The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e
Vol.10 No. 45 March 17-23, 2018 80 Cents
Indo‑French harmony
deepens with Macron visit
New Delhi: The agreements
signed during President
Emmanuel Macronʼs visit to India
are set to strengthen bilateral
Inbdo‑French cooperation at a
time of global flux. The Joint
Vision Statement on the Indian
Ocean Region is clearly aimed at
countering Chinaʼs growing pres‑
ence in the region. And the
International Solar Alliance,
recommitment to starting the
Jaitapur nuclear power plant,
and joint ventures on climate
change cooperation are reactions
to the US abdicating its role by
announcing its pullout from the
Paris accord, analyzed The Hindu
newspaper.
Continued on page 4
The land of opportunity
now is… India
(from left) FDUʼs Herbert Ouida and Jason Scorza, Consul General
Sandeep Chakravorty, ICICIʼs Akashdeep Sarpal, Rajiv Khanna
(India‑America Chamber of Commerce), and Adrian Mutton of
Sannam S4 at the Doing Business in India seminar.
Pope Francis may
visit India soon
Vatican City: World renowned Jainacharya
Dr. Lokesh Muni had a historic interfaith dia‑
logue with His Holiness Pope Francis at
Vatican City on March 7. Acharya Lokesh
accompanied by a high level delegation invit‑
ed the Holy Father for the International
Interfaith Conference Continued on page 4 India soon."
YOGA 9 GLAMOR 18
i n j o u r n a l i s m
New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Trump replaces
Tillerson with
Pompeo as
Secretary of State
French President Emmanuel Macron and PM Narendra Modi
take a boat ride in the River Ganges in Varanasi on March 12.
Macron was in India on a four‑day visit. (Photo: PIB)
SEE RELATED STORIES ON PAGE 22.
By Parveen Chopra
Teaneck, NJ: Speaker after speak‑
er at the seminar organized here
by Fairleigh Dickinson University
(FDU) on March 9 underlined the
burgeoning opportunities for Rex Tillerson and (right) Mike Pompeo. Pompeoʼs deputy
doing business in India, the at CIA, Gina Haspel, has been named for the CIA director post.
fastest growing economy in the
Washington: President Donald edly at odds with Trump on a vari‑
world.
Trump on Tuesday ousted ety of key foreign policy issues.
The opening remarks at the
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, A senior administration official
breakfast seminar were made by
ending his short but tumultuous said the President made the deci‑
Sandeep Chakravorty, Consul
tenure as the nationʼs chief diplo‑ sion to replace Tillerson in order
General ‑ New York. He pointed
mat. CIA Director Mike Pompeo to have a new team in place in
to the IMF forecast that Indiaʼs
will take over the top position. advance of the upcoming summit
growth will accelerate to 7.7% in
Trump took to Twitter to share and trade negotiations with North
2018‑19 from 7.2% in 2017‑18.
the development, saying: "Mike Korean leader Kim Jong‑un.
India today is already a $ 2.3
Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will Later, Tillerson diverged from
Continued on page 4 become our new Secretary of the White House this week in say‑
State. He will do a fantastic job! ing that poison used on a former
On Acharya
Lokesh
Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his
service!”
spy in the UK "came from Russia".
The policy rift emerged sharply
Muniʼs
invitation to
Gina Haspel ‑‑ Deputy Director at
CIA, has been named to the
over North Korea when Trump
tweeted in October that Tillerson
an interfaith
become the Director becoming the was "wasting his time" trying to
meet in
first woman to run the spy agency, negotiate with Pyongyang to end
India, the
if confirmed. its nuclear and missile programs.
Pope said, “I
Both she and Pompeo would Tillerson had also publicly dis‑
hope and
wish to need confirmation by the Senate to tanced himself from the
come to take their respective positions. President's defiant response to
DETAILED STORY & MORE PICTURES ON PAGE 15. Tillerson found himself repeat‑ Continued on page 4
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info March 17-23, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Womenʼs empowerment celebrated at the Consulate
New York: At the International
Womenʼs Day held at the Indian
Consulate here on March 8, five
illustrious Indian American women
were among those who addressed
the nearly 100 participants who
had gathered to celebrate women
for their success, contributions to
the society and for leadership.
Miss India USA 2017 Shree Saini
said, “Empowerment begins with a
child, whether it is a male or a
female. We need to give our chil‑
dren the unconditional love and
support to build their self‑esteem
as only then will they feel empow‑
ered to conquer any obstacles in
life.” The event was organized by
FIA, whose president Srujal Parikh
said, “Iʼve always been surrounded
by powerful women; my mom, my
wife, my daughter and my friends,”
before he recognized the group of
women who have been the back‑
bone of FIA who always “work so
hard to make sure everything runs
smoothly.”
In his opening remarks, Consul
General Sandeep Chakravorty said,
“Today I pay my tribute to women
Famous physicist Stephen
Hawking dies at age 76
London: World famous British
scientist Stephen Hawking, mod‑
ern cosmology's brightest star
known for his groundbreaking
work with black holes and rela‑
tivity, died today at his home in
Cambridge aged 76.
Hawking's family said in a
statement: "He was a great scien‑
tist and an extraordinary man
whose work and legacy will live
on for many years. His courage
and persistence with his bril‑
liance and humor inspired peo‑
ple across the world."
Hawking contracted motor
neurone disease in 1963 and
was given two years to live but
he went on to study at
Cambridge and became one of
the most brilliant theoretical
physicists since Albert Einstein.
Hawking's first major break‑
through came in 1970, when he
and Roger Penrose applied the
mathematics of black holes to
the entire universe and showed
that a singularity, a region of
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Some of the participants at the event.
all over for their courage, hard
work and daily toil in making the
world a better place. While women
constitute half of humanity they
are responsible for bringing up the
other half. We are delighted and
honored by the presence of incredi‑
ble panelists for todayʼs conference
on Women Leadership”.
It all began with International
Working Womenʼs Day in New
York City in 1909. In 1975, during
International Womenʼs Year, the
United Nations began celebrating
infinite curvature in space‑time,
lay in our distant past: the point
from which came the big bang.
Hawking's seminal contributions
continued through the 1980s.
The theory of cosmic inflation
holds that the fledgling universe
went through a period of terrific
expansion.
His book A Brief History of
Time (1988) rocketed Hawking
to stardom.
International Womenʼs Day on 8th
of March. This year, International
Womenʼs Day comes on the heels
of unprecedented global movement
for womenʼs rights, equality and
justice. Sexual harassment, violence
and discrimination against women
has captured headlines and public
discourse, propelled by a rising
determination for change.
Amb. Chakravorty said,
“International Womenʼs Day 2018
is an opportunity to transform this
momentum into action, to empow‑
Students across US plan
walkout to call for gun control
Washington: Thousands of students
and teachers across the US plan to
walk out of schools on Wednesday
to commemorate the one month
anniversary of the high school
shooting in Florida and call for
increased gun control measures to
prevent future incidents.
The walkout will take place at 10
am local time and will last for 17
minutes to honor the 17 people
killed when a gunman opened fire
on Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High School in Parkland, Florida
last month. The walkout was called
by Women's March Youth
Empower, the youth branch of the
organization that plans worldwide
protests to enact laws that favor
human rights.
The group said in a statement the
walkout is being called "to protest
Congress' refusal to take action on
the gun violence epidemic plaguing
our schools and neighborhoods".
Though students may face disci‑
plinary action if their walkout is
not sanctioned by their school's
March 17-23, 2018
er women in all settings, rural and
urban, and celebrate the activists
who are working relentlessly to
claim womenʼs rights and realize
their full potential. UN theme for
this yearʼs Womenʼs Day is ʻTime Is
Now: Rural and Urban Activists
Transforming Womenʼs Livesʼ.”
The accomplished women who
spoke on the occasion included TV
anchor Nisha Mathur, author Myra
Godfrey, social worker Eshita
Chakrabarti, musician and entre‑
preneur Chandrika Tandon and
administration, many educational
institutions have signaled they will
allow the 17‑minute memorial to
proceed. The movement for gun
control has been reinvigorated by a
spate of devastating shootings that
began last October with the Las
Vegas shooting that killed at least
58 people. Since the Marjory
Stoneman Douglas shooting, stu‑
dents have taken the lead to call for
reform.
Survivors of the shooting came
together to form Never Again MSD,
a student‑led gun control organiza‑
tion. Emma Gonzalez, who helped
found the Never Again MSD, gave a
3
Professor Gayatri Chakravorty
Spivak. Violinist Daisy Joplin gave
a moving performance. Eight
female pilots from Air India were
felicitated as well.
Nisha Mathur said that Woman's
Empowerment should not be
enough to just suffrage, but it is
also necessary to have your opin‑
ion, your voice, and your choice in
issues such as marriage.
Eshita Chakraborty wanted more
women to come in the political
field to get an active voice so that
“we can talk about our structure,
thinking, rights, beliefs, our culture,
and our views”. Chandrika Tandon
regretted that in NYU, only 41% of
females are registered in the engi‑
neering department, but their suc‑
cess equals two women multiplied
by a man. Prof. Gayatri Spivak said
"feminism involves accessing the
mindset of men as well as women
to shift their assumptions.”
At the event, Air Indiaʼs all‑
women‑crew got a rousing wel‑
come. Air India has become the
first airline to fly around the world
with an all‑female crew.
Thousands of
students will walk
out of the
classroom for 17
minutes on March
14 to honor those
killed in the latest
mass shooting
and demand
better school
safety.
speech in which she called out
politicians for not addressing mass
shootings that went viral. The stu‑
dents have already appeared to
make headway in their own state.
Last week, Florida enacted
stricter gun control measures,
including raising the minimum age
to buy a firearm from 18 to 21. The
legislation also paved the way for
the arming of teachers, a proposal
decried by both students and teach‑
ers. Separately, the Department of
Justice put forward a plan to ban
bump stocks, which allow semi‑
automatic assault rifles to function
as if they are automatic weapons.
 4 March 17-23, 2018 TURN PAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

