The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e
Vol.11 No. 50 April 20-26, 2019 80 Cents
Macron vows to rebuild Notre Dame
after fire in the world heritage site
Paris: French President
Emmanuel Macron says Notre‑
Dame cathedral will be rebuilt
"even more beautifully" ‑ and that
he wants the work done within
five years. In a televised address
on Tuesday evening, President
Macron suggested he wants it
rebuilt by the time Paris hosts
the Summer Olympics in 2024
A massive fire on Monday rav‑
aged the 850‑year‑old Gothic
building, destroying much of its
roof and causing its steeple to
collapse. The cathedral was min‑
utes away from total destruction,
officials say.
But despite Mr Macron's pledge
experts say its reconstruction
could take decades.
Fifty people will investigate the
cause of the fire. Paris public
prosecutor Rémy Heitz said there
was no obvious indication of
White House readies robust response
to Mueller report release
Washington: While President
Donald Trump and the White
House are uncertain about what
exactly will be revealed in special
counsel Robert Mueller's report
when Attorney General William
Barr clears the release of the
redacted version to the Congress
and public Congress on Thursday,
ABC reports they are preparing an
aggressive response.
The initial response will look
much as it did when Mueller first
transmitted the report to Barr late
last month, which was expressing
relief over Barrʼs general conclu‑
sions.
"He anticipates the end of this
just like everyone else," a source
with knowledge of the president's
thinking said. The president's two
top White House lawyers, Pat
COMMUNITY 15 SELF HELP 25
i n
The Gothic spire of the cathedral fell in the blaze. Notre Dame
means Our Lady (Mary, mother of Jesus). The cathedral is one of
Paris' most popular attractions, and is considered a symbol of
Christianity as well as a symbol of French and European culture.
arson and that the blaze was
being treated as an accident. A
combined €800m ($902m) has
The president's advisers are yet
worried about obstruction of
justice findings in the report
release Thursday. (Photo flickr)
Cipollone and Emmet Flood, are
expected to be among the White
House officials reading the report.
Barr and a select few of his asso‑
ciates have been reviewing
HUMOR 28
j o u r n a l i s m
New York Edition
already been pledged by a num‑
ber of companies and business
Continued on page 4
Mueller's 400‑plus page report in
recent weeks and making redac‑
tions. ABC News has learned that
the White House has received a
broad briefing on the report
including that it will be divided
into sections on obstruction and
collusion and that certain portions
will be redacted.
Advisers to the president are
said to be most concerned about
the possibility of previously
unknown examples of potential
obstruction of justice and what
information Mueller's team
learned from witness interviews,
especially former White House
Counsel Don McGahn who sat for
well over 30 hours with Mueller's
investigators. "I heard it's going to
come out on Thursday. That's
Continued on page 4
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30
Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Campaigning ends
for 2nd phase
Lok Sabha polls
New Delhi: The campaigning came
to an end Tuesday for 97 Lok
Sabha constituencies spread over
13 states and Union Territories
which will go to the polls April 18
in the second phase of the mega
seven‑phase electoral exercise.
As the ʻsilenceʼ period began, the
election rallies and street corner
meetings ended in the 97 con‑
st ituencies of Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar
Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Odisha,
Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jammu
and Kashmir, Manipur, Tripura
and Puducherry.
The seven‑phase Lok Sabha elec‑
tions started on April 11 and will
conclude on May 19. Counting of
votes will take place on May 23.
One side lig ht was that the
Election Commission on Monday
barred BSP chief Mayawati, UP
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath,
Union Minister Maneka Gandhi
and SP leader Azam Khan from
campaigning in the elections for
48 to 72 hours for violating the
poll code. W hile Maywati had
urged the Muslim community to
vote only for the SP‑BSP‑RLD
alliance candidates, the CM had
said if the Congress, SP‑BSP had
8 EC bars Yogi, Maya,
Azam, Maneka from
campaigning for
some time
8 Vellore election
cancelled after huge
cash recovery
8 Congress-AAP
alliance talks
resumed to keep BJP
at bay in Delhi
faith in Ali, "we have faith in
Bajrangbali". While Maneka was
barred for asking Muslims in
Pilibhit, her constituency, to vote
for her if they wanted jobs, Khan
was banned for making objection‑
able remarks against actor‑turned‑
politician Jaya Prada, his BJP
opponent in Rampur.
Meanwhile, Lok Sabha election
to the Vellore constituency in
Tamil Nadu was cance lled on
Tuesday after of ficials recovered
huge amounts of cash from a
building allegedly linked to a DMK
leader last week.
In Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party
Continued on page 4
excellence in journalism
TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 20-26, 2019

Kohl, kajal, and surma can

contain lead, which can
cause learning and behavior
problems in children,
miscarriage in pregnant
women, and infertility.
„ Wash your hands after
handling.
„ Keep away from children.
„ If you use kohl, kajal,
or surma, ask your doctor
for a blood lead test.

WARNING: MAY CONTAIN LEAD

Call 311 or visit nyc.gov/leadfree

for more information.
Bill de Blasio
Mayor
Oxiris Barbot, MD
Commissioner
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
MNCs, Indiaʼs pension scheme, orphan‑
ages caught in IL&FS maelstrom
New Delhi: The mass outbreak of
the baleful IL&FS bonds virus has
engulfed many high‑profile enti‑
t ies. W hile NCLAT (Nat ional
Company Law Appe llate
Tribunal) adjourned the April 16
hearing on the matter of the debt‑
ridden conglomerate to April 29,
it did give a ray of hope to the
thousands of working class peo‑
ple from 1,400 firms with money
at risk to the tune of Rs 9,700
crore of their lifelong hard work.
During the hearing, the tribunal
observed that IL&FS should prior‑
itize repaying smaller creditors,
including the investments made
by provident funds (PF) and pen‑
sion funds, in a manner that 80%
of their entitled amounts are paid.
IL&FS or Infrastructure Leasing
& Financial Services Limited is an
Indian infrastructure develop‑
ment and finance company. It
operates through more than 250
subsidiaries including IL&FS
Investment managers, IL&FS
financial services and IL&FS
M
rs. Lalita Jhalani, wife of
prominent New York jewel‑
e r M r. Ka i l a sh J h a l a n i ,
passed away on April 14 at the age of
73.
Hundreds of people from the jewel‑
ry and Rajasthani community attend‑
ed the funeral on Tuesday and paid
tributes at Frank E Campbell Funeral
Chapel in Upper East Side, NYC.
A pioneer among Jaipur Jewelers
Group, Lalita Jhalani played influen‑
tial and important role in unifying
the community and preserving rich
Rajasthani culture and heritage
among the youth and new immi‑
grants from Rajasthan.
Kailash Jhalani moved to New York
with his family in early 1970s to
start his gemstones business, Prompt
Gem Importers. It is known for rare
and fine jewels and diamonds.
Mrs. Lalita Jhalani was unwell and
partially immobile for the last few
years, yet she was seen attending
many community events with the
help of her family members. She is
survived by her husband, Kailash
Jhalani, son Shailesh Jhalani, daugh‑
ter‑in‑law Manisha and three grand‑
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
US advises citizens
against travel to Pakistan
Investments made by provident
funds (PF) and pension funds are
stranded in what were once 'triple
A' rated IL&FS bonds.
Transportation networks India
Limited. Over the last few days,
IANS has unearthed how salaried
employees of blue chip public and
private sector firms are stranded
with their life's savings pledged
w ith these funds which have
exposure to what were once
'triple A' rated bonds. The conta‑
gion now a full‑fledged pandemic
has touched the government's
flagship Nat ional Pension
OBITUARY
Mrs. Lalita Jhalani
children Shalina, Sonam and Shrey.
Coincidentally, Manisha Jhalani was
h o n o r ed b y R A NA ( R a j a s t h a n i
Association of North America) at
their Diwali 2018 gala mainly for her
inspiring‑ideal services to her moth‑
er‑in‑law, Lalita Jhalani.
She was the sister of Mr. Kailash
Rawat, also an eminent jeweler and
community leader.
April 20-26, 2019 3
Washington: The Trump adminis‑ ue to happen across Pakistan,
Scheme, academic institutions
tration has advised its citizens to with most occurring in
and MNCs.
reconsider their travel to Pakistan Balochistan and KPK. Large‑scale
Oxford University Press (OUP),
due to terrorism and asked them terrorist attacks have resulted in
ad agencies Hindustan
not to trave l to Balochistan, hundreds of casualties," it stated.
Thompson, McCann Erickson and
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) "Terrorists may attack with little
R.K. Swamy Advert ising
provinces and "Azad Kashmir or no warning, targeting transport
Associates PF are among those
(Pakistan Occupied Kashmir)" ‑‑ hubs, markets, shopping malls,
w ith exposure. Perhaps the
identified as the "most dangerous" military installations, airports,
biggest travesty is the long list of
areas. In the trave l advisory universities, tourist locations,
orphanages and hospitals which
issued on Monday, the US has put schools, hospitals, places of wor‑
have exposure ‑ for instance the
Pakistan (in general) in "Level 3" ship and government facilities.
celebrated Breach Candy Hospital
category, and Balochistan, KPK Terrorists have targeted US diplo‑
Trust Staff PF, the J.N. Petit Parsi
provinces, including the former mats and diplomatic facilities in
Orphanage PF, and New Delhi
Federally Administered Tribal the past and information suggests
Holy Family Society EPF.
Areas (FATA), and Pakistan they continue to do so," stated the
One of India's largest coopera‑
Occupied Kashmir (POK) in the advisory. It said the US govern‑
tives, IFFCO has multiple entries
most dangerous "Level 4" catego‑ ment "has limited ability to pro‑
as IFFCO EPF and as IFFCO‑Tokio
ry. Warning the US citizens vide emergency services to US cit‑
General Insurance (ITGI). Equally,
against travelling to POK, the izens in Pakistan due to the secu‑
Khadi Gramodyog Sangh EPF,
advisory said, "Militant groups are rity environment".
Southern Railway Employees
known to operate in the area. The Due to risks to civil aviation
Credit Coop So ciety are also
threat of armed conflict between operating within or near Pakistan,
named in the MCA supplemen‑
India and Pakistan remains. the Federal Aviation
tary af fidavit. The prestigious
Indian and Pakistan military Administration (FAA) has issued a
Doon School EPF trust and the
forces periodically exchange gun Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) and/or
elitist Sanskriti School for govern‑
and artillery fire across the Line of a Special Federal Aviation
ment servants' children too are
Control." "Terrorist attacks contin‑ Regulation (SFAR), it said.
named.
BJANA celebrates a spirited Holi
Ambassador Chakravorty speaking at the colorful annual event
of the Bihar Jharkhand Association of North America.
Edison, NJ: The Bihar Jharkhand Association of Consul General Shatrughna Sinha. Other
North America (BJANA) celebrated its annual notable guests included Ajay Bhushan Pandey,
Holi celebration on April 14 with almost 500 CEO of UIDIA (that issues Indian ID Aadhaar
guests at the Royal Albertʼs Palace here. cards), Kamlesh Mehta (Chairman of The South
The cultural program included dance per‑ Asian Times) and Gold Medalist boxer Vikas
formances and a medley of classic Bhojpuri Yadav. The dignitaries commended BJANA for
songs and a flash mob featuring BJANA mem‑ its role in supporting Indian culture in the US.
bers. On the occasion, CMs of both Bihar and
BJANA president Vinay Singh, Vice President Jharkhand, Nitish Kumar and Raghubar Das
Dr. Avinash Gupta and their team felicitated wrote letters wishing the BJANA family well;
community leaders Ramesh Pate l (FIA‑ the letters have been featured in Vaishali, a
Chairman), Padma Shri Dr. H.R. Shah (CEO TV biannual publication of BJANA.
Asia), S.K. Sinha and Ranjit Varma at the event. The event concluded with guests dancing to
Chief Guest was Consul General Sandeep Bollywood hits and classic Holi songs.
Chakravorty, who was accompanied by Deputy BJANAʼs Annual Picnic is next on August 4.
 4 April 20-26, 2019 TURN PAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Campaigning ends for salvaged, as were a host of

second phase Lok
Sabha polls
Continued from page 1
(AAP) on Tuesday said it will ini‑
t iate fresh talks w ith the
Congress to “convince” the lat‑
ter to agree to an alliance in
Haryana and Chandigarh, apart
from Delhi.
Cong ress has previously
declined an alliance with the
AAP in states other than Delhi
arguing that the ground reali‑
ties differed from state to state.
In Delhi, it has of fered to con‑
test three seats, leaving four to
AAP.
Efforts for an alliance in Delhi
have been driven by a desire to
not divide the anti‑BJP votes in
the capital, where the two par‑
ties together secured a vote
share that was higher than that
of the BJP in 2014 although the
Arya Samaj group conducts havan latter won all seven seats.
United Arya Samaj Federation celebrated the 144th anniversary of Arya Samaj Foundation with a
Mutli_Kunda (open air) Havan on April 14. It was held at Arya Spiritual Center ground in Queens. Macron vows to rebuild
People were asked to brign their own ingredients for havan. Bhajans, Vedic mantra chanting was part Notre Dame after fire in
of the spiritual event. Vegetarian food was served. the world heritage site
Continued from page 1
tycoons to help rebuild the
Unesco World Heritage site.
invaluable artefacts and works
of art stored inside, including
the Holy Crown, believed by
many to be from the crown of
thorns placed on the head of
Jesus Christ.
The Vatican said the Holy See
learned with "shock and sadness
the news of the terrible fire that
has devastated the Cathedral of
Notre Dame de Paris, symbol of
Christianity, in France and in
the world".
US President Donald Trump
termed it a "terrible, terrible
fire", while German Chancellor
Angela Merkel called the Notre
Dame a "symbol of French and
European culture". The Notre
Dame's foundation stone was
laid in 1163 by Pope Alexander
III and the Cathedral was com‑
pleted in the 13th century. It is
one of Paris' most popular
attractions, drawing an estimat‑
ed 13 million visitors a year.
White House readies
robust response to
Mueller report release
Continued from page 1
good. And there can't be any‑

India's Supreme Court considers Frédéric Létoffé, the head of

call to open mosques to women
New Delhi: Indiaʼs Supreme Court
agreed on Tuesday to consider a
petition from a Muslim couple to
allow women into mosques, seeking
to overturn a centuries‑old practice,
reports Reuters.
Women are not allowed inside
most mosques in India although a
few have separate entrances for
women to go into segregated areas.
The petitioners, Yasmeen and her
husband Zuber Peerzade, said that
women were allowed to enter
mosques during the time of the
Prophet Mohammad. “Like men,
women also have the constitutional
rights to offer worship according to
their belief,” they said in their peti‑
tion. “There should not be any gen‑
der discrimination and allow Muslim
women to pray in all mosques,” they
said.
The court last year lifted a ban on
the entry of women of menstrual
age at a Hindu temple in southern
India saying it was a violation of
their right to worship.
The Muslim couple referred to the
temple ruling, which angered con‑
servative Hindus, as a precedent to
support their call for women to be
allowed to pray at mosques.
Supreme Court judge S.A. Bobde
said the court will examine the cou‑
pleʼs request at length.
The court in 2017 ruled as uncon‑
stitutional a law which allows
Muslim men to divorce their wives
simply by uttering the word “talaq”,
which means divorce in Arabic,
three times.
This year, the government issued
an executive order making instant
divorce an offence punishable with
up to three years in jail.
the group of companies for the
Restoration of Historic
Monuments, put the timescale
or restoring Notre Dame at
between 10 and 15 years, warn‑
ing substantial work would be
needed to secure the site before
restoration can begin.
Russian President Vladimir
Putin sent a message to Macron,
offering Russian experts to help
in the restoration project.
The UN's Paris‑based cultural
agency Unesco also promised to
stand "at France's side" to
restore the site, which it
declared a world heritage site in
1991.
The 12th‑century Cathedral's
iconic facade and towers were
thing there because there was
no crime. There was no any‑
thing," Trump told ABC News
af filiate KSTP Monday in
Minnesota. A source close to the
president said the White House
expects no information in the
report will implicate the presi‑
dent legally, based on Barrʼs
release of the principal conclu‑
sions; however, the source
expects "it will have some state‑
ments that are bad PR‑wise."
While the president hasn't pri‑
vately expressed any concern
over the contents of the report,
sources say he is using his
recent tweets attacking the
report as a way to distract from
any negative revelations on
Thursday.

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE April 20-26, 2019 5

Turban Day celebrated at Times Square

New York: A sea of colors and tradi‑
tion of the Sikh culture inundated

Times Square, the crossroads of the
world, as members of the communi‑
ty tied turbans to thousands of New
Yorkers and tourists in an annual
fixture aimed at spreading aware‑
ness about the Sikh identity.
Sikh organization ''The Sikhs of
New York'' organized the annual
Turban Day on Saturday in associa‑
tion with the Consulate General of
India in New York. T his year's
Turban Day also marked the 550th
birth anniversary of Guru Nanak
Dev and the festival of Baisakhi.
Deputy Consul General of India in
New York Shatrughna Sinha said
the Consulate is commemorating
the 550th birth anniversary of Guru
Nanak with Gurubani recital pro‑
grams. As part of the commemora‑
tion of Guru Nanak's 550th birth
anniversary as well as to mark
Baisakhi, this year the Consulate
associated with The Sikhs of NY on
Turban Day, Sinha said.
"This is a great environment and
Turbans were tied to thousands of New Yorkers aimed
at spreading awareness about Sikh identity
ambiance and the crowd is fantas‑
tic," Sinha said, sporting a blue tur‑
ban as he took part in the commem‑
oration. "There is no better way
than this to raise awareness about
Sikhism as well as propagating the
message of universal brotherhood
and humanity of Guru Nanak Dev
Ji," he told PTI.
Turban Day was started in 2013
at Baruch College to promote and
educate people about the Sikh reli‑
gion and identity.
Sikhs of New York co‑founder
Chanpreet Singh said in the seven
years that Turban Day has been
organized in the city, there has
increasingly been awareness about
Sikhism, not just through people
who are getting turbans tied but by
the thousands others on social
media following the event.
He said more than 38,000 tur‑
bans have been tied in the past
S
everal senior US lawmakers greeted Sikhs on the occasion of
Vaisakhi and lauded the community's contributions in the economic
development of America. "Today is a historically significant day for
our Sikh neighbors across Texas," Senator John Cornyn tweeted, as Sikhs
and Indian Americans celebrated Vaisakhi across the country. The top
Republican Senator from Texas is Co‑Chair of the Senate Indian Caucus.
"On this joyous spiritual day for members of the Sikh community, I wish
American Sikhs a very happy Vaisakhi," said Senator Marco Rubio.
"Sikhs have been an integral part of America's fabric for 125+ years.
Sikhs wear turbans as a pledge to uphold equality and justice," said
Congressman Adriano Espaillat. "We join our Sikh American neighbors in
celebrating Vaisakhi, one of the most historically significant days for Sikhs
all over the world!" he said. "On Vaisakhi, I am incredibly proud of the Sikh
community and its tenets of equality, truth in speech, justice, and compas‑
sion in New York''s 13th Congressional District and NYC. Wishing all of our
Sikh American neighbors, friends, families, and colleagues a joyous
Vaisakhi," he said.
seven years since the day started the years. "We have people coming
being organized in the city. from California, Canada, Europe and
Technically, by tying one turban some from India, especially plan‑
we are educating 200 people who ning their trip to the US around
are following it on social media," Turban Day," he said. This year, the
Singh said, adding that the number organization also honored Sikh per‑
of volunteers signing up for the sonnel serving in the US Army and
event has increased multifold over Navy.

NRIs organizing flash mob BAPS womenʼs conference in Melville

dances, callathons to
influence voters in India
Houston: A group of NRIs in Houston
organized a flash mob dance while
others are involved in callathons to
galvanize support for various political
parties as the crucial weeks‑long gen‑
eral elections began in India.
Donning 'Namo Again' T‑Shirts, wav‑
ing tricolor and dancing on the tunes
of 'Namo Namo' song, the BJP sup‑
porters organized the flash mob dance
in support of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi at the crowded Miller Outdoor
T heatre in Houston downtown
Saturday evening.
The saf fron‑clad volunteers have
been working tirelessly asking people
to support Modi for a second term.
These volunteers are hosting 'Chai Pe
Charcha' meetings, making calls to
voters in India and organizing catchy
Bollywood flash mobs to reach masses
back home, organizers said. So far the
overseas friends of BJP USA (OFBJP
USA) has reached over 5,000 voters
through direct phone calls, they said.
"Receiving a call from a concerned
NRI leaves a special impression on the
voter and he/she gets encouraged to
participate in the elections as we push
for every voter to go out and vote,"
Achalesh Amar, one of the volunteers
leading this campaign, told PTI.
"These supporters of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi clearly believe that
support can be shown anywhere,
whether onlookers can vote in the
coming Lok Sabha elections or not.
After all, there is always social media,"
said Madhukar Adi, a BJP volunteer,
who organized the flash mob dance
Saturday. Gitesh Desai, the 2019
Pravasi Bhartiya Samman winner and
coordinator for NRI4MODI2019 in
Houston, said, "the weekly callathon is
one of the many activities we have
undertaken to support Modi and the
BJP for the 2019 general election of
India."
Indian‑American BJP supporters
had a global callathon this weekend.
"This was joined by multiple cities in
the US, Canada, Japan, the UK and
Australia at the same time," Amar said.
Supporters of the Indian National
Congress are also organizing similar
events in support of their party.
They are engaging the Indian elec‑
torate, by participating in phone
banks from New Jersey to California,
or by being physically present in
India. Mohinder Singh Gilzian, the new
president of Indian Overseas Congress
USA, told PTI over the phone from
New York, that the "upcoming elec‑
tions in India are very critical, and we
are planning to send teams of volun‑
teers so that we can make a dif fer‑
ence." "We will also strive to create a
strong social media presence to chal‑
lenge the misinformation campaign
that is waged by the opposition," he
said.
"Our country is indeed in a crisis,
and as NRIs, we need to step up, be
united and defeat this regime in this
upcoming election. It is essential that
as NRIs who are living in every part of
the world, we fight all forms of bigotry
and hatred and bring the country back
where the government can focus on
development and prosperity for all its
citizens," he said.
inspires young women towards their goals
New York: For Sonam Brahmbhatt, a first‑year medical
student at Zucker School of Medicine at
Hofstra/Northwell, the biggest merit of the BAPS
Womenʼs Conference was connecting with other
women. “Itʼs nice to know and learn from other women
about their goals, the efforts they put to achieve them
and the challenges faced along the way,” said
Brahmbhatt.
The conference, in its 13th year, hosted over 585
women at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in
Melville, New York on March 31st. The theme of the
conference was “Sādhanā: The Purpose and the
Pursuit”. Sādhanā means efforts towards our goals.
Through drawing on our hopes and goals, our purpose
and priorities, the conference presented an insightful
look at our efforts, its challenges, and how to overcome
them through actionable steps.
In highlighting the topics of the event, key note
speaker Indu Jaiswal, RDN CDN, the current chairper‑
son of Indian American Forum, Inc. noted the impor‑
tance of maintaining constant ef forts towards our
Sādhanā in all aspects of life. “The highest form of
Sadhana is making efforts to merge with God. It is the
process of achieving the goal of God realization. It is a
beautiful blend of efforts in the form of actions and
thoughts leading to ultimate truth.”
The opening portion of the conference focused on
identifying the hope behind our everyday ef forts.
Speaker Devanshi Patel, a technical consultant at IBM,
highlighted through her own ambitions and goals, how
she strives to achieve them, and the challenges she
struggles to overcome. She shared the role spiritual
Sādhanā plays in maintaining the faith, strength,
courage, and stillness required to get past the frustra‑
tion, apathy, bitterness, and hopelessness that lifeʼs
experiences and challenges bring.
The second portion of the conference focused on the
“how” of practicing personal spiritual Sādhanā. Bhumi
Joshi, JD, who currently works as a solo practitioner,
shared how daily spiritual practices, objective intro‑
spection, service to others, and maintaining healthy
familial relationships help towards our goal. She spoke
of the importance of honest introspection in allowing
us to see past ourselves, understand others, and main‑
The theme of conference was 'Sadhana:
The purpose and the pursuit'
taining perspective through lifeʼs situations. She
explained how she strives to teach her children the
meaning of Sādhanā through example and shared that
she begins her day listening to spiritual discourses.
Through her talk, she simplified the seemingly difficult
concept of spiritual Sādhanā into everyday achievable
steps.
The various speakers provided a wake‑up call for
Brahmbhatt: “Having that realization that the stories
that you hear are real, its kind of a jump‑start to the
heart and to the head to kind of remind me of the
importance of daily spiritual practices towards my own
goal.”
“I am so proud, I am so happy to see the young
women organize such a wonderful conference. I look
forward to applying some of the principles discussed
today in my day to day life," said Trupti Shah, a partici‑
pant at the conference.
The BAPS Womenʼs Conference was inspired by
Pramukh Swami Maharaj and encouraged by Mahant
Swami Maharaj, the current spiritual leader of BAPS
Swaminarayan Sanstha. The conference highlights the
influential role of women in todayʼs society and also
empowers the younger generations by promoting a
healthy dialogue around current topics. Before and
after the conference, attendees had the opportunity to
network with others from the greater community and
share their perspective on the talks of the day. Many in
attendance felt inspired by the conference and con‑
veyed their motivation to share the word with their
family and friends.
 6 April 20-26, 2019 TRISTATE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Queens meet seeks support for Modi,

