The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e
Vol.9 No. 50 April 15-21, 2017 80 Cents
US, Russia hit new 'low point'
No breakthrough as Tillerson met Putin in Moscow
Moscow: The United
States and Russia laid
bare their deep and
dangerous divides on
Syria and other matters
Wednesday, as US
Secretary of State Rex
Tillerson left a 2hour
meeting with Russian
President Vladimir
Putin with the sense
the countries have
reached a "low point" in
relations. Trump & Putin are pointing fingers at other for the worsening relations over Syria.
The former Cold War
foes' have showed inability to
forge greater cooperation, as
President Donald Trump until
New York to host IIFA this July
AAPI convention in Atlantic City in June
Special to South
Asian Times
New York: Dr Ajay Lodha,
president of AAPI, has
invited members of the
community and others to
also attend their 35th
annual convention slated
for June 2125 at the
prestigious Harrahs
Resort in Atlantic City, NJ.
Speaking at a kickoff
meeting on April 9 in the
Indian Consulate here, he
highlighted the key pro
grams and pointed out
Continued on page 4
MUSIC 15 NYIFF 18
i n j o u r n a l i s m
New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
US hits IS on
Af-Pak border
with biggest
non-nuke bomb
Called the mother of all bombs, it was dropped
recently has advocated. been reached to investigate last
Even the one significant agree week's chemical weapons attack
in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.
ment Moscow suggested had Continued on page 4
Bollywoods biggest celebration outside India, the glitzy awards
show will be held on July 14-15 at the iconic MetLife Stadium.
New York: The organizers of the held in NYC the city that never
International Indian Film Academy sleeps. But the IIFA magic was first
(IIFA) Weekend and Awards are brought to Tampa Bay in Florida in
readying a "big blockbuster" for 2014. The event the biggest
the gala's 18th edition to be host Bollywood celebration internation
ed in New York this July. This is ally will be held on July 1415 at
the first time that the event will be Continued on page 4 Washington DC/Kabul: The
US military on Thursday
dropped a massive GBU43
bomb, also known as the
"mother of all bombs", in
eastern Afghanistan
against a series of caves
used by the Islamic State.
The 9,525 kg bomb was
dropped in the Achin dis
trict of the Nangarhar
province in eastern
Afghanistan bordering
Pakistan.
The Pentagon has con
firmed the use of the
Command (CENTCOM).
MOAB, and was assessing damage.
An Afghan National Army (ANA)
General John Nicholson, com
official was quoted by TOLONews
mander of US forces in
as saying that they were not aware
Afghanistan, signed off on its use,
of the size of the bomb but that the
CNN reported. Authority was also
AAPI President Dr Lodha, Convention Chair Dr Bhayani and US had been using different types
sought from General Joseph Votel,
CG Riva Ganguly Das at the kickoff meeting.
commander of US Central Continued on page 4
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 15-21, 2017
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY April 15-21, 2017 3

Local talent makes a mark on Rising Star India

Rising Star 15th&16th April 2017, 9 PM ET/PT on AAPKA COLORS USA
New York: Music has an innate
quality of transcending all
boundaries to link hearts and
souls. It is this link that will
become evident on Rising Star
Indias special episode when
three carefully selected talents
from the US and UK will prove
their mettle. On 15th and 16th
April, COLORS TV viewers in UK
and USA (Aapka Colors) will get
an opportunity to see local tal
ent become international sensa
tions as they participate in
Indias first revolutionary
singingbased reality show,
Rising Star. After auditions con
ducted through digital entries
across the world, San Francisco
USbased Saveree Joshipura, and Londons Vidushi Pradhan
and Priyesh Shah wow the experts.
based Saveree Joshipura and
Londons Vidushi Pradhan and
Priyesh Shah won the opportuni
ty to visit the Rising Star sets in
Mumbai to perform in front of
the panel of experts Shankar
Mahadevan, Diljit Dosanjh and
Monali Thakur. This episode will
air at 9 PM ET/PT.
Commenting on this initiative,
Sameer Goswami, Business Head
USA at IndiaCast said, We
believe that talent is universal; it
doesnt matter if a person is
residing in another country if
their heart is rooted in the cul
ture of their homeland. The
international leg of Rising Star
India witnessed an overwhelm
ing response from the South
Asian diaspora across the globe.
After much deliberation, we
finally zeroed in on Saveree
Joshipura from USA.
Even though she is a Computer
Science student at University of
California, Saveree Joshipura is
originally from Raleigh, North
Carolina. Her first steps in the
world of music were at the ten
der age of 3 when she started
learning music under the tute
lage of her parents and then
Guru Kala Ramnath and Vikas
Parikh. Music has always been
huge part of her life; she has a
high school diploma in Western
Piano and Western Classical
Music. At the Rising Star sets
she will perform on Kaise
Pahilee
How will this young budding
talent fare on the Rising Star
India stage? How will the
experts react upon seeing these
culturally sound singers whose
heart resides in Indian music
even if they live overseas?
To find out, dont miss Rising
Star India at 9 PM ET/PT
15th&16th April 2017, on
AAPKA COLORS USA

New York to offer free

This Indian American has a
United Airlines story of his own
To
The CEO
United Airlines
I am writing to you to share an
extremely disturbing incident that
occurred with me on my flight ( UA
1621) from Newark to San Diego on
Wednesday 25th January 2017.
My friends and I were on a golf trip
to San Diego.
I am a loyal UA patron and have been
Viteos CEO Shankar Iyer feels that United
a Premier1K status customer for over 3
Airlines utter lack of attention for two
years.
months to his complaint and then having
I was seated in 8C; my friend Venu
an insurance adjuster contact him added
Mukkumala was seated in 8B and
insult to injury.
another friend S Mahase was seated in
4year college tuition
New York: State
Governor Andrew
Cuomo has signed a
counted /complimentary food. bill into law
What happened next was shocking to Wednesday provid
say the least. ing free tuition to
The stewardess held my forearm next students attending
to hers and said " I NORMALLY DON'T the states public col
ASSOCIATE THIS COLOR (pointing to leges and universi
my arm with her forefinger of the other ties, making New
hand) WITH SUCH ENTITLEMENT. " York the first state to
she continued with "YOU HAVE TO BE offer free fouryear
THIS COLOR (pointing to her arm) FOR college. We are
SUCH THINGS"........and she laughed and restoring the prom
Andrew Cuomo, Governor
handed me 2 boxes of pita chips & ise of the American
of New York, announced
hummus and said "you can have them Dream for the next
the initiative
...no no don't have to pay" generation and forg
ing a bold path forward of access and opportunity
I was so shocked that I almost did not
for the rest of the nation to follow, Cuomo said,
believe she said that to me. If you
surrounded by supporters, including students from
haven't figured, I have to state here I

T
his the world knows as the related
video went viral on social media of air
port police forcibly removing a com
mercial airlines passenger on April 9 who
refused to surrender his seat when demand
ed at Chicago O'Hare Airport aboard Flight
3411. The passenger singled out was
Chinese American physician, David Dao.
Politicians and public have expressed deep
concern even as United Airlines has not
addressed the anger over the incident ade
quately. There seems to be a pattern of
racism and apathy running in the United
Airlines as indicated in this letter from an
Indian American CEO of a major corporation
involved in USIndia trade & commerce.
The abridged letter from Shankar Iyer sent
to United Airlines officials :
8D. After we took off, the stewardess (a
Caucasian) who was servicing the
coach section of the flight came along
with the beverage cart and began serv
ing from row 7.
After we ordered our beverages, I
told her I would pay for it with 'bever
age coupons'.
A few minutes later, I asked for some
snacks and specifically asked for the
'pita chips with hummus' box which we
had seen in the inflight magazine. As
soon as she brought it, she asked us,
how we would like to pay for it. Even as
my friend in 8B was offering his credit
card, I mentioned to the stewardess
that I am a Premier 1K member as I
thought we may be entitled to dis
am an Asian Indian male by birth and
thus possess skin tone much darker
than hers.
I was so shocked that I asked both
my friends sitting next to me if they
heard what she said or if I was crazy.
Both confirmed that they too were
shocked and Mike said, he was aston
ished to see her lift my arm and hold it
next to hers and make a comment.
I was so disturbed about the incident
that I shared it with a close friend over
the weekend who encouraged me to
write to you about my experience in
order to not let such behavior go
uncorrected.
Shankar Iyer
Kendall Park, NJ
New Yorks public universities, as well as Hillary
Clinton. With a college education now a necessity
to succeed in todays economy, I am proud to sign
this firstinthenation legislation that will make
college accessible, he said.
Students in New York whose families make less
than $100,000 per year an income limit that will
be raised to $125,000 in two years will be eligi
ble for the grant if they enroll fulltime at any com
munity college or public university in the state.
They will only receive tuition subsidies to cover
costs that are not paid for by other grants. They
will still need to find other resources to pay for
room, board, etc.
The only caveat, students will have to live and
work in the state of New York for as many years as
they received aid. If they do not, their grant will
turn into a loan.
 4 April 15-21, 2017
Amarinder Singh
refuses to meet
Canadian minister
Harjit Sajjan is a Khalistani
sympathizer, says Punjab CM
Chandigarh: Punjab CM Capt
Amarinder Singh has said he would
not meet Canadian Defense Minister
Harjit Sajjan during the latters visit
to India later this month. In an inter
view with a Delhibased TV channel,
he dubbed Sajjan as a Khalistan
sympathizer. The CM claimed five
ministers in the Trudeau government
were Khalistanis and he would have
truck with neither. These Khalistani
sympathizers had last year prevailed
upon the authorities to block my
entry into Canada. I only wanted to
meet my Punjabi brethren there, he
said. In protest, Amarinder had writ
ten a letter to the Canadian PM &
later refused to meet the Canadian
High Commissioner in India.
Canadian province of Ontario has
also declared 1984 antiSikh riots as
genocide.
Acharya Lokesh meets the
President on Mahavir Jayanti
New Delhi: President of India, Shri
Pranab Mukherjee, addressing a Jain
delegation led by Jain Acharya Dr.
Lokesh Muni at Rashtrapati Bhawan
said that Bhagwan Mahavir simpli
fied religion by shedding complicat
ed rituals. He taught that human life
is supreme and that it is important to
have positive attitude in life. Acharya
Lokesh apprised the President about
the Nation Building activities con
ducted by Jain followers and also
told him about different social wel
fare programs of Ahimsa Vishwa
Bharti that he founded.
Chairman and Co-Founder
Kamlesh C. Mehta
Co-Founder: Saroosh Gull
President: Arjit Mehta
Chief Operating Officer:
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Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra
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publication do not imply connection or endorsement of these businesses. All rights reserved.
TURN PAGE
US hits IS on AfPak border with
biggest nonnuke bomb
Continued from page 1
of weapons against the IS and other militants
for the past few months. Meanwhile, NATO's
Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan con
firmed the strike, and said US Forces
Afghanistan conducted the strike on an IS tun
nel complex in Achin district as part of the
ongoing efforts to defeat the group in
Afghanistan.
"The strike was designed to minimize the risk
to Afghan and US forces conducting clearing
operations in the area while maximizing the
destruction of IS fighters and facilities," read
the statement. The Air Force developed the
MOAB in 2003, but it had never been used in
combat until on Thursday.
The use of the bomb comes as the US involve
ment in Afghanistan heads into its 16th year in
the fall, and days after a US Special Forces
operator was killed in the same region.
The MOAB was designed to target large
belowground areas. It would have "feel like a
nuclear weapon to anyone near the area,"
Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona (retd.) told
CNN. Using the GPSguided munition, the Air
Force "took every precaution to avoid civilian
casualties," CENTCOM said.
A peace conference on Afghanistan is sched
uled to begin on Friday in Moscow, involving
the Afghan government and representatives of
12 other nations. Neither the Taliban nor the IS
were invited. The US was invited to the confer
ence, but reportedly declined to participate.
US, Russia hit new 'low point'
Continued from page 1
in Syria was quickly rejected by Washington.
"There is a low level of trust between our two
countries," Tillerson told reporters in Moscow.
Minutes earlier, his counterpart, Russian
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, had claimed
the two countries agreed to work together on a
probe of the April 4 chemical weapons attack
in northern Syria that prompted retaliatory
American missile strikes. Washington blames
Russia's ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad,
while Moscow says Syrian rebels are responsi
ble. Shortly afterward, Russia vetoed a UN
Security Council resolution that would have
demanded Syrian cooperation on the investiga
tion. More than 80 people were killed in what
the US has described as a nerve gas attack that
Assad's forces undoubtedly carried out.
Associate Editors:
Hiral Dholakia-Dave
Contributing Editors: Meenakshi Iyer,
Nilima Madan, Melvin Durai,
Dr Prem Kumar Sharma, Ashok Vyas,
Dr Akshat Jain, Ashok Ojha
West Coast Correspondent
Pooja Jain,
Pooja@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
New Delhi Bureau
Meenakshi Iyer
Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Russia says rebels were responsible for what
ever chemical agent was found, which the
Trump administration calls it a disinformation
campaign. Beyond Syria, Russia's alleged med
dling in the US presidential election also hov
ered over what was the first facetoface
encounter between Putin and any Trump
administration Cabinet member. Lavrov blasted
US claims that it has "irrefutable evidence" of
election interference. Courtesy: AP.
New York to host IIFA this July
Continued from page 1
the iconic MetLife Stadium, known for hosting
NFL games, and major entertainment events.
On the first day will be the IIFA Weekend
press conference and IIFA Rocks, followed by
the glitzy IIFA Awards on day two.
Andre Timmins, Director, Wizcraft
International, which produces the annual jam
boree, told IANS over the phone from Mumbai:
"It is extremely exciting from IIFA's perspective
as we now want to change the game. We are
looking to have a big blockbuster in America."
The bidders for 2017's show included Lisbon,
Paris, Switzerland and Far East cities. But New
York is New York, Timmins said.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a
statement: "We are thrilled to welcome IIFA to
New York. Our city is home to both a thriving
film industry and a dynamic, growing Indian
American community. This is an event that will
contribute enormously to both the cultural and
economic life of our city.
"We welcome the artists and fans of Indian
cinema, and encourage everyone to experience
the rich cultural life across the five boroughs
while celebrating these groundbreaking films."
The organizers are confident the mecca for
entertainment, business, fashion and culture is
a perfect fit for the excitement and entertain
ment that will be brought there by a star stud
ded contingent travelling for the events.
Timmins said they are hoping to sell as many
as 40,000 tickets for the event, where he hopes
to see a confluence of Hollywood and
Bollywood glamor. Since debuting in London in
2000, IIFA has been annually showcasing the
prowess of the multimillion dollar Hindi film
industry, promoting the country and its talent
at foreign destinations year after year.
AAPI convention in Atlantic
City in June
Continued from page 1
Jaipur (India) Bureau
Prakash Bhandari
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/
masalajunction.com.
Xitij Joshi/xitijphoto.com
Photo Journalist: Sandeep Girhotra
Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah
Art and Design: Dhiraj Kumar Showaan
Vladimir Tomovski
Bhagwati Creations,
Web Editor: Bharat Bhushan Chopra
News Service: HT Media Ltd.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
that highlevel lawmakers as well as President
Trump have been invited to the meet.
Physicians and health care professionals
from across the country and abroad will con
vene and participate in the scholarly exchange
of medical advances, to develop healthpolicy
agendas and encourage legislative priorities in
the coming year, Dr Lodha noted. We look
forward to seeing you all in Atlantic City.
Consul General Riva Ganguly Das, who
accepted the invitation to attend the conven
tion, praised AAPI for its services to the com
munity and the considerable work it does in
both the US and India. It is leveraging its posi
tion to bring these countries together, she
pointed out. This is a role model to other
Indian organizations.
Amb. Das added, We (the Indian govern
ment) will help in your service there (in India),
and you can help us through your contacts
here in the US.
Noting that Indians physicians represent
every field of medicine in the US, Dr Lodha said
they are serving both countries and contribut
ing to the promotion of bilateral relations. On
May 3, AAPI Association of American
Physicians of Indian Origin will organize a
legislative meeting in Washington, DC with US
lawmakers. Among the senior AAPI leaders
who also spoke at the kickoff included Dr
Shashi Shah, Dr Sudhir Parikh, Dr Gautam
Samadder, and Dr Raj Bhayani.
The convention this year is being organized
by AAPIs New York Chapter after a gap of 17
years. The Convention Chair Dr. Raj Bhayani
said. We have put together an attractive pro
gram for our annual get together, educational
activity and family enjoyment. We have a dedi
cated team of convention committee members
from the TriState region helping us. We expect
a record turnout and would encourage early
registration to avoid later disappointment.
Vasant Narasimhan, the global head of R&D
at Novartis, specially flew in from Sweden to
attend the kickoff.
Besides CEO Forum and Womens Forum, and
CMEs, the convention will also hold sessions on
yoga, spirituality (with Brahma Kumaris
Shivani Didi), as well as a fashion show.
Indians represent about 10 percent of
Americas medical personnel. And AAPI is said
to be Americas secondlargest medical fraterni
ty. Among other fields, it contributed signifi
cantly to the antiallergies effort in India, par
ticularly Rajasthan
IANS Newswire Services
IANS Washington Bureau
Arun Kumar
arun.kumar@ians,in
Printing: Five Star Printing, NY
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY April 15-21, 2017 5

Sunil Tolanis Prince Organization Dr VK Raju inducted into

conferred Americas Most Global Medical Missions
Honored Businesses Award Hall of Fame
Irvine, CA: Sunil Tolani, CEO of more admirable when you con
the Prince Organization has been sider how high the deck was once Washington, DC: An
honoured with the Distinguished stacked ag ainst him. W hen IndianAmerican doc
Executive Designation by the youre broke, the only bet you tor has been inducted
Expert Network which is con can make is on yourself, says into the Global
ferred upon only top 3% of exec Tolani. I am humbled to be hon Medical Missions Hall
utives in the nation who have ored and in top 5. My life is one of Fame in recogni
contributed meaningfully to their of countless other immigrants tion of his ef forts to
field and can demonstrate a dis worldwide who have aspiration eliminate avoidable
tinct perspective on the future of and inspiration to succeed in life blindness in parts of
their profession. through faith, hard work, sincere the world hit by
The selection process is based ef forts, tenacity and persever poverty and poor
on a thoroug h mult iphase ance. T his honor be longs to access to medical
research and evaluation, select Indian community and most care.
ing professionals who have importantly dedicated to my Founder and med Dr Vadrevu (VK) Raju
demonstrated superior influence, uncle Ashok Israni of Pacifica ical director of the
leadership, reputat ion and Host Hotels who provided inspi Eye Foundation of America, services. If blindness is preventa
knowledge. Their review includes, Sunil Tolani conferred Elite ration to succeed in hospitality Vadrevu (VK) Raju was inducted ble, then let us do it big."
among other factors, scrutiny of Distinguished Executive Designation business. It symbolizes the into the Hall of Fame of the Through the foundation, he ren
education, training, certifications, American Dream through over University of Toledo College of ders stateofthe art services
professional achievements, disciplinary history, and coming your own limitations, weakness, and barriers Medicine and Life Sciences earlier through mobile eye camps and
review of organizations and publications. on the path to success in America, the land of unlimit this month along with the Galilee permanent brickandmortar hos
Tolanis life story is an unlikely ragstoseriousrich ed opportunity. Medical Center, and Donald C pitals.
es epic thats as remarkable as it is surreal. Anyone The Prince Organization also achieved global recog Mullen. Since its inception, these camps
who looks at his resume will see a plethora of accom nition and prestige in the American Registry as Top Raju, in a statement issued by and institutes have facilitated
plishments and accolades earned during the last 20 5% "Best of the Best" Elite Businesses which have the foundation, said in children more than 600 physician
years. The story of his humble beginnings is the story been publicly awarded multiple times for their profes the gift of sight results in 75 years exchanges, trained more than 200
of countless immigrants like him, who are embodi sional excellence by trade groups, peers, clients, and of a full and productive life. "No ophthalmologists, served two mil
ment of the American Dream. the press and out of hundreds of thousands of busi child will be denied treatment, and lion patients, and performed
Talking to this selfmade business Mogul its impos nesses evaluated and researched by The American children from around the world 300,000 visionsaving surgeries in
sible not to notice his outsize optimism, which is even Registry annually. can come to receive worldclass 21 countries. (PTI)

