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e x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
Vol.10 No. 25 October 21-27, 2017 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
 The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
Vol.10 No. 25 October 21-27, 2017 80 Cents Diwali Special Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Courting India,
Tillerson knocks
China, Pakistan

Secretary of State Rex W.

Tillerson is visiting South Asia.
In his speech to a think tank
Wednesday he wished
everyone Happy Diwali.
Washington: US Secretary of
State Rex Tillerson on
Wednesday, ahead of his visit to
India next week, outlined
Washington's India policy by
In his speech in Oval Office, President Trump recognized US ties with India and the contributions of the Indian American community.
asserting that the Trump
He said he values his very strong relationship with PM Modi
administration was determined
to dramatically deepen ties
with India amid hopes that
Islamabad acts decisively
against terror.
Tillerson made the remark in
President Trump celebrates
a speech at Washingtons
Center for Strategic and
International Studies think
tank. He started off by saying,
Let me begin by wishing every
Diwali in the White House
Washington: President Donald Trumps daughter Ivanka also Indian community leaders Today, I was deeply honored to
one a very Happy Diwali. ..
Trump celebrated Diwali at the attended the festivities in the Oval included Shalabh Kumar, whose be joined by so many administra
Thereafter, he went on to
White House by lighting a diya Office on Tuesday. Oct 17. Also Republican Hindu Congress had tion officials and leaders of the
explain the US stance on a num
amid a gathering of Indian present were Federal supported Trumps campaign for IndianAmerican community to
ber of policy initiatives.
Americans in his administration Communications Commission President last year. celebrate Diwali the Hindu
Tillerson juxtaposed the rise
and community leaders and said chairman Ajit Pai, US envoy to the Trump gave an effusive speech Festival of Lights, he said in a
of India and its bigger neighbor
he greatly valued his relationship UN Nikki Haley and Administrator recognizing the US ties with India message posted on his Facebook
and said, China, while rising
with Indian Prime Minister of the Centers for Medicare and and the contributions of the Indian page. As we do so, we especially
Continued on page 6 Narendra Modi. Medicaid Services Seema Verma. American community. Continued on page 6

President Kovind, PM Modi greet nation on Diwali

New Delhi: President Ram Nath
Kovind and Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Thursday greet
ed the countrymen on the auspi
cious occasion of Diwali 2017.
The President today took to
Twitter to wish people on Diwali.
He appealed to the people to be
sensitive to others and also the
environment as we celebrate the
festival of lights. Diwali greetings
to all. As we celebrate with our fam
ilies, let us promote sensitivity to
others and to our environment, the
President tweeted. Meanwhile, PM
Modi, who is highly active on the
social media, also took to Twitter
and extended his greetings to the
people on Diwali. Hearty wishes to
the people of India on the auspi
cious occasion of Diwali, he tweet
ed. He also shared a picture with a
message reading, May this auspi
cious festival brighten your lives
with prosperity and good health
and may there be happiness all
around.

US AFFAIRS 12 DIWALI SPECIAL 18-26 BUSINESS 35 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 41 excellence in journalism

TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIWALI SPECIAL October 21-27, 2017
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIWALI SPECIAL October 21-27, 2017
 6 October 21-27, 2017
PM Modi to celebrate Diwali
with jawans on China border
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi is likely to visit Kedarnath
shrine in Uttarakhand on October
20 and celebrate this year's Diwali
with the troops of the Indian Army
and the IndoTibetan Border Police
(ITBP) on the China border there.
The PM is scheduled to visit the holy
shrine a day after Diwali and will
inaugurate a number of projects
including the temple protection wall
which has been built to prevent
2013like floods from hitting the
temple devoted to Lord Shiva, media
reports quoted a source as saying.
The prime ministers program was
expected to be announced via twit
ter on Diwali day.
Rashtrapati Bhavan to
be lit up every day now
Rashtrapati Bhavan, North and South Block
in New Delhi will have dynamic lighting.
New Delhi : Rashtrapati Bhavan,
North Block and South Block will
be lit with multicolored LED
lights now onwards. Every
evening, the buildings will be lit
with lights changing colors
every few seconds. Reportedly,
over 50,000 LED bulbs have
been fitted to the walls of the
building. Those in Delhi will be
able to witness this visual treat
between 7 pm and 5 am while
Chairman and Co-Founder
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TURN PAGE
India reiterates concern
to US over H1-B visa issue
New Delhi: India reiterated its
concern to the US over the latest
bid to introduce stricter norms
for issuance of H1B visas which
are largely availed by Indian IT
firms. The Indian concerns were
conveyed during a meeting
between External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj and a US
Congressional delegation from
the House Committee on Science,
Space and Technology. "EAM
@SushmaSwaraj flagged the issue
of H1B visa as a strong concern
the fullcapacity lighting will be
and sought bipartisan
operational between 8 pm and 9
Congressional support for the
pm. The lights will also be
same," External Affairs Ministry
changed on special occasions
spokesperson Raveesh Kumar
such as Diwali, Independence
tweeted following the meeting
Day and Republic Day. The bulbs
between Sushma Swaraj and the
have a combination of 16 mil
ninemember delegation led by
lion colors.
the House Committee's Chairman
Officials said the lighting will
Lamar Smith. US President Trump
add the buildings to the league
has called for stricter norms for
of other historical sites, such as
issuance of H1B visas, largely
the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
availed of by Indian IT firms.
New Delhi Bureau
Meenakshi Iyer
Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Jaipur (India) Bureau
Associate Editor: Prakash Bhandari
Hiral Dholakia-Dave Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Contributing Editors: Surekha Vijh Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/
(Washington DC), Suchitra Srinivas (New masalajunction.com.
Jersey), Shivaji Sengupta, Nilima Madan, Xitij Joshi/xitijphoto.com
Melvin Durai, Dr Prem Kumar Sharma,
Ashok Vyas, Dr Akshat Jain, Photo Journalist: Sandeep Girhotra
and Ashok Ojha.
Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah
West Coast Correspondent
Pooja Jain, Art and Design: Dhiraj Kumar Showaan
Pooja@TheSouthAsianTimes.info Vladimir Tomovski
Bhagwati Creations,
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
President Trump Facebook page.
celebrates Diwali in the
White House
Last year Ivanka, who is now a
presidential advisor, had visited
Hindu temples in Virginia and
Continued from page 3
Florida as part of Diwali. Trump,
remember the people of India, the
then as the Republican presidential
home of the Hindu faith, who have
nominee, had addressed the Indian
built the worlds largest democracy.
American community from a public
I greatly value my very strong rela
meeting in New Jersey wherein he
tionship with Prime Minister Modi.
lit the traditional 'diya'. The tradi
Diwali is one of the most important
tion of Diwali celebration was first
celebrations in the Hindu religion,
started by former President George
said Trump.
Bush. In the first year of his presi
A time of peace and prosperity
dency, his successor Barack Obama
for the New Year, it is a tradition
lit the ceremonial Diya in the East
that is held dear by more than 1 bil
Rook of the White House.
lion Hindus worldwide and more
Thereafter he made it a point in cel
than 2 million Hindus in the US. It is
ebrating the festival of lights in one
also celebrated by millions of
way or the year.
Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jains in
America, India and around the
Courting India, Tillerson
world.
Our IndianAmerican neighbors
knocks China, Pakistan
Continued from page 3
and friends have made incredible
alongside India, has done so less
contributions to our country and
responsibly. Elaborating, he
to the world. You have made
added, Need to collaborate with
extraordinary contributions to art,
science, medicine, business and
India to ensure that IndoPacific is
education. America is especially
thankful for its many Indian
region of peace and stability. On
the common ground that US and
American citizens who serve
BRAVELY in our armed forces and
India have on freedom of seas,
Tillerson said, Chinas provocative
actions in South China Sea directly
as first responders in communities
challenge the international law and
throughout our great land, Trump
norms that US and India both stand
said on Facebook.
for.
The US President then explained
On Indias archenemy, he said,
why diya, or earthen lamp, is lit
We expect Pakistan to take deci
during Diwali. The lighting of the
sive action against terrorist groups
diya is typically celebrated by fami
based within their own borders that
lies in their homes. Today, we
threaten their own people and the
proudly celebrate this holiday in
broader region.
THE PEOPLES HOUSE.
Indicating the positive nature of
In so doing, we reaffirm that
the IndiaUS relationship, Tillerson
IndianAmericans and Hindu
said I do look forward to returning
Americans are truly cherished,
to Delhi next week, first time in my
treasured and beloved members of
official capacity. This visit could not
our great American FAMILY.
come at a more promising time for
We wish all of Americas Hindus
USIndia relationship.
and everyone who celebrates Diwali
He called on India to fully
a joyous holiday and blessings of
embrace the potential as a leading
light, goodness, and prosperity
player in the international security
throughout the New Year. And now
arena, adding that the US expects
we will light the diya, the President
Pakistan to take decisive action
said. A video of the White House
against terrorist groups based
celebration and Trumps message
within its borders.
was posted to the Presidents
Web Editor: Bharat Bhushan Chopra
News Service: HT Media Ltd.
IANS Newswire Services
IANS Washington Bureau
Arun Kumar
arun.kumar@ians,in
Printing: Five Star Printing, NY
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY October 21-27, 2017 7

Oct 19 is official Diwali TRUMP EFFECT?

Day for New York
ANNOUNCEMENT FROM STATE GOVERNORS
40% decline in Indians
CCNY's Michelle Valladares
REPRESENTATIVES WAS MADE AT
AAPIQLIS DIWALI GALA
looking for work in US
Bengaluru: President Trump's steadily growing Indian economy

Indiaborn antiimmigration stance and

Britain's exit from the European
and political uncertainty abroad
has persuaded skilled Indian tal
receives Poet Union last year have resulted in a
lower number of Indians looking
ent to stay at home to find jobs
and this in turn has fostered a
of the Year for jobs in these two countries.
There has been a 38% and 42%
thriving startup scene," said Sashi
Kumar, managing director at
award drop in Indians looking to move to Indeed India.
New York: City College of New the US and UK respectively in the The report also showed that the
York (CCNY) poet and filmmak last 12 months, compared to the prospect of Brexit could be deter
er, Michelle Yasmine Valladares corresponding previous year, data ring Indian job seekers looking to
is the Americas Poetry Festival from job site Indeed showed. work in the UK. This has made
of New Yorks Poet of the Year. Overall, there has been a 5% them scout for other European
The award is for her lifelong lit decrease in Indians looking to countries such as Germany and
erary achievements and for her move abroad in search of job Ireland, which has seen a 10% and
Himanshu Pandya (VP), Ajay Lodha (Immediate Past President, AAPI
poetry that reflects the rich mul opportunities, the report added. 20% rise respectively from
National), Rakesh Dua (President, AAPIQLI), Hersh Parekh and Joanne
ticultural spirit of The The volatile political situations Indians in the same period, the
Choi from Governor Cuomos office, Jagdish Gupta (President elect),
Americas. Abhay Malhotra and Raj Bhayani at the gala. in developed countries have also report stated.
Valladares, who is director of On Friday ,October 13 at Akbar Restaurant , Garden City , NY. made Indians look for jobs in their There has also been a 21% drop
City Colleges MFA Program in home country. The reverse job in the number of Indians looking
Garden City, NY: It was a joyous Hersh Parekh and Joanne Choi
Creative Writing, was among 60 search to India has seen an uptick, to move to the Gulf because of the
occasion for the Indian communi from state Governor Andrew
poets from around the world with a 25% rise in people from the slump in oil price and economic
ty of New York. The AAPIQLI Cuomo's office declaring October
that participated in the Americas UK, the report said. The trend was slowdown in West Asia.
Annual Diwali celebration at 19 as official Diwali Day for the
Poetry Festival in New York. The even more pronounced for the Despite the declining figures,
Akbar restaurant here was attend state of New York. AAPIQLI is the
event featured readings in five AsiaPacific region, with a 170% the US still tops the list of coun
ed by over 400 physicians and largest chapter of National AAPI,
languages. increase in interest in moving to tries that Indians would like to
their spouses as attendees includ and represents all the Indian ori
Born in India and raised in India. migrate to, with 49% of Indians
ing various community leaders. gin physicians from Queens and
Kuwait, Valladares is the author "This new data shows a reversal searching for jobs overseas look
The highlight of the Oct 13 Long Island. Dr Rakesh Dua is its
of Nortada, The North Wind. of the usual job search trend. The ing at the US.
event was the announcement by current President.

SAGA train continues to roll in its 13th year!

Monroe, NJ: The South Asian Golf Association
(www.sagagolf.com)s train continues to roll
forward with golng memories and lifelong
friendships that have been formed along the
way. The 13th year SAGA train stop / annual
gala was held on Sept 30 at legendary Banks
course at Forsgate Country Club, one of the
best golf courses in New Jersey, by crowning
its SAGA Tour Champions and the SAGA Open
winners. To make the golng experience more
enjoyable for it members, SAGA this year
added new and challenging golf courses:
Banks/Palmer at Forsgate Country Club and
Shackamaxon Country Club. Fun lled activi
ties started with the SAGA Open round fol
lowed by putting contest for spouses/kids,
cocktails, dinner, award ceremonies, music and
dancing.
The SAGA Open winners included Mahul
Balar for low gross, Santosh Hanumaiah for
low net; winning team included Shyam
Jagirdar, Varun Kochar, Madhu Kumar and
Sandesh Shetty. Straightest drive awards went
to Vamshi Vaddiraja. Mahesh Yadav and Aqil
Ahsan won the closest to the pin contest.
Shyam Jagirdar won the longest drive award.
Rajesh Arora was the putting contest winner.
Ashish Kapoor won the award of the most
improved golfer of 2017. Priyasha Sabherwal
won the girls putting contest. Aadithya Gulyani
won the boys putting contest and Pali Ahuja
won the ladies putting contest.
Due to popular demand, parent / child event
was organized by Nishith Shah this year. These
junior track golfers were recognized during the
ceremonies. Trophies and awards were handed
out by the many enthusiastic and generous
sponsors including United Healthcare, NJ
Group Services, Optima Global Solutions, HAB
Anish Joshi Memorial Trophy Winner &
SAGA Tour Champion Shyam Jagirdar (From Left) Board Members Pir Mohammed, Paresh Desai, Uday Patel, Vinay Bahuguna,
(left) and Dr. Bipin Patel Sanjay Seth & Founder/President Mahesh Yadav
Bank and Mercedes Benz of Princeton. Dr.
Anil Joshi and Anju Joshi donated the tourna
ment prizes including one week vacation for
the Anish Joshi Memorial Trophy winner.
The SAGA Tour champions in all three divi
sions were crowned at the end of the annual
round. In ight I, Sanjeev Sarna nished 1st,
Deep Thapliyal nished 2nd and Tushar Patil
3rd. In ight II, Shyam Jagirdar nished 1st
followed by Madhu Kumar and Sandesh
Shetty. Paresh Desai was the winner in ight
III followed by Paresh Sangani and Vinit
Mokal. Shyam Jagirdar also claimed the cov
eted Anish Joshi Memorial Trophy which is
awarded to one of the ight winners who had
most number of stableford points during the
SAGA Open round.
SAGA was formed by Mahesh Yadav in
2005 and supported by board members
Vinay Bahuguna, Paresh Desai, Uday Patel,
Sanjay Seth and Pir Mohammed (honorary
board member).
 8 October 21-27, 2017 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal donates

$25 million to Harvard University
Washington, DC: Steel tycoon Lakshmi
Mittal has donated $25 million to the
prestigious Harvard University with an
aim to increase engagement with South
Asian countries, including India.
The donation will establish an endowed
fund for the South Asia Institute at the
University.
The institute spearheads Harvard's
engagement with South Asian countries,
including India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal,
Pakistan and Sri Lanka as well as diaspora
populations from these countries, the
University said in a statement.
As a result of the endowment from the
Mittal Foundation, Harvard's South Asia
Institute would be called as Lakshmi
Mittal South Asia Institute at Harvard
University, it said.
Founded in 2003, the South Asia
Initiative became a Universitywide inter
disciplinary institute in 2010 under the
leadership of its current faculty director,
IndianAmerican Tarun Khanna, the Jorge
Paulo Lemann Professor at Harvard
Business School.
"We are so grateful for the Mittal fami
Lakshmi Mittal
(Image courtesy: oneindia.com)
ly's support and what it will enable us to
learn and share across the sciences,
social sciences, and the humanities and
the many people and institutions it will
allow us to engage," said Mr. Khanna.
"International centers like the South
tant work being done by this community
As a result of the of scholars and students and the continu
ing impact it will have in the region," Mr.
endowment from Faust added.
South Asia has played a dynamic and
the Mittal inuential role in the development of our
world since the very rst civilizations, said
Foundation, 67yearold Mittal, chairman and CEO of
ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel
Harvard's South company.
"Ensuring that we fully understand its
Asia Institute history and unique dynamics is a critical
enabler in helping to shape a successful
would be called future," he added.
As someone who was born in India, the
as Lakshmi Mittal longterm prosperity of India and its
neighboring countries "matters a great
South Asia deal to me and my family," Mr. Mittal told
Harvard Gazette in an interview.
"Harvard is one of the world's greatest
Institute. learning institutions, with a unique ability
to facilitate dialogue and drive thinking
Asia Institute at Harvard University serve and progress," he said.
as a vital conduit between the University The Mittal family has long supported
and the world we study," said Harvard educational endeavors and public policy
President Drew Faust. development in India as a means of posi
"The generous support from the Mittal tioning the country and the region for
family is a testament to both the impor future success, the University said.