George Abraham and Mohinder Singh
Gilzian invited to Congress party plenary
New York: George Abraham, Vice‑Chairman of the
Indian Overseas Congress, USA and Mohinder Singh
Gilzian, President of the INOC, have been invited to
attend the 84th plenary session of the Indian National
Congress scheduled for March 17‑18 March in New
Delhi. This will be the first Congress plenary session
after the election of Rahul Gandhi as President of
Indian National Congress. The leadership of the party
from all states is expected to participate.
George is the Founder‑General Secretary of INOC
and served as its President and Chairman. He is a for‑
mer Chief Technology Officer at the United Nations
and regularly writes on the political dynamics in India.
Gilzian served as its Vice‑President before assuming
the post of the President. AICC recently has appointed
Sam Pitroda as the Chairman of the newly created
Overseas Congress department who also acts as
Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, the newly
reorganized wing of Congress Party in the USA.
Letter to the Editor
Thank you, Rex
Trump replaces Tillerson with
Pompeo as Secretary of State
Continued from page 1
violence at the white supremacist rally in
Charlottesville, Virginia, last year.
The President on Tuesday said Pompeo
will do a "fantastic job" and "is the right
person for the job at this critical juncture".
The Army veteran and former
Congressman will "continue our program
of restoring America's standing in the
world, strengthening our alliances, con‑
fronting our adversaries, and seeking the
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula",
Trump said. "I am deeply grateful to
President Trump for permitting me to
serve as Director of the CIA and for this
opportunity to serve as Secretary of State,"
Pompeo said in a statement.
Haspel in a statement also said she was
excited for her promotion and said she
was "grateful to President Trump for the
opportunity".
Indo‑French harmony
deepens with Macron visit
Dashashwamedh ghat, a distance of about
500 meters.
Earlier on Friday, PM Modi welcomed
Macron with a bear hug on his arrival at
the airport on Friday.
On Saturday, speaking to the media
Macron said that France should be the
best partner for India and the entry point
to Europe. After being accorded a ceremo‑
nial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan
in New Delhi, he said the one objective of
his visit was to open a new era in the
India‑France Strategic Partnership "in
terms of defense and security, in terms of
research and science, especially in terms
of our youth, higher education and sci‑
ence. France's 40‑year‑old president and
his wife Brigitte on Sunday also visited the
Taj Mahal.
The land of opportunity
now is… India
Continued from page 1
trillion economy. Rajiv Khanna, President
of India‑America Chamber of Commerce,
in his well‑received address built upon
Department of Commerceʼs International
Trade Administration helps to connect
American companies with international
buyers worldwide. He said they can help
with legal and regulatory issues as well as
with due diligence. Claudia Yarborough, of
US Small Business Administrationʼs NJ
office, elaborated on securing loans from
the SBA to do business abroad.
Adrian Mutton, CEO & Founder, Sannam
S4 Inc, dipped into his own experience of
living and working in India and now con‑
sulting those wishing to do business in
India. He counseled patience while
expecting results and returns. He also
pointed out that “India is one market with
many regional markets”, meaning, for
example, that needs and preferences and
attitudes in Tamil Nadu may be different
from those in Delhi. Stressing why you
should be mindful of what drives and
motivates local staff, he recounted how he
started getting better personnel for his
India operations after offering health and
life insurance for the employeesʼ families.
The seminar was ably moderated by

F
irst and foremost I thank Rex W. Tillerson for
his service to our exceptional nation, and for
agreeing to serve, and continuing to serve, as
our Secretary of State by ignoring personal concerns.
My Hero, more than Thomas Becket and Edmund
Burke, whom I hold as my action‑core, is Thomas
Jefferson ‑ Americaʼs First Secretary of State (who most
remember as president). Those are the shoes Rex wore
with distinction. The world of diplomacy and our for‑
eign relations were enhanced and stabilized by his
mature and steady service, especially needed when our
President Trump had declared that he was going to dis‑
rupt status quo ‑ which he has succeeded in doing at
historic levels.
Rex helped Make America Great Again by his service
and personal sacrifices. I will cherish our candid and
warm patriotic interactions, some in presence of our
history‑making Amb. Nikki Haley in UNSC when you
presided.
POTUS has selected a worthy successor for Rex,
Mike Pompeo ‑ first in his class at West Point ‑ who will
do a remarkable job given his years in Congress and at
CIA, and Gina Haspel ‑ First woman head of CIA, allow‑
ing America to catch up with James Bond ‑ who has
had a woman leader of MI6 for decades.
Ravi Batra,
Chair, National Advisory Council
on South Asian Affairs
Continued from page 1
The “reciprocal logistics support” agree‑
ment, which Prime Minister Narendra
Modi called a “golden step” in defense
cooperation, is a signal to Russia and to
the U.S.‑led alliance that partnered in the
“Quadrilateral”, that both New Delhi and
Paris feel the need to diversify strategic
postures beyond their current choices.
Then, by bringing 61 countries into the
International Solar Alliance, India and
France are proposing an alternative lead‑
ership model for the less developed world,
challenging the geopolitical power struc‑
ture configured around fossil‑fuel energy
resources.
On a visit to Varanasi on March 12,
Macron said at a news conference that he
hopes his country can sell more fighter
jets and submarines to India. He said
France and India want to "be able to con‑
tinue with new volumes and production in
line with what has already been signed."
He was referring to India's purchase of
six conventionally powered Scorpene sub‑
marines in 2005 and 36 Rafale fighter jets
in 2016. On Monday afternoon, the two
leaders took a boat ride on the Ganga
river from Varanasi's Assi ghat to the
Ambassador Chakravortyʼs remarks to
establish that the ʻland of opportunityʼ is
not America (growing at under 3%) any‑
more but India. “Simply because India is
projected to become the 2nd largest econ‑
omy by 2050 behind China (not USA),” he
said. Khanna, a ʻsuper lawyerʼ (one of top
5% lawyers in New York) praised Indian
economyʼs resilience which bounces back
after hiccups like PM Modiʼs demonetiza‑
tion. Besides the service sector and infra‑
structure, he listed pharma, healthcare.
aviation and retail among growth engines
in India. Akashdeep Sarpal, Country
Head (USA) of ICICI Bank, in his presenta‑
tion, gave a macroeconomic update on
India, and spoke about the Modi govern‑
mentʼs initiatives to improve the business
environment, and how the country has
moved 30 places in ease of doing busi‑
ness. He also introduced ICICI as Indiaʼs
largest private bank with presence in all
major global financial hubs.
On how the US government can help
you export, Brian Beams of US
Commercial Service, gave a presentation.
With 100+ offices in the US and in its
embassies and consulates in 80 countries,
the U.S. Commercial Service of the
Herbert Ouida, Director, Global Enterprise
Network, FDU. Present was Jason A.
Scorza, FDUʼs Vice Provost for Academic
and International Affairs, & about 100
attendees.
Pope Francis may
visit India soon
Continued from page 1
organized in New Delhi. His Holiness
addressing the delegation said, "I hope
and wish to come India soon and inter‑
religious dialogue is necessary for the pro‑
tection of humanity, world peace and har‑
mony".
During the historic meeting between the
two religious leaders, pressing interna‑
tional issues like World Peace, Religious
Harmony, Environment Protection and
Human Welfare were discussed. The Pope
delightfully receiving the invitation from
Acharya Lokesh to come to India said that
International Interfaith Conference will be
a step ahead towards World Peace. Lokesh
Muni said that violence and terrorism can‑
not solve any problem. “All conflicts can
be resolved through dialogue. We must
respect othersʼ point of view and thoughts
along with our own.”

