opening
stand, leftarm spinner Dean Elgar brought
Sri Lanka possible

venue for India
Pakistan series
Dubai: T he chances of holding next

month's proposed IndiaPakistan series
have increased after the BCCI and the
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) held a
meeting here with Sri Lanka emerging as
a possible venue.
Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI) president Shashank Mahohar and
PCB chief Shahryar Khan met at the
International Cricket Council (ICC) head
quarters here on Sunday evening to dis
cuss the fate of the series which has been
thrown into uncertainty due to political
tension between the two countries.
England Cricket Board (ECB) president
Giles Clarke was also present.
Although the details of the meeting are
not known, PCB officials appeared satis
fied with the outcome.
"We had a fruitful meeting in which
Sethi was there, Clarke was there as facil
itator," Khan told mediapersons after the
meeting. "We have also decided that
there will be no further briefing. I am not
in a position to say more than this."
"PCB and BCCI of ficials had a fruitful
discussion in ICC office Dubai facilitated
by ECB's Giles Clarke who will field all
questions in matter," senior PCB official
Najam Sethi wrote on his Twitter handle.
It was also revealed that Sri Lanka has
been decided as a venue and the Sri
Lanka Cricket (SLC) wanted the decision
to be announced either by the BCCI or
jointly with the PCB.
The series is scheduled from December
20 to January 3 with most of the matches
to be played in Colombo, although Kandy

was also considered in this regard."We
will be more than happy to host high pro
file matches between India and Pakistan,"
SLC chief Sidath Wettimuny was quoted
as say ing by the Lankan media on
Monday.
Indications are however, that the series
will only see limitedovers matches, with
three ODIs and two Twenty20s.
PCB chief Shaharyar Khan said that he
had sought permission from the coun
trys government for a bilateral series
with India at an unspecified neutral
venue. The move came after the PCB
chairman met with the BCCI president
Shashank Manohar in Dubai.
We have sent the report to prime min
ister Nawaz Sharif and has sought per
mission to play India on a neutral venue,
Khan told AFP, without confirming Sri
Lanka as the venue of the series.
After the Dubai meeting both BCCI and
PCB have said that the final decision rests
with the respective governments, so in
the next three to four days we expect a
final decision, said Khan.
With time running out, as India have to
travel to Australia for a limited over
series starting from January 12 and
Pakistan visit New Zealand in the same
period, the series of two Tests, five one
day and two Twenty20 is likely to be
reduced.
It is most likely that both countries will
agree to play three oneday and two
Twenty20 internationals.
about the early breakthrough by dismissing

Dhawan inside 15 overs.
Dhawan, who tried to come down the

track and drive the ball away, only man
aged to hit the inside half of the bat which
resulted in the ball going straight back at
Elgar who took a good diving catch in front
of the stumps to dismiss the lefthanded
batsman.
Cheteshwar Pujara (21) joined Vijay in
the middle but just a few overs before the
lunch the Proteas struck yet again to leave
India at 69/2.
Morkel bowled Vijay who intended to
play through the leg side but missed the
ball to be adjudged leg before the wicket
(LBW).
Skipper Virat Kohli (22) and Pujara aimed
to help team recover but the duo never
looked comfortable on the pitch.
In the very fourth over after lunch,
Harmer got the vital wicket of Pujara (21)
to leave India in trouble at 94/3.
From there on, the Proteas didn't look
back, some tight bowling by both seamers
and spinners followed by wickets at regular
intervals crippled India.
The hosts lead the series 10 after win
ning the first match in Mohali and the sec
ond match being washed out in Bengaluru.
Kohli voices support

for daynight Tests
Virat Kohli during a practice session.

Nagpur: Indian Test captain Virat Kohli
has voiced his support for daynight Tests,
the first of which will feature Australia
and New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval
from November 27.
He added that it is a big experiment and
looks like an exciting concept. "It is a
landmark Test. It is a big experiment. It is
a big step towards changing something in
Test cricket. I am hopeful that it will work.
I also hope it can be another option as
well," Kohli told reporters here.
Kohli also praised the two teams,
Australia and New Zealand on taking up
the challenge of playing in the first ever
day and night Test.
"I'm g lad two teams have actually
agreed to play an official Test like that as
an experiment. Credit to Australia and
New Zealand, both, that they have decided
to do this. Hopefully it will be better for
the game. It will be a step which we all

will remember few years down the line.
Let's hope so," he said.
The 27yearold also said that cricketers
need to contribute to the game however
possible and believes that if the new idea
adds excitement to the fiveday
format,then the players should be game
for it.
"As I said, it is a step towards something.
If it is of ficially put into place it will be
something different, it will be something
exciting. As cricketers we all should
be willing and accepting of the fact
that we need to step forward and con
tribute to the game however possible,"
Kohli said.
"If this is a step towards improving the
excitement and the popularity of Test
cricket, then I think every team should be
in for it."
24
FOOD
Poori, samosa vs French fries

Nutritionists are right to warn against deep frying. But their
method of deep frying is not the same as ours. And that, the author
argues, makes home-style Indian food even poori
and samosa - much healthier than Western fast food.
By Ajay Chaudhry
re you one of those who always pre
fer a paratha to a poori because you
avoid deepfried foods? The sort of
person who avoids samosas, kachoris,
pakoras and all the other Indian snacks
that come out of a wok full of hot oil?
Because, for years and years, doctors have
told us to stay away from deepfried foods
because they are full of oil. And oil is fat,
which is full of calories and bad for the
heart as it contains substances that clog the
arteries.
Now a simple question: why we dont
have deep fat fryers in Indian kitchens?
Most Western kitchens have deep fat fry
ers of some sort. You put the ingredients to
be fried into a metal basket and then lower
them into a vat of hot oil. In no time, you
get french fries, fried chicken, fried fish,
chicken nuggets or whatever. Much of the
Western fast food industry, for instance,
would close down if they abolished the
deep fat fryer.
But why Indian kitchens dont have deep
fat fryers. After all, we make samosas, pako
ras and many other fried items in Indian
cuisine.
First of all they will not taste the same.
Secondly, when you drop food into hot
fat, there is a giant whooshing of hot oil
bubbles. It is not boiling (oil burns before it
boils) but is the effect of the moisture leav
ing the food as it comes into contact with
the hot oil. The sudden evaporation of the
moisture forms the crisp crust on the out
side of the food. (In that sense, frying is a
form of drying). As the food gets crispy, the
oil rushes into the holes from which the
water has evaporated. And the moisture
still trapped deep inside the food turns to
steam.
So deep frying is a two step process. The
immersion in hot oil creates the crispy
crust outside while the inside is actually
steamed by the evaporation of moisture. So
a perfect French fries will be crisp on the
outside and tender on the inside.
The same scientific principles apply to all
food. This is how all deep frying happens.
So why is Indian food different? Why cant
we use fryers?
Well, because Indian food is actually less
fried.
When you immerse a French fry or a
chicken nugget in hot oil, the food absorbs
the oil to let the dual process of drying and
steaming begin. But in the case of Indian
food, you never completely immerse the
food in oil.
A poori, for instance, is cooked on the sur
face. You put it into a karahi or wok full of
hot oil and you do not need to let it go all
the way in. It simply floats on the surface.
And as soon as the drying process begins
on one side, you quickly turn it over and fry

the other side. ( T he steaming process
explains why a poori puffs up in the wok as
the moisture turns into steam and evapo
rates). Consequently, it absorbs much less
oil than any Western food that goes into a
deep fat fryer.
Exactly the same thing is true of a pakora
or a kachori or a samosa. Because it is sur
face frying, the absorption of oil is much
less than we think.
But not all Indian food necessarily has
less oil. Take example of the paratha. Many
cooks (especially some of the famous street
side parathawallas) take a shallow pan and
fill it with fat. When the paratha goes into
the tawa, it stays there long enough to suck
up the fat it is immersed in. So while the
parathas that come out of these pans may
taste delicious, it is possible that they actu
ally have absorbed more fat (up to 700 per
cent more) than a poori. And yet we have
been brought up to believe that a paratha is
always healthier than a poori! (A paratha
made at home on a tawa with very little oil
is of course quite healthy. Its the parathas
you get outside you should worry about).
What this means is that there are no hard
and fast rules. If you eat your channa with a
kulcha rather than a bhatura because you
think the kulcha is healthier, think again. It
may be a shallowfried dish but the chances
are that the bhatura is actually healthier.