Recent violence in US not Hate crimes against IndianAmericans

indicative of whole country: disturbing: Preet Bharara
Former Stanford don
New Delhi: T he three violent
attacks against Indians in the US
are not indicative of the whole
country and students should not
take them into account while
deciding whether or not to apply
to US universities, according to a
former assistant dean at Stanford
University.
"There is no denial that there
has been sporadic and random
violence against Indians in the US.
These incidents were tragic and
disturbing but they are not indica
tive of the country as a whole,"
Martin Walsh told IANS in an
interview while on a visit here.
He said that US is a big country
and these incidents have not
taken place in cities where the
top universities are.
"If I were student in India look
ing at the US, I would not have let
that determine for me applying. I
would also really focus on areas
where universities have a fairly
diverse population or large South
Asian population," he said.
"When I am researching, I would
look at universities (to see) if
there (is) any record of violence.
Universities are very transparent
with that. A wellresearched col
lege could make the student and
parents feel safe," he added.
Walsh is counselor to one of the
top private schools in the US and
was in the capital to conduct an
interactive session for Indian stu
dents aspiring to study in the US.
New York: Indiaborn former top
federal prosecutor Preet Bharara
has termed the growing incidents of
hate crimes against Indian
Americans as "disturbing" and said
the US' long tradition of embracing
immigrants from all over the world
as its own is what makes "America
great".
"...T he US built a system of
laws...that enshrines the right to
equal opportunity and embodies
the sacred American ideal that
every child, even poor, orphaned or
immigrant can rise higher than that
child's parents could ever have
imagined," he said.
"In that vein, some recent events
have been especially painful and
disturbing and deserve some focus.
I'm speaking of the incidents
recently where IndianAmericans
appear to have been targeted in
hate crimes," Bharara said.
Bharara, 48, made his first public
Preet Bharara
appearance on T hursday since
being unceremoniously removed by
President Donald Trump last month
as US Attorney for the Southern
District of New York. He spoke for
over an hour as he delivered The
John Jay Iselin Memorial Lecture at
Cooper Union for the Advancement
of Science and Art here.
Bharara spoke about the shooting
in Kansas of the 32yearold Indian
engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla."That
mindless murder along with other
incidents have caused an unfortu
nate wave of alarm throughout
India. There are reports that people
are now afraid to visit the US even
for a holiday. That breaks my heart.
"The people in the country of my
birth now fear in large numbers
coming to America that country
that embraced me and my family
and has given us so much," Bharara
said. He said there was a hopeful
story in the tragedy of the Kansas
shooting in the form of Ian Grillot,
the young American who got
injured as he tried to intervene and
stop Purinton. Bharara noted that
IndianAmericans raised $100,000
for Grillot as a mark of their grati
tude. He quoted Grillot's message of
he lping empower people and
spreading hope and love, saying
"that is the America we love and
that is America we dont want to
lose."
6 April 15-21, 2017 TRISTATE COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

IN BRIEF

India exempts NRIs from quoting

Aadhaar in tax returns
he Indian government has exempted [on Aadhaar requirement], Dr Ajay

T NonResident Indians (NRIs) from

the requirement of quoting Aadhaar
(Indian biometric ID card) number while
filing income tax returns back home.
Although NRIs are exempted from in
come tax on their income abroad, they
have to file tax returns for their income
earned in India.
Many Indians in the UAE, who regularly
file income tax returns in India but do not
have Aadhaar, were worried after the gov
ernment move to link Aadhaar with PAN
(Permanent Account Number) issued by
income tax authorities for tax and finan
cial transactions by June 30, 2017. On
March 30, a top Indian official clarified to
Gulf News that NRIs were not eligible for
Aadhaar and government departments
had to give exemptions to NRIs in this re
gard. They were waiting for announce
ments on exemptions.
It is the responsibility of the relevant
departments to give exemption to NRIs
Bhushan Pandey, CEO, Unique Identifica
tion Authority of India (UIDAI), had told
Gulf News in a telephone interview from
New Delhi. The departments can get a
declaration from the NRI that, being an
NRI, he or she is not eligible for Aadhar
card, he had said.
On Wednesday, Indias Central Board of
Direct Taxes (CBDT) made the first such
announcement on exemption. The re
quirement to quote Aadhaar for filing in Close to 100 supporters and staff made a trip to Princeton, New Jersey last weekend for
come tax returns and for making an appli the Pratham USA National Conference. The participants, representing 13 US chapters
cation for allotment of PAN with effect and 3 countries, had an opportunity to connect with one another, learn more about
from July 1, 2017 shall not apply to non
Pratham's work and exchange ideas on how to advance its mission.Also Pratham and
Google.org have collaborated to democratize learning. Pratham USA has been award
residents [NRIs], according to a CBDT
ed a $3.1 million grant from Google.org to strengthen its technology initiative aimed at
press release.
making quality education more accessible by creating cooperative learning
It clarified that an Indian is considered a environments that foster childrens curiosity and improve their learning outcomes.
resident, if he/ she has resided in India for
a period or periods amounting in all to
182 days or more in the 12 months im
mediately preceding the date of applica Unload your unopened gifts to FIA
and get a tax deduction
tion [for relevant services or documents
like Aadhaar.

T
he Federation of Indian Associations of or call to arrange for a pickup. The deduc

New Indian visa fees for US
citizens announced
he Indian Embassy in Washington
fee for entry visa to India valid for six
New York, New Jersey and Connecticut
(FIA) has come out with a novel idea of
collecting the unopened gifts and unused
merchandise and selling them to raise mon
ey for its various projects. Those who donate
the items will get a tax deductible receipt for
tion is for the declared value of the donated
new merchandise. It will be opened and ex
amined to be sure that the contents are new.
Defective items will not be accepted or of
fered for sale.
Donated items will be sold for whatever

T DC has announced the new visa fees

for US citizens, following the latest
update on revision of visa fees by the Gov
ernment of India. The revised fees for
visas to India will be applicable from April
1, 2017. The tourist visa to India with va
lidity for up to 10 years will cost $100 to
US citizens. They will have to pay $160
for a singleentry business visa to India
for a period of 12 months, and $270 for a
multipleentry business visa to India with
validity up to 10 years. $100 is the new
Punjab man shot dead by
months, while a multiple entry visa to In
dia for 6 months to 1 year will cost $140
now onwards. The multipleentry visa to
India will cost $220 for 1 to 5year validi
ty. The new fee for medical visa to India,
single or multiple entry, is $100 for US
citizens. The medical visa to India will
cost $140 in case of validity from 6
months to 1 year.
The same are the revised fees for med
ical attendant visas to India for US citi
zens.
it. The FIA officials will receive and sell the
items at a two day event titled Gift Bazaar at
the TV Asia Studios in Edison, New Jersey on
April 29, 30 between 10 am and 5 pm.
One can also unload the unwanted/un
opened gifts and purchases to FIA by donat
ing them earlier also. For this 3 locations
were set up in New Jersey: TV Asia studios,
76 National Road, Edison; United Business
Solutions Office, 1152 St. Georges Avenue,
Avenel and Quick Travel,1655260 Oak Tree
Road, Edison. For this contact Alok Kumar,
vice president of FIA and chair of the Gift
Bazaar project at 732 692 7507. Our mod
est goal is to raise $10,000 after paying for
expenses, Andy Bhatia, president of FIA said.
we can get for them. It will obviously be less
than the declared value, Bhatia said. It will be
a golden opportunity for those who are hunt
ing for quick sale items like books, CDs,
watches, pens, lamps, towels, clothing, com
puters, office supplies, jewelry, cufflinks,
kitchen gadgets, clock radios etc.,
We are doing this for the first time so we
don't have a fixed goal but our expectation is
that we can raise at least $10,000, Kumar
too said. Tax deduction is based on the price
of the gift item. We will open the item and
check the conditions of it before placing it for
selling. These items will be available at the
Gift Bazaar and anyone can buy it, Kumar
said. Bhatia said he has seen unopened gifts

armed robbers in Washington Anybody can drop items at three locations with many people.

26yearold Indian man has been
A shot dead allegedly by two masked
armed robbers at a convenience
store of a gas station in Washington state.
Vikram Jaryal, who was working as a
suspects money, but one of the suspects
Conversion of PIO cards
fired at him. Jaryal was taken to the hos
pital where he later died.
"The victim was able to tell officers into OCI cards
what happened when they arrived a few

clerk in the store at AMPM Gas Station in
Yakima city, was behind the counter when
two people in masks came in and robbed
the store. Police said the clerk handed the
P
IO card holders under the jurisdiction the deadline for the conversion process
minutes later; but tragically, he died a
of the New York Consulate are re which is June 30, 2017. Applications can
short time later at the hospital," police
quested to urgently convert their PIO be made to CKGS at the link given below:
was quoted as saying by the NBC Right
cards into OCI cards before the expiry of https://www.in.ckgs.us
Now channel.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
H-1B visas help uplift welfare of Americans: Study
New York: Even as uncertainty continues to
mount over H1B visa regulations promised
by US President Donald Trump, a new study
has found that foreign computer scientists
granted such visas have helped increase wel
fare of Americans.
The H1B visa allows US companies to tem
porarily employ foreign workers in spe
cialised occupations. The number of these
visas granted annually is capped by the fed
eral government.
The researchers found that the highskilled
immigrants had a positive effect on innova
tion, increased the overall welfare of
Americans and boosted prots substantially
First Hindu Congresswoman
slams Syria strikes
Tulsi Gabbard
Washington, DC: The rst Hindu elected
to the Congress, Hawaiian Democrat
Tulsi Gabbard, slammed President
Donald Trump's decision to strike
against Syria as reckless, the media
reported.
"This administration has acted reck
lessly without care or consideration of
the dire consequences of the US attack
on Syria without waiting for the collec
tion of evidence from the scene of the
chemical poisoning," The Hill magazine
quoted Gabbard as saying on Thursday.
"It angers and saddens me that
President Trump has taken the advice of
war hawks and escalated our illegal
regime change war to overthrow the
Syrian government.
"This escalation is shortsighted and
will lead to more dead civilians, more
refugees, the strengthening of Al Qaeda
and other terrorists, and a possible
nuclear war between the US and
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
for rms in the IT sector.
Researchers John Bound and Nicolas
Morales of the University of Michigan and
Gaurav Khanna of the University of
California San Diego studied the impact
that the recruitment of these foreign com
puter scientists had on the US economy.
They selected the time period of 1994
2001, which marked the rise of ecommerce
and a growing need for technology workers.
Immigration lowered prices and raised the
output of IT goods by between 1.9 per cent
and 2.5 per cent, thus beneting consumers,
the ndings showed. Such immigration also
had a big impact on the tech industry's bot
Russia," she added.
Gabbard's comments came after US
warships on Thursday night launched
59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a mili
tary aireld in Syria.
T he attack was in retaliation to a
chemical weapons attack in northern
Syria on Tuesday that killed over 80
civilians, including children.
In February, Gabbard stirred contro
versy after she made a trip to Syria and
met Syrian President Bashar alAssad,
reports the magazine.
The Hawaii Democrat has insisted that
the meetings were not planned and
focused on peace efforts in the wartorn
country.
Gabbard released a separate state
ment ahead of the attacks on Thursday
calling for an investigation into the
chemical weapons attack in Syria and
the eventual prosecution of Assad in the
International Criminal Court.
tom line. "Firms in the IT sector also earned
substantially higher prots thanks to immi
gration," said Morales in a statement
released by the University of Michigan.
On the ipside, the inux of immigrants
dampened job prospects and wages for US
computer scientists, the study said.
US workers switched to other professions,
lowering the employment of domestic com
puter scientists by 6.1 per cent, according to
the model developed by the researchers.
Indian techies have been the biggest bene
ciaries of the H1B visas obtaining about workers, it was largely seen as the tightening
70 per cent of such visas with companies
posting thousands of employees to the US.
US Sikhs launch advertisement
campaign that seeks to push
back on hate
New York: Sikhs in the United States are
launching a milliondollar awareness campaign
that seeks to stop hatefueled attacks by
explaining more about who they are and what
they believe.
The "We are Sikhs" campaign was years in
the making, funded by Sikh leaders and their
families across a dozen cities, who have been
swept up in antiMuslim sentiment since the
September 11 attacks. Their beards and tur
bans symbols of equality in a religion that
opposes India's caste system make American
Sikhs easy targets for the angry and unin
formed.
"Our hope was that as the memory of 9/11
goes down, things would get better. But they
have not," said Rajwant Singh, a dentist from
suburban Washington and one of the cam
paign's volunteer organizers.
The ads, which will air on CNN, Fox News and
on TV stations in Fresno, California, home to a
large Sikh community, make no mention of the
more than 300 hate crimes reported by Sikhs
in the US since the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Rather, they feature Sikh families explaining
how the world's fthlargest religion, founded
in India, aligns with American values.
Internet advertising will begin immediately
as well, and subsequent TV ads are planned for
at least three more cities with large Sikh popu
lations.
"We teach our kids the American values go
hand in hand with the Sikh values: tolerance,
religious freedom, gender equality," a bearded
man in a red turban says in one of the ads
shared with The Associated Press.
Another ad highlights Sikhs embracing US
pop culture: "We like 'Game of Thrones'," one
person says. "I'm obsessed with 'Star Wars',"
April 15-21, 2017 7
This visa allows work in the particular area
for six years, extendable after that. It is also
the route to a US permanent residency or a
US Green Card.
T he US Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) on March 31 issued a clari
cation that computer programmers, to be
eligible under the H1B visa norms, must
prove that theirs is a specialty occupation.
Merely obtaining a computer degree may
not be enough. Coming just ahead of start of
the new season for H1B visas for skilled
of norms by the US authorities for hiring
computer programers. (IANS)
The ads, which will air on
CNN, Fox News and on TV
stations in Fresno,
California, home to a large
Sikh community, make no
mention of the more than
300 hate crimes reported by
Sikhs in the US since the
2001 terrorist attacks.
Rather, they feature Sikh
families explaining how the
world's fifth-largest reli-
gion, founded in India,
aligns with American values.
says another.
The ads, developed in consultation with
Republican and Democratic consulting rms,
do not mention Republican President Donald
Trump, whose candidacy hammered on illegal
immigration and Islamic extremism. While
fundraising events in Sikh communities across
the nation coincided with Trump's rise, organiz
ers insist the $1.3 million effort has no connec
tion to the toughtalking president.
"It's a coincidence," says Gurwin Ahuja, a 27
yearold political operative who also helped
organize the new campaign. "Administrations
have changed, and we still experience violence
regardless of who's president."
(News source: The Associated Press)
 8 April 15-21, 2017 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Trump nominates 2 IndianAmericans for key positions

Washington, DC: President
Donald Trump has nominated
two IndianAmericans for key
administrative posts to coordi
nate US lawenforcement strate
gy around copyright, patents
and trademarks and oversee his
plan to eliminate 75 per cent of
federal regulations.
Prominent IndianAmericans
Vishal Amin and Neomi Rao will
be Trump's new IP and regulato
ry czars respectively as he nomi
nated them on Friday while
making many administrative
appointments.
Amin has been nominated to
be the Inte llectual Property
Enforcement Coordinator while
Rao will be the Administrator of
the Ofce of Information and
Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).
If conrmed by the US Senate,
Amin, who is currently a Senior
Counse l on House Judiciary
Committee, would succeed
Daniel Marti.
He also served in the adminis
tration of President George W
Bush at the White House, as
Associate Director for Domestic
Policy, and at the US
Department of Commerce, as
Special Assistant and Associate
Director for Policy in the Ofce
of the Secretary, a statement
said.
Amin received his bachelor's
degree in neuroscience from
Johns Hopkins University and
his law degree from Washington
University in St Louis.
"The prompt appointment and
consideration of this position is
crit ical, and we commend
President Trump for his choice.
Vishal Amin is a smart, thought
ful leader and we look forward
to working with him," said Cary
Sherman, chairman and CEO of
the Recording Industry
Association of America.
Rao has been nominated to be
the Administrator of the Ofce
of Information and Regulatory
Af fairs (OIRA), a statutory part
of the Ofce of Management and
Budget within the Executive
Ofce of the President.
OIRA reviews regulations from
federal agencies and has the
power to reject rules that do not
fall in line with the President's
goals.
"Trump's selection of Rao sug
gests the administration is seri
ous about regulatory reform, not
merely reducing highprole
regulatory burdens," said 'The
Washington Post.'
"T he se lect ion of a we ll
respected administrative law
expert further suggests the
administration recognizes the
need to be attentive to legal con
straints on administrative action
and that meaningful reforms
require more than issuing a few
execut ive orders. Rao is a
superlative pick," the report
said.
Rao, a professor at the George
Mason University where he
founded and directs the Center
for the Study of the
Administrat ive State, has
focused his research and teach
ing on constitutional and admin
istrative law.
Currently a public member of
the Administrative Conference
of the US, Rao has previously
served in all three branches of
the federal government.
(PTI)

Comedian Hasan Minhaj to host Kansas shooting: Indian

White House Correspondents Dinner
Washington, DC: Popular Indian
American standup comedian Hasan
Minhaj would be the main entertainer
at the annual dinner of the White
House Correspondents Association,
which for the rst time in decades
would be skipped by a US President.
Minhaj, whose parents come from
Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, will serve as
the entertainer at the event.
I am thrilled that Hasan will serve as
our featured entertainer at this years
White House Correspondents Dinner,
said Jeff Mason, the president of the
W hite House Correspondents
Association.
Hasans smarts, big heart and pas
sion for press freedom make him the
perfect t for our event, which will be
focused on the First Amendment and
the importance of a robust and inde
pendent media, Mason said.
President Donald Trump, in
February, had announced that he
would skip the glitzy annual dinner.
The last president to miss the dinner
was Ronald Reagan, who sat out
because he was he recovering from an
assassination attempt in 1981,
although he still delivered remarks by
phone.
The White House Correspondents
Dinner, which US presidents have
attended for decades, supports the
work of the WHCA.
Proceeds fund the organization and
go toward scholarships and awards
aimed at promoting aspiring journal
Hasan Minhaj
ists and recognizing excellence in the
journalism profession.
It is a tremendous honor to be a part
of such a historic event even though
the president has chosen not to attend
this year. SAD! Now more than ever, it
is vital that we honor the First
Amendment and the freedom of the
press, said Minhaj.
This is for the rst time that an
IndianAmerican has been invited to be
the main entertainer for the most pres
tigious annual event in Washington DC.
Minhaj, 31, was born in Davis
California, where his parents migrated
from India. But his mother spent the
rst eight years of his life away from
him, in India, completing medical
school.
He is married to Beena Minhaj, whom
he met in college. (PTI)
survivor grateful to be alive
Houston: "I am just grateful
to be alive." This is how
Alok Madasani, an Indian
engineer who was critically
injured in a "hate crime"
incident in Kansas city in
which his colleague
Srinivas Kuchibhotla was
killed by an American,
described the chilling
episode.
Madasani, 32, continues
to wrestle with why he and
his friend ended up at the
Austins Bar and Grill that
nig ht in Kansas City,
Alok Madasani (center) (Image courtesy: kctv.com)
Missouri where Adam
Purinton opened re on strength standpoint, I still get Madasani said he was trying
them after hurling racial slurs ashes of what happened that to be strong for the sake of his
"terrorist" and "get out of my night and feel sad that the per family and wife who is pregnant
country." son who took the bullet for me, with their rst baby.
"I still don't want to believe Srinu, is no more. "W hat g ives me strength
what's happening. Words can't "His ofce space at Garmin every day is to see the commu
describe how much I am miss was right next to my ofce and nity standing together, making
ing Srinivas. It is hard to over it is hard not to think about him, me believe that one act will not
come losing your best friend in our memories together for last divide us," Madasani said.
front of your eyes and just the nine years will stay that way "It was the malice intent of
fact that it could have been both forever. I am focusing more on one person that took away a
of us," Madasani said about his work and spend more time with great human being but at the
friend Kuchibhotla. my family, but it is not the same time I am surrounded by
Both worked for Global same," he said. amazing individuals who
Positioning System (GPS) maker "I am just grateful to be alive," strengthen my belief in this
Garmin in Olathe in Kansas he said. community and what it stands
state. "Coming back to work has for," he said.
"Physically I am doing much been a blessing as I am sur Madasani said he has received
better, due to the friends and rounded by wonderful people personal letters from all around
colleagues at Garmin, but long here at Garmin and I could not the country and the world, ask
way to go from a mental have asked for more," he added. ing him to stay strong.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY April 15-21, 2017 9

Neomi Rao nominated as Trump's regulatory czar

Washington: Donald Trump has
nominated a prominent Indian
American law expert his regulato
ry czar to oversee the US
President's plan to eliminate 75
per cent of federal regulations.
Neomi Rao, who is currently a
professor at the Antonin Scalia
Law School at George Mason
University, has been nominated to
be the Administrator of the Office
of Information and Regulatory
Affairs (OIRA), a statutory part of
the Of fice of Management and
Budget w ithin the Execut ive
Office of the President.
OIRA reviews regulations from
federal agencies and has the
power to reject rules that do not
fall in line with the President's
goals. "Trump's selection of Rao
suggests the administration is
serious about regulatory reform,
not merely reducing highprofile
regulatory burdens," 'T he
Washington Post' reported.
"The selection of a wellrespect
ed administrative law expert fur
ther suggests the administration
recognizes the need to be atten
tive to legal constraints on admin
istrative action and that meaning
ful reforms require more than
issuing a few executive orders.
Rao is a superlative pick," the
report said.
Rao, who founded and directs
the Center for the Study of the
Administrative State at the George
Mason University, area of
research and teaching focuses on
constitutional and administrative
law. Currently a public member of
the Administrative Conference of
the US, Rao has previously served
in all three branches of the federal
government.
She served as Associate Counsel
to President George W Bush;
counsel for nominations and con
stitutional law to the US Senate
Committee on the Judiciary and
law clerk to Just ice Clarence
Thomas of US Supreme Court.
She practised public internation
al law and arbitration at Clifford
Chance LLP in London. Rao
received her JD with high honors
from the University of Chicago Indian American law expert Neomi Rao has been nominated to be the
and her BA from Yale University. Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)

