Vol.9 Issue 27 - October 29-November 4, 2016

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Celebration of Diwali 2016 in USA is more joyous and proud for the Indian-American diaspora. A Forever Diwali
stamp was issued by United States Postal Service commemorating the Festival of Lights with a traditional Diya.
Overwhelmed Indian community bought record breaking number of stamps ever sold on the day of issuance.
President Barak Obama had also celebrated Diwali at White House with chanting of pious Hindu mantra of
victory of Light over Darkness. Over a billion people celebrate Diwali in India and all over the world. The South
Asian Times wishes all readers and patrons a very Happy Diwali and a Healthy & Prosperous New Year ahead.
US Affairs 12
Diwali Special 25-62
Spiritual Message 42
Shantiniketan 64
excellence in journalism
October 22-28, 2016
BREAKING NEWS
Diwali festivities in
full swing in India
Trump speaks Hindi in

new campaign ad
College students celebrate Diwali in Chennai on Oct 28. It is now a panIndian festival.
(Photo: IANS)
New Delhi: The Diwali festivities in India are
going in full swing. The shopping reached a
new peak on Dhateras (Friday) in India. The
trend this year is that people are more
aware of the need to skip fireworks that
cause pollution. Some cities like Delhi have
even commissioned air purifiers.
After the IndiaPakistan border tension,
the nationalist sentiment is running strong,
and Chinese made items are not finding tak
ers. Assocham has found that Indian con
sumer demand is exceeding last years by 40
per cent on the back of an upturn in the
economy coupled with steady lowering of

interest rates.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a call
to people to send Diwali greetings to securi
ty forces who keep the country safe. And
lakhs of people from all walks of life have
heeded his call to boost the morale of the
jawans. Modi himself will celebrate this
Diwali with ITBP personnel at one of the
remotest border posts in Uttarakhand.
This issue includes a Diwali special
section, pages 2562.
New York: Donald Trump's campaign is

reaching out to IndianAmerican voters with
TV ads using an adaptation of Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's slogan.
The 30second spot begins with wishing
viewers "Happy Diwali" and cuts to the
Republican nominee's speech to a charity
concert in New Jersey earlier this month
organized by the Republican Hindu
Coalition. The ad features an image of Modi
as well as Trump's take on Modi's popular
campaign slogan, "Ab Ki Baar Trump

Sarkaar" spoken in Hindi.
It also includes images of a 2008 terrorist
attack in India and a spin on a popular
Trump campaign sign that says "Great for
America Great for USIndia Relationship."
The ad was running nationally on many
networks including Zee TV USA, and TV
Asia. But to at least a few close observers of
Indian and US politics, the outreach effort
has a distinct
FBI restarting Hillary Clinton

email probe
Washington: Newly discovered emails found
on a computer seized during an investiga
tion of disgraced former congressman
Anthony Weiner thrust the controversy over
Hillary Clintons use of a private server back
into the presidential campaign less than two
weeks before the election.
Of ficials said the discovery prompted a

surprise announcement Friday by FBI
Director James B. Comey that the agency
would once again be examining emails relat
ed to Clintons time as secretary of state.
In a letter to lawmakers, Comey said the
FBI would take appropriate investigative
Jaipur (India) Bureau

Prakash Bhandari
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Chairman and Co-Founder
Kamlesh C. Mehta
Associate Editors:
Hiral Dholakia-Dave
Co-Founder: Saroosh Gull
Contributing Editors: Meenakshi Iyer,

Nilima Madan, Melvin Durai,
Dr Prem Kumar Sharma, Ashok Vyas,
Dr Akshat Jain, Ashok Ojha
President: Arjit Mehta
steps to determine whether the newly

discovered emails contain classified
information and to assess whether they are
relevant to the Clinton server probe.
Both
Clinton
and
the
Trump
campaign have asked FBI to release more
details.
IANS Newswire Services

IANS Washington Bureau
Arun Kumar
arun.kumar@ians,in
Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/

masalajunction.com.
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Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Rotary Club of Hicksville

South supports Community
Hicksville, NY: Celebrating the fes
tive season, Indian American domi
nated Rotary Club of Hicksville
South held two community events.
On October 20, over 260 winter
coats and jackets were distributed
to children living in foster homes.
Sunita Manjrekar, Director from
Nassau County Department of
Social Services, and Joanne
Franco, Manager Housing Case,
Safe Center, Bethpage accepted
them. Leather coats were given to
children under care of Baptist
Church of Hempstead, NY. Lillian
Dent accepted them along with
ladies from her church. Chief Guest
for the presentations was Past
District Governor Kamlesh Mehta.
The organizers thanked Stephen
and Mario of Kids Deptt Store for
the help and generous contribu
tions of Dr Urmilesh & Yash Pal
Arya, Kalpana Patel & Bansi Shah,
Kamlesh Mehta, Sudesh Mukhi, Dr
Shashi Jhamb, Dr Dev Ratnam,
Mukesh Modi, Dave Sharma and
many others. It was led by
Mukesh Modi, Nilima Madan,
Arjen Bathija and President Dave
Sharma. Last month, over 700
school bags with supplies and a T
shirt was distributed to needy stu
dents by the same Rotary Club.
On October 23 with the associa
tion and sponsorship from Patel
Bros, a Garba Night was organized
attendees. T he event was led by

Raksha & Pradip Parekh, Sital & Bunty
Nimish Shah along with Rotary Club
Event Chair Mukesh Modi & President
Dave Sharma.
On behalf of Patel Bros., Hiren Patel
thanked RCHS, Mukesh Gangani of TV
Asia, Ashok Vyas of ITV, Hicksville
School Board, Rajbhog Hicksville, DJ,
live band musicians, singers and The
South Asian Times for their support.
The success of the very first event
encouraged organizers to make the
announcement that Garba will be an
annual event for the IndianAmerican
community.
IALI INDIAFEST
2016 on Nov 20
Former Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi at the garba event.
Rotary Past District Governor Kamlesh Mehta and club members at the Coat drive event
at Hicksville Middle School. Over a
thousand people from Long Island
& Queens took part in this dynam
ic family oriented event. Ladies &
gents in their colorful traditional
Indian dresses danced to their

hearts content. Candidate for US
Congress, former Nassau County
Executive, Tom Souzzi also demon
strated his dancing skill on the
dance floor.
Hiren Pate l of Raja Foods,
Harshad & Sanjay Patel of Patel
Bros were the sole sponsor of
Garba Night, making it free for all
New York: India Association of Long

Island (IALI) has announced the 23rd
Annual INDIAFEST 2016 event
which will be he ld on Sunday,
November 20th 2016, at Hilton Hotel,
Melville, Long Island. It will start at
noon and continue till 6:00 pm.
IndiaFest 2016 hopes to showcase
rich ethnic and cultural diversity of
India with the Long Island, New York
community. It has become one of the
most anticipated and biggest premier
events organized in Long Island, NY
with over 5000 plus people in atten
dance. This event is free to public.
The festival will highlight in many
ways Indian culture & festivals, arts
and craft, variety of delicious Indian
cuisine, fashion show, Indian bazaar,
designer clothing and jewelry, music,
Indian
folk
and
classical
dances,Bollywood entertainment,
mingle with social and political digni
taries, youth and kids activities, yoga
& meditation. For more infovisit at
www.IALINewyork.org
Chhavi Verg claims title of Alma mater honors Romola

Miss New Jersey USA 2016 Ratnam with service award
A second year student
New Jersey: Indian
at the university where
American student Chhavi
she is studying market
Verg walked away with
ing and nance, Verg
the grand title of Miss
plans to use her title this
New Jersey USA 2017
year to help causes she is
during a glittering cere
passionate about, includ
mony in Parsippany, New
ing womens education
Jersey, Oct. 16. She will
and stopping child abuse,
now represent her state
according to a report in
at the Miss USA pageant
The Daily Targum. She
in 2017.
also wants to spend time
T he
19yearold
he lping
people
to
Rutgers Business School
embrace a healthier
sophomore was one of
lifestyle, both in a mental
the youngest contest
and physical sense.
ants to compete for the
Chhavi Verg
I am a huge proponent
crown at the pageant.
The Edison, New Jersey native, who of womens education and equality so I
was the fourth runnerup in the Miss really would like to do appearances and
New Jersey Teen USA 2015 pageant, talks about that, she said.
After her run in the pageants, Verg
looks up to Bollywood actress Priyanka
added that she plans to run her own busi
Chopra as an inspiration.
A total tness freak, a certied person ness either in the health/tness or beau
al trainer, and a Bharatanatyam dancer, ty industry. I have always dreamed of
Verg also runs a health/tness website, becoming an ambassador to help inu
which features vegan/vegetarian recipes ence policy for the greater good of
humanity, she said.
and other healthy living tips and tricks.
New York:
New York
Romola became exposed to the
Universitys
School
of
SEED Project a youth sports
Professional Studies conferred
nonprofit based in Senegal
Romola Ratnam, its alumni
founded by Amadou Fall, the
with Bart Lawson Alumni
NBA's Managing Director in
Award for Humanitarianism
Africa. Romola went on to co
on Oct 22nd. This award rec
lead the SEED Project for two
ognizes the extraordinary con
years. At the SEED Project,
tributions of its alumni toward
Romola helped to professional
educating others of the need
ize the organizations opera
for participation in service,
tions, and win a USAID grant in
and alleviating human suffer
partnership with the NBA to
Romola Ratnam
ing anywhere in the world.
expand the program to over
The award was presented on Saturday, during 2,000 youth across Senegal. During her tenure,
the NYUSPS Alumni Day Dean's Luncheon at the SEED Project also added their first elite
Lipton Hall in the New York University School girls program, and helped over 30 students
of Law. Romola Ratnam began her career in obtain higher secondary education in the
the sports industry at the NBA where as a man United States.
ager at 25 she played a key role in the leagues
Currently, Romola is Deputy Director of
partnerships with BBVA, Timberland and Sears. Corporate Partnerships at UNICEF USA. In this
Her interest in international business and role, she works with companies across the
development began at the NBA through work country to contribute to UNICEFs life saving
ing with the NBA Cares group to bring on mar work for children globally. Romolas team
keting partners to support their global social developed UNICEFs first corporate program
responsibility initiatives.
for Disaster Response, and leads relationships
After the NBA, Romola went to consult for with key Fortune 500 organizations based in
BBVA, leading their relationship with the NBA, the United States. Romola is a graduate of New
NBA teams and brand endorsers Kevin Durant York University with a B.S. in Sports
and James Harden. While consulting for BBVA, Management.
DIWALI SPECIAL
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
10
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Trump's daughterinlaw
visits Hindu temple
Washington, DC: Republican pres
idential nominee Donald Trumps
daughterinlaw visited a well
known Hindu temple frequented
by scores of devotees in the state
of Virginia and reached out to the
IndianAmerican community.
Lara Yunaska Trump, wife of
Eric Trump who is the second son
of the Manhattan billionaire, min
gled with the IndianAmerican
community at the Rajd hani
Mandir on Tuesday.
"This is beautiful...It's such an
honor to be able to come here,"
she told the IndianAmerican
Community News.
IndianAmericans "are valued
members of the entire country.
Your religion is beautiful and we
are very supportive as a coun
try...This country was founded on
the freedom of religion and it is
so amazing that we have such
incredible religions within the
US," Lara added. Rajdhani Mandir
Lara Yunaska Trump on her visit to Rajdhani Mandir in Fairfax county,

Virginia was presented Diwali stamps and a copy of Bhagavad Gita.
Ivanka Trump could not visit there because of conflict of schedule.
is situated in western Fairfax
county which adjoins Loudoun
county. Both counties boast a
large and growing population of
IndianAmericans, many of whom
are working in the Information
Technology (IT) sector.
"I understand what an asset you
are to the entire country," Lara
told the gathering.
Polls have showed that the
majority (about 70 per cent) of

IndianAmericans do not support
Trump but seem to favor his
toughonterror stand.
Last week, the Republican presi
dential nominee addressed over
5,000 members of the community
at an antiterror rally in Edison,
New Jersey, which was organized
by the Republican Hindu
(IANS)
Coalition (RHC).
Community comes out in full

support of Raja for U.S. Congress
Washington, DC: Indian Americans
evince brimming optimism as they
await for the defining moment in
the political history to see Raja
Krishnamoorthi emerge victorious
as the United States Congressman
representing not just the 8th con
gressional district but the entire
Indian American diaspora as the
winds of change gather momentum
just days away from the elections
This was articulated by a legion of
Chicago leaders at the Community
Reception hosted at Maharaja India
Restaurant in Rosemont, IL on
October 24, 2016.
Raja Krishnamoorthi remains the
most widely acknowledged candi
date to have received a wide spread
mainstream newspapers ringing
endorsements hailing him as the
best candidate hands down and
extolling him for his enthusiastic
grasp on issues advancing work
ing families agenda;
with
President Obama joining to give a
testimonial push on TV augurs
well for him to cross the finish line
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha

holds nationwide voter
education and registration drives
New Jersey: Every vote matters,
noted Viral Desai, a BAPS volun
teer. Desai was ending his remarks
at the weekly assembly at the local
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
in Stafford, Texas, to encourage his
fellow members to vote in the
upcoming national elections.
As a Hindu organization with 95
mandirs across the United States,
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha con
ducted a nationwide voter educa
tion and registration drive this
year to coincide with the U.S.
Presidential election. Our faith
teaches us that all individuals have
a duty to be active and contribut
ing members of the communities
we live in. One aspect of that duty
is to participate in the democratic
process by voting, said Desai.
Krupa Shah, who volunteered her
time to help register voters, noted
that the response at her local BAPS
Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in
Chino Hills, California, was over
whe lming. Visitors view the
mandir as an extension of their
homes, and so when the mandir
encourages us to vote, it comes
with a stamp of approval that real
ly resonates, Shah added. Beyond
this, simple things, like translators
who could help individuals fill out
voter registration forms encour
In a first, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan

Mandir, in Stafford, Texas will also
serve as a polling place in
an official election.
aged people to register to vote.
As part of BAPS voter education
and registration drives, Mahant
Swami Maharaj,the spiritual leader
of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha,
shared a nonpartisan message
with BAPS congregations across
the US.
[T]he United States has provided
our community a new and welcom
ing home with incredible opportu
nities to grow and achieve success
in all realms. Given these great
opportunities, it is our responsibili
ty to complete our civic duty by
voting in the national elections on
Tuesday, November 8.
For the first time, BAPS Shri
Swaminarayan Mandir, in Stafford,
Texas will serve as a polling place
in an official election.
LA Jain Sangh hosts rst retreat

By Dr. Sulekh C. Jain
Raja Krishnamoorthi with Chicago community leaders

on in the national elections on
November 8th Setting the event in
motion, Sanhita Agnihotri invited
Raja Krishnamoorthi along with the
principal hosts Hanumanth Reddy,
Iftekhar Shareef, Keerthi Kumar
Ravoori, Ajai Agnihotri, Dr. Vijay
Prabhakar and Ajeet Singh to join
the lamp lighting ceremony and
added saying that the lighting of
the lamp symbolizes invocation of
an auspicious outcome in the elec
tions. Raja Krishnamoorthi in his
rare departure shifting from the
standards electoral stump speech
went on to deliver a passionate

impromptu address on his progres
sive vision igniting fervor among
Indian Americans who are ener
gized to propel him to a place in the
U.S. Congress. Raja elaborated on
his legislative priorities that include
shoring up Social Security,
Medicare, raising the minimum
wage nationally, making college
more af fordable, creating jobs,
improving economy, reforming
immigration system, improving
American infrastructure among
some major issues.
New York: Many prominent lead

ers of the Jain community across
USA and Canada came to Las
Vegas from October 1419, 2016
for a retreat. The participants
came from Boston, New Jersey,
Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Houston,
Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, Iowa
City, Iowa, Denver, Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada, and Norway.
Most of the participants are
renowned for their visionary lead
ership, dedication and philanthro
py. The list of participants includ
ed Past President of Federation of
Jain Associations in North
America (JAINA), founders of Jain
Centers in Boston, Los Angeles,
New Jersey, Houston, Toledo
(Ohio) , Chicago and Albany, NY,
donors to establish Chairs for
Jain Studies at University of

California Irvine and other univer
sities, singer, retired Professor,
researcher, artist and authors. The
purpose of this retreat was to mix,
mingle establish relationship with
local fellow Jains and nonJains,
relax, have fun, share and learn
from each other.
The program included, Meet
and Greet, Singing bhajans,
Lectures on Scientic Basis of Jain
Karma theory, Status and
Progress of Jain Academic
Education in North America and
visit to local attractions etc. such
as Valley of Fire, Red Rock Canyon
and a Cruise on Lake Mead.
Several Las Vegas Jain families
hosted the guests to lavish dinner
receptions at their homes and at
the Hindu Jain temple during the
retreat.
12
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
US AFFAIRS
Hillary turns fire on down ballot Republicans

Manchester, NH: After nearly five
months of ripping into Donald
Trump, Hillary Clinton suddenly
has a new list of enemies on the
campaign trail: Republican candi
dates in competitive downballot
races.
Clinton's pivot is an unmistak
able sign that she and her top
aides have never felt more confi
dent about victory on November
8. The Democratic nominee's path
to 270 electoral votes has drasti
cally widened in the course of a
few weeks, as she has pulled
ahead in battleground states and
made g ains in tradit ionally
Republican strongholds like Utah
and Arizona. Trump weighed
down by a stream of controver
sies surrounding his past treat
ment of women has only further
alienated himself from fellow
Republicans with his stubborn
refusal to say he will accept the
results of the election.
Determined to capitalize on her
opponent's recent strugg les,
Clinton has picked up her pace of
campaigning, and in the final two
weeks of the 2016 race, she will
crisscross the country to vouch
for Democrats in tough congres
sional races.
Her ultimate goal is to secure a
Hillary Clinton and Sen. Elizabeth Warren campaigning Monday for their
partys Senate candidate Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire.
(Photo courtesy Boston Globe)
Democraticcontrolled Senate
crucial to a Clinton administra
tion's ability to set an aggressive
firstterm agenda.
Clinton kicked off the week by
traveling to Manchester, New
Hampshire, where she joined
forces with popular liberal Sen.
Elizabeth Warren to slam
Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte. The
firstterm senator is facing a
toug h ree lect ion ag ainst the
state's Democratic Gov. Maggie
Hassan.
"Unlike her opponent, she has
never been afraid to stand up to
Donald Trump," Clinton said of
Hassan. "She knows he shouldn't
be a role model for our kids or
anybody else, for that matter."
Warren also skewered Ayotte,
pointing out the senator's vacillat
ing support for Trump. "Day one
she loves him, day two she hates
him, day three, she' back with him
boy, spins round and round,"
she said. And in reference to

Trump calling Clinton a "nasty
woman" in the final de bate,
Warren added: "Nasty women are
tough. Nasty women are smart.
And nasty women vote."
Over the past few days, Clinton
has looked to boost Democratic
candidates in part by condemning
their Republican opponents who
have either stood by Trump or
have not outright disavowed him.
Clinton needs a Democratic
Senate to serve as a firewall
ag ainst
a
House
of
Representatives that will likely
remain under GOP control next
year. Having a majority in the
Senate will be key in allowing
Clinton to bring up her top leg
islative priorities in Congress, and
help shepherd through Clinton's
executive and judicial appoint
ments.
On Saturday in Pennsylvania,
both Clinton and her running
mate, Tim Kaine, slammed GOP
Sen. Pat Toomey for not rejecting
Trump. They argued that Toomey
was making a selfish political cal
culation that showed he would
not stand with Pennsylvania vot
ers many of whom are opposed
to the Republican presidential
nominee.
After listing some of Trump's

more salacious and controversial
comments, Clinton said: "If
( Toomey) doesn't have the
courage to stand up to Donald
Trump after all of this, then can
you be sure that he will stand up
for you when it counts?"
Clinton then traveled to North
Carolina on Sunday, where she
touted Democratic Senate candi
date Deborah Ross as "exactly
that kind of partner I need in the
United States Senate."
"She will help me break through
the gridlock," Clinton said, mak
ing an explicit reference to what
is expected to be a closely divided
Congress next year.
Top Democratic surrogates
including President Barack
Obama are deploying the same
strategy. Campaigning for Patrick
Murphy, Florida's Democratic
Senate candidate, earlier this
month, Obama lambasted GOP
Sen. Marco Rubio for standing
with Trump.
"How can you call him a con
artist and dangerous and object to
all the controversial things he
says, and then say, 'I'm still going
to vote for him?'" Obama said ear
lier this month. "Come on, man!"
Courtesy CNN
'Clinton ally gave money

ObamaCare hikes
SANDERS JOINS
to wife of FBI agent who
leave Dems exposed
TRUMP IN
oversaw e-mail probe' opposing AT&TTime
Warner deal
Washington: Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, a close ally

of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, reportedly gave
nearly $700,000 in donations and support to the election
campaign of the wife of an FBI official who later oversaw
investigation into Clinton's email use.
The political action committee of Terry McAuliffe gave
$4,67,500 to the state Senate campaign of the wife of
Andrew McCabe, who is now deputy director of the FBI,
according to the Wall Street Journal.
The report states Jill McCabe received an additional
$2,07,788 from the Virginia Democratic Party, which is
heavily influenced by McAuliffe, the New York Post report
ed. The money directed by McAuliffe began flowing two
months after the FBI investigation into Clinton began in July
2015. Around that time, the candidate's husband was pro
moted from running the Washington field office for the FBI
to the No. 3 position at the bureau.
Within a year, McCabe was promoted to deputy director,
the secondhighest position in the bureau.
In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, the FBI said
McCabe "played no role, attended no events, and did not
participate in fundraising or support of any kind. Months
after the completion of her campaign, thenAssociate
Deputy Director McCabe was promoted to Deputy, where, in
that position, he assumed for the first time, an oversight
role in the investigation into Secretary Clinton's emails."
The governor's office claimed the FBI's McCabe met the
governor only once on March 7, 2015 when McAuliffe
persuaded Jill McCabe to run. The 2015 Virginia state
Senate run her first attempt to gain public office was
unsuccessful as she lost to the incumbent Republican.
McAuliffe has been a longtime backer of the Clintons, even
serving as Hillary Clinton's campaign chair in 2008. IANS
Washington: Just
a day after the
Republican Party
candidate in the
US presidential
elections, Donald
Trump, opposed
the AT&Ts proposed $85 billion deal to buy Time Warner Inc,
Vermont Senator and Democratic Party leader, Bernie Sanders
joined the similar call.
Sanders, on Sunday, joined the political opposition to the
mega deal by demanding Obama administration to kill it. He
tweeted that This deal would mean higher prices and fewer
choices for the American people. The buy out of Time Warner
Inc, a media and entertainment conglomerate which also owns
media organizations like CNN, by AT&T, a telecom behemoth
at $85.4 billion is considered one of the largest in the world.
AT&T agreed to pay 50 per cent of the amount in cash and the
other half in stock, says the AT&T press release.
According to Reuters, the deal generated skepticism among
both Democrats and Republicans, making it more likely that
regulators will closely scrutinize the effort to create a new
telecom and media giant.
It added, the biggest deal of the year, announced just over
two weeks before the November 8 US election, is a gamble on
a victory for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton
and a continuation of the status quo on antitrust and regulato
ry enforcement.
Washington: Democrats are increasingly acknowledging that

the Affordable Care Act has an affordability problem.
Former President Bill Clinton said recently that people who
are ineligible to get subsidies to buy ObamaCare insurance are
getting killed."
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton said this month that the reality
is the Affordable Care Act is no longer affordable to increasing
numbers of people. Even President Obama said in a speech
last week that there are going to be people who are hurt by
premium increases. Every one of these Democrats made the
argument that ObamaCare is working well for most people and
that the problem of rising premiums is specifically focused on
a minority of consumers who earn too much money to qualify
for federal subsidies.
Clinton said the system works fine for people who get sub
sidies under the law to help them af ford coverage, while
Dayton said that the law is working for most enrollees and
that those negatively affected amount to about 2 percent of
Minnesotans, with individual coverage. Yet the problems with
the law are leaving Democrats exposed to GOP attacks.
Republicans have been beating the drum about higher pre
mium increases this year, which are on average about 25 per
cent for a benchmark plan, the administration said Monday.
Donald Trump seized on some of the admissions by
Democrats at a rally in Cleveland on Saturday. Just this
month, the Democratic governor of Minnesota admitted the
reality is the Affordable Care Act, he said, is no longer afford
able, Trump said. He said that. And you probably saw last
week, Bill Clinton called ObamaCare the craziest thing in the
world.
Democrats point out that 85 percent of ObamaCare
enrollees receive financial help under the law and that it cush
ions people by increasing along with any premium increases.
People are eligible for assistance under the health law if they
make below about $47,000 for an individual.
Courtesy The Hill
DIWALI SPECIAL
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
14
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
US AFFAIRS
Bill Clinton for profit income Nikki Haley will vote

for Donald Trump
detailed in hacked email
Washington, DC: Former presi
dent Bill Clinton took in more
than $50 million from for profit
activities over the years as he led
the Clinton family foundation, a
close aide said in a hacked memo
released by WikiLeaks. The aide,
Douglas Band, detailed his own
moneymaking ef forts both on
behalf of Bill Clinton personally
and on that of the foundation, in a
2011 memo sent in response to
complaints by the Clintons
daughter Chelsea.
T he latest disclosures have
added to a dripdrip of WikiLeaks
reve lat ions plaguing Hillary
Clinton in the final stretch of her
run for the White House as the
Democratic nominee. They come
from a trove of emails stolen from
the account of John Podesta, who
played a leading role in the foun
dation before becoming Clintons
campaign chairman. Podesta has
re fused to authent icate the
Bill and Hillary at a Clinton Foundation event (Photo courtesy EPA).

emails, which US intelligence
believes were stolen by Russian
hackers to disrupt the US elec
tions.
But neither he nor the Clinton
campaign has challenged their
authenticity. They show the foun
dation had become a source of
tension between aides to Bill
Clinton and his daughter Chelsea,
who accused them of taking sig
nificant sums of money from my

parents personally and hustling
clients for their own business at
foundation events. In the memo,
Band defends his use of his pri
vate consultancy Teneo to raise
funds for the foundation, saying it
brought in large corporate dona
t ions from Co caCola, Dow
Chemical, and Swiss bank UBS
PTI
among others.
Columbia, SC:
South Carolina's
IndianAmerican
Governor Nikki
Haley has said
this year's US
presidential elec
tion has turned
her
stomach
upside down as
she is not happy
with either of the
choices for the
president, but
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
she still plans to
vote for Republican nominee vote, but it does mean I'm
watching out for the people of
Donald Trump.
Haley said she would vote for South Carolina and that's who I
Trump even though she dis will be voting for on November
agrees with him on many issues 8," Haley told reporters at a
and finds his remarks on rig news conference in Columbia,
ging of elections "irresponsible". South Carolina.
During the primaries, Haley
"The best person based on the
policies and dealing with things had endorsed Marco Rubio and
like Obamacare still is Donald she has been very critical of the
policies and statements of
Trump.
That doesn't mean it's an easy Trump.
Democrats accuse Mike Pence plane skids at LaGuardia

