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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. 29 November 16-22, 2019 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Modi bats for boosting After Ayodhya,

intra‑BRICS trade to $500 bn
Brasilia: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on T hursday
pushed for boosting intra‑BRICS
apex court rules
trade and investment and urged
that a roadmap be readied for
increasing the trade to $500 bil‑
lion by the next summit.
in Rafale deal &
Addressing the Leaders'
Dialogue with BRICS Business
Council, Modi said the partner‑
ship agreement inked between
New Deve lopment Bank and
Sabarimala cases
BRICS Business Council will be PM Narendra Modi with his counterparts Xi Jinping (China),
Vladimir Putin (Russia), Jair Bolsonaro (Brazil) and Cyril Ramaphosa
beneficial to both sides. He also The momentous
(South Africa) at the 11th BRICS Summit on Nov 14. (Photo: PIB)
Continued on page 4 court verdict in
the Ayodhya
case paves the

Ekal Vidyalayaʼs NY gala

way for the
construction of
a grand Ram
temple on the

raises over $3 Million disputed site.

New York: Ekal Vidyalaya

Foundationʼs “Future of India” New Delhi: In the contentious ordering five acres be given to
Gala on November 9 at Gotham Babri Masjid‑Ram Janmabhoomi Muslims in Ayodhya to construct
Hall here he lped raise $3.1 dispute, Indiaʼs Supreme Court a mosque. The verdict considered
Million in supporting Ekalʼs mis‑ last week upheld the faith, belief Continued on page 4
sion to eradicate illiteracy and claims of the Hindu communi‑ See page 10, 11 and 12 for details.
throughout rural and tribal India ty and directed that the entire
and taking the organization to hit land be vested within 3 months in TWO LEGAL EAGLES IN NEW
the historic milestone of establish‑ a Trust that would carry out the YORK AND DELHI HAIL THE
ing 100,000 schools in the most building of the Ram temple, while AYODHYA VERDICT ‑‑ PAGE 15.
remote parts of the country.
Distinguished speakers includ‑
ed Raju Reddy, an entrepreneur
An ecstatic Mohan Wanchoo, Gala‑Chair, who himself pledged $1 M
in the $3.1 M raised at the event. Funds raised help propel Ekal Millions of Americans tune in to 1st
towards reaching the 100,000 villages milestone.
Continued on page 4
impeachment hearing of digital era
Kartarpur corridor opening New York: Millions of
Americans tuned in to the
and the first two star
w itnesses de livered
marks Guru Nanak's 550th first day of the public new and damning evi‑
phase impeachment dence about a straight
The centerpiece of the celebration of Guru inquiry against President line tying the White
Nanak Dev jiʼs 550th birth anniversary was Donald Trump as at least House to personal
the opening of the Kartarpur corridor, half a dozen of America's political favors from a
enabling devotees to visit the gurdwara
news television networks The impeachment vulnerable foreign ally.
built at the place the founder of Sikhism
and hundreds of hearings are not About halfway into the
spent the last part of his life. Pilgrims on the
livestream conduits deliv‑ likely to sway the Continued on page 4
first day, November 9, were welcomed by
Pakistan PM Imran Khan. Punjab Chief ered more than six hours supporters of
of ad free reality content President Trump.
Detailed story on page 19.
Minister Amarinder Singh was among them.
See related stories on page 8 and 9.
Exclusive Column by Swadesh M. Rana: Indiaʼs new military doctrine

DEFENSE 14 SADHGURU 18 PERSONAL FINANCE 26 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30 excellence in journalism

TheSouthAsianTimes.info November 16-22, 2019
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY November 16-22 2019 3

Indian embassy and NY Consulate

celebrate Guru Nanakʼ 550th

At the Consulate event, the Panel Discussion on “Contribution of Sikhs in America” was led by
In the audience at the embassy event on Capitol Hill are Ambassador Harsha V Shringla,
Consul General Sandeep Chakravorty where views on the practical aspects of the teachings of
Senator Todd Young, and Representatives Judy Chu and Greg Pence.
Guru Nanak were shared.

Washington/New York: T he
Embassy of India here celebrated
the 550th birth anniversary of
Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji on 12th
November on Capitol Hill. The
program was attended by US
Senator from Indiana To dd
Young, Representatives Judy Chu
and Greg Pence and prominent
members of the Sikh‑American
community.
An exhibition on the life and
message of Guru Nanak Dev Ji to
commemorate his birth anniver‑
sary was also on display.
Two Panel discussions on ʻThe
life and philosophy of Sri Guru
Nanak Dev jiʼ and ʻContributions
of Sikh‑Americans in the United
Statesʼ involving eminent schol‑
ars, academics and prominent
personalities were also conduct‑
ed. A special screening of a docu‑
mentary on Dalip Singh Saund,
the first Sikh‑American and the
first Indian‑American Member of
Congress was also held.
The Consulate General of India,
New York also celebrated the
auspicious occasion on Tuesday.
Sandeep Chakravorty, Consul
General, inaugurated a Photo‑
exhibition on Life & Philosophy
of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. He
spoke about relevance of the
message and philosophy of the
founder of Sikhism and the sig‑
nificance of Sangat and Pangat
tradition, which by Guru Nanak.
A large number of members of
the Indian community and
friends of India attended the
event. The Consulate also organ‑
ized a Pane l Discussion on
“Contribut ion of Sikhs in
America”. Sharing their views on
the practical aspects of the teach‑
ings of Guru Nanak were
Mandeep Sing h, Manag ing
Director, Geocom Capital; Ravi
Batra, attorney; Karambir Kang
of Taj Hotels; and Akashdeep
Singh Sarpal, Country Head ICICI
bank. The celebration ended
with the traditional Langar.

Trump alleges garbage Dr. Neeta Jain to be

from India reaches LA
New York: President Donald
Trump claimed on Tuesday that
garbage from India is floating
all the way to Los Ange les.
Speaking at the Economic Club
of New York, he railed against
the rest of the world, including
the deve loping world, that
everyone was taking advantage
of the US before he came along.
He was particularly agitated
that the rest of the world, par‑
ticularly developing countries
such as China and India, had
corralled Washington into the
Paris Accord on climate change
and put the onus on the US to
clean up the planet while them‑
selves not doing much.
The accord, Trump claimed,
would have done "trillions and
trillions of dollars of destruc‑
tion" to the US if he had not
pulled the country out of it.
"You know, I have a little
problem. We have a relatively
small piece of land ‑‑ the United
States. And you compare that to
some of the other countries like
China, like India, like Russia,
like many other countries that
are doing absolutely nothing to
clean up their smokestacks and
all of the garbage that they're
dropping in sea and that floats
into Los Angeles," Trump said
in a rambling speech.
The President seemed to be
referring to the so‑called Great
Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), a
vast collection of marine debris
that is floating between Hawaii
and California, and some of it is
reported to have washed up
near Los Angeles. But analysis
of the debris by experts has
identified China, Indonesia,
Philippines, T hailand, and
installed President of
Vietnam as the primary sources Democratic Club of Queens
of GPGP, not India. Besides, the
Queens, NY: In a proud
"relatively small piece of land"
moment for the Indian com‑
Trump referred to is the fourth
munity, Dr. Neeta Jain will be
largest country in the world,
installed as President of the
about four times the size of
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
India, with one‑fourth India's
Democratic Club of Queens
population.
on November 21. She will be
It is also the largest polluter
installed by Congressman
in world history, emitting more
Gergory Meeks, Chairman
greenhouse gases per capita
Democratic Organization of
than China and India combined,
Queens, in a ceremony at
The Times of India reported.
Hillcrest Jewish Center in
Still, Trump complained the
Fresh Meadows, Queens.
Paris Accord is "so unfair"
Dr. Neeta Jain is
because it "doesn't kick in for
Democratic District Leader,
China until 2030" and "India,
Assembly District 25, Part B,
we are supposed to pay them Dr Neeta Jain, community leader
Queens.
money because they are a and political force
The purpose of Democratic
developing nation. I said, ʻWe're
clubs, which in New York state are president of International Ahimsa
a deve loping nat ion, tooʼ,"
based on Assembly districts, is to Foundation. The South Asian Time is
Trump quipped amid laughter
promote the candidates and goals of proud of her contributions to the
from the New York financial
the party. Indian American community, many
elite.
Dr Neeta Jain, PhD, is the founder via her political endeavors.
 4 November 16-22, 2019
Cuomo warns National
Grid over moratorium
on gas hookups
Albany, NY: Gov. Andrew M.
Cuomo on Tuesday informed
National Grid of his intent to
revoke its operating certificate
for downstate New York follow‑
ing a months long moratorium
on new gas hookups that has
left thousands scrambling for
service.
Cuomo, in a letter to National
Grid's UK‑based chief executive
John Pettigrew and its New
York president John Bruckner,
gave the company 14 days
notice of his intent to revoke
the downstate gas franchise,
citing their “mishandling of the
gas supply system” on Long
Island and New York City.
Cuomo said there was “no
doubt National Grid failed to
provide ʻadequate and reliableʼ
service,” noting the companyʼs
admission to the Public Service
Commission that “more could
have been done to communi‑
cate with customers” about
looming supply issues in the
region.
A spokesman for Cuomo did‑
nʼt respond to an inquiry about
''Abhinandan Gallery'' at
Pakistan Air Force museum
Karachi: In a bizarre propa‑
ganda, Pakistan has put on
display a mannequin of
Indian pilot Abhinandan
Varthaman whose plane was
shot down over Kashmir earli‑
er this year.
According to reports in the
Chairman and Co-Founder
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which entities could operate
the system, which serves
600,000 Long Islanders, in
National Gridʼs absence.
National Grid began to sound
the alarm on supply issues ear‑
lier this year, issuing a morato‑
rium on new service for com‑
mercial customers and new
developments, and threatening
to do the same for residential
customers if the $1 billion
pipeline, called the Northeast
Supply Enhancement project,
wasnʼt approved by the states.
The moratorium has rippled
through the regional economy,
stalling oil‑to‑gas conversions
and new service for restau‑
rants, big developments like
the Ronkonkoma Hub, and new
home construction. Last month,
the PSC ordered National Grid
to provide service to more than
1,000 customers who it said
were improperly denied gas.
National Grid of ficials, in
interviews earlier this year,
acknowledged there “was no
plan B” when it came to the
pipeline.
Pakistani media, the life‑sized
mannequin of Wing
Commander Abhinandan
Varthaman, complete with his
signature moustache, has
been installed in an exhibit at
a museum in Karachi run by
the Pakistan Air Force.
Consultants
Shomik Chaudhuri P: 646.498.5122
shomik@shomikchaudhuri.com
Ginsmon P. Zacharia P: 516.776.7061
ginsmon@hotmail.com
Contributing Editors:
Shaker Nelanuthala, Prof. Shivaji Sengupta,
Surekha Vijh (Washington, DC),
Suchitra Srinivas (New Jersey),
Melvin Durai, Dr Prem Kumar Sharma,
Ashok Vyas, and Dr Akshat Jain
Current Affairs Columnist
Swadesh Rana
TURN PAGE
After Ayodhya, apex court network for people's betterment.
rules in Rafale deal &
Sabarimala cases
4 Hackathon in India on Apps work‑
ing in healthcare.
"I also suggested: A working group to
Continued from page 1
sagacious has been largely accepted by
the two communities with peace pre‑
share best practices from our respec‑
tive small and medium enterprises.
vailing. On Thursday came a few more
of the apex courtʼs decisions in high
Strengthening the Coalition for
Disaster Resilient Infrastructure so that
we can have even more effective sys‑
profile cases. It dismissed a review
petition seeking a probe into the Rafale tems in place to help our people."
fighter jets deal inked by the Modi gov‑
ernment. Ekal Vidyalayaʼs NY gala
Further, in a 3:2 verdict the top court raises over $3 Million
referred the Sabarimala review pleas to Continued from page 1
the larger bench. However, there is no and investor, Ragy T homas, the
stay on the September 28, 2018 judg‑
Founder and CEO of Sprinklr, and Vivek
Oberoi, Bollywood star known for his
ment, which lifted the ban on the entry
philanthropic work with children.
of women aged between 10 and 50 to
the temple in Kerala.
Special guests for the evening included
Amb. Sandeep Chakravorty, Consul
Modi bats for boosting General of India, and Congresswoman
Carolyn Maloney. The evening was
intra‑BRICS trade to $500 bn
notable for several game changing
Continued from page 1
pledges. The Wanchoo family, long
urged that the BRICS nations ‑‑ com‑
term Ekal supporters, pledged $1
prising Brazil, Russia, India, China and
Million. “We felt we must do our part to
South Africa ‑‑ and the NDB join the
prope l Ekal towards the goal of
Coalition for Disaster Resistant
100,000,” said Gala Chair Mohan
Infrastructure. "Till the next summit a
Wanchoo. Vivek Oberoi pledged to
roadmap for achieving $500 billion
work with his business partners and
intra‑BRICS trade target should be
friends in the US and India to spear‑
drawn up by the BRICS Business
head an initiative to bring small scale
Council," the PM said. He said that
solar power solutions to all the Ekal vil‑
intra‑BRCS trade stands at just 15 per‑ lages. “I have received a commitment of
cent of global trade, in comparison to over a half million dollars already. Such
their combined population which was an initiative will be revolutionary for it
over 40 percent of that of the world. He would bring green energy to power
appealed that the process for setting up rural India,” he said.
a regional office in India of the NDB be Ragy Thomas pledged $100,000 for
completed at the earliest, which would Ekal expressing his strong support for
help implement the projects in priority the mission of education and express‑
areas. Modi said that strengthening the
BRICS business links could be achieved
with the full cooperation of the NDB
ing the need for accelerating the pace
of education. Raju Reddy is partnering
with Ekal to bring transformation to
and the BRICS Business Council. He
also called for enhanced focus on agri‑
rural Telangana.
Perfection of Man Foundation made a
culture, health, SMEs, credit and rating historic announcement at the end of
agencies. the evening. They pledged half a mil‑
The PM later tweeted: "At the interac‑ lion dollars to support the planting of 1
tion with BRICS Business Council and million trees in Ekal villages.
NDB I made the following suggestions: Sarva Mangal Family Trust and
4 Charting a roadmap for Intra‑ Keshap Group provided match for tech‑
BRICS trade to the tune of $500 billion. nology intervention in education and
4 Harnessing the agro‑tech start‑up health. Several supporters of Ekal were
New Delhi Bureau
Meenakshi Iyer
Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Jaipur Bureau
Prakash Bhandari
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Photographs
Xitij Joshi/xitijphoto.com
Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah
Art and Design: Dhiraj Kumar Showaan
Bharat Bhushan Chopra
Senior Designer: Vladimir Tomovski
Consultants
Shomik Chaudhuri, Inc.
Ginsmon Zacharia & Family Inc
Sai Creations Inc, Bhagwati Creations
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
recognized during the event.
Ekalʼs focus on holistic development
of the villages is a game changer for
India. The interventions in education,
health and skill training promise to
empower millions to be lifted out of
poverty in 100,000 villages. The organ‑
ization is the recipient of the Gandhi
Peace Prize, the highest honor from
government of India given to any
organization.
The evening also saw a musical per‑
formance from Bollywood singer
Shibani Kashyap.
To donate or to learn about sponsor‑
ship opportunities, please visit
http://nycgala.ekal.org
Millions of Americans tune in
to 1st impeachment hearing
of digital era
Continued from page 1
six‑hour long hearings, at least 90,000
people were watching CSPAN
livestream, 60,000 were on Fox,
30,000 on NBC, while CNN had nearly
90,000 on its YouTube channe l.
Something impossible 20 years ago
during the Bill Clinton impeachment
hearings.
Many long days of such testimonies
will follow and Democrats are hoping
they can wring the last drop from these
hearings to weave a tale of greed,
intrigue and Trump's obsession with
personal gain over national interest.
Going by the chatter circulating on
free digital content platforms, especial‑
ly Twitter and Slack, it seemed like
Americans are only hard coding their
partisan voting positions even further.
Nothing that was said today by seemed
to be piercing through political grid‑
lock, even as spin and conspiracy theo‑
ries circulate at breakneck speed.
"There was not even the slightest hint
that any Republican is taking the evi‑
dence that they were given and recon‑
sidering," Fox News Channel's Chris
Wallace said at the end of the hearings.
"Part of me is wondering, what do
facts matter anymore in these
debates?" ABC's George
Stephanopoulos said.
News Service
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info
NY chapter of an Indian American chamber launched
New York: T he North East New York
Regional Chapter of the Indian American
International Chamber of Commerce
(IAICC) was launched at an event held at
the Indian Consulate here on November
6. Indiaʼs Consul for Commerce at the
Indian embassy Manoj Kumar Mohapatra
was Special Guest of Honor at the event.
The Consulateʼs ballroom was packed
with a large number of business leaders
and others, a press release from IAICC
said.
Ajit Pai, Chairman, F ed e r a l
Communications Commission (FCC), in
his keynote said, “The way I see it, the
Chamber isnʼt just in the economic‑devel‑
opment business; youʼre [also] in the
community‑building business. Youʼre
helping to strengthen America from the
Long Island Indo
American Lions
Club holds
health fair
TRISTATE COMMUNITY November 16-22, 2019 5
bottom up, not from the top down.”
Mr. Pai, also stated that the IAICC,
which was started 30 years ago, works to
promote strong economic opportunities
between India and the United States.
He recounted the growth and achieve‑
ments of the Indian‑American communi‑
ty, including his own life experiences in
his speech.
AICC currently has 17 chapters in the
U.S. and will be opening four new chap‑
ters in December, Western Regional
Chapter and California State Chapters;
Massachusetts and New Hampshire State
Chapters.
It also has several chapters in India and At the launch of IAICC Northeast Chapter, (form left) Ravishankar Bhooplapur,
is set to open chapters in Africa, Dubai, Co‑Chair, NY Chapter; KV Kumar, President and CEO; Ajit Pai, FCC Chairman; Manoj
Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Kumar Mohapatra, Minister (Commerce) at Indian Embassy; Appen Menon,
said Kumar. Chairman; Dr Sudhir Parikh, Chair, Board of Trustees; and Glenn Falcao, Secretary.
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The volunteering doctors posing èŠǗ ͫŒ™Ȫ
with LI Lion Club President  f€–ȯŒǾ˜     
Indu Gajwani (sitting, left)  ‘Ȫ–ȯŒǾ˜     

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Hicksville, NY: Long Island Indo American
Lions Club under President Indu Gajwani and
]™ Ȣ˜ȡ
her team organized a health fair on November
 50% èȡ“Ȣ™k ]™ 60% èȡ“Ȣ™k ]™ 90% èȡ“Ȣ™k ]™ 100% èȡ“Ȣ™k ]™ 110% èȡ“Ȣ™k ]™
10 at Apna Ghar, Hicksville in conjunction
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with APPI‑QLI doctors.
The participating doctors were Sunil Mehra,  ‘è™
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Abhay Malhotra, Rakesh Dua, Rajgopal
               
Holalkare, Pallavi Patel, Rajender Modi, Tarun              
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Wasil, Harminder Kaur, Govind Oza and
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Ramesh Sarecha.
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A lot of people turned up for medical check‑
up. The event was well organized by Lions
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It was graced and attended by Miss
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Portugal Ms. Silvi, Bobby Kumar, president
kš“Ȳ–šɇÈ ͬ‚ͪȲ‚€Ȫ–Ȳ‘š¡Ʌ ‚ȯ@
Indu Gajwani, district governor Jose Pastrana,
1st vice‑governor Terri Oster, Rita Shah,
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Gobind Bathija, Vandana Kumar, Sanju
Sharma, Nimesh Shah, Veena Lamba, Pradeep ZZZ1<+RXVLQJ6HDUFKJRY”š—Ȣ`”›Þ’¡Ȱ @ĤȪĒȡ˜€ȯǓ“‘ȶ žkš]ȯ‘“\ȲĒȯ‡Ȣkšè”ȯǓ“ž˜Ʌ `”›Þ’¡ɇkš\“ǕšȪ’€ȯ\“Ǖ ȡš\ۙ—ȡŸȡjȲ˜Ʌ `”›Þ’¡ɉ‚ȯ@

Gosalia, Vijay Shah, Suresh Thakkar, Yogini

Oza and Sheela Shah. ›ȨŠšȣ˜Ʌ  èȢ€ǙǓͩ€ Ȣ^€ȡ_€ȯͧ›f\“Ǖ˜Ȫ‘“™ȡ”ȡğȡ€ȧ‚ȡšȲ Šȣ“¡ȣȲ ‘ȯ Ȣ¡Ȱ @›ȨŠšȣ]ȯ‘€ɉ€Ȫ–ȯšȢ–Ȳ ‚ ȯ …Ǖ“ȡ‡ȡȡ¡Ȱ  kš›ȨŠšȣ˜Ʌ  `“€ȯ‘‡ȶ €ȯ\“Ǖ ȡšĤȢ¢ȡ

The program started at 10:00 a.m. and it  Ǘ…Ȣ˜Ʌ ` ȢИ˜Ʌ šȡ‡ȡȡ@

was over by 1:15 p.m. Light refreshment was
provided by Rajesh Kumar from Bengali ›ȨŠšȣǑ‘ Ȳ–š, €ȯ Ǖ–¡–‡ȯ€Ȫ295 Merritt Avenue, Wyandanch, NY 11798˜Ʌ ǔ萏Wyandanch-Wheatley Heights Ambulance Corp˜Ʌ ]™Ȫǔ‡
Sweets, Vijay Ochani of Health Care, Pradeep €ȧ‡ȡf‚Ȣ@¡˜]ȯ‘€ɉ€Ȫ`”ǔ萏¡Ȫ“ȯ€ȯͧ›fĤȪ× ȡǑ¡€šȯ¡ɇ
Gosalia of Dunkin Donut, and Gobind Bathija.
The Long Island Indo American Club was
chartered just five months ago and has 50
members now.
Collection and distribution of 4500 eye‑
glasses was the first project successfully com‑
pleted under the leadership of Indu Gajwani.
The second project undertaken was a food
drive wherein the members collected about
40 food boxes and $5000.
 6 November 16-22, 2019 TRISTATE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

"Balanced Judgment": Monroe teens set example

Indian‑Americans for community service
welcome top courtʼs Monroe, NJ: Thirteen‑year‑old Anish Korrapati and
Aryan Agarwal, both from Monroe Township Middle
school have embarked on an eyeglass drive to

Ayodhya verdict donate eyeglasses. They started this drive to give

"The ruling by the Indian Supreme
Court is equally a victory for Hindus
and Muslims, as it is for archeologists,
historians, and the Indian legal sys‐
tem" – Hindu American Foundation
glasses to those people who don't have glasses, but
they need them. Their goal is to collect 400 glasses.
So far, they have collected over 100 glasses. Anish
has won three awards in the Letters of Literature
contest in the past two years. Aryan has won many
State and National level chess tournaments. He has
started his own chess club called ʻExotic Informatics
Chess Club” in Monroe NJ where he gives chess
Anish Korrapati & Aryan Agarwal
classes to kids at a minimal cost. The money earned
from his chess coaching classes is spent on purchas‑ is to help people below the poverty line, seniors in
ing food items that are donated to the Monroe Food senior centers by donating eyeglasses, food and
Pantry in Helmeta, NJ. Anish and Aryanʼs main goal medicines.

