The South Asian Times

e x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
Vol.11 No. 30 November 24-30, 2018 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

EU seeks to boost ties with India Trump backs

Recognition that India has emerged as the fastest
growing large economy with a key geopolitical role.
Brussels: The European an important geopolitical role.
Saudi Prince
over Khashoggi
Commission, the executive body The Communication aims to
of the European Union, and the EU strengthen the EU‑India Strategic
High Representative for Foreign Partnership by focusing on sus‑
Affairs and Security Policy, tainable modernization and on
Federica Mogherini, on Tuesday common responses to global and

adopted a Joint Communication
that sets out the EU's vision for a
strategy to strengthen coopera‑
tion and the partnership with
India.
This Joint Communication
replaces the last Commission
Communication on India of 2004,
recognizing that India has
emerged as the fastest‑growing
large economy and has acquired
murder
regional issues.
"India is a key player in our
interconnected world", said
Mogherini. "We want to further
reinforce our political, economic
and people‑to‑people ties with
The President cites security and safety
Continued on page 4 of America for not punishing Saudis

Navika Group acquires Sliding stocks

wipe out gains
Long Island Marriott of 2018
After taking over Huntington Hilton and Sheraton
in Mahwah in NJ, Navika is quickly acquiring large
hotels in New York metro area. Its portfolio now
has over $1.5 Billion in properties.
Uniondale, NY: Navika Group of
companies has successfully com‑
pleted one of its biggest acquisi‑
tions so far with the purchase of
the Long Island Marriott.
Uniondale‑based Navika Capital
Group, owned by Indian American
investors, purchased the 615‑
room Marriott hotel from
Greenwich, Conn.‑based Starwood
Capital Group for an undisclosed
Continued on page 4
Navika Group founding
CEO Naveen Shah
New York: The stock market slid
dramatically on Tuesday after a slew
of disappointing corporate earnings
dragged down the Dow Jones
Industrial Average and the S&P 500,
erasing all gains for 2018. The Dow
fell by 648 points at its session low,
and closed at 24,465.
It's the worst Thanksgiving week
for the Dow and the S&P since 2011,
according to Dow Jones data.
Retail earnings released Tuesday
hit the market hard, with Target
shares falling as much as 15 percent
on investor concern that the chain
had cut its margins too tightly to
remain competitive in the holiday
season.
Lowe's also disappointed, report‑
ing lower‑than‑expected same‑store
sales, coupled with an announce‑
ment that it is closing all stores in
Mexico. Shares fell 3.6 percent and
rival Home Depot also sank 2 per‑
cent. L Brands, which owns Victoria's
Secret and Bath and Body Works, fell
14 percent after it announced a
share restructuring.
Continued on page 4
President Trump met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in
Washington early this year (Photo courtesy: Reuters)
Washington DC: President Donald Trump clearly suggested that
Trump on Tuesday said that the Saudi oil production was a key fac‑
CIA had not reached a "definitive" tor in his decision not to acknowl‑
conclusion about who ordered the edge the CIA's analysis, noting that
murder of journalist Jamal after the US, "Saudi Arabia is the
Khashoggi, despite press reports largest oil producing nation in the
saying that the agency has deter‑ world," Efe reported.
mined that it was Saudi Crown "They have worked closely with
Prince Mohammed bin Salman. us and have been very responsive
In his statement Tuesday, he to my requests to keeping oil
said, "It could very well be that the prices at reasonable levels ‑‑ so
Crown Prince had knowledge of important for the world," he said.
this tragic event ‑‑ maybe he did The president also said that his
and maybe he didn't! That being decision was made in the "absolute
said, we may never know all of the security and safety of America,"
facts surrounding the murder of emphasizing that Riyadh is very
Mr. Jamal Khashoggi," Continued on page 4

TRAVEL 18 LIFE & LETTERS 23 CORPORATE LAW 27 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30 excellence in journalism
 2 November 24-30, 2018 TRISTATE COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

RANAʼs Diwali gala attracts 600

Melville, NY: The Rajasthan
Association of North America
(RANA) in New York celebrat‑
ed Diwali in a grand way on
November 18 at Huntington
Hilton Hotel here.
There were over 600 atten‑
dees, making it the best attend‑
ed Diwali in 20 years of RANA.
The central part of the execu‑
tive hour of the evening was
the award ceremony where
four selected distinguished Honoree Prem Bhandari Gala Chair Haridas Kotahwala
Manisha Jhalani, accompanied by husband Shailesh, presenting flowers to his wife, posing with Guest of Honor
people were honored: Prem honored at the event. Dr. Rekha Bhandari at the event. music maestro Pt Jasraj.
Bhandari, Dr. Smita Lodha,
Renu Jain and Manisha Jhalani.
Besides the four honorees,
Padma Vibhushan Sangeet RANA Diwali 2018 Honorees
Martand Pandit Jasraj and
entrepreneur Chintu Patel
were also recognized for their
accomplishments.
There was live entertainment
– music and dance followed by
vegetarian dinner and sweets
smorgasbord to die for.
Formed in 1999, RANA is a
well‑known association for the
Rajasthani community and it
now has over 300 life mem‑
bers. Besides the annual Holi
and Diwali celebrations RANA
has so far organized four Renu Jain
International Rajasthani a financial Dr Smita Lodha practices
Conventions attended by then consultant by profession, medicine in Queens with her
Prem Bhandari is Chairman of husband, Dr Ajay Lodha, and Manisha Jhalani is a GIA
Chief Ministers of Rajasthan as Jaipur Foot USA and a prominent is well known for her gemologist and takes part in her
multiple talents, social is an active member of
well as Maharaja of Jodhpur activist for the recognition of organizations like RANA, AAPI familyʼs jewelry business as well
Rajasthani language. service and philanthropy. as social and charitable causes.
and Maharana of Udaipur. and AAPI‐QLI and RAJMAI.
Coincidentally, this year
RANA Diwaliʼs beautiful venue,
Hilton Huntington is owned by
Star Attractions RANA RANA
Navika Group. Naveen Shah, a Executive Board Past Presidents
founder of RANA, is founding
CEO of Navika Group.
Shashi Shah MD Anand Nahar,
Navika Group recently also President KK Mehta,
acquired the Uniondale
Marriott, the largest hotel in Dashrath Dugar Naveen Shah,
Nassau County. Vice President Ajay Lodha,
Rajeev K. Pandya Rajeev Garg,
RANA Diwali
Secretary Haridas Kotahwala,
2018 Chair Chandra Sukhwal Narendra Hadpawat,
Padma Vibhushan Pandit Jasraj Congresswoman Grace Meng Treasurer Ajey Jain
Anu Jain
Joint Treasurer RANA Patrons
Dr. CS Ranawat,
RANA Founders Kamal C. Surana,
Arvind Bhandari, Dharam C. Hirawat,
Kamlesh C. Mehta, Anand Nahar,
Krishna K. Mehta, KK Mehta,
Haridas Kotahwala, Naveen Shah, Haridas Kotahwala
Eminent jeweler and
Deputy Consul General Rajesh Shah & Sunil Shah ***************
Chairman of Navika Group Entrepreneur Chintu Patel
Shatrughan Sinha
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY November 24-30, 2018 3

AIA, the mother of Indian Judge halts Trump's

organizations, celebrating 50 years
New York: The National executive
committee of the Association of
Indians in America (AIA) has
announced its Golden Jubilee cele‑
bration at the Garden City
Hotel in Long Island on
December 1, 2018.
Banquet Chairman
R a v i s h a n k a r
Bhooplapur and
Smithi Khanna – Chair
of Media stated, “AIA ‑
National is the oldest
grassroot Indian organ‑
ization in America, estab‑
lished in 1967 to help new
arrivals from India to settle in their
adopted homeland. The AIA was
also instrumental in resettlement of
Indians from Uganda fleeing to
escape the tyranny of Idi Amin. ”
T heir press re lease continued,
“Since then AIA has been a pioneer
in serving the causes of Asian
Indians in America, addressing their
issues re lated to Professional
Licensing, Immigration, Racial &
Professional Discrimination, Civil
Rights, Glass Ceiling and many
more.”
An achievement not that well
known in the Indian community is
asylum ban
that it was AIA at whose behest in
2003 Diwali celebration was started
in the White House. Especially mint‑
ed 1,000 commemorative silver
coins were issued to
mark the occasion
then.
Many of
AIAʼs honorees
and speakers
in the past
years include:
N o b l e
Laureates: S.
C h a n d r a s e kh a r
1973; Norman E.
Borlaug 1976; Lawrence R Klein
1981; Peace Corps of America
1991; and Amartya Sen 1994;
Leading artists such as Pt. Ravi
Shankar, Ustad Zakir Hussain,
Amjad Ali Khan, Zubin Mehta, Ali
Akbar Khan and Yehudi Menuhin;
and globally acclaimed academi‑
cians such as Prof Jagdish
Bhagwati, Margaret Meade, Prof T.
N. Srinivasan, Robert A. F. Thurman.
President of AIA National, Dr.
Urmilesh Arya added, “The first ever
public event of Diwali celebration
was organized by AIA at South
Street Seaport in New York City in
Some top dignitaries are expect‑
ed to address the gala on Dec 1.
Guest of Honor will be
Bollywood actor Anupam Kher.
1987 with features that include live
stage shows, spectacular fireworks
in water (Hudson/East River), food
stalls on the roadside in lower
Manhattan. It has been attended by
hundreds of thousands of people
each year and the tradition contin‑
ues.”
Some top dignitaries are expected
to address the gala. Guest of Honor
will be Bollywood actor Anupam
Kher. Part of this event is sponsored
by Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New
York,
and Wyckof f Heights Medical
Center, Brooklyn.
San Francisco: A US federal judge
has stopped the Trump adminis‑
tration from refusing asylum to
immigrants who cross the coun‑
try's southern border illegally.
US District Judge Jon S. Tigar
issued a temporary restraining
order after hearing arguments on
Monday in San Francisco, NBC
News reported.
The request was made by the
American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU) and the Centre for
Const itut ional Rig hts, which
quickly sued the administration
after Trump issued the ban earli‑
er this month in response to the
caravans of migrants that have
started to arrive at the US‑Mexico
border.
In a proclamation on November
9, Trump said that anyone who
crossed the southern border
would be ineligible for asylum.
T he regulations, which will
remain in place for three months
absent a court order, could poten‑
tially make it harder for thou‑
sands of people who enter the US
to avoid deportation.
In recent years, tens of thou‑
sands of immigrants each year
have shown up in the Arizona
desert or on the north bank of the
Rio Grande in Texas, surrendered
to immig rat ion agents and
requested asylum, NBC News
said.
The Department of Homeland
Security estimates around 70,000
people a year claim asylum
between official ports of entry.
Trump has argued that the
migrant caravans were a threat to
national security. Around 3,000
people from the first of the cara‑
vans have arrived in Tijuana,
Mexico, across the border from
San Diego, California.
US Customs and Border
Protect ion said earlier on
Monday that it closed off north‑
bound traffic for several hours at
the San Ysidro crossing.
It has also installed movable,
wire‑topped barriers, apparently
to stop a potential mass rush of
people.
As of Monday, 107 people
detained between of ficial cross‑
ings have sought asylum since
Trump's order went into effect.

NFIA elects first woman as President

By Surekha Vijh
The South Asian Times
Washington DC: The National Federation of
Indian‑American Association (NFIA) cele‑
brated their 20th anniversary with a strong
and optimistic message by electing a woman
as their first President.
“Itʼs a great achievement,” said Dr. Thomas
Abraham, the GOPIO and NFIA founder pres‑
ident beaming with pride. “We are the first
from all major Indian‑American organiza‑
tions to do so.”
Besides Angela Anand as President, the
NFIA also elected five other women, includ‑
ing Padma Gupta, Radie lle Varg hese,
Lavanya Reddy, Vasu Pawar, and Aparna
Handa to the executive committee at the
NFIA General Body Meeting on Nov 28.
“Itʼs creating history,” said Sohan P. Joshi,
former NFIA chairman.
Angela Anand called it an honor as well as
big responsibility while accepting the covet‑
ed position. “We are looking forward to see‑
ing many advancements in various fields,
including technology,” she said. “We want to
Incoming President Angela Anand (front row, 5th from left) and
the new executive committee.
see participation of new generation and
more women in the coming years.”
The theme of this yearʼs biennial NFIA
convention held at Sheraton in Tysons, VA
on Nov 16‑17 was “We are going places”
and the main focus was on Building Next
Generation of Leaders.
Nine members of the community were
honored for their achievements in their
respective fields. They included entrepre‑
neur Danny Gaekwad and aerospace engi‑
neer Ajay Kothari as well as Shweta Misra
(Dance), Dr. Aman Mann (Health), Koshy
Thomas (Media), Aloke Dasgupta (Sitar) and
Nami Kaur (Nonprofits).
The convention began with a White House
briefing on the Trump administrationʼs
“policies on issues of interest to Indian
Americans” and a reception hosted by
Indian Ambassador Navtej Sarna. He con‑
gratulated NFIA for their relentless work
towards the communityʼs uplift and improv‑
ing Indo‑US relations.
The second day of the convention included
panel discussions and entertainment. The
panel on technology discussed, “Did we bite
more than we can chew?” featuring
Gaekwad and Dr. Satyam Priyadarshy, Chief
Data Scientist of Halliburton.
The evening cultural program featured
Aloke Dasgupta, who studied under Ustad
Ali Akbar Khan and has performed with
George Harrison and the Rolling Stones.
The delegates came from all over the
country. The convention was held under the
presidentship of Sudip Gorakshakar of
Artesia, Calif. Overseeing the event were
Convener Pooja T homre and Secretary
Lavanya Reddy and four conveners: Angela
Anand from Virginia, Y.N. Gupta from
Maryland, Pat Patnaik from California and
Raj Razdan from Georgia.
Founded in 1980, NFIA is an umbrella
organization of several community groups.
 4 November 24-30, 2018
Sikh asylum cases
rise as Canada admits
revival of separatism
Chandigarh: The number of asylum
seekers in Canada from India, a major‑
ity of them Sikhs, has soared by over
300 per cent in the past two years
alone, with the Canadian government
agencies acknowledging "renewed
support for separatism in the Punjab
region".
T he 'Refugee Claims Analysis
Report' (RCAR), compiled by the
Intelligence and Analysis section of
the Canada Border Services Agency
(CBSA), which IANS has accessed,
shows that in the first six months of
2018, the number of refugee claims
(asylum seeking applications) shot up
to 1,805, surpassing the total figure of
1,487 claims made in the entire 2017.
The refugee claims made in the first
six months of 2018 are over 310 per
cent of the total claims made in 2016,
which stood at 582. Canadian authori‑
ties expect the number of cases to
jump to 4,200 this year ‑ an increase
of nearly 720 per cent over 2016 and
nearly 285 per cent compared to fig‑
ures of 2017. Most claims were filed
in Quebec province region, specifically
at Montreal Immigration, the RCAR
pointed out. 1,088 of these were male
applicants and 717 female.
The RCAR, in a critical tone, pointed
out: "A frequent basis of claim cited by
Indian nationals is the fear of arbi‑
trary arrest or abuse by the police
based on accusations of supporting
militant organizations. It should be
noted that the vast majority of these
claims are filed by Indian Sikhs." Basis
of claims include honor killings, politi‑
cal persecution of opposition party
supporters, and discrimination based
on sexual orientation, the report stat‑
ed. From the 15th rank among coun‑
tries in 2016 from where refugee
claims were coming, India touched a
Chairman and Co-Founder
Kamlesh C. Mehta
Kamlesh@thesouthasiantimes.info
Co-Founder: Saroosh Gull
President: Arjit Mehta
Arjit@thesouthasiantimes.info
Chief Executive Officer
Shomik Chaudhuri P: 646.498.5122
shomik@shomikchaudhuri.com
Chief Operating Officer
Ginsmon P. Zacharia P: 516.776.7061
ginsmon@hotmail.com
Printed Every Saturday by: Forsythe Media Group, LLC, ISSN 1941-9333, 95 Broadway, Suite 2, Second Floor, Town Center Building, Hicksville, NY 11801 P: 516.390.7847
Website: TheSouthAsianTimes.info Updated Daily
Notice: The South Asian Times is published weekly by The Forsythe Media Group, LLC. POSTMASTER: Send all address notices, subscription orders/payments and other inquiries to The South Asian
Times, 95 Broadway, Suite 2, Second Floor, Town Center Building, Hicksville, NY 11801, USA. Copyright and all other rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be reprinted without the
consent of the publisher. The views expressed on the opinion pages and in the letters to the editor pages are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of The South Asian Times. The editor/
publisher does not warrant accuracy and cannot be held responsible for the content of the advertisements placed in the publication and/or inaccurate claims, if any, made by the advertisers. Advertisements of
business or facilities included in this publication do not imply connection or endorsement of these businesses. All rights reserved.
dubious No. 2 rank, right behind
Nigeria.
Significantly, the Canadian authori‑
ties have officially acknowledged that
there was mounting tension between
the Indian government and the Sikh
population and the renewed support
for separatism in Punjab.
"Tensions are rising between the
Indian government and the country's
Sikh population due to concern over
renewed support for separatism in the
Punjab region. Between the 1970s
and 1990s, the Khalistan movement
called for the establishment of a Sikh
homeland in Punjab. Contemporary
support has since re‑emerged around
proposals for an unof ficial referen‑
dum of the global Sikh diaspora in
2020 on the question of independ‑
ence," the report stated.
"Government officials argue that the
Sikh diaspora is attempting to revive
the region's former militant independ‑
ence movement. These worries are
reflected in reports of extradition
requests and arrests of suspected
Khalistani militants.
"Critics argue that arbitrary deten‑
tion and false charges of militancy are
being used by the state to silence calls
for self‑determination. Basis of claim
analysis also indicates that Sikhs regu‑
larly report detention, assault and tor‑
ture by police based on vague accusa‑
tions of supporting militants.
"As government pushback against
the Sikh community continues, fear of
arbitrary arrest and abuse by authori‑
ties will likely prompt more Indian
Sikhs to leave the country," the report
pointed out, analyzing the of ficial
comments as 'X‑factor' for the steep
rise in the number of asylum seekers
in Canada from Sikh‑dominated
Punjab.
Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra
P : 516.710.0508
parveen.chopra@gmail.com
Associate Editor
Hiral Dholakia-Dave
hiral@thesouthasiantimes.info
Contributing Editors: Prof. Shivaji
Sengupta, Surekha Vijh (Washington, DC),
Suchitra Srinivas (New Jersey),
Melvin Durai, Dr Prem Kumar Sharma,
Ashok Vyas, and Dr Akshat Jain
New Delhi Bureau
Meenakshi Iyer
Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
TURN PAGE
Trump backs Saudi
Prince over
Khashoggi murder
Continued from page 1
important to Washington in the
"fight against Iran" and maintain‑
ing the kingdom as a partner is
vital to "our paramount goal to
fully eliminate the threat of ter‑
rorism throughout the world!"
"Very simply it is called America
First!" the statement reads in
closing. Khashoggi, who was a
columnist for The Washington
Post, died October 2 inside the
Saudi Consulate in Istanbul,
where he had gone to obtain doc‑
uments enabling him to marry
his Turkish fiancee.
Weeks later, the Saudi govern‑
ment acknowledged that he was
killed inside the consulate and
last T hursday the kingdom's
attorney general announced he
would seek the death penalty for
five of the 11 suspects charged in
connection with the journalist's
death.
In a press conference in Riyadh,
Saud al‑Mojeb insisted that the
crown prince had not had any
prior knowledge of the operation,
whose original aim was to bring
Khashogg i back to Riyad h.
Trump awaited a CIA report on
Tuesday about Khashoggi's mur‑
der, which, according to media
accounts, contains the conclusion
that MbS, as the crown prince is
known, had ordered Khashoggi's
assassination. The statement,
apparently dictated by Trump
and full of exclamation points,
begins with his "America First"
slogan, followed by a warning
that "The world is a very danger‑
ous place!" and a tirade against
Iran's activities in the Middle
East.
EU seeks to boost
ties with India
Continued from page 1
India in order to address together
Jaipur Bureau
Prakash Bhandari
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Photographs
Xitij Joshi/xitijphoto.com
Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah
Art and Design: Dhiraj Kumar Showaan
Bharat Bhushan Chopra
Senior Designer: Vladimir Tomovski
Consultants
Shomik Chaudhuri, Inc.
Ginsmon Zacharia & Family Inc
Sai Creations Inc, Bhagwati Creations
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
global challenges, to promote ners nearly 22,000 square feet of
together economic growth and to
expand together business oppor‑
sophisticated indoor venues,
including the Grand Ballroom.
tunities," she said. Venues are ideal for weddings,
"The EU and India are commit‑ conferences, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs
ted to seize opportunities to sup‑ and other celebrations.
port and promote effective multi‑
lateralism and solutions whenev‑
er peace and stability are in dan‑
Navika Capital Group is a com‑
mercial real estate company
owned by a group of Indian
ger" added the EU foreign policy American investors.
chief. The company invests its capital
“As an emerging global power, primarily in income producing
India plays a key role in the cur‑ and cash flow generating assets
rent multipolar world. To main‑ comprising limited and full service
tain the rules‑based global order, hotels, office buildings, shopping
therefore, it is vital that the EU centers and multi‑family housing.
and India implement effective The Company aspires to become a
multilateralism and global eco‑ publicly traded REIT with its
nomic governance. motto of Conventional Wisdom
“The EU will seek to consoli‑ and Forward Thinking.
date dialogue on multilateral
issues, and to coordinate posi‑ Sliding stocks wipe out
tions with India. Cooperation in gains of 2018
the framework of the UN, the Continued from page 1
WTO and the G20 will be of pri‑ A tech sector sell‑of f continued
ority. Tuesday, with Apple leading the
“The EU will seek more coordi‑ fray. Tongues wagged and mar‑
nation between its initiatives and kets moved last week after
those of its Member States Lumentum, one of Apple's major
towards India. The EU and its suppliers, reported a request to
Member States will work togeth‑ reduce shipments to an unnamed
er to provide a better under‑ high‑volume customer.
standing of the EU in India. They Apple extended losses this week,
will also work to make the EU's falling by 4.5 percent on Tuesday
public diplomacy more effective.” and edging towards bear territory
Finally, the Joint as investors feared consumers
Communication proposes that would not be snapping up the lat‑
the EU considers the possibility est iPhones over the all‑important
to negotiate with India a Strategic holiday season.
Partnership Agreement, in order FAANG stocks ̶ and investors
to update the 1994 EU‑India ̶ had enjoyed a record summer
Cooperation Agreement. that culminated in Apple and
Amazon both becoming trillion‑
Navika Group acquires dollar companies. But in October
Long Island Marriott Facebook, Amazon and Netflix all
Continued from page 1 slumped in value as concern
price. Navika also owns the intensified over the impact on tech
Huntington Hilton in Melville and firms of the continued tit‑for‑tat
about 60 hotels and motels across over trade.
the country. The downward slide continued
The iconic Uniondale hotel is Tuesday, with investor concerns
known for its excellent service, over rising interest rates fanning
spacious rooms and premium the flames of extended geopoliti‑
amenities. It of fers event plan‑ cal concerns.
News Service
IANS News Service
HT Media Ltd.
Printing: Five Star Printing, NY
Contacts
Editor@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Subscribe@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Advertisements
Advertise@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
P: 516.390.7847, F: 360.323.0036
Website
www.TheSouthAsianTimes.info
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE November 24-30, 2018 5

Legislation introduced in US
Congress to protect work
authorization of H1B spouses
Washington, DC: A legislation seeking to
prohibit the Trump administration from
revoking the work authorization of spous‑
es of H1‑B visa holders, which include
Indians, has been introduced in the US
Congress by two lawmakers who said that
eliminating this benefit would force many
foreign workers to use their talents to
compete against American businesses. H‑4
visas are issued to the spouses of H‑1B for‑
eign workers. It is the most sought‑after
visa among Indian IT professionals. H‑4
The community created atmosphere of 'Chatth' reminiscent of celebrations as in India. visas are issued only to very close or
immediate family members of the H‑1B
the two lawmakers said after introducing
the bill in the House.
The H‑4 Employment Protection Act pro‑
hibits the Trump administration from
revoking this important rule, which it is
expected to do by the end of the year, they
said. "Protecting work authorization for
these H‑4 visa holders is a matter of both
economic fairness and family unity," Eshoo
said. "Eliminating this benefit would create
a painful choice for many immigrants to
either split up their families or return to
their home countries and use their talents
to compete against American businesses,"

BJANA celebrates Chatth visa holders.

