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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. 24 October 12-18, 2019 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Modi to welcome
Xi in Tamil Nadu to
Trump on
smoothen ties
After taking the delivery, Defense
Minister Rajnath Singh flew a
offensive as
sortie in the trainer version of
the aircraft. (Photo Twitter)

India takes impeach

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and Chinese President Xi Jinping
will sit down in the 7th century
Shore Temple complex overlook‑
ing the Bay of Bengal in this
bustling ancient town on Friday
in an attempt to reconfigure ties
strained by tough talks on the
Continued on page 4
delivery of first
Rafale fighter jet
New Delhi: India received its first
French‑made Rafale fighter jet on
fight hots up
Tuesday, in a big boost to its deter‑
rence capabilit ies vis‑à‑vis
Pakistan and China. The aircraft̶
the first of 36 ordered by India̶
was received by Indian Defense
Minister Rajnath Singh on a day
the Indian Air Force celebrated its
Continued on page 4
DETAILS ON PAGE 13.

India slams
Turkey's military
offensive in Syria
New Delhi: India on T hursday
slammed Turkey's unilateral mili‑
tary of fensive in northeast Syria,
saying it can undermine stability
in the region and the fight against
terrorism.
In a statement, the Ministry of
External Af fairs said, "We are
deeply concerned at the unilateral
military of fensive by Turkey in
north‑east Syria."
It said that Turkey's action also
has the potent ial for causing
humanitarian and civilian distress.
New Delhi called upon Ankara to
exercise restraint and respect the
sovereignty and territorial integri‑
ty of Syria. India also urged for
peaceful settlement of all issues
through dialogue and discussion.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan announced air raids on
Continued on page 4
AIA Deepavali festival
in NYC a huge success
AIA‑NY President Harish Thakkar presenting the trophy to Routh
Bhangra team, winner of the Naach Inferno intercollegiate competition.
New York: Tens of thousands of
people enjoyed this yearʼs day‑
long Deepavali festival at South
Street Seaport here on Sunday.
This was the 32nd Deepavali
organized by the Association of
Indians in America (AIA‑ NY),
under the presidentship of
Harish Thakkar. People from all
Continued on page 4
DETAILED STORY AND MORE
PIX ON PAGE 16‑17.
President Trump at his first campaign rally in Minneapolis since
the impeachment inquiry began. (Photo courtesy AP)
Washington: President Donald
Trump may finds himse lf in a
quagmire but instead of buckling,
he has been on the offensive. The
W hite House has of ficially
announced total non‑cooperation
w ith the House Demo cratsʼ
impeachment inquiry, who in turn
have unleashed a slew of subpoe‑
nas against his inner circle with
regards to the alleged Ukraine
quid pro quo.
On Thursday the Twitter warrior
said, “The President of the Ukraine
just stated again, in the strongest
of language, that President Trump
applied no pressure and did
absolutely nothing wrong. He used
the strongest language possible.
That should end this Democrat
Scam, but it won't, because the
Dems & Media are FIXED!"
W hile Trump would like to
believe that coercive tactics are
being used against him by the col‑
luding Dems and left wing media,
Bloomberg added to the mix
report ing, President Trump
pressed then‑Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson to help persuade the
Justice Department to drop a crim‑
inal case ag ainst an Iranian‑
Turkish gold trader who was a
client of Rudy Giuliani, according
to three people familiar with the
2017 meeting in the Oval Of fice.
Tillerson refused, arguing it would
Continued on page 4

XAVIER ALUMNI MEET 2 SHANTI FUND 15 AIA DEEPAVALI 16 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30 excellence in journalism
 2 October 12-18, 2019 MEDICAL EDUCATION TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Xavier medical school

Aruba: The Xavier University School
of Medicine, Aruba held its 3rd
Annual Alumni Global Meet at its
campus here from October 3‑5
bringing together the

holds its 3rd Alumni Meet

Administration, Alumni, Faculty,
Students and Special Guests.
President Ravishankar
Bhooplapur, Chairman Edwin Casey,
and Chancellor Dr. J.G. Bhat wel‑
comed Her Excellency, Prime
Minister of Aruba Mrs. Evelyn
Wever Croes as the keynote speaker
for the event and presented Her
Excellency with an award of appre‑
ciation for her leadership.
The Prime Minister spoke about
her own education journey and how
from a young age she had an inter‑
est in Medicine. She told the stu‑
dents how becoming a doctor is a
big responsibility but a rewarding
one as well. On behalf of the people
of Aruba, she thanked Xavier for
making a large contribution to the
island. The Prime Minister shared
her excitement at Xavierʼs new cam‑ Xavier President Ravishankar Bhooplapur, Chairman Edwin Casey,
pus coming up on Hato, which is a Chancellor Dr. JG Bhat receive Prime Minister of Aruba, President Bhooplapur shows the Prime Minister of
great project for Aruba. Mrs. Evelyn Wever‑Croes to the Xavier Campus. Aruba the plans for Xavier's new campus.
The Honorable Minister of Social
Affairs and Labor of Aruba, Mr
Glenbert Croes inaugurated this
yearʼs meet. He thanked Xavier for
making a positive impact on Aruba
and its people and expressed his
happiness about the health fairs
conducted by Xavier students for
Arubans. Xavier President
Bhooplapur spoke on Xavierʼs
remarkable achievements including
a 96% USMLE Step 1 First Time
pass rate and holding full accredita‑
tion from both CAAM‑HP and (From left) Xavier Chairman Mr. Edwin
ACCM. He also announced estab‑ Casey, Trustee Dr. P.K. Prahalad, Chancellor
lishing the Xavier Foundation, a Dr. Bhat, Special Guest Dr. Ram Raju and
new charitable organization. On Special Guest Dr. Barry Smith
behalf of the Board of Trustees he at the Alumni Meet.
Prime Minister of Aruba, Mrs. Evelyn Wever‑Croes with the Xavier Board of Trustees.
announced a goal of raising $5 mil‑
lion in the next 5 years, out of
which 400k had already been
pledged. Chairman Mr. Edwin Casey
admired the hard work put in by
each of the students and alumni to
get to where they are today and
wished them success in pursuing
their goals. Xavierʼs Chief Academic
Officer Dr. Arun Dubey said Xavier
aims to get even more involved in
the community of Aruba.
Xavier was thankful to have
Trustees Dr. PK Prahalad, Dr. Obi
Nwasokwa, Dr. Akwasi Achampong
and Dr. Anthony Shallash attend
this yearʼs Global Alumni Meet. The The Honorable Minister of Social
President Bhooplapur speaks Chairman Mr. Casey addressing
trustees reinforced their commit‑ Affairs & Labor of Aruba, Chancellor Dr. Bhat speeking
on Xavierʼs growth and the attendees at the Alumni
ment to helping build and grow Mr. Glenbert Croes speaking during the Alumni Global Meet.
success at the event. Global Meet.
Xavier into the premier medical at Alumni Meet.
school in the Caribbean. the Department of Medicine at
Chancellor Dr. Bhat was instru‑ SUNY Downstate; and Dr. Ravi
mental in bringing high profile spe‑ Gupta, Chief Medical Information
cial guests for two panel discus‑ Office and Internal Medicine
Xavier
sions that he led: ʻTo Cure When Residency Program Director at Alumni
Possible, To Care Alwaysʼ and Long Island Community Hospital. posing
ʻShould the Domain of the Physician Finally, Alumni in attendance led with
Cross Over Into Politics when a panel discussion that covered top‑ Chief
Politics Failed the Peopleʼ. The spe‑ ics including USMLE test taking Academic
cial guests included Dr. Barry Smith, strategies, what to expect during Officer
President & CEO of the Rogosin Clinical Rotations, and a guide to Dr. Arun
Institute; Dr. Ram Raju, Senior Vice getting into residency. At the con‑ Dubey.
President and Community Health clusion of the panel discussion, the
Investment Officer at Northwell alumni broke into small groups and
Health; Dr. Moro Salifu, Chairman of held Q&A sessions for the students.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY October 12-18, 2019 3

Rep Raja Krishnamoorthi introduces Shree Saini to contest

bipartisan resolution celebrating Gandhi 150 for Miss World
Washington: Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has
America 2019
introduced a resolution co‑signed by members of both
parties, celebrating Mahatma Gandhiʼs 150th birth‑
day and his enduring legacy. A week before the
October 2 birth anniversary of the revered civil rights
icon, Krishnamoorthi introduced H. Res. 595, entitled,
“Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth
of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi”, according to the
official Congressional website Congress.gov.
“Mahatma Gandhi is one of my personal heroes. …
Gandhiʼs dedication to public service is an inspiration,
and even when faced with incredible hardship and
injustice, he never wavered in fighting for freedom,
dignity, and equality for all,” Krishnamoorthi stated in
a press release. “As an Indian‑American serving in
Congress, I am proud to play my part in honoring his
legacy through the introduction of this bipartisan res‑
olution,” he added.
14 cosponsors from both political parties, including
many members of the Congressional Caucus on India
and Indian Americans, joined in supporting this reso‑
lution. They include Congress members Pramila
Jayapal, Ami Bera, Ro Khanna, Peter King, George
Holding, Brad Sherman, Joe Wilson, Gerry Connolly,
Frank Pallone and TJ Cox.
A similar resolution, S. Res. 357, was introduced on
September 26 in the Senate by New Jersey Senator
Bob Menendez, entitled, “A resolution celebrating the
150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi.” It
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi
has three co‑sponsors – Senators Ted Cruz (Texas),
Mark Warner (Virginia), and John Cornyn (Texas).
The Ambassador of India to the US, Harsh Vardhan
Shringla, commented, “The Resolution introduced in
the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman
Raja Krishnamoorthi supported by many bipartisan
cosponsors emphasizes the shared influence of
Gandhiʼs teachings on civil rights leaders around the
world, including Dr. Martin Luther King and reflects
the shared values of the people of India and the
United States of America.”
4 other South Asian
have also been selected
for the pageant
New York: Five South Asian
women, representing different US
states, are in line for the coveted
crown of Miss World America
2019 at the pageant being held in
Las Vegas on October 12.
Of the five, Shree Saini, who won
Miss India Worldwide held in New
Jersey last year, has been the
Shree Saini, who won Miss
most talked about in the Indian
India Worldwide, is represent‑
media. Shree, 23, who is repre‑
ing Washington state.
senting Washington state, was
told by the doctors that she can Besides Shree Saini, other South
never dance after being installed Asian contestants accepted for
with a pacemaker at the age of 12. Miss World America, according to
But she never gave up and is now the pageantʼs website are Marjana
a motivational speaker. And now Chowdhury, 26, of Alaska, Manju
she made it to “Top 5 Talent” for Bangalore, 22, of California, Lekha
Miss World America. She first hit Ravi, 26, of Florida, Jasmeet
the limelight when she won Miss Ghoman, 26, of Iowa, Amulya
India USA in 2017. Chava, 17, of Kansas.

How Indian govt is celebrating Guru Nanakʼs 550th

According to a press release from the
Consulate General of India in New York:
4 On November 22, 2018 the Union
Cabinet passed a resolution to celebrate
550th birth anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak
Devji, the founder of Sikhism, within India
and across the world. Here are the other ini‑
tiatives to celebrate the landmark year as
well as those Sikhs.
4 The historic town of Sultanpur Lodhi in
Punjab is being developed as a heritage
town. The foundation stone‑laying ceremo‑
ny for the heritage complex “Pind Babe
Nanak Da” will be held this October.
4 Commemorative coins and postage
stamps will be released in November. Indian
Railways will run special trains to connect
places associated with Guru Nanak.
4 A proactive focus is being given to pop‑
ularizing the teachings and philosophy of
Sikhism, as Indiaʼs unique contribution to
world peace and harmony.
4 Guru Nanakʼs 550th is being celebrat‑
ed in all Missions and Posts abroad. LED
projection on iconic buildings in 10 identi‑
fied countries around the world will be
undertaken.
4 A Centre for Inter‑faith Studies is
being set up in Guru Nanak Dev University,
Amritsar. Chairs on Guru Nanak are pro‑
posed for foreign universities including in
Concordia, Canada, and Birmingham
University, UK. UNESCO has been
approached to publish the writings of Guru
Nanak in different languages of the world.
4 Indian Council for Cultural Relations
(ICCR) is sending Gurbani troupes and
speakers/ experts on Sikhism to participate
in seminars in several countries.
4 The Indian Consulate in New York has
organized several events along with local
Many steps have also been taken with respect
to grievances and demands of the Sikh
community in India and abroad
partners to commemorate this special occa‑
sion throughout the year.
Development of the Kartarpur Sahib
Corridor
The Government has started the devel‑
opment of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor
(KSC) from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur
district up to the international boundary.
The Government has also been successful in
persuading Pakistan to agree to: (a) visa‑free
arrangement and a substantial increase in
the daily pilgrims number, and (b) Permit
OCI card holders to also make use of the
Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.
Steps taken to give Passports & Consular
Services to people who have not obtained
foreign citizenship
4 Grievances of the Sikh community
abroad regarding denial of consular services
have been systematically addressed in the
past few months. Travel restrictions on 312
Sikh foreign citizens have been removed.
Now passports and consular services will be
provided to political asylees of Sikh origin as
well as their family members. If they have
obtained foreign passports they can easily
obtain necessary visa and OCI services.
Release of Sikh prisoners and action
being taken on 1984 anti‑Sikh riots cases
4 Following long standing requests of
the Sikh community in connection with the
erstwhile militancy in Punjab, many prison‑
ers have been released and are being
released.
4 A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has
been constituted to re‑investigate 186 cases
filed in the anti‑Sikh riots of 1984, leading
to charge sheets being filed in some cases,
and convictions in others. Government has
also announced additional compensation of
Rs.5 lakh each to the 3,325 victims of the
1984 riots throughout India.
4 Government has also released an
amount of Rs.2.16 crores to Government of
Punjab for disbursement to the 40 ʻJodhpur
detaineesʼ.
 4 October 12-18, 2019 TURN PAGE
Trump on offensive as
Greta Thunberg impeach fight hots up
Continued from page 1
dominates Nobel constitute interference in an ongoing
investigation of the trader, Reza Zarrab,
Peace Prize list according to the people.
They said other participants in the Oval
Office were shocked by the request. This
new angle has thrown everyone into
acute consternation for the story has
now moved forward from the Biden ‑
father and son duo tango in Ukraine.
With both sides bringing up time cap‑
sules, this ugly cage match is not done
and dusted just yet.
More drama has been added to the
impeach push as two foreign‑born men
with ties to the president's personal
If Greta takes the prize, she would become the
attorney Rudy Giuliani were arrested
youngest winner in Nobel history, surpassing
Thursday on federal campaign finance
Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai,
who won the Peace Prize in 2014 at the age of 17. charges.
The men, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman,
Oslo: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Brazilian
are accused of conspiring to "circumvent
indigenous leader Raoni Metuktire and Ethiopian
the federal laws against foreign interfer‑
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have dominated the Nobel
ence by engaging in a scheme to funnel
Peace Prize lists, the awards for which will be
foreign money to candidates for federal
announced here on Friday. A little over a year ago the
and State office," according to an indict‑
16‑year‑old Swedish teenager began a weekly school
ment in the Southern District of New
strike in front of her country's parliament calling for
York. As for Trump, he fired yet another
stronger measures against climate change, an action
salvo across the bows when he tweeted
that has given rise to the global movement
"Where is Hunter Biden? He has disap‑
"FridaysForFuture", reports Efe news. Thunberg has
peared while the Fake News protects his
been received by world leaders, attending the UN
Crooked daddy!" The disdain with which
Climate Action Summit a few weeks ago and has
the king is trumping all charges makes
become a world reference in the fight against climate
many believe that he will come through
change.
this brutal round of catechism. White
If Thunberg takes the prize, she would become the
House watchers however claim that the
youngest winner in Nobel history, surpassing Pakistani
ground beneath the presidency is slip‑
education activist Malala Yousafzai, who won the Peace
ping.
Prize in 2014 at the age of 17.
His comment on the Syria pullout and
The nominees include other names linked to the fight
uncharitable remarks on the allies Kurds
for the environment such as Raoni Metuktire, an
in the fight against IS have however, cre‑
emblematic figure against deforestation in the Amazon
ated a hoo ha in Washington leaving peo‑
and a reference for the Kayapo people. He was also a
ple stunned.
finalist for the European Parliament's 2019 Sakharov
Asked about the Kurds, President
Prize for Freedom of Thought. Efforts to enforce the
Trump says they "didn't help us in the
Paris Agreement could also award the prize to New
Second World War, they didn't help us
Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. In opposition
with Normandy" and that they're fighting
to an "environmental" Nobel, the criteria that Swedish
for "their land."
magnate Alfred Nobel, its creator, once wrote will play
That the impeach fight is dividing the
a role in deciding who will take the prize for: "the most
country further was evidence by the
or the best work for fraternity among nations, for the
clashes in the streets between protesters
abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the
and supporters after Trumpʼs campaign
promotion of peace congresses."
rally in Minneapolis.
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Modi to welcome Xi in Tamil
Nadu to smoothen ties
Continued from page 1
Kashmir issue by both sides. A red‑carpet
welcome awaits Xi when he arrives here
with both the state and the central gov‑
ernment agencies making all‑out efforts
to deck up the coastal town which had
strong historical linkages with China's
Fujian province.
Ahead of the two‑day summit, Chinese
Ambassador to India Sun Weidong told
PTI that a "new set of consensus" includ‑
ing "guiding principles" on giving a new
direction to the bilateral ties are expect‑
ed from engagement. Modi was sched‑
uled to take Xi to three iconic monu‑
ments of Mamallapuram ̶ Arjuna's
Penance, Panch Rathas and the Shore
temple. They will sit together in the
lawns of the Shore temple and exchange
views on charting a new roadmap of
development and cooperation.
On Saturday, the two leaders will have
a one‑on‑one meeting at the Fisherman's
Cove resort which will be followed by
delegation‑level talks. After the talks,
Modi will host a lunch for Xi, after which
the Chinese leader will leave for Chennai
airport. The informal summit is taking
place amid renewed strain in t ies
between the two countries over the
Kashmir issue. A joint statement issued
after talks between President Xi and
Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan on
Wednesday said China is paying "close
attention" to the situation in the Kashmir
and that it should be properly and peace‑
fully resolved based on the UN Charter.
In its react ion, External Af fairs
Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar
said India's consistent and clear position
has been that Jammu and Kashmir is an
integral part of the country and China is
well aware of New Delhi's position.
The summit in the ancient coastal town
in southern India is also taking place in
the backdrop of China's growing trade
friction with the US.
Both leaders are likely to explore ways
of expanding trade and business ties.
India is expected to raise the issue of the
ballooning trade deficit in China's favor,
the sources said. They added that politi‑
New Delhi Bureau
Meenakshi Iyer
Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Jaipur Bureau
Prakash Bhandari
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
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cal relations, trade and ways to maintain
peace and tranquility along nearly 3,500‑
kilometre‑long China‑India border will be
major focus areas in the talks.
India takes delivery of
first Rafale fighter jet
Continued from page 1
87th founding day. Singh, who arrived in
Paris on Monday, later trave lled to
Bordeaux in south‑western France to the
facility of Dassault Aviation SA, the maker
of the Rafale, for the formal handover
event. He was joined by French defence
minister Florence Parly and several sen‑
ior of ficials. After the handover, Singh
also flew a sortie in the aircraft.
The first jet will, however, be seen over
Indian skies only in May next year. India
is the fourth country after France, Egypt
and Qatar, to fly the Rafale
AIA Deepavali festival in
NYC a huge success
Continued from page 1
walks of life thronged the intercollegiate
dance competition, fusion music per‑
formance, a fashion show, a vegan expo,
and fun‑filled childrenʼs activities, not to
speak of the sparkling fireworks.
A flagship event of AIA, Deepavali is the
largest celebration of the festival of
lights outside India and has been so
since 1987 when it was started.
India slams Turkey's
military offensive in Syria
Continued from page 1
Tuesday aimed at removing Kurdish‑led
forces from the border area. The move
came after the US announced it was with‑
drawing its troops from the region, leav‑
ing the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF),
its main ally in the battle against the
Islamic State (IS) terror group, without US
military support. Heavy clashes between
Turkish forces and the SDF were reported
in the Syrian border towns.
The SDF, led by the Kurdish People's
Protection Units (YPG), has appealed to
the US and its allies for a "no‑fly zone" to
protect it from Turkish air attacks.
Turkey considers the YPG a "terrorist"
group.
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info
FIA cohosts volleyball
tournament with 30 teams
South Plainfield, NJ: Federation of
Indian Associations (tristate) joined
hands with Traditions Community
of (South Plainfield) Volleyball
group to organize a Volleyball 2019
tournament on October 5 at All
Seasons Sports Academy.
A total of 30 teams with over 300
players of Indian origin played
throughout the day in indoor vol‑
leyball courts. The competition was
organized to bring volleyball enthu‑
siasts from the Indian community
under one roof. Participating teams
were well looked after. TV Asia cov‑
ered it.
Alok Kumar, President FIA, pro‑
vided guidance & support to this
first of a kind event that was initiat‑
ed, planned and executed by
Traditions Community volleyball
Trump makes it mandatory for immigrants to get insured
Washington: President Donald
Trump issued a proclamation last
Friday that will require immigrants
to prove they can obtain health
insurance before they are issued a
visa.
The proclamation ̶ the latest in
a series of moves that would
restrict immigration ̶ says immi‑
grants must demonstrate they will
have health insurance within 30
days of entering the country or
that they can af ford to cover any
medical expenses.
T he W hite House touted the
proclamation as "protecting health
care benefits for American citi‑
zens," arguing that uninsured
immigrants create a financial bur‑
den for hospitals and doctors, forc‑
ing them to charge higher fees for
Americans to cover the cost.
"People who come here shouldnʼt
IALI organizes ʻIndia Fest 2019ʼ
Hauppauge, NY: T he India
Association of Long Island (IALI)
recently organized “India Fest
2019” at Hyatt Regency here that
was attended by Steve Bellone,
Suf folk County Executive, and
Kevin T homas, NYS Senator,
among other dignitaries. Fifteen
past presidents of the association
also attended the event welcomed
by current President Lalit Aery.
The fest saw participation from
over 2,000 people and nearly 35
vendors who put up various stalls
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
group leaders ‑ Bharat Desai,
Manav Sachdeva, Sanjeev Kumar)
who worked hard on identifying the
venue, recruiting the teams, defin‑
ing rules, and executing the tourna‑
ment flawlessly. The tournament
was divided into two leagues after
group games were over.
League 1 winners
Winners – NY Spikers
Runner‑Up – Rebelz
League 2 winners
Winners – Terminators
Runner‑Up – Edison Warriors
With the grand success of the
2019 tournament, FIA and
Traditions Volleyball group have
aim to set the new standard next
year in organizing the Volleyball
tournament among the Indian com‑
munity.
immediately be on public assis‑
tance," a senior administration offi‑
cial told POLITICO. "We should
bring people here who contribute
and not drain resources."
The move also combines two hot‑
button political issues ̶ immigra‑
tion and health care ̶ in the run‑
up to the 2020 elections. Most
Democratic presidential candidates
have said they support providing
health care to undo cumented
immigrants. Trump mocked that
stance on Twitter while Democrats
debated in June.
“All Democrats just raised their
hands for giving millions of illegal
aliens unlimited healthcare,” he
tweeted at the time. “How about
taking care of American Citizens
first!? Thatʼs the end of that race!”
The presidential proclamation
will not af fect refugees, asylum
IALI President Lalit Aery and his team make it a festive event.
amid cultural events, fashion show
and music performances that
enthralled the audience. For the
This artist has designs on Ravan
Mahendra Shah working on the Ravan design,
and (right) Ravan burning to celebrate Dusehra.
M
ahendra Shah, The
South Asian Times
cartoonist, is com‑
missioned to make Ravan art‑
work every year as a part of
community service and being
resident artist he volunteers
for Hindu Jain Temple in
seekers or people on temporary
visitor visas. The measure will be
effective Nov. 3.
All Democrats just raised their
hands for giving millions of illegal
aliens unlimited healthcare. How
about taking care of American
Citizens first!? Thatʼs the end of
that race!
The required insurance can be
provided by an employer or be pur‑
chased individually, and it can be
for catastrophic or short‑term cov‑
erage. However, immigrants would
not be able to obtain a visa if they
use the Affordable Care Act's subsi‑
dies when purchasing coverage.
The ACA's subsidies, paid for by
the federal government, typically
help shoppers save hundreds or
thousands of dollars per year when
buying health insurance.
Trump's move is a "classic catch‑
first time in the history of IALI,
they were able to provide free food
to each attendee.
October 12-18, 2019
Monroeville, Pennsylvania. He
says his Ravan has been
becoming bigger and better
every year. This year it was
15 feet tall and its burning
was celebrated for Dusehra on
Oct 6 by more than 500 peo‑
ple at the temple.
22" for low‑income immigrants,
said Larry Levitt of the Kaiser
Family Foundation.
"They will need health insurance
to be in the country legally [and]
the only way they may be able to
afford coverage is with ACA subsi‑
dies," said Levitt. "But, if they buy
insurance with ACA subsidies, it
won't count as insurance under the
proclamation."
Immigrants on Medicaid cover‑
age also would not qualify under
Trump's proclamation.
The move ef fectively creates a
health insurance mandate for
immigrants, just months after
Trump and cong ressional
Republicans repealed the
Af fordable Care Act's mandate,
arguing that its tax penalty was
"cruel" and created an unfair bur‑
den. "The individual mandate in
INDIA SLASHES
E‑TOURIST VISA FEES
T
he Government of India
has decided to reduce the
e‑Tourist Visa fees for
foreign nationals including US
nationals, as per details given
below:
(i) T he fee for one‑year e‑
Tourist Visa has been reduced
from $80 to $40;
(ii) A 30‑day e‑Tourist Visa has
been introduced with a fee of
$25, which will be applicable
5
Obamacare ̶ one of the worst
things anybody's ever had to live
through," Trump declared at a
political rally in June, announcing
his 2020 campaign.
The president's proclamation
also builds on a new rule, issued by
the administration in August, that
allows federal of ficials to deny
green cards to legal immigrants
who have received certain public
benefits, like Medicaid, or who are
deemed like ly to do so in the
future. That "public charge" rule
would take effect Oct. 15 but has
faced legal challenges.
One in seven adults in immigrant
families already reported that they
or their families didn't participate
in government programs last year
̶ even before the public charge
rule took ef fect ̶ out of fear of
risking their status.
during the period July to March;
(iii) During the April to June
period, the fee for a 30‑day e‑
Tourist Visa has been further
reduced from $25 to $10;
(iv) The fee for a 5‑year e‑
Tourist Visa would be $80.
The procedure for e‑Tourist
Visa application remains the
same. Details available at
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/e
visa/tvoa.html
 6 October 12-18, 2019
23rd annual Long
Island International
Film Expo (LIIFE)
open for submissions
Mineola, NY: Nassau County Executive
Laura Curran has announced that the 23rd
annual Long Island International Film Expo
(LIIFE), Nassau Countyʼs longest running
regional film festival, is now accepting sub‑
missions.
“The film, television and commercial
industries are a huge economic engine in
Nassau County, and LIIFE provides a net‑
working community for local independent
filmmakers to meet filmmakers from the
world over. This film festival also brings
unique films to our local constituents who
prove to be a sophisticated movie‑going
audience,” said Nassau County Executive
Laura Curran.
LIIFE will be held July 10 ‑ 16, 2020 at
the historic Bellmore Movies and will
include local and foreign film screenings,
celebrity appearances, entertaining and
informative panels, a star‑studded awards
ceremony, Q & A with filmmakers from the
world over and networking galore. Early
bird submission pricing will be in effect
until, January 1, regular submission pricing
will be held until January 20, 2020. The
cut‑off date for submission is March 3.
Alumni discounts are available for past
LIIFErs by emailing
longislandfilmexpo@gmail.com
Festivals of the past have included such
luminaries as Danny Aiello, Ed Asner, Blue
Bloodsʼ Robert Clohessy, Abigail Hawk,
Ralph Macchio, John Amos, Ally Sheedy, 30
Rockʼs Kevin Brown, Cathy Moriarty, Steve
Buscemi, Ed Burns, William Sadler, Ilene
Kristen, and many more.
Categories include shorts, features, docu‑
mentaries, student films, animations, Long
Island, foreign films, music videos, trailers,
webisodes and screenplays and their new
horror category.
Submit today for early‑bird submission
pricing to
https://filmfreeway.com/LIIFETheLongIsla
ndInternationalFilmExpo. For questions,
please email
longislandfilmexpo@gmail.com
Scared for Your LIIFE, the Long Island
Film‑TV Foundationʼs short horror film fes‑
tival is also accepting submissions until
October 31, 2019. Scared for Your LIIFE
returns for its third year and will be held
the Long Island Puppet Theater on
Saturday, December 7, 2019. To submit, go
to https://filmfreeway.com/
ScaredforyourLiife. If youʼve had a previ‑
ous film at LIIFE or Scared for Your LIIFE,
alumni discounts will apply as well.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
New Jersey to mark Guru Nanak's 550th birth anniversary
Trenton: The state of New Jersey will mark
Special holiday in NYC
November 12, the 550th birth anniversary of
Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, as World
Equality Day.
The Senate and General Assembly of the State
of New Jersey passed a joint legislative reso‑
lution regarding the same.
In the resolution, it said that on November
12, the Sikh community will celebrate the
“550th birthday of Guru Nanak, the esteemed
founder of Sikhism, which counts nearly 30
million adherents throughout the world and
roughly one million devotees in the US.”
It said the “Sikh community, began immi‑
grating to the US more than 100 years ago,
and since then Sikhs have played a vital role
in the growth and vitality of the nation and in
its prosperity and success.” ''A holistic under‑
standing of peace, supported by the ideas of
equality and fraternity, is an integral part of
the Sikh tradition, a movement that strives to
conquer communal hatred and division by
following the sacred teachings of Guru Nanak
and his tenets of honest work, charity and
reverence to God,'' it said.
It said the legislature recognizes November
12, 2019, the birthday of Guru Nanak as
World Equality Day and urges all New
Jerseyans to participate fittingly in the obser‑
vations. T he resolution was signed by
Stephen M Sweeney, president of the Senate,
and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. (IANS)
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L Adams
to launch global non‑violence initiative
To partner with International Hindu Federation to mark Gandhiji’s 150th birth anniversary
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L Adams with community leaders
New York: At historic event celebrated in
New York on October 2nd, Brooklyn Borough
President Eric L. Adams joined the
International Hindu Federation for Non‑
Violence and Peace (HF) founded by veteran
community leader Yash Paul Soi, and others
for a rally on the steps of City Hall to launch a
new global non‑violence initiative. The rally,
which coincided with the 150th anniversary
of Mahatma Gandhiʼs birth, featured speeches
about Gandhi ji and how modern leaders can
continue to build on his legacy, as well as the
presentation of a proclamation recognizing
October 2nd as “Mahatma Gandhi Day of
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio with Sikh community leaders
A
delegation of Sikh community leaders
met New York City Mayor Bill de
Blasio, October 2, to invite him to grand
ce le brat ions on the o ccasion of the
550thbirth anniversary of their First
Master Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, in the mid‑
dle of November this year.
Mayor de Blasio accepted the invitation,
according to Raghbir Singh Subhanpur,
who led the delegation.
Singh informed that the Mayor had
accepted some of their demands which
included renaming of the 118thStreet in
Richmond Hill after Guru Nanak Dev Ji,
Non‑Violence & Peace."
"Mahatma Gandhi represented the best in
all of us. He was not simply a person but a
way of life. We must all find Gandhi inside of
us. Let the peace reign", said Eric L. Adams.
He was joined by Assemblyman David
Weprin, Councilmember Daniel Dromm,
Council woman Keiona Miller at the much‑
awaited event hosted by Yash Paul Soi,
trustees Dipak Patel, Sunil Hali, Balinder
Singh, executive committee members Sarvesh
Kumar Dharayan and Chhavi Dharayan
along with leaders from the community.
Leading lights such as Ravi Batra, Dr.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
declaring Guru Nanakʼs birthday a special
holiday, and teaching about Guru Nanak
and Sikhism in New York City schools.
Mayor de Blasio invited the community
leaders to celebrate Guru Nanak Dev Jiʼs
birthday at his official residence, accord‑
ing to Singh.
The delegation comprised of Sikh lead‑
ers from various gurdwaras of New York. It
included Dr. Ranjit Singh, Kuldip Singh
Dhillon, Gurdev Singh Kang, Raghbir Singh
Subhanpur, Gurmit Singh Mahmatpur,
Himat Singh Sarpanch, Mohinder Singh
Taneja, and Kirpal Singh Billing.
Sudhanshu Prasad, Anand Patel and Radha
Krishna, both former Presidents of FIA (Tri‑
State), Chief Executive Elango and a team
from Bank of Baroda among others also were
in attendance.
Chairman and Founder, Yash Paul Soi said,
"In the world today, where there is so much
violence, especially in America where inno‑
cent children and adults are being killed by
weapons of war in the schools and other pub‑
lic places so frequently, there is an immediate
need to promote non‑violence and peace. The
primary goal of the International Hindu
Federation for Non‑Violence & Peace Inc.
(IHF) is to promote non‑violence and peace in
the world as practiced by the apostle of
peace, Mahatma Gandhi. Let us work togeth‑
er. God bless friendship between India and
the USA. Let there be peace everywhere in the
world."
In a series of events organized by Yash Paul
Soi under IHF, the celebrations started on
September 30th with a Proclamation and
event by West Windsor Mayor Marathe.
Former Assemblyman and Deputy Speaker of
New Jersey and current Utility commissioner
Upendra Chivukula thanked the Mayor for his
support. This was followed by a mega event
in Edison Council Chambers which was
packed with community leaders and media on
October 1. The event was made possible with
the support of Mahesh Bagia and Ajay Patil of
Edison Township under the leadership of
Mayor Tom Lankey.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY October 12-18, 2019 7