Republicans of
intimidating voters
New York: Republican vicepresi
dential candidate Mike Pence had a
narrow escape as his plane skidded
of f the runway while landing at
LaGuardia airport her in heavy rain,
media reports said.
Emergency crews were on site but
all passengers on the plane includ
ing Pence, were said to be fine.
T he plane, which was coming
from Fort Dodge, Iowa about a
threehour flight from New York
made a rough impact when it land
ed. T he pilot slammed on the
brakes and travelers could smell
burning rubber, NBC news report
Washington, DC: The Democratic

Party has accused GOP of coordi
nating ef forts, along with their
presidential nominee Donald
Trump, to intimidate minority vot
ers intending to cast ballots in the
November 8 elections and has filed
a court motion on the matter.
Sources on Thursday confirmed
that the Democratic National
Committee (DNC) has filed a motion
in a New Jersey federal court
against the Republican National
Committee (RNC), Efe news report
ed. The DNC accuses the RNC of
"supporting and enabling the
ef forts of Trump, as well as his
campaign and advisors, to intimi
date and discourage minority voters
from voting in the 2016
Presidential Election."
The motion asks the judge to pro
hibit the RNC from allocating funds,
reimbursing expenses or providing
support to Trump for the "intimida
tion of minority voters" and his plan
to have his supporters monitor
polling places on e lection day,
ostensibly to prevent voter fraud,

for which no evidence has been pre
sented. The Democrats also accused
the Republicans of violating the
1982 socalled "consent decree"
agreement whereby the RNC agreed
to reduce its election monitoring
tactics. That agreement came about
as a result of another Democratic
complaint against Republicans for
allegedly intimidating minority vot
ers during the 1981 New Jersey
gubernatorial election.
Trump has alleged in recent
weeks, as his poll numbers have
dropped, that the Nov. 8 election is
being "rigged" in favor of
Democratic presidential nominee
Hillary Clinton with early voting
already having commenced in some
states. With less than two weeks
remaining before the balloting, the
former secretary of state is main
taining about a 6point advantage
over Trump, according to the
RealClearPolitics Web site, which
prepares an average tabulation of
recent voter surveys.
ed. A spokesperson for the Federal

Aviation Administration said it will
be investigating the incident.
Stephanie Grisham, a spokes
woman for Donald Trumps cam
paign, said the presidential nomi
nee called Pence shortly after the
incident, adding that Trump is very
glad everyone onboard the plane is
safe, CNN reported.
The Indiana governor has can
celled a fundraising event that he
was due to hold in New York, and
headed to his hotel.
IANS
Vicepresidential
candidate Mike Pence
Election law doesn't care if Trump

(or Clinton) ever concedes
Washington: The prospect of elec
tion night drama seems to dwindle
with each new round of polling.
But Donald Trump, perhaps trying
to author a campaign cliffhanger,
is determined to provide
Americans with at least a measure
of "suspense" on November 8.
Barring a remarkable turn
around "Brexit times five" as
Trump put it last week
Americans will begin their post
e lection Wednesday with a
Presidentelect Clinton on the hori
zon. But whether her opponent
sees fit to embrace defeat and pub
licly concede is mostly immaterial.
"It doesn't have any independent
legal ef fect," said Rick Hasen, a
University of CaliforniaIrvine pro
fessor who runs the popular
Election Law Blog. "If he concedes

or he doesn't concede, the votes
totals will be what they will be."
Recounts are triggered automati
cally in 20 states and the District
of Columbia when the margin of
victory is suf ficiently narrow,
according to different laws in each
of those states. The parameters
vary
in
Florida
and
Pennsylvania, it's a margin of 0.5%
or less of the total vote, while
Michigan requires a deficit of
2,000 votes or less.
T he most notable recount in
recent times, after the 2000 presi
dential vote in Florida, began not
as the Trump campaign has sug
gested at the behest of a litigious
and sour Al Gore, but in accor
dance with the state's predeter
mined rules for sorting such a nar

row vote.
In all, 43 states "permit a losing
candidate, a voter, a group of vot
ers or other concerned parties to
petition for a recount," according
to the National Conference of State
Legislatures. But at least a few
require the loser to meet some
benchmark, like in Idaho where
requests are only heard if the mar
gin is less than 0.1%.
Ultimately, the identity of the
new president will be certified by
the House and Senate, where elec
toral votes are traditionally deliv
ered in early January, and formally
signed off by the President of the
Senate in this case, Vice
President Joe Biden.
Source: CNN
16
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
OP-ED
Trump's last stand: Whine, women and roast!

By Arun Kumar
in or lose. Donald Trump may or

may not be able to "Make America
Great Again". But one thing is
sure, American politics will never be the
same and so much fun again!
The Republican presidential contender
though has promised to keep the party
going long after the last vote is cast and
counted keeping all in "suspense" over
whether he would accept the result of what
he has dubbed a "rigged" election.
As "horrified" pundits, the President and
rival Democratic contender Hillary Clinton
looked askance at this "attack on democra
cy", the brash billionaire assured that "I will
totally accept the results of this great and
historic presidential election if I win!"
Trump also recalled how Democrat Al
Gore first conceded the 2000 presidential
election to George Bush and then withdrew
his concession when he found that some
"hanging chads" and "butterfly ballots" in
Florida could change the outcome.
Barack Obama, the current tenant of the
White House, dismissed Trump's fears of a
"stolen election" as "whining before the
game is even over" but his supporters went
wild over his "major announcement" at a
campaign rally.
With Clinton topping Trump by sixplus
points in the first polls after the last debate
just 17 days before the November 8 elec
tion, the "dishonest liberal media" as he
calls it, suggested that the mogul was
preparing a ground for his defeat.
Time magazine claimed the reality star

was planning to turn his likely loss into a
win by setting up a "media entity" and
forming a political action committee to
exact revenge ag ainst "disloyal"
Republicans who have deserted him.
The pundits conceded the brash billion
aire had delivered his best presidential
debate performance, for once focusing on
policy issues jobs, immigration and trade
deals but suggested he had frittered away
the gains with his rash declaration.
By disparaging his "groping" accusers,
now numbering 10, as fame seekers or
agents of Hillary, whom he called "such a
nasty woman", and vowing to throw out
"some bad hombres" Trump had lost the
two groups he needed most women and
Hispanics. He had also failed to capitalize

on WikiLeaks's steady dripdripdrip of rev
elations from Clinton campaign chairman
John Podesta's hacked emails, by offering
media some juicy morsels of his own to
chase.
Stories about Clinton's key Indian
American aide Neera Tanden suggesting
that "her instincts are subnormal" and
"apologies are like her Achilles heel" got lit
tle play amid Trump's "bimbo eruptions".
So did Clinton's admission to Wall Street
bankers about her dream of "a hemispheric
common market with open trade and open
borders" or reports of Clinton Foundation
donors' "expectation of quid pro quo bene
fits in return for gifts".
After declining to shake hands at their
last debate, the rivals carried their bitter

feud to a New York charity dinner that has
been a goodnatured roast of presidential
candidates for decades.
"Just before taking the dais, Hillary acci
dentally bumped into me. And she very
civilly said, 'Pardon me'," said Trump, as
murmurs filled the room, "I very politely
replied, 'Let me talk to you about that after
I get into Office'."
Clinton hit back playing the Russian card.
If at the debate she had insinuated that
Vladimir Putin's hackers were trying to put
a "puppet" Trump in the White House, she
suggested the mogul was "translating from
the original Russian" on his teleprompters.
She also wondered "How is Barack going
to get past the Muslim ban?" to visit the
White House for a traditional reunion with
former presidents under a Trump adminis
tration.
But given Trump's meteoric rise as the
Republican nominee defeating 16 seasoned
politicians, pundits acknowledged there's
still time for an October surprise.
Crowds are still surging at Trump rallies
and some polls still had him ahead.
Another poll found that while Clinton
won the final debate handily, over six in 10
undecided or thirdparty voters said they
would vote for Trump over her.
So would he again pull a rabbit out of his
hat and "shock the world" with a polldefy
ing "BrexitPlus" win or would it turn out to
be "the greatest waste of time, money and
energy" for Trump?
November 8 will tell.
Hopes and expectations from a new UN Secretary General

By Bhaswati Mukherjee
n the end, it was a unanimous election by

acclamation of the new United Nations
Secretary General (UNSG), Antonio
Guterres. The winds of a new Cold War in the
corridors of the UN did not deter the
Americans and the Russians from agreeing to
elect a politician, diplomat and administrator
of proven competence.
Guterres has a formidable reputation of
clean governance and strict administration,
having cleaned up the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) as its head and having
effectively led it during the greatest migration
crisis facing Europe after World War II.
Earlier, as President of Portugal and as
President of the European Council, he played
an important role in finalizing the Lisbon
Treaty which ushered in a new and stronger
European Union. His strong socialist creden
tials helped in swinging a positive vote from
Vladimir Putin, during Russian presidency of
the UNSC under Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.
How did it happen? There are few processes
which are more opaque than the selection of
the UNSG. The only guiding language is
Article 97 of its Charter which states: "The
Secretary General shall be appointed by the
General Assembly upon the recommendation
of the Security Council." As a result, the selec
tion is subject to the veto of any of the five
permanent members of the Security Council.
Given the worsening relations between the mally elected him by acclamation on October
Russians and Americans, there had been talk 13. He will take over as the ninth UN
of a Russian veto in case a European candi
Secretary General from Ban Kimoon on
date would emerge in the lead. The need
January 1, 2017, soon after the polariz
to elect a female Secretary General was
ing US election.
also proposed. There were several fac
Guterres has expressed "gratitude
tors that worked in favor of Guterres.
and humility" at his election. He vowed
The initiative by the earlier
to "serve" those most vulnerable,
President of the UN General
including victims of conflict, terror
Assembly (UNGA), Mogens
ism, violation of rights and poverty
Lykketoft, to usher in a more
and pledged to make the pursuit
inclusive and democratic
of peace in a conflicttorn world
selection process through
his "overarching priority". He
the holding of informal
noted that the United Nations
dialogues and meetings
has "the moral duty and the
with all potential candidates
universal right" to ensure peace
April 1214, 2016 worked dra
and he would be promoting a new
matically in favor of Guterres.
"diplomacy for peace" advocat
In contrast, the leading
ing dialogue to settle disputes.
Antonio Guterres, the
former President of
woman candidates and
Asked regarding a role for
Portugal and President of
notably Director General,
the UNSG in settling the Syria
the European Council, is
UNESCO, Irina Bokova of
conflict, he said he will do his
the new UN Secretary
Bulgaria, did not fare well in
best before taking over the
General
the twohour meeting slot to
reins to prepare "to act as a
present her candidature.
convener, an honest broker,
When the last Security Council straw poll someone trying to bring people together" in
was held on October 5, 67yearold Guterres conflicts and crises from Syria to Yemen to
emerged as the presumptive nominee, with 13 South Sudan. Guterres acknowledged that he
'encourage' votes, 2 abstentions and no 'dis is not only fully aware of the challenges the
courage' vote in this sixth round. The Russians UN but also the limitations surrounding the
had blinked!
Secretary General's role.
Subsequently, the 15 member UNSC voted
According to informal, highlevel sources,
for Guterres by acclamation. The UNGA for India which has already welcomed his elec
tion, is of the view that the new UNSG will

play a positive role in those issues which are
of vital importance to India, including UNSC
reform (where his role admittedly is limited),
as well as on terrorism, Pakistan and the
Kashmir issue.
Successive Secretaries General, including
Ban Kimoon, have refrained from raising the
Kashmir issue in their annual reports to the
General Assembly. Guterres, who has an India
connection since his wife is from Goa, is
expected to continue this practice. He is fully
aware of Indian sensibilities and had visited
India to seek New Delhi's support for his elec
tion early in the campaign.
From India's perspective, in a difficult inter
national scenario and with increased tensions
with Pakistan, the expectation is that the new
UNSGdesignate would focus on crises situa
tions in the Middle East which are directly
impacting international peace and security.
With his experience in UNHCR, he is also
expected to play a positive role in slowing
down the steady flow of migrants into Europe.
Finally, his election also demonstrates that
despite the prevailing tensions between the
Russians and Americans, they are still able to
agree if the situation warrants. This is a pos
itive sign which the new Secretary General
should use to his advantage in the interests of
a multipolar and secure world.
The writer is a former Indian ambassador
who has worked with UN organizations.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
DIWALI SPECIAL
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
18
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Who are you supporting Trump or Clinton?

Three prominent people respond to a question from The South Asian Times
Shekar Narasimhan
Investment banker, Founder
of the AAPI Victory Fund
Mukesh
Modi
Garment
importer,
community
leader
am a Democrat, though
in Virginia you cannot
register by party. I am
supporting Hillary Clinton for
President because she is qualified,
balanced, experienced, tempera
mentally stable and has the world
view to make a good President.
Her policies are extensive, ability
to work with the other party is
proven. She will focus on the five
issues that matter most to Indian
Americans: immigration reform;
an innovation and cleanenergy
growing economy; inclusiveness
of all groups so we do not leave
anyone behind; college access and
affordability; and domestic securi
ty including commonsense gun
safety reforms.
Mrs Clinton Has extensive
knowledge of India (has traveled
there several times) and has very
close Indian American advisors. I
expect her to appoint the first
Indian American ever to her cabi
net and we will be working hard
to get her to nominate the first
Indian American to the US

Supreme Court. The Republican
candidate, Donald Trump does not
reflect the America I know or the
one I want our children to grow
up in. It is a backwards vision
grounded in nostalgia and para
noia. His brand and beliefs will be
repudiated in this election and we
will be better for it once the peo
ple have spoken. I hope
Clinton/Kaine win and win big so
it sends a clear message that we
celebrate diversity and can con
tinue to be a beacon of tolerance
for the rest of the world.
www.aapivistoryfund.com
Mukesh Modi
(middle) was
honored at
Dusehra
7 celebration
earlier this
month at
Lido
Beach, NY.
am registered as Independent. I support

Hillary Clinton. In my opinion, Hillary will
make a better President as she has more
experience in international and domestic policy. She
is calm, composed and clever.
She will be good for the IndiaAmerica relations
too, as she will be carrying forward the good agen
da of President Barak Obama. Fortunately, she is
being supported by the IndianAmerican community
at large.
As for the election campaign, it was unnecessary
and unwarranted to lower the bar of decency by the
candidates for the President of the United States of
America. But, in real world, these political fights and
bitterness will turn out to be shortlived. People of
the oldest democracy in the world will forget and
forgive to move forward in the greatest nation of
the world, our beloved USA.
Political puzzle for voters

By Ashok Vyas
y friend Parveen
Chopra, editor of The
South Asian Times, has
asked a few specific questions
about the presidential race 2016.
I am known to answer in a
roundabout way. I enjoy saying
something else to suggest what I
mean. Besides, the charged politi
cal atmosphere calls for poetic
perception when too much airtime
and attention is given to irrelevant
references.
Yes, I am a registered voter. I
registered as a Democrat without
paying much attention to the
nature of both parties. I don't
claim to have deep alignment with
Democras' vision and perform
ance. Let me also confess that I
don't understand politics that well
I have tried to increase my
understanding through ITV's live
show 'Insight Tonight with Ashok
Vyas'.
T hrough my show, I got the
opportunity of listening to both
sides of arguments. The more I
hear, the more confused I am
about the integrity, honesty, sin
cerity and truthfulness of both
candidates. To be politically cor
rect, I don't see claiming myself to
The writer hosts 'Insight Tonight with Ashok Vyas' and 'Wide Angle
with Ashok Vyas' on ITV Gold
be a Trump supporter and annoy
ing many of my friends. Neither
will I be comfortable in claiming
my support for Hillary Clinton.
Whether you like it or not, the fact
is, I have still not made up my
mind. Who knows, there may be
more 'audio leaks' or 'Wikileaks' to
influence my final decision.
Now, to be fair to the topic
under discussion, I can share my
concerns. I worry about America's
approach in dealing with terror
ism. Now news comes that folks
like you and me may see
Obamacare premiums go up 25 to
45 percent. Then, how will more
jobs be created and immigrant stu
dents given proper structure to
find a job and contribute in the
growth of American economy?
Being an Indian American, I also

try to look at the mutually benefi
cial relations between these two
great nations.
Let us say, some of the topics
dwelled on by Trump are impres
sive, but will he be able to deliver
in the light of his penchant for
dividing even his own Republican
Party?
On the other side, the issue of
corruption and conflict of interest
has enveloped the candidacy of
former secretary of state and for
mer First Lady, Mrs Hillary
Clinton. Will she be able to earn
clear confidence of the nation? So,
as Deepavali approaches, let me
invoke the divine grace and pray
for the guiding light to lead our
great nation. Trump's idea of keep
ing us in suspense after election

day has caused concern, so I pray
for peace and harmony, whatever
the outcome. I sincerely believe
that both candidates will bring
something good to the table with
the need to clear up the baggage
of unfavorable impressions.
Do I look at Trump beyond the
torrid tapes. Yes, I do. I also don't
blame Hillary alone for the
Benghazi episode but there is a
seed of doubt in my mind with ref
erence to fund generation mecha
nism for Clinton Foundation.
Allow me to say, with the three
debates between the presidential
candidates and lots of debates on
television, we have proved that we
believe in talking. How this talk
results into action with passion,
emotion, disciple, decency and
decorum, that we have to wait and
watch. On the flip side, I am not
too much optimistic about either
candidate, but I do long for a posi
tive change. America should
become assertive without becom
ing arrogant. I look forward to
unbiased assessment of problems
related to economy and foreign
af fairs. I think the Indian
American community is on the
learning curve as far as our active
participation in American politics
is concerned. We need to identify

some common grounds, which
may bring different organizations
and people with resources on one
platform and project a cohesive as
well as strong image of us as a uni
fied group for political leaders and
parties.
I guess, one important lesson
from this democratic process for
voters as well as for the candi
dates is this abstain from impul
sive reaction. Did I say anything
about tweets by Trump? No. I
think both parties have at times
mounted their campaign on shal
low references to outsmart the
other. Here is another observation,
Hillary's victory appears certain to
some media houses but when you
read comments below these news
reports, you realize that American
voters don't like to be taken for
granted. They want to solve the
political puzzle in their own way,
at their own pace. When political
parties want them to gulp the
welldefined narrative, they resist.
We Americans will share our
vision of the potential key to the
problems through our votes. I am
not telling you, who I will vote for
that suspense is an integral part
of the democratic process. Good
luck to all of us!
DIWALI SPECIAL
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
20
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
INDIA
New Zealand to work for India's NSG bid

New Delhi: New Zealand affirmed its con
structive contribution towards India join
ing the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) as
the two countries called for stopping cross
border terrorism while ag reeing to
strengthen their political, defense and
security relationship.
Addressing a joint press conference here
with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, visit
ing New Zealand Prime Minister John Key
assured of his country's "consistent sup
port" to New Delhi's bid to become a mem
ber of the reformed UN Security Council.
"I acknowledge the importance of India
joining the NSG. New Zealand will continue
to contribute constructively to the process
currently underway in the NSG to consider
India's membership. New Zealand is com
mitted to working with the NSG members
to reach a decision and as soon as possi
ble," he said.
Modi, in his remarks, said terrorism was
"one of the greatest challenges to global
peace and security".
"The barriers of geography do not safe
guard against the threat of radicalization
and terrorism. Nations who believe in
humanity need to coordinate their actions
and policies to counter this threat," he said.
He said India and New Zealand have
agreed to strengthen their security and
intelligence cooperation against terrorism
and radicalisation, including in the domain
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key during a press
conference at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi. (Photo: IANS)
of cyber security.
Both Modi and Key used cricket terminol
ogy to emphasize cordial ties between the
two countries.
"In our ties... defensive play has given
way to aggressive batting," said Modi as
Key too invoked cricketing ties and pointed
to former New Zealand skipper Brendon
McCullum playing for Indian Premier
League team Gujarat Lions from Modi's
home state. New Zealand cricket team is at
present on a tour of India.

Earlier in the day, Key, who arrived on
Tuesday on a three day visit, was accorded
a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of
Rashtrapat i Bhawan, where he was
received by President Pranab Mukherjee
and Modi. He also attended a business
event in the afternoon.
A joint statement, released after the dele
gationlevel talks between Modi and Key,
said the two leaders agreed to enhance
Pakistan official running spy

racket told to leave India
New Delhi: India has asked a
Pakistan Hig h Commission
staffer here to leave the country
immediately for allegedly run
ning a major espionage ring that
was busted with the arrest of
two Indians possessing sensitive
defence documents to be passed
on to the ISI.
Vikas Swarup, spokesperson
for the Ministry of External
Af fairs, tweeted that Foreign
Secretary S. Jaishankar sum
moned
Pakistan
Hig h
Commissioner Abdul Basit "to
convey that (a) Pakistan High
Commission staf fer has been
declared persona non grata for
espionage activities".
Basit was summoned after
Delhi Police said they detained
the embassy of ficial, Mehmood
Akhtar, a "kingpin" of the racket
working for the InterServices
Intelligence (ISI).
Akhtar was questioned briefly
and let off because of diplomatic
immunity, Joint Commissioner
Ravindra Yadav of the Crime
Branch told reporters.
Two Indian nationals, Maulana
Ramzan and Subhash Jangir, also
allegedly working for the ISI,
were arrested and were being
Indian external affairs ministry told Pakistan High Commissioner

Abdul Basit that their staffer has been declared persona
non grata for espionage activities.
questioned, Yadav said.
Both are residents of
Rajasthan. Police released a pic
ture of the two.
The three were picked up on
Wednesday near the Delhi Zoo
when Ramzan and Jangir had
come to hand over to Akhtar
some secret information about
the deployment of security
forces at Indian borders.
"They had collected informa
t ion reg arding de fense, BSF
(Border Security Force) deploy
ment on the borders" in

Rajasthan and Gujarat and also
carried maps of some Indian bor
der positions, Yadav said, adding
they also had information about
several retired Indian Army per
sonnel.
The joint commissioner said
the Pakistan embassy official ini
tially said he was an Indian citi
zen and also showed a fake
Aad har card in the name of
Mehmood Rajput of Chandni
Chowk in Old Delhi.
cooperation to combat the full spectrum of

terrorist threats in all their forms and man
ifestations.
"They called for eliminating terrorist safe
havens and infrastructure, disrupting ter
rorist networks and their financing, and
stopping crossborder terrorism," the state
ment said.
India has been accusing Pakistan of sup
porting crossborder terrorism. Relations
between the two neighboring countries
have got strained following terror attack on
an army camp in Uri town of Jammu and
Kashmir last month. India later conducted
surgical strikes on terror launch pads
across the Line of Control.
Both the leaders also called for the early
adoption of the Comprehensive Convention
on International Terrorism to strengthen
the international counterterrorism legal
framework.
Modi and Key underlined that India and
New Zealand were both maritime nations
with a strong interest in the AsiaPacific
and IndoPacific regions being stable and
prosperous, including by ensuring the safe
ty and security of sea lanes and freedom of
navigation.
The two countries agreed to establish a
bilateral ministerial dialogue through
annual meetings, in either country or on
the margins of regional or global gather
ings.
Asian Development
Bank declines to fund
Pak dam project
Islamabad:
T he
Asian
Deve lopment Bank (ADB)
declined to commit funds for a
$14 billion dam project in
Pakistan, authorities said.
"We did not really make any
commitment. This is a very big
project,"
ADB
president
Takehiko Nakao said at a joint
news conference with Finance
Minister Ishaq Dar on the con
clusion of the 15th ministerial
meeting of the Central Asia
Regional Economic Cooperation
(CAREC) program.
He said the US Agency for
Internat ional Deve lopment
(USAID) was conducting a feasi
bility study on the Diamer
Bhasha dam on the river Indus
in GilgitBaltistan, adding that
while it was a very important
project for Pakistan's energy
and irrigation requirements, it
called for the formation of more
partnerships that could provide
funding for the project, Dawn
online reported.
"We haven't decided (whether
to fund) this project yet because
it needs big money," he said,
adding that the ADB might con
sider joining the financing of
this project at a later date.
The ADB was originally seen

by Pakistan as the lead financier
of the strategic project, which
would have a water storage
capacity of over six million acre
feet and a power output of
4,500MW.
Repeated ef forts to rope the
World Bank in as a colender
failed two years ago when the
government declined to seek a
No Objection Certificate (NoC)
from India for the project.
Instead, Finance Minister
Ishaq Dar accepted a funding
of fer from the World Bank to
start the Dasu Hydropower
project, downstream of Diamer
Bhasha, saying the government
would simultaneously go ahead
with both projects.
22
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
INDIA
MulayamAkhilesh tug of war on, Party in crumbles

Lucknow: The differences in Uttar
Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party
came to the fore once again as its
chie f Mulayam Sing h Yadav
skipped the 'Yash Bharti' awards
funct ion after Chie f Minister
Akhilesh Yadav refused to dismiss
a minister expelled from the party.
This is for the first time in 22
years that Mulayam Singh has not
attended the awards that he had
initiated in 199495 as Chief
Minister. While big newspaper
advertisements announced that
the SP chief would be part of the
function in which 72 eminent per
sons from dif ferent field were
felicitated, he did not turn up.
However Akhilesh Yadav, in his
five minute speech mentioned
Mulayam Singh's name at least
nine times, suggesting that he was
trying to placate his father, who is
said to be very upset with his son
for not sacking minister Te j
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav with son and

UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Pratap aka Pawan Pandey despite
his expulsion from the party for
six years on very serious charges
of beating up legislative councillor
Ashu Malik.
Akhilesh's uncle and state party
Dalai Lama free

to visit
Arunachal: India
The Dalai Lama.