Washington, DC: The Indian‑American

community lauded the Supreme Court's
historic verdict in the Ayodhya case, say‑
ing the decision in the decades‑old land
dispute is equally a victory for both
Hindus and Muslims.
The Supreme Court in a unanimous
↴⳦ⷊ䣠ㅀㆾ䩿䐴嫸
verdict on Saturday said the disputed
land in Ayodhya belongs entirely to the
deity Ram Lalla or infant Lord Ram, Community Development Corporation of Long Island (CDCLI) 䗭 ⅌ 㩢 ᴍ Albanese
paving the way for a temple at the site Development Corporation ⌇ṛ漓㊤⋖ Wyandanch 㙐 E 㜊䖃 䖃ㆾ䩿䐴嫸ȼ
claimed by both Hindus and Muslims for E 㜊Ṍᶍ
㜊 Wyandanch 㙐ᴬ⻂漓䰦徺 Wyandanch LIRR 幥䧘 䧘ȼ廘ⵡⷹ䩐⁰◚⭁漓㘈 123 ᴩ
decades. ≔擳Ȼ᳿⭄⪣⎋ᴣ⭄⪣⫒≔Ṍ漢媽媠廘ᶚ⫒䖃䗭䖃㔮媨 媨䷎㱍俋㕮⌃⸁䖃⪵ⶬ尞㇄ ㇄⺖屶漓
A five‑judge constitution bench also 廘ᶚ⪵ⶬ䖃㐵⁤⋮ᴹ㘫☯∹㐵⁤ᴬ ᴬἻ漏AMI漐䖃 50%Ȼ60%Ȼ % 90%Ȼ100%⎋ 110%ȼℜ ℜ⣊䣞
ruled that a "prominent site" in the holy 局⬅ḗ ḗ⁇㋏ẚ 19 ᴩ⫒≔Ṍ䷘廿Ḍₚᶹȼ㩣⠕漓ᶥᴹ坋↧ ↧ᴌẾȻ⌫壈⋉壅壈⋖㉞ᶹ ᶹ⟪㋏
town in Uttar Pradesh will be allotted for
ẚ⫒≔Ṍȼ
a new mosque.
US State Department Spokesperson
Morgan Ortagus said the US is following ॣ୐ਸ֠*
ॣ୐ਸ֠
the announcement of the Ayodhya ver‑ ≔Ṍ㑯惎 ≔Ṍ⠦⬎⬎ 㗿ṍ 㗿槗
dict. ≔擳 $949 - $1,484
12
"We appreciate the statements by
92 ᳿⭄⪣
⪣ $1,012 - $1,674
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other
19 ᶋ⭄⪣
⪣ $1,210 - $2,180
Indian leaders calling on all parties to
maintain peace and avoid inflammatory
rhetoric," she said. *㯧:⭄㬐旿僩
㬐 坋丳䶲䐴尸ȼᴉ廯䣞
䣞惐⳱∄〉䐧ᶊᴙ㰤尳ȼ
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF)
said in a statement, "the ruling by the ‫ݶ‬ҵਸ֠
Indian Supreme Court is equally a victo‑ AMI ङ 50% AMI ङ 60% AMI ङ 90% AMI ङ 100% AMI ङ 110%
ry for Hindus and Muslims, as it is for
‫ڈ؟‬
archeologists, historians, and the Indian ы‫ރ‬ ߂௤ ߂Ѻ ߂௤ ߂Ѻ
Ѻ ߂௤ ߂Ѻ ߂௤ ߂Ѻ ߂௤ ߂Ѻ
legal system." 1 $ 3
 - $ 43,400 $  - $ 52,0
, 80 $  - $ 78,120 $
 - $ 86,800 ‫ޗ‬ - ‫ޗ‬
"This balanced judgment sets prece‑
2 $ 3
 - $ 49,600 $  - $ 59,5
, 20 $ 5 - $ 89,280 $ 
 - $ 99,200 $  - $109,120
dent for all future disputes and shows
3 $ 
 - $ 55,800 $ 49, - $ 66,9
, 60 $  - $100,440 ‫ޗ‬ - ‫ޗ‬ $  - $122,760
the maturity of the Indian judicial sys‑
4 $ 
 - $ 62,000 $ 49, - $ 74,4
, 00 $  - $111,600 ‫ޗ‬ - ‫ޗ‬ $  - $136,400
tem to resolve a challenging situations in
5 $ 
 - $ 67,000 $  - $ 80,4
, 00 $  - $120,600 ‫ޗ‬ - ‫ޗ‬ $  - $147,400
a calm, collected and fair manner," said
the Foundation for India and Indian
Diaspora Studies (FIIDS), USA, in a state‑ ❬ₚ⪍㑵䖅ㆾ䩿䐴嫸⻆杼ᶏ 2019 ⵵ 12 㘉 16 㓦ᴌ≉ 5 㾺ⅎ(㾺 晟㈈徯ㄴ㓷擵)ᶥ僴 CDCLIȾ
ment. 嫸㯩【漕晟☩䷀❬ₚ䖅䐴嫸⻆杼ᶏ⍩ᴁ僴⍩ᶕ䖅㩤ⴹ⳦ṝ㓷 㓷擵(ᴋ≉ 9 㾺僴ᴌ≉ 5 㾺)弓
弓ᶥ漕
FIIDS thanked the Supreme Court for 㘭↟⪥ 11 㘉 11 㓦(伂⁶冃)Ƚ11 㘉 28 㓦⎍ 29 㓦(〠⽪冃)ᴎ↟Ⱦ
delivering a historic verdict on Ayodhya
Ram Temple, one of the most sensitive
issues of India. 㘈 ⁲ 䐲 嫶 ⋉ 媠 ℑ ㈆ ⸔ 漓 嫶 㱎 壇 ㄐ ᷫ 䖃 乐 䧘 www.cdcli.org 漓ㄕ ⋐ 徭 ᷵ ䷘ CDCLI 徭䪰
"We welcome a well‑balanced verdict BuildingE@cdcli.org漓ㄕ㇧ㅒ 631-471-1215 幫 222漓ᵞ⋮ᷤ☧ www.NYHousingSearch.gov ᴉ
that the SC handed over the entire land
ㅽℯȼ䐲嫶⎋杸䗭㈆≖㒆᷵䖃嫬壿 壿㋏ẚ凰嫬⎋塾䋬䅘嫬漓⢁㘈墀㭁漓ᵞ⬅㋏ẚ⁵ᷕ嫬 嫬壿ȼ
to Hindus and allocated land for a
mosque," FIIDS said.
⋁↟ㆼ䩽⵵ᴌ俼Ờ嫀ḙ劶ㅸㄕ㘈屃㜻䣞Ṏȼㆼ䩽䐲嫶ᶹ⬅㈈
ᶹ 斎㘹ㆼ⋕䖃杹ⶎ㊑№☧
№ 䩈
We observe that the Modi Government,
various State government and socio‑ Ἐ⌌≔ᴉȼ
political leaders from all communities of
India are trying to maintain law and
order," it said. ㆾ䩿⬇ᶏ 2019 ⵵ 12 㘉 20 㓦ᴋ≉ 10 㾺☩ Wyandanch-Wheatley Heights Ambulance
The World Hindu Council of America Corp ᴿ坍
ᴿ 漕嫦⋹Ṏᶏ 295 Merritt Avenue, Wyandanch, NY 11798Ⱦ嫸䐴嫸ᶻ䣰㚂⋃↡漊
or VHPA said that for Hindus around the
world, the Ram Janmabhoomi movement
is a symbol of their centuries old strug‑
gle against colonialism and the brutality
and tragedy that came with it. (PTI)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY November 16-22, 2019 7

National Indo‑American US lawmakers introduce resolutions

Museum inducts Indra honoring Sikh community
Washington, DC: Top US lawmakers have even deeper appreciation for the values

Nooyi into hall of fame introduced resolutions in the Congress, recog‑

New York: Indra Nooyi, former CEO of
PepsiCo is one of six honored in 2019 with
a portrait to be displayed beg inning
November 15 at the National Portrait
Gallery in Washington D.C., according to
the National Indo‑American Museum, a rare
and possibly the first such honor for Indian‑
Americans.
In addition, on November 10, Nooyi was
honored by the Chicago‑based National
Indo‑American Museum, one of its kind in
the country, which will induct her into its
Hall of Fame at a Gala in Westin Chicago
Lombard in Lombard, Illinois.
Nooyi, whose name featured consistently
on listings of the worldʼs most powerful
women for years is credited with spear‑
heading PepsiCoʼs Performance w ith
Purpose initiative, championing responsible
water use, recyclable packaging, reduced
sugar and trans fat content, among other
things.
She was also instrumental in growing net
revenue of PepsiCo by more than 80% dur‑
ing her tenure.
The Museumʼs Hall of Fame honors indi‑
viduals whose achievements in their chosen
fields exemplify the contributions Indian
Americans make to the greater American
story, a press release from NIAM said.
Indra Nooyi,former PepsiCo CEO
“NIAM is proud to recognize her as an
example of how Indian Americans are shap‑
ing this nation even as they remain true to
their roots and cultural heritage,” the press
release said.
Others honored in NIAMʼS Hall of Fame
include Jazz pianist Vijay Iyer inducted in
2016.
The National Indo‑American Museum
says it works to preserve the history and
promotes understanding of the diversity,
contributions and culture of the four mil‑
lion‑plus Indian Americans in the United
States. Formerly known as the Indo‑
American Heritage Museum, NIAM was
founded in 2008.
nizing the historical, cultural and religious sig‑
nificance of the 550th birthday of Guru Nanak
Dev and honoring the contributions of Sikh‑
Americans to the country.
Being introduced ahead of the 550th birth
anniversary of the founder of Sikhism, the res‑
olutions said that Sikhs in the US and around
the world live the values and ideals of equality,
service, and devotion to God, first preached by
Guru Nanak Dev. The resolution in the Senate
was introduced by three Democratic Senators,
Dick Durbin, Bob Menendez, and Ben Cardin.
In the House of Representatives, it has been
introduced by Congressmen Greg Pence from
the Republican Party and Peter Visclosky from
the Democratic Party.
"Sikh‑Americans have added to the social,
cultural, and economic diversity of the United
States, including by serving as members of our
Armed Forces and have contributed to fields
as diverse as agriculture, information technol‑
ogy, hospitality, trucking, and medicine," Mr.
Durbin said.
"The Sikh community has made countless
contributions to civic life in New Jersey and
the United States across so many endeavors in
the public and private sectors," said Mr.
Menendez.
"As this resolution describes, America is a
better country thanks to Sikhs from all walks
of life. Last month I was honored to visit the
Golden Temple in Amritsar and I gained an
embodied in the Sikh religion," he said.
"Sikh‑Americans have been a proud part of
the American story for generations and they
continue to enrich our nation and the commu‑
nities in which they live," said Mr. Cardin.
He thanked the Sikh community for their
ongoing social, cultural and economic contri‑
butions, and for their courage to stand up
against racial and religious discrimination
against their community and others.
The Senate resolution is the Senate compan‑
ion to the House resolution introduced by
Congressman TJ Cox.
Lawmakers Susan Brooks, Jim Banks, Andre
Carson and Jim Baird were co‑sponsors to the
House resolutions. The resolution recognizes
the historical, cultural, and religious signifi‑
cance of the 550th birthday of Guru Nanak
Dev, and the contributions and sacrifices made
by Sikhs of the United States, and expresses
respect for all Sikhs who practice their faith.
"With the upcoming 550th birthday of Guru
Nanak, I am proud to stand with our friends in
the Sikh community by offering legislation to
celebrate this momentous occasion and honor
their contributions to Indiana and to our great
nation," said Congressman Pence, who is the
brother of the Vice President Mike Pence.
Observing that Sikhism is the fifth‑largest
religion in the world, and there are more than
2.5 crore Sikhs worldwide and more than 7.5
lakh Sikh Americans, the Senate resolution rec‑
ognizes several eminent Sikh‑Americans. (PTI)

Man in Queens kills wife as she liked These IT firms banned

Hrithik Roshan, commits suicide
New York: A 33‑year‑old man
allegedly stabbed his wife to
death and then hanged himself
because he was jealous of her
liking for Bollywoo d actor
Hrithik Roshan, according to a
media report.
Dineshwar Budhidat of Queens
allegedly stabbed his wife Donne
Dojoy, 27, who worked as a bar‑
tender and then committed sui‑
cide on Friday, a report in The
New York Post said.
Dineshwar Bud hidat was
"extremely jealous" because his
wife was a huge fan of Hrithik
Roshan, the woman's friends
told The Post, adding that her
liking for the actor sent him into
fits of rage.
"She told me when she was at
home watching a movie or lis‑
Dineshwar Budhibat allegedly
stabbed his wife Donne Dojoy
(Image : thesun.co.uk)
tening to a song (with Hrithik in
it), he would ask her to take it
off because he would get so jeal‑
ous," Mala Ramd hani, 52, a
karaoke singer at Gemini's Ultra
Lounge in Ozone Park, where
Dojoy tended bar, said. "Any
movie Hrithik acted in, she
wanted to see it," Ramdhani said.
T he report said Dojoy had
moved out of her apartment
where she lived in with her hus‑
band but had agreed to stop by
the place for a while.
Later in the evening, the man
texted the sister of his wife, say‑
ing he had killed her, and
instructing that the key to the
apartment could be found under
a flower pot, police sources said.
He then left behind his wife's
body and hanged himself near‑
by, the report said.
T he New York Daily News
reported that Dineshwar
Budhidat had assaulted his wife
weeks after they got married in
July. Dojoy even had an order of
protection against Dineshwar
Budhidat that came in a court
case which stemmed from his
arrest in August for slapping
and strangling Dojoy a week
earlier inside their Queens
apartment.
"I think he loved her but at the
same time, he was obsessed with
her, because of the type of job
she did," Rodney, a friend of
Dojoy, said in the report. "She
looked good, she always made
her money, so he was probably
jealous of her."
Dojoy had told her friends that
he was controlling and even vio‑
lent w ith her at t imes. "She
talked about him abusing her,
controlling her, beating her,
scaring her, threatening to kill
her," Rodney added. "She never
took it seriously because she
loved him." (PTI)
from applying for H‑1B
visas, says report
New Delhi: A new study from National
Foundation for American Policy shows
that the US government is making things
worse for major Indian IT companies.
They revealed the denial rate of H‑1B
visas touched 24 per cent in the third
quarter of the current fiscal year. Other
than denial of H‑1B visa petitions, The
US Department of Labor has recently
revealed the firms that have been dis‑
qualified from applying for H‑1B visas.
The major IT companies disqualified
from applying for H‑1B visas are,
Azimetry, Inc., Bulmen Consultant Group,
Inc., Business Reporting Management
Services, Inc., NETAGE, Inc., Kevin
Chambers, E‑Aspire IT LLC and more.
T he data received from the US
Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS), indicates the strict policy of
Trump‑led US administration on H‑1B
visa petitions. The rejection rate is high‑
est among major Indian IT companies,
the study revealed. (IANS)
 8 November 16-22, 2019 GURU NANAK 550 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

PM Modi opens Kartarpur corridor,

flags off first batch of 500 pilgrims
Gurdaspur: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Nov 9 inaugurat‑
ed the Kartarpur corridor here and
flagged of f the first batch of over
500 Indian pilgrims. The corridor
links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in
Pakistan, the final resting place of
Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, to
Dera Baba Nanak shrine in this
Punjab district.
Modi flagged off the first batch of
over 500 Indian pilgrims led by
Akal Takhat Jathedar Giani
Harpreet Singh to Gurdwara Darbar
Sahib through the corridor, which
was thrown open to the public on
the occasion of the 550th birth
anniversary of Sikhism founder
Guru Nanak Dev.
The prime minister inaugurated
the passenger terminal building of
the corridor on the Indian side, also
known as Integrated Check Post,
where pilgrims will get clearance to
travel through the newly‑built 4.5
km‑long corridor.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
Friday thanked his Pakistan coun‑
terpart Imran Khan for appreciating
India's sentiment on the issue of the
Kartarpur Sahib corridor.
"I thank Pakistan Prime Minister
Imran Khan Niazi. He understood
India's feelings on the Kartarpur
corridor issue gave respect (to it)
and, worked keeping in view those
feelings," the prime minister told a
gathering at the BSF camp in
Shikhaar Masiahan, about eight
kilometers from the Dera Baba
Nanak gurdwara. The prime minis‑
ter also thanked the Pakistani work‑
ers involved in building the corri‑
dor. "I also want to thank the work‑
ers of Pakistan who worked at a fast
pace to help in building the corridor
on their side," he said.
Donning a saffron turban on the
occasion, PM Modi said he felt
blessed to be on the holy land here
to dedicate the Kartarpur corridor
to the country. The opening of the
corridor and the integrated check
post would bring "double happi‑
ness" to the people, he added.
"I feel blessed that I am dedicat‑
ing the Kartarpur corridor to the
country. At the moment, I am get‑
ting the same feeling which you get
at the time of doing Kar Sewa (reli‑
The prime minister inaugurated the passenger terminal building of
the corridor on the Indian side, also known as Integrated Check Post
Timeline to the landmark
event in Pakistan
1999: Kartarpur Sahib Corridor
proposed by then PM Atal Bihari
Vajpayee when he took a bus ride
to Lahore during a peace initiative
with Pakistan
2000: Pakistan agrees to allow
Sikh pilgrims from India to visit
the shrine visa‑free (and without
passport) through a bridge
Aug 15, 2018: Punjab minister
Navjot Sidhu attends Pakistan PM
Imran Khan's swearing‑in ceremo‑
ny
Aug 21, 2018: Upon his return,
Sidhu says Pakistan govt would
open the Kartarpur corridor on
Guru Nanak's 550th birth anniver‑
sary
Nov 22, 2018: Indian Cabinet
approves the Kartarpur corridor
from Dera Baba Nanak to the
Pakistan border
Mar 14, 2019: The first meeting
between of ficials of India and
Pakistan takes place in Attari
Jul 14, 2019: Second round of
the talks held in Wagah; India
gives Pakistan dossier on possible
attempts to disrupt pilgrimage
Sep 4, 2019: Third round of
gious service)", he said.
T his corridor and Integrated
Check Post will serve thousands of
devotees each day, and take them to
Gurudwara Darbar Sahib, he said.
The prime minister also congratu‑
lated the countrymen and Sikhs
talks takes place at Attari
Oct 20, 2019: Pakistan PM
Imran Khan says will open corri‑
dor on November 9
Oct 21, 2019: India expresses
'disappointment' over Pakistan's
$20 fee for Kartarpur Sahib but
ready to ink pact
Oct 24, 2019: India, Pakistan
sign agreement to operationalize
the corridor
Nov 4, 2019: Sikh separatists,
including Jarnail Singh
Bhindranwale, feature in
Pakistan's of ficial video on
Kartarpur; India conveys its objec‑
tions
Nov 7, 2019: Amid confusion,
Pak Army says Indian pilgrims will
require passport to visit Kartarpur
Nov 8, 2019: Pakistan says
won't charge $20 as service fee
from Indian pilgrims on November
9 and 12
Nov 8, 2019: PM Narendra
Modi flags of f the first batch of
over 550 Indian pilgrims. Pak PM
Imran Khan inaugurates the
Kartarpur Corridor on Pakistani
side
across the world, while inaugurat‑
ing the corridor.
"Paying obeisance at Gurdwara
Darbar Sahib will become easier
now due to the corridor. I express
gratitude to the Punjab govern‑
ment, SGPC and all the workers who
PM Modi offers prayers at Dera Baba Nanak, in Gurdaspur (ANI file)
US welcomes the move
T
he US welcomed the open‑
ing of the Kartarpur corri‑
dor, saying that it sees the
initiative as a positive example of
neighbors working together for
mutual benefit. Pakistan Prime
Minister Imran Khan formally
inaugurated the historic corridor
Nov 9 to facilitate visa‑free entry
of Indian Sikh pilgrims to one of
Sikhism's holiest shrines in
Pakistani town of Narowal.
He welcomed the first batch of
the Indian Sikh pilgrims who
entered Pakistan through the cor‑
ridor.
Khan inaugurated the corridor
by removing a curtain that was
lifted by hot air balloons in the
presence of thousands of Sikhs
from across the world including
India. A huge 'kirpan' (dagger) was
displayed at the inauguration site.
The US "welcomes the opening
of a new border crossing" between
India and Pakistan, "the Kartarpur
were involved in building this
Corridor," the prime minister said.
The Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak
Committee, the apex religious body
of the Sikhs also honored the prime
minister with 'Kaumi Sewa Award'
on the occasion. "T he SGPC
bestowed me with Kaumi Sewa
award, which I dedicate at the feet
of Guru Nanak Dev. Guru Nanak is
not a legacy of Sikhs alone, but an
inspiration for the entire humanity,"
said the prime minister, adding, "He
is not only a Guru, but a thought."
corridor," US State Department
Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus
said in a video posted on her offi‑
cial twitter handle.
"The newly opened corridor is a
step towards promoting greater
religious freedom," she said.
Ortagus also sent her best wish‑
es to the pilgrims crossing the bor‑
der for the 550th birth anniver‑
sary of the founder of Sikhism
Guru Nanak Dev.
"It allows Indian Sikh pilgrims to
visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, an
important Sikh house of worship
just inside the Pakistan border.
This impressive project will trans‑
form a remote three‑acre site
across a sensitive international
boundary," Ortagus said.
"Congratulations to India and
Pakistan on this initiative, and our
best wishes to the pilgrims making
the crossing for the 550th
anniversary of Guru Nanak's
birth," Ortagus said.
"When Guru Nanak Dev set out on
his 'udasis' or long travels from
Sultanpur Lodhi, who knew what
changes they would usher?" he said.
The prime minister said the Guru
himself had proclaimed that the
purpose of his 'yatras', were to "pull
the society out of injustice, dark‑
ness and inequalities."
He gave message of unity and
brotherhood, said Modi, adding he
also gave society the gift of "an eco‑
nomic system, based on truth, hon‑
esty and self‑respect."

So where exactly is the Kartarpur Corridor?
T T
he Kartarpur Corridor is approxi‑
mate ly 120 kilometers from
Punjab's capital city of Lahore and
almost five kilometers from the Pakistan‑
India border. It is some 4.1 km, or 2.5
miles, long, marking a significant reduction
in what the Sikh yatrees (pilgrims) from
India would have to opt for alternatively ̶
a bus from India to Lahore and then to
Kartarpur, which makes the journey a
whopping 125 km long.
Interestingly, however, the Gurdwara
Darbar Sahib Kartarpur or the Kartarpur
Sahib is visible to those who live on the
Indian side of the border with the naked
eye, while a special elevated platform has
been constructed in India to make seeing
the Gurdwara easier with binoculars.
And what does it mean for Sikhs?
he Gurdwara, or the Sikh temple, is
one of the religion's most holiest
and sacred sites, and w ith the
Kartarpur Corridor's opening on November
9, it is now accessible by crossing an inter‑
national border and without a visa ̶ a
major feat after over 70 years.
The Gurdwara is the final resting place of
the Sikhism founder Guru Nanak died in
1539 after living in the Kartarpur town for
almost two decades in the 16th century.
While there have been multiple changes to
the village itself as well as the temple, con‑
sidering the meandering course of the Ravi
river, there is one legend that many are
familiar with.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info GURU NANAK 550 November 16-22, 2019 9

More than 1100 Sikhs visited the Kartarpur

Sahib gurdwara (Image : thenational.ae) Good beginning to
normalise Indo-Pak
relations: Manmohan Singh
S
oon after the launch of
Kartarpur corridor, former
Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh said that the
inauguration of the historic corri‑
dor will mark a good beginning to
normalize India‑Pakistan rela‑
tions. Senior Congress leader
Manmohan Singh's statement
came after he visited the
Kartarour corridor on Nov 9
ject to many buts and ifs, I hope
this is a good beginning to nor‑
malise our relation," the former
prime minister told ANI.
The inauguration comes at the
time when relations between the
two nuclear powers are at stake
soon after Narendra Modi‑led BJP
took a decision to revoke various
provisions of Article 370 of the
Indian Constitution that granted

Sikh pilgrims turn up in large numbers, evening. "It was a good beginning,
India‑Pakistan relations are sub‑
special status to Jammu and
Kashmir.

install golden palanquin

Lahore: A large number of Sikhs
from India visited the Kartarpur
Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan and
installed a golden palanquin at
the shrine.
Most of the 1,100 Sikhs, who
were in Pakistan to attend the
550th birth anniversary celebra‑
tions of Guru Nanak in Nankana
Sahib, visited Kartarpur Sahib,
along w ith Punjab Governor
Chaudhry Sarwar and installed
the golden palanquin they had
brought in with them.
T he governor said that the
Kartarpur Corridor, which has
been completed within the stipu‑
lated time, will help bring both
countries closer.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan gov‑
ernment has decided to make it
mandatory for the tour operators
to have a No Object ion
Certificate (NOC) from the interi‑
or ministry to take foreign Sikhs,
other than Indians, to the holy
site especially the Kartarpur
Sahib.
"The Sikhs coming from the US,
Canada and the European coun‑
tries have been issued visit visa
for Lahore.
There are security problems
with regard to their uncoordinat‑
ed visits to the holy places. That's
why the tour operators have
been asked to take an NoC from
the interior ministry," an official PM Modi greets former PM Manmohan Singh
said.

