Rio de Janeiro: Germany, after

throttling tournament favorite

Brazil 7-1 in Tuesdays semifinal,
seems to be the easy pick to defeat
Argentina for Sundays World Cup
final here. Argentina snuck by the
Netherlands on penalty kicks fol-
lowing a scoreless 120 minutes in
Wednesdays semifinal match.
In Las Vegas betting, Germany is
the +120 favorite with Argentina
the +250 underdog.
Cortana, Microsoft' s virtual
assistant, had correctly predicted
Tel Aviv: Israeli air strikes have
continued to shake the Gaza Strip
as militants kept up rocket fire at
Israel's heartland, in intensifying
warfare that Palestinian officials
said has killed at least 47 people in
the Hamas-dominated enclave.
Missiles from Israel's Iron Dome
defense system shot into the sky to
intercept rockets launched for the
second straight day at Tel Aviv.
Some were also aimed at Israel's
Dimona nuclear plant, 80 km from
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
BOOKS 25 INDIAN BUDGET 11 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30
Total expenditure in
2014-15 estimat-
ed at Rs.17, 97, 892
crore; plan expenditure
estimated at Rs.12,19,892 crore
Budget will lay down
steps aimed at 7-8 per-
cent growth in next few
years; aim is "Sub ke
saath, sub ka vikas" (With
everyone, For everyone' s
development)
Defense allocated
Rs.229,000 crore; mod-
ernization gets Rs.5,000
crore over & above interim budget
FDI in defense sector
raised to 49 percent
from 26 percent
Skill India to be
launched to train the
youth with emphasis on
employability and entre-
preneur skills
Five new tourist circuits
to be established;
Rs.500 crore to be allo-
cated for this
Thirteen more airports
to get 24X7 customs
facilities
Continued on page 4
Continued on page 4
Continued on page 4
Vol.7 No. 11 July 12-18, 2014 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Modi govts
maiden budget
promises growth
The US Deputy Secretary of State, William Joseph Burns, meeting
the Union Minister for Finance, Arun Jaitley in New Delhi on July
10, the day of BJP government's maiden budget presentation.
Germany favorites over Argentina in World Cup final
Israel-Hamas hostilities escalating
New York: This Saturday
people from all walks of life
will have the opportunity to
be personally blessed by
Brahmrishi Sri
Guruvanand Swami, lov-
ingly known as Gurudev,
at the International Guru
Poornima 2014 celebration.
Gurudev has already
arrived to lead the event at
the New Jersey Performing
Arts Center (NJPAC) in
Newark, NJ.
Guru Poornima is the day
for paying reverence to
your guru or mentor. Sri
Guruvanand Swami is a
perfect master (Satguru) of
our time who directs his
enormous divine energy to
help those in distress and to
uplift the lives of millions of
Continued on page 4
Germany and Argentina stars:
Thomas Muller and (right) Lionel Messi respectively
Smoke and flames are seen following what police said was an
Israeli air strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip July 8.
Tel Aviv continues
air strikes as
Hamas keeps
firing rockets in
Israel cities
NATIONAL COMMUNITY 18
Sri Guruvanand Swami has
arrived in New York to
bless devotees at the Guru
Poornima event at NJPAC
Saturday. The organizers
are expecting about
3,000 attendees.
All roads lead to Guru Poornima
event with a true master
Salient points of the Union Budget
2014-15 presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
in Parliament on July 10 in New Delhi.
July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info




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3 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
New York: The brother of the
imprisoned ex-billionaire hedge
fund founder, Raj Rajaratnam,
was acquitted of conspiracy on
Tuesday, handing Manhattan
prosecutors their first loss after
dozens of insider trading convic-
tions in prosecutions that relied
heavily on wiretaps and the testi-
mony of those who pleaded
guilty.
Rengan Rajaratnam, 43,
hugged his attorneys after the
verdict was read. He still faces
civil charges from the Securities
and Exchange Commission.
His lawyer, Daniel Gitner said.
"We thank the jury for its careful
attention. Rengan looks forward
to getting on with his life."
Federal Judge Naomi Reice
Buchwald had dismissed the two
most serious charges last week,
and prosecutors had withdrawn
four other charges when the
judge raised questions about
them in a written opinion.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney
Preet Bharara said his office was
"disappointed with the verdict on
the sole count that the jury was
permitted to consider."
The defendant's brother, Raj
Rajaratnam founder of the
Galleon Group of hedge funds
is serving an 11-year sentence
after the government said he
earned up to $75 million illegal-
ly by trading on secrets provided
by corrupt employees of public
companies and a network of ana-
lysts and portfolio managers who
also obtained inside information.
Prosecutors had alleged that
Rengan Rajaratnam joined his
brother to cheat in the stock mar-
ket in 2008 on the securities of
two technology companies.
Gitner said in closing argu-
ments Monday that the prosecu-
tion had "failed on every score"
to prove its case.
He told jurors his client, who
was born in Sri Lanka and living
in Brazil when he learned of the
charges, had immediately an-
nounced: "I am innocent. This is
about my brother, not me. I want
to go back. I want to clear my
name."
Former federal Judge Richard
J. Holwell, who presided over
Raj Rajaratnam's trial, said the
acquittal was not a profound loss
for the government, given its 81
victories before a defeat.
New York: The National Coalition of
South Asian Organizations (NCSO) has
expressed anguish at news that US gov-
ernment agencies have engaged in sur-
veillance of Muslim American civic and
civil rights leaders, including Indian and
Pakistani Americans.
The news based on documents provided
by whistleblower Edward Snowden broke
Tuesday that National Security Agency
and FBI have covertly monitored the
emails of prominent Muslim-Ameri-
cansincluding a political candidate and
several civil rights activists, academics,
and lawyers. We know all too well that in
the post 9/11 environment, the targeting of
Muslim Americans has unfortunately be-
come a commonplace occurrence. Reports
of surveillance at mosques and student as-
sociations, infiltration of informants, and
profiling through the use of watch lists
continue to occur, and continue to have a
negative impact on and within our com-
munities, said NCSO in a statement.
We call upon the President and Con-
gress to end government activities that
lead to the surveillance and profiling of in-
nocent community members and to hold
public hearings on the extent of these
practices. As a nation, we must hold true
to the ideals of liberty, privacy, and equal
treatment on which our country is found-
ed. NCSO is a network of community-
based organizations coordinated by South
Asian Americans Leading Together
(SAALT).
New York: Early reports from its
debut weekend indicate Indian
American Dinesh DSouzas new
documentary America opening
during July 4 holiday with a strong
box office nationwide.
Preliminary box-office counts in-
dicate America is overall No. 3
in per screen average attendance in
the United States and No. 10 in
overall box-office receipts, a posi-
tion considered strong in that
America is opening on only
1,000 screens nationwide, in com-
petition with films opening on
more than 3,000 screens.
DSouza is a conservative politi-
cal activist and this docudrama is
based on his bestselling nonfiction
title America: Imagine a World
Without Her and follows his suc-
cessful 2012 documentary, 2016:
Obamas America. Its producer is
the Oscar-winning Gerald R.
Molen and it is co-directed by
DSouza and John Sullivan.
DSouza was in the news recent-
ly when he pleaded guilty May 20
to federal campaign finance fraud.
America is far more invested
in elaborate historical reenact-
ments, hypothetical dramatizations
and special effects than interviews,
research and data, according to an
LA Times review. Variety finds
DSouzas defenses and rationali-
zations at times come across as al-
most laughably facile.
But moviegoers are not moved
by such criticism. Producers of
America have reported that peo-
ple in the theaters are crying upon
viewing the film and breaking out
spontaneously into the national an-
them.
Thank you America, DSouza
said in a statement. We knew you
would come through in support of
our film and were delighted, hum-
bled and honored by your reac-
tion. City and State NY is a lead-
ing Political magazine, which
tracks Winners and Losers in the
Political arena.
Neal Kwatra is a winner
C
ity & State magazine, that focuses on gov-
ernment and politics in New York, has
included Neal Kwatra in its list
of winners, that also features NYC
Mayor Bill de Blasio. Neal Kwatra
is the founder and CEO of
Metropolitan Public Strategies. City
and State wrote that he scored big
wins both in public and behind closed
doors. His consulting firm orchestrat-
ed the strategy, messaging and
communications for Charlie Rangels successful
reelection campaign. At the same time, Kwatra,
who the governor tapped in April to be the state
Democratic Partys chief campaign consultant, was
using his deep connections with labor, including
his client, the Hotel Trades Council, to quietly play
a key role in pulling off another surprising victory:
reuniting the IDC with the mainline Senate Dems.
Rengan Rajaratnam with his lawyer Daniel Gitner
after being cleared.
D'Souza's America a hit
at the box office
First loss for prosecutor Preet Bharara
Jury acquits Rajaratnams brother
in insider trading case
Obama baiter Dinesh DSouza seen at the docudramas
premiere with costumed cast members.
South Asian organizations call for end to surveillance of Muslim leaders
Muslim Rep. Ellison hits out over profiling
Washington: One of two Muslims in
Congress had harsh words on Wednesday on
government agents targeting of a handful of
prominent American Muslims. An
Americans faith does not give law enforce-
ment reasonable suspicion to violate their con-
stitutional rights, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-
Minn.), the first Muslim elected to Congress,
said in a statement. Suspicious behavior indi-
cating criminal behavior should be the basis
for attracting law enforcement surveillance
not a persons religion," he added. "Profiling
based on religion breeds distrust and resent-
ment in communities that are potential partners
in the fight against crime.
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4 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TURN PAGE
Modi govts maiden budget ...
Continued from page 1
Development of industrial corri-
dors with emphasis on smart
cities linked to transport connec-
tivity
Government committed to
achieve fiscal deficit of 4.1 per-
cent in 2014-15, 3 percent by
2015-16 and 2 percent by 2016-
17
FDI limit in insurance sector
raised to 49 percent
E-visas to be introduced at nine
airports
Allocation of Rs.500 crore for 5
more IITs and 5 more IIMs
All states to get AIIMS like
institutions
Allocation of Rs.100 crore to
promote good governance
All roads lead to Guru ...
Continued from page 1
people around the globe. On Guru
Poornima Gurudevs powers are at
its peak. He gives his blessing in the
form of shaktipat. Shaktipat is how
a satguru awakens the Kundalini of
others by touch, look, intention, etc.
Such a precious blessing goes a long
way for the devotees and their fami-
lies to bring long lasting peace and
happiness in their lives.
The event is free, but registration is
required by going to
www.GuruPoornima2014.com or
calling Rakesh Bhargava, 516-484-
0018.
Germany favorites over...
Continued from page 1
that Germany would beat Brazil and
that Argentina would beat the
Netherlands in the semi-finals. For
the final, Cortana too has predicted
that Germany will beat Argentina,
making it Germany's first World
Cup title since the country's win
against Argentina in the 1990 final.
Cortana, which is available on
Microsoft' s Windows Phone 8.1
software, gets its predictions from
Microsoft' s Bing search engine,
which has been configured to offer
World Cup predictions based on
many factors.
Purely on form, Germany should
win. But they are up against history.
No European squad has ever won
the World Cup in the Americas.
There have been seven World Cups
on this half of the globe, dating back
to the inaugural event in Uruguay in
1930.
Israel-Hamas hostilities...
Continued from page 1
Gaza, but were either shot down or
landed in open country.
Palestinians in Gaza cheered as
rockets streaked overhead towards
Israel in attacks that could provide a
popularity boost for Islamist Hamas
militants, whose rift with neighbor-
ing Egypt's military-backed govern-
ment has deepened economic hard-
ship. The Israeli army said Iron
Dome shot down one rocket and
two others caused no damage - it
was unclear how close they came to
the town or the nuclear site.
Communities near Tel Aviv and in
the south of Israel, closer to Gaza,
were also targeted.
At least 41 civilians, including 12
children, were among the 47
Palestinian dead in two days of
fighting, and about 300 people have
been wounded, hospital officials
said. No Israeli deaths or serious
injuries were reported. The Israeli
military said 48 rockets struck Israel
on Wednesday, and Iron Dome
intercepted 14 others. It said it had
bombarded 550 Hamas sites, includ-
ing 60 rocket launchers and 11
homes of senior Hamas members,
describing those dwellings as com-
mand centers.
Israel prime minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's office said he had dis-
cussed the situation with UN secre-
tary-general Ban Ki-moon, German
chancellor Angela Merkel and US
secretary of state John Kerry and
that he would speak to other world
leaders later.
New York: With time running out,
there was still no deal Thursday
between Long Island Rail Road
(LIRR) unions and the
Metropolitan Transportation
Authority (MTA), with just 10
days to go before a strike could
begin.
Negotiations wrapped up for the
day around 5:15 p.m. with no reso-
lution in sight, although MTA
Chairman Thomas Prendergast
said the discussions were useful.
The latest round of negotiations
began after members of Congress
refused to intervene.
The railroads unions have been
working without a contract since
2010.
President Obama appointed two
emergency boards to help resolve
the dispute, but the MTA rejected
both non-binding recommenda-
tions and the unions voted to
authorize a strike set to begin on
July 20.
The last emergency board pro-
posal called for a 17 percent raise
over six years while leaving work
rules and pensions alone. The
MTA is offering a 17 percent wage
increase over seven years and also
is seeking concessions including
requiring current employees to
contribute 2 percent of regular pay
toward health care costs.
Currently, LIRR workers dont
contribute toward their health
insurance.
On Wednesday, several members
of the New York House delegation
said labor issues between the two
sides should be resolved through
negotiations and not by Congress.
Meanwhile, Democratic State
Senate candidate and former NYC
Comptroller John Liu has called
on MTA to reach a labor agree-
ment to avert a shutdown, which
will adversely affect commuters.
Washington: A leading American
trade association seeking stronger
commercial ties with India has
welcomed Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley's 2014-15 Union budget "as
an overall important first step
toward India's economic revival".
The US-India Business Council
(USIBC) said Thursday it com-
mended several of the reforms put
forth in the budget, especially lift-
ing the FDI cap in insurance, as
well as policy reforms to reduce
transfer pricing challenges and
encourage infrastructure invest-
ment.
USIBC is the largest bilateral
trade association in the US com-
prising 300 of the top-tier US and
Indian companies.
"We commend the finance min-
ister for his leadership and wel-
come these pragmatic, business-
friendly policies, " said Diane
Farrell, acting president of the
USIBC. "US companies remain
committed to being a long-term
partner in India's growth story."
USIBC said it hailed the
announcement of the insurance
composite FDI cap being lifted to
49 percent without any voting
rights restrictions as a "sea
change" indicator to the global
business community of the new
government's resolve to improve
the investment climate and create
jobs. Maintaining that any retro-
spective taxation is harmful to
India's business climate, USIBC
said the industry was eager for fur-
ther positive clarifications on this
matter to provide imperative tax
certainty for investors.
USIBC also welcomed India's
decision to lift the FDI cap in
defense from 26 to 49 percent as
an incremental step forward in bol-
stering India's defence manufactur-
ing capability while leveraging
international industrial coopera-
tion. On infrastructure, USIBC
applauded the announcements
"made on bolstering Smart City
development and public-private
partnerships in airports -- both of
which American businesses stand
ready to support with capital and
expertise".
Jaitley budget first step for
India's economic revival: USIBC
As LIRR strike looms, no deal with MTA
5 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Hicksville,
NY: To cele-
brate the 67th
Anniversary of
Indias Inde-
pendence, ID-
PUSA is organ-
izing the India
Day Parade in
Hicksville,
Long Island on
Saturday, Au-
gust 9th. Poon-
am Dhillon will
be the grand
marshal of the
parade. A Bollywood actress,
she is currently seen in a lead-
ing role in a Sony serial Ek
Nayi Pehchaan.
The Guest of Honor will be
Nassau Country Chief Execu-
tive Mr. Edward Mangano.
The parade will start from
Patel Brothers store in
Hicksville at
noon sharp.
Going North
on Broadway,
it will reach
the parking
area opposite
Asa Mai Hin-
du Temple. A
shopping ar-
cade, where
visitors can
buy various
wares and en-
joy the taste of
delectable
food, has also been planned.
Also, part of the celebrations
is an entertaining and colorful
cultural show.Several tasteful-
ly decorated floats and musi-
cal bands are attractions of the
colorful Parade.
Visit www.IDPusany.org for
more info.
New York: Ravi Venkatesan, former chair-
man of Microsoft India and currently founder
and chairman of Social Venture Partners In-
dia, a network of philanthropists addressing
social problems, has joined The Rockefeller
Foundation's Board of Trustees.
The appointment of Venkatesan, who is
also a venture partner at impact investor Uni-
tus Seed Fund, was announced Monday by
The Rockefeller Foundation, a New York
based philanthropic organization with a mis-
sion of "advancing the well-being of human-
ity." "With our commitment to catalyze new
ideas and innovations at The Rockefeller
Foundation, I am delighted to welcome Ravi
Venkatesan, a proven leader with strong busi-
ness and technology backgrounds," said
Board Chair David Rockefeller, Jr.
"His experience will be invaluable in ad-
vancing the Foundation's commitment to
scaling innovations that expand opportunity,
realize shared prosperity, and create jobs for
more people globally."
"Our century of investment in Asia has fo-
cused on addressing our dual goals of pro-
moting more inclusive economies and build-
ing greater resilience against shocks and
stresses," said Judith Rodin, President of The
Rockefeller Foundation.
"Ravi, with his commitment to philanthro-
py along with his eye for solutions and re-
lentless drive for innovation, will provide es-
sential guidance to our work in the years
ahead." "The Rockefeller Foundation's histo-
ry of supporting the ingenuity of innovators
who have transformed and improved billions
of lives of poor or vulnerable people is un-
paralleled, and I very much look forward to
contributing to its legacy," Venkatesan said.
As Chairman of Microsoft India between
2004 and 2011, Venkatesan helped build In-
dia into Microsoft's second-largest presence
in the world and one of its fastest growing
markets. He was instrumental in creating Mi-
crosoft India's Project Shiksha, a computer
literacy program which has so far trained
over 40 million school children in India.
He is also the author of an acclaimed book
"Conquering the Chaos: Win in India, Win
Everywhere," published by Harvard Business
Review.
New Jersey: A town
councilwoman and a
local clergyman are
at odds after com-
ments last month
about Edison's Oak
Tree Road neighbor-
hood, the center of
the town's Indian
population, accord-
ing to a detailed
NJ.com report.
At a Town Council
meeting June 25
about Edison's budg-
et, Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg, of the Congre-
gation Beth-El, said the local school district's
tax woes were made worse by large groups of
people living in basements along Oak Tree
Road, and students in Edison schools who
don't belong there. Oak Tree Road is widely
considered synonymous with Edison's Indian
community.
That stoked the ire of Councilwoman
Sapana Shah, who said Rosenberg was using
coded language to unfairly stigmatize South
Asians and Indians. Rosenberg said he's not a
racist and has no problem with Indians.
Here's what Rosenberg said, in discussing
an effort he and a fellow activist undertook 10
years ago: "(We) made it our business to find
out who illegals were in this town. It was real
simple. We found a lot of them in basements
on Oak Tree Road. They were illegals. ... A lot
of illegals are being thrown out? That means
there are illegals. And I can tell you they
haven't all been thrown out. And that's one of
the biggest problems that we have."
After initially hesitating, Shah, whose par-
ents are immigrants from India, responded. "I
know there was a target of illegal immigrants,
or whatever it is, on Oak Tree Road," Shah
said, without naming Rosenberg specifically.
"I hope it wasn't targeted at any ethnic group.
I know there's a lot of race relations that go on
in Edison. I've said my piece and I hope we
can all get along. I'm sure if there are illegals,
we'll track them down, but I don't think they're
targeted on Oak Tree Road."
From there, it's only escalated.
Rosenberg approached Shah after the meet-
ing, and he emphatically told her: "I'm not a
racist." In an interview later, Shah stopped
short of describing Rosenberg's remarks as
racist but said they left her "a little appalled."
"Oak Tree Road is a vibrant economic com-
munity, and you're telling me we're going to
call them something derogatory?" Shah said.
"I was just shocked it was said in a public fo-
rum. ... They vote, they pay taxes, it doesn't
mean they have to live as foreigners in their
own city."
In the days following the dust-up, Rosen-
berg, who has been a police chaplain, a town
chaplain, and a chairman of the town's human
rights commission, defended his remarks and
his history with the Indian community. In
2013, he was recognized by the South Asian
Community Outreach organization for his
work in social justice.
"I'm very sensitive when I hear anything
dealing with the word racism," said Rosen-
berg, who lost family members in the Holo-
caust. "I'm the first one to help everybody."
Rosenberg later sent Shah an email in which
he apologized and she didn't respond. That
further angered Rosenberg.
India Day Parade, Hicksville
on August 9th
Councilwoman Sapana Shah and Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg
as seen in footage of a June 25 Edison Township Council
meeting on Edison TV. (Photo: NJ.com)
Ravi Venkatesan joins Rockefeller
Foundation board
Actress Poonam Dhillon
will be the Grand
Marshal
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.
TO REGISTER, VISIT
www.GuruPoornima2014.com
Or CALL
Rakesh Bhargava (516) 484-0018,
Bharti Doshi (516) 282-4353,
Suman Kumar (201) 562-2788.
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 buses from Long Island, Queens, Edison,
Jersey City and Northern New Jersey.
Councilwoman Shah and clergyman spar
over 'illegals' in Edison's Indian community
Ravi Venkatesan, former Microsoft
India chairman and Social Venture
Partners India founder
Panagariya to be
PM Modis
economic adviser
New York: Arvind Pana-
gariya, an Indian-American
economist and a professor
at Columbia University, is
set to be appointed as eco-
nomic adviser to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi,
the Mail Today reported.
His name had been mak-
ing the rounds for the post
for some time, and an offi-
cial announcement is ex-
pected soon.