CCTV footage to hunt

The 9member delegation with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
Lamar Smith led US Congressional
delegation visits India
Washington, DC: A 9member
Congressional delegation led by
Chairman of the House Committee
on Science, Space and Technology
Congressman Lamar Smith and
comprising Congressman Mo
Brooks, Congressman Thomas
Massie, Congresswoman Barbara
Comstock, Congressman Darren
Soto, Congressman Ami Bera,
Congressman Brian Babin,
Congressman Dana Rohrabacher
and Congressman Mark Sanford
visited India from October 15th to
18th. During the visit, the
Congressional delegation met
with External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj, Minister of
Commerce & Industry Suresh
Prabhu, Minister of Science &
Technology Harsh Vardhan and
National Cyber Security
Coordinator Gulshan Rai. The del
egation also visited Bengaluru
where they held discussions with
ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar.
The visit focused on the strength
ening of IndiaU.S. cooperation in
the areas of science, technology,
space and cybersecurity.
for missing child in Texas
Houston: Police in Richardson,
Texas, are still holding out hope for
a threeyearold Indian girl who
mysteriously disappeared 10 days
ago after her foster father left her in
an alley at 3 am for not drinking
her milk. Sherin Mathews vanished
on October 7 after her adoptive
father Wesley Mathews told police
he left her outside their home at 3
am as punishment for not drinking
her milk. Mathews claimed that
when he went to check on her
around 3:15 am Sherin was gone.
Police in Richardson said he waited
ve hours before reporting Sherin
missing. He reportedly told police
that the alleyway where he left
Sherin is frequented by coyotes.
In their latest Facebook post, the
Richardson Police Department said
it appreciated the messages of sup
port and the efforts of the commu
nity in resolving the case.
"We continue to investigate the
disappearance from 10/7/17.
Wesley Mathews, Sherin
(Image courtesy: dallasobserver.com)
Detectives are working through the
video surveillance collected...," the
statement said. "The process of
reviewing evidence both digital and
physical, as well as witness state
ments is a time consuming process
and we ask for patience as we make
progress," it said.
Police also appealed to the public
to contact them if they have any
information relating to this case.
Meanwhile, new images of Sherin
have been released by acquaintanc
es of the family on a public page on
Facebook. One video shows Sherin
singing happy birthday. Another
video shows her playing at church.
After the girl's parents stopped
cooperating with police, investiga
tors said they are working on a
lead: someone left the Richardson
home in the family's sports utility
vehicle (SUV) the morning of her
disappearance, local news channel
KTRK reported. Investigators are
looking for possible surveillance
footage of the maroon Acura SUV
leaving the home of Sherin, as they
try to determine who was driving it.
Wesley has since been arrested,
and bonded out, on a charge of child
endangerment and ordered to wear
an ankle monitor as the investiga
tion continues. Detectives have not
said whether Wesley is a suspect,
but they have cleared his wife Sini
Mathews. Police previously said she
was asleep and unaware her hus
band had made their daughter
stand outside as punishment. So far,
tips from the public have not led to
any denitive clues that could lead
police to Sherin. (PTI)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIWALI SPECIAL October 21-27, 2017
 10 October 21-27, 2017 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Nikki Haley says veto stands RutgersNew Brunswick

between India and UNSC seat
Washington, DC: US ambassador to
the United Nations Nikki Haley
said on Tuesday that America was
open to UN reforms to expand the
permanent membership of the
security council but the key for
India to get there would be to not
touch the issue of veto power that
current members are neither will
ing to share nor give up.
Haley also referred to President
Donald Trumps new South Asia
policy and his tougher approach
towards Pakistan.
We cannot tolerate its govern
ment (Pakistans) or any other gov
ernment giving safe haven to ter
rorists, she said, reiterating
Trumps call for India to do more
in Afghanistan.
But the UN reforms, Haley said
Nikki Haley
(Image courtesy: cnn.com)
at a discussion hosted by the advo
cacy group IndiaUS Friendship
Council is much more about the
veto. The permanentfive who
have veto the United States, the
United Kingdom, France, Russia
and China none of them wants
to give that up.
The key to getting India on the
Security Council would have to be
not touch the veto, Haley, added,
in a rare public discussion of the
American position on Indias claim
to a permanent UNSC seat, which
was first endorsed by former presi
dent Barack Obama in a visit to
India in 2010.
India has staked a claim to a per
manent seat on a reformed UN
security council, with all the same
powers but along with other mem
bers of the G4 pressure group
Germany, Japan and Brazil has
backed deferred and phased roll
out of the veto power, after a tran
sition period of 15 years.
(Source: hindustantimes.com)
grad student measures
the melting of
Greenland ice
New Brunswick, NJ: When
she was an undergraduate
in India, everyone Rohi
Muthyala knew seemed to
be studying computer sci
ence. Everyone was work
ing on computers and
never getting up from
their screens, she remem
bered. They didnt seem
very happy. I didnt want
that.
As a doctoral student in
geography, working with
Asa Rennermalm in the
School of Arts and
Sciences at Rutgers
UniversityNew Brunswick,
Muthyala still spends part

Zee TVs new show to feature of her time working with

computers, but she most

Indian American success stories

New York: Zee TV launched Those
Who Made It, directed by Mayank
Tripathi, which is a series that fea
tures an Indian American entre
preneur and philanthropist every
episode. The show follows the
individuals as they recount their
path to success and share stories
from their personal and profes
sional lives. The series premiered
on October 14. The first episode
followed Sheela Murthy, a suc
cessful lawyer who founded the
Murthy Law Firm to help other
immigrants like herself to maneu
ver through the complicated legal
process. Her firm is ranked as one
of the worlds leading U.S. immi
gration law firms. The upcoming
episodes will relay the tales of
Sant Chatwal, Frank Islam, AJ
Khubani, Suri Sehgal, Javad
Hassan and Mafat Patel all of
these enterprizers are an inspira
tion to South Asian immigrants
who are pursuing their own
American dream.
Sameer Targe, CEO of Zee TV
America said, We realized that
there was a need in the market
place to reach a younger South
Asian audience who have an enor
mous desire to be in the glamour
world. Zee TV is the flagship tele
vision network for South Asians in
the US, we decided to launch
Made In America to fulfill their
Hollywood dreams, and create a
platform for them to be able to
showcase their talents. You can
follow Zee TV USAs new original
programming at zeeoriginals.com.
certainly gets up from her
screen. She spent two
Rohi Muthyala is on a quest to build better
weeks last summer on the
climate models (Image : Rutgers.edu)
edge of the Greenland ice
sheet, trying to understand how Rennermalm are trying to fill in
meltwater gets from the surface the details. Muthyala studies how
of the ice to the ocean. This melting water cuts channels in
understanding is important the ice sheet and how those chan
because there are no good com nels and the constant thawing
puter models of how the melting and refreezing of the ice sheets
of Greenlands ice sheet actually surface affect the flow of water at
works. Hundreds of millions of the mouth of a river. She also
people around the world live near wants to know if what she learns
sea level, and meltwater from the about the area shes studying can
Greenland ice sheet contributes to be scaled up to give her a picture
sea level rise. Muthyala, fellow of the entire region of southwest
student Sasha Leidman, and ern Greenland.

DIASPORA

Indianorigin teen is UK's youngest millionaire

London: An Indianorigin teenager has
become one of Britain's youngest million
aires after his online estate agency business
got valued at 12 million pounds in just over
a year.
Akshay Ruparelia, at just 19 years of age,
juggled his school work with negotiating
property deals for his nofrills business that
offers to sell properties for a fraction of the
cost charged by established high street
estate agents.
This week "doorsteps.co.uk" became the
18th biggest estate agency in the UK just 16
months after the website went live.
Ruparelia claims to have already sold 100
million pounds worth of properties since he
set up his business.
"I got the website up and running and
after a couple of weeks a man in Sussex
asked me to sell his home and a separate
chunk of land he owned beside it.
"I had to pay my sister's boyfriend 40
pounds to drive me to Sussex to take photo
graphs of the house, as I hadn't passed my
driving test and didn't have a car," he recalls.
(Image courtesy: ummid.com)
The north Londonbased schoolboy was
able to sell the property and land within
three weeks, which set the ball rolling.
He started his company with 7,000
pounds, borrowed from relatives and now
employs 12 people.
In the initial stages of his business, he
hired a call centre to answer calls coming in
to his work while he was at school and
Akshay Ruparelia's model is
based on hiring an
ever-expanding network of
self-employed mothers
across the UK, who show
clients around the properties
he has been asked to sell.
would return the calls after his classes.
His model is based on hiring an ever
expanding network of selfemployed moth
ers across the UK, who show clients around
the properties he has been asked to sell.
The teenage tycoon believes his model is
set to turn the property selling market away
from agents in flashy suits.
"Quite rightly people trust mums. Every
mum who works for me will be honest and
tell the truth. It is important. For the majori
ty of people selling their home is the biggest
financial transaction of their lives," he told
the 'Daily Mirror.' Ruparelia attributes the
idea to set up a small business to reading
the biography of nofrills airline Ryanair
founder Michael O Leary.
"Mr O Leary began by selling flights for
just 4.99 pounds. His point was that if you
can offer customers something at a price
they can't believe and you deliver what you
say you will, you hook people in and your
business will work," he said.
The schoolboy is now well on his way to
support his two deaf parents, who he says
are very proud of him.
His father, 57yearold Kaushik, is a care
worker and mother, 51yearold Renuka, is a
teaching assistant for deaf children and a
support worker for deaf children with
Camden Council in London. Ruparelia has
got an offer to study economics and mathe
matics at Oxford University but has decided
to put that on hold to grow his business. He
began by paying himself 500 pounds a
month from the profits, which he has
increased to 1,000 pounds a month and is
saving up to buy his first car. (PTI)

The South Asian Times is a non-partisan, values-based newspaper for the Indian community in the tristate area and for the Indian diaspora at large in USA. Yet, from time to time,
when we feel a worthy candidate needs to be supported for elected office, we endorse him or her. In the past we have endorsed Narendra Modi for Prime Minister of India, and
he went on to record landslide victory in 2014. We also endorsed the winning candidates Bill de Blasio for New York Mayor in 2013 and Edward P. Mangano for Nassau County
Executive in the 2009 election. For the November 7 election next month, we are endorsing the following four candidates on Long Island.
W e endorse Senator Jack
Martins as the candidate
for Nassau County Executive on
W e endorse Anthony Santino
as the candidate for Town
of Hempstead Supervisor on the
W e endorse Judy Bosworth, a
Democrat, as Town of North
N asrin Ahmads life story tra-
verses several continents
and professions. Her experienc-
The South Asian Times endorses
Jack Martins
For Nassau County Executive
the Republican Party line. As a
son of immigrants, a husband and
the father of four daughters, Jack
Martins is focused on making
Nassau County a better place to
live, work and raise a family.
Jack was a New York State Sen-
ator and also the Mayor of Mine-
ola. He has the experience Nassau
needs for this important job.
As Nassau County Executive,
Anthony Santino
For Town of Hempstead Supervisor
Republican Party line. Seeking a
second term, Tony will be commit-
ted to ending the corruption that
has compromised the publics trust
in government, protecting local
property taxpayers and creating an
economic renaissance to provide a
brighter future for the middle class.
Tonys goals are to cut spend-
ing, reducing costs and sav-
ing tax dollars with innovation,
Judy Bosworth
Town of North Hempstead Supervisor
Hempstead Supervisor, a position
she has served in admirably since
2014. She understands the issues
that are important to her constitu-
ents -- quality of life, a fiscally re-
sponsible government, the preser-
vation of the environment and the
administrations responsiveness.
Judy has always tried to stay
focused on doing what is right.
Nasrin Ahmad
For Hempstead Town Clerk
es living in different countries,
working in global financial in-
stitutions, raising a family and
becoming involved in a wide
variety of community activities
ultimately led her to a career in
public service. She has been a
longtime advocate for education
and equality, which has shaped
her philosophy both personally
and professionally.
US AFFAIRS
Jack will be committed to ending
the corruption that has compro-
mised the publics trust in govern-
ment, protecting local property tax-
payers and creating an economic
renaissance to provide a brighter
future for the middle class.
Jack has plans to fix the fiscal
situation in Nassau County, start-
ing with fixing the broken prop-
erty tax assessment system and
strengthening ethics and increas-
ing transparency, working for
families and seniors and protect-
ing our environment.
Supervisor Santino has a
proven record of fiscal success.
His top priority has always been
maintaining town programs and
services while showing the high-
est degree of respect for each
and every taxpayer who calls this
Her administration has been
guided by honesty, integrity and
open-mindedness. She intends to
continue to advocate on behalf of
the Town residents on many con-
troversial issues: including stop-
ping a proposed casino in Carle
Place; PSEG-LIs use of a harmful
chemical on utility poles and New
York Citys plan to tap into Nassau
Born in Uganda in 1957, Ms
Ahmad moved with her family to
Great Britain, before immigrating
to the USA, settling in Salisbury
in the mid 1980s. There, with
her husband Naeem, she raised
3 children who graduated from
the East Meadow School District.
She speaks 4 languages and has
always been an advocate for cul-
tural diversity.
October 21-27, 2017
finding a way to hold the line on
taxes and balance the budget.
He also knows it is critical that
government finds a way to earn
back the public trust. As such, he
has proposed a new Nassau Coun-
ty Code of Ethics that includes:
Enhanced vetting to prevent
nepotism and improper instanc-
es of simultaneous employment
with multiple governmental en-
tities or county contractors.
Rigorous review of all county
contracts and vendors to pre-
vent conflicts of interest.
More expansive financial dis-
township home.
Under his leadership since
2016, Hempstead Town has re-
duced spending to control costs.
These positive steps have allowed
the town to provide top-notch
municipal services and programs
while minimizing the financial
burden on taxpayers.
He has also introduced and
enacted a comprehensive Eth-
ics Reform package that targets
public corruption and conflicts of
interest while enhancing govern-
ment transparency.
Whats refreshing is that Su-
Countys sole source aquifers.
Before assuming the Town Su-
pervisor office, Judy served for 6
years as the Nassau County Leg-
islator representing the 10th dis-
trict and 16 years on the Great
Neck Board of Education. This
grassroots foundation in public
service has influenced both her
priorities and her governing style.
Judi has always distinguished
herself as a consensus-builder and
leader. She has made a commit-
ment to maintaining the Towns in-
frastructure, producing a five-year
Nasrin Ahmad joined the
Hempstead Town Clerks office in
1998 and has been instrumental
in promoting and expanding a
multitude of services provided by
the office, including popular child
safety and senior citizen identifi-
cation programs.
Elected Town Clerk in 2014,
she oversees Town Board records
and the publication of public hear-
ings. The Office maintains birth,
death and marriage certificates,
issues licenses and permits, and
performs wedding ceremonies.
Nasrin Ahmad is committed
11
closure requirements for elect-
ed officials and policymakers.
To tackle the heroin and opioid
addiction problem in the county,
Jack Martins plan is convert va-
cant facilities at Nassau University
Medical Center into a full-service
in-patient treatment center for
such addicts. Jack Martins is an
honest, sincere, hard-working and
proven leader. His opponent Lau-
ra Curran wants to look backward
and talk about corruption of other
people. Jack Martins wants to look
forward and discuss ways to make
Nassau the best it can be.
pervisor Santino presides over an
effective and responsive munici-
pal government that is working
to enhance the communitys qual-
ity of life. Under him, Hempstead
Town has been named Clean
Energy Community by the New
York State Research & Develop-
ment Authority,
Supervisor Santino is also com-
mitted to creating quality housing
opportunities for all Town resi-
dents of all income levels. His op-
ponent Laura Gillen wants to look
backward and talk about corrup-
tion of other people.
capital plan that maximizes grant
funding. She is focused on provid-
ing excellent services to all resi-
dents, including through Project
Independence, the Towns aging-
in-place initiative, and through the
naming of an Applicant Advocate
to assist residents with navigat-
ing the permitting process in the
Building Department.
The Supervisor and her hus-
band, Dr. Jay Bosworth, reside in
Great Neck. They have two adult
children, Brian, a physician, and
Michael, an attorney.
to providing the highest level of
public service while saving the
residents hard earned tax dol-
lars. As Town Clerk, she has:
Brought essential services di-
rectly to town residents through
the Mobile Town Hall Program.
Visited senior centers through-
out the township to provide se-
nior IDs to thousands.
Created an additional layer of
transparency by posting Town
Board resolutions online.
Accepted over 7,000 passport
applications in the last year.
12 October 21-27, 2017 US Affairs

