Vol.9 Issue 26 - October 22-28, 2016

The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e
Vol.9 No. 26 October 22-28, 2016 80 Cents
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Corruption casts a shadow

over Nassau County
Indicted, Mangano and Venditto plead not guilty
Central Islip, NY: Nassau County
Executive Edward Mangano and
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John
Venditto, pleaded not guilty
Thursday to federal charges that
they conspired to receive bribes
and kickbacks from a businessman
in exchange for helping him obtain
$20 million in loan guarantees.
Mangano, his wife Linda, and
Venditto were named by the FBI in
the 13count indictment alleging
extortion, bribery, fraud and
obstruction charges, reported
Associated Press.
The three pleaded not guilty at
their arraignments in US District
Court in Central Islip and were
freed on $500,000 bond each. The
charges were the latest in a series
of recent scandals involving public
officials on Long Island. "Yet again,
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton faced off at the third and final presi
dential debate Wednesday in Las Vegas where he refused to commit
himself to accepting the result of the election, which has created a furor.
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor

John Venditto leaves the
federal courthouse on
Oct. 20. (Photo Courtesy AP)
Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano

speaking to reporters after his release
on bail. (Photo courtesy Newsday)
we announce a breach of trust by

two of our public of ficials," US
Attorney Robert Capers said at a
press conference Thursday. "Both

of these men undermined the very
Continued on page 4
BRICS declaration in Goa

had strongest language
against terror: India
Helped by US airstrikes, Iraqi and Kurdish forces have

retaken many villages outside Mosul in northern Iraq.
Fierce battle on to wrest

Mosul in Iraq from ISIS
Washington: T he US De fense Department on
Wednesday said the coordination between Iraqi gov
ernment and Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the battle
to free Mosul city of Iraq from the Islamic State (IS) is
very good. Some 18,000 soldiers from Iraq's central
army and 10,000 troops from the country's Kurdistan
region were converging on the IS stronghold city of
Mosul, where it is believed that around 5,000 jihadist
fighters remain, Efe news Continued on page 4
See related stories on pg 23
New Delhi: Days after the BRICS Summits declara

tion failed to mention Pakistanbased terror groups,
India Thursday said the Goa Declaration contained
the strongest ever
language ag ainst
terrorism compared
to all the past BRICS
summits. Countering the perception that the Goa
Declaration was weak on terror, the Ministry of
External Af fairs of ficial spokesperson Vikas
Swarup said, When we negotiate in a forum like
BRICS, the attempt is to find common ground and to
express it in a declaration. I think you will all agree
that we did find common ground on the issue of ter
rorism. The Goa Declaration contains the strongest
ever language against terrorism among all past
BRICS summits. The word terrorism/terror features
some 37 times in the Declaration.
He underlined that terrorism was accorded the
centrality at the Goa Summit in a substantive man
ner than even the Antalaya Continued on page 4
Donald Trump
to accept
election result
only 'if I win'

Washington: At a rally in
De laware, Ohio, on T hursday,
Donald Trump continued to under
mine the legitimacy of the presi
dential election 19 days away
by saying he would absolutely
accept the results of the election
if I win.
[I] pledge to all of my voters
and supporters, and to all of the
people of the United States, that I
will totally accept the results of
this great and historic presidential
election, he paused for ef fect,
then said, if I win.
T his comes on the hee ls of
Trumps refusal, during the third
presidential debate, to commit to

accepting the results of the presi
dential election regardless of the
outcome saying that hed look
at it at the time and Ill keep you
in suspense.
Other Republicans, including the
chair of the Republican National
Committee, have tried to dismiss
Trumps debate comments, assur
ing the public that he will in fact
concede if he loses to Hillary
Clinton. But many, like Trumps
campaign manager Ke llyanne
Continued on page 4
More election stories > pg 912
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October 22-28, 2016
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
October 22-28, 2016
Diwali sparkles at Times Square

New York: Diwali at Times Square, in its
third edition, showcased the rich and diverse
elegance of the Indian culture with credibili
ty, creativity and celebrity. It honored the
tradition of this happy holiday, which sym
bolizes the victory of light over darkness,
knowledge over ignorance, good over evil.
The event had performances by young
artists, dif ferently abled kids, wellknown
celebrities, regional cultural dance perform
ances from various states of India, a spectac
ular digital Diya lighting on one of the
biggest Times Square screens followed by a
special message from Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and the launch of the USPS
commemorative Diwali Stamp.
Dignitaries from India and US like Senator
Chuck Schumer, Congresswoman Carolyn B.
Maloney, Indian Ambassador to the UN Syed
Akbaruddin, Consul General Amb. Riva
Ganguly Das and former Indian representa
tive to the UN, Hardeep Singh Puri, graced

the event. International voice sensation
Arjun rocked the stage. TV celebs like
Kumkum Bhagya fame Shabir (Abhi) and
Sriti (Pragya) greeted fans.
People from all ethnicities were seen shak
ing their legs on Bhangra tunes. Selected
audience members even enjoyed the oppor
tunity to dance on stage with their favorite
celebrities.
Event Gurus CEO, Neeta Bhasin said,
"Diwali at Times Square is not just a grand
celebration of the festival of lights but also a
beautiful display of our community and its
roots. Our main focus this year was to give a
platform to young Indian talent, both from
India and US, as they represent our future
and will carry forward our culture for years
to come. The event was presented by &TV
and powered by Air India and Sling
International.
Discussing diversity on Wall Street

Newark, NY: Prachi Makkar, a Senior at Seton
Hall University studying finance and IT, was
selected to represent Stillman School of
Business along with two other students for a
seminar "Improving Diversity in the Financial
Services Industry: A Holistic View" held here
on Oct 19. Prachi is part of the Leadership
Development Business Honors program and
the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
This summer she interned at J P Morgan
Chase as financial analyst in their New York
office. Mr. John Williams, President & CEO of
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, deliv
ered the keynote address.
Participants and attendees walked away
with a better understanding of the current
level of diversity within the financial services
industry, along with tangible approaches
being proposed or implemented to improve
Prachi Makkar with Federal Reserve Bank of

San Francisco President & CEO John Williams
(right) at the seminar.
outcomes. The conference also served as the
springboard for launching the Center for
Research on Diversity in the Financial
Services Industry at the Rutgers Business
School.
India urges US to ease movement

of Indian professionals
New Delhi: With the lack of a Totalisation
Agreement continuing to hamper movement
of Indian professionals and experts to the US,
India on Thursday reiterated its call to the US
to engage in negotiations for signing such a
pact. "We very clearly identied this as one of
the nontariff measures restricting the move
ment of IT professionals. We have strongly
urged the US to engage in negotiations for
signing of a Totalisation Agreement (Social
Security agreement)," Commerce Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters here.
She said this after a delegationlevel meet
ing with US Trade Representative Michael
Froman as part of the 10th IndiaUS Trade

Policy Forum. "It is being heard and I hope
there will be a positive response from their
side," she said. "The two countries acknowl
edged the ongoing discussions on totalization
and resolved to continue their engagement on
the elements required in both countries in
order to pursue a bilateral Totalisation
Agreement," a joint statement said.
Such an agreement that allows avoidance of
double taxation, permits professionals of both
the countries to be exempted from social
security taxes when they go to work for a
short period in the other country.
(from left) Senator Chuck Schumer, Ravi Batra, Neeta Bhasin, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney,
Brijbala Suri, Ranju Batra, Amb. Syed Akbaruddin, Amb. Riva Ganguly Das, Amb.
Hardeep Singh Puri, and Sudhir Parikh at the diya lighting ceremony.
Telangana minister woos

investors at IACC event
Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao (KTR) flanked by his Principal Secretary

Arvind Kumar, and IACC President Rajiv Khanna.
New York: IndiaAmerica Chamber of
Commerce (IACC) hosted a reception for Mr
Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao (KTR),
Minister for Industries, IT, Mining, Urban
Development and NRI Af fairs for
Telangana, here last week. The event was
attended by prominent investors, business
leaders, members of the Chamber, press
and government officials. The goal was to
inform investors on the investment oppor
tunities in Indias newest state, Telangana.
What do companies like Amazon,
Facebook, Google, Apple, Ikea, Uber and
Airbus have in common? The answer is sim
ple. They have all chosen Telangana as their
home in India, observed Rajiv Khanna,
President of IACC, and Partner of Baker &
Hostetler LLP, in his opening remarks. KTR
started by saying, It is the 29th state in
India. I am happy to share with you that
after two and a half years of the new state
coming into existence, today, Telangana is
looked at as one of the most progressive
states in India. In fact, we are attracting
large scale investments as mentioned by

Rajiv from across the world. While the
country is growing at about 810%,
Telangana is growing at over 1718% in the
last four quarters. The minister requested
the audience not to look at India through
the prism of World Bank report or the
report of a consulting organization. All of
these agencies rate India as a country and
there itself lies the fallacy because all states
in India are not alike, observed KTR. KTR
discussed the challenges and competitive
aspects of 78 states when it comes to
attracting investments and pointed out
Telanganas competitive advantage:
4Automatic approval of all government
licenses within two weeks
4Rich is educational institutes ISB, IIT
Hyderabad and law schools
4Large ecosystem of defense
establishment.
Host IACC works to promote businessto
business dialog between the business and
policy leaders of India and the US.
October 22-28, 2016
GOP leaders urge Mangano,

Venditto to resign
Mineola, NY: Republican congres
sional and State Senate candidates
Thursday called on Nassau County
Executive Edward Mangano and
Oyster Bay Supervisor John
Venditto to immediately resign
hours after the two GOP of ficials
were arrested on federal corruption
charges. State Sen. Jack Martins,
who is running for Congress in the
3rd District, Sen. Carl Marcellino,
Sen. Kemp Hannon, and GOP Senate
candidates Christopher McGrath
and Elaine Phillips, said the resigna
tions would ensure that the county
can continue to provide critical
services for its residents.
It is imperative that government
services continue unabated and
undistracted said Martins (ROld
Westbury) at a news conference in
front of Manganos Mineola office.
It is our will that this transition
happen immediately.
Martins called on the Nassau
Legislature and Oyster Bay Town
Council, both controlled by
Republicans, to immediately select
replacements for Mangano and
Venditto. But absent a conviction or
guilty plea, they cannot force their
resignations. Presiding Of ficer
Norma Gonsalves (REast Meadow)
said she would not call for
Manganos immediate resignation.
We are alarmed by the allega
tions, but must allow the legal
process to play out, she said. In
the meantime, it is our mission to
ensure that the operations of
County government are unaffected
and that we continue to provide the
services our residents expect and
deserve.
Nassau Comptroller George
Maragos, who recently changed
parties from Republican to
Democrat to run for county execu
tive in 2017, called the allegations
TURN PAGE
Corruption casts a shadow over Nassau County

Continued from page 1
system of laws they promised to
uphold by furthering their personal
interests rather than the best inter
ests of their constituents." Linda
Mangano is charged with accepting
a $450,000 noshow job at the
businessman's restaurant, and
lying to federal investigators.
Mangano are also charged with
accepting vacations to Florida and
the Caribbean, as well as other
gifts. The indictment says Edward
Mangano and Venditto received
bribes and kickbacks for assisting
in guaranteeing loans to the busi
nessman, and that Venditto also
lied to investigators.
Prosecutors did not publicly
identify the businessman. But
Harendra Singh, the former owner
of a Bethpage restaurant and other
facilities on Long Island, is await
ing trial on federal bribery charges
involving Oyster Bay officials. "My
priority is to provide Harendra
Singh with the most powerful legal
defense possible and to continue to
fight for him, regardless of who
else is charged in this investiga
tion," Singh's attorney, Anthony
LaPinta, said in a statement, report
ed AP. Mangano told reporters
after his release that he would
"absolutely not" resign. "America is
the greatest country in the world
and I have an opportunity when at
the proper time to present my evi
dence that rebukes any of this non
a betrayal of the public trust and
further shake our trust in govern
ment. Given the nature of the
charges, it would be in the best
interest of the county if both would
resign in order to allow the peoples
work to be conducted with unques
sense that I would ever do any

thing that sacrifices my oath of
office," Mangano said. "It is ridicu
lous but I can't say anything more.
I'm going to continue to govern. I'll
go to work." Venditto's attorney,
Brian Grif fin, said his client will
vigorously defend himself against
the charges. "Those involved in this
scheme allegedly lied about their
conduct to investigators, fanning
the flames of a fire that became too
large to contain. Public corruption
wastes countless tax dollars every
year, threatens the credibility of
governmental institutions, and
opens the door for further criminal
activity," said FBI Assistant
DirectorinCharge William F.
Sweeney. Mangano, 54, a twoterm
Republican county executive who
touts his taxcutting policies, was
first elected in 2009. Venditto, 67,
also a Republican, was elected
Supervisor of Oyster Bay Town in
1998. As chief executive of the
county of 1.3 million people,
Mangano has control over a $2.9
billion budget. He has won praise
for his handling of the aftermath of
Superstorm Sandy, which caused
tremendous destruction on Long
Island's southern coast. He is also
overseeing the renovation of the
Nassau Veterans Memorial
Coliseum. The wealthy county has
been under a stateimposed finan
cial watchdog for many years.
(Courtesy AP)
tionable integrity. Oyster Bay
spokeswoman Marta Kane said
Venditto is still the town supervi
sor, but that Leonard Genova, who
serves as both town attorney and
deputy supervisor, would step in for
Vendittos absence if necessary.
Donald Trump to accept

election result only 'if I win'
Conway, are offering caveats, say
ing he will concede only if the
election is proven to be legitimate.
Trump confirmed that on
Thursday, telling the Ohio crowd,
"I would reserve my right to con
test or file a legal challenge in the
case of a questionable result."
Since Trump has been saying for
weeks that there will be millions
of fraudulent votes cast in this
election, and other Republicans
were raising the specter of voter
fraud to pass voter ID laws for
years before that, it seems entirely
plausible that the 2016 election
might meet whatever standard for
"questionable result" is being set.
Trumps if I win line is probably
not intended as a declaration that
he wont accept the results of the
election if he loses. Hes probably
not taking it that seriously.
BRICS declaration in Goa

had strongest language
against terror: India
G20 Summit, which was held in
the shadow of the Paris terror
attack.
There was unprecedented con
demnation of terrorism. BRICS
leaders condemned strong ly
recent attacks in India, he said.
BRICS leaders for the first time
called upon all states to prevent
terrorist action from their territo
ries, he said, adding that for the
first time they also called for
ef fective implementation of the
UN Security Council Resolution on
Counter Terrorism. They agreed
that religion is no justification for
terrorism, he said.
The leaders, he said, called upon
all states to counter terrorism, rad
icalization, recruitment, terrorist
movement, dismantling of terrorist
bases, money laundering, drug
traf ficking. They also called for
expedited adopt ion of the
Jaipur (India) Bureau

Prakash Bhandari
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Chairman and Co-Founder
Kamlesh C. Mehta
Associate Editors:
Hiral Dholakia-Dave
Co-Founder: Saroosh Gull
Contributing Editors: Meenakshi Iyer,

Nilima Madan, Melvin Durai,
Dr Prem Kumar Sharma, Ashok Vyas,
Dr Akshat Jain, Ashok Ojha
President: Arjit Mehta
Comprehensive Convention on
International Terrorism, he said.
Fierce battle on to wrest

Mosul in Iraq from ISIS
quoted Pentagon spokesman Jef f
Davis as saying. "The level of coor
dination and cooperation we have
seen between the Kurds and the
(Iraqi security forces) has been
very good," Davis said, adding
"they're working together very
well, collaborating just the way we
would want them to". Davis dis
missed the possibility that 100 to
200 US soldiers deployed in the
area to provide intelligence and
guidance would enter the of fen
sive. "To be clear, the thousands of
combat forces that are going to
liberate Mosul are Iraqis," he said,
adding that the US military role
was restricted to providing preci
sion airstrikes against IS.
T he spokesman reiterated
President Barack Obama's com
ments earlier that he was sure that
Mosul would be liberated,
although he could not specify
when.
Several towns on the surround
ing Mosul plains have been liber
ated by the advancing Iraqi forces.
Thick plumes of black smoke
from burning tires and oil wells, lit
by IS members to obscure their
movements, were occasionally
hampering air support.
There have also been reports of
suicide bombers for the advancing
Iraqi soldiers as well as incidents
of civilians being dressed up in
army attire and then executed on
camera for propaganda purposes.
The city, Iraq's second largest,
has languished under IS control
since it fell to the terrorist group
in 2014.
It soon became the group's de
facto Iraqi capital and it was from
here that IS leader Abu Bakr al
Baghdadi declared a caliphate
across the IS territories in Iraq and
Syria.
IANS Newswire Services

IANS Washington Bureau
Arun Kumar
arun.kumar@ians,in
Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/

masalajunction.com.
Xitij Joshi/xitijphoto.com
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TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Trump declares himself

friend of Hindus, Indians
Washinton, DC: Declaring he will
be a "true friend of the Indian
and
Hindu
community"Republican Party's
presidential candidate Donald
Trump contrasted the growth
rates of India and the US and
praised Prime Minister Narendra
Modi as a "progrowth leader"
with whom he will like to work.
Speaking at the "Humanity
United Ag ainst Terror" rally
organized by the Republican
Hindu Coalition on Saturday,
Trump said: "I'm a big fan of
Hindu(s) and a big fan of India
big, big fan. Let me start by stat
ing right up front that if I'm elect
ed president, the Indian and
Hindu community will have a
true friend in the White House.
That, I can guarantee you."
He added that if he becomes
President, India and the US would
be the best of friends and have a
phenomenal future together.
"India is the world's largest
democracy," he said. "And is a
natural ally of the US."
Trump contrasted the growth
of India under Modi with that of
the US, saying: "I look forward to
working with Prime Minister
Modi, a progrowth leader. India's
Donald Trump addressing the Humanity United Against Terror rally

economy is growing seven per
cent a year and we're not grow
ing at all. We'll grow again, very
fast, adding 25 million new jobs
over the next decade."
Trump, given a warm introduc
tion to the substantial Hindu
community in central New Jersey,
responded with one of the most
straightforward platform speech
es of his campaign for election as
US President.
Trump hig hlig hted cutt ing
taxes and government waste,
identifying and eliminating job
killing regulation, and restoring
economic growth and physical
security, especially ag ainst
Indian, American
protesters denounce
Trump for divisiveness
Washington, DC: Presidential
candidate Donald Trump's
address to an antiterrorism
rally org anized by the
Republican Hindu Coalition
drew protests by some Indian
Americans and Demo crat ic
Party politicians.
At a news conference held
some distance away because of
the tight security surrounding
Trump,
New
Jersey
Assemblyman Raj Mukherji
said: "If you are a real Hindu,
you are also a Muslim; if you
are a real Hindu, you are also a
Christ ian; if you are a real
Hindu, you are also a Jew.
"Because that is what my
diaspora community believes
in, and that is why we are over
whe lming ly going to e lect
Hillary Clinton as the next
President of the United States,"
he declared.
Congressman Frank Pallone
said Trump would create more
divisiveness in New Jersey
because of his comments
against Muslims and immi
grants.
Appealing to a broader South

Asian community, he added:
"It's important for us to be here
today to say that (Trump's) val
ues are not the values of ... the
South Asian community."
T he news conference was
organized by South Asians for
Hillary.
The New Jersey representa
tive of the group, Amit Jani,
said: "We don't think it's right
for someone from out of the
state to come here and raise
political issues with our faith
and say they speak for over 3.4
million IndianAmericans
across the country, even more
MuslimAmericans, and the
South Asian communities as a
whole."
Muslim community leaders
Shariq Ahmad, Sam Khan and
Imtiaz Syed, and Hindu commu
nity leaders Raju Pate l and
Sunita Viswanath of the
Coalition of Progressive Hindus
also spoke at the news
conference.
(IANS)
Islamist terrorism.
Trump told the audience rang
ing from toddlers to seniors: "We
will beat Islamic terrorism," and
also mentioned the Uri terror
attack linked to terrorists from
across the Line of Control (LoC)
in Jammu and Kashmir. But he
avoided any specific mention of
Pakistan in this context. He did
crt icized China on economic
grounds.
He won applause with a prom
ise of fairer trade rules and reme
diation of intellectual property
(IP) theft by China. He placed the
value of IP theft losses at $360
(IANS)
million a year.
October 22-28, 2016
Don't vote as part of a

tribe, Sadhguru Jaggi
Vasudev tells Americans
Chicago: It could
have been a loaded
question for a mys
tic had it come from
a journalist. But the
impossibly earnest
questioner was a
spiritual aspirant
who
sought
Sadhguru
Jaggi
Vasudev's answer as
to what Americans
could do to navigate
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev in Chicago
the racially divisive
(image
courtesy: thehansindia.com)
and hatefilled poli
tics of one of the most contentious and Republicans). "Many vote for
presidential elections in American a party because their fathers and
history. Sadhguru demurred, and grandfathers did so. You have to
said that the question would lead remember that you are electing
him into a political morass. But not a leader, but your representa
then he got straight to the heart of tive who you expect to fulfill your
aspirations." He told the audience
the matter as he saw it.
"The problem is that today (in to recognize the potential of the
the US) you have a committed democratic process. "In the past, if
vote, not a considered vote," he power had to shift, blood had to
said, referring to a Tamil proverb flow," he said and added "but if
which spoke of the dilemma of democracy is to function as it
choosing between a good man or should, it needs the considered
vote." "All these years," Sadhguru
a capable one as a king.
This committed voter who sticks said, "Indians have watched the
to a political party no matter what American elections with great
has led, Sadhguru said, to the cre interest. Now we watch with great
(IANS)
ation of two tribes (Democrats amusement."
Over 5,000 IndianAmericans

cheer for Donald Trump
Edison, NJ: Voicing support for
Donald Trump's pledge to fight
terrorism and boost economy, over
5,000 IndianAmericans gathered
in Edison for a charity event that
was attended by the Republican
presidential nominee and included
performances by Bollywoo d
celebrities.
Bollywood music and perform
ances by artists preceded the near
ly 13minute appearance by
Trump at the event yesterday at
the New Jersey Convention and
Expo Center.
Over 5,000 people, including the
elderly and children, attended the
nearly 5hour event organized by
the Republican Hindu Coalition,
founded and chaired by Indian
American industrialist Shalabh
Kumar, Chairman and CEO of the
AVG Group of Companies.
T he event, fo cussed on the
theme of 'Humanity Ag ainst
Terror', was rich in Indian enter
tainment, with celebrities Prabhu
Deva, Shriya Saran and Sophie
Chaudhry enthralling the audience
with their performance.
The event began with a video of
actor Anupam Kher who spoke
about the plight of the Kashmiri
Over 5,000 people attended the event organized by Republican Hindu