The move by lawmakers Anna G Eshoo
and Zoe Lofgren to introduce the H‑4
Eshoo said. "These are American citizens‑
in‑waiting, stuck in line for their number
to come up," Congressman Lofgren said.

Pooja in New Jersey

New York: The Bihar‑Jharkand Association of
North America (BJANA) held a Chatth Pooja
ceremony on Tuesday, November 13 at
Thompson Park in Monroe Township, New
Jersey. Despite the bitter cold, the emotion and
significance of the evening drew in attendees
from Vancouver to Michigan and brought back
memories of Chatth in India.
Deputy Consul General Shatrughan Sinha
also attended the event and he was very happy
to see the Indian American community per‑
forming Chhath on a very large scale. In addi‑
tion, the entire BJANA community joined arms
to cultivate the true atmosphere of Chatth and
women in homes across the state churned out
upwards of a thousand sweets for offerings.
Employment Protection Act comes amidst
determination by the Trump administra‑
tion to revoke an Obama‑era rule that
extends work authorization to the spouses
of H‑1B visa holders. Since the rule was
implemented, over 100,000 workers,
mainly women, that too from India have
received employment authorization,
improving the US' competitiveness and
lessening the economic burden on thou‑
sands of H‑1B workers and their families,
"Prohibiting H‑1B dependent spouses from
working is of no benefit to our country,
and if allowed to move forward, many of
these families that can contribute so much
to our workforce will simply move to coun‑
tries with a more sensible approach to
immigration. This much‑needed bill will
block the Trump administration from
needlessly harming our economy and the
lives of skilled immigrant families,"
Lofgren said.

RAVI BATRA HAILS NEOMI
RAO’S NOMINATION
TO DC COURT
New York: “Ranju Batra, who secured the Diwali Stamp
from USPS in 2016 and since 2017 is chair of Diwali
Foundation USA, joins me in thanking President Donald
Trump for the singular honor of nominating Neomi Rao
to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to fill the seat vacat‑
ed by now‑Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The President
made the announcement while celebrating Diwali at
the White House, surrounded by loyal Indian‑
Americans he has appointed or nominated and Indiaʼs
Ambassador Navtej Sarna, wearing the India‑USA flag
pin. It portends to be an act of judicial victory of Good
over Evil with Constitutional flair,” said Ravi Batra, an
eminent attorney, in a statement to The South Asian
Times. Batra continued, “President Trumpʼs celebra‑
tion of Indian‑Americans and genuine friendship
towards India and PM Modi, including his daughter
Ivankaʼs, is an asset and an opportunity for India to
stretch and honor‑in‑fact and in full measure this gen‑
uine historic overture. Anything less will leave all of us
Indian‑Americans in the dust who have tried for over
50 years to have a Special Relationship, second to
none, between the United States and India. At the Diya‑
lighting, President Trump has given the sweetest Diwali
gift in our nation of laws that no doctor would object
to: a seat on the second highest court in our land.
Nassau County hosts Asian Media breakfast
By SATimes Team
Mineola, NY: Nassau County
Executive Laura Curran and her
executive staf f on November 15
joined members of the Asian media
and community members for a dis‑
cussion about the administrationʼs
priority agenda and opportunities
for community engagement.
Among the Indian ethnic media,
The South Asian Times marked its
presence with three representa‑
tives. T hen there were Bangla,
Urdu, Punjabi, Chinese, and Korean Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and Farrah Mozawalla, Deputy Director of Minority
papers and TV channels. Present at Affairs (in the middle) with the media persons.
the meeting were also a few members of Deputy County Executive for Health and county.
the Asian Advisory Board Abdul including Human Services, as well as Mike Martino, The event also became an opportunity
Dr. Bhavani Srinivasan and Satnam Director of Communications. They all and for the county administration to assure
Parhar. Farrah Mozawalla, Deputy Director of the minority communities that there is no
Deputy County Executives present Minority Af fairs, answered questions place in Nassau for discrimination on the
included Tatum Fox, Deputy County related to their departments. basis of color, religion or nation of origin.
Executive for Public Safety; Evlyn Tsimis, In reply to a question, County Executive In fact, hate crimes here are almost negli‑
Deputy County Executive for Economic Laura Curran said that because of budget‑ gible. In routine matters, your immigra‑
Development; Mark Page, Deputy County ary constraints, her administration can‑ tion status is irrelevant, yet federal laws
Executive Finance; Brian Schneider, not support the media by way of adver‑ are followed where relevant, which was
Deputy County Executive for Parks and tisements. She, however, acknowledged tantamount to the county not being a
Public Works; and Kyle Rose‑Louder, and cheered the growing diversity in her ʻsanctuary.ʼ
 6 November 24-30, 2018 TRISTATE COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir celebrates Diwali in Parsippany.

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandirs across North America marked the auspicious festival of Diwali and its associated five days of celebrations with an elaborate Annakut, light‑
ed divos, fireworks, and even a special children's Diwali celebration. The celebrations were open to all. Visitors participated in celebration activities, offered prayers for new
beginnings and had the opportunity to taste in the delicious offerings of the Annakut. Mahant Swami Maharaj took the occasion of Diwali to remind individuals and families
about the importance of leading spiritually‑centric lives, grounded in strong values and increased attachment to God.

IALI donates generously to

The INN for Diwali Food Drive

Dynamic and young physician achievers, Drs. Preeti and Nilesh Mehta,
were recognized for their services.

AAPI-QLI honors contributions

IALI members handing over the check to The INN
T
he India Association of Long Island (IALI)
has been partners with The Interfaith
Nutrit ion Network (INN) in fig ht ing
hunger on Long Island for the past 23 years to
help those in need across Long Island. Peter
Bheddah, started the Diwali Food Drive, all those
years ago, and it quickly gained momentum. Dev
Ratnam joined the INN Board, to continue the
charitable work. IALI presidents over the years
and their executive committees and members all
pitched in with donations of food, medications,
clothes and of course money, to help those in
need and want across Long Island. IALI has
helped to bring food to 800,000 to hungry and
homeless Long Islanders. IALI is close to reach‑
ing 1,000,000 meals very soon.
On Sunday, November 11 this year, for the
Diwali food drive, IALI gave a very generous
check of $17000/‑ to INN to continue this exem‑
plary service. This amount was accumulated by
donations by IALI members and major sponsors
Peter Beddah, Dr. Kishore Kunchum, Indu
Chhabra and friends and Raj & Jyoti Gandhi.
The festive Diwali event took place at the Mary
Brennan Inn, Hempstead. The program was
admirably emceed by Dr. Bhavani Srinivasan. A
ceremonial lamp was lit by the dignitaries pres‑
ent, Tony Santino, former Supervisor Town of
Hempstead, Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby, Mr.
and Mrs. Bheddah, Mrs. Indu Chhabra, Dev
Ratnam, IALI President Gunjan Rastogi, IALI
Officers and Executive Council members. Mrs.
Aruna Saxena was honored for being the Chair of
Diwali Food Drive for last six years. A large num‑
ber of IALI members were in attendance for the
celebration.
of community at Diwali gala
Long Island, NY: “Tonight, our coming
together here as members and support‑
ers of AAPI‑QLI, is a way of celebrating
the achievements, contributions of our
Indian American community, and cherish
our ancient and rich cultural heritage,”
said Dr. Jagdish K Gupta, President of
American Association of Physicians of
Indian Origin, Queens and Long Island
Chapter (AAPI‑QLI) in his we lcome
address. “We are here tonight to cele‑
brate Diwali, the festival of lights, the fes‑
tival of the celebration of the victory of
goodness over evil,” Dr. Gupta, a practic‑
ing Gastroenterologist, serving the com‑
munity for over 40 years, told the audi‑
ence at the annual Diwali gala at the
magnificent Leonardʼs Palazzo on Long
Island on November 4, 2018.
The annual Diwali event organized
active chapter of national AAPI, we are
celebrating the achievements of our com‑
munity and our many contributions to
the diverse society in New York and Long
Island area.” Dr. Naresh Parikh, AAPI
President graced the occasion as guest of
honor and Ambassador Sandeep
Chakravorty, Consul General of New York
was the chief guest. In his address, Dr.
Parikh described AAPI‑QLI as the most
vibrant, transformative and politically
active chapter among all AAPI chapters
in the nation.” Dr. Parikh referred to the
fact that Indian American Physicians
serve every 7th patient in the nation and
contribute enormously to the healthcare
industry of the United States.
At the gala, two very dynamic and
young physician achievers, Drs. Preeti
and Nilesh Mehta, were recognized for

PBD registration now till Dec 15th under the leadership of Dr. Gupta, Dr.
Ajay Lodha, Chair BOT, Dr. Raj Bhayani,
their humane, state of the art services to
the residents of Queens, Nassau and

T
he last date for reg istrat ion for
Pravasi Bharat iya Diwas (PBD)
Convent ion 2019, being he ld in
Varanasi from 21‑23 January 2019 has been
extended to December 15th, 2018. On the
sidelines of PBD Convention, the partner
State Uttar Pradesh is organizing the 4th UP
Pravasi Diwas on January 21st in Varanasi,
which will be graced by the Chief Minister
chairman of the function and executive Suffolk Counties. Also, AAPI‑QLI recog‑
Yogi Aditya Nath. During the State Pravasi
committee of AAPI‑QLI, attended by over nized Nargis Dutt Cancer Foundation for
Bharatiya Diwas, selected overseas Indians
300 guests, including AAPIQLI members, its decades long services, relieving and
will also be honored with prestigious Uttar
physicians, sponsors, community leaders supporting the poorest and needy cancer
Pradesh Ratna Award to recognize their con‑
and crème de la crème of Indian patients and their families in India for
tributions to various fields both in India and
Community. Dr. Ajay Lodha, past nation‑ over 37 years. Ramesh Goel, MBA, a sim‑
abroad. The registration process for awards
al President of AAPI, in his address, laud‑ ple, down to earth community leader,
is open on the website www.upnri.com. The
ed the many achievements of the Indian was recognized for his services to many
website for UP NRIs has also been launched,
Americans. “Tonight, as proud members religious and professional alumni organi‑
namely, www.upnrigrs.in
of the AAPI‑QLI, the largest and most zations.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL November 24-30, 2018 7

US based alumni couple donates

$1million to BITS‑Pilani
New Delhi: Premier engineering
and science institute BITS Pilani
has announced that it received a
USD 1 million pledge from a US‑
based alumni couple for its cam‑
pus programmes, the largest indi‑
vidual donation ever received by
the institution.
The couple ‑‑ Prashanth and
Anuradha Palakurthi ‑‑ made the
announcement on Friday, during
the ruby anniversary celebrations
of Prashanth's 1978‑83 batch.
More than 200 alumni of the
batch have gathered from all over
the world to relive their campus
memories in the desert town of
Pilani in Rajasthan from
November 16‑18.
Warmly welcoming the contri‑
but ion, Prof Souvik
Bhattacharyya, Vice‑Chancellor,
BITS Pilani, termed the announce‑
ment by the Palakurthi's as
donation will also help "provide
seed fund support to new faculty,
and he lp set up advanced
research labs to purse institution‑
al research agenda."
"I be lieve Prashanth and
Anuradha have started a brilliant
endeavor to propel BITS Pilani to
the next level; I understand they
will continue to support and I
invite other eminent Alumni to
support us in our e f forts,"
Bhattacharyya said at the event.
Prashanth Palakurthi is the
Founder and CEO of US‑based
Reflexis Systems, and his wife
Prashanth and Anuradha Palakurthi (Image courtesy: ndtv.com) Anuradha, the founder of Juju
Productions, is a professional
"momentous and a game changing would help provide an additional singer and radio personality in the
gesture." thrust to Research by way of United States.
"With this pledge, BITS Pilani is attracting research driven faculty, Speaking at the gala event com‑
launching a campaign to set up a post‑doctoral fellows and research memorating 40 years of his entry
Rs. 100 crore Research scholars," he said. to BITS Pilani, Mr. Prashanth said
Endowment Fund. T his fund Prof Bhattacharyya said the that "we wanted to give back to
our alma mater which gave us so
much and where we started our
journey."
Anuradha, who joined BITS in
1984, said the institute has needs
in several areas including infra‑
structure and research.
"We hope our contribution is
followed up by many more from
the family of hugely successful
alumni," she said.
Prof A K Sarkar, Campus
Director, Pilani, applauded the
donation and said, "The Research
Endowment Fund would be instru‑
mental for our journey to pursue
our agenda for Inst itute of
Eminence (IoE) in the years to
come."
BITS Pilani was conferred the
'Institute of Eminence (IoE)' status
in July by the Union government
alongside IISc Bangalore, IIT Delhi
and IIT Bombay. (PTI)

Sujit Saraf’s ‘Harilal and Sons’ Lawyer Chitra Aiyar named to NYCʼs
shortlisted for 2018 DSC Prize Commission on Gender Equity
New York, NY: Mayor Bill de Blasio and first gy and commitment,” added McCray, the com‑

for South Asian Literature lady Chirlane McCray Nov. 13 announced six missionʼs co‑chair. “With their leadership, the
new members to the cityʼs Commission on Commission will continue its important work
New York: Indian American Gender Equity, with Indian American Chitra of protecting the economic and reproductive
writer and engineer Sujit Saraf Aiyar among those named. rights of women, girls and
is among six authors whose nov‑ In addition to Aiyar, the gender‑non conforming
els have been shortlisted for the executive director at Sadie New Yorkers.” T he
$25,000 DSC Prize for South Nash Leadership Project, the Commission on Gender
Asian Literature 2018. others named to the com‑ Equity develops and sup‑
Saraf has been nominated for mission were ports policies that promote
his fourth book, “Harilal and Councilmember Diana Ayala, opportunities for cisgender
Sons.” He debuted as an author Edelman New York execu‑ and transgender women
in 1994 with the novel, “Limbo.” tive vice president Andrea and girls in all areas,
His 2007 book, “The Peacock Hagelgans, Turning Point including employment,
Throne,” was shortlisted for the for Women and Families housing, childcare, educa‑
Encore Prize in London. His founder Robina Niaz; New tion, health and reproduc‑
third novel, “The Confession of York Urban League presi‑ tive justice, criminal justice,
Sultana Daku,” is being made dent and CEO Arva Rice, and and public safety. It advises
Sujit Saraf is a multifaceted personality Councilmember Carlina Chitra Aiyar (Image : sadienash.org) the mayor and City Council
into a motion picture, starring
‑ a space scientist, theatre director
Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Rivera. The agency is tasked on initiatives and methods
and an author.
In “Harilal and Sons,” which is with supporting city agencies in dismantling to reduce gender‑based inequality. “At this
said to be inspired by his grandfatherʼs Saraf, who received an engineering institutional barriers for women, girls, and particular moment in our political history,
life, Saraf takes readers on an epic jour‑ degree from IIT Delhi and a Ph.D. from New Yorkers of all gender identities and thereʼs no place Iʼd rather be than in a room
ney from Shekhavati in Rajasthan, to the the University of California, Berkeley, expressions. filled with smart committed leaders in New
Calcutta of the early twentieth century, works in Palo Alto, Calif., where he con‑ “We canʼt be the fairest big city if we donʼt York City committed to dismantling gender‑
to Bogra in East Bengal, and to a village ducts research on space missions and make sure all New Yorkers – regardless of based barriers,” said Aiyar. “Iʼm thrilled to be
in Bihar in newly independent India. satellite control. He is also the founder gender – can live up to their full potential,” joining the Commission on Gender Equity and
It follows the story of Harilal as he and artistic director of Naatak, the pre‑ said de Blasio in a statement. “These new look forward to diving into the work to make
sets up Harilal & Sons, a shop selling mier Indian theater company in the San members will bring invaluable expertise to the New York City a role model for the nation.”
jute, cotton, spices, rice, cigarettes and Francisco Bay Area. Commission and
soap that grows into a large enterprise. Three Indian‑origin authors who are
It is also the sweeping tale of his two contending for the much‑coveted prize
help us strength‑
en opportunities Need an accountant / manager
wives and ever‑burgeoning family of include Jayant Kaikini for “No Presents for all who self‑ For Temple / Jain Center of America in Elmhurst, Queens NY.
sons, daughters, grandchildren, great‑ Please”; Manu Joseph for “Miss Laila identify as women Requirements: 100% vegetarian, detail oriented,
grandchildren and great‑great‑grand‑ Armed And Dangerous”; and Nee l in New York.” Proficiency in QB, Good knowledge of payable, receivable,
children ̶ the two strands of family Mukherjee for “A State Of Freedom.” “As we welcome
bank reconciliation, preparing and filing payroll taxes. We
and business inextricably fused because T he shortlist of six nove ls was six new members
will train.
a Marwariʼs life is defined by what he announced Nov. 14 by Rudrangshu to the
Any 4 days a week plus
ʻdeals in.ʼ Mukherjee, chair of the DSC Prize 2018 Commission on
Sunday is a must.
The novel ends in 1972, as 85‑year‑ jury pane l, at an event he ld at the Gender Equity we
Please reply with your resume to:
old Hari lies dying in the great mansion London School of Economics & Political also we lcome
Anu Jain, jainanu2005@gmail.com &
that he built but never actually lived in. Science. their wealth of
Kalpana Gandhi kalinuc@yahoo.com
experience, ener‑
 8 November 24-30, 2018
Former Oracle executive Thomas
Kurian to head Google Cloud
San Francisco: Indian‑American
Thomas Kurian, former Oracle
President of product develop‑
ment and technologist, is going
to head Google Cloud from early
next year, the tech giant has
announced.
T he current CEO of Goog le
Cloud Diane Greene will continue
through January, working with
Kurian to ensure a smooth transi‑
tion and will remain a Director
on the board of Alphabet,
Google's parent company.
Kurian, who is from Bengaluru
and worked at Oracle for 22
years reportedly quit over dis‑
ag reements w ith Execut ive
Chairman and CTO Larry Ellison
over the future course of the
company as Cloud business gets
highly competitive.
"Kurian, a respected technolo‑
gist and executive, will be joining
Google Cloud on November 26
and transitioning into the Google
Nearly 1.9 lakh Indian
students studying in US
universities: Report
New Delhi: The number of Indians
studying in the United States has
increased by 5.4 percent since
last year, according to the 2018
Open Doors Report on
International Educational
Exchange.
According to the report,
1,96,271 Indians are at present
studying in the US and this is the
fifth consecutive year during
which their strength has grown.
"Looking at the past 10 years of
data, the number of Indians going
to the United States has doubled.
The reasons are clear, Indian stu‑
dents are looking for a great edu‑
cation and the United States con‑
tinues to offer this," Joseph
Pomper, Minister Counselor for
Consular Affairs, said at the
report launch in New Delhi. The
report said Indians makeup near‑
ly 18 percent of all international
students in the United States, sur‑
passed only by China. "India pro‑
vided the second highest amount
of graduate students and fourth‑
most undergraduates. Also of
note, the number of American stu‑
dents studying in India increased
to 4,704 ‑ 12.5 percent more than
the year before," it said, adding
the top places of origin for inter‑
national students studying in the
US were China, India, South
Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada,
Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, Mexico,
and Brazil. The top host states are
California, New York, Texas,
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Thomas Kurian
Cloud leadership role in early
2019," Greene said in a state‑
ment on Friday.
According to Goog le CEO
Sundar Pichai, under Greene's
leadership, Cloud has become an
incredible business built on
Google's decades of investment
in infrastructure, data security,
The report said
Indians make up
nearly 18 per cent
of all international
students in the
United States,
surpassed only
by China.
Massachusetts, Illinois,
Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and
Michigan.
"We are thrilled to see a signifi‑
cant increase in the number of
American university students
choosing India as a study abroad
destination. The student exchange
programs are one of the best
ways to foster meaningful rela‑
tionships and promote mutual
understanding between American
and Indian citizens," said Adam
Grotsky, Director of United States
‑ India Educational Foundation
(USIEF).
Open Doors Report is published
by the Institute of International
Education (IIE), which has con‑
ducted an annual statistical sur‑
vey on international students in
the United States since its found‑
ing in 1919 and in partnership
with the US Department of State's
Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs since 1972. (PTI)
and AI.
"We're really excited to wel‑
come T homas whose product
vision, customer focus, and deep
expertise will be a huge asset to
our growing Cloud business," he
said. Under Greene's leadership,
Google Cloud has moved from
having only two significant cus‑
tomers and a collection of start‑
ups to having major Fortune
1,000 enterprises betting their
future on Google Cloud. "We've
built a strong business together ‑
‑ set up by integrating sales, mar‑
keting, Google Cloud Platform
(GCP), and Google Apps/G Suite
into what is now called Google
Cloud," she noted.
Kurian said he "is excited to
join the fantastic Google Cloud
team at this important and prom‑
ising time." "I'm looking forward
to building on the success of
recent years as it enters its next
phase of growth." (IANS)
Sikh Meets World podcast gets talking
with NJ AG Gurbir Singh Grewal
Washington, D.C: The National
Sikh Campaign (NSC), the organi‑
zation behind the award‑winning
“We Are Sikhs” initiative, sat down
for a wide‑ranging interview with
the New Jersey Attorney General,
Gurbir Singh Grewal, for the cam‑
paignʼs Sikh Meets World podcast.
Sikh Meets World aims to explore
the lives of exemplary Sikhs in pol‑
itics, activism, sports, entertain‑
ment, business and more, in order
to understand their story and
career and ask their advice so oth‑
ers can do the same.
Attorney General Grewal is the
highest‑ranking Sikh public official
in the United States since
Congressman Dalip Singh Saund,
also the first Asian American
Congressman, who served in the
late 1950s. In the hour‑long inter‑
Indian food, culture, dance celebrated in Appleton
A non‑profit group cele‑
brated the role of women
in India Saturday night. It's
called IndUs of Fox Valley,
and celebrates Indo‑
American friendship and
goodwill. The group held
its annual banquet where
they showcased promi‑
nent women in the area,
and how they've made a
difference in the commu‑
nity. The group's president
said one of the most important parts of the banquet, was reaching the younger generation."So we
want them to be inspired by these women who have... overcome their challenges, and have become
an inspiration to all of us," said Sridevi Buddi, Indus of Fox Valley president. Good Day Wisconsin's
Rachel Manek emceed the event.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Teen shoots 61 year
old Telangana man
Ventnor, NJ: A man from
Telangana was shot dead by a
16‑year‑old boy here in a car‑
jacking incident on Nov 15.
Sunil Edla, 61, was killed by the
boy outside his residence at
around 8 pm local time.
Edla, who is from Medak dis‑
trict of Telangana, was working
as a night auditor in hospitality
industry in Atlantic City.
According to lo cal media
reports, Edla was leaving his
home to work on an overnight
shift, when the teen shot him and
escaped with his car. The victim
died on the spot.
The police on Friday tracked
the boy and arrested him. He has
been charged with murder, rob‑
bery, carjacking, and unlawful
possession of a handgun.
Edla, who had migrated to the
US in 1987, was to travel to India
later this month to visit his fami‑
ly. According to his relatives, he
view, the Attorney General shares
his childhood struggles with bully‑
ing & harassment, his motivation
for pursuing public service and
law enforcement, and his unlikely
path to the heights of New Jersey
politics.
Attorney General Grewal also
details his policy agenda for the
state of New Jersey on items such
as public corruption and police‑
community re lat ions, and his
thoughts on the state of our turbu‑
lent federal politics.
“The Attorney General Grewal is
perhaps the most visible Sikh in
the United States and he embodies
the Sikh American community's
commitment to public service said
Gurwin Singh Ahuja, co‑host of
Sikh Meets World and former
Obama White House and cam‑
Sunil Edla
had made all arrangements for a
two‑month trip to visit his moth‑
er for her 95th birthday and cel‑
ebrate Christmas with the family.
Edla was active in the commu‑
nity and was also known for
playing piano at churches in
Atlantic City.
(IANS)
paign of ficial. “T he Attorney
General also provides a clear
example that Sikhs are an impor‑
tant part of the fabric of the United
States and his success highlights
the prog ress that the Sikh
American community has made.”
The first season also includes
discussions with prominent Sikh
activists Pardeep Kaleka and for‑
mer W hite supremacist, Arno
Michae lis, Washington state
Senator Manka Kaur Dhingra, and
the first Sikh UFC fighter, Arjan
Singh Bhullar.
New episo des of Sikh Meets
World will be released monthly
and can be found on Apple iTunes,
Spotify, Goog le Play, Stitcher,
SoundCloud, and YouTube. To lis‑
ten to Sikh Meets World online,
visit www.SikhMeetsWorld.com.
(Source: fox11online.com)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIASPORA November 24-30, 2018 9

