The South Asian Times

e x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
Vol.12 No. 22 Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

ROCKSTAR MODI
Getting President
Trump to join his
‘Howdy, Modi!’
rally in Houston,
the Prime Minister
pulled off a diplo‐
matic coup as well
as showcased the
importance of India
on the world stage
and of the Indian
community in
America. After their
bilateral in New
York, US President
said PM Modi will
take care of terror
and Kashmir.

The South Asian Timesʼ

special coverage of
ʻPM Modi in USAʼ:
Pages 14‑23.

US AFFAIRS 10 BUSINESS 27 BOLLYWOOD 28 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 34 excellence in journalism

TheSouthAsianTimes.info Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 3

AIA’ 32nd Deepavali fest promises IAPC to honor Dr. Chaithanya Unni
to be a spectacular show with Global Entrepreneur Award at
By SATimes Team
6th media conference in Houston
Expo in association with World Vegan
Vision ‑‑ which will comprise Vegan food
New York: The Association of Indians in tasting and cooking demos.
Visitors are also expected to make a Houston, TX: The Indo American Press Club Visual, print and online Media, and Malayalam lit‑
America (AIA – New York chapter) is
(IAPC) will honor Dr. Chaithanya Unni from erature excellence. A doctor by profession,
ready to welcome tens of thousands peo‑ beeline for the Health kiosk, Childrenʼs
Australia, who heads a chain of beauty clinics and Doctorpreneur by perseverance and cosmetic
ple to their 32nd Deepavali festival on Fair, Corporate Fair, Shopping Bonanza,
Delicious Food stalls, medical centers across Queensland, with the brand Innovator by passion, Dr.
October 6 at South Street
and Raf fle prizes Global Entrepreneur Award at their 6th Chaithanya was born in Kerala as the
Seaport in Manhattan.
including 3 iPads and International Media Conference in great granddaughter of O. Chandu
As for the special attractions
2 free air tickets to Houston. Menon, the author of first Malayalam
this year, the fireworks are an
India. T he conference hosted by IAPC novel, ʻIndulekhaʼ. A Member of
integral part of this annual
The best thing about Houston and Dallas chapters will see a Queensland Management Committee of
flagship event of AIA. And as
this Diwali fair is that convergence of several leaders of media, fine Australia India Business Council, Dr. Tanya,
in the last few years, Naach
admission is free. arts, business, and socio‑political 39, was ranked 18th among the Top
Inferno intercollegiate dance
The main sponsors of world at the Hilton Double Tree 100 Young Entrepreneurs by
competition featuring 8
AIA Diwali mela Hotel, Greenway Plaza in Houston Business News Australia in 2018.
groups will be a big draw for
include Cheapoair, from October 11‑14. IAPC founded in 2013 consists of
the youths.
Qatar Airways, About 500 delegates from North a cohesive and vibrant group of
Speaking to The South Asian
McDonaldʼs, New York America are expected to participate journalists, media professionals and
Times, AIA‑NY President
Life, Navika and HAB in this annual professional develop‑ freelancers associated with print,
Harish Thakkar said that the
Amar Sandhu, Bank. ment and networking event that will broadcast and online media outlets
biggest dhoom will be created
Punjabi/English fusion With its pioneering feature insightful seminars, discus‑ in North America. With hundreds of
this time by Amar Sandhu,
artist, will create dhoom sions, debates, roundtable confer‑ members in dozens of local
ʻAmericaʼs very own Urban ef forts, AIA has
at the AIAʼs flagship ences, business forums, youth forum, Chapters in US and Canada, IAPC
Desi Star with Global Hitsʼ. brought Indian culture,
event on Oct 6. photo and essay contests, and enter‑ has evolved as an effective and cred‑
And Sandhu is one of the food and dance to the
tainment programs. ible platform for Indian American
gigs in the rich entertainment package general public in the tristate area. AIAʼs
Recognizing individuals who have journalists and media professionals
with items such as Yoga Band for the Deepavali festival attracts not only the Doctorpreneur
impacted the Indian diaspora posi‑ to network with a sense of belonging
mega show, which may also feature Indian American community but also Dr. Chaithanya Unni
tively has been a distinct tradition at with the well‑being of the larger
Bollywood celebs and Bollywood style Americans, Chinese and Hispanic. is from Australia.
For more details please contact Harish IAPC. Besides Dr. Tanya, several oth‑ society in mind.
dance performances.
ers will be also be honored from the fields of For more details, please visit:
A new feature this time is the Vegan Thakkar at President@theaiany.org.
Business Management, Women entrepreneurs, https://www.indoamericanpressclub.com/

Acharya Lokesh to hold 24 conferences in

India and abroad for Gandhi 150
New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind, in
his first address in the run up to the 150th
birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, said
that parallel growth of all sections of society
is necessary for the countryʼs complete
development. He was addressing the semi‑
nar ʻSpirituality for Human and Social
Developmentʼ at Dr. Ambedkar International
Center, organized by Ahimsa Vishwa Bharati
founded by Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muni.
Besides the Jain Muni, Union Minister of
So cial Just ice & Empowerment Dr.
Thawarchand Gehlot also graced the occa‑
sion. Addressing the large gathering of dis‑
tinguished people from India and abroad,
President Kovind said that on the path of
spirituality all human beings are equal.
Mahatma Gandhi also talked about the
development of all classes and sections of
society. He considered the service of poor,
destitute and weak people to be the ultimate
duty of his life. The Mahatma became the
voice of countless Indians; he also became
voice of the world in terms of human values
President Kovind addressed the seminar ʻSpirituality for Human and Social Developmentʼ
organized by Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti founded by Acharya Lokesh Muni.
and human dignity.
The President congratulated Acharya
Lokesh for his significant contribution in
nation building by connecting spirituality to
social service through Ahimsa Viswa Bharati
organisation. Acharya Lokesh announced
that to celebrate Mahatma Gandhiʼs 150th
Birth Anniversary, “We will organize 24 con‑
ferences in the country and abroad, which
will conclude at the UN headquarters in New
York. Through these conferences, we will
spread ideology and teachings of Mahatma
Gandhi to the masses. It is our aim to create
a violence‑free society by adopting his prin‑
ciples. Today there is a need to understand
religion and spirituality in the right context.
There is a need to connect religion and spiri‑
tuality with social service and make it a
medium to eradicate social evils. Spirituality
is deeply related to development of society
and humanity. “
Lokesh Muni said the Indian President and
Prime Minister are trying to make India
world guru. Creating a healthy society is
necessary to make our country Global Guru.
To develop a balanced and healthy society
we should pay attention to cleanliness, save
water, adopt a plastic‑free lifestyle and as
Prime Minister Modi says, pay attention to
Fit India.
 4 Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019
India, G4 allies decry lack of
transparency in UNSC
reform process
United Nations: India and its G4 partners
pushing for Security Council expansion
have decried the lack of openness and
transparency in the reform negotiations.
The "time has come to leave behind
debates based solely on general state‑
ments, without substantive negotiation" in
pursuing reform, External Affairs Minister
S Jaishankar and his counterparts, Ernesto
Araujo of Brazil, Heiko Maas of Germany,
and Motegi Toshimitsu of Japan, said in a
statement after their meet ing on
Wednesday.
The four nations are known as G4 and
besides working together for Security
Council reform, they support each other
for permanent seats on an expanded body.
They said that the last General Assembly
Session has again shown that the inter‑gov‑
ernmental negotiations (IGN) process
"lacks the necessary openness and trans‑
parency and is constrained by flawed
working methods". The African nations
that too do not have a permanent seat on
Religion has nothing to do with terrorism: Imran Khan
United Nations: Pakistan Prime Minister
Imran Khan on Wednesday emphasized that
religion has no link to terrorism and that it is
"marginalization of communities [that] leads
to radicalization".
Pakistan and Turkey co‑hosted a round table
discussion on hate speech, a side event in the
margins of the 74th Session of the UN
General Assembly in New York.
Khan and the Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the conference,
which also featured a Keynote address by
High Representative for the United Nations
Alliance of Civilisations Migue l Ánge l
Moratinos. In his remarks, the premier noted
the growing amount of "discrimination and
violence based on religion and belief".
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the Security Council have taken a common
stand on reform, demanding two perma‑
nent seats.
The G4 ministers requested General
Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad‑
Bande of Nigeria to update the working of
the IGN and start text‑based negotiations.
A majority of the UN members support
early reform of the Security Council, but
the biggest barrier to the negotiations has
been the opposition from a small group of
countries led by Italy and which includes
Pakistan.
The permanent seats of the Security
Council are frozen in time based on the
post‑World War II situation of the 1940s
when the UN was founded.
The ministers said that they hoped that
as the UN prepares to celebrate the 75th
anniversary of its founding next year, the
General Assembly "will pave the way for
finally moving on the call for an ''early
reform'' of the Security Council, that was
made in the 2005 World Summit".
PM Imran also cautioned against the deni‑
gration of revered personalities under the
guise of "freedom of expression and opinion".
"The world must understand Muslim sensi‑
tivities for Islam and the reverence for
Prophet Muhammad PBUH," he said.
He underscored the need for ef fective
measures to be put in place so that hate
speech, especially that which stems from
Islamophobia, can be countered.
Following the session, PM Khan announced
the formation of an English language channel
in partnership with Turkey and Malaysia ded‑
icated to confronting the challenges posed by
Islamophobia and removing misperceptions
about Islam.
Courtesy Dawn
Consultants
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Contributing Editors:
Shaker Nelanuthala, Prof. Shivaji Sengupta,
Surekha Vijh (Washington, DC),
Suchitra Srinivas (New Jersey),
Melvin Durai, Dr Prem Kumar Sharma,
Ashok Vyas, and Dr Akshat Jain
Current Affairs Columnist
Swadesh Rana
Elimination of terror precondition
for SAARC: Jaishankar
Pakistan foreign minister boycotted the
speech of his Indian counterpart.
New York: The elimination of terrorism in all
its forms is a precondition not only for fruit‑
ful cooperation among South Asian neighbors
but also for the very survival of the region
itself, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar
said on Thursday at the SAARC Foreign
Ministers meet that was boycotted by
Pakistan. He said the South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation is "really not just a
story of missed opportunities but also of
deliberate obstacles. Terrorism is among
them."
Citing the example of the South Asian
Satellite, he said it shows how India has been
taking up the initiatives that bear prosperity
to the neighborhood. The South Asian satel‑
lite was launched in 2017 with an intention
to arrive at scientific solutions to address
poverty in the SAARC region.
He gave the example of the South Asian
University (SAU), "of India building academic
exce llence that will have generational
impact".
The 1,174 students graduated from SAU
Pakistan and Turkey co‑hosting a round table discussion on hate speech
on the margins of the UNGA in New York.
New Delhi Bureau
Meenakshi Iyer
Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Jaipur Bureau
Prakash Bhandari
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Photographs
Xitij Joshi/xitijphoto.com
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Bharat Bhushan Chopra
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contribute immensely to the development of
their respective member states. "We're com‑
mitted to giving 100 per cent capital cost
towards construction of SAU," he said.
"Regionalism has taken root in every corner
of the world. If we have lagged behind, it is
because South Asia does not have normal
trade and connectivity that other regions do.
"It is unfortunate that we have not made
any headway with respect to some connectiv‑
ity initiatives such as Motor Vehicles and
Railways Agreements. Similarly, there has
been no progress in the SAARC Regional Air
Services Agreement, initiated by India," he
said. "There are other success stories of last
year: extension of the National Knowledge
Network to our SAARC partner countries. The
NKN extension has been completely imple‑
mented in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Its
extension to Bhutan was inaugurated by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August,” he
added.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood
Qureshi boycotted the speech by Jaishankar.
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 5

Phil Murphy winds up six-city India

trip with promise of more jobs for NJ
Trenton, NJ: Gov. Phil Murphy is
back from a seven day, six‑city
whirlwind trip of India having met
top industry leaders and with the
promise of adding more than 1200
jobs to New Jersey.
The governor visited Delhi, Agra,
Hyderabad, Mumbai, Ahmedabad,
and Gandhinagar with a high‑level
delegation of legislators, economic
advisors, healthcare and technology
officials and professors.
The first‑ever sitting governor of
New Jersey to visit India, Murphy,
62, made a passionate appeal to
Indian businesses to open shop in
the state. And amid his seven‑day
business mission, he announced
that three India‑based companies
with a presence in NJ will expand
operations adding hundreds of jobs.
Mumbai‑based IT firm Tata
Consultancy Services will expand its
workforce in Metro Park by about
700 jobs, bringing its New Jersey
staff to roughly 4,700.
Larsen & Toubro, another
Mumbai‑based company, will add
roughly 400 jobs in Edison, boost‑
ing its workforce there to about
1,000. Birlasoft, part of the New
Delhi‑based conglomerate CK Birla
Group, will add 160 jobs at its
Edison site.
Murphy, a Democrat, had
announced Sept. 16 that the state is
opening an of fice in India to lure
businesses. New Jersey already has
a similar jobs attraction of fice in
Berlin. Describing himself as the
“Head of Sales,” Murphy said not
Gov Phil Murphy called upon PM Narendra Modi during his visit.
only was New Jersey ready to wel‑
come the Indian business communi‑
ty but also has on offer what the lat‑
ter were looking for to enable
sound g lobal investments and
growth for their ventures.
"An environment where new ven‑
tures and partnerships can grow,
and where innovative companies
can invest and expand. Since taking
over as governor, my top priority
has been to foster an unrivaled eco‑
nomic ecosystem where Indian
companies can find a home and suc‑
ceed," he said addressing a meeting
organized by CFO Engage.
"India is New Jersey's fourth‑
largest overall foreign trade partner
exceeding $8.3 billion annually, it is
also the second‑biggest source of
greenfield FDI, and New Jersey is
the destination for half of all Indian
FDI in the entire Northeastern U.S.,
a critical American economic corri‑
dor, and home to over 60 million
people," Murphy said.
Highlighting the location advan‑
tages, he said New Jersey is next
door to the world's biggest capital
market New York in North and the
country's fastest growing business
hub of Philadelphia to the south,
where around 420,000 Indian
Americans are settled.
The state is also home to some of
the world's leading institutions of
higher education like the Princeton
University and Rutgers University,
the U.S.'s most highly educated and
highly‑skilled doctorate and techni‑
cal talent, diversity, with a second‑
to‑none global connectivity to con‑
sumers and work forces.
Murphy said New Jersey was link‑
ing the state with Indian institu‑
tions and businesses for joint inter‑
ests in mutual economic growth and
prosperity, researchers from the
Governor Murphy at Akshardham Temple in New Delhi
state were going to India to engage
in R&D projects in emerging Indian
market sectors, like clean energy,
and explore new avenues for Indian
firms to set up businesses.
"I welcome each of you to join us
as a partner. It will be your best
decision ever for a great and inno‑
vative future on both sides of the
world," added Murphy.
Gov. Phil Murphy also wants
Bollywood to bring cameras to New
Jersey. The Garden State is open for
business for Indiaʼs film industry as
the governor signed an agreement
he hopes will bring Bollywood and
Tollywood stars here.
“Youʼve got a lot of consumers of
Bollywood product in New Jersey,”
said Murphy, citing the stateʼs large
Indian‑American population.
Siddharth Roy Kapur, the presi‑
dent of the Film and Television
Producers Guild of India, said that
will be an incentive for TV and film
producers “to bring their stories
and their movies to the U.S.”
Apart from calling on Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in New
Delhi, he also visited Swaminarayan
Akshardham Mandir complex.
Governor Murphy traveled with a
large delegation including First
Lady Tammy Murphy. The delega‑
tion was greeted by Pujya
Gnanmunidas Swami and other sen‑
ior BAPS swamis on behalf of His
Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj,
the sixth spiritual leader of BAPS.
The delegation offered respects at
the Swaminarayan Akshardham
Mandir and performed abhishek on
the murti of Shri Neelkanth Varni.
They also toured the educational
Sanskruti Vihar and attended the
weekly assembly of devotees, where
the governor spoke to those in
attendance.

Threads 2019 meet to tell the story
of Hindus in the western world
Boston, MA: ʻThreads 2019ʼ conference, organized by the
World Hindu Council of America Nov.1‑3 at the Woburn
Hilton, has finalized a stellar line of speakers for this event.
The conference will feature a dozen sessions that cover sev‑
eral areas of engagement. Achievers in each field will discuss
their experiences and engage in conversations that speak of
their impact on the society at large.
As Dr. Sailesh Rao, Director, Climate Healers said, it will be
the “first of its kind conference to tell the story of Hindus in
the western world.” While there is a broad sense of the suc‑
cess of Indians in the US, the conference aims at holding a
periscope to more closely document what that means.
Paramacharya Sadasivanathaswami, who edits the popular
ʻHinduism Todayʼ noted, “the time has come to celebrate and
to thoughtfully reckon the impact of Hinduism on American
society.”
The Indian‑American community has recently burst into
the political scene with energy. Among those are elected
state officials Niraj Atani and Padma Kuppa who will be on
hand, along with others, in a session on public service and
advocacy. From the world of business are two sessions.
“Exploring Opportunities in the US‑India Relationship” will
be moderated by Dr. Mukesh Aghi, President and CEO of US
India Strategic Partnership Forum. Jit Saxena, a leading fig‑
ure in the data and analytical industry and Ram Sudireddy, a
serial entrepreneur, will focus on “Innovation – Thinking
Non‑Linearly.”
For more information and to register:
www.threads2019.org.
Norwalk Public Library unveils India Collection
Connecticut: Norwalk Public Library
here unveiled India Collection at its main
library at One Belden Ave on September
15th. The books were donated by the
government of India. It was an initiative
of the Connecticut Chapter of the Global
Organization of People of Indian Origin
(GOPIO‑CT). The program started with
a welcome by Library Board President
Alex Knoop followed by Norwalk Mayor
Harry Rilling who welcomed everyone to
Norwalk. President Knoop introduced
GOPIO‑CT Committee Chair Divya Misra,
who is also staf f at the library, and
thanked her for her effort in making this
happen. Divya, in turn, thanked the
library staff and volunteers for helping
to put together the program.
Mayo Rilling said that Norwalk is a
place where all communities and nation‑
alities stay harmoniously and compli‑
mented GOPIO and the Indian American
community for its constitution to the city
such as offering scholarships at Norwalk
Community College.
“I have met GOPIO delegation three
times in the last several years in my
of fice and they always emphasize on
how they can help the city rather than
asking for any help,” Mayor Rilling said.
Audience gathered at the Norwalk Public Library
for unveiling of India Collection
Senator Bob Said that he has very
friendly relations and works very closely
with the community. Library Director
Christine Bradley was very enthusiastic
about the new collection for the Library
and said that most of the books have
been catalogued and the books can be
taken out right away by card holders.
Bradley thanked the Indian Consulate
and GOPIO‑CT for making this happen.
GOPIO Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham
conveyed greetings from GOPIO
International and said that the objectives
of the GOPIO chapters are to involve and
help the local communities. “GOPIO‑CT
has been going great job in that respect
by organizing soup kitchens, of fering
scholarships and other charitable activi‑
ties,” said Dr. Abraham.
Indiaʼs Consul General in New York
Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty was
the chief guest who complimented
GOPIO‑CT and the Library for making
this happen. “It was an idea which came
up during my meeting held at Mayor
Rillingʼs office in May this year and now
you have completed that task,” he said.
He added that he would be happy to
work with Norwalk Community College
and offered to provide books for other
libraries too. Other dignitaries who
attended the program included CT
Assemblywoman Lucy Dathan and
Norwalk Common Councilman Greg
Burnett. It was a house full program
with only standing room for many.
 6 Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019
Debate grows over
proposed chocolate milk
ban at NYC public schools
Chili, NY: Controversy is swirling
over a proposal to ban chocolate
milk in New York City public
schools. New York City's
Department of Education officials
believe the plan would be one way
to cut sugar from a student's diet,
but some fear it would not only
have a negative impact on their
health but also the economy.
Lynn Knauf of Chili said choco‑
late milk is a better option than
sugary sports drinks for her three
teenage boys who play school
sports.
“I would hate to see chocolate
milk banned because thatʼs what
coaches tell them to drink instead
of these sports drinks,” she said. “I
pack chocolate milk for them
every day in their lunch, so when I
donʼt have time to pack their
lunch, I would love for them to get
it here at the school. Sports drinks
are full of sugar. I love the idea of
them having milk. Chocolate milk
is going to have sugar in it but
theyʼre growing in there so active
they need it.” Chocolate milk has
been a long‑time favorite drink
among students at lunchtime.
Gates Chili School District
NY joins lawsuit over Trump’s
weaker emissions standards
Albany: New York is one of more
than two‑dozen states and cities
suing the Trump administration over
its repeal of stricter state emissions
standards, the start of what is sure to
be a drawn‑out legal fight that could
get to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In a lawsuit filed in District Court
for the District of Columbia on
Friday, the 24 attorneys general as
well as the cities of New York and
Los Angeles allege that the National
Highway Traffic Safety
Administration acted arbitrarily and
capriciously in approving a rule that
effectively revoked the stateʼs stan‑
dards and that officials didnʼt have
the authority to make the change in
the first place. California is spear‑
heading the lawsuit and
Pennsylvania, Connecticut and
Delaware are also joining in.
“There is no legal rhyme or reason
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Nutrition Director Debbi Beauvais
said 80 percent of the district's
students are choosing chocolate
milk over white. She said a poten‑
tial ban would rob them of essen‑
tial nutrients they may not other‑
wise get “It has nine essential
nutrients in it,” she said. “They
would have to eat so many other
varieties of food to get the nutri‑
tion they get in an eight‑ounce of
chocolate.” The proposal is meant
to cut back on the amount of
sugar in a child's diet. Beauvais,
however, said chocolate milk only
has eight more grams of sugar
than white milk. “Thatʼs only 32
calories. This has protein this has
Vitamin D; this has calcium,” said
Beauvais. “Chocolate milk is not a
big deal. Weʼre really getting all
worked up over 32 calories, which
is not a big deal in the big picture
of how many calories a child needs
a day.” Beauvais said the proposal
wouldn't help to tackle the real
issue of obesity. She said many
kids who are overweight are still
malnourished and having the
nutrients in chocolate milk added
to their diet is a good thing.
(Source: wham.com)
for the Trump administration to
revoke statesʼ right to set their own
standards,” said Attorney General
Letitia James. “Cars and trucks are
the largest source of climate change
pollution and the Trump administra‑
tionʼs attempt to rob New York and
other states of their authority to
adopt standards to stanch this pollu‑
tion–and defend their residents
against the increasing ravages of cli‑
mate change–is an affront to statesʼ
rights and will only hurt our environ‑
ment. My office will use every legal
tool in our arsenal to protect the
well‑being of New Yorkers and all
Americans.” “Two courts have
already upheld Californiaʼs emis‑
sions standards, rejecting the argu‑
ment the Trump administration res‑
urrects to justify its misguided
Preemption Rule. Yet, the adminis‑
tration insists on attacking the
Gov. Cuomo breaks ground for
Islanders arena at Belmont Park
Elmont, NY: Gov. Andrew M.
Cuomo on Monday called the
redevelopment of state land at
Belmont Park “transformative”
and “a project Long Island
deserves” as New York Islandersʼ
owners, players and developers
joined him at a ce le bratory
groundbreaking on the site of a
new arena for the team, Newsday
reported.
“This is one of the largest and
most impactful developments in
the downstate region in a long
time,” Cuomo told an audience of
about 300 hockey fans, politi‑
cians and other supporters of the
project.
Cuomo, who first announced
the winning bid for the under‑
used 43‑acre parcel nearly 22
months ago, touted a planned
full‑time Elmont LIRR station and
more than 10,000 construction
jobs and about 3,200 full‑time
jobs the $1.3 billion project
would create. The Islanders had
Exhibition ‘The Language of the City:
Immigrant Voices’ on view in Manhattan
New York: The New York City
D e p a r t m e n t o f R ec o r d s &
Information Services opens to
the public on September 13, a
new exhibit The Language of the
City: Immigrant Voices. The
new show incorporates “We Are
Brooklyn: Immigrant Voices,” a
multimedia exhibition based on
o r a l h i s t o r i e s c o n d u c t ed b y
Brooklyn College students and
materials from the New York
City Municipal Archives.
T he installation includes a
series of panels that use text,
photographs and audio to tell
the stories of immigrants and
children of immigrants from the
Dominican Republic, Mexico,
Haiti, Pakistan, Albania, Italy,
Guatemala, China and Grenada.
The Municipal Archives draws
on documents and photographs
from its extensive collections
highlighting how City govern‑
ment responded to immigrant
populations. New York City wel‑
comed millions of new immi‑
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, flanked by NY Islander owner John
Ledecky and Captain Anders Lee, break ground on the new arena at
Belmont Park on Sept. 21 in Elmont, NY. (Photo courtesy Newsday)
played at Nassau Coliseum
before moving to Brooklyn's
Barclays Center in 2015.
“T hereʼs no place like the
Islanders play ing on Long
Island,” said Cuomo before put‑
ting a symbolic golden shovel
into the dirt. New York Arena
Ellis Island and New York Harbor,
September 19, 1956. Department
of Marine & Aviation Photo.
Credit: NYC Municipal Archives.
grants to their first home in the
United States. The exhibition
We Are Brooklyn, with its asso‑
c i a t ed w e b s i t e, w w w. w e a r e ‑
brooklyn.org originally opened
at Brooklyn College on Sept. 13,
2018. I t h a s t r a v e l ed t o
Guttman Community College,
Bronx Community College, the
CUNY Graduate Center, and the
Partners, a partnership among
the owners of the Islanders, Mets
and arena development company
Oak View Group, have already
begun construction work on a
$1.3 billion plan for a 19,000‑
seat arena, 250‑room hotel and
350,000 square feet of retail.
Lef ferts Historic House in
Prospect Park. Selected from
more than 500 oral histories
c r e a t ed b y 8 0 0 B r o o k l y n
C o l l eg e s t u d e n t s f o r t h e
B r o o k l y n C o l l eg e L i s t e n i n g
Project (BCLP) the stories cele‑
brate the diversity of the city
and the lives of regular New
Yo r k e r s . W e A r e B r o o k l y n :
Immigrant Voices received fund‑
ing from the Whiting
Foundation, Humanities New
York and the Of fice of the Dean
of Humanities and Social
Sciences, Brooklyn College. The
exhibition will be on view till
D ec 2 0 1 9 a t N YC M u n i c i p a l
Archives 1st Floor Gallery, 31
Chambers Street, Manhattan.
The opening hours: Monday,
Tu e s d a y, W ed n e s d a y, a n d
Friday: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m;
Thursday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m;
Saturdays: Sept. 14 and 28;
October 12 and 26; November 2
and 16; December 14 and 28:
9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 7