Purposeful philanthropy preferable to charity

OPINION My philanthropic investments are directed at helping to make a difference in
By Frank Islam pivot point areas that matter to the future of society. The returns on those
investments are positive changes to problematic conditions and/or the creation
n February 2017, I went to India from
of individuals who will become the agents of change.
I the United State of America to dedicate
the Frank and Debbie Islam Management
Complex at my Aligarh Muslim University
(AMU) alma mater. At the dedication of that
complex, I said: "While the bricks and mor
tar are important, far more important is
what will go on in this setting. It will be a
place for sharing of information and impart
ing and development of knowledge. It will
be a place where faculty and students can
collaborate on innovative projects. It will be
an educational empowerment zone."
In those dedication remarks, I was sharing
my perspective on what I call "purposeful
philanthropy". I look at my contributions to
AMU and the numerous other organizations,
groups and individuals that I contribute to
in India and in the US not as charity but as
investments.
T hose philanthropic investments are Frank Islam and his wife dedicating the Frank and Debbie Islam
directed at helping to make a difference in Management Complex at his alma mater, Aligarh Muslim University.
pivot point areas that matter to the future of
society. The returns on those investments areas and the needs of the socially and eco know that improvement in them can make a The essential thing is to make that choice
are positive changes to problematic condi nomically disadvantaged. The handout substantial difference. The short reasons for and to invest. The size of that investment
tions and/or the creation of individuals who approach, however, has serious limitations. my picking and investing in them are: isn't what counts. The act of investment not
will become the agents of change. It does not get at the root cause nor change Education is the great equalizer and only of money, but also of time and talent is
As an example, in my comments at AMU I the underlying reason for the need for the opportunity creator. It moves people up the what does.
predicted: "From this management complex charity. ladder and to help others climb the ladder In closing, I would be remiss if I did not
will come the future leaders who will make By contrast, purposeful philanthropy con with them. It is the gift that keeps on giving. identify one final approach to charity. That
the world a better place." I felt completely centrates on improving circumstances and As President John F. Kennedy said: "Art is "handsof f ". The handsof f approach is
comfortable in making that prediction conditions. This handup approach can take nourishes the roots of a culture." It connects really selfaggrandizement masquerading as
because in addition to giving the financial a wide range of forms, ranging from elimi and inspires citizens and communities. It a charitable contribution.
support to construct the management build nating contaminated water that poisons has a unifying and healing power. This approach is driven by what I call an
ing at AMU my wife Debbie and I also pro those who drink or bathe in it to enhancing We are living in an increasingly danger "edifice complex" the desire to get one's
vided funding for an endowed chair on the safety of working conditions to develop ous world and times. World peace is essen name on a building such as a temple or
Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the ing the requisite knowledge, skills, abilities, tial for the future of this planet. There is a mosque with little concern for what is being
management school. T hat ensured the attitudes and behaviors for a person to be deadly conflict now and threats of it around done there to improve the lot of the commu
human element would be brought into play successful in life. the globe which must be controlled. nity or citizens in which it resides. India
as part of the educational equation. The pivot point areas areas that can be India and the United States of America are needs and deserves better than that.
The distinction between purposeful phi leveraged and ef fectively addressed to the world's two largest democracies. Civic Purposeful philanthropy accomplishes
lanthropy and charity is a critical one. The effectuate change and achieve positive out engagement is essential to keep those this. It provides the platform for maximizing
focus in charity is to provide a handout; the comes for purposeful philanthropy are democracies vibrant and vital. a citizen's participation and contribution to
focus in purposeful philanthropy is to pro virtually endless. My priority areas are edu I name these pivot point areas for illustra enabling India to achieve its full potential. It
vide a headsup. cation, arts, world peace and civic engage tion purposes only. Each citizen must is a pivotal idea whose time has come.
There certainly must be charitable sup ment. I have chosen those areas because choose an area or areas that matters to Frank Islam is an Indian American entre
port and assistance to address problem they are important to me and because I them for their purposeful philanthropy. preneur, civic and thought leader.
 10 April 15-21, 2017
Washington: Within a few hours of
extraordinary political shapeshift
ing, President Donald Trump aban
doned stances that were at the
bedrock of his establishmentbash
ing campaign, reports CNN.
NATO, he said, is "no longer obso
lete."
He backed down a threat to brand
China a currency manipulator.
In another reversal, Trump
praised Federal Reserve Chair Janet
Yellen, whom he had previously
pledged to replace when her term
expires, and once accused of hold
ing interest rates low as a political
boost for former President Obama.
It was not clear whether Trump's
sudden policy flips were the prod
uct of a new outlook and worldview.
But previous presidents have often
remarked that the world looks a lot
different from the Oval Office than
from a campaign rally.
But Trump's political gymnastics
didn't stop there.
Days after his administration had
seemed to accept an ultrarealist
approach that would allow Syrian
President Bashar alAssad to remain
in control of his shattered nation,
Trump decried him as a "butcher"
over chemical weapons attacks on
civilians fueling speculation he
now advocates regime change. But
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has
clarified that Syrina regime change
is still not the avowed Trump policy
On Russia, Trump said at a White
House news conference, in stark
tones at odds with his former vows
to ease the new chill in ties with the
US nuclear foe, "Right now we are
not getting along with Russia at all.
We may be at an alltime low in
terms of relationship with Russia."
By contrast, Trump was full of
praise for Xi Jinping whom he
met in Florida last week saying
that he be lieved the Chinese
Trump: I want to finish
healthcare before starting
on tax reform
Both of the Presidents main campaign promises seem
to have receded, given the lack of consensus within GOP
Washington: President Trump
says he plans to finish healthcare
reform before moving on to tax
reform and formulating an infra
structure plan.
I think were going very well
with healthcare, Trump told Fox
Business Network in an interview.
And after that, were going to
start on tax reform and infrastruc
ture.
The statement comes after the
GOPs failed efforts last month to
repeal and replace ObamaCare.
T he leg islat ion, dubbed the
Trump's stunning Uturns on
NATO, China, Russia and Syria
The turnaround maybe due to more moderate, establishment-oriented
influences in his administration epitomized by Ivanka and Kushner.
NATO, the President said, is "no longer obsolete", at a joint press
conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
President was sincere in helping
defuse the US showdown with
nuclear North Korea.
Trump made castigating China a
staple of his presidential campaign,
saying the communist giant was
guilty of "rape" against the US econ
omy and promising it would be
branded a currency manipulator on
his first day in the Oval Of fice. It
was almost as if Trump's outsider
presidential campaign never hap
pened as he rushed to embrace
mainstream political and national
security positions he once publicly
abhorred.
"Circumstances change," White
House press secretary Sean Spicer
told CNN's Jim Acosta Wednesday
when asked about the apparent
reversals.
On China, Spicer cautioned the
administration's report is not com
plete on whether to label China a
American Health Care Act, was
pulled from the floor at the last
minute as opposition mounted
among House Republicans.
When pressed by the host as to
why healthcare reform must come
first, Trump admitted that busi
ness managers who say tax reform
is more impactful are correct.
Theyre all right. But because
Im saving a tremendous amount,
hundreds and hundreds of mil
lions of dollars were saving on
healthcare, the president said. So
were going to have a much better
US AFFAIRS
currency manipulator. But he said
the Chinese have made some
improvements on currency in
recent months. The administration
has to make its assessment on
where China stands now, not where
it was during the campaign, Spicer
said.
On NATO, Spicer pointed to the
Secretary General's interview with
CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "T he
Situation Room" where he indicated
that NATO countries have been per
forming better in terms of their
financial commitments. T hat
changed Trump's view of the group,
Spicer said.
It may not be a coincidence that
Trump's adoption of conventional
political positions came the day
after a stunning interview with the
New York Post in which he publicly
criticized his political guru Stephen
Bannon, his insurgent, populist
plan than ObamaCare, which is
failing.
But the president insisted that
the savings from healthcare
reform would be essential to mov
ing on to taxes.
So were saving tremendous
amounts of money on healthcare
when we get this done, number
one. And most importantly, actual
ly were going to have g reat
healthcare. And all of that saving
goes into the tax. If you dont do
that, you cant put any of the sav
ings into the tax cuts.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
political conscience.
Bannon was dumped from the
National Security Council last week
in a move that was seen as a tri
umph for officials who represent a
more traditional, globalist foreign
policy worldview.
His demotion was seen as another
sign that the more moderate, estab
lishmentoriented influences in his
administration epitomized by his
soninlaw Jared Kushner, Trump's
daughter, Ivanka, and chief econom
ic adviser Gary Cohn were rising to
the detriment of Bannon and his
antiestablishment cohort Stephen
Miller.
Of course, one day of policy
adjustments does not necessarily
mean that Trump's unique political
persona and methodology are sud
denly going to change. After all, the
President has spent most of his first
100 days in office torching conven
tional political practice, trading in
untruths and exaggerations, and
pouring oil on political controver
sies on Twitter including accusa
tions that his campaign had links to
the Kremlin at a time when Moscow
was being accused of interfering in
the US election. There is no sign, for
instance, that Trump is pulling back
from other controversial positions
including doubling down on border
enforcement and expulsions of
undocumented immigrants.
'US intercepted
communications
between Syrian military,
chemical experts'
Washington: The US military and
intelligence community has inter
cepted communications featuring
Syrian military and chemical
experts talking about prepara
tions for the April 3 attack that
killed over 80 civilians, a senior
US official told a news channel.
The intercepts were part of an
immediate review of all intelli
gence in the hours after the
attack in Idlib.
The US did not know prior to
the attack it was going to hap
pen, the official told CNN late on
Wednesday night.
The US scoops up such a large
volume of communications inter
cepts in areas like Syria and Iraq,
the material often is not tion of Russian complicity in the
processed unless there is a partic
Perhaps the most striking 180
degree reversal by Trump on
Wednesday came on NATO. While
he was a candidate, Trump sent
shockwaves through Europe by
declaring that the most successful
military alliance in history was
"obsolete."
Sidebyside with NATO Secretary
General Jens Stoltenberg on
Wednesday at an East Room news
conference, Trump took the oppo
site tack.
"The Secretary General and I had
a productive discussion about what
more NATO can do in the fight
against terrorism," Trump said. "I
complained about that a long time
ago and they made a change, and
now they do fight terrorism. I said it
was obsolete; it's no longer obso
lete."
Trump's claims that NATO has
suddenly adopted an antiterrorism
mandate because of his ef forts is
highly debatable. T he Western
alliance spent years fighting in
Afghanistan in a war that was first
launched to rout out alQaeda and
its Taliban protectors after the
September 11 attacks in 2001.
But Trump's comments allowed
the President a graceful way of
walking back a position that had
once threatened to undermine the
very rationale of transatlantic
defense relations.
ular event that requires analysts
to go back and look for support
ing intelligence material.
So far there are no intelligence
intercepts that have been found
directly confirming that Russian
military or intelligence of ficials
communicated about the attack.
The official said the likelihood
is the Russians are more careful
in their communications to avoid
being intercepted, reports CNN.
The Russian and Syrian govern
ments have both denied involve
ment in the chemical attack.
US President Donald Trump
told a White House news confer
ence on Wednesday that the
Pentagon is looking into the ques
chemical attack.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info US AFFAIRS April 15-21, 2017 11

Trump just threw Melania wins

Bannon under the bus damages from tabloid
Washington: About a week

over escort slur

ago, news were clear that the
knives were out for White
House chief strategist Steve
Bannon, who was said to be
London: The Daily Mail has apologized
clashing with other top
and agreed to pay damages to US First
administration of ficials, los
Lady Melania Trump after it published
ing the presidents favor, and
an article saying she of fered "services
potentially on his way out of
beyond simply modeling" in her former
the administration.
job.
On Tuesday, those reports
Melania, 46, had sued the publisher of
were confirmed by the high
the Daily Mail in Britain and also filed a
estlevel source possible
$150 million lawsuit against the tabloid
President Donald Trump him
in New York, claiming the article had
self. In an interview, the New
Trumps chief strategist Steve Bannon cost her millions of dollars in potential
York Posts Michael Goodwin
involved in my campaign instruction from Trump that business.
asked Trump if he still had
until very late, Trump told they had to work things out. The article, which ran in the newspa
confidence in Bannon, and,
Goodwin. I had already beat Earlier on Tuesday, White per under the headline "Racy photos and
Goodwin writes, I did not get
en all the senators and all the House press secretary Sean troubling questions about his wife's past
a definitive yes.
governors, and I didnt know Spicer called these reports that could derail Trump", was published
Far from it. Instead, in just
Steve. overblown which, while last August.
four remarkable and reveal
Trump continued: Im my perhaps less than honest, is Ms Trump's lawyers argued the report
ing sentences, Trump man
own strategist and it wasnt the normal thing for an damaged her ability to build businesses
aged to 1) minimize Bannons
like I was going to change administration to do in situa based on her status as a "successful
role in his campaign and
strategies because I was fac tions like this. Unfortunately, businesswoman".
eventual victory, 2) seeming
ing crooked Hillary. the president himself contra The total settlement for the US and UK
ly betray some sensitivity
A set of dishy recent dicted Spicers denial and lawsuits was about $2.9 million, accord
about the President Bannon
reports have described a bur revealed the tensions were ing to a person familiar with the settle
narrative, 3) confirm the
geoning feud between serious enough that he had to ment who spoke to AP on condition of
reports of administration
Bannon and White House step in. Steve is a good guy, anonymity.
infighting, and 4) issue a pub
senior adviser (and presiden but I told them to straighten The information was not released in First Lady
lic ultimatum.
I like Steve, but you have tial soninlaw) Jared it out or I will, Trump told court. Melania Trump
to remember he was not Kushner, leading to an Goodwin.
 12 April 15-21, 2017
India will hit back if Jadhav is hanged
New Delhi: Amid the outrage over
the death sentence awarded to
alleged Indian 'spy Kulbhushan
Jadhav, India warned Pakistan of
consequences if it executed him. A
defiant Islamabad justified the
capital punishment.
A day after Jadhav's sentencing
by a Pakistani military court, the
issue resonated both inside and
outside Parliament.
While Parliament unanimously
condemned Pakistan's decision,
External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj asserted that New Delhi
"will go out of the way to save him
(Jadhav)".
"An innocent Indian citizen is
facing death sentence in Pakistan
without due process and in viola
tion of basic norms of law, justice
and internat ional re lat ions,"
Sushma Swaraj told both houses
of Parliament.
"I would caution the Pakistan
government to consider the con
sequences for our bilateral rela
tionship if they proceed on this
matter," she said. The minister
reiterated India's stand that
Jadhav, arrested in March 2016
Pakistan rules
out immediate
execution of Jadhav
Kulbhushan Jadhav (left) is seen on a placard
during a protest in Mumbai.
Islamabad: Kulbhushan Jadhav, an
alleged Indian 'spy' who has been
awarded death sentence by a mili
tary court in Pakistan, will not be
immediately executed, Defence
Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif
has said. Asif said three appellate
forums are available under the law
to Jadhav, whose family lives in
Mumbai, Dawn online reported.
According to the minister, the
trial of Jadhav, who Pakistan said
was working for the Research and
Analysis Wing and arrested in
March 2016 in Balochistan, lasted
three and a half months.
He faced charges of spying for
India, working against Pakistan's
integrity, sponsoring terrorism
"I would caution the Pakistan government to consider
the consequences for our bilateral relationship
if they proceed on this matter," said Sushma Swaraj.
reportedly from Balochistan and
accused of espionage and waging
war against Pakistan, had been
framed under false charges. She
said Pakistan's aim was to divert
global attention from its acts of
sponsoring terrorism in India.
"We have no choice but to regard
this sentence if carried out as an
act of premeditated murder." India
and attempting to destabilise the
country.
Asif said Jadhav had the right to
move the Pakistan Army's Court of
Appeal against his conviction with
in 60 days, followed by submission
of mercy pleas to the army chief
and the President.
Asif rejected Indian claims that
Jadhav's execution would be "pre
meditated murder", saying due
process of law was followed in the
trial.
The minister said those involved
in terrorist activities and conspir
ing against the security and
integrity of Pakistan would not be
allowed any concession, whether
or not they lived in the country.
INDIA
would appeal to the Supreme
Court of Pakistan and petition the
President of Pakistan to save "the
son of the nation", Sushma Swaraj
said.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh
said New Delhi would do every
thing required to secure justice
for Jadhav. "We condemn this act
of Pakistan. I would like to assure
Cooler heads must take charge
in India, Pakistan: Daily
Islamabad: Warning that the sen
tencing of an alleged Indian spy
can cause "lasting harm" to India
Pakistan re lations, a leading
Pakistani daily urged "cooler
heads" in both countries to take
charge.
"The conviction for spying and
sabotage of Kulbhushan Jadhav
has the potential to inflict lasting
harm on bilateral relations if not
handled sensibly," the Dawn said
in an editorial.
"The disappearance of a retired
Pakistani military officer in Nepal
Delhi court issues openended
NBW against Mallya
New Delhi: A court here issued
openended nonbailable warrant
(NBW) against liquor baron Vijay
Mallya in case of alleged violation
of foreign exchange rules.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate
Sumit Dass issued the NBW after
Mallya did not appear in the
Foreign Exchange Regulation Act
(FERA) violation case.
The court fixed November 8 for
further hearing but asked the
probe agency to file a status
report within two months.
The court was hearing the final
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
the house that whatever needs to
be done to provide justice to
Jadhav, we will do."
Singh accused Pakistan of ignor
ing "basic norms of law and jus
tice" in sentencing Jadhav.
"Pakistan has said a valid Indian
passport has been found from
Jadhav. If he was having a valid
passport, how can he be a spy?"
Leader of Opposition in the
Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad,
urged the government to appoint
a "strong lawyer" who can fight
Jadhav's case in the Supreme
Court of Pakistan.
Pakistan justified the death sen
tence and said it was capable of
defending itself against external
aggression.
"We cannot remain oblivious to
defending our sovereignty and
protecting our independence,"
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said.
Pakistan was "fully equipped" to
deal with all such "elements with
an iron fist", its Defence Minister
Khawaja Asif told the Senate in an
obvious reference to Indian warn
ings. "We will defend our country
at all costs," he said and insisted
in murky circumstances suggests
that the spy wars between India
and Pakistan are spiralling in
unpredictable directions," it said.
"The fear is that the leaderships
of the two countries are locking
themselves in an actionreaction
cycle that may eventually turn
into open conflict.
"From there, ratcheting down
tension and pulling back from the
brink would be far more difficult.
So now is the time for cooler
heads to prevail on both sides."
"What is the policy outcome
arguments in the 2000 case relat
ed to alleged violation by Mallya
of the erstwhile FERA provision in
arranging funds to advertise his
company's liquor pro ducts
abroad.
On October 4 last year, the
Enforcement Directorate told the
court that Mallya can obtain
emergency travel documents to
return to India and face the FERA
violation case.
The court has observed in its
threepage order that Mallya
failed to obtain the emergency
that Jadhav's trial followed due
legal process.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor
slammed Pakistan.
"What Pakistan is doing is not
only an assault on India, it is an
assault on international laws,
international conventions that
affect everybody.
"There are certain countries that
finance and arm the Pakistani mil
itary. Those countries must be
told by us that if this can be done
to an Indian today, it can be done
to one of their nationals tomor
row," T haroor said in the Lok
Sabha. BJP MP Subramanian
Swamy said India must recognise
Balochistan as an independent
country if Pakistan went ahead
with Jadhav's execution.
Meanwhile, MNS supporters
took out a procession in Mumbai
to condemn Islamabad and
demand Jad hav's immediate
release.
Carrying placards and banners
with antiPakistani slogans, the
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena
leaders and workers said Jadhav
was innocent.
that is being pursued by engag
ing in spy wars?" the Dawn
asked.
Another newspaper, T he
Nation, said Jadhav's fate "is not
set in stone" and asked India to
discuss Jammu and Kashmir with
Pakistan.
"Having gotten India to claim
ownership of Jadhav and by
extension his spying activities
Pakistan, after the longest time, is
in a position to dictate the media
narrative over this case, and it
must do this expertly.
travel documents as he has no
intention to return to India.
Mallya on September 9 sought
exemption from personal appear
ance in court and said he is
unable to return and face trial as
the Indian authorities had sus
pended his passport.
On July 9 last year, the court
asked Mallya to personally
appear after allow ing the
Enforcement Directorate's plea to
withdraw the exemption given to
him from personal appearance in
the case.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Parliament adjourned sine
die; Budget Session 'golden'
New Delhi: Parliament was
adjourned sine die as the Budget
Session (242nd Session) came to
an end. While the Chairs of both
houses expressed satisfaction over
the amount of legislative business
conducted, the government called
it the most fruitful and golden ses
sion in Indian legislative history.
Apart from the Budget 201718,
Appropriation Bill and the Finance
Bill, Parliament also passed the
crucial Goods and Services Tax
(GST) Bill aimed at introducing a
uniform indirect tax regime across
the country.
A total of 24 bills were intro
duced during the session. Of these,
the Lok Sabha passed 23 bills,
while the Rajya Sabha passed 14. A
total of 18 bills were passed by
both the houses.
T he session commenced on
January 31, a first in the history of
Indian Parliament. It went into
recess for 27 days from February
10, and was reconvened on March
9. In all, both houses of Parliament
Gaikwad says AI staffers
provoked him, police probe on
New Delhi: Delhi Police is investi
gating claims by Shiv Sena MP
Ravindra Gaikwad that Air India
staffers provoked and manhandled
him, forcing him to hit back, a sen
ior officer said.
The Delhi Police Crime Branch is
corroborating the sequence of
events of March 23 to fill the "evi
dence g ap" be fore taking any
act ion against Gaikwad, Joint
Commissioner of Police (Crime
Branch) Praveer Ranjan told IANS.
"There is a big gap in the evi
dence on the alleged assault of an
Air India staffer by Gaikwad, who
held 29 sittings each during the
session.
"This Budget session has been
very fruitful... in the last 70 years.
This is for the first time in Indian
legislative history that all financial
business of government has been
completed before the start of the
next financial year, and that too by
following the due process of gen
eral discussion and scrutiny by
Standing Committees," Union
Parliamentary Af fairs Minister
Ananth Kumar said.
He said the Union Budget 2017
18 has already come into ef fect
from April 1, which is "unprece
dented".
The Finance Bill led to sparks in
the Rajya Sabha as the opposition
accused the Centre of misusing the
money bill route to amend laws in
order to bypass the upper house. It
made certain recommendations to
the Finance Bill, which were reject
ed by the Lok Sabha.
The Lok Sabha's productivity
turned out to be 113 per cent
Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad.
has raised doubts regarding the
case," Ranjan said.
Gaikwad had gloated on March
23 to the media that he repeatedly
assaulted Air India duty manager
R. Sukumar, 60, with his slipper
over a row over lack of business
class seats on a PuneDelhi flight.
The incident led to Air India and
all private airlines banning
Gaikwad. The ban has since been
lifted. Ranjan said the investigating
team would first analyse a "state
ment" from the MP in which he
has claimed that he was initially
manhandled by Air India staffers.
INDIA
Union Minister Chemicals & Fertilizers Minister Ananth Kumar
addresses a press conference after completion of the Budget Session
in New Delhi.
while that of the Rajya Sabha was
92 per cent.
While the Lok Sabha lost around
eight hours to interruptions, the
Rajya Sabha lost 18 hours.
T he lower house worked 19
hours extra while the upper house
worked seven extra hours to make
up for the loss.
Some of the important bills
passed by both the houses include
the four GST Bills, Payment of
Wages (Amendment) Bill,
This, he said, provoked him.
The MP had provided the state
ment to the Civil Aviation Ministry.
T his has reached De lhi Police
through the Home Ministry.
Asked why the police were not
acting against Gaikwad when he
himself has admitted to attacking
the Air India staf fer, Ranjan said:
"Gaikwad accepted it on news
channels. But there is no evidence
of attack against him (Gaikwad)."
The MP had refused to disem
bark after he had to travel in an
alleconomy flight although he had
held an open business class ticket.
April 15-21, 2017
Maternity Benefit (Amendment)
Bill, Mental Healthcare Bill and the
Employee's Compensat ion
(Amendment) Bill.
The government also got the
contentious Enemy Property Bill
passed in the Rajya Sabha where
it is not in majority albeit in the
absence of a majority of opposition
members and a walkout by
remaining few in protest before
the bill was passed. The govern
ment had brought the bill on a
BJP disowns
leader's bounty offer
to behead Mamata
Kolkata/New Delhi: The BJP dis
owned a youth leader who trig
gered outrage by offering Rs 11
lakh to anyone who beheads West
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee.
An unperturbed Banerjee said
she considers such threats as
"blessings".
As the Trinamool Congress and
Congress raised the issue angrily
in Parliament, demanding action
against Yogesh Varshney, the
Bharatiya Janata Party distanced
itself from the Aligarhbased
leader. BJP national Secretary
Rahul Sinha said such comments
cannot be condoned.
"We doubt if he has the credibil
ity to be a BJP Yuva Morcha
leader. Such comments cannot be
supported by anyone. He has
made a most jihadilike state
ment," Sinha said in Kolkata.
"We will continue to oppose
Mamata Banerjee on political
grounds. But the BJP does not
approve the politics of hatred and
murder though such extreme
comments were made by
Trinamool Congress leaders earli
er," he said.
Speaking in Murshidabad,
Banerjee said: "I am being abused
variously. I consider that as bless
ings. The more they abuse us,
13
Friday when the attendance is usu
ally thin in the Rajya Sabha.
T he Parliamentary Af fairs
Minister appreciated the coopera
tion extended by the opposition in
the transaction of legislative busi
ness, but blamed the Congress for
stalling a bill for the grant of con
stitutional status to the National
Commission for Backward Classes.
VicePresident and Rajya Sabha
Chair Hamid Ansari, in his valedic
tory remarks, appreciated the
members' enthusiasm in partici
pating in the house proceedings,
especially those from the last two
rows.
"The participation of the mem
bers occupying the last two rows is
remarkable. Out of a total of 205
Zero Hour submissions, they
raised 86 approximately 42 per
cent," Ansari said.
"The members' zeal to raise mat
ters of urgent public importance
with concern and passion is mani
fested in the 205 Zero Hour sub
missions and 76 Special Mentions
made and in the 435 Starred
Questions with more than 535
Supplementaries and 4,629
Unstarred Questions raised by
them," he said. Lok Sabha Speaker
Sumitra Mahajan too expressed
pleasure over the smooth conduct
of the session and hailed it as "very
fruitful and productive".
they more we will march forward.
"Now we are in Bengal. Slowly
we will move on to Bihar, Odisha,
Jharkhand, Delhi, Punjab and
Uttar Pradesh."
In the Lok Sabha, Parliamentary
Af fairs Minister Ananth Kumar
condemned the remarks.
"The statement ... is completely
wrong. We condemn it. Mamata
Banerjee is an elected leader and
she must be respected," he said.
Varshney of the Bharatiya
Janata Yuva Morcha made the
statement after police clashed
with people taking part in a
Hanuman Jayanti rally in West
Bengal's Birbhum district on
Tuesday.
"She stands up for Muslims.
Aren't Hindus human beings? If
there was some humanity, then
there wouldn't be so much dis
crimination against the Hindus,"
he said after apparently seeing a
video of police assaulting the ral
lyists to disperse them.
"There is only one thought that
crossed my mind after watching
that video... Whoever will cut off
Mamata Banerjee's head, I will
give that person Rs 11 lakh as
reward," Varshney said.
Varshney's of fer went viral on
social media, triggering wide
spread condemnation.
 14 April 15-21, 2017 OP-ED TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Yogi chants 'na sounga, na sone doonga'