Arvind Panagariya
6 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
New York: A New York City taxi
driver was convicted July 3 of ar-
ranging two killings in Pakistan
because he was dismayed that his
daughter had left an arranged
marriage.
Mohammad Ajmal Choudhry
was so humiliated that he
arranged the honor killings of
two relatives of a man who had
helped her flee, prosecutors in
federal court in Brooklyn had al-
leged. Jurors deliberated about an
hour before delivering the verdict
in a murder conspiracy trial that
featured emotional testimony by
the daughter.
In recorded phone calls played
for the jury, Choudhry explained
to his daughter that in their cul-
ture, sons were free to come and
go, but when a daughter runs
away, parents are demeaned for-
ever.'' He warned in another
recording, If you don't come
back, there is only death.''
The defense claimed that
Choudhry, who was in Brooklyn
at the time of the killings in Pak-
istan, had no hand in them. They
say government agents coached
the daughter on how to manipu-
late her father into making empty
threats.
The daughter, Amina Ajmal,
wept when she first took the
stand as the government's star
witness. She testified that after
growing up in Brooklyn, her fa-
ther tricked her into visiting Pak-
istan so the family could force
her to marry one of her cousins
there.
He told me I was too Ameri-
canized and I needed to learn my
culture,'' she testified.
Shortly after her wedding in a
traditional ceremony in 2012, Aj-
mal asked a man she described as
her true love to help her flee. She
slipped away and flew to the
United States early last year,
where she went into hiding but
stayed in phone contact with her
father.
When Choudhry began threat-
ening to track down the man and
kill him unless she returned home
and restored the family's honor,
she agreed to let federal agents
record their phone calls.
Shortly after Ajmal learned that
the victims had been gunned
down in Pakistan, she called her
father and asked, Have you done
this?''
He responded that another per-
son killed this time and made
me part of it.'' But he also repeat-
ed the threat that he would not
leave a single member of their
family alive'' if she didn't return
home. Choudhry faces up to life
in prison when sentenced.
By Jinal Shah
A
number of competitions mir-
roring the style of critically
acclaimed business themed
TV show Shark Tank have sprung
up in the US. A new start up hub
has a Desi twist.
This contest will feature shortlisted
young desi entrepreneurs giving
short, snazzy sales pitch for their
product or idea. And if the desi
sharks like the pitch they will invest
with no strings attached! This is part
of Asian Indian Chamber of Com-
merce (AICC)s second annual fran-
chise seminar and show on Sept 21 at
NJ Convention and Expo center.
Money - $15,000, $10,000 and
$5,000 will be given to first, second
and third prize winners respectively.
This initiative was announced at the
kickoff meeting at the Indian Con-
sulate on Wednesday.
This contest is not limited to tech
firms, we encourage anyone even
foreign students with a fresh idea or
innovative product to register. Seed
money will be given on the spot and
if the business succeeds they can re-
turn the money and if not there will
be no pressure to return, said Anil
Bansal, president of AICC and
founder of Indus American Bank. He
will lend money to the top three win-
ners with no interest.
AICC will soon make available
forms for entrepreneurs that includes
questions about their business, what
stage the company is in, how much
money they themselves have invest-
ed with time frame, gross/net income
from the business, sales projects,
USP, and percentage of equity they
are willing to give in exchange.
To ensure serious parties come to
the contest, Nandani Menon, co-
chair of the event, said, We will ask
them to submit their tax returns and
also credit score.
Other than the Startup Hub, the
franchise seminar will attract com-
munity members to open franchises.
This will be the second year of such
a program. Indian Americans have
dominated the franchises business
especially in the US motel industry,
from small independent motels to
large economy franchises, and some
of the fast food chains such as
Dunkin Donuts and Subway. Ac-
cording to Menon, many Indian
American franchises are diversify-
ing, owning spas, day care centers,
restaurants, and tutoring services.
The idea behind this event is to
support the community and fulfill
the American dream of Free Enter-
prise and mentor the youth, said
Rajeev Krishna, member and co-
chair of the event. So, AICC will
bring on board franchisers, existing
franchise owners, and lending par-
ties. Consul General of India in New
York Dnyaneshwar Mulay who was
present at the event lauded the
initiative.
NYC cabbie guilty of arranging
Pakistan honor killings
Now a Desi version of Shark Tank
Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce invites fledgling
entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas
T
he Peabody Essex
Museum (PEM) is
presenting Figuring
the Abstract in Indian Art, an
installation of late 20th-cen-
tury modernist paintings and
19th-century devotional
Hindu sculptures. Moving
across time, form and func-
tion, this installation ex-
plores the concepts of figura-
tion and abstraction in the
context of Indian art. The 20
works on view are drawn
from PEM's Chester and
Davida Herwitz Collection -
- the most important holding
of 20th-century modern In-
dian art in the U.S. -- the Leo
Figiel Collection of vernacular
metal sculpture and the Tina and
Anil Ambani Collection -- one of
India's leading private collec-
tions. Figuring the Abstract in In-
dian Art is on view through mid-
2015. This installation uses tra-
ditional devotional images of
Hindu gods and goddesses as a
way to unlock concepts of the ab-
stract in Indian traditional and
modern art, says Sona Datta,
PEMs curator of Indian and
South Asian Art.
By looking at bronzes figures,
such as Shiva or the mighty war-
rior Durga, we understand that
Hinduism provides a vehicle for
ordinary mortals to access the di-
vine and the universal. This idea
is approached alternately in mod-
ern art through painters such as
Biren De, who express the essen-
tial notion of the divine through
pure abstraction.
Q
ueens Borough
President Melin-
da Katz hosted
her offices seventh an-
nual Iftar program at the
New York Hall of Sci-
ence in Flushing Mead-
ows Corona Park on
Wednesday, July 2. Katz
spoke about how proud
she is of the boroughs
diversity and the contributions of the Muslim commu-
nity to the economic, social and cultural life of Queens.
The honorees were Jehangir Khattak, senior editor of
Voices of New York; Imam Askia Muhammad, chaplain
with the New York City Department of Correction; Ta-
lat Gilani Hamdani, the mother of Salman Hamdani (an
NYPD cadet from Bayside who was killed while com-
ing to the rescue of others during the 9/11 attacks), and
Shaykh Rafeek Mohamed, principal of Al-Ihsan Acad-
emy in South Ozone Park. Biren De, You-July '70, 1970, Oil
on canvas. Peabody Essex
Museum, gift of the Chester and
Davida Herwitz Collection.
(Photo by Walter Silver.)
At the kick off meeting of AICCs annual franchise seminar at
the Consulate.
Peabody Essex Museum trains
spotlight on abstract Indian art
In the photo: City
Councilmember I.
Daneek Miller
(standing behind
Borough President
Katz) and the
events honorees
(standing with the
Borough President
in the front row).
Queens Borough President hosts Iftar program
Music album Duaa launched
O
n June 24, TV Asia organized at their New
Jersey premises, a launch event of the music
album Duaa, a compilation of a few exclusive
ghazals: two sung by the legendary Pakistani ghazal
maestro, Ghulam Ali Khan and four sung by Sadhana,
an upcoming singing talent of India. The album also
has two bonus ghazals of Ghulam Ali Khan, which
were released earlier by Times Music. Sadhana, the
singer of the album is also the co-author of the book
'Ghazal Wizard Ghulam Ali', along with Bhavesh
Sheth, both of whom are ardent fans of the maestro.
The authors transcended the boundaries of nations
and paid their tribute by putting together the life and
times of the legendary maestro, who was present to
launch the music album. The 'Foreword' is by Ustad
Zakir Hussain and the 'Introduction' by Hariharan.
The album was launched by ghazal maestro
Ghulam Ali Khan
Washington, DC: The Indian-
American community will accord
a grand reception to Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi when he trav-
els to the US in September to at-
tend the annual General Assem-
bly session in New York and a
White House meeting with US
President Barack Obama.
Leading organizers of the pro-
posed reception have been
searching for past few weeks a
venue that can accommodate be-
tween 60,000 and 80,000 people.
However, the two most desired
venues Yankee Stadium in
New York that can accommodate
over 60,000 people and Giants
Stadium in New Jersey with a
seating capacity of 80,000 are al-
ready booked for the last week of
September, when Modi would be
in the US, Bharat Barai, one of the
organizers of the event said.
While the dates of Modi's trip
are yet to be announced ofcially,
Barai said that his public recep-
tion is expected to take place on
September 28.
"Given Modi's popularity, we
are expecting thousands of people
to attend the historic reception
hosted in his honor," said Barai.
Overseas Friends of BJP's pres-
ident Chandrakant Patel said hec-
tic preparations for holding a
massive public rally of Indian di-
aspora for Modi in the New Jer-
sey/New York area is being done
at the national level.
"OFBJP is working along with
the leaders of all prominent Indi-
an and ethnic organizations local-
ly and at the national level to
make this historic event a grand
success in which about 1,00,000
people are expected to attend,"
Patel said.
Modi's trip to the US in Sep-
tember will be the rst after he
was sworn-in as the Prime Minis-
ter of India on May 26.
7 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
NRI booked for posting Goa
minister's morphed photo
in bikini on Facebook
Panaji: A US-based NRI has been
booked for allegedly posting a mor-
phed picture of Goa's PWD Minister
Sudin Dhavalikar in a bikini on social
networking site Facebook. Dhava-
likar had recently stoked a controver-
sy by saying that "wearing bikinis
should be banned on Goa's beaches."
Later, Goa Chief Minister Manohar
Parrikar had ruled out banning wear-
ing of the swimwear on the state's
beaches. An FIR was filed on Mon-
day under sections 66(B) and 67 of
the Information Technology Act, fol-
lowing a complaint by a local man,
Pradeep Bakhle against Goa born
Savio Almeida, Ponda Deputy Super-
intendent of Police Dinraj Govekar
said on Wednesday.
According to police, Almeida re-
cently posted a morphed picture of
Dhavalikar showing him in the bikini
on Facebook. "The FIR has been filed
under Information Technology Act af-
ter we received the complaint. The
case has been forwarded to seniors
who will take call on it. They might
hand it over to cyber crime cell,"
Govekar said.
New York: Dr. Krishna
Bhaskarabhatla, a West
Paterson resident, was elect-
ed as President of the Board
of Directors of the New
Jersey Academy of Family
Physicians (NJAFP) during
their Annual Summer
Celebration and Scientific
Assembly in Atlantic City.
Bhaskarabhatla will serve
as the chief elected officer,
representing the membership
and the best interests of the
NJAFP, the states largest
primary care medical socie-
ty.
He will also influence the
establishment of goals and
objectives for advancing the
cause of the family physi-
cian, according to a press
release by the NJAFP.
Bhaskarbhatla joined the
NJAFP in 2000 and became a
Board of Directors member in
2007. Board certified in family
medicine, he has been a physician
in family practice in New Jersey for
more than 18 years. He currently
practices at Surya Health Center in
Woodland Park with his
wife, Kausalya
Chennapragada, M.D.
Outside of that,
Bhaskarabhatla serves as
associate program director
of the family medicine res-
idency at Saint Josephs
Regional Medical Center
in Paterson and holds fac-
ulty appointments at
Mount Sinai Hospital in
Manhattan and New York
Medical Center in Valhalla,
New York.
During the annual cele-
bration, NJAFP also
announced the officers
elected to its Board of
Directors, including
President-Elect Robert T.
Gorman, Verona; Vice-
President Adity
Bhattacharyya, Edison;
Treasurer Peter Carrazzone, North
Haledon; Secretary Lauren Carruth,
Galloway.
Grand welcome awaits
PM Modi in US
Washington, DC: Taking
benet of the slump in the
American housing market,
Indians spent $5.8 billion in
FY 2014 to purchase real es-
tate in that country, a latest
report has said.
China tops the list of for-
eign nationals with $22 bil-
lion in real estate investment
for the one year period end-
ed March 2014, the Nation-
al Association of Realtors
said. China is followed by
Canada ($13.8 billion); In-
dia and Britain with $ 5.8
billion each and Mexico
($4.5 billion), it said.
According to the report,
buyers from India are locat-
ing in urbanized areas and
states that are home to IT
companies such as Califor-
nia, New York and North
Carolina.
The median price was
$342,857 and the mean
price was $459,028. In con-
trast to other buyers, only 23
per cent were all cash sales.
Indians mostly purchased
single family detached
homes but about six per cent
bought for
commercial/rental use. The
properties were mostly in
the suburban area and in-
tended for residential and
longer-term use, the report
said. Los Angeles, Las Ve-
gas, Chicago, Dallas, and
New York were the ve
markets of greatest interest
to potential Indian buyers,
the report said. The dollar
volume of residential pur-
chases by residents and non-
residents is estimated at $92
billion for the 12 months
ended March 2014, a 35 per
cent growth from the previ-
ous year. This accounts for
approximately seven per
cent of total existing home
sales of about $1.2 trillion
over the same period.
Indians bought US real estate
worth $ 5.8 billion in FY'14
Washington, DC: A top US diplo-
mat is headed to India to prepare
the ground for their strategic dia-
logue ahead of the first summit
meeting between President Barack
Obama and Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi to reset India-US ties.
Deputy Secretary of William J.
Burns "will be the highest-level
Administration official to visit
since the inauguration of the new
Indian Government" headed by
Modi, who for long had been per-
sona non grata in Washington be-
fore his "resounding" electoral vic-
tory in May.
Burns, who will be in India July
10-11, "will discuss the full range
of bilateral issues - including eco-
nomic, energy, and security cooper-
ation - with senior Indian officials,"
a State Department announcement
said Tuesday.
"This trip is an opportunity to fur-
ther strengthen and deepen this im-
portant bilateral relationship," it
said. Burn's trip to New Delhi is ex-
pected to be followed by a visit of
US Secretary of State John Kerry
later this month for the India-US
Strategic Dialogue with the Exter-
nal Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
although it's Washington's turn to
host it. Reflecting bipartisan sup-
port for stronger India-US ties,
John McCain, Republican senator
and Obama's rival in the 2008 pres-
idential election, who visited India
earlier this month also conveyed to
Modi Washington's keen desire to
work with him.
Deputy Secretary
William J Burns
Dr.Krishna Bhasrabhatla
Top US diplomat headed to India
ahead of strategic dialogue
Bhaskarabhatla elected President of
Physicians Academy
8 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
New York: In a latest scam targeting the In-
dian American community, temporary for-
eign workers from India and elsewhere are
receiving calls from scammers pretending to
be the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Service agents, who then demand thousands
of dollars for alleged discrepancies in their
processed visas, India-West, an Indian
American publication reported.
The calls come from 911, an emergency
service number and the callers already have
a great deal of information about their in-
tended victims, including passport and visa
control numbers and dates of expiration.
In one such incident, reported on the
h1bwiki.com blog, Prakash who did not
use his last name said he was defrauded
out of $4,500 by phony agents who eventu-
ally showed up at his door.
The incident began when Prakash picked
up a 911 call and was connected to a Sgt.
Kevin, purportedly of the U.S. Marshalls
office. It took us a while to track you but
you are under continuous surveillance now.
You have provided wrong information to
USCIS and there has been an arrest warrant
in your name, stated Sgt. Kevin, according
to the blog post.
When Prakash asked what he had done
wrong, he was told he incorrectly filled out
his I-94 form at his port of entry in the U.S.
He was then advised to go home and resolve
the matter immediately with the USCIS,
who would be calling him.
Once home, according to the blog,
Prakash received a call from an 800 number,
which exactly matched USCIS contact us
number. He was asked to give a lot of de-
tails, such as when he entered the U.S., his
address, and his social security number.
After about 40 minutes of grilling, the
scam caller said there appeared to be a hu-
man error and that USCIS would quash the
arrest order against him.
A senior official then came on the line, and
said Prakash must leave the U.S. to get a
missing A number stamped on his visa.
Prakash asked if he could do this while in
the U.S., and the officer readily agreed, say-
ing he must submit a $4,500 deposit and a
penalty of $300. The officer told him to get
Valpak cards worth $4,800 and said officers
would stop by later to collect the sum owed,
said the blog post.
Prakash said the scamsters came by short-
ly after to collect the funds and told him that
confirmation e-mails would be mailed to
him immediately.
When he did not receive the confirmation,
Prakash got suspicious and called local po-
lice, who said there was no trace number on
the Valpak card, therefore, they could do lit-
tle to investigate. The officer noted that
Prakash was the third victim over the past
10 days.
We are aware of this caller ID phone
scam. People are being threatened with de-
portation, USCIS spokeswoman Joanne
Ferreira told India-West.
The agency has been involved in a multi-
year investigation with the Federal Trade
Commission, said Ferreira, declining to
state if the FBI or international law enforce-
ment was also involved.
If confronted with such calls, Ferreiras
advice was to hang up immediately. Never
provide personal or payment information
over the phone, she stated, adding that such
calls should immediately be reported to the
FTC and local police.
The USCIS will never ask for payment
over the phone. We do not make threatening
calls, she said, adding: The immigrant
community should not fear the USCIS.
Washington, DC: Nagi
Naganathan, an alumnus
of the National Institute of
Technology at Tiruchirap-
palli in Tamil Nadu, has
been appointed interim
president of the Universi-
ty of Toledo, a public re-
search university in Ohio.
A member of the Toledo
faculty since 1986, Na-
ganathan who had led the
College of Engineering as
dean since May 2003 as-
sumed his new position on
July 1.
Under his leadership,
the College of Engineer-
ing has achieved record
high student enrollments, registering an in-
crease in the undergraduate enrolment
every fall semester for the last eight aca-
demic years, a university announcement
said.
Naganathan also has worked to elevate
the college's mandatory co-operative expe-
rience program- one of only eight in the US
- exceeding 15,000 placements in part-
nership with more than
1,600 employers in more
than 40 states in the US
and in more than 30 for-
eign countries.
He created the Engineer-
ing Leadership Institute
with philanthropic support
from Roy and Marcia
Armes, CEO of Cooper
Tire & Rubber Company
and a 1975 UT mechanical
engineering graduate, to
provide leadership oppor-
tunities for students.
Naganathan's interest in
collaborations lead to new
joint degree programs
with the College of Busi-
ness and Innovation and College of Medi-
cine and Life Sciences in the areas of in-
formation technology and biomedical engi-
neering.
The college has grown under Na-
ganathan's tenure with the addition of the
Nitschke Technology Commercialization
Complex and the Thomas and Elizabeth
Brady Engineering Innovation Centre.
New York: An Indian-American man has
been jailed for six months on charges of tax
fraud in the US, a media report said.
Ashvin Desai, a resident of Silicon Valley in
California, was sentenced Tuesday to six
months imprisonment and six months and one
day of home confinement for hiding the mon-
ey in foreign bank accounts, Imperial Valley
News reported Tuesday citing the Justice De-
partment and Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
A jury convicted Desai, a medical device
manufacturer, in October last year of failing to
report his family's foreign bank accounts to
the government on tax returns and other fed-
eral records.
The jury also found that Desai failed to dis-
close more than $1.2 million income generat-
ed through interest by these accounts between
2007 and 2009.
Prior to the sentencing, Desai filed with the
court a document indicating that the IRS has
assessed and demanded payment of a penalty
from him for $14 million, the report said.
According to evidence presented in court,
Desai controlled several foreign bank ac-
counts at HSBC in India and Dubai, including
accounts held in the name of his wife and chil-
dren. Desai invested the funds in these ac-
counts in certificates of deposit, which earned
interest at rates as high as 9 percent.
Desai funded these accounts by mailing
checks from the US and by transferring mon-
ey from other undeclared bank accounts in
Singapore and Britain to his family's accounts
in India.
Desai also sold medical devices abroad and
directed that his customers wire funds direct-
ly to his undeclared HSBC India account.
Between 2007 and 2009, Desai paid ap-
proximately $17,000 in taxes but he addition-
ally owed over $300,000 in taxes to the IRS
on his unreported interest income.
Evidence at trial also demonstrated the steps
Desai took to conceal his family's foreign ac-
counts from the government.
In addition to failing to report his accounts
on tax returns, Desai also directed the bank
not to mail bank statements to his house.
Indian-American jailed for
tax fraud in US
Phony USCIS agents target
H-1B workers
Nagi Naganathan is interim
president of US varsity
Dr Nagi Naganathan
By Arun Kumar
Washington: Citing resource constraints, the
New York Times has dropped its special "In-
dia Ink" section providing in-depth coverage
of "The World's largest Democracy at a
Crossroads" after a 3-year run.
The Times though painted it only as a
'change of address saying "that kind of speci-
ficity is no longer the way The Times wants
to direct its resources" with a commentator
suggesting it "was part of a bigger strategy
that will end about half of The Times' blogs."
"We're Moving" announced the Times June
30 in the India Ink section saying, "From now
on, you will find us at a new address: ny-
times.com/world."
"We will continue to produce web-only In-
dia Ink sketches, analyses, narratives and
news stories, but they will appear on the
World page, along with the rest of the news-
paper's coverage," it promised.
But for now the Times is retaining its
"Sinosphere" page which it patterned on In-
dia Ink.
In "The Public Editor's comments" Mar-
garet Sullivan recalled that "When The Times
launched its India Ink blog in September
2011, it noted that this was the paper's 'first-
ever country-specific site for news, informa-
tion, culture and conversation.'"
An Indian American reader, named KC,
lamented: "India Ink was the ONLY space
that got stories about my home country right.
This is hugely disappointing."
Another US newspaper, the New York Dai-
ly News shut down its India/South Asia sec-
tion named 'Desi News' late last year after a
nearly two-year experiment.
But The Wall Street Journal is continuing
with its India Real Time page with a lot more
content.
Meanwhile, two other Internet publica-
tions, Huffington Post and Quartz, a venture
of Atlantic Media, have started special India
sections.