Indian‑Americans support Bill on per-country caps on

dual citizenship: Survey
Washington, DC: Indian‑Americans
overwhelmingly support dual citi‑
zenship from the Indian government
while Non‑Resident Indians prefer
proxy voting instead of direct postal
ballots, according to a survey. The
survey has been compiled by
Foundation for India and Indian
Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) USA and
was conducted ahead of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's address to
a crowd of 50,000 Indian‑Americans
in Houston over the weekend.
The survey covered various topics
ranging from immigration issues,
investment, dual citizenship, double
taxation and transfer of social securi‑
ty funds. Among the surveyed ques‑
tions, demand for dual citizenship
received maximum support with 4.4
star rating.
While citizens of many other coun‑
tries have had the ability to apply for
US citizenship without renouncing
the citizenship of their home coun‑
try, non‑resident Indians have been
requesting this same opportunity
from the Indian government for
many years without luck," FIIDS said.
On January 8, 2002, L M Singhvi,
who was the Chairman of the High‑
Level Committee on the Indian
Diaspora, had submitted recommen‑
dations for dual citizenship. The late
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
had accepted the recommendation in
January 2003, however, the 2005
amendment in Citizenship Act of
1955 gave Overseas Citizenship
which is short of dual citizenship.
"When it came to NRIs voting, 33
percent preferred the proxy voting
as declared by the government while
28 percent preferred direct postal
voting," FIIDS said, adding that the
need of India's influence on US immi‑
gration policies was the second most
important demand the NRIs voted
on. Among various immigration
issues, expediting green card pro‑
cessing received 80 percent of pref‑
erence while 60 percent preference
was on H1/L1 related policies and
30 percent on H4/EAD, the survey
said. In their comments, NRIs
expressed that Indian citizens apply‑
ing for US Permanent residency
faced years of painful delays in pro‑
cessing by US Immigration due to
"country‑wise quota policy."
They hope that the Indian govern‑
ment discusses the subject with the
US government.
The survey also revealed that vari‑
ous financial, investment and taxa‑
tion related policies were very
important to the NRIs.
Among the financial policies, the
highest rating 4.4 stars (out of 5)
was for permission to directly invest
in India's stock market while allow‑
ing investment in farm‑land received
3.9 stars (out of 5) rating.
On taxation issues, avoidance of
dual taxation received 4.2 star rating
while repatriating social security
taxes to India received 4.0 star rat‑
ing. For the repatriation of social
security taxes withheld in the USA,
India would need to have a social
security repatriation treaty with the
US. Similarly, a Double Tax
Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)
between India and the US will be
needed to avoid a tax evasion route
often adopted for investment to
India via tax haven countries like
Mauritius and Singapore. All these
investment and taxation policy
changes would increase the inflow of
foreign funds to India and strength‑
en the bond of the NRIs to India, it
said. (PTI)
green cards tanks in Senate
Washington, DC: A bill that would
eliminate per‑country caps on
employment‑based green cards,
ef fectively opening the door to
more high‑skilled immigrants from
India and China, failed on the
Senate floor Thursday after Sen.
David Perdue (R‑GA) blocked the
bill. The bill, which would not have
increased overall legal immigra‑
tion levels, had seemed like it
would be a rare moment of biparti‑
san agreement on one of the most
contentious topics of the Trump
administration. In July, it passed
the House in a 365‑65 vote with
substantial bipartisan support.
But whether the Senate would
pass the bill was an ongoing ques‑
tion. Sen. Rand Paul (R‑KY), had
previously blocked the bill and
Perdue blocked it again on
Thursday, saying that he still had
concerns about how it would
af fect specific industries without
elaborating further.
Sen. Mike Lee (R‑UT), said on the
Senate floor T hursday that he
would try to assuage those con‑
cerns and seek another vote on the
bill next week. But thereʼs no
telling whether another senator
will block that vote as well.
The country caps were intended
to ensure that there was a diversi‑
ty of nationality among those
allowed to immigrate to the US.
But they have been denounced in
recent years as discriminatory
toward nations like India and
China, which face much longer
green card backlogs than any
other country. According to the
State Department, some employ‑
ment‑based applicants who have
been waiting since June 2008
from China and since April 2010
from India only just became eligi‑
ble to apply for a green card this
month. Wait times among family‑
based applicants are even longer.
The bill ̶ introduced by Sens.
Kamala Harris (D‑CA), and Lee, and
known as the Fairness for High‑
Skilled Immigrants Act ̶ is an
attempt to address those backlogs,
raising the cap for any country to
15 percent for family‑based green
cards and doing away with it
entirely for employment‑based
green cards.
(Source: www.vox.com)

Congressman Ro Khanna
seeks NATO‑level defense
ties with India
A group of as
many as 230
Indian American
organizations
this week in a
letter urged Ro
Khanna to
withdraw from
the Pakistani
Congressional
Caucus.

(Image courtesy:
politico.com)

Washington, DC: Indian‑American US build a coalition to get it passed," Khanna

Congressman Ro Khanna on Friday advo‑
cated for NATO equivalent status for India
in bilateral defense ties.
Such a status will take "the US‑India rela‑
tionship to the next level," Khanna told
PTI after a meeting with a top Pentagon
official that was focused on strengthening
India‑US defense relationship among
other issues.
"I am working with Elliot Engel, Chair of
the (House) Foreign Relations Committee,
to give India the equivalent of NATO sta‑
tus in our defense relationship. I have
introduced a bill in the House Armed
Services Committee and am working to
said.
During his meeting with Randy Schriver,
Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo‑
Pacific Security Af fairs, Khanna had an
"in‑depth conversation" about the strate‑
gic importance of the US‑India relation‑
ship.
The two discussed how to strengthen
the economic and defense ties in promot‑
ing democracy.
"We also discussed the need for Pakistan
to use their leverage over the Taliban to
prevent them from harboring terrorists as
we push for a responsible withdrawal of
US troops in Afghanistan," Khanna said.
8 Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019
India's V Unbeatable stands
4th in 'America's Got Talent'
M
umbai dance group V
Unbeatable made
some major waves on
the international stage of
America's Got Talent. Their
performance almost always
blowed the judges' minds,
which eventually brought
them in the Season 14 grand
finale. Being unbeatable was in
their name, and their fans
were sure that they would live
up to it.
Twitterati was surprised and disappointed with
In the quarter finals of the V Unbeatable not making it in top three
show, where they performed
on Dhanushʼs song, 'Thara Local', the
judges Simon Cowell, Gabrielle Union,
Julianne Hough and Howie Mandel gave
them a standing ovation. For the semi‑
finals, the group put up an incredible spec‑
tacle on the song 'Jashn‑e‑ishqa from
Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor starrer
Gunday, once again cementing their posi‑
tion in the final showdown.
The finale, last week saw them perform
an unbelievable act full of gravity‑defying
stunts on Shahid Kapoor's 'Dhating Naach'.
Cultural extravaganza mark
MASCONN Onam celebrations
C
ultural extravaganza
showcasing the rich
cultural traditions of
India displayed elegantly in
dance, music and drama along
with the traditional Onam
Sadhya were some of the high‑
lights of the 10th annual
Onam celebrations organized
by Malayalee Association of
Southern Connecticut (MAS‑ Women performers dressed in traditional finery
CONN) at Madison Middle
School, Trumbull, CT on Saturday,
September 22nd. The unique and rich tra‑
ditions of Kerala with renditions of tradi‑
tional and modern dances and the integra‑
tion of Hindu, Muslim and Christian cul‑
tures were elegantly showcased before an
audience of over 400 people from the
Fairfield County in the state of Connecticut. fusion of dances incorporating semi‑clasi‑
The cultural programs began with the
lighting of the traditional Nailavilakku or
lamp by honored guests of MASCONN and
the executive committee members.
Legendary King Mahabali was welcomed to
the stage with “Pancha Vadyam” and a
warm traditional welcome dance by a
dozen beautiful girls elegantly dressed in
traditional attire of Kerala, who later on
performed Thiruvathirakkali, a folk dance,
typically a Keralite dance, well known for
its essence, grandeur and simplicity.
The cultural events consisted of several
live dances, classical Bharatnatyam, fusion, address. “In a very short period, we have
Bollywood, folk and contemporary dances,
live music and songs, sung in Malayalam.
Children from the ages of five to older
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
However, it wasn't their night as they got
placed in the fourth position, losing the tro‑
phy and $1 million prize money to 22‑year‑
old Kodi Lee, a visually impaired and autis‑
tic singer, who was a favourite to win the
title. The reaction of the judges and fans
was of utter shock, as almost everyone
expected the group to be places at least in
the top 3. Twitter was full of astonishment,
fans from all over the world, who were
rooting for V Unbeatable to be the champi‑
ons of the talent show.
adults delighted the audience with their
melodious voices, and several dances both
cinematic and traditional art. Through
“Oppana” another traditional art from
Kerala, a group of young talented kids pre‑
sented yet another tradition of Kerala.
A special to Onam celebration was a
cal, Thiruvathira and Bollywood dances
beautifully performed by a group of
women, who have come to be known as the
“Dazzling Girls” of MASCONN.
ed
Another attraction and a much appreciat‑
item powerfully portrayed by a group of
talented young girls was a dance drama
called “Jatayu Moksham.”
“MASCONN an offshoot of the natural
growth of the Indian‑American especially
Malayalee Community in the southern
Connecticut region,” said Wilson Pottackal,
President of MASCON, in his welcome
grown by leaps and bounds and we strive
to meet the growing needs of our commu‑
nity.”
First US‑India Leaders Summit spotlights
healthcare challenges, trade ties & security
The summit had leaders debating on ways to strengthen Indo‑US ties
Washington, D.C: International Leaders
Summit, a US‑based think tank, organized
and hosted the inaugural US‑India Leaders
Summit in partnership with The American
Association of Physicians of Indian origin,
Biocon Biologics, Sanford Saunders
Enterprises, TiE DC, a chapter of The Indus
Entrepreneurs, and Kam Global Strategies,
to advance public policies which strength‑
en the two nationsʼ ties on the economic,
healthcare, trade and security fronts at The
National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on
September 18.
The summitʼs agenda included panel dis‑
cussions on critical topics, such as address‑
ing barriers to trade and investments and
how a bold US‑India trade agreement can
boost economic growth for Americaʼs pop‑
ulation of 330 million and Indiaʼs 1.3 bil‑
lion citizens.
Addressed by Ambassador Amit Kumar,
Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India
in Washington, DC, the Summit was attend‑
ed by US lawmakers, policy makers, media
leaders, corporate and healthcare industry
leaders, and leaders of global financial
institutions, who debated on ways to make
healthcare affordable, accessible, and high
quality. Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand
Samy, co‑founders, International Leaders
Summit, along with Dr. Sampat Shivangi,
Chair of the AAPI Legislative Committee,
coordinated the efforts for the success of
the Summit.
Keynote speakers at the summit included
Dr. Christiane Hamacher, CEO of Biocon
Biologics, a global biopharmaceutical com‑
pany; Congressmen Michael Bost, Michael
Guest and Mike Kelly; Former
Congressmen Scott Taylor and Tom
Garrett; Stephen Renna, chief banking offi‑
cer, EXIM; Virginiaʼs State Senator Richard
Abe Matthew runs for Congress
from Illinois 3rd district
I
ndian American practicing attorney Abe
Matthew has announced his candidacy
for Congress from Illinoisʼ 3rd district. “As
a progressive Democrat, Iʼm embarrassed to
be represented by a “Democrat” who has
failed time and time again to step up and
fight for womenʼs rights, he's turned his back
on immigrants, and repeatedly turned his
back on President Obama,” he says. “As a
progressive Democrat, Iʼm embarrassed to
be represented by a “Democrat” who has
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
H. Black; Beth Saunders, president, Sanford
Saunders Enterprises LLC; Dr. Smita
Siddhanti, president, TiE Washington, DC;
Dr. Derek Scissors, resident scholar,
American Enterprise Institute; Joseph
Brodecki, principal partner, Washington,
D.C.‑based Bernstein Global Wealth
Management Group, and Dr. Suresh Reddy,
among other distinguished leaders. Led by
Dr. Suresh Reddy, President of AAPI, the
entire leadership of AAPI was present at
the day long Summit, leading the discus‑
sions on ways to make healthcare delivery
affordable, accessible and efficient, dis‑
cussing policies addressing America's sky‑
rocketing healthcare costs, trade and secu‑
rity threats impacting both nations with a
combined population of 1.6 billion people.
Joel Anand Samy, in his welcome address,
set the tone for a more engaging relation‑
ship between the two nations. “Four million
Indian Americans investing in Americaʼs
economy in the areas of education, technol‑
ogy and real estate, and providing patient
care, are a natural bridge to building
stronger economic, healthcare, and trade
partnerships which benefit both the U.S.
and India, This win‑win concept is a 21st
century strategic opportunity to reform the
healthcare sector, create jobs and augment
economic growth for both nations with a
combined population of 1.6 billion people.”
In addition to focus on healthcare, the
summit examined the state of the US‑India
trade, economic reforms and security chal‑
lenges impacting both nations. “We look
forward to the high‑level timely discus‑
sions with distinguished leaders and deci‑
sion‑makers at the inaugural US‑India
Leaders Summit focusing on advancing
principled ideas and solutions,” said
Natasha Srdoc, in her opening.
voted with Donald Trump over 40% of the
time in this session!” Abe served as an
Obama Fellow and feels “a true connection
with the greatest President of our lifetime.”
“President Obama's father immigrated from
Kenya, mine from India. His mother from
Kansas, mine from the mountains of
Appalachia. We grew up poor but with good
educations and a drive to do more, we
became organizers, lawyers, and fighters for
change on Chicago's south‑side,” he says.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 9

Madhvi Parekh's retrospective opens in NY

Special to The South Asian
Times
New York: A retrospective of New Delhi‑
based artist Madhvi Parekh, spanning five
decades of practice with more than 65 of
her works, opened in Manhattan last week.
The Curious Seeker, as the exhibition of
her works, was titled, marked debut of
Parekhʼs work in the US. The retrospective
was earlier presented in New Delhi and
Mumbai by DAG, a leading art gallery based
in the Indian capital.
A preview, in which the artist was pres‑
ent, was held on the Seventh Floor in the
Fuller Building on 57th Street on
September 12 in coordination with the
Consulate General of India. DAG also held a
“media walkthrough” of the exhibition the
following day.
“Madhvi Parekh has often been narrowly
defined with the tradition of folk art in
India, yet her practice defies categorization
̶ reflecting her own distinct language as
well as wide‑ranging influences that
deserve further exploration,” a news
release quoted Kishore Singh, head of exhi‑
bitions and publications at DAG, as saying.
The work of Parekh, who has no formal
education, initially evolved from childhood
memories, popular folk stories, legends of
A self‑taught artist, traditional folk arts of Kalamkari and Pichwai
find expression in most of Madhavi Parekh's works.
her village in Gujarat and rangoli, the tradi‑
tional floor design. She was inspired by her
husband Manu Parekh, who studied paint‑
ing at J.J. School of Arts in Mumbai, and
renowned painters. In most of her work,
she has used Kalamkari, the traditional
hand‑painted or block‑printed cotton tex‑
tile, as well as Pichwai, devotional pictures
on cloth or paper.
She has already visited five countries and
is planning to visit a few others.
Despite her popularity in Indian art cir‑
cles, no pride was visible on her face. She
has won numerous state and central
awards, as well as international certifica‑
tions. Parekh sounded down to earth and
simple in her narrative when this corre‑
spondent spoke to her in a brief interview.
“I was a Montessori school teacher in
1964, the year when I began painting. I
drew figures from my childhood memories
and my instinct helped me. Festival occa‑
sions like Diwali inspired me to draw ran‑
goli and other designs,” she said.
Parekh, now 77, had a word of advice for
aspiring young artists, particularly Indian‑
Americans.
“Work hard and with devotion on any
subject you choose; focus your attention
more on an area like art,” she noted.
One of her best works is The Last Supper
(a reverse painting on an acrylic sheet),
completed in 2011. The painting, which she
had observed in the Italian city of Milan,
took a year to complete. Leonard da Vinci,
the original painter of that artwork, had
worked on that for four years, Parekh
pointed out.
Madhviʼs Magical Daydreams, a book
aimed at children aged five to 10, describes
her childhood and later as a professional
artist. The book is available for sale at the
exhibition. The retrospective will run
through October 27. There is a possibility
that it will be extended, according to the
organizers.
For more info, write to ramneek.kang@dag‑
world.com

DIASPORA

UK brings back 2‑year 3 ''Australian tax officials''