New Delhi: Amid the possibility of
China objecting to the proposed
visit of the Dalai Lama to
Arunachal Pradesh, India said the
Tibetan spiritual leader was an
honored guest of India and was
free to travel to any part of the
country. Answering queries from
reporters here, External Af fairs
Ministry spokesperson Vikas
Swarup said that the Dalai Lama
has visited the border state in the
past too and there was nothing
unusual in his visiting the state
again.
"Dalai Lama is a revered spiritual
figure and an honoured guest of
India. He is absolutely free to travel
to any part of the country. It is a
fact that he has a sizeable follow
ing among the Budd hists in
Arunachal Pradesh who like to
seek his blessings. He has visited
the state in the past as well and we
see nothing unusual if he visits

again," Swarup said.
Dalai Lama has been invited to
Arunachal Pradesh by state Chief
Minister Pema Khandu for a visit
early next year during which he is
expected to visit Tawang, Itanagar
and some other parts of the state.
India had earlier this week dis
missed China's protests against US
Ambassador Richard Verma's visit
for the annual Tawang Festival in
Arunachal Pradesh.
Beijing had said visits like that of
Verma would make the border dis
pute between India and China
more "complicated" and "sabotage"
peace in the region.
Swarup had said that there was
nothing unusual in Verma's visit
and noted that he had visited a
state which is an integral part of
the country to which the envoy was
accredited.
chief Shivpal Yadav had demand

ed Pandey be dropped from the
ministry.
On the other hand the Chief
Minister he ld a meeting with
regards to preparations of his
Path Yatra which will hit the roads

on November 3, with his confi
dantes including Sanjay Lathar,
Sunil Yadav 'Sajan', Arvind Yadav
and Anand Bhadauria, all party
leaders who have been expelled
by the party for six years.
Mulayam Singh is seeing this as
a direct confrontation with him
self, as the Chief Minister is not
towing the party line, creating an
uncomfortable situation.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party
leader Amar Sing h broke his
silence on the rift within the
Samajwadi Party, saying he was
hurt by Akhilesh Yadav calling
him a 'dalal' (broker).
"I am hurt by his words. There is
no photograph of his wedding
where this 'dalal' (Amar Singh) is
not present," Amar Sing h
remarked, which were aired on
several news channels.
Akhilesh held a meeting with
party legislators after sacking his

uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav and
three other ministers from the
Cabinet. Soon after the meeting
ended, the legislators trooped out
while denouncing Amar Singh as a
'dalal'. He was held responsible
for infighting within the party.
Singh said he will not attend
Akhilesh's Rath Yatra from
November 3, saying he was not
invited. T he Samajwadi Party
leader, considered close to
Mulayam Singh Yadav, said he
was the only one who supported
Akhilesh when his family was
opposed to his marriage. He also
clarified he never abused expelled
SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav.
Singh said it was not the first
time he was blamed for party dif
ferences since he was blamed
even when Akhilesh replaced
Shivpal as the SP Uttar Pradesh
unit President.
Sardar Patel: A man of

iron will and absolute
fearlessness
New Delhi: Weeklong celebrations were ongoing this
week to marked the birth anniversary of Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel, also known as the Iron Man of
India, later this month, the government said.
Patel, the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home
Minister of India, was born on October 31, 1875 in
Nadiad, Gujarat. The government last year decided to
observe his birth anniversary as "Ekta Diwas".
The celebrations would commence on October 31
with Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying tributes at
the statue of Patel and later in Parliament House here,
according to an official statement.
The Prime Minister would also release a commemo
rative stamp on the same day. He will also administer
the Pledge of Unity and flag off the Unity Run. Modi
will also release a digital film on the life of Patel at a
program to be organized at Pragati Maidan here by
the Ministry of Culture.
"In all the government offices, the Pledge of Unity
will be administered on October 31. Essay writing,
elocution, painting and slogan writing competitions
will be held in schools and colleges recalling Patel's
contribution to the unification of India, during the
week till November 6," the statement said.
All central ministers will visit different parts of the
country during the week, garlanding Patel's statues
and holding public meetings.
All central ministries and departments will organise
appropriate programmes including administering
pledge of unity and will display his photos with the
caption "A grateful nation salutes Sardar Vallabhbhai
Patel, the pioneer of national unity".
"Beginning this week, Doordarshan and All India
Radio will launch special programmes on the life and
works of Sardar Patel using archival material," it said.
"Home Minister Rajnath Singh has written to all the
Chief Ministers suggesting to organize programs
recalling the life and works of Sardar Patel and use
the occasion to reaf firm the inherent strength and
resilience of the nation to withstand the actual and
The celebrations would commence on October 31

with Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying tributes
at the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
potential threats to the unity, integrity and security of
the country," the statement said.
Patel was a political and social leader of India who
played a major role in the country's struggle for inde
pendence and subsequently guided its integration
into a united, independent nation. He was called the
"Iron Man of India", and was often addressed as
"Sardar" which means "Chief " or "Leader" in many
languages of India. A man of iron will and absolute
fearlessness, Sardar Patel tackled the question of 550
and odd State territories and principalities in such a
strategic manner that they became a part of the uni
fied Indian political stream of life endowed with cul
tural unity and harmony.
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
OP-ED
23
India should not gloat over moderate tactical success

By Lt. Gen. Kamal Davar (retd)
he last three weeks may not have been

historically momentous, as some in the
establishment would like us to believe,
but certainly India has been in the news,
both within and globally, and more for good
reasons. The reported surgical strikes con
ducted by India on September 29, 2016 at
seven Pakistani terrorcamp locations across
the volatile Line of Control (LoC) changed the
mood of the nation in one swift master
stroke. That all political parties in India, cut
ting across party lines, unequivocally feted
the Indian Army and the Modi government
for this timely initiative to teach a perennial
ly treacherous Pakistan a befitting lesson,
showcased to the world Indian unity when
confronted with a national challenge.
However, like any succulent dish, happy
tidings have a nasty habit of not lingering for
long. With the euphoria of India's macho'
actions against a terrorexporting Pakistan
gradually receding, the mood in India's agi
tated political environment is back to its not
socordial normal.
Electronic media channels, naturally look
ing for better TRPs, seemed to exacerbate the
eternal political divide by pinning down
some political parties with awkward and
insolent questions on the parties' sense of
nationalism and their degree of support to
the government, as if it is a quantifiable com
modity.
Most political outfits seem to have walked
into the media trap with the ruling party, the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), chestthumping
themselves as the sole repository of fiery
patriotism leaving other political dispensa
tions in the country far behind in self
Pakistan has upped the ante along the International Border (IB) and LoC with unprovoked
firings and multiple infiltration endeavors into J&K.
assessed jingoistic formulations. Anyway, the
media does not direct national policies and
hence it is time for the nation to leave behind
the cacophony of proving one's patriotism,
introspect and seriously plan for the myriad
challenges looming ahead.
India's surgical strike targeting Pakistan
over a frontage of 250 km across the Line of
Control (LoC) in Kashmir has sent a clear
message to the state and nonstate actors
cong lomerate in Pakistan that India's
patience must not be taken for granted.
However, it is apparent, once again, that his
tory has a bad habit of repeating itself as
regards Pakistan is concerned. Terror activi
ties inside the Kashmir Valley, once again,
are increasing, with the Pakistanis and their
terrorist protgs taking on the security
forces, snatching rifles from Jammu and
Kashmir (J&K) police personnel besides com
mitting arson at unprotected governmental

buildings.
Pakistan has upped the ante along the
International Border (IB) and LoC with
unprovoked firings and multiple infiltration
endeavours into J&K, before the onset of
snow as happens each year. Their numerous
sleeper cells would have been instructed to
indulge in some sensational terror acts, not
only in J&K but in the Indian hinterland,
especially, in the current festival season and
in areas where there are large public congre
gations. With Pakistani mischief in full flow,
India now needs to zealously implement
some baby steps it pragmatically initiated
recently. First and foremost, India must build
up, with alacrity, its military muscle to
thwart threats emanating from a two half
front challenge (China, Pakistan and internal
security), even collectively in a worst case
scenario. Combat capabilities take very long

to fructify, and, thus both the armed forces
and the government need to address opera
tional voids with the urgency it deserves.
Secondly, India must pursue relentlessly
the diplomatic measures it has instituted
recently with the global community and the
UN to get Pakistan declared a terrorist state.
The singular way for Pakistan to be taught a
lesson to live in a civilized way is for the
many nations who fund Pakistan to survive
to shut their financial aid to it. In the current
scenario, the US and other EU nations may
do so whilst China and Saudi Arabia will
ensure that Pakistan remains financially sol
vent. For China, its strategic game changer,
name ly, the ChinaPakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC) and development of the
Gwadar port is only possible with Pakistan's
submission to the Chinese, and thus come
what may, China's support for Pakistan is
etched in stone. That the CPEC runs through
the "disputed territories" in GilgitBaltistan
and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) is
hardly of consequence to a nation like China
which scof fs at internationally accepted
norms in statecraft.
Nevertheless, Pakistan's consistent record
in promoting terrorism across the world
must prompt the international community
imposing economic sanctions against it.
Diplomatic ostracisation of Pakistan by the
world community must be endeavoured for
with greater determination by India as done
at the recently concluded BRICSBIMSTEC
meetings in Goa.
(Lt. Gen. Kamal Davar (retd.) was the first

Chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency and
Deputy Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff)
Cyrus Mistry had to exit without completing Tatas 'Vision 2025' plan
By Biswajit Choudhary
part clue to the mystery
behind Tata Sons' surprise
move to replace Cyrus P.
Mistry as its Chairman could be
traced to his background. The 48
yearold Cyrus Mistry is the
youngest son of Pallonji Mistry,
whose construction firm Shapoorji
Pallonji & Co is the largest share
holder of Tata Sons, with a stake
of around 18 percent. T he
Mistrys, like the Tatas, belong to
the Parsi community, which came
to occupy a predominant position
in the economic life of Mumbai,
and the country, since the time of
the British rule.
Cyrus Mistry, on his surprise
appointment in Tata Sons in
2012, had relinquished his posi
t ion as manag ing director of
Shapoorji Pallonji, to avoid any
conflict of interest.
Till then, his father had been a
passive investor in Tata Sons,
although he sat on its board till
2006, when he retired and ceded
the position to Cyrus.
Mistry took over from Ratan
Cyrus Mistry with Ratan Tata.

Tata at a time when some of the
main companies of the group
were facing tough operating envi
ronments, and his major challenge
was to turn around the group's
international steel business and to
consolidate other businesses.
The IrishIndian businessman
became the sixth chairman of the
group and the second who did not
have the name of Tata, after
Nowroji
Saklatwala.
T he
Economist once described him as
"the most important industrialist"

in both India and Britain.
T he man who talked about
Tatas' 2025 vision document had
to leave within four years of tak
ing the reins. T he do cument
talked about 25 per cent of world
population being touched by Tata
quality of life and that the group
would become among the 25 most
admired corporates and employ
ers globally. If it does, it would be
without Mistry, though.
In an interview to the Tata

Group's online platform last
month, Mistry said that the high
debt levels of some group compa
nies should be seen in the context
of business growth, increasing
cash from operations and capital
projects underway which would
lead to future growth.
"As the group has been growing
significantly in the past, the total
capital employed has also grown.
Proportionately, there has been
an increase in debt," he said in the
interview.
In September, Tata Steel report
ed a 10fold jump in its net loss to
Rs 3,183 crore in the quarter
ended June 30, as compared to a
net loss of Rs 317 crore in the cor
responding quarter last year.
"Loss from discontinued opera
tions of Rs 3,296 crore was recog
nised on account of divestment of
Long Steel UK Limited. The sale
was completed during the quar
ter," said the stee l pro ducer,
adding the total comprehensive
income for the period was a loss
of Rs 2,833 crores due to the
divestment.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
Tata Steel UK is currently pro

gressing with the divestment of
the specialty steel business and
the pipe mills in Hartlepool. The
company said that it would con
tinue discussions with industry
players to explore options for a
strategic collaboration through a
potential joint venture.
On the company's performance
in India, T.V. Narendran,
Managing Director of Tata Steel
India and Southeast Asia, said:
"Seasonal headwinds and a slow
down in a large steel consuming
sector like real estate af fected
stee l demand in the quarter.
While the regulatory changes
have helped stem the flood of
imports, domestic supply has
increased and added to the com
petitive pressure."
Calling the move to replace
Mistry as being done in the "long
term interest" of the company, the
Tata Sons Board on Monday
named Ratan N. Tata as the inter
im chairman and said a fourmem
ber committee has been formed to
select the next chairman within
four months.
DIWALI SPECIAL
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
26
Origins
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
I t s
b e c o m i n g
Bigger & Better

By SATimes team
The King of
Festivals
iwali of course spans all

major religions of India,
namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Here
are the mythological and historical origins of the festival:
Lord Ramas return to Ayodhya from 14 years exile along with

wife Sita, brother Lakshman, and
devout Hanuman brought immense
joy to the people who lighted lamps
to illuminate the capital city.
Lord Vishnu as Vaman avatar

rescued Lakshmi from the prison
of King Bali who was banished to
the underworld on this day.
The Pandavas returned to

Hastinapur after 12 years of banishment. Happy citizens lit earthen lamps in celebration.
Bandi Chhorr Divas, festival of

Sikhs, celebrates the release of their
sixth guru - Guru HarGobind Singh
from the Gwalior Fort along with
52 other Hindu princes in 1619.
Foundation stone of the

Golden Temple in Amritsar was
laid on the day of Diwali in 1577.
Ashok Vijaydashmi celebrates the conversion of emperor

Ashoka to Buddhism on this day
with prayers and decoration of
the monasteries.
Lord Mahavira, the last of

the Jain Tirthankar of the era, attained eternal bliss of Nirvana or
Moksha on this day at Pavapuri on
lunar Chaturdashi of Kartika on 15
October 527 BC. According to the
Kalpasutra by Archarya Bhadrabahu, 3rd century BC, many Gods
were present there, illuminating
the darkness with their divine light
Diwali marks the end of

harvest season in most of India.
Farmers pray for a good harvest
for the year to come.
Hindus pray for removal of all
the darkness and poverty from everyones lives, and to fill all hearts
with the sparkling golden light of
Christmas and New Year apart, Diwali is fast becoming a major global festival. All over the world, particularly where the
growing Indian diaspora is, the Festival of Lights is now celebrated with lighting up even public spaces and fireworks.
In India, too, almost all communities in every nook and corner now embrace the festival in harmony. The news this year
from the land where the festival originated is that some of potentially harmful aspects like big, noisy, polluting fireworks
are being eschewed. But shopping is at an all time high. After the India-Pakistan border tension, the nationalistic
sentiment is also running strong, people preferring indigenous products to Chinese made, inferior stuff.
Diwali this year falls on Sunday, October 30.
Pre-Diwali fireworks at Anglo Bengali Inter College in Allahabad on October 28.
peace, love, truth, and spiritual
joy. The illumination of homes
with lights, and the skies with
firecrackers, is an expression
of obeisance to the heavens for
the attainment of health, wealth,
knowledge, peace and prosperity. Deepavali delivers us from
Darkness unto Light, to commit
ourselves to good deeds, and thus
approach divinity.
Mount Govardhan lifted by Lord

Krishna on one finger formed
an umbrella to protect people of
Gokul from a deluge sent by Lord
Indra. Annakoot means mountain
of food. Prayers for plentiful are
offered with obeisance to Lord
Krishna on this day.
Day 5 - Yama Dvitiya

/ Bhai Dooj
Yamraj, the Lord of death visited and gave his sister Yamuna a
boon that whosoever visits her on
this day shall be liberated from all
sins. Traditionally, brothers visit
their sisters.
Lord Mahavir, the founder of
Jainism had attained nirvana, or
heaven. His brother King Nandivardhan was very distressed, and
was comforted by their sister
Sudarshana. Sisters have been revered since, symbolized by Bhai

Dooj.
In India, respect for women is
seen in every aspect of festivals
and celebrations. The creator is
shown as sublime, divine, feminine force of Shakti, venerated in
several goddess forms like Durga
on a lioness, or Kali, the fiery dark
goddess of power.
Five days of
celebration
Day 1 - Dhanteras
/ Dhanvantari Trayodashi
Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped
to provide prosperity and wellbeing. Dhanvantri, physician of the
gods, is remembered for health
and hygiene.
Day 2 - Chhoti Deepavali

/ Naraka Chaturdashi
Naraka Chaturdasi marks the
vanquishing of the demon Narakasur by Lord Krishna and his wife
Satyabhama. Narakasur and his
mother Bhudevi or Mother Earth
wished his death to be occasion for
rejoicing, rather than mourning.
Day 3 - Main Deepavali

/ Lakshmi Puja
Amavasya or new moon night
marks the worship of Lakshmi, the
goddess of wealth in her most benevolent mood, fulfilling the wishes of her devotees.
Day 4 - Pratipat / Padwa

Puja / Govardhan Puja
/ Annakoot
Delhi, Mumbai or any city and town Indians were crowding the
markets and malls for Diwali shopping. (Photos: IANS)
DIWALI SPECIAL
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
28
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
In America
As American as Apple Pie?

Not quite yet, but getting there. After securing the Diwali stamp,
Diwali holiday is the next frontier for the Indian community.
By SATimes team
nlike Canada, Australia and

England, America is still in
the process of becoming a
truly multicultural society from
being just a melting pot. With
the Indian community growing
in numbers and influence, Diwali
is getting an airing and a hearing
and more. The festival of lights
(and sounds of crackers) still has
way to go to be in the league of
Christmas, Thanksgiving or even
Halloween.
Diwali celebration is now on
the annual calendar of the White
House, Secretary of State and the
US Congress. Lawmakers and
government officials readily attend Diwali melas organized by
the local communities. Who can
resist getting introduced to an
audience of tens of thousands -that is the number of people who
attend, for example, the Deepavali celebration at South Street
Seaport in New York, or Diwali
San Antonio, an official event of
the Texan city?
Diwali events, garbas and Bollywood extravaganzas keep mushrooming and dot the landscape.
Temples big and small organize
poojas and other events, which attract crowds.
Presiding over the State Departments first Diwali celebration in 2004, Secretary John Kerry hailed the accomplishments of
Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain
Americans.
Today, the South Asian diaspora is a pillar of every aspect of
American society, he said, noting
South Asians sit in the executive
suites of some of our countrys
most successful companies, or at
the very helm of all of them. They
are a driving force behind American leadership and science and
innovation, and in the history of
our nation.
Rep. Frank Pallone, who represents New Jerseys 6th Congressional District and is a founding
member of the Congressional
Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, said in an Oct 27 statement: Diwali is a joyous time,
which signifies the power of light
over darkness, good over evil,
knowledge over ignorance, and
hope over despair. In many ways,
Diwali (this year) has come at a
crucial period in our nations his
tory, as we decide our next President. At many points throughout

the election period, there has
been divisive rhetoric that has
been anti-immigrant and frankly
prejudiced and very depressing.
The Diwali celebrations and the
symbolism they represent display the true qualities of our nation as a whole.
Diwali school
holiday in
Syosset, NY
n some school districts in

America, Diwali is already a
holiday, and demand for the
same keeps erupting in many other places. Syosset Central School
District (SCSD) in Long Island has
just added Diwali as an official
holiday on the 2017-2018 school
year calendar.
Hailing SCSDs step, Hindu
statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada, urged all other
public school districts and private
schools in New York State to do
the same. If schools had declared
other religious holidays, why not
Diwali. Holidays of all major religions should be honored and no
one should be penalized for practicing their religion, he added.
October is
Hindu Heritage Month
in Ontario
A bill to proclaim October as
Hindu Heritage Month annually
in Canadas Ontario province has
been introduced in the provincial
assembly in Toronto. Ontario is
home to more than 700,000 Indo-Canadians.
Introducing the bill in the Ontario assembly here, MPP Joe
Dickson said that the proclamation will recognize the important contributions that Hindu Canadians have made to Ontarios
social, economic, religious, political and cultural fabric.
Each year, three key Hindu festivals - Navratri and Durga Puja
and Diwali - occur in and around
October, he said.
Hindu Heritage Month would
give all Ontarians an opportunity to remember, celebrate and
educate future generations about
Hindu Canadians and the important role that they have played to
date and continue to play in communities across Ontario, Dickson said.
(top left) Prime Minister Narendra Modis Diwali greetings message was displayed on giant billboards during
Diwali at Times Square celebration on October 16.
(top right) Diwali at South Street Seaport on the first
Sunday of October is a New York marquee event. Its
fireworks are second only to Macys 4th of July show.
(middle) Canadian Prime Minister lighting diyas in the
Canadian Parliament on October 26 ahead of Diwali
and Sikh Bandi Chhor Diwas. He has four ministers of
Sikh origin in his cabinet including defense minister.
(bottom left) Rep Frank Pallone from NJ feels that coming
amid divisive, anti-immigrant election rhetoric Diwali can
heal. The Diwali celebrations and the symbolism they represent display the true qualities of our nation as a whole.
30
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
DIWALI NEWS INDIA
Widows break taboo by

celebrating Diwali inside temple
Vrindavan: Breaking an ageold
taboo, about 700 widows cele
brated Diwali for the first time in
the ancient Gopinath Temple
here. The initiative to let widows
of Vrindavan light up their lives
was spearheaded by Sulabh
Movement leader and so cial
activist Bindeshwar Pathak, who
was also present for the celebra
t ions. Widows from six of
Vrindavan's ashram took part in
the celebration.
Widows from Varanasi joined
widows living in the Hindu holy
city of Vrindavan to enter into the
Gopinath temple with an aim to
break cultural taboos, which
restricts them from taking part in
any festivals, among others, after
the death of their husbands.

This was the fourth time that
widows took part in any festival
through the Pathakled move
ment. Earlier, Diwali was cele
brated by the w idows of
Vrindavan but not inside any tem
ple. They were also able to cele
brate Holi from last year as a
result of the initiative. The cele
bration inside the temple started
with Pathak lighting up the can
dles and diyas' placed circularly.
He was then joined by the wid
ows who lit fuljhari' and anaar',
before they showered Pathak
with flowers.
"With an aim to bring a ray of
happiness at their twilight years,
we have come up w ith this
unique idea to organise the festi
val of lights, especially for the
widows," he said.
Sulabh International looks after
half a dozen widow ashrams in
Vrindavan, including Pagal Baba,
Surat diamond tycoon

again presents cars,
flats to staff for Diwali
Surat: Known for his benevolent
Diwali gifts to his employees,
Suratbased billionaire diamond
merchant Savji Dholakia has
this year too kept over a thou
sand cars and 400 flats to his
wellperforming staf fers with
the company bearing part of the
monthly installments.
Dholakia, who owns the Hare
Krishna Exports, has gifted 400
flats and 1,260 cars as Diwali
bonuses to his employees.
However, the company will bear
a part, Rs 5,000, of the loan
instalments on the flats and the
cars for five years.
"We have se lected 1,716
employees as the best perform
ers this year. We are arranging
for houses for those who
already own cars, while those
who don't have a fourwheeler
will get one," Dholakia told
IANS.
He said the 400 flats each of
1,100 square feet would be
allotted in a housing scheme of
the company itself. "The flats
would come dirt cheap at Rs 15
lakh and the monthly instal
ment, which the employee will
start paying after five years will
be Rs 11,000," he said.
T he bonus, which were
announced at an informal meet
Widows celebrate Diwali at Radha Krishna temple in Vrindavan of UP's Mathura district. (Photo: IANS)
Ketan Vihar, and Maa Dhaam
ashram, among others. "We have
been celebrating Diwali, Holi, and
Durga Puja since 2012. Pathak ji

has done a lot for us. He gave us
ambulance, TV, fridge, medicines,"
85yearold Mona Ghosh whose

been living in Pagal Baba Ashram
for last 30 years told IANS.
PM greets nation on Dhanteras

New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Friday greeted
the nation on the occasion of
Dhanteras the fest ival of
wealth.
"Greetings on the auspicious
o ccasion of Dhanteras," the
Prime Minister tweeted extend
ing his best wishes to the citi
zens. One of the most important

re lig ious fest ival of Hindus,
Dhanteras, also known as
Dhanatrayodashi, is observed all
over India and Nepal.
It also marks the beginning of
the fiveday Tihar festival in
some Northeastern states in
India and Nepal.
The festival falls on the thir

teenth lunar day of Kartik month
of Saka calendar (October
November), marking the first day
of of the Diwali celebrations.
Considered auspicious for busi
ness, people also indulge in buy
ing
precious
metals
on
Dhanteras.
Economic, defense cooperation to

figure in Modi's Japan visit
Suratbased billionaire
diamond merchant
Savji Dholakia.
ing of employees, on Tuesday
have been an annual ritual at
Hare Krishna Exports.
Last year, Dholakia's company
similarly gave 491 cars and
200 flats to its employees. The
year before that, it spent Rs 50
crore on performance incen
tives, Dholakia said.
The diamond merchant, who
hails from Dudhala village in
Amreli district in Saurashtra
region, established and nur
tured his business using a loan
from his uncle. He had sent his
son Dravya to eke out a job in
Kerala to learn the ropes.
New Delhi: Prime Minister

Narendra Modi will pay a twoday
of ficial visit to Japan from
November 11 for his third annual
summit meeting with his Japanese
counterpart Shinzo Abe, with eco
nomic and defense cooperation
likely to figure high on the agenda.
The annual summit will be an
occasion for the two leaders to have
indepth exchanges on bilateral,
regional and global issues of mutual
interest to further deepen the
broadbased and actionoriented
partnership between India and

Japan, said an of ficial statement.
Modi will also have an audience
with Japanese Emperor Akihito.
The two sides are likely to sign a
civil nuclear cooperation pact,
including a provision to assure
Japan that India, which has not
joined
the
Nuclear
Non
Proliferation Treaty, will not use
Japanese nuclear power plant tech
nology for military purposes, Kyodo
news agency quoted diplomatic
sources as saying. Both leaders are
also likely to discuss defence coop

eration, including joint maritime
exercises between Japan, India and
the US. The South China Sea is also
likely to figure in the talks.
"We expect (Modi's) visit to
advance the special strategic global
partnership befitting a new era for
JapanIndia (relations) and further
deepen the bonds and cooperative
relationship between our coun
tries," Kyodo quoted Deputy Chief
Cabinet Secretary Koichi Hagiuda
as saying in Tokyo.
"Amar Singh ki Fuljhadi" and

"Samajwadi Tag War" brand
crackers on display at a
cracker shop in Allahabad.
Crackers alluding to current
events have hit the shops
this diwali. (Photo: IANS).
31
New Delhi: In wake of the recent Uri

attacks by terrorists based in
Pakistan and as China seen as its
ally continues to block Indias bid to
designate JaisheMohammad chief
Masood Azhar as a terrorist by the
United Nations, nationalistic sentiments are
running high among Indians who have taken
to social media and started campaigns to boy
cott Chinese products this festival season.
Angry with Chinas support to Pakistan,
people are extensively sharing posts on
WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter with an
appeal to boycott Chinese items, according to
Financial Times report. According to a report
in The Times of India local businesses, who
deal in Chinese lighting and decorative items,
are apprehending a loss of around 75% prof
its in the current festival season. According to
Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), the
call for the boycott of Chinese goods could
affect the festive sale and will come down to
30 percent compared to yesteryears.
The campaign against China and its prod
ucts got intense when China insisted on estab
lished procedures to be in place before admit
ting India in the Nuclear Supply Group (NSG).
At ground level people have themselves
made a conscious decision to stay away from
Made in China products. My husband and I
had gone, this evening, to the local shops to
purchase some lamps for Deepavali. I heard
this conversation almost in all the shops we
visited, "Yeh Chinese hai"? If the answer was
no then the customer said yes, I want to buy
only Indian made items. The icing on the cake
was, when one shopkeeper (lady) with her
head covered (from Rajasthan) responded to a
customer, Saab hum Indian hai, Chinese
hamara bhai lagta hai kya?" ( We are all
Indians, do Chinese happen to be our broth
ers?), said Revathy Ravi, a working profes
sional from Bangalore.
Shefali Vaidya, who regularly writes for
social media narrated her experience in a
Facebook post: I stopped by at a crowded
hardware store to pick up some lights, wires,
holders etc for Diwali. Asked the vendor for
Indian made lights. 'Everyone is asking only
for Indian made lights this year', said the ven
dor, handing me a line of yellow lights. As if
on cue, another person walked into the shop
and said in Marathi, 'Aple lights dakhva,
China che nako'. (Show me OUR lights, Not
Chinese'). The vendor passed him the Indian
lights.'Are you sure these are Indian? I don't
want to buy Chinese,' said the man. 'Yes, yes,
see this label, 'Made in India', said the vendor.
'Chinese lights are the ones hanging outside.'
'Why are you keeping them? You should not
even stock Chinese lights', said the man stern
ly. Every customer in the shop agreed fervent
ly and vocally with the man. 'Next year nahi
rakhenge. Is saal 5060% demand kam hui
hai,' said the vendor (next year, we won't
stock, already this year demand has fallen by
5060%).
Amit Modi, who owns family business of
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
DIWALI IN INDIA
Prime Minister Narendra Modi bomb" and "Surgical Strike" brand crackers on display at a cracker shop in Allahabad on Oct 26, 2016.
Crackers alluding to current events have hit the shops this Diwali. (Photo: IANS)
Made in India fireworks in Ahmedabad
though feels it will be a while before any such
boycott registers a significant impact. As you
know China products are cheap and easily
available. It's very difficult to control them.

