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Vol.11 No. 47 March 30-April 5, 2019 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Allies likely to push NDA Trump cleared of

tally near 300 mark Russian collusion
New survey give the post‐poll
alliance 300 Lok Sabha seats
New Delhi: A pre poll alliance sce‑
nario for the BJP‑led NDA forma‑
tion would help it garner 42 per
cent of the vote nationally, while
for the Congress‑led UPA alliance
the vote percentage for the pre
poll allies would be 30.4 per cent,
according to the CVoter State of
the Nation March 2019 Wave 2
opinion poll released on March
24.
Seat share projections for the
NDA, based on pre‑poll alliances,
shows it will fall short of a House
majority with 261 seats ‑‑ an ear‑
lier CVoter opinion poll on March
10 had put this number at 264.
The second survey shows that the
BJP will get 241 seats on its own.
However, the surge from post
War shadow still hangs
over India, Pak: Imran
Sushma takes up abduction of
Advani, Joshi among veterans
denied tickets by BJP in Muller report
Democrats want full report to be made public
poll alliances would push it well Mohan Reddy is expected to win
above the majority mark of 272. 10 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra
This is how the CVoter poll says Pradesh, the Biju Janata Dal 10
the numbers are likely to stack Continued on page 4
up for the NDA should the post
poll alliances click. The YSR SEE DETAILED STORIES ON
Washington: In the end it seems
Congress Party led by Y.S. Jagan
PAGE 12 AND 13.
like much about nothing. Special Trump a big
Counsel Robert Mueller who inves‑
tigated Russian interference in
winner and
Banks move in with plan President Donald Trump's 2016
election has concluded that there
Russia a
to rescue Jet Airways was no collusion between him or bigger loser
his campaign and Moscow, accord‑
New Delhi/Mumbai: Jet Airways Chairman Naresh
ing to a summary of the report ‐‐Eminent Attorney
Goyal will step down from the board of the Indian
released by Attorney General Ravi Batra

T
carrier he
Hindu girls issue with Islamabad founded 25
William Barr. he Robert Mueller
While the probe found that report, from a uniquely
years ago and
Islamabad: Tensions between Islamabad and New Moscow had meddled in the 2016
its lenders will leak‑proof investigation,
Delhi following Indian air strikes against a Jaish‑e‑ election, the "investigation did not
seize control, was a huge win for President
Muhammed terror establish that members of the
the company Trump, and a huge loss for
camp at Balakot Trump campaign conspired or
said, as part of Russian President Putin.
inside Pakistan coordinated with the Russian gov‑
a deal led by Eminent attorney Ravi Batra
may appear to ernment in its election interfer‑
state‑run banks said in a statement: “President
have de‑escalated, Naresh Goyal stepped down as ence activities", Barr said in the
to save the air‑ Trump flexed his constitutional
but Pakistan Prime Chairman of Jet Airways, which summary he gave to Congress . muscles, presidential pardons,
line from bank‑ some years ago had become
Minister Imran Trump declared that it was a
ruptcy. Saddled firing Mueller by firing DAG
Khan remains fearful of fresh military hostilities Indiaʼs top private airline. complete exoneration and said the
with debt of Rod Rosenstein or AG Jeff
between the two neighbors. probe was an "illegal take down
more than $1 billion, Jet has been on the brink of Sessions, & by evading sitting
He was quoted by media as saying that India is in that failed".
collapse, and had to ground more than two‑thirds for his legally required‑deposi‑
the grip of “war hysteria” following last monthʼs ten‑ On another key matter, if Trump
of its fleet as it struggled pay lenders, suppliers, tion, itself a Hobsonʼs Choice of
sions that had brought the two nuclear armed neigh‑ had tried to obstruct justice by
pilots and leasing companies, reported Reuters. crimes for him of either Perjury
bors to the brink of a major confrontation. “Iʼm still interfering with investigations into
Banks have moved in to take a majority stake in or Conspiracy, won for himself
apprehensive, before the elections I feel that some‑ Continued on page 4
the airline after Jet failed to convince potential a non‑exoneration, which is
thing could happen,” Khan told Financial Times in an SEE DETAILED STORIES ON
investors, including its Continued on page 4 Continued on page 4
interview in his office in Continued on page 4 PAGE 10‑11.

INDIA ELECTIONS 12 FESTIVAL 15 LIFESTYLE 24 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30 excellence in journalism

TheSouthAsianTimes.info March 30-April 5, 2019
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY March 30-April 5, 2019 3

Many dignitaries to grace IAPCʼs India regards Israel as

exec committee inauguration
New York: Indo‑American Press
Club (IAPC) is celebrating six
years of growth & expansion by
proudly inaugurating their 2019
teams.
IAPCʼs Nat ional Execut ive
Committee for 2019 with Sunil J.
Koozhampala as President will
be inaugurated on March 31 at
Antun's by Minar in Hicksville.
Also taking the oath of of fice
will be the New York Chapter
Team & Philadelphia Chapter
Team. The dignitaries confirmed
so far to grace the ceremonies
include: Congressman Thomas
Suozzi, Anna Kaplan and Kevin
T homas, New York State
Senators; Dr. Toshiya Hoshino,
Japanʼs Deputy Permanent
Representat ive to the UN,
Deepak Misra, Minister,
Permanent Mission of India to
the UN, Joseph S Saladino,
Supervisor, Town of Oyster Bay;
and Devadasan Nair, Consul
Community Af fairs, Consulate
General of India, NY. T hose
being honored at the event
Congressman Tom Suozzi and Dr. Toshiya Hoshino,
Japanʼs Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN,
are among the confirmed guests of honor.
include Kanchana Poola, Past
President of New York Tamil
Sangam and Co‑Chair of T he
Asian Era and Aksharam maga‑
zines. She w ill receive the
Lifetime Achievement Award.
IAPCʼs incoming Nat ional
President Sunil Joseph
Koozhampala is publisher and
MD of Rashtra Deepika Ltd and
Deepika, a reputed Malayalam
newspaper from Kerala. He is
also a community activist, phi‑
lanthropist and has hospitality
reliable defense partner:
Ambassdaor Shringla
Washington DC: India regards Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Vice
as a "reliable" defense and security President Mike Pence, as well as
partner" and there is a growing many leading American politicians.
cooperation between the two nations Shringla said that India regards
on issues like counter‑ Israe l as "a re liable
terrorism, the Indian de fense and security
envoy here has said. partner" and that there
Indian Ambassador to is growing convergence
the United States, Harsh of views and coopera‑
Vardhan Shringla, par‑ tion on issues such as
ticipating in a panel dis‑ counter‑terrorism, based
cussion on India‑Israel on a shared perception
relationship at the annu‑ of the global threats of
al AIPAC 2019 terrorism, radicalism
interests in the US and Costa
Conference highlighted and fundamentalism. He
Rica. Indian Ambassador to noted that India‑Israel
the tremendous progress
With 12 chapters in North US Harsh Vardhan
made over the past 27 re lat ions w itnessed a
America, IAPC is the fast grow‑ Shringla spoke at the
years of bilateral diplo‑ marked upswing in the
ing syndicate of print and elec‑ annual conference of
matic relations in the the Israeli lobbying last five years w ith a
tronic media journalists and
areas of defense, agricul‑ body, AIPAC. number of unprecedent‑
other media professionals of
ture, high‑technology ed high‑level exchanges,
Indian origin working in USA,
and water management. including the visit of Prime Minister
Canada and Europe. It is commit‑
The American Israel Public Affairs Narendra Modi to Israel in July
ted to enhance the working con‑
Committee (AIPAC) Policy 2017. Modi was the first ever Indian
ditions of journalists, exchanging
Conference is the largest gathering Prime Minister to visit Israe l.
ideas and of fering educational
of America's pro‑Israel community. Shringla said Jews had always found
and training opportunities to its
The 3‑day summit starting Sunday a safe homeland in India. ‑
members.
featured major speeches by Israeli ‑PTI

Dalai Lama says his successor could be found in India

Dharamsala: The Dalai Lama, the
spiritual leader of Tibetan
Buddhism, has said it was possible
that once he dies his incarnation
could be found in India, where he
has lived in exile for 60 years, and
warned that any other successor
named by China would not be
respected.
T he 14th Dalai Lama spoke
March 18 to Reuters a day after
Tibetans in the town of
Dharamsala marked the anniver‑
sary of his escape from the Tibetan
capital, Lhasa, disguised as a sol‑
dier.
He fled to India in early 1959
after a failed uprising against
Chinese rule, and has since worked
to draw global support for linguis‑
tic and cultural autonomy in his
remote and mountainous home‑
land.
China, which took control of
Tibet in 1950, brands the 83‑year‑
old Nobel Peace laureate a danger‑
ous separatist. Pondering what
might happen after his death, the
tion holds that the soul of a senior
Buddhist monk is reincarnated in
the body of a child on his death –
suspect any Chinese role as a ploy
to exert influence on the communi‑
ty.
Born in 1935, the current Dalai
Lama was identified as the reincar‑
nation of his predecessor when he
was two years old. Many of Chinaʼs
more than 6 million Tibetans still
venerate him despite government
prohibitions on displays of his pic‑
The Tibetan spiritual leader insists that a successor chosen by China ture or any public display of devo‑
will not be trusted or respected. China has said it reserves the right to tion.
appoint the Dalai Lamaʼs successor. (Photo courtesy AFP) He said the role of the Dalai
Dalai Lama ant icipated some in free country, one chosen by Lama after his death, including
attempt by Beijing to foist a suc‑ Chinese, then nobody will trust, whether to keep it, could be dis‑
cessor on Tibetan Buddhists. nobody will respect (the one cho‑ cussed during a meet ing of
“China considers Dalai Lamaʼs sen by China). So thatʼs an addi‑ Tibetan Buddhists in India later
reincarnation as something very tional problem for the Chinese! Itʼs this year. He, however, added that
important. They have more con‑ possible, it can happen,” he added, though there was no reincarnation
cern about the next Dalai Lama laughing. of Buddha, his teachings have
than me,” said the Dalai Lama, China has said its leaders have remained. “If the majority of
swathed in his traditional red the right to approve the Dalai (Tibetan people) really want to
robes and yellow scarf. Lamaʼs successor, as a legacy keep this institution, then this
“In future, in case you see two inherited from Chinaʼs emperors. institution will remain,” he said.
Dalai Lamas come, one from here, But many Tibetans – whose tradi‑ “Then comes the question of the
reincarnation of the 15th Dalai
Lama.”
“China – great nation, ancient
nation – but its political system is
totalitarian system, no freedom. So
therefore I prefer to remain here,
in this country.”
China on March 19 rejected the
assertion by the Dalai Lama that
his successor could be found in
India ̶ a move that could under‑
mine the legitimacy of the next in
line chosen by Beijing. The Chinese
Foreign Ministry said the reincar‑
nation of Dalai Lama should pur‑
sue Chinese laws, regulations as
well as established religious princi‑
ples.
China has insisted that it
reserved the right to appoint the
Dalai Lamaʼs successor, pursuing
the long established tradition set
by Chinese emperors. Tibetans
hold the belief that the soul of the
Dalai Lama will reincarnate in the
body of a child after his death, who
has then to be identified as his suc‑
cessor following a set of rituals.
 4 March 30-April 5, 2019 TURN PAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Trump cleared of Russian
US to return collusion in Muller report
astronauts to Moon Continued from page 1
Russian interference, Barr's summa‑
Allies likely to push NDA
tally near 300 mark
Continued from page 1
seats and the Telangana Rashtra
verted to Islam and married to private airline. Earlier Tata Sons
Muslim men on the eve of Holi in had been in active talks to invest in
the southern province. Jet. Saving Jet is crucial for Prime
External Affairs Minister Sushma Minister Narendra Modi as he looks

by 2024: Pence ry of Mueller's report was less cer‑

tain. He said that in this regard
Mueller's "report does not conclude
that the President committed a
crime, it also does not exonerate
him." The report is not changing
minds about Trump just yet.
Democrats have demanded that AG
Barr release the full Mueller report
to Congress by April 2.
Trump a big winnerand
Washington: Vice President Mike
Russia a bigger loser
Pence announced that the US plans
Continued from page 1
to land astronauts on the Moon with‑
neither perjury or conspiracy, but a
in the next five years, the media
ʻcloud of doubtʼ for Democrats and
reported. The nation had been shoot‑
a ʻwinnerʼs crownʼ for Republicans
ing for a 2028 lunar touchdown, but
from a ʻwitch huntʼ. “As for Russia,
"that's just not good enough," Pence
who took her victory lap in the Oval
said during the fifth meeting of the
Office the morning after Comeyʼs
National Space Council (NSC), which
obstructive‑firing in the person of
he chairs. "We're better than that,"
FM Sergey Lavrov and persona non
he added, the Space.com reported on
grata Ambassador Sergey Kislyak,
Tuesday.
she will be punished very hard.
So, it is now the official policy of
Ironically, had Americans been
the US to return astronauts to the
charged with conspiring with
surface of the Moon by 2024, the
Russians, the punishment to Russia
vice president stressed, invoking a
would be less ‑ as had the Walls of
21st‑century space race with China
Troy been breached, new bigger,
and Russia. "Urgency must be our
taller and stronger walls would be
watchword," Pence said at the NSC
built. But if Troy fell due to a Trojan
meeting, which was held at the US
Horse, only better & more guards
Space and Rocket Center in
would be needed. Now, President
Huntsville, Alabama.
Putin will get the full punishment of
"The US must remain first in space
daring to “meddle so well,” and
in this century as in the last, not just
Russia will get 100% of the punish‑
to propel our economy and secure
ment as if she did it without help
our nation but, above all, because
from treasonous ʻBenedict Arnolds.ʼ
the rules and values of space, like
“Presidential‑history will judge
every great frontier, will be written
President Trump a big winner in his
by those who have the courage to
face‑off with American rule of law,
get there first and the commitment
which was itself personified by
to stay."
Robert Mueller and his team, the
And the US is indeed committed to
finest example of integrity‑soaked
stay, Pence added. The nation's next
investigative prosecutors. Richard
giant leap in space, he said, involves
Nixon would be jealous and taking
establishing a permanent base on
notes. As for 2020, anyone who
the lunar surface "and developing
rules out a Trump second term,
the technologies to take American
needs a therapist.”
astronauts to Mars and beyond."
Samiti 16 seats ‑‑ a total of 36 seats
between them. Added to the pre
poll NDA alliance, the BJP‑led
alliance is expected to have an over‑
all tally of near 300 seats, a conm‑
fortablke mnajority in the Lok
Sabha with 543 seats.
Yet, many BJP supporters will rue
the fact that the partyʼs veteran
leaders like L.K. Advani, Murli
Manohar Joshi, Kalraj Mishra,
Shanta Kumar and B.C. Khanduri
have been denied tickets in this cru‑
cial Lok Sabha elections, while
External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj and firebrand leader Uma
Bharti have opted out. Advani, a
founding member of the BJP & an
eleven‑time MP, who is credited with
a significant role in strengthening
the party's political base, will not
contest the polls as the party has
fielded BJP President Amit Shah
from Gandhinagar. Joshi, who repre‑
sents Kanpur Lok Sabha constituen‑
cy, is also likely to be left out.
War shadow still hangs
over India, Pak: Imran
Continued from page 1
Islamabad. The comments rule out
the possibility of resumption of
engagement between the two hos‑
tile neighbors in the immediate run.
But Khan acknowledged that
Pakistan could no longer allow ter‑
ror groups to operate with impuni‑
ty on its soil. “We cannot take the
stance anymore where you have
these armed groups in our country,”
he said. “We canʼt afford being
blamed for any terrorist activity
like Pulwama.”
Meanwhile, another Hindu girl
was abducted in Pakistanʼs Sindh
province on Monday night, just
days after two minor sisters, Reena
(15) and Raveena (13), were
allegedly kidnapped, forcibly con‑
Swaraj has stepped up pressure on
Pakistan, demanding the release of
the Hindu girls. “Justice demands
that both these girls should be
restored to their family immediate‑
ly," she said on Twitter.
On Sunday, Swaraj and her
Pakistani counterpart, Fawad
Chaudhry, were locked in a Twitter
spat soon after the former asked for
details from the Indian envoy in
Pakistan about the reported kidnap‑
ping and conversion of two girls.
Ms Swaraj, while tagging a media
report about the incident, tweeted
that she has asked the Indian High
Commissioner in Pakistan to send a
report on the issue. Fawad
Chaudhry had responded to her
tweet, saying it was his country's
"internal issue".
Ms Swaraj said that the Pakistani
minister was "jittery" after she had
asked for "just a report" and Mr
Chaudhry hit back saying she
should "stand up for minorities at
home as well."
The Hindu community in Pakistan
took out protest rallies calling for
strict action against those responsi‑
ble and reminded Imran Khan of his
promises to the minorities of the
country when he was elected to
power. A court in Pakistan ordered
the government to take custody of
the girls, who appeared before the
Islamabad High Court this morning.
"The court has directed the deputy
commissioner to take their cus‑
tody," Farrukh Ali, a police officer,
told news agency Reuters.
Banks move in with plan to
rescue Jet Airways
Continued from page 1
largest shareholder Etihad Airways,
to save the airline. Goyalʼs depar‑
ture, however, could reignite
investor interest in Indiaʼs oldest
to avoid thousands of job losses
ahead of a general election. His gov‑
ernment had urged state‑run banks
to rescue the airline, sources have
told Reuters. India has already seen
one airline go bankrupt in recent
years. The demise of Kingfisher
Airlines in 2012 left thousands
without jobs and lessors lost mil‑
lions of dollars.
Kingfisherʼs founder Vijay Mallya,
who owes money to banks and
creditors, took to Twitter to express
his displeasure with the govern‑
ment and state‑run banks for not
saving his airline.
“Only wish the same was done for
Kingfisher,” said Mallya, who is liv‑
ing in London and has been
declared a “fugitive economic
offender” by a court in India.
Under Jetʼs rescue plan, its
lenders, led by State Bank of India
(SBI), will take a stake of just over
50 percent, the airline said in a
stock exchange announcement on
Monday.
The banks will issue a loan of 15
billion rupees ($218 million) to
meet Jetʼs obligations and will form
an interim management committee
to oversee operations, it added.
Jet will use the money to partly
clear dues owed to lessors, vendors,
creditors and employees in a
phased manner, the airline said in a
separate statement.
It will re‑deploy several of its
grounded aircraft and renew many
of the routes it had temporarily sus‑
pended.
Goyalʼs 51 percent stake has been
halved to make room for the banks,
according to reports by Indian TV.
“No sacrifice is too big for me to
safeguard the interest of Jet
Airways and the families of the
22,000 employees,” Goyal said in
the statement.

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE March 30-April 5, 2019 5

Dr Sanjay Gupta and Prakasam Tata

to receive Ellis Island Medals
New York: Prominent Indian Americans Dr.
Sanjay Gupta and Dr. Prakasam Tata are
among the dozens of honorees The Ellis Island
Honors Society has named as 2019 Medals of
Honor recipients.
The medals of honor recognize American
immigrants who exemplify courage, compas‑
sion and patriotism, according to the society.
Dr Gupta, a staf f neurosurgeon at Emory
Clinic is the multiple Emmy award‑winning
chief medical correspondent for CNN. He plays
an integral role in CNN's reporting on health
and medical news for all of CNN's shows
domestically and internationally, and con‑
tributes to CNN.com, his bio notes.
His medical training and public health policy
experience distinguishes his reporting from
war zones and natural disasters, as well as on a
range of medical and scientific topics, includ‑
ing the opioid crisis, Pandemic outbreaks,
brain injury, disaster recovery, health care
reform, fitness, military medicine, and medici‑
nal marijuana, it said. He is the author of three
New York Times best‑selling books, "Chasing
Life" (2007), "Cheating Death" (2009) and
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief
medical correspondent and staff
neurosurgeon of the Emory Clinic.
"Monday Mornings" (2012), the bio notes.
Dr Prakasham Tata, PhD, is the executive
director at the Greater Chicago Area‑based
Center for the Transformation of Waste
Technology. He has been an environmental
Dr Prakasam Tata, PhD, is the executive
director at the Center for the
Transformation of Waste Technology.
engineering and sciences professional for
more than five decades. He consults with and
advises municipal, industrial, and governments
on projects relevant to his field of expertise
nationally and internationally, the bio notes.
In addition to his position at the center, Tata
is a distinguished professor of environmental
sciences and health at the Rotary Club of
Napervilleʼs Maharjah Institute of Medical
Science, the president of nonprofit Bharathi
Theertha and president of consulting firm Tata
Associates International. He earned a doctorate
from Rutgers University.
International honorees include UK based
businessman GP Hinduja. Other prominent
honorees include Paula Abdul, a dancer, chore‑
ographer, singer, actress, and TV personality,
Congressman Adam Schiff, and Googleʼs Eric
Schmidt.
Honorees may be native‑born or naturalized,
but most importantly, they are individuals who
have made it their mission to share their
wealth of knowledge, indomitable courage,
boundless compassion, unique talents and self‑
less generosity with those less fortunate, the
society notes.
Gupta, Tata and the rest of the medal recipi‑
ents will formally be honored at the 34th
Annual “Ellis Island Medals of Honor” gala
event May 11.

Indian‑American New York A 60-foot Husain on

Senator shares Dubai memories
Dubai: New Yorkʼs first Indian‑
American state Senator Kevin
Thomas, who assumed office at the
beginning of this year and who was
born in Dubai, is now advocating tol‑
erance and pushing for the diversity
which he had experienced in the UAE.
In an exclusive to Gulf News, Thomas
last Sunday shared his memories
about Dubai where he was born and
raised till he was 10 and then
returned in 2010 for an internship.
The first and only Indian‑American
lawmaker in New York state's history
said: "We lived somewhere in Satwa...
I studied in St Mary's Catholic High
School up to fifth grade."
His parents, Thomas Kanamoottil
and Rachel Thomas, who hail from
Ranni in Kerala, then decided to
move to the US for their children's
higher education.
On November 6, 2018, Thomas
was elected as the Democratic mem‑
ber representing New Yorkʼs sixth
district falling in Nassau County.
An attorney and an appointee of
the US Commission on Civil Rights to
the New York State Advisory
Committee, a federal agency tasked
with civil rights oversight, Thomas
defeated the incumbent Senator
Kemp Hannon, who had served in the
State Senate since 1989.
Currently the chairman of the
Committee on Consumer Protection
and a member of various committees,
Thomas on March 5 introduced a bill
that gives holidays for schools on fes‑
tivals like Eid‑ul‑Fitr, Eid‑ul‑Adha,
Diwali, Vaisakhi and Onam.
New Yorkʼs
first Indian‑
American state
Senator Kevin
Thomas is of
Kerala heritage
who was born
in Dubai.
In the interview, Thomas cited his
experience in Dubai of communities
celebrating festivals of different reli‑
gions and regions as one of the rea‑
sons why he sponsored the bill.
"I am pushing for diversity," he told
the Gulf News. Regarding Dubai's
development, the Senator said: "The
construction, the booming market ‑‑
everything has been revolutionary.
You say you are going to Dubai, and
people are like, yeah that is a great
city.
display at Asia Society
New York: A seminal work from
the late famous Indian artist
Maqbool Fida Husain, inspired by
Prime Minister Indira Gandhiʼs
Congress Party public rally in
1975 in Bombay, is being dis‑
played as part of the exhibition
entitled, ʻM.F. Husain: Art and the
Nationʼ, at Asia Society Museum
here through August 4, 2019.
The painting, ʻLightningʼ – a mas‑
sive mural‑sized oil on canvas
comprising 12 panels, with each
panel having a height of 10 feet,
and five feet in width – is also the MF Husain (1915‑2011) was
largest ever work Husain did in Indiaʼs best known painter.
his lifetime. rig ht closed of f the art ist ic
T he 12 huge pane ls of strategies that made Lightning
Lightning are littered with visual possible for Husain, ultimately
re ferences to India and the leading to his exile from India.
1970s, and though absent visual‑ ʻLig htningʼ was boug ht by
ly, to Indira Gandhi. Ironically, by Indian American entrepreneur
the 1970s, Husainʼs alignments and art collector Kent
with the political leader resulted Charugundla and his w ife
in the loss of support of some Marguerite Charugundla in 2002
members of the intelligentsia and at $400,000. It created a new
artistic community. In the follow‑ world record then for a contem‑
ing decades, the rise of the Hindu porary Indian work.