US threats of war with North

More workplace
crackdowns coming Korea dangerous: Hillary Clinton
over illegals
Washington: Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Director Tom Homan on Tuesday said his agency will vastly step up
crackdowns on employers who hire undocumented immigrants -- a
new front in President Trumps hardline immigration agenda.
Speaking at the conservative Heritage Foundation, Homan said
he has instructed Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the in-
vestigative unit of ICE, to potentially quintuple worksite enforce-
ment actions next year, reported CNN.
He said he recently asked HSI to audit how much of their time
is spent on work site enforcement, and said he has ordered that to
increase by four to five times. Weve already increased the number
of inspections in work site operations, you will see that significantly
increase this next fiscal year, Homan promised, saying the goal is to
remove the magnet drawing people to enter the US illegally.
And he said his agency would approach the task in a way thats
a little different than in the past, by going just as aggressively Hillary Clinton Speaking at a forum in Seoul. (Photo courtesy AFP)
after employees. Not only are we going to prosecute the employ-
ers that hire illegal workers, were going to detain and remove the Seoul: Former US presidential candidate Hill- bellicose exchanges between US President Don-
illegal alien workers, Homan said. ary Clinton said on Wednesday that cavalier ald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
threats to start war on the Korean peninsula are Picking fights with Kim Jong Un puts a smile
dangerous and short-sighted, urging the United on his face, Clinton said, without mentioning Trump
States to get all parties to the negotiating table. by name. Clinton also indirectly referred to Trumps

Twitter hands over 200 Clinton also called on China to take a more comments towards North Korea on social media, say-
outfront role in enforcing sanctions against ing the insults on Twitter have benefited North Ko-

Russia-linked accounts
North Korea aimed at curbing its missile and rea, I dont think theyve benefited the United States.
nuclear development, reported Reuters. Talks between the adversaries have long been
There is no need for us to be bellicose and urged by China in particular, but Washington
to investigators aggressive (over North Korea), said Clinton at a
forum in the South Korean capital Seoul, stress-
and its ally Japan have been reluctant to sit down
at the table while Pyongyang continues to pursue
Washington: Twitter has turned over to the US Senate 201 pro- ing the need for greater pressure on North Korea a goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile ca-
file names of accounts associated with alleged Russian effort to and diplomacy to bring Pyongyang to talks. pable of hitting the United States.
meddle in the presidential election last year. Tensions between Pyongyang and Washing- On Tuesday, Deputy Secretary of State John J.
The handover took place this week, Xinhua quoted US media re- ton have soared following a series of weapons Sullivan said the United States didnt rule out the
tests by North Korea and a string of increasingly eventual possibility of direct talks with North Korea.
ports saying on Friday. It was part of the social networking services
effort to aid in the Russian probe. Those handles were previously not
submitted partly due to legal privacy issues, the reports said.
The move came after critics said that the tech giant was not tak-
ing the congressional probe seriously enough.
Twitter was also criticized for reportedly deleting tweets and oth-
er user data useful to investigators looking into Moscows suspected
manipulation of the social media service during the 2016 election.
The Senate has invited Twitter, along with Facebook and Google,
to a public hearing set for November 1.

California to allow
gender neutral birth
certificate
Los Angeles: California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a state
Trumps wealth down $600mn,
senate bill, allowing a gender-neutral marker on birth certificates
and drivers licenses starting from 2019. California thus became
the first state in the US to allow a nonbinary gender to be marked
drops 92 spots in Forbes list
on birth certificates, Xinhua news agency reported.
The so-called nonbinary gender means not exclusively male or President Trumps NYC penthouse on the 66th floor of Trump Tower features marble walls,
female or a combination of two or more genders. According to the floors and columns throughout. 24-carat gold accents like platters, lamps, vases and crown
Gender Recognition Act approved on Sunday, California will offer a molding that outlines each room and tableau ceilings. Photo courtesy Sam Horine
gender-neutral option on state documents for those who are trans-
Washington: President Donald Trumps net a tough New York real estate market, particu-
gender, intersex and others who are not identified as male or female.
worth has slid by $600 million to $3.1 billion, larly for retail locations; a costly lawsuit and an
The law, published on the government official website, also made it
the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans expensive presidential campaign.
easier for people to change their gender identity on official documents.
showed on Tuesday. Trump ranks 248th on the Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates topped the
The Golden State is now also the second state in the US to allow
billionaires list this year, dropping 92 spots after list for a 24th consecutive year with a net worth
residents to be identified by a gender marker other than F or M
coming at 156th last year. The President is now estimated at $89 billion.
on their drivers license. Oregon and the District of Columbia had
tied with 27-year-old Snap co-founder and CEO Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, worth
earlier issued the gender-neutral option on their drivers licenses.
Evan Spiegel, the youngest person on the list. $81.5 billion, holds on to the second spot, followed
The magazine attributed Trumps decline to by Warren Buffett and Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIWALI SPECIAL October 21-27, 2017
 14 October 21-27, 2017 INDIA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

'Silo mentality' a Note ban was wrong

bottleneck in government
functioning: Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has asked bureau
crats to break out of the "silo
mentality", which he said is a "big
bottleneck" in the functioning of
the Union government, an official
release from the PMO said.
During interactions with around
380 Directors and Deputy
Secretaries working in various
departments and ministries in the
central government in four
groups over the last fortnight,
Modi asked them to work "with
full dedication" towards realizing
the dream of 'New India' by 2022.
Modi emphasized that it was
important to break the "silo men
tality" for effective functioning of
the government.
"He said that silos are a big bot
tleneck in the functioning of the
Union government. He urged the
officers to adopt innovative ways
to break silos, which will result in
the speeding up of various
processes of governance," the
release said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with the Directors and Deputy
Secretaries in New Delhi on Oct 18, 2017. (Photo: IANS/PIB)
During the interactions the
last of which happened on
Tuesday, subjects such as gover
nance, corruption, health, educa
tion, skill development, agricul
ture, transport, national integra
tion, water resources, Swachh
Bharat, tourism and Government
eMarketplace came up for dis
cussion.
"The Prime Minister exhorted
the officers to work with full ded
ication towards creation of New
India by 2022. He said officers at
the level of Directors and Deputy
Secretaries must create teams to
achieve better results," it said.
A silo mentality is defined as a
phenomenon where one depart
ment is reluctant to share infor
mation with other departments of
the same organisation, and also
do not welcome suggestions as to
how they might improve.
move: Kamal Hassan
Chennai: Apologizing
for supporting
demonetization,
actor Kamal Hassan
said he will again
salute Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi if he also
accepts that the note
ban was a mistake.
In an article in the
Actor Kamal Hassan.
Tamil magazine
Anandavikatan, the bear with minor irritants in the
actor said accepting and cor goal to eradicate black money,"
recting mistakes is a marker he wrote.
for great leaders which The actor said his friends
Mahatma Gandhi was able to and those who know econom
do. ics had called him and criti
Hassan said Modi should not cised his support for demoneti
be stubborn in arguing that sation.
the rabbit he had caught has Hassan said he later thought
three legs. that demonetisation was good
On his initial support for the but the manner in which it was
demonetisation of 1,000 and implemented was wrong.
500 rupee notes, Hassan said He said now there were voic
he had welcomed the move es saying demonetisation was
and tweeted that it should be a deception and the weak
supported regardless of party response from the government
affiliation. raises serious doubts about the
"I thought people should scheme.

BJP declares Stop political violence or you will

Himachal list,
Dhumal to be wiped out: Shah
contest from Thiruvananthapuram: Winding

Sujanpur up his party's campaign Kerala showed

New Delhi: Former Chief
Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal
will contest from Sujanpur in
the Himachal Pradesh Assembly
elections while state BJP chief
Satpal Singh Satti will recontest
from Una, according to the BJP's
list of candidates.
The BJP announced its list of
68 candidates for the November
9 Assembly polls in the state.
Dhumal has swapped his pres
ent Hamirpur seat with party
MLA Narendra Thakur, who will
now be the party candidate
from the seat.
The list includes several for
mer ministers, including Rajeev
Bindal from Nahan and
Narinder Bragta from Jubbal
kotkhai.
Former Minister Anil Sharma,
who had joined the BJP three
days back after quitting the
Congress, has been fielded from
Mandi.
The BJP list came two days
after the process of filing nomi
nations started for the assembly
polls. The last date of filing
nominations is October 23.
ag ainst the CP IM, BJP
President Amit Shah warned where BJP stands:
that Kerala's ruling party will
be "wiped out" if the political CM Vijayan
violence in the state does not New Delhi: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi
stop. Vijayan said the people of the state aptly
"Cong ress got finished responded to the BJP's polarising attempts in
because of corruption and the the state by relegating it to the fourth spot in
Left parties will be finished the Vengara byelection result declared.
due to political violence," he K.N.A. Khader of the Indian Union Muslim
told party cadres at the end of league (IUML) won the bypoll defeating his
the 15day "Jan Raksha Yatra" rival P.P. Basheer of the CPIM with a margin
which he had flagged of f on of 23,310 votes. BJP candidate K.J.
October 3. Janachandran, at the fourth spot, got only
"T hey st ill have t ime for 5,728 votes. Addressing a seminar by the
course correction. Otherwise, Delhi Union of Journalists, Vijayan said calls
the people of Kerala will throw BJP President Amit Shah. from some quarters to dismiss the Kerala gov
them out. ernment invoking Article 356 would gain
the home district of Vijayan. you answer about the killings
"If the CPIM thinks it can momentum in coming days because the ruling
Are you ready to take moral of our workers? You do not
suppress our voice by violence, BJP at the Centre was "in search for an oppo
responsibility or not?" he have the courage.
then they are wrong. You can sitionfree India".
asked. "It is shame ful that an
not crush our ideology," Shah "But the progressive, secular and liberal
Shah alleged that wherever accused in the murder of our
added. people of Kerala, and the country as a whole,
the Left parties ruled any place worker has been appointed the
Shah said the people of will trounce such malicious efforts."
for long, they have encouraged branch secretary of CPIM."
Kerala had not given Chief He said Kerala was being targeted by the
political violence. Describing the yatra as first
Minister Pinarayi Vijayan the BJP and RSS because the state "champions the
"Be it Kerala or West Bengal of its kind against political
mandate for killing innocent values that strengthen secularism, democracy
or Tripura, political violence killings, he said BJP will take
people and said that since the and socialism".
has become the political cul care of those families whose
formation of the Left govern A monthlong campaign was carried out
ture of the CPIM," he said. members have lost thier lives.
ment as many as 13 BJPRSS across India that Hindus were threatened in
Throwing a challenge to the "You do not need to worry.
workers had been killed in the the state, featuring the hashtag "Kerala killing
Chief Minister, Shah said, "We Whoever are guilty will not be
state. fields" which was followed by the BJP's
are ready to discuss with you spared and the BJP will take
"Most incidents took place in Janaraksha Yatra, he said.
issues of development. But will every measure to get justice."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIWALI SPECIAL October 21-27, 2017
 16 October 21-27, 2017
Taj Mahal part of Indian
heritage: Adityanath
Lucknow: In a damage
control exercise after a
BJP MLA's comments on
the Taj Mahal sparked
outrage, Uttar Pradesh
Chie f Minister Yog i
Adityanath said the
famed monument in Agra
was a part of Indian her
itage.
Adityanath also told the
media that the 17th cen
tury marble monument,
built by Mughal emperor
Shah Jahan for his wife
Mumtaz Mahal, was con
structed "by the blood
and sweat of Indian
labourers". An official said
the Chief Minister will also
visit the Taj.
"It does not matter who built it
and for what reason. It was built
by the blood and sweat of Indian
laborers," Adityanath said of the
Taj, India's biggest tourist draw.
"Taj Mahal is a part of India's
heritage," he went on. "Taj Mahal,
Red Fort are all part of India's
heritage."
The statement came after Uttar
Pradesh BJP legislator Sangeet
Som called the Taj Mahal a blot
on Indian culture and said it was
built by an emperor who wanted
to finish off Hindus.
Is Gurdaspur election loss judgment on Modis economic policies?
OpEd
By George Abraham
T he newly elected Lok Sabha MP
Sunil Jhakar, of Congress party,
characterized his Gurdaspur win
with the following statement. I
had said it from the very first day
that this election will be a mandate
on the policies of the government
led by Modi. People have vented
their anger against demonetization
and GST by making me an MP with
a huge margin of votes. People
have sent a clear message to the
Modi government on behalf of the
whole country that they are fed up
with its policies, and it is time for
change,
Gurdaspur election victory may
turn out to be a turning point for
the Congress Party, which has been
reeling from its inability to expose
the failures of the Modi
Government efficiently and to
change the mindset of the elec
torate that is still clinging on to the
promise of Prime Minister Modis
Achhe Din.' The Modi PR machine
which has helped to catapult BJP to
power in Delhi by riding on the
bandwagon of a fraudulent Gujarat
Model of development platform
still hasnt lost its full steam.
Uttar Pradesh BJP legislator Sangeet Som called the Taj Mahal
a blot on Indian culture.
"We should not focus on Som's
statement," the Chief Minister
said, in the clearest sign that his
Bharatiya Janata Party govern
ment in Uttar Pradesh was dis
tancing itself from the MLA's
controversial remarks.
Adityanath said the Taj was
important for the Uttar Pradesh
government, specially "from the
tourism perspective" and "it is
our priority to provide
facilities and safety to tourists
there".
Adityanath is scheduled to visit
the Taj Mahal, Ag ra Fort,
Fatehpur Sikri and other impor
Sunil Jakhar, who won the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat trouncing his BJP
rival, with Navjot Singh Sidhu. (Photo: IANS)
Nevertheless, Gurdaspur election
victory by a record margin by the
Congress is pointing probably to
the severe first crack of the theory
that Modi will be unbeatable in the
general election in 2019.
Most of the reputed economists
including some senior stalwarts of
the BJP such as the former Finance
Minister Yashwant Sinha and Arun
Shourie expressed grave concern
that the economy is fast slipping
into deep recession. All fundamen
tal parameters are declining along
INDIA
tant monuments in Ag ra on
October 26, an official told IANS.
Considered one of the seven
wonders of the world, the Taj
attracts millions of Indian and
foreign tourists every year.
Last month, the Uttar Pradesh
government had omitted
references to the Taj in a booklet
published to mark six months of
the Adityanath government.
T his drew sharp crit icism,
prompting Tourism Minister Rita
Bahuguna Joshi to say that that
Taj Mahal was of great impor
tance to the state government
and to the nation.
with the GDP that has fallen for six
quarters in a row. The demonetiza
tion alone may have shaved off 2
points from GDP growth just as Dr.
Manmohan Singh, former PM, pre
dicted. Steve Forbes, editorinchief
of Forbes magazine, characterized
the demonetization process as the
massive theft of peoples property
a shocking move for a democrati
cally elected government. The
negative consequences from the
demonetization are still being felt
across the spectrum, jeopardizing
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
1.75 lakh diyas
for diwali in
Ayodhya
Ayodhya: Yogi Adityanath, who
wants a giant statue of lord Ram
in Ayodhya, gave a grand, cere
monial welcome to actors play
ing Ram, Sita and Lakshman as
they arrived by chopper in the
temple town at the start of the
"Deepotsav", the town's biggest
Diwali celebrations ever.
Officials say 1.75 lakh diyas or
earthen lamps were lit in the
evening amid aarti on the banks
of the river Saryu by the saffron
robed Chief Minister, who is the
head priest of the Gorakhnath
temple.
"Diwali is a big festival and
there is a belief behind the cele
bration of Diwali. The Diwali of
Ayodhya becomes the unique
event in the whole world, we
want to showcase that in front of
whole world. For that we have
organized a special event along
with other saints and cultural
institutions," said Yogi
Adityanath hours before heading
to Ayodhya.
After receiving the Ramlila
actors with garlands, the Chief
Minister led them in a proces
the livelihood of poor farmers and
ordinary citizens alike.
Another one of Modis grand
promises was to create millions of
job for the youth. He not only has
failed to create those promised
jobs but has presided over an econ
omy that started shedding jobs
especially in the technology sector.
The situation has worsened
because of protectionist measures
such as by Australia, New Zealand,
and Singapore and President
Trumps Buy American, Hire
American executive order. Indian
engineers and techies make a siz
able chunk of foreign workers
going to these countries. This new
global dynamics rooted in the
nationalistic sentiment has further
precipitated the jobless growth
phenomenon in India while
automation and new technologies
using artificial intelligence (AI)
continued to reduce job opportuni
ties across the board. The Modi
government seems to have no clue
on confronting this crisis affecting
the youth.
The sharp fall in the internation
al crude oil prices has been a boon
for the Modi government as it has
refused to pass on the benefit to
the consumer. To a great extent,
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath.
sion to a nearby stage where an
aarti was performed.
The state government says it
wants to promote Ayodhya as a
religious tourism destination in
a big way.
The UP government also plans
a giant statue of Lord Ram on
the river banks, not far from the
site where the 16th century
Babri mosque was razed by pro
Hindu activists who believe it
was built on the birthplace of
Lord Ram.
the government is profiteering at
peoples cost while driving up infla
tion and putting additional pres
sure on small businesses,
Finally, the implementation of
the GST appears to have done
grave damage to the economy,
especially to the small entrepre
neurs and traders. Many of these
businesses are shutting down
resulting in more job losses.
According to Mr. Anand Sharma,
the deputy leader of the Congress
parliamentary party and former
minister of Commerce and
Industry, Prime Minister Modi and
the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
remain in denial and clueless on
addressing the crisis of their own
making. They are guilty of monu
mental mismanagement of Indian
economy. For the Congress party,
the Gurdaspur win is a window of
opportunity to seize the initiative
and capitalize on Modis failures in
order to rescue the people of India
from the disastrous economic poli
cies pursued by this administra
tion.
(Writer is a former Chief
Technology Officer of the United
Nations and Chairman of the
Indian National Overseas Congress,
USA)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIWALI SPECIAL October 21-27, 2017