UK university organizes Sidhu heaps praise on Imran Khan Navjot Singh Sidhu

N
Langar for Guru Nanak avjot Singh Sidhu was Narendra Mo di for the Pakistan. Sidhu said he wishes
the chief guest at the Kartarpur opening. "It is the to send a "Munnabhai MBBS‑
birth anniversary Kartarpur corridor first time since partition that the style hug to PM Modi" for the
London: A UK‑based university hosted a opening ceremony in Pakistan boundaries have been disman‑ Kartarpur corridor opening.
"Langar on Campus" event, which provided a for which he was invited by tled. No one can deny my friend "I am thanking Modi Ji also, it
free meal at a special pop‑up community Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Imran Khan's contribution. I doesn't matter if we have politi‑
kitchen for visitors from across the city, to Khan. Speaking at the event, thank Modi Ji also for it," said cal differences doesn't matter if Munnabhai MBBS‑style hug to
mark the 550 years since the founding of the Sidhu heaped praises on Imran Sidhu on at the Kartarpur corri‑ my life is dedicated to the you Modi sahab for this," said
Sikh religion. Khan and Prime Minister dor opening ceremony in Gandhi family. I am sending a Sidhu.
The annual event at Birmingham City
University is usually held in February or
March. It took place on Tuesday to mark the
550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the
founder of Sikhism. "This event was open to
all regardless of color, background or reli‑
gion. It's an amazing event as we are spread‑
ing Guru Nanak Dev Ji's message of humani‑
ty and serving other people," said Karanjit
Kaur, President of the Sikh So ciety at
Birmingham City University's Students'
Union. "We are celebrating this event very
early this year as the date we have chosen is
very special to us Sikhs. This date was the
start of our religion when our first Guru cre‑
ated Sikhi," Kaur said.
The celebration was organized by mem‑
bers of the Sikh Society at Birmingham City
University's Students' Union and representa‑
tives from the British Organization of Sikh
Students. "Langar is an important institution
of Sikhism where free food is offered to any‑
one who attends, and thousands of people
have visited Birmingham City University's
Langar on Campus since it first began in
2016," the varsity said in a statement.
"The purpose of having Langar on Campus
is to promote oneness and equality no matter
what race, culture, religion and status," said
Sukhbir Singh, Vice‑President of the Sikh
Society at Birmingham City University
Students' Union.
 10 November 16-22, 2019
Road cleared for Ram temple at Ayodhya site
Hindus' evidence on better
footing than Muslims, says the
Supreme Court as it ends the
70‐year old Ram Janmabhoomi‐
Babri Masjid land title case
New Delhi: The Supreme Court
has held that the "possessory
claim of the Hindus to the
composite whole of the disput‑
ed property stands on a better
foot ing than the evidence
from the Muslims," while
emphasizing on tolerance and
mutual co‑existence, which
play a crucial role to nourish
the secular commitment of the
country and its people.
The apex court ordered the
construction of a Ram temple
at the disputed site by setting
up a trust by the government
in three months, while order‑
ing five acres be g iven to
Muslims in Ayodhya to con‑
struct a mosque.
The five‑judge bench, headed
by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi,
observed the allotment of land
to the Muslims is necessary
"though on a balance of proba‑
bilities, the evidence in respect
Grand Ram temple in
Ayodhya before 2022
New Delhi: The much‑awaited
temple proposed to be built at
the Ram Janmabhoomi in
Ayodhya after the Supreme
Court verdict, will be completed
before 2022, the 75th year of
India's independence.
The Uttar Pradesh govern‑
ment has released a picture of
what the temple, and the Ram
statue proposed near it, would
look like on their completion.
Sources said the Ram idol will
take three years to complete.
Details are also trickling in of
the g rand temple complex
planned. Spread over an area
240 feet long and 145 feet
w ide, it w ill be 141 feet in
height. Its 4 feet periphery will
have 251 columns.
The temple complex will have
a prayer hall, a Ramkatha Kunj
(lecture hall), a Vaidik Pathshala
(educational facility), a Sant
Niwas (saints residence) and a
Yatri Niwas (hostel for visitors).
Around the idol of Lord Ram,
there will be other facilities
such as a digital museum, a cen‑
ter for description on Holy
AYODHYA VERDICT
The apex court ordered the construction of a Ram temple by
setting up a trust, while ordering five acres be given to Muslims in
Ayodhya to construct a mosque. (File Photo: IANS)
of the possessory claim of the
Hindus to the composite
whole of the disputed proper‑
ty stands on a better footing
than the evidence adduced by
the Muslims".
The Supreme Court, in its
ruling on Ayo d hya, took
account the balance of proba‑
bilities, where it saw clear evi‑
dence the worship by the
Hindus in the outer courtyard
continued unimpeded in spite
Preparation of stone blocks and columns
for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Scriptures, a library, a cafeteria
and parking space.
Meanwhile, the Center has
started the process to set up a
trust that will oversee the con‑
struction of a Ram temple in
Ayodhya, as mandated by the
Supreme Court in its ruling on
the title suit.
Top of ficials from the
Ministries of Home and Finance
will be part of deciding on the
constitution of the trust and its
rules.Senior law officers such as
Attorney General K.K.
Venugopal would be consulted
of the setting up of a grille‑
brick wall in 1857.
"The Muslims have of fered
no evidence to indicate that
they were in exclusive posses‑
sion of the inner structure (the
birthplace of Lord Ram) prior
to 1857 since the date of the
construction in the sixteenth
century," observed the court.
The Hindus' possession of
the outer courtyard stands
established together with the
on the issue, the sources added.
"T he opinions of the Law
Ministry and the Attorney
General will be taken on how to
set up the trust," a senior offi‑
cer said.
The Sunni Waqf Board, one of
the litigants in the Ayodhya title
dispute case, has said that a
final decision on accepting the
of fer of the plot will be taken
later.
According to sources, a team
of bureaucrats of the Ministry
of Home Affairs is studying the
1,045‑page SC judgment.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
incidents attaching to their
control over it, it said.
The court observed in con‑
nection with the inner court‑
yard, there is evidence on a
preponderance of probabili‑
ties to establish worship by
the Hindus prior to the annex‑
ation of Oudh by the British in
1857.
The bench admitted that it is
"is tasked with an adjudicatory
task of unique dimension" and
that the current dispute is
over immovable property, and
it does not decide title on the
basis of faith or belief but on
the basis of evidence.
"The law provides us with
parameters as clear but as
profound as ownership and
possession.
In deciding title to the dis‑
puted property, the court
applies settled principles of
evidence to adjudicate upon
which party has established a
claim to the immovable prop‑
erty," it observed.
While awarding relief to the
Muslim side, the court exer‑
cised its powers under Article
MUSLIMS MAY GET
PROPOSED LAND
ACROSS SARYU
Ayodhya: T he Supreme
Court‑awarded five‑acre land
to the Muslims in the
Ramjanmabhoomi title dis‑
pute case is not available in
the Ayodhya town, adminis‑
trative sources said, adding
the land may be allotted at
some other location, such as
across the river Saryu where
the Uttar Pradesh govern‑
ment plans to deve lop a
township or at Muslim‑domi‑
nated Shahenwan village,
about 5km from the temple
town.
Shahenwan village has a
mausoleum ('mazaar')
believed to be of Mir Baaqi,
the general of Mug hal
emperor Babar, who built the
Babri Masjid in the 15th cen‑
tury.
The five‑acre land allotted
by the Supreme Court for the
construction of a mosque will
not be within the acquired
area of 67 acres, in the
closed vicinity of former
Babri Masjid site, sources
said.
142 of the Constitution, as it
admitted its responsibility to
ensure that a wrong commit‑
ted must be remedied.
"Justice would not prevail if
the court were to overlook the
entitlement of the Muslims
who have been deprived of the
structure of the mosque
through means which should
not have been employed in a
secular nation committed to
the rule of law," said the court
citing the Muslims were dis‑
possessed upon the desecra‑
t ion of the mosque on
December 22/23 1949 and it
was ultimately destroyed on
December 6, 1992.
The court observed it is nec‑
essary to provide restitution
to the Muslim community for
the unlawful destruction of
their place of worship, and the
court directed land measuring
5 acres be allotted to the
Sunni Central Waqf Board
either by the Central
Government out of the
acquired land or by the
Government of Uttar Pradesh
within the city of Ayodhya.
Before the verdict came in,
prominent Muslim communi‑
ty leaders were under the
impression that if they lost
the case, they would be given
land in the acquired area on
the basis of provisions in the
Ayodhya Act 1993, facilitat‑
ing acquisition of 67.7 acres
in and around the disputed
site where the Babri Masjid
stood till December 6, 1992.
The Central government had
done so in order to check
communal tension.
The Uttar Pradesh Sunni
Central Board of Waqfs has
called a meeting of the Board
on November 26 in Lucknow
to discuss the proposed land.
Meanwhile, the Uttar
Pradesh government has
started the process to identi‑
fy the alternative sites in and
around Ayodhya for the pro‑
posed site of the mosque. An
of ficer on the condition of
anonymity said: "We have
been asked to find the land
for mosque at a prominent
place."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Withdraw Babri cases: Hindu I stand vindicated: Advani
Mahasabha writes to Modi on Ayodhya verdict
New Delhi: Just 72 hours after the
Supreme Court verdict on the
Ayodhya title suit dispute, Akhil
Bharat Hindu Mahasabha has shot
of f a letter to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi demanding criminal
cases against Ker Sevaks for bringing
down the Babri Masjid, be with‑
drawn. The organization has also
demanded 'martyr' status for Kar
Sevaks killed in 1992 and during
other endeavors for kar seva.
Hindu Mahasabha's National
President Swami Chakrapani also
sent a letter to Home Minister Amit
Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath. The letter
dated November 12 reads, "Now that
it has been made clear that the Ram
Lalla is an undisputed temple area (in
Ayodhya), it has also become clear
that the dome made on top of it was
the dome of a temple and not of any
supposed Babri Masjid. Hence, the
criminal cases of bringing down the
Babri mosque was an act by Ram
worshippers who unknowingly
brought down the shikhar of temple.
I urge that the government withdraw
the pending cases against them and
end the matter". Chakrapani also
demanded 'martyr' status for the kar
AYODHYA VERDICT
Construction material for building the proposed
Ram temple in Ayodhya. (File Photo: IANS)
sevaks who were killed in not just in
1992 but in dif ferent incidents in
attempting to do kar seva.
According to the Liberhan
Commission report, nearly 5,000 kar
sevaks pulled down the domes of
Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.
Before that, on October 30, 1990, kar
sevaks were fired upon during an
attempt to do kar seva in Ayodhya,
near the disputed site, killing many
ensuing a nationwide protest. Not
just that, the Mahasabha wants a
plaque in Ayodhya with their names
inscribed on it. In fact, according to
the letter, it demanded all living indi‑
viduals who took part in kar seva for
the construction of Ram Mandir be
called "Dharmik Senani" (Religious
fighter), imitating the term freedom
fighter. Hindu Mahasabha, in its let‑
ter to the top 3 BJP leaders also
urged for monthly stipends for them.
This move comes just 3 days after
the apex court in a historic verdict
brought closure to one of the longest
and bitterly fought legal battles ‑
Ayodhya title suit. The apex court
gave the verdict in favour of Ram
Lalla, giving the Hindu side exclusive
ownership rights to the disputed land
of 2.77 acres in Ayodhya.
November 16-22, 2019 11
New Delhi: Veteran BJP
leader L.K. Advani, the
person credited with
bringing the Ram temple
movement to the politi‑
cal center‑stage, said he
stood vindicated after
the Supreme Court ver‑
dict in the Ayodhya title
suit and that it was time
to "leave all contention
and acrimony behind"
and embrace communal
concord and peace.
In a statement, the for‑
mer Deputy Prime
Minister said it was
"gratifying" that the
LK Advani.
belief and sentiments of
crores of countrymen have been hardline Hindutva face who under‑
respected. "I join all my countrymen took yatras while pushing the tem‑
in wholeheartedly welcoming the ple issue over two decades back,
historic judgement delivered by the said the apex court's judgement is
five‑judge bench of the Supreme the culmination of a long and con‑
Court today in the Ayodhya matter. I tentious process that played itself
stand vindicated, and feel deeply out in various forums ‑‑ both judicial
blessed, that the Supreme Court has and non‑judicial ‑‑ in the past many
given its unanimous verdict paving decades.
the way for the construction of a He was grateful to have got an
magnificent temple for Lord Ram at opportunity to make his "contribu‑
Ramjanmabhhomi in Ayodhya," he tion" to the Ram Janmabhoomi
said. Advani, once considered a movement.
 12 November 16-22, 2019 INDIA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

SC refers Sabarimala issue 'President's rule in

Maharashtra constitutional'
to larger 7‑judge bench
New Delhi: The Supreme Court in
a 3:2 verdict re ferred the
Sabarimala review pleas to the
larger bench. However, there is
no stay on the September 28,
2018, judgment, which lifted the
ban on the entry of women aged
between 10 and 50.
According to this verdict,
women of all ages can visit the
shrine till larger bench decides
this issue, which is actually no
relief to petitioners who had
moved the top court seeking a
review of its previous judgment.
The Chief Justice's majority
judgement clubbed the entry of
Muslim women in mosques, Parsi
women to enter the tower of
silence etc with the issue of entry
of women in Sabarimala temple.
However, Just ice Rohinton
Nariman, in dissent, disagreed
with this clubbing of issues, and
said these are issues for future
Devotees at the Sabarimala Temple in Pathanamthitta, Kerala.
Constitution Benches.
Justice Nariman observed that
the orig inal judgment in
Sabarimala was based on a bona
fide PIL, which specifically raised
the issue of discrimination of
women, denying them entry, for
their entire period of puberty,
which is actually a physiological
feature.
Chief Justice observed that the
individual right to practice can‑
not outweigh the practice of a
religious group.
New Delhi: BJP President Amit
Shah has finally broken his silence
over the ongoing power tussle in
Maharashtra, which is presently
under President's rule.
In a statement issued by the BJP,
the Union Home Minister called
the imposition of Presidentʼs rule
as "constitutional" and "logical"
and hit out at the opposition which
has been raising the pitch on the
issue. BJP President Amit Shah
Hitting out at the Shiv Sena with‑ hit out at the Shiv Sena
out naming it, Shah said that he or without naming it.
the BJP didn't believe in making be it's Chief Minister. "No one
private conversations public. questioned it back then," he said.
"It is not the tradition of the Rubbishing allegations of favor‑
Bharatiya Janata Party to make ing the BJP, Shah said that no polit‑
public what has happened in the
ical party has been able to garner
room, because there is dignity in support to stake claim to form the
public life. But if the opposition government in Maharashtra.
parties think that they will get He reminded that any formation
public sympathy by creating such can approach the Governor even
kind of confusion, they have no now if they think they have the
idea about the understanding numbers. Shah also hit out at its
capabilities of Indians," Shah said. opponents for suggesting that the
The BJP President also broke his Governor was acting on the behest
silence on the issue of sharing the of BJP, calling the claim detrimen‑
Chie f Minister's post in

Climate change to hit health

tal to democratic ethos.
Maharashtra, which has derailed Shiv Sena has been claiming that
the Sena‑BJP alliance. the BJP went back on its promise
Shah said that both he and Prime of equal power sharing, which

of Indian children hard: Lancet Minister Narendra Modi in multi‑

ple rallies had made it clear that if
included sharing the Chie f
Minister's post as well. The Sena
New Delhi: Children in person 48 t imes larger the saf fron alliance came to has also accused the BJP of being
India will be particularly than flooding. India alone power, Devendra Fadnavis would a 'liar'.
vulnerable to the ill effects saw an increase of more
of climate change such as
worsening air quality, high‑
than 21 million exposures,
and China around 17 mil‑ SC dismisses review
er food prices and rise in lion, resulting in direct
infectious diseases, warns a
new study published in the
deaths and respiratory ill‑
ness as we ll as loss of
petition in Rafale deal
journal The Lancet. homes, said the report.
Climatic suitability for "Over the past two
the Vibrio bacteria that decades, the Government
cause cholera is rising of India has launched
three per cent a year in many initiatives and pro‑
India since the early grammes to address a vari‑
1980s, said the report. ety of diseases and risk
"With its huge population factors. But this report
and high rates of health‑ shows that the public
care inequality, poverty, health gains achieved over
and malnutrit ion, few the past 50 years could
countries are likely to suf‑ soon be reversed by the
fer from the health effects chang ing climate,"
of climate change as much Prabhakaran said.
as India," said study co‑ The "Lancet Countdown
author Poornima on Health and Climate
Prabhakaran from the Change" is a yearly analy‑
Public Health Foundation sis tracking prog ress A three‑judge bench headed by
of India. across 41 key indicators, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi gave the judgment.
"Diarrhoeal infections, a Children participate in an awareness demonstrating what action
campaign against air pollution in Kolkata. New Delhi: The Supreme Court dis‑ more careful in future.
major cause of child mortal‑ to meet Paris Agreement
missed a review petition seeking a A contempt proceeding was initi‑
ity, will spread into new areas, still developing, so polluted air targets ‑‑ or business as usual ‑‑
probe into the Rafale deal. Justice ated against Rahul Gandhi for his
whilst deadly heatwaves, similar takes a great toll, contributing to means for human health. The
S.K. Kaul while reading the judge‑ remark "Chowkidar Chor Hai",
to the one in 2015 that killed reduced lung function, worsening project is a collaborat ion
ment said that the review petition attribut ing it to the Prime
thousands of people in India, asthma, and increasing the risk of between 120 experts from 35
is without merit. Minister.
could soon become the norm," heart attacks and stroke. institutions including the World
The top court dismissed a plea A bench of Chief Justice of India
Prabhakaran said. Later in life, a child born today Health Org anisat ion ( WHO),
seeking lodging of an FIR to probe Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S.K.
Through adolescence and into will face increased risk from World Bank, University College
the Rafale deal inked with Dassault Kaul and K.M. Joseph said that
adulthood, a child born today will severe floo ds, prolonged London, and Tsinghua University.
Aviation. Rahul Gandhi, being a person hold‑
be breathing more toxic air, driv‑ droughts, and wildfires. For the world to meet its UN cli‑
The court also closed contempt ing a place of importance in the
en by the fossil fuels and made Most countries have experi‑ mate goals and protect the health
pro ceedings init iated ag ainst political spectrum, should have
worse by rising temperatures. enced an increase in people of the next generation, the ener‑
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and been more careful before attribut‑
This is especially damaging to exposed to wildfires since 2001‑ gy landscape will have to change
said that being an important politi‑ ing to the top court certain things
young people as their lungs are 2004 with a financial toll per drastically, the report warns.
cal person, Rahul must remain which were not part of the order.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED November 16-22, 2019 13

Ram temple provides substratum to India's identity

By DC Pathak the mosque was brought down in a Muslims, the Court pronounced
'calculated' act of destroying a that a five acre plot at an alterna‑

T
he judicial resolution of the
70‑year‑old Ayodhya dispute
has mit ig ated the most
inflammatory cause of Hindu‑
Muslim divide in India and given
re lie f to the average cit izens
engaged in pursuing their liveli‑
hood in peace.
The unanimous verdict of the
Supreme Court's five‑member
Constitutional Bench recognizing
the spot under the central dome of
the demolished Babri Masjid at
Ayodhya as the birth place of Lord
Ram for worship and giving the
title of the entire disputed land of
2.77 acres to the Hindu side is a
transformative development that
yields a significant end result of the
long search for validation of what is
a major determinant of India's
national profile.
The judgment rests on points of
both law and fact but the apex
court also invoked Article 142 of
the Constitution to give a verdict of
arbitration on two points‑ accom‑
modation of Nirmohi Akhara in the
Trust that would oversee the con‑
struction of a Ram Temple at the
site and award of five acres of land
by the government at a suitable
The Modi government has to be given credit for patiently taking the
path of Judiciary for getting the Ayodhya conundrum resolved.
place in Ayodhya to Muslims for
building a mosque in lieu of their
lost claim.
W hile many Muslim leaders
grudgingly accepted the judicial
pronouncement, the All India
Muslim Personal Law Board kept
the option of a Review Petition
open, claiming that the verdict was
flawed. T he main opposit ion,
Congress, attempted to derive polit‑
ical mileage from the development
by insinuating that the BJP will no
longer be able to exploit the issue
on communal line for electoral
gain.
It was clear before the verdict
came that only one side would feel
vindicated leaving the other with a
sense of loss. There are three sub‑
stantive elements in the judgement
however, that would g ive the
Muslim contestants the consolation
of having been dealt an even hand.
First, the highest court of the land
clearly pronounced that the Babri
Masjid demolition was a violation
of law since the entire structure of
place of public worship.
Second, the judgement has after
an extensive examination of the
facts of the case recorded upfront
that "the evidence... in respect of
the possessory claim of the Hindus
to the composite whole of the dis‑
puted property stands on a better
footing than the evidence adduced
by the Muslims". The Court held
that "the existence of an Islamic
structure at a place considered
sacrosanct by the Hindus did not
stop them from continuing their
worship at the disputed site.. within
the precincts of the structure" as
this "did not shake the faith and
belief of Hindus that Lord Ram was
born" there. It further concluded
that according to ASI finding "the
16th Century mosque of Mughal
Emperor Babar was not built on
vacant land".
And lastly, the Supreme Court felt
the Muslims had been wrongly
deprived of a structure, even if its
exclusive use by them as a mosque
was not established, through means
which should not have been
deployed in a secular nation com‑
mitted to the rule of law. Taking
note of the ent itlement of the
tive site in Ayodhya will be allocat‑
ed for the building of a mosque.
This is not a gift of charity as made
out by some Muslim critics of the
judgement but a judicial recogni‑
tion of the claim of the Muslim side.
It is extremely significant that the
Supreme Court prefaced its judge‑
ment with the observation that
"this Court is tasked with the reso‑
lution of a dispute whose origins
are as old as the idea of India
itself". As the world's largest prac‑
tising democracy India was being
"secular" in terms of show ing
respect to all faiths and making no
distinction of caste, creed and
region amongst citizens in matters
of providing development and pro‑
tection of law.
The Modi government has to be
given credit for patiently taking the
path of Judiciary for getting the
Ayodhya conundrum resolved in
the face of mounting pressure from
Hindu groups for facilitating early
construct ion of Ram Temple
through other methods.
That the temple project will be
overseen and monitored by the
Government takes the communal
sting out of it to an extent.