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Incoming AIA President Dr Urmilesh Arya speaking at the event attended
by Rep Tom Suozzi and many prominent Indian Americans.
Dr. Urmilesh Arya inaugurated
as AIA National President
Hicksville, NY: Dr. Urmilesh Arya, a pediatri‑
cian in Long Island City, NY, was installed as
the new president of the Association of
Indians in America (AIA‑National) at a cere‑
mony on Feb. 25 at Antunʼs by Minar here.
Citations on behalf of County Executive
Laura Curran were presented by Bobby
Kalotee to her and the outgoing President
Dr. Shashi Shah.
The event was attended by about 150 peo‑
ple, including Rep. Tom Suozzi (D‑N.Y.).
Dr Arya said her vision is to bring the
Indian American community together and
pass on the torch of AIA to the younger
generation to maintain the heritage and cul‑
ture. "Do not expect from your association,
see what you can do for it," she said in a
brief speech.
AIA is 50 years old and the first Indian
American organization. It has plans to cele‑
brate the 50th anniversary on October 20,
AAPI donates funds towards Leukemia
& Lymphoma Society of America
Chicago, IL: “American Association of
Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the most
dynamic and ethnic organization represent‑
ing more than 100,000 physicians of Indian
origin, while officially launching a campaign
against Leukemia and Lymphomas, donated
a large sum of money to the Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society of America on March
10th during the annual AAPI Spring
Governing Body meeting at the Freemont
Marriott Silicon Valley, Fremont, CA,”
declared Dr. Gautam Samadder, President of
AAPI.
“Continuing with supporting noble causes,
AAPI, the largest ethnic association repre‑
senting the physicians of Indian origin in the
USA, has taken on yet another cause to pro‑
mote through its active support in educating
people about the deadly disease around the
world,” Dr. Vinod Shah, a past president of
AAPI, and a well known philanthropist, said.
Dr. Shah has agreed to match the money
being provided by AAPI, thus doubling the
donation through AAPI at this special event.
“Manushi Chhillar Miss World 2017
was present at the ceremony, during which
AAPI handed over the check to representa‑
tives from the Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society of America,” Dr. Naresh Parikh,
President‑Elect of AAPI, said. “Hailing from a
family of doctors and scientists, an aspiring
TRISTATE COMMUNITY March 17-23, 2018 5
2018.
Dr Urmilesh Arya introduced her execu‑
tive committee for 2018‑2019, which
includes Vice Presidents Dr. Naresh Bhasin
(FL), Nalini Shah (NJ), Ram Khanna (NY), Dr.
Sunil Mehra (NY), Treasurer Mrs. Neelam
Modi (NY), Gen. Secretary Nilima Madan
(NY), Members‑at‑Large from NY‑NJ includ‑
ed Ravi Mehrotra, Roopam Jain, Arish
Sahani, Dr. Asha Nayak, Dr. Babu Jasty, Dr.
Bal Gilja, Dr. Deepak Nand, Dr. Himanshu
Patel, Indu Jaiswal, Ravi Bhooplapur, Dr.
Veeracmachani, Sunil Modi, Sushma
Kotahwala, Dr. Usha Bansal, and Indu
Gajwani.
Congressman Suozzi in his speech lauded
the Asian Indian community for its vibrancy
and asked Indian Americans to maintain
heritage and culture, and to stand for their
rights. He is visiting India in early April to
bolster India‑US ties.
Manushi Chhillar Miss World 2017 is
AAPIʼs Brand Ambassador for Campaign
Against Leukemia & Lymphoma
(Image courtesy: steemit.com)
gynecologist and cardiac surgeon Manushi
Chhillar has agreed to be the Brand
Ambassador of AAPI for creating awareness
about the deadly diseases, Leukemia and
Lymphoma.” The beauty queen believes that
being brought up in Delhi has given her the
confidence and power to fight all odds and
win the competition. “I am blessed to have
got this opportunity, and I want to give my
best. I have decided to take a yearʼs break
from my medical studies and my college is
very supportive,” says Chhillar.
(Source:theunn.com)
6 March 17-23, 2018 TRISTATE COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

IN BRIEF

IALI celebrates ʻRang Birangi Holiʼ IFFLA to screen ʻChandniʼ

as tribute to Sridevi
T
he 16th Indian Film Festi‑
val of Los Angeles (IFFLA)
next month will have a me‑
morial tribute screening of
Chandni, one of the gems from
the late Bollywood actor Srideviʼs
glorious cinematic career.
IFFLA, to be held April 11‑15,
will open with In The Shadows,
starring Manoj Bajpayee, and con‑
The event was celebrated in clude with Rima Dasʼ Village
traditional style with fun and gaiety. Rockstars.
Other highlights include Nagraj

