The South Asian Times

e x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
Vol.10 No. 29 November 18-24, 2017 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
TheSouthAsianTimes.info November 18-24, 2017
 The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
Vol.10 No. 29 November 18-24, 2017 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Modi, Trump vow India & US to Trump touts

have world's greatest armies
Manila/Washington: President
Donald Trump and Prime
Minister Narendra Modi have
tremendously
pledged that the US and India
should have the worlds greatest
militaries as they discussed bilat
eral strategic partnership and
their shared commitment to a
successful
free and open IndoPacific
region, according to the White
House. The two leaders met on
Monday on the sidelines of the
ASEAN Summit in Manila, the
trip to Asia
Philippines.
The two leaders discussed the PM Modi and President Trump held bilateral talks on the
comprehensive strategic partner sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Manila on Monday. (Photo: PIB)
ship between the United States Pacific region, the White House cooperation as Major Defense
and India and their shared com said in a statement. Partners, resolving that two of
mitment to a free and open Indo They pledged to enhance their Continued on page 4

Another step to
Indian Americans win liberalization

big in Nov 7 elections Saudi Arabia

allows yoga as
sports activity MORE PIX OF TRUMP
New Delhi: The Saudi Arabian IN ASIA ON PAGE 17.
Ministry of Commerce and
Industry has approved the practice The one controversy in President Trumps long but wellorchestrated
of yoga as a sports activity, accord Asia tour was when he saidthen backtrackedthat he believed Russian
ing to a social media post of Nouf
President Putins denial of meddling in US election. (Photo : AFP)
Marwaai, the kingdom's first Manila, Philippines: President its been a really great 12 days.
woman yoga instructor. Donald Trump headed for home And on trade, the president said
Manka Dhingras win The approval will enable anyone Tuesday following an extensive confidently that U.S. trading part
in Washington state Ravinder Bhalla got Vin Gopal got elected to get a yoga centre/studio license tour of Asia that he said had been ners will be treating us much dif
helped Democratic elected as Mayor of to New Jerseys and start teaching yoga as a sports tremendously successful and had ferently than before.
party wrest a majority Hoboken, NJ state senate. service under the head of business put the world on notice that the I think the fruits of our labor
in the state Senate. activity. rules have changed for countries are going to be incredible, whether
New York: After many poll several others were elected to The news of the approval was that want to trade with the U.S. its security of our nations,
reverses in the past one year, local councils and school boards. made public by Saudi Arabia's first Trump also teased a major whether its security of the world
Democrats had a good election A few of them triumphed despite woman yoga instructor, Nouf statement on trade and the trip or whether its trade, Trump said.
on November 7. Contributing to facing racist slurs against them Marwaai. In a November 10 post later this week at the White House, Trump, who campaigned for
that outcome were many Indian during the campaign process. on Facebook, she announced that where he is expected to promote office on a promise to tear up mul
American candidates who won in The Sikh mayoral candidate the ministry has granted approval congressional Republicans plan to tilateral trade agreements that he
state and local elections, which Continued on page 4 to practice yoga within the coun overhaul the nations tax code. said have harmed the U.S., insisted
included two who bagged state try. Alluding India as "the land of
MORE ELECTION RESULTS As Air Force One rolled down the during the nearly twoweek trip
senate seats, one emerged victo the yoga," Marwaai acknowledged
ON PAGE 9. runway in Manila, Trump told the that multibilliondollar deficits
rious in a mayoral election, and Continued on page 4 reporters traveling with him that Continued on page 4

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 4 November 18-24, 2017 TURN PAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

PM Modi in Manila: 21st century should be India's century

Manila: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Monday interacted with
Indian Diaspora in the Philippines
and urged the community to do
everything possible to ensure that
the 21st century, which is termed
"Asia's century" becomes "India's
century."
"Our efforts are aimed at trans
forming India and ensuring every
thing in our nation matches global
standards" he said.
Talking about India's history of
peace, he said that India has never
harmed another country and also
reminded the audience of the sacri
fice of one and a half lakh Indian
soldiers, who laid down their lives
in distant lands during World Wars
1 and 2. "India has always con
tributed to world peace. Our contin
gent in the UN Peacekeeping Forces
is among the biggest. India is the
land of Mahatma Gandhi, peace is
integral to our culture," he said.
The prime minister also spoke of
the emotional bonding and the long
shared heritage that India has with
the ASEAN region. In particular, he
mentioned the Buddha and the
region is very important for India.
He further said that India has an
"emotional bonding" with Southeast
Asia. Lauding his policies in from of
the audience, he said that the initia
tives such as Jandhan Yojana and
Ujjwala Yojana, taken by the
Government are for empowering
the poor. He also mentioned the
gains made through Aadhaar link
ing of subsidy during his interac
PM Narendra Modi with other world leaders in a group photograph, at tion. Narendra Modi arrived for a
the 15th ASEANIndia Summit, in Manila, Philippines on November 14. threeday visit in Manila on Sunday
Ramayana. He said the Indian role to play in nurturing this her for attending ASEANIndia and the
Diaspora in the region has a key itage. PM also said that the ASEAN East Asia summits.

Trump touts tremendously Duterte. Trump praised and joked around India and the US will cohost the entrepre into control of the state senate with a slim
Monday with Duterte, who has overseen a neurship summit. The American delegation majority. Other big wins were in New Jersey.
successful trip to Asia
bloody crackdown on the illegal drug trade will be led by Trumps daughter Ivanka, who Vin Gopal, a young businessman, stepped
Continued from page 3
that has featured extrajudicial killings, earn is also his senior advisor. down as chairman of Monmouth County
that favor U.S. trading partners will be
ing the Filipino leader the condemnation of The talks between Trump and Modi came Democratic to get elected to New Jerseys
reduced to zero, and that trade overall must
human rights groups. after officials of India, the US, Japan and 11th legislative district in the state senate.
be fair and mutually beneficial.
Trump was in the Philippines to attend the Australia held their first meeting to give He was endorsed by US Senator Cory
The United States has to be treated fairly
Association of Southeast Asian Nations con shape to the much talked about quadrilater Booker.
and in a reciprocal fashion, he tweeted
ference and the East Asia Summit. He al alliance to keep the IndoPacific region Samip Sam Joshi, a 28yearold financial
Tuesday. The massive TRADE deficits must
sought during both gatherings to strength free and open. executive, was elected to the Edison City
go down quickly!
en alliances with Pacific Rim nations over Giving details on Mondays deliberations, Council with 11,827 votes.
Trump pressed that point on every stop on
trade and a shared desire for North Korea to Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar in
the grueling tour of Japan, South Korea,
abandon its nuclear weapons program. Manila said Modi and Trump undertook a Saudi Arabia allows yoga as
China, Vietnam and the Philippines, blaming
his predecessors for yawning trade imbal
broad review of the strategic landscape in sports activity
ances and declaring that the United States
Modi, Trump vow India & US to Asia without further elaboration. Continued from page 3
will no longer be taken advantage of under have world's greatest armies Asked whether the formation of India the support she received from the Indian
Continued from page 3 Australiathe USJapan quadrilateral was government, the Consulate General in Saudi
his watch.
the worlds great democracies should also discussed, Jaishankar said there was a pass Arabia and the people of India.
Weve had a tremendously successful
have the worlds greatest militaries, it said. ing mention of it, adding that the meeting of Late on Tuesday, yoga guru Swami
trip, Trump told reporters before departing
President Trump expressed appreciation the officials of the four countries was part Ramdev termed the decision taken by the
his third summit of the trip. Tremendous
that Indian purchases of oil from the United of diplomacy. Saudi government as a historic step.
amounts of work was done on trade.
States have surpassed 10 million barrels in It was a very expansive discussion, In the recent past, Saudi Arabia, known for
Trump said $300 billion in deals had been
recent months, and expressed confidence Jaishankar said, adding that Trump also implementing a strict interpretation of
reached, a sum he predicted would more
that stronger energy cooperation will be a shared his impression of his ongoing Asia Islam, has been in the news for charting a
than triple in a short period of time. We
geopolitical and economic game changer for trip which also took him to Japan and China. new modern course for the country.
explained that the United States is open for
both countries. Since catapulting to power with the sup
trade but we want reciprocal trade. We want
fair trade for the United States, he said. The first consignment of American crude Indian Americans win big in port of his father, the king, Crown Prince
The president also sounded a positive oil reached India in October and Indian Nov 7 elections Mohammed bin Salman has pushed forth
petroleum companies plan to purchase Continued from page 3 changes that could usher in a new era for
note about Vietnam, saying the country had
crude oil worth USD 2 billion from the US in Ravinder Bhalla in Hoboken, NJ was one of the United States' most important
changed direction and was now buying at
the next one year. smeared as a terrorist. Another flier, also in allies and swing the kingdom away from
least $12 billion worth of Boeing aircraft.
Prime Minister Modi said that he looked New Jersey wanted Indian American Falguni decades of ultraconservative dogma and
The reason I like the Boeing is because
forward to hosting the US delegation to the Patel to be deported. From the Democratic restrictions. He's introduced musical con
its jobs for the United States, Trump said.
upcoming Global Entrepreneurship Summit, party point of view, one important win was certs and movies again and is seen as the
Trump also spoke warmly of the many
showcasing innovation and collaboration of Manka Dhingra in the 45th District in force behind the king's decision to grant
good friends he had made on the trip,
between the two countries. Washington state. With that her party came women the right to drive as of next year.
including Philippine President Rodrigo

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY November 18-24, 2017 5

Kalsi named to NJ Governor

Elects Transition Team
Jersey City, NJ: New policies to advance the
Jersey GovernorElect Murphy campaigns
Phil Murphy commitment to a
announced his strong, inclusive mili
Transition 2018 leader tary that supports both
ship team Monday and active duty and
appointed Lieutenant reserves from New
Colonel Kamal S. Kalsi, Jersey as well as the
President and Founder states more than
of the SikhAmerican 435,000 veterans.
Veterans Alliance Im honored to sup
Felicitating Joseph Saladino, elected as Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor, (from left) (SAVA), to his Military port and advise the
Councilman Tom Hand, Manoj Narang, Bobby Kalotee, Kamlesh Mehta, Sushil Goyal, and Veteran Affairs Governorelects team,
and Dr YashPal Arya. Committee. Kalsi said.
Lt Colonel Kamal S. Kalsi
I pledged to build my We need to make

Indian community celebrates administration to mirror the diversity, tal

ent, and potential of New Jersey, and my
transition will be no different, Murphy
sure veterans from all generations from
those who served in the Vietnam War era
to those who are returning from the ongo

Saladinos poll victory said. To a person, this transition is full of

Hicksville, NY: The Indian community held
victory celebrations Sunday morning for
Joseph Saladino, who won the election last
week for Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor.
About 150 people met for breakfast at
Antuns here to congratulate him.
Saladino, a Republican, was appointed
Interim Supervisor of the Town in January
this year. Before that the Massapequa resi
incredible talent and experience, and Im
thrilled to see them serve. Together, well
ing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan
have the care and support they deserve.
Knowing we are still a country at war, we
dent served in the New York Assembly since
start the difficult job of building a will also work to make sure all New
2004.
stronger, fairer economy that works for all Jerseyans have the opportunity to serve
The Host Committee for the event com
nine million New Jerseyans. our country.
prised Dr YashPal Arya, DJ Kucha, Sushil
Kalsi, an Army emergency medicine doc Kalsi, the first Sikh soldier to receive a
Goyal, Jim Hirani, Jerry Kohli, Mukesh Modi,
tor who served on the frontlines in religious accommodation to wear a turban
Manoj Narang, Nilesh Patel, Bina Sabapathi,
Afghanistan, was one of five people and maintain a beard in uniform in over a
Amandeep Singh (Tony), Inder Singh (Nitu
named to the Military and Veterans generation, founded SAVA in 2017 to pro
ji), Dr Bhavani Srinivasan, Subin Verghese,
Affairs Committee, which will develop mote Sikh military history and service.
and The South Asian Times.

ICCR Chair of Indian Hindu American leaders call for

Studies to come up in
University of Pittsburgh
New Delhi: An MoU
was signed between
the Indian Council
for Cultural
Relations (ICCR)
and the University
of Pittsburgh to
establish a Chair of
ICCRs Riva Ganguly Das, and University of
Indian Studies at
Pittsburghs Mark Nordenberg singing the MoU.
University of
Pittsburgh. ICCRs Director General signed for a period of five years.
(and former CG in New York), Riva
Ganguly Das, and University of
Pittsburghs Chancellor Emeritus,
Mark Nordenberg and Vice
Provost for Global Affairs, Ariel C.
Armony, signed the MoU in New
Delhi on Monday. The ICCR Chair
at the University of Pittsburgh is
the second such Chair of Indian
Studies in the USA, the first being
at Rutgers University. The aca
demic partnership with the
University of Pittsburgh has been
Barve, the first IndianAmerican
elected to any state legislature in the
US. Member of the Maryland House
Under the MoU, a distinguished
visiting professor from India is to
be hosted by the University for one
semester each year to teach cours
es, conduct lectures, seminars and
workshops on various subjects
related to different aspects of
India like sociology, economy, poli
ty, art and culture. The MoU is
another firm step towards deepen
ing cooperation and further
strengthening of relations between
India & America.
political engagement in US
Washington: Hindu American lead
ers in the US have called for active
political engagement of the commu
nity in the country after the election
last week of many Indian Americans
at state and local levels. "Dozens (of
Hindu Americans) are contesting
elections and hundreds are follow
ing in their footsteps," said Kumar
Hindu Americans account for about 1% of the US population.
of Delegates, he also referred to the
presence of four Hindus in the US in a citation recognized AHCs first According to some estimates,
House. America has granted incred anniversary. "Wherever we are, we American Hindus account for about
ible opportunities, said Aruna Miller, must pursue political power," said 1% of the US population. Diplomats
another member of the Maryland AHC chair Shekhar Tiwari. A biparti from about a dozen countries partic
state legislature. This provides san organization, AHC's mission is to ipated in the event.
incredible responsibility to serve the promote a shared commitment of Mahbub Hassan Saleh, Deputy
society towards peace, said Miller, American Hindus for a prosperous, Chief of Mission of Bangladesh in
who is running for US House of safer and a stronger America, said the US, said the ultimate objective of
Representatives next year. Harsh Sethi, AHC president. organizations like AHC is to build
Both were speaking at the first Gurinder Singh Khalsa, represent bridges between communities and
anniversary celebrations of the ing Indianabased Sikhs Political countries. Bangladesh has the third
American Hindu Coalition (AHC) last Action Committee, emphasized the largest Hindu community in the
weekend. Maryland State legislature need to be engaged in politics. world.
6 November 18-24, 2017
USISPF appoints Arvind Panagariya,
Kanwal Sibal as advisors
T he USIndia Strategic Partnership
Forum (USISPF) has announced
appointment of former vice chairman of
Niti Aayog, Professor Arvind Panagariya
and former foreign secretary, Ambassador
Kanwal Sibal, as as advisors to the Board of
Directors.
Professor Panagariya, who is now the
Jagdish N. Bhagwati Professor of Indian
Political Economy at Columbia University,
will guide the Board on economic develop
ment, international trade policy, and eco
nomic reforms in India. Professor
Panagariya was the founding Vice Chair of
the National Institute for Transforming
India (Niti Aayog), the premier think tank
for the Government of India. In this role,
he worked extensively to promote Prime
Minister Modis priorities of prosperity for
all. Professor Panagariyas expertise focus
es on how industry can contribute mean
ingfully to this agenda.
Ambassador Sibal joined the Indian
Foreign Service in July 1966, eventually
Diverse Coalition rallies around Weprin Bill
for Kosher & Halal meals in public schools
s New Yorks legislators prepare for an
A other legislative session, a broadbased
coalition of New York advocates, faith
based groups, parents and students rallied
in support of legislation to provide halal
and kosher meals in New York City public
schools upon request as well as in support
of efforts to extend the Universal Free
Lunch for All program for all students in
all New York City schools. Assembly legis
lation sponsored by Assemblyman David I.
Weprin (A7231) requires New York City
public schools to provide students who
have religious dietary restrictions with ap
propriate meal options upon request of the
student.
New York City is home to an incredibly
diverse population, with a growing number
of students of faith attending New Yorks
schools. Providing food options for chil
dren with religious dietary restrictions will
allow these students to have a nutritious
meal with their peers at school, allowing
students to freely exercise their faith while
also increasing cultural exposure and un
derstanding for all students.
"If kosher and halal meals are already
provided in prisons, they absolutely should
be provided in our schools" said Assembly
man David Weprin. "Our state is one of in
credible religious and ethnic diversity, and
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
serving as the Foreign Secretary of India.
He has served as Ambassador of India to
Turkey, Egypt, France and Russia besides
having served as Deputy Chief of Mission
in Washington, D.C. with ambassadorial
rank. He is currently a member of the
Executive Council of the Vivekananda
International Foundation (VIF) and is on
the Board of the New Yorkbased East
West Institute. He writes prolically on
international affairs and is a Padma Shree
awardee for 2017.
Dr. Mukesh Aghi, President of USISPF,
spoke of the new Advisors to the Board,
saying, Professor Panagariya and
Ambassador Sibal have vast knowledge
and experience regarding recent history
related to the Indian political economy and
diplomacy efforts. USISPF has carefully
selected them in anticipation of combining
their knowledge with the great inuence
of our board members, in order to make
the most drastic impact on U.S.India rela
tions.
Yeruchim Silber of Agudath Israel of
America, Jake Adler of the Orthodox
Union, Assemblyman David Weprin,
Mazeda Uddin of SAFEST and Shaik
Tahmeed Taheem.
it is our duty to provide for all of those liv
ing in New York. The students of our state
should not have to choose between a nutri
tious meal and their religion.
The urgency of passing halal & kosher
food is dire and must not be taken lightly.
The livelihoods of thousands of New York
City public school students futures depend
on it. Many students, due to their faiths,
cannot eat all foods and need a specific re
quirement for eating foods. They should
not have to apologize for that. This is a
country of freedom to practice your reli
gion freely & we must never forget that.
So, lets begin to make change for all of hu
manity starting today with this bill. This is
for all of us said Mazeda A.Uddin, Founder
of the South Asian Fund for Education,
Scholarship and Training (SAFEST).
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
District Leader Dr Neeta Jain hosts
reception for Consul General
emocratic Dis
D trict Leader Dr.
Neeta Jain repre
senting Assembly
District 25th Part B
of Queens held a
welcome reception
for new Consul Gen
eral of India Ambas
sador Sandeep
Chakravorty with
Special Guest Con
Dr Neeta Jain addressing the meet.
gressman Joseph
Crowley. Event was held Upper West side munity affairs Mr. & Mrs. Devdasan Nair.
in Manhattan. It was well attended by Celebrity Broadcaster and community
elected officials and prominent community activist Renee Mehrra was the emcee for
leaders. Elected officials included New the evening. Crowley talked about IndoUS
York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer, relations and said Diwali should be a offi
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brew cial holiday in New Yorkcity public
er, Councilman Rory Lancman, Councilman schools. He fondly talked about his memo
Barry Grodenchik, Judge Raja Rajeswari rable trip to India with President Obama.
and Judge Ushir Pandit. Consul General Ambassador Chakrovarty echoed his senti
Chakravoty was accompied by his wife ments and invited all elected officials to
Mrs. Taruna Chakravorty and his staff in India.
cluding Head of Chancery Mr & Mrs. Dr. Neeta Jain spoke about her commit
JaideepChola, Consul Visa/passport Mr. & ment to further bring the two Democracies
Mrs. L. Krishnamurthy and Consul Com even closer.
Bruhud New York Seniors celebrates Diwali with musical Night: New YorkBruhud NY Seniors
leaders Shashikant Patel and Gopi Udeshi organized Diwali Dinner and Musical Night on
November 3 at Long Island City in New York.It was attended by more than 500 people and
among them were prominent leaders like Councilmember Barry S. Grodenchik, Consul Shree
Krishna Murthy from Indian Consulate, Councilman David I Weprin Rep, Harsh Parekh Governor
Cuomo Rep., Shree Harshad (Pakaji) Patel, Dr. Arvind Shah. (Photograph: Xitij Joshi)
AIANY celebrates Children Diwali in Libraries
ssociation of Indians in America NY Vandana Dance performance by Ms. Guha,
A on October 19th celebrated Childrens daughter of professor and renowned
Diwali in Bellerose Library, which was at singer Dr. Smita Guha. Children enjoyed
tended by many children and their parents. the cultural program, learned about the In
AIA National President Dr Shashi Shah, AIA dian culture and Diwali festival. They also
NY Chapter President Gobind Munjal, Vice applied mehndi, painted diyas and partici
Presidents Harish Thakkar and Dr Bal Gil pated in the bestdressed children comple
ja, Children Diwali in Library Chair Anita tion, followed by refreshments. This was
Thakkar, Cultural Cochair Mrs. Jyoti Gup the 7th year of Children Diwali Celebra
ta and Member At Large Hargovind Gupta tions at the Bellerose Library. AIA NY
and Gunjan Rastogi were among the AIA Chapter President Gobind Munjal ex
Executives who attended this event. The pressed the need to expand the Children
program started with the American and In Diwali Program in various other libraries
dian National Anthem followed by Ganesh and he invited suggestions from the audi
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY November 18-24, 2017 7