Kartarpur corridor a trap that Pak has set for India

By Sushant Sareen The Pakistanis have found Sidhu use‑
ful. They have identified him as a person

S
eventy years of betrayal, dissem‑
bling, and, of course, terrorism
and wars imposed on India should
have been enough to convince every
Indian to not expect anything good from
Pakistan. If anything, India by now
should have internalized the maxim: If it
is from Pakistan, look every gift horse in
the mouth. And yet, India has willingly,
nay eagerly, accepted the “of fer” from
Pakistan to open a “corridor” providing
pilgrims easy access to the Gurdwara
Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur.
In ef fect, India seems to have walked
into a trap laid by Pakistan with eyes
wide open. Instead of doing a “well left”
to the “googly” bowled by the Pakistan
army throug h its “se lected” Prime
Minister (PM), Imran Khan, the Narendra
Modi government has attempted to play
the ball. What were the powers‑that‑be
thinking when they announced their
acceptance of the corridor proposal?
Surely, PM Modi would have known
about the efforts made by the Pakistani
deep State to reignite the fires of terror‑
ism in Punjab by inciting radical sections
in the Sikh community. The targeted
killings in Punjab, the efforts to orches‑
trate violence in the state, and the patro‑
nising of and support to remnants of the
Khalistan terrorist groups, are well‑
known. This should have informed him of
what the Pakistani intent and actions.
The wages of mixing religion with politics once again will haunt India.
The PM would also have specific inputs
of how Pakistani of ficials have been
working overtime among the Sikh dias‑
pora in Canada, Germany, the United
Kingdom, the United States, and other
parts of the world to revive the Khalistan
movement, including by funding and pro‑
moting the Referendum 2020 initiative
by the Khalistanis.
The more plausible explanation is that
both Pakistan and India are using
Kartarpur to influence politics in Punjab.
By giving a nod to the corridor, the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) must have
thought it would steal a march over the
Congress in the state. What is more, it
would take the wind out of Navjot Sidhuʼs
sails. He has been taking credit for the
Pakistani “gift” given to him by the army
chief, General Qamar Bajwa.
who can further their agenda, even if
inadvertently and unwittingly.
The way Bajwa made him the messen‑
ger of the corridor decision, the way the
Pakistanis are projecting him as the man
who made the corridor possible, the
importance they are giving him by treat‑
ing him as the real representative of Sikh
sentiment and a friend of Pakistan ̶ all
suggest that the Pakistanis see in Sidhu
their trump card to muddy the waters in
the Indian border state.
Sidhu should guard against this. It is
possible that Sidhu sees this is an oppor‑
tunity to come into his own. He has
already burnt his bridges with the BJP.
He does not like the Akalis. His future in
the Congress is bleak. He has resigned
from the state cabinet, and his wife has
already quit the Congress. He could try
the Aam Aadmi Party, but it is unlikely to
be able to accommodate him.
The Kartarpur corridor would have
been a fabulous initiative under normal
circumstances.
Unfortunately, as things stand, it will
neither lead to a diplomatic détente, nor
lead to a stable polity in Punjab. The
wages of mixing religion with politics
once again will haunt India.
(Sushant Sareen is senior fellow,
Observer Research Foundation. The arti‑
cle appeared in The Hindustan Times)