cites progress under PM
Special to The South
Asian Times
New York: Some are conducting
pujas in temples, others are pray‑
ing privately and doing all they
can, and almost everybody is
rooting for the success of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in the
ongoing seven‑phase general
election in India.
Welcome to Overseas Friends
of BJP and its affiliates.
A majority of Indian‑Americans
seem to be rooting for the re‑
election of Modi though nearly
all of them cannot vote for the
BJP stalwart or his party.
Indians, across the US, particu‑
larly in the Tristate area of New
York, New Jersey and
Connect icut are sending
WhatsApp messages as well as
calling their friends and families
with a view to converting the
undecided voters to exercise
their franchise in favor of the rul‑
ing National Democratic Alliance,
in which the BJP is the main con‑
stituent.
Across New Jersey, get‑togeth‑
ers are held discussing how to
galvanize support for the 68‑
year‑old leader. On Long Island
Nilima Madan, main coordinator of the event along
with other PM Modi supporters
and Queens, where Indians are
present in significant numbers,
conclaves took place seeking
coordination among various sup‑
porters of Modi.
Late last month, one such meet‑
ing was convened in Hicksville.
Last weekend a similar gathering
took place in Queens in the
Indian American dominated sec‑
tion of Hillside Avenue.
About 100 people participated
in the gathering convened at a
short notice, according to Nilima
Madan, the main coordinator of
the event. “They are doing every‑
thing they can to contribute their
mite for the success of Modi,” she
told the South Asian Times short‑
ly after the informal meeting
concluded. “Some are doing
pujas, havans and calling people
back home. Their only intention
is to become a part of the Modi
success story.”
Asked how can Indian‑
Americans living thousands of
miles away from their mother‑
land help the BJP, Madan said,
“Certainly they can influence
neutral voters. Somebody calling
all the way from the US and seek‑
ing their votes for Modi….it cer‑
tainly makes a difference.”
The gathering was informally
titled NRIs for Modi, though
many of them have formal mem‑
bership or association with the
BJP. In fact Madan herself is a
national general secretary of
Overseas Friends of BJP (USA).
Rajendra Prasad Singh was
among the key speakers. He nar‑
rated how Nehru “international‑
ized” the Kashmir issue taking it
to the UN instead of solving it
there and then itself. Except for
that princely state, almost all
principalities became parts of
India. He opined that the
Himalayan region, in its entirety,
should have become a part and
parcel of India.
He also cited another major
failure of Nehru when India lost
the 1962 border war with China.
Singh, a former organizing secre‑
tary of OFBJP, however,
expressed satisfaction that India
has found its place now in the
comity of nations.
Bearing the same last name,
but no relative to the prime min‑
ister, Mukesh Modi noted that
India, particularly Hindus, is not
an intolerant society. “Many indi‑
viduals belonging to minorities
are thriving. We have Shahrukh
Khan, we have Naseeruddin Shah
and we have everybody,” he said.
He has made six trips to India
in recent months and saw dis‑
cernible development. Pointing
out that the prime minister
wants Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas
(taking everybody along in devel‑
opment), the BJP supporter said,
“We need such leaders in order
for the country to scale greater
heights.”
Sivadasan Nair, the New York‑
based OFBJP convener, was con‑
fident that this time around the
party would open an account in
Kerala. “We are confident that
BJP will win at least three Lok
Sabha seats. Shashi Tharoor, who
is contesting again from the
Thiruvananthapuram seat will be
defeated by K. Rajasekharan,
who resigned as Mizoram gover‑
nor to run for the Lok Sabha,”
Nair said.
Just a wee k ago, Bhushan
Tadepalli returned from India.
He found all‑round enthusiasm
for Modi. He described as unfor‑
tunate the Telugu Desam depar‑
ture from the NDA. Bhushan
characterized Maha
Gathbandhan (the opposition
Grand Alliance) as Maha
Gadbadbandhan (greatly con‑
fused lot).
Among those who spoke at the
meeting were Mohan Wanchoo,
Raj Bhayani, Anil Mittal, Usha
Bansal and Harish Thakkar.

IN BRIEF

Rotary organizes undergarment The Society of Foreign Consuls in

donation event in Hicksville
Rotary Club of Hicksville South members at the event
New York honors Dr. Neeta Jain
D
r. Neeta Jain, the only female Indian‑
American elected official in New York
City, was nominated by the Consul
General of India in NY Ambassador Sandeep
Chakravorty and was honored by the Society of
Foreign Consuls in New York, Inc. on
International Womenʼs Day. Chakravorty pre‑
sented the award to Dr. Jain, along with the
Treasurer of the Society, the Consul General of
Poland, Maciej Golubiewski, at a grand ceremo‑
ny attended by distinguished guests of the
diplomatic community and U.S. government
officials.

R
otary Club of Hicksville
South (RCHS) held another
charity event for the year,
the Undergarment Distribution
Project, at the HAB Bank Premises,
in Hicksville, Long Island, NY under
the leadership of RCHSʼs current
President, Roopam Bhambri Maini
and the Project Leader, Anu Gulati.
Past District Governor, Kamlesh
Mehta, members, Rekha Gupta.
Nilima Madan, Quddus Mohammed,
Aleya Hussain Jung, Tahira Sharif,
Mohinder Miglani, President‑Elect,
Mukesh Modi among others were
present.
Rizwan Qureshi, a high ranking
executive of HAB Bank, was thanked
for his generous accommodation of
the event. Kamlesh Mehta congratu‑
lated all the women in RCHS for
their leadership role in the project.
Guest Speaker Lonnie Sherman, a
fellow Rotarian from Ronkonkoma
Rotary Club delivered his encourag‑
ing words. He was also one of the
recipients of the Undergarments on
behalf of General Needs ‑ an NGO
Serving Our Honorable Homeless
Veterans with Dignity.
jain is Demo crat ic District Leader for
Assembly District 25 Part B in Queens, which
includes Flushing, Kew Gardens Hills, Hillcrest,
and Hillside Avenue.
Diana Zhgenti, Consul General of Georgia,
presided over the award ceremonies, which
were held on March 14 at Kalayaan Hall, on
the premises of the Consulate General of
Philippines. The host of the evening was Claro
Cristobal, Consul General of the Republic of the
Philippines.
The Society honored the commitment of
women throughout many immigrant communi‑
ties in New York City and acknowledged its
vibrancy, diversity, accomplishments, and con‑
Dr Neeta Jain receiving the award
tributions of each recipient to her respective
community.
The evening opened with introductory state‑
ments made by the President of the Society,
Consul General of Georgia, Diana Zhgenti, and
by the Treasurer of the Society, the Consul
General of Poland, Maciej Golubiewski.
Commissioner Cecile Noel of the Mayor's
office to End Domestic and Gender Based
Violence, Director Brooke Knobel from the U.S.
State Department Office of Foreign Missions,
and the Minister of Women's Affairs in Algeria
attended the event.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY April 20-26, 2019 7

US lawmakers move bill to Ami Bera offers help to his

give India NATO ally status
Washington, DC: A bipartisan group of half a
dozen influential American lawmakers has rein‑
troduced important legislation in the House of
Representatives which seeks to advance the US‑
India strategic relationship.
If enacted, the legislation would ensure that
the US State Department treat India as a NATO
ally for the purposes of the Arms Export Control
Act. It would send a powerful signal that defense
sales to India should be prioritized according to
US‑India Strategic Partnership Forum, which had
worked on this important legislation. The bill H
R 2123 was introduced this week by
Congressman Joe Wilson, a senior member of
the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "India is
the world's largest democracy, a pillar of stabili‑
ty in the region, and has shown strong commit‑
ments to export control policies," said Wilson.
"This adjustment to US law will further allow
the US‑India partnership to flourish in line with
our security commitment to the Indo‑Pacific
region. I am grateful for the US‑India Strategic
Partnership Forum (USISPF), led by Dr. Mukesh
Aghi, and their support for this legislation," he
said.
The original co‑sponsors of the legislation are
Congressman Ami Bera the longest‑serving
Indian‑American in Congress and the House
India Caucus Co‑Chairs, Congressmen George
Holding, Brad Sherman, and Congresswoman
Tulsi Gabbard and Congressman Ted Yoho. The
National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) for
fiscal 2017 included special language recogniz‑
ing the unique US‑India defense relationship
that designated India as a "Major Defence
Partner" of the United States.
Although powerful in its own right, the NDAA
FY 2017 has no legal bearing on the State
Department's body of legislation, nor does it
compel the State Department to view defense
with India more favorably, USISPF said in a
statement.
To fulfill the spirit and intent of the NDAA
2017, the US‑India Enhanced Cooperation Act
would amend the Arms Export Control Act to put
India on par with NATO allies and Israel, South
Korea, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan.
"We applaud Congressman Wilson's leader‑
ship in reintroducing this important bill. We are
confident the US Congress will continue to enact
legislation that bolsters the bilateral. The great
power competition is not lost on Members of
Congress, who understand the strategic impera‑
tive for a deeper relationship with India," said
Aghi, president and CEO of USISPF.
"This legislation would be a major break‑
through for the US‑India defense relationship. As
Chairman of USISPF, I support this move
because it would ultimately further strengthen
the strategic partnership between the two coun‑
tries. The future is bright for the US‑India rela‑
tionship and we hope this legislation is enacted
soon," USISPF chairman John Chambers said.
(PTI)
constituents in tax filing
Los Angeles: Indian‑American
Congressman Ami Bera has offered to help
the residents of California's Sacramento
County who might be having issues with
the filing of taxes after the introduction of
new federal tax law.
Bera, the US Representative for
California's 7th Congressional District, has
been representing the Sacramento County
since 2013. He announced on his Twitter
handle that his office was eager to help in
whichever way it can.
The new law has a new deduction cap on
state and local taxes, which the law caps at
$10,000. Before 2018, taxpayers were
allowed to deduct their total combined
state and local taxes from their federal Congressman Ami Bera
taxes, softening the blow of high property
and income taxes in states like New Jersey site. The new federal tax law might make it
and California. more challenging for many families to fig‑
The impact is keenly felt by middle‑class ure out tax filings this year, Bera said.
homeowners who live in towns with high His of fice has also been educating the
property taxes. people about the taxpayers' rights.
April 15 marks the Tax Day in the US. Everyone that disagrees with an Internal
"This tax season, I know many families Revenue Service decision is entitled to
are sitting around their kitchen tables and appeal the decision before an independent
are trying to figure out how to make ends board. According to Bera's of fice, even
meet. And this year, the new federal tax though the tax filing day is April 15, the
law may make this even more challenging. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does pro‑
My office is here to help you however we vide a few ways in which one can apply for
can," according to a statement on his web‑ an extension. (PTI)

Economy, national security, key Three Indian teams win awards at

priorities for Indian diaspora in US
Washington, DC: As the cru‑
cial weeks‑long general elec‑
tions began in India, issues
like sustained economic
growth, national security, and
protection of democratic val‑
ues are among key poll priori‑
ties for the Indian diaspora
across the US as it galvanizes
support for various political
parties. An Indian‑American
community group recently
organized an election cam‑
paign kickoff event in upstate
New York, voicing its support
for the Bharatiya Janata Party
and Narendra Modi in the
2019 elections. With slogans
of ʻAbki bar 400 paarʼ, Modi
supporters among the diaspo‑
ra said they are confident that
he will return to power for a
second term. American India
Public Af fairs Committee
president Jagdish Sewhani
said the 2019 general elec‑
tions are very crucial for the
future of India. “National secu‑
rity is a top priority of the
BJP,” he said, adding that
another term for Mr. Modi will
ensure sustained economic
growth and development in
the country. Members of the
Indian‑American community
organized and participated in
several programs across the
US, including a ʻChowkidar
Marchʼ in New Jersey, car ral‑
lies in Washington and
Virginia, which traveled 12
miles.
A ʻchai pe charchaʼ was
organized in New Jersey and
other cities including Detroit,
Pittsburgh, Boston, Columbus,
Cleveland, Chicago, Atlanta,
Tampa, Houston, Austin, Los
Angeles, San Francisco, and
Seattle.
NASA annual rover challenge
Washington, DC: NASA has awarded
three teams from India as part of the
US space agency's annual Human
Exploration Rover Challenge which
invites high school and college stu‑
dents to build and test roving vehicles
for future missions to the Moon, Mars
and beyond. T he team from KIET
Group of Institutions in Ghaziabad,
Uttar Pradesh, won the "AIAA Neil
Armstrong Best Design Award", which
recognizes systems best designed to
meet the Rover Challenge performance
requirements, NASA said in a state‑
ment. The Mukesh Patel School of
Technology Management and
Engineering from Mumbai,
Maharashtra, won the "Frank Joe
Sexton Memorial Pit Crew Award" ‑‑
for ingenuity and persistence in over‑
coming problems during the race ‑‑ as
well as the "System Safety Challenge
Award." A team from Love ly
Professional University in Phagwara,
Punjab, won the "STEM Engagement
The competition was hosted by
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center
and held at the US Space & Rocket
Center. This year marked 25 years
since the inaugural event.
Award", presented to the team that
best‑informed others about rocketry
and other space‑related topics.
Nearly 100 teams took part in the
competition, hailing from a record
number of countries, including the US,
Bang ladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, the
Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia,
Germany, Mexico, Morocco and Peru.
Indian‑American NASA astronaut and
two‑time spaceflight veteran Sunita
Williams attended the second day of
the event, interacting with teams and
participating in the day's activities.
The International Space Education
Institute of Leipzig, Germany, won first
place in the high school division with
91 points; and a team from University
of Puerto Rico Mayaguez won the col‑
lege/university division with 101
points. Teams were awarded points
based on the successful navigation of
obstacles and completion of tasks.
The competition, hosted by NASA's
Marshall Space Flight Center and held
at the US Space & Rocket Center, this
year marked 25 years since the inau‑
gural event, the statement said.
"We are so proud to congratulate
this year's winners and every team that
competed," said Bob Musgrove, Acting
Manager of the Of fice of STEM
Engagement at Marshall. (PTI)
 8 April 20-26, 2019 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Washington, DC: Students from

India are advised to "exercise their
due diligence" before seeking
admission into American universi‑
ties, the Indian Embassy has said,
months after over 100 Indians land‑
ed in trouble for enrolling at a fake
educational institution set up by US
authorities to expose immigration
fraud.
In the unusual advisory, Indian
students are advised to take into
account several factors, in particu‑
lar three questions.
"Does the university function
from a campus or merely maintains
a website and has administrative
premises only? If not, such universi‑
ties are not to be regarded as a
bonafide educational institution
and admission into such universi‑
ties should be avoided."
"Exercise due diligence": Students
advised before seeking admission in US
"Does the university have a facul‑
ty and regular instructors/educa‑
tors? If not, admissions to such uni‑
versities should be avoided. It may
be noted that such universities typi‑
cally employ only administrative
staf f and their websites have no
information in respect of faculty,"
the advisory said.
"Does the university have a prop‑
er curriculum, hold regular classes
and actively implement academic or
educational activity? If not, admis‑
sions to such universities may be
avoided. "Students admitted to such
universities, even if in possession of
regular student visa, may be tried
for violation of visa norms and sub‑
jected to detention and subsequent
deportation from the US," it said.
In January, the US authorities
busted a "pay to stay" visa racket
and arrested 129 Indian students
for enrolling at a fake university
allegedly to remain in the US.
T he university in Detroit's
Farmington Hills was part of an
undercover operation by the
Department of Homeland Security
designed to expose immigration
fraud, according to federal prosecu‑
tors who announced charges in the
case.
The advisory comes in the wake
of hundreds of Indian students
becoming a victim of either fake
universities or those established by
federal agencies to trap recruiters
engaged in immigration fraud.
In order to ensure that Indian stu‑
dents do not fall into such ''traps'', it
is advised that due diligence be
exercised while seeking admission
in US Universities," said the Indian
Embassy spokesperson Shambhu
Hakki in an advisory issued for
Indian students.
"The fact that a university is duly
accredited by relevant US authori‑
ties such as its inclusion in the
Student and Exchange Visitor
Programme (SEVIS), is not an assur‑
ance in itself about the bonafides of
a university," the advisory said.
This advisory is not exhaustive
and intended only to provide gener‑
al guidance to the students in tak‑
ing the right decision while seeking
admission in US universities, the
Indian Embassy added. (PTI)

IN BRIEF

Hasan Minhaj nominated for 2018 INDIAN OVERSEAS

Peabody Award for Netflix show CONGRESS, USA EXPANDS
AND INAUGURATES
I
ndian American comedian Award this year. Congratulations to
Hasan Minhaj, the 2017 winner
of the prestigious Peabody
all the nominees! @PeabodyAwards,”
he wrote. NEW CHAPTERS

I
Award in the entertainment catego‑ The Peabody Awards Board of
ry, has once again earned a nomi‑ Jurors April 9 announced the 60 ndian Overseas Congress, spoke at length on the subject
nation in the same category. nominees that, said Peabody, “repre‑ USA inaugurated three new of the ongoing election and
Minhaj has received the nomina‑ sent the most compelling and chapters at New Jersey in how NRIs can help Congress
tion for his Netflix show, “Patriot empowering stories” released in its continuing efforts to aug‑ Party to win the elections. The
Act with Hasan Minhaj.” The former broadcasting and digital media dur‑ ment support to the Congress President congratulated all the
“Daily Show” correspondent took to ing 2018. Peabody Award winners Party, which is contesting the new appointees.
Twitter to share the news. and nominees will be celebrated at a Lok Sabha elections that start‑ In expressing great satisfac‑
“Honored to be nominated with the red‑carpet event May 18 at Cipriani ed on April 11 and will last tion and confidence in these
incredible staff at @patriotact for a Peabody Wall Street in New York. until May 19, 2019. appointments, Mohinder Singh
The meeting was attended by Gilzian emphasized the need to
George Abraham Vice work diligently with the NRIs

Ritesh Batraʼs ʻPhotographʼ

Chairman, Mohinder Singh to work on the phones with
Gilzian, President and their families and friends to
Harbachan Singh Secretary‑ explain why it was extremely

to play NYIFF
General from New York along important at this time to exer‑
with other ranking officers of cise their respective vote wise‑

T
the IOC, USA. Over 120 partic‑ ly. The failings and shortcom‑
he New York Indian Film Festival has ipants were present. ings of the Modi government
announced three of the films it will show‑ Pradeep Kumar Samala was were already well known in
case during its annual week‑long event in installed as IOC, USA National India and leaders like Rahul
May. The festival, which will take place May 7‑12 Vice President with responsi‑ Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and
at the Village East Cinemas in Manhattan, will bilities of overseeing the work Navjot Sidhu were constantly
screen “Sir,” “Photograph” and “The Last Color” of the Congress party support‑ on the attack.
throughout the week, followed by Q&As with ers from the southern Indian George Abraham, Harbachan
their respective directors. “We are proud to share states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Singh, Krishna C Reddy,
a wonderful collection of new films from India,” Pradesh and Telangana. Sravanth Poreddy, Ramesh
festival director Aseem Chhabra wrote in a state‑ Samala is a prominent commu‑ Chandra, Rajender Dichpally,
ment. “This selection of exceptional titles show‑ nity leader involved in several Gurmit Singh Gill, Charan
cases the beauty, power and glory of film story‑ non‑ profit organizations. Singh Prempura, Leela Merat,
A still from the movie 'Photograph'
telling at its best. Our audience will be excited by Rajeshwar Reddy Gangasani Ravi Chopra, John Joseph,
the protagonists and fall in love with their jour‑ op a surprising and heartwarming connection. was installed as the President Malini Shah, Davendra Vora,
neys.ʼ The festival will open May 7 with Rohena The festival will close with Vikas Khannaʼs “The of the Telangana Chapter who Amir Rasheed, Jose George, and
Geraʼs “Sir.” The critically acclaimed film, which Last Color,” which follows nine‑year tightrope is a past president of a promi‑ several other leaders also
premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last May, walker Chhoti and her friend Noor as they strug‑ nent Telugu association and spoke on the failings of the
follows a wealthy Indian man who falls in love gle to survive on the streets of the ancient city of Pavan Kumar Darisi was Modi government and why
with his widowed servant. Banaras, India. While Chhoti works to up enough installed as the President of the Rahul Gandhi was the most
"Photograph,” directed by Ritesh Batra, will money to attend school, Noor suffers from a strict Andhra Pradesh Chapter, who outstanding leader to be able
serve as a Centrepiece screening May 10. Batraʼs family life that forces abstinence and disallows was a Congress Party Lok to take India and its people
film, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival, her from attending festivities. Sabha candidate from Ongole, out of misery and give the peo‑
is set in Mumbai as a struggling street photogra‑ The Indo‑American Arts Council will reveal the Andhra Pradesh in 2014. In ple of India back the glory and
pher has a stranger pose as his fiancee after his full lineup in the coming days. In the meantime, addition, Leela Maret was the forefront position in the
grandmother pressures him to marry. Despite tickets to the festival can be purchased at installed as the President of the comity of nations it once
their vastly different upbringings, the two devel‑ http://www.iaac.us (Source: variety.com) Kerala Chapter. IOC leaders enjoyed.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIASPORA April 20-26, 2019 9

The NRI community in Manchester, England, participated in a flash mob,

dancing in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the wake of the upcoming
Lok Sabha elections. The viral video shows NRIs dancing to the beats of
singer‑composer Shankar Mahadevan's recreated version of his famous song
'Breathless'. The video has garnered over 7,60,000 views and over 22,000 likes
and 10,000 retweets since being shared on April 7.