IOC celebrates anniversaries DC community pays it forward

of Gandhi and Shastri at Pratham Gala
New Jersey: T he Indian
Overseas Congress (IOC) USA
ce le brated the 150 Birth
Anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhi along with the 115th
Birth Anniversary of former
Prime Minister of India Lal
Bahadur Shastri at Fairbridge
Hotel in New Jersey on October
2. The event was attended by
over 150 people and addressed
by dignitaries such as Anil
Shastri (son of Lal Bahadur
Shastri), Salman Khurshid (for‑
mer External Af fairs Minister), IOC President Mohinder Gilzian addressing the event
Himanshu Vyas (Secretary ‑ A record for Prathamʼs DC chapter, $450,000 was raised at the gala
AICC) with video messages from India. The Sam Pitroda addressed the event from held in Ritz‑Carlton in McLean, VA.
popular Mayor of Parsippany Michael Chicago on Facebook Live. He spoke about
Washington, DC: Pratham, one of India's lives throughout a quarter century of hard
Soriano was the guest of honor. the Gandhi portal that they had created
largest educational organizations providing work and commitment.
The event started with videos on the life under the UPA Government with the help quality education to underprivileged chil‑ “The last 15 years have been spent in
of Gandhi and Shastri with bhajans that of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. dren, hosted its annual DC Gala on understanding the problem of why children
both used to like. The event was attended He added that the value system the September 21 at the Ritz‑Carlton in get ʻleft behindʼ and in developing solutions
by IOC President Mohinder Gilzian, Vice Mahatma had espoused is currently under McLean, VA. The event, which was attended to solve this problem. We have worked hard
Chairman ‑ George Abraham, Harbachan attack and those universal values would by more than 400 guests, set a record for over the years to develop, evolve and refine
Singh (Secretary‑General), Malini Shah inspire more people today and keep India the burgeoning chapter by raising an effective and low‑cost method that helps
(Vice President) along with several digni‑ secular and united. $450,000 for Prathamʼs innovative and children to ʻcatch up,ʼ” she said.
taries from the Indian community like Viru Anil Shastri spoke on how the Mahatma
award‑winning programs. She was later joined on stage by twin sis‑
Patel (Councilman, Edison), Bharat Patel, has influenced people across dif ferent Chethan Rao, president of the DC chapter, ters, Anjali and Anchal Purabiya, both grad‑
Chandu Pate l, Harkesh T hakur, Ram countries adding that there were over 2 welcomed guests to the eveningʼs program, uates of Prathamʼs Second Chance program,
Gadula. The event was supported by the dozen of the Mahatma's statues in the which featured a keynote speech by which assists female dropouts in attaining
Gandhi Ashram Trust run by Bhadra USA, a country he had never visited. He Pratham CEO Dr. Rukmini Banerji, a live their secondary school certificates. In a live‑
Butala, who gave free biographies of also spoke on how his own father, Lal auction, as well as a comedy performance ly Q&A, the girls, who are competitive ath‑
Mahatma Gandhi to all the attendees. Bahadur Shastri, was influenced by the
by Hari Kondabolu. letes, elaborated on Prathamʼs role in allow‑
Mayor Soriano spoke on the influence of Mahatma. Himanshu Vyas praised the way “This yearʼs gala was record‑setting for ing them to continue their education and
Mahatma Gandhi on his idol ‑ Martin Lal Bahadur Shastri guided the country in our chapter!” Rao said. “We had our largest pursue their dreams of one day competing
Luther King ‑ and said that the values of difficult times with his slogan ‑ Jai Jawan, attendance and set a new record for funds in the Olympics.
Gandhi were an inspiration to all genera‑ Jai Kisan. raised that night. This was a testament to Pursuing its mission of “every child in
tions across the world. He said that the T he Shastri Award for Community
our community coming together to pay it school and learning well,” Pratham pro‑
Mahatma's message of inclusion and serv‑ Service was given to Colonel Virendra forward and give back to the less fortunate.” motes basic literacy as a means to establish
ice to all human beings with integrity is Tavathia and Gandhi Award to Mukesh Similarly in her speech, Banerji reflected a secure foundation for learning, both in
universally accepted principle of good Kashiwala, Ravinder Thota, and Bhadra on how Pratham has transformed so many and out of school.
human behavior. Butala.

Exhilarating golf SAGA continues in the tristate area

Lawrence Township, NJ: The fun
filled golfing in gorgeous weather
produced one of the most success‑
ful SAGA events in their 15 year
history. SAGA (South Asian Golf
Association) is fast shaping up to
be an esteemed and classy organi‑
zation which can put together an
event to remember.
The title sponsor of SAGA Open
2019 was United Healthcare,
which has been very supportive
right from the nascent stages of
the organization.
September 28 was a day at the
CobbleStone Creek Country Club
Flight 1 winners (Rajat Beri, Sanjeev Sarna, Rajesh Saggi) receiving
when challenges were met, some‑ Rajat Beri, Anish Joshi Trophy winner, with the Joshi family trophies from Munmeet Pental and Theresa Lee of United Healthcare.
times overcome. New aspirants
challenging the previous winners, all the flight winners; Flight 1: SAGA was announced the SAGA
succeeding and eventually show‑ Rajat Beri, Sanjeev Sarna, Rajesh Junior Scholarship, for promising Other well‑deserved winners:
casing wonderful gamesmanship. Saggi; Flight 2: Niraj Desai, Chirag and deserving college‑bound
Low Gross Score: Rajat Beri, Highest Stableford Points: Rajat Beri,
On a day where every point was Bhatki, Uday Patel; Flight 3:Vinay youngsters who display a flair for
Most Improved Golfer: Vivek Wadhwa, Closest to Pin winners: Uday
significant, Rajat Beri, forged Bahuguna, Paresh Desai, Varun golf together with a zeal to excel
Patel, Amit Parekh, Santosh Hanumaiah, Sanjay Seth; Putting
ahead of the rest and won the Malhotra. academically. After an intense
Contest (Men): Niraj Desai, (Ladies): Surbhi Sabherwal & Kavitha
overall coveted Anish Joshi SAGA is very proud about their selection process, SAGAʼs first
Beri, (Girls) Saniya Sabherwal, (Boys) Aditya Kumar & Ridhit Beri
Memorial trophy. Very close Junior track. SAGA must be doing Junior scholarship was awarded
SAGA was formed by Mahesh Yadav in 2005 and is supported by
encounters within each flight and something right because it was to four well‑deserved candidates:
board members Vinay Bahuguna, Paresh Desai, Uday Patel, Sanjay
between the flights was very evi‑ awe inspiring to see how the Malini Rudra, Esha Raman, Eashan
Seth and Pir Mohammed (honorary board member).
dent with the meager points sepa‑ SAGA Juniors conducted them‑ Krishnamoorthy and Mukund
Contact email: sagaevents@sagagolf.com
rating them all. Congratulations to selves with panache. Last year, Chanchalani.
 8 October 12-18, 2019 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

3 South Asians among Asia Societyʼs Game Changers 2019

New York: There are three South
Asian honorees among the six cho‑
sen by Asia Society to bestow with
Asia Game Changers 2019 award.
Chhaya Sharma, first woman
South Delhi deputy police commis‑
sioner, is recognized as the crusad‑
ing force for justice for victims of
sexual violence in India.
Sana Mir is being honored as
Pakistan's gold medal‑winning,
record‑breaking cricketer and tire‑
less advocate for girls and women
in traditionally men‑only spaces. A
spin bowler, she joined the fledgling
Pakistan womenʼs cricket team, Chhaya Sharma, South Delhi Sana Mir,
The Kung Fu Nuns of Nepal
deputy police commissioner Pakistani cricketer
eventually becoming captain and
leading it to gold medal wins at the own experiences of overcoming Started in 2014, these awards are ness, government, sports, tech, or Hoor Al Qasimi, the transforma‑
Asia Games in 2010 and 2014. fear. The Kung Fu Nuns will per‑ bestowed annually on individuals, law enforcement. They have cham‑ tive force behind the Sharjah Art
The third honoree is described on form live at the 2019 Asia Game organizations, and movements that pioned gender equality while mak‑ Foundation, Sharjah Biennial, and
the Asia Societyʼs website as the Changer Awards ceremony and din‑ have inspired, enlightened, and ing enormous contributions to soci‑ initiatives promoting cultural
“boundary‑breaking, stereotype‑ ner at Cipriani in NYC on October shown true leadership in areas that ety and social structures within understanding between the art
defying, and Game Changer Kung 24. This event will also feature illu‑ reflect Asia Societyʼs core pillars of their home countries. world and the public.
Fu Nuns” of the Drukpa Lineage of minating conversation with the policy and business, arts and cul‑ This event features illuminating Yuriko Koike, Tokyo's pioneering
Himalayan Buddhism in Nepal. honorees. ture, and education. conversation with the honorees as first female governor.
They host self‑defense workshops The awards recognize and honor According to Asia Societyʼs web‑ well as a very special performance Jane Jie Sun, CEO of Ctrip and
for Himalayan women and girls in an inspiring group of path‑breaking site, the 2019 Asia Game Changers by Nepal's game‑changing Kung Fu leader by example for gender equal‑
places where violence against women who are making a transfor‑ are experts and pioneers in their Nuns. ity inside one of the world's largest
women is endemic, sharing their mative impact in Asia and beyond. fields, whether it be the arts, busi‑ The other three honorees are: travel companies.

Americares India Rana Ayyub joins Washington

celebrates 10th ʻSpirit of Post to write on Indian politics
Humanity Awardsʼ New Delhi: The Washington Post has hired
Indian journalist Rana Ayyub as its latest con‑
tributing writer to the Global Opinions section,
the Jeff Bezos‑owned company announced.
Mumbai‑based Ayyub will write regularly
about political affairs in India.
Ayyub, known for writing against the Indian
government's policies, joins Global Opinions
writers covering India, including Barkha Dutt.
She was previously an editor with the inves‑
tigative magazine Tehelka.
She is also an author of "Gujarat Files:
Anatomy of a Cover‑Up". Indian journalist Rana Ayyub