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
 14 November 16-22, 2019
Exclusive Column
By Swadesh M Rana
T
he unclassified portions of
Indiaʼs new military doctrine
would be made public only
after Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and the Cabinet Committee on
Security (CCS) approve the document
that was prepared by the National
Security Adviser Ajit Doval who also
heads the National Defence
Committee. The primary objective of
formulating a new military doctrine
is to define and project the emerging
military posture of India that now
ranks 4th in a global index of mili‑
tary power of all the 137 non‑
nuclear countries in the world.
Manpower and firepower are two
decisive criteria for the ranking in
the global index of military power.
Formally called the National
Security Strategy, Indiaʼs new mili‑
tary doctrine is believed to have
been ready in April but was submit‑
ted only in October 2019 to await
the appointment of Indiaʼs first Chief
of Defense Staff (CDS) in whose job
description Ajit Doval was also pre‑
sumably involved. The CDS position
is now held by Indiaʼs Army Chief
General Bipin Rawat. With tenure of
two more years as Army Chief,
General Rawat may become the solo
military advisor to Indiaʼs Minister of
Defence, particularly for coordinat‑
ing the ongoing procurement and
acquisition of modern weapons for
the Indian military forces. The man‑
power costs and domestic produc‑
tion or external procurement of its
arms arsenals put India among the
worldʼs top five military spenders. At
an annual 3.1 % annual increase
since 2017, as compared to 2.1% in
global total, India would double its
current military spending to about
$120‑130 billion by 2025.
As the mastermind in formulating
Indiaʼs latest military doctrine, Ajit
Doval brings into his craft a formida‑
ble combination of inherited and
acquired expertise, talents and skills.
The 5th occupant of the Office of the
National Security Adviser since its
creation in 1998, he is preceded by 4
other high ranking and highly
regarded career of ficials in the
Indian civil services of whom three
came from the Indian Foreign
Service (IFS) and one from the Indian
Police Service (IPS). The accumula‑
tive insights of Brijesh Mishra (IFS),
JN Dixit (IFS), MK Narayanan (IPS)
and Shivshankar Menon (IFS) are
already etched into Indiaʼs modern
strategic thinking and operational
tactics. Consequently any latest for‑
mulation of Indiaʼs new military doc‑
trine is more likely to provide some
guidelines ‑‑ rather than set up a new
manual of fundamental principles ‑‑
to direct the actions by Indiaʼs mili‑
tary forces in support of Indiaʼs
national security objectives. It is a
task that Ajit Doval is superbly
equipped to undertake with his
exceptional credentials for address‑
ing four critical components in doc‑
trinal formulations: strategic objec‑
Indiaʼs new military doctrine
and essence of deterrence
tive; operational planning; tactical
deployment; and resilience in appli‑
cability to current and future scenar‑
ios.
Another high ranking of ficial of
the IPS, Ajit Doval is the son of an
army officer, an early student of mili‑
tary run schools, an earned post‑
graduate and honorary doctoral
degree holder in economics and phi‑
losophy, an incognito operative
among insurgents at home and
abroad, a quiet negotiator for rescu‑
As the mastermind of
formulating Indiaʼs latest
military doctrine, Ajit Doval
brings into his craft a
formidable combination of
inherited and acquired
expertise, talents and skills.
ing hijacked planes and detained
hostages, an intelligence chief of
operations, and a linguist by choice.
Bearing in mind the information
made public so far by the insiders
ʻspeaking on condition of anonymi‑
tyʼ, given below is a thumbnail
sketch of the directives received by
Ajit Doval from the Of fice of the
Prime Minister Modi and some likely
contents of the latest military doc‑
trine document submitted by him in
October for the consideration of the
Office of the Prime Minister and the
Cabinet Security Committee.
1. Project future war fronts
on land, air and sea
As of now the Indian military is
readying itself to face threats simul‑
taneously on two fronts. In the north
from China over mostly mountain‑
ous terrain and in the west from
Pakistan over both land and sea. For
a worst‑case scenario of a simultane‑
ous confrontation over land, air and
sea in both its northern and western
DEFENSE
A new military doctrine aims to define and project the
emerging military posture of India that now ranks 4th in
a global index of military power of all the 137
non‐nuclear countries in the world. It includes defining
India’s position on no first use of nuclear weapons in the
current and future scenarios of strategic escalation.
fronts, India is prepared with an
ammunition inventory for a 10‑day
intensive war. The new military doc‑
trine is expected to portray future
spectrum of war fronts on land, air
and sea to be used by Indiaʼs defence
ministry to decide the nature and
quantity of ammunition to be kept in
ready stock. Besides the familiar
threats from adversarial states in its
neighborhood and unpredictable
threats from non‑state actors since
the sea borne terror attack on
Indiaʼs first Chief of Defense
Staff position is held by Army
Chief General Bipin Rawat.
With his tenure of two more
years, he may become the solo
military advisor to Indiaʼs
Minister of Defence.
Mumbai in November 2008, the new
military doctrine is also likely to
draw attention to future modes of
combat such as in space in addition
to those from land, sea and air.
2. Spell out Indiaʼs stand on
use of anti‑satellite
weapons
In addition to the United States,
Russia and China, India is now the
only country to have tested a
weapon that targets and destroys
satellites in space. Anti‑satellite
weapons attack enemy satellites to
blind them or disrupt communica‑
tions and provide a technology base
for intercepting ballistic missiles.
Seen mostly now in the context of
China that has the capability, the
new military doctrine is expected to
address whether India would contin‑
ue to test and acquire such weapons.
The new military doctrine is likely
to stick to the commitment made in
New Delhi after Mission Shakti,
which carried out Indiaʼs first anti‑
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
satellite test in March 2019. Using
one of Indian satellites already in the
lower orbit, the Mission Shakti in
outer space is based completely on
Indiaʼs indigenous technology.
3. Assess additional
expeditionary needs for
Indiaʼs naval forces
Located atop it, the 7,516.6 kilo‑
meter long perpendicular Indian
coastline separates the geo‑strategi‑
cally vital trade routes of the Indian
Ocean between Asia and Europe
though the lower rim of the Bay of
Bengal and the Arabian Sea en‑route
the Suez Canal. The Indian Navy is
currently considering the develop‑
ment of air bases in any of the 611
islands under India in the Arabian
Sea, Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea
to venture deep across the Indian
Ocean or the Persian Gulf, particular‑
ly in the context of ongoing concerns
over freedom of navigation around
the South China Sea.
The new military doctrine is likely
to recognize the potential of tri‑serv‑
ice Andaman and Nicobar Islands in
projecting Indian naval presence into
the South China Sea with the existing
air bases being upgraded and naval
bases being equipped with jetties to
handle larger warships. T he
Andaman and Nicobar border on the
Malacca Straits is 160 km away from
the Banda Aceh in Indonesia.
4. Define Indiaʼs position
on no first use of nuclear
weapons in the current and
future scenarios of
strategic escalation.
A voluntarily assumed ʻno first useʼ
commitment is in place by China and
India as the only two of the nine
known nuclear powers in the world
that include Pakistan.
Speaking in Pokharan on August
19, 2019 Minister of Defense
Rajnath Singh said that “Till today
our nuclear policy is No First Use.
What happens in future depends on
the circumstances.” The situation in
which that statement was made
resulted from a cross‑border provo‑
cation to elicit a retaliatory strike by
India so that Pakistan could interna‑
tionalize the issue of deletion of tem‑
porary clause of Article 370 in the
Indian constitution and change the
special status of Kashmir to a union
territory to be directly governed by
the Central Government.
In the three months since that
statement by Rajnath Singh
Pakistanʼs attempts to provoke India
and invoke an international disap‑
proval have been mostly met by a
near global response to treat the
matter as a bilateral issue between
India and Pakistan. To deter any
cross‑border military engagement
India had deployed 35,000 of its
troops on the border of Kashmir
prior to the decision to delete article
370.
The new military doctrine on ʻno
first useʼ is likely to be a part of an
integral combination of three previ‑
ous doctrinal formulations well doc‑
umented and repeatedly made public
overtime:
i: Essence of deterrence with a
continuing official commitment that
“the Indian nuclear capability will be
used only in retaliation and that
retaliation would be punitive.”
ii: Cold start doctrine geared to
swift offensive conventional opera‑
tions into enemy territory.
iii: Offensive defensive with work‑
ing on enemy vulnerabilities through
diplomatic isolation, exposing its
terror networks and making it diffi‑
cult to manage its internal politics.
The third element was proposed
first by Ajit Doval after retirement as
the Chief of Intelligence Bureau of
India.
Former Senior Political Analyst in
the Executive Office of Secretary
General Boutros Boutros Ghali,
Swadesh M Rana was the Chief of
the Conventional Arms Branch in
the
Department
of
Disarmament
Affairs at the
United
Nations. She
is a Gold
Medalist for Masters in Political
Science from Panjab University in
Chandigarh and a Ph.D in interna‐
tional affairs from Jawaharlal
Nehru University in New Delhi.
(The diplomat writes an exclusive
column for The South Asian times.)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
NATURAL LAW & THE
AYODHYA VERDICT
Indian Muslims and
Hindus did the
Supreme Court Proud
By Ravi Batra
Eminent New York attorney
T
hank God itʼs done ‑ right or
wrong. Perhaps, even more so,
the goal of the panel of 5 jus‑
tices ‑‑ social peace post‑verdict ‑‑ was
honored and achieved by the Indian cit‑
izenry, no matter their faith or religion.
This, even more than “Kashmir” and
“Article 370,” proves that India is a
rules‑based society where rights ‑‑
property, religious and human ‑‑ matter
and are honored because the Supreme
Court has the final word and because
the citizenry respect the Courtʼs integri‑
ty and judicial independence. In the
United States, we have every reason to
wish India well, even as we are in the
midst of our rules‑based Impeachment
Inquiry, and yet, our nation goes about
its business of living normally.
Normalcy, then, is the sweet taste of
Linconesque democratic governanceʼs
pudding.
That the Indian Supreme Court
issued their verdict days before the
global celebration of Guru Nanakʼs
550th Birthday, may have been legal
applause to the “Oneness” taught by
the founder of Sikhism.
The judges of India take an oath to
decide cases “without fear or favor” ‑‑
the Robert M. Morgenthau Gold
Standard. Yet, the Ayodhya verdictʼs
authors did not disclose their identity,
nor did the author of the 116‑page
addendum. When the courts venture
into issues of faith and religion, and
have to decide who is right and who is
wrong, the temptation to rule on God
itself is avoided by resorting to mini‑
malist intervention, using only “natural
law,” and not opinion‑rich and nuance‑
thick case law or statutes.
Hence, the Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI) serves as a bedrock of the
verdict, when co‑joined with history.
Separation of Church and State was
honored by this Verdict in a fulsome
manner; every Indian may take pride in
such judicial deference and minimalism
[to wit: “Title cannot be established
based on faith and belief. Whether a
belief is justified is beyond judicial
inquiry. Once a faith is established,
courts should defer to it.”]. That
Hinduism pre‑dates Islam is beyond
dispute; but, that the Court has created
a condition subsequent to its grant of
the site for a Ram Temple: itʼs contin‑
gent upon maintaining peace in
Ayodhya, and 5 acres of prominent
land (about double the size of Babri
Masjid) be given to the Muslim commu‑
nity for a reconstruction of a mosque.
Normally, in a legal possession case the
tension is between “first‑in‑right” vs.
“last‑in‑possession” and the gap
between the two is the legal mystery a
court solves.
The joy here is that every Muslim and
every Hindu may not be fully satisfied,
or may even be unhappy ‑‑ a state liti‑
gants taste daily in garden variety liti‑
gation ‑‑ yet, all of them have honored
the verdict with their peaceful accept‑
ance, happy to be done with this fissure
too, and its protocol will aid in future
cases dealing with additional houses‑
of‑worship disputes.
The history of this dispute is cen‑
turies long and existed before the birth
of the Indian Republic. The Supreme
Court verdict vacated the lower court
split‑the‑baby judgment as inadequate
to all, given the mere 2.77 acres at
play. That the Court acknowledged that
the status quo ante had been molested
by tearing down the 450‑year old Babri
Masjid during the pendency of the dis‑
pute, and Muslims were entitled to a
remedy and restitution for the unlawful
destruction of their place of worship.
Indiaʼs Constitution and the 1991 Place
of Worship Act guarantees secularism
is the law of the land.
I join in the Supreme Courtʼs goal:
societal peace.
The author
is eminent
attorney
and Chair,
National
Advisory
Council for
South Asian
Affairs.
ANALYSIS
Historic Ayodhya verdict
a tribute to the Indian
judiciaryʼs competence
By Dr. G.V. Rao
Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India
T
he Indian Courts though often criticised for
the enormous pendency of cases and lack of
expeditious disposal, cannot be faulted for
their extraordinary judicial acumen and dexterity.
The Ayodhya verdict will go down in the annals of
judicial history and remembered as a momentous
judgement by posterity. It is a fascinating example
of adherence to a judicial process, for arriving at a
decision based upon unimpeachable application of
principles of jurisprudence, canons of judicial dicta,
fairness, equity and good conscience.
History has it that in the year 1528, Emperor
Babar, an invader of India having fought and
defeated several reigning monarchs, visited
Ayodhya and ordered his commander, one Mir
Baqui to demolish the existing ʻRamajanmasthanʼ
(birthplace of Lord Rama) temple and construct a
mosque, which came to be known as the Babri
Majid. Apparently, the matter of sanctity of the
temple never ceased and offering prayers and wor‑
The Indian
Supreme Court
upheld the faith,
belief and
claims of the
Hindu
community and
directed that the
entire land be
vested within 3
months in a
Trust that would
carry out the
building of the
Ram
Janmabhoomi
temple.
ship travelled centuries in time. A historic legal dis‑
pute ostensibly originated in the year 1885 stands
decided by a court of law after 134 years of che‑
quered legal proceedings and historical events. In
that year, the petitioner, a Hindi priest, formally
filed a suit, along with a copy of sketch‑map with
the petition, in the court of the sub‑judge of
Faizabad in Ayodhya area, seeking rights to con‑
struct a temple at the raised platform known as
ʻRamchabutaraʼ where prayers and worship were
taking place from times immemorial as the birth‑
place of the revered Hindu deity named Lord Rama.
As it were, the said platform ʻRamchabutraʼ
remained in the precincts of the mosque.
By a judgement dated 24th December 1885, the
trial court did not dispute the ownership or posses‑
sion by the petitioner of the ʻRamchabutraʼ but the
suit came to be dismissed due to the likelihood of
conflict and violent clashes between Hindu and
Muslim communities.
The dispute festered till 1934 at which point it is
alleged the prayers in the mosque ceased due to
violent clashes and it remained locked till 1949,
and that in December the same year a group of
some 50‑60 persons broke open the locks of the
central dome area of the Mosque and placed the
idols of Lord Rama and others. A criminal case was
registered, and the District Magistrate took charge
November 16-22, 2019 15
of the land and buildings under law. Only a few
Hindu priests were allowed inside the mosque‑tem‑
ple structure for performing prayers and worship.
After Indiaʼs independence, the legal dispute pro‑
ceeded under the mechanism established under the
country Constitution adopted on 26th January
1950, which established the Supreme Court of
India, the High Courts and other sub‑ordinate
courts.
From 1950 to 1959 three suits came to be filed
by Hindu devotees for continuance of prayers and
worship, followed by a comprehensive suit in 1989
for ownership and right to construct a temple. In
the year 1961 the Sunni Central Waqf Board, con‑
sisting of 9 Muslims in the area, filed a suit claim‑
ing ownership rights on the basis of historical evi‑
dence relating to the mosque.
Meanwhile, in December 1992 the dilapidated
mosque structure came to be illegally demolished
by hundreds and thousands of Hindu activists.
The High Court of the State of Uttar Pradesh, in
2010, by a judgement of 4,304 pages having
reviewed voluminous evidence, upheld joint owner‑
ship and divided the area into 3 equal parts with
one‑third each to the two Hindu claimants which
included the ʻsanctum sanctorumʼ or the
ʻRamchabutaraʼ, and remaining one‑third going to
the Muslims. The said judgement was in appeal
before the Supreme Court.
The Court‑ordered mediation having failed by
religious leaders on both sides, the Supreme Court
heard the matter for a marathon 41 days. The
Court went through 8,000 pages of documents
comprising 533 Exhibits, relating to Religious
Texts, Travelogues, Gazetteers, translations of
inscriptions on pillars, Reports of Archaeological
excavations, photographs prior to demolition, and
details of artefacts found regarding human inhabi‑
tation from 700 BC, and to ascertain whether a
temple existed below the mosque. They also
reviewed 85 witness statements of thousands of
pages. The historic judgement comprising 1,045
pages exhaustively dealt with dozens of legal prin‑
ciples and jurisprudential concepts, with respect to
religious practice, faith and belief, property vested
in a deity, title claims in a conventional framework,
constitutional values and findings of the High Court
on evidence before it.
In conclusion, the apex court upheld the faith,
belief and claims of the Hindu community and
directed that the entire land be vested within 3
months in a Trust, which would carry out the build‑
ing of the Temple.
In order to do complete justice and mitigate the
loss for the illegal demolition of the mosque, the
Honʼble Supreme Court directed that 5 acres of
Land, twice the area under dispute, should be
granted to the Muslim organization for construc‑
tion of a mosque.
The Central and State Governments are to extend
full support to both the parties in their endeavor.
The author is a
Senior Advocate of
the Supreme Court
of India and an
Honorary Professor
in Law & Political
Science. E‑mail:
gvr@gvrao.in
 16 November 16-22, 2019
Bonhomie culture to corporate ways of film business
By Vinod Mirani
A
n individual ‑‑ as in propri‑
etorship film producer or
distributor, and to a great
extent, exhibitor ‑‑ is folklore now.
A few individual producers sur‑
vive but, when it comes to film
distributors or exhibitors, as in
cinema owners, it is a fading
breed.
They can now be counted on
one finger in the major circuits
like Bombay Circuit (which includ‑
ed part of Maharashtra sans
Vidarbha and Marathwada, but
including Goa and part of
Karnataka); Delhi‑UP; or Eastern
Circuit (which included Bengal,
Bihar, Nepal, Orissa and the other
six Northeastern states).
Film trade in all circuit head‑
quarters in India operated from
one or two locations. Mumbai was
the capital of the film industry ‑‑
as in producing, distributing as
well as exhibiting of films.
Initially, distributors and
exhibitors, depending on each
other and needing to be in regular
contact, basically operated from
the same area. Often, distributors
also happened to be in the exhibi‑
Ayushmann: Bollywood's
unlikely hit machine
A
ctor Ayushmann
Khurrana entered
Bollywood seven years
ago ‑‑ and that is the number of
back‑to‑back hits he has churned
out over the past two years with
"Bala", his new release, becoming
the latest chapter in his success
story.
With "Bala", Ayushmann regis‑
tered his career best opening‑day
haul of Rs 10.15 crore on Friday,
eclipsing the Rs 10.05‑crore day
one collection of his last release,
"Dream Girl". Incidentally, "Bala"
is his 13th film in Bollywood
since he started off with "Vicky
Donor" in 2012 and, in the likely
scenario that the film will see
profits, Ayushmann will have an
enviable track record of nine hits
out of 13 releases.
For an actor who started out
being identified as the master of
offbeat roles and a poster boy of
unconventional films,
Ayushmann has emerged
Bollywood's most unconventional
hit machine. "Vicky Donor" made
Ayushmann a household name,
the multiplex hero with guy‑next‑
door charm. What followed, how‑
ever, was something he wasn't
prepared for. Films such as
"Nautanki Saala!",
"Bewakoofiyaan", "Hawaizaada"
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
In those days, cinema halls sprang up next to each other. You came, you bought the ticket and watched a film.
tion trade. The distribution and
exhibition trade in Mumbai was
based on Lamington Road. The
producers preferred to operate
from close to film studios. The
producers mainly had offices at
Famous Studios in Mahalaxmi;
and Ranjit, Roop Tara and Shree
Sound Studios at Dadar ‑‑ all easi‑
ly accessible to each other.
In other cities, it was for the dis‑
tributors and exhibitors to be
close to each other. So, in Delhi,
which covered Delhi as well as
whole of UP, the center of the film
trade was Film Colony Chandni
Chowk. In Kolkata, it was Bentinck
Actor
Ayushmann
Khurrana.
and "Meri Pyaari Bindu" per‑
formed below expectations, and
the only bright spot in that early
phase was the unusual "Dum
Laga Ke Haisha".
Over the past two years, he has
struck gold with experimental
subjects such as "Bareilly Ki
Barfi" (2017), "Shubh Mangal
Saavdhan" (2017"), "AndhaDhun"
(2018), "Badhaai Ho" (2018),
"Article 15" (2019), "Dream Girl"
(2019) and now "Bala".
"Badhaai Ho" gave Ayushmann
Street. In Indore, again, it was the
Film Colony. In Jalandhar, which
controlled the distribution trade
in Punjab and Kashmir, it was the
Mandi Road. In Chennai, all three
factions ‑‑ as in production, distri‑
bution and exhibition ‑‑ were
active, and most offices operated
from T. Nagar.
It was the same story with the
cinema halls. They sprang up next
to each other. They were located
in the same area, often on the
same street. Nobody went home
disappointed since advance book‑
ing was not much in fashion in
those days, let alone online book‑
his first Rs 100 crore superhit in
India, opening in October last
year. "Article 15", which opened
on June 28 this year, registered a
lifetime domestic collection of Rs
63.05 crore.
Ayushmann's love for offbeat
cinema will continue as he will
next be seen with megastar
Amitabh Bachchan in Shoojit
Sircar's "Gulabo Sitabo", and
address the issue of homosexuali‑
ty in "Shubh Mangal Zyada
Saavdhan".
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
ing. You came, you bought the
ticket and watched a film.
How this system helped produc‑
ers can be explained by just one
example. A South India‑based
Marwari entrepreneur, KC
Bokadia, produced a film with
Mithun Chakraborty and Padmini
Kolhapuri, titled "Pyar Jhukta
Nahin" in 1985. The film was not
attracting buyers. Bokadia kept
making rounds of distribution
offices in the hub of Mumbai dis‑
tribution, the Naaz Cinema
Building. There, he got an offer to
sell his film for 11 lakh.
As Bokadia was walking down
Yo Yo Honey Singh: Acting
is not my cup of tea
Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh.
H
e regularly makes news
with his instant winner
rap numbers, as well as
the often‑controversial lyrics of
the songs. Rapper Yo Yo Honey
Singh, who enjoys a following of
5.3 million on Twitter and 3.4
million on Instagram, has belted
out numerous hits, and has been
tagged a pioneer of Punjabi pop
since the late 2000s. To take his
game to the next level, Singh
has also tried venturing into the
world of acting. He made his
acting debut with the 2012
Punjabi film "Mirza: The Untold
Story", and two years later made
his Bollywood debut with "The
the building, on an urge, he visited
another producer‑distributor of
mainly Gujarati films, Prafulla
Manukant. Although the couple
had limited their activities to
Gujarati films, the music of Pyar
Jhukta Nahin, which had already
become very popular, attracted
them. And, impressed by that,
Bokadia got an offer of around Rs
25,000‑50,000 more than the
other offer! Desperate as he was,
Bokadia grabbed the offer.
The rest, as they say, is history.
The film was a huge hit, ran for
50 weeks, enriching both, the new
distributor as well as Bokadia,
who went on to make many more
films. (In fact, "Pyar Jhukta Nahin"
also brought Gulshan Kumar and
his T‑Series in to the mainstream
music market and helped estab‑
lish T‑Series.) This was an exam‑
ple of a common marketplace. The
other vital factor was the bon‑
homie among distributors as well
as exhibitors. They gathered to
share meals and exchange views.
That era of bonhomie, brother‑
hood and cooperation is now as
good as over. The business has
moved online and the face‑to‑face,
personal touch is missing.
Xpose" alongside Himesh
Reshammiya. The rap sensation
has tried a few more times since
then, to be a star in front of the
camera. However, releases such
as "Tu Mera 22 Main Tera 22"
and "Zorawar" ‑‑ which is mar‑
keted as one of the most expen‑
sive Punjabi films to date ‑‑ did
not help him recreate the frenzy
he so effortlessly triggers off
among fans as a singer.
Singh is now convinced he
doesn't want to act in films any‑
more. "I tried acting and I real‑
ized it is not my cup of tea. I
think I should not do it," Singh
told IANS.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
'Bala': Bald is gold for Ayushmann
B Review
ollywood's Mr Disruptor
is at it again, rewriting
the rules of what the
Hindi mainstream hero can dare to
do on screen. Only a couple of
months ago, Ayushmann Khurrana
was "Dream Girl", the phone ʻsex‑
pert' who aces in impersonating a
woman's voice, and makes a living
fulfilling fantasies of lonely men.
This week, he returns as "Bala", a
25‑year old whose rapidly reced‑
ing hairline sets off confident
issues, because he is constantly
fending against rejection in a
world that openly discriminates
against physical flaws.
Before that brief synopsis gives
you a sense of deja vu because
you've seen "Ujda Chaman" only
last week, "Bala" is a far more
accomplished effort. Also, though
there is thematic likeness, compar‑
isons would seem unnecessary
'Jhalki' isn't
children's film but
about child labor
Director Brahmanand S. Siingh and actors Tannishtha Chatterjee,
Sanjay Suri and Divya Dutta interact with the media for their film
ʻJhalkiʼ in New Delhi.
F
ilmmaker Brahmanand S.
Siingh's upcoming feature
"Jhalki" addresses the
issue of child labour and traffick‑
ing. He says although the film is
shown from the perspective of a
child, it is not a childrenʼs film.
Rather, the narrative highlights
their suffering.
" 'Jhalki' is not a children's film.
It is a reality many children suf‑
fer, owing to the practice of traf‑
ficking and child labor. But it is
an engaging story for children
because of the treatment of the
narrative.
“The protagonist of the film is
a nine‑year‑old girl named Jhalki,
and we, as audience, see the
world through her eyes. There is
a beautiful folk song that is
dying. we revived it in the film.
We also used the hand shadow
art ‑‑ another dying art form.
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
A scene from the film ʻBalaʼ.
between the two films because
they narrate slightly different
tales, owing to the different back‑
drops the stories are set in.
There are elements of fantasy
that children have that we
included," said the filmmaker,
about the film that features two
young actors, Aarti and
Goraksha, along with Boman
Irani, Sanjay Suri, Divya Dutta,
Tannishtha Chatterjee and
Govind Namdev.
The film shows how a little girl
fights for her young brother who
is a victim of human trafficking
and child labor. The filmmaker
says the story alters the gender
narrative in Bollywood.
The poster of the film was
released at Cannes Film Festival
earlier this year, followed by
screening at various film festi‑
vals including New York Indian
Film Festival, the Boston
International Film Festival and
the Singapore South Asian
International Film Festival.
Importantly, "Bala" has the
Ayushmann advantage, evidently
the best thing a filmmaker can
hope to work with – creatively as
'Servant' on Apple TV Plus like
watching a play: Shyamalan
M
. Night Shyamalan who is
"an Indian dude" living
3,000 miles away in
Pennsylvania from here and did not
go to school with "their kids" in
Hollywood, is thrilled to be back
with the psychological thriller titled
'Servant' on Apple TV Plus ‑‑ a genre
he mastered long, long back.
The energetic 49‑year‑old film‑
maker came to limelight with Bruce
Willis‑starrer "The Sixth Sense"
(1999) after his first two ventures
flopped miserably.
On November 28, people will
begin watching the first season of
"Servant" on Apple TV Plus which
follows a Philadelphia couple in
mourning after an unspeakable
tragedy creates a rift in their mar‑
riage, and opens the door for a mys‑
terious force to enter their home.
Amol Palekar set to return
to stage after 25 years
V
eteran actor‑director Amol
Palekar will be returning to
the stage after 25 years with
a Hindi play "Kusur". The thrilling
crime‑drama, which is being
brought to the Indian audiences by
BookMyShow, has been written and
co‑directed by Sandhya Gokhale
along with Palekar, who will also be
seen as the protagonist.
Palekar will be performing on the
stage as retired ACP Dandavate in
"Kusur" ("The Mistake").
"The fast pace story whirls us
through the twists and turns dis‑
turbing our complacency and over‑
November 16-22, 2019
well as commercially – right now
in Bollywood.
"Bala", in every sense, is a rare
Bollywood film that can be credit‑
ed as a writer's triumph first and
foremost, for the way it manages
to retain contextual depth despite
never losing out on humor. Few
comedies in commercial
Bollywood have tried doing so in
recent years ‑‑ the "Munna Bhai"
films come to mind as random
recall.
Amar Kaushik, the man who shot
to fame directing the horror come‑
dy "Stree" last year, tackles a very
different genre of humor here. The
issue‑based, feel‑good comedy, set
in a small‑town, has become staple
fare in Bollywood lately, and each
new release in the genre faces the
challenge of reinvention. Kaushik's
brilliance lies in his natural story‑
telling, which makes "Bala" instant‑
Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan.
"The half‑hour TV show is super
minimum, one‑location shoot. It's
like a play. We shot it at a house in
Philadelphia and that's it. We have
concentrated on the basic ingredi‑
ents, just the ingredients, to tell a
super story," Shyamalan said.
'Servant' could bring him back
into the limelight again, the way
"The Sixth Sense" did. According to
Veteran actor‑director Amol
Palekar.
turning our assumptions. The deep
subtext will linger in our minds
beyond the curtain drop," Palekar
said. "As an actor, the role poses an
17
ly likeable. The film's dialogues are
an asset, in this context.
Mimicry in fact is a big attraction
all through. In a hilarious situation,
Ayushmann as Bala is venting frus‑
tration with his two close friends,
Bachchan bhaiya (Javed Jaffrey)
and Ramu the neighborhood hair‑
dresser (Abhishek Banerjee).
Slightly sozzled, they speak in
Amitabh Bachchan style, executing
the words with Amitabh Bachchan
swagger. The scene is a tribute to
an evergreen legend by three very
talented artistes of our times, a
standout moment in every sense.
Bhumi and Yami are perfectly
cast in roles that accord impor‑
tance to the heroines, though
Bhumi's blackened make‑up to
make her appear darkskinned
looks unconvincing.
Overall, "Bala" is a winner all the
way.
reports, Shyamalan envisions the
show to have at least 60 episodes ‑‑
six seasons of 10 episodes each.
Born in Puducherry on August 6,
1970, Shyamalan came to the US
with his parents when he was just
six weeks old. He made his directo‑
rial debut in 1992 with "Praying
with Anger" and his second movie
was the comedy‑drama "Wide
Awake" (1998) ‑‑ and both tanked.
The supernatural thriller "The Sixth
Sense" changed his destiny and he
went on to produce some great
films, like "Unbreakable" (2000),
"Signs" (2002) and "The Village"
(2004).
In 2019, he released "Glass" as a
seque l to his previous films
"Unbreakable" and "Split". T he
movie grossed over $240 million
worldwide.
enormous challenge, demanding
tremendous emotional and physical
energy at my age," added Palekar,
who will be turning 75 on
November 24 when the show will
premiere at the TATA T heatre,
NCPA, Mumbai.
"It may be called a social thriller
that can happen in any of our lives,"
said Gokhale, who has written the
play.
Adapted from the Danish film
"Den Skyldige", Gokhale's narrative
illuminates the multi‑cultural com‑
plexities of a contemporary life in a
modern Indian city like Mumbai.
 18 November 16-22, 2019
By Kyle Singh
I
would have never imagined that
on a Sunday afternoon in the
middle of midtown Manhattan
over 4,000 people would flock a
ticketed event with a long bearded,
turban wearing, self‑proclaimed
mystic. Everyone from Indians in
Kurtas, Orthodox Jews with curly
sideburns to tattooed young men
came out in search of something
deeper than themselves. In search,
perhaps, for a new kind of truth. I
was not one that was new to these
experiences. In fact, I had encoun‑
tered the mystic once before. On a
four day trip some years prior that
was meant to re‑engineer my entire
perspective; to give me a new lease
on life sort of.
These may seem like lofty claims
to make. How could it be that in a
few short days, in a few short hours,
one could be transformed; or be
positioned to have some kind of
deep intrinsic joy. In an age where
so many of us arenʼt happy with our
day to day lives, it seems like a solu‑
tion. A real chance at happiness.
That, to me, seemed like the mis‑
sion statement at the Hulu Theater
at Madison Square garden on
November 3. The messenger of this
mission: Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. A
man that has spread his message all
around the world, including to some
of the greatest minds of our genera‑
tion. Millions have heard his mes‑
sage and have felt the effects of the
work his Isha Foundation has done
within and outside India. His ʻRally
for Riversʼ initiative has planted a
countless number of trees across
India in an effort to revitalize water
flow and prevent rivers from drying
up.
As I entered the front gates, ʻRally
for Riversʼ was the first thing I was
told about. A small pamphlet
deemed it the “worldʼs largest eco‑
logical movement today”. T his
quickly gave me pause. Maybe this
man was really impacting the world
in a larger way than I had initially
thought.
To get to my seat I had to walk
Here are the three ideas Sadhguru instilled in the 4,000 people gathered in the Hulu
Theater: Acknowledge that our life is finite. This would allow us to enjoy and cherish
every moment. The second was to acknowledge how small you are in the context of
the cosmos. The third was to live each moment for what it’s worth: To not hold onto
all of the small things in the day to day life that are truly insignificant.
In pursuit of the Mystic I
down a large hallway. After every
few steps clusters of volunteers
would look me in the eye, smiling
and bowing their heads to greet me.
How strange was this? I didn't have
it in me to greet them back. Instead I
tried and increased my pace of walk‑
ing. As I passed more and more vol‑
unteers, I burst into laughter chuck‑
ling as I entered the hall. I thought
to myself: Have we really become so
isolated? Itʼs become so difficult to
greet each other wholeheartedly as
fellow human beings. Why was it so
strange to me, even comical that
complete strangers were smiling
and greeting me as if they had
known me for their entire life. It
shouldn't be this way. It was then
that I learned that it probably
wouldn't be a bad idea to be more
open to the world, to be more
happy. To smile and say hello.
Entering the theatre presented us
with a sense of calm. Musicians
played songs from the Isha
Foundation in Tamil. The English
SPIRITUALITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info
A first person
account of the
Mystic Eye
program led by
Sadhguru in
Madison
Square Garden.
lyrics appeared on the large screens: ideas as “three bees riding on our
“Like a wave, the mind runs on, in shoulders”, weighing us down. It
search of happiness, without under‑ was our job to knock them down
standing the nature of life.” one by one. T he first was to
That was an apt reminder of why acknowledge that our life is finite.
we were all there, together, to begin This would allow us to enjoy and
with. The seats filled up quickly, not cherish every moment. The second
a single one was empty. In complete was to acknowledge how small you
silence, Sadhguru walked in to greet are in the context of the cosmos.
all of us with his presence. Thereon, The third was to live each moment
it was a rapid fire progression. The for what itʼs worth: To not hold onto
discussion moved quickly to the big all of the small things in the day to
question on everyone's mind. “What day life that are truly insignificant.
can I do to be Happy?” Sadhguru He then quickly turned to speak‑
broke it down into 3 key ideas that ing on a wide variety of philosophi‑
he felt everyone should inculcate. cal ideas. What struck me is how he
He is known for his charisma, his stayed away from dogma, only to
humor and his ability to confront inject surprisingly rational ways of
any taboo we might have. These are thinking. Seemingly simple ideas
qualities that make him endearing that anyone could ponder and
to millions of people around the implement. The idea he harped on
world and those qualities certainly most, along with the three bees, was
came through that Sunday evening. to cultivate intrinsic joy. He
The three ideas were simple, but remarked how it has become a cus‑
profound enough to give everyone tom in America to contrive a smile
at least a new perspective on their when taking a picture. Everyone col‑
lives. He referred to these three lectively mouths the word, “Cheese!”
as if that is the only way for them to
even force a smile. This is a hall‑
mark of Sadhguruʼs approach.
Humor with a deep idea underlying
it. It should tell us that something is
deeply wrong with our culture when
even a smile must be contrived.
Sadhguru tried to impart that intrin‑
sic joy could be had by simply valu‑
ing the life that we have been gifted
with. To cherish each and every
moment like it could be our last. A
succinct and illuminating picture
painted to give us a new viewpoint
on living.
These were deep ideas that every‑
one should embody but how does
one achieve this sense of peace? The
prescription: Meditation. The next
half hour proceeded with a guided
meditation. As I closed my eyes,
immediately I heard people shout‑
ing, screaming, laughing and crying
incessantly as if the act of focusing
on their breath had allowed them to
release all of their demons, to tap
into their deepest se lf. Did
Sadhguru have this power? Did
these people feel this extreme over‑
whelming feeling of ecstasy? To this
I cannot speak to. But I can say this:
Perhaps it would be a good thing to
acknowledge that there is some‑
thing that transcends ourselves, that
we can all tap into using our person‑
al experience.
Just like that the event was over. A
dose of philosophy and of course a
small dose of practicality. Sadhguru
had hopefully set the wheels in
motion for some that had attended.
So, did I get that new truth every‑
one was searching for? No. Did I feel
reinvented, re‑engineered? No? Did I
get a new perspective? Perhaps. A
new perspective that we all have the
capacity to understand and maybe
even embody. Sadhguru might not
be the one with all the answers. I
believe we are not looking in the
right place to begin with. We should
look within ourselves and embody
the deep truths that lie within us all.
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev is an
Indian yogi, mystic, and author. He
founded the Isha Foundation with
its headquarters at the foothills of
Velliangiri, on the outskirts of
Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. Isha
Yoga programs are made available
around the world. The forums the
Sadhguru has addressed include the
United Nations and World Economic
Forum.
Kyle Singh is a student at
Columbia University.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Impeachment witness says Donald
Trump asked about Ukraine probes
Washington: For the first time a
top diplomat testified Wednesday
that President Donald Trump was
overheard asking about “the inves‑
tigations” he wanted Ukraine to
pursue that are central to the
impeachment inquiry.
William Taylor, the top U.S.
diplomat in Ukraine, revealed the
new information as the House
Intelligence Committee opened
extraordinary hearings on whether
the 45th president of the United
States should be removed from
office.
Taylor said his staff recently told
him they overheard Trump when
they were meeting with another
diplomat, Ambassador Gordon
Sondland, at a restaurant the day
after Trumpʼs July 25 phone call
with the new leader of Ukraine
that sparked the impeachment
investigation.
T he staf f explained that
Sondland had called the president
and they could hear Trump on the
phone asking about “the investiga‑
tions.” The ambassador told the
president the Ukrainians were
ready to move forward, Taylor tes‑
tified. Not inappropriate, let alone
impeachable, countered the intelli‑
gence pane lʼs top Republican,
Devin Nunes of California. National
security of ficials have told
Cong ress they donʼt be lieve
Ukraine meddled in the 2016 elec‑
tion.
The hearing Wednesday was the
Rep. Nunes: Impeachment Process
Is Doing Great Damage To U.S.
R records from Congress
ep. Devin Nunes, the rank‑
ing member of the House
Intelligence Committee, is
denouncing the impeachment
inquiry, saying it is a process in
search of a crime. Speaking at the
open impeachment hearing on
Wednesday, Nunes said the
Demo crat Party is leading a
“scorched earth war” ag ainst
President Trump.
T he California Republican
stressed it was the Trump adminis‑
tration that provided aid to Ukraine
and stood in support of that coun‑
try all along. Nunes said calls for
impeachment have ruined the cred‑
ibility of the Democrat Party.
“What we will witness today is a
televised theatrical performance
staged by the Democrats,” stated
Nunes. “We should also forget
about them trying to obtain nude
pictures of Trump from Russian
Taylor said his staff recently told him they overheard Trump when they
were meeting with another diplomat, Ambassador Gordon Sondland,
at a restaurant the day after Trump’s July 25 phone call with the new
leader of Ukraine that sparked the impeachment investigation.
first public session of the impeach‑
ment inquiry, a remarkable
moment, even for a White House
full of them. Itʼs the first chance for
America, and the rest of the world,
to see and hear for themselves
about Trumpʼs actions toward
Ukraine and consider whether they
are, in fact, impeachable offenses.
An anonymous whistleblowerʼs
complaint to the intelligence com‑
munityʼs inspector general ignited
the rare inquiry now unfolding in
Congress.
The country has been here only
three times before, and never
against the 21st century backdrop
of real‑time commentary, including
from the Republican president
himself. The proceedings were
Adam Schiff, chairman, and Devin Nunes, ranking member, of the
House Intelligence Committee (Photos courtesy AP)
pranksters, who pretended to be
Ukrainian officials.”
He also said many officials at the
FBI, State Department and the DOJ
have lost confidence of the
US AFFAIRS
being broadcast live, and on social
media, from a packed hearing
room on Capitol Hill.
At the start, Rep. Adam Schif f,
the Democratic chairman of the
Intelligence Committee, outlined
the question at the core of the
impeachment inquiry ‑‑ whether
the president used his of fice to
pressure Ukraine officials for per‑
sonal political gain. “The matter is
as simple and as terrible as that,”
said Schif f of California. “Our
answer to these questions will
af fect not only the future of this
presidency but the future of the
presidency itself, and what kind of
conduct or misconduct the
American people may come to
expect from their commander in
American people for their obvious
political biases.
“This spectacle is doing great
damage to our country,” reiterated
Nunes.
November 16-22, 2019
William Taylor
and George Kent
chief.” Both Taylor and the other
public witness, George Kent, a
deputy assistant secretary at the
State Department, defied White
House instructions not to testify.
They both received subpoenas to
appear.
The veteran foreign service offi‑
cers delivered heartfelt history les‑
sons about Ukraine, a young and
hopeful democracy, situated next
to Russia but reaching out to the
West.
Kent, in his opening remarks,
directly contradicted a core com‑
plaint against Joe Biden being
raised by allies of the White House,
saying he never heard any U.S.
of ficial try to shield a Ukraine
company from investigations.
Court rules against Trump's
plea to keep financial
Washington: A US court has
ruled against President Donald
Trump's appeal upholding an
earlier ruling that af firmed
Congress' investigative author‑
ity to seek the President's eight
years of financial records.
The full 11‑judge panel in the
US Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia Circuit on
Wednesday ruled 8 to 3 to let
stand an October decision by
the same court that Trump
must comply with a subpoena
sent in April by the House
Oversig ht and Re form
Committee request ing the
President's accounting firm to
provide his financial records
between 2011 and 2018,
reports Xinhua news agency.
19
Kent acknowledged that he him‑
self raised concerns in 2015 about
the then vice presidentʼs son,
Hunter Biden, being on the board
of Burisma, a Ukraine gas compa‑
ny. He warned that it could give
the “perception of a conflict of
interest.”
The career diplomat did not go
into detail about the issues central
to the impeachment inquiry, but he
voiced his concerns with them.
“I do not be lieve the United
States should ask other countries
to engage in selective, politically
associated investigations or prose‑
cutions against opponents of those
in power, because such selective
actions undermine the rule of law
regardless of the country,” he said.
So far, the narrat ive being
unspooled in weeks of investiga‑
tions for the inquiry is splitting
Americans, mostly along the same
lines as Trumpʼs unusual presiden‑
cy. The Constitution sets a dramat‑
ic but vague bar for impeachment,
and thereʼs no consensus yet that
Trumpʼs actions at the heart of the
inquiry meet the threshold of “high
crimes and misdemeanors.”
Trump calls the whole thing a
“witch hunt,” a retort that echoes
Nixonʼs own defense.
At its core, the inquiry stems
from Trumpʼs July 25 phone call
with Ukraineʼs newly elected presi‑
dent, Volodymyr Zelenskiy when
he asked the Ze lenskiy for “a
favor.”
T he latest ruling was the
response to Trump's appeal
seeking a full‑court rehearing
of the 2‑1 vote cast by the
court's three judges last month
to re ject the president's
request to prevent lawmakers
from subpoenaing Mazars USA,
the accounting firm.
"In light of the well‑reasoned
dissent, we will seek review at
the Supreme Court," Trump's
lawyer Jay Sekulow said in a
statement.
The D.C. Circuit has previous‑
ly said that Trump's lawyers
will have seven days to ask the
Supreme Court to intervene in
the case, during which the
court would put any ruling
against the president on hold.
 20 November 16-22, 2019 US AFFAIRS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Tillerson, Kelly tried to recruit me to undermine Trump: Nikki Haley

Washington: Former UN ambas‑
sador Nikki Haley divulged in her
forthcoming memoir that former
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
and former White House chief of
staf f John Kelly attempted to
recruit her to undermine
President Donald Trump in an
e f fort to "save the country,"
according to The Washington
Post.
The two former Cabinet mem‑
bers sought Haley's help in their
endeavors to subvert the
President but she refused, Haley
wrote in her new book, titled
"With All Due Respect".
"Kelly and Tillerson confided in
me that when they resisted the
President, they weren't being
insubordinate, they were trying
to save the country," Haley wrote.
At one point, Haley wrote that
Tillerson also told her people
would die if Trump was
unchecked. However, Haley said
she supported most of Trump's
foreign policy decisions that oth‑
ers in the White House tried to
block or slow down, according to
the Post.
Haley called Tillerson and
Kelly's attempt to subvert the
President "offensive" in an inter‑
view that aired Sunday on "CBS
Sunday Morning."
"It should have been, go tell the
President what your differences
are and quit if you don't like
what he's doing," she said. "To
undermine a President is really a
In her new book, Nikki Haley has
asserted she is not posturing to
replace Pence on 2020 GOP
ticket. She also thinks
impeaching Trump is unjustified.
very dangerous thing. And it goes
against the Constitution and it
goes against what the American
people want. It was offensive."
In her book, Haley describes
mult iple clashes w ithin the
White House surrounding for‑
eign policy strategy, according to
the Post. In one interact ion,
Haley details an Oval Of fice
showdown over her suggestion
to w ithhold funding for the
United Nations agency that sup‑
ports Palestinians. Ke lly and
Tillerson were opposed to the
move, while Haley had the sup‑
port of Trump's son‑in‑law Jared
Kushner. "I was so shocked I did‑
n't say anything going home
because I just couldn't get my
arms around the fact that here
you have two key people in an
administration undermining the
President," Haley said in an inter‑
view with the Post.
Trump told them to work out
their problems elsewhere. 'I have
four secretaries of state: you,
H.R., Jared, and Rex,ʼ Haley
recounted Kelly saying. ʻI only
need one.' Haley described her
Tillerson and Kelly
deny Nikki allegation
F
ormer Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson on Monday
denied that he under‑
mined President Trump, after
former U.N. Ambassador Nikki
Haley said in a new book that
Tillerson told her he resisted
Trump to “save the country.”
“During my service to our
country as the Secretary of
State, at no time did I, nor to
my direct knowledge did any‑
one else serving along with me,
take any actions to undermine
the President,” Tillerson said in
a statement to The Washington
Post.
“My conversations with the
President in the privacy of the
Oval Of fice were always can‑
did, frank, and my recommen‑
dations straightforward. Once
disagreements with Trump over
his handling of his meeting with
Russian President Vladimir Putin
in Helsinki in July 2018, as well
as Trump's comments in 2017
where she said he displayed
"moral equivalence" in response
to a white nationalist march in
Charlottesville, Virginia, accord‑
ing to the Post.
In her memoir, Haley dismisses
Democratic ef forts to impeach
the President made a decision,
we at the State Department
undertook our best ef forts to
implement that decision,”
Tillerson said. “Ambassador
Haley was rarely a participant
in my many meetings and is
not in a position to know what I
may or may not have said to
the President. I continue to be
proud of my service as our
countryʼs 69th Secretary of
State.”
Former White House Chief of
Staff John Kelly only said that
if providing the President "with
the best and most open, legal
and ethical staf fing advice
from across the [government]
so he could make an informed
decision is 'working against
Trump,' then guilty as charged."
the President, but she said she
opposed Trump's move to ask a
foreign government for help in a
political investigation.
She has shot down “false
rumors” that she is in the run‑
ning to replace Vice President
Pence on the Republican 2020
ticket. That was after she muted
speculat ion she would run
against her old boss as a primary
challenger.