By Mohit Dubey
Lucknow: If Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's most publicized statement over the
years has been "na khaaonga, na khaane
doonga (neither will I take bribes, nor will I
allow anyone to either)", for the 21st Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the
credo seems to be "na soounga, na sone
doonga" (Neither will I sleep, nor will I allow
anyone to). A bachelor and a workaholic,
Yogi is working long hours every day, say
his aides. Ever since Yogi was sworn in as
the Chief Minister of India's most populous
state, he has been working at a blistering
pace, something which most of ficials and
even ministers in his cabinet are not able to
keep up with. Since April 3, the "maharajji"
as he is called by the faithful, has been tak
ing long review meetings and seeing presen
tations of various departments that go on
past midnight.
The last four days have given nightmares
to several top bureaucrats, used to a good
night's sleep over the last many years. Now,
not only are they reporting for duty at 9
a.m. every day, the closing hours of the
office are not fixed. Lights can be spotted in
many of fices of the Bapu Bhawan, Indira
Bhawan, Jawahar Bhawan and the Annexe
secretariat as officials prepare for their ren
dezvous with Yogi.
A fivetime MP from Gorakhpur, Yogi
Adityanath has learnt the ropes pretty fast,
averred a senior bureaucrat, who said that
the Chief Minister is not only "very sharp"
but has "surprising knowledge" of depart
ments, schemes and projects.
The Chief Minister had, at the start of his
regime, made it clear that officials and min
isters should brace up to work for 1618
hours and if they do not, the options were
wide open. The fifth floor office of the Chief
Minister, referred to as the 'Pancham Tal' in
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is also rumored to be planning to hold cabinet meets in
different cities, the first being Allahabad.
the corridors of power, now invariably
remains open till well after midnight, with
peons, liftmen, security staf f, ministerial
staf f and of ficials remaining on extended
duty hours.
With most cabinet ministers initially nam
ing their juniors to attend these meetings,
Yogi has now sent a missive to them to
ensure their personal presence at review
meetings and has cancelled all leaves and
any trips outside the state capital for all his
ministers till April 20, when the final pres
entation is to be made before him.
On a given day, or rather night, the Chief
Minister reviews at least four departments
in one go and the meetings go on for more
that fourfive hours, say insiders. He is quick
to point out lacunae, he seeks files in a jiffy
and has a sharp eye for detail, says an offi
cial admitting that for them, the new work
culture was indeed a "painful exercise in
learning".
The diminutive Rahul Bhatnagar, the Chief
Secretary, seems to be the biggest sufferer.
So far lording over the bureaucracy of the
state, Bhatnagar is omnipresent and is tak
ing most of the brunt of the long meetings
and expeditious government functioning.
Officers and employees in the state infor
mation and public relations department too
are a harassed lot. With meetings going on
past midnight their work starts thereafter
preparing press releases for the media.
Yogi has, according to aides, so far taken
presentations of the sugar, agriculture,
industries, small industry, khadi, mandi
parishad, animal husbandry, fisheries, dairy
development, horticulture, energy, MSME
and infrastructure departments. Thereafter
he is likely to begin touring the districts and
take a look for himself how the government
works at the g round leve l. He is also
rumored to be planning to hold cabinet
meets in dif ferent cities, the first being
Allahabad.

Following MPC line, All of the central

bank's efforts to
manage
liquidity in the

onus on government to
economy will
be rendered
useless if the
government

revive economy
does not work in
tandem with its
policy actions.

banks already have surplus cash. In ures to maintain liquidity neutrality significant longterm implications contain.
By Amit Kapoor such a situation, the reverse repo such as variable repo rate opera for the economy that might prove The Indian government needs to
rate, or the rate at which commer tions, open market operations, issu inimical to the central bank's goals. steer clear of such illinformed poli

T
he Reserve Bank of India's
(RBI) first monetary policy
review of fiscal 201718 was
presented last week amidst expecta
tions of a status quo on the interest
rates and speculation of action on a
few irritants like the problem of
excess liquidity. As expected, the
repo rate was left untouched.
Surprisingly, the reverse repo rate
was increased by a quarter percent
age point to six percent and the
marginal standing facility (MSF)
rate was reduced by an equal
amount to 6.5 percent.
The reverse repo rate was
increased to mop up the excess liq
uidity that has accumulated with
the banks postdemonetization. In a
system with excess liquidity, the
repo rate, or the rate at which com
mercial banks borrow from the cen
tral bank, becomes ineffective as
cial banks park their excess liquidi
ty with the central bank, becomes
an effective policy tool.
As the RBI has reduced the gap
between repo and reverse repo rate
from 50 to 25 basis points, the
range in which the overnight rate at
which banks lend each other has
reduced as well, and it expectedly
rose following Thursday's
announcement. This should reduce
the liquidity in the economy as
banks will move to park their funds
with the central bank. Such a move
was more nuanced than the tradi
tional approach of raising the cash
reserve ratio (CRR) to tackle excess
liquidity as banks would not have
earned any interest on money kept
in the form of CRR with the RBI.
Apart from the use of reverse
repo rate, the Monetary Policy
Report also indicated various meas
ing cash management bills and mar
ket stabilization bonds. Further, the
government is also examining the
prospect of implementing the
Standing Deposit Facility, under
which banks can park funds with
the RBI without receiving bonds as
collateral.
The RBI has done its best with the
limited tools at its disposal to con
trol inflation and address the prob
lems that have been ailing the econ
omy. Now, the onus is on the gov
ernment to revive growth along
with supplementing the RBI's
efforts in containing inflation.
However, the current financial year
has been off to a bad start on that
front.
As RBI Governor Urjit Patel point
ed out, the Uttar Pradesh govern
ment's decision to waive off farm
loans worth Rs 36,369 crore has
First, such a move creates moral
hazard among borrowers as it
removes any incentive for repay
ment. An economy already bur
dened with the problem of bad
loans can ill afford such a systemic
undermining of its credit culture.
Second, it forces other state gov
ernments to either offer similar
waivers or lose political ground.
This can already be seen in
Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu,
where similar loan waivers will
soon see the light of day. Third, it
adds to government debt that will
end up borrowing more and, in the
process, crowdingout private bor
rowers. Such a scenario will hurt
any growth prospects that the
Indian economy possesses. Rising
government debt will also add to
the inflationary pressure that the
RBI has been desperately trying to
cy decisions that only serve short
term political gains. A larger picture
of reviving the economy in conso
nance with the RBI needs to be fol
lowed. To begin with, the govern
ment needs to urgently roll out the
plan to tackle the problem of NPAs
that it has been working on with the
RBI. The issue of stressed assets has
constrained transmission and credit
flow, which has been hurting India's
growth and also reducing the effec
tiveness of RBI's policies.
All of the central bank's efforts
since the last few years to manage
liquidity in the economy and anchor
inflationary expectations will be
rendered useless if the government
does not work in tandem with its
policy actions. No amount of rate
changes by the Monetary Policy
Committee can help the economy in
that case.

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Arijit Singh performing in the packed Infinite Energy Arena in Atlanta, GA, on April 7.
l By Parveen Chopra
ellifluous, soulful and melodious.
M Arijit Singh's voice has been
described as capable of penetrat
ing the soul and creating a sense of blissful
relaxation. At his sold out concert in
Atlanta to a crowd of 9,500+, he again
proved how he commands a voice that
spreads happiness and touches the crux of
your entire being.
Truly he has a gift of giving soul to lyrics,
and life to a song.
National promoters for Arijits current US
tour are Roshni Productions and Bipin
Patel in association with MirchiCraft.
Bipin Patel, a successful New Jersey busi
nessman with interest in promotion of
entertainment evens gave exclusive inter
view to The South Asian Times after the
Atlanta concert. Exceprts:
The SATimes: What was the audience
response like, and the atmosphere in the
auditorium when Arijit performed in the
Infinite Energy Arena in Atlanta
Bipin Patel: It was a pack house with audi
ence humming Arijit's songs along with
him. Production is the highlight of the
7,000 girls perform Kuchipudi
in Vizag to set new record
MUSIC
show, probably the
biggest ever for any
Bollywood Concert.
4 Which Arijit numbers
the audience liked most?
Bipin Patel: He started
with his most famous song from Ranbir
Anushka starrer Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (Title
Track) and ended the concert with Channa
Mereya from the same album.
4Will you call Arijit the most in demand
and successful singer of the past few years
in Bollywood?
Bipin Patel: Absolutely yes, because
9500+ people attending a Bollywood
music concert in Atlanta has never hap
pened before.
4How many of Arijit shows are scheduled
during his current USA tour.
Bipin Patel: There are 8 shows scheduled
throughout USA after Atlanta it will be
Chicago, San Jose, Washington DC, New
Jersey, Dallas, Houston and Austin. Yes, I
will be travelling to a majority of the ven
ues.
4You are national copromoter. How did
National promoters of Arijit tour Bipin Patel & Roshni Suchde with the singing sensation.
you collaboration with Roshni Suchde
come about?
Bipin Patel: Yes we are national promoter
for Arijit Singh concerts. Roshni is a rising
businesswoman in entertainment indus
try. She is taking over the business from
her father, Natwar Thakkar. Roshni has a
sincere passion for Indian entertainment,
showcasing some of the top music per
formers and Bollywood stars.
Visakhapatnam: As many as 7,000 girls on
Tuesday performed classical dance
Kuchipudi in this Andhra Pradesh city to
set a Guinness World record.
The students from 21 governmentrun
residential schools in the north coastal
Andhra participated in the event to com
memorate 125th birth anniversary of B.R.
Ambedkar.
The girls performed in unison with three
songs, whose theme was the life story of
Ambedkar.
The event was organized by Andhra
Pradesh Residential Educational Institutions
Society and Social Welfare Department. CM
N. Chandrababu Naidu, ministers and top
April 15-21, 2017 15
With his mellifluous voice, Arijit Singh
has become the most popular and
loved Bollywood singer in recent years.
4What do you look forward in the
Newark, NJ show on April 22?
Bipin Patel: We have very few tickets left.
Music and Bollywood enthusiasts can buy
tickets either at the Box Office or Ticket
Master. We are expecting a huge crowd of
more than 12,000 people attending the
New Jersey show and I am sure everyone
will have a good time.
officials attended the program. The organiz
ers said it broke the record last year of
6,000 artists performing the classical dance
in Vijayawada.
The girls who performed in
Visakhapatnam were trained by profession
al dancers for the last two months.
In his address, Naidu said Kuchipudi was
the cultural heritage of Andhra Pradesh.
Its the responsibility of all of us to pass on
this great heritage to our coming genera
tions, he said. He added that Rs 100 crore
was allocated in the state budget for the
promotion of Kuchipudi and a Kuchipudi
Academy would also come up in the new
state capital of Amaravati.
 16 April 15-21, 2017 BOLLYwOOD

Akshay wins National

Award for Rustom
The 49-year-old actors performance in
crime thriller Rustom -- a film loosely based
on the Commander K.M. Nanavati case -- has
been lauded for a perfect portrayal of a char-
acter caught in personal and social turmoil.
In a video posted on his Twitter handle,
Akshay said: Thank you seems like a very
small word right now, but I dont know how
else to express what I am feeling right now.
I am truly humbled by this honor.
I would like to thank the National Award
jury and all my fans from the core of my
heart for believing in my talent. Rustom
was a very special role to play.
Getting to wear the countrys Navy uni-
Aamir during his 52nd birthday celebration in Mumbai.
form is in itself special... Be it for a film.
And now this National Award has made
this even more special. Akshay dedicated Aamirs Secret Superstar to
clash with Rajinikanths 2.o
his award to his parents, family and wife
Twinkle Khanna. Twinkle retweeted Ak-
shays video, and wrote: I dont know if I

The actor was feted with the
Padma Shri in 2011.
A
am crying or laughing -- emotions all over amir Khans Secret Superstar will Spokesperson of Secret Superstar said
the place. So proud of you Akshay Kumar -- lock horns with Rajinikanth and Ak- in a statement: The second week of the
you smart, humble, amazing creature. shay Kumar-starrer 2.o at the box office film is as important as the first week. Tradi-

A ctor Akshay Kumar, who has won his

first National Film Award, says win-
ning the honor has made the film Rus-
tom even more special for him.
Akshay was named the Best Actor
for Rustom at the 64th National Film
Awards, announced in Mumbai.
Akshay began his acting career in the
1990s, he primarily starred in action films
and was known for his appearances in films
of the Khiladi series as well as other action
films such as Waqt Hamara Hai, Mohra,
Elaan, Suhaag, Sapoot and Jaanwar. two big releases (Toilet: Ek Prem Katha
He was feted with the Padma Shri in 2011.
when the films will make their way to the-
aters over the Diwali weekend, says the
spokesperson of Secret Superstar.
Sources close to the project explain
that the makers of Secret Superstar, with
leasing as per the earlier August schedule.
and tentatively titled The Ring) on Au-
gust 11, were left with no choice but to
look for another date.
tionally, the Diwali festive period is known
to have room for multiple big ticket films.
Sources close to the development state
that Aamir himself called Rajinikanth and
discussed his concerns with the film re-
Both the actors share a warm bond and it
was with Rajini sirs blessing that the film
is announcing a Diwali release.