I
ndia Association of Long Island (IALI)
celebrated Holi at Cotillion Restaurant
on Friday March 2nd. This Holi func‑
tion was organized by the IALIʼs Womenʼs
Forum group which is chaired by Mrs.
Veena Lamba, co‑chaired by Mrs. Lalita
Mansukhani and Mrs. Shalini Pawa and
committee members Rizwana Malik, Mrs
Rachna Shahdadpuri and Mrs. Ravi Kanta
Dutta.
The event which had an overwhelming
turnout in spite of a nasty Norʼeaster win‑
ter storm ‑ was celebrated in a very tradi‑
tional style, with lots of fun and gaiety. The
guests arrived dressed in traditional color‑
ful clothing and were welcomed with Gulal
Teeka, offering of Jalebies and Gunjias, fol‑
lowed by Thandai drink and a sumptuous
buffet.
ing her team and was followed by
President Mrs. Gunjan Rastogiʼs speech on
Holi celebration. They together emceed
the program with entertaining introduc‑
tions to program with kavita and sher‑o‑
shayari.
A wonderful cultural program was pre‑
sented on this special day of festival of col‑
ors, singing of Rajasthani and Bollywood
Holi songs by many renowned artists like
Mrs. Anuradha Khanna, Mrs. Jyoti Gupta,
Mr. Amit Malhotra and DJ Royal. A beauti‑
ful colorful traditional Ghoomar dance was
performed by ʻGhoomar Divasʼ Mrs.
Neelam Modi and her team. The cultural
program concluded with a special surprise
Holi dance performance by current
President Mrs. Gunjan Rastogi which was
received with a thunderous applause. All
Manjuleʼs short film An Essay of
the Rain, Ben Rekhiʼs The Ashram
starring Kal Penn, Vaishali Sinhaʼs
Ask The Sexpert about 93‑year
old sex advice columnist Mahin‑
der Watsa, The Hungry, starring
Naseeruddin Shah and Tisca
Chopra, Hansal Mehtaʼs Omerta Sridevi was Bollywoodʼs first female superstar. Her
death in Dubai last month saw outpouring
and Nila Madhab Pandaʼs Kadvi
of love and sense of loss at her funeral in Mumbai.
Hawa.
The line‑up includes 12 languages and a lenging stories that are sure to make for a
list of first and second‑time filmmakers, in‑ thrilling festival experience,” said Mike
cluding 11 women filmmakers. “This Dougherty, IFFLAʼs Director of Program‑
yearʼs lineup is a testament to the rich va‑ ming.
riety of genre, style and skill that exists This year, IFFLA will feature four world
within the Indian filmmaking community. premieres, three North American pre‑
We are enormously proud to present this mieres, two US premieres, and 14 Los An‑
collection of exciting, inspiring, and chal‑ geles premieres.

Siddhartha Shah joins

The program started with the Womenʼs guests enjoyed dancing to the Holi and
Forum chair Mrs. Veena Lamba introduc‑ popular songs spun by DJ Royal.

Indian Overseas Congress, USA

PEMʼs curatorial staff
T
he Peabody Essex Mu‑ all of his professional, academ‑

condemns vandalizing of statues in India seum (PEM) announced

the appointment of Sid‑
ic and curatorial work, he
seeks to bring the rich, multi‑

W
e strongly condemn the wide‑
spread vandalizing of statues
across India to score cheap po‑
litical points thereby exacerbating tension
between communities and political partiesʼ
said George Abraham, vice‑chairman of the
Indian Overseas Congress, USA. ʻattacking
and defacing statues of Indian icons such
as Mahatma Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, and
Periyar Ramasamy is a symptom of grow‑
ing intolerance in the society that is anath‑
Special Consular Facilitation
dhartha V. Shah as Curator of faceted traditions of South
ema to the basic tenets of the democratic
Indian and South Asian Art. Asia into more current, rele‑
traditionʼ Abraham added. IOC also con‑
Shah comes to PEM from Co‑ vant conversations about so‑
demns the destruction of statues in Tripu‑
lumbia University with aca‑ cial and religious diversity, tol‑
ra and West Bengal and calls for the
demic interests that include erance and inclusion.”
peaceful transition of power after an elec‑
the aesthetics of imperial rule At PEM, Shah will develop
tion.
in British India, Tantric cults exhibitions that tell the sto‑
ʻWe welcome the statement by the Prime Siddhartha Shah is new
of the Divine Feminine and ries of the artists, communi‑
Minister condemning these pernicious acts curator of Indian and
late 19th century British and South Asian art ties and traditions of South
by a few and call upon the authorities to
French painting. In addition to Asia, as well as important mo‑
bring those who are responsible for to
working as an independent curator, Shah ments in the history of the region. PEM is
swift justiceʼ it said in a press statement.
spent 15 years as a gallerist, specializing in home to the most important collection of
Hindu and Buddhist art of the Kathmandu modern‑era Indian art, from colonial times
Valley as well as modern and contemporary to the present, outside of India. In 2001,
Indian art.
Shahʼs academic and curatorial projects
the acquisition of the Chester and Davida
Herwitz collection of post‑Independence art

Camp on March 17 in Ohio have been featured in publications ranging

from India Today and The Times of India to
from India established PEM as the first mu‑
seum outside of India to focus on the

U
nder the "Consulate@YourDoorstep"
initiative, in recognition of special
needs and in order to facilitate ac‑
cess of members of the Indian Diaspora,
Consulate General of India, New York, is
holding a Consular Facilitation Camp in
Colombus, Ohio on 17th March, 2018. The
Camp will be held at BAPS Hindu Tem‑
ple,5419 Broas St.,Colombus, OH 43213
from 12.00 Noon to 16.00 Hrs (4.00 PM) in
association with the Federation of Indian As‑
sociations. Indian Passport holders/US Pass‑
port holders who have applied for or are in
the process of applying for Indian Pass‑
ports/Visa/OCI Cards may come to the ven‑
ue of the Camp and get their
applications/supporting documents pre‑ap‑
proved before submitting to CKGS. Applica‑
tions with all supporting documents would
be examined at the Facilitation Camp and
approved for submission to CKGS.
Misc. Consular Services which are ren‑
dered directly by the Consulate will also be
rendered including attestation of affi‑
davits/Power of Attorney and applications
accepted for issue of Birth Certificates/Mar‑
riage certificate/Police Clearance Certifi‑
cates etc.
Psychology Today and The New Yorker. His
2011 exhibition at the Serindia Gallery in
Bangkok, Tales of Love and Betrayal: A
Modern Retelling of the Ramayana, brought traditions of India and South Asia, both lo‑
together the works of three Indian artists ‑‑
Nirmala Biluka, Ananda Gadapa and M.F.
Husain ‑‑ to present a retelling of the an‑
cient epic through a modern visual lan‑
guage. “Siddhartha Shah is a warm, bold
and entrepreneurial art professional with
wide‑ranging interests in South Asian art,”
said Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, PEMʼs James
B. and Mary Lou Hawkes Deputy Director.
“Just as the South Asian field is evolving, in
achievements of its modern artists. With
this unparalleled collection, Shah will ad‑
vance an appreciation for the living artistic
cally and globally. “These artistic traditions
are ‑‑ and have always been ‑‑ dynamic,
ever‑evolving and forward‑moving,” says
Shah. “The Herwitz Collection, in particular,
allows us to present the art of South Asia
and its diverse cultures as connected to the
past while looking firmly to the future. With
such an extraordinary collection of modern
works, we have the ability to initiate new
conversations and expand old perceptions.”
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY March 17-23, 2018 7