A
ttending his second
Diwali function on con
secutive nights, Canadian
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
stressed that economic ties with
India have been a priority for his
government since it was formed
and the current environment of
protectionism provides greater
opportunities for engagement
between the two sides.
After lighting a diya at a
Diwali on the Hill celebration
in Ottawas Parliament on
Monday evening, Trudeau
attended the Canada India
Business Council (CIBC) Diwali
Gala in Toronto on Tuesday.
Trudeau also announced that
18 October 21-27, 2017 DIWALI SPECIAL TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Trudeau celebrates
Diwali in Ottawa
three Canadian ministers will
visit India in midNovember,
leading a trade mission that will
include a delegation of business
es. They are minister of interna
tional trade FranoisPhilippe
Champagne, minister of innova
tion, science and economic
development Navdeep Bains and
minister of transport Marc
Garneau.
There was a kerfuffle later
over Trudeaus tweet, in which
he wished everyone "Diwali
Mubarak" which, as many
people have pointed out, is not
quite right. Mubarak goes with
Eid. Happy Diwali or Shubh
Deepavali are apt. Lighting a diya in Canadas parliament, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said trade with India is important.
(left)
A view of spectacularly lit
Srikrishna temple on Oct 17
for Diwali.
Below (left)
Shopping in full swing in
Jammu ahead of Diwali.
Below (right)
An aerial view of Nahargarh
Fort in Jaipur on Oct 16
ahead of Diwali.
 20 October 21-27, 2017 D i wa l i s p e ci a l

Lucknow: When Rahul Saxena
walked into a cracker shop in Al-
lahabad this week, all he wanted
was for his fireworks to stand out
in his neighborhood this Diwali. The
19-year-old walked out with a big
box of Notebandi anars.
Bombs, rockets, chakris and an-
ars with political themes are really
Demonetization, GST-themed
firecrackers a big hit in UP
alluring. I managed to convince my
parents to go for one box of Note-
bandi anars costing Rs 5,000. I
am sure it will stand out this Di-
wali in my locality as each one is
supposed to last for at least three
minutes, Saxena, a student of Al-
lahabad Degree College, told Hin-
dustan Times.
Traders say such quirkily
named crackers GST Kaala Saanp
(A cracker named after the goods
and services tax introduced in
July) and Notebandi phus phus
anars (demonetisation anar) --
are ruling the Diwali market in
some districts of Uttar Pradesh.
A number of firecrackers have
also been named after politicians
like Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, Samajwadi Party chief Akh-
ilesh Yadav, chief minister Yogi
Adityanath and Congress vice
president Rahul Gandhi. Then
there are other loud bang-emit-
ting crackers such as Yogi cheta-
vani chatai, Akhilesh bomb with
the tagline Dikh Raha Hain Dum
Quirkily-named crackers GST Kaala Saanp and Note-
(Can see the might), and Cha-
bandi phus phus anars are ruling the Diwali market in
makta sitara anar (Shining star
anar) with a big photograph of some districts of Uttar Pradesh. (Photo courtesy HT)
Rahul Gandhi.

Tamil Nadu Delhi air quality enters red zone, pre-Diwali

celebrates New Delhi: Diesel generators
in the capital were banned on
EPCA chairman Bhure Lal and
member Sunita Narain announced
apart from ban on use of diesel
generators, parking fees too may
Diwali further pollutes the air. The
Supreme Court earlier this month

Diwali with
Tuesday as air quality entered the the decision following a review see a four-fold hike. The drop in banned sale of firecrackers to study
red zone with two days left for Di- meeting here. The red zone is acti- air quality is a stark warning about its impact on air pollution. The cur-

traditional
wali. The Environment Pollution vated under the Graded Response how even without fire crackers, rent levels of pollution though may
Control Authority (EPCA) issued Action Plan which came into effect pollutants contaminate the envi- also be a result of farmers in Hary-
the ban which, however, exempts in Delhi from Tuesday. Measures ronment. Experts - both medical ana and Punjab resorting to stubble

fervor
Delhi Metro and hospitals. Park- under Very Poor and Severe of as well as environmental - mostly burning - another major source of
ing fees may also be hiked. the plan have come into force and agree that burning crackers during high air contamination..

Chennai: Tamil Nadu woke up

to the sounds of crackers and the
visual treat of diyas on Diwali.
New Delhi: Concerned about
slowdown and pressure on bal-
Corporate India cuts gifting
People had special sesame oil
bath and wore new clothes. Rela-
ance sheets, corporate India is go-
ing slow on Diwali gifts to its as-
budget by 35-40% this Diwali
tives and friends asked one an- sociates, networked partners and debt and cutting costs in their Similar is the case with con- nies across tier I, II and III cities -
other Ganga Sthanam Aachha? others, slashing the budget by at overall operations. Besides, jerks sumer durable firms engaged in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai,
(Is bathing with the water of holy least 35-40 percent, an Assocham arising out of demonetization and washing machines, refrigerators, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Jaipur,
river Ganga over?) People across survey said on Wednesday. the roll out issues of the Goods and cooking ovens, electric stoves and Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai in
the state exchanged sweets, savo- The reduction in gifts is more Services Tax (GST) too have affect- other such items. Even the festive the run-up to Diwali.
ries and the special Diwali Leghi- for outside connects than employ- ed the overall sentiment. sale of high-end smartphones seems Online shopping vouchers,
um -- herbal jam -- with friends, ees who are more or less receiv- Consequent to slowdown in the to have taken a hit, Rawat said. cash rewards, gift cards, dry fruits,
neighbors and relatives, and cel- ing their annual gesture from Diwali gift sale, the FMCG companies The survey endorses the gener- chocolate/bakery (cake and bis-
ebrated the day with fervor. their employers, the survey said. which generally bet high on festive al low key mood of the industry and cuits) items, wearable devices like
In many houses phones start- However, it added that there sales in the business of chocolates, trade with the considerable trim- fitness tracker and others were top
ed ringing early with close rela- has been certainly a downward im- cookies, sweets are reporting less ming of the festive budget, he said. choices as Diwali gifts for both em-
tives living in far off places wish- pact on the bonus payments, with than normal sales, said D.S. Rawat, The chamber had conducted a ployees and clients, said most of
ing people here Happy Diwali. several corporates reeling under Secretary General, Assocham. telephonic survey of 758 compa- the company representatives.
The day started with bursting
of crackers with my kids. After the
traditional oil bath we went to the
nearby temple to offer prayers,
J.Murali, a resident of Chennai,
told IANS. While children started
their day bursting crackers the
adults conducted pujas in their
homes and temples.

Indias Vice President M. Venkaiah

Naidu and his wife Usha Naidu distrib-
ute sweets among the soldiers of Indian
Tibetan Border Police for Diwali in
New Delhi on Oct 18. (Photo IANS)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIWALI SPECIAL October 21-27, 2017
 24 October 21-27, 2017 D i wa l i s p e ci a l

3 rd Grand Dushahra Festival

celebrated on Long Island A 25-ft Ravan effigy
was put to fire, sym-
bolizing the victory
of good over evil

Lido Beach, Hempstead NY:

Indo-American Festivals, Inc. cel-
ebrated its 3rd Annual Grand Du-
shahra Festival here on October
15th from 1pm to 8pm, culminat-
ing with a spectacular burning of

lywood singer Archit. ing beautifully de-

a 25 ft Ravan effigy, sponsored by
&TV, Zee TV, NY Life, ITV Gold, The
South Asian Times, Parikh World-
wide Media, Suhag Jewelers, Shark-
Tronics.us, Hindu Temple Centre,
Mr. Kanak Golia, Mr. Harshad Patel,
and several private sponsors.
The free event was attended by a
large crowd although the day start-
ed out overcast and rainy. However,
by afternoon the clouds had given
way to a glorious day and families
were out to enjoy the festivities.
The festival was inaugurated
by Hempstead Town Supervisor
Mr. Anthony Santino and Town
Clerk, Ms. Nasrin Ahmad, Indo-
American Festivals Chairperson
(Tristate) Chanchal Gupta, Chair-
person-NY Dr. Ravindra Goyal,
President Dr. Rakesh Sharma, Vice
President Avtar Sharma, Raj Mittal
along with community leaders like
Dr. Raj Bhayani, Mr. Kamlesh Meh-
ta, Mr. Surinder Kathuria, Ms. Bina
Sabapathy, Mr. Dharmatma Saran
(organizer of Miss and Mrs. India
Worldwide), Miss India Worldwide
2017 Madhu Valli, Mr. Kanak Go-
lia, Mr. Manu Sharma, Mr. Srinivas
Ranga (of New York Life), and Bol-
The festival had something for
everyone to enjoy - a colorful cul-
tural program organized by Indu
Gajwani with beautiful dances,
classical and Bollywood music by
Archit, Falguni Shah and where
the children had an opportunity
to showcase their immense tal-
ent through singing, dancing and
various cultural activities. Food
vendors sold crowd favorites from
chat, pav bhaji, Bhel Puri, samosas
and the usual street-fair favorites.
This was followed by Ram
Leela, a dramatic musical render-
ing of the Hindu epic Ramayana,
which was brought to life by Var-
sha Naik and her team, almost 50
performers of the Navrang Dance
Academy. The crowd watched with
rapt attention as the artists wear-
signed period cos-
tumes enacted the
different events in
Lord Ramas life,
culminating in the defeat of the
mighty King Ravan of Lanka, fol-
lowed by burning of a model Lan-
ka and a 25ft effigy of Ravan.
Dushahra is a major Hindu
festival celebrated at the end of
Navratri every year. It is observed
on the tenth day in the Hindu
calendar month of Ashvin, to cel-
ebrate the victory of Lord Rama
over the Demon King Ravan. The
festival was a fun-filled day of cel-
ebration with a variety of vendors
selling Indian food, clothing, toys,
home dcor items and much more.
The Dushahra festival was
originally started in 1999 by the
Founder and Chairman, Mangal
Gupta in New Jersey and has since
grown exponentially to become the
Annual Grand Dushahra Festival,
but not without the overwhelm-
ing support of the committee
members, Dr. Ravindra Goyal, Dr.
Rakesh Sharma, Shyam and Indu
Gajwani, Kamal Daga, Atul Sharma,
Neelima Goyal, Damyanti Goyal,
Suman Sharma, Mukesh Modi,
Jagdish Awasthi, Vinod Goyal, Su-
shil Goyal, who have been working
continuously for several months to
make this event possible.