post‑study work visa
New Delhi: There is good news
for students going to Britain for
studying as the UK government
announced the reintroduction of
the two‑year post‑study work
visa, expanding opportunities for
talented international students to
build successful careers in the
country. T he new "Graduate"
route will launch for the 2020‑21
intake of students to university.
The two‑year post‑study work
visa was earlier scrapped by then
Home Secretary Theresa May in
2012. The reintroduction of the
program is expected to boost the
number of students going to
Britain significantly.
The new 'Graduate' route will
be open to all international stu‑
dents ‑ including those from
India ‑ who have valid UK immi‑
gration status as a student and
have successfully completed a
course of study in any subject at
the undergraduate level or above
at an approved UK higher educa‑
tion provider.
The visa will allow eligible stu‑
dents to work, or look for work,
in any career or position of their
choice, for two years after com‑
pleting their studies. "The new
Graduate Route will mean talent‑
ed internat ional students,
whether in science and maths
or technology and engineering,
can study in the UK and then
gain valuable work experience as
they go on to build successful
careers," Home Secretary Priti
Patel said in a statement. "This is
fantastic news for Indian stu‑
dents, who will now be able to
spend more time in the UK after
completing their degree, allowing
them to gain further skills and
experience," said Dominic
Asquith, Brit ish Hig h
Commissioner to India. Indian
students coming to study in the
UK reached almost 22,000 in the
year ending June 2019. This was
a 42 percent increase on the pre‑
vious year ‑ and almost 100 per‑
cent higher than three years ago.
This announcement follows the
creation of a new fast‑track visa
route for scient ists and the
removal of the limit on Ph.D. stu‑
dents moving into the skilled
work visa route, which collective‑
ly aims to cement the UK as a sci‑
ence superpower and a world
leader in the STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics) sector.
Almost half of all Indian stu‑
dents (almost 130,000 since
2008‑09) heading to the UK in
the last ten years chose a STEM
subject. (IANS)
who conned NRI actress held
New Delhi: T hree men who
de frauded NRI actress Isha
Sharvani and many other
Australian residents of crores of
rupees by pretending to be tax
of ficials have been arrested as
Delhi Police's Cyber Crime Unit
busted their fake call centre
here, police said on Thursday.
The matter came to light when
the Kisna actress, who lives in
Perth complained to the Delhi
Police about being cheated.
Invest ig at ions so far by the
cyber crime of ficials have found
that the g ang, comprising of
Puneet Chadha, 34, Bhanuj Beri,
24, and Rishabh Khanna, 23, have
purportedly cheated over 100
Australian residents of crores of
rupees.
DCP, Cyber Crime Unit, Anyesh
Rai told IANS that the actress had
told them, over the telephone, that
a few days back, she had received
a call from an Australian number
seeming to be from capital
Canberra.
The caller, identifying himself as
an Australian Income Tax officer,
told her that an arrest warrant
had been issued against her in a
taxation matter and that if she did
not deposit the penalty amount
within the stipulated time, she
would be arrested. On hearing
Dancer and actress Isha Shravani
is daughter of Gujarati artist
Daksha Sheth
this, Isha got worried and sensing
this, the caller pressed home his
advantage and managed to secure
her bank account details, he
added.
The DCP said that subsequently,
Isha got a call from the number of
her Australian accountant and
was told that they had made an
inadvertent error in her accounts
and if this was not rectified fast,
she was liable to be arrested.
A worried Isha kept talking to
them for nearly two and a half
hours as she looked for a way out
of her predicament. Now under‑
standing that Isha was caught fast
in the net, the cheating gang man‑
aged to persuade her to transfer
Australian $5,700 (approx Rs 3
lakh) penalty into an Indian bank
account.
To make sure that the actress
did not get suspicious at being
made to transfer the money into
an Indian bank account, the
gang members told her that the
Australian authorit ies had
opened an office in India to col‑
lect taxes and penalties and this
was its account, the DCP said.
But the gang was not yet done
with her. Some days later, Isha
got another call telling her that
some money in her account was
of suspicious nature and seemed
to meant to support terrorist
activities.
However, this made the actress
smell something fishy about the
whole matter and she approached
the Australian police, who told her
that she had become a victim of
cyber‑criminals. Isha then contact‑
ed the Delhi Police.
The Cyber Crime Unit began its
investigations and busted the fake
call center, being run from
Vikaspuri area of west Delhi. They
were using software that made
calls they made seem to originate
from Australian numbers and the
call center chief was the master‑
mind and had called up Isha as
the "Australian tax of ficial." The
probe is still on and police are
hopeful of further disclosures.
(IANS)
 10 Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019
Future belongs to 'Patriots',
Not 'Globalists': President Trump at UN
United Nations: Amid calls for his
impeachment, President Donald
Trump addressed the UN General
Assembly on Tuesday and deliv‑
ered a roaring defense of national‑
ism and American sovereignty even
as he tried to rally a multinational
response to Iran's escalat ing
aggression.
T he president implored the
world's leaders to prioritize their
own nations, with strong borders
and one‑on‑one trade deals, reject‑
ing sweeping transnational organi‑
zations and alliances.
"The future does not belong to
globalists. The future belongs to
patriots. The future belongs to
strong, independent nat ions,"
Trump told a murmuring crowd at
the General Assembly.
"Globalism exerted a religious
President Trump, flanked by UN Secretary General António
Guterres and Vice President Mike Pence, addressed the
meeting he called. (Photo: Flickr)
United Nations: Describing the
United States as a country founded
Tulsi Gabbard says US should
re‑enter Iran nuclear deal after
Saudi drone attack
Washington: Democratic presi‑
dential hopeful Rep. Tulsi
Gabbard, D‑Hawaii, said last
week that she would re‑enter
the Iran nuclear deal and end
sanctions in response to Iran's
involvement in drone attack
against Saudi Arabia oil facili‑
ties if she was president.
"What I would do is, I would
re‑enter the Iran nuclear deal
to prevent Iran from continu‑
ing to move forward in building
a nuclear weapon that puts us
and the world further at risk,"
Gabbard said on "The Story
with Martha MacCallum."
"And number two... end those
crippling sanctions. Every day
that we don't do this, every day
we continue down this failed
strategy Iran gets closer and
pull over past leaders causing them
to ignore their own national inter‑
ests. T hose days are over."
Focusing on the United States' self‑
interest, Trump said that the
nation's security was jeopardized
by the threat posed by Iran and
on re ligious tenets, President
Donald Trump on Monday urged
closer to a nuclear weapon.
That's a fact."
"This this provocation, as you
put it, did not just come from
out of nowhere, "Gabbard said,
responding to MacCallum. "It is
a retaliation and it's a retalia‑
tion against the extreme sanc‑
tions that are on Iran that's
basically making it impossible
for them to sell their oil around
the world."
The congresswoman also
doubled down on her criticism
of the president for a tweet he
made regarding Saudi Arabia.
Trump tweeted previous
Sunday that the U.S. was “wait‑
ing to hear from the Kingdom
as to who they believe was the
cause of the attack, and under
what terms we would proceed!”
US AFFAIRS
warned Tehran to stop its aggres‑
sion toward Washington's allies in
the Middle East.
"As long as Iran's menacing
behavior continues sanctions will
not be lifted. They will be tight‑
ened," Trump warned.
At UN, Trump calls on the nations of
the world to end religious persecution
other nations to join him in trying
to end “religious persecution.”
“The United States is founded on
the principle that our rights do not
come from government,” Trump
said at the United Nations. “They
come from God.” It was an unusual
address, which the White House
billed as the first time an American
president convened such a meeting
at the United Nations, but which
critics scof fed at because of
Trumpʼs immigration travel ban
against predominantly Muslim
countries and other policies.
Australia to join NASA's lunar program
Washington: Australian Prime
Minister Scott Morrison has
announced his nation's intention to
join the US' moon to Mars mission,
including NASA's Artemis lunar
program. The announcement last
Saturday was made at the NASA
Headquarters here during the sign‑
ing of a joint statement by US
space agency's Deputy
Administrator Jim Morhard and
Head of the Australian Space
Agency, Megan Clark.
The agreement foresees potential
Australian contributions in areas of
mutual interest such as robotics,
automation and remote asset man‑
agement ‑‑ similar to that currently
used by Australia in mining opera‑
tions ‑‑ and builds on a unique his‑
tory of space cooperation between
the US and Australia that dates
back to the Apollo era.
As part of Australia's commit‑
ment to partner w ith NASA,
Morrison pledged to more than
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
The president implored the world's leaders to
prioritize their own nations, with strong
borders and one‐on‐one trade deals, rejecting
transnational organizations and alliances.
"The United States does not seek Trump also addressed the ongo‑
conflict with any other nation. We ing standof f in Venezue la,
desire peace, cooperation, and denouncing the oppressive regime
mutual gain with all. But I will and vowing that the United States
never fail to defend America's would "never be a socialist nation."
interests." Trump praised his diplomatic
As speculation mounted that ef forts with North Korean leader
Trump could meet in New York Kim Jong Un, even though the
with Iranian President Hassan autocrat continues to hold a tight
Rouhani, the president raised the grip on his nuclear weapons.
possibility of a diplomatic break‑ Trump said Monday that another
through, saying "the United States meeting with the North Korean
has never believed in permanent leader "could happen soon."
enemies. We want partners, not This was Trump's third speech to
adversaries." the world body.
Itʼs also a major departure from leaders to discuss religious free‑
Trumpʼs tendency towards a go‑it‑ dom issues in the past two years.
alone strategy on foreign policy. Trump may be the most visible
"Today, I ask all nations to join us and active on this issue of any pres‑
in this urgent, moral duty," Trump ident since Ronald Reagan, said
said in announcing the United William Inboden, a professor at the
States is committing an additional University of Texas‑Austin who
$25 million to protect religious worked on international religious
freedoms, religious sites and relics freedom issues for the George W.
from attacks. Bush administration.
The White House described his Whatʼs most notable, Inboden
call to action as the presidentʼs key said, is how Trumpʼs approach has
event at the international gather‑ gone against some of his other for‑
ing. The United States has con‑ eign policy impulses, reported USA
vened two gatherings of foreign Today.
Through Artemis,
NASA will
send the first
woman and
next man to
the lunar
surface by 2024.
President Trump hosted a state dinner in honor of the Australian
Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the White House. (Photo: Flickr)
triple the Australian Space Agency search of signs of past life on Mars.
budget to support Artemis and the Through Artemis, NASA will send
moon to Mars exploration. the first woman and next man to
In August, the Mars 2020 and the lunar surface by 2024 and
ExoMars rover science teams establish sustainable exploration
honed their skills in the Australian with commercial and international
Outback, where the rocks are of partners by 2028.
similar age to the terranes on NASA's Artemis program is the
Mars, in preparation for their next step in human exploration
respective missions to launch to and is a part of US's broader moon
the Red Planet next summer in to Mars exploration approach.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Dems launch Trump impeach inquiry
By Arul Louis
New York: Democratic Speaker Nancy
Pelosi has announced that the House of
Representatives will launch impeachment
proceedings against President Donald
Trump, roiling the nationʼs politics in the
year leading to the presidential elections.
After resisting demands from many party
members, Pelosi finally agreed on Tuesday
to start the process, even if it ultimately will
be symbolic as the Republican‑controlled
Senate is unlikely to vote Trump out of
office, while deepening the political divide.
The new allegations the House will inves‑
tigate in the impeachment process relate to
Trump asking the Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former
Vice President Joe Biden and his son over
their business dealings soon after freezing
$391 million in aid to that country.
Since Biden is a candidate for the
Democratic Party nomination to run against
Trump next year, the Democrats consider it
an attempt to get a foreign country to help
his campaign.
After weeks of refusing to provide
Congress a transcript of his conversation
with Zelensky, Trump released the tran‑
script on Wednesday and it did show that
he had made the request for a probe in
Bidens.
It did not show that Trump had discussed
the aid freeze.
US AFFAIRS
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has finally given the call for starting an impeachment inquiry,
though the released transcript of Trumpʼs Ukraine call is not the smoking gun, even the
whistleblower report expected within days may not be so damning.
He had also asked for “a favor” – to give
him information about the hacking of the
Democratic Partyʼs computer server.
Pelosi said: “The release of the notes of
the call by the White House confirms that
the President engaged in behavior that
undermines the integrity of our elections,
the dignity of the office he holds and our
national security.”
Trump has responded by calling it
“Presidential Harassment” and his party has
begun using the impeachment threat to
strengthen the Republican base.
The allegations about the phone call were
made by an unidentified government
employee who filed a whistle‑blower com‑
plaint against Trump, which the administra‑
tion did not forward to the Congress.
Earlier, the Mueller report into allegations
of Trump collaborating with the Russians,
who interfered in the 2016 elections, failed
to establish such a collaboration, but left
open the possibility that he had tried to
obstruct the probe.
Only two US Presidents, Andrew Jackson
in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998, have been
impeached, but not removed from office.
Richard Nixon resigned before the impeach‑
Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 11
ment vote.
Impeachment means framing charges,
which will be put in a document called
Articles of Impeachment and sent to the
Senate for formal prosecution and decision
on conviction.
Joe Biden may end up a collateral casual‑
ty of the impeachment as it brings to the
fore allegations against his family.
Bidenʼs son, Hunter, is no paragon of
virtue. A Ukranian prosecutor began investi‑
gating the gas company Burisma on whose
board Hunter Biden served. But the prose‑
cutor was removed and later Joe Biden is
reported to have boasted he was responsi‑
ble for it, though it was only because it was
a barrier to developing the nationʼs econo‑
my.
Trump has said that Hunter Bidenʼs
involvement in Ukraine and Chinese busi‑
ness deals would compromise his fatherʼs
ability to protect US interests.
According to Politico, Bidenʼs poll num‑
bers have been slipping in the states which
will be holding early primaries or caucuses
for the Democratic partyʼs presidential
nomination. In one of them, New
Hampshire, Bidenʼs support fell by 18
points, it said.
Ravi Batra, eminent attorney, has com‑
mented that the impeachment inquiry on
the evidence/facts available so far about
imagined "Abuse of Power" charge against
Trump will fail.
 12 Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 INDIA NEWS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Dadasaheb Phalke Award for Amitabh Bachchan

New Delhi: Distinguished actor Amitabh
Bachchan will be honored with the presti‑
gious Dadasaheb Phalke Award. The gov‑
ernment award is India's highest honor
g iven in the fie ld of cinemat ic art.
Bachchan will be honored with the award
for inspiring generations with his diverse
work.
"The legend Amitabh Bachchan who
entertained and inspired for two genera‑
tions has been selected unanimously for
Dadasaheb Phalke Award. T he entire
country and international community is
happy. My heartiest congratulations to
him," Union Information and Broadcasting
Minister Prakash Javadekar wrote on
Twitter while announcing the news on
Tuesday. Bachchan has successfully transi‑
tioned from Bollywood's "Angry Young
Man" to the "Shahenshah" of popular cine‑
Superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
ma, and gone onto become Indian film
world's most recognized icon on the glob‑
al stage, through a career spanning over
five decades.
The actor started his journey in showbiz
as one of seven protagonists in "Saat
Hindustani", and then went on to feature
in the Rajesh Khanna‑starrer "Anand".
Once he got noticed in Prakash Mehra's
1973 hit, "Zanjeer", there was no looking
back. The film also marked the birth of his
Angry Young Man avatar.
Amitabh Bachchan means dif ferent
things to different fans. Some remember
him as the towering lead in films like
"Deewaar", "Zanjeer", "Don" and "Sholay",
while some appreciate his nuanced,
National Award‑winning portrayals in
"Black", "Paa" and "Piku". There are fans
who celebrate him for his comic timing,
while others swear by his intense screen
presence. From touching the pinnacle of
stardom to facing failure to his days of
bankruptcy and to bouncing back in the
game and seeing a meteoric rise ‑‑ Big B,
as Bollywood and fans fondly call him, has
seen it all.
His last release, Sujoy Ghosh's thriller
"Badla" has been declared a superhit by
the trade.
His upcoming projects include "Chehre",
"Gulabo Sitabo", "Sye Raa Narasimha
Reddy", "Brahmastra" and "Aankhen 2".
As the news of Bachchan's latest glory
spread, members of the film fraternity
rushed to congratulate the icon.
"The most inspiring legend of Indian cin‑
ema. He is a bonafide rock star. I am hon‑
oured and proud to be in the era of
AMITABH BACHCHAN! The prestigious
#DadaSaheb Phalke Award to Amitabh
Bachchan," filmmaker Karan Johar tweet‑
ed.

Muslims accept Ram Chabutra birthplace of Lord Ram

New Delhi: In a new twist in
Ayo d hya t itle dispute being
heard in the Supreme Court, the
Muslim parties have accepted
Ram Chabutra as the birthplace
of Lord Ram and could not pro‑
vide a satisfactory answer on the
absence of any reference to Babri
Masjid in the "Ain‑i‑Akbari", a
16th century document record‑
ing the administration of the
Mughal Empire under Emperor
Akbar.
A five‑judge Constitution bench
headed by Chief Justice Ranjan
Gogoi is conducting the hearing
on the vexed dispute.
Senior advo cate Zafaryab
Jilani, representing the Sunni
Waqf Board, began his argu‑
ments by contending that two
leading Hindu religious texts ‑
'Valmiki Ramayana' and
'Ramcharitmanas' ‑ do not specif‑
ically provide proof of spot of the
birth of Lord Ram. At this, Justice
They, however, insisted that spot under the central
dome is not the birthplace of Lord Ram.
D.Y. Chandrachud said:
"Accept ing this would mean
Hindus cannot believe that Ram
was born anywhere in Ayodhya
at all." Jilani reiterated that there
is no mention of the specific
spot. "There was a temple, which
was called Janmasthan temple
located to the north of the dis‑
puted structure," he told the
bench.
As Justice S.A. Bobde asked:
"Do you accept Ayodhya as birth‑
place of Lord Ram, and do you
also accept that Ram Chhabutra
(which came into existence after
1855) is the birthplace of Lord
Ram?", he replied: "We accept it
because, three other courts said
it. Thereafter, we did not disturb
it. Ram Chabutra was in their
(Hindus) possession."
Jilani, however, insisted that
spot under the central dome is
not the birthplace of Lord Ram.
Earlier, senior advocate Rajeev
Dhavan in his response to sub‑
missions made by the Nirmohi
Akhara, a party in the lawsuit,
said statements of witnesses and
Gazetteers quoted by the Akhara
implied that Hindus were wor‑
shipping at Ram Chabutra in the
outer courtyard.
However, on Tuesday, Jilani
said his case is that Hindus never
worshipped the space, where the
Babri Masjid was, as the birth‑
place of Lord Ram. "But they
worshipped the Ram Chabutra as
the birthplace. It is hardly 50 to
80 feet from the mosque," he
submitted.
Later during the hearing,
Justice Bobde posed three possi‑
bilities to the Muslim parties:
Emperor Babar demolished the
temple and built a mosque; Babar
built the mosque at a place
where there was a temple; and
Babar built mosque on a land
which was vacant, but there was
probably something below.
The Allahabad High Court in its
2010 judgment equally parti‑
tioned the 2.77 acre disputed
area among three parties ‑‑ Ram
Lalla, Nirmohi Akhara and the
Sunni Waqf Board. However,
none of the parties was satisfied
with the verdict and moved the
Supreme Court.

Now Dial 112 for emergency services in Delhi

New Delhi: Similar to many
countries, the Delhi Police has
launched the single emergency
helpline number '112', in place
of three ‑‑ 100, 101 and 102 ‑‑
for immediate assistance.
The new emergency system
will he lp upgrade the De lhi
Police control room, which has
been using the archaic technol‑
ogy for the last 50 years, and
cost around Rs 25 crore.
With the launch of the new
service, the control room will
turn into a call centre, equipped
w i t h t h e l a t e s t t ech n o l o g y.
"Even if somebody dials 100 or
101 or 102, the call will con‑
n ec t t o 1 1 2 , " s a i d a s e n i o r
police of ficer.
In an interview with IANS,
Delhi announces free 200 units
of electricity for tenants
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday
extended the benefit of subsi‑
dized power connections to ten‑
ants in the national capital to
avail free 200 units of electricity.
Making the announcement, he
said those living on rent can now
avail the benefits of the Delhi
government's electricity Ssubsidy
under the 'Mukhyamantri
M u k t e sh C h a n d r a , S p ec i a l
Police Commissioner
(Operations), said, "The 'Dial
Kiraydaar Bilji Meter Yojana'.
"The tenants will be issued a
pre‑paid meter under the
scheme," he said. Kejriwal added
that for installing the pre‑paid
meters, a copy of the rent agree‑
ment will be sufficient.
"Earlier, people needed to have
an NOC from the landlords."
On August 1, Kejriwal
announced that people in the
112' will prove a boon. It will
save not only time and money,
but will go a long way in serv‑
national capital will not have to
pay anything for consuming up to
200 units of power per month.
"People consuming till 200
units of electricity in a month
won't have to pay the electricity
bills. Their bills will be waived
from August 1," he had said.
But if a consumer uses 201
units in a month, "he will have to
pay the full charge", he said
ing the people."
The software for the service
h a s b ee n d e v e l o p ed b y t h e
Centre for Deve lopment of
Advanced Computing.
Earlier, calls made to 100 or
1 0 1 w e r e r ec o r d ed a t t h e
police control room, located at
the police headquarters. The
m e s s a g e w a s t h e n r e l a y ed
through wireless system to the
police post or police vehicle
concerned. It consumed crucial
time in delivering the service.
But now, the call will immedi‑
a t e l y g e t c o n n ec t ed t o t h e
police post without delay. All
police vehicles have now been
eq u i p p ed w i t h ph o n e s t o
receive the message without
delay.
Come September 25 and the
control room will be consigned
to history by the new system.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA NEWS Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 13

SIT arrests rape survivor, says Gen Rawat to be new Chairman,

found 'sufficient evidence' Chiefs of Staff Committee
Lucknow: The Special
Investigation Team (SIT) New Delhi: Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat will
said on Wednesday that be appointed as the new Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff
it had arrested the 23‑ Committee (CoSC) on Friday, defense sources said here
year old Shahjahanpur on Thursday.
rape survivor in the day Rawat will take over as the CoSC Chairman from India
only after "enough" digi‑ Air Force (IAF) chief Birender Singh Dhanoa, who is set
tal and forensic evi‑ to retire on September 30.
dence was found and The Chairman of the CoSC is responsible for inter‑
corroborat ive state‑ services synergy between the Army, the Air Force and
ments were recorded. the Navy. The senior‑most chief from amongst all the
According to SIT chief, three services of the defence forces is selected as the
Inspector General of Chairman of CoSC.
Police Naveen Arora, Rawat, who was commissioned into the Indian Army
Swami Chinmayanand being taken
they had suf ficient evi‑ in December 1978, is at present the senior‑most chief
to the court.
dence that Rs 5 crore in from all the three services. Navy chief Admiral
extort ion money had been clearly established that Rs 5 crore Karambir Singh had been commissioned into the serv‑
Chief of Army Staff Bipin Rawat addresses a press
demanded from Chinmayanand. had been demanded. ice in July 1980. The Air Force Chief in‑waiting Air
conference in New Delhi. (Photo: IANS)
Those arrested have admitted that The law student was picked up Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria had been commissioned into
they had sent messages on by the SIT from her home amidst the service in June 1980. state‑of‑the‑art MiG‑29 and Sukhoi‑30 MKi.
WhatsApp to Chinmayanand on massive deployment of police force Rawat's predecessor, Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa, had Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced in his
the directions of the law student. on charges of blackmailing rape been appointed as the Chairman of the CoSC on June 1, Independence Day speech from the ramparts of Red
He said that the video and audio accused Chinmayanand for Rs 5 2019. Dhanoa has flying experience across the entire Fort on August 15 this year that there will be a Chief of
tapes were shown to her which crore. spectrum of fighter aircraft, from the Jaguar to the Defence Staff (CDS) for the country.

Money trail leads directly

to Robert Vadra: ED to HC
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday told
the Delhi High Court that the "money trail is directly relat‑
ed to Robert Vadra" in a money laundering case against
the son‑in‑law of Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi.
"There is a money trail directly related to Robert Vadra.
Direct payments were made into Pilatus," said ED counsel
D.P. Singh before a single judge bench presided by Justice
Chandra Shekhar.
The court was hearing the petition filed by the agency
seeking cancellation of bail granted to Vadra in a the
money laundering case.
The agency also claimed that the custodial interrogation
of Vadra is required.
Opposing the ED's application, Vadra's legal team said
that their client has wilfully and voluntarily joined the
investigation.

Congress party slams Modi

endorsing Trump in Houston
New Delhi: The endorsement of US President Donald Trump
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the ʻHowdy, Modi!ʼ
event in Houston, does not seem to have gone down well
with the Congress party. The Congress has targeted the
Prime Minister over his ʻAbki Baar Trump Sarkarʼ remark.
Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma accused Modi of
violating “the time honored principle of Indian foreign poli‑
cy of not interfering in the domestic elections of another
country. This is a singular disservice to the long‑term strate‑
gic interests of India.”
Claiming that Modiʼs endorsement of Trump was a
“breach” of the sovereignty of the US as well India, Sharma
further said, “Our relationship with the United States of
America has throug hout been bipart isan, vis‑à‑vis
Republicans and Democrats. Your actively campaigning for
Trump is a breach of both India and America as sovereign
nations and democracies.”
He added, “Reminding you that you are in the USA as our
Prime Minister and not a star campaigner in US elections.”
During his speech at the ʻHowdy Modiʼ event in Houston,
Prime Minister Modi showered praises on the US President.
While saying that India had connected well with the US
under the regime of Trump, the Prime Minister went on to
say, “Abki Baar Modi Sarkar”.
 14 Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 COMMENT TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Trump at Modi rally signals heft of India: BBC

BBC and continues:
India is Houston's fourth‑largest
trading partner and its growing
energy demand is expected to fur‑
ther boost the sale of American oil
and gas. For India, it's also an
opportunity to bring down the

T
he first‑of‑its‑kind joint
appearance of Prime
Minister Mo di and
President Trump is being hailed
as a PR triumph for Mr Modi, but
it also testifies to the growing
importance of US‑India relations,
reports BBC.
"I think this was in some ways
inevitable and re flects the
strength of the Indian‑American
community," says Nisha Biswal,
former Assistant Secretary of
State in the Obama administration
and head of the US‑India Business
Council. She is quoted by BBC as
saying that it's a good thing that
the president has decided to go to
Texas. "T his relationship now
transcends individuals and it tran‑
scends politics."
T he organizers, Texas India
Forum, tried to emphasize the
bipartisan nature of the event by
inviting prominent Democrats
including the House Majority
Leader Steny Hoyer, several other
Congressmen, US elected officials,
and governors. T he choice of
Houston as the spot for this rally
was not surprising either, reports
trade de ficit w ith the United
States ‑ a major issue for Mr
Trump.
There are also strong indica‑
tions to suggest that the two
countries may announce some
progress toward ironing out the
strong trade dif ferences w it‑
nessed in the last year‑and‑a‑half.
"If this happens, there will be
talks about w inning and the
President would want to take
credit for that," says Tanvi Madan,
India Project director at
Washington's Brookings Institute. India‑US relationship now transcends individuals and it transcends politics. (Photo courtesy AP)
For President Trump, who him‑
self is a big fan of spectacles and comprise 1% of the US population sides," says Ms Madan. ies and human rights activists.
huge crowds, the mega event also and are also among the wealthiest While many analysts are calling Many Congress representatives
provided an opportunity to court communities in the US. the event a win‑win for both the including Indian‑American
Indian‑Americans for next year's The majority are Democrat lean‑ leaders, not everyone is as Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal
Presidential election. ing and voted for Hillary Clinton thrilled. The visit comes weeks have expressed their concern
Talking to reporters, the in the 2016 elections, according after the Mo di government against the move. Activists are
President said before the Howdy, to polling by the Asian American revoked the partial autonomy worried that as leader of the free
Modi! event: "He's got a big crowd Leg al De fense and Educat ion enjoyed by Muslim‑majority world, President Trump joining
coming and I guess the crowd just Fund. Modi enjoys strong support Kashmir and imposed a communi‑ hands with Modi will be seen as
got a lot bigger because they just here for his nationalist views and cation blackout in the region. It an endorsement of his policies.
announced ‑ he asked, would I go, his promise to restore India's aggravated tensions with neigh‑ Thousands of protesters, mostly
and I will go". greatness. "I'm sure Republicans boring Pakistan, which also lays from the Muslim community,
With a population of more than are hoping that it might also help claim to the region, and drew planned to assemble and protest
3.2 million, Indian‑Americans many of these voters to switch sharp criticism from Muslim bod‑ against the Modi near the venue.

