Vol 7 Issue 6 - June 7-13, 2014

The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
excellence in journalism
Op Ed 19 India-US Ties 9
Vol.7 No. 6 June 7-13, 2014 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Sports 24 Spiritual Awareness 30
New Delhi: Nearly a decade after
it denied him a visa and blacklisted
him, the US is practically prepar-
ing to roll out the red carpet for
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
who is set to hold a summit meet-
ing with President Barack Obama
in Washington in September-end
this year.
According to official sources,
Modi has expressed his keenness to
give a push to the flagging Indo-
US ties and has accepted Obamas
invite to visit Washington.
After the swearing-in of Modi,
who led the BJP to a spectacular
victory in the general election,
Obama in a message vowed to
work closely together with the new
Indian prime minister for years to
come. Obama was quick to
acknowledge Modis resounding
victory in the election and extend-
ed an invitation to him to visit
Washington, DC effectively end-
ing the visa ban on him.
Obama is believed to be keen to
patch up the damage to Indo-US
ties as fast as possible. His meeting
with Modi will be the second with-
in the span of a year with an Indian
prime minister. He had met
Manmohan Singh in September
Modi-Obama
summit in
Sept. to reset
India-US ties
PM Narendra Modi has accepted President
Obamas invitation to visit Washington in Sept.
Continued on page 4
Washington, DC: With their wins
or second place finishes in
California's "jungle" primaries,
four Indian-Americans Neel
Kashkari, Ro Khanna, Ami Bera
and Kamala Harris - are set to
compete in four key election races
in November.
In California's open or "jungle"
primaries, top two finishers
advance to the general elections
irrespective of their party affilia-
tion.
Kashkari, 48, a former Bush
administration official, overcame
rival Republican Tim Donnelly in
the governor's race late Tuesday
night. Kashkari, who ran the $700
million bailout program after the
2007-2008 financial crisis, will
find it tough to beat Democratic
Governor Jerry Brown, who led
with 55 percent of the vote. Brown
is California's longest-serving gov-
ernor, having served three terms.
In California' s 17th District,
known as Silicon Valley, which is
the only Asian American-majority
district in the US, Democrat Ro
Four Indian-Americans advance to key Nov election races
By Parveen Chopra
New York: The South Asian
Times, the leading newspaper
serving the South Asian popula-
tion in the USA, bagged an award
for "Best Investigative / In Depth
Story" at the Ippies Awards 2014
held Thursday at the CUNY
Graduate School of Journalism in
New York. Jinal Shah (Associate
Editor), won the third place in the
most competitive and prestigious
category for her article -
Languishing in the golden cage.
The three-page report, published
last November, brings to light the
plight of H4 visa holders indi-
viduals who come on H1B1
dependent visa, mostly women,
highly qualified and experienced.
The article talks about their mis-
eries that ranges from being
totally dependent to being subject-
ed to domestic violence - while
trapped in a golden cage. It also
highlights the efforts both from
the community as well as legal
sources to bring to table the less
controversial piece of the immi-
gration reform bill.
Organized by the Center for
Community and Ethnic Media
(CCEM) at the CUNY Journalism
School, Ippies are the only awards
that pay tribute to excellence in
journalism in the ethnic and com-
munity press in the New York
City area. According to CCEM
The South Asian Times wins top journalism award
(from left) Kamlesh Mehta (Publisher, The South Asian Times),
Jinal Shah (Awardee), Jehangir Khattak (of CUNY) and Parveen
Chopra (Managing Editor) at the Ippies Awards ceremony.
Neal Kashkari will take
on incumbent Jerry
Brown for California
Governor in Nov.
California Attorney
General Kamala Harris
has easily outpolled her
competitors
Rep. Ami Bera won 49
percent of the vote in
the primary
Ro Khanna received only
27% vote to Mike
Hondas 49% in
Californias 17th district
Continued on page 4
Continued on page 4
June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
31st
3 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Washington, DC: Even as BJP won a land-
slide in the general election in India, Hindu
American Political Action Committee (HA-
PAC) based here publicly endorsed a slate of
candidates for US House of Representatives
in the primaries that took place on June 3.
Leading the list of candidates winning sup-
port from the HAPAC is Democratic Con-
gresswoman Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii, a
self-professed Hindu, who, HAPAC said,
"has consistently stood by the Hindu-Ameri-
can community on every major domestic and
international issue."
"She has not shied away from her Hindu
faith and identity, has attending many events
in the Hindu-American community, has met
Hindu leaders outside the US and India to
share thoughts about problems worldwide,
and has inspired many Hindu Americans to
be proud of their identity," the committee
said, in broadly defining the litmus test for
their support.
Also winning HAPAC endorsement are
California Republican Ed Royce, chairman of
the house foreign relations committee and co-
chair of the India caucus, and Democrats
Brad Sherman, Joe Crowley, Eric Swalwell,
and the lone Indian-American lawmaker Ami
Bera, who is not a Hindu.
Royce and Sherman were recognized for
opposition to house Resolution 417 that was
seen as anti-pluralist and anti-India while
masquerading as one that upholds India's di-
versity. Crowley and Swalwell were praised
for helping push the FBI into tracking anti-
Hindu hate crimes.
HAPAC also endorsed Indian-American
Democratic candidates Manan Trivedi and
Swati Dandekar, fighting primaries in Penn-
sylvania and Iowa respectively. Swati polled
18%, losing to Pat Murphy who got 37 %
vote.
HAPAC activists acknowledged that this is
the first election cycle they have been active
in although the community has been con-
tributing to (and thus endorsing) candidates
since the fall of 2013.
"With a number of primary elections com-
ing up on June 3 in different states, we felt it
would be a good idea to collate all of those
endorsements together for voters heading to
the polls," chairman of the HAPAC board
Rishi Bhutada told The Times of India.
While HAPAC is nowhere near as powerful
as the famed American Israeli Political Ac-
tion Committee, which US politicians of
every hue try to court, Hindu Americans say
theirs is a modest beginning.
New York: In another instance of
Bollywood meeting Hollywood, a
South Asian dance group
will perform live on So You
Think You Can Dance popular
show on Fox 5 on June 11 at 8pm. It
would also showcase Indias vibrant
heritage and culture to the main-
stream audience, the Wanted Ashiqz
team said, adding ina press release.
Our main goal has always been to
give our audience a great entertain-
ment experience and we can't wait
to show America a side of
Bollywood they have never seen
before.
Even as they audition for the
show, the only way to vote for them
afterwards is through Twitter, they
informed. The double episode on
June 13 will be introduced by Justin
Bieber.
Wanted Ashiqz have stood out in
numerous dance competitions. In
2011, they went on to become the
first ever Bollywood team to not
only compete, but to also win 2nd
place at the World of Dance, a
renowned Hip-hop competition.
They also became the first
Bollywood dance team to win the
grand prize at the Kollaboration NY
2011. Recently, they won 1st place 3
consecutive times, at Prelude New
England 2014, a prominent Hip-
Hop competition.
South Asian group to perform on
popular Fox 5 dance show
New York
based
Wanted
Ashiqz will
perfrom live
on So You
Think You
Can Dance
Tulsi Gabbard:
A shoo-in from Hawaii
Swati Dandekar:
Lost in Iowa
By Jinal Shah
New York: The Gujarati Samaj of New York on
Wednesday announced a 3-day festival showcasing
Gujarats rich culture, heritage, and its phenomenal
growth in recent years to mark the organizations 40th
anniversary. It will be held at St Anthony's Conference
Center in Melville, NY. Incidentally, Narendra Modi,
credited for being the architect of modern state of
Gujarat, has just led his party to a landmark victory in
Indian elections.
The Gujarati festival and its website were kicked off
at the Indian Consulate in the presence of Consul
General Dnyaneshwar Mulay and prominent members
of the Gujarati community. Praising Gujarat and
Gujaratis for their business acumen and achievements
both in India and in the US, Amb. Mulay said, Gujarat
is not only known for its culture and Narendra Modi but
also its business minded people. He urged the commu-
nity to showcase the vibrant Gujarat to the second gen-
eration Gujaratis as well as mainstream America, and
added. Make political representatives accountable, ask
them questions on immigration laws, especially H1B1
visas, what they are doing for Indian Americans. The
Cultural Festival of Gujarat (CFG) on August 8-10 will
include Garbo, Bhavai, Dayro, fashion show, comedy
shows, art auction, award ceremony and also classic
Gujarati movies and authentic Gujarati delicacies. I
urge all Indian community members to join us and the
business community to support and make it a grand suc-
cess, said Harshad Patel, president of Gujarati Samaj.
The festival will hold seminars in Hindi-- for women
living in the US, on business, political awareness and
also on immigration. Although it is a ticketed event
($50), organizers are working on discounts for senior
citizens along with buses from New Jersey and Long
Island. Attraction for second generation Gujaratis
include: a raffle with giveaways such as BMW car,
Rolex watch, and gold coins; matrimony and rass
garba, said R.D. Patel, chairman of board of trustees.
With speculations rife over Modis US visit in
September, Dr Navin Mehta, one of the trustees of
Gujarati Samaj, announced a grand welcome for
Indias new prime minister: Nine years ago, US
officials denied Modi a visa to travel to New York
to address Indian-Americans in Madison Square
Garden. If he comes in September, we will organ-
ize a huge program at the Giants Stadium in New
Jersey to felicitate him.
Grand welcome planned for Modi
(From left) Bharti Desai, Ambassador Mulay,
R.D. Patel, and Harshad Patel, president of
Gujarati Samaj of New York. (Photo courtesy:
Parash Chaitri, Consulate office)
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4 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TURN PAGE
New Delhi: In a show of solidari-
ty with victims of sexual assaults
in India, students of Indian origin
graduating from Ivy League uni-
versities in the US wore a red
tape on their graduation caps dur-
ing convocation ceremonies this
week. Later, several students
from Columbia, Harvard and
Brown universities participated in
a peaceful protest against the rise
in sexual violence in India, espe-
cially in Uttar Pradesh.
Respect for a womens dignity
is respect for humanity. And that
respect starts at home, spreads
through communities, extends
across university campuses to
nations around the world. An
assault on one woman is an attack
on the entire human race, Arnab
De who completed his PhD from
the Columbia University Medical
Centre and also served as the stu-
dent representative of the Public
Safety Committee at Columbia,
said over phone from
Washington.
There is nothing anyone can
do to bring the bravest Nirbhaya
(Dec 16, 2012, New Delhi rape
victim) back. But if I can invoke
her memory to educate people, I
would be very proud. In this
regard, I am glad that the
Nirbhaya trust was recently
launched to help victims, he
added.
Social media Buzzfeed quoted
a spokesperson for Columbia
University as stating that it was
a hallmark of Columbias values
to support and encourage the
rights of students to express their
views through such peaceful,
symbolic speech.
The event was conceived by
Indian-American Rakhi Agrawal,
a student at Columbia. She asked
graduating students to put red
tape on their graduation hats to
show solidarity for such victims.
As a student of this great uni-
versity, I felt it was my responsi-
bility to stand up for the basic
rights of others. I am happy that
our efforts have multiplied and
graduates from other Ivy League
universities like Harvard
University and Brown University
wore red tapes during their grad-
uation convocation too, Rakhi,
who is originally from New
Delhi, said in an e-mail.
Washington, DC: As two young-
sters of Indian descent spelled his-
tory by jointly winning the covet-
ed Scripps National Spelling Bee
for a record seventh year in a row,
they also stirred storm of racially
charged comments in the US.
The fact that Sriram Hathwar
and Ansun Sujoe last week night
kept up the victory run of Indian-
Americans that began in 1999 pro-
ducing a dozen champions in the
last 16 years, proved too much for
some. Sujoe, 13, a 7th grader from
Fort Worth, Texas and Sriram, 14,
the lone repeat finalist of Painted
Post, New York were declared co-
winners after a grueling duel in the
final of a contest that attracted 281
spellers from eight countries. It
was for the first time in more
than 50 years, two young word-
smiths were declared co-champi-
ons as the Washington Post
noted. However, some on social
media seemed more preoccupied
with their heritage than their way
with words.
Among the tweets cited by the
Post were: Where are our
American kids?
And: Nothing more American
than a good spelling bee... Oh wait
all the Caucasians are eliminated
Cale Pieczynski (@CalePie).
The Post also cited other com-
ments on social media arguing
race has nothing do with where
these spellers were born.
wow that blows the spelling
bee ends with a tie thats so friggin
un-American no wonder the kids
that won it are Indian, tweeted
Chris Uhl Jr from Massachusetts.
Journalist Jeff Chu collected the
tweets and commented; Why did
the tweets hit me hard? I was a bee
kid-91, lost on rimur. And I
want those kids never to be asked,
Where are you really from?
Another commentator Ezra
Klein tweeted Turns out spelling
bees bring out a lot of racists:
http://bit.ly/1kPI0n3. .so
according to these geniuses, only
Caucasians are American when
it comes to the spelling bee?
responded Nicole Forbes from
Austin, Texas. Just because the
face on the screen isnt white, it
doesnt make the #spellingbee
finalists any less American, com-
mented Rebecca Hong.
Modi-Obama summit to reset ...
Continued from page 1
last year during the former prime min-
isters visit to Washington en route to
the UN General Assembly.
The proposed June 8 visit of US
Assistant Secretary of State Nisha
Desai Biswal, the Obama administra-
tions point person for South and
Central Asia, to New Delhi is an indi-
cation of the urgency with which the
US is keen to mend ties with the Modi
government. Modi, whose move to
reach out to South Asian neighbors
during his swearing-in has been laud-
ed, gave an indication of his foreign
policy thoughts in interviews before
coming to power. He had said that
individual incidents should not be
allowed to cloud bilateral relations
an apparent reference to the visa ban
on him by the US. Bilateral ties, which
had seen a cooling off during the latter
years of UPA-II, suffered a setback
with the handcuffing and strip search
of Indian diplomat Devyani
Khobragade last year for alleged visa
fraud and underpaying her nanny.
The policy paralysis of the previous
UPA government is seen to have crept
into its bilateral ties as well, with little
headway on many ticklish issues.
The US is keen to get started with
implementation of the Indo-US civil
nuclear deal, which is stuck over
Indias civil nuclear liability laws. The
US is also keen to increase its defense
ties with India, a major market, and
also keen to push trade with India from
the current around $100 billion annual-
ly to $500 billion by 2015.
The South Asian Times wins top...
census of New York Citys ethnic and
community media, there are 270 publi-
cations that serve the immigrant and
minority populations, published in 36
languages.
Former CBS Correspondent Randall
Pinkston, now with Al Jazeera
America, emceed the ceremony and
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist turned
filmmaker and immigration activist
Jose Antonio Vargas delivered keynote
address. Vargas is the founder of
"Define American", a non-profit organ-
ization intended to open up dialogue
about the criteria people use to deter-
mine who is an American.
The Ippies competition attracted 158
entries this year across 10 categories
from 46 community and ethnic news
organizations.
The citations were given away by
Jehangir Khattak, Communications
Director, CCEM.
Four Indian-Americans advance...
Khanna will take on fellow Democrat
Mike Honda, who has been a member
of the House since 2001. Honda led
with 49 percent, followed by Khanna,
a former Obama administration offi-
cial, at 27 percent. Both Republican
candidates, Indian American Vanila
Singh and Joel Vanlandingham, failed
to make the general in this race.
Khanna entered the race more than a
year ago and grabbed national atten-
tion with a team of former Obama
campaign staffers and endorsements
from big Silicon Valley tech CEOs and
a series of big fundraising hauls.
The lone Indian-American House
member Democratic Ami Bera will
face Republican Doug Ose in
California's 7th District in November.
Bera won 49 percent of the vote, and
Ose won 26 percent, with 54 percent of
precincts reporting in the Sacramento-
area battleground district, according to
Politico. Bera defeated Republican
House member Dan Lungren for the
seat by three points in 2012, while
President Barack Obama carried the
district by four points.
California' s first female Indian-
American and African-American
Attorney General Kamala Harris, who
is widely expected to seek higher
office in coming years, easily out-
polled her competitors.
Harris, a Democrat, had 54 percent
of the votes in early returns. She faced
four Republicans, each of whom
received less than 14 percent in early
returns. Whoever among the four fin-
ishes second will face Harris.
Indian students in US condemn assaults on women back home
Spelling Bee wins draw racially charged comments
The spurt of sexual violence
in India, especially in Uttar
Pradesh, is spurring
the protests.
By Jinal Shah
New York: Breaking the proverbial glass ceil-
ing and tearing down the stereotypes, Nina
Davuluri made history when she became the
first Indian American to be crowned Miss
America last year. Following her footsteps now
is the 19 year old Indian American Emily
Shah who is set to compete with 49 other mod-
els at the Miss USA title on June 8 in Louisiana.
If Shah is crowned Miss USA, she will not only
become the youngest and first New Jersey title-
holder to wear the US national crown but also
be the first Indian American representing Amer-
ica on an international platform- Miss Universe.
Shah was the first Indian American to wear
the tiara atop her perfectly coiffed hair in the
miss USA pageant, the same year Davuluri won
the Miss America ti-
tle. Although both
the pageants
give out titles,
tiaras and
scholarships,
the Miss
America and
Miss USA
pageants are
completely
different.
While the
former,
much
older
(began in
1921) is most-
ly known for its
scholarships the latter, relatively new (began in
1952), not only gets a scholarship but also a
shot at Miss Universe and some other perks,
like one year of free rent in Trump Tower on 5th
Avenue in New York.
Following vicious cyber-attacks questioning
Davuluris American-ness all eyes are on
Shah to win the national title. Many Indian
Americans are pinning their hopes on Shah to
see her on an international level representing
America, its diversity in true sense. So who is
Emily Shah? Originally from Rajkot, Gujarat,
her great grandfather was an advisor to Mahat-
ma Gandhi. Emilys resume goes considerably
deeper than even her heritage. A native of Edi-
son, New Jersey, Shah has shuffled between In-
dia and America and dabbled in cinema, having
acted in both Bollywood and Hollywood films.
She featured in Hollywood movies like 'The
Great New Wonderful' with Naseerudin Shah
and Bollywood films such as 'Out of Control'
alongside Riteish Deshmukh, 'Ta Ra Rum Pum',
'Jaaneman' among others. Shah plans to work as
an action actor and to learn that she chose to as-
sist stunt director in movies like Captain Amer-
ica, Fast and Furious 7 and even assisted Clint
Eastwood in Jersey Boys. Her passion for act-
ing stems out of the fact that her father, Prashant
Shah, who emigrated from India years ago is a
producer and distributor in Los Angeles and has
been associated with several Bollywood pro-
duction houses such as with Karan Johar's,
Rakesh Roshan and Shahrukh Khan, in various
capacities. Emily is not only proud to be from
Edison but extremely proud of her Indian back-
ground. Wow I will be the first Gujarati on the
Miss USA stage, She said via Twitter.
Drug case against
Vikram Chatwal
dismissed after rehab
New York: A felony drug-
trafficking charge against
hotelier Vikram Chatwal,
43, was dismissed by a
Florida judge because of
the intensive year-long re-
habilitation the Indian-
American businessman un-
derwent.Chatwal, son of
hotelier Sant Singh Chatw-
al, could have faced 20
years in prison for being
caught with drugs like co-
caine and heroin on his per-
son at Fort Lauderdale airport in Florida last year. Chat-
wal posted bail and came back to New York to undergo
a vigorously scrutinized drug treatment program.
The 17th Circuit Court of Broward County, FL, to-
tally dismissed the case recently, the New York Post
reported. The founder of Dream Hotel in New York,
completed a rigorous drug-rehabilitation program
which included substance abuse counseling and drug
testing, the Post quoted Chatwals attorney Mark Heller
saying. Vikram earnestly strove, this past year, to ad-
dress addiction issues, and thankfully the Broward
County judicial system recognize that Vikrams arrest
was not the product of criminal conduct, but rather the
unfortunate medical by-product of substance depend-
ency, Heller is quoted saying.
New York: The Devyani Khobragade
case came up for a discussion at
Harvard Law School with India-born
US prosecutor Preet Bharara telling
the graduating class that the "intense"
criticism and accusation hurled at him
for charging the Indian diplomat with
visa fraud had upset him.
Bharara was invited to address stu-
dents and faculty at the prestigious
law school on its 2014 Class Day cer-
emony last week.
The top US attorney in Manhattan
spoke about the criticism he faces
from all quarters as well as from vari-
ous governments because of his work.
He added that he has even "been
banned from Russia." Raising the
Khobragade case, Bharara said he got
the most flak for prosecuting the for-
mer Indian deputy Consul General
even though the case was initiated and
investigated by the US State
Department and seasoned law
enforcements officials.
"(It was) not the crime of the centu-
ry but a serious crime nonetheless,
that is why the State Department
opened the case, that is why the State
Department investigated it. That is
why career agents in the State
D e p a r t me n t
asked career
prosecutors in
my office to
approve criminal
charges. That
case basically
caused an inter-
national inci-
dent," he said.
Bharara said
he became "per-
sonally aware"
that Khobragade
would be arrested only a couple of
days before the arrest was scheduled.
He became bothered by the "line of
attack" made by the Indian govern-
ment and media that he brought the
case to "serve his white masters, pre-
sumably (US Attorney General) Eric
Holder and (President) Barack
Obama", both of whom are black.
"That is an example of criticism that
is stupid," he said, adding that as the
criticism got "increasingly intense"
over time, it bothered his parents and
this made him upset.
"That was tough because it bothered
them," he said. He was also concerned
when he had to explain the accusa-
tions made against him to his young
daughter, he said.
"Indian critics were angry because
even though I hailed from India, I
appeared to be going out of my way to
act American and serve the interests of
America, which was odd because I am
American and the words US are in my
title," he said.
He said, "putting aside disputes
about the merits of the case," the
Indian government and media decided
that the case was brought by an
Indian-American "for all manner of
bad personal reasons, never mind that
the case was initiated and investigated
by career law enforcement officials."
Will Miss New Jersey Emily Shah be next Miss USA?
VENUE:
New Jersey Performing Arts Center,
1 Center St., Newark, New Jersey
DATE AND TIME:
Saturday, July 12, 2014
3 PM to 8 PM
Followed by Gurudevs personal
blessings and Prasad (dinner).
Registration is required for this
complimentary (no-charge) event.
Over 2,100 seats already booked.
Only a limited number of seats left.
