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Vol.10 No. 3 May 20-26, 2017 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

India outwits Pak as UN court

halts Jadhav execution
The Hague/New Delhi: In a diplo
matic and legal victory for India,
the International Court of Justice
(ICJ) on Thursday stayed the exe
cution of alleged spy Kulbhushan
Jadhav, dismissing Pakistan's
contention that it had no jurisdic
tion to go into the matter. Former FBI chief Robert Mueller is considered a straight shooter.
In a unanimous and binding But till his probe concludes a shadow will continue
decision, the UN's top court said to hang over Trump White House.
the status quo should be main
tained pending final decision to
be taken in the case that has
brought ties between the two
rival neighbors to a new low.
Jadhav was allegedly arrested
from Pakistan's restive
Kulbhushan Jadhav, called an Indian spy by Islamabad
Special
Balochistan province on March 3,
2016. Pakistan claimed that the
former Indian Navy officer con
fessed in a video that he was
involved in spying and terror
activities in Balochistan, a charge
rejected by India. He was convict
ed in April by a Pakistani military
court and sentenced to death.
India has maintained that
Jadhav was abducted from Iran,
Continued on page 4
counsel to
Dr Bhayani promises Trump to ask Muslim
a super AAPI leaders to ban fund
lead Russia
convention in NJ raising for extremists
New York: Renowned ENT
surgeon Dr. Raj Bhayani,
Washington: When President Donald Trump travels
to Saudi Arabia to address the Muslim world this
probe
who is convener of the week, participating leaders would be asked to sign
a pledge to make it "illegal"
GOP & Dems welcome appointment of
AAPI Convention in
Atlantic City, NJ on June in their country to fund out Muller, but Trump dubs it witch hunt.
2125, revealed to The fits that promote extremism
South Asian Times that it and terrorism. Washington: The appointment by tion of these matters, according
will be a hightech, inno Leaders of more than 50 the Justice Department of former to the Justice Department order
vative convention with mostlyMuslim countries, FBI director Robert Mueller as spe signed by Deputy Attorney General
cutting edge Continuing including Afghanistan and cial counsel to oversee the probe Rod Rosenstein on Wednesday,
Medical Education ses Pakistan from India's neigh into Russian meddling in the 2016 who took the decision without
sions from world leaders borhood, are scheduled to attend the meeting con election is a sensational new consulting the White House.
in medical field. With Dr vened by Saudi Arabia. Trump would address the development that follows Mueller was appointed FBI
New York based gathering on Sunday. President Trump firing James Director by former President
Ajay Lodha as National
Dr Raj Bhayani, AAPI Such a pledge would have a farreaching implica Comedy as FBI head. George W. Bush in 2001 and
AAPI President, the con
Convention 2017 Chair. tions on countries like Pakistan, where fundraising The special counsel (or prosecu served until 2013 and enjoys an
vention promises activi
ties for physicians of all age groups as well as for their for terrorist organizations is common and at times tor) will also have the power to impeccable reputation as a
families. Baba Ramdev, BK Shivani and Bollywood singer supported by the ruling establishment. independently look into any collu straight shooter.
Shreya Ghoshal are among marquee names to descend While the pledge would be legally nonbinding, it sion between Trumps campaign While the appointment of special
on the convention, which is hosted by Queens Long would be used for making these countries account associates and Russian officials. counsel satisfied the Democrats
Island chapter, one of the strongest chapters of AAPI. able by the Trump administration, which has made As special counsel, Mueller is Continued on page 4
the fight against terrorism a priority, a senior authorized to prosecute federal
DR. RAJ BHAYANI INTERVIEW >> PAGE 15 administration official Continued on page 4 crimes arising from the investiga RELATED NEWS ON PAGE 911.

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info May 20-26, 2017
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY May 20-26, 2017 3

Indians more at risk of Well known

community leader
and philanthropist

discrimination than Kalpana Patel, CEO

and President of
Unique Comp Inc,

deportation: Suozzi received the Power

New York: Though the Indian
community in the US is worried
over President Trumps anti
immigrant rhetoric and his
planned review of H1B visa pro
gram, Thomas Suozzi, who repre
sents New Yorks 3rd district and
is a member of the House
Foreign Affairs Committee, feels
that Indians are more at risk of
discrimination than deportation
under Trumps America First poli
cies.
Suozzi, a Democrat who had
earlier served as Nassau County
Executive, was quoted in The
Indian Express as saying, The
Presidents target is really the
Mexicans, coming from the
southern border. The Indians are
not the genesis or the basis of his
policy. They may, however, l end
up getting caught in his policies.
America has done a poor job of
protecting its borders for
decades. Now, people who have
been here for a long time are
caught up. Criminals, however,
need to be most concerned.
The interview to the newspaper
in India was facilitated by
Varinder Bhalla, a longtime sup
porter of Suozzi. Suozzi, who
during his 2016 election cam
paign for the Congressional seat,
had received widespread support
from the Indian community, said
that ever since Trump assumed
office, the Congressmans discus
sions with the Indian community
Women in Business
Award by Star
Network of Queens
on May 18. She was
accompanied by
husband Bansi Shah
and son, Akash. The
gala event was
attended by over
700 people at
Terrace on the Park
in Flushing.
Congressman Thomas Suozzi,
who earlier served as Nassau
MNCs need to create local
County Executive, enjoys wide
support from the Indian
community in Long Island.
opportunities: Satya Nadella
Seattle: Microsoft chief Satya Trump vowed to focus his foreign
have been focused around dis
Nadella has said that multinational policy on American interests and
crimination. (Regarding deporta
companies need to give back to American national security. In April,
tion) I have not noticed the same
local communities and generate he announced a new executive
kind of anxiety from Indians as
businesses for them to ensure long order to promote his America First
much as the Latinos. A large
term growth at a time when politi agenda, ordering the federal gov
number of Indians live here legal
cians from major countries are ernment to implement his buy
ly. Indians involved in illegal
harping on nationalism. American, and hire American poli
immigration are those who have
"Any company that just collects cies. Trump also called for a review
overstayed their visas. It is cer
rent internationally will be in trou of the H1B visa programme, saying
tainly against the rules. But they
ble," Nadella told financial analysts they should never be used to
are not the target of this govern
at the company's annual developers replace American workers and be
ment. The government is target
conference 'Microsoft Build 2017' must given to the most skilled and
ing people who have committed
here. The 49yearold Indian highest paid applicants.
more serious crimes like drunken Microsoft chief Satya Nadella
American CEO stressed that it was Nadella said companies must be
driving and other felonies.
important for any company's long ism and challenging the decadesold able to show in terms of what they
Suozzi further said that the
term growth. "One just cannot set globalization trend. have done for that country.
crackdown on illegal immigrants
up shop and give nothing back, one "Every head of state only cares "In terms of local taxes, in terms
has been an ongoing process.
has to 'create local opportunity'," he about one thing: it is about their of local small business productivity,
Historically it is a matter of gen
asserted during the threeday con country first. In the US it is about local large business competitive
eral policy to try and enforce
ference last week. America first, and in Britain it is ness, their educational outcomes,
rules when people overstay their
This becomes more relevant at a about Britain first," he said, refer their entrepreneurial work, that's
visas. It is easier to keep track on
time when politicians in major ring to US President Donald what matters," said the Microsoft
the record of visas.
countries are stressing on national Trump's 'America First' policy. CEO.

Key updates from the Consulate

New York: Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das,
Consul General of India in New York, held a
meetandgreet for press last weekend to
highlight some of the upcoming events the
Consulate is planning in partnership with
community organizations.
Amb. Das also pointed to the urgency of
people with PIO cards to change over to OCI
cards, for which the deadline is June 30,
2017. Applications can be made to CKGS
(www.indiacgny.org). After June 30h, the
PIO cards will be invalid and OCI cards will
be required by law.
Consul General Riva Ganguly Das The Consul General also highlighted the
liberalized Indian visa regime. The evisa is
now for six months and there are new cate
gories of visa including business, medical
and tourist, as well as visas for interns,
along with for those who are seeking asy
lum. The New York consulate holds an open
house for people with visas/passport issues
on the 1st Wednesday morning and 3rd
Wednesday evening of each month.
To mark the 3rd International Day of Yoga
(IDY), Ambassador Das pointed out that the
flagship public event will be on June 19th at
Battery Park in Lower Manhattan. In the
park, space is available for about 700 partic
ipants to practice yoga. The Times Square
Alliances annual yoga event in New Yorks
Times Square that attracts yoga enthusiasts
from around to world, is on June 21. IDY
was first initiated by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and under UN mandate it is
celebrated annually worldwide on June 21st
to promote the ancient Indian discipline,
which promises health and mental peace.
Consul General Das also invited the commu
nity to celebrate Indias Independence Day
on August 15 outside the consulate on the
64th Street (between 5th and Madison
Avenues) which will be closed to traffic.
 4 May 20-26, 2017
Sister Shivani on
Awakening tour of America
Piscataway, NJ: On June 20,
Sister Shivani, an internation
ally renowned inspirational
speaker, begins a 14city
speaking tour of North
America with the theme of
Awakening. Sister Shivani
presents spiritual solutions to
the complex problems of con
temporary life through a TV
Sister BK Shivanis TV program with Brahma Kumaris TV
program called Awakening
Awakening with Brahma
with Brahma Kumaris and a
Kumaris is hugely popular
YouTube channel with over
and inspirational.
33 million views and over
160,000 subscribers. Sister Mohini, Regional
Coordinator of the Brahma Kumaris for the
Americas, explainsd the focus of the tour:
These programs are about spiritual awaken
ing that is, awakening to the true self. We all
have an inner potential which we are
unaware of. When we awaken to it, we can
use it in life. Spirituality is the process of
awakening to our inner peace, our inner
strength, and our purpose in life. Awakening
to our spiritual resources brings clarity and
comfort about what is in front of us now and
what our future will bring.
The tour is intended to encourage people
to discover and develop their inner resources ing2017.org. Their US headquarters is in
to resolve conflicts and improve relation
ships and performance. A spiritual awaken
Roger Ailes, founder of Fox News, dies at 77
New York: Roger Ailes, who built
Fox News into a cable power
house before leaving the compa
ny last year amid scandal, died at
the age of 77. The Ohioborn tel
evision pioneer was a confidante
of presidents and acknowledged
master of communications. He
founded Fox News in 1996 and
built it into the nation's longrunning No. 1
cable news network. Ailes resigned from Fox
in July amid charges of sexual harassment.
His widow, Elizabeth Ailes, confirmed the
news in a statement on Wednesday.
"I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to
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TURN PAGE
ing can open doorways to
new types of solutions and
higher levels of freedom and
satisfaction.
Sister Shivani practices
Raja Yoga Meditation as
taught by the Brahma
Kumaris (brahmakumaris.us).
She became a popular pre
senter on the Awakening
show by applying Raja Yoga
to the common challenges of
life. Her unique blend of com
mon sense practicality and unarguable spiri
tual principles has endeared her to an inter
national audience thirsty for solutions that
really work. Sister Shivani has travelled
throughout India, UK, Asia Pacific, Africa and
Middle East to conduct lectures, workshops,
and TV and radio shows on themes such as
emotional intelligence, leadership skills, par
enting and relationships, selfrealization and
the practical technique of Raja Yoga
Meditation. The Brahma Kumaris are hosting
free public programs in 14 cities of the US
and Canada. Free tickets and information on
these programs are available at bkawaken
Long Island, NY and spiritual headquarters is
in Mt. Abu, India.
report that my husband, Roger
Ailes, passed away this morning,"
the statement read. "Roger was a
loving husband to me, to his son
Zachary, and a loyal friend to
many. He was also a patriot, pro
foundly grateful to live in a coun
try that gave him so much oppor
tunity to work hard, to riseand
to give back."
Ailes left Fox News under a cloud of con
troversy last August. The sequence of events
that led to his departure began when
Gretchen Carlson sued him after her con
tract as a daytime Fox host was not renewed.
Associate Editors:
Hiral Dholakia-Dave
Contributing Editors: Meenakshi Iyer,
Nilima Madan, Melvin Durai,
Dr Prem Kumar Sharma, Ashok Vyas,
Dr Akshat Jain, Ashok Ojha
West Coast Correspondent
Pooja Jain,
Pooja@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
New Delhi Bureau
Meenakshi Iyer
Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Special counsel to lead Russia Modi backed the Minister's statement,
probe
Continued from page 1
retweeting Sushma Swaraj's tweet from his
personal account. Foreign Affairs Advisor to
clamoring for it on Capitol Hill, it eases the
pressures on Republicans.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif,
Sartaj Aziz, said the ICJ did not order
Pakistan to provide consular access to
But Trump lashed out Thursday a day
Jadhav but has merely put forward an opin
before embarking on his first presidential
ion.
trip abroad. "I believe it hurts our country
He said a decision to provide consular
terribly because it shows we're a divided,
access to Jadhav is yet to be made. Pakistan
mixedup, not unified country".
Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria
"And we have very important things to be
hit out at India for "trying to hide its real
doing right now whether it's trade deals,
face" by taking the Jadhav case to the world
whether it's military, whether it's stopping
court.
nuclear. And I think this shows a very divid
However, Pakistan Attorney General
ed country," Trump added.
Ashtar Ausaf Ali's office in a statement indi
The president also suggested that the
cated it would abide by the court's ruling
investigation now being headed by Mueller
while saying the interim order had "no bear
was motivated by an attempt by Democrats
ing, whatsoever, on the final decision" relat
to explain away "having lost an election that
ed to the case.
they should have easily won. That's all this
is. "And hopefully, this can go quickly,
because we have to show unity if we're
Trump to ask Muslim leaders to
ban fund raising for extremists
going to do great things with respect to the
Continued from page 1
rest of the world."
said. "One of the other things (we are) doing
Earlier in a tweet, Trump had called the
on this trip is to get a lot of countries to sign
special prosecutor move a the single great
a pledge to make it illegal in their countries
est witch hunt of a politician in American
to fund organizations that promote extrem
history!"
ism and terrorism. Once we have that we
are going to try to figure out where the grey
India outwit Pak as UN court
is," an administration official said.
halts Jadhav execution
The official, who spoke on the condition
Continued from page 1
of anonymity, said that White House has
where he was pursuing his business, and
been working "very hard" on this.
passed off as a spy.
"Because we want the countries to make a
India approached the international court
choice, do you want to be good, do you want
on May 8 against Pakistan, accusing it of
to be gray or do you want to be bad? We are
violating the Vienna Convention as
not going to allow people not to choose
Islamabad had rejected 16 requests by New
Delhi seeking consular access. Pakistan was
also accused of denying Jadhav a fair trial in
their destinations. I am not saying that
check this box. (But) we intend to go to
these countries and say look you told us
violation of international human rights laws.
that you would do these things then these
The UN courts decision brought relief to
are the things that we see you doing to the
India, with the Ministry of External Affairs
contrary, are you going to stop them or
calling the ruling "unanimous, favorable,
now?" the official said.
clear and unambiguous". But Pakistan said it
According to the official, many of these
did not accept the UN court's jurisdiction in
countries are doing what they are doing
matters related to its national security.
because of the circumstances they are in.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
"What we find that a lot of these countries
welcomed the ruling. She said the court
find in the gray because the people next to
order was "a great relief to the family of
them, ...compete with them... playing in the
Kulbhushan Jadhav and people of India".
gray and they are scared to jump. And we
"I assure the nation that under the leader
feel that if we can get all of them to commit
ship of Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi we
to doing that, we would have a real chance
will leave no stone unturned to save
of making progress," the official said.
Kulbhushan Jadhav," she said in tweets.
Jaipur (India) Bureau IANS Newswire Services
Prakash Bhandari IANS Washington Bureau
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info Arun Kumar
arun.kumar@ians,in
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY May 20-26, 2017 5

Two leading Congressmen 11 PIOs in Forbes list of

honor AP Chief Minister best venture capitalists
Chandrababu Naidu New York: Eleven IndianAmerican investors
feature in Forbes magazine's annual list of
Managing Partner of Norwest Venture
Partners (67); Hemant Taneja, Managing
the 100 best venture capitalists who are Director of General Catalyst Partners (70);
behind some of the highestreturning invest Navin Chaddha, Managing Director of
ments in the technology sphere. Mayfield Fund (73); Ravi Mhatre, Partner in
'Midas 2017' comprises the 100 best ven Lightspeed Venture Partners (76); and
ture capitalists in the world, taking into Deven Parekh, Managing Director of Insight
account a fiveyear lookback at a partner's Venture Partners (99) also figure on the list.
portfolio, with exits by IPO or acquisition of Agrawal returns to the Midas List for the
$200 million or more and private holdings 7th consecutive time. Two of his software
that raised money at valuations of $400 companies, Coupa and Nutanix, went public
million or more over that time period. in 2016, and another, AppDynamics, was
A.P. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu being honored by U.S.Congressmen Raja The list has been topped by Jim Goetz, about to go public in early 2017 before it
Krishnamoorthi & Danny Davis who were joined by Consul General of India Neeta Partner in Sequoia Capital. He retains the was scooped up by Cisco for $3.7 billion.
Bhushan, Dr. Vijay Prabhakar, Harish Kolasani, & Keerthi Kumar Ravoori top spot three years after the monumental Taneja, who holds five degrees from the
sale of messaging giant WhatsApp to Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
New York: Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu him for his visit to Chicago on his whirlwind Facebook for nearly $22 billion. debuts on the Midas List due to an early
Naidu was honored with a Congressional tour of the United States. Dr. Vijay Prabhakar, Goetz, the only investor in the company, investment in Snap, the social platform that
Award presented by U.S. Congressmen Raja Founding Director of the 7th Congressional transformed $60 million over three rounds went public at a market capitalization of
Krishnamoorthi 8th IL Congressional Dist. & MultiEthnic Advisory Task Force paid rich into more than $3 billion in Facebook stock. $25 billion in February 2017.
U.S. Congressman Danny K. Davis7th IL tributes to CM Naidu for his outstanding lead The list includes 11 venture capitalists Haque, an alumnus of Delhi College of
Congressional Dist. who were joined by Consul ership in guiding the state to new heights of who are of Indianorigin. Engineering, has served as senior managing
General of India Neeta Bhushan on May 11, glory, success and prosperity. Keerthi Kumar Neeraj Agrawal, General Partner in partner at Norwest Venture Partners since
2017 at Hyatt OHare in Chicago. Ravoori, FIA Trustee introduced Congressman Battery Ventures is on the 17th spot and 2013, where he focuses on enterprise and
Congressman Danny K. Davis presented Naidu Raja Krishnamoorthi as a torch bearer inspir leads the pack of Indianorigin venture capi healthcare IT. He has invested in more than
with the Light of Life Award 2017 in recogni ing the new generation of Indian Americans to talists on the list, followed by Sameer 70 companies that have produced more
tion of his pioneering leadership to establish run for the elected offices in the US. Harish Gandhi, Partner in Accel Partners (23); than $40 billion in exit values in over 15
the capital city of Andhra Pradesh and in Kolasani, NRI SEVA Foundation President in a Asheem Chandna, Partner in Greylock years of venture capital experience. Forbes
transforming the state of Andhra Pradesh into statement said it is such a tremendous honor Partners (28); Salil Deshpande, Managing said while microblogging site Twitter still
a super hitech friendly state of India and for to have shared the vision and mission of NRI Director in Bain Capital Ventures (33); and accounts for 12 Midas investors and
his enduring support to the farmers, tech SEVA Foundation which is setting new records Aneel Bhusri, CEO and Cofounder of Facebook another 10, they're now making
nocrats, entrepreneurs, youth, women and for the last five years in providing critical serv Workday (37). way for Snap, the social app that went pub
minorities. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi ices in rehabilitating the lives of the infirmed Gaurav Garg, Founding Partner of Wing lic in February 2017, with eight of its
& Congressman Danny K. Davis welcomed the and disabled in the state of Andhra Pradesh Venture Capital (48); Promod Haque, Senior investors in the 2017 Midas ranks. (PTI)
visiting CM Chandrababu Naidu and thanked and Telangana free of cost.