The 12‑panel painting titled ʻLightningʼ will be on display at Asia Society Museum in New York till August 4.
 6 March 30-April 5, 2019 TRISTATE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Indian American group raises OCI Card Holder can

over 610,000 meals for New join and subscribe
Yorkers in need to National Pension
New York: Indian‑Americans
across New York are coming
together to fight food insecurity,
with a major organization working
to end hunger throughout the
city's five boroughs.
The Food Bank for New York
City's Indian‑American Council
(IAC) will work to raise awareness,
improve engagement and channel
community resources to help end
hunger, according to media
reports. The newly‑formed IAC
kicked off its "Million Meal March"
campaign at Baar Baar restaurant
earlier this month. The event gar‑
nered more than 100 attendees
and raised over 610,000 meals for
New Yorkers in need.
T he group has mobilized the
Indian‑American community with
the rally ing call of "Hunger
Mitao!", which means "Wipe Out
Hunger."
The Council's Co‑Chair is Payal
Sharma, the Managing Partner of
the restaurant, and its Founders
Food Bank for New Yorkʼs IAC Founders and Advisors Aradhana Asava
and Raj Asava, and Co‑Chair Payal Sharma have launched the
"Million Meal March" campaign.
and Advisors are Raj Asava and
Aradhana Asava.
"In the spirit of 'give where you
live', the community through IAC,
has enabled close to five million
meals in Texas in just over a year,"
said Raj Asava in a press release.
"We are excited to bring this
System
overnment of India
G established Pension
Fund Regulatory and
Deve lopment Authority
(PFRDA) in 2003 to devel‑
op and regulate pension
sector in the country. The
National Pension System
(NPS) was launched on
January 1st, 2004 with the
object ive of providing
retirement income to all
the citizens. With ef fect
from May 1st, 2009, NPS
facility has been extended
to all citizens of the coun‑
try, a press release from
NRIs. Reserve Bank of India
the Indian Consulate in New
model to New York City and are (RBI) will suitably amend/noti‑
York said.
confident that the Indian commu‑ fy art icle 20(R) of Foreign
A proposal for inclusion of
nity here will galvanize around Exchange Management Act
OCI card holders has been
Food Bank and provide millions of (FEMA) accordingly.
under consideration from some
meals for the city's food insecure Details about NPS are avail‑
time. It has now been decided
children, seniors, veterans and vul‑ able on
that OCI card holders can also
nerable families," added Anna https://www.pfrda.org.in/
subscribe to NPS in parity with
Asava.

OPEN LETTER TO MY Tyson recalls tons of chicken strips

FELLOW AMERICANS for possible metal contamination
T
yson Foods is recalling some illnesses. Tyson is recalling all its Missouri, according to Tyson and
By Dr Yousuf U. Syed 69,000 pounds of frozen, fully cooked buffalo‑style chicken the FSIS.

O
ready‑to‑eat chicken strips strip fritters, crispy chicken strips “We continue to investigate this
n March 15, that may have been contaminated and chicken breast strip fritters, matter but currently believe itʼs an
2019, one man with metal, the top U.S. meat which have a use‑before date of isolated incident,” Tyson
of evil heart and processor said on Friday, marking Nov. 30, 2019. spokesman Gary Mickelson said.
pathetic mind, full of hate, its second recall this year. The move follows Tysonʼs recall The move also follows a slew of
ignorance, Islamophobia T he U.S. Department of in January of 18 tons of “White recalls by big chicken producers
and bigotry decided on Agricultureʼs (USDA) Food Safety Meat Panko” chicken nuggets for including Perdue Foods and
irrational behavior and and Inspection Service (FSIS) said possible rubber contamination. Pilgrimʼs Pride Corp. Consumer
committed horrific mass last week that it had received two The nuggets recalled earlier and advocates say increasing automa‑
murders of innocent consumer complaints of extraneous the chicken strips being recalled tion in meat processing plants is
Muslims, young and old, The barbaric act of the terrorist who
attacked worshippers at a mosque in New material in Tysonʼs chicken strips this week were made at two sepa‑ causing more machine parts to
men, women, and children and that there were no reports of rate facilities in Arkansas and break off and contaminate food.
Zealand is a contrast to the expression of
in their house of worship
grief and empathy for the victims by Jacinda

California grown avocados

“The Al Noor Mosque” in
Ardern, Prime Minister of the country, who
Christchurch, New
has acted promptly to ban assault weapons.
Zealand. This terrorist was

recalled in 6 states for listeria fear

pure evil and represented no reli‑ The mass killings of innocent peo‑
gion, belongs to no religion and has ple in their Houses of Worship ‑‑

C
no knowledge of any religion. His churches, synagogues, temples and
alifornia‑grown avocados California‑grown conventional and viduals with weakened immune sys‑
crimes are against humanity, pure mosques ‑‑ make it clear that we are
sold in bulk to retail stores organic avocados. T hey were tems.
and simple – he is a terrorist and together in this mess. It is time for
action, not just words; setting aside in six states by the Henry packed at Henry Avocado Symptoms of listeriosis include
must be called as such.
Avocado Corporation are being Corporation's facility in California fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff
In contrast, the world saw a young our differences we must celebrate
recalled due to potential contamina‑ and distributed to six states: neck, confusion and loss of balance.
woman, who at 37 had become the our commonalities, we must make a
tion with the bacterium listeria Arizona, California, Florida, New Patients may experience diarrhea
youngest Prime Minister of New strong effort against all types of big‑
monocytogenes, the company Hampshire, North Carolina and or other gastrointestinal symptoms,
Zealand, displayed her majestic otry, hate, and violence. This insanity
announced last Saturday. Wisconsin. Henry Avocado, a fami‑ as well as convulsions. It can be
humanitarian nature, kindness, com‑ and barbarism must be stopped
"Henry Avocado is issuing this ly‑owned and managed company, treated with antibiotics.
passion and empathy toward the against any group of people.
voluntary recall out of an abun‑ started packing in this facility in Henry Avocado said it is contact‑
Muslim victims of this Islamophobic
Yousuf U. Syed dance of caution due to positive test late January 2019 and every ship‑ ing its retail customers to confirm
and barbaric mass murder. Prime
M.D.MPH, is results on environmental samples ment is subject to the recall. the recalled products have been
Minister Jacinda Ardern has shown
Chairman, Global taken during a routine government Listeria bacteria is especially con‑ pulled from the shelves. The com‑
to the world true leadership, expres‑
Interfaith Mission, inspection at its California packing cerning in pregnant women pany advises consumers to check
sion of a keenly felt personal grief
Trustee Islamic facility," reads the company's state‑ because they can cause miscarriage, the stickers on their avocados. The
and the compassion she exhibited
Association of ment. There have been no reported stillbirth, premature delivery or a recalled products have "Bravocado"
toward the victimʼs families and took
Long Island / The illnesses associated with the recall life‑threatening infection in a new‑ stickers. Henry Avocado organic
quick action to limit certain
Selden Mosque, and Board Member at this time. born. Others at risk for listeria products do not carry the
weapons, thus put the other leaders
ICLI/Interfaith Institute. The recalled products included infection are the elderly and indi‑ "Bravocado" label on the sticker.
of the world to shame.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY March 30-April 5, 2019 7

Asia Society to honor Kapany Note referencing NZ attacks

with Game Changer Award in SFO
San Francisco: Asia Society Northern
California has announced that Dr.
Narinder Singh Kapany will be honored
with the Asia Game Changer West Award.
The Indian American scientist is widely
acknowledged as “the father of fiber
optics,” a field that has changed the world
in multifarious ways, a society news
release said.
Dr. Kapanyhas over 100 patents and has
received many awards, including the “Fiat
Lux Award” from the U.C. Santa Cruz
Foundation in 2008. He has published
over 100 scientific papers and four books
on optoelectronics and entrepreneurship.
A graduate of the Agra University in
India, he completed advanced studies in
optics at the Imperial College of Science
and Technology, London, and received his
doctorate from the University of London
in 1955. His career has spanned science,
entrepreneurship and management, aca‑
demia, publishing, lecturing and farming,
his bio notes. Kapany has endowed a chair
of Sikh Studies at U.C. Santa Barbara and a
chair each in optoelectronics and entre‑
preneurship at U.C. Santa Cruz. His per‑
sonal interests include philanthropy, art
collecting, and sculpting.
Kapanyʼs “Dynotic Sculptures” have been
exhibited at the Exploratorium in San
Francisco and other museums. He has
established a gallery of Sikh Art at the
Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany will be honored
April 9 at the inaugural Asia Societyʼs Game
Changer West Awards gala in San Francisco.
Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and is
the founding chairman of the Sikh
Foundation.
Kapany will be formally honored April 9
at the inaugural Game Changer West
Awards gala in San Francisco.
An expansion of the Asia Society's Asia
Game Changers awards in New York, this
event identifies and honors true leaders
who are making a positive contribution to
the future of Asia, the release said.
found at California mosque fire
San Diego, CA:The Muslim community in
Escondido, California, gathered a week ago
for an interfaith prayer vigil, insisting that
a distance of nearly 7,000 miles did not
ease the pain they felt for the 50 victims
of a pair of mosque shoot ings in
Christchurch, New Zealand.
T hey assembled ag ain on Sunday
evening, uttering prayers that echoed like
a grim refrain. This time, they turned their
attention to one of their own mosques,
whose walls had been blackened in a pos‑
sible act of arson announcing its inten‑
tions with graf fiti citing the March 15
attack in New Zealand.
With rapid velocity, the violence visited
on the Pacific island nation appears to
have traversed the globe, choosing as one
of its first American targets an unassum‑
ing, beige‑colored place of Islamic wor‑
ship, flanked by palm trees.
“I never could have expected that this
would happen here, two blocks from my
house,” Yusef Miller, the point person for
interfaith initiatives and a board member
at the Islamic Society of North County,
said in an interview with The Washington
Post. “The connection was chilling. It was a
clear homage to what happened in New
Zealand.”
In the wee hours of Sunday, seven peo‑
ple were inside the Dar‑ul‑Arqam mosque
in Escondido, about 30 miles north of
downtown San Diego, when someone out‑
side tried to set the building ablaze,
according to city police. No one was
injured in the fire, which marred the exte‑
rior of the mosque. The worshipers who
had been inside were able to snuff out the
flames with a fire extinguisher. A 911 call
brought police and fire services to the
scene, as authorities judged the incident to
be an act of arson. An accelerant had been
used to stimulate the flames, the San Diego
Union‑Tribune reported. Police said they
were investigating the act as a hate crime.
“Graffiti left behind by the suspect made
reference to the shooting incident in New
Zealand,” Chris Lick, a police spokesman,
said in a news release.
T he FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are
assisting city and county of ficials with
their probe. No suspects have been identi‑
fied.
Authorities didnʼt shed further light on
the words spray‑painted on the buildingʼs
exterior. Muslim leaders said they
remained in the dark about the precise
language, as police feared that disclosing
the exact message might jeopardize an
ongoing investigation.
Hate crimes targeting American Muslims
rose by 15 percent in 2017, according to a
report released last year by the Council on
American‑Islamic Relations.

Pratham celebrates Amruta Fadnavis to headline

20 years with gala in AAPIʼs music shows in 10 US cities
Houston April 20
Pratham USA Founder and Chairman Emeritus Vijay Goradia
will be honored at the gala, where celebrity guest
will be Bollywood and Hollywood star Anil Kapoor.
Houston: Prahtam USA is cele‑
brating 20 years with a 2019
gala in Houston where it will
honor Pratham USA Founder and
Chairman Emeritus Vijay
Goradia.
Vijay established Pratham USA
in Houston in 1999 after an
inspirat ional visit to one of
Prathamʼs urban literacy pro‑
grams in Mumbai. He immigrated
to America with a vision of devel‑
oping an international chemical
trading company; Vinmar
International Ltd. is now a presti‑
gious global company with 25
of fices worldw ide. At the
Houston gala celebrity guest will
be Bollywood and Hollywood star
Anil Kapoor. Star attractions
include leading Indian designer
Anita Dongre presented by Raaz
and Nicole OʼBrian Lassiter, for‑
mer Miss Texas and Miss USA
runnerup, emceeing the show.
Established in 1995 to provide
education to children in Mumbai
slums, Pratham (which means
“first” in Sanskrit) is now one of
the largest and most successful
non‑governmental education
organizations in India.
Chicago,
AmrutaFadnavis, a trained
IL: and leaders and members
of AAPI.
classical singer, banker and T he musical program
First Lady of Maharashtra, combined with education‑
w ill be the lead singer al and networking oppor‑
along with award winning tunities for AAPI mem‑
Bollywoo d singer bers, supporters and spon‑
Sukhwinder Singh at the sors, is being organized
Jai Ho Musical Dhamaka w ith the object ive of
this spring performing in bring ing Cont inuing
10 cities around the United Medical Education and
States. non‑CME sponsored med‑
First Lady of Maharashtra and Bollywood
The multi‑city tour organ‑ ical lectures, exhibits, Gala
singer AmrutaFadnavis will be the lead singer
ized by American Dinner, community out‑
along with Sukhwinder Singh at AAPIʼs
Association of Physicians of 10‑City Jai Ho Musical Dhamaka reach talks and lively musi‑
Indian Origin (AAPI), has cal nights in each of the 10
the goal of raising money to sup‑ Maharashtra, DevendraFadnavis, cities across the country, the press
port AAPIʼs various initiatives, is the youngest First Lady in the release said. The 10 city musical
according to a March 21 press state, and currently serves as the and educational tour will debut on
release from the organization. vice president of transaction bank‑ Friday, May 10th in Tampa, Fl; and
“We are requesting all AAPI mem‑ ing with Axis Bank. A major objec‑ will be followed by Atlanta on May
bers, all doctors of Indian origin, tive of the AAPI program is to 11th and in Washington DC on
all south Asians to rally and sup‑ bring together various lo cal May 12th. Sukhwinder and his
port this amazing opportunity of Chapters, says Dr. Parikh. The ini‑ team will perform in Charlotte, NC
the 10‑city musical tour to pro‑ tiative is the result of national on May 17th, in New Jersey on
mote awareness and raise funds coordinators of the prog ram May 18th and in Dallas, TX on
for supporting the many programs working together – Drs. Narendra May 19th. In the final weekend,
to address the rapidly growing Kumar. HemantDhing ra, Raj the popular artists will begin the
problem of cardiovascular dis‑ Bhayani. Amit Chkrabarty, tour in Milwaukee, WI on May
eases in South Asians and minori‑ AnjanaSamadder, and 24th, in Columbus, Ohio May 25th
ties living in the United States and GautamSamaddar, as well as and in Columbus, Ohio; in Hollywood
Lymphoma & Leukemia in India,” the entire AAPI team, according to City, Los Angeles on May 26th;
Dr. Naresh Parikh, president of the organization. The initiative is and, the grand finale will be in
AAPI said. AmrutaFadnavis, mar‑ also supported by senior leader‑ Fresno, CA on May
ried to the 18th Chief Minister of ship and several past presidents 27th, 2019.
 8 March 30-April 5, 2019 NATIONAL TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Mindy Kaling
gets new
Netflix show
It will be an awkward
teen comedy
(Image : screenrant.com)
New York: Mindy Kaling is
coming back to streaming TV
with a show that sounds like it
will hit close to home for many
Indian‑American fans. The
comedian is working on a 10‑
episode series with Netflix, the
company announced
Wednesday. The show, which
does not yet have a title, will
focus on the “complicated life
of a modern‑day first‑genera‑
tion Indian American teenage
girl,” according to Deadline. It
will reportedly draw inspiration
from Kalingʼs own experiences.
Kaling confirmed the news on
Twitter, telling viewers to “get
ready for lots of relatable, awk‑
ward teen moments.”
8th Annual Vedic Fair celebrates
Indian heritage in Greater Houston
Houston: The 8th Annual Vedic Fair mega
celebration of India drew thousands of visi‑
tors and was held successfully last weekend
at Cinco Ranch High School.
Once again, Ashirwad A Blessing Temple
organized a splendid house full show of
Indian heritage in a fun, spiritual and enter‑
taining way, non‑stop for 5 hrs from 5 to 10
PM with over 150 Houston artists, presen‑
ters, workshop hosts, and vendors.
The entrance of Cinco Ranch high school
was converted into a beautiful temple for
Brahma – The Creator, Maha Vishnu – The
Protector, Mahadev Shiva – The Redeemer
along with their consorts Saraswati Devi,
Maha Lakshmi & Parvati Devi and other
Indian gods & goddesses.
Vedic Fair 8 opened with Celebrate India
Exhibits competition. The presenters show‑
cased 18 Maha‑Puranas with confidence and
clarity taking the contest to a level never
seen before. Defending Champion Aryaa
Joshi became Ce lebrate INDIA Exhibits
Presentations 2019 Champion for her topic
ʻBhagavata Puranaʼ.
Sudhiti Marri was runnerup for her topic
on ʻAgni Puranaʼ. Celebrate India Exhibits
competition was judged by Sanjay Patel, the
author of 11 books including the bestseller
Vedic Fair chair Geetha Ravula with
chief guest – Fort Bend County Judge K.P.
George. (Photo courtesy: Vedic Fair)
Science and Spirituality and Srujana
Dunnara, Ashirwad Young Wingz President.
Vedic Fair 8 showcased the awe‑inspiring
18 Maha‑Puranas, Buddhism by Universal
Door, Christ ianity by Te lugu Christ ian
Fellowship, Ayurveda workshop by Ushadevi
Pillai, Homeopathy by Anusha Thiagarajan,
Dandiya by Daksha Nagar, Rangoli and
Painting by Dr. Sarita Mehta.
Presentations were followed by unique
Musical Bingo Show engaging and entertain‑
ing a hall packed audience. Fort Bend County
Judge Honorable K.P George in his keynote
address appreciated the diversity in the coun‑
ty and Vedic Fair for bringing rich culture
and values to residents.
Ashirwad Indian‑LifeStyle Class Students
flawlessly recited Shanthi Mantras for World
Peace and in the honor of the deceased sol‑
diers of the world. The audience stood up in
silence for a minute to respect & honor the
deceased soldiers of the world.
Dance Talent Team Competition, with
detailed choreography, colorful costumes,
props and diverse dance formats adhered to
the ʻIndian Heritageʼ theme enthralled the
audience.
Primetime fast‑paced play, “24 – T he
Untold Leela” directed by Vedic Fair chair
Geetha Ravula captivated the packed audi‑
ence. The play comprised of unique stories
from Indian Heritage which are very rarely
told. These stories highlighted how the divine
descends to protect the Dharma.
The most awaited finale, ʻBrides of The
World – Fusion Showʼ choreographed by
Geetha Ravula was a complete treat for its
fusion mix of contemporary music, dazzling
costumes, and beautiful brides showcasing
various heritages of the world representing
unity in diversity.
(source: voiceofasia.news)

