Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/vol-8-issue-5-june-6-12-2015 1/31

The South Asian Timese x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m

excellence in journalism SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30

Vol.8 No. 5 June 6-12, 2015 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

FILM & FASHION 15 RELIGION 16

New Delhi: Nestle India early on

Friday said it was withdrawing

Maggi noodles in the country amid

nation-wide scrutiny over more-

than-permissible limits of lead, but

continued to maintain it was safeand that it would be back on store

shelves soon.

"Maggi noodles are completely

safe and have been trusted in India

for over 30 years. The trust of our

consumers and the safety of our

New York: While a couple of chal-

lengers to Hillary Clinton have

emerged in the Democratic party for

the nomination for 2016, the

Republican field of presidential

hopefuls is bursting at the seams.

From the 15 pictured here, 10 are

declared candidates and the other

five have set up exploratory commit-

tees before announcing their bids.

The bulging number has worried

Fox which said that at GOP presi-

dential debates they can accommo-

date no more than 10 candidates.

New York: Mrs. Hillary Clinton, a

strong Democratic candidate for

President, has said here that

America and India should together

fight against violence, terrorism

and poverty. India is the emerging

economic powerhouse of the world

and will play a larger role on inter-

national platform in the years to

come.

Mrs Clinton spoke after taking

bles sings from Indian sp ir itua l

leader Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muni

even as her poll campaign has

taken off well. She was met by a

delegation under the leadership of

the Acharya even as his Ahimsa

Vishwa Bharti (AVB) based in

Delhi is celebrating its 10th foun-

dation year. Congressman Joe

Crowley, Congresswoman Grace

Meng, International coordinator of

AVB Karamjit Singh Dhaliwal and

mediaperson Jasbir Singh were

part of the delegation.

Mrs. Clinton said that violence

and terrorism cannot solve any

probl em. Violenc e giv es ri se to

counter violence. Problems can be

solved through dialogue and dis-

cussions. Appreciating the ‘Peace

Education’ program of Acharya

Lokesh, she said that religious

leaders can play a vital role in

making the world a better place to

live in. The Acharya while blessing

YOGA 18

Continued on page 4

Nestle withdrawsMaggi noodles in

India, still says safe

Hillary takes Lokesh Muni’s blessing

Book launch at Achievers

Awards gala

Celebrity Chef Vikas Khanna’s book ‘World Feast’, published by Ajay Mago, was launched by actor Arshad Warsi and

model wife Maria Goretti at Roshni Media Group’s Inspirational Achievers Awards celebration in

New York May 28. Roshni co-owners Dr Rashmee Sharma and Mani Kamboj are on the right.

Continued on page 4

Mrs. Hillary Clinton met Acharya Lokesh Muni,who is visiting from India, in New York .

(See page 2 for more)

CarlyFiorina

Former CEO of Hewlett- Packard

JebBush

From family of presidents

Dr BenCarson

Physician,Citizen

Politician

Bobby Jindal

First IndianAmerican

in race

ChrisChristie

New Jersey governor

TedCruz

US Senator from Texas

MarcoRubio

Will appeal to Latinos

RickPerryFormer

Governorof Texas

RickSantorumDid go far last time.

RandPaul

Libertarianlike his father

DonaldTrump

Flamboyant businessman

LindsayGraham

US Senator from SouthCarolina

MikeHuckabeeMan of Faith

and TV Personality

GeorgPatakiFormer

Governor of New York

ScottWalkerSurvived

recallelection

15 GOPcandidatesfor 2016 and

counting

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


R O S H N I M E D I A P R E S E N T S

I N S P I R A T I O N A L A C H I E V E R S A W A R D S

New York: From Community Service to Media, hon-

oring our Men in Uniform to the pre-eminent women

of the year and from Bollywood to Pop, the glitterati

of the South Asian community attended the Inspi-

rational Achievers Awards organized by the Roshni

Media Group at the Taj Pierre Hotel here on May 29.

With some 400 prominent people gracing the occasion

at the ballroom of the Pierre after a Red Carpet Recep-tion presented by Star Plus, the program started with

opening remarks from the owners of Roshni Media,

Dr. Rashmee Sharma and Mani Kamboj. Consul Gen-

eral of New York, Amb. Dnyaneshwar Mulay applaud-

ed the two ladies for pulling off an award ceremony

highlighting the achievements of the South Asian

diaspora. Mrs. Shauna Hinduja presented the Banking

& Finance award to Nandita Bakhshi and Jyoti Chopra

for their work in the program areas of diversity and

inclusion in TD Bank and BNY Mellon, respectively.

Dr. Rewa Kuma, noted Vastu expert, presented the

Cultural Ambassador award to Kamlesh Mehta, found-

er of The South Asian Times and Director – Economic

& Business Development of Nassau County, NY. Ali

Velshi of Al Jazeera gave the Emerging Entrepreneur

award to Ankur Jain, CEO of Humin, a tech rm inSan Francisco. Lt Col Scott Mann presented the News

Award to Vipp Jaswal, a host on Fox News Radio.

Raj Girn, founder of Anokhi magazine, Ajay Jain

Bhutoria, management consultant, and Poonam Ba-

rua, founder of Women In Leadership, were honored

for Community Service. H.R Shah – chief of TV Asia,

picked up the award for Media. The event also served

as a platform for the launch of the third edition of the

Roshni coffee table book, “Global and Emerging”

detailing the awardees and honorees, unveiled by TV

and lm stars Rohit Roy and Pooja Kumar, and Vikas

Khanna’s “World of Feast” by actor Arshad Warsi.

“For the rst time, we were able to recognize some

of these unsung heroes, who have made the commu-

nity proud,” said Dr. Rashmee Sharma. Roshni co-owner Mani Kamboj added, “I am delighted at the

excellent turnout and the support we have received

from the community to help us highlight these inspi-

rational achievers who serve as role models for the

up and coming generation.”

Singers Jay Sean and Poonam Khubani shared the

entertainment award. Junoon’s Rajesh Bhardwaj was

named Global Entrepreneur of the Year, and lm-

maker Mira Nair the Global Icon. Awards in fashion

and jewelry went to designer Bibhu Mohapatra andRayaz Takat. Ajay Banga of MasterCard was named

Businessperson of the Year. Also honored were Abhay

Deol (Movies), and Lt Col. Ravi Chaudhary, Execu-

tive Director, Regions and Center Operations at FAA,

was honored (Uniformed and Civil Services).

A pre-awards dinner May 28 at Junoon with Arshad

Warsi, Pooja Batra, Rohit Roy and corporate cap-

tains was also held to meet and greet the awardees.

Founded in 2001 by Dr. Rashmee Sharma, Roshni

Media has evolved into an institution of globally

celebrated South Asian luminaries, with publications

that illumine the biographies of a wide spectrum of

diversity and talent across an amalgam of disciplines,

including art, literature, music, ne arts, nance, tech-

nology, science, medicine, and entrepreneurship.

A complete list of awardees with pictures is on

www.roshnimedia.com

By SATimes Team

Roshni Media Global and Emerging Leaders Coffee Table Book unveiled by Rohit Roy and Pooja Kumaralong with Amb. Dnyaneshwar Mulay, as Dr Rashmee Sharma and Mani Kamboj applaud.

H.R. Shah, CEO of TV Asia, was honoredfor his passionate work in Media byDinesh Khosla.

Roshni Media’s co-owner Dr. Rashmee

Sharma honoring Francis J. Greenburger,Founder of Time Equities.

Abhay Deol honored for achievementsin film industry by Washington StateSenator Pramila Jayapal.

Kamlesh Mehta, Chairman of The South AsianTimes, receiving the Cultural Ambassadoraward from Vastu expert Rewa Kumar.

COMMUNITY HONORS2 June 6-12, 2015

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


Washington: Indian H-1B visa

holders are at the centre of a rag-

ing debate over the usage of the

temporary visas after 250

employees of Walt Disney were

replaced by Indian immigrants as part of a reorganization plan of

the entertainment conglomerate,

a US daily said.

As many as 250 employees of

Walt Disney World were notified

in October last year that they

would be laid off, but over the

next three months they were

required to "train their replace-

ments to do the jobs they had

lost", The New York Times

reported on Wednesday. The

replacements, the daily said,

"were brought in by an outsourc-

ing firm based in India".

"The layoffs at Disney and at

other companies, including the

Southern California Edison power uti lit y, are rai sing new

questions about how businesses

and outsourcing companies are

using the temporary visas, known

as H-1B, to place immigrants in

technology jobs in the US," NYT

said.

Immigrants on the H-1B visas

do the work of Americans for

less money, which "has created a

highly lucrative business model",

the daily quoted a Howard

University professor as saying."For years, most top recipients

of the visas have been outsourc-

ing or consulting firms based in

India, or their American sub-

sidiaries, which import workers

for large contracts to take over

entire in-house technology units -

- and to cut costs. The immi-grants are employees of the out-

sourcing companies," the daily

said.

The report named Infosys, TCS

and HCL America among the top

companies granted more than

1,000 H-1B visas.

Earlier in April this year, a

group of senators said the fre-

quency of H-1B-driven layoffs

has increased dramatically in the

recent past and called for a probe

into the issue.

HCL America, hired by Disney

in 2012, said that details of the

agreement were confidential. On

the layoffs, a Disney spokesper-

son said: "Disney has createdalmost 30,000 new jobs in the

US over the past decade."

3June 6-12, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY

India slams US panel for comments

on religious minorities

Indians at the center of H-1B visa debate

New Delhi: India on Thursday

slammed the US' Tom Lantos

Human Rights Committee and

said its raising the issue of

alleged "violence" against reli-

gious minorities in the country

was based on "lack of under-

standing of India".

External affairs ministry

spokesperson Vikas Swarup said

in a statement the government

had seen media reports about a

br ief ing by the com mit tee on

‘Violence against Religious

Minorities in India’. “We regard

such efforts as based on lack of understanding of India, its con-

stitution and society,” he said.

“It is well known that the

Constitution of India guarantees

equal religious, social and politi-

cal rights to all its citizens,

including minorities," he said.

At a Congressional hearing

organized jointly by the afore-

mentioned commission and the

American Sikh Congressional

Caucus, literature containing tes-

timonies of experts and details of

speeches distributed to members

spoke of violence against reli-

gious minorities, with a map of

India which showed Pakistani

Kashmir as part of Pakistan.

At the hearing, Congressman

Patrick Meehan, co-chair of the

American Sikh Congressional

Caucus, alleged that "violence"

against religious minorities has

increased in India in recentmonths, calling it an issue of

serious concern.

Meehan and the invited experts

pr ai sed Pres iden t Obama fo r

raising the issue of religious and

human rights in India during

his trip to the country early this

year.

As many as 250 employees of Walt Disney World in Florida have been replaced by work-

ers brought from India.

New York: Sunil

Gulati, who is currently

serving a third term asPresident of the US

Soccer Federation,

could be in the race to

replace Sepp Blatter as

the new FIFA chief.

Various US media

outlets said Allahabad-

born Gula ti , 55 , who

has played a key role in

the development of soc-

cer in the US in the past

few decades, could be a

strong contender to

replace Blatter should

the US have an interest

in the position of FIFA chief.

In a statement, Gulati wel-

comed the resignation of Blatter as president of FIFA, which has

been rocked by a major corrup-

tion scandal, resulting in arrest of

more than 10 top football offi-

cials both in the US and Zurich.

“I commend him for making a

decision that puts FIFA and the

sport we love above all other

interests. This is the first of many

steps towards real and meaning-

ful reform within FIFA,” Gulati

stated. In the elections for FIFA

pres iden t, Gula ti had backed

Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein.Gulati and US have been

opposed to Blatter.

Detroit Free Press Journal said

that Gulati is in a strong position

to gain support within the CON-

CACAF confederation that gov-

erns soccer in America and the

Caribbean.

Gulati is also a senior lecturer

in the economics department of

Columbia University.

Sunil Gulati,US soccer president

Sunil Gulati in race fornew FIFA chief

Xavier med school to openpremedical campus in Jordan

(From left) Jordan varsity representatives: Prof. Zeyad Batayneh, Vice Dean, Prof. Ismail Matalka, Dean, and Acting President Prof. Ahmad Bateiha. Representing Xavier University School of Medicine: President Ravishankar Bhooplapur, Ms. Luiza Waldrick, International Coordinator,

and Dr. Nazir Umrani, Director of Clinical Education.

New York: Xavier University

School of Medicine (XUSOM)

has announced its first expan-

sion into the global market-

place. The Ministry of Higher

Education and Scientific

Research of Jordan approved it

in Feb 2015. On May 20,

XUSOM signed an MoU with

the Jordan University of

Science and Technology

(JUST). Under the agreement,

XUSOM will open a premed-

ical campus in Irbid, Jordan

starting Sept 1 this year. The

basic sciences and clinical sci-

ences will still be taught in

Aruba and the US respectively.

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


Chairman and Co-Founder

Kamlesh C. Mehta

Co-Founder: Saroosh Gull

([email protected])

President: Arjit Mehta

Chief Operating Officer:

Ginsmon P. Zacharia

P: 516 776 7061

[email protected]

Board Advisors (Honorary)

Ajay Lodha, MD,

Lakhpat B. Mehta, Esq.

Rajasthan High Court & Supreme Court

Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra

P : 516.710.0508

[email protected]

Associate Editors Jinal Shah,

Hiral Dholakia-Dave, Meenakshi Iyer

Contributing Editors: Ni lima Madan,

Melvin Durai, Dr Prem Kumar Sharma,

Harry Aurora, Ashok Vyas,

Dr Akshat Jain, Nupur Joshi

Contributing Editors (Youth):

Rhea Gupta, Shweta Lodha, Sidharth Goyal

West Coast Correspondent

Pooja Jain,

[email protected]

New Delhi Bureau

Meenakshi Iyer

[email protected]

Strategy and Marketing

Jinal Shah

P: 315-436-1142

[email protected]

Marketing & PR (Washington DC)

Chander Gambhir, P: 703.717.1667

Jaipur (India) Bureau

Prakash Bhandari

[email protected]

Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/

masalajunction.com.

Xitij Joshi/xitijphoto.com

Photo Journalist: Sandeep Ganatra

Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah

Art and Design: Vladimir Tomovski

Bhagwati Creations,

Dhiraj Kumar

Web Editor: B.B.Chopra

News Service: HT Media Ltd.

IANS Newswire Services

IANS Washington Bureau

Arun Kumar

arun.kumar@ians,in

Printing: Five Star Printing, NY

Contacts

[email protected]

[email protected]

Advertisements

[email protected]

P : 516.390.7847, F : 516.465.1343

Website:

www.TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Notice: The South Asian Times is published weekly by The Forsythe Media Group, LLC. POSTMASTER: Send all address notices, subscription orders/payments and other inquiries to The South Asian

Times, 76 N Broadway, Suite 2004, Hicksville, NY 11801, USA. Copyright and all other rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be reprinted without the consent of the publisher. The

views expressed on the opinion pages and in the letters to the editor pages are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of The South Asian Times. The editor/publisher does not warrant accuracy

and cannot be held responsible for the content of the advertisements placed in the publication and/or inaccurate claims, if any, made by the advertisers. Advertisements of business or facilities included in this

publication do not imply connection or endorsement of these businesses. All rights reserved.

4 June 6-12, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TURN PAGE

New York: Details of the death of

Sarvshreshth Gupta, 22, who worked as a

tech/media/telecom analyst in GoldmanSachs’ San

Francisco office,

have yet to be

revealed, but it’s

now confirmed that

the young graduate

of Wharton

Business School,

who hailed from

Delhi, and got dual

degrees from the University of

Pennsylvania, was under tremendous

work pressure, with little rest or respite.

Gupta, who began working at Goldman

in the fall of 2014, died in April. His

father Sunil Gupta published an essay

entitled “A Son Never Dies” on May 17,reported Business Insider, giving insight

into the extremely hectic life of a young

banker, who seemed to have succumbed

under relentless work pressure.

In the heartbreaking essay posted on

Medium, Sunil Gupta writes about how

his son was dealing with stress at work

before his untimely death. According to

the excerpts originally reported by The

New York Times, Sunil said that his soncomplained about the intense hours early

on in his career, but claimed he could

handle it.

According to Dealbook’s Sorkin, the

young bank analyst’s body was found in

a parking lot by his apartment building.

It’s believed that he may have fallen

from his building, according to the

Dealbook report. The medical examin-

er’s office hasn’t released a cause of

death.

Bloomberg reported that six weeks

after Gupta’s death, Thomas Hughes, a

29-year-old Moelis & Co. banker, was

found dead outside his residence at 1

West St. in New York, where he lived on

the 24th floor. His injuries were consis-tent with a fall, police said.

Wall Street firms including Goldman

Sachs have sought in recent years to

improve the experience for their new

recruits, who carry out the Excel and

Powerpoint grunt work that goes into

presentations and ideas for clients. The

shift, prompted by the 2013 death of a

Bank of America Corp. intern, has been

driven in part by a fear that the brightestcollege graduates don’t view investment

ba nk ing as a sust ai nabl e ca re er,

Bloomberg report said.

Goldman Sachs hired larger classes of

analysts, the title held by entry-level

bankers, and encouraged them to stay out

of the office on Saturdays. The firm also

stopped offering analysts two-year con-

tracts, making them full-time employees

from the start.

Still, 100-hour weeks aren’t unheard

of, and a client request can easily wreck

a junior employee’s weekend. Gupta’s

late nights on the technology, media and

telecom banking team would have helped

serve some of the firm’s highest-profile

clients, it noted.“We are saddened by Sav’s death and

feel deeply for his family,” Michael

DuVally, a Goldman Sachs spokesman in

New York, said in an e-mailed statement.

“We hope that people will respect the

family’s expressed desire for privacy

during this difficult time.”

Hillary takes Lokesh Muni’s blessing...

Continued from page 1

Hillary Clinton said that he was first invited to

USA by President Bill Clinton. During that

visit, he presented the ‘Peace Education’ pro-

gram at the UN. “We are now inviting Mrs.

Clinton to India for participation in the 10th

anniversary celebration of Ahimsa Vishwa

Bharti,” Acharya Lokesh said, adding that the

21st century will be of spirituality.

Emphasizing the importance of joining religionwith spirituality and science he said that to

make this world better, religion should serve

the purpose of social welfare and it should help

in removing social evils. He also mentioned the

massive welfare schemes launched by the cur-

rent Indian Government for social change and

social development, while stating that peace

was necessary for development. He empha-

sized introducing ‘Peace Education’ as part of

school education.

Acharya Lokesh also informed Mrs. Clinton

about the JAINA Convention 2015 to be held in

Atlanta from July 2-5, which will be attended

by representatives fro m 69 Jain cent ers of

North America, and over 5,000 Jain representa-

tives. The Jain population in the USA is over

1.5 lakh.

Nestle withdraws Maggi noodles in India...

Continued from page 1

products is our first priority," the company said

in a statement on Friday.

"Unfortunately, recent developments and

concerns about the product have led to an envi-

ronment of confusion for the consumer, to such

an extent that we have decided to withdraw the

produc t off the shelves, despi te the product

being safe," it said.

"We promise that the trusted Maggi Noodles

will be back in the market as soon as the cur-

rent situation is clarified."

Some governments like in Gujarat, Delhi and

Jammu & Kashmir had banned Maggi for 15-

30 days and several others had called for tests

on the popular noodles after a batch in a small

town in Uttar Pradesh was allegedly found to

contain higher-than-permissible levels of lead.

Following the concerns, a host of retailers --

from neighborhood mom-and-pop shops to

larger ones like Big Bazaar and WalMart --

withdrew it from their shelves.

Nestle India’s brand image hurt, its stock was

plummeting.

Printed Every Saturday by: Forsythe Media Group, LLC, ISSN 1941-9333, 76 N Broadway, Suite 2004, Hicksville, NY 11801 P: 516.390.7847

Website: TheSouthAsianTimes.info Updated Daily

Beijing: The toll from a ship that capsized

on China`s Yangtze river has risen to 97,

the transport ministry said on Friday.

Xu Chengguang, the ministry`s

spokesman, said at a press conference that

97 bodies have been retrieved from theship - The Eastern Star - carrying 456 peo-

ple, which capsized in a tornado on the

night of June 1, Xinhua news agency

reported.

One side of the ship was rolled above

water earlier.

The side that has emerged shows

"Eastern Star" in Chinese on the hull.

Authorities say 14 people survived the

disaster, some by jumping from the ship

during the early moments and swimming

or drifting ashore. Three of them were

pulled by divers from air pockets inside

the overturned hull Tuesday after rescuersheard yells for help coming from inside.

More than 200 divers have worked

underwater in three shifts to search the

ship’s cabins one by one, state broadcaster

CCTV said. Rescuers pulled out dozens of

bod ies Thursda y whi ch wer e tak en to

Jianli’s Rongcheng Crematorium, in

Hubei province, where relatives tried to

identify them.

Many of the more than 450 people on

board the mult i-decked, 251-foo t (77-

meter) -long Eastern Star were reported to

be retirees taking in the scenic vistas of

the Yangtze on a cruise from Nanjing tothe southwestern city of Chongqing.

The capsize of the Eastern Star will like-

ly become the country’s deadliest boat dis-

aster in seven decades, and Chinese

authorities have launched a high-profile

response that has included sending

Premier Li Keqiang to the accident site,

while tightly controlling media coverage.

Indian’s death stirs debate on work stress in Wall Street

China capsized ship: Death toll nears 100

Sarvshreshth Gupta of Goldman Sachs may have committed suicide

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


5June 6-12, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY

United Nations: Virtual

Memorial Wall honoring Indian

peacekeepers who laid down their

lives during UN Peacekeeping

Operations was launched at

United Nations on the commemo-

ration of International Day of UN

Peacekeepers May 29th.

The Permanent Mission of India

to UN hosted a somber function

for all the recipients of the 125

Dag Hammarskjold Medals

awarded this year by the United

Nations.

Ambassador Asoke Kumar

Mukerji, Permanent

Representative of India to United

Nations welcomed the awardees

and read out External Affairs

Minister of India’s message on the

UN’s commemoration of

International Day of

Peacekeepers. During the com-

memorative function a unique ini-

tiative was undertaken by the

Indian Mission to UN, whereby a

Virtual Memorial Wall was

launched and dedicated to those

Indian troops who gave their lives

while doing active service as UN

peacekeepers. The wall of honor

includes details of 161 Indian

pe ac ek ee pe rs wh o made th e

supreme sacrifice in 16 UN

Peacekeeping Missions so far. The

Virtual Wall will be hosted on the

website of the Permanent Mission

of India to the United Nations

(www.pminewyork.org)

This Indian initiative is a precur-

sor to the eventual construction of

a UN Peacekeepers Memorial

Wall on the premises of the United

Na tion s He ad qu ar te rs in Ne w

York. India had proposed the con-

struction of the UN Peacekeepers

Memorial Wall as an appropriate

way to commemorate all the

troops from member states of the

United Nations who had given

their lives while on duty under the

Blue Flag of the United Nations.