Chef Garima Arora first female Indian

restaurateur to receive Michelin star
Bangkok: Chef Garima Arora, who heads the
Bangkok based Gaa restaurant, has been
awarded the prestigious Michelin star.
It is being claimed that she is the first
Indian woman to get the honor.
Feeling proud on receiving the Michelin
star, Garima told IANS: "I am humbled that
Gaa restaurant has been honored with it. I am
proud of my team. It feels great when you get
appreciated for your hard work, and for my
team and me, the journey till now has been
great. Though it was painful but all the hard‑
ships were worth it."
Hailing from Mumbai, Garima launched Gaa
in 2017 in Bangkok and being an Indian, she
tried to bring Indian‑Thai cross culture
through the restaurant's menu.
Garima, who is an alumni of Le Cordon Bleu
Garima Arora
‑‑ Paris' popular culinary school, has worked (Image courtesy: mansworldindia.com)
with many renowned international chefs like
Gordan Ramsay and Rene Redzepi. sion, but with dedication and hard work and
But before stepping into the world of culi‑ focus, one can achieve whatever they want."
nary and cuisines, the 30‑year‑old chef also Asked if she has plans to open her restau‑
tried her hand at journalism. rant in India, she said not anytime soon.
She studied Mass Media from Mumbai's Jai But she wants to see Indian restaurants
Hind college but it was food which always expand their culture and heritage all over the
attracted Garima. world.
"I did journalism but it was not something "Indian restaurants are doing so good. India
which I was made for... after few years of my has a rich culture, history and heritage. We
work in journalism, I realized I have interest (Indians) do not have any need to adapt
for food and went to Paris for the culinary something from western countries, we have
course." Talking about her journey as chef such a diverse culture and being an Indian
and restaurateur, Garima said: "It is not an chef, I will always try to expand my culture
easy industry to be in but my family always across the globe and other chefs and restau‑
supported me. It is a very demanding profes‑ rateurs should also do the same." (IANS)

Lawmaker calls for action

in London Swaminarayan
temple burglaries
London: A veteran Indian‑origin
MP in the UK has urged the
British government to take a
decisive act ion ag ainst the
recent burglaries at two temples
in London and treat them as a
hate crime.
Virendra Sharma, a Labour
Party MP who represents the
suburb of Ealing Southall which
has a sizeable population of the
Indian‑origin people, raised the
issue during Justice Questions
in the House of Commons on
Tuesday following break‑ins at
two Swaminarayan temples in
north London. One of the stolen idols
"Within the last week, two sep‑
arate Hindu Temples, Shree Swaminarayan Prosecution Service (CPS).
Temple in Willesden and Shree Kutch "Activity of this sort, and if it is targeted
Satsang Swaminarayan Temple in Kenton, on the basis of religious belief, is complete‑
have been broken into and religious icons ly unacceptable. I am sure the whole House
have been stolen," Sharma said during is united in condemning that," Gauke told
questions addressed to UK Secretary of MPs. Scotland Yard said that investigations
State for Justice David Gauke. remain ongoing in both cases and that they
"Can the minister confirm that this will be are looking into a potential link between
treated as a hate crime, and not just the two burglaries.
ignored by the police, since it targeted peo‑ According to the President of the Shree
ple of one faith," he asked. Swaminarayan Mandir, Kurjibhai Kerai, the
The minister condemned the robberies Hari Krishna idols stolen last week had
and said that the specific incidents were a been with the temple since its opening in
matter for the police and Crown 1975.
 10 November 24-30, 2018
Trump admin denies reaching final
conclusion on Khashoggi's death
Washington DC: The State
Department here on Saturday said
that the country has not made a
final conclusion on the death of
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The US media quoted insiders
earlier on Friday as saying that the
CIA has concluded the Saudi crown
prince had ordered to kill
Khashoggi, reports Xinhua news
agency.
In a statement issued on
Saturday, State Department
spokesperson Heather Nauert said
that "recent reports indicating that
the US government has made a
final conclusion is inaccurate."
"There remain numerous unan‑
swered questions with respect to
the murder," she said.
The State Department will con‑
tinue to seek all relevant facts,
consult Congress and "explore
additional measures to hold those
GOPers prevail in Florida,
Georgia tight races
Rick Scott defeated incumbent Bill Nelson for Senator from Florida.
(right) Andrew Gillum in Florida and Stacey Abrams in Georgia came
close but failed to become Governor of their respective states.
By SATimes Team
New York: Florida Gov. Rick Scott
(R) has defeated Sen. Bill Nelson (D‑
Fla.) in a nationally watched Senate
race that triggered two recounts
and a series of bitter legal and pub‑
lic relations battles.
The contest came to an end on
Sunday as a noon deadline passed
for county election officials to sub‑
mit the results of a hand recount
that showed Scott leading Nelson
by about 10,000 votes, or 0.12 per‑
centage points. The hand recount
was ordered after a machine
recount showed the two candidates
separated by only about 12,600
votes, or 0.15 points. Shortly after
the results came in, Scott released a
statement saying Nelson had called
to concede. Nelson acknowledged
that he had been “heavily outspent”
by Scott, who pumped more than
$51 million of his personal fortune
into his Senate bid. He also warned
Media reports said CIA has concluded Saudi crown prince himself
ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, but President Trump has so
far not committed to taking stronger action to avoid jeopardizing
strategic and economic ties with the kingdom.
accountable who planned, led or
were connected to the murder,"
she added.
However, Nauert noted that the
US side will "maintain strategic
relationship" with Saudi Arabia.
Earlier on Saturday, President
Donald Trump told the media
of a “gathering darkness in our poli‑
tics.” Meanwhile in the other con‑
tentious statewide race, Tallahassee
Mayor Andrew Gillum has also con‑
ceded the gubernatorial race to
Republican Ron DeSantis after the
machine recount did not change the
narrow vote margin.
In Georgiaʼs equally contentious
top race, Democrat Stacey Abrams
on Friday acknowledged that
Republican Brian Kemp will become
the next governor of Georgia, end‑
ing her bid to become the first
African American woman elected to
lead a state. The announcement fol‑
lowed more than a week of post‑
election legal maneuvering from
her campaign and allies as they
sought to find enough votes to
reduce Kemp's lead and force a
December 4 runoff. Even in
acknowledging defeat, Abrams
insisted her speech was not giving a
concession and instead delivered a
series of sharp criticisms of Kemp.
US AFFAIRS
before he left the White House for
California that he had not been
briefed about the case by the CIA.
"The CIA will be speaking to me
today," he said. "As of this moment,
we were told that he did not play a
role. We're going to have to find
out what they say."
Domestic policy implications
of Dems winning the House
Op Ed by
Shivaji Sengupta
S
oon after the Midterms,
these columns published
an Op Ed by Ian Bremmer
on the electionsʼ possible impact
on foreign policy. This column is
about the impact of the election
on domestic policy. In the House
of Representatives, even before
the final tally is complete, the
Democrats hold a big 14‑seat
majority, and counting; the
Republicans have a majority in the
Senate 53:46 with Mississippi off
to a runoff.
The question is, how will the
Democratsʼ resurgence – call it a
blue way or not ‑‑ impact the
Presidentʼs domestic policy? Are
the election results a mandate
against him? Just before the elec‑
tions, the country was embroiled
in the struggle of choosing a jus‑
tice to sit on the federal Supreme
Court, a battle which the
Republicans won; but the
Democrats may have won the war.
Now, with a big House majority,
Democrats can turn to the major
issues facing our nation: the econ‑
omy, infrastructure, immigration,
gun control and, of course, health‑
care, which for me, must include,
womenʼs right to choose in mat‑
ters concerning their own bodies.
T hanks to Donald Trump, in
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
"We also have a great ally in
Saudi Arabia. They give us a lot of
jobs and a lot of business and eco‑
nomic development. They have
been a truly spectacular ally in
terms of jobs and economic devel‑
opment," he said, noting "I have to
take a lot of things into considera‑
tion" when deciding what meas‑
ures to take against the kingdom.
US media later quoted White
House spokesperson Sarah
Sanders as saying that Trump had
spoken with CIA Director Gina
Haspel and Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo from Air Force One, with‑
out giving further details.
Khashoggi, a columnist for The
Washington Post, has been miss‑
ing since he entered the Saudi con‑
sulate in Istanbul on October 2.
The Saudi authorities said that
Khashoggi died in a "brawl" in its
consulate.
2018, economy became almost
synonymous with tax cuts. It
shouldnʼt be. For one thing,
despite the optimism shown by
Republicans, the tax cut did not
seem to decide the midterm elec‑
tions. According to exit polls it
was not in the minds of the voters
when they went to vote. The tax
cut amounted to an increase of
approximately $60 a month, hard‑
ly a treasure‑chest! On the flip
side, with a more than a trillion
dollars across the board in tax
cuts, we are seeing increases in
healthcare premiums, increase in
copay and increase in just about
any of the medical expenses that
we incur routinely. A Democratic
Congress needs to increase infra‑
structure spending (roads, bridges
etc.), which would create more
jobs and make lives safer for citi‑
zens. Republicans also support
increase in infrastructure spend‑
ing but they would rather the pri‑
vate enterprise take initiatives
instead of government taking a
major share of this responsibility.
T he Democrats should also
bring Immigration to the table. At
least the Dreamers ought to be
helped – i.e., those who were born
of undocumented parents here
and are now young adults and
grown‑ups. President Trump was
once willing to support a law
favorable to Dreamers, but the far‑
After releasing the results of its
initial investigations, the Saudi
Public Prosecution announced that
18 people were arrested over their
alleged connections with the
killing.
The US Congress has urged a
thorough investigation in the mur‑
der of Khashoggi, and threatened
to take more actions against Saudi
Arabia if those responsible were
not held accountable, such as sus‑
pending the US military sales to
Saudi Arabia and sanctioning the
kingdom.
The State Department in October
said that 21 Saudis suspected of
involvement in the case were being
revoked of their visas.
On Thursday, the US Department
of the Treasury imposed sanction
on 17 individuals over their
alleged roles in the killing of
Khashoggi.
right among Republicans quickly
put a stop to it. They might still
try to do the same, since a bill
passing the House of Congress is
only the first step. The Senate has
to ratify it, and the President has
to sign it into law. Still, the Senate
Republican majority may be pre‑
carious enough for some of the
Republican senators who will
depend on the ever‑increasing
Latino voters in 2020 and who
might vote across party lines and
support the Democratic Congress
on this issue. If they do so, Trump,
himself up for re‑election in 2020,
might sign it into law. At any rate,
the Democrats ought to make a
push for it.
Gun control is the third biggest
domestic issue for me. I have writ‑
ten enough about this issue in
these columns. Suffice it to say –
yet once again – that in our coun‑
try 110,000 people are killed
every year in gun violence, 301
people every day! Some of the top
money‑getters from the National
Rifle Association have lost this
election.
There are more women than
ever before as law‑makers. Once
again, like itʼs time for new immi‑
gration bills, it is time for new gun
laws. Compared to immigration,
this may be a harder Bill to pass
through the Senate. But itʼs worth
a try.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Trump tours area devastated by Government shutdown
wildfires with California governor if no funds for border
San Francisco: President Donald
Trump on Saturday visited the
area devastated by a wildfire that
has been spreading in northern
California since last week, together
with California Governor Jerry
Brown, whose government he
accused days before of bad forest
management.
"There is no reason for these
massive, deadly and costly forest
fires in California except that for‑
est management is so poor,"
Trump had said. "Billions of dollars
are given each year, with so many
lives lost, all because of gross mis‑
management of the forests.
Remedy now, or no more Fed pay‑
ments!"
On Saturday, he put aside his
criticisms and adopted a more con‑
ciliatory tone, noting the need for
the federal and California govern‑
ments to work together on the
tasks of reconstruction and aid for
the victims. He toured part of the
burnt‑out area with Brown himself,
Efe reported.
"Nobody thought this could hap‑
pen...We have to do management,
maintenance. We'll also be work‑
ing with environmental groups. I
US AFFAIRS November 24-30, 2018
wall: President Trump
Washington: President Donald
Trump told the media at the
White House that this would be
a "good time" for a government
shutdown if he doesn't get fund‑
ing from Congress for his border
wall.
"I think probably, if I was ever
going to do a shutdown over bor‑
der security, when you look at
the caravans, when you look at
the mess, when you look at the
people coming in, this would be a
very good time to do a shut‑
The President was accompanied by (from left) incoming state down," CNN quoted Trump as
Governor Gavin Newsom, Gov Jerry Brown and Mayor Jody Jones saying on Saturday.
of Paradise, the town reduced to ashes. Trump added, however, that he
think everybody's seen the light," been dubbed, has caused at least didn't think a shutdown would
the president said in a statement 71 deaths, while more than 1,000 "be necessary, because I think
to the media. people are still missing and the fire the Democrats will come to their
Also accompanying Trump was has scorched 148,000 acres. senses". Congress averted a gov‑
Brown's successor starting next After visiting the region laid ernment shutdown in September
January, the Demo crat Gavin waste by the Camp Fire, Trump by passing a massive spending
Newsom, along with Mayor Jody heading for Southern California to bill to fund a large portion of the
Jones of Paradise, a town of some tour the zone affected by another government.
26,000 people that was complete‑ huge blaze, the Woolsey Fire, close The package did not, however,
ly engulfed in flames. to Los Angeles and where another include money for Trump's bor‑
According to the latest report, three people have died. der wall, and Congress passed a
the Camp Fire, as the blaze has ‑IANS shorter‑term spending bill to
11
fund the Department of
Homeland Security, among other
agencies, until December 7.
At a W hite House event in
August, Trump said he was look‑
ing for about $5 billion for the
wall to cover this fiscal year,
which some Demo crats have
already said they would vote
against.
Trump also said on Saturday
that the US military will remain
at the US‑Mexico border "as long
as necessary", suggesting that
the 5,900 troops deployed to the
border could stay there past
December 15, the scheduled end
of the mission.
The President also touted the
"tremendous military force"
assigned to the border mission in
Texas, Arizona and California,
lauding the troops for building
"great fences".
"They built great fences. They
built a very powerful fence, a dif‑
ferent kind of a fence, but very
powerful. T he fence is fully
manned," he said.
 12 November 24-30, 2018
Opposition to meet before winter session of Parliament
Kolkata: The much talked about
meeting of parties opposed to the
BJP to strategize against the saf‑
fron party in the next Lok Sabha
elections has been postponed and
may now be held after the cur‑
rent Assembly e lect ions and
before the start of the winter ses‑
sion of Parliament, And hra
Pradesh Chie f Minister
Chandrababu Naidu and his West
Beng al counterpart Mamata
Banerjee said after a meeting
between them here.
Claiming that democracy in the
country was in danger, Naidu,
who is also the Telugu Desam
Party (TDP) chief, said that there
is a "democratic compulsion" for
the senior opposition leaders to
join hands to protect the nation.
Echoing his views, Banerjee said
the meeting of anti‑BJP parties
would be held after campaigning
in the Assembly elections and
before the start of the winter ses‑
sion of Parliament.
"T he meeting to be he ld on
November 22 has been post‑
poned due to the ongoing election
campaign. We want to meet
Rahul has 'Modiphobia': Shah Rahul attacks Modi,
Narsinghpur (Madhya Pradesh):
Taking a dig at Congress President
Rahul Gandhi, BJP President Amit
Shah said that the opposit ion
leader was af flicted w ith
"Modiphobia" and that is why he
takes Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's name 44 times in his 22
minute election speech.
"Rahul Gandhi nowadays is doing
many election rallies but in these
rallies he takes name of Narendra
Modi 44 times in his 22 minute
election speech. I am not able to
understand whether he is cam‑
paigning for Narendra Modi and
BJP or Congress. It seems he was
af flicted w ith Mo diphobia.
Wherever he goes he keeps saying
Modi‑Modi," Shah said at an elec‑
tion rally here.
Continuing his attack on Gandhi,
he said that the Congress leader
was "daydreaming" of forming the
governments in Madhya Pradesh
and Chhattisgarh. "I compliment
him for his courage of such day‑
dreaming. But be fore that he
should remember that since 2014
Congress has lost every election
and BJP won," he said.
Claiming that the BJP govern‑
ment under Shivraj Singh Chouhan
has turned Madhya Pradesh from a
Bimaru state to a developed state,
he took a jibe at the Congress for
not projecting its chief ministerial
candidate in the state.
"We have Shivraj Singh Chouhan
as our chief ministerial candidate.
On the other hand, Congress has no
leader. They don't have even policy.
INDIA TheSouthAsianTimes.info
NCP's Sharad Pawar, DMK's M.K.
Stalin, Nat ional Conference'
Farooq Abdullah, former prime
minister H.D. Deve Gowda and
BSP chief Mayawati to forge a
front against the ruling party and
had proposed a meeting of oppo‑
sition parties to be held in New
Delhi on November 22.
Terming the meet ing w ith
Banerjee as successful, Naidu said
fighting together has become nec‑
essary as all major institutions in
the country including the CBI, the
Income Tax Department, the RBI
are under threat while the
nation's economy is at a stand‑
still. "We have to protect the insti‑
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu with
tutions... you name any institu‑
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at
Nabanna in Howrah, West Bengal. (Photo: IANS) tion, they are under severe pres‑
sure and threat. Be it the CBI,
before the next parliamentary er. It is the responsibility of us, Income Tax, RBI every institution
session. We are in discussions the senior leaders to protect the is under threat. Even the petrol
about it. The date of the meeting nation. Those who are opposing and diesel prices are increasing,
will be announced soon," Naidu BJP will join together, discuss there is inflat ion, the whole
told reporters following the meet‑ everything and chalk out a pro‑ nation's economy is at a stand‑
ing at the state secretariat gram to go forward," he said. still," he said.
Nabanna here. Naidu, whose TDP was earlier W hen asked whether the
"Democracy in the country is in an ally of the BJP, has met a spec‑ Bahujan Samaj Party chie f
danger. So there is a democratic trum of leaders including Mayawati, who has refused to be
compulsion for us to join togeth‑ Congress president Rahul Gandhi, a part of the "mahagatbandhan" if
now over Doval
New Delhi: Congress
President Rahul
Gandhi on Tuesday
accused government
officials of interfer‑
ing with the CBI's
working ‑ the latest
being allegations
that NSA Ajit Doval
attempted to meddle
in a case. "A crime
thriller called
'Chowkidar Chor Hai'
is underway in
Delhi," Gandhi tweet‑
ed in Hindi, in an
BJP chief Amit Shah addresses during a public meeting obvious attack on
in Madhya Pradesh's Churhat. (Photo: IANS) Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
DECIDED NOT TO CONTEST "The latest episode
reveals serious alle‑
2019 POLLS: SUSHMA gations against a
Minister, National
Indore: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday said that Security Advisor (Doval), Law
she has decided not to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Secretary and Cabinet Secretary
"Candidates are decided by the party. But I have made up my mind by a DIG of the CBI," Gandhi
that I won't be contesting in the next elections," the senior Bharatiya said.
Janata Party (BJP) leader said on the sidelines of an event here. She also A senior Central Bureau of
said that she has conveyed her decision to the party. Intelligence officer told the
Supreme Court that top govern‑
T his makes BJP dif ferent from and kill our soldiers. But what hap‑ ment functionaries, including
Congress," he said. pened after Uri, you all know. Doval, had interfered in the
Describing the achievements of Within 10 days, our soldiers did probe against CBI Special
the Modi government, he raked up surgical strike against Pakistan and Director Rakesh Asthana who is
the army's surgical strikes against took revenge of the killing of our facing bribery charges. "His
Pakistan and said today the coun‑ soldiers," he said adding that with (Modi's) partner, who has been
try has a bold and decisive govern‑ this India became the third nation brought from Gujarat, is raising
ment at the Centre. after the US and Israel which took crores of extortion money. The
"During Manmohan Singh, terror‑ revenge for the killings of its sol‑ officers are tired. The trust has
ists from Pakistan used to come diers. been broken. "Democracy is
the Congress is included, will be
considered as an ally, Naidu said,
"All these things, we are going to
discuss. We are in touch with
Mayawati ji along with everybody
else." Banerjee, the Trinamool
Congress supremo, said she has
invited Naidu for her proposed
opposition party meeting here in
January next year, which was
confirmed by the TDP chief.
"We are grateful that he has
come here. I invited him also for
the January 19 meeting. We are
discussing the matters for the
country's interest and earlier, we
also discussed so many things.
Today, we discussed in detail
about the next future plans.
When the meeting will be decid‑
ed, we will discuss the plan of
act ion. We are working and
speaking together," Banerjee said.
Responding to a quest ion
regarding who would be the face
of the proposed grand alliance of
opposition parties, Banerjee said,
"Everybody will be the face of this
Mahag atband han (g rand
alliance)." Naidu interjected to say
that "all of us are senior to Modi".
Congress President
Rahul Gandhi
crying," added Gandhi. Gandhi's
latest attack came in the wake
of CBI officer M.K. Sinha alleg‑
ing that Doval and Central
Vigilance Commissioner K.V.
Chaudhary, among others,
interfered in the investigation
against Asthana.
Deputy Inspector General‑
rank officer Sinha, who was
probing the Asthana case
before being shunted out to
Nagpur, alleged that a "few
crore of rupees was paid to
Union Minister of State for Coal
and Mines Haribhai Parthibhai
Chaudhari".
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Amarinder blames Pak as India wakes up to 'terror' call
Amritsar/New Delhi: Punjab Chief
Minister Amarinder Singh said the
Amritsar g renade attack on a
prayer meeting of the Nirankari
sect seemingly carried "Pakistan's
signature", with initial investiga‑
tions indicating that the grenade
used was similar to the ones being
manufactured by the Pakistani
Army Ordinance factory.
Even as the Punjab and Central
government separately took stock
of the "terror act" in Punjab's
Amritsar district on Sunday which
left three people dead and 20 oth‑
ers injured, the Punjab Police said
that dif ferent "leads" were being
followed but the case was yet to be
cracked.
The Chief Minister, who arrived
at the grenade attack spot at the
Nirankari Satsang Bhawan in
Adliwal village of Rajasansi area of
Amritsar district on Monday, said
that a similar HG‑84 grenade had
been recovered from a terror mod‑
ule busted by the Punjab Police
last month.
"This indicates a high probability
of the involvement of inimical
forces from across the border," he
CEO Jack Dorsey holding the controversial poster, along with
women journalists in India.
Jack Dorsey poster row:
Twitter India says sorry
New Delhi: Stressing on its public
commitment to being apolitical,
Twitter has extended an apology
after its CEO Jack Dorsey, who visit‑
ed India last week, was seen holding
a poster during a round‑table with
women journalists that read "Smash
Brahminical Patriarchy".
"I'm very sorry for this. It's not
reflective of our views. We took a
private photo with a gift just given
to us ‑‑ we should have been more
thoughtful," Vijaya Gadde, Global
Head of Legal, Policy, Trust and
Safety Lead at Twitter, tweeted late
Monday.
"Twitter strives to be an impartial
platform for all. We failed to do that
here & we must do better to serve
our customers in India," she added.
According to the social network, it
hosted a closed‑door discussion
with a group of women journalists
and change makers from India to
better understand their experience
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh meets the victims of
the Nirankari Bhawan grenade attack, at a Amritsar hospital.
(Photo: IANS)
said. "Prima facie, this appears to
be an act of terror by separatist
forces, organized with the involve‑
ment of ISI‑backed Khalistani or
Kashmiri terrorist groups. My gov‑
ernment has taken serious note of
the incident and is aggressively
pursuing all angles of investiga‑
tion," Amarinder told the media
here.
using Twitter.
"One of the participants, a Dalit
activist, shared her personal experi‑
ences and gifted a poster to Jack.
"It is not a statement from Twitter
or our CEO, but a tangible reflection
of our company's efforts to see,
hear, and understand all sides of
important public conversations that
happen on our service around the
world," said the micro‑blogging
platform.
In a statement to IANS, a Twitter
spokesperson said that the compa‑
ny is proud of the fact that Twitter
is a platform where marginalised
voices can be seen and heard.
"But we also have a public com‑
mitment to being apolitical. We
realise that this photo may not
accurately represent that commit‑
ment," the spokesperson said.
Some Twitter users accused
Dorsey of "bigotry" and "racism"
after the poster went viral.
INDIA
T he Punjab government on
Monday announced Rs 50 lakh as
reward for any information lead‑
ing to the arrest of the assailants.
Captain Amarinder said the
National Investigation Agency
(NIA) is also helping in the investi‑
gations. He said certain leads have
been found by the police and the
same are being investigated.
Chhattisgarh: Over 60%
turnout to elect new Assembly
Raipur: Polling for the second
and concluding phase for 72
seats spread across 19 districts
in Chhattisgarh ended with
more than 60 per cent of the
over 1.5 crore electorate casting
their votes to elect a new
Assembly.
Amid allegations of Electronic
Voting Machine (EVM) tamper‑
ing and malfunctioning in sever‑
al areas, the Election
Commission (EC) said over 60
per cent turnout was recorded
till 5 p.m. The final figure is
expected to go up with many
voters still standing in queues
outside booths after the sched‑
uled closure of polling and the
poll panel is still in the process
of compiling data.
From first‑time voters to cen‑
tenarians, people from all walks
of life queued up to cast their
votes. Among the oldest to exer‑
cise their right were 106‑year‑
old Samudri Patel from
Baikunthpur in Korea district
and 102‑year‑old Raj Kunwar
from Boriyakala in Raipur dis‑
trict.
The highest turnout was
recorded in Bindranawagarh at
68 per cent and Baikunthpur at
63.21 per cent.
The EVM malfunctioning was
reported from several booths
across Dhamtari, Jashpur,
Raipur, Ambikapur, Khallari,
November 24-30, 2018
T he Chie f Minister said the
grenade attack was a clear case of
terrorism and there was no reli‑
gious connection to it.
Amarinder said the attack could
not be equated with the Sikh‑
Nirankari conflict in 1978 which
led to the start of Sikh militancy in
Punjab for the next nearly two
decades.
"That was a religious matter and
the Adliwal incident was purely a
case of terrorism. Violence
between the Sant Nirankari
Mission and traditional Sikhs on
April 13, 1978 at Amritsar had left
13 dead, and sparked the subse‑
quent wave of terrorism in the
state. Yesterday's (Sunday's) inci‑
dent had no religious overtones, as
per init ial invest ig at ions,"
Amarinder said.
Asked to react to Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) leader H.S. Phoolka's
statement accusing the Army chief
of orchestrating the Nirankari
Bhawan grenade attack to prove
himself right on the revival of ter‑
rorism in the state, the Chie f
Minister said the AAP leader is
apparently "unstable".
Voters wait in a queue outside a polling booth to cast their votes at
Kukurbeda in Raipur. (Photo: IANS)
Raigarh Patan, Sihawa and
Korba, with the Congress accus‑
ing the state's ruling BJP of
"electoral malpractices" and
"attempting to disrupt" the poll
process.
A Congress delegation led by
P.L. Punia met the EC in the
national capital over the alleged
"attempts to misuse and tamper
with EVMs in Chhattisgarh".
Punia said the BJP "wary of
losing the polls, was trying to
influence the polling process
through malpractices".
The Congress also demanded
suspension and arrest of BJP
candidate Siddhnath Paikra in
Samri seat of Balrampur district
13
Three persons were killed and
20 injured when two motorcycle‑
borne youths threw a grenade at a
Nirankari congregation in a com‑
pound located in the rural belt of
the district, about three kilometres
from the Guru Ram Das Jee
Amritsar International Airport.
All victims were sect followers
from nearby villages who had
gathered for the weekly Sunday
religious meeting.
Shiromani Akali Dal president
Sukhbir Sing h Badal blamed
Amarinder Singh and his govern‑
ment of being soft on Sikh radical
elements which was leading to
peace being disturbed in Punjab.
Union Home Minister Rajnath
Singh held a meeting in New Delhi
to review the national security sit‑
uation in the aftermath of Sunday's
grenade attack in Amritsar.
Eyewitnesses told the police that
two youths on a motorcycle, with
their faces covered, forced their
entry into the sect compound by
pointing a pistol at a woman vol‑
unteer at the gate. There were
around 200 followers in the com‑
pound at the time.
for "distributing money" to vot‑
ers.
"Is malfunctioning of EVMs a
mere coincidence or a conspira‑
cy to vitiate the polling process,"
asked state Congress chief
Bhupesh Baghel in the state cap‑
ital Raipur.
The EC rejected the allegations
of widespread malfunctioning of
the voting machines and assert‑
ed that faulty EVMs were
promptly replaced without any
disruption to the voting process.
A total of 1,079 candidates
were in the fray, with both the
Congress and the BJP contesting
all the 72 seats. The results will
be declared on December 11.
 14 November 24-30, 2018 OP-ED TheSouthAsianTimes.info