Coalition. (Image courtesy: ndtv.com)
Pandits who were forced to flee
their homeland. The event was
organized with a special focus on
the Kashmiri Pandit terror victims
and the Bangladeshi Hindu vic
tims.
A few Trump protesters too had
gathered outside the venue at the
start of the event holding banners
against the 70year old billionaire
tycoon.
Indians and IndianAmericans
turned out in large numbers to
show their support for Trump, car
rying placards that read 'Trump
Make America Great Ag ain',
'Trump for Hindu Americans',

'Trump Great For India' and
'Trump for Faster Green Cards'.
Dressed in traditional Indian fin
ery, the audience broke into a loud
applause and cheer as Trump
came on stage against the back
drop of the American flag.
Trump, who was joined on the
stage by Kumar and his son, lit the
traditional Indian lamp before
addressing the crowd. Trump too
cheered the crowd, waving and
clapping as he paced the stage and
said "we love the Hindus, we love
India," before leaving.
October 22-28, 2016
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
New York City Mayor declares

October 19 as Waris Ahluwalia Day
New York, NY: In a rare honor, New York City
declared October 19, 2016 as Waris
Ahluwalia day in recognition of the Sikh
American actor and designer for his power
ful message of countering ignorance and ad
vocating for religious understanding and tol
erance. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio
honored Ahluwalia at a special reception at
his official residence Gracie Mansion in New
York on Wednesday to celebrate the festival of
Diwali. de Blasio presented Ahluwalia a
proclamation that declared October 19, 2016
in the city of New York as Waris Ahluwalia
Day.
Lauding Ahluwalias talents of being a fash
ion designer, writer, actor and model, de Bla
sio said as a Sikh, Ahluwalia proudly wears
his Dastar (turban) wherever he goes and so
he sends a powerful message to our city to our
country of countering ignorance, celebrating
inclusion and advocating for religious under
standing and tolerance in everything he does.
Addressing a gathering of over 300400 In
dianAmericans and other people from the
South Asian community, de Blasio extended a

special greeting to his Sikh brothers and sis
ters and underscored that an attack on any
community and individual because of their
faith is an attack on all of us. We believe
that when any community is attacked, any in
dividual is attacked because of who they are,
because of their faith, because of where they
come from, the attack on one is an attack on
all of us, de Blasio said.
Joined by his wife First Lady Chirlane Mc
Cray, Ahluwalia and others members of his ad
ministration on a stage erected in the sprawl
ing lawns of the Gracie Mansion, de Blasio said
whenever any community is affronted, the
New York Police Department is present to pro
tect that community. Whenever there is a
hate crime, we will call it a hate crime and act
on it as a hate crime, protect the people and
say it is unacceptable in the city of New York
to act in any bias fashion against any people
of the city. Amid loud cheers and applause,
the Mayor said a special Diwali guide will be
distributed to New York teachers through the
Department of Education to help them edu

cate students in the city about the meaning
of the Indian festival of lights.
Ahluwalia thanked the Mayor for the in
credible honor and said that while Diwali has
been celebrated for centuries, this year its
message of triumph of good over evil is more
important and relevant than ever.
He said while he has called New York City
home ever since he moved here from India as
a child, after the 9/11 terror attacks, people
would glare at me with anger and hate as I
walked down my own streets, in my own
hometown.
That was very confusing for me, he said,
adding that six months after the 9/11 attacks,
he was assaulted and nearly lost vision in his
right eye.
The Mayor and his wife began the reception
by lighting the traditional lamp. The citys
First Lady was dressed in traditional Indian at
tire of a yellow salwar kurta.
India music, including popular movie songs
played in the background.
(PTI)
Ahluwalia (center) with NYC Mayor Bill de

Blasio (left) and the First Lady of New York
City Chirlaine McCray. Mayor Bill de Blasio
honored Ahluwalia at a special reception at
his official residence Gracie Mansion in NY
on Wednesday to celebrate the festival of
Diwali. (Image courtesy: nbcnews).
Pope Francis blesses the Peace Torch
Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos (3rd from left) joined in the festivities at the
Asa Mai Temple in Hicksville commemorating Diwali, a festival of lights celebration
which is observed around the world. Comptroller Maragos presented the temple with a
citation in honor of their contributions to the community.
Vatican City: Pope Francis blessed and held

aloft the Peace Torch from the Sri Chinmoy
OnenessHome Peace Run during his weekly
audience in St. Peters Square on Wednesday.
Salil Wilson, Executive Director of the Peace
Run, presented the torch and also a beautiful
volume of selected drawings and messages
from children on six continents.
The Pope was delighted with the gifts,
which also included one of Sri Chinmoys
acrylic paintings entitled Grace. He offered his
soul stirring blessings to all the Peace Run
ners from many nations. This was Pope Fran
cis second time to bless the peace torch.
Sri Chinmoy led the Peace Meditation at the
United Nations twice a week for 37 years at
the invitation of UN SecretaryGeneral U
Thant. He met both Pope Paul VI and Pope
John Paul II several times and had a very close
friendship with Mother Teresa. In 1987 Sri
Pope Francis is holding Sri Chinmoy

Oneness Home Peace Torch with Salil
Wilson, Ex. Director Peace Run
(Photo credit: L'osservatore Romano)
Chinmoy founded the Peace Run to unite peo
ple of all faiths and nationalities. Every year
children all over the world learn about peace
and peaceheroes, plus run for the cause of
world friendship as part of the Peace Run.
Sewa Day 2016: International

Day of Volunteering
celebrated across USA
Houston: Sewa Day, a day of pure voluntary
selfless service, was celebrated by the Indi
anAmerican community for the 6th succes
sive year with community service projects at
32 locations across the US.
Hundreds of volunteers across different
agegroups and backgrounds including
youth and children from Sewa International
and partner organizations came together be
tween September 11 and October 16 and
worked on a variety of activities to make a
difference in their communities.
This year saw participation from new
states and cities, a 60% increase in the num
ber of nationwide events, and increased di
versity of projects from feeding the home
less and tree planting to free immigration
service sessions, and even a first Robotics
connected STEM camp.
In Portland, volunteers cleaned up trails

and vegetation and participated in upkeep
and preservation activity at the Vedanta So
cietys spiritual retreat. Volunteers in the San
Francisco Bay Area cooked food for more
than 2,500 people at a free health camp in
the Livermore temple. In Sacramento, CA
volunteers prepared and served vegetarian
food to the homeless at a local Food Not
Bombs collective.
At Los Angeles, volunteers sorted and
boxed perishable and nonperishable food
items, cleaned and provided other useful as
sistance at the God Provides Food Bank. In
San Diego CA, 65 volunteers sorted,
processed, and packaged over 10,000 lbs. of
produce to be distributed in local communi
ties. A photo album of Sewa Day 2016 activ
ities in the USA is available here:
Gujarati folkform Bhavai titled

Kajoda No Vesh..Juno, Navo was presented by
Shakuntal Arts at Back Yard Theatre in September.
One more show will be held on Oct 22nd.
October 22-28, 2016
OPINION
From her days as First Lady, Mrs Clinton has paved the way for strengthening of bonds between India
and US, which will continue under her administration as President. Her policies on immigration are a
sharp contrast to Donald Trumps, which the Indian community will like, argues the author.
By Ajay Jain Bhutoria
he majority of Indian Americans sup

port Hillary Clinton. Based on recent
surveys, the results show 70% of the
registered voters of the community are
Democrats and are strongly behind Mrs
Clinton. Only 7% Support Trump, behind
even the 8% respondents supporting other
candidates, 10% who still don't know who
they will vote for and 8% who refused to
answer, according to the Fall 2016 National
Asian American Survey released last week.
Trump showed disrespect for Indians and
has mocked Indian call centre workers at an
election rally earlier this year. His campaign
is built on disrespecting women, immigrants,
Muslims, the disabled , and veterans. He has
shown disrespect for groups across the spec
trum, running a campaign of hatred and big
otry, and that is dangerous. On immigration,
Trump has spoken about ending the H1B
highskilled visa program of which Indians
and Chinese are among the biggest beneci
aries. Donald Trump built his campaign on
demonizing immigrants and their families.
We heard him loud and clear the rst time
(and the second time, third time, fourth time).
Trump said, "Youre going to have a deporta
tion force, and youre going to do it humane
ly. I will immediately terminate President
Obamas illegal executive order on immigra
tion. Immediately.
On immigration, Hillary believes that immi
gration is good for this country, by attracting
talented people who build businesses and
expand the economy. Each successive wave
of migration has helped this country. Hillary
Clinton has vowed to reduce the visa backlog.
Applicants from the AsiaPacic region make
up about 40 percent of the family visa back
log. Some from the India have been waiting
for a visa for 1214 years under the family
category. Hillary has been strongly ghting
for immigration reform. She focuses on fami
ly unication.
Hillary Clinton has built strong relations
with India when she was the First Lady and
later as Secretary of State. No incoming US
president has had the level of interaction
with India that she has had. Her trip in 1995
helped pave the way years later for President
The author is a Hillblazer, one of those who have raised

over $270,000 each for the Clinton campaign.
Bill Clintons historic visit to India in 2000.
Hillary has walked that extra mile for India.
As US Senator, Hillary Clinton was cochair of
the Senate India Caucus. And as Secretary of
State she made multiple visits, during which
she highlighted the need for India to not just
look east, but engage east and act easta
mantra , Modi government subsequently
adopted. In her memoir Hard Choices,
Hillary said a key aspect of US policy during
her stint as Secretary of State was bringing
India more fully into the AsiaPacic politi
cal scene, especially as a counterweight to
China. During her much publicized visit to
Chennai in 2011 she said much of the histo
ry of the 21st century will be written in Asia,
which, in turn, will be inuenced by the part
nership between the US and India and its
relationship with neighbors. As Secretary of
State she has weighed in favor of India in
rebalancing Americas foreign policy. There
was close cooperation in high tech areas, par
ticularly in defense and space. India and the
US launched a ministeriallevel strategic dia
logue in July 2009. IndoUS relations have
become very strong and deepened under
President Obama and Prime Minister Modi.
There has been a signicant growth in bilat
eral ties at all levels in the last few years:
people to people, businesses to businesses
and government to government. Prime
President Bill Clinton and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Minister for
External Affairs Sushma Swaraj in New York in 2014.
Minister Modi and President Obama have

taken proactive measures to build stronger
relationship, which will only be strengthened
and e levated under President Hillary
Clintons administration.
In the last two years Prime Minister Modi
met President Obama six times just in his
rst 24 months in ofce and visited the
United States three times.
Interactions among other leaders in India
and the United States have also picked up.
Just over the past two years, US Secretary of
Defense Ashton Carter has met Indias
Minister of Defence four times. Secretary of
State John Kerry has visited India twice and
met Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj
several times. Several inuential US
Congressional committee members have also
visited India included Senator Tim Kaine,
chair of the Senate Foreign Re lations
Subcommittee on South and Central Asian
Affairs, who is now Mrs Clintons VP pick.
Many such highlevel visits from the United
States have since continued, engaging Indian
policymakers and leaders at a steady pace.
This trend has accelerated considerably since
Obamas visit to India last January, when he
graced the Indian Republic Day celebrations
as the chief guest. At a political level, it is
clear that there have been signicant
improvements in the bilateral relationship.
Hillary Clinton has developed strong ties

with India. I am sure she will take it forward
as president, as President Obama has done
and continue strong USIndia ties.
Hillary Clinton be lieves that we are
stronger together. America succeeds when
we work together to solve our problems and
when everyone shares in the rewards
when we build an economy that works for
everyone, not just for those at the top. She
believes that were stronger when we lift
each other up so that everybody plays a role
in creating Americas future.
About the author

Ajay Jain Bhutoria is a leader on the
AsianAmerican Pacic Islander (AAPI)
National Leadership Council for Hillary
for America. The 44yearold has quietly
established himself as a major fundraiser
and campaigner for the Democratic nom
inee for President. He is one of a handful
of Indian American Hillblazers, those
who have raised more than $270,000
each for the Clinton campaign in this
election cycle. Based in Fremont, CA,
Ajay hosted President Bill Clinton at his
home in May for a fundraiser and was
cohost for several fundraisers for
Hillary in the Bay Area.
October 22-28, 2016
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Vanita Gupta honored with Renu appointed Homeland Security

American Courage Award Academic Advisory Council member
Washington, DC: Asian Americans
Advancing Justice announced Oct. 5 that
Indian American attorney Vanita Gupta,
Gold Star parents Ghazala and Khizr
Khan, and Jimmy Ferguson were select
ed as honorees for the 2016 American
Courage Awards held Oct. 6 the Capital
Hilton here. Gupta, the Principal Deputy
Assistant Attorney General of the Civil
Rights Division at the U.S. Department of
Just ice, w ill receive the American
Courage Award in honor of her extraor
dinary commitment to the protection of
civil rights and her leadership in advanc
ing criminal justice reforms.
A special Presidents Award was pre
sented to Ghazala and Khizr Khan in
recognition of their familys service and
sacrifice for the nation and the courage
with which they stood up for civil rights
in the face of antiMuslim and xenopho
bic vitriol in todays political discourse.
Ferguson received the Changemaker
Award for his extraordinary commit
ment to the Asian American business
community and his leadership in the
establishment of the Asian/Pacific
Attorney Vanita Gupta

(Image courtesy: politico.com)
Islander American Chamber of
Commerce and Entrepreneurship.
Our organization has been a powerful
voice in fighting for opportunity, equali
ty, and policies that protect the civil and
human rights of Asian Americans, AAJC
president Mee Moua stated in a press
release.
Washington, DC: A top Indian

graduates.
American woman academic and
Renu, who will serve a four
president of the University of
year term on the council, was
Houston has been appointed as
selected by DHS based on her
the member of the US Depart
expertise in higher education
ment of Homeland Security's
leadership and University of
Academic Advisory Council.
Houston's leadership in home
The appointment of Renu Kha
land security research.
tor, Chancellor of the Universi
Serving on this council is
ty of Houston System and pres
both an honour and a serious
ident of the University of Hous
responsibility," said Khator.
Renu Khator
ton (UH), was announced by US
"There can be no more impor
(Image : abc13.com)
Secretary of Homeland Security
tant task than maintaining the
Jeh Johnson. The council, which is made up safety of our country. Through research, in
of 23 members, including college presidents, novation and workforce development, high
academic leaders and interagency partners, er education must continue to play a vital
provides advice and recommendations to the role in helping DHS meet that crucial objec
secretary on matters related to homeland se tive," she said.
curity and the academic community.
"What President Khator brings is not only
Since its formation in 2012, members have a deep understanding of the issues facing
issued more than 120 recommendations in our campuses but also a firm grasp of the
the areas of academic research and faculty mission of DHS through her work at the Uni
exchange, campus resilience, cybersecurity, versity of Houston," said Trent Frazier, exec
international students, Department of Home utive director of the Office of Academic En
land Security (DHS) academic programs and gagement. "DHS and OAE are excited to fur
(PTI)
recruitment of current students and recent ther collaborate with her."
Consulting firm to pay

Teen Maanasa Mendu wins Americas
$500,000 to former worker
Top Young Scientist challenge
New York: A Chicagobased con

sulting company has agreed to
pay up to $500,000 to a former
software engineer from India, set
tling a lawsuit with the New York
based employee who claimed he
was paid less than his American
colleagues, according to docu
ments filed in New York state
court Oct. 12.
Law360 reported that the com
pany, Accenture LLP, agreed last
week to pay the Indian employee
Elton Kent, who initially filed the
national origin discrimination suit
last November after allegedly dis
covering that his salary was sig
nificantly less than that of Amer
ican software engineers at the
company.
Kent began working in Accen
tures New York City office in Sept.
2012 as a senior software engi
neer after being transferred from
India. He resigned the next month
after discovering that his salary
was not at par with his American
colleagues.
Law360 reported quoting from
the complaint that Kent also pur
portedly found that his former
employer offered better benefits

to its domestic software engi
neers, including paid paternity
leave for men and higher al
lowances when they are trans
ferred between work locations.
Under the settlement Accenture
has not admitted any wrongdoing,
but has agreed to enter into the
deal to avoid further expense, in
convenience and the distraction of
burdensome and protracted litiga
tion, the report said. The settle
ment is subject to court approval.
An earlier report said that Kent
had asked the court in March this
year to certify a class of software
engineers, saying he knows of at
least 50 employees who were sub
jected to the same allegedly biased
policies.
Based upon Mr. Kents person
al observations and knowledge, he
is aware of at least 50 employees
of Accenture who were subject to
the same discriminatory terms
and conditions of employment
through (the companys Global
Careers Program), Law360 earli
er reported quoting from the
motion.
ndian American teenager

Maanasa Mendu emerged from
a group of 10 finalists as the
winner of the 2016 Discovery
Education 3M Young Scientist
Challenge Oct. 18 in St. Paul,
Minn. At the final event, Mendu,
13, from Mason, Ohio, who creat
ed HARVEST, a bioinspired ener
gy device that uses solar and wind
power to create energ y, was
named the top prize winner, earn
ing $25,000 and the t itle of
Americas Top Young Scientist in
what is believed to be one of the
biggest middle school science
competitions in the U.S.
Each year, the Discovery
Education 3M Young Scientist
Challenge reminds us of the
inspiring ingenuity that results
when we empower our youngest
generation to apply science, criti
calthinking and creativity to solve
realworld problems, said
Discovery Education president and
chief executive Bill Goodwyn in a
statement. Discovery Education is
honored to stand alongside 3M in
congratulating Maanasa and the
rest of this years finalists on their
Maanasa Mendu with her energy

saving device (image : youtube)
impressive innovations that fore
shadow a bright future for our
nation. Mendu, a ninth grader at
William Mason High School in the
Mason City School District, com
peted against nine other finalists
five of whom were Indian
Americans at the 3M
Innovation Center.
HARVEST was inspired by a visit
to India where she discovered
many people lacking basic life
necessities such as clean water
and lighting.
Through her invention, Mendu
hopes to provide a globally appli
cable, coste f fect ive energ y
source. Her scientific thinking
reflected the competitions goal of
applying science to everyday life,
creat ing a solut ion that w ill

improve lives and strengthen com
munit ies around the g lobe,
Discovery Educat ion and 3M
wrote in a joint statement.
All the finalists had an opportu
nity to work with 3M scientists to
develop their personal inventions
as part of a summer mentor pro
gram. The 3M scientists provided
guidance as they worked through
the scientific method to advance
their ideas from a theoretical con
cept into a physical prototype. At
the final competition, the finalists
presented their completed inven
tions to a panel of scientists and
leaders from Discovery Education
and 3M,
Additionally, the finalists paired
up to compete in a challenge
through which they combined
multiple 3M technologies to solve
a realworld problem. Witnessing
a new generation of young scien
tists leverage their passion and
knowledge is truly inspiring, said
3M business development and
marketingsales senior vice presi
dent Jon Lindekugel in a state
ment.
October 22-28, 2016
US AFFAIRS
Clinton wins final debate, but Trump stumps with results comment
Las Vegas: Democratic nominee
Hillary Clinton won Wednesday
night's final presidential debate, as
she has won the two previous
ones, but her Republican rival
Donald Trump easily made the
debate's headlines by his refusal to
say if he would accept the election
results if he lost.
As the bruising presidential cam
paign enters its final weeks, the
sharp rivalry between the two can
didates became visible when they
declined to acknowledge each
other at the beginning of the third
and final debate in Las Vegas.
The key moment in the debate
came near the end when modera
tor Chris Wallace challenged
Trump to say whether he will
accept the results of the November
8 election.
"I will look at it at the time. I'm
not looking at anything now,"
Trump told Wallace. "I'll keep you
in suspense."
In recent days, Trump has
argued that the media, Hillary
Clinton's campaign and election
officials may be conspiring to rig
the election against him.
"It was horrifying what he said,"
Clinton told reporters, "We are a
Cartoon by Mahendra Shah

country based on laws. And we've
had hot, contested elections going
back to the very beginning, but
one of our hallmarks has always
been that we accept the outcomes
of our elections."
"He is denigrating...he's talking
down our democracy," the former
Secretary of State added.
According to a CNN/ORC instant

poll of debate watchers, Clinton
beat Trump 52 per cent to 39 per
cent. There was a plus or minus 4
percentage point margin of error.
Trump did outperform expecta
tions, however. Nearly six in 10
viewers said he did better than
expected, whereas 44 per cent said
Trump's plunge in polls has GOP