Unless the Indian government doesnt ban
them there wont be much impact. We are
capable of making much better products in
India but our tax structure is very high. India

should provide conducive environment to our
businessmen to make quality products.
Simply sentiments wont work.
32
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
TRISTATE DIWALI
Diwali Stamp Project & Air India

raffle winners announced
New York: October 20 became a
mesmerizing cont inuat ion of
October 5 historic Diwali Stamp
Dedicat ion. Winners were
announced of Air Indias Raffle of
Roundtrip Tickets in support of
Diwali Stamp Project (DSP)s pre
sale efforts to make Diwali Stamp
USPS bestseller ever.
Ranju Batra, chair of DSP, had
secured Air India to support for
DSPs efforts to make the First Day
sale of the Diwali Stamp the
biggest ever in USPS history. DSP
got exclusive USPS & DSP logo
PreSale Form and sold single
sheets for a raffle winner and larg
er number of sheets, in multiples
of tensheets, as a 2nd raffle win
ner. Any stamp buyer of $10,000
or more was a direct w inner.
Eligible winners included the in
person buyers on October 5th at
CGINY. Ranju Batra announced
Ravi Batra, HR Shah (the biggest supporter of Diwali stamp), Amb. Riva Ganguly Das,
Ranju Batra and Vandana Sharma at the event at Indian consulate.
that over 170,000 stamps were
sold on Oct 5 making it the
biggest first day sale in the history
of the USPS. Ranju thanked Air
India and Vandana Sharma,
Reg ional Manager, Air India
Flushing Town Hall

to host Diwali fest
Flushing, NY: On November 12, Flushing Town Hall
will celebrate the Festival of Lights with its second
annual Diwali Festival, featuring internationally
renowned dancers and musicians from India and the
Indian diaspora, with workshops, traditional foods, and
familyfriendly activities. Master musicians and
dancers from India, Bangladesh, Guyana, and Suriname
join forces to celebrate Diwali with regional music and
dance from each country.
This Diwali festival is supported by New York State
Council on the Arts with the support of Governor
Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature;
City Department of Cultural Affairs, Mayor Bill de
Blasio; The National Endowment of the Arts; The Fan
Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation; Con Edison; and
The New York Community Bank Foundation
The threehour celebration features master artists:
master Indian dancer Abha B. Roy with Sarika Persaud,
Zeel Shah, Melisa Bhagwandin from Guyana, master
Bangladeshi dancer: Anup K. Das with Antara Saha and
Margia Smriti, dholak drummer: Babloe Shankar from
Suriname. The afternoon event will runs at Flushing
Town Hall, 13735 Northern Blvd.
Tickets at www.flushingtownhall.org.
Americas, for her efforts.

There were five buyers of over
$10,000 of stamps, with H.R. Shah,
chairman of TV Asia, being the
biggest supporter at over $11,000.
Four others boug ht for over
$10,000: Madan Goyal, Texas; Dr.

Neeta Jain, NY; Dr. Dhaval Shah,
PA.; and Ranju Batra, chair, DSP. 1
9 sheet of stamps buyer raffle was
won by Shashikala Ravichandaran
of NY. 10 sheet or more stamp
buyers raffle was won by Surinder

Kathuria. Amb. Riva Ganguly Das,
Consul General, selected the raffle
winners, and Vandana Sharma pre
sented the happy winners with
their Free India Roundtrip Ticket.
Mayor De Blasio hosts a Diwali reception

New York City Mayor Bill de
Blasio and the First Lady
Chirlaine McCray hosted a
Diwali celebration at their
official residence, Gracie
Mansion in Manhattan on
October 19. Those in
attendance included
prominent Indian
Americans.
34
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Diwali billboard in Silicon Valley

with message to Nadella & Pichai
H20.ai shines spotlight on India
2O.ai, the company bring

ing Artificial Intelligence
to business, announced
the first billboard in the San
Francisco Bay Area to celebrate
two South Asian American lead
ers in technology: Indianborn
Satya Nadella, CEO at Microsoft,
and Sundar Pichai, CEO at
Google. Located at US 101 and I
280/Alemany, the billboard
reads: Dear Satya and Sundar,
Happy Diwali, Love, Sri and will
run through November 3.
We found it fitting to cele
brate Indian culture, as its a
community that has risen to the
highest ranks of leadership.
Today, we are celebrating South
Asians in technology and hope
to foster more inclusivity and

recognition of their contribu
tions, said Sri Ambati, CEO and
founder of H2O.ai. Diwali is also
known as Deepavali in India,
which is fitting since were giv
ing a nod to Indias role in shap
ing Deep Learning.
The billboard comes at a time
of heightened attention paid to
diversity and cultural inclusion
in Silicon Valley, and scrutiny of
hiring practices that discrimi
nate against ethnic minorities.
According to a recent survey,
immigrants started more than
half of the current U.S.based
startups valued at $1 billion or
more.
Of the 44 billiondollar start
ups, 14 founders come from
India, the highest number of any
other country. Asian Americans

make for 17 percent of all
H2O.ai employees, while South
Asians make for 22 percent of
employees, higher than many

companies in Silicon Valley.
Asian Americans make for 17
percent of all H2O.ai employees,
while South Asians make for 22

percent of the employees, higher
than many companies in Silicon
Valley.
Bay Area Diwali Festival celebrated with fanfare on Oct 15
Venue: Memorial Park, Cupertino

(Photo source: Bay Area Diwali Festival FB page)
Over 18000 attend 8 SEF Dandia events across US this year

ast Saturday saw culmination
of the magnificent Navratri
celebrations with Sankara Eye
Foundation (SEF) Dandia Grand
Finale Extravaganza taking the Bay
Area by storm. Attendees, 7,500
plus dancing in unison rocked the
night, leaving people mesmerized
and wanting for more. More
than18,000 attendees across the
US for 8 SEF Dandia events this
year translates into thousands of
free eye surgeries. SEF Dandia
events are a fundraiser for Sankara
Eye Foundation (SEF). SEF is the
largest free eye care provider in
the world, having done 1.4 Million
free eye surgeries so far, and work
ing towards eradicating curable
blindness in India.
www.giftofvision.org
(Image credit: Silicon Photograph

with Sankara Eye Foundation
at San Mateo/SEF Dandiya FB page)
DIWALI SPECIAL
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
36
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
GLOBAL FESTIVAL
UK PM hosts 2016 Diwali

reception at Downing Street
London: British Prime Minister
Theresa May welcomed people
from across the Hindu, Sikh and
Jain communities to celebrate
Diwali at Downing Street in
London.
A British High Commission
release in New Delhi said Prime
Minister Theresa May hosted a
reception to celebrate Diwali
and welcomed more than 150
key figures from across the
Hindu, Sikh and Jain communi
ties.
Dinesh Patnaik, Acting Indian
High Commissioner and Jitendra
Pate l, Trustee of Neasden
Temple were joined by the
Prime Minister in the traditional
lamp lighting ceremony.
The Prime Minister was also
joined by the Secretary of State
for International Development,
Priti Patel, Secretary of State for
Lo cal
Government
and
Communities, Sajid Javid, Lord
Gad hia and Foreign Of fice
Minister Alok Sharma.
The Prime Minister said, "For
me, one of the most remarkable
things about this festival is the
sheer scale of its reach and the
universal appeal of its message.
"Look at India over a billion
people, speaking hundreds of
dif ferent languages, following
various different faiths united
by this festival of light. Look at
the rest of the world, and the
colorful ce lebrations taking
place from Singapore to South
Africa, Australia to Nepal.
"T he achievements of our
British Indian communities one
and a half million people
demonstrate just how much a
country can achieve when talent
is unleashed and people of all
backgrounds are able to fulfill
their potential that's what is
important.
"Our political system becomes
more representative and more
Theresa May lighting the ceremonial diya

effective and I am so proud to
have Priti Patel in the Cabinet;
Alok Sharma in the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office; MPs like
Shailesh Vara and Rishi Sunak in
the Commons; and peers like
Jitesh Gad hia, Dolar Popat,
Sandip Verma and Ranbir Suri in

the Lords.
"When talent is unleashed, our
education system of fers more
choice and opportunity. Indeed,
it is Hindu Schools, like the
Avanti Trust, who are achieving
great things and underlining

why we need to go further in
supporting faith schools.
"Our economy becomes more
successful and dynamic includ
ing those upandcoming indus
tries that attract such a diverse
range of entrepreneurs, like
technology, film and, close to my
own heart, fashion.
"And our so ciety becomes
stronger, as people from all
backgrounds play their part in
making our schools, hospitals,
police forces and armed forces
the best they can be.
"So as we gather here today, as
we celebrate the achievements
of British Indians and all our
many diverse communities, I
want us to remember the impor
tance of removing the barriers
that prevent people from reach
ing their potential. "I want us to
be proud of what Diwali means
to our nation after all, it was
here in Downing Street that
Prime Minister Modi chose to
start the last Hindu New Year.
LONDON
Thousands of Londoners gathered in Trafalgar Square for Diwali festival. (Image courtesy: metro.co.uk)
TOKYO
Ambassador Sujan R Chinoy

inaugurated Diwali in
Yokohama organized by
Indian Commerce and
Industry Association Japan at
the Yamashita Park with
Katsunori Watanabe, Deputy
Mayor of Yokohama and
Ryuko Hira, Honorary
President of ICIJ. In his remarks
Ambassador spoke of the con
tribution of the Indian com
munity to Yokohama and
recalled the first visit of
Rabindranath Tagore to Japan
in 1916 when he spent two
months in Yokohama. He also
spoke of Swami Vivekananda's
visit in 1893.
MELBOURNE
The Diwali celebrations at Fed Square Melbourne saw participation

from a huge crowd. In the picture, winners of Diwali essay competition
receiving their awards.
38
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
DIWALI PUJA
Create a peaceful and calm atmos

phere. The best way is to close the eyes
and meditate on om.
ghee, honey and

sug ar.
T hen
clean the idol
ag ain
w ith
water.
Place the idol
back on the
Kalash.
Now of fer gar
lands made of
marigolds or
leaves of be l
tree,
sandal
woo d
paste,
kumkum and
other daily puja
items including
lighting incense and agarbattis.
Now make of ferings of co conut,
fruits, sweets, betel nuts and betel
leaves.
Next make of ferings of Batasha
sweets, puf fed rice, coriander and
cumin seeds.
Lastly, perform a silent Arati for
Goddess Lakshmi. And meditate on
Goddess Lakshmi.
Take some of the prasad (that will
stay for long period of time) and
place it at the place where ornaments
akshmi Puja is an important rit

ual during Diwali or Deepavali.
The rituals vary from region to
region. But here is a simple guide to per
form Lakshmi Puja during Diwali. In
2016, Diwali Lakshmi Puja is on October
30.
First and foremost step is to clean the
house. Through the puja we are inviting
Goddess Lakshmi to our house and she
likes everything to be neat and clean. In
some communities, even the broom is
worshiped on the Lakshmi Puja day. This
symbolically represents the need for
cleanliness.
T hree forms of Shakt i Go ddess
Lakshmi, Goddess Saraswati and Goddess
Durga Lord Ganesh and Lord Kubera
are worshiped on the day. No puja is per
formed without paying customary trib
utes to Lord Ganesha. Lord Kubera, rep
resents wealth, and he is the treasurer of
Gods. In homes, usually the locker or safe
in which gold and cash is kept symboli
cally represents the seat of Kubera.
IMPORTANT ITEMS
NEEDED FOR
LAKSHMI PUJA
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
Kalash
Mango leaves
Idol or picture of Goddess Lakshmi
Milk, curd, honey, gheeh
Puffed rice
Usual puja sweets
And other daily puja items
LAKSHMI PUJA
PROCESS
8 First decide on a place to perform the
puja.
8 Spread a clean cloth and create a bed
of rice.
8 A Kalash (pot) is placed on the bed of
rice.
8 Fill about 75% of the Kalash with
water.
8 Put a betel nut, flower, a clean coin,
and some rice in the Kalash.
8 Now arrange mango leaves around
the opening of the Kalash.
8 Place a Thaali (a small plain plate) on
the Kalash.
8 On the T haali, draw a lotus with
turmeric powder and place the idol or
small photog raph of Go ddess
Lakshmi.
8 Place some coins on the Thaali.
8 On the right of Kalash, place the idol
of Lord Ganesha.
8 If you need, you can also place the
idols of Saraswati and your favorite
deities.
8 Take some water and sprinkle on all

puja items to purify them.
8 Do puja with haldi, kumkum and
flowers on the Kalash.
8 Light a lamp.
8 Now take some flower and rice in
hands and close the eyes and medi
tate on Goddess Lakshmi. You are
now invoking Goddess Lakshmi. If
you know mantras, recite them.
Otherwise just simply meditate on
Goddess Lakshmi. Here is a simple
Sanskrit mantra dedicated to Goddess
Lakshmi.
Namosthesthu Maha Maye,

Shree padee, sura poojithe,
Shanka, Chakra, Gadha hasthe,
Maha Lakshmi Namosthuthe
8 Now sprinkle the flowers and rice on
the idol of Goddess Lakshmi.
8 Take out the idol of Goddess Lakshmi
and place it on a Thaali. Clean the
idol with water, then with milk, curd,
and cash is usually kept.

Business people also worship the
accountbooks on this day along with
Goddess Lakshmi.
This is only a guideline. You can show
flexibility in the puja process. Some of
the items needed might not be readily
available. But you can keep the house
and surrounding clean. Finally, if you
cant perform the puja, wherever you are
simply mediate on Goddess Lakshmi.
(Source: www.hindublog.com)
DIWALI SPECIAL
Oct 29-Nov 4 2016
42
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
S P I R I T UA L M E S S AG E
The spiritual meaning of Diwali
By Sant Rajinder
Singh Ji Maharaj
he festival of Diwali, or
The Festival of Lights, is a
holiday when families light
lamps illuminating the night. It
celebrates the return of Lord Rama
and his queen Sita to Ayodhya, the
capital of his ancient kingdom.
They had been in exile for 14years.
In India, people celebrate by cleaning and redecorating their homes
and shopkeepers use it as the beginning of their fiscal year. It is
also the start of Indias winter season. This is a happy festival when
people gather and enjoy the beautiful candles that line the roads.
Diwali and other festivals in different traditions often use the ritual of lighting candles and lamps.
Lighting these also has a spiritual
meaning. It illustrates the importance of lighting the lamp within
usand celebrating the festival of
the light of the soul.

It is the birthright of every human being to find the festival of
lights of his or her soul and return to God. All it takes is the desire to do so. While God has sent
us to this earth, God has also made
a pathway back Home. However,
God has given human beings free
will. We are the ones who must
ask God to take us back Home.
It will not be forced upon any
of us. We must ask. Once we ask,
God will give.
It is like a rich man who announces that he will share part of
his wealth. He is not going to hand
it out to everyone, whether they
want it or not; he waits for those
who want it to make a request.
Then, he gives. A doctor who finds
the cure for a disease will not go
out and administer it to unwilling
subjects. He announces that he
has the cure, and those who wish
can come to him for it. Similarly,
God has spiritual riches available
for each of us. If these riches were
disbursed to someone without his
or her asking, the receiver might
reject it because he or she did not
ask for it, or did not value it. God
waits until we ask. Once we truly
desire knowledge of the soul and
the bliss and love within, God will
help us find it.
It is the birthright of every human being to find the

festival of lights of his or her soul and return to
God. All it takes is the desire to do so. While God has
sent us to this earth, God has also made a pathway
back Home. However, God has given human beings
free will. We are the ones who must ask God to take
us back Home. Let us not only enjoy the outer lights
of Diwali festivals. Let us spend time in meditation
every day so that we can experience the inner lights.
That is the true celebration of Diwali, so we can experience eternal ecstasy, peace, and joy.
We all have the opportunity to
attain the bliss of union with the
Lord. Yet, how few take advantage
of that opportunity! Many are born,
but few turn within. We can all attain this happiness. Let us not be
one who miss the golden opportunity to experience union with God.
Rather than just engage in lighting
candles on Diwali, let us sit in meditation to light the candle within us.
Many volunteers work tirelessly to
put together the Diwali celebrations.
The inspiration behind their

effort was His Holiness Pramukh
Swami Maharaj.
He continually inspires devotees The process of meditation
is easy. It is a matter of closing
our eyes, looking within the veil
of darkness in front of us, and
stilling our thoughts for awhile.
In that stillness, the Diwali lamps
within will shine forth. Concentration on that inner light will pull
our soul into the spiritual realms
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is head of Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission / Science ofSpirituality
with international headquarters in Delhi, India. For more information contactwww.sos.org.
beyond. It will help us turn our attention to the soul and the inner
spiritual realms.
Let us not only enjoy the outer
lights of Diwali festivals. Let us
spend time in meditation every day
so that we can experience the inner
lights. That is the true celebration
of Diwali, so we can experience
eternal ecstasy, peace, and joy.
Anything that takes us closer to
God is a virtue and anything that
takes us away from Him is negative.
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
44
By Shivaji Sengupta
in New Delhi
ver since I left India for the

United States, this is my second
Diwali. T he last time was in
1995, full 21 years ago!
As dusk slowly alighted on Delhi, one
by one the "diyas" were lit. These first
lights, not electric bulbs, or the
stateoftheart LED "stars"
adorning the wealthy, but tiny
little orangered earthenpot
lamps lit with wicks dipped in
oil. Housewives and teenaged
girls were lighting them, many of their
faces reflecting a calm, serene glow;
devotion, an orange hue, on their faces. I
stood behind the imposing iron gate of
my sister's luxury apartment in
Chittaranjan Park and watched our neigh
bors ushering in Diwali.
As Bina Punjwani, a professional hair
dresser and owner of an elite chain of
hair salons in Panjim, Goa, said, "Diwali is
not a oneday event in my hometown,
Mumbai. It's brought in through days of
cleaning, preparat ion, buy ing new
clothes." Her husband, Pralay Bakshi,
who, after completing degrees from IIT,
London School of Economics and the
University of London, is the administra
tive head of the hair salons, and runs
them with stateoftheart technology and
knowhow, told me that Diwali, unlike any
other festival in India, is essentially a
family event: families celebrate the deity
(depending upon where in India they are
ce le brat ing the return of Ram to
Ayodhya, the defeat and possibly death of
King Bali, Krishna rescuing an entire
town from the demon, Hiranyakashipu)
and celebrate each other, blessings and
benediction beatifying humanity.
Approaching Diwali in 2016, India in
the first fifth of the 21st century, is full of
progress. We all know about its 7 point +
economic growth, its steady rise as a
world power, but what impresses me
most about this nation is the impressive
rise in literacy and education. When I left
India in 1968, literacy was at 32%. Now
it's at 76% with states like Goa at 94%.
Kerala has long achieved 100%. With the
advance in education and economics, and
a fast rising middle class, we have cou
ples like Pralay and Bina: modern, pro
gressive and rational. There are others,
and Diwali shines its light on them.
On the evening of October the 26th, we
were invited to a family dinner in New
Delhi. We went in my sister, Sree's car a
spif fy maroon Honda City to see first
the Diwali lights and then the dinner. I
hadn't seen this family for a long time.
Last time, the boys were in school and
college. Now they are a truly multiethnic
family : the husband, my cousin, is
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
Bengali; his wife, Marathi. The boys are

each married to a Punjabi and a Tamil.
"Wah!" I exclaimed. "The four poles of
India North, South, East and West!" My
hosts laughed, slightly condescendingly,
as if to say, you have
been away a
long
time!
Subimal
Das Gupta, my
cousin, retired a few
years ago as general man
ager of CEAT tires; amassed some wealth,
and has settled down to studying India's
"charactersketchart." "Does that mean
cartoons?" I asked, seeing the many
framed cartoons in their house. Yes, he
agreed. His wife, Sumita, is an artist. Their
two sons are both Silicon Valley, of the
Indian and American variety, i.e., one
from Beng aluru, the other from
California. All four of them seemed con
versant in each others' specialty, showing
an uncommon involvement in, and knowl
edge of, each others work. Socially and
politically too they seem to have the
country's pulse.
The conversation accompanying dinner
naturally turned to the Diwali festivities,
at the moment in full flux with lights, col
ors and bursts of a bevy of crackers,
mockmissiles and the loudest of "bombs."
Inside, there was sumptuous meal being
laid out for some 20 guests, a panIndian
meal of murg massalam, fish curry, dosas,
haman d hokla, and much more.
Appreciating the culinary layout, I never
theless asked how Delhi was doing eco
nomically (the unasked question clearly
being: do we deserve to have this upscale
meal when outside, people in poverty are
have difficulty making ends meet?)
But the Das Gupta sons asked a differ
ent rhetorical question: Delhi or New
Delhi? Then proceeded to give an answer
to suit my and perhaps their con
science: "New Delhi is doing very well
indeed. Here per capita income is now
10,000 per month, the highest in India,
just surpassing Goa!" Educational level
has also improved, the other son chimed
in. So has information access to almost
everybody because of access to the inter
net, they explained.
"Uncle, per capita income has also gone
up in the last 10 years," Mala, one of the
brothers' wives chimed in, "by almost
7,000." I looked around the attractively
decorated drawing room of mostly mod
REFLECTIONS
ern bricabrac along with the car

toons I mentioned before. Subimal
told me about cartoonists I had
heard of, like R.K. Laxman, and
one particularly I had never
known about, Mario Miranda, a
Goan cartoonist with a lifetime
of contribution to that art. The
drawing room walls exhibited
a rich array of color and
blackandwhite car
toons, capturing, as
only cartoons can,
a
mixture
of
humor
and
pathos. The flat
screen
60" TV was covering the hoopla celebra

tions of Diwali.
My sister turned the topic to Diwali.
Cocking her head to one side, making
Sumita Das Gupta, the hostess, her center,
she asked with friendly enthusiasm: "How
do the four of you celebrate Diwali, hav
ing come from four dif ferent parts of
India which are culturally so different?"
Manav, the older son, quipped, "By eat
ing!" Breaking into a laughter.
"No, seriously," his wife, Savita, contin
ued: "Food is really a great cultural unifi
er if we are open to it!" She spoke her
eyes shining with conviction. My sister
was nodding vigorously in agreement,
very appreciative of the young wife, some
40 years younger.
Subimal, hands folded, leaning back on
his chair, brought context to the subject.
"Today is Diwali, and although you may
have heard that this festival is not big in
many parts of India, in my opinion, Diwali
is slowly becoming a panIndian af fair.
People in Delhi celebrate it, regardless of
where they come from, any or no faith,
as The Hindustan Times put it so aptly
this morning." "Even in the South, Tamil
Nadu in particular, they celebrate today
with a festival of lights the vanquishing of
King Bali by Rama in order to restore