4 Indian‑American teens awarded Indian-American singer

for environment inventions
Washington, DC: Four Indian
American teenagers have been
awarded $25,000 each for develop‑
ing innovat ive approaches to
address environmental issues.
The recipients of the award are
Anjali Chadha (16) of Kentucky,
Preeti Sai Krishnamani (17) of
De laware, Navami Jain (17) of
North Carolina and Sai Preethi
Mamidala (17) of Pennsylvania, the
American Bazaar daily reported.
Chadha has built a device that is a
sensor for detecting arsenic, a
harmful substance known to cause
cancer, in well water sources.
Currently a student at duPont
Manual Magnet Hig h School,
Chadha was inspired to develop the
sensor when she discovered that
groundwater within 90 miles of her
home was contaminated w ith
arsenic. It is estimated that some
50 million Americans use we ll
water as their primary source and
could be at risk for contamination.
For Krishnamani, the goal was to
combat arsenic contamination in
rice.
"The way I am trying to do that is
by enhancing soil minerals that can
bind up arsenic and make it inac‑
cessible to rice plants," she said.
Her solution is silicon amend‑
ments ‑ rice husk and rice husk ash
‑ which are waste products of rice
production and can be recycled into
paddies to eventually combat
arsenic contamination in the crop.
Jain performed a series of evalua‑
tions looking at dif ferent ways to
produce bio‑ethanol, a type of bio‑
fuel that is considered greener to
conventional fossil energy sources
as it is biodegradable and non‑toxic.
"The major controversy around
ethanol production is that it is
being produced from food‑based
crops like corn. I'm looking at ways
to produce it from agricultural‑
Anuradha Palakurthi-Juju's
'Jaan Meri' album released
based matter and dif ferent waste
products such as wheat straw," she
Boston: "Jaan Meri", a music video album featuring
said.
Indian‑American singer‑producer Anuradha Palakurthi‑
Her results indicated that produc‑
Juju was launched globally Saturday.
ing bio‑ethanol from wheat straw
T he LP was re leased by the Boston‑based Juju
may increase efficiency and lower
Productions, LLC at the Massachusetts Institute of
costs.
Technolog y's Kresge Auditorium in Cambridge,
Driven by the effects of fossil‑fuel
Massachusetts.
pollution in India, Mamidala stud‑
Ustad Nishat Khan, one of India's finest musicians and a
ied an optimal catalyst to make
virtuoso sitar player, has composed the album.
renewable energy more accessible.
It consists of six songs, directed and filmed in locations
A senior at Garnet Valley High
spanning the globe, from Hollywood in Los Angeles to
School in Glen Mills, she examined
Mumbai, India to Baku in Azerbaijan.
the catalyst in "a fuel cell that can
Anuradha, who has performed many live music concerts
store energy while it is being pro‑
with Bollywood singers such as Kumar Sanu and Bappi
duced and generate it when it is
Lahiri across the US, said she was excited about the
needed. The actual catalyst being
launch. "On March 23, audiences can watch song‑films
used in the fuel cell makes a world
made by g reat directors and teams in Mumbai,
of difference in its performance."
Hollywood, and Baku, Azerbaijan. Be prepared to be sur‑
The four teenagers are all finalists
prised at some faces in the videos. Lyrics were penned by
of this year's Regeneron Science
Mehboob Kotwal, Manoj Yadav, Bullesha and Boston's
Talent Search, the nation's oldest
own evocative poetess, Sunayana Kachroo," the singer
and most prestigious science and
said in a statement. Ustad Nishat Khan also gave a live
math competition for high school
performance at the event.
seniors. (IANS)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
The Hinduja brothers' estimated net worth is 25.2 billion pounds.
Hindujas top Britan's Asian
rich list for sixth year
London: Leading London‑based NRI indus‑
trial tycoons, the Hinduja family top the
Asian Rich List 2019 for the sixth successive
year with an estimated net worth of 25.2 bil‑
lion pounds, an increase of over 3 billion
pounds over the previous year.
According to the Asian Rich List 2019
released at the Asian Business Awards in
London on Friday night, Steel magnates
Lakshmi Mittal and his son Aditya Mittal
remained in second place, with 11.2 billion
pounds‑ down 2.8 billion pounds.
India's High Commissioner to the UK
Ruchi Ghanashyam released the list which is
a compilation of the 101 wealthiest Asians
in Britain, highlighting exceptional entrepre‑
neurial achievement over the last 12
months.
SP Lohia (Petrochemicals) took the third
place with 5.8 billion pounds.
Indian‑origin leader makes
history in Canada Parliament
Ottawa: Indian‑origin Jagmeet Singh created
history in Canada when he made his debut in
the House of Commons as the first non‑white
leader of a major opposition party in the
country.
The arrival of the leader, wearing a turban,
into the house on Monday, cheered by all
members, coincided with the induction of a
senior woman member into Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau's cabinet.
Singh, 40, the leader of the New Democratic
Party, placed his hand over his heart as he
walked into the House of Commons, the lower
of house of Parliament, before the daily ques‑
tion period. He was elected in federal by‑elec‑
tions held on February 25. Singh, as an elect‑
ed lawmaker, talked about last week's terror‑
ist attack on two mosques in New Zealand.
"I want to begin by expressing our solidari‑
ty with the people of New Zealand who are
mourning the attack on Muslim brothers and
sisters... in Christchurch," he said.
About 50 people were killed last week in
the Pacific country's worst‑ever mass shoot‑
ing. He then launched his first question about
housing in Burnaby‑South.
"I met a mom in Burnaby. She bought a
home, but cannot af ford to live there any‑
more. Her daughter has a good job but only
gets by because she lives in the basement.
Her son does not see a future. Like too many
DIASPORA March 30-April 5, 2019 9
The entries of the Asian Rich List 2019
have a combined wealth of more than 85.2
billion pounds.
The figure is increasing year on year and
this year's overall wealth increases by over
5 billion pounds.
The list features seven new entries, includ‑
ing Hotelier Joginder Sanger and his son
Girish Sanger who enter at number 40 on
the list with an estimated value of 300 mil‑
lion pounds.
Leading NRI entrepreneur Lord Swraj Paul
and family are 17th in the list with a net
worth 900 million pounds ‑ an increase of
100 million pounds over the previous year.
Shailesh Solanki, executive editor of Asian
Marketing Group (AMG) publisher of the
Rich List said, "The Asian Rich List is careful‑
ly compiled by a team of experts and it is the
definitive guide to Asian wealth in Britain."
Jagmeet Singh made his debut in House of
Commons as first non‑white leader of a
major opposition party in Canada.
Canadians, he has lost all hope," Singh said.
"However, the prime minister is telling fam‑
ilies like theirs to wait for help. I believe that
better is possible. Will the government com‑
mit to building half a million new affordable
homes?" he asked.
Prime Minister Trudeau responded by con‑
gratulating Singh for his entry into the
Commons, before touting the government's
record on fighting poverty.
Singh's remarks echoed the mood of the
House on a crucial day when the prime minis‑
ter was beleaguered by the resignations of his
two key cabinet colleagues.
 10 March 30-April 5, 2019 US AFFAIRS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Mueller report finds no Russia-Trump collusion

Washington: Special Counse l
Robert Mueller who investigated
Russian interference in President
Donald Trump's 2016 election has
concluded that there was no collu‑
sion between him or his campaign
and Moscow, according to a sum‑
mary of the report released by
Attorney General William Barr.
W hile the probe found that
Moscow had meddled in the 2016
election, the "investigation did not
establish that members of the
Trump Campaign conspired or
coordinated with the Russian gov‑
ernment in its election interfer‑
ence activities", Barr said in the
summary he said to Congress on
Sunday afternoon.
Trump declared that it was a
complete exoneration and said the
probe was an "illegal take down
that failed".
On another key matter, if Trump
had tried to obstruct justice by
interfering with investigations
into Russian interference, Barr's
summary of Mueller's report was
less certain. He said that in this
regard Mueller's "report does not
conclude that the President com‑
mitted a crime, it also does not
exonerate him."
He added that he and Deputy
Attorney General Rod Rosenstein
found the evidence "not sufficient
Democrats are now demanding that Attorney General
Willam Barr make the full Muller report public.
to establish that the President
committed an obstruction‑of‑jus‑
tice offence".
"While this report does not con‑
clude that the president commit‑
ted a crime, it also does not exon‑
erate him", Barr's summary said.
The summary of the report was
unlikely to quell the controversy
over Russia's interference and
Trump campaign's role that has
divided the nation.
The White House and Trump'
supporters exulted that it was an
exonerat ion of the president,
whose legitimacy was attacked for
two years, but his opponents were
questioning if the wording was
ambiguous.
"The findings of the Department
of Justice are a total and complete
exoneration of the President of the
US", his Spokesperson Sarah
Huckabee Sanders said.
However, the Democrat head of
the House Judiciary Committee,
Jerrold Nadler, asserted that there
were "very concerning discrepan‑
cies" and "Mueller did not exoner‑
ate the President". He added that
he would be calling Barr to testify
before the Congressional panel.
The Democrats demanded the
entire report be published and
The Mueller investigation was
definite that there was Russian
interference in the election, but in
an insidious and indirect manner.
threatened to use Congressional
powers to acquire the full report
and support ing do cuments.
Legally, the Special Counse l's
report is submitted to the attorney
general who has the power to
withhold it or release only parts of
it. Trump has also supported its
release.
Before deciding its release Barr
will have to determine if there are
any matters of national security
that has to be blacked out.
Mueller's investigation conducted
away from public view inter‑
viewed more than 500 witnesses,
executed 500 search warrants and
issued 2,800 subpoenas (demands
of appearance of production of
documents) over 22 months.
Five important members of the
Trump team, including campaign
Chairman Paul Manafort, his per‑
sonal lawyer Michael Cohen and
former Trump National Security
Adviser Michael Flynn, have been
convicted as a result of the
Mueller probe on various charges,
some of lying during investiga‑
tions and some like tax and finan‑
cial fraud unrelated to the Russian
link. The Mueller investigation
was de finite that there was
Russian interference in the elec‑
tion, but in an insidious and indi‑
rect manner.
Barr said that Mueller found two
main Russian efforts to influence
the election.
"The first involved attempts by a
Russian organization, the Internet
Research Agency (IRA), to conduct
disinformation and social media
operations in the US designed to
sow social discord", his summary
said. The other was Russian gov‑
ernment hacking of the computers
and emails of the Democratic
Party and Hillary Clinton, the
Democratic Party presidential can‑
didate, and disseminating the
information through WikiLeaks
and other sources.

By 2030 US to face Bad news for coal: Wind and

121,000 doctors deficit
Washington: The practice of medicine in
the US may well find itself in intensive
care, with a deficit of 121,000 physicians
projected for 2030, even as foreign‑born
doctors struggle to get licensed. According
to the Association of American Medical
Colleges (AAMC), the deficit scenario could
be alleviated if the procedures whereby
thousands of foreign physicians get certi‑
fied, is not streamlined.
The most recent AAMC report said that
in particular there would be shortage in
four broad categories: primary care, med‑
ical specialties, surgical specialties and
other specialties.
"The US has an enormous scarcity of doc‑
tors but those who are trying to validate
their degrees here, when they finally get
them, don't find it easy to work," immigra‑
tion attorney Tammy Fox‑Isicoff told EFE.
A foreigner or immigrant who graduates
from a medical program in their homeland
‑‑ after, on average, seven years of study ‑‑
who wants to make the difficult transition
to pursuing the medical profession in the
US first must get through the procedure to
acquire a student visa and take an English
exam. Then, they have to study in the US
for an average of about three years to be
able to pass the four exams making up the
USMLE and be able to foot the bill for all
that study and test prep with online cours‑
es costing up to $30,000. Finally, the years
of residency remain and the length of time
spent in this phase depends on the area of
specialty.
Even if they make it through the entire
process, the immigrant doctors face the
dilemma of how to work in the US when
their student visas have expired.
The procedure, Fox‑Isicoff said, includes
applying for a J visa, which is granted in
situations where someone is obtaining pro‑
fessional training but it obligates the recip‑
ients to return to their countries of origin
for two years when they have finished the
residency period, thus running the risk
that they will "lose their contacts and for‑
get what they (learned) here".
The other option would be to compete
for one of the 65,000 H1B visas, which are
the ones employers extend to professionals
after they graduate ‑‑ and they are much in
demand. The scenario has gotten more
complicated because of the tightening of
immigration policies by the Trump admin‑
istration.
solar are getting cheaper
New York: The simple laws of eco‑
nomics threaten to doom America's
remaining coal power plants. Wind
and solar costs have plunged so rap‑
idly that 74% of the US coal fleet
could be phased out for renewable
energy ‑‑ and still save customers
money, according to a report
re leased on Monday by Energy
Innovation, a nonpartisan think
tank. That figure of at‑risk coal
plants in the United States rises to
86% by 2025 as solar and wind
President Trumpʼs promise to revive the
costs continue to plunge.
beleaguered coal industry may not help in
The research demonstrates how
the long run. (Photo : The Register‑Herald)
it's increasingly more expensive to
operate existing coal plants than build clean lead the EPA. "Trump administration efforts
energy alternatives. "US coal plants are in to cut environmental regulations are too lit‑
more danger than ever be fore," Mike tle, too late to save coal," O'Boyle said.
O'Boyle, director of electricity policy at The Energy Innovation report found that
Energy Innovation, told CNN Business. in 2018, 211 gigawatts of existing US coal
"Nearly three‑quarters of US coal plants are capacity ‑‑ or 74% of America's fleet ‑‑ was
already 'zombie coal,' or the walking dead." at risk from local wind or solar that could
That's despite President Donald Trump's more cheaply churn out just as much elec‑
promise to revive the beleaguered coal tricity. North Carolina, Florida, Georgia and
industry. Trump declared the end of the Texas are the US states that have the great‑
"war on coal" and slashed regulations that est amount of coal plants at risk from local
clamped down on the emissions from coal‑ solar and wind, the analysis found. Energy
fired power plants. Innovation defined local as within 35 miles.
Late last year, the administrat ion By 2025, Midwestern states including
announced plans to reverse an Obama‑era Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin are
coal emissions rule to make it easier to open expected to have high amounts of coal
new coal plants. Trump even appointed capacity under pressure from renewable
Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist, to energy.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Russia probe vindicates Trump, but
Democrats will persist in pursuit
News analysis by Arul Louis
New York: After being hounded for over two
years by accusations that he treasonously
colluded with Russia to win the 2016 presi‑
dential e lection, US President Donald
Trump has won an exoneration after an
arduous investigation and his opposition
has received a setback. But any reprieve is
only temporary and the Democratic Party's
leaders were unmoved by the summary of
the finding of Special Counse l Robert
Mue ller's probe re leased by Attorney
General William Barr on Sunday afternoon
and vowed to cont inue their own
Congressional investigations of Trump.
After Barr released the summary in letters
to Congressional leaders, Trump told the
media that the probe and the Russian collu‑
sion charges were an "an illegal take‑down
that failed" and called for a probe of "the
other side".
With the Russia probe behind him, Trump
may see an opportunity to navigate the
treacherous political waters without the
dark cloud of impeachment dogging him in
the 20 months before the presidential elec‑
tion. The Democratic Party's Congressional
leader Hakeem Jef fries said earlier on
Sunday on a CBS TV talk show: "We are not
focused on impeachment". And the Mueller
findings did not rise to the bar set by
US AFFAIRS
Speaker Nancy Pelosi that there should be
"something so compelling and overwhelm‑
ing and bipartisan" for an impeachment.
Trump may be able to regain some his
standing to focus on pressing issues like the
China trade negotiations and the North
Korean nuclear stalemate.
He can claim a victory and the Democrats
appear to have suffered a setback because
of their singular over‑re liance on the
Russia‑Trump collusion theory to bring him
down in their rage after Hillary Clinton's
stunning defeat in the 2016 elections. After
22 months of investigations involving 500
witnesses, examination of thousands of
pages of documents, and 500 search war‑
rants, Mueller has ruled out Trump's or his
campaign's involvement with Moscow.
Trump gloated in an email to supporters:
"NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION ‑ COM‑
March 30-April 5, 2019 11
Trump gloated in an email to supporters:
"NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION ‐ COMPLETE EXONERATION".
But Attorney General William Barr said in a summary of the Muller
report that it "does not conclude that the President committed
a crime, it also does not exonerate him".
PLETE EXONERATION". lation to "sow social discord", and by hack‑
But most Democrats are unconvinced ing Clinton's and Democratic Party's com‑
about the clean chit and have demanded the puters and email and publicizing damaging
release of the full report hoping to find information. Of the legal action launched
material to continue their pursuit of Trump. against 34 individuals and entities during
"A short letter from Trump's hand‑picked the probe, some involved Russians.
Attorney General is not sufficient," Senator The action now shifts to Congress and
Kamala Harris tweeted. federal and state prosecutor's offices where
Mueller has given them ammunition to elements from the Mueller investigation
continue their attacks on another front: may be used. Having wrested control of the
Trump did not get an exoneration on a key House last November, the Democrats are
allegation that he had tried to obstruct the poised to launch investigations by several
investigations into Russian interference, committees into various aspects of Trump's
which would be a crime. With a note of businesses, campaign, conduct and foreign
ambiguity, Barr said that in this regard involvement.
Mueller's "report does not conclude that the Federal prosecutors in New York are look‑
President committed a crime, it also does ing into Trump's property deals and
not exonerate him". whether his swearing‑in gala received ille‑
The Mueller investigation also produced gal foreign contributions, and possibly into
collateral damage to Trump's reputation by actions by his family members. New York
association as five key members of his State Attorney General Letitia James is
team, have been convicted ‑ but only on investigating loans from Deutsche Bank to
charges unrelated to the Russian link. Trump's enterprises and has taken action
Mueller also established that Russia inter‑ against the Trump charitable foundation.
fered in the elections through a campaign There are also personal civil cases pending
of disinformation and social media manipu‑ against him in several places.
 12 March 30-April 5, 2019
MAHA KUMBH
OF DEMOCRACY
New Delhi: T he “State of the
Nat ion March 2019 Wave 2”
opinion poll conducted by CVoter
for IANS shows the likely vote
percentage for the two main
poles of national politics, the NDA
and UPA in this year's general
elections.
A pre poll alliance scenario for
the BJP‑led NDA formation would
help it garner 42 per cent of the
vote nationally, while for the
Congress‑led UPA alliance the
vote percentage for the pre poll
allies would be 30.4 per cent.
The CVoter State of the Nation
March 2019 Wave 2 opinion poll
released on March 24 is based on
a sample survey of 10,280 this
week, and a cumulative base of
70,000 respondents since
Rahul's 'Nyay' scheme may hit fiscal prudence
New Delhi: In an age when fiscal
profligacy is out and fiscal pru‑
dence is the norm, Congress
President Rahul Gand hi on
Monday resorted to apparent
populism and announced mini‑
mum income guarantee scheme
'Nyay' that is expected to cost the
exchequer Rs 3.6 lakh crore
annually. T he expenditure
entailed on the scheme,
announced ahead of the coming
Lok Sabha elections, is likely to
alter the precarious fiscal equilib‑
rium of the government.
Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv
Kumar said the scheme will burst
fiscal discipline.
Kumar said in tweets that the
cost of the Minimum Income
Guarantee Scheme at 2 per cent
of the GDP and 13 per cent of the
budget w ill ensure that real
needs of people remain unsatis‑
fied.
"True to its past record of
promising the moon to win elec‑
t ions, Cong ress President
announces a scheme that will
burst fiscal discipline and create
strong incentives against work,
which will never be implemented.
"Cong ress party promised
GaribiHatao in 1971, OROP in
2008, FoodSecurity in 2013 to
win elections, but couldn't fulfil
any of those. The same unfortu‑
nate fate awaits the populist and
Allies likely to push NDA tally near 300 mark
January 1 covering 543 Lok
Sabha constituencies.
T he NDA is banking on the
BJP's narrative on nationalism to
deliver the elections for it. While
it has spoken of increasing
employment opportunities under
its watch, alleviation of farm dis‑
tress and economic g rowth,
nationalism has been its main‑
stay.
The NDA has a distinct advan‑
tage over the rival formation in
key states in the vote share pro‑
jections. In Uttar Pradesh, where
the Congress is not part of a
mahagathbandhan, the NDA is
likely to get 35.4 per cent of the
vote.
This is even though the NDA is
expected to get far fewer seats
compared to 2014 as indicated
by the CVoter opinion poll. In
Bihar, the NDA's vote share is
expected to be 52.6 per cent and
in Rajasthan, the NDA is expected
to get 50.7 per cent of the vote
while in the BJP stronghold of
Gujarat, the CVoter opinion poll
suggests that the NDA will get
58.2 per cent of the vote share.
In Maharashtra, the NDA is
expected to have a vote share of
48.1 per cent while in BJP‑ruled
Haryana, the NDA could get 42.6
Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
opportunist ic promise of
M i n i m u m I n c o m e G u a r a n t ee, "
Kumar said. Crit icising the
announcement, economist Surjit
Bhalla tweeted: "Is RG's
#MinimumIncomeGuarantee a
game changer or absurd beyond
compare? The idea is fundamen‑
tally flawed and so beyond com‑
pare." The estimated expenditure
on the minimum income scheme
is more than the defence budget
for 2019‑20.
N.R. Bhanumurthy, professor at
the National Institute of Public
Finance and Policy, however, said
that it could be a scheme where‑
in some of the non‑functioning
welfare schemes are subsumed.
INDIA NEWS
per cent of the vote according to
the vote share projections.
However, there are states where
the two alliances are not as far
apart on vote share and in some
the NDA is actually behind, the
CVoter opinion poll shows. Tamil
Nadu is one of such states, Kerala
is another. The two sides are neck
and neck in Karnataka.
Seat share projections for the
NDA, based on pre‑poll alliances,
shows it will fall short of a House
majority with 261 seats ‑‑ an ear‑
lier CVoter opinion poll on March
10 had put this number at 264.
The second survey shows that the
BJP will get 241 seats on its own.
However, the surge from post
poll alliances would push it well
above the majority mark of 272.
This is how the CVoter opinion
poll says the numbers are likely
to stack up for the NDA should
the post poll alliances click. The
YSR Congress Party led by Y.S.
Jagan Mohan Reddy is expected
to win 10 Lok Sabha seats in
And hra Pradesh, the Mizo
National Front is likely to get one
seat, the Biju Janata Dal 10 seats
and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti
16 seats ‑‑ a total of 37 seats
between them. Added to the pre
poll NDA alliance, the BJP‑led
Such a plan may work, he added.
Gandhi announced the details
of the scheme after a meeting of
the Cong ress Working
Committee (CWC) that discussed
the party's election manifesto.
He said the scheme will benefit
5 crore families and 25 crore
individuals directly.
Gand hi said the "minimum
income line" is Rs 12,000 per
month and the scheme will cover
the difference for those earning
less than that. Party leader and
former Finance Minister P.
Chidambaram later clarified that
every family in the poorest 20
per cent will get an income sup‑
port of Rs 6,000 per month
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
alliance is expected to
have an overall tally of
298 seats according to
the CVoter opinion poll.
In fact, the pre poll
alliance situation shows
how the political parties
concerned are adding to
the BJP‑led alliance's
numbers. T he CVoter
opinion poll highlights
how in Bihar, the NDA is
expected to win 36 seats
with the help of allies
Janata Dal (United) and
Lok Janshakti Party who
together are expected to
win 20 seats to the BJP's
16.
The BJP's other pre‑
poll allies are:
Maharashtra ‑‑ Shiv Sena
(14 seats); Assam ‑‑
Bodoland Peoples' Front
(one seat); Punjab ‑‑
Shiromani Akali Dal Supporters wearing PM Modi face masks.
(Badal), one seat; Tamil
Nadu ‑‑ AIADMK (7 seats): Uttar Sabha seats, presents an interest‑
Pradesh ‑‑ Apna Dal (Sonelal), one ing scenario. In the pre poll
seat. Taken together, these pre‑ alliance case, the NDA is expected
poll allies are expected to give a to get 28 seats to the UPA's four.
boost of 47 seats to the ruling It is a drastic markdown from the
alliance in the country. 73 Lok Sabha seats the NDA got
Uttar Pradesh, India's politically in 2014 but it remains ahead of
most important state with 80 Lok the rival alliance.
Tough fight for Rahul
in Amethi
Amethi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who is pitted against
BJP leader Smriti Irani in the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, is
facing a tough challenge from many of his party's turncoats who
have joined UP's ruling BJP in the last few years. Besides the
Congress leaders, those from the Samajwadi Party and the
Bahujan Samaj Party who have also switched to the saffron party
in last few years are providing bitter competition to Gandhi on his
home turf.
Gandhi, who has been representing the Amethi parliamentary
constituency since 2004 has remained undefeated in last three
elections.
In the 2014 elections, Gandhi secured over four lakh votes in
Amethi while Irani fetched over three lakh votes.
However, in the 2017 assembly elections, the BJP won four out
of the five assembly seats in Amethi.
Krishna Kumar Tiwari, a local BJP leader, told IANS that several
factors are going to hurt Gandhi this year.
"Many Congress loyalists have joined our party in last five years,
making a huge dent in Congress votes," Tiwari said.
under the scheme. perfectly doable. Chidambaram
Nyay (Nyuntam Aay Yojana or also said that the party w ill
minimum income scheme), adhere to fiscal discipline in
Gand hi said w ill be a major implementing the scheme.
poverty reduction measure in Finance Minister Arun Jailtey
line with MGNREGA ‑‑ the rural took a veiled dig at
employment guarantee scheme Chidambaram's remarks and said
brought by the UPA government. that "the internal economist (of
Both Gandhi and Chidambaram Congress) has said that there will
said that they have done their be no additional burden on the
mathematics and the scheme is fiscal deficit".
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
MAHA KUMBH
OF DEMOCRACY
New Delhi: For the last few decades,
they were the BJP's prominent
faces and voices in the Lower
House of Parliament but now their
voices would not be heard in the
17th Lok Sabha which is to be con‑
stituted after the May 23 results.
L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi,
Kalraj Mishra, Ramesh Bais, B.C.
Khanduri, Rajen Gohain and Bijoya
Chakraborty are among party vet‑
erans, whom the BJP is not fielding
in the crucial Lok Sabha elections,
while External Af fairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj and fire brand
leader Uma Bharti have opted out.
The development assumes signifi‑
cance as it aims at a generational
shift in the ruling party which
remained mostly in the opposition
during its long journey. Advani, a
founding member of the BJP and an
eleven‑time MP, who is credited
with a significant role in strength‑
ening the party's political base, will
not contest the Lok Sabha polls as
the party has fielded BJP President
Jaya Prada joins BJP
Actress‑turned‑politician Jaya Prada joins BJP in
the presence of party general secretary Bhupendra
Yadav in New Delhi. (Photo: IANS)
New Delhi: Former Samajwadi
Party leader and actor‑turned‑
politician Jaya Prada on Tuesday
joined the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) here in the presence of sen‑
ior party leaders.
Jaya Prada was inducted into
the party by BJP General
Secretary Bhupendra Yadav and
Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni.
Jaya Prada is likely to be field‑
Prominent BJP leaders not
contesting elections
Amit Shah from Gandhinagar.
A house member from the 12th
to the 16th Lok Sabha (1998‑2019,
he was Deputy Prime Minister in
the Atal Bihari Vajpayee govern‑
ments (1998‑2004) and remained
the Leader of Opposition during
much of Manmohan Singh's UPA
era (2004‑2014).
The BJP grew in size phenome‑
nally after Advani took out the rath
yatra in 1990s, mustering support
to build a Ram Temple at Ayodhya.
Advani was elected to the Rajya
Sabha for four terms and to the Lok
Sabha on seven occasions.
Besides Advani, party veterans
Shanta Kumar, 85, Kalraj Mishra,
77, and Bhagat Singh Koshyari, 77,
will not be contesting the Lok
Sabha polls. Murli Manohar Joshi,
who represents Kanpur Lok Sabha
constituency, is also likely to be left
out. Joshi, who won in 2014 from
Kanpur, was the BJP President
between 1991 and 1993 and has
also represented Allahabad and
Varanasi in Parliament. In 2014, he
was shifted to Kanpur after the
party decided to field Narendra
Modi in Varanasi.
Advani and Joshi, considered top
leaders of BJP after former Prime
Minister Vajpayee, did not find a
place in BJP's highest decision‑
making body, the Parliamentary
ed from the Rampur Lok Sabha
constituency which she repre‑
sented in 2009 and 2014.
On both occasions, she defeat‑
ed Congress's Noor Bano from
Rampur. She joined the Telugu
Desam Party (TDP) in 1994 to
enter politics. Later she joined
the Samajwadi Party but was
expelled due to anti‑party activi‑
ties in 2010.
INDIA NEWS
Senior BJP leaders L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.
Board when Shah took charge.
Instead he created a Marg Darshak
Mandal that comprises Prime
Minister Modi, Home Minister
Rajnath Singh, Shah himself as well
as Joshi and Advani.
Shanta Kumar, who is credited
with building the party in Himchal
Pradesh, has been representing
Kangra constituency in the hill
state. The former Chief Minister
was first elected from there in
1989 and re‑elected in 1998, 1999
and 2014, the last with a record
margin of 1.7 lakh votes.
Mishra, the BJP's prominent
Brahmin face in Uttar Pradesh, rep‑
resented Deoria in the current Lok
Sabha after previously being a
Rajya Sabg a member. He was
Lalu Yadav's RJD losing
ground in Jharkhand
T
here was a time when promi‑
nent leaders of the UPA in
Jharkhand would often visit
RJD chief Lalu Prasad but now the
party has been left fending for
itself in the state. The RJD chief
once played the role of a kingmak‑
er in Jharkhand. He was instrumen‑
tal in the formation of the Madhu
Koda government in 2006 and also
played a key role when a JMM gov‑
ernment led by Shibu Soren took
of fice in 2009. But in this Lok
Sabha election, the other opposi‑
tion parties have cold‑shouldered
the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
T he RJD wanted to fight the
Palamau and Chatra Lok Sabha
seats. But as per the seat‑sharing
deal, the RJD was of fered Chatra
seat and the Jharkhand Vilas
Morcha‑Prajtantrik ( JVM‑P)
Koderma and Palamau seats.
The JVM‑P declined to fight from
Palamau as it wanted to contest
from Godda.
Considering the demand of the
JVM‑P, the alliance partners agreed
to give Godda and Koderma seats
March 30-April 5, 2019
inducted into the Modi cabinet as
Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises Minister but dropped
later on age grounds.
Hukmdev Narayan Yadav, who
represents Madhubani in Bihar, is
the recipient of the Padma
Bhushan, India's third highest civil‑
ian award. Known for his fiery
speeches in Parliament, he was
elected to Lok Sabha first time in
1977. The BJP had fielded his son
from the constituency.
Kariya Munda, octogenarian MP
and the tallest BJP leader in
Jharkhand, first entered the Lok
Sabha in 1977 from Khunti and
since 1989, he has been represent‑
ing the seat continuously till 2014,
barring only once in 2004 when he
RJD chief Lalu Yadav
to JVM‑P and Chatra was given to
the Congress. It was only after that
the RJD was offered Palamau.
The opposition Grand Alliance on
Sunday announced the seat‑sharing
deal.
No RJD representative was pres‑
ent at the joint press conference.
RJD sources said the party had
almost finalised the name of
Subhash Yadav, a leader from Bihar,
for the Chatra seat.
The RJD suf fered another jolt
when Jharkhand RJD chie f
13
lost to Congress's Sushila Kerkata.
Munda, who lost his first election
but rose to become a cabinet minis‑
ter and Deputy Lok Sabha Speaker,
has been replaced by former Chief
Minister Arjun Munda.
Bais, considered the architect of
BJP in Chhattisgarh, has also been
denied ticket this election. Though
continuously winning the Raipur
parliamentary constituency since
1996, he has now been replaced by
Sunil Soni.
Bais was elected to the Municipal
Corporation of Raipur in 1978. A
member of Mad hya Pradesh
Assembly from 1980 to 1984, he
was elected for the first time to the
Lok Sabha from Raipur in 1989
and was re‑elected consecutively
from 1996 to 2014. He also served
as a Minister in the Vajpayee gov‑
ernment.
Koshyari, a former Chief Minister
of Uttarakhand and Minister in the
Vajpayee government, currently
represents Nainital‑Udhamsingh
Nagar constituency. He also served
as a Rajya Sabha MP.
Bijoya Chakraborty and Rajen
Gohain had been BJP's prominent
faces from Assam.
Lok Sabha polls will be held in
seven phases from April 11 to May
19 while the results w ill be
declared on 23 May.
Annapurna Devi joined the BJP in
New Delhi.
This has come as a shock for the
RJD in Jharkhand where
Annapurna Devi was its face. She
had won the Assembly polls four
times. She is wife of late Ramesh
Prasad Yadav, who was a Minister
in undivided Bihar in the Lalu
Prasad government. After his death
in 1996, Annapurna Devi fought
the Assembly polls from Koderma
and won the seat till 2014. The
RJD, however, is putting up a brave
front.
"There will be no impact on the
party due to the exist of Annapurna
Devi. People come and go. We reit‑
erate our demand to contest from
both Chatra and Palamau seats,"
Gautam Sag ar Rana, the new
President of the Jharkhand RJD,
told reporters on Tuesday.
T he party had foug ht from
Palamau seat in the 2014 Lok
Sabha elections but lost. In the
Assembly polls, the RJD failed to
open an account. The RJD won
seven seats in the 2009 state polls.
 14 March 30-April 5, 2019
SBI, Ministry devise plan to pay Jet staff
New Delhi: The new interim man‑
agement of the cash‑strapped air‑
line Jet Airways led by state‑run
SBI to oversee the daily operations
and cash flow on Tuesday drew up
a plan in consultation with the
Civil Aviation Ministry to address
the disbursal of pending salaries of
employees, sources said.
With the airline's erstwhile pro‑
moter Naresh Goyal stepping
down and State Bank of India (SBI)
leading a consortium of banks to
take charge of the interim commit‑
tee, Rs 1,500 crore has been
infused as an emergency funding
by the lenders to attend to immedi‑
ate issues.
Jet Airways has been struggling
with cash flows for the past six
months because of rising fuel costs
and intense competition. It has
even delayed payment to lessors,
airport operators and oil market‑
ing companies, besides a part of its
workforce, to keep the company
running. Tuesday's meeting attend‑
ed by representatives of the SBI,
head of aviation regulator DGCA
B.S. Bhullar, Civil Aviat ion
Vice Admiral Karambir Court refuses interim
Singh new Navy Chief relief to Robert Vadra
Vice Admiral Karambir Singh. (File Photo: IANS)
New Delhi: The government has
appointed Eastern Naval
Command head Vice Admiral
Karambir Singh, a he licopter
pilot, as the next Navy Chief
replacing Sunil Lanba who retires
on May 31. Flag Of ficer
Commanding‑in‑chief Eastern
Naval Command Karambir Singh
supercedes vice admiral Bimal
Verma who heads the Andaman
and Nicobar command. Verma
would have become the chief on
the rule of seniority.
T his is the second occasion
when the Modi government has
appointed a service chief by over‑
looking seniority. General Bikram
Singh was made the Army Chief
over Lt. Generals Pravin Bakshi
and P.M Hariz who were senior to
him in 2016. Vice Admiral
Karambir Singh, who has flown
Kamov‑25 and Kamov‑28 anti‑
The airline's erstwhile promoter Naresh Goyal has stepped down.
Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola
and Jet CEO Vinay Dube also dis‑
cussed the number of planes to be
brought back into operations by
the airline.
Moreover, the interim manage‑
ment committee of the airline com‑
prising new nominees of the
lenders, is likely to be announced
in a day or two, the sources said.
The Jet Airways pilots' union on
Tuesday asked the new manage‑
submarine helicopters, is the first
helicopter pilot to become a Navy
Chief and a second to become a
service chief after air chief mar‑
shal Fali Major became Indian Air
Force (IAF) chief in 2007.
Sources said that Bimal Verma,
brother of former Navy Chief
Nirmal Verma, missed out
because of the shadow of naval
war room leak case on his career.
He was posted in the directorate
of naval operations when the
alleged leak of sensitive informa‑
tion took place in 2005.
He was let off with severe dis‑
pleasure in his service report, but
the admiral missed out on key
postings such as heading either
eastern or western fleets, the two
prominent naval commands con‑
sidered essential for an admiral
who is picked up to head the
force.
INDIA NEWS
ment "not to further delay the
release of our pending salaries and
clear our dues at the earliest."
Jet Airways domestic pilots have
written to SBI seeking payment of
salary dues. The pilot's guild had
last week announced that its over
1,100 members would stop flying
from April 1 if their salary dues
were not cleared and clarity on the
carrier's revival roadmap was not
provided by March 31. T he
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on
Monday refused to grant any inter‑
im relief to Robert Vadra, brother‑
in‑law of Congress President Rahul
Gandhi. Vadra has challenged a
money laundering case brought
against him.
A division bench of Justice Hima
Kohli and Justice Vinod Goel asked
the Centre and Enforcement
Directorate (ED) to file response on
Vadra and his close associate Manoj
Arora's plea challenging certain
provisions of the Prevention of
Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The court has also asked Vadra to
file an af fidavit explaining main‑
tainability of his plea and listed the
Can't let go Bengal CS, DGP in
contempt plea by CBI: SC
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on
Tuesday declined to let go the West
Bengal Chief Secretary and the
Director General of Police (DGP) in
a contempt plea by the CBI alleged‑
ly for not cooperating with it in the
investigation of the Saradha chit
fund scam.
While declining the plea for the
discharge of two top state officers,
for now, the bench of Chief Justice
Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Deepak Gupta
and Justice Sanjiv Khanna asked
the probe agency to file a separate
application on its prayer relating to
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Happy to see PSU banks
bailing out Jet: Mallya
New Delhi: Fugitive businessman
Vijay Mallya on Tuesday said he
was happy to see that public sec‑
tor banks have bailed out Jet
Airways, wishing the same was
done for his now de funct
Kingfisher Airlines.
In a series of tweets, he also
suggested that banks should take
his money to he lp save Jet
Airways.
"Happy to see that PSU Banks
have bailed out Jet Airways sav‑
ing jobs, connectivity and enter‑
prise. Only wish the same was
sources said that while Jet has
been regular in payments to a
large part of its workforce, it has
been delaying salaries to the sen‑
ior management people, pilots and
engineers since last August. These
categories of staf f have not been
paid for almost four months now.
matter for further hearing on May
2. The trial court which on March
19 extended Vadra's interim protec‑
tion from arrest till March 25, will
hear his anticipatory bail plea post
lunch.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED)
has questioned him in the case sev‑
eral times. The agency has also
requested the trial court to dismiss
his anticipatory bail as it may
require his custodial interrogation
in the case.
The case relates to ownership of
1.9 million pounds overseas assets
by Vadra. It pertains to undisclosed
foreign assets and entities to evade
tax.
something "very serious" about the
former Kolkata Police
Commissioner Rajeev Kumar men‑
t ioned in the status report.
"Something is broug ht to our
know ledge. It is very serious.
Should we close our eyes to that? It
warrants some orders," the court
said
T he court asked the Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file
a separate application with sup‑
porting material relating to some‑
thing "very serious" about Rajeev
Kumar after it perused the status
done for Kingfisher.
"BJP spokesman eloquently
read out my letters to PM
Manmohan Singh and alleged
that PSU banks under the UPA
Government had wrongly sup‑
ported Kingfisher Airlines. Media
decimated me for writing to the
current PM. I wonder what has
changed now under the NDA
Government," he tweeted.
He also said that he invested
over Rs 4,000 crore into
Kingfisher Airlines to save the
company and its employees.
Jet Airways' domestic pilots body,
the National Aviators Guild (NAG),
on Tuesday sought a meeting with
SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar over
pending salaries, a day after the
lenders took over the carrier
founded by Naresh Goyal a quarter
century ago.
Robert Vadra.
report on the quizzing of the officer
by the CBI in Shillong last month.
The status report was submitted in
a sealed cover and it was put back
in the cover after judges perused it.
Observing that since the status
report was in a sealed cover and
the other side does not know about
its content, the court said that it
cannot pass any order.
Rajeev Kumar had submitted to
the questioning by the CBI on the
directions of the top court which
came on the contempt plea filed by
the investigating agency.
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info FESTIVAL March 30-April 5, 2019 15