Recipients of the 10th “Spirit of Humanity Awards” along with the
national juries at the event.
Mumbai: Health‑focused relief and develop‑
ment organization Americares India recently
honored six exceptional non‑profit organiza‑
tions during its 10th annual “Spirit of
Humanity Awards” here.
The awards were given in five categories ̶
child care, disability, education, health and
womenʼs empowerment ̶ to non‑profits with
an annual budget of up to Rs 3 crore.
In addition, the social impact category was
reserved for organizations with an annual
budget of Rs. 3 crore and above.
Karm Marg Charitable Society, Faridabad
was declared winner in the “Child Care” cate‑
gory while Adventures Beyond Barriers, Pune
won accolades in the “Disability” category.
In the “Education” category, Jhamtse Gatsal
Childrenʼs Community, Arunachal Pradesh
was honored while in the Health category,
Shree Sai Healing Trust, Chennai was felicitat‑
ed.
Jabala Action Research Organisation,
Kolkata was honored in the Women
Empowerment category while Sense
International India, Ahmedabad as felicitated
in Social Impact category.
“Over the years, this platform has evolved
and extended its scope. Each year, we are
thrilled to receive an encouraging response
from all the participants. We only hope to
grow this platform further and encourage
services of many in the future,” said Shripad
Desai, Managing Director, Americares India.
The participating organizations underwent
three rigorous rounds of shortlisting.
Spirit of Humanity is a national‑level plat‑
form for collaboration, capacity building and
recognition within the social sector in India.
The guest of honor was Dr Manoj Chawla, a
well‑known diabetologist in Mumbai.
Based in Mumbai, Americares India pro‑
vides emergency medical and humanitarian
aid during calamities, provides health educa‑
tion through a school‑based health program
and training to improve health worker safety
and mobile health centers that serve more
than 130 locations throughout the slums of
Mumbai.
Kidnapped Indian‑origin
millionaire found dead in US
Washington: Indian‑origin tech ment added.The police were
millionaire Tushar Atre who looking for two people in rela‑
was abducted from his home tion to the case, KTVU station
in Californiaʼs Santa Cruz earli‑ reported.“We are looking into
er this week has been found all aspects of his life,” said Sgt.
dead inside his car. Atre, 50, Brian Cleveland, a spokesman
owner of digital marketing for the Sherif fʼs Of fice. “All
company AtreNet Inc which doors are open.
caters to Silicon Valley corpo‑ ”According to Cleveland,
rate businesses was kidnapped Atre was inside his home with
Tushar Atre
from his house around 3 am several other people when
“during a crime” on Tuesday, the Santa Cruz multiple suspects broke into his house and
county sheriffʼs office said, adding that he was abducted him in his girlfriendʼs white BMW.
last seen getting into his white BMW. Someone in the house called authorities to
Sherif fʼs deputies said they responded to report the abduction.
Atreʼs home after receiving a 911 call from In addition to owning a marketing company
someone inside the residence that day, who for high tech business, Atre was also in the
reported a home invasion and kidnapping. cannabis business, KION‑TV reported. He was
Deputies located the car last Tuesday in the the owner of Interstitial Systems, a licensed
Santa Cruz Mountains and found a body in the cannabis manufacturer that operates out of a
same location. location on Fern street.
Next day the of fice confirmed the body “A year or so ago, he started a marijuana or
found was identified as Atre. “We have reason cannabis manufacturing company,” said Atreʼs
to believe the motive was robbery,” the state‑ friend, Robert Blumberg.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
7 Indian Americans in the
Forbes list of richest 400
New York: A record seven Indian
American billionaires are on the lat‑
est “Forbes 400” list of wealthiest
Americans, up from five last year.
The Indian American list is led by
airline executive and founder of the
India‑based IndiGo Rakesh
Gangwal, who has a net worth of
$3.8 billion. T he 66‑year‑old
Florida resident is 207th on the list.
Last year, he was ranked 354,
owing to fluctuations in the budget
airlineʼs stocks.
Gangwal is followed by Jay
Chaudhry, founder of the cyberse‑
curity software firm ZScaler. He has
a net worth of $3.6, making him
the 225th richest American. He is a
new entrant on the list. ZScaler,
which was founded in 2008, went
public last year. He has 46 percent
stake in the company, according to
Forbes.
Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur
Romesh T. Wadhwani, with a net
worth of $3.3 billion, is ranked
261, up from 271 last year.
Gangwal, Chaud hry and
Wad hwani are richer than
President Donald Trump, who is the
275th richest American, with a net
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
IndiGo cofounder Rakesh
Gangwal, the richest Indian
American, is ranked 225th in the
nation. Net worth: $3.8 billion.
worth of $3.1 billion. Three Indian
Americans are ranked 370 on the
list, with a net worth of $2.2 billion.
They are Aneel Bhusri, co‑founder
of the business software company
Workday; investor and youngest
Indian American billionaire Brian
Shet; and Google investor Kavitark
Ram Shriram.
Silicon Valley venture capitalist
Vinod Khosla, who is worth $2.1
billion, is the seventh Indian
American billionaire on the list. He
The richest South Asian is Shahid
Khan, a Pakistan American
owner of NFLʼs Jacksonville
Jaguars. Net worth: $7.8 billion.
is ranked 388. One Indian
American to fall off the list is Niraj
Shah, founder of Wayfair, which
came under criticism for its associ‑
at ion w ith mig rant detent ion
camps. His current net worth,
according to Forbes, is $1.6 billion.
The richest South Asian American
is Shahid Khan, a Pakistan
American, who has a net worth of
$7.8 billion. The 69‑year‑old is the
owner of NFLʼs Jacksonville
Jaguars.
October 12-18, 2019 9
Maanayata Dutt
screens her new
movie in Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, CA: Recently keep his son ‑ it is a film that
Maanayata Dutt, CEO of Sanjay opened to strong critical appeal in
Dutt Productions (SDP) and India. Similarly the next release of
Producer, showcased her movie SDP is “Prassthanam”, a powerful
Baba here in the presence of story set against the backdrop of
leading Indian Americans, film Indian politics, It opened to rave
industry executives and critics, reviews for its uncomfortable
Maanayataʼs vision is very clear, questioning of complex issues
backing good content across gen‑ such as dharma, morality, desire,
res and languages, as good stories loyalty and family. Maanayata
have a universal appeal. promises that her company has
Baba is one such example. A developed a slate of stories that
tender human story, about a deaf are entertaining as well as human
and mute fatherʼs struggle to in their appeal.
(From left) Rajendra Vora, President of Beverly Hills Jain Social
Group, CEO of Sanjay Dutt Productions Maanayata Dutt, Drs.
Shubha & Sanjeev Jain of Tri Valley Medical Association, AAPI
Treasurer Dr. Raj Bhayani from New York at the screening of Baba.
 10 October 12-18, 2019
IMPEACHING DONALD TRUMP
A peach of a Chance?
Not A Chance!
COMMENT
onald Trump, who may be the
D worst president of the United
States ever, should not be
impeached. My fe llow Democrats,
Indians or otherwise, are you listening?
Like many Democrats I fervently want
the president to lose in 2020. Like some
Democrats, impeachment seems to be
the Democratsʼ only hope. For me, even
trying to impeach the president is going
to be fatal for Democrats in next yearʼs
presidential elections. It is going to gal‑
vanize the Republicans who have been
wary of Trump. These, and die‑hard
Trump supporters, will see the effort to
remove Trump from office as hatefully
and politically motivated.
Let me assure you that Trump will not
be removed, even if the article of
impeachment is brought successfully
against him by the Democrat‑led House.
The Senate will then have to “try” the
president. To remove a president from
of fice, two‑thirds Senate‑majority is
needed. There, the Democrats are in the
minority.
Think about 1998, when Republicans,
just as much motivated by their hatred
of Bill Clinton, pounced on the fact that
the president had lied on oath about his
sexual affair with Monika Lewinsky and
moved to impeach him for both perjury
(lying) and obstruction of justice. Clinton
had allegedly tried to persuade Lewinsky
to testify that there was no sex between
them. He was even alleged to have
helped her get a job in the Department
of Justice. T he Republicans had
Congressional majority and were able to
muscle through an article of impeach‑
ment and asked the Senate to try the
president for “high crime and misde‑
meanor.” T he Senate, despite a
Republican majority, could not pass a
two‑thirds majority required to remove
him from of fice. Not only was Clinton
acquitted and retained the presidency,
he ended up as a highly successful two‑
term president. It is worth mentioning
that the 1998 mid‑term elections were
carried out through this Clinton scandal.
Then, as now, Republicans licked their
chops in anticipation of a presidential
fall. Already in the majority, they expect‑
ed a landslide. As it turned out, the
Democrats gained five more seats,
resulting in the resignation of the
Republican Speaker.
Why will the Senate not find Trump
guilty?
The most likely impeachable charge
against the president is that he inten‑
tionally and deliberately involved for‑
US AFFAIRS
by Shivaji Sengupta
eign countries like Ukraine and China to
investigate Joseph Biden and his son for
illegal business deals. Biden is thought
by many to be the candidate most likely
to defeat the president. In other words,
the president used his position of power
for personal political gain, particularly
because he is alleged to have temporari‑
ly held back payment of several billion
dollars in aid to Ukraine.
Is this an impeachable offense?
It may be so. But a Republican majority
Senate will ask the same question that
the then W hite House Counse l for
Clinton had asked the jury in 1999:
“Would it put at risk the liberties of the
people to retain this President in office?”
Some of us might answer that no, the
liberties of the people would not be safe
in Trumpʼs hands. But what do you think
the Republicansʼ answer will be? To most
people – certainly to partisan politicians
– “liberties” means the economy, jobs,
trade and such things. The U.S. is enjoy‑
ing a 3.5% unemployment. Until recently,
stocks have been rising. Recession does
not seem to be around the corner.
T hanks to the strength of Obamaʼs
Af fordable Care Plan, people are still
benefiting from it. These questionable
positives will be blown out of proportion
and trumpeted by Republicans.
Please, fellow Democrats! Let the econ‑
omy, foreign trade, unemployment run
their course through next year. Let
Trump fall on his own. Do not motivate
hesitating Republicans to vote for Trump
with partisan vengeance. Let a Biden or
someone like him emerge with a Kamala
Harris by his side. Let Trump be the
comet that burns itself out.
That is my hope.
Shivaji contributes op‑eds to The South
Asian Times.
TRUMPʼS IMPEACH
PERIL 'WORSE THAN
WATERGATE':
HISTORIANS
Washington: As the impeachment
alarm has engulfed President Donald
Trump's White House and a second
whistle blower has come forward
about the Trumpʼs dealings w ith
Ukraine and asking for dirt on his
polit ical opponent Joe Biden,
Americas top legal minds weighed in
on the big questions that were con‑
suming Washington D.C.
Is Trump asking for dirt from a for‑
eign country an impeachable offence?
Was this about personal interest or
foreign policy? Does the House have
enough evidence to impeach Trump?
What does this moment mean in the
wide arc of Americas history? Is this
what impeachment was made for?
"I think this ranks with or right
above Watergate, just historically
speaking," Jon Meacham, Pulitzer
Prize‑winning and New York Times
bestselling presidential historian and
journalist, told MSNBC on Sunday
night.
Here are headline takeaways from
legal experts' and historians' com‑
ments to US networks on Sunday.
Jon Meacham, presidential historian:
"It was not about feelings. It's not
about opinion. It's about fact, one of
the questions we have to resolve in
the country, and we're kind of in an
unfolding civics lesson about it is, are
we willing to acknowledge fact for
what it is, as opposed to interpreting
it?
I would say this is more serious than
Andrew Johnson. The issues that sur‑
rounded the Andrew Johnson
impeachment are existential. It was
about white supremacy, was about the
verdict of the Civil War.
I think this ranks with or right above
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Watergate, just historically speaking.
This is what impeachment was created
for.
Art Buchwald, the great humorist,
was never better than during
Watergate. And as I think he later put
it, he didn't have to work that hard.
This is the kind of period that we
write books about, and shape genera‑
tions of politicians. Watergate shaped
a generation of politicians, McCarthy
shaped a generation of politicians, the
New Deal, there are these important
inflect ion moments that live far
beyond where we are. And I think
we're unquestionably right in the mid‑
dle of one of those."
Eugene Robinson, Washington Post
columnist: "It provides a test to the
system because here is someone
( Trump) who lies all the time and
somet imes blurts out important
truths. And so how seriously does the
House does the whole process take? I
guess we'll test the proposition of
whether we can take the President's
words seriously at all, which is a
ridiculous question to have to ask
about for the United States. You can‑
not take someone seriously if you can‑
not believe a word they say. Yet, that
will be part of the defence."
Maya Wiley, former counsel to the
New York Mayor: "It's a confession
that the thing is both happening and
bad, which was not where he (Trump)
was 10 days ago. You know, it does
seem to say, 'Oh, I have to get away
from the set to blame somebody'."
Melissa Murray, Law Professor, New
York University: "The Constitution
says nothing about how the (Senate)
vote should happen. But generally
these kinds of things are done called
voice for roll call vote, where you
name the senators name, then you
actually provide your vote. There is no
secret vote in the Senate rules."
John Flannery, former federal prose‑
cutor: "This wasn't about foreign poli‑
cy. This was about personal interest.
This was about his election. This was
about having dirt on what appeared to
be one of his principal topics in the
general election.
There's a big dif ference between
talking about policy and talking about
what favors him and an election. We
have evidence independent of what
started this, which was the whistle‑
blower.
This is one of those cases in which
the entire nation knows."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info US AFFAIRS October 12-18, 2019 11

White House vows total halt to

impeachment probe cooperation
Washington: The White House
declared Tuesday it will halt any
and all cooperation with what it
termed the “illeg it imate”
impeachment probe by House
Democrats, sharpening the con‑
st itut ional clash between
President Donald Trump and
Congress, reports AP.
Trump attorneys sent a lengthy
letter to House leaders bluntly
stating White House refusal to
participate in the inquiry that
was given a boost by last weekʼs
release of a whistleblowerʼs com‑
plaint that the president sought
political favors from Ukraine.
“Given that your inquiry lacks
any legitimate constitutional
foundation, any pretense of fair‑
ness, or even the most elemen‑
tary due process protections, the
Execut ive Branch cannot be
expected to participate in it,”
W hite House Counse l Pat
Cipollone wrote. That means no
addit ional w itnesses under
administration purview will be
permitted to appear in front of
Congress or comply with docu‑
ment requests, a senior of ficial
said. The White House is object‑
ing that the House has not voted
to begin an impeachment investi‑
gation into Trump. It also claims
that Trumpʼs due process rights
are being violated.
House intelligence committee
Chairman Adam Schif f tweeted
in response that Trumpʼs refusal
to cooperate with the inquiry sig‑
nals an attitude that “the presi‑
dent is above the law.”
“The Constitution says other‑
wise,” he asserted.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
has insisted the House is well
within its rules to conduct over‑
sight of the executive branch
under the Constitution regard‑
less of a formal impeachment
inquiry vote. “Mr. President, you
are not above the law,” Pelosi
said in a statement Tuesday
night. “You will be held account‑
able.” The Constitution states the
House has the sole power of
impeachment, and that the
Senate has the sole power to con‑
duct impeachment trials.
The White House letter marks
the beginning of a new all‑out
strategy to counter the impeach‑
ment threat to Trump.
Early Tuesday, Trump escalat‑
ed his fight with Congress by
blocking Gordon Sondland, the
U.S. European Union ambassa‑
dor, from test ify ing behind
closed doors about the presi‑
dentʼs dealings with Ukraine.
Schiff said Sondlandʼs no‑show
was “yet additional strong evi‑
dence” of obstruct ion of
Cong ress by Trump and
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
that will only strengthen a possi‑
ble impeachment case. T he
Trump‑Biden slugfest
Washington: With Joe
Biden a frontrunning chal‑
lenger for Donald Trump,
the stand‑off between the
two has only grown
fiercer. In an angry
address in New
Hampshire, Biden argued
that "President Trump has
indicted himself by obstructing justice, refusing to comply with a
congressional inquiry... he's already convicted himself ". This is the
first time Biden has openly called for Trump's impeachment.
Trump punched back with a tweet: “So pathetic to see Sleepy Joe
Biden, who with his son, Hunter, and to the detriment of the
American Taxpayer, has ripped off at least two countries for mil‑
lions of dollars, calling for my impeachment ‑ and I did nothing
wrong. Joeʼs Failing Campaign gave him no other choice!”
Trumpʼs Ukraine crisis is, of course, grew out of his strategy to
discredit Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, by calling for corrup‑
tion probe against them.
House followed up Tuesday Sondlandʼs test imony and
afternoon with subpoenas for records.

20% more Republicans support Elizabeth Warren is now

impeachment inquiry now leading the 2020 polls
Washington: Sen. Elizabeth Warren
now holds a slight lead in national
polls of the 2020 Democratic pri‑
mary, according to the polling
aggregation site RealClearPolitics
̶ the first time that she, not former
Vice President Joe Biden, has led
the race. Warrenʼs new lead in
national polls comes on the back of
a Quinnipiac poll, re leased on
Tuesday, which shows her leading
A little more than half of Americans now want President
the Democratic field: 29 percent of
Trump to be impeached and removed, as per the
registered Democrats and
Fox New Poll released Wednesday.
Democratic‑leaning voters said they
Washington: A new poll out points among Democrats, 21 would vote for her if the primary
Tuesday from the Washington points among Republicans and were he ld today. Former Vice
Post and the Schar School of 20 points among independ‑ President Joe Biden, now in second
Policy and Government at ents,” the Post notes. Trumpʼs place, received 26 percent of the
George Mason University Ukraine phone call̶which vote in the same poll. Sen. Bernie
shows dramatic shifts in sup‑ occurred in July but wasnʼt
Senator Elizabeth Warren has also
surpassed Joe Bidenʼs fundraising
haul in the 3rd quarter.
Sanders, typically considered the
other frontrunner in the race, had
16 percent.
The pollʼs questions about the
Democratic primary had a margin
of error of 4.7 percentage points, so
Biden and Warren are in a very
close race. Notably, Warren also
appears to be the only candidate
with a steady upward trend in the
RealClearPolitics polling average.
Warren is outpacing Biden in the
polls just as sheʼs also gaining a sig‑
nificant fundraising lead on the for‑
mer vice president. In the third
quarter of 2019, Warren raised just
shy of $25 million, placing her
slightly behind Sandersʼs fundrais‑
ing total for the quarter and well
ahead of Bidenʼs haul of only $15.2
million.
National polls donʼt ultimately
decide the nomination, but Warren
has also seen strong polling in Iowa
and New Hampshire and is spend‑
ing money in Nevada.

Trump not immune from probe,

port of the impeachment
process, with 58 percent of the
country now saying they sup‑
port the impeachment inquiry
and nearly half̶49 percent̶
saying they support removing
Trump from office.
The level of support for the
impeachment process pre‑
dictably differs along party
lines, but none of the recent
indicators are good for the
president. “Since a July poll by
The Post and ABC, there has
been movement toward an
impeachment inquiry among
all three groups, with support
for the inquiry rising by 25
reported on until September̶
has clearly altered Americansʼ
perspective on impeachment.
Itʼs unclear how much Trumpʼs
unhinged, all‑caps response to
growing impeachment pres‑
sure has changed opinions in
the moderate corner of his own
party as well as among inde‑
pendents. Growing Democratic
support for impeachment was
perhaps expected, but
Republican support for the
process̶if not yet for the
removal of the president̶even
if at comparatively low levels,
could be extremely dangerous
for Trump and his presidency.
must produce tax returns: US judge
New York: A US federal judge in New
York on Monday dismissed President
Donald Trump's ef forts to block
access to years of his personal and
corporate tax returns, saying sitting
presidents are not immune from
criminal investigations.
In a 75‑page ruling, Judge Victor
Marrero rejected Trump's argument,
saying such vast immunity would
"operate to frustrate the administra‑
tion of justice" by putting the presi‑
dent's personal and professional
affairs off‑limits. "This court cannot
endorse such a categorical and limit‑
less assertion of presidential immu‑
nity from judicial process," Marrero
wrote. Trump had filed suit against
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus
Vance Jr, who had subpoenaed the
accounting firm Mazars USA, seeking
access to the president's tax returns
dating back to 2011.
Vance is investigating payments
made by Michael Cohen, Trump's
former personal attorney, to Stormy
Daniels, who claimed to have had an
affair with Trump before he ran for
president. Meanwhile, Trump imme‑
diately appealed and in less than two
hours won a delay to give the federal
appeals court in Manhattan time for
expedited review. The delay post‑
poned what would have been a
Monday afternoon deadline for
Mazars to begin turning over the
records to prosecutors. The ruling
means that Trump is closer to losing
control of his tax filings and other
financial records after years of defy‑
ing a modern presidential norm of
disclosing them to the public.
 12 October 12-18, 2019 INDIA NEWS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Boundary, additional CBMs, trade to mark Modi‑Xi talks

New Delhi: With peace and tranquil‑
ity along the border being a "high
priority", India and China would
look at additional Confidence
Building Measures (CBMs) during
the second informal summit
between Chinese President Xi
Jinping and Prime Minister
Narendra Modi at Mahabalipuram
in Tamil Nadu on October 11‑12,
sources said.
The summit would see both the
leaders hold extensive informal con‑
versations amidst the historical
backdrop of the seaside town of
Mahabalipuram in an "easy going"
atmosphere, sources said.
The meeting between the two
leaders would be the third after
Modi's re‑election in May. The two
had met in Bishkek on the sidelines
of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization summit, and in Osaka
on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
It will also be their sixth meeting
since the Wuhan informal meeting
of last year, highlighting the readi‑
ness between the two sides to keep
up the momentum, the sources
added.
With peace and tranquility along
the border remaining a high priori‑
ty, and with "no agreed perception"
of the Line of Actual Control, which
has led to skirmishes between the
troops of the two nations in the
Ladakh area and also in Doklam, the
two leaders may decide on having
additional CBMs.
Modi and Xi may also decide on
when the next round of special rep‑
resentative talks on the border
could take place, the sources said.
T he two leaders would also
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
(File photo: IANS)
exchange views on deepening the
India‑China Closer Development
Partnership, besides holding talks
on trade and on overarching issues
of bilateral, regional and global
importance, sources added.
The talks will also be attended by
External Af fairs Minister S.
Jaishankar and National Security
Advisor Ajit Doval from the Indian
side, while Chinese Foreign Minister
Wang Yi would be there from the
Chinese side.
Jaishankar and Doval have met
their counterparts earlier too, and
there is likelihood of them holding
separate meetings with their coun‑
terparts at Mahabalipuram, the
sources added.
"The political relations have gone
well, the Foreign Ministers of the
two sides have met. There have
been exchanges between the
defence ministries and the home
ministries. There has been a fair
amount of exchange," the sources
added.
Being heavily tilted in China's
favor, trade remains an issue of con‑
cern.
During their meeting, Modi and Xi
would also discuss the joint count‑
er‑terror cooperation exercise that
is held in December.
Ways to boost people‑to‑people
exchanges would also be in focus
during the talks, as well as the cele‑
bration of 70 years of the establish‑
ment of bilateral relations, the
sources added.
Modi and Xi will look at concrete
events to mark 70 years of bilateral
relationship, the sources said.
The two leaders could also dis‑
cuss the Regional Comprehensive
Economic Partnership (RCEP) that
Modi‑Xi to go for sightseeing,
cultural event
New Delhi: The second informal summit between Chinese President Xi
Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Tamil Nadu's
Mahabalipuram will see the two leaders visit some of the UNESCO
World Heritage sites there and also attend a cultural program presented
by Kalakshetra. The two leaders will meet in the evening at
Mahabalipuram on Friday, with Prime Minister Modi taking President
Xi Jinping around some of the major historical sites of the ancient port
town built by the Pallava rulers.
Modi will host the Chinese President for dinner, and the two will
attend a cultural program by Kalakshetra at the venue, said sources.
The two leaders will then hold the second round of discussions
between their delegations on October 12, after which Xi will depart at 2
p.m., the sources added. The second day of talks will be held at the
Fisherman's Cove, run by the Taj group.
Since the talks are informal, there will be no formal ceremony, or any
signing of documents. The World Heritage Site of Mahabalipuram was
zeroed in for the second informal summit as both Xi and Modi as they
share a keen interest in history and culture, and Mahabalipuram also
has a historical connection with China, sources said here.
Modi and Jinping inside a house boat in Wuhan.
(File Photo: IANS/PIB)
is set to be formalised during the Issues of flexibility of tariff lines
upcoming East Asia Summit in would also figure in the talks, the
Thailand next month. sources added.