Indian student in UAE invents robots

to clean oceans, help farmers
Dubai: An Indian student in Abu Dhabi has operated remotely with radio control. It
developed robots to help protect marine runs with two motors that help the boat
life and also minimize human move in the water,"
labor on farms, an innovation Manikandan said.
he hopes would be implement‑ He added that popsicle
ed on a bigger scale in the UAE, sticks are attached to a wheel
according to a media report. and then to the third motor to
Sainath Manikandan, a stu‑ push the waste from the water
dent at GEMS United Indian bodies into the storage basket.
School, built the Marine Robot "Solar panels can also be
Cleaner (MBot Cleaner) that used instead of batteries.
Sainath Manikandan
helps preserve the marine envi‑ Although this project could
ronment and Agriculture Robot (Agribot) plausibly restore the purity of water, it nev‑
that help reduce the labor of farmers who ertheless could be the initial step taken for‑
work in hot countries like the UAE, Khaleej ward towards creating a better ecosystem,"
Times reported on Wednesday. he said, adding that developing this robot
"MBot is a prototype robot that can on a bigger scale, "we can try to preserve
remove floating wastes from surface water. our marine species and environment."
It is basically shaped like a boat and can be (PTI)

Shweta Subram first

Bollywood female singer
to perform in Saudi Arabia
A
s the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is
starting to modernize to diverse
experiences, the General
Entertainment Authority produced the first
ever Bollywood Music Festival at the Al
Khobar Corniche in the city of Dammam.
This 3‑day event was held from March 28 to
30, 2019. Opening the night on March 28
was the versatile Indo‑Canadian Bollywood
singer, Shweta Subram as she performed
alongside Bollywoodʼs melody king, Shaan. It
Shweta shared the stage with Shaan
was a musical evening as she mesmerized
the audience of 15,000 with popular hits like with the legendary Shaan, whose songs I
Mere Rashqe Qamar to classics such as Aao have been humming ever since I was a kid.
Na Gale Lagao Na. Her duets with Shaan The warmth and love of the audience here
included retro R.D Burman numbers and hits was extremely gratifying. Iʼm still getting
from movies Partner, Dil Chahta Hai, and Kal messages on my social media from attendees
Ho Na Ho. The audience kept asking for who traveled from all over the country.
more as they were left spellbound by this Thank you, Saudi Arabia!”
dynamic duo. In Shwetaʼs words, “It was an Partnering with the General Entertainment
absolute honor to represent Bollywood in a Authority on this landmark event is Dubai‑
country that has never seen anything like based The Totem Spot FZE, who managed
this before. I truly enjoyed sharing the stage artist bookings and associated logistics.
 10 April 20-26, 2019
TRUMPING THE TAXES:
DEATH OF THE MIDDLE CLASS
So here I am wondering what about all the wonderful things we had
heard last year when Congress, in December 2018, passed the “Tax Cuts
and Jobs Act”: that this was the biggest tax cuts for the middle class ever!
By Shivaji Sengupta
Let me tell you how it will be
There's one for you, nineteen for
me
'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm
the taxman
Should five per cent appear too
small
Be thankful I don't take it all
'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah I'm
the taxman
‑The Beatles
T
his week I just completed
doing my tax return. I am
thankful the government
did not take it all! I have been
doing my own taxes since the mid‑
1990s using commercially pro‑
duced computer software. Almost
every year until 2017 Returns, I
have been getting some money
back. This year I am having to pay.
Filing jointly with my wife (as I
have done each year), I had to pay
back a larger amount than when
we tried filing separately. I have
Rashida Tlaib claims Dem
leadership uses minority
members as tokens of diversity
Washington: Rep.
Rashida Tlaib, D‑
Mich., claimed
Saturday that she
and other minority
members of the
party have been
used as tokens
whenever the
party wants to
project an image
of inclusiveness.
The Twitter mes‑
sage appeared to be triggered by
a California Muslim activist's
assertion that Democratic leaders
hadn't been adequately support‑
ive of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D‑Minn.,
who has been accused of trivializ‑
ing the 9/11 terror attacks as
"some people did something."
“They put us in photos when they
want to show our party is
diverse,” Tlaib wrote. “However,
when we ask to be at the table, or
speak up about issues that impact
who we are, what we fight for &
never had this experience before.
Now, I am not a wealthy person
by any stretch of the imagination.
Together my wife and I are in the
33rd percentile of income. I am
finding out almost all of my friends
and relatives in this country, who
do not have children under their
care, are getting less money back,
or are having to pay more than
they did in 2018.
So here I am wondering what
about all the wonderful things we
had heard last year when
Cong ress, in December 2018,
passed the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act”:
that this was the biggest tax cuts
for the middle class ever! It sound‑
ed great that married couples
would be able to take $24,000 of
Standard Deductions for joint fil‑
ers, and $12,000 for single filers,
compared to $6,350 for single fil‑
ers, and $12,300 for married cou‑
ples filing jointly. However, the
Standard Deductions having been
doubled, we would not be allowed
most of the itemized deductions
Congresswoman
Rashida Tlaib
why we ran in the first place, we
are ignored. To truly honor our
diversity is to never silence us.”
Tlaib later retweeted a post by
Omar, who also expressed frus‑
tration.
“I did not run for Congress to be
silent,” Omar wrote. “I did not run
for Congress to sit on the side‑
lines. I ran because I believed it
was time to restore moral clarity
and courage to Congress. To fight
and to de fend our
democracy.”
US AFFAIRS
that we were allowed before this
year. That was over a year ago.
Most people, myself included, were
not too conscious of what it would
mean when personal, itemized
deductions were taken away in
place of the apparently huge
Standard Deductions.
Well, one year later, now that it
is time to pay taxes, we are finding
out. All the items I put in for per‑
sonal deductions, my user‑friendly
tax‑software quipped: “Sorry, you
canʼt deduct that this year.” In the
end, I was sweating bullets, as they
say in America! My friendly tax‑
software “gently” suggested I
might try filing separately. You see,
as a single filer my wife fell into a
lesser tax bracket than we would
be as joint filers. I followed its
advice, and saved ourselves a cou‑
ple of thousand dollars.
Yet, tax experts have always
advised people to file jointly. I
remember George W. Bush com‑
plaining when certain tax laws in
the early 2000s were going to
World's largest plane
completes maiden flight
Los Angeles: The world's largest air‑
craft, developed by aerospace ven‑
ture Stratolaunch, completed its
first flight test on Saturday.
With a dual fuselage design and
wingspan greater than the length of
an American football field, the air‑
plane took off from Mojave Air and
Space Port in California at 6:58 am
(Pacific Time), said Stratolaunch in a
statement, Xinhua reported.
Achieving a maximum speed of
189 miles (302.4 km) per hour, the
plane flew for 2.5 hours over the
Mojave Desert at altitudes up to
17,000 feet. As part of the initial
flight, the pilots evaluated aircraft
performance and handling qualities
before landing successfully back at
the Mojave Air and Space Port,
according to the company's state‑
ment.
"What a fantastic first flight," said
Jean Floyd, CEO of Stratolaunch.
"Today's flight furthers our mis‑
sion to provide a flexible alternative
to ground launched systems. We are
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
increase married people filing
taxes jointly. “Why punish married
couples for being married?” the
former president complained. I felt
like that: punished for being mar‑
ried.
The 2019 tax returns had one
silver lining: Since most items in
itemized deduct ions were no
longer allowed to us middle class
(particularly those of us who do
not pay more than $10,000 in real
property tax) 85 million
Americans this year are taking the
Standard Deductions route, as
compared to 56 million last year. I
am one of them.
A year ago I had written these
words in this column:
The Tax Reform was supposed to
benefit the middle class and the
working poor when President
Trump was candidate Trump. The
same people he called on during
the election campaign (which, fun‑
nily enough, included himself!) are
the ones who are now calling the
shots. I remember in a debate with
Stratolaunch
has been
developed
as a launch
pad for
orbital‑class
rockets.
incredibly proud of the Stratolaunch
team, today's flight crew, our part‑
ners at Northrup Grumman's Scaled
Composites and the Mojave Air and
Space Port," he added. Regarding
initial results from Saturday's test
flight, Stratolaunch said the test
team performed a variety of flight
control maneuvers to calibrate
speed and test flight control sys‑
tems, including roll doublets, yaw‑
ing maneuvers, pushovers and pull‑
ups, and steady heading side slips.
Moreover, it conducted simulated
landing approach exercises at a max
altitude of 15,000 feet mean sea
level. Stratolaunch was founded by
Hillary Clinton, when accused of
making money in real estate at the
expense of the common people,
candidate Trump unabashedly said
he made money because tax laws
unfairly allowed him to make
money. “I have made enoug h
money working for myself. Now I
am going to work for the American
people,” implying heavily that, as
president, he was going to get
Congress to reform these unfair
tax laws.
Having paid my taxes this year,
and experiencing lighter wallet,
reading in the newspapers that the
tax break benefitted those who
make more than $500,000 a year
by far, I am left wondering about
the same middle class and the
working poor.
Who is President Trump working
for?
Shivaji Sengupta is Professor of
English and Vice President for
Academic Affairs at Boricua
College in NYC.
the late Microsoft co‑founder Paul
Allen in 2011 to develop the large
carrier airplane as a flying launch
pad for orbital‑class rockets.
The aircraft has a world‑record
wingspan of 385 feet, and is 238
feet long. It is wider than any air‑
plane on the planet. It weighs half a
million pounds, according to a CNN
report. "A historic milestone for the
#Stratolaunch team with this record
setting aircraft taking flight! This is
about going to the edge of space
and beyond!" tweeted T homas
Zurbuchen, associate administrator
for NASA Science Mission
Directorate.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info US AFFAIRS April 20-26, 2019 11

White House prepares response Trump campaign

to redacted Mueller report
Washington: As President Donald
Trump publicly boasts that special
counsel Robert Muellerʼs antici‑
pated 400‑page report “totally
exonerated” him, White House
officials are completing a counter‑
report that rebuts its findings.
The Department of Justice is
preparing to release a redacted
version of the special counselʼs
report on Thursday morning. The
report is the result of a two‑year
investigation into whether the
presidentʼs campaign played a role
in Russiaʼs ef forts to interfere in
the 2016 election. Last month,
Attorney General William Barr
released a four‑page memo relay‑
ing Muellerʼs team did not find the
Trump campaign colluded with
Russia, but did not exonerate him
of obstructing justice.
T he W hite House has been
briefed “in broad‑brush strokes”
on the report and it will not invoke
executive privilege to get further
redactions, ABC News reported
Sunday. Despite all this, Trumpʼs
legal team has been working on a
counter‑report for months, which
will attack the legitimacy of the
invest ig at ion and fo cus on
obstruction of justice claims the
special counsel lays out in his
report, according to Trumpʼs
lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Thatʼs a
huge about‑face from when Barr
first released his summary of the
Mueller memo.
W hen it was re leased last
month, Trump administration offi‑
cials and conservative backers cel‑
ebrated the presidentʼs exonera‑
t ion and attacked reporters,
Democrats, and members of the
public who were vocal about the
evidence suggesting the president
colluded with Russia.
“The Special Counsel did not
find any collusion and did not find
any obstruction,” press secretary
Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared
in a statement on Twitter. “Barr
and [Deputy Attorney General
Rod] Rosenstein further deter‑
mined there was no obstruction.
The findings of the Department of
Justice are a total and complete
exoneration of the President of the
United States.”
Counse lor to the president
Kellyanne Conway also said, “itʼs
not premature for the president to
say heʼs exonerated and vindicat‑
ed.”
But just days away from the
redacted release of the actual
report, White House of ficials are
bracing for its findings and the
president has once again renewed
his attacks on the legitimacy of
the investigation.
After a week of criticism over his
memo, Barr sent a letter to
Congress insisting that his first
summary of the report was not
actually a summary.
“The Special Counsel… did not
draw a conclusion ̶ one way or
the other ̶ as to whether the
examined conduct constituted
obstruction,” Barr wrote in the let‑
ter on the Mueller report. “The
Special Counsel states that ʻwhile
this report does not conclude that
the President committed a crime,
it also does not exonerate him.ʼ ”
raises $30 million
in first quarter
Washington: President
Trumpʼs reelection cam‑
paign raised $30 million
during the first three
months of the year, get‑
t ing of f to a fast
fundraising start while
his potential Democratic
rivals stockpile cash for
a long and expensive pri‑
mary.
The Trump campaign
ended the first quarter
with $40.8 million in its
bank account, it said on
President Trump enjoys nearly 90%
Sunday ̶ a sum that
approval rating in his party and full
shows Trump is begin‑
backing of the RNC, and will be
ning to stockpile serious difficult to dislodge in 2020.
money for the 2020 gen‑
eral election. Trump filed cam‑ were first reported by T he
paign finance paperwork to run Associated Press.
for reelection earlier than any T he Republican Nat ional
other president, and he has been Committee also brought in $45.8
raising and spending money million in the first quarter, accord‑
through his campaign committee ing to the Trump campaign, bring‑
since soon after he took office in ing its cash reserves close to $41
2017. The fundraising figures million.

Ex‑governor launches Trump says he will send

primary challenge to Trump
Former Massachusetts
Gov. William Weld faces
nearly impossible odds
in his quest to defeat
Trump in the
Republican primary.
Boston: Former Massachusetts Gov.
William Weld (R) officially launched
a long‑shot primary challenge
against President Trump on
Monday.
Weld, the Libertarian Partyʼs vice
presidential candidate in 2016, did
not mention Trump in a statement
announcing his candidacy.
“In these times of great political
strife, when both major parties are
entrenched in their ʻwin at all costʼ
battles, the voices of the American
people are being ignored and our
nation is suffering,” Weld said.
“It is time for patriotic men and
women across our great nation to
stand and plant a flag. It is time to
return to the principles of Lincoln –
equality, dignity, and opportunity
for all. There is no greater cause on
earth than to preserve what truly
makes America great. I am ready to
lead that fight,” he added.
Weld faces nearly impossible
migrants to sanctuary cities
Washington: President Trump said
Monday that he plans to go ahead
with his plan to send migrants to
sanctuary cities.
“Those Illegal Immigrants who
can no longer be legally he ld
(Congress must fix the laws and
loopholes) w ill be, subject to
Home land Security, g iven to
Sanctuary Cit ies and States!”
Trump tweeted.
The White House did not imme‑
diately respond to a request for
comment.
odds in his quest to defeat Trump in Earlier Monday, Trump criticized
the Republican primary.
T he Republican National
Committee has taken steps to head
off a potential primary challenger, US moves to accelerate 5G
voting to express its “undivided sup‑
port” for the president. And the
Trump campaign has been staffing
rollout in race with China
up with party insiders to map out a Washington: President Trump has
delegates strategy to ensure there said that the US government will
are no surprises at the 2020 con‑ free up wireless spectrum and
vention. build better infrastructure to take
A group of “Never Trump” a leadership in 5G, the next‑gener‑
Republicans led by Weekly ation wireless network.
Standard founder Bill Kristol have His remarks came after FCC
been holding meetings about announced Friday a plan to start
recruiting a primary challenger largest spectrum auction and
against Trump. T hey have not spend over $ 20 billion for rural
decided on a potential challenger hig h‑speed internet, Xinhua
but do not view We ld as a top reported.
recruit. Some Republicans remain FCC chie f Ajit Pai said that
hopeful that Maryland Gov. Larry American wireless carriers would
Hogan (R) or former Ohio Gov. John be bidding for as much as 3.4
Kasich (R) will jump into the pri‑ gigahertz of "millimeter‑wave"
mary against Trump. spectrum starting on December
lawmakers, who are on a two‑
week recess, to get something
done.
“Congress should come back to
D.C. now and FIX THE IMMIGRA‑
TION LAWS!” But w ith a
Democratic House – and Trump
threatening to send migrants to
cities like San Francisco, which is
represented by House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi – the president has‑
nʼt set the table to get a bipartisan
deal done.
Instead, last week, Trump pub‑
licly floated the idea of sending
10 this year. Verizon, one of
America's largest telecommunica‑
tions companies, announced on
April 3 the official operation of its
commercial 5G network in two US
cities, making it the world's first
commercial 5G mobile service for
customers w ith 5G‑equipped
smartphones.
While the US leads in some key
5G‑readiness metrics, China and
other countries are ahead in mak‑
ing critical mid‑band spectrum
available for 5G, according to a
report made in April by CTIA, a
trade association. Another chal‑
lenge for 5G service is the coun‑
mig rants to sanctuary cit ies,
where local jurisdictions donʼt
report immigration status of resi‑
dents to federal authorities.
Top House Democrats asked the
White House and the Department
of Homeland Security for docu‑
ments about the plan.
CNN reported Friday that the
White House had received legal
guidance months ago that this pol‑
icy would likely not be legal and
would undermine the presidentʼs
long‑term goal of deport ing
undocumented people.
try's weaker infrastructure in
rural areas, according to the CTIA
report.
Trump on Friday said the 5G
industry in the US would be "pri‑
vate sector‑driven and private sec‑
tor‑led," so the US government
does not have to spend lots of
money. But the FCC unveiled a
plan to provide $ 20.4 billion in
the coming decade to connect up
to 4 million rural homes and small
businesses to high‑speed internet.
Trump described in his speech
the building of 5G service a race
that "America must win," and "will
win."
 12 April 20-26, 2019
Jet staff hopeless, sentiment hits lowest
New Delhi: Staff sentiment at crisis‑
hit Jet Airways has hit the lowest as
the endgame nears for the airline.
With no interim funds coming
from the lenders and suspension of
all its operations imminent, they
have lost all hopes and are bracing
for tough times ahead.
"We are going to approach the
Labour Commissioner for recover‑
ing our dues. We can no longer
hold on any further," said an engi‑
neer who has taken a loan against
his LIC policy to meet his daily
expenses.
Airline sources told IANS that a
few hundred pilots would move
from Jet Airways in the next few
days as they no longer believe air‑
line would be saved.
"Jet Airways shares have sudden‑
ly dropped so much. It signals there
is nothing for the airline now and it
will suspend all its operations," the
engineer said.
Jet Airways shares dropped
12.47 per cent to Rs 229.05 on the
BSE on Tuesday afternoon.
While technical personnel are
likely to get jobs as most private
carriers including IndiGo and GoAir
IMD sees 'near‑ Tharoor wants probe into
normal' monsoon freak temple accident
New Delhi: T he India
Meteorolog ical Department
(IMD) on Monday predicted the
monsoon to be "near‑normal"
this year with an expected rain‑
fall of 96 per cent, on the other
hand, the Skymet Weather has
claimed that the monsoon is
likely to be "below normal" to
the extent of 93 per cent.
Speaking to IANS, Mahesh
Palawat, Vice president
Meteorolog y and Climate
Change at the Skymet Weather,
said the impact of El Nino will
be more in June and July, but it
w ill reduce by August and
September.
"According to Skymet
Weather, the monsoon is likely
to be "below normal" to the tune
of 93 per cent, with an error
margin of +/‑5 per cent, of the
Long Period Average (LPA) of
887 mm for the four‑month
period from June to September,"
he said. While the IMD has pre‑
dicted two per cent probability
of "excess" rainfalls and 10 per
cent for "above normal" rainfall,
the Skymet predicted zero per
cent chances for both.
Palawat also said the rains in
June and the first week of July
will be less.
"In the second half of July, the
rainfall will go up. There is a
New Delhi: Jet Airways employees stage a demonstration at Delhi
Airport's Terminal 3. (Photo: IANS)
hiring, the non‑technical staf f are
heading for tough time. Even, pilots
and engineers are taking heavy
pay‑cuts to get a job.
The salary cut ranges from 30 to
50 per cent.
"We are unlikely to get our dues
from the airline. T he future
remains bleak. T he only ray of
hope is that the traffic growth con‑
tinues which means job opportuni‑
possibility of goo d rains in
August and September, but it
will not be able to cover up the
deficiency of June and July.
The impact of El Nino will be
more in June and July, it will
reduce by August and
September as it will be revolv‑
ing. Currently, the chances of El
Nino conditions are 80 per cent,
which will decline, but would
remain as high as 60 per cent
by mid‑monsoon," he said.
The IMD, however, predicted
that the developing El Nino in
the Pacific Ocean will start
weakening after June.
El Nino is a part of a routine
climate pattern that occurs
when sea surface temperatures
in the tropical Pacific Ocean rise
to above‑normal levels for an
extended period of time. It influ‑
ences temperature and rainfall
across the global.
The IMD said the monsoon in
the country this year is predict‑
ed to be "near normal" with the
well‑distributed rainfall expect‑
ed to be around 96 per cent, at
a moderate error estimate of
plus‑minus five per cent of the
Long Period Average.
IMD Director General K.J.
Ramesh ruled out any adverse
impact of 'El Nino' on the mon‑
soon such as erratic rainfall.
INDIA NEWS
ties would come," an executive said.
Captain Asim Valiani, Vice
President, National Aviator's Guild
(NAG), said that employees of all
rank and file were facing financial
hardship.
"We are not sure how to tide over
this financial stress. Children's edu‑
cation, EMIs and even mediclaims
are at stake. Not to mention losing
four months' pay, bonus and gratu‑
Thiruvananthapuram:
Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha
Cong ress candidate Shashi
Tharoor, aiming for a hat‑trick of
wins, on Tuesday sought a probe
into a freak accident at a temple
near here which led him to have
to eight stitches on his head.
"My mother, who is 86 years
old, said she has never ever
heard of the 'tulabharam' break‑
ing. So it's better that a probe is
needed to know what happened.
The district Congress committee
President has already written to
the police seeking a probe. Let us
know what actually happened,"
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Naresh Goyal pulls out
of race
New Delhi: Naresh Goyal may
not be able to re‑board Jet
Airways w ith some of the
prospective investors objecting
to his entry, informed sources
said on Tuesday.
In view of the opposition from
other bidders, Goyal is said to
have withdrawn from the race.
According to the industry
sources, Etihad and TPG Capital
could consider pulling out of the
race if Goyal is allowed to sub‑
mit his bid for the crisis‑hit air‑
line. Seeking to take pilot's seat
after he was nudged by the
lenders to quit, Goyal had placed
his bid through Jetair Pvt Ltd
and backed by two foreign enti‑
ties. Lenders of Jet Airways led
ity," Valiani said.
The Jet employees know that the
industry does not have the capacity
to absorb all of them.
said Tharoor, after being dis‑
charged from the Medical College
Hospital here.
The incident occurred at the
popular Gandhari Amman temple
here when he went to celebrate
Vishu, the traditional Hindu New
year.
Praying while seated on the
weighing balance, as part of a
temple ritual, the chains holding
the balance broke and fell on
Tharoor's head. He was rushed to
a hospital.
On Tuesday, he had a surprise
visitor in De fense Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman.
by the State Bank of India (SBI)
are currently in the process of
selling their stakes in the airline
to recover the dues to the tune
of over Rs 8,400 crore.
SBI Caps, the merchant bank‑
ing arm of SBI, is currently
shortlisting investors who would
then be able to submit their pro‑
posals by April‑end.
In a statement, SBI had on
Monday said that prospective
bidders would be selected short‑
ly as SBI Caps' legal team is
working on the Expressions of
Interest (EoI) received from the
investors.
SBI is acting on behalf of the
group of lenders as part of the
bank‑led resolution process.
"Many pilots and (executives in)
other ranks will be jobless. The
future of 20,000 employees is in
jeopardy," the Captain noted.
Defense Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman
visits
Shashi Tharoor,
who was injured
while performing
a ritual at a
temple in
Thiruvananthapuram
(Photo:
Twitter/@Shashi
Tharoor)
Tharoor will be present on the
stage later in the day w ith
Cong ress President Rahul
Gandhi.
However, he canceled all elec‑
tion related programs listed for
Wednesday.
Tharoor is engaged in a three‑
way electoral battle with former
Mizoram Governor Kummanem
Rajasekheran of BJP and CPI's C.
Divakaran, a sitting legislator
and former state Minister.
In 2014, T haroor scraped
through with a margin of around
15,000 votes against BJP's O.
Rajagopal, who is now a MLA.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA NEWS April 20-26, 2019 13