TO REGISTER, VISIT
www.GuruPoornima2014.com
or call 516 484 0018
Event Promotion
Do you know how fortunate are
those who get the blessings of
a Satguru on Guru Poornima?
Get the personal blessings of Satguru Brahmrishi
Sri Guruvanand Ji Swami Gurudev on this Guru
Poornima and become that fortunate person!
Brahmrishi Sri Guruvanand Ji
Swami Gurudev is one of the
few living Satgurus. He has
invoked all Chakras of his
Kundalini and achieved all Siddhis.
Free bus transportation will be available from Long Island,
Queens and Edison, NJ.
Was upset over 'stupid' criticism in
Khobragade case: Preet Bharara
Indian critics were
angry because even
though I hailed from
India, I appeared to be
going out of my way to
act American and serve
the interests of America,
which was odd because I
am American and the
words US are in my title
-US Attorney
Preet Bharara
Vikram Chatwal
If crowned, shell be first and youngest Miss Jersey to win the title and
first Indian-American to represent America in Miss Universe pageant
IN BRIEF
N
ew York City May-
or Bill de Blasio
has appointed Indi-
an American physician Dr.
Ramanathan Raju to the
citys new Task Force on
Behavioral Health and the
Criminal Justice System.
Raju will serve on the
Task Forces executive
committee, along with 18
other individuals hand-
picked by Mayor de Blasio,
as well as five expert advi-
sors from various institutions around the
country.
The purpose of the Mayors new Task
Force will be to develop a strategic, action-
able plan to transform the citys criminal jus-
tice system, so that it addresses the needs of
individuals with behavioral and mental
health issues more appropriately and effec-
tively, according to a press
release issued by the May-
ors office on Monday.
The Mayors offices
press release implies that
the new Task Force will be-
come operational immedi-
ately, and will hopefully
lead to far better assess-
ment of mental illness in
crime in the coming years.
Mental illness has be-
come an increasing concern
throughout America in the
wake of recent mass shootings, such as the
one perpetrated in Santa Barbara last month,
and Raju will help lead the charge to control
the problem in the Big Apple.
In January Raju became the new President
and CEO of New York Citys Health and
Hospitals Corporation (HHC), a position he
currently holds.
A
lawyer for hotelier Sant Singh Chat-
wal, who has pleaded guilty to ille-
gally donating thousands of dollars
to American political campaigns, has re-
quested a US court to adjourn the sentencing
date to October from July to prepare neces-
sary legal briefs.
In a submission before US District Judge I
Leo Glasser, lawyer Jonathan Sack requested
an "adjournment of the sentencing" from
July 31 to around October 23 citing the need
for more time to gather relevant information
for Chatwal's pre-sentence report and sen-
tencing submissions on his behalf.
Sack said Chatwal has lived in India,
Ethiopia as well as the US and "gathering in-
formation about his background and substan-
tial activities in these locations has proven
time- consuming."
Sack said the alternate date in October is
agreeable to federal prosecutors.
Chatwal, 70, a Padma Bhushan awardee
and major fundraiser for former US Secre-
tary of State Hillary Clinton, had pleaded
guilty in April to conspiring to violate the
Federal Election Campaign Act by making
more than $180,000 in federal campaign do-
nations to three candidates through straw
donors who were reimbursed and to witness
tampering. Chatwal is free on a $750,000
bail and has surrendered his passport. The
charges carry a maximum prison sentence of
25 years but under the plea deal with the gov-
ernment, Chatwal could be sentenced to a lit-
tle more than five years and would have to
pay $ 500,000 in fines.
I
n keeping with its theme, Building a
Better Community, One Step at a
Time, the BAPS Charities 15th annu-
al walkathon was held on May 18 in New
York City. Over 475 members of the com-
munity participated in this years
walkathon.
Coming together to walk for a singular
purpose, participants of all ages joined
hands and raised funds to support this
years local beneficiary, Big Brothers Big
Sisters of NYC. Walking for such an ex-
emplary organization and cause is a great
honor, said Hasmukh Patel, BAPS Volun-
teer. Being able to organize and bring to
fruition this kind of event is always an ex-
citing opportunity for BAPS Charities.
Walkathons unite members of the commu-
nity, no matter the age, to serve other caus-
es. The enthusiasm behind this event is re-
ally the driving force to ensuring the suc-
cess of the todays event.
Not only is it amazing how everyone
can come together to support one cause, it
is also great to walk with others who be-
lieve in building a better community, said
Mr Parth Adhia, Walkathon Project Lead
of BAPS Charities, NYC. Benefiting an
organization that helps and mentors our
children is a great way to bring the com-
munity together and getting a chance to
walk with a big group of people who feel
the same way is a fun way to get some ex-
ercise!
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a national or-
ganization with local roots that aims to
provide mentoring and guidance to chil-
dren. We appreciate BAPS Charities for
choosing us as the beneficiary of the walk
and it means so much to us, said Mr
Schroder from Big Brothers Big Sisters
NYC.
Mangano honors community members at Indian American Night
I
ndian American Forum presented Indian
American Night on June1 at Harry Chapin
lakeside Theatre, Eisenhower Park, East
Meadow, Parking Field 6 & 6A. Program start-
ed at 4.00PM by Yoga teacher Elena. Several
members learnt and participated in Yoga.
Kite Flying Festival started at 5.00pm. Gob-
ind Munjal event co-chairperson organized the
kite flying competitions. Whole Park was full
of colorful kites, children men, women and
even grandparents enjoyed flying kites. Weath-
er was extremely beautiful and kites were fly-
ing all over the park. Jaya Bahadkar Cultural
chairperson presented beautiful cultural pro-
gram reflecting dances from different parts of
India. Students from local dance schools par-
ticipated. Vocal performances were organized
by Sunita Sadhnani of Glamorous Event Plan-
ners the Melody Group from Tri state area con-
sisting of 10-12 singers who entertained the
audience with their memorable songs.
This program is part of 2014 summer con-
cert series sponsored by Nassau county De-
partment of Parks, Recreation and Museums.
Indian American Night is a showcase of Clas-
sical Indian music and folk dances from all re-
gions of India. Nassau county Executive Ed-
ward P Mangano , Nassau County Park Com-
missioner Brian Nugent, Legislature Kevin
Abrahms, Town of Hempstead Clerk Nasrin
Ahmed, Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby and
several other elected officials and communi-
ty leaders were present. Nassau County Exec-
utive Honorable Edward P Mangano wel-
comed everyone and commended the Indian
American community for their outstanding
achievements. Following members of commu-
nity were presented with Nassau County
Awards: Dr. Surekha Patel, ARCH Founda-
tion,Ajay Batra, IVS TV,Mrs. Bhupinder Kaur
Thind, noted social worker in Punjab,Sonia
Bawa, community worker and Occupational
Therapist,Sunita Sadhnani, Glamorous Event
Planners Kirit Panchamia, Herricks Group.
Community came together to sup-
port this years local beneficiary,
Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC
Dr Ramanathan Raju is
NYCs Health Commissioner
Dr Ramanathan Raju appointed to NYCs health
and criminal task force
CHI Spring Luncheon raises $25,000 for NY's homeless
BAPS Charities hosts annual walkathon
Sant Chatwal's lawyer seeks adjournment of sentencing date
Nassau County Executive, Edward P. Mangano with honorees. (LtoR)Mohinder
Singh Taneja, Sunita Sadhnani, Ajay Batra, Bhupinder Kaur Thind,
Ed Mangano, Sonia Bawa, Kirit Panchamia, TOH Councilwoman,
Dorothy Goosby, Dr. Surekha M. Patel, Indu Jaiswal.
CHI board members with Madhur and Sakina Jaffrey who received the
Women of Distinction Awards. (Photo by BNB Photography)
C
hildren's Hope India (CHI) Spring
Luncheon at Water's Edge in Long
Island City, Queens, raised $25,000
on May 7.
A highlight of the spring luncheon was
the presence of the noted culinary authori-
ty and actress Madhur Jaffrey and her
daughter, actress Sakina Jaffrey who is
popularly seen in 'House of Cards.' Both
received the CHI Woman of Distinction
Awards and made some insightful remarks
about succeeding as women in the world of
the arts in America. Madhur Jaffrey, who is
an advisory board member of Children's
Hope, spoke about her long career in food
and cinema, the challenges of balancing
family and career in a new country and the
increased opportunities for the next gener-
ation. She showed how much boldness and
persistence count in achieving success.
Sakina Jaffrey spoke about the new op-
portunities for young Indian-Americans,
and the power of education. "I have no
doubt that at some point every one of you
has had to reach back to your education to
validate your ticket in life. Its a security
blanket that not everyone enjoys. But by
giving time, energy and money to places
like Childrens Hope, we can extend that
opportunity to others. We can help launch
that essential journey of validation for the
children who most need it."
Dina Pahlajani, CHI board member,
talked movingly about the cause of home-
less children in NYC, the invisible children
who number over 22,700 and shuttle be-
tween school in the day-time and shelters
at night, living in difficult surroundings.
Children's Hope is working with city or-
ganizations to identify how the funds
raised from the luncheon can best be used
to improve their lives.
7 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
United Nations: To commemorate the Inter-
national Day of United Nations Peacekeep-
ers on 29 May, the Permanent Mission of In-
dia to the United Nations hosted a somber
function for all the recipients of the 106 Dag
Hammarskjold Medals awarded this year by
the United Nations. The function was held in
the Dag Hammarskjold Library Building of
the United Nations Headquarters in New
York.
The eight Indian peacekeepers, who laid
down their lives while serving on United Na-
tions Peacekeeping Operations, were spe-
cially remembered on this occasion.
In April 2013, five Indian peacekeepers,
Lt-Col Mahipal Singh, Naik Subedar Shiv
Kumar Pal, Havildars Hira Lal and Bharat
Sasmal, and Lance Naik Nand Kishore Joshi
laid down their lives in protecting the man-
date of the United Nations Mission in South
Sudan (UNMISS). They were part of a 32-
member Indian troop contingent escorting
five UN vehicles from Gumruk to Bor in the
volatile state of Jonglei of South Sudan. The
convoy was ambushed by 200 members of
an armed militia, who used rocket propelled
grenades and small arms to attack the con-
voy. Led by Lt-Col Mahipal Singh, the Indi-
an peacekeepers engaged in a fierce battle
which lasted for over an hour while protect-
ing the convoy. Five injured Indian soldiers,
including a Captain, were subsequently
evacuated to the capital city of Juba in three
UN helicopters for medical treatment. A UN
spokesman said that the fierce resistance put
up by Indian peacekeepers forced the rebels
to withdraw and saved the lives of many of
the civilians. In July 2013, UN Security
Council Resolution 2109 called on the Gov-
ernment of South Sudan to complete its in-
vestigations in a swift and thorough manner
and bring the perpetrators to justice.
In December 2013, former Indian rower
Subedar Dharmesh Sangwan, an Asian
Games silver medalist, Asian Championship
gold medal winner, and rated among the best
rowers India has ever produced, along with
Subedar Kumar Pal Singh, were the two In-
dian peacekeepers killed in cross-fire while
protecting civilians sheltering in a United
Nations compound in Akobo, South Sudan.
A third Indian peacekeeper, who received
a chest wound, was evacuated to the UN-
MISS facility in Malakal. 43 Indian peace-
keepers, six UN police advisers and two UN
civilian staffers were present at the base
when an estimated 2,000 heavily armed
youth surrounded the UN base in Akobo, and
opened fire on the civilians seeking refuge
inside. In December 2013, UN Security
Council Resolution 2132 condemned the at-
tack on the Indian peacekeepers, and
stressed that efforts to undermine UNMISS
ability to implement its mandate and attacks
on United Nations personnel would not be
tolerated.
Sepoy Rameshwar Singh died in February
2013, while on escort duty in North Kivu as
part of the Indian peacekeeping contingent
of MONUSCO, the United Nations Peace-
keeping Mission in the Democratic Republic
of Congo.
At Indias initiative, and in a symbolic trib-
ute to those who have collectively given
their lives in pursuit of international peace
and security, the photographs of the 8 Indian
peacekeepers were placed alongside a gold-
framed board, listing all the 106 peacekeep-
ers from Member States of the United Na-
tions who had lost their lives during the past
year. Candles were lit in their memory on the
occasion to demonstrate the solidarity of the
United Nations peacekeeping community,
and the collective debt owed by the interna-
tional community to these brave souls.
Earlier in the day, Indias Permanent Rep-
resentative to the United Nations, Ambassa-
dor Asoke Kumar Mukerji, joined other Per-
manent Representatives and Military At-
taches of Member States at a commemora-
tive ceremony at the UN Peacekeepers Me-
morial on the North Lawn in the precincts of
the United Nations Headquarters in New
York. The UN Secretary General oversaw
the wreath-laying at the Memorial for the
very first time. The proposal for this com-
memoration had been made by India, sup-
ported by several other Member States of the
United Nations, in the C34 Peacekeeping
Committee meeting, and endorsed by the 5th
(Budget) Committee of the United Nations
and the UN General Assembly last year.
New York: High school stu-
dent Dhara Patel, a senior in
Hillsborough County, Florida
got a stunning 10.03 GPA.
A student from Plant City
High School, the Valedictori-
an's GPA was so high, the
computer system couldn't rec-
ognize 10.03, and defaulted it
to a .031, dropping her rank
from first in the class to last.
Since she was a freshman,
Patel had been taking ad-
vanced-placement courses.
Throughout her high school
career, she enrolled in more
than 10.
During her junior year, her
entire schedule consisted of
AP classes. She studied all dif-
ferent subjects, including calculus, statistics,
human geography, European history, psycholo-
gy and more.
She was also dual-enrolled at Hillsborough
Community College, adding even more weight
to her GPA. She took so many classes at HCC
that she also will receive her associates degree
of liberal arts in the spring, as
well as her high school diplo-
ma.
At HCC, she studied nutri-
tion, astronomy, public speak-
ing, among many others. She
mostly took classes online but
did attend some classes on
campus after a full day at
Plant City High School. Some
even lasted until 9 p.m.
With the help of HCC pro-
fessor and guidance counselor
Sharlotte Henderson, Patel
was able to orchestrate a
schedule that would earn her
an associates degree, the
Plant City Observer reported.
In addition to a full class
schedule, Patel is also presi-
dent of the Science Club, Civinettes and Future
Business Leaders of America; treasurer for Best
Buddies; on the board of Executive Council;
and competes in science and math competitions.
Patel will be attending the University of Flori-
da in the fall to study microbiology. She hopes
to one day become a dentist or an orthodontist.
Washington, DC: American Sikhs have
hired a political consultant, who served
as a strategist for Hillary Clinton's 2008
presidential campaign, for the first-ever
exploration of creating positive percep-
tion about Sikhs among Americans.
Geoffrey Garin, who also served as the
pollster and strategic advisor to Priorities
USA, the super PAC supporting Presi-
dent Barack Obama's re-election in 2012,
will take an in-depth survey of feelings
and misperceptions towards Sikhs for the
newly formed National Sikh Campaign
(NSC).
This research will lay the foundation
for the largest promotion of Sikhs in the
western world coordinated by NSC with
messaging that will deliver new informa-
tion and visuals that can positively
change attitudes toward Sikhs.
Gurwin Singh Ahuja, executive direc-
tor of NSC who was part of Obama's two
election campaigns in Ohio, said, Sikhs
have been part of American scene since
they first immigrated to North America
100 years ago.
"There is no one better than Garin to
properly conduct a study that can show
how Sikhs can dispel the misperceptions
about our community and portray us as
part and parcel of American society," he
said.
Dr. Rajwant Singh, chairman of Sikh
Council on Religion and Education
(SCORE), said, "Garin will head an un-
precedented campaign that will examine
Sikhism and its current place within the
American psyche."
The study "will help us tailor our mes-
sage effectively and help us launch the
biggest PR campaign for Sikhism and
Sikhs in America," he said.
"It will create a conducive environment
for Sikhs to rise politically, socially and
economically even more."
Currently president of Hart Research,
Garrin has undertaken landmark policy
research for many of the America's lead-
ing foundations and educational institu-
tions on a wide variety of issues.
US Sikhs hire Hillary strategist to
change perception
Dhara Patel
(Photo: Plant City Observer).
PMI observes International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on May 29
Indian American teen scores unbelievable 10.03 GPA
Commemorative ceremony at the UN
Peacekeepers Memorial in NY. The UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
oversaw the wreath-laying at the
Memorial for the very first time.
Eight Indian peacekeepers killed in
South Sudan were specially
remembered on this occasion.
8 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Washington, DC: President
Barack Obama is appointing She-
fali Razdan Duggal, a top Indian-
American fundraiser of his 2012
re-election campaign, as a mem-
ber of the governing board of
trustees of the US Holocaust Me-
morial museum that opened in
1993.
Political activist Duggal's ap-
pointment to the 55-member US
Holocaust Memorial Council for a
five-year term was announced by
the White House Tuesday with
five other key administration
posts.
"The extraordinary dedication
these men and women bring to
their new roles will greatly serve
the American people," said Obama
in a statement.
"I am grateful they have agreed
to serve in this Administration and
I look forward to working with
them in the months and years to
come." At over 30, Obama admin-
istration has more Indian-Ameri-
cans serving in high places than in
any other previous administration.
According to Razdan Duggal's
website she is currently also a
co-chair for the "Ready for
Hillary PAC", an independent
political action committee that
is "encouraging" former Secre-
tary of State Hillary Clinton to
run for president in 2016.
Razdan Duggal is a member
of the Democratic National
Committee (DNC) National
Finance Committee and is
the DNC National Co-
Chair for the Women's
Leadership Forum, ac-
cording to White House.
Previously, she was a
member of the 2012 Oba-
ma for America National
Finance Committee, a Co-
Chair for Obama Victory
Trustees, and a member of
the Northern California Fi-
nance Committee.
US Telugu body creating funds for
Andhra, Telengana
T
he Telugu Association of North Ameri-
ca (TANA) is creating two special ear-
marked funds for the development of
the new capital of Andhra Pradesh and for de-
velopment of Telangana after the bifurcation
of Andhra.
The decision to set up Andhra Pradesh Cap-
ital Development Fund and Telangana Devel-
opment Fund was taken by TANA Executive
Committee at the request of several TANA
members who wanted to take a constructive
role in the development of the two new states.
TANA will consult with the respective state
governments regarding the appropriate utiliza-
tion and disbursement of these funds, TANA
president Mohan Nannapaneni announced Fri-
day. TANA board member Jayaram Komati
TANA secretary Satish Vemana are working
closely with state and central governments in
identifying the projects and needs.
Based on his conversations with members,
Nannapaneni said North American Telugus are
quite enthusiastic about helping the develop-
ment of their motherland.
He anticipates that these members will con-
tribute both their ideas and money to the de-
velopment of both states.
If the two governments respond properly,
this enthusiasm can result in millions of dollars
for the development of both the states, Nanna-
paneni said.
An additional incentive for donors in USA is
that donations to these TANA funds are tax-de-
ductible in USA.
Donations can be made to either one or both
funds per donor's choice, TANA said.
Indian-origin scientist Anil Kulkarni wins
Fulbright Nehru Fellowship
Washington, DC: Indian-origin scientist Anil Kulkarni, has been awarded with the highly
competitive Fulbright Nehru Fellowship. Kulkarni is a professor in the department of surgery
at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School and
his academic and professional experience gathered during his travel to India earlier, to teach
immunonutrition and functional foods in the global health era, helped him grab this honor.
He said that immunonutrition may be a modern term, but through the ages humans and an-
imals have learned how to maintain and restore good health by modifying food intake that
could enhance the body's defense system.
The fellowship will allow professor to work with four universities in India Sikkim Ma-
nipal University Institute of Medical Sciences, Amrita University Institute of Medical Sci-
ences in Kochi, Deccan Education Society affiliated Pune University and its Fergusson Col-
lege, and Haffkine Institute in Mumbai affiliated with the University of Mumbai.
He will also establish the first of its kind Center of ImmunonUTrition in Houston as a part
of his scholarship, which will feature the development of basic and translational curriculum
in this specific field.
Couple donates $500K to UT Medical
Center for diabetes research
Dallas: An Indian American cou-
ple in Dallas, Texas, Satish and
Yasmin Gupta, have donated
$500,000 to the UT Southwestern
Medical Center in Dallas to sup-
port genetic research on Type 2
diabetes among Indian Ameri-
cans.
Asian Indians are a demo-
graphic group predisposed to
early onset of the disease, accord-
ing to medical data. The research
will be done under Dr. Abhi-
manyu Garg, chief of the division
of nutrition and metabolic dis-
eases at UT Southwestern.
Participants in the study will be
Indian Americans who have ear-
ly-onset Type 2 diabetes and their
immediate families. In addition
to genetic analysis, the study will
examine dietary intake, physical
activity, insulin resistance and
the amount of body fat.
Pictured (left to right) with President Obama, are SB
executives Arish Gupta, Yasmin Gupta, and Satish Gupta.
Courtesy sbisteel.com
Top Obama fundraiser Shefali Duggal
appointed to holocaust body
Shefali Razdan Duggal
INDIA-US TIES 9 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
'Visa issue not to impact how
Modi deals with US'
Washington, DC: Modi
led BJPs stunning election
victory had put behind the
issue of US visa for Naren-
dra Modi and it's unlikely
to impact bilateral ties with
the US, according to a not-
ed Indian strategic expert.
After his election victory,
the new Indian prime min-
ister had made it clear that
how India engages with US
bilaterally would not be
impacted by how an indi-
vidual was treated, Com-
modore (retd.) C Uday
Bhaskar, Distinguished Fellow, Society for
Policy Studies, said. But Modi, whose US
visa was revoked in 2005 for his alleged
complicity in the 2002 Gujarat riots, was
unlikely to visit the US in a hurry, he said in
a talk on "India-US Ties Under Narendra
Modi" at the Hudson Institute, a Washing-
ton think tank.
In Bhaskar's view the UN general assem-
bly session in September would be the first
contact between the US and Indian leaders.
Modi's first priority was the seven-nation
SAARC and Japan. Modi has little foreign
policy experience, yet he "hit the ground
running" with an invitation to SAARC
leaders to attend his swearing-in ceremony.
"With that one act Modi has energized a
moribund SAARC," Bhaskar said and he
expected the new Indian leader to do the
same with "moribund" India-US relations.