Color Me Holi Holi, India’s

JAIPUR most popular
festival after
Diwali, was
celebrated
across the
country with
fun and frolic.
Devotees celebrate Holi at Govind Devji
Temple in Jaipur on March 20, 2019.

KOLKATA CHENNAI MATHURA

Visually impaired children play with flower petals during Women tear off men's clothes during Holi celebrations at
Rang barse (the powder variety) in Chennai on Holi day.
'Phool Dol' Holi celebrations in Kolkata. Dauji Maharaj Temple in Mathura on March 20.

AMRITSAR
KARACHI
PATNA

Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

extended heartiest greetings to Hindu community on the
eve of Holi festival and said that his Party stands for equal
Children with families enjoying Holi at a rights and opportunities for the non‑Muslim citizens of
water park in Patna. Pakistan. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan also
(Photos IANS) wished the Hindu community of the country a
happy and peaceful Holi.
People enjoying Holika dahan in Amritsar on Holi eve.
 16 March 30-April 5, 2019
Holi 2019: B-Town sends out colorful wishes to fans
Actor Farhan Akhtar celebrating Holi with friends; Actress Esha Deol with daughter at a Holi bash; Actress Katrina Kaif at a Holi party in Mumbai (IANS photos).
B
ollywood actors including
Madhuri Dixit Nene,
Akshay Kumar and
Rajkummar Rao sent out Holi
wishes to their fans, urging them
to enjoy a safe and happy festival
of colors.
Here's what they had to say:
Akshay Kumar: May this Holi
add more colors to your life.
Wishing you all a very Happy Holi
and Navroz Mubarak as well.
Kesari: Formulaic,
forced patriotic tale
M
ounted with utter‑great‑
ness, Director Anurag
Singh's "Kesari" is a fic‑
tionalized piece, documenting the
true story of one of the bravest bat‑
tles in history, the Battle of
Saragarhi.
Led by Havaldar Ishar Singh
(Akshay Kumar) of the 36th Sikh
Regiment, it's the story of 21 gal‑
lant Sikh soldiers who died at their
post while defending the fort of
Saragarhi from Afghan invaders on
September 12, 1897.
While the writers have taken
every care to circumvent any major
historical mistakes or errors of peri‑
od detail, the dumbing down of
messages, including the act of patri‑
otism, is lazily crafted. For example,
we are told what does "Kesari" sig‑
nify, who laid down the foundation
stone of the Harminder Sahib and
why these Sikhs were ready to lay
down their lives. Also, the pace of
the narrative is an issue. Feature
films have to have a whole range of
staple ingredients. One such ele‑
ment is the "arc of character", in
which the leading actors have to go
through a form of moral metamor‑
phosis as a result of the experiences
they undergo.
The other elements are "emotions
and humor". Visualize this: Amidst
an intense battle scene, when one of
the soldiers removes his turban to
aid his bleeding colleague, the
severely wounded soldier, on seeing
the grey strands on his colleague's
head, light‑heartedly tells his mate,
Lata Mangeshkar: Holi is a festi‑
val of colors and a time of peace
and harmony. I request the men of
the country to desist from hooli‑
ganism so that the women can also
enjoy Holi without looking nerv‑
ously over their shoulders. I wish
this Holi all Indians would unite to
become one strong and powerful
nation, so that no enemy from the
outside would dream of attacking
us.
REVIEW
Actors Akshay Kumar and
Parineeti Chopra in a
still from the film.
"Are tu tho buddah hai yaar," to
which the turbanless soldier retorts,
"Buddah hoga tera baap."
Kudos if the situation was real,
but on screen, such scenes break
the intensity and momentum of the
flow. And, they are far from being
funny.
Every actor performs his part to
perfection. Akshay with his flowing
black beard is initially hard to
digest, but he bites into the skin of
his character to give a sincere pres‑
entation. Parineeti Chopra as his
wife is perfunctory.
On the technical front, the direc‑
tor has carelessly overlooked many
frames that would hold the viewers'
interest. Among those are the
frames during the battle, when the
brave Sikh soldiers in their anxious
moments are clutching their guns,
ready to fire. While aiming, their
fingers are off the trigger ‑‑ these
shots appear as juvenile poses.
BOLLYWOOD
Rajkummar Rao: I'm going to
play a bit with my friends and fam‑
ily here in Mumbai but I make
sure that I always use safe organic
colors only. All I would say is, it's a
festival of love and colors so do
celebrate it with lot of love and
harmony and be safe.
Madhuri Dixit Nene: This Holi
let us strive to paint a colorful
world for everyone! Stay safe,
enjoy responsibly!
Kangana to play late Tamil
Nadu CM Jayalalithaa
A
ctress Kangana Ranaut, last
seen on screen in
"Manikarnika", will be play‑
ing late Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister J Jayalalithaa in the
upcoming multilingual biopic
"Thalaivi", its makers have
announced. On the occasion
of Kangana's birthday, it
was announced through an
official statement that she
has been roped in to play
Jayalalithaa.
The film will start
rolling from April.
Sharing her feelings
on being a part of the
biopic, Kangana said:
Josh Brolin shares
throwback Holi
photograph
P
opular for playing Thanos in
Marvel's "Avengers" film
series, Hollywood star Josh
Brolin treated his Indian fans with a
throwback photograph of him play‑
ing Holi in the country.
Brolin took to Instagram to send
Holi wishes to his fans and shared a
photograph from his 2013 trip to
India. "Happy Holi Day! India
2013," Brolin captioned the image.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Pooja Bhatt: Holi is a time
where we need to reinstate and
believe in the virtue of being truth‑
ful and honest and fight away evil
in all its forms. For me, it's about
spreading love in a world plagued
with hate.
Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu: Our
country has the beauty of all the
colours of the rainbow in its peo‑
ple's togetherness. Hindustan is
unique in its people's love and
"I always wanted to work in region‑
al films because when we go to
Tamil Nadu or Andhra
Pradesh, we realize
that people over
there only watch
films made by
their local film
industry. So
there is a
disconnect
with that
part
In the photograph, Brolin
can be seen drenched in Holi
colors with "Shantharam"
fame writer Gregory David
Roberts. Brolin ‑‑ the super
villain of Marvel Cinematic
Universe (MCU) ‑‑ will be next
seen in "Avengers: Endgame",
which will release in India on
April 26 in English, Hindi, Hollywood star Josh Brolin (right) with
Tamil and Telugu. writer Gregory David Roberts.
respect of happy co‑existence. May
this always prevail. This is our
prayer.
Shatrughan Sinha: I pray for
peace and harmony this Holi. I
pray that better sense would pre‑
vail over the war‑mongerers. And I
pray that every Indian resolves
this Holi to vote for the parliamen‑
tary representatives who would
voice the apprehensions of the
common man...
of the country…
"I was working on my own biopic,
but her (Jayalalithaa) story is very
similar to my story. In fact, it is a
bigger success story than mine.
When I heard the narration of this
film, I found many similarities
between both the stories. So when I
had the option to do a film based on
her story or my story, I decided on
the former."
Titled "Thalaivi" in Tamil and
"Jaya" in Hindi, the film will be
directed by A.L. Vijay, one of the
leading filmmakers down South.
ʻThalaiviʼ starring Kangana
Ranaut will start rolling
from next month.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info BOLLYWOOD March 30-April 5, 2019 17

I can’t cook, I am a
terrible wife: Priyanka
Ranbir, Alia win big at
64th Filmfare Awards
B
ollywood superstars Actor in a supporting role for
Ranbir Kapoor and the film "Sanju".
Alia Bhatt won the Ranveer Singh won the
best actor awards for their Critics Awards for Best Actor
roles in the films "Sanju" and for his role in the film
"Raazi" respectively at the "Padmaavat". Dedicating the
64th Filmfare Awards 2019. award to his grandmother,
The film "Raazi" won five Ranveer said, "I dedicate this
Actor awards including the category award to my nani as it was
Priyanka of Best Film, Best Director. my nani as favorite character.
Chopra with The lovebirds grabbed the One day I called my sister
husband attention on the award cere‑ and asked what nani is doing,
Nick Jonas. mony at the star‑studded she said that nani is on ter‑
night that was graced by race doing her favorite thing
Bollywood stars like Sonam that is watching
Kapoor, Jahnvi Kapoor, 'Padmavaat'."
Katrina Kaif, Sunny Leone, The film "Badhaai Ho" on
Kajol, Arjun Kapoor, the other hand, also won sev‑
Rajkummar Rao, Sanjay Leela eral awards. Neena Gupta
Bhansali, Karan Johar ‑‑ bagged the Critics' Award for
among many others. Best Actor (Female). Gajraj
After receiving the best Rao and Surekha Sikri won
actress award, Alia said, the Best Actor in a support‑

A
ctor Priyanka Chopra
appeared on ABCʼs chat
show, The View, and talked
about tying the knot with American
singer Nick Jonas.
Calling herself a ʻterrible wifeʼ,
Priyanka said she does not know
how to cook. “He is from a good
Southern home where his mother
made food, and I am not like that. I
am a terrible wife in that sense.”
She also admitted she can only
make ʻeggs and toastʼ.
She also revealed that Nickʼs
response to her lack of cooking
skills was ʻamazingʼ. “When I told
him I canʼt cook, he said, “Itʼs alright
babe, neither can I.” “Marriage feels
so different, itʼs like the family you
choose,” she said. “You usually donʼt
get that from guys. Itʼs (usually) like
ʻitʼs okay baby,” she added.
"Meghna for me 'Raazi' is you,
your blood and sweat. You are
my main chick. Vicky without
Alia Bhatt grabbed all the attention
you the film wouldn't be com‑
plete. Thank you my mentor
Karan for being my mentor,
father and my fashion police.
Tonight's all about love there my
special one, I love you (Ranbir
Kapoor)."
While Meghna Gulzar won the
ing role awards. Akshat
Ghildial won the Best Dialog
Lovebirds Ranbir Kapoor and Award for the film.
Ayushmann Khurana starrer
at the award ceremony.
Sriram Raghavan's directorial
Best Director for the film "Raazi", venture "Andhadhun" won the
Gulzar won the Best Lyricist Critics' Award for Best Film.
award for the song 'Ae Watan'. The Best Debutant award has
Arijit Singh won the Best singer been given to Sara Ali Khan for
for lending his voice for the same "Kedarnath" and Ishaan Khattar
song. Vicky Kaushal won the Best for "Beyond The Clouds".