The proposal for the establishment

of the Memorial Wall at the

United Nations Peacekeepers

Memorial at Headquarters has

been recommended by the Special

Committee on Peacekeeping

Operations. The recommendation

is under consideration in the

Special Political and

Decolonization Committee.

Since attaining independence in

1947, India has steadfastly

responded to calls from the United

Nations Security Council to con-

tribute troops as UN peacekeepers

for maintaining international

peace and security. India’s consis-

tent and substantive response over

the past seven decades of UN

pe ac ek ee pi ng op er at io ns ha s

resulted in more than 180,000

Indian troops having participated

in 44 of the 69 UN peacekeeping

operations mandated by the UN

Security Council so far. India is

proud of being the single largest

contributor to UN peacekeeping.

New Jersey: Across many cultures, par-

ents find raising children of adolescent

years a challenge. For South Asian

immigrants parents, however, the gulf

between traditional expectations and the

mainstream US youth culture has

bec ome eve n mor e pro nou nce d. This

acculturation gap in families can lead to

considerable stress for both youth and parents. The typica l South Asian pres-

sures around academic expectations

often exacerbate stressors of school,

contact with family, and social restric-

tions with peers.

Students often find secrecy as their

solution to fulfill their parent’s wishes

and their own.

Share and Care Foundat ion and

SAMHIN (South Asian Mental Health

Initiative and Network) are co-sponsor-

ing a workshop that will focus on creat-

ing open and non-judgmental communi-

cation within families and communities.

The workshop will address the important

issue of gender gap and discuss impor-

tance and value of gender equality. Itwill also educate the community on how

to bridge the acculturation, generational

and communication gaps in the South

Asian immigrant families.

In addition to the community as a

whole, both Share and Care Foundation

and SAMHIN recognize the specific

need for women empowerment in the

South Asian population. In this work-

shop, the audience can expect to gain a

better understanding of the barriers faced

by wom en and gir ls in the trad itio nal

family system, in regard to career goals,

conflict, and maintaining double stan-

dards in the home.

The Share and Care Foundation was

founded in 1982, and since then has beeninvolved in numerous humanitarian proj-

ects. In 2014, it launched its Women

Empowerment initiative in India with

hopes to address key issues around sexu-

al abuse, forced marriages, domestic vio-

lence, financial security, gender inequal-

ity, lack of equity and other. Share and

Care also concluded that enormous prob-

lem exists for families migrated to USA

from India. Joining hands with like-

minded foundation like SAMHIN (South

Asian Mental Health Initiative and

Network) could alleviate this monumen-

tal task effectively in USA.

The open workshop “Bridging the

Gap” followed by dinner is free of

charge and will take place as follows:Saturday June 13, 2015 – 3:30pm to 7:00

pm at 76 Na tio na l Road, Ed iso n, NJ

08817

Space is limited. Register today by

contacting Mansi Vira:

samhi n2014 @gm ail. com (732) 762-

1294 or Tejal Parekh: info@shareand-

care.org | (201) 762-7599.

The U.S.-India Business Council

(USIBC) hosted an Executive

Committee briefing for United States

Ambassador to India, Richard Verma.

"Ambassador Richard Verma's current visit

to Washington D.C. comes at a key moment in

U.S.-India bilateral trade and commercial ties.

Trade between the United States and India is

poised to grow from $100 billion to the $500

billion in the next few years. USIBC member

companies are united in their efforts and

actions to build both the Indian and U.S.

economies as attractive destinations for invest-

ment and to create jobs and opportunities for citizens to grow and prosper. To turn this

vision into reality, we need a strong founda-

tional relationship between governments and

businesses," said Dr. Mukesh Aghi, President

of USIBC. As part of the briefing, USIBC

Executive Committee Chairs had an opportu-nity to present ideas and recommendations to

Ambassador Verma that have the potential to

fast track India's economic progress in areas

such as ease of doing business, proactive taxa-

tion and policy consistency.

Virtual Memorial Wall honoring Indian peacekeepers at UN

Open workshop for South Asian immigrantparents on gender gap and identity

Memorial ceremony for Indian peacekeepers

Above: Kevin Kolevar (VP, Government Affairs & Public Policy, The Dow

Chemical Company); Dr. Mukesh Aghi (President, USIBC), Ambassador Richard

Verma (U.S. Ambassador to India)

USIBC hosts briefing for Richard Verma

New York: Renowned percussionist

Anandan Sivamani will jam with

vocalist Anurag Harsh and India's

leading keyboardist Stephen

Devassy at the Lincoln Center for

Performing Arts in New York on

July 11th. The event, Planet

Shankar is presented by Sunny

Thakkar. After his second sold-out

concert at the Carnegie Hall (also presented

by Sunny Thakk ar) to one of the largest

worldwide live audiences of any Indian

Classical Music concert in recent history

(Official LiveStream Stats: 173,000 viewers

in 3-hours) with the event being the first

Indian concert to be streamed from

Carnegie in 125 years and it's 30

min YouTUBE excerpt at

w w w . C a r ne g i e C onc e r t . c om

be comi ng the fa st es t gr ow in g

Indian classical video on the

Internet (currently being watched

@ 2,000+ average daily views),

vocalist Anurag Harsh teams up

with music legend AR Rahman's musician,

percussionist Anandan Sivamani and India's

leading keyboardist Stephen Devassy for a

midsummer night jam of Raga based songs

and rhythms at the renowned Lincoln Center

for the Performing Arts in New York.

Sivamani to jam with Anurag Harsh, StephanDevassy at Lincoln Center

Percussionist Sivamani

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


6 June 6-12, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY

IN BRIEF

The 22.6 acres Om Sri Bal-

aji Temple and Cultural

Center has reportedly re-

ceived preliminary approval

from Township of Monroe Plan-

ning Board in Middlesex County

of New Jersey.

After meeting various condi-

tions for final approval, it is pro-

posed to be built in two phases

and would include 12,179 square

feet main sanctuary, another two-

storey supplementary temple,

and would be open seven-days a

week besides celebrating various

festivals; reports suggest.

Management and inmates

of Jivodaya

Ashralayam, a care fa-

cility run by the Sisters of Desti-

tute, New Delhi, India, were in

for a pleasant surprise when they

became the recipients of a dona-

tion of $11,000 sent by a junior

named Varsha Cyriac from Ridge

High School of Basking Ridge,

NJ. Varsha has spent more than

half of her life learning a dance

form called Bharatnatyam. Hav-

ing learnt the nuances of this artfrom her teacher, Mrs. Rekha

Srinivasan, for over seven years,

she gave her first solo live per-

formance, the Arangetram, at

Ridge High School Performing

Arts Center. As per her wish, the

money received as gifts were sent

to Jivodaya to provide for the

care of these abandoned women.

Varsha disbursed the entire

amount through the help of a

New Jersey based non-profit or-

ganization called HelpSaveLife.

Inspired by her elder brother,

Antony Cyriac, who spent two

weeks at the Jivodaya, Varsha

took it upon herself to use her tal-ent to do something constructive

for the people of Jivodaya

Ashralayam.

Diabetes Awareness Semi-nar was organized by The

Federation of Indo-Amer-

ican Seniors Associations of North

America (FISANA) under the

leadership of its president Harshad

Desai and the Executive Commit-

tee. It was held on May 31st at

Golden Era Day Care Center, Edison, NJ.

The seminar was presented by Ritesh Shah, a

pharmacist and diabetes educator supported by

Sanjay Shah of Iselin Pharmacy, Dr. Navin Mal-

hotra and Michelle Millchuk. The seminar was

very well received by close to one hundred mem-

bers of the Indian community.

Shah and his team concentrated on explaining

what diabetes is and who may be its potential vic-

tims. They explained in detail the common symp-

toms which can help in recognizing a potential

problem. They also explained how the healthy

people can be careful with their diet and go on a

regiment of exercises in order tomaintain a healthy body weight

and potentially keep diabetes

away. They explained the causes

and other factors which promote

diabetes. The presentation in-

volved a detailed explanation of

what is a sugar problem and why

some of us have sugar problem and others do not.

It emphasized on a three pronged approach to treat

the disease.

These include diet, exercise and medicine. The

discussion and question answers that followed the

presentation helped clarify that the exercise could

either be a good 10 minutes walk, three times a

day or up to thirty minutes walk daily. The experts

explained how the sweetness in fruits may suffice

the need for a sweet taste while avoiding con-

sumption of excess sugar and of course, a need to

regularly see a physician and follow the pre-

scribed medicine rigidly.

U plift Humanity, founded

in 2011, is an organiza-tion that works towards

enabling American youth to em-

power juveniles in India through

education. Since its initial

launch in Vadodara, Uplift Hu-

manity has established four juve-

nile rehabilitation centers

throughout the Indian subconti-

nent including locations in In-

dore and Hyderabad. The latest

addition to Uplift’s growth

comes with the launch of its New

Delhi center.

Uplift Humanity, a passion

project of founder Anish Patel,

strives to empower juveniles in

India to break the cycle of recidi-vism and achieve their full poten-

tial through education.

"I started Uplift Humanity with

no idea that it would become a

growing and sustainable non-

profit organization. I founded it

as a summer program where we

would take a few American

teenagers to India to volunteer

and work with juveniles behind

bars for a few weeks. Now, it has

grown tremendously and we are

educating hundreds of orphans

and juveniles in India throughout

the entire year," says founder An-

ish Patel. Through various pro-

grams, Uplift Humanity India

seeks to aid juvenile develop-ment, instill ambition and pro-

vide these children with the re-

sources to materialize their ambi-

tions. One such way is Uplift

Humanity’s summer rehabilita-

tion program through which the

organization takes 75 volunteer

students from the United States

to one of the four rehabilitation

facilities in India. Volunteers

teach orphans and juveniles life

skills such as moral decision-

making, self-esteem develop-

ment, self–maintenance, daily

etiquette and public speaking.

After successfully running the

summer programs for two years,Uplift Humanity launched a Con-

tinuation Program that makes a

larger impact by educating juve-

niles and orphans throughout the

entire year by providing English

and technology literacy through

local volunteers.

In March 2015, Uplift Human-

ity also released A Look Inside,

narrated by Hollywood actress

Janina Gavankar. This short film

brings to light the injustices oc-

curring in India's institutional-

ized facilities, and highlights

what Uplift Humanity is doing to

combat this problem.

Monroe Hindu Temple getspreliminary approval

High School junior donates $11,000for destitute women in India

Uplift Humanity launchesin New Delhi

FISANA hosts Diabetes AwarenessSeminar in Edison

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


7June 6-12, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY

New York: Two Indian-origin

women have made it to the Forbes

list of America's 50 most success-

ful and self-made women.

India-born Neerja Sethi, 60, is

ranked 14th with a net worth of

$1.1 billion, while London-born

Jayshree Ullal, 54, is ranked 30th

with a net worth of $470 million in

the inaugural "Most Successful,

Self-Made Women in the US" list.

Elizabeth Anne Holmes, CEO of

bl oo d di ag no st ic s co mp an y

Theranos, tops the list with a net

worth of $4.5 billion

According to Forbes magazine,

"to be eligible for this list, women

had to have substantially made

their own fortunes. In cases where

they started businesses with, and

still share with, their husbands,

we've assigned them half of that

combined wealth." Neerja Sethi, an entrepreneur, is

an alumnus of Delhi University

and co-founded an IT consulting

and outsourcing company, Syntel,

with her husband, billionaire

Bharat Desai in 1980.

"In its first year, the company

only brought in $30,000 in rev-

enue. Today, its market cap is wellover $3 billion, and it has 24,000

employees worldwide," Forbes

stated in her profile.

"Sethi served as Syntel's treasur-

er during its first 16 years of opera-

tions and is currently the vice pres-

ident of corporate affairs, a role she

has had since the company's incep-

tion."Sethi, a mother of two, also sits

on the board of directors of the

company alongside her husband,

who remains chairman.

"Born in India, Sethi holds an

undergraduate degree in mathemat-

ics, a masters degree in computer

science, and an MBA in operations

research. Through their family

foundation, the couple pledged $1

million in 2014 to the University of

Michigan to develop a start-up

accelerator," the profile reads.

London-born Jayshree Ullal was

raised in New Delhi, and took over

computer networking company

Arsita Networks in California as

president and chief executive offi-

cer in 2008, when it had less than

50 employees, transforming it to

one of Silicon Valley's most valu-

able networking firms by 2014.

"Ullal, who owns more than 10

percent of Arista's shares, is one of

America's wealthiest female execu-

tives. She took slightly more than

an engineering team doing some

good technology and turned it intothe thriving network switch com-

pany it is today," Forbes quot ed

Arista co-founder David Cheriton

as saying. Cheriton and fellow co-

founder Andreas von Bechtolsheim

had previously worked with Ullal

at Cisco, where she spent 15 years.

She had earlier served as vice pres-

ident of marketing at Crescendo

Communications, which Cisco

acquired in 1993.

Ullal, also a mother of two, got

an electrical engineering degree at

San Francisco State University and

a master's degree in engineering

management at Santa Clara

University.

"Ullal has donated some shares

to a family foundation created in

honor of her sister, who died of

lung cancer. She has also ear-

marked some of her holdings for

her two children as well as her

niece and nephew," her profile

reads.

The first edition of "The Most

Successful, Self-Made Women in

the US" released by renownedfinancial and business magazine

Forbes, includes Oprah Winfrey,

Madonna and Nora Roberts. At

least 15 women on the list were

born outside the US.

Washington, DC: A court in the

US has sentenced an India-

American man to 30 months in

prison for his role in an illegal

immigration scheme, the

Department of Justice said in a

press release.

Judge William H. Walls of the

district court of New Jersey

handed down the sentence to

Sandipkumar Patel, 42, on

Tuesday. The Indian-American

has also been "ordered to pay a

fine of $50,000, and restitution

in the amount of $423,452 to the

Internal Revenue Service." Patel

was charged with conspiracy to

defraud the US and subscribing

to a false federal income tax

return.

Patel had sponsored H-lB visa

applications of some Indian

nationals from 2001 until 2009

by fa ls el y cl ai mi ng th at he

would provide employment for

them in the US, thereby facilitat-

ing their illegal entry into the

country.

Migrants paid Patel tens of

thousands of dollars for the false

certifications. To disguise the

scheme, he issued payroll checks

and other payroll forms.

Patel required the migrants to

return the proceeds of the payroll

checks to him and to further

reimburse him for the payroll tax

expenses he incurred, according

to the Department of Justice.

He underreported his tax obli-

gation by over $400,000 for

eight years. The Indian-

American admitted before a US

court his role in the illegal

scheme in September 2014.

Indian-American gets jail for immigration fraud

Two Indian-Americans among Forbes America 50 successful women

Neerja Sethi (left) and Jayshree Ullal

Chrysler’s Sandeep Makam wins‘New Faces’ Engineering Award

Washington, DC: Sandeep

Makam, 28, an Indian American

technical specialist at Chrysler

Group LLC, bested two other

finalists to win the New Faces of

Engineering Award, supported by

SAE International in a partner-

ship with DiscoverE.

The program promotes theaccomplishments of young engi-

neers 30 or younger by highlight-

ing engineering contributions and

the resulting impact of the inno-

vation on society.

Makam heads a team at

Chrysler working to improve

vehicle fuel economy, perform-

ance, durability a nd reliability.

He was a recipient of 2012 and

2013 Chrysler Innovation

Awards. Makam teaches a classon reliability statistics to Chrysler

engineers, has authored five peer-

reviewed publications and has a

patent pending. He has a B. Tech

in mechanical engineering from

IIT-Madras and an M.S. in

mechanical engineering from

Ohio State University with a

research focus on gear systems.

The two other finalists for the

award were: Sneha Swaminathan,30, a chemical engineer at

Hollingsworth and Vose Co.; and

Thomas Litavish, 28, a project

leader at Honda of America.

SAE International is a global

association for more than

137,000 engineers and technical

experts.

Washington, DC: Rev. Joseph

Palanivel Jeyapaul, a Catholic

priest from India, pleaded guiltyMay 22 to sexually assaulting a

16-year-old girl while serving in

the Roman Catholic Diocese of Crookston in northwestern

Minnesota. According to the

Pioneer Press, the guilty plea

comes nearly ten years after the

incident occurred at his home in

Greenbush, Minn. Jeyapaul, 60,

was extradited from India to the

U.S. in November to face crimi-nal charges brought in two differ-

ent cases in Minnesota 9th

District Court in Roseau, Minn., both al leg ing sexua l abu se by

Jeyapaul of underage female

parishioners.

He had left the U.S. in

September 2005 before criminal

charges were filed against him

and was first arrested in March

2012 in India. Jeyapaul pleadedguilty to fourth-degree criminal

sexual conduct, a felony, in one

of the two cases. The other case,in which he is charged with two

counts of first-degree criminal

sexual conduct, is still pending.

Jeyapaul will be sentenced in

one case June 15.

Sandeep MakamExtradited priest pleads guilty to assault charges

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


8 June 6-12, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY

IN BRIEF

T

he 33rd annu-

al American

Association of

Physicians of IndianOrigin (AAPI) will

have the traditional

‘Women’s Forum’

but it is scaling new

heights as a ‘Forum

by Women’ for both

men and women,”

Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar, President of AAPI

announced here today. The Forum will

be led by three prominent women on

June 19 at Hotel Renaissance, Sea-

World, Orlando, Florida. Keeping with

the theme of “Generations Many – Mis-

sion One” AAPI has enlisted three dy-

namic speakers who have been selected

not only for their enthralling speaking

abilities and their expertise in their fields, but also for the varied messages

they will individually convey.

From the land locked state of Ra-

jasthan comes young Miss Bhakti Shar-

ma, a champion, competitive open wa-

ter swimmer who has swum in all 5 con-

tinents including the freezing seas of

Antarctica. She will speak of physical

fitness and mental toughness required

for such endeavors.

Vani Tripathi will discuss empower-

ment of women by actively engaging in

the political arena. A movie star and for-

mer National Secretary for the Bhartiya

Janata Party she will share her unique

experiences and the challenges faced by

women in India.As a philosopher- writer – educator

Dr. Margaret McLaren, from our home

state of Florida, will provide her insight

into economic justice for women glob-

ally. Over 1,000 talented and dedicated

physicians and families of Indian origin

are expected to attend the convention.

“Forum by Women” at AAPI’s Convention

Jai Ho', a documentary based on music

maestro AR Rahman’s life, was

screened at the White House.

The film, directed by Umesh Aggarwal,

traces the journey of the Oscar and Gram-

my winning music composer’s profession-

al and personal life. It explores the evolu-

tion of his style of music-a fusion of East-

ern sensibilities and Western technology.

“On the way to the White House for a

screening of ‘Jai Ho’,” Rahman, 48, post-

ed on twitter.

The musician also performed at a concert

in Wolftrap, a performing arts center locat-

ed in Vienna, near Washington.

“Dear fans and music lovers from DC —

Together we have set a new record in the

history of Wolftrap, Vienna with our con-

cert being the highest grosser ever!” Rah-

man wrote on Facebook. The New York

Times, in its review of the May 28 Beacon

Theater concert showered praises on the

music composer. “No matter which styles

he combines, Mr. Rahman has an ear for

yearning tunes and attention-getting hooks.

In a set full of his Bollywood hits, the au-

dience often applauded in recognition after

just two or three notes,” it said. “After so

much experience with films, Mr. Rahman

made his concert its own kind of narrative,

moving through lofty contemplation and

yearning romance to dancing for joy.

Indian-American teenager from Ohio

will be giving a recital of an Indian

classical dance to raise funds for re-

search on the rare Sandhoff disease, me-

dia reported.Ria Datla, 17, in memory of her

younger brother who died due to Sand-

hoff disease, will be performing the

Kuchipudi "Rangapravesam" -- a classi-

cal Indian dance from Andhra Pradesh -

- to raise at least $10,000 and awareness

for the disease, online daily Cincinnati

Enquirer reported on Tuesday.

Nearly $4,000 in donations have al-

ready been collected.

The three-hour dance performance

would be held at Sycamore Junior HighSchool in Ohio on June 21, with pro-

ceeds going to the National Tay-Sachs

and Allied Diseases Association

(NTSAD).Sandhoff disease is a rare,

progressive, genetic disorder with no

cure that attacks the central nervous sys-

tem and organs.

Acourt in the US state of Massa-

chusetts has started trial of a po-

lice officer of Indian descent,

who was charged with sexual assault in

2014. Rajat Sharda, 33, while on duty, al-

legedly sexually assaulted a 29-year-old

Connecticut woman in August 2013,

threatening her not to report the incident,

which was reported in February 2014,

stated The Telegram on Wednesday.

The woman testified in court that onAugust 6, 2013, night she was inside a

parked sports utility vehicle (SUV), un-

dressed, with her boyfriend Michael Be-

tancourt when officer Sharda approached

the vehicle and asked her to step outside

the SUV. "He was asking me what I'd be

willing to do to not be arrested," she stat-

ed in court. After handcuffing Betan-

court, Sharda sexually assaulted and

threatened the woman, before leaving

from the location. The first police officer

of Indian descent on the Worchester,

Massachusetts police force, Sharda was

removed from service in September 2014and was charged with sexual assault,

open and gross lewdness, witness intimi-

dation and larceny.

Ohio teen offers Kuchipudirecital to raise funds

Documentary on AR Rahmanscreened at White House

U

nited Christian Cultural

Association [UCCA]

kicked-off their 2015UCCA Cricket Tournament cere-

moniously with Indian cricketer

Munaf Patel serving as the chief

guest whose presence clearly

ushered palpable enthusiasm

among the young cricket teams

gathered on May 23 at the Dee

Park Cricket Ground in De-

splaines, IL. Patel inaugurated

the two-month long thrilling In-

ter-Church Cricket tournament

setting the tone for an energized

beginning to the first match

which kicked off to a rousing start. Patel in

his brief remarks thanked the UCCA organ-

izers for inviting him and for showcasing a

warm welcome on his maiden visit to Chica-

go. He said he is honored to be at the inaugu-ral ceremony to kick-off the spirited cricket

tournament which, he said, would help augur

the promotion of cricket in Chicago. Patel

commended the teams and spent extended

period of time taking pictures and talking

about the finer elements of the game of crick-

et to the team captains and members - thus

endearing himself to the avid cricket fans.

Keerthi Kumar Ravoori, UCCA Director in

his inaugural remarks praised the UCCA

leadership for their remarkable efforts in put-

ting together a resolutely competitive cricket

tournament complete with festive atmosphere, exciting trophies, cash awards and

prizes. Ravoori acknowledged several com-

munity leaders present at the inaugural, more

notably, recognizing Iftekhar Shareef for fa-

cilitating the presence of ace cricketer Munaf

Patel at the inaugural ceremony and added it

is the goal of UCCA to see a new generation

of youth embracing the game of cricket.