Comparing the landmark India-US nu-
clear deal to the Nixon-Kissinger opening
to China, Bhaskar said it had not only "end-
ed India's nuclear isolation but also brought
India into the larger global politico-diplo-
matic grid." He also expected the new Indi-
an parliament to revisit the nuclear issue as
India's tough liability law has practically
stalled the deal.
Bhaskar was sure the two sides will be
able to find a modus vivendi to resolve the
issue. Modi was "very very aware of the
global business environment," he said and
knows India needs to engage with the US to
regain its 8-9% growth rate from the current
4.4%.
Washington, DC: As the US reach-
es out to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, a dozen lawmakers have in-
troduced a bipartisan congressional
resolution committing to working
with his government "to advance
shared values and interests". Co-
sponsored among others by lone In-
dian-American House member Ami
Bera and the first Hindu-American
lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard, the reso-
lution also seeks "to further
strengthen our strategic partnership
with India, including in the defense,
trade, and security arenas".
The resolution "congratulates the
people of India on holding the
largest democratic exercise in histo-
ry of the world".
Introduced by Republican Aaron
Schock, the resolution's other co-
sponsors included chairman of the
House foreign affairs committee Ed
Royce and the top Democrat on the
panel Eliot Engel.
Schock and fellow Republican
Cynthia Lummis, who had both vis-
ited Gujarat before the elections,
and a couple of other lawmakers
also issued statements to voice their
commitment to "continuing to
strengthen our strategic partner-
ship".
The resolution "marks a shift in
US policy and signals growing con-
gressional support, puts forth the of-
ficial position of the House of Rep-
resentatives on this matter of na-
tional and global importance",
Schock said.
Meanwhile, State Department
spokesperson Jen Psaki told re-
porters Monday that when Secretary
of State John Kerry called new Indi-
an External Affairs Minister Sush-
ma Swaraj last week to congratulate
her, he also invited her to visit the
US at the earliest opportunity.
US Assistant Secretary of State for
South and Central Asia, Nisha Desai
Biswal, will be in New Delhi June
6-9 "to meet a range of officials".
But Psaki did not have the details as
yet.
Washington, DC: The
United States is ready to
give a special role to India
in its "Asia-Pacific rebal-
ance" strategy and is "flex-
ible" to adapt itself to meet
the Indian defense needs, a
former US government of-
ficial has said.
The official, who played
a key role in India-US de-
fense ties in past few years,
hoped the Modi-led government
with a decisive mandate would
clear the high-tech projects that
the two countries can co-produce
for their respective armed forces.
He said the Obama administra-
tion is ready to go that extra mile
to help India realize its ambition
of being self-reliant in defense
R&D and production.
About 10 months ago, the then
deputy secretary of defense Ash-
ton Carter had submitted to the
then UPA government a compre-
hensive list of defense systems,
which the US was ready to co-
develop and co-produce with In-
dia.
"Those were projects that our
industry would like to do with
the Indian industry," the official
said.
These projects cover a whole
gamut of defense system from
hi-tech information, command
and control and reconnaissance
and naval systems. The propos-
als also included various kinds of
advance aircrafts and weapons
systems for the two armies.
Many of these proposals are
those, which the US wants to in-
troduce for its own armed forces,
the official said, referring to lev-
el of high-tech items that the
Pentagon wants to co-develop
and co-produce with India in the
coming years.
US House resolution commits to
working with Modi govt
'US flexible to adapt itself to
meet India's defense needs'
Corporate Office: 385 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385
718.821.3182, www.AtlanticDialysis.Com
Republican members of the House of Representatives, Aaron
Schock, Cynthia Lummis and Cathy M Rodgers had met Modi in
Gandhinagar with a delegation of business leaders in March 2013.
An archival picture of Narendra Modi (right) during
a visit to Chicago in 1993.
10 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info US AFFAIRS
Washington: The Obama administration
unveiled a plan on Monday to cut carbon
dioxide emissions from power plants by
nearly a third over the next 15 years, in a
sweeping initiative to curb pollutants
blamed for global warming.
The 645-page rule, expected to be final-
ized next year, is a centerpiece of
President Barack Obama's plans to tackle
climate change and aims to give the
United States more leverage to prod other
countries to act when negotiations on a
new international treaty resume next year.
Under the plan, carbon emissions would
be reduced 30 percent by 2030, compared
to 2005 levels, putting in motion one of
the most significant actions ever on global
warming. The proposal sets off a complex
regulatory process, steeped in politics, in
which the 50 states will each determine
how to meet customized targets set by the
Environmental Protection Agency.
The policy change, which will further
diminish the role of coal in US electrical
production, carries significant political
and legal risks. Those were heightened by
the EPA giving states beyond 2016 in
some cases after Obama leaves office in
early 2017 to submit plans. That means
even if the rules survive legal and other
challenges, the dust won't likely settle on
this transformation until well into the next
administration, raising the possibility that
political dynamics in either Congress or
the White House could alter the rule's
course.
The rule has already drawn intense
scorn from Republicans and even some
Democrats waging difficult campaigns
this year in energy-producing states.
Power plants are the largest source of
greenhouse gases in the US, accounting
for about a third of the annual emissions
that make the US the second largest con-
tributor to global warming on the planet.
New York: Meteorologists at
Accuweather.com are predicting another
below-normal hurricane season for the
Atlantic basin, with forecasters anticipating
that two storms will make landfall in the
eastern United States between June and late
fall. Last year, two hurricanes, none major,
formed in the Atlantic basin the fewest
number of hurricanes since 1982, and well
below the six considered normal for the
region. AccuWeather.com had forecast five
last year. Should the upcoming hurricane
season again fall short of normal, that
would be just the fourth below-normal sea-
son in 20 years, according to the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Accuweather.com said in a release today.
The onset of El Nio a periodic phe-
nomenon characterized by above-normal
water temperatures in the equatorial Pacific
Ocean would increase wind shear in the
Atlantic and thus suppress the develop-
ment of tropical storms this season.
"If we have a robust El Nio develop,
then the numbers will be much lower and
this could be one of the least active years in
recent memory," senior meteorologist Dan
Kottlowski said in the release.
Still, Kottlowski cautioned people to pre-
pare for a bad storm. He recalled 1992
when Hurricane Andrew made landfall after
a relatively calm early season. The
Category 5 storm and its aftermath killed
about 65 people and caused about $40 bil-
lion in damage, according to the National
Hurricane Center.
"All we need is one hurricane,"
Kottlowski said. "Just because we are say-
ing this is going to be an inactive season
doesn't mean we couldn't have a couple of
very intense hurricanes."
This season, areas from the central and
eastern Gulf of Mexico up through the East
Coast are considered most vulnerable to a
tropical system, Accuweather.com said.
Warsaw, Poland: For the first
time since his speech last
Saturday in the White House,
President Obama defended his
administration' s decision to
secure the release of Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl amid new questions
about his capture in Afghanistan.
"Regardless of the circum-
stances, whatever those circum-
stances may turn out to be, we
still get an American soldier back
if he's held in captivity. True. Full
stop," Obama said Tuesday at a
news conference at the Belweder
Palace here. "We don't condition
that. That's what every mom and
dad who sees a son or daughter
sent over into war theater should
expect from not just their com-
mander in chief but the United
States of America.
"The United States has always
had a pretty sacred rule. And that
is we don' t leave our men or
women in uniform behind, and
that dates back to the earliest days
of our revolution," he said.
The president said the adminis-
tration had consulted Congress in
the past about the possibility of a
prisoner exchange in order for the
Taliban to release Bergdahl. The
administration has come under
fire by lawmakers for not consult-
ing Congress prior to the swap.
Bergdahl was captured by the
Taliban in 2009, after, sources
say, he walked away from his
remote base, leaving his weapon
behind. Taliban videos soon fol-
lowed, showing the desperate
young soldier pleading for free-
dom.
That freedom came after nearly
five years in captivity. The United
States government agreed to a
deal with the Taliban to release
five prisoners held at the U.S.
military facility in Guantanamo
Bay in exchange for Bergdahls
freedom.
"We saw an opportunity. We
were concerned about Sergeant
Bergdahl' s health. We had the
cooperation of the Qataris to exe-
cute an exchange, and we seized
that opportunity," Obama said.
"The process was truncated
because we wanted to make sure
we did not miss that window."
Obama acknowledged that the
five Guantanamo detainees
swapped for Bergdahl's release
could pose a future threat to the
country.
San Antonio, TX: The Miami
Heat are looking for a three-peat,
as they make their fourth straight
NBA Finals appearance on
Thursday night in San Antonio
when they face the Spurs in a
rematch from 2013.
Miami cruised to the reach the
finals. In the Eastern Conference
Finals, they defeated Indiana
Pacers 4-2. In comparison, San
Antonio barely made it out of the
opening round, needing seven
games to beat the No. 8 seed
Dallas Mavericks. They cruised in
the second round, beating the
Portland Trail Blazers in five
games. In the Western Conference
Finals, they got past the
Oklahoma City Thunder in six
games. San Antonio will host the
first two games, followed by two
games in Miami. If necessary,
Game Five will be in San Antonio,
and Miami will host Game Six.
The potential Game Seven will be
played in San Antonio.
It almost goes without saying
that James is the most important
player in the series. If he performs
up to his standards, the Heat will
be very difficult to beat.
The health of the Spurs point
guard Tony Parker is a concern as
he is dealing with a sprained
ankle.
President Obama with the parents of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in
the White House in Washington, May 31.
Veterans affairs chief
resigns amid
healthcare uproar
Washington: President Barack Obama
announced the resignation of the head of the
department of veter-
ans affairs on Friday
because of wide-
spread problems
plaguing the health-
care system for mili-
tary veterans.
Obama said he
accepted Eric
Shinseki's resignation
with "considerable
regret" during a
White House meet-
ing, just two days
after a scathing inter-
nal report found
broad and deep-seat-
ed problems in the sprawling health care system,
which is struggling to keep up with the number of
vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Shinseki, a retired four-star general who had
overseen veterans affairs since the start of
Obama's presidency, had faced mounting calls to
step down from congressional Republicans and
Democrats. The controversy has ballooned into a
top Washington issue since allegations surfaced
that as many as 40 veterans may have died while
awaiting care at the healthcare system in Phoenix,
Arizona.
Obama defends deal with Taliban for
Sergeant release
Miami Heat likely to win NBA title
third year in a row
Below-normal hurricane season predicted for Atlantic coast in 2014
Move to cut carbon dioxide emissions from power plants
The Miami Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs in seven games
in the 2013 NBA Finals. Now they have a rematch.
Eric Shinseki quit as
Secretary of
Veterans Affairs
Power plants are the largest
source of greenhouse gases in
the US, accounting for a third
of the annual emissions that
make the US the second largest
contributor to global warming.
INDIA
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has accepted an invitation from US President
Barack Obama to have bilateral discussions
in Washington in September, potentially
opening a new chapter in a sometimes edgy
relationship between the worlds two biggest
democracies.
Government sources in Delhi said that the
United States has offered September 30 as
the date for the meeting, and the Indian side
has asked for it to be advanced to September
26, around the time of Modis maiden
address at the United Nations General
Assembly.
S Jaishankar, the Indian ambassador to the
United States, is flying to New Delhi on June
8 for consultations with South Block and the
prime ministers office (PMO), and will brief
Modi on the relationship and how to take it
forward.
The meeting between Modi and Obama
will mean that the US view on the Indian PM
has come full circle from the time it imposed
a visa ban on him in 2005 in connection with
the Gujarat riots three years earlier. The
process of rapprochement started in
February, when its recently retired ambassa-
dor to India, Nancy Powell, went to
Ahmedabad to meet Modi, then a PM candi-
date. It also comes after an especially diffi-
cult period in the relationship, sparked by the
arrest and humiliation of Indian diplomat
Devyani Khobragade in New York over alle-
gations of visa fraud, and a particularly sharp
retaliation by the Indian side.
But there could be a meeting of minds on
economic ties: Modi has spoken often of the
need to make Indias diplomacy trade-
focused, and wants big ticket investments
from mega corporations like GE, IBM and
Microsoft.
The US companies, while broadly enthusi-
astic about India, have turned skittish of late
due to stalled economic reforms, slow
growth, and issues over tax, intellectual
property and preferential market access.
With Modis entry into the PMO, the
Indian embassy in Washington has started
serious diplomatic efforts to lure investment.
For their part, some US defence contractors
are keen to sell military hardware to the
worlds biggest arms importer.
All pending bilateral issues will be dis-
cussed in the one-day meeting as Modi is
keen to push the relationship forward for its
economic returns for India, said a senior
South Block official.
Substantive sticking points are the Indian
nuclear liability law that makes it difficult
for US firms to build nuclear reactors in
India, and the waning US support for Indias
entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group,
Missile Technology Control Regimes and
other export regimes.
Apart from that, Modi is understood to be
concerned about the US withdrawal from
Afghanistan and its impact on Jammu and
Kashmir.
Modi accepts Obama's invitation to US
11 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Government sources in Delhi said that the United States has offered
September 30 as the date for the meeting.
PM asks secretaries to make
government people friendly
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said he had a
"very fruitful" meeting with sec-
retaries of all government
departments during which he
heard their views and asked
them to make the government
"people friendly".
In a series of tweets close to
midnight, the prime minister
wrote: "Had a very fruitful
meeting with secretaries. Heard
their views and asked to simpli-
fy administrative processes and
make government people
friendly.
"We talked about institutional-
ising processes as they will last
longer than any individual and
give better results to the peo-
ple," he added.
"I shared my views on the
importance of teamwork and
usage of technology, which has
the potential to address people's
grievances."
The prime minister met all
secretaries at his residence here
without involving the ministers
concerned.
"Such a meeting has taken
place after more than eight
years," the prime minister' s
office said in a statement here.
"It was a very interesting
exchange of ideas. The PM
asked us to tell him what we
want him to do for the min-
istries. It was very nice and
refreshing," a secretary told
IANS after the meeting, on con-
dition of anonymity.
The meeting was in the nature
of an interaction where the sec-
retaries outlined the sectoral pri-
orities. The prime minister
"empathised with the sentiment
expressed by the secretaries,
and their anguish in not being
able to realize their true poten-
tial because of circumstances",
the PMO said.
As preparation for this meet-
ing, Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth
had instructed the various secre-
taries to prepare Power Point
presentations in not more than
10 slides, which should not take
more than 10 minutes.
A total of 77 top bureaucrats,
including Finance Secretary
Arvind Mayaram, Home
Secretary Anil Goswami,
Defence Secretary Radha
Krishna Mathur and Foreign
Secretary Sujatha Singh, were
called for the meeting, original-
ly scheduled for Tuesday and
postponed by a day because of
the sudden death of Rural
Development Minister Gopinath
Munde in a road accident.
Narendra Modi faces enormous challenges to kick-start
the slowing growth trajectory and to implement his
inclusive growth model.
3
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and his cabinet
colleagues took oath as mem-
bers of the newly-elected 16th
Lok Sabha.
Senior Congress leader Kamal
Nath, who Wednesday was
sworn-in by President Pranab
Mukherjee as the pro tem speak-
er, administered the oath to
Prime Minister Modi, who was
attired in spotless white churi-
dar-kurta and matching jacket.
Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani
and Congress president Sonia
Gandhi took oath next. The
three leaders took oath in Hindi.
They were followed by Arjun
Charan Sethi of the Biju Janata
Dal, P. A. Sangma of the
National People' s Party and
Biren Singh Engti of the
Congress.
After them, most of the mem-
bers of the council of ministers
of the National Democratic
Alliance government took their
oath as MPs of the new Lok
Sabha.
External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj took her oath in
impeccable Sanskrit. The senior
Bharatiya Janata Party leader
was followed by her party col-
league and Mminister for Water
Resources and Ganga
Rejuvenation Uma Bharti, who
too took her oath in Sanskrit as
did union Health Minister Harsh
Vardhan.
Union ministers from
Karnataka, including Railway
Minister Sadananda Gowda,
Minister of Chemicals and
Fertilisers Ananth Kumar, and
Minister of State for Civil
Aviation G.M. Siddeshwara,
took their oath in Kannada.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal of the
Shiromani Akali Dal, who is
minister for food processing
industries, took oath in Punjabi.
Jual Oram, tribal affairs minis-
ter, took oath in Odia, while
Minister of State for Tribal
Affairs Mansukhbhai
Dhanjibhai Vasava took oath in
Gujarati.
Sarbananda Sonowal, minister
of state for skill development,
youth affairs and sports
(Independent charge), took oath
in Assamese.
Other ministers took oath in
Hindi while Women and Child
Development Minister Maneka
Gandhi took oath in English.
The 16th Lok Sabha has 315
first-time lawmakers, the highest
in 30 years for any house that
has 543 elected and two nomi-
nated members, according to
data compiled by PRS
Legislative, a research group
that tracks the working of parlia-
ment.
Modi, Sonia and NDA
ministers take oath as MPs
12 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA
By Mohit Dubey
R
apes in Uttar Pradesh no
longer shock - neither the
political masters, nor the
government and not even the peo-
ple. Even as there was a national
outcry against the recent twin gang-
rape, brutal assault and ghastly mur-
der by hanging from a tree in
Badayun's Katra Sadatganj, forcing
even the UN to sit up and take note,
the powers that be in the state are
unfazed.
Soon after the incident, opposition
parties bayed for the blood of the
state's Samajwadi Party (SP) gov-
ernment but forgot that the situation
during their regimes in the past was
no different. Congress vice presi-
dent Rahul Gandhi rushed to the vil-
lage in the company of national and
regional TV crews to express his
condolences. "This situation is not
acceptable. Women are not safe in
this government," he declared.
Little did he remember, and others
present realized, that in 2011 he had
said the same thing when a minor
while herding her cattle was gang-
raped in a Lakhimpur Kehri police
station and then hung by a belt
inside the premises. The only differ-
ence between then and 2014 is that
the reins of the state have shifted
from Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP's)
"Behenji" (Mayawati) to the SP's
"Bhaiyya ji" (Akhilesh Yadav).
In 2011, the Congress-led UPA-II
government at the centre did noth-
ing as it depended on the support of
the 43 MPs of the SP and the BSP.
This time, BSP supremo
Mayawati, broke from her tradition
of not visting crime scenes and flew
into the village to meet the bereaved
family. Before flying off in a private
chopper she held a presser to claim
that it was her sustained pressure
that forced the SP government to
okay a CBI probe into the incident
as demanded by the family of the
victims.
She also conveniently forgot that
visits by Congress and SP leaders to
meet and console rape victims and
their families during her stint as
chief minister of Uttar Pradesh had
drawn sharp rebuke from her. She
even termed as "nautanki" (drama)
every time some opponent dropped
by to meet rape victims. Five of her
party's legislators were named in
FIRs for allegedly committing
rapes.
For the Samajwadi Party (SP)
government in the state, incidents of
rapes continue to be treated with
shameful trivialism.
Soon after the Badayun incident, a
senior police officer, speaking on
behalf of the state government said,
almost casually, that rapes happen at
a rate of 10 per day in the state. He
seemed to question, rather brazenly
on why there was so much media
glare on the Badayun incident or,
for that matter, a series of rapes that
happened thereafter in Azamgarh,
Etawah and Aligarh. He also blamed
the "lack of toilets" in the country-
side for the rise in rapes and
molestations.
What makes Uttar Pradesh stand
out from other states in crimes
against women is the total impunity
and lack of fear for the law. No one
seems safe and no place sacrosanct.
The mother of a rape victim was
recently thrashed and intimidated in
Etawah for "daring to go to the
police." In Nagla Preetam in
Farukkhabad district, neighbouring
Kannuaj, the parliamentary con-
stituency of Dimple Yadav, the wife
of Akhilesh Yadav, a 14-year-old
girl was torched by a young man,
Shrawan Jatav, after he failed to
rape her. In SP chief Mulayam
Singh Yadav' s Azamgarh con-
stituency, a girl was gang-raped a
week ago. The latest incident has
happened in his nephew
Dharmendra Yadav's parliamentary
constituency of Badayun, and one of
the accused is a police constable.
A rape victim, dejected at the
accused not being arrested by
police, consumed poison at an elec-
tion rally being addressed by
Akhilesh Yadav in April. The inci-
dent took place at the KM Inter col-
lege grounds in Bijnore, when the
rape victim was trying to reach a
point near the chief minister but was
prevented by the security personnel
present at the rally.
Not certainly as long as Mulayam
Singh Yadav's infamous "boys will
be boys and rapes are small mis-
takes" and his son Akhilesh Yadav's
"you are safe so why worry" state-
ments continue. Not only that - in
January, Akhilesh Yadav had recom-
mended that a rape case against one
of his ministers be withdrawn in
"public interest".
Of the 4,917 rapes committed in
Uttar Pradesh in the last three years,
more than 3,421 have been reported
from the villages. In the last 10
months alone, more than 1,723 rape
cases or attempts to rape have been
logged with the police, of which
1,300-plus are from small towns and
villages. Police officers say the law
is lax; the government says it has
acted on rapes after they have hap-
pened; the opposition says the gov-
ernment must go and the people
continue to hope against hope. No
wonder rapes in Uttar Pradesh do
not shock any more. Sadly!
Sadly, rapes in UP no longer shock
Washington: The US is "horrified"
to learn of violent sexual assaults
and murders in India's Uttar Pradesh
state, the State Department has said.
Like, I think, so many in India,
we were horrified to learn of these
violent sexual assaults and mur-
ders," Marie Harf, US State
Department deputy spokesperson,
said at the daily press briefing.
Our thoughts are with the vic-
tims' families during this difficult
time," Harf said while responding to
questions on the brutal gang-rape
and murder of two teenaged girls
last week in Uttar Pradesh's Badaun
district.
She, however, applauded many
individuals, government officials,
and civil society groups in India that
are working to protect the survivors
and prevent gender-based violence.
Meanwhile, the United Nations
condemned the gang rape and mur-
der of two girls in Uttar Pradesh's
Badaun district and called for
immediate action against the perpe-
trators and to address violence
against women across India.
"There should be justice for the
families of the two teenaged girls
and for all the women and girls
from lower caste communities, who
are targeted and raped in rural India.
Violence against women is not a
women's issue, it's a human rights
issue," Lise Grande, resident coor-
dinator of the UN system in India,
said in a statement.