By Barkha Dutt

A
n extraordinary moment in
the United States should give
us in the Indian media seri‑
ous envy, shame ̶ and pause.
Multiple news organizations ̶ bitter
competitors in the market and of dis‑
tinct and varying ideologies ̶ have
united to protest against the Trump
administrationʼs decision to with‑
draw White House credentials to
CNNʼs Jim Acosta.
A very trenchant face off between
the US President and Acosta at a
press conference triggered a false
allegation from Trumpʼs team that
he had crossed the line with a female
staffer and the subsequent suspen‑
sion of his press pass. Now the
American media is backing CNNʼs
decision to sue the Trump regime.
Indian journalists have all cheered
on the exemplary media moment
without reflecting on how embar‑
rassingly establishmentarian, syco‑
phantic and divided we in India
appear by contrast. But even beyond
the evident difference in our institu‑
tional freedoms, there is another
compelling lesson from America. At
the core of the CNN battle with
Trump is the belief that the denial of
access to information and news is
also a form of media intimidation
and a contravention of the First
Amendment. In India, where we have
so easily capitulated to the assump‑
tion that not all governments will
give all journalists access, this is crit‑
ical. Acosta teaches us that access is
worth fighting for. The much abused
US media vs Trump: Indian
media waits for its finest hour
Narendra Modi has not held a single press conference so far,
while choosing to give individual interviews.
phrase, Access Journalism, needs to
be re‑examined. Not because journal‑
ism is ever about official handouts;
but because to allow any politician to
exercise the lever of control over a
fundamental right to information is
the first step to surrender.
Access ̶ and not just to media
conferences, but also off‑record
briefings, meetings with sources and
the right to report your beat freely
without fearful officials looking over
their shoulders ̶ is the right of
every reporter. Irrespective of
whether a political party likes you or
not, this elementary access should be
guaranteed ̶ and not treated as
favor bestowed by dispensation A or
B.
The cliched and reductionist dis‑
course about ʻʼLutyenʼs Media” ̶ led
ironically by some leading lights of
Indian journalism ̶ suggests that
the demolition of this access for
some reporters is a long‑overdue
cleanup of the system. This is actual‑
ly nonsense. All that has happened is
that one set of journalists with
access has been replaced by another
set of journalists with access, a new
Lutyens media, as it were, banal
though I find the phrase. Tomorrow
if there is a new government, the
same cycle will set into motion
again. This is unhealthy for democra‑
cy. Who is in power should be
absolutely irrelevant to the basic
practice of journalism.
Take the Modi governmentʼs deci‑
sion to end the practice of journalists
flying with him on board Air India
One. In the narrative that was con‑
structed by the BJP hardline base,
this used to be unseemly largesse for
spoilt journalists. When it was cur‑
tailed, they saw it as a sort of
Swachata Abhiyan of the previous
governmentʼs patronage of media.
Frankly, this is a convenient distor‑
tion. Other than the seat on the
plane, reporters always paid for
hotel, food and all other expenses. I
am pretty sure most new organisa‑
tions would have been willing to pay
the airfare as well.
The larger concept behind accom‑
panying the Prime Minister on these
trips was the opportunity for her or
his office to interact freely with jour‑
nalists. Ahead of sensitive meetings
̶ like delicate encounters with
Pakistan heads of state ̶ it was also
a chance for the government to
explain the contours of a complex
story.
And then of course there was the
customary on‑board press confer‑
ence by the Prime Minister, in which
anyone on the flight could pitch a
question. Romanticising the end of
these press interactions ̶ intrinsic
to any thriving democracy ̶ is
bewildering. Mr Modi has not held a
single press conference so far, while
choosing to give individual inter‑
views. Before him, Manmohan Singh
held an annual conference but avoid‑
ed sitdown interviews. In my view,
the adhoc nature of media policy, the
fact that it can change with changing
governments, can only be a disad‑
vantage for the press.
The most powerful statement from
America is that even the right‑wing
television network Fox News (many
of its anchors are open supporters of
Trump) stood up to be counted with
its support for CNNʼs legal suit for
basic access to the White House.
This would never happen in India
where journalists are too busy weak‑
ening each other, leaving politicians
to have the last laugh.
(Barkha Dutt is a journalist and
author. The views expressed are per‑
sonal and appeared in The
Hindustan Times)

Renaming spree: Erasing Muslim heritage

By Amulya Ganguli renamed in the past ‑‑ Chennai for country.
Madras, Mumbai for Bombay, Although the RSS chief, Mohan

U
ttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath
has lived up to his reputa‑
tion as a Hindutva hawk. There
has been no mellowing of his atti‑
tude as is common in the cases of
other hardliners ascending to the
seat of power. Instead, he has
taken the opportunity of the
authority provided by political
power to tell the province and the
country that Hindu symbols and
signs are of overriding impor‑
tance.
Hence, the concept of a huge
statue of Lord Ram on the banks
of the Saryu, whole‑hearted sup‑
port to the Ram temple movement
and the erasure of Muslim names
of towns.
Starting with the renaming the
Mughal Sarai railway junction,
familiar to countless travellers,
after a person who is little known
outside the Hindutva camp ‑‑ Deen
Dayal Upadhyay ‑‑ the Adityanath
government has been energetical‑
ly engaged in changing the names
of other places as well.
These include Allahabad, which
Kolkata for Calcutta ‑‑ the idea was
generally to revive an old name
such as the association of
Madras/Chennai with a 16th cen‑
tury ruler, Chennappa Naicker.
Or to pay homage to a local
deity, Mumbadevi, as in the case of
Bombay. Or to bring a name pho‑
netically close to the way it is
locally pronounced like Kolkata.
But rarely has been a city
renamed with the sole purpose of
highlighting a Hindu name and
snubbing Muslims.
True, the names of roads and
localities (such as Clive Street or
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Allahabad has become Connaught Place) associated with
Prayagraj, Faizabad is now Ayodhya and Muzaffarnagar may the British rulers were changed.
soon be called Laxmi Nagar.
But these steps were taken to do
has become Prayagraj, Faizabad, Karnavati for Ahmedabad. Not to away with a colonial connection
now Ayodhya, and Muzaffarnagar, be left behind, the BJP's ally, the although the names of "friendly"
which may soon be called Laxmi Shiv Sena, has sought a time‑ foreigners were retained, as in the
Nagar if the government accepts frame for renaming Aurangabad case of the Corbett National Park.
the suggestion to this effect by and Osmanabad. But the saffron brotherhood's
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Hyderabad, too, is under the present drive is motivated solely
Sangeet Som, who had called the Hindutva scanner, for the BJP has by a desire to erase all signs of
Taj Mahal a "blot" on Indian cul‑ said that if it won the assembly Muslim heritage, presumably
ture. Encouraged by Adityanath, elections in Telangana, it will because of the belief that the com‑
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay name the city as Bhagyanagar. munity does not ‑‑ or at least
Rupani has suggested the name of Although cities have been should not ‑‑ have any place in the
Bhagwat, argued at a three‑day
conclave in Delhi that Hindutva is
incomplete without Muslims ‑‑
thereby acknowledging the coun‑
try's multi‑religious identity,
which is the secular camp's view ‑‑
Adityanath's acts show that the
case for accommodation is not
accepted by the Hindutva hawks.
The Hindus‑only tunnel‑vision of
the hardliners ignores the fact
that India is the birthplace of four
religions ‑‑ Hinduism, Buddhism,
Sikhism and Jainism ‑‑ and the
home of the followers of three
other faiths ‑‑ Islam, Christianity
and Zoroastrianism, not to men‑
tion the animism of the tribals.
Even if the urgency of the pres‑
ent erasing of Muslim signs in the
twilight years of Narendra Modi's
government is due to the appre‑
hension in ruling circles that the
inadequacies of the government
have left it with no option but to
play the Hindu card with greater
fervor, it is clear that the tactic has
only brought to the fore the long‑
standing anti‑minority outlook of
the Sangh Parivar.

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
FIA made history when New Yorkʼs
iconic Empire State Building was lit up
to celebrate Diwali on November 7.
(Photos: Paresh Gandhi)
NYC celebrates interfaith Diwali in Brooklyn
Brooklyn, NY: The NYC Commission on
Human Rights in partnership with the
Mayorʼs Office of Immigrant Affairs,
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L.
Adams, Sadhana: Coalition of
Progressive Hindus, Iskcon NYC and
others hosted an interfaith Diwali cele‑
bration on November 14 at Brooklyn
Borough Hall.
At the celebration, city, faith, and com‑
munity leaders shared their prayers and
messages of unity and strength at a time
when xenophobic and anti‑immigrant
rhetoric on the national level aims to
divide communities. Commissioner and
Chair of the NYC Human Rights
Commission Carmelyn Malalis also
addressed the event. Performers includ‑
ed Sunny Jain, founder and dhol player
of the Brooklyn band Red Baraat, and
Grammy nominated artist Jahnavi
Harrison.
Laser light show at BAPS Mandir in Chicago
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chicago, Illinois illuminated for
Diwali and Annakut celebrations at (Courtesy: BAPS)
New York: For the first time,
the iconic Empire State
Building was colored orange
in celebration of Diwali.
History was made by the
Federation of Indian
Associations (FIA‑NY/NJ/CT),
the largest non‑profit umbrel‑
la organization of the commu‑
nity, with the lighting up cere‑
mony on November 7 attend‑
ed by key members of the
Indian diaspora. Miss America
2014 Nina Devuluri and popu‑
lar singer Jay Sean along with
FIA President Srujal Parikh
flipped the switch to turn on
the orange lights on top of the
Empire State Building.
A special dance performance
and cultural show was also
presented on the occasion.
The achievement was made
FESTIVAL November 24-30, 2018 15
been illuminating the Empire
State Building in August every
year in the Indian tricolors ‑
orange, white and green ‑ for
the past two decades to mark
India's Independence Day.
But Srujal Parikh said this
was the first time that the
famous New York landmark
that was lit up for Diwali, that
was "witnessed by thousands
of people, including tourists
from all over the world."
He added that such gestures
by the ESRT help in spreading
the ancient Indian philosophy
of Vasudaiva Kutumbakam
(the world is one family) and
Cheered on by FIA President Srujal Parikh, Miss America 2014
also demonstrates a great har‑
Nina Davuluri and singer Jay Sean flip the switch to light up the
Empire State Building to celebrate Diwali on Nov 7. mony in spirit and deeds
between people of the world's
possible by the efforts of FIA Empire State Realty Trust largest and oldest
in cooperation with the (ESRT). ESRT and FIA have democracies.
Brooklyn
Borough
President
Eric Adams
(garlanded)
with
organizers
and guests at
the event.
BJANA celebrates Diwali in NJ
Edison, NJ: The Bihar‑Jharkhand ble and community endeavors over the past
Association of North Americaʼs celebrated year were spoken about as well as plans for
Diwali on November 17 at a packed hall of 2019.
the Royal Albertʼs Palace, Fords. After the cultural program and dinner
Esteemed guests included Deputy Consul and deserts, the night culminated in spirit‑
General Shatrughan Sinha as well as UN ed dancing. Ladies and men, dressed in
officials of Bihar/Jharkhand origin Anjani their finest, showed their moves, spurred by
Kumar and Ashish Sinha. BJANAʼs charita‑ pounding Bollywood beats.
 16 November 24-30, 2018 BOLLYWOOD TheSouthAsianTimes.info

The
first pictures
of actors filmiest, but I'll cope. Bollywood
Ranveer Singh
and Deepika
Deepika, never seen you
happier; you deserve no
wishes ʻDeepVeerʼ
Padukone after
the wedding
less," Amit tweeted.
That, apart from some long,
happiness
wide angle shots and some hazy
videos from the wedding revelry, is
forever after
Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone
all that people could get their eyes on.
received wishes galore from friends
The celebrations were as private

T
he hide and seek got over as
Bollywood stars Deepika Padukone
and Ranveer Singh, after two days of
wedding ceremonies in the far and dreamy
Lake Como setting in Italy, unveiled their
first look as a married couple to the public
recently, immensely pleasing their army of
fans.
Both Deepika and Ranveer shared two
images ‑‑ one each from their four‑hour‑long
ceremony according to Konkani traditions
on Nov 14 and a North Indian style nuptial
on Nov 15.
In one picture, the two are laughing away,
sharing a jovial moment during the Konkani
wedding, and in another photograph from
the celebration a day later they are all ears
for each other.
Deepika looked resplendent on both occa‑
sions, dressed in Sabyasachi Mukherjee
ensembles rooted in tradition as she chose
red and gold as her primary colors. For the
North Indian style wedding, Deepika's head
was covered with an ornate dupatta with the
words 'Sada Saubhagyavati Bhavah' embroi‑
dered on it, while Ranveer matched up in a
colour co‑ordinated sherwani.
Ranveer wore pristine white for the
Konkani wedding, which marked the culmi‑
A painterʼs wedding gift to Deepveer.
nation of a six year‑long love story that
began on the sets of the 2013 film "Goliyon
Ki Raasleela Ram‑Leela".
Unlike most celebrity weddings which
keep fans engrossed with social media
updates, the 'no pictures, no phones, no
drones policy' of the actors' grand destina‑
tion wedding left the media and fans yearn
for a glimpse of the couple or the celebra‑
tions. Amit, a cousin of Deepika, said it has
been a "magical week, steeped purely in
love" for the family. "Fairytale union of the
two most kind, beautiful souls. Ranveer, wel‑
come to the family! You've dethroned me as
and colleagues. Here's what they
as it could get. With a guest list of
tweeted:
around 40, Deepika and Ranveer
Karan Johar: Love and happiness for‑
chose Northern Italy's Lombardy
ever... These are such a full of 'pyaar
region, a resort area known for its
wala' (love) pictures! For those of us
spectacular scenery as the back‑
who don't have a life partner it's a
drop for their wedding.
very "hai" wala (aww) feeling.
Mobile phones were not allowed
Rajkummar Rao: Congratulations, my
outside people's rooms and there
favorite couple Deepika Padukone
were boats patrolling the lake for
and Ranveer Singh. Wish you a life‑
drones as part of the three‑level
time of love, happiness and together‑
security plan for the wedding.
ness.
Fondly called DeepVeer by their
Arjun Kapoor: 'Jashn‑E‑Ishqa'.
fans, the star couple has also
Sonam Kapoor: Congratulations to
worked together in "Bajirao Mastani" and
both of you! May you always find joy
"Padmaavat" although they didn't share
together Ranveer Singh.
screen space in the latter. Poles apart from
AnushkaSharma: Wishing you both a
each other in personality, Deepika and
world of happiness and a beautiful
Ranveer never confirmed their relationship
journey together. May the love and
until recently when they announced their
respect you have in each other, grow
wedding dates in October. "We thank you
leaps and bounds. And welcome to the
for all the love you have showered upon us
club Ranveer and Deepika.
over the years and seek your blessings as
Vicky Kaushal: Many congratulations
we embark on this incredible journey of
and God bless! Ranveer, Deepika.
love, loyalty friendship and togetherness,"
Arjun Rampal: Smile and laugh
they said. The couple will have a reception
through this union, so beautiful you
each in Bengaluru and Mumbai on
both look. God bless you both. Stay
November 21 and 28 respectively. And on
blessed. Love and a big hug to you
December 1, there will be a separate cele‑
both. Congratulations.
bration with the film fraternity.