'swarga' the heavens to the gods." The
Tamil daughterinlaw further elaborated
the differences in the celebration with a
somewhat not iceable Tamil accent.
"Yessentially, the Tamil celebration is
almost yentirely ritualistic religion,"
Lalitha explained. "There is food and yev
erything," she said, her head gently nod
ding sideways, "but the rituals are day
long, yelaborate."
One, of course, could go on and on.
Those who became involved in the discus
sion not just the Das Guptas mentioned
Sikhs, and even some from other religions
like Muslims and Christians have been
known to join in the festivities. My sister
mentioned what Pralay and Bina had told
us, that Diwali is essentially family, not
"swarvajanin" communal. Many in that
g athering ag reed, but Sumita also
observed that in big cities like Delhi and
Mumbai, Diwali is turning into a social
cultural affair attracting mega business
es, approaching more and more
Christmas in New York or Paris.
Conversation flowed, along with the
alcohol which had made its appearance,
somewhat surreptitiously, sometime after
Continued on page 45
From diyas to
LED lights
Continued from page 44
the dinner. Several hours had
passed since. Several guests had
left. Subimal was more thought
ful, even pensive. Some of the
women, including the hostess
and my sister, huddled together
in a corner. The TV showed CNN
without sound (Trump, Clinton
flashing by). Mohammad Rafi
came seeping in from the Bose
speakers.
"A penny for your thoughts,
Subimal!" I said gently sitting on
the sofa next to him.
"What!...No, no!" He startled,
then recovering himself, said qui
etly, almost to himself, "I was
thinking." I looked at him, curi
ous. Then he began, still talking
to himself.
"Historically, the orig in of
Diwali can be traced back to
ancient India, when it was proba
bly an important fest ival.
However, there are various leg
ends pointing to the origin of
Diwali or 'Deepavali.' Some
believe it to be the celebration of
the marriage of Lakshmi with
Lord Vishnu. Whereas in Bengal
the festival is dedicated to the
worship of Mother Kali. Lord
Ganesha, the symbol of auspi
ciousness and wisdom, is also
worshiped in most Hindu homes

on this day." He paused. Ef fects
of inebriation, I was thinking.
Still, there may be something
more he wants to say. "And so?" I
asked. "What is your point?"
"Sometimes, I don't really know
what to make of all this Diwali
stuf f," he said, very somber.
Then, looking straight at my face,
and a little more animated, he
said, "Shivaji, surely you know
some people say that this whole
Ram business might just be a
heroizing of what essentially was
the subjugating of the smaller,
darker Dravidians by the Aryan
invaders! Ram may have been
just a smalltime chieftain who,
in order to establish himself,
decided to attack Ravan on a
flimsy pretext. Ravan actually
may have been the one who was
grievously wronged his king
dom burnt, his sons killed, and
eventually he himself killed. All
this may have happened as a
proof of Aryan supremacy. What
if all this were true?" Subimal
asked in dismay.
"What if it were?" I asked.
"Then...then, there has been no
progress. Mankind is still the
same from over 5,000 years ago:
territorial, selfish, a looter, vio
lent and an exterminator of its
own kind!" There were tears in
his eyes. Obviously, it's the drink,
REFLECTIONS
I was thinking. But he wasn't
drunk yet either. He can still lis
ten and understand. I tried.
"Subimal," I said, gently keep
ing one hand on his arm. What
you said both things might be
true. Diwali is a unifier of fami
lies and friends, of the communi
ty, its essence does signify uni
versal truth, the triumph of good
over evil." Subimal looked at my
face, hopeful though a little tired.
"But the other thing may also
be true." I continued. "It's who we
are, Subimal, we mankind. We
have the power to create and
destroy, just as the Mother Kali.
We are Aryans and Dravidians,
our base and noble natures
expressing themselves at dif fer
ent times, in different ways.
And so tonight it's the time to
celebrate the noble, as we have
just done, through a beautiful
Indian festival. We have ushered
in friends and relatives. This has
given me a chance to see you,
your w ife and children, the
tremendous success stories you
all are, and other Indians, like
Bina and Pralay, because you
we all believe in the positive
energy of Diwali. Let us accept
this truth, and not brood over the
other thing. Because this is also
the truth.
Happy Diwali!
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
DIWALI POEM
Festival of Lights
Brings Lightening Delight
All Hearts are Happy
All Souls are Bright
Traditions are different
The joy remains Constant
Rows of Lantern Lamps
Make a Brilliant Sight
Spreading Holistic Kingdom
Radiance of Love and Wisdom
Eternal Bliss of Diwali
Attaining heavenly Height
Festival of Lights
Brings Lightening Delight
DARSHAN KUMAR JAIN

Malad, Mumbai India
Darshankumar_jain@yahoo.co.in
45
46
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
SELF CARE
It's Diwali and time for

special beauty care
By Shahnaz Husain
he festive season is
here again! Soon it will
be Diwali. Start taking
care of the skin and hair a few
weeks before. Nighttime cleansing
is an absolute must, especially for
city dwellers. Chemical air pollu
tants, dirt and grime hang in the
air. They are potent skin irritants.
Makeup should also be removed
at night. All these can cause
dryness of the skin, or dis
rupt the normal acid
alkaline balance of
the skin, leading to
rashes and other
eruptive condi
tions, like pim
ples and acne.
As
Diwali
approaches, the
weather
also
changes. Seasonal
changes also influence
the skin. T he humidity
becomes less and the skin
loses moisture to the atmosphere.
So, one needs to keep the skin
moisturized and also protect it
from sunexposure.
For normal to dry skin, cleanse
twice a day, with a cleansing gel
containing ingredients like aloe
vera. Massage the cleanser lightly
into the skin and remove it with
moist cotton wool. Then apply
rose water or a skin tonic using
cotton wool. During the day, use a
sunscreen before going out in the
sun. Or, use a moisturizer if you
are indoors. Moisturizers are avail
able in cream and liquid form. For
dry skin, at night, after cleansing,
apply a nourishing cream and
massage it on the face. Wipe of f
with moist cotton wool. You can
apply a serum afterwards.
Oily skins also need moisture.
But, if you apply creams, you can
get pimples. To moisturize oily
skin, mix one teaspoon pure glyc
erin with 100 ml rose water. Keep
it in an airtight jar in the fridge.
Use a little of this lotion after
cleansing. This moisturizes the
skin, without making it oily. Use a
cleansing milk or facewash to
cleanse
the skin. The use of facial scrubs
helps to brighten the skin and add
a glow. Use a facial scrub twice a
week. Mix ground almonds or rice
powder with curd and a pinch of
haldi. You can also add dried and
powdered orange and lemon peels.
Apply on the face and rub gently
on the skin with small circular
movements. Then wash of f with
water. Apply a sunscreen before
going out in the sun. So, you can
look for a sunscreen lotion or
cream, depending on your skin
type. You should also look for day
creams, nourishing or nig ht
creams and serums.
As Diwali and winter approach,
try some home remedies to relieve
dryness. Apply honey on the face
daily for 10 minutes and wash off
with water. If you have an aloe
vera plant at home, the gel found
in the inner portion of the leaves
can be applied on the face to mois
turize it.
Grate carrots and apply on the
face for 15 to 20 minutes. Carrot
is rich in Vitamin A and good for
nourishing the
skin in win
ter. It suits
all skin
types.
M i x
half a tea
s p o o n
honey, one
teaspoon
rose water and
one
teaspoon
dried milk powder.
Mix into a paste and
apply on the face. Remove after
20 minutes with water. Suits nor
mal to dry skin. Applying mayon
naise or egg yolk on the skin also
helps to relieve dryness. Suits dry
skin.
Nourish the hair with oil treat
ments once or twice a week. Heat
olive oil and apply on the scalp
and hair. Then dip a towel in hot
water, squeeze out the water and
wrap the towel around the head,
like a turban. Keep it on for five
minutes. Repeat threefour times.
T his he lps the hair and scalp
absorb the oil better.
Egg white is a wonderful natural
cleanser for oily hair and its pro
tein content helps to add body.
Apply egg white on the hair about
halfanhour before your shampoo.
To nourish dry hair, massage egg
yolk or mayonnaise into the scalp.
Leave it on for half an hour and
then wash the hair. It helps to soft
en the hair and is very useful for
hair that has suf fered damage
through coloring, straightening or
perming. If you have been working
hard just before Diwali, a few
"pickmeup" tips will help. Give
yourself a manicure and pedicure
the day before. In fact, after soak

ing the hands and feet in warm
water, massage with a rich cream,
so that the skin is smooth and soft.
A good pickmeup treatment for
the hands is to rub them with
sugar and lemon juice. Pay atten
tion to details like waxing and
threading too, at least a day in
advance. A pickmeup face mask
can leave your skin clean and
glowing. Cleanse the skin. Mix
honey with egg white and apply it
on the face.
Wash of f with water after 20
minutes. For those with very dry
skin, mix half a teaspoon honey,
egg yolk or pure almond oil and
one teaspoon dried milk powder.
Mix into a paste and apply on the
face. Leave it on for half an hour
and rinse of f with water. After
washing off the pack, give the skin
a compress with cotton wool pads
soaked in rose water. For hands
and nails, mix almond oil and
honey in equal parts and massage
into the nails and cuticles. Leave
on for 15 minutes and wipe of f
with a moist towel. Mix together

three tablespoons of rose water
with one tablespoon each glycerin
and lemon juice. Apply on hands
and feet and leave for half an hour.
Wash off with plain water. If your
hair is looking dull give it a quick
conditioning treatment before
your shampoo. Mix one teaspoon
each of vinegar and honey with
one egg. Beat them together well.
Massage the mixture into the
scalp. Then wrap the hair in a hot
towel for 20 minutes, before wash
ing. Your hair will have more body
and look shiny and manageable.
Give your hair a teawater and
lemon rinse after shampoo, to add
shine. Boil used tea leaves again in
enough water. After boiling, you
should have about 4 cups of tea
water. Cool and strain it. Then add
the juice of a lemon and use it as a
last rinse after shampoo.
(Shahnaz Husain is a noted beauty

expert who promotes herbal reme
dies. The views expressed are per
sonal)
DIWALI SPECIAL
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
48
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
akshmi mantras are said to create

tremendous results to attain huge
money and wealth. Lakshmi
mantras create perfect frequency in the
aura of the one chanting to attract money.
Once Lakshmi mantra is adjusted and
aligned with the energy of seeker then it
g ives cont inuous flow of money and
wealth, our shastras say. For adjustment
and alignment Lakshmi mantra takes at
least 40 days of chanting, so it goes.
8
8
8
8
DharmaVirtue
ArthaWealth
KamaDesire
MokshaAscension
She wears reddish golden robes, which

are the symbols of power and prosperity.
Flowing coins from her hand show the
abundance. Two elephants are standing
next to the goddess and spraying water
the symbol of both material and spiritual
prosperity.
HOW TO START
LAKSHMI MANTRA
T here are many types of Lakshmi
Mantras and each Mantra creates its own
vibrations but all mantras give money,
wealth, and prosperity. People often start
How Money Mantras work

orking with money mantras can help you increase your prosperity. The con
cept of using mantras originated from the Vedas and later influenced the
development of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. It seems hard to
believe that merely repeating words can change your thoughts and your life, but they
can. First of all, mantras help to focus and quiet the chattering of the monkey mind,
creating space for you to focus on more important matterslike creating abundance.
The repetition of a mantra also works with the Law of Attraction. By echoing certain
words over and over you create specific energy vibrations. These vibrations will then
attract what you seek. Its a case of like attracts like. Mantras can work as magnets to
align your thoughts and attract what you want.
Here are some positive affirmations (you may call them nonreligious mantras) you
can repeat to yourself mentally again and again:
8 I always have money.
8 I am making more money every day.
8 I am a money magnet.
8 Abundance is my birthright.
8 Moneymaking opportunities always come my way.
8 Prosperity follows me.
WHO IS GODDESS LAKSHMI

In Hinduism Goddess Lakshmi is a deity
of money and wealth. Lord Vishnus wife
Goddess Lakshmi also plays a protector
role like Lord Vishnu. Therefore, Lakshmi
Mantra gives you immense money to live
perfectly prosperous and wealthy life.
Goddess Lakshmi is the Symbol of Good
Fortune in Hinduism. In Sanskrit language,
the meaning of the word Lakshmi is imita
tive from the word Laksya (aim) and she is
the Goddess of money, wealth, and prosper
ity, both material and spiritual. Goddess
Lakshmi is a fair and golden complexion
female deity with four hands, sitting or
standing on a fullbloomed pink or red
lotus. She holds a beautiful lotus bud in one
of her hands, which stands for charm, puri
ty, and lushness. Goddess Lakshmis four
hands represent the four main points of
human life:
MONEY MANTRAS
Lakshmi Mantra from Friday or from Full

Moon with a lotus seed rosary or a crystal
rosary. Count ing of Lakshmi Mantra
depends on the chanters need. If your need
of money is little then 108 a day chanting
is enough but if your need of money is high
then go for 108X5 a day. The more you
chant, the more you attract money as the
blessing of Goddess Lakshmi.
Some people suggest dif ferent kinds of
Lakshmi Mantras according to your horo
scope but Goddess Lakshmi is a soft and
merciful power of Lord Vishnu, so dont
worry about the horoscope.
Here are top 10 Lakshmi Mantras :
Powerful Lakshmi Mantra 1
The sign of a good beginning

ou will see this symbol at the entrance to all business hous
es in India. The Swastik is a symbol of Lord Ganesha, the
Lord of good beginnings. Riddhi & Siddhi, his two wives,
are represented by the two vertical lines on either side. Shubh
and Labh (the two words written in Devnagari script near the
Swastika) are sons of Lord Ganesha. Shubh means goodness and
Labh means benefit or profit.
Om Shree Mahalakshmyai Cha Vidraahe

Vishnu Patrayai Cha Dheemahi Tanno
Lakshmi Prachodayat Om
Shreem is the seed mantra of

Mahalakshmi. A few people also chant
Shreem Mantra as a sw itchword.
Switchwords are special English Mantras
and very famous in western countries.
Om Shreem Maha Lakshmiyei Namaha
Om Hreem Shreem Kleem

Maha Lakshmi Namaha
Om Sarvabaadhaa Vinirmukto, Dhan

Dhaanyah Sutaanvitah, Manushyo
Matprasaaden Bhavishyati Na Sanshayah
Om
Mahalakshmi Mantra 5

Om Shreem Shreeaee Namaha

Om Shring Shriye Namah
Om Hreem Shreem Lakshmibhayo

Namaha
This is the Mahalakshmi Gayatri Mantra,

one of the most powerful mantras of
Mahalakshmi.
Om Shreem Hreem Shreem Kamale

Kamalalaye Praseed Praseed Om Shreem
Hreem Shreem Mahalakshmaye Namaha
Powerful Laxmi Mantra 10

This is the Powerful Lakshmi Mantra in
Tantric Style
Om Shring Hring Kling Aing Saung Om
Hring Ka A Ee La Hring Ha Sa Ka Ha La
Hring Sakal Hring Saung Aing Kling Hring
Shring Om
BENEFITS OF
LAKSHMI MANTRAS
Chant any one of the above Lakshmi
Mantra, but when you have decided upon
one of them, please continue with the cho
sen one for at least 40 days. Chanting of
Lakshmi Mantra grants immense wealth,
money, and richness.
Worship Goddess Lakshmi as she is your
mother who is always ready to Nourish
Your Life With Her Blessings.
49
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
DIWALI SALES
Consumer demand growing

big before Diwali: Assocham
New Delhi: Indian consumer
demand is currently seeing good
growth of around 40 per cent in the
ongoing festival season, as com
pared to 2015, on the back of an
upturn in the economy and improv
ing perception of better job
prospects coupled with steady low
ering of interest rates, industry
chamber Assocham said, citing a
survey.
"Riding on the back of an uptick
in the economy and improving per
ception for better job prospects,
coupled with steady lowering of
interest rates, consumer demand is
witnessing a marked growth of as
much 40 per cent in the ongoing
festival season this year, as com
pared to 2015," the Associated
Chambers of Commerce and
Industry of India said in a release
here. "Rural demand is adding to
the festive fervor, as a good mon
soon has boosted confidence among
farmers and farm labor. However,
as noted in an earlier Assocham sur
People busy with shopping in Mumbai. (Photo: IANS)

vey, the demand for real estate and
housing remains very low key," it
said.
The uptick in demand is seen
clearly in the sale of automobiles,
including passenger cars, two
wheelers, mobile handsets, con
sumer durables and fashionwears.
So far, the maximum push is seen in

the eastern and western region
while the northern region is expect
ed to pick up in the runup to
Diwali," it added.
It noted that Kolkata and other
major cities in the east have wit
nessed a splurge on Durga Puja
shopping, while the western cities

of Maharashtra and Gujarat have
seen good sales during the
Navratris.
According to the survey, estimates
point to about 20 per cent increase
in spending on groceries, a 52 per
cent increase in lowcost apparels,
and about 32 percent increase on

lifestyle and fashion accessories in
the next three months.
The survey covered consumers in
age groups 24 to 34 and 35 to 45
in DelhiNCR, Mumbai, Kolkata,
Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad,
Chandigarh, Lucknow and Indore.
"The average amount spend on
mobiles during the festive season is
expected to range from Rs 15,000
Rs 35,500, up from Rs 10,000
15,000 for the last six months," the
industry body said.
"Green shoots in the economy are
giving a lot of confidence to con
sumer demand, which hopefully
would lead to an appetite for fresh
investment after a brief lag," said
Assocham Secretary General D.S.
Rawat. The metro city consumers
are increasingly taking to online
shopping as top ecommerce com
panies roll out discounts, freebies
and offers to boost sales.
Online retailers such as Amazon,
PayTm, Jabong, ShopClues,
Snapdeal, Flipkart and Quikr are
doling out hefty discounts apart
from cashback of fers and loyalty
points, the statement added.
Consumer durables makers expect heavy festive season sales

By Bappaditya
Chatterjee
xpecting to garner over 20
per cent growth in sales
during the festival season,
consumer durables manufactur
ers are focusing on new launch
es, higher spending on market
ing and innovative offers.
"The industry is optimistic as
companies on average have
increased their marketing budg
ets by as much as 10 per cent
this year. Consumer durable
companies hope to increase their
sales by almost 1520 percent,"
Consumer Electronics and
Appliances Manufacturers
Association (CEAMA) President
Manish Sharma told IANS.
Festive sales usually comprise
around onethird of the annual
turnover and none of the compa
nies can ignore this segment.
"In general, festive sales con
tribute 3536 per cent of the
annual sales for the industry. We
spend five per cent of our
turnover on marketing. Since the
quantum of sales rises during
the festival season in compari
son to other periods of the year,
the share of the marketing budg
et for this season is also signifi
cantly
hig her,"
Go dre j
Festive season is the best time to launch and showcase products.

Appliances' Business Head and
Executive Vice President Kamal
Nandi told IANS.
Sharma said ecommerce play
ers too were trying hard to get
maximum traction. "They have
decided to cut their commissions
from large and preferred sellers
by 3050 per cent," he said.
"With a good monsoon and
implementation of the Seventh
Pay Commission's recommenda
tions, the second half of the year
will witness higher growth com
pared to last year, which can
result in 30 percent growth this
year," said Panasonic India's
Sales and Service Head Ajay
Seth. "With the expected growth,

our target sales for this financial
year are Rs 10,800 crore ($1.6
billion). For mobiles, we are
expecting the sales to grow to Rs
2,500 crore this year from Rs
1,800 crore last year. Our sales
target for the festive season is Rs
1,200 crore," Seth told IANS.
Primarily an airconditioner
maker, Carrier Midea India,
which had launched a range of
home appliances last festive sea
son, also plans to unveil new
products during this year's festi
vals. "Festive season is the best
time to launch and showcase
products because the demand
reaches a peak. We are expecting

festive sales to contribute 2530
percent of the annual sales in
our home appliances category,"
Manag ing Director Krishan
Sachdev told IANS.
Targeting a Rs 4,000 crore top
line in the current fiscal, Godrej
is also focusing on new launches
now. "We are looking at a
growth of more than 20 per cent
during the festive period. We
have recently launched two new
products in the washing machine
category and the all new Godrej
Eon range of fullyautomatic
washing machines w ill be
launched during the season,"
said Nandi.
Samsung India, a major player
in the consumer e lectronic
space, is also pinning its hope to
mop up more sales by "develop
ing new categories" with more
innovation and "driving af ford
ability".
"Through this period there is a
strong shift towards consumer
electronics, home appliances and
mobile devices. We have been
achieving growth through prod
uct innovation and latest tech
nology across categories. We are
growing strong in 2016. We are
expecting doubledigit growth
during the festive season," Vice
President
(Consumer
Electronics) Rajeev Bhutani told
IANS.
LG Electronics India too is "bet
ting big" on festive growth. "This
year's festive season brings all
the more growth opportunity.
We are ready to leverage this
opportunity with our premium
and superior technological prod
ucts," said Niladri Datta, Head,
Corporate Marketing.
Several companies in the Rs
50,000 crore consumer durables
industry have been offering free
bies, discounts, exchange of fers
and schemes.
Explaining innovative offering
w ith consumer pre ference,
Pradeep Bakshi, Voltas Ltd's
President and Chief Operating
Officer (UPBG & MCED Unitary
Pro ducts Business Group &
Mining
&
Construct ion
Equipment Division), told IANS:
"Consumers have developed a
preference for energyef ficient
inverter ACs, which are now the
fastestgrowing category in the
industry. This festive season we
have announced an exchange
of fer, wherein customers can
bring in their old split AC, and
get a new inverter AC at an
attractive price along with free
installation."
50
R E CI P E S
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
Keeping culinary traditions alive

Add zing to your festivities with these yummy treats
Coconut
Laddu
Ingredients
Coconut grated, fresh, 2 cups
Milk 1 cup
Khoya/Mawa 1 cup (250 gms),
made from 1 ltr whole milk
Sugar 2 cups, adjust as per taste
Cardamom powder 2 tsp
Ghee 1 tsp
Method
Make a smooth paste of the
grated coconut and the milk. Heat
a deep-bottomed, preferably nonstick kadhai or pan, and add the
ghee. Now pour the coconut paste,
and stir. Keeping the heat on low,
add the khoya/mawa, and mix well
until smooth. Cook this on a low
flame for 4 to 5 minutes, let it thicken slightly. Now add the sugar and
cardamom powder. Keep stirring,
keeping flame low; the mixture will
start to thicken and will bubble. Be
careful of spills and spatters as you
stir; it is crucial to keep stirring until the mixture has formed a pak,
or basically, it should start to thicken and lump together. This process
might take as long as 20 to 30 minutes on a low flame. Once the mixture is cool enough to touch, start
making laddoos, or peda shapes, or
any other shape of choice. Store in
an air-tight container, or keep in a
greased thali if you plan to serve
it right away. Refrigerate excess,
keeps good for up to two weeks.
Aloo
Bhujia
Poha
Chivda
Boondi
Halwa
Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Potatoes - 4 medium potatoes
White poha (flattened rice) - 2 cups
Besan (Bengal gram flour) - 1-1/2 cups
Peanuts - 1/2 cup
Asafoetida (hing) - 1/10 teaspoon
Roasted chana dal - 1/2 cup
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp sliced
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Golden raisins - 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder - 3/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 3/4 tsp
Chaat masala - 1/8 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Cashew nuts - 1 tsp (blanched)
Oil for deep frying
Peanuts - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Method
Pressure cook the potatoes for
4 whistles, till turns soft. Roast or
fry the peanuts and cashew nuts
in little oil and keep aside. Peel the
skin of boiled potatoes and nicely
mash them without any lumps.
Take a big bowl and combine
mashed potatoes, besan, lemon
juice, salt, chaat masala, asafoetida and garam masala powder.
Add little oil and knead into a pliable dough. At this moment, the
mixture will be little sticky, but
thats okay. Heat good amount of
oil in a frying pan.
Now carefully put the dough
inside the murukku presser, and
start squeezing in hot oil.
Aloo Bhujia gets cooked very
fast, so keep stirring and take
it out as soon as it is done. The
sizzle sound will subside once it
is cooked and little browned. Be
careful not to get it too brown.
Repeat the same process for the
rest of the dough. Drain aloo bhujia on the paper napkins and then
quickly toss with fried cashew
nuts and peanuts. Homemade
Aloo Bhujia are ready to serve.
Method
Keep all the ingredients ready
very well in advance. Heat 4 tbsp
of oil in a deep vessel. Add peanuts and stir fry on medium high
flame. Fry peanuts, chana dal, cashew nuts and raisins one after
another with continuous stirring,
till all are well fried and little
browned.
Now in same hot oil, add poha
and fry till they expand and become crisp. Keep stirring to make
the poha crunchy and crispy, but
dont brown them.
Keep the fried ingredients
ready aside. Mix the fried peanuts, chana dal, cashew nuts and
raisins in fried poha and keep the
flame low.
On the other side, heat 2 tsp oil
in a saucepan, add cumin, mustard and sesame seeds. Allow the
seeds to splutter and then add
curry leaves and green chillies.
Stir well and fry for a few seconds
and then mix into fried poha.
Now add salt to taste along with
turmeric powder. Roast for 2-3
minutes on a low flame.
Check the taste and then add
more salt if required. Let the chivda mixture cool and then store in
an air-tight container.
Besan - 1-1/2 cups

Water - 3/4 cup
Oil for deep frying
For making sugar syrup
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup+4 tbsp
A pinch of cardamom powder
Few saffron strands (optional)
Flavoring ingredients
Few chopped mixed nuts
(almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios,
melon seeds)
Raisins - 1 tbsp raisins
ready for frying. Now you need two

spatulas for making boondis. To begin, hold a perforated spoon over
the pan and pour 2 tbsp of batter
on it. Spread with spoon and let the
boondi fall in hot oil. When the batter drops into the pan through the
perforations, it forms small droplets which then get fried in the oil.
Stir the boondis continuously till
the color is little changed, but make
sure not to make it crispy. Once
boondi is done, with the help of
perforated spoon, take it out from
the pan and then mix into the sugar
syrup. Stir the boondis in the syrup
thoroughly so that they are coated
well. When the boondi cools down
sufficiently, sprinkle the dry fruits,
raisins, ghee and saffron milk on it
and mix well. Sweet and crunchy
Boondi Halwa is now ready to serve.
Milk
Peda
Warm milk - 4 tbsp

Ghee - 1 tbsp
Method
Soak the saffron in 4 tbsp of
warm milk and keep aside. Sieve
the flour and remove out any
coarse bits. Add water in flour and
mix very well for making a smooth
and lump free batter. Adjust the
water to ensure the batter of thick
consistency. Keep the batter aside
for few minutes and in the meantime start making sugar syrup.
Take a big vessel and mix all the
ingredients for making sugar syrup. Stir them on a low heat, till the
sugar is completely dissolved. Adjust the flame on low and high with
continuous stirring, until the syrup
is stringy and thick (two string
consistency). Once ready, turn off
the heat and keep aside. Heat sufficient oil in a pan and when the oil
seems hot enough, put a drop of
batter to check whether the oil is
properly heated or not. If boondi is
instantly rising up, that means oil is
Ingredients
Milk powder - 2 cups milk powder
Condensed milk - 4 cups
Ghee - 3 tablespoon
Saffron - 1/10 teaspoon
Pistachia - 1 tablespoon
Method
Soak the saffron in 2 tbsp of
warm milk and keep aside. Heat a
non-stick pan and combine the milk
and milk powder in it. Stir continue
to make a smooth and lump free
paste. Add ghee and constantly
mix it on a low flame. Now mix the
saffron milk with a continuous stirring and without getting it burnt.
After 6-8minutes, the mixture will
become soft and sticky. Switch off
the flame and allow it to become
warm. Take little butter or ghee in
your hands and start making round
shaped ladoos from the dough.
Place some chopped pistachios in
the middle of each peda and serve.
DIWALI SPECIAL
1905, Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow, NY 11415
Telephone: 516-228-8100 / 8101.