The statement said the UN system
in India stands united with people
across the country to do what it
takes to ensure that every woman
and girl can live safely and with
dignity.
"Every girl and woman should be
able to live safely, feel protected
and grow up free of violence," said
Rebecca Tavares, UN Women' s
Representative in India.
Tavares said amongst the many
actions that need to be taken, the
UN encourages the speedier appli-
cation of the Criminal Law
(Amendment) Act 2013, including
the establishment of the one-stop
crisis centres.
"The justice system is key to
address the problem," she said.
The UN said the incident also
highlights the danger Indian women
are exposed to due to lack of toilets.
Mulayam Singh Yadav's infamous "boys will be boys and rapes
are small mistakes" and his son Akhilesh Yadav's "you are safe
so why worry" statements continue.
New Delhi: Mulayam
Singh Yadav, chief of the
ruling Samajwadi Party
in Uttar Pradesh, courted
controversy after he told
reporters seeking his
comments on the
Badaun rape case to
focus on doing their
jobs.
Mulayam Singh, father
of UP Chief Minister
Akhilesh Yadav, told
reporters: "I am doing
my job, you should do
yours."
"Strict action is being
taken (in the case). What
else can I say," he added.
His remarks came after
his son told reporters
earlier that they should
"Google" search the
number of rapes happen-
ing elsewhere in the
country and stop focus-
ing on UP.
Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik's sculpture condemning
Badaun twin gang-rape and murder case in UP.
Badaun rape:
Mulayam snaps
at media
US, UN rap Uttar Pradesh on crimes against women
New Delhi:
Senior Congress
leader Kamal
Nath took oath as
the pro tem speak-
er of the 16th Lok
Sabha at
R a s h t r a p a t i
Bhavan here.
He was sworn-
in by President
P r a n a b
Mukherjee. Vice-
President Hamid
Ansari and Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi attended the
ceremony.
Asked what can assure the
Congress' cooperation to the BJP-
led NDA government in parliament,
Kamal Nath said the "legislations
left incomplete" during the previous
government's term should be "taken
(up) on a priority (basis)".
"Of course, we will oppose but it
will be constructive opposition. Not
the kind (of opposition) the BJP
demonstrated in the 15th Lok
Sabha," he added.
Explaining further, he said the
"first duty is that the interest of the
nation and the interest of the people
of the country should be served."
Asked if the Congress will get to
be the main opposition party with
Leader of Opposition from its ranks
as it lacks the required numbers, he
said it was for the "speaker to
decide upon Leader of Opposition".
"It is necessary the house should
have a leader of the opposition. This
has been our parliamentary tradi-
tion. I believe the speaker will act
according (to tradition)," he said.
Kamal Nath, one of the longest-
serving MPs, advised first-time
members of the Lok Sabha to
"remember that their first duty is
towards their constituency.
Otherwise, there will be no second
time".
The Congress leader, who was the
parliamentary affairs minister in the
previous UPA government, was
elected to the Lok Sabha for the
ninth term from the Chhindwara
constituency in Madhya Pradesh.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa
presented Prime Minister Narendra Modi a memoran-
dum listing projects and schemes involving central
investment and assistance running into several thou-
sands of crores of rupees.
Jayalalithaa submitted the memorandum when she met
Modi at his office in New Delhi. According to the mem-
orandum, copies of which were distributed to the media
here, Jayalalithaa sought a comprehensive special pack-
age for the fisheries sector involving a sum of Rs.1,520
crore and a recurring grant of Rs.10 crore per annum.
She also sought central assistance to the tune of
Rs.2,250 crore for setting up solar power transmission
infrastructure.
Jayalalithaa also urged the central government to
release the Rs.1,576.87 crore shortfall in central grants
and Rs.7,039.96 crore towards central sales tax com-
pensation. The memorandum also urged the central gov-
ernment to fund 50 percent cost of the three desalination
water projects planned in the state involving an outlay
of Rs.8,442.53 crore.
On the transport infrastructure projects, Jayalalithaa
wanted central investment in the railway projects men-
tioned in the state government's Vision 2023 documents
at an outlay of Rs.188,400 crore.
Tamil Nadu also wants central funding for express-
way projects involving an investment of Rs.21,320
crore and also for the peripheral ring road project to the
tune of around Rs.4,800 crore - 40 percent of the total
project cost. She also sought substantial central funding
of the Rs.10,000 crore scheme for modernization of the
police force including housing facilities.
Kamal Nath sworn-in as pro tem speaker
SEP.
Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath
after taking oath
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa with
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Anjali Damania
Jaya seeks huge central investment for Tamil Nadu
Anjali Damania quits AAP
Mumbai: Anjali Damania, Aam Aadmi Party's senior
leader from Maharashtra, has quit the party, officials said
here. "Dear colleagues, with a heavy heart, I am ending
my association with AAP," she said in her resignation
message to top AAP office bearers here.
"My greatest regards for Arvind (Kejriwal), who is like
an elder brother. All I want to request is that please do not
have any conspiracy theories over my exit," Damania
said.
The AAP state convenor added she had never compro-
mised her values and would never do so.
Mumbai: Gopinath Munde, a
farmer' s son who became the
nation's rural development minister,
was adept at building bridges with
other parties in the state and
became the foremost BJP leader in
Maharashtra after the sudden death
of his brother-in-law, party strong-
man Pramod Mahajan in May
2006.
This was until his erstwhile junior
ministerial colleague in the
Maharashtra government in 1994-
99, Nitin Gadkari shot into the
limelight on being elected BJP
national president in 2009 to sal-
vage the party after its humiliating
defeat in the general elections that
year.
Born as the third child among
five in a middle-class farmer family
of Parali in Beed district in the
backward Marathwada region,
Munde studied in a modest govern-
ment school where classes were
conducted under a tree, before join-
ing a district-level high school and
later did his graduation from a col-
lege in Ambejogai.
During his college days, Munde
met a sauve, soft-spoken young
man, Pramod Mahajan, who coaxed
him to join the Akhil Bharatiya
Vidyarthi Parishad. Later, during
the Emergency of 1975-1977 he
was jailed for nearly three years as
an RSS activist.
Munde found his political calling
when he attended a training camp
of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh in Pune later and subse-
quently took over as an executive
committee member of the Pune
RSS.
By 1980, the Janata Party coali-
tion in the capital was on the verge
of collapse, and the BJP was born
out of the former Bharatiya Jana
Sangh.
That year, Munde became state
president of the Bharatiya Janata
Yuva Morcha and was also elected
a Maharashtra legislator.
Munde's friendship with Mahajan
blossomed into a family relation-
ship when he married his sister,
Pradnya Mahajan. The couple have
three daughters, including Pankaja
Munde-Palve, a state legislator
elected from their home constituen-
cy, Parali.
After working as a legislator of
the Shiv Sena-BJP opposition in the
state, in December 1991 Munde
was catapulted to Leader of
Opposition - a coveted post he held
till March 1995.
In the Maharashtra assembly
elections held later that year, the
saffron alliance emerged the sur-
prise winner, ousting the then undi-
vided Congress from power when
Sharad Pawar was the chief minis-
ter.
While Shiv Sena's Manohar Joshi
became the state's first Brahmin
chief minister, Munde was made
the deputy chief minister and home
minister for the SS-BJP govern-
ment's full term before it was voted
out in 1999.
His tenure as home minister
became famous for the free hand he
gave the Mumbai and state police
to eliminate mafia dons and gang-
sters in what came to be known as
the dreaded 'encounter killings' by
the police. Many ordinary police-
men, given a virtually free hand,
went around killing gangsters in
Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur and
other places and were publicly rec-
ognized and eulogized.
After Mahajan's death in 2006,
Munde gained prominence as the
senior-most BJP leader in the state
until Gadkari overshot him in the
stature in 2009 as the party presi-
dent. But, then Munde became the
deputy leader of opposition in the
Lok Sabha.
Despite blowing hot-and-cold,
the Munde-Gadkari duo managed a
fair working relationship in the
party politics.
With the BJP-led NDA's historic
win in the 2014 Lok Sabha elec-
tions, both Munde and Gadkari
were made ministers in the union
cabinet headed by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, handling important
portfolios befitting their stature and
experience.
This time even Munde's niece,
Poonam Mahajan-Rao (daughter of
Pramod Mahajan), was elected
from Mumbai. Her brother Rahul
Mahajan is a television personality.
Munde is the second mass leader
from the backward Marathwada
region of Maharashtra to have died
prematurely.
Two years ago, Congress' strong-
man and former chief minister
Vilasrao Deshmukh died of illness
at the age of 67.
who built bridges with others
Munde:
Rural Development minister Gopinath Munde died of shock and internal bleeding
after a private taxi hit his car in New Delhi
Munde's last rites held in Beed
Beed (Maharashtra): The mortal
remains of union minister
Gopinath Munde, killed in a road
accident in New Delhi, were con-
signed to the flames at his birth-
place here even as several politi-
cians, including Maharashtra
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan
and MNS chief Raj Thackeray
who were present faced the ire of
the people demanding a CBI probe
into the death.
Munde's mortal remains were
consigned to the flames with his
teary-eyed eldest daughter and
legislator Pankaja Munde-Palve
performing the ceremony and
lighting the funeral pyre as the
senior Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) leader had only three daugh-
ters and no son.
Pankajas action was symbolic
and was expected to send positive
signals in the Marathwada region
which has been regularly in the
news for incidents of female foeti-
cide besides heralding her as the
claimant to her father's political
legacy.
Slogans of ' Gopinath Munde
Amar Rahe' , ' Gopinath Munde
Come Back' and 'Gopinath Munde
Zindabad' were raised as the funer-
al ceremonies got underway.
Thousands of people also raised
a chorus for a Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) probe and vir-
tually cornered several VIPs who
had arrived here for Munde's last
rites.
At one point a crowd surrounded
Chavan' s vehicle and started
thumping the windows and bonnet
forcing the security personnel to
carry out a baton charge to dis-
perse them.
Elsewhere, some miscreants
torched an unidentified vehicle
and pelted stones at other vehicles
and even at a helicopter parked
near the funeral venue
outside Vaijnath Sugar Factory
premises.
Among the personalities who
faced angry slogan-shouting by
the crowds were Chavan, ministers
Narayan Rane, R. R. Patil,
Chhagan Bhujbal, Harshvardhan
Patil, Jayant Patil, Nitin Raut as
well as Maharashtra Navnirman
Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray.
Supporting the demand for a
CBI probe, Shiv Sena chief
Uddhav Thackeray later said that
public sentiments must be respect-
ed, and he was endorsed by
Republican Party of India chief
Ramdas Athawale. Both parties
are allies of the Bharatiya Janata
Party in the state.
Minor clashes were witnessed
between unidentified mourners
and security personnel at various
places around the funeral venue in
Parali-Vaijnath, Munde's birth-
place in Beed district, but later the
situation was brought under con-
trol.
A sea of humanity including sev-
eral union and state ministers,
political leaders from all parties,
BJP activists and locals were pres-
ent at the last rites.
The state government has
declared three-day state mourning
for the departed leader.
Gopinath Munde's daughter performing last rites in Beed
New Delhi: Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari
will hold additional charge as minister of rural development, pan-
chayti raj, and drinking water and sanitation, a Rashtrapati Bhavan
statement said.
"The president of India, as advised by the prime minister, has directed
that Nitin Jairam Gadkari shall be given additional charge of the min-
istries of rural development, panchayati raj and drinking water and
sanitation," the statement said.
Gadkari to be given charge
of Munde's ministries
OP-ED June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 15
By Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
W
hat appears is not and
what does not, is." This
ancient saying aptly
describes the Indian political sce-
nario.
The Congress-led UPA claims to
be secular; peel a few layers and
you will find it is steeped in com-
munalism. The BJP-led NDA,
accused of communalism, does all
that it can to get rid of this label
and walk that extra mile. No doubt
scams, price rise, all pervading
corruption, negative industrial
growth and unemployment played
a major role; but above all it was
the communal attitude of the
Congress party chief and her overt
tilt towards the Muslim minority
that derailed the UPA.
Perhaps, the Congress did not
expect the Hindu majority to join
together since they have always
been divided on linguistic and
caste lines. Soon
after assuming
the Prime
Minister's Office
( P M O ) ,
M a n m o h a n
Singh openly
declared that
minorities had
the first right on
India's resources,
driving a dagger
through the
hearts of Hindus
who had stood
by him. Not once during his tenure
did he even acknowledge the mag-
nanimity of the majority commu-
nity. While many complained that
they were not treated with dignity,
sops were doled out for minorities
to the tune of thousands of crores.
Many decisions by the UPA
proved destructive for institutions
that are the foundations for the
country' s democracy. Pranab
Mukherjee, the rightful choice for
the post of prime minister, was
overlooked. Sonia Gandhi chose
P.J. Thomas as Chief Vigilance
Commissioner in spite of his bad
record. The ruling alliance showed
little respect towards the Supreme
Court. The government machinery
through agencies like the Central
Bureau of Investigation and the
Enforcement Directorate was
made a tool for vindictive politics.
The first family was quick to take
credit at every possible opportuni-
ty but ended up denigrating the
PMO. There are a lot of honest
and well-intentioned people in the
Congress but they felt suffocated,
sad and disheartened as everything
was controlled by a small coterie.
The proposed Communal
Violence Bill presumed that the
majority community was always
the culprit and its members could
be arrested with a non-bailable
warrant. The UPA came up with
several such discriminatory laws.
The government also directed pub-
lic sector banks to be liberal while
sanctioning and writing off loans
to religious minorities.
The excesses in corruption under
the UPA kept becoming more and
more embarrassing to explain and
difficult to hide. Never before
have so many files gone missing
from important offices. It seems
fire had a great affinity for the
files of the Congress government -
the last fire accident happened in
its last days while leaving office.
It is not that the Congress has
not done any good at all - it took
some very progressive initiatives
but the volume of wrongdoings
washed them all away. It is time
for the grand old party to rethink
its strategy, get rid of sycophancy
and be true to
democracy.
A leading
Indian spiritu-
al guru, Sri Sri
Ravi Shankar
heads the Art
of Living
Foundation.
It is time for the grand old party to rethink its strategy, get rid of
sycophancy and be true to democracy.
16 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
T
he city sucks. And it sucks in the
uninitiated, swallows up the inno-
cent wholesale, diminishes the indi-
vidual's ego. If you happen to be one of the
multitude of faceless migrants, you are in
for a really grueling time.
"Citylights" is Hansal Mehta's ode to the
invisible people, those people populating
the pavements we often see from our mov-
ing cars. Mehta zooms in on the life of one
such family. He sucks us into their lives
with such intensity and passion that we
never can bear ourselves to come out of
their world even when their lives
become unbearably hurtful.
"Citylights" secretes a heart large
enough to break in front of our eyes.
As Deepak Singh (Rajkumar Rao,
that non-actor par excellence), his
wife Rakhi (Patralekha) and little
daughter relocate from their little
universe in Rajasthan to
Mumbai, we watch in numbed
silence their initiation into the
world of disillusionment and
heartbreak.
As the happy little family's
world comes apart at the seams,
Mehta's camera captures them in unadorned
stark colours. "Citylights" shoots its saga of
the brutal cruelty of the concrete jungle
with a candour that leaves us flummoxed
and frozen. The plot as it thickens in the
second half, doesn't allow any elbow room
for distractions. The protagonist's journey
into the heart of darkness is immediate, and
irreversible. What Mehta does is to show us
the fatality and finality of lives thrust into
the bowels of the city.
Not that Mumbai is shown to be entirely
lacking in kindness and compassion.
Deepak and his wife encounter good people
too. It's not the people who are callous. It's
the daily grind that makes them self-centred
and uncaring.
Mehta's ode to the remorseless city is suf-
fused in a lived-in pain. Only an artiste who
has suffered the first-hand humiliation of
rejection and compromise could do the
sequence such as the one where Rakhi
auditions for a bar girl's job. Mehta furbish-
es such stark moments with an astute and
rigorous honesty.
A remarkable equilibrium runs through
the moral fibre of the film. Ritesh Shah's
sensitive script doesn't look for villains to
make his protagonists look sympathetic.
Citylights would remain with me for a
long time. Gripping, glorious and unforget-
table, it is a shattering, life-changing expe-
rience.
I
t will be one momentous night.
Nightingale of India Lata
Mangeshkar will sing, film-
maker Karan Johar will host and
stars like Amitabh Bachchan and
Aamir Khan will launch
Bollywood thespian Dilip Kumar's
long-awaited biography here June
9. The biography, "Substance And
The Shadow", will be launched at a
hotel here, with the who's who of
the film industry coming together
and being actively involved in the
event, a statement said.
While Karan Johar will be the
host of the mega book launch, Lata
will light the inaugural lamp and
begin the event by singing a few
lines for Dilip Kumar. That will set
the stage for Amitabh and Aamir to
unveil the book, documented by
Dilip Kumar's close friend Udaya
Tara Nayar.
While Big B will read a verse or
a paragraph from the book, Aamir
will recite a poem written by
Prasoon Joshi.
Veteran actor Dharmendra too
will read a few lines on the thespi-
an, and Vyjayanthimala will speak
a few words in honour of the leg-
endary actor, whose wife Saira
Banu will be by his side.
Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan,
Hema Malini, Madhuri Dixit, Tina
and Anil Ambani, Kamal Haasan,
Priyanka Chopra, Parineeti Chopra
and Vidya Balan are other likely
guests.
Bollywood thespian Dilip
Kumar with
Lata Mangeshkar
Mumbai: Amitabh Bachchan
and Jaya Bachchan, who
clocked 41 years of marital
bliss Tuesday, are not cele-
brating the special day in a
big way as the entire family is
busy with other commit-
ments. However, Big B says
their hearts are "together".
"Devoid of any celebration,
devoid of presence, just
devoid...Wife away out of
country, children travelling
..but hearts together (sic)," the
71-year-old tweeted.
The couple got married
June 3, 1973 and has two
children - son Abhishek and
daughter Shweta.
While Abhishek is married
to actress Aishwarya Rai and
they have daughter named
Aaradhya, Shweta is married
to businessman Nikhil Nanda
and have son Agastya Nanda
and daughter Navya Naveli
Nanda.
Abhishek expressed his
love towards his parents on
Twitter Tuesday morning by
posting a photograph and cap-
tioning it: "My parents'
anniversary today. 41 years
and still going strong! Love
you guys." Big B, who has
worked with wife Jaya in
films including "Zanjeer",
"Abhimaan", "Chupke
Chupke", "Sholay", "Silsila"
and "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie
Gham", thanked fans for
sending in wishes.
Dilip Kumar's
biography
launch: Lata
to sing
Review
Devoid of celebrations:
Big B on 41st wedding
anniversary
A scene from
'Citylights'
Big B says their hearts
are "together"
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD 17 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
F
ilmmaker Anurag
Kashyap joined hands
with Women in Film
and Television (WIFT) India
to host the premiere of the
documentary film "The
World Before Her" directed
by India-born Canadian film-
maker Nisha Pahuja here.
Actresses like Kalki
Koechlin, Shilpa Shukla and
Nimrat kaur also attended
the screening, held May 31
by WIFT India' s monthly
screening club Cine Corner.
The premiere also saw the
presence of celebrities like
Elli Avram, Pallavi Sharda
and Ajay Bahl.
The screening was fol-
lowed by a question and
answer session by Kashyap
and the film' s cast - Ruhi
Singh, Pooja Chopra and
Neera Chopra.
"I couldn't have asked for a
better platform other than
WIFT India! With 50 chap-
ters globally, Nisha's connect
with WIFT Toronto and now
WIFT India proves that being
connected is important for
the independent filmmaker,"
Kashyap said in a statement. "WIFT India's support to encourage
independent women filmmakers via Cine Corner is a much needed
platform for the premiere of The World Before Her'. So, it's going
to be a women's show all the way," he added.
"The World Before Her" explores the complex and conflicting
environment for young girls in India by profiling two young
women - Ruhi, who aspires to become Miss India, and Prachi
Trivedi, a militant Hindu nationalist with the Durga Vahini - partic-
ipating in two very different types of training camps.
W
hen Vidya Balan was
asked to consider a role
in "Bobby Jasoos", she
thought she will play assistant to a
detective a la Kitty to the popular
sleuth Karamchand.
Little did Vidya know that the
makers were asking her to essay a
female detective in the movie!
In "Bobby Jasoos", produced by
Born Free Entertainment, Vidya
plays the title role.
Recalling her meeting with pro-
ducers Dia Mirza and Sahil Sangha,
as well as the film's director Samar
Shaikh and writer Sanyuktha
Chawla Shaikh, she asked them:
"Okay, what is the film that you
want to make about?"
Narrating the conversation, she
said: "They told me ' Its called
'Bobby Jasoos' and I immediately
thought that they want me to play
Kitty to Karamchand great!'
Then Dia told me we want you to
play Bobby Jasoos and I was imme-
diately interested because I had
never imagined a female detective.
"I took the script with me, read it,
had a few meetings with Samar and
Sanyunktha to understand their
vision and, as it was a great con-
cept, I immediately agreed to do it."
Releasing July 4, "Bobby
Jasoos", presented by Reliance
Entertainment, also stars Ali Fazal,
Kiran Kumar, Arjan Bajwa,
Anupriya Goenka, Zarina Wahab
and Tanvi Azmi.
B
ollywood celebrities like Mahesh Bhatt and Javed
Akhtar have expressed shock and grief at the sudden
demise of union Minister for Rural Development and
senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gopinath Munde in
Delhi.
The tinsel town remembers him as leader and an inspir-
ing gentleman. Here's what the celebrities posted on Twitter:
Mahesh Bhatt: Tragic! Gopinath Munde, a fine human
being & leader has 'passed away'. The nation mourns his loss
(sic).
Asha Bhosle: Condolences to Gopinathji's family. Deeply
saddened to hear this news. He was a good friend & well
wisher.
Javed Akhtar: The sudden demise of Mr. Munde has come
as a shock to everyone. My condolence to the family and
friends.
Subhash Ghai: Personally Shocked n sad. Munde ji was an
inspiring gentleman I knew. He would smile n share every-
one's grief god bless his noble soul (sic).
Madhur Bhandarkar: Shocked to hear about Mundeji.
Will miss his rare combination of admirable leadership skills
with a down to earth yet vibrant personality (sic).
Ronnie Screwvala: Life has its own turns - and we do not
always know whats around the bend - RIP Gopinath Munde
(sic).
