The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e i n
Vol.10 No. 32 December 9-15, 2017 80 Cents
GOP tax bill not good
Shashi Kapoor
Bollywoods first
for New Yorkers
crossover star
But while reconciling Senate and House bills,
some existing deductions may be restored.
New York: In a big victory for
Republicans and the White House,
the tax bill approved by the US
Senate last week is offering a huge
tax cut for corporations and lower
rates for the wealthy, which will
boost the economy, and may bene
fit all due to trickle down effect in
the long run.
Mumbai: In India, filmgoers
may remember him mainly for
But The New York Times analysis
shows that the new tax regime will
his romantic hero roles, but he
had started blazing trail as
adversely affect the hightax, high
cost and generally Democratic
early as the 1960s by acting in
leaning areas most notably New
international projects like The
York City and its neighbors. The
Householder and Shakespeare
bill, if enacted into law, could send
Wallah. And he managed to
home prices dropping upwards of
straddle the two worlds while
10 % in affluent NYNJ areas. It
continuing to act in main
stream Hindi films and yet find
ing time to do films like
Siddhartha and Heat and Dust.
Gujarat elections
Shashi Kapoor who passed
away this week in Bombay at
age 79, is not conventionally
BJP seems to have an
edge in a tight race
rated as a thespian like Dilip
Kumar or Amtabh Bachchan,
but he showed his versatility,
New Delhi: The Gujarat elections
charm and intensity in his
has turned out to be a much
mature years while playing
closer contest with the
'common man' roles, decadent
princes, aging poets and even
Congress
party
angels. He remained indemand
putting
Bollywood star for almost five
up a
decades, with appearances in
stronger
148 films between 1945 and
fight
1998. In 1980, he started his
against the
own film company, and went on
incumbent BJP
to make arthouse films like "36
government. The
Chowringee Lane", "Junoon",
results of two
"Vijeta", "Utsav" and "Kalyug".
rounds of prepoll sur
His contribution was recog
veys conducted by the Lokniti
nized with the Filmfare
research program at the Centre
Lifetime Achievement award in
for the Study of Developing
2010 and the highest accolade
Societies as well as ground
the Dadasahab Phalke Award
reports from Gujarat indicate dis
in 2015.
content among a sizeable section
SEE TRIBUTE TO THE ACTOR of voters, says an analysis in
ON PAGE 15. Mint newspaper.
AUROVILLE 16 DIASPORA 20 SPORTS 24
j o u r n a l i s m
New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
President Trump
to recognize
could increase the regional tax
burden, complicating companies
efforts to attract skilled workers.
And it could force cuts in federal
Jerusalem as
Israels capital
programs that help immigrants,
the elderly and other lowincome
residents afford the regions high
cost of living.
Most significantly, the bill would
eliminate the deduction for state Middle East leaders alarmed, US
and local income taxes, and would
cap the deduction for property citizens warned over unrest fears
taxes at $10,000.
That wouldnt matter to the more
than twothirds of households
nationwide that take the standard
deduction, which would be nearly
Continued on page 4
While this discontent may not
be enough to bring an end to
BJPs long
rule in West Jerusalem is the seat of Israels government, but the Palestinians
Gujarat, an view East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
analysis of
Washington: In a fraught move, keep the embassy in Tel Aviv for
the past elec
President Donald Trump plans to an additional six months, even as
tion trends
recognize Jerusalem as the capital he set in motion a plan to move it
and the pre
of Israel in a speech at the White to Jerusalem. Officials said the
poll survey
House on Wednesday and move process would take several years.
findings
the American Embassy there, Mr. Trump spent Tuesday morn
suggest.
potentially destroying his efforts ing explaining the policy change in
In Gujarat
to broker peace between Israel telephone calls with Prime
elections
and the Palestinians. Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of
since 1995, the BJP
Trumps decision fulfils a cam Israel; Mahmoud Abbas, the
has consistently maintained a
paign promise: he appealed to Palestinian Authority president;
vote share lead between 9 to 11
evangelicals and ardently pro and to Arab leaders who warned
percentage points over the
Israel American Jews in 2016 by him that it would disrupt the peace
Congress. In the 2012 Gujarat
vowing to move the embassy, New process, perhaps fatally, and could
elections, the BJPs lead fell
York Times reported. unleash a new wave of violence
below 10% for the first time
But the president still plans to across the region.
Continued on page 4
sign a national security waiver to Continued on page 4
Life-size, complete suit in the Chinese Temple Galleries,
opening December 16.
Tickets on sale.
Life-Size Jade Burial Suit with Gold Thread (detail of
head), China, Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E.
9 C.E.) Excavated from the tomb of the King of Chu
at Shizishan, Xuzhou, in 1995. Total length: 69 inches.
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30 excellence in journalism
TheSouthAsianTimes.info December 9-15, 2017
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Ivanka Trump visiting Golconda Fort near Hyderabad, accompanied by the
two ambassadors, Kenneth Juster and Navtej Sarna. (Photo: PIB)
Trump lauds Ivanka for promoting
women at summit in India
Washington: President Donald Trump has
applauded his daughter and advisor
Ivanka Trump for promoting women
entrepreneurs during her visit to India last
week. Ivanka led a highprofile US delega
tion to the Global Entrepreneurship
Summit (GES) in Hyderabad, cohosted by
the two countries.
Great work, Ivanka, Trump said as he
retweeted State Department praise for
Democrats back Trump for stronger
India ties: Rep Krishnamoorthi
New York: Although there is an
ideological chasm between
President Donald Trump and the
Democratic Party, IndiaUS rela
tion transcends partisanship
and the party supports his initia
tives to strengthen it further,
according to Congressman Raja
Krishnamoorthi.
The more he can do that the Congressman from stituency located in suburbs
Illinois, Raja
better because it will help each of
Krishnamoorthi
our economies and will enhance
our security and also bring our two peoples
together even closer between the worlds
oldest and largest democracies, he told
IANS. Trump has said that a critical part of
the South Asia strategy for America is to fur
ther develop its strategic partnership with
India. It is good that the President is con
tinuing the strengthening of the USIndia
relationship, Krishnamoorthi said. I am
glad that the relationship is now something
that both parties support. But he said that it the rules of the road in our global relation
should not be a transactional relationship
but be built on a foundation that endures.
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Ivankas comments on US efforts to fuel
entrepreneurship so that Americans can
turn their dreams into incredible legacies.
Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the UN,
also praised the 36yearold. Thrilled to
see Ivanka Trump in India promoting
female entrepreneurs.
At home that means improving work
force development and cutting govern
ment red tape.
For this, it is very, very impor
tant that for instance we enhance
our economic relationship, that
we continue to promote Indian
investment in the US, he said,
just as the Indians will promote
American investment in India.
Krishnamoorthi made a pitch
for investments in his Illinois con
around Chicago, saying he hopes
Indian businesses would
come there.
The Indian auto manufacturer, Mahindra
Group, has set up a factory and technical
center with a $230 million investment in
neighboring Michigan.
On the security front, Washington and
New Delhi have to be close partners in
fighting terrorism, but also in making sure
that we can bring some democratic norms
and, kind of making sure everyone observes
ships, the way we conduct our global busi
ness, Krishnamoorthi said.
December 9-15, 2017 3
Srujal Parikh elected
FIAs new president
Plans Make in India Expo at
India Day Parade in 2018.
l By Parveen Chopra make the parade more diverse,
particularly by encouraging
New York: The Federation of participation form other South
Indian Associations (FIA Asians nations. That also
NY/NJ/CT) unanimously elect reflects his commitment to the
ed Srujal Parikh as its next spirit of Vasudhaiva
President on Nov. 30. Currently Kutumbakam World is one
FIAs Executive Vice President, family.
he will take the oath of office Womens empowerment is
on January 27 next year, at the another issue close to Parikhs
premier organizations
Republic Day celebration, Dance Pe Chance
heart. To begin with, half of his
executive committee are women. He wants
in New Jersey. FIA to take up meaningful and sustainable
Speaking to The South Asian Times,
Parikh, who is an IT manager in the New
women empowerment initiatives to make a
difference in their lives. One event being
York Police Department and trustee of the planned jointly with the Indian Consulate in
NYPD Indian Police Officers Society, shared New York will take place on International
his vision for taking the organization to new Womens Day, March 8. Parikh quotes a
heights, starting with his ideas for the India Vedic verse in this regard, which translates
Day Parade, FIAs annual flagship even in as, Wherever women are respected, God
New York. resides there. Also on the cards are College
We are planning a Make in India Expo. Camps where various higher education
We are reaching out to various countries to institutions would be invited to meet stu
showcase their cultures at the parade by dents planning their future studies and
taking out floats, he said. The idea is to camps on OCI and PIO cards.
Modi happy to meet old
friend Obama
New Delhi: Former US President Barack
Obama met Prime Minister Narendra
Modi here last Friday.
This is the first meeting between the two
leaders after Obama left the White House
in January.
"It was a pleasure to meet, once again,
former president @BarackObama, and
learn about the new initiatives being taken
forward under his leadership at the
@ObamaFoundation and his perspectives
on further strengthening IndiaUS strate
gic partnership," Modi tweeted.
Obama addressed the Hindustan Times
Leadership Summit the same day.
At the summit, the he said India needed
Former US President Barack Obama met
to cherish and nurture its Muslim popula
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
tion that is integrated and considers itself
in New Delhi last week.
Indian. He said he liked PM Modi and also
admired former prime minister the foundation for modernizing Indian
Manmohan Singh. "(Manmohan) Singh was economy," he said.
the primary partner while we were work Obama also addressed a town hall meet
ing during the financial meltdown (of ing in which he interacting with nearly
2008). When you look at the steps Singh 300 young leaders drawn from various
took to modernizing the economy, it was parts of the country.
 4 December 9-15, 2017
Acharya Lokesh honored
with Urja Ratna Award
Founder of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti, Jain Acharya Dr.
Lokesh Muni was honored with Urja Ratna Award
by Member of Parliament Subramanian Swamy,
Acharya Kushagra Nandi Ji, and Shri Arihant Rishi Ji
at Ram Rajya program in Dadar, Mumbai. Acharya
Lokesh Muni on the occasion said that when
politics would be influenced by religion, Ram Rajya
will be established. Ram Rajya means just
equitable, disciplined and modest system.
IOC bans Russia from
2018 Winter Olympics
Lausanne, Switzerland: The International Olympic
Committee (IOC) said on Tuesday that Russia is banned
from the 2018 Winter Olympics set for next February in
PyeongChang, South Korea, over doping concerns,
Xinhua reported.
The IOC decided to suspend the Russian Olympic
Committee (ROC) with immediate effect, but Russian ath
letes would still be able to compete at the PyeongChang
Games in uniforms bearing the name "Olympic Athlete
from Russia" under the Olympic Flag.
Samuel Schmid, former Swiss president entitled to lead
the investigation commission, said an over17month
IOC investigation has "confirmed the systemic manipula
tion of the antidoping rules and system in Russia during
the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014, as well as the
various levels of administrative, legal and contractual
responsibility".
"This was an unprecedented attack on the integrity of
the Olympic Games and sport," said IOC President
Thomas Bach. "As an athlete myself, I'm feeling very
sorry for all the clean athletes." Russia has denied state doubled under the bill. But in the New
sponsored doping scheme alleged by WADA report.
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President Trump to recognize change the equation. In Manhattan and Senate bill at the last minute to help pay
Jerusalem as Israels capital wealthy suburban counties, close to half for the tax cuts. But its insertion has
of households itemize their deductions, raised concerns among business groups,
Continued from page 1
Moving the U.S. embassy is a dangerous
and many could see an immediate tax which say it will undercut their ability to
increase, writes the Times. use valuable tax breaks like the research
step that provokes the feelings of
Taxpayers in New York County and development tax credit.
Muslims around the world, King Salman
(Manhattan) take the highest average
of Saudi Arabia told Trump in their call.
Late on Tuesday, Palestinian national
deduction for state and local deductions, BJP seems to have an
and Islamic groups issued a joint state
known as SALT, on their federal tax edge in a tight race
returns. And among the top 12 counties Continued from page 1
ment calling for protests throughout the
in the United States, half are in the since 1995 but even then, the BJP won
Palestinian territories and demonstra
greater New York metropolitan area handsomely, largely because of its
tions at US embassies and consulates
including Nassau and Westchester. impressive performance in urban con
around the world.
The human impact is huge, Mayor Bill stituencies. A small swing in votes is
Fearing attacks, the American consulate
de Blasio said, referring both to the high unlikely to lead to big upsets, especially in
in Jerusalem barred employees and fami
er taxes some residents would pay and to urban constituencies of Gujarat where the
ly members from going to the Old City or
the services that could be cut as a result BJP has a much stronger support base.
the West Bank, while the State
of the tax plan. And in an urbanized state such as Gujarat,
Department urged embassies around the
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York, it is these constituencies that may make
world to tighten their security.
who joined Gov. Jerry Brown of California or break political fortunes of parties.
Jerusalem is one of the worlds most
and New Jerseys governorelect, Philip D. As for the discontent factor, while some
fiercely contested swaths of real estate,
Murphy, on a call with reporters on sections of voters such as traders may
with both sides disputing each others
Monday, called the bill a targeted have harbored resentment against the
claims. West Jerusalem is the seat of
assault on their states. BJP because of disruptions such as
Israels government, but the Palestinians
Now, Republicans are considering demonetization and GST, recent moves to
view East Jerusalem as the capital of a
adding a more generous state and local simplify norms related to GST may have
future Palestinian state, and most of the
tax break into the $1.5 trillion package helped stem the tide against a party that
world considers it occupied territory.
that Congress plans to pass by Christmas, has always depended on traders for sup
Jerusalems Old City has the thirdholiest
as they try to ease concerns among law port.
mosque in Islam and the holiest site in
makers from hightax states and their Then, the LoknitiCSDS poll shows that
Judaism, making the citys status a sensi
tive issue for Muslims and Jews world
constituents, who say they will be penal 45% farmers say their situation has dete
ized by the current legislation. riorated during the last five years of the
wide alike. White House officials said Mr.
Trump remained committed to what he
The behindthescenes discussions on BJP government. But an equal number
Tuesday among House and Senate believes that their situation has improved.
has called the ultimate deal between
Republicans come ahead of an expected So tt is unlikely that farmers will vote as a
Israel and the Palestinians. The decision,
Senate vote to begin the process of align bloc for any one party.
they said, was recognition of current and
ing its bill with the Housepassed legisla Caste does pose a challenge for the BJP
historic reality. They said it could hasten,
tion. The vote could be held as early as in Gujarat, with resentment against the
rather than impede, peace negotiations by
Wednesday. party among the Patidar community. But
removing a source of ambiguity from the
Were still looking at how we make tax the level of resentment is uneven within
American position.
reform relief better for those hightax the community.
Mr. Trump, officials said, would make
states, said Representative Kevin Brady, The Patidar resentment is concentrated
clear that the United States is not taking a
chairman of the House Ways and Means largely among those in the poorer and
position on whether, or how, Jerusalem is
Committee. middle income groups. Also, younger
divided between Israel and the
Im open to trying to make this bill fair Patidars are far more likely to vote
Palestinians. He will also not take a posi
er for the uppermiddleincome taxpayers against the BJP than middleaged or older
tion on a disputed area of the Old City,
in high state and local tax states like Patidars, the LoknitiCSDS survey results
known as the Temple Mount to Jews and
California and New York, said Senator suggest. The trend is similar among Dalit
the Haram alSharif to Muslims, which has
John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana. I and OBC voters, with older voters in these
been a flash point for tensions.
would like to help everybody, but again, communities far more likely to vote for
you have to be mindful of the impact on the BJP than the young.
GOP tax bill not good
the deficit and on the nations debt. The evidence so far seems to suggest
for New Yorkers
Another provision being looked at for that while the going may be tough for the
Continued from page 1
revision is the corporate alternative mini BJP, the party may still scrape through,
mum tax, which was inserted into the and form the next government in Gujarat.
York area, high state and local taxes
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY December 9-15, 2017 5

Special to
The South Asian Times

New York: Consul General of India

Sandeep Chakravorty has appreciat
ed the efforts of expatriates in
maintaining their cultural and eco
nomic links with the motherland.
Chakravorty is a key speaker at a
conference organized at Columbia
University here last week. The con
ference, whose theme was Indian
Dasporas Achievements, Challenges
and Prospects, was also addressed
by several luminaries from the
Caribbean region, especially
Trinidad and Guyana.
I hesitate to use the word dias
pora as it could have some negative
connotation, the Consul General
opined. In any case, youre the best
ambassadors of India. Were proud
of your achievements.
He deviated from his prepared
speech and spoke more informally,
acknowledging that he has never
been posted to a country where an
Indianorigin population is in a sig
nificant number. Mauritius was the
only such country Chakravorty vis
ited. Among other places in that
African island nation, he visited
Pravasi Ghat, the port where the
Indian indentured laborers arrived
around 150 years ago. Before 2000,
India had not focused much atten
tion on its overseas population, but
things are different in the 21st cen
NY CG lauds IndoCaribbeans, promises
participation in Phagwah parade
Consul General Sandeep Chakravorty (second from right) being
presented with a book by Satnarine Balkaransingh (one of the speak
ers). On the extreme right is Khanderao Kand. (Photo : Ashwin Admala)
tury as the Center determined to
have links with the people of Indian
origin. New Delhi currently organ
izes a biennial Pravasi Bharatiya
Diwas (Expatriate Indians Day),
where sociocultural and economic
aspects are highlighted.
Youve been able to preserve
much of our culture and even the
language you speak is really good,
the consul general said, promising
to be present at the annual Phagwa
parade taken out in the New York
borough of Queens in the spring.
Considered the largest of its kind
holders will have the voting right.
Acknowledging that the business
and economic aspect takes the cen
terstage at Pravasi conferences, he
said though it is important a bal
ance must be maintained between
that and other subjects such as cul
ture and language.
Another important speaker
Somdat Mahabir, a scientist at the
National Institutes of Health, said
indentured laborers left India as
early as 1838 by ship bound for
Guyana where they suffered
tremendously initially, but have
managed to excel in all areas of life,
outside the Caribbean, the parade despite being discriminated against.
celebrates the arrival of harvest Mahabir used his maternal grandfa
after months of hard work put into thers ledger regarding the develop
farming, as well as the Indo ment of his village. In 1905, the
Caribbean culture. ledger showed, the laborers were
Chakravorty also promised to paid 32 cents a day.
organize a conference at his con Also an epidemiologist and pro
sulate along with representatives of fessor, Mahabir highlighted two
countries where Indians live in sig Guyanaborn scientists. One was
nificant numbers. Nonresident Nutan P. Bishun, a pioneer in the
Indians, who hold Indian passports, field of cytogenetics. Bishun was
are being given the voting right, he the head of cytogenetics at the
pointed out, adding that I think a MarieCurie Research Institute in
stage will come when even the OCI the UK before he returned to
(Overseas Citizen of India) card Guyana, where he died at a relative
ly young age. The other was
Premsuk Poonai. He had the distinc
tion of earning a doctorate and
years later a masters degree in
medicine. He, however, did not prac
tice medicine.
Mahabir grew up in the same area
where Poonai was born and had his
early education. He highlighted the
importance of data and showed that
from 1880 through 2012, the
Hindus among the IndoGuyanese
population fell. For example, in
1880 the Hindus constituted 83.5%,
but by 2012 the community
dropped to 62.8%.
An interesting thing about
Mahabirs lecture was that he used
Sanskrit phrases. Asked by this
writer whether he knows Sanskrit,
he replied yes. He recites and teach
es the BhagavadGita and knows the
Upanishads.
Vishnu Bisram, Ravi Dev, Tara
Singh, Darrell Sukhdeo and
Satnarine Balkaransingh were
among others who spoke at the con
ference held in connection with the
anniversary (19172017) of the
abolition of indentured labor in the
Caribbean.