Indian cricketer Munaf Patel inaugurates UCCACricket Tournament in Chicago

Bhakti Sharma () Vani Tripathi () Margaret McLaren

Munaf Patel seen with the UCCA Cricket Tournament kick-off guests [LtoR] Dr. Nandan

Thogaru, Babu Varma,Vasanth Charles, Iftekhar Shareef, Keerthi Ravoori, Shirley Kalvakota, Raju Pasumarthi, Satish Dadepogu, Vinay Bandikala

& Sharath Kalvakota.

Indian-American police man facestrial for sexual assault

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


9June 6-12, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info US AFFAIRS

Washington: The US Senate

passed a bill on Tuesday (signed

into law by President Obama)

that ends spy agencies' bulk col-

lection of Americans' phone

records, reversing national secu-

rity policy in place since after the

Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

After weeks of often angry

debate over how to balance con-

cerns about privacy with worries

about terrorist attacks, the Senate

passed the USA Freedom Act by

a vote of 67-32, with bipartisan

support.

The measure, passed by the

House last month, replaces a pro-

gram in which the National

Security Agency sweeps up data

about Americans' telephone calls

with a more targeted system.The USA Freedom Act would

mainly take away storage of so-

called metadata from the hands

of the NSA and leave it with tele-

phone companies, though they

could still be compelled to turn

that data over to the government.

McConnell proposed an amend-

ment that would've torn out a

provision requiring greater trans-

par enc y from the sec ret court

that authorizes domestic surveil-

lance but he lost.

The turn of events is a victory

for Republican presidential

hopeful Rand Paul, who had

spiritedly blocked an extension

of the Patriot Act, and whistle-

blower Edward Snowden, who

had exposed the extent of the

NSA data collection in 2013.

Congress reins in domesticsurveillance

Majority of New Yorkers dissatisfied withstate government: Poll

Vice President loses son to cancer

New York: A new CNN poll out

Tuesday shows Hillary Clinton’s

shine has been “tarnished” and she

has lost support from Independents

and even Democrats.

The poll showed that 50 % of

respondents now have an unfavor-able view of here. That is the high-

est unfavorable number for her

since 2001. The number of people

that say Clinton is not honest and

trustworthy has also increased to

57 %.

The Washington Post-ABC News

poll shows Hillary has lost support

among Independents. In March, 45

percent had a favorable view and

44 percent had an unfavorable

view, for a net approval rating of

+1 point. That has now fallen to -14 points (37 percent-51 percent).

Even more striking is that she

has lost support among Democrats.

In March, her net favorability rat-

ing was +59 points (78 percent-19

percent). It is now +50 percent (72

percent-22 percent). Of cour se,

she is still very popular among

Democrats.

Daily Beast columnist John

Avlon said that Hillary has had a

rough start to her campaign.

“She’s had a rough, rough coupleof weeks. There’s incoming about

the foundation, about emails,

Republicans getting some confi-

dence hitting her on trail,” Avlon

said. “She’s had a hard time driv-

ing a positive message.”

Washington: Beau Biden, the 46-year-oldson of Vice President Joe Biden, has died of

brain cancer.

"Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest

man any of us have ever known," CNN quot-

ed his father as saying in a statement.

An Iraq war veteran, the eldest son of the

US vice president died on Saturday evening,

his family said in a statement.

"It is with broken hearts that Hallie,

Hunter, Ashley, Jill and I announce the pass-

ing of our husband, brother and son, Beau,

after he battled brain cancer with the same

integrity, courage and strength he demon-

strated every day of his life," Joe Biden said.

Beau served as the attorney general of

Delaware. He was diagnosed with brain can-

cer in 2013.

President Obama said he and his wife

Michelle considered Beau a friend, and

praised his public service and devotion to his

family.

Albany, NY: A majority (55%) of

New York voters have sai d the y

believed all current state elected offi-

cials should be voted out of office

“so new officials can start with a

clean slate.” They are dissatisfied

with the way things are going in the

state. They are losing confidence in

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a poll

released Wednesday by Quinnipiac

University shows. So far this year,

the leaders of both houses of the

Legislature have been arrested on

federal corruption charges. Both sub-

sequently gave up their leadership

posts, and those scandals, building

on others in recent years, appear to

be taking a toll on voters’ perceptions

of their government. Only 44 percent

of voters approved of the way

Cuomo, a Democrat, is handling his

job, compared with 42 percent who

disapproved, the poll found.

That was his lowest approval rating

in a Quinnipiac poll during his four

and a half years as governor — down

from 50 percent in a poll in March,

and a long way from his high point,

74 percent, in December 2012.

Though not part of either legisla-

tive corruption case, Mr. Cuomo has

faced scrutiny himself from federal

prosecutors investigating the closing

of the Moreland Commission, an

anticorruption panel that the gover-

nor disbanded last year as part of a

budget deal with lawmakers.

In the new poll, only 33% of voters

approved of the way the governor is

handling ethics in government, com-

pared with 53 % who disapproved.

The poll, conducted by telephone of

1,229 voters from May 28 to June 1,

had a margin of sampling error of

plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Corporate Office: 385 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385

718.821.3182, www.AtlanticDialysis.com

Hillary’s candidacy loses some shine

A spirited opposition to thenow lapsed Patriot Act raises

the profile of libertarian presidential hopeful Rand Paul.

Beau Biden, who had served as attorney general of Delaware, with his father,

Vice President Joe Biden.

Olympian Bruce Jenner has transitioned as Caitlyn Jenner, as this cover of Vanity Fair magazine shows. “I Am Cait”, her new E! docuseries starting July 26 will

focus on her pressures of being a woman.

Washington: Secretary of State John

Kerry has undergone successful surgery

on a broken leg, his doctors have said.

Kerry, 71, was injured in a biking acci-

dent in the French Alps last week and

was flown to Boston for treatment.

Surgeon Dennis Burke at

Massachusetts General Hospital said the

operation went well and Kerry should

make a full recovery.

Kerry had been attending talks in

Switzerland over the future of Iran'snuclear program prior to the accident. A

keen cyclist, he is believed to have hit a

kerb before falling off his bike and frac-

turing his right femur.

John Kerry has surgery afterbreaking leg

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


10 June 6-12, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA

New Delhi: The Indian

government has filed a

complaint against Nestle

India with the National

Consumer Disputes

Redressal Commission(NCDRC), following the

controversy over samples

of Maggi noodles contain-

ing lead beyond permissi-

ble limits.

Food and Consumer

Affairs Minister Ram Vilas

Paswan told reporters here

that the NCDRC will probe

the matter and take appro-

priate action.

He said the government,

for the first time, was tak-

ing action under Section 12-1-D of the

Consumer Protection Act, under which

both Centre and states have powers to file

complaints.He said as there would be delay in get-

ting the reports from food safety watchdog

FSSAI (Food Safety Standards Authority

of India) and since it concerned con-

sumers' health, the government decided to

file a written complaint before the

NCDRC.

Paswan said he did not know what will

be the outcome of the FSSAI reports.

"If the FSSAI reports are found to be

positive, it is a very serious issue," he said.

The minister defended FSSAI over the

Maggi noodles controversy, and said if a

company violated the standards, the regu-

lator cannot be responsible for it.

Asked whether FSSAI was responsible

for not checking the quality of Maggi, he

said: "After getting licence, if someonedoes wrong and misleads the consumer,

how can FSSAI be held responsible?"

He also said that until the inquiry was

complete, the government cannot take

action either against the company or the

brand ambassadors.

The Delhi government has banned

Maggi noodles for 15 days as Nestle India,

the manufacturer of the popular snack, bat-

tled controversy with many more states

ordering tests following a lab report that

samples of the noodles contained more

than the permissible limit of lead.

New Delhi: India and the US

have signed a new framework

agreement for closer coopera-

tion in defense as visiting US

Secretary of Defense Ashton

Carter met Prime Minister

Narendra Modi and External

Affairs Minister Sushma

Swaraj and conveyed India

was an important strategic

partner.

The agreement was signed

by Ind ia' s Def ense Minister Manohar Parrikar and Carter.

Carter earlier met Modi,

Sushma Swaraj and National

Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

During his meeting with the

pr im e mi ni st er , Mo di

expressed hope that the US

companies, including those in

the defense manufacturing

sector, would actively partici-

pate in the 'Make in India' ini-

tiative and set up manufactur-

ing units in India with transfer

of technology and link to the

global supply chain.

Carter conveyed that India

was an important strategic

partner for the US and the US

poli cy of reba lanc e in Asia -

Pacific complimented India's

'Act East' Policy.

Carter and Modi also

exchanged views on regional

issues, including the situation

in Afghanistan, and the recent

developments in the Indian

Ocean and the Asia Pacific

region.

The defence framework

agreement meanwhile focuses

on taking "appropriate meas-

ures to enhance India's

defence capability". Among

other things, India and the US

agreed to cooperate on jet

engines, aircraft carrier design

and construction, and other

areas.

The two sides also agreed to

pur sue co- dev elo pme nt and

co-production projects that

will offer "tangible opportuni-

ties" for American defence

industries to build defence

partnership with Indian indus-

tries including in manufactur-

ing under 'Make in India'.

The 10-year defence frame-

work agreement was renewed

during the visit of US

President Barack Obama in

January. The first framework

agreement, which expires this

year, was signed in the US in

2005 by the then defence min-

ister Pranab Mukherjee and his

then US counterpart Donald

Rumsfeld.

Speaking after signing the

agreement, Parrikar said "fur-

ther synergies will result in

better output".

An official statement said

that in their meeting, Parrikar

and Carter discussed the bilat-eral defense relationship, and

the broader India-US Strategic

Partnership.

The two sides reaffirmed

their commitment to expand

and deepen the bilateral

defence relationship and also

reviewed the existing and

emerging regional security

dynamics.The 2015

Framework for the India-US

Defence Relationship builds

upon the previous framework

and successes to guide the

bilateral defence and strategic

partn ers hip for the next 10

years. It provides avenues for

high-level strategic discus-

sions, continued exchanges

between the armed forces of

both countries, and strengthen-

ing of defence capabilities.

New Delhi: A simmering row

between Delhi's AAP govern-ment and Lt. Governor

Najeeb Jung escalated after

he challenged the government

decision to appoint Bihar

Police officials in the city's

Anti-Corruption Branch

(ACB), saying it was he who

headed the anti-graft body.

Jung's assertion triggered a

strong retaliation from the

Aam Aadmi Party and its

four-month-old government.

Deputy Chief Minister

Manish Sisodia accused Jung

of making a mockery of gov-

ernance in the capital.

The Lt. governor and Chief

Minister Arvind Kejriwal'sgovernment are locked in an

ugly battle over the appoint-

ment and transfer of bureau-

crats.

Sisodia said the AAP gov-

ernment had the full right to

hire officials in the ACB. He

accused Jung of working at

the behest of the Narendra

Modi-led central government.

Jung's office, reacting to a

media report about the

deployment of police officials

from Bihar, had a different

view.

The ACB, being a police

station, functions under the

authority, control and super-vision of the lt. governor, a

posi tion that has also been

clarified by the ministry of

home affairs on May 21, an

official release from Jung's

office said.

The statement said no pro-

posal on pos tin g of pol ice

officials from outside Delhi

had been received by Jung's

office. Jung further said the

he was not kept in the loop.

"The matter will be duly

examined as and when the Lt.

Governor receives the formal

proposal from the Vigilance

Department of the Delhi gov-

ernment," it added.Sisodia said: "The Delhi

government and the ACB

have complete power to

appoint police officers from

anywhere across the country."

The AAP was more critical

of Jung.

AAP spokesperson Sanjay

Singh said: "We have officers

here on deputation from Uttar

Pradesh and Haryana. Is it a

crime to get officers from

Bihar?"

Nestle in soup, government files complaint

New Delhi: Internet giant Google on

Wednesday apologized "for any confusion

or misunderstanding" caused after Prime

Minister Narendra Modi's images started

appearing in image search results for query

on "Top 10 criminals in India".

"These results trouble us and are not

reflective of the opinions of Google.Sometimes, the way images are described

on the internet can yield surprising results

to specific queries. We apologize for any

confusion or misunderstanding this has

caused. We're continually working to

improve our algorithms to prevent unex-

pe ct ed re su lt s li ke th is ," a Go og le

spokesperson said in a statement.

Google said that results to the query "top

10 criminals in india" was due to a British

daily which had an image of Modi and erro-

neous metadata.

It said that in this case, the image search

results were drawn from multiple news arti-

cles with images of Modi, covering the

prime minister's statements with regard to

politicians with criminal backgrounds, but

added that the news articles do not link

Modi to criminal activity, and the words

just appe ared in close prox imity to each

other.

Google apologizesover Modi imagesearch results

Jung-AAP row escalates - overanti-corruption wing

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal andLt. Governor Najeeb Jung.

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter metPrime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

Many more states are ordering tests following a lab report that samples of the noodles contained more

than the permissible limit of lead.

India-US ink defense framework pact,Carter meets Modi

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


11June 6-12, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA

New Delhi: Amid speculation

over the fate of alliance between

JD(U) and RJD ahead of crucial

Bihar polls, JD-U President

Sharad Yadav has insisted that

both the par tie s wil l fig ht the

Assembly polls in the state

together in alliance with

Congress to challenge a resur-

gent BJP.

"The unity is bound to happen

as it is the need of the hour. The

nation needs it. All of us will

contest election together.

Congress, JD-U, RJD, NCP and

others will fight together," Yadav

said.

The remarks come a day after a

meeting between RJD chief Lalu

Prasad's pointsman Bhola Yadav

and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish

Kumar, who is meeting party

legislators and Parliamentarians

to get feedback from them about

the situation arising out of the

logjam over the tie-up.

Prasad had said in Patna yes-

terday that the reality was differ-ent from what was being propa-

gated through "vested interests"

and that he is "committed to

fighting communal forces".

There has been speculation in

media that the BJP could be

egging on Prasad not to go for an

alliance with Kumar. There has

also been speculation that both

JD-U and RJD have prepared a

plan B to conte st the elect ions

separately if the alliance did not

materialize.

Scotching the speculation, the

JD-U President said, "The unity

(of Janata Parivar parties) has

already been announced. Now

the announcement will material-ize. It will materialize as the

country needs it."

"I am confident about the

unity," he said. He, however,

refused to clarify whether he was

referring only to JD-U and RJD

contesting together or also to the

grand alliance of six parties of

erstwhile Janata Parivar.

Asked to give a date by which

the alliance between RJD and

JD-U will be sealed, Prasad said,

"I cannot give a date but unity

will happen."

Yadav refused to divulge what

transpired in his talks with the

RJD chief, saying these things

cannot be shared with the media.

"I am in touch with everyone.

These things cannot be disclosed

to media," the JD-U President

said when asked what was the

attitude of the RJD chief towards

the issue of alliance between the

two parties for the state elec-

tions.

Yadav also refused to comment

on the recent war of words

between the leaders of the two

parties over the issue of projec-

tion of Nitish Kumar as the Chief

Ministerial candidate of thealliance.

"I do not give statements on

statements. But the alliance will

happen," he insisted.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposed visit to

Israel amounts to abandoning

New Delh i's long-st anding sup-

po rt fo r an in de pe nd en t

Palestinian state, the CPI-M said.

An editorial in the CPI-M

mouthpiece "People's

Democracy" said Modi's visit

would also give an official stamp

to the existing "close strategic

relationship" between the two

countries.

External Affairs Minister

Sushma Swaraj has announced

that Modi will go to Israel at a

mutually agreed date. This will be

the first time an Indian prime min-ister visits Israel.

"The significance of such a visit

would be that the close strategic

relationship existing between the

two countries will be given an

official stamp," the editorial said.

Then deputy prime minister

L.K. Advani had visited Israel in

2000. India established full diplo-

matic relations with Israel in

1992. The Communist Party of

India-Marxist pointed out that the

current Israeli government of

Benjamin Netanyahu was "domi-

nated by rightwing and Jewish

extremist parties.

"Modi will be visiting Israel

when the Netanyahu government

is aggressively going ahead with

nullifying any possibility of a

po li ti ca l se tt le me nt wi th th e

Palestinian leadership...

"While formally maintaining

India's long-standing position of

support to the cause of the

Palestinian people, the Modi gov-

ernment is now openly working to

undermine this stand...

"The initiative to put Indo-Israel

ties on a new footing is in line

with the overall foreign policy

direction of the Modi government

which is to entangle India fully in

the geo-political strategy of the

US...

"(The visit) will signal the aban-

donment of India's steadfast com-

mitment to an independent

Palestinian state."

New Delhi: US-based taxi provider

Uber will continue to be banned inthe national capital as the Delhi gov-

ernment rejected its fresh request for

plying cabs.

The decision was taken after the

city government found that Uber

"failed to submit the sworn affidavit

of complying with the ban order in

letter and spirit".

Despite being banned, these taxi

services continue to operate in the

capital as the city government does

not have the mechanism to block

their websites. The city government

also turned down the request of Ola

and Taxi for Sure app-based cab

providers on the same ground.

Following the rape of a 25-year-old woman by a cab driver of the

Uber taxi company in December last

year, the city government had

banned all app-based taxi services.

Last week, a Delhi woman

accused a Uber cab driver of molest-

ing her in neighboring Gurgaon.

Delhi Transport Minister Gopal

Rai had recently met representatives

of Uber and Ola and told them to

provide relevant information if they

their wanted fresh licenses to be

considered. They were asked to pro-

vide full details of their drivers and

vehicles. Rai had said the city gov-

ernment would ask the Centre to

block the websites and apps of Uber,

Ola and other app-based taxi servic-

es in Delhi."It is beyond our understanding

why the Centre, despite being

informed, is not taking action

against these taxi services. These

services are taking undue advantage

of being app-based," he had said.

The taxi operators have been told

that their fresh applications for

licences will only be considered

after they furnish affidavits agreeing

to standard and stringent safety

norms, particularly for women pas-

sengers.

Narendra Modi will go to Israel at a mutually agreed date.

RJD-JD(U)-Cong to fight Biharassembly polls togetherIslamabad: A day after he said

that Kashmir was the "unfin-

ished agenda of Partition",

Pakistani Army chief Gen.

Raheel Sharif said on Thursday

there will be an improvement in

relations with India.

After the joint session of par-

liament, Sharif said that in the

coming days there will be an

improvement in the relations

with India, Geo News reported.

Sharif said there was no rea-

son to be worried about the

recent attitude exhibited by

India as the Pakistani Army was

capable of responding to any

form of aggression.

When asked about the securi-

ty situation in the country,

Sharif responded that there has

been an improvement, and that

the security situation would fur-

ther improve in the country.

“Pakistan and Kashmir are

inseparable,” General Raheel

Sharif said in an address at the

National Defense University.

He emphasized that while

Pakistan wished for peace and

stability in the region, it was

essential to have a just resolu-

tion in the light of UN resolu-

tions and according to aspira-

tions of Kashmiris to establish

this.

20 Indian Army jawans killed in Manipur ambushImphal: At least 20 Indian Army jawans were killed and several

others were injured when suspected militants ambushed their con-

voy in Manipur's Chandel district, an official said. A team of six

Dogra Regiment was on a routine road opening patrol.

An army spokesman said that the militants first fired rocket-pro-

pelled grenades at the four-vehicle convoy which was on its way to

Imphal from Chandel.The ambush took place when the convoy reached between

Paralong and Charong villages around 8.30 a.m.

Most of the bodies were charred. This is being seen as the worst

attack on the Indian Army in at least a decade.

Ties with New Delhi willimprove: Pakistan Army chief

Modi's Israel visit amounts toabandoning Palestine: CPI-M

Uber continues to be

banned in Delhi

JD-U President Sharad Yadav

Last week, a Delhi womanaccused a Uber cab driver of

molesting her inneighboring Gurgaon.

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.

By Sirshendu Panth

While the contentious Teesta river

water sharing pact needs to be

thrashed out in the long term for the

sake of better India-Bangladesh bilateral rela-tions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's

impending two-day visit to Dhaka carries huge

prospects of future cooperation, especially in

the backdrop of the long-awaited Land

Boundary Agreement (LBA) to be inked,

experts here say.

With the Teesta accord, which Bangladesh

considers very important, not on the agenda,

diplomatic experts are banking on the land

swap deal - set to be concluded on June 6 on

day one of Modi's visit - as a "significant chap-

ter" in India-Bangladesh relations, which could

in turn pave the way for fresh openings in

bilateral ties.

The historic LBA provides for transfer of

111 adversely held enclaves with a total area of

17,160.63 acres to Bangladesh, while Dhaka is

to transfer 51 such enclaves with an area of

7,110.02 acres to India. Over 51,000 people

reside in these enclaves and are now virtually

stateless.

"The Teesta accord is very important for

Bangladesh. But the successful completion of

the LBA will improve prospects for fresh

openings and herald more close cooperation,

and issues like the Teesta deal will seem feasi-

ble," Om Prakash Mishra, professor of interna-

tional relations at Jadavpur University, said.

Former Indian high commissioner to

Bangladesh Veena Sikri said the LBA would

be the high point of the visit as it would help in

taking bilateral relations into an era of connec-

tivity. "Flagging off the Shillong-Dhaka via

Guwahati and Kolkata-Dhaka via Agartala bus

services, dialogue on a train service between

Khulna and Kolkata and negotiations for a

coastal shipping agreement enabling smaller

vessels to go to Bangladesh are expected to

strengthen connectivity and help in the devel-

opment of the country's north east," Sikri told

IANS. "It will help in connecting West Bengal,

Nepal , Bangladesh and Bhutan into a sub-

regional growth area," Sikri said.

The visit is also expected to be a reaffirma-

tion of the Bharatiya Janata Party led National

Democratic Alliance government's consistent

stand about the primacy it attaches to the coun-

try's neighbourhood in its foreign policy.

Bangladesh is the fourth neighbouring nation -

and significantly, the first Muslim majority

country - that Modi would tour since becoming

prime minister last May.

But despite the LBA success, it is the stalled

Teesta deal that is getting negative attention

ahead of Modi's visit.The perception in diplomatic circles is that

while the West Bengal government has been

kept on board on consultations regarding shar-

ing of the Teesta waters, which runs through

lower riparian neighbor Bangladesh, the neces-

sary support from Chief Minister Mamata

Banerjee's state has not been forthcoming.

This prompted the decision not to keep the

signing of the accord on the agenda as "much

distance is yet to be travelled" by both sides on

arriving at an agreement.

Banerjee has already said she would be

going to Bangladesh on June 5, a day before

Modi reaches Dhaka, and returning the next

day after signing of the LBA. "It is not on the

agenda," the chief minister said on Monday

when asked about talks on the Teesta deal.

Unlike the erstwhile United Progressive

Alliance government, which had seemingly

burnt its fingers on the deal by not keeping

Banerjee abreast of all developments, the NDA

regime is unwilling to act unilaterally by keep-

ing the stubborn and egoist leader of the border

state in the dark. In September 2011, Banerjee

had embarrassed then Indian prime minister

Manmohan Singh by pulling out of his delega-

tion to Bangladesh over the water sharing

agreement, forcing India to drop it from the

agenda.