Modi is transforming India with fortitude,

politics of development, and firm decisions
By Amit Shah across India. It gave a clear message to the
Home Minister of India masses that if the leadership is committed,
then a true we lfare State is possible.
Gujaratʼs growth story built a silent apprecia‑
has also risen considerably on the global
platform. The strongest proof of this is the
world upholding Indiaʼs position on Article
370 and denouncing Pakistanʼs stand.

S
ince his early childhood, Modiji has
devoted himself to the service of the
nation. Born into a poor family,
Modiji had a tough childhood, which moti‑
vated him to work for the poor and help
them break the shackles of poverty.
Modiji is also known for his organizational
abilities and political fortitude. In 1987,
when he was made the BJPʼs organization
secretary for Gujarat, the party had only 12
MLAs. But Modijiʼs organizational skills and
political deftness made it possible for the
party to grow to clinch 121 seats and formed
the government. Since then, the BJP has
remained undefeated and its leaders have
been continuously serving the people of
Gujarat.
Modiji also worked as BJPʼs national gener‑
al secretary and had then sowed the seeds of
the partyʼs pan‑India growth. Today, the BJP
is the worldʼs largest political party, and it is
all due to his vision.
During the 1990s, I got a chance to work
under Modijiʼs leadership in Gujarat. The
way he used to organize membership drives
down to the grassroots level was an enlight‑
ening lesson for me.
When he became Gujarat CM in 2001, it
paved the way for changing the development
paradigm in the state. During that time, he
initiated several program considered “unim‑
plementable”, for instance 24x7 power sup‑
ply to every household in the state. But
through his political fortitude, strong deter‑
mination and passion to work for the people,
Modiji showed to the world that when there
is a will, there is a way. His image as a go‑
getter transformed Gujarat.
It was the Modiji‑led Gujarat model of
development that worked in favor of the BJP
tion for the BJP across the country, which led
to people showing the door to the corrupt,
indifferent and inefficient Congress‑led UPA
government and gave a decisive mandate to
Modiji.
With the motto ̶ ʻsabka saath, sabka
vikasʼ ̶ Modiji as PM started many initia‑
tives for poverty alleviation, resulting in a
qualitative change in the living conditions of
the poor. T he poor have now begun to
believe that the government is sensitive
towards their needs, hopes and aspirations.
Yet, despite the heavy public expenditure on
various developmental schemes by the gov‑
ernment, not one charge of corruption has
been levelled against the Modi government.
The chains of nepotism, casteism and the
politics of appeasement, which had gripped
Indiaʼs politics for long, have been broken
under Modijiʼs leadership. It has also broken
one political myth. It is surprising that
Modijiʼs caste accounts for less than 1% of
Gujaratʼs population. But the reason for his
victories in the state, and now across India, is
due to his politics of development and com‑
mitment towards the poor and downtrodden.
Under Modijiʼs leadership, Indiaʼs profile
Similarly, member states of the United
Nations giving a green light to Modijiʼs pro‑
posal of according international recognition
to Yoga Diwas is also a sign of Indiaʼs grow‑
ing clout globally.
Modiji has always stressed on involving cit‑
izens in nation‑building. The very first thing
he did after assuming office as prime minis‑
ter in 2014 was to hit the streets with a
broom to promote cleanliness. To day,
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has become a
nat ional movement. Now, Mo diji has
appealed to all of us to make India plastic‑
free, and I am sure we will achieve this very
soon.
Our prime minister has an unflinching
resolve and unwavering patience; he is firm
in decision‑making; he does not let any
obstacle come in the path of achieving the
task; and he is a man of consensus who
believes in the natural flow of ideas to get
things done. It is a matter of great pride for
us that today we work under a leader who is
working relentlessly to re‑establish Indiaʼs
cultural heritage and make it an egalitarian
society.
(Courtesy HT)
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info CLIMATE SUMMIT Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 15

World not doing enough on

By Arul Louis
New York: Warning that world is
not doing enough to fight climate
change, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi announced on Monday an
ambitious multi‑pronged plan
against global warming.
“What we need is a global peo‑
pleʼs movement to bring about
behavioral change,” Modi said at
the Climate Action Summit con‑
vened by UN Secretary General
Antonio Guterres.
“Not enough is being done to
combat climate change. We need a
comprehensive approach through
educat ion, values, lifestyle
approach and behavioral change,
which should be turned into a
mass movement,” he said.
Guterres, who said that “around
the world, nature is striking back
with fury”, said that “the ticket to
entry” at the summit “is not a
beautiful speech, but concrete
action”.
He said: “And you are here with
commitments. Governments are
here to show you are serious
about enhancing Nat ionally
Determined Contributions under
the Paris Agreement.”
Modi was third speaker among
the first batch of four.
President Donald Trump, who
climate change, warns Modi
8 India increasing its renewable energy capacity to
175 gigawatts by 2022, to further increase it to
450 gigawatts.
8 80 countries have joined India’s International
Solar Alliance initiative, PM Modi said.
8 Drive launched against single‐use plastic, and
Mission Jal Jeevan for water conservation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking at the
Climate Action Summit 2019 at the 74th session of the
UN General Assembly in New York on Sept 23.
was boycotting the Climate Action gigawatts, and we are committed
Summit and holding a parallel to further increasing this to 450
meeting on religious freedom, gigawatts”.
unexpectedly dropped in while “We are encouraging e‑mobility
Modi was speaking. in our transport sector. India is
Taking up Guterresʼs challenge also looking to considerably
Modi said: “Need, not greed, has increase the percentage of the
been our guiding principle and biofue l blended in petrol and
therefore India is here today not diesel.” He also mentioned that
just to talk about the seriousness clean cooking gas connections
of this issue, but to present a prac‑ have been provided to 150 million
tical approach and a roadmap.” families.
Modi said: “We believe that an India is also leading action at
ounce of practice is worth more the international level against cli‑
than a ton of preaching.” mate change, he said.
Outlining Indiaʼs commitments, “About 80 countries have joined
he said that India will increase its our International Solar Alliance
share of non‑fossil fuel in its fuel initiative and I am very pleased
mix and “increase by 2022 our that India and Sweden together
renewable energy capacity to 175 with other partners are launching
Trump drops in at climate
summit, listens to Modi
P
resident Donald Trump on Monday made a brief unsched‑
uled appearance at the UN Climate Action Summit and heard
Prime Minister Narendra Modiʼs address on climate change.
He listened intently for about 10 minutes before departing for his
religious freedom event.
He also attended German Chancellor Angela Merkelʼs speech and
left without saying anything. The climate summit is part of the
United Nations General Assembly and was planned to “discuss a
leap in collective national ambition.” Trump has repeatedly
expressed doubt about the overwhelming scientific consensus on
manmade causes of global warming. In 2017, Trump withdrew the
US from the 2016 the Paris Climate Agreement.
the leadership group within the call he made in Independence Day
industry transition track by bring‑ this year for a peopleʼs movement
ing the governments and the pri‑ against use of single‑use plastic
vate sector together. This initia‑ “will create an awareness at a
tive will play an important role in global level against single‑use
developing low carbon pathways plastic.”
for industry,” he said. He also said that water conser‑
Before Modi and other world vation and rainwater harvesting
leaders took the stage, Indian have begun in India under the
innovator, Anurag Saha Roy spoke Mission Jal Jeevan. “We are going
on behalf of youth about the to spend $50 billion on this in the
importance of involving the pri‑ next few years,” he said.
vate sector in the fight against cli‑ Stat ing that a Coalit ion for
mate change and encouraging Disaster Resistant Infrastructure
innovation. is being initiated, Modi said: “I
He had won the youth pitch ini‑ urge all the countries to join in.”
tiative aimed at industry leaders He also said that India will inau‑
with his proposal for system of gurate solar panels in the UN
crowdsourcing weather agricul‑ General Assembly. ”The time for
ture data for farmers. talking is over, the world needs to
Modi said that he hoped that the act now,” he said.

Youths the world over strike for climate action

Teen environmental activist Greta A leader of the NYC march was

Thunberg told leaders at the UN Climate NYU student Shiv Soin, who has
Summit, “We are in the beginning of a personally suffered health impact
mass extinction. ....” (Photo courtesy AP) of the climate crisis. In NYC, over three hundred thousand people were mobilized for the climate strike.

New York: Just three days ahead
of the UN climate summit, mil‑
lions of youth took to the streets
in 150 countries to articulate
their concerns and expectations
on the burning issue of our
times.
Teen climate activist Greta
Thunberg from Sweden, who
helped organize that strike, was
even invited to speak at the sum‑
mit where teary‑eyed she scold‑
ed world leaders, “We are in the
beginning of a mass extinction.
And all you can talk about is
money and fairy tales of eternal
economic growth. How dare
you.” Thunberg added, “If you
choose to fail us, I say we will
never forgive you.”
Last week, Thunberg told law‑
makers on Capitol Hill that she
wanted them to “listen to the sci‑
entists. And I want you to unite
behind the science. And then I
want you to take real action."
In New York City, over three
hundred thousand people
marched on September 20.
Youths led the way but were
supported by those older people
also.
A co‑head of logistics for the
strike was Shiv Soin, a 19‑year‑
old NYU student. Born with
severe environmental allergies,
he has seen and felt the health
and ecological impacts of the cli‑
mate crisis. He co‑founded
TREEage, a youth‑led grassroots
group specifically focused on cli‑
mate legislation combatting fos‑
sil fuel infrastructure and cli‑
mate justice concerns in New
York and New Jersey.

By Parveen Chopra
United Nations: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi remotely inaugurat‑
ed the Gandhi Solar Park with 193
solar panels, each representing a
member of the multilateral body, at
the UN Headquarters during an
event to mark the 150th birth
anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on
Tuesday and mark Indiaʼs global
leadership in renewable energy.
Also launched was Gandhi Peace
Garden, a collaboration of the
Indian Consulate in New York, LI
based nonprofit Shanti Fund and
SUNY Old Westbury, which dedicat‑
ed a 50‑acre plot of land on the
sprawling campus where 150 trees
from all 50 US states have been
planted. The trees have been adopt‑
ed by members of the community.
“Whether it is climate change or ter‑
rorism or selfishness in public life,
Gandhijiʼs ideals are the guiding
light for us when it comes to pro‑
tecting humanity. I believe the path
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met a group of prominent community members
on Sept 21 in Houston. (Photos: IANS/MEA)
Modi receives Global Goalkeeper
Award for his Swachh Bharat mission
New York: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi was on Tuesday
conferred the Global Goalkeeper
Award by the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation for the Swachh Bharat
mission he initiated. The PM said
the honor bestowed on him was for
the millions of Indians who partici‑
pated in the ongoing campaign.
He said receiving the award in the
run up to Mahatma Gandhi's 150th
anniversary is especially significant
for him, for it shows people's power
‑ of the determination of 1.3 billion
people to achieve any goal.
Modi said that when he first
talked about the Clean India cam‑
paign five years ago, there were
16 Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019
Gandhi Solar Park & Peace
Garden opened at UN event
PM Modi accompanied by other world leaders and UN Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres, place their hands
on a light ball symbolizing earth at an event commemorating the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
shown by Gandhiji will lead to a bet‑
ter world,” said the prime minister.
The event ʻLeadership Matters:
Relevance of Gandhi in the
Contemporary Worldʼ held at the
filled‑to‑the‑gills ECOSOC Chamber,
was addressed by UN Secretary
General Antonio Guterres, South
Korea President Moon Jae‑in,
"different reactions", but "if you are
committed to your goal then these
are of no importance".
"What is important is the united
efforts to make India clean and the
development of a mindset in 1.3 bil‑
lion Indians, and every single effort
that people make for this effort. I
therefore dedicate this award to
those who made cleanliness the
highest priority in their daily lives,"
he said. When Modi took over as
PM in 2014, less than 40 per cent
homes had toilets in the country,
and now it is close to 100 percent.
He said the success of the Clean
India mission has benefited women
the most, as in rural areas women
ENGAGEMENTS
Singapore Prime Minister M Lee
Hsien Loong, Bangladesh Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina, Jamaica
Prime Minister Andrew Holness and
New Zealand Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern.
PM Modi said the platform they
were at was a living example that
Gandhi was from India but did not
had to wait for it to get dark to ven‑
ture into the fields to relieve them‑
selves. "For mothers and sisters, not
having a toilet at home is the
biggest difficulty, it also goes
against their self‑respect," the PM
said. He said lack of toilets in
schools would force girls to give up
their studies and sit at home.
He cited a UNICEF study that said
that every family with a toilet will
be able to save Rs 50,000 a year,
while a Bill and Melinda Gates
report said that increase in sanita‑
tion has improved the BMI of
women. Modi said that India is
ready to share its experiences with
other countries.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
democracy today has come to be
confined to this: that people would
elect a government choice and the
government would act as per the
expectations of the people.
"But Gandhiji had stressed on the
real strength of democracy. He
taught people to be self‑sufficient
and not to depend on governments,"
he added.
Gandhi would have gone ahead
with the fundamentals of independ‑
ence and self‑reliance even if the
responsibility of India freedom
struggle was not on him, Modi
asserted. Talking about his own
administration, Modi said, "In the
last five years, we have given prima‑
cy to people's participation.
Whether it's the Swachh Bharat
belong only to India. Mission or Digital India, people are
"Even those who had never met now leading these campaigns them‑
Gandhiji were deeply influenced by selves." A special UN postage stamp
his life. Whether it was Martin on Gandhi@150 years was also
Luther King Jr or Nelson Mandela, released at the event.
the foundation of their beliefs was All the attendees were gifted a
Gandhiji, his vision," he said. commemorative Cup and a copy of
The prime minister in his inspir‑ the book titled ʻMahatma Gandhi
ing speech said the meaning of and the Environmentʼ.
Prime Minister
Narendra
Modi held
many
bilaterals with
heads of state
on the
sidelines of
the UNGA in
New York,
including with
German
Chancellor
Angela Merkel
on Sep 23.
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
receiving
from Bill
Gates the
Global
Goalkeeper
Award
conferred
by the
Gates
Foundation
in New York
on Sept 24.

Houston: With President Donald
Trump listening keenly, Prime
Minister Narendra Mo di on
Sunday said India had bid
"farewell" to Article 370 that went
against people‑centric develop‑
ment in Jammu and Kashmir and
attacked Pakistan for making
hatred towards India the hub of
its governance and for fostering
terrorism.
Ahead of Pakistan Prime
Minister Imran Khanʼs meeting
with President Trump likely on
Monday, Modi, without naming
Pakistan, said that India's neigh‑
bor is the breeding ground of ter‑
rorism, from 9/11 attacks in the
US to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks
and the entire world is aware
about the source of the terror.
"What India has done (revoking
Article 370), there are some peo‑
ple who have trouble over it, they
are themselves unable to even
take care of their own country," he
said, targeting Pakistan that has
been attacking India over revoca‑
tion of special status to Kashmir.
"T hey have made hatred
towards India the centerpiece of
their governance. T hey want
''ashanti'' (disturbance). ''Woh
atank to paltey hain, postey hain''
(they are the breeding ground of
terror), the whole world knows
them, 9/11 or 26/11 Mumbai
attacks.
"The time has come for a defi‑
nite fight against terrorism. I want
to state with emphasis that in this
Trump’s tacit endorsement of India's Kashmir policy
Houston: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi could not have
hoped for a better start to his US
trip than addressing a public rally
on Sunday with President Donald
Trump at Houston's NRG
Stadium.
Some experts say that by get‑
ting Trump to participate in his
Houston rally marked by mutual
praise from both for each other,
Modi has likely already won the
diplomatic battle over Kashmir.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran
Khan, who is also in the US to
participate in the UN General
Assembly session, is hoping that
the international community will
admonish Modi for his action on
Article 370m, but he has so far
received a lukewarm response
from world leaders to his coun‑
try's diplomatic efforts. And now
this!
Addressing the Indian‑
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
PM Modi targets Pak over terror
& Kashmir with Trump in earshot
fight President Trump is with us
strongly in the fight against ter‑
rorism, and he has shown his
determination to fight against ter‑
rorism," PM Modi said, and asked
the audience to stand up and give
a standing ovat ion to the US
President.
The entire audience of 50,000
stood up and applauded in unison.
Raising the issue of the revoca‑
t ion of Art icle 370, which
Pakistan was set to stir up in the
UN General Assembly, Modi said
that for the past 70 years it was
proving to be a hamper to devel‑
opment.
"For 70 years, it was proving a
big challenge that India has given
a farewell to. It kept people away
from the benefits of development,
and from equality, and it was
being used by separatists. And the
Constitution that is for the rest of
India is now also for Jammu and
Kashmir and Ladakh. All the dis‑
crimination that women, children
and Dalits were facing, has been
ended."
Scoring a coup by getting Trump to participate in his ʻHowdy,
Modi!ʼ rally, Modi was seen to have already won the diplomatic
battle over Kashmir. (Photo courtesy AP)
American community at the
Sunday event, Trump alluded to
India's concerns about terrorist
threats from Pakistan‑based
organizations in Kashmir even as
tensions between India and
HOWDI, MODI!
Modi said the legislation for the
purpose was passed with two‑
thirds majority in both houses of
Parliament, including the upper
house where his government did
not have majority, and the pro‑
ceedings were telecast.
Pakistan have recently flared
over the border region. Last year
a suicide bomber killing two
score paramilitary forces created
another flashpoint.
"To day we honor all of the
Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 17
He asked the entire cheering Congressmen watched. The stand‑
audience to give a standing ova‑ ing ovation was also a move to
tion to the Indian Parliament law‑ bring home to the US President
makers and the 50,000 crowd of and the Congress members the
Indian‑Americans stood up, cheer‑ wide support that the revocation
ing and chanting "Modi, Modi", as of special status in Kashmir
the US President and a host of US enjoys.
"The time has come for a definite fight
against terrorism. I want to state with
emphasis that in this fight President
Trump is with us strongly, and he has
shown his determination to fight
against terrorism," PM Modi said, and
asked the audience to stand up and
give a standing ovation for the US
President, who was sitting with
dignitaries including Senator Ted Cruz.
brave Indian and American mili‑ JNU in New Delhi, told a German
tary service members who work broadcaster named DW
together to safeguard our free‑ (Deutsche Welle) that the Trump
dom," Trump said. "We stand administration has always backed
proudly in defense of liberty, and India's viewpoint on Kashmir,
we are committed to protecting treating it as India's internal mat‑
innocent civilians from radical ter. "If PM Khan was expecting
Islamic terrorism." President Trump to raise the
Trumpʼs line about radical Kashmir issue, he would be disap‑
Islamic terrorism got a big pointed," Dhar said.
applause, because Indians and "Trump is complete ly we l‑
Indiana Americans know too well comed by the community," said
how Pakistan trained and Preeti Dawra, a spokeswoman for
equipped terrorists have hurt the Texas India Forum that
India. Trump then went on to say, organized the event, ahead of the
“To keep our communities safe, rally. "His presence is an indica‑
we must protect our borders. tion of his support and endorse‑
Border security is vital to [the] US ment of the strengthening of
and India. We understand that." India's relations with America.
While for Trump, border securi‑ This event is about strengthening
ty means stopping illegal immi‑ those ties," she added.
gration from the USʼ southern "Modi's coming here shows the
border, for India the threat comes importance of the Indian‑
from the western border. American diaspora for him,"
Biswajit Dhar, a professor at the Dawra said.
 18
Howdy, Modi!
An inflection
Houston, TX: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on September 22
addressed the blockbuster
point for India
"Howdy, Modi!" event in Texas,
billed by organizers as the largest
turnout event for a foreign‑elected
leader on US soil. PM Modi was
joined by President Donald Trump
as he addressed 50,000 people at
the sold‑out event at the NRG Sta‑
dium here. He arrived in Houston
to a rousing welcome on Saturday,
beginning his week‑long tour to
the US.
“Allʼs well in India,” Prime Minis‑
ter Narendra Modi told the cheer‑
ing Indian diaspora crowd days
after his government slashed cor‑
porate tax to address concerns of
an economic slowdown.
The PM concluded his rousing
speech by inviting President Don‑
ald Trump, along with his family, to
visit India soon, and the two lead‑
ers with their hands clasped, took a
round of the stadium waving at the
crowd in a gesture to convey the
strength of their friendship to
which both had alluded to in their
respective speeches.
Earlier, addressing the Indian di‑
aspora at the NRG Stadium in
Houston, the President Trump
hinted at visiting India as early as
October, while Modi seemed to en‑
dorse his support for Trumpʼs re‑
election next year, and suggesting
to the Indian‑American community
to do the same, by declaring “Abki
baar Trump sarkaar”.
During his speech, the US Presi‑
dent received loud cheers when he
said India and the US were united
in their fight against “radical Is‑
lamic terrorism”, which is likely to
A score and more US Senators, Congress members and other dignitaries graced the occasion. (Photo courtesy The Intercept)
Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 HOWDY, MODI! TheSouthAsianTimes.info TheSouthAsianTimes.info
be interpreted as a message to Pak‑
istan. Modi spoke of his govern‑
mentʼs decision to scrap the
provisions of Article 370, and re‑
ceived sustained applause, and
asked the audience to give a stand‑
ing ovation to all members of the
two Houses of Parliament.
The PM said the days of “incre‑
mental change” in India were over,
and it has transformed rapidly in
the last five years. He spoke of the
various social welfare measures
taken by his government and the
objective to make India a $5‑tril‑
lion economy.
On economy, the PM said Indiaʼs
growth rate, despite the uncertain‑
ties in the world, was 7.5 per cent
“Howdy, Modi!” was much, much bigger than the two events Narendra Modi addressed in America – in Madison Square Garden
and in Silicon Valley during his first term as PM. Howdy in mid‑west is short for ʻHow do you do!ʼ
in the last five years, which he said
was unprecedented for any govern‑
ment that has completed its tenure.
He said it is the first time that such
growth was achieved along with
low fiscal deficit and low inflation.
He said India is a now a favored
FDI destination, and elaborated on
recent decisions to open up FDI in
several sectors, including mining.
The PM said energy sectors
CEOs, whom he met on Saturday,
told him they were encouraged by
the cuts in corporate tax. “Their
feedback is that the cut in corpo‑
rate tax has sent a positive mes‑
sage not just in India but among
global business leaders. This deci‑
sion will make India a competitive
destination for business,” Modi
said. He said India now offers limit‑
less possibilities to Americans to
do business. “Our target of $5‑tril‑
lion economy, the journey to build
a ʻnew Indiaʼ and the strong eco‑
HOWDY, MODI! Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 19
Two Jain Sadhvis named
Samani Punya Pragya and
Samani Jigyasa Pragya, disciples
of Acharya Maha Shraman, head
of Tera Panth sect, who are
residents of Houston, were
invited to the ʻHowdy, Modi!ʼ
event as representatives
The Washington Post headlined their story on ʻHowdy, Modi!' thus: ʻTrump plays
an unusual role of warm up act at massive Modi rally in Houstonʼ. of Jainism.
This kid stole the show by getting a selfie with both President Trump
and PM Modi. (Photos: PIB & White House/Flickr)
Some top quotes from PM Modi's speech
8 From Boston to Bengaluru, from Chicago to Shimla and
from Los Angeles to Ludhiana, millions are glued to Arya International and Arya India performers with director Rupal K. Patel
their TV sets even though it is rather late in India rehearsing the opening and closing ceremonies at NRG Stadium for Presi‑
8 Donald Trump's "Abki baar Trump sarkaar" slogan rang dent Trump and Prime Minister Modi! (Photo by Murali Santhana)
loud and clear. His celebration of Diwali in the White
House lit up millions of faces with joy
8 You can hear the heartbeat of the great partnership be‐
tween India and US in this celebration of the world's
two largest democracies. You can feel the strength and
depth of the bond between our nation
8 Mr President, you had introduced me to your family in
2017. And today, I have the honor of introducing you to
my family (indicating to the rapturous crowd in the sta‐
dium).
8 Unity in diversity is our heritage, it is our specialty. It is
proof of our vibrant democracy, our power & inspiration
8 Whether it is 9/11 in America or 26/11 in Mumbai,
where were the conspirators found?
8 Today it is said that data is the new oil. I will also add
that data is the new gold. Industry 4.0 is focused on
Indiaʼs diversity was visible in the surging crowds, all cheering for PM Modi
data. If there is one country in the world where data is and India. To highlight the diversity, Modi actually started his speech by
the cheapest, it is India. repeating ʻallʼs well in Indiaʼ translated in many Indian languages.
nomic growth under President hoped these will throw up “positive ing the Indian diaspora to join in Hoyer, Democratic Majority Leader
Trumpʼs leadership will give wings results”. He said Trump calls him a this “forward march” and become of the US House of Representatives,
to these possibilities,” Modi said. “tough negotiator”, but Trump him‑ its “driving force”. hinted to PM Modi to stay try to
Modi said he is scheduled to have self is also an expert in the “art of It was a bipartisan event, a score the secular democracy foundations
talks with President Trump over the deal”. “I am trying to learn and lawmakers from both Democ‑ of India as built by Mahatma
the next two‑three days, and he much from him,” Modi said, appeal‑ rats and GOP were there. Steny Gandhi and Pandit Nehru.
 20 Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 COMMUNITY REACTIONS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Congressman Tom Suozzi