One of the problems we face as Indians is
that nutritional and diet orthodoxies follow
the Western models. Thus we are told that
red meat is bad and full of saturated fat on
the basis of American research which uses
red meat as a synonym for beef. Actually,
goat (which is what we eat in India) has
much less saturated fat than beef and can
often be healthier than the chickens we get
in our shops.
But yes, any food that is immersed in hot
oil will end up soaking up some of the fat.
So Western nutritionists are right to warn
against deep frying. But their method of
deep frying is not the same as ours. And so
their orthodoxies cannot always be trans
ferred to the Indian context or to our cui
sine.
Youll find that good homestyle Indian
food is about a million times healthier than
Western fast food.
Making the Perfect Poori

Poori is an ancient bread from Vedic
times and falls in the category of pucca
khanna. The whole wheat flour is coarsely
ground. The dough is similar to that of cha
pattis but a little less water is used, so the
dough is firmer. It is shortened with a little
ghee or oil and salt to bring out the flavor.
8 Make the dough which should be pliable
but moderately stiff. Apply oil or ghee

on the hands and knead the dough for
about 46 minutes unt il firm and
smooth. Form into a ball, lightly apply
ghee or oil, keep it covered and let the
dough rest for 13 hours.
8 Keep ready all the tools required for
pooris small rolling pin, slotted spoon
for frying, a tray lined with paper towel
and a wok with enough ghee or oil to
fry (approx 35 inches deep).
8 Place the dough on a clean surface and
knead again for a few seconds. Now
take portions of the dough, roll into a
ball and flatten into half inch disc, pour
melted ghee or oil and roll it out, exert
ing equal pressure into 4.5 5 inch
diameter. Roll out all the pooris, place it
on a sheet and cover with damp cloth.
Dont use dry flour to roll the pooris at
all.
8 Now heat the ghee or oil over moderate
heat until it reaches 185C, lift up
rolled up poori and carefully slip into
the hot ghee or oil and make sure it
remains flat and does not fold over. The
poori will sink to the bottom of the pan
and quickly rise to the surface. As it
begins to puff, very gently press it with
the back of the slotted spoon until it
puf fs out completely. When lightly
browned on the bottom, carefully turn
over and brown the second side. It
should not take more than 4050 sec
onds of frying.
Remove the poori with the slotted spoon.
Repeat the procedure for all the pooris,
adjusting the heat to achieve even tempera
ture.
Serve immediately.
The author works with Chand Palace, a

leading catering company in the tristate
area. He brings in 25 years of experience
from Indian hospitality industry having
worked with the Taj group of hotels, Ashok
group, and VVIP hospitality at senior man
agement positions, where he was involved
in organizing at least 200 state banquets
including the one hosted for President
Clinton.
US AFFAIRS
25
America's most powerful people

Indian American Satya Nadella is at No. 20 in the
list of 24 researched by Business Insider.
usiness Insider recently
released its list of the 50
most powerful people in the
world, and almost half hail from
the United States.
Between political leaders, billion
aires, CEOs, and entertainers, the
world's top superpower is chock
full of people who possess the
potent combination of money and
influence that enables them to
help shape the world.
To determine their ranking,
Business Insider considered more
than 100 of the most influential
players in business, politics, and
entertainment, and evaluated their
influence using metrics in four
major areas: economic power,
command, newsworthiness, and
impact a subjective measure
that captures how important they
are in their respective spheres.
They then pulled the topranking
Americans and reordered the list.
24. Jay Z and Beyonc

Singer (Beyonc), rapper and
entrepreneur (Jay Z)
Blackstone Group
Steve Schwarzman is the unpar
alleled king of private equity, with
a fortune of $11. His vaunted buy
out firm Blackstone Group is the
largest on earth, with $334 billion
in assets under management, and
it has completed some of the most
highprofile acquisitions in the
industry..
With pic
20. Satya Nadella

CEO, Microsoft
Since becoming Microsoft's third

CEO last year, Satya Nadella has
been busy helping the technology
company become relevant again.
While Microsoft is still a software
giant it pulls in $95 billion in
sales it's far from its former
glory as tech's innovative, undis
puted leader. But Nade lla, a
Microsoft veteran of 23 years, has
made significant progress in reju
venating the company.
19. Elon Musk

Music's biggest power couple,
Beyonc and Jay Z turn nearly
everything they touch into gold,
which has helped them mint a
combined fortune of $950 million.
23. Sheldon Adelson

Chairman, CEO
of Las Vegas Sands
T he "King of Las Veg as" is
expected to dole out millions by
this time next year, taking a gam
ble on one of his favorite things:
politics. The casino magnate, who
owns 13 private jets, is a staunch
supporter of the Republican party.
Las Vegas Sands is parent of the
Venetian Resort and Casino and
Sands China, a subsidiary that's
planning to open its fifth casino in
Macau next year
22. Ginni Rometty

Chairman, CEO of IBM
Last year, IBM CEO Ginni
Rometty announced IBM w ill
invest $4 billion to grow $40 bil
lion in revenue in areas such as
cloud computing, mobile, and big
data by 2018. IBM employs
380,000 people, on par in size
w ith the populat ion of New
Orleans.
21. Steve Schwarzman

Founder, CEO of
CEO, Tesla and SpaceX

The man who believes there's
"no such thing as business, only
the pursuit of a goal" has invested
in, founded, or run 18 companies
to date, including two of the most
innovative technology firms in
America: Tesla Motors and SpaceX.
Musk, who first hit it big cofound
ing PayPal in the late 1990s, has a
growing fortune of more than $11
billion that enables him to experi
ment w ith technolog y of the
future.
18. Larry Ellison

Founder, executive
chairman of Oracle
Oracle's billionaire cofounder
Larry Ellison stepped down as the
company's CEO last year but hasn't
pumped the brakes: He still serves
as chairman and CTO of the $38
billion (sales) database and soft
ware titan. Ellison announced plans
this year for Oracle to take over as
the primary provider of cloudcom
puting products and services.
17. Oprah Winfrey

CEO, OWN
Worth nearly $3 billion, Oprah
Winfrey is the only black female
billionaire in the US. Winfrey is the
founder of the production studio
Harpo Productions responsible
for the 2014 crit ical darling
"Selma" and the Oprah Winfrey

Network. She also owns the "The
Oprah Winfrey Show," which
brought in $300 million a year at
its peak.
16. Rex Tillerson

CEO of Exxon Mobil
Rex Tillerson runs the world's
largest publicly traded oil compa
ny, commanding about 75,000
employees and generating nearly
$400 billion in annual sales.
15. Michael Bloomberg

CEO of Bloomberg LP
Michael Bloomberg is back. After
leaving Bloomberg LP, the finan
cial data and media giant that he
founded in 1981, and spending 12
years as mayor of New York City,
Bloomberg was expected to devote
his t ime to g iving away his
immense fortune, which stands at
$42 billion. Instead, Bloomberg
made waves by returning to the
helm of his company in 2014.
14. Tim Cook