INOC, USA Maharashtra chapter NYC restaurateur wins 2018

celebrates anniversary
New York: Maharashtra Chapter of
Indian National Overseas Congress
(INOC), USA held its anniversary
celebration at Nan King Restaurant
in New Hyde Park, New York
together with the National
Executive committee members, vari
ous chapter heads, and Congress
supporters from India's commercial
hub. Devendra Vora, President of
Maharashtra chapter welcomed the
guests and detailed his plans to
expand the membership and to
strengthen the chapter.
George Abraham, Chairman of the
INOC, USA implored the audience to
be vigilant against the current
onslaught by the BJP government
against India's venerable institu
tions that were built under the
Nehruvian vision. Mohinder Singh
Gilzian, President spoke about the
current challenges party is facing in
the upcoming elections and exhort
ed the Congress loyalists to come
together and fight the elements that
INOC USA Maharashtra chapter members discussed challenges
faced by the party currently
promote communalism. Harbachan
Singh, SecretaryGeneral, extolled
the dynamism of the state of
Maharashtra and the vibrancy of
the Marathis. As the second most
populous state in India, it plays a
vital role in the economy and poli
tics of India. We look forward to
our colleagues from Maharashtra to
harness strong support for the
Congress cause, he said.
Mrs Malini Shah, VicePresident
of the National Committee and the
Chairperson of the Maharashtra
Chapter urged the gathering for
more active participation in the
communityatlarge.
Indrajit Saluja, editor of Indian
panorama spoke about the authori
tarian and polarizing forces in India
and U.S. and spoke about the urgent
need to guard against such ideolo
gies. He also denounced the recent
tweet by President Trump of the
unverified Muslim videos from a
right group in U.K.
Michelin Bib Gourmand distinction
New York: After bring was in his first year
ing the flavors of of college. But his
Mexicos roadside cui family was aghast at
sine to New York City the thought of him
at the fastcasual taking up this career.
restaurant, Choza My mom was terri
Taqueria, Indian fied for me to do this.
American chef Akhtar My dad was angry,
Nawab went on to Nawab told NBC
open Alta Calidad, a News. My mom had
sitdown Mexican a couple of cooks in
restaurant in the city, Akhtar Nawab lifetime that served
which became an (Image : bkmag.com) her essentially, and
instant hit. And now same with my dad.
the restaurant has won a culinary So, I think that they just couldnt get
honor. their head around it for a really
The Michelin Guide has long time.
announced its 2018 Bib Gourmand Nawab, who has been cooking
awardees a distinction given to Mexican food for ten years, gradu
restaurants offering exceptionally ated from the California Culinary
good food at moderate prices and Academy in San Francisco in 1996
Alta Calidad has found a place on its and worked in several Bay Area
New York City list. kitchens, including for James Beard
The Kentucky native, who hails awardnominated chef Loretta
from a family of doctors, decided to Keller at the nowclosed Bizou, adds
enter the culinary world when he the NBC report.
6 December 9-15, 2017
FIA raises concerns over OCI, PIO,
AADHAR with CG Chakravorty
oard of Trustees and Executive team
B of Federation of Indian Association
(FIA) led by chairman board of trustee,
past presidents & executive committee
met with Consulate General Sandeep
Chakravorty and his team on November
29th to raise concerns that the Indian
American community has related to OCI,
PIO & AADHAR card. FIA discussed vari
ous questions including apprehensions
that people have with regards to convert
ing PIO to OCI by the December 31st
Preet Didbal rst Sikh woman to
be elected Mayor of US City
reet Didbal has been
P elected Mayor of Yuba
city in California, becoming
the rst Sikh woman to hold
the position in the United
States. Dibal was appointed
by the California city council
and will be sworn in on
December 5, KCRATV, an
NBCafliated television sta
tion, reported.
Preet Didbal
There are other Sikh mayors across the
US Ravi Bhalla was elected earlier this
month as mayor in Hoboken, New Jersey.
However, Didbal is the rst Sikh woman
to be elected mayor in the country, the
report said. She was elected to Yuba City
Council in 2014 and is currently vice
BSC donates medical mobile van
to Gujarat hospital
T he June 2017 Bhartiya Senior Citi
zens of Chicago (BSC) program was
organized to highlight massive issue of
blindness in India and to engage BSC
members to help needy blind people in
India. The guest speaker Dr. Manu Vora,
founder, director and president of Blind
Foundation for India highlighted the
work done by BFI since 1989 to sup
port over 15 Million blind people in In
dia. BFI's mission is to prevent and cure
blindness and educate and rehabilitate
permanently blind people in India.
At the program there was an outpour
of support from the BSC members for
BFI resulting in a generous collection of
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
deadline. They also brought up the $265
fees that will be charged from January
1st, 2018. Consulate General of India
will be hosting International Womens
Day in association with FIA in March.
President elect Srujal Parikh thanked the
Consul General for a productive conver
sation on the issues that Indian American
community has. FIA chairman Ramesh
Patel informed Consul General about the
visa camp and other outreach programs
that FIA will be organizing in 2018.
mayor. She is the rst in her
family to graduate from col
lege.
"Seeing someone that looks
like you, that comes from the
same faith as you, to be elected
in a public ofce in this coun
try is inspiring and exciting.
And it's denitely moving,"
Jaydeep Singh with the Sikh
Coalition said.
"When Ravi Bhalla was elected in New
Jersey, that was the rst time I saw some
one who looked like me, who was in a
public ofce in the United States of
America," Singh said.
The SutterYuba region is home to one
of the largest Sikh communities in the US.
Mobile medical van donated to Shri
Ravishankar Maharaj Eye Hospital in
Chikhodra (near Anand), Gujarat.
$20,000.These funds were used to do
nate a mobile medical vanto Shri Ravis
hankar Maharaj Eye Hospital in Chikho
dra (near Anand), Gujarat. This mobile
medical van will be part of the Diabetic
Retinopathy project (clinic on wheel)
for number of villages in Gujarat.
Indianorigin US nancier killed in
shark attack while scuba diving
A
n Indianorigin US financier
has been killed in a shark
attack while scuba diving off a
Costa Rican island in the Pacif
ic Ocean, officials said.
Rohina Bhandari, 49, a Wall
Street private equity manager
from New York City, suffered
fatal bites to both her legs dur
ing the shark attack last week
Rohina Bhandari
while she was diving with a
group near Cocos Island, a national park
about 300 miles off the Costa Rican main
land, New York Post reported on Sunday.
She was a senior director at WL Ross &
Co. LL, a firm founded by Commerce Secre injuries.Authorities said two park rangers
tary Wilbur Ross, and often attended New
York City charity events.
She was dragged from the Pacific Ocean
but could not be saved. Her 26yearold
diving instructor was also badly injured in
Sherin Mathews showed signs
of abuse: Doctor
herin Mathews, a 3yearold Indian girl
S who was found dead in a culvert after
being reported missing by her foster father,
had a series of broken bones and injuries in
various stages of healing, a doctor testified
before the court.
Sherin, reported missing on October 7,
was found dead in a culvert about 1 km
from her home in suburban Dallas on Octo
ber 22. Her autopsy report is still awaited.
She was adopted by the IndianAmerican
couple, Wesley and Sini Mathews, from an
orphanage in India last year. Her adoptive
parents lost custody of their biological child
after Sherin went missing.
He parents appeared before a court for a
long Child Protective Services (CPS) cus
tody hearing about their biological daugh
ter, currently living with family in the Hous
tonarea.
Wesley was brought via van to the court
house. He is expected to either surrender
his parental rights for his 4yearold daugh
ter or have them terminated by the state.
Sini, who aims to regain custody of her bi
ological daughter, 4, sought right to visit
her biological daughter. Sini took to the
witness stand first, but invoked her fifth
amendment right not to incriminate herself
many times during questioning. One excep
tion came when she was asked if she is
trained a nurse to which she responded,
"yes". When Wesley took the stand, he opt
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
last Thursday's attack.
The male instructor, who
was conscious and in relative
ly stable condition, told offi
cials that the shark attacked
when his group was surfacing
at the tail end of the dive in
the waters.
According to the Costa Ri
can newspaper La Nacion, the
guide noticed the shark ap
proaching his group underwater and tried
to scare it away. But as they surfaced, the
shark went for Bhandari, tearing at her
legs. The guide too suffered leg
and several doctors who were part of the
diving tourism group of 18 people on the
island trip organised by the Undersea
Hunter Group, offered first aid in a desper
ate bid to save her.
ed to invoke his fifth amendment right as
well and answered no questions pertaining
to Sherin's death or disappearance.
Prosecution pressed Sini about former
CPS involvement, alleging Sherin formerly
had a broken femur, elbow and tibia, but
she did not confirm the allegations.
The prosecution called to the stand a pe
diatrician and child abuse expert, Susan
Dakil of Referral and Evaluation of At Risk
Children Clinic, who testified that the in
juries were visible in various Xray scans
taken in September 2016 and February
2017. Dakil said the scans suggest the in
juries were inflicted after Sherin was adopt
ed from India.
The Xrays from February showed that
fractures in Sherin's tibia and femur were
in different stages of healing, WFAA report
ed. The pattern of injuries led Dakil to be
lieve that Sherin was injured on separate
occasions, but Dakil could not say when
they occurred. The doctor filed a report
with Child Protective Services after seeing
the Xrays, the station reported.
Two more witnesses are scheduled to
take the stand.
Sini, who is behind bars on child endan
germent charges, had her bond reduced
from $250,000 to $100000.
Wesley was arrested and charged with
felony injury to a child, which carries a sen
tence of up to life in prison.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY December 9-15, 2017 7

Gift of Life, India Chair

Ravishankar Bhooplapur
addressing the audience at
the event in India.

Gift of Life India

celebrates a landmark
With Ravishankar Bhooplapur as founder and
chairman, Gift of Life initiative has saved over
6,000 children since it started 15 years ago.
l By SATimes Team

D
harwad, India: On 18th November,
Gift of Life, India celebrated 15
years of launching the Gift of Life
initiative that has since saved over 6,000
children. As founder and chairman of this
program. Ravishankar Bhooplapur took
time to come back to his roots in Dharwad,
Karnataka to honor those people who
helped to set up and strived to make this
program a success.
The Angel Award was presented to Dr.
Prabhakar Kore, MP & Chairman of KLE
hospitals in Karnataka, for his outstanding
commitment to this program. And also to
Dr Rajan Deshpande, Ashok Bolar,
Rajendra Rai, Sameer Hirani, Rtn Durgesh
Dr. Prabhakar Kore, MP & Chairman
Haritay, Dr Vijay Sadasivam, and Mr J .
of KLE hospitals, was honored with the
Wilson. The event received commitment of
Angel Award by Bhooplapur.
$150,000 from various Rotary clubs and
districts in India. responsible for 10,000 heart surgeries for
Back home in Long Island, where Past children of over 30 countries. The Gift of
District Governor Bhooplapur is based, Life involves Rotarians from all over the
Rotary Club of Jericho Sunrise, Rotary Club world, with independent chapters in coun
of Hicksville South & Rotary Club of Lake tries as far away as Korea and India.
Success are involved for the past 10 years Gift of Life, India aims to secure lifesav
in Gift of Life, India and every year over ing heart surgery for children in desperate
$250,000 is provided by Rotary need regardless of race, religion, or coun
Foundation as matching grants to this try of origin. It is a notforprofit, tax
project. The original Gift of Life idea is exempt corporation with no administrative
traced to 1974 and is today a worldwide costs. Bhooplapur serves as its Honorary
Rotary International Service Program Chairman.

Bhooplapur with honorees and other dignitaries posing.

 8 December 9-15, 2017 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Thousands gather in Lisle, IL, for VIRGINIA TO HAVE 500

Thanksgiving Weekend
Illinois: The opportunity of spend
ing Thanksgiving with spiritual
Master Sant Rajinder Singh Ji
Maharaj drew 2000 people to the
Sheraton Lisle Hotel for the four
day holiday, from November 22 to
25. They came from Africa, Asia,
India, Central and South America,
all over Europe, Canada and the
United States. Each day began with
early morning meditation, followed
by talks and workshops on all
aspects of spirituality and medita
tion. The huge gathering was happy
to be able to spend afternoons and
evenings with Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji, enjoying his satsangs and his
darshan.
The spiritual Master spoke about
giving thanks for everything the
Creator has given us, not only on
Thanksgiving but also on the other
364 days of the year. He said there
is a haven of joy, peace, and bliss
within ourselves, but rst we need
to put all our problems aside.
Heaven is not up there, he added,
its what we make of our daytoday nding peace and bliss within.
existence. Each and every one of us
can be happy and joyous. He
explained that everything in this
world is temporary. God is with
The program was led by Spiritual Master Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
each and every one of us. As we nd
our connection with the Creator,
which we do as we sit in silence, we
then know we have found some
thing that is permanent. It is that
connection that makes us truly
happy and joyous.
One afternoon featured a medita
tion marathonperiods of medita
tion interspersed with personal sto
ries from the audience. As always,
the focus was meditation as a way
of connecting with the divine and
tion of sensoryintegrated play
A highlight of the weekend was
donations to local service organiza
tions, spearheaded and managed by
the Science of Spirituality young
adults: one to HSP, the
Humanitarian Service Project; and
the other to The Sensory Garden
Playground.
The Humanitarian Service Project
mission is to alleviate the pain and
suffering poverty brings to seniors
and children in DuPage and Kane
Counties, Illinois, without discrimi
nation or exclusion for any reason.
The Sensory Garden Playground,
part of the Play for All Playground
& Garden Foundation, is a combina
peace; Devasya will celebrate all
ground equipment and amenities
along with gardening areas, located
in Danada South Park, DuPage
County.
ACRE HINDU RETREAT
Nevada: An over 500 acres of
serene and vibrant Hindu spiritual
retreat is reportedly been planned
near Bowling Green in Virginia,
which is expected to open in the
summer of 2019.
Known as Devasya and run by
global charitable group Interna
tional Swaminarayan Satsang Or
ganization (ISSO), it reportedly
plans to spend over $7 million
just on improvements of the exist
ing heavily wooded property
which has an openwater lake.
Described as a modern retreat
descended from the divine it will
include a traditional Hindu temple
holding over 150 years old murtis
of Shree Radhikaji & Hari Krsna
Maharaj, besides smaller shrines
to various Hindu deities. Open
year round, it will have a restau
rant serving saatvik Indian and
Western vegetarian cuisine; and
few dozen cottages, reports sug
gest.
Aimed at helping discover inner
Nar Narayan Dev Gadi (Kalupur,
the major Hindu festivals and host
many cultural programs, musical
concerts, camps, conferences,
seminars, etc. It will provide cul
tural education; including courses
in sangeet, yoga, natyam, Indian
languages, pranayama, medita
tion, vegetarian cooking, etc.
According to reports, it will be a
venue for weddings and social
gatherings and provide traditional
naturopathy, ayurvedic and herbal
treatments; besides water sports.
It plans to host a Gaushala with
opportunities of GauPooja, Gau
Daan and cowadoption.
Participants will be able to pray,
meditate, practice yoga, etc., at
Devasya, whose tagline is What
you seek Is seeking you. It will
also conduct mahapoojas and
there will be no alcohol or smok
ing on the campus.
Prime objective of ISSO is to ad
vance the Sanatan Dharma, in ac
cordance with the principles and
teachings of the Swaminarayan
Sampraday, founded and ordained
by Lord Shree Sahajanand Swami.
ISSO is a part of Shree Swami
naryan Sampraday under Shree
Ahmedabad) which has 18 Hindu
temples in USA. Acharya Shree
Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj is
the current Acharya.