Will fight for the immigrant narrative: Hasan Minhaj

New York: Popular IndianAmerican standup comedian
Hasan Minhaj has vowed to fight for the "immigrant narra
tive" amid a rise in hateful rhetoric in the US as he was hon
ored by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Minhaj, who became the first IndianAmerican to host the
White House Correspondents' Dinner this year, was honored
by Blasio and New York City First Lady Chirlane McCray at
their official residence here on Wednesday at the Asian
Pacific American Heritage reception.
Blasio presented Minhaj with a proclamation that declared
May 10, 2017 in the city as 'Hasan Minhaj Day.' Minhaj,
accompanied by his wife Beena, described the honor as
"unbelievable." "In our country we are dealing with two dif
ferent narratives the nativist narrative and the immigrant
narrative. I am fighting for the immigrant narrative where
regardless of creed, color, class, sexuality, gender, this (New
York) is the meritocracy and the great place for ideas to rise
to the top. If you have a great idea based on merit, this is the
great market place for ideas and I am going to continue
fighting for that," Minhaj said to loud cheers and applause.
Minhaj, 31, whose parents hail from Aligarh in Uttar
Pradesh, delivered a memorable and entertaining speech at
the annual Correspondents' Dinner which was not attended
who was attacked and had his turban knocked off by unruly
Hasan Minhaj receives his proclamation from NY Mayor
Bill de Blasio (Image : Hasan Minhaj Facebook Page)
by President Donald Trump, the first time since 1981 that a
US president skipped the event. Referring to his speech at
the annual dinner, Blasio said Minhaj got a message across to
America that is nothing less than "memorable." Blasio
slammed the hateful rhetoric emanating from Washington,
saying it is an effort to "demonize" all immigrants, divide
people and suggest that there is "something wrong with
immigrants." He referred to last month's "horrible assault" on
city taxi driver Harkirat Singh, an immigrant from Punjab,
passengers.
"We see how many members of the Muslim community
have been demonized, we see how many members of the
Sikh community have been demonized. We will not stand for
that in this city. We will stand up against bigotry," the Mayor
said. He added that the city and its police department stood
by Singh, who was "attacked because he was Sikh" and will
continue to ensure such attacks do not go unpunished.
The Mayor called on New Yorkers to stay strong in their
belief in a multifaith and multicultural society, saying "we
cannot let the hateful rhetoric cause us to shrink from the
truth." New York is the "ultimate city of immigrants. We have
more people born in another country who are New Yorkers
on Thursday than any time in the last 100 years. New York
City is safer, stronger and more prosperous than ever
because we are a city of immigrants," Blasio said.
He lauded Minhaj for standing up for values of equality
and justice by "using one of the most powerful weapons" of
humor and satire.
"He uses his humor to shine a light on injustice, racism and
bias and he does it in a very powerful and effective way," de
Blasio said.
 6 May 20-26, 2017
Man goes missing in
Boston, police urges people
to come forward and help
New York: A 26year
old IndianAmerican
man is reported miss
ing in Boston and po
lice is urging people
to come forward and
share any information
they may have on the
case.
Ram Jayakumar, of
Lexington, was last
seen on May 12, Fri
day night when he
had parked his car on
a Boston street. Ac Ram Jayakumar was last seen on May 12th
cording to a police
statement, Ram Jayakumar's
parents contacted the Lexington
Police to report that their son
was missing. Ram Jayakumar is
26yearold male of Indian de Jagannathan said Ram Jayaku
scent, black hair, 5'6'' tall and
120 pounds (54kg), according to ple to contact the police if they
the police.
Jayakumar had told his par
ents that he would return in an
hour but has not been seen since Please be on the lookout and let
Friday. His vehicle was located
Saturday morning at a different
street in Boston, near the
Osmanians in USA converge in Chicago
for centenary celebrations of alma mater
Chicago: People love their alma
mater as much as their mother. This
was proved beyond an iota of doubt
at the Centenary Celebrations of
Osmania University organized by
Glory of Hyderabad on May 14th,
2017 at Shalimar Banquets,
Chicago. Around 700 Osmanians,
including youngsters, veterans, and
super veterans from New York,
Houston, San Francisco, Minnesota,
Indiana, etc. attended the celebra
tions with gaiety and fervor. An
innovative exhibition, an inspiring
documentary, and an informative
souvenir turned them emotional and
made them recall their eventful
times in the University and their lov
ing teachers and great friends. They
fondly remembered Mir Osman Ali
Khan, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad
and founder of the University and its
illustrious alumni, including former
Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao,
former Lok Sabha Speaker Shivraj
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Charles River, India New Eng
land News reported.
In a Facebook post, Indian
American theatre artist Poorna
mar is her cousin and urged peo
get any information about him.
"Need your help urgently. Please
share this in your communities.
the Lexington police know if you
have any leads," Jagannathan
said in the post.
Around 700 Osmanians attended the celebrations with gaiety & fervor.
Patil, distinguished lm personality
Sham Benegal, former Governor RBI,
Dr. Y V Reddy, etc. Neeta Bhushan,
Consul General of India in Chicago
said that alumni of Osmania
University, who are spread far and
wide globally, are its greatest
strength. She said that the organisa
tion of the centenary celebration in
Chicago was of special signicance
as Chicago was also known for its
academic excellence. She called
upon the alumni of Osmania
University to cultivate a culture of
World Sanskrit Day
set for this weekend
New York: Viswa Sanskrita Dinam
(World Sanskrit Day) will be cele
brated this weekend at the
Saraswati Hall in the premises of
the Ganesh temple in Flushing,
Queens. Sanskrit students, learning
the ancient language at various lev
els, from the temple paathashala
and other schools in the borough
are scheduled to participate in the
program, which begins at 5pm on
Sunday, May 21. Open to all mem
bers of the public, the program
comprises among others shloka
recitations, songs and skitsall in
Sanskrit. The temple, in collabora
tion with Californiabased Samskri
ta Bharati USA (a nonprofit body
focused on teaching and spreading
the language), is organizing the an
nual event, which draws not only
lovers of the ancient language but
also other IndianAmericans who
speak a variety of tongues that are
considered offshoots of Sanskrit.
Information available in the pub
lic domain suggests that the day
has been celebrated in several
world cities annually since late
1960s. For additional information
on the program, please call Radhi
ka Mohan (646) 4206216 and Bal
akrishnan Nair (347) 8286596.
giving back which is one of the most
constructive and rewarding ways
they can contribute to the better
ment of their alma mater. There is,
therefore, a need to diversify and
enrich the efforts to bring the alum
ni and alma mater closer together,
she added.
Professor S Ramachandram, Vice
Chancellor of Osmania University
said that the university has emerged
as a pace setter reecting the agen
da for higher education and carved
out a niche as an icon of higher
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Guterres appoints
Indian to highlevel UN
climate change post
United Nations: SecretaryGeneral
Antonio Guterres has appointed
Ovais Sarmad of India as the
Deputy Executive Secretary of the
UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC), the
forum where the historic Paris
Agreement on Climate Change
was negotiated.
Sarmad's appointment comes as
the Paris Agreement faces a
potential crisis if the US goes
through with President Donald
Trump's threat to disown it.
Stephane Djuarric, the
spokesperson for Guterres, said
Monday that Sarmad's position
will be at the Assistant Secretary
General level.
The highest ranking Indian in
the UN bureaucracy is Atul Khare,
the UnderSecretaryGeneral,
Department of Field Support, who
plays a crucial role in the peace
keeping operations.
Sarmad is currently the Chief of
Staff to the Director General of
the International Organisation for
learning with international outlook
and global outreach. He said that the
university has become the most pre
ferred destination for higher studies
for foreign students and added that
students from across the globe are
pursuing their studies in the
University.
Congressman Raja Krishnamurthy
underscored the need for greater
collaboration between the universi
ties of India and the USA.
Hardik Bhatt, CIO, ofce of the
Governor, Illinois said that Illinois
Ovais Sarmad
Migration (IOM), the UN body
that deals with international
migration issues and assists
migrants as well as governments.
Djuarric said that Sarmad "was
a key team member negotiating
the agreement" that led to the US
joining the IOM.
Now Sarmad's diplomatic skills
may be called upon as the land
mark Paris Agreement is at risk of
being reneged by its most impor
tant party, the US, which is the
world's biggest emitter of green
house gases that contribute to
global warming.
(IANS)
and Telangana States have signed an
MoU to share expertise in the
domain of planning and execution of
smart cities and hoped that Osmania
University, like University of Illinois,
will be a key partner in Illinois
smart state initiative.
Glory of Hyderabad, Chicago, has
the rare privilege of being the only
organization outside of India to host
rst historic event of Centenary
Celebration of Osmania University,
said Mir Khan, President, Glory of
Hyderabad, with a sense of pride.
Following Osmanians were hon
ored for their notable accomplish
ments: Hassan Chishti Lifetime
Achievement Award for Outstanding
Community Service & Literary
Contribution; Dr. M M Taqui Khan
Distinguished Osmanian & Scientist
of International Repute Award; Syed
Hashim AliAward for Distinguished
Contributions as Civil Servant & Vice
Chancellor (posthumously); and
Professor S RamachandramAward
for Distinguished Service to
Osmania University. In addition,
Neeta Bhushan, Raja
Krishnamoorthi, and Hardik Bhatt
were presented awards for their
Distinguished Community Services.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Scientist Shrinivas Kulkarni Pranay Varada wins
wins Dan David Prize for National Geographic Bee
contribution to Astronomy
Tel Aviv: Indian scientist Shrinivas
Kulkarni has won the prestigious
Dan David prize for his contribu
tion in the eld of astronomy.
Kulkarni is a professor of astro
physics and planetary science at
California Institute of Technology
in Pasadena, California.
He is a pioneer and leading g
ure in timedomain astrophysics
across the electromagnetic spec
trum who built and conducted the
Palomar Transient Factory, a large
area survey of the night sky in
search of variable and transient
phenomena.
The survey has turned up thou
sands of stellar explosions, trans
forming our knowledge of the
transient sky. The $1 million prize
is a joint international enterprise
endowed by the Dan David
Foundation headquartered at Tel
Aviv University.
Kulkarni, with this honor, joins
other prominent Indian laureates
of the Dan David prize including
author Amitav Ghosh, music con
ductor Zubin Mehta and renowned
Bharara calls for independent
counsel for US' Russia probe
New York: IndianAmerican prose
cutor Preet Bharara who was red
by President Donald Trump's
administration in March, has
called for the appointment of an
independent counsel to lead the
probe into Russian meddling in
the 2016 presidential election, the
media reported.
Former US Attorney for the
Southern District of New York,
Bharara in an oped published on
Sunday evening in the
Washington Post said the move
would be of "common sense",
especially in the wake of former
Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) Director James Comey's dis
missal last week.
Comey was heading the FBI's
probe into Russia's links with
Trump's presidential election.
"Jim (James) Comey was once
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Shrinivas Kulkarni
chemist CNR Rao. The honor will
be conferred at a festive awards
ceremony in Tel Aviv on May 21 in
the presence of the laureates.
Three Dan David prizes of $1
million each are given every year
in the categories of "Past",
"Present" and "Future" to people
around the world who have made
outstanding contributions to
humanity in the sciences, humani
ties, or through their work in civil
society.
The recipients in the "Past" cate
gory are generally drawn from the
eld of history, archaeology, pale
ontology, biography, etc; the
"Present" from arts, media, policy,
my boss and remains my friend. I
know that many people are mad
at him. He has at different times
become a cause for people's frus
tration and anger on both sides of
the aisle. Some of those people
may have a point...I am proud to
know a man who had the courage
to say no to a President," Bharara
wrote.
"And in the tumult of this time,
many should be asking, Are there
still public servants who are pre
pared to say no to the President?"
he pondered.
Bharara said a special prosecu
tor must be "independent and
uncompromised" and that Deputy
Attorney General Rod Rosenstein,
who is overseeing the Russia
probe because Attorney General
Jeff Sessions has recused himself
from it, must appoint one.
May 20-26, 2017 7
Washington, DC: Pranay Varada
was stung by last years National
Geographic Bee, when he ubbed
the ofcial language of Sierra
economics, etc; and the "Future"
Leone its English; he answered
from one of the exact or natural
French and nished in sixth
sciences.
place. Determined to avoid anoth
The "Future" category this year
er setback in his nal year of eli
is dedicated to astronomy and will
gibility, the Indian American
be shared by Shrinivas Kulkarni, Pranay Varada
started studying for this years
Andrej Udalski of the University of (Image : dailymail.co.uk)
bee that same day.
Warsaw and Neil Gehrels of NASA
He spent a year forgoing school up, and Veda Bhattaram of
for their discoveries on time
eld trips and birthday parties to Montville, N.J., who nished third,
domain astrophysics.
pore over spreadsheets he creat gets $10,000.
The prize, now in its 16th year,
ed with dossiers on every country Pranay is the sixth consecutive
was established by the late Dan
in the world. That hard work paid Indian American to win the
David, an international business
off May 17 as Pranay, who is National Geographic Bee. The
man and philanthropist who envi
from Irving, Texas nished off the past 10 champions of the
sioned a project that would extend
bee the way hed envisioned: National Spelling Bee have also
beyond traditional academic cate
standing on stage with a medal been Indian American. But unlike
gorizations.
around his neck, accepting con many of those winners, Pranay
This vision is fullled by a "rov
gratulations and prizes including did not participate heavily in bees
ing" formula that seeks to reward
a $50,000 scholarship. run by the North South
achievements in all elds of human
It was extreme disappoint Foundation, an Indian American
endeavor rather than in a xed set
ment, to get all the way up here nonprot that serves as a training
of categories.
and not win, said Pranay, a 14 ground for a variety of academic
In order to encourage and foster
yearold eighthgrader with a competitions. The National
new generations of scholars, the
wispy black mustache. I was Geographic Bee has been his com
laureates are required to donate
researching and trying to nd petitive focus since fourth grade,
10 per cent of their prize money
ways to not make the same mis when he nished second in the
towards scholarships for graduate
takes twice. Thomas Wright gets Texas state bee.
or post graduate researchers in
a $25,000 scholarship as runner (Source: The Associated Press)
their respective elds. (PTI)
Chhavi Verg first runner up
in Miss USA Pageant
New York: Miss New Jersey Chhavi
Verg held the hand of Kara
Chhavi Verg
McCullough tightly.The two faced
(Image :
each other as they anxiously await
wionews.com)
ed word of who would be the new
Miss USA 2017.
Verg was the second Indian
American to represent New Jersey
in the pageant and came close to
being the rst Indian American to
be named Miss USA.
She smiled and graciously hugged
McCullough, when she was
announced as the second Miss
District of Columbia in a row to be privilege, said McCullough, 25. As wide. According to Bustle, Verg was
named Miss USA. a government employee, I am grant one of ve immigrant contestants.
The crowning was not without ed health care and I see rsthand The American dream is the idea
controversy as some felt Verg was that for one to have health care you you can come here with nothing,
robbed. McCullough raised a few need to have jobs, so therefore we and if you are willing to work hard,
eyebrows when she was asked if need to cultivate this environment you can do anything. You can
health care was a right or a privi that were given the opportunity to change the world, and thats what
lege, reported NJ.com. have health care as well as jobs to Im here to do, said the multilin
Im denitely going to say its a all the American citizens world gual Verg. (Source: AsAmNews)
 8 May 20-26, 2017 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Indiana Governor Eric Trump is CEO of the

Holcomb welcomes Infosys
jobs, announces India visit
New York: Encouraged by Infosys'
decision to set up a tech center in
his state and generate 2,000 jobs,
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb
will lead a high powered trade del
egation to India later this year with
the sole objective of attracting
more Indian business, particularly
IT companies. "I'm looking forward
to traveling to India, probably in
the fall, be fore the w inter,"
Holcomb told PTI in an exclusive
interview in his ofce at the State
Capitol.
Holcomb, who would be the rst
Indiana governor to visit India, said
he would be looking to g row
Indiana's presence and strengthen
its friendship and partnership with
companies headquartered in India.
The governor, credited with initiat
ing a series of steps to make
Indiana a business friendly destina
tion, said, "Indiana's become the
best place in the country to create
and innovate." And "that's why this
partnership, with not just Infosys
but the other companies that we
discussed, are so important.
Because it is the future. This knowl
edge economy is the future and it's
exciting to launch new efforts here
on Hoosier soil," Holcomb told PTI.
He said he started working towards
attracting Indian companies to his
state on his inauguration itself
Eric Holcomb
when he met Indian Ambassador to
the US Navtej Sarna, who attended
the event. The Infosys story, he
said, started a few months ago.
"But it has come together very fast.
We try to operate at the speed of
business, not the speed of govern
ment. T hat was recognized by
Infosys and everyone that was
working together on this project,"
he said, adding that he had tried to
address every concern that Infosys
might have had.
The state of Indiana, the gover
nor said, has over 800 foreign
owned businesses and counting.
"We welcome Infosys into our fam
ily in a big way." Looking at
strengthening Indiana s partner
ship with Infosys in the coming
years, Holcomb said he wants to
attract other Indian IT companies.
"Indiana is such fertile ground (for
IT companies). We have world class
universities where Infosys can, in
fact, recruit that talent right out of
Purdue, Indiana University folks
who are strong in the STEM sub
jects, science and technology, engi
neering and math, right here in
their backyard now," he said. "...
we're always gonna be proud that
they planted their ag here in
Indiana rst. We will continue to
look for ways as this technology
evolves and grows itself to grow
with Infosys." Indiana is now an
attractive destination, the governor
declared, with low tax rates and a
"reasonable predictable regulatory
environment so there's real cer
tainty when you invest in the state
of Indiana and our people". "And
we do as well in the companies
that come here and that's why
we're still blooming and continuing
to outpace the national average,"
he said. Indiana, he said, is dou
bling the national average in terms
of high tech job attraction and
growth. "Indiana is on a roll and
has momentum." Eminent Indian
American businessman Gurinder
Sing h Khalsa we lcomed the
announcement of Holcomb's India
visit later this year.
country, can fire anyone
he wants: Nikki Haley
Nikki Haley, US
envoy to the UN
(Image : npr.org)
New York: President Donald
Trump is "CEO of the country, he
can re anyone he wants,"
America's envoy to the UN Nikki
Haley has said, while defending
him for ring former FBI director
James Comey.
Haley said she believed that the
criticism of Trump stems from dis
comfort with his propensity to act
on his decisions.
"The president is the CEO of the
country," Haley told ABC News
Chief Anchor George
Stephanopoulos on "This Week"
on Sunday. "He can hire and re
anyone he wants."
She was responding to a ques
tion if she found herself having to
explain to foreign diplomats
Trump's domestic policy deci
sions. "I think what you can see is
that this is a president of action,"
she said of Trump. "The reason
people are uncomfortable is
because he acts." Asked whether
the president sought a pledge of
loyalty from her, Haley replied,
"No." At the same time, she said
that during her tenure as South
Carolina's governor demonstra
tions of "loyalty and trust" were
important to her.
Regarding the president's tweet
this week warning the red FBI
director that he better hope there
are no "tapes" of their private con
versations, Haley seemed uncon
cerned by the possibility that the
president was taping conversa
tions. "I assume I'm being taped
everywhere," she said. (PTI)

'Father of wheat revolution' D.S. Athwal passes away in US

Ludhiana: Often called the 'Father of
Wheat Revolution', agriculture scientist
Dilbagh Singh Athwal has passed away in
the US, a Punjab Agricultural University
(PAU) ofcial said on Monday. He was
89.
Vice Chancellor B.S. Dhillon, ofcers
and scientists of the university paid trib
utes to Athwal, who died on Sunday, at a
condolence meeting held at the PAU
campus here.
Dhillon said the outstanding contribu
tions made by Athwal in the eld of agri
culture "remain unsurpassable till date."
"Dr Athwal was one of the stalwarts
who played a pivotal role in initiating
Green Revolution in the country. He was
a wellknown geneticist, plant breeder
and agricultural scientist of international
repute," Dhillon said. "Athwal developed
new era in cultivation of this important
crop," he said.
Athwal was instrumental in developing
'PV 18' in 1966 and the most popular
amber g r a i n ed wheat variety
'Kalyansona' in 1967, named after the
village 'Kalyanpur' in Punjab where
Athwal was born in 1928.
Pu n j a b, k n o w n a s t h e ' G r ee n
Revolution' state, had heralded India's
campaign to ensure food grain security
for the country in the 1960s. Athwal
served as founder head of Department of
Plant Breeding in PAU, and made contri
butions to the genetics and breeding of
pearl millet, wheat, gram and tobacco.
Dilbagh Singh Athwal
A large number of genetic stocks devel
(Image courtesy: tribuneindia.com)
oped by him made a signicant contribu
world's rst grain pearl millet hybrid tion to future research on bajra breeding
'Hybrid Bajra 1' in 1965 that heralded a and genetics.
In 1967, he joined the management of
International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI) in the Philippines and eventually
served as the Institute's rst Deputy
Director General. At IRRI, he introduced
many innovations in rice breeding.
The University of Sydney bestowed the
degree of Doctor of Philosophy on him in
1955.
In 1964, he was conferred with Shanti
Swarup Bhatnagar Prize of the Council of
Scientic and Industrial Research (CSIR),
which is the highest Indian award in the
science category.
He was also decorated with Padma
Bhushan in 1975 by the government for
his contributions to biological science.
After his retirement, he settled in New
Jersey, US, where he breathed his last.
(IANS)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info US AFFAIRS May 20-26, 2017 9