CEO of Apple
Tim Cook runs the most valuable
company on the planet in Apple,
which is worth $645 billion. Under
Cook's continued direction as CEO,
2015 has been one of the compa
ny's best years yet.
13. Rob and Jim Walton

Controlling shareholders
of Walmart
he lmed JPMorg an Chase, the

largest commercial bank in the US
with $2.6 trillion in assets, and
during his tenure hes become one
of the most respected voices in
finance.
10. Larry Fink

Founder, CEO of BlackRock
Few have more responsibility for
the US's economic wellbeing than
Fink CEO of BlackRock the
worlds largest assetmanagement
firm. He started BlackRock in
1988 and It quickly grew into one
of the largest money managers in
the country.
9. Mark Zuckerberg
Founder
and CEO of Facebook
The leader of the worlds largest
social network had a prosperous
year. Facebook earlier this year
had a billion users in a single day
and 8 billion daily video views. The
company's stock is up about 40%
through November 2015, and as a
result Mark Zuckerbergs net
worth has soared to $47.6 billion.
8. Larry Page
Cofounder, CEO of Alphabet
Larry Page is cofounder of
Goog le, now a subsidiary of
Alphabet, which would oversee all
of Googles ventures, such as Nest,
Calico, and Google X.
7. Jeff Bezos
CEO, Amazon.com
1975 with childhood friend Paul

Allen, building an iconic software
company and becoming the richest
man on earth in the process, with a
net worth of $87.3 billion.
4. Charles and David Koch

CEO (Charles), executive VP
(David) of Koch Industries
Billionaire brothers Charles and

David Koch run multifaceted con
glomerate Koch Industries, the sec
ondlargest private company in
America. Outspoken in the world
of conservative politics, the Koch
brothers, who have a combined net
worth of $87 billion, wield a heavy
influence over the upcoming 2016
presidential race.
3. Janet Yellen
Chair of the Board of Governors of
the Federal Reserve
As the head of the Federal
Reserve the first woman to hold
the job Janet Ye llen is the
guardian of the US economy. The
results have been good so far: The
US is closing out the year with a
period of growth, adding 271,000
jobs in October and lowering
unemployment to 5%, according to
the latest jobs report.
2. Warren Buffett
Rob and Jim Walton control per

haps the most powerful company
on earth in the meg aretailer
Walmart, which employs 2.2 mil
lion people in 28 countries and
generates annual revenues of
$486 billion. Combined, the
Walton brothers' fortunes are
worth more than $60 billion.
12. Sergey Brin

Cofounder,
President of Alphabet
Along with fellow cofounder
Larry Page, Sergey Brin helped
orchestrate Goog les massive
restructuring, announced in
August. The move made Google a
subsidiary of a new holding com
pany called Alphabet, run by Brin
as president and Page as CEO. The
tech conglomerate generated $66
billion in sales in 2014.
11. Jamie Dimon

Chairman,
CEO of JPMorgan Chase
For a decade now Dimon has
Amazon.com is an undeniable
superpower in ecommerce. The
company, which generates $89 bil
lion in sales but has often failed to
turn a net profit, surprised
investors in July by reporting
quarterly earnings of $92 million,
handily beating analyst expecta
tions. Amazon stock shot up, mak
ing founder and CEO Jef f Bezos
worth an estimated $55 billion.
CEO, Berkshire Hathaway

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren
Buf fett bought his first stock at
age 11 and never looked back.
Since then, Buf fett has continued
to amass a fortune of $65 billion
through a nearclairvoyant knack
for making smart, longterm bets
on companies like CocaCola and
American Express.
1. Barack Obama
US president
6. Abigail Johnson
CEO of Fidelity
In late 2014, Abigail Johnson
succeeded her father Edward as
CEO of Fidelity, the secondlargest
mutual fund company in the US,
which manages more than $2 tril
lion in assets.
5. Bill Gates
Cochair, trustee of the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation
Gates cofounded Microsoft in
President Barack Obama pre

sides over the world's most influ
ential country, giving him unparal
leled responsibility and power.
He's caretaker of the largest econ
omy, and he's helped nurse it back
to health since the financial crisis.
Source: Business Insider
26
SELF HELP
Tips to organize your home office

hether you work full
time from home, or you
simply have a space dedi
cated to paying bills and keeping
your life in order, a home of fice
should inspire productivity and
happiness.
After all, youll do your best
work if you actually want to spend
time in your workspace. Here,
four business bloggers share their
tips for home office success.
Invest a Few Dollars
The easiest way to start feeling
more like a professional and less
like an imposter is to invest in
your home of fice, says Cassie
Boorn, guest blogger for
Handmade Success, and the
woman behind Maker Mentors, a
free community designed to help
creative entrepreneurs build busi
ness. But theres no need to
spend thousands of dollars to cre
ate a great workspace. It can be as
simple as a quick trip to Staples
and done with a budget as small
as 25 dollars.
you want your business to be, pay

ing attention to details. In her
case, she equipped herself with
supplies that fit the way she
works a binding machine for
customer handouts, a tablet and a
briefcase that converts into a
backpack.
Sometimes its the small things
that help remind us of the bigger
picture.
Keep Goals in Focus
Evolve
As your business evolves and
grows, be willing to make changes
to your workspace.
The way Ive been running my
business is from the perspective
of a hustling freelancer. I was
working a lot but there was no

method to the madness. I had no
structure, says Vicky Ayala,
brand strategist.
She recommends creating a
workspace both at home and on
thego that complements what
Have your plan in plain sight

for constant review and
reminders. Without it, its too easy
to fall back into old routines and
unproductive habits, says Lisa
Jacobs, a marketing consultant to
small businesses and the blogger
behind Marketing Creativity.
Jacobs sets and tracks goals reli
giously by keeping a wall planner
mounted in her home office. She
used the copy and print services
at Staples to bring her own plan
ner calendar design into reality.
The Brass Tacks

One thing that I have learned
about myself over the years is

that I perform at my best when I
have an environment free of clut
ter. That means no extra stuff on
my desk, on my walls or in my
of fice, says Andreea Ayers, the
entrepreneur behind Launch
Grow Joy, a business that helps
entrepreneurs elevate sales.
To beat the clutter, Ayers advis
es sticking to your essentials and
thinking about mult ipurpose
equipment that saves space. Her
short list includes a stackable
desk tray to sort and contain files,
and a laser printer/scanner/copi
er that can do it all.
For ideas for making your home
of fice more productive, and for
time and moneysaving business
tips, visit www.Staples.com and
follow the #MakeMoreHappen
hashtag on social media.
If you are creat ing a home
workspace for the first time or
revamping your current of fice,
you can craft your own success by
focusing on the details.
The right morning

How to choose a hospital for
routine can keep you
procedures or surgeries
energized all day
ont give your
morning routine
short shrift; it
may be more important
than you think.
If your routine seems
well...routine, it may be
time to put some zest
in the everyday steps
you take to look and
feel your best. Here,
four lifestyle bloggers
offer tips for doing just that.
Get Fresh
Discover what it is that you need
to walk out your door alert and with
confidence. For some, its a jolt of
caf feine, for others its smelling
great after a morning shower.
What do I love more than know
ing I smell good? Being told I smell
good, says Jenny Ingram, the fami
ly and lifestyle blogger behind
Jenny on the Spot. Starting out the
day clean is like starting out with a
fresh canvas. She recommends lay
ering scents for your own signature
fragrance, starting with your body
wash.
Change It Up
Your routine should work for you,
but that doesnt mean it cant
change from day to day, based on
your mood or the aspect of your
personality that feels most empow
ered that day. A womans beauty
routine is as unique as she is, says
Angela Peters of the blog Hairspray
and Highheels, who was recently
challenged by Herbal Essences to
try out each of the

scents in their body
wash collection as
part
of
their
#ScentGoals cam
paign. After testing
out Hello Hydration,
Totally Twisted, Body
Burst and Happy Go
Lather, Peters was
decidedly undecided.
They are all current
ly living in my shower and I use a
dif ferent fragrance depending on
the day.
Give Yourself Time