By Amulya Gangul i

The Narendra Modi government's chief

economic advisor, Arvind

Subramanian, has said that the rate of

poverty reduction from 2005-06 to 2011-12

was the fastest in the country's history. The

reason, according to him, was "fast GDP

growth".

Rarely before has the Manmohan Singh

government received such a handsome com-

pliment on its performance. Although it has

been known that an estimated 138 million

people were lifted from below the poverty

line when the Congress-led United

Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in power,

Subramanian's praise is the first by someonenot associated with the present government.

What is worth examining, however, is why

the Congress itself has been reticent about this

achievement although the party's senior gen-

eral secretary, Digvijay Singh, a "loose can-

non" in his own words, did acknowledge once

that millions of the "poorest of the poor" had

been elevated into the lower middle class cat-

egory because of Manmohan Singh's "right"

policies.

No twiths ta ndi ng th is real iz at ion, the

Congress has generally been silent about its

own government's excellent record in the mat-

ter of poverty reduction whereas one would

have thought that it would have been trumpet-

ed by the party during and after the election

campaign.

The reason for this quietness cannot be

unrelated to the party's first family's fear that

an acknowledgment of this remarkable feat

will, first, turn the former prime minister into

a hero at the expense of the crown prince,

Rahul Gandhi, and, secondly, that it will

underline the success of the reforms process.

The exaltation of the putative "regent" over

the heir-apparent was evidently unacceptable

to the Congress. After all, the former was only

expected to keep the seat warm for the

dauphin and not put up an admirable show of

governance.

Moreover, the fact that the poverty reduc-

tion tapered off from 2011-12 would point tothe period when Congress president Sonia

Gandhi's aggressive espousal of costly wel-

fare programs led to the government taking its

foot of the accelerator of reforms, as the for-

mer finance minister, P. Chidambaram, has

said.

It will not be besides the point, therefore, to

speculate that if Sonia Gandhi hadn't opted

for the various populist measures on the

advice of the left-of-center National Advisory

Council headed by her, the high growth rates

would have led to further poverty reduction

and, perhaps, enabled the UPA to return to

power for the third time.

Yet, sadly for the party, the left-leaning ide-

ological inclinations of the first family, and

also of a sizable section of its members, led to

its worst-ever defeat. What is strange, howev-

er, is that like the proverbial Bourbons of France, the Congress seems to have learnt

nothing and forgotten nothing. Not only has it

refused to recognize the root cause of its

defeat - the folly of junking reforms - the

party is now determinedly turning even more

to the left in a manner which has made

finance minister Arun Jaitley mock it for posi-

tioning itself on the "left of Marx".

But the Congress will do well to remind

itself that the poverty reduction began within

a year of its return to power in 2004 not

because it was pursuing socialistic policies,

but had restarted the reforms process under its

original promoter of 1991, Manmohan Singh.

What is more, the process took off although

the communists, who are dead against pro-

market policies, were then an ally of the gov-

ernment. As a result, the reforms proceeded

haltingly, as when another ally, the DMK,

rejected the move to disinvest the Neyvelli

Lignite plant in Tamil Nadu, and subsequently

when there was firm opposition by the

Trinamool Congress and others to allow for-

eign investment in the retail sector.

Even then, notwithstanding the slow pace of

reforms, the lives of the "poorest of the poor"

were gradually improving as they moved up

into what Modi once called the "neo-middle

class" with aspirations to rise further.

The Congress, however, still appears to

be li eve that pove rty al levi at ion is best

achieved not through economic growth, but

by the distribu tion of doles and subsidie s.

Behind this belief is probably the calculation

that the largesse will be seen as the bounty of

the munificent dynasty which presides over the party's destiny and that gratitude for the

benevolence will translate into votes for the

Congress.

It is this feudal mindset which baulked at

the possibility of Manmohan Singh receiving

all the applause for lowering poverty rates,

thereby making it nearly impossible for Rahul

Gandhi to step into his shoes, as was being

speculated at the time.

While Modi had the gumption to go against

his party, Sitaram Yechury of the Communist

Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) had the hon-

esty to admit that his party erred in opposing

the nuclear deal in 2009.

The Congress, however, has only said that

its defeat was the result of its failure to com-

municate its achievements. It is a half-truth

because it is still unwilling to do so lest it

should hurt Rahul Gandhi's prospects.

Teesta important, but LBA tops Modi's Dhaka visit

Why Congress doesn't give Manmohan credit he deserves

12 June 6-12, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED

The historic Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) provides for transfer of 111adversely held enclaves with a total area of 17,160.63 acres to Bangladesh.

Former prime ministerManmohan Singh

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.

By Padma Rao Sundarji

Being a foreign correspondent in

New Delhi is hard. A decent house?

Only Lutyens, or the diplomatic

zone will do. (The rent is a small matter:

In addition to a ‘hardship posting

allowance’, the publication will pay either

most, or all of it.) A halfway-decent educa-

tion for one’s kids? Only the American

school will do. (Never mind the fact that

international universities have pitched tent

here to woo Indian kids educated locally).

Finally, there are the biggest horrors:

‘Insistent beggars’, ‘endemic dengue’,

‘public defecation’ and urination, as

Gardiner Harris, the outgoing correspon-

dent for the New York Times outlined in

detail in an article last week.

All these evils were researched by the

Harrises before moving here in 2012. But

the lure of the US dollar buying servants

and expensive luxury must have out-

weighed them and also Delhi’s biggest

problem: Air pollution. For, despite having

a child prone to respiratory ailments, the

Harrises came.

On a television debate last week, the

journalist for the publication acclaimed for

its thorough research — ludicrously told

this writer he had “never heard of air pol-

lution in Delhi till last year.” This writer pointed out that reams had appeared on the

subject in 2012 itself. And that HT, for

one, had been carrying scathing reports on

air pollution for aeons, many of which had

prompted official action. But my micro-

phone got mysteriously switched off and

those points remained unheard. Instead,

the anchor scolded this writer for being in

denial of the ‘wider issue’. ‘What do you

think WE should take away when we have

the NYT reporter’ (ergo God)’ writing

such a piece?” she insisted.

The other panelists did point to the

‘wider issue’: That industrialised countries

must first curtail their own emissions and

not bully emerging economy India to do

so. Harris said nothing. Instead, he sug-

gested a cake-bread solution: Every Indian

ought to instal ‘air purifiers’.

Harris’s parting story in the NYT had

ended with the plaintive whinge that

‘Indians don’t care’ (whereas China does).

Indeed, the moronic comparison between

information-censored China and demo-

cratic India ran like a smug strain through-

out the piece.

Yes, China was polluted too, he wrote.

But despite it, his friends in China haddecided to stay on there, whereas he was

compelled to leave India.

Inadvertently and through those last

lines of an article that was ostensibly on

the effects of air pollution upon his child

but replete with unconnected tangents like

defecating Indians, festering seepage (in

tony Shanti Niketan) and the stinking

Yamuna, Harris tripped himself up. It was

obviously not pollution alone, but reeking,

festering, stinking INDIA that they were

fleeing from.

When this writer suggested that it would

take time to restore Delhi’s air, the anchor

interrupted loudly and handed the floor

back to Harris, “who had given us some-

thing to think about”. Why do such foreign

writers come to India at all? And why do

Indian journalists take their words as the

Gospel Truth? We know the answers.

To quote an American reporter-friend

who has lived here for decades and was

disgusted by Harris’ article: “There goes

another bitch-slapper. Good riddance.”

(The article appeared in The Hindustan

Times, New Delhi)

13June 6-12, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED

Not just pollution: NYT journo was fleeing'a reeking, stinking country'

Gardiner Harris, the outgoingcorrespondent for the New York Times

in New Delhi outlined in detail in anarticle that how the Indian capitalhas become impossible to live in.

(Photo: http://ak-hdl.buzzfed.com)

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


DIASPORAJune 6-12, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Berlin: A former Indian-origin

German parliamentarian caughtwith downloaded child porn has

been suspended for three years by

his Social Democrats Party (spd),

media reported on Tuesday.

Sebastian Edathy quit the

Bundestag (parliament) last year

and agreed in March to pay a

$5,500 fine to settle criminal court

proceedings for images and videos

found on his parliamentary laptop

in 2013, Germany's international

broadcaster Deutsche Welle report-

ed. State prosecutors had alleged

that his name was found on a list of

around 300 German clients of a

Canadian supplier of child pornog-

raphy material which was obtained by Germany's Federal Intelligence

Service (BND).

In its ruling on Monday, the

SPD's Hanover tribunal dismissed

a federal party application to can-

cel Edathy's membership com-

pl et el y, sayi ng that he had no t

"severely damaged" the party.

SPD general secretary Yasmin

Fahimi on Monday said the party's

federal executive would "carefully

examine" the suspension ruling

reached by an internal tribunal of

the party.

However, Edathy has announced

on his Facebook page that he planned to appeal against the sus-

pension.

The former lawmaker said he had

the impression the decision to sus-

pend hi s member sh ip fo r three

years was only meant to "save the

SPD's federal executive from a

complete failure." In Edathy's

opinion, this was understandable

on the political level, "but I cannot

accept it."

Dubai: A Dubai-based Indian

sales executive aims to raise

funds for human trafficking

victims in India by climbing

Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro,

media reported on Tuesday.

V.J. Nagender Rao, 31,

aims to climb Africa's highest

peak to raise $10,000 for the

rescue and rehabilitation of

human trafficking victims in

India, the Khaleej Times

reported. Inspired from a talk

by wor ld- renowned Ind ian

social activist Sunitha

Krishan, Rao planned the

climb."It's a difficult climb where

people have also died," Rao

said.

"But I thought I should

push myself to raise aware-

ness for the girls. But it's will

power. It 's how much and

how badly you want it."

The money raised through

the climb will go to the"Rescue Foundation", a

Mumbai-based NGO that

seeks to rescue and rehabili-

tate human trafficking victims

in India, Bangladesh and

Nepal.

Rao plans to undertake the

eight-day climb in August.

Canberra: An Indian-origin student and his two other classmates in Australia have won schol-

arships to attend Apple's upcoming annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, media

reported. Class 10 students Deepan Kumar, Ben Maliel and Christopher Seidl from Canberra

Boys Grammar School won the scholarship by submitting their own coded iOS application,

reported Canberra Times. According to Kumar, programming helped students develop creative

ideas that could solve many challenges the society faces and should be implemented in more

schools. Apple had announced 350 scholarships for the 26th annual Worldwide Developers

Conference to be held from June 8 to 12 in San Francisco.The conference is famous for Apple's

keynote presentations on new products.

Canberra: Two cafes an Indian-origin man in Australia ran to train and employ those recover-

ing from a mental illness are shutting down for lack of profitability, media reported on Monday.

Saurabh Bhargava, who helped set up the cafes under the Mental Illness Fellowship training

program, said the trainees' "lives depend on the training... it's a therapeutic approach which the

cafes have," The Canberra Times reported. A spokesman for the Australian health minister said,

"The decision had been made by the fellowship because the financial returns from the cafes

were not covering the costs of running the program." The two cafes, located in the Australian

Capital Territory (ACT) will be closed by June 12.

Port of Spain: Trinidad and

Tobago Prime Minister KamlaPersad-Bissessar, a person of

Indian origin, has commemorated

the 170th anniversary of the first

arrival of East Indians in the

island nation, saying that ethnic

Indians were a privileged lot.

In her Indian Arrival Day mes-

sage on May 30th, Persad-

Bissessar said it was "an honor

and privilege" to have influence

over the political system, which

is strongly guided by that very

pr inci pl e, Tr in id ad Expr es s

reported on Saturday.

"As an advocate for an end to

discrimination, I have tried to use

my time to ensure that at every

step of the way we are increas-ingly defined by the things that

unite us," Persad-Bissessar said.

Indian Arrival Day, the com-

memoration of 170 years since

the first arrival on local shores of

East Indian indentured immi-

grants, marks "a national occa-

sion that reminds us of the

indomitable strength of the

human spirit, especially in times

of challenges

and adversity,"P e r s a d -

Bissessar said.

P r e s i d e n t

A n t h o n y

Carmona also

extended his

wishes to the

East Indian

community.

"East Indian

culture is char-

acterized and

driven by a

deep sense of

spirituality."

"The teachings of Indian holy

texts have instilled and embed-

ded in our citizens, positivesocial values such as humility,

respect for elders, sacrifice, hard

work and vision," the president

said. The East Indian diaspora

was sourced from the Indian

states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar

betw een 1845 and 1917 . They

were brought here by the then

colonial government to rescue

the dying agricultural economy

following the end of slavery by

the British Parliament in 1834.

The first batch of East Indianswas the beginning of several

journeys amounting to approxi-

mately 148,000 East Indians.

They brought with them new cui-

sine, habits, traditions, customs

and Hinduism.

The total number of ethnic

Indians in Trinidad and Tobago is

625,000 or 34 percent of the

entire population.

14

Abu Dhabi: The Indianembassy in the United ArabEmirates (UAE) has made itmandatory for prospectiveemployers seeking to hire Indianworkers to register online on itswebsite, an official statementhere said.

According to the statementissued by the embassy onSunday, the employers will needto register online at the eMigratesystem (www.emigrate.gov.in)after which they can obtain a permit to recruit workers directlyor through approved recruitingagents.

The new system will be imple-mented in phases -- employershiring between 50 and 150Indian workers will have to reg-ister before June 30; those hiring20 to 50 workers must register by July 31; and those hiring lessthan 20 workers must register byAugust 31.

Employers hiring over 150workers are advised to register online with immediate effect.

Employers will be required todeclare the terms and conditionsof employment at the time of registration.

UAE employers mustregister online beforehiring Indian workers

Sebastian Edathy

V J Nagender Rao wants to raise $10,000 for human trafficking

victims in India

Indo-German MPsuspended from party

Trinidad and Tobago marks 170 years

of Indian arrivals

Dubai-based Indian national

to climb mountain for funds

Indian-Australian student wins Apple

conference scholarship

No profits, so Australia to shut

cafes training mentally ill

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


FILM & FASHION 15June 6-12, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Kuala Lumpur: There will be the glitz,

glamour and the business of Bollywood at

the forthcoming edition of the 3-day

International Indian Film Academy (IIFA)

Weekend and Awards from June 5. It prom-

ises to be "larger than life" with a focus on

commercial opportunities between host

country Malaysia and India.

After travelling to London, Dubai, Macau,

Toronto and Singapore, the IIFA extrava-

ganza, which celebrates Indian cinema

every year abroad, is heading to Malaysia

for the second time for its 16th edition.

Established in 2000, the gala was held in

Malaysia in 2002 too.

"This edition is coming of age. It will be

larger than life. There is also growing support of film industries from other countries

for the IIFA movement," Sabbas Joseph,

director, Wizcraft, the organizers of IIFA,

said.

"We will be promoting Malaysia in a big

way. There will be exciting opportunities

for tourism. Later in the year, the ASEAN

Summit will take place in Malaysia too; so

it is a great building ground for that," he

added.

With delegates expected from countries

like China, Sri Lanka and Thailand, a

"white paper will be launched on day one at

the business forum where we will talk about

the power of film tourism," Joseph said

IIFA has seen Hollywood stars like

Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Kevin Spacey

and John Travolta gracing the gala in its

various editions. But any foreign talent this

year has been kept under wraps till the last

minute.

Among Bollywood stars who will light up

the stage at the Stadium Putra on the awards

night on June 7 are Hrithik Roshan,

Anushka Sharma, Priyanka Chopra, Farhan

Akhtar, and Sonakshi Sinha. The hosts will

be the crackling duo of Ranveer Singh and

Arjun Kapoor, who were in trouble for the

controversial AIB Roast video earlier this

year.

Another highlight will be the screening of

Zoya Akhtar directorial "Dil Dhadakne Do".

Its complete star cast will be in attendance.

Filmmaker Subhash Ghai ("Hero",

"Karma", "Khalnayak", "Pardes" and

"Taal") will be conferred the Lifetime

Achievement award.

Hosted by actors Ayushmann Khurrana

and Parineeti Chopra, IIFA Rocks, an exclu-

sive music extravaganza, will see musical

pe rforman ces by Sha nkar-Ehsaan-Loy,

Mika, Ankit Tiwari, Kanika Kapoor, etc.

Sonakshi, who will be soon seen as a judge

on "Indian Idol Junior" will also display her

singing skills at IIFA Rocks on June 5.

There will also be a dose of fashion at the

Fashion Extravaganza on June 6. Hosted by

actors Vivek Oberoi and Neha Dhupia, it

will see quirky designs by Masaba Gupta,

who will present a line inspired by the IIFA

trophy.

New York: Indian fashion designers have

been sparking much interest worldwide late-

ly with many celebrities wearing their cre-

ations on red carpets as varied as Cannes

and the MTV Music Awards.

Shehnaai Couture, NYC's only fashion

house to carry multi-brand Indian designers,

held its 10th Anniversary Fashion Show late

last month featuring glittering gowns, Indian

bridal lehngas, structure jackets and fusion

wear. From Fall/Winter 2015 jewel-tones to

Spring/Summer 2016 pastels, the collection

featured some of India's top designers such

as Saanshé, Bhanuni by Jyoti Sharma,

Rabbani Rakha and Mitan Ghosh. It was

attended by over 350 celebrities, clients,

guests and media at Indian fusion hotspot,

Pranna.

The fashion show was presented with a

spectacular line up from India’s runways and

bridal shows. A range of jeweled-tone lehn-

gas and kalidaars was presented first, fol-

lowed by a display of pastel dhotis with tail

jackets and silhouetted gowns.

“It has been a journey. We brought Indian

fashion here because we needed it ourselves

and saw this gaping hole in the market,” says

Shirin Vinayak, owner of Shehnaai Couture

along with her husband Sanjeev. “Today, it

isn't just a luxury for South Asian-

Americans, it’s a necessity. We represent

both esta bli shed and emerg ing des igne rs

from India and Indian designers from the

US.” The fashion show also featured four

cancer survivors who walked in Saanshé

lehnga sarees & kur-

tas that were subse-

quently auctioned

off with monies

being donated to the

American Cancer

Society. Shehnaai

Couture studio first

opened in Long

Island in 2004 and

as their client base

grew, it moved to

Manhattan’s Fifth

Avenue where they

have remained since.

The NYC studio represents established and emerging designers from India as well as Indian American designers.

Glitz and biz: 'Larger than life'

IIFA opens in Kuala Lumpur

Shehnaai Couture celebrates 10 years

Bollywood stars Bipasha Basu and Anil Kapoor with a group of Malaysianperformers at a press conference for IIFA Awards Malaysia 2015 in Kuala Lumpur.

The fashion show featured Indian bridal lehngas, structure jackets and fusionwear (Photos: Andy Chang)

Shirin Vinayak, Sabah Arenja Vig of Saanshé, cancer survivors and models.

Shehnaai owner Shirin Vinayak

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


Arvind Vora, Chairman of the Interfaith Com-

mittee of JAINA, who had worked on the

Jain - Catholic Dialogue project for a year,

vided global perspectives by elaborating on t he

arrival of Jains in the new

world, JAINA, its Inter-

faith Committee & activi-

ties, Jainism and what

Jains look forward to.

He stated that the liber-

alization of immigration

laws in USA and the Inde-

pendence of India opened

the doors for people from

South Asia to the US, who

brought with them in

60s and 70s, professional skills along with cul-

al, linguistic and religious diversity.

Mr Vora tried to simplify Anekantvada, one of the

portant principles of Jainism. Truth and reality in

ir many manifestations are difficult for most

man beings to comprehend. He summed it up asM - O for Open and M for Mind, so Anekantvada

omes OM! He stated most problems are caused

the parties involved not having open minds to un-

stand and see the differing point of view and per-

ctive of others.

Vora emphasized that by creating the Interfaith

mmittee in the late 80’s, JAINA promoted the

nciple of Anekant vada - or Open Mind. He, as

airman of this committee for over 12 years, along

h other prominent Jains from different parts of

rth America, can take pride in many outstanding

ievements, including:

Invitation from the White House for a Billning Ceremony

Invitation from the President of India for anerfaith Dialogue

Interfaith and Jain prayers at the inaugurationselected officials and at State Houses and Capi-

Leading and participating in meaningful &

symbolic prayer services after 9-11

Membership in a White House Task Force

To meet and greet spiritual leaders like theDalai Lama, Pope John Paul and Pope Benedict

Participation at religious events hosted byConsulates, Embassies and UN Missions

Presentations of workshops and papers atUnited Nations

Active participation at the Parliament of WorldReligions massive gatherings

Membership in interfaith/multifaith organiza-tions at local, national and international level

Participating and making presentations onJainism in schools, places of worships and civic in-

stitutions

Participation, support and encouragement tonon-Jains to celebrate Mahavir Jayanti at their

places of worships on Long Island

Addressing many non-Jains in the audience, Vora

said that besides Anekantvada, the two other key

principles of Jainism are: Ahimsa (non-vio lence)

and Aparigraha – keeping one’s needs to a mini-mum. In the modern times, one person who trans-

formed the world by implementation of these

principles is Mahatma Gandhi. He harnessed non-

violence to gain freedom for India from the British

rule. He practiced Aparigraha to win the hearts of

millions of poor Indians; in fact, he had fewer than

a dozen items when he died. And he demonstrated

Anekantvada by understanding and pointing at a

multitude of minority and majority viewpoints to

avoid conflicts - even though the Mahatma may not

have always been successful in convincing all sides,

for some of those failures (the partition, for exam-

ple) we are still paying a horrible price. Gandhi was

born in a Hindu family but was heavily influenced

by his Jain surroundings and his scholarly exchange

with Jain authorities.

Vora also made a point of the great contributions

made by Long Island Multi Faith Forum and

thanked many who helped in the past year to make

this event a reality.

June 6-12, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info RELIGION 17June 6-12, 2015

His Eminence Cardinal Jean-

Louis Tauran, President of

the Pontifical Council for

religious Dialogue at Vatican,

ed Washington D.C. to cele-

the 50th anniversary of Nos-

etate, the document of Vatican

ncil II, aka the ‘Magna Carta of

religious Dialogue’. As part of

celebration, he also partici-

d in the Jain-Catholic Dialogue

May 24 at the Jain Society of opolitan Washington (JSMW).

was received by Chairman of

ast Presidents Council Paresh

and Arvind Vora, Chairman of

nterfaith Committee of JAINA

eration of Jain Associations In

h America).

RELIGION

The Jain-Catholic Dialogue was held at Jain Society of Metropolitan Washington, SilverSpring, Maryland. We present key points of the presentations by four main speakers.

Other faith representatives with H.E. Cardinal Tauran

Arvind Vora

Cardinal Tauran being accorded a traditionalwelcome by Keyuri Rajani.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

In his concluding remarks, H.E. Car-

dinal Tauran, President of the Pontifi-

cal Council for Interreligious

Dialogue (PCID) at Vatican, greeted of-

fice bearers of JSMW, JAINA, presenters

and dignitaries of the US Conference of

Catholic Bishops and all in attendance

with ‘Namaskar’!