Adam Purinton pleads
not guilty in killing of
Srinivas Kuchibhotla
Washington: A US Navy veteran charged with
killing an Indian techie and injuring two others
in a racially motivated hate crime at a bar in
Kansas City early this year has pleaded not
guilty.
Adam Purinton, 52, was charged with firstde
gree murder in the February shooting in Olathe
that killed 32yearold Srinivas Kuchibhotla. He
also faces two counts of attempted firstdegree
murder for wounding two other men.
During a preliminary hearing yesterday, Purin
ton pleaded "not guilty." He waived his prelimi
nary hearing and the not guilty plea was entered
on his behalf.
The next hearing is scheduled for May 8. He
faces a maximum penalty of death or life in
prison.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Purinton com
mitted the offences after substantial planning
and premeditation, attempted to kill more than
one person in a single criminal episode, and
knowingly created a grave risk of death to oth
ers on the scene. .
Aligarh Muslim University alumni to celebrate Sir Syed Day
Foster City, CA:
The Alumni of the
Aligarh Muslim
University (AMU),
one of the oldest
and famous seats
of learning in
India, will cele
brate Founder's
Day on December 16th, which is the 200th
or bicentennial birth celebrations of AMU
founder, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was a legend in his
life time; a rebel with a cause; a social
reformer with a transparent and clear
vision; a leader who changed the destiny of
his community.
Sir Syed, who in the aftermath of the
Indian War of Independence of 1857 felt
that it was important for Muslims to gain
education and become involved in the pub
lic life and government services in India. Sir
Syed died on March 27, 1888, but he
inspired many generations of India's largest
minority community to get educated and
break the vicious circle of penury. He is also
considered one of the architects of modern
India.
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is an
internationally renowned University, and is
currently rated academically in the top
Universities in India. It is one of the Central
Government Universities, has a very secular
tradition and reputation and has produced
prominent personalities in all walks of life
including statesmen such as Dr. Zakir
Husain former president of India, Ayub
Khan former president of Pakistan, and M.
Hamid Ansari former vice president of
India, and many other leaders.
AMUAA's annual founder's day popularly
known as 'Sir Syed Day' is celebrated by
AMU alumni every year in the memory of
AMU founder and his Aligarh Movement. At
these events AMUAA has raised funds for
scholarships to meritorious and needy stu
dents to enable them in achieving their edu
cational goals. Over the years hundreds of
students have beneted from the scholar
ship program of AMUAA/AEEF.
Congressman Ro Khanna will deliver the
keynote address as the chief guest on the
bicentennial birth celebrations. On this
occasion AMU alumni in California are
organizing the 20th Annual International
Mushaira, along with dinner, on December
16th at India community center in Milpitas
at 6:00 pm. Featured guest poets include
Basir Kazmi (England), Aqeel Nomani
(India), Rajesh Reddy (India), and Ambareen
Haseeb "Amber" (Pakistan) in addition
other selected poets of Bay area will also
participate in this Mushaira.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
US federal court opens
doors to startup visas
Mumbai: A US district court judge
ruled on Friday that the Trump
administration cannot delay an
Obamaera immigration rule, which
enables eligible foreign entrepre
neurs to temporarily stay in the US
to nurture and grow their startups.
America's doors are open again to
foreign entrepreneurs under the
International Entrepreneur Rule
(IER), which in common parlance is
referred to as the 'startup visa'
route.
Finalized by the Obama adminis
tration, IER enabled qualified
(based on prescribed criteria)
entrepreneurs to obtain immigra
tion 'parole'that is to temporarily
enter and stay in the US despite not
having a visa or green card.
Commonly, IER is known as the
startup visa, but it is actually a per
mit to foreign entrepreneurs to
stay in the US for two and a half
years with the possibility of a simi
lar extension. The IER was to come
into effect from July 17, 2017;
however, less than a week before
that, the US Department of
Homeland Security announced that
it would be delayed to March 14,
2018 and that it intended to
rescind the final rule.
As was reported by The Times of
NATIONAL COMMUNITY December 9-15, 2017 9
Senator Kamala Harris tops
India in its edition dated October 6,
this action of the DHS at the behest
Global Thinkers' list
Washington: IndianAmerican California Senator
of the Trump administration
Kamala Harris has topped the prestigious Foreign
prompted a group of entrepreneurs
Policy magazine's 50 Leading Global Thinkers' list
including some from India, along
which also features two others from the community.
with the USbased National Venture
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and standup
Capital Association (NVCA) to file a
comedian Hasan Minhaj have also made it to the list
lawsuit in the US Federal Court.
which recognises a remarkable range of individuals
The plaintiffs argued that
who have found ways to exert enormous influence,
because the DHS did not solicit
often in unexpected ways, on a wide range of issues.
advance comments from the public
"They are the doers who defined 2017," said the
on the delay, it violated the clear
Foreign Policy magazine while releasing its annual
requirements of the Administrative
list of global thinkers, which this year number 50
Procedure Act. Hardships that the
instead of 100 as was the case in most of the previ
delay caused to the plantiffs were
ous years.
also pointed out. In addition, they
Topping the list is Ms Harris, 53, for giving the
contended that the US would miss
Democratic Party a hope in the era of US President
out on the economic activity that
Donald Trump, the magazine said.
would have been generated as
Harris, the daughter of an Indian mother and a
result of these new businesses. Kamala Harris
Jamaican father, is the firstever IndianAmerican to
The order pronounced by district (Image courtesy: latimes.com)
be elected to the United States Senate.
judge James E Boasberg, on
Seen as a potential Democratic presidential candi Early this year he was the first IndianAmerican to
December 1, now compels the DHS
date, Harris is the only black woman in the Senate. have been chosen to host the White House
to begin accepting applications
"Her professional bona fides and two decades as a Correspondents Dinner.
from foreign entrepreneurs.
prosecutor, her commitment to social justice (she has Haley, 45, the first IndianAmerican to be in any
A 2016 study by the National
made immigrants' rights and bail reform the focus of presidential cabinet, figures in the list of global
Foundation for American Policy
her first year in office), and her personal "firsts" make thinkers for trying to preserve America's traditional
pointed out that immigrants have
her appealing to voters still smarting from (Hillary) vision of international affairs, said the magazine.
started more than half (44 of 87)
Clinton's loss and hungry for a charismatic nonwhite, "The US foreign policy that Haley has spent just
startups in the US that are valued
nonmale presidential candidate," the magazine said. over 10 months defending smacks more of traditional
at $1 billion or more. Fourteen of
Popular IndianAmerican comedian Minhaj, 32, is Republican (and, arguably, traditional US) policies
these startups were founded by
placed third in the ranking for defining the narrative more closely in line with Ronald Reagan than with
Indians.
of a "New Brown America", it said. the current president," it said. (PTI)
(Source: The Times of India)
10 December 9-15, 2017
Trump refutes
Rexit plans
Newspapers reported quoting WH
sources that Rex Tillerson was to be
replaced within weeks by CIA director
Mike Pompeo. (Photo courtesy AP).
Washington: President Donald Trump has
said he has no plan to replace Secretary of
State Rex Tillerson, though he acknowl
edged disagreements with the latter on
certain subjects.
The media has been speculating that I
fired Rex Tillerson or that he would be
leaving soonFAKE NEWS! Hes not leav
ing and while we disagree on certain sub
jects (I call the final shots), we work well
together and America is highly respected
again! Trump wrote on Twitter on Friday,
Efe news reported.
That was Trumps first public response
after The New York Times quoted anony
mous sources saying that Trump wanted
to replace Tillerson with CIA director
Mike Pompeo.
Tillerson also made his first statement
on Friday in that regard and said the news
is laughable, but avoided any mention of
whether he has discussed the matter with
the President.
The news was repeated later by numer
ous US media including CNN and The
Washington Post, also quoting anony
mous sources.
On Thursday, State Department spokes
woman Heather Nauert said that White
House Chief of Staff John Kelly told
Tillerson it wasnt true that Trump plans
his ouster within the coming weeks or
months.
Trump retweets
antiMuslim
videos, May
called him out
Washington: President Donald Trump
last week retweeted videos by farright
British politician Jayda Fraser that pur
ported to show Muslims performing
violent acts. Reacting to this, British
Prime Minister Theresa May called
Trump "wrong" for promoting such
"hateful narratives".
Trump replied back, telling May that
she should instead turn her attention to
terrorism and that "we are doing just
fine". The White House spokeswoman
Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended
Trumps retweeting of unverified videos,
saying he is elevating the discussion
about the threat of radical Islamic
terrorism.
US AFFAIRS
Sexual harassment in the US:
MONEY OR MORALS?
l By Shivaji Sengupta
T
he United States is awash with com
plaints of sexual harassment in the
work place. Most of you, I am sure have
heard or read about the many stories
swirling around such wellknown males as
Harvey Weinstein, the film maker, Senator
Frankel of Minnesota, Michigan
Congressman John Conyers, Roy Moore, run
ning for Senate from Alabama, and TV per
sonalities Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer. Each
of them has been involved in harassing
many women for sexual favors some time or
other in their past. (I have harassing in quo
tation marks on purpose that I will explain a
bit later).
The US Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission, a government agency responsi
ble for processing reported sexual harass
ment complaints, says nearly onethird of the
90,000 complaints received in 2015 included
a harassment allegation but the agency
notes that that number is far too low to
reflect reality. They also estimate that 75 %
of all workplace harassment incidents go
unreported altogether.
In 2016, the same EEOC released a com
prehensive study of workplace harassment in
America, which concluded that anywhere
from 25% to 85% of women report having
experienced sexual harassment in the work
place. Its a strikingly wide gap, but one that
is very substantial even in its most conserva
tive estimate statistically predicting one in
four people are affected by workplace sexual
harassment.
But what is sexual harassment? Catherine
MacKinnon, in Directions in Sexual
Harassment Law defines the term as
unwanted sexual relations imposed by supe
riors on subordinates at work unsolicited
nonreciprocal male behavior that asserts a
womans sex role over her function as a
worker.
It seems that sexual harassment as a legal
issue rose out of a forum of women acting as
a part of a social movement out of a con
sciousness raising session held at Cornell
University in 1974. Notice, the close connec
tion between sexual harassment and work. It
is intricately connected with loss of position
on the womans part, or curtailed responsibil
ity, and, in some instances, financial loss.
Thus, the single most compensatory factor in
these situations is money; in fact, big dollars.
Women sue both their harassers and the
employing firm for multimillion dollars.
What I am about to say next may be inter
preted as male chauvinist: I can understand
women suing for big dollars when it comes to
discrimination against them. They lose out
on money and professional reputation which
deserve monetary compensation. But sexual
harassment? By suing for big dollars, and
coming away settling for onetwentieth of
that amount, I wonder if women are simply
cheapening themselves. If they need the
money to be compensated for post traumatic
treatment, that is something. Otherwise, the
whole enterprise may be criticized as just
that: a financial enterprise.
As someone who has lived in New York for
the past 50 years, I have witnessed a sea
A new perspective on the headline making
issue of the day by somebody who came of
age during the days of womens liberation
and sexual revolution in America.
change in womens attitude toward unwanted
sexual advances. I came to this country in
1968, the year marked by the assassinations
of Martin Luther King Jr, Robert Kennedy,
protests against the Vietnam War and
womens liberation. That last one was com
pletely new to me. In India, I had met plenty
of assertive and powerful women; but here in
the United States, womens assertiveness
seemed to be sexually oriented. They had the
same rights, they said, as men did when it
came to when and where to have sex. They
had the same rights over the exposure of
their body parts as men. Thus, women would
walk in to their classes in Columbia
University in loose Indiantype kurtas and no
bra. Professors didnt even seem to notice.
Women students, along with their male coun
terparts, would streak across the campus
completely nude. In protest gatherings in the
park in front of New York University, there
would be loveins where the women, not
men, would take the lead.
Do you see the difference between then
and now? Both sets of women drew the line
regarding male domination regarding sex.
But then, it was about absolutely forbidding
men to be the aggressor (even initiator); now,
it is about punishing them for sexual aggres
sion and their corporate and other institu
tions by extracting money. There has sudden
ly been a huge increase in women suing uni
versities for discrimination against them, and
regarding sexual harassment. According to
the Chronicle of Higher Education, suing of
men by women in campuses has increased by
as much as seven times.
Laura Kipnis, a tenured Professor of
Cultural Studies, and a contemporary of mine
at the university, recently wrote a provoca
tive article critical of this whole paranoia
about sexual harassment. Contrasting her
student days, she writes, slightly tongue in
cheek, about a milieu I remember well:
Of course, the residues of the wild old days
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
are everywhere. On my campus, several such
"mixed" couples leap to mind, including
female professors wed to former students.
Not to mention [those] whove dated a gradu
ate student or two in their dayplenty of
female professors in that category, tooin
fact, Im one of them.
Reading Kipnis I felt very much in sympa
thy with her: Forgive my slightly mocking
tone, she writes, I suppose Im out of step
with the new realities because I came of age
in a different time, and under a different ver
sion of feminism, minus the layers of prohibi
tion and sexual terror surrounding the
unequalpower dilemmas of today.
I do not cite Kipnis to forgive sexual preda
tors who ruin womens careers to satisfy
their own egos and lust. But I do think, that
culturally, what started out as womens
asserting their rights as women, in the most
forbidden region of social stigmas sex is
ending up being predator and accuser. The
feminism I was indoctrinated into, by my
feminist girlfriend, emphasized independence
and dignity in selfreliance. Sex was pleasura
ble with a man, woman, or even by oneself.
You didnt need a man. In the intervening
years, the climate of sanctimony about
womens vulnerability has grown too thick to
penetrate; no one dares question it lest
youre labeled antifeminist. Or worse, a sex
criminal. Let me end this with one other cau
tion: integrity. Finally, while bringing charges
of sexual harassment, the accuser better be
right or else they may be doing serious harm
to the reputation of the one they are accus
ing. Money then pales in front of morals.
Let's remember Shakespeare's famous words
from Othello: "Who steals my purse steals
trash. 'Tis something, nothing: 'Twas mine, 'tis
his, and has been slave to thousands. A good
reputation is the most valuable thing we
havemen and women alike."
The writer is an academic and oped writer
for this paper.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Trump shrinks Utah
monuments, irking many
Salt Lake City: President Donald
Trump has dramatically scaled
back two public outdoor parks, or
national monuments, in Utah.
He declared an 85% cut to the
state's 1.3m acre Bears Ears
National Monument and a 50%
cut to its 1.9m acre Grand
StaircaseEscalante National
Monument.
The policy is likely to provoke
lawsuits from Native American
tribes and environmental groups.
But it will be welcomed by
ranchers and business interests
who view such monuments as fed
eral land grabs.
Speaking in the capitol building
in Salt Lake City, Trump said: for
mer presidents had "severely
abused" the law by declaring
swathes of territory off limits to
drilling, mining, grazing, road traf
fic and other activities. Native
And the TIME Person of the year is
New York: Mohammed bin
Salman, the crown prince of Saudi
Arabia, has won TIMEs Person of
the Year 2017 online reader poll,
earning more votes than others.
The 32yearold crown prince
received 24% of the yes votes
cast. Second place went to the
people around the world who
shared their experiences with sex
ual assault and harassment as
Supreme Court allows
Trump's third travel ban
to go into effect
Washington: The US Supreme
Court on Monday allowed the
third version of the Trump
administration's travel ban to
take effect, impacting citizens
of eight countries from entering
the US. The 72 ruling in the top
court, lifted restrictions
imposed by lower courts on the
travel ban, which bars all citi
zens of Syria, Iran, Chad,
Yemen, Somalia, Libya and
North Korea, as well as certain
officials from Venezuela from
entering the US. "In light of its
decision to consider the case on
Valley of the Gods in Bears Ears National Monument. (Photo : WaPo)
American tribes people who con
sider Bears Ears sacred are plan
ning to sue the administration.
"We will be fighting back imme
diately," said Natalie Landreth, a
lawyer for the Native American
Rights Fund. The Navajo, Hopi,
part of the #MeToo movement,
with 6% of the votes.
Finishing third, with 5% of votes
each, were former San Francisco
49ers quarterback Colin
Kaepernick, special counsel
Robert Mueller and the Dreamers,
undocumented immigrants who
were brought to the U.S. as chil
dren. Trump was at 18th place
with 2% vote.
an expedited basis, we expect
that the Court of Appeals will
render its decision with appro
priate dispatch," Xinhua news
agency quoted the Supreme
Court ruling as saying.
The travel ban, released in
September, was the third ver
sion by the Trump administra
tion. The Trump administration
said the ban was needed to
ensure national security, while
critics said it was a form of reli
gious discrimination as most of
the countries impacted by the
ban are Muslim majorities.
US AFFAIRS
Pueblo of Zuni, Ute Mountain and
Ute Indians form a commission
that administrates the territory,
which is rich in cultural antiqui
ties and Native American ruins.
Environmentalists have also
been opposing Trumps move.
In 2016, Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi won the online
reader poll, but Donald Trump
was named Person of the Year.
Trump is again among the 10
shortlisted for Time Person of the
Year, which will be revealed on
Dec 6. The shortlist includes
North Korean supremo Kim Jong
Un and Chines Presidnt Xi
Jinping.
NYCA guvs and NJ governorelect
say GOP tax bill will hurt economy
Albany, NY: The governors of
California and New York on
Monday mounted a final effort to
derail the GOP tax plan, which
they say unfairly targets their
states and could undermine the
national economy.
A legal challenge against the
measure may be a possibility
when and if it is signed into law,
the two Democrats said. But the
immediate focus is on encourag
ing Republicans to reconsider
before the final version of the bill
is approved.
"I'm not even sure it's legal.
We're going to find out," said
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
"If they do this, the next day
December 9-15, 2017
Trump denies
asking Comey to
lay off Flynn
Washington: President Trump
denied any attempt to obstruct
an FBI investigation into former
NSA Michael Flynn on Sunday,
while lawmakers said the presi
dent's own comments raised
new questions about him and
the probe into Russians who
interfered in last year's presi
dential election.
During a weekendlong series
of tweets following Flynn's
guilty plea for lying to the FBI,
Trump attacked the FBI in gen
eral and former director James
Comey over different aspects of
the Russia investigation, includ
ing Flynn's role.
"I never asked Comey to stop
investigating Flynn," Trump
tweeted. "Just more Fake News
covering another Comey lie!"
Comey testified under oath to
Congress after his dismissal that
Trump asked him to go easy on
Flynn.
Trump further complicated
matters by tweeting that he
knew Flynn had lied to the FBI
when he fired him. Lawmakers
said that raises a possible
obstruction of justice claim,
given Comey's statement that
Trump had asked him to drop
the Flynn investigation.
we're going to start the 'repeal
and replace.'"
Cuomo, California Gov. Jerry
Brown and New Jersey Gov.elect
Phil Murphy held a conference
call with reporters Monday to
discuss the tax overhaul's
impacts on their states and their
next steps in fighting the meas
ure. The three Democrats are
particularly critical of a provision
that eliminates the deduction for
state and local taxes a tax
break used most often by taxpay
ers in hightax states like New
York, California, New Jersey and
Illinois. Those states also happen
to lean Democratic, a fact not
lost on the governors.
11
Michael Flynn has pleaded
guilty to lying to the FBI in a
deal while committing to
cooperate fully with the
Mueller probe
That would mean that, if
Trump did ask Comey to drop
the Flynn investigation, he did
so knowing that his former aide
had lied to the FBI.
One of Trumps lawyers, John
Dowd, said he drafted the tweet
in question and made a mistake.
Sen. Mark Warner, DVa., top
Democrat on the Senate
Intelligence Committee, told
CNN he believes Comey's testi
mony under oath that Trump
asked him to back off Flynn.
"When Trump and his Senate
allies attack California, New
Jersey and New York they're
attacking the vital sinews of the
American economy," Brown said.
"They will regret it." The Senate
passed the nearly $1.5 trillion
tax bill Saturday morning on a
5149 vote, largely along party
lines. Not a single Democrat
voted in favor of the legislation,
which was crafted behind closed
doors by Senate Republican lead
ers. It would bring the first major
overhaul of the U.S. tax system in
three decades. The measure must
be reconciled with a version the
GOPcontrolled House passed
last month.
12 December 9-15, 2017
Rahul's hands full of challenges
as Congress chief
New Delhi: Congress VicePresident Rahul
Gandhi's longdelayed elevation as party
chief is eventually taking place at a time
when Congress faces an "existential crisis",
as a party leader put it, and has huge elec
toral challenges in the run up to the 2019
Lok Sabha polls.
Gandhi, 47, will be the sixth member of
NehruGandhi family to take the top position
of the 132year old party.
The change at the top is coming on the eve
of assembly polls in Gujarat and the outcome
there would be interpreted in terms of Rahul
Gandhi's ability as a campaigner and vote
getter.
But the next round of assembly polls in
2018 first in Karnataka and later in
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and
Chhattisgarh will be absolutely crucial for
Rahul Gandhi for building the momentum to
take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the
Lok Sabha polls. The state elections, with
Bharatiya Janata Party as the key rival, will
also be first major polls directly under Rahul
Gandhi's charge as party chief. Assembly
polls will also be held early next year in
Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura.
The challenges for Rahul Gandhi include
fostering a new energy and enthusiasm in
the Congress and evolving a new strategy to
galvanise the party after a string of electoral
losses since the 2014 Lok Sabha debacle.
The Congress has to work hard at the grass
roots to take on the relentless election
machine of BJP led by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and the party chief Amit
Shah.
Gandhi has to take a call on forging a larg
er opposition alliance for the 2019 Lok
Sabha polls under a "collective leadership" or
projecting himself as the alternative against
Modi with support of dif ferent parties. He
was the face of Congress in the 2014 Lok
Sabha polls.
Gandhi has been perceived as a reluctant
politician due to some of his longish trips
abroad, the delay in stepping up to the role
of party chief, his not taking up a ministerial
responsibility in two UPA governments and
not properly following through some of the
Anna Hazare to hold protest over Lokpal
New Delhi: Social activist Anna Hazare
said the Narendra Modiled Bharatiya
Janata Party government has weakened
the antigraft mechanism by making an
amendment to the Lokpal Act.
Both the Congress and the BJP were pro
industrialists and were never concerned
about farmers' problems, he said while
announcing an agitation in the national
capital from March 23, 2018.
Hazare will press for remunerative crop
prices and a strong Lokpal.
"The Manmohan Singh government had
weakened the Lokpal Act when it was
framed. Now, the Modi government has
further weakened it when it amended
Section 44 that says relatives of govern
ment of ficials will not have to submit
INDIA
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi with senior party leaders Manmohan Singh,
Sushilkumar Shinde and Anand Sharma in New Delhi. (Photo: IANS)
issues he raised.
Of late, he has been able to counter the
perception with his sharp and aggressive
attacks on Modi and the BJP. A trip to the
United States where he had had interactions
with think tanks appeared to have done a sea
change to the image about him.
In Gujarat, where success will be a big
moralebooster for the Congress, Gandhi has
sought to create a broad social coalition and
has forced Modi to react.
Congress' only major success since its
debacle in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls has
been Punjab while the BJP, in comparison,
has tremendously expanded its footprint by
winning states it had never done in the past.
The BJP is making efforts to expand its base
in states it has been weak including West
Bengal, Kerala, Odisha and Tamil Nadu.
Another major challenge for Rahul Gandhi
is to revive Congress in Uttar Pradesh, the
state that sends the largest contingent of 80
MPs to parliament. Gandhi has twice led the
party's campaign in the assembly polls but
had come a cropper.
The results of the recent local body polls in
Amethi and Rae Bareli, the Lok Sabha con
property details," Hazare told reporter
here.
"Interestingly, the Amendment Bill was
passed by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
in just one go, without holding any discus
sion."
The antigraft crusader also said the
Modi government was talking about a cor
ruptionfree India but on the other hand it
was weakening the anticorruption laws.
"There are five Bills to check corruption
that have been stuck in Parliament for last
five years. No one is thinking about
it...Why is Modi making anticorruption
laws weak?" he said.
Hazare said about 12 lakh farmers
across the country had committed suicide
in the past 22 years.
es when every Congress leader curses
Sardar Patel. What was his fault? That
stituencies of Rahul Gandhi and his mother
and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, have
not been flattering for his image.
Congress has shrunk electorally, being now
the fourth player in states such as Bihar,
third in states such as West Bengal,
Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu as also Delhi.
In the polls held to various assemblies since
2014, it has largely finished third or fourth.
Sections, which were strongly with the party
including Dalits, have drifted away.
Rahul Gandhi had been projected as a
young leader who understands the language
and idiom of the youth but Modi has been
more successful in weaning away the section
that has large e lectoral presence. T he
Congress also has to devise ways to woo the
large middle class.
Senior leaders like Mamata Banerjee and
Lalu Prasad have a comfort level with Sonia
Gandhi and it remains to be seen how Rahul
Gandhi fits into the role.
Within the party, Gandhi has to take sever
al decisions including whether to project
chief ministerial candidates in Madhya
Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan and who
they will be.
The BJP had promised that it would do a
lot for farmers' welfare before coming to
power but nothing has been done
in its three years' of governance, Hazare
said.
He said he has written at least 30 letters
to the central government over
farmers' issues but he has not got any
reply so far.
"Now, I have asked for a venue to hold
agitation on March 23. The Congress gov
ernment had earlier denied me any place
in 2011 and subsequently put me in the
jail. Let's see what this government does
now," Hazare said.
Social activist Anna Hazare addresses a press
conference in New Delhi.
(Photo: IANS)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Congress can only
be ruled by single
dynasty: Modi
Dharampur (Gujarat): Continuing his
scathing attacks on the Congress,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed
the party as "an empire" that can only
be ruled by one single family. He also
said that the Congress "disliked Gujarat
and hated it" and so the people of
Gujarat should "punish" the Congress.
Modi, addressing a massive crowd at
Malanpada in Dharampur, a Congress
bastion, said: "The Congress dynasty
which has reigned in Uttar Pradesh