Kerala Center honors Pramila Jayapal & other achievers

New York: Pramila Jayapal, the
first Indian American woman
elected to the U.S Congress, was
among those honored at the 25th
annual gala of Kerala Cultural and
Civic Center at the World Fairs
Marina, Queens, on November 4.
She was honored for her achieve
ments in Political Leadership.
Attorney Appen Menon, a part
ner at Wormser, Kiely, Galef &
Jacobs LLP law firm in New York,
was honored for contribution in
Legal Services; writer Dr. Sheela
N.P. for Literature; Dr. A.K.B. Pillai
for Humanities; Community volun
Rep. Pramila Jayapal receiving the Kerala Center Award for Political Ginsmon Zacharia, COO of The South Asian Times,
teer Sheela Sreekumar for Leadership from Consul General Sandeep Chakravorty was honored for achievement in media
Community Service; and Ginsmon
Zacharia for achievement in Somasundaran and Entrepreneur Jayapal shared with the audience Washington, Jayapal said, There become bigger achievers and con
Media. Dilip Varghese. Also honored with her own growing up in a tradition are many more coming forward to tributors to the society.
The Center also honored five of a surprise award was E M al Kerala family and immigrating fight elections and making our Ginsmon Zacharia, COO of The
its pioneers with Silver Jubilee Stephen, the pioneer and first to the US as a student. My par voices heard in the decision mak South Asian Times, has dedicated
Year Life Time Achievement President and the Centers current ents would be delighted to hear of ing process of our nations des 17 years of his life to the news
Awards. The 25th Jubilee Year Executive Director for his vision this honor today at the Kerala tiny. Urging the Indian communi media. Currently he is coordinator
Life Time Achievers are Shanti ary and hard work in establishing Center, she told the audience, ty to be more politically active, she of the IndoAmerican Press Club,
Bhavan founder Dr. Abraham and running the center in the past referring to her familys long asso said, If you dont vote, you are an organization that he founded
George; Industrialist and Founder quarter century. Chief guest at the ciation with Sreedhar Monon, a giving away your voice. and chaired. He is also the director
& Chairman of SamiSabinsa gala, Consul General Sandeep founding member of the Kerala Executive Director E.M. Stephen of Jaihind TV USA, publisher and
Group Dr. Muhammed Majeed; Chakravorty said, Kerala Diaspora Center. Referring to at least 8 per said that Kerala Center had recog chairman of Jaihind Vartha and
Philanthropist Sreedhar Menon; has made India proud. They are sons of South Asian origin contest nized 140 achievers in the last 25 Aksharam magazine as well as the
Columbia University Professor P. incredibly strong, he said. Rep ing elections in her state of years who have continued to CEO of The Asian Era.

Indian Americans raise $2.4 IndianAmerican teen killed in

million for public health in India road rage incident in New York
Washington, DC: With an aim to contribute to
public health in India, Indian Americans
raised $2.4 million over the weekend at an
event in New York. The donation worth $2
million made by Chirag Patel, coCEO and
chairman, Amneal Pharmaceuticals, and his
family, at the second annual gala of WHEELS
Global Foundation (WGF) will go towards the
soontobe established WHEELS India
Niswarth (WIN) Foundation. The foundation,
which will be based out of the IIT
Gandhinagar and Indian Institute of Public
HealthGandhinagar campuses, will work on
core areas of water and sanitation and mater
nal and child health groups. At its inaugural
gala last year, the WGF had raised
$200,000."The increase in donations this
year demonstrates that donors see the
urgency of the issues faced and that WGF is a
attacked dental student Taranjit Parmar, 18,
(left to right) Rajat Gupta (chairman, WGF),
Josh Weston (guest of honor) and Ron
Mehta (WGF board member)
dedicated partner in alleviating issues faced
by rural areas. We are deeply gratified by the
generous donations of attendees, sponsors
and raffle and auction prize donors," said
Suresh Shenoy, President, WGF.
(PTI)
New York: An IndianAmerican teenager has
been killed in a road rage incident when a
driver ran his truck over her after a minor col
lision in the city's suburb of Levittown,
according to media reports. On Sunday, police
in Nassau County adjoining New York City
were looking for the driver who allegedly
on Thursday.
WPIX TV reported that police told the fami
ly that the pickup truck's license plate could Taranjit Parmar
not be seen on a surveillance video of the inci (Image courtesy: nydailynews.com)
dent. Police released the video and asked the out of the jeep, the truck driver mowed her
public to help find him. Parmar's brand new down and drove away, according to police.
jeep was hit by a red pickup truck that was Parmar suffered fatal injuries to her chest and
attempting to make a turn, the station quoted head. Her tearful father, Ranjit Parmar, told
police as saying. The two vehicles then pulled the station: "She bore all the responsibility to
off the roadway and when Parmar got out got carry the family, carry her education. (IANS)

World Court Judge Dalveer

Bhandari running for reelection
United Nations: World Court and the Council will assume
Judge Dalveer Bhandari of India is office next February. The perma
running for reelection on nent members of the Council can
Thursday when the UN General not veto a candidate. The govern
Assembly and the Security Council ments of all the seven candidates
will hold separate ballots to elect are campaigning for their candi
five judges. dates. The Indian Mission to the
Bhandari was elected to the Dalveer Bhandari UN held a reception for him last
Haguebased International Court (Image :examlover.com) month to meet the delegates who
of Justice in 2012 to complete the remainder will be voting in the election. Besides
of the term of a retiring judge. He is now run Bhandari, President of the court Ronny
ning for a full nineyear term and is facing Abraham of France, Vice President,
Nawaf Salam of Lebanon for the judgeship Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf of Somalia, and
representing Asia. There are seven candi Antonio Augusto Cancado Trindade of Brazil
dates for the five judgeships up for election and Christopher Greenwood of Britain,
this year. The five candidates who each get a whose terms end this year, are running for
majority of the votes in both the Assembly reelection,.
 8 November 18-24, 2017 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Indian students in US Motel owner, 40, killed in

double in last decade,
second only to the Chinese
New Delhi: The number of Indian
students studying in the US has
doubled in the last 10 years, with
the growth rate running in double
digits for the fourth year running,
the US embassy said on Monday.
According to a report published
by the US Department of State
Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs, the total number of Indian
students now in the US stands at
over 186,000, rising by more than
12% in the last one year.
Comprising 17.3% of all interna
tional students there, the Indian stu
dents are only behind China, which
remains the top sender of students
to the US since 200910 when it
toppled India for the number one
position.
The number of Indian students in
the US has doubled over the last 10
years and India is the second lead
ing place of origin for students com
ing to the US... The majority of
Indian students (56%) in the US are
studying at the (post) graduate
level, George Hogeman, Consul
General, US Embassy, told reporters,
citing the numbers in the 2017
Open Doors report on International
Educational Exchange.
The other countries which ranked
as top senders to the US after China
and India were South Korea, Saudi
Arabia, Canada, Vietnam, Taiwan,
Japan, Mexico and Brazil.
The top five US states hosting
international students cited in the
report were California, New York,
Texas, Pennsylvania and
Massachusetts.
Courses in the STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics) field made up for the
biggest chunk of all those sought by
Indian students, with over 70%
enrolled in Mathematics, Computer
Science and Engineering alone.
Although there has been an
increase by 12% in the number of
Indian students leaving for the US
shores for higher studies, it is far
less than what it was in 201516
(24.9%) and 201415 (29.4%).
(IANS)
shootout in North Carolina
New York: An Indianorigin
owner of a motel was shot dead
and four other people were
injured in a shootout in the state
of North Carolina, police said.
Akash R Talati, 40, who owned
Knights Inn and Diamondz
Gentlemen's Club in Fayetteville
city, was an innocent bystander
when a man who had been
escorted out of the club
returned soon and exchanged
gunre with a security guard,
police Detective Jamaal
Littlejohn said.
Police said they were called to
the club at 1:51 AM on
Saturday.
Detective Littlejohn said
Markeese Dewitt, 23, of
Fayetteville has been charged
with attempted murder and
assault with a deadly weapon
inicting serious injury.
Littlejohn said Markeese
Dewitt was shot four or ve
times and remained in serious
condition at Cape Fear Valley
Medical Centre, fayobserver.com
Akash Talati
(Image :indianexpress.com)
reported.
He said only Markeese Dewitt
and the security guard
exchanged gunre and the oth
ers were bystanders.
One of the victims was in a
fair condition at the hospital.
The two others were treated and
released. Akash Talati, reported
ly from Anand in Gujarat died at
the hospital.
External Affairs Minister,
Sushma Swaraj conrmed Akash
Talati's death in a series of
tweets. Police have not released
the names of three other people
who were injured. Littlejohn
said they included the security
guard and a female employee of
the club who operated the cash
register.
The detective said security
escorted Markeese Dewitt out of
the club because he had caused
a disturbance. He said Markeese
appeared to have gone to his
vehicle, got a gun, went back
inside the club and started
shooting.
Detective Littlejohn said police
have no idea what caused
Markeese to get kicked out of
the club.
"All we know is he got put out,
he goes and gets a gun and it
goes crazy from there,"
Littlejohn said.
Detectives are actively investi
gating the homicide and shoot
ing and have appealed to the
public to contact them if they
have any information on the
incident. (PTI)

Houstons radio host gets Wells Fargo announces

probation in sexual assault case Bullying Prevention Campaign
Houston: Sunil Thakkar, 51, the popular host
of the Music Masala radio program and asso
ciated cruises and media events, has pleaded
guilty in Harris County Court to the charge
of sexually assaulting a minor.
Judge Ramona Franklin of the 338th
District Court in Harris County sentenced
Thakkar on Wednesday, Oct. 25 to deferred
adjudication of guilt until Oct. 24, 2022.
As result of the guilty plea, Thakkar will be
on a veyear probation, spend ten days in
Harris County Jail, pay a ne of $1,500, reg
ister as a sex offender for his lifetime, and do
community service for 120 hours. In addi
tion, Thakkar is prohibited from coming into
contact with girls under 17.
The case against Thakkar stems from a
probable cause complaint issued by the HPD
on Dec. 7, 2015 and Thakkar posted a
$30,000 bond on Dec. 10, 2015. A Grand
Jury indicted Thakkar on Feb. 5, 2016.
In the probable cause complaint, the minor
is identied as K.S. She was away from home
when her parents stumbled up on a diary
that contained Thakkars name. Since K.S.
was a minor, the state pursued the felony
charge.
According to India Herald, the alleged
Sunil Thakkar
(Image courtesy: vimeo.com)
offense occurred in February 2014, when
K.S. was 15. She rst met Thakkar on or
about Nov. 22, 2013 at an event, K.S. told the
police. However, she did not initiate the com
plaint.
Harris Countys Assistant District Attorney
Joseph Sanchez set the plea bargain agree
ment with Thakkars attorney, Asha Reddi.
The case will be erased from Thakkars
record after he serves the full veyear pro help prevent bullying through acceptance,
bation. Thakkar is expected to report to the
Harris County Jail after working hours for
10 days beginning Nov. 5.
New York: Most Americans agree that peo
ple should be treated respectfully and fairly.
Yet many people in the United States still re
port feeling harassed, bullied or discriminat
ed against based on their race, gender, dis
ability, age, religion or sexual orientation.
Approximately 9% of Asian students in the
U.S. report being bullied at school (National
Center for Educational Statistics, 2015).
Wells Fargo has partnered with the Ad
Council in support of the Love Has No La
bels campaign: a yearround national plat
form that aims to fight bias and prejudice,
embrace differences, and put aside labels in
the name of love. As part of the campaign,
Wells Fargo has created a video and a list of
5 Ways To Prevent Bullying that aim to
promote a more accepting and inclusive en
vironment, and encourage people to stand
up against bullying.
Since many people face bullying based on
real or perceived identity labels, the Ad
Council staff provided five ways people can
ple to come together and talk about the ef
support, respect, love, and unity:
1. Acceptance. Gaining exposure to rela
tionships, cultures, and people who are dif
ferent than you helps erode biases and build
empathy.
2. Support. Be intentional about support
ing and including others, which helps rein
force the idea that there is nothing wrong
with people who are being bullied.
3. Respect. When bullies make hurtful
statements, others can help put a stop to it
and make it clear bullying is not acceptable
by saying things like, We dont do that
here, or Were better than this. State
ments like this normalize acceptance and
create an environment of respect for others.
4. Love. Many people might think allies
need to be loud and make grand gestures
when they stand up for others, but not
everyone is extroverted or wants to risk be
coming targets themselves.
5. Unite. Trust people to come up with
their solutions and give them credit. Instead
of talking down to people about bullying
and related issues, create an open dialogue.
Bullying happens everywhere. Getting peo
fects and what they might do in those situa
tions makes people more empathetic and
can help prevent bullying.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Ravinder Bhalla elected as first
turbaned Sikh mayor in New Jersey battleground Senate race
Edison: UC Berkeley alumnus
Ravinder Bhalla was elected the
first Sikh mayor of Hoboken,
New Jersey last week.
I think the most important
thing to recognize is that his
election was a watershed
moment for the Sikh community
in our history in the United
States, said Gurwin Ahuja, exec
utive director and cofounder of
the National Sikh Campaign. It
showed to young Sikh Americans
that our potential in the country
is limitless.
An Indian American civil rights
lawyer and city politician, Bhalla
entered the mayoral race after
incumbent Mayor Dawn
Zimmers decision not to run for
reelection and her endorsement
for his campaign. Bhalla graduat
ed from UC Berkeley with a
degree in political psychology
before receiving a masters
degree in public administration
and public policy from the
London School of Economics. He
Falguni Patel elected to
Edison School Board
amidst racial attack
New Delhi: Falguni Patel, an Indian
American corporate and immigra
tion lawyer has been elected to an
Asian school board in New Jersey's
Edison township. Her election to the
board comes after flyers with xeno
phobic messages had appeared
which targeted her along with a
ChineseAmerican. She was elected
to the Edison Township School
Board for threeyear term, NJ.com
reported. Jerry Shi, the Chinese
American candidate, was also elect
ed to the board. Both Falguni Patel
and Jerry Shi were targeted in mail
ings which insisted that both of
them should be deported and that
Chinese and Indians were taking
over their town. Earlier this month,
flyers with xenophobic messages
targeting the two AsianAmerican
school board candidates had
reached the mailboxes of several
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
NEW JERSEY ELECTS
Gopal ousts Beck in
Ravinder Bhalla
then ran for city council in New
Jersey, winning and serving two
terms as a city council member.
Bhalla beat out five other can
didates for the position, includ
ing fellow Hoboken City
Councilmembers Mike DeFusco
and Jennifer Giattino.
Were proud to see him have
his turban and his beard, know
ing that people will misinterpret
it. He knows that hes standing
Flyers that appeared
before Patels election
New Jersey residents. The flyers had
created uproar among the communi
ty members in the city. The resi
dents had received anonymous let
ters in their mail. The said letters
sought deportation of both Patel
and Shi and said that Chinese and
Indian are taking over the town. The
flyers had mugshots of both Patel
and Shi with the word "deport"
stamped over them. The flyers also
had the slogan "Make Edison Great
Again." (Source: ndtv.com)
for the values of religious toler
ance, racial equality and gender
equality, Ahuja said.
The Hoboken mayoral race did
not happen without controversy.
Flyers labeling Bhalla as a terror
ist were circulated days before
the election, claiming to be paid
for by Team DeFusco for
Hoboken. DeFusco has publicly
condemned the flyers and
alleged that they were not associ
ated with his campaign.
I think that theres generally a
large lack of understanding
around who a Sikh American is,
what a Sikh American looks like,
what it means to be a Sikh
American, and because of a lot of
that lack of knowledge, igno
rance tends to also manifest in
hatred, said Anumita Kaur, a fel
low for the National Sikh
Campaign.
Bhalla will begin working on
his proposed policies when his
term begins in January 2018.
(Source: dailycal.org)
Deven Patel re-elected, Joyce Mehta elected
to South Brunswick Board of Education
Edison: Deven Patel, an Indian
American from South Brunswick got
reelected for threeyear term as a
member of the South Brunswick
Board of Education with more than
3,500 votes in Tuesdays general
election. Another IndianAmerican
woman Joyce Mehta who received
more than 3,700 votes got elected
first time in the board for twoyear
term. Township of South Brunswick
is one of the most culturally diverse
in the state with more than 23%
South Asians living in the town.
The Board of Education elections
had three open seats. Five candi
dates ran for threeyear term and
two candidates ran for one vacated
seat for two year term. The other
two winners were incumbents.
Patrick Del Piano received more
than 3,400 votes and Arthur
Robinson received more than 4,000
votes. Deven Patel has been serving
diligently for the past six years in
November 18-24, 2017
Edison: In a major upset, Vin Gopal
ousted state Sen. Jen Beck (R
Monmouth) in the battleground
11th district on Tuesday, flipping
the Senate seat to Democrats after
years of Republican control.
Gopal had 54 percent of the vote
to Becks 46 percent, with 89 per
cent of precincts reporting, accord
ing to the Associated Press. Beck, a
state senator since 2008, conceded
the race at 9:45 p.m.
During a tough night for New
Jersey Republicans, Becks loss was
especially stark. The party lacks a
deep bench and Beck was one of the
few politicians that was seen as
having potential to run for higher
office. I have been so honored to
serve you and I want to wish Vin
Gopal the best as he now takes the
reins, Beck said in a short conces
sion speech at Guadagnos election
night event. Democrats snagged the
districts two Assembly seats from
Republicans in 2015, and now con
trol all the legislative seats in the
district. Assemblywoman Joann
Downey and Assemblyman Eric
Deven Patel
school board. He is currently
employed as a Civil Engineer at New
Jersey Department of
Transportation. Patel serves as a
chairman of the South Brunswick
Township Transportation Advisory
Committee and a member of the
Middlesex County Transportation
Coordinating Committee represent
ing South Brunswick Township.
He has been actively involved in
school board committees as a chair
of Curriculum and Academic policy,
Policy Committee and District
9
Vin Gopal
Houghtaling (both DMonmouth)
won reelection Tuesday.
Gopal, 32, is the former chairman
of the Monmouth County
Democrats. He fundraised at a
steady pace all year and got some
lastminute help from a super PAC
aligned with South Jersey power
broker George Norcross, which
dropped more than $876,000 on
the race in the last days. Im a life
long resident of Monmouth County.
I love this county, he said earlier
Tuesday. The 11th legislative dis
trict covers 18 towns in Monmouth
County, including Asbury Park and
Freehold.
(Source: Observer.com)
Joyce Mehta
Evaluation Advisory Committee
(DEAC).
While Joyce Mehta is newly elect
ed to the board but not new to the
school system as she has been
actively serving as parent advocate
and resident of South Brunswick for
the past 12 years with two daugh
ters in school system.
She is a lawyer by profession and
actively involved and working tire
lessly for the past few years for all
children in South Brunswick school
district.
 10 November 18-24, 2017 US AFFAIRS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