Shameful for UK not

Nikki Haley shares advice for
immigrants to advance in US
New York: Nikki Haley, the first and
only Indian‑American to attain the sta‑
tus of a member of the US cabinet has
shared a piece of advice from her moth‑
er that propelled the child of Sikh immi‑
grants to the high of fice: "Your job is
not to show them how you're different.
Your job is to show them how you're
similar."
She recounted to a TV interviewer on
Sunday that in the small town of
Bamberg in South Carolina where her
mother wore a saree and her father a
turban, she would get teased in the
playground.
But when she got home, her motherʼs
advice was to stress the positives of her
being an American.
Overcoming all odds, she became the
Governor of her state in the southern
part of the US, where there was deep‑
rooted racism, and went on to the cabi‑
net.
She achieved these as a member of
the Republican Party that is often criti‑
cized as being conservative and hostile
to non‑Whites, women and immigrants.
One of her acts as Governor was to
remove a racist symbol from the state's
legislative complex ‑ the flag of the
American Confederacy, the group of
southern states that rebelled against
the abolition of slavery and fought the
civil war to retain it.
She was then asked to react to
President Trump te lling four
Congresswomen, who were immigrants
or children of immigrants and critical of
to publish Russia
report: Hillary
Washington: It is "inexplicable and shameful"
that the UK government has not yet published a
report on alleged Russian interference in British
politics, former Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton has told the BBC.
The report has formal security clearance, but
Nikki Haley with it will not be released until after the December
her parents, Ajit 12 election. "Every person who votes in this
Singh and Raj
country deserves to see that report before your
Kaur Randhawa.
election happens," the former US presidential
Her Sikh mother
candidate said. No. 10 denies it is suppressing
told her: "Your
job is not to it. The report by Parliament's Intelligence and
show them how Security Committee examines Russian activity
you're different. in UK democracy.
Your job is to It includes allegations of espionage, subver‑
show them how sion and interference in elections.
you're similar." It contains evidence from UK intelligence
services such as GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 concern‑
ing covert Russian attempts to influence the
outcome of the 2016 EU referendum and 2017
general election.
the US, to "go back and help fix the
Clinton said the US had a similar problem in
totally broken and crime‑infested
the 2016 election, when she was defeated as
places from which they came".
the Democratic candidate for president by
While conceding the President's taunt
Republican Donald Trump.
was inappropriate, Haley said: "But I
Trump and his campaign, she said, were under
also can appreciate where he was com‑
investigation for their connections with Russia,
ing from, from the standpoint of, don't
Russian agents, and others promoting Russian
bash America over and over and over
interests. But the American public did not know
again and not do something to try and
before the election.
fix it."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Bureaucratic impediments War will continue against
delay Nawaz Sharif's departure Imran's govt: JUI‑F chief
Lahore: In a dramatic turn of events, the
Pakistan government delayed the removal of
former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's name
from the no‑fly list, thus forcing a change in
his plan to leave for London for treatment.
Both the National Accountability Bureau
(NAB) and the Ministry of Interior couldn't
arrive at a decision regarding removal of the
name of the Pakistan Muslim League‑Nawaz
(PML‑N) supremo from the Exit Control List
(ECL). "Sharif was due to leave for London on
Nov 10 morning on a PIA flight along with
his brother Shehbaz Sharif. All arrangements
were finalized but at the eleventh hour, the
Pakistan Tehreek‑e‑Insaf (PTI) government
played a trick and did not remove his name
from the ECL," a source told Dawn news.
He recalled that the government had stated
that removal of the former leader's name
from the ECL was just a formality.
"We are wondering that despite Prime
Minister Imran Khan's assurances and his
adviser Naeemul Haq and Foreign Minister
Shah Mehmood Qureshi's positive statements,
Nawaz Sharif's name could not be removed
from the ECL, which shows there must be
some issue somewhere in this respect," he
said. "Nawaz Sharif is in extremely critical
medical condition, which is worsening with
every passing moment as his platelets are not
stabilising. He needs to be prepared for travel
through potent steroids, and this dichotomy
in the government's statements and actions is
only making matters worse," the source told
Dawn news, adding this delay was "extremely
Rohingyas ʻthreatʼ to
national and regional
security: Hasina
Dhaka: Bang ladesh Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina said the over 10 lakh
Rohingyas who fled from Myanmar to
her country in the wake of “persecution”
are a “threat to the security” of the entire
region as she urged the global communi‑
ty to resolve the issue.
According to the UN, as of May 24,
2018, more than 9,00,000 Rohingya
Muslims fled Myanmarʼs restive Rakhine
State since 2017 after large‑scale vio‑
lence following a military crackdown.
The exodus of refugees in large numbers
has resulted in a major crisis in neighbor‑
ing Bangladesh.
Addressing the three‑day ʻDhaka Global
Dialogue‑2019ʼ here, Hasina said, “In
terms of regional security, I would like to
say that more than 1.1 million Rohingya
citizens of Myanmar fled to Bangladesh
in the face of persecution and they are a
threat to the security not only for
Bangladesh but also for the region.”
“I urge the world community to take
appropriate action realising the gravity
of the threat. It will not be possible to
ensure development and prosperity of
any country without having peace and
safety,” she was quoted as saying by the
SUBCONTINENT
Former Pak PM Nawaz Sharif
is ʻcritically unwellʼ.
dangerous" for him. Nawaz Sharif was
allowed in principle to travel abroad for seek‑
ing medical treatment, according to a deci‑
sion taken by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Last week, the former premier was shifted
to an intensive care unit (ICU) set up at his
Jati Umra residence from the Services
Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS), where
he was admitted on October 22 after his per‑
sonal physician raised an alarm about his
deteriorating health, Dawn news reported.
During the course of treatment at the
Services Hospital, the former premier had
suffered an angina attack, besides complaints
of bleeding from gums and some other parts,
because of his fluctuating platelets.
The Islamabad High Court had on October
29 granted bail to Sharif for eight weeks, sus‑
pending his seven‑year sentence in the Al‑
Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference on
medical grounds.
Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina
was addressing the
ʻDhaka Global Dialogue‑2019ʼ.
of ficial Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
(BSS) news agency.
The dialogue was jointly organized by
the Bangladesh Institute of International
and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and India‑
based independent think‑tank Observer
Research Foundation (ORF).
Myanmar is one of Indiaʼs strategic
neighbors and shares a 1,640‑km‑long
border with a number of northeastern
states, including militancy‑hit Nagaland
and Manipur.
November 16-22, 2019 21
Islamabad: Jamiat Ulema‑i‑Islam‑Fazl
(JUI‑F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has
vowed to continue the "war" against
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's
"incompetent" government, as his 'Azadi
March' sit‑in entered the 11th day here.
"The war will continue. We can not
retreat. All political parties are in touch
with us," he said.
Rehman said that even as he spoke, the
opposition parties were holding discus‑
sions for the next course of action,
reports Dawn news. "We will move for‑
ward after deliberations between lead‑
ers."
In his address, he reiterated that the
incumbent government has "made a
mockery out of the economy".
"They have utterly failed to pay atten‑
tion to the economy. Wheat production
has gone down by 30 per cent in the past
year. Similarly, rice production has Jamiat Ulema‑i‑Islam‑Fazl chief
declined by 30‑40 per cent. Of the cotton Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
target of 15 million bales set, a mere 8 According to the party spokesperson,
per cent was achieved," the JUI‑F supre‑ the distribution has been made possible
mo added. by the "charitable members of the party".
Meanwhile, JUI‑F has decided to give The supplies were expected to be dis‑
the protesters participating in the party's tributed throughout the protest camp on
anti‑government sit‑in, which has contin‑ Monday.
ued since October 31, food supplies Rehman, who is leading the massive
which will last them a week. 'Azadi March', is demanding Prime
The supplies include pulses, sugar, tea Minister Khan's resignation, accusing
leaves, clarified butter, and salt, among him of rigging the 2018 general
other essential food items. elections.
Lankan polls: Row erupts over
Gotabaya's US citizenship
Colombo: A fresh row has erupted over
the US citizenship of Sri Lanka Podujana
Peramuna (SLPP) presidential candidate
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, with incumbent
Sports Minister Harin Fernando alleging
that the former had not completed the
process of renouncing it.
The row resurfaced after Fernando, in a
lengthy Face book post, said that
Rajapaksa's name has not appeared in the
latest Federal Register of the US even
though the American law requires that
the names of citizens who have lawfully
revoked their citizenship to have their
name published in the register, reports
the Daily Financial Times.
However, a g roup of lawyers for
Rajapaksa, led by Ali Sabry, strongly refut‑
ed the allegation saying that it could take
months or even a year for the name of a
person who renounces US citizenship to
get on the Federal Register.
Sabry also produced documents at a
press briefing which he said confirmed
that the SLPP candidate was no longer a
Sri Lankan presidential candidate
US citizen. Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
He said Rajapaksa was now a Sri Lankan
citizen and all the necessary documenta‑ ship and claimed that he was in the coun‑
tion has been submitted to the Election try for over 10 years.
Commission for perusal. The former Defense Minister held a dual
Political parties in Sri Lanka, including US citizenship but has claimed to have
the ruling United National Party, have renounced it earlier this year for contest‑
accused Rajapaksa for having US citizen‑ ing the presidential election.
 22 November 16-22, 2019
No wall too high to be
broken down: Merkel
Berlin: German Chance llor
Ange la Merke l has warned
against taking democracy for
granted, at a ceremony marking
the 30th anniversary of the
Berlin Wall's fall.
"No wall that keeps people out
and restricts freedom is so high...
that it cannot be broken down,"
she said, the BBC reported.
The wall had separated Soviet‑
controlled East Berlin and capi‑
talist West Berlin during the
Cold War.
Its fall in 1989 was seen as a
victory for liberal democracy,
and led to Germany's reunifica‑
tion a year later.
However, Merkel warned that
"the values on which Europe is
founded ‑ freedom, democracy,
equality, rule of law, human
rights ‑ they are anything but
self‑evident and they have to be
revitalized and defended time
and time again".
"We stand stripped of any
excuses and are required to do
our part of freedom and democ‑
Turbulence in world politics
hurting growth: Moody's
Rating agency Moody's has cut its global
sovereign outlook for 2020 to 'negative'.
Mumbai: Increasingly unfriendly
global political environment
with tensions between the US
and China over trade, India and
Pakistan over Kashmir, EU and
the UK over Brexit are "growth‑
diminishing", Moody's said.
The antagonistic political envi‑
ronment is weakening global
and national institutions, lower‑
ing the shock‑absorption capaci‑
ty of sovereigns with high debt
burdens and low fiscal buffers, it
said. "While the starkest exam‑
ple is clearly the trade war
between the US and China, dis‑
tracting and, in some cases,
growth‑diminishing tensions
have also risen in the Gulf,
between Japan (A1 stable) and
Korea (Aa2 stable), India and
Pakistan (B3 negative), the US
and the EU, and the EU and the
UK," the ratings agency said.
German Chancellor
Angela Merkel.
racy," she added in a ceremony
at the Berlin Wall memorial.
There has been a rise in the
far‑rig ht in many European
countries, while the govern‑
ments of EU countries such as
Poland and Hungary have been
accused of undermining the rule
of law. The Berlin Wall fell dur‑
ing the revolutions of 1989 in
central and eastern Europe, in
which several Soviet‑imposed
The slowdown, Moody's said,
partly reflects cyclical factors,
partly structural drivers, includ‑
ing demographic trends. But the
adverse impact of the increas‑
ingly antagonistic global politi‑
cal environment, particularly on
global trade and investment, has
been pervasive and will likely
remain so.
"Overall, the global environ‑
ment is becoming less pre‑
dictable for the 142 sovereigns
that we rate, encompassing
$63.2 trillion in debt outstand‑
ing. Event risk is rising, raising
the spectre of reversals in capi‑
tal flows that would crystallise
vulnerabilities facing the weak‑
est sovereigns," it said.
Moody's now expects growth
in G20 g roup of top world
economies to stay around 2.6%
next year, after 3% in 2018.
INTERNATIONAL
communist regimes were top‑
pled following protests and polit‑
ical movements.
US Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo was not at the ceremo‑
ny, but visited Berlin earlier this
week.
He criticized the human rights
records of the Russian and
Chinese governments, and said:
"Today, authoritarianism is once
again rising."
Riots erupt in Bolivia after
Morales' resignation
La Paz: Riots erupted across
Bolivia after the resignation of
President Evo Morales amid
mounting pressure to step down
following the anti‑government
protests that have rocked the
South American nation since late
last month.
T he riots took place after
Morales and Vice President
Alvaro Garcia Linera confirmed
in a video they there were step‑
ping down from their posts,
while calling for calm and peace
in Bolivia, reports Efe news.
The riots occurred in La Paz, El
Alto and Cochabamba, among
other major cities in the country.
Looting and arson attacks were
reported mainly in El Alto, one of
the polit ical strong holds of
Morales, and in several neigh‑
borhoods of La Paz.
The Mayor's Of fice of La Paz
reported that a mob burned 15
buses of the municipal transport
service in Kupillani neighbor‑
hood.
It added that "drivers and peo‑
ple called to mobilize by deputies
and leaders" of Morales'
Movement for Socialism (MAS)
entered a municipal transport
yard in Huayllani, another south‑
ern neighborhood, and "(began)
to set the buses on fire". In El
Alto, mobs ransacked a popular
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
‘Unlike US, Turkey made
no fuss on Baghdadi's
wife’s arrest’
Ankara: Turkish authorities
have held slain Islamic State
(IS) leader Abu Bakr al‑
Baghdadi's wife in custody
for over a year and were
exploring ways to deport
her, President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said here. Baghdadi
was the world's most wanted
terrorist until his death last
month during a US special
forces raid on a property in
the Syrian province of Idlib,
reports Efe news.
"His wife has been in our
hands for a year or a year
Turkish President
and a half," Erdogan said. Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"Baghdadi committed sui‑
cide in a tunnel. There has been northern Syria.
a great media campaign about "After capturing them, we put
this. We have arrested his wife, them in a deportation center.
but we have not made any fuss While they are there, we will see
about it. I'm saying it now for what the Ministry of Justice can
the first t ime," the Turkish do. The wife will face the same
leader had said. process."
Turkish officials said they had Around 10 members of
also captured Baghdadi's sister Baghdadi's family were current‑
and several other relatives in ly being held in Turkey.
President Evo Morales has been in power in Bolivia for nearly 14 years.
fair and set businesses on fire. Morales for the fourth term until
"In the face of the attack from 2025. He has been in power for
organized violent groups, I again nearly 14 years.
make a strong call to the Armed Morales announced his resig‑
Forces and the National Police, nat ion after more than two
so that they protect citizens and weeks of citizen protests against
guarantee the unity and life of fraud and clashes between oppo‑
people, in compliance with their nents and supporters, in addition
constitutional mandate," former to a police uprising in the last
President Carlos Mesa said on two days.
Twitter. Earlier in the day, a report by
In Co chabamba, a g roup the Organization of American
caused damage to Morales' States (OAS) warned of serious
house, according to local media. irregularities in the general elec‑
Bolivia has been plunged into a tions.
political and social crisis since While announcing their resig‑
the general elections held on nations, Morales and his Vice
October 20 amid allegations of President reiterated their denun‑
fraud favoring the re‑election of ciations of a coup d'etat.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info BUSINESS November 16-22, 2019 23

Modi arrives in Brasilia Alibaba Singles'

for BRICS summit
Brasilia: Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Wednesday
arrived in the Brazilian capital for
the 11th BRICS summit.
He was scheduled to hold talks
with the presidents of Russia,
Brazil and China ‑ Vladimir Putin,
Jair Messias Bolsonaro, and Xi
Jinping, respectively.
He was also scheduled to attend
the BRICS Business Forum Closing
Ceremony, attend a cultural pres‑
entation and a welcome dinner
hosted by the Brazilian president.
The theme of the 11th BRICS
summit is "Economic Growth for
an Innovative Future".
T he BRICS comprises Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South
Africa. A large business delegation
from India is also attending the
BRICS business forum there.
On November 14, the leaders
would attend a restricted session,
which would be a closed door ses‑
sion.
Later, Modi would attend the
BRICS plenary where the leaders
will discuss intra‑BRICS coopera‑
tion for economic development of
their societies, he added. MoUs
Prime Minister Narendra Modi being accorded Guard of Honor on
his arrival in Brasilia for 11th BRICS Summit. (Photo: IANS/MEA)
would be signed between the trade
and investment agencies, after
which a BRICS joint declaration
would also be issued.
T he five major emerg ing
economies comprise 42 percent of
the world's population, having 23
percent of the global GDP and 17
percent of world trade.
"I would be taking part in this
year's BRICS Summit being held in
Brazil on November 13 and 14.
The Summit's theme is 'Economic
growth for an innovative future.' I
look forward to holding discus‑
sions w ith BRICS leaders on
greater cooperation in a wide
range of areas," Modi said on
Tuesday ahead of his departure.
He said on the sidelines of the
BRICS Summit, he would be
addressing the BRICS Business
Forum and interacting with BRICS
Business Council as well as the
New Deve lopment Bank.
"Improving economic linkages
augurs well for the BRICS nations,"
he said.
Day sales hit record
$38.3 billion
Hangzhou (China): Setting a new
record, Chinese e‑commerce
giant Alibaba has posted 24.3
per cent jump in total sales to
$38.3 billion during the 11th edi‑
tion of mega Singles' Day shop‑
ping event.
The high‑double digit growth
in the Global Shopping Festival,
branded as Double 11, holds high
hopes for the Chinese economy
which has slowed down in the
wake of global trade war and
sagging demand. T he e‑com‑
merce behemoth had recorded
total sales of $30.8 billion worth
of merchandise during its one‑
day shopping event in 2018.
In what suggests strong domes‑
t ic consumpt ion demand,
Alibaba's sales across its various
platforms crossed $10 billion
within half an hour of the global
shopping festival, 2019 kicking
off on Sunday midnight.
T he shopping blitz saw
200,000 brands participating in
the mega event which has over
the years become an important
date in the Chinese calendar.
Chris Tung, CMO, Alibaba
Group said that Double 11 Global
Shopping Festival has trans‑
formed itself from a promotional
event into a global phenomenon.
He further said that Alibaba
platforms support brands from
all over the world including small
and medium enterprises (SMEs)
to engage with their online cus‑
tomers.
The mega shopping event now
kicks of f w ith pomp and
grandeur. In the hours leading up
to the shopping event on Sunday
night, mega star Taylor Swift
besides other domestic and inter‑
national celebrities performed.
The Singles' Day 24‑hour sales
which offer deals and bargains to
millions of shoppers has sur‑
passed the sales of all similar
events such as Cyber Monday
and Black Friday.