since five decades, have we ever
maligned them, insulted them? Insulted
other states? But not a single day pass
Gujarat. What is our fault? They cursed
he worked for the good of the coun
try?" Continuing in the same vein, Modi
said, "Indira Gandhi had our Morarji
Desai jailed for months. Why such ani
mosity for Gujarat? Gujarat should
teach them a lesson that they stop
insulting Gujarat. Gujarat has never
been on anybody's mercy."
Speaking about the election for
Congress president, the Prime Minister
said, "Congress has now abandoned all
shame. Such persons (Rahul) who have
been charged by the court, who is on
bail, such persons whom we would not
entrust the president post of a district,
is now being given the president's post
in the party. What kind of culture pre
vails in Congress?"
Citing a statement by senior
Congress leader Manishankar Aiyar,
who said "Did election exist when
Aurangzeb came in place of Shah
Jahan?", Modi taunted: "This is an
empire where only the dynastic heir
rules. Whereas for me, the people are
my high command. We ask votes on
the basis of development. You check
out all the previous elections of 2002,
2007, 2012, where the Congress has
only tried to paint a non secular picture
of BJP."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Those opposing bullet train
can take bullock carts: Modi
Bharuch (Gujarat): Prime
Minister Narendra Modi said
those opposing the bullet train
project should travel on bullock
carts. Modi made the comment
while lashing out at the
Congress for its criticism of the
Rs 1.1 lakh crore project
which he said was "a negligible
price" connecting Ahmedabad
and Mumbai and to be built by
Japan.
He said the Congress govern
ment too wanted the project but
failed to get it and so was now
opposing it.
"Those opposing the bullet
train project should travel on
bullock carts. We won't mind,"
he told an election rally at the
Amod Sugar factory near this
Gujarat city on the banks of the
Narmada.
Modi said the Mumbai
Ahmedabad highspeed rail cor
ridor to be built by the staterun
Japan International
Cooperation Agency would
open up a huge employment
opportunity in Gujarat.
"Imagine how much employ
ment will it generate for the
region, for Bharuch. I ask you
where will the cement for the
bullet train (infrastructure)
come from, iron come from,
labourers come from? Won't
that be from India? And who
CONGRESS TO BRING
LEGISLATION FOR
PATIDAR RESERVATION
Ahmedabad: The Congress will
bring in legislation to ensure
reservation to the Patidar com
munity w ithout making any
changes to the existing quota of
the backward communities, the
party said in its manifesto for the
Gujarat elections.
"Without af fecting, reducing,
making change in the present 49
per cent reservation of backward
communities, Congress party will
introduce a Bill in the assembly
at the earliest and under article
46 of the Constitution and keep
ing in view the provision of
Article 31 (C) for fulfillment of
above," reads the manifesto.
"Under the Bill the communities
specifies under the Article 46 and
which have not received any ben
efit article under 15 (4) and 16
(4), to give them equal opportuni
ty for education and economic
development will be conferred all
the rights given to OBC under
this special category."
The manifesto was released by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
during a rally in Gujarat.
will be buying that? Japan. Isn't
it a big deal?" Modi asked. He
said the UPA government under
Manmohan Singh also wanted
the project but could not get it.
"The NDA government got it at
a negligible price. So the
Congress didn't like that. My
only grievance against the
Congress is that if they could
not achieve anything, why does
it pain them when someone else
does it."
Modi took a jibe at the Nehru
Gandhi family over what he said
their claim to have Gujarati ori
gins and doing nothing for the
Congress General Secretary in
charge for the state Ashok Gehlot
and the party's state president
Bharatsinh Solanki.
"Under this Act to identify the
communities to be included in
the special category, the state
government will hold consulta
tion with all stakeholders and will
appoint a commission for the
same" it said.
Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti
(PAAS) leader Hardik Patel had
last wee k said the country's
Constitution did not limit reser
vation in employment and educa
tion for certain categories to 50
per cent.
Apart from this, Congress party
announced formation of an EBC
commission.
The same commission will also
help in meeting the objective of
providing equal opportunity for
the educational and economic
development of the deprived peo
ple among the upper castes, the
party said.
INDIA
state. "What good did they do to
Gujarat? Did they even think
about project like Roll on, Roll
off ferry service? Over the
years, the Congress has created
divisions between villages and
cities, states, between people,
between the educated and the
uneducated, caste, communities.
"But since the BJP formed the
government in the Center, all
these ailments have gone. When
I was the Chief Minister, there
was not a single day when they
would not hurt Gujarat."
He said the two districts of
Kutch and Bharuch having large
Muslim populations witnessed
"maximum development during
the BJP rule".
He said the mega project of
the Statue of Unity to install the
world's tallest statue of Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel will also con
tribute to the development of
the region and attract foreign
visitors.
The Prime Minister said the
government planned to develop
some 1,300 small islands and
islets around the marine border
of the state, many of which are
even bigger than Singapore.
"Imagine these islands getting
developed as Singapore. So, for
a better tomorrow of Bharuch
and Gujarat you should vote for
the BJP."
Amid concerns over terror
'safe havens', Mattis in Pak
Islamabad/New Delhi: US Defense
Secretary James Mattis arrived in
Pakistan this wee k amid
Washington's concerns over "ter
rorist safe havens" in the country
and also to shore up bilateral ties
that have seen a marrked
downslide in the past few months.
Mattis, on his maiden visit to
Pakistan since taking charge at
the Pentagon, met Pakistan Prime
Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi
and other senior officials.
His visit comes as CIA Director
Mike Pompeo has in a stern warn
ing said if Islamabad does not
eliminate terrorist "safe havens"
in its territory, the US will do
"everything" it can to destroy
them.
Ahead of his visit, Mattis said
the US would "work hard on find
ing common ground" and "work
together" with Pakistan.
His visit comes days after a
Pakistan court ordered the
re lease from house arrest of
26/11 Mumbai attack master
December 9-15, 2017 13
Sharad Yadav, Ali Anwar
disqualified from Rajya Sabha
New Delhi: Vice President M.
Venkaiah Naidu, who is also the
Rajya Sabha Chairman, disqualified
rebe l Janata DalUnited leader
Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar as
members of the upper house of
Parliament, party leader R.C.P.
Singh said.
In a Facebook post, Singh said:
"Today (Monday) the Chairman
Rajya Sabha M. Venkaiah Naidu
decided and declared the decision
Janata DalUnited
against the petition filed by me
leader Sharad Yadav.
against Ali Anwar Ansari and
Sharad Yadavji under the 10th qualify Sharad Yadav and Ansari.
schedule of the Constitution of Speaking to IANS, Sharad Yadav
India that the Respondent, Sharad confirmed that a notice was served
Yadav and Ali Anwar Ansari have to him in Delhi.
incurred disqualification for being a "I was informed by my wife that a
notice has served late in night at
Member of the House in terms of
paragraph 2 (1)(a) of the 10th around 10 p.m.," he said.
Schedule to the Constitution of He also said that as the notice is
over 15 pages, he shall comment on
India. Both of them have thus
it after going through it in morning.
ceased to be a Member of the Rajya
Earlier in the day, Sharad Yadav
Sabha with immediate ef fect. I
left for Gujarat to campaign for the
decide and declare accordingly."
party in the assembly election there
"This was the order and decision
for his party candidates who are
and I am enclosing a copy of the
contsting on the symbol of
order for your reference.
Bharatiya Rashtriya Tribal Party on
Congratulations to all party work
seven out of 182 seats.
ers for being united with our leader
He, Ansari and a section of the JD
and National President Nitish
U fell out with Nitish Kumar after
(Kumar) jI. Thank you!" he said
the latter broke away from the
attaching the copy of the Rajya
"Mahagathbandhan" (Grand
Sabha secretariat order.
Alliance) with the Rashtriya Janata
The action comes in the wake of
Dal and the Congress to realign
the petition filed by Bihar Chief
with the Bharatiya Janata Party ear
Minister Nitish Kumar faction seek
lier this year.
ing the Rajya Sabha Chairman dis
US Defense Secretary James Mattis.
mind and JamaatudDawah chief announced his new Afghan and
Hafiz Saeed. The US had last week South Asia policy in August.
directed Pakistan to immediately Pakistan has also been upset at
charge and arrest Saeed and Trump's calls for increased Indian
warned of repercussions if it did role in rebuilding of Afghanistan.
not comply. Mattis began his fiveday tour of
Ties between Washington and the Middle East including
Islamabad have seen a dip after Egypt, Jordan, and Kuwait and
President Donald Trump Islamabad on Friday.
 14 December 9-15, 2017
Raise a toast,
Trump is all for
this climate treaty
l By Rajendra Shende
G
eorge Bernard Shaw once
said that "England and
America are two countries
separated by the same language".
When the UN conference on the
Montreal Protocol on the sub
stances that deplete the ozone
layer ended in Montreal on
November 24, albeit in the wee
hours of November 25, I thought
this could also be said for Paris
and Montreal, not only because of
the French language but also the
agreements signed there on glob
al action on the climate.
The UN meeting in Montreal
celebrated the 30th Anniversary
of the success of the phaseout of
Ozone Depleting Substances
(ODS). The meeting in Bonn a
week before, after its 25 years of
global efforts, was still wondering
how to even finalize the rulebook
to stabilize the climate and keep
BJP needs to rein in the Hindutva hotheads
l By Amulya Ganguli
T
he rise in the growth rate to
the moderately satisfactory
6.3 per cent from the
depressingly low 5.7 per cent is
good news for the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) at a time when
the Prime Minister reminded the
audience at a function organized
by a media house about former
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's
observation about the negativism
which generally marked newspa
pers and magazines.
Narendra Modi's case for a more
positive outlook in the media and
the country will seem more credi
ble in the context of the latest
growth figures if only because
they highlight the mistake of those
like former Finance Minister
Yashwant Singh of the BJP, who
have been lamenting (perhaps
with a touch of schadenfreude)
about the economy's free fall.
As Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
has said, the country's emergence
from the recent slump means that
it has got over the twin blows of
demonetization and the Goods and
Services Tax (GST), which were
expected by Modi's critics to spell
his doom.
the temperature rise to not
more than to 2 degrees Celsius
before 2100, while making
efforts to limit that rise to 1.5
degrees the objective of the
Paris Climate Agreement.
While US President Donald
Trump is walking out of the
keenlynegotiated Paris pact, he
has surprisingly decided to sup
port the Montreal Protocol,
including its 2.0 version that now never seems
includes fullblast action against Though
climate change. He has even
agreed to take a nearly 25 per
cent share of funding of over
$500 million pledged by the
developed countries to provide to
the developing countries. The
deal to provide $500 million over
the next three years for the pur
pose was sealed in Montreal last
week.
It was warm news in the freez
ing temperatures at Montreal in
contrast to the cold winds blow
For the BJP, it is a tugofwar between vikas and the hotheads.
As long as the economy shows signs of buoyancy,
it can expect to be home and dry.
The turn for the better in the
economy has come at the right
time for the BJP when its frenetic
campaigning in Gujarat with Modi
addressing 30 meetings in a fort
night and with as many as 40 cabi
net ministers camping in the state,
pointed to a measure of uneasi
ness in the party about its
prospects in what is wide ly
regarded as its bailiwick.
However, considering that the
BJP's success in Gujarat and
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
OP-ED
While US President Donald Trump is walking out of the keenlynegotiated Paris
pact, he has surprisingly decided to support the Montreal Protocol.
ing from the Bonn climate confer responded by implementing the
ence. The extraordinary success
story of the Montreal Protocol
to have a full stop.
Trump never tweeted
about it, this multilateral environ
mental accord, brokered by the
United Nations Environment
Program (UNEP) in 1987, was
signed by the Republican
President Ronald Reagan and
fully supported by the Democrats. tion, air conditioning, foams and
Under the treaty, developed
countries pledged all the incre
mental financial support to the
developing countries during their
transition away from ODS. More
importantly, that pledge was hon one single
Himachal Pradesh is almost a fore
gone conclusion, one can say that
the rise in the growth rate will not
make much of a difference to the
outcome. All that it can do is to
dampen some of the ardor of the
ruling party's opponents.
Even then, the point remains
that the BJP will face its real chal
lenge not in Gujarat or Himachal
Pradesh this month, but in
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and
Chhattisgarh next year. It is in
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
ored year after
year without
interruption,
even during the
global financial
crisis. It has
now reached a
cumulative
amount of $3.5
billion.
Developing
countries
transition to ozonefriendly tech
nologies.
The protocol has already
achieved its goal of phasing out
nearly 100 percent of millions of
tonnes of more than 90 man
made ODSs like
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and
Hydro chlorofluorocarbons
(HCFCs), used mainly in refrigera global warming gas HFC
solvents. The factories producing
these chemicals have literally
shut down.
If the slogan "Yes We Can" has a President Trump and his adminis
reallife example, it is this one. In
generation, these
those elections, where the BJP will
encounter the antiincumbency
factor, that it will become clear
whether the rise in the growth
rate has helped the party or is of
little consequence.
The reason for the doubts is that
it is not clear to what extent the
unemployment problem will be
mitigated by the climbing growth
rate in these days of automation
and artificial intelligence.
Equally uncertain is the quan
tum of the impact on the BJP's
hopes as a result of the prevailing
tension and uncertainty caused by
the crime rate and especially the
safety of women and even chil
dren.
The ef fect of the rampaging
Hindutva hardliners declaring
bounties on the heads of actors
and directors is another unknown
factor whose effect will be known
only after the votes are counted.
Up till now the BJP has been sit
ting pretty because its "vikas"
(deve lopment) plank still has
many takers even if it hasn't made
a perceptible dent on the unem
ployment scene. In addition,
Modi's personal popularity
remains high because of his ora
torical skills and the impression he
ozone depleting chemicals were
invented, their catastrophic
impact on the stratospheric ozone
layer that shields life on the Earth
was scientifically identified, glob
al action to phase them out was
agreed through an international
agreement, developing countries
were provided by the developed
countries all the incremental
costs and technologies and the
phaseout of these chemicals was
achieved exactly on the targeted
year and day.
Never before has such an
astonishing chain of
actions been triggered
and taken to its comple
tion.
While the Montreal
Protocol did successful
market transformation to
an ozonefriendly world, the
Kyoto Protocol remained fatally
flawed. The 2015 Paris pact, a
followup to the unfinished Kyoto
Protocol, is still faltering and
fudgy.
The Montreal Protocol has now
entered its version 2.0 and
became the treaty to reduce the
emissions of the most potent
which, incidentally, is also one of
the six groups of the GHGs under
the Paris pact. The world should
now concede some cool points to
tration amidst the warming and
hot chaos.
conveys about the seriousness of
his intent to take the country for
ward.
In contrast, his opponents lack
an agenda which can have an
inspiring effect and are bereft of
leaders capable of drawing enthu
siastic crowds although Rahul
Gandhi is showing signs of the old
Nehruvian appeal.
The opposition depends there
fore on, first, the economy contin
uing to be sluggish and, secondly,
on the Hindutva hotheads creating
a ruckus. But such an approach is
obviously a negative one, as is also
banking on the antiincumbency
factor to undermine the BJPrun
state governments.
There is little hope, therefore,
for the opposition if it cannot
adopt a positive attitude with a
clear projection of the kind of
India which it envisages.
For the BJP, on the other hand, it
is a tugofwar between vikas and
the hotheads. As long as the econ
omy shows signs of buoyancy, it
can expect to be home and dry. It
is of the utmost importance for it,
therefore, to ensure that the recov
ery doesn't flag and that the coun
try regains its status as the fastest
growing economy in the world.
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
18 March
1938
4 December
2017
Kapoor leaves behind memories 'forever'
T
ributes poured in for veteran
actorfilmmaker Shashi Kapoor
who died at a hospital in
Mumbai with the president and
prime minister condoling his
death and his "Siddhartha" costar
Simi Garewal terming it as end of
an era.
"Sorry to hear of the demise of
Shashi Kapoor, wellknown actor,
with a repertoire of Indian and
international films. His support
for meaningful cinema as a pro
ducer and pivotal role in the the
atre movement in India too are
cherished. Condolences to his
family," the President tweeted.
"Shashi Kapoor's versatility could be
seen in his movies as well as in theatre,
which he promoted with great passion.
His brilliant acting will be remembered
for generations to come. Saddened by his
demise. Condolences to his family and
admirers," the Prime Minister tweeted.
Kapoors "Kalyug" costar Raj Babbar,
TRIBUTE
Shashi Kapoor: India's
first international star
T
he youngest of the famous Kapoor brothers of
Bollywood, he did not have their one defining
and enduring cinematic image Raj's simple,
honest 'tramp' in the Charlie Chaplin tradition
or Shammi's Elvislike jiving, rebellious
'playboy' persona.
Shashi Kapoor, however, surpassed
both in sheer variety of acting. Be it
romantic heroes, 'common man'
roles, decadent princes, aging poets
and even angels, he brought the
same charm and intensity to all
of them.
Though among his first
appearances onscreen were as
a young Raj Kapoor in his
elder borther's directorial
debut "Aag" and the more
acclaimed "Awara", his
first lead role was a
Hindu fanatic in Yash
Chopra's bold
"Dharmputra" (1961).
This happened to be
oneoff as Shashi, with
his copybook good looks,
rakish smile, infec
tious charm,
toothy grin and
languid drawl,
was more suit
able as a lover
boy who always
got the girl. In
n
ro m an tic scree this avatar, he
e Bollywood earnings into making films with the likes of
apoor, th s.
Shashi K 70s and early 80 once even pipped
e
icon of th Amitabh Bachchan in "36 Chowringee Lane", which saw his wife, veteran the
"Kabhie Kabhie". He was also famous as a rea
sonable foil to the smoldering angry man in a number of
films and it was in one of these roles where he once
spoke the four most iconic and immortal words in
Bollywood's history "Mere paas Ma hai" in "Deewar".
Born on March 18, 1938 in the then Calcutta to
Prithviraj Kapoor and Ramsarn 'Rama' Devi, Balbir Raj
'Shashi' Kapoor not only straddled commercial and 'art'
cinema, but also became India's first international star,
but also a wonderful human
being. His work has always given
Indian audiences great joy. His
consideration to Indian theater
was huge, Prithvi theatre is the
favorite venues for both perform
ers and audience alike. His pass
ing away is a sad day for all of
us
Sanjay Dutt: His contribution to
this industry will be remembered.
May his soul rest in peace. Shashi
A rakishly charming Shashi Kapoor in a
Kapoor ji you will be missed
still from Jab Jab Phool Khile.
always.
melody queen Lata Mangeshkar, film Arjun Rampal: So sad to hear
makers Karan Johar and Hansal Mehta the passing of the most charming Shashi
paid tribute to the "most charming actor Kapoorji, really saddened by this news.
ever" who would forever remain in their Pray for his soul to find peace. Thank him
memories. for the amazing memories he gave us all.
Here's what some of the Bollywood Condolences to the Kapoor family.
celebrities tweeted: Rahul Bose: Thank you for your body
Aamir Khan: Shashi uncle was not only of work both as an actor and as a produc
a great star and a passionate filmmaker er. Rest in peace, Sir.
December 9-15, 2017 15
Shashi Kapoor wrapped
in tricolor for last rites
V
eteran actorfilmmaker Shashi Kapoor was
wrapped in the tricolor for his last rites at the
Santacruz Hindu Crematorium. Bollywood celebri
ties like Amitabh Bachchan, Salim Khan, Shah Rukh
Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Anil Kapoor, Rishi
Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Ranbir Kapoor,
Naseeruddin Shah, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Supriya
Pathak, Shakti Kapoor and Suresh Oberoi among others
were present at the cremation.
The veteran matinee star breathed his last at 5.20 pm
after a period of hospitalization. He was 79.
starring in several acclaimed IvoryMerchant films
among others.
In these he was not only cast in predictable roles a
decadent nawab ("Heat and Dust"), a princeturnedasce
tic ("Siddhartha") or a devious local notable (in "The
Deceivers", opposite Pierce Brosnan) but also in more
realistic, nuanced ones a lower middleclass teacher
("The Householder"), a flamboyant Bollywood star
("Bombay Talkies"), a narrator to Mohammad Ali Jinnah's
life ("Jinnah") and a poet in the twilight of life and repu
tation ("Muhafiz"/"In Custody").
But Shashi Kapoor, for all his international prowess,
was also a major player in Bollywood with appearances
in 148 films between 1945 and 1998, in which he was
the sole hero in 61 and a lead hero in 53 multi starrers,
supporting actor in 21, did 7 guest appearances and did
four roles as a child artiste (including the two RK films).
In 1980, he started his own film company, using his
Shyam Bengal and Aparna Sen. These included gems like
atre actor Jennifer Kendall as an aging teacher in a
changing, oblivious world, "Junoon", "Vijeta" a paean to
the Indian Air Force "Utsav" and "Kalyug".
His contribution was recognized with the Filmfare
Lifetime Achievement award in 2010 and the highest
accolade the Dadasahab Phalke Award in 2015.
A star definitely, he was above all he was an eminently
likeable star as all his contemporaries and costars attest
willingly. And that is ultimately what's important.
An actor with a charm
ing personality,
Shashi Kapoor
Top films acted in more
than 150 films.
Here's recalling his best films as an actor.
1961 "Dharamputra"
1965 "Jab Jab Phool Khile"
1968 "Kanyadaan"
1971 "Sharmilee"
1973 "Aa Gale Lag Jaa"
1974 "Chor Machaye Shor"
1975 "Deewaar"
1976 "Kabhi Kabhie"
1978 "Junoon"
1978 "Trishul"
1978 "Satyam Shivam Sundaram"
1979 "Suhaag"
1980 "Kalyug"
1980 "Shaan"
1981 "Silsila"
1982 "Vijeta"
1982 "Namak Halaal"
1983 "Ghungroo"
 16 December 9-15, 2017
Auroville, near Pondicherry, might not be the city of the future or an evolutionary experiment
as envisaged by The Mother in 1968, but it is still a vibrant community, reflects an old-timer.
Auroville
Utopian
City at 50
l By Anu Majumdar
S
ome 50 years ago, on a vast, barren
plateau north of Pondicherry, a lone,
young banyan tree stood guard. It
seemed to be waiting for something. Then
one day, someone hammered a nail into its
trunk to hang up an advertisement. Lore
has it that the banyan tree sent out an SOS
and it was received by the Mother in Sri
Aurobindo Ashram. She immediately sent
someone to check, and the place she had
been looking for was found soon she
would start a city near that banyan tree.
It was the culmination of a task she had
carried forward after Sri Aurobindo had
passed away. When All India Radio had
asked Sri Aurobindo on August 15, 1947 to
deliver a message for the newborn nation,
he had outlined roles for India, Asia and the
world in a text called the Five Dreams,
where he spoke of a next step in evolution
that would raise man to a higher conscious
ness. Mirra Alfassa, known to her followers
as The Mother, was the spiritual partner of
Aurobindo, philosopher, yogi, guru and a
leader of the independence movement.
Throughout, their work together had
been to uplift humanity to a further level of
consciousness. For this, they envisaged the
setting up of an ideal town. The universal
town would not be just a development proj
ect, but an evolutionary experiment.
The Mother was 90 when she started
work with architect Roger Anger to chalk
out a city plan for 50,000 people. It came to
be called the Galaxy Plan and looked quite
unlike most modern cities and had very dif
ferent priorities. The idea began to inspire
An Auroville old timer, Anu Majumdar
A City for the Future (HarperCollins India).
LIVING
people worldwide. The
Mother noted: Scores of
people have come for
Auroville. Theyve
already begun discussing
what the citys political
Conceived by Mother as "a symbol of the Divine's answer to man's
situation will be aspiration for perfection", Matrimandir in the center of Auroville has
Auroville must be at the become a tourist draw. It is in the form of a Geodesic dome covered by
service of the Truth, golden discs. Inside the dome is a meditation hall that contains the
beyond all social, political largest opticallyperfect glass globe in the world.
amphitheater next to the
banyan tree. The Mother
read from The Auroville
Charter and the city of the
future was born.
The charter said:
l Auroville belongs to
nobody in particular.
Auroville belongs to
humanity as a whole. But
to live in Auroville one
must be a willing servitor
of the Divine
Consciousness.
l Auroville will be the
Philosopher, yogi, guru and a leader of Indias freedom place of an unending edu
struggle, Sri Aurobindo had founded the Ashram in cation, of constant
Pondicherry with the help of his spiritual collaborator, the progress, a youth that
Mother. Auroville was the culmination of a task the Mother never ages.
had carried forward after he passed away. l Auroville wants to
be the bridge between the
and religious convictions. But above all, I past and the future. Taking advantage of all
insisted that it would be better to build the discoveries from without and from within,
city first! And that we would see after Auroville will boldly spring towards future
wards. realizations.
Finally, on February 28, 1968, over 5,000 l Auroville will be a site of material and
people from across the world clambered up spiritual researches for a living embodi
the dusty plateau and gathered in an open ment of an actual Human Unity.
Earth from 114 countries was poured into
an urn in the amphitheater and the charter
was read in several languages of the world.
The banyan was no longer alone.
Thousands of people passed under the blue
canopy floating between its branches where
an exhibition on Auroville and its city plan
was displayed. An adventure began one
that would be both spiritual and material.
Tapas Bhatt, who now works as a coordi
nator at Pavilion of India, recalls how as a
14yearold student at the Ashram school,
she was struck by an incredible feeling of
togetherness as thousands of people were
united in their common aspiration for the
world. It was all so simple, really, so splen
did, another visitor recalls.
has just published Auroville: THE FIRST ARRIVALS
People came from everywhere. There
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
were engineers, architects, technicians, doc
tors, dancers, artists, writers, corporate
types, plumbers, horticulturists,
researchers, hippies, students and teachers.
Some came by chance, some were eager to
get started, some were still searching, and
for some who met the Mother, their destiny
had changed.
It was a young, vibrant place. New ideas
were in the air. Huts were coming up, wells
being dug, trees planted, bread baked, elec
tricity organized, schools set up. There were
basketball courts, music and theatre. At
night, some read Aurobindo or meditated in
their huts while others discussed the
Mothers last message at the community
dining table.
Soon, the construction of the Matrimandir
would begin at the heart of Auroville. About
20 people with crowbars started digging at
the site but the scale was huge and they
were joined by a local workforce from the
village. The Matrimandir would become the
soul of Auroville, a building for the invisible.
In those early pioneering years, there
were only about 300 people. But the
Mother was already initiating large proj
ects. After Matrimandir, she started plans
for Bharat Nivas (Pavilion of India) in
Aurovilles International Zone: The city of
Universal Culture had to get off the ground.
But Auroville already had several designa
tions to live up to: City of the Future, City of
Dawn, City at the Service of Truth, City the
Earth Needs.
And what did the earth need? According
to the Mother, Earth needs a place where
men can live away from all national rival
ries, social conventions, selfcontradictory
moralities and contending religions; a place
where human beings, freed from all slavery
to the past, can devote themselves wholly to
the discovery and practice of the Divine
Consciousness that is seeking to manifest.
Auroville wants to be this place.
It was heady stuff. Meanwhile, work at
the Matrimandir began, the foundation was
laid and the four base support pillars built.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info LIVING December 9-15, 2017 17