By Shaker Nelanuthala
Houston, Texas: “Howdy, Modi!”
will be remembered as one of the
greatest shows in the history of
Indo‑US relationship. “Shared
Dreams – Bright Futures” themed
event on Sept 22 had 50,000 plus
Indian Americans in attendance
along with President Donald
Trump, Congressional representa‑
tives, Governors, US senators and
other dignitaries. Indiaʼs Prime
Minister Mr. Narendra Modi mes‑
merized everyone with his power‑
ful speech and kept the audience
glued to their seats throughout the
afternoon. The event was planned
by the Texas India Forum and was
executed to perfection at the NRG
stadium. It was a live telecast and
an estimated 2 billion people
watched this event around the
world. US President Hon. Donald
Trump, one of the keynote speak‑
ers, emphasized on the mutual
respect that India and USA have
for each other. He also discussed
several areas of co‑operation
between the two countries includ‑
ing in areas of defense, national
security, trade and terrorism. Not
only the US President, but a major‑
ity of Americans believe in a close
relationship with India, as India is
says, ‘Howdy Modi!’
considered to be a counterweight
to China in South and South East
Asia. Hon. Congressman Thomas R.
Suozzi (NY, CD‑3), was one of the
first ones on the stage at this event
in Houston welcoming Mr. Modi. A
close friend of the Indian American
community here on Long Island,
he represents all of us from
Nassau, Suffolk and from parts of
Queens. As Mayor of Glen Cove,
Tom Suozzi was instrumental in
helping our community in building
the Sikh Gurudwara in Glen Cove,
NY. Later as County Executive he
strived to help the South Asian Congressman Tom Suozzi with PM Modi, and with Indian
community and continues to do so Foreign Secretary Mr. Vijay Keshav Gokhale and Indian
as our congressional representa‑ Ambassador to US Mr. Harsh Vardhan Shringla.
tive.
Here are a few comments on Mr. Subash Midha of SAAWA organi‑ and admire his compassion in and Indian Foreign Secretary Mr.
Suozziʼs trip to Houston by Indian zation said: “It was a fantastic helping our members in times of Vijay Keshav Gokhale, along with
Americans living on Long Island: event watching Modi ji in Houston, difficulties. He is a true leader and dozens of other US and Indian offi‑
Bobby Kumar Kalotee, an inspirational speech for all we are glad he had an opportunity cials. I reaffirmed the USʼ, and my
Chairman of Nassau County Indians back home and for all to meet PM Modi ji.” personal commitment, to a long
Human Rights Commission and a Indian Americans in USA. We are Kamlesh Mehta, a community term strengthening of the US‑India
national political leader, said: "I am glad our Congressman Suozzi rep‑ supporter, said: “I am happy to say relationship based upon the values
glad to see a meeting between my resented us Long Islanders at this that Congressman Suozzi well rep‑ of democracy, the rule of law, the
congressman Tom Suozzi and PM event. He is a champion of our resented us at this magnificent modern economy and respect for
Modi ji. The meeting and dialogue causes.” event in Houston and meeting PM individual human rights. I will
make a better understanding Dr. Purna Atluri, a physician and Modi Ji. He can be in the forefront always fight to enhance this rela‑
between the largest democracy, philanthropist, and Chairman of of a great everlasting relationship tionship and for the values we pro‑
India, and the oldest democracy, TLCA, a Telugu organization of and friendship between both the mote".
USA. I am proud of the PM of Queens and Long Island, and Jay countries. He is our leader in US Mr. Shaker Nelanuthala ‑ is an IT
India and my congressman as I Talluri, President of TANA, a Congress.” consultant, a project manager
know both of them personally. 25,000 member national Telugu Congressman Suozzi said: serving hospitality industry and an
These meetings make a better organization, said: “Congressman "Sunday in Houston I met Indian editorial contributor to The South
tomorrow for all." Suozzi is a true friend of the Indian PM Modi, Indian Ambassador to Asian Times. He lives on Long
Dr. Anila Midha and Prof. American community. We respect US Mr. Harsh Vardhan Shringla Island.

History was reset in Houston Shocking the pro‑Pak elements

Ravi Batra Dr Sampat Shivangi
Eminent Attorney National President
Chair, National Advisory Council Indian American Forum
for South Asian Affairs for Political Education

P I
recedents were broken and proto‑
col‑embedded wisdom discarded in
Houston when PM Modi intro‑
duced President Trump at the ʻHowdy,
Modi!ʼ event. Typically, the Head of State
or Government of the host nation wel‑
comes a visiting counterpart, but that mil‑
lennia old protocol was discarded for a
unique sight to behold: Indiaʼs PM Modi
welcoming and introducing President
Trump in America.
Such warmth, usually between brothers
or best friends, can displace protocol for
something better: a knowing and obvious
joint destiny.
To the feint‑hearted or mischievous, they
need to proceed with caution during the
21st Century, because Houston became
the venue when history was reset and
India ‑ who Columbus set out to find ‑ and
America, that Columbus discovered,
joined as long lost family with passionate
warmth that exceeds the limits of sover‑
eignty. Pandit Nehru sought a ʻtryst with
destiny.ʼ On Sunday, PM Modi, the new
Iron Man Of India, not only enjoyed the
tryst with destiny, but even straightened it
out to honor the New India ‑ which honors
the thousands yearsʼ old golden age of
India ‑ as if reborn with him.
Having come to these blessed shores
over 50 years ago as a kid, and always
seeking a joinder between America and
India, two nations rooted in common val‑
ues & freedoms, I beheld with supreme
delight the Prime Minister Of India wel‑
coming and introducing the President Of
America in Texas!
t was a phenomenal experience to be
part of this possibly the greatest show
of political power by two world leaders
of our time who want to usher in peace and
prosperity for all. At their historic summit
in Houston, TX on Sunday Modiji and
Trump were ef fusive with their personal
chemistry and showed the world that India
and USA are closest allies committed to
eliminating international terrorism, special‑
ly the radical Islamist variety.
President Trump reiterated that India
has a true friend in the White House and
how much he values his personal relation‑
ship with PM Modi and India. the two leadersʼ jugalbandi was a shock to
Modijiʼs dream of $5 trillion economy pro Pakistani propagandists who have car‑
for India is possible when US and India ink ried a tirade against the removal of Article
the trade treaty, which will be finalized 370 by India. A shock even for some pro‑
when they meet on the sidelines of UN Pakistan members of US Congress.
General Assembly in New York. The two US senators from Texas, John
President Trumpʼs presence in NGR stadi‑ Cornyn and Ted Cruz were complimenting
um with Modiji also dampened the spirit India and the Indian American community
and noise of pro‑Pakistani protestors who for their contributions to US in the fields of
were barricaded in a remote area and did technology, trade and medicine. From my
not make a dent in the democratic values of state, Mississippi, our Senator Cindy Hyde
Modi‑Trump summit. As a matter of fact, Smith also graced the event.
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
PM Modi will take care of
terror, Kashmir: Trump
Not shying away from talks with Pak : PM Modi to Trump
New York: President Donald
Trump on Tuesday said he
expected Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to “take care” of
the terrorism problem in the
region and the Kashmir issue,
effectively endorsing New Delhiʼs
position that bilateral matters
with Pakistan brook no third
party mediation.
“I know that your Prime
Minister will take care of it ... you
have a great Prime Minister and
he will solve the problem, I have
no doubt about it,” Trump said in
brief remarks before a bilateral
meeting on the sidelines of the
UN General Assembly.
Asked what message he wanted
to give Pakistan considering its
Prime Minister Imran Khan had
At their bilateral meeting on Sept 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented to President Donald
admitted that the Pakistani army
and intelligence agency ISI had
trained al‑Qaida and other terror‑ it.”
ist groups, Trump said, “The mes‑ On his part, PM Mo di told
sage is not for me to give ... it is President Trump that India is not
for Prime Minister Modi to give, shy ing away from talks w ith
and he gave it loud and clear. I Pakistan, but for that it expects
am sure he will be able to handle Islamabad to take some concrete
35 US lawmakers urge
India‑Pakistan to hold
talks on Kashmir
Washington: Thirty‑five US lawmakers
have called for bilateral talks between
India and Pakistan to help keep peace and
security in Kashmir in the wake of abroga‑
tion of Article 370. In a letter to Kelly
Craft, US ambassador to the United
Nations, the lawmakers urged him for ini‑
tiatives to reduce tension between two
nuclear‑powered nations.
According to reports in Pakistani media,
the lawmakers expressed concern over
the situation in Kashmir Valley after
removal of special status.
"We write out of concern with the recent
activity in the Kashmir region, amid
increasing tensions between India and
Pakistan, both having nuclear capabilities.
Maintaining peace and stability in this
region is a matter of global security," they
wrote. "In late July and early August, India
moved 45,000 troops into the Kashmir
region. Upon removing the special status
on August 5, residents'' freedom of move‑
ment and communication were suspend‑
ed. We are encouraged by recent reports
that restrictions have begun to be uplift‑
ed," they said.
They urged Craft to let them know what
actions the UN Mission and the adminis‑
tration would take to prevent further esca‑
lation of the conflict between India and
Pakistan. "We appreciate your attention to
these concerns and stand ready to assist
you in any way as you represent the US at
the UN." the lawmakers said.
Trump a framed photograph of the two together at ʻHowdy, Modi!ʼ rally on Sept 22.
steps, which has not happened.
Mo di also told Trump that
thoug h India has the second
largest number of Muslims in the
world, there has been "signifi‑
cantly lower leve l" of Indian
Pak can’t use terror as
policy tool: Jaishankar
Special to
The South Asian Times
New York: Indian External Af fairs
Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has
stated that Islamabad cannot use terror
as its default method to deal with neigh‑
bors and other countries.
“Pakistan has to understand that, in this
day and age, it cannot continue to use
terrorism as a tool of its foreign policy,”
Jaishankar told a gathering at the Asia
Society here on September 24.
On talking to Islamabad, he said, “We
have no problem in talking to Pakistan,
we have a problem talking to terroristan.”
Former prime minister of Australia
Kevin Rudd, President of Asia Society
Policy Institute, moderated the discus‑
sion. Asked whether the recent decision
made by New Delhi of abrogating Article
370 would trigger instability in South
Asia, Jaishankar replied in the negative.
“Our option was: Do we do more of the
same, or do we try something different?”
he said on Kashmir. “We opted for some‑
thing different.”
T he minister pointed out that the
Article 370 was meant to be “temporary”
and countered Rudd, “Does the word tem‑
porary mean 70 years?”
According to him, the provision was
exploited by Pakistan to carry out “cross‑
border terrorism.”
KASHMIR
Muslims participating in global
terror activities or getting radi‑
calized, said Foreign Secretary
Vijay Gokhale, briefing reporters
later.
Modi explained in some detail
Indian External Affairs Minister
S. Jaishankar at the Asia Society
event moderated by former prime
minister of Australia Kevin Rudd.
Writing in the Financial Times, pub‑
lished the same day, Jaishankar pointed
out, “The earlier provision created a cosy
arrangement of local ownerships that
served the stateʼs political elite well. But
it denied economic opportunities and
social gains for the masses. The resulting
separatist sentiments in some quarters
were then exploited by neighboring
Pakistan.”
The relevant constitutional amendment
to revoke Article 370 was passed by both
houses of parliament with a large con‑
sensus, he noted in the op‑ed article in
the London‑based newspaper.
At the Asia Society discussion, the for‑
mer Indian ambassador to the US
detailed the Modi governmentʼs efforts at
Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 21
the challenges India has faced on
account of terrorism, especially
in Jammu and Kashmir, in the last
30 years. "The PM underscored
that 42,000 lives have been lost
to terror attacks in the last 30
years, and that it is incumbent on
the international community to
join together to fight the scourge.
The PM also mentioned that from
a number of developed countries,
a significant number of foreign
fighters, have participated in ter‑
ror activities globally,” Gokhale
said, adding,
"The focus of discussions this
time was on the impact of terror‑
ism and the fact that it needs to
be understood where the origin
of that is, and how we tackle it
jointly." On Trump's of fer of
mediation, which he had made
again during the press confer‑
ence w ith Imran Khan on
Monday, Gokhale said that India's
position on the issue is fairly
clear that "if there are issues to
be discussed with Pakistan, it will
be discussed bilaterally".
addressing the wider socioeconomic and
political challenges to develop India. The
issues focused included gender discrimi‑
nation, climate change and river pollu‑
tion, digital access, skillsets and manufac‑
turing.
On “sustainable development,” the min‑
ister narrated the government measures
such as ensuring 300 million new bank
accounts, expanding microfinance which
is now used by 75% women entrepre‑
neurs, providing cooking gas to nearly
100 million households and of fering
more opportunities to girlsʼ education, as
well as sanitation.
On climate change and environment
issues, the minister said that single‑use
bags and other plastic materials have
been banned and noted, “there is a big
attitudinal shift in India” and that was
made possible by the Modi government.
Rudd, who has visited India several
t imes, also asked Jaishankar about
Howdy, Modi!
The foreign minister said that it is a
tribute to the Indian community in the
US, which is “one of the key pillars of our
(India‑US) relationship.”
On bilateral trade, which is fast
approaching the 200 billion dollar mark
annually, Jaishankar said: “The issue
[unlike the Sino‑American one] is much
more manageable. We agree on some‑
things, if not on everything.”
 22 Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 BUSINESS MEETS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Come invest in India: Modi

New York: Making a strong pitch
for US industry to come and
invest in India, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Wednesday
said he will act as a bridge to fill
any gaps in the path of making
India an ideal destination for
investors.
Speaking at the Bloomberg
Global Business Forum here,
Modi highlighted the progress
made by India over the last five
years and pointed out that FDI
came into the country in big
numbers during the time due to
the steps taken by his govern‑
ment.
"In the past five years, India
has had 286 billion in FDI. This is
half of India's total FDI inflow in
the past 20 years," he said.
"Your prudent method and our
pragmatic mind can write new
stories in management. Your
rational ways and our human val‑
ues can show the path which the
world is looking for. And if there
is any gap anywhere, I will per‑
sonally act as a bridge," PM told
the gathering.
The Prime Minister said that
India grabbed the top position in
Asia in terms of investment in
Bloomberg's Nation Brand
Tracker‑2018 survey.
"In seven out of 10 indicators,
Ahead of his address at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum, PM
Modi met former Mayor of New York City, Michael R Bloomberg.
Currency stability, High‑quality
products, Anti‑corruption, Low
cost of production, Strategic
location and respect for IPR,
India was on top. Even on other
indicators, it fared high rank‑
ings," the Prime Minister said.
"Your desires and dreams
match perfectly. Your technology
and our talent can change the
world. Your scale and our skills
can speed up global economic
growth," said the Prime Minister.
Reiterating that his govern‑
ment is committed to making
India a 5 trillion dollar economy,
the Prime Minister said, "India
has now set the goal to make the
country a 5 trillion dollar econo‑
my. To achieve this big target, we
have capability, courage as well
as the conditions."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
met former Mayor of New York
City, Michael R Bloomberg ahead
of his address at the Bloomberg
Global Business Forum on
Wednesday.
Later on the same day, PM
Modi interacted with key US and
global business and industry
leaders at a CEO Roundtable.
The Prime Minister's Office
(PMO) said in a series of tweets:
"Captains of industry interact
with PM @narendramodi in New
York. The extensive agenda
includes harnessing investment
opportunities in India and boost‑
ing commercial linkages between
India and USA".
Tagging a photograph of the
Prime Minister with the business
leaders, Raveesh Kumar, the offi‑
cial spokesperson of the Ministry
of External Affairs, tweeted:
"How many of the 42 CEOs of the
top global companies in the
frame with PM @narendramodi
can you identify?"
8If there is any gap India success story," he added.
After the interaction, IBM CEO
I will personally act Ginni Rometty termed the meet‑
as bridge, he assures ing as "outstanding" and said
that Prime Minister Modi lis‑
business leaders in tened to everyone's inputs. She
New York. further said that the meeting has
8At the CEO made her even more optimistic
about India.
Roundtable in New The Chairman and CEO of
York, the prime Coca‑Cola Co., James Quincey,
said that he is really excited to be
minister highlighted at the Prime Minister's
the steps taken by Investment Summit and that
India is an important market for
India to build a the company.
$5 trillion economy. He added that the company is
very excited to continue to invest
"PM at the CEO Roundtable in in India.
New York highlighted the steps Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn
taken by India to build a $5 tril‑ Hewson said the meeting with
lion economy. Global business Modi was excellent and lauded
community is upbeat about the India's pro‑growth policies.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses with 40+ top
US CEOs at the CEO Roundtable in New York on Sept 25.
(Photo: Mohammed Jaffer/IANS)

India, Caribbean
Community boost ties
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said
India and the CARICOM, a group of 15 members of the
Caribbean Community, will seek to energize their ties
as the two sides held their first ever Leaders Meeting
on the sidelines of the 74th UN General Assembly in
New York. The meeting was attended by the heads of
governments or representatives of Antigua and
Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica, St. Kitts and
Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines,
Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Bahamas, Belize,
Grenada, Haiti and Guyana. The Caribbean community
has a large population of Indian‑origin people.

‘Optimistic’ of India-US trade deal soon: Foreign Secretary

New York: India and the US have made
“significant progress” in ironing out their
trade issues and both sides are “opti‑
mistic” of concluding an understanding or
an agreement on trade fairly soon, Indian
Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said.
President Trump has himself said that a
trade deal was in the offing.
Gokhale, while briefing newspersons
after the bilateral between PM Modi and
Trump, said that India and the US have
made “significant progress in growing the
trade in last thee‑four years and also
reducing the trade deficit”.
He said that Commerce Minister Piyush
Goyal was in New York City to hold talks
with US Trade Representative Bob
Lighthizer, and “significant progress has
been made on a number of issues”.
Both Lightizer and Goyal have expressed
satisfaction at the discussions, he said.
The Foreign Secretary said both sides
“felt optimistic of reaching some kind of a
trade agreement in the near future, and
the discussions will continue”
He said Indian companies are also
investing in the US, and it was a “symbiot‑
ic relation, of give and take” with the US.
Gokhale explained that the trade issues
are “complex” since it “involves domestic
industry on both the sides, jobs on both
sides, and reconciling the gives and takes
requires a certain amount of discussion,
and certain amount of balance”.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale
said Indian companies are also investing
in the US, and it was a “symbiotic relation,
of give and take” with the US.
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info REACTIONS Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 23

Modi draws widespread support

Special to The South
Asian Times
New York: Indian‑Americans have
reacted warmly to the Howdy,
Modi! meeting in Houston and
described it as the beginning of a
new era in bilateral relations.
Jagdish Sewhani, a former
spokesperson for Overseas
Friends of BJP (USA) and current‑
ly president of the American‑
India Public Af fairs Committee,
watched the Houston event live at
Port Washington on Long Island
along with 60 others.
“I see the emergence of a New
India and an end to Islamic ter‑
ror,” he said, referring to the
Modi‑Trump speeches. “I believe
it is the largest gathering for any
foreign dignitary (in America).”
Sewhani added: “Pakistan has
been isolated even in the Muslim
world. It has already been isolat‑
ed diplomatically internationally.”
Naga Ambatipudi, an IT profes‑
among Indian community
M.R. Rangaswami:
Indiaspora founder
sional working in the Houston
area, observed “Modi Mania”
inside the NRG Stadium, the
venue of the meeting. He arrived
early to witness “history in the
making.” The 41‑year‑old was
happy with the arrangements
and the work of volunteers. He
witnessed the rock concert‑like
program along with his wife and
two children.
Enthusiastic backers of Modi,
dressed in e leg ant saris and
white dhotis, waved both Indian
and US flags and chanted “Modi,
Jagdish Sewhani:
Former OFBJP spox
Modi!” They nibbled on samosas
and pieces of naan bread, as well
as nachos.
“Today we celebrated our com‑
munity and its importance in
Houston and all America,” Ketan
Inamdar, who works in the
Houston mayoral of fice, was
quoted as saying by Reuters.
“Race, religion and political par‑
ties donʼt matter today.” He was
seen with the Stars and Stripes on
one cheek and the Tricolor on the
other.
Preeti Dawra, a spokeswoman
Naga Ambatipudi:
Was in NRG Stadium
for the nonprofit Texas India
Forum, the main organizer of the
event, was ecstatic. Trumpʼs pres‑
ence was an indication of his sup‑
port and endorsement of
strengthening bilateral relations.
The rally had a symbolic value
for both leaders, according to
Devesh Kapur, director of Asia
Prog rams at Johns Hopkins
University. Kapur has penned a
book on Indian‑Americans.
Kashish Parpiani, fellow at the
Observer Research Foundation,
commented on the recent meas‑
ures undertaken by the Modi gov‑
ernment: “These moves seem to
have been keeping in mind
Mo diʼs domest ic base.”
Bloomberg News quoted him as
saying. “Modi is paying attention
to the economy at a time when it
seemed like foreign policy and
events like Howdy, Modi! had
taken central stage.”
Indian‑Americans generally
support the Democratic Party
here, but that attitude is slowly
changing as acknowledged by
some community members.
M.R. Rangaswami, the founder
of Indiaspora, said events like the
Howdy, Modi! would make the
community more re levant.
According to him, more Indians
would now support Trump and
the Republican Party, which
attracted 14 percent vote share
from the community in the last
presidential election.
“He ( Trump) could hope he
could change some minds,”
Rangaswami said, according to
The New York Times. “It could
happen.”