McConnell calls on
Sexual misconduct transcends Roy Moore to exit
ethnicity and nationality Senate race over
sex claims

An array of sexual misconduct allegations against powerful men like Harvey Weinstein and Bill OReilly has been spurred by bold
stands taken by women like Gwyneth Paltrow and Megyn Kelly, which emboldened other women to expose sexual predators.
Roy Moore is digging in the race for Senate
Comment by Chandra K. Mittal and shame for many years. They have American icon Sunil Thakkar for sexual
seat from Alabama, leaving few good options
given them voice and courage to come out assault of a teenager are yet other exam for the GOP establishment. (Photo : AP)

I
f sexual misconduct were an infectious
disease, society would likely label 2017
as a year of sexual epidemic, albeit a
multisource one. Unfortunately, it is not a
timespecific affliction. Nor is it confined to
a region, race, ethnicity or nationality of
the perpetrator. It is indeed specific to
human species, where one exerts his/her
power (be it muscle, money, authority, aura,
etc.) to coerce the weak (subordinate, jun
ior, female, child, etc.) into sexual submis
sion. Lately, many American celebrities and
icons have fallen from grace due to allega
tions of sexual misconduct which includes
sexual harassment, assault, sexual abuse,
etc. These have included flamboyant jour
nalist Bill OReilly, Fox News boss Roger
Ailes, Hollywood Film producer Harvey
Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey, MSNBC
journalist Mark Halperin, and Bill Cosby to
name a few.
While sexual misconduct is nothing new,
its frenetic public exposure recently has
caught on with celebrity victims like
actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie or
TV personalities Gretchen Carlson and
Megyn Kelly taking on the powerful perpe
trators like Ailes, OReilly and Harvey
Weinstein. These victims have indeed
paved the way for many weak and intimi
dated who had been languishing in silence
and state their case to the public. Current
social media and internet technology has
also facilitated the exposure of this social
evil.
The menace of sexual misconduct is not
confined to any field or race but includes
people of diverse backgrounds such as
politicians, artists, scholars, educators, sci
entists, priests, Whites, Blacks, Hispanics,
Asians, etc. There are, however, differences
in the degrees and extent of misconduct
reporting among various groups, which is
related to their cultural and individualistic
differences. For example, women in Asian
communities suppress their abuse for fear
of public shame and blame in maledomi
nated closed societies. Unfortunately, this
encourages many men to take advantage of
this female weakness.
Recently, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri,
Chairman of the UN's Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) who had
shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with
VicePresident Al Gore, was forced out due
to sexual harassment charge against his
subordinate employee in India. Similarly,
disciplinary and punitive action against
USC Medical School Dean Dr. Rohit Varma,
University of California, Berkeley legal
scholar Sujit Chowdhry, and the conviction
of Houstonbased Radio host and Indo
ples that sexual misconduct bug has bitten
Washington: Senate Majority Leader Mitch
the IndianAmerican community as well,
McConnell (RKy.) said Monday that Republican
which is otherwise an accomplished model
nominee Roy Moore should end his Senate cam
minority of America.
paign in Alabama, following allegations that he
Because there are no eyewitnesses to
initiated a sexual encounter with a 14yearold
the sexual misconduct crime, such allega
girl when he was 32.
tions are difficult to prove in the court of
I think he should step aside, McConnell said,
law and hard to prosecute for lack of sub
reported Washington Post. His comments
stantive physical or chemical evidence. As a
marked the most definitive position he has taken
result, many perpetrators are either acquit
on Moores candidacy since The Washington
ted or are never charged with the crime.
Post reported the allegations on Thursday. Asked
As unfortunate and serious as the crime
by a reporter whether he believed the allega
of sexual misconduct is, America has not
tions, McConnell responded: I believe the
seen the last of it. In fact, it is only the tip of
women, yes.
the iceberg.
Although it is too late to remove Moores name
In the end, sexual misconduct is really a
from the ballot before the Dec. 12 special elec
variant of emotional abuse of a person that
tion, McConnell said he is exploring the option of
leaves permanent scar on the victims psy
a writein campaign by Sen. Luther Strange,
che as abuse demeans and humiliates them.
whom Moore defeated in the primary, or another
Perhaps the best way to prevent this evil is
Republican.
transparency, sympathy, support and quick
T he Post reported T hursday that Leig h
legal action. Although, there are federal
Corfman alleged that Moore initiated a sexual
laws to prevent sexual harassment and mis
encounter with her when she was 14 and Moore
conduct, these cannot be fully effective if
was a 32yearold assistant district attorney.
either the victim or the knowledgeable peo
Moore has denied the allegations and has vowed
ple do not act including involving the
to continue his campaign. The allegations have
media. Society can protect itself against
sent shock waves through Washington, with sev
these characters only by simply exposing
eral highprofile Republicans urging the married
them and bringing them to justice.
fatheroffour to quit the Senate race if the
Houston based Dr. Chandra Mittal is co
claims are true.
founder of IndoAmerican Association.

America's Pledge commits climate action

Bonn: In a first, California
Governor Edmund G. Brown and
UN SecretaryGeneral's Special
Envoy for Cities and Climate
Change Michael R. Bloomberg
released the America's Pledge
report last Saturday at the UN cli
mate change conference here.
The report is the first communi
cation to the international com
munity specifically addressing
the scope and scale of nonfeder
al climate action in the US follow
ing the Trump administration's
decision to withdraw from the
2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
It captures and quantifies the
outpouring of public support for
the agreement since the with
drawal announcement, finding
that cities, states and businesses
prises more than 2,300 signato
ries to the "We Are Still In" decla
ration.
In addition, the report finds
that a total of 20 US states, 110
cities, and over 1,400 businesses
with US operations representing
$25 trillion in market capitaliza
tion and nearly one gigatons of
GHG emissions per year have
adopted quantified emissions
reduction targets.
The most ambitious of these
targets, such as those adopted by
California, mirror the nationally
determined contributions (NDCs)
of national governments.
America's Pledge cochairs Governor Brown and Michael Bloomberg "The group of American cities,
at the Bonn climate meet. (Photo: Bloomberg Twitter)
states, and businesses who
representing more than half the declared their support for the remain committed to the Paris
US economy and population have Paris Agreement. The report com Agreement represents a bigger
economy than any nation outside
the US and China," an of ficial
statement quoting Bloomberg
said.
"Together, they are helping
deliver on the promise of the
agreement and ensuring the US
remains a global leader in the
fight against climate change. In
Paris, the US pledged to measure
and report our progress reducing
emissions alongside every other
nation."
The report was released at an
event featuring UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) Executive Secretary
Patricia Espinosa and Fijian
President Frank Bainimarama,
who is chairing the COP23,
besides others.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info US AFFAIRS November 18-24, 2017 11

Trump calls for lower top tax
rate and Obamacare
individual mandate to go
Washington: President Donald Trump just
added complications to the Republican tax
reform debate.The President on Monday
called for major changes to the tax plans
currently working their way through
Congress. In a tweet sent while he was in
Asia, Trump said he wants to see more
tweaks. He urged Republicans to repeal the
Affordable Care Act provision requiring
most Americans to buy insurance or pay a
penalty. By doing so, the GOP could then
chop the top individual income tax rate to
35 percent with "all the rest going to middle
income cuts," the president contended.
Trump's tweet adds confusion to an
already complicated and contentious
process to overhaul the tax system.
Lawmakers aim to balance raising revenue
to pay for major tax cuts without losing GOP
votes and endangering the bill.
Scrapping Obamacare's individual man
date would save the government $338 bil
lion over 10 years, the Congressional
Budget Office estimated this month, giving
the GOP more room to chop rates. However,
any proposal to do so will prove politically
contentious, partly because the CBO projects
13 million more Americans would be unin
sured by 2027.
Average health insurance premiums are
also expected to rise without the individual
mandate.
The House Ways and Means Committee
already decided not to put the individual
mandate repeal into its tax plan. The panel
approved a tax bill last week, and House
Republicans want the full chamber to pass it
this week.
House Republicans already face a chal
lenge in holding on to bluestate GOP votes
due to its proposed plan to end state and
local tax deductions.
The Senate has proposed its own bill that
it is in the process of marking up, or debat
ing and amending.
Trump's proposed top rate of 35 percent
is lower than that in the House and Senate
plans. The House would keep the highest
incometax bracket at 39.6 percent. The
Senate bill would cut it slightly to 38.5 per
cent. The president's call for an even lower
rate on highincome Americans sparked
more criticism from Democrats who say the
GOP plan goes much further to help wealthy
Americans than middleincome workers.
In a statement, Senate Minority Leader
Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., said Trump's pro
posal "would send premiums for millions of
Americans skyrocketing, all so that the
wealthy can get an even bigger tax giveaway
than they'd get under the original
Republican plan."
Said Schumer: "The President's awful idea
would take a plan that's already heavily tilt
ed towards the wealthy and make it even
worse."
Trump Jr. had Twitter
exchanges with WikiLeaks
Washington: Donald Trump Jr., President's
eldest son, has released exchanges he had
with the WikiLeaks Twitter account via
direct messages during the 2016 presiden
tial campaign, the media reported.
Trump Jr. tweeted the exchange on
Monday, saying: "Here is the entire chain
of messages with @wikileaks (with my
whopping three responses) which one of
the congressional committees has chosen
to selectively leak. How ironic!"
According to the released messages,
WikiLeaks reached out to Trump Jr. on
September 20, 2016, regarding a political
action committee (PAC)funded, anti
Donald Trump Jr.
Trump website.
A source familiar with the matter told In the October 3 exchange, the
CNN that Congress has had the documents WikiLeaks Twitter account sent a message
for a while, and Trump Jr. was briefly to Trump Jr. that said: "Hiya, it'd be great if
asked about the exchanges during a you guys could comment on/push this
closeddoor interview he had with the story," and proceeded to link to a quote
Senate judiciary committee this September. from Clinton suggesting a drone strike
Alan Futerfas, an attorney for Trump Jr., against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange,
said: "Putting aside the question as to why according to the messages shared by
or by whom such documents, provided to Trump Jr.
Congress under promises of confidentiali "Already did that earlier today," Trump
ty, have been selectively leaked, we can say Jr. wrote back. "It's amazing what she can
with confidence that we have no concerns get away with."
about these documents and any questions Monday's revelation comes amid several
raised about them have been easily investigations into possible links between
answered in the appropriate forum." President Trumps campaign and Russia.
Trump Jr. responded to two of the mes Trump Jr. faced scrutiny after it was dis
sages initiated by WikiLeaks, the one sent closed that he had ag reed to meet a
on September 21, 2016, and then again on Russian attorney in June 2016 who prom
October 3, 2016. ised "dirt" on Clinton.

Joe Biden doesn't rule Flynn probed over plot to

out 2020 run 'kidnap' Turkish cleric
Washington: Former Washington: President
Vice President Joe Trump's former
Biden said that he was National Security
not actively planning a Adviser Michael Flynn
run for president in is under investigation
2020, but he also did for alleged involvement
not rule it out, the in a plot to forcibly
media reported. remove a Turkish dissi
Biden made the dent cleric living in the
remarks in an interview US and deliver him
on Sunday with Oprah back to his country in
Winfrey as part of a return for millions of
publicity tour for his dollars.
new book, "Promise Me, According to The
Dad: A Year of Hope, Wall Street Journal,
Former Vice President Joe Biden has just published his memoir.
Hardship, and Purpose", Flynn who quit his
adding to speculation Biden contended that while he thought Michael Flynn, who was ousted as National Security Adviser in
post after misleading
about whether he will join the next presi he could have secured the Democratic the Trump administration earlier this year
the White House about
dential race, reports CNN. nomination, he also thought Hillary Clinton meeting a Russian The Journal reported that the FBI ques
During the interview, Winfrey asked would be a great president. envoy before Trump took office dis tioned at least four people in regard to a
Biden if he had considered a 2020 run. But, he said, as Election Day approached, cussed having cleric Fethullah Gulen midDecember meeting in New York at
Biden responded: "No, not yet... And I say he thought Clinton would lose. transported on a private jet to the Turkish the "21" Club. Discussions between Flynn
that 'not yet' because I'm a great respecter "I did 83 events... A month out, I came prison island of Imrali. He was reportedly and Turkish representatives reportedly
of fate. back and said, 'We're going to lose this offered as much as $15 million for the took place there.
Biden's memoir chronicles the year 2015, election'." act.Gulen is a political rival to Turkish The Journal said the people who
in which his son, Beau, died of brain cancer Biden also pinned Clinton's loss in part President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and has described the alleged proposal didn't
at age 46, and he decided against running on "identity politics" and bemoaned her been accused of being behind the failed attend the December meeting and didn't
in the presidential race out of concern for campaign's inability to follow in the foot July 2016 coup. have direct knowledge of the details.
his family and the need to grieve for Beau's steps of former President Barack Obama's Special prosecutor Robert Mueller is There's no indication that money changed
loss. successful presidential bids. examining the meeting Flynn had with hands or that an agreement was made.
In the interview, Biden said he made the "I think what happened is we got to the senior Turkish officials. Flynn's lawyers The discussions allegedly included how
right call, but he repeated his regret that point where it became identity politics... fully denied the Journal story and called to transport Gulen on a private jet to
he had not ascended to the nation's highest T hey learned the wrong lessons from the claims as "outrageous". Turkey.
office. Barack's brilliant campaigns."
 12 November 18-24, 2017 INDIA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Hope East Asia Summit Ryan student wanted exams

gets more salience: Modi postponed, killed Pradhuman
New Delhi: In a dramatic twist to the mur
Manila: Prime
der of a Class 2 student of Ryan
M i n i s t e r
International School in Gurugram, the CBI
Narendra Modi
said the crime was committed by a 16
expressed the
yearold student of the school who want
hope that the
ed to delay upcoming exams. The revela
East Asia
tion derailed Haryana Police's claim that
Summit, a pre
a school bus conductor, in jail since then,
mier forum of
the Asean mem was the killer.
ber states and A court in Gurugram in Haryana sent
eig ht other the Class 11 student, whose name is
countries, being withheld, to CBI custody after
attains more declaring him a juvenile.
salience in the CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said
future. the student was detained on Tuesday
CBI officials produce the 16yearold stu
"We look for night as the prime suspect in the gory
dent of Ryan International School
ward to the East September 8 murder of Pradhuman
accused of murdering Pradhuman, in
Asia Summit Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 12th East Asia Summit Thakur that had earlier led to the arrest Gurugram. (Photo: IANS)
attaining greater in Manila, Philippines. (Photo: IANS/PIB) of the conductor who Haryana Police
salience in years insisted had committed the murder. Meeting postponed". Pradhuman, 7, was
to come," External Af fairs Ministry the leaders to exchange views and assess The CBI said the fresh development his random target. And after the killing,
spokesperson quoted Modi as saying while international issues of concern, including came after "inspection of the crime spot, the school was shut down for days.
addressing the 12th East Asia Summit here. traditional and nontraditional security scrutiny of CCTV footage, call records, The officer said the prime suspect was
"I reiterate my commitment to work with threats, primarily terrorism, maritime statements and questioning of several interrogated mainly on the basis of CCTV
you to address the political, security and cooperation and security and nonprolifer people" that revealed the suspect had car footage, which showed him coming out of
economic issues of the region," Modi said. ation. In his speech, Modi said the Asean, ried a knife to the school on that day and the school toilet where Pradhuman's body
Leaders of the 10 Asso ciat ion of which was formed in times of a great glob used it to kill his junior school mate. was found with his throat slit a crime
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) states al divide and is this year celebrating the "The weapon used in the commission of that generated shock and revulsion.
Brunei, Cambo dia, Indonesia, Laos, golden jubilee of its formation, "shines as a the crime is a knife which was recovered The father of the Class 11 student said
Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, beacon of hope, a symbol of peace and initially by police in Gurugram. It is now his son was being framed.
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam and of prosperity". with us," Dayal told reporters here. The Haryana Police had earlier claimed
Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Modi arrived here on a threeday visit to that Pradhuman was killed by conductor
Dayal said the detained student was
Russia, South Korea and the US hold this the Philippines, the first prime ministerial weak in studies and "wanted to have Ashok Kumar inside the toilet as the boy
annual summit. visit to this country in 36 years since the resisted a bid to sodomize him.
examinations and a ParentTeacher
The forum provides an opportunity for visit of Indira Gandhi in 1981.