On November 17, 1973, just as

the construction of the fourth pil
lar was completed, news arrived
that the Mother had passed away.
It was the beginning of several
challenging years, with uncertain
ties, court cases, visas refused,
funds cut and sometimes no food.

TOO AMBITIOUS?
The ground realities were grim.
With architect Roger Anger leav
ing Auroville for a few years,
doubts crept in: was the city plan
too ambitious? Was it a big mis
take?
Despite the doubts and the
tough times, when I first came to
Auroville in 1979 I did not sense
any inordinate panic. There was
so much to be done. The best atti
tude seemed to be to pool in all
our resources and get on with the
work. Now, regenerating the
severely eroded land had become
the priority. Alternative farms
with wholly organic systems were
established. We would think of the
city again, but for now the focus
was firmly on environment and
sustainability, which finetuned
our collective awareness and atti
tudes.
Admirable work was accom
plished over the next years with
research and projects initiated in
earth, wind, solar and water tech
nologies. However, this also
brought with it a certain downsiz
ing of the dream.
The City of the Future was now
called a community. This shrink
ing of the spirit and vision has led
to a certain stasis, and Aurovilles
intended avatar as a model town
still remains to be harnessed.
Auroville is a place where many
preconceptions alter.
Its collective body cannot be
formed by relying on established
democratic or institutional for
mats alone. New forms might
evolve as the collective emerges.
My only regret is that I could
not start out in Auroville as a
child. And just look at the names
listed for the Auroville schools,
Auroville teems with creativity from art and culture to architecture.
laughs Deepti Tewari, who teaches
at Last School. There is Last
School, After School, Super School
and No School! Auroville is a place
of an unending education, for the
constant progress we need to
make here.
Kripa BorgPion remembers
walking though empty fields to
get to school and the monsoon
mud fights. Often, when times got
tough, there was no school to go
to. Children grew up with very lit
tle structure, roaming around, rid
ing vandis (bullock carts) or
ponies to school; they were typi
cally comfortable in at least three
languages, if not five. It made
them resilient and flexible but
gradually some began to demand
structure, more discipline and
even grades for their work.
Now a mother of two growing
boys, Kripa stands at a midpoint
between three generations. My
children are growing up different
ly, in a very different Auroville.
Their education is very structured,
and life is much more organized
and stable. Aurovilles education
now offers hybrid possibilities
between experimental and stan
dard education, community exper
iments and extracurricular activi
ties. In 1968 Auroville was
planned as a unified, selfsustain
ing town, ideas that are now in
vogue. It was planned with over
lapping, multiuse zones, with
solar energy and nonpolluting,
nonmotorized traffic. It balanced
high and low density areas to inte
grate green zones in city spaces.
But above all, it planned to be
necessarily artistic with an
emphasis on beauty. All this, in
one place.
Talking to a host of people,
young and old, as I worked on my
book, I realized how much of
Auroville is still invisible, how
much has been achieved and how
much is yet to be done. As
Auroville approaches its 50th
year, this is a chance we cannot
miss.
Courtesy: The Hindu.
 18 December 9-15, 2017
'PADMAVATI' ROW BASED
ON RUMORS: BHANSALI
Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali maintains he has not distorted historical facts.
I
n the midst of a raging controversy over
his film "Padmavati", director Sanjay
Leela Bhansali appeared before a
Parliamentary committee and maintained
that the row over the yettobe released
movie was just based on rumors, strongly
rejecting charges that he had distorted his
torical facts about the 16th century Rajput
queen.
Bhansali was grilled for over two hours by
members of the Parliamentary Standing
Committee on IT as he appeared before it in
Parliament House with Prasoon Joshi, who
heads the Central Board of Film
Certification (CBFC).
Sources said that the filmmaker was asked
why he had screened the movie for a few
select journalists even before it was cleared
by the censor board.
"All the controversy over the film is based
on rumors. I have not distorted facts. The
film is based on a poem by Malik
Madame Tussauds
opens in Delhi
Actress Madhubala's wax statue at
Madame Tussauds in New Delhi.
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Muhammad Jayasi," Bhansali said, referring
to the 16th century Indian sufi poet's epic
poem "Padmavat".
"We don't intend to hurt anyone's senti
ments," Bhansali told the 30member panel
headed by BJP MP Anurag Thakur. Among
those who attended the meeting were
Congress' Raj Babbar and BJP patriarch L.K.
Advani.
The director has been given time till
December 14 to give a written reply to the
panel about the movie and the controversy
surrounding it.
The Parliamentary panel had asked him to
attend its meeting to explain his point of
view as several states have threatened to
block the screening of the film, which was
earlier scheduled for release on Dec 1.
The film stoked controversy over assump
tions that it has a dream sequence depicting
romance between Rajput warrior queen
Padmini and Delhi sultan Alauddin Khilji.
I
ndia's first Madame Tussauds wax
museum opened its doors with 50 life
like figures spanning across history,
sports, music, films and politics, for the
public at the iconic Regal building in cen
tral Delhi.
"This is truly an exhilarating and emo
tional feeling to finally see Madame
Tussauds in Delhi. Guests will be encour
aged to interact, perform and even reflect
with our figures in unique and immersive
settings within the attraction," Anshul
Jain, General Manager and Director,
Merlin Entertainment Pvt Ltd, said.
The Delhi facility is the 23rd edition of
Madame Tussauds.
Some other personalities here include
Katrina Kaif, Madhuri Dixit, Kareena
Kapoor Khan, Salman Khan, Will Smith,
David Beckham, Kim Kardasian Justin
Bieber, Beyonce Knowles, Asha Bhosle,
Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Sharma, A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam and Ranbir Kapoor.
It will be open for all seven days with
tickets priced at Rs 960 for adults and Rs
760 for children.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
REVIEW
'Firangi': Light hearted,
laced with humor
irangi" is not an outandout
F laugh riot, but nevertheless
despite a weak story, the film
is wellpicturized and punctuated
with humor at appropriate junc
tures.
Set in the preIndependence era
circa 1921, it is the tale of
Mangatram (Kapil Sharma) aka
"Manga," who works for the
British.
Manga, from Behrampur,
because of his clean heart, is God
gifted with a unique kick that
relieves people from back aches.
But his love for guns and a uni
form is what attracts him to the
police force.
It is his lovehate journey with
the British that forms the crux of
the tale and thus the title
"Firangi".
This drama certainly does not
lack funny moments. Told in a
light and flimsy manner, this fic
tional period drama pivots on a
weak, predictable premise and is
more of a redemption fable than a Actor Kapil Sharma at the trailer launch of Firangi.
tale of romance and patriotism. In
fact, the patriotic bit seems more forced and Dutta as Sargi plays the demure village belle
trite. With a run time of two hours and 41 to perfection, but is reduced to a sidekick.
minutes, the film is a tad bit too long, but Monica Gill as the Oxford returned Princess
nevertheless the histrionics keep you hooked. Shamilee, is uninspiring.
Kapil Sharma though sincere, hardly puts The film leaves you in vain, pining for sub
in an effort to enhance his character. Ishita stance that could strike an emotional chord.
Naomi Campbell wants to hold
masterclass for Indian girls
S
upermodel and social activist Naomi
Campbell has shown interest in doing a
masterclass with Indian girls to pass on
got teary eyed while talking about Pablo, the
fatherfigure who supported and mentored
her.
the knowledge that she has gained over the
years.
"I plan to come back to India next year and
Asked about black models, she said: "I look
up to Iman (Somali modelactress Zara
Mohamed Abdulmajid). She is the most ele
the year after. I would like to do a master gant woman I've seen."
class with young girls, not just for those who
want to be models but to boost confidence.
"I would want to share the knowledge that I
have learnt and would like to pass it on,"
Campbell, 47, said while speaking at the
Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New
Delhi.
The fan of saris, who was born in London,
first visited India in 1994 and has been a fre
quent visitor to the country since then.
Her love for India doesn't end with saris.
"When I was doing yoga in England, it was
n't clicking. I couldn't understand the mind,
body and spirit part. I shut my phone and
went to Kerala. I learnt yoga in 2012. It was
such an amazing experience. I felt the peace
and calm. I was a late bloomer to yoga," she
said.
Yoga, in fact, helped her to get rid of her
short temper.
Talking about her strength, she said: "I get
my physical and mental strength from my
mother. My life with her was minimal. Since
she was a ballerina, I was raised by a nanny. Supermodel Naomi Campbell
My mother sacrificed a lot for me." Campbell first visited India in 1994.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Actors perceived as magicians in
India, performers in West: Irrfan
A
cclaimed Indian talent Irrfan Khan,
who has dabbled in Bollywood and
Hollywood, says the key difference
between performing in the two industries
lies in how the audience perceives an actor
for one, the parameter is engagement and
charisma, while for the other, it is the
nuance and subtlety.
"I think the most interesting part of
exploring both the worlds of cinema
Bollywood and Hollywood is how the
audience perceives an actor. In our (Indian)
cinema, actors are like a magician who
come on screen and do something to
engage and mesmerize. On the other hand,
in the West, actors are performers, and the
audience looks for a certain amount of
nuance, subtleness.
"It is really an interesting area to explore
for an actor like me," Irrfan said.
Iconic film directors like Mira Nair, Colin
Trevorrow and Danny Boyle have worked
with Irrfan in international projects. Some
of the titles he has worked in include "The
Warrior", "A Mighty Heart", "The
Namesake", "Slumdog Millionaire", "Life of
Pi" and "Jurassic World".
Irrfan may not be among the blockbuster
Khans of Bollywood, but he has made his
mark as a critically acclaimed performer
who has strengthened Indian presence in
films internationally.
Critics praise his performance for intangi
ble elements and for how he can convey a
situation or a reaction with mere silence
sometimes. The year 2017 has been event
ful for Irrfan. He got commercial success
with "Hindi Medium", acclaimed movies like
"Doob: No Bed of Roses" and "The Song of
Scorpions" and had another commercial
JANHVI, ISHAAN BEGIN
'DHADAK' JOURNEY
F
ilmmaker Karan Johar said that Shahid backs to the camera. Janhvi is wearing a
Kapoor's brother Ishaan Khatter and
veteran actress Sridevi's daughter
Janhvi Kapoor have embarked on
their "Dhadak" journey.
Karan is backing the
film, an adaptation of the
acclaimed Marathi film
"Sairat", through
his banner
Dharma
Productions.
"The journey
of 'Dhadak'
begins today!
Janhvi and
Ishaan,
Shashank
Khaitan
(director
of the
film),"
Karan
tweeted.
Karan also shared an is sch e duled to re
Dhadak
image in which the lead pair in July ne
is seen sitting against the
railing as they face their
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD December 9-15, 2017 19
I've really not given
Bollywood a thought
H
er dance performance on "Nagada
sang dhol" song during Miss World
2017 pageants made many of her co
contestants think that she is a "Bollywood
actress", but Manushi Chhillar is not eyeing
Bollywood as of now. She wants to complete
her medical education after her tenure as
Miss World gets over.
"My contestants did think that I was a
Bollywood actor," the 20yearold said from
Mumbai when asked about getting into
Bollywood now as that is something that
happens naturally to beauty pageant win
ners.
"As of now, I am excited about my journey
as Miss World because this one year is
going to be incredible. I have really not
given Bollywood a thought, so lets see after
one year when I get back to college because
I have to complete my education as well,"
she added.
Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar
While pursuing her course in medicine in
wants to be a cardiac surgeon.
an allgirls medical college in Haryana's
Sonepat district, Manushi was crowned Miss Singh Government Medical College for
World 2017 at a glittering ceremony in the Women in Khanpur Kalan village in
seaside resort city of Sanya in China. Sonepat. A gifted poet, painter and
But this limelight is not going to take her Kuchipudi dancer, Manushi wants to be a
away from education. cardiac surgeon and has been associated in
Manushi, whose family belongs to a project for menstrual hygiene among
Haryana and lives in the capital, is pursuing women. She feels that after becoming Miss
Irrfan Khan has made his mark as an her MBBS degree from the Bhagat Phool World, the project will get more exposure.
internationally acclaimed actor.
Katrina beats Priyanka,
release "Qarib Qarib Singlle".
Asked if he is saying "yes" to more scripts
Deepika hollow: Salman
these days instead of being too choosy like
earlier, Irrfan said: "My criterion of a good
script as the deciding factor has not
B
changed. But scriptwriters are coming up ollywood superstar
with some brilliant stories and that is bring Salman Khan, who
ing all the changes in our cinema." will be seen on screen
once again with Katrina
Kaif in "Tiger Zinda Hai",
says her dedication has
helped her become a
dancer who beats "hollow"
the likes of Priyanka
Chopra and Deepika
Padukone.
vibrant pink hued ensemble and Ishaan in a Salman has worked with
blue kurta. Katrina in films like "Maine
"Dhadak" is being shot in Udaipur as the Pyaar Kyun Kiya",
film has Rajasthan as the backdrop. Sridevi "Partner", "Yuvvraaj" and
has also joined Janhvi "Ek Tha Tiger".
on the sets of "She (Katrina) knows her
her first limitations and works hard
movie. to achieve what she can't
While do. When she joined the
"Dhadak" industry, she couldn't
will mark dance. Today she is one of
Janhvi's the best dancers we have.
foray into Priyanka Chopra, Deepika
Bollywood, Ishaan Padukone, girls who are
is making his acting considered dancers I think
debut with Iranian she beats them hollow,"
filmmaker Majid Salman said in an interview
Majidi's Indiaset to Vogue India's December
movie 2017 issue.
"Beyond The "Tiger Zinda Hai", a
Clouds". sequel to the box office Actress Katrina Kaif performing at an award ceremony.
Ishaan's franchise that sees Salman
brother and as a RAW agent who falls in love with a couple?
lease
actor Shahid Kapoor Pakistani spy played by Katrina, gave them Salman said: "I don't think we consider
xt year.
also took to Twitter a chance to be back together on set after ourselves exceptionally beautiful or talent
to post: "...And when did five years. ed. I think we both just see ourselves as nor
he grow up. Didn't even realize." What makes them such a hit onscreen mal people who lucked out."
 20 December 9-15, 2017
India-ASEAN Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas to be held on Jan 6-7
Singapore: The ASEAN India
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)
organized by the Indian High
Commission of Singapore will
be held January 67 as a part of
a yearlong series of events to
mark of 25 years of AseanIndia
partnership, which will culmi
nate in AseanIndia
Commemorative Summit, hosted
by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, in January in New Delhi.
The theme will be Ancient
Route: New Journey: Diaspora in
the Dynamic AseanIndia
Partnership and it will focus on
the ancient links forged on the
maritime and land routes, the
contemporary ties and the
future partnership of peace and
prosperity between Asean and
India. The twoday event will
cover a broad range of subjects,
including IndiaAsean relations,
business, innovation, culture,
education, youth,history, diaspo
ra in Asean countries, economic
and cultural links with key
states in India. There will be
Indian-origin students from Singapore Indian corporates, NRIs commit
to rebuild school in Punjab
Singapore: Twenty Indianorigin
youths in Singapore are gearing up
to spend their threeweek vacation
this month in Punjab to he lp
rebuild a village school as part of
their social work.
Aged between 18 and 21 years,
they hail from different ethnic and
socioeconomic backgrounds and
will live with the locals in Ratokke
village in Punjab's Sangrur district
as they paint and renovate a run
down school from December 9.
T he program has shaped up
under Project 'Khwaish', an initia
tive of the Young Sikh Association
(YSA), a nonprofit organisation
founded by Satwant Singh in
Singapore, T he Sunday Times
reported. "At Ratokke, these stu
dents will be building a library and
stocking it with 3,000 books,
installing a water filtration system
to ensure clean water there and
reconstructing the school's mouldy
and dilapidated toilets," Singh said.
"They will also distribute stationery
to students and clothes as well as
competitions for the youth, cul
tural show, cinema,yoga, litera
ture and a gala dinner. The
event will showcase local talent
and successes in art, culture,
thought, business, politics, edu
cation, as well as have speakers
and performers from India. The
gala dinner will have top per
formers from the region and
India.
For the youth, competitions in
essay, poetry, classical music
and dance, and Instagram photo
competition on what best
reflects India in Singapore have
been organized. There is also an
online competition for best tech
nology solutions on social and
economic challenges with rele
vance for Indias development
priorities. External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj,
Cabinet ministers and chief min
isters; officials from key min
istries in New Delhi; business
leaders and chambers of com
merce are expected to partici
pate in the event.
$5 bn for development of
ghats, parks along Ganga
The students will live with the locals in Ratokke village, Sangrur district,
Punjab as they paint and renovate a rundown school from December 9.
other necessities to poor villagers,"
he added. Project Khwaish is the
flagship program of the YSA which
was started in 2003.
The YSA takes cue from the Youth
Expedition Project, a servicelearn
ing programme which sets out to
nurture confident and sociallycon
scious young people, said Singh, a
lawyer who has been doing commu
nity service for 20 years. T he
Ratokke village school will be the
DIASPORA
Anil Agarwals Vedanta to invest
$9 bn in India; to create 10 lakh jobs
New Delhi: Having so far invest
ed around $33 billion in India,
mainly in the natural resources
space, NRI billionaire Anil
Agarwalled Vedanta Resources
has chalked out plans to pump
another around $9 billion into
the country over the next three
years to enhance capacity across
sectors such as copper, zinc, alu
minium, iron ore, steel and oil &
gas. The groups hydrocarbon
exploration arm, Cairn India, will
invest $22.5 billion, to be fol
lowed by $2 billion each in the
aluminium and steel sectors,
Ag arwal told the Financial
Express in an interview.
Cairn India is the largest pri
vate oil and gas producer of the
country with 30% share, which it
plans to increase to 50% through
the proposed investment.
Agarwal said the company has
submitted expressions of interest
for 15 fields a combination of
onshore and of fshore fields
17th school to be rebuilt and
repaired with dif ferent teams of
young volunteers.
Part of the funds for the project
come from Singapore's National
Youth Council, with Singh and his
volunteers raising the rest. "The
youths will live together, eat togeth
er, sleep on the floor together, learn
to live as one entity. The common
interest and goal is to do good," said
Singh, who is in his early 50s. (PTI)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Anil Agarwal
being put up for exploration
under the the Open Access
Licensing Policy.
While in the aluminium sector,
the plan is to take the smelting
capacity to 3 million tonne per
annum (MTPA) from 2 MTPA
now; the proposed $2 billion will
go into setting up of a 2 MTPA
London: Indian corporates, Non
Resident Indians and Persons of
Indian Origin have committed
more than $5 billion for the devel
opment of ghats, fronts, cremato
ria and parks along the banks of
River Ganga.
Various MoUs, including innova
tive technologies for river cleaning
were also signed related to the ini
tiatives.
According to the Ministry of
Road, Transport and Highways,
there are projects worth more
than Rs 10,000 crore for develop
ment of ghats, crematoria, water
bodies, parks, sanitation facilities,
public amenities and river front
which need additional funding.
"Projects worth over Rs 2,500
crore, available for private fund
ing, have been published as a
booklet and are also available on
the National Mission for Clean
steel plant at Manoharpur in
Jharkhand. T he natural
resources major will also spend
$1 billion in the iron ore sector,
Agarwal said. Vedanta is already
a dominant player in this seg
ment being the number one in
the private sector in terms of
production. An additional $1 bil
lion, he added, would go into the
copper business where the plan
is to double the existing capacity.
In its zinc business, through
Hindustan Zinc, the company
proposes to invest $1 billion for
ramping up the pro duct ion
capacity to 1.5 MTPA in the next
three years.
Stating that the proposed
investments will create at least
10 lakh jobs in the country, both
directly and indirectly, the bil
lionaire businessman said he
would continue to invest in India
out of his love and commitment
for the country.
(Source: financialexpress.com)
Ganga (NMCG) website as an e
booklet. T he government is
appealing to the business commu
nity to participate in the Namami
Gange Mission to clean the river
by funding projects of their
choice," the statement said.
The developments took place
during a road show organized by
National Mission for Clean Ganga
and the Indian High Commission
in the United Kingdom.
"MoUs were also signed for
innovative technologies for river
cleaning, with companies includ
ing Lyndon Water, Ce ltic
Renewables, Medifarm, NVH
Technologies and Arkatap. Apart
from these, many companies and
individuals have agreed to take on
projects from the list of over 200
projects for which private funding
has been sought," the statement
added. (IANS)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SUBCONTINENT December 9-15, 2017 21