Rajamouli all for re-

release of Baahubali:
The Beginning
A still from the movie.
Wont be able to write my
autobiography: Salman
D irector S.S. Rajamouli says its a fan-
tastic idea to re-release the original
Baahubali saga a fortnight ahead of the
second part. In an unprecedented market-
ing move, the distributors of the Hindi ver-
sion of the original Baahubali saga have
decided to release Baahubali: The Begin-
ning before Baahubali: The Conclusion
releases. Rajamouli said: It is a fantastic
idea. Because when Baahubali: The Begin-
ning released in July 2015, it was not a
big film. It gradually picked up.
Of course, there are still a lot of peo-
ple in the northern states who havent
watched part 1 in the theater. So, I think
it is definitely a fantastic idea. Mumbai
exhibitor Anil Thadani is eager to do this
and I think it is a great idea. Actors Asha Parekh & Salman Khan at the launch of formers autobiography.
Trade analyst Atul Mohan agrees. Yes
why not? There are two advantages.
Firstly, there is no content doing well at B ollywood superstar Salman Khan,
who is known for his flamboyant im-
age and colorful life, says he would not be
In those days Asha aunty, Saira (Banu)
aunty, Helen aunty among others were
so close to each other. They were genu-
the box office and cinema halls are run-
ning empty, particularly post Badrinath able to write his autobiography. ine friends. I think these days girls should
Ki Dulhania. Secondly, Baahubali part Present here at Taj Lands End here for learn it from them, they lead a great life.
1 was a phenomenal success and watch- the book launch of yesteryears actress I think our generation, we miss that out.
ing it on big screen again would be expe- Asha Parekhs autobiography The Hit Thanking Salman for writing the forward
riencing the experience again. Girl, he said: I dont think I deserve to be of her book, Asha said: When the idea came
Those who missed it would love to here but feeling really honored as Asha if I should go for an autobiography, ques-
catch it before part 2. And for repeat aunty is very dear to our family. Writing a tions came to my mind. However, I speak the
audience it would be a ravishing recall. autobiography, unveiling life story is very truth in my book; I tried to be honest with-
Though the film has been shown on TV tough, I wont be able to write one. out sensationalizing anything. I am thankful
channels and is available online on OTT As against the present situation, when to all the people who supported me in film
platforms, but we all know Baahubali is due to professional competition, actresses industry and my fans to keep showing their
made only for big screen. do not get along together well, Salman said: interest in my work and life.
 BOLLYwOOD April 15-21, 2017 17

Ranveer is
Review

Mirza Juuliet
currently busy
working on
Padmavati.
Rustic and banal love saga
Mirza Juuliet is Romeo Juliet in a rus-
tic avatar, as it is set in Uttar Pradesh. A
feisty girl, Julie is the pampered youngest
lows down in the second half and performs
well. She is confident and uninhibited.
The plot is wafer-thin and predictable as
sister of three brothers -- Dhanraaj (Pri- it hinges on the usual love story, although
yanshu Chatterjee), Bheem and Nakul and the back story of Mirza is meant to round it
can get away with any kind of mischief. off and make it look more complete.
Betrothed to Rajan Pandey (Chandan While the film has the perfect setting
Roy Sanyal), the debauch and depraved son and touches upon issues like a political
of a politician of Allahabad, she falls in love scenario replete with religious polariza-

Im still raw
with her childhood friend Mirza (Darshan
Kumaar), a boy with a dubious past. The
trials and tribulations of the young lovers
as they are pitted against a caste-conscious
society, forms the crux of this film.
Darshan as Mirza, excels as he brings
tion, power-hungry politicians, corrupt po-
lice officials, a caste-driven society, family
honor, a much-in-love couple, somewhere,
the love story and the chemistry of the two
lovers, fails to engage or involve you.
With an unnecessary emphasis on sex,

Ranveer Singh
to life his character of an underdog, lover
and dauntless individual. He emotes with
conviction and fights with equal panache.
There is a certain restraint in his demeanor
which is praiseworthy.
so much so that Rajan Pandey refers to his
beloved fianc Julie as Sex-peares Juliet,
the film adds a raunchy flavor to the narra-
tive, albeit a bit uncalled for.
The dialogues are crass, in keeping with

H e won many-a-heart by showcasing his

fresh and raw acting skills six years ago
in Band Baaja Baaraat. With over 10 films
tiste... when you stagnate, he said.
The 31-year-old, who has delivered hits
like Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela and
Pia Bajpai as Julie, is crass and over-the-
top in her initial spoilt-girl avatar, but mel-
the flavor of the characters. Nevertheless,
they are peppered with humor.

to his credit now, actor Ranveer Singh says he
has evolved but believes that he is still raw.
Im still raw... Id like to believe. Yes,
there certainly has been an evolution. I
have learnt a lot of things about the craft
and people management. I have become
a little more responsible. When you are
showered with so much love and affection
from the fans... it becomes your responsi-
bility to make them proud, Ranveer said.
The actor says he feels immensely con-
nected to his well-wishers and is happy
that his work is being highly appreciated.
But he hopes not to stagnate.
I hope to do different stuff and never
stagnate. Thats really the death of an ar-
Bajirao Mastani, also underwent a low
phase when Befikre did not do well at the
box office. Ranveer says one shouldnt get
affected by failure.
Fortunately, early in my career, I learnt
that filmmaking is a team effort. It is a col-
laborative effort so the success or failure...
One should not get too carried away by
success and, at the same time, you cannot
get too bogged down by failure. After all,
its a team effort, he said.
Ranveer is currently busy working on
filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padma-
vati and has also been roped in for direc-
tor Zoya Akhtars Gully Boy, in which he
will be seen essaying the role of a rapper.

Vinod Khanna Pia Bajpai and Darshan Kumaar in a still from the movie.

stable, says hospital Being single is like being

V eteran Bollywood actor Vinod Khan-
na, who was hospitalized last week
due to severe dehydration, has responded
positively to treatment and is stable, doc-
born again: Freida Pinto
tors treating him said.
The actor was admitted to Sir H.N. Reli-
ance Foundation Hospital with severe de-
I ndia-born US-based actress Freida Pinto,
who was earlier in a relationship with ac-
tor Dev Patel for seven years, is currently
Freida and Dev, who started dating during
the filming of Slumdog Millionaire, which
released in 2008, parted ways in December
hydration. He is under the care of our doc- single. She says it feels like she is born again. 2014. You can be with someone and it can
tors and has responded positively to the For the first time, I finally understand be really good for your growth. Thats what
treatment and is now stable, the hospital the concept of self-love and self-care. Im Dev was for me. The seven years I was with
spokesperson said. His family thanks his single and happy, and busy. I havent been him were so impactful. But I ended up being
well-wishers for the good wishes and re- single for a long time. Its like being born single when I started thinking about these
quests to respect their privacy, he added. again, Pinto told dailymail.co.uk. other things, she said.
Vinod Khannas son Rahul said: Dad was
hospitalized on March 31 for severe dehy-
dration. The situation was quickly brought
under control, hes doing much better and the
Pinto was
doctors are looking to discharge him soon.
Rahul, who is also an actor, added that
earlier dating
the family is touched by all the good actor Dev
Patel.
wishes pouring in.
The actor, who is a sitting Bharatiya Jana-
ta Party member of the Lok Sabha from the
Gurdaspur constituency in Punjab, was ad-
A file photo of veteran actor mitted to Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospi-
Vindo Khanna. tal and Research Center in Girgaon, Mumbai.
18 April 15-21, 2017 FEATURES TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Many mustwatch films at NYIFF

An interview with the director of New York Indian Film Festival
l By Neeru Saluja family.

ts that time of the year again. The oldSince the inception of this festival, how

I est and most prestigious Indian film

festival in the United States is getting
ready to screen premieres of multigenre
films from the Indian subcontinent. With
an aim to build awareness of Indian cine
ma and entertain North Americans about
the reality of the Indian subcontinent, the in all its diversity!
festival has come a long way.
The driving spirit behind this
festival is the director of the
IndoAmerican Arts Council
(IAAC) and the New York
Indian Film Festival
(NYIFF), Aroon
Shivdasani. She started
this festival in 2001 to
showcase Indian
Independent and
Diaspora films in the
US.
Excerpts from exclusive
interview with the NYIFF
director:
Congratulations for a bril
liant line up for this years founder and director of NYIFF
NYIFF. What is the mes
sage and theme for this year's festival?
The 17th New York Indian Film Festival
that will run from April 30 to May 7
will focus on connections. The bond
between a father and son, the strong
friendship between women, friends and
do you see IndianAmerican ties
strengthening?
When we started this festival 19 years
ago, it had a 100% Indian audience. We
expanded the festival to the rest of South
Asia. Our audience is now New York City
What can the audience expect
that will be different
from last year's
NYIFF?
4Shoot A
Short Film
workshop by
National
Award
Winning
Filmmaker Lipstick Under My Burkha is the Deepa Mehtas Mostly Sunny, about
Umesh Opening Film of NYIFF that will run from the porn start turned Bolllywood star, is
Kulkarni April 30 to May 7 one of NYIFFs notable films.
4Sibling Priyanka Chopra productions Ventilator forms. What shall we expect in 2017?
Filmmakers side & Sarvann Besides NYIFF, Erasing Borders Festival
bar featuring Deepa What are the highlights of the festivals of Indian Dance (August 1315), and the
Mehtas latest and the 'must watch' films? IAAC Literary Festival (October 68) are
Aroon Shivdasani, film Anatomy Our Opening film Lipstick Under My our highlights in 2017.
Of Violence Burkha, Centerpiece Insignificant Man Being one of the most influential global
and Dilip and the Closing Film You are My women, do you have a special message
Mehtas latest film Mostly Sunny followed Sunday are clearly highlights. We have for upcoming Indian women artists?
by an indepth interview with both Deepa an amazing lineup with several super Believe in yourself. Be passionate about
and Dilip films including Poorna, Trapped", your art, determination wins in the end.
4Tribute to the late Om Puri: Konkana Turtle as well as several shorts!
SenSharmas Death in the Gunj IAAC has brought us an array of events For more details about the festival, go to
4Priyanka Produces: screening two displaying art and culture in various http://www.iaac.us/nyiff2017/index.htm

An award for
glam-sham

The event was presented by Vandana Krishna,

A fashion show by superstar of fashion designing, Manish Malhotra, was the star of the evening.
with local promoter Tanvi Prenita Chandra (right).

t was an event to honor 15 Indian Academy Women Achievers ion industry, Manish Malhotra for Renascent Enterprise. The event with

I IndianAmerican women achievers

from all walks of life, for their con
tributions in medicine, performing arts,
education, finance and social service.
They were selected through a process
audited by Ernst and Young. But the
Awards gala held on March 26 at The
Marigold in Somerset, NJ was also a
rare glamorous event.
There was a fund raiser with Chief
Guest Shabana Azmi, legendary actress,
and a fashion show by superstar of fash
Mijwan Welfare Society (an NGO run by
Shabana Azmi).
The event was conceptualized by
Vandana Krishna, director of Brainstorm
Entertainment, in association with co
promoter Tanvi Prenita Chandra of
300 plus guests was a precursor to
upcoming Indian Academy Awards to be
held in California in July expected to
attract 50,000 in audience, and which
was announced in Mumbai last
December by Shah Rukh Khan.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Why 12 mn divyaang Indians are illiterate
By Prachi Salve and
Swagata Yadavar
t the launch of the govern
A ments Accessible India
Campaign in December 2015,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sug
gested the term divyaang which
translates into divine body for
persons with disability, instead of the
usual viklaang, or handicapped. He
said persons with disability are
divinely blessed with extra gifts.
Many disabled rights groups later
wrote to the Prime Minister arguing
that changing terminology alone
would not end the discrimination
persons with disability face, and ask
ing him to address the barriers that
hinder their participation in the
countrys economic, social and politi
cal life.
What does living with disability in
India mean, particularly with regard
to access to education and employ
ment, 22 years after the Persons
with Disabilities (Equal
Opportunities, Protection of Rights
and Full Participation) Act was
passed?
As things stand, 45 per cent of
Indias disabled population is illiter
ate, according to Census 2011, com
pared to 26 per cent of all Indians.
Of persons with disability who are
educated, 59 per cent complete Class
X, compared to 67 per cent of the
general population. Despite the
promise of universal access to educa
tion through the Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan, which promotes free and
compulsory education for all chil
dren between the ages of six and 14,
children with special needs form the
largest outofschool group in India. national capital and state capitals
Some 28 per cent specialneeds chil
dren between six and 13 years of age
are out of school, according to the
2014 National Survey of Out of
School Children report, at a time
when India has almost universal pri
mary school enrolment.
Among children with special needs,
as many as 44 per cent with more
than one disability are out of school,
and children with mental (36 per
cent) and speech (35 per cent) dis
abilities are more likely to be out of
school than those with other disabili
ties. Clearly, policies have to be more
finely tailored to serve children
INDIA FEATURES
are enrolled in school, the number
across the disability spectrum.
Experts also emphasise the need to
go beyond providing just physical
access.
For instance, the Accessible India
Campaign aims to make 50 per cent
of all government buildings in the
cent in higher secondary.
accessible by July 2018; the larger
goal is a move towards creating uni
versal access, equal opportunity for
development and independent living
and participation in all aspects of life
for people with disabilities. However,
those with experience on the ground
talk of a different reality. The whole
problem with Accessible India
Campaign is that we are only looking
at physical access and not attitudinal
access. If you want inclusion to take
place, you need both, said Srilatha
Juvva, Professor, Centre for
Disability Studies and Action, Tata
Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
April 15-21, 2017
Getting specialneeds children into
school is only the beginning. Once in
school, these children need user
friendly instruction and teaching
equipment. However, Juvva said, pol
icymakers perceive this as an addi
tional investment.
Within specialneeds children who person with disability is the disabili
drops steadily in higher grades, with
a drop after Grades VIII (48 per cent,
compared to 2.6 for all children) and
IX (21 per cent, compared to 6.8 for
all children), according to the 2015
16 District Information System for
Education data. As a result, 89 per
cent of schoolgoing children with
special needs are in elementary
school, only 8.5 per cent are in sec
ondary school and a mere 2.3 per
per cent did not have disability
Should there be special schools for
children with special needs, or
should they be integrated into regu
lar classrooms? Indias policies are
unclear.
While the Ministry of Social Justice
and Empowerment (MSJE) runs sep
arate schools for children with spe
cial needs, the Ministry of Human
Resource Development (MHRD) pro
motes an inclusiveeducation model
where such children study in regular
classrooms.
Children with disability who are
able to beat all the odds stacked
against them to complete education
19
up to Grade X face another hurdle:
What course to choose for higher
studies, given the widespread bias
about what a person with disability
can or cannot do?
One instrument that can make a
significant difference in the life of a
ty certificate. Awarded to those con
sidered to have more than 40 per
cent disability, the certificate makes
its holder eligible for various state
and central government schemes,
scholarships, free travel, loans, pros
thetic aids and appliances, and even
an unemployment allowance.
Medical boards of district civil hos
pitals are responsible for issuing dis
ability certificates. However, over
half the people with disability 51
certificates by July 2015, according
to figures submitted by the MSJE in
Lok Sabha.
In December 2016, the Parliament
approved the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities Act, 2016. The new Act is
an improvement on the Persons with
Disabilities Act, which it replaces, as
it recognises 21 types of disability
(up from seven earlier) including
those caused by an acid attack,
haemophilia, sickle cell disease and
dwarfism. There is also a provision
for making national and state funds
available for financial support to per
sons with disability.
 20 April 15-21, 2017 DIASPORA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Indianorigin woman becomes first Foreign tourists with e-visa

nonwhite judge at London Court can stay up to 2 months in
London: An Indianorig in
woman has become the first non
white judge to sit at the Old
Bailey Court of London.
Anuja Ravindra Dhir, who was
advised to take up hairdressing
by a teacher at her high school, is
also the youngest circuit judge
currently to sit at the court.
The 49yearold told the media
this week that she is often mis
taken for a witness or a defen
dant since she entered the legal
profession.
"I remember going to a crown
court out of London and the man
at the gate didn't believe I was a
barrister. In the end I had to
show him my w ig and gown
before they would actually let me
into the building," she said.
"I'm often asked if there is a
glass ceiling. I think sometimes
there are two ceilings or no
glass ceiling at all.
There is one glass ceiling that's
in our minds, that's what we
think we can achieve so perhaps
we impose our glass ceiling and
that has happened to me several
times... most clients did not want
a young, Asian, Scottish female
representing them, so that made
it harder for me to build a client
base," she told the BBC.
India: Rajnath Singh
Anuja Ravindra Dhir
Dhir was born in Dundee,
Scotland, to Indian immigrant
parents and studied at Harris
Academy before studying English
and Scots law at Dundee
University.
She subsequently won a Gray's
Inn scholarship in London, call
ing to the bar in 1989 where she
practised for 23 years as both
prosecutor and defence counsel.
She recalls her dyslexia in
school led her teachers to advice
ag ainst dreaming of a leg al
career. "I'm dyslexic so I find it
New Delhi: Foreign tourists visiting
India on evisa can now stay up to
two months, instead of the earlier
one, and enjoy doubleentry bene
fits while those coming for treat
ment can avail tripleentry facility.
Home minister Rajnath Singh
said on Tuesday that a new liberal
ized visa regime has been rolled
out by the government beginning
1 April under which tourists com
ing on evisa can stay up to two
months with doubleentry benefits.
Duration of stay on evisa
increased from 30 days to 60 days
with double entry on tourist and
business evisas and triple entry
on medical evisa, he said in a
dif ficult to read and write. And
statement. Earlier, a tourist coming
when I went to school in the
on evisa could stay in India up to
1970s in Scotland, women were
30 days only.
not encouraged to aim hig h.
With the doubleentry benefits,
When I first said to a teacher at
tourists can visit neighboring
school I wanted to go to universi
countries like Bhutan and can
ty when I was older, she told me
return to India within the stipulat
that I should aim a little lower
ed time. The government has lib
and suggested I try hairdressing
eralized its visa regime to promote
instead," she recalls.
tourism, business trave l and
Dhir donned her judge's robes
attract potential investors to the
as a circuit judge at the Central
country, Singh said. Ef fective 1
Criminal Courts, known as at the
April, evisa has been subdivided
Old Bailey, in London in
into three categories etourist
February. (PTI)
visa, ebusiness visa and emedical
visa. The window for application
under evisa scheme has been
increased from 30 days to 120
days. Besides, both business and
medical visas will be granted with
in 48 hours of application upon
urgent requests. The home minis
ter said separate immigration
counters and facilitation desks to
assist medical tourists have been
provided at six major Indian air
ports. T he airports are Delhi,
Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai,
Bengaluru and Hyderabad. A new
category of visa Film (F) visa has
also been introduced with maxi
mum duration of oneyear with
multiple entry facility. Another cat
egory of visa, titled Intern (I) Visa,
has been rolled out for foreigners
intending to pursue internship in
India. Singh said evisa facility has
been extended to the nationals of
161 countries for entry through
24 airports and three Indian sea
ports. The seaports are Cochin,
Goa and Mangalore. The multiple
entry tourist and business visas for
a period of five years will now be
available to nationals of most of
the countries. (PTI)

Deserted by NRI husband, Punjabi UK educationist wins

woman seeks Sushma's help
Chandigarh: A 29yearold woman who has
been deserted by her NRI husband has
sought help from External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj. She has requested the min
ister to get him deported from New Zealand.
Though her husband, Ramandeep Singh, has
been declared a proclaimed offender by the
Punjab Police, Chand Deep Kaur has
requested Swaraj for help, saying that she
wants to set an example so that no other
NonResident Indian cheats his wife. "I have
sought (Sushma) Swaraj's help in getting my
husband deported. He is in New Zealand,"
Kaur, who is based in Kapurthala, said.
She also wants her husband's passport to
be cancelled. "I want to set an example so
that no other NRI husband can ever dare to
cheat a woman. I also want stringent laws in
place to check such men," she said. Kaur
said she has received a call from the min
istry to send relevant documents in connec
tion with her case. "I want him back here
for divorce so that I can start my life afresh,"
she said. Chand Deep Kaur married
Ramandeep Singh, who was working as an
accountant in Auckland, in July 2015. "Soon
after our wedding he returned to New
Zealand, in August 2015," Kaur said. "I
stayed with him at his family's house in
Jalandhar," she said. "He returned to India
briefly in December 2015 and went back to
New Zealand in January 2016," she said. "I
spent just 4045 days with my husband,"
she said. She alleged that the behavior of
her inlaws changed after marriage. "They
told me that they had disowned Ramandeep
so I should move back with my parents," Ms
Kaur claimed. "I tried calling my husband
repeatedly, but he did not respond. I even
tried to contact members of my inlaws'
family but they also refused to respond, and
blocked my number instead," she said. She
then lodged a complaint against her hus
band in August 2016.
'Businesswoman of Year' award
London: An Indianorigin edu at the age of 13 and had close
cationist in the UK, who moved to no English language skills
to Britain after her marriage when she moved to the UK with
with no English language skills, her husband and kids at the
has been named the 'Asian age of 25.
Businesswoman of the Year' in She taught herself English by
an award ceremony in watching children's TV shows
Birmingham. and talking to other young
65yearold Dame Asha mothers. She went on to
Khemka, Principal and CEO of acquire a business degree from
West Nottinghamshire College, Cardif f University be fore
was honored for her efforts in becoming a lecturer and even
the field of education and skills Asha Khemka tually taking over as principal
at the Asian Business Awards and CEO of West
ceremony on Friday. The event, which took Nottinghamshire College, one of the largest
place at the famous Edgbaston cricket in the UK.
ground in the city, also marked the launch In 2013, she was awarded a Dame
of the 'Asian Rich List' for the Midlands to Commander of the Order of the British
highlight the high net worth Asians in the Empire, one of Britain's highest civilian
region. awards. The motherofthree was the first
Born in Bihar's Sitamarhi district, Dame Indianorigin Dame since Maharani Lakshmi
Khemka left school after passing her exams Devi Bai Sahiba of Dhar State in 1931. (PTI)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SUBCONTINENT April 15-21, 2017 21

Death sentence to Indian 'spy' legal: Pak

Islamabad: Pakistan justified the
death sentence awarded to alleged
Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav and
said it was capable of protecting
itself against external threats.
Refuting Indian claims that the
sentence was "premeditated mur
der", Defence Minister Khwaja Asif
told the Senate that the law of the
land had been applied and the trial
of Jad hav went on for three
months.
Jadhav has a right to appeal
against his death sentence within
60 days according to the country's
law. He can appeal for mercy to
the Army Chief, and failing that to
the President of Pakistan.
"We have done absolutely noth
ing that is against the rules and
regulations," he said.
He hit out at India's warning
that if Jadhav is hanged it will be
considered "premeditated mur
der". "There is premeditated mur
der going on even to day in
Kashmir," the Defence Minister
said. "It was premeditated murder
Indian activists protest against death sentence to Jadhav.
in Gujarat (referring to the 2002
riots). It was premeditated murder
(when the) Samjhota Express (was
attacked)," he said, adding that
Pakistan has tried time and again
to reconcile differences with India,
but New Delhi has failed to coop
erate. In a reference to Indian
warnings of consequences if
Jadhav was hanged, he added: "We
will defend our country at all
costs" and that Pakistan was "fully
equipped" to deal with all such
"elements with an iron fist".
India blamed for exPak
Army officer's 'abduction'
Kathmandu/Islamabad: The family of a retired Pakistan Army offi
cer who went missing in Nepal believes the Indian intelligence may
have abducted him, the Pakistani media reported. The Nepal Police
is searching for retired Lt Col Muhammad Habib Zahir, who went
missing in Lumbini in Nepal soon after landing there for a job inter
view.
The Pakistan embassy in Kathmandu has asked the Nepali Foreign
Ministry to help find out his whereabouts.
Col Zahir retired from the Pakistan Army three years ago and was
in search of a job.
Asif also said Pakistan will not warned Pakistan that bilateral ties
make any concessions for ele would be hit if it went ahead with
ments working against the securi the death sentence awarded to
ty and the stability of the country, Jadhav, who Islamabad says was
"whether they're operating from arrested in Balochistan in March
inside Pakistan or from outside it". 2016. India denies he was a spy
"No other country has been a and says he was abducted from
target of terrorism the way Iran.
Pakistan has," Asif said, adding Indian External Affairs Minister
that there are no parallels to the Sushma Swaraj reiterated that if
successes Pakistan has made Jad hav was hanged, it would
ag ainst terrorism. India has amount to premeditated murder.