The festival was

inaugurated by Hemp- The crowd sat stand-
Indo-American Festivals stead Town Supervisor still enjoying the
President Dr. Rakesh Mr. Anthony Santino cultural programs
Sharma speaking at the (3rd from left) and and Ram Leela
lamplighting ceremony Town Clerk, Ms.
of the festival Nasrin Ahmad (left)

For more information contact: Dr. Ravindra Goyal: 516-967-5979, Dr. Rakesh Sharma: 631-335-3410; website: Dushahra.usa@gmail.com
 26 October 21-27, 2017 D i wa l i s p e ci a l

TV celebs put 'no diet' mode on hold

Mumbai: This Diwali, popular
TV celebrities like Vivian Dsena,
Rashami Desai and Mohammad
Nazim among others put their fit-
ness diets on rest and will binge
Aniruddh Dave
This is my second Diwali after
my marriage to Shubhi Ahuja. I
will celebrate Diwali in Jaipur. All
I want to do is to have fun with
family. No crackers for me as I
am against them. Also, I will buy
something in gold for Shubhi. Jai-
pur is decorated like a queen and
is one of the most happening des-
tinations for Diwali celebrations.
Jasmin Bhasin
not fussy at all and I graciously
accept all the things offered to me.
Angad Hasija
Diwali has always been my fa-
vourite as it comes with lights and
celebration. The four days are full
of joy with friends and relatives
visiting us and having a joyous
time all groomed in traditional
clothes. This year I would be cel-
ebrating it with my family. Diwali
is the time to count our blessings.

on sweets and homemade dishes
to celebrate the auspicious occa-
sion with their family and friends.
Heres what TV stars plan to
do on Diwali:
Vivian Dsena
Diwali means family time and
eating lots of homemade food. My
mother and her sister are fabu-
lous cooks. I hail from Ujjain. In a
town like Ujjain, Diwali is always
wonderful as you meet relatives
and friends and there is warmth.
In a city like Mumbai, the vibes
are different. Festival time is fam-
ily time is my mantra.
Mohammad Nazim
I would celebrate Diwali with
my friends in Mumbai. It means
wearing new clothes and chill-
ing out seeing all happy faces.
I would binge on sweets from
kaaju katli to kheer. I wont diet I love the whole festive spirit and
for two days. I am a foodie and
would pamper my taste buds.
I would go for shopping for
sure. I have a long shopping list.
Festive time offers good dis-
counts. I would be shooting for
my new show, so I wont have too
much time to plan a party. I would
spend time with my near and dear
ones and pamper myself.
Gunjan Utreja
I have been hosting a lot of
events and working on my show
Comedy Dangal too. I would
splurge on delicious dinner with
my friends and would party at
least on Diwali night. I will be in
Chandigarh where the weather
would be perfect for a long drive.
It will be a family affair.
Rashami Desai
My mom Rasila Ajay Desai
makes varied food items. I love
Diwali, its my favourite festival.
everyone a very happy and safe
burn a bit of crackers too. I will
eat everything given to me. I am
Niki Walia
I remember my first Diwali af-
ter becoming an actor, I bought
myself a car. It was very special to
me. Nowadays, the Diwali celebra-
tions have become very elaborate,
but for me, the Diwali puja, put-
ting rangoli and diyas means the
most. My message to everyone
this year is, instead of exchanging
gifts, give someone your time, it
will be the best gift ever. Ive been
trying to do that myself too. Also,
wishing everyone a happy and
prosperous Diwali.
Sanjay Kapoor
Diwali is very special to me
and my family as every year we
make sure we meet for the Diwali
puja at my moms place. My mom
makes the best mutton/junglee
pulao and thats something none
of us can afford to miss. I wish
Actress
Diwali and spend as much time as Rashami Desai.
you can with your family.

Tips to start your new

online business this Diwali
D iwali is a great time to start
your new online business or to
take your existing business online.
So what is your next step?
Youve created your online store,
taken some amazing photos of
your products and activated an ap-
propriate payment platform. Con-
gratulations, you are up and run-
ning. Now you just need to sit back
and wait for the customers to come
pouring in, right? Well, yes, in an
ideal world -- but with the explo-
sion of growth in e-commerce, you
still need to make your store stand
out from the crowd, grab your cus-
tomers attention, hold it and keep
them returning for more. Here are
five golden rules to start a success-
ful business this Diwali.
1. Make your site clear and
simple to use: When a customer
reaches your site it should be obvi-
ous what you sell. Use a clean and
professional template design that
is simple in its message. Dont al-
low the customer to be distracted
by countless and un-needed infor-
mation. Show your most popular
and best-selling products first as a
way to draw people in to start ex-
ploring your site. Consider using a
carousel picture collage so that
they can easily scroll through the
images and see whats on offer.
2. Its the little extras that
make a big difference: Free ship-
ping, great returns policy (or free
returns over a certain purchase
value), a toll free number -- mak-
ing use of incentives to attract
users is a great way to encour-
age loyalty. If you are able to of-
fer these great advantages, make
sure you shout about them loud
and clear on your homepage.
3. Testimonials and reviews:
Take one of your glowing refer-
ences and put it somewhere obvi-
ous on your homepage. If you can
accompany this with a picture, it
reinforces the fact that real peo-
ple trust and use your products
and services. Customer reviews
are trusted 12 times more than
marketing by a company
4. Daily deals and other dis-
counts: Daily deals are another
hugely popular idea. By selling a
limited quantity of products for
a short amount of time you can
generate new interest and in-
crease your client base. Once you
have drawn them in -- invite them
to preview your other products.
5. Make a connection: Try to
re-think your site as a content
site that happens to sell prod-
ucts. Talk to your customers as
you would to a friend and engage
them so that they keep coming
back for more. If you can dem-
onstrate that you are passionate
about your products and give tips
and ideas on ways to use them,
such as a demonstration video or
a pinboard using your products,
it adds more value to your site.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIWALI SPECIAL October 21-27, 2017
 28 October 21-27, 2017 Bollywood

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro

REVIEW

d i r e c t o r
F ilmmaker Kundan Shah, who gave In-
dian cinema a different brand of humor
with the cult black comedy Jaane Bhi Do
Yaaro and subsequently television shows
like Nukkad and Wagle Ki Duniya with
the aam aadmi at the centrestage, died, a
family member said. He was 69.
He died in his sleep early in the morn-
ing, his relative said. Satish Kaushik, who
wrote dialogues for Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro and
acted in it, said Shah suffered a cardiac arrest.
His last rites were performed at Shivaji
Park crematorium by daughter Shilpa with
Shah was dubbed as the
common man of cinema.
d e a d
close family members and friends from
the film fraternity in attendance, includ-
ing Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro actors Naseerud-
din Shah and Satish Shah, as well as Sudhir
Mishra, Anil Kapoor, Deepak Dobriyal, Ratna
Pathak, Raveena Tandon and Ashoke Pandit.
The filmmaker, hailed by the Indian
film fraternity as a master storyteller,
would have turned 70 on October 19.
His tryst with learning about film direc-
tion began at the Film and Television Insti-
tute of India (FTII) in Pune. Just last week,
he was at the institute for an event. He had
even paid a tribute to actor Tom Alter, who
died on September 29, and had spoken
about a tentative script that he wrote for a
part two of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, his debut
directorial which came out in 1983.
He had received his first and only Na-
tional Film Award - Indira Gandhi Award
for Best First Film of a Director - for it.
This was the same award that Shah had re-
turned to the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting during the student protests
in FTII in 2015 over Gajendra Chauhans
appointment as its chairman.
After making Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, Shah
moved to television and worked there for
seven years -- giving such gems as Nukkad,
Wagle Ki Duniya and Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi,
all of which gave the Indian telly audience
a reason to laugh away their worries with
stories of everyday struggles.
It is for Shahs sensitivity towards the
common man that filmmaker Prakash Jha
dubbed him as the Common Man of Cinema.
Saif Ali Khan as Chef Roshan Kalra is endearing.
A n official Hindi remake of Jon Fa-
vreaus 2014 film by the same name,
Director Raja Krishna Menons Chef is
a breezy film, centering around the self-
discovery of Chef Roshan Kalra (Saif Ali
Khan), a Michelin three star chef.
The film dives straight into his present
life as a chef in the US and merely skims
through his early life, including his failed
marriage and divorce, without really delv-
ing too much into it. While the first half
has a wee bit of emotional drama, the sec-
ond half is clearly a series of road trips
showcasing his new found meaning in life
as a chef and how he makes a success of it.
Director Raja Menon extracts natural
performances from his actors and that per-
haps is the strength of the film as the story
is staid and the treatment simple. There
is no element of drama or any interesting
Chef
Endearingly
palate
pleasing
twists and the narrative flows on an even
keel. Humor comes in the form of Saif s
comic timing and some witty one liners.
Saif as Chef Roshan Kalra is endearing.
He portrays the character in his inimitable
style with his attitude and swag to boot. He
tries earnestly to look and behave like a
chef when in the kitchen. His relationship
with his son Armaan aka Ari is easily one of
the highlights of the film.
Swar Kamble as the young Armaan is con-
fident and essays his character realistically.
Padampriya as Radha Menon, his ex-wife, is
every inch the independent working profes-
sional who has put her past behind her and is
yet a friend and well-wisher of her husband.
Overall, Chef is a feel-good film about the
importance of relationships and the message
comes across smoothly albeit garbed in a
long-drawn plot.

Oscars Academy votes I can do straight roles in

to expel Harvey Weinstein Bollywood: Mark Ruffalo
cy session after discussing the allegations
against Weinstein, and voted well in ex-
cess of the required two-thirds majority to
immediately expel him from the Academy,
reports The Washington Post.
We do so not simply to separate our-
selves from someone who does not merit
the respect of his colleagues but also to
send a message that the era of willful igno-
rance and shameful complicity in sexually
predatory behavior and workplace harass-
ment in our industry is over.
Whats at issue here is a deeply trou-
bling problem that has no place in our so-
ciety. The Board continues to work to es-
tablish ethical standards of conduct that all
Academy members will be expected to ex-
emplify, the Academy said in a statement.
Weinstein, who was fired by the movie
and television studio he co-founded, the
Weinstein Company, has denied rape al-
The powerful media mogul
legations while acknowledging that his
has been accused of sexual abuse.
behavior caused a lot of pain.
H ollywood actor Mark Ruffalo, popular
for his onscreen character the Hulk,
says though he cannot sing and dance, he can
do performance-oriented roles in Bollywood.
Ruffalo, whose career spans about three
decades in Hollywood and who has been
seen in popular entertainers such as Spot-
light, Shutter Island and The Kids Are All
Right, is here to promote his upcoming Mar-
vel Studios film Thor: Ragnarok, which is
set to hit the Indian screens on November 3.
Asked if the perception of Bollywood
cinema being only about song and dance
has changed, Ruffalo said in a round table
conference: I saw a cool Bollywood film...
A tough guy thing where there are rival
gangs...Scarface characters . . . more like
gangster character. I look forward to seeing
what more Indian cinema can come up with.
But would he like to be a part of one? Why
not? I cant sing and dance very well, but I
can do some of the straight roles, he said.
Ruffalo, 49, will be reprising the role of

T he board of the Academy of Motion Pic-

tures Arts and Sciences has voted over-
whelmingly to expel Hollywood producer
Harvey Weinstein after the powerful media
mogul was accused of sexual abuse and phys-
ical assault during the course of his career.
The 54-member Board of Governors of
the Academy, the organization behind the
Oscars, made the decision at an emergen-
Weinsteins expulsion signifies an im-
portant break with precedent for the Acad-
emy, which for years insisted that some-
ones professional achievements were
unrelated to any scandals he or she might
be caught up in, which is why, for example,
it refused to expel comedian Bill Cosby, ac-
cused of sexually abusing as many as 60
women, reports Efe news.
Bruce Banner/the Hulk in the Taika Waititis
directorial. Thor: Ragnarok will see the
characters Thor and Hulk battling for the
first time. Ruffalo says he has been waiting
for this for the past six years. The actor says
that he would like to do theatre more. Id love
too (do more theatre work). One good thing
about these movies is that it allows me to do The actor said he would like
these little things that I love, Ruffalo said. to do more of theatre.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIWALI SPECIAL October 21-27, 2017
30 October 21-27, 2017
Naseeruddin Shah keen
on negative roles Sonam Kapoor
The actor is set to be seen
in a film on gender equality.
Bollywood
V eteran actor Naseeruddin Shah says he
finds negative characters more attractive
than good guys and that he is interested to play
more such roles in future.
Asked about his approach to negative char-
acters, Naseeruddin, who has played various
negative roles in few of his recent films like
Begum Jaan, said: They (negative characters)
are more interesting than those good guys. My
own favorite performances of my films are the
filthy gangster of Bombay Boys, and the heart-
less subedar of Mirch Masala among others.
I like playing negative characters and I do
not think I have played enough of them, I am
looking for more.
I played so much of a man fighting for good
cause type of characters and come on. Now I do
not want to play them anymore. I want to kill peo-
ple and serve them on the platter, he quipped,
evoking laughter from those assembled.
The actor was present along with the cast
and crew of his new film The Hungry, that
premiered at the 19th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film
Festival. Directed by Bornila Chatterjee, the
film features Naseeruddin, Tisca Chopra, Neeraj
Kabi, Arjun Gupta, Sayani, Antonio Aakeel and
Suraj Sharma. It has been selected at the Oxfam
Best Film on gender equality at MAMI.
Cat fight talks outdated:
A ctress Sonam Kapoor is livid over gossip
around an alleged cat fight on the sets of
her film Veere Di Wedding, which features an
ensemble of actresses including Kareena Ka-
poor Khan, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania.
Sonams reaction came following a blind item
posted by an entertainment portal.
In a Twitter post, Sonam wrote: Dear web-
sites, you can put out as many blind items (aka
gossip you were too lazy to fact-check) as you
like pitting women against each other. It may
get you clicks but it wont be the truth. Must
you insist on shoving this tired patriarchal con-
cept of women cat fighting into our film (which
is not about a road trip) as if grown, intelligent
women have nothing better to do.
We will continue to be actual friends and
try and make a kick-ass movie and prove that
women can work with each other, get along and
have a blast. Because we can, we are and we will
continue to. And on schedule. Please keep in
mind how outdated, irresponsible, and harmful
your narrative is and frustrating for a culture of
women who actually want to work together.
There is no place for it anymore. Sincere-
ly, The cast and crew of Veere Di Wedding.
Produced by Rhea Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor,
the films first schedule was wrapped in Delhi. Rumors of a cat fight
It is directed by Shashanka Ghosh. has left Sonam Kapoor livid.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIWALI SPECIAL October 21-27, 2017

Happy Diwali Opening Soon In

Richmond Hill, NY
 32 October 21-27, 2017 SUBCONTINENT TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Quadrilateral group on US hits Haqqanis

Afghan meets minus Taliban again despite
Muscat/New Delhi: Senior repre
sentatives from the US, China,
Pakistan and Afghanistan met in
Muscat, Oman, to revive stalled
peace talks with the Taliban, but
the insurgent group failed to partic
ipate in the meeting being held
after a year.
In the backdrop of the meeting,
India, a close partner in
Afghanistan's rebuilding ef forts,
sent National Security Advisor Ajit
Doval to Kabul to meet with the
leadership.
The sixth round of Quadrilateral
Coordination Group's (QCG) meet
ing between the US, Pakistan, China
and Afghanistan was being held in
Muscat to revive peace talks
between the Afghan government
and the Taliban. The meeting was
expected to focus on implementing
commitments, especially Pakistan's
promises, regarding fighting terror
ism in its tribal reg ions. T he
Pakistan team was led by Foreign
Secretary Tehmina Janjua.
The peace talks on Afghanistan
were halted last year in May after
an American drone killed then
Taliban chie f Mullah Akhtar
Mansoor in southern part of
Balochistan bordering Iran.
From Afghanistan, in addition to
the Deputy Foreign Minister, a rep
A Taliban dominated area in Afghanistan.
resentative from the High Peace
Council (HPC) also attended the
meeting. A statement from the
Indian Ministry of External Affairs
said that NSA Ajit Doval paid a visit
to Afghanistan at the invitation of
his Afg han counterpart Hanif
Atmar. Doval called on President
Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive
Abdullah Abdullah. NSA Atmar
hosted a working lunch for Doval
where the Ministers of Defense,
Interior, NDS, Chief of Army Staff,
Independent Directorate of Local
Governance and senior officials of
the National Security Council were
also present, the statement said.
Both sides exchanged views on
various facets of the bilateral
strategic partnership and regional
and global issues of mutual inter
est. Both sides emphasized that
"bilateral and sincere regional
cooperation is important for peace,
security and stability in the region"
and welcomed the opportunities
created by the new US strategy for
bringing peace and security in
Afghanistan. It was agreed to fur
ther strengthen strategic dialogue
and consultations for achieving the
shared objectives, it said. Doval on
behalf of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi invited President Ghani to
visit India. T he invitation was
accepted.
Pakistan caution
Islamabad:
Two suspected
US drone
strikes killed
11 people on
the mountain
ous Pakistan
Afghanistan
border even as
Pakistan cau
tioned the US
to show
restraint.
The strike
Pakistan has cautioned the US to show restraint.
was the third
drone strike in the area in the on drone strikes anywhere in
last 24 hours. Afghanistan or Pakistan," he
Geo News said the attack in said.
Anjargi area targeted the hide The political administration of
outs of TehreekeTaliban the tribal region, however, said
Pakistan (TTP), JamatulAhrar the drone attacks did not hap
and Haqqani network. pen on the Pakistani side of the
Earlier, US drone strikes border.
reportedly left nearly 20 mili The Pakistani officials said
tants dead. several missiles were fired on a
Pakistan Foreign Minister compound of the Haqqani terror
Khawaja Asif then cautioned the network, leaving at least 20
US that it should not conduct dead.
any attack in Afghanistan or US officials have repeatedly
Pakistan at a time when the spoken out against the Haqqani
Afghan peace talks had resumed network, which some analysts
in Oman. say enjoys the covert patronage
"The US should show restraint of the Pakistani intelligence.