WISH I WAS ACTING IN 1980S, Promoting Urdu but

SAYS NANDITA DAS no Javed Akhtar?
F By Subhash K Jha
ilmmaker‑actor
Nandita Das, who is

coming up with the
remake of 1980s cult film
"Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon
Aata Hai", says 1980s was a
great time for Indian cinema
as the parallel cinema move‑
ment was at its peak in India
then.
"It was an exceptional time
for Indian cinema. So many
incredible films were made
all over the country that
reflected the reality of the
times. How I wish I was act‑
ing then," Nandita said in a
statement.
The remake of the Saeed
Akhtar Mirza's 1980 cult
classic of the same name fea‑
tures Manav Kaul and
Nandita in the lead roles.
Written and directed by
Soumitra Ranade of
Actress and filmmaker Nandita Das.
"Jajantaram Mamantaram"
fame, the modern take of "Albert
Pinto..." explores the theme of person‑
al and societal struggle in today's
times. It is scheduled to release on
April 12.
Nandita said the remake was a trib‑
ute to the original film.
"Sometimes you do a film for rea‑
sons that are more than professional. I
did the remake out of nostalgia," she
said.
"'Albert Pinto...' was a landmark film
and the remake is our way of paying
tribute to the film," she added.
T
he decision by The National Council
For The Promotion Of The Urdu
Language to use Salman Khan, Shah
Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif to promote the
language has triggered off a wave of out‑
rage. Social media has rightly ridiculed the
decision, pointing at Javed Akhtar being
among the people most qualified to promote
the language as he can both read and write
Urdu fluently.
When contacted Javed Akhtar refrained
from comment as this matter involves his
former creative partner Salim Khan's son
Veteran lyricist‑screenwriter Javed Akhtar.
Salman, who it must be mentioned, can't
speak or write Urdu and pronounces 'Khan' Muslim but he can read and write Urdu flu‑
as 'Caan'. Shah Rukh speaks Urdu but cannot ently. Dharmendra writes his poetry in flu‑
write it. Katrina can't speak two lines of ent Urdu. Why shouldn't these distinguished
Hindi at one go. If you ask me, this is the cinema personalities be promoting Urdu?
lowest kind of communal appeasement and It seems like nothing but a pathetic
the worst sort of reflex action. Those who attempt to divide the country on the basis of
decided that the three stars must promote language.
Urdu just checked their surnames and their Coming back to Javed Akhtar, who better
box office ratings. The level of presumption qualified than he to promote the Urdu lan‑
in the selection is alarming. guage? He is secular in the truest sense of
Why should you presume that Shah Rukh, the word. He can write songs in virile Urdu
Salman and Katrina can even speak or write as well in fluent Hindi. This is the same poet
Urdu on the basis of their religion? You are par excellence who wrote the Holi song
presuming that every Muslim reads and "Radha kaise na jale in" Braj bhasha and the
writes Urdu and that Urdu is restricted to Urdu ghazal "Shahr Ke Dukan‑Daro..." with‑
Muslims only. But a language is not about out ever letting the language come in the
religion. It's about region. Gulzar is not a way of his thought process.
 18 March 30-April 5, 2019
Millennials too take to Indian
classical – in their own way
Ipassio, based in Bengaluru, lets you learn hobbies online directly from
world-class teachers. Indian classical music is also popular on this platform.
By Willy Justin
I
n all cultures, classical music
has a reputation for being
stuffy or too constrained,
unlike the constantly evolving
cycle of popular music. North
and South Indian Classical music,
in particular, have a rich history
spanning centuries; no superfi‑
cial endeavor. Its reputation for
drawing aesthetes canʼt be
helped. Long recitals, solos that
need to be witnessed to be felt,
and the underlying knowledge
that aids the understanding of a
piece have spread more slowly
than the Indian diaspora. But
does this mean younger genera‑
tions have no interest? I would
argue they do, it just looks a lit‑
tle different than weʼre used to.
Gateway Music
Maybe I mean fusion music,
youʼre thinking; everyone enjoys
fusion music. And itʼs true,
Indian fusion artists have been
blurring the lines between classi‑
cal and popular genres for the
better part of a century, from the
likes of Ali Akbar Khan in the
1950s to todayʼs Zakir Hussain
or Unmesh Banerjee. But don't
forget that fusion artists are typi‑
cally classical exponents them‑
selves, opening a pathway to the
pure classical appreciation thatʼs
been steadily building in the US
for years.
Zakirʼs concerts are selling out
and swaying audiences in the US,
sitarist Anoushka Shankar has
racked up five Grammy nomina‑
tions, and in the last ten years
alone, several major organiza‑
tions have opened up in the USA
to promote concerts and develop
interest in Indian Classical
Music, like the Chhandayan
Foundation in New York and the
Sangeetshri School in Arizona.
Shifting
Priorities
Fusion may have helped classi‑
cal tradition evade the moniker
of old manʼs music but it is still
deeply cultural, and the tradition
of learning is often family‑ or
mentor‑oriented. Indian parents
raising children in America may
MUSIC TheSouthAsianTimes.info
what was once accessed only by before. Maybe it doesnʼt look the
proximity. same for this generation, but
Thereʼs never been more their passion, drive, and love of
opportunities for hobby‑hungry classical music are all still there ‑
young adults to discover a pas‑ just a click away.
sion for a classical instrument.
This discovery is made easier by Willy Justin is in charge of
giants like YouTube and marketing ipassio.com, an
Instagram, which are changing online 1 on 1
the musical landscape perma‑ live hobby
nently. Online learning institu‑ learning
tions like ipassio bring gurus to video plat‑
music students all over the form, where
Ashvini Modak, a senior disciple of Padma Bhushan Dr. Prabha Atre,
world, keeping the long tradition over 120 sen‑
says, “The eagerness with which young students wait for a music
class is pure joy to witness”. of personalized lessons in music ior teachers
alive. Video chatting, streaming,
take Skype lessons on
see a rebellion of cultural identi‑ musical instruments have creat‑ Indian classical music, Sitar,
and instant‑upload bring a con‑
ty. However, itʼs been argued by ed change within Indian Classical Tabla, Guitar, Piano, and
stant evolvement to classical
Indiaspora.org that commitment tradition, bringing to the masses many other instruments.
music that simply wasnʼt there
reappears, and cultural passions
are embraced among Indians
growing up abroad.
The resurgence of artistic
endeavors isnʼt a surprise.
Millennials across the globe have
a reputation for putting happi‑
ness and quality of life ahead of
professional goals, and genera‑
tion Z seems to be on track with
similar priorities according to a
study done by dating app Tinder.
For gen Z Indians in particular,
one study by DNA India found
that developing a skill set mat‑
ters more than earning money
and they tend to value experi‑
ences over possessions. A spike
in music festival attendance
seems to back this theory up,
and even the way music festivals
are held is changing̶turning
into immersive, engaging experi‑
ences for music lovers.
Ashvini Modak, a senior disci‑
ple of Padmabhushan Dr. Prabha
Atre says, “The eagerness with
which young students wait for a
class is pure joy to witness”.
Digital
Revolution
By far the most important play‑
er in this tale is technology.
Recordings brought us a long
way but engaging with music
Date: Friday, April 5  8:00 pm - 9:00 pm 
through technology is going to Location: Science of Spirituality Meditation Center, 79 County Line Rd, AMITYVILLE, NY, 11701
carry us into the future. Music Contact info: 631-822-7979 ext. 3 | InfoTristate@sos.org |  nyfytp.eventbrite.com
Professor Samidha Vedabala For more info. please visit www.sos.org
from Sikkim Central University Facilitator: John Bednarik, OHST
published his research on the
topic, stating that virtual music
lessons, the online availability of
musicians, and the digitization of
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
No one should politicize
air strikes: Gadkari
By Brajendra Nath Singh
U
nion Minister Nit in
Gadkari has said that the
Indian Air Force strikes
against terrorists in Pakistan's
Balakot should not be linked to the
general e lect ions and no one
should either politicize or take
credit for it.
In an interview to IANS, Minister
of Road Transport and Highways,
Shipping and Water Resources,
River Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation said that he was nei‑
ther a contender for any post nor
was he in any race for the prime
ministership.
He said that Narendra Modi
would return as Prime Minister
with a huge mandate and it would
be bigger than the one he got in
the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
"Air strikes against Pakistan
should not be linked to elections. It
should neither be made an elec‑
toral issue nor should anyone take
credit for it," Gadkari said, and
added that if opposition parties
By Jayanta Ghosal
I
ndian politics is always moving
along new, emerging trajecto‑
ries. After 20 years of the
Congress dominating electoral
politics, it was perhaps in 1967
that for the first time the party
faced a setback. In 1977, there
was another strong anti‑Congress
mood prevailing in the country
following the Emergency. But
then, Indira Gandhi once again
returned to power with a solid
majority, partly due to the Morari‑
Charan Singh coalition experiment
flopping.
After Indira Gandhi's sudden
death, Rajiv Gandhi received a
massive victory and from 1989
Indian politics entered, perhaps,
its most dynamic phase. A coali‑
t ion d harma cont inued unt il
Narendra Modi's electoral victory
in 2014.
In 2019, once again, we are see‑
ing the resurgence of coalition
politics. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has ridiculed the 'mahagath‑
bandhan' as an instance of 'ma‑
hamilawat', with the opposition
parties arguing that the Modi gov‑
ernment has failed to fulfil the dif‑
ferent regional aspirations of the
country. The government is auto‑
cratic, does not believe in the
voice of democracy and is a 'threat
to federalism' are hashtags of the
opposition campaign.
OP-ED
were raising doubts over it, it was issue should not be politicized. If
their problem. anyone in India raises doubts on
"But I would request the martydom of our soldiers, if
them that they someone speaks in the lan‑
should not do guage Pakistan speaks, all
politics over it," these go against the coun‑
he said. try's interest. T hese are
Asked why issues of national security
the ruling dis‑ and everyone should speak
pensa‑ in one voice. There should
not be politics over
such issues."
On spec‑
ula‑
Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shipping
and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
tion was raising the issue in its tion that he could be projected as
e lect ion campaign, he said: the next Prime Minister if his party
"Security is supreme for us. This needed the support of other politi‑
FUTURE OF 'MAHAGATHBANDHAN'
AND EMERGING TRAJECTORIES
Congress President Rahul Gandhi with Delhi Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi.
Take the instance of De lhi's Let's take another example. In
Arvind Kejriwal and his attempts Uttar Pradesh, neither Mayawati
at forging ties with Rahul Gandhi nor Akhilesh Yadav have reacted
and the Congress in Delhi. It is a well to Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi
bad co cktail. Many in the Vadra's political overtures. Even
Congress party's Delhi unit remain within the Samajwadi Party, there
pathologically anti‑AAP, arguing remain divisions. Mulayam Singh
that a short‑term alliance with the Yadav, his wife and daughter‑in‑
party that dethroned them in law are actively working against
Delhi would pose a long‑term exis‑ Akhilesh, said party leaders.
tential threat in the state for them. In West Bengal, the Congress
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
March 30-April 5, 2019
cal parties to form a government
after the elections, Gadkari said he
was not in the race to be Prime
Minister in case of a fractured
mandate.
"Neither do I have any aspira‑
tions nor does the RSS have any
such plans. There is nothing like
this. My statement was twisted by
the media. You can go to YouTube
and listen to it. I never said so.
Neither am I a contender for any
post nor am I in any race. In fact, I
am sure that the we will get a big‑
ger majority than we got in 2014
and Modiji will again become
Prime Minister," he said.
Asked about the rea‑
sons behind this confi‑
dence, he cited the steps
taken by the government
like the Pradhan Mantri
Kisan Samman Nid hi
scheme, full tax rebate on earning
up to Rs 5 lakh, assured monthly
pension for the unorganized labor
force and 10 per cent reservation
for the poor among the general
categories.
and the Left alliance has crashed
before it could start. West Bengal's
senior Congress leader Abdul
Mannan tried a lot to make this
happen. But ultimately, the per‑
sonal chemistry between Mamata
Banerjee and Rahul Gandhi is not
at its best.
In And hra Pradesh, N.
Chandrababu Naidu is in a more
deplorable position. Y.S. Jagan
Mohan Reddy has become a seri‑
ous threat to the Telugu Desam
Party ( TDP) and, as a result,
Chandrababu had to forge an
alliance with the Congress to try
and portray Reddy as an agent of
the BJP. Similarly in Maharashtra,
the Congress‑Nationalist Congress
Party relations have not been the
best. Sharad Pawar has never, per‑
sonally, been a trusted leader for
the Congress.
The problem, historically for the
Congress, is that they are not a
very ally‑friendly party. In fact, the
Congress style still has a 'zamin‑
dari' mindset, a feudal attitude
that is as deeply rooted to their
party as its history itself. Rahul
Gandhi has tried to bring about
19
Gadkari said the fact that opposi‑
tion parties were trying to unite
against Modi was not a new politi‑
cal phenomenon. A similar attempt
had been made in the 1971 elec‑
tions against Indira Gandhi and
had failed.
"My experience in politics says
two plus two is not always four. So
speculating on the basis of arith‑
metic will not be proper. I don't
think that the BJP will lose much
seats as being predicted. We will
increase our tally. Like Indira
Gandhi, Modi will defeat the oppo‑
sition," he said.
On the BJP's 2014 e lect ion
promise of "achhe din" and bring‑
ing back black money stashed
abroad, he said the government
had provided electricity in all vil‑
lages, houses for all, gas cylinders
and health security.
Asked about the impact of
Cong ress General Secretary
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Uttar
Pradesh politics, he said: "I don't
think that she would make any
impact."
changes. Now, the Sonia‑Rahul‑led
Congress Working Committee
meetings are held in a corporate
style. But this is just a change in
form, an exterior change that
failed to address the underlying
issues.
Political scientist Rajni Kothari
had once said in Indian politics it
was the Congress system: a one
party dominant (Congress), multi
party system. Congress was the
platform where all religions, all
castes, all regional aspirations and
all languages would vote. But as
the leadership grew increasingly
alienated from the masses, it was
the end of innocence. Regional
parties grew, and the BJP became
a national party.
For India, there have been
Morarji Desai, Chandrababu
Naidu, V.P. Singh, Chandrashekhar,
Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral. So, the
country has experienced a coali‑
tion government. But the reality is
that the Congress is weak today
and railway bogies cannot run the
engine. The fate of the mahagath‑
bandhan remains shrouded in pes‑
simism.
 20 March 30-April 5, 2019 SUBCONTINENT TheSouthAsianTimes.info

India, Pak ministers in war 90 Taliban fighters killed

of words over Hindu girls in Afghanistan: Police
Islamabad: A war of words Kabul: More than 100 people, including
erupted between Indiaʼs 13 civilians, have been killed as govern‑
External Af fairs Minister ment forces and Taliban fighters intensi‑
Sushma Swaraj and fied operations over control of Talawka
Pakistan's Informat ion area in Afghanistan's Kunduz city, police
Minister Fawad Chaudhary said.
over reports of abduction of Police officer Abdul Baqi Nuristani told
two Hindu teenaged girls the media that more than 90 Taliban
and their forcible conver‑ fighters had been killed and 30 others
sion to Islam in the Sindh injured in and around Talawka, reports
province. Xinhua news agency.
In a tweet, Swaraj sought a Talawka is a strategically important
report from Indian envoy in neig hborhoo d on the outskirts of
Pakistan Ajay Bisaria on the Kunduz city and the Taliban militants
Indiaʼs External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and
reported abduction of the have been attempting to overrun the
Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary.
girls and their forcible con‑ area and get access to the provincial cap‑
version to Islam. Pakistan Prime Minister said she had only asked for a report from ital.
Imran Khan has ordered a probe into the the Indian Hig h Commissioner in "More than 90 armed rebels including
matter. Islamabad about the kidnapping and forced 12 foreign fighters have been killed and
Responding to Swaraj's tweet, Pakistan's conversion of two minor Hindu girls to the government forces have captured
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary Islam. "This was enough to make you jit‑ and destroyed Taliban training centers
said: "Maam itʼs Pakistan's internal issue tery. This only shows your guilty con‑ in Talawka and adjoining areas," the offi‑
and (be) rest assured it's not Modi's India science," she said. cer said. A policeman on guard in Kabul.
where minorities are subjugated, it's Imran Swaraj had sought details from the Two US soldiers were killed in Talawka
Khan's Naya Pak where white color of our Indian High Commission in Islamabad fol‑ after military operations were intensi‑ Nuristani, the operations would last until
flag is equally dearer to us." lowing reports of abduction, forced conver‑ fied. the area is cleansed of the militants.
"I hope you'll act with same diligence sion and underage marriages of two The police of ficer admitted that 18 However, Zabihullah Majahid, a pur‑
when it comes to rights of Indian minori‑ Pakistani Hindu girls in Sindh province. civilians were killed and injured in fight‑ ported spokesman of the Taliban outfit,
ties," he said. The two sisters, aged 15 and 13, were ing for control of Talawka, but he could rejected the claim, saying a majority of
Swaraj, in her response to Chaudhary, reportedly abducted on the eve of Holi. not give exact figure. According to those killed in fighting were civilians.