concerned about Congress
Washington: Donald Trump's
recent slip in the polls has
Republicans worried that their
choice could become a hindrance in
the Congressional races they need
to win in order to maintain control
of the House and Senate, The New
York Times reported.
Trump's turnaround comes at a
crucial time when Republicans
must decide whether to standby
their presidential nominee's com
ments or distance themselves from
his erratic campaign. Two senior
Republicans, who maintained
anonymity, told the Times that
Trump's second debate with Hillary
Clinton in St Louis on Sunday, will
decide whether the congressional
candidates will continue to back
the billionaire businessman or "flee
openly from their nominee." Liesl
Hickey, a Republican strategist
involved in several House races in
swing states, said she was unhappy
with the rising unpopularity among
independent voters as they believe

him to be entering "unchartered
territory."
"They are really starting to pull
away from Trump," said Hickey.
Trump, who is still recovering
from a roller coaster fortnight
after polls and pundits declared
Clinton as the winner of the first
debate, followed by his attack on
former Miss Universe Alicia
Machado, and the New York Times
revealing Trump not paying taxes
has left a number of Republican
senators alarmed.
Trump's running mate Mike
Pence too was only able to do little
to calm the anxieties faced by
Republicans
as
he
faced
Demo crat ic Sen. Tim Kaine in
Tuesday's vicepresidential debate.
Neil Newhouse, a Republican poll
ster told The Times, "Two weeks
ago I would have said Republicans
would hold control of the Senate,
but there's just so many seats up
and nobody is getting separation. It
worries me that we're this close to
Election Day and you're not seeing
that separation, because it makes
you wonder what kind of impact
the top of the t icket has."
Meanwhile, other Republicans are
hoping Trump can pull a rabbit out
of a hat by holding Clinton to a nar
row victory, and in the process
sparing other Republican candi
dates in their race.
However, if Clinton wins and Tim
Kaine becomes vice president,
Democrats would need four seats to
reclaim the Senate. Of the 34 seats
that are up for grabs, Republicans
held 24, and Democrats held 10.
the same of Clinton, the poll

showed.
The showdown began with the
two candidates without a hand
shake or a smile.
The final clash provoked several
flashpoints and moderator Chris
Wallace had to ask the candidates
not to talk over each other.
Trump called Clinton "such a
nasty woman", while the Democrat
described him as "unfit" to be
Commander in Chief of the US
armed forces.
However, the evening focused
more on policy than earlier show
downs and Trump looked intent on
maintaining a more even manner.
Trump assured America that
"nobody has more respect for
women than I do" as he denied
allegation of sexual assault as con
spiracy or fiction.
The final debate was Trump's
last and biggest chance to appeal
to the women voters, many of
whom have rejected him.
They debated over issues like
Supreme
Court;
Second
Amendment (the right of people to
bear arms) where he hit Clinton
for being antigun; abortion and
the economy where the Manhattan
billionaire boasted that as presi

dent, he would make the US an
economic eng ine w ith annual
growth rates of 5 or 6 per cent,
while if Hillary goes to the White
House, growth rates will be less
than zero.
Trump went on to slam Clinton
over her record as Secretary of
State, the controversy over her pri
vate email server, and painting her
as the symptom of a tired political
establishment who had achieved
nothing in her 30 years in public
life.
The two rivals also clashed on
immigration and the Islamic State
during the 90minute showdown.
T he latest YouGov poll also
declared Clinton the clear winner
on Wednesday night. Out of 1,503
registered voters who tuned in to
the debate, 49 per cent of partici
pants said Ms Clinton came out on
top. Thirtynine per cent of voters
argued that Mr Trump won the
contest while 12 per cent claimed
it was a tie.
Sixtyeight per cent of voters dis
agreed with Trump by suggesting
that both candidates pledge to
accept the final election results
IANS
come November.
Assange's internet cut to

foil US election interference
cuador says it has

paign.
temporarily cut
"In that respect,
of f
internet
Ecuador, exercising
access to WikiLeaks
its sovereign right,
founder
Julian
has
temporarily
Assange over fears he
restricted access to
was using it to inter
part of its communi
fere in the US presi
cations systems in its
dential election. The
UK Embassy," the
move comes in the
statement said.
WikiLeaks founder
wake of the publication
Ecuador clarified
Julian Assange
of leaked emails by
the move was not a
WikiLeaks, including emails from result of pressure from Washington.
the account of Democratic candi Assange's internet access was cut
date Hillary Clinton's campaign of f on Monday morning. He has
adviser John Podesta. T he sought asylum at London's
Ecuadorean Foreign Ministry on Ecuadorean embassy since 2012 to
Tuesday said WikiLeaks' documents avoid extradition to Sweden over
could interfere in the electoral sex assault allegation. According to
process. It said Ecuador "respects the latest leaked emails, Clinton told
the principle of nonintervention in a Goldman Sachs conference she
the internal affairs of other states" would like to intervene secretly in
and had cut off the internet access Syria. She made the remark in
available to Assange because "in answer to a question from Lloyd
recent weeks WikiLeaks has pub Blankfein, the bank's chief execu
lished a wealth of documents, tive, in 2013 months after she left
impacting on the US election cam office as the Secretary of State.
10
October 22-28, 2016
US AFFAIRS
EDUCATED BY TRUMP LOVERS IN INDIA!

By Shivaji Sengupta
in New Delhi
was at a Dussehra party in

New Delhi, during my visit to
India, and became interested in
a small g roup of people who
seemed to be supporters of
Donald Trump. Opposite me, in a
crowded hall in Defence Colony,
sat a Sikh gentleman, dapper in a
pinstriped Navy suit, with turban
to match; a well groomed face. But
what I noticed most was the but
ton on his lapel: TRUMP GREAT
FOR INDIA.
I got up, threaded my way
across, and occupied the seat next
to him. He saw me make my
move, and, as I sat, broke into a
most friendly smile. Encouraged, I
asked about his interest in the
great man. "Oh ji," he replied in a
soft voice, "I am a businessman in
textiles, and go to Am'rika regular.
There I hear about Trump from
my Indian friends. I even attend
ing meeting." I listened respectful
ly. "Why do you think Mr. Trump
will be great for India?" I asked.
He moved squarely on his chair to
face me, bypassing the comfort of
the backrest. "In India we have
Mr. Modi, a businessman; in USA
we have Trump, a businessman!"
He uttered the last words in the
same soft voice, but spreading out
his hands as if he had scored a
debating point. Then, that gentle,
friendly smile again. I asked him if
business relations alone made for
great international relations. He
answered in the affirmative with
out hesitation.
On the giant television screen a
gigantic Ravan was burning in
spectacular colors, sending bil
lows of dark smoke into the sky.
People in the hall cheered at that
symbolic destruct ion of evil.
There were sweets galore, and
alcohol flowed. Women in saris
and jewels glittered. But our cor
ner seemed to be oblivious to it
all. By now, several others had
joined in, listening to Sukhvir
Singh explain his optimism about
IndoAmerican relations. One of
them, however, addressed me:
"You from Am'rika?" Rather reluc
tantly, I said yes; reluctantly,
because I did not want to become
the object of the discussion. I was
There is a small, devoted faction of Hindu nationalists in India and the US who appreciate
Trump's cocksure ways of macho bravado, and his brusque political incorrectness as signs
of the brave. His address to the Indian community in Edison, NJ, on Oct 15 will only reinforce
this enthusiasm for Trump in parts of India.
hoping to be a listener. "What is
your opinion about Trumpji?"
His question to me was direct,
slightly aggressive. And the suffix
"ji" left me no doubt about his
alleg iance on the subject. I
glanced quickly at the other five
or six gentlemen, all suited for
business, anxiously looking at me.
"Well, as Mr. Sukhvir Singh has
put it so elegantly, "Business rela
tions make the best international
relations!" I said. All six gentle
men nodded their heads approv
ingly. The one standing nearest
me, a thin, rather gaunt young
man named Aakash, said authori
tatively, "Not Sukhvir. Trump.
Trump said that himself." I saw
Sukhvir Singh nod his assent.
Case closed.
By now every one standing
around had dragged in a chair
and was sitting around Sukhvir
and me. The rest of the Dusshera
celebration seemed to recede in
the background. I was in Trump
India before I could fully compre
hend it. I found out that, like in
the US, there is actually a society
of Indians for Trump here, an off
shoot of the parent Indians for
Trump in America. Names like
Shalabh Kumar and RHC
(RepublicanHindu Coalition)
were frequently bandied about.
The former had donated hand
somely to the Republican nomi

nee's campaign; that Modi Sahab
has had several pre liminary
"dailogs" with Trump Sahab.
Much of this was news to me,
some of it later verified, some not
(the bit about ModiTrump dia
logue was not). There was much
animated talk in hybrid English
Punjabi.
"So you're sure Trump w ill
w in?" I asked, re lieved that
despite their initial discovery that
I am from "Am'rika" I wasn't
quizzed about what I knew or felt
about the subject.
"Oh yes, yes, yes!" Came the
instant and emphatic reply with
swift nods of heads and satisfied
smiles. One gentleman quickly
thrust a plate of barfi to me, as if
to already celebrate a Trump vic
tory.
Explain to me what kind of busi
ness w ill flourish in India if
Trump wins, I asked them, all
ears. "Not If, When!" Came the
rhetorical certitude from the one
who fetched the sweets: "Real
estate...real estate and travel," he
said almost pompously. "And we,
he indicated the rest of them with
a gesture of his hand, "We will be
rich!" His eyes flashed as he
grinned.
"So is business the only reason
you think Trump will make India
great again?" I asked.

This time, the three others who
hadn't spoken, spoke up in uni
son. "Trump hates Muslims, like
we do! When President he will
attack Pakistan and defeat the
Muslims," they declared with war
like finality.
"Muslims
or
Islamic
Fundamentalists?" I of fered to
modify. But Mr. Rohit, one of the
three who had not yet spoken,
was absolutely sure that it was
the Muslims he would destroy,
fundamentalists included. "We
told you before," another busi
nessman said, "Our prime minis
ter and Trump are very much the
same," he said. "Both hate
Muslims."
"But Prime Minister Mo di
denies he hates Muslims!" I
protested without much confi
dence. My weak protest was met
with a friendly weknowbetter
laughter from all of them. "And
Trump? He hates the Muslims
too?" I asked, pretending
incredulity.
T he
laug hter
increased.
For me, it was an education. In
the US, as per one survey, only
about 7% of IndianAmericans are
expected to vote for Trump. So
here in India, never would I have
thought that there is something
called Trumpism: Trump Great for
India is more than a slogan. It is a

hope, at least in some quarters.
According to The Hindu, a small
band of Indians for Trump even
celebrated his birthday at the
Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. In
fact, says the The Hindu, there is a
small, devoted faction of Hindu
nationalists in India and the US
who appreciate Trump's cocksure
ways of macho bravado, and his
brusque political incorrectness as
signs of the brave. His address to
the Indian community in Edison,
New Jersey, on October 15 will
only reinforce the above men
tioned enthusiasm for Trump in
parts of India. Even the way
Donald Trump spoke at the
Edison meeting seems very differ
ent from the way he speaks to his
American supporters: "I look for
ward to working w ith Prime
Minister Modi who has been very
energetic in reforming the econo
my and bureaucracy," he said
very unTrumplike! I can't help
thinking the words came straight
out of Steve Bannon, Trump's
campaign executive, who is appar
ently a student of nationalist
movements around the world,
including India.
Whether or not Donald Trump
actually shares these sentiments
expressed at the Dussehra party
that evening cannot be estab
lished. In fact, he has expressed
displeasure about outsourcing of
businesses to India because of
cheap Indian labor. But be that as
it may, here in India there is a sur
prising upsurge of Trump sup
port, at least among some people.
Speaking with these people at the
Dussehra, I remembered what Mr
Anand Ahuja, an attorney and vice
president of Indians for Trump,
had said to me during a television
discussion in New York on the
elections aired by ITV Gold:
Donald Trump is a movement.
The writer is
Professor of
English and
Vice President
for Academic
Affairs at
Boricua
College in
NYC. He's been living in the US for
almost 50 years.
Trump proposes term

limits for Congress
Washington: How would Donald Trump "drain the swamp" in Washington
as he puts it? Two words: term limits. At a rally in Colorado Springs, Colo.,
Tuesday, Trump said if elected in November he will "push for a constitu
tional amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress."
Trump did not elaborate on how many terms lawmakers could serve. The
idea of capping how long lawmakers can spend in Washington is popular
with many in the GOP and has been proposed before, most notably as part
of the Republicans' "Contract with America" in 1994. The measure was
taken up by the GOPled House after that election but didn't come close to
winning the necessary 2/3 majority to send it to the Senate.
That proposal would have limited House members to
two 2year terms and senators to two 6year
terms. Several states have success
fully enacted term limits for their
legislatures.
Trump's proposal comes a day
after he offered a fivepoint package
of ethics reforms:
4Instituting a fiveyear ban on all
executive branch officials from lobby
ing the government after they leave
government service.
4Calling on Congress to impose its
own fiveyear ban on former members
and their staffs from lobbying.
4Expanding the definition of a lobbyist to close the loopholes that
Trump says allow former government officials to label themselves con
sultants and advisers.
4Issuing a lifetime ban on senior executive branch officials from lobby
ing on behalf of a foreign government.
4Asking Congress to pass campaign finance reform that would prevent
registered foreign lobbyists from raising money in American elections.
US AFFAIRS
October 22-28, 2016
11
Stop whining, Obama tells

Trump over rigging claims
Washington: President Barack Obama urged Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to "stop whin
ing" and rejected his claims of the presidential elections being rigged, media reports said.
"I have never seen any presidential candidate trying to discredit the elections and the election process
before votes have even taken place. It's unprecedented," CNBC news quoted Obama as saying at a White
House press conference on Tuesday. "I'd invite Mr. Trump to stop whining, and go try to make his case to
get votes," he added.
Trump clashed with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and his own party on whether the
upcoming election was rigged. "The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media
pushing Crooked Hillary but also at many polling places SAD," Trump tweeted on October 16. Poll num
bers in favour of Trump drastically fall after the first presidential debate on September
26. This was followed by the release of a 2005 tape in which Trump bragged about
sexually aggressive behavior toward women.
70 Nobel laureates endorse

Hillary for president
Washington: At least 70 Nobel laureates threw their support behind Democratic
presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, saying her election is crucial for safe
guarding freedom and preserving a constitutional government, a media report
ed. The forceful endorsement came in a letter on Tuesday signed by the laure
ates, hailing from variety of fields such as science, medicine and economics. They make
the case that Clinton is the candidate who best understands the importance of investing in science
and technology, at a time when the world faces challenges on several fronts, The New York Times reported.
The letter made no mention of rival Republican candidate Donald Trump, but it suggested that policies
that show a lack of appreciation of scientific knowledge could damage America's prestige and national secu
rity. "We need a president who will support and advance policies that will enable science and technology to
flourish in our country and to provide the basis of important policy decisions," the letter stated.
The Nobel laureates included prominent names such as the chemist Peter Agre, economist Robert J Shiller
and physicist Robert Woodrow Wilson. They pointed to global concerns such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease
and climate change as problems that require American investment and innovation. The fact that the Nobel
laureates are backing Clinton does not come as a big surprise, as academics overwhelmingly tend to lean
towards Democratic candidates.
12
October 22-28, 2016
US AFFAIRS
am g iving here my Astro

Numerological analysis on
who w ill w in the W hite
House in the US Presidential
e lect ion on Nov 8: Hillary
Clinton or Donald Trump?
HILLARY CLINTON is Libra

rising in Vedic Astrology. Libra
is an idealistic sign, committed
to Fairness, Harmony, and
Sacrifice in relationship. Libras
are known for social idealism as
well as relationship ideals.
The Ascendant ruler, Venus, is
in the first house, along with
Mercury, ruler of the 9th house
of Beliefs & Good Fortune, and
the Sun, ruler of the 11th house
of Ambitions & Rewards. This is
a potent combination that adds
strength to the 1st house,
increasing the potential for a
successful life.
Another really important sec
tor of the chart is the 10th
house, the house of Public Deeds
& Achievements in the World.
Here too, we find a powerful
planetary combination: Mars &
Saturn, the planet of Action plus
the planet of Structure and
Focus. This combination consti
tutes a Raj Yoga in the 10th,
indicating high potential for
Accomplishment, Reputation,
and Status.
Mrs. Clinton has her natal
Mercury, planet of the Intellect,
conjunct the Ascendant Degree.
For Libra rising, Mercury repre
sents both the 9th house and
the 12th house. The 9th house is
the house of Be lie fs and
Meritorious Deeds; the 12th
house is the house of Generosity
and Humanitarian Acts.
Clinton is currently in her Sun
Major Period, which began in
February 2016. For Libra Rising,
the Sun rules the 11th house,
the sector of the chart that rep
resents Goals, Ambit ions,
Accomplishments and Rewards.
The Sun is the planet of Power
and Authority, and its placement
in the 1st house enhances the
sense of self, as well as signify
ing the power to rule over oth
ers. This is in addition to bring
ing the karma of the 11th house
of
Ambit ion
and
Accomplishment to the 1st
house of self.
Ms. Clinton entered a Rahu
subperiod, which will last her
throug h the e lect ion, unt il
March 2017. Rahu is a significa
tor of Great Desire, placed in her
8th
house
of
Vitality,
Transformat ion, Financial
Involvements, and Secret
Activities. This is a somewhat
problematic placement in her
chart, an indication of doing
something that will expose her
to another manifestation of the
8th house: Humiliation.
Rahu is considered Strong in
Taurus, the sign of the Bull
and the Bull does not back
NAME
NAME
DONALD TRUMP
HILLARY CLINTON
DATE OF BIRTH
DATE OF BIRTH
14TH JUN 1946

TIME 10:54 AM
26TH OCT 1947

TIME 8:02 AM
PLACE OF BIRTH
PLACE OF BIRTH
JAMAICA,
NEW YORK
CHICAGO, IL
PREDICTING THE
NEXT US PRESIDENT
Astro-Numerological analysis of who will triumph in
the US presidential election on November 8.
By Dr Sanjay Sethi
down. T he 8th house is the
house of Support; Rahu repre
sents Foreigners and those with
dark skin. The support of immi
grants and minorities is crucial
to her winning the election.
DONALD TRUMP is the

Republican nominee for the
General Election. The
ascendant lord Suns transit
through Aries sign from April
15 to May 15, under Jupiters
auspicious aspect he lped
Trump seal the deal for the
Republican nomination.
Unfortunately for Trump this
auspicious Rahu mahadasha has
come to an end on Oct 4 this
year, one month before election
date. Trump will be entering 8th
house lord and Badhaka house
lord Jupiter mahadasha starting
October 4. Jupiter is the worst
planet in Trumps astrology
chart. On the election date on
November 8, Trump will be in
Jupiter mahadasha, Jupiter
Bhukti, and Jupiter Anthara.
Jupiter planet is coming at all
three levels, in the dashas. In the
month of August and September
the ascendant lord Sun will be
transiting through Leo sign with
Rahu and badly aspected by
Saturn, not good at all.
Mr. Trump is currently in his
Rahu major period, which start
ed for him back in November
1998, and cont inues unt il
November 2016. In other words,
right up to the 2016 elections.
Rahu is the significator of Great
Desire, Transformation, and
Success, and it is prominently

placed in the 10th house of
Public Actions. The Rahu Major
Period activates his SunRahu
Uranus conjunct ion. Rahus
close association with the Sun is
what gives Mr. Trump the Drive
to acquire Power and Renown.
Uranus, the planet of Freedom
and Rebellion, makes him will
ing to take Big Risks; to say and
do things that are quite
Unexpected
and
Unconventional, even extreme.
And of course, this is what
makes him so Entertaining, for
the Media.
Mr. Trump is now in a Mars
Subperiod. For Leo rising, Mars
rules the 9th house of Good
Luck and Destiny. Mars, the
planet of Combat and Victory, is
conjunct his Ascendant Degree
and is a strong feature of his
chart.
Another major transit is
Saturn, currently in Scorpio, and
approaching his natal Moon this
year. T he transit of Saturn
through the sign of ones natal
Moon indicates a harsh con
frontation with what Saturn rep
resents: Reality.
STARS FAVOR HILLARY