MAHA KUMBH
OF DEMOCRACY
New Delhi: After Bahujan Samaj
Party (BSP) chief Mayawati and
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath,
the Election Commission (EC) on
Monday barred Union Minister
Maneka Gandhi and Samajwadi
Party leader Mohammed Azam
Khan from campaigning in the Lok
Sabha elections for 48 houres and
72 hours, respectively.
While Gandhi was barred for
asking Muslims in Pilibhit, her
constituency, to vote for her if
they wanted jobs, Khan was
banned for making objectionable
remarks against actor‑turned‑
politician Jaya Prada, his BJP
opponent in Rampur.
EC bars Yogi, Maya, Azam, Maneka
Samajwadi Party leader Mohammed Azam Khan and
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Khan reportedly told a rally in
Rampur on Sunday: "It took you
17 years to identify the real face
of these people, but I got to know
it in 17 days that they wear khaki
underwear."
The EC reprimanded Khan say‑
ing his "indecent", "derogatory and
totally uncalled for" statement vio‑
lated the model code of conduct
and banned him from holding any
public meetings, processions, ral‑
lies, road shows and interviews or
public utterances in media in con‑
nection with the ongoing elections
for 72 hours from 6 a.m. on
Tuesday.
In a separate order, it also
barred Gandhi from holding any
public meetings, processions, ral‑
lies, road shows and interviews,
public utterance in media related
to the elections for 48 hours.
T he EC had earlier barred
Mayawati and Adityanath from
campaigning in the Lok Sabha
elections for 48 hours and 72
hours, respectively.
While the BSP leader had urged
the Muslim community to vote
'You have woken up
to take action'
New Delhi: The Supreme Court
on Tuesday said it was content
with the Election Commission
(EC) act ion ag ainst Bahujan
Samajwadi Party (BSP) chie f
Mayawati, Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union
Minister Maneka Gandhi and
Samajwadi Party (SP) leader
Azam Khan for their controver‑
sial statements violating the
model code of conduct.
W hen senior advo cate C.A.
Sundaram, appearing for the EC,
told the court that it had acted
against leaders violating the
model code of conduct, the Bench
headed by Chief Justice Ranjan
Gogoi quipped: "So, you have
only for the SP‑BSP‑RLD alliance
candidates, the Chief Minister had
said if the Cong ress, the
Samajwadi Party and the BSP had
faith in Ali, "we have faith in
Bajrangbali".
woken up to take action. It seems
the EC has got its power back."
The CJI's repartee came on the
poll panel's admission before the
top court on Monday that it was
almost "powerless" when it came
to taking punit ive measures
against political leaders.
The apex court also refused to
consider Mayawati's plea against
the EC gag order on her. The BSP
chief 's counsel Dushyant Dave
contended that she was unable to
conduct important election meet‑
ings because of the order and
that she had been deprived of any
remedy in the matter in view of
the top court's observation on the
EC order.
T he poll pane l also asked
Adityanath to explain his remark
calling the Indian Union Muslim
League (IUML) a "virus" and say‑
ing the Congress was infected with
this "green virus".

BJP fields Ravi Modi giving away public money

Kishan in Gorakhpur to industrialists: Rahul
New Delhi: T he Agra: Congress President Rahul
Bharatiya Janata Party Gandhi accused Prime Minster
(BJP) on Monday Narendra Modi of giving away public
named seven more can‑ money to big industrialists.
didates for the Lok Addressing an election rally here,
Sabha seats in Uttar the Congress President said:
Pradesh, fie lding "Narendra Modi is stealing public
Bhojpuri film star Ravi money and giving it to industrialists."
Kishan from the He also accused Modi of destroying
Gorakhpur seat. farmers all across the country.
The BJP has denied He also accused Modi of telling a lie
t icket to Sant Kabir to the people in the 2014 Lok Sabha
Nag ar MP Sharad election campaign when he promised
Tripathi who thrashed to give every Indian Rs 15 lakh of
party MLA Rakesh black money he had promised to bring
Baghel with shoes at an Bhojpuri film star back from abroad.
of ficial meeting in the Ravi Kishan. "The Prime Minister promised that
district. Rs 15 lakh will be deposited in every‑
Congress President Rahul Gandhi addresses a public rally at Bah in Agra.
Sharad Tripathi has been replaced by Praveen Nishad, one's bank account but not one person
(Photo: IANS)
outgoing Gorakhpur MP, who recently quit the Samajwadi got a single penny," he said.
Party (SP) to join the BJP. However, Tripathi's father The Congress President slammed ers are growing potatoes, there will be issues.
Ramapati Ram Tripathi has been fielded from Deoria, the Modi for wasting public money on a factory to produce potato chips and "If you are nationalist, then why you
seat represented by BJP veteran Kalraj Mishra. promoting himself. where they grow tomatoes, a ketchup did not meet the farmer who came at
Falling in line with the party decision not to field candi‑ "You see Modi's advertisements all factory will be established. your doorstep barefoot," she asked.
dates above 75, Mishra announced that he would not con‑ the time. Switch on the TV and Modi is "We are preparing a network of food She said: "Seeing the BJP's campaign
test the Lok Sabha polls. there, on radio, road and everywhere, processing industry in MP, you would think that a lot of work has
Besides Mishra and Sharad Tripathi, the BJP has also there is Modi," he said in Fatehpur Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Once it been done in the past five years. But
dropped Ambedkar Nagar MP Hari Om Pandey. He has Sikri, and demanded to know where will be done, farmers will be able to the reality is different.
been replaced by Mukut Bihari, a minister in the UP gov‑ was the BJP getting all this money sell their products directly to the fac‑ "The truth of their work can be seen
ernment. from. tories," he said. on the faces of unemployed youths
The party has fielded Ramesh Bind from the Bhadohi par‑ He said: "We have waived loans of Meanwhile, Congress General and helpless farmers," she said.
liamentary constituency, the seat represented by Virendra farmers in Madhya Pradesh, Secretary Priyanka Gandhi targeted After addressing the election meet‑
Singh Mast. He has been shifted to Ballia. Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan within two the Bharatiya Janata Party. ing, Rahul Gandhi started his 'Nyay
The BJP's Central Election Committee also decided to days of coming to the power. "I dream "If you are nationalist, talk about Yatra' from Fatehpur Sikri. During the
field Sangal Lal Gupta from Pratapgarh. The BJP ally Apna to do this for the UP farmers also." India instead of Pakistan in the elec‑ campaign, Priyanka Gandhi, Congress
Dal won this seat in 2014. The BJP has got this seat as per "I have already told the three Chief tions. Talk about youth, farmer and General Secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia
the agreement. Ministers that there should be a food soldier. If you are nationalist, then and party candidate from Fatehpur
The party's Jaunpur MP K.P. Singh has retained his seat. processing unit in every state," he said. respect martyrs," she said. Sikri Raj Babbar shared the stage with
Gandhi said that wherever the farm‑ Priyanka Gandhi also raised farmers' Rahul Gandhi.
 14 April 20-26, 2019 INDIA NEWS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

MAHA KUMBH
OF DEMOCRACY
Patna: His son and heir apparent
Tejashwi Yadav is trying his best
and so is his wife Rabri Devi, but the
absence of Rashtriya Janata Dal
chief ‑ and star campaigner ‑ Lalu
Prasad is being earnestly felt by the
party as the 2019 Lok Sabha polls
are underway.
This could be seen at Tejashwi
Yadav's e lection meeting in
Khagaria parliamentary constituen‑
cy on Saturday, over a dozen RJD
supporters, mostly youth, held plac‑
Star campaigner Lalu's
absence felt in elections
ards saying: "Lalu ji we miss you, we
need you" and shouted slogans like
"Laluji, we are with you."
RJD leaders say that party sup‑
porters have made it clear that they
remain loyal to the RJD chief, cur‑
rently behind the bars in Ranchi
after being convicted in the fodder
scam cases.
Sensing the effect of Lalu Prasad's
physical absence, his wife and for‑
mer Chief Minister Rabri Devi is
herself trying to bridge the gap by
vigorously campaigning in support
of party candidates as well as the
Grand Alliance, remaining active on
social media and frequently inter‑
acting with media and making state‑
ments.
Tejashwi Yadav has emerged as
the most sought‑after campaigner
for the party and the alliance but
cannot measure up to his father yet.
"Tejashwi is articulate, attracts
crowds but party workers and sup‑
porters' eyes and ears are still
searching their leader Lalu Prasad,"
a senior RJD leader, who did not
want to be identified, said.
An ef fective communicator, Lalu
Prasad was popular for his rustic
style, evinced by his use of Bhojpuri
dialect. "Lalu Prasad's witty repar‑
tee and rustic mannerisms were
main source of attraction during his
election meetings. This time, all this
is missing, resulting in dull cam‑
paigning. Tejashwi is no match for
him... he has to learn a lot and also
lacks experience," another RJD
leader said.
Senior RJD leader and former
Union Minister Raghuvansh Prasad
Singh, who is contesting from
Vaishali, admits that Lalu Prasad's
absence matters for the party.
"People are missing Lalu's punchy
one‑liners de livered in bucolic
style..."
Apart from his family, party and
allies, Lalu Prasad's absence has
also disappointed those who not be
his voters but still love to listen his
famous one liners.
"Lalu Prasad's unique way of
using popular local idioms to target
his rivals used to make him differ‑
ent from other leaders," Irshadul
Haque, editor of a Hindi news web‑
site here, said.
Political watchers recalled that it
was Lalu Prasad, who had aggres‑ Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)
leader Tejashwi Yadav
sively taken on Prime Minister
addressing a press conference
Narendra Modi in the 2015 Bihar
in Patna. (Photo: IANS)
Assembly polls and score points
over him with his banter. gy and even manages and monitors
It is common perception that Lalu the campaign from his hospital
Prasad that still controls his party, room despite being in custody and
decides the Grand Alliance's strate‑ it appears to be true to some extent.

Bengal candidates out with Naidu's doubts out of fear

sweets on 'Poila Boisakh'
Kolkata: From distributing sweets
and roses to pedestrians, from
praying at renowned temples to
taking a boat ride in the Hooghly
to connect with voters, many can‑
didates for the 2019 Lok Sabha
polls in West Bengal added a new
dimension to their campaign on
Monday on the occasion of "Poila
Boisakh", the Bengali New Year.
Political leaders, cutting across
party lines, kick‑started their
campaigns on Monday by wishing
people "shubho naba barsho"
(Happy New Year in Bengali),
exchanging pleasantries and dis‑
tributing sweets among them.
Some leaders also took part in
morning processions ‑ called
'prabhat feri' in Bengali ‑ followed
by cultural programs, organised
in various localities in Kolkata
and the suburbs.
West Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee extended her
greetings through a video mes‑
sage on social media and wished
everyone happiness and prosperi‑
ty on the joyous occasion.
West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata
Banerjee. (Photo: IANS)
She also went to south Kolkata's
famous Kalighat temple on late
Sunday night to offer her prayers.
Ruling Trinamool Congress Lok
Sabha candidate from Serampore,
Kalyan Banerjee, was seen distrib‑
uting roses to the bus and auto‑
rickshaw drivers in his con‑
stituency in the morning.
"The people who are providing
us service on special occasions
like this, often do not get the
opportunity to spend time with
their families. They are serving us
since morning. So I decided to
give them roses as a token of our
love and gratitude on the occa‑
sion of the new year," he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's
Jadavpur candidate Anupam
Hazra also distributed flowers
among the pedestrians and
wished them well.
Kalyan Chowbey, the saf fron
party's candidate from
Krishnagar, of fered prayers at a
famous temple in the area and
distributed 'Prasad' among the
supporters and party activists.
of defeat: KTR
Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working
President K. T. Rama Rao on Sunday said Andhra
Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP)
President N. Chandrababu Naidu was raising doubts
about electronic voting machines (EVMs) out of fear of
losing the elections. Reacting to Naidu leading a cam‑
paign along with some other parties against the EVMs,
Rao wondered how Naidu, who had won the 2014 elec‑
tions with EVMs, could now be saying that these can be
tampered with.
Angry over the malfunctioning of the EVMs during the
April 11 voting in Andhra Pradesh, Naidu has slammed
the Election Commission, claiming that the voting
machines can be manipulated, and has demanded that
the poll body revert to the system of paper ballots.
TRS Working President K. T. Rama Rao in a party
KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly known, said there was
meeting in Kamareddy, Telangana. (Photo: IANS)
no scope for tampering with the EVMs, and remarked
that if this had happened, people would have revolted. When asked about the functioning of the Election
KTR, who is the son of TRS President and Telangana Commission, the TRS leader said while he had no right to
Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, said point fingers at the poll body, there was a need for
Chandrababu Naidu should stop playing "cheap" politics. change in its functioning. He also said that while the
He said fear had gripped the TDP chief when the Election smooth and peaceful conduct of the elections in
Commission order the transfer of officials. Telangana reflects the governance in the state, the vio‑
The TRS leader said Naidu's panic clearly showed that lence and chaos during polling in Andhra Pradesh indi‑
he was on his way out. cate the quality of governance in the latter.
Campaigning ends for second-phase Lok Sabha polls
New Delhi: The campaigning came od is till 8 p.m. due to the famous and Kashmir, Manipur, Tripura and
to an end on Tuesday for 97 Lok car festival that day, campaigning in Puducherry.
Sabha constituencies spread over 13 the constituency was allowed till 8 In the first phase, voting will take
states and Union Territories which p.m on Tuesday as well. The 48‑ place in all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu.
will go to the polls on Thursday in hour period preceding the conclu‑ It will also cover 14 seats in
the second phase of the mega seven‑ sion of voting is called the "silence Karnataka, 10 in Maharashtra, eight
phase electoral exercise. period" during which any kind of in Uttar Pradesh, five each in Bihar
Since poll timings vary in different political campaigning is prohibited. and Odisha, and three each in
seats, the campaigning period also As the silence period began, the Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.
ended at different times between 3 election rallies and street corner The electorate in five Assam con‑
p.m and 6 p.m in dif ferent con‑ meetings ended in the 97 con‑ stituencies, two Jammu and Kashmir
stituencies (except Madurai) ‑‑ 48 stituencies of Tamil Nadu, constituencies, and one constituen‑
hours before the voting closure Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar cy each in Manipur, Tripura and
time. Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Odisha, Puducherry, would also cast their
In Madurai, since the polling peri‑ Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jammu votes in this phase.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info COMMUNITY April 20-26, 2019 15

Living abroad feels like having two homes.

ʻHomeisʼ is where the two come together
Homeis is an app that is building a platform for local foreign‐born communities and
empowering immigrants by helping them to organize information as a community. In New York,
it has already created the first dedicated digital Indian community with over 10,000 users.
who also believe in immigration next to the Indian community
EXCLUSIVE and wanted to help us take our because it is so powerful and mas‑
vision to the next level. I strongly sive and I know because I spent
By Parveen Chopra
believe that immigration is a force meaningful time in India and had

T
he internet and entrepre‑
neurship together is a fer‑
tile ground for grand
visions: Amazon, Uber, Airbnb…
and now Homeis. Founded just
over two years ago in New York
and Tel Aviv by a couple of Israeli
internet entrepreneurs, Homeis at
first glance seems to have
immense potential. It is building a
platform for local foreign‑born
communities (Indians in the Bay
Area, Chinese in NY, etc), and is
empowering immigrants by help‑
ing them to organize information
as a community, consume dedicat‑
ed services, and help them find
friends, love, legitimacy in their
journey, and a sense of belonging.
While local culture networks have
always existed, Homeisʼ mission is
to use technology and innovation
to turn these invisible groups into
visible communities.
of good: a force of tolerance and of
assimilation. Half of Fortune 500
companies were started by immi‑
grants or their kids. So you cannot
say that we are a problem, rather
we are part of the solution.
Where do Indian communities
figure in Homeis?
Ran Harnevo: On a personal level, I
travelled in India for more than
one year, in 2000‑1, and 2005‑6.
Iʼve been everywhere from Kerala
to Kashmir. I am an immigrant
myself, having moved to the US in
Homeis Co‑founder and CEO Ran Harnevo told The South
2008. At Homeis we first tested
Asian Times, “We want to empower immigrants, to legitimize them. I
want Indian Americans to feel comfortable that they are Americans the product with the Israeli com‑
and they are Indians, that there is nothing wrong about it.” munity ‑‑ you will be surprised to
know how many Israelis move in
out much marketing – it is growing their ideas and difficulties, and so here. And did you know 10 per
organically with word‑of‑mouth the idea of something like Homeis cent of the startups in New York
publicity. has been in my mind for a long
The South Asian Times is the
first publication to break the news
to the public about Homeis. We
Varsha Ahir
scored an exclusive interview with Homeis Leader of the Indian community
the connections here. I have been
to Silicon Valley a lot and saw the
power of the Indian community
there. Incidentally we have just
launched the Indian community in
Bay Area.
We already have 10,000 people
on the platform. The South Asian
Times is the first one to break the
news that we exist.
Mind you, our website is only the
beginning, download the app and
there you will find how good we
are. On the Homeis App you can
find friends because people tell
their stories, about their journeys,
where they are from – Chennai,
Mumbai and so on, and where they
live today.
Tell us about Varsha Ahir, head
of the Indian community at
Homeis?
Ran Harnevo: We are a company
of immigrants and all of our
employees are immigrants. It was

Homeis started with $4M seed Homeis Co‑founder and CEO Ran
capital and is already empowering Harnevo. He is an immigrant him‑
seven communities of Indians, self having moved from Israel to
French and Israelis across the US. NYC 11 years ago and sees Homeis
Homeis for Indians in the as a personal mission.
Tristate area is live, with over Excerpts from the interview:
10,000 people already using it in
NY, NJ and Long Island. Itʼs the The South Asian Times: How did
first dedicated digital Indian com‑you conceive Homeis and how it
munity. Homeis also went live for came to be?
the community in Bay Area, CA on Homeis Co‑founder and CEO Ran
April 15, and attracted a 1,000 Harnevo: It is my second company.
users in no time. My first startup was 5Min Media,
Homeis is making strides with‑ an online video syndication plat‑
form. It was
acquired by AOL
in 2010 for
$65M. As its
President I built it
to become
Number 2, only
behind YouTube.
We had offices all
around the US
and all around
the world.
Everywhere I
went I saw so
many Indians and
Chinese and
Israelis and so on
doing great
things, and fell in
love with the
emotion of immi‑
gration. I started
to talk to people
At Homeis all employees are
to understand
immigrants like Varsha Ahir.
V
arsha Ahir moved to America a year ago and clear to me that I needed Indians
had earlier lived in England as a student for to build the Indian community. An
two years. As a member of the Indian diaspora, Israeli cannot lead and build the
she is all too familiar with the overwhelming feel‑ Indian community, there is the
ings one experiences when relocating to a for‑ language, culture and so many
eign land: cultural shocks, social isolation, things. Varsha Ahir came here
homesickness ‑ feelings which seem to stem a year ago from New Delhi.
from human natureʼs need for a sense of She is our Indian community
belonging. Therefore, it comes as no surprise leader, and we have interns,
that the best way to overcome these feelings an artist who came from
is to fulfill that need to belong somewhere; Chennai and another writer
to be a part of a community. Varshaʼs expe‑ who is from Tamil Nadu.
rience not only allows her to empathize with other Indians whoʼve The idea of Homeis is to gather all
emigrated to the US, but it also drives her to build a thriving, sup‑ the community together in one
portive community in which such individuals can feel welcome. place to make it easy to create a
set of information that everybody
are by Israelis. So we successfully can share. So we invite lawyers,
time. Then Verizon acquired AOL launched the community of Israelis doctors and CPAs and small busi‑
and I needed to move on. in New York, reaching more than nesses to share their knowledge.
Meanwhile immigration had 50% of them in New York ‑‑ or We have a job section, where you
become the strongest topic world‑ rather tristate, from New Jersey to can offer or look for jobs. And we
wide ‑‑ lot of people were against Long Island. are working to develop a dating
it. So I decided to put my knowl‑ Then I knew that we had to go Continued on page 27
edge in the internet and technolo‑
gy to good use and create a plat‑
form for the immigrant communi‑
ties. I really believe that your com‑
munity is your way to assimilate,
to gain power, to fall in love, find
friends, and to create a future for
yourself regardless of where you
come from. So we started Homeis
with my partners in less than three
years ago. We raised $4 million
from very good partners like Smart
Capital that has invested in Twitter
and Four Square and Tumbler, and
Homeis is where you go to find the best biryani in town, or where to
some notable American investors
go to play cricket or find a doctor who can speak Hindi.
 16 April 20-26, 2019 ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Meryl Streep or Madhuri Mindy Kaling,

for my biopic: Bobbi Brown Priyanka teaming up
By Sugandha Rawal
for wedding comedy

G Q
lobal make‑up icon Bobbi
Brown, who found global
fame by following her
passion to make women look
beautiful in a natural way, finds
the idea of her life story finding a
way to the silver screen over‑
whelming.
"That would be overwhelming,"
Brown told IANS when asked
about the idea of a film based on
her life.
Whom would you like to bring
your life alive on the big screen?
"Maybe Meryl Streep from
Hollywood or Madhuri Dixit from
Bollywood," she added.
At the moment, Brown is happy
to dive into the myriad hues of
Indian culture. She is excited
about her maiden trip to the coun‑
try for the debut edition of the
India Makeup Show. Curated by
Brothers Incorporated, founded
by Rahul Tuljapurkar and Ninad
Shah, the two‑day show will come
to Delhi on April 20. She looks at
India as a "land of magic".
"I wanted to visit India for such
a long time. I love the rich history
and the culture and can't wait to
Global make‑up icon Bobbi Brown and Indian actress Madhuri Dixit.
soak it all up. I'm looking forward
to seeing all of the sights, eating
delicious food and meeting new
people," Brown said.
"I'm really looking forward to
eating at Bombay Canteen. My
friend Floyd Cardoz owns the
restaurant. And of course the Taj
Mahal," she added.
T he make‑up art iste has
expressed her desire to work with
star Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and
feels "Indian beauty is confident,
modern and diverse". Elaborating
her view, the 61‑year‑old said:
uantico" star
Priyanka
Chopra Jonas
and actress Mindy
Kaling, who has Indian
roots, will team up for a
new film, based around
a big fat Indian wed‑
ding.
Universal Pictures is
developing the film
after winning an auc‑
tion for a pitch by
Kaling, Priyanka and
Dan Goor, reports vari‑
ety.com.
Actress Mindy Kaling will be
Kaling, who will write
"The make‑up looks in the coun‑ cowriting the screenplay.
the screenplay with
try range from the over the top to
Goor, is attached to star along‑ Greek Wedding". It is likely to
traditional to a cleaner, more
side Priyanka and will poten‑ revolve around the culture
modern look. I love the diverse
tially direct the film. Kaling will clashes at a big wedding in
mix of looks and trends. Most
produce under her Kaling India. "Two women with a pas‑
importantly, everyone in India
International, Priyanka for sion for telling good stories, just
always looks so beaut iful.
Purple Pebble Pictures, Howard got the green light to their story
Anything can look and feel beauti‑
Klein for 3 Arts, alongside Goor. their way. So proud of this
ful on Indian skin." It was a hum‑
Heather Morris and Nina Anand incredible partnership with
ble beginning for Brown who
Aujla executive produce the Mindy Kaling and Goor! We are
launched her career at depart‑
project. Details of the pitch are about to show you what it
ment store Bergdorf Goodman
being kept under wraps other means to be modern, global,
with just 10 lip shades in 1991,
than being described as "Crazy and Indian. See you at the cine‑
and went on to build a billion‑dol‑
Rich Asians" meets "My Big Fat ma," Priyanka tweeted.
lar empire.