Pritish Nandy: Sad. Gopinath Munde. Can't claim his
friendship but he was a decent man. Readying to contest for
Maharashtra's CM job (sic).
Sanjay Gupta: Saddened by the news of Mr. Munde's
death. The unpredictability of life... RIP Gopinathji.
Atul Kulkarni: Pramod Mahajan, Vilasrao Deshmukh,
Balasaheb Thakre, Gopinath Munde. MRashtra politics is
changing at the hands of death rather than people (sic).
Manoj Bajpayee: RIP Mr. Munde! Condolences to the
family and friends!
Satish Kaushik: Shocking death of dedicated popular BJP
leader from Maharashtra.. May god rest his soul in peace. My
heartfelt condolences to the family.
Gul Panag: Terrible to hear about the untimely demise of
Mr Gopinath Munde. Deepest condolences. RIP.
Riteish Deshmukh: I am shocked beyond words - Apart
from being a big leader for me Mundeji was my father's clos-
est friend - an unfathomable loss.
Rohit Roy: Omg... So sad to hear about Gopinath Munde's
sudden demise May god bless his soul.
Kailash Kher: Shocked to hear about sad Demise of
Sensitive Human,Committed Leader Shri Gopinath Munde.
Parmatma iss ghadi me parivar ko shakti de, prayers. (sic).
B-Town pays tributes to Munde
Late Union Minister for Rural Development
Gopinath Munde
'The World With Her' premiered in India
Director Nisha Pahuja and
Nimrat Kaur at premiere of 'The
World Before Her'
Vidya Balan
18 June 7-13, 2014 COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Parveen Chopra
H
e arrives at The South Asian
Times office 10 minutes
before the time fixed for the
interview, such is his humility. His
friendly, jolly nature is accentuated
by his big bear-like build. Speaking
about the circumstances that led
him, a community activist but not a
politician, to stand for Mayor in the
tony Village of Muttontown,
Pericles Perry Linardos betrays no
anger or rancor. He just presents the
facts in a forthright manner and
delineates the positive changes he
will bring about so residents can
move on with their lives.
Perrys positive attitude notwith-
standing, from all accounts, the
incumbent Mayor of Muttontown in
Nassau County of New York,
Julianne Beckerman has made the
residents life difficult. Besides, in
her self-righteousness, she feels
there is no need for anybody to
challenge her in the election, which
has been kept so low-key that most
residents are not even aware that
there is an election on June 17.
Residents fear that going against her
will bring retribution, so they dont
see a way to replace her -- unimag-
inable in a country that prides itself
to be the greatest democracy in the
world! The candidature of Perry
Linardos for Mayor along with a
slate of three for Trustee chairs
should bring the residents hope. But
they are running against some odds.
First, it took some doing to get 75
registered voters signatures on their
petition. That they had the permis-
sion to run got confirmed only last
week. As for funds, people are will-
ing to help but do not want money
to be traced back to them.
Perry says he is running because
there needs to be a choice on the
ballot -- we live in a democracy
after all. Right now this is a village
run by one person, he argues.
Look at the voting of village
trustees at meetings everything
passes unanimously on every vote.
That itself should raise red flags.
The election needs to be more than
a one horse race.
Aware of the frustration of the
residents, Perry promises to
increase transparency and openness
in Village government, an end to
exorbitant fees and oppressive and
selective enforcement tactics, a
non-adversarial relationship
between residents and village gov-
ernment and an end to microman-
agement.
Julianne Beckerman, speaking to
Oyster Bay Guardian recently, chal-
lenged Perrys characterization of
her administration. Everything we
do is in open daylight,
transparent, she asserted.
And we have been lis-
tening to residents for eight years,
and made sure everyones questions
are answered.
Beckerman rebutted the micro-
management accusation thus, As a
mayor youre responsible for every
action of your administration. Its a
mayors responsibility to represent
the communitys quality of life
issues. You have to balance between
the communitys interest and the
individuals interest, which some-
times are divergent.
Perry also refers to village funds
being squandered in a needless liti-
gation where the administration
spent a million bucks in legal fees
while trying to repossess a piece of
property which is worth a hundred
thousand only.
Many residents of the Village,
who want to remain anonymous,
complained how it takes them
months, even years, to get permis-
sions to remove tress, build decks,
pools, change the sidings on their
homes every small change to the
existing structures and to build new
ones turns into a tug of war with the
Village administration.
Going forward, Perry and his
team are knocking on doors to tell
voters about the election. In the pri-
vacy when they cast their vote, resi-
dents may speak out their mind.
Even last time, Beckerman could
defeate challenger Kevin Spillane
by only two score or so votes.
Significantly, the Indian community
accounts for about 20% of the
households in Muttontown located
on the North Shore of Nassau
County in the Town of Oyster Bay.
Perry feels strongly about
Muttontown and its community.
The 49-year-old has been a resident
since 1976 when his surgeon father
(an immigrant from Greece) built a
home here for his family. My
father wanted me to become a doc-
tor too, but felt reconciled when he
saw me saving lives as a para-
medic. In his 25 years plus as a
volunteer and professional firefight-
er / paramedic, Perry has won
numerous awards and honors. He
will even tell you that he was there
to help during the two World Trade
Center attacks. Perry is also the
CEO of The Certification Center
based in Flushing, NY, that provides
Healthcare & Safety Training, Life
Saving Equipment, and on site
Emergency Preparedness Planning
& Evaluating. Besides he has a
mixed use property on Upper West
Side in Manhattan.
Perry is a family man his wife
teaches in North Shore Day School
in Glen Cove, NY, and they have
four school going children.
Many residents of the Village of Muttontown in Nassau County complain in private that they have long suffered the high-handed and authoritarian ways of the
two-time Mayor Julianne Beckerman, but have been afraid to speak out for fear of retribution. Finally, Perry Linardos has come forward to challenge Beckerman
in the June 17 election and seeks support to make the Village Hall resident-friendly in a wealthy neighborhood with a fifth of residents being Indian American.
Muttontown deserves a change: Perry
P
eoples Liberty Party Committee has been formed to run in the
upcoming Muttontown Village Election scheduled for Tuesday,
June 17, 2014 at the Village Hall. Besides Pericles Perry
Linardos for Mayor, their candidates for Trustees are George M. Chalos,
an attorney; Russell Orenstein, business owner dealing in real estate;
James Ronaghan, who has been an Auxiliary with the Old Brookville
Police Department and as a court officer in the Muttontown Village
Court. Its time for trustees with experience, intelligence and a friendly
attitude to run a village, our village, Perry says. The press release from
Perry said: We use a quote from Thomas Jefferson as our mission state-
ment: When the people fear the government you have tyranny, when the
government fears the people you have liberty.
The release continued: Our current Village administration has done a
fair job, the people of Muttontown deserve outstanding.
We need to end oppressive enforcement tactics.
We need to restore peoples voice and trust and end micromanagement.
We need to run a transparent and open Village Government.
We need the Village to be a resource rather than an adversary.
We need to stress cooperation instead of litigation.
We need a team that is customer and public service oriented.
We encourage every registered voter in the Incorporated Village of
Muttontown to participate in the democratic process without fear of
retaliation and retribution.
Pericles Perry Linardos, candidate for Mayor of Village of Muttontown.
Two-time incumbent mayor
Julianne Beckerman.
Three trustee candidates on Perrys slate:
George M. Chalos, Russell Orenstein and James Ronaghan.
Perry Linardos (middle) receiving one of the
numerous awards for his voluntary work as
a firefighter-medic.
19 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
9-point, 99-day action plan for the Modi govt
By Vibhuti Jha
T
he much needed change in
the political leadership in
India is truly of gigantic
proportions not only because a
karma yogi, Narendra Modi, is
taking over the reins of taking
India in a new direction, but also
because he has transformed the
mood of the country and its peo-
ple. India is experiencing a genera-
tive mood of ambition, pride, pas-
sion, positivity and hope. The
degenerative mood of cynicism,
negativity, mistrust, and frustration
is on the decline. The work for the
new government is cut out. The
left-overs and the negative lega-
cies of the previous regie need to
be trashed. Case in point is the
refusal of the Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister Jayalalitha, pampered by
Congress and UPA due to coalition
compulsions, to attend Modis
swearing in ceremony because of
the invitation to the President of
Sri Lanka. Virtually every aspect
of India, social, technology, econ-
omy and politics, needs a fresh
look and many action plans need
to be put in place to put the econo-
my and social fabric on a stronger
basis. This is as much a time for
bold declarations as it is for bolder
actions.
Expectations from Modi have
reached levels hitherto unknown.
He is a reformer, a doer but not a
magician! So, allow his handiwork
some time to have the required
impact. His detractors are only
waiting to pounce on everything
that goes even marginally wrong.
Modi need not fear but must act
towards the launch of the national
mood towards action.
For far too long we Indians have
indulged ourselves in the five V's
of our social fabric - Vichar (think-
ing), Vimarsh (consulting with
each other), Vishlayshan (analysis)
, Vimochan (dissertation ) and
Vikhyan (pontification)! Mr. Modi
has made a different offering by
connecting well with the people of
India cutting across various dis-
sensions because he proved him-
self to be a karam yogi.
The press, media and all the
political pundits are already put-
ting out various six, seven or eight
point agendas for almost every
single central ministry. I recall my
grandfathers teaching, Great
people did not become great
because they did great things sud-
denly. They became great because
they did those small things right
over a period in time". With that in
mind I am offering a 9 point action
plan for the next 100 days that will
be the first baby steps towards a
giant leap. Every 100 days a new
landmark will continue until the
completion of the five year term.
9 action issues to attend to in
the remaining 99 days:
1. Approve and activate mini-
mum 9 power projects, with at least
2 in most deprived regions of the
country. Let there be light every-
where in India.
2. The cleaning of Varanasi
begins NOW... ask ALL bureaucrats
to set an example by picking up the
broom and sweeping the streets and
deposit the waste in the right place
in the right bin. Announce that it is
everybody's responsibility to keep
their city clean. Challenge at least 9
other cities to join in the effort.
Create cleaning the city as a waste
management practice and business
opportunity.
3. Issue immediate instructions
that NO politician or bureaucrat
will now on participate in the award
ceremonies or open a sporting
event. Ask HRD ministry to submit
a report, within 90 days, to lay a
firm ground for organizing college
and school sports as it is done in US
or other great sporting nations. It is
a pity that sports, which respects
and necessitates performance as a
criterion for success, is not given
enough importance due to lack of
opportunity at grassroots levels.
4. Announce continuation of
Raghuram Rajan as RBI Governor
and accept RBI recommendation
not to have GOI and RBI nominees
on the board of commercial banks
in India. This will bring about
accountability and responsibility in
commercial banks in the way they
address and attend to loans and
advances and the assets that go
sour. Since most of the large loans
have to be approved either by a
select committee for the purpose or
the full board, the RBI and the
Government representatives cannot
absolve themselves of their respon-
sibility if the asset becomes non-
performing.
Merely adding capital is not the
solution to NPAs (non performing
assets). Currently Indian economy
is saddled with huge number of
NPAs. India cannot afford this
waste of precious capital. Banks
job is not only to sell the NPAs to
an Asset Reconstruction Company
for a pittance but to revive the busi-
ness to preserve and enhance the
value of capital.
5. Announce the privatization of
Air India to recapture the glory
days of the national carrier. Even
the leadership of the Pilot
Association lamented about the
ridiculous interferences of the
bureaucracy in running down the
airline. National carriers carry the
national identity to all countries of
the world. The world witnesses first
hand the management culture of a
country through the projection of its
image by its performance and offer-
ings at its airports and in the sky. I
believe very few will give Air India
a thumbs up on its performances.
India msut began to have a com-
prehensive plan to build airports
that would create a massive oppor-
tunity for the economy in virtually
every aspect of life. Instead what
the airline policy indulged in was
bartering away the existing routes
instead of expanding the actual
potential that Indian skies offer.
6. Approve 9 hotel projects in
and around Indian cultural heritage
locations. Commit to developing
domestic tourism by building up
and protecting Indian heritage, cul-
tural sites and historical monuments
which in turn will lead to develop-
ment of hotel and hospitality indus-
try. Again, Indian tourists are being
courted and invited to various coun-
tries all over the world. While the
infrastructure facilities overseas
encourage Indians to travel abroad,
the cost and inconvenience of
domestic travels becomes painful.
We have the ability and potential to
build a robust tourism industry - not
only international but also domes-
tic. India has incredible opportuni-
ties to make tourism as essential
part of development process. Take
the example of New York City that
became a marvelous example of
global tourism with excellent facili-
ties for all class of tourists and trav-
elers plus safety and security of vis-
itors accorded high importance.
7. Mandate that all infrastruc-
ture projects be compliant with the
needs of the physically challenged.
Once we do this we truly imple-
ment an inclusionary practice. In
addition, to make India a truly
inclusive society and country, the
government must shift the focus
from caste based job creation to
skill based occupational growth and
wealth creation. India needs to have
its own people creating a Nike, an
Adidas and wealth creation via
waste management practices Just as
Bollywood and the sports industry
recognize talent and performance
based culture, likewise we must
focus on talent and skill develop-
ment in all aspects of life. Giving
respect to what people do is more
important than the caste they are
born in. Creating respect and oppor-
tunity for work is critical rather
than looking down on anyone for
what they do. The focus com-
mences on redefining the caste
structure.
Those who are in the
Government at any level be called
the new Brahmins. Those who are
in homeland security functions
whether in armed forces to police to
quasi security agencies be called
the warriors or kshatriya. People in
trade and commerce be called the
banias and finally the service
providers be called the Shudras, if
at all! The skill of a person will
determine the function he performs
and the training and learning will
contribute to that persons effective-
ness on the job he does.
8. Justice delayed is justice
denied - we all know that. Issue
instructions to set up 9 special
courts to attend to cases pending
over 5 years with mandated require-
ments for all involved parties to be
present to close and arrive at a ver-
dict within a period of 90 days. If
the involved parties cannot be pre-
pared in 5 years time, they never
will be. This will unburden the
court system of files and cases that
we need not waste the peoples time
and resources.
9. Job creation is the compelling
issue affecting the youth of the
country. We all know that it is not
possible to instantly create jobs
overnight yet the ground work must
begin now.
The specific industries that will
attract investments will handle the
availability of suitable candidates,
but the Government can instantly
provide credits and incentives to
those young men and women who
join the armed forces, police forces
and other agencies for homeland
security.
The training, recognizing the
value of learning and performance,
will impact the youth positively and
inculcate a sense of belonging
whereby homeland security
becomes the responsibility of every
citizen of the country.
There is lot to be done and expec-
tations are running wild. India is
enjoying the ride of being on the
technology leap. If we convert that
energy into actions, we will reap
advantages of reaching our poten-
tial. At the moment we remain an
unfulfilled ambition.
New York based
Vibhuti Jha is
President, Human
Potential Project.
Prior to joining
HP2, he was a sen-
ior officer with
American Express
Bank International.
Virtually every aspect of India, social,
technology, economy and politics, needs a
fresh look and many action plans need
to be put in place to put the economy
and social fabric on a stronger basis.
DIASPORA 20 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
India evacuates 1,000
nationals from Ukrainian city
Petition in Britain to
consider Diwali, Eid holidays
New Delhi: The first batch of 500
Indians, mostly students, left vio-
lence-hit Ukrainian city of Lugansk
to Kiev on Tuesday as India made
arrangements to evacuate close to
1,000 of its nationals from that city,
the biggest such exercise after thou-
sands of Indians were evacuated
from Libya in 2011. The evacuation
arrangements were made in cooper-
ation with the Ukrainian govern-
ment, the spokesperson in the exter-
nal affairs ministry said in New
Delhi.
According to officials, Indian au-
thorities have arranged 500 train
tickets for Tuesday to evacuate the
Indian nationals. Another 500 train
tickets have been arranged for
Wednesday to evacuate the remain-
ing Indian students and nationals.
In a letter to the Rector of Lugan-
sk State Medical University, Indian
Ambassador in Kiev, Rajiv K Chan-
der, said, "The university authori-
ties may please inform the local ad-
ministration about the en masse de-
parture of the Indian students so
that adequate security arrangements
are made to enable them to reach
the railway station safely."
Chander requested the university
authorities to ensure that the stu-
dents board the train and leave Lu-
gansk, some 800 km from the
Ukrainian capital Kiev. Of the
1,000 Indian nationals, 350 are
from Kerala, 300 from Tamil Nadu,
150 from Andhra Pradesh, 60 from
Punjab, and 25 each from Jammu
and Kashmir and Maharashtra. The
remaining Indians are from other
states, including 10 from Gujarat.
India last week issued an adviso-
ry asking its nationals to leave
Donetsk and Lugansk regions in
eastern Ukraine which are witness-
ing frequent violent clashes be-
tween pro-Russian separatists and
government forces. In the advisory,
it also asked citizens in the other
parts of eastern and southern
Ukraine to remain vigilant about
their personal safety and security.
London: An online petition
to the British House of Com-
mons has urged the politi-
cians to create a bank holiday
for Hindu Diwali and Mus-
lim Eid festival in the coun-
try, a media report said.
The petition has 119,000
signatures and could be de-
bated in the British parlia-
ment as the e-petition with
over 100,000 signatures
qualifies to be considered in
the parliament under the
rules of e-petition scheme in
2011, Daily Mail reported
Sunday.
The two holidays would be
the first non-Christian reli-
gious holidays in Britain and
could lead to calls from other
faiths for their events to also
be recognized.
Details of the petition are
said to have been passed to
the Backbench Business
Committee of the British
House of Commons, which
will consider its suitability
for debate.
The petition, titled "Make
Eid & Diwali Public Holi-
days", set up by Jon Timmis
said: "I believe that, given
the number of Muslims and
Hindus in this country it is
only fair we allow them to
have the most important days
in their faiths recognised in
law."
The e-petition has sparked
widespread debate on inter-
net forums and social media,
especially those aimed at
British Muslims and Hindus,
the report said.
The religious and commu-
nity leaders have distanced
themselves from the idea, it
added.
Britain has eight bank holi-
days every year, the second
lowest in the world behind
Mexico.
London: A British Indian MP has strongly
criticized the BBC for a program on India's
new Prime Minister Narendra Modi that she
stated was not objective.
In a letter to BBC Director General Lord
Tony Hall dated May 19, Priti Patel, British
prime minister David Cameron's Indian dias-
pora champion, brought to notice the com-
plaints she received about BBC Newsnight
aired May 16, which covered the day the re-
sults of India's general elections were an-
nounced.
"Many in the British Indian community,
particularly those of Gujarati origin, were of-
fended by the reporting about prime minister-
elect Narendra Modi," Patel, the MP from
Britain's Witham constituency in Essex, stat-
ed.
She pointed out that the program's presen-
ter, Yalda Hakim, referred to Modi as a "con-
troversial figure" from the beginning of the
program.
"Modi's political opponents have portrayed
him as being 'controversial', so by using this
reference, the BBC, who should be impartial,
is giving acceptance to the political position
of Modi's opponents rather than reporting ob-
jectively," Patel stated.
"The term 'controversial' could be used to
describe a large number of politicians, which
is why many people in Britain's Indian com-
munity believe its use purely in relation to
Modi in the news item was unbalanced."
She also pointed out to the fact that Hakim
stated in the program that Modi had "blood on
his hands" and he was "India's most divisive
politician."
"Modi secured the largest democratic man-
date in world history in a peaceful and pro-
fessional manner, with his party winning a
majority of votes throughout India and able
form a government. This was a point that was
not conveyed by the presenter," Patel, a Con-
servative Party MP, wrote.
She also referred to the fact that the pro-
gram focused on Modi's so-called involve-
ment in the 2002 Gujarat riots without going
into the details thereafter.
Patel was particularly irked by the fact that
the program featured a British Indian artist
named Anish Kapoor who was critical of
Modi.
"The decision to interview Kapoor and por-
tray him as an expert on Indian politics is
bizarre," she stated.
"Kapoor has spent the last 40 years living in
the UK and is an artist. He has no record as an
expert on politics or commentator on Indian
affairs. Moreover, the presenter did not offer
sufficient or adequate challenge to the as-
sumptions he made about the elections and
comments he made about Modi."
Patel also drew the BBC director general's
attention to the introductory part of the pro-
gram which had Kapoor stating that "India's
dreamed itself a dream with a mass murderer
as its main character".
"Although the presenter asked him what he
meant by mass murderer, she did not chal-
lenge him to provide evidence to support his
claim. Claiming someone who is a democrat-
ically elected politician is a 'mass murderer' is
an extremely serious allegation and unless
such a claim is substantiated with meaningful
evidence, the BBC should not be broadcasting
this slur."
Patel also took exception to the
fact that Kapoor referred to the
Indian general elections as "sup-
posedly democratic."
"Given that there have been no
serious allegations of malprac-
tice and that the elections in-
volved about 550 million people
casting their vote, it is concern-
ing to see that the presenter did
not challenge Kapoor on this
claim," she said in the letter.
British MP Priti Patel flays BBC over biased Modi coverage
Bahraini minister questions draft
law banning expats from driving
Bahrain: The constitutionality of the new
controversial draft legislation that bars
expatriates from driving in Bahrain is
questionable, a minister said.
Bahrain's State Information Minister and
official spokeswoman Sameera Rajab said
after a cabinet meeting that Bahrain's open
minded society cannot turn back, the Gulf
Daily News reported Monday.
"We have always been moving forward,
not backwards," Rajab said, while stress-
ing on Bahrain's pioneering approach in
dealing with issues related to people's
rights.
She pointed out that the government was
following the development of the con-
tentious law. During a session late last
month, Bahrain's Shura council approved
the disputed Article 20 that bars expatriates
from driving unless their job requires it.
Bahrain's parliament had approved a
draft legislation -- as part of a draft traffic
law -- which states that "resident expatri-
ates living in Bahrain of non-GCC (Gulf
Cooperation Council) nationality are not
allowed to get a driving licence for a car or
machine vehicle unless the nature of
his/her job requires it." Bahrain is home to
around 290,00 expatriate Indians.
British MP Priti Patel
21 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info SUBCONTINENT
Violence in Karachi after MQM chief's arrest
Islamabad: Unidentified persons
torched four vehicles in the
Pakistani commercial hub of
Karachi following the arrest of
MQM leader Altaf Hussain in
London on money laundering
charges.