ExFBI director to Paid as agent, Flynn

stopped military plan
lead Russia probe Turkey opposed: Report
Washington: T he Just ice Washington: One of the Trump administra
Department has appointed tions first decisions about the fight
former FBI Director Robert against the Islamic State was made by
Mueller as special counsel to Michael Flynn weeks before he was fired
oversee the federal probe and it conformed to the wishes of Turkey,
into Russian meddling in the whose interests, unbeknownst to anyone in
2016 e lection, the media Washington, hed been paid more than
reported. $500,000 to represent, media reports said.
Deputy Attorney General The decision came 10 days before Donald
Rod Rosenstein appointed Trump had been sworn in as president, in a
Mueller on Wednesday to the conversation with President Barack Obamas
position, reports CNN. national security adviser, Susan Rice, who
Attorney General Je f f had explained the Pentagons plan to retake
Sessions previously recused the Islamic States de facto capital of Raqqa
himself from any involve with Syrian Kurdish forces whom the
ment in the Russia investiga Pentagon considered the U.S.s most effective
tion which includes evidence military partners. Obamas national security Trump transition team appointed Flynn as
Appointment of Robert Mueller as Special Counsel,
of potent ial collusion team had decided to ask for Trumps signoff, National Security Adviser even while
who enjoys an impeccable reputation, has been
between President Donald knowing that he was under investigation.
welcomed by all concerned since the plan would all but certainly be exe
Trumps campaign associates cuted after Trump had become president. difficulties Flynn faces, cite that exchange
and Russian of ficials, due to his role as a Wednesday, Trump said an investigation Flynn didnt hesitate. According to time with Rice as perhaps the most serious: acting
prominent campaign adviser and surrogate. will confirm that there was no collusion lines distributed by members of Congress in on behalf of a foreign nation from which he
Mueller was appointed FBI Director by between his campaign and Russia. the weeks since, Flynn told Rice to hold off, a had received considerable cash when mak
former President George W. Bush in 2001 The naming of Mueller as special counsel move that would delay the military operation ing a military decision. Some members of
and served until 2013. comes a week after Trump abruptly fired for months. If Flynn explained his answer, Congress, in private conversations, have
As special counsel, Mueller is authorized James Comey, the man who succeeded him thats not recorded, and its not known even used the word treason to describe
to prosecute federal crimes arising from the as FBI Director. whether he consulted anyone else on the Flynns intervention, though experts doubt
investigation of these matters, according to The official announcement of Comeys dis transition team before rendering his verdict. that his actions qualify. But treason or not,
the Justice Department order Rosenstein missal cited his handling of the investigation But his position was consistent with the Flynns rejection of a military operation that
signed. Mueller has accepted the position. into Hillary Clintons use of a private email wishes of Turkey, which had long opposed had been months in the making raises ques
News of the special counsel announcement server during her 20092013 tenure as the United States partnering with the tions about what other key decisions he
was closely held. The White House received Secretary of State. That is before Trump Kurdish forces and which was his unde might have influenced during the slightly
a headsup less than an hour before the himself walked back the reason. clared client. Trump eventually would more than three weeks he was Trumps
news broke at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Senators plan to question Rosenstein approve the Raqqa plan, but not until weeks national security adviser, and the months he
Its still sinking in, one administration about Comeys firing when the deputy attor after Flynn had been fired. Now members of was Trumps primary campaign foreignpoli
official said, adding We were told about it. ney general testifies on Thursday in a closed Congress, musing about the tangle of legal cy adviser.
Not asked about it. In a statement on hearing.

Comey memo says Trump asked

him to drop Flynn probe
Washington: US President Donald
Trump had asked former FBI
Director James Comey to end the
probe into former National Security
Adviser Michael Flynn's ties with
the Russian ambassador here, the
media reported on Wednesday.
According to sources, the request
was documented in a memo written
by Comey that quoted Trump as
saying: "I hope you can let this go."
The White House has however
rejected the new allegations.
According to a White House official,
a "conversation of that nature" did
not happen.
"While the President has repeat
edly expressed his view that Flynn
is a decent man who served and
protected our country, he has never
asked Comey or anyone else to end
any investigation, including any
probe involving Flynn," the official
said in a White House statement.
"The President has the utmost
respect for our law enforcement
agencies, and all investigations.
Firing Comey is biting back the President.
This is not a truthful or accurate
portrayal of the conversation
between the President and Comey."
The revelation on Tuesday esca
lated the already raging political
crises engulfing the White House
triggered by the FBI's probe into
alleged cooperation between Trump
aides and Moscow, and reports that
the President shared classified
information to top Russian officials,
CNN reported. The stunning new
developments triggered immediate
claims from Democrats that Trump
was guilty of obstructing justice and
extreme concern from the
President's Republican allies on
Capitol Hill. Adam Schiff, the high
est ranked Democrat on the House
Intelligence Committee, said this
intervention by Trump, if correct,
amounted to "interference or
obstruction of the investigation",
the BBC reported. Senator John
MCain reportedly said at a dinner
that the Trump scandals had now
reached "Watergate size".
Trump on May 9 fired Comey,
who led the FBI investigation into
the ties between Russian officials
and Trump's presidential campaign,
an issue that Congress also address
es.
Flynn has been at the centre of
that investigation shortly after
Trump's arrival to the White House.
Sources said that Comey was so
appalled by the request at an Oval
Office meeting on February 14 that
he wanted to document it to share
his recollections of the encounter
with senior FBI officials.
The report has put a new com
plexion on Trump's firing of Comey,
a move he later confided to NBC
News was motivated by anger over
the Russia probe.
A source said the encounter
between Comey and Trump unfold
ed after the then FBI Director was in
the Oval Office briefing Trump
along with Vice President Mike
Pence and Attorney General Jeff
Sessions.
After the briefing, Trump "asked
Sessions and Pence to leave", the
source told CNN.
According to Comey's memo, the
President said: "I hope you can see
your way clear to letting this go, to
letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I
hope you can let this go."
Tuesday's developments sent
shockwaves up to the Capitol Hill,
where there has been increasing
disquiet among Republicans due to
allegations that the President
divulged classified information to
Russian officials.
Republican Jason Chaffetz, chair
man of the House Oversight and
Government Reform Committee,
sent a letter from the FBI asking for
the handover of "all memoranda,
notes, summaries and recordings
referring or relating to any commu
nications between Comey and the
President".
 10 May 20-26, 2017
COMEYGATE COMING?
By Shivaji Sengupta
W
e all know that history
repeats itself; that a pri
mary reason for knowing
history is so that posterity is not
deceived, as the famous historian,
Lord Clarendon had said in the
seventeenth century; and so that,
as another famous historian in the
nineteenth century, Thomas
Babington Macaulay, had
ENT presidents refusal to
MM declare his own taxes.
wished, we do not
make the same mis
takes over and over CO The latest one is this firing of
again.
Alas for vain hopes! Our new
President seems mired in decep
tion; and he is surrounded by
counselors who probably either
do not know history, or do not
care. At any rate, less than four
months into the imperial presi
dency we are into yet another
scandal; another embarrassing
event in which poor Republicans
have to play clean up after their
leader.
First, there were all those alter
native facts about President
Obamas American birth, and false
accusations of wiretapping imme
diately after Trump ascended the
presidency; then there was the
Executive Order barring citizens
of predominantly Muslim coun
tries from entering the U.S; then
the flawed, and still struggling
efforts at repealing Affordable
Healthcare; the onepage, ludi
crous socalled tax reform; the
Hillary officially launches 'resistance' outside group
Washington: Former US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
has officially launched a political
organisation aimed at funding
"resistance" groups that are
standing up to President Donald
Trump, a media report said.
Clinton on Monday tweeted
that she was launching "Onward
Together to encourage people to
get involved, organise, and even
run for office", reports CNN.
The group also included a web
site, which described the group's
goal as looking to "advance pro
gressive values and work to build
a brighter future for generations
to come." Sources told CNN earli
er this month that the former
Presidential hopeful was working
with former aides and donors to
build an organisation that will
look to fund and invest in groups
that have impressed her since
her 2016 election defeat. In an
email to supporters and donors,
US AFFAIRS TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Donald Trump,
History and
Nixons Legacy
poor opinion of himself, so that he president and improving the
was constantly suspicious of nations healthcare beyond where
everybody around him; trusted no President Obama took it; instead
one. He secretly taped all his con of passing critical infrastructure
versations in the White House, lit Bills so that Americans can get
tle suspecting that one day they back to work, bridges and high
might be subpoenaed by the ways can be built, transportation
Courts if something went wrong and trade improved; instead of ini
involving the president. And thats tiating tax reforms, this man is
exactly what happened. whittling away time by getting
Watergate broke out. Nixon, into unnecessary and meaningless
who would have been an easy controversies and skirmishes that
Not knowing what he wants, it is winner in the 1972 Elections, had is of little benefit.
as if the only thing the man is
capable of, is creating controver
people working for him that
decided to break into the
Then comes the bombshell of
firing Comey. The investigation of
the FBI Director, Mr. James sy. Watergate Hotel where the the socalled collusion between
Comey, the very man who was For those of us who have lived Democratic Party had its cam the Russians and Trumps cam
leading the FBIs investigation long enough in the United States, paign head quarters. Nixon was paign, real or not, phony or not,
into the Russian foreign ministry this latest act by the president has implicated even though he wasnt has to run its course without
hacking the 2016 General inevitably given rise to compari directly involved. Panicking, he Trumps involvement. Already,
Elections with possible collusion son between Donald Trump and tried to hush it up, thus commit because of the firing, the FBI and
of all the presidents men, trying President Richard Nixon. The lat ting perjury. He resigned from the the president are not beholden to
to prevent Hillary Clinton from ter was a brilliant foreign policy presidency before he was going to each other. One never knows what
becoming president! That he expert, was sufficiently concerned be impeached for lying. The irony Pandoras Box may be opened. But
would then cast a veiled threat of and progressive about social was that he had won the 1972 the investigation has to happen.
disclosing his private conversa issues to be sometimes thought of Elections in a massive landslide. All that Trump can do now is sit
tion with him he may have taped, as the most Democratic minded He didnt have to be involved in and wait, praying that this accusa
boggles the mind. The frequency Republican president. hotel breakins and stealing. tion against the Russians do not
of Trumps blunders are at the But, like Trump, Richard Nixon Donald Trumps deepest flaw is pan out. If proven otherwise,
rate of more than one per month! was deeply flawed by his own that he does not believe suffi Donald Trump will be seriously
ciently in himself, so that he con implicated. To get out of that jam
All that Trump can do now is sit and wait, praying stantly has to be propped up by would be a big ask. So as
that this accusation against the Russians do not praises of those around him. He Americans, let us all hold our col
ran a tough and unique campaign, lective breaths, and keep fingers
pan out. If proven otherwise, Donald Trump will as a result of which, he snatched crossed. An impeached president
be seriously implicated. To get out of that jam victory from Hillary Clinton cannot be good for the country.
would be a big ask. So as Americans, let us all hold against heavy odds. Since the elec We need to move on.
our collective breaths, and keep fingers crossed. tion though he has been behaving The writer is Professor of English
An impeached president cannot be good for the as if he didnt himself believe he and Vice President for Academic
could win. So, instead of getting Affairs at Boricua College in NYC.
country.
down to the serious work of being He is also a cricket lover.
Indivisible, the effort that has
spearheaded the protests at con
gressional town halls across the
country; and Run for Something,
a group formed by former
Clinton campaigns staffers that
looks to urge young people to
run for local office.
"The challenges we face as a
country are real," CNN quoted
Clinton as saying in the email.
"But there's no telling what we
can achieve if we approach the
fights ahead with the passion
and determination we feel today,
and bring that energy into 2017,
2018, 2020, and beyond."
A Clinton aide said the group
will "follow the guidelines",
meaning they will not release
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and (right) Greenpeace activists scaled a 270foot crane
their list of donors. Amanda
to hang a gigantic 'resist' banner in plain view of the White House in January 2017
Litman, cofounder of Run for
after Trump was sworn in as Presdient.
Something, said in a statement
Clinton said on Monday that Democratic House candidates in women to run for office; Colour that they are "so honoured and
those groups include Swing Left, swing districts; Emerge America, of Change, a criminal justice proud to have Hillary Clinton's
a grassroots network supporting a group urging Democratic reform focused organisation; support".
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Stocks sink as Trump worries
trigger risk aversion
New York: US stocks closed sharply lower
on Wednesday due to the market concerns
on whether the Trump administration could
continue to push its economic reform agen
da.
"The market is responding to the probabil
ity that tax reform, infrastructure spending,
healthcare reform and trade deals might not
occur," Xinhua quoted Brendan Ahern, Chief
Investment Officer of Krane Funds Advisors,
as saying.
The Dow Jones industrial average ended
372.82 points lower, a steep fall driven
mainly by share declines in Dow compo
nents Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan Chase.
Shares of Goldman Sachs dropped 5.27
per cent to $213.72 while J.P. Morgan
Chase closed down 3.81 per cent to $84.27.
The broader S&P 500 dropped 43.64
points, or 1.82 per cent, with financials tum
bling more than three per cent.
The financial sector had been the best per
former in what Wall Street called "Trump
Rally," since Trump assumed of fice and
promised largescale deregulation and tax
reform.
The tech heavy Nasdaq declined 2.57 per
cent, or 158.63 points to 6,011.24. The
index notched record close in two consecu
tive sessions on Monday and Tuesday.
"The US equity market rally has been driv
en by the progrowth agenda proposed by
the president and supported by the
Republican majority in Congress," said
US AFFAIRS May 20-26, 2017 11
Trump considering
Lieberman to head FBI:
Ahern, adding that the situat ion has
changed.
Analysts said the latest White House con
troversies have weighed on market senti
SPICER
ment and the market performance on Washington: President
Wednesday was a typical flight to safety as Donald Trump is consid
political turmoil triggered investor con ering former Connecticut
cerns. Sen. Joe Lieberman to
"Recent political distractions have the lead the FBI, W hite
potential to derail the implementation of House Press Secretary
such policies that have helped support the Sean Spicer told
rising US stock market," Ahern said. reporters Wednesday.
The White House pushed back against a Trump met Wednesday
new wave of media allegations that Trump with Lieberman and 3
might have tried to obstruct justice by ask other candidates acting
ing exFBI Director James Comey to end a FBI Director Andrew
probe into former national security adviser McCabe, former
Michael Flynn. Oklahoma Governor
"I hope you can let this go," Trump told Frank Keating, and for Former Connecticut attorney general Joe Lieberman, a
mer top FBI of ficial DemocratturnedIndependent, is expected to be
Comey at the time, according to a New York
Richard McFeely. favored by Democrats also.
Times report, quoting two people who read
the memo Comey wrote shortly after meet During a briefing on Air Force One en Connecticut's attorney general before
ing with Trump in the Oval Office one day route to Washington, D.C. from being first elected to the Senate in 1988.
after Flynn resigned over a Russiarelated Connecticut, where Trump delivered a Trump has promised a "fast decision" for
scandal in February. commencement address to Coast Guard a new director, telling reporters on Air
Investors have been shocked by the news cadets, Spicer spoke to reporters. Force One Saturday that he thinks "the
and worried Trump's ability to deliver on When asked by MSNBC if he would process is going to move quickly."
businessfriendly policies. accept if he was of fered the job of FBI "Almost all of them are very wellknown;
Analysts noted that it was the first time director, Lieberman declined to say. they've been vetted over their lifetime,
that markets have hinted at riskoff behav "It was unexpected. Not something I was essentially," he said of the new potential
iour in response to increased political risk in seeking," Lieberman, an Independent, said. FBI leaders. "But very wellknown, highly
Washington. Talking about market outlook, He was the Democratic Party's nominee respected, really talented people and
some warned investors of possible down for vice president in 2000, and that's what we want for the FBI."
ward trend.
 12 May 20-26, 2017 INDIA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

India scores diplomatic win,

ICJ holds Jadhav execution
The Hague: India scored a major

India will do everything

diplomatic, moral and legal victory
when the International Court of
Justice (ICJ) directed Pakistan not
to execute alleged spy Kulbhushan
Jadhav pending its final decision
and inform it of the steps being
taken to implement the order.
"Pakistan shall take all measures
at its disposal to ensure that Mr.
Jadhav is not executed pending the
final decision in these proceedings
and shall inform the court of all
the measures taken in implementa
tion of the present order," ICJ
President Ronny Abraham said in
the operative portion of the unani
mous order which he read out in
the open court for nearly 30 min
utes.
"The court also decides that until
it has given its final decision, it
shall remain seized of the matters
which form the subject matter of
this order," he said.
There are 10 judges, including
Justice Dalveer Bhandari of India,
apart from the President which
form the court.
In a declaration appended to the
judgment Justice Bhandari con
curred with the court on its indica
tion of provisional measures but
sought to place on record his
views concerning the requirements
for indicating these measures in
more detail. "...In addition to issues
of consular relations, this is a case
in which it regrettably appears, on
a preliminary examination of the
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) directed Pakistan not to execute
alleged spy Kulbhushan Jadhav pending its final decision.
facts, that the basic human rights
of Jadhav have been violated by
not allowing India to have con
sular access to him after his arrest
and during the pendency of the
criminal proceedings against him
in Pakistan," Justice Bhandari said.
The ruling comes 10 days after
India approached the UN's top
court for provisional measures of
protection an interim relief. The fessional" statement he had made
court had earlier written to
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif to see that Jadhav was not
executed.
Of ficials of both the countries
were present when the judge
asked the registrar to read out the
order to both the parties. In a pub
lic hearing on Monday, India
sought the court's intervention to
annul the death sentence given by
a Pakistan military court to Jadhav
who Islamabad says was arrested
in Balochistan on charges of spy
ing, sabotage and terrorism.
India has maintained that he was
abducted from Iran and taken to
Balochistan. The army court had
sentenced him to death on a "con
Abraham said the court was unani
in military custody.
India accused Pakistan of violat
ing the Vienna Convention by
denying consular access to Jadhav
and pronouncing him guilty of
espionage in a "farcical trial".
Pakistan, however, rejected the
Indian argument on the ground
that New Delhi had no right to
to save Jadhav: Sushma
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj welcomed the
International Court of Justice's verdict on Kulbhusban Jadhav, and
said that India would leave no stone unturned to save him. "I assure
the nation that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi we will leave no stone unturned to save Kulbhushan Jadhav,"
Sushma Swaraj tweeted, minutes after the ICJ passed a favorable ver
dict on Jadhav.
"T he ICJ order has come as a great relief to the family of
Kulbhushan Jadhav and people of India," she said.
"We are grateful to Harish Salve for presenting India's case so
effectively before ICJ." The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on
Thursday asked Pakistan not to execute alleged spy Kulbushan
Jadhav pending its final decision and inform it of the steps being
taken to implement the order.
invoke the jurisdiction of the ICJ there exists a lien between the
and that the Vienna Convention rights India seeks to assert and the
does not provide for matters relat provisional measures the court can
ing to spies, terrorists and those deploy.
who indulge in espionage. "The court will af firm that its
Giving its interim decision on the order on provisional measures
application moved by India against under Article 41 of the statute has
Jad hav's execut ion, Just ice binding effect that creates interna
tional legal obligation for any
mous in indicating the "provisional party to whom the provisional
measures that give the rights to measures are addressed.
the subject of judicial proceed The court also noted that Jadhav
ings". should have been given consular
In the detailed order, the court access as sought by India.
said prima facie it felt that it had The court also upheld India's
jurisdiction to go into the matter stand that whether the rights
given the details of the present soug ht by India are at least
case. The court also found that plausible.