India visit a success: Hasina Suu Kyi denies

ethnic cleansing of
Rohingya minority
Bangladesh
PM Sheikh
Hasina with
Indian
counterpart
Narendra
Modi in New
Delhi.

Dhaka: Bangladesh Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina said that her India
visit was a success and that she
had gone to seek friendship, which
she got from her neighbor.
Answering queries about her
April 710 state visit to India,
Hasina also said there was nothing
to hide in the agreements and
MoUs signed with India and every
thing was open to the public.
"I did not return emptyhanded. I
got something. Sometimes I joking
ly say I wanted water, but got
electricity," Hasina told journalists
at her of ficial residence
Ganabhaban.
"I went there to seek friendship.
And I got that friendship," Hasina
replied when a newsman asked her
what Bangladesh got from her
India visit.
"I am satisfied with the visit. The
visit is a success. It's a matter of
satisfaction that India has treated
Bangladesh as a sovereign state.
We have got the honor of a sover
eign state," Hasina said.
On the sharing of Teesta's river
waters, she said Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Mo di "has
pledged to sign the agreement. We
can wait with patience for signing
it".
"They have to release the water,
they'll have no option during rainy
days, so they'll have to. And we
have to find methods to retain it,"
she said, bdnews24 quoted her as
saying.
She also spoke about West
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee's alternative proposal on
giving Bangladesh water from four
smaller rivers instead of Teesta.
She said she was 'pleasantly sur
prised' that Narendra Modi came
to receive her at the airport in New
Delhi. Hasina said 11 deals and 24
Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) were signed between the
neighbors during the visit.
Asked about the defense deal,
Hasina said there is no scope to
raise a question over the deal
signed with India.
"No antistate agreement will be
signed as long as I am alive," she
said.
She slammed the opposition
Bangladesh Nationalist Party for
alleg ing that Bang ladesh was
being "sold out" to India through
her visit. "I am a daug hter of
Bang aband hu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman. All will have to under
stand that I am not a person who
can sell out the country to any
one," she declared.
This was Hasina's first tour to
India after the Narendra Modi gov
ernment came to power in 2014.
She also stayed at the Rashtrapati
Bhavan, in a sign of the impor
tance India attached to her visit.
Suu Kyi's statement on Rohingyas comes
after widespread reports of abuse.
Nay Pyi Taw: State Counsellor
Aung San Suu Kyi has denied
there is ethnic cleansing of the
Rohingya Muslim minority in the
country, despite w idespread
reports of abuses, a media report
said. In a BBC interview, the
Nobel laureate acknowledged
problems in Rakhine state, where
most Rohingya people live, but
said ethnic cleansing was "too
strong" a term to use.
"I don't think there is ethnic
cleansing going on. I think ethnic
cleansing is too strong an expres
sion to use for what is happen
ing," she told the BBC.
"I think there is a lot of hostility
there it is Muslims killing
Muslims as well, if they think
they are cooperating with the
authorities."
"It is not just a matter of ethnic
cleansing as you put it it is a
matter of people on dif ferent
sides of the divide, and this
divide we are trying to close up,"
the defacto leader added.
The Rohingya are denied citi
zenship in Myanmar, which views
them as illegal immigrants from
Bangladesh. They face routine
of ficial and public discrimina
tion, reports the BBC.
Tens of thousands of Rohingya
live in makeshift refugee camps.
According to authorities, about
70,000 have fled to Bangladesh
to escape a government military
operation in Rakhine, launched
after nine policemen were killed
in an attack last October.
 22 April 15-21, 2017 INTERNATIONAL TheSouthAsianTimes.info

US planning 'further provocations' in Syria: Putin

Moscow: Russian President
Vladimir Putin claimed sensation
ally that "further provocations"
by the US are being planned in
other locations in Syria including
its capital.
"We have information that a
similar provocation is being pre
pared in the suburbs of Damascus
where they are planning to plant
some substance and accuse the
Syrian authorities of using chemi
cal weapons," Putin said.
Putin made the claim when
asked whether he expected more
US missile strikes on Syria at a
joint press conference with his
Italian counterpart Serg io
Mattarella who is on an of ficial
visit.
The remarks came ahead of a
meeting between US Secretary of
State Rex Tillerson and his
Russian counterpart Sergei
Lavrov in Moscow amid mounting
tensions over the US missile
strikes against a Syrian air base,
days after a suspected chemical
attack on a rebelheld town in
northern Syria that killed over 80
people. The US launched cruise
missiles against a Syrian air base
in Homs province after a suspect
ed chemical attack that killed
Putin says the US is preparing additional strikes in Syria.
over 80 civilians including 20
children in Khan Sheikhoun in
Idlib province on April 4.
Putin reaf firmed during talks
with Mattarella that Moscow will
ask the United Nations to open an
invest ig at ion into the Khan
Sheikhoun attack, which drew
widespread international con
demnation. "The use of chemical
weapons is banned by the Geneva
Conventions and is unacceptable,"
Mattarella said in remarks after
his meeting with Putin.
"We hope that Moscow, like all
countries, can use its influence to
prevent further attacks taking
place," he added.
Italy considers it of "fundamen
tal" importance to identify the
perpetrators of such heinous
crimes and "to bring them to jus
tice," Mattarella said.
Damascus and Moscow deny
their jets dropped chemicals on
Khan Sheikhoun and claim the
atrocity occurred when a rebel
depot containing chemical
weapons was hit during an air
strike.
The Syrian and Russian govern
ments have condemned the US
attack on Shayrat airfield near
Homs, which the Syrian army said
May, Trump agree to
press Russia over Syria
London: B r i t i sh Prime
Minister Theresa May and US
President Donald Trump have
agreed there is a "window of
opportunity" to persuade
Russia to abandon its support
for Syrian leader Bashar al
Assad, the
m e d i a
killed six people and caused
"extensive material damage".
T he missile strikes ag ainst
r e p o r t ed . A c c o r d i n g t o a
Downing Street spokesman,
the two leaders spoke about
the crisis on the phone, days
after a US air strike against a
Syrian airbase on April 6. The
airstrike came as a retaliation
to a chemical attack in which
over 80 civilians, including
children, were killed, reports
the BBC.
T he spokesman said
Trump thanked May for
her support in the wake of
the US air strike.
"They agreed that US
Secretary of State (Rex)
Tillerson's upcoming
visit to Moscow provides
an opportunity to make
progress towards a solu
tion which will deliver a
last ing polit ical settle
ment," he said.
Shayrat damaged or destroyed 20
percent of Syria's operational air
craft, the US has said.

Egypt's cabinet approves Xi, Trump discuss

threemonth emergency
Cairo: A day after two church bombings
claimed by the Islamic State killed at least
49 people recently, Eg ypt's cabinet
approved a countrywide state of emer
gency for three months.
"The state of emergency allows both the
armed forces and the police to execute
those procedures necessary to combat the
threats of terrorism and its financing, main
tain security around the country and pro
tect public and private property, as well as
preserving the lives of citizens," the state
ment read.
President Abdel Fattah alSisi declared
the measure in a televised address follow
ing the attacks, reported Al Ahram online.
"This is only to protect our country and
prevent any targeting of its capabilities,"
Sisi said.
"The war against the jihadists would be
'long and painful'... What is happening now
is another attempt to destroy our country,"
A relative cries
during the
funeral of
church blast
victims.
he added. The President also ordered the
deployment of army forces to secure state
institutions all over the country.
The presidency said that troops from the
armed forces will assist police units in the
mission of maintaining the safety of build
ings and government institutions.
The first explosion, which left 27 people
dead and 78 injured, ripped through a
Palm Sunday service at Mar Girgis (St.
George's) Coptic church in Tanta, a city
located 120 km from Cairo.
A few hours later, a second attack outside
St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in
Alexandria killed 18 civilians and four
police officers, with a suicide bomber blow
ing himself up outside the cathedral.
The combined attacks represented one of
the deadliest attacks on Coptic Christians
in years. Egypt's Copts are one of the most
ancient Christian communities, said the
report.
North Korea, Syria
Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping dis
cussed the Korean Peninsula and Syria
with his US counterpart Donald Trump
over telephone, a media report said.
Xi said China sticks to the target of
denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula
and was committed to peace and stability
in the reg ion, Xinhua news agency
reported. The issue should be solved
through peaceful means, said Xi, adding
his country was ready to maintain com
munication and coordination with the US
on the matter. On Syria, Xi said any use of
chemical weapons was unacceptable and
that the path of political settlement
should be followed. He expressed the
hope that the UN Security Council would
speak in one voice as it was important for
Boko Haram's use of child suicide
bombers in Nigeria triples
Geneva: The number of children used by
the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram
as suicide bombers tripled during the first
three months of 2017 compared to the
same period in 2016, the Unicef said in a
report. From January to March, 27 chil
dren were used in suicide attacks by the
Islamist extremist group Boko Haram,
which is active in Lake Chad region, com
pared to nine cases in the first quarter of
2016, according to the Unicef report.
the world body to remain united on the
issue. He also said China and the US
should promote economic cooperation,
expand exchanges in military, law
enforcement, cyber and peopletopeople
areas, enhance communication and coor
dination in major global and regional
issues, through the newly established
fourpronged dialogue mechanism. In the
phone conversation, Trump said the
meeting with Xi was a success. It was
very important for the two Presidents to
maintain close communication, he added.
Trump agreed that the two sides should
work together to promote pragmatic
cooperation in wideranging areas. He
said he was looking forward to visiting
China this year.
Unicef said the increase reflects "an
alarming tactic" by the insurgents.
"In the first three months of this year,
the number of children used in bomb
attacks is nearly the same as the whole of
last year this is the worst possible use
of children in conflict," said Unicef 's
Regional Director for West and Central
Africa MariePierre Poirier. The report
notes that girls have been used in the
majority of these attacks.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info BUSINESS April 15-21, 2017 23

India, Australia commit to deepen defense, security ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull address a
joint press conference in New Delhi.
New Delhi: India and Australia committed
themselves to deepen the bilateral defense
and security partnership while Prime
Minister Narendra Modi said that coopera
tion in education and research is a key
aspect of the ties between the two coun
tries.
The two countries also signed six memo
randa of understanding (MoUs) following
delegationlevel talks headed by Modi and
visiting Australian Prime Minister Malcolm
Turnbull here.
"The Prime Ministers committed to deep
ening the bilateral defence and security
partnership," a joint statement issued fol
lowing the talks said.
"They welcomed the significant progress
achieved through the bilateral Framework
for Security Cooperation agreed in 2014,"
it stated.
According to the statement, as fellow
Indian Ocean nations, the two Prime
Ministers also underscored the joint com
mitment of Australia and India to enhance
regional cooperation in promoting mar
itime safety and security and welcomed the
important role of the bilateral White
Shipping Agreement. "Both countries
remain strongly committed to the breadth
of their defense ties, including through
ongoing annual staff talks for army, navy
and air forces," it stated.
It also said that "the two Prime Ministers
reiterated their strong commitment to
combat terrorism in all its forms and mani
festations, and stressed that there can be
no justification for acts of terror on any
grounds whatsoever".
"They asserted that the fight against ter
rorists, terror organizations and networks
should also identify, hold accountable and
take strong measures against all those who
encourage, support and finance terrorism,
provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror
Modi, Australian PM
travel by Delhi Metro
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Mo di and his
Australian counterpart
Malcolm Turnbull on Monday
trave led by a De lhi Metro
train and visited Akshardham
temple here. "A special ride
w ith a special guest. PM
@narendramo di and PM
@TurnbullMalcolm travel to
Akshardham temple in #del
himetro," External Af fairs
Ministry spokesperson Gopal
Baglay tweeted.
The two leaders boarded
the train at Mandi House sta
tion to visit the temple in east
De lhi. India and Australia
signed six ag reements on
Monday following bilateral
talks headed by Modi and
Narendra Modi and Malcolm Turnbull travel
Turnbull. in Delhi Metro. (Photo: IANS)
Earlier, in the day the visit
ing dignitary was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
groups, and falsely extol their virtues," the most important aspects" of IndiaAustralia
statement. ties.
In this regard, the two Prime Ministers "Both India and Australia recognize the
also welcomed the signing of an MoU on central value of education and innovation
fig ht ing internat ional terrorism and in the prosperity of our societies," he said.
transnational organized crime. "It is no surprise, therefore, that coopera
The other five MoUs signed following tion in the field of education and research
Monday's talks are on cooperation in civil is one of the most important aspects of our
aviation security, environment, climate and engagement."
wildlife, sports, health and medicine, and Laying stress on students exchanges
earth observation and satellite navigation. between the two countries, Modi said that
Addressing the media jointly w ith while Australia was home to over 60,000
Turnbull after the talks, Prime Minister Indian students, an increasing number of
Modi said that cooperation in the fields of Australian students was coming to study in
education and research was "one of the India.

Modi world's most followed leader on Instagram

New Delhi: With 6.8 million fol
lowers, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has become the world's
most followed leader on
Facebook's photosharing app
Instagram, a new study revealed.
Modi, who was at third spot on
Instagram last year, is closely fol
lowed by the US President Donald
Trump with 6.3 million followers,
said the study conducted by glob
al public relations firm Burson
Marsteller. The study looked at
the activity of the 325 Instagram
accounts of heads of state and
government, and foreign minis
ters over the past 12 months.
Though Modi has only 53 pho
tos posted on his account, he has
been termed as the most effective
world leader on the photosharing
app, considering that each of his
posts receives an average of
223,000 interactions.
"Leaders around the world are
creating online communications
that convey global social and
political context while also shar
ing a sense of personality and cre
ativity. Leaders of business and
all other sectors can learn from
governments' use of Instagram,"
said Don Baer, CEO of Burson
Marsteller, in a statement.
At third place is Pope Francis
with 3.7 million followers, a place
ahead of the W hite House
account that has 3.4 million fol
lowers.
With a whopping 673 per cent
growth in his followers over the
past 12 months, Indonesia's
President Joko Widodo occupies
the fifth position with 3.4 million
followers.
In terms of average interactions
per post, Turkey's President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds the
second position with 141,000
interactions while Pope Francis'
Instagram posts receive 138,000
interactions on average.
"As of April 1, 2017, the
accounts have a combined total of
48.7 million followers and pub
lished 61,281 posts in the past 12
months which have garnered a
total of 371.7 million interac
tions," the report noted.
All the photos posted on the
White House Instagram account
set up under Obama in 2012
were archived on the
@ObamaWhiteHouse Instagram
account on January 20 this year.
24 April 15-21, 2017
Shuttlers Sindhu,
Srikanth shine at
Singapore Open
P.V. Sindhu.
Singapore: Star shuttlers P.V.
Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth
registered contrasting wins in
their respective categories to
enter the second round of the
Singapore Open Superseries bad
minton tournament here.
The fifth seeded Sindhu, who
was up against Nozomi Okuhara
of Japan in her first round match
in the women's singles category,
lost the first game before staging
a superb comeback to win 1021,
2115, 2220 in 62 minutes.
Nozomi was off to a good start
in the opening game, wining two
consecutive points before the
Indian equalized.
The two opponents continued
to fight neck and neck before the
Japanese took six points on the
trot to open up a commanding
1710 lead and went on to take
the first game.
The second game also saw an
intense battle in the early stages.
With the scores locked at 66,
Sindhu racked up nine back to
back points to lead 156.
Although Nozomi tried to stage
Kohli hints at returning
to action on April 14
Bengaluru: After miss
ing the opening three
matches of the 2017
Indian Premier
League (IPL) due to a
shoulder injury, Royal
Challengers Bangalore
(RCB) regular skipper
Virat Kohli on Tuesday
hinted at a possible return to
action in the upcoming home
match against Mumbai Indians
on April 14.
"Can't wait to get back onto
the field now. Almost there.
a fightback, she could not pre
vent Sindhu from taking the
game.
T he third g ame also saw a
pitched battle. Although Sindhu
won seven consecutive points to
lead 168, Nozomi fought back to
draw level at 2020.
Sindhu however, took the next
two points to seal the game and
the match.
Srikanth on the other hand,
had a much easier day in office
as he beat Kenta Nishimoto of
Japan in straight games in the
opening round of the men's sin
gles.
The Indian dominated proceed
ings from the start to register a
comfortable 2112, 2111 win in
32 minutes.
Nishimoto gave a tough fight in
the early stages of the first game
before the Indian opened up a 7
4 lead and never looked back
from there.
Srikanth enjoyed a superb start
to the second game, taking a 60
lead early on and continued to
hold the upper hand throughout.
14th April," Kohli post
ed on his Instagram
account.
The 28yearold
batsman was sidelined
due to a injury on his
right shoulder, which
he suffered during the
third Test of the India
Australia series.
Having lost two of their three
games, RCB will now be looking
up to Kohli to provide some
boost ahead of an important
fixture.
SPORTS
Wrestler Sakshi at 5th
spot in world rankings
New Delhi: Olympic bronze medal
ist Sakshi Malik and Asia No. 1
Sandeep Tomar have entered the
top 10 in their respective cate
gories in the world rankings of
the United World Wrestling
(UWW).
Malik, who took bronze in the
women's 58 kg category at the
2016 Rio Olympics, is placed fifth
in world rankings while Tomar
holds the seventh place in men's
57kg freestyle division.
A total of 24 internat ional
freestyle wrestlers including 13
female athletes from the Pro
Wrestling League (PWL) are
placed in the top 10 of their
respective weight categories in
the latest rankings released by the
sport's global governing body.
Reigning Olympic and European
champion Vladimer
Khinchegashvili (57kg) of Georgia,
world champion Magomed
Kurbanaliev (70 kg) of Russia and
Olympic champion Erica Wiebe
(women's 75kg) of Canada are at
the top spot in their respective
categories.
Azerbaijan grapplers Togrul
Asgarov (65kg), Jabrayil Hasanov
(74kg) and Mariya Stadnik
(women's 48kg) are placed sec
ond in their respective weight
divisions along w ith Mariya
India will defend Champions
Trophy crown: Harbhajan
Dubai: Star India of fspinner
Harbhajan Singh, who was named
as one of the ambassadors for
next month's International Cricket
Council (ICC) Champions Trophy,
is confident that India will be able
to defend the crown they won in
2013. T he 36yearold
Turbanator, who was a member of
the India side which shared the
2002 trophy with Sri Lanka in
Colombo, said the upcoming
Champions Trophy, to be played
from June 1 to 18 in England and
Wales, assumes extra significance
because the 50over World Cup is
just two years away, and will be
played in the same conditions.
Harbhajan, a veteran of 236
Oneday Internationals (ODI) has
no doubt that the meninblue
have everything in them to defend
their title, although he expected
stif f competition from the other
seven sides. "India is the defend
ing champion, and I sincerely
believe that we have the strength,
ability and stability to defend our
crown. We just need to be at the
top of our g ame," Harbhajan
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Olympic bronze medalist Sakshi Malik.
Mamashuk (women's 63kg) of
Belarus. Stadnik, the reigning
European champion and silver
medallist at the 2016 Olympics,
was the highest paid female grap
pler at the last edition of the PWL.
T he Swedish pair of Sofia
Mattsson (women's 53kg) and
Jenny Fransson (women's 69 kg)
and Marwa Amri (women's 58 kg)
of Tunisia have held on to the
third spot in their respective cate
gories. "Both Sakshi and Sandeep
are doing well in their weight cat
Harbhajan Singh.
wrote in his column on the ICC
website.
"Let's not forget that this tour
nament will feature the world's
eight topranked teams. So every
team is going to fancy its chances.
It will come down to the team that
holds its nerve on the day."
egories but they will work hard to
attain hig her ranking," said
Wrestling Federation of India
( WFI) President Brijbhushan
Sharan Singh.
"While Sakshi couldn't partici
pate in the Asian Championship
because of her wedding, Sandeep
is striving hard to battle in the
next championship. Our main
focus is also on the junior cate
gories who have a potential to bag
the upcoming rankings," he
added.
"On a high after a successful
home season, India will be keen
on adapting quickly to the condi
tions in England. If we can touch
base a few days before the start of
the tournament, then it will help
us acclimatise. The weather and
pitch conditions in England are
unique, and a few days of tuneup
will only help."
"If you ask me to stick my neck
out and predict the winner, I will
happily say India. Yes, I believe
this team can defend the title it
won in 2013," he added.
The Punjab tweaker, who cur
rently is fighting for his spot in
the national team with the likes of
Ravichandran Ashw in and
Ravindra Jadeja, said whoever is
selected in squad is a matchwin
ner in his own right. "In the last
edition four years ago, India won
every game. The squad was that
good. I don't know what the squad
will be for the upcoming tourna
ment, but I can assure you that
every player in the 15member
touring party will be a proven
matchwinner," he said.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info BOOKS April 15-21, 2017 25

A futile hope of 'normal' politics in the Middle East?