“Albert Pinto Ko Gussa…” Hope to win Kangana’s approval

a satire that ruffles feathers with hard work: Alia Bhatt
A
By Troy Ribeiro ctor Alia Bhatt has
reacted to Kang ana

I
n 1980, Saeed Akhtar Mirza had Ranautʼs comments
directed a film, "Albert Pinto Ko that her performance in Gully
Gussa Kyun Aata Hai?", based Boy was ʻmediocreʼ and that
on his own story. T he film, she finds it embarrassing to be
designed as a slice‑of‑life film, cre‑ compared to her.
ated ripples as a neo‑realism film, Alia told Bollywoo d
during the parallel cinema move‑ Hung ama, “I respect
ment and acquired a cult following. Kanganaʼs work a lot and I
Thirty‑nine years later, keeping respect her opinion. If she
the same middle‑class angst in fee ls a particular way she
mind and character names, writer‑ must have reason to feel that
director Soumitra Ranade tries to Actors Manav Kaul and Nandita Das way. I would rather remember
replicate this classic, in his own in a still from the movie how much she had praised me
style. Albert Pinto (Manav Kaul) is after watching ʻRaaziʼ. And Iʼd
projected as a sensitive and caring man till rest of the supporting cast is all perfunctory. just like to focus on my work.
one fine day, without any intimation to his Visually the film appears of f beat with Maybe she will appreciate me
family, he decides to go on a personal mission respect to the period it is set in. The screen‑ again if I work hard enough.”
to eliminate two prominent politi‑ play running on parallel tracks of In an earlier interview to
cians, who are the cause of his the current and the past, though Bollywood Life, Kangana had
grief.
Manav Kaul essays his character
REVIEW distinct, does appear forced. Also,
each scene looks like staged set‑
said that she finds compar‑
isons between herself and Alia
with panache delivering an unrestrained per‑ pieces, gummed together. embarrassing because she
formance. But his character simply does not While the film is mounted with moderate found Aliaʼs crit ically
gel. The fault lies purely on the writer‑direc‑ production values, the tone of its messages is acclaimed performance in
tor's design of the character and the cinemat‑ lost in its cinematic communication, simply Gully Boy ʻmediocreʼ. Actress Alia Bhatt said she would
ic liberties he takes. because of the treatment of the film. Only a Kangana said, “I am embar‑ like to focus on her work.
Manav is aptly supported by Nandita Das as few are adept at blurring the fine line rassed...What is there to beat
his love interest, Stella, who as a concerned between a slice‑of‑life and a satire. Overall, in Gully Boy performance ....same snap‑ me this embarrassment, please. Media
and loving girlfriend appears ef fortless. the film does establish its boundaries and ruf‑ py muh phat (loud‑mouthed) girl... has taken filmy kids love too far. Stop
Saurabh Shukla is complacent as the driver, fle feathers if you watch the film in the right Bollywoodʼs idea of a fiery girl, woman pampering mediocre work or else bar
transporting Albert from Mumbai to Goa. The spirit. empowerment and good acting, spare will never be raised”.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Vivek Oberoi's Modi act
loses steam and esteem
By Subhash K Jha
T
he unexpected clamping‑down on the
much‑debated biopic on Prime
Minister Narendra Modi would affect
Vivek Oberoi much more than anyone else
associated with the film.
And not only because Vivek is/was (letʼs
face it, the Election Commission verdict has
killed the film) a producer on the project.
Not even because it is said that Vivek
Oberoiʼs politically‑connected in‑laws have a
big hand in concretizing the project.
But mainly because Vivek's career as a
leading man in Bollywood is all but over.
And not for the want of talent. Only oppor‑
tunities. Some say Vivek paid a price for tak‑
ing on Salman Khan when the two warred
over the dignity of a lady they both loved.
But if antagonizing Salman could finish off
careers then singer Arijit Singh would be on
the streets.
Vivek's failure is still a mystery to me. He
had more talent than many of today's sup‑
posed superstars. Yes, he was aggressive
and flamboyant in his behavior. But no more
or less than Ranveer Singh. But I remember
Vivek as a warm, caring and committed
human being and actor even after stardom.
Vivek was seeing model Gurpreet Gill
when we first got to know one another. He
was an obedient, sincere dedicated
boyfriend. I don't know why Vivek became
so unpopular within the film industry in
such a short time. One reason for his
downslide was his high‑profile relationship
with Salman's former girlfriend. Vivek
We are lucky to have
found Pooja Bediʼs
daughter: Saif
B
ollywood actor Saif Ali Khan,
who was recently seen in
ʻBazaarʼ, is currently
working on his home produc‑
tion ʻJawani Janemanʼ and has
roped in Pooja Bediʼs daughter
Alaia Furniturewala for the
role of his onscreen daughter.
Speaking about the young
actor, Saif has said she is the
perfect choice for the role.
Saif told Mid Day in an
interview, “She has all the
qualities we were looking for
in the young lead, the
charm and energy to
take the film to the
level that it
needs. We are
lucky to have
found our per‑
fect cast and Iʼm looking forward to
work with Alaia”. The film is likely to be
the story of a father‑daughter duo.
According to reports, Saif plays a man in
his late 40s, who refuses to grow up
despite a teenage daughter. Announcing
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Vivek Oberoi's career as a leading man
in Bollywood is all but over.
flaunted his new girlfriend like a trophy and
spoke against the man who apparently ill‑
treated her before Oberoi the Gallahad, gal‑
loped into her life as savior.
But I repeat, the Salman factor couldn't
have killed Oberoi's career. Over the years,
he has not changed in his behavior, at least
to me. He is still confident, gracious and
polite. Marriage and fatherhood have made
him a better human being.
Excellent voice, terrific command over
Hindi and the ability to look convincing in
any role, today Vivek is keeping myself busy
playing strong antagonists in Tamil and
Telugu films. Now that the Modi biopic has
been snubbed and sidelined, Vivek's one
hope of redemption and resurrection in
Bollywood has crashed.
Alaia
Furniturewala
will be seen in
actor Saif Ali
Khanʼs home
production.
her first Hindi film, Alaia had posted on
Instagram, “Beyonnnnnd excited to final‑
ly be able to share the news of my first
film! Honored, grateful and overjoyed to
be a part of #JawaaniJaaneman with
#SaifAliKhan!”
April 20-26, 2019 17
Working with Colliva was
great learning: Farhan
A
ctor‑singer‑songwriter
Farhan Akhtar who has
released his first solo music
album titled "Echoes", produced by
Grammy Award‑winning Italian pro‑
ducer Tommaso Colliva, says such
collaborations are fruitful for cre‑
ativity.
Sharing his experience of working
with an international producer who
has worked with British band Muse
and Mary Chain among others,
Farhan said: "Working with
Tommaso was really amazing
because his approach was quite dif‑
ferent. He wanted to know the story
behind each song, and what was my
frame of mind when I was writing
them.
"The atmosphere was so conducive
that as a singer‑songwriter I felt real‑
ly excited to work on it. He wanted
to do the production and sound fol‑
lowing those written words. It really
added value to the album. It was a
Actor Farhan Akhtar has released his
great learning experience." Asked if first solo music album, titled ʻEchoesʼ.
he would like to use the experience
to contribute to the independent music sce‑ ent, but look, this is not my full‑time job."
nario in India, where Bollywood music Farhan took around three years to write
mostly overshadows it, Farhan said: "We the 13 songs of the album "Echoes", which
are doing a lot of stuff through our movies. was released recently. He went to Milan for
If you look at the recent example of 'Gully recording of the tracks.
Boy', we have encouraged musicians from The song titled "Why couldn't it be me"
the underground scene. We often collabo‑ was the result of the horrifying terrorist
rate with independent musicians. I would attack at the military school in Peshawar in
love to support and encourage young tal‑ 2014.
ʻSeeking truth can even
cost life in Indiaʼ
N
ational award‑winning
actress Shweta Basu
Prasad, portraying a
journalist in the film "The
Tashkent Files", says searching
for truth can, at time, cost life
as the powerful tend to sup‑
press voices.
"The Tashkent Files",
released recently, revolves
around the mysterious death
of former Prime Minister Lal
Bahadur Shastri in 1966, soon
after signing the Tashkent
Agreement between India and
Pakistan to end the 1965 war.
"Ragini (Shweta's character)
starts the investigation into the
Shastri's mysterious death
because she was looking for a
scoop and wanted to prove
herself to the organization. But National award‑winning actress Shweta Basu Prasad.
deeper she delved into it, she
felt determined to know the truth behind the The 28‑year‑old actress admitted that she
death. But eventually she realized truth‑ did not know much about Shastri's life
seeking is highly costly in India," Shweta before getting on board for the film. "In
said. school we really do not get to read much
According to her, the practice of "honest about him and that's why we do not know
journalism has been suppressed by the pow‑ much. It's good that our generation is rais‑
erful. If some gets fearless, he/she disap‑ ing questions. Unless we question the narra‑
pears and could eventually get killed". tive will not change."
18 April 20-26, 2019 LENS EYE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

INDIAN ELECTION: COLORFUL & CONTENTIOUS

Congress President Rahul Gandhi, JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda and Congress leader Tripura ˜princessʼ Pragya Deb Burman, Congress candidate from East Tripura
Siddaramaiah during the election campaign in Musuru on April 13. constituency, electioneering in North Tripura district on April 12.

Union
Minister and
BJP's Lok
Sabha
candidate
from Amethi,
Smriti Irani
performs
'havan' on
April 11 ahead
of filing her
nomination.

Veteran actor Dharmendra

and
campaigning on behalf of his wife, actress Indian Army personnel
14.
BJP MP Hema Malini in Mathura on April deployed at Jammu and
Kashmir's Siachen cast
their votes for the first
phase of Lok Sabha
elections on April 11.
(Photos: IANS)

Fake news and fake cartoons

News agency AFP found the matter serious enough to fact‑check it. A Facebook post shared hundreds
of times claimed the front page of Time magazine featured a cartoon of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi,
to insinuate that he is pro‑Pakistan. A similar cartoon insinuates that PM Narendra Modi bribes the
media. But both times the image has been doctored from the original 2012 cartoon in LA Times about
corporate donations in US politics.
Images on social media abound claiming that fake fingers are being
used to subvert the process of voting in India. One of the people who
first tweeted about it (then deleted the tweet) blaming BJP for it is
pro‑AAP Abhishek Mishra. Reverse sourcing reveals the picture is
from Japan with the news: “PROSTHETIC FINGERS HELP REFORM FOR‑
MER YAKUZA (Japanese mafia) MEMBERS”
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Arul Louis
O
nce hailed by the left as
the champion of trans‑
parency and reviled by
the rig ht as a leaker of state
secrets, Julian Assange is now
trapped between them having
played a role in the rise of a right‑
wing president and in the spread
of hidden information embarrass‑
ing to the progressives.
As the founder of WikiLeaks,
Assange, was among the first to
demonstrate the tremendous
power of the Internet and digital
technology to pierce the secrecy of
governments and impact politics
and society.
The media fed of f WikiLeaks
data dump that he facilitated, even
as it stayed a hands breadth away
from legal complicity in obtaining
the classified information for
which others ‑ and now Assange ‑
paid the price.
Assange straddled the worlds of
cyber activism and journalism as
WikiLeaks is viewed as a media
platform of which he had been the
publisher.
Now the media is torn by his
arrest, whether to defend him or to
walk away, also has to calculate
the impact on the profession.
Democratic Party Representative
PRIYANKA GANDHI PREPARING
UTTAR PRADESH FOR 2022
By Saeed Naqvi
I
t is true that there are no per‑
manent enemies or permanent
friends in politics. But this
Machiavellian law is clearly not
applicable when a coalition of par‑
ties is in the midst of an existential
battle. No one can grudge the
Congress partyʼs desire to revive,
but fighting the main enemy, in
this case the BJP, and at the same
time firing lethal rounds at allies
has created bad blood among coali‑
tion partners.
Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav and
Ajit Singh (BSP, SP, RLD) have spo‑
ken out in unison: "There is no dif‑
ference between the Congress and
the BJP." T he other day
"Gathbandhan" was in a huddle,
counting the number of seats
where the Congress has entered
the fray "as a spoiler". In
Saharanpur, Kheri, Badaun, Sant
Kabir Nagar, Sitapur, Bijnor and so
on ‑ the Congress is helping not the
"gathbandhan" but the BJP.
Why is the Congress in this mode
of double containment? One does
not have to look far for hints and
guesses: Priyanka Gandhi has, in so
many words, clarified her party's
intention. "We are preparing the
Assange personifies
contradictions of US politics
Tulsi Gabbard tweeted: "The arrest
of Julian Assange is meant to send
a message to all Americans and
journalists: be quiet, behave, toe
the line. Or you will pay the price."
A writer in the Columbia
Journalism Review warned: "Going
forward, journalists will need to be
vigilant. Assange's case is specific,
but the way the Just ice
Department responds to his arrest
could have serious implications for
all of us."
T he American Civil Liberties
Union also highlighted the threat
to journalists. One of its project
directors, Ben Wizner, said: "Any
prosecution by the US of Assange
for WikiLeaks' publishing opera‑
tions would be unprecedented and
unconstitutional, and would open
the door to criminal investigations
of other news organizations."
So far, the US government has
not charged him with espionage or
aiding the enemy, which could
directly involve the journalistic
aspects of the leaks. He was
Priyanka Gandhi has, in so many words, clarified her party's inten‑
tion that it is preparing the ground for 2022.
ground for 2022" ‑ the Assembly
elections. In other words, for the
Nehru‑Gandhi parivar, the 2019
Lok Sabha elections are not a mat‑
ter of life and death. Will Narendra
Modi return signal the end of
democracy, usher in fascism and
worse? The Congress is not taken
in by such alarmist nonsense.
The Congress has not been able
to properly market some of its
smart, double edged moves.
Fielding Rahul from Wayanad in
Kerala has been criticized for the
obvious reason: that Wayanad is a
seat from where the Congress
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
OP-ED
So far, the US government has
not charged him with espionage
or aiding the enemy, which
could directly involve the
journalistic aspects of the leaks.
charged in a federal court near
Washington with only "conspiracy
to commit computer intrusion" for
always wins. T he unnecessary
insertion of the Congress President
in the battle has signaled the
party's antipathy towards the Left
with which it had been in conversa‑
tion for some co‑ordination in
West Bengal.
The Wayanad episode came on
the hee ls of the West Bengal
arrangement being spurned by the
Congress. The coincidence ampli‑
fied Congress ambivalence, its
inability to decide whether it
should strengthen the opposition
or weaken regional forces. It prob‑
ably feels that it looks relatively
April 20-26, 2019
allegedly helping the former Army
inte lligence analyst Che lsea
Elizabeth Manning crack pass‑
words to ultra‑secret computer
networks that she used to get the
information for him.
WikiLeaks and Assange became
central to the alleg at ions of
Russian interference in the 2016
US elections and collusion with
President Donald Trump that have
dominated American politics since
then. Special Counse l Robert
Mueller, who investigated the alle‑
gations, found that Russia had
meddled in the polls through the
leak of embarrassing material
about the Democratic Party and
Hillary Clinton, but he has
absolved Trump of involvement.
This makes Assange less of a
sympathetic character to the pro‑
gressives and Democrats ‑ and the
media ‑ because of Clinton's defeat.
The WikiLeaks disclosures about
India, mostly from US diplomatic
cables going back several years,
included material about contacts
more muscular for future battles
by undoing its own allies. What the
Congress has not marketed is this:
Rahul from Wayanad may block
Congress candidates fleeing
towards the BJP which is aching to
open its account in Kerala.
Also, the intellectual pool around
the Congress President appears to
have been influenced by the pro‑
Modi media which has projected
2019 as a Presidential contest.
This is not new. During the 2014
elections, Arnab Goswami, as the
oracle and arbiter of national des‑
tiny, was on the same trajectory.
He attempted to lure Rahul Gandhi
into his parlor for a Modi‑Rahul
debate. It did not work out because
Rahul Gandhi was dreaming
dreams of building the party brick
by brick, village Panchayat
upwards, a high pyramid with a
wide base.
In the space of a month, both
Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi
have publicly backtracked. They
have both said separately that they
are preparing the ground, particu‑
larly in Uttar Pradesh, for 2022.
Partymen are thinking of 2024 Lok
Sabha elections. In striking this
posture, they miss the basic point.
Election 2019 was supposed to
19
between politicians, public figures,
journalists and civil society con‑
tacts w ith diplomats as we ll
American diplomats' views of
Indian developments right down to
the micro‑level of happenings in
states.
Assange's accomplice in the
court filings in the US, Manning
was court martialed on 22 charges
including aiding the enemy and
was sentenced in 2013 to 35 years
in a military prison. However, for‑
mer President Barack Obama com‑
muted to seven years before he left
office and freed how.
But she is back in prison after a
judge last month ordered her held
indefinitely for refusing to testify
before a court panel, known as a
grand jury, investigating Assange
and WikiLeaks.
Now in British custody, Assange
like other fugitives such as Nirav
Modi and Vijay Mallya, will try to
fight the extradition to the US or
Sweden using the British judicial
system.
focus on bringing down the BJP.
Had Congress played the game in
good faith, the leadership selection
phase would have been relatively
smooth. Numbers would have influ‑
enced the outcome. But the manner
in which candidates have been
fielded by the Congress, particular‑
ly against Mayawati, ensures a
messy endgame.
If the results are more or less
even, this would, for the BJP be an
excellent election to lose. The Ram
Temple remains unbuilt. Kashmir
and the Pakistan cauldrons are
bubbling over. On each one of
these issues, the B team of the BJP,
namely the Congress, will simply
wilt. Pakistan Prime Minister
Imran Khan was succinct: chances
of an Indo‑Pakistan dialogue are
more likely in the event of Modi
winning.
Much of this is highly specula‑
tive. Should the BJP numbers fall
just enough to qualify it for the
largest single party status, Naveen
Patnaik, K. Chandrashekar Rao,
Jaganmohan Reddy in Odisha,
Telengana and Andhra Pradesh
will be inclined to leap from their
fence but only on their terms
which will most certainly include a
change of leadership in the BJP.
 20 April 20-26, 2019 SUBCONTINENT TheSouthAsianTimes.info

IMF may delay Pakistan visit China faces ʻtentativeʼ ultimatum

as bailout talks continue
Islamabad: The visit of
an International
Monetary Fund (IMF)
mission to Islamabad
for finalizing a bailout
package for Pakistan
may be delayed as both
sides are still engaged
in an intense discussion
on the proposed pro‑
gramme, official
sources told Dawn
news.
Finance Minister Asad
Umar said earlier this Pakistanʼs Finance Minister Asad Umar.
month that the mission
would visit Islamabad soon after
the spring meetings of the World
Bank Group, which includes the
IMF and an agreement should be
signed by the end of this month.
At a news briefing in
Washington on the night of April
11, Umar said the two sides had
"more or less, reached an under‑
standing" on the bailout package
and "in a day or two, we hope to
reach a full agreement". But it
seems that "both sides are still
engaged in an intense conversa‑
tion on the final details of that
full agreement", an official
source told Dawn. "So, the IMF
mission is now more likely to
visit Islamabad in May, not April." ment, nuclear power plants, joint
Another official familiar with
the Pakistan‑IMF talks said:
"Islamabad still hopes to con‑
on blacklisting Masood Azhar
Washington: The United States,
France and the United Kingdom
are reported to have posted a
deadline for China to lift its hold
on their proposal for a UN
Security Council body to blacklist
Masoo d Azhar, founder of
Pakistan‑based Jaish‑e‑
Mohammad, which has claimed
responsibility for the Pulwama
terror attack in February, the
Hindustan Times reported.
The three powers want China to
allow the UNSC designation of
Azhar “tentatively” by April 23, or
clude the agreement before June,
they will move to the next step by
as they believe the bailout pack‑
moving a formal resolution for
age would help budget
discussion, vote and passage at
prospects." When asked how
the UNSC, according to a media
much money did Pakistan expect
report, which could not be veri‑
from the IMF, a source said: "The
fied independently.
amount and length of the pro‑
In response to a request for
gramme also depends on the
comment, the United States said,
nature of the package.
“We decline to comment”. A
"If the conditions are too
response was awaited from the
restrictive, Pakistan would expect
permanent mission of France,
a larger package, i.e. more assis‑
which had taken the lead in intro‑
tance for a longer period."
ducing the fourth proposal yet to
The IMF has also insisted on
designate the JeM terrorist. The
full disclosure of all financial
US and the UK jointly sponsored
cooperation between Pakistan
the proposal.
and China, including assistance
Moved before the 1267 sanc‑
related to infrastructure develop‑
t ions committee of the UN
Security Council after Pulwama,
manufacturing of JF‑17 Thunder
the proposal stalled after a techni‑
fighter jets and procurement of
cal hold was put on it by China,
submarines.
Masood Azhar is the founder
of Pakistan‑based
Jaish‑e‑Mohammad.
which blocked all three previous
attempts act ing on behalf of
Azharʼs host country Pakistan.
Under the rules, China could keep
the hold in place for six months
and then three more.
But, out of patience, the US, the
UK and France are determined to
force Chinaʼs hand this time by
going around the sanctions com‑
mittee, whose opaque operational
rules of confident iality and
anonymity allowed China to block
the designation without explain‑
ing its reasons or taking responsi‑
bility for it.
The three powers moved a draft
resolution before the Security
Council late last month to trigger
“informal discussions” on the des‑
ignation with the understanding
amongst themselves that China
cannot be allowed to take forever
to decide. It had a choice now:
relent, or protect a terrorist from
designation in full view of the
world.
Beijing bristled at being pushed
and complained the three powers
were setting a bad precedent by
going around the sanction com‑
mittee. But it was met with even
more determination and resolve.
The United States said it was pre‑
pared to “utilize all available
resources” to blacklist Azhar.
Discussions have been on since.
And Beijing has claimed it is
working hard to resolve the issue.
Some progress has been reported
indeed but the US, the UK and
France and India, which is not a
member of the UNSC, are unwill‑
ing to let Beijing “run the clock”
on it, as it has done before.
T here has been no reaction
from China yet to the reported
ultimatum.