INDIA-US 9 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Mumbai: RBI has said India and the US
have agreed to implement a foreign tax
compliance law and asked banks and finan-
cial institutions to register by this year-end
to report accounts and assets held by US cit-
izens.
India and the US have agreed to imple-
ment Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act
(FATCA), a US law that targets tax non-
compliance by US taxpayers with foreign
accounts. The Inter-Governmental Agree-
ment (IGA) on FATCA, which came into ef-
fect on April 11, will be signed only after
Cabinet approval.
"Indian Financial Institutions would have
time up to December 31, 2014, to register
with US authorities and obtain a Global In-
termediary Identification Number (GIIN),"
the RBI said in a notification.
FATCA mandates reporting by US taxpay-
ers about certain financial accounts and off-
shore assets and reporting by foreign finan-
cial institutions about accounts held by US
taxpayers or foreign entities in which US
taxpayers hold a substantial ownership in-
terest.
Indian financial institutions with overseas
branches have time until December 31 to
register. However, they should register for
GIIN only when the formal IGA is signed
after cabinet approval, the RBI added, say-
ing this would be communicated to them.
Financial entities with overseas branches
in a jurisdiction that does not have IGA but
allows them to register as foreign financial
institutions (FFI) should do so with the US
authorities before July 1, 2014, to avoid po-
tential withholding under FATCA.
New York: Hookah is fast be-
coming a popular alternative
to cigarettes among American
teens, with one in five high
school seniors admitting to
have tried hookah smoking,
according to a new study.
While cigarette use is sharply
declining among youth, evi-
dence indicates that American
adolescents are turning to eth-
nically-linked and other alter-
native tobacco products, such
as hookahs, cigars and various
smokeless tobacco products,
according to a report from the Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention. Researchers found
that those of higher socioeconomic status are
more likely to use the hookah.
The survey was conducted in 130 public and pri-
vate schools throughout 48
states in the US. Roughly
15,000 high school seniors
are assessed annually.
The researchers found those
students who smoked ciga-
rettes, and those who had
used alcohol or marijuana
were more likely to use
hookah. "Tobacco use and ex-
posure to secondhand smoke
are the leading preventable
causes of morbidity and mor-
tality in the US," said study
co-author Michael Weitzman.
"Cigarette use has decreased by 33 per cent in
the past decade in the US, while the use of al-
ternative tobacco products such as hookahs has
increased an alarming 123 per cent, he said.
The study is published in the journal Pediatrics.
Washington: Amid calls for expanding the
nation's so-called H-1B visa program, there is
growing pushback from Americans who ar-
gue the program has been hijacked by staffing
companies that import cheaper, lower-level
workers to replace more expensive US em-
ployees or keep them from getting hired in
the first place.
"It's getting pretty frustrating when you
can't compete on salary for a skilled job," said
Rich Hajinlian, a veteran computer program-
mer from the Boston area. "You hear refer-
ences all the time that these big companies ...
can't find skilled workers. I am a skilled
worker."
Hajinlian, 56, who develops his own web
applications on the side, said he applied for a
job in April through a headhunter and that the
potential client appeared interested, schedul-
ing a longer interview. Then, said Hajinlian,
the headhunter called back and said the client
had gone with an H-1B worker whose annu-
al salary was about $10,000 less. "I didn't
even get a chance to negotiate down," he said.
The H-1B programme allows employers to
temporarily hire workers in specialty occupa-
tions. The government issues up to 85,000 H-
1B visas to businesses every year, and recip-
ients can stay up to six years. Although no
one tracks exactly how many H-1B holders
are in the US, experts estimate there are at
least 600,000 at any one time. Skilled guest
workers can also come in on other types of
visas.
An immigration bill passed in the US Sen-
ate last year would have increased the num-
ber of annually available H-1B visas to
180,000 while raising fees and increasing
oversight, although language was removed
that would have required all companies to
consider qualified US workers before foreign
workers are hired. The House of Representa-
tives never acted on the measure. With immi-
gration reform considered dead this year in
Congress, President Obama last week de-
clared he will use executive actions to address
some changes. It is not known whether the H-
1B program will be on the agenda.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is among
the high-profile executives pushing for more
H-1Bs. The argument has long been that there
aren't enough qualified American workers to
fill certain jobs, especially in science, engi-
neering and technology. Advocates also assert
that some visa holders will stay and become
entrepreneurs.
Critics say there is no across-the-board
shortage of American tech workers, and that
if there were, wages would be rising rapidly.
Instead, wage gains for software developers
have been modest, while wages have fallen
for programmers.
The top users of H-1B visas aren't even tech
companies like Google and Facebook. Eight
of the 10 biggest H-1B users last year were
outsourcing firms that hire out thousands of
mostly lower- and mid-level tech workers to
corporate clients, according to an analysis of
federal data by Ron Hira, an associate profes-
sor of public policy at Rochester Institute of
Technology. The top 10 firms accounted for
about a third of the H-1Bs allotted last year.
Corporate Office: 385 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385
718.821.3182, www.AtlanticDialysis.Com
Backlash stirs in US against H-1B visas
New York Times drops India Ink
US teens now get hooked on hookah
India to implement US foreign tax
compliance act: RBI
Chicago: Chicago' s police
superintendent lashed out at
what he called lax state and
federal gun laws after a violent
Fourth of July weekend that
saw 11 deaths in dozens of
shooting incidents in a city
already known for frequent
shootings.
"There's a greater sanction
for the gang members to lose
that firearm from their gang
than there is to go to jail" for
illegal gun possession,
Chicago police Superintendent
Garry McCarthy said after
reciting the criminal histories
of several of the suspects in
this weekend' s violence.
Among the suspects: a man
wanted in connection with a
murder who has 21 prior
arrests.
The incidents include eight
times in which police fired
guns at suspects or were fired
on, McCarthy told reporters.
In two of those incidents,
police shot and killed the sus-
pects, both of whom were 16.
McCarthy said the violence
unraveled a string of successes
by police in suppressing gun
violence this year. The city
saw 24 shooting incidents on
Sunday alone, he said,
although three of them may
have been self-inflicted.
In 2013, 12 people died and
75 were injured during the
four-day Independence Day
holiday, according to CNN
affiliate WLS.
The holiday shootings fol-
low a week in which Chicago
had 52 shooting incidents,
according to Police
Department statistics. This
year, as of June 29, Chicago
police had recorded 880 shoot-
ing incidents, an average of
nearly five a day.
McCarthy said police will
continue a summer program to
flood high-violence areas with
police, but he said that without
stronger gun laws, police will
continue to face an uphill bat-
tle.
"There' s too many guns
coming in and too little pun-
ishment going out," he said.
Brooklyn wont
prosecute low-level
pot offenses
New York: Many of the thousands of people
arrested on low-level marijuana possession
charges in Brooklyn will likely get the cases
dropped before even having to go to court,
District Attorney Kenneth Thompson
announced Tuesday in a novel move to
address the heavy toll of pot arrests in the
nations largest city.
Many such cases have historically gotten
dismissed anyway. But Thompsons new poli-
cy marks a departure by nixing the cases
upfront, sparing arrestees time in custody and
court and sending a message that a DA is
pushing forward a public discussion of
pulling back from a spike in marijuana arrests
citywide in recent decades. Given that these
cases are ultimately and predictably
dismissed, the burdens that they pose on the
system and the individual are difficult to jus-
tify, he said. We are pouring money into an
endeavor that produces no public safety
benefit.
Critics of the arrests have long made that
argument, and some of the citys four other
DAs have also expressed reservations. The
Bronx and Manhattan DAs have backed leg-
islative proposals to ease the bottom-tier pot
possession law.
US AFFAIRS 10 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Washington: The White House on
Tuesday formally requested $3.7
billion in emergency funding from
Congress to deal with an influx of
Central American minors along the
southern border. But the proposal
was quickly met with broad skepti-
cism among Republican lawmak-
ers, who were doubtful that the
package would be approved quick-
ly if at all.
Administration officials said the
request is part of a comprehensive
strategy aimed at building more de-
tention centers, adding immigration
judges, and beefing up border pa-
trols and air surveillance. President
Obama has said he hopes such steps
will both speed deportations and
discourage adults from sending
children on a dangerous, sometimes
deadly, trip north.
But GOP leaders who have
called on Obama to take stronger
action said they were reluctant to
give the administration a blank
check without more detailed plans
to ensure that the money would help
stem the crisis at the border.
The uncertainty on Capitol Hill
casts doubt on whether the adminis-
tration can mount a successful re-
sponse to a surge of tens of thou-
sands of unaccompanied children
who have overwhelmed Border Pa-
trol stations in recent months.
More than 52,000 unaccompa-
nied minors and 39,000 women
with children have been apprehend-
ed on the southern border this year,
far more than in past years. Most
have come from Guatemala, El Sal-
vador and Honduras; those coun-
tries would receive funding under
Obamas proposal to help repatriate
their citizens after they are returned
home.
The request comes just days after
Obama announced that he was giv-
ing up on a year-long effort to per-
suade House Republicans to sup-
port a comprehensive immigration
bill. The president said he would
take executive actions to reform
border-control laws on his own a
declaration that angered the GOP.
White House Press Secretary Josh
Earnest said Monday that "most"
unaccompanied minors attempting
to enter the United States on the
southern border will likely not qual-
ify for humanitarian relief and will
be deported.
Washington: So President Obama
is going to back Sen. Elizabeth
Warren for the 2016 Democratic
nomination, not ex-Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton. Thats what a
piece in The New York Post
claimed Monday. Author Ed Klein
claims that Obama is worried that
Mrs. Clinton, if she becomes presi-
dent, would undo and undermine
many of his (Obamas) policies.
Also, theres no love lost between
Obama and Bill Clinton, according
to Mr. Klein.
Obama is keeping mum on this
decision for now but will reveal it
in the fullness of time, when it can
do the most good, which will be
sometime after the midterm elec-
tions, say sources quoted in this
piece. Big, if true. But most likely
not true, so smaller. OK, almost
certainly untrue, so tiny, but inter-
esting to look at and check for flaws
in logic. Klein has got a book out at
the moment called Blood Feud,"
which takes as its thesis that the
Clinton and Obama families hate
each other. Some reviewers have
noted that it is thinly sourced and
contains wooden dialogue. The
mainstream media have been reluc-
tant to take it at face value.
Moreover, if Obama dislikes
Clinton so much, why did he make
her secretary of State? That makes
it look like he, you know, trusted
her judgment or something.
"Blame weak gun laws for 4th July
holiday violence in Chicago"
White House requests $3.7 billion to
handle border influx
President Obama met Texas Governor Rick Perry during his
visit to the state regarding unaccompanied children coming
illegally from Central America.
Elizabeth
Warren
would make
a better
guardian of
the Obama
legacy than
Hillary
Clinton. So
runs the
argument.
Elizabeth Warren: Is she really
Obama's 2016 choice?
Washington:
Sen. Rand Paul
narrowly leads a
tight 2016
Republican
presidential
field, while
Hillary Clinton
remains com-
fortably ahead
among Democrats, a new poll
says. Clinton received 58 percent
of the vote in the poll compared
to Paul's 11 percent. | According
to a Quinnipiac University poll
released Tuesday, the Kentucky
senator leads the way among
national Republican voters with
11 percent of the vote in a poten-
tial 2016 GOP primary. New
Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, for-
mer Arkansas Gov. Mike
Huckabee and former Florida
Gov. Jeb Bush all tied for second
with 10 percent of the vote.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker,
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and 2012
vice presidential nominee
Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan all
pulled in 8 percent of the vote.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio
received 6 percent.
Twenty percent of Republican
voters remain undecided, under-
scoring a 2016 GOP presidential
field with a lot of potential can-
didates but no clear favorite.
Democrats, on the other hand,
still have a clear front-runner in
former Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, who received 58 percent
of the vote in a potential
Democratic primary. Sen.
Elizabeth Warren came in a dis-
tant second with 11 percent of
the vote, Vice President Joe
Biden received 9 percent and
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
got 4 percent. Warren has said
repeatedly that she isnt running
for president, though she has
received considerable support
from some in the liberal wing of
the party. Clinton also performed
well in head-to-head matchups
with many Republican candi-
dates. In one-on-one matchups,
voters preferred her to Christie,
Paul, Huckabee, Bush and Ryan
by anywhere from 7 to 9 percent-
age points. Clinton maintains a
clear advantage among women,
who gave her at least a 16-point
edge in each of those matchups.
Poll: Hillary Clinton ahead,
Rand Paul leads GOP
INDIA
New Delhi : Tax payers could save on their
salaries and consumer goods like TVs, soap,
footwear, processed food and computers will
cost less as the Rs.18-lakh crore ($300-bil-
lion) maiden budget of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's government promised to
arrest price rise, boost investor mood, cut
expenditure and restore India's growth to 7-8
percent in three years.
During a 128-minute speech in the Lok
Sabha by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, with
a five-minute break allowed by Speaker
Sumitra Mahajan upon his request due to
momentary discomfort, a host of other pro-
posals, both welfare schemes and reformist
policy measures, were also unveiled that
were aimed at a wide range of stakeholders -
- from the girl child to senior citizens and
overseas investors to the defence forces.
At the same time, he accepted as a chal-
lenge -- given the state of the flagging econ-
omy and rising prices -- the task to cut fiscal
deficit, which indicates the extent to which
the government overspends, to 4.1 percent of
GDP for this fiscal, and further to 3.6 percent
and 3 percent over the next two years.
As high expectations ran high from the
first budget of the Modi government, after
having been voted to power with a landslide
victory mainly on promises of "happy days"
for India's 1.2 billion people, Jaitley also
made it clear that putting the Indian econo-
my back on rails remained a daunting task
needing more than one dose of corrective
action.
"The steps that I will announce in this
budget are only the beginning of a journey
towards a sustained growth of 7-8 percent or
above within the next 3-4 years along with
macro-economic stabilisation," the finance
minister said.
"Therefore, it would not be wise to expect
everything that can be done or must be done
to be in the first budget presented within 45
days of the formation of this government,"
he added, setting the agenda for his speech.
"We are going in the right direction to
overcome challenges faced in the last
decade," echoed Modi while congratulating
Jaitley for the budget in which he provided a
"new ray of hope for the poor and downtrod-
den sections of society."
It was also in line with the "government's
vision to create a skilled and digital India,"
the prime minister said.
One of the most appealing proposals for
the average tax payer was the hike in the
exemption limit for individuals below 60
years to Rs.250,000, and Rs.300,000 for sen-
ior citizens. Deductions under various heads
such as investments in insurance, pension
and house rent were also proposed to be
raised by Rs.50,000 to Rs.150,000.
Farmers will also stand to gain largely with
Jaitley's proposal for an integrated national
market for agro-produce that will enable
them to sell their crops directly to consumers
and earn better prices. The subsidies to them,
notably for soil nutrients, have also been
enhanced.
For industry, he assured that the pan-India
goods and services tax will be introduced by
the year-end and a fresh view taken on the
direct tax code. Retrospective tax, which cre-
ates liabilities not planned for and has been a
matter of much concern for both domestic
and overseas investors, will not be imposed
at random. Customs duties and excise rates
were also rationalised for a host of sectors.
He also sought to remove the perception of
policy inaction and a freeze on economic
reforms by hiking foreign equity in insur-
ance and defence equipment to 49 percent
from 26 percent, but left for later the much-
promised overhaul of the subsidy regime
after constituting an expenditure manage-
ment commission and getting its recommen-
dations.
In his speech, Jaitley also touched upon
areas which few finance ministers in the past
have done. Such proposals included new
schemes for conservation of sacred rivers, a
sports university in Manipur, welfare fund
for migrants from Kashmir, conservation of
the Himalayas, support for organic farming
and a 24X7 channel for northeast and pro-
tecting the heritage of the Andaman and
Nicobar islands.
He also promised at least four institutions
modeled on the premier All India Institute
for Medical Sciences and Indian Institutes of
Management, and said the union government
will look positively at every similar proposal
forwarded by states.
For the defence forces, he said the alloca-
tion was being raised by about 12 percent to
Rs.229,000 crore (nearly $40 billion),
besides Rs.5,000 crore ($830 million) for the
modernisation of the 1.2 million-strong
armed forces.
Other proposals, with enhanced monetary
allocations, covered areas like education,
urban renewal, transportation, malnutrition,
minorities, infrastructure, food security, cap-
ital markets, banking, insurance, state-run
enterprises, tourism, war and police memori-
als, interlinking of rivers, space, sports and
bio-tech.
As Jaitley was unveiling his proposals, the
stock markets swung both ways with a key
index gaining more than 300 points at one
point, then falling by some 250 points,
before closing with an overall loss of around
70 points or 0.25 percent.
Industry, nevertheless, welcomed the pro-
posals and said it laid down the requisite
ground for a medium-term course correction
to revive the Indian economy.
New Delhi: With the government putting
strong emphasis on job creation, experts
said on Thursday measures proposed in
the Union budget can help create 5-8 mil-
lion jobs in next 3-4 years across various
sectors.
"India today needs a boost for job cre-
ation. Our manufacturing sector in partic-
ular needs a push for job creation,"
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.
Human resource experts welcomed the
budget and believe the sectors that are
likely to see an immediate job creation
are infrastructure, transport, power, con-
sumer goods, e-commerce, startups and
tourism.
"The early indications looks like this
budget is pro-reforms and growth focused
with a clear long-term strategy for getting
back the growth momentum. I expect the
budget to have a positive impact on the
job market, " leading job portal
Naukri.com executive VP and national
head sales V Suresh said.
Jaitley further said growth in infrastruc-
ture and construction sectors is necessary
to revive the economy and generate jobs
for millions of our young boys and girls.
Manufacturing sector is of paramount
importance for the growth of our econo-
my and this sector has multiplier effect on
creation of jobs and announced various
incentives to facilitate investments in the
sector, Jaitley added.
"We believe the budget has addressed a
lot of areas that ushers well for the job
market. We expect that the new budget
will help in the creation of 5-8 million
jobs across sectors," Kelly Services India
& Malaysia MD Kamal Karanth said.
"In budget there has been a boost to the
social sector, raised FDI in defense, up
gradation of railway system and
Infrastructure and this will create large
pool of the job opportunity across varios
sectors as most of these sectors will have
interconnected co-relation with other
industries," leading search organization
GlobalHunt MD Sunil Goel said.
Goel further said these limited reforms
should create more than 5 lakh job across
the country in next 1-2 years.
The government announced the launch
of a national multi-skill programme --
'Skill India', that will skill the youth with
an emphasis on employability and entre-
preneurship.
The skill-development and start-up pro-
gramme for rural youth will not only reap
benefits of demographic dividend but
also boost inclusive growth, " Egon
Zehnder Consultant Pallavi Kathuria said.
Moreover, employment exchanges will
be transformed into career centres and in
addition for providing information about
job availability.
For the defence forces, the allocation
has been raised by about 12 percent to
Rs.229,000 crore
Human resource experts welcomed the budget
11 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Finance minister
makes it clear that
putting the Indian
economy back on rails
remains a daunting
task needing more
than one dose of
corrective action
Modi regime's first budget promises growth
Govt move can create 5-8 million jobs: Experts
12 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee
slammed the union budget 2014-
15, saying the Narendra Modi-led
government has "become a govern-
ment of the FDI, by the FDI and or
the FDI". Presenting his maiden
union budget, Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley said the government
has decided to increase the FDI in
insurance sector to 49 percent from
the current 26 percent while the
FDI in defence sector also was
raised to 49 percent from 26 per-
cent.
"We heard about a strong and
vibrant India before the govern-
ment came to power. We thought
that it will be delivered to provide
good governance," Banerjee said in
her official Facebook page.
"But from the beginning, we are
getting disappointed. Only one
positive sign of the new govern-
ment is established in two budgets
that they have become a govern-
ment of the FDI, by the FDI and
for the FDI," she said.
"Already, there is FDI in the
retail. Now FDI is increased to 49
percent in defense, and insurance
sectors. In addition, disinvestment
in banking sector is up to 49 per-
cent. All these will adversely affect
the people of the country,"she said.
Banerjee said the allocation of "a
meagre" Rs.100 crore for "Beti
bachao, beti padhao" programme is
a "mockery".
Banerjee also criticized the
denial of share to West Bengal in
the six new textile clusters to be set
up with allocation of Rs.200 crore.
She said the new government is
"functioning with a political
vendetta" and the budget lacks
vision.
INDIA
New Delhi: It was a day of a few
firsts for Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley who did not appear to be
in his elements, apparently due to
a backache. Jaitley presented his
maiden budget Thursday - also
the first budget of new NDA gov-
ernment - and he became the first
minister in recent memory to read
out most part of his speech sitting
down.
Wearing a canary yellow Nehru
jacket on a white kurta, Jaitley,
61, began his speech by talking
about the BJP-led National
Democratic Alliance success in
the Lok Sabha elections and
"exasperation of people with the
status-quo."
Unlike some of his predeces-
sors who have laced their speech
with poetry, couplets and witti-
cism, Jaitley's speech was plain-
speaking. There was modulation
in his voice but the delivery did
not appear to be of a level nor-
mally associated with the
Bharatiya Janata Party leader.
Almost 45 minutes into his
speech as opposition members
began to protest some proposals
in the budget speech, a visibly
strained Jaitley urged Speaker
Sumitra Mahajan if there could
be a five-minute break.
The unprecedented request was
acceded to and some BJP mem-
bers, including those from oppo-
sition, came to Jaitley to inquire
about his health. Among those
who came to Jaitley were union
ministers Nirmala Sitharaman
and Uma Bharati and Congress
leader Jyotiraditya Scindia. A vis-
ibly-concerned Home Minister
Rajnath Singh urged him to relax.
Jaitley could be heard thanking
the members for their concern
and telling them about a back-
ache. He also sent a written
request to Sumitra Mahajan.
After the house proceedings
resumed, the Speaker said that
Jaitley could sit and read out his
speech.
Jaitley, who was in the front
row flanked by party leaders L.