Kapil Mishra files complaint with CBI against Kejriwal

New Delhi: Days after the sus
pended AAP leader Kapil
Mishra ended his indefinite
hunger strike, he filed a com
plaint with the Central Bureau
of Investigation (CBI) against
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal over allegations of
corruption.
"Today ( Tuesday) me and
Neil ( Terrance Haslam) had
gone to CBI to file complaint
against Kejriwal, for converting
black money into white, for
concealing the donat ion
amount from the EC (Election
Commission) and IT (Income
Tax) Department and how his
two legislators were found con
nected with the shell compa
nies," Mishra told reporters
here.
The sacked minister said he
had submitted all the related
The suspended AAP leader Kapil Mishra on the way to CBI. documents with the investigat
ing agency.
Target ing the Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) convenor, Mishra
said: "The man who joined poli
tics saying that he has come to
fight corruption, who promised
to contest elections with peo
ple's money, has been exposed."
"He accepted donat ions in
lakhs from big people," Mishra
said.
"He even tried to run the party
with black money, he tried to
conceal the actual amount of
donat ion that the party
received," Mishra alleged.
Slamming the AAP chie f,
Mishra said he was trying to
weave a web of shell companies
from whom they received huge
donations.
On May 9, Mishra approached
the CBI and filed three com
plaints the exchange of cash
between Kejriwal and Satyendar
Jain, the firm owned by
Kejriwal's relatives involved in
PWD works and a Chhatarpur
farmhouse land deal, and the
foreign trips by five AAP leaders.
Mishra on May 14 levelled
fresh charges against Kejriwal
and accused the AAP of lying to
the EC about donat ions and
laundering money through shell
companies, before he fainted
midway through the press con
ference and was hospitalised.
He said the party has accumu
lated the money through shell
companies.
On May 10, Mishra sat on
indefinite hunger strike demand
ing the AAP leader reveal the
source of funding of the foreign
trips of its five leaders Sanjay
Singh, Ashish Khetan, Raghav
Chadhha, Satyendar Jain and
Durgesh Pathak in the last two
years.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA May 20-26, 2017 13

Environment Minister Veteran actress Reema

Anil Dave is dead
New Delhi: Union Environment
Minister Anil Dave, a committed
environmentalist who had worked
on green projects including con
servation of the Narmada river,
died here following cardiac arrest.
Dave hailed from Mad hya
Pradesh where he had done a stint
as Minister of Environment. He
was inducted into the Union
Council of Ministers on July 6,
2016 as Minister of State for
Environment with independent
charge.
He had worked on conservation
projects including of the Narmada
river and founded "Narmada
Samagra" for the purpose.
President Pranab Mukherjee and
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led
the nation in mourning the loss of
Dave whom he had met only on
Wednesday evening. T hey
expressed shock over the sudden
death.
"Absolutely shocked by the sud
den demise of my friend and a
very respected colleague, Daveji.
My condolences," Modi said in a
condolence message.
The Prime Minister said Dave
would be remembered as a "devot
ed public servant who "was
tremendously passionate towards
conserving the environment". "I
Union Environment Minister
Anil Dave.
was w ith Dave ji t ill late last
evening, discussing key policy
issues. This demise is a personal
loss," Modi said.
One of those who attended that
meeting recalled that Dave was
looking "pale and weak but sat
through the long meeting with the
Prime Minister".
Mukherjee said Dave's tenure as
the minister was "distinguished by
extensive e f forts to conserve
nature and protect environment".
BJP President Amit Shah, senior
leader L. K. Advani, Mad hya
Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj
Singh Chouhan and a host of min
isters, including Home Minister
Rajnath Singh and Information
and Broadcast ing Minister
Venkaiah Naidu, condoled Dave's
death. They hailed him as a com
mitted environmentalist.
Cong ress President Sonia
Gand hi said Dave would be
remembered for his humble per
sonality. Dave had not been well
since January when he was diag
nosed with pneumonia and had
been feeling "badly weak" in the
past few days, family sources said.
Dave, who began his political
career during his college days in
his home state of Mad hya
Pradesh, was a Rajya Sabha mem
ber since 2009.
He joined the Rashtriya
Swayamsewak Sangh after com
pleting his postgraduation in
commerce from Gujarati College
in Indore. His father Dadasaheb
Dave had been a long time RSS
activist.
T he government announced
national mourning and "as a mark
of respect" in his memory the
National Flag will fly at halfmast
across the country.
His portfolio has been given to
Science and Technology Minister
Harsh Vard han as addit ional
charge.
Lagoo dies at 59
Mumbai: Veteran film, stage and
television actress Reema Lagoo
died following a cardiac arrest, a
family source said.
T he 59yearold art iste
breathed her last at the
Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani
Hospital (KDAH), in Andheri
west, where she was rushed
shortly after midnight.
Divorced from her former hus
band and actor Vivek Lagoo, she
is survived by her daughter,
Veteran film, stage and television
Mrunmayee Lagoo, 35, who is a
actress Reema Lagoo.
film and stage actress and the
atre director. "Shrimaan Shrimati", "Tu Tu,
Starting her career as a school Main Main," "Do Aur Do Paanch",
girl in Pune, Reema soon gradu and the latest ongoing serial on
ated to larger roles on Marathi StarPlus, Mahesh Bhatt's
stage and films. "Naamkaran".
Later, Reema became famous In Marathi, she gave notable
for portraying the "middleaged, stage performances in "Ghar
mo dern, but understanding Tighanche Have", "Chal Aatap
mother" on both, the silver and Lavkar", "Jhale Mokle Aakash",
the small screens, to some of the "To Ek Kshann", "Purush Buland"
biggest stars in the industry. and "Vitho Rakhumai", etc.
Reema was noted for her roles Reema's funeral is likely to be
in several blo ckbusters like performed later T hursday
"Hum Aapke Hain Kaun", evening near her home in
"Aashiqui", "Kuch Kuch Hota Andheri west, the family sources
Hai", "Hum Saath Saath Hain", indicated. Bollywood actress
"Maine Pyar Kiya", "Kal Ho Na Reema Lagoo during the book
Ho", "Vastaav", "Saajan", launch of Sarita Davare and
"Rangeela" and "Kya Kehna", etc. Sanjeev Kapoor new book Live
On television, she was seen in Well Diet in Mumbai on May 3,
prominent roles in "Khandaan", 2013. (Photo: IANS)

Sensex, Nifty hit Bring law to address triple

fresh highs, metal
stocks surge
Mumbai: Continuing the bull run
in the Indian equity markets, the
key indices the Sensex and the
Nifty scaled new highs again
this week.
The benchmark indices, which
opened on a slightly lower note
on weak global cues, pared their
losses and closed in the green as
healthy buying in metal and
automobile sto cks buoyed
investors' sentiments.
The 30scrip Sensitive Index
(Sensex) of the BSE closed at a
new high of 30,658.77 points
up 76.17 points or 0.25 per cent,
from its previous close at
30,582.60 points.
The wider 51scrip Nifty of the
National Stock Exchange (NSE)
also rose by 13.50 points or 0.14
per cent to 9,525.75 points a
new closing high.
Besides, during intraday trade,
the BSE Sensex scaled a new
high of 30,692.45 points, and
the NSE Nifty of 9,532.60 points.
The new intraday highs of the
benchmark indices are also their
talaq, SC suggests
New Delhi: T he Supreme
Court suggested that the gov
ernment could put in place a
law to deal w ith issues
including triple talaq instead
of waiting for it to decide on
the matter judicially, and
wondered whether it is possi
ble to g ive the Muslim
woman the option to oppose
instant divorce.
"We may or may not
(decide the issue), but you
do," said the constitution
bench headed by Chie f
Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar
to Attorney General Mukul Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice S. court suggested whether a clause
new 52wee k hig hs. Anand
Rohatgi as the latter urged the Abdul Nazeer As the court made can be added on the Nikaah
James, Chief Market Strategist of
court to step in a situation where it clear that the government Nama to say that the marriage
Geojit Financial Services, said:
there is no legislation. could not shun its responsibility, can't be dissolved by the husband
"Scaling of 9,500, a psychologi
Noting the government's insis Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi by pronouncing instant triple
cal mark in the Nifty, boosted
tence that the court should first said, "I will do what I have to do. talaq.
investors' sentiments, while con
rule against instant triple talaq The question is what you (court) AIMPLB, has in the course of its
tinued FII (foreign institutional
and then it would bring a law, the will do." submissions while saying that
investors) buying and consistent
bench asked why the government Earlier, the bench asked the All triple talaq was permissible,
ly low volatility also served to
was not making a law instead of India Muslim Personal Law Board described it as a "sin" and "unde
help investors allay fears of sus
asking the court to decide the if it was possible to give the sirable".
tainability of ongoing rally."
matter. woman the option, before she The AIMPLB has said that the
On the currency front, the
Besides the Chief Justice, the gives her consent to nikaah, that community needed t ime to
rupee weakened by seven paise
other judges on the bench are the marriage she was entering change and reform itself on its
to 64.1516 per US dollar from
Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice into would not be dissolved own without any outside interfer
its previous close of 64.0809.
Rohinton Fali Nariman, Justice through instant triple talaq. The ence or dictate.
 14 May 20-26, 2017
Kashmir could turn out to
be Modi's biggest failure
By Amulya Ganguli
here is little doubt that
T notwithstanding any achieve
ment of Narendra Modi in
the economic field or in partially
curbing the saffron hotheads,
Kashmir will be the scene of his
biggest failure unless he is able to
accomplish a dramatic break
through in the near future.
Such a feat will justify Jammu
and Kashmir Chief Minister
Mehbooba Mufti's belief that only
Modi can solve the state's prob
lems.
At the moment, however, an
expectation of this nature appears
unreal because militancy in the
Valley has become a great deal
more intense than before, making
the situation "scary", as the
Election Commission has been told
by the state government in the
context of the Anantnag parlia
mentary byelection, which had to
be canceled.
The ridiculously low polling per
centage of seven in last month's
Srinagar parliamentary bypoll
was a disturbing sign of the ero
sion of popular faith in the elec
toral process since 2014, when the
percentage in the assembly polls
No legal verdict can resolve Ayodhya dispute
By M. Rajaque Rahman
W
ith the Supreme Court
refusing to fasttrack it
and pushing for outof
court negotiations, it is evident
no legal verdict can resolve the
vexed Ram JanmabhoomiBabri
Masjid dispute. Way back in
1993, the apex court had indicat
ed that any court verdict is
fraught with risks. Although
much water has flown down the
Sayaru since then, Ayodhya
remains a dispute that cannot
afford a loser.
A case connected with the sen
timent and security of all Indians
cannot be ruled upon as an ordi
nary title dispute. Any solution
that entails a winner and a loser
will be no solution. Such a verdict
is bound to trigger passions and
destroy communal harmony.
Suppose the court rules in
favour of Muslims, Hindus will
not take it lightly. And if it is the
other way, it will create bitter
ness and insecurity among
Muslims. The resultant jubilation
among Hindus will only further
vitiate the precarious communal
The appearance of schoolgirls on the streets to join the teenage boys to
throw stones at the security forces shows that the familial and social
norms are breaking down.
was 66, a 10 per cent jump from
2008.
While some hope was generated
by the fairly large turnout by
young men during an army
recruitment drive, the coldblooded
killing of a 22yearold Kashmiri
army lieutenant during a wedding
celebration in his family under
lined the presence of psychopathic
militants nearly all over the state
and their increasing boldness.
Activists of Rashtrawadi Shiv Sena and United Hindu Front during a
rally to mark the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in
Ayodhya. (File Photo: IANS)
equations. So, it is a national duty
for all wellmeaning Indians to
make allout efforts for a winwin
solution. Despite the odds, India
has no choice but to push for an
amicable solution that guaran
tees the building of a grand Ram
temple without hurting the senti
ment of the Muslim community.
Such a solution calls for major
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
OP-ED
What is more, the appearance of
schoolgirls on the streets to join
the teenage boys to throw stones
at the security forces shows that
the familial and social norms are
breaking down.
The link between the increase in
militancy and last year's killing by
the security forces of Burhan
Wani, the socalled poster boy of
the local terror outfit Hizbul
Mujahideen, has long been obvi
compromises and can emerge
only when a spirit of giveand
take prevails. For this, Muslims
must concede that this disputed
land has a lot of religious signifi
cance for the Hindus. On their
part, the Hindus should show a
lot of restraint and not indulge in
anything that will trigger any
feeling of insecurity and alien
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
ous. Hindsight suggests that if
Wani had been captured and jailed,
there would not have been such a
rapid deterioration of the situa
tion.
If a hardline official approach
has accentuated the sense of alien
ation, the reason is the association
of such an attitude with the
Bharatiya Janata Party's generally
hawkish outlook, which has mani
fested itself in other parts of the
country in the murderous antics of
the gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes)
despite Modi's earlier admonition,
the saffron lobby's continuing
opposition to interfaith affairs
and the description of Mughal
emperors like Babur and Akbar as
"invaders", as by Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
recently recalling the castigation
of Muslims as unpatriotic "Babur
ki aulad" (children of Babur) dur
ing the Ram Janmabhoomi move
ment.
None of this is expected to make
the Kashmiri Muslims pay greater
heed to the Prime Minister's call to
shun terrorism to boost tourism as
he said during his last visit to the
state. If it is too much to ask of the
BJP to speak in favor of retaining
Article 370 since it goes against
ation.
This is no mean challenge and
surely there is no shortcut. Of the
many proposals being fiercely
debated in social media, I see a
lot of hope in a 2003 formula
envisaged by spiritual guru Sri Sri
Ravi Shankar.
That the threeoption proposal
is still relevant speaks a lot about
its depth.
Unlike others, Sri Sri has always
advocated a "consentofall" while
pushing for a Ram Mandir. He
often emphasizes that prolonging
the issue is not in the interest of
the nation and it will fuel funda
mentalism.
His proposal can offer the
Muslims an opportunity to earn
goodwill and save it from further
political isolation.
His preferred option of
Muslims gifting to the Hindu
community the place where the
makeshift Ram temple stands and
withdrawing all cases over that
piece of land which is holy to mil
lions of Hindus is prefaced with
the offer of the majority commu
nity assuaging the Muslims about
past hurts ostensibly referring
the grain of saffron ideology, it can
at least rule out the use of pellet
guns which have not been used
anywhere else and withdraw the
Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act
(AFSPA) in the wake of the
Supreme Court's observation that
it is antithetical to democracy.
"It does not matter if the victim
was a common person or a militant
or a terrorist," the court has said.
"Nor does it matter whether the
aggressor was a common person
or the state. The law is the same
for both and is equally applicable
to both...This is the requirement of
a democracy and the requirement
of preservation of the rule of law
and the preservation of individual
liberties."
However, the government's deci
sion to challenge the judgement
and BJP leader Ram Madhav's
comment that laws like the AFSPA
are not imposed "out of fun" but
because they are needed, suggest
that the BJP has no time for its
coalition partner, the People's
Democratic Party's call for with
drawing the AFSPA at least from
some areas. Instead of making
such wisecracks, the government
will do well to show greater sensi
tivity to the local grievances
caused by a growing sense of
alienation which is exploited by
the Pakistanbased jihadis and
local militants. A first step in this
direction can be the reduction in
the "visibility" of the security
forces, as was suggested by the
committee which undertook a
study tour of the state in 2011.
to the demolition of the Babri
Mosque.
In case of this proposal not
finding favour, he suggests the
gifting of the place by the Muslim
community to Hindu saints, who
in turn help build a grand
mosque in Faizabad.
And as a last resort, he talks
about Parliament enacting legis
lation that will provide for gifting
the Ram Janmabhumi to the
Hindu community and maintain
ing the status quo of all other
places of worship.
This should also warm the
heart of the Muslims as such leg
islation will safeguard the
mosques in Kashi and Mathura
and prevent rabblerousing over
thousands of temples allegedly
destroyed by Moghul invaders.
Keeping in mind Sri Sri's impar
tial approach, it will be in the
interest of the nation, and partic
ularly of the Muslim community,
to let him take the lead in hunt
ing for a winwin deal. He has a
track record of brokering truce
even in unlikely conflicts. Will
the Muslims of India sieze the
proposal with a big heart?