Twitter appoints Parag

Agrawal as new CTO
San Francisco: Twitter has appointed distin‑
guished engineer Parag Agrawal, an alumnus
of Indian Institute of Technology‑Bombay
(IIT‑B), as its Chief Technology Of ficer,
according to an update at the microblogging
site.
He takes the position most recently held by
Adam Messinger, who left in late 2016,
CNBC reported late on Thursday.
The appointment of Agrawal, who complet‑
ed his PhD in computer science from
Stanford University in 2011, was announced
internally in October 2017.
Agrawal joined Twitter in October 2011 as
an ads engineer, and he most recently held
the title of Distinguished Software Engineer.
Before joining Twitter, he did research
Parag
Agrawal is
an IIT‑B
alumnus
(Image :
sify.com)
internships at AT&T, Microsoft and Yahoo.
His contributions at Twitter include lead‑
ing ef forts to increase the relevance of
tweets in Twitter users' timelines using
Artificial Intelligence (AI).
AI also helps Twitter in preventing abuse
on the social network.
"In his capacity as CTO, he's focused on
scaling a cohesive machine learning and AI
approach across our consumer and revenue
product and infrastructure teams," a Twitter
spokesman told CNBC.
Twitter also announced this week that it
indends to hire a Director of Social Science in
an attemept to "increase the collective
health, openness, and civility of public con‑
versation" on its platform. (IANS)
Indian‑origin researchers
develop handy blood
pressure app, hardware
New York: To get the accuracy of cuff
devices and the convenience of mobile
device apps, a team led by an Indian‑
origin researcher has created a new app
and hardware to measure blood pres‑
sure.
The technology, details of which were
published in the journal Science
Translational Medicine along with a
video, also includes a discovery of a
more convenient measurement point.
"We targeted a different artery, the
transverse palmer arch artery at the fin‑
gertip, to give us better control of the
measurement," said lead author Anand
Chandrasekhar.
"We were excited when we validated
this location. Being able to use your fin‑
gertip makes our approach much easier
and more accessible," Chandrasekhar, a
doctoral student at the University of
Michigan, added.
The approach uses two sensors ‑‑ an
optical sensor on top of a force sensor.
The sensor unit and other circuitry
are housed in a one centimetre‑thin
case attached to the back of the phone.
Users turn on the app and press their
fingertip against the sensor unit. With
their finger on the unit, they hold their
phone at heart level and watch their
smartphone screen to ensure they are
applying the correct amount of finger
pressure.
"A key point was to see if users could
properly apply the finger pressure over
time, which lasts as long as an arm‑cuff
measurement," added senior author
Ramakrishna Mukkamala.
"We were pleased to see that 90 per‑
cent of the people trying it were able to
do it easily after just one or two prac‑
tice tries," Mukkamala noted.
This invention could give patients a
convenient option and keeping a log of
daily measurements would produce an
accurate average, discounting an occa‑
sional measurement anomaly. (IANS)

Molecular Biologist Mala Murthy gets $2.2
million grant to study social interactions
New York: Mala Murthy, an Indian
American associate professor of
molecular biolog y and the
Princeton Neuroscience Institute
and a Howard Hughes Medical
Institute faculty scholar, is leading
a team of Princeton researchers
that has received a $2.2 million
grant to investigate the brainʼs
mechanisms at work in social inter‑
actions between two animals, from
processing each otherʼs cues to
generating complex behaviors in
response.
The research was selected by the
National Institutes of Health for
funding related to the federal Brain
Research throug h Advancing
Innovat ive Neurotechnolog ies
(BRAIN) Initiative.
“The BRAIN Initiative is absolute‑
ly critical for supporting pioneering
projects like ours that aim to
uncover fundamental principles of
brain function,” Murthy said.
Impairments in processing social
information and generating appro‑
Adam Purinton admits killing
priate responses underlie several
human disorders, including
Kuchibhotla in racist attack
New York: T he man who shot Purinton that by admitting his guilt
Parkinsonʼs disease and autism
Indian software engineer Srinivas he would face life in prison for the
spectrum disorder, according to a
Kuchibhotla after shouting, "Get out murder, as well as a minimum of
press release, which added that the
of my country" has admitted in an 146 months or a maximum of over
work will focus in particular on the
US state court to the murder that 50 years in prison for the attempt‑
courtship interactions of the vine‑
shocked the nation. ed murders.
gar fly, Drosophila melanogaster.
Adam Purinton also admitted in Purinton told the judge he under‑
“During courtship, flies both
the Kansas court on Tuesday to stood the consequences, the radio
process myriad sensory cues from
attempt ing to murder Alok reported. In a court appearance in
their partner and generate a num‑
Madasani and Ian Grillot, the November 2017, he had denied the
ber of dynamic behaviors, including Ex‑navyman Adam Purinton
American hero, who tried to defend charges, setting the stage for the
the production of courtship songs,” (Image : hindustantimes.com)
the two Indians during the attack at trial, but has now changed his
Murthy said. “The researchers will
a sports bar in Olathe in February ethnicity or national origin. mind.
use this model system to uncover
2017. Since he has admitted to the KCUR radio station reported that Kuchibhotla's wife Sunayana
general principles of neural circuit
killing and the attacks, there would in a filing in February, the federal Dumala did not attend the court on
function that will inform studies of
not be a full trial, sparing the vic‑ judge told the federal Attorney Tuesday but instead sent a state‑
sensorimotor integration in more
tims and their families the agony of General Jef f Sessions to decide ment: "Today's guilty verdict in the
complex systems.”
reliving the incident in court testi‑ within 90 days whether to seek the murder of my husband will not
The BRAIN Initiative, stated the
monies. Purinton is scheduled to be death penalty for Purinton in that bring back my Srinu, but it will
press release, is a large‑scale effort
sentenced on May 4. case. In the state court on Tuesday, send a strong message that hate is
to push the boundaries of neuro‑
However, Purinton, who is white, the 52‑year‑old ex‑navy man never acceptable. We must under‑
science research and equip scien‑
has also been charged separately in agreed to the maximum sentence stand and love one another."
tists to understand and treat a wide
a federal court with hate crime for each of three charges ‑ premedi‑ She is organising a peace walk to
variety of brain disorders including
murder by federal prosecutors who tated murder, and two attempted honor Kuchibhotla on his birthday
Alzheimerʼs disease, schizophrenia,
allege that he targeted Kuchibhotla murders. KCUR said that Judge on Friday, according to KCUR.
autism and traumatic brain injury.
and Madasani because of their race, Charles Droege explained to (IANS)
 8 March 17-23, 2018 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Prince Charles appoints

Holi brings bonhomie to DC area
By Surekha Vijh
Washington: Holi brought peo‑
ple of many ethnic and age
groups together as they cele‑
brated with colors and music
throug hout the g reater
Washington DC area before and
after the festival date of March
1. Indians along w ith their
American friends flocked the
temples in the area as many
local offices and neighborhoods
joined in celebrating Holi.
Jenifer Chandler, who played
Holi in her of fice with Indian
Americans, said, “I love it here
but would love to see it in full
swing in India.”
Added Kathy Evert, “I love all
Indian festivals, but Holi is some‑
thing else as it brings real joy on
peopleʼs faces.”
While Indian Americans cele‑
brated Holi as the beginning of
spring, many US lawmakers
joined in wishing a joyous and
happy Holi to the community in
the capital and across the coun‑
try. Cong resswoman Tulsi
Gabbard said Holi represents the
victory of good over evil, and
gratitude for the many blessings
in our lives. It is a time of spiritu‑
al renewal. "Since ancient times
this festival has commemorated
divine pastimes, such as when
Lord Krishna played Holi with
His associates and devotees. I
celebrate Holi along with mil‑
lions of Hindus in the US and
around the world. I wish all a
very happy Holi!
Said Congresswoman Barbara
Lee from California: "After the
end of a long winter, Holi is a
wonderful way to celebrate the
diversity and culture in our com‑
munities, families and nation. I
wish all those around the world
who are celebrating a safe, joy‑
ous and colorful Holi."
Holi was celebrated at various
Hindu temples on the weekends.
People came out in large num‑
bers despite a chilly day to the
Durga temple in Fairfax Station,
Virg inia on March 3. Many
Playing with color at the Durga temple in Virginia (top),
and at Georgetown University.
young people participated in a
day of fun. Two big tents were
put up, one tent had stalls of tra‑
ditional Indian jewelry, clothes
and mehndi tattoos, while the
other had food stalls selling
chole bhature, masala dosa, etc.
Fresh sugar cane juice and desi
chai were favorite drinks.
The temple auditorium was
filled with the scintillating drum
steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta
as UK Skills Ambassador
London: Indian‑origin steel tycoon Sanjeev
Gupta has been appointed by Britain's Prince
Charles as an
official ambas‑
sador for the
Industrial
Cadets pro‑
gram designed
to nurture
manufacturing
skills.
Gupta was
appointed to
the flagship Sanjeev Gupta was
program to appointed to the Industrial
Cadets program to give
give children
young people direct
and young
structured experience
people direct
of the industry.
structured
(Image : dailymail.co.uk)
experience of
the industry while still at school or college.
The Industrial Cadets annual awards cere‑
mony was held on Wednesday in London.
"Gupta is doing so much to apply real imag‑
ination, innovative thinking and sustainable
rejuvenation to our nation's heavy industries
and I'm thrilled that he, through his GFG
Alliance, has so enthusiastically become
involved with Industrial Cadets as well," said
the 68‑year‑old Prince of Wales.
As the Executive Chairman of UK‑based GFG
Alliance, Gupta has been on an acquisition
beat as the youths showed their
spree in the steel industry over the past few
talent, present ing bhang ra,
months which has helped secure hundreds of
Indian classical dances and pop‑
jobs. The Industrial Cadets program, which
ular Bollywoo d songs and
currently involves more than 15,000 young‑
dances.
sters across the UK, was set up at the behest
The temple is also looking for‑
of the Prince of Wales seven years ago after
ward to Holi Kavi Sammelan on
he visited steel plants at Teesside in north‑
March 17 when many noted
east England and heard how the manufactur‑
Hindi poets from the
ing and engineering sectors were struggling
Washington area are expected to
to recruit young people to their ranks.
participate.