Cant resist the snooze button?
You may be doing yourself a dis
service. Feeling rushed in the morn
ing can set the vibe for the entire
day and lower your overall produc
tivity. I like to wake up early and
take things slow so I can focus on
everything I need to get done that
day, says Oliva Rink of the Lovely
Little Style blog. I turn on my goto
Spotify playlist, light my favorite
candle and take time putting on my
makeup, doing my hair and going
through emails.
Stay Energized
Fragrance can be powerful and
the right scent can recharge and
refresh your mood. Keeping cool
cleansers on rotation in my shower
will get me through the dead of win
ter and keep me energized and
smelling sensational, says lifestyle
and fitness blogger Christine Bibbo
Herr of NYC Pretty.
any pat ients become

overwhelmed when they
learn they need to have
a procedure or surgery, and
make quick decisions based on
convenience. But before quickly
settling for the nearest hospital,
there are a few important things
patients should consider.
CyberKnife
technology is
helping
physicians like
Dr. Schwartz
deliver safer,
highquality
care.
Read Reviews
Before choosing a restaurant,
you may read a few reviews. So
why wouldnt you do the same
for something much more
important than dinner?
Spend some time researching
the various hospitals on your list
for their track records on safety,
patient outcomes and patient
experience.
Find out more about the
healthcare professionals that
you will encounter. Not just the
surgeon, but rather the entire
team that will be caring for you
while you are there. How long
has your surgeon been in prac
tice? What is his or her success
rate? Several organizations,
including independent nonprof
its list hospital rankings and rat
ings based on a number of fac
tors, and are searchable by vari
ous disciplinary specialties.
Treatment Options
Even if your doctor doesnt
mention it, there may be new
treatment options available for
your condition that are safer or
have higher success rates. Not
every hospital has the same
technological capabilities and

facilities, so you may not even be
aware of whats available to you
without asking a few questions.
For example, CyberKnife, a
computercontrolled radio
surgery system, delivers radia
tion to cancerous and noncan
cerous tumors with millimeter
accuracy. This virtual surgery
may be worth a trip for those
diagnosed with prostate cancer,
a brain tumor, or lesions in the
spine, lungs, liver and pancreas.
Done in five treatments on an
outpatient basis, it involves no
incisions, no blood, no pain and
no complications from anesthe
sia; and patients can resume
daily activities immediately fol
lowing treatment. Additionally,
this form of radiation therapy
can treat many tumors that are
inoperable by other methods.
Because the technology is so
precise, physicians can apply
higher doses of radiation, offer
ing patients a better chance for
cure while minimizing damage
to healthy tissue, says Louis
Schwartz, MD chief, radiation
oncology, at Overlook Medical

Center, a hospital with over 10
years of treatment experience in
CyberKnife technology.
No matter what your condition
is, do your research about the
new innovative methods being
employed by hospitals nation
wide to treat it.
More informat ion about
CyberKnife technology can be
found at atlantichealth.org/CK
Overlook.
Ask Questions
Supplement your research by
asking targeted questions of the
right people. Ask trusted health
care experts for their opinion.
Seek out online forums of other
patients with your condition.
The feedback you hear may be
some of the most invaluable
information you collect during
your search for the perfect hos
pital or facility for your treat
ment.
Before scheduling surgery or a
procedure, get the facts and
know your options. With a little
digg ing, you may discover
options for higherquality care.
Chinese couples
favor marriage at 26
Beijing: A new survey in China is
suggesting that while trends sur
rounding marriage in the country
have changed, traditional values
were still instilled when it came to
people finding a mate.
The survey showed the current
average age at which Chinese peo
ple get married remained at 26,
the China Daily reported.
About 75 percent of men got
married between the ages of 25
and 34, while more than 90 per
cent of women found their hus
bands before turning 30 years old.
Close to 55 percent of those sur
veyed got to know their spouses
with the help of friends, while peo
ple born after 1980 depended
more on the internet to find their
match, more than any other age
groups.
Sociologist Li Song says attitudes
towards marriage among Chinese
people have changed over the past
decades.
"People born in the 1960s are
more eager to have a stable life,
spouses born in the next decade
think more about how to improve
marriage. The post1980s genera
tion appear to be more romantic,
while those born after 1990 want
more recognition from their mar
Young Chinese people depend

more on internet to find their
match
riage partners."
The rate of premarriage cohabi
tation among couples born after
1980 exceeded 57 percent, 10 per
cent higher than in earlier genera
tions.
Contrary to expectations, only
around 15 percent of those sur
veyed considered wealth a key cri
teria for selecting a spouse, while
more than 90 percent said that
they put more emphasis on a sense
of responsibility and emotional
intelligence when looking for a
potential partner.
LIFESTYLE
New Delhi: T he percentage of

women in India dropping out of
white collar jobs in midcareer is
as high as 48 percent, as com
pared to the Asian average of 21
percent, it was revealed on Friday.
A panel discussion on leadership
by women at the "Women in the
World Summit" here was initiated
by the moderator with the premise
that India's current gross domestic
product (GDP) could rise by up to
2 percent, if these women, who left
the workforce mostly on account
of the need to give more time to
the family, are retained at the
workplace.
"The Indian woman has a ton of
stakeholders in her life, led by the
parents and later, after marriage,
the inlaws," said Ipsita Dasgupta,
chief commercial officer, GE South
Asia.
Naina Lal Kidwai, chairperson
and India director HSBC Asia
Pacific, said that women in leading
positions help to "sensitize" the
organization.
"We were the first bank in India
First edition of threeday Taj Balloon Festival was held last weekend
Sky Waltz, founded in 2008,
made its first hot air balloon
flight in 2009 in Jaipur. T he
company provides commercial
balloon experience in Jaipur and
Lonavla and charter ones at
Pushkar, Neemrana, Hampi and
Jodhpur.
It also started flying its biggest
balloon with a capacity of 24
people at Jaipur since August.
The festival included free and
tethered flights. Balloonists from
27
'48 percent Indian

women drop out
midcareer'
Hot air ballooning adds new

perspective to Taj viewing
Agra: The city of Agra, home to
some of India's most magnificent
heritage sites, including the mon
ument to immortal love the Taj
Mahal, last week saw new colors
filling up its skies.
A threeday hot air balloon fes
tival added to the attraction of
the city and lent a new perspec
tive to these magnificent cultural
treasures.
Organized by India's first and
biggest commercial hot air bal
loon company, Sky Waltz, in
asso ciat ion w ith the Uttar
Pradesh government, the first
edition of the Taj Balloon Festival
kicked off last weekend.
"This festival is not just to sell
tickets and make a huge profit,
but it is mainly aimed at giving
this ancient city a new perspec
tive," says Samit Garg, founder
director of Sky Waltz.
"Agra is known all over the
world for its many splendid
Mughalera buildings. We aspire
to give tourists a dif ferent view
of these structures and also to
give a further boost to the city's
booming tourism," he said.
12 countries, including the US,