India hints won't attend China’s Rohingya response plan

Belt and Road forum next month receives only 14% fund: UN
Beijing: India cannot be a part of China's
Belt and Road Initiative as it ignores its
core concerns on sovereignty and territo‑
rial integrity, Indian envoy to Beijing has
said.
Beijing is set to hold the second Belt
and Road forum in April and the tone of
Vikram Misri, India's envoy to China, in
an interview to state media suggests that
New Delhi will skip the event for the sec‑
ond time, marking its protest. China's Belt
and Road aims to connect Europe, Asia,
and Africa through a wide network of
roads, highways, sea lanes and ports. Its
jewel project, China‑Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC), cuts through Jammu
and Kashmir.
New Delhi did not attend the launch of
the Belt and Road forum in 2017, saying
CPEC violates its territorial sovereignty.
Talking to China's Global Times Misri
made India's view clear when asked why
New Delhi has a complicated perception
of the Belt and Road Initiative.
"To be honest, we have made no secret
of our views and our position on BRI is
clear and consistent and one that we have
conveyed to the authorities concerned.
"India shares the global aspiration to
strengthen connectivity and it is an inte‑
gral part of our economic and diplomatic
initiatives," Misri said.
"We are ourselves working with many
countries and international institutions in
our region and beyond on a range of con‑
nectivity initiatives.
"However, it is also our belief that con‑
nectivity initiatives must be based on uni‑
Vikram Misri is Indiaʼs envoy in China.
versally recognized international norms,
good governance and rule of law.
"They must emphasize social stability
and environmental protection and preser‑
vation, promote skill and technology
transfers and follow principles of open‑
ness, transparency and financial sustain‑
ability," Misri added.
"Above all, connectivity initiatives must
be pursued in a manner that respects the
sovereignty, equality and territorial
integrity of nations.
"No country can participate in an initia‑
tive that ignores its core concerns on sov‑
ereignty and territorial integrity," the
envoy said in an oblique reference to the
CPEC.
Dhaka: The UN Refugee Agency said only
14 per cent of the $920 million needed has
been pledged so far in response to its new
plan to support 900,000 Rohingya refugees
living in Bangladesh.
Khaled Khalifa, agency's representative
for Gulf countries, said the 2019 Joint
Response Plan (JRP) for the Muslim minori‑
ty refugees had to compete with other
emergencies for funding, Efe news report‑
ed.
"Unfortunately, most response plans
around the world are under‑funded, which
means the refugees and people in need
don't receive the optimum service we hope
to provide them," Khalifa said.
"(It's) a sad situation that emergencies
compete for funding and for visibility in the
media. We are hoping the JRP will receive
higher level of funding than last year," said
the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) official.
"Until now, the plan is funded 14 per cent
only. This is a small percentage. In 2018, by
the end of the year the plan was funded 64
per cent," he said. Last year, the JRP raised
$655 million against a target of $950 mil‑
lion.
T he UNHCR and the Internat ional
Org anisat ion for Mig rat ion (IOM) in
February launched a campaign to raise
$920 million for a new plan to aid
Rohingyas in Bangladesh.
Over half of the requested money, also
meant to assist 330,000 vulnerable
Bangladeshi hosts, is needed to meet the
basic needs like food, water, sanitation and
shelter of the refugees who have fled
Myanmar to the neighboring country since
2017.
Rohingya refugees at
Shah Porir Dwip in
Dakhinpara, Bangladesh.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Royal Commission to probe
Christchurch attacks
Wellington: New Zealand Prime
Minister Jacinda Ardern
announced a Royal Commission of
Inquiry to analyze security agen‑
cies and look into the sole suspect
of the March 15 Christchurch
attacks that left 50 people dead in
two mosques.
"W hile New Zealanders and
Muslim communities around the
world are both grieving and show‑
ing compassion for one another,
they are also quite rightly asking
questions on how this terror attack
was able to happen here," Ardern
told the media.
"The inquiry will look at what
could have or should have been
done to prevent the attack. It will
inquire into the individual and his
act ivit ies be fore the terrorist
attack, including a look at agen‑
cies."
The investigation will focus on
the actions of the New Zealand
Intelligence and Security Service,
the Government Communications
Security Bureau, Police, Customs,
Immigration and any other rele‑
vant government department or
Russian military lands
in Venezuela
Caracas: Russian military
personnel landed in
Venezuela, capturing the
attention of the political
scene in the Latin
American nation on a
day on which President
Nicolas Maduro and his
challenger and self‑pro‑
claimed interim presi‑
dent Juan Guaido stayed
silent and out of the pub‑
lic eye. Opposition law‑
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a
meeting with the National Bolivarian
maker Williams Davila
told Efe that two Russian
military aircraft with
about 100 military personnel land‑ that Parliament will take into
ed at Maiquetia airport, the coun‑
try's main air hub, which serves
Caracas, in what he called a "seri‑
ous" incident.
"It's strange that a Russian mis‑
sion's coming here completely
against the provisions established
in the national Constitution. No
(military) mission may arrive in
Venezuela if it doesn't have the
authority of the National Assembly bilities of the South American
or Parliament," Davila said in a
telephone conversation with Efe.
The Venezuelan Parliament is
controlled by the opposition and
Guaido is the head of that body.
Davila said he had no knowledge
of what the Russians were doing in after recognized by more than 50
the country, but he insisted that
their presence constitutes a "viola‑
tion of Venezuelan sovereignty."
New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern at a briefing in Wellington.
agency, reports Efe news.
"T here w ill be a fo cus on
whether our intelligence communi‑
ty was concentrating its resources
appropriately and whether there
were any reports that could or
should have alerted them to this
attack," Ardern said.
A Royal Commission of Inquiry is
normally reserved for the gravest
matters of public importance. The
Armed Forces.
The Venezuelan lawmaker said
account this "penetration by for‑
eign forces into Venezuela" during
its next session and that he had
sent a message to the Chamber's
defense committee asking that an
investigation be launched.
The Maduro regime and Russia
last December said that they would
begin "discussions on combined
efforts" to raise the defense capa‑
country to repel "possible attacks."
Russia is one of Maduro's biggest
allies, backing him publicly against
the challenge from Guaido, who on
Jan. 23 proclaimed himself interim
president and was shortly there‑
nations, including the United
States, as Venezuela's legitimate
leader.
INTERNATIONAL March 30-April 5, 2019 21
May's Brexit deal could
gain support if she quits
London: British Prime
Minister Theresa May
could gain support for
her Brexit deal if she
promises to stand down
from her post,
Conservative MPs told
the BBC. MPs in the rul‑
ing party said they
might reluctantly back
the agreement if they
know she will not be in
charge of the next stage
of negotiations with the
European Union. If a
third vote on May's British Prime Minister Theresa May.
deal does not take place
this week and no alternative ship contest is held later in the
plan is put forward, the UK is year. But Downing Street dis‑
suspect, 28‑year‑old Australian
set to leave the EU on April 12. missed suggestions that May
Brenton Tarrant, apparently had
And if the deal is passed, the could be persuaded to stand
no criminal record nor problems
bloc has agreed to extend the aside, or that she would agree a
with his neighbors in Dunedin, a
Brexit deadline until May 12. "job share" arrangement where
town about 360 km south of
The statement by the MPs senior ministers would be given
Christchurch.
comes as newspaper reports extra responsibilities.
Tarrant is due to appear in court
claimed that cabinet ministers Also, hundreds of thousands
on April 5 charged with one count
were planning to oust May and of people marched in central
of murder, although more charges
replace her with a "caretaker London to call for another EU
are expected. He has chosen to
leader" until a proper leader‑ referendum.
represent himself.
IS LOSES LAST SYRIAN STRONG‑
HOLD: US‑BACKED FORCES
Damascus: The Islamic State
(IS) has lost its last strong‑
hold in Syria, the US‑backed
Syrian Democratic Forces
(SDF) announced, bringing an
end to the so‑called caliphate
declared by the terror group
in 2014.
The SDF said it defeated the
IS and fully liberated
Baghouz in eastern Syria,
reports CNN.
"Syrian Democratic Forces
declare total elimination of
the so‑called caliphate and
100 per cent territorial
defeat of IS. On this unique
day, we commemorate thou‑
sands of martyrs whose
efforts made the victory pos‑
sible," tweeted Mustafa Bali,
head of the SDF press office.
A Syrian soldier on guard in the eastern countryside
of Sweida province.
At its peak, the IS controlled
a huge stretch of territory actual number was much high‑ from the terror group, which
stretching from western Syria er. The final phase of the battle slowed the of fensive w ith
to the outskirts of the Iraqi cap‑ was delayed to allow thousands snipers, improvised explosive
ital of Baghdad. more civilians to get out of the devices.
But the final battle took place besieged town. At the group's height, 7.7 mil‑
in the past several wee ks The militants who mounted lion people were estimated to
around the small and otherwise the last stand in Bag houz live under IS rule. Despite the
unremarkable Syrian town of included some of the most bat‑ loss of territory and funds, a
Baghouz, on the banks of the tle‑hardened and experienced UN‑monitoring committee esti‑
Euphrates River. Before the personnel remaining in the IS, mated last July that IS member‑
of fensive started, SDF of ficials and the wives and children of ship in Iraq and Syria was still
estimated that 1,500 civilians the fig hters were used as between 20,000 and 30,000.
and 500 IS fighters remained, human shields. SDF command‑ In total, 41,490 international
but as the assault got under ers told CNN that its fighters citizens traveled to Syria and
way it became clear that the had faced fierce resistance Iraq to join the IS.
 22 March 30-April 5, 2019
Sterling Biotech case:
Hitesh Patel held in Albania
New Delhi: Fugitive businessman
Hitesh Narender Bhai Patel, an
accused in the Rs 8,100 crore
alleged bank loan fraud by the
Gujarat‑based Sterling Biotech
g roup, has been detained in
Albania and is expected to be
extradited to India soon, the
Enforcement Directorate (ED) said
on Friday.
Patel, wanted by the ED, was
detained by law enforcement offi‑
cials of Albania in the capital city
of Tirana on Wednesday on the
basis of a red corner notice (RCN)
issued against him by the Interpol
on March 11 following requests
from the Indian authorities, an ED
statement said.
Patel is an accused in a Rs 5,000
crore money laundering case ‑‑ as
part of the Rs 8,100 crore bank
loan fraud allegedly perpetrated
by the Sterling Biotech Group ‑‑ in
which the ED had filed a
chargesheet in a special
Prevention of Money Laundering
Act (PMLA) court.
Patel is the brother‑in‑law of
Gujarat‑based businessmen Chetan
Jayantilal Sandesara and Nitin
Jayantilal Sandesara, known as the
Sandesara brothers, who along
with their pharmaceutical compa‑
ny Sterling Biotech Group have
been accused of taking Rs 8,100
crore loans from the domestic and
Beleaguered Jet suspends
flights to 13 foreign destinations,
scales down 7 routes
Jet Airways is gasping for funds
with mounting debt
Mumbai: Jet Airways, on the verge
of going belly‑up, has suspended
operations on as many as 13 more
international routes till end‑April,
besides scaling down frequencies
on seven other overseas routes,
mostly from Delhi and Mumbai,
according to airline sources.
The routes where services have
been temporarily w ithdrawn
include Pune‑Singapore (seven a
week), which was launched with
Patel is accused in money laundering case ‑‑ as part of Rs 8,100 crore
Sterling Biotech Group bank loan fraud. (Image : businesstoday.in)
offshore branches of Indian banks
between 2004 and 2012.
Patel was instrumental in getting
dummy directors from shell com‑
panies who were used by the
Sandesaras for routing, rotating
and laundering the money, said the
ED statement, adding that he also
handled and managed illicit cash
transactions for the Sandesaras.
"Patel also acted as director in
many companies and siphoned
loan funds for the purchase of lux‑
ury cars. He never joined the inves‑
tigation and fled the country. A
special court has issued non‑bail‑
able warrant against him," the
statement said.
T he ED said that Pate l, the
Sandesara brothers and their rela‑
t ive Dipt i Sandesara are the
much fanfare late last December,
and Pune‑Abu Dhabi (seven flights
a week). Jet Airways has already
suspended services on the
Mumbai‑Manchester route.
Gasping for funds and no bailout
on the horizon, the Naresh Goyal‑
controlled airline has now reduced
its operations to one‑fourth from
over 600 daily flights earlier, with
just one‑third of its 119 fleet being
operational. (PTI)
BUSINESS
accused in the case. The Sandesara
brothers are also stated to be in
Albania and on March 19, a Delhi
court had allowed the ED to send
extradition requests to that coun‑
try against the two.
All the four accused are promot‑
ers of the Sterling group and have
fled the country to avoid criminal
investigation and prosecution.
The ED said that the accused
have incorporated more than 100
ent it ies in various countries,
including the UAE, the US, the UK,
British Virgin Island, Mauritius,
Barbados, and Nigeria. Their main
ent it ies outside India include
Richmond Overseas, Sunshine
Trust Corp, SEEPCO BVI, SEEPCO
Nigeria, and Atlantic Blue Water
Services. (IANS)
US company sues Cognizant for breach of contract
Bengaluru: Cognizant has been sued
by Crawford & Company, the US‑
based independent providers of
insurance claims‑handling services,
for alleged breach of contract.
Cognizant had been mandated by
Crawford to implement PeopleSoft
Financials software as part of an
ERP project called Project Atlas that
was critical to Crawfordʼs opera‑
tions. Project Atlas included compo‑
nents for both internal operations
and client‑facing services.
In the lawsuit filed in a US district
court, Crawford says it suf fered
substantial damages because of the
way the project was implemented.
Reliance denies sidestepping US sanctions
Mumbai: Re liance Industries
Limited (India) has denied any
suggest ion that it ever side‑
stepped US sanctions in supplying
products to Venezuela. ʻSince the
imposit ion of US sanct ions,
Reliance has been in continuous
communicat ion w ith the US
Department of State regarding its
activities in Venezuela,ʼ the com‑
pany said in a press statement.
ʻReliance has been transparent
with US authorities and also has
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Google Pay to enter
wealth management
services with 'Gold Account'
Bengaluru: Internet g iant
Google is readying a service
that will allow Indians to buy
gold on its mobile payments
app Google Pay. The plan is to
launch ʻGold Accountʼ ̶ a gold‑
linked savings scheme ̶ for
users to purchase gold at pre‑
vailing market prices, maintain
gold balance virtually and
redeem at a later stage as gold
coins or cash.
T he move would mark the
entry of Google Pay into wealth
management services.
Launched as Tez in September
2017, and rebranded as Google
Pay a year later, the app cur‑
rently allows peer‑to‑peer and
peer‑to‑merchant payments.
In September, Google said the
payments app had 25 million
monthly active users (MAUs) ̶
people who use the app at least
once a month ̶ in India.
According to Google Payʼs
terms and conditions page, first
pointed out by business intelli‑
gence platform, Paper.vc, the
California‑based technology
major has tied up with MMTC‑
PAMP India, a joint venture
between state‑owned metals
trading company MMTC, and
Swiss refiner of precious metals
“Even though Crawford notified
Cognizant of serious problems with
coding, performance, testing and
other problems, Cognizant failed to
remedy them. Instead Cognizant
continued to fail to properly staf f
the project and to miss important
deadlines, all causing significant
injury to Crawford including prob‑
lems so significant they threatened
Crawfordʼs own customer relation‑
ships. This lawsuit seeks recovery
for Cognizantʼs breach of its con‑
tracts with Crawford,” the company
said in the lawsuit. When contacted
by TOI, Cognizant issued the follow‑
ing statement: “Cognizant looks for‑
provided detailed feedback to the
US Department of State as they
were formulating and adjusting
US policy regarding product ship‑
ments to Venezuela. Reliance not
only has complied with US sanc‑
tions laws, but also has done its
best to adjust its dealings with
Venezuela on a voluntary basis to
reflect the ongoing changes in US
policy.ʼ ʻReliance stopped ship‑
ments of diluent naphtha to
Venezuela, and has reduced its
PAMP SA, for the gold accounts.
Gold bought through Google
Pay will be sourced from and
maintained in physical form by
MMTC‑PAMP.
To activate the gold account,
users will have to complete the
prescribed know‑your‑cus‑
tomer (KYC) formalities. Once
done, they can purchase virtual
gold units at the current market
price using Google Pay app.
T he account balance w ill
reflect the current price of the
accumulated gold units, which
can be redeemed as physical
gold or cash in the account
once those are equivalent to the
minimum denomination of, say,
1 gram of actual gold.
It is, however, not clear when
Google will roll out the service.
A Google India spokesperson
declined to comment.
(Source:business‑standard.com)
ward to fully defending itself and
telling its side of the story in the
proper forum.”
Crawford provides a host of serv‑
ices including insurance adjusting
services, catastrophe services, third
party administration services and
services for large and complex
claims. In December last year, when
Crawford informed Cognizant about
the problems, Cognizant is said to
have responded that all the prob‑
lems were excusable under the mas‑
ter services agreement (MSA) and
result from actions that were
“beyond Cognizantʼs reasonable
control.” (Source:timesofindia.com)
purchases of Venezuelan crude oil
to well below its contracted levels.
Relianceʼs few transportation fuel
shipments to Venezuela, treated
as of fsets for crude oil receipts,
were committed and in‑transit
when there were no specific
restrictions to such transactions.
They were all fuels refined in
India,ʼ the statement read.
Reliance will continue its transac‑
tions in full compliance of prevail‑
ing sanctions, it added.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPORTS March 30-April 5, 2019 23

All-round effort helps Delhi beat Mumbai

Mumbai: Veteran Yuvraj Singh (53
off 35) and Krunal Pandya's quick‑
fire cameo went in vain as Delhi
Capitals outclassed Mumbai
Indians by 37 runs in their cam‑
paign opener at the Wankhede
Stadium here.
A rebranded Delhi team showed
its ef fort in every department of
the game as firstly it rode Rishabh
Pant's blistering knock to post a
massive total of 213 runs before
their bowlers also rose to the occa‑
sion to bowl out the three‑time
champions for 176 in 19.2 overs.
Chasing the huge 214‑run target,
Mumbai had a slow but steady
start as they put up 28 runs in
three overs without losing a wick‑
et. However, Delhi's Ishant Sharma
dealt the first blow as he dismissed
Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma
(14) in the fourth over.
Incoming batsman Suryakumar
Yadav (2) also departed soon while
Ishant struck again to send back
the dangerous Quinton de Kock
(27).
Yuvraj and Keiron Pollard (21
off 13) then showed some fight as
they added 50 runs for the fourth
wicket to help Mumbai approach
the three digit mark. However,
Keemo Paul removed Pollard to
land the hosts in deep trouble as
their scorecard read 95/4 in the
11th over.
Hardik Pandya added more wor‑
Mumbai Indians' Yuvraj Singh in action against Delhi Capitals at
Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. (Photo: IANS)
ries to the Mumbai camp as he
departed without scoring of f a
Axar Patel delivery. Krunal (32 off
15) then played some good shots
along with Yuvraj but couldn't stay
in the middle for long as Trent
Boult applied the breaks on his
innings with the Mumbai score‑
card reading 134/6.
Yuvraj tried his best to overhaul
the target with some lusty blows
but wickets falling at the other end
hurt Mumbai's chances.
For Delhi, Kagiso Rabada and
Ishant picked up two wickets each
while Rahul Tewatia, Paul and
Axar bagged one wicket apiece.
Earlier, Rishabh Pant's blistering
knock helped Delhi Capitals post a
massive 213/6.
As soon as Pant arrived in the
middle, the young stumper took
every bowler to the cleaners to
blast an unbeaten 78 of f just 27
deliveries with the help of seven
boundaries and as many hits into
the stands.
Apart from Pant, opener Shikhar
Dhawan (43 of f 36) and Colin
Ingram (47 off 32) also made valu‑
able contributions.
Put into bat, Delhi were off to a
poor start as they lost opener
Prithvi Shaw (7) and skipper
You have to be different
to succeed in T20s: Pant
Mumbai: His innings of 78 off
just 27 balls felt like a desert
storm at the Wankhede
Stadium but the cool and com‑
posed Delhi Capitals wicket‑
keeper Rishabh Pant did not
wish to make much fuss about
the innings that changed the
course of the g ame and
knocked Mumbai Indians out of
the match. Speaking at the end
of the game, Pant put his whirl‑
wind knock to the need of the
hour as Delhi needed someone
to up the ante at that stage of
the innings, after Shikhar
Dhawan and Colin Ingram had
provided the platform for a
flourish to the finishing line.
"I always bat according to the
situation all the time. Today
Shreyas Iyer (16) with just 29 runs
on board. Mumbai pacer Mitchell
McClenaghan accounted for both
the wickets.
Dhawan and Ingram then sta‑
bilised Delhi's innings with a cru‑
cial 83‑run partnership for the
third wicket before Ben Cutting
sent the latter to the hut in the
13th over.
when I came in, I had to up the
ante and so took my chances. It
came off tonight," he smiled.
Seven sixes and most of them
whips from the off and outside
of f stump to the long leg
boundary and Pant said that
with bowlers looking to keep it
tight in T20 cricket, he likes to
make ways to take them on and
send them packing.
"In T20, you have to do some‑
thing dif ferent. Somet imes
when bowlers cramp you for
room, you got to make your
own room," he said.
Asked if he was happy to bat
at the fifth slot, the answer
came with quite a pause. "Well,
(pauses), glad to bat anywhere
the team wants me to," he said.
With Delhi's scorecard reading
112/3, it seemed the visitors will
hardly cross the 150‑run mark.
But Pant's arrival changed the
whole scenario as he started
smashing every Mumbai bowler.
Delhi lost Dhawan, Paul (3) and
Axar (4) in quick intervals, but
Pant kept one end intact and guid‑
ed his team to a huge total.

Salam second J&K

IPL opening ceremony funds
donated to armed forces
C hennai: In the wake of the Pulwama terror

cricketer to play in IPL

attacks and keeping in mind the sentiments of
the people, the Supreme Court appointed
Committee of Administrators (CoA), administer‑
ing the BCCI, has decided to cancel the opening
ceremony of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Srinagar: Rasikh Salam
and donate the money budgeted for it to the Dar, the 17‑year‑old
Team Pld Won Lost Tied Pts
armed forces. son of a schoolteacher,
"The estimated cost of hosting an IPL opening on Sunday become the 1 DC 1 1 0 2
ceremony is Rs 20 crore. It was unanimously second cricketer from
decided that a sum of Rs 11 crore be con‑ Jammu and Kashmir to
tributed to the Indian Army, Rs 7 crore to the 2 CSK 1 1 0 2
play in the Indian
CRPF and Rs 1 crore each to the Navy and Air Premier League (IPL)
Force respectively," the board said in a state‑ after Parvez Rasool. 3 KKR 1 1 0 2
ment on Saturday. Salam, a right arm
Throwing light on the matter, CoA Chairman, fast bowler, was includ‑
Vinod Rai said: "As a federation, we felt it was
4 KXIP 0 0 0 0
ed by Mumbai Indians
best not to hold a regular IPL opening ceremo‑ in the play ing XI
ny. Instead, we decided to contribute the against Delhi Capitals 5 RR 0 0 0 0
amount towards a cause that is so important in their opening IPL
and close to everyone's heart." match at Mumbai's 6 SRH 1 0 1 0
Diana Edulji, another member of the CoA, Wankhede Stadium.
said: "This comes as a welcome move and as a He conceded 42 runs
mark of respect to the ones who lost their lives 7 RCB 1 0 1 0
in the four overs he
in the terror attack. The BCCI has always been bowled, but could not
sensitive towards issues of national interest and pick up a wicket. 8 MI 1 0 1 0
will continue to make contributions whenever Salam is the third
the need arises." cricketer from J&K to be picked by defunct Pune Warriors India.
Earlier on Wednesday, Chennai Super Kings' an IPL franchise. Manzoor Dar was Belonging to Ashmuji village in
(CSK) team director Rakesh Singh had also roped in by the Kings XI Punjab in Kashmir's Kulgam district, Salam
announced that ticket proceeds of their IPL 2018 but he didn't play any match. made his Ranji Trophy debut for
2019 opener ag ainst Royal Challengers Rasool has played 11 IPL match‑ J&K in December last year.
Bangalore will go towards the families of the es for three different franchises ‑‑
victims of the Pulwama terror attack. Royal Challengers Bang alore, Rasikh Salam Dar in action.
Sunrisers Hyderabad and the now
 24 March 30-April 5, 2019 LIFESTYLE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Is it time to say bye to hand‑ Smoking strong pot daily

shake and hi to Namaste increases psychosis risk
Psychosis is a mental
Indians evolved ages ago toward using the Namaskar or namaste, disorder characterized
also known as anjali mudra. Two hands facing each other togeth‐ by disconnection
from reality.
er to greet another person. No contact with body, only with mind (Photo thinkstock)
and heart. Contrarily, here is a medical student's discovery of
why the European handshake is such a bad idea.
By Brandon Jacobi hand. As society has continued lower health care‑associated
to modernize and adapt to the infections. Through physical

A
s I sit in the conference changing times, this outdated exams and countless proce‑
room awaiting one of my tradition somehow still has a dures, bacteria are af forded
vise around acceptable alternative routes of trans‑

first interviews for resi‑
dency, the angst among all the
applicants was palpable. We all
make awkward eye contact and
conversation with each other as
our interviewers pull us out of the
room one by one to speak with us.
Amongst the awkwardness and
anxiety, my attention was directed
at the applicant next to me when I
heard the dreaded inhale preced‑
ing a sneeze. I leaned in the other
direction in hopes of not catching
the plague, but what I saw next
mortified me most. He instinctive‑
ly took both hands to cup his nose
and mouth, sneezing directly into
his palms instead of his upper
sleeve. Like a bad comedy, his
interviewer called on him next as
they shook hands and exchanged
microbes.
Itʼs circumstances like these that
prove handshakes are an unneces‑
sary vector for the spread of
germs across the globe. The tradi‑
tion of handshaking was born cen‑
turies ago as a gesture that each
person was unarmed and not car‑
rying any weapons in their right
societal norms.
Itʼs t ime that we
start moving away
from hand‑
shakes and needless
threats to our
collective we ll‑
being. In a time when
preventative medicine is in the
spotlight to lower healthcare
costs, itʼs prudent that we explore
any avenues that reduce transmis‑
sion of diseases. Unfortunately,
we live in a society that isnʼt very
hygienic. Even physicians, the
gold standard of hygiene and
sterility, do a substandard job of
keeping their hands clean. A 2010
study showed that only 40 per‑
cent of physicians and other
healthcare professionals followed
hospital hygiene protocol. This
affords bacteria a home on physi‑
ciansʼ hands and a way to travel
when they shake hands w ith
patients. Undoubtedly, proper
hand hygiene adherence is the
best way to prevent the spread of
ant imicrobial resistance and
mission besides
handshakes
from healthcare
professionals.
This is why those
entrusted with the
care of patients must
remain cognizant of prop‑
er hand hygiene during every
patient encounter.
Stepping out of the hospital and
into the streets shows that hand
hygiene deficiency has permeated
out of the healthcare setting as
well. Researchers in London took
swabs from the hands of 50 peo‑
ple on the street to analyze the
bacteria on their hands. Their
results showed that one out of
every three hands was contami‑
nated with bacteria normally
found in feces. Itʼs become almost
a common occurrence to see at
least one person completely skip
washing their hands after using a
public restroom, leading to results
like these. Brandon Jacobi is a
medical student.
(Article courtesy kevinmd.com)
A
mid growing decriminal‑
ization of cannabis use, a
new study warns that
daily cannabis use, especially of
high potency, is strongly linked
to the risk of developing psy‑
chosis, a mental disorder charac‑
terized by a disconnection from
reality.
The findings, published in the
journal the Lancet Psychiatry,
are consistent with previous
studies showing smoking pot
with a high concentration of THC
‑‑ over 10 per cent of the psy‑
choact ive substance w ithin
cannabis ‑‑ has more harmful
effects on mental health than the
use of weaker forms.
"As the legal status of cannabis
changes in many countries and
states, and as we consider the
medicinal properties of some
types of cannabis, it is of vital
importance that we also consider
the potential adverse effects that
are asso ciated w ith daily
cannabis use, especially of high
potency varieties," said lead
author of the study Marta Di
Forti from King's College London.
The new study looked at 11
sites across Europe and Brazil.
First, the researchers estimated
the prevalence of psychosis by
identifying individuals with first
episode of psychosis, presented
to mental health services
between 2010 and 2015.
Second, they compared 901
patients with first episode of psy‑
chosis w ith 1,237 healthy
matched controls to understand
the risk factors associated with
psychosis. The researchers col‑
lected information about partici‑
pants' history of cannabis use
and other recreational drugs.
Across the 11 sites, people who
used cannabis on a daily basis
were three times more likely to
have a diagnosis of first episode
psychosis, compared with people
who had never used cannabis,
the findings showed.
This increased to five times
more likely for daily use of high
potency cannabis.