MORE THAN TRUMP
For Mrs. Clinton, the Sun and
Mercury land in her Libra
Ascendant, with the Sun closely
aligned with, and powering up,
her natal Venus. Venus, her
chart ruler, winds up in her 3rd
house of Making Efforts, and is
close ly aspect ing her natal
Uranus. The Moon is energizing

her 5th house where her natal
Moon is. And, as noted before,
Jupiter is in her 12th house, sig
nifying Benefit from the Masses.
On the day of the e lect ion
Jupiter is exactly conjunct her
natal Neptune, planet of Dreams
and Idealism.
The malefic planets are the
ones predisposed to cause trou
ble. Mars is the planet of Attack,
as well as Victory. Mars is at the
beginning of Capricorn, aspect
ing Clintons 10th house of suc
cess and reputation, and afflict
ing her natal Mars and natal
Saturn, indicating a Fight.
Next consider what the tran
sits are doing to Donald Trumps
chart on Election Day. Of the
bene ficial planets, Jupiter,
Mercury, and Venus, only
Jupiter is interacting with natal
planets: namely, transit Jupiter
on natal Jupiter. Its in the 2nd
house of Speech, where it boosts
his natal Jupiter propensity for
declaring his personal beliefs to
everyone far and wide.
Mars transiting in the 6th
house of Struggles indicates a
fight, and simultaneously gives
you the energy for the fight.
But Mars opposite his natal
Venus is fig ht ing ag ainst
Females, and Mars opposite
natal Saturn is fighting against
the Established Order.
T he Moons posit ion: it is
exactly opposite to Mr. Trumps
natal Mars, and by the end of
the day, opposite his Ascendant
Degree. Whenever there is a
contest, the 7th house needs to

be looked at carefully, because
the 7th house is the house of the
Direct Opponent.
Benefic planets in or aspecting
the 7th house help the oppo
nent. But the exact opposition of
Moon to Trumps natal Mars
and natal Ascendant is an inter
esting question.
T he MoonMars opposition
makes him Excited, Reactive,
and Ang ry, especially when
there are otherpressure induc
ing combinat ions.
Astro
Numerologically, the Moon indi
cates T he Public. Here, T he
Public is clearly opposed to his
Ascendant Degree, the most per
sonal point in the chart.
Trump has seen a consistent
drop in the polls both nationally
and in swing states in recent
weeks as controversies sur
rounding his attacks on women,
lewd comments and some cases
of alleged sexual assault have
ro cked the campaign. Since
September 26 Trump has netted
an average of 39.6 percent of
the vote in the dozen national
polls using livetelephone inter
viewers, lagging substantially
behind Clinton's 46.2 percent.
So advantage Hillary.
Dr Sanjay Sethi, a Delhi based

renowned astronumerologist
(Website:
PureLifeby
SanjaySethi.com), recently
wrapped up a consulting trip to
New York. The above analysis is
exclusive to The South Asian
Times.
October 22-28, 2016
INDIA
13
Rajnath assures safe release of 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'

New Delhi: Union Home Minister
Rajnath Singh has assured Mukesh
Bhatt, president of a film produc
ers' body, that Karan Johar's "Ae
Dil Hai Mushkil" will get a safe and
secure re lease in theaters on
October 28 two days before
Diwali amid vandalism threats
from MNS.
A delegation led by Bhatt went to
meet Singh, who assured a "great
Diwali" to them with the release of
the film, which is under threat
from the Maharashtra Navnirman
Sena (MNS) for featuring Pakistani
actor Fawad Khan.
Bhatt, President of the Film and
Te levision Producers Guild of
India, told media here after the
meet ing: "We came to meet
Rajnath Singh because we were
scared that law and order in our
nation, especially in Mumbai, was
getting out of hand.
"We came here to get assurance
from the Home Ministry that they
will tell chief ministers of all the
states to keep the law and order
intact, and won't let 'Aa Dil Hai
Mushkil' get into trouble when it
Film producer Mukesh Bhatt comes out after meeting Home Minister
Rajnath Singh in New Delhi. (Photo: Amlan Paliwal/IANS)
releases on October 28."
"He (Rajnath) gave us the assur
ance that whatever support we
want from the government, we will
get it. He said he will talk to all the
chief ministers and tell them to
maintain law and order, and see
that there is no violence outside
theatres." Bhatt says he is assured
of being "safe and protected".
PreDiwali panic as
over 3 mn debit
cards 'tainted'
Mumbai: In preDiwali panic
among consumers, over three mil
lion debit cards of various banks
are believed to be 'tainted' follow
ing a suspected security breach,
even as investigations have begun
into the causes behind the securi
ty risks.
Several banks, including the
State Bank Of India (SBI), have
already started blocking their cus
tomers' debit cards and reissuing
fresh ones to them free of cost.
An estimated more than
30,00,000 debit cards issued by
various public or private banks
are said to be affected by a poten
tial risk of data breach.
Debit or credit cards are prone
to security issues when unautho
rized parties gain access to the
confidential data embedded on
them, even if it is being swiped in
an automatic te ller machine
(ATM). In the current scenario, the
SBI alone has blocked more than
600,000 debit cards while assur

ing that the malwarerelated secu
rity breach was reportedly detect
ed in the nonSBI ATM network.
The move has been undertaken
to ensure that customer's confi
dential personal data is not com
promised while swiping them for
various transactions.
One of the card network compa
nies MasterCard said that its "own
systems have not been breached".
"We are working on the investi
gations with the regulators,
issuers, acquirers, global and local
law enforcement agencies and
third party payment networks to
assess the current situation," a
MasterCard spokesperson said.
It has advised the consumers to
review their account statements
and activity, and if any unusual or
fraudulent transactions are sus
pected, they should contact the
concerned bank for more assis
tance.
Trouble for "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil"

began when the debate about let
ting Pakistani artistes working in
India sparked of f, following the
September 18 Uri attack which
killed 19 Indian soldiers in Jammu
and Kashmir. The attack was fol
lowed by surgical attacks that
India conducted across the LoC.
The subsequent tension between
India and Pakistan had a spillover

ef fect on film industries on both
sides of the border.
While MNS issued an ultimatum
to Pakistani artistes to quit India,
the Indian Mot ion Picture
Producers Association passed a
resolution asking producers to
avoid working with talent from
Pakistan. And "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil"
has become the first target.
Bhatt feels that while MNS may
try to create obstacles in the
release of the film, the "govern
ment is with us".
"He (Singh) said that full protec
t ion w ill be g iven to all the
exhibitors whether it is single
screen or multiplex owners. They
will get 100 per cent police protec
tion and the government of India
w ill see to it that the film is
released without any violence."
Justifying Karan's decision to
rope in Fawad for "Ae Dil Hai
Mushkil", Bhatt said the "climate
back then was dif ferent. Now,
times have changed. We know how
to entertain people, we don't know
politics and don't wish to get into
Akhilesh supporter asks

Mulayam to step down
Lucknow: A young MLC consid
ered close to Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Akhilesh Yadav has asked
Samajwadi Party supremo
Mulayam Singh Yadav to step
down and let his son take his
place.
Udayveer Singh, a first time MLC,
wrote a "private letter" to
Mulayam Singh but it has now
found its way into the media.
Udayveer Singh told IANS on
Thursday that he was merely air
ing his personal feelings but which
he insisted echoed the views of
most party colleagues.
Udayveer Singh has also accused
Mulayam Sing h's second w ife
Sadhna of harbouring ill feeling
towards her stepson Akhilesh.
He added that Shivpal Singh
Yadav, the state party chief and a
brother of Mulayam Singh, was
jealous of the Chief Minister's pop
ularity. Accusing Sad hna and
Shivpal Yadav of collusion,
Udayveer Singh alleged that the
Chief Minister was being subject to
Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.

black magic with a view to harm
him. Demanding that the party
revoke the expulsion of young
party leaders, he said Akhilesh
Yadav was the most credible face
of the Samajwadi Party. Reacting
sharply to the letter, party leader
Rita Bahuguna Joshi joins BJP

New Delhi: Months ahead of the
Uttar Pradesh assembly elec
tions, senior Congress leader
Rita Bahuguna Joshi joined the
BJP here in the presence of
party chief Amit Shah.
Joshi, who had been with the
Congress for 24 years, said it

was not an easy decision for her
but she had taken it in the inter
est of the country and Uttar
Pradesh.
The former President of the
Congress state unit told the
it". "MNS should not spoil Diwali of

the families and let the film release
peacefully," he added.
Singerpolitician Babul Supriyo,
who accompanied Bhatt, said: "We
want to request MNS to let the
films, which have been made now
to get released without problems
as a lot of money has been put
behind it by our producers.
"From now on, we won't let
Pakistani artistes work in our
nation, till the time the situation
improves. We have a very strong
BJP government in Maharashtra
under Devendra Fadnavis.
"The Mumbai Police has clearly
said that no one will be allowed to
take law and order into their
hands. The kind of statements that
MNS leaders have given, it is defi
nitely not going to be tolerated,"
he added.
He said that producers, directors
and actors make films for the
entertainment of people, to spread
love and "make all the festivals
even more enjoyable. So, they are
with the sentiments of the entire
country".
media she had resigned her

membership of the state assem
bly. She represented Lucknow
Cantt.
Hailing the Indian Army's
September 29 surgical strikes in
Pakistani territory, she said it
was a "big accomplishment of

the government along with that
of the army".
Bahuguna's brother and for
mer Uttarakhand Chief Minister
Vijay Bahuguna joined the BJP
some time back.
Ashu Malik said people writing

such letters were not "even worth
500 votes". He added that the
party would not tolerate indisci
pline. "Any attempt to humiliate
Netaji (Mulayam Singh) will not be
tolerated."
14
October 22-28, 2016
INDIA
Pak isolated because of its proterror policies: India

Benaulim (Goa): Pakistan was
isolated because of its proterror
policies, India said this week and
offered the neighbor help in act
ing against terrorists. China
strongly defended Islamabad, its
"allweather" friend, for making
"great sacrifices in fighting ter
rorism".
T he Chinese support to
Pakistan came a day after Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, without
naming Pakistan at the Goa
BRICS Summit, said the "mother
ship" of terrorism was in India's
neighborhood.
India's tirade against Pakistan
also remained in focus at the Bay
of Bengal Initiative for Multi
Sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation (Bimstec) meeting
he ld alongside the BRICS
Summit. BIMSTEC leaders called
for greater cooperation between
PM Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese

President Xi Jinping at the BRICS Summit in Goa. (Photo: IANS)
the two blocs, especially on figt
ing terror. In a joint statement,
they slammed attempts made to
glorify terrorists and described
terrorism as "the singlemost sig
nificant threat to peace and sta
bility" in the region.

"We reiterate our strong com
mitment to combat terrorism,
and stress that there can be no
justification for acts of terror on
any grounds. We condemn in the
Bimstec criticizes
terror promoting
polity: Sushma
strongest terms the recent bar

baric terror attacks in the
region," the statement said.
"There should be no glorifica
tion of terrorists as martyrs," the
statement said, in a reference to
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif 's remarks hailing slain
Kashmiri militant commander
Burhan Wani as a martyr who
was killed in fighting for "free
dom" of Kashmir.
The statement said the fight
against terrorism "should also
identify, hold accountable and
take strong measures against
States who encourage, support
and finance terrorism, provide
sanctuary to terrorists and terror
groups and falsely extol their
virtues". After the BIMSTEC
statement, Ministry of External
Af fairs spokesperson Vikas
Swarup said Pakistan's isolation
was its own doing.

But China reacted sharply to
India's alleg at ions ag ainst
Pakistan.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson
Hua Chunying said "China and
Pakistan are allweather friends"
and Beijing opposed "linking ter
rorism with any specific ethnici
ty or religion".
"Everyone knows that India
and Pakistan are victims of ter
rorism. Pakistan has made huge
ef forts and great sacrifices in
fighting terrorism. I think the
international community should
respect this," she added.
Pakistan, in a fresh denial,
returned India's allegations, say
ing Prime Minister Modi had "no
moral ground" to speak about
terror "when his own govern
ment is involved in state terror
ism in Kashmir".
India, Myanmar to
closely coordinate
on border security
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
and Myanmar
State
Counsellor
Aung San Suu
Kyi at
Hyderabad
House in
New Delhi.
(Photo: IANS)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the BIMSTEC leaders in Goa. (Photo: IANS/PIB)
New Delhi: In what is an obvious reference
to Pakistan's use of terrorism as an instru
ment of state policy, External Af fairs
Sushma Swaraj said that the invitation to
member states of the Bimstec group for an
outreach summit at the BRICS Summit
showed that these countries "today repre
sent the polar opposite of a terrorism pro
moting polity".
"The selection of Bimstec as the outreach
group for the Goa Summit of the BRICS is
also worth reflecting upon," said Sushma
Swaraj while inaugurating the BRICS Media
Forum here.
"Members of Bimstec Bhutan, Bangladesh,
India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and
Thailand today represent the polar oppo
site of a terrorism promoting polity," she
said.
"They are focused on improving the quali
ty of life of their people, on skills and
employment, on education and health, and
on the quality of governance and the deep
ening of democracy."
After last month's crossborder terror

attack on an army base at Uri in Jammu and
Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 Indian
soldiers, India launched a diplomatic blitz to
isolate Pakistan in the international commu
nity.
India has blamed the Pakistanbased ter
ror outfit JaisheMohammed for the Uri
attack.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi pulled out
of the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (Saarc) meet that was sched
uled to be held in Islamabad in November in
protest against Pakistan's sponsorship of
terrorism.
Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan too
followed suit citing the same reason while
Sri Lanka held that a Saarc summit would
not be possible in India's absence.
Pakistan is a member of Saarc but not of
Bimstec. Sushma Swaraj said that the
Bimstec countries were "actively promoting
connectivity, cooperation and contacts
amongst themselves".
New Delhi: India and Myanmar have

agreed to closely coordinate with each
other on border security while Prime
Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed New
Delhi's commitment to help develop
Myanmar.
"As close and friendly neighbors, the
security interests of India and Myanmar
are closely aligned," Modi said in the
presence of Myanmar State Counsellor
Aung San Suu Kyi after delegationlevel
talks between the two sides.
"We have agreed that a close coordina
tion to ensure security in the areas along
our border, and sensitivity to each other's
strategic interests, will serve the interests
of both our countries," Modi said.
India shares a 1,600km border with
Myanmar. Security has been an issue
with insurgent groups from the northeast
taking refuge in Myanmar's densely
forested territory. In August, the Indian
Army reportedly carried out surgical
strikes in Myanmar after Nat ional
Socialist Council of NagalandKhaplang
(NSCNK) militants fled to Myanmar from
Mon in Nagaland after being attacked.

According to a joint statement, both sides
"reaffirmed their shared commitment to
fight insurgent activity and the scourge
of terrorism in all its forms and manifes
tations". "Both sides expressed the view
that the longstanding commitment not
to allow insurgent groups to use their
soil for hostile activities against the other
side is essential for the prosperity of the
people residing along the border," it stat
ed. Stating that India had a robust devel
opment cooperat ion prog ram w ith
Myanmar, Modi, in his address to the
media, mentioned the Kaladan multi
modal transport project linking Sittwe
port in Myanmar with Mizoram and the
trilateral highway connecting India,
Myanmar and Thailand among others.
India and Myanmar signed three MoUs
following the talks one on cooperation
in power sector, another on banking
supervision and a third on designing an
academic and professional building pro
gram for the insurance industry of
Myanmar.
National Community
October 22-28, 2016
15
(left) At the conference inauguration (From left): Sanjay Lodha, Soignee Kothari Mehta, Ankita Parakh, Rakeshh Mehta, Gautum Oswal,
Kamlesh C. Mehta, Ashok Domadia, Satish Parakh, John Chambers (Chairman of USIBC), Yogesh Bapna, Prem Jain, Kamlesh Mehta, and Nitin Shah.
(right) Pitch Your Business Idea competition winners (in the middle) Hardik Gandhi (Twigme), Namit Jain (OnnBikes), and Mr. Himmath Jain (MeltingPot).
JITO G2G-Going Global

Connect-Collaborate-Innovate: US Initiative Launched
Santa Clara, CA: The 2nd G2G-Going

Global 2016 conference organized by the
Jain International Trade Organization (JITO)
in association with Jain Center of Northern
California (JCNC), and Federation of Jain Associations in North America (JAINA) was held
at Santa Clara Marriott here on Sept 17-18.
G2G (Good-to-Great) Going Global Initiative
is dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and
providing an opportunity of global networking to its members. It provides members with
opportunities for interaction with the companies, thought-leaders, and industry experts
who have risen high in the corporate world.
This conference brought together more
than 275 participants representing different interdisciplinary groups of professionals from India and North America. The
inauguration took place in the presence of
Mr. John Chambers, Executive Chairman of
Cisco Systems & Chairman of US India Business Council (USIBC) and Professor Dipak
C. Jain, Director (Dean) of Sasin Graduate
Institute & Former Dean INSEAD & Kellogg
School of Management. Dignitaries joining
this ceremony included Chairman JITO, Mr.
Rakeshh Mehta, President JITO, Mr. Prem
Jain, former President JAINA & Ex-SVP Cisco Systems, Mr. Ashok Domadia, President
JAINA, Mr. Nitin Shah, Chairman JCNC, Mr.
Satish Parakh, Chairman G2G, and Mr. Gautam Oswal, Co-Chairman G2G.
The tone of the conference was set during
the opening remarks by Mr. Satish Parakh,

and Mr. Prem Jain, emphasizing the need
for developing in-depth relationships among
businesses, professionals, entrepreneurs, and
venture capitalists living in India and North
America. Throughout the two days, more
than 40 experts in different fields, representing both places, shared their knowledge, experience, and passion with the attendees.
Mr. John Chambers in his keynote
speech asked attendees to Imagine what
the next 30 years are going to bring. He
asserted that fast innovation is still driving
every industry, enabled by Fast IT. More,
the Internet of Everything (IoE) presents
unprecedented opportunities for countries,
cities, and companies all around the globe.
He added that over the next decade, the IoE
will deliver $19T of value to individuals,
businesses, and countries.
New business model ideas were shared
by Prof Dipak Jain on evolution and new
drivers of global growth. In his thought
provoking presentation he discussed how
the airlines business evolved from selling
tickets to miles; selling books to chapters in
education business; from News to Views in
the newspaper industry; billing by hour to
billing by impact in the legal industry. He
emphasized that knowledge comes from
analysis, and wisdom comes from synthesis
and its important that we connect the dots.
He concluded by expressing that the global
leadership must be humanizing business by

recognizing that the Jain values are the key
source of differentiation and value creation.
The G2G Conference hosted many focused
sessions that were conducted with well-known
local and international business/technology
leaders such as Mr. Vinod Dham, Father of
the Pentium Chip; Mr. Bill Coughran, Partner,
Sequoia Capital, who expressed what worked
for Google during their explosive growth; Mr.
Sabeer Bhatia, Founder of Hotmail, shared
challenges faced during the scaling of the organization and how one can sustain innovation; Mr. Kanwal Rekhi, MD, Inventus Capital,
shared about the balancing act (Speed vs Sustaining) during his entrepreneurial journey;
and Ms. Carol Sands listed the dos and donts
of angel investing, hoping and praying that it
will make money. A special moderated session
on Billion Dollar Babies (B$B) was presented
by Mr. Raju Reddy, CEO of Sierra Atlantic.
Several diversified panel discussions took
place on hot topics such as Overcoming
legal and regulatory hurdles doing business in India and US by Mr. Nishith Desai
(Founder of Nishith Desai Associates) moderated by Dr. Sushil Jain, former President
of JAINA; venture funding unlocked by Mr.
Amit Shah (Artiman Ventures), Mr. Saurabh
Srivastava (Immersive Capital), Aditya Singh
(Foundation Capital), Edith Yeung (500
Startups) and Paul Singh (CEO Startup Strategies) and Global Business Trends.
Mr. Nishith Desai in conversation with

Dr. Sushil Jain, talked about successes of
Make in India program and the impact
Brexit will have on Indian and global economy. On US presidential election, he noted
that Indias growing economy is of great
interest to US businessmen and elected
leaders and that the election will have very
little adverse impact on US-India trade.
The Pitch Your Business Idea competition kept participants eagerly waiting the
start of the competition, which did not
disappoint. Six business plans were presented, three from the US and three from
India. The venture capitalist judges panel
comprised Mr. Amit Shah (Artiman Ventures), Ms. Edith Yeung (500 Startups), Mr.
Salil Pradhan (Draper Nexus Venture), Mr.
Ankur Jain (Inclusive Capital), and Mr. Sean
Schantzen (HealthFundr). The top three selected were Mr. Hardik Gandhi (Twigme),
Mr. Namit Jain (OnnBikes), and Mr. Himmath Jain (MeltingPot).
As result of this conference in San Francisco, JITO is now opening a new chapter
in USA, where the professional & business
opportunities in India, USA and around
the globe will be explored and industry
wise B2B group meetings & group visits
to relevant locations including sector wise
meetings shall be arranged with respective
authorities for the sectors like Healthcare,
Information Technology, Diamond, Gems &
Jewelry, Construction, Gifts & Novelties, Finance & Banking, Metal, Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, Textile & Garments, Electronics & Home Appliances.
By joining JITO, large groups of business
community have benefited to develop vital
and global business contacts and created
professional knowledge Institutions and
value based education.
(1) Dr. Sushil Jain speaking to Nishith Desai. (2) Sandhya Patel speaking to Vinod Dham, Father of the Pentium Chip.
(3) From Left: Rakeshh Mehta, honoree Bill Coughran (Partner, Sequoia Capital), Satish Parakh (Chairman G2G), and Prem Jain.
16
October 22-28, 2016
Bored of seeing action in