K. Advani, Sushma Swaraj and
Rajnath Singh, appeared more
comfortable reading the speech
while sitting.
Some of the budget proposals
were welcomed by thumping of
desks by the treasury benches.
Jaitley sought to put the budget
speech in context by outlining the
approach and philosophy of the
National Democtatic Alliance
government which assumed
office in May.
"As Finance Minister I am duty
bound to usher in a policy regime
that will result in the desired
macro-economic outcome of
higher growth, lower inflation,
sustained level of external sector
balance and a prudent policy
stance. The budget is the most
comprehensive action plan in this
regard," he said.
Jaitley also took veiled digs at
the rule of previous United
Progressive Alliance government
at the beginning of his speech.
"The country is in no mood to
suffer unemployment, inadequate
basic amenities, lack of infra-
structure and apathetic gover-
nance," he said.
Unlike some of his predecessors who have laced their speech
with poetry, couplets and witticism, Arun Jaitley's speech
was plainspeaking.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
Jaitley's maiden budget speech - amid a small break
NDA government of FDI, by FDI, for FDI: Mamata
Budget doesn't reflect
common man's aspirations:
opposition
New Delhi: Opposition parties
criticized the union budget,
saying it did not reflect the
aspirations of the common
man.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
presented his maiden budget
Thursday.
"The budget does not reflect
the aspiration of the common
man. Most of the announce-
ments are ministry pro-
grammes, which the finance
minister is announcing
encroaching upon their
domain, " Congress leader
Veerappa Moily said.
Congress leader Shashi
Tharoor said it lacked direction.
"There is no policy direction
in the budget. There are no
clear measures to improve rev-
enue deficit," Tharoor said.
Nationalist Congress Party
chief Sharad Pawar termed the
budget disappointing.
"The announcements made in
the budget are only a bouquet
of words. There are no real
measures," said Pawar.
Samajwadi Party general sec-
retary Ram Gopal Yadav said:
"It is a budget for the rich capi-
talists, not for the poor."
Concurred D. Raja of the
Communist Party of India
(CPI), who said it is a budget
for the corporate.
"It is a budget for corporates
and not for the common man.
There is no substantial increase
in the allocations for rural and
social sectors schemes in it,"
Raja said.
Budget highlights
New Delhi: The following
are the highlights of the
general budget for 2014-15
presented by Fi nance
Minister Arun Jaitley in the
Lok Sabha:
Total expenditure in 2014-
15 estimated at Rs.17,97,892
crore; plan expenditure estimated
at Rs.12,19,892 crore
Budget will lay down steps
aimed at 7-8 percent growth in
next few years; aim is "Sub ke
saath, sub ka vikas" (With every-
one, For everyone's development)
Government committed to
achieve fiscal deficit of 4.1 per-
cent in 2014-15, 3 percent by
2015-16 and 2 percent by 2016-
17
Defense allocated
Rs.229,000 crore; modernization
gets Rs.5,000 crore over and
above interim budget
FDI in defense sector
raised to 49 percent from 26 per-
cent
Allocation of Rs.2.037
crore for creating integrated
Ganga conservation mission
Six more textile clusters to
be set up with allocation of
Rs.200 crore
E-visas to be introduced at
nine airports
Five new tourist circuits to
be established; Rs.500 crore to be
allocated for this
Thirteen more airports to
get 24x7 customs facilities
Government committed to
implement GST at the earliest;
issues raised by states to be
resolved
Development of industrial
corridors with emphasis on smart
cities linked to transport connec-
tivity
Skill India to be launched
to train the youth with emphasis
on employability and entrepre-
neur skills
FDI limit in insurance sec-
tor raised to 49 percent
Allocation of Rs.500 crore
for 5 more IITs and 5 more IIMs
All states to get AIIMS like
institutions
Allocation of Rs.100 crore
to promote good governance
13 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA
New Delhi: After weeks of specu-
lation, Amit Shah, a Narendra
Modi loyalist who scripted the
BJP's spectacular electoral win in
Uttar Pradesh, was named its new
president, with party leaders voic-
ing confidence that he will take the
ruling party to greater success.
Prime Minister Modi, who
counts the 49-year-old Ahmedabad
businessman amongst his closest
confidants, said Shah's elevation
would help the Bharatiya Janata
Party further expand its influence
across the country.
Referring to him as "Amit Bhai",
Modi said the former minister of
state for home in Gujarat took to
politics "as an ordinary 'karyakar-
ta' and has repeatedly proven him-
self through tireless hard work and
determination".
Shah, a party general secretary
before his new appointment, suc-
ceeds Rajnath Singh, the home
minister in Modi's government
who made the widely anticipated
announcement about Shah after a
meeting of the BJP's parliamentary
board.
Once this was done, a beaming
Shah accepted sweets and bou-
quets from party colleagues
including Modi, Rajnath Singh,
L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar
Joshi.
"Amit Shah is the new presi-
dent," Rajnath Singh told the
media as Modi and Shah looked
on.
Rajnath Singh said Shah, a
wealthy man whose family runs a
successful business in PVC, was
chosen for his "organisational and
management skills" which were
seen in Uttar Pradesh during the
Lok Sabha battle.
In a stunning performance, the
BJP bagged 71 of the 80 Lok
Sabha seats in the state after the
bearded and portly Shah spear-
headed the party campaign like a
warrior possessed. Two more seats
went to a BJP ally, Apna Dal.
The Congress and the
Samajwadi Party were virtually
decimated, while the Bahujan
Samaj Party was wiped out.
Since then, Shah - whose tenure
in the Gujarat government was
dogged by controversy - was wide-
ly seen as the front-runner for the
top party post.
First elected to the Gujarat
assembly in 1997, Shah emerged
over the years as Modi' s most
trusted political aide.
Some supporters call him charis-
matic and others dub him a mod-
ern day Chanakya.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court
issued notice to Bollywood film star
Salman Khan on a plea by the
Rajasthan government challenging
the stay on his conviction in a
blackbuck hunting case.
The Rajasthan government moved
the apex court challenging the Nov
12, 2013, decision of the high court
staying the conviction of Salman
Khan for the hunting.
Salman Khan' s sentence was
stayed by the high court Aug 31,
2007.
The Rajasthan government pro-
ceeded against Salman Khan, and
fellow Bollywood actors Saif Ali
Khan, Neelam, Tabu and Sonali
Bendre on charges of being
involved in hunting of protected
blackbuck while they were in the
state for shooting a film.
But it was Salman Khan who was
convicted under the Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1972.
The apex court bench of Justice
Sudhansu Jyoti Mukhopadhaya and
Justice S.A. Bobde issued the notice
as the Rajasthan government said
the suspension of conviction by the
high court was not sustainable as it
failed to take into account the seri-
ous allegations of illegal hunting of
blackbuck against Salman Khan and
the findings recorded by the trial
court to that effect.
The plea by the state government
said the high court did not take into
account the alleged involvement of
Salman Khan in two more cases.
Salman Khan was convicted in the
blackbuck hunting case by a trial
court April 10, 2006 under the
Wildlife (Protection) Act and was
awarded a five-years jail term along
with a fine of Rs.25,000.
Modi loyalist Amit Shah is BJP's new chief
SEP.
Salman Khan was convicted in
the blackbuck hunting case by
a trial court April 10, 2006.
Amit Shah, a party general secretary, succeeds Rajnath Singh
SC notice to Salman in
blackbuck hunting case
By Amulya Ganguli
T
he Hindutva fundamental-
ists may be slowly realizing
that the Bharatiya Janata
Party's victory is unlikely to help
their cause as much as they would
have liked.
For instance, any sense of ela-
tion which they felt when
Narendra Modi said during the
election campaign that the
Bangladeshi infiltrators would
have to pack their bags and leave
on the day the results were
announced must have dissipated
by now.
It isn't only the good neighborly
relations which New Delhi wants
to establish with Dhaka which
must have disheartened the saffron
camp but also the suggestion for
visa free entry for Bangladeshis
below the age of 13 and above 65
years, which has been opposed by
Assam Chief Minister Tarun
Gogoi.
What these overtures emphasize
is the primacy of development on
Modi' s agenda, calling for
eschewing any possibility of ten-
sion in the South Asian region.
Since this may not be feasible
where China and Pakistan are con-
cerned, New Delhi is apparently
keen to establish benign ties at
least with Dhaka, ignoring the ear-
lier imputations by the Rashtriya
Swayamsevek Sangh (RSS)-led
Sangh parivar that the illegal
immigrants not only intended to
tilt the demographic balance in
India in favour of Muslims but
also act as "sleeper cells" associat-
ed with terrorists.
What is evident from these turns
of events is that development has
aspects other than mere economic
growth. It is not only a matter of
roads and bridges - and bullet
trains which seem to hold a spe-
cial fascination for Modi - but also
reducing all manner of controver-
sies to the minimum since they
may queer the pitch for invest-
ment.
The government's exhortations,
therefore, to its supporters to be
careful in their comments on the
social scene are in sync with its
desire for a business-friendly envi-
ronment. Any hint of misogyny, or
an attempt at what has been called
a psycho-analytic explanation for
crimes against women, are to be
avoided.
Hence the speed with which a
Goa minister retracted his disap-
proval of women wearing short
dresses in pubs or bikinis on the
beach. A few days earlier, in the
same state, a proposal to send a
team of legislators to Brazil osten-
sibly to learn about the handling
of World Cup matches was nipped
in the bud.
The keen-eyed Modi govern-
ment, which appears to keep a
close tab on events far and near, is
clearly aware that neither an egre-
gious display of conservatism nor
an uncalled-for trip at the tax-pay-
ers' expense will enhance its
image of purposefulness.
It is aware that an economic pro-
gram, which highlights the capital-
istic agenda represented by glitter-
ing malls and multiplexes, cannot
be implemented in an atmosphere
where women have to be careful
of not offending ultra-orthodox
sentiments.
This very point was stressed by
former finance minister P.
Chidambaram in the context of the
Shiv Sena's Maratha chauvinism
and the Congress-led Maharashtra
government's ban on bar girls in
Mumbai. His view was that a city
aspiring to be the financial capital
of India cannot allow "parochial
and jingoistic statements and mis-
conceived intentions that belong
to moral policing".
As is known, despite the cau-
tion, the Prithviraj Chavan govern-
ment is bent on banning dance
bars in Mumbai evidently to
please the conservative sections of
the population.
But by openly disapproving of
such sections in the saffron ranks,
the Modi government has shown
an assertiveness which is not com-
mon among the Indian politicians
who tend to take the line of least
resistance, especially where con-
servative sensibilities are con-
cerned.
However, by sidelining some of
the key preferences of the
Hindutva camp on matters of reli-
gion such as the Ram temple, or
on the social scene such as
women's dresses, the government
has underlined its wish to follow a
new course, which is markedly
different from what used to char-
acterise the BJP and the RSS in
the 1990s when the traditionalists
held sway.
Among their priorities at the
time was to rewrite history books
to bring them in line with the saf-
fron worldview or rail against the
Christian missionaries or call for a
ban on cow slaughter. But none of
these issues seem to be of interest
to the new government, whose pri-
mary objective is on containing
price rise and reviving the econo-
my.
There is little doubt that the
present scene will be disappoint-
ing for any group in the Sangh
parivar which believes that there
will be a return to the '90s as when
Ashok Singhal of the Vishwa
Hindu Parishad (VHP) said that
only Modi can save India from
"total Islamisation".
Modi can be said, therefore, to
have prevailed against the tradi-
tionalists.
His trump card is economic
revival. If the growth rates go up
and there is hope that the employ-
ment situation will improve, his
acceptability will be even wider
than at present even if his "bitter
medicines" in the shape of extract-
ing user charges from the public
are criticised by his political oppo-
nents.
But outside the field of econom-
ics, Modi's main achievement may
well be the taming of the saffron
extremists.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
Modi prevails over saffron traditionalists
Narendra Modi's trump card is economic revival. If the growth
rates go up, his acceptability will be even wider.
14 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED
Facebook takes world from intellectual to emotional property
By N Madhavan
F
acebooks Chief Operating Officer
Sheryl Sandberg has a charming pres-
ence. But, as I met her with a few jour-
nalists in Delhi, I did not immediately realize
the controversial impact of a question I
lobbed at her seeking her views on how the
UK information regulator was probing her on
a psychological experiment Facebook con-
ducted for market research.
Her remark that Facebook had communi-
cated poorly amounted to a candid admission
of sorts in the grey area of privacy. Sandberg
went on to explain how Facebook clearly
gives people the option of the degree to
which their data or views can be private or
public, but the conceptual issue of how much
the company can snoop on us to make our
lives better remains unanswered.
In 2012, Facebooks behavioral scientists
for a week altered what appeared on the news
feed of more than 600,000 users. One group
got mostly positive items; the other got most-
ly negative items and the researchers real-
ized that positive news elicited positive reac-
tions and negative news elicited negative
behavior. But the insight irked privacy
activists who feel like Facebook users are
guinea pigs.
In the digital age, attention is a currency
and privacy is a property. If the 20th Century
put intellectual property rights (IPRs) in the
public discourse, the new century could be
about what I might called emtional property.
Sandbergs charming intelligence that is
wowing people across the planet is encoun-
tering a new philosophical challenge. EPRs,
anyone?
Facebooks Chief Operating Officer
Sheryl Sandberg with Narendra Modi
in New Delhi
FEATURES July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 15
Brooklyn affords
this spectacular
view as fireworks
explode in front of
the One World
Trade Center.
By Jinal Shah
New York: On June 28 the stage at the pres-
tigious Ailey Citigroup Theater in New York
transformed into a village, a war zone, a herd
of flamingos not through props or stage sets
but through synchronized movement, struc-
tures and effortless expression of 10 dancers
from Sa Dance Company. In their latest, that
ran three sold out shows, dancers reflected
Indian contemporary dance through a lens of
traditional Indian folk and classical tech-
niques while conveying unique stories.
The performance featured four segments,
each with a distinct Abhinaya (story-telling).
A romanticized village where traditions and
rituals played out in form followed by the
emotional upheaval of exploring internal ter-
rain and cross-cultural germination in ideas
and movement. The fourth and final piece
was the companys homage to the
Bollywood style that has swept the world.
The dances emanate with a violent beauty
from demonstrating Indian American history
and attempting to reconcile and heal. This
show was the culmination of Sas work over
the past several years. Each piece has its
own distinct feel and inspiration. IVillage
was inspired from my parents and childhood,
Inspiration was from experiences of love,
passion, and hope, and BollySa was a cele-
bration! says Payal Kadakia, artistic direc-
tor at Sa Dance Company. The 10 dancers
are Sona Thaker, Rashi Birla, Vaneeta Shah,
Kanika Chadda Gupta, Sonia Mukherji,
Gayatri Patel Bahl, Bhavika Kapadia, Mira
Nair, Manisha Nair, Minila Shah and dance
is the recurring theme in all their stories.
The girls are so good that internationally
acclaimed film director/writer/producer Mira
Nair, raved about their talent and appearance:
The first time I saw them perform they were
in black leotards and white tee-shirts and that
was quite a revolution because I had never
seen that with an Indian dance company,
she said adding, I was also quite intrigued
that the women came in all shapes and sizes
which made me feel very good.
All 10 performers, daughters of immigrant
parents, started out in suburban America,
with Indian beats and dance programmed
into their DNA. The story of Kadakia herself,
who is the director, choreographer and
dancer all in one, is no different. Her parents,
keen to keep Indian culture in their lives,
sent her for traditional dance training and she
was immersed in local folk dance competi-
tions even as she watched a lot of Bollywood
movies.
For most of the dancers, our childhoods
were tinged with nostalgia for a life we never
actually had. Our memories are lush with
images, songs, stories we heard from our
grandparents, parents, or picked up during
extended trips to India. We have all studied a
variety of forms: Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi,
Odissi, Kathak, Garba, Bhangra, Rajasthani,
as well as Jazz, Ballet and Hip Hopits
about time we address this fragmented, dislo-
cated subconscious. Through dance we are
attempting just that; not to create a new iden-
tity but to shape the one we have, said
Kadakia.Kadakias inspiration is Music.
When I hear music, I begin to visualize con-
cepts to convey particular emotions and sto-
ries which usually are rooted in my daily life.
I like to find songs that relate to each other
and sew them together to create a quilted
story. The globalization of Bollywood has
helped a lot, Kadakia accepts, adding,
Bollywood dance will always be a bit com-
mercial given its roots within entertainment.
I am happy to see that awareness of
Bollywood has also opened doors interna-
tionally for Indias classical and folk arts.
Part of the Sas goal is to make pathways for
introducing and cultivating these arts here in
the States. Now, even more has arisen from
Bollywood, such as Bolly-fit classes and
Bolly-aerobics. If we continue to familiarize
the world with what India has to offer, we
will be able to keep it alive.
Sa Dance Company: Communicating culture through dance
Fireworks
explode off a
barge and the
Brooklyn
Bridge span
during this
years Macys
4th
of July
fireworks
extravaganza
over East
River.
People take
part in the
Independen
ce Day
parade in
Washington
DC on July
4, 2014.
In their latest outing,
the 10 Sa dancers
ran three sold out
shows in New York.
16 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Lata cuts an album
for Jain community
H
er "Kahaani" rode higher on
word-of-mouth publicity and
now Vidya Balan hopes for
the same to work for her recently
released detective drama "Bobby
Jasoos", which sees the actress in the
title. "Every film is unique and each
film has its own destiny. We all have
worked hard and now it's up to the
audience. Women centric films have
a slow start, but what is encouraging
is that 'Bobby Jasoos' had a great
start," said the 36-year-old. Co-pro-
duced by Dia Mirza, the film made
an opening day's collection Rs.1.78
crore at the domestic box office.
"We are hoping word of mouth
really pulls it off. Besides, there is a
huge jump in the numbers.
Hopefully, it will be growing. I am
happy about the film we have
made, " she added. Directed by
Samar Sheikh, "Bobby Jasoos" also
features Ali Fazal. The actress tags
the film as an "entertaining complete
family drama".
"I am enjoying every moment of it
because the film is really close to my
heart. When people come out of the
theatre and praise the film, it feels
good. It's very reassuring to hear all
the praises. I am thrilled and grate-
ful," she said.
I
f Alia Bhatt wants her
filmmaker father Mahesh
Bhatt to direct her one day,
she is equally keen to team up
with her mother Soni Razdan
for a serious film.
The actress of films like
"Saaransh", Soni went behind
the camera in 2005 for
Pakistani actress Meera and
Ashmit Patel starrer "Nazar".
"My mom has already
directed a film. And now she
is going to direct a film in
which I don't have any scope,
so I will not be part of it," said
the 21-year-old.
"In future, definitely we will
work together. There is a
script, which both my mom
and me are excited about.
When the right time comes,
we will do that film. I would
like to do a serious film with
my mom," she added.
Alia is currently busy pro-
moting "Humpty Sharma Ki
Dulhania". Director Shashank
Khaitan's film also features
Varun Dhawan in the male
lead and is scheduled for a
July 11 release.
Vidya Balan in a scene
from 'Bobby Jasoos'
L
ata Mangeshkar
has recorded an
album of bha-
jans and chants for the
Jain community and
she got herself a lin-
guistic teacher to
guide her through all
the traditional devo-
tional chants.
Lata says doing
album was a special
challenge.
"Somewhere they
felt that their religious
teachings and mantras
have so far not been
properly articulated. I
am happy and relieved
that they think my ren-
dition does justice to their sacred teachings," she said.
The process was time-taking but for the 84-year-old it is never
too late to learn.
"It wasn't easy, I can tell you that. But getting the pronuncia-
tion and diction absolutely right has always been important for
me. Early in my career, I had got myself Sanskrit and Urdu
teachers who would come to my recordings at studios to sit and
teach me the languages during the breaks," Lata said.
"Years later when I recorded the 'Bhagavad Gita' for my broth-
er Hridaynath Mangeshkar, I hired another Sanskrit teacher to
make sure that I got the nuances correct," she added.
Lata feels it's very important to be 100 percent correct in artic-
ulating religious and spiritual thoughts.
"Centuries of thoughts go into these teachings. One can't be
careless with religious sentiments. I am happy to learn languages
through my singing and to polish up my diction. Every artiste
remains a student all her life. I am no exception," she said.
Lata Mangeshkar has recorded
an album of bhajans and chants
for the Jain community
Actor Alia Bhatt with
mom Soni Razdan
Jugal Hansraj gets
married in US
A
ctor-director Jugal Hansraj
has married his lady love
Jasmine in the US, revealed
his friend Uday Chopra. "My friend
Jugal Hansraj just got married in
Oakland, Michigan to Jasminewish
the couple a very happy married life
#PyaarPossible," Uday, who starred
alongside Jugal in "Mohabbatein",
posted on Twitter Monday. Jugal, 41,
started his career in 1983 as a child
artist in the Naseeruddin Shah-
Shabana Azmi starrer "Masoom", fol-
lowing which, he featured in movies
like "Karma" and "Sultanat". Later, he turned full-fledged actor
and starred in "Aa Gale Lag Jaa" and "Papa Kehte Hain", but it
was the 2000 movie "Mohabbatein", which gave him visibility.
As an actor, Jugal's career never took off in a big way and he
turned to direction with animated film "Roadside Romeo",
which even won a National Film Award in 2010. Jugal even
directed his friend Uday and Priyanka Chopra in "Pyaar
Impossible!".
Jugal Hansraj
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 17
T
he two leading Khans of
Bollywood - Shah Rukh and
Salman - hugged each other
with warmth as they came face to face
at an iftaar party in Mumbai.
Both grabbed all the attention when
they attended the annual iftaar party
of Maharashtra legislator Baba
Siddiqui here. Salman's father Salim
Khan was also present at the event.
Shah Rukh and Salman fell out after
they came to blows at Katrina Kaif's
birthday party some time back but
however maintain a cordial relation-
ship in public.