Involvement of the Pontifical Council

with Jain community goes back to 1986

when it invited Acharya Tulsi to partic-

ipate in the historic World Day of

Prayer for Peace in Assisi.

Though the Acharya

himself could not

attend, he deputed

somebody else

from his organi-

zation. And

since the keen in-

terest shown in 1985 by the Institute of Jainology, London, in nurturing Jain-

Catholic understanding, there have been

regular contacts between the PCID and

the Jains.

In 2011, the Cardinal had the joy of vis-

iting a Jain temple and participating in a

Jain-Catholic seminar organized at the

Acharya Sushil Muni Ashram in New

Delhi. The second seminar was in Lon-

don in 2013 at the Oshwal Community

Centre on the outskirts of London. Organ-

ized by the PCID in collaboration with

the Catholic Church in England and the

Institute of Jainology, it was also meant

to be an outreach to the Jains in the dias-

pora. Both, he humbly stated, were learn-

ing as well as enriching experiences for

him. The May 24 meeting too, he said,

was in keeping with this policy of the

Pontifical Council mandated to promote

relations with the adherents of other reli-

gions, to reach out and to engage with

Jain friends in all parts of the world and

to encourage the local Churches and Jain

communities and organizations to pro-

mote dialogue between their peoples for

greater understanding and collaboration

to contribute together for the good of hu-

manity.

Reflecting on Compassion, he quoted

Pope Benedict, “Man is worth so much

to God that he himself became man in

order to suffer with man in an utterly real

way -- in flesh and blood -- as is revealed

to us in the account of Jesus’s Passion.”Quoting sacred Jain Text Tattvartha Sutra,

he said that Jainism too exhorts its faith-

ful to a compassionate way of life:

“…friendliness towards all living beings,

delight in the distinction and honor of

others, compassion for the miserable,

lowly creatures and equanimity towardsthe vainglorious”. Compassion therefore

must be measured not by how we treat

ourselves but rather how much we reach

out to the sufferings and needs of others,

feel one with them and make their suffer-

ings and needs as our own and try sin-

cerely to do all that we can, selflessly, to

eliminate or at least to reduce their misery

and pain or to fulfil their dire needs.

The Cardinal pointed out that with the

rise in the materialistic, egoistic and indi-

vidualistic tendencies among the masses

in general and growing disregard for any-

thing spiritual and religious in today’s

world, there has emerged what Pope

Francis calls as “a culture of indiffer-

ence”, “a culture of exclusion” and “a

throw-away culture”.

There by people have lost the sense of

belonging to and being responsible for

one another, leading to insensitivity and

indifference to the sufferings and needs

of others, and tendency to exclude and

even eliminate some as though they are

insignificant and burdensome.

He concluded by saying that in an age

when violence, discrimination and ex-

ploitation, in varied forms, have become

a major concern in many parts of the

world and there is a growing culture of

indifference towards the poor and the

marginalized, the sick, the elderly and the

migrants, a holistic understanding of

compassion has a renewed relevance. He

prayed that the Jains and the Catholics re-discover the importance of compassion in

their personal and collective lives and

may they touch the lives of the people es-

pecially the needy and the suffering, with

their little acts of kindness, gentleness

and goodness.

Dr. Dipak Jain, former dean of Kel-

logg Business School and currently

at S.G. Institute of Business in

Bangkok, lifted everybody’s spirit as he

began self-mock-

ingly talking about

his brain tumor and

hip replacement, of

being brought up as

Jain but wound up as

business professor as

opposed to a busi-

nessman! He began

with three key Jain

principles and three

gems of Jain tradition

and made a stimulating presentation about

mankind with slides and charts. Up to the

19th century, history is replete with power

grabs through land acquisitions (empires of

Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, etc.), in the

20th century corporations’(oldest one being

DuPont to second oldest John Deere, whereDr Jain is on the board) emphasized profits

by practicing capitalism and in the 21st cen-

tury citizens are asserting purpose of life by

becoming entrepreneurs (Microsoft, Apple

to Facebook and so on).

Dr Jain went even deeper by classifying

entrepreneurship as business, social and

spiritual. For example, Bill Gates created a

world class corporation and then moved to

social entrepreneurship by trying to make

the world a better place with his founda-

tion, thus transitioning from success to sig-

nificance. Dr Jain then narrated his early

start at Kellogg (in Chicago) and 9-11 hap-

pening, and inauguration of his new class,

where he exhorted freshers to start their

journey from success to significance.

Spiritual entrepreneurship has become

most important today, he said. Focus should

be on how I become a better person. He em-

phasized the Jain idea of forgiveness and in-

dicated that one has to become like a flower,

which when crushed gives fragrance! In his

long years of teaching, he practices what

he teaches, at home, in college and else-

where.

Dr Jain likes the term ‘intellectual non-

violence’ for Anekantvada - multiple view-

points. The one thing that differentiatesJains from others is acceptance of different

viewpoints. Thus absolute behavior or ab-

solutism is not going to enrich anyone's life.

He concluded that life is all about making

a difference in one person's life and let that

person become the agent of others.

Akeynote presentation was made by

Prof. Francis X. Clooney, an author

of many books including some re-

lated to Hinduism, and affiliated with the

Harvard Divinity Cen-

ter and Center for the

Study of World Reli-

gions.

He enthralled the au-

dience with his lucid,

enlightening, enriching

and educational presen-

tations from Nostra

Aetate (“In Our

Times”) with 50 years

history, to meditational

experience in Jain Tem-

ple in Mylapore, Chennai, scholarly associa-

tion with a noted Jain scholar Prof.

Padmanabh Jaini at Berkley, Calif., a reposi-

tory of vast knowledge of Indian civilization

at Motilal Banarsidass publishing house.

Perhaps the most vivid early memory Prof.Clooney had of Jain religion was on his way

to a Hindu wedding, in 1982, when he paid a

visit to Shraavana Belagola, where stands the

magnificent statue of Bahubali. This mam-

moth figure dominates the area, radiating de-

tachment, wisdom, and compassion. Prof.

Clooney related the story of St. Francis of As-

sisi. One day his father challenged him,

“Everything you have, even the clothes on

your back, comes from me. You owe it to me

to give up this foolish ascetic life, to return

home and work in the family business.” In-

stead, Francis stripped off his clothes and

said, “Father, take back what is yours then,

and I will trust in God.” He was clothed only

in the grace of God, nothing else — the most

famous Digambara Catholic!

The wise professor compared the Jainism’s

Aparigraha to the story of Jesus, who died,

without any possessions at all, stretched out

on the cross; and Sallekhana to merge with

nature and let go of ego. His interest in

Anekantvada was evident as he quoted from

Jain scriptures and coined the term Intellec-

tual Non-violence! He also referred to the

scholarly exchanges between Mahatma

Gandhi and Shrimad Rajchandra and how

Gandhiji utilized the knowledge he thus ac-

quired throughout his life.Prof Clooney concluded by exhorting both

Jains and Catholics, with long traditions, to

share their blessings more intentionally with

one another, marking the next millennium

with a true Jain-Catholic companionship on

the pilgrimage of life.

Spiritual entrepreneurship needed A Catholic reflects on Jain wisdom

Meeting of minds on religion for a better world

(On the dais, from left) Prof. Francis X. Clooney, Dr. Dipak Jain, Prem Jain,H.E. Cardinal Tauran, Arvind Vora, Bishop Rozanski and Paresh Shah.

Prem JainPresident of JainAssociations InNorth America,gave the history of JAINA, mission,achievements,and an invitationto the JAINA convention - July 4thweekend inAtlanta (www.convention.jaina.org).

Janak RajaniPresident of JainSociety ofMetropolitanWashington,welcomedeveryone to JSMW and mentioned a humble beginning by acquiring nearby land for a bigger Jaincenter.

Pravin DandChair, Board of Trustees of JSMW,extended vote of thanks formaking possiblethis historic event at the center and spoke a few words on compassion.

Paresh ShahDid thedifficult job of Master ofCeremony at the event. As the thenpresident, hetook activeinterest sinceOctober last and worked hard.

Father SantiagoAs personalsecretary to theCardinal, hecalled the names of recipients of a gift from the PCID and thanked the Jain community.

Dr. Dipak Jain Prof. Francis X.Clooney

Compassion and Dialogue

Cardinal Jean-Louis

Tauran

OM - O for Open, M for Mind

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


By Parveen Chopra

If you have been practicing yoga asana

for some time, some of these tips won’t

be new to you. For the neophyte , the

advice will come handy.

Preparation: The best time to practice

asanas is in the morning. Finish your ablu-

tions, have a bath, and practise before

breakfast. Wear loose, comfortable clothes.

No shoes or belts. Do buy a sticky yoga mat

(costs $10 onward) though a folded soft

blanket will do too. The surface to do yogaon should be neither too soft, nor too hard.

Yoga studio: In America, most neighbor-

hoods have yoga studios, with varying rate

structures. Shop around. Look at lineage if

any. Prefer the one belonging to a larger

organization, solid affiliation and some sort

of certification.

Self-learning: It is best to learn yoga

from an experienced teacher or yoga master.

At the same time, one can argue that while

the results you get from yoga practice are

profound and far-reaching, and its effects on

the body-mind system subtle, the practice of

asanas itself is not rocket science. You can

learn on your own.

Yoga apps and online: We know Baba

Ramdev got his first surge of popularity

when lakhs of people started practicing

yoga following his instructions on his TV

program on Aastha and other channels. Here

in America with its DIY culture, many yoga

studios and health clubs are offering online

yoga classes that allow people to practice at

home. Smartphone apps make it still easier.

Digital yoga lets beginners try it out away

from strangers’ gaze, and without investing

much. Yoga-gear giant Gaiam Inc has

acquired the Yoga Studio app, which fea-

tures 65 classes. It costs $3.99 but many

other popular apps are free. While 60- to

90-minute classes are standard in a studio,

online viewers often gravitate toward target-

ed workouts as short as 10-15 minutes.

Do not over-reach or overstretch:

Remember the only sutra in Patanjali’s

Yoga Darshan about postures is – sthira

sukham asanam. A posture should be stable

and comfortable. You aspire and move

towards the final position, but if you can

reach only halfway, that is fine too. With

regular practice you will get there one day.

Some yoga schools like Iyengar’s have

props like cubical blocks and ropes as aids,

but better not try them on your own.

A basic set of asanas

If you can spare just 10-15 minutes a day

for yoga practice, this is one set of asanas

and sequence to follow: Vajrasana (legs

folded, sitting on soles of feet),

Paschimottanasana (sitting forward bend),Sarvangasana (shoulder stand), Halasana

(plough), Bhujangasana (cobra),

Shalabhasana (locust), Ardha

Matsyendrasana (spinal twist), and Pada

Hastasana (standing forward bend). Finish

with shavasana or copse posture. Mind you,

the best known asana - shirsasana or the

headstand – is discouraged by many masters

these days.

Shavasana: You always end a session of

yoga asanas with Shavasana, literally, the

corpse pose. Many yoga classes may have

an elaborate/longer version of the

Shavasana or move on to yoga nidra. In the

basic Shavasana, you lie down on the back

with legs stretched and about one foot apart;

arms on the sides 6 inches away from the body; neck tilted to one side. Relax with

closed eyes. Lie down in Shavasana after

every asana or as and when you feel tired or

strained.

Breathing during asanas: One idea is to

stay aware of breathing during asanas. And,

of course, in some asanas, automatically

you will feel like exhaling long and deep

and pausing for a while before inhaling –

that is the way to consciously do it too.

Anulom vilom pranayama

There are many elaborate pranayama (for

example, Kapalbhati, which is Baba

Ramdev’s favorite). Anulom vilom (alter-

nate breathing) is the easiest and simple to

practice . Sit erect in any meditat ive pose.

Press your middle and ring finger on the left

nostril and breathe out gently through the

right nostril. Inhale through the right nostril. Now press down with the thumb on the

right nostril and exhale through the left.

Inhale through the left. Exhale through the

right, and so on for about 5 minutes.

Surya Namaskar: Surya Namaskar or

the Sun Salutation is one of the most well-

known yoga routines. As standalone you

can do a few rounds of Surya Namaskar

when having limited time available. Best

done early in the morning for several health

be ne fi ts . Th e ro ut in e co ns is ts of 12

sequenced forward and backward bending

movements that stretch and flex the spinal

column. It has a deep effect in detoxifying

the organs through copious oxygenation and

has a deeper relaxing effect.

Complementary/Contrary postures: A

forward bending asana should be followed by backward bending posture; a downward

bending asana balanced by a upward bend-

ing.

Yoga must before meditation

When overzealous meditators start doing

long sittings, the experienced teachers dis-

suade them and strongly recommend first

grounding the mind with asana and

pranayama. It is not a crass thing to focus

too much on the body. Being physically fit

is important in spiritual pursuits too. In fact,

the yogis and rishis of yore devised

asana/pranayama and even ayurveda so the

spiritual aspirants stay healthy, physically

and mentally. The higher chakra over-acti-

vation, caused by meditation without the

grounding power of asanas and karma yogacan have deleterious consequences. I

remember in the advanced residential cours-

es I attended while in the Transcendental

Meditation movement, each 20-30 minute

meditation session was preceded by 10 min-

utes of yoga and 5 minutes of anulom vilom

pranayama. Together this set was called a

rounding. Depending on time available one

could do 2-3 rounding in the morning and

2-3 in the evening.

This is the third in a series of articles

written by Parveen Chopra, Managing

Editor of The South Asian Times, in the run

up to the f irst International Day of Yoga. He

is also founder of India’s first spiritual mag-

azine, Life Positive, and a teacher ofmeditation.

18 June 6-12, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info YOGA

International Day of Yoga

at the United NationsYoga at Central Park

Arelease from the office

Permanent Representative

of India to United Nations,

Amb. Asoke K. Mukerji, states that

the first celebration of the

International Day of Yoga at the

UN will be held on June 21

(Sunday) at 1000 hrs at the UN

Visitors Plaza (46th st & 1st Av

Entrance).

This year’s celebration is likely to

be graced by the External Affairs

Minister of India, UN Secretary

General and the President of the

UN General Assembly, along with

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder, Art

of Living Foundation.

The event will be live broadcast

on UN TV, as well as be viewed

live by an audience of several thou-

sands who would be also celebrat-

ing IDY at the Times Square.

CORD New York is hosting a

Yogathon Event at Central

Park on June 21 from 10 am

– 1pm. CORD USA is a secular,

non-profit that facilitates sustain-

able social help programs in local

communities and in the Indian sub-

continent through processes of self-

empowerment and enrichment

The Yogathon at Central Park has

been organized to raise awareness

and funds for rural development in

India by reaching out to people out-

side India.

Modi for making yogaa mass movement

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for making

Yoga a mass movement, connecting people and

strengthening the bonds of humanity.

In a post on Facebook, he said that the entire global com-

munity has come together in support of celebrating the first-

ever International Day of Yoga on June 21.

"Now, that strong support has also turned into immense

enthusiasm. I am seeing several people and organizations

across the world are working towards making the first ever

IDY a memorable event," he said.

In the run-up to 21st June, the Prime Minister is sharing a

post daily, covering various aspects of Yoga.

F e a t u r e d E v e n t s

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


By SATimes Team

Yoga, the ancient Indian sys-

tem of healing and holistic

growth, has fully seeped

into our popular consciousness, and

it has become as much a part of US

fitness culture as is Zumba, aero-

bics and other forms of exercise.

One may not have to look much

further then end of the block to prac tice thei r half -moon pose or

downward dog.

As many as 20 million people in

the United States practice yoga as

per a 2012 study conducted by an

agency on behalf of Yoga Journal.

Another 44.4 % of Americans call

themselves “aspirational yogis”,

those interested in trying yoga. This

comprehensive study of the con-

sumer yoga market also found that

practitioners spend over $10 billion

a year on yoga classes and products

including equipment, clothing,

vacations and media.

What started as a fringe interest

of a handful of bohemians in the

1800’s has become a full blownmultibillion-dollar industry. And

much of the credit goes to Swami

Vivekananda who introduced yoga

to the national conversations way

back in 1893. In his address at the

Parliament of World’s Religions

and his lectures afterward, he left

his audiences spellbound. His

unique contribution was to simpli-

fy Yoga-Vedanta for the West and

influenced many great minds of the

day including Gertrude Stein, Leo

Tolstoy, and a generation later, J.D.

Salinger.

And thus began the west’s love

affair with East and yoga philoso-

phies.

Before Vivekananda, the eastern

impulse arrived first by hearsay and

through a handful of Indian sacred

texts, books, and commentaries.

William Judge, head of the

American branch of the

Theosophical Society, published a

commentary on the Yoga Sutra in

1889 which was followed by Rama

Prasad’s ‘Nature’s Finer Forces’,

which perhaps the first yoga

instruction book.

Yoga got a major fillip in the

West in 1924 when the US immi-

gration service imposed a quota on

Indian immigration, making it nec-

essary for westerners to travel to

India to seek spiritual teachings.

One of the them was Theos

Bernard, who returned from India

in 1947 and published ‘Hatha Yoga:

The Report of a Personal

Experience’. It was a major source-

book for yoga in the 1950s.

Yoga received another major

impetus when Indra Devi, a

Russian known as the mother of

western yoga, opened a yoga studio

in Hollywood. Marilyn Monroe,

Gloria Swanson, and Cosmetics

Titan Elizabeth Arden were among

her star pupils. Her three best-sell-

ing books had housewives from

across America standing on their

heads in their bedrooms. She was

also the first westerner to study

with Sri Krishnamacharya, known

as the grandfather of American

yoga. Some of his students who

went on to become institutions

include B.K.S. Iyengar, Pattabhi

Jois and T.K.V. Desikachar.

Iyengar brought more discipline to

yoga. His 1996 book "Light on

Yoga" is still considered the Bible

of asana practice. Nearly every

Western teacher has been inspired

by his emphasis on anatomical pre-

cision, many without even knowingit. He was also responsible for

introducing props in yoga.

Each decade has brought a new

line of teachers, a new set of prac-

tices, and new controversies.

What was once a niche activity

became part of the cultural main-

stream. Countless of yoga varia-

tions can be found in the ever

mushrooming yoga studios across

America from hot yoga to naked

yoga. Many yogis and teacher now

fear that yoga is stretched out way

too much to comfort the consumer

and in doing so losing the very

essence.

“It is a big problem in the sensethat most yoga institutes are selling

yoga as a product designed to com-

fort the clients. To attract new prac-

titioners, newer studios sell it as a

luxurious product. Whereas yoga is

far from that. It is a spiritual disci-

pline. We teach students what they

need to learn and not what they

want to learn,” said James Murphy,

Association Director of the Iyengar

Yoga Association of Greater New

York. The commercialization of

yoga replete with designer yoga

wear, diet fads, and luxury retreats

has left many purists worryingabout the direction the ancient spir-

itual practice is heading. However,

yogis including Murphy are unper-

turbed by the exponential growth.

“I don’t think I fear about the

unprecedented growth of yoga. If

more people are exposed to it, it’s

great. Real seekers will connect

with the right kind of yoga and

yoga teacher,” said Murphy.

Iyengar institute itself has over

1,000 certified teachers in the US

and Iyengar yoga is offered in at

least 783 studios across America

with three major institutes in Los

Angeles, San Francisco, and New

York. The practice of yoga is based

on eight limbs, one of which is the physical practice of asanas as men-

tioned in the foundational text of

yoga philosophy by Patanjali.

“Since it (asana) is tangible, it is

practiced more. However one can

meditate practicing asanas,” said

Murphy.

But yes, many centers like

Jivamukti and Virayoga are also

incorporating the spiritual elements

of yoga, drawing students into

chanting, meditation, and tradition-

al teaching.

This has started a fresh debate,

especially with Catholics practicing

yoga. Although it is not a new

stance by Christians - Evangelicalshave long preached yoga avoidance

be caus e the chan ts , pose s, and

movement names are all based on

Hindu religion - the fact that retired

Catholic Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz

of Lincoln, Nebraska urged women

to steer clear of yoga and find other

forms of exercise that do not jeop-

ardize their faith.

Irrespective of the controversies

surrounding yoga, it continues to

grow exponentially.

With the fitness era giving way to

the explosive growth of interest in

wellness and mindfulness practices,

more and more Americans are tak-

ing health and healing into their hands, and the role of yoga is

evolving yet again, making the

gradual move from physical aspects

to more holistic aspect.

O n r e g u l a t i n g y o g a a n d t e a c h e r t r a i n i n g

Government regulation of yoga teacher training

is another sticky point. Should there be stricter licensing standards for teachers or create a

uniform course like Common Core in K-12 education.

In a New York Times article titled “How yoga can

wreck your body”, science writer William J. Broad

wrote that yoga is a “free-for-all” with “no hierarchy

of officials or organization to ensure purity and adhere

to agreed-upon sets of facts and poses, rules and pro-

cedures, outcomes and benefits.”

This triggered a lively debate within the yoga com-

munity about the safety of practitioners. To make the

diverse practice of yoga more streamlined, a group of

experienced yogis got together in 1999 to form Yoga

Alliance, a nonprofit. The sole purpose of the Alliance

was to set some minimum standards for teacher train-

ing to keep the government and insurance companies

out.

Currently, Yoga Alliance certifies those teachers,trained by individual schools, who complete additional

200 or 500 hours of training. The training includes

general teaching methodology, anatomy and physiolo-

gy, yoga techniques, including poses, breathing and

meditation, yoga philosophy and ethics.

Once trained, the teachers are accredited by their individual schools and their names entered on a reg-

istry that informs the public of certified teachers in

their area who have completed the minimum standards

for yoga instruction. These instructors can also use the

trademark "RYT"- registered yoga teachers - indicat-

ing they've completed the required hours.

But not all yoga institutes are on board with this

approach. “A standardized module would be kind of

difficult as everyone has their own system. There are

many yoga techniques that exist including Tai Chi,

Alexander, and Iyengar, each method is different from

the other,” said James Murphy, of Iyengar Yoga. “We

have our own teacher training programs all over the

country. After a rigorous three-year practice, when stu-

dents feel they are ready they apply for teacher train-

ing program, that is another two years. There are

assessment testes that include written test, demonstrat-ed test and practice. Once trained, instructors have to

go through levels. It is a lifelong pursuit. One cannot

stop learning in 200 hours,” added Murphy who is

practicing yoga for 25 years.

YOGA 19June 6-12, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Mystic East surely lured the West, but it is the more practical practice of

yoga that has seen an exponential growth in the last few decades.

Of Russian origin, Indra Devi is credited with bringing yoga to the western world.She opened a yoga studio in Hollywood in 1948 and among her star pupils was Marilyn Monroe.

: B.K.S. Iyengar published theoriginal ‘Light on Yoga’ in

1966, which became an international bestseller, and in

time, Iyengar Yoga a brand.

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


SUBCONTINENT20 June 6-12, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Kabul: Afghanistan’s spy agency

has said that two men arrested for

an attack on a Kabul guesthouse,

which killed four Indians, hadconfessed that the assault was

plo tte d by a Haq qani Net work

commander in Pakistan.