'Sweet news' as
Bengal wins GI tag
for 'rosogolla'
Kolkata: Ending a bitter fight with neigh
boring Odisha, West Bengal won the
Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the
iconic 'rosogolla', signifying that the
spongy, syrupy sweet originated in its ter
ritory.
The announcement by the GI registry
has drawn the final curtain over an intense
twoandahalf year battle between the two
states over the origin of the popular ball
shaped sweet made from cottage cheese.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee, now in London, called it a "sweet
news".
"Sweet news for us all. We are very
happy and proud that Bengal has been
granted GI status for Rosogolla," Banerjee
tweeted.
The dispute began in 2015 when Odisha
claimed that rosogolla originated in the
state 600 years ago and was first served at
the 12thcentury Lord Jagannath temple in
Puri.
The Odisha government set up three
committees to look into the evidence
regarding the origin of rosogolla in Odisha.
Countering Odisha's claim, the Bengal
government applied for GI tag for the
sweet, asserting there was "ample" docu
mentary evidence to prove the sweet
belongs to Bengal.Bengal has steadfastly
maintained that rosogolla was invented by
famous sweetmeat maker Navin Chandra
Das in 1868.
Nothing can stop release of
'Padmavati: Deepika
New Delhi: A decade ago when she forayed into Bollywood,
Deepika Padukone never imagined she would be a Sanjay Leela
Bhansali heroine.
Now, as she prepares for the re lease of epic drama
"Padmavati", which clocks her trilogy with the filmmaker, the
actress is confident the movie will tide over the controversy, hit
the screens and win a "bigger battle" for the industry.
"As a woman, I feel proud to be a part of this film, and to tell
this story, which needs to be told. And it needs to be told now,"
Deepika, who plays the title role in "Padmavati" Bhansali's
professed tribute to the sacrifice, valor and honor of Rajput
queen Rani Padmavati told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
Doubts on the extent to which the National Award winning
filmmaker has fictionalized the story, has led to a spiraling con
troversy with politicians, organizations and individuals raising a
finger at Bhansali for "distorting history" and demanding that
the release of "Padmavati" be stalled. Deepika is convinced the
movie will release, as scheduled, on December 1.
"It's appalling, it's absolutely appalling. What have we gotten
ourselves into? And where have we reached as a nation? We
have regressed," she said, commenting on the hullabaloo the
movie is causing prerelease.
"The only people we are answerable to is the censor board,
and I know and I believe that nothing can stop the release of
this film," said Deepika, adding that the film industry's support
symbolises how "this is not about 'Padmavati'... We're fighting a
much bigger battle".
"Padmavati" marks the third film that Deepika has worked in
under Bhansali's direction after romantic crime drama "Goliyon
Ki Raasleela RamLeela" and historical drama "Bajirao Mastani"
all of which, she says, gave her roles "so similar, yet so
Deepika Padukone during the 3D trailer launch of her
upcoming film "Padmavati" in Mumbai. (Photo: IANS)
different".
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Air quality back to 'severeplus' in Delhi
New Delhi: The air quality in Delhi
NCR was back to "severeplus" or
"emergency" category on Nov 13
for the second time in past six days
even as the Delhi government
urged the National Green Tribunal
(NGT ) to allow exemptions for
women drivers and twowheelers
for "this year" in implementation of
the oddeven traf fic restriction
scheme.
The toxicity in the air rose to
"severeplus" category on a day
schools in the national capital
reopened after remaining closed
since Nov 9 due to "severe" air pol
lution levels.
The weather monitoring agen
cies, on the other hand, warned of
further rise in the toxicity levels.
Haryana Chie f Minister
Manoharlal Khattar and his Delhi
counterpart Arvind Kejriwal traded
barbs over the proposed meeting
on the raging issue of stubble burn
ing. The Delhi government, which
had decided to halt the oddeven
traf fic restriction scheme, which
was scheduled to be implemented
from November 13 to 17, moved
the country's top green tribunal
with a review petition. The National
Rahul sees 'Congress
tsunami' in Gujarat
Thara (Gujarat): Congress Vice
President Rahul Gandhi asserted
that his party will sweep the
Gujarat state polls in December,
as a "tsunami is coming and the
(ruling) BJP is scared of it", and
exhorted his party not to speak
low of the of fice of Prime
Minister even while criticizing
the government.
He said the electoral battle
between the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) and the Congress was
a "battle of truth versus lies", but
asked his party to exercise
restraint even while criticizing
the government's policies and
not get personal.
"(Prime Minister Narendra)
Modi may say anything about us,
but we will not indulge in any
loose talks about him and main
tain the decorum of the office of
Prime Minister."
Gandhi was referring to some
party leaders who during the
election campaign termed Modi
as "feku (one who makes base
less claims)" or "gappabaaz (a big
liar)".
In the fourth leg of his three
day pitched regionwise cam
paigns, Gandhi exhorted the peo
ple to demonstrate their anger
through votes.
Speaking at a rally in Thara in
INDIA November 18-24, 2017
An aerial view of the smog covered Central Delhi (Photo: IANS).
Green Tribunal (NGT) had given the The Delhi government had said it Index (AQI) in the national capital
goahead to the oddeven scheme would approach the green court on Nov 13 at 8.00 p.m was 449,
but disapproved the exemptions again, requesting the exemptions with PM2.5 at 447 units. For the
given during the previous two and, subject to the NGT decision, it entire DelhiNCR, the average was
rounds of oddeven scheme in would "consider implementing it 440 units, with PM2.5 at 438 units.
January and April 2016. again". The average Air Quality The safe limit for PM2.5 particles
'IT RAIDS REVEAL
Rs 1,430 CR TAX EVASION
BY SASIKALA KIN
Chennai: The Income Tax
Department has unearthed tax
evasion of Rs 1,430 crore dur
ing its raids/searches spread
over five days at the premises
of jailed AIADMK leader V.K.
Sasikala's kin and their busi
ness associates, an official said.
"We have found tax evasion of
Rs 1,430 crore, as of now. This
figure is likely to go up as we
have also seized incriminating
documents. We have seized Rs
7 crore in cash, and gold jewel
ry worth around Rs 5 crore,"
the senior tax official said on
the condition of anonymity.
He said the department wait
Congress Vice President Rahul interacting with people in Gujarat. ed for individuals and compa
nies associated with Sasikala to
Himachal polls see 74% turnout file their tax returns for the last
fiscal, adding that searches
Shimla: A record over 74 per cent, highest in four decades, of were carried out to detect tax
Himachal Pradesh's 50.25 lakh electorate exercised their franchise in evasion based on the filings and
the assembly elections where the ruling Congress and the BJP were the data with the Income Tax
locked in a straight contest. Department. The official said
"The percentage is expected to go up further. This is the highest poll that tax demand would be
percentage recorded by the hill state in assembly polls," Dilip Sharma, raised after analyzing the docu
Director General, Election Commission, told reporters in New Delhi. ments and obtaining clarifica
Election officials said the polling was peaceful and no major unto tions. Sasikala, currently serv
ward incident was reported from the 68 seats. ing a jail sentence after convic
tion for corruption, was a confi
north Gujarat's Banaskantha dis booths and to everyone what you
dante of late Tamil Nadu Chief
trict, he said: "T he Congress feel about GST, note ban and the
Minister J. Jayalalithaa and
workers have tolerated the BJP government taking everyone for
lived with her for decades. The
rule for 22 years and now it is a ride on the Narmada dam, and
searches were conducted in
high time. Show it at the polling bring about a change."
13
United Airlines
suspends
operations to
smoghit Delhi
New Delhi: USbased passenger
carrier United Airlines said it
has temporarily suspended its
NewarkNew Delhi flights due
to poor air quality concerns in
New Delhi.
The airline suspended the
NewarkNew Delhi operations
from Friday and has offered
"waiver policies" to passengers
travelling "to, from or through"
Delhi.
"We are monitoring advi
sories as the region remains
under a public health emer
gency, and are coordinating
with respective government
agencies," a United Airlines
Spokesperson said.
in the air with a diameter less than
2.5mm is 25 micrograms per
cubic meters as per international
standards, though it is 60 units
according to Indian standards.
AIADMK leader V.K. Sasikala is
currently serving a jail sentence
in Chennai.
connection with unexplained
routing of cash postdemoneti
zation through shell companies
allegedly connected to Sasikala
and her nephew T.T.V.
Dinakaran, who heads one of
the factions of the ruling
AIADMK.
A team of around 1,800 IT
officials had knocked at the
doors of 187 premises resi
dences and offices and farm
houses to carry out one of the
biggest income tax searches on
Sasikala's kin and associates.
 14 November 18-24, 2017
Ekal Vidyalaya raises $2 Million at a glittering gala
New York: Ekal Vidyalaya
Foundations glittering gala on
November 4 at the Cipriani hotel on
Wall Street was a grand success.
The response for this highly antici
pated event was simply overwhelm
ing, not only in terms of capacity
attendance, but also donors enthu
siasm to support a worthy cause.
The evening raised over $2 Million.
Ekal had been raising funds in
USA so far through a series of con
certs mainly at grassroot level, until
now. This gala reached out to the
corporate world and high networth
individuals and bring mainstream
America into its fold.
T his impeccably organized
evenings main architect was Mohan
Wanchoo (Chairman and Founder
of EC Infosystems). He was ably
supported in this event by Chirag
Patel (CoCEO & CoChairman of
Amneal Pharmaceuticals), Soner
Kanlier (CEO, Jasmine Universe)
and Rajesh Gooty (Founder,
Pres.CEO of M Corp).
We lcoming the guests,
Mohan Wanchoo briefed the
august gathering about Ekals
multidimensional approach to
uplift rural and tribal areas of
India through emphasis on litera
cy, healthcare, integrated village
development and empowerment of
village folks. He stated that Ekal
currently has 58,000 schools
spread all over India supporting
1.56 million children more than
half of which were girls. He stressed
that the project cost, including
administration and monitoring was
only $1aday or $365 per year per
AIM for SEVA holds fundraiser with delightful dances
Special to
The South Asian Times
New York: The fourth annual
fundraiser of AIM for SEVA,
titled AntarYatra (the Journey
Within), was held earlier this
month, drawing a near houseful
audience to the dance drama at
the Ganesh Temple auditorium
in Flushing, NY.
There are three dance forms
of the Coromandel Coast in
India, four music styles and five
languages, aside from folk
dances and martial arts. All
these constitute the Yatra, which
drew the multilingual Indian
audience, aside from a sprin
kling of Americans.
The delightful performances
by the participants in the Yatra
were choreographed by
Sharmila Biswas, a noted
danseuse and choreographer in
India. The dances in styles of
Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh),
Odissi (Odisha) and
Bharatanatyam (Tamil Nadu)
Dr Subhash Chandra, founder of ZEE TV and Chairman of EkalGlobal, was felicitated at the New York event.
school.
Chirag Patel
thanked all Ekal teachers working
at grassroot leve l in India and USA as well EkalIndia team, which
imparting lifesustaining education had flown in specially for this occa
to the children facing various hur sion. Under EkalUSA leadership
dles. Vinod Jhunjhunwala, President Ashok Danda, Subhash Gupta,
from the eastern coastaccom
panied by Carnatic, Oriya and
Hindustani music styles mes
merized the gathering. Props
were also magnificent and light
ing brilliant. The Yatra was the
brainchild of Sharmila Biswas,
who is known for her originality,
techniques and stage designs.
Her choreography was based on
years of research on diverse tra
COMMUNITY
Mohan
Wanchoo
(Chairman, EC
Infosystems) was of EkalUSA,
the Gala Chair. paid tribute to
Ekal leadership in
Vignettes from the dancedrama AntarYatra
ditional art forms of India. The
versatile Biswas used Sanskrit,
Maithili, Oriya, Tamil and
Telugu lyrics in the songs. The
head and neck movements of
the dancers drew wide applause.
Biswas attention to detail,
unique utilization of props,
stage effects that were synchro
nized to sound and lighting left
the audience wanting more,
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Mitzi
Perdue, heiress
to the Sheraton
hotel chain & Perdue
Poultry Farms.
Ranjani
Saigal and Ramesh
Shah were acknowledged while for
EkalIndia Dr Subhash Chandra, Founded 29 years ago, Ekal has
Bajrang Bagra, Laxmi Goel, and chapters in 10 countries including
Naresh Jain were recognized. in the MiddleEast.
added a press release from the
organizers about the November
3 event.
The All India Movement (AIM)
for SEVA, founded in year 2000
by Swami Dayananda Saraswati
(19302015) is an integrated
community development pro
gram in India across 16 states.
It provides underprivileged chil
dren from grade 4 to grade 12
Ranjani Saigal, the Executive
Director, capsuled the Ekal mission
through a couple of brief reality
videos that also depicted use of dig
ital technology, organic farming,
and skilltraining centers which are
empowering rural life.
In her keynote, Ms. Mitzi Perdue,
the heiress to the Sheraton hotel
chain and Perdue Poultry Farms,
regaled the audience with three
heartwarming stories about Ekal,
that also reflected the importance
of education for better achieve
ments in life. Her speech enthused
so many people that live mission
based auction for raising funds had
a jump start with pledging process
reaching one million mark within
first 15 minutes. Three generous
donors Chirag Patel, Ajay/Ranjini
Poddar and Sant Singh Chatwal
each donated $250,000 each.
In the other keynote, Dr.
Subhash Chandra, Chairman of
ZEE TV &Chairman of Ekal
Global, challenged the eco
nomically blessed group of
people to shoulder responsi
bility of those in need. Lauding
the generosity of big donors, he
elaborated that numerous small
donors were equally important as
they had larger stake in building
any nation by their sheer num
ber. T he evening was inter
spersed with fabulous Indian
dances. Ekal now plans to host
such Galas in various US metros
such as LA, Chicago and Houston.
with a place to live, nutritious
food, clothing, education, health
care and extracurricular activi
ties, all at no cost to their par
ents. Nearly 40,000 such chil
dren have benefited so far.
The NYC chapter, one of 23
other such centers, is coordinat
ed by Krishna and Ananda Iyer.
Contact: 5162349280; aimfor
sevausa.org/newyork/
TheSouthAsianTimes.info November 18-24, 2017
 16 November 18-24, 2017 INTERVIEW TheSouthAsianTimes.info

I want to be a voice for Indian Americans

in US Congress: Aruna Miller
MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES IN MARYLAND,
THE INDIABORN ENGINEER IS FINDING TRACTION IN
HER BID FOR A CONGRESSIONAL SEAT.
By Surekha Vijh EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW the 2012 Democratic National
Convention.
Washington DC: In the November 7 In 1990, Miller moved to Montgomery
elections Democratic candidates won County, where she married her college consensus and forged commonsense, progres
overwhelmingly from coast to coast, sweetheart, David Miller. They have sive solutions.
and that included victorious Indian three daughters: Meena, Chloe, and Miller is one of four Democrats in the race
Americans. Now there is yet another Sasha. Aruna Miller is an avid animal for the same Congressional seat. Incumbent
Indian American politician who is gain rights advocate and vegetarian. Rep. John Delaney, a Democrat, announced in
ing popularity not only in the Indian Maryland House Speaker Michael E. July that he would seek the Democratic nomi
American circles but also in the Busch endorsed Aruna Miller earlier this nation for US President.
Democratic Party as such. month in her campaign for a Marylands 6th Congressional District was
Meet Aruna Miller, a member of Congressional seat, weighing into a nas competitive in 2012, when Delaney unseated
Marylands House of Delegates, who is cent race that will become one of the a veteran Republican, and again in 2014.
running for US Congress in 2018. She most closely watched in the state next Democratic turnout is expected to be higher
has already been endorsed by many of year. next year than it was in 2014, and so the
her fellow Delegates and Democrat The endorsement, which marks the Democratic nominee would likely have an
leaders for her Congressional bid from first time a Maryland leader has backed advantage in November.
Aruna Miller with Kumar Barve, former Maryland Majority leader
the 6th District of Maryland. a candidate in a 2018 federal race, comes Miller is running for US House against busi
Sworn into the states House of Delegates in I have raised three girls, balancing career weeks after Miller received the support of nessman David Trone, coowner of national
2011, she was appointed to the Ways and and family while taking care of aging parents, Emilys List, the Washingtonbased group that liquor retailer Total Wine & More, state Sen.
Means Committee (revenue, transportation & I have done it all, she said. helps Democratic women. Roger Manno and retired intelligence officer
education subcommittees). Im middle America, she prof fered. My In her time in Annapolis (capital of Andrew Duck. Nadia Hashimi, a pediatrician
Talking to The South Asian Times DC corre main issues in my run for US Congress are Maryland), Aruna Miller has taken on some of and author from Potomac, is the other woman
spondent, Aruna said she has been over education, healthcare and environment, she the most dif ficult and sensitive issues we seeking Democratic nomination in the pri
whe lmed by the support of the Indian added. I would also fight for the rights of face, Busch said in a statement. She's built maries next year.
Americans, who are helping her morally as immigrants.
well as in fundraising. Miller said she was heartened by the Nov 7
The first thing she said she would do is to election results, in which so many Indianori
expand Indian American voice, if she is gin candidates got elected in New Jersey. I
elected to the US Congress. see a change already.
Miller said she would bring diversity not Miller was born in Hyderabad, India. Her
only to her party but encourage it in the family came to the United States when she
country. She would bring her being civil engi was eight years old. Along with her two sib
neer to bear on her new role: I would have lings and parents, she lived in Poughkeepsie,
the firsthand knowledge of the data and NY, where IBM employed her father as a
other scientific areas. I can add more expert mechanical engineer. She went on to attend
ise and m voice in the field. I can understand Missouri University of Science and
factual data and understand policy. As an Technology, earning a degree in Civil
engineer she has worked for 25 years in Engineering.
Virginia, Hawaii, California and, in She has been a Member of the House of
Montgomery County, MD, where she lives. Delegates since 2011, representing the large
She feels that she can help in creating jobs District 15 in Montgomery County. Delegate
in science and math, which were needed in Miller who serves on the Appropriations
the country. She would champion more jobs Committee is the first Indian American
for women, because they were represented by woman to be elected to the Maryland legisla
only 19% in the jobs, while they make 51% in ture. She said she has overseen programs that
the country. advanced access to schools, employment cen
She feels confident to become a voice for ters, and community facilities that are safe for
the minorities, for women and for engineers. pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and
those with disabilities.
In 2015 she retired from her job with the
Montgomery County to devote her full atten
tion to her service in the Maryland legisla
ture. Aruna Miller, 52, was an architect of this
years successful effort to require the gover
nor to include at least $3 million in the budg
et annually for sexual assault crisis programs.
She was the lead sponsor of a measure to ban
the sale of ecigarettes to minors, legislation
thenGov. Martin OMalley signed into law in
2012.
Miller maintains her activism in community
organizations, including serving on the
boards of the Black Rock Center for the Arts,
the Montgomery County Public Schools
Educational Foundation, & the Indian
Biomedical Association. She is a graduate of
Aruna with her mother, husband David and Leadership Montgomery (class of 2013) and
three daughters. in 2012, she served as an at large Delegate to
TheSouthAsianTimes.info LENS EYE November 18-24, 2017 17

Trump clicked in ASIA

President Donald Trump flied back home Tuesday after an almost two week long Asia trip that
went off smoothly and generally met even his critics' low expectations. The primary purpose of his
visits to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines was to shore up relations with
those countries and their leaders, to talk trade and to drive consensus on combating the nuclear
ambitions of North Koreas rogue regime. Here are a few glimpses of the First Couple in East Asia.

In his speech at the South Korean National Assembly in Seoul Nov.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng
8, President Donald Trump said that his country wants peace
Liyuan posing in front of Taihedian (the Hall of Supreme Harmony) during their visit to the Palace
through strength and does not seek conflict and confrontation.
Museum, or the Forbidden City, in Beijing on Nov. 8.

First lady Melania Trump visits the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall
of China, in Beijing on Nov 10. (Photo courtesy Reuters) Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting President Trump, in Manila, Philippines on Nov 13.