Not for others to

Salman's Bigg Boss in big trouble, BJP MLA seeks ban
Lucknow: Salman Khan's reality show
"Bigg Boss" seems to be in big trouble.
BJP MLA from Ghaziabad, Nand Kishore
Gujjar has written a letter to Information
and Broadcast ing Minister Prakash
Javdekar demanding that the show be
taken off air.
In his letter, the BJP legislator has
alleged that the "show was promoting
obscenity and vulgarity and was unfit for
family viewing". "The show is against the
cultural ethos of the country and highly
objectionable intimate scenes were a part
of it. Couples of dif ferent communities
were being made to become bed partners
which was unacceptable.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on one
hand, is trying to make India regain its
lost glory and, on the other, such shows
were demeaning the country's culture," he
wrote.
The BJP lawmaker also demanded a
censor mechanism for content being aired
on television in order to prevent such inci‑
dents in future.
He said that children and minors are
watching television and have fair access
to such shows which have adult content.
Moreover the shows are available on the
internet too.
The show is promoting obscenity and vulgarity and is unfit for family viewing
says the BJP MLA.
T he Brahmin Mahasabha has also
sought a ban on the reality show with
immediate effect.
The Mahasabha has submitted a memo‑
randum in this regard to the Ghaziabad
district magistrate.
Amit Jani, president of the Uttar
Pradesh Nav Nirman Sena, meanwhile,
has announced that he would not eat any
food grain until the 'Bigg Boss' show was
stopped.
"I will survive on fruits and vegetable
until the government takes steps to ban
the show which is promoting vulgarity
and misleading the youth. Showing young
couples sharing bed on national television
is not acceptable and I am shocked that
the RSS which claims to be our moral
police, has not even taken note of this," he
said.
comment on Kashmir: India
New Delhi: India on Wednesday voiced its
pique over Kashmir figuring in talks between
Pakistan PM Imran Khan and Xi, saying "It is
not for other countries to comment on the
internal affairs of India".
The Ministry of External Affairs spokesper‑
son Raveesh Kumar, commenting on a report of
the talks between Xi and Imran Khan in Beijing,
said: "We have seen the report regarding meet‑
ing of Chinese President Xi Jinping with
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan which
also refers to their discussions on Kashmir.
"India's position has been consistent and
clear that Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part
of India. China is well aware of our position. It
is not for other countries to comment on the
internal affairs of India."
India has maintained that revocation of
Article 370 on special status to Kashmir is a
wholly internal matter and related to the Indian
Constitution, and other countries have nothing
to do with it. Earlier, China had sounded a
somewhat placatory note on Kashmir.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng
Shuang had said in Beijing that it "calls on India
and Pakistan to engage in dialogue and consul‑
tation on all issues including Kashmir issue and
consolidate mutual trust. This is in line with the
interest of both countries and common aspira‑
tion of the world".
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA NEWS October 12-18, 2019 13

Rafale possible due to Modi's decisiveness: Rajnath

Merignac (France): Defense
Minister Rajnath Singh said in
France on Tuesday that the Rafale
deal was possible due to the deci‑
siveness of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
Rajnath was speaking soon after
he completed a 30‑minute sortie on
a twin‑seater trainer version of the
Rafale fighter aircraft.
The multi‑role combat aircraft,
flown by Phillipe Duchateau, the
chief test pilot of Dassault Aviation,
manufacturer of Rafale jets, took off
from an airstrip near the facility of
the Dassault Aviation at 7:24 p.m.
IST. It landed back at the airstrip
after completing a few maneuvers
at 7:54 p.m. IST.
"The credit for India's acquisition
of the Rafale jets should go to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi. It was all
due to his decisiveness. India will
receive the first 18 Rafale jets by
February 2021. By April‑May 2022
we will receive all 36 jets," Singh
told media channels after complet‑
ing the sortie. The pilot Duchateau
informed that the Rafale jet flew
beyond supersonic speeds with
Rajnath seated in the rear of the
cockpit. The first jet was handed
over to Rajnath by the French
Defense Minister Florence Parly.
"The combat capability of India
definitely increases after the acqui‑
sition of the Rafale jet. But it is not
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh took a sortie in a twin‑seater
trainer version of the Rafale fighter aircraft, at the
Dassault facility in France. (Photo: IANS/RMO)
from the perspective of attack. It is
for self‑defense," added Rajnath.
Rajnath took of f for the 30‑
minute sortie in Merignac soon
after completing a Shastra Puja
after the first of the 36 Rafale jets
was handed over to him on the
occasion of Dussehra on Tuesday.
The Shastra Puja (traditional
weapon worship ceremony) was
conducted by Rajnath upon the first
Rafale jet before he flew on the sor‑
tie. Rajnath, who has been perform‑
ing the Shastra Puja for the past
several years in his personal capaci‑
ty, inscribed the 'Om' symbol on the
fuselage of the first Rafale jet with
vermilion as part of the ceremony.
Dressed in a G‑suit and dark sun‑
glasses, Rajnath took to the cockpit
of a twin‑seater trainer version of
the Rafale jet. He was helped with
strapping on the security apparatus
by officials of the Indian Air Force
(IAF) who have accompanied him on
the trip. He waved his right arm and
showed the thumbs up sign before
the canopy of the glass cockpit of
the fighter jet shut down upon him.
Rajnath had flown a sortie on
India's indigenously developed
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas
Rajnath invites French
defense firms to India
Paris: Defense Minister Rajnath Singh invited French defense indus‑
tries to set up production bases in India and enter into co‑production
of high‑end defense equipment while addressing top honchos on the
last day of his three‑day visit to France on Wednesday.
Addressing a meet of defense and avionics industries CEOs here, he
spoke about how India has opened up the defense sector under the
'Make in India' initiative.
"We want collaboration to modernize our shipyards and defense
platforms by infusion of technology. French firms can make India its
base for production of defense equipment not only for India's large
market but also for export to other countries," he said.
The Defense Minister elucidated about the tax reforms undertaken
in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that the gov‑
ernment has successfully implemented a single Goods and Services
Tax in the country besides substantially reducing corporate tax.
During the course of his address, Rajnath Singh said that Indian and
French defense firms can mutually benefit though bilateral co‑opera‑
tion.
"Indian MSMEs seek foothold in the global supply chains with sup‑
port from of French defense and aerospace OEMs. French companies
could leverage from advantages in India such as low wages and avail‑
ability of technical manpower," he said.
Invitations were extended to French firms by the Indian delegation
for participating in DefExpo 2020 which will be held in Lucknow,
Uttar Pradesh next year.
from the Hindustan Aeronautics France and Dassault to acquire 36
Limited (HAL) airport in Bengaluru Rafale jets in flyaway condition at a
last month. cost of Rs 59,000 crore. The first
India has entered into an inter‑ four Rafale jets will arrive in India
governmental agreement with by May 2020.

India drops 10
positions in Global
Competitiveness
Index
New Delhi: India fell 10 positions, to the
68th rank, in the World Economic Forum's
(WEF) Global Competitiveness Index.
The concept of Global Competitiveness
Index 4.0. 2019 is anchored in growth
accounting theory, which measures the
sum of growth in the factors of production ‑
‑ labor and capital ‑‑ and of total factor pro‑
ductivity (TFP).
"India ranks 68th, down 10 places in
2019. The drop is only partly the conse‑
quence of a relatively small decline in score
(61.4 points, ‑0.7 points), but also, and
more significantly, the progress made by
several countries ranked close to India:
Colombia (62.7, +1.1 points, 57th position),
Azerbaijan (58th), South Africa (60th) and
Turkey (61st)," said the Global
Competitiveness Report 2019.
India trails China (28th, 73.9) by 40
places and 14 points.
The report showed that along with Brazil
(71st), it is among the low‑performing
BRICS countries, although the competitive‑
ness profiles of the two economies are
quite different.
India, however, performs well when it
comes to innovation (35th), well ahead of
most emerging economies and on par with
several advanced economies, the report
said.
Modi attends Dussehra event,
calls for saving water, energy
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the occasion of
Dussehra on Tuesday, called for saving energy and water and
asked the people to take a pledge to do the same.
"On Vijaya Dashami, at a time when we celebrate the
150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, I have a request for
my fellow citizens. Let us take a pledge to conserve energy,
save water and national resources of the country and do not
waste food," Modi said while addressing a gathering in
Dwarka.
Modi was participating in a Ravan Dahan event in Dwarka
area of the national capital.
Recalling his address on the radio program 'Mann Ki Baat',
when he had spoken about women empowerment, Modi said:
"This Diwali, let us celebrate the accomplishments of our
Nari Shakti (woman power). This can be our Lakshmi Pujan."
He also pointed out that India is a land of Shakti (power)
and Sadhna (penance): "In the last nine days we worshipped
Maa (Durga). Taking that spirit ahead, let us always work
towards furthering empowerment of women as well as
according dignity to women."
Observing that the country is also celebrating Air Force
Day on Tuesday, Modi praised the Indian Air Force and said
that the country is phenomenally proud of its services.
He greeted people on Vijaya Dashami saying that India is a
land of festivals and due to its vibrant culture, there is always
some or the other festival in some part of India. Every festi‑
val brings our society together, Modi said.
"India is the land of festivals. Due to the vibrance and diver‑
sity in our culture, there is always a festival or celebration in
some part of our country which brings us closer to one
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Ram Leela at Dwarka, another," the Prime Minister said while addressing the
New Delhi. (Photo: Amlan Paliwal/IANS) gathering.
 14 October 12-18, 2019
By Karan Thapar
W
as the Prime Ministerʼs
visit to the United States
and the United Nations
an “outstanding” success, or has
Kashmir been internationalized to
Indiaʼs disadvantage? Itʼs an intrigu‑
ing question, and the answer is nei‑
ther clear‑cut nor uncontested.
However, most analysts would
agree the Bharatiya Janata Partyʼs
hyperbole is unwarranted.
I would answer by separating two
issues: Indiaʼs assertion that the
change in Kashmirʼs status is an
internal matter, and international
concern about the communications
lockdown and allegations of human
rights abuse. If you see the two sep‑
arately, you will come to a better
understanding of the visitʼs overall
outcome.
With few exceptions, the world
has accepted India has a right to
change the constitutional status of
Kashmir, and itʼs not a matter for
other countries to comment on.
Turkeyʼs and Chinaʼs criticism is
explained by the fact that they are
Pakistani allies. The stinging state‑
ment by the Organisation of Islamic
Countries (OIC) Kashmir Contact
Group is probably not even taken
seriously by its 57 members. But
there are two voices of dissent that
should worry India.
T he first is Saudi Arabia. It
endorsed the OIC Contact Groupʼs
statement, thus placing a question
mark over Indiaʼs improving rela‑
tions with Riyadh. T he other is
What can India learn from China's economic growth?
By Amit Kapoor
C
hina celebrated the 70th
anniversary of becoming
a communist republic
w ith much fanfare. Back in
October 1949, when China was
adopting the communist model
of societal organization, India
was framing its constitution.
Less than four months later,
India was a democratic republic.
The two nations in their current
identities were, thus, born out of
the ashes of the colonial world
around the same time but adopt‑
ed a contrasting system of eco‑
nomic and social development.
After 70 years, the two nations
stand at very different levels of
development in terms of their
economic, military and techno‑
logical progress. China's prowess
on these fronts is incomparable
to that of India.
China's rise is quite extraordi‑
nary from the Indian viewpoint
as the two nations were at par
with each other in 1950. In fact,
China was at a disadvantage on
some aspects of development.
Even as recently as 1978, the
How the world sees
Indiaʼs Kashmir policy
Even though most countries havenʼt criticized the change in Kashmirʼs
status, they still regard it as disputed territory.
Malaysia. Its prime minister,
Mahathir Mohamad, told the
General Assembly that India has
“invaded and occupied” Kashmir. He
added whatever its reasons for act‑
ing, “it is still wrong”. This was said
just weeks after a long meeting with
Prime Minister Modi in Vladivostok.
Nonetheless, I would conclude
Modi has persuaded the world the
change in Kashmirʼs status is a
domestic issue and not a matter of
Chinese President Xi Jinping will have an informal summit with
Narendra Modi in Chennai from October 11 to 13.
per capita GDP of China was
$979, and India was $966.
However, all that changed with
the coming of Deng Xiaoping in
1978. As a result, China's per
capita income today is about 4.6
times than that of India.
T he first, and probably the
most important thing that China
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
OP-ED
international concern. Imran Khanʼs
publicly expressed despair and dis‑
appointment over the response he
got at the UN clinches this point.
However, itʼs a dif ferent story
when you turn to international con‑
cern about the communications
lockdown, detentions and allega‑
tions of human rights abuse. This is
a major story for the western media,
and itʼs uniformly and unreservedly
critical. The New York Times called
did well right from the start was
its focus on human development.
The improvement in human
development poised the society
perfectly for the reforms that
would be imposed under Deng's
China. The development of a vast
pool of human capital primed
the economy for economic
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
it “Indiaʼs folly” and “dangerous and
wrong”; the Guardian says its
“incendiary… shocking and per‑
ilous”; the Observer has dubbed it “a
very Indian coup”, adding Modi is
“square ly in the wrong”; the
Washington Post bluntly states
Modi has “stained” democracy.
British foreign secretary Dominic
Raab said “allegations of human
rights violations are deeply con‑
cerning”. Federica Mogherini, the
European Unionʼs high representa‑
tive for foreign affairs, asked India
“to restore the rights and freedoms
of the population in Kashmir”.
However, the most outspoken was
the United States. Alice Wells, the
acting assistant secretary for South
Asia, said: “The United States is con‑
cerned by the widespread deten‑
tions … and the restrictions on the
residents of Jammu and Kashmir.”
T he White House not so subtly
rubbed this in. It claimed in his
meeting with Modi in New York,
Trump “encouraged him to improve
ties with Pakistan and fulfil his
promise to better the lives of the
Kashmiri people.”
I would go one step further. On
reforms and, therefore, allowed
the country to maximise its gains
form it.
On the other hand, education
and health have always been an
area for concern for India. By the
time India began undertaking
economic reforms in the early
1980s, India's health and educa‑
tion levels were still poor. An
average Indian died at the age of
54 in 1980 while merely 43.6
percent of its population was
literate.
By comparison, life expectancy
in China was 64 years and its lit‑
eracy rate was 66 percent
around the same time.
The second key difference was
the focus on the type of indus‑
tries by the two countries. China
focused on industries that were
more labor‑intensive leveraging
on its pool of cheap labor.
Industries like textile, light
eng ineering and e lectronics
received hig her investment.
China also introduced special
economic zones (SEZs) as early
as 1980, which pushed manufac‑
turing growth and setting up of
export‑oriented industries. India,
the issue of Pakistan‑based terror,
Modi does not have Trumpʼs full
support. Trump called his Houston
speech “very aggressive”. He
believes Iran, and not Pakistan, is
the epicenter of terror. For him,
Khan is as good a friend as Modi.
Most tellingly, when questioned
about Khanʼs admission the
Pakistan army trained al‑Qaeda,
Trump claimed he hadnʼt heard
Khan speak. He clearly isnʼt willing
to hold Pakistan responsible in the
way India would like him to.
So what does this add up to? I find
it hard to deny Kashmir has been
internationalized. It actually began
with the informal meeting of the
Security Council in August. Second,
even though most countries havenʼt
criticized the change in Kashmirʼs
status, they still regard it as disput‑
ed territory. Finally, even if they
agree the solution has to be sought
bilaterally, theyʼre also encouraging
India to get on with it. Now a lot
depends on what happens when the
clampdown in the Valley is lifted.
(The Op‑Ed appeared in The
Hindustan Times)
on the other hand, focused more
on heavy industries that were
capital‑intensive and employed
less labor.
Moreover, the policy focus on
attracting foreign investment
through instruments like SEZ
came much later. As a result, by
1998 China had FDI investments
of $183 per capita as per
Maddison estimates and India
was merely at $14.
As India hardly pushed for
labor‑intensive manufacturing
growth, the sector never picked
up and the country became a
services‑led economy. China, on
the other hand, became the man‑
ufacturing powerhouse of the
world. A similar edge is being
created by Bangladesh in recent
times.
Thus, India has a lot to learn
from the development trajecto‑
ries of its neighbors. The focus
on health and education parame‑
ters for long‑term growth and
market‑oriented policies in the
short term has been an effective
strategy for Asian countries.
Perhaps it is time that India does
the same.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL October 12-18, 2019 15

Students of Caroline G. Atkinson Intermediate School, Gandhi lovers gathered at Jones Beach at Sunrise on October 2,
Freeport School District, Singing “Nothing More” to celebrate Gandhijiʼs 150th birthday

Long Island: Shanti Fund is a “Gand hian values and Youth

Long Island based, volunteers run
non‑profit, in existence for 25
years working primarily with
school children to imbibe
Shanti Fund held series of Advocacy”, while Shailesh Singhal
spoke on “Gandhi and You”.
Gandhi was a lifetime vegetari‑
an, H.K. Shah from World Vegan

events for Gandhi@150

Gand hian values of
Enlightenment through Peace and
Education. Around October 2,
Mahatma Gandhiʼs birthday, it
arranged a series of events to cel‑
ebrate the landmark of 150th
birth anniversary..
On, September 28 Shanti Fund
ce le brated annual event
“Promoting the Culture of Peace
and Nonviolence” amongst school
students. This annual event is
customarily he ld at Suf folk
County Executive building in
Hauppauge, where lifesize statue
of Gandhi stands. Various schools
participated in student peace per‑
spectives. The event started with
15 minutes of yoga followed by
peace walk around the building.
E.W. Miles middle schools from
Amityville school district, present‑
ed chorus reciting “Let There be a
Peace on Earth”. Students from
Patchogue‑Medford High School
presented “Gender Equality”, a
Sustainable Goal No. 5 as
declared by United Nations.
The educator invited to address
students about Gandhian values
this year was Dr. Kusum Sinha, a
Superintendent of Garden City
Pubolic schools. She emphasized
that Martin Luther King Jr grew
heavily on Gandhiʼs principles of
Nonviolence and civil activism.
“While theMontgomery protest
was going on, Indiaʼs Gandhi was
his guiding light”. After her inspi‑
rational address, she adminis‑
tered students a “Pledge of
Nonviolence”.
T his was followed by C.G.
Atkinson Schoolʼ (of Freeport
schools) splendid rendition of
“Nothing More” by Alternate
Routes.
On October 1, Shanti Fund col‑
laborated with other organiza‑
tions like “Light Millennium”,
“Consulate General of India” and
“Anuvrat” for a unique celebra‑
tion named “In a gentle way you
can shake the world, Mahatma
Gandhi ‑ The man of millennium”.
It was held at Salvation Army
building on 52nd street in NYC, a
short distance from UN. T his
event was g raced by the
Ambassador of Costa Rica to UN,
many excellencies, notable educa‑
tors, Gandhian scholars from vari‑
ous walk of lives.
After soulful piano recital by
Ms. Tiraje Ruckman, the first half
of program was opened and mod‑
erated by Ms. Bircan Unver, of
Lig ht Millennium. Opening
remarks were presented by Hon.
Shatrughna Sinha, Deputy Consul
of India. This was followed by a
Keynote by Prof. Victor B.
Lawrence, from Stevens Institute
of Technolog y, NJ. He spoke
about “How Information & com‑
munication technology can con‑
tribute to nonviolence & peace”.
Dr. Abdelkader Abbadi, former
director of political af fairs, UN
Security Council secretariat,
reminded us all that Gandhi never
won Nobel peace prize, although
he was nominated 5 t imes.
Gandhi was a pacifist who against
violence between Hindus and
Muslims. Dr. Abbadi reminded
that Gandhiʼs political philosophy
was inner peace and spiritual
based on tolerance, forgiveness,
compassion and pat ience.
Dr.Abadi quoted Gandhi “ The day
the power of love overrules love
of power, the world will know
peace”.
Mr. Syed Omair Hassan, assis‑
tant director, City of NY, office of
management and budget, said
Gandhiʼs teachings of peace and
nonviolence are needed today
more than ever be fore. H.E.
Ambassador of Costa Rica, Hon.
Rodrigo Carazo spoke on Costa
Ricaʼs non‑military practices in
Corre lat ion w ith Gand hiʼs
Nonviolence & Peace ful
Resilience..
The second half of the program
was mo derated by Mr. Bakul
Matalia of Shant i Fund. He
opened the program by showing
a video clip of “From India With
Love” by Mr. Mandar Apte, which
showed the power of peaceful
coexistence and interfaith living
in India. Mr. Matalia introduced
Dr. Panna Shah who spoke on
Anuvibha and nonviolent future
based on Gandhian values.
Next scholar to speak was Dr.
James Leckman from Yale
University, who spoke on
“Pathways to more peaceful and
sustainable world”. He empha‑
sized on Gandhiʼs teachings of
love and peace.
This was followed by two young
speakers: Aishwarya
Narasimhadevara spoke on
Vision, spoke on “Ahimsa (nonvio‑
lence) and Veganism”. He linked
vegan diet with good health and
gave the example of Gandhiʼs
unmatched energy and health to
his vegetarian diet. Dr. Faroque
Khan, of Islamic Center of
Westbury, spoke on Gandhiʼs
leg acy in 2019 and beyond.
Mohan Ramaswami of the Hindu
Temple of Flushing spoke elo‑
quently on Hindu Dharma in
action in a Gandhian way. Arvind
Vora, founding member of Shanti
Fund, gave his reflections and elo‑
quent closing remarks.
Shanti Fund also celebrated
Gandhiʼs 150th birthday at sun‑
rise on Oct 2 at Jones Beach.
About 30 Gandhi enthusiasts
showed up at sunrise when glori‑
ous, colorful sun was rising out of
Atlant ic oceanʼs calm, serine
waters to bless the world of
peace, nonviolence, warmth and
tranquility to head start the
salient ce le brat ion. Gand hiʼs
favorite prayers and songs were
played. Dr. Narendra Bhalodkar ,
Arvind Vora and Dr. Kirit Gosalia
spoke.
The flagship event to celebrate
Gandhi 150 was on the evening
of October 2 at Suf folk County
Executive building.