The National Directorate of

Security (NDS) said in a state-

ment that the men were arrested

during a special operation in

Sang-e-Nawishta area of

Kabul.The men confessed during

preliminary investigations that the

May 13 attack on Kabul’s Park

Palace guesthouse was planned by

Haqqani Network commander

Qari Abdullah in the northwestern

Pakistani city of Peshawar, the

statement said.

The NDS identified one of thesuspects as Abdul Wakil, who

works for an NGO called Madera.

The other suspect was identified

as Ghulam Aziz. The statement

said Wakil helped Qari Abdullah

to plan the assault by preparing a

fake United States Agency for

International Development

(USAID) identity card for Aziz,

who visited the guesthouse and

prepared a sketch for the attack.

The NDS said the attack was

carried out by another militant

identified as Idris, who was

deployed from Peshawar. The

attacker was killed by security

forces during an overnight siege.

The NDS said Wakil and Aziz

were also allegedly involved in an

attack on the police headquarters

in Logar province.Fourteen people died in the att ack on Par k

Palace guesthouse, including four

Indians, four Afghans, one

Afghan-British citizen, two

Pakistanis, an Italian, a Kazakh

national and an American.

Seven of the dead were aid

workers. Afghan officials had said

militants targeted the guesthouse

thinking the Indian ambassador

was present in the compound to

attend a music concert.

Washington: A New York-

based think tank has relocated

controversial Bangladeshi writer

Taslima Nasreen to "safety" in

the US amid death threats from

Islamist radicals, according to a

press release.

The Center for Inquiry assisted

in relocating the award-winning

writer and human rights activist

to the US last week after she was

"specifically named as an immi-

nent target by the same extrem-

ists responsible for the murders

of Avijit Roy, Washiqur Rahman,

and Ananta Bijoy Das", the

NGO said.

"The battle between science

and religion is perennial.

Scientists don’t hack people who

refuse to believe their theories,

bu t fu nd am en ta li st s do ,"

Nasreen wrote in a blog post on

May 30."The politics of religious senti-

ments has taken a violent turn.

The solution for this is not to

prot ec t re ligi ous sent im en ts .

Rather, the opposite. It must be

attacked constantly. Even more

so than before. This is how peo-

ple will eventually learn how to

deal with it.

"Otherwise, the people in the

business of religion will destroy

what is left of society," she

added.

"Another freethinker writer- blogger was hacked to death in

Bangladesh this morning.

Bangladesh is worse than

Pakistan," she tweeted following

the brutal murder of blogger

Ananta Bijoy Das on May 12.

But someone with the Twitter

identity oneofthemuslims

@jihadforkhilafa wrote back:

"@taslimanasreen u r also

among the 84 who r on the

hitlist. count ur days."

The tweet was referring to a

list submitted to Bangladesh'sinterior ministry in 2013 by a

radical group asking for the

writer-bloggers to be punished

for their blasphemous com-

ments.

The Center for Inquiry said

that it "has established an emer-

gency fund to assist freethought

activists whose lives are under

threat by Islamic radicals linked

to Al Qaeda in countries such as

Bangladesh".

New Delhi: India plans to

convey to Sri Lanka its

concern about the "very

provocative" sta tements

emanating from Colombo

on the fishermen's issue,

which can "vitiate" the

atmosphere for talks on

the subject, External

Affairs Minister Sushma

Swaraj said.

Addressing a press con-

ference here on the NDA

government's completion

of one year in power, shealso dismissed allegations

of lack of transparency in

the ties with Sri Lanka. She said

India's proposal for resolving the

fishermen's issue has been rejected

by Sri Lanka.

"Our understanding is that it is a

livelihood issue, their fishermen

come to our side (territorial waters)

to fish, and our fishermen also go

to that side, and then they get

arrested. We want to sit with them

and explain that this is a livelihood

issue and can be solved only with a

humanitarian approach, not other-

wise," said Sushma Swaraj.

She said sometimes "big state-ments come from that side".

"Sometimes very provocative

statements come. So we plan to sit

with them and convey to them that

such provocative statements vitiate

the atmosphere and that we should

firstly keep the atmosphere con-

ducive before discussing the fisher-

men issue," she said.

She said any talk on the fisher-

men issue should be held with the

focus that it concerns their liveli-

hood and it should be treated as a

humanitarian issue.

Sushma Swaraj also denied alle-

gations of lack of transparency in

the bilateral relations with

Colombo, saying both sides have

made four visits to each other inthree months. "Four visits in three

months, that is obviously because

we want to keep the relationship

transparent," she asserted.

Islamabad: Pakistan and Kashmir

are inseparable, and Kashmir is

"an unfinished agenda of parti-

tion", Army Chief Gen. Raheel

Sharif said.

"While we wish for peace and

stability in the region, we want

Kashmir's just resolution in the

light of UN resolutions and as per

the aspirations of the Kashmiri

people," Sharif told a conference

at the National Defence

University.

"While our enemies are support-

ing terrorism to stoke sub-conven-

tional conflicts and destabilize our

country, we are fully determined,

capable of defeating nefarious

designs," Dawn online quoted him

as saying.

"Pakistan is opposed to the use

proxies against other countries and

won't allow any country to use

proxies against Pakistan."

The army chief's comments fol-

low a flurry of similar statements

that India was involved in stoking

terrorism in Pakistan.

In recent weeks, the military and

the civilian leadership have

expressed concerns over what they

say is India's "nefarious designs"

vis-a-vis Pakistan.

Senior officials have accused

India of attempting to sabotage

Pakistan's $46-billion economic

corridor agreement with China.

Kathmandu: The Nepali Congress

-- major partner in Nepal's ruling

coalition -- and the London-based

human rights watchdog Amnesty

International (AI) on Tuesday

called upon the Nepal government

to end discrimination in distribu-

tion of relief material in earth-

quake-affected areas of the

Himalayan nation.

Distribution of relief materials is

overseen by the home ministry

which is headed by ruling coalition

partner Communist Party of Nepal-

Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) -- and Nepal's largest party

has smelt a rat in relief distribution

that is mostly influenced by the

CPN-UML leaders and cadres.

A delegation led by NC vice-

pre sident Ram Chandr a Poudel ,

who is also heading a monitoring

panel in the party, drew the atten-

tion of Deputy Prime Minister

Bamdev Gautam and blamed the

CPN-UML for influencing relief

distribution and for misuse of relief

materials in some places.

According to an NC statement,

many survivors have not even

received the Nepali Rs.15,000

(around $147) provided by the

government to rebuild houses.

Distribution of relief aidannounced by some CPN-UML

leaders and cadres like Industry

Minister Mahesh Basnyat has been

politicized and the relief materials

have also not been distributed in a

transparent manner, the NC

alleged.

The NC also sought to know

what preparations the government

has made for rehabilitation of

quake victims ahead of the mon-

soon. Similarly, Amnesty

International, at a press briefing,

also said that thousands of victims

in need of aid risk being left to

fend for themselves amidst worry-

ing signs that gender, caste and eth-

nic discrimination were inhibiting

the aid effort. The organization hasurged authorities and the interna-

tional community to put human

rights at the core of the earthquake

response.

Controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen.

Four Indians were killed inthe guesthouse attack

in Kabul.

Pak Army ChiefGen. Raheel Sharif

Kabul guesthouse attack plannedin Pak: Afghan spy agency

Taslima relocated to US after death threats

Very provocative statements fromColombo on fishermen issue: Sushma

Kashmir unfinished agenda of partition: Pak army chief

Nepal calls for end to aid discrimination for quake victimsExternal Affairs Minister

Sushma Swaraj.

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


INTERNATIONAL

Jerusalem: US President Barack

Obama has argued that statements

by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu agains t a Palest ini an

state make defending the Jewishstate difficult in the face of

European initiatives to recognize

the Palestinian Authority at the

UN. "If nobody believes there's a

peace proces s, then it becomes

more difficult to argue with those

who are concerned about settle-

ment construction, those who are

concerned about the current situa-

tion, it's more difficult for me to

say to them 'Be patient!' . . .

Because, all they need to do is to

point to the statements that have

be en made sa yi ng th er e is no

process, " Obama said candidly in

an interview with an Israeli net-

work, published by Haaretz.

Regarding European initiatives to

recognize a Palestinian state,

Obama explained: "Up until this

point we have pushed away against

European efforts for example, or

other efforts. Because we've said,

the only way this gets resolved is if

the two parties worked together.Well, here's the challenge. If in

fact, there's no prospect of an actu-

al peace process."

In recent years, the guaranteed

US veto prevented the UN Security

Council from advancing several

resolutions that condemn the

Israeli occupation of Palestinian

land and demand action to end the

conflict. Netanyahu earlier said

during his election campaign that

there would be no Palestinian state

under his rule, but later retracted

the statement and showed his will-

ingness to start a new process of

dialogue with the Palestinians.

However Obama viewed

Netanyahu's stance as having "so

many caveats, so many conditions,

that it is not realistic to think that

those conditions would be met any-time in the near future", while he

added that the danger was that the

whole country "loses credibility".

"Already, the international com-

munity does not believe that Israel

is serious about a two-state solu-

tion. The statement the prime min-

ister made compounded this

belief," he said.

Obama also expressed concern

about "Israeli politics that's moti-

vated only by fear", which can lead

to "a loss of those core values that,

when I was young and I was

admiring Israel from afar, were the

essence of this nation”.

Melbourne: Victoria's anti-terror-

ism taskforce said women were the

new targets for recruitment in the

Islamic State militant group as they

are being offered marriage, a lavish

lifestyle and security while in the

Middle East.

More than a dozen young

Australian women have attempted

to join IS strongholds in the Middle

East over the last two months.Five of the known defectors have

successfully traveled to Syria, while

four made it to Turkey before they

were intercepted by authorities.

Two are currently unaccounted for

and one woman was apprehended

by border pro tec tion offi cia ls in

Australia.

The women, as young as 18, are

said to have been lured by recruiters

over social media.

Victoria Police's Assistant

Commissioner Tracy Linford, who

runs the state's anti-terror taskforce,

said that young women were being

lured as much as young men.

She said that recruiters preyed on

vulnerable women who could be

easily influenced to travel to conflict

zones such as Syria and Iraq."We want people to understand

that it's not just a phenomenon of

young men wanting to travel over to

the conflict zone and join IS, there

are women that are being lured there

as well," Linford said.

She said police, however, were

not aware of the full number of

defectors.

Cairo: An Egyptian court has

post poned unti l June 16 a fina l

verdict on the death sentence

handed down last month to ousted

Islamist president Mohammed

Morsi in a jailbreak case in 2011.

The presiding judge of Cairo

Criminal Court said he received

the opinion of the Grand Mufti,

the country's highest Islamic offi-

cial who gives the religious judg-

ment of all preliminary death sen-

tences.

However, he did not spell outthe details of the Mufti's recom-

mendations.

The judge said the court needed

to discuss the opinion before issu-

ing a final ruling on June 16.

The Mufti's opinion is not oblig-

atory to the court as it is usually

considered a formality.

On May 16, the same court

issued preliminary death sen-

tences against Morsi and 105

other defendants in the case pub-

licly known as the "Wadi al-

Natron jailbreak".

The verdicts were referred to the

Grand Mufti for his opinion.

Morsi is accused of escaping

from prison with the help of

domestic and foreign militants

during the 2011 uprising that top-

pl ed hi s pr edec es so r Hosn i

Mubarak.

Some 130 other defendants,

who are affiliates of the Muslim

Brotherhood and members of the

Palestinian Hamas movement and

the Lebanese Shia Hezbollah

group, stand trial in the same case.

They are accused of breaking

into prisons and kidnapping and

killing police officers.

In addition to the death sen-tence, Morsi was also sentenced

in April by the Cairo Criminal

Court to 20 years in jail over

ordering the arrest and torture of

protesters in 2012.

Morsi faces charges in the espi-

onage case, but he was not among

the defendants who received death

penalties last month.

21June 6-12, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

IS targets young Australianwomen for new recruits

Ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.

Israeli stance on Palestine difficult to defend at UN: Obama

Minsk: President Pranab

Mukherjee has expressed "deepappreciation" for Belarus' endorse-

ment of India's bid for a perma-

nent UNSC seat and for support-

ing India's proposal to declare

June 21 as International Day of

Yoga. In his address at a luncheon

ba nq ue t ho st ed by Be la ru s

President Alexander V.

Lukashenko, Mukherjee, who

arrived in the Belarusian capital

this week, also expressed confi-

dence that following his visit and

discussions, bilateral ties would

rise to even greater heights.

He reiterated that India remains

committed to a deeper and more

diversified relationship with

Belarus. In his speech, the presi-

dent said since the emergence of

Belarus as an independent nation

in 1991, India and Belarus have

successfully developed their rela-

tionship based on friendship and

mutual benefit and both share

common approaches to interna-

tional issues. Cooperation between

India and Belarus in the United

Nat ions and othe r mult il at eral

fora, including in the Non-AlignedMovement has been close and

fruitful, he said, adding: "This

should continue."

Earlier, in Uppsala University in

Stockholm during his Sweden

visit, Mukherjee delivered a public

lecture on 'Tagore & Gandhi: Do

they have Contemporary

Relevance for Global Peace?'.

In his speech, the president said

the ideas of truth, openness, dia-

logue and non-violence espoused

by Tagore and Gandhi provide the

best way forward for a world con-

fronted with intolerance, bigotry

and terrorism, and their values and

their vision are more relevant

today than any time before in a

world desperately searching for

permanent soluti ons to confli ct

and tensions.

These ideals therefore need to be

propagated far and wide, especial-ly amongst the youth, he said,

according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan

statement.

Mukherjee said India, with its

population of 1.25 bi ll ion, has

been home to the harmonious min-

gling of ethnicities and religions

for centuries.

"We are clear that lasting peace

can be built only on a foundation

of mutual respect which was con-

sistently and eloquently advocated

by bo th Tag or e an d Gand hi ji .

Enduring peace can only be estab-

lished on the basis of humanity's

moral and intellectual solidarity.

Political and economic agreements

will not on their own build a last-

ing peace. Peace has to be founded

on the belief that there is only one

humanity," he said.

Pranab thanks Belarus for endorsing India's UNSC bid

President Pranab Mukherjee being welcomed at Minsk

International Airport in Belarus.

Egypt court defers final verdict on Morsi death sentence

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


New Delhi: An official forecast of

a 12-percent rain deficit during

this monsoon season caused much

concern in India over a possible

crop failure, drought, inflation and

an overall adverse impact on theeconomy, spooking a key stock

index by nearly 2.5 percent and

even prompting a key minister to

invoke god.

"The latest forecast is bothering

me. The rainfall this monsoon is

likely to be below normal-to-defi-

cient at 88 percent -- plus or

minus four percent -- of the nor-

mal (average) rainfall, which is

down from 93 percent in April,"

said Science and Technology

Minister Harsh Vardhan.

"Let's pray to god that the fore-

cast does not come true," he said

on the margins of an event in

Noida, adding that the likelihoodof a shortfall of rain below the

long-term average from 1951-

2000 had now risen to 93 percent

from 68 percent that was predict-ed in April.

Incidentally, when the minister

was revealing the latest forecast,

Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan was expressing

concern over the deficient rains

based on an earlier forecast of 7

percent shor tfal l. This added to

the alarm.

"For the kharif season, the out-

look is clouded by the first esti-

mates of Indian MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD), predicting

that the southwest monsoon will

be 7 percent below the long period

average," Rajan said.

The Kharif season starts in June

with sowing when monsoon

begins and its crop is harvested in

November, while the rabi season

begins with sowing in November

and the crop, especially wheat, is

harvested in April-May.

"What is clear is that contin-

gency plans for food management,

including storage of adequate

quantity of seeds and fertilizers,

crop insurance, credit and timely

release of food stocks need to bein place to manage the impact of

low output on inflation." As the

forecast came over and above an

official statement last week of a

likely four million tonnes of grain

in the just-concluded fiscal year,

and the central bank's assessment

of a worsening of the situation,the concern was magnified.

The stock markets, accordingly,

appeared to have ignored the rate

cuts announced by the RBI and

the key sensitive index (Sensex)

of the Bombay Stock Exchange

fell 660.61 points or 2.37 percent.

The importance of the annual

weather phenomenon of monsoon

can be gauged by the fact that it

accounts for as much as 75 per-

cent of India's rains and over half

of the farm sector's water needs.

It is also singularly responsible

for refilling the reservoirs, so cru-

cial for the daily dose of water.

It even kept prevented the cen-tral bank from announcing a

steeper cut in interest rates.

The rainfall this monsoon is likely to be below normal-to-deficient at 88 percent -- plus or minus four percent.

BUSINESSJune 6-12, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 22

New York: The rise of India as an

Asian economic powerhouse is get-

ting harder to ignore with a research

team at Harvard University predict-

ing that India could soon be growing

at close to twice the annual rate of

its arch-rival, China.

Unusual in its method, the Center

for International Development

(CID) uses “economic complexity”,as found in a country’s mix of

exports, as a tool for tipping future

growth. In India’s case the export-

complexity test, using 2013 data,

points to the country enjoying an

average annual growth rate of 7.9%

over the next decade. China, over

the same period, using the same

measuring system, is forecast to

grow by 4.6% a year.

Impressive as it sounds for India

the country is starting at lower base

so it is easy to post relatively fast

growth rates. China, after two

decades of hectic growth, is hitting a

statistical ceiling. The CID study

covers 128 countries and is designedto measure productive knowledge

by assessing the range of goods and

services exported with diversity

pointing to an ability make products

of increasing economic complexity

with a workforce able to transfer its

skills from one industry to another.

The director CID, Ricardo

Hausmann, said the Center’s Atlas

of Economic Complexity showed

remarkable accuracy in predicting

future economic growth.

“The Atlas’ Economic Complexity

measures are found to best forecast

growth rates, with 10times greater

accuracy than the World Economic

Forum’s Global Competitiveness

Index,” Prof Hausmann said.

If the latest report from the CID is

accurate it also points to two other

trends, one obvious and the other not

so obvious. The obvious trend is that

countries with greater economic

complexity, which essentially means

a broader mix of industries, should

grow faster than mono-dimensional

countries such as those overly

dependent on raw material exports,

such as oil-exporting countries.

The less obvious is that East

Africa is one of the world’s next

economic hot spots with countries

that face the Indian Ocean, such as

Kenya and Tanzania. These coun-

tries have relatively small

economies, but share a proximity to

India, which is emerging as South

Asia’s economic driver, adding to an

argument that countries around the

edge of Indian Ocean are poised to

replicate the rapid growth of Pacific

rim countries of the past 50 years.

India braces for poor monsoon

New Delhi: With the Swiss

government signing a landmark

Automatic Exchange of

Information (AEOI) agreement

with the European Union (EU)

last week, efforts are underway

for a similar bilateral pact with

India.

The effort, which is expected

to provide a strong impetus tothe Narendra Modi govern-

ment’s pitch to combat the

black money menace in India

and abroad, was kick-started by

an October 15, 2014, joint

Indo-Swiss statement which

said that Switzerland would

commence talks with India in

this regard at the earliest after

completion of its domestic pro-

cedures.

“Those procedures are not

completed yet,” Anne Césard,

spokesperson from the Swiss

state secretariat for internation-

al financial matters was quoted

as saying in a Hindustan Timesreport.

Asked about the broad

parameters of a pact with India,

the spokesperson said: “This

would depend on the outcome

of the talks and the terms of a

possible agreement.”

Black money: Swiss-Indiapact in works

India's economic revival confirmed by new Harvard study

Using economic complexity as a tool, the study predicts India to comfortably outstrip China’s annual growth rate.

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


Washington: The White House said FIFA

can benefit from "new leadership", after the

resignation of the world soccer organisa-

tion's president, Joseph "Sepp" Blatter, amid

a massive corruption scandal.

White House spokesman Josh Earnestsaid that "it's apparent from recent news

reports that they'd benefit from some new

leadership," upon being asked about

Blatter's stepping down.

"This is an opportunity for that organiza-

tion to try to improve their public image and

to make sure that the actions of that organi-

zation are consistent with their mission."

"Obviously, the prosecutors at the

Department of Justice will carry out their

work, you know, irrespective of any person-

nel decisions made at FIFA," Earnest added,

although he refused to comment on the

investigation.

Blatter announced that he would relin-

quish his post and that a special conference

will be held where FIFA will elect a new president.

However, Blatter will continue as acting

president of the organisation until the new

election can be held sometime between

December 2015 and March 2016.

Meanwhile, Jack Warner, former FIFA

vice president, made a televised address in

Trinidad, saying he will prove a link

between soccer' s governing body and his

nation's elections in 2010.

Warner is among nine FIFA officials and

five corporate executives charged by the US

Department of Justice with running a crimi-

nal enterprise that involved more than $150

million in bribes.

"I will no longer keep secrets for them

who actively seek to destroy the country,"

he said.

In a related development, a former direc-

tor of FIFA who was brought to trial by a

New York court confessed in 2013 that he

had accepted bribes in exchange for select-ing the sites of the World Cup in 1998 and

2010, judicial sources have said.

The testimony of former sports director

Charles Gordon Blazer, which was given in

a closed court session on November 25,

2013, was released by the court with parts

of it redacted by prosecutors, apparently to

preserve the confidentiality of their current

investigation into corruption within FIFA.

"Chuck" Blazer was the general secretary

of football's North and Central American

and Caribbean region (or CONCACAF)

from 1990-2011 and served on FIFA's exec-

utive committee from 1997-2013. He was

found guilty two years ago on several

charges, including racketeering.

In his testimony, Blazer admitted that bothhe and others had taken a series of bribes

starting in 1992 in exchange for deciding on

the site of the World Cup in 1998 (which

was played in France) and also in 2010,

when South Africa beat out Morocco for the

football championship.

Mumbai: The Board of

Control for Cricket in India

(BCCI) extended former captain Ravi Shastri's role as

the national team director till

the end of the Bangladesh

tour.

One Test match and three

One-Day Internationals

(ODIs) are scheduled for the

16-day tour that begins from

June 10.

"The BCCI wishes to

inform that Ravi Shastri, for-

mer India captain, has beenappointed as director of the

Indian cricket team for the tour of

Bangladesh, starting on 10 June," BCCI

secretary Anurag Thakur said in a state-

ment. Sanjay Bangar, B. Arun, R. Sridhar

will continue as the batting, bowling and

fielding coaches, respective-

ly. Biswarup Dey was

named as administrativemanager, while Rishikesh

Upadhayaya was appointed

the logistics manager for the

tour.

The 53-year-old Shastri

has played 80 Tests and 150

ODIs for India, scoring

3,830 and 3,108 runs respec-

tively. He also has 151 Test

and 129 ODI wickets. The

former Mumbai cricketer

was a member of the Indiansquad that won the 1983

World Cup.

Shastri along with Bangar, Arun, Sridhar

took over the responsibility of Indian team

during ODI series of India's tour of

England in 2014.