Rupee tumbles Vodafone CEO threatens to

63 paise, falls to
Rs 72 per dollar
Mumbai: The domestic currency ended sharply
lower on Wednesday over weak macro numbers and
soft capital market sentiments. The rupee slipped to
its lowest in two months at Rs 72.09 a dollar from
its previous close of Rs 71.46.
The rupee surpassed the crucial level after a
series of macro‑data indicated weak economic out‑
look. The Index of Industrial Production (IIP)
declined 4.3 per cent in September 2019 compared
to a growth of 4.6 per cent in the year‑ago period.
The contraction was steeper than street estimates
and was the sharpest since the new series began in
2011.
Analysts said that the rupee tumbled over expec‑
tations that Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) would be
higher than the previous month. The CPI data
released after market hours showed that retail infla‑
tion jumped above RBI's medium term target of 4
per cent to 4.2 per cent in October. The retail infla‑
tion was 3.99 per cent in September.
The State Bank of India had said earlier that the
second quarter GDP growth may further slip to 4.2
per cent on low automobile sales, deceleration in air
traffic movements, flattening of core sector growth
and declining investment in construction and infra‑
structure.
"Based on our composite leading indicator that
suggests the GDP growth to slow down further from
5.0 per cent in Q1 of FY20 to 4.2 per cent on
account of low automobile sales, deceleration in air
traffic movements, flattening of core sector growth
and declining investment in construction and infra‑
structure," the bank had said in a report.
leave India operations
New Delhi: The price wars in the Indian
telecom market have pushed the value Vodafone CEO
of Vodafone's local joint venture to zero Nick Read.
or nil as Vodafone CEO Nick Read indi‑
cated that the Indian operation is head‑
ed for liquidation unless the Indian gov‑
ernment provides relief on mobile spec‑
trum fees.
The parent company, Vodafone, has
written off the book value of the Indian
business. As per financial results
released by Vodafone Group on Tuesday,
the book value of Vodafone's 45 per
cent stake in joint venture, Vodafone
Idea, has slumped to zero in November
2019. Contrast this with the fact that
the book value was more than 2 billion
euros in June 2018, but in May of this
year, the book value had been reduced
to 1.5 billion euros. to nil," Vodafone said. It has recognized rights issue," it said.
In the financial results released on the losses and the carrying value is As per media reports, Read said in
Tuesday, most of Vodafone's bad news reduced to nil. London after the financial results that
came from India. This included write‑ "If the carrying value had been high Vodafone Group Plc's Indian venture
downs, losses, reduced cash flows and enoug h not to have restricted the could be headed for liquidation unless
provisions for the Supreme Court judge‑ Group's share of losses, then the recog‑ the government gives relief. One of the
ment. Vodafone said the remaining car‑ nised share of losses would have been largest foreign investors in India,
rying value has been redued to nil. "As substantially higher," it said. Vodafone has decided not to invest any
the Group has no obligation to fund VIL "The Group's recorded share of VIL's more into the business.
losses, the Group has recognised its resulting losses has been restricted to "If you don't get the remedies being
share of est imated Vo dafone Idea the amount that reduces the Group's suggested, the situation is critical," Read
Limited ('VIL') losses arising from both carry ing value in VIL to nil at 30 said at a press round‑table in London,
its operating activities and those in rela‑ September 2019. The Group's carrying the reports said. "If you're not a going
tion to the AGR judgement to an amount value was 1,392 million euros at 31 concern, you're moving into a liquida‑
that is limited to the remaining carrying March 2019 and in May 2019 the tion scenario ‑‑ can't get any clearer than
value of VIL, which is therefore reduced Group invested 1,410 million euros via a that."
 24 November 16-22, 2019
Sensational Chahar hands
India series win over B'desh
Nagpur: A brilliant bowling perform‑
ance by Deepak Chahar (6/7) helped
India beat Bangladesh by 30 runs in
the third T20I to win the three‑
match series 2‑1 at the VCA Stadium
here.
The 27‑year‑old Rajasthan seamer
bagged 6 wickets for just 7 runs,
including a hat‑trick, from 3.2 overs
to return with the best ever figures
in the history of T20 internationals,
surpassing the previous record held
by Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis who
scalped 6/8 against Zimbabwe in
2012.
Chasing a target of 175,
Bangladesh were dealt an early blow
with Chahar dismissing opener Liton
Das and Soumya Sarkar off consecu‑
tive deliveries in the third over.
However, a 98‑run third wicket
stand between Mohammad Naim
and Mohammad Mithun put
Bangladesh in cruise mode. Twenty‑
year‑old Naim, who made his inter‑
national debut in the first match of
the series, smashed 81 off 48 balls,
his innings laced with 10 fours and
two sixes.
It was Chahar who provided the
much‑needed breakthrough as
Mithun (27) holed out to K.L. Rahul
at long off in the 13th over against
Shafali, Deepti star as
India thrash West Indies
Gros Islet (St. Lucia): Shafali
Verma continued with her pro‑
lific run as she helped India
women defeat West Indies
women by 10 wickets in the sec‑
ond T20I of the five‑match
series at the Daren Sammy
Cricket Ground.
Chasing a modest target of
104 on Sunday evening, Indian
eves broke little sweat as both
the Indian openers, who stitched
a record partnership in the first
match, got the team across the
line in the 11th over.
Earlier, Anisa Mohammed,
who was captaining the side
after Stafanie Taylor was ruled
out of the series due to injury,
won the toss and elected to bat
first. Just like the opening game,
runs were again hard to come as
Hayley Matthews and Stacy‑Ann
King opened the batting. Stacy‑
Ann was the first to go for 7 fol‑
lowed by Shemaine Campbelle
for a four‑ball 0.
Chedean Nation steadied the
Windies middle order with
Hayley, as the pair added 34
runs together before the opener
‑ in her attempt to hit a straight
Indian players with the trophy after winning the 3rd T20I match
against Bangladesh by 30 runs at Vidarbha Cricket Association
Stadium in Nagpur. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)
the run of play. Shivam Dube then
dismissed Bangladesh stumper and
hero of the first match, Mushfiqur
Rahim, for a duck as the momentum
veered back India's way.
Dube then got the big wicket of
Naim with an inch‑perfect yorker.
Naim tried to play it to point but the
ball tailed away late to take his off
stump. Dube then dismissed Afif
Hossain with a catch of f his own
bowling while Yuzvendra Chahal cas‑
tled Bangladesh skipper
Mahmudullah to leave the visitors
Shafali Verma.
six ‑‑ was caught in the deep for
23. Chedean fell soon after for
32 as Natasha McLean was the
only other batter to reach dou‑
ble figures. She made 17.
The hosts finished their 20
overs on 103/7. Spinner Deepti
Sharma was the pick of the
Indian bowlers as she returned
with figures of 4/10 from her
four overs.
SPORTS
reeling at 130/7 in the 17th over.
It was all Chahar show after that.
He first got the wicket of Shafiul
Islam off the last delivery of the 18th
over and then returned to dismiss
Mustafizur Rahman and Aminul
Islam off the first two balls of the
20th over to complete his hat‑trick,
the first by a male Indian cricketer in
T20 internationals. Earlier, half‑cen‑
turies by Shreyas Iyer (62) and K.L.
Rahul (52) helped India post a chal‑
lenging total of 174/5 in the allotted
20 overs.
Kohli & boys to train
under lights in Indore
New Delhi: The Indian team is set
to play its maiden Day‑Night Test
against Bangladesh at the historic
Eden Gardens from November 22
to 26 and that has seen the team
management request the Madhya
Pradesh Cricket Association
(MPCA) to organise for training
under lights for Virat Kohli and
boys. Speaking to IANS, former
MPCA secretary Milind
Kanmadikar confirmed the same
and said that the association is
more than happy to help the play‑
ers adapt to the pink ball in Indore.
"We got a request from the
Indian team that they want to train
under lights with an eye on the
pink ball Test, so we are going to
arrange for the same," he said.
Speaking to BCCI.tv, Test deputy
Ajinkya Rahane spoke about the
need to train well to adapt to the
challenges that come with playing
with the pink ball.
"I am very excited personally. It
is a new challenge. I don't know
how it will turn out but we will get
an idea when we have a couple of
practice sessions. Only then we
will get an idea of how much the
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Chahar moves 88 slots
after hat‑trick show
Dubai: India fast bowler
Deepak Chahar, who returned a
world record haul of six for
seven against Bangladesh, has
moved up 88 slots to 42nd
position in the latest ICC T20I
rankings for players, but the
bowlers' list continues to be led
by slow bowlers. The top five
and eight of the top nine are
spinners, with Mitchell Santner
reaching second place ‑‑ his
best position since he topped
the table in January 2018. As
per the ICC release, Dawid
Malan, whose tally of 458 runs
is more than anyone else after
their first nine matches, has
moved to No.3 on the batting
rankings, while Australia cap‑
tain Aaron Finch has moved up
two spots to the second posi‑
tion in the ICC Men's T20I
Player Rankings. The list is led India fast bowler
by Pakistan's Babar Azam. Deepak Chahar.
The Indian
team is set to
play its maiden
Day‑Night
Test against
Bangladesh
at the historic
Eden
Gardens from
November
22 to 26.
pink ball swings and how it works with pink ball, you know what to
session wise. Fans perspective expect at what time and what
wise also it will be interesting. I might be on offer. So that experi‑
think as a batsman lateral move‑ ence does help," Pujara said.
ment will be there and it will be "Sometimes it is challenging in
best if you play late, that is my per‑ twilight playing with the pink ball.
sonal idea. Adapting shouldn't be a You need little more practice and
problem," he pointed. once you keep playing with the
India's Test No.3 Cheteshwar pink ball at that time (twilight),
Pujara also told IANS that while he you start getting used to it.
has the experience of playing "So it's just about doing a few
against the pink ball in Duleep more practice sessions before we
Trophy, a little practice will help play the match. I will try and prac‑
ahead of the second Test. tice with the pink ball whenever
"When I played, it was 2016/17 there is an opportunity."
which is a long time ago. So that Clearly head coach Ravi Shastri
can't be considered as an advan‑ and skipper Kohli is keeping no
tage. But yes, that experience will stone unturned to ensure the boys
be very helpful for sure, without are fully prepared come the Eden
any doubt. When you have played Test.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info LIFESTYLE November 16-22, 2019 25

Turban-tying, Yoga and other activities Netizens flag off

#NoShaveNovember
at London Travel Mart India Pavilion challenge on Twitter
S
Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary and the Statue ince the start of November,
Started in 2004 by
social media sites such as
of Unity also being promoted and publicized this year Twitter and Facebook are Movember Foundation
charity aiming to raise

T
he Ministry of Tourism
participated in the three‑
day World Travel Market
(WTM) in London with its pavil‑
ion featuring a number of activi‑
ties, like yoga demonstration,
henna application, food tasting,
turban tying and saree tying.
The India pavilion, at the
November 4‑6 WTM, had as its
theme 'Incredible India ‑ Find the
Incredible India.' A total of 32
stakeholders, including state gov‑
ernments, Union Territory admin‑
istrations, Air India, IRCTC,
hotels, wellness resorts and tour
operators participated as co‑
exhibitor.
Besides, showcasing India's var‑
ious tourism products, this year,
the 150th birth anniversary of
Mahatma Gandhi and the Statue
of Unity were also promoted and
publicized at the India Pavilion.
flooded with hundreds of posts
with #NoShaveNovember. 'No
Shave November' is a campaign,
where men do not shave their
facial hair and donate the money
spent on barber and shaving tools
and gear for charity. It was started
in 2004 by the Movember
Foundation charity which aimed
to raise awareness about prostate
and testicular cancer.
Now Netizens have flagged off
#NoShaveNovember challenge on
Indian High Commissioner Mrs Ruchi Ghanashyam, Deputy High Twitter which includes several,
Commissioner Charanjeet Singh, and other dignitaries‑ including memes, jokes, GIFs and mixed
the Air India Maharaja‑ at the Incredible India Pavilion at the reactions.
World Tourism Mart in London. Here are some tweets on
#NoShaveNovember:
The Secretary of the Ministry of bitions for the travel and tourism
"The goal of No‑Shave
Tourism Yogendra Tripathi lead industry. In the last four decades,
November is to grow awareness
the official delegation, which the WTM has grown into the
by embracing our hair, which
included Additional Director world's largest exhibition attract‑
many cancer patients lose," a
General (Tourism) Rupinder Brar. ing over 5,000 exhibitors from
Twitter user wrote from his
The WTM is one of the must‑ 182 countries and more than
account.
attend business‑to‑business exhi‑ 51,000 participants.
Another person with username
awareness about prostate
and testicular cancer
@Haidaer tweeted: "I'm doing this
for sure but just pray for me
lemme not see my mother.
#NoShaveNovember."
A woman wrote from her
Twitter account:
"#NoShaveNovember. Can't wait
to see handsome boys with
Beards."
"#noshavenovember keep a
beard as healthy as this and you'll
never regret while u gave it a shot
in your life," another tweet read.
"Calling ALL MEN!!! It's time for
us to do the one thing we fail at
which is checking our health on a
regular. November is Men's
Health Awareness Month (No
Shave November) and I want to
challenge each of you to partici‑
pate," another user tweeted.

D
isney+ launched to much
fanfare on Tuesday, and
then immediately hit some
bumps. Disney (DIS) fans looking to
enjoy all the content the company's
new streaming service had to offer
were instead greeted by error pages
starring Disney's own Wreck‑It
Ralph. "Unable to connect to
Disney+," one error page, which
showed Wreck‑It Ralph holding a
WiFi signal, read. "There seems to
be an issue connecting to the
Disney+ service." Another error page
depicted Mickey Mouse and his dog,
Pluto, as forlorn astronauts looking
off into space. "The consumer
demand for Disney+ has exceeded
our high expectations. We are
pleased by this incredible response
and are working to quickly resolve
the current user issue. We appreci‑
ate your patience," a Disney+
spokesperson said in a statement.
Downdetector, a website that pro‑
vides information on online outages,
had received more than 7,300
reports of problems related to
Disney+ launches, then crashes 73-Year-old woman becomes
Disney+ by 7 a.m. ET. The number of
reports then dropped before going
up again, spiking at nearly 8,500
reports around 9 a.m. ET.
Some users on social media
reported a litany of difficulties
launching the app and watching
content on the service. "Introducing
Disney+ Premium! For a small $15‑
per‑month upgrade fee, you can
enjoy our vast catalogue of films
and television series without the
hassle of none of it working,"
Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair's chief
critic, tweeted.
Dave Itzkoff, a culture reporter for
the New York Times, tweeted, "PHE‑
NOMENAL COSMIC LIBRARY/itty
bitty server capacity," a joke refer‑
encing the company's animated clas‑
sic "Aladdin”.
The rough start for Disney+ is a
bit embarrassing for the company
considering the attention around
the service's launch.
The service is Disney's first charge
into the "streaming wars," in which
media companies like WarnerMedia
and Comcast (CCZ) as well as tech
giants like Apple (AAPL) are battling
with Netflix (NFLX) for consumers'
time and money. For Disney and its
CEO Bob Iger, Disney+ represents a
major shift in the company's busi‑
ness focus and a possible key to its
future. "The launch of Disney+ is a
historic moment for our company
that marks a new era of innovation
and creativity," Iger said in a state‑
ment when the service launched
early Tuesday. The service will have
30 original series, 7,500 past
episodes and 500 movie titles. That
includes a new Star Wars series,
"The Mandalorian," Disney
Animation, Marvel films such as
"Avengers: Endgame," documen‑
taries from National Geographic and
30 seasons of "The Simpsons."
(Source: cnn.com)
bikini body champion
M
aria Cristina,
73, from
Reno, Nevada,
who became hooked on
fitness after working
out with a personal
trainer for the first
time when she was 69,
has become a bikini
body champion. She
was a college president
in both Nevada and
California for two
decades, and started
working out only after
her retirement.
Maria Cristina, from Nevada, started
Cristina admits that
working out only after her retirement and
she grew "heavier,
has won a number of bodybuilding titles
slower and more
stressed" after turning 50, as her made up the rules about who
career took precedence over her should be doing what? We don't
health and well‑being. She was have to hit 50 and feel dowdy,
determined to get into shape like it's all over. I still have so
after retiring and booked her first many things I want to do and

Section of Jaipur's City Palace goes on Airbnb session with a personal trainer at
age 69, reported Daily Mail.
plan to train into my 80s and
90s."

A
part of the 300‑year‑old City
Palace of Jaipur, home to
Jaipur's royal family, has
been listed as a bookable property
on travel lodging platform Airbnb.
From November 23, the Gudliya
Suite at the 1727‑built City Palace
can be booked by tourists on Airbnb,
with Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh
Singh ̶who is all of 21 years of
age̶becoming the first royal to
offer a stay at his palace on the plat‑
form. The move will support the
rural women's empowerment initia‑
tives of the Princess Diya Kumari
Foundation (PDKF), Airbnb said in a
press statement. It added that guests
will be able to book and stay in the
luxurious Gudliya Suite, located with‑
in one of the private sections of a
royal palace that, until now, was
She began working out with her Her first foray into fitness con‑
used for the royals and their special
trainer three times a week, in tests was in 2017, when she
guests. It includes its own lounge,
addition to doing 45 minutes to entered six major International
kitchen, luxurious bathroom and pri‑
one hour of cardio each morning. Natural Bodybuilding Association
vate, indoor swimming pool. "I am
By 2017, she became toned (INBA) competitions, taking home
thrilled that my family and I are part‑
enough to enter fitness modeling six titles. The following year, she
nering with Airbnb to bring the
contests, competing alongside scored four first‑place prizes in
splendor of Rajasthan to life for trav‑
women half her age. both INBA and Amateur Athletic
ellers from around the world. My
Cristina now runs a wellness Union (AAU) contests.
own travels with Airbnb have made
company alongside being a per‑ Then, earlier this month, she
me feel very welcome in new cities
sonal trainer and coach. She said, headed to Las Vegas, Nevada,
and cultures, and I am happy that
"A lot of us see slowing down as a where she won first place in the
the experience of quintessential
natural part of getting older, but classic figure category of ICN Las
Indian hospitality will be shared with
it doesn't have to be. I'm very Vegas Open Fitness and Model
others," the statement quotes
open about my age, because who Championships.
Padmanabh Singh as saying. (IANS)
 26 November 16-22, 2019 PERSONAL FINANCE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

By Basab Dasgupta

A
lmost all Indian immigrants
who have come to USA
have been successful in
MONEY MANAGEMENT
Shouldn’t we do what
establishing themse lves w ith
decent education, professional
jobs, comfortable housing etc. At
the same time a majority of them
have not been able to get com‑

plete ly assimilated into the
American society. Many of them
live an "Indian lifestyle" in areas
heavily populated by Indians and
so cialize mostly w ith other
Indians. There are several social
and cultural reasons for this para‑
doxical situation, but one key con‑
tributor is dif ference in money
management styles.
The traditional guiding princi‑
ples among Indians seem to be the
following: earn as much money
and work as long as possible
before retirement, spend modest
amounts of money in every aspect
of life, save the dif ference in
secure investments (bank CDs,
gold jewelry, real estate) which go
up in value, borrow the least
amounts of money and pay all
credit card bills in full at the end of
the month. Two over‑riding con‑
cerns with most families are sav‑
ing money for childrenʼs education
and having enough money for the
family in case of a death or crip‑
pling illness.
There is nothing wrong with this
approach but the philosophy of
money management among
Americans seems to be drastically
different. This makes social assimi‑
lat ion a dif ficult proposit ion
because it results in differences in
lifestyles, values and social behav‑
iors. I will call it “cash flow man‑
agement” (CFM), borrowing a term
the economists use, but not quite
in the same sense. The basic con‑
cept is very simple. Every month,
month after month until you die,
the total spending must not exceed
your total earning. Any amount of
expense is acceptable as long as
this criterion is satisfied and it
does not matter how it is satisfied.
The belief is that one would live a
pleasurable life by spending a lot
more if one can play by this rule.
Unlike the traditional Indian
approach, in the CFM, it does not
matter how many cars or houses
you own or even how much money
you owe. It also does not take into
account what are the scenarios
after you die. The thinking is that,
once you die it is no longer your
problem. There are two advan‑
tages to this way of thinking: i) one
can enjoy life better by spending
more, for example, by buying a
fancy Mercedes Benz car instead
of that Honda Accord, living in a
large luxury custom house instead
of that track home in an Indian
neighborhood, wearing designerʼs
clothes instead of those J.C.
Penney sales items and flying once
in a while in business class or first
class. ii) Secondly, just by spend‑
ing more, one can contribute to the
the Americans do
prosperity in the economy of the
country as a whole because one is
consuming more goods and thus
allowing the companies who make
those goods to hire more people.
Although one must not spend
more than oneʼs earning, borrow‑
ing is perfectly allowed as long as
loan payments are considered to
be part of the total expense in the
financial equation. One should
have access to some pockets of
money to cover unexpected
expenses in emergencies like ill‑
ness or loss of job, but that can be
addressed by establishing some
credit lines (through credit cards
The cash flow management the American way
is: Every month, month after month until you
die, the total spending must not exceed your
total earning. Any amount of expense is
acceptable as long as this criterion is satisfied
and it does not matter how it is satisfied.
and home equity lines, for exam‑
ple), ahead of time. Childrenʼs edu‑
cation can be covered by student
loans in this strategy. The empha‑
sis is on spending by leveraging
your healthy financial situation, as
opposed to saving.
Also, the preferred method in
CFM in any purchase, from furni‑
ture and appliances to houses and
cars is to pay the minimum down
payment and seek loans with low‑
est interest rates. That allows one
to buy more things as long as the
net cash flow is positive. One
advantage of low down payments
is that, in case of severe financial
distress or bankruptcy, one can
simply walk away from all these
debts.
The CFM method is also the way
most companies run their busi‑
nesses. Obviously, unless a compa‑
ny has a huge amount of cash
reserve somewhere, a negative
cash‑flow every month will eventu‑
ally drive the company out of busi‑
ness. Any successful business
It is possible to balance spending,
borrowing and saving in a way different
from what Indian Americans typically
do in order to enjoy a much better life.
learns to analyze cash flow one
way or another and makes sure
that it is always positive. Also,
there is no point for a company to
build up a huge cash reserve; the
logical strategy for any profitable
company would be to reinvest any
“extra” profit into expansion, diver‑
sification and acquisition, which
would keep the positive cash flow
going, while building equity in the
company.
The governments also follow the
same principle. You hear almost
daily about Americaʼs 20 trillion
dollars in national debt, yet the
country seems to be functioning
just fine. The reason is that the
government earns enough money
(and borrows, if necessary) to, at
least, make the interest payments
on all of its loans. If the current
President can continue to do this
until the end of his term, then it
becomes the next presidentʼs prob‑
lem, just like your loans would
become someone elseʼs problem
after your death.
In the worst‑case scenarios in
personal financial management,
even bankruptcy and non‑payment
of income tax are acceptable
actions in CFM, as long as they are
legal. Both of these outcomes are
considered to be major taboos for
Indians, but there are many
Americans who routinely take
advantage of the system. Even
Donald Trump declared bankrupt‑
cy for his casinos once. If done
legally, declaration of bankruptcy
could wipe out large amounts of
your debt and keep you afloat with
a continuing positive cash flow
because the interest payments on
those loans would disappear. Of
course, one has to make sure
ahead of time that one does not
lose any item of significant worth
in the process (By the way, con‑
trary to a popular misconception,
one does not lose oneʼs principal
residence in bankruptcy).
The flip side is that bankruptcy
would destroy one's credit rating
for several years and that would
prohibit major purchases like a car
or a house. However, that is not
the end of the world because one
can still use debit cards as credit
cards where one need credit cards
for convenience (such as in online
transactions, at gas pumps, etc)
and surprisingly, credit rating can
be restored after about seven
years.
As far as income tax is con‑
cerned, non‑reporting of income
tax is illegal, but there is nothing
illegal about filing your tax return
(which shows the amount of tax
you owe) but not paying the tax.
Of course, Internal Revenue
Service (IRS) will track you down
and demand their money. There
are various options at that point.
One can negotiate with IRS in
order to pay in monthly install‑
ments; the interest rate that IRS
charges may be higher than the
“market” rate, but remember, the
basic goal is to have a positive
cash flow, after including these IRS
monthly payments as part of
expense.
There is even an option of what
is called an "Offer in Compromise"
where a severely distressed person
can propose a relatively small
lump‑sum amount of money to IRS
in order to settle a large debt. If
one has no income and no proper‑
ty or savings in one's name one
can also simply walk away from
the tax burden and ignore all the
demands and threats from IRS. IRS
can confiscate social security (SS)
income, but only up to 15% of the
SS payments per year. That may
be a small price to pay if the tax
liability is huge.
In order to maintain a positive
cash flow after one retires, some
advance planning is necessary.
One has to think of every asset as
a potential source of continuing
monthly income stream until death
instead of potent ial profit on
resale or inheritance left for chil‑
dren. Social Security income, pen‑
sions, annuities, rental income
from investment property and
even a reverse mortgage are very
attractive from that point of view.
Investments in stocks and bonds
are not advisable for retired peo‑
ple, especially with all the econom‑
ic uncertainty in the world today.
I am not imply ing that all
Americans live by CFM principle or
that it is a better system; in fact,
most of them probably are so
heavily in debt that even a slight
unexpected financial dif ficulty
would put them in a tailspin
because they would not have any
reserve money like unused credit
card balances or equity lines or
any other strategy to handle such
situations.
Most Americans are also failing
miserably in post‑retirement finan‑
cial planning. A recent news report
claims that about 65% Americans
have $1000 or less in retirement
funds!
My main point is that it is possi‑
ble to balance spending, borrowing
and saving in a way different from
what we typically do in order to
enjoy a much better life.
Basab Dasgupta has a
doctorate in physics from
University of Wisconsin and
worked
with Sony
as Vice
President
of an
operating
division.
Retired,
he now he
lives in San Clemente, CA.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info EDUCATION November 16-22, 2019 27

5 reasons why Montreal is the

perfect city for college students
SHINE ON, STUDENTS
By Kristen Moon
excellent options for higher edu‑
cation, it's also the perfect city
for a college student. Here are
five reasons why.
1. An Identity
Of Diversity
Montreal is one of the most
diverse cities on the continent,
with one in every four residents
of the greater Montreal area
being an immigrant. Quebec is a
French‑speaking province, but
do so. Que bec's Ministry of
Immigration offers free courses,
both in‑person and online.
2. No Car? No
Problem!
Even if you aren't able to bring
your car to Montreal, the city has
ample ways to get around.
Montreal has 400 miles of bike
paths, making it a relatively easy
city to navigate on two wheels.
T hereʼs also a robust public
4. You Won't
Be Bored
McGill and Concordia are both
demanding universities, so your
studies will take up the bulk of
your time in Montreal. But when
you want a break or a quick
weekend getaway from school,
Montreal has countless opportu‑
nities for fun. You can explore
the cityʼs many delicious food
traditions, like the famous pou‑
McGill's annual tuition for a
Bachelor of Arts degree for the
2019/20 academic year is just
over $18,000, and Concordia is
around that same total.
A cosmopolitan feel, endless
opportunities for fun and cultur‑
al enrichment and exce llent,
af fordable education to boot:
Montreal really might be the per‑
fect city for college students.