‘Howdy, Modi!’ Nikki Haley hails

hits world headlines
It was noted as one of the largest, if not THE largest,
ever receptions for a foreign leader in the US.
New York: Prime Minister Narendra
Modiʼs grand ʻHowdy, Modi!ʼ rally in
Houston along with US President Donald
Trump made headlines in the world media
which described the event in glowing
terms. The New York Times noted that
“Trump joined the ʻHowdy, Modi!ʼ party
here to proclaim, with the Indian Prime
Minister, a great future of shared values
and mutual reinforcement for the worldʼs
two largest democracies.”
“That was some spectacle in Houston on
Sunday with Donald Trump joining Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at NRG
Stadium,” said the Wall Street Journal.
According to the Washington Post:
“Deafening drums marked the entrance of
Trump and Modi as they clasped hands
‘Howdy, Modi!’
Washington: Nikki Haley, the former US
Ambassador to the UN who is an Indian‑
American, has hailed the ''Howdy, Modi!''
event in Houston, saying the New Delhi‑
Washington ties have "strengthened with
the friendship" of President Donald Trump
and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Haley,
who was the second Indian‑American (after
Bobby Jindal) to serve as a state Governor
in the US, said in a tweet on Sunday: "The
US and India have a great partnership and
it has only strengthened with the friendship
of @realDonaldTrump and @narendramo‑
di." She retweeted Trump's tweet that said:
"The USA Loves India!" in response to the Nikki Haley, first Indian American
Indian Prime Minister's Of fice ''Howdy, female governor and former US
Modi!'' video link. Ambassador to the UN.
and walked across the stage in a packed
Texas stadium, sending a message of unity
US President seal replaced
between the worldʼs two largest democra‑
cies.” The BBC chimed in, “Around 50,000
people gathered for what Mr Trump called
by Dosti flag on lecturn
Houston: In a rare move reflective of
a ʻprofoundly historic eventʼ on Sunday in
India‑U.S. friendship, the Trump adminis‑
Houston. The ʻHowdy, Modi!ʼ event was
tration replaced the presidential seal with
billed as one of the largest ever receptions
an “India‑U.S. dosti flag” emblem on the
of a foreign leader in the US.”
presidential lectern at the ʻHowdy, Modi!ʼ
ʻHowdy, Modi!ʼ was a display of Indian
event.
Americansʼ political power, said headline
As a matter of tradition, every lectern
in The Atlantic magazine website. The
from where a US President speaks ̶ be it
article kicker line, added: “A thousands‑
a joint press conference or an election
strong rally to honor the Indian prime
speech or any speaking engagement
minister̶and the legions of protesters lar emblem with the national flags of both
either domestically or overseas ̶ carries
outside̶showed how the communityʼs the US and India. The NRG stadium event
a presidential emblem. However, for a
influence is growing ahead of 2020 (elec‑ was organized by Indian‑Americans in
change and to the pleasant surprise to
tion).” Texas for Prime Minister Modi.
many, the presidential lectern had a circu‑
 24 Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 OP-ED TheSouthAsianTimes.info

By Saeed Naqvi

A
ttack on Aramco, decline of
Benjamin Netanyahu,
departure of John Bolton
from the White House are all hon‑
eyed music to the leadership in
Iran. In April, Foreign Minister
Javad Zarif, in a talk at New York's
Asia So ciety, was categorical:
Dialogue with Washington was not
possible because the "B" team
wanted war with Iran. T he "B"
team was Bolton, Bibi Netanyahu,
(Mohammad) bin Salman and
(Mohammed) bin Zayed. And now
the "B" team has disintegrated.
Many foreign technicians are
engaged to operate oil facilities in
Saudi Arabia. It is interesting that
they were not hit. Loss of
American lives would have pro‑
voked retaliation in Washington.
This, though, would not have been
the first time the US and British
personnel were killed. Over 30 for‑
eigners lost their lives when
Islamist extremists attacked three
compounds in Riyad h in May
2003.
That, however, was a totally dif‑
ferent circumstance. There was
anger at foreign military personnel
on the land, which houses Mecca
and Medina. T he attacks took
place within a month of the US
occupation of Iraq. The Saudis
involved in the attack on the
Riyadh compounds were no differ‑
ent from the ones, who flew into
the twin‑towers on September 11.
This time, the Saudis who have
been re lentlessly pumme ling
Yemen for nearly five years, creat‑
ing a humanitarian catastrophe of
Ill wind for West: Houthis hit
Aramco, Netanyahu wobbles
The drone attack by the Houthis on Saudi Aramco's oil
processing facility is devastating for the Saudis.
unspeakable proportions, are get‑
ting their just desserts.
The drone attack by the Houthis
on Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil pro‑
cessing facility in Buqyaq is devas‑
tating for the Saudis, of course. But
it is much more worrying for the
American military industrial com‑
plex. The question uppermost in
the minds of the Saudi ruling elite
will be: Western arms worth tril‑
lions of dollars, which we have
bought over the years, cannot pro‑
tect "our crown jewels?"
The US arms market may take a
profound hit worldwide, not a
happy deve lopment when US
President Donald Trump is looking
for deep pockets to clean out the
Chinese in the trade war.
A weakened Netanyahu is further
bad news for the "B" team. No coo‑
ing dove himself, but his high tol‑
erance level for outlandish schools
of thought as his projected part‑
ners was harmful for Israeli image
worldwide.
Netanyahu is not a very "like‑
able" person. This was seen as one
of the ingredients in the anti‑
Semitism sweeping through the
western world. The persistent lob‑
by ing by the Israe li leader to
demonise Iran has not worked.
Indeed, it has boomeranged.
In fact, he himself has had egg
on his face as, for instance, at the
hig h powered conference in
Warsaw past February with the
known purpose of isolating Iran.
Russia slammed the planned meet‑
ing at the very outset as "counter‑
productive" because of its obses‑
sion with Iran.
Just after Trump was elected
President, two grand old men,
leaders of the strategic community,
Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew
Brzezinski, turned up in Oslo as
guests of the Nobel Foundation. I
could distil two points from their
punditry: That the principal task of
the US foreign policy was to keep
two points of the compass, Beijing
and Moscow, as far apart from
each other as possible. It is clear as
day light that not only are the two
points not far from each other, but
they are getting increasing inter‑
twined.
T he second point had even
greater urgency. The Arab‑Israeli
faultline was losing saliency to the
Shia‑Sunni faultline. There was an
assumption that the Sunnis, being
numerically superior, would in the
end prevail. And w ith US and
Israeli support, they could ask for
the moon.
To get the calculations right one
must set aside Indonesia, world's
largest Muslim country, and
Malaysia, both Sunni, but different
from the Arab world. In Indonesia,
particularly, there is a quaint coex‑
istence of Islam and Hindu culture.
Even though Islam is the religion
of an overwhe lming majority,
Mahabharata and Ramayana
define the nation's culture.
In 2011, when the Arab Spring
was in the air, US diplomat Jeffrey
Feltman had very nearly worked
out a power sharing arrangement
between the Sheikh and the main
opposition. The arrangement was
scuttled by the late King Abdullah
of Saudi Arabia, who saw any
arrangement with Shias as a com‑
pact with Iran and therefore the
devil. He saw Iran as "the head of a
snake which had to be cut off."
Has this approach worked for
the Saudis? They are sitting on a
heap of rubble in Yemen, in
Aramco and in Syria. Iran, mean‑
while, has consolidated itself with
Hezbollah in Beirut, Hashd al‑
Shaabi (in Iraq) and the Houthis in
Yemen. Will this be suf ficient
provocation for the scattered "B"
team to regroup?

A year since MeToo,

By Namita Bhandare

S
o, was it worth it, after all? One year
after Indiaʼs MeToo movement, it
isnʼt out of place to paraphrase TS
Eliotʼs existential question.
On the face of it, there is plenty to be
depressed about. A law student who has
accused former minister Chinmayanand of
raping her had to threaten suicide over the
failure of the State to act. Police action was
much delayed, though the accused has now
been arrested.
The Bombay High Court has quashed a
2004 sexual harassment case against angel
investor Mahesh Murthy, since the delay is
not “properly explained”.
Actor Aamir Khan, who, in 2018, stepped
down as the producer of Mogul after the
director, Subhash Kapoor, was accused of
sexual misconduct, is back in the film play‑
ing the lead. Khan says he was troubled
that his decision might have cost Kapoor
his “right to work”.
In October 2018, unshackled from
decades of silence, an army of women in
India joined a global outpouring against
sexual harassment. This movement across
195 countries, expressed via 25 or so sister
hashtags (#BabaeAko in the Philippines;
#SendeAnlat in Turkey), garnered over 36
million impressions between 2016 and July
2019, found a United Nations report, “What
Will it Take?” It “enabled conversations and
what it achieved ̶ and didnʼt
connections that together have shaken
hitherto stable systems of abuse and
power”, notes the report.
In India, the results arenʼt immediately
obvious. Men accused by multiple women
continue to write, be feted and find work.
Others brazen it out. After facing a barrage
of accusations, including rape, former min‑
ister MJ Akbar has brought charges of
criminal defamation against one of his
accusers, the journalist and my friend Priya
Ramani. “This case has come at great per‑
sonal cost to me”, she told the court.
And, yet, if Indiaʼs MeToo movement has
achieved anything, it is awareness, among
corporates and employees, of the law;
among predatory bosses that itʼs #TimesUp;
among women of the power of their collec‑
tive voice.
A conversation that began post the
December 16 Delhi gangrape has grown
louder. We may be miles away from a world
free of sexual assault, but we are certainly a
few notches closer.
Is it a coincidence that two cases of sexu‑
al assault that predate the MeToo move‑
ment have recently surged forward in the
courts? The Supreme Court has rejected
Tarun Tejpalʼs plea to quash charges
against him, and asked the Goa trial court
to wrap up proceedings in six months. And,
in a Delhi court, a researcher has begun her
deposition against RK Pachauri, four years
after she filed a complaint against her for‑
mer boss.
“No woman now believes she has to
remain silent”, says writer Mahima Kukreja,
one of MeTooʼs early accusers. Speaking up
still comes at a cost, but itʼs a cost that
many more are now prepared to pay. Every
step forward, no matter how tiny, whittles
down the foundations of patriarchy and
takes us one step closer to a world of equal
dignity. Yes, it was worth it. It always is.

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
UK to leave EU on Oct 31
no matter what: Minister
British Secretary of State for Brexit Stephen Barclay.
London: The UK will definitely
leave the European Union (EU) on
October 31, no matter what,
British Secretary of State for
Brexit Stephen Barclay has said.
After meet ing w ith Cypriot
President Nicos Anastasiades,
Barclay was asked if Britain
would be leaving the EU on
October 31 without an agree‑
ment, and Barclay said "yes, we
w ill", reports Xinhua news
agency. Barkley said that he was
"grateful to the president for the
very strong bilateral relationship
that we have".
"He has a deep understanding
of the issues around Brexit and
very much shares the prime min‑
ister's desire for a deal...," Barclay
said. Barkley was on his visit to
Cyprus to discuss Brexit issues.
A spokesperson for the
Department for Exiting the EU in
Trudeau apologizes after
brownface image emerges
Ottawa: Canadian Prime Miniter
Justin Trudeau has apologized
for wearing brownface makeup
to a party in 2001, after a year‑
book photo was published of the
incident a month be fore the
country's general election.
T he image was revealed by
TIME mag azine, which led
Trudeau to acknowledge that the
photograph was taken in 2001
when he was dressed as Aladdin
for an Arabian Nights‑themed
gala at a prestigious private
school in Vancouver where he
was a teacher, reports Efe news.
In the group photo, the then‑
29‑year‑old is pictured wearing a
turban and robe, with dark make‑
up on his face, neck and hands.
Brownface means the act of
darkening one's fair skin to
mimic that of another race.
Trudeau, 47, who is in the
midst of a campaign for the
October 21 general elections,
told reporters he regretted the
incident.
"I shouldn't have done it. I
London told the Cyprus News
Agency that the visit was part of
the British government's engage‑
ment with EU member states, "as
the UK seeks to reach a deal with
the backstop removed".
Britain has two bases on the
island, which will have the status
of foreign territory with bound‑
aries with Cypriot soil.
However, the two countries
have reached a private agreement
that the status of the base areas
will not change and that Cypriots
living or working w ithin the
boundaries of the bases will not
be adversely af fected in their
everyday life after a hard Brexit.
Likewise, Britain guaranteed
that Cypriots living in Britain will
not be affected and Cyprus guar‑
anteed that about 80,000 Britons
living on the island will not have
their everyday life disrupted.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau
is in the midst of a campaign
for the October 21 elections.
should have known better,"
Trudeau said.
When asked what he would say
to the electorate, Trudeau said he
would ask Canadians to forgive
him and "it was a dumb thing to
do".
Indian‑orig in leader of the
third‑placed New Democratic
Party, Jagmeet Sing h, said
Trudeau's behavior was "trou‑
bling" and "insulting".
INTERNATIONAL Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 25
Netanyahu calls on rival to
form unity govt in Israel
Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu invited his
rival Benny Gantz to form a unity
government to end the political
deadlock that emerged out of a
second general elections.
Netanyahu's ruling right‑wing
Likud party took 32 seats in the
Knesset (Parliament), one behind
Gantz's centrist Blue and White
format ion, according to the
almost complete vote count,
meaning both fell well short of a
majority, reports Efe news.
In a video message, the Prime
Minister acknowledged he would
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
be unable to form a coalition with
other rig ht‑w ing and ultra‑ demanded of us today." Gantz, a Joint List became the third force
Orthodox parties and called on former Army chief, has previous‑ in parliament with 13 seats while
Gantz to lend his cooperation. ly said he would not join a gov‑ the ultra‑Orthodox Shas and the
"We have no choice but to form ernment with Netanyahu so long right‑wing, secular Israel Is Our
a broad unity government, as as the latter, who has served as Home, led by former Defense
broad as possible, that is made up Prime Minister for a decade, was Minister Avigdor Lieberman took
of all the elements that care for facing corruption charges. nine seats each.
the State of Israel," he said. The elections were slated in a Israel Is Our Home looked set
"The nation expects us, both of bid to break the hung parliament to be a kingmaker in the election
us, to show responsibility and act from general elections held on but had refused to collaborate
in cooperation. "We cannot and April 9, when Likud and Blue and with Netanyahu over disagree‑
have no reason to go to a third White took 35 seats each in the ments with ultra‑Orthodox par‑
election. I oppose it. A broad 120‑seat Knesset. A union of ties that traditionally work with
unity government is what is Arab parties united under the Likud.
Stay out of Gulf, warns
Iranian President
Tehran: Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani warned that foreign
forces were threatening the secu‑
rity of the Gulf, after the US said
it was deploying troops to the
region.
Rouhani's remarks comes a day
after it was revealed that the US
is sending more troops to Saudi
Arabia in the wake of the
September 14 drone attacks on a
major oil field and a petroleum
pro cessing facility in the
Kingdom.
The Yemeni Houthi rebels said
they had carried out the attacks.
But both the US and Saudi Arabia
said Iran was behind them.
Tehran has strongly denied their
claim. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani may present
a new Gulf peace initiative to the UN.
"Foreign forces can cause prob‑
lems and insecurity for our peo‑ security there will be." mistakes" made by reg ional
ple and for our region," the BBC Rouhani also said Iran would neighbors, the BBC reported.
quoted Rouhani as saying in a present a new Gulf peace initia‑ "In this sensitive and important
televised speech on the anniver‑ tive to the UN, which begins the historical moment, we announce
sary of the start of the 1980‑ main part of 74th General to our neig hbours, that we
1988 Iran‑Iraq war. Assembly session in New York on extend the hand of friendship
He called the deployment of Tuesday. and brotherhood to them," he
such forces in the past a "disas‑ However, he gave no details, said.
ter" and told them to "stay away". saying only that peace in the The Houthi rebels in Yemen
"If they're sincere, then they Strait of Hormuz could be have also made a peace initiative
should not make our region the achieved "in co‑operation with on Saturday, saying they would
site of an arms race... The farther various countries". end all attacks on Saudi Arabia
you keep yourselves from our The President added that Iran provided the Kingdom and its
region and our nations, the more was "ready to let go of the past allies did the same.
 26 Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 SUBCONTINENT TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Doors are open if US wants Guterres likely to

to resume talks: Taliban
Kabul: The Taliban have said that
their "doors are open" in case US
President Donald Trump wants to
resume peace talks in the future,
hours after two attacks claimed by
the terror group killed 48 people
in Afghanistan.
Peace talks between Washington
and the Taliban to reach a deal on
the withdrawal of thousands of
American troops collapsed last
wee k after President Donald
Trump cited an attack that killed a
US soldier as his reason for pulling
out of negotiations.
Taliban chief negotiator Sher
Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai told
the BBC that negotiation remained
"the only way for peace in
Afghanistan". He said that the mili‑
tants had done "nothing wrong" by
continuing to fight throughout the
negot iat ions, adding
Americans had also admitted to
that
killing thousands of Taliban during
the discussions. "They killed thou‑
sands of Talibans according to
them. But in the meantime, if one
(US) soldier has been killed that
doesn't mean they should show
that reaction because there is no
ceasefire from both sides," he said.
"From our side, our doors are
open for negotiations. So we hope
the other side also rethink their
decision regarding the negotia‑
tion," he added.
The Taliban ‑‑ who are now in
control of more territory in
Afghanistan than at any point
since US‑led forces ousted them in
2001 ‑‑ do not recognize the legiti‑
macy of Ghani's administration.
They have refused to hold direct
talks with the Afghan government
until a US deal is agreed.
Taliban fighters attend a surrender ceremony in
Nangarhar province (file photo, IANS)
Probe launched into Australian
war crimes in Afghanistan
Canberra: T he Australian
Federal Police (AFP) confirmed
that it has launched a probe
into war crimes allegedly com‑
mitted by Australian soldiers in
Afghanistan. The AFP said that
of ficers have trave lled to
Afg hanistan as part of the
investigation, reports Xinhua
news agency. This marks the
first time for the country's
authorities to travel overseas to
investigate alleged war crimes
involving Australian soldiers.
"In June 2018, the AFP
received a referral to investi‑
gate allegations of war crimes
committed by Australian sol‑
diers during the Afghanistan
conflict. The AFP has accepted
raise Kashmir at
UNGA discussions
United Nations: Secretary‑General Pakistan.
Antonio Guterres will use the Dujarric said that Guterres "has
opportunity of bilateral discus‑ also underscored the need for
sions with various leaders during dialogue as the only way to
the General Assembly discussions resolve the issue and as part of
to raise the Kashmir issue, his the solution for the current crisis
Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric in Kashmir".
said. He wants "to make sure that the
Replying to a reporter's ques‑ human rights aspects are very
tion, Dujarric said: "On Kashmir, much dealt with as well."
the Secretary‑General said previ‑ T he discussions Dujarric
ously he remains engaged. I think referred to are private discus‑
he will also use the opportunity sions with the leaders rather than
of discussions during the General a formal effort.
Assembly to raise it." At his news conference,
Later, Dujarric clarified to IANS Guterres also said that he could
that Guterres would be "using his not have a formal role in settling
bilaterals with various leaders" to the Kashmir dispute unless both
discuss the Kashmir issue and countries agreed to it.
that he "was not referring to pub‑ He said that his capacity for
lic statements". helping resolve the situation "is
He also reiterated at his brief‑ related to good offices and good
ing previous statements calling offices can only be implemented
the matters for investigation,"
for dialogue between India and when the parties accept it".
the AFP said in a statement to
the Australian Broadcasting
Corporation (ABC).
In June 2018, the ABC pub‑
lished details of a 2012 raid by
Australian special forces in the
Afghan village of Darwan, in
which three civilians were
allegedly killed.
Villagers told the ABC that Ali
Jan, a farmer, was handcuf fed
by the troops, kicked or thrown
from the top of a wall and shot
dead.
According to the soldiers, a
villager who was relaying the
movements of Australian and
Afghan soldiers to the Taliban
was killed. UN Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres.