By Parveen Chopra
The South Asian Times: As AAPI Convention
2017 Chair, give us an overview of the highlights
of the convention in New Jersey.
Dr Raj Bhayani: The 35th annual AAPI (Amer-
ican Association of Physicians of Indian Origin),
convention is being held at Harrahs Resort, Atlan-
tic City from June 21-25. It will be a high-tech, in-
novative convention with cutting edge Continuing
Medical Education sessions from world leaders
Dr Raj Bhayani
in medical field. There is also a research poster
competition organized by young physicians sec-
tion of AAPI. It promises activities for physicians
of all age groups as well as for their families. Our
planning and special attention will give sponsors
adequate business exposure.
How many participants you are expecting?
Dr Bhayani: We expect capacity crowd of
1,500-2,000 delegates.
Which famous personalities will grace the event?
Dr Bhayani: I am withholding a few names to
give a pleasant surprise to delegates. So far, we
have confirmed Baba Ramdev and Shivani Didi
for yoga and spiritual uplift. For entertainment,
we will present Bollywood singer Shreya Ghoshal
even as Neha Kakkar rocks Atlantic City.
What is role of AAPI chapter of Queens
Long Island in this convention?
Dr Bhayani: This convention is hosted by AAPI-
QLI, one of the strongest chapters of AAPI. I am
proud to say that all members of AAPI-QLI are
working very hard to make this convention suc-
cessful. AAPI-QLI have a tradition of cultivating
leaders in medical field in the country. AAPI-QLI
leaders and founders have worked very hard and
sacrificed personal life to make this chapter very
strong. I am grateful to all of them. Under Dr
Ajay Lodha, Past President of AAPI-QLI who is
the current president of national AAPI, this will
be an amazing convention.
How do you find time from your busy medical
practice to organize this massive event?
Dr Bhayani: I am fortunate that we have a great
convention team working hard to make this con-
vention successful. Without input and help from
each one of them, this would be a Herculean task.
In the healthcare debate, given GOP/Trumps
promise to repeal and replace ACA, what are the
concerns of AAPI and of the Indian community?
Dr Bhayani: We need a balanced approach.
Obamacare did not address a major concern of
physicians -- malpractice reform. In the new bill,
we hope to see a balanced approach where most
people get coverage with premium costs kept
down. Insurance companiesfocus should be on
healthcare of patients and not just the profits.
Also, there is serious need for malpractice reform.
An ardent supporter of Prime Minister Modi,
PERSONALITY May 20-26, 2017 15
Meet the convener
of AAPI convention
Dr. Raj Bhayani is a renowned ENT surgeon and AAPI leader based
in New York. An ardent supporter of PM Modi, he is also a philan-
thropist and social activist committed to the progress of his native
India. He gave an exclusive interview to The South Asian Times.
what is it you like about him and his policies? Tell us about your highly specialized field of ENT?
Dr Bhayani: He is a revolutionary and ardent nationalist. For Dr Bhayani: After completing my residency training in ENT at
the first time in the history of India since independence we are Columbia, I finished fellowship in Facial plastic surgery. I have
lucky to have a leader who is a visionary and disinterested in been in ENT practice for over 10 years after finishing my fellow-
self-promotion. He has taken bold steps against corruption ship in facial plastic surgery. Ear Nose Throat is an amazing field
and his policies are cutting red tape in India. where results of treatment are mostly satisfying as chronic con-
ditions are rare. There have been tremendous advances in this
Tell us about the charity football match in Delhi
field with minimal invasive surgery and facial plastic surgery.
you helped organize.
Dr Bhayani: The Football for Nation match was inspired by Tell us about your family and roots in India.
a speech by Modi. We brought in Bollywood stars Ranbir Ka- Dr Bhayani: My family is from Kathiawad area of Gujarat, now
poor and Abhishek Bachchan to play a match against parlia- living in Bombay. They have business roots, and yet are modest.
mentarians to increase awareness for Modis Swachh Bharat
Anything more you would like to add?
and Beti Bachao / Beti Padhao campaigns. The profits from
Dr Bhayani: Let me humbly say, a mans work should speak
the game were presented to Women & Child Development
for itself. My favorite quote is: We make a living by what we
Minister Maneka Gandhi. It created a buzz. We are planning
get, but we make a life by what we give.
similar events for the future.
Dr Raj Bhayani, AAPI President Dr Ajay Lodha and Convention Team
with Consul General Riva Ganguly Das at the kickoff.
Medicine man whose heart beats for India
Dr. Rajendra Bhayani is the first ENT surgeon from India who completed training in Neurosurgery and also has a fellowship in
Facial Plastic & Micro Vascular Surgery. He holds various leadership positions in the healthcare field and leading hospitals in
New York, heading the ENT and Facial Plastic Surgery divisions. A recipient of US Congressional Achievement Award for com-
munity service as renowned surgeon and philanthropist, he has published
and presented more than 50 research papers, which got his name included in
the Marquis Whos Who in America in Medicine and Healthcare. Dr. Bhayani
is also a philanthropist, social activist and entrepreneur. He has been actively
involved in many events notably, Prime Minister Modis historic address at
Madison Square Garden in 2014. He is also a Guest Speaker on TV shows in
USA as a proponent of Modis vision. A successful medical career in the USA
has not deterred Dr. Bhayani from committing time for the progress of India.
He serves on the boards of over 20 philanthropic organizations back home.
He has also served on the Board of Trustees of Save Life Foundation, which
has helped curtail road accident fatalities. He has also organized health/
blood donation camps and fund-raisers for Akshay Patra that runs mid-day
meal program for kids in India. Dr Bhayani is an eminent AAPI leader, having
served as President of its New York region as well as a Trustee and Treasurer
of AAPI. Dr. Bhayani has received over 50 awards including Mahatma Gandhi
Pravasi Samman at House of Lords in London, Bharat Gaurav Puraskar and
Hind Rattan Award, as well as Atal Mithila Samman in New Delhi last year.
 16 May 20-26, 2017
If God wills, Ill enter politics
Rajinikanth
The 66-year-old described his brief
dalliance with politics two decades
ago as political accident.
S uperstar Rajinikanth kept his fans guess-
ing on his entry into politics, saying if
it is Gods will, he will step into the arena.
The actor, who met his fans after a gap
of some eight years, also said if he enters
politics, he will be truthful and will not en-
tertain people who want to make money.
God decides what we have to do in life.
Right now, he wants me to be an actor
and Im fulfilling my responsibility. If God
Marathi filmmaker found
dead, posts suicide note
on Facebook
M arathi film producer Atul B. Tapkir for an autopsy, a police official said.
was found dead at a luxury hotel, po-
lice said. He was 35.
A post on Tapkirs Facebook page indi- pressed over the financial losses he suffered
cates he was disturbed over financial loss by producing Marathi film Dhol Taashe.
in filmmaking and a troubled family life.
Police had to break open the hotel room his father and sisters backed him, his wife
where they found Tapkirs body.
The filmmaker
was depressed
due to his
financial
losses.
BOLLYwOOD
willing, I will enter politics tomorrow. If I
enter, I will be very truthful and will not
entertain people who are in this to make
money. I wont work with such people, Ra-
The film stars
jinikanth told his fans, who had gathered at
Raghavendra Mandapam.
Ayushmann
One of his die-hard fans said: If Rajini- Khurrana and
kanth sir becomes a politician, he will be Parineeti Chopra
the best. Another fan said: Thalaiva should in lead roles.
announce his own party and clean up Tamil
Nadu. He is the only one who can save Tamil
Nadu and take it forward again. The 66-year-
old star described his brief stint in politics
two decades ago as a political accident. Meri Pyaari Bindu
Frothy and engaging
In 1996, during the Tamil Nadu assembly
election campaign, Rajinikanth denounced
J. Jayalalithaa and her politics. His strong
remarks contributed to her defeat.
I did a mistake by supporting a political
alliance 21 years ago. It was a political ac-
Meri Pyaari Bindu from the Yash Raj
Films (YRF) stable is a sincere yet frothy
tale, designed from a pulp novel. And like
play, is astutely handled.
While the plot is well-charted, it is the
conflict and the resolution that disappoint. It
cident. Since then, politicians have misused
any other pulp fiction, this film is a light- lacks substance in terms of oomph and other
my name on several occasions. But I have to
hearted fluff, racy and engaging. exploiting factors that make for engrossing
clarify, Im not joining any party, he added.
Designed as a catharsis, it is the tale of viewing. The non-linear narrative style, at
Back in 2014, as the BJPs prime ministe-
a successful pulp writer Abhimanyu Roy times, creates confusion with the timelines.
rial candidate, Narendra Modi had called on
aka Bubla, who has compiled novellas like Ayushmann Khurana, with an intellectu-
Rajinikanth at his residence. But the actor
Chudail Ki Choli, Draculas Lover and al demeanor, plays the flurried pulp writer
had termed it as a courtesy call and said no
Das Cabin, among many more. Abhimanyu Roy with panache. With natu-
political significance should be attached to it.
On the insistence of his publisher, Abhi- ral ease, he internalizes his character and
manyu is forced to write a romance, which he communicates his affection through his in-
does begin but is stuck between his real life tense gaze. He is sincere and endearing in
heartache and imagination. He finds it difficult
to chronicle his thoughts about this unpre-
his portrayal and it shows.
On the other hand, Parineeti Chopra es-
dictable, impatient, imperfect, crazy, restless says Bindu with dexterity yet she seems
and larger than life, live-wire girl called Bin- superficial and shallow, especially in the
du, who was once his neighbor and who over restaurant scene when she tells Abhi-
A case of accidental death (ADR) has
been registered by the Deccan Gymkhana
Police Station, and the body has been sent
a period of time crept into his life and soul.
With a good dosage of old Hindi film
songs and tidbits as transitions, metaphors
manyu about her boyfriend, Mathew. Her
portrayal of the character lacks depth.
Overall, while the film is interestingly told
and analogies, the treatment of the chaoti- and is engaging, the last scene, though it talks
One of the last suicidal messages posted on cally jumbled script along with the screen- about a happy ending, unsettles the purist.
Tapkirs Facebook page suggests he was de-
In the lengthy post, he claimed that while Im disappointed
that Bieber lip-synced
Priyanka allegedly harassed him.
He was also upset as she
- Ash King
alienated their children from
him, apart from making al-
legations against him, defam-
ing him in the neighborhood
and abusing him. Tapkirs
post -- written in Marathi --
mentioned that his wife got
her so-called brothers to
threaten and beat him up. He Bieber performs
shared how when some days during his concert
ago, he called her and abused in Mumbai.
her, she abused him and his
family in return and lodged a
police complaint against them.
Tapkir has urged Maharashtra
Chief Minister Devendra Fad-
S inger Ash King is disappointed that
Grammy award winning singer Justin
Bieber lip-synced during his maiden per-
cert because he is an amazing singer... It is
wrong because he is such a good singer and it
is so nice to hear a good singer live Ash said.
navis that the police must lis- formance in India. He added: I was really excited about the
ten to a mans side of the story The 23-year-old Canadian singer was in performance. I could not go to the show
too when a woman lodges a India as part of the Asia leg of his Purpose because I had my own performance. I am
complaint. He said his last World Tour. He performed in Mumbai on very disappointed that he lip-synced. Even
wish was that since his wife May 10. Many fans were upset that the what he was wearing on stage. He was
cannot look after their chil- Sorry hitmaker lip-synced most of his wearing shorts and a T-shirt. When I saw
dren, his father should raise songs during the gig. Ash says it was wrong the pictures I thought it was a rehearsal.
them. As proof of the harass- on his part to lip-sync his way through the Ash has given songs like I love you, Dil
ment he faced, Tapkir said he performance since he is an amazing artiste. gira dafatan,Te amo,Aunty ji,Meherbaan
has saved in a pen drive, the Even we have artistes who lip-sync so and Alizeh. At the moment, he is getting a
incident when his wifes broth- there is nothing new about this. But I dont positive response for Baarish song for Mo-
er hurled abuses at him. agree with Justin Bieber lip-syncing at a con- hit Surs film Half Girlfriend.

Madhuri Dixit turns Never faced discrimina-
50, B-Town wishes the tion over accent: Irrfan
eternal beauty A ctor Irrfan Khan, who balances his
B ollywoods dancing diva Madhuri Dix-
it-Nene turned 50 on Monday, with tured into films with Abodh in 1984. Some
good wishes coming in from actors like of her popular films include Ram Lakhan,
Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Juhi Chawla. Dil, Beta, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, Dil
The versatile
actress is
lauded
for her
dancing
skills.
Alia Bhatt wants to
work with Prabhas
A ctress Alia Bhatt has praised filmmak-
er S.S. Rajamoulis magnum opus Baa-
hubali 2: The Conclusion and says she is
keen to work with its lead actor Prabhas.
Alia spoke about Prabhas while chatting
with her fans on Twitter.
Need a new word for this giant. Rock-
Post Baahubali, Prabhas is now
enjoying a massive fan base.
bollywood
Madhuri, born on May 15, 1967, ven-
To Pagal Hai and Devdas. Besides getting
appreciated for her versatility in acting,
Madhuri has gained recognition for her
dancing skills and expressions.
Madhuri married Shriram Madhav Nene,
a surgeon from Los Angeles, in 1999. They
have two sons -- Arin and Rayaan.
Celebrities took to Twitter to wish her on
turning 50. Heres what they said:
Anil Kapoor: Happy 50th birthday my
friend Madhuri Dixit.
Jackie Shroff: Smile that can raise the
dead. Eternally beautiful person and ac-
tress. Happy birthday Madhuri Dixit.
Juhi Chawla: Sparkle and shine Madhuri
Dixit. Happy birthday.
Riteish Deshmukh: The epitome of beau-
ty, elegance and grace. No wonder she is
addressed as the one and only. Happy
birthday dear Madhuri Dixit.
Aditi Rao Hydari: Heres to the queen of
a million dollar smile, the epitome of grace.
Inspiring millions like me. Happy Birthday
Madhuri Dixit.
buster? Loved it.. it was epic, Alia tweeted
when a fan asked her to describe Baahu-
bali 2: The Conclusion in one word.
Alia later said she considers Prabhas as
her favorite south Indian actor.
Asked whether she would like to work
with Prabhas, Alia wrote: For sure!
May 20-26, 2017 17
work in the international and Indian
film world, says he has never faced dis-
crimination over his accent.
Often, Indian actors who work in films
abroad flaunt an unnatural accent in Eng-
lish for their international projects. Has Ir-
rfan had any issues as such?
No. Fortunately, when I did my first inter-
national film, I had to play a Bengali in it and
had to have an accent. And there were some
films for which I had to acquire a foreign ac-
cent. Bengali was as important to me as an
American accent. I had to do it, he said.
Every time you have to adapt to the
where the character is from and you have
to adapt to his accent. Its a part of the job.
Whether youre doing a Paan Singh Tomar
or whatever... As an actor, accent is some-
thing you have to acquire. Its not about In-
dian or American accent, Irrfan said.
If its needed for a project, I acquire it...
The actor will be seen in the But I havent faced discrimination (over it),
upcoming flick Hindi Medium. he added.
Tried hard to be a jerk on
Baywatch set: Priyanka
I ndian actress Priyanka Chopra, who
is making her Hollywood debut with
Baywatch, says she tried hard to be a
jerk on the set of the upcoming action
comedy film. Priyanka will be seen as
the antagonist Victoria Leeds in Bay-
watch, which also features Dwayne
The Rock Johnson and Zac Efron.
We got on really well, though I tried
really hard to be a jerk, I couldnt because
everyone was super fine, Priyanka said
on the red carpet of Miami premiere.
Also, I was flying in and out as I was
shooting Quantico and Baywatch to- Baywatch,
gether. But I did try to go a little method
starring
Priyanka
in my walk and in my talk. I am happy
Chopra,
to be here. Baywatch is great summer
will release
fun. By the way, dont take your kids (to
in India on
theatres), she added. Baywatch will
June 2.
release in India on June 2.
Pritam walks out of Raabta
M usic composer Pritam announced
he has walked out of Bollywood
project Raabta after its producer ex-
pressed an interest to have an outside
song in the album.
In a post on his official Facebook page,
Pritam wrote: I had decided a while back
to only do solo composer albums and not
have an outside song in my album.
In Raabta, producers want to recreate
an existing song from the music label as
part of promotions so I have decided to not
continue with the film and requested the
producers to take out my name from the
film credits and promotions. The album
will be completed by my company Jam 8.
The movie is produced by Bhushan Ku-
mar of T-Series and Homi Adajania apart
from Dinesh Vijan, who has directed it too.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info OPINION May 20-26, 2017 19

By Amit Kapoor

T
he Indian IT industry is at the cross
roads. It first suffered the longexpect
ed shock of the Trump administra
tion's policy shift against the H1B work
visa program. The US President's executive
order makes it impossible for IT firms to
bring overseas lowskilled engineers into
the US for onsite postings. Indian IT firms,
which are the largest applicants for H1B
visa, have the most to lose.
The second realitycheck for the industry
came when McKinsey & Company released
a report claiming that nearly half of the IT
services workforce will be rendered "irrele
vant" over the next 34 years. This is mainly
due to the changing nature of jobs in IT with
the advent of newer fields like automation,
robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and inter
net of things (IoT). Therefore, Indian engi
neers are in dire need of reskilling to drive
the latest wave of digital transformation, the
report suggests. Reskilling will, however,
address only a part of a muchlarger malaise
that ails the Indian IT industry. With a loss
in outsourced jobs and a failure to be a part
of the next digital revolution, the industry
needs to completely revitalise its latent
competitiveness.
In "Competitive Advantage of Nations",
management guru Michael Porter attributes
a nation's competitiveness to the capacity of
its industries to innovate and upgrade. But
the industry that has led the Indian growth
story has failed on that front. Innovations
have hardly emerged from the innumerable
engineers that India produces. Rather, India
has mainly been a factordriven economy,
where its basic factor conditions like low
INDIA NEEDS TO RETHINK
STRATEGY FOR THE IT SECTOR
Else, India runs the risk of losing the
competitive edge it has enjoyed
in the sector over the years
cost labour are the dominant basis of com
petitive advantage and exports. Porter's sug
gestion for improving national competitive
ness is poles apart from the prevalent think
ing that guides policymaking in most
nations. According to the conventional
approach, labour costs, exchange rates,
interest rates, and economies of scale are
believed to be the leading determinants of
competitiveness. India has also been a vic
tim of such a flawed approach in public poli
cy.
India has consistently failed to inculcate
an environment of research and innovation
at all levels of education. The IT sector has
been no different. An analysis of AICTECII
Survey of IndustryLinked Technical
Institutes in 2013 showed that only one
percent of technical institutions do any con
sultancy work or research projects for the
industry. The country produces the highest
number of engineers in the world who are
hardly given any encouragement to inno
vate.
With the changing nature of work and the
necessity to generate more domestic jobs,
India's high stock of human resource has
grown less and less important over time.
The country, now, needs to focus on improv
ing the ef ficiency with which it creates,
upg rades and employs them in
industry.
In short, India needs to make its inevitable
move from being a factordriven economy to
an efficiencyled one. In such an economy,
the competitive advantage arises from pro
ducing more advanced products and servic
es highly ef ficiently. Factors like market
transparency and quality of education play
a crucial role in improving efficiency.
Over the last few years, advances have
been made on both fronts. In a bid to
improve India's easeofdoingbusiness, the
government has been making consistent
ef forts to build an ef ficient infrastructure
and a businessfriendly administration. On
the education front, the New Education
Policy is under consultative process. The
draft attempts to address the issues that ail
Indian education with a holistic approach.
To address the quality issues, it proposes to
leverage the recently launched National
Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF).
However, to maintain a competitive
advantage in areas like engineering, inde
pendent and innovative thinking needs to be
encouraged among graduates. This requires
a complete overhaul of the system of educa
tion delivery in the country for practice
based professions. Problembased learning,
which is an innovative approach to learning
via problemsolving, can be looked upon as
a possibility.
Further, Porter points out that to support
competitive advantage, a factor must be
hig hly specialised to industry needs.
Training in highlyspecialised sectors would
also address the two issues that are threat
ening job availability in the industry.
First, restrictions in H1B visas should have
little impact on specialised professionals
and, second, skilled workers with specialisa
tions would not be rendered "irrelevant" as
they can contribute more meaningfully to
the development of new fields in the indus
try. Engineering colleges in India should
encourage more graduates to pursue spe
cialisat ions rather than pro ducing
generalists.

Whither Europe? Lessons to be learned

By Nafees Ahmad crisis and not able to deal with frag there are few European govern
mented political systems. Thus, the ments like Hungary and Poland who

T
he history of European inter
nationalism and European
integration elucidate the idea
of human rights and their ethical
foundations in the postWorldWar
II scenario. The Christian idea of
contemporary European identity is
grounded on the revolutionizing
undertakings of technocrats like
Jean Monnet whereas conservatives
like Winston Churchill justified their
idea of human rights protection in
an archaic approbation of European
civilization. Therefore, the ECHR
(European Convention on Human
Rights) takes into account all high
lines of rights advocacy to pursue an
agenda at home and abroad wedded
with accommodating and assimilat
ing people of all hue and cries. It
was established in the recent elec
tions in the Netherlands and France
that all Europeans populations do
not hanker for oldfashioned or far
right nationalism that encapsulates
narcissism and nihilism. In fact,
these elections have confirmed the
idea that politics of polarization on
religious revanchism, political para
noid, and xenophobia is a dangerous
premise that has boomeranged at
the hustings in the both countries. It
The rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants has emerged
as a humongous challenge that could prompt the perennial
deconstruction of universal human rights.
has also proved that the mass influx
of refugees cannot be scapegoated
and immigrants are not a political
plank anymore as they had been
presented in the US elections. The
French voters with 66.1 percent
have elected Mr. Macron, a candi
date who is an advocate of liberal
internationalism, multiculturalism,
and pluralism. The dehumanization
and demonization of refugees, asy
lum seekers, and migrants have
nosedived the political discourse
radically to the far right and conven
tional politicians plummeted to
abhorrent constituencies. This radi
calism attained legitimacy and fos
civil society institutions such as
Aditus, Amnesty International,
Doctors of the World and Human
Rights Watch warned that human
rights abuses like human traffick
ing, smuggling would not minimize
by shifting the responsibility for
refugee migration to the countries
of origin.
But, unfortunately, the Europeans
have been confronting clear and
present challenges in the wake of
the emergence of Syrian refugee cri
sis in March 2011. Firstly, at EU and
national levels, the politicians have
silized in the political discourse and become privy to prejudices and pho
started changing the public opinion. bia of a vociferous section of people
Consequently, this kind of policies that got disproportionately and
turned out to be suicidal particularly inexplicably swayed by the politics
for the mainstream political parties of radical political parties like Front
as they have evaded the other issues National led by Le Pen and Wilders
of public importance. On the other Freedom Party. These political out
hand, if farright political parties fits tried hard to hijack the liberal
have performed well, it got nothing political space by targeting refugees
to do with migration or refugees as and migrants in a fashion that was
there were many other factors for incompatible with European values.
their vertical rise as was the case in Secondly, a section of European pop
the Brexit referendum. Today, there ulation stumbled across an arpeggio
is credibility crisis of the political in their nave narrative of assailing
legitimacy of the political leadership the strangers who are destined to
in Europe that has miserably failed queer the pitch for employment and
to address the impact of economic human security in Europe. Thirdly,
have adopted jingoist nationalism
and transported it into the EU deci
sionmaking and municipal jurisdic
tions.
The rights of refugees, asylum
seekers and migrants have emerged
as the humongous challenges that
could prompt the perennial decon
struction of universal human rights.
The existing contours of internation
al human rights norms and their
enforcement are needed more than
ever. The ECHR is an integral part of
a European vision of human rights
protection of all including refugees
and migrants. The consequences of
targeting the strangers for unem
ployment and economic insecurity
are counternarratives impregnated
with lurking dangers of European
disintegration and destabilization.
Such a miasma of farright politics
and its political proponents must be
resisted by electing politicians who
hold views consistent with European
ideas of equality with diversity ema
nating from the real narrative of
ECHR that is rightsbased Europe.
Dr. Nafees Ahmad is Assistant
Professor of International Refugee
Law at South Asian University, New
Delhi