Tehran/New Delhi: In a signifi

cant sign of successful trilateral
cooperat ion, Iran President
Hassan Rouhani inaugurated the
first phase of the Shahid Beheshti
Port in the country' southeastern
city of Chabahar as India, Iran
and Afghanistan discussed fur
ther transit options.
The port opens a new strategic
transit route between Iran, India,
Afghanistan and other Central
Asian nations bypassing Pakistan.
The project in Iran's southeast
ern SistanBaluchestan Province
was inaugurated in a ceremony
attended by 60 foreign guests
from 17 countries, including
Indian Minister of State for
Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan, at
the port located by the Sea of
Oman.
Located 645 km to the south of
Zahedan, the provincial capital
city, the only oceanic port of Iran
w ill now link its Sistan and
Baluchestan provinces to Central
Asia and Afghanistan.
"We are happy that the first
wheat shipment for Afghanistan
has been sent to the country's
people via the Iranian port,"
Rouhani said, according to IRNA
news agency. According to an
Indian External Af fairs Ministry
statement issued in New Delhi,
Radhakrishnan represented India
in the second meeting of the
IndiaIranAfghanistan ministeri
alleve l trilateral meeting on
Chabahar port development.
"In the trilateral meeting with
Iranian Transport Minister Abbas
Akhoundi and Afghan Trade and
Commerce Minister Humayoon
Chabahar phase I: India,
Afghanistan can now skip Pak
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (C) at the inauguration of Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar.
Rasaw, the three sides reviewed
and posit ive ly assessed the
progress in the development of
Chabahar port and reiterated
their commitment to complete
and operationalize the port at the
earliest that would contribute to
bilateral and regional trade and
economic development and also
provide alternate access to land
locked Afghanistan to regional
and global markets," it said.
The three Ministers agreed that
an integrated development of
connect ivity infrastructure
including ports, road and rail net
works would open up greater
opportunities for regional market
access and contribute towards the
economic integration and benefit
of the three countries and the
region, according to the joint
statement. The port's inaugura
tion comes more than a month
after the first consignment of
wheat from India to Afghanistan
was sent via Chabahar the first
shipment after the trilateral
agreement to develop the port as
a transport and transit corridor
between India, Iran and
Afghanistan was signed by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi with
Iranian and Afghan Presidents
Rouhani and Ashraf Ghani,
respectively, in May last year.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad
Zarif said the port would rein
force IranianIndiam mutual and
regional cooperation. "It also
shows the importance of the port
in the development of the region
and the routes that connect
Central Asian states to other
countries in the world through
the Sea of Oman and the Indian
Ocean."
T he port w ill increase the
capacity of loading and unloading
of the ships as well as the employ
ment rate in the province, accord
ing to an official with the Sistan
and Baluchestan Ports and
Maritime Organization.
Ahead of the inaugurat ion,
India's External Af fairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj on a surprise
stopover on her way back from a
Shang hai Cooperat ion
Organization meeting in Russia
met her Iranian counterpart Zarif
in Tehran and discussed the port
project among other issues.

Hafiz to contest Pakistan Bhutan signs up for UN peace-

general elections next year
Lahore: Days after his
release from house arrest,
JamaatudDawa (JuD) and
alleged mastermind of 2008
Mumbai terror attacks Hafiz
Saeed announced his deci
sion to contest general elec
tions in Pakistan next year,
reports said.
Saeed said he would con
test the election on the plat
form of Milli Muslim League
(MML), though he did not
disclose anything about the
constituency, reported
Pakistani media.
The JuD floated the MML
in August this year to mark
its entry into politics, prom
ising to make Pakistan "a
real Islamic and welfare
state".
In January this year, the
JuD chief had been detained
under the AntiTerrorism
Act. But, as the court
refused to extend his deten
tion on November 23, he
was released from house
arrest.
keeping rapid deployment
United Nations: Bhutan has
become the first country to
pledge rapid deployment
troops to the UN peacekeeping
operations, keeping them at the
ready for participation in mis
sions within 60 days.
UnderSecretaryGeneral for
Field Support Atul Khare and
Bhutan's Permanent
Representative Doma Tshering
signed the Rapid Deployment
Level (RDL) agreement, which
the UN called "the first of its
kind in UN peacekeeping".
JuD chief Hafiz Saeed was recently released from house arrest.
A Force Protection Company
from Bhutan, which is to be a
Musharraf says he likes Hafiz part of the Vanguard Brigade of
the Peacekeeping Capability
Islamabad: Pakistan's former President Pervez Musharraf has said he is the Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar
Readiness System (UNPCRS),
"biggest supporter" of the outlawed LashkareTaiba (LeT) and expressed Namgyel Wangchuck with Queen
"will be able to deploy within 60
his liking for its founder Hafiz Saeed, blamed for the horrific 2008 Mumbai Jetsun Pema (IANS photo).
days of a request by the
terror attack. "I am the biggest supporter of LeT and I know they like me
SecretaryGeneral", an official Bhutan currently has 45 military
and JuD (JamaatudDawa) also likes me," Musharraf told Pakistan's ARY
statement said. "This agreement and police personnel two of
News this week, referring to the groups founded by Saeed. JuD is the LeT's
signed by the Royal Government them women serving in 10 reg
charitable wing classified by the US and the UN as a terror group. Asked if
of Bhutan represents the highest ular UN peacekeeping opera
he liked Saeed, who has a $10 million US bounty on his head for his role in
level of readiness by a troop or tions. They are concentrated in
terror activities, the former Pakistan Army chief said he does and that he
policecontributing country the Darfur mission in Sudan,
had met him. Acknowledging that the JuD and LeT were waging a "jihad" to
under the UNPCRS created in which has 22 Bhutanese peace
liberate Jammu and Kashmir from India, Musharraf said: "Yes, they are
2015," the statement said. keepers.
involved in Kashmir and I support them."
 22 December 9-15, 2017
Fired missile towards
Abu Dhabi: Houthis
Sanaa: Yemen's Shiite Houthi
rebels said they fired a longrange
winged cruise missile towards the
Barraka nuclear reactor in Abu
Dhabi, the capital city of the
United Arab Emirates.
"The missile hit the target accu
rately in Abu Dhabi," Xinhua news
agency quoted a statement carried
by Saba news that cited a Houthi
military official as saying.
This is the third longrange bal
listic missile attack on neighboring
Gulf states in a month.
On November 30, Saudi Arabia
intercepted a ballistic missile fired
from Yemen over the border Saudi
city of Khamis Mushait.
On November 4, Saudi air
defenses shot down a ballistic mis
sile fired by Houthis in Yemen over
the King Khaled International
Airport north of Saudi capital
Riyadh.
The November 4 missile attack
triggered an allout blo ckade
imposed by the Saudiled military
coalition over all Yemeni air, sea
and land ports.
The coalition last week eased the
siege, allowing only some aid
access through northern Houthi
Japanese Emperor to 'Potential for war with
abdicate in April 2019 N.Korea increasing every day'
Tokyo: Japanese Emperor
Akihito is set to abdicate
on April 30, 2019, after a
nearly 30 years reign and
marking an end of an
imperial era, the Imperial
House Council announced.
The 10member Council
including Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe and members
of the Imperial family,
made the announcement
following a closeddoor
meeting to deliberate the
83yearold Emperor's
abdication, reports The
Japan Times.
Akihito's elder son
Crown Prince Naruhito's
succession will take place
on May 1, 2019.
Following the Emperor's
rare video message aired
in August 2016 in which
he signaled his desire to
retire, Japan's parliament
enacted a law this June to
allow Akihito to pass the
Chrysanthemum Throne on to his
57yearold son. The law requires
the Prime Minister to hear opinions Imperial status.
from the Imperial House Council,
which is a national deliberative
body summoned to discuss impor
tant issues concerning the Imperial state" with no political power.
A file photo of Houthi fighters taking part in a gathering in Sanaa.
controlled ports, thoug h the
United Nat ions aid agencies
warned that was not enough and
pleaded for the coalition to allow
food imports.
The missile attack on Abu Dhabi
came one day after former
President Ali Abdullah Saleh broke
partnership with the Houthi move
Emperor Akihito ascended to
the throne in January 1989.
family, such as marriage of male
family members and the loss of
The Japanese Constitution
defines the Emperor, once consid
ered divine, as "the symbol of the
INTERNATIONAL
ment. Saleh declared war against
the Houthis and called for the
army, security forces and tribes to
join his party's armed revolution
aiming to topple Houthi control
over Sanaa. Houthi leader Abdul
Malek alHouthi accused Saleh of
"betrayal" and vowed to keep fight
ing against the coalition.
Washington: White House
National Security Adviser
(NSA) H.R. McMaster has said
that North Korea represents
"the greatest immediate threat
to the US" and that the poten
tial for war with Pyongyang
was increasing every day, the
media reported.
"I think it's increasing every
day, which means that we are
in a race, really, we are in a
race to be able to solve this
problem," McMaster told an
audience at the Reagan
National Defence Forum in
Simi Valley, California when
asked if North Korea's launch
of an intercontinental ballistic
missile on November 28 had
increased the chance of war.
President Donald Trump
remains committed to the
complete denuclearization of
the Korean Peninsula,
McMaster said, adding that
there were nonmilitary ways
to deal with the issue, such as
calling on China to impose
greater economic sanctions
against Pyongyang, reports
CNN.
McMaster noted Beijing's
"tremendous coercive eco
nomic power" over North
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
US warned recognition of
Jerusalem as Israel's capital
Cairo: The Arab League (AL)
warned against the "hazardous
consequences" if the US recog
nizes Jerusalem as the capital
of Israel.
"If implemented, it would
mark a change in Washington's
historical stance that sees the
holy city as an occupied
Palestinian city and an integral
part of the occupied Palestinian
lands," Xinhua quoted Saeed
AbuAli, AL Assistant Secretary
General for the occupied
Palestinian and Arab lands, as
US President Donald Trump is still
saying. The statement was undecided on recognizing
issued after US media reported Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
that US President Donald
national resolutions and its
Trump was considering to rec
occupation of the Palestinian
ognize Jerusalem as the Israeli
lands, urging Washington to act
capital.
as an 'impartial broker" of the
Trump vowed during his pres
peace process.
idential campaign to move the
Over the past couple of days,
US embassy in Israel from Tel
Palestinian President Mahmoud
Aviv to Jerusalem, a disputed
Abbas has been contacting with
holy city which the Palestinians
and seeking support from Arab
want to be the capital city for
and Western leaders, warning
their future state. AbuAli said
about the potential destructive
that such US recognition would
effects of the relocation of the
give Israel the green light to
US embassy.
continue its breaches of inter
US National Security Advisor HR McMaster.
Korea. "There are ways to urgent interest to do more."
address this problem short of China should take unilateral
armed conflict, but it is a race action to cut off North Korean
because he's (Kim Jongun) oil imports, CNN quoted
getting closer and closer, and McMaster as saying.
there's not much time left," He said that both he and
McMaster said. With every Trump felt that a 100 per cent
missile launch or nuclear test, oil embargo would "be appro
Kim has improved his coun priate at this point".
try's capabilities, McMaster But the NSA said Kim was
said. extremely unlikely to change
"We're asking China not to his behavior "without some
do us or anybody else a favor... significant new actions in the
We're asking China to act in form of much more severe
China's interest, as they sanctions" and "complete
should, and we believe enforcement of the sanctions
increasingly that it's in China's that are in place".
TheSouthAsianTimes.info BUSINESS December 9-15, 2017 23

India's Q2 GDP growth Infosys hires Salil

up at 6.3 percent
New Delhi: Breaking a fivequar
ters' slump, a rise in the manufac
turing sector's output pushed
India's growth rate higher to 6.3
per cent during the second quar
ter of 201718, official data
showed, even as industry hailed
the signs of economic recovery
and the government said the twin
impact of demonetization and GST
"are behind us".
On a sequential basis, India's
GDP growth for Q2 of the current
fiscal went up to 6.3 per cent,
from 5.7 per cent reported during
the first quarter of 201718.
According to data from the
Central Statistics Office (CSO), the
GDP for Q2 stood at Rs 31.66 lakh
crore, or a growth of 6.3 per cent.
India's GDP had grown at 7.2 per
cent in the corresponding quarter
last year. On gross value added
(GVA) basis, which includes taxes
but excludes subsidies, India had
registered a growth of 6.1 per
cent during the quarter in consid
eration over the corresponding
quarter last year, the CSO said.
The GVA during the first quarter
ending June came in at a lower
5.6 per cent.
"The economic activities which
registered growth of over 6 per
cent in Q2 of 201718 over Q2 of
201617 are 'manufacturing',
'electricity, gas, water supply &
other utility services' and 'trade,
hotels, transport & communica
tion and services related to broad
casting'," said the document on
the estimates of GDP for the Q2 of
201718.
"The growth in the 'agriculture,
forestry and fishing', 'mining and
quarrying', 'construction', 'finan
cial, insurance, real estate and
Professor T.C.A. Anant, the Chief Statistician of India. (Photo: IANS/PIB)
professional services' and 'public
administration, defence and other
services' is estimated to be 1.7 per
cent, 5.5 per cent, 2.6 per cent,
5.7 per cent and 6 per cent
respectively, during this period," it
said. Briefing reporters following
the release of the data, Chief
Statistician T.C.A. Anant said the
reversal of the declining growth
trend earlier is an encouraging
signal. "The latest GDP decline
started in the fourth quarter of
201516. So the Q2 GDP coming
in at 6.3 per cent, as compared to
7.2 per cent last year, is quite
encouraging at this point," he
said.
Anant said the reversal of the
previous declining trend was
mainly on account of a jump in
manufacturing activity during the
second quarter, with GVA growing
at 7 per cent, as compared to the
measly growth of 1.2 per cent in
the previous quarter.
Agriculture GDP during the
quarter in question at 1.7 per cent
registered lower growth.
Commenting on the GDP num
bers, Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley told reporters here that
they showed that the impact of
the two major structural reforms
demonetisation and GST "are
behind us".
India Inc. said the rise in the
GDP numbers showed signs of
economic recovery.
"I can't talk about the specifics
(of the meeting with Modi)
because it was off the record. But
basically the companies did meet
with the Prime Minister and they
showed their commitment to con
tinued investment into India,"
USISPF President Mukesh Aghi
told IANS in an interview. The US
looks at building its relationship
with India on two broad princi
ples. "One principle is that eco
nomic prosperity of India is good
for America. And the second prin
ciple is a militarily strong India is
good for regional stability," Aghi
said.
Parekh as new CEO
Bengaluru: Global soft
ware major Infosys has
announced the
appointment of Salil S
Parekh from
Capgemini as its new
CEO and Managing
Director with effect
from January 2.
"Parekh, 53, joins
Infosys from
Capgemini where he
was a member of the
Group Executive Board," Salil S Parekh comes from Capgemini.
said the IT major in a
statement here.
Capgemini is a global consult
ing, technology and IT outsourc
ing firm headquartered in Paris.
Parekh, a veteran in the global IT
industry, will be the second non
promoter executive of the $10.3
billion firm after Vishal Sikka,
who resigned on August 18 fol
lowing boardroom battles over
corporate governance issues with
its cofounders, especially N.R.
Narayana Murthy.
"I am happy that Infosys has
appointed Parekh as the CEO. My
best wishes to him," said Murthy
in a separate statement.
Cofounder and Board
Chairman Nandan Nilekani said:
"We are delighted to have Salil
joining as the CEO & MD. He has
nearly three decades of global
experience in the IT services
industry."
Nilekani, who returned to the
company as nonexecutive
Chairman on August 18, also said
as Parekh had a strong track
record of executing business
turnarounds and managing very
successful acquisitions, the Board
believed that he was the right
person to lead the company at a
transformative time in the indus
try. "The Board is also grateful to
(interim CEO and MD U.B.) Pravin
Rao for his leadership during this
period of transition," he added.
As Parekh takes over, Pravin
Rao will revert to his post as
Chief Operating Officer from
January 2 but continue as
Director on the Board. Infosys
Independent Director and
Nomination and Remuneration
Committee Chairperson Kiran
MazumdarShaw said Parekh was
the top choice from a pool of
highly qualified candidates for
the post and "with his (strong
track record and extensive expe
rience, we believe, we have the
right person to lead Infosys".
Shaw is chairperson of India's
biotech major Biocon Ltd in this
tech hub. The fulltime CEO post
has been vacant since Sikka had
quit, stating that he could not
continue to work amid "malicious
personal attacks". The company's
previous Board blamed Murthy
for Sikka's dramatic resignation
three years after he joined the
outsourcing firm in August 2014
from global software major SAP
AG of Germany.

CVS to buy Aetna for $69 billion

New York: CVS Health Corp. plans to buy
Aetna Inc. for $69 billion in a blockbuster
deal that would further consolidate the
U.S. healthcare industry by merging the
nations largest pharmacy chain with a
major healthcare insurer, the companies
announced .
The deal, which was approved by both
companies boards of directors, combines
the 9,700 drugstores and 1,100 walkin
healthcare clinics operated by CVS with
Aetnas 22 million medical members. CVS
agreed to pay $207 a share for Aetna, with
$145 in cash and the rest, $62, in CVS
stock. For consumers, the merger would be
the latest example of how the sale of drugs
and other healthcare services, including
patient treatment and medical insurance,
are being consolidated under one roof.
The deal would enable CVS to expand its
range of health services to Aetnas vast
membership, with CVS storefronts becom
ing community medical hubs with pri
marycare, drugmanagement and other
services.
CVS locations will include space for
wellness, clinical and pharmacy services,
vision, hearing, nutrition, beauty and med
ical equipment, in addition to the products
and services they currently provide, the
company said.
We look forward to working with the
talented people at Aetna to position the
combined company as Americas front
door to quality healthcare, CVS Chief
Executive Larry Merlo said in a statement.
Aetnas chief executive, Mark Bertolini,
said the deal was the next step in our
journey, positioning the combined compa
ny to dramatically further empower con
sumers. The companies said Bertolini and to CVS board after the deal closes. lion, while Aetnas revenue was
two other Aetna directors would be added CVS revenue last year totaled $178 bil $63 billion.
 24 December 9-15, 2017 SPORTS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

India inch closer to win in Delhi Test

New Delhi: India reduced Sri Lanka
to 31/3 at stumps after setting a
target of 410 runs on the fourth
day of the third and final Test at
the Ferozeshah Kotla here.
Dhananjay De Silva (13) and
Angelo Mathews (0) were at the
crease when the umpires called it
a day, with Sri Lanka 379 behind
the target. Chasing a massive 410,
Sri Lanka got off to a bad start as
openers Sadeera Samarawickrama
(5) and Dimuth Karunaratne (13)
failed to provide the start.
Samarawickrama was the first to
go when pacer Mohammed Shami
fired a perfectly pitched bouncer
and it touched the gloves before
landing in slips to Ajinkya Rahane.
Karunaratne was sent packing
after few overs by leftarm spinner
Ravindra Jadeja.
Now with the scorecard reading
31/2 and conditions at Kotla wors
ening due to poor visibility, it was
dif ficult to bat. Jadeja made full
use of this situation and dismissed
nightwatchman Suranga Lakmal
two balls later.
Sri Lanka now have a Herculean
Virat Kohli and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha during the third Test between India and Sri Lanka at Feroz
Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)
task to salvage a draw from this
position while India need only
seven wickets to seal the series
20. In the morning session, Sri
Lanka were bowled out for 373 in
their first innings, conceding a
lead of 163 runs to India.
Resuming the penultimate day at
356/9, skipper Dinesh Chandimal
was dismissed at his Test career
best score of 164. He hit 21 fours
and a six.
Thereafter, India came in to bat
but lost Murali Vijay (9) and
Ajinkya Rahane (10) cheaply to
reach 51/2 at lunch break and
take an overall lead of 214 runs.
In between, the issue of air pollu
tion flared up again in the match,
with Lakmal going off the ground
after vomiting. The Sri Lankans
came out fielding wearing antipol
lution masks.
Lakmal bowled only three overs
when he was seen vomiting on the
field, prompting the physio to run
to the field. He returned to bowl
four overs later.
Resuming the second session at
51/2, Dhawan (67) and Pujara
(49) added 55 runs to the score
before Pujara was caught at slips
by Ange lo Mathews of f
Dhananjaya de Silva. Pujara's 66
ball innings was laced with five
boundaries.
The fall of Pujara brought in
skipper Virat Kohli (50), who along
w ith Dhawan and later Rohit
Sharma (50 not out) got to their
respective half centuries before
declaring at 246/5.