PoK, Gilgit‑Baltistan crying for freedom from Pakistan

New Delhi: While Pakistan will be aiming to
get the worlds focus on Jammu and Kashmir
at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), the
atrocities committed by it in parts of the state
under its illegal occupation have been time
and again highlighted by the locals who want
freedom from it.
The latest was at the UN Human Rights
Council (UNHRC) earlier this month when a
noted activist of Gilgit‑Baltistan Senge H.
Sering said that the region he belonged to is
a "part of India".
"Gilgit‑Baltistan is a part of India. Members
of the UN need to realize that Pakistan has
become a big stumbling block for last 70
years," Sering, Director, Institute of Gilgit‑
Baltistan Studies, Washington D.C., said at the
UNHRC on September 11.
Gilgit‑Baltistan, a part of Pakistan‑occupied
Kashmir (PoK), has been without access to
communication for decades.
Pakistan ceded a part of PoK to China in
1963. Though PoK, which Pakistan calls Azad
Jammu and Kashmir, has its own constitu‑
tion, a prime minister and a president, the
The administration of Gilgit‑Baltistan
was taken over by Islamabad in 1949.
real power is vested with Islamabad. India
asserts that the whole of PoK is its part since
the then King of Jammu and Kashmir Hari
Singh had signed the Instrument of Accession
with India on October 26, 1947.
The administration of Gilgit‑Baltistan was
taken over by Islamabad in 1949. Its consti‑
tutional status remains in a flux. Pakistan has
rejected demands to grant Gilgit‑Baltistan the
status of a fifth province, fearing it would
compromise its demand for resolution of the
Kashmir issue. The fact that human rights
violations are rampant in PoK, and especially
Pakistan figures among 10
most violent places in world
Islamabad: Pakistan has slipped two places on the annual global index on peaceful‑
ness, finishing at 153 among 163 countries. The index was released on the occasion
of the International Day of Peace on September 21. It's also known as World Peace
Day. In its annual report, the Institute for Economics and Peace presented a compre‑
hensive data‑driven analysis on peace, economic value, trends and how to develop
peaceful societies. While Iceland continues to top the Global Peace Index (GPI) as
the world's most peaceful place, Afghanistan has replaced Syria as the most violent
place.
Gilgit‑Baltistan, has been recorded by the UN ence political parties claim that they regular‑
Hig h Commissioner for Human Rig hts ly face threats, intimidation and even arrests
(OHCHR) in its July report. It clearly says that for their political activities from local author‑
"restrictions on the freedoms of expression, ities or intelligence agencies. They said often
opinion, peaceful assembly and association in threats are also directed at their family mem‑
Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilg it‑ bers including children."
Baltistan" has prevented rights observers, The OHCHR report has over 90 references
including from the OHCHR, to assess the to Gilgit‑Baltistan, highlighting the impor‑
human rights situation there. tance it has placed on Pakistan's poor rights
"Members of nationalist and pro‑independ‑ record.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info BUSINESS Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 27

Modi unrolls Rs 1.45 lakh crore corporate tax bonanza

New Delhi: The Modi 2.0 govern‑
ment has announced a Rs 1.45
lakh crore fiscal stimulus that
includes slashing corporate tax to
22 per cent from 30 per cent now,
cutting down MAT and lowering
tax to 15 per cent for companies
putting fresh capital into manufac‑
turing.
The government has made huge
tax concession in spite of lower‑
than‑expected revenue mop‑up,
thus inviting charge of "crony capi‑
talism" from political rivals.
The reduced corporate tax rate
of 22 per cent would apply on
domestic entities that do not avail
any exemptions and incentives.
Also, these companies will not be
required to pay any Minimum
Alternate Tax (MAT). Effective tax
rate in this case would be 25.17
per cent, including cess and sur‑
charge.
"A company which does not opt
for the concessional tax regime
and avails the tax
exemption/incentive shall contin‑
ue to pay tax at the pre‑amended
rate. However, these companies
can opt for the concessional tax
regime after expiry of their tax hol‑
iday/exemption period," a Finance
Ministry statement said.
Companies making fresh invest‑
ment in manufacturing would get
to pay lower tax of 15 per cent
provided they are incorporated on
or after October 1, 2019.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
"This benefit is available to com‑
panies which do not avail any
exemption/incentive and com‑
mences their production on or
before 31st March, 2023," the
Ministry said.
Tax experts said that the reduc‑
tion in corporate tax would benefit
large companies such as Reliance,
Tata, Vedanta, Adani more than
medium‑sized firms. Companies
with annual turnover of upto Rs
400 crore already pays lower tax
rate of 25 per cent and account for
99.3 per cent of India Inc.
The effective tax rate for compa‑
nies after Friday's rate cut would
be 25.17 per cent inclusive of sur‑
charge and cess. In order to boost
market sentiment which has been
depressed for months now, the
government has also said that
enhanced surcharge will not apply
to capital gains arising on sale of
any security including derivatives
in the hands of Foreign Portfolio
Investors (FPIs).
Further, tax will not be levied on
buyback of shares of listed compa‑
nies if they made such offer before
July 5, 2019. Making the
announcements at her fourth press
conference on measures to boost
the economy, Finance Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman said that the
enhanced surcharge shall not
apply on capital gains arising from
sale of shares in a company or a
unit of an equity‑oriented fund or a
unit of a business trust liable to
securities transaction tax (STT). On
account of tax concessions, the
government will forego revenue of
about Rs 1,45,000 crore in a year.
The tax measures are being con‑
sidered really bold given that rev‑
Corporate tax cut credit
positive: Moody's
Mumbai: Corporate tax reduc‑
tion is credit positive for com‑
panies but increases the govern‑
ment's fiscal risks, global rating
agency Moody's said. Moody's
current India rating is India
(Baa2 stable).
The move is credit positive for
companies because it will
enable them to generate higher
post‑tax incomes. However, it is
credit negative for the sover‑
eign, as it aggravates mounting
risks for the government in
meeting its fiscal deficit target,
it said
As such, the reduction in cor‑
porate income tax revenue ‑
even when balanced against the
windfall from the recent trans‑
enue collection of both direct and
indirect taxes have been lower
than expected in the budget.
In order to boost the economy
the government has already come
out with three set of measures
with this announcement being the
fourth and the biggest one.
Modi termed the announcements
made by Finance Minister
Sitharaman as historic which will
promote domestic manufacturing
and create jobs. "The step to cut
fer of central bank surplus
reserves, equivalent to around
0.3% of the GDP in the current
fiscal year ‑ further narrows fis‑
cal room for maneuver. This
assumes that the government
does not cut expenditure to off‑
set the revenue loss, Moody's
said. While the reduction brings
India's corporate tax rate closer
to peers throughout Asia and
will support the business envi‑
ronment and competitiveness, a
host of cyclical factors, includ‑
ing rural financial stress, weak
corporate sentiment, and a slow
flow of credit in the financial
sector, remain headwinds to
near‑term growth, it pointed
out.
corporate tax is historic. It will
g ive a g reat st imulus to
#MakeInIndia, attract private
investment from across the globe,
improve competitiveness of our
private sector, create more jobs
and result in a win‑win for 130
crore Indians," the PM tweeted.
India Inc double‑cheered the gov‑
ernment's relief package saying it
will boost economy, lift business
sentiment and make India globally
competitive.

Big win for India Inc, GST Thomas Cook collapses after
Council cuts rates 178 yrs in business
Panaji: After a slew London: After being in business for
of tax concessions 178 years, British travel giant
including reduction Thomas Cook has collapsed, leaving
in corporate tax 22,000 jobs at risk and hundreds of
from 30 per cent to tourists stranded, after last‑minute
22 per cent, the GST negotiations aimed at saving the
Council has lowered holiday firm failed, the media
tax on a number of reported on Monday.
goods and services The UK Civil Aviation Authority
to spur demand. (CAA) said the tour operator has
T he key sectors "ceased trading with immediate effect", the The company had worked throughout
which would benefit BBC reported. last week to seek a compromise that would
from GST rate cuts The CAA said in a statement on Sunday inject an additional 200 million pounds to
are hotels, gems & night: "All Thomas Cook bookings, includ‑ the 900 million pounds it had already
jewelry, defence and ing flights and holidays, have now been agreed.
automobiles. cancelled. In a statement, Thomas Cook's CEO,
Announcing the "We know that a company with such Peter Frankhauser, said the outcome of the
rate cuts following The Council recommended to reduce GST on cut and polished long‑standing history ceasing trading will collapse was "devastating to many people
the GST Council semi‑precious items to 0.25 per cent from 3 per cent. be very distressing for its customers and and will cause a lot of anxiety, stress and
meet ing here, employees and our thoughts are with destruction", Efe news reported
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said increased from 18 per cent to 28 per cent everyone affected by this news." "First, I want to apologize to my 21,000
that hotels room with tarif f of Rs 7,500 plus additional 12 per cent cess. One of the world's best known holiday colleagues who I know will be heartbro‑
crore would now attract 18 per cent GST Among other major items, the Council has brands, the business was founded in 1841 ken, you all fought so hard to make
from 28 per cent earlier. reduced compensation cess on passenger in Leicestershire by cabinet‑maker Thomas Thomas Cook a success.
T he hotel rooms costing between Rs vehicles with seating capacity of 10‑13 per‑ Cook. While an estimated 150,000 Britons are
1,000 and Rs 7,500 would attract 12 per sons by 1‑3 per cent, thus making them The firm, which operated in 16 countries affected by Thomas Cook's collapse, the
cent GST. No tax would be levied on hotel cheaper. and ran hotels, cruises and airlines for company has about 600,000 customers
rooms with rental upto Rs 1,000. In a major boost to gems and jewelry sec‑ more than 19 million holidaymakers year‑ abroad, the BBC reported.
Among other rate changes, the Council tor, the Council recommended to reduce ly, had been marred by large sums of debt, In Germany, one of Thomas Cook's main
has reduced rates for cups and plates made GST on cut and polished semi‑precious political uncertainty and fierce competi‑ markets, insurance companies will help
from leaves and hides to nil. The GST on caf‑ items to 0.25 per cent from 3 per cent tion. organize the response to its collapse.
feinated beverages has, however, been now.
 28 Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019
'Gully Boy' is India's
official entry to Oscars
A still from the film ʻGully Boyʼ.
F
ilmmaker Zoya Akhtar's "Gully Boy",
starring Ranveer Singh and Alia
Bhatt, has been chosen as Indiaʼs offi‑
cial entry for the 92nd Academy Awards.
"#GullyBoy has been selected as India's offi‑
cial entry to the 92nd Oscar Awards. #apna‑
timeaayega Thank you to the film federa‑
tion and congratulations #Zoya
@kagtireema @ritesh_sid @RanveerOfficial
@aliaa08 @SiddhantChturvD @kalkikanmani
and cast, crew and hip hop crew," Farhan
Akhtar, one of the film's producer, tweeted.
The film's director Zoya Akhtar is elated,
naturally. "This has been a great year and I
am so overwhelmed with the response our
work is getting. I am thrilled and very grate‑
'The Zoya Factor':
ful that 'Gully Boy' has been picked as
When Manoj realized where
Works in fits and starts
he stood as an actor
M S
anoj Bajpayee regarded as one of
best actors today, but there was a
time when he was "brutally told"
where he stood as an actor.
"While growing up, it was no doubt that I
admired Mr Amitabh Bachchan. I couldn't
compare anyone else with him. But when I
moved to Delhi to explore theatre, is when I
understood where I stood as an actor ‑‑ I
was brutally told, rather," Manoj said.
"I couldn't even pronounce certain words
correctly and people used to pass remarks
like 'Naseeruddin Shah ki picturein nahi
dekhi hai kya?' I hadn't because these
movies never played in my hometown.
That's when I started watching Om Puri and
Naseeruddin Shah's movies and observed
the nuances of their performances," he
added. The National Award winner was
blown away by their work.
"That's when I felt that if I ever have the
good fortune to meet them and work with
them, I will have achieved all," Manoj said
on "The Kapil Sharma Show". The actor
shared this with great respect and admira‑
tion for the veteran actors and even men‑
tioned that he calls up Naseeruddin some‑
times post‑midnight when he is in an emo‑
tional mood. "We usually speak about actors
like Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, and no
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
India's official entry for the Oscars," she
said. Life of rapper Naved Shaikh, popular
by his stage name Naezy, along with Divine's
(Vivian Fernandes) served as an inspiration
for the script of "Gully Boy".
Ranveer's character used rap as a tool to
express his views on society and life in
Dharavi, one of the largest slums of Asia, in
the superhit film that released earlier this
year. Aparna Sen, the chairperson of the
committee that selected India's entry this
year, was apparently impressed with the
film's originality, vivacity and motivational
mood.
The final nominations will be announced
on January 13, and the Oscars will be held
on February 9, 2020.
National Award winning
actor Manoj Bajpayee.
doubt they are great actors and we have
learnt a lot from them, but when it comes to
Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri, if you track
their filmography, in their youth especially,
they have portrayed such intense characters
for little or no monies is commendable and
inimitable.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Heroine‑centric cinema
moves to its next level
T
he Bollywood actress has
come of age, and that has
been happening for a
while now. The heroine‑oriented
film is a reality, so is a consis‑
tently good show of the genre at
the box‑office. Far from remain‑
ing a mere eye candy, the likes
of Kangana Ranaut in
"Dhaakad" are moving into
areas where the Bollywood
heroine never did.
Kangana has defined
"Dhaakad" as a "one of a kind
female‑led action film", while
Parineeti Chopra in "The Girl On
The Train" remake, calls her
next release the "most difficult"
role in her life. The trend is Actress Kangana Ranaut defines ʻDhaakadʼ as a
catching on, you realize, when one of a kind female‑led action film.
you look at recent performanc‑
es as Taapsee Pannu in "Badla" and Alia film you are just a sidekick," Kangana had
Bhatt in "Raazi", too. told IANS.
Kangana has been the "hero" of her films Parineeti took to Twitter to share her
like "Queen" and "Manikarnika: The Queen first look, which she described as "most dif‑
Of Jhansi". In her latest release, ficult". In the new still, she appears heavily
"JudgeMentall Hai Kya", she played anti‑ bruised, sitting in a bath tub with an
hero ‑‑ something we normally don't see expressions of shock on her face.
the Bollywood heroine do. The film may "Panga" ‑‑ Kangana's movie with film‑
not have set the box‑office in fire, but it maker Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari ‑‑ is expected to
outlines an important trend. Now that the strengthen her filmography.
female‑centric film is here to stay, the While there's still time for these movies
Bollywood heroine will not be the same to release, the audience will get to see
again. "I have always wanted to be some‑ actresses Bhumi Pednekar and Taapsee
body who is not the hero's sidekick Pannu playing oldest sharp shooters in the
because when there is a big hero in the world in the film "Saand Ki Aankh".
By Vinayak Chakravorty
onam K Ahuja's new release is less
ambitious about pushing an uncon‑
ventional theme than her last, "Ek
Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Lagaa", which
makes this film more box‑office‑friendly and
far more obvious in what it sets out to nar‑
rate. "The Zoya Factor" largely retains the
core of Anuja Chauhan's chick lit bestseller
of the same name, and also the book's overall
feel‑good, fairytale vibes.
Actors Sonam Kapoor and Dulquer
Sonam is Zoya Solanki, born on the day
Salmaan in ʻThe Zoya Factorʼ.
India won their first cricket World Cup in
1983. She hates cricket but, being a junior ing. The not‑so‑funny, awful truth about this
copywriter at an ad‑agency, finds herself film is Sonam does not always get it right.
handling a commercial that features players She tends to overact in many comic scenes.
of the Indian team. Sparks fly between Zoya This affects the overall humor quotient,
and the team captain Nikhil Khoda (Dulquer because almost everything that
Salmaan), even as the story happens in this film is about
REVIEW
takes a freak turn. Zoya. She is there in almost
The drama banks mostly on every frame. Which brings us to
jest, and, at a predictable point
the real winner of the show. Say
of the second half, is used to set hello to Dulquer Salmaan, Bollywood's latest
up familiar strains of misunderstanding exciting import from the South. Malayalam
between hero and heroine for essential melo‑ icon Mammootty's son cuts a dapper picture,
drama. The film hinges on a quirky premise, as the captain of the Men in Blue as well as a
but its narrative is too lazy to let the comic loverboy. Here is a star son who seems to
quotient resonate. In any comedy, the fun have imbibed the right genes. Dulquer
factor primarily banks on its lead player. In Salmaan is quite likely to carry forward his
turn, being funny on screen is all about tim‑ illustrious dad's legacy with aplomb.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 29

Bollywood's Age of Disruptors

By Vinayak Chakravorty the heroine‑oriented film has grown from
strength to strength lately, it is now time to

T
hings have been rapidly changing in
the Hindi film industry over the past
few years, and the metamorphosis
that plots, themes and characters has been
seeing will, in turn, continue to boost the
evolution process of mainstream
Bollywood. In turn, it will continue to rede‑
fine how we as an audience perceive enter‑
tainment.
Our heroes have changed. Heroines that
serve as mere eye candy are a thing of the
past, even in hero‑centric films.
Importantly, the purview of visual enter‑
tainment has moved beyond cinema and
television. The digital space is now serious‑
ly emerging as competition for the big
screen, with many top stars and filmmakers
happily signing up in the web series band‑
wagon.
The more obvious change has happened
in the Bollywood brand of entertainment
cinema. We hardly ever make the masala
movie anymore, and no one has been
affected more by this development than the
hero, for years the most important person
of any production.
Today, the hero is as important as any
other character in a script now. Even hero‑
centric projects outline other characters
equally importantly. Off camera, the male
Many top stars like Saif Ali Khan are happily signing up in the web series bandwagon.
star does continue to reign in terms of
remuneration and calling the shots, but
that is changing, too. In films where the
heroine is the protagonist, the trend of giv‑
ing her top billing (and top pay cheque if
you are Kangana Ranaut or Deepika
Padukone) is increasingly common.
The situation has facilitated the advent of
a breed of disruptors among Bollywood
heroes – specifically, Ayushmann Khurrana,
Ranveer Singh and Vicky Kaushal. These
are actors who chose to move away from
the conventional hero's image and yet
thrived critically and commercially.
The fact that disrupting the traditional
image of the hero is turning out to be a
lucrative deal is underlined by the choices
of even an established superstar like
Akshay Kumar.
In turn, that can only help the heroine. If
move beyond the first wave, where the
focus was merely on securing lead roles for
the heroine. With characters such as the
ones they portray in films such as
"Judgementall Hai Kya", "The Girl On The
Train", "Panga" or "Chhapaak", actress will
continue to underline how the realistic
heroine is being redefined across shades.
None of it would perhaps have been pos‑
sible without the advent of OTT. In less
than half a decade, the digital platforms of
entertainment have altered the way we con‑
sume entertainment.
OTT is clearly threatening to overshadow
the television space when it comes to rights
of feature films.
Although the small screen is still the cho‑
sen stop for most Bollywood producers
when it comes to taking their movies to the
couch potato, OTT rights are fast catching
up with satellite rights.
The funny thing about showbiz, though, is
that there is never a constant formula that
works. So, despite the forward‑looking
move towards success of OTT as well as
cinema, television will continue to some‑
how find its space for survival.
The captive audience that watched Ekta
Kapoor's soaps is slowly opting for Ekta
Kapoor's ALTBalaji bold sagas.

Emmy Awards wraps up with Megan Fox had

lots of surprises, records breakdown for being
sexualized in Hollywood
A
ctress Megan Fox says she had a
psychological breakdown after
being sexualised in Hollywood.
Fox says being sexualized and objecti‑
fied became a recurring theme in her
career, and the marketing plan for
"Jennifer's Body" was another instance
of the problem.
"It wasn't just that movie, it was every‑
day of my life, all the time, with every
project I worked on and every producer
I worked with. It preceded a breaking
The cast of ʻGame of Thronesʼ after winning the award of outstanding drama series. point for me," etonline.com quoted Fox
as saying.

T
he 2019 Emmy awards was about wrap‑
ping up old affairs with the fantasy sen‑
sation "Game of Thrones" saying final
goodbyes, creating histories, starting new flings
with surprise winners like "Fleabag" and
"Ozark", and sparking conversation for change
in Hollywood.
The final season "Game of Thrones", which
broke records by earning 32 nominations, took
home 12 trophies, including Best Drama series
and Best Supporting Actor for Peter Dinklage
for the role of Tyrion Lannister.
"These last 10 years have been the best years
of our lives and for everyone who worked on it, I
can't believe we finished ‑‑ and I can't believe we
did it. We did it all together and it's over and we
shall never see your like again," co‑creator David
Benioff said in a fitting farewell note.
"The Marvelous Mrs Maisel" won eight
awards, including Supporting Actress accolade
for Alex Borstein and Supporting Actor for Tony
Shalhoub.
"Chernobyl" was another big winner, taking
home 10 awards, including Limited Series
honor.
Phoebe Waller‑Bridge's "Fleabag" was a sur‑
prise package as the show dominated the come‑
dy categories, sweeping in honors for best com‑
edy, best directing and best writing for a come‑
dy series.
"Huge thank you for 'Fleabag' family.
Everybody who has put so much heart in it. It's
really wonderful to know a dirty, pervy, angry
messed‑up woman can make it to the Emmys,"
said Waller‑Bridge.
Apart from the glitz and glamor, the ceremony
was full of powerful moments with actress
Patricia Arquette demanding for equal rights for
transgender people while accepting the award
in Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or
Movie category, and Michelle Williams making a
passionate plea for pay equality.
"I think I had a genuine psychological
breakdown where I wanted just nothing
to do. I didn't want to be seen, I didn't
want to have to take a photo, do a maga‑
zine, walk a carpet, I didn't want to be
seen in public at all because the fear,
and the belief, and the absolute certain‑
ty that I was going to be mocked, or spat
at, or someone was going to yell at me,
or people would stone me or savage me Actress Megan Fox said being
for just being out… so I went through a objectified became a recurring
very dark moment after that," she
theme in her career.
added. The actress says her experience the #MeToo movement happened, I was
of speaking out against being sexualized speaking out and saying, 'Hey, these
in the industry was met with a signifi‑ things are happening to me and they're
cantly different reaction than that not OK'. And everyone was like, 'Oh well,
received by actresses sharing similar f**k you. We don't care, you deserve it'.
stories today. Because everybody talked about how
"I feel like I was sort of out and in you looked or how you dressed or the
front of the #MeToo movement before jokes you made," she said.
 30 Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019
Wish to beat Japanese wrestlers
in Tokyo, win gold: Vinesh
New Delhi: After a heartbreaking
end to her campaign at the Rio
Olympics, star Indian grappler
Vinesh Phogat has once again
sealed an Olympic berth for Tokyo
and she reckons changing her
weight category has been more
fruitful to her. Vinesh ended her
long wait for a World
Championships medal last week as
she bagged a bronze which also
guaranteed her Olympic quota.
Vinesh, who was stretchered off
the mat midway during her quar‑
ter‑final bout in Rio, had shifted
her weight category to 53‑kg earli‑
er this year and the 25‑year‑old is
happy with her progress on the
mat.
Speaking on her journey after
the Rio setback, she said: "After the
(knee) injury in the Olympics, I
never thought I would ever again
make it to the biggest sporting
event. However, there was some‑
thing in my mind and heart which
pushed me ahead as I always felt I
had to do something. And after I
changed my weight category this
year, it looked slightly more tough
to bag a berth as the opponents
were new. But I gave my entire
effort, whether it was my practise
or training, so, finally there was
some relief. "I motivated myself
Cricket fraternity condoles
demise of Madhav Apte
New Delhi: The cricket fraternity
paid rich tributes to former Indian
Test opener Madhav Apte who
passed away on Monday at the
age of 86. Apte, who was about to
turn 87 on October 5, breathed
his last at the Breach Candy
Hospital in Mumbai.
Sachin Tendulkar took to
Twitter to condole his demise and
said: "Have fond memories of
Madhav Apte Sir. I got to play
against him at Shivaji Park when I
was 14. Still remember the time
when he and Dungarpur Sir let me
play for the CCI as a 15‑year old.
Late
Madhav
Apte.
Vinesh Phogat in action. She was strechered off the mat midway
during her quarter‑final bout in Rio.
after the setback because if you
don't believe in yourself, no one
can inspire you. I am very stub‑
born and believed I will do this one
day so, someway my strong belief
he lped me," the grappler told
reporters on the sidelines of the
launch of an eight‑team wrestling
league ‑‑ Zee Kushti Dangal, slated
to begin on November 3.
Vinesh is being considered as a
bright medal prospect for India in
Tokyo 2020 and when asked
about the amount of pressure on
her to perform, she said: "Last time
(in Rio) there was some pressure
Obituary
He always supported me and was
a well wisher. May his Soul Rest in
peace." Wasim Jaffer said: "He had
a Test average touching 50
despite not getting enough oppor‑
tunities. Played active cricket till
he was 71. A legend of Mumbai
and Indian cricket passed away
today. You will be missed Madhav
Apte sir."
"At a loss of words, hearing
about the passing away of
Madhav Apte Sir. I knew him as a
SPORTS
as everyone was expecting a lot
from me, they wanted a gold from
me. However, I don't take much
pressure now as I feel I can deliver
my best and will feature in all my
matches unlike in Rio. I had to skip
the games there because of the
injury but I won't care of the
results in Tokyo, I just want to play
the ent ire six minutes of the
game." Vinesh had changed her
weight category twice since Rio
2016, and in March 2019, she
decided to move up to the 53‑kg
category with an eye on avoiding
injuries.
kid and looked up to him for
advice. He always motivated me
and pushed me to do well. Both
me and my father had the privi‑
lege of playing cricket with him.
May your soul Rest in peace Sir!"
tweeted Vinod Kambli.
Apte played seven Tests for
India, five of which were against
West Indies at home. In his seven
Tests, he scored 542 runs at an
outstanding average of 49.27. He
hit three half centuries and one
century that came against West
Indies in Port of Spain wherein he
scored 163.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Sports Minister felicitates
boxing medal winners
Boxers Manish Kaushik and Amit Panghal
in New Delhi. (Photo: IANS)
New Delhi: Union Sports Minister
Kiren Rijiju felicitated Indias box‑
ing stars Amit Panghal and Manish
Kaushik who won a medal each at
the Mens World Boxing
Championships. The two medals
won by Amit and Manish were the
most by India at any single mens
boxing championship. Amit was
honored by Kiren Rijiju with a
cheque of Rs. 14 lakhs while
Manish was given a cheque of Rs.8
lakhs. Amit, who was the second
seed in 52 kg, created history as he
became the first Indian to reach the
final of the Men's World Boxing
Championship and winning a silver
medal. It has been a glorious past
couple of years for the 24‑year‑old
from Haryana, who in recent times
has won the gold medal at the
2018 Asian Games and the 2019
Asian Championships along with
winning the silver medal at the
Commonwealth Games.
South Africa stroll to
9-wicket win, level series 1-1
Bengaluru: South Africa beat India
by nine wickets in the third T20I to
level the three‑match series 1‑1,
here on Sunday. After Kagiso
Rabada and Beuran Hendricks
restricted India to 134/9, a master‑
ful 79 (52 balls, 4x6, 6x5) from
Proteas skipper Quinton de Kock
helped the visitors chase down the
target with more than three overs
to spare. De Kock shared a 76‑run
opening stand with Reeza
Hendricks (28) which all but elimi‑
Speaking about the win, Amit
said, "I am very happy about win‑
ning silver and I would like to send
my regards to people from across
the country who supported me
through this journey. Of course I
would have wanted to win gold,
and I will work on my weaknesses
to convert this silver into gold in
my upcoming challenges."
The 23‑year‑old Manish Kaushik
had a glorious run in the tourna‑
ment in the 63 kg event as he
knocked off 4th seed and Asian
Games silver medallist
Baatarsukhin Chinzorig in the
round of 16, before seeing his tour‑
nament end in the semi‑finals to
the top seed Andy Cruz Gomez and
winning a bronze. Kiren Rijiju, who
was all praise for the Indian side,
said, "I am very proud of India's
best‑ever performance at the Men's
Boxing World Championship. I feel
India has a great future in boxing”.
nated India's slender chances of
snatching a victory out of the
match. Hardik Pandya got the lone
wicket of the innings as Hendricks
holed out to Virat Kohli at mid‑on.
Temba Bavuma, playing his second
T20I, then provided able assistance
to his captain and saw South Africa
cross the finishing line without any
hiccups. Earlier, Kohli won the toss
and chose to bat first with an eye on
testing the team's abilities in
defending a total.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019
32 Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Humor with Melvin Durai

Bearded men deserve

equal opportunities
S
ometime in the 1990s, I started grow‑
ing a beard and have maintained it
since then, except for one or two laps‑
es. The last time I shaved it off, my wife and
kids screamed in unison: “Grow it back! Grow
it back! We can see your face!”
The nice thing about having a beard is that
Iʼve saved a lot of money on razors, not to
mention shaving cream and Band‑Aids. Iʼve
also developed a kinship with other bearded

BEST men. When we pass each other on the street,

we greet each other with a special gesture

RATE thatʼs known only to bearded men.