Britain, the United Arab Emirates
and Spain, participated in the
event.
Of the 15 balloons that partici
pated, three were provided by
Sky Waltz, the biggest one meas
uring 10,000 cubic metres.
The balloons took off from the
ghats of the Yamuna river early
in the morning and maintained
an altitude of at least 1,000
metres.
Women are choosing family

care to white collar jobs
to bring back the fiveday week
and flexi hours. Women can take
even a year away from the organi
zation without creating policy
issues," she said.
Pointing to the particular advan
tages of the Indian situation,
Kidwai said: "Having mothersin
law at home gave us women the
flexibility to work."
Putting forth her perspective on
the Indian context, Padmasree
Warrior, former chief technology
of ficer Cisco, said that apart the
family, the community is a major
reality in India.
"It is not just a question of moth
ersinlaw and husbands. We also
live in a community," Warrior said.
She said the number for women
who leave jobs in midcareer in
America is as high as 51 percent.
"If you go with the mindset that
you will have both children, as well
as a career, then you can blend
both," Warrior said.
Touching on deeper aspects of
the issue, Kidwai, a former presi
dent of the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and
Industry, said women felt more
guilt when faced with the career
versusfamily conundrum.
"Women feel more guilt as com
pared to men. At the core of it all is
guilt. Women need more support
systems at work," she said, in
order to deal with life situations.
Bullies at higher risk

of eating disorders
New York: Not just victims, even
bullies themse lves are at an
increased risk for anxiety,
depression and eating disorders,
a new study says.
In this study of 1,420 children,
the researchers found that those
who bullied others were twice as
likely to display symptoms of
bulimia, such as binge eating and
purging, when compared to chil
dren who are not involved in bul
lying.
"For a long time, there is been
this story about bullies that they
are a little more hale and
hearty," said lead author William
Copeland from Duke University
School of Medicine in US.
"Maybe they are goo d at
manipulating social situations or
getting out of trouble, but in this
one area it seems that is not the
case at all," Copeland stated.
Maybe teasing others may sen
sitize them to their own body
image issues, or afterward, they
have regret for their actions that
results in these symptoms like
binge eating followed by purging
or excess exercise, Copeland
explained.
The researchers found that

children who were both bullies
and victims had the highest
prevalence of anorexia symp
toms and also the highest preva
lence of binge eating and vomit
ing as a way to maintain their
weight. But the impact of bully
ing behavior on those who were
bullies was also significant, with
30.8 percent of bullies having
symptoms of bulimia compared
to 17.6 percent of children not
involved in bullying.
All of these behaviors can have
devastating effects on the long
term health of children, Cynthia
Bulik from University of North
Carolina School of Medicine in
US pointed out.
"The bullies' own body dissatis
faction could fuel their taunting
of others. Our findings tell us to
raise our vigilance for eating dis
orders in anyone involved in bul
lying exchanges regardless of
whether they are the aggressor,
the victim, or both," Bulik said.
The findings will be published
in a forthcoming issue of the
International Journal of Eating
Disorders.
28
HUMOR
Humor with Melvin Durai
THE TALE OF THE THIRSTY LEOPARD
hat would you do if you came

across a leopard with its head
stuck in a metal water pot?
Perhaps you and your friend would run to
help the poor animal.
Friend: "I'll grab the pot and pull. You
grab the leopard and pull."
You: "No, you grab the leopard, I'll grab
the pot."
Perhaps you wouldn't run to help the
poor animal, but would instead whip out
your cellphone and call wildlife officials to
help. That would be a smart thing to do,
wouldn't it?
Well, some villagers in Rajasthan did
indeed come across a leopard with its
head stuck in a water pot recently. And
they did what people tend to do these
days: they pulled out their cellphones and
took photos and video of the animal in dis
tress.
Villager: "I'm going to put this on
Facebook. My friends won't believe it."
Second villager: "Facebook? That's so
smallminded of you. I'm going to sell the
video to a TV network for one lakh. It's not
every day that you see a leopard with its
head stuck in a pot."
Third villager: "You two are so uncaring!
Can't you spare a thought for the poor
leopard? He must have been really thirsty

to put his head into a water pot like that.
And just imagine what he's thinking now.
'Someone help me! My head suddenly
feels very heavy, I've lost my eyesight and
I'm hearing lots of clicking sounds.'"
The leopard spent five hours with the
metal pot around its head, according to a
Reuters report. Thankfully, someone in
the village of Sardul Kheda called for help.
Forestry department workers showed up,
tranquilized the leopard and removed the
pot from its head. The leopard was moved
to a safe enclosure and examined by a vet
erinarian, who declared that it had been
"fully cured of utensilitis."
None of India's cabinet ministers would
comment on the incident, partly because
they weren't sure whose jurisdiction it fell
under: the Minister of State for
Environment, Forest and Climate Change
or the Minister of State for Drinking
Water and Sanitation.
As far as I'm concerned, it should fall
under the latter. Animals, just like
humans, need safe drinking water. They
shouldn't have to put their heads in
strange objects to quench their thirst.
Many years from now, the leopard inci
dent may be turned into a children's tale,
with a little embellishment:

Once upon a time, there was a very
thirsty leopard. All the streams and rivers
were dry, so he sent his wife to get some
water from a nearby village. "The humans
keep their water in metal pots," he told
her.
"How will I bring the water back?" she
asked.
"Just bring back the whole pot."
"How will I carry the pot?"
"Use your head. Haven't you seen how
humans do it? They balance it on their
heads."
"Okay, I'll try."
The leopardess went to the village and
found a water pot that was unguarded.
But when she looked inside, it didn't seem
to have any water. Luckily there was a
helpful crow nearby. "The pot isn't empty,"

the crow said. "There's a little water at the
bottom. You just can't see it."
"How should I get the water?" the leop
ardess asked. "Should I drop some stones
inside until the water comes up?"
"No," said the crow. "Just stick your head
in, as deep as it will go. Not only will you
reach the water, you will be able to carry
the pot home over your head."
The trusting leopardess put her head in
the pot. She didnt find any water there
and her head got stuck.
"Please help me, Mr. Crow," she said.
"In a minute," the crow said, laughing.
"First I want to take some photos, so I can
post them on Facebook."
Moral of the story: Use your head, but
don't lose your head.
Laughter is the Best Medicine
BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA
AND
PAKISTAN
New York Head Quarter
422S Broadway
HICKSVILLE
NY 11801
5168271010
by Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and humorist,
cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the
immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat,
he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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 28DECEMBER 4, 2015

ARIES: Seniors colleagues are likely to lend
a helping hand. Children would do their
best to keep you happy. You are likely to
earn monetary gains through various sources.
Romantic imagination would keep you in a jovial
& cheerful mood.
A week when smile will perpetually be on your
face and strangers will seem familiar. Affordable
luxury vacation will explore your desires. It might
be the right time to sale your empty plot as prop
erty rates are at peak. An auspicious week to
engage yourself in social as well as religious func
tions.
TAURUS: Hard work & dedication would
win the trust of seniors at work. You are
likely to be benefited as family members
positively respond. Increase in income from past
investment is foreseen. The company of love part
ner makes you forget about the work. Your ener
gy level will be high. Better to channelise it in a
positive direction. Perfect getaway time for you
and your partner.
Your plan for a new house will be in process very
soon. Shopping with friends would bring unlimit
ed joy this week.
GEMINI: Mental clarity would remove past
business confusions. Parents and friends
will do their best to keep you happy.
Monetary gains from unplanned sources will
brighten your week. Sudden romantic encounter
will lift your spirits. Positive outlook impresses
those around you besides keeping you fit & fine.
If you are planning a vacation, be sure to consider
your family and friends. Your loan procedures for
pursuing a plot will be in process. An ability to act
swiftly would enable to tackle many personal
problems.
CANCER: Travel undertaken for establish