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
 20 May 20-26, 2017
Italian court upholds ban
on Sikhs carrying kirpans
Rome: The Italian Supreme Court
has ruled against a Sikh migrant
who wanted to carry a kirpan in
public.
T he court on Monday said
migrants who choose to live in
Italy must respect Italian laws
prohibit ing the carry ing of
weapons even thoug h Sikhs
regard kirpan as sacred.
The court, while acknowledging
that diversity in a multiethnic
society is important, ruled that
"public safety from weapons was
of paramount importance and
superseded an individual's rights,"
BBC reported.
The Sikh man in the case was
appealing against another court's
decision ordering him to pay a
2,000 euro fine ($2,195) because
he had been caught leaving his
home in Goito, northern Italy,
armed with a kirpan measuring
nearly 20cm, the Italian media
reported.
The man had argued that his
Indian doc warned against
cyberattack that hit
central London health body
London: An Indianorigin doctor
based in London had warned
against the cyberhack of the
UK's staterun National Health
Service (NHS) just days before it
crippled the country's network.
Dr Krishna Chinthapalli, a neu
rology registrar at the National
Hospital for Neurolog y and
Neurosurgery in London, had
warned that an increasing num
ber of hospitals could be shut
down by ransomeware attacks in
an article on the vulnerability of
the NHS network in the 'British
Medical Journal' on Wednesday,
two days before the major cyber
hack.
He had highlighted an incident
at Papworth Hospital near
Cambridge where a nurse clicked
on a malicious link and malware
infected her computer and start
ed to encrypt sensitive files.
"Fortunate ly, the hospital's
daily data backup had just been
completed. The IT director admit
(Image courtesy: sbs.com.au)
kirpan as well as his turban were
symbols of his religion and wear
ing them was part of his religious
duty.
But the court in Rome ruled that
migrants must ensure that their
(Image courtesy: blogs.rsa.com)
ted that they were very lucky,
saying, 'Timing absolutely was
everything for us'. We should be
prepared: more hospitals will
almost certainly be shut down by
ransomware this year,"
Chinthapalli wrote.
The revelation came as experts
said they are working roundthe
clock to restore the IT systems of
NHS after they were hit by a
largescale cyberhack by an
international criminal gang that
wreaked havoc around the world
including India.
DIASPORA
beliefs are legally compatible with
host countries.
"(While) the multiethnic society
is a necessity, public safety is an
asset to be protected," the court
ruled. (IANS)
UK landlord facing legal action
for banning Indian tenants
London: A 69yearold British land
lord who instructed agents not to let
his properties to people from India
and Pakistan is facing legal action,
UK's human rights watchdog. Fergus
Wilson, one of the UK's biggest buy
tolet landlords, banned "colored"
people from renting his properties as
they cooked curry and left behind
lingering smell.
The UK's Equality and Human
Rights Commission (EHRC) con
firmed that it had applied for an
injunction against Wilson at the
Central London County Court.
"We have asked the court if it
agrees with us that Mr Wilson's let
tings policy contains unlawful crite
ria and, if so, to issue an injunction,"
said EHRC chief executive Rebecca
Hilsenrath.
"As this is now formal legal action
we will release further information
at a later date," she said.
However, Wilson remained defiant
over his policy, which he justifies on
economic grounds to save costs on
recarpeting homes that smell of
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
GOPIO to organise first Africa
business summit in SA this week
Johannesburg: The first Africa
Business Summit of leading NRI
forum GOPIO will begin in Durban
this week, providing trade opportu
nities with the continent to over
200 delegates from the Indian
diaspora. Delegates from 50 coun
tries will engage in a series of
panel discussions in the summit
organized by Global Organisation
of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO)
in the coastal city which is home to
almost half of South Africas 1.4
million Indianorigin citizens.
During the summit from May 19
to 21, experts will address issues
such as building Africa through
technology, rural development,
small scale industries and micro
credit financing.
Social issues that will be
addressed by global leaders from
business, government and civil
society at the summit include
examining the growing gap
between the rich and the poor, the
economic woes of unemployment,
growing demonstrations over serv
ice delivery and privatepublic sec
does not smell of curry. The EHRC
Fergus Wilson banned 'colored'
people from renting his
properties as they cooked curry
(Image courtesy: mirror.co.uk)
Indian cooking, once tenants have
left.
"Given that I have not had any
Indian or Pakistani person apply for
a house during the past five years, I
am not sure what the EHRC seeks to
achieve," he said.
"It is not the color of their skin, but
the smell of the curry. A person is
quite entitled not to purchase a
house that smells of curry but to pur
chase the house next door which
tor partnerships to boost economic
development, growth and sustain
ability. Ishwar Ramlutchman,
GOPIO Africa coordinator for
GOPIO International said a unified
IndoAfrican approach in the 54
countries on the continent would
pave a new route for meaningful
economic and social growth.
"As Gopio International, we can
not proceed into the future in a
vacuum, Ramlutchman told local
media. "While not diluting our core
values, we must become more pro
active in engaging the economic
sector, government and civil socie
ty to ensure that the economic
cake is evenly spread among
socially and economically margin
alised communities? he said. This
business gathering of likeminded
people and patriots must provide
the stimulus needed to combat
onesided globalization, unequal
economy, junk status of develop
mental democracies and countries
battling sagging economies, bur
densome debts, high joblessness
and poverty.
appears to be saying that the pur
chaser then must let the house to
someone who does cook curry," he
added.
The former boxer, whose property
empire in Kent includes around
1,000 homes in the Ashford and
Maidstone areas of southeast
England, denied he was being racist.
"There has been much support for
the stance I have taken. I do not
apologize for it. Faced with the same
circumstances, I would do it again,"
he said.
The EHRC had demanded a written
assurance from Wilson that he
would not refuse to let a property
based on race, color, nationality or
national origins.
It said it would now begin an inves
tigation into his policy on women as
it emerged his lettings criteria also
covers a ban on single parents, "bat
tered wives", parents with children
under 18. His stand had emerged as
an email to his agents was leaked to
the media earlier this year.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
India, Pakistan face off
in ICJ over Jadhav
The Hague: India and Pakistan
clashed at the International Court
of Justice (ICJ) over the fate of
alleged spy Kulbushan Jadhav
with New De lhi invoking the
court's jurisdiction to see that the
death sentence against him was
annulled immediately.
But Pakistan rejected the plea
on the ground that India had no
right to invoke the jurisdiction of
the UN's highest court because
the Vienna Convention does not
provide for matters relating to
spies, terrorists and those who
indulge in espionage.
However, Islamabad suffered a
jolt when it was not allowed by
the court to play the video con
taining a purported confession by
Jadhav, a former navy of ficial,
who India says was abducted
from Iran and taken to
Balochistan.
At the end of the day's proceed
ings ICJ President Ronny
Abraham announced that the ver
dict in the matter would be given
"as soon as possible" and the date
delivered in a public sitting.
T he Indian case was put up
strongly by noted lawyer Harish
Salve who demanded that
Pakistan should annul Jadhav's
death sentence and see that he
was not executed as his trial was
held under "farcical" circum
stances in violation of the Vienna
Convention. "I urge the ICJ to
ensure that Jadhav is not execut
Nepalis cast their vote
in local elections
Kathmandu: Nearly
five million Nepalis
voted in the first
phase of the much
awaited local elec
tions taking place for
the first time after
the Himalayan
nation became a fed
eral demo crat ic
republic.
A total of
4,956,925 registered
voters were eligible
to cast their votes at
6,642 polling sta
tions across Nepal,
People queue up to cast vote at a polling station in Kathmandu.
The Kathmandu Post
reported. The local polls will woman ward member represent the polls and among them 160
elect a chairperson of the village ing the Dalit community.
council, vice chairperson, munici
pality's mayor, deputy mayor, metropolitan cit ies, one sub the Election Commission (EC).
ward chairperson, two ward metropolis, 92 municipalities
members from open quota, a and 186 village councils. A total polls will be held on June 14,
woman ward member and a of 49,337 candidates contested The Kathmandu Post reported.
SUBCONTINENT
Members of the ICJ who are hearing the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav.
ed, Pakistan reports to this court
that the action (of not executing
him) is taken and that no action
is taken that might prejudice the
rights of India in the matter of
Jadhav," Salve said in his over 90
minute presentation.
The brunt of Salve's argument
was that the entire matter of
arrest, chargesheet and trial of
Jadhav were all done in violation
of the UN Charter and Vienna
Convention in farcical circum
stances and on conco cted
charges as the Indian national
was not given legal assistance to
defend himself.
Pakistan mounted a strong
defense of its case with Counsel
Khawar Qureshi rejecting India's
attempts to invoke ICJ's jurisdic
tion in the case, saying provisions
of the Vienna Convention did not
apply on spies, terrorists and
women and 169 men candidates
The election was held in four remain unopposed, according to
those who indulge in espionage.
"India's plea for invoking provi
sions of Article 36 of the Vienna
Convention is not relevant in this
case. The Vienna Convention was
adopted for better communica
tion between friendly countries.
But it cannot apply in this case of
a spy set up by a state.
"It is clear from the Vienna
Convention that the provision
being sought under Article 36 by
India cannot be entertained by
this court," Qureshi said in his
45minute reply to arguments
put forth by Indian counse l
Harish Salve earlier.
The lawyer claimed that India
had on September 8, 1974 told
the ICJ to exclude itself from its
jurisdict ion in disputes w ith
Pakistan and from any interpreta
tion and obligation of multilater
al treaties.
The second round of the local
May 20-26, 2017 21
Belt & Road
Summit: Pak, China
firm on CPEC
Beijing: As India skipped China's about skipping the event.
Belt and Road forum to oppose "No country can accept a project
the ChinaPakistan Economic that ignores its core concerns on
Corridor (CPEC), Islamabad and sovereignty and territorial integri
Beijing vowed to conclude the ty," India's External Af fairs
contentious economic route. Ministry spokesperson Gopal
W hile opening the twoday Baglay said.
Summit, Chinese President Xi T he CPEC has emerged as a
Jinping said "all countries should thorny issue between India and
respect sovereignty" and Pakistani China, whose ties have been under
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said strain over issues including
CPEC had no "geographical Beijing blocking New Delhi's bid
boundaries". for the Nuclear Suppliers Group
In a veiled reference to India, and Tibetan spiritual leader the
which is dead against the CPEC as Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal
it goes through Pakistancon Pradesh in northeast India.
trolled Kashmir, Sharif said the India's absence at the summit
issues of CPEC "must not be politi will certainly not be liked by
cized". In addition, Xi pledged Beijing, which was keen on New
about additional $14 billion for Delhi joining the connectivity
the construction of the Belt and event. India claims Pakistancon
Road project, of which CPEC is the trolled Kashmir and says allowing
chief component. The grand proj a road to be laid through the
ect aims to connect Asia, Europe region will compromise its sover
and Africa through a network of eignty. The summit was attended
roads, sea links and railway lines. by leaders of 29 countries and
New Delhi, which had been non delegation of over 100 countries.
committal about attending the Russian President Vladimir Putin
forum despite repeated offers by was one of the prominent heads
Beijing, made its intentions clear of state.
Leaders at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
Afghan forces dislodge
Taliban from district
Kabul: T he Afg han
security forces took
control of QalaeZal
district in Kunduz
province after clashes
with Taliban militants,
the district governor
said.
"Afghan forces evict
ed militants from the
district center. As of
Afghan securitymen take part in a military
now, no casualt ies
operation in Kunduz.
have been reported on
the side of security forces but sev boring Bag hlan and Takhar
eral militants have been killed and provinces have been the scene of
injured during clashes," Xinhua heavy clashes over the past couple
news agency quoted Governor of months as Taliban have been
Mabubullah Sayydi as saying. trying to challenge the government
On May 6, Taliban militants over forces in the once relatively peace
ran the district after days of fight ful region. The Kunduz clashes
ing forcing the troops to retreat have caused hundreds of families
from the district bordering to flee their houses and find safer
Tajikistan. Kunduz as well as neigh places in the province.
 22 May 20-26, 2017 INTERNATIONAL TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Ransomware attack: North Korea 'key' suspect

London/Washington: With cyber security
experts suspecting a North Korean hacker
group behind the massive ransomware
attack that created havoc in nearly 150
countries since the last weekend, Britain's
National Crime Agency (NCA) claimed
there was no immediate indication of a
second surge of such attack.
They, however, warned that the possibil
ity of another such attack should not be
ruled out in the near future.
The NCA has provided guidance on how
to avoid falling victim to the ransomware
and has sought collaboration with interna
tional partners.
Cyber security experts, including Indian
origin Neel Mehta who is working with
Google, claimed that the patterns of the
ongoing ransomware attack matched with
the "Lazarus Group" that works on behalf
of North Korea and used the same coding
and tools in the past as were used in
"WannaCrypt" that af fected Microsoft
2016.
According to media reports, South
Korean authorities also suspected North
Korea to be behind the attack and raised a
cyber security alert for the country. When
it came to users' paying ransom to the
attackers, the White House claimed that
less than $70,000 has been paid so far.
"We are not aware of payments that have
led to any data recovery," White House
Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert
said.
In Saudi Arabia, the global cyber attack
affected only a limited amount of comput
er data from the public and private sec
tors, Efe reported, quoting the Interior
A snapshot of the cyber attack that
created havoc in nearly 150 countries. Ministry's Centre for Electronic Security.
In India, the government said that key
operating software. networks were wellprotected from ran
"Lazarus Group", that according to somware.
Mehta is based in China, was responsible "On ransomware, since March, the gov
for a major hack on Sony Pictures in 2014 ernment of India has been on high alert.
and another on a Bangladeshi bank in We have already installed the necessary
security in batches as far as the govern
ment key networks are concerned," said
Information Technology Secretary Aruna
Sundararajan in New Delhi.
"We have not got any reports of wide
spread infection. There have been very
few isolated instances and we continue to
be on watch," she added. Sundararajan
said that apart from five or six isolated
instances, there are no reports of any sig
nificant damage in the country.
A multiagency monitoring team is
already continuously monitoring and
assessing the situation on a roundthe
clock basis, the IT Secretary noted.
"It is imperative that businesses every
where update their operating systems,
their security software and educate their
users against phishing attacks. This is a
best practice to reduce the risk from any
attack," emphasised Sunil Sharma, Vice
PresidentSales at IT security firm Sophos,
India & SAARC.

Macron names Iran's VP withdraws from

Edouard Philippe presidential race, backs Rouhani
as French PM Tehran: Iran's first Vice
President and presiden
tial e lection candidate
conservat ive Mayor,
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf,
also said that he withdrew
Eshaq Jahang iri from the presidential race
announced to withdraw to back another conserva
from the presidential race tive candidate, Ebrahim
in order to back incum Raisi.
bent President Hassan On April 21, of the 1,636
Rouhani. registered candidates, six
"I will use all my power qualified, including three
to support Rouhani and to principalists, better known
support his programs," as conservatives, as well as
Jahanigiri said in a state two centrists and one
ment, according to the reformist, to compete for
of ficial IRNA news the fouryear presidential
Rouhani is the current and
agency. Jahanigiri, the term. Raisi is Rouhani's
seventh president of Iran since 2013.
reformist hopeful, urged sole major conservative
all his supporters to vote the country's future. Concerns rival who hopes not to
for Rouhani, said the report. over "democracy, freedom, econ lose his current sovereignty.
He further expressed hope that omy and the country's progress" Over 56 million Iranians are
Rouhani will win the election by will enable officials to overcome eligible electorates for the May
a landslide so he could improve dif ficulties, he added. Tehran's 19 election.
Philippe has been the Mayor of Le Havre since 2010.

Paris: Newly swornin French

President Emmanuel Macron
named Edouard Philippe, the
46yearold Mayor of Le Havre
city, as his Prime Minister.
Philippe is a member of the
centreright Les Republicains
party and is close to Alaine
Juppe, the former Prime
Minister, reports CNN.
T he 39yearold former
investment banker and econo
my minister was inaugurated as
the 25th President of France
and also the youngest in the
nation's history in a ceremony
at the lysee Palace.
Macron is counting on win
ning votes from centreright
supporters in the legislative
elections next month.
His party Le Republique en
Marche is scrambling to get
577 candidates together to
contest every seat in the coun
try. Philippe, a lawyer with
experience working in the pri
vate sector, was born in Rouen
and grew up a Leftwing envi
ronment.
He was a so cialist in his
younger days before switching
his allegiances to the right.
He has only been a member
of Parliament for one term,
serving in the Nat ional
Assembly representing the con
stituency of SeineMaritime in
Normandy, northern France,
since 2012.
He has been Mayor of Le
Havre since 2010.
Macron was swornin as the
President after his landslide
victory over farright National
Front leader Marine le Pen,
with 66 per cent of the vote in
the runoff poll held on May 7.
IS planning attack on
Russian ships in Bosphorus
Istanbul: An intelligence tip on a
planned attack by the Islamic
State on Russian ships passing
through the Bosphorus Strait in
Istanbul has prompted an escort
by Turkish forces, a media
report said. T he intelligence
units have received a tip lately
saying the militant group was
considering attacks on Russian A file photo of a Russian ship passing via Bosphorus.
ships with missiles and longbar
re l weapons, Xinhua news copter, the report said. Istanbul named "Caesar Kunikov" during
agency reported. It noted that police have also established 146 its passage from the strait.
both Istanbul police and the security checkpoints in different The 30kmlong Bosphorus is
coast guard have issued a high locations along the strait that an important sea lane for
estlevel alarm. Russian ships could be used for the attack, Russian ships sailing toward the
passing the Bosphorus are now according to the Xinhua report. Aegean and Mediterranean Seas,
accompanied by two Turkish Soldiers were seen standing and the strait's narrowest point
attack boats and a police heli guard aboard a Russian warship is around 700 metres.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Raids on Chidambaram, Lalu houses; Opposition cries
New Delhi/Chennai/Patna: The
premises of two top opposition
leaders, P. Chidambaram and Lalu
Prasad, were raided by CBI and IT
officials with Karti Chidambaram
accused of getting payof fs for
helping a media company get
FIPB clearance, while the former
Bihar Chief Minister was accused
of "benami" land deals actions
the opposit ion denounced as
vendetta by the BJPled central
government.
The day began with raids by the
Central Bureau of Investigation in
New Delhi, Chennai, Gurugram
and Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu,
while the Income Tax raided 22
locations in Delhi and Gurugram
on a number of premises said to
be owned by Lalu and kin.
The CBI raided the residence of
Chidambaram and his son Karti in
Nungambakam in Chennai, after
registering an FIR in which it was
alleged that his son could have
benefited to the tune of Rs 3.5
Jio puts Mukesh Ambani on top Apple begins
of Forbes' Global Game Changers production of iPhone
New York: Forbes magazine has
named Reliance Industries (RIL)
Chairman Mukesh Ambani as the
topmost among its "Global Game
Changers" who are transforming
their industries and changing the
lives of billions around the world.
Ambani features at the top of the
Forbes' second annual Global Game
Changers' list of 25 "intrepid busi
ness leaders unsatisfied with the
status quo" who are "transforming
their industries and changing the
lives of billions of people around
the globe."
The American magazine referred
to the Ambaniled Reliance Jio
mobile network's efforts to spread
internet penetration in India.
"Oil and gas tycoon entered the
country's telecom market with a
bang, offering fast internet at dirt
cheap prices. Gained 100 million
customers in six months and set off
a wave of consolidation in the mar
ket," Forbes said.
"While plenty of corporate func
tionaries make headlines for suc
cessful turnarounds or record prof
its, we sought to identify true
movers and shakers who are deter
Karti Chidambaram at his residence in Chennai. (Photo: IANS)
crore for helping in the clearance
of an FIPB proposal of media com
pany INX Ltd when his father was
at the helm in the North Block.
The CBI FIR alleged that invoic
es for approximately Rs 3.5 crore
were raised by the INX Ltd in
Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani.
mining the course of the future for
more than just their own sharehold
ers or employees," it said.
Forbes said those on the latest
game changers' list are reimagin
ing the many facets of everyday life,
from health to money transfers
through digital means.
The list includes home appliances
BUSINESS
(FDI) in the FIPB meeting on May
favour of companies in which
Karti was having "sustainable
interests" either directly or indi
rectly.
The FIPB clearance was given to
Mumbaibased INX Media (now
called 9X Media) when it was run
company Dyson's founder James
Dyson, US investment management
company BlackRock cofounder
Larry Fink, Saudi Arabia's Deputy
Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman, social media platform Snap
cofounder Evan Spiege l and
Chinese ridesharing giant Didi
Chuxing founder Cheng Wei.
by Peter and Indrani Mukherjea,
and Chidambaram was then the
Finance Minister.
The FIR does not mention the
name of Chidambaram, though it
states that he had cleared the
Foreign Investment Promotion
Board (FIPB) approval for Rs 4.62
crore Foreign Direct Investment
18, 2007.
Both Chidambaram and his son
denied there was any misconduct
on their part and said the whole
action was aimed at "muzzling"
the voice of Chidambaram senior,
who has been writing against the
NDA government.
Karti said he had committed no
crime and the case against him
was foisted on account of political
vendetta. Chidambaram said FIPB
clearance is given in hundreds of
cases and there is no allegation
against of ficials, who are mem
bers of the FIPB, or against him.
Besides Karti, those named in the
SE model in India
Bengaluru: In a bid to g ain
foothold in the fastgrowing
Indian smartphone market,
Apple announced commence
ment of initial production of its
popular iPhone SE model at its
Bengaluru facility.
"We are beginning initial pro
duction of a small number of
iPhone SE in Bengaluru. iPhone
SE is the most popular and pow
erful phone with a fourinch dis
play in the world and we'll begin
shipping to domestic customers
this month," Apple told IANS in
an email.
Apple has begun assembling
iPhone SE models with Wistron
Corporation, its Taiwanese man
ufacturing partner.
In Fe bruary, Karnataka's
Minister of State for IT Priyank
Kharge had said that Apple
plans to make its iPhones in
Bengaluru.
"An Apple team discussed with
us its proposal to set up a plant
May 20-26, 2017 23
FIR include INX Director Indrani
Mukherjea and her husband Peter
Mukherjea, both accused in the
Sheena Bora murder case, and
some unknown of ficials of the
ministry. In the other case, the
Income Tax Department conduct
ed raids at 22 places in and
around Delhi in connection with
alleged "benami" property deals
allegedly to the tune of Rs 1,000
crore involving RJD chief Lalu
Prasad. Besides the Rashtriya
Janata Dal supremo, the IT raids
were also carried out on the prem
ises of party MP P.C. Gupta's resi
dence as well as several business
men and real estate agents in
Delhi and Haryana's Gurugram
and Rewari. Sushil Mo di has
accused Lalu Prasad and his chil
dren Bihar Deputy Chief Minister
Tejashwi Yadav, Health Minister
Tej Pratap Yadav and Rajya Sabha
Parliamentarian Misa Bharti of
being involved in corrupt land
deals.
in Bengaluru to make iPhones
for the Indian and global mar
kets," said Kharge.
The Apple team, led by iPhone
Operations VicePresident Priya
Balasubramaniam, Government
Af fairs Head Ali Khanafer,
iPhone Operat ions Director
Dheeraj Chugh and Country
Counsel Priyesh Povanna had
discussed the proposals with the
state officials in the presence of
the minister.
According to latest data from
consumer know ledge and
insig hts firm Kantar
Worldpanel, India is a key coun
try for Apple moving forward.
 24 May 20-26, 2017 SPORTS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Pune beat Mumbai to enter IPL final