CPN decides 10,00015,000 Rohingyas flee

against pulling
out of Deuba govt
Kathmandu: The CPN (Maoist Centre), a
key partner in Nepal's ruling coalition
decided against pulling out support to
the Sher Bahadur Deuba government
hours after announcing that it was going
to withdraw.
The CPN (Maoist Centre), led by for
mer Premier Pushpa Kamal Dahal
'Prachanda', last month joined a leftist
alliance led by main opposition CPN
UML, leaving the Nepali Congress led by
Deuba unsure of its future moves.
Speaking at a press meet organized at
the Home Ministry, CPN (Maoist Centre)
leader and Home Minister Janardan
Sharma claimed that the party cancelled
its earlier decision to pull out of the gov
ernment after receiving a tip that the
government is considering deferring the
election dates, the Kathmandu Post
reported.
The federal and provincial elections
have been scheduled for November 26
and December 7.
A Parliamentary Party meet of the
Nepal Prime Minister
Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Maoist Centre was convened at the party
central office in Paris Danda to decide to
quit the government.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Deuba said
that democracy is challenged by the left
ist alliance.
Deuba, who is Nepali Congress presi
dent, said it was necessary to make the
Congress victorious in the elections to
safeguard democracy.
to Bangladesh in 48 hours
Geneva: Between 10,000 and
15,000 Rohing yas have
arrived in Bangladesh over
the last 48 hours, taking the
total number of the Muslim
minority to have fled
Myanmar to 582,000, the UN
Hig h Commissioner for
Re fugees (UNHCR)
announced.
These refugees were wait
ing to be registered by the
Bang ladeshi authorit ies
before being transferred to
camps raised to house them,
Efe news reported.
"UNHCR is advocating with
the Bangladesh authorities to
urgently admit these refugees
fleeing violence and increas
inglydifficult conditions back
home. Every minute counts
given the fragile condition
they're arriving in," UNHCR
spokesperson Andrej Mahecic
said in Geneva.
Many of the Rohingyas who
arrived told the UNHCR they
A Rohingya
family sets up
a relief tent in
Cox's Bazaar
district of
Bangladesh.
were forced to leave when
their villages were set on fire.
Many of them walked for a
week before they could cross
over to Bangladesh.
Around 60 per cent of the
Rohingya refugees were chil
dren, according to data from
Unicef, which warned that it
will be forced to cut back the
aid it provides them if it does
not receive fresh contribu
tions soon to respond to this
emergency.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Syria's Raqqa city liberated Panama Papers scribe
from Islamic State killed in Malta car bomb
The Islamic State had
seized Raqqa in early
2014.
Damascus: A USbacked alliance of Syrian
Kurdish and Arab fig hters said on
Tuesdayit has taken full control of the
Islamic State terror organizations onetime
"capital" of Raqqa.
Syrian Demo crat ic Forces (SDF)
spokesman Talal Sello said the fighting was
over after a fivemonth assault. Clearing
operations were now under way to uncover
any jihadist sleeper cells and remove land
mines, the BBC reported. "The city of Raqqa
has been liberated and the military opera
tions have ended, but we are mopping up
the city in search of sleeper cells if (they)
existed," he said. The victory marks the
EU adopts total ban policy
on investment in N Korea
Brussels: The European Union (EU) adopted
a total ban policy on EU investment in North
Korea, in a bid to ratchet up economic pres
sure on the Northeast Asia country over its
ongoing nuclear and ballistic missile pro
gram. The total ban, taking effect immedi
ately, is one of the EU's autonomous meas
ures against North Korea which was adopted
by EU foreign ministers at a meeting in
Luxembourg, according to a statement of the
Foreign Affairs Council.
The ban was previously limited to invest
ment in the nuclear and conventional arms
related industry.
The Council also slapped a total ban on the
sales of refined petroleum products and
crude oil to North Korea, and slashed the
amount of personal remittances transferred
to Pyongyang from 15,000 euros
($17,7000) to 5,000 euros ($5,900).
Furthermore, the Council added three per
sons and six entities to a blacklist of those
subject to an asset freeze and travel restric
tions, bringing the backlist to 41 individuals
and 10 entities.
The EU has carried out all UN sanctions
against North Korea, in addition to its
INTERNATIONAL
first major defeat to IS in Syria as Raqqa is
the de facto capital of the terrordesignated
group. Dozens of foreign militants were
believed to have made their last stand in
the stadium while 22 were reportedly
killed in the final attack on the hospital.
Up to 300 militants were thought to be
holding out after Syrian jihadists and their
families were evacuated under a deal nego
tiated by tribal elders.
IS seized Raqqa in early 2014, months
after it became the first Syrian provincial
capital to fall to the rebels in the civil war,
and made it the headquarters of its self
styled "caliphate".
The EU has carried out all UN sanctions
against North Korea.
autonomous restrictive measures against
Pyongyang.
The UN Security Council on September 11
unanimously adopted a resolution to impose
fresh sanctions on Pyongyang over its
nuclear test on September 3 in violation of
the previous Security Council resolutions.
T he new sanctions severe ly restrict
Pyongyang's oil imports, and ban its textile
exports worth $800 million dollars and the
remittances from about 93,000 overseas
North Korea laborers.
October 21-27, 2017 33
Valletta: A journalist who led the Panama
Papers probe into corruption in Malta was
killed in a car bomb near her residence, the
media reported. Daphne Caruana Galizia
died when her car, a Peugeot 108, was
destroyed by a powerful explosive device,
reports the Guardian.
A blogger whose posts often attracted
more readers than the combined circulation
of the country's newspapers, Caruana
Galizia was recently described by the
American news outlet Politico as a "one
woman WikiLeaks".
Daphne Caruana Galizia died
Her latest revelations accused Malta's
in a car explosion.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and two of
his closest aides, connecting offshore com "Everyone knows Caruana Galizia was a
panies linked to the three men with the sale harsh critic of mine," said Muscat, adding
of Maltese passports and payments from "Both politically and personally, but nobody
the government of Azerbaijan. can justify this barbaric act in any way."
No group or individual claimed responsi He announced in parliament later that
bility for the attack, the Guardian reported. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) offi
Malta's President MarieLouise Coleiro cers were on their way to Malta to assist
Preca, called for calm. "In these moments, with the investigation, following his request
when the country is shocked by such a for help from the US government.
vicious attack, I call on everyone to meas According to local media reports, Caruana
ure their words, to not pass judgment and Galizia filed a police report 15 days ago to
to show solidarity." In a statement, Muscat say that she had been receiving death
condemned the "barbaric attack". threats.
Venezuela election results send
'brutal message' to Trump
Caracas: Venezuelan President Nicolas
Maduro has said the outcome of last
weekend's regional elections had sent a
brutal message to his US counterpart
Donald Trump.
The recent elections saw the ruling
socialist party PSUV win 17 out of 23
states and the opposition Democratic
Unity Roundtable (MUD) only won five
states in the regional elections, according
to the National Electoral Council, Xinhua
reported.
"Our people have been wise, our people
have sent a brutal message to the imperi
alist government of Donald Trump, to his
regional allies and to the local right
Venezuelan President Maduro speaks
wing," Maduro told local and internation
during a press conference in Caracas.
al media gathered for a press conference.
"Venezuela has just undergone a very to recognize the election results.
important electoral process that has "In Venezuela it is impossible to carry
influenced the future of the (national) sit out electoral fraud because the system is
uation for this year and coming years." automated and audited at every stage:
Maduro also defended the election before, during and after votes are cast,"
process in the wake of the MUD refusing he said.
 34 October 21-27, 2017
People throng gold
shops on Dhanteras
New Delhi: Come Dhanteras, and
the hunger for gold, so visible
among Indians, has helped them
tide over the impact of demoneti
zation and the Goods and Services
Tax (GST), as customers thronged
jewelry stores.
"We have witnessed very good
footfall. Demand for jewelry is defi
nitely higher this year than invest
ment demand," Balram Garg,
Managing Director, P.C. Jewellers,
told IANS in Delhi, adding "We
expect sales to go up by 30 per
cent on pent up demand due to
various regulatory issues".
Price of 24 carat gold in the
national capital was hovering
around Rs 30,000 per 10 grams.
Echoing similar upbeat senti
ments as Delhi, Jayantilal Challani,
President of Madras Jewellers and
Diamond Merchants Association
and a partner in Challani Jewellery
Mart, told IANS: "The demand for
gold and silver is good. First
Dhanteras postGST regime and
also demonetisation and income
disclosure scheme issues has set
tled down. The footfalls in the
stores are good."
"During the last sixtoeight
months, sales were a bit dull. But
for the past few days, the demand
is good. The prices have also come
down. Today the price of gold is
around Rs.2,837 per gram in
Chennai," Challani added.
'U17 World Cup a
great opportunity
for India'
Kolkata: Despite his friends in
India telling him football will
never topple cricket and become
the country's top sport, Alan
Shearer, the alltime leading
goalscorer in the English
Premier League (EPL), believes
"these are exciting times" for the
sport here with the FIFA Under
17 World Cup going on in full
steam.
"My friends here tell me that
football is never going to be the
number one sport in India and
cricket will always have that title,"
the Newcastle United legend, who
has 260 goals to his name, told
IANS in an email interaction.
"But that does not mean stop
ping efforts to make Indian foot
ball bigger and better. I have seen
first hand the enthusiasm for
football in India and the Premier
League's support will only help
Price of 24 carat gold in the national capital was hovering around
Rs 30,000 per 10 grams.
The Centre's recent decision to
not make mandatory furnishing of
PAN or Aadhaar card details for
buying jewellery in cash up to Rs
200,000 had also ushered in a pos
itive sentiment among buyers. The
earlier limit was Rs 50,000 as part
of the antimoney laundering
(AML) guidelines.
"Gold price remains stable and
rangebound in the runupto the
festivals at around Rs 3,000 per
gram, which is a positive factor.
Footfalls in retail stores have been
good since morning. However,
compared to last year, sales
growth would be tepid," Pankaj
Parekh, Chairman of India Bullion
and Jewe llers Association,
drive interest and encourage
more people to play. This is a
really exciting time for football in
India and the U17 World Cup is a
great opportunity for India."
India is hosting the U17 World
Cup for the first time and the
country's players also gave a
good account of themselves in
three Group A matches against
the United States, Colombia and
Ghana before crashing out of the
competition.
The boys who took part in the
tournament are slated to play in
the ILeague along with the U19
boys, much on the lines of the
Indian Arrows project which was
disbanded four years ago.
Shearer, though, feels working
alongside federations and top
leagues will help the players'
development both on and off the
pitch.
BUSINESS
Regional (East), told IANS in
Kolkata.
"Currently, gold demand seems
to be recovering after withdrawal
of the AML guide lines. Policy
reforms in quick succession in
recent years have targeted trans
parency and the industry is transi Kirchner, founder of
tioning under GST to a more
organised structure, with long
term benefits," said attractions around the globe. The site
Somasundaram P.R., Managing
Director, India, at World Gold about all major haunts, pumpkin
Council. In Mumbai, All India Gems
& Jewellery Federation Chairman
Nitin Khandelwal said that with
AML issues having been amicably
resolved, buyers' sentiments have
been boosted.
SPORTS
Sreesanth life ban to stay
Kochi: In a blow to former Indian
pacer S. Sreesanth, a division
bench of the Kerala High Court
upheld the appeal made by the
nat ional cricket board BCCI
against a single bench verdict
that lifted the life ban on the
bowler in August.
The division bench of Chief
Justice Navniti Prasad Singh
ruled that the court cannot con
duct a judicial review on the life
ban imposed by the Board of
Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI) and hence upheld the
appeal.
The court heard the appeal
petition for the past two days
and delivered its verdict, which
for now has ended Sreesanth's
hopes of not just playing for the
Kerala Ranji side but also to take
part in practise sessions at any
place that comes under the BCCI
or any state cricket association.
A furious Sreesanth wrote on
Twitter: "This is the worst deci
sion ever... Special rule for me?
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Halloween now a $10
Billion industry
One of the largest growth areas
in the Halloween trade is the
explosion in number and quality
of commercial haunted house
attractions, haunted farms, corn
mazes, hayrides and other
spooky venues. Halloween is on
October 31.
Halloween is big business. The
commerce of Halloween in the U.S.
should exceed $10 billion during the
2017 season, according to
Hauntworld.com, the industrys lead
ing website. Thats a lot of candy, cos
tumes, decorations and tickets to
haunted attractions.
One of the largest growth areas in
the Halloween trade is the explosion
in number and quality of commercial
haunted house attractions, haunted
farms, corn mazes, hayrides and
other spooky venues. More than $1
billion of the $10 billion spending on
Halloween is attributed to ticket pur
chases at themed haunted sites.
Visiting a haunted attraction is
now the single most popular way to
celebrate the holiday, says Larry
scariest in the U.S.
Hauntworld.com, which directs con
sumers to find and review Halloween
provides locations and information
patches, corn mazes and hayrides.
Haunted attractions strive to make
guests feel like theyre experiencing a
reallife horror movie, some going so
far as to use computer animation,
giant monsters and even virtual reali
Former Indian pacer S. Sreesanth.
What about real culprits? What
about Chennai Super Kings? And
what about Rajasthan?"
Speaking to the media, Kerala
Cricket Association secretary
Jayesh George said the Kerala
Cricket Association (KCA) was
supporting Sreesanth ever since
the ban was lifted.
"We had made arrangements
ty to provide scares guests enjoy.
Many haunts now feature new attrac
tions, such as zombie paintball, zom
bie laser tag, corn mazes, haunted
hayrides and escape rooms.
Professional Halloween attractions
are now often based at family farms,
which typically offer traditional
pumpkin patches, corn mazes and
hayrides to appeal to younger guests.
However, many of these farms trans
form into spooky attractions by
night, featuring actors portraying
frightening characters, creepy light
ing and elaborate dcor to provide
fearbased fun. You can find the best
haunted attraction for your family by
visiting Hauntworld.com.
According to Hauntworld.com,
these attractions are rated as 2017s
1. Netherworld Atlanta fear
world.com
2. The 13th Gate Baton Rouge, La.
13thgate.com
3. The Dent Schoolhouse
Cincinnati frightsite.com
4. Erebus Pontiac, Mich. haunted
pontiac.com
5. Headless Horsemans Hayrides
and Haunted Houses Ulster Park,
N.Y. headlesshorseman.com
for him to undergo a full fitness
test so as to make him match fit.
Now with this verdict, we will
have to respect it," said George.
T he only opt ion be fore
Sreesanth is to approach the
Supreme Court. According to
sources close to the bowler, he is
like ly to appeal against this
verdict.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info BUSINESS October 21-27, 2017 35