Altaf Hussain, the self-exiled
leader of the Mutahida Qaumi
Movement (MQM), who lives in
London, was taken into custody
Tuesday by Scotland Yard.
Reports earlier suggested that
Hussain, 60, was being investigat-
ed for money laundering to the
tune of nearly 400,000 pounds.
The British consulate in Karachi
has also been closed and sources
said that the foreign staff members
had left the city earlier.
"We are seriously concerned at
the police raid on the house of our
leader. The action is beyond under-
standing," Xinhua quoted MQM
leader Farooq Sattar as saying in
Karachi.
He said Hussain has not commit-
ted any crime and the MQM will
opt for legal battle.
He also asked the MQM' s
activists to remain calm and avoid
any violence.
As the news of Hussain's arrest
was received in Karachi, shopkeep-
ers started closing shops.
Police said miscreants also
torched at least eight passenger
buses in different parts of Karachi.
A massive traffic jam was also
witnessed on main roads as people
hurried home to avoid any unto-
ward incidents.
Police also reported some attacks
on government offices and shops.
Long queues were seen at fuel
stations as vehicle owners feared
the protests could disrupt life in the
city.
The MQM, however, denied its
involvement in the violence.
Security was tightened in sensitive
areas of the city. A section of the
media reported that the Karachi
Stock Exchange ( KSE-100 index)
fell 180 points immediately after
the news was received in the city.
MQM leader Altaf Hussain has been arrested in London on
money laundering charges.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa
urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate "cali-
brated action" to end attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy
on Indian fishermen in the Palk Bay.
In a letter to Modi, the text of which was released to
the media Sunday, Jayalalithaa said: "May I also
request you to proactively initiate an appropriate and
calibrated set of actions that will bring about a perma-
nent end to the perennial problem that plagues the
livelihood of lakhs of Tamil Nadu fishermen who fish
in their traditional fishing grounds in the Palk Bay,
facing the daily threat of attack and abduction at the
hands of the Sri Lankan Navy?"
Nearly 33 Indian fishermen and their seven boats
were apprehended by the Lankan navy.
Such an action would in "sharp contrast to the pas-
sive and immobile policy paralysis that characterised
the approach of the UPA (United Progressive
Alliance) Government for several years", she said.
Jayalalithaa also told Modi that there is high expec-
tation in the state that the National Democratic
Alliance (NDA) government would act decisively on
this sensitive issue.
She urged Modi to direct the ministry of external
affairs to take up the issue with the Sri Lankan gov-
ernment in a decisive manner to secure the release of
33 fishermen and their seven boats.
"This resumption of abductions and detentions has
sent shock waves throughout the fishermen communi-
ty in Tamil Nadu. There was an expectation that, with
the change of government at the Centre, there would
be a reset in the relations with Sri Lanka and such
attacks and apprehensions would cease," she said.
Referring to the bilateral fishermen-level talks held
this year, Jayalalithaa termed the Sri Lankan stand as
obdurate.
Kabul: Afghan security forces arrested a sus-
pect in connection with the kidnapping of an
Indian aid worker in western Herat province,
a media report said.
Provincial security chief Samiullah Qatra
said that the unnamed suspect has been taken
into custody for further investigations,
Khaama Press reported.
Police and intelligence operatives have
launched a search operation to free the 47-
year-old Indian aid worker, Fr. Alexis Prem
Kumar, head of the Jesuit Refugee Service
(JRS) NGO, who was abducted from Zendjan
district Monday while he was visiting a proj-
ect site.
Alexis was visiting a school for Afghan
refugee children and had just returned from a
trip to Iran and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, local residents in Zendjan dis-
trict said that the kidnappers might have taken
Alexix to Gulran district.
No group has so far claimed responsibility
for the abduction.
Meanwhile, unclear about the fate of the aid
worker, his family is praying for his safety
and seeking "good news" about him.
"We are all in the dark about my brother
kidnapped in Afganistan. Please give us some
good news about him and his safety," said
Albert Manoharan, brother of Father Alexis
Premkumar who was abducted by Taliban
militants three days back.
"The information flow seems to be one way
- from our side. There is no news about my
brother in Afghanistan," Manoharan said over
phone from Sivaganga district where the fam-
ily lives.
He said his brother was working with an
education charity in Herat province.
"We spoke to him after the Indian consulate
in Herat was attacked by militants recently.
My brother said he is safe and there are no
threats for him," Manoharan said.
According to Manoharan, an official of the
Indian embassy in Afghanistan spoke to him
and assured him that necessary steps are
being taken to rescue his brother.
Kathmandu/New Delhi: The
death toll in the bus accident in
Gothibang in Nepal increased to
20, and seven of them have been
identified as Indians, an official
said.
Ram Bahadur Kurumbang, chief
district officer of Pyuthan district,
said the Indians were identified as
Suresh Kumar Sahu, 16, Gop Raj
Gupta, 70, Saraswoti Sahani, 62,
Suresh Sau, 15, Urmila Pandey, 66,
Suvadra Yadav, 65, and Pinku
Ojha, 24. At least 17 people were
killed when a jampacked bus
swerved off the road and plunged
into the Madi river in Gothibang.
The bus met with the accident
while it was heading to
Krishnanagar of Kapilvastu from
Bhingri in Pyuthan.
Most of the passengers were
Indian pilgrims returning from the
Swargadwari Temple in west
Nepal, a popular pilgrimage site for
Hindus.
Meanwhile, the Indian embassy
sent a team to the accident site to
coordinate with the local authori-
ties in the rescue operation, the
embassy in Kathmandu said in a
statement.
One held for Indian aid worker's abduction in Herat
Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-i-
Insaf chairman Imran Khan said
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was
treated like a schoolboy when he
visited India to attend Narendra
Modi's swearing-in ceremony last
week. By not meeting the repre-
sentatives of the Hurriyat
Conference in New Delhi, the
prime minister had struck a bar-
gain on Kashmir, Dawn online
quoted Khan as saying.
Khan raised questions like if
Sharif could meet Indian leaders
in Delhi, then why could he not
hold a meeting with those repre-
senting the Hurriyat Conference.
Earlier Sharif' s National
Security and Foreign Affairs
Advisor Sartaj Aziz had said that
Sharifs India trip for the inaugu-
ration of Modi was "in itself such
a seismic event - the first time
ever for a Pakistani leader - that it
would have been unrealistic to
expect any substantive break-
throughs".
The two leaders discussed about
issues including cross-border ter-
rorism and agreed that terrorism
was an issue of mutual concern
and that they needed to address all
conflicts to end the distrust
between the two sides.
The Kashmir issue was dis-
cussed but not substantially.
Sharif did not meet the Hurriyat
leadership as it was a ceremonial
visit to India, Aziz had said.
India treated
Nawaz like a
schoolboy: Imran
Nepal bus crash:
seven Indian pilgrims die
Jaya urges action to stop
Sri Lankan attacks on fishermen
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf
chairman Imran Khan
Police have launched a search operation
to free the 47-year-old Indian aid worker,
Fr. Alexis Prem Kumar
INTERNATIONAL 22 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Los Angeles: Alexander Shulgin,
who over the course of 40 years of
scientific research created some
200 psychedelic compounds, earn-
ing the nickname "godfather of
ecstasy" for his pioneering work
with the drug, has died at the age of
88.
Shulgin died on Monday at his
home in Northern California, "sur-
rounded by family and caretakers
and Buddhist meditation music,"
according to a Facebook post by his
wife and research partner, Ann.
Though he is best known for pop-
ularizing the once-obscure drug
now known to the world as
MDMA, or ecstasy, some 60 years
after it was first patented, Shulgin
is credited with creating some 200
other psychoactive compounds.
"I've always been interested in
the machinery of the mental
process," he told the New York
Times in a 2005 interview at his
home laboratory.
A native of Berkeley, California,
Shulgin studied organic chemistry
at Harvard before dropping out to
join the U.S. Navy during World
War Two, according to a biography
on his official website.
Following his service, he earned
his PhD in biochemistry from the
University of California at
Berkeley and went to work as a
chemist for the Dow Chemical
Company, where he took a strong
interest in psychopharmacology
after taking mescaline and having
what he called a profound experi-
ence. Shulgin, who left Dow in
1965, famously first tested many of
his drugs on himself, his wife and
his friends.
He first began studying MDMA
in 1976 after a graduate student
brought the drug to his attention,
and he became first to document its
effect on humans, long before it
became popular in nightclubs.
In 1992 Shulgin and his wife
published PiHKAL
(Phenethylamines I Have Known
and Loved): A Chemical Love
Story, a book described by the
Times as a "thinly fictionalized"
account of his and Ann's lives com-
bined with descriptions of 179
drugs and their synthesis.
The paper said that book made
Shulgin both an underground
celebrity and a target for the U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration,
which raided his home and lab in
1993.
Kiev/New Delhi: The first batch
of 500 Indian students has arrived
safely in Kiev from Ukraine' s
restive eastern region of Lugansk
and will be returning to India after
the Indian mission facilitated their
evacuation.
According to external affairs
ministry spokesperson Syed
Akbaruddin, the students from
Lugansk region arrived in Kiev
"responding to the advisory to
leave the region".
The Indian mission in Ukraine
has been facilitating the evacua-
tion of 1,000 Indian nationals,
particularly students, in the wake
of growing tension in eastern
Ukraine between pro-Russian
rebels and the Ukraine govern-
ment.
The mission arranged 500 train
tickets and another 500 tickets for
Wednesday for the Indian students
and nationals in Lugansk. The
embassy said
those Indian
nationals and
students who
have booked
railway tick-
ets for later
dates must
travel June
3/4 "and not
delay their
d e p a r t u r e
f r o m
Lugansk to a
later date as
the situation
may deteriorate further". Among
the Indian students in Lugansk,
there are 350 from Kerala, 300
from Tamil Nadu, 150 from
Andhra Pradesh, 60 from Punjab,
25 each from Jammu and Kashmir
and Maharashtra, 20 from Uttar
Pradesh and 10 from Gujarat. The
total number from the other states
is 200, according to an external
affairs ministry statement. There
are approximately 2,500 Indian
students studying medicine and
engineering in Ukrainian universi-
ties, according to the Indian
embassy website.
There is also a small Indian
business community in Kiev.
Cairo: Egypt's former military chief Abdel-Fattah al-
Sisi was officially announced as the new president of
the country by the presidential election commission. Al-
Sisi achieved a landslide victory over leftist candidate
Hamdeen Sabahy in the three-day presidential polls held
last month. "Presidential candidate Abdel-Fattah Saeed
Hussein Khalil al-Sisi got 23,780,104 votes, which rep-
resents 96.91 percent of the votes," Xinhua quoted
Judge Anwar al-Assi, chairman of the election commis-
sion, as saying in a press conference Tuesday. Al-Assi
said Sabahy got 757,511 of the total valid votes, about
3.1 percent.More than 25 million of the 53.9 million eli-
gible voters joined the polls, giving a voter turnout of
47.45 percent. "The valid votes were 24,537,615, repre-
senting 95.93 percent of the votes, while the invalid
votes were 1,040,608, representing 4.07 percent of the
votes," he said. "Accordingly, the winner of the post of
president of the Arab Republic of Egypt is Abdel-Fattah
al-Sisi," al-Assi announced. Sisi supporters took to the
streets across the country to celebrate his victory after
the announcement.
Indian students leave east
Ukraine, on way home
Warsaw: US President Barack
Obama was to meet Ukraine pres-
ident-elect Petro Poroshenko, in
a show of US support for
Ukraine's right to chart its own
future, before an encounter
with Russia's Vladimir Putin.
Obama will sit down with
Poroshenko in Warsaw, during a
trip designed to assuage security
concerns in eastern Europe fol-
lowing Russia's annex-
ation of Crimea
and what
Washington says
is an effort to
d e s t a b i l i z e
Ukraine.
The talks on
day two of
h i s
European
tour will
come after the president met cen-
tral and eastern European leaders
in Warsaw and before he heads to
a G7 summit in Belgium which is
designed to cement Western poli-
cy towards Russia.
Obama will come face-to-face
with Putin during 70th anniver-
sary commemorations of the D-
Day landings in Normandy,
France on Friday.
The leaders of Britain, France
and Germany will go a step fur-
ther and hold one-on-one talks
with Putin.
The accelerating diplomacy
over Ukraine comes as a seven-
week pro-Russian insurgency in
Ukraine's eastern rust belt grows
only more violent after
Poroshenko swept to power in a
May 25 presidential ballot.
Hundreds of separatist gunmen
on Monday attacked a Ukrainian
border guard service camp in the
region of Lugansk on the border
with Russia.
Obama said that US commit-
ment to eastern European security
was absolute.
"Our commitment to Poland's
security as well as the security of
our allies in central and eastern
Europe is a cornerstone of our
own security and it is sacrosanct,"
Obama said after inspecting a
joint unit of Polish and US F-16
pilots. He proposed a "European
Reassurance Initiative" of up to
$1 billion (730 million euros) to
finance extra US troop and mili-
tary deployments to "new allies"
in Europe. Obama called on Putin
to accept Poroshenko's invitation
to hold his first talks in Normandy
with a Ukrainian leader since the
February ouster of Kremlin-
backed president Viktor
Yanukovych set Kiev on its new
westward course.
Egypt's al-Sisi officially declared president
'Godfather of ecstasy' Alexander Shulgin dies at 88
There is also a small Indian business
community in Kiev.
Alexander Shulgin
Obama to meet Ukraine's
new leader
Barack
Obama will
come
face-to-face
with
Vladimir
Putin in
Normandy,
France on
Friday.
Egypt's former military chief
Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi
BUSINESS 23 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Rajan injects Rs 39,000cr into Modi growth plan
MUMBAI: Reserve Bank of
India governor Raghuram Rajan
did his bit to support the Modi
government' s growth plans by
releasing over Rs 39,000 crore of
funds locked in government
bonds.
The RBI, in its bi-monthly poli-
cy, cut by half a percentage point
to 22.5% the mandatory statutory
liquidity ratio (SLR), which pre-
scribes the extent of bank
deposits that must be invested in
government bonds.
In keeping with expectations,
Rajan left the repo rate
unchanged at 8%. It's the rate at
which the RBI lends to banks.
The governor appears to have
taken a pragmatic decision by
holding his own on rates but at
the same time addressing con-
cerns of the finance ministry of
adequate credit to businesses by
releasing liquidity.
The biggest beneficiaries of the
move will be private banks and
foreign banks who are close to
the statutory limit on SLR. Banks
have invested Rs 22.9 lakh crore
in G-secs, which is over 29% of
their deposits of Rs 78.9 lakh
crore.
Given that banks are already
over-invested, an immediate
increase in liquidity and reduction
in rates is unlikely. But the SLR
cut will give them headroom to
sell G-secs and increase lending if
credit demand picks up.
With credit growth slackening a
bit in the first quarter, banks are
already looking at ways to boost
retail credit. ICICI Bank cut
home loan rates as recently as
May 19. The policy was silent on
the asset quality of banks but
bankers say that concerted efforts
by the government would assuage
some of RBI' s concerns. On
Tuesday, in a meeting with the
finance ministry, banks raised the
issue of getting promoters to
bring in more equity.
New Delhi: In a Facebook post
after his first week in office,
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
emphasized the need to contain
inflation and speed up economic
reforms to boost low-cost manu-
facturing.
"Reviving the growth momen-
tum, containing inflation and alter-
ing the pattern of growth to gainful
employment is today an overriding
priority," Jaitley posted.
"There is a need to boost domes-
tic low-cost manufacturing and
hasten the pace of reforms. Price
stability and growth are inter-
twined but may require a different
strategy. This will involve fiscal
rectitude as a combination of mon-
etary and fiscal policy," he added.
Pointing to the immediate meas-
ures required to strengthen the
economy, he said: "Short-term (fis-
cal) disciplining till we reverse the
present trend will give us long-
term benefits."
He said there is a need to move
towards an era of fiscal discipline
with objective to reduce fiscal
deficit, contain inflation and
improve growth rate.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
is expected to continue on its infla-
tion-control mode and keep rates
unchanged when it reviews its
monetary policy Tuesday, its first
exercise after the installation of the
new union government.
Retail inflation (consumer price
index) was at 8.59 percent in April
year-on-year, after running near or
above 10 percent for almost two
years through 2013. India's eco-
nomic growth remained below the
5 percent mark for the second year
running at 4.7 percent in 2013-14.
Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan
Jaitley stresses need to check inflation, revive growth
SIT on black
money decides
on roadmap
New Delhi: The Special
Investigation Team formed by
the government to probe black
money stashed abroad met for
the first time and decided on a
roadmap to proceed further as
mandated by the Supreme
Court.
The SIT, headed by retired
Supreme Court judge Justice
M.B. Shah, during the meeting
discussed in detail the apex
court' s mandate and the
modalities of proceeding fur-
ther.
"During the meeting,
detailed modalities of proceed-
ing further with the Honorable
Supreme Court mandate were
discussed and the roadmap
decided," said a finance min-
istry statement.
The next meeting of the SIT
will be convened shortly to
take stock of the follow-up of
the decisions taken at
Monday's meeting, it added.
The SIT was formed May 27
after the Supreme Court man-
dated deadline to constitute the
high-profile team comprising
top bosses of country's premier
investigation, enforcement and
intelligence agencies to probe
the large amounts of money
stashed abroad by evading
taxes or generated through
unlawful activities.
SIT vice chairman retired
Justice Arijit Pasayat and top
officials of 11 high-profile
agencies and departments were
present at the meet.
Modi axes all GOMs, EGOMs for fast decisions
There were nine empowered groups of ministers (EGOMs)
and 21 groups of ministers (GOMs) in operation.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
New Delhi: Doing away with one of the
relics of coalition politics, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi abolished all 30
ministerial groups to ensure that his col-
leagues heading various portfolios take
faster decisions with more accountabili-
ty. There were nine empowered groups
of ministers (EGOMs) and 21 groups of
ministers (GOMs) in operation. They
were to take decisions on various mat-
ters - and several of them on matters
seen as tricky - before coming up before
the cabinet for consideration.
"This would expedite the process of
decision making and usher in greater
accountability in the system," an official
statement from the Prime Minister's
Office said.
"The ministries and departments will
now process the issues pending before
the EGOMs and GOMs and take appro-
priate decisions at the level of ministries
and departments itself."
In a way, this decision also poses
greater accountability on Modi himself
as he will now have to adjudicate mat-
ters where there are differences among
cabinet colleagues, rather than let a
panel of colleagues deliberate on them
first.
The idea of such ministerial panels
first cropped up and was implemented
during the regime of National
Democratic Alliance (NDA) under Atal
Bihari Vajpayee. More then were added
under Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh' s United Progressive (UPA)
Alliance government.
SPORTS
Bangalore: Manish Pandey' s
innings made sure Wriddhiman
Saha's valiant knock of 115 not
out went in vain as Kolkata
Knight Riders beat Kings XI
Punjab by three wickets to clinch
their second Indian Premier
League (IPL) title at the M.
Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Put in to bat, the Kings XI were
powered to a strong total of 199/4
by Saha's maiden and brilliant
century after they suffered an
early setback. In reply, Pandey's
94 anchored the 2012 edition
champions to victory with only
three balls to spare.
The Kolkata-based outfit
becomes only the second team to
win two titles after the Chennai
Super Kings in 2010 and 2011.
Kings XI didn't get off to a good
start and were reeling at 30/2 in
the sixth over. Veteran opener
Virender Sehwag, who hammered
an impeccable 122 against the
Super Kings in Qualifier 2 Friday,
disappointed the fans by getting
out for a paltry 7 off 10 deliveries.
Captain George Bailey (1) sur-
prised everyone when he promot-
ed himself to first down but com-
pletely misread Sunil Narine' s
delivery to get bowled.
Opener Manan Vohra (67) and
wicketkeeper-batsman Saha tried
to steady the ship thereon. Though
the run rate was only run-a-ball,
the duo made sure the team didn't
more wickets.
Slowly the two kept consolidat-
ing their partnership and really
opened up post the 12th over
when they hammered the Knight
Riders' bowlers left, right and cen-
tre.
While Vohra got out after con-
tributing to a brilliant 129-run
third-wicket partnership off 12
overs, Saha upped the ante to take
Kings XI to a challenging total
with his brilliant display of batting
against his former team. Vohra
scored 67 off 52 balls with six
fours and two sixes. Saha, on the
other hand, hit an incredible 10
fours and eight sixes in his 55-ball
innings with an incredible strike
rate of 209.09. Bangladeshi spin-
ner Shakib Al Hasan did not take
any wickets but was the only
bowler to boast decent bowling
figures with 4-0-26-0. All other
Knight Riders bowlers went for at
least 9.75 per over. In reply, the
2012 edition champions didn't get
a dream start as star opener Robin
Uthappa got out for 4 in the first
over. Gambhir (23), in order to
accelerate, also perished just after
the end of power play. However,
Pandey joined hands with explo-
sive batsman Yusuf Pathan to first
steady their innings and then
steered them in the direction of
their target by putting together a
71-run partnership.
Kolkata: Bollywood, cricket and
politics united in a lavish ceremony,
giving a royal salute to 2014 Indian
Premier League champions, the
Kolkata Knight Riders, and team
owners Shahrukh Khan and Juhi
Chawla at a crowded Eden Gardens
here.
Amid heightened security cover,
the stadium's green turf was deluged
in a sea of purple as nearly 50,000
fans, decked up in sports merchan-
dise, and waiting with bated breath
since morning, erupted in joy to get
a glimpse of the players flanked by
SRK, Juhi and West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee. However,
the scenes of merriment in the his-
toric ground did not match the chaos
outside, as seven sports enthusiasts
were injured in stampedes as they
clambered over police barricades to
gain entry into the arena. While some
fell down, others were baton charged
by the vastly outnumbered security
personnel.
Police denied any cane charging,
but claimed six of its personnel were
injured. Though entry was
made free, passes distributed
were far less than the huge
demand. Passes were even
sold at high prices by black-
ers.
But the gala affair on a
64x32 foot dais at Eden was
nothing short of a major
Bollywood event. Confetti
rained down across the arena
as Banerjee entered the stadi-
um, and King Khan's arrival
after a three-hour delay due
to a technical snag in his
flight drew tumultuous
applause.
The Knights flanked by Shah Rukh
and Chawla paraded the golden tro-
phy for the sports buffs in the stadi-
um, while around 1.5 lakh stood out-
side, unable to make it inside.