T
he trailer of Bollywood film "Hate
Story 2" indicates that it is an erotic
thriller a la the first film. But lead
actor Jay Bhanushali says the erotic scenes
are restricted to just one song, and that
there's a lot more to the film than bold
scenes.
"Frankly speaking, 'Hate Story 2' is not at
all related to the first film. That was an
erotic thriller, but this is a thriller. The bold
scenes are only in one song and after the
song, the whole film runs on a story," the
29-year-old said here in an interview.
"There are ten good things about the film
and the tenth thing is the bold scenes. There
are nine other things that you will see after
(the film releases) July 18 and I'm sure peo-
ple are going to talk about the story and
acting more than the bold scenes," he
added.
The sensual song "Aaj phir tum pe pyaar"
seems to have given an image makeover to
Jay, and he's happy about it.
"Earlier people used to call me cute and
mama's boy but now they call me hot and
sexy and all those taglines. Every girl is
coming to me and complimenting me on
'Aaj phir tum pe pyaar'," he said.
SRK, Salman hug each other at iftaar party
Shah Rukh with Salman
I'm here to stay:
Sidharth Malhotra
H
is success ratio is impressive and
model-turned-actor Sidharth
Malhotra, who is currently riding
high on "Ek Villain", which has minted
Rs.77.20 crore in its opening week, is
confident he will play a long innings in
filmdom. The 29-year-old, who was criti-
cised for his inability to dance or to emote
well in his debut film "Student of the
Year", despite the fact that it passed off
with flying colours at the box office, has a
reason to believe that.
Sidharth feels with "Ek Villain", he has
successfully converted the non-believers
to believers and that he can't be easily
written off.
"It was first experience...this kind of
box office success. I feel I've reached out
to more number of people with this film
than I ever had; so that's exciting. Now, I
feel that I am here to stay. More people
think that I am here to stay and I deserve
this place," Sidharth said.
"It's satisfying to see that I took risk two
years ago by choosing a genre like this
and character like this which is so differ-
ent from what I've done before and that's
paying off. It could've gone wrong. It's
very satisfying as an actor to try some-
thing new and see that the audience is lik-
ing it," added the actor who played
romantic roles in his first two films. So
far, the Delhi boy had three releases, of
which "Hasee Toh Phasee" is the only
film that underperformed. However he
won a lot of fans, thanks to his looks.
While many would kill for looks like his,
the six-foot-plus actor found it a chal-
lenge.
"We are not just standing and posing.
Are we? Looks are part and parcel. I've
tried to change my looks in all the three
films. People think he is a good looking
boy, so he can't act... that's a notion here.
So to break that, to go beyond looks was
also a challenge to me," said the actor,
who wants to keep reinventing himself.
Sidharth, who plays Guru - a criminal
transformed into a good guy by the power
of love - in the romantic thriller, says the
film "was also an endeavour to turn all the
non-believers into believers". Sidharth,
who assisted director Karan Johar in the
past before putting himself in the shoes of
various characters, had thought of going
behind the camera too. But thanks to the
thunderous response to "Ek Villain", he
has changed his mind.
Model-
turned-actor
Sidharth
Malhotra
'Hate
Story 2'
not an erotic
thriller: Jay
Bhanushali
A scene from 'Hate Story 2'
Gere in Leh for
Dalai Lama's discourses
H
ollywood actor Richard Gere is in
Leh, the main town of the moun-
tainous district of Ladakh in
Jammu and Kashmir, to attend to Tibetan
spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's discours-
es, event organizers said. He will also par-
ticipate in the highly venerated
Kalachakra (Wheel of Time) ceremony for
world peace that will continue till July 14.
"Richard Gere is here to get the teachings
of His Holiness (the Dalai Lama) and to
participate in the Kalachakra ceremony,"
an official of the Ladakh Buddhist
Association, one of the organisers of the
event, said. Till July 8, the spiritual leader
will give discourses. The Kalachakra ritual
dance will be performed by Namgyal
Monastery monks July 9 and the Dalai
Lama will confer the Kalachakra initiation
July 10-12. Wishing the Dalai Lama on his
79th birthday Sunday, Gere recalled that
directly after his first meeting with him in
Dharamsala 33 years ago, he came to
Ladakh, which he described as one of the
most beautiful places on earth.
18 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Special to The South Asian Times
Philadelphia, PA: The July 4 weekend event
conducted by the American Telugu
Association (ATA) ended with the presence
of film stars, a mesmerizing music concert,
the re-enactment of Bonalu-Bathakamma fes-
tival, folk dances and panel discussions
focusing on a variety of subjects.
Some 8,000 Telugus and other Indian-
Americans attended the biennial event. The
conference began with a banquet -- at which a
number of donors as well as luminaries and
community leaders were honoredon July 3
evening. It ended with the Mano-led film
concert that concluded in the wee hours of
July 6. The theme of the 13th ATA
Conference and Youth Convention was
Telugu charita, yuvatha, bhavitha (history,
youth and their future).
Organizers were upbeat. The number of
attendees exceeded our expectations, con-
vener of the convention Parmesh
Bheemreddy said. Importantly, there was a
great deal of local (US) participation. We
encouraged America-born youth and show-
cased their talent.
Nina Davuluri (Miss America), Bindu
Pamarthi (Miss Washington DC) and
Pratyusha (Trisha) Guduru (Miss South Asia
International)were as much a draw stars from
Hyderabad such as Rana Daggubati, Richa
Gangopadhya, Sriya Saran, and Siya Gautam.
Asha Sing, the Miami-raised Telugu girl
featured prominently by this newspaper, sang
in English for the enjoyment of younger gen-
erations.
Tremendous enthusiasm was also seen for
business seminars, literary sessions and spiri-
tual-yoga meetings, Bheemreddy noted cit-
ing the close coordination of ATA committees
that spelt success for the event.
ATA President Karunakar Rao
Madhavaram pointed to popular sessions
such as the role of NRIs in developing both
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, a successful
business idea and how to win federal con-
tracts. Entrepreneur Dr Jupally Rameswar
Rao, chairman of Hyderabad-based My
Home Industries which produces among oth-
ers the Maha Cement brand, was the chief
guest at the conference. He stressed the need
for spreading education, particularly among
poor children in both states. He also donated
$100,000 to the ATA Education Trust.
Veteran singer S P Balasubrahmanyam con-
ducted the finals of the paaduthaa thiyyaga
(sing melodiously) contest.
Government ministers from the Center and
both states, though scheduled to attend can-
celled because of last-minute issues.
The event was co-hosted by the Telugu
Association of Greater Delaware Valley.
Raja Daggubati, who was raised in the US,
in his brief remarks praised the NRIs for
maintaining the culture and language of their
origin in their adopted land. You put us (the
Telugu community) on the world map, he
said. BJP leaders Nagam Janardhan Reddy
and Chintala Ramchandra Reddy and Prof. P.
Kodandaram, who played a key role in the
formation of Telangana, and other dignitaries
also praised the local Telugus for their contri-
butions to both India and the US.
ATA lifetime achievement award was given
to C. Narayan Reddy for his contribution to
Telugu literature and art. Hyderabad-based
Swami Chidatmananda blessed the audience
while calling upon organizations like ATA to
do more for the underprivileged back home.
In response, Bheemreddy said ATA has
helped Telugus in distress such as students.
Besides, ATA has done a lot of charitable
work in both Telangana and Andhra.
A Michigan group sang Raam-Katha in a
ballet, drawing applause. Hyderabad-based
artiste Haleem Khans dance to the tunes of
an Annamacharya Kirtan also pleased the
crowds. Two journalists from Hyderabad K.
Ramachandra Murthy, hitherto chief editor of
the English daily Hans India, and K Srinivas,
editor of Andhra Jyothy, led panel discussions
on the two states that came into existence
officially last month.
Madhavaram highlighted ATAs efforts on
various fronts, including womens issues both
in the US and India. In both Andhra and
Telangana, ATA participated in anti-pollution
efforts and anti-dowry programs. Our asso-
ciation focuses on both states. We have no
caste or regional issues, he said.
Food represented all Telugu-speaking
regionscoastal, Rayalaseema and
Telangana, while the ambience on the sprawl-
ing convention premises re-created the
Telugu land. A pre-event banquet dinner was
held for about 3,000 guests including film
stars Daggubati, Ms Gangopadhya and
Shriya.
Rana Daggubati, other film stars and VIPs
ATA President Karunakar Rao
Madhavaram and Chief Guest Dr
Jupally Rameswar Rao at
the inaugural.
Miss America Nina Davuluri, who is a
Telugu, being honored at the
convention.
American Telugu Association (ATA) office-bearers posing.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
By Saeed Naqvi
T
hree momentous events, all in
November-December 1979, are the
genesis of a great deal of chaos the
world faces today.
First, was the return of Ayatollah
Khomeini to Tehran and the Iranian occu-
pation of the US embassy, a siege which
lasted 444 days. The siege began Nov 4.
The Iranian revolution coincided almost
exactly with the siege of the Grand Mosque
in Mecca Nov 20, 1979. Armed Wahabis
charged with the missionary zeal of the
Ikhwan ul Muslimeen or a virulent Muslim
Brotherhood opposed to the Saudi monar-
chy occupied the mosque.
The cloak of secrecy the Saudi state
threw on the 15-day siege gave rise to
rumors that Iran of the Ayatollahs was
involved. Neither the Saudis nor their
American backers were interested in
absolving Iran of the outrage. So they
allowed the rumor to stand.
The siege was actually a manifestation of
widespread anger with the Saudi monar-
chy's minimal shift away from Wahabi
puritanism. There was universal disgust
with the substantial American presence
around the oil wells of Dahran. The rebels
saw the "American infidel" as a harmful
influence on Wahabi faith.
The twists and turns the media gave to the
story fuelled anti-Americanism worldwide.
The US embassy in Islamabad was set on
fire.
Just then the Soviets obliged. They
moved into Afghanistan on Christmas eve.
This became the third momentous develop-
ment of 1979.
The world' s eyes were fixed on the
Soviets in Afghanistan and the Islamic rev-
olution in Tehran. The far reaching poten-
tial in Juhayman al-Otaybi's revolt to topple
the House of Saud was diligently hidden
from public view.
The Saudi rulers, including Minister for
Internal Security Prince Nayef, found in
President Jimmy Carter's National Security
Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski a willing
partner to transform danger into an oppor-
tunity.
Otaybi's jehad against the Saudi state and
against the Americans would be trans-
formed into a 20th century crusade against
Soviet Communism. Once the Soviets were
overcome, Iranian Shiaism would be the
next target. Then Akhwan ul Muslimeen or
Muslim Brotherhood (as in Egypt recently)
and so on. Internal anger in Saudi Arabia
would be given an external outlet, almost in
perpetuity.
Saudi security would be tied to enemies
outside its borders. Take for instance, the
illogical situation in Bahrain which is
linked by the 37-km Causeway to Saudi's
oil rich, Shia dominated, eastern regions of
Dammam and Qatif.
Bahrain's Sunni monarchy, the House of
Khalifa, treats 80 percent of its population,
which happen to be Shia, as "the opposi-
tion". The forward looking crown Prince
Salman Kahlifa along with a US diplomat,
Jeffrey Feltman, created a mechanism for
greater Shia participation. But before the
agreement could be inked, Saudi tanks
rolled down the 37-km causeway linking
Dammam to Bahrain. The message to the
incipient, internal rebellion was loud and
clear: Look, we are holding Shia apostasy
at bay. They may live, but they may not
have power.
On the Muslim world's centre stage, the
Nayef-Brzezinski duet roped in Pakistan's
Zia ul Haq for a mass production of
Mujahideen in Afghanistan. These would
fight the Soviets and be a bulwark against
Shia Iran. Zia would help Arabize Pakistani
Islam and wrench it from India's composite
culture.
Meanwhile, the Saudis cooked up a paral-
lel plot. Soviet and Nasserite socialism held
sway over Aden and south Yemen. While
the Caliphate ended in Turkey in 1924, the
Imamat, a more Shia-like institution, lastd
in North Yemen until 1962. To check Soviet
and Shia influences in the two Yemens,
training sanctuaries for jehadists were set
up under the supervision of Mohsen al
Ahmar, half brother of Yemeni strongman
Ali Abdullah Saleh. These trained jehadis
have today morphed into Al Qaeda in the
Arabian Peninsula.
From Aden to Somalia is a short boat
ride. This is a simple logistical explanation
for the expansion of Al Shabab terrorists
into neighboring Kenya and beyond. A
brigade strength Indian Peace Keeping
Force (bag pipes and all) was dispatched
under Gen. Mono Bhagat in 1994 to quell
the civil war after the fall of Somalian
strongman, Siad Barre, in Mogadishu. I
have extensive TV footage of this cam-
paign. It was a vicious inter clan conflict.
Somalia was a peculiar country: violent but
totally secular. That is why al Shabab is a
puzzle.
Likewise, one could never have imagined
jehadism in Qaddafi's Libya either. When
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton material-
ized in Tripoli she spoke the memorable
line: "I came, I saw and he died." The split
screen had her in one half and Qaddafi in
the other, screaming, sodomized by a knife.
An efficient dictatorship was thus trans-
formed into a series of feuding tribes.
Jehadists, identified as the ones involved in
the Danish cartoon mayhem, began to pop-
ulate Benghazi where eventually US
ambassador Christopher Stevens was mur-
dered. Jehadi legions crossed into southern
Egypt on the one hand and past Niger into
Mali, desecrating the great Sufi mosque of
Timbaktu, exactly as the Taliban in
Afghanistan had blown up the Bamyan
Buddhas. Further south, the boost to Boko
Haram in Nigeria and Islamic militancy
along the Sahel, all derive their DNA from
Afghanistan, after the triple tumult of 1979.
More recently the inability to oust Bashar
al Assad from Damascus and the durability
of Nouri al Maliki in Baghdad where
Sunnis suffered their first status reversal
once Saddam Hussain and the Baathists
made way for the first Shia government
have added to Sunni rage, stoked by Saudi
Arabia.
When Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, all
with American and European help, provid-
ed men, money and arms for the civil war
in Syria, Sunnis began to sense power. Now
external support is drying up. The moment
therefore has produced the man. Abu Bakr
Baghdadi of the ISIS has emerged a latter
day Otaybi, independent of all past spon-
sors, turning viciously to bite the very hand
that feeds. Americans are beginning to
learn yet again an old lesson: in the ulti-
mate analysis, there are limits to power.
Meanwhile, the worry in the subcontinent
ought to be on a different count: is a
Baghdadi-like danger possible in our neigh-
borhood?
(A senior commentator on political and
diplomatic efforts, Saeed Naqvi can be
reached on saeednaqvi@hotmail.com. The
views expressed are personal.)
Three momentous events, all in November-December 1979, are the genesis of a great
deal of chaos the world faces today. The two superpowers played a major role in
creating the Frankensteins monster call it jehadism or Islamic terrorism -
which now refuses to be bottled back.
Why is the world in grip of jehadist menace?
19 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED
Age-old Sunni-Shia fault lines are further fanning the fires of civil wars in much
of the Arab world. Mosul was captured on June 10 when ISIS Sunni militants
drove Shiite majority Baghdad governments army out of the city.
They have also been destroying Shiite mosques and Sufi shrines.
Abu Bakr Baghdadi of
the ISIS has emerged a
latter day Otaybi,
independent of all past
sponsors, turning vicious-
ly to bite the very hand
that feeds. He has
declared himself the
Caliph, and he is being
called the new Osama
bin Laden. Americans are
beginning to learn yet
again an old lesson: in the
ultimate analysis, there
are limits to power.
Singapore: In an incident reminiscent of the
Hollywood movie "127 Hours", an Indian-origin
man from Singapore managed to beat all odds to
remain alive after slipping from the highest moun-
tain in Cambodia.
Sanjay Radakrishna (26) survived seven days on
water, confronted a giant python, slept on wet
ground and in caves after he lost his way while com-
ing down Phnom Aural, Cambodia's highest moun-
tain, in Kampong Speu.
He took a tumble, tore his pant during the process
and had a flat mobile battery, cutting him off from
the GPS network.
Radakrishna trekked his way back to a village last
Sunday. Clad in a T-shirt, sports shoes and under-
wear, he slept on wet ground, in caves and thought
of inspiring stories such as the "127 Hours" film
about an American climber trapped in a canyon who
had cut off his arm wedged between rocks to sur-
vive.
"There was no point panicking, crying or scream-
ing because no one was there to help me," The
Straits Times quoted Radakrishna as saying.
"After a while, I realized that help was not going
to come so quickly because of the remoteness of the
place," he said.
Radakrishna followed the course of water from the
waterfall in the area and headed west, often swim-
ming, jumping between rocks and clinging to vines
or branches. He received 60 leech bites from feet to
groin and was stunned when hit by a tree trunk.
He eventually spotted a village last Sunday, also
his birthday, where he met a motorcyclist who gave
him a hammock to rest and his first meal in the week
an unripe banana.
The motorcyclist brought him to the village and
then on to the Kampong Speu police station where
he charged his mobile phone battery and found 200
Facebook and 3,000 WhatsApp messages from wor-
ried friends and relatives in Singapore.
"To me, it was not that big a hoo-ha," said
Radakrishna, who has trekked more than 40 moun-
tains.
"But knowing how things are in Singapore, going
missing for seven days will surely make everyone
panic. It is essentially a good experience. I learnt a
lot." The trainee teacher will take on Tanzania's
Mount Kilimanjaro next month, the daily reported.
20 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
London: A British Indian man
who extended his home illegally
in London has been fined more
than 40,000 pounds (around
$68,475), a media report said
Tuesday.
Mayur Naturbhai Patel built a
major rooftop extension to his
four-bedroom terraced house
without planning permission in
the affluent Kensington neighbor-
hood in central London, the
Trinity Mirror reported.
Isleworth Crown Court in
London Monday fined Patel
15,000 pounds and confiscated
25,350 pounds from him.
Patel was also ordered to pay the
Royal Borough of Kensington and
Chelsea costs of 3,580 pounds,
risking 15 months in prison if he
failed to pay the confiscation
order in three months.
Patel pleaded guilty to breaching
the Town and Country Planning
Act, 1990, in the court June 10.
Judge Phillip Matthews, in his
remarks, said he thought Patel had
acted with the
"utmost stupid-
ity" and that it
was no mitiga-
tion to say he
relied on the
advice of
architects.
Patel bought
the five-storey
house spread
over 1, 741
square feet for
1.65 million
pounds in
November 2011. In March this
year, the house was put up for sale
for 3.35 million pounds.
Patel's neighbors complained to
the local council's enforcement
officers to inspect the alterations
or unauthorized extension which
harmed the appearance of the
local Norland Conservation Area.
Authorities gave Patel four
months to restore the property to
ensure he did not profit financially
from the extra floor space.
Patel, who has no previous con-
victions, contended that he
received verbal confirmation from
his architect and a planning offi-
cer, saying the alterations would
be acceptable.
"I am very pleased that the court
has made this ruling. We were
determined that Mr. Patel should
not gain financially from his ille-
gal development," the report quot-
ed Tim Coleridge, the council's
planning policy head, as saying.
Kochi/Hyderabad/New Delhi:
Ending a tense period, 183 Indians
stranded in strife-torn Iraq, includ-
ing 122 nurses - 46 from Kerala
freed by Iraqi insurgents, 52 from
Telangana and 24 from Andhra
Pradesh - arrived home Saturday
to a grand welcome while 200
more were on their way.
A special Air India flight from
Erbil, capital of Iraq's Kurdistan
region, carrying the 183 landed in
Kochi close to noon with Chief
Minister Oommen Chandy and his
cabinet colleagues, legislators,
Lok Sabha members and state
government officials waiting to
receive them.
The 78 from Telangana and
Andhra Pradesh, including the 76
nurses, later reached Hyderabad
by the special flight and officials
were making arrangements to send
them to their respective home-
towns.
The evacuated Indians also
included 15 from Gujarat' s
Navsari who came to Delhi, and
from there, boarded a flight to
Mumbai, on way to their homes.
The external affairs ministry
said that another 200 Indians to
Delhi will return Saturday night
by a special Iraqi Airways char-
tered flight from Najaf.
Approximately another 400
Indians would be returning to var-
ious destinations, including
Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore,
Chennai and Hyderabad, through
commercial flights, said ministry
spokesman Syed Akbaruddin.
About 1,200 Indians would have
returned to India at government
cost by Monday, while the Indian
mission in Baghdad has been able
to persuade Iraqi companies to
send back approximately 600
other Indian nationals, while pro-
cessing the papers for 400 others.
Muscat: Another NRI business-
man has come forward to recruit
the 46 Indian nurses who were
rescued from war-torn Iraq last
week.
M.M.Ramachandran, chair-
man of Atlas Jewellery and
Group, announced in a state-
ment, that all 46 nurses are wel-
come to work at hospitals
owned by the group in Oman.
"We are extremely happy to
offer them jobs at this critical
juncture. I am very happy to
help those who faced such hard-
ship," Ramachandran said.
Atlas Healthcare division
owns and runs two hospitals -
one in Al Ghubra near Oman's
capital Muscat and the other in
Ruwi in Muscat.
The group started out with its
first showroom, trading in gold
jewellery in Kuwait in the
1980s, which later also expand-
ed into film production and
healthcare in Oman.
"I lost everything in Kuwait
during the Gulf War. Yet, Atlas
regained its full glory. So I real-
ly empathise with them (nurses).
It's a huge relief for me that they
are back home and safe," the
jewellery chain founder said.
According to the statement,
the nurses need to pass a written
exam in India and an oral exam-
ination in Muscat conducted by
Oman's health ministry.
"Atlas will cover the exam
fees as well as the initial airfare
cost to Muscat," the statement
added.