Taliban announces spring

offensive in Afghanistan
Kabul: The Taliban announced their annual
spring offensive in Afghanistan with a spe‑
cial focus on capturing urban areas.
The statement came amid peace talks with
the US and just few days ahead of a sched‑
uled intra‑Afghan dialog in Doha, Qatar, in
which representatives of the government
are expected to take part, reports Efe news.
"As defending one's religion, homeland,
life, property and honor is compulsory and
complete independence of an Islamic coun‑
try from the clutches of foreign occupation a
jihadi obligation, hence for the fulfilment of
this responsibility, the Islamic Emirate
declares Al‑Fath Jihadi Operations," the
Taliban said in a statement.
In the spring, the improving weather
allows Taliban fighters to resume operations
after three months of cold.
"Our jihadi obligation has not yet ended.
They (the US) not only maintain political
control of our homeland but daily bomb our
fellow countrymen. They used the Kabul
administration to continue killing Afghans,
extending occupation and preventing an
Islamic system by announcing Khalid mili‑
tary operations," the Taliban said referring
to an annual military operation announced
by the Afghan Defense Ministry on March
An Afghan security force member during a military operation in Sari Pul province.
21. The Taliban forces are this time launch‑
ing their spring of fensive nearly 15 days
ahead of their normal time. They usually
resume fighting at the end of April.
The group is looking to capture urban
areas this year and asked its fighters to pay
attention to the prevention of civilian casu‑
alties, to protect the lives and property of
fellow Afghans and guard welfare projects
during the Al‑Fath operation.
Taliban shadow
governor for
Helmand dead
Kabul: Sharafuddin Taqi, shadow gover‑
nor of Taliban for Afghanistan's Helmand
province, has died of injuries, sustained
in an airstrike earlier this month, the
media reported. The provincial govern‑
ment said in a statement, cited by the
Khaama Press, that Taqi was wounded in
the airstrike close to the Musa Qala mar‑
ket on April 1.
As many as five militants, including the
media in charge of the group Hafiz
Rashid, were killed in the airstrike,
according to the statement.
In the first hours of their spring offensive,
a Taliban spokesman said its fighters used
mortars to attack Bagram airbase, the
largest US military installation in the coun‑
try, and inflicted losses on the Americans.
The group is scheduled to meet Afghan
politicians and representatives of the gov‑
ernment between April 19‑21 in Doha for an
intra‑Afghan dialogue.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INTERNATIONAL April 20-26, 2019 21

Sweden must get priority Kim says open to talks

on Assange: UK MPs if US has 'right attitude'
London: Over 70 lawmakers in the UK have
signed a letter urging the Home Secretary
to give priority to a possible Swedish extra‑
dition request for WikiLeaks founder
Julian Assange to face rape allegations
over a request from the US for hacking
charges.
Assange, 47, remains in British custody
after he was arrested at the Ecuadorian
Embassy in London, where he was holed
up for almost seven years after breaching
bail in 2012 over fears that sexual assault
allegations lodged in Sweden could ulti‑
mately lead to his extradition to the US to
face trial over the leaking of secret govern‑
ment information.
In 2010, WikiLeaks dumped thousands
of confidential documents covering every‑
thing from the film industry to national
security and war. In a letter, predominantly
signed by members of the opposition
Labour Party and parliamentarians, Home
Secretary Sajid Javid was urged to "do
everything you can to champion action
that will ensure that Julian Assange can be
extradited to Sweden in the event Sweden
makes an extradition request", Efe news
reported. "This would be so the formal
investigation into an allegation of rape can
be concluded and, if appropriate, a charge
can be made and any trial can take place,"
the letter said.
Assange has been accused of rape and
other sexual offences, against two women,
following a WikiLeaks conference in
Stockholm in 2010. He has always denied
the allegations, saying the sex was consen‑
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
was arrested at the Ecuadorian
Embassy in London.
sual. Swedish prosecutors will now re‑
examine the rape case to decide whether to
resume it before the statute of limitations
runs out in August 2020, the BBC said.
Assange is due to appear via video con‑
ference at the Westminster Magistrates
Court on May 2 to begin proceedings for
his possible extradition to the US, who
want to investigate his links to Chelsea
Manning, a former US soldier who supplied
WikiLeaks with confidential information.
Seoul: North Korean leader Kim
Jong‑un has said he is willing for
another meeting with US
President Donald Trump to reach
an agreement on denuclearization
if Washington has the right atti‑
tude, the state media reported.
"If the US proposes holding a
third North Korea‑US summit with
a right attitude and a right
method, we have a willingness to
do it one more time," Kim said dur‑
ing a speech on the second day of
a 14th Supreme People's Assembly
session. His comments were pub‑
lished by Pyongyang's state news
agency KCNA.
"I will not hesitate in signing an
agreement only if it is written in a
way that meets the interests of the
Democratic People's Republic of
Korea and is fair, mutually accept‑
able and this will entirely depend
upon with what attitude and calcu‑
lus the US would come up with,"
he added.
Trump and Kim met for the first
time in Singapore 2018. However,
a second summit in Hanoi in
February broke down over denu‑
North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un.
clearization steps.
Kim had earlier said the summit "excellent".
had created a "strong doubt" in him over The North Korean leader said that he
whether the US genuinely wanted to will wait until the end of the year to see
improve relations. But he added that his if Washington makes a "courageous deci‑
personal ties with Trump remained sion".

Israel election results: SUDANESE PRESIDENT BASHIR

Netanyahu secures
record fifth term
Jerusalem: Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud
party has won 36 seats and sur‑
passed the main rival, the Blue
and White party in the 2019
Israel election, official results
showed.
According to the Central
Election Committee chief Judge
Hanan Melcer, the results were
released by the committee after
two days of counting ballots and
delays caused by computer mal‑
functions, Xinhua reported.
Netanyahu's right‑wing Likud
party won 36 seats while the
centrist Blue and White, led by
an ex‑army chief, gained 35
seats, the results showed.
Netanyahu now needs to form
a governing coalition with at
least 61 members in Israel's
120‑seat parliament, or the
Knesset. He already said he
intends to build a coalition with
right‑wing and ultra‑Orthodox
parties.
His likely partners include
Benjamin Netanyahu has
become Israel's longest‑serving
Prime Minister.
Shas, with eight seats, and
United Torah Judaism, with
seven seats, both Jewish ultra‑
Orthodox parties.
The Blue and White party,
Netanyahu's main challenger in
the elections, conceded defeat,
vowing to serve as a "fierce
opposition" to Netanyahu.
The results mean Netanyahu is
heading for a record fifth term in
office and would become Israel's
longest‑serving Prime Minister.
FORCED OUT IN COUP
Khartoum: Sudanese Army
removed President Omar al‑
Bashir from power after nearly
30 years, following widespread
protests that escalated at the
weekend, Defense Minister Awad
Ibn Ouf said.
Speaking on state TV, Awad Ibn
Ouf said the Army had decided to
oversee a two‑year transitional
period followed by elections. He
also said a three‑month state of
emergency was being put in
place.
Protests against Bashir, who
has governed Sudan since 1989,
had been under way for several
Omar al‑Bashir had been in power for almost 30 years.
months. T he Army recently
clashed with government security gathered outside Sudanese mili‑ neig hboring cit ies like
forces during these protests. tary headquarters in the capital Omdurman and Khartoum North
The minister said that Bashir Khartoum amid speculation that crossing the bridges over the Nile
had been arrested but was "in a the embattled president would and the White Nile.
safe place", the BBC reported. step down following rumors of a Al‑Bashir has been in power for
"For a long time, examining brewing military coup. almost 30 years after he led a
what's going on in the state and Demonstrations demanding al‑ coup in the oil‑rich country in
the corruption that is going on," Bashir's resignation began in 1989. Since the country split with
he said. "The poor are poorer and December last year. South Sudan in 2011, Sudan has
the rich are still rich and there Earlier, rivers of protesters been increasingly paralyzed by
are no equal chances for the same made their way on foot to central protests and instability, as well as
people." Thousands of people had Khartoum from the suburbs and a worsening economic crisis.
 22 April 20-26, 2019
Scrapping India's trade privileges Jet pilots, engineers
could hit US consumers, say Senators
Washington: A US plan to end pref‑
erential duty‑free imports of up to
$5.6 billion from India could raise
costs for American consumers, two
US senators have told their coun‑
try's trade office, urging a delay in
adopting the plan, and seeking more
negotiations.
If President Donald Trump press‑
es ahead with his plan to end the
Generalized System of Preferences
(GSP) for India, it could lose the sta‑
tus in early May, Indian of ficials
have said, raising the prospect of
retaliatory tariffs.
India is the world's largest benefi‑
ciary of the GSP, dating from the
1970s, but trade ties with the US
have widened over what Trump calls
its high tarif fs and concerns over
New Delhi's e‑commerce policies.
"While we agree that there are a
number of market access issues that
can and should be addressed, we do
remain concerned that the with‑
drawal of duty concessions will
make Indian exports of eligible
products to the United States cost‑
lier," Senators John Cornyn and
Mark Warner wrote.
"Some of these costs will likely be
passed on to American consumers".
In their Friday letter, the co‑chairs
of the Senate's India caucus of more
Upcoming wedding season
to boost gold prices further
Mumbai: Trade tension between
the US and China, uncertainty
around Brexit and slowdown con‑
cerns have prompted investors
globally to look for safe invest‑
ments, one of which has tradition‑
ally been gold.
In this backdrop, experts say that
gold prices in India are set to gain
further, ahead of the upcoming
wedding season.
"The recent revision of the global
growth forecast to 3.5 per cent,
from 3.7 per cent, by IMF further
made investors watch out for the
yellow metal and other risk invest‑
ment assets. With the wedding sea‑
son coming into the picture, physi‑
cal demand for the metal shall
keep the prices up," said Vinod
Jayakumar of Karvy Commodities.
For consumers in India, gold as
an asset class is normally from a
consumption perspective rather
Senators Mike Warner (D) and John Cornyn (R), co‑chairs of Senate
India Caucus, with Indian Ambassador to US Harsh Vardhan Shringla .
than 30 senators called for with‑
drawal to be delayed until the end of
India's 39‑day general elections,
which began on Thursday, with
results expected on May 23.
Allowing for talks to continue
beyond the elections would under‑
score the importance of the trade
ties, presenting an opportunity to
resolve market access issues and
improve the overall US‑India rela‑
tionship for years to come, they
added. If the US scraps duty‑free
access for about 2,000 product
lines, it will mostly hurt small and
medium businesses in India, such as
makers of engineering goods.
Despite close political ties, trade
than from returns, Prathamesh
Mallya of Angel Broking told IANS.
While election may be a cause of
uncertainty, Mallya said that nei‑
ther gold consumption in India,
nor the outlook towards gold from
a prices perspective, is impacted
by any change in government.
Other major factors that have
pushed the prices higher in the
past are global slowdown concerns
and the dollar‑rupee equation.
BUSINESS
between India and the US, which
stood at $126 billion in 2017, is
widely seen to be performing at
nearly a quarter of its potential.
Trade relations suf fered in the
past few months after India adopted
new rules on e‑commerce reining in
how companies such as Amazon and
Walmart‑backed Flipkart do busi‑
ness. Last June, India said it would
step up import duties varying from
20 to 120% on a slew of US farm,
steel and iron products, angered by
Washington's refusal to exempt it
from new steel and aluminum tar‑
iffs.
But it has since repeatedly delayed
adopting the higher duties.
Economic indicators are already
signaling a slowdown, which may
worsen due to the uncertainty
around Brexit.
"Gold prices are already gaining
momentum with these kinds of
issues and have seen a very strong
start in 2019, so far," said Vandana
Bharti of SMC Global Securities.
"Recently, the rally in gold was
majorly fueled by the investment
demand though we saw the trend
has changed and the traditional
physical buying has again come in
demand."
Moreover, inflows into global
gold exchange‑traded funds ( ETFs)
are picking up gradually and may
give further boost to the prices,
Bharti added.
Experts also said the prime fac‑
tor behind the surge in gold prices
was the dovish outlook of the US
Federal Reserve.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
joining SpiceJet at
30‑50% pay cut
New Delhi: Low‑cost carrier
and top rival SpiceJet appears
to be making the most of the
crisis at Jet Airways.
Spicejet is now hiring engi‑
neers and pilots at much
lower pay than their current
salaries at the financially‑
troubled Jet.
Industry sources told IANS
that pilots from Jet Airways
are being asked to take salary
cuts of 25‑30 per cent, while
engineers have been advised
to settle at 50 per cent of
their current pay package.
Not long ago, many airlines
including SpiceJet were luring
the same pilots and engineers
with joining bonuses and bet‑
ter perks.
"The prospect of closure is
certainly one of the reasons
for professionals agreeing to
take salary cuts. But average
salaries at Jet Airways have
also been higher than the
industry level," a top aviation
source said.
A senior aircraft mainte‑
nance engineer who has
applied to SpiceJet and Air
India Express for a job said
that he has got an offer in the
range of Rs 150,000‑200,000
a month while his current
cost to company (CTC) at Jet
Airways is nearly Rs 400,000
a month.
"The offer is much lower. It
will certainly be a forced
choice. We are hoping that
some investor would take
over Jet and our salaries will
remain protected," he said.
A SpiceJet executive said
that the budget carrier was
offering salaries based on
their own structure and not
the highly inflated one paid
by Jet Airways.
A senior commander with
Jet Airways said that pilots
with 4‑5 years of experience
are going to other airlines as
they are feeling the pinch of
salary delays.
"They have loans and other
financial commitments so
they are looking for places
where there is certainty of
jobs and timely salary pay‑
ment. Not many senior level
pilots have so far left Jet
Airways. They are reluctant
to go to either SpiceJet,
IndiGo or Air India Express as
they feel their seniority and
salary will be impacted. They
do not want to sign 3‑5 year
bonds," he said.
Among various domestic
airlines, only Air India
Express and SpiceJet operate
Boeing fleets, apart from Jet
Airways. Those operating
Airbus aircraft fear huge con‑
version costs for both pilots
and engineers and are, thus,
reluctant to hire the technical
personnel from Jet.
But aviation experts feel
that the current situation is
temporary and it will normal‑
ize once Jet gets back on
its feet.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPORTS April 20-26, 2019 23

India's World Cup squad: Karthik pips Pant

New Delhi: Dinesh Karthik has
beaten Rishabh Pant in the race
to become the second wicket‑
keeper in the Indian team for the
upcoming World Cup in England
and Wales.
The five wise men of Indian
cricket, led by M.S.K. Prasad, met
in Mumbai on Monday and
picked the 15‑member squad.
Vijay Shankar goes to the
showpiece event as the number
four batsman and Ravindra
Jadeja has been picked as the
third spinner ahead of a fourth
pacer. KL Rahul joins in as the
back‑up opener.
While skipper Virat Kohli, Rohit
Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, M.S.
Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik
Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav,
Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar
Kumar, Mohammed Shami and
concern that the selectors need‑
ed to take a call on. The much‑
de bated number four slot,
whether Pant or Karthik go as
the second wicket‑keeper behind
MS Dhoni and finally, if the team
will pick a fourth pacer or an
additional third spinner consid‑
ering that the wickets will be on
the slower side at this time of the
year in Eng land has been
answered.
In the bowling department too,
it was a case of backing an in‑
form Jadeja because not only has
he done well for Chennai Super
Kings, but also, w ickets are
expected to be on the slower side
Dinesh Karthik has beaten Rishabh Pant in the race to become during the showpiece event.
the second wicket‑keeper in the Indian team. More importantly, Jadeja brings
with him solidarity at the lower
Jasprit Bumrah picked them‑ sistent show in recent times, end of the batting and not to for‑
selves on the back of some con‑ there were three main areas of get his brilliance on the field.
Pandya, having missed the series
against Australia, due to issues
with his core is back and fits in
as the all‑rounder who will also
be looked at as the finisher.
While both Prasad and captain
Kohli had made it amply clear
that players' performance in the
IPL would not be considered,
sources in the know of develop‑
ments told IANS that it was
indeed difficult to ignore some of
the breathtaking knocks played
by the likes of Rahul. India's 15‑
member World Cup Squad: Rohit
Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL
Rahul, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni,
Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar,
Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav,
Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar
Kumar, Mohammed Shami,
Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja,
Dinesh Karthik.