Some of esteemed speakers at celebration of Mahatma Gandhi ‑Man of the Millennium:

Dr. Kusum Sinha, Superintendent of Garden City Schools (middle), Aishwarya Narasimhadevara, Mohan Ramaswamy, Dileep Thankappan , Bakul Matalia, Ms. Chikiko
is felicitated by Arvind Vora, N. Ramamurthy, Hoshino, Ms. Bircan Unver, H.E. Rodrigo Carazo, Ambassador of Costa Rica to UN, Yoomesh Sharma,
Dr. Sharda Jaygopal and Bakul Matalia. Arvind Vora, Shailesh Singhal, Prof. James Leckman.
 16 October 12-18, 2019 FESTIVALS TheSouthAsianTimes.info TheSouthAsianTimes.info FESTIVALS October 12-18, 2019 17

By Parveen Chopra

New York: Tens of thousands of peo‑

ple enjoyed this yearʼs daylong Deep‑
avali festival at South Street Seaport
here on Sunday. This was the 32nd
Deepavali organized by the Associa‑
tion of Indians in America (AIA), New
AIA’s 32nd Deepavali
York chapter, under the presidentship
of Harish Thakkar.
AIA Deepavali is the largest celebra‑
tion of the festival of lights outside
India and has been so since 1987
when it was started.
Festival a huge success
This time around, people from all
walks of life thronged the intercolle‑
giate dance competition, fusion music
UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF HARISH THAKKAR Harish Thakkar with his Executive Committee and supporting team.
performance, a fashion show, a vegan
expo, and fun‑filled childrenʼs activi‑
ties, not to speak of the sparkling fire‑
works. Doing brisk business were
booths with a variety of fine cuisine,
clothes and handicrafts. There was
also an exhibition of the works of con‑
temporary Indian artists.
AIAʼs annual flagship event Deep‑
avali festival is known for attracting
elected officials and dignitaries. Grac‑
ing the occasion this time were Con‑
gresswoman Carolyn Maloney as well
as New York State Assemblyman
David Weprin and Manhattan Bor‑
ough President Gale Brewer. Mayor
Bill de Blasio sent a representative to
present his message and a proclama‑
tion recognizing the event. The Indian Fireworks sponsor CheapOairʼs representatives were honored for the travel companyʼs support.
Consulate was represented by Deputy
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, seen flanked by Harish Thakkar and Democratic Urban Desi music star from the UK, Amar Sandhu,
Consul General Shatrughna Sinha. Leader Dr Neeta Jain, brought a Gandhi portrait to gift gave an exciting performance.
Maloney dwelt on the history of AIA,
Diwali celebrations at the White
House since 2003, and her involve‑
ment in making the Diwali stamp a re‑
ality. She also spoke about the 150th
anniversary of the birth of Mahatma
Gandhi and gifted a large portrait of
the Mahatma.
Harish Thakkar, serving his first of
two year term as President of AIA, AIA‑NY President Harish Thakkar enjoying the fireworks at the culmina‑
told The South Asian Times that the tion of Deepavali festival on Sunday. (Photos: Akshat Kaul/AIA)
arrangements were perfect and the
daylong event went very well ‑ a slight says, “We are doing our part to edu‑ catalyst for Diwali's widespread ac‑
drizzle late petered out before the fire‑ cate our children and impress the knowledgement in the White House,
works. Enthusiasm was high, particu‑ need to keep alive our Indian culture NY City Hall, Gracie Mansion, govern‑
larly for ʻNaach Infernoʼ dance and traditions.” ment agencies, schools, universities,
competition in which seven teams AIAʼs South Street Deepavali event public institutions and corporations.
participated and was won by Routh has become a New York calendar He and his wife Anita Thakkar, have,
Bhangra girls. event much anticipated by not just In‑ on their initiative and expense, been
Thakkar, a Gujarati origin techpre‑ dians and Indian‑Americans in the re‑ conducting Diwali celebrations under
neur, introduced many new attrac‑ gion, but also people of other the banner of AIA for schoolchildren (from left) AIA National President Dr Urmilesh Arya, DCG Shatrughna Sinha, Harish Thakkar, Kamlesh Mehta,
As per AIA estimates some 50,000 people came for the popular South Harish Thakkarʼs daughter Heeta Thakkar, clicking a selfie Jagdish Sewhani, and Dr Tarun Wasil posing for the cameras.
tions this time, for instance, Dandiya, ethnicities as wells as tourists to the in public libraries in Queens, Westch‑
Street Seaport Deepavali on October 6. (Photo: courtesy AIA) with the star of the show.
for which they got singer Varsha Big Apple. ester, and Connecticut.
Joshi. The evening celebrations culmi‑
The Vegan Expo in collaboration nated in an over 20‑minute fireworks
with World Vegan Vision was another display on the East River, sponsored
first. It saw people sample some of the by CheapOair and Qatar Airways, Dandiya was
foods and the cooking demonstration which also gave away 2 India tickets presented for
and listen to doctors speak about the to lucky winners. Other sponsors in‑ the first time
benefits of going vegetarian. World cluded McDonaldʼs, New York Life, on the main
Vegan Vision president H.K. Shah pre‑ ICICI Bank, Sony Entertainment, Air stage.
sented 3 free iPads to lucky winners India, and several media partners in‑
of the raffle draw. cluding The South Asian Times. “We
Dallas‑born Urban Desi star Amar are grateful to all our sponsors who
Sandhu came from the UK to perform make the festival a big success,”
and belted out hit songs to the delight Thakkar said.
of an excited crowd. Founded in 1967, AIA is the oldest Several
Thakkar points out that AIAʼs motto national organization of Asian Indians classical and
is ʻIndian Heritage, American Commit‑ in the U.S with chapters and member‑ Bollywood
mentʼ. AlA Deepavali is aimed to fos‑
dance
ship spread across the nation.
performances
ter increased understanding and Thakkar, who has been associated
regaled the
appreciation among the wider Ameri‑ with AIA‑NY in senior capacities for
audience.
can community of India's rich and di‑ the last 14 years, is proud to say that AIA‑NY President Harish Thakkar presenting the trophy to Routh Bhangra team, A fashion show by Sarashiva, displaying traditional Indian clothes,
verse culture. At the same time, he AIA‑Deepavali festival has become a winner of the Naach Inferno competition. was another first for the AIA Deepavali.
 18 October 12-18, 2019
Aishwarya's Paris
Fashion Week look
gets mixed reactions
A S
ctress Aishwarya
Rai Bachchan
recently walked
the runway at the ongo‑
ing Paris Fashion Week,
but her look has
received mixed reactions
on social media.
Aishwarya wore a pink
asymmetrical floral
dress by Giambattista
Valli, teaming it with
fringed footwear, a
messy top bun and glit‑
tery makeup.
Expressing his views
on Instagram, Indian
designer Wendell
Rodricks slammed the
actress' stylist.
He wrote: "@loreal you
have one of the prettiest
girls in the world and
this is how you do her
make‑up and dress her?
Sack the stylist for this sack dress with a
note that Halloween is next month." Many
users called it as a "disaster".
One user commented: "The dress, the
make‑up, the hair... It's all so atrocious... It
looks like a 6‑year old was given a free
reign on her face..." However, there were
some who defended Ash, saying she had
Will be acting till I die,
says Kareena
Mumbai: Actress Kareena Kapoor
Khan, who has almost completed
two decades in the industry, says
she was born to act and that she
will hopefully do it till the end of
her life.
Kareena made her acting debut
with "Refugee" along with
Abhishek Bachchan in 2000.
Since then, she has been part
of some of the most successful
films like "Jab We Met", "Udta
Punjab", "Veere Di Wedding",
"Chameli" and "Asoka".
"It has been an amazing 20
years. It has been a fabulous
journey working with some
amazing people. I was born to act
because I feel that's where my
passion is and I will hopefully act
till the end of my life."
Now, Kareena is looking for‑
ward to working with Aamir
Khan for the third time in "Laal
Singh Chadha" and has hailed
the superstar a cinematic genius.
"Laal Singh Chadha" is an offi‑
cial remake of the Hollywood classic
"Forrest Gump". It is written by Atul
Kulkarni, directed by Advait Chandan and
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
managed to pull it off despite the disas‑
trous style statement.
"She still managed to pull it off," add the
Instagram user. On the work front,
Aishwarya will be seen in Mani Ratnam's
next film, which is based on Kalki
Krishnamurthy's popular historical novel
"Ponniyin Selvan" (The Son Of Ponni).
co‑produced by Viacom18 Studios with
Aamir Khan Productions. The movie is slat‑
ed to hit theaters during Christmas 2020.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
'War' could have been
named 'Bore'
By Vinayak
Chakravorty
trictly speaking,
"War" is not a film.
It is a smart product
manufactured to gyp you
with hardsell, tempt you to
splurge on the multiplex
tickets in a festive season
when the spirit of indul‑
gence runs high. "War" was
always about a catchy title,
and about crafting a set of
Go for ʻWarʼ only if you root for
irresistible teasers that
Hrithik Roshan and/or Tiger Shroff.
promised two of the indus‑
REVIEW
try's hunkiest heroes in full‑on action mode,
at some of the most gorgeous locations
across the planet. They spent hundreds of eliminate a top terrorist, instead he guns
crores all of the above. Who needs an engag‑ down a high‑ranking official of the Indian
ing story? Despite the hype and hoopla it has secret service. Kabir's onetime protege
arrived with, there is very little entertain‑ Khalid (Tiger Shroff) takes on the mission to
ment in the film. Time simply doesn't pass. track him down, with orders to shoot him on
"War" could have been named "Bore". sight. Much of the first half is wasted in
For obvious reasons of commerce, the establishing their back stories, serving up
saleable package is entirely set up around very little action, much lesser thriller quo‑
the film's two heroes ‑ Hrithik Roshan and tient, and almost no plot progression that
Tiger Shroff ‑ reducing everything and may catch you by surprise.
everyone else including heroine and villains The climax action is an outcome of a ludi‑
to essential props. The script credited to crous plot twist, involving an outrageously
Aditya Chopra and Siddharth Anand intro‑ unimaginative subtext about plastic surgery.
duces Hrithik as a rogue agent named Kabir Still, despite its sheer silliness, the twist
who, at the start of the film, has apparently would seem like the only original thing
turned against the nation. He is assigned to about "War".
The many Jokers in the
Hollywood pack
By Durga Chakravarty
F
rom the pages of comicbooks to a
popular video game, and from a hit
telly‑series to the cult "Batman"
movies, the Joker has been one the most
eccentric and the eclectic supervillains in
fiction. As Joaquin Phoenix stars in the title
role of "Joker", he joins ranks with several
distinguished actors who have made a
mark imparting their own style to the vil‑ HEATH LEDGER in "The Dark Knight" (2008)
lainy of the character. By every yardstick, the greatest act as
CESAR ROMERO in ʻBatmanʼ television Joker ever. Ledger's portrayal gave goose‑
series (1966‑1968) bumps, raised consternation and sympathy
Popular character actor Romero played at the same time, and made you angry as
the Joker in the 1960's campy "Batman" mush as it made you laugh. Ledger received
live‑action series. As the Joker, he main‑ numerous posthumous accolades for his
tained his Latin lover moustache, topping it performance as Joker including an Oscar
with the trademark white make‑up and as Best Supporting Actor. The actor had an
green hair of the character. Apparently, untimely death of drug overdose in 2008.
Romero insisted nothing could make him JOAQUIN PHOENIX in "Joker" (2019)
give up his signature appearance state‑ The film got an eight‑minute standing
ment. ovation at its Venice film festival premiere
JACK NICHOLSON in ʻBatmanʼ movie (1989) in August. It is a standalone origin story
Nicholson was a huge star at the time of focussed on the early days of Joker, and
film's release, and was given top billing on what led to the creation of the ruthless,
the posters, ahead of Michael Keaton, who psychopathic villain, and therefore the film
played the title role of Batman. After does not have an appearance by Batman.
Romero's gleeful supervillain in the sixties Through Phoenix's performance, we get to
series, Nicholson re‑invented Joker with a known Arthur Fleck, the person that the
dark, psychotic spin in Tim Burton's film. In Joker was before he became a societal
an interview, Nicholson had said he was menace, as a sad sack and a mentally‑trou‑
"particularly proud" of his performance as bled man who transforms into an icon of
the Joker. violence.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Tough surviving white male‑ Cult status of 'Sholay' is about
dominated Hollywood: its minor characters, too
Emmy‑winner Geeta Gandbhir
S
he is a two‑time Emmy
Award‑winning film‑
maker. She has worked
with Hollywood icons as
Steven Spielberg and Spike
Lee. She is an Indian who
carved a niche in Hollywood.
But Geeta Gandbhir says all
this was not easy, especially in
the male‑dominated world of
films.
"I think it is never easy.
There are obviously many,
many people ‑‑ for example,
my mentor Sam Pollard ‑‑ who
encouraged me. But then there
are many, definitely many,
Filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir is now coming up with a
walls. In the US, it (the film
docu‑series for Discovery channel.
industry) is a white male‑dom‑
inated field, and it is white
men who often decide what gets funded
and what gets made," Geeta told IANS.
However, things are getting better, she
added.
Geeta is now "looking forward to contin‑
uing to fight the good fight around this
issue of representation for basically any‑
one who isn't a white male".
"My goal is to stand with them in chang‑
ing this industry," she added.
Bedroom issues
hit big screen
By Sugandha Rawal
B
ollywood has aced the art of
uncovering societal issues, and is
now mastering the art of taking
the audience between the sheets with its
stories, being driven by stars like
Ayushmann Khurrana, Sonakshi Sinha
and Rajkummar Rao.
What ties "Vicky Donor", "Shubh
Mangal Saavdhan", "Lust Stories",
"Khandaani Shafakhana" or Rajkummar's
upcoming "Made In China"? It is the pres‑
ence of sex ‑‑ which is not used as a tool
for titillation anymore, but woven into
the storyline to take forward the plot.
Sex is no longer a hush‑hush subject,
and that is one of the main reasons
behind the increasing visibility of such
subjects.
If Ayushmann Khurrana has brought
issues such as sperm donation and erec‑
tile dysfunction to the spotlight with
Shoojit Sircar's "Vicky Donor" and "Shubh
Mangal Saavdhan" respectively, then
there is also actor Vicky Kaushal bringing
the plight of a husband who is unable to
satisfy his wife onto the screen in "Lust
Stories".
Rajkummar Rao will be seen trying to
improve people's sex‑life in "Made In
China", as a businessman selling aphro‑
disiac.
Sonakshi Sinha surprised the audience
when she decided to essay the owner of a
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Speaking of her projects, Geeta is now
coming up with a docu‑series titled "Why
We Hate" for Discovery.
Geeta rose to fame as an editor in
Hollywood, working on projects such as
"Mr. Dynamite: The Rise Of James Brown",
"Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms
Mabley" for HBO, which was nominated
for an Emmy, besides "When the Levees
Broke", "By the People: The Election Of
Barack Obama".
Actress Sonakshi Sinha in a still from
ʻKhandaani Shafakhanaʼ.
sex clinic in "Khandaani Shafakhana" this
year.
The audience is also accepting themes
pertaining to sex with no hesitation.
"The audience has matured. For the
youngsters, who go and watch movies,
sex is not a taboo and that is why it can
be woven into the storyline," trade expert
Vinod Mirani told IANS.
"Bold and well‑presented subjects are
accepted. Sex is not a taboo anymore. It's
a part of normal life," explained trade
analyst Amod Mehra, pointing out: "At
the same time, there are certain series on
OTT platforms that cross lines at times.
That's an issue, which is alarming."
October 12-18, 2019 19
By Vinayak
Chakravorty
T
hink "Sholay" and you are
thinking Jai‑Veeru,
Thakur or Gabbar Singh.
The fact we often tend to gloss
over is that a major reason why
Ramesh Sippy's all‑time block‑
buster has continued to grow in
the collective consciousness of
Indian movie buffs over the
decades is also the assortment of
minor characters in the story.
When Salim‑Javed wrote Viju A still from the movie ʻSholayʼ.
Khote's Kaalia, Macmohan's
Sambha, Jagdeep's Soorma Bhopali, films. "Sholay" stands out among the
Asrani's Angrezon ke zamaane ke jailer, numerous other films that lucratively tried
Keshto Mukherjee's Hariram nai, AK the formula because its minor characters
Hangal's Rahim chacha or Leela Mishra's were exceptionally imagined. They were
Basanti ki mausi, these would have been realistic in essence, yet comicbook in flavor.
essential props essential to carry the story Think of Macmohan's Sambha. Gabbar
forward. Yet, over time, each of these char‑ asks him to remind the gang how much
acters have not only become as endearing government prize money rides on him.
as the film's protagonists, they have also "Poore pacchas hajaar," Sambha dutifully
virtually come to be the calling cards of the informs.
actors that portrayed them. In itself, that dialogue would seem lame ‑‑
Take Kaalia, for instance, essayed by Viju a routine sentence devoid of any drama
Khote ‑‑ the Marathi veteran who passed whatsoever. Yet, when Sambha, seated on
away recently. Over a career spanning half his lone watch atop a hillock, delivers it, the
a century, Khote had made his mark in line crisply and effectlively underlines the
Hindi films, as well as the worlds of menace of Gabbar Singh as a criminal in
Marathi stage and screen. In Bollywood, his society. Some minor characters exist solely
popular line "Galti se mistake ho gaya" as to regale. Think Leela Mishra as Basanti ki
the scheming butler Robert in the 1993
cult slapstick "Andaaz Apna Apna" contin‑
Mausi. She shines in the one major conve‑
sation she gets, with Amitabh Bachchan's
Jai, when the latter goes to her with a mar‑
ues to be popular even today.
Ramesh Sippy's film was positioned as a riage proposal for Hema Malini's Basanti,
curry western, a genre that did not have on behalf of his buddy Veeru
any notable precedence in Bollywood till (Dharmendra).
before August 15, 1975, when 'Sholay" The utility of Jagdeep's tall‑talking
released. Soorma Bhopali is also to create comic
Back in the seventies, minor characters relief, while AK Hangal's Raheem chacha is
inserted in a screenplay for comic relief the only character whose duty is to create
was a commonplace idea in mainstream tearjerker melodrama.
RSS film festival to showcase
Army, security, Indian values
T
he Bharatiya Chitra Sadhana,
an RSS affiliated organization,
will showcase films based on
the valor of the Indian Army, nation‑
al security and other such issues
close to the ideology of the RSS at its
film festival to be held in
Ahmedabad from February 21 to 23,
a report said. The film festival is to
be headed by filmmaker Subhash
Ghai.
Rakesh Mittal, Secretary of the
Bharatiya Chitra Sadhana, told IANS,
"there is only one objective of this
film festival ‑ to promote patriotism.
We want to create a platform for the
youths through which they can
The film fest will take place
express their creativity and emo‑ in Gujarat in Feb 2020.
tions through the most powerful
medium ‑ the cinema." The Bharatiya today's cinema. Hence, it feels there is a
Chitra Sadhana has expressed concern need to regulate content. It has also criti‑
over growing nudity and abusive content cized certain productions for their alleged
and disappearance of Indian values in "anti‑Hindu" stance.
 20 October 12-18, 2019
By Subramanian
Swamy
M
y solutions to fashion an
ideological turnaround
in the economy and go
on the path of a 10+ per cent
growth rates are as follows:
i) The individual has to be per‑
suaded by the government
through incentives ‑ for example,
by abolishing the income tax ‑
and not by coercion, such as
harsh levies and taxes. Of course,
the state should make no promise
to the people without specifying
the sacrifice required to be made
by them in order to make income
tax abolition happen. For exam‑
ple, no consumption binge, sav‑
ings in term deposits in banks,
etc.
ii) To raise the GDP growth rate
to more than 10 per cent, the rate
of investment (including FDI) has
to rise to 38 per cent of GDP from
the present 29 per cent. Of this,
household savings are the bulk of
India's national savings at 80 per
cent of the total. But since 2016,
household savings have dropped
from a high of 34 per cent of GDP
in 2014 to 28 per cent of GDP in
2018, mainly due to the poorly
implemented demonetization. The
decline in investment and the
level of household savings thus
cause a decline in the GDP growth
rate, a concern that has not been
addressed seriously in the budg‑
ets of 2016‑19.
iii) Households have to be
incentivized with the methods
Will Rafale be a 'game changer' for India?
By Ayaskant Das
T
he induction of the Rafale
fighter jet will be a "game
changer" for India in
regional geopolitics of South Asia
in so far as Pakistan is concerned,
defence experts said on Monday,
though any comparison with the
air power of China still has a long
way to go.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
was to ceremonially receive the
first of the 36 Rafale aircraft in
France this week, even though the
combat jet will be seen in Indian
skies only in May 2020.
Air Chie f Marshal R.K.S.
Bhadauria had said soon after tak‑
ing over as air chief on September
30 that induction of the Rafale is
going to be a "game changer".
Rafale, categorized as a 4.5 gen‑
eration aircraft for its radar‑evad‑
ing stealth profile, will be a game
changer for the Indian Air Force
(IAF) since most of the aircraft in
its inventory ‑ including the
Mirage 2000 and the Su‑30 MkI ‑
are classified as either third‑ or
fourth‑generation fighters.
INDIA FEATURES
Swamynomics: The
path to 10% growth
An extract from Subramanian Swamy's new book "Reset".
v) Since the growth rate in GDP
is calculated as equal to the rate
of total investment (as a ratio of
GDP) divided by the productivity
of capital (measured by capital‑
output ratio presently at an ineffi‑
cient high of 4.0), in order to
achieve 10+ per cent growth rate
in GDP, a household savings rate
of 34 per cent of GDP, a non‑
household saving rate of 5 per
cent of GDP and a capital output
ratio of less than 3.9 of GDP is
necessary.
That is, if the rate of investment
mentioned above, viz., personal is 39 per cent and productivity
income tax abolition to raise sav‑ (capital‑output) ratio is 3.9, then
ings back to 34 per cent of the GDP growth rate is 39 divided by
GDP. We are witnessing today 3.9, which equals 10 per cent.
how much unhappiness there is Thus, the higher the productivity
due to income tax terrorism. iv) in the use of capital (i.e., lower is
Non‑household savings today are the capital‑output ratio), the high‑
about 5 per cent of the GDP. For er is the GDP growth rate for the
fixed deposits in banks, the rate same level of investment. The
of interest should not be less than efficiency in the use of capital is
9 per cent. This will boost institu‑ attained more easily by innova‑
tional and household savings in tions that are introduced by the
fixed deposits. production technique, and less so
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh ceremonially received the first of
the 36 Rafale aircraft in France this week, though the combat
jet will be seen in Indian skies only in May 2020. There is
nothing equivalent to the Rafale in Pakistan.
"Pakistan has the multi‑role F‑ Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas can
16 in its inventory. But it is only be categorized as fourth‑genera‑
as good as the Mirage 2000 of tion in terms of avionics and tech‑
India. There is nothing equivalent nology but it is too small an air‑
to the Rafale in Pakistan," retired craft to make a difference.
Air Marshal M. Matheswaran told India will only be the fourth
IANS. country, after France, Egypt and
The upgraded version of the Qatar, to fly the Rafale. But the
Mirage and the Sukhoi 30 can at Rafale cannot be compared with
best reach up to the category of the J‑20, an indigenously devel‑
fourth‑generation fighters. The oped fifth‑generation aircraft of
indigenously developed Light China. The J‑20 is soon set to be
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
by reducing waste and inefficien‑
cy.
In addition to dramatic incen‑
tives for the household expecta‑
tion and sentiment to save, and
lowering the cost of capital via
reducing the prime lending inter‑
est rates of banks to 9 per cent,
the government also needs to
implement a new strategy based
on a menu of measures, including:
i) Shifting to a fixed exchange
rate regime of Rs 50 per dollar
for the FY 2019 and then gradu‑
ally lowering the exchange rate
for subsequent years. How that
can be done is a huge macroeco‑
nomic exercise that space in this
book limits me from elaborating.
ii) Abolishing part icipatory
notes (commonly known as a P‑
note or PN) while invoking the UN
Resolution of 2005 to bring back
black money of about $1 trillion
from abroad held illegally, and
iii) Printing rupee notes to fully
finance basic infrastructure and
public works projects while keep‑
inducted in large numbers into
the People's Liberation Army Air
Force of China after it was suc‑
cessfully developed and displayed,
said defence sources. The Hong
Kong‑based Eng lish language
newspaper South China Morning
Post had reported, quoting the
Chinese state media, as far back
as March 2017 that the PLAAF
had inducted the latest stealth
fighter J‑20.
Besides, China already has over
600 4 to 4.5 generation fighter
jets in its air force.
"We have the capability to
defend ourselves. But capabilities
also include a lot of strategic
issues in the global system. The
dif ferent ials are too much
between India and China as far as
air power is concerned," added Air
Marshal Matheswaran.
As per defence experts, with its
J‑20, China is eyeing to compete
with the US, which boasts of fifth‑
generation fighter jets including
F‑22 and F‑35 manufactured by
Lockheed Martin.
India's mega deal with Russia to
develop a fifth‑generation aircraft,
ing especially to pay wages of
laborers, and setting aside con‑
cerns about fiscal deficit ratio in
the cold storage for the time
being.
India can make rapid economic
progress to become a developed
country only through a globally
compet it ive economy, which
requires assured access to the
markets and technological inno‑
vations of the US and some of its
allies, such as Israel. This has con‑
comitant political obligations
which must be accepted as essen‑
tial.
We will also have to accelerate
growth in the manufacturing,
services and exports sectors to
wean labor away from agricul‑
ture. This will result in higher
productivity and income for farm‑
ers.
Subramanian Swamy, an econo‑
mist with a PhD from Harvard
University, is a BJP member of
the Rajya Sabha
which could have put it in the
same league as US and China, fell
off in 2018 amidst uncertainties.
T here is no decision yet on
whether fifth‑generation aircraft
will be purchased of f the shelf
even as the IAF is short of at least
10 to 12 squadrons of fighter jets.
With both the Bison and non‑
Bison versions of the MiG 21 also
set to be decommissioned soon,
the IAF has claimed that it is fully
committed to deve loping the
indigenous Advanced Medium
Combat Aircraft (AMCA) as
replacement. Air Chief Marshal
Bhadauria had said in New Delhi
last week that "there is no ques‑
tion of imports whatsoever in the
foreseeable future".
"The AMCA is a development
project and it will be several years
before it actually takes of f. The
project is still on the drawing
board. India will have to have a
long‑term partnership with any
leading company of the world in
order to develop the AMCA. The
partner is not chosen yet," said a
top IAF of ficial, on condition of
anonymity.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SUBCONTINENT October12-18, 2019 21