Fax: 516-228-8102
Call Richmond Hill Sleep

Centers Physicians at
718-850-4600/4601 or
talk to your doctor
about a sleep evaluation
at our centre.
Working Hours: Mon - Sat: 8 PM to 7 AM

Consultation: Evening Hours by Appointment
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
52
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
C U LT U R E
On the Ramayan art trail

Ramayan has caught the imagination of artists from centuries - folk
theater, music, dance, paintings and sculptures in India and South
East Asian countries are based on the stories from this great epic.
Four destinations for Ramayana art enthusiasts:
RAMAYANA
By Anil Mulchandani
ART AT
RAMLILA AT ORCHHA
VARANASI
Ramlila is a set of plays reenacting scenes from the 16th century
Avadhi version of Ramayana, Ramcharitmanas, written by Gosvami
Tulsidas entirely in verse. The
open-air productions are staged
by local Ramlila committees,
Samitis, and funded entirely by
the local audience. The Varanasi
Ramlilas are said to be among the
oldest and widely performed in
the festive seasons. Colorful Jhankis and pageants depicting scenes
from the life of Lord Rama are
taken out through the city of Varanasi during the Dushera period
and other festive seasons.
From Varanasi, cross the Ganges to Ramnagar Fort which was
built in the 17th century as the
residence of the royal family. Scenically situated on high ground
by the river, fort has many carved
balconies, open courtyards and pavilions but is largely dilapidated.
Much of it is private residence
of the present descendant of the
former rulers, but one section is
a museum that shows the riches
of the princely state carriages,
vintage cars, palanquins, howdahs
with gold or silverwork, hookahs,
silks, costumes, ivory carvings,
weapons and photographs besides
manuscripts and heirlooms.
The Ram Lila festival here runs
for about a month, where a cycle
of plays enact different stories of
the Ramayana. The celebrations
include pageants, processions and
antique displays. The former royal
leads the procession on a decorated
elephant. The Ramnagar Ramlilas
are considered the most vibrant of
the Ramlila theatre tradition.
The art of Bundelkhand and Malwa in Madhya Pradesh is known

for its depictions of the Ramayana
and the Mahabharata. Some of the
best of the Ramayana paintings can
be seen at Orchha. Given its close
associations with Ramayana in art
and folklore, Orchha has a small
but unique museum of Ramayana
art called Saket Ramayana Kala
Sangrahlay that showcases the
Ramayana in the visual arts as an
extremely popular theme with narrative qualities, and also because
the enactment or painting of the
Ramayana is an act of Hindu devotion. This museum is built by the
Madhya Pradesh governments Adivasi Lok Kala Parishad and shows
the Ramayana representation in art
from illustrations to masks, puppet and textiles. It has an interesting collection of Ramayana themed
folk art including Mithila paintings
from Bihar, Cheriyal Pattam and
Kalamkari from Andhra, Chrakathi
from Maharashtra, Patta Chitra
from Odisha, Patua from West Bengal, and colorful masks from Odisha. The Adivasi Lok Kala Parishad
has collected material regarding
Ramayana performances from India, Thailand, Bali and other lands.
In the heart of town, the Ram
Raja Mandir stands in a marbletiled courtyard. It is believed that
this was built by Madhukar as the
queens palace but after a Rama
idol that the queen brought from
Ayodhya refused to budge from
where she set it down it became
a temple. The temple today is an
important place of pilgrimage, receiving devotees in large numbers
regularly with the numbers rising
dramatically during the celebrations of Makar Sankranti, Vasant
Saket Ramayana Kala Sangrahlay.

(Image courtesy: orchha.wordpress.com)
Panchami, Shivratri, Ram Navami,

Dushera, Diwali, Kartik Purnima
and Vivaha Panchami.
Devotees believe that Lord Ram
told the queen that he was happy
with her prayers and she could
ask for a boon, at which the queen
asked Ram to come with her from
Ayodhya in child form to Orchha.
Ram agreed to go but he put forth
three conditions: I will travel only
in Pukh Nakshatra. When Pukh
Nakshatra will end I will stop and
resume only when Pukh Nakshatra
sets in again. In this manner I will
travel from Ayodhya to Orchha on
foot along with a group of sages.
Secondly, once I reach Orchha, I
will be the King of Orchha and not
your husband. Thirdly, (since the
child form of Ram would travel
in the queens lap), the first place
you seat me will be my final place
of stay and will be famous by the
name of Ramraj. The Queen agreed
and started her journey to Orchha
with baby Ram in her lap. Since the
queen traveled only in Pukh Nakshtra it took 8 months and 27 days
for the queen to reach Orchha from
Ayodhya on foot. Since she set the
idol down in the palace,as per the
conditions, Rama refused to budge
from the royal apartments and it
had to be converted into a temple.
This is a unique temple where Rama
is worshiped as a king. The speciality of this temple is that Lord Ram
has a sword in his right hand and a
shield in the other. Rama is seated
in a form of Padmasan (Lotus position), with only left leg crossed
over the right thigh with teeka applied on Lord Rams left toe after
the main prayers. Dominating the
townscape with its towering pointed shikhara spires soaring over its
seven storeys, Chatturbuj Mandir
was built to house the icon that finally became the main idol that is
now housed in Ram Raja Mandir. In
cruciform shape, representing the
four-armed Vishnu, it has arched
balconies, and is a good example of
Open air productions staged by local Ramlila committees.

(Image source: wikimedia.org)
the Bundela style inspired by Mughal and Rajput architecture. A
Guard of Honor is held everyday, a
royal repast and an armed salutation
are offered daily. Diwali is celebrated here with rituals and folk dances.
The Raja Mahal was built in 1554
and completed in 1591, following
the Rajput style. The structure has
courtyards, with royal quarters rising in tiers, crowned by domes and
turrets, with the favoured queens
apartment on the ground floor
around a dramatic open court .The
walls and ceilings show fragments
of mirror inlay and vibrant painting,
some of them in good condition. It
has paintings of Rama and Sita
enthroned in their court, with the

three brothers alongside, and Hanuman and Jamwant in attendance.
From the palace, a path leads
to the Lakshmi Narayan temple,
crowning a rocky hillock west of
Orchha centre, has some of the
finest of these paintings but later
than those in the palaces. The
paintings depict scenes from the
Ramayana like Rama breaking
the bow at Sitas Swayamvar, Parasurama meeting Rama, Rama, Sita
and Lakshmana leaving for the
exile, and ochre and greyish images of Rama and Laxman killing
the demon, among others. There
is a folksy style to these paintings.
Ramayana depictions in art.

(Image courtesy: 10yearitch.com)
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
DIWALI SPECIAL
Locations in New York:

East Meadow
Flushing
Forest Hills
Hicksville
Manhattan
New Hyde Park
Poughkeepsie
Scarsdale
Valley Stream
54
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
C U LT U R E
On the Ramayan art trail
RAMA
RANDH
PAINTINGS
OF KUTCH
Kutch had a folk theatre tradition
called Rama Randh, which declined
over time, but a faithful depiction
of the enactment can be seen in
murals on the walls of the Tera Fort
interiors in Kutch. The paintings
were set in a sequence along the
four walls of a bedroom so that the
ruler of Tera could see the entire
story when he woke up. The frieze
of 64 scenes runs anti-clockwise
from invocation of the gods to save
the earth from demons and the
descent of Vishnu in his Rama incarnation to the Ravana battle. The
paintings are in red, black, yellow,
black and green against a white
background. This frieze is one of
the best examples of the painting
style of Kutch called `kamangari
chitro, not based on skilled work
but are simple, spontaneous and
ornamental. While Teras fort is
now closed to visitors, you can see
replicas of some of these paintings
at the Bharatiya Sanskriti Museum,
a folk museum of Bhuj.
While Teras fort is now closed to visitors, you can see replicas of some of the paintings
(inset) at the Bharatiya Sanskriti Museum, Bhuj. (Image courtesy: Youtube, holidayiq.com)
RAMAKIEN
PAINTINGS
AT BANGKOK
The Ramakien is Thailands national epic, which tells of the Glory
of Rama. To see Ramakien paintings, visit Wat Phra Kaew or the
temple of Emerald Buddha. The
entire complex, including the temples, is bounded by a compound
wall, a couple of km in length,
decorated with typically Thai murals, depicting scenes from the
Ramakien written during the reign
of Rama I. These paintings are refurbished regularly. The murals, in
178 scenes, starting with the north
gate of the temple illustrates the
complete epic story of Ramayana
sequentially, in a clockwise direction covering the entire compound
wall.Many of the statues here also
depict characters from it. To see
more Ramayana paintings visit the
Bangkok museum which has puppets and Ramakien paintings.
Ramakien paintings at Wat Phra Kaew. (Image courtesy: Wikimedia.org)
DIWALI SPECIAL
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
56
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
DIWALI DECOR
To give your home decorations a personal touch while put

ting up lights this Diwali, create your own designs using fairy
lights in an innovative way.
Decorate a quaint corner of your home with an attractive

Diwali special floral bowl.
Place scented candles with colorful flowers in a transparent
bowl. The beautiful reflections of the candles will surely beau
tify the untouched spots of your home.
Here are a few Doityourself (DIY) tips :
PAPER DIWALI LANTERNS
FLOWER LIGHTS
Put your fairy lights to some unconventional use this Diwali.
Use discarded egg cartons to make some colorful and glittery
light strings for your home interiors.
You can also opt for cupcake wrappers, cut them into differ
ent floral designs to get yourself gleaming floral garlands.
BOTTLED FAIRY LIGHTS
hanging strings of fairy lights. This time the only difference is,
hang them in abundance like a curtain.
UNCONVENTIONL WINE GLASS

CANDLE
Place a flower or any decorative element like colored glass,
twigs or pebbles, invert a wine glass and place a candle on the
top. Station these quirky wine glass candles at various spots
to add some unique decor and radiance to your home.
FLOATING CANDLES
Make yourself beautiful paper Diwali lanterns and hang

these on the walls, terrace, and verandah.
Huddle these tiny fairy lights inside old glass bottles, liquor
bottles being the best, to get selfmade spectacular glass
lamps that can be used to illuminate various spaces inside
your homes.
LIGHT CURTAINS
Lighten up your bedroom, living and drawing room by
Diwali celebrations in countries other than India

W
NEPAL
SINGAPORE
hile Diwali dates back to

ancient times in India, as a
festival after the summer
harvest in the Hindu calendar month of
Kartika, it is significant to Jains, Sikhs
and some Buddhists as well to mark dif
ferent historical events all of which sym
bolize the victory of light over darkness.
No doubt India celebrates Diwali with
great pomp and enthusiasm, but there
are other countries as well that indulge in
festivities in their own signature styles.
Here are some of the other countries that
observe Diwali albeit under dif ferent
names.
THE CARIBBEAN
In the Caribbean, one of the major cele
brations that stands out is the Diwali
Nagar or Village of the Festival of Lights
located in Chaguanas, Trinidad, featuring
stage performances by the east Indian
cultural practitioners.
In Nepal, Deepavali is known as Tihar

or Swanti. It is celebrated over the same
fiveday perio d concurrent w ith
Deepavali in India.
BALI, INDONESIA
In Bali, the fest ival is known as
Galungan. T he dates and the ritual
grammar are derived from the Balinese
calendar and culture.
FIJI
In Fiji, Deepavali is a public holiday.
Originally celebrated by imported inden
tured labourers from the Indian subconti
nent during British rule in the then
Colony of Fiji during the 19th century, it
was declared as a holiday at independ
ence in 1970 as the government wished

to set aside one religious public holiday
each for Fijis three largest religions, i.e.,
Christianity, Hinduism and Islam.
MALAYSIA
In Malaysia this festival is known as
Hari Diwali. In many respects, in
Malaysia it resembles the traditions fol
lowed in the Indian subcontinent. Diwali
in Malaysia has become an occasion for
goodwill and friendly ties between reli
gious and ethnic groups in Malaysia.
NEWS ZEALAND
Deepavali is celebrated publicly among
many of the South Asian diaspora cultur
al groups.
PAKISTAN
Diwali is mainly celebrated by Pakistani
Hindus.
Observed primarily by the minority

Indian community (Tamils) it is typically
marked by a lightup in the Little India
district, the heart of the Indian communi
ty.
SRI LANKA
The festival is called Dipavali in Sri
Lanka as well and celebrated by the
Tamil community.
THAILAND
It is celebrated under the name of Loi
Krathong meaning, to float a basket and
is observed on the full moon day of the
12th month according to the Thai calen
dar.
(Sources: Wikipedia, Travel India)
58
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
ET CETERA
LET THE INNER LIGHT SHINE

Om Asato Ma Sad Gamaya
Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
Lead us from untruth to truth
From darkness to light
From death to immortality
Om Peace Peace Peace
By Ami Bhalodkar
iwali is a time to reflect
on and evaluate our
thoughts, words, and
actions over the past year. It is a
time to acknowledge and better
understand our prejudices, nega
tive behaviors, and bad habits so
that we may begin the process of
transforming ourselves. It is a
time to discover how we can be
more loving, kind, respectful, and
skillful towards ourselves and
others. And since all wealth, be it
material or spiritual, should be
shared with others who are less
fortunate, Diwali is also a time to
reflect on the various ways we
can assist others and shine our
light out into the world.
Just as the flame of a lamp
PERSONAL
EXPLORATIONS
Take some to time to journal.

8
always points upward, Diwali is
most importantly a time to cele
brate and appreciate life and to
look forward to the coming year
with a renewed sense of purpose
and passion. In the words of
Mahatma Gand hi, Diwali is a
reminder and an opportunity to
"Be the change you want to see in
the world!"
SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Light a single candle and spend
a few minutes softly gazing at the

flame. Breathe deeply. Close your
eyes and picture the flame that is
burning brightly in your heart.
Cont inue to breathe deeply.
Meditate on your innate bril
liance, goodness, and wholeness.
Let your heart open wide and
embrace your inner light.
PRAYERS & MANTRAS

Recite the following Vedic chant /
prayer in Sanskrit and / or in English
Make a list of the personal

qualities that dull your inner
light such as greed, anger,
and laziness. Commit your
self to getting rid of one of
these qualities starting in
the here and now.
8 Make a list of qualities that

nurture your inner light
such as compassion, kind
ness, and generosity.
Commit yourself to further
cult ivat ing one of these
qualities starting in the here
and now.
8 Identify some simple yet
transformative ways in
which you can share
your inner light/spiri
tual wealth with oth
ers. For example, say
ing Hello. How are
you? to all those you
encounter and really
listen to their answer,
smiling at people you
encounter while sit
ting on the train or
standing in line at the
post office or grocery
store, and quietly
blessing others as they
pass by you on the
street. Commit your
self to implementing
one of these gestures
starting in the here
and now.
Ami Bhalodkar is an inter

faith minister and a member
of the faculty of the One
Spirit Interfaith Seminary in
New York City
DIWALI BOOK BUNDLES

What better way than stories to get kids,
young and old excited about Diwali, the fes
tival of lights.
HERE ARE KITAB WORLD

SITES PICKS BY AGE.
eve selected some simple yet

delightful stories that introduce
your young ones to mithai, fire
works and diyas. These wonderfully illus
trated tales flit between the ageold tradi
tions and the building excitement for the
festival of Diwali!
crackers) in the air feel so real!

Lots of Lights is perfect for toddlers and
brings light and cheer and the colorful spir
it of Diwali to your door!
Rani Saves Diwali is a story about a
young princess who saves the day to make
Diwali special for all her friends!
Hurray for Diwali is a lovely story of the
magic through the day to get to the fun
parts and festivities ahead.
Lights, Camera, Diwali: Smile! Its time to
capture all the funfilled activities through
out the day with Dia and her camera!
...................................................
or learning about the traditions and
mythology behind the celebrations,
here are some great books to intro
duce children to the stories and spirit
behind Diwali
Diwali A Cultural Adventure tells the

story behind Diwali in a wonderful an age
appropriate way that engages young and
old. It ends with a very positive message
for the young ones to remember!
Lets Celebrate Diwali: Join Harini as she
learns about Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and
Buddhist Diwali traditions.
Shalu, Diwali Festival of Lights shares the
meaning of Diwali and shows you the how
one light can guide you back home.
Holidays around the World: Celebrate
Diwali brings to life Diwali's traditions,
food, and celebration rituals for those who
are not so familiar with them. A great book
to share with a school teacher or a friend to
introduce them to the joy of Diwali.
Celebrations in my World Diwali: Learn
how Diwali is the triumph of good over evil.
This budget friendly and authentic book
makes a great donation to a school or pub
lic library to spread some Diwali love!
...................................................
s you grow older, one can appreciate
that there are many dif ferent ver
sions of the same story. See how
things can differ depending on your point
of view with these amazing books!
Ramayana A Divine Loophole: T he
whimsical illustrations add a lovely texture
to this new retelling of the ancient tale.
Ram and Sita The Path of Flames: This
book describes the magical adventure Lord
Rama takes to rescue Sita in a easy to
understand manner.
Sitas Ramayana: The Ramayana as told
by the central female character explores
Amma Tell Me About Diwali written in

rhyming verse, sets the stage for the
remembering why we celebrate Diwali as
well as makes the excitement (yes, and fire
the
traditional story of the Ramayana from a
different perspective as well as the cost of
war.
Hanumans Ramayan: Did you know that
Hanuman had his own version of the
Ramayana? Read about why it never made
out in the public!
Festival of Lights: Read this story about
the great epic Ramayana told through the
eyes of a child.
For prices and ordering, go to
www.kitaabworld.com
60
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
After opposing it for weeks, the Maharashtra

Navnirman Sena (MNS) has finally allowed the
release of Karan Johar's film.
ilmmaker Karan Johar

received
a
major
breather when the
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena
(MNS) on Saturday allowed the
release of "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" but
with a rider all the producers
who employed Pakistani artists,
must pay Rs 5 crore each into the
Indian Army's welfare fund as an
atonement. Distributors and cine
ma owners have also come for
ward in support of the film.
T he MNS decision followed
Maharashtra Chie f Minister
Devendra Fadnavis' direct inter
vention in the matter a day after
Union Home Minister Rajnath
Singh visited Mumbai and two
days after he met representatives
of Bollywood.
"Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" has been in
news for featuring Pakistani actor
Fawad Khan. T he MNS also
imposed certain conditions on the
release of "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil",
"Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" has been in

news for featuring Pakistani actor
Fawad Khan. (Photo: IANS)
including that the producers mak

ing a handsome contribution to
the army welfare fund, and slides
paying tribute to the brave Indian
soldiers are shown before the start
of the film in theatres to which
both Bhatt and Johar readily
agreed. The film also stars Ranbir
Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
and Anushka Sharma.
Trouble for "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil"
began when the debate about let
ting Pakistani artistes working in

India was sparked of f following
the September 18 Uri attack which
killed 19 Indian soldiers in Jammu
and Kashmir. The attack was fol
lowed by surgical attacks that
India conducted across the LoC.
Earlier, while MNS issued an ulti
matum to Pakistani artistes to quit
India, the Indian Motion Picture
Producers Association passed a
resolution asking producers to
avoid working with talent from

Pakistan.
Then, the Cinema Owners and
Exhibitors Association of India
announced single screen theaters
in Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat
won't screen "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil".
MNS has been open about con
demning the idea of releasing of
the movie
However, theater chain owners
have now come forward in support
of the film.
This is not the first time "Ae Dil
Hai Mushkil" has been in the news.
The film, which will clash with
Ajay Devgn's "Shivaay" at the box
office on October 28, earlier made
headlines when the actorfilmmak
er alleged that Johar paid contro
versial actor Kamaal R. Khan Rs 25
lakh to tweet positively about "Ae
Dil Hai Mushkil" and to give nega
tive reviews to "Shivaay".
I'm sure kids will be inspired by 'Shivaay': Ajay
ctorlmmaker Ajay
Devgn feels his forth
coming directorial ven
ture "Shivaay" will inspire chil
dren. Ajay's "Shivaay" has associ
ated w ith Sonic's TV show
"Shiva" and the actor is sure that
the lm set for Diwali release
will get a good response from
children.
"'Shivaay' and 'Shiva' have the
same value system and mind set,
both love their families and
friends and destroy evil to
restore balance in society. I'm
sure kids will be inspired by
both the characters and love
Shivaay as much as they love
'Shiva'," Ajay said in a statement.
The father of two has acted in,
directed and copro duced
"Shivaay". The film, which is slat
ed to release on October 28
around the occasion of Diwali,
will clash at the box office with

filmmaker Karan Johar's "Ae Dil
Hai Mushkil", which is currently
facing problems for featuring
Pakistan actor Fawad Khan.
Apart from Ajay, the film also
stars Sayyeshaa Saigal, Erika
Kaar, Vir Das and Girish Karnad.
Devgn said he has not taken a
penny for this film. "My budget
of the film is as much as the Ajay
Devgn film should be but I have
not taken a penny. I have put
everything in the film so that
does not put pressures on the
market of distributors and I felt
that's fair enough," Ajay told
IANS. However, he also says its
tiring to be a producer.
"It's tiring to be a producer but
I
enjoy
the
pressure.
Fortunately, I had a good team
to handle that pressure. Acting
comes very easy to me but it's
the production part which is tax

ing," he said.
Asked if he fe lt "Shivaay"
would be a blockbuster, Ajay
said that he was just focusing on
connecting with audience.
"I don't know what a block
buster is, but we have managed
to make a good film and it's got
a very strong emotional connect.
So I am sure with this kind of
scale and emotions going right, I
think it should work," he said.
"Shivaay" is Ajay's second
directorial after "U Me Aur
Hum".
T he film is set to
release this Diwali and
has been shot in the
Balkan mountains of
Bulgaria as well in
Hyderabad
and
Uttarakhand in India.
Ajay Devgn
in a scene
from
'Shivaay'
DIWALI SPECIAL
Heartiest Best Wishes for a
Happy Diwali
& Happy & Prosperous New Year
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
62
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Top Bollywood stars send

Diwali messages to soldiers
amir Khan, Akshay Kumar and Salman
Khans messages to the jawans protect
ing India should settle down heated
debate about how best to show ones patriot
ism.
When everybody is busy claiming to be a
patriot, these message to soldiers from top
Bollywood actors are what is needed at the
moment. Aamir, Akshay and Salman took to
social media to message the Indian soldiers
to display their solidarity and understand
the problems while serving at the tensed
border 24/7.
This initiative was launched at the behest
of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It is only because of our soldiers that we
are able to celebrate the festival of Diwali
peacefully with our families. You keep us
safe. My dear soldier brothers, wishing you a
happy Diwali on behalf of me and the entire
nation, said Akshay.
The actor also urged people to send their
own special message to soldiers on the occa
sion of Diwali.
Salman took to Facebook and shared PM
Karishma goes
Diwali mode in
festive white
The initiative was launched at the behest of PM Modi.