Atlas Healthcare, founded in
2004, is one of the region' s
prominent healthcare providers,
serving people across this Gulf
nation.
Returning Nurses at
Kochi airport
Patel put up slats to cover up the roof extension
in Portland Road
DIASPORA
122 nurses, 61 other Indians reach
home from Iraq, 200 more on way
NRI businessman in Oman offers
jobs to rescued nurses
Sanjay Radakrishna survived on water, confronted a
giant python, slept in caves
Indian-origin man survives 7-day ordeal
after falling from Cambodian peak
British Indian fined over $68,000 for illegal rooftop
SUBCONTINENT
Peshwar: More than 800,000
people have fled a major military
offensive against the Taliban in a
Pakistani tribal area, officials
said.
Tens of thousands of families
have left the north Waziristan
tribal area for the nearby town of
Bannu.
Hundreds more have moved
further to the towns of Lakki
Marwat, Karak and Dera Ismail
Khan since the attacks began in
mid-June.
Officials from the FATA
Disaster Management Authority
(FDMA) said they were checking
registrations for duplicates,
meaning the figure may come
down.
The military is using troops,
tanks and jets in North Waziristan
and has vowed to wipe out
strongholds which insurgents
have used to mount countless
deadly attacks in recent years.
"Some 833, 274 people or
66,726 migrating families from
north Waziristan were registered
in cities of Bannu and Peshawar
until Tuesday evening," Arshad
Khan, FDMA director general,
said.
Khan said 361,459 of the dis-
placed were children and 248,633
women. The military said jets
bombed and destroyed seven
insurgent hideouts in Degan vil-
lage, a stronghold of Taliban mil-
itants, killing at least 13 rebels.
So far 399 militants and 20 sol-
diers have been killed in the
offensive, according to the mili-
tary.
The rugged mountainous area
has been a hideout for years for
Islamist militants of all stripes
including Al-Qaida and the
homegrown Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan as well as foreign fight-
ers including Uzbeks and
Uighurs.
Islamabad: Pakistan Army Chief
Gen. Raheel Sharif has told
troops in North Waziristan to
"eliminate all local and foreign
terrorists and their sanctuaries" in
the tribal region.
The army chief visited the
troops on the front lines for the
first time since they launched a
major offensive against the armed
groups in North Waziristan,
which the army describes as the
biggest sanctuary of the militants.
The army, backed by fighter
jets and gunships, started the
long-awaited operation June 15
after the peace dialogue with the
Taliban collapsed. The Taliban
then increased attacks across
Pakistan on security forces
and sensitive installations.
The Pakistani Taliban,
with the help of Uzbek mil-
itants, carried out a deadly
attack on the country' s
biggest airport in Karachi
June 8 and killed nearly 30
security and airport person-
nel. Almost all major politi-
cal parties threw their
weight behind the govern-
ment's decision to go for
the biggest push against the
Taliban who had turned
North Waziristan into a
launching pad for attacks in
the country and even across
the border into Afghanistan.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister J. Jayalalithaa wants the
central government to take "early
and decisive action" to end attacks
by the Sri Lanka Navy on Indian
fishermen.
In a letter to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, she urged his gov-
ernment to "initiate immediate
efforts to find a permanent and
pragmatic solution to this liveli-
hood issue of our fishermen".
"I confidently look forward to
early and decisive action by the
government of India under your
leadership to resolve this long-
standing issue," the chief minister
said in the letter made public.
Jayalalithaa referred to the arrest
of 20 more fishermen in four
mechanized boats from Tamil
Nadu by the Sri Lanka Navy. She
said the fishermen were taken to
Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka.
Jayalalithaa said the right of
livelihood of fishermen who histor-
ically and traditionally fish in the
Palk Bay -- which divides India
and Sri Lanka -- was continuously
infringed upon by the Sri Lanka
Navy.
She described as "ill advised" the
Indo-Sri Lankan Agreements of
1974 and 1976 which ceded
Katchatheevu island to Colombo
without "any foresight or concern
for the plight of our innocent fish-
ermen".
Stressing that the agreements had
been challenged in the Supreme
Court, Jayalalithaa said the state
government "continues to reiterate
that the issue of the International
Maritime Boundary Line and
Katchatheevu cannot be treated as
a settled issue.
Kathmandu: Nepal and India
have set up a permanent mecha-
nism to review projects under
India' s line of credit (LoC) to
Nepal that stands at $350 million.
Nepal is currently pursuing ener-
gy and infrastructure projects
under the LoC. In June 2006, the
Indian government had for the first
time agreed to provide a $100-mil-
lion LoC execution of infrastruc-
ture development projects as prior-
itized by the Nepal government.
As a special gesture, the Indian
government agreed to dilute the
norms of Indian content and eligi-
bility criterion for accessing the
LoC. The Exim Bank if India and
the Nepal government signed an
agreement in September 2007 fol-
lowing which the LoC was opera-
tionalised in January 2008.
The projects under the first $100
million LoC included 11 road
development projects, the 15 MW
Devighat hydropower project,
development of 27 MW Rahughat
hydro power project, the Nepal
portion of the Muzaffarpur-
Dhalkebar cross border transmis-
sion line and rural electrification
projects.
After this, at the request of the
Nepal government, the Indian gov-
ernment agreed to extend another
LoC of $250 million from Exim
Bank of India on similar terms and
conditions.
The Indian side stated that LoCs
have become another important
component of development part-
nership between the two countries
and conveyed that India would be
happy to consider extending fur-
ther assistance to Nepal.
21 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
New Delhi: As Afghanistan
plunged into a full-blown elec-
toral crisis after the preliminary
results of the run-off elections,
the real gainers from the instabil-
ity are Taliban and Pakistan.
Abdullah Abdullah, who the
initial results say has lost the
election to Ashraf Ghani, sharp-
ened the edge of the impending
crisis, declaring he might set up a
parallel government.
A worried India hoped "the
Afghan leadership cutting across
party lines knows that while win-
ning an election requires simple
arithmetic majority, running a
country requires inclusiveness
and an ability to carry everyone
along," said the MEA spokesper-
son. Ashraf Ghani is generally
believed to be a favorite of the
Western countries.
The process now goes into the
Electoral Complaints
Commission, an untested institu-
tion whose job it will be to decide
whether there has been electoral
fraud in the run-off. Prima facie,
certain things
have stood out
as being odd.
While the first
round of elec-
tions saw
around 7 mil-
lion voters
e x e r c i s i n g
their franchise,
the run-off
with less can-
vassing saw
over 8 million
voters in play.
In some areas
the voting per-
centage went
up dramatical-
ly. "So far as India is concerned,
we have the ability to work with
whoever comes to power. But at
this point in Afghanistan's histo-
ry, the process of elections
whatever the outcome must be
believable and acceptable to the
people," said Jayant Prasad, for-
mer Indian ambassador to
Afghanistan. This is the time
when the cushion of international
presence is thinning rapidly.
Afghans will have to chart their
own course, which means they
have to work on their own insti-
tutions in a way that is credible to
Afghans. Social fissures at this
time could be grist to the mill for
forces like Taliban and Pakistan
to destabilize Afghanistan.
Ashraf Ghani is generally believed to be a
favorite of the Western countries.
The Palk Bay divides India and Sri Lanka
Pakistan Army Chief
Gen. Raheel Sharif
More than 800,000 flee Paks
anti-militant offensive
Kabul stares at instability
post election results
Jaya wants 'decisive
action' against Sri Lanka
Nepal, India set up permanent mechanism for projects
Eliminate all terrorists in
Waziristan: Pak army chief
INTERNATIONAL 22 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Jerusalem: Israel significantly
broadened its campaign against
Gaza after militants fired at
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in their
biggest confrontation since 2012,
raising fears of a major Israeli
ground offensive.
It was the most serious flare-up
in and around the Gaza Strip since
November 2012 and came as
Israel struggled to contain a wave
of nationwide unrest over the
grisly murder of a Palestinian
teenager by Jewish extremists.
Washington, Brussels and a
growing number of Arab states
have demanded an immediate halt
to the violence which is threaten-
ing to expand into a wider conflict
in a region already bristling with
tension.
So far, 32 Palestinians have
been killed, among them militants
but also women and children.
More than 230 have been wound-
ed.
So far, neither side has shown
any sign of backing down, as
Israel stepped up its preparations
for a possible ground assault,
approving the call up of 40,000
reservists.
Israel' s security cabinet has
ordered the military to "signifi-
cant broaden" its assault on
Hamas, a minister said.
"We didn't limit the campaign in
terms of time, in fact we ordered
the IDF (army) to significantly
broaden the attacks on Hamas,"
interior minister Gideon Saar told
army radio.
Iran' s foreign ministry con-
demned the air raids and called on
the West to urge the Jewish state
to prevent a "human catastrophe".
Vatican City: Pope
Francis held a historic
meeting with six vic-
tims of sexual abuse by
clergymen of the
Catholic church, and
asked "forgiveness" for
the "sins of neglect"
committed in the way
church leaders dealt
with their cases.
"I humbly beg for-
giveness," said the
pope, who admitted
that the church had not
responded adequately
to the abuse claims
made by the victims
and their relatives. The six victims,
three men and three women, whose
identities were not provided, attend-
ed a mass by the Pope in his resi-
dence, the Santa Marta House.
The pope then met privately with
each one of them, Vatican
spokesperson Federico Lombardi
told reporters.
Lombardi noted that the pope's
words were a "message of hope and
courage" for all the victims of sexu-
al abuse in the world and he did not
rule out more meetings in the future.
The sexual assault victims are two
Germans, two English and two Irish,
who arrived in the Vatican Sunday
for the first meeting of its kind with
the pope since he was named to the
post in March 2013.
Pope Francis announced his inten-
tions to hold these encounters dur-
ing his visit to Jerusalem May 27,
when he strongly condemned the
abuses committed by clergymen
against minors.
Washington: President Barack
Obama said the US is committed to
the goal of developing a new
model of relations with China
defined by increased practical coop-
eration and constructive manage-
ment of differences.
The United States welcomes the
emergence of a stable, peaceful, and
prosperous China, Obama said
here as the annual US-China
Strategic and Economic Dialogue
(S&ED) began in Beijing.
We are committed to the shared
goal of developing over time a new
model of relations with China
defined by increased practical coop-
eration and constructive manage-
ment of differences, he said in a
statement.
Acknowledging that the US and
China will not always see eye-to-
eye on every issue, he said that is to
be expected for two nations with
different histories and cultures.
It also is why we need to build
our relationship around common
challenges, mutual responsibilities
and shared interests, even while we
candidly address our differences,
Obama said.
The US President said this year
marks a special milestone in the US-
China relationship as it is the 35th
anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic ties between the two
nations.
Today, instead of living detached
from each other as we did 35 years
ago, the United States and China
embrace the benefits of strengthen-
ing ties and acknowledge the grow-
ing interdependence of our econom-
ic destinies, Obama said.
This anniversary provides an
opportunity to take stock of the
deepening exchanges between our
two peoples, the range of coopera-
tion between our two countries on
shared security and economic chal-
lenges and dealing forthrightly with
our differences, he said.
Washington: US President Barack
Obama and NATO Secretary
General Anders Fogh Rasmussen
discussed situation in Ukraine and
Afghanistan at the White House.
Rasmussen's visit "underscores
the vital importance the United
States places on NATO as the cor-
nerstone of our alliance with Europe
and the importance of Rasmussen's
leadership at this critical time",
Xinhua quoted White House
spokesperson Josh Earnest telling a
press briefing. On Ukraine, Obama
and Rasmussen discussed "the
implications of Russia's aggression
for European security" and the
efforts the US and other allies have
been making over the past several
months to reassure all allies of
NATO's commitment to collective
defence, Earnest said.
The leaders spoke about the need
to improve allied defence invest-
ment and to bolster the defence
capacity of NATO's vast network of
partners, the official said. Obama
and Rasmussen also spoke about
Afghanistan and planning for
NATO' s non-combat mission
beyond 2014, he added.
After the meeting, Rasmussen told
reporters that Afghanistan must sign
a security agreement before the
NATO summit in Wales in
September, or there will be severe
problems after 2014.
He also urged contenders in
Afghanistan's presidential election
to work with electoral authorities
"to find a solution that ensures a
credible outcome" of the election.
London: In what could be the
biggest sexual scandal to hit
Westminster, 20 "establishment
figures" which includes at least
10 "famous" current and former
politicians may soon face investi-
gations over allegations of his-
toric child abuse.
The prominent public figures
are believed to have been part of
an elite paedophile ring as they
have been identified "again and
again" by callers to child abuse
helplines. Dr Jon Bird of the
National Association for People
Abused In Childhood (Napac)
admitted that "it looks looked
like the 10 politicians will at last
face up to the accusations. The
names of people in very high
places, politicians, senior police
officers and even some judges,
have been going around as
alleged abusers for a very long
time".Peter McKelvie who suc-
cessfully convicted paedophile
Peter Righton said there was a
"powerful elite of paedophiles
who carried out the worst form
of abuse".
Britain' s home minister
Theresa May meanwhile has
announced an independent
inquiry to look into how the state
and other institutions have han-
dled accusations of abuse over
the past four decades.
Israel pounds Gaza as
Hamas targets Tel Aviv
Washington, Brussels and a growing number of Arab states
have demanded an immediate halt to the violence
Pope asks forgiveness
from sex abuse victims
Pope Francis held a historic meeting with
six victims of sexual abuse by clergymen
of the Catholic church
US to develop new model of
ties with China: Obama
President
Obama
with
Chinese
President
Xi Jinping
Obama, NATO chief discuss
Ukraine, Afghanistan
British parliament hit by massive sex scandal
Economic survey outlines reformist steps for India
New Delhi: India needs to recast
its subsidy regime, raise tax rev-
enues, remove barriers on farm
trade and improve the business
climate to meet the aspirations of
its people, the annual report card
on the country's economy said
this week, while pegging a higher
overall growth of 5.4-5.9 percent
for this fiscal.
A day ahead of the national
budget for this fiscal, the
Economic Survey 2013-14 tabled
in parliament by Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley, also suggested a
series of measures that must form
the next phase of economic
reforms to recapture the growth
momentum and remove the prob-
lems that undermine the country's
long-term potential.
India's economic growth fell
below 5 percent in the past two
consecutive years -- the worst
performance in almost three
decades. The growth slowdown in
the last two years was broad-
based, affecting in particular the
industry sector, the survey
observed.
The report -- normally authored
by the chief economic advisor in
the finance ministry, but, with the
post lying vacant, compiled this
time by Finance Secretary Arvind
Mayaram -- called for the revival
of business sentiments as that
would be at the heart of restarting
the investment cycle and pushing
economic growth.
"There has been increasing con-
cern about the difficulties faced
by firms operating in India. In a
purely economic sense, it is easy
to explain the actions of a govern-
ment that restricts firms in certain
ways in order to address market
failures," the survey said.
"However, the Indian landscape
features numerous government
interventions that are not connect-
ed to market failures. Therefore,
there is immediate need to simpli-
fy processes including those relat-
ed to tax policy and administra-
tion."
On inflation, it said both whole-
sale as well as retail inflation
were likely to decline by the end
of 2014. But it warned that the
prices may spike if monsoon
remain sub-normal. There are
risks to the outlook for inflation
from a possible sub-normal mon-
soon during 2014-15 as predicted
by the India Meteorological
Department on account of the El-
Nino effect, possible step up in
the pass-through of international
crude oil prices, and exchange
rate volatility.
Moderation in inflation would
ease the monetary policy stance
of the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) and revive the confidence
of investors, and with the global
economy expected to recover
moderately, particularly on
account of performance in some
advanced economies, the Indian
"economy can look forward to
better growth prospects in 2014-
15 and beyond".
Downside risks to the economy
remain from a poor monsoon,
external environment and poor
investment climate.
The survey points out that the
fiscal situation of the country is
worse than it appears, as the gov-
ernment managed to contain the
fiscal deficit at 4.5 percent of
GDP in the financial year 2013-
14 largely by cutting plan and
capital expenditure, which is
unsustainable.
The survey called for putting
public finances on the sustainable
path through fiscal correction.
To control food inflation, the
survey suggested the need for
restoring economic freedom of
farmers by allowing them to be
part of a competitive national
market.
According to the survey report,
the country will require a whop-
ping $1 trillion investment in
infrastructure over the next five
years.
New Delhi: The number of for-
eign tourists visiting India
grew by nine percent in June
compared to the like period of
last year, the tourism ministry
said.
"Foreign Tourist Arrivals
(FTAs) during June 2014 was
4.92 lakh compared to 4.51
lakh in June 2013 and 4.33
lakh in June 2012," said a min-
istry statement.
"There has been a growth of
nine percent in June 2014 over
June 2013 as compared to a
growth of 4.1 percent regis-
tered in June 2013 over June
2012," it added.
A growth of 5.2 percent was
seen during January-June this
year, when 35.43 lakh foreign
tourists visited India, compared
to 33.68 lakh tourists during
the same period last year.
New Delhi: Bullet trains are set to become a
reality in India with the first service between
Mumbai and Ahmedabad as Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's government sought to make
Indian Railways - one of the world's largest -
run like a "commercial enterprise but serve
like a welfare organization".
In the railway budget presented to parlia-
ment, Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda
Gowda unveiled many new measures to make
Indian Railways, which runs about 20,000
trains and ferries 23 million passengers daily, a
modern, efficient and commercially viable
utility.
He presented proposals, subject to parlia-
mentary approval, for introduction of 58 new
trains, paperless office in five years, digital
reservation charts, wi-fi in select stations and
trains, wake-up call for passengers, separate
freight terminals, office-on-wheels for busi-
ness travellers, more money for cleanliness
and safety, food courts at stations, expansion
of rail tourism and better connectivity in hilly
areas and northeastern states.
He also promised a diamond quadrilateral
project of high-speed rail connectivity
between the four metros.
He said some identified stations will be
developed like modern airports.
Having already hiked passenger fares by
14.2 percent and the freight carriage charges
by 6.5 percent, which is expected to fetch
additional resources of Rs.8,000 crore, Gowda
focused on ways to earn revenues from other
sources, such as allowing foreign equity in
areas excluding operations, as also public-pri-
vate partnerships.
He said Rs.500,000 crore ($83 billion) will
be required over the next 10 years to fund the
modernization plans of the network, as against
the actual spend of Rs.18,400 crore in the past
10 years, but noted that freight and passenger
fare hikes alone could not fetch such large
requirements.
Prime Minister Modi was quick to react.
"The railway budget keeps in mind the devel-
opment of India. We can see the great use of
technology also," he tweeted, adding: "This
budget strengthens institutional mechanism. It
focuses on transparency and integrity."
Ranked among the world's top five, the
Indian railroad network ferries 23 million peo-
ple and 2.65 million tonnes of goods daily, or
1.1 billion tonnes annually, from 7,172 sta-
tions on 12,617 passenger and 7,421 freight
trains over more than 64,000 route km.
Shifting to finances, Gowda pegged the total
receipts at Rs.164,374 crore and the total
expenditure at Rs.1,49,176 crore while expect-
ing a 4.9 percent growth in freight and a small
growth in passenger traffic this fiscal. He pro-
jected an operating ratio, or the amount spent
to earn one rupee, at 92.5 paise -- one paisa
more than in 2013-14.
As regards the high-speed projects, the min-
ister said Indian Railways would require more
than Rs.900,000 crore crore ($150 billion) to
complete the golden quadrilateral network and
about Rs.60,000 crore ($100 billion) for intro-
ducing one bullet train alone.
It pegs a higher overall growth of 5.4-5.9 percent for this fiscal.
Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda
unveiled new measures to make Indian
Railways a modern, efficient and com-
mercially viable utility.
Tech, commerce to power Indian Railways in future
BUSINESS July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Foreign tourist
arrivals up nine
percent
23
Argentina to face
Germany in
World Cup final
Sao Paulo: After a goalless 120-minute of
play, Argentina beat the Netherlands 4-2 in
a penalty shootout, thanks to impressive
saves from keeper Sergio Romero, in the
FIFA World Cup semifinal here.
The 27-year-old Romero denied two
penalty kicks from Dutch defender Ron
Vlaar and playmaker Wesley Sneijder in the
first and third round while his teammates
converted all the four kicks to claim the vic-
tory after both teams were tied 0-0 at the
end of extra time, reports Xinhua.
Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal did not
repeat the successful goalkeeper substitu-
tion strategy in the quarterfinal penalty
shootout win against Costa Rica, which saw
reserve keeper Tim Krul come into the pitch
in the last minute of extra time and block
two kicks in the following penalty duel.
Van Gaal used the final substitution
chance six minutes into the extra time,
replacing skipper Robin van Persie with
Schalke 04 forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar,
while leaving Krul on bench for the whole
match.
The Netherlands skipper Van Persie was
included into the starting 11 despite com-
plaining of a stomach problem Tuesday.
Meanwhile, their midfielder enforcer
Nigel de Jong, who was expected to miss
the remainder of the World Cup after sus-
taining a groin injury in the 2-1 round of 16
victory against Mexico last Sunday, also
managed an early return to start for the
Oranje. Argentinian coach Alejandro
Sabella kept Manchester City striker Sergio
Aguero on the bench and started Ezequiel
Lavezzi instead.
Benfica midfielder Enzo Perez replaced
injured Real Madrid winger Angel di Maria
while Chelsea transfer target Marcos Rojo
started for the Albiceleste as left full-back.
Both sides played cautiously as
Netherlands' Arjen Robben and Argentina
talisman Lionel Messi were both strangled
with tight defence.
Argentina led 53-47 in terms of ball pos-
session and Dutch defender Bruno Martins
Indi received a booking just before the
interval as he pulled Messi before the Barca
star managed to break through in the right
flank.
Belo Horizonte (Brazil): A ruthless
Germany dumped hosts Brazil out
of the FIFA World Cup in a humili-
ating fashion, beating them 7-1 at
the Minerao Stadium to march in
the finals.