Reverse gifting? DesiClik saw business avenue in it

Hicksville, NY: The Long Island
based vertical ecommerce mar
ketplace DesiClik is now eyeing
India to capitalize on its giftdriv
en sales. With over 10 per cent of
its sales already coming from
India, the portal plans to further
build this market.
Using a mult ipronged
approach, DesiClik is looking at
cliente le in metros such as
Beng aluru, Hyderabad and
Ahmedabad.
"We are seeing an increasing
trend of reverse gifting from India
to the US. Driven by sentiments
such as love and gratitude, this is
their way of showing appreciation
for their loved ones in the US.
Festivals such as Rakhi, Navratri
and Diwali contribute towards a
large number of giftingdriven
sales," says Deepak Agarwal, co
founder, DesiClik.com.
According to a PayPal and Ipsos
study based on a survey of 800
Indian online shoppers, Indian
shoppers spent over $8.7 billion
points Agarwal. DesiClik connects
buyers and sellers, and has creat
ed a onestop shop offering Indian
handicrafts, apparel, food and
spices, and other products.
The company was started by
Deepak Agarwal and Sadhana
Bothra 12 years ago. Both are
commerce g raduates from
Calcutta with diplomas in comput
er science from NCC Education,
UK. Deepak has done his masters
in business management from
Tulane University in the US.
Sadhana has earlier worked as
Assistant VicePresident with
Whitehall Bank on Wall Street
Started by the couple Deepak Aggarwal & Sadhana Bothra of when their first child was born.
Long Island, the ecommerce company is looking at Deepak recollects, After
clientele in Indian metros
Sadhana gave up her career to be
on international ecommerce sites also the respective market land with our firstborn, we realized it
in 2016. Among international scapes, we are able to meet the was not easy to survive in the US
sites, US ecommerce sites specific demands of both. Also, the on a single paycheque. We needed
received $3.9 billion in purchases, trust factor for the brand among some extra income while letting
nearly half of the overseas sales the Indian Americans here has Sadhana enjoy motherhood.
from India in 2016. been passed on to their families Exploring an opportunity in
"As we understand both back home, making it easier for us Indian apparel for kids, they start
American and Indian cultures as to penetrate the Indian market," ed Desi Vastra for online retail in
2004. Deepaks experience in
building websites, SEO and mar
ket ing was complimented by
Sadhnas customer management
and strategic thinking skills to
help the business grow.
DesiVastra had no competition
and the business did well till 2008
when the world economy was hit
by recession. Deepak and Sadhna
then decided to use the competi
tion in the market to their advan
tage by bringing together their
competitors through a market
place.
In 2010, they started theindia
bazaar.com, which was rebranded
DesiClik.com in 2014. With no
external funding, the founders
have invested around $150,000
in it so far.
But it has been worthwhile.
DesiClik has seen 20 percent
monthly growth this year. Deepak
is confident that the company will
achieve $750,000 in revenue this
year, growing by more than 200
per cent in 2017.