Heads of State pose

for group photo
during the 5th
ASEANU.S. Summit
in Manila, the
Philippines, Nov. 13.
(Right) President
Trump was taken
offguard executing
a reverse
handshake.
 18 November 18-24, 2017
HALLE BERRY ON A
'DESI' TOUR IN MUMBAI
Oscarwinning actress Halle Berry is in
India and enjoying getting "lost" in the
streets of the country's financial and film
capital in Mumbai.
Berry, known for films like "Monster's
Ball", "Die Another Day" and "XMen",
revealed through her Instagram account
that she is in India.
"Caught a sunrise in Mumbai," the
actress posted recently, along with a photo
graph capturing a skyline full of highrises
as the sun rays add an orange tinge to the
sky. In another image posted a few hours
later, Berry is seen wearing a tieanddye
kneelength casual dress, with her hair tied
Hollywood actress Halle Berrys visit comes amidst no prepublicity.
India calling for Elizabeth Hurley again
fter Halle Berrys India visit, British
A model and actress Elizabeth Hurley is
also coming to the country's financial
and film capital in Mumbai. According to a
wellplaced source, Hurley, who was once
married to Arun Nayar, a businessman of
Indian origin, will be in India till November
17. "She will be coming to Mumbai... She
will be in India till November 17," the
source said. The reason which is bringing
Hurley, who was last seen on the small
screen in "The Royals", to India, has been
kept under wraps.
Want to see Pak before I die: Rishi Kapoor
The Kapoors shifted to India after
the 1947 partition.
eteran actor Rishi Kapoor, 65, wishes
V to visit Pakistan before he dies. "I am
65 yearsold and I want to see
Pakistan before I die. I want my children to
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
in a ponytail. It's a wide angle back shot,
and encapsulates a street lined by cars and
twowheelers and flanked by restaurants.
"Take time to get lost today," Berry wrote
with the photograph, which includes a ban
ner of popular restaurant Bade Miya, known
best for its delectable kebabs.
Her visit comes amidst no prepublicity,
and the purpose of her visit in not known.
Actressproducer Dia Mirza who met and
spoke to the Oscar winning Hollywood star
said Berry was a warm and intelligent
woman. Last year, actors Will Smith and
Brad Pitt had come to India and surprised
the paparazzi.
see their roots. Bas karva dijiye (Please
make it happen)," Rishi tweeted. Rishi has a
house in Peshawar, Pakistan. It was con
structed between 1918 and 1922 by Dewan
Basheswarnath Kapoor, the father of
Prithviraj Kapoor, the first member of the
family to enter the film industry. The
Kapoors shifted to India after the 1947 par
tition.
Recently, former Jammu and Kashmir
Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said the
part of Kashmir held by Islamabad will
remain with Pakistan and this was not going
to change. He said Jammu and Kashmir
needed more autonomy and chided those
seeking "azadi". Rishi wrote: "Abdullahji,
Salaam! Totally agree with you, Sir. Jammu
and Kashmir is ours and Pakistanoccupied
Kashmir is theirs. This is the only way we
can solve our problem. Accept it."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
REVIEW
'Qarib Qarib Singlle':
A frothy entertainer
irector Tanuja
D Chandra's "Qarib Qarib
Singlle" is a typical Mills
and Boon fare, a romcom in
the dot com age, where two
drastically opposites meet on
the dark web and weave a
romance that's difficult to
digest, nevertheless, it makes
for a perfect fantasy narrative.
Jaya, a young widow after
leading a staid life trying to
make others happy, decides to
add some zest in her own
world, by registering on to an
online dating site 'Ab Tak
Singlle'.
Her online conversations
zero down to messages from
Yogi and they decide to meet
at a coffee shop.
The premise is definitely
interesting but the plot seems
forced and labored with a ver
bose exposition, flat and one
Actors Irrfan Khan and Parvathy
dimensional characters with
during the films promotion.
clichd motivation and no
shades of grey. Though the chemistry character is supposed to be quirky and rich
between the lead pair seems forced and does and he portrays this with flourish.
not touch your heart, it is the brilliant per Parvathy is convincing as Jaya, the South
formances and the cheeky oneliners which Indian executive working in the health sector.
are delivered with lan that keep you hooked. Overall, "Qarib Qarib Singlle" is a well
Irrfan Khan as the motormouth poet Yogi is made, light, frothy romcom that does not
irritatingly funny, sincere and charming. His touch you emotionally.
Willing to screen 'Padmavati'
for anyone after CBFC
T
he makers of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's The movie is embroiled in a controversy as
"Padmavati" are willing to show the some Hindu groups and political parties,
epic drama to anyone doubting its con including the Congress and the BJP, claim
tent, but only on getting a green signal from that the film distorts history and wrongly
the Central Board of Film Certication portrays Rajput queen Padmavati, a con
(CBFC). "We are screening the film to CBFC as tention Bhansali has repeatedly rebuffed.
per established procedure and convention The conjecture is that the makers have
followed in the industry. Once a censor cer showcased a romantic dream sequence
tificate is obtained, we do not have any reser between Rani Padmavati and invader
vations with screening the film to quell any Alauddin Khilji a claim put to rest by
doubts that are being cast on the film,
although such practice is without a prece
Bhansali as incorrect. Andhare is confident
the CBFC will have "appropriate representa
dent," Ajit Andhare, Chief Operating Officer, tion from the necessary quarters, historians
Viacom18 Motion Pictures, said. included. We have no reservations on that
Viacom18 Motion Pictures has produced count. We trust the CBFC's judgment," he
"Padmavati" with Bhansali Productions, and said, as they await a CBFC screening of
it will distribute the film in India. the film.
Actor Ranveer Singh in a still from 'Padmavati'.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
IVANKA LIKELY TO ATTEND Salman, Aishwarya's films
RAHMAN'S CONCERT to clash on Eid 2018
wardwinning composer A.R. Rahman
A
will begin his multicity tour titled
A.R. Rahman Encore The Concert by
setting the tone for the forthcoming Global
Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in
Hyderabad.
The opening night of the concert will also
be the official opening night for the GES.
President Donald Trump's daughter and
White House advisor Ivanka Trump is
expected to attend it, read a statement
issued on behalf of the organizers.
The concert will be held on November 26
at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium.
GES, to be held at the Hyderabad
International Convention Centre (HICC),
will bring together 1,200 entrepreneurs,
investors and ecosystem supporters for
twoandhalf days of training and mentor
ing sessions, networking and investment
matchmaking. The twoday summit will
start on November 28.
The summit will highlight the theme
'Women First, Prosperity for All', and will
focus on supporting women entrepreneurs
and fostering economic growth globally.
Ivanka will lead the US delegation to the
summit.
Ivanka, along with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, will attend the main ses
sion of GES on November 28 and will also
attend a few sessions the next day.
Rahman's concert, being held in associa
SHOWBIZ GOING THROUGH
MOMENT OF RECKONING
C
harges of sexual harassment is what
links Hollywood biggies Ben Affleck,
Brett Ratner, Charlie Sheen, Dustin
Hoffman, Harvey Weinstein, James Toback
and Kevin Spacey these days. Indianborn
supermodel Padma Lakshmi hopes things
will change after several women have opened
up, but says only "time will tell".
The entertainment industry be it
Hollywood or Bollywood is going through
its moment of reckoning in the wake of
reports of sexual abuse coming in from all
quarters. It all started with numerous women
coming forward to allege that Hollywood
mogul Weinstein used his position to harass
them.
Padma Lakshmi, who is also a TV host, pro
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Ivanka will be coming to Hyderabad for
the Global Entrepreneurship Summit.
tion with MTV, will celebrate his 25 years
in music. The event will take place in four
Indian cities New Delhi, Hyderabad,
Ahmedabad and Mumbai during
November and December.
ducer and cookbook author, appreciates that
people are speaking up.
Will it bring a change?
"Yes, I do (think so). I think it will be in
stages, but I do think it will (change things)
when people are talking (about it)," Padma
Lakshmi said over phone from the US.
"The number of people that have come out
about it is how things (will change for) all
women and in all industries. I am hoping that
it will allow for a change. Time will tell," she
added.
Padma Lakshmi, who was once married to
British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie, has
featured in "Wasteland", "Pirates: Blood
Brothers", "Boom" and "The Mistress of
Spices".
Indiaborn
supermodel
Padma
Lakshmi was
once married
to novelist
Salman
Rushdie.
November 18-24, 2017 19
S
uperstar Salman Khan's "Race 3" and "Race 3" team on the microblogging web
actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's site, and drew attention towards "how hot,
upcoming film "Fanney Khan" will clash cool, sweet, charming and sexy" Ramesh
at the box office on EidulFitr next June. Taurani looks.
"Race 3" director Remo D'Souza shared Presented by Tips Industries Ltd, "Race 3"
the film's clapboard and captioned it: "The is produced by Ramesh S. Taurani. It also
biggest race of my life begins. 'Race 3' features Saqib Saleem, Bobby Deol and
begins. Daisy Shah.
A tweet from "Fanney Khan" coproducer On the other hand, "Fanney Khan", a musi
KriArj Entertainment's page read: "Yeh Eid cal comedy film, is being directed by Atul
'Fanney Khan' ke saath! 15th June, 2018. Manjrekar. The film is being jointly pro
Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, duced by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, KriArj
Rajkummar Rao." Entertainment and TSeries.
Given that both films are much talked It is the official remake of the Oscarnomi
about, it is likely to be quite a clash. nated 2000 Dutch film "Everybody's
Salman shared a photograph of the entire Famous!"
Aishwarya Rai stars in Fanney Khan, while Salman Khan stars in Race 3.
I deserve to be in a Khanstarrer: Neetu
ctress Neetu Chandra says that with
A her potential, she deserves to be in a
film opposite any of the three super
star Khans of Bollywood.
Neetu started her career in Bollywood
with the Priyadarshan movie "Garam
Masala". She then featured in films like
"Traffic Signal", "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!"
and "Rann", and worked with filmmakers
like Ram Gopal Varma, Madhur Bhandarkar
and Dibakar Banerjee, to name a few. In the
last few years, she has not appeared in
many films.
Asked what went wrong in her career, she
says there are not many offers that came
her way and in her personal life, she went
through a tough time.
"I lost my father four years ago. He was
suffering from cancer. So in a way, I was
also focusing on my family. I have a produc
tion house and one of our productions
Actress Neetu Chandra started her
'Mithila Makhaan' even won a National
Bollywood career with Garam Masala.
Award. I have done a Greek film. So yes, I
am working towards quality stuff, but video of "Banjarey", sung by Pakistani
unfortunately, not a lot of offers came my singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
way the way I wanted it to be. Neetu feels the Bollywood world is under
"I surely deserve to be in a Shah Rukh a wrong impression that she has shifted to
Khan or a Salman Khanstarrer film. But my the south Indian film industry.
talent has not been utilized in the cinema "I am open to work with any filmmaker,
properly. Since I do not come from a film anywhere be it Bollywood or Hollywood. I
family and have no Godfather, of course, my just hope the offers come my way," said the
journey is slow, but steady," Neetu said. anchor of the musical show "Rangoli" on DD
Neetu recently appeared in the music National.
 20 November 18-24, 2017 OP-ED TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Deja vu at Bonn climate conference

l By Rajendra Shende investments made in clean energy!
Financial innovations are in play more vig

T
he dj vu moments at international
climate meetings are coming more
frequently than before. But these
moments are important for the world com
munity simply because they serve as a
reminder of a grave future.
The frequency of such moments is also
giving rise to growing complexities and
entanglement of the issues, problems and,
above all, the agenda of the meetings them
selves. Take, for example, the Bonn Climate
Change Conference under the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC).
It's a bundle of mindboggling meetings:
The 23rd session of the Conference of the
Parties (COP23), the 13th session of the
Conference of the Parties serving as the
Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto
Protocol (CMP13), and the second part of
the first session of the Conference of the
Parties serving as the Meeting of the
Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 12).
To top it all, there is the meeting of the
fourth part of the first session of the Ad
Hoc Working Group on the Paris
Agreement (APA 14) whatever it means.
The quiet flow of the Rhine, on the banks of
which the meeting is taking place in the
sprawling UN campus in Bonn, and the
freezing cold belie the ground realities.
Apart from the ground realities, there are
realities in the atmosphere as well. A week
before, the UN's World Meteorological
Obama using his special powers, his succes
sor, Donald Trump, has declared his inten
The Bonn climate conference aimed to make accelerated progress in operationalizing
the Paris Agreement, due for completion not later than COP24 in 2018.
Organisation (WMO) revealed data that
included a shocking observation that car
bon dioxide (C02) levels in the atmosphere
have surged at "recordbreaking speed" to
new highs in 2016. The report indicates
that carbon dioxide concentrations reached
403.3 parts per million in 2016, up from
400 ppm in 2015. Such a level and the
speed of rise was not observed over at least
two centuries.
The UN agency bluntly reported, just one
year after the historic and hardearned
Paris Climate Agreement entered into force,
that "we are not moving in the right direc
tion at all. In fact, we are actually moving in
the wrong direction when we think about
tion to withdraw, because developing coun
tries are "unfavorably bestowed" with the
the implementation of the Paris Climate
Agreement." Never before was such a blunt
warning given by the UN agency. But warn
ings, whether by UN agencies or by more
than 3,000 scientists from 130 countries
working for the Intergovernmental Panel
for Climate Change (IPCC), or by world
renowned economists like Lord Nicholas
Stern, have either been refuted or over
looked. "Adaptation to climate change" is
now considered on top of the "todo" list,
taking "mitigation" way down to the bot
tom. Mitigation is now used predominantly
and interestingly not in the context of
reducing emissions but for diluting the
risks from the catastrophe and even the
promise of finances from the developed
countries mainly the US.
orously in "hedging" than in action on
reducing emissions.
So, what is the Bonn climate conference
expected to achieve?
In one sentence, the simplified expecta
tion is to make accelerated progress in
operationalizing the Paris Agreement, due
for completion not later than COP24 in
2018.
The dilemma is that while the emissions
are rising, the political support to the Paris
Climate agreement by one of the two
largest emitters, the US, has fallen. More
than that, there is a dark cloud that looms
large over the Bonn meeting: Would the
nationalist's virus of "my nation first"
spread and the political support wane by
bringing the process of operationalising to
square number one?
Even so, there is light at the end of the
tunnel. The investments in clean energy are
growing over the last three years as per
many authentic studies, including that of
the Parisbased International Energy
Agency.
Development economists, however, feel
that this light at the end of the tunnel is a
train coming from the other direction. The
policymakers, in their zest for quick gains,
may reduce the policy and financial sup
port for renewable energy any time, mak
ing such investment risky.
Now, the US, though it ratified the Paris
Agreement with then President Barack
Yes, we are in square number one, maybe
two.

The fall and fall of Nitish Kumar

l By Amulya Ganguli crore. to establish himself as the fore
If his new ally, Prime Minister most leader in the state. Lalu
t one t ime, he was the Narendra Modi had any hope, Prasad's conviction in the fodder

A poster boy of Indian politics.

Not only did he slay the vil
lain of Bihar's "jungle raj" in 2005
by rounding up lawless elements
after winning an election and
launching social and economic
development projects, he also
scored another resounding elec
toral victory in the company of a
new set of friends, including the
"villain", in 2015.
It appeared at the time that he
could do no wrong. So much so
that he was seen as a possible
prime ministerial candidate of the
"secular" front.
But, then, the rise and rise of
Nitish Kumar came to an abrupt
halt. He remains Bihar's Chief
Minister, but the halo round his
head has frayed.
T he reason is not only his
switching of friends in what is
seen as an exercise in crass
opportunism, but also his pursuit
of policies which are out of sync
w ith the mo dern world and
threatens to reinforce Bihar's rep
Nitish Kumar cannot but be aware that his position is much weaker
now than when he was in the "secular" camp.
utation for backwardness by turn
ing the entire state into a virtual
dehat or village.
The first step in this bucolic
direction was the imposition of
prohibition which has robbed
Bihar's clubs, hotels and intellec
tual watering holes of cosmopoli
tanism. Now, Nitish Kumar has
taken yet another step backwards
by demanding 50 per cent reser
vations for the backward castes in
the private sector. To begin with
the second step, it is obvious that
by threatening to take the quota
system to such an absurd level,
the Chief Minister has scotched
any hope of industrial growth in a
state which is cry ing out for
investment.
In 2012, Bihar received invest
ment proposals worth Rs 24,000
crore. In the postliquor ban peri
od, they have dropped to Rs 6,500
therefore, of making Bihar the
beneficiary of his Sabka Saath,
Sabka Vikas goals, he can bid it
goodbye.
Nitish Kumar's latest pitch in
favor of the backward castes is all
the more strange because he can
not seriously expect that his pro
posal will pass muster at the judi
cial level.
Like most Indian politicians, he
is more interested in posing as a
champion of whichever group he
is courting at a given moment
than in adopting measures which
have a reasonable chance of suc
cess. He merely wants to impress
his targeted audience by showing
that he did make an honest effort,
but was stymied by the "system".
Whether it is prohibition or
reservations, Nitish Kumar's ploys
tend to underline crafty political
maneuvers rather than any gen
uine intention of acting in the
state's interest.
T he fo cal point of Nit ish
Kumar's political career has been
scam case enabled Nitish Kumar
to be the No. 1 in the Janata Dal
(United)RJDCongress govern
ment.
But he appeared to be forever
looking over his shoulder to check
whether he was being under
mined by the RJD which has more
MLAs than the Janata Dal
(United).
Prohibition was the policy which
he embraced to w in over the
lower middle class and rural
women to his side. But, pre
dictably, the liquor ban has led to
an increase in drug abuse with 25
per cent of the cases in deaddic
tion centres now dealing with the
users of cannabis, inhalants and
sedatives.
But, whatever his intention,
Nitish Kumar cannot but be aware
that his position is much weaker
now than when he was in the "sec
ular" camp. Nor is there any
chance that he will regain his ear
lier status any time in the near
future.

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIASPORA November 18-24, 2017 21

Indianorigin couple wins Indian government plans bill to

top US award for 'break
through' AIDS research
Johannesburg: Professors Salim
Abdool Karim and Quarraisha
Abdool Karim, a globally
acclaimed South African Indian
origin researcher couple were hon
ored on Wednesday with a presti
gious award for their exceptional
contributions in the field of
HIV/AIDS. The researcher couple
received the award from the
Institute of Human Virology (IHV)
in Baltimore in the US.
The award was presented to
them by Robert Gallo, who discov
ered HIV as the cause of AIDS, at
the 19th international meeting of
the IHV. "To me, both these
renowned individuals have made
some of the greatest contributions
in the history of HIV/Aids in public
health and epidemiology relevant
to prevention and care of infected
people," Gallo said in a statement.
"I don't know any person or per
sons who have done more to
advance the proper care of people
with HIV infection or the preven
tion of HIV infection among a pop
ulation," Gallo said.
Salim Abdool Karim is the direc
tor of the Centre for the Aids
Professors Salim Abdool Karim
and Quarraisha Abdool Karim
(Image: mailman.columbia.edu)
Program of Research in South
Africa (CAPRISA) and Professor
Quarraisha Abdool Karim is its
associate scientific director.
The researchers, who are cur
rently involved in the development
of innovative ways of preventing
HIV in women, are both professors
of epidemiology at Columbia
University in New York and are
honorary academics at the
University of KwaZulu Natal in
South Africa. They were the first to
demonstrate that Antiretrovirals
could prevent sexual transmission
of HIV in 2010 when they shared
the results of the CAPRISA 004
Tenofovir Gel trial.
provide voting rights to NRIs
New Delhi: A bill to amend the
e lectoral law to allow Non
Resident Indians (NRIs) to vote
through postal or eballots would
be introduced in the upcoming
winter session of Parliament, the
Centre informed the Supreme
Court. A bench of Chief Justice
Dipak Misra and Justices A M
Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud
considered the submission of the
Centre and acceded to its request
that the hearing on petitions seek
ing voting rights for NRIs, be
adjourned.
Lawyer PK Dey, appearing for
the Centre, sought an adjourn
ment for six months on the
ground that the Bill would be
tabled in the Winter Session.
However, the bench deferred the
hearing by 12 weeks.
On July 21, Attorney General K
K Venugopal had told the court
that NRIs could not be allowed to
vote by merely changing the rules
made under the Representation of
People (RP) Act and a Bill was
needed to be intro duced in
Parliament to amend the Act itself
to grant the voting rights.
The court had on July 14 asked
the Centre to decide whether it
would amend the electoral law or
rules to allow NRIs to vote by
postal or eballots in the polls in
the country, taking note of the
fact that the Centre and the
Election Commission of India (ECI)
were agreeable to the report of a
panel that NRIs might be allowed
to vote. The poll panel had said
the move to allow NRIs to use
proxy vot ing on the lines of
defence personnel and eballot
facility would require changes
either in the RP Act or in the rules
made under the Act.
The Centre had said that in prin
ciple, it was agreeable to the rec
ommendations made in the report
prepared by a 12member com
mittee led by the deputy election
commissioner Vinod Zutshi to
explore the feasibility of alterna
tive options for voting by overseas
electors. Former attorney general
Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for one
of the petitioners, had said that
NRIs could be given the right to
vote by making changes in the
rules only and there was no need
to amend the provisions of the RP
Act.
The bench was hearing a batch
of petitions filed by Nagender
Chindam, the chairman of
Londonbased Pravasi Bharat
org anisat ion and other NRIs
including Shamsheer V P. Earlier,
the Centre had said that the draft
leg islat ion to provide vot ing
rights to NRIs through postal bal
lots would be further revised
before it is tabled in Parliament.
The apex court had said it could
not order the legislature to make
or amend a law within a particular
timeframe and had granted time
to the Centre to effect changes in
the statute to extend voting rights
to NRIs through postal or ebal
lots.
It was submitted in one of the
pleas that in Kerala, 70 percent of
the people were NRIs who should
be given this right keeping in view
their contribution to the country.
The PILs have said that 114 coun
tries, including 20 Asian nations,
have adopted external voting. It
said external voting could be held
by setting up polling booths at
diplomatic missions or through
postal, proxy or electronic voting.
(PTI)