Modis message to the soldiers. My hearty
greetings to the army soldiers and young
people of the country and Happy Diwali to
all #Sandesh2Soldiers, he wrote on

Facebook. Aamir also shared PMs video
message to soldiers on his Twitter account.
How the Bachchans are celebrating Diwali

Karisma rounded her
look with a neat hairdo.
arisma Kapoor is one
woman who refuses to
age and we aren't com
plaining. The former actress,
who had of ficially divorced
Sunjay Kapur early this year,
has been looking more gor
geous than ever, of late. The 'Dil
Toh Paagal Hai' actress also
hasn't shied away from sharing
her pictures on Instagram.
Karisma, who evidently can
bare ly wait for Diwali, has
already embraced all things tra
ditional.
She absolute ly owned an
Anarkali outfit, looking every
bit the princess.
he Bachchans are quite

famous for their Diwali par
ties and it is surely one of
the most awaited filmy gatherings
of the year. This year too, the
family will throw a star studded
bash for their industry friends at
their residence, Jalsa.
Reportedly, the guest list
includes the Khans, Kumars and
Kapoors of Bollywood. The grand
Diwali party will be celebrated in
an ecofriendly manner and is
expected to go on till the wee
The guest list includes the Khans, Kumars and Kapoors of Bollywood.
Diwali is about Diyas and meeting family

n actor par excellence and a
forever beauty, Sharmila
Tagore says Delhi holds a
special place in her heart. We
caught up with the 71yearold
Bollywood veteran at an event in
the Capital.
I was born in Kanpur and have
travelled across India. But Delhi is
special for me. Its like my sasur
aal (inlaws home). Ive been liv
ing here since 1984. I raised my
kids here, they did their schooling
here. Also, its quite near to
Pautadi (a place close to my
heart), says Tagore, mother of
actors Saif Ali Khan and Soha Ali
Khan and jewellery designer Saba
Ali Khan. What are her plans for
The Kashmir
Ki Kali' star
has no
match for her
beauty in
Bollywood.
Diwali? Ill run away to Pataudi

as it gets very noisy where I live. I
prefer a peaceful and calm place,
says Tagore, who believes in a
crackerfree Diwali. The festival
is about Diyas, decorations, pooja
and meeting family. Im not a
cracker person. My husband (late

Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi) had
lung disease and I dont want peo
ple to suffer because of pollution.
We celebrate Diwali without caus
ing pollution, concludes the
actor.
hours of morning.
According to Midday, a source
said that the menu will have tradi
tional dishes and Indian sweets.
Reportedly, g randdaug hter
Aaradhya really looks forward to
the celebrations as her grandpa
explains the meaning of each ritu
al to her.
Aishwaryas next, Ae Dil Hai
Mushkil is scheduled to be
re leased on Diwali, which is
another reason for the family to
celebrate.
Honey Singh to celebrate

Diwali with family
e were told that Yo Yo Honey Singh will celebrate Diwali in
his hometown this year with family, the singer was eager to
meet his family and spend quality time with them. It so hap
pened that Honey Singh who is cur
rently penning down poems inspired
from his daily routine decided to take
an off and flew to the capital for a few
days. The "Chaar Bottle Vodka" famed
singer is very excited and feels blessed
as he wanted to spend some quality
time with his family on Diwali.
This year had been tough for Honey
Singh and all he needs is to reunite
with his family and Celebrate.
However, Yo Yo and his family will be
joined by some of their relatives for
the celebrations. Yo Yo left earlier for
Delhi to help out his family with the
preparations for the festival.
It sure is a joyful time for the singer
The singer will be joined
as he was eagerly waiting to celebrate
by his relatives for the
this festival with his family.
celebrations.
DIWALI SPECIAL
Wishing our patrons Happy Diwali &

Prosperous New Year
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
64
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
SENIOR S
ShantiNiketan
A haven for Indian seniors in the US
Having been involved in advocacy for seniors, the writer traces the development of ShantiNiketan
retirement community in Florida, its growth and his own decision to move there two years ago.
ShantiNiketan in Tavares, Florida, is about one hour drive from Orlando. It started welcoming residents about 5 years ago.
By Rajeshwar Prasad
hantiNiketan (SN) is a retirement community based in

Tavares, Florida, about an
hour drive from Orlando. This is an
age-restricted community where at
least one of the residents should
be above 55 years of age. Guest of
any age can visit and stay with the
residents. Children below the age
of 18 can stay only for a maximum
of 30 days in a year. Work on ShantiNiketan was initiated in 2008-11,
though the concept of developing
such a community was floated by
Iggy Ignatius, Founder & Chairman, ShantiNiketan Retirement
Communities, in 2004. In a certain
way communication about SN with
me also started in 2004. Let me put
things in proper perspective of my
involvement with SN, my visits to
SN and my final move to SN. Subsequent articles on SN will cover
other residents perspective, their
social, cultural and other factors
which made them move to SN and
how they perceive their living arrangements in the SN community.
Please be aware that this is the
first retirement community where
Indian Americans can spend their

golden years among their peers;
get rid of loneliness; have clear
conscience not to burden their children; and live free of daily chores
around the house and if desired
to avoid cooking and maintaining
kitchen dcor. However, it does not
mean that you have no role in SN!
Besides the full-time staff, such as
cook, landscaper, manager etc, the
SN depends heavily on volunteers
to keep the residents involved.
Condominium Owners Association (COA) basically runs the project through a duly elected Board of
Directors under a non-profit entity.
COA is also responsible for the upkeep of the complex and to undertake a number of religious, cultural
and social activities throughout the
year. Celebration of festivals, national days such as Independence
Day of India and USA; special presentations on matters of interest
such as wills; Durable Power of
Attorney etc., presentations by special guests on diversified subjects
covering management of assets,
pharmaceutical services, transportation services, rehabilitation services etc. are routinely arranged.
SN also carries many indoor
activities for residents to take advantage of and keep them occupied: these include pool table, table
tennis, playing cards, carom, chess,
yoga, daily exercise on treadmill,
meditation and prayer in the prayer
room. There is also an informal arrangement in case bereavement
services are needed and residents
in such situations, in particular,
consider SN as a large family.
My involvement with SN goes
back to 2004. I have been involved
in USA for the last 40 years with Indian and American community entities: voluntary - Private and Public.
Since 1998 I have been co-founder
and current President of the National Indo-American Association
for Senior Citizens Inc, (NIAASC)
initiated by the Global Organization
of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO).
Its mission and objective revolve
around services to seniors through
information, referral and advocacy.
NIAASC has arranged 28 conferences and collaborated with other
national and local organizations to
arrange similar conferences and
workshops. Conference subjects
have been selected carefully to benefit seniors, their family members
and caregivers. Those interested to
know more about NIAASC can go

to www.niaasc.org. It was the press
coverage of the NIAASC conference
held in 2004 on housing for seniors which caught the attention of
Iggy Ignatius. He sent us an E-mail
expressing his interest in housing
choices for seniors. Iggy, resident
of Michigan and by virtue of his
professional background in residential and estate development and
MBA degree from USA, felt strongly
that he could provide this senior
housing service to Indian seniors.
After our NIAASC responded
that when you are serious and
have something concrete, please
call us and we will see how we
can work with you. For about two
years we did not here from him.
In 2006 I got a call from Iggy
that he and his wife, Shanti, have
thought about it much more carefully and would like to proceed. I
invited them to Long Island and introduced them to a couple of community groups where they made an
excellent presentation and sought
input from the attendees. Iggy and
Shanti They were encouraged by
this interactive discussion, presentation and participants input.
They, however, realized that to
undertake the project they need

to explore further and they travelled
coast to coast and held similar meetings in peoples houses, community
halls, temples, etc. The almost 2-year
trip provided them with proper understanding of the need among Indian seniors, finances, and also the
know-how of this major project.
In 2008 the couple finally decided
to initiate the retirement complex in
New Jersey and some of the NIAASC
Board members accompanied them
to the site selected by Iggy. Due to
some zoning complications the project was abandoned. It was a little
setback but Iggy and Shanti did not
get discouraged. They kept their
ears and eyes open. Finally they
found a seven acre lot in Tavares,
Florida, and developed a 54 condo
complex. The rest is history. Encouraged by its great success, they developed within a mile another SN
with 120 condos. Their plan is to
develop five more Shantiniketans in
Florida, including an Ashram, about
5 miles from the current SNs. Work
on SN 3 has already started where
120 condos will be developed. All
Shantiniketans from 3 to 7 are being labeled as Shantiniketan Village.
SENIOR S
Why we decided to
move to Shantiniketan?
It was not an easy decision. After living in New York for 45 years
we realized that the house was
more like an empty nest as all our
three children had moved out and
settled out of NY State; one in Colorado and two in Virginia. Through
NIAASC we had also arranged a
conference just before we moved
out in 2014 on Aging in Place and
recognized various certified groups
to help modify the house to make it
elderly friendly. However, after the
conference we consulted with our
children; two of them had visited
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
65
All Indian festivals are celebrated, and various activities and volunteering encouraged.
ShantiNiketan in Florida with their
spouses. Their strong advice was
for us to move there as it would be
more comfortable living with peers.
My wife, Prem, and I had visited
SN thrice before we moved. During
these visits we met SN residents;
got a feel of the place and people.
We looked around the neighborhood, shopping, medical facilities
etc, during these visits. At some
point I was a little concerned as I
had never lived within the Indian
community in the United States.
I had always lived in a diversified
neighborhood. But after our visits
and observations of our children
we felt comfortable to make this
major move of our life. Prem, due
to dementia and other physical
disabilities, had stopped pursuing
her hobbies of poetry and art. We
both were also aging and were in
our 80s, though I was still actively
involved with Indian and American
entities as a volunteer. We understood that moving to SN will require us to make major adjustment
in the way of life, keeping ourselves occupied, and assimilating

in a public life by virtue of the fact
that we will be part of a larger family. We looked at all these pros and
cons and finally decided to move.
How did we move?

Our children came to Long Island in March/April 2014, and
helped us downsize the house;
make it ready for sale; and help us
determine the essentials we should
carry with us. On June 2, 2014 we
did the closing of the house and
our son, Manoj, from Colorado
accompanied us to the closing.
Immediately after that we drove
to Virginia where our daughters
Monica and Mini were living.
On June 4 we took the auto-train
from Virginia to Florida. All our
three children came to see us off at
the train station. We reached Florida at the Sanford station built only
for the auto train in the morning.
Sanford is about 30 miles from
Tavares. At SN Ashwin Pandya
The writer is President, National Indo-American Association for Senior

Citizens Inc. A subsequent article will be based on what other residents perceive
of ShantiNiketan, how they came to know about it, and what made them move.
directed us to our condo and

helped in unloading the car.We
felt welcome at SN and that feeling has not wavered even today.
Some of our friends in New York
had pretty good idea about SN and
they often asked me in the beginning, How will you make cohesive
adjustments when the SN residents
are predominantly from one particular province of India (Gujarat) and
you dont even understand their regional language. My response was
that we will focus on the common
Iggy Ignatius
Chairman & Founder,

Shantiniketan
ground and jokingly said, If I could

stay almost for a year in France
without adequate knowledge of
French, I can live in SN without any
discomfort. This predicament about
the regional language deficiency did
not prove to us a handicap at all.
After living here for two years we
dont regret our decision. Though
at times it seems that we have not
fully integrated in the SN structured
way of life where strict schedule
for every activity including lunch
and dinner has to be adhered to.
Iggy Ignatius was the chief

architect of the Shantiniketan concept. He moved
to Tavares with his wife in
2008 to execute this project and became the first
resident of ShantiNiketan
Phase 1 in 2010. He is a
Mechanical Engineering
and a Management graduate from BITS Pilani, and
an MBA from the University of Illinois, Urbana
Champaign.
66
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
SUBCONTINENT
59 killed in Pakistan police academy carnage

Islamabad: At least 59 people were
killed when heavilyarmed militants
wearing suicide vests stormed a
police academy in Pakistan's Quetta
city, of ficials said on Tuesday
terming it as one of the deadliest
extremist attacks this year.
The attack on the Balochistan
Police College, around 20 km east
of Quetta, began at around 11.10
p.m., when three gunmen burst into
the sprawling academy, targeting
sleeping quarters home to some
700 recruits, and sent terrified
young men aged between 15 and
25 fleeing, Dawn online reported.
The attackers had entered the com
plex through the front gate after
shooting the guard manning the
check post.
Major General Sher Afgan, chief
of the paramilitary Frontier Corps
A policeman checks people on a road in southwest Pakistan's Quetta.

in Balochistan, which led the count
eroperation, said "the attack was
over in around three hours after we
arrived".
"The operation needed to be con

ducted with precision therefore it
took us four hours to clear the area
completely."
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S
FAMED 'AFGHAN GIRL'
ARRESTED IN PAKISTAN
Islamabad: National
Geographic's famed
'Afghan Girl' Sharbat
Bibi was arrested by
the
Federal
Investigation Agency
(FIA) in Pakistan's
Peshawar city, author
ities said.
Bibi was arrested
from her home for
forgery
of
a
Computerized
National Identity Card
(CNIC), FIA sources
'Afghan Girl' Sharbat Bibi.
said. Bibi has dual
Pakistani and Afghan nationality, and both NADRA officials under fire for issuing CNICs
ID cards have been recovered from her, to foreign nationals without legitimate doc
umentation, Dawn online noted.
Dawn online reported.
Sharbat Bibi became famously known as
An FIA of ficial said the of ficer who had
issued the ID cards to Sharbat Bibi was now the 'Afghan Girl' when National Geographic
working as a deputy commissioner in cus photographer Steve McCurry captured her
toms and got bailbeforearrest to avoid photograph at the Nasir Bagh refugee camp
situated on the edge of Peshawar in 1984
arrest in the case.
Last year, National Database and and identified her as Sharbat Gula.
She gained worldwide recognition when
Registration Authority (NADRA) issued three
her
image was featured on the cover of the
CNICs to Sharbat Bibi and two men who
claimed to be her sons. Issuance of CNICs June 1985 issue of National Geographic
were in violation to the rules and proce Magazine at a time when she was approxi
mately 12yearsold.
dures of NADRA.
She remained anonymous for years after
The official added that relatives present at
the given address have refused to recognise her first photo made her an icon around the
world and until she was discovered by
two persons listed as her sons in the form.
An inquiry had been launched with National Geographic in 2002.
"There were three terrorists and

all of them were wearing suicide
vests," he said. "Two suicide attack
ers blew themse lves up, which
resulted in casualties, while the
third one was shot dead by our
troops." He added that the militants
were communicating with their
handlers in Afghanistan. Afgan said
communication intercepts showed
the attackers belonged to Lashkari
Jhangvi's (LJ) AlAlimi faction,
which is affiliated with the Tehreek
iTaliban Pakistan (TTP).
The group itself, however, has not
claimed the attack. The attack left
at least 120 people were injured
and the cadets were rescued from
the college following an operation
carried out by Special Services
Group (SSG) commandos, Dawn
online noted.
"I saw three men carrying

Kalashnikovs they were in cam
ouflage and their faces were hid
den," one cadet told reporters,
adding "They started firing and
entered the dormitory but I man
aged to escape by climbing over a
wall." The training college is situat
ed on Sariab Road, which is consid
ered to be one of the most sensitive
areas of Quetta. Militants have been
targeting security forces in the area
for almost a decade.
The training college has come
under attack in the past in 2008
and 2006, with attackers firing
rockets into the college playground.
In August, a suicide bombing at a
Quetta hospital killed 73 persons.
The attack was later claimed by the
Islamic State group and the Jamaat
ulAhrar.
Nawaz Sharif a security

risk for Pakistan: Imran
Islamabad: Pakistan TehreekeInsaf (PTI)
chief Imran Khan said that Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif has become a security risk for
Pakistan.
Talking to journalists outside his Islamabad
residence, Imran said that Sharif has become
a security risk for the country in the current
circumstance as the Prime Minister was only
interested in saving himse lf from the
accountability in wake of the 'Panama
Papers' revelations.
"His only aim is to save himself from the
repercussions of the revelations regarding
his corruption in 'Panama Papers' leaks," he
said. Imran Khan claimed India was involved
in creating chaos in Pakistan to sabotage
moves against corruption, Pakistan Today
reported. "A new doctrine has originated in
India which aims to implo de Pakistan
because they have failed to defeat us militari
ly," Imran told journalists as he was about to
leave for Quetta to condole the deaths of
security officials in Tuesday's militant attack
on the city's Police Training Centre.
The PTI chief said Pakistan's nuclear
armed arch rival did not want an inside polit
ical reform movement to succeed.
"When the Balochistan Chief Minister is
saying that India was involved in sabotaging
law and order in the province, then why does
our Prime Minister not raise his voice on the
issue on global forums," he asked.
"The PM failed to raise the issue of RAW's
(Research and Analysis Wing) terror financ
ing in Pakistan and the arrest of its agent
Kulbhushan Yadav from Balochistan during
Pakistan TehreekeInsaf
(PTI) chief Imran Khan.
his UN visit." The PTI leader demanded the
government highlight the names of those
government of ficials who were involved in
leaking crucial information regarding a high
level security meeting in Islamabad.
Two days ago, the PTI leader had warned
that Nawaz Sharif would be responsible if a
"thirdforce" stepped in as a result of his
party's lockdown of the Pakistani capital to
press the demand for Sharif's resignation on
corruption charges after the publication of
'Panama Papers'.
Though the cricketerturnedpolitician did
not name the "third force", his statement
seemed to refer to the powerful military
establishment, a key player in Pakistani poli
tics. Imran Khan accused the government of
defaming the Pakistan Army on the pretext
of PTI's protest.
'Panama Papers' are not accusations but
evidence of the Prime Minister's corruption,
Imran claimed.
68
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
Report on chemical
weapons use in Syria
unconvincing: Russia
United Nations: Russia described
the latest report by the OPCW
UN
Joint
Invest ig at ive
Mechanism ( JIM) in Syria as
"unconvincing," saying that the
report is "not substantiated by
sufficient testimonial basis".
"We can say now that in most
cases they are not substantiated
by suf ficient testimonial basis,
first of all material proof, they
are full of contradictions and
there fore,
unconvincing,"
Russia's permanent representa
tive to the UN Vitaly Churkin
said in a statement.
"The JIM has added nothing
new to the story, but for some
reasons decided to readjust the
initial conclusions on the inci
dents in Marea, Sarmin and
Talmenes," Churkin said.
"As we understand the conclu
sions of the JIM are not defini
tive, have no legally binding
force and cannot serve as accu
satory conclusions for taking
legal decisions," he said.
Earlier in 2016, the Security
Council voiced its concern about
the use of chemical weapons by
The UNSC voiced its concern about

the use of chemical weapons by
warring parties in Syria.
warring parties in Syria, includ
ing terrorists.
T he
Joint
Invest ig at ive
Mechanism (JIM) is tasked with
identifying "individuals, entities,
groups, or governments involved
in the use of chemicals as
weapons" in Syria, according to
the Security Council.
Based in T he Hague, the
Organization for the Prohibition
of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
with JIM in Syria was established
after the UN Security Council
unanimously adopted resolution
2235 which aimed at identifying
those behind chemical weapons
attacks in Syria.
INTERNATIONAL
Turkey issues
arrest warrants
against 73 army
pilots
Putin criticizes US, says

ready for new president
Ankara: Turkey issued arrest

warrants against
73 army pilots
suspected of
having ties with
Islamic preacher
Fetullah Gulen
who was
accused by the
Islamic
government of
preacher
being the mas
Fetullah
Gulen.
termind of the
country's failed
attempted coup last July. The
pilots are allegedly accused of
rebelling against the govern
ment and being part of the
Gulen movement, which until
the end of 2013 was a firm ally
of the Islamist Turkish govern
ment but now is considered a
terrorist group. Since the failed
coup, 265 Air Force pilots were
suspended from their posts, EFE
news reported. The police oper
ation launched on Thursday was
based in Konya, in the region of
Anatolia, where 71 of the 73
pilots live. This is the fourth
wave of arrests of soldiers at
this military base since the
attempted coup of July 15.
Moscow: Russian President

Vladimir Putin criticized the
United States for failing to fulfil
its commitment to the Syrian set
tlement, saying that Moscow is
ready to work with the new US
president to improve bilateral
ties.
"It is very dif ficult for us to
communicate with the current US
administration as it implements
no agreements, including on
Syria," Xinhua news agency quot
ed Putin as saying.
"But we are ready to talk with a
new president in search of solu
tions to any complicated issues,"
he added.
Russia has repeatedly shown
dissatisfaction for the collapse of
the RussiaUSbrokered ceasefire
agreement, which it blames on
US for failing to separate "moder
ate" oppositions from terrorist
groups in Syria.
In response to his alleged role
in the US presidential campaign,
Putin said Moscow is "somewhat
indif ferent" to who will win the
election, but it welcomes any
intentions to normalize bilateral
ties. He also dismissed reports
Putin says he is ready to work

with the new US president.
that US Republican presidential
candidate Donald Trump is
Kremlin's favorite, calling this
"complete nonsense".
Re lat ions between the two
countries have run cold since the
Ukraine crisis in early 2014,
when Washington slapped a
bunch of sanct ions ag ainst
Moscow for its role in the con
flicts in eastern Ukraine and its
takeover of the Crimea peninsula.
Joint efforts from the two sides
to promote a political settlement
of the crisis in Syria failed, with
each side accusing the other of
violating the hardearned truce
deal in September.
DIWALI SPECIAL
Happy Diwali
Oct 29-Nov 4 2016
70
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
BUSINESS
Cyrus Mistry's removal as Tata Sons

Chairman set for legal battle
Mumbai: The day after Tata Sons removed
Cyrus P. Mistry as the group's chairman,
the issue appeared headed to the courts for
what may likely be a messy legal battle.
Mistry was said to be in consultation with
senior lawyers, even as the Tata Group
moved caveats in the Supreme Court, the
Bombay High Court and the National
Company Law Tribunal.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who will repre
sent the Tatas in the courts on Wednesday,
said the caveats were just "an early warn
ing system" so that the matter is not heard
exparte.
The Shapoorji Pallonji Group, Mistry's
father's group which holds 18.4 per cent
shares in Tata Sons, said they were "study
ing the circumstances" of the removal.
In response to news on TV, Mistry's office
said that he has not filed any caveats. "He
has already made a statement that such
concerns are misplaced at this stage," a
statement said. An official spokesman for
Shapoorji Pallonji Group said that "there is
no basis to media speculation about litiga
tion at this stage."
Singhvi, who left for Mumbai from Delhi
in the evening, told Times Now later that
practically the entire board of Tata Sons
seven out of nine directors had "lost con
fidence in Mistry". He added that Ratan
Tata was committed to the Tata brand and
whatever he did was for the improvement
of the group.
The day after Tata Sons, the holding com
pany of the Tata Group of companies, re
instated Ratan Tata in the place of Mistry,
the 78yearold former Chairman held a
Ratan Tata has been reinstalled as interim chairman. Cyrus Mistry was said to be in consul
tation with senior lawyers, even as the Tata Group moved caveats in the Supreme Court.
meeting with the chiefs of group compa
nies and urged them to "act as leaders in
their respective markets and enhance
returns to shareholders".
"The companies must focus on their mar
ket position visavis competition, and not
compare themselves to their own past. The
drive must be on leadership rather than to
follow it," Tata Group's Chairman Emeritus
said, speaking to the group companies'
managing directors and senior corporate
leaders.
He urged the top leadership of the group
companies to focus on their respective
AT&T,
Time Warner
close to merger
deal
New York: Telecommunications giant AT&T Inc is in
advanced talks to acquire media titan Time Warner Inc
in nearly $85 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal
said the deal would create a new hallmark in the fast
converging media, communications and Internet
industries.
The deal could happen "as early as this weekend",
EFE news quoted the financial daily as saying.
If it goes through, it would unite AT&T's wireless,
broadband and satellite TV services with Time
Warner's entertainment empire, which includes the
TNT, TBS and CNN cable networks, as well as the pre
mium HBO channel and the Warner Bros film and tele
vision studio.
The negotiations have come together quickly but are
"fluid and still could fall through", according to the
same sources, who added that there could be delays in
reaching an agreement.
businesses, "without being concerned

about change in leadership".
Ratan Tata's pep talk to his senior leaders
came even as the surprise move in Tata
Sons left India Inc reeling with shock.
Adi Godrej, Chairman of Godrej group,
told media that the action would adversely
e f fect the image of the Tata Group.
"Clearly, the great reputation of of the
group would be damaged," he told CNBC
TV18. He said the group could have found
better ways to sort out the differences at
the top.
N. Chandramouli, CEO of Trust Research
Advisory, said the Tata brand had been

"synonymous with trust" gained over 150
years. "Unfortunately, the sudden and
unexplained removal of the erstwhile
Chairman, Cyrus Mistry, is a contrast to
trust," he said.
He said it raised questions, especially
when the action came "from a person syn
onymous with the Brand Tata, Ratan Tata.
It brings the question 'Why?' pointing
fingers on the intent behind this drastic
action," Chandramouli said.
In his talk with CEOs of Tata Group com
panies, Ratan Tata also said that "an institu
tion must exceed the people who lead it. I
am proud of all of you and let us continue
to build this group together."
Hinting at possible changes in the func
tioning of the companies, he referred to
ongoing initiatives and said these will be
evaluated and those required would contin
ue to be undertaken.
"If there is any change, they will be dis
cussed with you," he assured the top bosses
of the group companies.
Mistry had taken over from Ratan Tata
four years ago at a time when some of the
group's main companies were facing tough
operating environments, and his major
challenge was to turn around the group's
international steel business and to consoli
date the other businesses. The $100 billion
group employs some 700,000 persons.
The 48yearold IrishIndian citizen is the
youngest son of Pallonji Mistry, whose con
struction company Shapoorji Pallonji & Co
is the largest shareholder of Tata Sons, with
a stake of around 18.5 per cent.
Wells Fargo CEO apologizes

to employees
New York: Wells Fargos new CEO
apolog ized to employees for the
banks sales scandal during a special
meet ing of workers at uptowns
Knight T heater, while also noting
weaknesses within Wells culture
that must be changed.
Tim Sloan, who was promoted to his
position two weeks ago, told the
roughly 700 employees at the town
hallstyle gathering he was sorry for
the pain you have experienced as team
members as a result of our companys
failures, media reported. Sloan said
the work to restore trust in the bank
could take years, and he called on
employees to demonstrate persever
ance and be patient and strong.
Wells Fargo agreed to pay $185 mil
lion in fines over allegations of wide
spread illegal sales practices that
dated to at least 2011.
Regulators said bank employees,
Wells Fargo agreed to pay $185 million in fines over allegations of

widespread illegal sales practices.
racing to meet aggressive sales goals,
opened 2 million accounts that may
not have been authorized by cus
tomers, spurring congressional hear

ings, further investigations and class
action lawsuits.
DIWALI SPECIAL
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
72
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
SPORTS
New Zealand level series against India