By Vikas Datta comparative analysis that is among the real
Islamic Exceptionalism strengths of the book.
he "Arab Spring" in 2011 was How the Struggle Over In succeeding chapters, he goes on to

T believed to be a turning point for the

Middle East with the fractious and
turbulent region set to embrace Western
style liberal democracy, as per Fukuyama's
"end of history" theory. But half a dozen
years later, all these hopes are in disarray
while the unpredicted rise of the vicious IS
has further queered the pitch.
Is the turmoil of the recent years a tem
porary phase, or does it indicate some more
systematic differences in the Arab world's
dynamics? Like it or not, it is the second
option that is correct, says scholar Shadi
Hamid and goes on to argue his case why
the western concept of liberal, secular
democracy may not strike roots in the
region. (And his findings may have a closer
relevance to India than seems evident.)
Hence the "Islamic exceptionalism" of the
title, says Hamid, a senior fellow in the
Project on US Relations with the Islamic
World at the Brookings Institution, arguing
religion and politics are entwined in Islam
much more tightly than the two other
Semitic religions, which could explain why
they, especially Christianity, could go on to
separate church and state eventually but
why Islam does not have this flexibility.
"Since the caliphate's dissolution (in
1924), the struggle to establish a legitimate
political order has raged on, with varying
levels of intensity. At the centre of the
struggle is the problem of religion and its
role in politics. In this sense, the turmoil of
the Arab Spring and its aftermath is the lat
est iteration of the inability to resolve the
basic questions over what it means to be a
citizen and what it means to be a state," he
says.
Hamid, whose first book "Temptations of
Power: Islamists and Illiberal Democracy in
a New Middle East" (2015) profiled the
Islamists and their evolution, while postu
lating that it was premature to write them
off despite their reverses, carries his thesis
Islam Is Reshaping The
World by Shadi Hamid; St
Martin's Press/Pan
Macmillan
Pages: 321;
Price: Rs. 499
further here.
His first key point of Islam being "excep
tional" as it relates to politics "a contro
versial, even troubling claim, especially of
rising antiMuslim sentiment" in the
Western world is not good or bad but just
is, and needs to be understood and respect
ed.
Secondly, this distinction means the
Western model of "a Protestant
Reformation followed by an enlightenment
in which religion is gradually pushed into
the private realm" is quite unlikely for
Islam, and an "odd presumption" for "a
completely different religion with a com
pletely different founding and evolution".
And in his first three chapters, Hamid dis
cusses this extensively, comparing the
cases of the three Semitic religions which
originated in the same area but have widely
diverged (and seeking to explain why). And
it is this detailed but balanced and incisive
trace the rise of Islamist groups like Egypt's
Muslim Brotherhood, Tunisia's Ennahda
and Turkey's AKP and how they were not
throwbacks to medieval mindsets but a way
of responding to modern challenges in a
more politically savvy than deeply religious
way.
Based on contacts with senior functionar
ies of all the groups, he also dwells on their
method of gradualism, responsiveness to
international opinion and their own secular
elite (mostly) and its pitfalls as well as
why they may not necessarily be threats to
democracy (which even secular liberals
may undermine, eg., Egypt in 2013).
And in the chapter on ISIS, he goes on to
show how it turned to a more extreme way
of implementing the goals than its other
counterparts, and while there was much
madness in its method, there was a method
nevertheless.
Hamid is, however, an optimist and
notes the IS, which "revels in death", will
not outstrip mainstream Islamism which
can be much more peaceful and pragmatic
than given credit for.
But, the main takeaway for us Indians
from this book is to learn the correct les
sons about the relation of religion and poli
tics and the (frequently adverse) effects of
combining them when not needed, despite
the electoral outcomes they may promise.

A HISTORY OF DELHI YouTube has changed the world

with a sense of humor of music: Bangash brothers
By M R Narayan Swamy
MUSIC
enowned Sarod players

T
he late Imtiaz Ahmed Khan
was an accomplished IAS
officer who served in many
parts of the country, including in
Delhi where a street close to
Parliament is named after him. But
this is not yet another book on
Delhi. It is very different.
The chapters were originally
published in a series of articles in a
leading newspaper in 199697.
What is noteworthy is that the
work was put together when there
was no Wikipedia and Internet
barely existed. Khan delved into
history books and archives to pro
duce this riveting tale.
History to Imtiaz Khan was not
just about boring facts, obtuse
dates, incomprehensible architec
tural details and inconsequential
battles that most people loathe to
study. As his daughterpublisher
Zarreen Khan says, if you read it as
her father narrated it, and read it
with his signature sense of humor,
"perhaps it will make history a
more interesting read, as it did for
me".
According to Imtiaz Khan, there
is perhaps no city in the world that
withstood as many onslaughts
The Builders of Delhi
by Imtiaz Ahmed Khan;
Publisher:
Zarreen Khan;
Pages: 179;
from foreign as well as domestic
forces as Delhi. Many interesting
bits follow: The spot on which
Yudhishthira pitched tent was cho
sen to build the Pandava Palace;
this is believed to be the same site
where the Purana Qila (Old Fort)
now stands. Mahipalpur near
Vasant Kunj in south Delhi is
named after a Tomar dynasty king,
Mahipal.
After Khwaja Bakhtiar Kaki set
tled in south Delhi, the place was
given the name "Mihir Wali" the
abode of the saint. This later got
corrupted to Mehrauli. During the
time of Sultan Alauddin Khilji,
Mongol prisoners in thousands
were herded to Shahpur Jat village
(near present Panchsheel), their
heads chopped off and cemented
in stone rubble with lime paste.
And thus came up the Siri Fort.
The unending statistics and facts
extend to the Mughal and British
rule too.
R Amaan Ali and Ayaan Ali
Bangash believe that the
world's biggest videosharing plat
form YouTube has changed the
world of music once and for all.
"It's the time of social media. It's
good to listen to so much material.
The content is easily available
there (YouTube). Back in the day,
one just had to run to look for even
for a single record, one CD or cas
settes of your favorite musicians.
Whereas now everything is avail
able quite easily," said Ayaan, who
along with Amaan visited Noida for
a 'True to our roots' concert organ
ized by HCL.
While maintaining that YouTube
has made the world of music more
connected than ever before, the
Bangash brothers, whose mesmer
izing performances can be watched
on their official channel 'Sarod
Records', pointed out its disadvan
tages too. "It has, perhaps, given a
platform to lot of opinions, views,
which are posted by an unknown
identity...I can't say how healthy it
is. However, as far as music is con
cerned, especially, if you are pro
fessionally learning a particular
form of art, one needs to have
Amaan and Ayaan
Ali Bangashs new album
proper guidance from a trainer, a
guru to know what direction
he/she should take," exclaimed the
duo, who enthralled audience play
ing melodious ragas including
their favorite 'Raga Rageshree' dur
ing the concert that concluded
Sunday night. Sarod maestro Ustad
Amjad Ali Khan's famous sons,
revealed that they are "working
with musicians from western
school of music. It will be an inter
pretation of western classical
music in Indian form. Besides, we
are also working with Karsh Kale
(Indian American musician). With
Karsh, we will be working on a
musical mix of electronica and
Indian classical music. The musi
cal greats also talked about their
latest album 'The Journey: Rabab
to Sarod'. "We just wanted to check
how Rabab sounds with Sarod. It
sounded amazing.
 26 April 15-21, 2017 SCI-TECH TheSouthAsianTimes.info

FCC reversing proposal to allow Chinabased hacker

phone calls on planes in US group now targeting
F
ederal regulators are with
drawing a proposal that
would have allowed air trav
elers to use their cellphones at
firms in India: FireEye
high altitude.

The proposal introduced in
2013 by thenchairman of the
Federal Communications
Commission, Tom Wheeler
sought to roll back a longstanding
regulation that banned the use of
cellphones on planes over concerns
that cellular signals could interfere
with pilot radios. New advances in
inflight communications have min
imized those concerns, Wheeler
argued at the time. Under the pro
posal, passengers would still have
been required to keep their phones
turned off or on airplane mode
during takeoff and landing, but
they could have switched on their
connections at cruising altitude.
The decision Monday to reverse
the proposal came from Wheeler's
successor, Ajit Pai. Calling the plan
illconceived, Pai said in a state
ment that he did not believe it
served the public interest.
Taking it off the table perma
nently will be a victory for
Americans across the country who,
like me, value a moment of quiet at
30,000 feet, Pai said. He did not
elaborate on why he chose this
moment to act. The proposal was
initially met with public backlash,
particularly from trade groups rep the proposal, welcomed its demise.
R
aising an alarm for the
IT service providers and
manufacturing compa
nies in India, USbased cyber
security group FireEye has
claimed that a new set of tools
is being used by Chinabased
cyber espionage group APT10
to steal confidential business
data from domestic firms to
support Chinese corporations.
FireEye has been tracking
resenting pilots and flight atten
APT10 since 2009 and they
dants. Many opponents argued that
have historically targeted con
relaxation of the ban would result
struction, engineering, aero
in passengers disturbing one
space, telecom firms and gov
another with noisy phone calls, and
ernments in the US, Europe
Wheeler was effectively forced to
and Japan.
abandon the issue for the remain
"IT services have been a
der of his term.
core engine of India's eco
The Association of Flight
nomic growth, with service
AttendantsCWA, which opposed
providers here scaling the
value chain to manage busi
nesscritical functions of top
global organisations.
Campaigns like this highlight
risks which all organisations
should factor into their opera
tions," said Kaushal Dalal,
Managing Director, FireEye,
India, in a statement on
Monday.
APT10 activity has included
both traditional spear phish
ing and access to victim's net
works through service
providers.
Service providers have sig
nificant access to customer
networks, enabling an attack
er who had compromised a
service provider to move lat
erally into the network of the
service provider's customer.