Wait for Haryanvi 'latth', Air quality 'very poor',

Vijender tells opponent Lankan player leaves field
New Delhi: Gearing up for his Championships in 2003 and New Delhi: T he air quality in De lhi and other breathing problems.
next professional bout later 2005. remained "very poor" leading to visiting The level of PM 2.5 was recorded at
this month, Indian profes Vijender however, feels that Sri Lankan seamer Suranga Lakmal going "very poor" at all ten monitoring stations
sional boxer Vijender Singh the African's boxing style will of f the ground after vomiting on the of Safar across the city and neighboring
asked his African opponent be easier to handle than the fourth day of the third and final test match areas.
Ernest Amuzu to wait for the opponent from his last bout. being played at the Ferozeshah Kotla The Sri Lankan pacer had bowled only
'Haryanvi latth' (baton). Vijender said is Amuzu is ground here. three overs when he was seen vomiting on
T he 32yearold from orthodox player unlike last The System of Air Quality and Weather the field, prompting the physiotherapist to
Haryana who will face the opponent, which will provide Forecasting And Research (Safar) recorded run to the field. After consultation, he
34yearold African champi him a little bit of advantage. an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 372 went off the ground.
on in Jaipur on December In the last fight, Vijender for the national capital, labelling it as Similar complaints were made by the
23, went on to assert in his defeated China's Zulpikar "very poor". Lankan test players on Sunday while field
Haryanvi dialect: "Lath gaad Maimaitiali, who was a south On the whole, the Particulate Matter 2.5 ing before they left the ground halting the
denge iss baar". paw. (PM 2.5) in the city was also recorded as game before lunch time.
Vijender has enjoyed a "The last fight was against a "very poor" the fine particles are consid The players wore masks while fielding
great run in his fledgling southpaw boxer and went for ered a prominent cause of lung infections after the lunch session on the second day.
professional career, winning 10 rounds but he (Amuzu) is
all his nine fights of which not a southpaw so it might
Indian professional boxer
seven were knockouts. Vijender Singh.. give me little advantage. For a
T he reigning WBO Asia southpaw the technique is
Pacific Super Middleweight Champion and different but for regular boxer if trained regu
WBO Oriental Super Middleweight Champion larly," Vijender said. "We saw less southpaw
asserted that he will leave no stone unturned boxers in India as well as in UK. He is ortho
to preserve his unbeaten record. dox so he wont harm me much,"
"Usko bolo wait kare Haryanvi latth ka (Tell "When I was Amateur , I almost played with
him to wait for the Haryanvi latth)," Vijender every boxer. So we know what they are think
told IANS on Monday. ing and what is their stance. But ya, I saw his
Despite all the confidence and bravado of fight on youtube and send those link to my
the Indian star, he will ignore Amuzu's formi coach. So we have all the information of him
dable record at his own peril. regarding his strength and weekness. But at
The Ghanian holds a record of 23 wins with the last it was about boxing," he added.
21 knockouts and two losses out of the 25 Amuzu on his part, is quietly confident
fights he has fought so far in his professional asserting that he will defeat Vijender within
career. the first 34 rounds.
The current West African Boxing Union When asked for his reaction to that state
Middleweight champion and Ghanaian mid ment, the Haryana boxer said," People usually
dleweight champion has also been an ama talk before the fight and I have see that a lot
teur boxer who part icipated in the in pro boxing. You never know the first three
Commonwealth Games 2002, All Africa four rounds might get tough for him also. Ya, Sri Lankan players wearing masks during the third Test match.
Games in 2004 and two African I will try for another knockout," he said. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
If not now then
when? Living the
Great Indian Dream
By Saket Suman
here's talk that the country has
T lost track and is headed in a
direction not envisaged by those
who fought for our independence
from colonial rule. Those growing
up today are faced with the unnerv
ing challenge to thrive against all
future obstacles increasing popu and family friends expressed their
lation, decreasing jobs and
unmatched inflation that, they are
told, awaits them. Yet we are doing
fine.
In fact, we are doing pretty well.
Our health sector no doubt needs a
lot more attention, but has
undoubtedly come a long way when
you look at the spread of hospitals
across the country over the past
two decades. Miserable as they may
be, but government schools and col
leges are thriving. There are world
class private universities and even
for those who cannot afford their
exorbitant fees, it had never been as
easy as it is today to procure educa
tion loans. And most importantly,
the gap between the village and the
metros, as also the tier II and III
cities, has decreased tremendously.
Even before we could realize it,
rural India has been connected to
the rest of the country in ways that
were simply unthinkable in the
past. Today, moving out in search of
employment or education is easily
accepted in homes as well as socie
ty. Picture this: I was born in the
last decade of the 20th century in a
New book draws a portrait of the Bengali community
fresh book on the stands
A draws the attention of its
readers to the third largest
ethnolinguistic group in the
world. "A quarter of a billion
strong and growing," the Bengali
community has produced three
Nobel laureates, world class scien
tists and an unending stream of
writers and philosophers.
The book titled "The Bengalis: A
Portrait of a Community" is
authored by Sudeep Chakravarti,
a former finalist for the
Crossword Award in 2009 and
winner of the Asian Publishing
Awards 2014.
Published by Aleph Book
Company, the first look at this
title reveals a classic Bengali
image on its cover. The cover
shows an old house, painted in
red, with numerous posters and
flags of election campaigns all
around, has a young boy playing
First Person
rather privileged family of landlords
in Bihar. I spent most of my child
hood in a reputed boarding school
in Darjeeling, but the first journey
from the village to the hill station
was not easy. Relatives, neighbors
anxiety, pointing out quite arbitrari
ly that it would be a worthless exer
cise. Few from the village had gone
out, for schooling of all things, at
such an early age. Today, education
of children is both a priority and a
norm.
Then, there was the matter of
changing two buses, boarding an
overnight train and then taking a
taxi to reach Darjeeling. Today, it is
much easier one straight train to
New Jalpaiguri and then a twohour
drive to Darjeeling.
By the time I moved to Delhi for
my college, the process had become
much simpler. There were not many
questions raised about my decision
to move to the capital. If there was
a question, it was only about the
choice of subject journalism. Civil
services and government jobs were
what dominated the minds of peo
ple back then. This too has changed,
much to the relief of those growing
up today. What were previously
looked down upon as alternative
career options are the dreams of
youngsters as well as their
guardians now.
The Bengalis is authored by Sudeep Chakravarti
football. Right from its first
glance, the book is all things
Bengali and, for the reader, it will
come across as a valuable tool in
LIFESTYLE
In the midst of all the pessimism that we are surrounded by, there is actually very little for
young Indians today to be worried about. There has never been a better time to be young in India:
The Great Indian Dream is here and it is here to stay.
Thus, we see thousands of stu
dents from all parts of the country
graduating in various disciplines
from leading universities every
year. Where do they go? No matter
what you have been told, there is
such an upsurge in opportunities
today that almost each of them
secures a job. And they are doing
fine. True, it is leading to unplanned
migration at an alarming rate, but
then new cities are fast turning into
hotspots for jobseekers too.
Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune and
Chandigarh are today's alternatives
to yesterday's Delhi, Mumbai,
Kolkata and Chennai.
Never before in India's history
has there been so many opportuni
ties for women as there are today.
They are inside every office, at par
with their male colleagues, and are
doing better than them in sectors
like publishing and many others.
Whenever there is an instance of
discrimination, we hear it louder
understanding everything about
the community.
Wit and elegance are perfectly
matched along with research to
December 9-15, 2017
than ever before.
The face of offices too have
undergone significant change. Until
very recently, we had the experi
enced greys managing all affairs
but there has been a sudden boom
in the presence of young Indians in
offices. As the greys approach their
retirement, imagine the extent of
opportunities that await youth in
the years to come.
And then, there is the burning
question of freedom of expression.
Even as we see protests against
movies and writers or a ban on beef
and threats against minorities, it is
worth pointing out that the voice of
dissent, which many say is being
throttled, is only getting louder with
every passing day. Our society, like
every other of its kind, may have a
number of shortcomings but at the
present juncture, it is much more
than the sum total of all such things
to be unproud of. There is a great
hope for India in this millennium.
make this offering a real page
turner. Whereas the author looks
at the roots of Bengali racism and
discrimination of the Bengali cul
tural elite, he also does not shy
away from counting the many
positive aspects, like its rich cul
tural heritage, in the insightful
book.
For author Chakravarti though,
growing up as a Bengali was like
a series of expectations, a contin
uous examination of beliefs in the
middle of grand histories, grand
tragedies and grand expectations.
"Since the age of seven or so, in
a relatively privileged home in
Kolkata, that eternal citadel of
Bengali lore, about a year before a
movement for being Bengali
birthed an entire country,
Bangladesh, I became fully aware
of the cardinal truth that a lesser
people might call unfettered delu
sion there are Bengalis, and
25
I earn a decent salary, but I am
usually broke by the end of the
month. And yet, I am doing fine.
Because unlike our predecessors,
the mindset of my generation has
changed too. Hoarding huge
amounts of cash is not our priority
we spend what we earn and are
happy at the end of it all. I go shop
ping every once in a while, dine out
with friends and relatives, read
books that I love, participate active
ly in the national discourse and
travel to the mountains whenever I
get a chance. In short, I am living
the Great Indian dream.
In the midst of all the pessimism
that we are surrounded by, there is
actually very little for young
Indians today to be worried about.
There has never been a better time
to be young in India: The Great
Indian Dream is here and it is here
to stay.
Saket Suman is a Principal
Correspondent at IANS.
there is the world. (A corollary
quickly followed there is
Kolkata, and there is the world),"
he mentions in the book, aptly
cutting a large story short.
Apart from this, Chakravarti
also answers some significant
questions in the book: Why didn't
anything seem to work in
Kolkata? Why were there so many
poor in our city, and wherever we
went outside the city? Why were
cinema halls closed down so
often? Why were red flags every
where?
All in all, the book at hand is
one that requires careful atten
tion if you wish to delve deep into
the way the Bengali community
has been shaped and how it
thinks, works and thrives so well
even in today's times. For casual
readers too, the book opens many
interesting facets and can be fin
ished in about threefour sittings.
 26 December 9-15, 2017 HEALTH TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Book presents 21day Age old antimalarial drug

challenge to reverse diabetes finds use in cutting edge
New Delhi: The number of As an experienced doctor
people with diabetes in India
is about 64.5 million, second
only to China in the ranking
herself, Shah takes it easy for
the readers and reminds
them gradually of how the
cancer treatment
for the highest number of dia disease gains its final shape. By Akshat Jain
betics in the world. Renowned She maintains that it all

homeopath Nandita Shah, in a
fresh book, breaks down the
real cause of diabetes and
outlines a routine that will
not just prevent the disease
but also reverse it.
The book titled "Reversing
Diabetes in 21 Days" is writ
ten by Shah, who, apart from
her credentials of a noted
homeopath, is also the
founderdirector of Sharan
India, an organization that
works towards a diabetesfree
India.
The author recalls that
when she became a doctor in 1981, diabetes
affected 5 per cent of the adult population in India.
She regrets that by the time she completed 34
years of practice, this figure had soared upto over
30 per cent. It also strikes that as a young doctor,
she would see see patients getting diabetes at the
age of fifty or older. "But now, being diagnosed
with diabetes in teens is not rare, and diabetes
related problems such as metabolic syndrome,
hypertension, hypothyroidism, polycystic ovarian
disease, weight gain and dreaded ones like kid
ney failure and retinopathy are more common
than ever before," Shah writes in the book.
begins with gradual weight
gain, slowly rising blood
sugar levels and increasing
doses of medicine. The
patient, Shah agrees, often
feels that there is no way out.
"Contrary to what you
hear, there is a cure for dia
betes. But to solve any prob
lem, we must understand the
cause and then remove it.
The cause of diabetes is not
lack of medication, not sugar
and carbohydrates. The
cause of diabetes is insulin
resistance and/or lack of
insulin," she maintains.
Shah insists that if we can put our finger on the
cause of insulin resistance and lack of insulin, dia
betes cannot only be prevented but also reduced.
By addressing the cause of insulin resistance and
lack of insulin, "Reversing Diabetes in 21 Days"
provides a fresh and practical perspective on how
to cure diabetes.
This book carefully takes into account the Indian
context, customs, tastes and thought processes to
tailor the best possible stepbystep guide that an ment of malaria found a new use. By
average Indian can follow.
(IANS)
N
anoparticles are micro mole
cules loaded with anticancer
drugs that once injected in the
body find the desired tumor site and
act to destroy the cancer cells.
Scientists working in this field have
found a common barrier in imple
mentation of this strategy, which has
to do with how any foreign particle is
treated by the bodys own defense
system.
The particles tend to be taken up
by scavenger cells or macrophages,
which after engulfing them, then take
them to the liver and spleen, to be
destroyed. When these cancer
nanoparticles were introduced into
the blood stream of mice with
tumors, they were found to concen
trate in these organs for the most
part thus defeating the purpose of
cancer drug delivery to the target
tumor. Its then the researchers
decided to do something unique.
Chloroquine, an age old drug,
which has been used for the treat
Transplantation, Loma Linda
giving chloroquine pretreatment to
these experimental mice, scientists
noted that the macrophage uptake of
these nanoparticles were significant
ly reduced, which implied a wider
distribution of the antitumor drug
particles.
The fresh research throws a light
on the scientific out of the box
thinking, and in todays world where
cancer is outsmarting existing mod
els of treatment at a frightening pace,
finding new use of the old rusty tools
in the medical armamentarium in
empowering us in the fight against
cancer.
(The author is Division Chief of
Pediatric Hematology, Department of
Hematology Oncology and Stem Cell
University, Los Angeles)

Google Glass returns from Commuting daily by underground

the dead as tool to help kids
with autism
New York: Those who declared Google
Glass a failure perhaps spoke too soon as it
is now resurfacing as a tool to help children
with autism improve their social skills. A
Cambridge, Massachusettsheadquartered
company has developed a system for
autism that runs on Google Glass, including
the newly released Glass Enterprise Edition.
Brain Power, the developer of neuro
sciencebased augmented reality, launched
the "Empower Me" system earlier this
month.
The Empower Me system is a digital
coach that runs on smartglasses, to empow
er children and adults with autism to teach
themselves social and cognitive skills.
The company said it is using the Google
Glass platform because tablets or phones
require looking down. But the wearable
platforms help people keep headsup and
handsfree during social interactions.
"Empowering people is my passion," Brain
Power CEO, Ned Sahin, said in a statement.
"Technology is often blamed for pulling
people apart, but my goal was to use tech
nology, and science, to bring people even
closer than they ever might have been and
to unlock the immense power of their
unique brains," Sahin added.
Autism spectrum disorder is charac
terised by impaired social interaction, com
munication and sensory sensitivities.
The system features a suite of apps. One
such app, Emotion Charades, teaches the
user to identify emotions, and understand
them, which are common challenges for
people on the spectrum. Users look through
the private screen on their smartglasses
and see emojis on either side of their part
ner's face.
They select which one they think matches
the facial expression with a spoken com
mand or a subtle head tilt. A software
detects emotions and voice commands
using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the
head tilt via accelerometer data.
This system can help children learn to
improve their ability to correctly decode
and understand the emotions of their par
ents, therapists, siblings, or friends.
Besides aiding emotional understanding,
Empower Me also features apps designed to
target attention to social cues, including the
ability to focus on face and eye regions
when it is desirable to do so. (IANS)
metro can harm you: Study
New York: Commuting
regularly by under
ground metro trains may
pose hazardous health
risks as the air inside the
compartments have
higher concentrations of
cancercausing agents,
claims a study.
The study, published in
the journal Aerosol and
Air Quality Research,
showed that people are
exposed to significant
amounts of airborne par (Image courtesy: wikimedia.org)
ticulate matter (PM) dur
ing their daily com
mutes, which often exceed 3060 minutes each powered trains operating with mandatory
way. closed windows and a mechanical ventilation
The two major compounds found in airborne system, airborne hexavalent chromium gets
particulate are polycyclic aromatic hydrocar built up due to dust from friction on the steel
bons (PAHs) and hexavalent chromium, both tracks, as well as the lack of ventilation.
which include carcinogens, as well as chronic Based on these data, the best option for com
noncancer health risks, such as cardiovascular muters is to use aboveground lightrail trans
and respiratory diseases. portation, which allows for reduced exposure
Owing to the high levels of exposure to car to both trafficgenerated PAHs and railway
cinogenic transition metals hexavalent chromi related metals, said Constantinos Sioutas from
um, for a person travelling in the underground the University of Southern CaliforniaLos
trains, the maximum "excess lifetime cancer Angeles.
risk" was found to be 10times higher than the The researchers suspect that individuals who
acceptable threshold of oneinamillion, set by spend more time in the subway, particularly
the World Health Organization (WHO) and the those who work there, would also have a sig
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), nificantly higher health risk.
the researchers said. Despite these electric (IANS)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
How to get more out of
your smartphone
Y
ou could have the swankiest
smartphone with all the latest
features, but without some
strategizing, it could feel like youre
carrying around a very expensive
brick.
BOOST FUNCTIONALITY
Familiarize yourself with the
scope of your phones functionality.
You can find detailed instructions
about your model online, as well as
online tutorials that can teach you
hacks and shortcuts for getting
more out of your phones camera,
word processing software and
more. Also, be sure to install free
apps that can make life better. For
example, you can turn your phone
into a fundraising fitness coach
with Charity Miles, an app part
nered with corporate sponsors that
donate a few cents for every mile
you log on bike or foot. You may
just find yourself off the couch and
moving more as you start to rack
up miles.
Your phone can also become your
greatest teacher when you down
load language apps such as
Duolingo, which provides free lan
guage instruction to help you build
vocabulary, master grammar and
prepare for your next big trip
abroad. The app helps you stay
true to your goal, sending push
notifications reminding you to
practice.
Research Your
Mobile Network
Is your mobile network up to
snuff? Check out the results from
the latest State of Mobile
Stuck in the middle: What you need to know about caregiving
s the population ages, more
A people (particularly women)
will be sandwiched in
between taking care of their par
ents or other family members in
need, and their children.
Take telenurse and nurse educa
tor Kathie Wells, RN, BSN, CCM. At
age 55, she is juggling fulltime
work, while raising schoolage kids
and caring for her husband Robert,
64, who was diagnosed with
Parkinsons disease (PD) in 2002.
As a nurse, Wells understood the
onset and progression of PD, which
often includes motor symptoms
such as tremor, rigidity and balance
issues. But her husbands disease
progressed in a surprising way
when he began to see and believe
things that werent real.
PD is a neurodegenerative brain
disorder often involving both motor
and nonmotor symptoms, includ
ing hallucinations and delusions.
When those symptoms appear, it
Networks report from OpenSignal.
Rather than basing results on the
simulations used in older network
testing methods on only one phone
model, OpenSignal gathers data
directly from wireless customers
who have downloaded the app onto
their smartphones. Performance
measurements are taken wherever
customers happen to be, at home,
at work, or on the go indoors and
out resulting in a representation
of customers actual wireless data
experience. TMobile placed num
ber one in every category that the
OpenSignal report measures. In
more than five billion tests from
actual wireless customers in the
second quarter, TMobiles network
was not only deemed to be the
fastest, but also the most respon
sive, and TMobile customers get an
LTE signal more often than cus
tomers of any other major wireless
company do, according to the
report. With plans to further broad
en its LTE footprint for customers
this year with its newly acquired
may be Parkinsons disease psy
chosis (PDP) and it occurs in more
than half the people with
Parkinsons during the course of
their disease. Yet, only 10 to 20
percent of patients will proactively
report their hallucinations and
delusions to their doctor.
When Wells husband began to
experience delusions, she found his
SELF HELP
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consider a TMobile plan. To learn
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visit tmobile.com/coverage.
Extend its Life
Treat your device with care to
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protect yourself financially from
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ty options. Read the terms carefully
to understand whats covered.
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ing its various functions and using
it on a fast network.
behavior frustrating and alarming.
For example, Robert would spend
hours in the yard digging up gar
den stones, convinced hed found
valuable treasure. Neighbors
remarked on Roberts behavior and
his children wouldnt invite friends
over to avoid them seeing their dad
relentlessly digging. Roberts delu
sions combined with his other PD
December 9-15, 2017
Great ideas for holiday
gifts that keep on giving
T
he holidays come and go
so quickly, and while many
tokens of love and friend
ship are enjoyed and then for
gotten, this year, consider items
that make a more lasting impact.
Not sure where to start? Here
str three gift ideas that will keep
on giving, all year long.
Taste Sensations, Delivered
These days, there are food
subscription boxes for just
about anything you can think of
from exotic spices, to gourmet
candies, to meats and delicacies.
Take the tastes of your loved
one into account and consider
keeping their kitchen well
stocked all year long with
monthly deliveries of amazing
food and ingredients. These sub
scriptions make culinary variety,
extravagance and exploration
convenient for recipients, who
need only await the arrival of
their next boxed delivery with
anticipation.
A WellHoned Kitchen
Even serious home cooks who
seem to have every new kitchen
appliance available, may not
realize how important it is to
have a knife sharpener. When
knives dull, they become more
difficult and dangerous to wield,
slowing food preparation and
making slips of the wrist more
likely to occur. But you can fix
that for the cooks in your life.
Help loved ones to chop, slice
and dice more efficiently and
safely with a knife sharpener
they can use as soon as knives
begin to dull. Look for a model
built to last through many uses.
motor symptoms were hard for
Wells to manage. She struggled to
get enough sleep caring for Robert,
and their children were hesitant to
go out in public with their father
because he shared his treasure
hunting stories with strangers all
the time.
While theres currently no cure
for PD, there are different treat
ment options to address both
motor and nonmotor symptoms.
Wells says it was a relief when her
husbands neurologist suggested an
FDAapproved medication indicated
for the treatment of hallucinations
and delusions associated with PDP.
Wells recommends the following
to caregivers of people with
Parkinsons.
l Consider talking to a profes
sional, as caregivers are more likely
to experience relationships or
social life suffering and emotional
stress than noncaregivers.
Likewise, caregiving can take a toll
27
For example, the Compact
Electric Knife Sharpener from
Smiths Consumer Products, fea
tures a synthetic sharpening
wheel that guides the knife at
the correct angle and has an
ergonomic design that makes it
easy and comfortable to use. To
learn more, visit Walmart.com.
New Hobbies
Whether its salsa dance, clas
sical guitar or French cooking,
many centers that offer arts and
music lessons allow giftgivers
to buy credits for loved ones.
This gives recipients an oppor
tunity to select for themselves
what they want to learn about
on a schedule that works for
them. But this gift goes far
beyond a temporary diversion.
Learning a skill offers lifelong
opportunities for new pursuits,
friendships and accomplish
ments.
Reconsider your holiday shop
ping strategy, focusing on items
that will improve the lives of
loved ones, well beyond the sea
son.
on physical health. Take time to
sleep, destress, eat well and exer
cise.
l Seek logistical and emotional
help from family, friends, support
groups and advocacy groups, who
often have free resources available.
For example, the Parkinsons
Foundation has advice for care
givers and a helpline staffed by
nurses, social workers and thera
pists.
l Even if you understand your
loved ones condition, report new
symptoms or concerns to a health
care provider as they arise. I now
know that delusions along with hal
lucinations are telltale signs of
Parkinsons disease psychosis, how
ever, I didnt recognize those symp
toms immediately, says Wells.
Remember that youre not alone.
Support exists to help you manage
the struggles associated with car
ing for loved ones.
Statepoint
28 December 9-15, 2017 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Humor with Melvin Durai