Mumbai: Rising Pune Supergiant rode on fine
halfcenturies from Manoj Tiwary and
Ajinkya Rahane and impressive of fspin
bowling from teenager Washington Sundar
(3/16) to defeat Mumbai Indians by 20 runs
in the first qualifier and enter the final of the
Indian Premier League (IPL) here.
Tiwary (58), Rahane (56) and Mahendra
Singh Dhoni (40 not out off 26) helped Pune
post 162/4 in 20 overs. Sundar, 17, then ran
through the Mumbai toporder as the hosts
could only score 142/9 at the Wankhede
Stadium. Medium pacer Shardul Thakur
(3/37) created problems for Mumbai at the
death overs.
Having finished the league stage in the top
position, Mumbai on Friday will have another
chance to enter the final as they will face the
winner of the Eliminator match between
Kolkata Knight Riders and defending champi
ons Sunrisers Hyderabad who faceoff on
Wednesday.
Twotime champions Mumbai are too good
a side to flounder the way they did against
Pune.
After asking Pune to bat, Mumbai had a
nearperfect start, removing inform Rahul
Tripathi (0) and captain Steve Smith (1) in the
opening two overs. New Zealand pacer
Rising Pune Supergiant team celebrates during the first qualifier
of IPL 2017 in Mumbai. (Photo: IANS)
Mitchell McClenaghan drew first blood for
the hosts, cleaning up Tripathi for his first
duck of the IPL, on the last ball of the open
ing over before a leading edge off Sri Lankan
cleaners. Dhoni too joined the party, clearing
Lasith Malinga got skipper Smith walking ,
with Pune at 9/2.
With the visitors in desperate need of a
partnership, Rahane and Manoj did the job
for them, helping the odd ball to the bound
ary as Mumbai maintained a perfect line and
length.
The righthanded pair went on to add 50
runs off 44 deliveries with Manoj playing the
perfect second fiddle to the local boy Rahane,
who got to his halfcentury off 39 balls.
Just when things began to fall in order for
Pune, legspinner Karn Sharma jolted the visi
tors, by trapping Rahane, who by now had
helped the ball to the boundary on five occa
sions and once over it.
The fall of Rahane brought in Dhoni who,
along with Manoj, played out five overs
inconsequentially before the Bengal batsman
took the attack to the opposition.
Continuing his fine run with the willow,
Manoj first slogged at a good length ball off
McCleneghan to get to his halfcentury of f
45 deliveries before taking the bowler to the
the Kiwi twice in the penultimate over.
Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma threw the
ball to his deathover specialist Jasprit
Bumrah for the final over, but with Dhoni at
his attacking best, young Bumrah was clob
bered twice out of the park as the final two
overs yielded 41 runs for Pune, who man
aged to post 162/4.

It depends on Kohli on how PaesLipsky

he uses Dhoni's advice: Kapil
By Tridib Baparnash
Mumbai: India's first World Cupwin
ning skipper Kapil Dev has said it all
depends on current captain Virat
Kohli to use and utilise his predeces
sor Mahendra Singh Dhoni's sharp
cricketing acumen when the 28
yearold leads India for the first time
in a global event the ICC
Champions Trophy starting June 1
in England.
Earlier this year, Kohli took over as
the fulltime skipper after Dhoni had
surprisingly announced he was step
ping down ahead of the threematch
Oneday International (ODI) series
against England.
Despite India winning the series 2
1 in January, Kohli did not have any
more matches to prove his leader
ship credentials in the 50over for
mat as the team was engaged in a
fourmatch gruelling Test rubber
against Australia before the Indian
Premier League (IPL) set in.
As India head to England to defend
their Champions Trophy crown with
Kohli at the helm, Kapil feels it is up
to the Delhi batsman to get the best
out of Dhoni, who led the menin
blue to the title four years ago in the
same country.
"It all depends on Kohli on how he
wants to use his former captain's
experience. I don't think Dhoni will
be the one who will keep on jumping
and keep on advising Kohli. It's upto
Kohli to get the best out of Dhoni and
India's first World Cupwinning skipper Kapil Dev.
take his advice whenever its
required," Kapil said in an interaction
arranged by event broadcasters Star
Sports and digital platform Hotstar
here.
Hailing Dhoni as an allrounder in
the true sense, Kapil who led under
dogs India to an unforgettable World
Cup triumph in 1983, said it is not
only the bowling or batting skills
that makes a cricketer an allround
option for a team.
"Don't forget Dhoni, he is a true all
rounder. Allround abilities are not
only about batting and bowling, its
also about wicketkeeping and bat
ting.
"He is the most important player at
that key position of No.5 or 6, wher
ever the captain wants him to bat,"
said Kapil on the Ranchi stumper.
The former captain also heaped
praises on the allrounder duo of
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra
Jadeja, rating them better than most
of yesteryear cricketers.
"Its very difficult to compare some
body. Ashwin, Jadeja have done far
better job than anybody of us during
our time. We have to believe in their
abilities, after all they have proved
and done so well in all forms," he
said.
India will start their Champions
Trophy campaign with the much
awaited group clash against arch
rivals Pakistan on June 4 at
Edgbaston in Birmingham.
enter Bordeaux
Challenger semis
Bordeaux (France): Veteran Indian star
Leander Paes and his American partner
Scott Lipsky entered the semifinals of
the Bordeaux Challenger tennis tourna
ment with a straight sets win over the
French pair of Laurent Lokoli and
Maxime Janvier here.
The IndoAmerican pair won 64, 64
over LokoliJanvier.
In the semifinal, PaesLipsky will
meet the Indian pair of Purav Raja and
Divij Sharan, who got the better of
Australian combine of Alex Bolt Thanasi
Kokkinakis 62, 67 (4), 106 in another
Roundofeight clash.
India to tour West
Indies for five ODIs,
one T20I next month
New Delhi: After the conclusion of the ICC Champions Trophy in
England on June 18, India will travel to the West Indies for a limited
overs series, starting June 23, the Board of Control for Cricket in
India (BCCI) confirmed.
India will play five Oneday Internationals (ODI) and a lone
Twenty20 international in the series, which will be played till July 9.
The opening two ODIs will be played at the Queen's Park Oval in
Port of Spain on June 23 and 25 while the third and the fourth match
es on June 30 and July 2 will be hosted at the Sir Vivian Richards
Stadium in Antigua.
The final ODI (July 6) and the lone T20I (July 9) will be played at
the Sabina Park in Jamaica.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info LIFESTYLE May 20-26, 2017 25

New Delhi: Cruising down the

magnificent Ganges crisscross
ing the majestic Himalayas, inter
spersed with verdant terrains
and vignettes of the holy city of
Moksha on the way, could well
be an experience to remember.
What if this cruise figures right
up there among the very best in
the world and a must one to go
for along with the likes of the
Volga or the Danube? Check this
out. Reputed international publi
cation Conde Nast Traveller has
put the Ganga cruise on its
checklist as one of the top six
river cruises to take in 2017.
The global luxury and lifestyle
magazine has placed the luxury
cruise vessel Ganges Voyager II,
which sails on the Ganga from
Kolkata to Varanasi, in the league
of cruises on the Mekong and the
Yangtze in China, the Amazon in
South America, the Volga in
Russia and the Irrawaddy in
Myanmar.
Shipping, Road Transport and
Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari,
who dreams making India a glob
al hotspot for cruise tourism
be it river or sea says massive
work is under way on the
Conde Nast puts Ganga cruise in 2017
checklist of top six river cruises to take
(Image courtesy: tnhglobal.com)
Ganges, be it for cruise tourism
or cargo transport, and a nirmal
and aviral Ganga will take India
to the path of development.
We are working on a massive
scale to make India a global
hotspot in tourism. We have
received offers from Dubais
Sultan to develop cruise tourism
here, Gadkari told PTI.
Conde Nasts endorsement of
the Ganga as a cruise destination
is a shot in the arm for river
tourism in the country.
Massive work worth Rs 5,000
crore is under way to develop
various projects on the Ganga
with the World Bank assistance,
including development of multi
modal hubs, Gadkari said.
The minister said that as many
as 168 cruises came to major
ports last year and a terminal in
Mumbai is being constructed at a
cost of Rs 800 crore.
Also, a policy is in the works to
make India a global destination
for cruise shipping and work is
in progress to identify such cir
cuits. Five circuits each are being
identified for international and
domestic cruise services and a
report is likely by this month.
Endowed with a sprawling
7,500 km of coastline, we have
taken steps in a big way to pro
mote cruise tour, which includes
relaxation of policies and devel
oping infrastructure, he said.
So far, Indians had been travel
ing to SouthEast Asia, the
Mediterranean and the
Caribbean to experience the
cruise, but for the first time,
Europes key player Costa
Cruises launched Costa
neoClassica in India recently,
which has confirmed seven voy
ages. (PTI)

Why Steve Jobs didn't let his kids Road accidents

use iPads & other digital dangers biggest global killer
uman reactions can be
BOOK REVIEW been in human history and

H inconsistent. There
was a time, if you were
found reading a book in com
pany, you could be shouted at
by your parents or even have
it snatched and flung away,
but now if you are eagerly
checking your smartphone, no
one is likely to say anything
for they might be doing the
same too.
Is this a triumph of technol
ogy or a worrying social Title: Irresistible: Why
trend? We Cant Stop
The latter, contends acade
Checking, Scrolling,
mician Adam Alter in this
Clicking and
work, which he begins by
Watching;
telling us how Steve Jobs,
Author: Adam Alter;
who extolled the benefits of
the iPad for an houranda Publisher: Bodley
half after unveiling it in April Head/Penguin
2010, would not let his chil
dren use them.
Random House;
Pages: 355
The nearly obsessive use of
smartphones and other devices for social
media and other online pursuits, argues
Alter, is among manifestations of "behav
ioral addiction" that is affecting quality of
life, imagination, social interactions and
productivity too. "...the environment and cir eight seconds in 2013 (as against nine sec
cumstances of the digital age are far more
conducive to addiction than anything
humans have experienced in our history. In
the 1960s, we swam through waters with
only a few hooks: cigarettes, alcohol, and
drugs that were expensive and generally
inaccessible. In the 2010s, the same waters
are littered with hooks.
"There's the Facebook hook. The
Instagram hook. The porn hook. The email
hook. The online shopping hook. And so on.
The list is long far longer than it's ever
we're only just learning the
power of these hooks."
An associate professor of
marketing at New York
University's Stern School of
Business and holder of an
affiliated post in the psychol
ogy department, Alter cites
data from by developer of an
app tracking time spent on
smartphones to reveal that
most users spend a quarter of
their day's waking period on
them.
This is about 100 hours a
month, or over an average
lifetime, "a staggering eleven
years."
He goes on to cite some
telling facts about the baneful
effects of these technologies
a survey which had 46 per
cent of respondents saying
they could not bear to live
without their smartphones (many would be
ready to be injured themselves then their
device getting damaged), research by
Microsoft Canada estimated the average
human attention span had gone down to
onds for a goldfish) against 12 in 2000 and
even the these devices' backlight affect our
body rhythms.
Alter also notes that researchers had to
coin new word "nomophobia" to describe
the fear of being without mobile phone con
tact, and that if the 280 million smartphone
addicts (as of 2015) "banded together to
form the 'United States of Nomophobia', it
would be the fourthmost populous country
in the world, after China, India and the US."
(IANS)
of teenagers: WHO
Geneva: Road accidents are the biggest killer
of teenagers globally, international data
released by the World Health Organization
revealed on Tuesday.
In 2015, more than 1.2 million adoles
cents died and accidents were to blame for
about one in 10 of these deaths, the BBC
quoted the WHO as saying.
Males aged 1519 make up the biggest
share of these 115,302 fatalities, mostly in
poorer countries in Europe, the Americas
and the Eastern Mediterranean region
Most young people killed are "vulnerable"
road users: pedestrians, cyclists and motor
Exercise, good diet could help
prevent osteoarthritis
London: Lifestyle changes such as improved
diet, increased physical activity and weight
loss may help prevent osteoarthritis, a com
mon form of arthritis. Osteoarthritis dispro
portionately affects postmenopausal
women who are more predisposed to the
condition because of biology, genetics and
hormones. Currently there is no effective
treatment for this painful ailment, with only
painkillers available to treat symptoms and
no known cure.
"For too long osteoarthritis has been
known as the 'wear and tear disease' and it
has been assumed that it is part and parcel
of getting older. However, this is not the case
and what we have learnt is that we can con
trol and prevent the onset of this painful
condition," said lead study author Ali
Mobasheri, Professor at the University of
cyclists. Chest infections and selfharm were
the biggest global killers of girls and young
women, however.
Deaths from selfharm are increasing in
many regions, says the WHO report author,
Anthony Costello. "Selfharm is a massive
and increasing issue in many countries. We
are seeing suicide rates go up. "Adolescence
is quite a stressful time of life. Young people
need support, but adolescent health across
the world has been largely neglected," the
BBC quoted the author as saying. According
to the worldwide report, more than 3,000
adolescents die every day. (IANS)
Surrey in England.
In the study published in the journal
Nature Reviews Rheumatology, the
researchers identified a crucial link between
metabolism and osteoarthritis.
Metabolic changes, caused by a poor diet
and a sedentary lifestyle, trigger the genetic
reprogramming of cells in the body and
joints. Such metabolic changes impact upon
the cells ability to produce energy, forcing it
to generate alternative sources to function.
The stress this places on cells leads to the
overproduction of glucose, which when not
used for energy transforms into lactic acid,
which is difficult for the body to flush out.
Abnormal levels of this acid in the body
leads to the inflammation of the joint's carti
lage which impedes on movement and caus
es pain, the study said.
 26 May 20-26, 2017
US teen dies from too
much caffeine
T
oo much caffeine caused the
death of a 16yearold high
school student from South
Carolina who collapsed during
class last month, according to a
county coroner.
Davis Allen Cripe died from a caf
feineinduced cardiac event caus
ing a probable arrhy thmia,
Richland county coroner Gary
Watts announced in a news confer
ence on Monday. During an
arrhythmia, or abnormal heart
rhythm, the heart may not be able
to pump enough blood to the body,
and lack of blood flow affects the
brain, heart and other organs,
reports CNN. The teenager con
sumed three caffeinelaced drinks
a cafe latte purchased from
McDonald's, large Diet Mountain
Dew and an energy drink in a
twohour period before collapsing
in his classroom at Spring Hill High
School on April 26, Watts said. He
collapsed just before 2.30 p.m. and
according to Watts, was pro
nounced dead at 3.40 p.m.
The autopsy showed no undiag
nosed heart conditions and that he
N
early a million workers
forming the frontline of
India's faltering public health
system are inadequately trained
and are underpaid, according to an
IndiaSpend analysis of Health
Ministry data, imperiling the coun
try's healthcare efforts.
Accredited Social Health Activists
(ASHAs) considered to be volun
tary workers are paid a honorari
um by the government and most
make about a measly Rs 1,000 a
month. ASHAs are required to under
go a 23day training spread across
12 months, but a third of them in a
block in north Bihar were not trained
at induction, and the rest received
seven days of training and learnt the
rest by reading the manual, accord
ing to a 2015 study conducted in
187 villages.
An ASHA serves as a healthcare
facilitator, and goes door to door vis
iting the poorest and most vulnera
ble sections of the society nearly
22 per cent or 269 million Indians
still live under the poverty line. Her
responsibilities are related to repro
ductive and child health, immunisa
tion, family planning and community
health. This includes home visits and
counseling of pregnant women, help
ing with village health plans, provid
ing medical care for minor ailments,
such as diarrhoea, fever and first aid
for minor injuries.
India accounted for close to a fifth
of 303,000 maternal deaths and 26
per cent of the neonatal deaths glob
ally. Only 62 per cent of children
between the ages of 12 and 23
months were fully immunised for
BCG, measles, and three doses each
for polio and diphtheria and tetanus.
was healthy and had no conditions
that could have triggered by the
caf feine intake. Also, no other
drugs or alcohol were found in the
teen's system, Watts said.
"This was not an overdose. We
lost Davis from a totally legal sub
stance," Watts said, adding "Our
purpose here today is to let people
know, especially our young kids in
school, that these drinks can be
dangerous, and be very careful
w ith how you use them." T he
American Academy of Pediatrics
Poor pay, training impede
India's health workers
A million of these workers called Ashas (Accredited Social Health
Activists) form the frontline of India's faltering public health.
As many as 7090 per cent ASHAs
said they needed better training,
monetary support and timely replen
ishment of the drug kit to perform
better. ASHAs also said they received
no assistance from the panchayat
and limited support from auxiliary
nurse midwives and anganwadi
workers.
Only 22 per cent of the ASHAs sur
veyed had some understanding of
their role, according to the 2015
study in north Bihar; most ASHAs
were involved in maternal and child
care but did not work in local health
planning or other duties related to
health activism. An ASHA is between
HEALTH
recommends that adolescents, age
12 to 18, should not consume
more than 100 milligrams of caf
feine per day, CNN reported.
A 2014 study found an estimated
73 per cent of children across the
US consume some kind of caffeine
each day.
According to the US Food and
Drug Administration adults can
consume 400 milligrams of caf
feine per day equivalent to four
or five cups of cof fee without
experiencing side effects.
25 and 45 years of age, educated up
to Grade VIII or higher, and is cur
rently married/divorced/widowed.
Typically, one ASHA caters to a pop
ulation of 1,000 people, but the aver
age has since dropped to one ASHA
per 910 population.
At least 65 per cent ASHAs were
being consulted during illness of a
sick child but their effectiveness was
lower due to "lack of skills, supplies,
or limited support", according to a
2015 report by the National ASHA
Mentoring Group in 16 states.
For instance, ASHAs were able to
supply oral rehydration solution
from their kit in 27 per cent of diar
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Do energy drinks
boost alcohol effect?
It's all in the mind
o you think mixing a can of
D
Red Bull in the vodka cock
tail can make you more
drunk and uninhibited? It can, but
only if you think so, suggests new
research.
When told an energy drink was
mixed in their vodka cocktails, the
participants in the study said they
felt more intoxicated, daring, and
sexually selfconfident.
The effects of intoxication were
stronger in those who believe that
energy drinks boost the effect of
liquor, said the study published
online in the Journal of Consumer
Psychology.
"Red Bull has long used the slo
gan 'Red Bull gives you wings', but
our study shows that this type of
advertising can make people think
it has intoxicating qualities when
it doesn't," said lead author Yann
Cornil, Assistant Professor of the
Sauder School of Business,
University of British Columbia, in
Canada. "Essentially, when alcohol
rhoea cases in Bihar, 37 per cent in
Jharkhand, 56 per cent in Rajasthan
and 54 per cent in Assam.
ASHAs were found to be satisfacto
ry in 52 per cent cases for tempera
ture measurement, 61 per cent cases
for handwashing (before handling
patients), 43 per cent cases for
weight measurement and 68 per
cent cases for skintoskin care,
according to this 2016 study pub
lished in Indian Pediatrics.
"The study demonstrates that the
knowledge and skills of ASHAs
regarding newborn care is subopti
mal," the authors said.
Sandhya Vaidya, 32, became an
ASHA in 2010 in her village of
Wansadi in Naxalaffected Korpana
taluka in Chandrapur district,
Maharashtra. The work was gratify
ing: Vaidya remembered saving a
baby's life among her achievements.
But the pay was paltry, she told
IndiaSpend.
It took two full years before she
received the drug kit she was sup
posed to carry around to the house
holds, she added. The drug kit con
sisted medicines for simple ailments.
While they were given training every
year, Vaidya said, most times they
is mixed with an energy drink and
people are aware of it, they feel
like they're more intoxicated sim
ply because the marketing says
they should feel that way," Cornil
said. The study conducted at the
Parisbased INSEAD Sorbonne
University Behavioural Lab
involved 154 young men.
The study participants were told
they would drink a cocktail of an
energy drink, vodka and fruit
juice.
Although all drinks had the
same ingredients, they had differ
ent labels: Red Bull and vodka, a
vodka cocktail or a fruit juice
cocktail.
The effect of the label alone on
participants' selfassessment of
intoxication was remarkable.
Researchers found that partici
pants who believed they were
drinking an energy drink and
alcohol cocktail were more likely
to believe themselves quite drunk
and uninhibited.
were asked to read from the manual.
In 2015, tired of the low pay, she
applied and was selected for the
position of police patil (constable). "I
now make Rs 3,000 a month and
there isn't much work. As an ASHA, I
had to attend emergency calls at
night, and do surveys for pulse polio
and elephantiasis where I roamed
the whole day to get just Rs 50,"
Vaidya said. There have been fre
quent agitations by associations of
ASHAs demanding minimum wages
and asking to be made government
employees. T here are 873,759
ASHAs working in rural India against
the target of 952,533 (91.7 per
cent), under the National Rural
Health Mission. High focus states,
which have weak public health indi
cators and weak infrastructure
Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha,
Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and
Uttarakhand had about 90 per cent
of the targeted number of ASHAs.
While the northeastern states had
nearly 99 per cent of the targeted
number, in states such as Uttar
Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka
and Kerala, the shortage was over 15
per cent.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info May 20-26, 2017
 28 May 20-26, 2017 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Side by Nury Vittachi