Ranchi: Indian Skipper Mahendra
Singh Dhoni lost his first match in
his hometown as the hosts went
down fig ht ing by 19 runs,
enabling New Zealand level the
fivematch OneDay International
(ODI) cricket series at the JSCA
International Stadium here.
Chasing 261, tailenders Dhawal
Kulkarni (25 not out) and Umesh
Yadav (7) put up a record 10th
wicket stand of 34 against the
Kiwis but the equation was too
steep for them. In the end, India
were all out for 241 in 48.4 overs.
Pacer Tim Southee (3/40) and
allrounder James Neesham
(2/38) wrecked India's chase as
the hosts had only opener Ajinkya
Rahane (57) scoring a fifty, failing
to once again convert his good
start.
Virat Kohli (45) and Axar Patel
(38) tried to hold fort but wickets
tumbled around them with Dhoni
(11) also falling cheaply to
Neesham.
T he downslide started w ith
Rohit Sharma (11) falling early to
a peach of an outswinging deliv
ery from Southee.
Rahane was looking good tonk
ing the first six of the match of f
Boult in the 6th over. The right
hander carted for fours of f
Southee and Boult.
With the fielding restrictions
lifted after the first Powerplay, the
Kiwis introduced spin, bringing
Santner in the 10th over. Three
over later, Ish So d hi joined
New Zealand player Jimmy Neesham celebrates fall of a wicket

during the fourth ODI match between India and New Zealand
in Ranchi. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)
Santner but the skills of the Indian
batsmen scored almost everytime
over their rivals' bowling.
One late cut of f Sodhi in the
14th over by Kohli summed it up
as the hosts were having a ball

with spin from both ends.
Just when the hosts were look
ing to cruise to an easy win with
both Kohli and Rahane stitching a
79run second wicket partnership

at 5.04 per over, Sodhi sent the
former packing.
Lunging at a poor delivery way
outside of fstump, Kohli (45)
looked to cut in vain giving an
outside edge to Watling who took
a fine catch.
Meanwhile, Rahane brought up
his 16th fifty in the 25th over off
Devcich as the tourists perhaps
missed a trick by playing the left
armer who seemed to ease the
pressure off Dhoni and Rahane at
a time India could have been put
in a spot of bother after the dis
missal of Kohli.
But Neesham, in his second
spe ll, did the damage getting
Rahane LBW after the latter shuf
fled his stance and played across.
Neesham was on the money
again, this time castling the Indian
captain with an incoming delivery
which Dhoni missed all ends up
with no foot movement whatsoev
er. Manish Pandey and Axar Patel
looked to put up a semblence of a
fig ht be fore Pandey fe ll to a
superb catch by Tom Latham at
mid on with Southee picking up
Kedar Jadhav plumb in front with
his next delivery.
Amit Mishra and Axar Pate l
showed character for a 38run
eighth wicket stand until Mihra
ran for a nonexistent second run
allowing Santer time to get him
run out. Patel followed suit in the
same over, Boult yorking him
from around the wicket.
Dhoni backs inexperienced

middle-order despite failure
Ranchi: India skipper Mahendra
Singh Dhoni has said the inexperi
enced middleorder needs more
time to settle after India lost to
New Zealand by 19 runs, failing
to chase down a modest target of
261 runs in the fourth OneDay
International (ODI).
"Batting down the order on
wickets like this when you're
chasing is always going to be
tough. You will have to give them
time. They will find their way.
After they get more and more
games like this they will figure
out what suits best for them to
chase a total," he said after the
match here.
"On a wicket like this, when the
score was not too much, you need
partnerships. With two new balls,
it comes on to bat better initially.
The wicket slows down. It does
not come on to the bat that well.
It was a dif ficult phase and it
becomes dif ficult to rotate," he
added.
The captain said the job of a
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

batting finisher is not easy.
"Batting down the order is one
of the toughest things to do espe
cially on wickets like these. There

will be pressure to rotate, to get a
partnership. It's not easy. You
don't always get a player who's

complete and bats at no 5, 6 or
7."
Ajinkya Rahane (57) and Virat
Kohli (45) gave India a good start
but their chase went haywire, ulti
mately folding for 241 in 48.4
overs despite being 1282 at one
point.
Lower down the order, Axar
Patel (38) and Amit Mishra (14)
revived India's hopes briefly. But
before they could convert it into a
matchw inning partnership
Mishra was run out.
Star batsman Kohli was caught
behind in his attempt to cut a
wide delivery from legspinner
Ish Sodhi and his failure coincid
ed with India losing the match.
Asked whether India were heav
ily reliant on Kohli, Dhoni said:
"It's not like that. The stats don't
exactly reflect the exact scenario."
The fivematch series is current
ly locked at 22 with the final ODI
to be played on Saturday in
Visakhapatnam.
Kulkarni and Yadav tried their

best but in the end the target
proved too big for the lower orer
batsmen. Earlier, Martin Guptill
topscored for the tourists with 72
off 84 balls to set India a target of
261.
Williamson's charges rued not
putting more runs on the board
after getting of f to a flying start
where they hit 12 boundaries in
the first ten overs but only man
aged 13 in the next 40.
Mishra returned with best fig
ures of 2/42 getting the impor
tant scalps of Williamson and
Neesham.
The Black Caps got off to a fly
ing start and they were also
helped by a missed catch. Amit
Mishra grassed a difficult catch of
Guptill (29) at midon in the sev
enth over, diving to his left but
parrying his onehanded attempt
towards longon.
Patel outfoxed Latham (39) just
when he and Guptill were looking
good, with a slower one which the
inform opener swept to Ajinkya
Rahane at short fine leg.
Moments later, Guptill brought
up his fifty in 56 balls. Guptill con
tinued to score freely, racing to 72
in no time as the tourists reached
138/1 by the 26th over.
Just when things were looking
good for Guptill, Pandya snapped
his stay with a short of length
delivery that the righthander
edged to Dhoni behind the
stumps.
FRENCH OPEN
SERIES
Shuttlers PV
Sindhu, Prannoy
advance
Paris: Rio Olympics silver
medalist PV Sindhu defeated
Yip Pui Yin of Hong Kong to
advance in the French Open
Super Series here. Sindhu out
played Yin 219 2927 in a
clash which lasted around 45
minutes at Coubertin1 here.
In a relatively lopsided first
game, Sindhu thrashed her
opponent with some swift court
movements and powerful
smashes.
The Indian shuttler had to
strugg le to win the second
game.
In men's singles, H.S. Prannoy
defeated Thailand's Boonsak
Ponsana 2116 2118 to enter
the second round of the tourna
ment.
Ajay Jayaram and Sai
Parneeth will take on their
respective opponents later in
the day.
SPORTS
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
73
Beating NZ & preparing for World Cup

By Shivaji Sengupta
he
third
One
Day
International between India
and New Zealand concluded
on October 23, with India winning
by 7 w ickets in Mohali, near
Chandigarh. Now India is up 21.
With the Test match series already
won 30, India is trying to estab
lish its ascendency over New
Zealand in the onedayers now.
With two more matches to go, it is
likely India will prevail; but this
series is turning out to be closer
than the Tests.
But before I go into the third
match, perhaps a brief synopsis of
the first two is in order.
India won the first match in
Dharamsala with ease. Set in rela
tively cool conditions, at the foot
hills of the Himalayas, the New
Zealanders were expected to do
better, what with the pitch favor
ing fast, seam bowling over slow
spin. But India won the toss, chose
to bow l, and soon had New
Zealand reeling at 1068. Then, a
stand of 77 runs between Tom
Latham, the opening batsman and
Tim Southey, an opening bowler,
bailed them out. They were all out
for 190. Debutant, Hardik Pandya
got three wickets. India scored
those runs and won by 6 wickets,
around an unbeaten knock of 85
by Virat Kohli. Pandya was given
the Man of the Match on his very
first appearance for India in ODIs.
Hitherto, he had been represent
ing India in T20 matches.
The second match in Delhi was
turning out to be an all New
Zealand af fair. At one time they
were 2043 but were eventually
all out for 242. Their captain,
Kane Williamson scored 122.
India was in dire trouble at 1808,
still 63 from victory and all the
recognized batsmen out. But new
comer, Hardik Pandya and pace
bowler Umesh Jadhav brought
India within a whisker of victory.
They lost by 6 runs. The Hindu
newspaper described the end as
suspenseful as a Hitchcock film!
Williamson, needless to say, was
the Man of the Match.
Thus, the match at Mohali had
series significance. Whoever went
ahead, will have to then have to be
defeated in two matches consecu
tively to lose the series. On the
other hand, if India won, as the
home team is expected to, they
would be in a very good position
to take the series.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the
toss for the third straight time and
e lected to fie ld. But this time
Mohali of fered a perfect batting
wicket: hard and flat where the
ball did little else than swing a bit
in the beginning. But Dhoni, yet
ag ain, chose to fie ld. W hy?
Because he and his men knew that

in the evening the bowlers would
be hampered by the dew. (These
are DayNight matches: begin at
1:30 in the afternoon and end
around 10 pm).
New Zealand batted we ll.
Actually, they scored 285, their
highest in an innings so far. Once
again, there was a late inning
stand: 89 runs between Neasham
and Matt Henry. Umesh Yadav and
Kedar Jadhav took three wickets
each. India started by losing two
wickets for 41. But Dhoni joined
Kohli and the two took India to
192. Dhoni who has been batting
for the bulk of his OneDay career
at 6 or 7 (and regarded as the best
finisher of matches in the world)
came at number 5 in the last two
matches, and this time at number
4. He was out for 80, leaving Kohli
to finish the match w ith an
unbeaten 154. India won by 7
wickets.
A few things to take home from
these matches:
First, India is selecting its teams
keeping in focus the ICC World
OneDay tournament in England
next June. There is no Ashwin or
Ravindra Jadeja here. The two reg
ular openers partnering Rohit
Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and K.L.
Rahul are injured. New Zealand is
currently the World No. 2 ODI
team, two positions higher than
India. So India, it must be said, is
playing well, notwithstanding
playing at home. T his is good
preparation.
Second: Even though they are
playing well, it must be noticed
that they are giving away too
many runs toward the end. In the
first and third matches, both of
which they won, they conceded 71
and 84 runs respect ive ly. As
Dhoni noted during the prize pres
entation, they must improve in
this.
Third: With the ICC World
Tournament coming up it is good
to see players like Hardik Pandya,
Kedar Jad hav and Jaspreet
Bumrah do so well. Umesh Yadav
is not new. He's been playing for
four years. But I was pleasantly
surprised to see him field so well,
with gusto, saving runs by sprint
ing fast toward the ball, diving,
and slapping balls away before
they reached the boundary. And
that catch he took in the first
match, flying, almost parallel to
the ground, was nothing short of
breathtaking.
Finally, who should lead India in
the World ICC tournament? There
is the inevitable Mahendra Singh
Dhoni. Much has been written
about him recently, whether for
him the swan song has begun. He
hasn't had many impressive per
formances recently (although he
still averages over 50). Besides,

because of the presence of Virat
Kohli, Test captain and heirappar
ent in this format, there are many
in India who may like to see Dhoni
go. I am not sure that that is desir
able. I don't know what Kohli
thinks of the whole thing. When
asked he is graciously diplomatic
about his captain. Dhoni is like
wise about his understudy. And
both acknowledge the superior
aspects of the other. To me, I
appreciate Dhoni's leadership, his
quiet, unruf fled personality,
thoughtful demeanor to go with
his philosophical press confer
ences. On the field, he doesn't
panic, steers his team to victory
with masterful massive strokes,
his upper body strength. Unlike
Kohli, he is not a batting artist. But
with his vast experience, and not a
little success (two World Cups and
an ICC title), he may still be the
right man to lead in the limited
overs cricket. Kohli's time will
come. They also serve who stand
and wait.
Who should lead India in the World ICC tournament? Much has
been written about whether for Dhoni the swan song has begun,
and it is time to pass on the reins to Virat Kohli.
74
Oct 28-Nov 4, 2016
HUMOR
Funny Side by Nury Vittachi
Differences between
Westerners and Easterners
A
sia contains literally four
billion people. So its kind of
weird that every time I visit
the West, people say: Youre
from Asia? I met a guy from there
once; I wonder if you know him?
Whats even more weird is that I
usually do.
***
At a writers fest ival in
Singapore recently, the authors
panel and audience were given
five minutes to answer a question:
What topics should NEVER be
covered in childrens books?
The Westerners in the room
gave identical answers: Nothing
should be banned! All censorship
is evil! FREEEEEEDDDOMMM!!!
T he Easterners in the room
wrote long lists of unmention
ables including cannibalism, vio
lence, politics, religion, sex, kiss
ing, underpants, democracy, feel
ings, and so on. I wanted a second
sheet of paper to list individuals
and inappropriate vegetables.

***
East and West are SO different.
A couple of days later, a reader
sent me a viral Instagram video of
a man in Sydney who sponta
neously tried to run up an escala
tor which was moving down at a
high speed. The crowd, most of
whom were using the escalator at
the time, raucously cheered him
on as he risked their safety.
In Asia, he would have been
severely tuttutted by observers
and arrested by the authorities,
possibly even facing the death
penalty for Incitement to Commit
Emotions.
***
Further evidence of an East
West divide came from the
announcement that the US
national spelling contest was won
by two boys, Nihar and Jairam,
whose names are added to the
winners list: Gokul, Vanya, Ansun,
Sriram, Arvind, Snigdha, Sukanya,

Anamika etc. Families with Indian
roots make up less than one per
cent of the US population but win
the spelling contests every year.
As a South Asian, I can EXCLU
SIVELY reveal that were good at
spe lling because of our
unspellable names.
Our version of Scrabble says
that if your tiles cannot make a
word, you can still get 50 bonus
points if you use the letters to
name your child. How else do you
think we end up with names like
Snigdha?
***
At the same t ime, Goog le
revealed that the most searched
for how to spell request in the
US state of Massachusetts was
Massachusetts. Internet conversa
tions must go something like this:
ASIAN: Hi, where are you
from?
MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENT:
Hang on, let
me just Google
that.
***
Not
that
Westerners
arent smart:
they are far
ahead of Easterners in cultural

mores. A hot NEW difference con
cerns gender. Asians think folk
should use the toilets that match
their biological gender, whereas
my Western friends think thats
an outrageous demand.
For example, fouryearolds at a
school in the Brit ish city of
Brighton are told that they are
not boys or girls but can CHOOSE
their gender.
T his strikes me as risky, as
small children change their minds
all the time.
9:00:05 Do you need to use the
toilet, son? No, Dad.
9:00: 25 [dancing as we get on
the bus] DAD! I need to wee!

NOW! And Im a girl!
***
But I quite like the idea of being
genderfluid.
For example, its well known
that lightning kills six times as
many males as females.
Thunderbolts seems to seek out
males.
If all guys dressed as women on
rainy days, many lives would be
saved. I might write a childrens
book about it: T he Day Mr
Lightning Found No One to Fry.
But as it would contain cross
dressing I would have to ban it
from my home.
Laughter is the Best Medicine
BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA
AND
PAKISTAN
New York Head Quarter
422S Broadway
HICKSVILLE
NY 11801
5168271010
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.
DIWALI SPECIAL
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
76
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016
ASTROLOGY
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874;

Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899;
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
Stars Foretell: October 29-November 4, 2015

ARIES: Timely & swift action would give an edge
over others at professional front.
Friends and family members
would lend a helping hand. A new
financial deal gets finalized paving
the way for fresh money. Enjoying
the company of partner in a lively
restaurant would bring immense romantic pleas
ure. Good time to divert attention to spirituality
to enhance mental toughness. Take some time to
travel with your spouse for romance and seduc
tion. A good deal on commercial property might
occur. You put mind to test by playing
chess/crosswords or writing a story/poetry.
TAURUS: Colleagues and subordinates will lend a

helping hand enabling to complete
the work on time. An unexpected
message from a distant relative
brings happy news for the entire
family. Financial position will
improve later in the week. The pres
ence of love would make you feel life meaningful.
A pleasure trip gives the muchneeded tonic to
health. You can make your vacation extra special
by planning it with your family and friends. Their
might be a chance of acquiring a plot from your
closed relative. A promising week to follow issues
that you have neglected earlier.
GEMINI: Success in completing difficult assign

ments brings a lot of laurels at work.
Relatives are likely to give some
valuable advice regarding person
al life. Real estate investment
would be lucrative. Love life brings
some memorable moments that you
could cherish rest of your life. Cutting down the
number of parties and pleasure jaunts would
help in keeping in good mood. Spiritual vacation
is a quest for life, plan it and enjoy it with your
family. You might deal in some ancestral proper
ty or any other parental property. Charity &
social work will attract you this week.
CANCER: Selfconfident would enable to convey

your point of view with ease a work
place. You receive care and affec
tion from family members.
Investment in stocks & mutual
funds would help in earning prof
its. Your flashing smile would work
as the best antidote for romantic partners unhap
piness. A beneficial week to work on things that
will improve your health. Vacation full of beauty
and history as well as exciting is waiting for you.
A deal regarding residential property can start
moving on its right path. Construction work
undertaken will finish to your satisfaction.
LEO: Mental clarity gives a decisive edge over all

competitors at professional front.
Matrimonial alliance for eligible
bachelor in family brings joy to
all. Longterm investment in
stocks & mutual funds will enable
to earn profits. Sharing candyfloss
and tof fees with lover/beloved would bring
unlimited joy. Traveling on your own, with a
friend or with the whole family will be exciting
and comfortable too. Discussing property matters
with parents can help for better innovations. You
are likely to hear some compliments, which you
were expected for long.
VIRGO: Calculated risks would enables to com

plete the project on time. A new out
look will be the source of laughter
at family front this week.
Improvement in finances is cer
tain. Company of love partner
would inspire to take initiatives this
week. A week when smile will perpetually be on
your face and strangers will seem familiar. Travel
in comfort with kids to an adventurous place
might be possible. Planning a property might
explore new horizons for you and your family.
Your choice of activities will not only keep you
busy but also benefit you.
LIBRA: A firm commitment will not only enable to

achieve professional targets but also
to realise your dreams. Enjoying a
picnic with family will not only
bring joy but also help in clearing
misunderstandings. Speculation
coupled with some unexpected gains
improves financial health. Your energy level will
be high. Better to channelise it in a positive direc
tion. A trip that stimulates and gives opportunity
for work is coming ahead. Your friends and fami
ly will be of great support if you are trying for an
office. You receive an invaluable guidance from a
spiritual leader.
SCORPIO: Cooperative nature brings desired

results at professional front.
Charming nature and pleasant
personality would make you the
attraction of family function this
week. A new source of income will
generate through influential con
tacts. Love partner touches soul that would take
imagination to unlimited heights. Positive
outlook impresses those around you besides
keeping you fit & fine. A luxurious getaway type
vacation with your spouse waiting for you. Its
time to make some property investments for
your kids.
SAGITTARIUS: For some change of job would

bring mental satisfaction. Family
members appreciate the changes
made in & around the house.
Investment made this week would
enhance prosperity and financial
security. Someones timely help
would enable visualizing succeeding in love.
Charity work undertaken will bring mental peace
& comfort. Thrilling experience is on your way, as
your trip is full of excitement Purchasing official
accessories can lead to improve growth of your
office. You would be full of good ideas especially
in later half of the week.
CAPRICORN : Your inner values coupled with a

positive attitude will bring success
at work. Friends and family mem
bers would encourage to work
harder. An improvement in finan
cial position would enable to make
important purchases. Romantic
imagination would keep you in a jovial & cheerful
mood. Meditation and selfrealization prove
beneficial. Pack your bags as a happy, funfilled
holiday is looking forward. Inheriting property
from your relatives seems to be ahead. Legal
battle proves fruitful as you succeed in your
efforts.
AQUARIUS : Responding positively & quickly to

new ideas in business will go in your
favour. You are likely to hear a
good news from close relatives.
You are likely to earn monetary
profits through most unexpected
sources. The company of love part
ner makes you forget about the work. You will
have ample time to do things to improve your
health. An enriching vacation full of fun is what
you need. Your income can be doubled by renting
your house or a part of your house. Favourable
planetary position will give you plenty of reasons
to cheer.
PISCES: Calculated risks at professional front will

be rewarded with success. An old
friend makes a pleasant visit later
in the week. A sudden inflow of
funds will take care of your bills
and immediate expenses. Sudden
romantic encounter will lift your
spirits. Sound physical health will
enable to participate in outdoor activities. Time
to make your vacation a dream come true. It
would be beneficial if you plan to buy a small
property.
Timely help to someone will be
rewarded/acknowledged.
Annual Predictions: For those born in this week
29th October, 2016

Ruled planet: Moon Ruled by no: 2
Traits in you: Being number 2, you are a person who is
highly ambitious and always look upwards towards
progress and prosperity. You need to control your dom
inating nature, to keep those around you happy. You are
a born leader, and expect your colleagues and friends to
follow whatever you order them to. This sometimes,
leads to misunderstandings.
Health this year: Nature and natural surroundings will
draw your attention in the coming year. You will be able
to enjoy the seas, flowers and on the whole, nature,
which will give you a sense of satisfaction. Being closer
to nature gives both mental and physical peace.
Finance this year: Investment related to your house can
be profitable as you will decide to purchase a new plot.
It will improve your financial position by bringing long
term gains for you.
Career this year: In the coming year, your superiors will
notice your sincerity and loyalty, and they will entrust a
lot of responsibility on your shoulders. You will be able
to fulfill these duties to the utmost.
Romance this year: If you are in love, then your affair
will have to face some testing times as it might get dis
closed this year. However, it will be in your interest to
face it courageously, so that you can enjoy your life with
the person you love.
30th October, 2016
Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3
Traits in you: Being number 3, you are confident, ambi
tious and independent person who loves to work with
optimistic attitude. You are a born leader, and you are
always appreciated for your work, whether it is at home
or work place. Your efforts are always sincere and thats
why you balance your personal and professional life
very smoothly.
Health this year: This year you will make efforts to en
joy the true happiness. You need to keep in mind that
physical happiness is attained by selfrestraint, eating
simple but balanced & nourishing food and daily exer
cise. You will start participating in any sports or outdoor
activities to keep yourself in good health.
Finance this year: As far as finances are concerned, you
need to invest your hardearned money wisely. Look at
all the aspects of business before putting your money,
then only it would enable you to fetch good returns.
Career this year: Your ability to express your views and
ideas, will take you to the top of hierarchy, in the year
ahead of you. Your superiors will notice your sincerity
and loyalty. They will entrust a lot of responsibility on
your shoulders. You will be able to fulfill all these duties

to the utmost, making everyone happy.
Romance this year: This year, you might meet the sweet
est dream of your life, means a person of your dream,
whose thoughts have kept your memory radiant. It is
now upto you to take initiatives to develop friendly re
lations with him/her.
31st October, 2016
Ruled planet: Uranus Ruled by no: 4
Traits in you: Being number 4, you are a person who
likes to take responsibility and do your work with full
dedication and honesty. For the coming year, we would
advice that try to take all precautions while signing any
legal documents. If you are planning to sign a partner
ship, you will have to weigh all the pros and cons, before
getting into any legal matters.
Health this year: You can enjoy a sound health only by
keeping yourself stressfree. This is a year for you to re
alise that even short intense periods of stress may have
long term consequences on the functioning of the brain.
Therefore better to make it a habit to remain tension
free to enjoy the life to the fullest.
Finance this year: This year your financial position will
improve, as you might get some unexpected monetary
gains either from foreign transaction or major govern
ment contract. At the same time if you are planning to
go for some investments, invest after a careful thinking.
Career this year: The coming year will bring changes,
which will be beneficial to you. A change in job is likely
for some. This year your hard work will bring you suc
cess and recognition. Partnership in business will be
fruitful.
Romance this year: This whole year you will be enjoying
your personal life, as you and your partner will share
some most cherishing moments of your life. To enjoy
your romance, understand each other's requirement and
try to fulfill them. You can plan to go on a vacation too.
1st November, 2016
Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1
Traits in you: As you are governed by the Sun, you epit
omize uniqueness and philosophy. You are courageous,
daring, courteous, affectionate, decisive, and very deter
mined by nature. However, you need to work on your im
patience and short tempered nature to become a better
individual.
Health this year: You need to take 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
sportsperson, you need to be very careful for your diet
and nutrition to perform better in your sporting events.
Finance this year: You may prosper financially with the

opportunity to earn as much as possible with new
sources of income. You may go for long distance busi
ness trips if you want success in your business. Be aware
of fraud investment agencies as you may end up losing
a huge amount of money. You are advised not to lend
money this year.
Career this year: You will be very impressive in your pro
fessional circuit this year. However, you need to work
smart and perform well to grow as a perfectionist. You
should take quick decisions to excel in your field. You
may have to help your ordinates to drive productivity.
Romance this year: You will enjoy an improved life with
your partner with lot of love, care, and concern. You
should give time to your spouse or partner. If you are
not married, you might have to wait as the movement of
your planets does not suggest a marital alliance this
year.
2nd November, 2016
Ruled planet: Moon Ruled by no: 2
Traits in you: As dominated by the Moon, you are very
peace loving. You do not want to get involved in unnec
essary talks. You are reliable, emotional, generous, hum
ble, kind, mature, and optimistic. However, you need to
eradicate selfishness from your nature to improve as an
individual.
Health this year: As far as your health is considered you
may go through minor health issues this year. However,
regular medical checkups and proper medication will
solve this problem. You may go for Yoga and meditation
classes to remain healthy.
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 invest for future. Do not lend or borrow money
from your friends or colleagues.
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 various awards and rewards as well. You may
share your ideas with the higher management as it
would help you grow quickly.
Romance this year: You may get some good news from
your spouse or partner later this week. This will make
your relationship grow stronger. You may have to trav
el to distant places to spend time youre your partner
and maintain a good relationship.
3rd November, 2016
Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3
Traits in you: Being ruled by Jupiter, you are courteous,
courageous, decisive, ambitious, disciplined, and realis

tic. You are gifted with high imagination power, opti
mism, 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: As far as health is concerned, you will
be enjoying a pretty good health this year. However,
some of your family members may fall sick and that will
bother you.
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 will get enough opportunities in
your professional life to prove yourself. You will create
a better impression on your seniors or higher manage
ment, which may result in promotion. You should work
efficiently to maintain your respect at your workspace.
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.
4th November, 2016
Ruled planet: Uranus Ruled by no: 4
Traits in you: The influence of your ruling planet
Uranus makes you active, practical, enthusiastic, coura
geous, ambitious, and highly philosophical. You are very
proud of your traditions, culture and rituals. You are
highly religious and have a very sharp mind. However,
you need to work on your impatient and stubborn be
havior.
Health this year: You should take your prescribed med
ication in spite of a better health. The health of your par
ents may make you a worried person.
Finance this year: Your undisputed energy and enthusi
asm to earn money will make you financially stable this
year. You may go for property sale this year and earn a
lot of money.
Career this year: You will get new heights in your pro
fession because of your excellent communication skills.
Your employer would be very impressed and will admire
you. You may get few extra responsibilities and salary
will also increase. You will get expert in your domain and
you must go for learning new things in your profession.
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.
DIWALI SPECIAL
Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016

Vol.9 Issue 27 - October 29-November 4, 2016

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Vol.9 Issue 27 - October 29-November 4, 2016

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The South Asian Times

Vol.9 No. 27 Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016 80 Cents

New York Edition

The South Asian Times

New York Edition | Follow us on

Diwali Special 25-62

October 22-28, 2016

Trump speaks Hindi in

economy coupled with steady lowering of

New York: Donald Trump's campaign is

campaign slogan, "Ab Ki Baar Trump

FBI restarting Hillary Clinton

Of ficials said the discovery prompted a

Jaipur (India) Bureau

Co-Founder: Saroosh Gull

Contributing Editors: Meenakshi Iyer,

President: Arjit Mehta

steps to determine whether the newly

IANS Newswire Services

Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/

Printing: Five Star Printing, NY

Photo Journalist: Sandeep Girhotra

Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah

Chief Operating Officer:

West Coast Correspondent

Art and Design: Dhiraj Kumar Showaan

Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra

New Delhi Bureau

Web Editor: Bharat Bhushan Chopra

Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016

Rotary Club of Hicksville

attendees. T he event was led by

Former Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi at the garba event.

Indian dresses danced to their

New York: India Association of Long

Chhavi Verg claims title of Alma mater honors Romola

Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016

Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016

Lara Yunaska Trump on her visit to Rajdhani Mandir in Fairfax county,

majority (about 70 per cent) of

Community comes out in full

BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha

In a first, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan

LA Jain Sangh hosts rst retreat

Raja Krishnamoorthi with Chicago community leaders

went on to deliver a passionate

New York: Many prominent lead

Jain Studies at University of

Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016

Hillary turns fire on down ballot Republicans

she said. And in reference to

After listing some of Trump's

'Clinton ally gave money

Washington: Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, a close ally

Washington: Democrats are increasingly acknowledging that

Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016

Oct 29-Nov 4, 2016

Bill Clinton for profit income Nikki Haley will vote

Bill and Hillary at a Clinton Foundation event (Photo courtesy EPA).

nificant sums of money from my

Democrats accuse Mike Pence plane skids at LaGuardia

Washington, DC: The Democratic

ostensibly to prevent voter fraud,

ed. A spokesperson for the Federal