JAISH'S NEW POSTER BOY IN Once close to Imran

POK: Informer‑turned‑terror
kingpin, Nengroo
New Delhi: Lure of big money
turned Aashiq Ahmed Nengroo, a
truck driver from Pulwama, from
a police informer to a terror king‑
pin. Once seen as a pro‑Indian
Kashmiri, Negroo, succumbed to
the lust for money and finally
became one of the largest 'ex‑
porter' of arms, narcotics and ter‑
rorists into the Indian territory.
After the recent drone drop‑
pings in Punjab, Indian security
agencies have launched a massive
manhunt in the Kashmir Valley to
nab more than 40 terrorists
despatched by Nengroo, the new
poster boy of Jaish‑e‑Mohammed,
the Pakistan‑based terror outfit,
desperate to escalate it's anti‑
Indian operations.
The well‑trained terrorists infil‑
trated through the international
border in Jammu and Kashmir by
Nengroo, also includes a few
small groups of fidayeens.
With the connivance of Inter‑
Services Inte lligence (ISI) of
Pakistan, Nengroo orchestrated
the sensational arms dropping
Aashiq Ahmed Nengroo
succumbed to the lust for money.
case in which drones were used
to smuggle lethal weapons into
India from across the border, last
month. Once an informer for the
Indian Army, Nengroo had helped
security agencies by providing
tip‑offs about some of the dread‑
ed terrorists who were killed in
encounters.
As a driver, hailing from
Kakapora area (Pulwama) located
12 km away from Srinag ar,
Nengroo had built a strong net‑
work among the separatist lead‑
ers and anti‑Indian rogues.
Due to this network Nengroo
had a deep insight into the terror
activities centred in and around
Srinagar, reveals the dossier pre‑
pared by Intelligence agencies on
him. However, lure of money
turned Nengroo into a sympathiz‑
er of the separatists. The dossier
says that Nengroo later came into
contact of a Hijbul Mujahideen
leader, who subsequently
assigned him to organize stone
pelting incidents in Pulwama, a
hub of stone pelters in the valley.
For every anti‑Indian assignment,
Neng roo fetched a couple of
thousand rupees.
Eyeing such lucrative assign‑
ments Nengroo left Hijbul and
became ISI's key player in the
Valley.
Getting handsome funds from
his handlers, he bought a few
trucks and got involved in smug‑
gling of weapons and also helped
terror outfits in transportation of
terrorists. Finally he joined the
Jaish and sneaked into Pakistan
Occupied Kashmir.
Khan, now creating
problems for him
Islamabad: The meeting of Army
Chief General Qamar Javed
Bajwa with businessmen and the
announcement of the 'Azadi'
march by Jamiat Ulema‑e‑Islam
Chief Fazlur Rahman clearly
indicate that the Pakistani Army
and the extremist groups, which
helped Pakistan Prime Minister
Imran Khan to oust the main
opposition Pakistan Peoples
Party (PPP) and Pakistan
Muslim League‑Nawaz (PML‑N),
are now creating problems for
the cricketer‑turned‑politician.
Imran Khan, who is facing crit‑
icism for the sluggish economy,
was still raising the Kashmir
issue even after returning from
the United Nations General
Assembly but the Army chief
and the Jamiat Ulema‑e‑Islam
chief preferred to share their
plans in view of the ground real‑
ity. Imran Khan established his
political party, Pakistan
Tehreek‑e‑Insaf (PTI), on April
25, 1996. It gained prominence
among the youth and in the
2013 elections his party formed
the government in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa. The PTI came to
power in the July 2018 national
Pakistanʼs Army Chief General
Qamar Javed Bajwa.
highest within one year of his
governance. This is the reason
why he is being questioned
about the ground reality where‑
as he is still trying to divert
attention through his anti‑India
statements and raising the
Kashmir issue.
Jamiat Ulema‑e‑Islam (JUI‑F)
chief Fazlur Rehman announced
the 'Azadi' march as a war
against the government and said
that it would "only end when the
government falls".
Both the PPP and the PML‑N ‑
the two major opposition parties
‑ have been non‑committal on
the issue of participation in the
march. The PML‑N had urged
Rehman to delay the march,
while PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto‑

Pakistan likely to be retained

Zardari said that he would hold
elections and on August 17, a party meeting to decide "the
2018 Imran Khan took over as extent to which [they] can help"
the 22nd Prime Minister of Rehman.

on FATF grey list: Report Pakistan.

Islamabad: The chances are high
that Pakistan will be retained on
the 'grey list' during the FATF's
crucial plenary meetings this
month as the country has com‑
plied with just one the 40 recom‑
mendations set by the global
anti‑money laundering watchdog
at the time of the country's inclu‑
sion in the list, according to a
report by the Asia Pacific Group
(APG).
T he APG released its much‑
awaited 228‑page 'Mutual
Evaluation Report', days ahead of
the key Financial Action Task
Force's (FATF) plenary meeting,
which will give its decision on
Pakistan's 'grey list' status.
According to the report, out of
FATF's 40 recommendations on
curbing money laundering and
combating the financing of ter‑
rorism, Pakistan was fully com‑
pliant only on one. It was largely
compliant on nine, partially com‑
pliant on 26 and non‑compliant
on four recommendations, The
Express Tribune reported.
Pakistan faces high risks of
money laundering and terror
financing and it needs to improve
the understanding of these risks
that are also emanating from var‑
Terror group Jamaat‑ud‑Dawaʼs chief Hafiz Saeed.
ious terrorist groups operating in
the country, the report said.
"After the APG report, chances
are high that Pakistan would be
retained on the grey list during
the FATF plenary meetings from
October 13 to 18 in Paris,"
according to the APG report.
T he report underlined that
Pakistan's regulators ‑ the State
Bank of Pakistan and Securities
and Exchange Commission of
Pakistan ‑ have very limited
understating of the money laun‑
dering and terror financing
Though Imran Khan won the
elections and formed the gov‑
Prime Minister Imran Khan
has said that JUI‑F chief
Maulana Fazlur Rehman would
ernment he failed to meet the not be able to exploit the "reli‑
expectations of the youth and gious card" against the govern‑
the common people. Poverty ment at the behest of the PPP
and unemployment was the and the PML‑N.
3 Indians released in exchange
for Taliban prisoners
Kabul: Three Indian engineers who former Governor of Nimroz.
were taken hostage about six The Taliban has not of ficially
months ago in Afg hanistan's confirmed the development, nor
Baghlan province have been freed have officials from the Afghan or
in exchange for 11 Taliban prison‑ Indian governments.
ers, a former commander of the In May 2018, seven Indian engi‑
militant group has said. neers were abducted in Baghlan's
According to Sayed Mohammad Bagh‑e‑Shamal village. They were
Akbar Agha, the freed Taliban employees of the Indian company
regimes.
members include Sheikh Abdul KEC. One abducted engineer was
The terrorist groups operating
Rahim, former Governor of Kunar, re leased this year and has
in Pakistan are reported to
and Maulvi Abdul Rashid Baloch, a returned to India.
include but not limited to ISIS‑
Khorasan, Tehree k‑e‑Taliban
Pakistan, Quetta Shura Taliban,
Haqqani Network and Lashkar‑e‑
Taiba (including its af filiates
Jamaat ud Dawa and Falah‑i‑
Insaniat Foundation), which raise
funds through a variety of means,
including direct support, public
fundraising, abuse of NPOs and
though criminal activities, the
report added.
The Taliban has not officially confirmed the development.
 22 October 12-18, 2019 INTERNATIONAL TheSouthAsianTimes.info

'UK debt to increase to North Korea says talks suspended,

record level if no‑deal Brexit'
London: A no‑deal Brexit,
even in a "relatively benign
scenario" may push the UK's
debt to its highest levels
since the late 1960s,
according to an analysis by
the Institute for Fiscal
Studies (IFS).
The think‑tank estimated
the UK's debt could rise to
100 billion pounds, bringing
the country's total debt
close to 90 per cent of GDP
for the first time in more
than 50 years, reports Efe
news.
The UK ‑ with a current
debt of around 85.3 per
cent of GDP ‑ plans to leave
the European Union (EU) on
October 31, with Prime Minister Boris
Johnson determined to exit on this date
even if no deal was reached.
IFS Director Paul Johnson pointed out
that there is an "extraordinary level of
uncertainty" and the country's economy
and public finances face many risks in the
wake of Brexit.
The IFS said that a no‑deal Brexit could
temporarily halt all economic growth for
two years, even with "substantial" govern‑
ment spending.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The think‑tank projected that an increase
in public spending in 2020 may be fol‑
lowed by an economic downturn as the
government would have to face the conse‑
quences of a smaller economy with a larger
debt.
Johnson said that it would be "crucial" for
government spending programmes to be
temporary, while experts have pointed out
that the British economy has already
reduced by around 60 billion pounds since
the country voted exit the EU in June 2016.
US says they'll continue
Washington: North Korea's
chief negotiator Kim Myong‑gil
said that talks with Washington
about disarmament are sus‑
pended, but the US State
Department maintains that the
two countries had good conver‑
sations and plan to get back
together in two weeks for
another meeting.
The North Korean delegation
and the US team renewed in
Stockholm their negotiations
on denuclearization, which have A file photo of North Korean leader Kim
gone nowhere since February Jong‑un guiding the test‑fire of a new missile.
due to differences between the
said, according to the BBC.
two countries on the exact method of dis‑
Hours later US State Department spokes‑
arming the Asian regime, the Efe news
woman Morgan Ortagus said in a state‑
reported.
ment that "the early comments from the
After the meeting, the two sides offered
DPRK (North Korean) delegation do not
the press different versions on what had
reflect the content or the spirit of today's
occurred and did not even agree on
8.5‑hour discussion."
whether the dialogue would continue in
"The US brought creative ideas and had
the future or not.
good discussions with its DPRK counter‑
The first to speak was North Korea's
parts," Ortagus said.
chief negotiator Kim Myong‑gil, who in a
According to the spokeswoman,
statement to reporters in Stockholm said
Washington has accepted an invitation
that negotiations have been suspended
from the Swedish government to come
because Washington had been inflexible in
back to Stockholm in two weeks to contin‑
its positions on disarmament.
ue the dialogue with the North Korean del‑
The negotiations "have not fulfilled our
egation.
expectation and finally broke off," Kim

Smoke & mirrors over HK comes to standstill after

impeachment as Syria
dynamic confuses all
Washington: In the continuing sinister bat‑
tle over documents, the Department of
Justice agreed to give redacted FBI memos
from the Robert Mueller probe to lawmak‑
ers for use in impeachment inquiry. Mueller
was appointed in May 2017 to investigate
Russian interference with the 2016 presi‑
dential election, including any links or coor‑
dination "between the Russian government
and individuals associated with the cam‑
paign of President Donald Trump".
In parallel, House Dems now want to sub‑
poena Ambassador Gordon Sondland after
the deposition was blocked by the White
House. With Nancy Pelosi leading the
charge against President Donald Trump,
former veep Joe Biden in the line of fire
over the Achilles of impropriety has become
a fresh diversionary target.
Even as this drama plays out in DC,
President Trump's decision to withdraw
troops from Syria has taken everyone by
surprise and even downright shock. In a
typical and intrepid Trump manoeuvre, he
stunned the capital with his move. The
backdrop being a new poll in which most
Americans back the impeachment probe,
not that Trump himself is rattled. On
Tuesday, Trump changed the dynamic
again, inviting Turkey's President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan for talks after threatening
with deep economic sanctions. Meanwhile, a
Syrian defector has revealed unprecedented
President Trump's decision to with‑
draw troops from Syria has taken
everyone by surprise and even down‑
right shock in Washington.
atrocities committed by the Assad regime,
practitioner of machinery of death and tor‑
ture in DC. American allies in Syria claim
that they have been stabbed in the back.
CNN reported that Trump vigorously
defended his decision to withdraw US
troops from northern Syria ahead of a
planned invasion of the region by Turkey,
even as his Republican allies in both the
Senate and House vehemently criticized the
move. Trump said he understood the con‑
cerns raised by his fellow Republicans, but
added that it was time to fulfill his cam‑
paign promise to bring the troops home.
Separately, a US official told Fox News the
US military no longer will allow Turkish
flights in Syria along the border with coali‑
tion aircraft and no longer will share intelli‑
gence from drone feeds in the region with
President Ergodan's forces.
mask ban protests
Hong Kong: Hong Kong came to a standstill
after tens of thousands of protesters defied
the new anti‑mask ban and went on a wreck‑
ing spree across the city, vandalizing main‑
land China‑linked property, setting fires and
targeting police with petrol bombs and fist
fights.
The masked mobs smashed banks, stores
and bookshops associated with mainland
China, trashed government buildings and
started fires at the exits of several Mass
Transit Railway (MTR) stations as they con‑
tinued their attack on the city's railway oper‑
ator for allegedly aiding police in their clear‑
ance operations, the South China Morning
Post reported.
After a total shutdown for one and a half
days, the rail operator reopened half of its
stations only to then close four stations and
suspend the services of seven lines nd closed
the entire network at 9 p.m.
For the first time, the People's Liberation
Army (PLA) barracks in Kowloon East issued
a warning in Cantonese after demonstrators
shone laser lights as they walked past the
buildings en route to another location.
A yellow flag went up at the top of the
building warning the demonstrators as sever‑
al men in uniform were seen filming the pro‑
testers and a floodlight shone on them.
Health of ficials said that 11 people were
admitted to hospitals, with three in a serious
condition and five stable. The condition of
two was unknown, while one was discharged.
Breaking the anti‑mask law ‑ which official‑
ly came into force at midnight recently ‑ can
lead to a maximum fine of HK$25,000
($3,188), and one year in prison, reports the
South China Morninf Post.
Police arrested 13 people for defying the
mask ban. Most were also charged with par‑
ticipating in an unlawful assembly.
Prolonged
protests
continue
to cause
chaos in
Hong
Kong.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
IMF warns of economic
slowdown in 90% of world
Washington: The new managing
director of the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina
Georgieva warned of an economic
slowdown in 2019 in 90 per cent of
the world during her first speech at
the helm of the multilateral organi‑
zation.
"In 2019, we expect slower
growth in nearly 90 per cent of the
world. The global economy is now
in a synchronized slowdown,"
Georgieva said at the IMF head‑
quarters here on Tuesday, Efe news
reported.
"This widespread deceleration
means that growth this year will fall
to its lowest rate since the begin‑
ning of the decade," the Bulgarian
economist, who takes over from
Christine Lagarde who will become
the president of the European
Central Bank, explained.
Georgieva made this assessment
one week ahead of the joint Annual
Meeting between the IMF and
World Bank (WB) in which both
institutions will present their eco‑
nomic projections in a gathering of
top central bankers and economy
ministers. The IMF chief warned
that the World Economic Outlook
for 2019 and 2020 reflects a com‑
plex situation compared to the pre‑
vious figures presented in July in
Near‑term outlook
of Indian economy
fraught with risks: RBI
New Delhi: The Indian economy
which has largely been subdued in
the past few quarters and signs of
a slowdown have cropped up, is
likely to face several more risks in
the near term, according to the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
The RBI in its Monetary Policy
Report, October 2019, has also
said that a combination of domes‑
tic and g lobal headwinds has
depressed economic activity in the
country.
"A combination of domestic and
global headwinds has depressed
economic activity, especially in
terms of aggregate demand. The
near‑term outlook of the Indian
economy is fraught with several
risks," said the report.
It said that private consumption,
which is the major support of eco‑
nomic activity, has started to slow
down due to several reasons.
"In this context, the performance
of large employment generating
sectors such as automobile and
real estate remains less than satis‑
factory. Recent measures initiated
such as the sharp cut in corporate
tax rates, stressed assets funds for
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director
Kristalina Georgieva. (File Photo: IANS)
Chile. In her analysis, Georgieva
argued that economic activity is
softening in advanced economies,
such as the US, Japan and, especial‑
ly, the eurozone, while in other
emerging markets, such as India
and Brazil, the slowdown is even
more pronounced this year.
China's accelerated growth is
experiencing a gradual decrease,
she added.
"The precarious outlook presents
challenges for countries already fac‑
ing difficulties ‑ including some of
the Fund's program countries."
However, she said that about 40
emerging markets and developing
economies, including 19 in sub‑
the housing sector, infrastructure
investment funds, implementation
of a fully electronic GST refund
system and funds for export guar‑
antee would be helpful."
It also said that bank credit
g rowth has slowed down and
overall fund flows to the commer‑
cial sector have declined, due to
risk aversion and a slowdown in
demand. T he monetary policy
report, however, said that the the
recent recapitalization of public
sector banks augurs we ll for
improving credit flows, which are
important for reviving private
investment activity.
"Meanwhile, global uncertainties
have weakened investment activi‑
ty at home. Further escalation of
trade tensions could adversely
impact export prospects, besides
delaying the investment upturn,"
it said.
On the industrial sector, the
report said that the slowdown in
industrial activity which begun in
the second quarter of the financial
year (FY) 2018‑19 deepened fur‑
ther in first quarter of FY 2019‑
20.
BUSINESS
Saharan Africa, will have real GDP
growth rates above 5 per cent.
Georgieva blamed trade disputes,
such as the commercial war
between Washington and Beijing,
for global economic sluggishness, in
addition to geopolitical tensions,
such as Brexit, that have sparked
uncertainty. "Global trade growth
has come to a near standstill," she
warned. "Even if growth picks‑up in
2020, the current rifts could lead to
changes that last a generation ‑ bro‑
ken supply chains, siloed trade sec‑
tors, a 'digital Berlin Wall' that
forces countries to choose between
technology systems," the IMF head
added.
Online festive sales
generate $3 billion in 6 days
New Delhi: Led by Amazon and
Flipkart, e‑tailers in India
achieved a record $3 billion
(nearly Rs 19,000 crore) of
G r o s s M e r ch a n d i s e Va l u e
(GMV) in the first six days of
the festive sale from September
29‑October 4, a new report
said on Tuesday.
Walmart‑owned Flipkart and
Amazon dominated 90 per cent
of the market share during the
six‑day sale event, said
Bengaluru‑based research firm
RedSeer Consultancy. Given the
momentum seen in the first
edition of the festive sale, the
e n t i r e m o n t h of O c t o b e r i s
expected to generate up to $6
billion (Rs 39,000 crore) in
online sales, almost shared by
Amazon and Flipkart.
Flipkart continued to lead the
festive sales in GMV terms,
with 60‑62 per cent standalone
Gross GMV share during the
sale event, and nearly 63 per
cent share, if other group enti‑
ties (Myntra and Jabong) are
also included, said the report.
"Strong performance across
categories including mobiles
October 12-18, 2019
India gets citizens' Swiss
bank account information
New Delhi/Berne: In a major step
towards fighting black money,
India got the first tranche of
Swiss Bank details of its residents
under the Automatic Exchange of
Information agreement.
India is among 75 countries
with which the Federal Tax
Administration (FTA) exchanged
information on around 3.1 mil‑
lion financial accounts.
The exchange took place within
the framework of the global stan‑
dard on the automatic exchange
of information (AEOI).
Following the first exchange
last year, in which no technical
problems were encountered, this
year, the AEOI involved a total of
75 countries.
With 63 of these countries, the
exchange of information was
reciprocal. In the case of 12 coun‑
tries, Switzerland received infor‑
mation but did not provide any,
either because those countries do
not yet meet the international
requirements on confidentiality
and data security (Belize,
Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Curacao,
Montserrat, Romania, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines,
Cyprus) or because they chose
not to receive data (Bermuda,
British Virgin Islands, Cayman
Islands, Turks and Caicos
Walmart‑owned Flipkart and Amazon dominated 90 per cent of
the market share. (File Photo: IANS)
was the key reason for Flipkart
leadership. This was, in turn,
enabled by strong value prices,
high EMIs adoption and diverse
selection across categories, all
marketed aggressively to reach
customers widely," the RedSeer
report said. Amazon.in's GMV
growth was 22 per cent (YoY).
23
Islands).
Currently, around 7,500 report‑
ing financial institutions (banks,
trusts, insurers, etc.) are regis‑
tered with the Federal Tax
Administration. These institu‑
tions collected the data and trans‑
ferred it to the FTA.
The FTA sent information on
around 3.1 million financial
accounts to the partner states
and received information on
around 2.4 million from them.
The largest exchange was with
Germany (in both directions), as
was the case in the previous year.
The FTA cannot provide any
information on the amount of
financial assets.
Switzerland has committed
itself to adopting the global stan‑
dard for the international auto‑
matic exchange of information in
tax matters. The legal basis for
the implementation of the AEOI
in Switzerland came into force on
January 1, 2017.
Identification, account and
financial information is
exchanged, including name,
address, state of residence and
tax identification number, as well
information concerning the
reporting financial institution,
account balance and capital
income.
However, its volume growth
rate was more than 30 per cent
(YoY), the report claimed.
Amazon.in, however, refuted
the report. "We cannot com‑
ment on speculative reports
that lack robust and credible
m e t h o d o l o g y, " a c o m p a n y
spokesperson told IANS.
 24 October 12-18, 2019
NBA mulling possibility of launching league in India
Mumbai: Buoyed by the interest lev‑
els in the country, NBA is looking at
the prospect of launching a league
in India, it was announced ahead of
the first‑ever Games between
Indiana Pacers and Sacramento
Kings in Mumbai last weekend.
"One of the things we've been dis‑
cussing recently ‑‑ and I know this
is something else my friend Vivek is
pushing me on ‑‑ is the ability to
launch a league here in India," NBA
Commissioner Adam Silver told a
packed media gathering at the NSCI
Dome.
Sacramento Kings owner Vivek
Ranadive, who is settled abroad but
grew up in Mumbai, was one of the
main drivers behind having a NBA
game here. Pacers and Kings played
two pre‑season games. While the
opening game was reserved for
over 3000 children who are part of
the Reliance Foundation Junior NBA
program, the one to be played the
next day at NSCI in Worli is open
for the general public.
"As I've said, we have wonderful
partners in the Re liance
Foundation, with SONY TEN, our
broadcaster, and some of our other
top‑notch corporate relationships
here. That is something in these
days while we're here that we're
taking meetings on and openly hav‑
ing discussions.
"We've seen enormous progress
Pacers beat Kings in 2nd
NBA pre‑season friendly
Players in action during an NBA Game between Indiana Pacers' and
Sacramento Kings in Mumbai. (Photo: IANS)
Mumbai: Indiana Pacers beat
Sacramento Kings 130‑106 in the
second pre‑season friendly NBA
game at Mumbai's NSCI stadium.
The Pacers have thus won both the
matches that were held here.
Unlike the first game, which
ended 132‑131 in the Pacers'
favour, the match on Saturday was
a more straightforward affair. Alize
Johnson was the top scorer for
Pacers with 17 points. However,
the star of the game for Pacers was
Myles Turner who managed 12
points, three rebounds, two assists
and five blocks.
D.J. Warren started off with a
two pointer for the Pacers but
Marwin Bagley brought the Kings
back into the game. The opening
quarter was a close affair with
Chairperson of Reliance Foundation Nita Ambani presents the
ceremonial 'Match Ball' to NBA chief Adam Silver in Mumbai.
(Photo: IANS)
just in the last five years. When we
began our relationship with the
Reliance Foundation, for example,
shortly before I became commis‑
sioner, the target was to reach 3
million young people.
"As I said earlier, that number
has now already exceeded 10 mil‑
lion. We saw last season with our
relationship with SONY TEN, almost
100 million people in India watched
some portion of the NBA season,
including an enormous audience for
last year's NBA Finals. And we're
seeing an explosion of interest on
social media," said Silver.
both teams exchanging leads. The
Kings maintained a 30‑25 lead at
the end of it.
At the restart, the Pacers man‑
aged to level the score at 33‑33
and after that, there was no look‑
ing back for them. They managed
to build an 11‑point lead in the sec‑
ond quarter and maintained their
distance throughout the match.
Although the Kings started the
third quarter with two consecutive
three‑pointers, they looked hapless
as the Pacers kept collecting the
points. At the end of the third quar‑
ter, the Pacers led 96‑79.
It was pretty much a continua‑
tion of the trend in the fourth quar‑
ter with Kings unsuccessfully try‑
ing to play catch‑up and eventually
conceding the match.
SPORTS
lking about the immediate goals,
he said: " Our two most immediate
goals are, one, to see the develop‑
ment of some top‑tier talent coming
out of India and where we would
again see players coming into the
NBA and WNBA. There's also an
enormous pool of young women
playing the game as well. And, two,
serious consideration of the launch
of a league."
Ranadive has had talks with Silver
about the formation of a 12‑team
league in India that could be like
the Basketball Africa League, sched‑
uled to begin in 2020.
Sprinter Nirmala banned for
4 years on doping charge
Monaco: The Athletics Integrity
Unit (ACU), which manages track
and field doping cases, on
Wednesday banned Indian
sprinter Nirmala Sheoran and
stripped her of two titles from
the 2017 Asian Championships.
The ACU said Nirmala tested
positive for the steroids
drostanolone and metenolone at
a competition in India in June
2018 and that the sprinter has
accepted the charge and did not
request for a hearing.
"The Athletics Integrity Unit
has banned Indian sprinter
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Historic day for sports
in India: Modi
Mumbai: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi hailed the ongo‑
ing NBA India Games as a "his‑
toric day for sports in India and
India‑US relations."
"Yesterday was a historic day
for sports in India and India‑USA
relations. Mumbai hosted the
first ever @NBA match played in
India. The game between
@Pacers and @SacramentoKings
was a treat for sports lovers.
"I think this is a country that has
already embraced basketball. If you
think about the Indian mindset and
the Indian vibe, we're in the movie
capital of the world right now.
We're in Bollywood. Basketball is a
spectacle. It's a vibe. It's a celebra‑
tion of life, of athletes, of skills,"
Ranadive said.
Quizzed when the league can
take shape in India, Silver said five
years can be a fair target to set as
NBA expect an Indian player to take
part in their league within that time
frame too.
"One of the things we need,
though, is more of an arena infra‑
structure. I think this is where Vivek
was a little ahead of the schedule
Sheoran Nirmala for four years
with effect from 29 June 2018,
for the presence and use of a
Prohibited Substance. The athlete
accepted the sanction," the ACU
tweeted.
Nirmala, 24, ban was backdat‑
ed to take effect on 29 June
2018 and her results ranging
between August 2016 and
November 2018 were disquali‑
fied. Nirmala had bagged gold
medals in the 400 meters and
4x400 relay at the 2017 Asian
Championships.
Nirmala Sheoran.
Congratulations to both teams
for a riveting contest.
#NBAIndiaGames (sic.)," Modi
tweeted on Saturday.
"Basketball is very popular
among our youth. The @NBA
matches set the stage, or rather
set the court for greater linkages
in sports. I hope more youngsters
pursue basketball and also con‑
tribute to the Fit India Movement.
#NBAIndiaGames," he added.
that we might otherwise have been
on. This is a fantastic facility we're
in today, but it required us bringing
in a court, a scoreboard, seats, lock‑
er rooms. And it's relatively small
certainly by NBA standards.
"I have had some interesting dis‑
cussions with developers over the
last two days here. I think it's
inevitable that there will be state‑of‑
the‑art arenas in major cities in
India, in part because these are
multiuse facilities and live enter‑
tainment is increasingly important
here as well. Of course, a great
arena can have concerts and other
shows. But we do need to see those
arenas over time in order to play
more games.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Three Americans awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine
Copenhagen: Three Americans,
William G. Kaelin and Gregg L.
Semanza and Briton Peter J.
Ratcliffe, were awarded the Nobel
Prize in Medicine on Monday.
T he Nobe l Assembly at
Karolinska Institute announced
that the three recipients were rec‑
ognized "for their discoveries of
how cells sense and adapt to oxy‑
gen availability", Efe news report‑
ed.
With their work they were able
to understand how oxygen levels
affect cell metabolism and physio‑
logical function.
Their discoveries could pave the
way in the development of new
strategies to fight anemia, cancer
and other diseases, according to
the institute.
Kae lin, born in New York in
1957, is a specialist in internal
medicine and oncology.
Semenza, born in 1955 and also
a New Yorker, is a paediatrician.
And Ratclif fe was born in
Iranian hackers targeted US
2020 campaign: Microsoft
The targeted accounts were associated with a US presidential
campaign and current and former US government officials.
San Francisco: Microsoft has said
that a group of hackers that
appeared to be linked to Iran's
government have targeted the
2020 US presidential election.
"To day we're sharing that
we've recently seen significant
cyber activity by a threat group
we call Phosphorus, which we
believe originates from Iran and
is linked to the Iranian govern‑
ment," the BBC quoted Microsoft
as say ing in a statement on
Friday.
Phosphorus, it said, made more
than 2,700 attempts to identify
people's email accounts over a
30‑day period in August and
September. It then attacked 241
accounts. "The targeted accounts
are associated with a US presi‑
dential campaign, current and
former US government of ficials,
journalists covering global poli‑
tics and prominent Iranians liv‑
ing outside Iran," the statement
added.
Currently, 19 Democrats are
seeking to be nominated as their
With their work they were able to understand how oxygen levels
affect cell metabolism and physiological function.
Lancashire in 1954, and is an
expert in nephrology, a medicine
specialising in kidneys.
The announcement in Medicine
kicks of f this year's prestigious
awards, which will be followed in
the coming days by prizes in
Physics, Chemistry, Literature,
Peace and Economics.
This edition will see two prizes in
party's candidate to stand
against President Donald Trump
in 2020, while three Republicans
have said that they planned to
challenge him. Microsoft howev‑
er, did not identify which specific
campaign was targeted.
According to Microsoft, only
four accounts were eventually
compromised, and none of these
were associated with a campaign,
nor any former or current of fi‑
cials, the BBC reported.
The hackers tried to take over
the accounts, in attacks
Microsoft called "not technically
sophisticated". The company has
told account holders affected and
helped to protect them. There
has been increasing global con‑
cerns about foreign‑sponsored
election interference via hacking.
In July, former US Special
Counsel Robert Mueller conclud‑
ed that Russia systematically
interfered in the 2016 election
with the intention of benefitting
Trump ‑ although he did not
establish collusion in a crime.
SCI-TECH
Literature being announced as an
exception, as last year's were post‑
poned owing to allegations of sexu‑
al abuse w ithin the Swedish
Academy.
The awards will be presented on
December 10, the anniversary of
the death of its founder Alfred
Nobel, in a double ceremony at the
Konserthus in Stockholm and Oslo
Restricting AI research with
China harmful: Nadella
London: China is a leading force in
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology
and blocking AI research with the
country will do more harm than
good for humanity, Microsoft CEO
Satya Nadella said.
In an interview with the BBC,
Nadella said that despite national
security concerns, backing out of
China would "hurt more" than it
solved. "A lot of AI research happens
in the open and the world benefits
from knowledge being open," he
said. Quoting Microsoft President
Brad Smith, Nadella said: "We know
any technology can be a tool or a
weapon. The question is, how do you
ensure that these weapons don't get
created? I think there are multiple
mechanisms."
Microsoft Research Asia, the com‑
pany's fundamental research arm in
the Asia Pacific region, was founded
in Beijing in November 1998. The
media reported in April alleged that
40 Attorneys General to join
anti‑trust probe against Facebook
San Francisco: Nearly 40 state
attorneys general are set to join
probe against Facebook's anti‑com‑
petitive business practices. They
met of ficials from the Justice
Department and Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) in Washington,
DC, on Monday, reports Market
Watch. "We held bipartisan conver‑
sations with attorneys general from
around the country and key of fi‑
cials at both the US Department
October 12-18, 2019
3 scientists share 2019
Nobel Prize in Physics
Stockholm: The 2019 Nobel Prize
in Physics was shared by three
scientists, the Royal Academy of
Sciences in Stockholm announced
on Tuesday. The 2019 Nobel Prize
in Physics has been awarded with
one half to James Peebles "for the‑
oretical discoveries in physical
cosmology" and the other half
jointly to Michel Mayor and Didier
Queloz "for the discovery of an
exoplanet orbiting a solar‑type
star", Xinhua news agency report‑
ed.
Tuesday's announcement comes
after it was revealed on Monday
that three Americans scientists,
City Hall, for the Peace Prize.
All prizes include a cash prize,
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Microsoft has been collaborating
with researchers linked to a Chinese
military‑backed university on AI. The
research covered several AI topics,
such as face analysis and machine
reading.
Microsoft defended the research,
saying that it was part of a world‑
wide effort by its scientists "to work
with their international counterparts
on cutting‑edge technology issues",
reported the Financial Times.
of Justice and the Federal Trade
Commission about our investiga‑
tion into Facebook," New York
Attorney General Letitia James was
quoted as saying.
A bipartisan coalition led by New
York attorney general has launched
an investigation into Facebook to
understand whether it stifled com‑
petition and put users at risk.
"I'm launching an investigation
into Facebook to determine
25
William G. Kaelin and Gregg L.
Semanza and Briton Peter J.
Ratcliffe, were awarded the Nobel
Prize in Medicine.
Monday's announcement kicked
off this year's prestigious awards,
which was followed by prizes in
Physics on Tuesday and the ones
for Chemistry, Literature, Peace
and Economics will also be named
in the next few days.
This edition will see two prizes
in Literature being announced as
an exception, as last year's were
postponed owing to allegations of
sexual abuse within the Swedish
Academy.
which this year amounts to 9 mil‑
lion Swedish kronor ($912,000).
The International Monetary Fund
has said that the trade war between
the US and China was triggering a
global economic slowdown.
On September 1, the US followed
through on plans to impose a 15 per
cent tariff on certain Chinese con‑
sumer‑goods imports including
apparel, electronics, footwear and
dairy products, that were valued at
around $112 billion in 2018.
Those tariffs were in addition to
25 per cent tariffs on $250 billion
worth of Chinese imports that began
to be imposed on July 2018.
US President Donald Trump's
administration said that it would
wait until December 15 to impose
tarif fs, now set at 15 per cent, on
certain mass‑consumption products
imported from China, including
smartphones, laptops, video games
and toys. If those tariffs are imple‑
mented, virtually all Chinese imports
would be subject to punitive taxes.
whether their actions endangered
consumer data, reduced the quality
of consumers' choices, or increased
the price of advertising," James had
tweeted.
In a stern warning to tech giants,
the US House antitrust committee
has opened probes into Facebook,
Google, Apple, Amazon and other
tech giants to determine if they pre‑
vent competition and hurt con‑
sumers.
 26 October 12-18, 2019 BOOKS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Perumal, Rajkamal, Fatima Bhutto Swedish teen Greta triumphs