Intel to soon introduce Stock markets to hold

AIenabled Nervana Neural
Network chips
San Francisco: Catching up with
the emerging Machine Learning
(ML) and Deep Learning (DL)
technologies, Intel will soon intro
duce the world's first family of
purposebuilt Artificial
Intelligence (AI)enabled
"Nervana Neural Network
Processor" (NNP). Formerly known as "Lake
Crest", this family of chips took over three
years in the making.
"The goal of Intel NNP is to provide the
flexibility to support all DL primitives while
making core hardware components as effi
cient as possible," Intel said in a blog post on
Wednesday.
The company has also collaborated with
Facebook for sharing technical insights as it
introduces the new generation of AI hard
ware to users.
"We designed NNP to free us from the
limitations imposed by existing hardware,
which wasn't explicitly designed for AI,"
Intel added.
Intel NNP does not have a standard cache
hierarchy and onchip memory is managed
by software directly which trans
lates to achieving faster training
time for DL models.
The Intel Nervana NNP aims to
revolutionize AI computing across
industries.
Using Intel Nervana technology,
companies will be able to develop
entirely new classes of AI applications that
maximize the amount of data processed and
enable customers to find greater insights
transforming their businesses.
AI will allow for earlier diagnosis and
greater accuracy, helping make the impossi
ble possible by advancing research on can
cer, Parkinson's disease and other brain dis
orders.
"Providers will be able to deliver a more
personalized experience to their customers
and offer more targeted reach to their
advertisers," Intel said.
Having a processor that takes better
advantage of data inputs could improve pre
dictions on how subtle climate shifts may
increase hurricanes in different geogra
phies.
Muhurat trading
session on Diwali
Mumbai: Key Indian equity mar
kets will hold a special "Muhurat"
trading session to mark the start
of the Hindu New Year on
Thursday, the Diwali day.
The annual onehour session
will be held between 6.30 p.m.
and 7.30 p.m. It is held every
year on account of Diwali Laxmi
Pujan.
The session is considered to be
auspicious for stock market trad
ing. It is be lieved that the
"Muhurat" trading on this day
brings wealth and prosperity
throughout the year. The session
will mark the start of the Hindu
New Year Samvat 2074
Bull run to continue in the new
Despite the record run in the Samvat, Hindu New Year
past year and challenges con
cerning the earnings growth, Indian equities have not quite hit a bubble territory. There
look poised for another year of doubledigit is likely to be volatility going ahead, though,
gains in Samvat 2074. According to experts, as the markets digest the impact of the gov
Indian equities are in a midcycle of sorts ernments goods and services tax implemen
where valuations are not cheap, but stocks tation on trade and supply chain.
 36 October 21-27, 2017
Need new
glasses? Don't
overlook these
ways to enhance
your lenses
W
hen it comes to buying new eye
glasses, many people focus on
frames, spending hours trying on
multiple shapes and colors. With so many
styles to choose from, its easy to forget
that glasses are used for a medical pur
pose and they need to do more than just
look good they need to work.
Remember, there are many lenses and
enhancements that can be customized to
fit your lifestyle and everyday needs. Here
are some lens enhancements youll want to
consider musthaves for your next pair of Additionally, AR coatings can reduce eye
glasses.
l Antireflective (AR) coating : A
good AR or antireflective coating can
Will you be able to afford an
unexpected health crisis?
oung people may not
Y give much thought to
the cost of an unexpect
ed crisis, particularly when it
comes to serious accidents or
illnesses. Should an emer
gency occur, you dont want
to be caught off guard and
have to cut back on other
essentials or miss out on
those special experiences that
bring a smile to your face.
Here are three things from
Aflac that everyone, but par
ticularly young adults, should
consider:
1. Know what your insurance
covers. As the cost of health care contin
ues to shift to employees, its important
for young adults to understand what their
health coverage does and doesnt cover.
Keep in mind that major medical may not
cover everything, so read the terms of
your policy to get a better understanding
and help prevent surprises down the road.
2. Consider your expenses.
Today, many Americans rely heavily on
technology to manage and enjoy their
daytoday lives. This is especially true of
younger generations that use cellphones
for everything from entertainment and
navigation to maintaining their health and
wellness with fitness and recipe apps.
Many people are caught by surprise
after a serious accident or illness and end
up using their digital fund to help pay
for bills that would otherwise set them
back financially meaning they may can
cel TV subscriptions, smartphone data
plans, cable, internet and musicstreaming
SELF HELP
enhance your vision and make your glass
es look better by minimizing those annoy
ing reflections. The coatings can be
applied to the front and back of your lens
es to help protect them from scratches and
smudges, and repel dust and water.
clear indoors, combining the benefits of
strain caused by glare and reflections, and
prevent the halos you might see from
oncoming cars at night. The coating also
reduces the reflection of light, allowing
subscriptions. Being prepared for these
situations can help you stay connected, no
matter what comes your way. That said, it
is helpful to know which of these services
are most meaningful to you so that you
will know where to cut the cord if need be.
3. Be extra protected. Even if you
have standard health insurance, you may
want to consider adding an additional
level of financial protection by opting for
voluntary insurance. Such benefits options
can help foot the bills associated with an
illness or accident. For example, the sup
plemental insurance offered by Aflac can
pay policyholders cash on eligible claims.
Coverage for this insurance, available
nationwide, is underwritten by American
Family Life Assurance Company of
Columbus or New York. Having supple
mental insurance can make it easier to
stay on top of payments for subscription
services, memberships and experiences
that help you live life to the fullest.
StatePoint
others to better see your eyes through the
lenses.
l Lightreactive lenses: Also known
as photochromic lenses, these lenses
quickly darken in sunlight and return to
are the days of the bifocal, so you wont
regular prescription glasses and sunglass
es in one convenient package. Lightreac lens. Instead, you can enjoy a cosmetically
tive lenses also reduce light sensitivity,
protect against ultraviolet (UV) radiation,
EASY WAYS TO CUT
BACK ON SUGAR
N
ationwide, 30 million children and
adults have diabetes, and 86 million
are prediabetic, according to the
American Diabetes Association (ADA).
Next month is National Diabetes Month,
and an excellent opportunity to take steps
to decrease your risk of developing Type 2
diabetes. A leading risk factor for Type 2
diabetes is being overweight. But the good
news is, according to the ADA, losing just 7
% of your body weight can decrease that
risk by 58 percent.
One way to manage your weight is to cut
back on sugar, which can often be a
sneaky source of weight gain.
Before getting started, its important to
remember that many healthy foods natu
rally contain sugar, a carbohydrate your
body burns for energy. Processed sugars
are different, adding calories that provide
no other nutritional benefit, and at exces
sive levels, disrupting your metabolism,
and potentially posing serious health risks.
The USDAs dietary guidelines recom
mend that added sugar account for less
than 10 % of your daily calories thats a
maximum of 50 grams a day for average
women and 62.5 grams for men. To keep
your sugar consumption in the healthy
range, Courtney McCormick, Corporate
Dietitian at Nutrisystem, offers the follow
ing tips:
Hold the Ketchup. You know baked
goods and candy are loaded with added
sugar, but so are many foods you may not
think of as especially sweet. A tablespoon
of ketchup, for instance, has four grams of
sugar. Salsa, barbecue sauce, spaghetti
sauce and even bread are hidden sources
of sugar.
Sweeten with Spices. Replace sugar
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
and many even reduce exposure to blue
light from sunlight and devices.
l Blue light reduction: Blue light is a
highenergy light emitted by digital
devices, LED lights, and the sun. Blue light
exposure has been linked to digital eye
strain. And with screen time continuing to
soar, its not surprising that digital eye
strain has surpassed carpal tunnel syn
drome as the leading computerrelated
workplace complaint in America, accord
ing to the Vision Councils digital ye strain
report. Adding a blue light coating to your
lenses can reduce your exposure and offer
relief from sore, irritated, tired eyes while
working, cramming, ereading, or binge
watching.
l Progressive lenses: Lens enhance
ments arent the only way to upgrade your
vision experience. For those who have grad
uated to the sometimesdreaded presbyopia
club, the agerelated loss of the eyes ability
to focus on nearby objects, there is new
technology that makes adapting to progres
sive lenses much easier. Additionally, gone
have to endure the line in the middle of the
pleasing lens that allows you to see near,
far, and in between effortlessly.
from coffee, hot cereal and other foods
with spices that have a naturally sweet
taste, such as vanilla, cinnamon and car
damom, instead.
Flavor Your Water. A 12ounce can of
soda has as much as 40 grams of added
sugar. Skip the soda and drink water
sweetened with fresh fruit and herbs, like
strawberries and basil or lime and mint.
Start with Plain. The fruit in the bot
tom of your yogurt can come with 25 or
more grams of added sugar. Buy plain
yogurt and add your own fresh or dried
fruit.
Snack on Fruit. One cup of blueberries,
for example, has seven grams of natural
sugar to satisfy your sweet tooth, but the
fruit also comes with fiber to help you feel
full and slow the breakdown of the sugars,
so you dont crave more calories soon after
eating it.
Bake with Applesauce. Eating fewer
baked goods is sure to reduce your sugar
intake, but when the occasion calls for you
to make a cake, replace a third of the sugar
in the recipe with an equal amount of
unsweetened applesauce.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIWALI SPECIAL October 21-27, 2017
 38 October 21-27, 2017
To be famous today, make
sure you are bad or stupid
I
told a friend that if he scrolled
down to the very first Facebook
post ever written he would win
a prize from Mark Zuckerberg and
hes been scrolling for threeanda
half days now.
I feel kind of guilty but his fami
ly's enjoying the peace.
Life is full of new ethical ques
tions triggered by social media.
Case in point: Police recently
arrested a teenage girl for armed
robbery and as she was being
handcuffed, she turned and spoke
some final words to her shocked
father: "Dad, can you take a picture
of this so I can put it on my
Facebook page?"
Not a joke. None of this soppy
"sorry I let you down, dearest
papa" stuf f. Instead, Josephine
Garczynski, 18, was operating on a
we llknown internet principle
known as "Pictures Or It Didn't
Happen".
BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA
AND
PAKISTAN
New York Head Quarter
422S Broadway
HICKSVILLE
NY 11801
5168271010
Funny Side by Nury Vittachi
And it could be argued that she
made the rig ht choice: She
achieved a measure of fame where
she lived, in the US state of
Wisconsin.
Wait a minute, I hear you say:
Isn't it bad to be famous for saying
or doing something stupid or evil?
Ah, that's the mistake people make.
Praise and notoriety both lead to
fame, but notoriety is easier (and
often more fun).
T he same week, there was a
news report from the UK which
said that Nelson Foyle, aged 93,
spent 80 years sitt ing on a
barstool in a UK pub called the
Dog and Gun. Now most husbands
know that if we are 80 minutes
late coming home because of a
visit to a bar, we'll be in trouble.
Our mistake is that our sins are
not big enough. This guy spends
80 years on a barstool and he is
internationally celebrated.
HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Of course, the ultimate example
of this is the United States
President. Many academics have
pointed out that in 2016 Donald
Trump was by far the most criti
cized man on Earth, by any meas
ure and as a result, he is now
the most famous and powerful
human being on Earth, unbeholden
to anyone (except his bossy wife
Melania, who I guess is thus tech
nically Ruler of Planet Earth).
The same thing happens in Asia. num
Rodrigo Duterte announces that he ber of
likes picking fights and shooting printings of
people, and the people of the the Bible in the
Philippines promptly make him 1600s, but only the
their overlord. 1631 edition is remembered. became
Old way of becoming rich and The typesetter left out the word the mostsought after edition. How
powerful: I need to achieve some "not" so one of the Ten do you start to become talked
thing good for humanity. Commandments is: "Thou shalt about? Give up Facebook for a
New way of becoming rich and commit adultery." The church tried start. But write the following post
powerful: I need to tell the media to destroy all copies but thanks to before you disappear: "Going on a
that I totally hate kittens. a certain type of deeply wicked date with a mysterious stranger.
Final example: There were large type of human being ("male"), it Will report back soon."
Laughter is the Best Medicine
By Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession,
artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the
plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons.
Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIWALI SPECIAL October 21-27, 2017
40 October 21-27, 2017
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
OCTOBER 2127, 2017
ARIES: Leadership qualities and ability to
understand people would benet at
work. You would be the center of attrac
tion at a social gathering that you attend espe
cially with family. All investments need to be
made with proper consultation to avoid losses.
A promising week for romance when your
innovation infuses a new spirit in it. Pleasure
trip would help in maintaining sound health in
this week. If you are thinking of escaping from
the hectic daily routine plan a trip. Buying
overseas property will be beneciary for you. A
secret personal wish will be fullled.
TAURUS: Female colleagues would help
in completing pending work. You
achieve success in personal work with
the timely help & support provided by family
members. Investment in antiques & jewellery
brings monetary gains and improvement in
nancial position. Romantic opportunity comes
your way as your sparkling sunshine smile
injures a lively & tender heart. Meditation and
selfrealization prove benecial. Many people
want to y international and you are one of
them. Buyers will get attracted to your proper
ty as your property value is good. You gain a
lot on paying heed to others guidance.
GEMINI: A promising week for ambi
tious professionals to demonstrate tech
nical skills & abilities. Misunderstand
ings with near ones in the family will get
cleared. Long pending arrears and dues will
nally be recovered. Romance touches new
heights, as partner positively responds. You
will have ample time to do things to improve
your health. By travelling youll learn about
new places and cultures, which is ultimately a
great deal about yourself. If you wish to
achieve a good deal in property then try at
commercial basis. Sharp observation ability
enables maintaining the lead.
CANCER: Politicians nd a very
smooth sailing as results go in your
favour, thus immensely boosting con
dence. Children would do their best to keep
you happy. Investment concerning residence
will be protable. You are likely to nd some
one with whom you will enjoy the ecstasies of
love. Sound physical health will enable to par
ticipate in outdoor activities. Going for a vaca
tion is always a big expenditure you must plan
everything. Develop an attitude to be success
ful on your property investment plans.
Maintaining a distance from gossip and
rumours would augur well for future.
LEO: People engaged in tourism will
have the energy to keep pace with fast
taking events thus giving themselves an
edge over others. An auspicious week for family
functions and important ceremonies. Financial
hassles seem to get over as someone lends a
timely helping hand. Love comes your way as
friendship turns into romance. You will be suc
cessful in getting rid from tensions. Minor
preparations before you travel overseas will
make your trip a lot smoother. If you are look
ing for a surene method to earn on your prop
erty, student rental could be exactly what you
need. You succeed in giving a physical shape to
your innovative ideas at personal front.
VIRGO: Betterment awaits people
engaged in the eld of graphic design
ing. You are likely to be beneted as
family members positively respond. Promising
week to invest surplus money in real estate.
You are likely nd comfort in the arms of
romantic partner. A sparkling laughter lled
week when most things proceed, as you desire.
You and your loved ones been busy for quite
sometimes and have nally decided to go on a
ASTROLOGY
vacation. Looking to buy property, then go for
commercial one. You will see a marked change
in your behaviour and manners as your person
ality makes changes for the better.
LIBRA: Se lfcondence would
immensely help in achieving good
results at professional front. Parents
and friends will do their best to keep you
happy. A sound nancial health would enable
to invest on lucrative schemes. Love and
romantic encounter will keep you in a cheerful
state. Your enormous condence would help in
enjoying a healthy life. Your next journey is to
a place which is full of natural beauty and rav
ishing. Good time to purchase a property. You
get success in your efforts as they are immedi
ately rewarded in this week.
SCORPIO: Support and appreciation
from seniors would raise your morale
and condence. You nd relief, comfort
and affection in the company of family mem
bers. Financial hassles will be eased out with
the help of your friends. Cupids arrows would
make your heart utter high. Inexhaustible
energy enables to participate in outdoor activi
ties. Weekend getaway to enjoy pubs and clubs
is on your way. Your dream for new house
might be full led now. You notice many of
your personal dreams & ambitions being ful
lled in this week.
SAGITTARIUS: The ef forts of people
aspiring to join interior designing
course are likely to be handsomely
rewarded. A promising week to plan things for
your progeny. Your brilliant ideas would help
in bringing nancial gains. Sudden romantic
encounter is foreseen in this week. A very
healthy week lled with happiness & vitality.
Time for a vacation, sit back and relax. A good
deal for your new property is ready to be made.
If possible make the optimum use of spare by
engaging yourself in creative activities.
CAPRICORN: At work you will be per
fect in whatever you do. You would
prefer to relax and enjoy the company
of family members in the evening. A promising
week to earn prots in real estate and nancial
transactions. Partner brings immense romantic
pleasure even if work pressure occupies your
mind Yoga and meditation would help in keep
ing in shape and mentally agile. Your travel
experience is going to be an extent of sharing
your knowledge and communication. You can
apply for your home loan. You notice develop
ing an interest in creative work/literature.
AQUARIUS: A missed opportunity
would hard to regain especially at pro
fessional front. You move with new
excitement & condence as you receive support
from family and friends. An improvement in
monetary position makes it convenient to pur
chase essential items. Romance rules heart &
mind in this week. Blessings of a saintly person
give peace of mind. Its time for a vacation after
a long and hard year at work. Your search for a
house is towards its nal destination. Engaging
yourself in some creative work would give some
respite from hectic lifestyle.
PISCES: You are likely to encounter
some challenging situations at work
place. Family front seems to go smoothly
as you receive their full support to your plans. In
this week longterm investment would enable to
make substantial gains. Romantic imagination
occupies mind forcing to go out of the way to
please partner. Chances of recovering from
physical ailment are high. Time to relax and
unwind for few days. Your personal loan plans
for property could be in progress. Students will
be successful in realising their dreams.
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874
Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
21 October, 2017
Governed by number 3 and the planet
Jupiter, you are confident, creative, system
atic, generous and an optimistic person. You
are good at building new contacts, which in
return bring you lots of popularity and bene
fits. You are smart and trustworthy, but you
need to control your tendency to behave
extravagant and dominating at times.
Financial gains are certain provided you
associate with people who are creative and
experienced. Improved finances will make
you spend more on luxuries and other living
comforts. Legal or property disputes will set
tle around the middle of the year. New
romance for some will develop through
social gatherings and recreational activities.
Health of an infant will cause stress and anx
iety. Religious feelings will arise making you
seek spiritual blessing later in the year. The
months of July, September, December and
February will be highly important.
22 October, 2017
Ruled by number 4 and the planet Uranus,
you are energetic, charming, peace loving,
creative and an active person. You are
always given great deal of responsibility at
work because people know they can depend
on you. You will receive major success in
your career provided you check your tenden
cy to behave jealous, self centered and over
confident at times.
Your planetary position is offering major
changes in your career. New opportunities
look bright and recognition and rewards
seem high on your cards. Your involvement
in social activities will bring you close to
important people, who will provide favours
and benefits. Those wanting to travel over
seas for business or pleasure will receive a
boost to their plans. You will have abun
dance of energy and you will easily imple
ment whatever you plan. Health however
will need care. The months of June, August,
November and March will be highly eventful.
trust. Businessmen will expand into new and
23 October, 2017
Ruled by number 5 and the planet
Mercury, you are practical, energetic, trust
worthy and possess a strong intuition. You
are highly popular in your group because
you are witty and intelligent. You are helpful
and sensible but you need to control your
tendency to behave vindictive, stubborn and
timid at times. Promising career opportuni
ties ahead for fresh graduates and extremely
good period for scholars, scientists, writers
and sportsmen as well. This year will be
important for working women, as they will
receive a major boost in their career.
Financial gains are certain but expenses will
also take an upward trend. For those
involved in romantic entanglement, chances
of a matrimonial alliance will be quite high.
Travel will bring pleasure. The months of
April, July, Sept.&January will be significant.
24 October, 2017
Ruled by number 6 and the planet Venus,
you are energetic, smart, attractive, accom
modating, diplomatic & highly practical per
son. Your great assets are your charming
personality and confidence, but you need to
check your tendency to behave too outspo
ken and restless at times. This year new
money making ventures prove highly lucra
tive. Your financial position will show
remarkable improvement and you will spend
more on luxuries to increase your comfort
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
level. Investment in stocks and real estate is
recommended for longterm gains. Foreign
trips will bring you monetary gains. Your
spouse will be cooperative through out the
year and will shower love and af fection.
Marriage proposals for those eligible. Health
needs proper care. The months of April,
June, September and January will prove to
be important and significant.
25 October, 2017
Influenced by number 7 and the planet
Neptune, you are trustworthy, af fectionate,
creative, sensitive and an emotional individ
ual. You are a person who always wears a
milliondollar smile on your face, which
makes it very easy for you to make friends
and win favours. You are smart and talented,
but you need to control your tendency to
behave stubborn, arrogant and extravagant
at times. This is the perfect time to put in
maximum efforts to reap longterm rewards.
Your family members will be supportive and
assist you in making important decisions.
Pending jobs and projects will get completed
to your satisfaction. Your health will be nor
mal but health of a family member may
become reason for stress and anxiety. A dis
tant journey preferably overseas brings
financial benefits and opportunity to meet
eminent and influential people. The month
of May, August and November will prove to
be eventful.
26 October, 2017
Influenced by number 8 and the planet
Saturn. You are smart, practical, honest, dis
ciplined, methodical and authoritative per
son. You are helpful and sincere to your
friends and enjoy enormous respect in your
group, but you need to check your tendency
to behave rigid, extravagant and jealous at
times. You will find many good investment
opportunities this year, so be highly judi
cious in making your decisions. Dont share
your ideas and plans with people you cant
more profitable ventures. Especially reward
ing period for journalist, doctors and mar
keting professionals. Spouse and children
will be supportive, but require your addition
al attention. Health of a near one, possibly a
young infant may bring stress and tension.
Wedding bells for those eligible. The months
of April, July, September and January will
prove to be significant.
27 October, 2017
Ruled by number 9 and the planet Mars.
You are intelligent, energetic, confident,
enthusiastic and courageous person. You
make firm decisions and once you have
taken a decision it lasts forever. You are
strong and highly diplomatic person, but you
need to check your tendency to behave short
tempered and vindictive at times.
This year you should concentrate on your
priorities and your ef forts will definitely
bring desired results. Past investments will
fetch returns and long pending property dis
putes will settle amicably. Unexpected gifts
and presents from near ones and friends will
keep you in high spirits. New plans and ven
tures will start on a positive note. Family
front will be pleasant as children and spouse
will provide you with love and af fection.
Health seems fine but even then, it is recom
mended that you avoid overeating and alco
hol. T he months of May, October and
January will prove to be highly important.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Sant Rajinder
Singh Ji Maharaj
M
any times we may think
that God is enjoying the
heavenly regions with
out knowing what difficulty we
are having on earth. Little do we
know that God wants to help
each one of us.
We might think that God is not
aware of what is happening with
us, but God is aware of each
action that occurs in our lives. If
we know that God is aware of
everything that happens to us
then the next question that aris
es is, "If God knows what is hap
pening, why is God making us
suffer? Why do we have prob
lems in this world? If God can do
anything, why doesn't God take
all the problems away?" There is
an interesting story that helps to
explain God's predicament.
There was a grandfather who
went to visit his daughter and
his grandchild. Grandparents
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
wealthy person was work
A ing with his lawyer in
preparing his will. The
lawyer was impressed with both
the amount of money the man
had accumulated and the num
ber of servants he had. The man
had many people to attend to his
every need, including drivers,
butlers, house cleaners, and gar
deners to tend to his estate. The
man was proud of how many
people he employed to serve
him. He felt it was a sign of suc
cess in life. When the man finally
passed on, he waited for his
judgment. He felt he would re
ceive a good placement in heav
en because he had been so suc
cessful in life.
When his turn came to be
judged, the angel looked over his
records and reflected on what he
had accomplished in life.
After looking through the en
tire record of this man, she de
clared that he did not merit time
in heaven. "What do you mean?"
the man exclaimed. "Didn't you
see how successful I was and
how many people served me?
The angel replied, "For entry
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
How God helps us in our lives
have great affinity for their Get me out of this. I want to play
grandchildren. When he went to with you. All grandchildren love
his daughter's house, he saw their grandparents, so the
that the grandchild was kept in a grandchild wanted to get out of
playpen. As soon as the grand the playpen, but just as the
child saw the grandfather he grandfather reached his hand
said, "Grandfather. Grandfather! toward the child, his daughter
Entry into heaven
into heaven, we do not keep illustrates a powerful lesson.
records of how many people Many people focus on amassing
served you. For entry into heav their own empires and estates,
en, we only record how many thinking this is the true purpose
people you served. Unfortunate in life. Yet, they disregard the
ly, your entry into heaven is de purpose for which God made hu
nied, because in your life, you manity. True human beings live
only served yourself." This story for others. Some scriptures say
October 21-27, 2017
IF WE LOOK
BACK AT OUR
OWN LIVES,
WE WILL FIND
THAT GOD'S
HAND HAS
ALWAYS BEEN
THERE TO
SUPPORT US.
said, "Don't touch the child. He
did something very wrong, and
he is being punished."
Although the grandfather
wanted to pick up the child, his
daughter told him not to, so
what is the grandfather sup
posed to do? The grandfather
could rule over his daughter and
say, "No. no. no, I am picking up
my grandchild anyway," and
have difficulties in that arena.
The other option is that he could
turn around, walk out of the
house, and leave, but then the
grandchild would be devastated.
So the grandfather came up with
Photo source: beliefnet.com
that if God wanted only devotion,
the angels were there for that
purpose. God wanted to create
beings that would serve others,
and thus God created humans. It
is clear from the story that serv
ice to others rather than service
to ourselves paves the way for
41
a solution. He climbed into the
playpen himself and played with
the child.
Similarly, this is what God does
for us.
If we look back at history,
saints have come in all tradi
tions, all cultures, all times, and
all walks of life. They have
always come to help the people
in those times. They are the
ones who are compassionate.
This is why many saints have
suffered for each one of us.
This is why many religions
talk about the founders suffer
ing for our sins. What are our
sins? Our sins arise from our
breaking the spiritual laws, from
not living according to the high
est ethical principles.
If we look back at our own
lives, we will find that God's
hand has always been there to
support us.
Many times we do not appreci
ate or see God's help in our lives
because we are unable to gravi
tate to that level where we expe
rience that God is with every one
of us at each moment. lf we were
able to sit quietly and focus
within through meditation, we
would then come into contact
with the True Reality. We would
connect to the divine Light with
in and begin to perceive how
God is working for our benefit at
every moment of our lives.
our return to God. Consider
which people from history hu
manity best remembers. Are
they the people who had others
serve them, or are they the ones
who served others? If we scan
the pages of history, we find we
do not remember or honor the
emperors and kings who lived
during the time of Jesus Christ.
Such kings may have had large
numbers of slaves and servants
catering to them, yet we remem
ber Jesus Christ because he was
one who served others. His life
was one of sacrifice and service
to the suffering souls of his time.
Into which category do we wish
to fall when our life is reviewed
at its end? Do we wish to go into
the spiritual realms after this life
ends with an empty list of those
we served because we were
more concerned with having oth
er people serve us?
Selfless service opens our
heart to love and helping others.
It makes us an instrument of
God's love by providing for all of
God's creation, whether other
people, animals, or the planet. In
serving, we develop qualities of
giving, caring, and loving. Serv
ing selflessly helps to eliminate
our ego and our selfishness.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIWALI SPECIAL October 21-27, 2017