ing new contacts and business expansion
will be very fruitful. You will have to
depend on familys help for your needs. New mon
eymaking opportunities will be lucrative. Attending
a social event/family function brings a romantic
encounter. Charity work undertaken will bring
mental peace & comfort. You will have to go out of
routine work to enjoy your vacation. Investment in
hotel industry can be the right choice to be made. A
week when your favourable stars will add to your
happiness.
LEO: Your artistic and creative ability
would attract a lot of appreciation. A prom
ising week to plan things for your progeny.
You get some financial rewards as dedication &
hard work gets noticed. Your physical charm would
catch the attraction of opposite sex. Meditation and
selfrealization prove beneficial. A group of friends
or your partner is looking forward for a vacation
with you. Investment on construction business
might give fruitful results. Revealing personal &
confidential information would act a blessing in
disguise for you.
VIRGO: A long pending decision gets final
ized at professional front. You would be
the center of attraction at a social gather
ing that you attend especially with family.
Monetary gains are likely to be from more than
one source.
Love life blossoms paving the way for lovely times
ahead. You will have ample time to do things to
improve your health. A leisure trip will prove to be
a premium time for you. Investing on a ship or a
cruise is an exciting venture to be made. A week
when you could attract towards charity & social
servicing.
LIBRA: Plans for new ventures get stream

lined with the help of seniors. You would
prefer to relax and enjoy the company of
family members in the evening. A new financial
deal gets finalized paving the way for fresh money.
A romantic encounter is likely to add spice to life.
Sound physical health will enable to participate in
outdoor activities. You might get a chance for busi
ness trip, which will help you in new connections.
The best ideas for investment are to on invest on
real estate business. Dont forget to listen to the
voice of wisdom and dont jump to conclusions.
SCORPIO : Female colleagues lend a helping
hand in completing important assignments.
this week you move with new excitement &
confidence as you receive support from family and
friends. Financial profits are solely depended on
investment in conservative investment. Romantic
partner would try innovative methods to catch
your attention. You will be successful in getting rid
from tensions. Traveling overseas would be an
experience full of spark that enlightens your imagi
nation. Are you longing to buy a farmhouse, try for
it? Timely help to a needy friend would help in
solving personal problems.
SAGITTARIUS: At work you will be a part
of something big, bringing appreciation &
rewards. Family front seems to go smooth
ly as you receive their full support to your plans.
Financial position will improve later in the week.
Initiatives in love bring positive results as you catch
the desired attention. A sparkling laughter filled
week when most things proceed, as you desire.
Travel plans for better communication will be help
ful for new horizons. If you want to invest on prop
erty, then go for residential one. You get a golden
opportunity to enjoy some recreational activities.
CAPRICORN: Journey undertaken for busi

ness purpose might fail to bring expected
results. You find relief, comfort and affection
in the company of family members. Real estate
investment would be lucrative. Your generous atti
tude would contribute much in your love life this
week. Your enormous confidence would help in
enjoying a healthy life. Business or vacation traveling
is what you needed right now. Selling your home pri
vately can be an excellent way of saving on costs. You
will be highly benefited by your sense of humour.
AQUARIUS: Promotion is likely to make
you vulnerable, as everyone is watching
you closely and failure could be embarrass
ing and expensive. Time spent with relatives will be
to your advantage. Investment in stocks & mutual
funds would help in earning profits. Extremely sup
portive & loving partner would help in withering
away your troubles. A very healthy week filled with
happiness & vitality. Implementation of new ideas to
travel will be beneficiary for you on work front. Off
plan property investment is one of the easiest and
most profitable methods to maximize gains in the
real estate market. Some decisions going in your
favour would put you on the top of the world.
PISCES: You are likely to establish yourself
a good manager on managing people and
situation without any problem. Family
members will be very positive & supportive to your
plans. Longterm investment in stocks & mutual
funds will enable to earn profits. Romantic vibra
tions from someone unknown would lift your spir
its taking imaginations to scaling heights. Pleasure
trip would help in maintaining sound health this
week. Your property prices will boost in the coming
period. this week nothing is impossible for you pro
vided you have the will.
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK

28th November, 2015
Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1
Traits in you: Being ruled by Sun, you will be creative by
nature. Your other characteristics include smartness,
intelligence, and dignity and so on.
Health this year: Your younger siblings may have some
health issues, which will put you in immense pressure.
Finance this year: You may go ahead creating new con
tacts and casual relationships this year. If you are a busi
nessperson, there are huge opportunities for you to start
new ventures and earn lot of money as you will be suc
cessful whatever initiative you take this year. Your
assumptions of investing will prove to be highly beneficial.
Career this year: Art and literature are your area of inter
est and you want to contribute to these fields. However,
you need to be sober and down to earth to create a good
impression. If you are a scientist or a lawyer, you may
find this year to be rewarding for you. Women profes
sionals in advertising and media will also be rewarded for
their good work.
Romance this year: If you are unmarried, this year may
bring romance in your lonely life.
Lucky month: January, April and October
29th November, 2015
Ruled planet: Moon Ruled by no: 2
Traits in you: The influence of your ruling planet Moon
enhances your imagination power. You are honest, sensi
tive and creative by nature. You are helpful by heart and
you help people in need with money and physical sup
port. However, you should not behave introvert or shy.
You should let your personality grow.
Health this year: The drip in the health of your parents
might cause concern for you.
Finance this year: Your assumptions on investments
would prove to be correct and you will earn a handsome
amount of money from your investments. There is a
healthy chance of overseas travel regarding business
meeting this year. The travel would be successful and you
may get new projects. You should avoid financial transac
tions with casual friends as it may result in loss and com
plications in relationships.
Career this year: This year may bring new opportunities
for you. You may get promotions and transfer orders.
Romance this year: Your partner will be supportive
enough and help you in every respect. If you are eligible
and unmarried, you may get marriage proposals this
year.
Lucky month: March, June, August and November
30th November, 2015
Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3
Traits in you: Ambition, dignity, intelligence, confidence

are your inborn qualities as you are under the influence
of the powerful planet Jupiter. You like being philosophi
cal and organized. You can impress anyone on the earth
with your intellectual behavior and talks. However, you
need not behave weird to impress others. It may be
proved to be a negative aspect in your nature.
Health this year: You may suffer with problems in your
eyes and mouth. So you need to get your periodic medical
checkup done on time and take prescribed medicines
without negligence.
Finance this year: The rewards will also open the door
for you to earn much more than you are earning current
ly. You may win a foreign contract or government con
tract this year. It will enhance your business and earn a
lot of money and respect for you. You may travel abroad
in the last half of the year for business meetings. You
should research well before investing on anything. You
may concede enough money on renovation and construc
tion activities.
Career this year: This year belongs to you as you will be
appreciated and awarded throughout the year for your
professional achievements.
Romance this year: You will be in a good mood throuhout
the year as your partner will provide you with lots of love,
care and concern. If you are unmarried, this year may end
our bachelorhood or spinsterhood.
Lucky month: January, May, September, November
1st December, 2015
Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1
Traits in you: Being number 1, you are a person who
loves originality in whatever work you do. By nature you
are an authoritative person and so you always take
charge of things which also makes you responsible per
son. If you take some task in hand, you are determined to
finish it. By nature you are very soft spoken and kind
hearted person.
Health this year: You will enjoy good health this year.
Time is to control your bad eating habits by avoiding junk
food. Keep in mind that this could give rise to many stom
ach ailments. Therefore maintain a distance from them
for the sake of a sound health.
Finance this year: Financially, this will be a good year for
you. Some of you, are likely to inherit property from your
parents or grand parents. Your sincerity & dedication, will
bring prosperity for those who are running any business.
Career this year: Honour, fame and recognition, will be all
for you, in the coming year. With your intelligence and
abundance knowledge, you will be able to impress your
seniors. You will be duly rewarded for your work.
Promotions, increments and overall prosperity, is what
most of you can expect from the year ahead of you.