'Pihu': Engrossing but tedious

W
riter‑director Vinod
Kapri's purported
thriller "Pihu" is an
attempt to shake parents and
guardians out of their stupor and
make them realize the perils of a
two‑year old child alone at home.
It borrows the concept from
"Home Alone" sans the comic ele‑
ments of that film and also from
the recently released Hindi film
"Trapped".
While the film starts on a com‑
pelling note as Pihu (Myra
Vishwakarma) is seen trying to
wake her mother who is lying on
the bed, the series of events that
follow ‑‑ Pihu's misadventures,
with various dangers ‑ geyser, bal‑
cony, hot iron, gas stove, con‑
fronting her, while alone at home,
the film appears to be an exagger‑
ated drama, that is intense yet
tedious to watch.
The plot is wafer‑thin and does
not go beyond what was offered
to the audience in the trailer. Apt
for a short film, the narrative is
unsuited to a full‑length feature
and the amateurish treatment fur‑
ther sounds its death knell.
There is nothing light‑hearted
about the film and although at
most times, the director acquaints
you with stark reality, it appears
trite and repetitive
after a while. Yes, REVIEW
there are moments,
when the parent or guardian in
you, is at the edge of one's seat,
worrying and getting concerned
about the innocent Pihu's next
move and its outcome, but those
moments are few and far
between.
A one‑actor film, "Pihu" natural‑
The only actor in ʻPihuʼ is two‑year‑old Myra Vishwakarma.
ly belongs to Myra, who prods
along, oblivious of the camera, and obstacles as she navigates carefully thought through if a
shining effortlessly in her charac‑ her way through various activi‑ full‑length feature film was to be
ter of a child alone at home, chal‑ ties. Overall, "Pihu" is a decent made on the subject. In its current
lenged by a series of happenings attempt, but should have been form, it fails to entice you.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
What attracts Bollywood I OFTEN WONDER IF I'LL BE
guys to older women? EMPLOYED AGAIN: EDDIE
By Subhash K Jha
P
riyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas have
company. Older women in love with
younger guys seems to be a trend tak‑
ing hold of the entertainment industry. There
is a lot in common between the two newly
"outed" couples in the entertainment industry,
Arjun Kapoor‑Malaika Arora and
Harshvardhan Rane‑Kim Sharma.
Both the men are at least 10 years junior to
the woman with whom they have chosen to
spend the rest of their lives.
And let's not beat around the bush: Arjun‑
Malaika, Harshvardhan‑Kim intend to stay
together and are planning a matrimonial
togetherness in the near future. Can't say
exactly when, since both need to sort out the
clutter caused by earlier relationships.
There is one more trait in common between
the two couples. They have both decided to
throw all caution to the winds. On more than
one occasion recently both couples were seen
indulging in PDA without a care in the world.
But hang on.They won't make any formal
announcement on their relationship status.
Does that make any sense? Not really. It's like a
milking a cow that's in gestation.
I did manage to speak to one‑half of one of
the couples who says, "What is there to
announce? We are not together to make news.
We just want to be together. If the public is
watching, we are okay with that. If they weren't
watching, we'd still be okay with that."
Interestingly, Bollywood has a long history of
younger men marrying older women. Matinee
idol Shashi Kapoor was a good 10 years junior
to his wife Jennifer. They shared one of the
most successful marriages in the history of
VETERAN ACTOR ALYQUE
PADAMSEE DEAD
V
eteran actor, theatre personality
and advertising guru Alyque
Padamsee died in Mumbai, fami‑
ly sources said. He was 90. He had been
ailing since sometime before he
breathed his last recently.
He is survived by two former wives
and a former partner and four children,
besides other relatives, several of them
prominent names in the glamour and
entertainment industry.
Among various professional achieve‑
ments, Padamsee is best remembered
for his role of a stern and stubborn
Mohammed Ali Jinnah in Richard
Attenborough's multi‑Oscar award win‑
ner classic, "Gandhi" (1982).
A renowned personality in the English
theatre scene, he produced around 70
plays, including notable ones like
"Evita", "Tughlaqa, "Jesus Christ
Superstar", "Death of a Salesman", "A
Streetcar Named Desire" and "Broken
Images". Padamsee was conferred sev‑
eral honors during his lifetime includ‑
ing the Padma Shri, Advertising Man of
The Century and the Sangeet Natak
several honors, including the Padma Shri.
Akademi Tagore Ratna.
BOLLYWOOD
Age is just a number for actor Arjun Kapoor
and girlfriend Malaika Arora.
Indian cinema.
Saif Ali Khan married Amrita Singh, who was
12 years his senior. Their marriage was
annulled many years ago on a very bitter note.
Arjun Rampal and Farhan Akhtar were married
to women quite a few years older. They both
had two daughters each from their wives and
have quit the marital alliance and have moved
on in life.
Abhishek Bachchan, whose wife, the beau‑
teous Aishwarya Rai, is some years his senior,
says age is never a factor to define a marriage.
Love is.
Actor Alyque Padamsee was conferred
November 24-30, 2018 17
E
ddie Redmayne is having a suc‑
cessful run in Hollywood, but
there are days when he wonders
if he will get employed again. The Oscar‑
winning actor says he still remembers all
the rejections that he faced and it keeps
him grounded.
"You never forget the rejections. You
never forget the years of being told no. It
is quite deeply in us. It is why lot of
actors are neurotic and nervous,"
Redmayne told IANS in an exclusive
interview while promoting his film
"Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of
Grindelwald" in Los Angeles.
"I remember reading an interview of
Rachel Weisz saying that she never
believes that she will be employed again.
That time I was a young and struggling
actor and I was like ʻYou are Rachel
Weisz. You are gonna be fine'.
Oscar‑winning actor Eddie Redmayne
"But now even though in some ways, I
worked as a waiter before
have had a successful run, I still feel the
Hollywood beckoned him.
same. I really do feel the same. My con‑
cern is that I hope people enjoy this film just crashed and I was laughed at. And I
and I hope I get to make another one of was like ʻMaybe I will try to be an actor
these films," added the actor on a candid one day'."
note.” Do you also wonder whether you He walked into the industry with a
will be employed again? career‑breaking role in "Twelfth Night"
"Yes, frequently," said Redmayne, who at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in 2002,
grew up in London and worked as a but got his ticket to the filmy world with
waiter and at a pub before pursing his his role in "My Week with Marilyn" back
dream to become an actor. in 2011.
"The worst job was being a waiter at It was his role as Stephen Hawking in
the British Soap Awards. There were "The Theory of Everything" which took
many actors. I was about 21 and I had to him to the next level. He won an Oscar,
take empty glasses and they had put Bafta, Golden Globe, and SAG for his
many champagne glasses and that thing heart‑rending performance.
I never had a career:
Shekhar Kapur
I
nternationally
acclaimed Indian film‑
maker Shekhar Kapur
says he never had a career
and that life, for him, has
always been an adventure.
Kapur was questioned by
a troller, who asked him if
"anything was left in his
career".
To which, the filmmaker
replied: "I never had a
career. I dropped that word
from my life when I was 24
Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur is known for his
and walked away from a successful
works in Hindi and international cinema.
ʻcareer' as a Chartered Accountant in
London. Since then life has been, is, He gained international recognition
and will always be an adventure. On this with the 1994 Bollywood film "Bandit
journey I've done so many things... Queen", based on Mala Sen's biography
Including making films." of infamous Indian bandit and politician
Kapur is known for his works in Hindi Phoolan Devi, which won the National
and international cinema. He is known Film Award for Best Feature Film in
in Bollywood for his recurring role in Hindi. In international cinema, his his‑
the TV series "Khandan" in the mid‑ torical biopics on "Queen Elizabeth",
1980s and his directorial debut in the "Elizabeth" and "Elizabeth: The Golden
cult Bollywood film "Masoom" in 1983 Age", won the BAFTA Award for Best
and then "Mr. India". Film and two Academy Awards.
 18 November 24-30, 2018 TRAVEL TheSouthAsianTimes.info

A serene Sydney Harbor Bridge seen in moonlight.

By Prashant Sood

O
ne of the abiding pleasures
of travel is that it never
ceases to surprise. And so it
was in Sydney when on my way to
catch a bus I heard a name that
rung a bell ‑‑ Dave Sharma. It turned
out to be a fascinating story of a
recent trip that gave a glimpse into panoramic views all along its two‑ sparkling glory. It is a short walk
Australia's vaunted multicultural‑ hour journey as it touched Opera from the central business district
ism. We were at a lodge which was House and Darling Harbour and (CBD), which is a charming place
a walking distance from the went under the Sydney Harbour with marvelous old and new build‑
University of New South Wales Bridge. ings that combine work with leisure
(UNSW), our prime destination, that The cruise allows a good view of and shopping.
is becoming increasingly popular the Sydney Harbour Bridge ‑‑ the We did most of our shopping
among Indian students seeking largest steel arch bridge in the from Paddy's market near the CBD
higher education. The mornings world ‑‑ and the view from below it which has stalls selling a variety of
and afternoons were on the cam‑ revealed the enormity and solidity wares including jewelry, souvenirs,
pus, which reflected a huge cultural of its construction. It was opened in accessories and dresses. The adjoin‑
diversity, and the evenings were for 1932. The on‑board commentary ing mall also had good bargains.
us to discover the city. on the cruise narrated the story of Sydney has an efficient transport
Australia. Devanand Sharma, popu‑ food restaurant ‑‑ for quality of its
The exploration went quite per‑ other landmarks, including the system and the Opal Card can also
larly known as Dave Sharma, I dis‑ food as also warmth of its staff. It
fectly for the first two days but the Royal Botanic Gardens, Garden be used on local trains. Among my
covered later, was not fighting an had Indian students working there
weather turned wet later and the Island Naval base, Government firsts in Sydney was a visit to Ikea
ordinary by‑election. on a part‑time basis and it was
iconic Bondi beach seemed a distant House, waterfront homes and Fort store but the experience of the city
He was the ruling Liberal party interesting to know their stories
dream. But me and a friend were Denison. We again visited Darling would have been less rich without
candidate for Wentworth, a seat and ambitions. The restaurant had a
firm on not giving it a miss. We Harbour at night on the penulti‑ that early morning dash to the
vacated by former Australian Prime variety of burgers, wraps and
bought the Opal Cards (required for mate day of our stay to see it in its Bondi beach. ‑IANS
Minister Malcolm Turnbull, follow‑ snacks along with sides and dips on
local travel) early in the morning on
ing a rather bitter internal battle the menu.
the penultimate day of our stay
and the contest was being watched The Sydney
even as it was drizzling and boarded ra House defines Sydney.
closely in the world capitals. He Harbour For outsiders the magnificent Ope
a bus after getting directions. veles panoramic views all
eventually lost, a result predicted cruise, which Tourists take the cruise that unra
hes Opera House and
along its two‑hour journey as it touc
The beach ‑‑ a vast stretch of fine
earlier. But he also underlined the we undertook
the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
sand merging into the curling
city's and country's plural ethic and on the first day Darling Harbour and goes under
oceanic waves ‑‑ was swept by rain
open to people from different eth‑ of our visit,
and wind by the time we reached
nicities and cultures. was a memo‑
there. Against the backdrop of the
The street where we stayed had rable experi‑
vast Pacific Ocean, a lonely runner
an undulating terrain and the hous‑ ence. Given that
was measuring his paces in the
es had a very neat look. The shop‑ we were in the
sand. Holding our umbrellas with
ping area on Belmore Road, a few city for only a
great difficulty in the gushing wind,
hundred yards away, had wide vari‑ short period, it
we took quick photographs and
ety of food and offered massages gave us a good
rushed back.
and therapies from quite a few glimpse of its
While going to the beach, I had
places, particularly Thailand. There landmarks. The
heard two youngsters urging people
was an Indian restaurant as well cruise ship, with
at an intersection to vote for Dave
and the shops had people of various an open deck at
Sharma. I took the pamphlets,
nationalities working in them. the top, sailed
amused that a man with an Indian
We went quite a few times to gently and
surname was fighting election in
Oporto ‑‑ a Portuguese‑themed fast‑ unraveled
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Political crisis worsens in Lanka; parliament in chaos
A raging political crisis in Sri Lanka
has been set off by President
Maithripala Sirisena's controver‑
sial decision to remove Prime
Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
and installing ex‑president
Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place
last month. The island nation of
Sri Lanka is now in limbo with cri‑
sis talks failing and the parliament
turning unruly.
Colombo: Brewing tensions in Sri
Lanka's Parliament over a no‑con‑
fidence motion against the coun‑
try's newly appointed prime min‑
ister boiled over to an all‑out
brawl between lawmakers.
MPs allied to the disputed Prime
Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa
threw chilli powder at opposing
MPs and hurled chairs at police
of ficers, even as the Assembly
passed another no‑confidence
motion dismissing his government
for a second time this week.
In a chaotic parliamentary ses‑
sion, 122 of the 225 legislators in
the Sri Lankan chamber signed
the no‑confidence motion which
India, Maldives break Imran Khan rejects Trump's allegations
ice, agree on Indian
Ocean stability
Indian PM Narendra Modi felicitates Maldivian President Ibrahim
Mohamed Solih on his assumption of office.
Male: Seen as a fresh revival of ties
between India and the Maldives,
the two countries agreed to work
on peace and stability in the Indian
Ocean region following a meeting
between Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and new Maldives President
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
"The two leaders, while noting
the resilience of the re lat ions
between India and the Maldives,
expressed confidence in the renew‑
al of the close bonds of cooperation
and friendship with the election of
Solih as the President of the
Maldives," a joint statement issued
following the meeting said.
"During their meeting, both lead‑
ers agreed on the importance of
SUBCONTINENT
Sri Lanka's disputed PM Mahinda Rajapakse (L)
attends a Parliament session.
must now be presented for ratifi‑
cation by the President.
"I urge all parliamentarians to
uphold principles of democracy,"
Sirisena said on twitter when ugly
scenes broke out in the chamber.
"I w ill not prorogue the
Parliament under any circum‑
maintaining peace and security in
the Indian Ocean and being mindful
of each other's concerns and aspira‑
tions for the stability of the region,"
it stated.
"The two leaders expressed their
unwavering commitment and sup‑
port for increased cooperation in
combating terrorism both within
the region and elsewhere."
Prior to the meeting, Modi attend‑
ed the swearing‑in ceremony of
Solih in the Maldives' capital.
Modi was the senior‑most foreign
leader to attend the ceremony in
the Indian Ocean archipe lago
nation that went through immense
political turmoil under former
President Abdulla Yameen.
stances," he added.
It was the second day of scuffles
in Parliament amid ongoing politi‑
cal turmoil in Sri Lanka.
An all‑party meet ing on
November 18, called by Sirisena
soon after the incident, failed to
make any breakthrough to end
Islamabad: Pakistan's Prime Minister
Imran Khan has rejected the US
President's allegations that
Islamabad failed to cooperate with
the US and had helped the former Al
Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden hide
in the country until his death at the
hands of the US military in a covert
operation in 2011.
Imran Khan said in a series of
tweets that Islamabad had joined the
American war on terror even though
no Pakistani national was involved in
the 9/11 terror attack in the US,
reports Efe news.
"Instead of making Pakistan a
scapegoat for their failures, the US
should do a serious assessment of
why, despite 140,000 NATO troops
plus 250,000 Afghan troops and
reportedly $1 trillion spent on war in
Taliban not losing in Afghanistan:
US military officer
Washington: A top US military offi‑
cer said that the Taliban "are not los‑
ing" in Afghanistan, and much more
needs to be done to bring peace to
the war‑torn country. "They are not
losing right now, I think that is fair to
say," CNN quoted Gen Joseph
Dunford, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staf f, as saying during a
discussion at a security forum in
Canada.
"We used the term stalemate a
year ago and, relatively speaking, it
has not changed much."
Dunford said that while there
would never be a "military solution"
on its own to bring peace to
November 24-30, 2018
the raging political crisis. The
meet ing was attended by
Rajapaksa, Wickremesinghe and
other political leaders.
Ealier, the Sri Lankan
Parliament had approved a no‑
confidence motion against new
Prime Minister Mahinda
Rajapaksa and his controversially
appointed government, a day after
the Supreme Court stayed a presi‑
dential decree dissolving the legis‑
lature.
The majority (of the 225‑mem‑
ber Assembly) voted to support
the no‑confidence motion against
former strongman Rajapaksa who
was made Prime Minister in
October replacing Ranil
Wickremesinghe, said Speaker
Karu Jayasuriya in a statement.
Wickremesing he's United
National Party (UNP), the JVP, the
main opposition Tamil National
Alliance, the Tamil Progressive
Alliance, the Sri Lanka Muslim
Cong ress and the All Ceylon
Makkal Congress voted in favor of
the no‑trust motion.
Pakistan PM Imran Khan.
Afghanistan, the Taliban today are
stronger than before," Imran Khan
tweeted in response to Donald
Trump's remarks. On Sunday, Trump
accused the Pakistani government of
hiding Bin Laden in its territory in an
interview to broadcaster Fox News
and claimed that despite the US giv‑
Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of
Staff Gen Joseph Dunford.
Afghanistan, the US and its NATO
partners were working to leverage
19
Sirisena‑led United People's
Freedom Alliance (UPFA) did not
take part in the vote and vehe‑
mently protested the no confi‑
dence process.
The measure was approved in
the first session of Parliament
after the Supreme Court on
November 13 overturned its dis‑
solution by the President.
Both Wickremesing he and
Rajapaksa claimed they would
continue to be in office. The for‑
mer said the motion had been
passed with a majority through a
"voice vote".
UNP leg islator Lakshman
Kiriella said: "We have the majori‑
ty and the proper parliamentary
procedures were followed. The
new government is no more. Ranil
Wickremesinghe will once again
be the Prime Minister of the
nation."
Sirisena dissolved the legisla‑
ture last week after he replaced
Wickremesinghe with Rajapaksa,
who did not have sufficient parlia‑
mentary backing.
ing $1.3 billion annually to
Islamabad, the latter had done noth‑
ing. "(Bin Laden) lived in Pakistan,
we're supporting Pakistan, we're giv‑
ing them $1.3 billion a year. I ended
it because they don't do anything for
us, they don't do a damn thing for
us," Trump had said.
"Think of this ‑ living in Pakistan,
beautifully in Pakistan in what I
guess they considered a nice man‑
sion," said the US President, adding
that Laden's hideout had been next
to a military academy. In January,
Washington announced the suspen‑
sion of the major part of its security
aid to Pakistan until Islamabad took
"decisive" steps against terrorist
groups such as the Taliban, which
threaten "regional stability and
American interests".
military, political and economic pres‑
sure to convince the Taliban it was in
their interest to negotiate a political
solution to the crisis with the govern‑
ment in Kabul. "Without going into
detail here, we do believe the Taliban
know that at some point they do
have to reconcile," he said. "The key
to success is to combine all that pres‑
sure to incentivize the Taliban" to
negotiate. As part of the administra‑
tion's strategy to bring about a politi‑
cal resolution to the 17‑year war,
President Donald Trump announced
an increase in US troops last year
that brought the total number in the
country to about 14,000.
 20 November 24-30, 2018
May fights for survival, urges
unity amid Brexit turbulence
London: UK Prime Minister
T heresa May appealed to her
Cabinet to stick together as she
battled to cling onto her job, a
day after a wave of resignations
thrust her terms for a departure
from the EU into jeopardy.
As No 10 geared up for a poten‑
tial vote of no confidence, govern‑
ment whips were recalled to
Westminster from their con‑
st ituencies, the Independent
reported.
"I want all of my colleagues in
the Cabinet to continue to do the
excellent job they've been doing,"
May said when asked during a
radio phone‑in if she expected
further resignations.
She insisted she would carry on
as Prime Minister and defended
the Brexit deal that infuriated
many of her MPs. The leader was
speaking minutes after former
Culture Secretary John
Whittingdale became the latest to
announce he had submitted a let‑
ter of no‑trust in her.
On the other hand, Environment
Secretary Michael Gove hotly
tipped to take on the freshly
vacated role of Brexit Secretary or
Australia PM slammed
for 'smutty' comment
Canberra: Australian
Prime Minister Scott
Morrison faced criticism
following his "smutty"
remarks about actress
Pamela Anderson, after
she asked him to help
Wikileaks founder Julian
Assange.
Anderson had urged
Scott Morrison to bring
Assange to Australia.
Rejecting her plea,
Morrison said he had
"plenty of mates who
have asked me if they
can be my special envoy
Australian PM Scott Morrison
to sort out the issue with
Pamela".
Several politicians
actress Pamela Anderson.
backed the actress slam‑
ming the politician saying it was over sexual assault allegations ‑‑
high time men stopped using a
woman's sexuality and appear‑
ance to denigrate her political
arguments.
A government minister
defended his comment though
as being "light‑hearted", the BBC preparing charges against him.
reported.
Morrison has not yet respond‑ Anderson who is a former
ed to Anderson's criticism.
Assange, an Australian citizen,
claimed asylum in Ecuador's
London embassy in 2012 to
A Brexit protest outside Downing Street in London.
abandon the Cabinet said he
would remain in his post as he
offered his backing for May, who
was facing backlash over the pro‑
visional deal she struck on the
UK's withdrawal from the EU.
May said she would name in a
day or two a successor to
Dominic Raab who quit as Brexit
Secretary recently, according to
Efe news. The coming days will be
critical for both May's Brexit deal
and her premiership as she seeks
to quell a rebellion that has been
made comments against
avoid extradition to Sweden
a case that has since been
dropped.
He has remained in the
embassy over fears of extradi‑
tion to the US. Last week, US
media reported officials were
Earlier in November,
"Baywatch" star and long‑time
advocate for Assange, called on
the Australian government to
help him.
INTERNATIONAL
brewing for months within her
own party over the UK's future
ties to the EU.
Members of her Conservative
Party were openly plotting on to
try to trigger the no‑confidence
vote in an ef fort to force her to
negotiate a dif ferent deal with
Brussels.
The pact has drawn fierce dis‑
approval from key Conservative
figures as well as the main oppo‑
sition Labour Party who said May
has conceded too much.
Kim Jong-un tests high-tech
weapon: Pyongyang media
Seoul: North Korean leader Kim
Jong‑un has inspected a test of a
new ly deve loped hig h‑tech
weapon, amid faltering nuclear
disarmament negotiations with
the US, Pyongyang's state media
reported.
T he Korean Central
Broadcasting Station said that
Kim visited a testing site at a
national defence institute and
inspected the test of the unspeci‑
fied new tactical weapon, reports
Yonhap News Agency.
"The state‑of‑the‑art weapon
that has been long developed
under the leadership of our
party's dynamic leadership has a
meaning of complete ly safe‑
guarding our territory and signif‑
icantly improving the combat
power of our people's army.
"The testing of the high‑tech
tactical weapon has been carried
out successfully, meeting all
superior and powerful designing
indicators," it said.
The Station reported that Kim
praised scientists, saying they
have made yet another achieve‑
ment, calling the successful test‑
ing a great innovation in enhanc‑
ing its national defence capacity.
Kim Jong‑un was accompanied
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Europe must prevent
political chaos: Macron
Berlin: France's President
Emmanuel Macron has called for
closer ties between Paris and
Germany, saying Europe "has the
obligation not to let the world slip
into chaos".
France and Germany were expect‑
ed to unveil plans for a limited joint
eurozone budget on Monday aiming
at a more integrated zone, the BBC
reported.
Macron has also urged Germany's
backing for a European Army,
French President
which he has said would reduce the
Emmanuel Macron.
bloc's dependence on the US, and a
new tax on internet tech giants. He our public debates, attack our liber‑
was here for the country's annual al democracies and are trying to pit
day of mourning for victims of war us against each other," he said.
and in his speech to Germany's par‑ "And in this global order, which
liament, said Europe must not we have to take very seriously, our
strength ‑ our true strength ‑ lies in
"become a plaything of great pow‑
unity."
ers".
US President Donald Trump had
They were set to discuss migra‑
attacked Macron on Twitter last
tion, defence co‑operation and tax
week when the French leader called
structures for digital companies
nationalism a "betrayal of patriot‑
German Chancellor Angela
ism" while commemorating the end
Merkel has expressed tentative sup‑
of World War I.
port for some of these ideas.
Merkel has welcomed his vision
The French President spoke of
and accepted: "You said we are at a
nationalist forces "with no memo‑
crossroads... and this is exactly what
ry", and urged progressive forces to
I perceive. Those of us born after
unite in an uncertain world.
the war are responsible for the les‑
"There are too many powers that
sons that we learned."
wish to thwart us, that interfere in
North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un
Second Trump-Kim summit in 2019: Pence
Singapore: US Vice President Mike Pence confirmed that a second sum‑
mit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim
Jong‑un would take place next year.
The first summit between Trump and Kim was held on June 12 in
Singapore, in which the North Korean leader had agreed to work
towards denuclearizing the country and the US President had
guaranteed security for the regime, reports Efe news.
"We believe that the summit will likely occur after the first of the
year, but the when and where of that is still being worked out," Pence
told the media here after meeting South Korean President Moon Jae‑in.
by Choe Ryong‑hae, vice chair‑ Department; and Vice
man of the ruling Workers' Department Director Jo Yong‑
Party; Ri Pyong‑chol, a senior won of the party's Central
official of the Munitions Industry Committee.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info BUSINESS November 24-30, 2018 21