Jakarta: All the Indian shuttlers, includ-

ing World No.1 Saina Nehwal and

Kidambi Srikanth, barring P.V. Sindhu,

pr og re ss ed to th e ro un d- of -1 6 of th e

$800,000 Indonesia Open Superseries

Premier at the Istora Gelora Bung KarnoStadium here.

Saina defeated Thailand's Nichaon

Jindapon 21-16, 21-18 in the first roundwhile her Sindhu crashed out of the com-

petition, losing to Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Ya

Ching 15-21, 14-21.

Also advancing to the second round

were Parupalli Kashyap, who ousted

Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk of Thailand

21-17 21-7 in just 29 minutes, and men's

doubles pairs of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and

Akshay Dewalkar, Manu Atrri and B.

Sumeeth Reddy, and women's doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa.

Indonesia's World No.14 Tommy

Sugiarto created a huge upset in the firstround as he got rid of China's five-time

Olympic champion and second seed Lin

Dan with a 19-21, 21-8, 21-16 victory in

an hour and 17 minutes.

Mumbai: Batting legends Sachin

Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S.

Laxman have been named to the newly-

formed advisory cricket committee of the

Board of Control for Cricket in India

(BCCI).

"The president of the BCCI, JagmohanDalmiya, has nominated Sachin Tendulkar,

Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman as

esteemed members of the Cricket advisory

committee of the BCCI, with immediate

effect," the BCCI said in a statement.

The trio's "areas of immediate focus will

be to provide guidance to our national team

as we set out to enhance our performance

on overseas engagements, provide direc-

tion to improve our talent pathway and take

steps to strengthen domestic cricket to bet-

ter prepare our players to handle the rigorsof international cricket", it said.

Many feel the inclusion of former cap-

tains Ganguly, Tendulkar and ex-vice cap-

tain Laxman -- who have a combined expe-rience of 447 Tests among them -- is a big

move as India head into a critical phase

where their Test team will be led by young

batsman Virat Kohli, while in the shorter

formats Mahendra Singh Dhoni will con-

tinue to lead the side.

In the last couple of years, India's Test

performance has been marked by overseas

series losses in England, Australia, South

Africa and New Zealand that resulted in

India dropping to the fourth spot in the Testrankings. They were the No.1 team from

December 2009, till August 2011.

"I am happy to note that our eminent

cricketers have come forward to lend their

experience and insights as we work

towards a common goal of taking Indian

cricket to greater heights," Dalmiya said.

"The coming generations are bound to

benefit from the guidance that will be pro-

vided by these luminaries and will go a

long way in strengthening our existing sys-

tem."The three former cricketers, who played for India from 1989 till 2013, are

also expected to have their say on the

selection of coaches.

Interestingly, the BCCI is yet to appoint anew head coach following Duncan

Fletcher's departure and the absence of for-

mer captain Rahul Dravid from the adviso-

ry committee, has fueled further rumors.

Sepp Blatter has announced that he would relinquish his post.

SPORTS 23June 6-12, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Batting legends Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman.Former captainRavi Shastri.

Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman joinBCCI advisory panel

FIFA can benefit from 'new leadership': White House

Ravi Shastri appointed teamdirector for Bangladesh tour

Saina, Srikanth in Indonesia Openpre-quarters, Sindhu out

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


24 June 6-12, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD

Actor Irrfan Khan is shooting for hisforeign project "Inferno" in

Budapest. It will keep him away

from promoting his forthcoming film

"Jurassic World" in India.

Apart from promotional activities, the

actor, who is being lauded for his latest film

"Piku", will also miss its Indian premiere.

"There is a big launch planned by the stu-

dio. However, from the schedule that Irrfan

is in between right now, it is unlikely that he

would be able to be a part of it. He is certain

he will make it for the international pre-

miere with the rest of the cast," said a

source.

There were a few other promotional activ-

ities planned too, but apart from attending

two international film premieres, the actor

won't be able to do any promotions in India,read a statement.

Irrfan, who has created a route for himself

in the west through films like "The

Namesake", "A Mighty Heart", "Life of Pi",

"Slumdog Millionaire" and "The Amazing

Spider-Man", will be attending the film's

premiere in Paris.

Directed by Colin Trevorrow, "Jurassic

World" also stars Chris Pratt and Bryce

Dallas Howard. The new film is set 22 years

after the 'park' opened. The science fiction

adventure film will hit theatres on June 12.

Meanwhile, Irrfan is busy with "Inferno",

a film adaptation of Dan Brown's book,

being directed by Ron Howard.

K angana Ranaut's 'swagger', R.

Madhavan's subtle nature and

Deepak Dobriyal's wit in “Tanu

Weds Manu Returns” has struck gold at

the box office, garnering rave reviews.

And it's getting steady as it has amassed

Rs.165 crore worldwide.

“Tanu Weds Manu Returns" is a sequel

to the 2011 entertainer "Tanu Weds

Manu".

The film has grossed over Rs.129 crorein India and Rs.36 crore overseas since its

release, making it the first film to cross

Rs.100 crore Net Box Office (NBOC) this

year, read a statement.

Focusing on the rediscovery of love

between a married couple, the film fea-

tures Kangana in a double role and has a

supporting cast of actors Jimmy Sheirgill

and Swara Bhaskar.

The film got massive response not only

from the critics and audience, but also

from the film fraternity. Released on May

22, the entertainer collected Rs.38.10

crore in its opening weekend.

Elated by the success, the director said:“Nothing can be bigger and more encour-

aging than this for a filmmaker. I’d like to

thank everyone for accepting the film with

so much warmth.”

Patna: A Bihar court has

directed authorities to file

an FIR against officials of

Maggi noodles maker

Nest le an d Boll yw oo dactors Amitabh Bachchan

and Madhuri Dixit, brand

ambassadors of the food

item.

"The court of the

Additional Chief Judicial

Magistrate Ramchandra

Prasad after hearing the

case directed that an FIR to

be lodged against the offi-

cials of Maggi noodles

maker Nestle and

Bollywood stars Amitabh

Bachchan and Madhuri

Dixit in Muzaffarpur's Kazi

Mohammadpur police sta-

tion," said the petitioner,

advocate Sudhir Kumar

Ojha.

Ojha filed a criminal casein the court of the chief

judi ci al magi st ra te in

Muzaffarpur against offi-

cials of Maggi noodles

maker Nestle and Amitabh

and Madhuri.

In in his complaint, the

petitioner said that he pur-

chased Maggi on May 30

and fell ill after eating it.

The popular snack has

been hounded by cont ro-

versy after media reports of

the presence of harmful

contents surfaced.

Irrfan to miss

'Jurassic World'

promotions

in India

Actor IrrfanKhan.

'Tanu Weds Manu Returns'

continues to dominate box office

Amitabh Bachchanand Madhuri Dixit are the brand ambassadors of popular Maggi

that is mired incontroversy.

Kangana Ranaut in'Tanu Weds Manu Returns'

Want to feature in Salman’ssong? Take selfies!

Superstar Salman

Khan is offering

his fans a chance to

feature in a remixed ver-

sion of a song titled

“Selfie le le” from his

forthcoming film

“Bajrangi Bhaijaan”.

The first song of

Salman’s highly awaited

film features the actor

“clicking a lot of selfies”. Now there is a remixed

version of the song being

made and Salman is giv-

ing his fans a chance to

star in it.

“Salman wants fans to

click selfies and send it to

him. He will then person-

ally go through the pic-

tures and select a few.

However, he wants fans

to watch the original ver-

sion of the song and

accordingly click the

selfies.

The chosen few will get

the opportunity to feature

in the remixed version of

‘Selfie le le,” said a

source.

The teaser of “Bajrangi

Bhaijaan” has created a

huge buzz and the first

song will be out with

“Dil Dhadakne Do”,

which releases in theaters

on June 5.

Salman Khan shooting for 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan'

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD 25June 6-12, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Indian comedy "PK", which is run-ning successfully in theatres here , is

an example of "how to tell a bright

and thought provoking comedy in an

artistic way without necessarily being

too cynical", according to a leading

English daily of China.

The science fiction comedy, which

brought together the "3 Idiots" team of

superstar Aamir Khan and ace director

Rajkumar Hirani, has scored 8.3 points

on one of China's biggest film reviewing

websites Douban since its release in

China on May 22. "After emerging as

the highest grossing Indian movie ever

with a box office of $101 million global-

ly, it is standing high in the favour of the

Chinese public," the Global Times said

in an opinion piece titled "Comedy filmscan learn from New Delhi".

"PK", which has had a dream run in

Indian theaters, crossing the Rs.100

crore ($15.6 million) figure within four

days of its release in December 2014,

and is doing well in China too, "renders

a new answer to an age-old question".

"Brimming with laughter and tears

over its long running time, 'PK' has

aroused mixed feelings among Chinese

audiences as it touches upon religion,

one of the most solemn and sensitive

issues, not only in India, which has been

suffering from long standing religious

strife, but also in many other countries.

"Back in 2009, '3 Idiots', which fea-tured the same director and leading actor

as in 'PK', became a massive success

across China and caused a stir among

Chinese audiences for its ironic look at

India's rigid and dreary education sys-

tem. Now 'PK' has created history by

ranking the 70th biggest box office earn-

er in the world last year, apparently tak-

ing the shine off the somewhat chaotic

comedy market of China," the article

read.

Filmmakers should learnfrom 'PK': Chinese daily

Aamir Khan-starrer 'PK' has raised questions on themovie industry in China

With a title like "P Se PM Tak", the

end is predictable and a foregoneconclusion. It is the journey that

you think will be exciting and you wait with

bated breath for the tale to unfold. But alas,

it does not.

A political satire, it is the story of a prosti-

tute Kasturi, who lands in Satara and finds

herself drawn into the closed circle of the

town's ruling elite, and her meteoric rise to

the coveted political position.

The film belongs to Meenakshi Dixit. She

makes an impressive debut essaying Kasturi

with aplomb. She has a whole gamut of

emotions to display and she does not falter.

She is loud, crass and dim-witted, her char-

acter longs for true love.

It is also amusing when the traffic signal is

used as a metaphor and she mouths thisstatement many a time -- "Humari kismet,

gol gol ghoomkar, red light par attakti hai."

She is paired opposite Indrajeet Soni, who

po rt ra ys th e ro le of th e un sc ru pu lo us

Inspector Rajan Gorpade, who is in love

with Rashmi the niece of the Kingmaker,

Waman Saheb.

Indrajeet lacks a strong screen presence.

He emotes the romantic scenes well, but is

pe rfun ctory as a po li ti ca l manipu la to r.

Prerna Wanvari, with her limited screen time

as Rashmi, is passable. With her stiff gait

and absence of screen energy, she lacks the

oomph factor.

The character who steals the show with his

buffoonery and blase histrionics is Bharat

Jadhav, who plays Waman Saheb. With a

prosthetic upper jaw and obnoxious behav-iour, he stands out among the rest of the cast.

He is a character actor who could easily slip

into Sadashiv Amrapurkar's mould.

The film lacks luster in terms of narration

and treatment. The director seems to have

lost his zing and is stuck in an era that's gone

by. Coming from director Kundan Shah 's

stable, this film is a huge let-down, especial-

ly with over-the-top acting, ridiculously

stretched scenes and insane low-IQ dia-

logues and motives.

'P Se PM Tak' - Long and

uninspiring journey

A scene from the film ' P Se PM Tak.'

Review

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


FEATURES26 June 6-12 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Legendary poet Muhammad Iqbal,author of the iconic poem "Saare

Jahan Se Achha Hindustan

Hamara", was posthumously conferred the

"Tarana-E-Hindi" award by the West

Bengal Urdu Academy on Friday, with

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee personal-

ly handing it over to his grandson Waleed

Iqbal.

"There are some occasions in life when

you feel really honored," Banerjee said at

the function held before a large audience in

the Nazrul Mancha.

She said the nation will never forget

Iqbal. "I thank the Urdu Academy for this

initiative for honoring Iqbal ji."

Banerjee, who is set to visit Bangladesh

with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, battedfor improved ties with Pakistan and

Bangladesh.

The chief minister also inaugurated the

three-day 'Jashn-E-Iqbal' celebrating the

contributions of the literary genius.

The celebration is an attempt by the

Academy to revive the long-lost glory of

Iqbal, widely known as Allama Iqbal.

As many as 45 delegates - scholars and

po et s - fr om si x co un tr ie s in cl ud in g

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Mauritius are

slated to take part in paper presentations

and international mushairas (gatherings of

poets) during the course of three days.

A photo-exhibition showcasing Iqbal's

rare photographs will be launched at the

Academy premises on Saturday along with

the grand opening of the "Gosha-E-Iqbal",

a dedicated section of Iqbal's books at the

Central Urdu Library.

To honor Banerjee for her contributions

to the revival of the Urdu Academy as well

as for her work in the past three years, the

title of "Pasban-E-Urdu" (protector of

Urdu) was bestowed upon her.

In addition, guests and participants were

given Banerjee's book of Urdu poems titled

"Tamanna."

The chief minister also asked the acade-

my to start an Urdu department at Aliah

University and set up a chair in the honor

of poet Iqbal, in addition to making the fes-

tival an annual one.India should show a "big heart" and bear

responsibility as it aspires to become a

superpower in the south Asian region, feels

Waleed Iqbal, the grandson of Urdu poet

Muhammad Iqbal.

"The relationship is a complicated issue.

Allama Iqbal dreamt of Pakistan but he

also wanted the relationship between both

the countries to be 'saare jahan se accha'

(best in the world).

"So we should focus on it and take

actions with courage, with freedom and

simplify the matter. We should do it for

benefit for the poor people who are on both

sides, because the real torture is on them,"

he told the media here.

A prominent Pakistani politician, Waleedcalled upon India to show more compas-

sion.

"I feel India is large country and should

show a big heart ... in the region it is the

biggest . When a country aspires to be a

superpower (it wants a seat in the UN's

security council), but with the concept of

power an d su perpower ther e come s a

responsibility as well."

"Every nation has the right to be power-

ful and big but with that there is also a need

to exhibit a big heart," he said.

The first line of the song is

also most famously quoted

as part of a conversation

between Wing Commander Rakesh

S h a r m a

( w h o

embarked

on a his-

toric space

mission in

1 9 8 4

s p e n d i n g

eight days

in space

aboard the

Salyut 7

space sta-

tion) and the then Prime Minister of

India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi. When

she asked how India looked from

space, he replied, “Main binaa jhi-

jh ak ke ke h sa kt a ho on .. , Sa re

Jahan Se Achcha Hindustan

Hamara” (I can say without doubt,

our land, Hindustan is the best in

the world).

Sare Jahan se Accha is one of the

enduring patriotic poems of the

Urdu language. Written for children

in the ghazal style of Urdu poetry

by po et Mu ha mmad Iq ba l, th e

poem was published in the weekly

journal Ittehad on 16 August 1904.

Recited by Iqbal the followingyear at Government College,

Lahore, now in Pakistan, it quickly

became an anthem of opposition to

the British rule in India. The song,

an ode to Hindustan—the land

comprising present-day

Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan—

both celebrated and cherished the

land even as it lamented its age-old

anguish. As Tarana-e-Hindi, it was

later published in 1924 in the Urdu

book Bang-i-Dara.

Iqbal was a lecturer at the

Government College, Lahore at

that time, and was invited by stu-

dent Lala Har Dayal to preside over

a function. Instead of delivering a

speech, Iqbal sang Saare Jahan Se

Achcha. The song, in addition to

embodying yearning and attach-

ment to the land of Hindustan,

expressed "cultural memory" and

had an elegiac quality. In 1905, the

27-year-old Iqbal viewed the future

society of the subcontinent as both

a pluralistic and composite Hindu-

Muslim culture. Later that year he

left for Europe for a three-year

sojourn that was to transform him

into an Islamic philosopher and a

visionary of a future Islamic socie-

ty. Sir Muhammad Iqbal (9

November 1877 – 21 April 1938),

widely known as Allama Iqbal, was

an academic, poet, barrister,

ph il os op he r, an d po li ti ci an in

British India who is widely regard-

ed as having inspired the PakistanMovement. He is considered one of

the most important figures in Urdu

literature, with literary work in both

the Urdu and Persian languages. In

1922, he was knighted by King

George V, giving him the title "Sir".

While studying law and philosophy

in England, Iqbal became a mem-

ber of the Lond on branch of the

All-India Muslim League. Later, in

one of his most famous speeches,

Iqbal pushed for the creation of a

Muslim state in Northwest India.

This took place in his presidential

speech in the League's December

1930 session. The Pakistan govern-

ment officially named him a

"national poet". His birthday is a

public holiday in Pakistan.

‘Saare Jahan Se Achha’ fame poet Allama Iqbal conferred

'Tarana-E-Hind' award posthumously

Muhammad Iqbal

Allama Iqbal's grandson Waleed Iqbal accepting the award fromWest Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

Better than the entire world, is our Hindustan,

We are its nightingales, and it (is) our garden abode

If we are in an alien place, the heart remains in the

homeland,

Know us to be only there where our heart is.

That tallest mountain, that shade-sharer of the sky,

It (is) our sentry, it (is) our watchman

In its lap where frolic thousands of rivers,

Whose vitality makes our garden the envy of Paradise.

O the flowing waters of the Ganges, do you remember that day

When our caravan first disembarked on your waterfront?

Religion does not teach us to bear animosity among ourselves

We are of Hind, our homeland is Hindustan.

In a world in which ancient Greece, Egypt, and Rome have

all vanished without trace

Our own attributes (name and sign) live on today.

Such is our existence that it cannot be erased

Even though, for centuries, the time-cycle of the world has

been our enemy.

Iqbal! We have no confidant in this world

What does any one know of our hidden pain?

The poem in devanagari script English Translation:

The Pakistani poet who gave India a patriotic poem

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


SCI-TECH 27June 6-12, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info

San Francisco: It's official:

Microsoft's Windows 10 will

be available on July 29.

By the end of next month,

Windows 7 and Windows

8.1 users can upgrade toWindows 10 for free or buy

a new PC with the new OS

pre-installed.

The initial OS release will

be limited to PCs and tablets.

A Windows 10 upgrade for

Windows Phone 8.1 devices

will vary by phone makers

and carriers.

Starting today, those on Windows 7 and

Windows 8.1 will be able to reserve an

upgrade via a prompt that should appear in

the PC's taskbar. Click "Reserve your free

upgrade" when it appears, add an email for

confirmation, and you're all set. When it's

ready, the upgrade will require 3GB of

space.

Those who pick up a Windows 8.1 device

before the end of July, meanwhile, can also

take advantage of the gratis upgrade.

Redmond in September revealed the next

version of Windows, jumping from 8.1

directly to 10. Earlier this year, the compa-

ny highlighted some of the consumer fea-

tures like Cortana on the desktop and the

revamped Microsoft Edge browser.

"With Windows 10, we start delivering on

our vision of more personal computing,"

Terry Myerson, Microsoft's executive vice

president of operating systems, said in an

announcement.

Designed to run on Redmond's "broadest

device family ever," Windows 10 is com-

pa tibl e wi th Micr os of t' s PC s, tabl et s,

phones, Internet of Things, Surface Hub,

Xbox One, and HoloLens—"all working

together to empower you to do great

things," Myerson said.

This release marks the return of

Microsoft's Start menu, and promises faster

overall speed with a quick startup and

resume. Windows 10 is also, as the tech

giant boasted, "the most secure platform

ever."

On July 29, users can start playing around

with functions like Windows 10 Continuum

to transition between laptop and tablet, and

Windows Hello for a personalized greeting

and no-password login.

New Delhi: As many as 1,00,000 Digital

Lockers have been opened by Indian citi-zens in 100 days, said a ministry of commu-

nications and information technology press

release.One of the key initiatives of the

Digital India vision, the Digital Locker is

aimed at abolishing the use of physical doc-

uments. It enables different government

agencies to transfer documents into the

Digital Locker of an individual linked to his

Aadhaar number in digital form.

With the Digital Locker, documents can be

printe d any time from anywhe re. It als o

offers safety and convenience and the docu-

ments can be easily verified, the pressrelease said on Thursday. Individual certifi-

cates pertaining to birth, domicile and others

can be applied easily online to quicken the

process . Under Rs 8,000 Digit al Lockers

eliminate the threat of counterfeit documents

and prove to be a great storage space as nat-

ural disasters cannot destroy the digital doc-

uments like they destroy physical docu-

ments. SIM cards, LPG gas connections and

driving licenses can be easily obtained with-

out any hassle.

Windows 10 Arrives on July 29 Digital Lockers is an India first.One lakh opened in 100 days

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


The National Spelling Bee was once

again won by not one but two Indian-

American contestants. Yes, for the sec-

ond year in a row, the world’s most popular

spelling competition ended in a tie. The organ-

izers exhausted all the words in the English

language, even words borrowed from lan-

guages spoken in Latvia, Burundi, Mongolia,

Papua New Guinea, and Harlem, New York.

Dr. Jacques Bailly, the official pronouncer,

tried unsuccessfully to stump the two remain-

ing contestants, Vanya Shivashankar and

Gokul Venkatachalam, with made-up words

such as “scherenschnitte,” pyrrhuloxia” and

“barackobamaphobia.”

It’s the eighth year in a row (and 13th time in

17 years) that Indian-American contestants

have won the National Spelling Bee, but who’s

keeping track? It’s really not a big deal, as

shown by the news ticker on an Indian broad-cast network: “Breaking News: Indian-

American Spellers Match Boston Celtics’

Record of Eight Straight Titles.”

In case you were busy and didn’t get a

chance to gauge the reaction to the National

Spelling Bee on the Internet, let me give you a

taste of what the comments were like on a pop-

ular news site.

PatsFan: “A tie? Why did it end in a tie?

Shouldn’t they have penalty kicks or some-

thing?”

JustSurfing: “Yeah, I hate how

they ended it. I was hoping for

overtime.”

FunGirl: “They ran

out of words. What

could they do?”

J u s t S u r f i n g :

“Why not have an

overtime period in

which they try to

spell the names of all

the Indian contest-

ants? That would be

more challenging.”

Cletus Spuckler:

“Every year, I hope an

American will win OUR

spelling bee, and every year, a freak-

ing Indian wins OUR spelling bee. It’s time to

send Americans to India to win their spelling bee.”

FreeThinker: “What a stupid statement,

Cletus! It wasn’t ‘a freaking Indian’ who won

the spelling bee. It was ‘two freaking Indians.’

There were two of them.”

Cletus Spuckler: “Two of them? Man, I

need to stop drinking. I thought I was seeing

double.”

BoilOnYourButt: “It’s not enough that one

Indian wins. Now it’s two of them. I’m telling

you, next year, it’ll be three of them, then four

of them. They’re not happy with just

one spelling champion every

year. I’m sure they all got

together and planned this.

Someone needs to

investigate.”

Cletus Spuckler:

“Yeah, the spelling

bee is fixed. It does-

n’t make sense that

Americans aren’t

winning. Indians are

so corrupt. They’re

probably paying off the

judges. Did you see that

there was an Indian judge this

year? Someone needs to check

his bank account.”