Rio De Janeiro : Two-time former champi-
ons Argentina,
loaded with
some of
t h e
wo r l d ' s
top stars,
are the
c l e a r
favorites in
Group F
while debu-
t a n t s
Bosnia-Herzegovina will be looking to make
an impact in the 2014 World Cup.
Also in the group are Iran, who have failed
to go beyond the group stage in their three
appearances in 1978, 1998, 2006, and
Nigeria, who did well to reach the last 16 in
1994 and 1998 but failed to cross the first
hurdle in 2002 and 2010.
But the spotlight in the group will be on
the star-studded Argentina. If they have to
win their third World Cup title, a lot will
depend on the quartet of Lionel Messi, Angel
Di Maria, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo
Higuain.
Coach Alejandro Sabella has brought
some stability in the side since he
took over from Sergio Batista
after the team's dismal show
in the Copa America in
2011. They had an easy
qualifying campaign, beat
Colombia at home, won both the matches
against Chile and had comfortable home vic-
tories against Uruguay and Ecuador.
Sabella will be a newcomer in terms of
World Cup experience but he has spent a
long time as an assistant to Daniel Pasarella
with the national team. So when he took
over, Sabella's first task was appointing
Messi as the captain. It worked wonders for
the Barcelona star. Messi, who had a dry
spell in 16 matches before Sabella's appoint-
ment, found his mojo and scored 20 goals in
21 games.
Messi, who had an unimpressive season
with Barca, will be key to Argentina's suc-
cess. He has often been criticised for not
replicating his Barca success with La
Albiceleste. This is his chance to make the
World Cup his own like Diego Maradona did
in 1986.
Messi will be playing behind Manchester
City's Sergio Aguero and Napoli's Gonzalo
Higuain as Sabella is likely to go in with a
more conservative 5-3-2 formation that he
had used for away qualifying matches.
But the formation also offers little defen-
sive protection, making it unbalanced and
vulnerable.
In fact, it is defence that is Argentina's pri-
mary concern.
Goalkeeper Sergio Romero was forced to
move back to Sampdoria after he struggled
to get a single game for Monaco. Left-back
Marcos Rojo, of Sporting, and Napoli cen-
tre-back Federico Fernandez also have little
experience at the international level.
In 2010, the World Cup was remembered
more for Diego Maradona's theatrics as
Argentina crashed out of the quarterfinals
with a 0-4 thrashing by Germany. This time
Argentina surely will have little distractions
around.
Mamata felicitates KKR, SRK, Juhi at Eden
24 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Kolkata Knight Riders celebrates after winning IPL 7 against
Kings XI Punjab in Bangalore.
Knight Riders take home second IPL title
Can Messi do a Maradona at World Cup?
Lionel
Messi
Soccer World Cup 2014
The Hague: India conceded
another last minute goal as they
went down 1-2 to England for
their second consecutive loss in
the FIH Hockey World Cup at
the Kyocera Stadium here.
India put on a vastly improved
show but a 69th minute goal by
Simon Mantell from a rebound
off a penalty corner, that was
well saved by goalie
P.R.Sreejesh, cost them badly.
It was a spirited performance
by the Indians as they were
determined to bounce back
from the 2-3 loss to Belgium in
their opening match. India
started off well but England
went into the lead in the 27th
minute after Mark Gleghorne
converted a penalty corner. But
the Indians were back in the
reckoning within four minutes
through Dharamvir Singh, who
received a pin-point pass from
skipper Sardar Singh and
swung around to hit it straight
into the net from the top of the
circle.
Till the 68th minute, the
Indians did well and the match
looked to be heading towards a
1-1 draw. But a foul by Gurbaj
Singh gave England the winner
from the penalty corner.
The Indians did contest the
penalty corner but it was
upheld after a referral and
Mantell scored from the
rebound after Sreejesh had put
on a brilliant effort to thwart
the penalty corner shot.
Hockey WC: India concede late goal to
lose against England
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee with Shah Rukh Khan and
Juhi Chawla in Kolkata.
25 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info LIFESTYLE
Los Angeles: Going on a holiday
soon after mastectomy and
dreading the thought of wearing a
swimsuit? No need to worry as
there is the right swimwear for
you.
Amoena, a lingerie brand, has
more than 35 years of experience
in helping women regain their
sense of femininity and self-
esteem following breast cancer.
The brand's range is designed
to make you look just as gor-
geous as you were before sur-
gery, since it has come up with
some very clever design features
that ensure that one feels com-
fortable and secure.
Thoughtful additions have been
added to some styles like a
slightly higher neckline and
underarm cut, so that one does
not have to worry about visible
scarring.
The breast form will be safely
secreted inside the cup of the
swimsuit and it won't be able to
escape nor will it show -- either
through the lining of the costume
or if one bends forward.
The range has plenty of
swimwear, from bikinis to tanki-
nis, one-pieces with different
styles, from sporty and stream-
lined to gorgeous girly, plus
wraps, kaftans and sarongs that
will keep it all pulled together
adding an ultra-chic look.
London: It seems fringe details are
the current favorite with celebrities
like Olivia Wilde, Jaime King and
Olivia Palermo wearing them,
reports femalefirst.co.uk.
Wilde showcased her amazing
post-baby body in a black one-
shouldered gown that fitted her per-
fectly and had a black fringe overlay
all over.
King chose a white Calvin Klein
number for the fashionable evening,
which featured fringe tiers and sheer
panels. White sandals and a sleek
updo completed the look.
Palermo too opted for a fringed
top and skirt from Ann Taylor.
However, she accessorized the
look with a mix of gold cuff
bracelets, gold drop earrings, a gold
choker necklace, Lulu Guinness lips
clutch and black feathered strap
heels.
So, will you be taking inspiration
from this red carpet fashion trend
and trying the look yourself?
New York: So you all along
thought you followed only real
people on Twitter? Know now that
automated accounts called "bots"
can infiltrate the defences of the
social networking site and emerge
influential too, an experiment
showed. Automated bots not only
can evade detection but also gather
more than double an average user's
followers and become influential
among various social groups.
"Over the 30 days during which
the experiment was carried out, 38
out of the 120 'socialbots' were
suspended," Carlos Freitas from
Federal University of Minas
Gerais in Brazil and his col-
leagues, who let the "socialbots"
loose on Twitter, were quoted as
saying. It means 69 per cent of the
socialbots evaded the defences set
up by Twitter to prevent automated
posting. The researchers made the
profile, defined their gender and a
few followers to start off with,
some of which were other bots.
The bots generate tweets either by
reposting messages that others
have posted or by creating their
own synthetic tweets using a set of
rules.
During the experiment, the 120
socialbots received a total of 4,999
followers from 1,952 different
users. And more than 20 per cent
of them picked up over 100 follow-
ers, more followers than 46 per
cent of humans on Twitter. The
researchers also monitored the
Klout score (an online service that
measures the influence of Twitter
accounts) of each of their social-
bots to see how they fared.
"We find that the socialbots
achieved Klout scores of the same
order of (or, at times, even higher
than) several well-known academi-
cians and social network
researchers," the researchers
added. It is a finding that may have
significant implications for certain
types of groups on Twitter, MIT
Technology Review reported.
Mumbai: Reliance Industries
Chairman Mukesh Ambani's sky-
scraper Mumbai home Antilia -
named after a mythical island in the
Atlantic - has been rated as the
world's "most outrageously expen-
sive property" by Forbes magazine.
Two of Indian steel tycoon
Lakshmi N. Mittal' s houses in
Kensington Palace Gardens in
London also figure among the 21
most expensive billionaire homes in
the world rated fifth and 18th.
"The title of the most outrageous-
ly expensive property in the world
still belongs to Mukesh Ambani's
Antilia," it says.
The 27-storey, 400,000-square-
foot skyscraper includes six stories
of underground parking, three heli-
copter pads, and reportedly requires
a staff of 600 to keep it running.
Construction costs for Antilia
have been reported at a range of $1
billion to $2 billion.
To put that into perspective,
Frobes notes "7 World Trade Centre,
the 52-storey tower that stands just
north of Ground Zero in Manhattan
with 1.7 million square feet of office
space, cost a reported $2 billion to
build".
Mittal's neo-Georgian mansion on
'Billionaires Row' was reportedly
purchased from hedge fund billion-
aire Noam Gottesman in 2008 for
about $222 million.
The steel magnate bought another
55,000-square foot mansion from
billionaire Bernie Ecclestone.
He spent millions into its renova-
tion and named it "Taj Mittal". It has
12 bedrooms, a pool and marble
sourced from the same quarry as the
Taj Mahal, Forbes reported.
Brazilian philanthropist and social
figure Lily Safra's Villa Leopolda in
France is at the second place, while
businessman Ira Rennert' s
Sagaponack residence in New York
is at third place. An unknown
owner's $237-million home in Hyde
Park, London, is listed fourth ahead
of Mittal's residence.
Ambani's skyscraper home 'most
outrageously expensive property': Forbes
Lakshmi N. Mittal's houses in London also figure among the 21 most
expensive billionaire homes in the world
Mukesh Ambanis Antilla in Mumbai
Fringe - new red
carpet fashion
trend
How 'socialbots' are infiltrating
your Twitter account
Women who've had mastectomy
can wear swimsuit!
26 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info SELF HELP
J
uggling work, family, friends and hobbies
can be a great challenge. After all, there
are only 24 hours in a day and seven days
in a week.
Lis Wiehl knows all too well. As legal ana-
lyst and commentator for Fox News Channel,
and host of her own weekly radio program,
Legal Lis, Wiehl has her hands full. But
instead of leaving it at those accomplish-
ments, this single parent also writes best-sell-
ing legal thrillers in her spare time.
Were all trying to master the art of time
management, she says. To help your juggling
act, Wiehl is offering helpful advice:
Know your goal: Before you can achieve
your goals, you must identify them. If it helps
to make a list, jot down what you hope to
accomplish in the short-term and long-term,
and post it somewhere handy.
Know your strengths: Taking on proj-
ects that play upon your strengths can save
you time and boost your morale. For example,
if you want to try your hand at writing a
novel, drawing upon your own experiences
can make the process easier.
For instance, Wiehls most recent novel, A
Deadly Business, is inspired by her life as a
prosecutor working on high profile cases in
the Violent Crimes unit while juggling the
almost impossible demands of single parent-
hood.
Know your weaknesses: Assess your-
self honestly. For example, if you are a terri-
ble driver or navigator, dont take on hobbies
or responsibilities that require extra time
behind the wheel.
Prioritize: You cant stop the pace of
time. So instead of drowning in your to-do
list, think of it this way -- what is it that you
really need to get done today and what is it
that you would like to do? Once you can whit-
tle your list to the necessities, it will seem
much more manageable.
Be realistic: No one is perfect. As jug-
glers, the balls will not always stay up in the
air. Dont be hard on yourself when things
slip.
Be honest: One of the most valuable les-
sons is learning how to say the hardest word
in the English language -- No. Saying
thanks, but no thanks to things you dont
really want to do will free up some of that
most precious commodity: time.
Do your homework: Whether youre
thinking of a new business idea or a new
hobby, do research. Gather your facts and
armed with this information, youll be ready
to make a decision and move forward.
Through prioritizing and honest self-assess-
ment, you can become more productive while
keeping your sanity intact.
U
ltraviolet (UV) rays are a danger to
skin and eyes year-round, playing a
contributing factor to skin damage,
skin cancer and eye disorders like cataracts.
With people spending more time outdoors in
the summer months, its a great time to pro-
tect your family.
The more time you spend outdoors with-
out protecting your eyes, the greater your risk
for ocular damage, says Dr. James Winnick,
an optometrist with VSP Vision Care, the
largest not-for-profit vision benefits company
in the US.
Rather than avoid the problem entirely by
seeking refuge inside, take steps to mitigate
your risk in the sun.
Risk Factors: Children dont yet have the
natural protection in their eyes that adults
have, so they get most of their exposure
before they are 18. Additionally, people living
with diabetes have increased light sensitivity.
To constantly protecting your eyes from
UV rays and excess light is to opt for pho-
tochromic lenses, which are lenses that dark-
en automatically to changing sunlight condi-
tions when outdoors, says Winnick. These
lenses can be especially useful for kids and
adults who have trouble remembering to
switch from their regular glasses to sunglass-
es throughout the day. With these lenses,
your eyes will be much more comfortable in
all light conditions, helping reduce eye strain
and squinting.
Choose Wisely
Its important to look for a brand of pho-
tochromic lenses that both darken and fade
back quickly. For example, a new type of
photochromic lenses called sunsync starts
darkening within seconds of UV exposure
and returns to clear within just minutes of
going indoors. More information about sun-
sync lenses can be found at
www.vsp.com/sunsync.
Reflected Light is a Concern
Sunlight is reflected off water, sidewalks,
buildings -- almost everything -- and it goes
in every direction. While sunglasses and pho-
tochromic lenses protect from UV light pass-
ing through the front of the lenses, a new
trend in eye protection takes on the back side
of lenses as well.
A special anti-reflective treatment can now
be added to the back of lenses that helps pre-
vent UV radiation from reflecting off of them
and into your eyes. The great news is that
some lens brands, like UNITY, offer this
backside UV treatment at no additional cost
depending on the options you choose for your
new photochromic lenses.
StatePoint
Protect your family from harmful UV rays
T
he number of U.S. renters has
expanded significantly since the
burst of the housing bubble, and
renters now represent 34 percent of all
households. Meanwhile, rents climbed 3.2
percent last year.
So, the better prepared you are, the more
likely you are to secure the property you
desire. The real estate experts at
Homes.com, along with partner
ForRent.com, have created a checklist for
stress-free renting:
Preparation: For a smooth approval
process, be prepared with a completed
rental application, written references from a
previous property owner or employer, and
an apartment hunting checklist to remember
everything from fees to appliances.
Budget: No more than 25 to 30 percent
of income should be spent on housing, say
experts. Confirm who bears responsibility
for utilities and maintenance. Many ameni-
ties will be enticing, so be honest about
whats essential to you.
Location: Search for rentals by zip
code. Search outside the box: Extend your
search to single-family homes and town-
homes. There are deals to uncover, especial-
ly if youre splitting rent. Also, review for-
sale listings. Some people may be willing to
rent instead.
Walk-through: Do a walk-through of
the entire space before signing any paper-
work, ensuring all faucets and appliances
work. Open cabinets and closets, and be
aware of issues that need to be taken care of
prior to moving in.
Review the lease: Understand all lease
terms before signing. Pay attention to
details such as termination. Ask the leasing
agent or property owner plenty of questions
to make sure you have a solid understand-
ing.
Renters insurance: Your personal
belongings arent necessarily covered by
the property owners insurance policy.
Renters insurance covers you and your
belongings in most instances of theft and
damage, and protects you from anyone
claiming to have been injured in your rental
due to your negligence. The average cost
for renters insurance is about $12 per month
to cover $30,000 worth of property, accord-
ing to Independent Insurance Agents &
Brokers of America.
Security deposits: Take pictures the
day you move in and the day you move out.
Document repairs and modifications made
while youre living there. When your lease
ends, insist on a final walk-through with the
leasing staff or property owner.
Use space efficiently: Use temporary
dcor ideas to turn your rental into a home,
making you feel renewed and unique with-
out making significant changes or spending
a fortune.
27 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info HEALTH
HLL's condom wins Bill Gates Foundation's grant
MERS virus toll surges to 282 in Saudi Arabia
Infosys unveils cloud-based solution for clinical trials
4 million Bihar schoolgirls to get free sanitary napkins
Thiruvananthapuram: An ambi-
tious project by HLL Lifecare
Limited (HLL), India' s leading
contraceptive makers, to produce a
new generation condom has won
the Grand Challenges
Explorations, an initiative funded
by the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation.
HLL CMD M. Ayyappan last
week said Lakshminarayanan
Ragupathy's, a scientist with the
HLL, project aims at developing
polyester-based condom that
would be cheaper and eco-friendly.
Ragupathy won the $100,000
award that would enable him to
pursue his work on green condom.
Commenting on the award,
Ragupathy said he would try to
develop extremely thin and bio-
degradable condoms, which will
ensure increased use of condoms in
the days to come.
Ayyappan said: "It is a great
honor for HLL and Regupathy. Our
philosophy is to fuse innovation
with social commitment. The pio-
neering project will take the con-
traceptive revolution further ahead
and give a fillip to our initiatives in
providing better solution in the
area of reproductive health."
HLL, headquartered in
Thiruvananthapuram, is India' s
leading provider of a wide range of
contraceptives and hospital
products.
T
he death toll from
the Middle East
R e s p i r a t o r y
Syndrome (MERS)
coronavirus in Saudi
Arabia has surged to 282
after recalculations, the
health ministry
announced on Tuesday.
A total of 688 cases
have been confirmed in the Gulf kingdom
since the first case was registered in 2012,
according to the ministry's rigorous review.
Of those infected, 53 are reportedly receiv-
ing treatment, Xinhua reported.
Before the review, the ministry's latest
tally of cases reached 575, with 190 deaths.
The main objective of that review was to
ensure a more complete and accurate
understanding of the virus outbreak in the
country, the ministry
said, adding that the
review has already
enhanced the ministry's
policy development
process and improved
measures already taken
to address the situation.
MERS is considered a
deadlier but less trans-
missible cousin of the SARS virus which
erupted in Asia in 2003 and infected thou-
sands of people. The coronavirus was first
discovered in mid-2012 in an old man with
acute pneumonia and renal failure.
The Saudi government has been criticized
by international health experts over its han-
dling of the disease, which has spread to
several Middle East countries, Asia, and the
US.
Bangalore: Indias second
largest IT firm Infosys Ltd has
unveiled a cloud-based solution
to speed up clinical trials and
lower drug development costs.
"The solution helps life sci-
ences companies to accelerate clinical trials by
driving greater collaboration between pharma-
ceutical firms and contract research organiza-
tions," the global software major said in a state-
ment here.
As a new version of the clinical trial supply
management, the cloud solution will improve
productivity of drug development process and
ensure timely supply of drugs to patients at
lower cost.
"Enterprises using our solution will be able to
price their drugs competitively as the software
application enables real-time collaboration and
helps transform their research and development
(R&D) cost model," Infosys` global head for
life sciences and services Manish
Tandon said in the statement.
As the new version is cloud-
based, the solution offers tools to
manage the entire supply chain
of clinical trials, covering
demand and supply, planning and distribution
across R&D sites. A beta version of the solution
is in use for clinical trials at some of the global
pharma firms in Europe and the US.
"The software product will enable pharma
companies to respond faster to changes in
demand, based on enrollment and patient turn-
around during trials as it can be integrated with
enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems,
incorporating business processes," Tandon said.
Being cloud-based, the solution will be
offered on pay-per-use basis, which will help
pharma and biotech firms and contract research
units to avoid investing in and managing expen-
sive IT infrastructure for clinical trials.
Patna: Nearly four million
schoolgirls in government-
run middle and high schools
in Bihar will be provided
free sanitary napkins from
this year, officials said.
With the state cabinet
approving funds (Rs. 220
crore) for it, the government
will start distribution of sani-
tary napkins to schoolgirls in
the 2014-15 financial year,
an official in the Chief
Ministers Office said.
Principal Secretary of
Cabinet Coordination
Brajesh Mehrotra said the
scheme, to be run under the Mukhyamantri Kishori
Swasthya Karyakram, will cover girls from Class 7 to
Class 12.
Last February, then chief
minister Nitish Kumar
announced the scheme but it
was delayed due to the Lok
Sabha elections.
Bihar Education Minister
Brishen Patel said it will
boost girls education and
stem the dropout rate in
higher classes. It will help
improve health and hygiene
of schoolgirls, he said.
Principal secretary, educa-
tion department, Amarjit
Sinha said: The department
has decided to tie up with
local self-help groups to manufacture sanitary
napkins.
2014 USA Open Sadhna Satsang
Under the divine guidance of our beloved Sadgurus,
Shree Ram Sharnam is pleased to announce its 5th Open Sadhna Satsang to be held at
ARSHA VIDYA GURUKULAM, Saylorsburg, PA
651 Route PA 115, Saylorsburg, PA 18353 Ph: (570) 992-2339
Thursday June 26 at 3pm to Sunday June 29 at 7am.
Shri Ashwani Gupta, President - (516) 248-4991
For more information
or to register please visit
Shree Ram Sharnam Website @
http://shreeramsharnam.azurewebsites.net
or email at
usaopensatsang@gmail.com
USA Contact Numbers
Akash Chabra - (917) 939-2227
Amrit Nayyar - (240) 899-6497
Harish Sawhney - (917) 656-7021
Madhu Chadha - (917) 295-8009
Rajeev Bhambri - (908) 472-0006
Rajan Soni - (847) 571-1116
Sudesh Kumar - (516) 312-8585
Tilak Sharma - (732) 718-9138
Canada Contact Numbers
Hari Aggarwal - (613) 727-1144
Rama Kapoor - (514) 932-1567
At last we're getting some appreciation
THESE DAYS, people overthink every
decision they make.
To compensate, more people need to
underthink their decisions.
Luckily, many people, including this
writer, have been doing this automatically
for years.
Like the man who spent months building a
nursery for quintuplets, but learned a few
days ago that he just had a fat girlfriend.
(Paul Servat of Quebec, if you want to look
him up on the net.)
Or the guy in Australia who recently got
lost in his back garden and phoned the
police.
Im lost.
Where are you?
In the garden of my house in Darwin.
Thought you said you were lost?
Its a big garden.
A police rescue team found him 300
meters from his back door, NTnews.com
reported.
Now I SEE YOU STARTING TO SMILE
but its really important we DO NOT
LAUGH at these people.
As Modern Scientific People, we need to
consider the positive side of stupidity.
***
Exhibit A is the US police force, who
rejected an applicant because he scored too
high in an intelligence test.
The irritated brainy guy, Robert Jordan,
sued. His appeal was rejected by the 2nd US
Circuit Court of Appeals after police chiefs
explained that less intelligent applicants bet-
ter suited the job and stayed longer.
Judges looked at the statistical data and
agreed. Stupid was better.
The case took place several years ago but
has been much discussed recently by
researchers.
Would-be cop Jordan pleaded at the time
that he couldnt help being smart, having
been born that way. I maintain you have no
more control over your basic intelligence
than your eye color, he said, according to
ABC News.