DIASPORA

Natasha Mudhar joins 7,850 Indians jailed abroad,

Commonwealth Enterprise &
Investment Council Advisory Board
London: Award winning London‑
based global strategist, director and
CEO Natasha Mudhar has officially
been appointed to the Advisory
Board for Commonwealth
Enterprise and Investment Council
(CWEIC), an organization facilitat‑
ing trade and investment through‑
out the 53 states of the
Commonwealth and supporting pri‑
vate sector companies and govern‑
ments to promote economic activi‑
ty.
The CWEIC will run the
Commonwealth Business Forum, to
be held on 16th‑18th April in
London. The event forms a unique
platform for dialogue, bringing
together a range of industries and
economies and will be organized
alongside CHOGM. With the govern‑
ment supporting enterprise and
business in the country, Indian busi‑
ness will also be an essential part of
Natasha Mudhar,
CEO, Sterling Media
the Commonwealth Business
Forum. With offices in India and
UK, Natasha is also the CEO & MD
of the awarding multi‑disciplinary,
international business and commu‑
nications consultancy Sterling
Media, which has also announced a
partnership with the
Commonwealth Enterprise and
Investment Council, as the official
global communications partner for
on‑going activities.
Sterling and Natasha are
renowned for its work in being the
first international communications
consultancy to take Bollywood glob‑
al. Some of the hero campaigns she
has spearheaded include Pad Man,
Toilet Ek Prem Katha, Dangal, the
IIFAs in the UK to name but a few.
Natasha is also the India Director
of the UN's Global Goals campaign,
launched by filmmaker Richard
Curtis to popularize the Sustainable
Development Goals globally to end
poverty, reduce inequalities and
tackle climate change. She was also
part of the team to launch one of
India's largest public health cam‑
paigns to eliminate filaria in India
by 2020.
most in Saudi Arabia
New Delhi: As many as 7,850
Indians are lodged in jails
abroad, with the highest number
of over 2,000 nationals in pris‑
ons in Saudi Arabia, Minister of
State for External Affairs V K
Singh said.
In a written reply to a question
in the Lok Sabha, he said due to
strong privacy laws prevailing in
many countries, the local
authorities do not share infor‑
mation on prisoners unless the
person concerned consents to
the disclosure of such informa‑
tion. "As per the information
available with the ministry, the
number of Indian prisoners in
foreign jails is 7,850 and the
number of Indians who have
completed their jail terms is 360
as of 28.02.2018," he said.
Saudi Arabia has the maximum
number of 2,181 Indian prison‑
ers followed by the UAE with
1,628. Singh also said that after
the enactment of the
Repatriation of Prisoners Act in
2003, 170 applications for repa‑
triation have been received and
63 Indian prisoners have been
repatriated from foreign prisons.
Replying to a separate written
question on whether the govern‑
ment has initiated and complet‑
ed the DNA testing of the fami‑
lies of 39 Indian workers that
are missing since June 2014
from Mosul in Iraq, Singh
replied in the affirmative. "DNA
samples, as received from our
respective state governments,
have been forwarded to the Iraqi
authorities for inclusion in their
database for matching with the
DNA from the human remains
being retrieved by them from
mass graves. The report of the
test is awaited," the minister
added.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info YOGA March 17-23, 2018 9

Swami stresses yogaʼs role Indians will soon embrace

in world peace at UN
Special to
The South Asian Times
United Nations: A global yoga
guru has stressed the importance
of world peace and stated that
yoga can help ensure that.
“Peace endeavors can only be
successful in combination with
inner transformat ion,”
Vishwaguru Paramhans Swami
Maheshwarananda said last week.
“Yoga can provide the power for
such a positive change.”
T he Swami, a nat ive of
Rajasthan, addressed a conference
titled “Yoga and World Peace” at
the UN on March 7 as part of his
US visit that took him to New York
and other American cities.
The conference was organized
by the Sri Swami Madhavananda
World Peace Council, based in the
Austrian capital of Vienna. It was
held to commemorate nonviolence
and yoga, aside from marking the
70th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Two
other bodies – the International
Day of Yoga Committee and the
UN Staf f Recreat ion Council
Enlig htenment So ciety – also
sponsored the event.
Quot ing Mahatma Gand hiʼs
appeal “Be the Change You Want
to See in the World,” the Swami
pointed out that inner peace is the
necessary path to world peace.
T he UN conference was the
highlight of the Swamiʼs world
peace tour, which began in India
with a meeting with President
Ramnath Kovind in January. That
Swami Maheshwarananda speaking at the conference
“Yoga and World Peace” at the UN on March 7.
Peace endeavors can only be
successful in combination with
inner transformation ‑‑ Swami
Maheshwarananda
meeting was followed by visits to
New Zealand, Fiji, Canada and the
US. The tour will take the Swami
this week to Europe.
“All human beings are born free
and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason
and conscience and should act
towards one another in a spirit of
brotherhood,” the Swami said,
quot ing the UNʼs Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.
Many international delegates
heard the Swami and other spiri‑
tual leaders as well as political
dignitaries, artists and academics.
The participants agreed on the
importance of fostering peace and
nonviolence as a way to make the
world a better place, according to
a press release issued by the coun‑
cil. Personal and spiritual develop‑
ment of humans is a key factor in
achieving such goals, the council
says. Among the international
objectives of the council are pro‑
tection of the environment, con‑
stant dialogue between various
denominations and nationalities,
and respect among all religions.
World Peace Council is a non‑
profit humanitarian organization,
which is in special consultative
status with the Economic and
Social Council (Ecosoc) of the UN.
their ancient values:
Swami Maheshwarananda
Special to The South
Asian Times
New York: Swami
Maheshwarananda pre‑
dicts that Indians will
soon embrace their
ancient culture and pro‑
mote worldwide its val‑ Swami Maheshwarananda with international
ues, including the delegates from Sri Swami Madhavananda
already‑popular yoga World Peace Council, founded by him,
practice. Asked by this at the UN headquarters.
writer in an interview and established in Vienna, Austria.
whether South Asians, particularly Swami Madhavananda passed
Indians, will discard western mal‑ away in 2003 and the full respon‑
adies that have afflicted their soci‑ sibility to propagate yoga, peace,
eties in recent decades, the yoga brotherhood and unity fell upon
guru sounded positive. Maheshwarananda.
The phone interview on March 8 In the interview the Swami
was conducted during his two‑ spoke in Hindi and English.
week tour of North America that “Yoga Manushya Ko Yogya
took him to several US and Banaataa Hai. Manushya Nirog
Canadian cities. Ban Jaata Hai (Yoga makes one
“Time will come for our people skilful. He or she will becomes dis‑
to come back to our culture, ease‑free,” the Swami noted. “Yoga
including yoga,” he said. “Our peo‑ Se Man Mein Shanti Milegee (it
ple are now in love with money brings peace to oneʼs mind.”
and they will have to re‑adopt The Swami made it clear that
their ancient culture sooner than anyone belonging to any religion
later for their own good and ten‑ can practice it, as yoga is not
sion‑free lives.” restricted only to Hinduism and
The Swami, who is 73, learned its followers. At the same time, he
at an early age yoga and other emphasized the importance of
age‑old values from his maternal “satvik” (easily digestible vegetari‑
uncle. He was also taught by his
an) food as it would ensure peace
father during that time. and happiness. “If you kill one ani‑
Aside from Hindi and Sanskrit, mal, it is nothing but the equiva‑
the Swami speaks English and lent of killing a human,” the
German fluently. Sri Swami Swami remarked.
Madhavananda World Peace More than 90% of his millions of
Council, he named for his guru global followers are non‑Indians.