CricketFan: “You guys are full of sh-t. Stop

calling them Indians. They’re not Indians.They’re Americans! They were born in

America.”

FreeThinker: “I don’t believe it. Look at

their names. Those aren’t American names.”

Cletus Spuckler: “I want to see their birth

certificates. They’re probably like Obama –

born in another country but pretending to be

American.”

BollyGirl: “It wouldn’t matter. The spelling

bee isn’t ju st fo r Amer icans. In 199 8, a

Jamaican won it.”

Cletus Spuckler: “That’s it, then. I’m not

watching it anymore – until they let Americans

win it again. I’m going to start a petition: Stop

letting foreigners into our country who can

spell.”

CricketFan: “I don’t know why I read com-

ments on the Internet. It’s like a convention of

morons.”

FreeThinker: “I’m not a moron. I have an

advanced degree.”

CricketFan: “Oh sure. Advanced degree of

brain deterioration.”

RockStar01: “The spelling bee would be

more interesting if different kids won it. Not

Indians all the time.”

CricketFan: “Stop being racist! It’s not the

same kids winning it every year. These are dif-

ferent kids with different personalities.”

RockStar01: “But they look alike. They all

look like that annoying kid in my elementary

school who sat in the front row and always

raised his hand when the teacher asked a ques-

tion. Their parents look alike too. They have

the same clothes, hairstyle, and smug expres-

sion that says, ‘We started spelling to our kidswhen they were in the womb.'”

FunGirl: “Gokul and Vanya are so cute. I

wonder if they will get married to each other

one day and produce more spelling bee cham-

pions.”

BollyGirl: “The name Vanya Venkatachalam

has a nice ring to it!”

CricketFan: “What I love about these

spelling bee kids is that they’re so dedicated.

Instead of playing sports and videogames like

so many kids, they spend all their time study-

ing words. They eat, drink and breathe words.”

Cletus Spuckler: “I knew it. They’re not

human. They’re breathing words, not oxygen.

They’re robots sent from India to take over

America. Someone needs to investigate.”

Humor with Melvin Durai

28 June 6-12, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info HUMOR

Laughter is the Best Medicine

by Mahendra Shah

Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the

immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat,

he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Someone needs to investigate the National Spelling Bee

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


6th June, 2015

Ruled planet: Venus Ruled by no: 6

Traits in you: As you are ruled by Venus, you are optimistic,

modest, focused, punctual, reliable, and dependant. You are

pretty interested in doing social work and charity. However,

you should control your mood swings, impatience, & whim.

Health this year: You need to focus on your health a little

more as you may fall sick frequently this year. You should go

for regular medical checkups to maintain a healthy life. Your

parents may fall sick towards the end of the year and it will

put you in immense pressure.

Finance this year: You will get financial benefits if you have

invested in past. For future financial gains, you may invest

on real estate a nd stock market. You should study the market

well before investing on anything. Do not be in a hurry to in-

vest as it may go in loss.

Career this year: As far as your professional life is con-

cerned, you are expected to get a lot of opportunities through-

out this year. However, you have to work hard and efficient-

ly to convert those opportunities. Being a quick decision

maker, you may have to decide on many critical matters in

your professional circle.

Romance this year: You will share a good relationship with

your spouse. You may decide to turn your relationship into

marriage if you are not married yet. However, you need tounderstand your beloved and provide the required emotional

support for the betterment of your relationship.

Lucky month: May, July, October, January and February

7th June, 2015

Ruled planet: Neptune Ruled by no :7

Traits in you: By nature you are sober, courteous, unique,

honest and courageous as you are ruled by the powerful plan-

et Neptune. Your charming nature attracts people towards

you. You love to face challenges and you fight them pretty

well by executing perfection. You need to check for your im-

patience, rudeness, and frequent mood swings.

Health this year: You may suffer some minor injuries due to

vehicle accidents. However, it will not be critical. You may

go through minor health issues during the initial months of

the year. Moreover, you will enjoy a sound health throughout

the year with proper medical checkups and medications.

Finance this year: Your financial conditions will be very

stagnant this year. As you will not earn much or spend much,

you will lead a peaceful life in money matters. You may in-

vest for future. Do not lend or borrow money from your

friends or colleagues.

Career this year: This year you will reach to the peak of

your professional career and it will offer you huge financial

benefits. This year will be pretty rewarding for female em-

ployees. You may get a better performance appraisal as well

as salary hike as compared to your expectations.

Romance this year: The emotional attachment with your

spouse or partner may blossom this year with lot of love,

care, and concern. If you are not married, then you may go

for a romantic relationship. You will enjoy a very blissful

time with your beloved.

Lucky month: June, August, October and March

8th June, 2015

Ruled planet: Saturn Ruled by no: 8

Traits in you: Your ruling planet Saturn makes you humble,

honest, focused, practical, realistic and enthusiastic. You are

blessed with enormous talent and imagination. Along with

the positive characters in you, there are some negative as-

pects in your nature. You need to work on your nature of be-

ing envious, unreliable, and indiscipline.

Health this year: You will enjoy a normal health this year.

Though you will not have any major health issues, you need

to take proper medication. You may practice yoga and med-

itation for better results.

Finance this year: You may try your entrepreneurship skills

this year and you will be successful unexpectedly. You will

be able to get many projects, which you help you establish as

a good businessperson. You should go for investments in real

estate and stock market.

Career this year: You may get the chance to complete all

your previous assignments and this will enhance your respectas a brilliant performer in your professional circuit. If you are

into a profession that demands creativity, then you will be

very successful this year as far as your career is concerned.

Romance this year: Your relationship with your spouse or

partner will blossom this year. If you are not married, you

may have to wait for few more years though you are eligible

for marriage.

Lucky month: August, October, January and March

9th June, 2015

Ruled planet: Mars Ruled by no :9

Traits in you: Being influenced by Mars, you are believed to

be the master of a charismatic personality. You are courteous,

courageous, energetic, realistic, modest, and responsive. You

follow religion very keenly. However, you have few prob-

lems in your attitude and that needs to be worked on for the

betterment of your individuality.

Health this year: As far as your health is concerned this

year, you may not remain healthy throughout the year. There

will be few hiccups in your health as you may suffer from

many minor diseases. If you want to stay healthy, you should

go for proper medication and a healthy diet plan. You have to

leave consuming alcohol and smoking cigarettes.

Finance this year: Your financial condition will be pretty

good as the movements of your stars are favorable for mak-

ing money this year. You may go for any investment on real

estate or gold. Do not trust anyone when partnerships are

concerned. You should not lend or borrow money as it will

create disputes.

Career this year: If you are a working professional, you may

face various profession related problems this year. You need

to handle all the issues diplomatically else you may lose your

job. You may create wonder in the creativity field if you are

a writer, singer or actor.

Romance this year: Your plans to go for holidays with your

partner may not work because of huge work pressure and this

may create disturbance in your marital life. You need to take

care of the emotional requirements of your partner to lead a

peaceful life this year.

Lucky month: April, July, November and January

10th June, 2015

Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1

Traits in you: Due to the positive effects of your ruling plan-

et Sun, you will have the c haracteristics of a good human be-

ing. By nature, you are accountable, unique, courageous,

committed, competitive, coordinated and intelligent. You

should work on your negative personality traits such as self-

ishness, dependency and pessimism.

Health this year: You need to take an appropriate care of

your health. You may fall sick in the middle months of the

year though those will not be serious. If you are a sportsper-

son, you need to be very careful for your diet and nutrition to perform better in your sporting events.

Finance this year: You may get benefits from your invest-

ments later this year. This year seems to be an ideal one to

start investing in business, land or gold. Your efforts to earn

money may pay off this time. You may go for new partner-

ships. However, you should verify the financial background

of your partner for your financial security.

Career this year: The nature of your professional work will

allow you find many new job opportunities with high

salaries. You should take up a new job to flourish in your ca-

reer. You will gain required expertise in your profession and

perform better than ever.

Romance this year: You will spend a peaceful life with your

love interest this year. You will lead a blissful life with your

beloved with lots of love, care, concern, and support.

Lucky month: May, August, September and November

11th June, 2015

Ruled planet: Moon Ruled by no :2

Traits in you: Your ruler, the Moon makes you a very friend-

ly individual. You are simple, confident, realistic, sincere,

and optimistic. You are very innovative and try to perform

your work in a different and efficient way. You need to work

hard on your characteristics of being jealous and insensitive

at times.

Health this year: Your health will remain fine. However,

you may suffer from various minor diseases say cough, cold,

body pain, loss of sleep and so on. To enjoy a very healthy

life, you need to get a good control on your diet. You have to

stay away from alcohol and cigarettes to avoid any organ

dysfunction.

Finance this year: Your past investments may yield a lot of

money for you this year. You need to be extra cautions while

investing huge amounts as it is a bit risky to put money on

unpredictable things. Overall, you will enjoy a strong finan-

cial condition.

Career this year: You will be successful professionally this

year. You will be additional responsibility and you will well

execute them to perfection. Your success may get you vari-

ous awards and rewards as well. You may share your ideas

with the higher management as it would help you grow

quickly.

Romance this year: If you are yet to be in a relationship, this

year is the ideal time to find a partner. You will get ample

support from your spouse in any critical decision you have to

take. You should show your love to your partner as it

strengthens your relationship.

Lucky month: April, June, November and February

12th June, 2015

Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3

Traits in you: Being ruled by Jupiter, you are courteous,

courageous, decisive, ambitious, disciplined, and realistic.You are gifted with high imagination power, optimism, and

enthusiasm. However, behaving restless and dominating may

hamper your characteristics at times. You need to work on

your personality to make yourself better as an individual.

Health this year: Your health will remain good throughout

the year. You need to take utmost care of your health to main-

tain it and remain fit. The health of your family members

might be a concern for you this year. Try and avoid your bad

habits and start practicing yoga for the betterment of your

health.

Finance this year: Monetary benefits will be tough to

achieve this year. You may not get expected financial support

from your family. Your past investments will not work this

year as expected. However, you may go for new short term

investments, which will gain you enough money. If you are

planning to set up a business, it is advisable not to go for any

partnerships.

Career this year: You will be highly appreciated by your

employer for your excellent performance. With the increased

workload, you may also be offered an increased salary. You

should learn to handle pressure situations from your seniors.

You may go for a job change later this year.

Romance this year: Your romantic life will become stagnant

this year as you may not give enough time to your beloved.

If you are unmarried and planning to marry this year, it may

not happen because of the negative movements of your stars

and planets.

Lucky month: June, August, December and March

By Dr Prem Kumar SharmaChandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 [email protected]; www.premastrologer.com

June 6-12, 2015

Annual Predictions: For those born in this week

29

ARIES: An expected raise or bonus is

on the cards for some. Praise from

your worst critic can act as a shot in

the arm. You will be able to raise the capitalto get your pet project on the tracks.

Homemakers will be able to balance the

home budget admirably. An aggravated con-

dition of those unwell will show definite

signs of improvement. A love affair is likely

to give some supreme happiness.

TAURUS: Chances of facing hurdles

on the professional front cannot be

ruled out for some, but they will be

overcome with least efforts. It is best not to

harbour the thoughts of getting even with

someone who has done you wrong, as it will

only keep you mentally tensed. You can

annoy spouse or lover by your laid back atti-

tude. Elder’s advice will prove valuable and

help you to come out of a fix.

GEMINI: An evening out with fami-

ly will prove immensely enjoyable.

Those residing abroad can feel home-

sick and depressed.

Architects, engineers and lawyers will find

the week profitable and fulfilling. Those

seeking leave for a vacation will find the

going smooth. Students may heave a sigh of

relief and enjoy themselves. Those thinking

of buying property can find some good bar-

gains. This is the time to consolidate on

your savings.

CANCER: Your sensitivity in han-

dling a situation at work will

enhance your reputation in the eyes

of subordinates. Tranquility on the domesticfront is assured for those needing to let their

hair down. The week seems profitable as

you gain from a previous investment. The

one who has a soft corner for you is likely to

approach you soon. You are likely to find

yourself fit and energetic this week.

LEO: The week does not augur well

for the salaried as they can get on the

wrong side of people who matter.

Some misunderstanding over a trivial issue

with spouse can flare up on the domestic

front. Newlyweds or those newly in love

will enjoy total bliss. You will need to keep

expenses within limits in a new project. This

is a good week for youngsters to organise a

trip or a picnic.

VIRGO: You are needlessly worry-

ing about a loved one and unneces-

sarily getting tensed, so relax. This is

a favourable week for setting out on a

leisure trip.

Support expected from colleagues may not

be readily forthcoming. Chance of meeting

an old school time crush is very much on the

cards for some. This is the time to save

money, so put brakes on unnecessary expen-

diture. Poor students need to pull up their

socks.

LIBRA: It is best not to reveal your

innermost feelings to others as this

can make you emotionally vulnera-

ble. A family member may become a causefor concern and can push you to the limit.

Seniors are likely to punch holes in a job

you thought was well done. You can face

problems in raising a loan, but don’t leave

any avenues untapped. Partying with lover

will help you unwind and relax.

SCORPIO: You can resent being

assigned a personal task by a superior

at work, but don’t show any reserva-

tions in carrying it out. Expenditure can

only be brought under control by curbing

overspending. A family get-together will

give you the opportunity to meet some new

relatives you had not met before. Time is

ripe for popping the question to your

beloved. Don’t take any chances on the

health front this week.

SAGITTARIUS: The week promis-

es a lot of excitement on the domes-

tic front. Visiting friends and rela-

tives cannot be ruled out for some. Solid

gains are seen for those with romantic incli-

nations. Those feeling unwell of late will be

able to tread the path to fitness very soon.

Scientists and researchers will be able to

complete their projects well within the dead-

line. Earning on the side is likely to improve

finances for some.

CAPRICORN: You may not suc-

ceed in something you had been hop-

ing to accomplish this week. A fami-

ly member can make you mentally upsetover an issue that had been simmering for

long. Some more wait is in store for students

aiming for a particular institute or universi-

ty. It is best not take a colleague into confi-

dence over a confidential matter. Those in

show business may receive more brickbats

than bouquets!

AQUARIUS : You are likely to

come out victorious in a competi-

tive situation. Your foresight is like-

ly to see your assets and wealth increase

manifold. A lot is happening on the home

front, so expect some exciting time ahead!

New friendships are on the anvil that can

turn into long term relationships. There is

every possibility of getting romantically

involved with someone close. Giving rest to

the digestive system will work wonders!

PISCES: This is not the time to

slacken off on the work front as you

can be watched closely by seniors.

Delegating authority for a function will ease

the burden off your shoulders. A piece of

good news awaits you on the domestic front.

It is best not to take any chances on specula-

tion as you stand to lose. Choosing the best

from several health options may confuse

you.

June 6-12, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


30 June 6-12, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPIRITUAL AWARENESS

Thanksgiving is a special day

in the United States devoted

to giving thanks. It began

with the newly arrived people from

Europe who landed in America and

gave thanks to the Native

Americans for their help. Over

time, Thanksgiving has come tosymbolize giving thanks for any-

thing in our lives for which we are

grateful.

Oftentimes, when we give thanks,

it is because we received something

from someone else. We may have

received something from our fami-

ly, our friends, our teachers, our

community, or our country. We also

may give thanks to God for the

many gifts we received.

For those who follow a particular

religious belief, we may give

thanks to the founder of that reli-

gion. For those who have a spiritual

Master, we may give thanks for the

spiritual treasures we received. Yet,

most of these forms of thanks arefor what we have received. There is

another way to show appreciation

and that is not only by thanking

others, but by giving of ourselves.

When we give thanks, it is mostly

for what we have taken or received.

If we really want to show apprecia-

tion for what we have received, we

can express it by giving to others. It

is a way of passing on the goodness

of what we have received to others.

In this way, we are not only takers,

but we also become givers. Others

in need become recipients of our

gifts.

Saints and Masters are shining

examples of being givers. Theywant nothing for themselves from

their disciples. They have every-

thing they need. They are one with

God, the source of all bliss and

love. When we have love and joy,

what else can compare to that? It is

only we who have forgotten that

innate love and joy who try to find

it in the material wealth and play-

things of the world.

To illustrate this, there is an anec-

dote about a saintly man. He was

devoted to God and spent a great

amount of time in both prayer and

service to his fellow human beings.

He was generous to those in need

and spent a lot of time doing chari-table work. As a result of his gen-

erosity, he was often in financial

difficulties.

His wife complained all the time

about how he spent all their money

helping others.

One day, a poor man came to his

house. The saintly man invited him

in and listened to his long tale of sorrow. The man badly needed

money to help his family.

The saintly man was moved and

wanted to help the poor man. The

saintly man went to his lock box to

see if he could give the man any

money, but saw that he had used up

his financial resources. His heart

was so touched by the poor man’s

story that he could not bear to send

the man away empty-handed.

When his wife was in the kitchen

preparing a meal, the saintly man

crept into her room and found her

jewelry box. He saw that she had a

ring with a small diamond in it. He

took the ring and brought it out tothe poor man.

The saintly man said to him, “I

do not have any money at the

moment as I have given it all away.

But I do have this ring I bought my

wife, and you can surely sell it to

get enough to help your family.”

The poor man was grateful. Tears

came to his eyes. He thanked the

saintly man and left with the ring.

The wife, who was in the kitchen,

had overheard parts of the conver-

sation and did not make much of it

because she could not believe her

ears and thought she was hearing

things. She thought she heard

something about a ring, but could

never imagine her husband would be giv ing awa y the rin g he had

bought her. But when she went to

her room and saw her jewelry box

lying open on the bed without the

ring in it, she knew she had heard

correctly. Her husband had, indeed,

given away the ring to the poor

man.

She rushed out to the living room

and began shouting at her husband

for giving away the only valuable

thing they had left—the ring. She

implored her husband, “Please, run

after the man, and get the ring back.

Tell him you have made a mistake.

Tell him that you accidentally gave

him a gold ring with a real diamondin it.”

The saintly man was stuck now,

because his wife was expecting him

to get the ring back from the man.

The saintly man had no choice but

to run after the man who had

accepted the ring from them. The

saintly man raced out of the house

to catch up to the poor man.

Breathlessly, the saintly man,

caught up to the man, took him by

the arm and said, “I have to tell you

something.”

The poor man turned to him and

said, “Yes, what is it?” The saintly

man said, “My friend, I want you to

know I made a big mistake.” The

poor man asked, “What is the mis-

take?” The saintly man said, “The

ring I gave you is solid gold and the

diamond is genuine. Make sure,

then, that when you sell it to a jew-

eler he gives you its true value and

does not cheat you.”

This anecdote shows the extreme

generosity of a saintly man. Insteadof getting the ring back, he wanted

to make sure the poor man got the

fair value price for the jewelry.

This story shows that saints care

more about helping others than for

their own material belongings. It is

difficult for those living with a

saint to understand this quality.

Throughout history, they had to

stand by while the saint dispensed

grace and mercy to one and all. In

this case, the wife had to share the

gift she received from her husband

with someone who was so needy hehad nowhere else to turn. It is com-

mon to see saints sacrifice their

own selves and their own needs for

the needs of others. Sometimes the

saint gives them straight out

money. Sometimes they pay their

bills for them. At other times, they

help them with medical care.

Sometimes they provide help for

their children.

Saints and Masters can do all this

bec aus e they con sid er ma te ria l

earnings to be flimsy and imperma-

nent. They know that worldly

belongings will ultimately perish,

and we will leave them at the time

of death. To them, it does not mat-

ter whether they have material

wealth or not. If they have it as a

result of their hard work or circum-

stances in life, they are not attached

to it. If they do not have it, they are

content also. Some saints are in cir-

cumstances of wealth and some are

in circumstances of simplicity—

they accept the circumstances inwhich God places them. They are

indifferent to their outer circum-

stance because they know they are

here to distribute spiritual wealth.

Spiritual wealth is available to

all, regardless of outer circum-

stances in life. Saints teach that we

can gain that divine wealth through

receiving a conscious contact with

the holy Word or Naam that can

lead us back to God through the

help of a living Master. If we were

to come in contact with such a

Master, we would transcend physi-cal body-consciousness to know

there are spiritual realms beyond.

Our soul can soar through inner

spiritual realms until it is united

with God. When we reunite our

soul with God we will experience

spiritual love which penetrates to

our core. Then, we too would be

overflowing with love and radiate

that to others.

We have seen cases of extreme

generosity in the lives of the saints.

We have seen them being generous

with their money and time. They

bring solace and help to the poor,

the needy, and the downtrodden.

They bring comfort and peace to all

who come, whether rich or poor.

We know from the lives of Sant

Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj and Sant

Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj that they

would use whatever they earned to

help others.

If Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj

found people who could not afford

food and medicine he would pur-chase these from his own money

even if he had to forego his own

needs until his next paycheck.

There is the story of how, as a

young man in his twenties, he

would visit the sick and needy in

hospitals. Once, his own uncle was

hospitalized with an illness, so he

went to visit him to assist him with

food and medicine. There, in the

next bed, was an elderly man who

had no family or friends to visit

him. The man was weak and thin

and had no blanket to cover him.

Sant Kirpal Singh Ji asked him,

“What can I do for you?” Suddenly,

tears flowed from the eyes of theelderly man.

The man replied, “It has been

many years since somebody has

asked me what he can do for me.”

Sant Kirpal Singh Ji was moved

and decided to help the man. He

began taking care of both his uncle

and this elderly man. He brought

them milk and fruit and paid for

their medicines.

Those were days when there was

no health insurance and families

would have to provide their own

food and medicine if they were in a

hospital. Although Sant Kirpal

Singh Ji was only making a meager

salary of his own, he spent his own

money on helping the sick. As aresult, he himself had to live on dry

bread and water.

His uncle observed this strange

behavior, because most people only

take care of their own families,

especially when they have no

financial resources of their own.

His uncle questioned him about

the care he was taking for the elder-

ly stranger despite his own lack of

resources, by asking, “You are

doing all you can for me because I

am your uncle… but I see that this

old man…with no means to reward

your services, receives the same

kind of treatment from you as I

do.”Sant Kirpal Singh Ji beautifully

replied, as is customary with all

great saints, “Respected uncle, you

are both alike to me. He has as

much right on me and my services

as you have. In fact, the entire cre-

ation has the same right on me. I

have come to serve all.”

(To be continued...)

By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj

Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj

is an internationally recognized

spi ritual leader and Master of

Jyoti Meditation who affirms the

transcendent oneness at the heart

of all religions and mystic tradi-tions, emphasizing ethical living

and meditation as building blocks

for achie vin g inn er and out er

peace. www.sos.org.

Show gratitude by giving

We have seen cases of extreme generosity

in the lives of the saints. We have seen them

being generous with their money and time.

They bring solace and help to the poor, the

needy, and the downtrodden. They bring

comfort and peace to all who come, whether

rich or poor.

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


June 6-12, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info

8/9/2019 Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015


Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015

Documents

Transcript of Vol 8 Issue 5 - June 6-12, 2015