Work on to get India in $5 trillion club soon: Modi

New Delhi: Reaching out to top

UIDAI CEO new

industrialists and businessmen,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
said the government is working
towards making India a $5 trillion
economy and for this the country
will have to continue scaling up
the World Bank's Ease of Doing
Business (EODB) ranking. "Now
our target is to get India into the
$5 trillion club in the shortest
possible time. For this, we have to
improve all areas of the economy,"
he said addressing them at his
residence here while launching
the "Ease of Doing Business Grand
Challenge".
Currently, India is a $2.5 trillion
economy. Modi said the govern‑
ment is working on an industrial
policy that takes into account the
changing economic scenario and
will be aligned to the aspirations
of the new industrialists in New
India.
"We w ill have to keep the
changes in mind. Manufacturing
and services sectors are now com‑
plementary to each other with
both adding value to the other.
New techniques, artificial intelli‑
gence and information technology
is now an essential part of the
ecosystem," he said.
Modi said the industrial policy
will give importance to EoDB in
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government is working
towards making India a $5 trillion economy.
which India has climbed up 65
ranks from 142 to 77 in the last
four years. He said the Centre is
working continuously with the
state governments on EoDB usher‑
ing in cooperative, competitive
federalism. "Now we all have to
work together to get into the top
50 rank. In days to come, I will
hold review meetings with differ‑
ent departments as decisions
rolled out by December will get
reflected in the EoDB rankings of
next year," he said. Modi said
business, trade and industry are
an essential part of the country as
the country needs growth, infra‑
structure, jobs and increase in per
capita income. He said the govern‑
ment is putting stress on "policy
driven governance and pre‑
dictable transparent policies".
The Prime Minister said the gov‑
ernment is not only working to
improve its business‑friendly
ranking but also towards giving a
quality life to the common citi‑
zens.
"World Bank's ranking is decid‑
ed only on some parameters but
the government's strateg y of
reform, perform and transform is
Revenue Secretary
New Delhi: UIDAI CEO Ajay
Bhushan Pandey will be the
new Finance Secretary, replac‑
ing Hasmukh Adhia ‑‑ the
Gujarat‑cadre IAS officer who
is set to retire on November
30.
Pandey, a 1984‑batch IAS
officer of the Maharashtra
cadre, would continue to hold
the additional charge of
Unique Identification Authority
of India (UIDAI) CEO and
Goods and Services Tax
Network (GSTN) Chairman till
further instructions, according
to an order issued by the
Appointments Committee of
the Cabinet. The committee
much wider than that. We are
working to improve the ease of
living for common cit izens,
traders and small industrialists.
"The country is continuously
working on reforms to make peo‑
ple's life simple and easy. India's
rank is rising or has already risen
in the several evaluations done by
also announced that Girish
Chandra Murmu, the 1985‑
batch Gujarat‑cadre IAS officer
who is presently Special
Secretary at Revenue
Department, would replace
Expenditure Secretary Ajay
Narayan Jha when he retires
on January 31 next year.
Adhia, who turned 60 earlier
this month, had an eventful
stint as Finance Secretary dur‑
ing the days of demonetisation
and the ushering in of the GST
regime. The IAS officer worked
in the Finance Ministry for
four years including the last
three years as Revenue
Secretary.
either IMF, Moo dy's, World
Economic Forum or UNCTAD," he
said. The objective of the Grand
Challenge is to invite innovative
ideas based on artificial intelli‑
gence, Internet of Things, big data
analytics, block chain and other
cutting‑edge technology to reform
government processes.

India renews call No bail‑out for Jet Airways:

for WTO reform
New Delhi: Making an indirect reference to the ongoing
Minister
US‑China trade war that poses a "big challenge" to the New Delhi: T he Central However, Choubey said
multilateral trade system, India has reiterated its call to government ruled out the the issue has to be sort out
reform the World Trade Organization (WTO) to ensure possibility of providing any between the airline and the
its relevance in the changed global scenario. Addressing financial bail‑out or leeway airport operators and that
a conference here organized by industry chamber Ficci, to cash‑strapped Jet the ministry has no role in
Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu said that the ongoing Airways, stating that it's such commercial delibera‑
discussions to reform the WTO must include both old as the prerogative of the com‑ tions.
well as new issues so as to prepare a "forward‑looking pany's management to Currently, the airline is
agenda" for the multilateral body. implement policies to facing financial troubles
"To ensure that there no repeat of the Buenos Aires ensure smooth functioning due to an increase in Brent
(WTO ministerial in December 2017) failure it had been of the airline. According to fuel, along with a weak
decided to draw up a new agenda for the WTO," Prabhu Civil Aviat ion Minister rupee and a mismatch
said. Suresh Prabhu, the govern‑ between high fuel prices
"Since then much water has flown under the WTO ment looks at sector‑spe‑ and low fares.
bridge, so to speak, and the organisation faces unprece‑ cific issues in the current On November 16, Tata
dented challenges." de‑regulated policy envi‑ Sons, the holding company
Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump launched ronment. of the Tata Group firms,
a trade war against China by imposing tariffs on around Prabhu was answering said discussions on acquir‑
half of its imports into America and has threatened to questions on a possible ing a stake in the financial‑
Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu.
deepen the conflict and target all of its imports. bail‑out package for the ly troubled airline are at a
Prabhu said that there were current challenges to glob‑ airline at the launch event and mobile app" here. said that the airline wanted preliminary stage and that
al trade, the impact of which would have serious implica‑ of the upgraded version of Besides, Civil Aviation some time to pay charges no such proposal has been
tions for the world economy and individual nations. "AirSewa 2.0 web portal Secretary R. N. Choubey of the airport operators. made so far.
 22 November 24-30, 2018
Will Indians correct what went wrong in England?
By Veturi Srivatsa
W
hether the country's
cricket authorities have
anything to do with the
public dealings of skipper Virat
Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri or it's
the ef fect of the team's perform‑
ance in the South Africa and
England, the two are a lot mel‑
lowed now.
They were not exactly milk and
honey talking to the media,
though they were quite restrained
on the eve of the India team's
departure for Australia. T hey
made their customary statements
like hoping to become the first
team to win a series Down Under
and that there'is no reason why
they can't win if they perform as a
team. Don't forget, despite their 1‑
2 defeat in South Africa and 1‑4 in
England, India are still the No.1
Test side in the world. Kohli and
his team will feel they are truly
the world's best side by right if
they can win in Australia.
Kohli also realizes that he need
not exhibit his anger to psyche
himself or the side up after the
disapproval rating he received
both in South Africa and in
England when he seemed to lose
his cool or behave in a way that's
not expected of a captain ‑ even if
others are not measuring up to the
high standards the International
Mary Kom in quarters,
Sarita out
New Delhi: Veteran
boxer M.C. Mary
Kom entered the
quarter‑finals while
Sarita Devi lost her
bout to crash out of
the World Women's
B o x i n g
Championship here.
Mary reg istered a
unanimous 5:0 win
over Kazakhstan's
Aigerim Kassenayeva
in the flyweight cate‑
gory (48kg). Sarita,
on the other hand,
lost by a 2:3 split
decision to Ireland's Kellie Anne
Harrington in the lightweight
60kg category to bow out.
Apart from Mary, Manisha
Moun, Lovlina Borgohain and
Bhagyabati Kachari all marched
into the quarterfinals on the fourth
day of the championships.
In the first match, Mary started
the first round on a positive note,
landing a few punches and jabs
without taking much risk.
The second round saw Mary dis‑
Skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri on the eve of the India
team's departure for Australia. (Photo: IANS)
Cricket Council has set.
He made it clear that he would
like to play straight without get‑
ting into arguments on the field,
but if the opponents want it that
way, he wouldn't mind playing the
Australian way.
He was firm in saying that "if
they want to play in a certain way,
we will reciprocate in that way,
that's how the game of cricket
goes", adding that he would like to
play like the Australians, hard and
fair.
As for his own behaviour on the
fie ld, Kohli is clear about his
approach and said it without a
trace of arrogance seen not long
ago: "I have enough belief in my
Veteran boxer M.C. Mary Kom.
playing some attacking game. The
veteran Indian boxer landed some
powerful punches to take a much
needed advantage.
In the third round, Aigerim tried
to bounce back but it was too late
as in the first two rounds she could
not match the pace of the Indian
boxer.
Mary was scheduled to take on
Wu Yu of China in the quarterfi‑
nals.
Talking after the bout, Mary said:
SPORTS
ability to play without a reason to
pump myself up. Those were very
immature things that I needed to
feed on in early days of my
career."
In fact, he did not take on the
mediapersons asking what they
thought of the team's performance
or what would be the best eleven
in the reporter's view.
Kohli can still look at his own
performance as captain with a
degree of satisfaction when his
counterparts elsewhere are under
pressure to keep their teams
under check or face the conse‑
quences. As a batsman, he is clear‑
ly head and shoulders above all
other international batsmen in all
"Feeling good, the pres‑
sure is of f. I always
enjoyed boxing, it has
been my life whether I
train or compete in tour‑
naments," said the moth‑
er of three children.
In the 69kg category,
Sarita lost a close con‑
test. Sarita showed some
great moves. Towards
the end Sarita pulled a lot
of punches and also land‑
ed it on the mark but the
umpires decision went in
favor of her opponent.
"I thought I got unlucki‑
er. Some points did not go my way.
But I will continue to box as long
as I can," said a dejected Sarita.
Among other players, Manisha
outpunched her way to upstage
reigning world champion Dina
Zholaman from Kazakhstan with a
unanimous 5:0 decision in the 54
kg pre‑quarterfinals.
Equally impressive was Lovlina
in her 69 kg pre‑quarterfinal bout
against Panama's Atheyna Bylon,
former world champion.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
formats of the game, in Tests in
particular, having toted up 1,063
runs at an average of a shade less
than 60.
In shorter formats, the challenge
is from not anyone else but his
own deputy and opening batsman
Rohit Sharma, who smashes
record after record practically
every time he goes out to bat.
Finally, there is the stock ques‑
tion from the mediapersons, that
Kohli dominates the team manage‑
ment and Ravi Shastri is essential‑
ly a ʻyes man'. This could have
made him snap, but he did not. He
handled the situation deftly.
All that Kohli can do to inspire is
to ask his teammates to stick
around with him. That still means
pressure on him.
He cannot ask his bowlers to do
everything to win matches or even
contribute with the bat lower
down as has been happening for a
couple of years now. Look at the
number of hundreds scored by
Ravichandran Ashw in,
Wriddhiman Saha, Ravindra Jadeja
and Hardik Pandya ‑ not to speak
of Rishab Pant.
Ideally, at least one top‑order
batsman must play a big knock to
make things easier for the middle
and lower‑order batsmen. If in
every innings two batsmen can get
going and others can play around
them, it can safely give the team a
INJURED HARDIK WILL
BE MISSED: SHASTRI
Brisbane: India's head coach Ravi
Shastri said all‑rounder Hardik
Pandya will be missed during the
tough Australian tour starting
from Wednesday as he provides
proper balance to the side.
Hardik had suf fered an acute
lower back spasm during the
game against Pakistan in the Asia
Cup and is currently recovering.
"I think one player who we will
certainly miss in the squad is
Hardik Pandya who is sidelined
due to an injury. Pandya lends bal‑
ance to the side because of his
ability to operate as a bowler as
well as a batsman which allows us
to play an extra bowler," Shastri
told reporters here.
"We will be forced to think twice
with regard to team selection as a
result of his absence. Hopefully,
he will get fit soon. However, if
the fast bowlers perform well, we
might not miss him as much," he
added.
Shastri also said there is no
weak team in the home condi‑
tions.
"I don't think so. I always
believe no team is weak at home.
We might have three or four play‑
400‑plus score. In Australia in the
past, even 400‑plus first‑innings
scores were not adequate to win
matches.
To expect Kohli to reproduce the
form he showed four years ago
when he scored 692 runs, averag‑
ing a staggering 86.5 is not fair.
He is right: Individual landmarks
do contribute to the team's
growth, but they have to pool their
resources in a consistent manner.
He used a complex, highfalutin
sentence to explain his vision: "It's
up to the individuals to take own‑
ership of that responsibility and
the things that are explained, that
are laid out as expectations from
team culture point of view. That
can only be achieved when indi‑
viduals go and work on those
things."
Finally, he amplified Shastri's
theory, that yes, a lot of things
went wrong in England, but to be
honest, there was not much that
went wrong!
"Whatever was not right was
very extreme also. We played good
cricket, but the mistakes were also
very extreme, that's why we lost
that many number of g ames
rather than w inning those
moments and winning the games."
Everyone agrees, the points
Kohli raised or answered have to
be corrected this time around. Will
they?
Hardik Pandya.
ers not playing when a team
comes to India but God forbid if
anyone says it is a weak Indian
team because you will be sur‑
prised," the coach said.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info LIFE AND LETTERS November 24-30, 2018 23

By Amitabh Bachchan

T
he Gateway of India, at first
instance, appears to be an
odd frame for the type of
conversations that follow. It was,
after all, built to commemorate a
state visit of a foreign invader.
But rather than tearing down the
Gateway after our liberation, we
absorbed it and attached our own
meanings ‑‑ hospitable welcome
and an openness to the world ‑‑ to it
while simultaneously leaving it
intact as a reminder of the British
Raj, so we knew that also passed.
And it passed because of our collec‑
tive might. We overcame it by the
solidarity of peaceful resistance.
The Gateway, therefore, in its con‑
temporary complexity of meanings,
is a locus of reflection and debate.
There could not be a more appro‑
priate symbol to commemorate the
cowardly attacks on November 26,
2008, at various places across our
(Mumbai) city.
To me, these attacks were a wake‑
up call. But the question I asked
myself was: "Wake up, yes, but
wake up to what?"
I woke up to a new era of vio‑
lence, a new kind of violence ‑‑ one
inflicted by terrorism. I woke up to
the fact that terrorism is not an ide‑
ology. It is an act of scaring a peace‑
ful people; an act of evoking the
fear of sudden, untimely death. It is
an act of negotiating at gunpoint.
Terrorism is not an act of faith.
Terrorism can never replace anoth‑
er ideology. Whatever the political
rhetoric may be, terrorism is nei‑
ther a form of justice nor an instru‑
ment of justice. It is the whimsical
randomness of evil.
So how does an unarmed, peace‑
ful humanity fight the fear of terror‑
ism's sudden violence? How does
anyone who believes in a life of
merit and hard work begin to
believe in the authority of guns and
bombs? Will armed mercenaries
decide the future of our children?
Will the threat of violence point us
to the causes that we fight for? Will
terror decide what is true‑false, cor‑
rect‑incorrect, good‑bad and right
or wrong? No.
Terror does no such thing; terror
does not decide anything. Terror
The power of the Moderate
Once unleashed, terror cannot be stopped by
negotiations or wisdom. It can only be repelled,
repulsed and destroyed by a more powerful,
collective reaction, writes Big B on the
10th anniversary of Mumbai’s 26/11.
only hopes to bluff that evil can be there. When a farm is infested by
stronger than humanity, that hate weeds, a weed‑killer does not stop
can be mightier than love. It is now them from growing again after the
for each one of us to decide if we next rains. The farmer has to pull
want our children to accept this evil them out, one by one, every single
doctrine or show them that terror weed, by its roots.
does not have a place in our hearts. Terror must be rooted out. We
An estimated 20 lakh people were know that the war on terror world‑
killed during the Partition of our wide has not eliminated the root
country in 1947, and several times cause of terrorism so far. And it
more displaced. When people are doesn't look likely, if the
divided by distrust, when friends same method is expected
and neighbors stop trusting each to generate different
other, when a
The Gateway of India represents Indiaʼs hospitable welcome and an openness to the world
– and is an appropriate symbol to commemorate the 26/11 attacks by Pak‑trained terrorists
on the Taj Mahal Hotel and other places in Mumbai.
nation turns into hostile islands of results. And here is where I think
fear, then our world is broken into we must fall back on Mahatma
fragments, divided by narrow Gandhi's satyagraha, which in its
domestic walls. This is precisely truest form is the persuasion of
what terror aims to achieve. Terror truth.
does not preserve anything, it is The perception that moderates
designed to destroy. Once are not relevant in the war on terror
unleashed, terror cannot be stopped is rather myopic. Moderates are not
by a debate. An act of terror, there‑ part of this struggle because both
fore, is not open to negotiations or the handlers of terror and the
to wisdom. It can only be repelled, agents of resistance consider them
repulsed and destroyed by a more to be passive and disempowered.
powerful reaction. There are no two Yet, the prime victims of terror are
ways about that. A corrective action the moderates. More than 70 per
is necessary. But it does not end cent of our nation is moderate. And
as moderates, we must recognize
that to vilify a foe is no victory at
all, but to understand a foe is the
first act of strength in resistance.
And to understand a foe, one must
first understand oneself. To under‑
stand ourselves, we must ask not
what we are
against, for that
is defining our‑
selves by the
ideas of our
foe, by their
power.
Rather, to understand ourselves, we
must ask what we are for. We can
only understand ourselves together.
To understand ourselves as a col‑
lective is to find the time for debate,
discussion, argument, listening to
each other, trying to understand dif‑
fering points of view, engaging,
challenging our ways of thinking
and honoring each other with com‑
passion. These are the answers to
violence and death. If we are to be
for anything, then to start with,
what we must be for is each other.
That is solidarity, and history has
shown that our country's solidarity
is as strong as an oak tree.
The colonial rulers laughed at
Mahatma Gandhi when he spoke of
this vision. His passive resistance
suffered unimaginable brutality
during its campaign. But we know
the result ‑‑ it demolished the foun‑
dations of imperialism from the
face of the earth.
The time has come for us moder‑
ates to unite once again. It is time to
invoke the Mahatma's satyagraha of
peaceful, non‑violent non‑coopera‑
tion. We must boycott not only vio‑
lence, but also everything that
breeds it. We must rise up in one
voice as a nation of moderates, and
say: "No!" To the terrorist that one
"no" will have the most impact. It's
very simple: A parasite cannot kill
and survive in the same host at the
same time. We must refuse to host
terrorists. And today standing at the
foot of the Gateway, this is my
prayer:
"All those who live for humanity,
all those who live for the children of
tomorrow, must now realize that it
is time to rise, and say, 'No!' Uproot
every weed from your surround‑
ings. Do not threaten, do not fight,
do not kill, do not injure. Simply
refuse to cooperate, at any cost. Do
not feed the evil; do not host the
parasite called the terrorist. And
then, may we all live in the dream of
Gurudev's (Tagore) words: 'Into that
Heaven of Freedom, my Father, let
my country awake'."
(IANS ‑ with permission from
Penguin Random House India from
the foreword of "26/11: Stories of
Strength", edited by Kavitha Iyer)