Priti Patel resigns over Israel meetings row

London: Indianorig in Internat ional
Development Secretary of UK Priti Patel,
has resigned amid controversy over her
unauthorized meetings with Israeli of fi
cials, media reports said.
Patel resigned on Wednesday night after
being summoned back from a trip to
Uganda and Ethiopia by Downing Street
after it emerged that she failed to be candid
with Prime Minister Theresa May about 14
unof ficial meetings with Israeli ministers,
business people and a senior lobbyist,
reports the Guardian.
May and Patel met for just six minutes
earlier on Wednesday evening.
In her resignation letter, Patel admitted
that her actions "fell below the high stan
dards that are expected of a secretary of
state."
"While my actions were meant with the
best of intentions, my actions also fell
below the standards of transparency and
openness that I have promoted and advo
cated.
"I offer a fulsome apology to you and to
the government for what has happened and
Priti Patel (Image : birminghammail.co.uk)
of fer my resignation." In response, May
said Patel's decision was the correct one.
She argued in a letter to Patel that the UK
and Israel were close allies and should
work closely together.
"But that must be done formally, and
through of ficial channels. That is why,
when we met on Monday, I was glad to
accept your apology and welcomed your
clarification about your trip to Israel over
the summer.
"Now that further details have come to
light, it is right that you have decided to
resign and adhere to the high standards of
transparency and openness that you have
advocated," May wrote in the letter.
She added that Patel should "take pride"
in what had been achieved during her time
in office.
Patel had apologized to May on Monday
after news about the unauthorized meet
ings in August with Israeli politicians
including prime minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and Yuval Rotem, a senior
Israeli Foreign Ministry of ficial, came to
light, reports the BBC.
But it later emerged she had two further
meetings in September without the pres
ence of any government officials.
A replacement for Patel is expected to be
announced on Thursday.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told the
BBC: "Priti Patel has been a very good col
league and friend for a long time and a first
class secretary of state for international
development.
"It's been a real pleasure working with
her and I'm sure she has a great future
ahead of her."
Patel's resignation from the cabinet is the
second in seven days, after Michael Fallon
quit as Defence Secretary on November 1
amid allegations about his behaviour.
The Indianorigin politician was elected
as Conservative MP for Witham in May
2010. She has served as Treasury Minister
(July 2014 to May 2015), Employment
Minister (May 2015 to July 2016) and was
appointed as the Internat ional
Development Secretary in July 2016.
Patel was a leading figure in the "Vote
Leave" campaign during the European
Union referendum.
(IANS)
 22 November 18-24, 2017
Modi, Trump hold 'warm, productive meeting' in Manila
Manila: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and US President Donald
Trump held a "warm and produc
tive meeting" on the sidelines of
the Asean Summit and discussed
issues of mutual interest.
A day after they held a brief
interaction at a dinner hosted by
Filipino President Ro drigo
Duterte, the two leaders
"Discussed bilateral, regional and
global issues of mutual interest",
External Af fairs Ministry
Raveesh Kumar said.
The meeting also comes a day
after India, US, Japan and
Australia held talks to begin the
quadrilateral process for greater
cooperation in the IndoPacific
region.
Ahead of his meet ing w ith
Trump, Modi said: "Relations
between India and the US are
growing." "I also feel that these
relations between India and the
US are not just for our mutual
Bangladesh Chief Kulbhushan's wife can
Justice resigns meet him, Pak tells India
amid criticism
Surendra
Sinha is the
first Hindu
Chief Justice
in Muslim
majority
Bangladesh.
Dhaka: Bangladesh's Chief Justice
Surendra Kumar Sinha has
resigned, six weeks after he went
on long leave amid criticism by
the ruling party over his decision
to scrap Parliament's authority to
impeach Supreme Court judges.
The President's office said that
it had received a letter of resigna
tion from Sinha, who is abroad.
Sinha, the country's first Hindu
Chief Justice in Muslim majority
Bangladesh, took office on
January 17, 2015. His tenure was
to end in January next year,
Bdnews24.com reported.
He came under fire from the
ruling Awami League party after
the top court in July this year
scrapped the 16th constitutional
amendment, stripping the
Parliament of its power to
impeach apex court judges.
Ruling party leaders also
attacked Sinha for his observa
Indian PM Narendra Modi meets US President
Donald Trump, in Manila (Photo: IANS/PIB)
interests but go much beyond
that, and we are working togeth
tions on Bangladesh's politics,
past dictatorships, Election
Commission, corruption, gover
nance and judiciary in the verdict.
The Awami League accused him
of "belittling" the Father of the
Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman in some of the
observations. Sinha sat in his
office for the last time on August
24 before the annual vacation of
the apex court started. The gov
ernment announced his "sick"
leave on October 3, a day before
the vacation ended.
He left Bangladesh for Australia
on October 13, to stay with his
eldest daughter Suchana Sinha.
According to the apex court,
Sinha faces 11 specific charges,
including graft, money launder
ing and moral lapse, for which his
colleagues in the Appellate
Division refused to work with
him.
SUBCONTINENT TheSouthAsianTimes.info
India, US, Japan, Aus hold first quad talks
Manila/New Delhi: India, Australia, Japan and the US agreed that "a
free, open, prosperous and inclusive" IndoPacific served longterm
global interests, giving impetus to an emerging quad of democracies
amid China's rising military and economic power.
"The discussions focused on cooperation based on their converg
ing vision and values for promotion of peace, stability and prosperity
in an increasingly interconnected region that they share with each
other and with other partners," An External Affairs Ministry state
ment in New Delhi said.
whole in the world." Modi said ing its economy and heaped
that in the past few days, wher praise on Prime Minister
ever President Trump has trav Narendra Modi, saying he has
eled and whenever an opportuni been working to bring the coun
ty arose to talk about India, he try and its people together.
has expressed very high opinion "I would like to assure you that
about India said things full of whatever are the expectations of
hope. the world, of the United States
At the AsiaPacific Economic from India, India has always
Cooperation (APEC) Summit in worked and made ef forts to do
Vietnam last week, Trump com our bit and fulfill those expecta
er for the interests of the future mended India for achieving tions and we will continue to do
of Asia and for humanity as a "astounding" growth since open so in the future too," Modi said.
Islamabad: Pakistan announced
that the wife of alleged Indian spy
Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been
sentenced to death by a military
court, can meet him "purely on
humanitarian grounds".
The Ministry of Foreign Af fairs
said a Note Verbale to this ef fect
was sent to the Indian Hig h
Commission here.
"The government of Pakistan
has decided to arrange a meeting
of Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav
with his wife, in Pakistan, purely
on humanitarian grounds," a two
para statement from the ministry Former Indian Naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav was
said.
arrested from Balochistan.
Islamabad has said that Jadhav, ed on March 3, 2016 after he by RAW to plan, coordinate and
allegedly an officer with the Indian crossed illegally into Pakistan. organize espionage, terrorist and
Navy and attached to the Indian A statement from Pakistan said sabotage activities aimed at desta
intelligence agency Research and Jad hav had "confessed" in a bilizing and waging war against
Analysis Wing (RAW), was arrest Pakistani court "that he was tasked Pakistan".
Trump, Xi to jointly fight terrorism in South Asia
Beijing: China said President Xi
Jinping and his visiting US coun
terpart Donald Trump have arrived
at a consensus to jointly take on
terrorism in South Asia.
"T his morning, the two
Presidents talked and held a joint
press meeting. I am not aware of
the details of the talks. What I
know is that the two sides also dis Both leaders agreed that
cussed antiterrorism issues and terrorism is a threat to
upholding peace and stability in humanity.
South Asia," Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokesperson Hua with him over a range of issues in zens from extremism and terror
Chunying said. which South Asia and the strife ism, President Xi and I also com
"They reached consensus in this torn Afghanistan also figured. mitted to working together for a
respect," she said. "In order to create more secure peaceful future for Afghanistan,"
Earlier, Trump said Xi held talks future for all and protect our citi Trump said.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Putin again denies US poll
meddling claim: Trump
Da Nang (Vietnam): US President Donald
Trump said his Russian counterpart Vladimir
Putin again denied interfering in the 2016
US elections and felt "insulted" by the allega
tions.
The two leaders met briefly at the Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit here
and Trump said he took Putin at his word
that Russia did not seek to interfere in the US
presidential election last year, despite a find
ing from US intelligence agencies that it did.
And Trump stressed that bigger issues per
sist between Washington and Moscow that
require the two leaders to move on, CNN
reported.
"He said he didn't meddle. He said he didn't
meddle. I asked him again. You can only ask
so many times," Trump told reporters aboard
Air Force One as he flew from Da Nang to
Hanoi in Vietnam.
Trump spoke to Putin three times on the
sidelines of the summit here, where the
Russia meddling issue arose. "Every time he
sees me, he says, 'I didn't do that'," Trump
said. "And I believe, I really believe, that
when he tells me that, he means it."
"I think he is very insulted by it, which is
not a good thing for our country," Trump
added.
Putin later dismissed the allegations as
"political infighting". T he US Justice
Department is investigating the claims as
well as alleged collusion involving Trump's
Trump 'begged for
nuclear war': N Korea
Pyongyang: North Korea lashed out at
US President Donald Trump ag ain,
describing him as a "destroyer" who
"begged for nuclear war" during his tour
of Asia.
"His current trip to our surrounding
region is a warmonger's visit for con
frontation to rid the DPRK (Democratic
People's Republic of Korea) of its self
defensive nuclear deterrence," North
Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a state
ment published on the state media,
Korean Central News Agency.
Trump is in Vietnam as part of a five
nation tour of Asia and North Korea's
nuclear weapons program has been a
major talking point with his Japanese,
South Korean and Chinese counterparts.
"The weapons you are acquiring are
not making you safer, they are putting
your regime in grave danger," Trump
said about North Korea during an
address at South Korea's Nat ional
Assembly in Seoul earlier this week.
"Every step you take down this dark path
increases the peril you face."
North Korean officials, who said they'd
be watching the visit, were quick to fire
back. Pyongyang described Trump's trip
as "nothing but a business trip by a war
monger to enrich the monopolies of the
US defense industry", CNN reported.
INTERNATIONAL
Russian President Vladimir Putin briefly met his US counterpart in Vietnam.
team. "Everything about the socalled
Russian dossier in the US is a manifestation
of continuing domestic political struggle,"
Putin said.
Trump's several key former aides had
already been named in connection with the
inquiry. George Papadopoulos, a campaign
adviser, pleaded guilty to lying to the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about the tim
ing of meetings with alleged gobetweens for
Russia. Former campaign manager Paul
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"Trump, during his visit, laid bare his
true nature as destroyer of the world
peace and stability and begged for a
nuclear war on the Korean peninsula,"
the statement said.
Tensions between Washington and
Pyongyang have escalated after North
Korea's test firing of missiles and con
ducting its most powerful hydrogen test
in September.
November 18-24, 2017 23
134 killed in
quake near
IranIraq border
Tehran/Baghdad: At least 134 people
were killed and over thousands others
injured after a powerful earthquake
measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale
struck an area near the IranIraq border,
media reports said.
According to Iran's staterun Press TV,
130 victims were killed in Kermanshah
province.
Four other people were killed in Iraq's
Manafort and an associate are also currently Darbandikhan town, Sulaimaniya
under house arrest on charges of money province, Governor Omar Ahmad told
laundering which are unrelated to the elec CNN.
tion. The death toll is likely to rise as many
Trump and Putin did not have a formal people may be trapped under debris,
meeting while they were in Vietnam, but they according to rescue officials.
spoke informally and agreed upon the need The quake hit 30 km southwest of
to defeat the Islamic State (IS) in Syria. They Iraqi town of Halabja, near the north
also called on the UN member states to build eastern border with Iran, the US
up humanitarian assistance to the warrav Geological Survey (USGS) said.
aged country, TASS news agency reported.
Will return to Lebanon
very soon: Hariri
Riyadh: Lebanese Prime Minister
Saad Hariri, who unexpectedly
resigned last week during a trip to
Saudi Arabia saying his life was in
danger, has insisted that he will
return to the country soon to
"unite the Lebanese people", the
media reported.
"I will go back to Lebanon very
soon and will take all the neces
sary const itut ional steps to
resign," Hariri told Lebanon's
Future TV in an interview from his
home here.
He also suggested he could
rescind his resignation, saying "if I
revoke my resignat ion, there
should be respect for Lebanon",
reports CNN.
It was the first time Hariri has
Lebanese PM Saad Hariri announced
spoken publicly since resigning as his resignation on Nov 4 (Photo: IANS).
Prime Minister via video message
from Saudi Arabia on November 4. He had accused Saudi Arabia of holding
also said the Saudi royal family has a "lot Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri cap
of respect for him" and that the King tive in Riyadh.
(Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud) "sees him "The Prime Minister is detained in Saudi
as a son", brushing of f concerns that he Arabia and is forbidden to return to
was being held against his will, CNN Lebanon," Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah
reported. said in a televised speech, Efe reported.
"I am free in the Kingdom of Saudi Nasrallah said that Hariri must return
Arabia. If I want to leave tomorrow, I will and declare his real position on Lebanese
leave tomorrow. The leader of Hezbollah soil.
 24 November 18-24, 2017
Bridge ambition, investment gap
to meet Paris climate goals
Bonn: Finance for countering cli
mate change is flow ing at a
greater pace than ever, with grow
ing markets for renewable energy.
But there is still an ambition
investment gap to meet the goals
of the Paris Climate Change
Agreement.
To bridge this, which is com
pletely interconnected, govern
ments and the entire financial sec
tor must see it as a single chal
lenge. This was the main focus of
discussion of highlevel represen
tat ives at COP23 Finance for
Climate Day this week who high
lighted their ef forts to meet the
goals of the 2015 Paris Climate
Change Agreement and under
lined that this challenge of coordi
nation and coherence needed to
be quickly addressed.
They set out what needs to be
done next by governments, cities,
states, business and multilateral
institutions to secure the pace and
scale of investment required,
before and after 2020, to meet the
Paris goal of keeping the average
g lobal temperature rise we ll
Idea Cellular, Vodafone
India to sell towers business
Mumbai/London: Vodafone India
and Idea Ce llular separate ly
agreed to sell their respective
standalone tower businesses in
India to ATC Te lecom
Infrastructure Private Limited
(formerly Viom) for an aggregate
enterprise value of Rs 7,850
crore ($1.2 billion).
In the event that the comple
tion of the sale of the standalone
tower businesses precedes the
complet ion of the proposed
merger of Vodafone India and
Idea, Vodafone India will receive
Rs 3,850 crore ($592 million)
and Idea will receive Rs 4,000
crore ($615 million).
The standalone tower business
es of Vodafone India and Idea are
panIndian passive telecommuni
cation infrastructure businesses,
comprising a combined portfolio
BUSINESS
The highlevel Finance for Climate Day meet focused on investment
to reallocate capital flows towards lowcarbon and resilient growth.
below two degrees Celsius and as 2030. W hen it comes to the
close as possible to 1.5 degrees. investment gap, however, we need
"At the heart of the climate chal all financial players to work
lenge are two gaps we urgently together effectively to mobilise at
need to bridge: the ambition and least $1.5 trillion of climate
the investment g ap," UNEP finance that is needed every year,"
Finance Initiative head Eric Usher he said.
said. W hat is more, every dollar
"It is up to national governments invested in cutting greenhouse gas
now to increase the ambition of emissions and adapting to climate
their NDCs to close the 17 GtCO2e change gets double the bang for
emissions gap that we still face for the buck because the results
ing arrangements. The parties
will work together to further the
expansion of high speed mobile
networks in India," the statement
said.
The statement said that after
Vodafone India and Idea have
completed their merger, around
6,300 colocated tenancies of the
of approximately 20,000 towers two operators on the combined
with a combined tenancy ratio of standalone tower businesses will
1.65 times as on June 30, 2017. coalesce into single tenancies
Idea will sell its entire stake in over a period of two years with
Idea Ce llular Infrastructure out the payment of exit penalties.
Services Limited and Vodafone "This transaction follows the
India will sell a business under Vo dafone India/Idea merger
taking to ATC TIPL. announcement of March 20,
"Both Vodafone India and Idea 2017 where by the part ies
as customers, and ATC TIPL as a announced their intention to sell
mobile network infrastructure their individual standalone tower
provider, have agreed to treat businesses to strengthen the bal
each other as longterm pre ance sheet of the combined busi
ferred partners, subject to exist ness," it said.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
directly support the only sustain
able future possible, which is cap
tured in the international commu
nity's 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development.
Finance is flowing at a greater
pace than ever, with vibrant and
growing markets for renewable
energy, electric vehicles, green
buildings and climatesmart agri
culture seeing aggressive growth,
backed by exponential advances in
innovative green financial instru
ments, indices and markets.
Equally, the finance sector is rec
ognizing to a much greater degree
where and how climate change
presents risks to its exist ing
investments and the need to adjust
their portfolios away from carbon
intensive assets to reduce that
risk.
However, as a series of discus
sions taking place at the UN
Climate Change Conference high
light, much more is needed to
secure finance and investment at
the scale required to deliver a fully
decarbonised and climate
resilient global economy by 2050.
GST recommendations
will benefit people: Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said that recom
mendations made by the GST
Council will benefit citizens and
add strength to the tax structure.
"The recommendations made by
the GST Council today will further
benefit our citizens and add
strength to the GST. These recom
mendations are in spirit of the con
tinuous feedback we are getting
from various stakeholders on GST,"
Modi said in a series of tweets.
In another tweet, he said: "Jan
Bhagidari is at the core of our
working. All our decisions are peo
pleinspired, peoplefriendly and
peoplecentric. We are working
tirelessly for India's economic inte
gration through GST."
In a major revamp of the GST tax
structure, the GST Council has
removed 178 items from the high
Laura Tuck, Vice President
Sustainable Development, World
Bank said: "The potential for cli
mate friendly investment in areas
such as clean energy and climate
smart agriculture is enormous."
"The key is to get the funding to
flow so that everyone everywhere
can benefit from lowcarbon and
climate resilient investments.
That's why we are working with
the UN and our other development
partners to create the conditions
that will attract investors and to
get all forms of finance public,
private, philanthropic working
together for maximum impact,"
she said. Vladis Dombrovskis,
VicePresident of the European
Commission said: "Hundreds of
billions of euros in investment are
needed to transition to a low car
bon economy and meet the target
of well below two degrees warm
ing. This is a challenge but also an
opportunity for the EU to become
a magnet for green investment
and lead the way in mobilising
both public and private financing
for sustainable projects."
est 28 per cent category while cut
ting the tax on all restaurants out
side starredhotels to 5 per cent
but withdrawing input credit facili
ty for them. Industry welcomed the
changes saying these would boost
consumer demand.
Only 50 products, including lux
ury and sin items, white goods,
cement and paints, automobiles,
aeroplane and yacht parts have
been retained in the top 28 per
cent slab.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Sachin best example of
spreading social messages
United Nations: Cricket legend
Sachin Tendulkar as showed how
sportspersons can take social
messages to the masses, Srinivas
Prasad, the minister at India's UN
Mission, told a General Assembly
session.
Tendulkar has been involved in
a campaign for personal hygiene
practices among children and
also promotes the national
"Swachh Bharat" program, Prasad
said at the session on Sport for
Development and Peacebuilding.
"As the national sport of India
which reaches millions of people
in cities, towns and villages
across the country, cricket and its
stars provide a very important
platform for spreading social
messages.
"Indian cricket's greatest icon,
Sachin Tendulkar, illustrates
this... Tendulkar was part of a
popular national campaign to
promote hygiene among children
which encouraged school chil
dren to wash their hands before
eating food. Similarly, he has
recently been a brand ambassa
dor for the 'Swachh Bharat' cam
paign," the minister said. Prasad
said that while organised sports
were a major source of entertain
ment, the challenge before the
world was to extend the pleas
ures of sports to millions of chil
dren in developing countries. For
this, "the first task is the creation
Was embarrassed to make
international return: Messi
Madrid: Argentina star Lionel Messi
said he was embarrassed to make a
comeback to international football
after announcing his retirement
during the 2014 World Cup.
"(Retiring) was a decision I made
in the heat of the moment," the five
time Ballon D'Or holder was quoted
as saying by Spanish website Marca
on Sunday. "But I was embarrassed
to say that I wanted to come back.
(The coach at the time, Edgardo)
Bauza and my teammates made
everything easy for me to return
to," Messi added.
The 30yearold said that at his
age he sees things in a dif ferent
manner and is far more relaxed
than earlier.
"At 30 years old, I now enjoy it in
a dif ferent way and much more
than I did before, I take advantage
of every moment, both on and off
the pitch," the star forward said.
"I am experiencing this period
with the national team in a differ
ent way, I am more relaxed. When
they criticize me, I experience it dif
ferently," Messi added.
Sachin Tendulkar was
praised during an event
at the United Nations.
of safe open spaces and playing
areas" for children who do not
have them, he said.
"Hence, investment in creating
sports infrastructure and a cul
ture of participation in sports is
crucial."
Argentina star
Lionel Messi.
SPORTS
Dhoni should be left to
decide his future
New Delhi: Seldom does one come
across a captain making it a habit
of praising his predecessor. And all
the former players who played
with either or both differ on
Mahendra Singh Dhoni playing in
the shortest format, Twenty20,
advancing different reasons.
It all started with former crick
eters Venkata Sai Laxman, Ajit
Agarkar and Akash Chopra oppos
ing the continuance of Mahendra
Singh Dhoni in the Twenty20 for
mat after his glaring "failure to
pushing things" in the second of
the threematch T20 series aginst
New Zealand at Rajkot, resulting in
India losing by 40 runs.
All the three have put forth dif
ferent reasons, but their solution is
the same, that it's time Dhoni made
way for a youngster to gain inter
national experience. One of them
thought that he has no place in the
team as a batsman, now that he is
not the captain and another felt by
pulling out of the shortest format
he could prolong his OneDay
career.
Ranged against them are Sunil
Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and skipper
Virat Kohli himself who all vehe
mentaly differed with the critics,
advancing equally valid arguments.
The one man who smartly took
the middle path is Virender Sehwag
who, while backing his former cap
tain's selection, wants him to
November 18-24, 2017
Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
"realise his role" in the team.
The stoutest and the most logical
defence of Dhoni, pulling no
punches, came from Gavaskar, who
was furious at people blaming
Dhoni for the Rajkot defeat when
the entire team was responsible.
One of Gavaskar's pet theories is
people invariably go at a player
touching 30 years and are charita
ble to youngsters who may not
have anything to show by way of
performance for long stretches.
Expectedly, he picked on Hardik
Pandya failing to pick legspinner
Ish Sodhi in successive matches or,
for that matter, the openers doing
little in Rajkot.
The critics also seem to forget
India toil hard
at Eden ahead
of Sri Lanka Test
Kolkata: India's premier offspin
ner Ravichandran Ashwin, who
was out of international cricket
for the past three months, was
seen practicing wrong 'uns while
skipper Virat Kohli played a lot of
bouncers bowled at him with col
ored balls during India's first
practice session ahead of the
threematch Test rubber against
Sri Lanka.
Sans Saurashtra players
Ravindra Jadeja and Cheteshwar
Pujara who played their round
five Ranji Trophy match against
Gujarat, the entire Indian team
sweated it out for nearly two and
a half hours in the afternoon.
The batsmen also played a lot of
reverse sweeps at the nets, with
Ajinkya Rahane spending the
most time with the bat.
"It's how you react to a particu
lar ball. It's not that we have
planned differently for a particu
lar bowler. There's no compulsory
25
that not long ago Dhoni won a
match in the company of No.10
Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, adding 100
runs in Sri Lanka and also the way
he rescued India against Australia
with Pandya in the first ODI a cou
ple of months ago.
More than Dhoni, the team man
agement must decide where he
should bat. Imagine any other play
er in the team getting pushed like
Dhoni had been anywhere between
No 4 and No 7 positions. They fan
cifully call him, as also Pandya, a
"floater". Still, they say they are
looking for a "finisher".
Should Dhoni quit T20 as sug
gested by some of his former team
mates? It all depends on his place
in the ODIs. If he is good enough to
play ODIs he must play T20s also
so that he stays matchfit, now that
there are most T20s these days.
Playing only the Tests is different
from playing only one of the short
er formats. It might work for
youngsters, but certainly not for
those in Dhoni's age and stage of
career.
Kohli and Shastri gave it back to
the critics equally forcefully. Kohli
echoed Gavaskar's opinion when he
said that Dhoni is being unfairly
targeted. He is correct he is not
questioned even if he fails in three
matches in a row because he is not
35 whereas afer only one failure
they say Dhoni's time is up!
shot like that," wicketkeeperbats
man Wriddhiman Saha told
reporters on the sidelines of
India's first practice session at the
Eden Gardens here.
Besides Kohli who was given
throwdowns with a yellowish ball
by batting coach Sanjay Bangar,
other batsmen also played a lot of
bouncers.
Saha said the focus is not on
South Africa and they want to win
this series first. Pujara had said a
few days back that this would
present a good opportunity for
the No. 1 side to prepare for the
Proteas challenge.
India will play three Tests, six
ODIs and three T20 internationals
against the Proteas. The first Test
is on January 5 in Cape Town.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka coach Nic
Pothas, captain Dinesh Chandimal
and the other team management
staff inspected the Eden Gardens
wicket.
26 November 18-24, 2017
What Dr. Nilesh Soni is really proud of !
Inc. magazine has listed Dr Nilesh Sonis Dynamic Physical Therapy Services
among the 5,000 fastest growing businesses. But the good doctor is more
proud of his pro bono work for charitable organizations and for his
dedication to making the lives of seniors healthier and happier.
l By Robert Golomb
W
hen Inc. Magazine in this past
Augusts publication named
Dynamic Physical Therapy
Services (DPTS) to its 36th annual Inc.
5,000 listing, which names and ranks
Americas top 5,000 fastest growing pri
vately owned small and midsized busi
nesses, they placed the firm and its CEO
and founder, Dr. Nilesh Soni, who owns
and runs the companys seven physical
therapy centers located in Queens and
Nassau County, in literally, very good
company.
For such past selectees, which are cho
sen each year from a list of hundreds of
thousands of such entities, have included
Microsoft, Dell, Dominos Pizza, Pandora,
Timberland and LinkedIn all of which
were to later grow into multibillion dol
lar international corporations.
Dr. Soni, whom I interviewed earlier this
month, said that while he has no such
grand ambitions for DPTS, he still feels
honored to have his company recognized
by a leading business magazine. Just to
see our companys name appear on that
list {Inc. 5,000} made me feel quite
proud, he stated. And, of course, we
hope to continue to grow, but we always
will remain a local health service
provider.
Dr. Soni, who has a doctorate in physi
cal therapy from Mass. General Hospital
Institute of Health Sciences, has the right
to feel proud of DPTS. Founded by Dr.
Soni in 2003, DPTS employs doctors of
physical therapy and physical therapists
specializing in the treatment of spinal and
joint injuries. Working as a team, Dr. Soni,
47, married and the father of two high
school aged sons, told me that his clini
cians use state of the art manual physical
therapy procedures to treat their
patients. Our doctors of physical thera
py and physical therapists work as a
cohesive unit to first correctly diagnose
and then to properly treat our patients,
using the most advanced, research based
handson therapeutic interventions, he
stated.
While DPTS centers provide treatment
to patients of all ages, Dr. Soni himself
sees mostly elderly patients. Our staff
treats patients ranging in age from ten to
100 years of age. However, because I
have always felt a special bond, respect
and love for the elderly, most of the
patients I myself as a physical therapist
treat in my centers are senior citizens, he
explained.
Dr. Soni, a Hindu, who was born in India
and immigrated to the United States 20
years ago, described the important role
that his religion has played in his life. As
a Hindu, it is my belief that my journey in
PROFILE
Dr Nilesh Soni with a colleague at a health expo.
this world must involve performing chari ing between the [South Asian immigrant]
table works to improve the quality of life parents, who take great pride in the
for as many people as I possibly can. tremendous academic success their chil highly attended because they holistically
Through his many years of service to dren have achieved, and their dedicated
several charitable organizations, Dr. Soni teachers. It also affords a wonderful
has lived his life by those words. One of opportunity for families in the South
those charities, Herricks Indo US (HIUS), Asian community and participating fami
for which he has held several volunteer lies of other ethnic groups to interact and
leadership positions throughout most of develop positive relationships, Dr. Soni
the organizations fifteen year existence, stated.
has received praise from local elected Another charity, MILAN (an offspring of
officials and educators for its work with HIUS), for which Dr. Soni for many years
South Asian families with school aged has served as its chairperson, has won
children, most newly arrived to the west county wide acclaim for its work on
Nassau County Town of Herricks. The behalf of senior citizens, also of South
goal of HIUS, which conducts regular par Asian backgrounds. Every Friday from 10
ent workshops and sponsors cultural am to 2 pm typically at least one hundred
based community events, is to help devel of such senior citizens can be seen in the
op closer relationships between these main building of Clinton J Park located in
families and their childrens teachers and the village of New Hyde Park participat
school administrators, as well to help fos ing in programs run by MILAN. Most of
ter closer ties with other families, which these programs which include Yoga
include those of Irish, Italian, Chinese, instruction, low stress group exercise and
Korean and Jewish heritage, in this multi lectures and seminars on health, fitness
ethnic community. and nutrition are designed to promote
These events help build a bridge of physical, social and emotional wellbeing.
communication and mutual understand Still others commemorate special cultural
Dr Nilesh Soni with Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth at
the 4th Aging in Place conference. (Photo: Juhi Jindal)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Dr Nilesh Soni
events, such as Holi and Diwali. Our pro
grams have been so successful and so
enhance the emotional, physical and cul
tural lives of our members, Dr. Soni stat
ed. For me, MILANs success has meant
so much because improving the quality of
life for the elderly has been the driving
force in my life.
That driving force has gone beyond
the South Asian community. As part of an
outreach program he started several
years ago, Dr. Soni has presented more
than 250 free lectures and seminars, with
most, like with MILAN, focusing on health
and fitness, to his primarily senior citizen
audiences, in churches, synagogues, hos
pitals and assisted living centers through
out Queens and Nassau. Dr. Soni told me
that he has learned an important lesson
through his interactions with seniors dur
ing these presentations.
Regardless of the backgrounds of peo
ple in the group I was addressing, their
questions and concerns revolved around,
How do I live a healthier, happier and
fuller life? My take away was simple. The
elderly, whatever their heritage, are far
more similar than they are different, he
said.
Dr. Soni, who has received county and
presidential awards and letters of com
mendation for his volunteer work inside
and outside the South Asian community,
told me that he tries to live his life by the
teachings of a great Indian spiritual
leader. My teacher and inspirational
guide, Dr. Soni told me, is Mahatma
Gandhi, who once said, The best way to
find yourself is to lose yourself in the
service of others. By others, Gandhi
meant not only Indians and Hindus, but
people of all religions, races and creeds
living throughout our entire world.
Robert Golomb is a nationally and inter
nationally published columnist. Mail him
at MrBob347@aol.com and follow him on
Twitter@RobertGolomb
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TECH & HEALTH November 18-24, 2017 27