Bollywood films: Ajay Devgn
A
ctor Ajay Devgn, son of veteran

action choreographer Veeru
Devgan, says he was bored of the
action sequences in Bollywood films. And
that's why he has tried to up the ante in
his upcoming directorial "Shivaay", which
also sees him as the lead actor.
"Action comes quite easy to me once I
decide and I plan. This time I decided to
execute... I'm bored and fed of action
which we see in our films. I needed to take
a step ahead," Ajay said.
The actor, who is known for his action
sequences in films, says he rarely uses
body double and that is why it was tough
shooting for "Shivaay".
"But it went off well. You keep getting
injured, but there was nothing major," he
added.
"Shivaay" is Ajay's second directorial
venture after the 2008 romantic drama "U
Me Aur Hum".
The 47yearold actor also believes that
it would have been difficult to make a film
like "Shivaay" five years ago.
"It would have been tougher to make
this film five years ago. It's just the visual
I admire all
Bollywood
heroines:
Dwayne Bravo
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
effects and also the mixing of

live shooting. It has to be
shot right, it has to be
shot at the right locations
and then you enhance it.
Five years ago, it wouldn't
have been possible," he said.
The movie marks the acting
debut of Sayyeshaa Saigal, who
is the grandniece of veteran
actor Dilip Kumar.
"Shivaay" is sched
uled to release on
October 28.
Every lm has its own

destiny: Harshvardhan
Shivaay is scheduled to
release on October 28.
Harshvardhan made his Bollywood debut

with Mirzya.
arshvardhan Kapoor is not bogged down with
his debut film "Mirzya" failing to make a
mark at the boxoffice. The actor accepts the
failure, and says that the movie is not for everybody.
"Well, obviously 'Mirzya' didn't do well at the box
office which is fine. It's not a film for everybody,"
Harshvardhan said.
He added: "Every film has its own destiny. I feel
'Mirzya' is a work of art. It is a beautiful film and it
will find its place in course of time."
The son of actor Anil Kapoor talked about the
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's ambitious project at
the red carpet of Filmfare Glamour & Style Awards.
Now, Harshvardhan is focusing on his next project
"Bhavesh Joshi".
Are Pak
artistes
terrorists,
asks Salman
Dev Patel to be honored

at Santa Barbara lm fest
e would love
to work with
Deepika
Padukone, and has
"quite liked"
Jacqueline
Fernandez. West
Indies cricketer and
singer Dwayne
Bravo aka DJ Bravo
says he would love
to feature in a Hindi
film, especially a
Karan Johar directo
rial, if given a chance.
an Johar film.
Bravo wants to do a Kar
Bravo, who is participating
in the dance reality TV show "Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa 9", is happily enjoy
ing his involvement with Indian showbiz.
He hasn't watched many Hindi films, but talking about his desire to
be a part of Bollywood, Bravo said: "I am open to the idea of acting in a
Karan Johar film opposite Deepika Padukone."
Asked about his favorite actress in Bollywood, he said: "I admire all
the Bollywood heroines and happy to be associated with any talent. I
met Jacqueline Fernandez on the set (of 'Jhalak...') and I quite
liked her."
Sharing his experience to contest a dance reality TV show, Bravo
said: "It is great to be a part of a dance reality shows like 'Jhalak...',
where I am meeting some really talented, famous and interesting peo
ple. Dancing is always fun for me, but it is a little pressure on me when
dancing as a contestant and being judged!" Keeping the entertainment
factor aside, the cricketer believes that one of the common factors
between cricket and entertainment is the preparation and hard work.
Asked if Bollywood would be his next career option after cricket,
Bravo said: "Yes, there is a life after cricket, and why not entertain
ment? It would be great fun!"
October 28: Karan Johar

See you at cinemas on
he brouhaha over the release of "Ae Dil Hai
Mushkil", which features Pakistani actor
Fawad Khan, does not seem to have damp
ened the spirits of filmmaker Karan Johar, who is
bullish about adding sparkle to Diwali with the
Bollywood entertainer.
Karan is yet to directly comment on the Cinema
Owners and Exhibitors Association of India's
(COEAI) decision to avoid screening "Ae Dil Hai
Mushkil" in single screen theatres across
Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat. But in a Twitter
response to a fan video, he wrote: "See you at
the cinemas on the 28th of this month!
#AeDilKiDiwali."
COEAI said their decision has been taken con
sidering the patriotic sentiments of the country
amid tensions between India and Pakistan fol
lowing the September 18 terror attack which
killed Indian soldiers.
The attack and its aftermath had a spill over into
the entertainment worlds of both countries, and
while some outfits are resisting the release of "Ae
Dil Hai Mushkil", its makers have maintained the
movie will release as scheduled on October 28
two days before the festival of lights, Diwali.
Directed and produced by Karan under his home
banner Dharma Productions, the movie about unre
quited love, stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma
and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan apart from Fawad.
ritish actor of Indian descent Dev Patel will be

honored at Santa Barbara International Film
Festival for his role in "Lion". "Lion" is based
on a true story of a fiveyearold Indian boy who
falls asleep on a train to end up lost, before being
adopted by an Australian couple, played by Nicole
Kidman and fellow Australian David Wenham.
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has
selected eight actors for its Virtuosos Award for
breakthrough performances, including Ruth Negga
for "Loving", Dev for "Lion" and Aaron Taylor
Johnson for "Nocturnal Animals",
reports variety.com.
Janelle Mone will be
honored for "Hidden
Figures" and
"Moonlight" alongside
her "Moonlight"
costars Mahershala
Ali and Naomie Harris.
Simon Helberg was
named for "Florence
Foster Jenkins," and
The award presentation Stephen Henderson
will take place on
was tapped for
February 4.
"Fences". The award
presentation, to be moderated for the seventh
year by Dave Karger, will take place on February 4
at the Arlington Theatre at the 32nd edition of the
festival, which runs from February 1 to February
11. Prior recipients for the award include Alicia
Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Elizabeth Banks, Paul
Dano, David Oyelowo and Rooney Mara.
October 22-28, 2016
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
17
I did not ask PM to

'Bigg Boss' 2016
house has 'ethereal apologize: Anurag Kashyap
look' and a jail F
This is the tenth season of the show hosted by Salman Khan.

rt director Omung Kumar
has boosted every nook
and corner of the "Bigg
Boss" house this year with ele
ments of mystique that invoke
sentiments like vigor and posi
tivity. Omung, also a filmmaker,
says the house has an ethereal
look. The house of the reality
TV show has been designed by
Omung along with his wife
Vanita. A few journalists were
locked in the "Bigg Boss" house
as contestants to experience it.
Omung said in a statement:
"The 'Bigg Boss' house, this
year, has an ethereal look. The
design of the 'Bigg Boss' house
has been themed around a mod
ern Indian palace. There is an
element of Indian mystique to
the decor with a lot of lanterns
and earthy tones to bring a
homely appeal to the set."
"The house is more colorful

and vibrant this time with lots
of paintings. There are many
conspicuous changes in the
'Bigg Boss' house."
The addition to the bathroom
area, this season, is a luxurious
Jacuzzi placed in a corner which
allows every relaxing contestant
a full view of the entire room.
This year the house also has a
jail. "The most prominent addi
tion to the 'Bigg Boss' house,
however, is the jail. Painted to
depict a filthy appearance, the
jail will be a dungeon of sorts
for contestants who break the
rules," according to Omung.
This year on one hand we will
see 'common man', and on the
other hand, the heady 'celebrity'
brigade all set to experience
100 plus days under the same
roof.
ilmmaker Anurag Kashyap explained his inten

tion behind his tweet questioning Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's visit to Pakistan last year and
said he did not "ask the PM to apologize".
Hitting out at the media for playing with his state
ment for "headlines", Kashyap took to his Facebook
page for a lengthy post and said "it is unfortunate that
I have to explain my intention behind my tweet,
because others and my industry colleagues have to
suffer for me having an opinion".
"I am tired of the film industry being soft targets.
We are damned if we do, damned if we don't! When
we don't involve ourselves, they ask, 'Why is
Bollywood quiet now?' When we involve ourselves,
we become the scapegoats to distract you from the
real news," Anurag wrote.
"Either way they use us to sensationalise news. Still,
I'd rather put my opinions out there on my own plat
form, then give the media a bite (byte). NO, Anurag
Kashyap did not 'ask the PM to apologise' (which
most of the headlines would want you to believe, no
one has their mind anyways)," he added.
The filmmaker says he just questioned the "fairness
in judgement of a situation".
"The PM visited Pakistan for talks at the same time
that a filmmaker was working with a Pakistani actor.
Neither was aware of future events or mood. Yet only
one pays the price," he added.
Kashyap has spoken up after his October 16 tweet
""Narendra Modi Sir, you haven't yet said sorry for
your trip to meet the Pakistani PM. It was December
25. Same time KJo was shooting 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'?
Why?" caused a stir.
It came amid Cinema Owners and Exhibitors
Association of India's decision to not release movies
hits him when, in the city, he

has to live with his two older
brothers and their families, in a
chawl and is advised, "adjust
karna see kh le tu", which
means 'learn to adjust'.
Adjust to his new life, he does.
But, the problem arises after he
gets married.
Though there are not many
twists and turns in the plot,
what keeps you glued are the
unfaltering performances by
the fairly new cast and a well
with Pakistani actors, in single screens across

Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat. It's a move that is like
ly to hit hard Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil",
which features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan.
Jackie to play antagonist in 'Sarkar 3'

ctor Jackie Shroff has been
roped in to play one of the
antagonists in filmmaker
Ram Gopal Varma's "Sarkar 3", the
third installment in the widely pop
ular "Sarkar" franchise starring
megastar Amitabh Bachchan.
Varma revealed the entire cast of
the film on his Twitter page.
"Jackie plays one of the main
Jackie will essay the role of an

antagonist in the movie.
'Fuddu': Big surprise in

small package
et in sin city Mumbai,
"Fuddu" is a sweet, simple
romant ic comedy that
gives you an insight into the
brazen lifestyle of its middle
class immigrants who cram up
in matchbox dwellings.
Realistically portrayed, the
film looks into the life of
Mohan Mishra who comes to
Mumbai from Benaras for
greener pastures and soon real
izes that the shimmer of this
glitzy city is all fake. Reality
Kashyap faced flak for his tweet against PM Modi.
contained script with we ll

etched characters.
The dialogues are colloquial,
witty and laced with the right
amount of humor that is relat
able.
Mounted with decent produc
tion values, the film is a pleas
ant surprise and worth a watch
for every Mumbaikar.
Sharman Joshi and

Sunny Leone during the release
of a song from Fuddu.
antagonists in 'Sarkar 3'. He plays a charac

ter referred to as Sir," Varma wrote.
He also confirmed that "Sarkar 3" will wit
ness the return of Amitabh Bachchan as the
dreaded don, Subhash Nagre, but added that
both Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan, who were part of "Sarkar Raj",
won't feature in the third part. He also
revealed that actors Manoj Bajpayee, Yami
Gautham, Amit Sadh, Ronit Roy, Rohini
Hattangadi and Bharat Dabholkar are part
of the film. Interestingly, Rohini will be seen
as one of the antagonists too.
18
October 22-28, 2016
FASHION
FESTIVAL
New York: Sounds of cheers and applaud filled

the air last Sunday at Lido Beach on the ground of Town of
Hempstead, NY as the 30feet Ravan effigy burst into flames to celebrate the
victory of good over evil. Over 4,000 people had traveled long distances to witness the
celebration of the Second Grand Dushahra Festival in Long Island.
The Festival was inaugurated by dignitaries from Hempstead and the neighboring townships such as
Supervisor Anthony Santino, Town Clerk Nasrin G Ahmed, Ranju & Ravi Batra, Council members
Ambrosino, Blakeman, DEsposito, Hudes, Goosby, King Sweeney. Present were also Chairperson Chanchal
Gupta, Vice Chairman Dr. Ravindra Goyal, and Raj Mittal, President.
The star of the event was the Ram Leela presented by 85 performers and choreographed by Varsha Naik of
Navrang Dance Academy. Performers of all ages brought to life the ancient Indian epic "Ramayana". Beautiful
costumes and props along with LED backdrop pictures, sound and light effects transported the viewers to a
different era. Sponsors included Sameer Targe of Asia TV USA (Zee TV and &TV), Ashok Vyas of ITV Gold,
Thevan Theivakumar of New York Life, Devendra Singh of Hindi Usa, Mukesh Modi of Agarwal Samaj
NY, Kamlesh Mehta of The South Asian Times, Sudhir Parikh of Parikh worldwide,. Rajeev
Bhambri of India Abroad, Dr. Nimisha Shukla of Radio Zindagi, and Surinder Ji of Suhag
Jewelers (NJ). The Dushahra festival was initiated in 1999 by the Founder and
Chairman, Mangal Gupta in New Jersey and has since grown to
become the Annual Grand Dushahra Festival.
Town of Hempstead Supervisor Anthony Santino and Town Clerk

Nasrin G Ahmed were honored at the event.
Ram Leela was presented by 85 performers and choreographed by

Varsha Naik of Navrang Dance Academy.
Over 4,000 people thronged the Second Grand Dushahra Festival

celebrated in Lido Beach in Long Island.
October 22-28, 2016
The 30ft Ravan effigy burst into flames to celebrate

the victory of good over evil.
19
20
October 22-28, 2016
OP-ED
Government spent Rs 36 crore on

publicity to mark two years
By Sidhartha Dutta
he BJPled union government may

have attacked the Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) government in Delhi for its
spending on advertisements, but it spent
more than Rs 36 crore on publicity and
advertisements for organizing the one
day "Ek Nayi Subah" show in Delhi to
mark two years of the Nat ional
Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
T his informat ion was revealed in
response to an RTI query by IANS.
The amount for the sixhour event in
Delhi was spent on print and electronic
media advertisements.
T he RTI reply received from the
Directorate of Advertising and Visual
Publicity (DAVP), Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting, revealed that the
amount spent by the centre on publicity
was Rs 36,64,88,085.
Prime Minister Narendra Modiled NDA
government had organised a gala event at
India Gate on May 29 to mark its two
years in office.
The expenditure incurred on advertise
ments in print media was Rs 35.59 crore
while in the electronic media it was Rs
1.06 crore. Meanwhile, another RTI reply
The expenditure incurred on advertisements in print media was Rs 35.59 crore

while in the electronic media it was Rs 1.06 crore.
received from Doordarshan Kendra
revealed that the total expenditure
incurred by it on the "Ek Nayi Subah"
show was Rs 92 lakh.
The RTI reply revealed that the adver
tisements were given to all the leading
national dailies apart from other English,
Hindi and regional dailies across the
country. During the "Ek Nayi Subah"

event, the central government showcased
its achievements and Bollywood's leading
names, including Amitabh Bachchan,
espoused social causes at the show which
lasted over six hours.
A range of initiatives, including the
'Swachh Bharat' campaign, the 'Beti
Bachao, Beti Padhao', 'Pradhan Mantrai

Ujjwala Yojana', 'Pradhan Mantri Jan
Dhan Yojana' and 'Pradhan Mantri Mudra
Yojana' were highlighted. Also showcased
were moves to boost farmers' income,
enhance connectivity, step up investment
and enhance jobs and improve rail, road
and air infrastructure, and provide elec
tricity to all villages.
The central government and ruling
party had come down heavily on the AAP
government in Delhi for spending what
they said was a huge amount of public
money on advertisements and publicity.
The Delhi government had allocated Rs
526 crore for publicity and information
for the 201516 financial year. This allo
cation was later reduced to Rs 100 crore
in the revised estimates.
A Comptroller and Auditor General
(CAG) report had stated that the AAP gov
ernment's expenditure on advertisement
and publicity had gone up three times
from the previous government's Rs 25.25
crore in 201314 to Rs 81.23 crore in
201516.
The report also stated that Directorate
of Information and Publicity (DIP) expen
diture was Rs 11.12 crore in 201415
and Rs 25.25 crore in 201314.
Amma's illness: Woes of a oneperson party

By Amulya Ganguli
ike nature, politics abhors a vacuum. It
is not surprising, therefore, that after
several days of uncertainty, Tamil
Nadu Finance Minister O. Panneerselvam
assumed charge of the ministries which
were handled by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa
before she was hospitalized.
However, she remains the Chief Minister,
although the hospital authorities have indi
cated that there is no immediate possibility
of her being released. They have been tight
lipped about the nature of her illness apart
from saying that an "intensivist" and physi
cians from other disciplines, including a
few from abroad, have been treating her.
The almost total silence about her condi
tion is out of place in a democracy. It is
therefore not surprising that it has fueled
rumors which, in turn, have led to the
arrests of the rumormongers.
As may have been expected, Jayalalithaa's
archrival, the Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam's (DMK) M. Karunanidhi, has
taken the opportunity to ask whether the
Chief Minister was able to tell the Governor
about the allocation of the portfolios, espe
cially when several leaders who went to the
hospital were unable to see her.
Another of her critics, Subramanian
Swamy of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),
has called for the imposition of President's
rule in Tamil Nadu. Such a turn of events is
only to be expected since an "intensivist" is
AIADMK senior leader and Tamil Nadu

Finance Minister O Panneerselvam.
a doctor who takes care of "critically ill"
patients.
This is however not the first time that the
state has been "run" by an absentee Chief
Minister. The other occasion was when
Jayalalithaa's mentor, M.G. Ramachandran,
suffered a cerebral stroke a few days after
checking into a hospital for breathlessness.
Panneerselvam, too, was an acting Chief
Minister in 2001 and 2014 when
Jayalalithaa had to step down because of
adverse judicial verdicts.

The point about these stopgap arrange
ments is that they are unavoidable in one
person outfits. Moreover, as most parties in
India answer to this description, it is provi
dential that the country hasn't seen more
such hasty, makeshift measures in the event
of a leader's incapacitation.
It is possible, therefore, that the smooth
transitions which were seen in the Congress
after the deaths of Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal
Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv
Gandhi the last three demises being sud
den and traumatic will become an excep
tion rather than the rule.
The reason why a routine, uncontrover
sial transfer of power is becoming a rarity
is the reluctance of some of the regional
leaders to delineate a line of succession.
Since most of their parties are breakaway
outfits from a larger organisation the All
India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(AIADMK) from the DMK, the Trinamool
Congress from the Congress they are
beholden to the "rebel" who left the "moth
er" party to strike out on his or her own.
The process probably makes these lead
ers wary of potential rebels, which is why
they prefer to retain an iron control over
the organisation and refuse to nominate
possible successors.
As is known, Jayalalithaa took over the
AIADMK after the electoral defeat of a fac
tion led by Ramachandran's widow, Janaki,
in 1989 and has been running it as a one
person show since then.

As puratchi thalaivi or the revolutionary
leader, she is adored by her followers.
However, her imperious nature has stymied
the growth of all party members. It is a
trait, probably born of a sense of insecurity,
which is not uncommon in Indian politics.
Even a charismatic and popular leader as
Indira Gandhi was suspected of being
unwilling to let others in the party, especial
ly the regional satraps, to gain in influence,
as was common in the Congress' early days.
In the Congress and the DMK, this stunt
ing of other party members is the result of
the two parties acquiring a dynastic tradi
tion. The veneration of the individual leader
has been accentuated by the veneration of
the dynasty.
This outlook may not be unrelated to the
phenomenon of godmen and godwomen in
India where a preacher holds his or her fol
lowers in thrall by claiming to have the
answers to the travails of everyday life.
Jayalalithaa is an exception in the sense
that she doesn't have a family of her own.
Otherwise, the handing over of the baton
from one generation to the next has been
seen in the Cong ress, the DMK, the
Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal,
the Biju Janata Dal, the Janata Dal (Secular),
the Akali Dal, the National Conference, the
Shiv Sena and others.
As long as the parties shy away from
holding internal elections, the cult of Bhakti
can only lead to internal dictatorship.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
October 22-28, 2016
DIASPORA
21
SINGAPORE GETS DIWALI THEMED TRAIN

Singapore: With Diwali just around the cor
ner, Singapore's Land Transport Authority
(LTA) has joined in the festival prepara
tions by launching a specialDiwali based
train.
The train was launched on Sunday by

Singapore's Minister for Transport, Khaw
Boon Wan, the transport authority said on
its Facebook page. It's captivatingly deco
rated with floral designs and rangolis, just
Indianorigin 'Flash
Crash' trader loses
extradition case
London: A UK court has ordered
extradition to the US of an Indian
origin futures trader arrested for
his alleged role in the 2010 Wall
Street "flash crash" which wiped
nearly $1 trillion off the value of
US shares in minutes.
Londonbased Navinder Singh
Sarao, 37, must now be extradited
to the US within 28 days to face
charges that he contributed to the
May 2010 crash, when the Dow
Jones share index in New York
briefly fell by more than 1,000
points. At the High Court, Lord
Justice Gross said it was "clear"
the court must turn down his
application against extradition.
Sarao denies all 22 charges
brought against him by US author
ities. He faces a maximum sen
tence of 380 years.
American prosecutors allege
Sarao made millions of dollars
through online trades from his
parents' west London home which
amounted to market manipulation
and caused the 1,000point fall on
the Dow Jones index on May 6,
2010.
The 22 charges he faces include
fraud and "spoofing" the practice
of buying or se lling with the
intent to cancel the transaction
Navinder Singh Sarao

(Image courtesy:
independent.co.uk)
before execution.
He has previously told the court
that he was simply "being good at
my job."
T he US justice department
claims Sarao and his company Nav
Sarao Futures Limited made $
878,000 of profit from the flash
crash and a total of 26 million
pounds illegally over five years.
He was arrested by British
police on a US warrant in April
last year and has been indicted by
a US federal grand jury on 22
criminal counts, including wire
fraud, commodities fraud, com
modity price manipulation and
attempted price manipulation.
(PTI)
like two platforms at Singapore's Little

India Station.
The train was launched by the LTA in col
laborat ion w ith the Little India
Shopkeepers and Heritage Association
(LISHA). Little India, of course is a well

known ethnic district in Singapore, a nation
which lists an Indian language Tamil as
one of its official languages, and Diwali (or
Deepavali in Tamil) as a public holiday.
Indian Masters art works make

record at Sotheby's London sale
London: Sothebys Modern and
Contemporary South Asian Art Sale
in London realized $4,915,316,
exceeding the presale estimate of
$3.3 $4.9m. The sale was led by
Francis Newton Souzas masterwork,
The Deposition, 1963, which sold for
$ 1,915,873 almost three times the
high estimate. There was also an out
standing result for another of
Indians Modern Masters, with
Vasudeo S. Gaitondes Untitled,
1973, selling for $ 1.8m, doubling
the price it achieved when last on the
market in 2013.
Yamini Mehta, Sothebys
International Head of Indian and
South Asian Art, said: Were delight
ed with todays sale result which
demonstrates the strength of the
market internationally for this field
of collecting. The sale total exceeded
expectations, driven by a broad glob
al spread of buyers from Europe, US,
India and the Middle East. Almost
fifty percent of the lots sold achieved
Francis Newton Souza, The Deposition, 1963 (left) and Vasudeo S.