Tiger Woods bags fifth Delhi ride bowlers' efforts

Masters at Augusta
Golfer Tiger Woods in action.
Augusta (Georgia): Golf icon Tiger
Woods has won his fifth Masters,
the first major of the season played
this week at the Augusta National
course, 14 years after his first vic‑
tory here in 2005. In a historic feat
on Sunday, the 43‑year‑old golfer ‑
who has undergone several back
operations and endured a series of
personal vicissitudes over the past
11 years ‑ once again brought
spectators to their feet shouting
enthusiastically when he sank his
last putt on the 18th green on a
day marked by wind and light rain,
Efe news reported. His earlier
Masters victories came in 1997,
2001, 2002 and 2005.
Finishing a whopping 13 under
par, Woods ‑ wearing a red shirt,
black slacks and a black cap ‑ beat
out his countrymen Dust in
Johnson (‑12), Xander Schauffele (‑
12) and Brooks Koepka (‑12) to
win his 15th tourney.
"Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!" the crowd
thundered at the 18th hole after
he sank his last putt for the win.
Woods, outwardly calm and cool
the entire day up to then, let it all
hang out at that point, throwing up
his arms and yelling for joy, along
with the hundreds of fans clus‑
tered around he green.
Every time he does something
well, whatever it is, you hear a
shout, said golfer Koepka earlier
regarding the cheers for Woods
that periodically shook the atmos‑
phere at Augusta on the last few
holes. The day began with Italy's
Francesco Molinari in the lead and
sharing the top slot with Woods
and US golfer Tony Finau. Molinari
at one point got three strokes
ahead, but the water hazards at
August swallowed one of his shots,
thus drowning his chances to take
the tourney.
"Instead of playing aggressively,
I made my swing a little defensive
because of the wind. I don't think it
was my best day, although I'm very
happy with my first nine holes,"
said Molinari ‑ the winner of the
2018 British Open where he fin‑
ished 11 under par along with
Finau and American We bb
Simpson, as well as Australian
Jason Day.
to beat Hyderabad
Hyderabad: Despite putting up a
modest 155, Delhi Capitals' (DC)
bowlers came out all guns blazing
to defend the target as they folded
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for 116
in 18.5 overs to script a comfort‑
able 39‑run victory in their Indian
Premier League (IPL) clash at the
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium,
here on Sunday.
Hyderabad were comfortably
placed at 71/0 in the 10th over
before Kasigo Rabada, Chriss Delhi Capitals' celebrate after winning against Sunrisers Hyderabad at
Morris and Keemo Paul came from Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. (Photo: IANS)
nowhere to rattle the hosts' batting
breakthrough, scalping Warner in too dealt a double blow by dismiss‑
line‑up as the trio accounted for all
the 17th over to leave the hosts at ing Deepak Hooda (3) and Rashid
the 10 wickets to fall.
106/4. Warner's departure trig‑ Khan (0) in back‑to‑bak deliveries
While Rabada was exceptional
gered a batting collapse as Rabada with Hyderabad still 45 runs away
with figures of 4/22, the South
struck in the very next delivery to from victory. There was no stop‑
African was ably supported by
dismiss Vijay Shankar (1). With the ping Morris as he soon accounted
Morris and Paul, who bagged three
addition of just four runs to the for the wicket of Abhishek Sharma
wickets each conceding just 22 and
scorecard, Morris joined the party. (2), leaving Hyderabad reeling at
17 runs, respectively.
Like his compatriot Rabada, Morris 112/8 in 18 overs.
Chasing the modest target, open‑
ers David Warner (51 off 47) and
Jonny Bairstow (41 of f 31) laid a
perfect platform for Hyderabad as Indian Premier League Standings
the side looked well set at 36 for no
loss after five overs. The experi‑ Team Pld Won Lost Tied Pts NRR
enced duo tackled the De lhi
bowlers with great skill and and CSK 8 7 1 0 14 0.288
took their side past the 50‑run
mark in 7.3 overs.
DC 8 5 3 0 10 0.418
At that stage it seemed the hosts
will overhaul the target with ease,
but some major twists were yet to
KKR 8 4 4 0 8 0.35
follow. Paul sent back a good look‑
ing Bairstow before dismissing MI 7 4 3 0 8 0.209
skipper Ken Williamson (3) to
reduce Hyderabad to 78/2 in 11.4 KXIP 8 4 4 0 8 ‑0.093
overs.
Warner was a still a major threat SRH 7 3 4 0 6 0.409
before the visitors, but Hyderabad
didn't lose hopes as Paul packed RR 7 2 5 0 4 ‑0.587
back Ricky Bhui (7) cheaply as
Delhi keep jolting the home team. RCB 7 1 6 0 2 ‑1.202
Rabada then came with the big
 24 April 20-26, 2019
Sabyasachi celebrates
20 years in fashion
Mumbai: Designer
Sabyasachi Mukherjee has
clocked 20 years in the
world of fashion, and he
celebrated the glorious
journey of his label with a
grand fashion show here.
He presented an exclu‑
sive collection of shoes
and handbags in collabo‑
ration with French fashion
label Christian Louboutin ,
read a statement.
On the collection and his
journey so far, the 45‑
year‑old couturier said: "In
the summer of 1999, I
g raduated from the
Nat ional Inst itute of
Fashion Technolog y,
Calcutta. My graduation collec‑
tion was called Kashgaar Bazaar ‑
inspired by global nomads, gyp‑
sies, prost itutes, performing
artists and my imagination of the
Silk Route. "In 2019, as I cele‑
brate 20 years of the brand, I
present Kashgaar Bazaar to my
global audience. Drawing inspira‑
Florally designed
jewels in focus at
Sotheby's sale
New York: Flowers are one way
to measure particular moments
of our lives, and jewelry is anoth‑
er, said historian‑author Carol
Woolton who has curated 'In
Bloom, an upcoming exhibition‑
cum‑sale tracing the floral motif
in jewels.
The Sotheby's public exhibition,
scheduled to take place from May
3 to May 24, will celebrate the
history and evolution of the
flower motif in jewelry design,
from the 19th century to the
present day. "Small wonder that
flowers are a recurring and sig‑
nificant theme in the oeuvre of
the jewelry designer, arguably
the greatest leitmotif in the histo‑
ry of jewels, cropping up time
and again studied from every
angle for inventiveness and bril‑
liance of color to be reimagined
in fresh forms to suit the prevail‑
ing whims of fashion," Woolton, a
leading international authority
on jewelry, said in a statement.
Comprising 75 pieces, the col‑
lection will showcase vintage flo‑
ral designs from distinguished
houses like Tiffany & Co. and
Cartier, among others, alongside
pieces by contemporary design‑
ers Solange Azagury‑Partridge,
tion from my first design collec‑
tion ‑ Kashgaar Bazaar ‑ this col‑
laboration explores the conflict
between cultures, colors, textiles
and crafts. Under the overarching
theme of rust ic baroque, the
entire collection is a patchwork of
dif ferent text ile influences
derived from the Silk Route."
The glam quotient was quite
Silver Topped Gold Diamond
and Demantoid Garnet Brooch
19th Century, one of the
jewelry pieces to be exhibited
(Image courtesy: forbes.com)
Neha Dani, Eliane Fattal,
Fernando Jorge, Sabba, Jessica
McCormack and Irene Neuwirth.
The show will also feature
unique pieces commissioned
from Indian designer Bina
Goenka, British artist Shaun
Leane and Japanese master
craftswoman Gimel.
"There is no design motif as
enduring as the flower, and
blooms of every species have
inspired designers for as long as
we've had jewelry. The beautiful
examples (on view), both vintage
and contemporary, trace the evo‑
lution of the floral jewel over the
past 150 years," Frank Everett
from Sotheby's Luxury Division
said.
LIFESTYLE
high at the gala. From actress Alia
Bhatt to Aditi Rao Hydari and
Janhvi Kapoor, several Bollywood
divas gathered together to be a
part of the '# 20 yearsof
Sabyasachi' bash.
Alia was dressed in printed
Sabyasachi Tog a sari, while
Janhvi opted for a red western
dress.
Beyonce to relaunch her
brand Ivy Park
New Delhi: Grammy Award‑win‑
ning singer Beyonce Knowles has
partnered with global sportswear
giant Adidas, through which she
will relaunch her athleisure brand
Ivy Park.
Beyonce launched the active‑
wear brand in 2016 in collabora‑
t ion w ith fashion retailer
Topshop. She later axed a part‑
nership with Topshop tycoon
Philip Green following allegations
of sexual misconduct, bullying
and racial harassment. Now, she
is all set to relaunch the brand.
"This is the partnership of a life‑
time for me," said Beyonce, who
will remain the owner of the
JUST 20‑MINUTE 'NATURE PILL'
CAN LOWER YOUR STRESS
New York: Taking just 20 minutes
out of your day to stroll or sit near
nature will significantly lower your
stress hormone levels, a new study
suggests. Healthcare practitioners
can use this finding to prescribe
'nature pills' to have a real measura‑
ble effect, according to researchers
from the University of Michigan.
"We know that spending time in
nature reduces stress, but until now
it was unclear how much is enough,
how often to do it, or even what
kind of nature experience will bene‑
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Wellness guide to quit
smoking, drinking
New Delhi: Most lifestyle advice
tells you to give that glass of
wine or cigarette a miss. Serving
as a reminder, a new book on
healthy living reiterates the
advice we know too well, topped
off with practical tips that finally
help you say 'No.
"Live Well To 101", a wellness
guide by doctor and television
presenter Dawn Harper, lists use‑
ful tips to quit smoking:
8 Cigarettes don't contain just
nicotine but a range of toxic,
carcinogenic chemicals you
wouldn't want near your
body. Next time you reach for
a cigarette that looks quite
appealing, imagine yourself
licking tarmac, chewing on
rubber cement or drinking a
cocktail of battery acid,
lighter fuel, and nail varnish
remover.
8 If you get the opportunity to
talk to a smoker who has
developed diseases as a result
of smoking, knowing their
stories might help put off
your habit.
brand, in a statement.
"Adidas has had tremendous
success in pushing creat ive
boundaries. We share a philoso‑
phy that puts creativity, growth
and social responsibility at the
forefront of business. I look for‑
fit us," said lead author MaryCarol
Hunter from the varsity.
For the study, published in the
journal Frontiers in Psychology, the
research team involved 36 partici‑
pants. Over an eight‑week period,
they were asked to take a 'nature
pill' for at least 10 minutes, three
times a week.
Levels of cortisol ‑‑ a stress hor‑
mone ‑‑ were measured from saliva
samples taken before and after tak‑
ing the 'nature pill', once every two
weeks. The data revealed that just a
8 To quit, go public! Telling
everyone will keep you moti‑
vated. Also put aside ciga‑
rette money for something
special, like a personal
reward or charity.
8 It's easier never to start than
it is to quit. Spread the mes‑
sage.
For alcohol, Dr. Harper says:
8 Don't wait for warning signs.
They may not come. Be hon‑
est with yourself about your
consumption and start put‑
ting in dry days in your diary.
8 Recognise your triggers and
work on them. For instance, if
you reach for the bottle when
your kids are asleep, find
ways to keep yourself occu‑
pied and not be tempted.
8 Offer to drive when you go
out ‑‑ it gives you the perfect
excuse to not drink.
8 Understand your alcohol
intake. Beers and wines have
become stronger over the
years so you may be taking in
more units than you should,
as well as more calories.
ward to re‑launching and expand‑
ing Ivy Park on a truly global
scale with a proven, dynamic
leader," she added. Beyonce will
be a creative partner for the
brand, and also develop new sig‑
nature footwear and apparel. The
partnership will result in the co‑
creation of exciting new products
‑‑ from performance to lifestyle.
Eric Liedtke, Executive Board
Member ‑ Global Brands at
Adidas, said: "Beyonce is an iconic
creator but also a proven busi‑
ness leader, and together, we
have the ability to inspire change
and empower the next generation
of creators."
20‑minute nature experience was
enough to significantly reduce cor‑
tisol levels. And if you take in a little
more nature experience ‑ 20 to 30
minutes sitting or walking ‑ cortisol
levels dropped at their greatest rate,
the researchers said. "Our study
shows that for the greatest payoff,
in terms of efficiently lowering lev‑
els of the stress hormone cortisol,
you should spend 20 to 30 minutes
sitting or walking in a place that
provides you with a sense of
nature," Hunter noted.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Loretta Breuning
P
hilosophers often compare
the mind to a rider strug‑
gling to tame a horse (or
elephant or donkey). Itʼs tempting
to think of anxiety as a wild horse.
But this analogy suggests an acri‑
monious relationship between
horse and rider. The horse resists
the riderʼs harsh control. The horse
blames the rider and the rider
blames the horse. You cannot tame
your anxiety by pitting your horse
and rider against each other.
But you can tame the relationship
between your horse and rider. This
is the positive approach to anxiety.
We humans have two brains. On
the outside, we have a spaghetti of
neurons that is unique to humans,
but on the inside, we have the same
core structures that all mammals
have in common (the amygdala,
hippocampus, thalamus, and so on,
collectively called the limbic sys‑
tem). Your two brains must get
along in order to have a good quali‑
ty of life. Tame the relationship
between your verbal brain and your
mammalian operating system and
you will enjoy the ride wherever
you go.
Here is a simple example.
Imagine a rider frantically flailing
at a horse that refuses to budge.
Now imagine a steep cliff on the
trail ahead. The rider doesnʼt see it
because itʼs not on the trail map.
The horse sees it, so the pair will
survive if the rider accepts the
horseʼs knowledge. Theyʼre in trou‑
ble if the rider focuses only on the
map and ignores the horse.
But sometimes the horse is
wrong. Imagine a horse running
wild after seeing a snake. Survival
depends on the horse accepting
guidance from the rider. But the
rider must communicate in a way
that the horse understands instead
of just in words.
Communication between the ver‑
bal brain and the animal brain is a
huge challenge. Letʼs say the rider
offers a carrot to the agitated
horse. Car‑ rots are like candy to a
horse. A big reward builds a big
connection in the mammal brain,
wiring it to seek more rewards in
the ways that worked before. So,
the next day, the horse acts fren‑
zied in the spot where it got the
carrot. The well‑meaning rider
offers another carrot. A day later, it
takes two carrots to stop the frenzy.
SELF HELP April 20-26, 2019 25
Rewiring your brain
for happiness
Excerpted with permission from
Tame Your Anxiety by Loretta Breuning, PhD
The animal brain is just doing the Life is different when you have a
job it evolved for̶repeating behav‑ big spaghetti of extra neurons. Our
iors that get rewards. big cortex allows us to anticipate
Taming the relationship between future threats instead of just wait‑
your horse and rider is a challenge. ing until the threat is upon us.
Sometimes your horse runs wild, Predators donʼt eat our babies
but if you soothe it with sweet because we anticipate threats in
rewards it might make things time to prevent them. But we end
worse. How can your big spaghetti up feeling threatened a lot.
of neurons guide your inner mam‑ If you tamed your anxiety the
mal through a world full of snakes? way a gazelle does, you would
You have to communicate with spend your day eating and repro‑
your inner mammal in a way that it ducing, and ignore threats until
understands. This book shows you they were about to get you. The
how. You will learn about the brain flaw in this strategy is obvious to
chemicals that motivate it, and the your big cortex. It is so skilled at
neural pathways that control these anticipating threats that it even
chemicals. You will discover your sees how todayʼs pleasures can
power over these neural pathways cause tomorrowʼs threats. We
so you can guide your inner mam‑ humans build neural pathways that
mal from unhappy to happy chemi‑ anticipate future consequences
cals. To do this, you will have to instead of just focusing on immedi‑
blaze a trail thatʼs not on your map. ate rewards and threats. These
Sometimes thereʼs a cliff on your For example, a gazelle does not a gazelleʼs in some ways and differ‑ pathways shape our eating and
path and your horseʼs agitation can always run when it sees a lion. It ent in others. They are similar to reproductive behavior, leav‑ ing us
save you. Other times, the agitation knows the difference between a those of other people in some ways with diets, grooming rituals and
is just a bad carrot habit. You must lion on the prowl and a lion just but also unique. You have more PTA meetings that gazelles donʼt
constantly interpret your horseʼs passing through. power over your neural pathways have. They shape our threat per‑
responses in order to choose your A gazelle would rather keep eat‑ when you understand them. You ceptions, motivating an endless
best next step. The more you know ing than run from every potential can blaze new trails in your brain quest for “news.” But all that antici‑
about the mammal brain, the better threat signal. It needs to eat a lot of to enjoy more good feelings and pating doesnʼt relieve our sense of
you can choose. grass to survive. On the other hand, relieve more bad feelings. threat. On the contrary. When we
a little hunger is better than instant We humans often want to change succeed at taking action to relieve a
TAME IN NATURE death. The gazelle brain is con‑ ourselves. A gazelle never feels the potential threat, our cortex skillful‑
stantly tak‑ ing in the evidence need to change. It just accepts its ly moves on to the next potential
If you were a gazelle, your corti‑
available to its senses. Those senso‑ neurochemical responses without threat.
sol would be triggered by the smell
ry inputs flow down the neural judging them. Gazelles are not
of a lion. That would motivate you
pathways it has. When inputs happy all the time the way you Loretta Breuning, PhD, is Founder
to run, and escape would relieve
match past threats, electricity flows might think. Sometimes a gazelle of the Inner Mammal Institute,
your cortisol. If you were a gazelle,
to the “on” switch of its cortisol, sees its child get eaten alive. which offers resources that help
hunger would trigger your cortisol,
and the gazelle acts to relieve the Sometimes it drinks at a waterhole people rewire their mammalian
and finding food would relieve it. In
cortisol. When the inputs do not next to the predator that ate its brain chemistry to live happier,
nature, bad feelings are tamed by
match past threats, electricity child. But a gazelle does not dream healthier lives. As Professor
meeting needs and avoiding harm.
keeps flowing to the reward of eat‑ of disconnecting its internal alarm Emerita of Management at
But a gazelle is never completely
ing grass. system. It honors the valuable sur‑ California State University, East
safe from predator threat and
Your brain is constantly respond‑ vival information. It strives to turn Bay, her work has been featured in
hunger. Why doesnʼt it surge with
ing to the world with neural path‑ it off the way nature intended: by Forbes, Time, NPR, The Wall Street
cortisol all the time? Because natu‑
ways built from your past experi‑ escaping threats and seeking Journal, Psychology Today, Menʼs
ral selection built a brain that pro‑
ence. Your pathways are similar to rewards. Health, The Dr. Oz Show.
motes survival. Constant anxiety
would not promote a gazelleʼs sur‑
vival. The brain built by natural
selection is always analyzing the
situation and deciding when corti‑
sol would promote survival.
A gazelle doesnʼt do its analyzing
with words and abstractions. It
does it with neural pathways. The
cortisol spurts of its youth built
pathways that turn on its cortisol
today. The happy‑chemical spurts
of its youth likewise built pathways
that turn on happy chemicals in
similar future circumstances.
In each moment, a gazelle is
weighing its options with the path‑
ways it has.
 26 April 20-26, 2019 RELIGION TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Quranic Park in Dubai uses landscaping

to tell stories of Islam to visitors
The park that seeks to attract Muslims & non‐Muslims alike
features 12 gardens, a Cave of Miracles, and a split lake
symbolizing Prophet Musa's parting of the Red Sea.

A
new park that uses
gardens and land‑
scaping to tell sto‑
ries from Islam's holy text
has opened in Dubai, offer‑
ing locals and tourists a
day out with a religious
twist.
Quranic Park attracted
some 100,000 people in its
first week, of ficials say, Visitors are pictured taking a tour of the Cave of Miracles, part of Dubai's
feeding demand for reli‑ Quranic Park. There you can learn about miracles mentioned in the Quran,
gious attractions in the using 3D map and hologram displays
United Arab Emirates
where Abu Dhabi's Sheikh
Zayed Grand Mosque is a
top destination for visitors. A tourist is seen exploring the Cave of Miracles.
T he educational park,
which seeks to attract “My children had learned about tioned in the Quran, using 3D map
Muslims and non‑Muslims alike, these plants, and they had some and hologram displays.
features 12 gardens, a Cave of questions about the Quran and “It's a nice idea, right at the
Miracles, and a split lake symbol‑ the miracles,” said Emirati visitor heart of our Islamic religion,” said
izing Prophet Musa's parting of Omar al‑Kaabi. Anan al‑Hourani, another visitor
the Red Sea. Trees bearing grapes, “Praise God we got some who brought his daughters to the
figs, pomegranates, and olives dot answers,” he said, standing inside park on a sunny Saturday after‑
the park's 64 hectares, highlight‑ the greenhouse that holds some of noon. “At the same time, it's recre‑
ing the medical and scientific uses the plants. Visitors to the cave can ational, with the lovely gardens,
of plants mentioned in the Holy learn about the story of Prophet greenery, and trees,” he said.
Quran and Sunnah, the teachings Isa making a bird from clay and
of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). six other prophetic miracles men‑ Courtesy Reuters
The Cave of Miracles pictured from the outside.

A variety of trees have been included in the

landscape to educate tourists of their many Visitors seen crossing the lake symbolizing
advantages as mentioned in the Holy Quran & Sunnah. the parting of the Red Sea. The entrance to the Quranic Park.

Ex‑Pope breaks silence on church's sex abuse crisis

R
etired Pope Benedict XVI has broken
his silence on the sex abuse crisis in
the Catholic Church, claiming that it
was caused in part by the sexual revolution of
the 1960s and the liberalization of the church's
moral teaching.
In an 11‑page analysis published on
Thursday in a German magazine for priests,
Klerusblatt, the former Pope also revealed
some of the behind‑the‑scenes struggles
between the Vatican and American bishops in
handling the crisis and admits that the Vatican
was initially overwhelmed in dealing with it,
CNN reported. "Since I myself had served in a
position of responsibility as shepherd of the
Church at the time of the public outbreak of
the crisis, and during the run‑up to it, I had to
ask myself ‑‑ even though, as emeritus, I am no
Retired Pope Benedict XVI blames the
sexual revolution of the 1960s and the
liberalization of the church's moral teaching
for sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.
longer directly responsible ‑‑ what I could con‑
tribute to a new beginning," Benedict wrote, in
explaining why he is speaking out now. Since
his resignation in 2013, Benedict, 92, has
rarely left his monastery high on a hill in
Vatican City. In the essay, he asserted that the
changes in traditional moral standards on sex‑
uality both in society and within the Catholic
Church laid the groundwork for the sex abuse
crisis. "Part of the physiognomy of the
Revolution of '68," he writes, "was that
pedophilia was then also diagnosed as allowed
and appropriate". Benedict said that this men‑
tality also affected bishops and Catholic semi‑
naries and caused, "the extensive collapse of
the next generation of priests".
"In various seminaries homosexual cliques
were established," he writes, "which acted more
or less openly and significantly changed the cli‑
mate in the seminaries".
Benedict cites one bishop who showed semi‑
narians pornographic films, "allegedly with the
intention of thus making them resistant to
behavior contrary to the faith".
Liberal theologians who questioned the
church's traditional norms on sexuality are also
partly to blame, the former Pope added.
Benedict also revealed that the Vatican's two
investigations into US seminaries, called
Apostolic Visitations, were thwarted by cover‑
up. But he did not elaborate on who was
involved. As word of Benedict's essay spread,
conservative Catholics hailed it, while others
called it "embarrassing", CNN said.
"This is an embarrassing letter. The idea that
ecclesial abuse of children was a result of the
1960s, a supposed collapse of moral theology,
and 'conciliarity' is an embarrassingly wrong
explanation for the systemic abuse of children
and its cover‑up," wrote Catholic theologian
Brian Flanagan on Twitter.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info IMMIGRATION April 20-26, 2019 27

GOING FROM PLACE TO PLACE AND WANT A STOP OVER?

How about a Transit Visa to the U.S.? The C Visa

VISA
By Dev Banad Viswanath, Esq. showing intent to travel to a final without a visa (TWOV) is not C visa is a great option for foreign
& Michael Phulwani, Esq. destination; and allowed to adjust status. However, individuals who have a long lay‑
8 If necessary, proof of permis‑ this does not apply to a foreign over while traveling and who are

A TALK
n individual who would like
to enter the United States
usually must first obtain a
visa, either a nonimmigrant visa or
an immigrant visa. If an individual
is passing through the United
States and does not want to spend
their whole layover time inside of
an airport, they may be eligible to
obtain a C visa. A C‑1 visa, also
known as a transit visa, allows an
individual who is passing through
the United States to leave the air‑
port and visit friend and/or family.
A C‑2 visa allows a foreign individ‑
ual to travel to and from the United
Nations. A C‑3 visa allows govern‑
ment officials who are traveling
through the U.S. to leave the air‑
port and go visit friends or go
sightseeing. A crewmember travel‑
ing through the U.S. to join a ship
or an aircraft, that they will be
employed on, may apply for a C‑
1/D visa. This allows the crewmen
to leave the airport during a lay‑
over and enjoy their surroundings.
A C visa is valid for a maximum
of 29 days but an individual must
leave the U.S. on their pre‑set
departure flight or ship if it is
shorter in time than the maximum
29 days. The following documents
are required when applying for a C
visa:
8 Passport;
8 Photographs;
8 Confirmation page of an DS‑
160 with CEAC bar code, this form
must have been filled out online in
advance;
8 Proof that the individual is
entering the U.S. only to pass
through while in transit to a final
destination;
8 Proof of a ticket or document
sion to enter the country of the
individualʼs final destination.
It is also advisable that the appli‑
cant can show some proof of funds
to cover their time in the US, no
matter the short duration.
An individual can apply for a C
visa at their local U.S. embassy or
consulate. All individuals between
the ages of 14 and 79 years of age
must apply in person and must
schedule an appointment before
visiting the U.S. embassy or con‑
sulate. Individuals under the age of
14 and over 80 may apply for a C
visa by mail. If an individual is
required to pay a fee for the visa it
must be paid before their visa
interview. If the visa is approved, a
visa issuance fee may also be
required.
A D visa older will not be allowed
to adjust status while in the U.S.
Any foreign individual admitted to
the United States while in transit
individual who was allowed to passing through the U.S. It allows
enter the U.S. as a transit alien with them to leave the airport and enjoy
a C nonimmigrant visa. If a foreign their surroundings instead of being
individual who is applying for a C forced to stay inside the airport. In
visa has family and/or employees short, the Transit Visa can be a
traveling with them, each person very good option for the traveler
must apply for their own C visa. A who is just “passing through.”
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.
He will be in India from April 21 through
May 10 and able to meet people for
personal consultations.