Smart is over, it's time for Intelligent Phones

By Faisal Kawoosa
New Delhi: The mode of communi
cation changed altogether with the
arrival of mobile phones in our
lives. It got wider and more mean
ingful once the world was exposed
to smartphones.
However, changing technology
parameters and fundamentals are
calling for yet another disruption
in the communication space this
time with Intelligent Phones.
Smart is not necessarily intelli
gent but intelligent is always
smart. By this definition, today's
smartphones are not necessarily
intelligent devices.
Here is why.
A smartphone lets us do myriad
of things in ways that bring effi
ciency, effectiveness and produc
tivity in our lives such as work
place communication.
With smartphones, we have been
able to not only manage emails
promptly but also connect seam
lessly with people and friends on
realtime platforms like WhatsApp
that are more informal but quick
and effective means to make criti
userfriendly. This, however, is not
going to make the smartphone
intelligent; it will only make them
super or extrasmart capable of
doing more things.
An Intelligent Phone, however, is
one which will have "thinking"
capabilities and decide the next
course based on the user's prefer
ences and priorities.
For instance, we now have sever
al advanced capabilities in smart
phones but there are manual
interventions that we, as users,
have to apply, like enabling and
disabling network capabilities.
Why shouldn't the smartphone be
intelligent enough to decide which
network capability to enable or
disable based on usage?
Right now, if WiFi is enabled,
An Intelligent Phone will have "thinking" capabilities and decide the next the cellular data goes into hiberna
course based on the user's preferences and priorities. tion. Why can't the phone decide
which one to use based on several
cal decisions in a highlycompeti and usage evolve, AI will soon criteria like cost of data, applica
tive world. become a rudimentary thing in tion being used, type of data being
Now, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is smartphones. accessed and so on?
set to play an integral role in mak However, the present approach If a user gets into a car, the
ing the smartphones of the future. is about finding areas where AI smartphone should be intelligent
Algorithmbased intelligence has has usage as standalone technolo enough to decipher through AI and ManagerResearch & Consulting
already begun to percolate in pre gy and for convenience, integrat connect to the audio system via
mium smartphones. As adoption ing it with smartphones makes it Bluetooth. Similarly, the airplane
mode should be enabled while
someone is airborne.
All these may sound too basic as
capabilities. These will not only
bring comfort for the user but also
have implications on battery con
sumption as well as in ensuring
that there are no "loopholes"
enabled which may not be in use
in the device.
Smartphones have focused pri
marily on the applications and fea
tures they can support. It has not
evolved to communicate better
with the user as per his or her
preferences and priorities.
One hindrance was the evolu
tionary phase of AI; but since AI
has now become a reality, the
device should add intelligence and
move beyond applications and
functionality. As the smartphone
industry looks for innovation in a
market that is near its saturation
point, the Intelligent Phone could
be a savior for the industry. It
could rejuvenate consumer inter
est and, hence, the market itself.
Faisal Kawoosa is General
with CyberMedia Research.
(Source IANS)

American Heart Bill Gates joins the fight against

Association redefines
high blood pressure, Alzheimers and its personal
New York: Billionaire Bill Gates is per
130 is new high sonally investing $50 million to help
fund research to find a treatment for
Anaheim, CA: The American Heart Alzheimers disease, a type of dementia
Association and American College Gates says has struck members of his
of Cardiology have redefined own family.
the high blood pressure meas There is no cure for Alzheimers,
urement for the first time in which destroys memory and other
14 years. mental processes, so Gates said he is
The redefinition puts the investing his own money in the
new high for systolic blood Dementia Discovery Fund, a private
pressure at 130 mm Hg or public partnership to search for a solu
higher, while for the diastolic tion.
measurement, the new high Its a terrible disease that devastates
is 80 mm HG or higher. both those who have it and their loved
That is a change from the ones, the philanthropist wrote
old definition of 140/90 Monday on his blog. This is something
or higher. I know a lot about, because men in my
The change is a reflec family have suffered from Alzheimers.
tion of research showing I know how awful it is to watch people
complication that can you love struggle as the disease robs
occur at those lower them of their mental capacity, and
numbers. This is the there is nothing you can do about it. It
first update to the feels a lot like youre experiencing a
U.S. guidelines on blood pressure detection and gradual death of the person that you
treatment since 2003. knew. My family history isnt the sole
About 14 percent more people will be diag reason behind my interest in
nosed with high blood pressure and counseled Alzheimers. But my personal experi
about lifestyle changes. There should only be a ence has exposed me to how hopeless
small increase in those who will be prescribed it feels when you or a loved one gets
medication. the disease.
By lowering the definition of high blood pres Gates noted that he, personally, is not
sure, officials with the American Heart without his own worries.
Association and American College of Cardiology Anything where my mind would
hope the guidelines will recommend earlier inter deteriorate, I have to say I would be
vention to prevent further increase in blood pres disappointed thinking about complex
sure and the complications of hypertension. . problems, he told CNN. I hope I can
live a long time without those limita
Alzheimers disease has struck mem
bers of Bill Gates own family.
tions.
Alzheimers, said to be the sixth lead
ing cause of death in the United States,
affects more than 5 million Americans
a number expected to spike to as
high as 16 million by 2050, according
to the Alzheimer's Association.
Although medication and other thera
pies may ease the symptoms, they do
not slow the progression.
We don't really have anything that
stops Alzheimers, and so the growing
burden is pretty unbelievable, Gates
said in an interview with CNN's chief
medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
has been committed to global public
health, including infectious diseases in
developing countries, but as CNN
reported, this is the first time Gates has
focused on a solution for a noncommu
nicable disease.
In his blog post, titled Why I'm
Digging Deep Into Alzheimers, the
Microsoft cofounder said he became
interested in the disease because of the
emotional and economic toll it takes
on victims and their loved ones, as well
as the healthcare system.
A person with Alzheimers or anoth
er form of dementia spends five times
more every year outofpocket on
health care than a senior without a
neurodegenerative condition, he
wrote. Unlike those with many chronic
diseases, people with Alzheimers incur
longterm care costs as well as direct
medical expenses. If you get the dis
ease in your 60s or 70s, you might
require expensive care for decades.
Through his investment, Gates said,
he hopes to help make progress in bet
ter understanding the disease, detect
ing and diagnosing it sooner, and find
ing ways to keep it from progressing.
There are many ways an Alzheimers
drug might help prevent or slow down
the disease. Most drug trials to date
have targeted amyloid and tau, two
proteins that cause plaques and tan
gles in the brain. I hope those
approaches succeed, but we need to
back scientists with different, less
mainstream ideas in case they dont. A
more diverse drug pipeline increases
our odds of discovering a break
through.
28 November 18-24, 2017 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Side by Nury Vittachi

Recent examples
which show real life is
imitating the movies

BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA ou know that movie where someone for a while.