Best and worst fabrics for summer

I
t is important for you to take a closer look
at the fabrics you opt to wear in summer,
say experts. Narendra Kumar, Creative
Director at Amazon Fashion, and designer
duo Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna share
which fabric to pick in summer:
☺ Cotton: Pile up on pretty cotton
dresses, shirts and skirts and flared skirts
which allow air to circulate and move
freely through the fabric, absorbing mois‑
ture. Easy breezy light‑weight cotton chi‑
nos work best when it comes to bottoms,
go for a lycra blend for added comfort. Opt
for lighters colors to beat the heat.
☺ Linen: This fabric has a relaxed vibe.
These days you can find linen and cotton
blends that makes them even more afford‑
able. It will ef fortlessly complement any
look while keeping you cool. A loosely
woven fabric which allows heat to escape
from the body and dries quickly. It crum‑
ples easily, which is the only thing you
need to be wary off. Pair a crop top or t‑
shirt with linen pants.
☺ Khadi: Handwoven, it is primarily
spun with cotton and sometimes, wool and
silk. Even without any added embroidery, it
has an unusual appeal. Whether as a Nehru
style jacket, kurta or sari, this fabric adopts
a versatile look.
L Polyester: Athleisure and sportswear
highly works with polyester. This fabric is
highly durable and water resistant and
therein lies its biggest flaw. It traps sweat
and becomes a sweaty person's nightmare.
While it is low‑cost and remains relatively
wrinkle‑free through numerous uses, poly‑
ester outfits are best kept in your
wardrobe for summer workouts and
swimwear.
L Denim: Summer is the time for
denim shorts, skirts and dungarees galore.
It's actually a highly impractical choice. It
is not breathable and the fit is fairly
restrictive, making it a bad choice for the
summer. A useful tip is to stick to cham‑
bray, which looks very much like denim
but is lightweight and breathable unlike
denim.
☺ Flowy fabrics: Certain flowy silks like
light chiffons and georgettes are great for
evenings as these fabrics naturally adjusts
to your bo dy temperature. However,
breezy summer wear is more than just
choosing the right fiber; even the color
should be considered. Opt for paste l
shades with subtle prints instead of opting Cotton, khadi and linen are breathable fabrics.
for dark and deep hues. Denim is not and the fit is restrictive to boot.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Preet Bhararaʼs ʻDoing Justiceʼ released
B
y the one‑t ime federal
prosecutor for the
Southern District of New
York, an important overview of
the way our justice system works,
and why the rule of law is essen‑
tial to our society. Using case his‑
tories, personal experiences and
his own invit ing writ ing and
teaching style, Preet Bharara in
his new book, “Doing Justice”
shows the thought process we
need to best achieve truth and
justice in our daily lives and with‑
in our society.
Preet Bharara has spent much
of his life examining our legal sys‑
tem, pushing to make it better,
and prosecuting those looking to
subvert it. Bharara believes in our
system and knows it must be pro‑
tected, but to do so, we must also
acknowledge and allow for flaws
in the system and in human
nature.
The book is divided into four
sections: Inquiry, Accusation,
Judgment and Punishment. He
shows why each step of this
process is crucial to the legal sys‑
tem, but he also shows how we all
need to think about each stage of
the process to achieve truth and
justice in our daily lives.
Bharara uses anecdotes and
case histories from his leg al
career–the successes as well as
the failures–to illustrate the reali‑
How Jallianwala Bagh moved Indian writers, poets
By Vishnu Makhijani
I
t's been described as "an episode
without precedent or parallel in
the modern history of the British
empire. Not surprisingly, the
Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April
13, 1919, spawned a wealth of out‑
pouring from Indian writers and
poets that author‑critic‑literary his‑
torian Rakshanda Jalil has painstak‑
ingly brought together in a seminal
volume that will be an eye‑opener
for the present generation for the
lows to which a ruler can stoop.
"While a great deal of scholarly
work has been done on Jalianwala
Bagh, its reflection in Indian litera‑
ture in the different bhashas and
also in English has been overlooked.
"I was curious to see how an inci‑
dent that stirred the conscience of
millions, one that had far‑reaching
implications for the national free‑
dom struggle, that made British
colonial interests in India morally
untenable, found its way through
pen and paper to reach the nooks
and cranies of popular imagination
filtered through the mind of the cre‑
ative writer," Jalil writes in the
extensive introduction to
"Jallainwala Bagh ‑ Literary
Responses in Prose and Poetry"
(Niyogi Books). The book, she says,
Doing Justice: A Prosecutorʼs Thoughts on Crime, Punishment,
and the Rule of Law by Preet Bharara; Knopf. 345 pp. $27.95
ties of the legal system, and the
consequences of taking action
(and in some cases, not taking
action, which can be just as essen‑
tial when trying to achieve a just
result).
Much of what Bharara discusses
is inspiring–it gives us hope that
rational and objective fact‑based
thinking, combined with compas‑
sion, can truly lead us on a path
toward truth and justice. Some of
what he writes about will be con‑
troversial and cause much discus‑
sion. Ultimately, it is a thought‑
provoking, entertaining book
about the need to find the human‑
subjective as all such collections are
by their very nature, "makes no pre‑
tense at being either exhaustive ot
definite; it's only claim is to open a
window into the world of possibili‑
ties that literature offers to reflect,
interpret and occasionally analyze
events of momentous historical
import. At best, the prose and poet‑
ry included in this selection offers
ways of 'seeing' history," Jalil says.
As is Jalil's wont, she is being
much too modest. Where else, in
one volume, will you come across
the works of Saadat Hasan Manto,
Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Mulk Raj
Anand, Bhisham Sahani, Stanley
Wolpert, Saojini Naidu, Muhammad
Iqbal and Josh Malihabadi, to name
just a few of those featured.
What clearly comes out is the
pain and anguish the Jallianwala
Bagh massacre caused them and
the burden of living under a brutal
colonial ruler for whom justice and
mercy didn't exist. And yet, the fire
of freedom didn't die ‑ indeed it was
only reinforced.
Take "Panjab 1919" by Sarojini
Naidu: "How shall our love console
thee, or assuage/Thy helpless woe;
how shall our grief requite/The
hearts that scourge thee and the
hands that smite/Thy beauty with
their rods of bitter rage?
BOOKS
ity in our legal system–and in our
society.
Preet Bharara first became well‑
known for his efforts to curb Wall
Street corruption as U.S. attorney
for the Southern District of New
York. But it was only after he
forced President Trump to fire
him that he became a rock star.
He was dismissed in March 2017
when he refused to provide his
resignation, following an about‑
face by a new Trump administra‑
tion that had previously asked
him to stay on as U.S. attorney.
In his new book, “Doing Justice,”
Bharara does not write explicitly
“Lo! Let our sorrows be they bat‑
tle‑gage/To wreck the terror of the
tyrant's might/Who mocks with rib‑
ald wrath they tragic plight/And
stains with shame they radiant her‑
itage! “O beautiful! O broken and
betrayed!/O mournful queen!/O
martyred Draupadi!/Endure thou
still, unconquered,
undismayed!/The sacred rivers of
thy stricken blood/Shall prove the
five‑fold stream of Freedom's
flood/To guard the watch‑towers of
our Liberty."
Jalil's work will ensure that the
flame that Jallianwalla Bagh lit will
never be extinguished.
March 30-April 5, 2019
about his conversations with
Trump. But the presidentʼs shad‑
ow hangs over the book, even
when Bharara declines to use his
name. “It was all a giant, gold‑
plated charade,” Bharara writes of
one fraud defendant – a sentence
that canʼt help but conjure up
visions of Trump Tower.
Bharara posit ions “Doing
Justice” as a treatise on “the rule
of law and faith in the rule of law”
at a time when both are under
threat. The contrast with Trump,
and his contempt for the rule of
law, is inevitable. Beyond simply
rebutting the president, though,
Bharara seeks to present the jus‑
tice system Trump disdains as a
source of inspiration for a healthi‑
er politics. His reflection on the
role of the just ice system in
America is an effort both to make
the inner workings of that system
accessible to people unfamiliar
with what criminal justice looks
like from the perspective of law
enforcement, and to suggest how
people might apply ideals and
habits honed in the courtroom to
the patterns of everyday life.
The Southern District of New
York has a reputation for thinking
highly of itself, which Bharara
cheerfully acknowledges and does
nothing to dispel. The justice sys‑
tem, as he describes it, rests on
discretion, but the nature of the
25
world is such that some discretion
will be abused, and even good‑
faith attempts to do the right
thing will sometimes end poorly.
“Every e lement of the law is
dependent on the fateful choices
of unpredictable and imperfect
human beings,” he writes, “from
the cops to the lawyers to the
judges to the cooperators. It is the
human factor that makes the
attempt to deliver justice uncer‑
tain.”
Bharara wrote “Doing Justice”
in part to “he lp people make
sense of what has been happen‑
ing in America,” he writes in the
preface. Nowhere is this clearer
than in his description of the
criminal trial as a counterintuitive
mode l for how to “search for
truth and justice in our society as
we ll”: Trials, he argues, “are
object lessons in persuasion,
truth, and even civility.”
“Doing Justice” does its best to
communicate what Bharara sees
as the fundamental good faith of
many law enforcement of ficials.
The real interest and innovation
of the book, thoug h, is in
Bhararaʼs ef fort to of fer that
model of engagement with the
world as a political theory for his
fellow citizens.
Source: UNN
While a great deal of scholarly
work has been done on
Jalianwala Bagh, its reflection in
Indian literature is what
Rakshanda Jalil compiles here.
 26 March 30-April 5, 2019 HEALTH TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Daily aspirin no longer Piping hot tea raises

recommended to prevent esophageal cancer
heart attacks risk: Study
New York: Taking low‑dose aspirin as a pre‑
ventative for heart attack or stroke is no
longer recommended for adults age 70 or
over, according to guidelines released Sunday.
The recommendations, issued jointly by the
American College of Cardiology and the
American Heart Association, are a reversal of
previous guidance that endorsed taking a
baby aspirin daily to prevent cardiovascular
problems in adults over age 50. The two
groups agreed that for older adults with low
risk ̶ no prior history of heart attack or
stroke ̶ the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding
outweighs any heart benefit.
The change comes after a large internation‑
al study found that even at low doses, long‑
term use of aspirin may be harmful ̶ without
providing any benefit ̶ for older people who
have not already had a heart attack or stroke.
“Clinicians should be very selective in pre‑
scribing aspirin for people without known car‑
diovascular disease,” said Dr. Roger
Blumenthal, co‑chair of the 2019 ACC/AHA
Guideline on the Primary Prevention of
Cardiovascular Disease, in a statement.
“Aspirin should be limited to people at the
highest risk of cardiovascular disease and a
very low risk of bleeding.”
The committee reminded individuals that a
healthy lifestyle is the most important way to
prevent the onset of atherosclerotic cardiovas‑
cular disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrilla‑
tion. “The guidelines reinforce what we have
known for more than a decade,” said Dr.
New York: Love to drink
your tea piping hot?
Beware, it could raise the
risk of esophageal cancer,
finds a study.
The study showed that
the risk of esophageal can‑
cer more than doubled
among those who regularly
Steven Nissen, chairman of the department of drank tea at 75 degrees
cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Celsius.
Clinic. “For patients without heart disease, the However, waiting for at
risks of aspirin, primarily bleeding, are signifi‑ least four minutes before
cant. For most patients without heart disease drinking a cup of freshly
at moderate risk, the benefits do not exceed boiled tea can reduce the
the risks.” Earlier this year, the AHA published risk of cancer arising from
a statistical update showing that nearly half of the esophagus ‑‑ the food
US adults have some form of cardiovascular pipe that runs between the throat and degrees Celsius or higher) was associat‑
disease. The increased risk was mostly attrib‑ the stomach. ed with a 90 per cent higher risk of
uted to high blood pressure. "Many people enjoy drinking tea, cof‑ esophageal cancer, the researchers said.
“We follow a dictum in medicine of 'do no fee, or other hot beverages. However, The results could also be extended to
harm' and aspirin is not benign,” said Dr. according to our report, drinking very coffee, hot chocolate or other hot bever‑
Clyde Yancy, chief of cardiology at the hot tea can increase the risk of ages.
Northwestern Memorial Hospital, in Chicago. esophageal cancer, and it is, therefore, Esophageal cancer is the sixth most
“Understanding how best to use aspirin, or advisable to wait until hot beverages common cancer in India and the eighth
any other medication, is the kind of refine‑ cool down before drinking," said lead most globally. It affects more men than
ment that enables our best health.” author Farhad Islami of the American women.
Nearly 80 percent of all cardiovascular dis‑ Cancer Society. In 2016, the World Health
ease can be prevented with lifestyle modifica‑ The study, published in the Organisation (WHO) had warned of the
tions, according to the Heart Association. International Journal of Cancer, cancer risk associated with drinks
Doctors recommend regular physical activity involved 50,045 individuals aged 40 to above 65 degrees Celsius.
and following plant‑based diets such as DASH, 75 years. Scalding water irritates the lining of
a meal plan that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, Drinking 700 ml per day of tea or the mouth and throat which can fuel
and whole grains to lower heart disease risk. more at a higher temperature (60 tumors, scientists believe.

USFDA approves first drug HANDFUL OF NUTS DAILY CAN

for postpartum depression
Los Angeles: The US Food
and Drug Administration
(FDA) has approved a drug
for the treatment of post‑
partum depression (PPD)
in adult women.
The FDA on Tuesday
approved an intravenous
infusion of the drug brex‑
anolone, which will be sold
as Zulresso. It is the first
drug approved by the FDA
specifically for PPD,
Xinhua quoted a FDA release as
saying. Zulresso will be adminis‑
tered as a continuous IV infu‑
sion over 60 hours, according to
the statement.
Patients will be counseled on
the risks of the treatment and
instructed to be monitored for
the side effects at a health care
facility for the entire duration of
infusion.
PPD is a major depressive
episode that occurs following
childbirth, although symptoms
can start during pregnancy.
According to statistics, PPD
impacts one in nine new moth‑
ers after childbirth.
"Postpartum depression is a
serious condition that, when
severe, can be life‑threatening.
It's first time that a drug has
been specifically approved to
treat postpartum depression,
providing an important new
treatment option," said Tiffany
Farchione from the FDA.
Zulresso will be available to
patients only through a restrict‑
ed distribution programme at
certified health care facilities. It
is likely to be priced $20,000‑
35,000 per treatment, said Sage
Therapeutics, the company that
developed the drug. The medica‑
tion will be available in June.
BOOST MEMORY IN ELDERLY
Sydney: While age is ber of people living with
known as the dementia globally is at 47
strongest risk factor million.
for cognitive decline, By 2030, this is projected
eating a handful of to rise to 75 million and by
nuts every day can 2050, global dementia
improve mental health c a s e s a r e e s t i m a t ed t o
and memory skills by almost triple.
up to 60 per cent, "Population aging is one
finds a study. of t h e m o s t s u b s t a n t i a l
The findings showed challenges of the twenty‑
that consuming nuts first century," Li said.
for a long period of "Not only are people liv‑
time could be the key to better because peanuts have specific i n g l o n g e r. . . t h e y n a t u r a l l y
c o g n i t i ve h e a l t h, i n c l u d i n g anti‑inflammatory and antioxi‑ experience changes to concep‑
improved thinking, reasoning, dant ef fects that help reduce tual reasoning, memory, and
and memory in older people. cognit ive decline including processing speed.
"By eating more than 10 grams dementia. Nuts are also known "While there is no cure for
(or two teaspoons) of nuts per to be high in healthy fats, pro‑ age‑related cognitive decline
day older people could improve tein, and fiber with nutritional and neurogenerative disease,
their cognitive function by up properties that can lower cho‑ variations in what people eat
to 60 per cent ‑‑ compared to lesterol and improve cognitive are delivering improvements
those not eating nuts ‑‑ ef fec‑ health. for older people.
tively warding of f what would The study, published in The "If we can find ways to help
normally be experienced as a Journal of Nutrition, Health, older people retain their cogni‑
natural two‑year cognition a n d A g i n g, i n c l u d ed 4 , 8 2 2 tive health and independence
decline," said lead researcher Chinese adults aged 55 and for longer ‑ even by modifying
Ming Li from the University of above. their diet ‑ then this is
South Australia. A c c o r d i n g t o t h e Wo r l d absolutely worth the ef fort," Li
The reason could be Health Organization, the num‑ suggested.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info IMMIGRATION March 30-April 5, 2019 27

Helpful tips in preparation

for H-1B filings
VISA
By Dev Banad Viswanath, Esq. wage to the employee, so docu‑ Most of the RFEʼs issued in the and certificates, company support
& Michael Phulwani, Esq. mentation, for example, bank or last year have been for lack of letter describing the employeeʼs
tax statements can help bolster supporting documentation show‑ current position and position in

T TALK
he H‑1B filing season is
quickly approaching and
every employer who is peti‑
tioning for an employee must
work even harder this year to
make the strongest case possible
for them. There are new require‑
ments for H‑1B petitions which
means that the documents sub‑
mitted need to be more detailed
because the level of scrutiny is
much more rigorous.
It is very important that an
employer or their attorney file all
the required forms correctly and
on time. Students working on an
Occupational Practical Training
(OPT) program should file their
petitions in advance before the
OPT time frame expires. And
remember that for Fiscal year
2020, the earliest possible H1B
filing date will be April 1st, any
petitions filed even a day earlier
will be summarily rejected.
The new rule regarding the
change in the lottery system gives
U.S. graduates with a masterʼs
degree a 16% higher chance of
getting through the H‑1B cap lot‑
tery. The system will now process
Masterʼs Cap cases first and then
add the left over Master degree
applicants to the General pool of
applicants. The job requirements
for the position in the U.S. should
match the qualifications of the H‑
1B visa holder. Prevailing wages
are also very important. The pre‑
vailing wage is determined by the
educational qualification and pro‑
fessional experience required for
the position. The primary valida‑
tion of the Labor Condition
Application necessitates that the
employer will pay the prevailing
the business' capacity to do as
such. An employer should expect
to pay their employees the pre‑
vailing wage or a greater amount.
After filing the cap‑subject
H1Bs, people should expect sever‑
al weeks before being notified if
the case has been picked or reject‑
ed. Last year, our office at Banad
Law received the final rejection
petition in the month of July, sev‑
eral months after we filed.
Moreover the USCIS has already
confirmed that premium process‑
ing will not commence adjudica‑
tion immediately. So people
should expect a delay on adjudica‑
tion. Once you know that your
case is picked, you may not be
able to also expect 15 days of
adjudication.
After an initial petition for an H‑
1B visa is submitted to USCIS, a
lot of employers are issued a
Request for Evidence (RFE) notice.
ing that the employeeʼs position is the U.S., and information on what
a “specialty occupation.” kind of services the employerʼs
Employers need to submit an company provides. If the employ‑
abundant amount of evidence to ee will be working in multiple
show that the employeeʼs position locations in the U.S., the petition
meets the qualifications of a spe‑ needs to have a detailed itinerary
cialty occupation. Evidence should and work schedule outlining the
include but is not limited to: pro‑ dates, times, and tasks to be per‑
fessional evaluations of the formed in each location. This is a
employeeʼs education and work new era for H1Bs and all stake‑
experience, educational degrees holders must be prepared!
Dev Banad Viswanath is the Principal Attorney of
The Banad Law Offices PC in the United States,
and Banad Immigration in India for which
Attorney Michael Phulwani is also affiliated as Of
Counsel. With Offices in Manhattan, Queens,
Bangalore, and Mumbai, the firm is able to assist
clients with all facets of the immigration process,
including Employment Visas, Consular Visa
Assistance, Student Visas, Removal &
Deportation, US Citizenship and Green Card
Applications based on Family or Employment.
Dev B. Viswanath can be reached at
Dev@Banadlaw.com and 718‑361‑5999.