Gaitondes, Untitled, 1973 (right)
prices above their high estimate, and
the sale overall reached the highest
sellthrough rate in this category at
Sothebys since 2008. This is truly
testament to the winning combina
tion of outstanding freshtothemar
ket works of fered with appealing
estimates. Im particularly thrilled
that, having been entrusted by the
Amacker collection of 21 paintings
that had not been seen since the

1970s, every single one of them
found new homes, and many went
for multiple times their estimates.
This is a fantastic launch for our Art
of the Middle East and India sale
week in London, which continues
with the sale of Indian miniatures
from the esteemed KhosrovaniDiba
collection.
Indian-origin man speaks out about post-Brexit attack

London: An Indianorigin digital
marketing consultant said he was
attacked five days after Britain
voted to leave the European Union
(EU) on June 23. Keshav Kapoor, 26,
born in the UK to Indian parents
and grew up in Hounslow, west
London, was visiting his grand
mother in nearby Hayes area when
he was targeted by a man who
kicked the back of his legs. "It
seemed like a visceral reaction to

what had happened over that week
end it was just after Brexit. I knew
this kind of thing was going to hap
pen. I expected to read about it but I
never expected that it would hap
pen to me," he told Evening
Standard. Brexit has been blamed
for a massive rise in socalled race
hate crimes due to the heightened
antiimmigrant rhetoric during the
campaign. Kapoor's story comes on

the day UK Home Of fice released
latest figures which said a 41 per
cent hike in such attacks in the
aftermath of the referendum.
"It felt like a spike after Brexit. I
have a friend who is from Nigeria
and was living in London at time.
On June 29, he was at a bus stop in
London with two Muslim girls and
someone threw an egg at them.
22
October 22-28, 2016
China defends Pak

against Modi's
terrorism barb
BRICS leaders at the summit meeting in Goa.

Beijing: A day after Prime Minister
Narendra Modi dubbed Pakistan the
"mothership of terrorism, China
said its "allweather" friend
Islamabad had made great sacri
fices to combat terrorism.
Defending Pakistan against
Modi's barb, Beijing said it was
opposed to linking terrorism with
any specific religion or community.
"We oppose linking terrorism
with any specific ethnicity or reli
gion. This is our longstanding posi
tion. China and Pakistan are all
weather friends," Foreign Ministry
spokesperson Hua Chunying told
the media. "Everyone knows that

India and Pakistan are victims of
terrorism. Pakistan has made huge
efforts and great sacrifices in fight
ing terrorism. I think the interna
tional community should respect
this," she added.
Asked about India's accusation
that Pakistan supplies arms to ter
rorist outfits, Hua said: "I under
stand your concern."
She said China maintained a con
sistent position on terrorism and
believed that India and Pakistan
should resolve their disputes
amicably.
SUBCONTINENT
CPEC could become another

East India Company
Islamabad: Pakistani lawmakers
have expressed fears that the $46
billion ChinaPakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC) project, termed a
"game changer" by the government,
could turn into another East India
Company if the country's interests
were not protected.
"Another East India Company is in
of fing... national interests are not
being protected," Dawn online quot
ed Senator Tahir Mashhadi, chair
man of the Senate Standing
Committee on Planning and
Development, as saying.
"We are proud of the friendship
between Pakistan and China, but
the interests of the state should
come first," Mashhadi of the
Mutahidda Qaumi Movement
(MQM) told the committee when
some members raised the concern
that the government was not pro
tecting the rights and interests of
Pakistani people. The East India
Company was the British trading
mission to India, which became the
precursor to the British colonial
presence in the subcontinent, even
tually gaining power and over
throwing the Mughals who ruled
the country at that time. Following
Pak PM Nawaz Sharif (2nd L) and Chinese envoy

Sun Weidong (C) at the CPEC Summit.
a briefing by Planning Commission
Secretary Yousuf Nadeem Khokhar,
committee members said they
feared the utilization of local financ
ing for CPEC projects, instead of
funding from Chinese or any other
foreign investment.
They also expressed concern over
fixing of tarif f for CPECrelated
power projects by China.
Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz
(PMLN) Senator Saeedul Hassan
Mandokhail, the lone PMLN sena
tor in attendance, also endorsed the
committee member's ideas. The
meeting was informed that a major
portion of the CPEC depended on

local finances than Chinese invest
ment. "It will be very harmful for us
if we have to bear the entire bur
den; will this [project] be a national
deve lopment or a calamity?
Whatever loans taken from China
will have to be paid by the poor
people of Pakistan," Mashhadi said.
Highlighting the status of CPEC
re lated projects, the Planning
Commission secretary said the
MatiariLahore transmission line
project had "not been scrapped" and
was being pursued by its Chinese
sponsors.
Taliban, Afghanistan begin Head of Sri Lanka's antigraft commission quits

secret talks in Qatar
Doha: The Taliban militant group
and the Afghan government have
resumed their secret talks in Qatar
as the peace process started in
2013 broke down following the
death of Taliban founder Mullah
Omar's successor, Mullah Akhtar
Mansour.
According to senior sources with
in the group and the government,
among those present at the meet
ings held in September and October
was Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund,
brother of Mullah Omar.
The two rounds of talks are the
first known negotiations to have
taken place since a Pakistanbro
kered process broke down late in
May following Mansour's death in a
US drone strike in Pakistan, the
Guardian reported.
Doha has been a centre for
Taliban diplomacy since the move
ment was granted permission to set
up an office in the Qatari capital in
2013. Although that initiative
became one of the many attempts
to start a peace process, it ultimate
ly came to nothing.
Mullah Omar's son, Mohammad
Yaqoob, is expected to soon join the
Doha group, a Taliban source said.
No Pakistani official took part in
either the October or September
meetings, according to a Taliban
member. He said Islamabad has lost
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena.

Progovt militants take part in an uprising against Taliban militants
in Afghan province of Jauzjan.
its influence over a movement it has
been associated with since 1990s.
But according to the Taliban offi
cial, a senior US diplomat was pres
ent in the Qatar meetings.
The US embassy in Afghanistan
declined to comment on the claim.
The Taliban official said the first
meeting in early September "went
positively and was held in a trouble
free atmosphere" in which Akhund
sat face to face with Mohammed
Masoom Stanekzai, Afghanistan's
intelligence chief.
A second meeting took place in
early October, despite continued
fighting between government and
insurgent forces.
Recent weeks have seen the
Taliban overrun Kunduz, a provin
cial capital, for the second time and

threaten Lashkar Gah in Helmand.
Despite the violence, Kabul
remains committed to trying to
finding a political solution to the
conflict. Late last month it finalized
a peace deal with Islamist warlord
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who had
fought against the USbacked
regime for more than a decade.
"Taliban believes the Afghan issue
is a dispute with both the US and
Afghan governments," he said. "If
these three sides can hold prelimi
nary meetings, it could create a
strong base for further positive
developments."
Previous attempt to find a politi
cal end to the conflict have all
failed.
Colombo: The Director General of

Sri Lanka's antigraft commission,
Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe,
resigned from her post.
The move comes days after Sri
Lankan President Maithripala
Sirisena lashed out at the commis
sion, Xinhua news agency report
ed. Wickramasinghe was appoint
ed as head of the commission to
investigate allegations of bribery
or corruption by the new govern
ment headed by Sirisena.
She told the media that she had
tendered her resignat ion to
Sirisena but did not elaborate on
the reasons.
Sirisena, in a speech delivered
here on October 12, slammed the
antigraft commission and two
police divisions for taking three
former navy commanders and
former De fense Secretary

Gotabaya Rajapakse to court ear
lier this month over an investiga
tion.
"I am expressing my disgust at
this turn of events. Three navy
commanders who served during
the war and the former Defense
Secretary were hauled into court,"
the President said.
The goal of establishing inde
pendent commissions was to
restore freedom and democracy,
and protect democracy and to
build a corruptionfree country,
he said.
"T hese commissions cannot
carry out political agendas. They
must understand their remit," the
President added.
"As De fense Minister and
President, I am disgusted."
October 22-28, 2016
INTERNATIONAL
23
Liberation of Mosul must be followed by dialogue: UN

United Nations: T he United
Nations Assistance Mission for
Iraq (UNAMI) said that the libera
tion of Iraqi city of Mosul from
the Islamic State (IS) must be fol
lowed by genuine dialogue, a UN
spokesman said.
"The liberation must be fol
lowed by genuine dialogue lead
ing to a compromise among all
components of Iraqi society in
order to ensure sustainable peace
for the future," Xinhua news
agency quoted UN spokesman
Stephane Dujarric as saying at a
news briefing. He added that
reports on the first 36 hours of
the military operations in Iraq
indicate that military activities on
the ground have taken place in
less populated areas and are not
leading to immediate large scale
displacements of affected people.
"No significant civilian displace
ment out of Mosul has been
recorded so far," he said.
"Serious concerns remain for
Obama expresses condence

in Iraqi offensive
Washington: US President Barack Obama expressed condence that
Iraqi forces and their allies will force Islamic State (IS) to abandon
Mosul.
He acknowledged, however, that the campaign to retake Mosul
will be a "difcult ght".
"The start of Iraqi operations to liberate Mosul is another major
step forward," Obama told reporters on Tuesday during a joint
appearance at the White House with visiting Italian Prime Minister
Matteo Renzi.
"In addition to rooting out ISIL, our focus jointly is on the safety
and humanitarian aid for civilians who are escaping the ght," EFE
news quoted Obama as saying.
An offensive by Iraqi and Kurdish ghters aimed at liberating
Mosul from IS began on October 17.
The US and other Western nations, including Italy, are providing
support to the Iraqi war to reclaim Iraq's second largest city.
Mosul has been under IS control since June 2014.

the protection of civilians as hos
tilities intensify closer to and in
densely populated and urban
areas," he said. An estimated
200,000 people are anticipated
to be displaced in the coming

weeks of the offensive.
"Preparations are focusing on
identification, assessment and
establishment of displacement
sites to receive displaced families.

Continuous monitoring of civilian
displacement is taking place," he
said. Mosul, some 400 km north
of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad,
has been under IS control since
War buildup in Syria: To influence

US elections or is it real?
By Saeed Naqvi
mericans and the Russians are leap
ing over the threshold in Aleppo
almost.
Note the rhetoric: US State Department
Spokesman, John Kirby, says: "Extremist
groups will continue to exploit the vacuums
in Syria to expand their operations, which
could include attacks against Russian inter
ests, perhaps even Russian cities. Russia
will continue to send troops home in body
bags, and will continue to lose resources,
perhaps even aircraft." If the war continues,
"more Russian lives will be lost, more
Russian aircraft will be shot down".
This invites a doublefisted punch from
Major General Igor Konashenkov, Chief of
Information, Ministry of Defence: "As for
Kirby's threats about possible Russian air
craft losses and the sending of Russian ser
vicemen back to Russia in body bags, I
would say that we know exactly where and
how many 'unofficial specialists' operate in
Syria and in the Aleppo province and we
know that they are involved in the opera
tional planning and that they supervise the
operations of the militants. But if somebody
tries to implement threats (articulated by
Kirby) it is by no means certain that these
militants (and their minders) will have the
time to get the hell out of there."
In fact, Russian missiles have already
been fired on the Westernled coalition.
Read this report from Iranian Fars news
agency: "The Russian warships fired three
Caliber missiles at the Foreign Of ficers'
Coordination Operations Room in Dar Ezza
region in the western part of Aleppo near
Civilians walk past aid convoy in the

besieged town of Muadamiyeh, country
side of Damascus, Syria. (Photo: IANS)
Sam'an mountain, killing 30 Israeli and
Western of ficers." Several US, Turkish,
Saudi, Qatari and British and Israeli officers
were also killed.
In the midst of all this, the UN Envoy to
Syria, Staf fan de Mistura, makes a most
extraordinary statement. He says that
Russian and Syrian forces should immedi
ately stop their "aerial bombing" of Aleppo.
After this step, the militants from the Fatah
alSham Front group formerly known as
the Nusra Front, which has been linked to
Al Qaeda should leave the city.
If the militants lay down their weapons
"in dignity" and leave, Mistura would "per
sonally" accompany them out. Why would
De Mistura's lead that group out of the city
which the UN considers a terrorist organi
zation? It is all hurtling towards the US elec
tions on November 8. So much part of the
election propaganda has Russia become
that images of the Russian bear, in Donald
Trump's corner, menacing the US, must be
presumed to have been sketched in the
minds of many voters. The one who will
fight this monstrous ogre is Hillary Clinton.

This buildup of the "Russian enemy",
according to some analysts, may therefore
be advantageous to Clinton.
If, by some miracle, Russian noses can be
rubbed in the dust, Clinton supporters out
side the last debate between the candidates
in Las Vegas on October 19 will blow the
trumpet and throw up their hats just the
images the media will rejoice in projecting.
By the same token, would a projection of
anything resembling American reversal in
Aleppo, boomerang on Clinton? Would such
an outcome not make Trump look like a
sage? "I told you we must talk to the
Russians and fight terrorism." Should the
alliance lose Aleppo, there will be a scram
ble for Mosul. The propaganda machine is
waiting to spin a victory anywhere.
Anyone following USRussian actions in
West Asia, particularly Syria, must come
away with one unmistakable conclusion:
the US, France, Britain, Israel, Saudi Arabia,
Qatar and Turkey tried their damnedest to
bring about regime change in Syria. They
destroyed Syria, but Bashar al Assad is still
President despite their sixyearlong war
against him.
Russians entered the war to fight terror
groups and protect Assad. If they prevail in
Aleppo, they will look like the victorious
power. Indeed, when CNN's Christiane
Amanpour interviewed Russian Foreign
Minister, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow earlier
in the week, he accused the US of helping
terrorism in Syria. One would have expect
ed Amanpour to be on the offensive in her
followup question, but she took it lying
down.
June 2014, when Iraqi govern

ment forces abandoned their
weapons and fled, enabling IS
militants to take control of parts
of Iraq's northern and western
regions.
Russia, Syria
halt airstrikes
against Aleppo
Smoke rises in the city of Aleppo

in northern Syria.
Moscow: Russian and Syrian air forces have
halted airstrikes against Syria's Aleppo ahead
of a humanitarian pause, Russian Defense
Minister Sergei Shoigu said. "This will ensure
the safety of exit of civilians via six corridors
and to prepare the wounded in the eastern
part of Aleppo for evacuation," Xinhua news
agency quoted Shoigu as saying.
By the start of the humanitarian pause,
Syrian troops will withdraw to a certain dis
tance, allowing the militants with their
weapons to freely leave eastern Aleppo by
two corridors, he said. He also urged coun
tries that have influence on the armed
groups in the eastern part of Aleppo to per
suade their leaders to cease hostilities and
leave the city. The Russian Defense Ministry
announced a pause in strikes against rebel
controlled areas in the city of Aleppo for
eight hours from 8 am to 4 pm on October
20. Russian warplanes and Syrian forces
loyal to President Bashar alAssad have
restarted strikes against rebelcontrolled
areas of Aleppo since the collapse of the
cease fire ag reement reached between
Moscow and Washington last month.
24 October 22-28, 2016
S Korea to mull development

of npowered submarine
Seoul: South Korean military is to
mull the development of its own
nuclearpowered submarine against
North Korea's nuclear and missile
threats, the media reported.
Government of ficials and ruling
Saenuri Party members in a meeting
asked the government to push for
the development of its own subma
rine propelled by nuclear power,
Xinhua news agency reported.
A defense ministry official said the
military would carefully weigh the
call in consideration of military
effectiveness, technical availability
and military situations in neighbor
ing countries.
Calls here for introducing its own
nuclearpowered
submarine
emerged after Pyongyang showed
an advance in its technology of sub
marinelaunched ballistic missile
(SLBM). Pyongyang testfired a bal
listic missile from a submarine off
its east coast on August 24, covering
a distance of some 500 km toward
Japan. The flight distance surpassed
the 300 km which Seoul's military
regards as a success. Top North
Korean leader Kim Jong Un has
ordered to build a couple of 3,000
ton submarines capable of carrying
and launching ballistic missiles. A
completed SLBM technology would
INTERNATIONAL
It would take around sixseven years for South Korea to develop and
deploy a submarine propelled by nuclear power.
raise Pyongyang's nuclear threat to
a new level as it is very hard to
detect and track a North Korean
missile from a submarine moving
secretly deep under the waters.
Even if South Korea successfully
secures its nuclearpowered subma
rine, uncertainties would remain
about its effectiveness.
The South Korean submarine will
be required to wait inside waters
1020 km away from North Korean
submarine base in order to strike its
enemy submarine before it sub
merges into deep waters. Such sub
marine, which stays in waters of that
distance, would be attacked easily
by North Korea. Military experts

estimated it would take around six
seven years to develop and deploy a
submarine propelled by nuclear
power, while about 1.5 trillion won
($1.3 billion) would be required to
construct a nuclear submarine. The
most fundamental difficulty facing
South Korea is to secure nuclear
material necessary for a nuclear
reactor that propels the submarine.
The USSouth Korea civil nuclear
accord bans Seoul from enriching
uranium for military purpose. The
miniaturized reactor inside a subma
rine requires uranium enriched at
least 20 per cent.
Myanmar to
hold parliament
byelection in April
Nay Pyi Taw: Myanmar's Union
Election Commission announced
to hold byelection of the parlia
ment on April 1 next year.
The byelection will be held to
fill 18 vacant seats nine in the
House of Representatives (Lower
House), three in the House of
Nationalities (Upper House) and
six in state parliaments.
According to the UEC, the date
for issuing forms to overseas vot
ers to cast vote in advance is set
between November 15 and
December 15 and date for sub
mission of names of candidates is
between November 28 and
December 7, Xinhua news
agency reported.
Campaign period will be from
January 30 to March 30 next
year. Election result or names of
winning parliamentarianselect
will be announced within the
next four days following the by
election on April 1 next year.
The vacant constituencies were
produced when the country's
general election was held on
November 8 last year, there were
some constituencies which failed
to hold the polling.
Other parliamentary seats were
left empty after parliament mem
bers were appointed as govern
ment cabinet ministers.
Myanmar
State
Counselor
Aung San
Suu Kyi.
India can only 'bark' about

trade deficit: Chinese media
Nobel committee fails to get

response from Bob Dylan
Beijing: The call for boycott of Chinese

goods on Indian social media is "rab
ble rousing" as Indian products cannot
compete with those of China, the state
owned media said.
In an acerbic oped, Global Times
launched a blitzkrieg of sort against
India, saying New De lhi can only
"bark" and do nothing about the grow
ing trade deficit between two coun
tries.
China's continued opposition to
India's ef fort to declare Pakistan
based militants as international terror
ists has angered many Indians who
have called for a boycott of Chinese
products.
It described Prime Minster Narendra
Modi's pet project "Make in India" as
"impractical".
The daily warned Chinese companies
not to invest in India as it would be
"suicidal" to put money in a country
where corruption is high and the
workforce is not hard working.
"There has been a lot of talk recently
in the Indian media as well as on social
media about boycotting Chinese prod
ucts. It's just rabble rousing," it said.
"Indian manufacturing cannot com
pete at all with Chinese products, for
various reasons."
The daily said that India was to yet
Stockholm: Nearly a week after Bob Dylan

was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature,
the prize committee has given up trying to
reach the American icon for confirmation,
media reported.
"We have stopped trying we said every
thing we needed to his manager and friend
... but we haven't heard anything back," the
administrative director of the Swedish
Academy Odd Zschiedrich told CNN.
"We will have the ceremony as usual, he
w ill have the prize even if he is not
there...now we are just waiting for informa
tion," he added.
"Right now we are doing nothing. I have
called and sent emails to his closest collabo
rator and received very friendly replies,"
said Sara Danius, Permanent Secretary of
the Swedish Academy.
On October 13, the very day that Dylan
was announced the winner of the prize for
"having created new poetic expressions
within the great American song tradition",
he gave a concert in Las Vegas but did not
speak a word about the award.
When Dylan performed on the next day in
the US city of Coachella, once again he failed
to mention the prize, although another band
on the same stage congratulated Dylan on
winning the award and spoke highly of his
achievements.
Dylan's silence about the Nobel Prize puts
a question mark on his appearance at the
build roads and highways and had

chronic shortage of power and water
supply.
"Worst of all, corruption is highly
prevalent from top to bottom in every
single government department."
It slammed India for courting the US.
"T he US is no one's friend. T he
Americans are just indulging India in
order to contain China, as the US is
jealous of China's development and
global power.
"India has enough money but the
majority of it is concentrated with
politicians, bureaucrats and a few
crony capitalists. Indian elites don't
want to spend funds available in the
country, which in reality is the taxpay
ers' money but is utilized by the Indian
establishment for its own personal
consumption.
"Because of this, Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi has started
impractical schemes like 'Make in
India'. The reason is that the Indian
establishment wants foreign compa
nies to invest in the country.
"It would be completely suicidal for
Chinese companies to put their money
in India by starting manufacturing
projects there. The labour class in
India is not very hard working or effi
cient," it argued.
US singer Bob Dylan, who won the 2016

Nobel Prize for Literature.
award ceremony in Sweden scheduled in
December.
However, Danius said she is not worried.
"If he doesn't want to come, he won't come.
It will be a big party in any case and the
honour belongs to him."
But "I think he will show up," Danius
added.
October 22-28, 2016
BUSINESS
US ECONOMY CONTINUED
MODEST EXPANSION
IN SEPTEMBER
25
GST Council has almost

reached consensus on
tax rates: Jaitley
Labour
market
conditions
remained
tight, with
modest
payroll and
wage growth,
said the
survey report.
Washington: US economic activity contin

ued to expand at a modest to moderate
pace from late August through early
October, with most districts expecting
positive outlook, the latest survey result
released by the Federal Reserve showed.
"Most districts indicated a modest or
moderate pace of expansion," Xinhua
news agency quoted the Fed in its latest
Beige Book which gauges its 12 districts'
economy. However, the New York District
reported no change in overall activity.
The survey showed that most districts
expected positive outlooks with growth
expected to continue at a slight to moder
ate pace in several districts. According to
the survey, retail sales picked up in most
districts, and were expected to continue
modest growth in the months ahead.