in $25,000 DSC Prize longlist where world leaders falter
New Delhi: Perumal Murugan,
Rajkamal Jha and Fatima By Vishnu Makhijani black or white, there are situations that
Bhutto are among the 15 are right and others that are wrong. You

T
authors in the longlist of the here was much hope when the can't just decide that pollution is terrible
$25,000 DSC Prize for South Paris Ag reement on Climate and then keep on polluting the planet in
Asian Literature 2019, Change was adopted in December your everyday life," the book states.
announced here last week. 2015 to keep the increase in global aver‑ With newspapers and magazines writing
T he long list comprises age temperatures well below 2 degrees about her, Greta's fame spread far and
three translated works from Celsius above pre‑industrial wide.
Malayalam, Tamil and leve ls and to limit the She addressed the
Bengali; seven women increase to 1.5 degrees to European Economic and
authors; and an equal number mitigate the risks of global So cial Committee in
novelists making debut, high‑ warming. February, a gathering to
lighting the growing diversity and the power Since then, the issue has 25,000 at Berlin's
of new writing in the South Asian literary merely chugged along, with Brandenburg Gate in March,
landscape. the US even exit ing the EU leaders at the European
The jury will further evaluate the longlisted Agreement, till, in less than a Parliament in Strasbourg in
entries over the next month and the shortlist year, Swedish teenager Greta April, the Austrian World
of five‑six books will be announced on T hunberg e lectrified the Summit in May where she
November 6 at the London School of world in a series of 11 met with Hollywood star
Economics & Political Science (LSE). The win‑ speeches culminating in the Arnold Schwarzenegger, UN
ner will be announced at a special award cer‑ UN Climate Action Summit Secretary General António
Penguin Random House, India, and Viking,
emony on December 16 at the IME Nepal earlier this month, bringing the issue right Guterres and Austrian President
Penguin Random House, UK).
Literature Festival grand finale at Pokhara, back on track. Alexander Van der Bellen, the US House of
Akil Kumarasamy: Half Gods (Farrar, Straus
Nepal. "There was something...about Greta that Representatives Select Committee on the
& Giroux, USA).
That quite a few of the longlisted authors set her apart from her schoolmates, other Climate Crisis September 18 and the
Amitabha Bagchi: Half the Night is Gone
are based outside the region, including an than her strong interest in the environ‑ Global Climate Strike in New York on
(Juggernaut Books, India).
American writer without any South Asian eth‑ ment," writes Valentina Camerini in an September 20 be fore attending the
Mirza Waheed: Te ll Her Everything
nic roots, reflects the increasing globalization unofficial biography titled 'The Schoolgirl Climate Action Summit two days later.
(Context, Amazon Westland, India).
of South Asian writing. And they have all writ‑ Who Went on Strike to Save The Planet'. US President Donald Trump tweeted a
Sadia Abbas: The Empty Room (Zubaan
ten with the same in‑depth perspective and At the age of 11, she was diagnosed with video of her opening remarks and com‑
Publishers, India).
understanding of South Asian life and culture Asperger's syndrome ‑ a condition in mented sarcastically: "She seems like a
Tova Reich: Mother India (Macmillan, Pan
as their counterparts based in the region. which those afflicted "become interested very happy young girl looking forward to
Macmillan, India).
A wide spectrum of South Asian themes in a particular issue and think about it a bright and wonderful future. So nice to
The DSC Prize, administered by the South
across geographies is visible in the longlist, obsessively without being able to let go. see!" Greta paid him back in the same
Asian Literature Prize & Events Trust,
which includes writers of Indian, Pakistani, This is exactly what was happening to coin, changing her Twitter profile to
received 90 entries this year from 42 publish‑
Bangladeshi, Afghan and Sri Lankan origin. Greta," Camerini writes in the book, trans‑ describe herself as "a very happy young
ers and 55 imprints from across the globe.
lated from Italian by Moreno Giovannoni. girl looking forward to a bright and won‑
The longlisted entries include: Speaking on the occasion, Harish Trivedi,
On August 20, 2018, Greta walked out derful future".
chair of the five‑member jury, said: "Many
Perumal Murugan: A Lone ly Harvest of the house where she lived with her par‑ Essentially a book for children, with
were set in multiple time‑spans and interna‑
( Translated by Aniruddhan Vasudevan, ents, climbing onto her bike, she headed chapters explaining global warming for
tional locations. The five of us jurors, located
Penguin Books, Penguin Random House, for the Riksdag (Parliament) to begin the youngsters, detailing what can be done to
in five dif ferent countries, have eventually
India). Friday's for Future ‑ or School Strike 4 mitigate this, a glossary, a timeline and
arrived at this longlist of 15, which is diverse
Rajkamal Jha: T he City and the Sea Climate ‑ movement that millions around suggestions for further reading, the biog‑
and inclusive both intrinsically and by design.
(Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House, the world have now joined. raphy will appeal to people of all ages as it
Apparently, South Asia is to be found all over
India). "Her brain works in a slightly different states the issues involved in layman's
the globe and comes in all colors and com‑
Fatima Bhutto: The Runaways (Viking, way to most people's. For her, the world is terms sans the jargon.
plexions."

Change in mindsets required for Clean India

By Vishnu Makhijani were nudged toward a clean living rather acceptable but dirty public places are fine.
than citizens expressing their demands for The inner sanctum of temples must be

T
he effort to clean India will take a lit‑
tle more than to simply pick up the
broom and start sweeping," is the
grim message of "Wasted ‑ The Messy Story
of Sanitation in India, A Manifesto for
Change" (Pan McMillan) by management
consultant Ankur Bisen who has researched
about India's sanitation problems and pos‑
sible solutions.
"Generations have lived their entire con‑
scious lives in the company of dirt and thus
their minds are conditioned to accept dirty
surroundings as the status quo. Such a soci‑
ety cannot fight for a superior reference
point on sanitation where none exists in the
mind in the first place," Bisen contends in
the scholarly tome which, through stories,
anecdotes and analysis of events examines
the intertwined problems of urban plan‑
ning, governance and legislation, and insti‑
tutional and human capacity building.
Noting that cleaner societies of today
a clean living and the state working toward
it, Bisen states: "An awakened society as a
prelude to clean living is even more of a
far‑fetched dream in the case of India
because the notion of sanitation is bur‑
dened with the unique challenge of social
prejudice."
By this, the author means that the sanita‑
tion challenge "exposes our tall claims of
equality which refuse to uplift waste‑man‑
agement jobs and bring them up to the
stature of the perceived 'superior' jobs".
Indian society will never come to full boil
over this "fractured response" toward sani‑
tation delivery. On the contrary, it will sim‑
mer perpetually in remote corners and hid‑
den alleyways, one death or one failure at a
time.
Centuries of prejudice that has made
Indian society biased towards the notion of
cleanliness has no parallel in the world, the
book states, adding: "Dirty homes are not
clean but the filth and garbage piled up
outside do not bother the priests and fol‑
lowers alike."
Bisen also points to one other area of
major concern.
"An omen of the trap into which the
Indian state falls repeatedly, treating symp‑
toms of a problem as the problem itself, is
its failure to clean its rivers, especially the
sacred river Ganga," the author writes,
adding that in February 2017, when the
National Green Tribunal (NGT) pulled up
the National Mission for Clean Ganga
(NMCG) for wasting public resources and
not doing a proper job of cleaning the river,
the irony was hard to miss.
"The NGT pointed to the lack of coordina‑
tion among dif ferent state agencies and
their inaction on preventive measures. But
the creation of the NMCG itself manifests
India's misguided approach toward sanita‑
tion."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info LAW AND IMMIGRATION October 12-18, 2019 27

On top court menu: Abortion, guns, immigration,

gay rights – maybe President Trump
Washington: Sex. Immig rat ion. Guns.
Abortion. Religion. Executive power.
That's the menu so far for the Supreme
Court's new term, which began Monday an
extended run through much of the 2020
election season. Before the justices adjourn
next June, their influence will be felt by tens
of millions of Americans, including
President Trump and Congress, reports US
Today.
Democrats' demands for documents and
testimony pertaining to the president's per‑
sonal and business finances already were
working their way through lower courts
when Trump's dealings with Ukraine turned
the buzz in the nation's capital to impeach‑
ment.
All of those skirmishes will produce bat‑
tles over congressional subpoenas and
administration claims of executive privilege
that could reach the high court. And if the
House follows through, Chief Justice John
Roberts would preside over a Senate trial.
"It is likely the court will get involved in
some way, where they canʼt avoid doing
something thatʼs going to be controversial,"
says David Strauss, who heads the Supreme
Court and appellate clinic at the University
of Chicago Law School.
Now that Brett Kavanaugh and Neil
Gorsuch have given the court a 5‑4 conser‑
vative majority, did it help last term? Not so
much. Trump lost his effort to add a ques‑
tion on citizenship to the 2020 census when
Roberts didn't buy the government's prof‑
fered rationale. Similar doubts surround the
administration's reasons for seeking to end
a popular Obama‑era DACA program. It's not
even clear Trump wants to end the program
if he wins the high court's blessing.
First, though, the court will hear argu‑
ments on whether LGBT workers are cov‑
ered by a federal civil rights law barring sex
discrimination. In December, the justices are
likely to tackle gun rights. Abortion will be
on the docket early next year.
"This is a confident court that has not
shied away from taking on the most polariz‑
ing issues," says former U.S. solicitor general
Gregory Garre. "But even for this court, that
is going to be a sensitive task."
Three cases will test whether the 1964
Civil Rights Act, which bans job discrimina‑
tion on the basis of sex, applies to gay and
transgender workers. The answer will be
particularly important in 28 states that do
not have their own protections.
In November, the justices will hear a two‑
year‑old dispute between Trump and
Democrats in Congress over the fate of near‑
ly 700,000 undocumented immigrants
brought to the United States as children.
The court's willingness to hear the case
signals a potential win for the White House,
but how it wins would be crucial. If the jus‑
tices say Trump has the same discretion to
end the program that Obama had to create
it, a future president just as easily could
renew it. If they agree with the Justice
Department that it's unlawful, Congress
would have to step in.
The court's date with gun rights, sched‑
uled for December, could go by the boards if
gun control advocates have their way.
The case focuses on New York City's some‑
what extreme restriction against transport‑
ing legally owned guns beyond city limits.
The justices agreed in January to hear a
challenge from gun rights groups, but the
city and state wiped the regulation from the
books in hopes of getting the case dis‑
missed.
The problem for gun control groups is
that the justices would be free to hear a dif‑
ferent case in the near future, including one
aimed at winning the right to carry guns in
public nationwide. Since establishing the
right to possess guns at home for self
defense a decade ago, the court has refused
to re‑enter the debate. In the meantime,
lower courts have upheld most state and
local restrictions.
Then a topic that has haunted the court
since 1973 looms. The court agreed on
Friday to hear a major new abortion case
from Louisiana, which wants to implement a
law requiring providers to have admitting
privileges at nearby hospitals. The justices
struck down a similar law in Texas three
years ago, but Kavanaugh has replaced
Kennedy, who was the deciding vote.
More abortion cases from Indiana, Illinois
and elsewhere are lurking. All deal with
restrictions imposed by states, ranging from
demands placed on patients or providers to
flat‑out bans on abortion after or even dur‑
ing the first trimester of pregnancy.
Parents of religious school students sued
for access to a program providing tax cred‑
its for tuition assistance. Residents and busi‑
nesses that donate to private scholarship
organizations receive up to $150 in tax
credits; the donations are used for scholar‑
ships for low‑income families.
A district court initially ruled for the
parents, but the Montana Supreme Court
said it conflicted with the state constitution
and invalidated the entire scholarship
program.
The high court has ruled in favor of reli‑
gious liberty in several cases recently. In
June, it ruled 7‑2 that a mammoth Latin
cross on government land in Bladensburg,
Maryland, does not have to be moved or
altered in the name of church‑state
separation. The justices also have allowed
public prayer at government meetings
and some public funding for religious
institutions.
If it rules in favor of religious school
funding, the court might overrule a 1990
precedent upholding laws that apply to the
general public even if they restrict religious
freedom.

Immigration
By Michael Phulwani,
Esq. and Dev B.
Viswanath, Esq. The F‑1 Visa ‑ Want to study at a
T US school? Get a student visa!
he F‑1 visa is a temporary
nonimmigrant visa that is
available to individuals who
off‑campus but only in the follow‑ allowed to remain in the U.S. up to be granted.