What stops girls from pursuing Mars is more Earthlike

science? Low condence level than thought NASA finds
ore girls

M think they
are bad at
maths than boys,
even when they are
not. And it turns out
that it is this low
level of confidence
that stops many
women from pursu
ing higher educa
tion in science and
engineering, accord
ing to a new study.
When it comes to
mathematics, girls
rate their abilities markedly lower than
boys, even when there is no observable
difference between the two, the study
found.
"The argument continues to be made
that gender differences in the 'hard' sci
ences is all about ability," said lead
study author Lara PerezFelkner,
Assistant Professor at Florida State
University in the US.
"But when we hold mathematics abili
ty test scores constant, effectively tak
ing it out of the equation, we see boys
still rate their ability higher, and girls
rate their ability lower," PerezFelkner
said.
Despite a surge in college enrollment
and degree attainment for girls world
wide in recent decades, women contin
ue to remain underrepresented in
physics, engineering, mathematics and
computer sciences (PEMC).
The research team found perception
gaps are even wider at the upper levels
of mathematics ability among those
students with the most talent and
potential in these fields.
Boys are significantly more confident
in challenging mathematics contexts
than otherwise identically talented girls,
showed the findings published in the
journal Frontiers in Psychology.
Specifically, boys rated their ability 27
per cent higher than girls did.
The findings are based on a study that
followed 10th grade students in the US
over a sixyear period.
A series of questions in the 10th and
12th grade surveys asked students to
indicate their level of agreement with
statements such as "I'm certain I can
understand the most difficult material
presented in math texts."
"That's important because those confi
dence levels influence the math and sci
ence courses students choose later in
high school," PerezFelkner said.
Women have a 4.7 per cent chance of
declaring PEMC majors compared to
14.9 per cent of men, the study showed.
M
ars is a little more
Earthlike than
thought, NASA has
ing,' he said. Grebowsky is
lead author of a paper on this
research appearing April 10
revealed. A craft designed to in Geophysical Research
work out how the red planet Letters.
lost its atmosphere has found MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere
traces of metal. 'MAVEN has and Volatile Evolution
made the first direct detection Mission) is exploring the
of the permanent presence of Martian upper atmosphere to
metal ions in the ionosphere understand how the planet
of a planet other than Earth,' This scene shows NASA's lost most of its air, trans
said Joseph Grebowsky of Curiosity Mars rover at a forming from a world that
NASA's Goddard Space Flight location called "Windjana," could have supported life
Center in Greenbelt, where the rover found billions of years ago into a
Maryland. rocks containing man cold desert planet today.
It was once a warm, wet ganeseoxide minerals, Understanding ionospheric
planet thought to be capable which require abundant activity is shedding light on
of supporting life (concept water and strongly oxidiz how the Martian atmosphere
shown on right). The metal ing conditions to form. is being lost to space,
comes from a constant rain according to the team. The
of tiny meteoroids onto the Red Planet. metal comes from a constant rain of tiny
When a highspeed meteoroid hits the meteoroids onto the Red Planet. When a
Martian atmosphere, it vaporizes. highspeed meteoroid hits the Martian
Metal atoms in the vapor trail get some of atmosphere, it vaporizes.
their electrons torn away by other charged Metal atoms in the vapor trail get some of
atoms and molecules in the ionosphere, their electrons torn away by other charged
transforming the metal atoms into electri atoms and molecules in the ionosphere,
cally charged ions. transforming the metal atoms into electri
MAVEN has detected iron, magnesium, cally charged ions. MAVEN has detected
and sodium ions in the upper atmosphere iron, magnesium, and sodium ions in the
of Mars over the last two years using its upper atmosphere of Mars over the last two
Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer years using its Neutral Gas and Ion Mass
instrument, giving the team confidence that Spectrometer instrument, giving the team
the metal ions are a permanent feature. confidence that the metal ions are a perma
'Because metallic ions have long lifetimes nent feature. 'We detected metal ions asso
and are transported far from their region of ciated with the close passage of Comet
origin by neutral winds and electric fields, Siding Spring in 2014, but that was a
they can be used to infer motion in the ion unique event and it didn't tell us about the
osphere, similar to the way we use a lofted longterm presence of the ions,' said
leaf to reveal which way the wind is blow Grebowsky.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Chemicals in cosmetics
cause infertility: IVF experts
New Delhi: Cosmetics such as nail
polish, antibacterial soaps, anti
ageing creams all with high
chemical contents cause severe
negative effects on female fertility
besides having several other side
effects, doctors said on
Wednesday.
According to them, mounting
research on the subject has raised
certain concerns regarding the
potential sideeffects of these cos
metic products. Chemicals in beau
ty products have complicated
effects on women's hormones and
reproductive systems.
"Several endocrinedisrupting
chemicals have been identified to
affect abnormal ovarian function,
miscarriages and female infertility.
Antibacterial soap can also kill
your chances of conceiving,"
Sagarika Aggarwal, IVF expert
associated with citybased Indira
IVF, told IANS.
Stating that antibacterial soaps
contain chemical triclosan which is
linked to endocrine disruption that
messes up with the hormones,
Aggarwal said the chemical inter
feres with the reproductive sys
tem. "Parabens are a type of pre
servative (present in soaps, sham
poos and conditioners) used to
prevent the growth of bacteria. But
too much of it can have an impact
on fertility. When hormones are
Why exercise on empty stomach
may be better for your health
(Image courtesy: yahoo.com)
Green spaces, woods good
for elderly, says study
London: A walk in the woods
and green spaces is likely to
trigger changes in the levels of
excitement, engagement and
frustration in the brains of the
elderly people living in urban
areas, a study has found.
The findings have important
(Image courtesy: hindustantimes.com)
out of balance, the chances of cre
ating healthy eggs or healthy
sperm is reduced," said Aggarwal.
The experts have said that ingre
dients in nail polish contain a
cocktail of chemicals known to
cause birth defects and harm fertil
ity, especially a concern with
formaldehyde, phthalates like DPT
(dibutyl phthalate), toulene and a
range of other volatile organic
compounds (VOCs).
"Phthalates are connected to
both male and female infertility,"
said Manjula B.C., a Bengaluru
based IVF expert.
Talking about nail polish
removers, Manjula said that it con
tain toxic chemicals such as ace
tone, methyl methacrylate, toluene,
and ethyl acetate. "Toluene, a com
New York: If you have been won
dering whether it is better to eat
or fast before a workout,
researchers now have an answer.
A new study has found that exer
cise on empty stomach is better
for your health in the long term.
The study analyzed effects of
eating versus fasting on gene
expression in adipose (fat) tissue
in response to exercise.
After eating, adipose tissue "is
busy responding to the meal and
a bout of exercise at this time
will not stimulate the same (ben
implications for architects, plan
ners and health professionals as
the world deals with an ageing
population, the researchers
said. "Urban green space has a
role to play in contributing to a
supportive city environment for
older people through mediating
LIFESTYLE
London: Men with more grey
of increased cardiovascular risk,"
monly used solvent to get glossy
finish on the nails, also affects the
CNS and causes reproductive
harm. Phthalates, most common
chemical found in almost every
cosmetic product, is found to dis
rupt the hormone levels, affect fer
tility and build up in breast milk
when you do get pregnant," said
Manjula.
Jyoti Tripathy, an Indorebased
independent IVF expert, said expo
sure to these cosmetic chemicals
puts women at a higher risk of
miscarriage and the baby at risk
for physical and mental birth
defects. "It can cause miscarriage,
premature birth, low birth weight,
learning problems, behavioural
issues and brain, kidney or nerv
ous system damage," said Tripathy.
eficial) changes in adipose tis
sue," explained corresponding
author of the study Dylan
Thompson from University of
Bath in Britain.
"This means that exercise in a
fasted state might provoke more
favorable changes in adipose tis
sue, and this could be beneficial
for health in the long term,"
Thompson added. "This is the
first study to show that feeding
prior to acute exercise affects
postexercise adipose tissue gene
expression," the study said.
the stress induced by built up
settings," said Chris Neale,
research student at the
University of York.
The study was published in
the International Journal of
Environmental Research and
Public Health.
April 15-21, 2017
Grey hair linked to
higher heart
disease risk in men
hair irrespective of age may
be at increased risk of heart dis
ease, warns a new study.
"Our findings suggest that, irre
spective of chronological age,
hair greying indicates biological
age and could be a warning sign
said Irini Samuel, a cardiologist
at Cairo University, Egypt.
Atherosclerosis, buildup of
fatty material inside the arteries,
and hair greying share similar
mechanisms such as impaired
DNA repair, oxidative stress,
inflammation, hormonal changes
and senescence of functional
cells. "Atherosclerosis and hair
greying occur through similar
biological pathways and the inci
dence of both increases with
age," Samuel added.
This study presented at
EuroPrevent 2017, annual con
ONETHIRD PREGNANT
BRITISH WOMEN DRINK
ALCOHOL: SURVEY
London: Despite recommenda
tions to abstain from alcohol
during pregnancy, nearly one
in three pregnant women in
Britain drinks alcohol, a survey
of 11 European countries has
shown.
Britain (28.5 per cent) scored
highest in alcohol consumption
during pregnancy, followed by
Russia (26.5 per cent) and
Switzerland (20.9 per cent).
In contrast, women in
Norway (4.1 per cent) were
found to consume alcohol the
least during pregnancy. They
were followed by Sweden (7.2
per cent) and Poland (9.7 per
cent).
"Differences in pregnant
women's drinking behavior
between countries can have
many explanations besides
variations in willingness of
women to provide information
about their alcohol consump
tion during pregnancy," said
Hedvig Nordeng, Professor
from the Norwegian Institute of
Public Health.
There could also be differ
ences in national guidelines or
educational campaigns about
drinking during pregnancy, dif
ferences in prenatal care and
attitudes towards alcohol use
in pregnancy, or a combination
27
(Image courtesy:
stingtimes.com)
gress of the European
Association of Preventive
Cardiology (EAPC), being held at
Malaga, Spain from April 68
involved 545 adult men.
The researchers assessed the
prevalence of grey hair in
patients with coronary artery
disease usually caused by ather
osclerosis and whether it was
an independent risk marker of
disease.
of all these factors.
Further, women who report
ed alcohol consumption during
pregnancy were more likely to
be older, highly educated,
employed and had smoked
before pregnancy, the
researchers said in the paper
appearing in the journal
Women and Birth.
Alcohol can seriously affect
the development of an unborn
baby, increasing the risk of
miscarriage, premature birth,
low birth weight, learning diffi
culties and behavioral prob
lems.
"There is no defined safe min
imum amount of alcohol to
drink during pregnancy. We
therefore recommend that all
pregnant women should
adhere to the guidelines for
total alcohol abstinence during
pregnancy," Nordeng noted.
For the study, a total of 7,905
women from 11 European
countries were surveyed, of
whom 53 per cent were preg
nant and 46 per cent were new
mothers (with a child up to
oneyearold).
The surveyed countries
included Croatia, Finland,
France, Italy, Norway, Poland,
Russia, Serbia, Sweden,
Switzerland and Britian.
28 April 15-21, 2017 HUMOR
Funny Side by Nury Vittachi
When righting news
reports, get it write
I
just spelled a word so badly
t h a t e ve n a u t o c o r r ec t w a s
like, "Sorry, man, I got noth
in.'"
But at least it wasn't as bad
as my friend who went on a
business trip with a staf f mem
ber and misspelled a postcard
to his wife: "Having a lovely
time, wish you were her."
The high court in Delhi a few
BEST
days ago blamed "a typo" after
they let a convicted murderer
l o o s e. T h e i r j u d g m e n t s e n
RATE tenced him to "time served"
instead of the long stretch of time he
FOR should be serving. Police are looking
for him, hoping no one will end up with
INDIA "killed by a typo" as an epitaph.
Luckily, in most cases typos (short for
AND " t y p o g r a ph i c a l e r r o r s " ) u s u a l l y j u s t
embarrass reporters and amuse read
PAKISTAN ers. Going around the Internet this
month was an apology from the
Morning Sentinel, an Illinois newspaper
which printed an art icle on a church
New York Head Quarter musician: "We reported
422S Broadway Henninger's band mate Eric Lyday was
on drugs. T he story should have read
HICKSVILLE
that Lyday was on drums." What a dif
NY 11801 ference a letter makes.
5168271010 So does a comma. One of my favorite
authors, Ann Patchett, wrote to the edi
t o r o f t h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s a f t e r i t
reviewed her book: "T he review men
tions topics ranging from 'her stabiliz
ing second marriage to her beloved
d o g ' w i t h o u t b e n e f i t of c o m m a , t h u s
Laughter is the Best Medicine
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.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
giving the impression that Sparky and I
are hitched. While my love for my dog
is deep, he married a dog named
Magg ie at Parnassus Books last sum
mer."
Sometimes we journalists mess up so
badly that corrections need corrections.
In May, 2015, the US broadcast news
station NPR printed this: "In a previous
correction on this post, we corrected
something that was actually correct. So
we have corrected that correction."
that Canada's Toronto Sun once misspelled
t h e w o r d " c o r r ec t i o n " i n a o n e w o r d
headline over a correction: "CORRERC
TION".
One type of correction journalists
actually like is when complainants
demand changes that make them (the
c o m p l a i n a n t ) l o o k w o r s e. T h e I r i s h
Times described a man named Ed
Miliano as "a designer and illustrator",
but he demanded a correction: "Mr
Miliano is an artist."
The best errors conjure up interesting
images. Like this one from New Yorker
magazine which makes a writer seem
like an ageless wizard: "Correction: An
earlier version of this article misidenti
fied the number of years E.B. White
wrote for T he New Yorker. It was five
decades, not centuries."
Or this startling wordpicture from
the Canberra Standard: "They traveled
via the Cape on the Queen Mary, with
10,000 troops and 16 of ficers sharing
a twoberth cabin."
A s i a n n a m e s o f t e n p u z z l e E n g l i sh
speaking reporters, as shown by this
correction in the Auckland Star: "Mai
Thai Finn is one of the students in the
program and was in the center of the
photo. We incorrectly listed her name
as one of the items on the menu."
In our de fence, journalists work so
f a s t t h a t e r r o r s a r e i n e v i t a b l e. I n
December last year, someone at the AP
newswire sent out a report on French
polit ics that clearly wasn't ready.
"Hollande will/won't seek reelection,"
the news flash told puzzled readers.
Meanwhile, one of my condescending
colleagues always points out everyone
else's spelling mistakes. And probably
wouldn't like me revealing that he
checks his own spelling on Google first.
Heh heh heh.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
APRIL 1521, 2017
ARIES: Valuable support from a colleague
would help in professional matters. Good
advice from family members will help in
reducing mental tension/pressure. A sudden
inflow of funds will take care of your bills and
immediate expenses. Love partner touches soul
that would take imagination to unlimited
heights. A cheerful state of mind would allow
enjoying the perfect health. Being too choosy
for a romantic destination might irritate your
partner. Consider a friend of yours when you
plan to buy an office. Avoid indulging in mat
ters that dont concern you.
TAURUS: Dont forget to take the help
of subordinates by involving them in
decisionmaking process. Unexpected
gifts and presents from close relatives/family
members cannot be ruled out. You are likely to
make good money, but the rise in expenses
could make it difficult to save. Make sure you
celebrate your new love by enjoying a pleasure
trip with partner to make a perfect start. A
friend might test your tolerance power.
Dreaming of traveling is good, but if possible
than plan a trip. Buying property can lead to
gains as property prices continue to increase.
You are likely to hear some compliments,
which you were expected for long.
GEMINI: Good week for computer pro
fessionals as they realize their dreams.
You are most likely to face criticism
because of careless behavior at home. A tight
financial position could lead to criticism and
arguments. Someones timely help would
enable visualizing succeeding in love. Divine
knowledge from a saintly person provides sol
ace & comfort. Take some time to travel with
your spouse for romance and seduction. You
could buy the property that you are looking
for. Your choice of activities will not only keep
you busy but also benefit you.
CANCER: An excellent time for devel
oping professional contacts. Sudden
good news in the evening will bring
cheers for the entire family. Monetary position
is likely to improve on recovering of delayed
payments. Romantic imagination would keep
you in a jovial & cheerful mood. Meditation and
yoga prove beneficial for spiritual as well as
physical gains. You can make your vacation
extra special by planning it with your family
and friends. Your investment plans are not up
to the mark, you will be in trouble. Efforts to
associate yourself with volunteering work
might fail.
LEO: Senior colleagues cooperation
brings success at professional front.
Spend some relaxed moments with fami
ly members. Investment in antiques & jewelry
brings monetary gains and improvement in
financial position. You will have to make some
courageous ef forts to renew romantic bond.
Wrong decisions of the past could cause frustra
tion & mental stress. Luxuries are not what you
need in a vacation, its peace and companion
ship. Being an opportunity seeker is not good
for you, as you want be getting the correct
value for your property. Dont forget to save
yourself from unfair criticism of the people.
VIRGO: Business partners would be
enthusiastic about new plans & ven
tures. You should take some time to
enjoy it with children, even if you have to go out
of your way to make that happen. Instead of
wasting time, better to get involved in some
thing to improve your financial position. The
company of love partner makes you forget
about the work. A very healthy week when your
cheerfulness gives the desired tonic and confi
dence. Spiritual vacation is a quest for life, plan
it and enjoy it with your family. You might be
facing problem if you invest on long term plans.
Time to look out for activities not very expen
sive but entertaining to keep yourself busy.
ASTROLOGY
LIBRA: Female colleagues would help
in completing pending work. Your
efforts bring success & happiness at
family front. Long pending arrears and dues
will finally be recovered. Take love compan
ion into confidence before taking any deci
sion related to love. To enjoy the richer
grandeur of infinite life, make it more sublime
by absence of worry, which is the first step in
this direction. Vacation full of beauty and his
tory as well as exciting is waiting for you. If
youre planning a property, be sure to consid
er the legal aspect. Interactions with young
sters fail to bring desired success.
SCORPIO: A promising week for ambi
tious professionals to demonstrate
technical skills & abilities. You achieve
success in personal work with the timely help
& support provided by family members.
Investment concerning residence will be prof
itable. Love is likely to remain in low spirits.
Confusion might leave you stranded prevent
ing from deciding what to do next. Too much
of buying and selling of property is a danger
to your bank balance. Encouraging revenge
feelings would harm personal interests.
SAGITTARIUS: To reverse sagging
business fortunes, you will have to
take some calculated risks to tackle
the situation. If people approach you with
problems better to ignore them for the sake
of family life. The secret mantra of earning
your profits: invest wisely. For some work
takes a backseat, as you find comfort in the
arms of love partner. You are likely to main
tain good health that would also give you suc
cess. If your family loves to travel, then put
together some ideas to help you. You will
have to go out of the way to buy your dream
house. Restrain yourself from indulging in too
much talking without purpose.
CAPRICORN: Politicians find a very
smooth sailing as results go in your
favor, thus immensely boosting confi
dence. Take your parents into confidence
regarding your new projects and plans.
Financial hassles seem to get over as someone
lends a timely helping hand. Sudden romantic
encounter will lift your spirits. A continuous
positive thinking gets rewarded as you suc
ceed in whatever you do during this week.
Traveling on your own, with a friend or with
the whole family will be exciting and comfort
able too. Investing on properties which are
under developed will be profitable. You
receive an invaluable guidance from a spiritu
al leader.
AQUARIUS: Lack of effective commu
nication with subordinates could dis
appoint you. Goo d t ime to get
involved into activities that include children.
Investment is recommended but after a prop
er advice/guidance. Attending a so cial
event/family function brings a romantic
encounter. Creative hobbies are likely to keep
you relaxed. Travel in comfort with kids to an
adventurous place might be possible. First
resolve the legal issues then mortgage your
property. Make sure you dont nag or criticize
anyone.
PISCES: People engaged in tourism
will have the energy to keep pace with
fast taking events thus giving them
se lves an edge over others.
Misunderstandings with near ones in the fam
ily will get cleared. Promising week to invest
surplus money in real estate. Your physical
charm would catch the attraction of opposite
sex. With a positive outlook & confidence, you
succeed in impressing people around you.
Traveling internationally means too much
expense. Whether young or old, now is the
time to start investing. Encourage yourself to
do some experimentation.
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874
Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
15th April, 2017
Ruled by number 6 and the planet Venus.
You have a pleasant personality, sharp memory
and you are fond of worldly pleasures. You stay
ahead of others because of your interest in new
things and new technology, but you need to
control your tendencies towards moodiness,
timidity and interference in the affairs of oth
ers. This coming year is good for judicial and
govt. favours.
Long pending disputes will get sorted out
and important contacts will play immense role
in improving your financial standing. A sudden
influence of a person from the opposite sex
will give a new and interesting twist to your
life. Later in the year blessing from a saintly
person will provide comfort and peace of mind.
Stay away from strangers who behave extra
friendly and excuse all those who approach
you for temporary loans and financial assis
tance. Friends will be helpful but demanding.
The months of February, July & September will
prove to be significant.
16th April, 2017
Influenced by number 7 and the planet
Neptune, you are energetic, ambitious, inde
pendent, honest and possess a sharp memory.
You are highly innovative and have an in built
talent to impress others, but you need to con
trol your tendency to behave impatient and
erratic at times.
This period is good for you to take important
decision. You shall gather knowledge, informa
tion and make new and long lasting contacts.
You shall leave no stone unturned to achieve
your desired goals. Businessmen will expand
their ventures into new and more profitable
avenues. Investment in stocks would bring
spectacular results. Health would definitely
need more attention. Meditation and Yoga
should be practiced for spiritual as well as
physical gains. Some exhilarating news from
your children would boost up your spirits later
in the year. The months of December, May,
September and November will be eventful.
17th April, 2017
Ruled by number 8 and the planet Saturn,
you are dynamic, practical, responsible, hard
working, authoritative and highly disciplined.
For you your duties and responsibilities take
precedence over everything else, but you need
to check your tendency to behave stubborn
and jealous at times. Your next year will see
you improve your financial position, but there
will be an increase in your expenses as well.
Put your efforts on projects that promise long
term gains without wasting much time on
small problems. Only selective investment will
be rewarding and you should avoid speculation
on all fronts. Arrival of guests and relatives
during this period will be plenty, who will
bring you gifts in cash and kind. Employment
opportunities for some of you. Romance will be
pleasant and will add a spice to your life. The
months of February, May, July and November
will be highly significant.
18th April, 2017
Governed by number 9 and the planet Mars.
You are dignified, sensitive, courageous, confi
dent and diplomatic person. You are simple
and very helpful, but you need to control your
tendency to behave impatient and shorttem gains as well as physical gains. Some exhilarat
pered at times. This year you can look forward
to major changes in your professional career. A
long due transfer or a promotion can be
expected towards the middle of the year. Those
undertaking a foreign trip in the second half of
April 15-21, 2017 29
the year will have a highly pleasurable and a
very exciting journey. Do not spend lavishly on
luxuries. Financial difficulties and health prob
lems will mar peaceful atmosphere at home.
Despite few initial problems earlier in the year,
your financial position will become much bet
ter as new moneymaking projects will be
undertaken. Spiritual gains for some later in
the year. The months of March, August and
October will be highly significant.
19th April, 2017
Influenced by number 1 and the Sun. You are
active, energetic, authoritative, brilliant, sys
tematic and a talented person. You always wel
come new ideas and thoughts, but you need to
check your tendency to behave spendthrift and
dominating at times. The beginning of this
year will see you complete many of your pend
ing jobs in hand. New money making opportu
nities will be highly promising, but will require
you to give in your best. Speculations however
will not be beneficial, therefore strictly not rec
ommended. Investment in a house or land will
bring you longterm benefits. Relation with
your spouse during this period will be cordial
and on an even footing. Children will bring you
good news and you will be proud of their
achievements. Romantic alliances will prosper
and strengthen. The months of February, May
and September will be important.
20th April, 2017
Ruled by number 2 and the Moon. You are
imaginative, smart, trustworthy, generous and
authoritative person. You have good command
over your work and people look up to you for
advice and support, but you need to check your
tendency to behave selfish and moody at times.
This year you will feel more secure with your
prevailing job and your monetary position will
also improve. Money transaction however
should be made carefully. Some losses due to
speculation or hasty decision during this peri
od cannot be ruled out. Businessmen will sign
new and important contracts. Overseas ven
tures will be highly lucrative. This might not be
the perfect year for matters relating to your
heart and forming a matrimonial alliance. The
latter half of the year will see you undertake a
pilgrimage, which will bring you mental com
fort and peace. The months of January, May,
July and September will be highly result
oriented.
21st April, 2017
Governed by number 3 and the planet
Jupiter, you are intelligent, dignified, jovial,
generous and an optimistic person. You are
good at everything you do, which in return
brings lots of appreciation and rewards for
you. But you need to control your tendency to
behave spendthrift, dominating and vindictive
at times.
The coming year will promise many new
opportunities for growth. Your acumen in busi
ness will really do wonders, but you need to
plan your budget well in advance and it will be
wise not to go beyond it. Investment made in
the past will bear fruits, making your financial
position much comfortable. Property/legal dis
putes will settle to your satisfaction. Health
definitely needs more attention. Meditation
and Yoga should be practiced for spiritual
ing news from your children will boost up your
spirits. Travel and journey, most likely over
seas for some will ensure pleasure and excite
ment. The months of February, June and
November will be eventful.
30 April 15-21, 2017 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Part two of the discourse 'Illumine your self with love'

God is the power of love

By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
T
o be truly happy in life, we
want to be filled with a love
that is lasting. The only per
manent love is the love of God,
which is divine or spiritual love.
Why? When we love others in this
physical world, we focus on the
outer form of the person, and for
get the inner love of the Divine
of the worlds religions and we matter. Electricity is the flow of and reactions of a long stream of one for the sake of loving them,
find that the founder of each reli charged particles from the posi lifetimes in which we cycled away and do not care to gain anything
gion taught the same exact mes tive part of a circuit to the nega from Gods love. We may have from them, that is love. But most
sage, which is that God is love, our tive part. Magnetism is based on been sent out for one experience, people call something love when
soul is love, and the way back to the flow of energy between posi but if we became enamored by it is nothing more than filling a
God is through love. How simple tive and negative poles. Physics is Gods universes instead of God, we desire for money, belongings,
and clear this message is, but we just an expression of the law of ended up being attracted to living security, attachment, control, or
lose sight of it. love. in the realms of creation instead power. These reasons for loving
end up dragging us through the
Sant Mat is the path of love. Sant Mat translates into mud of anger, greed, attachment,
and ego. Thus, the socalled love
"teachings of the Masters or saints." Study any of the
only adds to our karmic load. True
love frees us from karma because
worlds religions and we find that the founder of each we do not want anything for our
religion taught the same exact message, which is that selves.
So long as we have forgotten
God is love, our soul is love, and the way back to God love, we are in separation from
God. To end the separation from
is through love. How simple and clear this message is, God, we need to illumine our

that connects us. The real love we
experience is the hearttoheart
and soultosoul love. The outer
form is but a vehicle or outer
packaging that shrouds that true
love that is at the core of that
person.
Suppose you had some cereal to
eat. The cereal can be wrapped in
a plastic baggie, or it can be in a
box. It is not the bag or the box
that we want to eat, but the cereal
within them. Similarly, when we
say "I love you" to a person, we
are directing that love to the
essence of that person. The outer
wrapper or physical form is not
who we are really loving; we are
really loving the persons essence
w ithin that form. How do we
know this? Look at how many
changes a person goes through in
life. T hey morph from a t iny
infant, to a toddler, to a schoolage
child, to a teenager, to an adult, to
an adult in his or her thirties, for
ties, fifties, sixties, seventies,
eighties, nineties, and over a hun
dred. We can love someone
through that entire span of time,
although the outer packaging is
growing and aging. It is the per
son within that outer form who
we love.
The secret is that when we tap
into loving the essence of that
person, we are tapping into that
persons true nature, and that
nature is love itself. That love is
like the genetic code for all life.
Just as 99.9 percent of all
human genes are said by scien
tists to be the same, the genetic
spiritual heart of all life is love,
and that is the same for everyone.
At the core of everyone is love.
That love is within you and that
love is within me, and that love is
within everyone. When we con
nect with that love, we are in bliss.
Sant Mat is the path of love. Sant
Mat translates into "teachings of
the Masters or saints." Study any
but we lose sight of it.
Thousands of
books are written to
speculate about God, but the
founders of every religion had it
correct. They boiled it down to
one word, and that is love. God is
the power of love. It is love that
blossomed forth into expression
as creation. Whether we poetical
ly describe God as a parent whose
love wanted to create children, or
God as an artist whose love to cre
ate burst forth into song, paint
ings, poetry, or sculpture, the
essence of that creation is love.
If we look at nature we find at
the core of all the physical sci
ences is the law of attraction. This
whole universe is held together by
the law of love expressed as
physics. Gravity is the law of
attraction that keeps objects with
in the atmosphere of the planet,
or we would all float of f into
space. The dance of neutrons,
electrons, and protons is a pull of
attraction that keeps them tied
together as molecules of matter,
or we would be just one loose uni
verse of floating energy with no
As Gods love flows out, creation
comes into being. Love lies at the
heart of all Gods expressions,
from the spiritual realms of cre
ation, to the physical realm, and
all matter and energy that exists
within these realms.
Love is at the heart of all forms
of life in creation as well. It exists
within every living thing from the
plants, to the animals, to humans.
We name that love within us as
the soul. The soul is a spark of
God, and as God is love, our soul is
also lovepure and simple.
All problems that exist in cre
ation are due to forgetting the
love of God within us. If we were
to remember Gods love, we would
be one with God, from whom we
were created. If we are here on
this planet today, it is because we
have forgotten that love. Our sep
aration from God is due to forget
ting this love.
This outer shell of the body we
wear is formed from the actions
of return
ing to God. How
few returned to God. It
is said that only ten percent
wanted to go back to God, but
they had already accumulated
karma in their sojourn away from
God, and that had to be paid off
before they could return. Think of
the ninety percent who have not
yet remembered they came from
God, and how much karma they
are accumulating in each succes
sive life away from God.
As long as we think we are the
body and mind and not the soul, it
is easy to forget love. What we call
love in this world is really a mani
festation of desire. How many of
us really love the essence of other
people for the pure love within
them?
How many love others condi
tionally because we want some
thing? Some people claim to love
others but really want something
from them, like money, posses
sions, control, power, favors, and
the like. When we love someone
for who they are at their core, that
is love. When we just love some
selves with love, the expression of
God. That love is innate within all
of us. When we are illumined with
that love within, we connect back
to God.
Every religion stressed this key
purpose of life. Each religion has
love at its core. Each saint taught
the way to illumine ourselves with
that love. Once we find the love
within ourselves, we have found
God.
We think finding God is so com
plex and technical. We think that
it is something that only a lucky
few throughout history have
done. Finding love is so easy it
can be done by a child or person
of any age, whether literate or
illiterate.
It is like digging for a treasure
hidden under your house. Just dig
and you will find it. Instead we are
looking for the treasure every
where else instead of where it
waits for us.
Imagine there is a treasure. Yet
we are ignorant of it. How can we
find it? We need someone with
the map to show us the right place
to dig for the treasure. That per
son can show us the right tools we
need, the right place to dig, and
the technique for digging.
Similarly, the treasure of Gods
love is within us. We have forgot
ten it is there, forgotten how to
dig for it, and forgotten the tech
nique. Masters are the catalyst by
which we can find and reawaken
that love within.
(to be continued....)
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
is an internationally recognized
spiritual leader and Master of
Jyoti Meditation who affirms the
transcendent oneness at the heart
of all religions and mystic tradi-
tions, emphasizing ethical living
and meditation as building blocks
for achieving inner and outer
peace. www.sos.org.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 15-21, 2017