Manufacturing activity was mixed, and
several districts reported that strong US
dollar continue to drag the exports of
manufacturing goods.
Labour market conditions remained
tight, with modest payroll and wage
growth, said the survey report. Prices
increased slightly overall.
The Fed kept its federal funds rate
unchanged in its September meeting
amid recent weak economic data and
tepid inflation, but strongly signaled that
the central bank could have one rate hike
by the end of this year. Analysts widely
hold that the Fed would keep interest
rate unchanged in its November meeting,
while possibly hike the rate in December.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

New Delhi: The Goods and Services Tax (GST)
Council has almost reached a consensus on
compensating states for loss of revenue under
the new revenue collection regime, which will
permit a decision on the new tax structure at
the next meeting, Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley said.
"The Council meeting today discussed the
issue relating to different rates of tax struc
ture. Rates also depend on the source of funds,
on the basis of which compensation to losing
states will be funded. Decision on a rate struc
ture is possible once this is decided," Jaitley
told reporters here after the meeting.
"We have virtually converged on a consen

sus. The technical issues will be sorted out and
the formal decision will be announced at the
next meeting," Jaitley, who chairs the GST
Council, said.
"The question is whether the compensation
will be funded from the rate structure itself, or
some other sources, or some cess. Once this
becomes clear, it will be possible to decide on
the rate structure," he added.
The third meeting of the Council, that began
on Tuesday, was cut short by a day.
Jaitley said the Council would meet next on
November 34.
Samsung to face class action lawsuits in S. Korea, US

Seoul/New York: T he problems of
Samsung Electronics are far from over as
disgruntled customers plan to file class
action lawsuits in South Korea and the US
over the company's exploding Galaxy
Note 7 smartphones, media reports said.
While three US customers from three
dif ferent states Nevada, Pennsylvania
and California have already complained
about the fireprone devices, 38 owners
of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone in South
Korea plan to file a class action lawsuit
against Samsung for alleged inconven
ience experienced after the discontinua
tion of the device.
Each person in the South Korean suit,
which is scheduled to be filed with the
Seoul Central District Court next Monday,

is seeking 300,000 won ($267) in dam
ages, Harvest Law Of fice said on
Wednesday.
The proposed suit alleges that owners
of the Note 7 were forced to visit stores
several times for battery checks or to get
replacements, Yonhap news agency
reported. The complaint also states that
the consumers experienced anxiety over
safety while using the Note 7.
Koh Youngil, an attorney at the law
firm, said he expects the firm to win the
suit, given precedents for faulty products.
Last week, Samsung permanently halt
ed sales and production of the fireprone
Note 7, about two months after the
device's launch.
T he suit filed on Friday in the US
District Court in Newark, New Jersey, and
made public on Tuesday, accuses
Samsung Electronics America of fraud
and breach of warranty and good faith,
NBC News reported. The suit whose
class action status must still be approved
by a judge before it can proceed seeks
unspecified damages over what it alleges
was Samsung's mistreatment of its cus
tomers because they had to keep paying
on their contracts during the weeks after
Samsung recalled the phones but before
replacements were made widely avail
able. The South Korean conglomerate
began selling the phone on August 19
this year, but in September announced an

unprecedented withdrawal following
reports of more than thirty cases of com
bustion by terminals in multiple coun
tries.
In the recall affecting about 2.5 million
phones, the company proceeded in mid
September to de liver replacement
phones, but the new batch continued to
suf fer from battery overheating, ulti
mately resulting in the definitive with
drawal of the product.
The South Korean tech giant last week
estimated that it will lose $3 billion in
operat ing profits over the next six
months due to the withdrawal of the
Galaxy Note 7 smartphone.
26 October 22-28, 2016
SPORTS
ODI: India eye another

big win vs New Zealand
New Delhi: Brimming
with confidence after a
convincing victory in the
first
OneDay
International (ODI), limit
edovers
skipper
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
eyed another big win
when favourites India
take on New Zealand in
the second match of the
fivematch rubber at the
Ferozeshah
Kotla
Stadium
here
on
Thursday.
With the conditions at
the Ferozeshah Kotla
favoring the spinners, the
hosts will bank on their
last ODI performance
where Kedar Jadhav and
experienced leggie Amit
Mishra ran through the
Virat Kohli & MS Dhoni during the first
Kiwi's middle and lower OneDay International match between India and
order. It is also expected
New Zealand in Dharamsala.
that Dhoni will not make
(Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)
any changes to the play
ing eleven as each player seemed like per Kane Williamson will likely make
complementing each other in the last some changes in the top order.
Apart from Tom Latham, batsmen
match. Star batsman Suresh Raina will
miss the second ODI against New Martin Guptil, Ross Taylor and
Zealand as the southpaw is still recov Williamson looked clueless against
the Indian bowlers and will have to
ering from a bout of viral fever.
In the batting department, Ajinkya come good if they want to match
Rahane, Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey India at Ferozeshah stadium.
In the bowling department, Pacer
and Dhoni had decent starts in the
last game and are expected to score Trent Boult will likely be included in
the squad to support Tim Southee to
big runs in the second game.
The bowling department has settled trouble the Indian batting lineup.
down into a nice rhythm as pacers Spinners Mitchell Santner and Ish
and spinners chipped in with vital Sodhi had also found it hard to bowl
on the flat Dharamsala track. But on
breakthroughs when needed.
Sent into bat in the last ODI, New the Ferozeshah wicket both spinners
Zealand would have been disappoint will like to make their case stronger
ed to be bowled out with 37 balls still as conditions there will support the
remaining in their innings so skip spinners.
Supreme Court defers

decision on Lodha panel
New Delhi: The Supreme Court,
which was to take a decision on
the BCCI's review pet it ion
against the Justice R.M. Lodha
Committee recommendations
has deferred the issue by two
weeks.
The issue will now be heard
in chamber of Chief Justice T.S.
Thakur two weeks later.
T he Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) in its
review petition had sought that
the matter should be heard in
an open court hearing.
T he Just ice R.M. Lo d ha
Committee appointed by the
Supreme Court had proposed
several farreaching changes
that could alter the way cricket
is administered in the country.
The Lodha panel also sought
the removal of the entire BCCI
top brass, including its presi
dent Anurag Thakur.
The apex court in its July 18
judgment accepted the recom
mendat ions of the Lo d ha
Committee on the organisation
al reforms of the BCCI and had
issued these as its directives.
With the BCCI dragging its
feet on implement ing the
changes, the Lodha panel later
accused the board of stalling
reforms at every stage and vio
lating the directions issued by
the apex court.
Complaining that the BCCI
ignored orders of the court and
its recommendations on several
issues, the Lodha panel sought
action against the board's top
brass, including BCCI President
Anurag Thakur, for violating
the apex court's orders.
Justice R.M. Lodha.

Earlier this month, the BCCI's
special general meeting (SGM)
decided to accept some of the
recommendations put forward
by the Lo d ha Committee
although the board also contin
ued to resist the order regard
ing the removal of the BCCI top
brass.
The SGM also decided to form
an apex council to look into the
working of the BCCI as per the
report submitted by the Lodha
panel to the apex court.
T he
representat ive
of
Comptroller and Auditor
General will also be included as
a member of the apex council
as well as the Indian Premier
League (IPL) governing council.
The SGM also accepted guide
lines regarding code of conduct
for players and team of ficials,
antidoping code, antiracism
code, anticorruption code and
operational rules as suggested
by the Lodha Committee for
implementation for the next IPL
season.
T he members pointed out
that while efforts will be made

to ensure a 15day gap between
the national calendar and the
IPL, the same will not be possi
ble next year because of the
ICC's Champions Trophy being
scheduled in England at around
the same time.
According to the recommen
dat ions
by
the
Lo d ha
Committee, there has to be a
15day w indow be fore and
after the IPL. The Champions
Trophy is scheduled for June 1
18 next year while the IPL is
likely to end in the last week of
May.
T he BCCI stated that the
Indian team may have to pull
out of the Champions Trophy to
be held in England next year if
the recommendations by the
Lodha panel are fully imple
mented.
The Supreme Court's direc
tion to the BCCI to stop disburs
ing funds to its state associa
tions except in cricket related
matters also met with some
resistance from the board.
'Indian football needs more academies, better playing environment'

By Debayan Mukherjee
Kolkata: For Indian football to develop,
the stress should be on creating an envi
ronment where players do not just enjoy
the sport but are well aware of their tacti
cal positioning, feels Spanish midfielder
Jofre Mateu Gonzalez.
In an interview to IANS, the FC Goa
footballer who robbed Atletico de Kolkata
(ATK) of a win by winning and converting
a late penalty here, said: "You need to
have academies where children grow in a
football environment."
"It's not only about practising and
enjoying the game, but knowing a lot
about being part of a team, a lot of skills
and tactical issues which you must know
in your (playing) position," Jofre added.
Like many who have pointed out in the
past that one of the major obstacles in
the development of Indian football is chil
dren taking up the sport late, Jofre said
they should do so when they are 56
Spanish midfielder Jofre Mateu Gonzalez.

years old.
"Starting from (a) young (age) is the
point where Indian football can grow.
You need children playing football when
they are 56 years old," the 36year old

former Barcelona, Levante and Espanyol
player said.
On his assessment of Indian footballers
over the three years he has spent playing

in the country Jofre was with ATK in
2014 the pro duct of La Masia,
Barcelona's famed youth academy, said:
"For some you can see the dif ference
between first (ISL edition) and now, and
the new ones are not only players of the
team but important ones too."
"So it's very good for the league and for
the country. And my mates (Indian play
ers at FC Goa), you can see they are
improving every year."
Jofre, who has played over 300 games
in the second division of the Spanish
League, pointed out the importance of
offfield activities like nutrition and rest,
which are as important as the onfield
development.
"Like taking care of nutrition, recovery,
rest and all those small things. So it's not
only the performances but all other
things which the ISL has brought in mak
ing them (Indian players) more profes
sional."
COMMENT
October 22-28, 2016
27
Donald: Americas Duryodhan plays

the dice game staking democracy
The Mahabharata speaks directly to any time in any place and the characters
reappear in various guises. So, here we are in the United States of America
witnessing some core parts of the epic play out with eerie resonance.
By Lakshmi Bandlamudi
he Mahabharata never
ceases to amaze and cap
ture your imagination. The
grand epic text of the Great
Time speaks directly to any time
in any place and the characters
reappear in various guises. So,
here we are in the United States
of America witnessing some
core parts of the epic play out
with eerie resonance. Donald
Trump is todays Duryodhan.
Being greedy, jealous and inse
cure, he has an abnormal need
to knock others down to affirm
his identity. Like Duryodhan,
Donald is not satisfied with his
huge empire; he must set his
eyes on other worlds built with
hard work and integrity. He
wants to dismantle Obamas
America and his bloated male
ego wants to block a woman
from assuming the reins of
power. Like Duryodhan who
manipulated
his
blind
father/king to yield to his suici
dal threats, Donald manipulates
his followers (who hate his
enemy more than they love him)
to believe in his delusions of
grandiosity.
Both Duryodhan and Donald
are no strangers to the world of
gambling. Duryodhan gambled
away the honor of Hastinapur in
a dice game won by deception.
Donald wants to move beyond
his Real Estate Empire and casi
nos and gamble in the political
arena. We are yet to see the final
outcome of this dangerous play
and all the signs are ominous,
for democracy itself seems to be
at stake. Dignity of womanhood
also is at stake.
How did we get to the Dice
Game? Because, someone
laughed at you and because the
foolish plan you devised failed
and your deceptive moves back
fired? Duryodhan forces his
insecure blind father to give a
piece
of
arid
land
Khandavaprasth to Pandavas
as their share of kingdom, which
the Pandavas managed to con
vert into a fertile land and a
prosperous empire and they
even built a spectacular Palace
of Illusions. Unable to make a
Duryodhana and blindflolded mother Gandhari in

BR Chopras TV series Mahabaharat.
distinction between illusion and
reality, Duryodhan falls into a
pond of water. Witnessing this
scene, Draupadi not only has a
good laugh, but also throws a
caustic remark that a blind
mans son is blind straight in his
face.
Donald undertook a foolish
mission to prove that Obama
was not born in the USA, which
of course failed. Just before the
White House Correspondents
Dinner in 2011, Obama released
his long birth certificate and
cracked few jokes at Donalds
expense. T he follow ing day
Osama bin Laden was killed, fur
ther enhancing Obamas stature.
Like Duryodhan, Donald also
became a laughing stock of the
world, and both these men could
not digest the insult and that set
the stage for both of them to
seek the throne that mocked at
them. Bullies never like to be at
the receiving end of ridicule and
so they start baying for blood.
In order to make claims to the
throne, particularly when one is
incompetent and unfit, the path
needs to be cleared and decep
tive strategies must be planned
out. Clever and cunning Mama
Sakunis are needed to roll the
dice, rig the game and guarantee
victory. Only a Mama Sakuni is
capable of setting up a conflict
between legality and morality
and maneuver through it to sub
ordinate morals to legal loop
holes. Duryodhan and Donald
did not happen overnight; condi
tions were created over a period
of time and the stage was set for
them to play their dirty game
and the g ame is not played

stealthily it is a grand public
spectacle.
Innumerable Mama Sakunis in
various Republican state con
trolled governments redrew the
electoral district maps to ensure
that
ONLY
rig ht
w ing
Republican candidates would
win the Congressional seats and
thus retain power in congress.
Like Mama Sakunis dice, the
gerrymandering guaranteed vic
tory. Nothing is left to chance
and nothing needs to be negoti
ated and accommodated to win
elections. In the interest of elec
toral
g ains,
reasonable
Republican leaders looked the
other way, even as this tiny fac
tion was growing to a monstrous
leve l. Like the e lders in the
Hast inapur kingdom who
thought you win some and lose
some in a dice game, the grown
ups in Republican party also
thought that in the primaries,
Donald would win some and lose
many and just fizzle out. They
hoped that fairness and sanity
would prevail. Once the dice
game/primary season began no
one could stop the game (that
would be illegal) or withhold the
prize when a player is winning,
for that would turn the player
against the very people who set
the rules for the game. Like
Duryodhan, Donald also has
been enjoying a winning streak
and as the game progresses
both of them demand that the
opponents stake their personal
reputation, wealth and dignity
along with the honor of the
kingdom.
As of now, we are in the midst

of the dice game and much has
happened already. In an attempt
to stop the game that was going
out of control, Bheesham
Pitamah
pleads
to
Dhritharashtra to intervene and
stop the game and says that
when an old bamboo tree yields
a fruit, it is also the time when
the
tree
collapses
and
Duryodhan is such a fruit to a
g reat dynasty and empire.
These words seem so apropos to
the current situation, for Donald
is undoubtedly the fruit that
could bring about the downfall
of a nation. For sure, he has
stained the reputat ion of a
nat ion.
T he
assault
on
Empire/Nation is accompanied
by brutal and public assault on
womanhood. Like Duryodhan,
Donald also has been crossing
all boundaries of decency in his
misog ynist ic language and
action. From the ancient times
to this day, beautiful, intelligent
and accomplished women have
always been both a temptation
and terror to insecure men and
they will go any length to shame,
berate and discredit them. If
Draupadis unusual polyandrous
marital status was a weapon that
Duryo d han could exploit,
Hillarys marital dynamics of the
past serves as an arsenal in the
hands of Donald. Both Draupadi
and Hillary were let down by
their husbands and yet had to
take the blame for their actions.
When Draupadi pushed for the
ethic of rage and retaliation, she
was branded both within the
epic text and in the cultural his
tory as a bloodthirsty woman. It
must be noted that Karna also
sought the battlefield to avenge
the insults hurled on him, but he
was spared of the bloodthirsty
label. When Hillary had to make
dif ficult choices in the interna
tional arena, she us branded as a
hawk. The labeling happens so
routinely and unproblematically.
While this dangerous game is
going on, who is speaking with
clarity, conviction and force
against an unprecedented public
assault on womans dignity and
nations honor? Recent cam
paign speech by the First Lady,
Miche lle Obama, in New

Hampshire was impassioned,
forceful and effective. Mr. Khizr
Khan, Gold Star father of Captain
Humayun Khan has been the
modern day Mahatma Vidur. For
all the Islamophobia that Donald
has been stoking, the most pow
erful defense of the nation and
its values came from this decent,
wellmannered and thoughtful
Muslim gentleman, whose son
made the ultimate sacrifice for
the country. Mr. Khizr Khan
spoke unwavering ly about
Dharma The Constitution
that must guide a nation. In an
anguished and impatient tone,
Mr. Khan asked if Donald even
read the const itut ion. He
implored the good republicans
to safeguard the constitution
and suspend blind party loyalty.
The conclusion of present day
dice game is anybodys guess.
But, one thing is clear, the dice
game in The Mahabharata may
belong to the ancient time, but it
reappears in various forms in
dif ferent lands. An irritant and
an inconvenient truth that just
wont go away. Will the modern
day version lead to a
Kurukshetra war? All signs indi
cate to that possibility, because
even if Donald loses, Trumpism
is still alive and kicking and that
irrational ism has a strong fol
lowing. Will Krishna intervene?
If so, in what form? But
Draupadi herself has shown the
way challenge the kingdom
and fight a principled battle to
embody the power of femininity.
Dr. Lakshmi Bandlamudi is a

Professor of
Psychology at
LaGuardia
Community
College, City
University of
New
York.
She has pub
lished several scholarly papers
and books in areas connecting
myths, culture, history and con
sciousness. One of her well
known book is Dialogics of Self,
The Mahabharata and Culture:
The History of Understanding
and Understanding of History
(2010. Anthem Press, UK.)
28
October 22-28, 2016
HUMOR
Humor with Melvin Durai
DONALD TRUMP POPULARIZES

Look at Her DEFENSE
By Melvin Durai
efense attorneys all over the world
are praising Republican presiden
tial candidate Donald Trump for
introducing and popularizing the look at
her defense, which two of the attorneys
have already used successfully in court.
Trump has been using the look at her
defense at his rallies, as he faces accusa
tions of sexual misconduct from a grow
ing number of women.
David Jones, a defense attorney in
Birmingham, England, claimed that he
had already successfully used the look at
her defense to get one of his clients
acquitted. I just happened to be watch
ing highlights of a Donald Trump speech
on TV. When I heard his look at her
defense, I smacked myself across the
head. Why didnt I think of that? They
dont teach you these things in law
school. I should have attended Trump
University. Luckily one of my clients had
just been charged with sexual miscon
duct he had exposed himself to a group

of older women and I was able to get
the charges dropped using a slightly dif
ferent version of the look at her defense.
I went before the judge and said, Do we
really believe my client would show his

private parts to those women? I mean,
look at them. I dont think so. Believe me,
they wouldnt be his first choice, that I
can tell you.
Another defense attorney, speaking on
condition of anonymity, said the look at
her defense was brilliant because almost
any man, no matter how unattractive he
himself was, could use it. I know lots of
guys who would sleep with just about
anyone wearing a skirt, and you dont
even have to get them drunk. In fact, one

of my clients was just arrested for break
ing into a Macys store in Chicago and
molesting a mannequin. Fortunately I
heard Trumps speech before appearing
in court. I had the mannequin brought to
court and said to the judge, Do you real
ly believe my client would molest this
mannequin. I mean, look at her. She does
nt even have a head. Believe me, she
wouldnt be his first choice, that I can tell
you.
According to the attorney, the judge
was impressed. He threw out the case
against my client, saying that the look at
her defense was far more convincing
than the prosecutors evidence of my
clients fingerprints all over the man
nequin. It was a great victory for the
look at her defense.
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
October 22-28, 2016
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
OCTOBER 2228, 2016