In the record defeat for Brazil,
Toni Kroos (24th min, 26th) and
Andre Schurrle (69th, 79th) netted
twice while Miroslav Klose (23rd),
Sami Khedira (29th) and Thomas
Muller (11th) were also on target in
a rampant display that saw them
score four goals in six minutes in
the first half.
Chelsea midfielder Oscar scored
the consolation for Brazil in the
90th minute. But it looked one of
the worst performance from a back
four in the World Cup finals.
The Germans were clinical and
looked like scoring everytime they
attacked.
Even as an attacking threat, Brazil
posed little danger to Manuel Neur's
goal in the first half, only testing
him in an early flourish in the sec-
ond half. Brazil too often lost their
shape and discipline and were made
to pay dearly for their frailties at the
back. Brazil no doubt missed their
star Neymar but perhaps more
important was the absence of cap-
tain Thiago Silva. Stand-in captain
David Luiz had one of his worst
games, closely followed by Dante,
who was just as woeful.
London: Novak Djokovic
regained the No.1 spot for the first
time since September last year as
he beat Roger Federer in a thrilling
final to win his second Wimbledon
crown. Djokovic beat Federer 6-7
(7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-4 in three
hours and 56 minutes and thus
ended his 18-month wait for his
seventh Grand Slam title.
In three major finals since the
Australian Open win, Djokovic has
been obliged to arrange his fea-
tures into the expression of the
graceful runners-up.
But Sunday afternoon here at
Wimbledon, by his own magnifi-
cent efforts, he snapped the losing
habit. There was no leap of joy, no
howl of victory. It was only after
the obligatory handshakes that his
knees gave way. To describe this
final as riveting is to sell it a long
story short.
With Djokovic a heartbeat from
his seventh Slam, the Swiss deliv-
ered what he believed to be an ace.
The line judge called it out,
Federer summoned Hawk-Eye and
was proven correct.
A few minutes earlier, Federer
was 2-5 down, looking like a tired
man running out of ideas, but it
turned out to be a cunning disguise.
With the aid of that pivotal chal-
lenge, he plundered five games on
the bounce to take the match into
the decider, and in those moments
it seemed that destiny must be
waiting for him. Federer would
indeed become the oldest
Wimbledon champion at 32 years
332 days, he would collect an his-
toric eighth Wimbledon and 18th
Grand Slam. It wasn't to be.
J
ust under three years ago,
most of the talk was about
milestones heading into
India's tour of England. The
2000th Test. The 100th Test
between England and India.
Sachin Tendulkar's 100th inter-
national hundred. Duncan
Fletcher's 100th Test as coach.
All of it at the traditional home
of cricket.
Cricket watchers besotted by
statistics have driven them-
selves into frenzy over far less.
To expect the quality of cricket
to match the sense of occasion
was fair, what with two of the
world's top sides vying for the
No 1 ranking.
Instead, Zaheer Khan limped
out of the series on the first
day, and India's ageing band of
legendary batsmen - Rahul
Dravid apart - followed him in
spirit. MS Dhoni had entered
the series having not lost a sin-
gle one before. Four embar-
rassments later, two of them by
an innings, he had presided
over a winless overseas run
that has extended to this day
and has lasted 14 Tests.
Fortunately for the Indians,
only five of that squad are on
this trip. Virat Kohli and
Wriddhiman Saha had no role
on the field then, and Gautam
Gambhir may not have a sig-
nificant one this time. It is not
in Dhoni's nature to carry bag-
gage - good or bad - around,
and if Ishant Sharma can sur-
vive that bowling average after
55 Tests, he can survive any-
thing.
It has been said before, but it
is worth repeating before the
start of this series. This is not
the India side that suffered the
humiliation of 0-8 in England
and Australia, it is the side that
came close to winning a Test
on each of its first two tours to
South Africa and New Zealand.
In 2011, India averaged 255
over eight innings in England.
In its first seven overseas
innings, this team already aver-
ages nearly 325.
India may or may not have
the ability to take 20 wickets,
but they have the potential to
put a decent score on the board,
a total which it makes it diffi-
cult for the opposition to force
a result. The previous Indian
Test team achieved what it did
partly because it had the bats-
men who often made big runs
under pressure, but they failed
to collectively score in excess
of 300 even once in England
2011. The current lot cannot
possibly do worse.
Given the way English pitch-
es behaved recently against Sri
Lanka, there is every chance
they will do better. That in
itself will make it a contest,
unlike 2011.
Argentina beat the Netherlands 4-2 in a penalty shootout
India-England series: A
test for rebuilding teams
Germany humiliate Brazil 7-1
Djokovic wins Wimbledon, regains No.1 spot
SPORTS 24 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Brazil missed their star Neymar and captain Thiago Silva.
Novak Djokovic defeated
Roger Federer in the finals.
25 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info BOOK REVIEWS
The Ramayana through Sita's eyes
Hinduism pundits or Hindu baiters?
By M.R. Narayan Swamy
O
utstanding! There
can be no other
adjective for this
book. It is not easy to woo
readers to the Ramayana, an
epic which every Indian
knows by heart. But Devdutt
Pattanaik - a medical doctor
by education, a leadership
consultant by profession and
a mythologist by passion -
succeeds admirably, by
retelling the country's most
popular story through the
eyes of Sita.
Without doubt, Sita is the
greatest victim of Ramayana,
unless you end the saga, as
our annual Ramlilas mostly
tend to do, with the tri-
umphant return to Ayodhya
of Ram, Sita and Lakshman along with
Hanuman after vanquishing Ravana. But
Sita's torture continues even after Ram
starts to rule Ayodhya. He is perturbed by
gossip that Sita is not "pure", having spent
months in Ravana's custody.
So the 'Maryada Purshottam' banishes
her, asking brother Lakshman to dump
Janaka's daughter in the forests. Lakshman
cries when he carries out the order, only to
hear Sita's soothing words: "You feel your
Ram has abandoned his Sita, don't you?
But he has not. He cannot. He is God - he
abandons no one. And I am
Goddess - I cannot be aban-
doned by anyone."
That of course is no conso-
lation to anyone. Nor is
Ram' s adamant refusal to
marry anyone again. The
fact that Ram lives like a
king, in royalty, while the
pregnant Sita languishes in
the wild is a commentary on
fidelity and self-image.
Sita' s renewed life in the
jungle helps her to turn a
bandit into becoming sage
Valmiki who goes on to
write the epic - while helping
Sita to raise her boys Luv
and Kush.
The boys' musical talents
as well as bravery ultimately
bring them in contact with
Ram. Now Ram wants Sita
back in Ayodhya but with a rider - she must
again (she did it once) prove that she is
"pure".
This is too much for a woman who at the
first place chose the forest and its hardships
only to be in the company of her husband,
getting caught in the process in Ravana's
clutches. Sita decides not to return to
Ayodhya; as Ram watches in horror, she
prays to Mother Earth - King Janaka had
found her as a baby in a field - to take her
back. The earth splits open, and Sita sinks
before anyone can react. "By refusing to
return to Ram, Sita turns away from the
rules of the society. She does not need
social structures to give her status. She
chooses the earth, where there are no
boundaries and rules." Her disappearance
eventually forces Ram to plunge himself
into the Sarayu river.
Pattanaik's Ramayana is not a simple
retelling of Valmiki's account.
That would have still made this work
attractive but it is much more. The book
has taken into account all the Ramayanas
starting from the 1st to the 19th centuries
including versions popular in Southeast
Asia. So you get to read stories that are not
widely known.
But despite the complex bibliography,
Pattanaik tells a straight story, each brief
chapter ending with a box giving varying
accounts of a particular incident.
Pattanaik's Ramayana is as informative as it
is gripping.
By M.R. Narayan Swamy
T
his book is a compilation of
the Hindu anger that fol-
lowed questionable scholar-
ship on Hinduism studies in the
US, primarily by those linked to
the powerful American Academy
of Religion. The anger had been
simmering in the Indian diaspora
for a long time. It took one man,
Rajiv Malhotra, to hit back at the
American experts on Hinduism,
notably the well known Wendy
Doniger. Malhotra accused these
pundits of unleashing
"Hinduphobia". This was the tip-
ping point. The spark spread like a
wildfire in the Indian American
community, forcing the American
academics to brand the accused as
'Hindutva' and 'saffron' preachers.
What Malhotra and others -
including some white Americans with person-
al spiritual connections to Hinduism -- found
was that many inauthentic translations and
interpretations had been popularized by these
"experts". One of the culprits shockingly
described one of India's most respected spiri-
tual gurus, a worshipper of Kali, as a sexual
pervert and more.
Indian critics of such dubious scholarship
uncovered more. There was recurring overem-
phasis on Hindu Goddess' sensational, sexual
and violent aspects. The favorite target was
Kali. Male Hindu Gods were not spared either.
There were virtual pornographic interpretive
descriptions of some of the better known
Gods, so demeaning that had members of
another community uttered these very words,
there would be bloody riots in
India. And tantra, we are told, is
not a legitimate spiritual process!
Since these books were authored
by Doniger and (mostly) her stu-
dents, they would eventually get
into American textbooks, popular
culture and media, "thus becoming
the accepted lenses through which
many aspects of Indian culture are
viewed". Indeed, an introductory
college textbook said that Shiva
temples were "notorious for all
kinds of extreme practices, includ-
ing ritual rape and murder". All
these had devastating conse-
quences for Hindus in the US, par-
ticularly to Indian American chil-
dren in classrooms.
Malhotra and the others rightly
complained that Doniger and other
American scholars tend to stereo-
type Hindu thought and traditions,
trivializing its rationality. "Hinduism, like all
faiths, has its problematic aspects." But what
disturbed the Indian diaspora was that some
high profile scholars "allege that these abuses
are the very essence of Hinduism, and not an
aberration". When Doniger authored the sec-
tion on Hinduism in Microsoft' s Encarta
Encyclopedia, it had to be withdrawn when it
was found to be full of bias and stereotypes.
This is a powerful book, as powerful as the
entrenched American experts on Hindu stud-
ies. It includes essays that are critical analyses
of what is dished out to be factual knowledge
on one of the world's oldest religions. Others
are critical of the application of European
ideas to Indian culture. The book is also "an
attempt to reverse the gaze on the West".
Title: Invading the
Sacred: An Analysis
of Hinduism Studies
in America
Editors: Krishnan
Ramaswamy, Antonio
de Nicolas and Aditi
Banerjee
Publisher: Rupa
Pages: 545
Title: Sita: An Illustrated
Retelling of the Ramayana
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
Publisher: Penguin Books
Pages: 318 Rs: 499
Sita is the greatest
victim of Ramayana,
unless you end the saga,
as our annual Ramlilas
mostly tend to do, with
the triumphant return to
Ayodhya of Ram
and Sita after
vanquishing Ravana.
26 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info SELF HELP
I
n todays tumultuous economic
times, extra income is not just a
luxury, but a necessary safety
net, according to many financial
experts.
Relying solely on a single
employer to make ends meet is a
surefire way to end up struggling, as
so many Americans do, warns
Kimberly Palmer, senior money edi-
tor for U.S. News & World Report
and author of the new book The
Economy of You: Discover Your
Inner Entrepreneur and Recession-
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Whether ones passion is baking
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They choose entrepreneurial
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They minimize their expenses
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They rely heavily on online
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They actively promote their
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They find ways to be resilient
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As their businesses grow, they
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And they often find other ways to
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They derive a deep sense of finan-
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More information about The
Economy of You can be found at
www.byKimberlyPalmer.com.
Thinking about taking the plunge?
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I
ts no secret that the vitamins and minerals
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Have the urge to snack? Satiate hunger
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Mimic the shape and crunch of chips with car-
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Have a Smoothie
Over the course of the day, it can be chal-
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ty fruits and vegetables, particularly for busy
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MS, RD, a sports dietitian and nutrition con-
sultant for Tulane University Athletics. If
youre on the go or a picky eater, a smoothie
is the ultimate solution -- just be careful
though, not all of them are as nutritious as
they seem.
You can build a better smoothie if youre
careful. A good start is to incorporate fresh
vegetables like carrots and kale.
For a meal replacement or a boost of energy,
make sure your smoothie contains all the ele-
ments of a proper meal. One tasty option is
Smoothie Kings new line of Greek Yogurt
Smoothies made with Greek yogurt and real
fruits and vegetables.
Available in Strawberry Blueberry,
Pineapple Mango and Carrot Orange, theyre
a good source of protein, probiotics and calci-
um and contain less than 350 calories. They
can also be a great option for kids too, as they
are nutritious and tasty.
Additionally, you can often customize
smoothies to meet your specific needs or
goals -- whether youre a body builder need-
ing to recover post-workout, a dieter attempt-
ing to lose weight, or youre just looking to
improve overall health. For example, with
Smoothie King, you can add an Enhancer,
to improve focus, energy, immunity and more.
More information and nutrition tips can be
found at
www.SmoothieKing.com/menu/smoothies/.
Go for a Salad
If your favorite midday meal is heavy on
bread, consider swapping out some of those
carb-heavy calories for greens. With the right
ingredients, a salad can be fully satisfying.
For example, use dark leafy greens in place
of iceberg lettuce and dont forget to incorpo-
rate some protein -- lean meats, fish nuts,
seeds, beans and certain vegetables like broc-
coli and artichokes can up your intake.
Also, consider starting your dinner with a
salad. It will help you feel full faster.
With a few tweaks throughout the day and
mindful eating, you can increase your fruit
and vegetable intake with ease.
StatePoint
M
ost Americans understand
the importance of saving
for retirement but unfortu-
nately, not everyones concerns
translate to action.
While 93 percent of working
Americans know they should be
contributing to their retirement, only
72 percent are actually doing so,
according to the results of Capital
One ShareBuilder s Financial
Freedom Survey (accessible at
http://tinyurl.com/n9zvksh). The
same study found that while nearly
three-fifths of respondents plan to
retire by age 65, almost the same
number of people fear theyll never
save enough for retirement.
Unfortunately, saving for the
future is often put on the back-burn-
er for what may seem like more
pressing financial priorities, such as
paying for childrens college educa-
tion, says Dan Greenshields, presi-
dent of Capital One ShareBuilder,
Inc. Today more than ever before,
individuals are responsible for
ensuring their own financial security
during retirement.
The earlier you begin to plan and
save for your post-working years,
the better, Greenshields stresses.
Here are some top things to consid-
er:
How much will you need to
finance your retirement? Do you
plan to move, travel or take up new
hobbies? Also take in to account
potential unexpected and rising
costs, like healthcare.
You can estimate your retire-
ment needs by identifying potential
expenses, as well as by calculating
the amount you might receive from
each potential source of retirement
income, such as Social Security,
pensions, personal investments and
employment earnings.
Don't be surprised if what you
need to retire is a large sum -- since
this money may need to support you
for 20 or 30 years (or more).
Fortunately, there are ways to help
maximize your retirement savings
over time.
Investing early for retirement
and contributing as much as possi-
ble to tax-advantaged employer-
sponsored retirement plans and
IRAs are two ways to help build
your retirement dollars.
Automatically transfer a regular
contribution from your paycheck to
your retirement account.
In some cases, it may be appro-
priate to consider rolling over or
transferring funds to an account
without minimums. However, there
may be some cases where leaving
the funds may be the right decision.
If you opt to rollover funds, Capital
One ShareBuilder, an online invest-
ing platform, offers flexibility by
allowing customers to trade stocks,
exchange-traded funds, mutual
funds, and options. More informa-
tion about whether or not you
should rollover funds can be found
at www.ShareBuilder.com.
Understand your time horizon,
risk tolerance and goals. Generally
speaking, your risk tolerances will
change over time.
Make planning a family affair
by scheduling times to discuss your
financial future with your partner or
family members over dinner, on a
picnic or as part of a weekend get-
away.
Consider working with a quali-
fied financial professional to help
ensure your retirement plan is on
target.
It is never too early or too late to
get started -- and while it may seem
daunting, there are quality tools and
resources that might help you along
the way. Sometimes it can be
rewarding, perhaps even enjoyable..
Tips to increase your fruit and vegetable intake
27 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info LIFESTYLE
A
ctor Ashton Kutcher recently
grooved to the Bollywood tune at
an Indian friend's wedding wear-
ing an aqua blue, embroidered kurta and a
flowing white dhoti teamed up with tur-
ban, reports eonline.com.
He was accompanied with pregnant
fiance Mila Kunis when he attended the
wedding at the Borgo Egnazia Resort in
Savelletri di Fasano, Italy, July 5.
Kutcher, 36, sported what appeared be
an aqua blue, embroidered kurta and a
flowing white dhoti, or long loincloth
while Kunis, 30, wore a mint gown with a
drop waist, which hid her baby bump, and
silver accents.
Details about the wedding were not
released, although photos have been post-
ed online and one of the pictures shows
Kutcher treating the crowd to a traditional
Bollywood-style dance, reports
eonline.com. He danced with a female
dancer, who sported a one-shoulder clover
green dress and nude leggings.
I
f you are smart and can also play well with others, you are
more likely to reach the highest rungs on the corpo-
rate ladder than those who have just one quality
either book-smart or socially adept, says a new study.
Individuals who reach the highest rungs on the cor-
porate ladder are both smart and social, the findings
showed.
The people who are both smart and socially adept
earn more in todays workforce than similarly
endowed workers in 1980, said economist
Catherine Weinberger from University of
California, Santa Barbara in the US.
Individuals today, who possess one skill or the
other, are doing about as well as those in the past.
In 1980, there was no additional benefit to having
both skills... today there is, she added.
Every 10 years or so, the US government surveys a
representative sample of high school students and has
them take tests. Then they follow these people for about
10 years to know how theyre doing in the labor market
when they reach their late 20s, Weinberger explained.
The researcher had been using those data sets to
examine the relationship between being a leader in
high school and being in high demand in
the job market later on. Just making stu-
dents sit down and learn math and trying to
get their test scores up is not enough,
Weinberger noted. The findings appeared
online in the journal Review of Economics
and Statistics.
P
opular talk show host Ellen DeGeneres
has plans to launch her own lifestyle
brand and make it big.
DeGeneres is branching out into design with
her newlycreated company, E.D.
inspired by a nickname her wife Portia de
Rossi gave her which will sell everything
from homeware and fashion to pet acces-
sories.
DeGeneres has big ambitions for E.D. to
become one of the leading brands on the mar-
ket, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
She told WWD: I wouldnt be doing this if
I didnt want it to be the biggest brand name
that you can imagine ... They say were going
to be on another planet soon, right? Im going
to be the first brand on that planet.
Now red nail paint from Christian Louboutin
F
rench footwear designer Christian Louboutin, whose designs are marked by the signa-
ture red soles, has come up with a bright red nail polish to expand his fashion empire.
He says it was a "legitimate" move.
He has created a Nail Colour Rouge Louboutin and joint forces with Batallure to create
the stiletto-shaped bottle.
"I thought it would be a nice way to remember where I come from. Also, for pictures of
the shoes, I'm always thinking about the colors on the nails - on the hands holding an ankle
or a bag. So it makes sense to start there," Louboutin said to The Sunday Times Style maga-
zine, reports contactmusic.com.
The polish is priced at 36 pounds and is available online from July 23 and in Harrrods,
Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Christian Louboutin stores from Aug 14.
Highly skilled, social
individuals achieve more
Ashton Kutcher dons Indian attire,
dances to Bollywood tune
Ellen DeGeneres to
launch own
lifestyle brand
Ellen
DeGeneres
Individuals who reach the
highest rungs on the corporate
ladder are both smart and
social, the findings showed
Ashton
Kutcher
sports a
turban at
the event
516.724.6939
718.685.6625
516.360.5980
ASAMAI HINDU TEMPLE
80 East Barclay Street
Hicksville, NY 11801
Date: Jul 21 To Jul 27, 2014
Time: 5am To 7am
F
IFA, footballs governing body, recent-
ly imposed a four-month ban on
Uruguay striker Luis Suarez for biting
an Italian opponent, Giorgio Chiellini, during
a World Cup match. It was the third biting
incident in Suarezs career and shocked soc-
cer fans. Many of them believed that Suarez
deserved a lifetime ban but FIFA took two
important factors into consideration in giving
a lighter sentence: (1) Video from several
camera angles was unable to conclusively dis-
prove Suarezs claim that his teeth accidental-
ly collided with Chiellinis shoulder; and (2)
Uruguayan authorities supplied FIFA with
proof that Suarez has always been meticulous
about getting his rabies shots.
Suarezs punishment includes a nine-match
international ban.He is also banned from any
football-related activities, which means that
he can participate in swimming, for example,
but cant do a belly-flop or take a dive.
In a carefully worded statement, Suarez
said he deeply regretted what occurred in the
match, as deeply as the bite on Giorgio
Chiellini.
Apologizing to Chiellini and the entire foot-
ball world, he added, I vow to the public that
there will never again be another similar inci-
dent, as I have agreed to FIFAs request that I
wear a muzzle during football matches.
His previous biting incidents occurred when
he was playing for the Dutch club Ajax in
2007 and English club Liverpool in 2013. He
is so notorious for his biting that some folks
in Texas are training their pit bulls by show-
ing them Luis Suarez highlights.
He has committed three bites in seven
years, which is a Guinness World Record for
football players biting opponents while pre-
sumed to be sane. But its nowhere close to
the Guinness World Record for football play-
ers biting referees. That record belongs to a
Ugandan football player who was so smitten
with a female referee that he kept giving her
love bites during a match. He received a
two-month suspension from the Federation of
Uganda Football Federations (FUFA) and a
two-year suspension from his wife, also
named Fufa.
Biting is more likely to happen in sports
like wrestling and boxing, where mouths
often get too close to ears, as boxer Evander
Holyfield discovered in 1997 when he fought
Mike Tyson in a world heavyweight champi-
onship bout. Holyfield managed to retain his
title, but not his entire ear.