Romance this year: Your magnetic personality, will help
you get closer to someone you lave, but have never
shared your feelings. This year chances are that he/she
might become your partner for life.
Lucky month: May, August, November and February
2nd December, 2015
Ruled planet: Moon Ruled by no: 2
Traits in you: Being number 2, you are a person with high
confidence, imagination and the one who is always ready
to help others. Anyone can trust you blindly as you are
very balanced person in nature. Though you are reserved
personality, but when it comes to do some task, you are
independent and complete your work with full determi
nation and honesty.
Health this year: You are likely to fulfill your dream to
attain a sound physique. However to achieve this it is very
essential for you to be a fitness freak. Keep in mind that
besides physical health you must make efforts to enhance
your mental toughness. You should maintain a distance
from negative emotions.
Finance this year: Monetary position is likely to improve
as you get some commission and dividends this year.
Proper planning would be utmost important to invest the
money to bring good returns. Remember the phrase
'money attracts money'. Only thing needed on your part
is to use it your fetching good returns.
Career this year: Your leadership qualities and your high
ideals, will take you to the ladder of success this year.
Your imagination, coupled with hard work, will bring you
fame and recognition in your field. You have the ability to
take quick decisions and give the lead to your colleagues.
Your bosses will notice your this ability, and you will be
appreciated for your leadership qualities.
Romance this year: This year beware, as someone might
flatter you in love. Therefore maintain a distance from
them. There are indications that they will try to take
advantage of you. Maintain distance, as far as possible, to
avoid them.
Lucky month: July, October, November and January
3rd December, 2015
Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3
Traits in you: Being number 3, you are confident, ambi
tious and independent person who loves to work with
optimistic attitude. You are a born leader, and you are
always appreciated for your work, whether it is at home
or work place. Your efforts are always sincere and thats
why you are able to balance your personal and profes
sional life very smoothly.
Health this year: Persons suffering from heart problems
will have to be extra careful this year. Make sure that you
don't take any unnecessary tension, as this might create
problem in your physical health. At the same time avoid
fatty, spicy & junk food to live healthy life.
Finance this year: A safely executed investment plan
would be monetary beneficial this year. You just need to
look at all the aspects before executing them. Don't run
after lucrative incentives. Look at the past performance of
the company before investing. Negligence on your part
might put investment in jeopardy.
Career this year: With your creative ideas and hard work,
you will be able to achieve honour and position in the
year ahead of you. People will depend on you to sort out
minor differences between colleagues.
Romance this year: Your pleasing personality will catch
the attraction of the opposite sex this year. Some of you
might take your special relationship to the next level, i.e.
marriage.
Lucky month: August, September, Nov.February
4th December, 2015
Ruled planet: Uranus Ruled by no: 4
Traits in you: Being number 4, you are a person who likes
to take responsibilty and do your work with full dedica
tion and honesty. You are a very down to earth person
with religious beliefs. This year you might plan to go for
a pilgrimage. Sometimes you become bossy, jealous or
stubborn, which you should avoid to lead a happy life
with smiling people around you.
Health this year: Avoid being anxious, as it might harm
your health. Due to lot of work, your health might face
some physical problem. Just relax and do some medita
tion. Keep stress far away as it effects both physically and
mentally. Otherwise there are no major health issues in
this year.
Finance this year: This year you are likely to make a
proper utilisation of your money. This would help in
bringing safe returns besides enhancing your reputation
in society. However, before giving a final node, consider
all pros & cons to avoid disappointment later on.
Career this year: The coming year will bring you success
and prosperity in your respective fields. With your
methodical approach to life, you will reach to high posi
tions in your career. You will not only attain fame and
recognition, but the year ahead, will be full of activities,
keeping you busy professionally.
Romance this year: In matters of love, a very good year
for lovers. They will be having a very happy time as they
will enjoy each other's company most of the year. At the
same time use the opportunity to strengthen the roman
tic bond.
Lucky month: June, October, January and April
30
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Concluding part of the discourse 'Show gratitude by giving' (Thanksgiving is on Nov 26)
Inculcate virtue of giving in our lives
By Sant Rajinder Singh

Ji Maharaj
nother example of this spirit
of giving is illustrated in the
life of Sant Darshan Singh Ji
Maharaj. During the partition of
India, train service was not running
as usual. Sant Kirpal Singh Ji
informed Sant Darshan Singh Ji
that the health of their Master,
Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji
Maharaj, was failing and he should
come immediately to see Hazur.
Sant Darshan Singh Ji rushed to the
train station in Delhi to catch a
train to Beas. Unfortunately, the
last train was already packed, and
the gates to the train were closed.
Being athletic and determined to
get on that train, Sant Darshan
Singh Ji climbed the fence. There
were absolutely no seats left in any
train compartment. Thus, he had to
ride along with other passengers
on the top of the train. The ride
took many hours. At night, the tem
perature dropped, and it grew cold
er. As Sant Darshan Singh Ji rode
on the top of the train, he noticed a
man who had no coat. The man
was shivering tremendously. Sant
Darshan Singh Ji, moved by com
passion, took off his own coat and
wrapped it around the shivering
man. As a result, Sant Darshan
Singh Ji had to bear many hours of
being in the cold night air, with the
wind whipping around him. As a
result, Sant Darshan Singh Ji con
tracted chronic asthma. This asth
ma plagued him for many years to
come. But, as is the case of all

saints, he put the needs of others
before his own needs. His compas
sion for the suffering of others was
so great that he gave of himself,
even if it meant he had to sacrifice
his own health, his own time, his
own money, or his own comfort.
Such cases are just a few exam
ples of the long history of saints
giving of themselves to help others.
As we advance spiritually, we
become immersed in the love of
God and are filled with a never
ending stream of bliss coming from
within. This love is so great that we
no longer feel pleasure from the
outer gifts of the world or for want
ing things for ourselves. We then
realize that whatever we have is a
gift of the Lord. We also realize
that all creation is part of our fami
ly, as brothers and sisters in God.
Just as we freely share what we
have with our parents, children, or
siblings, in the same way we see all
as our family and freely share with
them. We are then generous not
only to our own family but even to
strangers. We no longer consider
anyone a stranger. We are then
ready to give to anyone who needs
our help.
As Sant Darshan Singh Ji
Maharaj said in a verse:
Others have disowned their kith
and kin,
But I have made even strangers
my very own.
Sant Darshan Singh Ji is saying
that most people feel obligated to
help their families. We mostly
focus on our immediate family who
lives in our household, such as our
parents or children. Then, we go
out of our way due to family obli
gations for our brothers and sis
ters, our aunts and uncles, our
grandparents, or our grandchil
dren. But beyond that, most people
stop.
T hey
think that the
problems of
people who are
not related to
them are the
problems of
other peoples
families. We
often only give
out of social
obligation at
the time of
Christmas or
T hanksgiving
to organiza
tions that col
lect money for
the poor. We
may donate to
an organiza
tion that pro
vides toys to
needy children
or toiletries to needy families. We