Ramayana and Mahabharata have identical

themes and history: Devdutt Pattanaik
P
opular belief has it that the
Ramayana is idealistic while
the Mahabharata is realistic
but these two epics have "identical
building blocks, themes, and histo‑
ry," says writer‑mythologist
Devdutt Pattanaik, whose new book
"Ramayana Versus Mahabharata:
My Playful Comparison" is all set
for release later this month.
In the book, New Delhi‑based
Rupa Publications informed IANS,
Pattanaik, one of India's most popu‑
lar mythologists, explores the simi‑
larities and dissimilarities between
the two epics in a "playful analay‑
sis". The book will also be accompa‑
nied by his signature illustrations.
Pattanaik, who has penned over
three dozen books on subjects
related to ancient Indian scriptures
and mythology, contends in the
book that whether it is the family
structure, forest exile, or war, the
comparison between the two epics
proves a startling point ‑‑ that "the
Mahabharata is, in fact, a reaction
to the events in the Ramayana".
The publisher added that the
ideas in this book are distributed
over 56 chapters.
"In temple rituals, Vishnu is
offered 8 different meals daily, dif‑
ferent on all seven days of the week
‑ 56 dishes in all.
May each chapter serve as a
mouthwatering offering to the
Vishnu within you," Rupa informed
IANS in a statement.
24 November 24-30, 2018
Being a brown doctor in England
By Vivek V Gumaste MD
Extracted from V.Q.E: The Tale of an Indian
Physician in the United Kingdom of the
1980ʼs by Vivek Gumaste (IngramSpark,
$7.99; $2.99 ‑ kindle)
H
e was tall, easily over 6 feet, distin‑
guished looking and some would
say even handsome for his age. Clad
in a gray suit under a physicianʼs white coat
he was busy demonstrating the crue l
effects of rheumatoid arthritis on the proxi‑
mal interphalangeal joint (the joint closest
to the base of your finger) when I stumbled
in to join the rounds, already a few minutes
late and still dazed from the weekend call.
He broke off his sentence in midstream,
turned to me with a benevolent smile and
asked politely, “Where are you from, sir?”
“Epping,” I blurted out without realizing
the incongruity of such a response coming
as it were from a brown‑skinned Indian or
Asian house officer.
He froze paused for a moment, the irrita‑
tion clearly showing on his face, and then
persisted, “I mean originally.”
“From India,” I said.
It was the 1980s, the world was still rela‑
tively insular and I suppose the English
consultant could be excused for his pattern
of quest ioning which was obviously
prompted by the color of my skin. However
30 years later despite a vastly changed
global environment, diehard British atti‑
tudes like this appear not to have changed.
Even if you have been born and brought up
in Britain and know no other land other
than Britain and no other language other
than English, you are still subject to uncom‑
fortable questioning because of your color,
as this excerpt from an article titled, “Tired
of being asked where I am from” by Ariane
Sherine which appeared in The Guardian in
March 2010 (nearly 30 years after my
experiences in the UK) indicates:
Despite this awkward introduction, my
“So hereʼs a ready‑made answer for
the overly curious. Last weekend, I had
The Conversation for the 3,897th time
̶ and this time, it took place in central
London just two roads away from the
hospital where I was born. As usual, it
went like this:
Stranger: W here are you from?
(Translation: You look a bit brown. Why
are you brown?)
Me: London.
Stranger: No, where are you really
from? ( Translation: You are clearly
telling me untruths. Brown people do
BOOK EXTRACT
not come from London.)
Me: London.
Stranger (exasperated): No, where are
your parents from? (Translation: Now
youʼre just being obtuse.)
Me: Africa and America.
Stranger (confused): Erm...so where
are your family from, like, back in the
day? (Translation: People who come
from Africa and America do not look
like you.)
Me: Iran, India, Africa, America and
England.
Stranger (relieved): India and Iran! Do
you ever go back?
At this point, I have to explain that itʼs
hard to go back to somewhere you have
never been. Iʼve lived in London since I
was a zygote, have a London accent and
donʼt speak any languages except
English ̶ yet just because Iʼm cashew‑
colored, Iʼm often questioned about my
heritage. “
subsequent interaction with Dr Howard‑
Williams, that was the consultantʼs name,
was without incident. Dr Howard‑Williams
was a kindly gentleman who spoke in a soft
polite tone that exuded genuine empathy.
He had a special interest in rheumatology
or joint diseases. Accordingly, his ward con‑
sisted of mostly patients with joint diseases.
The burden of arthritis in the UK is enor‑
mous and imposes a hefty strain on society.
Arthritis is in fact the most common cause
among people receiving Disability Living
Allowance (DLA) in the UK. No wonder
rheumatology, unlike in India, was an
important subject and a distinct specialty.
My exposure to joint diseases during my
training in India was limited. Arthritis in
India was not a common medical student
topic as in the UK and the chronic nature of
the diseases made it an item of less priority;
infectious diseases and other life‑threaten‑
ing disorders took precedence.
Rheumatology was a little bit of a novelty
for me and I found the rounds fairly inter‑
esting. I would be less than honest if I used
any other term stronger than that to
describe my fee lings for this fie ld.
Rheumatology by nature was pedestrian,
not glamorous like cardiology or cardiac
surgery and even less exciting than special‑
ties that concentrated on the digestive sys‑
tem or lung problems.
Nevertheless, Dr Howard‑Williams was a
good teacher and I learnt a lot from him in
those two weeks that I spent on his unit.
Specifically, I learnt how to dif ferentiate
between rheumatoid arthrit is and
osteoarthritis, the two main commonly
encountered joint problems.
Dr Williams was the epitome of English
punctuality. He started rounds exactly at 9
a.m. and was very particular that every
member of his team be there on time. The
team itself consisted of three other physi‑
cians apart from me. T here was Tom
Waitman, the senior reg istrar who
appeared perpetually tired and had good
reason to be. He was nearly 40 years old,
with thinning hair, and was yet to land a
consultant position. All his energy was con‑
sumed in looking for one. He was the
friendliest of the lot and one who came
across as truly good at heart.
Nice is not a word that I would use to
describe the other two: civil, but definitely
not nice. Next in the hierarchy was John
Smith, the reg istrar, a red‑haired
Eng lishman w ith a goatee who was
extremely uptight on rounds but who did
loosen up once Dr Williams had left the
scene. He had been to India once and made
Vivek Gumaste is a gastroenterologist
in Bronx, NY, and is affiliated with
multiple hospitals in the area,
including Montefiore Medical Center
and Mount Sinai Hospital. He
received his medical degree from
Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate
Medical Education and Research and
has been in practice for more than
20 years. He also writes for some
publications.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
it a point to comment on the inef ficiency
and corruptness of the Indian bureaucracy
whenever he got a chance. The last member
of the team was Mindy Turcot, the SHO who
constantly peered at me through large thick
glasses, was physically on the heavy side
and did not stand out as being particularly
knowledgeable with regard to medicine.
Rounds usually lasted for about three
hours but on some days could go on for
four to five hours with a break for lunch
between two sessions. Rounds were not
confined to medical topics and frequently
the conversation veered to include local
issues and international politics. Without
such distractions, rounds can become
unbearable especially towards the fag end.
Dr Williams, like many English consult‑
ants, was a frequent visitor in a profession‑
al capacity to many of Britainʼs former
colonies. Libyaʼs Muammar Al‑Gaddafi was
at the height of his eccentricity in the 80s
and Dr Williams had just returned from a
trip to Libya.
He spent a good half hour one day recall‑
ing his recent visit there, regaling us with
details of camel jaunts into the desert and
telling us of how he had made his displeas‑
ure explicitly known to his local contacts
with regard to Gaddafiʼs wayward ways, in
particular his repressive policies.
Post‑rounds banter was also interesting,
sometimes even more interesting than the
rounds themselves. Juicy tidbits surfaced
that could not be voiced on rounds. It was a
free‑for‑all. No topic or individual was off
limits. A gossip piece doing the rounds was
that Dr Williams had just married someone
20 years his junior and was desperately try‑
ing to keep in shape to match her age.
Whether this was true or not I never real‑
ly was able to confirm. Sexual peccadilloes
of junior doctors and nurses were another
staple item with specific events often being
described in great detail and with relish.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Is emotional intelligence
new criteria for hiring?
London: Besides cognitive skills
and personality, assessing a can‑
didates' level of emotional intelli‑
gence is equally important for a
job interview, suggests a
new study.
Emotional intelligence
is a person's capacity to
understand, regulate,
recognize and manage
interpersonal relation‑
ships judiciously and
empathetically.
The study found that
emotional intelligence
goes hand‑in‑hand with
a hig her deg ree of
empathy, openness to
others, respect for moral
rules and a positive tem‑
perament. The more emotional
intelligence skills an individual
has, the better his or her work
outcomes would be.
For the study, the researchers
from the Universities of Geneva
(UNIGE) and Berne (UNIBE) in
Sw itzerland deve loped the
Geneva Emotional Competence
Test (GECO) which consisted of
Skin care regime during
winters for different skin types
New Delhi: Skin tends to become
very dry during winter hence you
need extra care to keep the skin
moist and supple.
Mini Sood Banerjee, Brand
Manager at Innisfree India, offers
tips on how one should take care
of different skin types in winter.
8 For dry skin: The skin becomes
more dry in winters. In the morn‑
ing start your routine with wash‑
ing your face with a cream based
cleanser, since foaming cleanser
will make the skin drier. Use a
moisturizing toner which will
maintain the skin's moisturization
levels. After that use a rich face
cream which will give intense
moisturization to your skin. Use an
SPF in the last. You can also use
honey as a facemask in winters,
since dry skin becomes flaky and
starts peeling. Honey won't let the
skin peel off.
8 For oily skin: For oily skin, it
becomes easy during winters.
Wash your face with a normal
cleanser, use a water‑based toner
or clean your face with rosewater.
Use a water‑based moisturizer.
Make sure that you moisturize
your face after every time you
wash your face, to maintain the
balance of the oil levels, use an
SPF as a last step.
8 For combination skin:
Combination skin tends to get dry
in winters hence the demand for
extra care. Use a normal facewash
four tests for evaluating the dif‑
ferent parts of emotional intelli‑
gence including understanding
and recognizing emotions, regu‑
lating one's own emotions and
managing other people's emo‑
(Image courtesy: Lynda.com)
tions. They questioned over 40
managers which were included
in GECO.
Participants were asked to
explain diverse situations where
they were faced with negative
emotions including fear, sadness,
anger or inappropriate happi‑
ness.
More than 1,000 individuals
or cream based face wash as per
your choice, tone your face and
apply a thick cream for intense
moisturization, apply SPF as a last
step. At night also use a cream
before going to bed. You can use
homemade packs like mix of malai
and besan pack for 10 minutes
and wash off.
Last but not the least, we tend to
drink less water in winters
because we turn to hot drinks. But
don't forget your skin needs
hydration from both inside and
outside. Take some warm water
with lemon that can be both
refreshing and hydrating at the
same time.
Anuj Mishra, Education Manager
at Kiehl's India also have some
inputs to share.
8 Use lukewarm water to show‑
er and wash your face and use
gentle non‑stripping cleansers so
that the skin barrier remains
healthy.
8 Always use a gentle alcohol‑
free toner so that PH of the skin
remain balanced.
8 Stay hydrated by using heav‑
ier moisturizers but in case your
skin breaks out very easily, or you
still feel that your skin is oily, try
to give hydration through light‑
weight serums which contains nat‑
ural glycerin and Hyaluronic acids.
8 Try using more herbal prod‑
ucts with natural hydrating ingre‑
dients. (IANS)
LIFESTYLE
then completed the four tests
that make up GECO.
Findings, published in the
Journal of Applied Psychology,
showed that women on the
whole obtain superior results
than men, notably
when asked to inter‑
pret non verbal emo‑
tional expressions.
In addition, a supe‑
rior ability to regu‑
late one's own emo‑
t ions is linked to
earning a slig htly
higher salary.
Emotional intelli‑
gence is also linked
to a person's well‑
being and satisfaction
with his or her lifestyle, accord‑
ing to Katja Schlegel, researcher
from UNIBE.
"We also noted that managers
who perform well on GECO have
better results in standardized
leadership tasks and students
with higher GECO scores get bet‑
ter grades," added Schlegel.
‑(IANS)
How Twitter contributes to 'social jet lag'
New York: People's social media
usage, which largely mirrors daily
work schedules and school calen‑
dars, is causing a huge amount of
"social jet lag" and disrupting their
biological clocks, reveals a study
that analyzed patterns of activity on
the social media platform Twitter.
Social jet lag ‑‑ a syndrome related
to the mismatch between the body's
internal clock and the realities of
our daily schedules ‑‑ has previously
been tied to health problems. The
researchers found that sustained
periods of low Twitter activity were
correlated with sleep patterns, while
the nightly lull in Twitter activity
shifted to later times on weekends
relative to weekdays ‑‑ an indication
of social jet lag. The magnitude of
this "Twitter social jet lag" varied
seasonally and geographically. It
was also correlated with average
November 24-30, 2018
‘Toxic’ is Oxford Dictionaries’
word of the year
London: 2018 has been a lot of
things but one word seems to
sum it up best: toxic. At least
that's according to Oxford
Dictionaries' official word of the
year selection. The British pub‑
lisher said "toxic" beat out other
expressions including "techlash"
and "gaslighting" thanks to the
"sheer scope of its application."
"In 2018, toxic added many
strings to its poisoned bow
becoming an intoxicating
descriptor for the year's most
talked about topics," Oxford
Dictionaries said on its website
late Wednesday.
The dictionary defines "toxic"
as "poisonous" with its roots
derived from the medieval Latin
term "toxicus," meaning poi‑
soned or imbued with poison.
Data from Oxford Dictionaries
show a 45 percent increase in
the number of times people have
looked up the word on its web‑
site. "Our research shows that
this year, more than ever, people
have been using 'toxic' to
describe a vast array of things,
situations, concerns and events,"
a video released by Oxford
commuting schedules, including
how many people do shift work, and
disease risk factors such as obesity.
"When we look at how social jet
lag changes throughout the year, we
find that the dominant effect by far
is the social calendar," said Michael
Rust from T he University of
Chicago.
"It suggests that humans in mod‑
ern societies have biological
rhythms that are somewhat discon‑
nected from the changing hours of
sunlight throughout the year," he
added. Previously, researchers have
25
Dictionaries on Twitter said.
The video pointed to the use of
the word toxic literally in
describing chemicals and sub‑
stances like plastics, as well as
metaphorically depicting rela‑
tionships and masculinity. It said
the #MeToo movement "put the
spotlight on toxic masculinity"
while in politics the word has
been applied to the "rhetoric,
policies, agendas and legacies of
leaders and governments around
the globe."
"Toxic" came ahead of "tech‑
lash," which Oxford Dictionaries
defines as "a strong and wide‑
spread negative reaction to the
growing power and influence of
large technology companies, par‑
ticularly those based in Silicon
Valley." "Techlash" has been a
key for theme companies like
Facebook, Google and Amazon
amid data privacy scandals and
monopolistic concerns.
Other contenders this year
included "gaslighting," "incel,"
"overtourism" and "orbiting."
Last year's word was
"youthquake" while "post‑truth"
topped the list in 2016.
measured social jet lag by surveying
for dif ferences in wake and sleep
times between weekdays and week‑
ends and by using specialized activi‑
ty monitors.
In the new study, reported in the
journal Current Biology, the team
collected readily available Twitter
data for more than 1,500 US coun‑
ties throughout the 2012‑2013 cal‑
endar years in 15‑minute intervals.
T hose geographically tagged
tweets represented about 2,40,000
people. Most counties experienced
the largest amount of Twitter social
jet lag in February and the lowest in
June or July. The evidence is consis‑
tent with the notion that those pat‑
terns are driven primarily by social
pressures, including shifting school
schedules, and less so by the direct
seasonal ef fect of altered day
length. (IANS)
 26 November 24-30, 2018 IMMIGRATION TheSouthAsianTimes.info

By Dev Banad Viswanath, Esq.

& Michael Phulwani, Esq.
Deferred Action for Childhood
D
eferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
is a program which allows
temporary authorization of stay for
undocumented people who were
brought to the United States as chil‑
Arrivals (DACA) ‑ 2018 Updates
VISA
A grant of certiorari was also
dren. The program was started in
requested in two more cases chal‑
2012 by the Secretary of Homeland
lenging the termination of DACA,
Security while President Obama

was in office because Congress was
not able to pass any legislation simi‑
lar to it, in the form of the DREAM
Act, which would have created a
path to permanent residence and
eventually citizenship for qualifying
individuals. Under DACA, eligible
beneficiaries were allowed to defer
deportation/removal for a period of
two years, plus additional renewal
were possible. There are some peo‑
ple who have been on DACA for the
passed 5‑6 years since enactment.
Last year President Trump had
decided to end the DACA program.
Congress was told that they have
until March 5, 2018 to come up
with some sort of legislation to deal
with all of the undocumented immi‑
grants under DACA. Currently the
DACA program is still in effect and
work permits are valid until their
expiration date. Unfortunately, no
new applications for DACA are
being accepted and DACA recipients
will not be given advance parole to
travel abroad. It is still uncertain
TALK
Batalla Vidal v. Nielsen and NAACP
v. Trump. All three of cases are
pending before the court of appeals
but the government would like the
what exactly will happen with all of
Supreme Court to hear them before
the DACA recipients. However,
the court of appeals are able to
based on ongoing federal court liti‑
decide on them. On November 8,
gation, it looks like USCIS will be
2018, the ninth circuit made a deci‑
forced to continue to renew DACA
sion on the Regents case and
applications for people who already
affirmed the lawfulness of the pre‑
have it.
liminary injunction.
Recent Update on DACA The court stated that the plain‑
tiffs in the case were likely to win
There have been several lawsuits
on their claim against the Trump
filed against the administration for
administrationʼs dissolution of Dev Banad Viswanath is the Principal Attorney of
ending the DACA program and as a
DACA and that ending DACA was The Banad Law Offices PC in the United States,
result three injunctions were issued
“arbitrary and capricious.” The DOJ and Banad Immigration in India for which
by U.S. district courts nationwide, in
will most likely request review of Attorney Michael Phulwani is also affiliated as Of
California, New York, and District of
the ruling to the Supreme Court. Counsel. With Offices in Manhattan, Queens,
Columbia. On November 6, 2018
President Trump will not be able to Bangalore, and Mumbai, the firm is able to assist
the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
completely shut down the DACA clients with all facets of the immigration process,
sought certiorari before the U.S including Employment Visas, Consular Visa
program very easily and many peo‑
Supreme Court for the second time Assistance, Student Visas, Removal &
ple will continue to fight on behalf
in the case Regents of the Deportation, US Citizenship and Green Card
of all the DACA recipients. If you
University of California v. Applications based on Family or Employment.
have any questions about DACA and
Department of Homeland Security. Dev B. Viswanath can be reached at
your rights or options, contact an
The Regents case was pending in Dev@Banadlaw.com and 718‑361‑5999.
experienced Immigration Attorney.
the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

How long does it take to finish

an immigration regulation?
Spoiler alert: More than a year (most of the time)
By Doug Rand agency publishes a formal propos‑ final rule publication and the changes seemingly overnight? istration created the Deferred
al in the Federal Register. Often “ef fective date,” giving the public The answer is that some policy Action for Childhood Arrivals

T
hese days, it seems like the
federal government is
announcing new immigra‑
tion policies all the time. Yet often
itʼs dif ficult to tell the dif ference
between whatʼs a real change and
whatʼs still just in the planning
stages.
That distinction ̶ between an
immediate impact and an unfin‑
ished proposal ̶ makes a huge
difference in peopleʼs lives.
When Congress makes a law, itʼs
called a statute. But most lawmak‑
ing isnʼt done by Congress ̶ itʼs
delegated to the executive branch,
where various federal agencies
hammer out the nitty‑gritty details
of the rules that govern our lives.
When a federal agency makes a
law, itʼs called a regulation. Thereʼs
a specific “rulemaking” process
that federal agencies typically
must follow in order to turn a poli‑
cy idea into the law of the land.
And until this entire process is fin‑
ished, the status quo doesnʼt
change:
(1) Proposed rule: First, the
described as a “proposal,” “draft,”
or “plan,” this document is sup‑
posed to provide the legal and eco‑
nomic rationale for issuing a new
regulation.
(2) Public comment period: For
the next 30–90 days, the proposed
rule is open for public comments.
This means that anyone is allowed
to send the federal agency their
feedback ̶ whether in support or
opposition, and whether sending
in a single sentence or a densely
reasoned treatise.
(3) Internal deliberations: Next,
the federal agency is obligated by
law to read through all of the pub‑
lic comments, prepare a response
to every serious argument, and
consider changing course. This
stage typically takes the longest.
(4) Final rule: The agency pub‑
lishes a “final” rule in the Federal
Register, including a detailed justi‑
fication for why it chose to either
follow or ignore the comments it
received from the public.
(5) Effective date: Thereʼs usually
a 30‑ to 90‑day delay between the
some time to prepare for the new
regulation.
Increasingly these days, thereʼs
also an unof ficial sixth step: The
lawsuit. Itʼs possible to sue DHS in
federal court and demand that a
new regulation be blocked, but
only once the final rule has been
issued.
When you read about a “draft” or
“proposed” regulation, that means
thereʼs a long way to go before
anything actually changes.
How long? For immigration reg‑
ulations, the answer is more than a
year, on average.
Nearly 2 years into the Trump
administration, DHS hasnʼt final‑
ized any big immigration regula‑
tions yet. But there are a growing
number of draft rules that DHS has
published, and many more in the
pipeline.
What about Executive
Orders?
If immigration policy takes so
long to implement, then how does
President Trump make so many
changes ̶ even dramatic ones ̶
donʼt go through the full regulato‑
ry process outlined above. For
example:
The travel ban: Congress long
ago g ranted unusually broad
authority to the President to ban
ent ire classes of people from
entering the United States on
national security grounds, just by
issuing an E/O. Thatʼs how it was
possible (however controversial) to
block some people from entering
the United States while they were
still in planes.
Asylum: Just last wee k, the
Trump administration acted to
make it much harder for people
crossing the U.S./Mexico border
illegally to be granted asylum. This
did require a new regulation, but
the administration skipped to the
last step using an “Interim Final
Rule” ̶ think of this as an emer‑
gency measure with no draft ver‑
sion and no public comments. This
is an extraordinary move that will
certainly be challenged in court.
DACA: When the Obama admin‑
(DACA) program in 2012, it wasnʼt
through a regulation ̶ instead,
the Secretary of Home land
Security exercised her discretion
to “defer action” (delay deporta‑
tion) and provide work permits for
undocumented Dreamers whoʼd
been brought to the US as children.
When the Trump administration
attempted to eliminate the pro‑
gram in 2017, it was through
another DHS memo. Now the fate
of the program is tied up in court.
H1B: Itʼs routine for DHS to issue
“policy memoranda” to its immi‑
gration of ficers. Recent examples
include new constraints on H‑1B
workers, expanded denials of visa
applications, and more. As long as
these policy memos are clarifying
existing law and not creating new
law, they can be implemented
immediately without a full‑blown
regulation.
Doug Rand, who earlier worked
in Obama White House, is
President, Boundless Immigration
company.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info LEGAL EAGLE November 24-30, 2018 27

Mandating sex harassment policies & training for employees

By Shannon Azzaro petitive bidding must contain a state‑
What employers need to know to CORPORATE LAW ment affirming that the bidder has

N comply in New York State.

ew York State and New York
City recently passed historic
legislation requiring most
private employers in New York to
conduct annual sexual harassment
training for all employees, effective
October 9, 2018 (under state law)
and April 1, 2019 (under city law).
This is a two‑part series. This part
will address the New York State
requirements and the second part
will address requirements in the City
of New York in the next issue. The
legislation also includes expansion of
existing protections against sexual
harassment and additional require‑
ments for different types of employ‑
ers. Employers should not delay in
implementing programs and training
to ensure compliance and give care‑
ful consideration to both laws, given
their significant overlap.
New York State
Requirements for Sexual
Harassment Policies
The state requirements include
adoption of a compliant sexual
harassment prevention policy by all
employers by October 9, 2018. The
policies must include:
1. a statement prohibiting sexual
harassment;
2. examples of prohibited conduct
that would constitute sexual
harassment;
3. information concerning the fed‑
eral and state statutory provi‑
sions concerning sexual harass‑
ment and remedies available to
victims, along with a statement
that there may be additional
applicable local laws;
4. a standard complaint form;
5. the procedure for the timely and
confidential investigation of
Part 1 of two‐part series.
complaints;
6. a statement informing employ‑
ees of their rights of redress and
all available forums for adjudi‑
cating sexual harassment com‑
plaints administratively and judi‑
cially;
7. a statement that sexual harass‑
ment is a form of employee mis‑
conduct, and that sanctions will
be enforced against individuals
engaging in sexual harassment
and managers and supervisory
personnel who knowingly allow
such behavior to continue; and
8. a statement that retaliation
against individuals reporting
sexual harassment or who testify
or assist in any proceeding is
unlawful.
The Stateʼs model policy is avail‑
able on the Stateʼs website at
http://www.ny.gov/combating‑sexu‑
al‑harassment‑workplace/employers.
However, employers should note
that the model policy and training
programs may not suit every
employer and their specific industry
and needs. They may include infor‑
mation which may not be relevant to
the employerʼs industry or which
goes beyond the minimum require‑
ments of the law.
New York State
Requirements for Sexual
Harassment Training
All employees must complete the
model training (available on the
Stateʼs website) or a comparable
training that meets the minimum
standards by October 9, 2019. All
new employees must be trained as
soon as possible (however, under the
New York City law that goes into
effect April 1, 2019, they will need
to be trained within 90 days of hire).
Per the Stateʼs guidance, employ‑
ers are not responsible to train third‑
party vendors or other non‑employ‑
ees who interact with their New York
State employees; however, the state
recommends that a copy of the
employerʼs sexual harassment policy
be posted in a highly visible area.
Further, while employers do not
need to provide any policy to inde‑
pendent contractors, vendors, or
implemented a written sexual
consultants who are not employees
harassment prevention policy and
of the employer, the State Human provides annual training to all
Rights Law imposes liability on the employees.
employer for their actions.
Therefore, employers are encour‑ Application of Sexual
aged to provide the policy and train‑ Harassment Laws to
ing to anyone providing services in Non‑Employees
the workplace (to the extent practi‑
The new law has also expanded
cable).
the reach of existing protections
The Stateʼs required training must
against sexual harassment under the
be interactive and contain at a mini‑
New York State Human Rights Law
mum:
1. an explanation of what consti‑ (“NYSHRL”) to all employees and cer‑
tutes sexual harassment; tain non‑employees, such as contrac‑
2. examples of conduct constituting tors, subcontractors, vendors, con‑
unlawful harassment;
sultants, or service providers who
3. information on state and federal
laws concerning sexual harass‑ work in its workplace. This modifica‑
tion may expose an employer to lia‑
ment and remedies available to
victims; and bility under NYSHRL if it knew or
4. information on employeesʼ rights should have known that the non‑
and available forums for adjudi‑ employee was being subjected to
cating complaints administra‑ sexual harassment in its workplace
tively and judicially.
and failed to take immediate and
Additional Changes to appropriate corrective action.
Failure to take appropriate correc‑
New York State Law
tive action could subject the compa‑
Effective July 11, 2018, the state ny to liability when using subcon‑
law prohibits mandatory nondisclo‑ tractors or other third party service‑
sure agreements in sexual harass‑ providers.
ment claim settlements and agree‑
ments, unless the provision of confi‑
Shannon D. Azzaro is an
dentiality is the preference of the
Associate in Peckar &
complainant.
Abramsonʼs Employment
Employers must also re‑examine
and
their arbitration clauses inasmuch as
Employment
the law purports to prohibit employ‑
Practices
ers from requiring employees to sign
Group. She
contracts that mandate arbitration
defends
for sexual harassment claims.
Employment
However, it should be noted that it is
Practices
still unclear whether this require‑
Liability
ment would be preempted by the
Insurance
Federal Arbitration Act.
(EPLI) and Directors &
Further, effective January 1, 2019,
Officers (D&O) claims on
contractors should take note that all
behalf of employers.
state contracts which require com‑