A boy from Rajasthan transforms into a global guru

Swami Maheshwarananda’s ‘Yoga in Daily Life’ system has spread all over the world from its headquarters in
Vienna, Austria. Based on yoga tradition, it is specially directed to the situation and needs of modern civilization.
Special to The South Asian Times
New York: Paramhans Swami
Maheshwarananda, who hails from
Rajasthan but is now based in the Austrian
capital of Vienna, left New York late last
week for Europe after his North America
visit.
The Swami had several programs in the
Big Apple, especially his UN event at which
he addressed a peace‑and‑yoga conference.
According to details offered by Denis
Lucil (Kripadevi), manager of the New York
ʻYoga in Daily Lifeʼ center, the Swami was
given a grand welcome by his followers as
he arrived in the city.
The guru stated that yoga, which essen‑
tially means union in Sanskrit, can be prac‑
ticed by people of all religions. At the world
body, the Swamiʼs speech was well received.
“As a river divides into separate channels,
then comes together again, so the religions
must recognize that all paths lead to the
same destination – the Supreme,” he noted.
The Swami visited houses of worship in
the outer New York boroughs such as the
Ganesh temple and Shiv Shakti Peeth.
He was born on August 15, 1945 at
Rupawas village in Pali revenue district of
Rajasthan. His religious and devout parents
named him Mangilal. Even as a young child,
he spent much of his time for prayer and
meditation. When he was a teenager,
Mangilal Garg was ordained as the Swami
by his guru Madhavananda. He spent sever‑
al years with the guru, performing strict
anushthana, or spiritual practices.
He went to Europe in 1970. The Swami
came to know the modern needs of a man
and decided to combine the ancient yogic
practices with the findings of modern sci‑
ence. He created an integral system ‑‑ an
internationally acclaimed one of practices
called “Yoga in Daily Life,” which has spread
from its European base, Vienna, to several
parts of the world. The Swamiʼs system has
benefited benefitted and inspired millions.
In the last 45 years, the Swami has exten‑
sively traveled the world, giving lectures on
Sanatana Dharma and yoga. His message is
simple: understanding, respect and toler‑
ance between nations, cultures and reli‑
gions; nonviolence; protection of the envi‑
ronment; and a vegetarian lifestyle.
At the cusp of the millennium, the
Parliament of World Religions gave him the
title “Saarvabhauma Sanatana Dharma
Jagadguru.” In 2001, on the occasion of
Maha Kumbh Mela, the Swami was given
the Vishwaguru honor. For his services to
the ancient discipline, he was given the
titles of Doctor of Yoga and Professor of the
Spiritual Science of Yoga.
His principles and ideas drew widespread
praise in Eastern Europe even during the
communist rule. Czech and Croatian presi‑
dents acknowledged his services.
In India, his homeland, the Swami initiat‑
ed several humanitarian and charitable
works. His Gyan Putra project supports the
children of impoverished families and
through the project attendance at schools
went up significantly. Ongoing projects in
the country include the construction of hos‑
pitals and schools for girls in rural areas as
well as establishing a university for ayurve‑
da, naturopathy and yoga. Building an Om
Ashram in Jadan in Pali revenue district is
also an ambitious project.
 10 March 17-23, 2018
Pentagon to hold military
parade for Trump
Washington: The Pentagon has
ag reed to President Trump's
request for a military parade to
mark the annual Veterans Day but
will not involve heavy vehicles like
tanks to avoid doing damage to the
streets of Washington, a media
report said.
The Pentagon memo sent to the
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff was issued last week and out‑
lined the initial guidance on how
Trump's sought after parade, sched‑
uled for November 11 will look, the
CNN report said early Saturday.
According to the memo, the
parade will focus on the contribu‑
t ions of US veterans from the
Revolutionary War up to today
"with an emphasis on the price of
freedom".
It will "include wheeled vehicles
only, no tanks", the memo said,
adding that "consideration must be
given to minimize damage to local
infrastructure".
The parade will, however, involve
"a heavy air component" with mili‑
tary aircraft flying overhead at the
end of parade, including older air‑
craft "as available", the memo said.
Porn star sues Trump over 'hush agreement'
Washington: Adult film star Stormy
Daniels has filed a lawsuit against
President Donald Trump alleging
he never signed a "hush agreement"
to keep quiet about their alleged
affair. Daniels, whose real name is
Stephanie Clifford, filed the lawsuit
in Los Angeles last Tuesday that
claims the nondisclosure agree‑
ment is invalid and she is free to
publicly discuss the Trump tryst,
according to NBC News.
Daniels' had alleged that intimate
relationship with Trump took place
in 2006 and 2007 at locations such
as the Beverly Hills Hotel and Lake
Tahoe.
Both Daniels and Trump lawyer
Michael Cohen signed the agree‑
ment three days before the 2016
presidential election.
In the agreement, Trump is iden‑
t ified as David Dennison and
Daniels is referred to as Peggy
Peterson, New York Post reported.
US jobs surge 313,000 in February, unemployment steady
Washington: The US employ‑
ment engine roared in February,
adding more new jobs than any
month in over a year as robust
hiring picked up in construction,
retail and manufacturing, the
government reported last
Friday. The result shattered
economists' expectations, giving
It will be held on Veterans Day (Nov 11) with a big air component, but
without tanks to minimize damage to DC roads. The last military
parade was in 1991 held to celebrate the victory in the Gulf War.
Also featured will be period uni‑
forms from the Old Guard Fife and
Drum, reports CNN.
The Joint Staff will be responsi‑
ble for planning the parade and
Northern Command, which over‑
sees US troops in North America,
will be responsible for executing it,
according to the memo, which was
signed by US Navy Capt. Hallock
Mohler Jr., the executive secretary
for the of fice of the secretary of
defense. The parade route will run
from the W hite House to the
Capitol, with the memo saying that
Stormy Daniels alleged Trump
tryst has morphed from a tabloid
story to mainstream media news.
The documents, which the law‑
suit refers to as a "hush agree‑
ment", includes a blank where
Trump is supposed to sign ‑ but he
allegedly did not give his signature.
Daniels received $130,000 not to
talk about Trump, the suit said.
Daniels claimed that Cohen has
bullied her into keeping quiet and
now she's fighting back.
"To be clear, the attempts to
intimidate Clifford into silence and
'shut her up' in order to 'protect
Trump' continue unabated," NBC
President Donald Trump a shot
in the arm just as support for his
"America First" economic agen‑
da appeared to be on shaky
ground.
Trump broke with the leaders
of his own Republican Party this
week, announcing steep tariffs
on steel and aluminum imports
US AFFAIRS
veterans and Medal of Honor recip‑
ients will surround Trump in the
reviewing area of the Capitol dur‑
ing the event.
News that Trump had asked the
Pentagon to begin planning the
parade emerged last month.
"We'll see if we can do it at a rea‑
sonable cost, and if we can't, we
won't do it. But the generals would
love to do it, I can tell you, and so
would I," Trump told Fox News.
"I think it's great for our country
in terms of being a cheerleader and
the spirit," he added.
news quoted the suit as saying. "On
or about Fe bruary 27, 2018,
Trump's attorney Cohen surrepti‑
tiously initiated a bogus arbitration
proceeding against Clifford in Los
Angeles."
The White House confirmed the
arbitration proceeding which was
won on the Presidentʼs behfla, but
denied Trump had the af fair as
alleged with Daniels.
Meanwhile, Cohen has confirmed
that he used funds from his own
home equity line to make a
$130,000 payment to the porn