Help! Weve got

teenagers in the house!
bout a decade ago, when my three chil

A dren were all under 5, taking care of

them seemed to be a constant chal
lenge. We had to change diapers, survive
countless tantrums, and struggle at the dining
table to get them to eat anything healthful.
When we complained to other parents, they
expressed their sympathy with these soothing
words: Wait until you get to the teen years!
Thats when it really gets hard.

BEST Well, the teen years are here and let me tell
you, it hasnt been that bad. I still have a few

RATE strands of hair on my head.

It helps, of course, that Ive been preparing

FOR myself for the teen years like a soldier pre

pares for war. Ive been keeping myself in
INDIA shape doing pushups and situps because
of the advice I heard from an Army general:
AND Never let the enemy think youre weak. The
enemy is always looking for any kind of
weakness that they can exploit.
PAKISTAN For example, my 13yearold daughter,
Divya, knows that the best time to ask my
wife, Malathi, for permission to do something
is when Malathi is absorbed in Facebook. So
New York Head Quarter
Divya just stood behind Malathi one evening
422S Broadway and said something like this: Mommy, I want
HICKSVILLE to go to my friends house for a sleepover. I
know youre busy, so if you just hit like on
NY 11801
the next post, Ill take that as a yes.' And
5168271010 Malathi, of course, just kept hitting like on
various posts and we didnt see our daughter
for the next month.
Thats why Malathi has been off Facebook.
And thats why its important to prepare for
the teen years so you dont get blindsided.
Teenagers are much smarter than you think.
While youre reading books titled Surviving
the Teen Years and How to Give Your
Teenagers a Great Foundation for Life,
theyre reading books such as Surviving the
Parenting Years and How to Give Your
Parents Intense Migraines for Life.
Aside from reading books, getting advice
from other parents is a good way to prepare
for the teen years. Just make sure you find
parents who look like theyve survived some
thing awful, such as an earthquake, hurricane,
or visit to the Embassy of India. Avoid getting
advice from parents who look like theyve just
returned from a cruise to Jamaica. Such par
ents probably have teenagers who are
extreme ly we llbehaved and extreme ly
responsible, the type of kids whom other
teens would describe as extremely abnor
mal. My wife and I have two teenagers in our
household, Divya and her 15yearold sister,
Lekha, and we are dreading the day when our

Laughter is the Best Medicine son, Rahul, turns into a teenager. Thankfully,
thats almost two years away, but the thought
of having three teens under the same roof
scares the living daylights out of me. Ive con
By sidered sending one or two of them away to
boarding school, but it would be easier on my
Mahendra kids emotions and considerably less expen
Shah sive if I just moved away.
Mahendra Shah Perhaps I could do something far less
stressful for a few years, such as becoming a
is an architect
prison guard. At least the inmates will listen
by education,
when I tell them to turn the lights out and get
entrepreneur by
in bed.
profession,
If I seem overly stressed about the teen
artist and
years, just imagine how Id feel if we were
humorist,
raising teenagers a few decades ago (like my
cartoonist and
mom did). A recently published study in the
writer by hobby.
journal Child Development shows that
He has been todays teenagers, compared to teens in previ
recording the ous generations, are less eager to turn into
plight of the adults. Fewer of them are participating in
immigrant adult activities such as drinking, dating, hav
Indians for the ing sex, and driving. In other words, theyre
past many not growing up as quickly as they used to. A
years in his car- 15yearold today acts like a 12yearold in
toons. 1980 (but still frowns when I play the Bee
Hailing from Gees).
Gujarat, he So I need to be thankful that Divya is more
lives in obsessed with her cellphone than with boys,
Pittsburgh, Lekha hasnt yet asked about driving lessons,
Pennsylvania. and both of them are still willing, now and
then, to be seen in public with me.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
DECEMBER 915, 2017
ARIES: Plans for new ventures get
streamlined with the help of seniors.
Family members appreciate the changes
made in & around the house. Successful exe
cution of brilliant ideas would help in earning
nancial prots. Someones timely help would
enable visualizing succeeding in love. Yoga
and meditation would help in keeping in
shape and mentally agile. You will have to go
out of routine work to enjoy your vacation.
Lifestyle home is what you are looking for?
Your desire to do things on your own will
make you successful.
TAURUS: Hard work & dedication
would win the trust of seniors at work.
You receive care and af fection from
family members. Hard work of previous days
brings good fortune enabling to fulll mone
tary promises. Your ashing smile would work
as the best antidote for romantic partners
unhappiness. You will be successful in getting
rid from tensions. If you are thinking of escap
ing from the hectic daily routine plan a trip.
Your search for a house is towards its nal
destination. Caring for others feelings/emo
tions would bring much joy to you.
GEMINI: Mental clarity would remove
past business confusions. Matrimonial
alliance for eligible bachelor in family
brings joy to all. You succeed in making some
extra cash on playing your cards well. Sharing
candyoss and tof fees with lover/beloved
would bring unlimited joy. A sparkling laugh
ter lled week when most things proceed, as
you desire. Your travel experience is going to
be an extent of sharing your knowledge and
communication. Your personal loan plans for
property could be in progress. Your style &
unique way of doing things would interest the
people.
CANCER: Trave l undertaken for
establishing new contacts and busi
ness expansion will be very fruitful. A
new outlook will be the source of laughter at
family front in this week. An auspicious week
to invest money on items that would grow in
value. Company of love partner would inspire
to take initiatives in this week. Your enormous
condence would help in enjoying a healthy
life. Its time for a vacation after a long and
hard year at work. Your dream for new house
might be full led now. You are certain to gain
knowledge if you keep mind open and believe
that it is never too late to learn new skills.
LEO: Your artistic and creative ability
would attract a lot of appreciation.
Enjoying a picnic with family will not
only bring joy but also help in clearing misun
derstandings. Investment on longterm plans
would pave the way for earning nancial
gains. Love works like a panacea as you nd
sanity. A very healthy week lled with happi
ness & vitality. Time to relax and unwind for
few days. Getting your dream home will be the
greatest pleasure for you. A week when simple
efforts to channelise energy would enable to
manage a comfortable life.
VIRGO: Timely help of associates will
not only pass difcult times at work
but also help in regaining professional
edge. You are likely to plan a short trip with
family. You are likely to earn monetary gains
through various sources. Love life blossoms
paving the way for lovely times ahead. Divine
knowledge from a saintly person provides sol
ace & comfort. Time to spend money on not a
vacation but a luxury vacation. You might be
purchasing a refrigerator or any other gadget
for your house. Your innovative ideas would
develop your curiosity in new work.
ASTROLOGY
LIBRA: A long pending decision gets
nalized at professional front.
Charming nature and pleasant per
sonality would make you the attraction of
family function in this week. Improvement in
nances makes it convenient in clearing long
pending dues & bills. Love partner touches
soul that would take imagination to unlimited
heights. Pleasure trip would help in maintain
ing sound health in this week. Weekend get
away to enjoy pubs and clubs is on your way.
Selling a plot might be protable as property
rates tend to rise sooner. Sincere ef forts
would prove more benecial as it enables
someone to realise his/her dreams.
SCORPIO: Female colleagues lend a
helping hand in completing important
assignments. Parents are likely to be
cooperative despite your erratic behaviour. A
very successful week as far as monetary posi
tion is concerned. Romantic imagination
would keep you in a jovial & cheerful mood.
Blessings of a saintly person give peace of
mind. Planning a vacation, keep an eye on
your expenditure before you travel. Deals on
commercial property can tend to be at full
boom. Your innovation coupled with bold ini
tiatives enable to make a steady progress.
SAGITTARIUS: At work you will be a
part of something big, bringing appre
ciation & rewards. Friends and family
members would encourage to work harder.
Indicat ions of earning nancial prots
through commissions, dividends or royalties.
The company of love partner makes you for
get about the work. Chances of recovering
from physical ailment are high. A short trip
with lavishing experiences is the right thing
for you. Investing residentially is one thing
you can rely on. You will have the power to be
ahead of others.
CAPRICORN: You are likely to estab
lish yourself a good manager on man
aging people and situation without
any problem. You are likely to hear a good
news from close relatives. Important people
will be ready to nance anything that has a
special class to it. Sudden romantic encounter
will lift your spirits. Inexhaustible energy
enables to participate in outdoor activities.
Pack your bags and be ready for an amazing
holiday. Investment on overseas property has
to be considered seriously. You nd develop
ing an interest in social & religious activities.
AQUARIUS: You will be successful in
realising your targets at professional
front. An old friend makes a pleasant
visit later in the week. Property dealings
would materialize helping in bringing fabu
lous gains. Attending a social event/family
function brings a romantic encounter. You
attain a bloom in health on sharing happiness
with others. Just take a walk in the country
side and experience new things. Time to spend
money on your homely accommodations. You
try to change others thinking that you are too
old to learn new things.
PISCES : With your high condence
you will be able to cross all hurdles at
professional front. Evening enjoyed
w ith family and close re lat ives brings
immense pleasure. Control your expenses and
avoid being too lavish in your spending. Your
physical charm would catch the attraction of
opposite sex. A cheerful state of mind would
allow enjoying the perfect health. Time to go
for a memorable trip.A good week to make
some investment on kitchen items. There is a
possibility of receiving some good news from
a farung area in later half of the week.
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
9th December, 2017
Ruled by number 9 and the planet Mars,
you are active, courageous, dashing, enthusi
astic and highly diplomatic person. You
achieve a lot with your impressive personality
and command over your work, but you need
to check your tendency to behave erratic and
impatient at times.
This year you will slowly but gradually
climb the ladder of success. Businessmen will
invest in more profitable ventures. Promising
contacts will build through social gettogeth
ers and traveling. Your spouse will be quite
cooperative and shower her full love and
affection upon you despite your erratic behav
ior at times. An infatuation within the group
will keep you in high spirits for some time but
it will not be long lasting. The months of
October, December, March and August will
prove to be highly significant.
10th December, 2017
Ruled by number one and the Sun. You are
independent, intelligent, sensitive, honest,
imaginative and highly simple person. You are
highly diplomatic and your strong asset is
your speech, which put to proper use brings
you immense gains. You are hardworking, tal
ented, but you need to check your tendencies
to behave extravagant and jealous at times.
Remarkable gains are in store for you in the
first half of the year, provided you take advan
tage of the given opportunities. Improvement
in your work environment and monetary posi
tion also seem high on your cards. Frequent
travel will be undertaken which will prove
highly rewarding. Dont rely on people who
make false promises. New job opportunities
and promotions for some. The latter half of
the year brings gains for those who dabble in
speculation. You could also click a real estate
deal at a throwaway price. The months of
February, May, July and September will be
highly eventful.
11th December, 2017
Ruled by number 2 and the Moon, you are
highly imaginative, warmhearted, friendly
and hard working person. You like to fanta
size and you generally assign difficult targets
for yourself, but you find it difficult to achieve
them because of your casual and lazy behav
ior at times. This year gains seem likely for
you through investment as well as specula
tion. Although your opinions will be faced
with strong resistance and criticism, but your
ability to convince people will make you push
through your plans. Your confidence and
morale will be high as you gain favours from
various people, both in govt. and private
offices. New construction or major renovation
likely towards the yearend. Health problems
related to eyes, mouth cannot be ruled out.
Take necessary medication without fail. The
months of November, January, April and
August will be highly significant.
12th December, 2017
Ruled by number 3, and the planet Jupiter,
you are practical, dignified, philosophical,
methodical and systematic person. You are a
very social person who likes to make new
friends and visit new and interesting places.
You are a born leader and you love to stay
ahead of others, but you loose out on many
good opportunities due to your tendency to
behave stubborn and moody at times.
The coming year brings wonderful business
opportunities for you. Finances improve
through gains from investments and ancestral
December 9-15, 2017 29
property. Long pending legal disputes will
finally be sorted out. Religious ceremonies
and functions will be performed quite fre
quently. A sudden influence of a person from
the opposite sex will give a new and interest
ing twist to your life. Do not share your busi
ness secrets with colleagues or casual associ
ates. Avoid lending and borrowing money.
The months of December, February, June and
August will prove to be highly productive.
13th December, 2017
Influenced by number 4 and the planet
Uranus, you are smart, confident, energetic,
systematic, reliable and a studious person.
Your efficiency and determination makes you
achieve the maximum and stay ahead of oth
ers. You always hold position of immense
importance and responsibility, but you need
to control your tendency to behave stubborn,
jealous and vindictive at times.
Your stars bring you fresh opportunities for
growth in your career. Those seeking to ven
ture overseas will get to receive encouraging
news from people abroad. Foreign transac
tions and travel seem likely later in the year.
Unexpected losses are foreseen through spec
ulation, therefore invest wisely. Work pres
sure will take its toll on your health. Eat prop
erly and exercise to stay in perfect shape.
Those who are in construction business,
import /export or trading of garments can
expect a sudden rise in profits. Pilgrimage
towards the yearend seems likely. The months
of December, April, May and August will prove
to be very important.
14th December, 2017
Ruled by number 5 and the planet Mercury,
you are active, intelligent, sensible, systematic
and highly courageous person. You have an
excellent foresight, but you find it difficult to
keep up to the plans because of your tendency
to behave casual, moody and lazy at times.
This year try to stay away from business
partnerships or any new joint ventures.
Partnerships will be very alluring but definite
ly not recommended for the first six months.
You need to be extra cautious before making
any financial commitments or signing new
contracts. Benefits in cash and kind will
accrue later in the year. New romance will
develop through social activities. Relationship
with your spouse will be healthy and highly
cordial. Some tension and anxiety due to
health of your parents cannot be ruled out.
The months of January, March and September
will be significant.
15th December, 2017
Ruled by number 6 and the planet Venus,
you are energetic, smart, attractive, accommo
dating, diplomatic & highly practical person.
Your great assets are your charming personal
ity and confidence, but you need to check
your tendency to behave too outspoken and
restless at times. This year new ventures and
plans will improve your financial status. Your
investments will multiply and yield good prof
its. Matrimonial alliance for some towards the
end of the year, while others will find romance
to keep them going. Children will win laurels
and make you feel proud. Sportsmen, artists,
scholars will scale new heights in their profes
sional career. Pending legal matters will end
satisfactorily, bringing you mental relief.
Chronic patients will need to take extra care
of their health. Meditation and yoga will help
immensely. The months of October, Dec, Feb.
and June will prove highly significant.
30 December 9-15, 2017 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Education for
a Peaceful World
Spirituality means inculcating love in our hearts
By Sant Rajinder for all humanity, irrespective of skin color, religion, or
Singh Ji Maharaj
nationality, irrespective of whether a person is rich or
I poor, or from the East or the West. If everyone would
n the past, educators all over the
world have placed tremendous
stress on the intellectual and
physical development of students.
The result is that we have turned
start seeing the Light of God in all people, this will
out human beings who are physical
ly and intellectually superior to our
help bring peace and harmony to the world.
predecessors. The amount of knowl
edge that we are gaining today is
doubling at a much faster rate than
it did previously. About two cen
turies ago, the knowledge available
to the general public used to double
in one century. But according to
research done in 1986, studies have
shown that knowledge is now dou
bling every five years.
There is so much research in all
areas that we are exposed to a
greater amount of information now
than we were just a few years ago.
This information explosion has led
us to become more and more
involved in a materialistic way of
life. With the advancement in the
electronics field in the last twenty
five years, so many gadgets have
been invented that they should have
given us more time for leisure, more
time to enjoy ourselves, and more
time to explore who we are, where
we came from, and what our pur
pose in life is. It takes so much time
and effort to learn how to operate
these devices that rather than giving
us the leisure time we thought we
would have, we are becoming more nationality, irrespective of whether whole world. The universes have us. The human body is the highest then when a problem arises in life,
and more involved with the gad a person is rich or poor, or from the been created in perfect harmony. form of all creation and the holiest they will make the right choice. We
getry. East or the West. If everyone would There is so much lost when we do of the temples and churches also need to teach children that
As we grow older, we have the start seeing the Light of God in all not take proper care of nature. And because it was not made by any their decisions not only affect them,
responsibility of our children on our people, this will help bring peace if we do not take proper care of our human hand; it was made by the but they affect many other human
shoulders. We spend time wonder and harmony to the world. Once we selves, whether it be physically, hand of God. To practice spirituality beings all around them. If all of us
ing about the best way to raise our realize that our soul is a part of God, intellectually, or spiritually, it affects does not require any religious con start making good decisions, we will
children so that they will grow up to and that part is the same in each our life in this universe. version. Spirituality is a science that be moving in a direction which will
become better human beings than human beingand not only in To develop our spiritual side it is can be practiced by a member of benefit everyone. Along with being
we are. We want them to have an human beings but in all living crea important to start the basic moral any religion, and even by those who able to make a good intellectual
easier time in their lives than we tureswe will not want to harm instruction about spirituality at an do not belong to any religion. It is decision, along with being able to
had. We find ourselves preoccupied anyone. We will then start to see the early age. It is important that the not necessary for people to convert make a good physical decision, we
in making a living and raising our goodness in everyone. We will begin spiritual and ethical values of life from one religion to another. We do have to learn to make good spiritual
children. We lead such busy lives to think about the welfare of others. are taught properly. not believe in any conversion; we decisions. What do we have to learn
that we have little time for leisure. We will also be concerned about the We can develop spiritually believe instead in "inversion." This in life that will help us? We need to
As we get older and life begins to ecology of the world. through a process of meditation. means that we invert our attention learn that if we have love in our
pass us by, we begin to question, "Is We will stop destroying our Through meditation we not only to go within. Contact with this cur hearts for everyone, then we will
the purpose of life only to be born, forests, our air, our water, and all of develop the higher human values, rent of divinity within us brings us have a society in which people
grow old, and die? Or is there some nature which God has given to us but we also realize our true selves peace and joy. Education is a means would behave as if others were
thing else?" Spirituality deals with for our life here on earth. When we and gain knowledge about the soul by which we train children to deal members of their own family. If
developing the higher values of life destroy anything that we have in our body. Meditation is another with the problems of life. Children along with the intellectual and phys
and with becoming a better person. received, when we take so much form of concentration. The process have to be taught right from wrong. ical traits, the spiritual traits can be
Spirituality means inculcating love from the soil for our sustenance yet of meditation is one in which we They have to be taught how to make taught to children, then this world
in our hearts for all humanity, irre pollute the land instead of trying to close our eyes and try to enter the good decisions. If we can teach chil will become a haven of joy and
spective of skin color, religion, or rejuvenate it, we are harming the inner realms. God is within each of dren to make decisions properly, peace. (For more visit www.sos.org)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info December 9-15, 2017
TheSouthAsianTimes.info December 9-15, 2017