Of course, he should have said: Me like
being brainiac! Woof woof!
***
The good news is that the US police force
can bulk-recruit from Asia.
Recently, the Delhi police force admitted
that it had had missed eight years of on-line
corruption tip-offs because no one could
remember the email password.
When they finally managed to download
the messages, they found 600 tips, many
referring to people who had already died,
moved away or been elected to high office.
***
My office is in a university so I actually
studied this. Stupidity improves efficiency
(Journal of Management Studies), boosts
productivity (University of Texas), and
increases happiness (University of
Edinburgh). Another link. And another.
I would give more details, but all the stud-
ies are full of REALLY big words.
***
I personally learned the wisdom of stupidi-
ty when I was 13.
In London, I walked into a gang of neo-
Nazis who said they had a policy of beating
up all Pakistanis.
A typical bookish Asian kid, I nervously
explained: Er, actually, I was born 1,499
miles from Pakistan, in a country called Sri
Lanka, which is as far from the aforemen-
tioned country as London is from Russia,
you may be surprised to know.
They beat me up.
The next time I walked into them, I just
talked rubbish.
Yeah! Cool! Manchester United vs
Arsenal, right? Right! I like popsicles! Gary
Glitter sucks!
They greeted me as a brother.
***
So listen to me. DONT WORRY ABOUT
THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD.
Consider the wise words of my personal
favorite role model, the celebrated thinker
known as Homer: Stupidity got us into this
mess, and stupidity will get us out.
This is Mr Jam, over and out.
Me like being brainiac. Woof woof.
28 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info HUMOR
Funny Bone by Nury Vittachi
Laughter is the Best Medicine
Stupid people happier and more productive, scientists say
by Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and
humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the immigrant
Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania.
7th June, 2014 Ruled planet: Neptune Ruled by no: 7
Traits in you: As you are governed by planet Neptune, you
are blessed with various positive characters. You are confi-
dent, decisive, generous, humorous, honest, modest and opti-
mistic. You are not an admirer of arguments or silly fights. You
should work on your nature of being selfish, pessimistic, and
arrogant.
Health this year: You will enjoy a better health this year as
compared to last year. However, the health of an aged family
member may deteriorate and that will make you bothered. You
may end up spending lot of money for the health issues of your
family members.
Finance this year: You may get benefits from your invest-
ments later this year. This year seems to be an ideal one to start
investing in business, land or gold. Your efforts to earn mon-
ey may pay off this time. You may go for new partnerships.
However, you should verify the financial background of your
partner for your financial security.
Career this year: You will be successful professionally this
year. You will be additional responsibility and you will well
execute them to perfection. Your success may get you various
awards and rewards as well. You may share your ideas with
the higher management as it would help you grow quickly.
Romance this year: If you are yet to be in a committed rela-
tionship, you may get into one this year. If you are already
committed, then you may plan for marriage towards the end
of the year.
Lucky month: June, December, April and June
8th June, 2014 Ruled planet: Saturn Ruled by no: 8
Traits in you: Your governing planet Saturn makes you con-
fident, unique, creative, dynamic, and intelligent. You are de-
termined enough to perform any task assigned to you. So you
always remain a step ahead from others. Along all your good
characteristics, you have few negative characters as well. You
need to work on your unreliability, insensitiveness, and self-
ishness.
Health this year: Though you would not face any major
health related issues, you should take extra care of your health.
Do not take unwanted risk of putting your health in stake. Go
for regular medical checkups.
Finance this year: Though you will be able to improve your
financial status, you may end up spending a lot of money in
buying luxury and comfort for yourself and your family. You
may put your money in real estate for better returns.
Career this year: You should take inputs from senior and ex-
perienced professionals to learn new things and grow profes-
sionally. Act diplomatically if you have some professional is-
sues. Getting emotional and aggressive would not work
though.
Romance this year: You may go through minor personal dis-
turbances and these could be solved by talking more to your
partner. Do not let the distance grow. Get some time to talk to
your spouse. You may plan a long trip with your partner to
strengthen your relationship.
Lucky month: July, October, February and March
9th June, 2014 Ruled planet: Mars Ruled by no: 9
Traits in you: Being influenced by Mars, you are believed to
be the master of a charismatic personality. You are courteous,
courageous, energetic, realistic, modest, and responsive. You
follow religion very keenly. However, you have few problems
in your attitude and that needs to be worked on for the better-
ment of your individuality.
Health this year: You need to focus on your health a little
more as you may fall sick frequently this year. You should go
for regular medical checkups to maintain a healthy life. Your
parents may fall sick towards the end of the year and it will
put you in immense pressure.
Finance this year: You will get financial benefits if you have
invested in past. For future financial gains, you may invest on
real estate and stock market. You should study the market well
before investing on anything. Do not be in a hurry to invest as
it may go in loss.
Career this year: You should take inputs from senior and ex-
perienced professionals to learn new things and grow profes-
sionally. Act diplomatically if you have some professional is-
sues. Getting emotional and aggressive would not work though.
Romance this year: You should avoid any kind of conflict
with your beloved. Plan a long holiday with your spouse to
make your relationship stronger. If you are unmarried, you
should not get to a marital relationship this year as the move-
ment of your stars is not favorable for marriage.
Lucky month: November, January, February and June
10th June, 2014 Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1
Traits in you: Due to the positive effects of your ruling plan-
et Sun, you will have the characteristics of a good human be-
ing. By nature, you are accountable, unique, courageous, com-
mitted, competitive, coordinated and intelligent. You should
work on your negative personality traits such as selfishness,
dependency and pessimism.
Health this year: Your health may remain disturbed through-
out the year because of some minor ailments. If you do not
take proper care of your health you may end up spending a lot
of money for your treatment. You should take preventive ac-
tions to avoid health issues.
Finance this year: Your past investments may yield a lot of
money for you this year. You need to be extra cautions while
investing huge amounts as it is a bit risky to put money on un-
predictable things. Overall, you will enjoy a strong financial
condition.
Career this year: You will be establishing yourself as a very
efficient and important resource in your organization this year.
Your performance will influence your peers, seniors and high-
er management. It is the best time to look out for a new job as
it will help you grow both professionally and financially.
Romance this year: Your marital relationship will move for-
ward with lot of mutual love, care, respect and admiration.
You should not get into any kind of argument with your
spouse as it may disturb your peaceful personal life. You
should get married this year if you are yet to marry.
Lucky month: October, December, April and May
11th June, 2014 Ruled planet: Moon Ruled by no: 2
Traits in you: Your ruler, the Moon makes you a very friend-
ly individual. You are simple, confident, realistic, sincere, and
optimistic. You are very innovative and try to perform your
work in a different and efficient way. You need to work hard
on your characteristics of being jealous and insensitive at
times.
Health this year: Your health will remain good throughout
the year. You need to take utmost care of your health to main-
tain it and remain fit. The health of your family members
might be a concern for you this year. Try and avoid your bad
habits and start practicing yoga for the betterment of your
health.
Finance this year: You will be able to stabilize your financial
condition by reaping profits from your past investments. You
may also plan for new investments this year. You will find
enough new opportunities to start up a new business that
would yield money for you. You should invest in real estate or
stock market for better returns.
Career this year: Being friendly and quick in decision mak-
ing, you will create many admirers for yourself in your pro-
fessional circuit. Your juniors may seek your advice in criti-
cal times to deliver efficient work. It is advisable for you not
to get involved in office politics. You should handle official
matters diplomatically.
Romance this year; If you are yet to be in a relationship, this
year is the ideal time to find a partner. You will get ample sup-
port from your spouse in any critical decision you have to
take. You should show your love to your partner as it strength-
ens your relationship.
Lucky month: August, March and June
12th June, 2014 Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3
Traits in you: As you are ruled by Jupiter, you are dynamic,
realistic, affectionate, caring, religious and very helpful. You
are very much interested in a happening life. You welcome
new ideas in your life and take everything positively. Howev-
er, you should work on your nature of being jealous, selfish
and rude at times.
Health this year: Your health will remain good throughout
the year. You need to take utmost care of your health to main-
tain it and remain fit. The health of your family members
might be a concern for you this year. Try and avoid your bad
habits and start practicing yoga for the betterment of your
health.
Finance this year: You will be among major financial gains
this year. You may go for a real estate transaction later this
year and this will bring you a lot of money to cherish. You may
start up a new business. If you are already into business, you
may plan for expanding its territory this year.
Career this year: You need to focus on your profession and
put your cent per cent effort to achieve your expected goals.
You will be appreciated by your peers and seniors for your ef-
ficient output. You may be assigned extra responsibilities as
you are very decisive and capable of performing wonders.
Romance this year: The emotional attachment with your
spouse or partner may blossom this year with lot of love, care,
and concern. If you are not married, then you may go for a ro-
mantic relationship. You will enjoy a very blissful time with
your beloved.
Lucky month: September, December, January and March
13th June, 2014 Ruled planet: Uranus Ruled by no: 4
Traits in you: Your ruling planet Uranus blesses you with a
charismatic character. You are able to impress anyone in your
surroundings with your nature and attitude. You are generous,
peace loving, disciplined, and creative in nature. Your hard
work pays off every time and you get success as a result.
Health this year: You will enjoy a moderate health this year.
You need to take preventive medicines for weather changes as
it may hamper your health conditions. Do not neglect your
health if you feel uneasy. Consult doctor regularly and prac-
tice Yoga for better results.
Finance this year: You will be able to stabilize your financial
condition by reaping profits from your past investments. You
may also plan for new investments this year. You will find
enough new opportunities to start up a new business that
would yield money for you. You should invest in real estate or
stock market for better returns.
Career this year: You will be very impressive in your pro-
fessional circuit this year. However, you need to work smart
and perform well to grow as a perfectionist. You should take
quick decisions to excel in your field. You may have to help
your ordinates to drive productivity.
Romance this year: If you are yet to be in a romantic rela-
tionship, this is the ideal time to go for one. You will enjoy a
pleasurable relationship with your spouse or partner.
Lucky month: June, October, February and April
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874
Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
Stars Foretell: June 7-13, 2014 Annual Predictions: For those born in this week
29
ARIES: An excellent time for develop-
ing professional contacts. You are likely
to hear a good news from close relatives.
Hard work of previous days brings good fortune
enabling to fulfil monetary promises. You are
likely to enjoy a pleasure trip that will rejuve-
nate your passions. Meditation and yoga prove
beneficial for spiritual as well as physical gains.
A trip that stimulates and gives opportunity for
work is coming ahead. Buying cheap property
in the right location can provide you triple gain
annually. You are likely to be full of good ideas.
TAURUS: Senior colleagues coopera-
tion brings success at professional front.
An old friend makes a pleasant visit
later in the week. You should focus investment
on land/real estate or cultural projects to earn
profits. Romantic entanglement would add
spice to your happiness. A very healthy week
when your cheerfulness gives the desired tonic
and confidence. A luxurious getaway type vaca-
tion with your spouse waiting for you. Investing
in property business sounds very appealing.
Dont forget to use your witty nature to brighten
a dull atmosphere.
GEMINI: Business partners would be
enthusiastic about new plans & ventures.
Evening enjoyed with family and close
relatives brings immense pleasure. You succeed
in making some extra cash on playing your
cards well. Chances of your love life turning
into life-long bond are high on the card. You are
likely to maintain good health that would also
give you success. Thrilling experience is on
your way, as your trip is full of excitement
Banks love to finance those, who invest in
properties which are under development. A
week when your choice of activities would
bring gains far beyond expectations.
CANCER: Female colleagues would
help in completing pending work. You
are likely to plan a short trip with fami-
ly. A promising week to put your innovative
ideas on use to make extra money. Avoid raising
controversial issues in love rather enjoy the
company. A continuous positive thinking gets
rewarded as you succeed in whatever you do in
this week. Pack your bags as a happy, fun-filled
holiday is looking forward. A good deal on
commercial property might occur. Self-disci-
pline would enable to manage you better.
LEO: Lack of effective communication
with subordinates could disappoint you.
Unexpected visit by old friend could
give you a pleasant surprise. An auspicious
week to invest money on items that would grow
in value. Make sure you dont surrender your-
self under physical passions to save romantic
bond. Creative hobbies are likely to keep you
relaxed. An enriching vacation full of fun is
what you need. There might be a chance of
acquiring a plot from your closed relative.
Paintings bring a pleasant relief to people at the
time of crisis.
VIRGO: Problems at professional front
could force to compromise on your prin-
ciples. Good advice from family mem-
bers will help in reducing mental tension/pres-
sure. Investment on long-term plans would pave
the way for earning financial gains. Exciting
week as your long pending wait for affirmation
is going to materialize. With a positive outlook
& confidence, you succeed in impressing peo-
ple around you. Time to make your vacation a
dream come true. You might deal in some
ancestral property or any other parental proper-
ty. You succeed in cutting yourself away from
old ideas & beliefs those have outlived their
purpose.
LIBRA: Make sure you keep team spir-
it going to achieve higher professional
goals. Sudden good news in the evening
will bring cheers for the entire family. You are
likely to raise capital through collecting out-
standing debts or asking for funds to work on
new projects. Enjoying the company of partner
in a lively restaurant would bring immense
romantic pleasure. Mental alertness would
enable to solve a tricky problem. Affordable
luxury vacation will explore your desires. A
deal regarding residential property can start
moving on its right path. Your efforts keep the
atmosphere buoyant around you.
SCORPIO: A promising week for
ambitious professionals to demonstrate
technical skills & abilities. Your efforts
bring success & happiness at family front.
Improvement in finances makes it convenient in
clearing long pending dues & bills. The pres-
ence of love would make you feel life meaning-
ful. Cataract patients must avoid overexposure
to sunlight. Perfect getaway time for you and
your partner. Discussing property matters with
parents can help for better innovations. Timely
action would save from humiliation.
SAGITTARIUS: Politicians find a
very smooth sailing as results go in
your favour, thus immensely boosting
confidence. Dont forget to spend quality time
in the company of family friends you care. You
could find yourself in an exciting new situation,
bringing you financial gains. Love life brings
some memorable moments that you could cher-
ish rest of your life. A cheerful state of mind
brings mental peace. A group of friends or your
partner is looking forward for a vacation with
you. Investing internationally means you have
to follow their laws on real estate. You are like-
ly to reap rich achievements with hard work.
CAPRICORN: People engaged in
tourism will have the energy to keep
pace with fast taking events thus giving
themselves an edge over others. You achieve
success in personal work with the timely help &
support provided by family members.
Successful execution of brilliant ideas would
help in earning financial profits. Your flashing
smile would work as the best antidote for
romantic partners unhappiness. Good time to
divert attention to spirituality to enhance mental
toughness. A leisure trip will prove to be a pre-
mium time for you. Planning a property might
explore new horizons for you and your family.
Dont get surprised on waking up to a pleasant
surprise in this week.
AQUARIUS: Betterment awaits peo-
ple engaged in the field of graphic
designing. Misunderstandings with
near ones in the family will get cleared. A very
successful week as far as monetary position is
concerned. Sharing candyfloss and toffees with
lover/beloved would bring unlimited joy. A
pleasure trip gives the much-needed tonic to
health. You might get a chance for business trip,
which will help you in new connections. Your
friends and family will be of great support if
you are trying for an office. You will be in an
enthusiastic mood as many good things happen
around you.
PISCES: Self-confidence would
immensely help in achieving good
results at professional front. Children
would do their best to keep you happy.
Indications of earning financial profits through
commissions, dividends or royalties. Company
of love partner would inspire to take initiatives
in this week. Cutting down the number of par-
ties and pleasure jaunts would help in keeping
in good mood.
Travelling overseas would be an experience full
of spark that enlightens your imagination. Its
time to make some property investments for
your kids. Persistent efforts would help in
shining in every sphere of life.
June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY
S
ome people drink alcohol
and take drugs. In many
places of work, Friday is a
time in which people meet for
Happy Hour. There, they engage
in drinking to feel good. There are
numerous television commercials
for beer and wine, depicting the
happiness people experience by
drinking. In private circles, people
speak of how good they feel when
they get high on drugs. There is a
tremendous drug culture in modern
societies. People seem to feel they
cannot be happy without alcohol or
drugs. But we all know that that
happiness is temporary and comes
at a high price. They may feel good
for a few minutes, but later they
feel sick to their stomach. They
may get addicted and require more
and more to make them maintain
their high. Drugs and alcohol lead
to impaired judgment and poor
motor skills, which in turn can lead
to deadly car accidents. People turn
to crime to get money to buy drugs
and alcohol. This leads to people
getting hurt and those perpetrating
the crimes going to prison. In some
cases drugs and alcohol lead to dis-
ease and death.
When people see that we are
happy and blissful without drugs
and alcohol, they ask us how we
can feel so good. We can then
explain that meditation gives us a
natural state of intoxication. We
can explain how the sweet nectar
of the divine Wine within provides
more intoxication than any intoxi-
cation which outer drugs and alco-
hol can give us. We can talk about
how we get this divine bliss within
that lasts twenty-four hours. There
is no hang-over. There are no side
effects. We do not pass out or get
sick. We do not have to steal from
anyone to get this bliss. We do not
have to cause car accidents or com-
mit crimes. Rather than lowering
our consciousness through drugs
and alcohol, we are raising our
consciousness to spiritual heights
and even attaining God-conscious-
ness. The joy people see we have in
our lives will inspire them to also
want to partake of that sweet honey
within.
When people who see us medi-
tating notice a change in us, they
are also inspired to experience the
same change. They see that medita-
tion makes us calmer and more bal-
anced. They see that we are able to
deal with the challenges of life in a
much more even manner. They see
that even though everyone goes
through the challenges of financial
problems, health problems, rela-
tionship difficulties, and other
challenges, we sail through them
much more easily than most peo-
ple. This makes people wonder
what secret we hold that helps us
face lifes struggles with more for-
titude.
Finally, when they see how bliss-
ful and intoxicated we are without
the use of unnatural means such as
drugs and alcohol, they too want
such happiness. Just like the
princess who saw the joy that peo-
ple had when they tasted the sweet-
ness of honey and how they wanted
to share that delicious taste with
others, people will see the joy we
experience from meditation and
they will want to enjoy that as well.
I am reminded of a verse by
Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj
which says:
Who has said that you must
drink in secret?
This is divine Wine that you must
share with others.
While drinking this Nectar, forget
the sorrows of life and the pains of
the world.
And hum songs of beauty and
love.
We can appreciate what a bless-
ing it is to have a Master and to
receive the spiritual teachings from
him. This is a valuable gift that
actually is sent to us by God
through the Masters. God wants
each of us to have the gift. If we
are lucky enough to receive such a
gift from a Master, we should
treasure it and put it to use. We
should make the best use of the gift
by spending time in meditation. Let
us enjoy the divine honey of the
Light and Sound within. Let us
then travel on the divine nectar
back to the Lord.
W
e often fall into the habit of misjudg-
ing others. We can be quick to criti-
cize or pass judgment without know-
ing the background of a persons life or situa-
tion. It is remarkable how wrong we can be.
When we do not know why people act as
they do, we jump to conclusions. Someone
might even be trying to help us or make things
better, yet instead of taking the time to ask why
something is being done, we berate them.
As we go about our work, we need to think
twice before we criticize or pass judgment on
someone. When we dont know the whole
storythe motives or reasons a person has for
doing somethingit is better to take a few
minutes to stop and ask about it. Many times,
we will find that the person is trying to do
something helpful. We can be so wrapped up in
our own lives that we do not take the time to
find out more.
When a person criticizes someone, others
tend to jump on the bandwagon to join in. Yet
they do not know the situation either, and soon
many are spreading false information.
It is better to resolve a problem right away,
learn the situation, and fix it before it escalates
into something bigger and worse than what it
started out to be.
We need to refrain from judging others. If we
get caught up in doing this, then we have filled
our minds with thoughts that are not true and
that take us away from our own inner peace.
Whatever we do comes back to us, so we risk
reaping the fruits of our thoughts, words, and
deeds, whether positive or negative. When we
criticize others, we are bound to get the fruit of
our actions, for we have hurt them by our
words.
To keep peace of mind in our daily life and to
meditate with a calm mind, it is beneficial to
develop the habit of not jumping to conclu-
sions lest we misjudge others. Instead, let us be
loving and caring and find out what the per-
sons real story is. This will contribute to our
own inner peace and spread out to our environ-
ment and the world.
T
he art of meditation is
based on the fact that
we are not the body, but
the soul that inhabits the body.
Medical research on
neardeath experiences shows
that people who have been
declared clinically dead, but
were revived, shared common
experiences. After the moment of their clinical
death they found themselves traveling through
an inner tunnel to a region of light and love.
They were met at the end of the tunnel by a
benevolent, radiant being. They described the
bliss they felt in the presence of that light, and
they all talked about their reluctance to leave
that joy, that bliss, to return to their physical
body. This experience has been common to
those who passed through the gates of death,
whether they were adults or children, whether
they belonged to one religion or another.
Some of the adults identified the light with
the religious figure prominent in their faith. The
latest book on this subject
describes the neardeath expe-
riences of children. The
young people interviewed in
the book did not associate the
light with any particular per-
son. Because the children had
not yet associated spiritual
experiences with any particu-
lar religious beliefs, they did not associate the
loving light with a particular personality. This
mounting evidence, uncovered by doctors and
scientists, that there is another dimension of
existence, has become more and more accepted
by our society.
We do not have to wait for a physical calami-
ty to have a neardeath experience. Through the
process of meditation we can learn an easy,
simple, and safe method of separating our soul
from the body and traveling to other dimen-
sions. By using a method to concentrate our
attention at a particular point, our soul can tran-
scend our body and enter regions of bliss.
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
Concluding part of the discourse 'Sharing the divine honey'
30 June 7-13, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
is an internationally recognized
spiritual leader and Master of
Jyoti Meditation who affirms the
transcendent oneness at the heart
of all religions and mystic tradi-
tions, emphasizing ethical living
and meditation as building blocks
for achieving inner and outer
peace. www.sos.org.
Jumping to Conclusions
The Art of Meditation
When people see that we
are happy and blissful
without drugs and alcohol,
they ask us how we can feel
so good. We can then
explain that meditation
gives us a natural state of
intoxication. We can explain
how the sweet nectar of the
divine Wine within provides
more intoxication than any
intoxication which outer
drugs and alcohol can
give us.
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