VISA
wish to come to the United States
ing three categories sixty days beyond the length of Any dependents of F‑1 nonimmi‑
to attend an academic program or
4 Curricular Practical Training time it takes to complete their aca‑ grants, spouse and children under
English Language Program at a
(CPT) demic program (called a grace the age of 21, may be eligible for

TALK
U.S. college or university. In order
4 Optional Practical Training period) or apply to work under the F‑2 nonimmigrant status. However,
to qualify for an F‑1 visa an indi‑
(OPT) OPT Program in order to stay for a a dependent spouse is not allowed
vidual must meet the following
4 Science, Technology, longer period of time. OPT is usu‑ to work or study, but dependent
requirements:
Engineering, and Mathematics ally given for 12 months under the children are allowed to study. The
4 Must be enrolled in an aca‑
4 Must maintain a foreign resi‑ (STEM) Optional Practical Training F1 visa, unless the degree is a F‑2 status is granted for no longer
demic educational program or a
dence which the individual does Extension (OPT) STEM degree, in which case an than the period of time granted to
language training program;
not intend on giving up. Any employment that an F‑1 stu‑ additional 17 months of OPT may the principal F‑1 nonimmigrant.
4 The program or course of
Only schools certified by the dent finds off‑campus must be
study must result in a degree,
Student and Exchange Visitor related to their area of study and
diploma, or certificate;
Program (SEVP) can enroll nonim‑ must be authorized by the Dev Banad Viswanath is the Principal
4 The school which the individ‑ Attorney of The Banad Law Offices PC
migrant students. Once the school Designated School Official (DSO)
ual plans to attend must be in the United States,
determines that the individualʼs and USCIS before they start work‑
approved by the Student and and Banad Immigration in India for which
application is complete and they ing. The Designated School Official
Exchange Visitors Program (SEVP); Attorney Michael Phulwani is also affiliated
are academically eligible, the is the person who is authorized to
4 The individual must be as Of Counsel. With Offices in Manhattan,
school will issue an I‑20 form for maintain the Student and
enrolled full time at the college or Queens, Bangalore, and Mumbai, the firm is
SEVIS to allow the individual to Exchange Visitor Information
university; able to assist clients with all facets of the
obtain the student visa. Students System. The student must also immigration process, including
4 Must be proficient in English
on an F‑1 visa are generally not attend all classes and maintain Employment Visas, Consular Visa Assistance,
or be enrolled in courses to learn
allowed to work off campus during passing grades and complete the Student Visas, Removal & Deportation, US
English;
their first academic year, but may program by the date listed on their Citizenship and Green Card Applications
4 The individual must have
be allowed to find employment on‑ I‑20. If they need additional time based on Family or Employment. Dev B.
enough financial support to
campus depending on what they to complete their program, they Viswanath can be reached at
finance themselves while in the
will be required to do. After the will need to request a program Dev@Banadlaw.com and 718‑361‑5999.
U.S.; and
first year, the student may work extension. A student is also
 28 October 12-18, 2019 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Side by Nury Vittachi

Mythical medicines that I am impatient to try

I
hate it when I want to sneak out of
work early, but invisibility pills have
not yet been invented.
Science moves soooo sloooowly. It's
nearly 2020! Sci‑fi stories promised us
that technology would bring us flying cars;
instead it has brought us "Press 7 For Even
More Maddeningly Irrelevant Choices."
I was moaning about this when a reader
informed me that one group of people is
serious about making fiction into reality.
Officials in Uttarakhand, India, are invest‑
ing cash into finding sanjeevani booti, the
magic herb from the Ramayana which the
god Hanuman uses to raise Lakshmana
from the dead.
What a great idea. I asked readers and
colleagues: What other potions from litera‑
ture could governments turn into reality?
The first response came from an over‑
educated workmate, who said that ancient
Gree k literature had two medicines,
Nepenthe and the Waters of Lethe, which
made those who drank it forget their sor‑
rows. Bleeaaah. (That's me making the
Wrong Answer Noise from TV quiz shows.)
Reject! Modern society already has many
magic potions which do exactly that,
including Carlsberg, Kingfisher, Bud Light,
etc. T hen he suggested the e lixir in
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, which
puts you in a death‑like coma. Bleeaaah.
Reject again! We already spend most of
our days in death‑like comas.
So I handed the quest ion to the
Internet's Hive Mind and it concluded that
authors in general are shockingly lazy.
Fiction is full of disappointingly vague
potions that instantly heal any type of
wound, including Athelas elixir from Lord
of the Rings, Dittany potion from Harry
Potter, Chamalla extract from Battlestar
Galactica, the Senzu Bean from Japan's
Dragonball stories and so on.
In fact we found only four literary
potions which were a bit more creative ‑‑
and possibly worth turning into reality.
1) Dried Frog Pills: From Terry
Pratchett's Discworld stories, these make
you hallucinate that you are sane. This
would help pretty much all world leaders
at the moment, the hope being that they
would behave like sensible people for a
change.
2) Extract of Phoenix Feathers: From
Japan's Final Fantasy stories, this not only
re‑animates the dead but turns zombies
back into humans. I know some people say
there's no such thing as zombies, but clear‑
ly they've never met modern teenagers.
3) Blinkmoth Serum: From Magic: The
Gathering, this gives you extreme intelli‑
gence, self‑awareness, and understanding,
making you a person of great wisdom.
(This is not to be confused with drinks
such as Prosecco and arrack, which make
you think you have become a person of
great wisdom.) Problem: Everyone I men‑
tioned this to declared that they would
rather be stupid all their lives than eat a
moth. Good point.
4) The Spice Melange: This stuf f from
the Dune stories makes your senses super‑
sharp and gives the whites of your eyes a
strange blue glow. This would be useful to
hide the red, blood‑shot eyes I'm going to
have later this afternoon. "Barman, bring
me your biggest jug of the Waters of
Lethe." Cheers!
But of course I have to wait until those
lazy scientists invent invisibility pills so I
can sneak out of work. Come on, guys!

Laughter is the Best Medicine

BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA
AND
PAKISTAN
New York Head Quarter
422‑S Broadway
HICKSVILLE
NY 11801
By Mahendra Shah
516‑827‑1010
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession,
artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording
the plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his
cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY October 12-18, 2019 29

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

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

OCTOBER 12‑18, 2019

Aries: Buying a piece of property is on
the cards. Donʼt let a situation get out
of hand, as it may not be in your
favour. Someoneʼs guidance on the academ‑
ic front will work wonders in achieving
your aim. There is a strong possibility of
estranged couples gett ing reunited.
Charting your career path will assume
importance at this juncture. A good nightʼs
sleep is all that is required to bring your
energy back.
Taurus: Possibility of a rich relation
calling on you bearing gifts cannot
be ruled out. Becoming a bit harsh at
work will be in order to prevent subordi‑
nates from taking you for a ride. Your origi‑
nality will win this week for you on the aca‑
demic front. Travelling to attend an impor‑
tant event is indicated. Body builders, box‑
ers, wrestlers and the like are certain to
excel. On the social front, avoid those you
find difficult to get along with.
Gemini: Those with additional skills
can hope to get a good break. Those
in the rat race at work may pip the
rivals at the post to better their prospects. A
new position in the organisation may be
given to you with additional responsibili‑
ties. You are likely to get ready to organise
a function or a wedding. Opting for a
healthy diet will be a step in the right direc‑
tion. Your extrovert nature can click with
an opposite number.
Cancer: There is a fair chance of a
flat or a plot getting allotted to you.
A commitment you are scared of
making will seem no more threatening.
Those feeling stressed for the past few days
may need to take things easy. Tensions pre‑
vailing in your life will simply disappear.
This week, it will be fun spending time with
someone close. You may need to curtail
wasteful expenditure, if you want to go in
for something big.
Leo: Control your stubborn streak, as
it can spell disaster in both personal
and professional spheres. Keep your
ego under control at work, especially while
dealing with seniors. Guard against dubious
investments, as loss is foreseen. Your aca‑
demic aspirations will get fulfilled only
through legitimate means, so donʼt even
think of shortcuts. Follow a regular routine
to stay healthy. This week, you may meet
someone you like.
Virgo: Practice will make you perfect
on the academic front. Be sensitive
to the moods of people around you.
It is best not to discuss personal matters
openly.
Certain things are best ignored, especially
in the arena of love. You are likely to end up
paying more money for something that
could have been bought for much less.
Improvement in health of those ailing will
be slow, but steady.
Libra: You may plan a get together.
A deadline looms on the horizon, so
tighten your belt to meet it. Some
professionals may feel stagnated and may
not derive full satisfaction in their present
circumstances. You may have to motivate
someone to take your side through induce‑
ments. Donʼt repose too much faith on a
workplace colleague or you may be let
down. A good dose of re laxation will
recharge you completely.
Scorpio: You will need to do some‑
thing special to celebrate a special
event, so get started right now.
Clarify your position with superiors at
work, before the blame game gets to you.
On the romantic front, do remember part‑
nerʼs special day or you may get into big
trouble! A car or a dream house is about to
become a reality for some. A drive to the
countryside is likely to give you the thrills.
Health front seems fine.
Sagittarius:An issue regarding prop‑
erty may be taken up by you once
again in the right earnest. Donʼt
take any action without consulting the right
people. You may be invited over by some‑
one you only had a passing acquaintance,
so take your call. There is little hope of get‑
ting a raise that you were so keen on, but
this should not deter you in pursuing the
matter.On the fitness front, your efforts of
coming back in shape succeed.
Capricorn: A problem on the profes‑
sional front may beg your attention,
so donʼt ignore it.Someone may
appear rude and arrogant, but is loyal and
trustworthy, so overlook his or her short‑
comings.Some new ideas may come to you
regarding a venture undertaken. Blessings
of a family elder will be reserved for you for
your helpful nature. Create a serene and
tranquil environment, if you want to retain
focus on your studies.
Aquarius: You will find the going
easy on the academic front. Your
close associates may seek your
advice, before starting on a new venture.
Donʼt let paucity of time deter you from
continuing something that you have start‑
ed. A marriage proposal for the eligible may
need to be weighed carefully. Give a serious
thought to getting back in shape. A change
in programme is very likely, but it will suit
you better.
Pisces: You enjoy the week overall to
the hilt. Thorough preparation will
hold you in good stead in a competi‑
tive situation on the academic front. Selling
a property or renting it out is indicated and
will bring in a lot of money.
You will need to get a second opinion for a
persistent ailment to get rid of it for good.
On the work front, donʼt get befooled by a
colleague, who pretends what he or she
is not.

October 12, 2019 skills. New projects and assign‑

Influenced by number 3 and the
planet Jupiter. You are ambitious,
dignified, philosophical, and reli‑
gious. You are self‑reliant and pos‑
sess enormous leadership qualities
and you like to take your own deci‑
sions, but you need to check your
tendency to be jealous, over ambi‑
tious and self centered at times.
This year improvement in your
work atmosphere would be there,
giving you lot of job satisfaction.
Sudden major monetary gains,
either from foreign transactions or
a major govt. contract, cannot be
ruled out. The later half of the year
could bring opportunities to travel
overseas for business as well as
pleasure. Selective speculation will
bring you gains. Some thumping
news expected from your children
towards the last quarter of the
year. Some renovation, construc‑
tion and pilgrimage should also be
carried out this year. Meditation
and yoga should be practiced for
spiritual as well as physical gains.
The months of November, January
and June would be highly eventful.
October 13, 2019
Ruled by number 4 and the plan‑
et Uranus. You are bright, ener‑
getic, active, methodical and sys‑
tematic. You are fond of good,
respectable lifestyle and you spe‑
cially enjoy building new contacts
and relationships, but you need to
check you tendency to behave stub‑
born, destructive and vindictive at
times.
This year new assignment and
plans come your way. Work pres‑
sure would increase and specific
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
time schedule would make you
work overtime. Financial gains and
other rewards would be plenty but
working under extreme stress lev‑
els would show on your health.
Legal matters that have been both‑
ering your mind would be decided
in your favour. For those unat‑
tached romance would add a zing
to their life. Children would be
interesting and a major source of
your happiness. For those who
have been unsuccessful in finding a
life partner till now should rejoice,
as a matrimonial wedlock seems
later in the year. The months of
October, February and April will
prove to be eventful.
October 14, 2019
Influenced by number 5 and the
planet Mercury. You are active,
smart, confident, original, and high‑
ly independent individual. You are
loved by your friends and your par‑
ents take enormous pride in you,
but you need to check your tenden‑
cy to behave moody, introvert and
restless at times.
This year new alliances and part‑
nerships would bring in prosperity.
Your confidence and determination
will be at its peak. Financial gains
as delayed payments and bad debts
are recovered. Speculation in real
estate and stocks will prove to be
profitable. Those at service might
face hectic period at work, because
of the unpredictable behaviour of
their boss. Your spouse would be
supportive to your concerns and
provide you with love and af fec‑
tion. A budding romance is on the
horizon for some of you. A distant
trip cannot be ruled out for pil‑
grimage or auspicious ceremonies.
T he month of July, September,
November and March seem to be
highly significant.
October 15, 2019
Influenced by number 6 and the
planet Venus. You are active, ener‑
getic, warm‑hearted, and are fond
of worldly pleasures. You are good
at conversation and you easily
make friends because of your help‑
ful nature, but you need to check
your tendency to behave spend‑
thrift and stubborn at times.
This coming year good financial
g ains are foreseen along w ith
appreciation and plenty of reward.
Your stars seem favourable for
building new alliances and partner‑
ships. Promotion and transfers like‑
ly for some. Selective speculation
would be beneficial therefore be
extra careful not to squander hard‑
earned money. Romantic alliances
likely for those unattached, others
would get tied into a matrimonial
wedlock. Distant journey, pilgrim‑
age or foreign travel later in the
year. You are likely to be more
inclined towards religious and spir‑
itual act ivit ies. September,
November, January and May will
be highly significant months.
October 16, 2019
Governed by number 7 and the
planet Neptune. You are simple,
dignified, original, dashing and con‑
fident. You possess remarkable
leadership qualities and blessed
with strong imagination and intu‑
ition, but you need to check your
tendency to behave extravagant,
hypocrite and stubborn at times.
T his year friends and family
members would provide good sup‑
port. Professionally things look
much better and you would move
around with new confidence and
energy. A change for the better in
your business or career seems like‑
ly later in year. Those involved in
art, writing and other creative pro‑
fession should expect recognition
and monetary gains. Health would
definitely need more attention.
Meditation and yoga should be
practiced for physical and spiritual
gains. Children will be supportive
and bring in some happy and good
news. Pilgrimage or journey would
be hig h on your agenda. T he
months of October, December,
February and March will especially
bring in happiness and prosperity.
October 17, 2019
Ruled by number 8 and the plan‑
et Saturn. You are energetic, hard‑
working, courageous, trustworthy
and friendly. You are a great admir‑
er of literature and good music and
you like to associate with like‑
minded people, but you need to
control your tendency to behave
impatient, erratic and destructive
at times.
This year your confidence will
g row. You would benefit from
remarkable business entrepreneur
ments would be plenty enhancing
your prosperity. Govt. and judicial
favours for some. Some misunder‑
standing with your spouse might
bring uneasy moments at home.
Later in the year some exhilarating
news from overseas will boost up
the spirits of the entire family.
Travelling would be beneficial for
building new alliances. New
romances for some. Health of an
infant in the family might cause
some concern. T he months of
August, November, January and
April will be highly significant.
October 18, 2019
Governed by number 9 and the
planet Mars. You are adventurous,
sensitive, courageous, systematic
and dashing. You are full of enthu‑
siasm and very helpful, but you
need to control your tendency to
behave impatient, short tempered
and shy at times.
This year you should expect new
assignments and would hold posi‑
tion of important responsibilities.
Your financial position stabilizes as
past investments start raking prof‑
its. Improved finances bring in
prosperity and happiness at domes‑
tic level. Good year for girls and
women as far as romance is con‑
cerned. Some gains through inheri‑
tance or expensive gifts from rela‑
tives cannot be ruled out. Frequent
travel would be undertaken bring‑
ing goo d monetary rewards.
Distant journey maybe overseas for
some later in the year. Avoid lend‑
ing or borrowing money. August,
November, February and July will
be highly significant.
 30 October 12-18, 2019
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
T
he search to either or dis‑
prove the soulʼs immortal
nature has been an ongoing
quest for humanity through the
ages. Evidence in support of the
soulʼs immortality has appeared in
two forms: The first consists of
statements and accounts given by
saints, prophets, and mystics who
claimed to have passed through the
gates of the Beyond in their mystic
travels; the second consists of the
accounts of people who have gone
through near‑death experiences.
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
M
any feel each of us is
alone in the universe. We
wonder if there is a God,
and, if there is, how could God
even know about us, given the bil‑
lions of people in the world.
In this age of science, we may
find it hard to believe in a power
such as God who could create all
of us and love us. We feel that the
only love that is possible in the
universe is what we know as
human beings, such as between
parents and children, lovers and
beloveds, spouses, or families. We
think that because we cannot see
God with our physical eyes that
such a power could not really
exist. Yet, we have multiple
instances that show love in this
world, a love of which the recipi‑
ent may not even be aware, that
still exists.
We cannot see God at our physi‑
cal level. We assume that because
we cannot see the Lord, that there
is no God. However, God is there,
and embracing us with love at all
moments. Just because we are not
aware of that love does not mean
it is not there. We do not know
that God has immeasurable love
for us.Yet, we are always wrapped
in Godʼs protective embrace.
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Immortality of the soul
The worldʼs main religions all rec‑
ognize the immortality of the soul.
The descriptions in the scriptures of
the soulʼs journey after life dif fer
from religion to religion, but one
common thread runs throughout
them: the soul survives the death of
the physical body. Some people
view this aspect of religion that
deals with soulʼs immortality as a
hopeful wish, a fairy tale, or a pipe
dream. Atheists may not believe in
the soul or its immortality, agnos‑
tics may be unsure, and skeptics
may question its validity, but all
search for proof one way or the
other.
How do various traditions
describe the soulʼs immortality?
Ancient Egyptians believed that
after death the soul lived on in an
underworld region close to the
earth. From this belief arose the rit‑
uals of burying the dead with their
worldly possessions in case the
dead needed them in the beyond.
Some early African societies also
Realizing we are never alone
How can we experience Godʼs
love and know for certain there is
a God?
We may get a sense there is a
God when we look at the wonders
of creation. When we see how the
sun and the planets keep their
place in the solar system without
colliding into each other, we won‑
der at how that could happen. We
see how out of all the planets, few
are habitable enough to support
human life because they are either
too hot, too cold, or lack an atmos‑
phere for breathing. We marvel at
the earth and how it is just the
right temperature to support life,
has just the right mix of elements
for breathing, and just the right
amount of land surface on which
to live, otherwise it would just be a
planet of water.
We marvel at life itself, the
human body, animals, and plants,
and how they have been created to
survive generation after genera‑
tion for millions of years. We mar‑
vel at the various systems in the
human body that allow us to eat,
breathe, grow, reproduce, and
repair themselves when injured.
We wonder at the miracle of the
human brain and how we take in
believed in the soul immortality. In
ancient Greece, people believed that
the soul of a dead person was fer‑
ried across the dark waters of the
river Styx. The Greek philosophers
Socrates and Plato also believed in
the immortality of the soul. As
Socrates told those around him
before drinking the poison given to
him by the authorities. “[When] I
have drunk the poison I shall
remain with you no longer, but
depart to a state of heavenly happi‑
ness…” Hindus also believe in the
immortality of the soul, which trans‑
information, learn, plan, analyze,
and create.
The cycles of the earth are
incredible with the water cycle to
supply the planet and its inhabi‑
tants with a fresh supply of water
for billions of years for drinking
and washing. We wonder at the
rock cycle in which rock is broken
down to form new soil or is built
up to create land, hills, and moun‑
tains on which to live. We marvel
at how plants provide food for
people and animals, as well as oxy‑
gen given off as waste for us to
breathe. The more scientists learn
about the workings of the uni‑
verse, of physics, chemistry, biolo‑
gy, astronomy, and geology, the
more they conclude that some
super intelligent power must have
designed all this.
Beyond the scientists, we have
scientists of the soul, or saints and
Masters, who have explored the
inner workings of creation. They
have been in touch with the non‑
material aspect of life, the spirit or
soul, through firsthand personal
experience. They have come in all
the ages, in all cultures and time
periods, and have all concluded
the same thing̶there is a Power
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
migrates from one life to another.
The soul returns to life to work
through its karmas, a collection of
the thoughts, words, and deeds it
experienced in its current and pre‑
vious lives.
Kabir Sahib of India gave a
detailed account of the various
planes of existence to which a soul
goes after death. The three lower
regions include the physical, astral,
and casual regions that are made of
mixtures of matters and conscious‑
ness and are subject to dissolution;
the higher spiritual regions, which
who created all that is, whether we
call it God or by any other name,
and that Power is a loving one that
brought us all into being. It is lov‑
ing and protective of the creation
that sprouted into being from its
power of love. Just as parents
decide to bring a child into this
world as an expression of their
love and a desire to create off‑
spring, so did God bring all cre‑
ation into being out of love and
the same desire to create.
Godʼs love came into expression
and the result is the existence of
all the realms of existence, this
physical universe, human beings,
animals, plants, and everything
that is. God started alone and from
Godʼs love countless souls were
created. It may seem like God can‑
not know all the souls God creat‑
ed, but God does, and loves and
protects each one. Similarly, we
may not know it, just as an infant
is not aware that it exists because
of its parents, but that Power is
there, loving us and protecting us.
In this age of science and ration‑
ality, few want to believe in God,
as this Power cannot be seen with
the physical senses. Yet, God is
there. Saints and Masters who
are eternal, include the supercausal
plane and a spiritual plane known
as Sach Khand or True Realm, from
where God emanates. T he soul
transmigrates through a series of
lives until it escapes the cycle. Guru
Nanak and the Sikh Gurus also
believed in the same journey of the
soul after physical life. T he
Buddhist Tibetan Book of the Deed,
describes the immortality of the
soul and its journey after death.
Christian and Jewish mystics also
speak of the soulʼs immortality and
regions beyond this world. These
accounts of the soulʼs immortality
are not coincidental.
There is a truth behind the revela‑
tions of all the saints, mystics,
prophets, and enlightened ones who
have come through the ages. The
question now is whether there is
any evidence that can be confirmed
today by modern science to validate
the findings of the re ligious
founders of the past.
(www.sos.org)
have found God tell us that if we
truly want to believe in God, we
need to experience it for our‑
selves. Thus, they give us a way to
prove Godʼs existence for our‑
selves. Once we do so, we will also
realize Godʼs love for us is like the
love of the parent for a child.
How can we prove Godʼs exis‑
tence and love for us? The way we
can do so is through meditation. If
we sit in silence and focus our
attention within, we will find the
manifestation of God in the form
of the inner Light and Sound. We
can travel on this source back to
God and merge in that divine
Power. This inner journey through
meditation will lead us to the real‑
ization of God and the embracing
love that God has for each of us.
God is not far. God is within us.
God has protective arms around
us. Our soul is connected to God.
Our problem is that we are not
aware of our soul, so we do not
realize God. Our first step is to
achieve self‑realization or knowl‑
edge of our true self. Once we do
so, we will find that we are one
with God and will achieve God‑
realization.
(www.sos.org)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info October 12-18, 2019
TheSouthAsianTimes.info October 12-18, 2019