SCI-TECH

Apple TV+ streaming service Access 300+

publications on
to take on Netflix, Amazon Apple News+ for
Cupertino, CA: Taking Netflix, Amazon $9.99 a month
A
Prime and hordes of video streaming
pple on Monday launched an all‑new
giants head on, Apple on Monday
service called Apple News+ where
launched the much‑awaited Apple TV+
Apple CEO users can read latest issues of 300
that will stream highest‑quality original
Tim Cook magazines in categories like entertainment,
TV shows, movies and documentaries speaks during politics, lifestyle, health and travel etc.
across genre. an event to Newspapers like the Los Angeles Times, The
The on‑demand subscription service will announce Wall Street Journal and Canada's The Star will
come in over 100 countries this fall with a new products also arrive on Apple News+.
brand new programming from the world's March 25 in
Apple News+ will be available for $9.99 per
celebrated artists including Oprah Cupertino, Calif.
month across Apple devices, starting with the
Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer
US and Canada and the first month's subscrip‑
Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Octavia
tion will be free.
Spencer, J.J. Abrams, Jason Momoa, M.
"The idea is to harness the power of journal‑
Night Shyamalan, Jon M. Chu and more.
ism and its cultural impact. It is a great oppor‑
Available on the Apple TV app, sub‑
scribers will enjoy inspiring and authentic
shows, movies, sports news and more in
one app across iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Arcade tunity for publishers," Apple CEO Tim Cook
Mac, smart TVs and streaming devices. told the audience at the Steve Jobs theater at
stories with compelling characters from all Apple also announced Apple Arcade, a
"Users can subscribe to and watch new its Cupertino campus.
walks of life, ad‑free. game subscription service that will feature
Apple TV channels ‑‑ paying for only serv‑ Apple won't allow advertisers to track you so
"We're thrilled to give viewers a sneak over 100 new and exclusive games, includ‑
ices they want, like HBO, SHOWTIME and it is private and secure, he added.
peek of Apple TV+ and cannot wait for ing original releases from renowned cre‑
Starz ‑‑ all on demand, available on and Cook said the Apple Pay feature will cross
them to tune in starting this fall. Apple ators Hironobu Sakaguchi, Ken Wong, Will
offline," said the company. 10 billion transactions in 2019.
TV+ will be home to some of the highest Wright and dozens more. Apple Arcade
The customers can subscribe to Apple The company also announced Apple Card
quality original storytelling that TV and games will redefine games and be curated
TV channels and watch them in the Apple designed for iPhones.
movie lovers have seen yet," said Eddy based on originality, quality, creativity, fun
TV app, with no additional apps, accounts The users can sign up for Apple Card and
Cue, Apple's senior vice president of and their appeal to players of all ages.
or passwords required. start using it via Wallet. Goldman Sach is the
Internet Software and Services. Apple Arcade will give customers the free‑
The Apple TV app will be available on issuing authority for Apple Card that will be
The company also unveiled the all‑new dom to try any game from its handpicked
Samsung smart TVs beginning this spring acceptable all over the world.
Apple TV app and Apple TV channels com‑ collection of titles that are all‑you‑can‑
and on Amazon Fire TV, LG, Roku, Sony "Goldman Sach will not sell your data to
ing in May. play, have no ads, ad tracking or addition‑
and VIZIO platforms in the future. third parties," said the company.
The Apple TV app brings together al purchases, and respect user privacy.
 28 March 30-April 5, 2019 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Humor with Melvin Durai

My friends keep inspiring me on Facebook

M
y three children have grown
up in the Internet age and
donʼt remember what life
was like before Facebook, Twitter
and other social media were around. I
remember it well. I remember the
days when I didnʼt have to compare
myself to all the people on Facebook
who have achieved so much in their
lives. It isnʼt enough that many of
these people are ultra‑successful in
their careers, theyʼre also ultra‑suc‑
cessful in other areas of their lives,
particularly in their exercise pro‑
grams. I donʼt know about your
Facebook friends, but some of mine
are regularly running marathons,
completing Ironman triathlons, and
swimming across the English
Channel. Meanwhile, Iʼm flipping
through my cable TV lineup, looking
for an English channel.
Yes, some of my Facebook friends
are in superb shape. Itʼs a wonder
that they havenʼt yet competed in the
Olympic Games, but thatʼs only
because they have very important
jobs and canʼt take time off to attend
the Olympic trials.
Iʼm certain that if they had a
chance to compete in the Olympics,
lots of records would be broken, such
as the record for most Facebook
posts while running a marathon.
You might think that my Facebook
friends are just using social media to
brag about their exercise routines,
but I donʼt think so. I know these peo‑
ple well, and let me tell you, if they
have a conceited bone in their bodies,
they must be hiding it under their
Nike Flex‑Repel training shorts.
The main reason they share their
sports accomplishments is not to
brag, but to inspire me and others. In
the middle of a marathon, when they
take a selfie of themselves, they say
to themselves, “If I post this on
Facebook, maybe it will convince
Melvin to get his butt off the couch
and join me in the next marathon.
And maybe heʼll be close enough to
take pictures of me from another
angle.”
Whenever they post something on
Facebook or other social media,
theyʼre taking a risk that people will
think theyʼre showing off, that people
wonʼt realize the motivational service
theyʼre providing. Theyʼre also taking
a risk that researchers will conduct
studies about them and make mis‑
leading conclusions.
Indeed, researchers at Brunel
University in London conducted such
a study and concluded that people
who share their exercise routines on
social media tend to be narcissists.
Narcissists are people who are
obsessed with themselves. (Donald
Trump, in case youʼre wondering,
isnʼt a narcissist. Heʼs the Narcissist‑
in‑Chief.) The main goal of these peo‑
ple is to brag about how much time
they invest in their looks, according
to the researchers. Status updates
such as “Just completed a 10 km run
through Mumbai” tend to attract
many ʻlikes,ʼ but not because people
enjoy being updated about these
accomplishments.
“Although our results suggest that
narcissistsʼ bragging pays of f
because they receive more likes and
comments to their status updates, it
could be that their Facebook friends
politely offer support while secretly
disliking such egotistical displays,”
said Dr. Tara Marshal, a psychology
professor at Brunel University.
When my friends post something
about their exercise routines, I imme‑
diately ʻlikeʼ the post, partly because I
want to encourage them and partly
because I want Facebook to stop
showing me the post over and over.
(Unfortunately, when Al Gore invent‑
ed the Internet, he also created some‑
thing that determines what Facebook
shows me on my news feed – an “Al‑
Gore‑Rhythm.”)
Am I annoyed by these posts? Well,
it depends. If a friend is updating me
about the marathon he just complet‑
ed, Iʼm neither annoyed nor inspired.
I know Iʼll never run a marathon, so it
doesnʼt bother me that one of my
friends is doing it. There is no voice
in my head saying, “You should run a
marathon, too, Melvin. You should
run 26 miles and then spend 26
months recovering in the hospital.” (It
still amazes me that any human can
run a marathon. The most Iʼve ever
run is about five miles and thatʼs with
a stray dog chasing me.)
On the other hand, if a friend is
updating me that he just went for a
20‑minute run, then Iʼm a little
annoyed because I know that I could
easily get myself off the couch, run
for 20 minutes and post about it on
Facebook.
Yes, with a little more effort and
discipline, I could be the one whom
everyone believes is a narcissist.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

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

516‑827‑1010 By Mahendra Shah

Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession,
artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording
the plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his
cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY March 30-April 5, 2019 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; w.premastrologer.com

MARCH 30‑APRIL 5, 2019

Aries: Interior designers will have to
be much more creative to bring suc‑
cess and at the same time to have an
edge over your competitors. Make sure you
donʼt bring office tension to home.
Monetarily not a very promising week as
g ains remains be low expectat ion.
Disappointment in love life is foreseen for
some as your one‑sided love fails to materi‑
alise.
Taurus: T hings at work begin to
move in your favour as you find peo‑
ple supporting you.
Students preparing for competitive exami‑
nations will have to really put‑in a lot of
efforts to succeed. News of arrival of a new
family member may enthral some. Chances
of increasing your fund are high this week
as you decide to invest in some financial
schemes.
Gemini: Exciting times are waiting
for you this week as you are likely to
reap rich achievements with your
hard work. Professionals eng aged in
tourism sectors are likely to get lucrative
offers. Romantic companionship of partner
would make you feel loved and cared.
Health will generally remain normal. You
need to make sure to invest only in secure
schemes to save money.
Cancer: Journey undertaken for the
job prospects would yield positive
results. You are likely to get mone‑
tary gains from more than one source.
Testing times in love is foretold for some on
separation from partner. You will be greatly
benefited by unnecessarily refusing to
worry about health. Engineering students
will have a very promising week. They will
fair very well in examinations.
Leo: No need to be workaholic. Keep
in mind that work is important but
not at the cost of other things.
Spending time in other activities would
recharge body and enable to work efficient‑
ly. Chances of meeting future life partner
are high on the cards for some. Health is
not a major concern, provided you enjoy it
as it comes to you. Rescheduling plans and
routines would be a good idea for some.
Virgo: A promising week is foreseen
to divert mind to spirituality to
enable yourself to enjoy the sound of
peace. You are likely to get an opportunity
to execute brilliant ideas at work. Shopping
with family would be immensely enjoyable.
You will be able to develop a trustworthy
relationship with your beloved. Adolescents
make sure you keep yourself away from
violence.
Libra: Work schedule is likely to
remain hectic but enjoyable. You
will have a good chance of striking
a financial deal. Family problems would
require taking a courageous ef fort. A
gloomy face might give tension to spouse.
Sharing problems with him/her would help
in finding a solution. An opportune time is
ahead to change yourself to make progress
in life especially on the health front.
Scorpio: Grab the money making
opportunities which comes to your
way. Avoid spoiling your romantic
bond by querying too hard about the past
of partner. Positive attitude and a preven‑
tive care would bring immense relief from
your ailments.
Great time is ahead to plan a family vaca‑
tion. Your income can be doubled by rent‑
ing your house or a part of your house.
Sagittarius: Paying heed to good
advice supported by your strong
will and perseverance are likely to
be the success key at work this week. A
long desire to purchase a new house might
be fulfilled as you decide to take loan from
a finance leasing company. Developing rich
nutritious eating habits and making yoga a
part of life is the mantra to enjoy a sound
health.
Capricorn: You are likely to get
praise by seniors at work. Consider
all pros & cons before starting a
new venture. Make sure you donʼt neglect
your social life. If possible, take some time
from your busy schedule and go out to
attend a party with family. Students need to
be careful at academic front. A simple
restrain in eating habits would save you
from stomach problems.
Aquarius: You are likely to face stiff
competition at professional front.
`T hink positively and continue
exercising. This would help in preventing
chronic ailments. Curtail unnecessary
expenses to save money. Quarrelsome per‑
sonal relations would prevent from enjoy‑
ing love life. You need to resolve all misun‑
derstanding to bring normalcy in relations.
Pisces: Opposition at work might
make your time a little tough. Avoid
carelessness and a laid back attitude.
Only thing needed on your part is to put in
requisite ef forts with concentration and
confidence. Understanding the feeling of
love companion would make the relation‑
ship moving. A very wonderful time is
ahead to catch up on your regular routine.
It is high time to complete all pending cor‑
respondence on priority basis.

March 30, 2019 confidence will be at its peak.

Planet Jupiter and number 3
infuse numerous ideas and a
great philosophy in you. You are
guided by good communication
skills and leadership qualities.
Always remember that success
comes to those who dare to
dream and think different. Thus
be confident, believe in yourself
and do what you want to do in
life, success will be definitely
yours.
A good shift and placement of
stars in your sunsign will also
cater you great heights in all
areas of life. Business trips will
be result‑oriented but may
become a reason of some health
problems. An appropriate and
healthy diet and fitness regime
will be high on your agenda.
Flow of money may be inconsis‑
tent but you will not lack of it
when you need the most. This
time you need to believe on your
romantic partnerʼs instinct. Some
family issues may take your pre‑
cious time and energy but these
issues are also important to get
resolved as soon as possible.
Donʼt make a mountain out of a
mole hill in love af fairs. Marital
bliss is foreseen for many young‑
sters. You would grow and see
new heights in the months of
September, November and
February.
March 31, 2019
Persuasion of number 4 and
planet Uranus composes a great
amount of vigor and passion in
you. You can manage a huge
team very easily. In the upcoming
year, you would do exceptionally
goo d job and would obtain
incredible accolades and
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
rewards. But at t imes you
become an enigma for your
known people as you behave sar‑
castically and strangely. You
must control or hide your capri‑
cious nature at professional
front. No doubt you will augment
your savings this year but you
would also spend lavishly, but
think w ise ly while making a
budget. Short but exciting would
be planned for a change. Family
front will make you lively and
full of life. People in love will dis‑
cover a relief in the company of
their partner and that will also
he lp you to stay away from
worldly tensions for a while.
Wedding bells at the doorstep of
love birds are also possible.
Financial and legal transactions
may be tiring and may extend
but will end up in your favor.
October, December and June will
provide expected consequences.
April 1, 2019
Influenced by number 1 and
the Sun, you are energetic, prac‑
tical, dignified, brilliant and high‑
ly sensitive person. You have a
good temperament and are very
tactful, but you need to check
your tendency to behave spend‑
thrift, fickle minded and restless
at times.
This coming year sudden prob‑
lems can be expected at work.
You need to tackle these prob‑
lems with more maturity and
diplomacy. Traveling during this
period will not only bring you
important information but will
also ensure monetary g ains.
Overseas trave l or business
transaction for some of you.
Wedding bells will ring for some
lovebirds later in the year. Health
definitely needs more attention.
Outdoor sports and activities will
attract you. T he months of
December, May, July and October
will be highly important.
April 2, 2019
Ruled by number 2 and the
moon, you are a simple, responsi‑
ble, trustworthy, creative, intelli‑
gent and a talented person. You
enjoy each and every day of your
life to its best and possess talents
to become a thinker, a philoso‑
pher or a writer, but you need to
control your tendency to behave
restless and stubborn at times.
This year you will develop bet‑
ter rapport w ith colleagues,
clients and coworkers if you
socialize with them after work. A
brilliant period which will help
you improve your name and posi‑
tion in your respective fie ld.
Investments w ill reach new
heights and improved finances
will make you spend more on
luxuries and other comforts.
Romantic entanglement will be
pleasant and chances to enter
into a matrimonial alliance will
be strong. Religious function/
Hawans/ ceremonies will be per‑
formed at home. Guest will be
regular and bring you lots of gifts
in cash and kind. The months of
December, April, August and
September will be very signifi‑
cant.
April 3, 2019
Dominated by number 3 and
the Planet Jupiter, you are
charming, ambitious, talented,
helpful, dignified and a highly
methodical person. You are inde‑
pendent by nature and people
admire you for your ability to
take quick decisions, but you
need to curb your tendencies to
behave extravagance, jealous and
hypocrite at times.
This year you will be facing
new challenges, but your strong
will power along with help from
close associates will ensure victo‑
ry for you. Your financial condi‑
tion will improve as the year pro‑
gresses. Gains from investment
as well as speculation cannot be
ruled out. You will be a con‑
cerned parent and will provide
your children with nothing but
the best. Some disturbing news
from a distant place can be
expected towards the middle of
the year. Spiritual person pro‑
vides solace and mental peace.
The months of January, March,
May and August will be highly
productive for you.
April 4, 2019
Dominated by number 4 and
the planet Uranus, you are active,
jovial, confident, methodical and
a systematic person. You are
capable of converting sand to
gold provided you put in your
best, but you need to check your
tendency to behave vindictive,
stubborn and moody at times.
Business ventures that you
establish overseas will bring you
lot of gains and prosperity. New
sources of income will improve
your financial position and your
Professional changes if done
towards the middle of the year
will prove to be beneficial. Family
responsibilities will escalate and
people at home will be more
demanding. Real‑estate transac‑
tion towards the yearend should
bring monetary g ains. T he
months of December, February,
July and September will be result
oriented.
April 5, 2019
Ruled by number 5 and the
planet Mercury. You are practi‑
cal, sensitive, friendly, honest,
diplomatic and possess a sharp
memory.
Your life is always full of excit‑
ing activities and you are very
fond of visiting distant places
and meeting new people, but you
need to check your tendency to
behave nervous, unreliable and
spendthrift at times.
If you have been worried about
the lack of progress in your pro‑
fessional career then this period
is to celebrate and rejoice. Your
work will be highly appreciated
and will put you into the good
books of your seniors, colleagues
and clients. Matters related to
property w ill also bring you
gains. Distant travel, for some
will ensure pleasure and mone‑
tary benefits. Renovation of the
house or construction related
activities will also be high on
your agenda. Chronic patients
definitely need to be more care‑
ful about their health. Preventive
medicines should not be avoided
at any cost. T he months of
October, January, March and
June will prove to be highly sig‑
nificant.
30 March 30-April 5, 2019 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Like all other natural cycles,

there is a cycle of soul
the various planes of creation,
taking up residence in one life
form or another. When life in one
body or life form ends, the soul
returns to inhabit another. As a
By Sant Rajinder Singh plant dies in the winter to regen‑
Ji Maharaj erate in the spring, so does the
soul transmigrate. When one life

W
e have witnessed more is over, it begins another, in a new
scientific and techno‑ form. Nothing is lost in nature.
logical advances in the The soul, being a spark of the
past four decades than in all pre‑ immortal God, never dies. It sim‑
vious recorded history. Scientists ply moves from one life to anoth‑
have uncovered many of the laws er.
which govern nature itself. The God, while separating souls
more they learn about the myster‑ from Himself, has also provided a
ies of nature, the more they mar‑ way for souls to return to Him.
vel at the perfection of the uni‑ This way back to Him is through
verse. the current of Naam or Word. But,
Many now proclaim that the in the scheme of creation, it has
universe cannot be haphazard, been so ordained that the soul
but must be the design of some does not remember its past exis‑
higher power. tence until it has achieved spiritu‑
There is a perfect balance in al evolution. If we were to recall
nature. Our world, our environ‑ each previous birth, our present
ment, and nature itself form a liv‑ life would be so complicated with
ing, interdependent system. The
perfect balance of nature which
LET US DEVOTE OUR TIME TO THE SPIRITUAL memories of former ties, it would
be difficult to function within our
has maintained life on our planet
for millions of years is being
PRACTICES SO WE CAN RECOVER OUR INNATE existing relationships. We would
be seeking out our parents, spous‑

GOD‑GIVEN BEAUTY. ONCE WE DEVELOP IT, WE

threatened by the very technology
that has transformed the modern
world.
Every day the media report new
threats to the environment. The
air we breathe, the water we
drink, and the land from which we
derive our food are all progres‑
sively polluted. The very atmos‑
phere protecting the earth is
endangered. The concern for the
ecology of our planet is not limit‑
ed to any one country or part of
the world. We face a global prob‑
lem. Concern for the ecology has
become one of the main preoccu‑
pations of the world. If we look
into the etymology of the word
"ecology" we find that it comes
from the Greek language. The
Greek word oikos means "house"
or "dwelling place." The element
"logy" means "the study of”.
There is another way of under‑
standing the word ecology. Saints
and mystics refer to our home or
dwelling place as the physical
body which God Himself has
made. The indweller of this house
is the soul.
The scriptures tell us that we
have a responsibility to maintain
and preserve the purity and beau‑
ty of the soul and its dwelling
place. Unfortunately, we have
largely ignored our spiritual side
and have sacrificed its purity for
the sake of the transitory world.
We can learn how to restore
nature and our own self to their
original beauty. And we can put
WILL REFLECT THAT RADIANCE TO ALL THOSE
WITH WHOM WE COME IN CONTACT. WE WILL,
IN FACT, SHOWER THAT LOVE ON ALL LIVING
THINGS AND ON OUR PLANET EARTH.
into practice methods to preserve
our spiritual purity.
All life forms one perfect tapes‑
try. Fundamental laws and cycles
underlie existence. The life cycle
in nature is an example of perfect
interconnectedness. Water from
the seas evaporates and turns into
water vapor. In this process,
impurities and minerals are left
behind. The vapor forms into
clouds, which are blown across
the land. As the clouds meet cool
air, the water condenses into
water droplets, and these pour
down as rain or snow which nour‑
ishes life. For countless ages this
cycle has brought water from the
abundant oceans to the land so
that animals and people can have
fresh water to drink and green
plants can flourish.
With all our advances, we have
not devised a technology that can
duplicate the method by which
green plants convert sunlight, car‑
bon dioxide, and water into food
and oxygen. Through this simple
process the earth receives a fresh
supply of oxygen, necessary for
all life, and an inexhaustible store
of food is available.
There is a perfect design in
nature. Even death helps to bring
forth life. When plants and ani‑
mals die, their decomposed bodies
provide essential minerals for
crops. After millions of years the
decomposed material forms into
energy‑producing fossil fuels. The
ecological system which God cre‑
ated on our earth is so unique
that ours is the only habitable
planet in our solar system.
Like other natural cycles ‑ such
as the water cycle, the plant cycle,
and the fossil‑fuel cycle ‑ there is
also a cycle of the soul. The soul's
journey began with the creation
of the universes, and it has been
in motion ever since.
The scriptures tell us that in the
beginning, God was all alone. He
was an ocean of all blissful con‑
sciousness. Then He decided to
become many from One. This
thought set in motion a vibration,
which resulted in two primal man‑
ifestations: Light and Sound. All
scriptures speak of this Light and
Sound by various names. This
Word or Naam was the God‑into‑
expression power. It created vari‑
ous planes of existence: the pure‑
ly spiritual plane of Sach Khand,
the supracausal plane, the causal
plane, the astral plane, and the
material realms of this physical
plane. It created human beings
and all other species of life. It is
this creative power which keeps
the universe running in perfect
symmetry and harmony, holding
planets in their orbit and the stars
in the heavens.
The soul is a spark of that cre‑
ative principle. It is the enlivening
force within us. As long as the
soul inhabits the body, the body is
alive. At the time of physical
death, the soul departs that body
for good.
When God created the univers‑
es, He separated souls from
Himself to inhabit the worlds.
Thus began the cycle of the soul.
For eons it has been inhabiting
es, and children from previous
births. Thus, a cloud of forgetful‑
ness covers each soul when it
enters a new birth. It has also for‑
gotten its true nature as soul, a
drop of God. In its successive
births, the soul, in its state of
ignorance, identifies with the
mind and body. Instead of seeking
the way back to its Source, it is
attracted to the temptations of
the world.
The knowledge of our true self
lies buried in the deepest recesses
of our innermost soul. Like a dia‑
mond buried deep within the
earth, or the layers of rich oil
lying far below the earth's sur‑
face, our most precious treasure,
the soul, lies buried beneath lay‑
ers of mind, matter, and illusion.
We need to tap into it during our
present life span to uncover our
greatest resource.
Let us devote our time to the
spiritual practices so we can
recover our innate God‑given
beauty. Once we develop it, we
will reflect that radiance to all
those with whom we come in con‑
tact. We will, in fact, shower that
love on all living things and on
our planet earth. By restoring the
ecological health of our soul, we
will be purifying and uplifting all
creation. Then, this world will
return to the divine stage of godly
bliss and ecstasy for which we
were created.
(For more visit www.sos.org)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info March 30-April 5, 2019

Renowned Bollywood Actor R. Madhavan to

Celebrate and Honor a Child’s Right to Live at
“Desis for St. Jude” Fundraising Gala
NEW YORK - Zee TV is gear- TV have demonstrated what ceeds and donations from this enjoy live entertainment, din-
ing up for the “Desis for St. the power of collaboration and gala will be given to research ner, and open bar cocktails
Jude” fundraising gala to be support can do. Families for curing and ending pediatric while VIP guests will also get
held 7 p.m. - 10 p.m., never receive a bill from St. cancer. to meet R. Madhavan.
Saturday, April 6, 2019 at The Jude for treatment, travel,
Gallery at Dream Downtown in housing or food – because all Don’t miss out! The two tiers To take part in the festivities
New York, NY. a family should worry about is of tickets are selling out fast; and honor a life-saving cause,
helping their child live. All pro- premium ticket holders will visit www.desisforstjude.com/
The driving force behind the
upcoming gala for St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital®
is based on Danny Thomas’s
dream that no child should die
in the dawn of life.

The Gallery’s posh venue will

be the perfect backdrop for the
formal event and its elite atten-
dees. Community influencers,
philanthropists, leaders, and
Bollywood enthusiasts are
preparing for an extraordinary
night of excitement and enter-
tainment.

Bollywood celebrity R.
Madhavan will be leading the
night as guest of honor. The
famed Indian actor, writer, and
acclaimed film producer has
won four Filmfare Awards and
appeared in three major block-
busters – Rang De Basanti,
Guru, and 3 Idiots.

Also, performing live at the

charity gala will be Vilas
Nayak, one of the most
sought-after speed painting
artists in the world, who has
showcased his talents in more
than 23 countries. Guests will
witness and enjoy firsthand
Nayak’s skill with paints.

In addition to live Bollywood

performances, attendees will
feast on a special dinner with
open bar cocktails. The gala
will feature a silent auction dis-
play and award prize winners
from raffle drawings.

Treatments invented at St.

Jude have helped push the
overall childhood cancer sur-
vival rate from 20 percent
when the hospital opened in
1962 to more than 80 percent
today But while there have
been tremendous advances in
science and survival odds, the
need for support is greater
than ever.

Together, St. Jude and Zee

TheSouthAsianTimes.info March 30-April 5, 2019