Tyson, the former champ, was disqualified
for biting off part of Holyfields right ear, but
fortunately mended his ways and did not bite
anyone else, not even his ex-wifes divorce
attorney.
Biting is an instinctive reaction for dogs and
other animals, but considered primitive
behavior for humans, even those who grew up
in West Virginia. Its not uncommon, howev-
er, for humans to resort to biting, especially
when theyre angry, under extreme stress or
competing for something important, such as a
World Cup, Nobel Prize or parking spot at the
mall.
Children in particular are prone to bite each
other, until an adult reminds them that their
teeth should be used only for biting food
and those hard-to-open plastic packets that
food comes in.
In an article for Forbes.com, Dr. Robert
Glatter writes that humans biting other
humans reminds us of our ancestral connec-
tion with primates and how through evolu-
tion and development of organized cultures
and societal norms, such behavior became
unacceptable.
This ancestral connection with primates
is perhaps what got a 20-year-old Indian man
in trouble. As the Press Trust of India report-
ed, Pushparaj (also known as Pintu) of Indore
was recently sentenced to one year of rigor-
ous imprisonment after a judge found him
guilty of biting his neighbors ear off. (In case
youre wondering, Pushparaj is not a rabid
fan of Luis Suarez. Hes been vaccinated too.)
Pushparaj bit off the right ear of 22-year-old
Gabbar after the neighbor hurled a stone at
Pushparajs pet dog. Poor Gabbar. He appar-
ently didnt see the sign on the gate that said,
Beware of human.
Humor with Melvin Durai
28 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info HUMOR
Laughter is the Best Medicine
Our Primate Connection Human Bites:
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.
12th July, 2014 Ruled planet:Jupiter Ruled by no:3
Traits in you:Jupiter signifies ambition, dignity, and
independence. You are blessed with all these charac-
teristics and you are kind hearted as well.
Health this year:You may plan for a pilgrimage or a
distant journey to find mental peace and take rest from
your busy schedule, which makes you weak
physically.
Finance this year: This year will be very fruitful for
you in terms of investments. If you want to invest in
the stock market, you will be benefited hugely. This
year is the best time to go for property.
Career this year: You will be enjoying a good posi-
tion and respect in your professional life. However,
you should not behave dominant this year. It may af-
fect your life negatively. If you are in creativity field,
you may gain lot of recognition and of course money
will follow. You will find help from your near ones
when required. This will be a major boost to your pro-
fessional life.
Romance this year: You may plan for a romantic
trip with your partner to a distant place.
Lucky month: August, December, March and April
13th July, 2014 Ruled planet:Uranus Ruled by no:4
Traits in you:Being an active, sensible, enthusiastic,
authoritative, and energetic person, you have enough
capability to perform very well in your professional
career.
Health this year: You will find improvements in your
health though working long at office.
Finance this year: Some of you may visit abroad for
business trips as you areplanning to enhance your busi-
ness territory. You will get success in you new ventures
and this will make you financially stable.
Career this year: Your intelligence will enable you
create wonders in your profession. However, you
should work on your impatience, whim and stubborn-
ness. You should plan something to execute your plans
in this year. You will find luck and success easily this
year if you grab the opportunities at right times. You
will find good opportunities by developing new rela-
tionships and attachments.
Romance this year: Some of you may get married to
your desired partners this year.
Lucky month: November, January, April and June
14th July, 2014 Ruledplanet:MercuryRuled by no:5
Traits in you: Your guiding star, Mercury makes
you practical, intelligent, distinguished, responsive,
unique and dashing individual. You possess friendly
and cooperative. However, you should control your
being impatient and short-temperedness.
Health this year:You may remain tensed for the
health of your spouse.
Finance this year: You will be in financial gain this
year as your business will grow. This will enhance
your confidence. You will be able to settle down your
legal matters this year and find peace from the results.
Career this year; You will find new proposals and
work assignments this year. Some of you may get good
increments and promotions as well in your profession-
al life. If you are a sportsman or an artist, you can ex-
pect fame towards the end of the year.
Romance this year: Your relationship with your part-
ner might get ruined due to minor issues. If you have
never been in a relationship, this year may be lucky for
you as you will have an emotional and romantic at-
tachment.
Lucky month: October, December, February, March
15th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Venus Ruled by no: 6
Traits in you: Venus being your ruling planet offers
you with a charismatic personality and intelligence.
You will always find peace of mind.
Health this year: You may find blessings of a sacred
person to remain physically and mentally healthy.
Finance this year: You may find your friends helpful
enough to support you financially. You may get influ-
ence from one of your female friends, which will bring
new dimensions to your life. You have to ignore them
who approach you for loans and financial assistance.
Career this year: As a vivid learner, you will get the
chance to move ahead of others when it comes to new
technology. However, you have to work on your nature
of being lazy, moody. You should control yourself
from interfering in the affairs of others.
Romance this year: Your partner will be with you in
every situation you are in. You will be relieved with the
helping hand of your partner.
Lucky month: July, October, January and April
16th July, 2014 Ruled planet:Neptune
Ruled by no:7
Traits in you:Your ruling planet Neptune makes you
full of energy, ambition, and honesty. You like to en-
joy independence in your life to the maximum. You
have a sharp memory to memorize whatever you
study. Being innovative and born talented, you have all
the capabilities to impress others. However, you need
work on your nature of behaving impatient and unpre-
dictable.
Health this year: You may need to take extra care of
your health as the movement of your planet may make
you fall sick throughout this year. It is advised to prac-
tice yoga and meditation in a regular basis. It will not
only improve your mental health but also make you
physically fit.
Finance this year: If you are into business, this year
will prove to be very lucky for you as you will expand
your business by launching new and profitable ideas.
You will gain enough money if you invest in stocks.
Career this year: You have the best time to take im-
portant decisions for your professional life this year. It
is advisable for you to gather knowledge and informa-
tion on various topics. You need to make new and long
lasting contacts to get help in future. You will try your
level best to achieve your desired goals.
Romance this year: Your romantic affiliation with
your partner may make your bond more stronger. You
may plan to get married this year.
Lucky month: August, September and June
17th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Saturn
Ruled by no: 8
Traits in you: You are bestowed with the characteris-
tics such as energetic, realistic, dependable,
hardworking, and highly disciplined. Your duties and
responsibilities bear the most value than anything else
in your life. However, you have to look after your na-
ture of behaving stubborn and showing jealousy at
wrong situations.
Health this year: You will enjoy a sound health.
However, you may suffere from minor backaches due
to sitting more time in work.
Finance this year: Though there will be an improve-
ment in your financial status this year, you will end up
increasing your expenses as well. If your decision of
investing comes correct, you may be benefited or else
you may lose your money. Many of your friend and
relatives may visit you this year. They may bring you
gifts in form of money.
Career this year: You need to concentrate on projects
that would bring long term gains rather than bothering
about small projects. Some of you may get opportuni-
ties to get new employments.
Romance this year: You may find this year romantic
enough to make your year pleasing and happy.
Lucky month: September, November, March, April
18th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Mars Ruled by no: 9
Traits in you: Being under the influence of Mars, you
are blessed with dignity, sensitiveness, courage,
confidence and diplomacy. You are born simple and
helpful. You need to work on your nature of becoming
impatient.
Health this year: You will take help of spirituality
later this year for the betterment of your mental health.
However, you will remain healthy physically.
Finance this year: You should not spend too much
money to buy luxury. This may land you in financial
crisis later in the year. The peace at your home may get
ruined to financial crisis and health issues. Though you
may face a difficult time regarding to money earlier
this year, you will find a solution or a new source of
income later, which would solve your financial
problems.
Career this year: You may bring huge changes in
your professional life this year. You may expect a
transfer or promotion in the middle of this year. Those
who are on a foreign trip in the second half of the year
will find the trip enjoyable and exciting.
Romance this year: You will be enjoying a disturbed
relationship with your partner as you would not be able
to show required care and concern. If you are
unmarried, you may decide to remain so for at least
two years.
Lucky month: January, May and July
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: July 12-18, 2014 Annual Predictions: For those born in this week
29
ARIES: Support and appreciation from
seniors would raise your morale and
confidence. Time to get involved into
activities that would help in bringing contact
with close relatives. Important people will be
ready to finance anything that has a special
class to it. Sharing candyfloss and toffees with
lover/beloved would bring unlimited joy.
Creative hobbies are likely to keep you
relaxed. Going for a vacation is always a big
expenditure- you must plan everything.
Investing residentially is one thing you can
rely on. A secret personal wish will be ful-
filled.
TAURUS : A very good week to apply
for overseas job. Believe it or not
someone in the family is watching you
closely and considers you a role model.
Property dealings would materialize helping
in bringing fabulous gains. Company of love
partner would inspire to take initiatives in this
week. With a positive outlook & confidence,
you succeed in impressing people around you.
Minor preparations before you travel overseas
will make your trip a lot smoother. Investment
on overseas property has to be considered
seriously. You notice developing an interest in
creative work/literature.
GEMINI: Promotions and monetary
benefits for dedicated professionals.
An important development at personal
front brings jubilation for entire family. You
are likely to earn monetary gains through vari-
ous sources. Love works like a panacea as you
find sanity. Mental alertness would enable to
solve a tricky problem. If you are thinking of
escaping from the hectic daily routine- plan a
trip. Time to spend money on your homely
accommodations. Engaging yourself in some
creative work would give some respite from
hectic lifestyle.
CANCER: Pending proposals will
get implemented with the help of sen-
iors. A happy time in the company of
friends and relatives as they do many favours
to you. Increase in income from past invest-
ment is foreseen. Love partner touches soul
that would take imagination to unlimited
heights. A cheerful state of mind brings men-
tal peace. Your travel experience is going to be
an extent of sharing your knowledge and com-
munication. A good week to make some
investment on kitchen items. Students will be
successful in realising their dreams.
LEO: Good week for implementing
new plans and ventures. Enjoying the
company of close relatives will bright-
en your evening. Monetary gains from
unplanned sources will brighten your week.
Someones timely help would enable visualiz-
ing succeeding in love. Good time to divert
attention to spirituality to enhance mental
toughness. Its time for a vacation after a long
and hard year at work. You might be purchas-
ing a refrigerator or any other gadget for your
house. You notice many of your personal
dreams & ambitions being fulfilled in this
week.
VIRGO: Subordinates/co-workers
would be very helpful. Shopping with
family members will be highly pleasur-
able and exciting. New moneymaking oppor-
tunities will be lucrative. Romantic imagina-
tion would keep you in a jovial & cheerful
mood. A pleasure trip gives the much-needed
tonic to health. A beautiful vacation you
awaited for is on your cards. Purchasing of
electrical appliances can be done. Hard work
is likely to be supplemented by your lucky
stars.
LIBRA: Traveling brings new over-
seas business opportunities. You will
be at the limelight in a social gather-
ing provided you attend. You get some finan-
cial rewards as dedication & hard work gets
noticed. The company of love partner makes
you forget about the work. Cutting down the
number of parties and pleasure jaunts would
help in keeping in good mood. Destination
with a great deal is on your way, be ready for
traveling. A good deal for residential property
is ahead. Previous days unsuccessful efforts
would prove fruitful in this week.
SCORPIO: At professional front, you
will have to go through some strenuous
schedule. You will be the star of attrac-
tion of familys get-together in this week.
Monetary gains are likely to be from more
than one source. Sudden romantic encounter
will lift your spirits. A beneficial week to
work on things that will improve your health.
Be ready to travel with a challenge, new
connections will help you. Time to make
investments on farmlands. You will be highly
benefited by making independent arrange-
ments rather than depending on others
assurances.
SAGITTARIUS: You are likely to
suffer from a feeling that your core
competency and knowledge is outdat-
ed. Help from family members would take
care of your needs. A new financial deal gets
finalized paving the way for fresh money.
Attending a social event/family function
brings a romantic encounter. Your confidence
and energy will be high in this week.
Traveling abroad can be exciting adventure
that will be remembered forever. Your invest-
ment plans are at full boom and you might
succeed in them. You get enjoyment from
music and creative work.
CAPRICORN: Auspicious week to
start a new venture. You will enjoy the
time spent with family members and
friends. Financial position will improve later
in the week. Your physical charm would catch
the attraction of opposite sex. A week when
smile will perpetually be on your face and
strangers will seem familiar. Finally you have
found the time for your deserving break, travel
will be favourable. Your girlfriends desire for
an apartment might lead to its destination. You
find developing an interest in literature as you
come in contact with philosophers/intellectu-
als.
AQUARIUS : Professional attitude
at work brings success. Your gener-
ous behaviour would enable to enjoy
some lovely moments with family. You will
make good money in this week, but dont let it
slip through your fingers. Love life blossoms
paving the way for lovely times ahead. Your
energy level will be high. Better to channelise
it in a positive direction. Adventurous holi-
days, the best way to experience with your
friends, time to enjoy. Time to plan a gift for
your parents may be their dream home. You
will be successful in increasing your influence
& fame.
PISCES: Seniors colleagues are likely
to lend a helping hand. Friends and
family members would lend a helping
hand. Real estate investment would be lucra-
tive. A romantic encounter is likely to add
spice to life. Positive outlook impresses those
around you besides keeping you fit & fine.
Take a trip, as there is some place waiting for
you. Its high time to think of purchasing a
new office. Avoid wasting time in finding
fault with others.
July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY
30 July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Awaken to the souls innate beauty
I
n many places around the world
parents read to their children a
famous fairy tale, the story of
Sleeping Beauty. In this story a
princess is cast under a spell and
sleeps for a hundred years. Only
the kiss of a true prince can awaken
her. While the story is entertaining,
few parents realize that it is also
the story of our own lives. In fact,
it serves as an allegory for the
human condition.
Sleeping Beauty slept for a hun-
dred years, but we have been sleep-
ing for eons. She was sleeping at
the physical level, but we are
sleeping at the level of the soul.
What does it mean to be asleep
spiritually? We think that because
we are aware of this physical world
that we are awake, but even scien-
tists and doctors are coming to rec-
ognize that there is more to this
creation than our planet earth and
the planets and stars we can see
through the telescope. They are
discovering that there are realms
which our soul can enter that are
teeming with life and experiences
of which we can never even dream.
There are regions beyond this
physical world into which we can
enter. As long as we remain
unaware of them, we are asleep.
Our soul is awakened when it
experiences these inner realms.
These luminous worlds of light and
love make this world pale in com-
parison. Those who experience
them speak of a love and bliss far
beyond any of this world. Their
consciousness is expanded and
increased. They are filled with love
and compassion, and they realize
the true values of life.
It is strange that our scientific
upbringing, which should have
expanded our horizons, has limited
them. Science encourages explo-
ration and discovery, yet science
has limited the people of the mod-
ern day world into thinking that
they can only believe what they see
with their physical eyes.
In the last twenty years with the
scientifically documented cases of
near-death experiences (NDEs),
repeated accounts of worlds
beyond have been reported by doc-
tors, scientists, and lay persons of
sound mind and intellect which
bear out the findings of many of
the world religions which speak of
higher realms. We tend to limit our
thinking and believe we can only
enter higher realms after death, but
since these spiritual regions are
going on simultaneously, we may
wonder why we cant visit these
places now. We need to awaken to
the spiritual worlds within us, to
the vast expanse of Gods creation.
How to awaken? Fortunately, this
experience is not limited to those
who have near-death experiences.
We do not have to undergo a physi-
cal trauma in order to leave the
body. Through the ages, others
have reported entering into the
regions of light through easier
methods. Those methods have been
meditation, contemplation, and
prayercall it by whatever name
you like.
Meditation is the process by
which we withdraw our attention
from our body and from the world
outside and concentrate it at a point
between and behind the two eye-
brows, called the third or single
eye. By focusing our attention
there, we come in contact with a
current of Light and Sound which
will lead us from our physical con-
sciousness into higher conscious-
ness, into the Beyond.
If we can realize ourselves as
soul by focusing our attention at a
point in the body known as the seat
of the soul, it will come in contact
with the stream of Light and
Sound. This Light and Sound is the
creative vibration which emanated
from God and which brought all
creation into being.
The reason we are not aware of
the Light and Sound within is due
to our attention. The outer expres-
sion of the soul is known as the
attention, which is presently scat-
tered throughout our body and goes
out of our body into this world
through the five senses: sight, hear-
ing, smell, taste and touch. We
have to withdraw our attention
from the world outside and collect
it at the seat of the soul, located
between and behind the eyebrows.
This power of God which flows
out from God also returns to Him.
When the soul is withdrawn to the
third eye, it can then travel on the
Light and Sound through the high-
er planes back to its Source in the
purely spiritual realm. The process
by which the soul is brought into
contact with the current of Light
and Sound reverberating within us
is called meditation.
We are so caught up in this world
that we are asleep at the level of
the soul, but this world is but a
shadowy illusion of what lies
beyond. The light of this world is
but a pale reflection of the lumi-
nous light of the worlds within.
What we believe to be conscious-
ness in this world is but a sleeping
state compared to the super-con-
sciousness, or rather, the real con-
sciousness, we experience in the
spiritual realms.
By learning the art of meditation
on the inner Light and Sound, we,
too, like Sleeping Beauty, can be
awakened from our slumber and
experience joy and happiness for
all time to come.
B
illions of people are born into this
world. They pass through the same
cycle of living a number of years in
childhood, followed by the stage of youth, and
ending in a final period of maturity before
passing from this life.
Regarding these three stages of life, there is
a story about an angel who, sitting with God,
looked from heaven to the world below. He
was observing how the lives of human beings
are filled with much suffering. The angel
thought, Human beings get sick, have acci-
dents, lose their possessions, love others, lose
those relationships, and then die. The angel
turned to God and asked, If life is so filled
with sorrow, why do people want to return
again and again to this world instead of escap-
ing the cycle of births and deaths?
God replied, Go down to earth and visit a
home with a child, the childs father, and the
childs grandfather. Listen to their conversa-
tion and then return and tell me what you have
learned.
The angel scanned the planet and found a
park where a child, father, and grandfather sat
on a bench talking to each other. The angel
drew close and listened to their conversation.
I cant wait to grow up, the child told the
father and grandfather. I wish I could be your
age, Dad. You are so lucky. If I were your age,
I would be able to play as long as I wanted,
eat when I wanted, and stay up as late as I
wanted. Nobody would tell me what to do! I
could drive a car and make lots of money
instead of depending on my small allowance.
You are so lucky, Dad. I cant wait until I
become grown up like you.
Then, the angel heard the childs father say,
No, son. I am not the lucky one. Grandpa is
the lucky one. He doesnt have to listen to the
alarm going off each morning rousing him
from a nice sleep to get ready for work.
Grandpa is retired and can get up when he
wants to. He doesnt have to rush through traf-
fic or spend an entire day working with diffi-
cult people. He doesnt have to save up for his
childrens college expenses, and he gets more
than two weeks of vacation each year. Since
Grandpa has retired, each day is a vacation for
him!
The angel then heard the grandfather tell his
son and grandson, No, the boy is the lucky
one. It is true that Im retired and can spend
the day anyway I want, but my body doesnt
work properly anymore. I have aches and
pains, and I spend most of my free time going
to doctors for one medical test after another.
When the doctor gets the results, he sends me
to specialists for more tests. Then, I have to
use up my retirement money to pay medical
bills and purchase medication. Because the
cost of living has gone up, the money I
thought I could live on no longer stretches that
far, so I need to supplement my income.
However, few people want to hire me because
I am so old. I would give anything to have the
energy, stamina, and health of my grandson!
The angel noted everything that the child,
father and grandfather said and returned to
give God the report about what transpired.
The angel said, I heard the conversation of
three generations: The child isnt happy and
wants to be his fathers age; the father is
unhappy and wants to be the grandfathers
age; and the grandfather wants to be a child
again. God then replied, Now you under-
stand that when people are in the third stage of
life and leaving this world, their desire to be
children brings them again into this world.
They get their wish!
This anecdote illustrates how our desires
bring us again and again into this world. Each
moment of life there are numerous choices
about how to spend our time. We can either
make the best use of the moment, or we can
waste it dreaming about becoming something
and someone else. This is true whether we are
children, young adults or mature adults.
How can we find God? Scriptures of all the
major religions tell us that God is within us
and can be found through inversion. God is an
ocean of All-consciousness that always exist-
ed and always will exist. This Ocean of
Consciousness was once alone but decided to
become many from One. This thought of
bringing forth creation resulted in the mani-
festation of a vibration with two aspects: Light
and Sound. This radiant current brought into
being all regions of creation including the
physical universe, the stars, sun, and moon,
this Earth, human beings and all life forms on
the face of this planet. This Light and Sound
or God-into-expression Power is also called
by different Names in different religions such
as Naam, Shabd, Jyoti and Sruti, Akash Bani,
Kalma, Bang-i-Aasmaani, Saut-e-Sarmadi,
the Holy Word, or the Voice of Silence.
This Light and Sound current is also rever-
berating within us. It can be found at a point
in our body known as the third or single eye,
located between and behind the two eye-
brows. If we withdraw our attention from its
focus on the outer world, our body, and our
mind, and absorb it at this point or single eye,
we will contact the inner Light and Sound.
Then, we follow the Light and Sound from
awareness of our physical body into the higher
spiritual realms until we return to God.
The purpose of meditation is to help us real-
ize our soul and realize God. By doing so, we
discover that we are more than just the body,
that we are soul and exist beyond the body. If
we spend the three stages of our life in medi-
tation and remembering God, we cannot go
wrong. God will shower us with riches far
greater than we can ever dream of. Let us
make sure that God is a part of each of the
three stages of our life.
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
By learning the art of
meditation on the inner
Light and Sound, we,
too, like Sleeping
Beauty, can be
awakened from our
slumber and
experience joy and
happiness for all time
to come.
Focus on God during the three stages of life
July 12-18, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info