O
ne of my favorite trips
this year took me just an
hour's drive from the
U.S. border – or a quick two‑hour
flight from Atlanta – to a city
with mid‑70s weather and a cool
breeze in August. The architec‑
ture has a distinctly European
feel, a reflection of the city's
strong Scottish and French cul‑
tural heritage, with sidewalk
cafes dotting the streets.
This is Montreal, the largest
city in Canada's province of
Quebec and one of the most dis‑
tinctive travel destinations in
North America. With multiple
55% of the population is bilin‑
gual in French and English, so
youʼll get around just fine if
English is your only language.
Two of the city's top universi‑
ties use English as the primary
language of instruction. McGill
University is ranked as one of the
top universities in the entire
world and has pro duced 12
Nobe l Prize laureates, and
Concordia University, the largest
university in Canada by enroll‑
ment, boasts the prestigious John
Molson School of Business.
If you do want to learn French,
there are ample opportunities to
transportation system, with a
four‑line subway system and bus
routes that crisscross virtually
every part of the island.
3. Close To Home
As we ment ioned be fore,
Montreal can give you a cosmo‑
politan cultural experience while
also keeping your home base
within arm's reach. It's within
driving distance of much of the
northeastern United States –
roughly a six‑hour drive due
north from New York City – and
you can hop on quick flights
from many major airports.
tine, take in one of the excellent
museums, such as the Biodôme
or, if the weather is nice, take a
jaunt over to Parc Jean‑Drapeau,
Mount Royal Park or La Ronde,
an amusement park operated by
Six Flags.
5. A City With
It All
And this might be the best part
about Montreal and its universi‑
ties: You can get the excellent Kristen Moon is an
education and rich cultural expe‑ independent college
rience for much less than you'd counselor and founder
have to pay for a private univer‑ of MoonPrep.com.
sity in the United States, as

IMMIGRATION
By Dev Banad Viswanath,
Esq. & Michael Phulwani, Esq.
The B2 Visa - The Pleasure
A
B‑2 visa is a temporary

Visitor’s Gateway to America!

non‑immigrant visitor
visa for pleasure or per‑
sonal needs. This visa is for indi‑
viduals who are coming to the
children under the age of 21, are

VISA
U.S. for tourism purposes. Some
qualifying tourism purposes not allowed to obtain a depend‑
include: ent visa. Each dependent who

4 Vacation;
4 Visiting family and friends;
4 Enrolling in a short recre‑
ational course of study such
as a two‑day cooking class;
4 Participating in a musical,
sports, or similar event if not
being paid for participation;
4 Medical treatment; or
4 Tourism
Travel activities not allowed to
take part in on a B‑2 visa:
4 Employment, whether paid
or unpaid;
4 Receive education which
credits to a degree or diplo‑
ma;
4 Arrive in the U.S. as a part
of a crew of a ship or an air‑
craft;
4 Work as a journalist, for‑
eign press, or other infor‑
mation media;
4 Perform before a paying
audience;
4 Manage a business located
in the U.S; or
TALK
4 Permanent residence in
the U.S.
Am I Eligible
for a B‑1 Visa?
In order to be eligible for a B‑2
visa an individual must meet the
following criteria:
4 The visit must be for a legit‑
imate visitor purpose;
4 The trip must be for a spe‑
cific limited period of time;
4 You must be able to finan‑
cially fund the trip and stay
on your own;
4 You can show proof that
you have a residence out‑
side of the U.S. and you
have an intention of return‑
ing at the end of the visit;
and
4 You donʼt have any other
restrictions that would not
allow you to be admitted in
to the U.S. such as an arrest
or previous visa violation.
The steps of the application
process for a B‑2 visa vary
depending at which U.S. Embassy
or Consulate you apply at. It is
recommended that applicants
NOT make firm travel plans to
visit the US until they have their
B‑2 Visitor Visa in hand after
interview and approval.
Under a B‑2 visa an individual
may stay in the U.S. between one
and six months, six months being
the maximum. After the initial
period of stay ends, an extension
of stay may be granted for up to
an additional six months. The
will join the B‑2 visa holder to
the U.S. must apply separately
for their own B‑2 visa.
This is the appropriate visa for
most, short term, visitors to the
United States for pleasure and it
is a convenient way to come
quickly to the US. For more infor‑
maximum total amount of time
mation to see whether the B‑2
visitor visa is right for you or
permitted in B‑2 status on a sin‑ your family or friends you should
gle trip is one year, with limited contact an experienced immigra‑
exceptions. Any dependents of B‑ tion attorney with consular expe‑
2 nonimmigrants, spouse and rience.
Dev Banad Viswanath is the Principal Attorney of The
Banad Law Offices PC in the United States,
and Banad Immigration in India for which Attorney
Michael Phulwani is also affiliated as Of Counsel. With
Offices in Manhattan, Queens, Bangalore, and Mumbai,
the firm is able to assist clients with all facets of the
immigration process, including Employment Visas,
Consular Visa Assistance, Student Visas, Removal &
Deportation, US Citizenship and Green Card
Applications based on Family or Employment. Dev B.
Viswanath can be reached at Dev@Banadlaw.com and
718‑361‑5999. Dev will be working from the India
offices from November 5th to November 20th for any
assistance or consultations.
 28 November 16-22, 2019
Marie Kondo can spark joy in my house anytime
I
have to admit that until a few
weeks ago, I had never heard of
Marie Kondo. So if you havenʼt
heard of her, donʼt worry. She isnʼt a
popular singer or actress. She is
even bigger than that. She is the
queen of tidiness.
To be precise, the 34‑year‑old
Japanese woman is an organizing
consultant. She helps people organ‑
ize and tidy up their homes. She has
written four books on organizing,
but like many people, I came to
know her through her Netflix show:
“Marie Kondo T hrows All Your
Things Away.”
Actually, the show is called
“Tidying up with Marie Kondo,” and
in each episode, Kondo visits an
American family and helps them
declutter their homes. She has a
Laughter is the Best Medicine
Humor with Melvin Durai
unique method that seems to
appeal to many people. Iʼve been so
taken by her approach that whenev‑
er my doorbell rings, I keep hoping
itʼs Marie Kondo. But itʼs usually
just the UPS man, delivering more
clutter.
Our home isnʼt particularly messy,
but we could certainly dispose of a
lot of things and not miss them at
all. Clothing is at the top of this list
and, not coincidentally, itʼs what
Kondo tackles first when she helps
people organize their homes. She
gets them to put all their clothes in
a single pile. Then, as they take one
garment in their hands at a time,
she makes them ask this question:
“Does this spark joy?” If a shirt or
dress does not spark any joy, it gets
donated or discarded. If it sparks
HUMOR
joy, it gets to stay in the home, even
if it hasnʼt been worn since 1984.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
I havenʼt yet put myself through
this task, but if I did, Iʼd probably be
left with just a pair of socks. My
younger daughter bought me warm,
comfortable socks for Christmas
and I love wearing them. They cer‑
tainly spark joy in me. So much joy
that I feel like walking outside
wearing nothing but socks. But then
Iʼd get arrested – and that would not
spark any joy at all.
My wife, Malathi, owns far more
clothes than I do. I donʼt think she
has ever put her clothes in a single
pile, but if she ever did, it would
spark immense joy in me. Iʼd take
photos and share them online. But
then Iʼd have to find a new place to
live – and that would not spark any
joy at all.
By Mahendra
Shah
Mahendra Shah is
an architect by
education,
entrepreneur by
profession, artist
and humorist,
cartoonist and
writer by hobby.
He has been
recording the
plight of the
immigrant Indians
for the
past many year in
his cartoons.
Hailing from
Gujarat, he lives in
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania.
After he lping people discard
many of their clothes, Kondo shows
them how to fold the rest into small
rectangles, so they can be arranged
neatly in drawers and other spaces.
It seems like a great idea, but to do
it consistently takes a lot of disci‑
pline and ef fort. Iʼd probably give
up after a week or two, unless
Kondo plans to show up randomly
at peopleʼs homes and crack the
whip.
The second types of possessions
that Kondo focuses on are books.
Many people accumulate books
almost as fast as James Patterson
writes them. My wife owns a thou‑
sand books or so. She is an avid
reader, but if she plans to read them
all in her lifetime, she will definitely
set a Guinness World Record for
oldest living person. Kondo appar‑
ently recommends not owning more
than 30 books. But I donʼt think
even Kondo can get Malathi to
downsize her book collection, not
without the danger of having “War
and Peace” flung at her.
The hardest items for people to
discard are the sentimental ones –
items that spark warm memories, if
not joy. Photographs, report cards,
wedding invitations and expired ID
cards are among the many items we
hold onto. They tell the stories of
our lives and tossing them away is
like tossing away one of our chil‑
dren, but without the benefit of a
lower food bill. (No, I didnʼt just
read Hansel and Gretel to my kids.)
Kondo forces people to assess
each sentimental item and decide if
it still brings them joy. “These wed‑
ding photos are from 1985,” she
says. “Do you really want to keep
them or would you rather just keep
the photos from your more recent
weddings?” In the end, itʼs impor‑
tant for us to realize that if some‑
thing does not bring us joy, itʼs not
worth keeping. Better to donate it,
sell it or discard it, hoping that it
will bring joy to another being, even
if itʼs just a worm in the landfill.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY November 16-22, 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

NOVEMBER 16‑22, 2019

Aries: Your knowledge about a sub‑
ject may be shallow and may spell
trouble for you on the academic
front. You may have to cater to spouseʼs
moodiness this week or face tensions at
home. A dietary change is likely to benefit
you health wise. Financial problems will
come to an end through your own efforts.
Travelling will be fun, but delays cannot
be ruled out due to circumstances beyond
control.
Taurus: Delegating a task at work
may not prove as simple as it had
seemed on the professional front.
Romance may need to be kept on the
backburner.
You can be in a thoughtful mood regard‑
ing some issue facing you. Posit ive
thoughts will help you remain happy and
attain mental peace. Taking due precau‑
tions will save you from season related ail‑
ments on the health front.
Gemini: You will need to increase
your pace on the work front, if you
donʼt want things getting piled up.
Planning a movie or simply going window
shopping cannot be ruled out for some.
Financial planning will be essential to
keep a tab on domestic expenditure. Donʼt
be so kind hearted as to give loan to some‑
one you know will not return it. Some of
you may start having second thoughts
about the career you have chosen.
Cancer: Little gestures of partner
are likely to make love life excit‑
ing. There is much enjoyment in
store for those travelling to meet someone
close.
You can lose money through sheer care‑
lessness towards end of this week. Those
planning to buy property are likely to get
a good bargain. Something you eat outside
may not agree with your system, so stick
to homemade food.
Leo: Refurbishing the house may be
topmost on your mind this week.
Your blunt ways may spoil chances
on the job front. Some of you can fall in
and out of love, and lead an unstable
romantic life.
It is best to keep away from the gossip mill
on the social front as it can rebound on
you. Strong likes and dislikes are likely to
narrow down your social front and may
even get you side‑lined.
Virgo: You are likely to excel at
work and receive a pat on the back
too. Money coming in some form or
the other is likely to fill up your coffers.
Regular dose of romance promises to keep
you chirpy and rejuvenated. There is a
possibility of taking a short break by trav‑
elling to someplace exotic. You will man‑
age to get back to your healthy ways after
remaining under the weather for a short
time.
Libra: Leave pending property
matters for some other time as
stars appear unfavourable this
week. Your depleted bank balance is likely
to be restored to its old glory by someone!
This is an excellent time to push your
career up the corporate ladder as opportu‑
nities are certain to come your way. You
may lend a helping hand to a relation or
neighbour in organising a party or a get
together.
Scorpio: A hectic social event may
leave you tired and fatigued. Make
your love life exciting. You are likely
to neglect your health and pay for it
through doctorʼs bills. Someone you are
apprehensive about on the social front will
soon show his or her true colours.
Meeting and planning something with
friends or cousins is on the cards for
some. A ride to the countryside will help
some unwind.
Sagittarius: Someone at work may
upset you by not doing what has
been told. This is a good time to
take up some physical activity, if you want
to achieve total fitness. Those in love are
likely to make the most of this week. Your
financial position is set to improve as
earnings get enhanced. Your actions on
the social front may be criticised by oth‑
ers. It is best not to speed even on empty
roads.
Capricorn: Happiness is in store for
those who shed hatred harboured
against certain individuals. A finan‑
cial bonanza can come your way this week.
Someone may invite you for an interesting
journey. Remaining irregular in workouts
may begin telling on your health soon.
Taking possession of a flat is likely for
some. Visiting someone close is likely to
give you a sense of immense fulfillment.
Aquarius: Someone who used to
like you may deliberately try to
avoid you, so find out why.
Financial worries that had been troubling
some of late will soon be laid to rest.
Someone in the family may want your
help, but is reluctant to ask, so become
more accommodating. Finding time to
meet lover may prove difficult, but you
will manage somehow! You are likely to
enjoy good health simply by maintaining a
regular routine.
Pisces: You will find things moving
in a positive direction at work.
Those using the road should remain
alert as stars donʼt seem favourable.
Impulse buying can find your domestic
budget overshoot and may put you in a
spot. It may become difficult to overlook
some habits of partner, so brace yourself
for a showdown! You may decide to con‑
tinue the exercise regimen that you have
recently adopted.

November 16, 2019 from new contacts. Pleasure trips

Dominated by number 7 and the
planet Neptune, you are responsi‑
ble, af fectionate, creative, simple
and highly emotional person. You
are dedicated and hard working
and have an excellent command
over your work, but you need to
check your tendency to behave jeal‑
ous, fickle‑minded and extravagant
at times. This year the contacts
that you develop would be long
lasting. Past investments would
fetch handsome returns and long
pending judicial disputes would
settle in your favour. The latter
half of the year sees you get closer
to an influential person who would
make a remarkable dif ference on
your thinking and personality.
Journeys that you undertake and
foreign transactions that you do
are likely to yield good returns.
Stress and tension might lead to
some minor health problems. The
months of February, May, October
and December would be eventful.
November 17, 2019
Influenced by number 8 and the
planet Saturn. You are active,
authoritative, systematic, sober and
methodical person. You are highly
talented and you handle many
responsibilities at a very young
age. You are also courageous and
bold, but you need to control your
tendency to behave stubborn, jeal‑
ous and arrogant at times.
T his year new contacts and
alliances would take shape. You
would be in a strong position and
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
your talents would open better
opportunities for you. Your income
would improve and you would
make some good investments dur‑
ing this period. Your spouse would
be your major support. The both of
you would travel to distant places
and spend many pleasurable
moments together. Health of a sib‑
ling in the family might require fre‑
quent medical attention. T he
months of February, June,
September and December will be
significant.
November 18, 2019
Ruled by number 9 and the plan‑
et Mars. You are energetic, dashing,
courageous, enthusiastic and bril‑
liant individual. You complete
every task in hand to your best
ability. You possess pleasing per‑
sonality, but you need to check
your tendency to behave aggres‑
sive, short‑tempered and extrava‑
gant at times.
T his year your confidence is
going to receive a major boost, pri‑
marily due to the support that you
receive from family members and
friends. Promotions and transfers
for some are certain later in the
year. Your income would rise and
you would spend more on enter‑
tainment and comforts. Past invest‑
ments would bring rewards and
fresh investment during this period
is recommended. Travel overseas
for business and new ventures
seems high. Health of your parents
could cause stress and anxiety.
Avoid financial dealing with friends
and relatives to avoid complica‑
tions later. The months of January,
April, August and November will
prove to be eventful.
November 19, 2019
Dominated by number 1 and the
Sun. You are smart, creative, intelli‑
gent, sensitive, and highly digni‑
fied person. You are a great admir‑
er of music and literature, but you
need to control your tendency to
behave careless, jealous and stub‑
born at times.
This year you would put your
education, experience and skills to
benefit in your job. You would be
interested more in fame and glory
than financial rewards. However
your income would not be bad, and
you would also make some major
investments. Some thumping news
can be expected from your children
towards the last quarter of the
year. New construction, renovation
and socializing will be major high‑
light this year. Overseas trip also
seems likely for some. Health how‑
ever will be a matter of concern.
T he months of March, July,
September and November will be
highly result oriented.
November 20, 2019
Governed by number 2 and the
Moon. You are imaginative, honest,
sensitive, emotional and creative
person. You willingly help those in
distress with cash and kind, but
your tendency to behave introvert
and shy needs to be checked at
times. This year you would make
new contacts, which would help
you in your line of work. You would
also receive unexpected advance‑
ments in your career. You would do
extremely well socially if you travel
and get involved in clubs and other
social events. Your income would
be much better than the past few
years. Your beloved though posses‑
sive at time would be helpful and
supportive. Minor health ailments
such as backache, stif f neck or
body pains will pose frequent prob‑
lems. The month of January, May,
September and December will
bring in the desired result.
November 21, 2019
Ruled by number 3 and the plan‑
et Jupiter. You are energetic, ambi‑
tious, dignified, and kindhearted
person. You are a good listener and
an able administrator and you have
an ability to handle things perfectly
even under pressure, but you need
to control your tendency to domi‑
nate and behave stubborn at times.
This year your employer would
appreciate your confidence and
enthusiasm. You would be able to
accomplish many tasks that you
earlier thought as impossible.
Monetary benefits would accrue
or friendly get‑togethers will be
exciting and intellectually stimulat‑
ing. Family members will be sup‑
portive and friends will be helpful.
Minor domestic tensions and stress
will bother you. Health needs extra
care therefore be careful of what
you consume. T he months of
January, July, October and
December seem to bring desired
results.
November 22, 2019
Influenced by number 4 and the
planet Uranus. You are active, prac‑
tical, enthusiastic, courageous and
highly philosophical person. You
are very proud of your traditions,
culture and rituals. You are highly
religious and possess a very sharp
mind, but you need to check your
tendency to behave impatient and
stubborn at times.
Your communication skills and
charms would impress those
around you. Your income would
improve, but your expenses would
be erratic which would make it
extremely difficult for you to save.
New romance for those unattached,
but your work is likely to suffer if
you keep fantasizing about this
special person. You should not let
anything interfere with your career
objectives if you desire to achieve
your goals. Elders and children in
the family will demand lot of your
attention. Doctors and lawyers can
look forward to a remarkable year.
The months of February, May, July
and September will be significant.
 30 November 16-22, 2019 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

The importance of Satsang

A Master teaches those steps so
we can see for ourselves the inner
proof of spiritual existence.
It is not easy to find God. It is a
process of withdrawing our atten‑
tion from the world outside to
fo cus w ithin. Many worldly
attractions draw our attention
outward. It takes tremendous
strength to resist outer diversions
By Sant Rajinder Singh that keep our attention from med‑
Ji Maharaj itation so we can know God, know
our soul, and connect the two. To
tractions because all are meditat‑
ing. The rest of the time in sat‑
sang is sent listening to spiritual
discourses to remind us of our
true purpose of life. The discours‑
es, meditat ion, and spiritual
charging of the satsang refocus
our mind on the importance of
meditation, ethical living, the veg‑
etarian diet, selfless service, and
attaining communion of our soul
with God. It motivates us to put in
the time for meditation through
initiation into the inner light and
sound. If we look for spiritual
gifts in the outer world, our mind
will remain in doubt. It is only
when we go within that we can
remove all doubts and see for
ourselves that we are a soul and
there is God.
We are all children of one God.
The light and sound current is
available to all. That is why the
satsang of a Master teaching med‑
itation on the inner light and
poor, literate or illiterate. God
provides a way for all to return
Home. A satsang is a protective
place in which people from all
faiths can enter and commune
with God within their own selves.
The wine of God's love is for the
whole world. Saints and Masters
have come to pour out without
end so that the whole world may
drink. Masters lovingly give the
nectar of the light and sound to
all who are thirsty.

W
hen a fire is first lit, the
flame needs protection
from being ext in‑
guished. Similarly, we need to
tend the spark of light illumining
our soul. A spiritual Master pro‑
vides a protective shield around
our spark to maintain it through a
spiritual gathering called satsang.
"Satsang" literally means "com‑
munion with truth." It is a gather‑
ing in which we can discover who
we are as soul, whether there is
God, and how to meditate to expe‑
rience these truths firsthand.
What are the benefits of attend‑
ing satsang? People are searching
for answers to the mysteries of
life and death. They want to dis‑
cover if there is really God, if
there is a soul, if there is life after
death, and what will happen to us
when this life ends. These basic
questions lead one to explore
spirituality.
Spirituality is not only an intel‑
lectual study. Intellectual answers
to questions about the mystery of
life and death are not satisfying
because one may still have doubts
about whether or not they are
true or not. One wonders if those
who wrote or orally gave answers
to these spiritual quest ions
through the ages were right. The
only answer that satisfies those
who want proof is a personal
experience. Only when we can see
for ourselves the truth of what
was written in the scriptures or
described orally by saints over
centuries do we truly believe and
have faith.
Spirituality is proven by first‑
hand experience. To attain this
proof, we need to do more than
read books and listen to lectures.
We need to perform practices to
experience inner spiritual truths.
The process leads from this outer
world to the inner world. It is a
step‑by‑step scientific experiment.
keep our attention spiritually the rest of the week. It recom‑ sound is open to people of all reli‑ God has entrusted the saints
with the task of bringing the lost
children back Home. The saints
walk the earth in search of souls
crying to return to God. Many
people have the idea that the
saints come to take back only
saintly people. There is a false
idea that one must already be
holy and perfect to come to the
satsang of a saint. However, if we
look back through history we find
that every saint came to help any‑
one crying for the Lord, whether
a pious person or a sinner.
When one plants a young tree,
the sapling is in danger of the
forces of nature that may knock it
down.
To protect the sapling, one puts
a small hedge around it. Besides
meditation and ethical living, sat‑
Satsang is the protective shelter of a fire‑pit sang also of fers a protective
hedge that helps our tree of spiri‑
that protects the flames from being tuality to grow. When new to the
spiritual teachings it is easy to
become diverted from our goal by
exposed to the heavy rains and winds of a the many temptations that bom‑
bard us.
passing storm. The charging of the satsang Satsang provides a protective
hedge to remind us to meditate. It
helps to speed our progress on the focuses us on leading an ethical
life. It helps us stay on a vegetari‑
spiritual way so we can attain our goal an diet. It gives us a chance to
cleanse and purify ourse lves
of the soul's union with God. through selfless
service. Our g row ing tree
receives at satsang the nourish‑
focused, saints of fer the gift of mends us to engage in spiritual gions, nationalities, cultures, ages, ment of the charging and bless‑
satsang. practices on a daily basis. and walks of life. God wants all to ings of the saint.
Satsang of fers protection to Satsang awakens us to activities return Home. Just as a mother It fills us from our roots to our
keep the flame burning. A hectic that are truly he lpful. If we feeds all her children, God has branches with love, grace, and
life leaves little time for spiritual engage all week in worldly pur‑ made the gift of the light and spiritual upliftment.
practices. suits, satsang draws our attention sound available to all who seek it. Satsang is the protective shelter
We need to find time in our to the spiritual side of life. Go d does not discriminate of a fire‑pit that protects the
daily routines for meditation. Satsang is a wakeup call to people between people of dif ferent reli‑ flames from being exposed to the
Satsang provides a sacred space of all ages to spend some time g ions or even those who are heavy rains and winds of a pass‑
in which we can close the door to daily communing with God with‑ agnostic or atheists. God does not ing storm. The charging of the
the world for an hour or two to in. care if our skin color is dark or satsang he lps to speed our
focus on our soul and God. In a At satsang, we are reminded of light, or whether our eyes are progress on the spiritual way so
satsang meeting, people can med‑ the spiritual treasures within us blue, brown, green, or black. God we can attain our goal of the
itate together. There are no dis‑ and how to make the best use of does not care if we are rich or soul's union with God.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info November 16-22, 2019

TURNING
T URNING LLAND
AND IINTO
NTO LLANDMARKS
ANDMARKS
TheSouthAsianTimes.info November 16-22, 2019

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