AND Y jumps out of a building and lands safely

on a passing truck? I think it was called
Pretty Much Every Movie Ever.
The same day a reader sent me a link to
another news video of real life imitating art: A
beaver was seen guiding a herd of 150 cows

PAKISTAN Well, a reader sent me a link to that exact

clip only it was a reallife news report. A
building in Hebei, in the north of China, was
ablaze, and several people jumped out of high
New York Head Quarter windows on to a truck filed with vegetables,
escaping completely unharmed.
422S Broadway Makes you think, right? Next time you've
HICKSVILLE finished work and the lifts going down are
full, check the passing traf fic. Perhaps the
NY 11801
Uber people could provide options. "I'd like to
5168271010 order a truck of vegetables outside my build
ing at 5.30, please." "Certainly, sir, cabbage or
lettuce?"
This correspondent has noticed that "lifeis
amovie" items usually appear in batches, as if
Destiny decides to recycle old film storylines
in Canada. Perhaps the beaver had actually
seen the movie Babe, about a pig doing the
work of a sheepdog, and wanted to try it him
self. Beavers are smaller than pigs and cows
are bigger than sheep, so real life beats the
movie.
A third example arrived a day later. A man
broke up with his girlfriend and went off to
marry someone else. The annoyed girlfriend
turned up at his wedding with a gun and took
him away. Police thought it was so movielike
that it must have been staged.
I would agree, except for one crucial thing:
The incident happened at an Indian wedding,
which is famous as vortexes in which any
thing can happen.
Example: At a recent wedding in Uttar
Pradesh, the bride refused to marry the

Laughter is the Best Medicine groom after discovering that he'd provided a
meatfree banquet. She instead married a man
from among the wedding guests.
Reports of brides marrying wedding guests
By are not uncommon in India, and it puzzles me
that ANY single men dare to attend such cere
Mahendra
monies.
Shah Several times a year, young men must come
Mahendra Shah home and have the following conversation.
is an architect MOM: "How was your roommate's wedding?"
by education, SON: "The usual. By the way, meet my wife,
entrepreneur by Aditi."
profession, A fourth news report in this category
artist and arrived that night. Two people in the US state
of Washington discovered that they were
humorist,
born on the same day of the same month of
cartoonist and
the same year in the same town and eventu
writer by hobby.
ally learned they were twins. Yes, it's the
He has been
exact plot of the hit movie "The Parent Trap".
recording the
But that's about two young girls.
plight of the
In the real life version, a man and a woman
immigrant
found they were twins after they got married.
Indians for the
The scientific term for this is "awkward". No
past many doubt they are taking classes in Sibling
years in his car- Rivalry and Cutting Remarks so they can be
toons. "normal".
Hailing from If Destiny is reading this, can I put in a
Gujarat, he request for the movie "Almost Famous" to
lives in come true? In that film, the beautiful Kate
Pittsburgh, Hudson falls in love with a notverygood, not
Pennsylvania. veryfamous journalist.
Reallife Kate, whoever you are, I'm here.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
NOVEMBER 1824, 2017
ARIES : Valuable support from a col
league would help in professional mat
ters. You will have to depend on familys
help for your needs. Longterm investment in
stocks & mutual funds will enable to earn prof
its. You nd pleasure and enjoy ecstasies of
love in the arms of partner. Your enormous
condence would help in enjoying a healthy
life. Small journey with your ofce colleagues
will be interesting. Mortgaging your plot is not
right for you, crisis may arise. A very success
ful week when you are likely to get rid from
your legal battle.
TAURUS: Excess workload could trou
ble at workplace in this week. You
move with new excitement & con
dence as you receive support from family and
friends. A new nancial deal gets nalized
paving the way for fresh money. Dont forget
to plan something special with partner to
enjoy the ecstasies of love. Sound physical
health will enable to participate in outdoor
activities. Enjoy your holiday with love of your
life. Your income can be doubled by renting
your house or a part of your house. Timely
suggestions to friends would help them to
solve their problems.
GEMINI: You need to make full use of
your aspirations, supportive nature and
open mindedness at work. Family front
seems to go smoothly as you receive their full
support to your plans. Financial position will
improve later in the week. Your wit & charm
would help in catching the attention of oppo
site sex. You will be successful in getting rid
from tensions. Romantic destinations seems
appealing to you. It would be benecial if you
plan to buy a small property. A friends inuen
tial contact brings into contact with an emi
nent lawyerwhich would immensely help you.
CANCER: You will be successful in
regaining your professional touch.
You nd relief, comfort and affection
in the company of family members. Real estate
investment would be lucrative. Love partner
would be extremely supportive and in a loving
mood. A sparkling laughter lled week when
most things proceed, as you desire. Relive the
holidays by remembering the hassle of last
minute preparations. Real estate is one thing
on which you can rely on to invest. Your
patience coupled with continuous ef forts &
understanding will bring success.
LEO: A test of your ability to handle
pressurised situat ions as you are
entrusted with a special assignment. Be
generous in your approach and enjoy lovely
moments with family members. You are likely
to earn monetary prots through most unex
pected sources. Blossoming love life brings
happiness. You attain a bloom in health on
sharing happiness with others. Fly away with
your dreams, new business horizons are ready
to explore. Plan to invest in cafeteria or a bak
ery shop; it might create new opportunities for
you. Dont forget to use your witty nature to
brighten a dull atmosphere.
VIRGO: Selfcondence helps in making
an impact at professional front in this
week. Do not share personal matters
with casual acquaintances otherwise it will dis
appoint family members. Investment in stocks
& mutual funds would help in earning prots.
A romantic week as you receive all praises
from partner. High time for you to realize your
true potentials. Travel for fun and pleasure is
what you demand. Investment on restaurant
might be strain on your check book. You get a
good opportunity to get involved in some
interesting conversation in this week.
ASTROLOGY
LIBRA: Good week for computer pro
fessionals as they realise their
dreams. Time spent with relatives
will be to your advantage. Improvement in
nances is certain. You enjoy a lovely time as
Cupid is on your side. A very healthy week
lled with happiness & vitality. Travelling reg
ularly might be injurious for your well
being. Dont spend too much on real estate.
Visiting new places would bring a wonderful
feeling/experience for you.
SCORPIO: An excellent time for devel
oping professional contacts. Family
members will be very positive & sup
portive to your plans. Investment needs to be
made keeping longterm perspectives in
mind. A special message from beloved/lover
lifts spirits. Pleasure trip would help in main
taining sound health in this week. Your boss
may ask you for your company to a friends
party. Investment on construction business
would ourish your income. Developing new
contacts with inuential persons would help
in expanding your horizons.
SAGITTARIUS: Senior colleagues
cooperation brings success at profes
sional front. Relatives will be willing
to lend a helping hand at the time of need.
Speculation coupled with some unexpected
gains improves nancial health. You face
some problems in love on dictating your
terms. Yoga and meditation would help in
keeping in shape and mentally agile. Travel
plan with a colleague might lead to a new
relationship. Dealings for older properties can
be in process. You are likely to be appreciated
for your helpful nature.
CAPRICORN:Business partners would
be enthusiastic about new plans &
ventures. Trouble seems to be brew
ing at home therefore think twice before
uttering your views. A new source of income
will generate through inuential contacts.
Love companion will be eager to meet you in
this week.
Blessings of a saintly person give peace of
mind. Before you embark on your adventure
trip plan and prepare each and every thing.
Your possession for acquiring a plot might be
achieved. A long pending legal battle might be
decided to your satisfaction.
AQUARIUS : Dont forget to devote
time on acquiring new technical
skills to enhance career prospects.
New relationship at family front will be long
lasting & highly benecial. Investment made
in this week would enhance prosperity and
nancial security. Proposing might benet, as
chances of succeeding in love are high.
Chances of recovering from physical ailment
are high.
Small picnic organized by your company is
good to change your mood. If you invest on
smaller properties then it can be beneciary
for future investments. You are likely to be
highly beneted by your interaction with
strangers.
PISCES: You are like ly to fail to
achieve targets at professional front.
Guests visit would make it a pleasant
& wonderful week. An improvement in nan
cial position would enable to make important
purchases. Search for a true romantic friend
might end in this week. Inexhaustible energy
enables to participate in outdoor activities.
Ofcial journeys prove to be more fruitful for
you. Your plan to own a house is ought to be
in the right way. You will have to struggle in
the bid to survive against the greedy & mali
cious friends.
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
18th November, 2017
Influenced by number 9 and the planet
Mars, you are highly ambitious, dignified,
independent, courageous, outgoing, and an
enthusiastic person. You are a born leader
and you have no trouble in motivating and
leading others, but you need to check your
tendency to behave erratic, impatient and
arrogant at times.
This year you should not be too generous
with your time and money. Use the opportu
nities that come your way to improve your
earnings and living standard. Your confidence
and morale will be high and you are likely to
win favours during this period. New partner
ship will be lucrative and investment will
yield gains. You will strengthen your position
in the social circle. If you propose any new
ideas, you will be surprised, as many impor
tant people w ill back your thoug hts.
Participating in cultural activities will be edu
cating as well as entertaining. The months of
September, December, March and July will be
important.
19th November, 2017
Dominated by number 1 and the Sun, you
are original, confident, honest, methodical
and a systematic person. You have deep inter
est in spirituality and always search to find
inner peace. You are deeply admired by peo
ple around you, but you need to check your
tendency to behave impatient, extravagant
and moody at times.
Opportunities to lift your living standard
will come through new contacts that you
develop this year. You need to concentrate
your maximum efforts into career improve
ment, as it will yield desired results. You will
do extremely well socially if you travel and
get involved in clubs and social events.
Distant pilgrimage is on the cards for some of
you. Spouse and children will be supportive
but health of your parents will be a matter of
concern. The months of January, April, May
and August will bring in the desired result.
20th November, 2017
Ruled by number 2 and the Moon, you are
imaginative, simple, noble, friendly and highly
disciplined person. You can easily accomplish
difficult tasks with your dedication and hard
work, but you need to control your tendency
to behave cynical, stubborn and introvert at
times. Pending problems will get sorted out.
This new phase in your life will bring you
rewards and recognition. Your financial posi
tion will also improve and you will feel more
secured and satisfied with whatever you do.
Family and friends will be there for you when
you need them. Legal matters will be compli
cating and you should avoid standing guaran
tee for others, as it will cause embarrassment
and many legal problems. Matrimonial
alliances for few lovebirds. Pilgrimage and
religious activities will bring peace of mind.
The months of October, December, April and
May will be significant.
21st November, 2017
Governed by number 3 and the planet
Jupiter, you are confident, creative, systemat
ic, generous and an optimistic person. You
are good at building new contacts, which in
return bring you lots of popularity and bene
fits. You are smart and trustworthy, but you
need to control your tendency to behave
extravagant and dominating at times.
Professional gains are all most certain but
rise in expenses will bother your mind. There
November 18-24, 2017 29
will be moments when your achievements
will exceed your expectations, but most of the
times you will have to put in your maximum
to achieve bare necessary results. People who
have stood besides you till now will continue
their support. Relationship with your spouse
will be highly cordial and on an even footing,
but you need to control yourself from being
to stubborn, which w ill create uneasy
moments at home. Romantic alliances will
prosper and strengthen. T he months of
November, February, June and September will
be significant.
22nd November, 2017
Ruled by number 4 and the planet Uranus,
you are energetic, charming, peace loving,
creative and an active person. You are always
given great deal of responsibility at work
because people know they can depend on
you. You should receive major success in your
career provided you check your tendency to
behave jealous, self centered and overconfi
dent at times. Your planetary position is
offering major changes in your career. New
opportunities look bright and recognition and
rewards seem high on your cards. Your
involvement in social activities will bring you
close to important people, who will provide
favours and benefits. Those wanting to travel
overseas for business or pleasure will receive
a boost to their plans. You will have abun
dance of energy and you will easily imple
ment whatever you plan. Health however will
need care. The months of October, January,
May and July will be highly eventful.
23rd November, 2017
Ruled by number 5 and the planet Mercury,
you are practical, energetic, trustworthy and
possess a strong intuition. You are highly
popular in your group because you are witty
and intelligent. You are helpful and sensible
but you need to control your tendency to
behave vindictive, stubborn and timid at
times. Promising career opportunities ahead
for fresh graduates and extremely good peri
od for scholars, scientists, writers and sports
men as well. This year will be important for
working women, as they will receive a major
boost in their career. Financial gains are cer
tain but expenses will also take an upward
trend. For those involved in romantic entan
glement, chances of a matrimonial alliance
will be quite high. Travel will bring pleasure.
The months of November, March, June and
August will be significant.
24th November, 2017
Ruled by number 6 and the planet Venus,
You are energetic, cheerful, trustworthy,
dynamic and a methodical person. You have a
very strong willpower and dislike interfer
ence of others in your personal affairs. You
are carefree and helpful, but you need to
check your tendency to behave stubborn, vin
dictive and dominating at times.
Financial gains are certain provided you
associate with people who are creative and
experienced. Improved finances will make
you spend more on luxuries and other living
comforts. Legal or property disputes will set
tle around the middle of the year. New
romance for some will develop through social
gatherings and recreational activities. Health
of an infant will cause stress and anxiety.
Religious feelings will arise making you seek
spiritual blessing later in the year. T he
months of December, April, June and August
will be highly important.
30 November 18-24, 2017 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

The power of attention

By Sant Rajinder
Singh Ji Maharaj
soul is sent to a life in the
A human body for a certain
period of time. During that
time the soul is confined in the
human form like a prison cell.
When the soul inhabits a body,
the soul is still a part of God and
is still one with God. The soul,
however, is now overpowered by
some very powerful forces, such
as the mind, the body, and the
outer world, which cause the soul,
over time, to forget itself. The soul
slowly begins to identify itself
with the body and mind and world
outside. It suddenly begins to
think that it can only receive
information from the outer world
through the senses. Thus, the soul
has become attuned to only one
channelthe channel of the
world.
If we think about our life as
watching a television program, we
have multiple choices as to what
to watch. Just as there are a dozen
network stations and then dozens
if not hundreds of cable stations
from which to choose, so, too,
there are many activities in this
world that we can engage in.
Now, let us take a look at the
other choices available to us. This
physical planet is not a separate
offshoot from all of creation and
God. Most religions believe that
there are higher regions of exis
tence to which the soul goes after
it dies. Scientists and doctors have
tried to verify this by document
ing accounts of people who were
declared clinically dead but had
neardeath experiences and
described something beyond this
world. The question is, where are
these realms? They are not zones
in outer space delineated by bor
ders. All these realms exist con
currently with this one. The rea
son we are not aware of them is
because they operate on a differ
ent frequency or vibration.
The saints and mystics tell us
that we have the choice to either
stay tuned to this physical world,
or to tune into the channels of
God. God wants us to watch Gods
programming. God is available
twentyfour hours of the day,
three hundred sixtyfive days a
year. Gods programming does not
turn off at three a.m. like some
networks do. It is a free station
broadcasting all the time without
any cable fees. We only need to
know how to tune into Gods sta
tion.The hookup to God is not
hard. It is just a matter of making
the choice that this is what we
want to do. The steps to do this
are simple. Step one is to stop
identifying with the body, mind,
and world outside, and identify
with the soul. Step two requires
that when we identify with our
soul that we shift our attention to
the frequency of the higher
realms and ultimately to God.
That is all we must do. God did
not make it hard for us to become
aware of our true Home. It is we
who have made it complicated.
So how do we accomplish step
one and step two? To accomplish
step one, we must withdraw our
attention from our body, mind,
and the world outside. We must
decide to turn off the outer pro
gramming. When that program
ming is in the off mode, then in
the silence we will experience
ourselves as soul. That is the step
that we call selfknowledge. Once
we identify with the soul, we will
be able to pick up frequencies
that the soul is capable of receiv
ing. We can do a gradual shift in
which we go from the conscious
ness of one region to conscious
ness of the spiritual realms.
Once someone asked the great
saint, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji
Maharaj, how long it took to get
from here (the physical region) to
Sach Khand (the highest spiritual
region). Hazur closed his eyes,
and then opened them. He told
them, I have just been there and
back. He was showing that the
shift of attention from the physi
cal realm to Sach Khand could be
done in the twinkling of an eye.
Why? Because we are not going
anywhere physically. We are
merely shifting our attention from
one state of consciousness to the
other. The other state of con
sciousness does not exist in time
or space. They are operating con
currently. We are simultaneously
in the other realms and in God at
the same time but we are not
aware of it because our attention
is only focused on one region
the physical.
So, for step one, the Masters
who have learned to be attuned to
the realm of God, teach us that we
can withdraw our attention from
the world, the body, and the mind
by sitting in meditation. If we
meditate accurately we will expe
rience ourselves as soul. Once we
identify with the soul, then we will
also be aware of the inner Light
and Sound that is the radiance
and vibratory sound of God within
us. If we absorb ourselves in the
Light and Sound within, we can
then attain step two. We can shift
our attention into the Light and
Sound, which attracts our soul to
higher levels of vibration.
The Light and Sound function at
different vibratory rates in the
different regions. As we shift our
attention we find ourselves con
If we meditate
accurately we will
experience ourselves
as soul. Once we
identify with the soul,
then we will also be
aware of the inner
Light and Sound that
is the radiance and
vibratory sound of
God within us.
scious of being in the different
regions. Ultimately, the Light and
Sound function at their highest
vibratory rate, which is the power
of God itself. When we shift our
attention to that, we have come to
the state of consciousness where
we are at one with God and merge
with God.
It is simply a matter of choosing
where we want to put our atten
tion. That is the true meaning of
the anecdote about Bulleh Shah
and Inayat Shah. When Bulleh
Shah asked his Master, Inayat
Shah (who was a gardener by pro
fession), How can I find God?
Inayat Shah pulled up a plant and
replanted it in another place.
When Bulleh Shah questioned
what that demonstration meant,
Inayat Shah said, To find God it is
merely uprooting your attention
from one place and planting it in
another place. That is the sim
plicity of spirituality. God did not
make things complicated. It is
simple. It is only we who have to
choose to transplant the flower of
our attention from the world into
Gods garden.
(For more visit www.sos.org)

Lifes awakening moments
n each persons life a moment comes when we have a tran
I scendent experience or a revelation in which we become
we die, and what our purpose in life is.
Read about the life of any of the great saints and mystics
and you will find some lifetransforming experience that
awakened their quest. Once these burning questions arise,
there is no turning back. We are restless until we find the so
lution.
Before our awakening, it is like we are sleeping. Our soul
has been asleep for aeons. We started out in the lap of God
but became lost in the attractions of the world. We have for
gotten our true Home. We are in a state of slumber or for
getfulness that we are souls, a part of God. We think we are
the mind and the body and have forgotten our true essence
as soul, as a part of the Creator.
Sant Mat
ant Mat, the Path of the Saints, reflects the core teach
by different names and through different practices. While
Sant Mat respects all faiths, it stresses that religion has two
dimensionsouter and inner. Sant Mat focuses on the inner
dimensionthe deep spiritual essence known as mysticism.
Mysticism looks beyond rites, rituals, and scriptural knowl
edge and pursues spirituality as a matter of personal inner
experience. Sant Mat expresses the deepest values of every
great spiritual traditionlove for God, compassion for Gods
creation, and a daily life grounded in ethical values. Sant
Mats unique contribution is distilling these noble ideals into
a simple, universal spiritual path and then providing the
tools and techniques to make them a personal reality.
Sant Mat does not demand that we renounce our families
or societies. Instead, we can pursue our spiritual goals while
leading normal lives.

aware that we have a higher purpose in this world. Sudden

S ings of saints and mystics through the ages. People new The need for a living master
to this path often say they are attracted by its simplicity, in competent teacher speeds our progress. It's a common
ly, amidst the daily rituals of waking up, getting dressed, go
ing to work, eating, and sleeping, we get a glimpse that there
tegrity, and effectiveness in fostering spiritual growth. Al
though Sant Mat was born centuries ago in India, it is in
A sense principle of life: studying with one who has mas
is something more to this life. That moment may come when tered the subject we wish to learn accelerates our learning.
many ways ideal for the modern seeker. Followed under the That's why seekers throughout history have turned to spiri
we are a child. It may come to us while a teenager, or it may
guidance of a living spiritual Master, these teachings couple tual Masters. By virtue of their own inner awakening, these
come in adult life. Some may have it when they are young
meditation on the inner Light and Sound with an inclusive, Masters awaken others. As much as we revere Masters of the
adults, and some have it in their senior years of life. When
positive way of living. past, Sant Mat stresses the importance of a living guide.
ever it comes, it leaves us transformed. Suddenly, we begin
At the heart of Sant Mat are these simple principles: There
to question who we are, why we are here, where we go when -Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
is one God of all creation, though people worship the Lord
TheSouthAsianTimes.info November 18-24, 2017
TheSouthAsianTimes.info November 18-24, 2017