The challenges of being a father

in the scientific age
ne of my children asked me whether
O ham came from hamsters. "Of course," I
said. "Just like jelly comes from jellyfish." I
added that our family's favorite dessert,
Nutella mousse, was a gland secretion from
"a brown elk from Canada called the choco
late moose".
Kids expect dads to be the font of all
knowledge, and it's easy to rise to the chal
lenge if you have a good imagination and a
plausible manner.
But then came a harder question from the
offspring: "If junk food is bad for kids, why
do dads eat it all the time?
The real reason, of course, is that the
main activity of fathers is telling of f chil
dren for sins that we still do ourselves,
right?
But instead I put on my Scientific Thinker
persona and explained that foods have dif
ferent ef fects on dif ferent people. Luckily
there was a perfect example in the latest
New Scientist magazine. Tribes who live in
the Atacama Desert in Chile have evolved
(Image courtesy:
babyology.com.au)
the ability to consume the deadly arsenic
poison without harm, it said. "Kids there
probably go to fast food shops and order
poison and french fries," I explained. "Bit
like everywhere else."
Seeking further examples of bizarre tribes
eat ing weird things, I goog led "Do
Singaporeans really eat turtles?". Instead, I
found a turtlere lated newsflash from
Science Alert: "Researchers in Korea are
developing a technology that will allow
humans to control turtles through thought
alone." A human wears a helmet that beams
brainwaves to an apparatus worn by the
turtle.
Just imag ine what unscrupulous
Singaporeans could do with this. "Hello, tur
tles, we bought you some cute hats!" Later:
"You are under my control. Lightly season
yourselves with soy sauce and come to me."
W hat puzzles me is why the South
Koreans have not made remote brain con
trol devices for children. Or for wives to use
on husbands. "You are under my control.
Put down that beer, lightly season yourself
with soy sauce and come to me."
The report said that the Turtle Brain
Control System could "give the user a sense
of oneness with the controlled animal".
Who wants a feeling of oneness with a tur
tle? Be better to achieve oneness with the
Buddha. Or maybe Scarlett Johansson.
But the most worrying recent report on
the science page was the news that
Facebook has a team of 60 people working
on a device that reads your brainwaves and
types out the words. W hen this gets
launched, all males are going to be in deep
trouble.
A colleague told me that academics from
the University of Zurich have proposed the
creation of a Mental Privacy law that makes
it illegal to read someone's mind. It sounds
good in theory, but a) we won't be able to
tell, and b) who's going to confess? "Oops,
sorry, I read your mind, you're one sick
dude, arrest me now."
Incidentally, I do realize that one day my
child will come home from school saying:
"Dad, my teacher says ham does not come
from hamsters. It comes from pigs." I have
my response prepared: "Yes, I've heard that
theory too, but fathers who are Scientific
Thinkers always keep an open mind."

Laughter is the Best Medicine

BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA
AND
PAKISTAN

New York Head Quarter

422S Broadway
HICKSVILLE
NY 11801 by Mahendra Shah
5168271010 Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and
humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the
immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat,
he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
MAY 2026, 2017
ARIES: Hard work of the past brings rich
dividends. However continue enhancing
your skills/adopt techniques for further
development. An unexpected message from a dis
tant relative brings happy news for the entire
family. Improvement in finances is certain.
Failure in communicating your message to
romantic partner could invite dullness. Chances
of encountering with an unpleasant, embarrass
ing and discouraging situation are high. Be
aware of the hazards holidays are not full of
happy times only. Spending too much on lifestyle
homes, will ruin your relations and bank balance.
Unnecessary risk taking habit could land you in
some trouble this week.
TAURUS: With your high confidence you
will be able to cross all hurdles at profes
sional front. You will enjoy the time spent
with family members and friends. A new finan
cial deal gets finalized paving the way for fresh
money. Proposing might benefit, as chances of
succeeding in love are high. You attain a bloom
in health on sharing happiness with others. Fly
away with your dreams, new business horizons
are ready to explore. If you invest on smaller
properties then it can be beneficiary for future
investments. A long wait for interesting things
happening in life is likely to be materialize this
week.
GEMINI: Professional front will need
more devotion. You need to take the
approval of everyone before making
changes at home. Investment in speculation
should be made with extreme care during this
week. Romance will be exciting provided you
contact partner to make it the best week.
Encourage mind to be receptive to positive emo
tions like love, hope, faith, sympathy and opti
mism to enjoy a sound health. Your plan to own a
house is ought to be in the right way. Pleasure
trip undertaken with friends would be satisfying.
CANCER: Some unusual & challenging
situations at workplace will bring anx
ious & tense moments. Property dispute
might erupt causing mental tension to all at fami
ly front. Financial position will improve later in
the week. Without the company of beloved/lover
you are likely to feel as blank as a tree in
autumn. Wasting invaluable energy by getting
irritated over small matters brings disappoint
ment. Stressful trip is part of your traveling. Your
investment plans are not up to the mark, you will
be in trouble. Some of you might find an unex
pected travel hectic & stressful.
LEO: Timely help of associates will not
only pass difficult times at work but also
help in regaining professional edge. Your
generous behaviour would enable to enjoy some
lovely moments with family. Real estate invest
ment would be lucrative. Search for a true
romantic friend might end this week. A cheerful
state of mind would allow enjoying the perfect
health. An interesting cruise ship is next place for
your vacation. Plan to invest in cafeteria or a
bakery shop; it might create new opportunities
for you. Your ability to easily convince others will
benefit you.
VIRGO: This week chances of misleading
by competitors in business are high.
Avoid late night parties and wasting valu
able time otherwise it will irritate family mem
bers. Carelessness is likely to invite some finan
cial losses. You will be in a loving mood, there
fore make special plans for romantic partner.
Some of you are likely to suffer from inferiority
complex. Traveling alone is about freedom, but
your family might be angry. If you are shifting to
another rental house then go through the con
tract papers carefully. You would need mind
more than heart to save reputation.
ASTROLOGY
LIBRA: Time has come when you should
do something concrete to realise profes
sional dreams/targets. Do not share per
sonal matters with casual acquaintances other
wise it will disappoint family members. Group
involvement will be entertaining but expensive,
especially if you try to be extra generous.
Blossoming love life brings happiness. Divine
knowledge from a saintly person provides solace
& comfort. Breathtaking beautiful site scenes are
your lovers desire. You might apply for bank loan
as to get back the possession of your mortgaged
property. You succeed in completing longpending
construction work to your satisfaction.
SCORPIO: A promising week to start a new
venture in partnership. All are likely to be
benefited. Friends and family members
would lend a helping hand. Investment in stocks &
mutual funds would help in earning profits. Those
engaged will find their fiance a source of great
happiness. You need to keep patience as your con
tinuous ef fort coupled with common sense &
understanding brings success. Time to relax and
enjoy your visit to a relatives place. Youll be fac
ing some legal issues where your property matters
are concerned. Revealing personal & confidential
secrets to anyone would only harm your interests.
SAGITTARIUS: Your technical expertise
gives a decisive edge over competitors at
work. Arguments with children could put
some mental pressure. However dont strain your
self beyond a point because certain issues are best
when left untouched. Longterm investment in
stocks & mutual funds will enable to earn profits.
Harsh words retard the smooth pace of romantic
journey. The feeling of restlessness could unnerve
you. Better to imbibe positive thinking and
increase physical activities to get rid from this.
Your travel plans could not workout as you will be
visiting a beastly place. Too much of buying & sell
ing of property is a danger to your bank balance.
CAPRICORN: Timely and swift action
would be required at professional front as
you are entrusted with additional respon
sibilities. Avoid sharing family secrets with casual
acquaintances. All investments need to be made
with proper consultation to avoid losses. You need
courageous efforts to turn loveatfirstsight into a
strong romantic bond. Meditation and yoga prove
beneficial for spiritual as well as physical gains.
Traveling with fickle teenager demands lot of
patience. Before you plan a property, just go
through your bank balance. Personal problems
would require taking cautious moves.
AQUARIUS: Dedication & loyalty at work
would bring desired results. Relatives
are likely to give some valuable advice
regarding personal life. Speculation coupled with
some unexpected gains improves financial health.
Romantic opportunity comes your way as your
sparkling sunshine smile injures a lively & tender
heart. You are likely to maintain good health that
would also give you success. Journey to some
famous historical place sounds exciting to your
kids. The plot you were looking for can be prof
itable from investment point of view. Maintain a
distance form from gossips and rumours.
PISCES: Dont forget to take the assistance
of subordinates to enable yourself to com
plete pending work. You need to be
patient with children because they are less experi
enced than you. Extra caution & care seems to be
the need of the hour especially in financial mat
ters. Romance is likely to intensify through recre
ational activities & entertainment. A very healthy
week when your cheerfulness gives the desired
tonic and confidence. Relive the holidays by
remembering the hassle of last minute prepara
tions. There are chances of getting good amount
from an older property of yours.
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874
Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
20th May, 2017
Stir up by number 2 and Moon, Your willing
ness to be a good learner will make you to lay
strong foundation for new and expanded links
in all front of life. You are thoughtful by nature
and this trait is continues to be the fastest grow
ing in you. You tend to awake your composing
skills which might acclaim you to win some
prestigious awards. Your business rivals will be
worried than ever before on your uprising value
in the market. Relocation will bridge the gap
between your stable and flourishing career, so
dont overlook it. Pool of talent is what todays
generation known for, they live upto the expec
tation of todays market. Advice to make a diet
chart and also follow it to be in good and toned
position. Love will be on its full spectrum and
sparkle its feathers on you. Undue favors from
your admirers will fillip your confidence in
them. Your formula for leading a contented life
on your own may not work smoothly but experi
ence is the key to all your worries. Healing time
for you would be July and August.
21st May, 2017
Regulated by number 3 and planet Jupiter,
you use your abilities to the fullest to seek
career success. You overcome your agony and
stress by your good sense of humour and ster
ling performances in whatever the work you
undertake. Your upbeat and high spirits makes
huge impact on everybodys heart in the society.
Your battle to halt your covetous and envious
feelings will comes to an end. A new ray of hope
will change your life altogether. Time has
approached when you build your own team,
make friends, and fend for yourself. You work
place pattern will change phenomenally and
very often you will be recognized for your huge
contribution. Your sources of income will
increase by leaps and bounds which makes your
savings intact with you. Mounting monetary
front and likely to hit the bulls eye through lot
tery will be high on your cards. Health related
matters need your reconciliation for your family
members. Your spouse will treat you with
immense aplomb and love. Consequential time:
October, December and April.
22nd May, 2017
Ruled by number 4 and planet Uranus, you
will show highspirited merriment. You are
dynamic and have taxonomic approach.
Through your good reasoning ability and the
capacity to assess situations or circumstances
shrewdly, you draw sound conclusions. Despite
of a pool of talent and positive attitude towards
life, you have to be careful of your revengeful,
temperamental and spendthrift attitude. This
year you work hard to achieve your target but
because of a mental or emotional strain by your
employer, you are not fully recognized for your
work. Financially you will be strong this year as
there is a hike in your salary but manage your
savings carefully. Advice for you, spend some
time with your partner to maintain personal
relations. Any conflict with regard to property
might get settle down. Beneficial months:
September, February and July.
23rd May, 2017
Harnessed by number 5 and planet Mercury.
Love, career and family are interwined and
enlighten your road ahead. Soon you might
come in contact with some spiritual leader who
teaches you to know the importance of tradi
tional therapies. Your immunity is high and
keeps you away from all the pains. Your flight
for over the seas is waiting for you to expand
your business horizons. Controversy might dis
May 20-26, 2017 29
tract you but you need to have sharpened vision.
You will get all the luxuries in your life as unex
pectedly big bucks will come to you. Your sea
sonal parties will also benefit you as more and
more people will add up in your friend list. You
are loyal and of high moral sense throughout
your life. Uneasiness and agitating on small mat
ters might takes your peace of mind, so work on
it. Tact of dealing with shrewd people and
promptness in your attempt will make you fast
among others to reach to the worlds highest
position. Dreams might fulfilled in the months
of November, March and August.
24th May, 2017
Commanded by number 6 and planet Venus,
you are selfgoverned and love to be what you
are. Others have confidence in you and they take
your guidance. You have a strong desire for suc
cess and achievement. You are delightful and do
not want yourself to indulge in any dispute. You
are solemnly dedicated but you should keep a
check on your brooding ill humour and your
extravagant nature.
This year you may start a new venture. You
are imaginative and it is the time to raise a toast
for the successful completion of a challenging
project. Businesspersons would sign new prof
itable agreements. You will be intervened by
your admirers when you are going to spend
time with your partner. You should not hurt the
emotions of others while organizing social activ
ities. Capital gains from the sale of property will
be winnowed out. On the front of important
issues, the month of September, February and
June should be considered.
25th May, 2017
Dominated by number 7and planet Neptune,
you are generous, flexible, and munificent and
have a sound knowledge. You can attract others
by your activities. You always head the group in
which you get involve. Sometimes you become
spendthrift, obstinate and careless which will
affect your social circle. This year you will per
form remarkably with high energy and lots of
spirits. You tend to complete your work by all
means. When you need assistance, your fellow
workers are always there and they will become
your admirers. Your financial gains would be
impeccable but you need to review your per
centage time and again. Your search for a dream
partner will come to an end. You will throw a big
bash for your acquaintances and in return might
get lot of surprises. December, March and
August proves happiest months for you.
26th May, 2017
Shaped by number 8 and Saturn, your prag
matic approach toward life makes you a veteran
of your field. You always planned the things
beforehand and run according to it. Amiability
and simplicity characterizes you. Your risk tak
ing abilities will outshine you in the outer world
and you may win some prestigious awards.
Apart from all these you need to crack the jinx
of being restless and envious. An exotic and
thrilling island is waiting for you to celebrate
your achievements. To provide all the amenities
to your family members is always in your mind.
Check your mailbox, might be there is some
thing in return for your long term contribution
to the company in terms of incentives waiting
for you. You need to recharge the health card of
yours and your family members before it gets
too late. Inner peace, which is the need of the
hour comes to you soon through some sacred
person. You ought to spend some long life cher
ishing moments with your spouse. September,
January, and July will bring luxuries to your life.
30 May 20-26, 2017 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

How God helps us in our lives

There was a grandfather who
went to visit his daughter and his
grandchild. Grandparents have
great affinity for their grandchil
dren. When he went to his daugh
ter's house, he saw that the grand
child was kept in a playpen. As
soon as the grandchild saw the
grandfather he said, "Grandfather.
Grandfather! Get me out of this. I
By Sant Rajinder Singh want to play with you. All grand
Ji Maharaj children love their grandparents,
so the grandchild wanted to get
Similarly, this is what God does
for us.
If we look back at history, saints
have come in all traditions, all cul
tures, all times, and all walks of
life. They have always come to
help the people in those times.
They are the ones who are com
passionate. T his is why many
saints have suffered for each one
of us.
This is why many religions talk
about the founders suf fering for

M
any times we may think
that God is enjoying the
heavenly regions without
knowing what dif ficulty we are
having on earth. Little do we
know that God wants to help each
one of us.
We might think that God is not
aware of what is happening with
us, but Go d is aware of each
action that occurs in our lives. If
we know that God is aware of
everything that happens to us
then the next question that arises
is, "If God knows what is happen
ing, why is God making us suffer?
Why do we have problems in this
world? If God can do anything,
why doesn't God take all the prob
lems away?" There is an interest
ing story that helps to explain
God's predicament.
out of the playpen, but just as the
grandfather reached his hand
toward the child, his daughter
said, "Don't touch the child. He did
something very wrong, and he is
being punished."
Although the grandfather want
ed to pick up the child, his daugh
ter told him not to, so what is the
grandfather supposed to do? The
grandfather could rule over his
daughter and say, "No. no. no, I
am picking up my grandchild any
way," and have difficulties in that
arena. The other option is that he
could turn around, walk out of the
house, and leave, but then the
grandchild would be devastated.
So the grandfather came up with a
solution. He climbed into the
playpen himself and played with
the child.
our sins. What are our sins? Our
sins arise from our breaking the
spiritual laws, from not living
according to the highest ethical
principles.
If we look back at our own lives,
we will find that God's hand has
always been there to support us.
Many times we do not appreciate
or see God's help in our lives
because we are unable to gravi
tate to that level where we experi
ence that God is with every one of
us at each moment. lf we were
able to sit quietly and focus within
through meditation, we would
then come into contact with the
True Reality. We would connect to IF WE LOOK BACK AT OUR OWN LIVES,
the divine Light within and begin
to perceive how God is working WE WILL FIND THAT GOD'S HAND HAS
for our benefit at every moment ALWAYS BEEN THERE TO SUPPORT US.
of our lives.

By Sant Rajinder Singh

Ji Maharaj
ENTRY INTO HEAVEN
wealthy person was work bers. Are they the people who

A ing w ith his lawyer in

preparing his w ill. T he
lawyer was impressed with both
the amount of money the man
had accumulated and the number
of servants he had. The man had
many people to attend to his
every need, including drivers,
butlers, house cleaners, and gar
deners to tend to his estate. The
man was proud of how many
people he employed to serve him.
He felt it was a sign of success in
life.
When the man finally passed
on, he waited for his judgment.
He felt he would receive a good
placement in heaven because he
had been so successful in life.
W hen his turn came to be
judged, the angel looked over his
records and reflected on what he
had accomplished in life.
After looking throug h the
entire record of this man, she
declared that he did not merit
time in heaven.
"What do you mean?" the man
exclaimed. "Didn't you see how
successful I was and how many
people served me?
The angel replied, "For entry
into heaven, we do not keep
Photo source: billarends
records of how many people
served you. For entry into heav
en, we only record how many
people you served.
Unfortunately, your entry into
heaven is denied, because in your
life, you only served yourself."
This story illustrates a power
ful lesson. Many people focus on
amassing their own empires and
estates, thinking this is the true
purpose in life. Yet, they disre
gard the purpose for which God
made humanity.
True human beings live for oth
ers. Some scriptures say that if
God wanted only devotion, the
angels were there for that pur
pose. Go d wanted to create
beings that would serve others,
and thus God created humans. It
is clear from the story that serv
ice to others rather than service
to ourselves paves the way for
our return to God.
Consider which people from
history humanity best remem
had others serve them, or are
they the ones who served others?
If we scan the pages of history,
we find we do not remember or
honor the emperors and kings
who lived during the time of
Jesus Christ. Such kings may
have had large numbers of slaves
and servants catering to them,
yet we remember Jesus Christ
because he was one who served
others. His life was one of sacri
fice and service to the suffering
souls of his time. Into which cate
gory do we wish to fall when our
life is reviewed at its end? Do we
wish to go into the spiritual
realms after this life ends with an
empty list of those we served
because we were more con
cerned with having other people
serve us?
Selfless service opens our heart
to love and helping others. It
makes us an instrument of God's
love by providing for all of God's
creation, whether other people,
animals, or the planet. In serving,
we develop qualities of giving,
caring, and loving. Serving self
lessly helps to eliminate our ego
and our selfishness.
(For more visit www.sos.org)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info May 20-26, 2017
TheSouthAsianTimes.info May 20-26, 2017