ARIES: New ventures start on a positive
note. Parental guidance in your decision
would immensely help. Improvement in
finances makes it convenient in clearing long
pending dues & bills. You are likely find comfort
in the arms of romantic partner. Inexhaustible
energy enables to participate in outdoor activi
ties. A beautiful vacation you awaited for is on
your cards. Offplan property investment is one
of the easiest and most profitable methods to
maximize gains in the real estate market. Be origi
nal in your social interaction because putting up
an act would take you nowhere.
TAURUS: You succeed in completing proj
ects ef ficiently provided you put in all
your ef forts. A week when misunder
standings at family front are sorted out with ease.
Successful execution of brilliant ideas would help
in earning financial profits. Love and romantic
encounter will this week keep you in a cheerful
state. You attain a bloom in health on sharing
happiness with others. Destination with a great
deal is on your way, be ready for traveling. Your
property prices will boost in the coming period. If
possible, dont be eager to let others know how
you feel about them.
GEMINI: Hard work putin the past will
yield handsome rewards in business this
week. Believe it or not someone in the
family is watching you closely and considers you
a role model. A very successful week as far as
monetary position is concerned. Sudden romantic
encounter is foreseen this week. A cheerful state
of mind would allow enjoying the perfect health.
Be ready to travel with a challenge, new connec
tions will help you. Buying property can lead to
gains as property prices continue to increase. this
week a lot of issues requiring immediate attention
would keep you busy.
CANCER: Business partners behave sup

portive on executing strategies to sort out
pending problems. An important develop
ment at personal front brings jubilation for entire
family. Indications of earning financial profits
through commissions, dividends or royalties. A
promising week for romance when your innovation
infuses a new spirit in it. Divine knowledge from a
saintly person provides solace & comfort. Traveling
abroad can be exciting adventure that will be
remembered forever. You could buy the property
that you are looking for. You need to give an ear to
others advice if you really want to benefit.
LEO: Innovative ideas & technical expertise
would enable to win the confidence of sen
iors at professional front. A happy time in
the company of friends and relatives as they do
many favours to you. Important people will be
ready to finance anything that has a special class
to it. Partner brings immense romantic pleasure
even if work pressure o ccupies your mind
Meditation and yoga prove beneficial for spiritual
as well as physical gains. Finally you have found
the time for your deserving break, travel will be
favourable. Investing on properties which are
under developed will be profitable. If possible
focus attention on important personal issues.
VIRGO: Service people, artists and those
in creative field will get several new
opportunities. Enjoying the company of
close re latives will brighten your evening.
Property dealings would materialize helping in
bringing fabulous gains. Romance rules heart &
mind this week. A very healthy week when your
cheerfulness gives the desired tonic and confi
dence. Adventurous holidays, the best way to
experience with your friends, time to enjoy.
Whether young or old, now is the time to start
investing.
LIBRA: Your greatest gains will come

through your creative ideas at profes
sional front. Shopping with family mem
bers will be highly pleasurable and exciting. You
are likely to earn monetary gains through various
sources. Romantic imagination occupies mind
forcing to go out of the way to please partner.
You are likely to maintain good health that would
also give you success. Take a trip, as there is
some place waiting for you. Looking for good
long term investments, then go for a property
which is under construction. this week only a
selected few will know the secret behind your
magic charms.
SCORPIO: Success is certain provided you
work as a team. You will be at the lime
light in a social gathering provided you
attend. Increase in income from past investment
is foreseen. Cupids arrows would make your
heart flutter high. A continuous positive thinking
gets rewarded as you succeed in whatever you do
this week. Great time for perfect family vacation
to an exciting destination. Value the property at
right price to attract buyers for it. Promise to the
people only after making sure that you will be
able to do so.
SAGITTARIUS: You will be on the seventh
heaven when you receive recognition for
your achievements at work. You will be
the star of attraction of familys gettogether this
week. Monetary gains from unplanned sources
will brighten your week. You are likely to enjoy a
pleasure trip that will rejuvenate your passions.
Creative hobbies are likely to keep you relaxed.
Travel opportunities full of challenges are often
the beginning of great enterprises. It always is
exciting to begin looking at homes for sale in your
area. Travel opportunities should be explored to
get new but different kinds of experiences..
CAPRICORN: Your creativity will amaze

people around you besides enhancing
career prospects. Help from family mem
bers would take care of your needs. New money
making opportunities will be lucrative. Romantic
entanglement would add spice to your happiness.
With a positive outlook & confidence, you suc
ceed in impressing people around you. You will
discover travel destinations that are unique and
magical. Buying cheap property in the right loca
tion can provide you triple gain annually. A very
successful week for devoting time & energy in
helping others.
AQUARIUS: New job opportunities for
some will be better than expected. You
will enjoy the time spent with family
members and friends. You get some financial
rewards as dedication & hard work gets noticed.
Chances of your love life turning into lifelong
bond are high on the card. Mental alertness
would enable to solve a tricky problem. A trip that
is unconventional and adventurous will be
favourable enjoy every minute of it. Investing in
property business sounds very appealing.
Restrain yourself from getting involved in matters
that doesnt concern you at all.
PISCES: At work you are likely to win
appreciation and awards for past efforts.
Your generous behaviour would enable to
enjoy some love ly moments w ith family.
Monetary gains are likely to be from more than
one source. Exciting week as your long pending
wait for af firmation is going to materialize. A
cheerful state of mind brings mental peace.
Dreaming of traveling is good, but if possible than
plan a trip. Banks love to finance those, who
invest in properties which are underdevelopment.
God helps those who help themselves is the
secret mantra of solving personal problems.
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK

22nd October, 2016
Ruled planet: Uranus Ruled by no: 4
Traits in you: The influence of your ruling planet Uranus
makes you active, practical, enthusiastic, courageous,
ambitious, and highly philosophical. You are very proud
of your traditions, culture and rituals. You are highly
religious and have a very sharp mind. However, you
need to work on your impatient and stubborn behavior.
Health this year: Your health will remain good through
out the year. You need to take utmost care of your
health to maintain it and remain fit. The health of your
family members might be a concern for you this year.
Try and avoid your bad habits and start practicing yoga
for the betterment of your health.
Finance this year: You will be fortunate enough this year
to be among financial gains. All you need to do is to grab
opportunities to earn money. You will find plenty of
earning opportunities around you. However, you have to
work hard to gain that money. Overall, this year will give
you financial stability and security.
Career this year: You will get enough opportunities in
your professional life to prove yourself. You will create a
better impression on your seniors or higher manage
ment, which may result in promotion. You should work
efficiently to maintain your respect at your workspace.
Romance this year: You will share a blissful romantic
relationship with your spouse or partner. Your marriage
is on cards if you are yet to marry. You will find your
partner supportive enough in every crucial situation.
23rd October, 2016
Ruled planet: Mercury Ruled by no: 5
Traits in you: Your ruling planet Mercury makes you
realistic, reliable, sincere, and optimistic. You are the
master of an excellent memory power and charismatic
characteristics. You need not get nervous at tough time
as it may create a question mark on your capabilities.
Finance this year: You may get benefits from your
investments later this year. This year seems to be an
ideal one to start investing in business, land or gold.
Your efforts to earn money may pay off this time. You
may go for new partnerships. However, you should veri
fy the financial background of your partner for your
financial security.
Career this year: If you are a working professional, you
may face various profession related problems this year.
You need to handle all the issues diplomatically else you

may lose your job. You may create wonder in the cre
ativity field if you are a writer, singer or actor.
Romance this year: You will find your partner to be a
huge emotional support for you during the tough times
of your life. You may get involved in a matrimonial
alliance.
24th October, 2016
Ruled planet: Venus Ruled by no: 6
Traits in you: As you are ruled by Venus, you are simple,
generous, cheerful, friendly, humble, honest and peace
loving. You are pretty interested to stay in harmony with
each and everyone in your surroundings. You need to
work on your nature of being restless and pessimistic.
Health this year: You will enjoy a better health this year
as compared to last year. However, the health of an aged
family member may deteriorate and that will make you
bothered. You may end up spending lot of money for the
health issues of your family members.
Finance this year: Your past investments may yield a lot
of money for you this year. You need to be extra cau
tions while investing huge amounts as it is a bit risky to
put money on unpredictable things. Overall, you will
enjoy a strong financial condition.
Career this year: You will be given more responsibility
this year as you have proved yourself to be an efficient
resource for your employer. You may expect a promo
tion or salary hike later this year. You should guide your
ordinates to perform better and bring unexpected
results for your organization.
Romance this year: If you are yet to be in a relationship,
this year is the ideal time to find a partner. You will get
ample support from your spouse in any critical decision
you have to take. You should show your love to your
partner as it strengthens your relationship.
25th October, 2016
Ruled planet: 7 Ruled by no: Neptune
Traits in you: As you are governed by planet Neptune,
you are blessed with various positive characters. You are
confident, decisive, generous, humorous, honest, modest
and optimistic. You are not an admirer of arguments or
silly fights. You should work on your nature of being
selfish, pessimistic, and arrogant.
Health this year: You will enjoy a better health this year
as compared to last year. However, the health of an aged
family member may deteriorate and that will make you
bothered. You may end up spending lot of money for the
health issues of your family members.
Finance this year: Your undisputed energy and enthusi
asm to earn money will make you financially stable this
year. You may go for property sale this year and earn a
lot of money.
Career this year: Professionally you will enjoy a smooth
life. You may get recognition in your professional circuit
as a result of your hard work and dedication. Your pro
motion is on cards. You should take help of your seniors
to learn quickly and perform exceptionally well as it
would help you grow professionally.
Romance this year: You will spend a peaceful life with
your love interest this year. You will lead a blissful life
with your beloved with lots of love, care, concern, and
support.
26th October, 2016
Ruled planet: Saturn Ruled by no: 8
Traits in you: Your ruling planet Saturn makes you hum
ble, honest, focused, practical, realistic and enthusiastic.
You are blessed with enormous talent and imagination.
Along with the positive characters in you, there are some
negative aspects in your nature. You need to work on
your nature of being envious, unreliable, and indiscipline.
Finance this year: You will be among major financial
gains this year. You may go for a real estate transaction
later this year and this will bring you a lot of money to
cherish. You may start up a new business. If you are
already into business, you may plan for expanding its
territory this year.
Career this year: Your interest and enthusiasm to per
form will make you an extraordinary performer in your
professional circuit. You will be respected and rewarded
for your work. You need to take the leadership responsi
bility to cement your position in your organization.
Romance this year: You may try and convert your long
time romantic relationship to a married one. You will be
enjoying a great life with your spouse with lots of under
standing, love, and care. You need not get into any kind
of argument with your beloved this year.
27th October, 2016
Ruled planet: Mars Ruled by no: 9
Traits in you: Being influenced by Mars, you are
believed to be the master of a charismatic personality.
You are courteous, courageous, energetic, realistic, mod
est, and responsive. You follow religion very keenly.
However, you have few problems in your attitude and
that needs to be worked on for the betterment of your
individuality.
Health this year: Though you would not face any major
health related issues, you should take extra care of your
health. Do not take unwanted risk of putting your health
in stake. Go for regular medical checkups.
Finance this year: You will be among major financial
gains this year. You may go for a real estate transaction
later this year and this will bring you a lot of money to
cherish. You may start up a new business. If you are
already into business, you may plan for expanding its
territory this year.
Career this year: You will be over ambitious as far as
your career goals are concerned. Take time to plan your
career. Do not be in a hurry for a job change. You will
improve your skills and expertise. You will find your
work pretty interesting and it will give you the job satis
faction you wanted.
Romance this year: Your marital life will go on smoothly
with the gradually growing understanding between you
and your spouse. You will get enough support from your
partner whenever you are in a problem. If you are yet to
marry, you may need to wait for another year.
28th October, 2016
Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1
Traits in you: Being governed by the Sun, you are
endowed with uniqueness and philosophy. You are
courageous, daring, courteous, af fectionate, decisive,
and very determined. You need to work on your impa
tience and short tempered nature.
Health this year: Your overall health would remain fine
this year. Some of the aged members in your family may
fall sick frequently to add your woes. You need to take
care of your family members by providing them better
medical attention.
Finance this year: Your past investments may yield a lot
of money for you this year. You need to be extra cau
tions while investing huge amounts as it is a bit risky to
put money on unpredictable things. Overall, you will
enjoy a strong financial condition.
Career this year: Your confidence and hard work will
help you earn a lot of money and you will be able to
expand your business as well. You may go ahead invest
ing on anything you want as this year is pretty reward
ing for you. Your past legal disputes will get resolved
this year and give you enough opportunity to make
money.
Romance this year: Your spouse will be supportive
enough throughout the year in crucial times. You can
rely on your partner for any kind of support may be
financial or emotional. You should get married this year
as this is the best time for you.
October 22-28, 2016
30
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Part two of the discourse 'Olympics of meditation'
Keep yourself focused on the goal
By Sant Rajinder Singh

Ji Maharaj
Focus on Their
Own Achievement
Instead of What
Others Are Doing
hen interviewed about

their plan for winning,
those gold medal winners
often give the same reply, saying,
"I have to focus on my game. I
have to focus on what I do best."
They are not concerned with what
others are doing. They know that if
they do what they are supposed to
do they have a chance at winning.
T hose who do not w in get
caug ht up in what others are
doing. For example, at times some
one may be ahead in a race, but
when they see someone gain on
them, they turn their head to
watch the other player, and sud
denly this distraction causes the
one in the lead to fall behind. We
see horses that watch other horses
trip and fall. For this reason, blind
ers are put on a horse to keep the
animal on track and not be dis
tracted by others.
Athletes on a gymnastics team
who watch other teammates per
form before their own turn comes
and who see a friend make an
error are often so upset and feel
the pain of disappointment of their
teammate so strongly that their
own ability is affected. They have
focused on someone else and their
own performance suffers.
The winners stay fixed on what
they are doing and not what others
are doing. In this way, they can
give their best and not lose pre
cious seconds looking at what oth
ers are doing.
Perseverance
The life story of gold medal win
ners at times reveals they had
uphill battles against many obsta
cles. They may have suffered phys
ical pain, emotional pain facing
criticism of others, or financial set
backs.
Many gold medal winners suf
fered falls with resulting broken
bones or torn muscles. Did that
stop them? No, they were back in
action as soon as possible. We
have seen people win gold medals

with colds, flu, and fevers. Some
competed with their legs or arms
wrapped up because they had not
completely healed. Tiger Woods
won a major golf tournament play
ing with a broken foot! T hese
great athletes rise above their
physical challenges and compete
despite their pain.
Many athletes faced criticism
and ridicule from others who may
have said, "You must be crazy!
What makes you think you can
win a gold medal in the Olympics?"
Family and friends may have tried
to dissuade the athlete from com
peting by putting them down or
saying they do not have the right
stuf f. Gold medal winners have
worked through the criticism of
others because they stayed
focused despite outer challenges.
Many other obstacles can deter
an athlete. Some face financial
challenges. It costs money to have
a coach, to practice, to get the right
equipment, and to pay member
challenge to overcome and keep

going.
Olympians who were runnersup
or who only made silver or bronze
may return four years later to try
again for the gold. Sometimes they
get it on their second or third try.
They do not let failure sidetrack
them from their goal.
Full Concentration
and Focus
Watch any gold medal winner
perform and one finds an almost
superhuman ability to concentrate
and focus. Before they perform,
they are mentally focused. They
mentally rehearse the movements
they must do. They are focused
within themselves on what they
must do. They visualize the task
they are going to perform over and
over to set their mind in gear.
They do not let anyone distract
them. When they perform, they
have one hundred percent atten
tion on what they are supposed to
do.
He was the first Master of Sant

Mat to undertake world tours to
North America, South America,
and Europe. He published over
twenty books in English which
were translated into many other
languages. He made the teachings
accessible to a Western audience
who had a scientific bent of mind.
Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj as a
Model of These Qualities
Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj
exemplified qualities that make a
gold medal winner. His achieve
ment was the Olympics of
Meditation and Spirituality. He
attained the goal that every person
who meditates is trying to attain
union of the soul with God. His life
exemplified all the qualities an
Olympic gold medalist needs to
win the gold. If we examine his life
from this angle, it gives a blueprint
of what we need to do to also
achieve the same goal.
In the physical Olympics there
can only be one gold medalist, but
in the field of meditation and spiri
Sant Kirpal Singh Ji

Maharaj exemplified
qualities that make a
gold medal winner.
His achievement was
the Olympics of
Meditation and
Spirituality. He
attained the goal that
every person who
meditates is trying to
attainunion of the
soul with God.
ship in certain sports training facil
ities. Over many years, these costs
become daunting. The parents of
one gold medal winner had to
mortg age their house several
times to pay the fees for their child
to practice. Where there is a will,
there is a way for winners.
Unaffected by Failure
Many athletes have a defeatist
attitude. If they cannot do it well
the first time around, they give up.
The first time someone loses a
race they take it as a sign that they
do not have a chance. What sets an
Olympic gold medal winner apart
is that they learn from their fail
ures. If they do not win the first
time, they try again. They take that
as an incentive to try even harder.
The winners will look at video
tapes of their performance to spot
their errors and fix them. If they
fall, they get back up on their feet
and try again. They do not let fail
ure stop them. They take it as a
When one watches those who

make mistakes in gymnastics, in
diving, or in any routine, one may
at times see a moment of distrac
tion set in. They lost focus. Those
who win are those who are able to
maintain full concentration for the
entire duration of their perform
ance. This is one of the keys to
going from good to great.
If we look at the qualities men
tioned above in the field of sports,
we will find they also apply to spir
ituality. We can look at the life of
Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj who
left this earth in 1974. He started
his mission in 1948, after Hazur
Baba Sawan Singh Ji commis
sioned him to carry on the spiritu
al work of initiation into the Light
and Sound for sincere seekers
after truth. He continued his mis
sion until his passing away in
1974. Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj
helped spread the teachings of
Sant Mat outside the borders of
the East to reach the entire world.
tuality each of us can win the gold

medal. Winning the gold medal
means meditating on the inner
Light and Sound, rising above
physical bodyconsciousness, soar
ing on the current of Light and
Sound throug h all the hig her
realms and reaching the abode of
God, Sach Khand, where our soul
merges w ith the Creator and
becomes one with God. It is not
restricted to an Olympics every
four yearswe can participate in
this Olympic all 24/7 and can
attain it at anytime. The questions
are: Why wait? Why not start now
and complete the course now?
We have observed each of the
traits of a gold medal winner in the
life of Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj.
100% Focus on the Goal

Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj had
one hundred percent focus on his
chosen goal. When he had matric
ulated from high school he took
seven days to decide what he
wanted to do in life. He had inter

ests in being a doctor and having a
huge library. But he ultimately
came to the decision, "God first
and the world next." Once he took
that decision he never looked
back. He did attend to his duties in
life as he had a successful career
and raised a family. But his mind,
heart, and soul were all focused on
achieving Godrealization. He
never swerved from that goal and
stuck with it until he attained
union of his soul with God.
A Ruling Passion and

Drive to Achieve His Goal
From the moment the question
about solving the mystery of life
and death entered his being, Sant
Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj had a
ceaseless ruling passion and drive
to achieve that goal. When he was
a youth, he observed at a crema
tion ground that the body of a
young person and an old person
had both passed away. He pon
dered over what was that element
within a person that made that
person alive and then left when
the person died. He began seeking
answers by studying books and
visiting those who could answer
these questions. He had a continu
al prayer to meet a perfect Master
who could lead him to the Truth.
In fact, when he had compassion
ately nursed his own father back
to health after a serious illness, his
father told him to ask for anything
he wanted. Sant Kirpal Singh Ji
Maharaj said that all he wanted
was to find someone who could
show him the way back to God.
When Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj
began seeing the inner radiant
form of a Master in 1917, he took
the form to be that of Guru Nanak.
That form continued appearing to
him within until finally in 1924 he
came in contact with Hazur Baba
Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj and real
ized that this was the form he had
been seeing within all along. He
thought it was due to the boon
granted by his father that he was
able to meet the Master who could
show him the way back to God.
Once he took initiation from
Hazur, Sant Kirpal Sing h Ji
Maharaj fully committed to follow
the teachings to the letter. Sant
Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj often
exhorted his disciples, saying, "If
you love me, keep my command
ments." Why? The reason was that
this was the attitude he had when
he followed the teachings of his
own Master. He obeyed Hazur
implicitly with full passion and
zeal which was another gold medal
trait that helped him achieve union
of his soul with God in his lifetime.
(To be continued...)
October 22-28, 2016

Vol.9 Issue 26 - October 22-28, 2016

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Vol.9 Issue 26 - October 22-28, 2016

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The South Asian Times

Vol.9 No. 26 October 22-28, 2016 80 Cents

New York Edition

Corruption casts a shadow

Oyster Bay Town Supervisor

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano

we announce a breach of trust by

press conference Thursday. "Both

BRICS declaration in Goa

Helped by US airstrikes, Iraqi and Kurdish forces have

Fierce battle on to wrest

See related stories on pg 23

New Delhi: Days after the BRICS Summits declara

only 'if I win'

presidential debate, to commit to

OWN YOUR FUTURE

x More than 60 undergraduate and graduate degrees

October 22-28, 2016

October 22-28, 2016

Diwali sparkles at Times Square

tive to the UN, Hardeep Singh Puri, graced

Discussing diversity on Wall Street

Prachi Makkar with Federal Reserve Bank of

India urges US to ease movement

Froman as part of the 10th IndiaUS Trade

Telangana minister woos

Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao (KTR) flanked by his Principal Secretary

large scale investments as mentioned by

October 22-28, 2016

GOP leaders urge Mangano,

Corruption casts a shadow over Nassau County

sense that I would ever do any

Donald Trump to accept

BRICS declaration in Goa

Jaipur (India) Bureau

Co-Founder: Saroosh Gull

Contributing Editors: Meenakshi Iyer,

President: Arjit Mehta

Fierce battle on to wrest

IANS Newswire Services

Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/

Printing: Five Star Printing, NY

Photo Journalist: Sandeep Girhotra

Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah

Chief Operating Officer:

West Coast Correspondent

Art and Design: Dhiraj Kumar Showaan

Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra

New Delhi Bureau

Web Editor: Bharat Bhushan Chopra

Trump declares himself

Donald Trump addressing the Humanity United Against Terror rally

Appealing to a broader South

October 22-28, 2016

Don't vote as part of a

Over 5,000 IndianAmericans

Over 5,000 people attended the event organized by Republican Hindu

'Trump for Hindu Americans',

October 22-28, 2016

New York City Mayor declares

South Asian community, de Blasio extended a

Department of Education to help them edu

Ahluwalia (center) with NYC Mayor Bill de

Pope Francis blesses the Peace Torch