may open up our pockets at the
time of an international disaster
such as a flood, hurricane, tsunami,
earthquake, volcano, or fire. Some
people do this because everyone
else is doing it, and they do not
want to be perceived as being self
ish. But beyond these occasions for
giving, we seldom consider the
need to help a stranger.
It is only when we meditate and
rise above consciousness of this
physical world to travel as soul in
the spiritual realms beyond that we
gain a new awareness. We begin to
see that we are not separate people
anymore. There is no such thing as
a stranger. We experience that the
same Light of God shining in us is
in all other people. We feel con
nected to all other human beings
as if we were all one family of God.
We love others and want to help
them. We turn a new page in our
life and begin to help everyone. We
live by the principle that Sant
Kirpal Singh Ji lived by which said,
I have come to serve all.
The more we meditate, the more
we develop this angle of vision.
Then, one day, we too will be filled
with extreme generosity and will
share whatever we have with all
creation.
Let Thanksgiving not just be a
day in which we thank God and our
family for our many gifts. Let this
be a day in which we make a com
mitment to give and serve others.
We should not be like a sponge in
which we soak up all the gifts from
others. We need to squeeze the
sponge so that the water within us
flows out to others.
How can we inculcate the virtue
of giving in our own lives? We can
give in many ways. We can give
physically, intellectually, emotion
ally, financially, and spiritually.
There are two areas of the intro
spection diary designed to help us
develop the qualities of giving and
selflessness. One area of the diary
lets us record the number of times
we fail per day in a particular
virtue. One of these is selfless serv
ice, which is also called seva. Each
time we are presented with an
opportunity to help someone and
we do not avail ourselves of that
chance, we note that as a failure. In

this way, we become more attuned
to these opportunities that present
themselves and make a concerted
ef fort to help someone next time
around. The other area of the intro
spection diary provides a place in
which we mark the time we spend
in selfless service or giving. This
means that it is not only that we
take each opportunity for selfless
service, but that the amount of
time we spend in serving selflessly
is equally as important. Why? Time
spent in seva is time in which we
are remembering God and are act
ing as a humble vessel through
which Gods grace can flow to
reach others. We are not doing
seva for our own gains, but doing
so in the name of God and the
Master. During these moments, we
are humble. We are spending our
time engaged in helping others.
What is more, we are spending our
lifes breaths engaged in activities
that do not create any new karma.
When we act in our own name, we
are creating karma. Even when we
do good deeds we are accumulat
ing good karma for which we must
stay in the physical world to reap
physical rewards. If our aim is to
wind up karmas in our lifetime,
then we do not want to come back
to this physical realm. Any karma,
whether for good deeds or bad
deeds, requires us to reap rewards
or consequences. This physical
realm is one in which we pay for all
our karmas. Thus, any karma is
going to bring us again and again
to this world. When we do so, we
have to pass through the ups and
downs of life in this physical realm
again.
Our goal should be to rise above
the three lower realms of karma.
We need to transcend the physical
realm, the astral realm, and supra
causal realm. When we do so, we
enter the supracausal realms and
Sach Khand, where we are no
longer touched by our karmas. We
are then free from the cycle of
births and deaths, and live in an
eternal realm of all peace, joy, and
bliss. To free ourselves of this cycle
of births and deaths, we have to
stop accumulating new karma and
burn off our old karma.
How can we pay off our karma?

T here are three blessings we
receive when we come to a spiritu
al Master that wind up our karma.
First, the Master takes over our
karmic accounts at the time of initi
ation. This means that Master is
the accounts keeper of our destiny.
He can determine how best we can
wind it up for our maximum
progress.
Second, the Master helps us pass
through the sanchit karmas allot
ted for this lifetime in an easier
fashion. Thus, what was supposed
to be the gallows could be reduced
to a pin prick.
Third, the Master lays out a path
by which we can avoid incurring
further karmas. He tells us that
daily meditation on the inner Light
and Sound can help burn away new
karmas we create just by the
process of living. Each day, without
intending to do so, we may step on
insects, drive over insects or tiny
creatures, kill microscopic life
forms just by breathing, and take
the lives of plants given by God to
eat for food. Even though killing
plants incurs the least karma of all
living things, there is still some
karma. T hus, each day we are
adding karma just by virtue of
being human. By meditating, we
can burn off the added karma we
create each day. Also, when we
keep the introspection diary, we
are weeding out the negative traits
that incur more karma. By leading
lives of nonviolence, truthfulness,
chastity, humility, and selfless serv
ice we are avoiding creating bad
karmas for which we will have to
return to the earth to pay off. The
Master also gives us the gift of
meditation and selfless service.
When we spend time in those two
activities, we are not incurring any
new karma, as long as we remain
selfless. That is why entering the
time spent in seva is important,
because each hour we spend in
selfless service, we are not incur
ring more karma. But that seva
must be selfless, in which we do
not want any material gains for
ourselves.
We do seva in the name of God
and the Master, whereby our help
is given and we only reap the spiri
tual rewards in the form of bless
ings from God and the Master. It is
okay to want spiritual blessings
from God and the Master for our
seva. That is because those spiritu
al blessings move us to the true
purpose of our lives, union of our
soul with God. Each time we give of
ourselves in selfless service, we are
not incurring more karma and are
attracting the grace of God and the
Master, whose blessings will uplift
us so our soul can merge back into
God.

Vol.8 Issue 30 - Nov 28-Dec 03, 2015

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Vol.8 Issue 30 - Nov 28-Dec 03, 2015

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The South Asian Times

Vol.8 No. 30 Nov 28-Dec 4, 2015 60 Cents

New York Edition

Modi may lead

Modis visit to Malaysia & Singapore page 12

PM returns home after 4-day visit to

New Delhi: Prime Minister

Istanbul: Tensions in the Middle

Russia announcing it would deploy

would deploy S400 defense mis

Obama, Hollande vow to escalate

President Barack Obama meeting with his French coun

November 28-December 4, 2015

November 28-December 4, 2015

Anita Datar 'represented the best of

Washington: From Maryland where she

IndianAmerican aid worker Anita Datar

the Datar and Garten families, especially

Yoga class banned over 'cultural

Toronto: A Canadian university has

There has also been criticism of commercialization and distortion of

stretching, but was re jected.

choice for Americans between fear and

Diwali @ the Met

Nartan Rang Dance Academys

November 28-December 4, 2015

After Jindal, Louisiana

John Bel Edwards will take over

After smashing ton, Arjun Tendulkar

Obama, Hollande vow to escalate ...

New Delhi Bureau

Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra

President: Arjit Mehta

Contributing Editors: Meenakshi Iyer,

Strategy and Marketing

Modi may lead intolerance debate ...

Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah

T R I S T A T E C O M M U N I T Y November 28-December 4, 2015

Community mourns Canadian Sikh MLA Manmeet Bhullars death

SACSS honors prominent Indian

Bhullar was standing outside his vehicle

league, CalgaryGreenway has lost a friend

Vegetarian Vision hosts

November 28-December 4, 2015

Bringing Indian avors to ice cream

growing pains. But I have found that

NY doctor invited for

Diwali celebrated at Westbury Spanish preschool

Children took part in Diwali dance

altar, while vedic chants sung by

Geeta CitygirlChopra introduced children to Diwali festivities

class, they painted diyas and used

Diwali celebrated with pomp at Parsippany BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

Clock teen demands $15

Bantval Baliga among National

November 28-December 4, 2015

Dual Intent by Aishwariya, featured in the

Prof Bantval Jayant Baliga

and air conditioning, Baliga said

Government ofcials estimated that

November 28-December 4, 2015

TiE, CII release success book of Silicon

Washington, DC: The Indus Entrepreneurs

sonal anecdotes giving the reader a glimpse