By Nitya Kaushik Did Avni truly turn rogue and kill people

Was it necessary to kill Avni? since 2016? Dr. Jimmy Borah, tiger biologist

I
n November 2012, a tigress and her two
cubs began a journey from their home in
the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, UP. She had
uncharacteristically left the forest. Over the
next two years, this tigress is recorded to
have travelled 260 km ‑‑ from the Amariya
region in Pilibhit, criss‑crossing through the
densely‑populated village areas all the way
up to Kanpur, where she was sighted in
February 2014. A team pf of ficials of the
state's Forest Department and tiger conserva‑
tors of WWF‑India were on the trail of this
feline family.
The team speculated whether she had
moved out of the forest to protect her cubs
from aggressive males. Months later, in
September 2014, they also spotted her cubs,
now sub‑adults, back in Amariya, apparently
living and operating independently. Not a sin‑
gle incident of attack on humans or livestock
was recorded.
Recently, another nursing tigress's tryst
with humans in Maharashtra's Yavatmal
region did not end so well. Thirteen humans
had been found dead in Yavatmal's Ralegaon
forest since June 2016, and Avni or T1, a 6‑
year‑old tigress with two 10‑month‑old cubs,
was blamed for many of these deaths.
According to a Maharashtra Forest
Department of ficial, an investigation had
proved that she was responsible beyond
doubt for at least two of those deaths. On
November 2, this "man‑eater", as she was
referred to, was shot dead ‑‑ by a sharp‑shoot‑
er appointed by the Forest Department .
Defending the circumstances of Avni's
death, Sunil Limaye, Maharashtra's additional
principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife),
explained that the Pandharkawada forests
house approximately seven to eight tigers.
Avni and her two cubs occupied 160 square
km of this forest. Over two years, based on
various circumstantial evidence, the depart‑
ment suspected Avni and a male, T2, of hav‑
ing caused several human deaths.
"Based on these findings the courts ordered
us to capture or kill the tigress," he said.
Environment activists and animal lovers
question whether the mother tigress could
have been saved, or at least captured. On
November 9, media quoted sources in the
Maharashtra government that the unreleased
Maharashtra officials said Tigress
Avni's cubs were "healthy and
are surviving". (File photo)
autopsy report showed that the tigress was
not charging at the team. “If she was charging
at the team, she would have been shot in her
face or chest, not her shoulder."
Could Avni have been monitored like the
Pilibhit tigress to avoid such a tragedy? Could
locals have been better informed to control
panic about a "man‑eater"?
and consultant at Panthera, that works on the
conservation of wild cats, said: "A nursing
tigress would probably only attack human
beings for self‑defense, if she feels her cubs
are threatened. It is highly unlikely that she
would choose humans as food for her cubs."
Highlighting the apathy in the investigation
process, Borah said, "If the concerned tigress
was suspected of killing 13 people since
2016, it should have been investigated much
earlier, given the advancement in forensic
tests and methods today."
He said that to safeguard the human popu‑
lation and in the larger interest of saving a
wildlife species, it becomes imperative to
"remove problem animals" sometimes.
However, identifying a problem animal is a
herculean task that involves strong evidence,
including forensics.
On Avni's orphaned cubs, Borah says: "The
best option is to leave them alone. If they
have learnt to hunt (other animals), they
might probably do well. 'Rescuing' them
would be pointless."
IANS by arrangement with Mongabay.com,
a source for environmental news reporting
and analysis.
 28 November 24-30, 2018 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Side by Nury Vittachi

You hurt my feelings, now make me a millionaire

E
motional distress is when
you make a sarcastic com‑
ment on Facebook and
every single friend thinks that's
what you really think, and when
you later point out that you don't
actually advo cate eat ing the
unemployed or whatever, they
think you are being sarcastic.
So then you're in a bad mood
and switch to your email and find
this: "Dear Mr. Columnist, how
much are my emotions worth in
major currencies at today's rates
in various countries around the
world?"
The message from reader Agnes
P.K. Ting baf fled me ‑‑ until I
clicked her link to a February
news report: Police in the US just
paid $885,000 to a pet‑owner
"for emotional distress" after they
shot his pet dog. A second link led
to a January report of a student
who was asked to urinate in a
bucket in a storeroom and
received $1.25 million, also "for
emotional distress."
"W hy do we work to earn
Image courtesy: gyf.com
money instead of just waiting ing something like: "The Right of
until someone hurts our feelings The American People to File and
and then claim compensation for Win Ridiculous Lawsuits Shall
emotional distress," Agnes asked. Never be Infringed."
Good question. I thought the But I checked with a lawyer who
answer might be that these things told me that people make emo‑
only happen in the United States, tional distress claims all over the
a country which undoubtedly has world.
a constitutional amendment say‑ A teacher in the UK demanded
compensation for being stressed
out by kids and a court gave him
101,000 pounds ($125,000),
before a higher court snatched it
back arguing that "a person
stressed out by kids" was pretty
much the definition of teacher.
A guy in India watched a really
bad Bollywoo d movie called
"Rockstar" in 2014 and demand‑
ed Rs. 50,000, which is about
$750, "on account of mental
harassment and agony suffered".
Given that Bollywood movies
sometimes run three‑and‑a‑half
hours, he may have underpriced
the damage.
In China, a man tried to sue
actress Zhao Wei because her
intense stare at the camera dur‑
ing a particular TV show caused
him "spiritual damage". I can see
how the attractive Ms. Zhao could
cause any male viewer to have
significant non‑spiritual thoughts.
The courts eventually declined to
hear the case, although if they
had any brains they would have
taken a week of f to inspect Ms.
Zhao's videos as part of their "due
diligence" process.
Still, I can see why courts in
Asia refuse to pay compensation
to viewers aggrieved by shocking‑
ly bad television. TV companies
would basically be paying cash to
every viewer every day for every
show. And however much they
paid, it wouldn't be enough.
Yet despite the rash of emotion‑
al distress lawsuits, let's remem‑
ber that many claims fail. A col‑
league forwarded me a report
about a woman who found her
image was used without permis‑
sion in a Chipotle restaurant pro‑
motion and asked for $2 billion.
The courts recently ruled against
her, but I think it was worth try‑
ing, just in case the judge had had
a nice lunch and gave her a token
$100 million to say sorry for the
thumbs down.
Meanwhile, if any judges are
reading this, how much can I get
for the emotional distress of hav‑
ing a sarcastic comment misun‑
derstood? Millions, right?

Laughter is the Best Medicine

BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA
AND
PAKISTAN
New York Head Quarter
422‑S Broadway Mahendra
HICKSVILLE
By Mahendra Shah
NY 11801

516‑827‑1010 Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by

profession, artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by
hobby. He has been recording the plight of the immigrant
Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from
Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY November 24-30, 2018 29

Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874

By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com

NOVEMBER 24‑30, 2018

ARIES: Your reputation may be at
stake on the social front, as someone
is out to tarnish your image. Holding
high expectations from someone shows all
signs of ending in disappointment. An argu‑
ment or dispute on the family front may
leave a bad taste in the mouth. Your per‑
formance on the academic front may leave
much to be desired. Those not adequately
prepared for a journey can face difficulties.
You may remain in a contemplative mood
this weekend.
TAURUS: Your focus may shift to
something happening on the social
front, so expect a hectic time. Some of
you are likely to go in for a renovation to
make your house look more aesthetic.
Someoneʼs good turn on the domestic front
needs to be returned, find out how. A senior
may take you along for a meeting out of
town, so remain prepared to proceed at
short notice. Budgeting will help you to
keep a check on expenditure.
GEMINI: This is the right time to initi‑
ate something on the professional or
business front. You may go down the
memory lane just by spending time with a
childhood friend. Participating in a social
event may give you immense sense of satis‑
faction. Your honesty at work will be taken
cognizance of and give you some good
returns. Chance to add to your skill is likely
to materialise. Showroom owners and retail‑
ers will be able to earn well this week.
CANCER: You may go into a depres‑
sion on being parted with someone
who had come on a short visit. Some
turbulence on the romantic front cannot be
ruled out. Changes made on the home front
may not find favour with spouse. Someone
close may disappoint you. A new colleague
in office may become your professional
rival. Official channels may take more time
than anticipated in releasing your money.
Health food may not be enough to come
back in shape.
LEO: You may need to reinvent your‑
self, if you desire to be taken serious‑
ly by others. There is a possibility of
a transfer for some to another city or town.
Performance of those pursuing higher stud‑
ies may leave much to be desired, but they
will be able to cope up. You are likely to kiss
and make up with spouse after a spat. Busy
schedule may not allow you to spend as
much time with lover as you desire.
VIRGO: Something may keep you
from realising your full potential on
the academic front. Your ideas at
work are likely to become profitable. A prac‑
tical solution may be found for a complex
problem at work. Someone who admires
you will leave no stone unturned in appeas‑
ing you this week. Problems faced on the
financial front are likely to disappear. Those
unwell are likely to recover soon through
regular medication. Someone may play
spoilsport in your evening out with lover.
LIBRA: You may have to revert to
someone on the professional front
real fast, if you want to take advan‑
tage of an opportunity. A few good words of
your well‑wishers will work wonders in
keeping you in a positive frame of mind this
week. You will be able to master a complex
skill at work. Donʼt let up on your efforts on
the academic front. Acquiring a major item
will no more be a pipedream as you have
enough.
SCORPIO: Truth about someone may
dawn on you finally and help you
look at the other side of the coin.
Your innovative ideas are likely to be imple‑
mented at work. Networking will help you
in getting a coveted post. Lover may get in
the mood of going someplace exotic, so
donʼt miss out on this chance. A fun‑filled
activity with someone close is foreseen on
the romantic front. Wait ends for those
searching for a better accommodation.
SAGITTARIUS: You are set to enjoy
yourself this weekend. Those under‑
taking overseas journey are likely to
enjoy the trip. A word of praise from some‑
one important is in store for you on the
social front. A child or sibling is likely to
make you feel proud by becoming more
responsible. A function may mark the begin‑
ning of your love life as you catch some‑
oneʼs eye! You will manage to take a step
closer to clinching the deal on the profes‑
sional front.
CAPRICORN: You may feel depressed
regarding someoneʼs plight, but little
you can do about it. Donʼt be rash in
paying for some service that you have not
checked in detail, as you may not get things
rectified afterwards. Money given to some‑
one may turn out to be a bad loan. Changing
weather may get you, if you do not take ade‑
quate precautions. Office politics may prove
mentally stressful. Those looking for a job
must keep all their options open.
AQUARIUS: Once you set your mind
on something, you achieve it, so
donʼt get disheartened by the long
wait. Your concern is likely to touch some‑
oneʼs heart. A person you are fond of is like‑
ly to suggest something excit ing.
Homemakers are likely to put their ideas
into practice by renovating their house. A
change of scene is foreseen and may take
some on a short journey. Donʼt leave any‑
thing half‑baked at work as it may go
against you.
PISCES: You may be required to go
out of the way to assist someone at
work. Some good news on the finan‑
cial front awaits you. You will be able to cut
down on electricity and other bills through
concerted efforts. Some of you may start a
walking or jogging regimen to stay fit. Good
dietary habits will prevent you from getting
out of shape. You will have to be doubly
careful of how you conduct yourself at work
this week.

24th November, 2018
Traits in you: Your planet Venus
makes you kind, realistic, helpful, and
adaptable. You are very simple as a per‑
son who believes in high thinking. You
are hardworking and sincere, which
helps you get appreciation from others.
However, you need to check your nature
of being rude and interfering in the
affairs of others. If you do not work on
your behavior, you may end up criti‑
cized badly.
Health this year: You will enjoy a bet‑
ter health this year as compared to last
year. You may suffer from some minor
health issues such as joint aches, back
pain, headache and so on.
Finance this year: You will enjoy
financial prosperity and a good health
throughout this year. If you are a busi‑
nessman, you will get ample opportuni‑
ties to expand your business by invest‑
ing in more profitable areas.
Career this year: If your profession is
associated with creativity, such as
artists, media professionals, and adver‑
tising professionals, you may gain popu‑
larity, appreciation, and fame. If you
want to create professional and social
contacts, you have to achieve it through
frequent get‑togethers and traveling.
You may receive some help from your
near and dear ones, which may prove to
be instrumental in improving your con‑
fidence in your professional life.
Romance this year: You will find your
spouse to be very cooperative this year.
You will find your required emotional
support from your spouse through love,
care and concern even if you find it diffi‑
cult to understand your partner. If you
are unmarried, you may find your
romance interest this year.
25th November, 2018
Traits in you: Being dominated by
Neptune, you are adorned with charac‑
teristics such as responsibility, af fec‑
tion, creativity, simplicity and emotions.
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
Health this year: Your spouse may
suffer from stress related health issues,
which may lead to roaming in the prem‑
ises of a hospital.
Finance this year: You are supposed
to be benefited financially from your
assumptions while investing money.
However, that does not mean you will
invest blindly.
Career this year: As you are commit‑
ted towards your undertaken works,
you are appreciated and awarded con‑
sistently. However, you have to work on
your nature of being fickle minded and
careless always. You may realize your
ideas and plans this year. You will be
able to execute your plans efficiently.
You will get plenty of support from your
partners and colleagues to improve
your morale and confidence.
Romance this year: You will be in a
blissful romantic relationship with your
partner this year.
26th November, 2018
Traits in you: Under the influence of
Neptune you will develop your charac‑
teristics to be a dynamic, reliable,
organized, sober and disciplined person.
You are a born fighter.
Health this year: You will have few
minor health issues this year, which can
be cured by regular medication.
Finance this year: If you have made
any investments in real estate or stocks,
you will be hugely benefited this year.
You may have a foreign trip for business
purpose.
Career this year: You would never
fidget in adverse situations and fight
back all the problems in your life.
However, your stubbornness may make
you lag behind others so it will be better
for you to take others opinion.
Romance this year: You will find lot of
love and care from your spouse. You
may think the last quarter of the year to
be idle for you wedding. Some of you
may get involved in romantic relation‑
ships, which you help you enjoy your
life the most.
27th November, 2018
Traits in you: The vigor of you ruling
planet, Mars blesses you with energy.
You are charismatic, courageous, enthu‑
siastic, and intellectual. You will be a
crowd puller as you have the character‑
istics of intellectuality. You will impress
people with your personality and talks.
However, you should not behave aggres‑
sive and short tempered. This may ruin
your image in front of others.
Health this year: The last quarter of
the year will make you seek help from a
spiritual person to attain peace of mind.
You may go through minor health relat‑
ed problems due to stress.
Finance this year: You will earn excel‑
lent returns if you had invested in past.
Your legal issues will be settled in your
favor this year. You may receive money
unexpectedly from friends and relatives
throughout the year. Your business trips
will be successful this year and you will
receive earning opportunities from your
trips.
Career this year: This year is the best
time to go back to your old contacts and
create new contacts to receive help to
make yourself better in professional life.
Romance this year: You may get
involved in a romantic relationship this
year, which may get converted to mar‑
riage later on.
28th November, 2018
Traits in you: Being ruled by Sun, you
will be creative by nature. Your other
characteristics include smartness, intel‑
ligence, and dignity and so on.
Health this year: Your younger sib‑
lings may have some health issues,
which will put you in immense pressure.
Finance this year: You may go ahead
creating new contacts and casual rela‑
tionships this year. If you are a busi‑
nessperson, there are huge opportuni‑
ties for you to start new ventures and
earn lot of money as you will be suc‑
cessful whatever initiative you take this
year. Your assumptions of investing will
prove to be highly beneficial.
Career this year: Art and literature are
your area of interest and you want to
contribute to these fields. However, you
need to be sober and down to earth to
create a good impression. If you are a
scientist or a lawyer, you may find this
year to be rewarding for you. Women
professionals in advertising and media
will also be rewarded for their good
work.
Romance this year: If you are unmar‑
ried, this year may bring romance in
your lonely life.
29th November, 2018
Traits in you: The influence of your
ruling planet Moon enhances your
imagination power. You are honest, sen‑
sitive and creative by nature. You are
helpful by heart and you help people in
need with money and physical support.
However, you should not behave intro‑
vert or shy. You should let your person‑
ality grow.
Health this year: T he drip in the
health of your parents might cause con‑
cern for you.
Finance this year: Your assumptions
on investments would prove to be cor‑
rect and you will earn a handsome
amount of money from your invest‑
ments. There is a healthy chance of
overseas travel regarding business
meeting this year. The travel would be
successful and you may get new proj‑
ects. You should avoid financial transac‑
tions with casual friends as it may result
in loss and complications in relation‑
ships.
Career this year: This year may bring
new opportunities for you. You may get
promotions and transfer orders.
Romance this year: Your partner will
be supportive enough and help you in
every respect. If you are eligible and
unmarried, you may get marriage pro‑
posals this year.
30th November, 2018
Traits in you: Ambition, dignity, intel‑
ligence, confidence are your inborn
qualities as you are under the influence
of the powerful planet Jupiter. You like
being philosophical and organized. You
can impress anyone on the earth with
your intellectual behavior and talks.
However, you need not behave weird to
impress others. It may be proved to be a
negative aspect in your nature.
Health this year: You may suffer with
problems in your eyes and mouth. So
you need to get your periodic medical
checkup done on time and take pre‑
scribed medicines without negligence.
Finance this year: The rewards will
also open the door for you to earn much
more than you are earning currently.
You may win a foreign contract or gov‑
ernment contract this year. It will
enhance your business and earn a lot of
money and respect for you. You may
travel abroad in the last half of the year
for business meetings. You should
research well before investing on any‑
thing. You may concede enough money
on renovation and construction activi‑
ties.
Career this year: This year belongs to
you as you will be appreciated and
awarded throughout the year for your
professional achievements.
Romance this year: You will be in a
good mood throuhout the year as your
partner will provide you with lots of
love, care and concern. If you are
unmarried, this year may end our bach‑
elorhood or spinsterhood.
30 November 24-30, 2018
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
M
ysticism, rightly under‑
stood, is the most uni‑
versal and fundamen‑
tal approach to achieving an
integrated and fulfilling life. In a
world that has made such
remarkable scientific and mate‑
rial progress, the challenge
before us, individually and col‑
lectively, is to make similarly
spectacular progress in the spir‑
itual sphere.
Each of us is allotted a limited
amount of time on earth. During
this t ime we have a unique
opportunity to investigate the
purpose for which we were born
and try to understand the mean‑
ing of life itself.
The desire to know and under‑
stand things seems to be innate
in human beings. Scientists are
engaged in this pursuit, but the
tools they use are limited to
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
O
nce the great writer Mark
Twain was having a dis‑
cussion with a business‑
man who was known for being
aggressive and ruthless in his deal‑
ings with others.
T he businessman said to the
writer, "Before I die I would like to
make a pilgrimage to the Holy
Land and climb to the top of Mount
Sinai to read the
Commandments aloud at the top."
Ten
Mark Twain quickly replied, "I
have a better idea. Rather than go
to Mount Sinai where Moses was
given the Ten Commandments,
why donʼt you just stay home here
in Boston and practice the Ten
Commandments in your life!"
This humorous comment carries
a significant meaning. Many of us
read the Commandments or advice
given by the great saints in the
scriptures. Many of us are happy
even to preach what our holy
books say. But how many of us live
up to the teachings we follow?
There is a big difference between
knowing the theory and practicing
it. It is not enough to read the
books or scriptures and know the
theory. We need to live up to them
in our own lives. If we learn a
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Mysticism, the science that
injects life with peace and joy
those that are physical and
intellectual. Over the years,
saints and mystics have unrav‑
eled the mysteries of life and
death and have discovered that
complete understanding could
only be gained at the spiritual
level. Because the spiritual pur‑
suit deals with realms of experi‑
ence that ultimately transcend
that which is physical and men‑
tal, it seems mysterious. That is
why this approach came to be
known as mysticism.
Mysticism, however, is a sci‑
ence that injects life with under‑
standing, joy, peace, and love. It
is a practical approach to living
that enriches our inner life and
enriches our relationships with
others. The basic premise of
mysticism is that each of us, in
reality, is a soul inhabiting a
physical body for a rather short
period of time. It may be twenty,
forty, sixty, eighty, or even a
hundred years, but in the not
too distant future, each of us
will die and leave this world.
Where did our soul come from
before we entered this world?
Where will it go after we leave
here? What is the purpose of
this world, and of life itself?
Theory vs. Practice
method of meditation and instruc‑
tions for progress, that is not
enough; we have to actually prac‑
tice it.
The true heart of the spiritual
teachings is in the practice. It is not
enough to know what others have
said about it. It is essential that we
have our own firsthand experience
of spirituality. That can be accom‑
plished when we sit in meditation.
These questions are fundamen‑
tal to understanding our human
existence.
The mystics are those enlight‑
ened individuals who have
searched and found the answers
to these questions. They tell us
that the purpose of our life is to
reunite our soul w ith its
Creator, and they offer to teach
us a method by which we can do
so. Throughout the ages many
methods have been taught to
achieve this union, but in our
contemporary world, we need
an approach that takes into
Progress is a matter of accuracy.
We can become accurate only by
practice. Practice makes perfect. If
we expect to sit in meditation once
or twice in our life and accomplish
spiritual progress, we are being
unrealistic. We need to practice
daily. It is said that if we take one
step toward God, God will take a
hundred steps toward us. The time
we spend in meditation will be
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
account the realities of modern
life. Such an approach to mysti‑
cism of fers unlimited opportu‑
nities for improving our lives
and improving the lives of peo‑
ple throughout the globe.
The beginning of our soulʼs
journey is the contact with the
Light and Sound of God. The
Light and Sound current flows
out from God, but it also flows
back to God. We can catch this
current at the point of the third
or single eye. That is the con‑
necting point between our soul
in the body and the Light and
richly rewarded.
Instead of merely reading the
Ten Commandments, live them. If
we do our meditations and lead
ethical lives, observing the virtues
of nonviolence, truthfulness, purity,
humility, selfless service, and love
for all, we will be blessed with
inner vision. We will have the
proof for ourselves of the existence
of our soul and God.
Sound current emanating from
the Creator. If we can concen‑
trate our attention at that point,
we can soar on it back through
the higher regions of existence.
The current will ultimately lead
us to our primary Source, back
to the Lord.
The method is simple. As we
g aze w ithin, we transcend
awareness of body‑conscious‑
ness into realms of Light and
Sound within. As we continue
this process we will prove to
ourselves that there is Light and
Sound beyond, that we can exist
separately from the physical
body, and that there are higher
realms of divine consciousness.
The test is to prove it to our‑
selves. Those who spend time
daily in this process have had
success in proving the hypothe‑
sis that there is an existence
beyond this world.
Through meditation on the
inner Light and Sound we can
achieve the peace, harmony,
love, and bliss that we so des‑
perately seek, and we can be a
part of an ever‑increasing group
of people who are spreading
peace and human unity
throughout the world.
THE TRUE
HEART OF THE
SPIRITUAL
TEACHINGS IS IN
THE PRACTICE. IT
IS NOT ENOUGH
TO KNOW WHAT
OTHERS HAVE
SAID ABOUT IT.
IT IS ESSENTIAL
THAT WE HAVE
OUR OWN
FIRSTHAND
EXPERIENCE OF
SPIRITUALITY.
THAT CAN BE
ACCOMPLISHED
WHEN WE SIT IN
MEDITATION.
(For more visit www.sos.org)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info November 24-30, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info November 24-30, 2018