As a veteran of the bearded community, Iʼm
ents, “Sorry, Mommy and Daddy. I feared the
beard!”
FOR able to empathize with all the men who have
faced discrimination for no other reason than
Actually, the real reason that Air Canada
banned beards in cockpits was the belief that
INDIA the natural growths on their chins. Beard dis‑
crimination does not get as much attention as
a clean‑shaven face is better suited to create a
proper seal on an oral‑nasal face mask. Such
AND other forms of discrimination, but it can be
quite harmful. Just ask all the bearded men
masks protect pilots during in‑flight emergen‑
cies, not only providing oxygen, but also
who are barred from certain jobs or automati‑
PAKISTAN cally cast as villains in Hollywood movies.
keeping out carbon monoxide and toxic
fumes.
Thankfully, the BERM (beard equal rights
In late 2016, Air Canada asked researchers
movement) has enjoyed significant victories
at Simon Fraser University in British
New York Head Quarter in recent years, partly because of courageous
Columbia to test the ef fectiveness of the
individuals who are willing to challenge
422‑S Broadway masks on bearded men. The participants in
unfair rules.
the study had beards of varying lengths, and
HICKSVILLE Until last year, for example, Air Canada was
the researchers found that men with short or
among several airlines that required pilots to
NY 11801 medium‑length beards suf fered no adverse
be clean‑shaven. Why was this rule in place?
ef fects when wearing masks in emergency‑
516‑827‑1010 Here are three reasons: (1) Beards make it
like conditions. The men with long beards,
harder to observe facial expressions in noisy
however, were extreme ly grateful that
cockpits; (2) Pilots with beards are less aero‑
Canada has universal healthcare.
dynamic than clean‑shaven pilots; and (3)
In reality, no one needed medical treatment,
children have been known to lock themselves
as far as I know. The masks protected even
in the airplane lavatory, saying to their par‑
the men with long beards, but their oxygen
levels were lower than for men with shorter
beards. As a result of this research, Air
Laughter is the Best Medicine Canada changed its policy and now allows
pilots to have neatly trimmed beards of 1.25
cm or shorter. (If bystanders can spot the
beard through the cockpit window as the
By plane takes off, itʼs probably too long.)
Mahendra In late 2018, another major employer
Shah decided not to discriminate against beards.
Publix, a company that operates almost 1,200
Mahendra grocery stores in America, announced that its
Shah is an employees would be allowed to have beards,
architect by as long as the beards are neat and donʼt
education, exceed two inches (5 cm) in length. This new
entrepreneur by rule, however, does not apply to female
profession, employees. They arenʼt permitted to display
artist and facial hair, even at Halloween.
humorist, Publix had felt pressure to change its rules,
cartoonist and partly through an online petition called “Let
writer by hobby. us have beards!” The petition drew more than
He has been 20,000 signatures, almost as many as anoth‑
recording the er petition called “Let us have beers!”
plight of the A few years ago, I was extremely pleased
immigrant when the U.S. Army began allowing Sikh sol‑
Indians for the diers to have beards. But Iʼd like to see the
past many Army allow everyone to grow beards, not just
year in his car- those who do so for religious reasons. What
toons. Hailing about all the men who feel a strong affinity to
from Gujarat, their facial hair, who would rather say good‑
bye to their wives than their beards?
he lives in
Shouldnʼt they be allowed to serve in the
Pittsburgh,
Army and actually say goodbye to their
Pennsylvania.
wives?
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 33

Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874

By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899
psharma@premastrologer.com; w.premastrologer.com

SEPTEMBER 28‑OCTOBER 4, 2019

ARIES: There are many options avail‑
able to you, so donʼt be in any hurry to
choose without due deliberations. You
will be able to impress all and sundry on the
professional front. Performing well on the
academic front is a foregone conclusion.
Your cost cutting measures are likely to ben‑
efit you a lot. Maintaining a balanced diet
may begin to show on your body earlier than
expected. Disagreements and arguments
threaten to spoil the domestic atmosphere.
TAURUS : You are likely to add to
your reputation on the professional
front by volunteering for something
challenging. Getting into a better salary
grade is possible for some. You will be suc‑
cessful in getting something you wanted on
the academic front. Your active lifestyle will
ensure that you remain fit and energetic. A
trip is in the offing, so pack your bags and
enjoy.
GEMINI: You may have to keep a
promise, if you want to win over
someone on the romantic front.
Professional rivalry is likely to discourage
you from giving your best. Disappointments
on the academic front cannot be ruled out
for some. Investing in a dubious scheme in
the hope of getting rich quick may make
you lose a substantial amount. Searching
for a suitable mate for yourself or someone
eligible may prove most challenging. Plan a
leisure trip.
CANCER: Donʼt expect any
favouritism on the academic front, as
you are likely to be judged on merit.
You are likely to establish yourself firmly on
the professional front. Professional rivalry
may egg you on to perform better. Lover will
respect your need for space and keep away.
Shifting closer to workplace is possible for
some. Switching to a healthy diet is indicated
for those wishing to come back in shape. Not
having enough to splurge may frustrate some.
LEO: Taking care of someone who
means a world to you is likely to
bring untold benefits for you in the
future. You are likely to prove your mettle on
the professional front. Enrolling in a presti‑
gious academic institution cannot be ruled
out for some. Wedding of someone eligible in
the family is likely to be solemnised. Those in
love are likely to take their romance to the
next level. An excursion with friends is possi‑
ble this week.
VIRGO: It is difficult to fathom the
commitment of a subordinate, but
give the devil its due. Sticking to pri‑
orities at work will help you in tackling all
issues in an orderly manner. Better options
on the academic front may materialise soon.
An investment option is likely to suit your
requirement. Keeping good health will
become your aim and you will put in the
efforts to achieve it. Someoneʼs insensitivity
in a social gathering may hurt and upset you.
LIBRA: Donʼt be upset if someoneʼs
views on an issue may not coincide
with yours, take it in your stride. You
may take a break from routine to pursue some‑
thing that you like. An invitation to a wedding
or party is possible. You are likely to think up
ideas to make your love life more fulfilling.
Some adjustments may need to be made on the
work front, but will not af fect you.
Overspending may upset your home budget.
SCORPIO: Extending a helping hand
without even being asked is possible.
Setting priorities is likely to assume
importance, as workload increases on the
professional front. Confusion prevails on the
academic front, but you will be able to take
the right decisions. Hectic pace of a social
event may drain you, but you will enjoy it all
the same. Financially, this week does not
augur well for you, so remain extra vigilant.
Lover may plan out something special, so
play along!
SAGITTARIUS: A daunting task will be
accomplished with ease, as you set
your mind to it. Professional excel‑
lence is likely to keep you on the forefront at
work. You are likely to get the better of some‑
one who is envious of your success.
Financially, you will remain comfortable and
even take a chance to splurge. An active
lifestyle adopted by you will suit you perfectly
in remaining fit. Hectic activities on the social
front may upset your personal schedule.
CAPRICORN: It is important to keep
everyone on your right side, especial‑
ly during the present period. You
may develop feelings for someone working
closely with you and usher in a budding
romance! A spot of leave may find you pack‑
ing bags for a short vacation. Shifting in the
vicinity of your workplace to avoid commut‑
ing cannot be ruled out. You may have to
give your hundred‑and‑one per cent to pro‑
fession, if you expect to make your mark.
AQUARIUS: You may not be in the
right frame of mind this week for
completing a pending task, so take
your time. Getting deeply involved with some‑
one on the romantic front cannot be ruled out
for some. Shifting to a better accommodation
is indicated for some. Office politics threaten
to get the better of you, so remain guarded.
Things may go on a downswing on the aca‑
demic front and get you all tensed up. Keep
your financial position under wraps.
PISCES: There is some good news that
awaits you at work. Financially, you
are likely to remain on a safe wicket,
but controlling your urge to splurge. A hap‑
pening time with your near and dear ones is
foreseen. Something that you do on the
social front may give you instant recognition.
Those in a long‑term relationship may take
their romance to the next level. Looking up
people you have not met in years is possible.
Health remains satisfactory.

September 28, 2019 tion or travel for some. Some misun‑

Dominated by number 1 and the
Sun. You are smart, creative, intelli‑
gent and highly dignified individual.
You are a great admirer of art and lit‑
erature, but you need to control your
tendency to behave extravagant and
stubborn at times.
New contacts and alliances will
take shape this year. Businessmen
will expand into new and more prof‑
itable ventures. Speculation will be
highly beneficial. Rewards for scien‑
tist, lawyers and women profession‑
ally associated with advertising and
marketing. Spouse and children
would be supportive but highly
demanding. Health of a younger
brother or sister might bring stress
and tension to the family. New
romance for those unattached. The
months of January, April and October
seem to be highly significant.
September 29, 2019
Governed by number 2 and the
Moon. You are imaginative, honest,
sensitive, emotional and creative per‑
son. You willingly help those in dis‑
tress with cash and kind, but your
tendency to behave introvert and shy
needs to be checked at times.
This new year is going to start with
new growth opportunities for you.
Promotions and transfers for some.
Speculation would be very reward‑
ing. Past investments would bring
rewards. Travel overseas for business
and new ventures seems high. Health
of your parents would cause stress
and anxiety. Your spouse and chil‑
dren would be af fect ionate but
demand more attention. Avoid any
financial agreements with casual
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
friends and relatives to avoid unnec‑
essary complications. The months of
March, June, August and November
will prove to be eventful.
September 30, 2019
Ruled by number 3, and the planet
Jupiter, you are ambitious, dignified,
philosophical, intelligent, methodical
and confident person. You tend to
impress others with your intellectual
talks and cordial manners, but your
dictatorial and extravagant nature
needs to be checked at times.
This new year seems to bring in
appreciation and rewards. Sudden
big monetary gains, either from for‑
eign transactions or a major govt.
contract, may not be ruled out. The
latter half of the year could bring in
opportunities to travel overseas for
business as we ll as pleasure.
Selective speculation will only bring
in g ains. Some thumping news
expected from your children towards
the last quarter of the year.
Renovation, construction and social‑
izing will be major highlight of this
year. The months of January, May,
September and November will be
highly significant.
October 1, 2019
Ruled by number 1 and the planet
Sun. You are confident, intelligent,
original, enthusiastic, and possess a
very creative and artistic mind. You
are a good host and love moving
about in good society, but you need
to control your tendencies towards
extravagance and stubbornness at
times.
This year you will see a remarkable
improvement in your ability to take
quick and correct decisions. Your
self‑confidence and dedication would
help you accomplish difficult tasks
and assignments before the stipulat‑
ed time. Monetary rewards and bene‑
fits for those employed. Favours from
govt. officers and prominent persons
likely later in the year. Your health
would be perfect, but the health of
your parents would bring some
moments of stress and anxiety. New
romance for some through social
gathering and entertainment activi‑
ties. Matrimonial alliances for those
eligible. Renovation or new construc‑
tion activities towards the year‑end.
T he months of July, September,
January and March would prove to
be important and significant.
October 2, 2019
Influenced by number 2 and the
Moon. You are imaginative, emotion‑
al, trustworthy, simple and possess a
sharp memory. Your command over
your work can do wonders for you in
your career and profession, but you
need to check your tendency to
behave fickle‑minded and introvert at
times.
This coming year will require you
to be highly cautious of your moves.
During this period you are likely to
face several ups and down in your
career. Your financial position also
seems to be moderate, therefore
make new investments with extreme
precautions. Only secure investments
like banks fixed deposits and tax sav‑
ing schemes should be encouraged.
Domestic front however would bring
enormous happiness. Your spouse
and children would be supportive
and helpful to your concerns. A sud‑
den influence of an important and
eminent spiritual person would pro‑
vide you solace and mental comfort
and bring a new twist into your life.
Distant journeys probably for pil‑
grimage would be undertaken later
in the year. T he months of July,
October, January and Fe bruary
would prove to be highly significant.
October 3, 2019
Governed by number 3 and the
planet Jupiter, you are energetic,
honourable, ambitious, dignified and
intelligent. You are hard working
and always appreciated for your
commitment and ef forts, but your
tendencies towards extravagance
and jealousy need to be checked at
times.
This coming year brings enormous
prosperity for those inclined to learn
and improve their skill leve ls.
Success would be yours provided you
work towards given opportunities.
Businessmen are likely to venture
into new and more profitable
avenues. Important decisions and
contacts that you establish during
this phase would bring long lasting
benefits to your career. Health will
show improvement in spite of the
hectic schedule that you might have
to follow. Investments will yield
favourable returns. Foreign educa‑
derstanding with your in‑laws might
create some tense atmosphere at
home. Being patient and calm would
be important to ease out the tension.
New romance for some, so make the
best of it. The month of August,
November, January and May will be
significant.
October 4, 2019
Influenced by number 4 and the
planet Uranus. You are active, ener‑
get ic, re liable, systemat ic and
methodical. You are fond of art and
soft music. You can really do won‑
ders in your career but you need to
check your tendency to behave intro‑
vert, stubborn, and jealous at times.
This year your stars promise you
plenty of fame and fortune. Your sin‑
cerity towards your work and your
office would ultimately bring you
enormous benefits in the long run.
New sources of income will improve
your financial position. Journeys
undertaken will bring you in close
contacts with important and influen‑
tial people. Acquisition of some real
estate later in the year cannot be
ruled out. Health wise this year
would not be satisfying as minor ail‑
ments would keep on bothering you
now and them. It would be wise not
to avoid preventive medication and
seek a doctorʼs advice whenever nec‑
essary. Matrimonial alliances for
those eligible as other would find
romance to get them going. Lending
and borrowing money should be
avoided to the casual acquaintances.
The months of October, December
and February will be significant and
result oriented.
 34 Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Happiness is a state of mind

more. I feel like screaming!” The
wise man thought for a moment
and asked, “Do you have a cow?”
The woman said, “Yes, we do.”
He said, “I advise you to bring
the cow into the hut to live with
you for a week and then come
back to see me.” The woman was
puzzled. She thought that since he
was a wise man, there must be
By Sant Rajinder Singh some magic in bringing the cow
Ji Maharaj into the house, so she did what he
said.
not so bad when she saw how
Next time we think things are going badly much worse things could be. It is
and that God is human nature to think that every‑
body else has it so good and it is
not properly only we who are suffering.
listening to us, We think we know what is best
we should sit for us. How many times have we
tried to intervene with our two
back, take a cents to find that when we tried to
deep breath, change our situation, we made
and relax. We things worse? Then, we regret
should give God what we have done and wish we
could make things go back to the

L
ife is filled with many chal‑
lenges and sometimes,
under pressure, people
crack. They feel they can no
longer stand all the problems fac‑
ing them. Sometimes people feel
they have the worst job in the
world. Others feel they have the
worst health problems; they feel
no one could be plagued with as
many physical problems as they
have. At some time in our lives, we
feel that no one could have things
as bad as we have.
There is a folk tale about a wise
man who lived in a forest. People
would travel far and wide to seek
him out for answers to their prob‑
lems. One day, a woman came to
him for advice.
He said, “My dear, what can I do
for you?”
She said, “Things are terrible at
home. I live in a small hut with my
husband and two children. The hut
is barely large enough for the four
of us. I wanted a bigger house but
my husband is not doing well at
work and cannot afford anything
larger. As times are bad, my hus‑
bandʼs father lost his job, so his
parents had to move in with us.
We were already crowded before
but now with six of us living
together in that small space, it is
unbearable. I cannot take it any‑
The next week was horrible. It
was so crowded in the house that
every time the cow turned around,
all the six family members had to
change their seats. When they
tried to sleep, the smell was intol‑
erable and it would moo through‑
out the night, waking them all up.
After the week passed, the
woman returned to the wise man
and began shouting at him, “What
have you done? I came to you to
make things better and now I am
more miserable than before. Your
advice did not work.”
He thought for a moment and
asked, “Do you have any chick‑
ens?”
“Yes,” she said.
He told her, “Take them into the
hut with you for a week.” She did
not understand how this would
help, but since he was a wise man,
and everybody in her village found
his advice helpful, she thought she
would give this a try.
When she returned home, she
collected all the chickens from the
backyard and moved them into the
house. For the next week, the
chickens were flying around the
hut, landing on everything and
making a mess of the place.
After a week, she returned and
cried, in tears, “You must be crazy.
Your advice is terrible. It is impos‑
a chance to let
things happen
and observe
patiently. We will find when all is said and
done that God worked things out for the
best in the end.
sible to live in the hut now. The
cow turns around and knocks into
us. The chickens fly all around the
hut. My in‑laws are always chok‑
ing from the smell and complain‑
ing about how bad it is living with
us. The children find chicken
feathers falling into their food. My
husband is constantly fighting
with me over the living conditions
in our home and says, “It is all
your fault!”
The wise man thought for a
moment and said, “My dear, go
home and try one more thing.
Take the cow and the chickens out
of your hut. Then, come back to
me in a week.”
The woman was fed up with his
advice but thought she would give
it one last chance. She returned
home and pulled the cow out of
the house. She took the chickens
out and returned them to the
backyard.
A week later, the woman
returned to the wise man.
“How are things now?” he asked.
Thank you so much! You are
truly wise. Since I removed the
cow and chickens from the hut I
feel so much happier. Things have
become so peaceful.” The wise
man smiled. The woman returned
home and lived happily with her
husband, her children, and her in‑
laws.
This story illustrates that we are
often unhappy with our situation
until we find that things could
always be worse. We think our job
is horrible, until we lose it and find
that life is harder without an
income. We think our health is bad
until we spend time in a hospital
and find people in worse condition
than we are. We think our family
members are bad until we find
ourselves alone and realize how
difficult life is without them. We
always feel the grass is greener on
the other side.
The woman learned that what
she thought was bad was actually
way they were.
On the spiritual path, one of the
lessons we need to learn is accept‑
ing the will of the Lord. Life would
be so much easier if we accept
that God knows what is best for
us. If we examined the times in
our lives that we interfered with
Godʼs will, we may have discov‑
ered that we messed things up ter‑
ribly on our own and prayed to
God to return things to the way
they were.
Next time we think things are
going badly and that God is not
properly listening to us, we should
sit back, take a deep breath, and
relax. We should give God a
chance to let things happen and
observe patiently. We will find
when all is said and done that God
worked things out for the best in
the end. If we reflect, we would
find that if God had listened to our
complaints and let us do things
our own way, things may not have
been in our best interest at all.
Happiness is a state of mind. If
we think that God is not doing
what is best for us, we will always
be unhappy. If we would realize
that we are living according to
what God wishes for us and that
God is giving us what is best for
us, we would always be happy and
content.

By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji

Maharaj TEACHING BY EXAMPLE Similarly, when we are in a position to train
or teach others̶whether we are teachers,
parents, employers, or citizens imploring oth‑

A
ll too often people are quick to pass
judgment on others without knowing
their full story. They may be quick to
criticize someoneʼs actions, believing that
their perspective is correct and that they
understand all the circumstances. In turn,
how many of us are willing to withhold judg‑
ment and put ourselves in the shoes of anoth‑
er person? How many times have we passed
judgment on others only to later find that
they had a good reason that justified their
actions? Along the same lines, if we want oth‑
ers to change their ways, telling them will
have little effect unless we are examples of
that behavior.
In this connection, there is a true story
from the animal kingdom about a team of
researchers who had gone to Africa to study
the behavior of elephants. They came across
an area in which a pack of elephants was run‑
ning wild. As the research team set up tele‑
scopic cameras to observe the animals from a
distance, they saw that every day the ele‑
phants were fighting with each other, run‑
On the spiritual path,
two qualities to
inculcate are patience
and understanding.
These are aspects of
leading a nonviolent life.
ning over trees and destroying their environ‑
ment. They had studied other elephant packs
before and never saw such chaotic and wild
behavior. On further investigation they dis‑
covered that the group was composed of all
teenage male elephants. There were no adult
male elephants in the group. When they
checked with the local inhabitants in the vil‑
lage why there were no adult male elephants
in the pack, the villagers explained that
poachers came into the village and killed all
the male adults for their ivory. The
researchers saw that the teenage male ele‑
phants had no adult male role models from
which to learn. Curious to see if it truly made
a difference, they arranged to have some
male elephants brought in from another area.
The first thing the male adults did was to flap
their ears and raise their trunks. Next, they
began to make loud trumpeting sounds. In
the beginning, there was no change and the
teen elephants continued to run wild and
fight each other. However, after a few days in
which the adults flapped their ears, raised
their trunks, and made loud noises, the teen
elephants began to settle down. Over time,
they became well behaved and their wild
actions subsided.
The researchers realized that on their own,
the teen elephants had no role models and
did not know how to behave. Once the male
adults were introduced into their pack, the
teens had role models and began to be disci‑
plined. In the same way, as parents, we teach
our children through loving discipline and by
setting an example. Our children do not
believe in our words alone but in what they
see us do. They copy our own good and bad
habits because that is the example we set.
ers to be conscientious̶we must first set an
example ourselves. That is the only way to
bring about change, teaching by example
rather than by mere words. If we want to see
a positive change in others and in our family,
neighborhood, community, society, or coun‑
try, then we need to set an example. In the
words of Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change
you want to see in the world.”
On the spiritual path, two qualities to incul‑
cate are patience and understanding. These
are aspects of leading a nonviolent life. Those
who are nonviolent are patient. They do not
rush to criticize or accuse someone. With
empathy they try to think of how the world
looks through other peopleʼs eyes. If each of
us could treat others with patience, love, and
understanding, this world would be more
peaceful and loving. When we are patient and
understanding, we never have to go to sleep
at night worrying if we did the right thing.
We will know that when we have patience
and understanding, we are acting in a
noble way.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019
TheSouthAsianTimes.info Sept 28-Oct 4, 2019