Living abroad feels like
having two homes...
Continued from page 15
section, where people can find love, not in
a cheap way, but through deeper experi‑
ence.
There is so much content to be created,
that will need a huge team and big
expense.
Ran Harnevo: The beauty of it is, I
believe that the community has a lot of
content, say on recommending restau‑
rants. We give you the tools, you down‑
load the app and see how easy it is. On the
app we have what is called lists. Lists are a
way for the community to create knowl‑
edge together. Looking for the best
biryani? You will find 45 places to buy
biryani around tristate and 35 people cre‑
ated it together.
So are you saying that Homeis content is
crowd‑sourced?
Ran Harnevo: Correct. What do we
immigrants do all the time, we recom‑
mend to each other... go to this doctor, he
is good. Homeis is about trust. I trust an
Israeli recommendation fiercely as you
trust an Indian recommendation fiercely.
Not that we are better than the rest but
because we share the same culture, the
same land we came from, and same point
of view. So the idea is to take all the rec‑
ommendations happening in the street
and bring them into one place in a very
organized way. You have events in the
Indian community… you can come and
publish that. You can give books for free
or your couch; in the app, everything is
free.
Isnʼt there a danger of ghettoization,
that you move only in your own communi‑
ty and events?
Ran Harnevo: The answer is no, for two
reasons. Immigrant communities have
been here for decades if not hundreds of
years. This is how I think people assimi‑
late. We are just giving a product to build
something that existed, not building some‑
thing that never existed. Two, lot of
research is there that claims the opposite,
that your community is your path to
assimilation. Because the community
helps you to find your job, better schools
for your kids, to understand how you can
make investments, to build a future. New
York particularly is a city of communities,
and community is your shield and your
path for you to become an American. We
are not saying, ʻHey! come to Homeis and
donʼt go anywhere elseʼ. You should have
American friends, you should go to other
products. But Homeis is where Indians, for
example, can connect with the Indian com‑
munity, to know where to go to play
cricket or how to find a doctor who speaks
Hindi. You will see when you go to the
app, people are speaking to each other
about their difficulties, they are support‑
ing each other.
After New York, which other Indian
communities are you planning to build
next?
Ran Harnevo: By the end of 2019, we
are going to have Indian communities all
over United States. The New York commu‑
nity is teaching us the nuances and needs
of an Indian community. Sure, Indian com‑
munity is different from the Chinese or
French or the Israeli. But all are building
spectacular success stories. There is a lot
going on, but it is all very scattered, there
are newspapers, websites, some organiza‑
tions which are totally offline. There is
value in bringing the communities togeth‑
er and bring it to peopleʼs lives.
So, after New York and Bay Area, we will
build Indian communities in LA, Houston,
Dallas, Chicago and Maryland. After
wiring up USA, we are going to go global ‑‑
London, where there is a rich Indian com‑
munity, then Asia and Australia. We are an
internet company, so we want to go every‑
where. And then we will create bridges
between immigrant communities, integrat‑
ing, for example, different communities in
New York to know each other, and Indian
communities globally to know each other.
As experienced internet entrepreneurs,
we have a big vision. In the political kind
of atmosphere that is being created
around the world, we want to empower
immigrants, to legitimize them. I want
Indian Americans to feel very comfortable
that they are Americans and they are
Indians, that there is nothing wrong about
it.
I never traveled in any country more
that I have done in India. I love Indian phi‑
losophy. So it is no coincidence that we
chose Indian community to experiment on
in a big way. The fact remains that it is the
biggest diaspora in the world. Personally I
find a lot of affinity between India and
Israel. You gained independence in 1947,
we became a nation in 1948. We are both
entrepreneurs at heart. We donʼt see any
block, we always find what you call
jugaad.
If the app will remain free, what is your
revenue model?
Ran Harnevo: Homeisʼ main revenue
model is to implement financial technolo‑
gies and let our users use it ‑ money trans‑
fer, health insurance, home insurance,
mortgage ‑ all will be in partnership with
tech companies which are building disrup‑
tive fun‑tech services for immigrants. Our
product will always be free, and mainly on
a mobile platform!
I welcome the South Asian Times read‑
ers and their friends to download the
Homeis app from the AppStore and join
the Indian community in New York.
Homeis is an app (AppStore) and also a
website: homeis.com/
White House weighs
travel restrictions
for countries with
frequent visa overstays
Washington: The White House is weighing travel
restrictions for nationals of countries with high
rates of overstaying visas in the United States,
according to a Department of Homeland Security
of ficial. Some of the countries with the highest
rates of overstaying temporary visas are in Africa.
Chad, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Eritrea, Liberia,
Somalia, and South Sudan have among the highest
overstay rates for short‑term tourist and business
visas, although they send relatively small numbers
of travelers to the U.S. each year. During a meeting
in January 2018, President Donald Trump report‑
edly referred toHaiti and some African nations as
“shithole countries“ and questioned why their
nationals should be admitted to the U.S. The
prospective action, which was also confirmed by a
congressional staf fer, comes amid a leadership
shakeup among Trumpʼs top immigration staf f.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen left
her post last week and three other officials recently
resigned or were pushed out. The departures clear
the way for the White House to implement a range
of new enforcement measures ̶ including the
prospective travel clampdown.
News of the prospective travel restrictions was
first reported Sunday in the Wall Street Journal.
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told the
Journal that reducing overstays remains a priority
for the administration. The White House could
issue a related presidential proclamation as soon as
this week, a Homeland Security Department official
told POLITICO. Trump has focused intensely during
his presidency on the flow of migrants at the south‑
west border, but devoted little attention to the hun‑
dreds of thousands of migrants who overstay a visa
each year.
28 April 20-26, 2019 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Humor with Melvin Durai

If retirement isnʼt for

you, retire from it
M
any people, especially those
in their late 50s or older,
count down the days until
retirement. Itʼs their reward for sev‑
eral decades of hard work, an oppor‑
tunity to do whatever they want –
sleep all morning, watch reruns of
“Law & Order,” take a nice hot bath
every other month.
Having no boss is like being
released from prison: thereʼs so much
BEST freedom to enjoy. No more dreading Monday Americans aged 65 and older worked part‑
mornings, no more dreaming of Friday time or full‑time in 2016 compared with 13
RATE evenings. Itʼs just one lovely day after anoth‑ percent in 2000. About 40 percent of those
er, as long as you donʼt overdose on Netflix. senior workers were once retired, according
FOR But is retirement really as blissful as it to a survey by the RAND Corporation, a non‑
profit research firm.
seems? For some people, it certainly is: they
INDIA absolutely love retirement and wouldnʼt
exchange it for any job, not even Ambassador
While some retirees return to work because
they havenʼt saved enough money for retire‑
AND to Jamaica. But for others, itʼs not quite what
they had imagined. While they once looked
ment, financial concerns arenʼt usually the
primary reason for unretirement. Because
PAKISTAN forward to retirement, theyʼre now looking
forward to unretirement.
people are living longer and in better health,
they donʼt want to just sit at home, watching
If they canʼt get their old jobs back, theyʼre birds and squirrels through the window and
eager to find new jobs, even if it means wak‑ waiting for the next “Breaking News” alert on
New York Head Quarter ing up at 6 a.m. again and getting reacquaint‑ CNN.
422‑S Broadway ed with the BIC razor. They want to resume working, especially if
70‑year‑old man: “Ouch, that hurt!” they are able to work in jobs that arenʼt physi‑
HICKSVILLE
Wife: “You cut yourself with the razor cally demanding. “You hear certain themes: A
NY 11801 again?” sense of purpose. Using your brain,” Dr.
Nicole Maestas, an economist at Harvard
516‑827‑1010 Man: “Razor? I thought this was the tongue
cleaner.” Medical School, told the Times. “And another
The New York Times recently reported that key component is social engagement.”
a growing number of Americans are “unretir‑ A sense of purpose is really important.
ing” – returning to the workforce after getting Many people are able to find a sense of pur‑
a taste of retirement. A Pew Research Center pose in retirement. Some help their children
study showed that almost 19 percent of by taking care of their grandchildren. For
many of them, this is the “tiring” part of “retir‑
ing.” For others, itʼs truly a joyful experience –
Laughter is the Best Medicine from start to finish. Theyʼre overjoyed when
their grandchildren arrive, and after a whole
day of running after the kids, theyʼre over‑
joyed when they leave.
By Volunteering is another way that many
retired people find a sense of purpose. But
Mahendra some discover that they miss the actual work
Shah they once did and want to return to it, at least
on a part‑time basis. Imagine being a doctor
Mahendra Shah
for 40 years, then hanging up your stetho‑
is an architect
scope and staying at home. It can get boring
by education,
pretty fast, even if you spend your mornings
entrepreneur by
watching re‑runs of “Greyʼs Anatomy” and
profession,
your afternoons diagnosing your spouseʼs ail‑
artist and
ments.
humorist,
Retired doctor: “Honey, I think you have an
cartoonist and
iron deficiency. Look how misshapen your
writer by hobby. nails are.”
He has been Spouse: “Honey, I think you need new glass‑
recording the es. Thatʼs Roverʼs paw youʼre holding.”
plight of the Not everyone can go back to work, of
immigrant course. There are so many hurdles, including
Indians for the mandatory retirement in certain types of jobs,
past many year age discrimination, and health concerns. But
in his cartoons. itʼs something more people should consider. If
Hailing from you can be the leader of a country in your
Gujarat, he seventies, why canʼt you be a lawyer or librar‑
lives in ian or cashier?
Pittsburgh, Next time someone asks me if Iʼm looking
Pennsylvania. forward to retirement, Iʼm going to say,
“Nope, Iʼm looking forward to unretirement.”
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY April 20-26, 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

APRIL 20‑26, 2019

Aries: A cheerful state of mind is likely
to bring mental peace. Attending a
social event/family function brings a
romantic encounter. Explore new opportu‑
nities that come your way on the career
front but consider them carefully before
finalising. It is the right time to enjoy some
adventurous holidays with friends. You will
have to follow fitness routine to maintain
good health.
Taurus: A rewarding week is ahead
as you succeed in whatever you do.
Mental alertness would enable to
confront tricky situations at work. Your
confidence may get you far on the job front
along with right approach. Pleasing the one
you love will help in strengthening the rela‑
tionship.
Exercising to remain fit may start giving
you good results on the fitness front.
Gemini: Caution is advised in proper‑
ty investment, so donʼt be hasty.
Additional domestic chores may
prove tiring for some. Continue to put your
best foot forward to maintain your good
tempo at work.
Opening up in front of someone has its own
pitfalls, so consider carefully. Likelihood of
getting job opportunities are indicated for
some this week.
Cancer: You are likely to succeed in
impressing people around with
your positive outlook & confidence.
Be sure to consider the legal aspects, if
youʼre planning to purchase a property. It is
time to take up academics in the right
earnest, since any delay may find you lag‑
ging behind. Travel opportunities full of
challenges are often the beginning of great
enterprises.
Leo: Worries and apprehensions on
the material front may have a sober‑
ing ef fect on your spirit. A home
loan desired by some is likely to get sanc‑
tioned this week. You may have to abide by
your commitment on the social front. Your
request for a raise is likely to fall on deaf
ears. Be certain of the financial viability of a
project before putting it in action.
Virgo: Someone in the family can
bring disrepute, so take steps to nip
it in the bud, if possible. Keep your
professional and personal lives separate, if
you donʼt want to contend with any misun‑
derstandings. Not understanding the
urgency on the academic front may create
troubles, so remain in touch of the develop‑
ments. Add‑on qualificat ions may be
required for a better break in the job
market.
Libra: Your confidence on the aca‑
demic front promises to take you to
the very top. Job market appears
rosy, as opportunities come within your
grasp. Waning interest of someone you
secretly love may get your alarm bells ring‑
ing! Not keeping a tab on your expenses
may soon find you in the red. Minor ail‑
ments, aches and pains threaten to make
life miserable for some.
Scorpio: Getting snubbed on the
romantic front appears to be in store
for some. Those pursuing higher stud‑
ies are likely to get some lucrative job offers.
Things go perfectly well on the professional
front, as you manage to make new clients
and sign new contracts. Your steely resolve
will help you remain in top physical condi‑
tion. You will manage to boost your earning
potential by making the right moves.
Sagittarius: Enjoying the fruits of
labour on the fitness front is indicat‑
ed for the health conscious. A much
anticipated social event may not prove as
exciting as expected, but you are assured of
an enjoyable time. A short vacation promis‑
es a welcome break from the routine, so
start packing your bags. A well‑coordinated
teamwork is required, if you want to tackle
a new project or assignment at work.
Capricorn: Someone getting over
smart on the social front may need
to be put in place, so do so, but smil‑
ingly! If there is something pending at
work, it will be in your interest to complete
it the soonest. Monetary front grows strong
for some. to the one you love will keep your
spirits high. It will be important to take a
break from academics, just to refresh your
mind.
Aquarius: Ef forts to keep finances
in order will succeed. Some of you
may seriously contemplate a job
switch. Product manufacturers will need to
enhance quality of their products to pass
muster. You will need to address loverʼs
fears about something personal on the
romantic front. Whatever you are doing to
keep yourself fit is likely to prove immense‑
ly beneficial.
Pisces: Keep a tab on meeting dead‑
lines to refrain yourself from the last
minute tensions. Your consistency
and reliability will help you take better
decisions at workplace. Your special some‑
one may be in the mood to break the rou‑
tine and do something exciting. Business,
love and travel with lovers go hand in hand,
allowing you to spend some good time
together.

20th April, 2019 will bring you immense gains.

Ruled by number 2 and the
Moon, you are highly imaginative,
practical, emotional, honest, sim‑
ple and generous person. You
have a very sharp mind, an excep‑
tionally good grasping power and
you believe that its never to late
to learn. You have a pleasing per‑
sonality and manners, but you
need to check your tendency to
behave extravagant and moody at
times.
This year you will be appreciat‑
ed for making quick and correct
decisions. Your approach will be
practical and new assignments
and tasks will bring favorable
results. You will be receptive to
new ideas and progress in your
work, which will eventually bring
you lot of gains. Investment will
bring rewards, but dubious
schemes will not be as lucrative as
you might anticipate. Renovation
or new construction should take
place towards the year‑end. The
months of November, March, July
and September will prove to be
important and significant.
21st April, 2019
Governed by number 3 and the
planet Jupiter, you are energetic,
honourable, ambitious, dignified
and an intelligent person. You are
a person with outstanding person‑
ality and ability to make many
friends. You are always appreciat‑
ed for your sincerity and commit‑
ment, but your need to check your
tendency to behave over ambi‑
tious and dictatorial at times.
This year your energy will be
high and you will fee l strong
enough to face any challenge.
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
Middle of the year seems excep‑
tionally good for those who are
looking for a change in their
career, as they will receive an
excellent job offer. Frequent and
fruitful journeys will be undertak‑
en. You will also improve your
relationship with important peo‑
ple during this period. Children
will win laurels at school and
overachieve the expectations of
their parents. Family members
will gather around you providing
you with love and affection. The
months of November, April, July
and October will be highly event‑
ful.
22nd April, 2019
Dominated by number 4 and the
planet Uranus, you are simple,
energetic, authoritative, jovial,
reliable and highly systematic
person. You possess a persuasive
and magnetic personality. You
have a great potential to handle
complicated tasks and you seldom
complain, but you need to check
your tendency to behave vindic‑
tive, timid and spendthrift at
times.
This year new plans and proj‑
ects will be alluring but instant
gains might not be possible. Great
period for consultants and bro‑
kers. Investment is definitely rec‑
ommended but sudden losses due
to thoughtless decisions cannot
be ruled out. New romance for
some as others get involved in a
matrimonial wedlock. Distant pil‑
grimage is certain later in the
year. Donʼt be too friendly with
strangers and avoid disclosing
your plans, as chances of deceit
are very strong. Be extra careful
while lending money and take
extra care of your jewelry, pre‑
cious gifts and items. The months
of October, February and August
will be important.
23rd April, 2019
Ruled by number 5 and the
planet Mercury. You are practical,
sensitive, friendly, diplomatic and
an optimistic person. You possess
a sharp memory, excellent health,
and a powerful character. You are
highly respected in your group
and people look up to you for
inspiration and support, but you
need to check your tendency to
behave restless, nervous and timid
at times.
This year new money making
ventures prove highly lucrative.
Your financial position will show
remarkable improvement and you
will spend more on luxuries to
increase your comfort leve l.
Investment in stocks and real
estate is recommended for long‑
term gains. Foreign trips will
bring you monetary gains. Your
spouse w ill be cooperat ive
through out the year and will
shower love and af fect ion.
Marriage proposals for those eli‑
gible. Health needs proper care.
The months of November, May,
June and August will prove to be
important and significant.
24th April, 2019
Influenced by number 6 and the
planet Venus. You are highly ener‑
getic, independent, ambitious and
charming person. You are fond of
socializing with people, who are
well educated, intelligent and hold
important positions in the society.
You can easily make friends, but
you need to check your tendency
to behave moody, stubborn and
lazy at times.
This year brilliant opportunities
will come your way but you need
to g rab them be fore others.
Financial gains will accrue from
past investments. A wonderful
period to do things that you enjoy
and make you feel good. A distant
journey for pleasure or pilgrim‑
age seems likely later in the year.
Your health will remain good but
health of an aged family member
will become a matter of concern.
New friendship and contacts
developed during this period will
be highly worthwhile. The months
of November, February, June and
September will be eventful.
25th April, 2019
Governed by number 7 and the
planet Neptune. You are inde‑
pendent, brilliant, quick, confident
and friendly person. You are very
cheerful and pleasant person and
posses an exce llent sense of
humour. You dislike office politics,
arguments and confrontation, but
you need to check your tendency
to behave jealous, introvert and
selfish at times.
The year promises to bring you
physical as well as financial bene‑
fits. Your energy will be high and
Speculation in real estate will
yield handsome returns. Distant
travel will be undertaken for busi‑
ness purpose as well as pleasure.
Children need to concentrate
more on their career.
Health despite some initial hic‑
cups will be more or less fine. You
need to spend time on meditation
and yoga for remarkable gains.
T he months of December,
February, June and August will be
hig hly significant and result
oriented.
26th April, 2019
Ruled by number 8 and the
planet Saturn. You are assertive,
cheerful, confident, authoritative
and enthusiastic person. You are
gifted with strong intuition, a lot
of talent and a remarkable imagi‑
nation. You are simple and honest,
but you need to control your ten‑
dency to behave erratic, hypocrite
and ungrateful at times.
The coming year promises new
hope and possibilities. Your gains
will commensurate according to
your efforts, but luck will definite‑
ly be on our side. Your imagina‑
tion and skills will do wonders for
you and your creativity will be at
all time high. Your best opportuni‑
ties will develop through your
association with people who hold
position of authority. Sudden
gains and losses are foreseen,
therefore do not indulge into
hasty speculation. Children will
bring happy news later in the
year.
The month of January, March,
May and October will be eventful
months.
30 April 20-26, 2019 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Truth is high, true living is higher

By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
ife on earth, as we have it,
we have accumulated while pass‑
ing through the wheel of life. How In order to progress in spiritual path,
many times we have gone wrong we need to develop right understand‑
in matters of non‑violence?
Nonviolence has several aspects.
ing so that we can have right
It involves non‑injury in thoughts, right words and right deeds.
thought, word and deed. We know Each day we have so many
that we should not kill or hit any‑
one but still we are violent to
shortcomings in leading an ethical
some. We may be able to develop life. We have so many failures in the
control over ourselves so that we areas of non‑violence, truthfulness,
do not physically harm anyone,
but we are quite careless when it
humility, selfless service and chastity.
comes to non‑violence in words

L has a tremendous bearing in

building the body and mind.
We must therefore strive to sim‑
plify life and learn to live truly. It
is true living on which everything
else depends, even the search for
one self. The importance of true
living cannot be over emphasized.
It is rightly said, "Truth is higher
than everything, but higher still is
true living." The problem of per‑
sonal conduct of man as an indi‑
vidual is one of prime importance
for success in spiritual path. In
order to progress in spiritual
path, we need to develop right
understanding so that we can
have right thoughts, right words
and right deeds.
Each day we have so many
shortcomings in leading an ethi‑
cal life. We have so many failures
in the areas of non‑violence,
truthfulness, humility, selfless
service and chastity.
Unfortunately, we have devel‑
oped ugly blemishes and are cov‑
ered with the dirt and dust of sins
and thoughts. We injure the feel‑
ings of so many people, we think
ill of so many others. And because
of our grievous lack of patience,
we are prone to speak harshly.
We must weigh our words care‑
fully. If we can keep control on
our tongue, we will find that our
issues will be resolved lovingly
and we will not injure or be
injured in the process.
For those treading the spiritual
path, truthfulness is one of ethical
virtues we need to inculcate.
Failures in truthfulness can be
broken down into categories of
falsehood, deceit, hypocrisy and
illegal gain. Some failures under
these headings are quite obvious,
such as telling a lie or stealing.
People can lie in thought, word or
deed. It basically means they are
hiding the truth. We need to real‑
ize that while we may sometimes
hide the truth from others but we
cannot hide it from God. He is all
knowing and He is watching us all
the times, so our thoughts, words
and deeds should be above board.
Next comes humility. Humility
means treating every human
being as equal and speaking to
each one in a humble tone, with a
sweet voice. But in reality each
person thinks that he or she all
powerful, all‑knowing and
endowed with the greatest of
qualities. We are filled with ego.
Ego manifests in different forms
i.e. ego based on knowledge,
wealth and power. We try to
flaunt our knowledge. We try to
overawe others with our power
and we try to prove our superiori‑
ty to others on the basis of the
riches we possess.
We should have love for all the
people, regardless of their social
status and position in life. The
more we empty ourselves of our
ego, the more God's grace can
enter into us.
Then we lack compassion. Man
was created to have sympathy for
his fellow beings, to share the
pain, the trials and tribulations of
others. We should share the sor‑
rows and afflictions of our fel‑
lows, as well as of entire creation.
How many opportunities for
selfless service, we take advan‑
tage of? By serving selflessly, we
expand our hearts from our self
to our family, to community, our
country, the world and ultimately
the cosmos.
Selfless service comes from an
understanding that we are all
members of one large family of
God. To truly perform selfless
service, we must act without any
desire for a reward or recogni‑
tion. It is one of the goals of spiri‑
tuality to help all humanity devel‑
op the quality of love and service
to all.
Chastity is the most important
part of spiritual life. Spirituality
cannot dawn on a mind which is
driven or attracted through the
outgoing faculties to the outward
enjoyment. Out of five outgoing
faculties of eyes, ears, nose, touch
and taste, three are most power‑
ful. Lust attacks us eighty percent
through eyes, fourteen percent
through ears and six percent
through touch. So how should we
maintain chastity? We have to
just control our attention. If our
attention is riveted at the centre
of the soul in the body, we will not
be affected by what we see or
hear. We should observe chastity
in thoughts, words and deeds. To
be pure is the ground on which
God manifests. Christ said,
"Blessed are pure in heart, for
they shall see God."
As a result of failure in leading
ethical life, our soul continues to
come again and again to this cre‑
ation, without hope of returning
to its source. The only way to
become purified is to take shelter
under a Living Master.The Master
through meditation process helps
us to lead an ethical life. He has
treatment for all our ailments. He
is yearning and longing to come
and bestow His love on us.
(For more visit www.sos.org)

Being active and being still

By Sant Rajinder
Singh Ji Maharaj

F
rom childhood, our life is a
series of activities that occu‑
py our time. Parents create a
schedule for their infants and tod‑
dlers. As children, our life becomes
a regiment of one activity after
another. In school, we rush about
to reach classes on our schedule.
When we graduate, we take a job
and we have a list of tasks to do. It
seems our whole life is occupied in
one activity after another. Thus,
when we try to meditate, we find it
almost unnatural to sit still and still
our mind.
As a society we seem to value
activity. The more we are seen
doing, the better it looks. Few peo‑
ple value sitting in silence. We
think that if we sit still, we are not
doing anything. We fear being
labeled as lazy or incompetent.
However, each person needs to
take time from all their busy activi‑
ties and be still.
Being still has many purposes. It
is in stillness that we come up with
creative ideas. It is in stillness that
we solve a difficult problem. It is in
stillness that we have revelations.
Scientists, musicians, artists, poets,
writers, philosophers, and inven‑
tors often came up with master‑
pieces by sitting in stillness. From
the stillness arose new ideas that
revolutionized the world.
Similarly, stillness is where we
find our soul and God. God cannot
be found by outer activity; God can
only be found within. Meditation
requires stillness for attaining spir‑
itual results. Our life is like a train
rushing along tracks of busyness.
We are so used to being busy that
it feels unnatural to stop our activi‑
ties to sit in silence. Yet to solve a
problem or create something new,
we need to take time from our busy
schedule to tap into our inner
resources. Similarly, to achieve self‑
knowledge and God‑realization we
need to learn to sit in stillness.
When we sit in stillness it may
look to others as if we are not
doing anything. Yet, in stillness we
are doing the most important activ‑
ity in life̶finding our soul and
ness to reflect on how we can solve
our family problems or make life
for our family better. If we are
involved in the arts, the stillness
can help us tap into our creativity.
If we learn the art of sitting in
silence, even for our worldly work,
we will be able to transfer that abil‑
ity to sitting in silence for medita‑
tion. We will find we are less jumpy
and restless. We can develop the
ability to sit still for the longest
possible time. We will be used to
stopping our mind, to let our soul
When we sit in stillness it may look to others have its voice. When all is still, we
as if we are not doing anything. Yet, in find the soulʼs voice is calling for us
to find God. If we are still, we can
stillness, we are doing the most important
hear the Voice of God, or the Music
activity in life̶finding our soul and God. of the Spheres, the Ce lestial
Harmony, or the holy Word.
God. Few people attain God in life. we can spend some time thinking We can balance our activities
Why? They do not know how to do about whether we are doing our with times in which we are still. In
nothing. If they would learn to sit work in the best possible manner this way we can improve our medi‑
and do nothing, they would find and if not, how to make improve‑ tations. By sitting still in meditation
everything. ments. We may come up with a we will find that we can be the
It may be good for each of us to new and better way of doing things most productive, because
set aside some time daily to prac‑ at work. If we run a household, we we can attain the state of finding
tice sitting in stillness. At our jobs, can spend some time sitting in still‑ God.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 20-26, 2019
TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 20-26, 2019