star. "The funds were taken from
my home equity line and trans‑
ferred internally to my LLC account
in the same bank," Cohen said in an
interview to CNN.
The lawyer also confirmed that
he used his Trump Organization
email account to communicate
details of a payment transfer to
Stephanie Clifford.
in a move denounced by top
congressional leaders and draw‑
ing rebukes from industry, who
said it could undermine the ben‑
efits of December's sweeping tax
cuts and spark a global trade
war.
The news also could heighten
Wall Street anxieties that the
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
NRA SUES FLORIDA
AFTER STATE PASSES
NEW GUN LAW
Washington: The
National Rifles
Association
(NRA) has sued
Florida after
Governor Rick
Scott signed a
gun control leg‑
islation, the first
in the state, in
the wake of the
February 14
high school mas‑ The gun lobby is contesting the part of the law
that raises the minimum age to purchase a
sacre, the media
firearm to 21 from 18.
reported.
The lawsuit was filed last
Friday after Scott passed the leg‑
islation which raises the legal age the exercise of fundamental con‑
for buying rifles in Florida and
allows the training and arming of
school staff.
The new law also bans the sale
or possession of bump fire
stocks, gives law enforcement
greater power to seize weapons
and ammunition from those
deemed mentally unfit, and pro‑
vides additional funding for
armed school resource officers,
reports CNN.
The NRA suit, filed in the
Northern District of Florida,
focuses on the part of the law
that raises the minimum age to
purchase a firearm to 21 from
18.
"This bill punishes law‑abiding
gun owners for the criminal acts
of a deranged individual," execu‑
tive director of the NRA Institute
for Legislative Action Chris W.
Cox said.
"Securing our schools and pro‑
tecting the constitutional rights
of Americans are not mutually
exclusive."
Seventeen people were killed at
the Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High School when the 19‑year‑
old former student Nikolas Cruz,
opened fire with a semi‑automat‑
ic military‑style rifle.
The lawsuit says the minimum
age section of the new law vio‑
lates the second and 14th amend‑ Connor Dietrich.
ments of the US Constitution.
The NRA argues people who
are 18 years old are considered
Federal Reserve will feel the
need to raise interest rates
faster than expected in 2018,
something that has caused
heightened volatility on stock
markets since last month. But
economists downplayed the
inflation threat posed by the
employment numbers.
adults "for almost all purposes
and certainly for the purposes of
stitutional rights".
The organization also contends
federal law already prevents
many Americans 21 or younger
from buying certain types of
guns.
Florida's law unconstitutionally
broadens those limits, the CNN
quoted the NRA as saying.
Florida Attorney General Pam
Bondi, who is named as a defen‑
dant, said she was proud of the
law.
"This bill is not perfect, and
sadly it will not bring back the 17
lives lost in the horrific school
shooting, but the safety of our
children is not a political issue,
it's simply the right thing to do,"
she said.
A controversial part of the new
law is known as the Coach Aaron
Feis Guardian Program, which
arms some teachers if both the
local school district and local
sheriff's department agree.
The $67 million provision is
named after the coach who
shielded students with his own
body and died in last month's
shooting.
In response to the signing of
the bill, several students told CNN
about their excitement.
"We are happy and ready to
keep working!!" said junior
"We have much more planned.
This is just the beginning," Tyra
Hemans said.
Employers added 313,000 net
new non‑farm jobs last month,
the biggest monthly increase
since July 2016, while the
unemployment rate remained
steady at 4.1 percent for the
fifth month in a row, according
to the Labor Department's high‑
ly anticipated monthly report.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Trump administration suing
California over sanctuary laws
Washington: The Trump administra‑
tion March 6 sued California to
block state laws that extend protec‑
tions to undocumented people, the
most aggressive move yet in its push
to force so‑called sanctuary cities
and states to cooperate with immi‑
gration authorities.
California officials remained char‑
acteristically defiant, vowing to
defend their landmark legislation.
The Justice Department argued a
trio of state laws that, among other
things, bar police from asking peo‑
ple about their citizenship status or
participating in federal immigration
enforcement activities are unconsti‑
tutional and have kept federal
agents from doing their jobs. The
lawsuit named as defendants the
state of California, Gov. Jerry Brown
and Attorney General Xavier
Becerra.
“I say, bring it on,” said California
Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de
Leon, a Los Angeles Democrat who
wrote the sanctuary state bill.
It is the latest salvo in an escalat‑
ing feud between the Trump admin‑
istration and California, which has
resisted the president on issues like
taxes and marijuana policy and defi‑
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions and (right) California Governor
Jerry Brown: legal fight and war of wits
antly refuses to help federal agents
detain and deport undocumented
immigrants. USICS has said it will
increase its presence in California,
and Attorney General Jeff Sessions
wants to cut off funding to jurisdic‑
tions that wonʼt cooperate.
The lawsuit was filed as the
Justice Department is also reviewing
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaafʼs deci‑
sion to warn of an immigration
sweep in advance, which ICE said
allowed hundreds of immigrants to
elude detention. Schaaf said March
6 the city would “continue to inform
all residents about their constitu‑
tional rights.”
The state laws being challenged
were a response to President Donald
Trumpʼs hawkish immigration poli‑
US AFFAIRS
cies and widespread fear in immi‑
grant communities following a cam‑
paign in which he promised to
sharply ramp up the deportation of
people living in the U.S. illegally. The
decision to sue California shows
Sessions and Trump remain aligned
on this priority, even as their rela‑
tionship has recently deteriorated,
with Trump attacking his attorney
general and Sessions pushing back.
Brown mimicked Trump on
Twitter March 6 night, writing: “At a
time of unprecedented political tur‑
moil, Jeff Sessions has come to
California to further divide and
polarize America. Jeff, these politi‑
cal stunts may be the norm in
Washington, but they donʼt work
here. SAD!!!”
March 17-23, 2018
White House backs off
call to raise minimum
age to buy long guns
Washington: The White
House announced a series of
recommendations Sunday
night meant to stop school
shootings, including a full
audit and review of the FBI tip
line after warnings about a
student who killed 17 people
at a Florida high school last
month were not acted upon.
The administration did not
call for immediately increas‑
ing the minimum age for buy‑
ing long guns to 21, as
President Trump had previ‑
ously advocated. However, it
did announce that Education
Secretary Betsy DeVos would
chair a federal commission on
school safety to study the pro‑
posal.
The recommendations were
announced nearly a month
after the mass shooting at
Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High School in Parkland, Fla.
DeVos said in a statement
that the commission would
look at a "wide range" of ideas
11
in order to ensure that "no
student or family should ever
have to live the horror of
Parkland or Sandy Hook ever
again."
In addition to creating the
commission, the White House
directed the Justice
Department to help states
partner with local law
enforcement to provide "rigor‑
ous firearms training to
specifically qualified volun‑
teer school personnel," said
Andrew Bremberg, director of
the president's Domestic
Policy Council.
The administration also
reaffirmed Trump's support
for a congressional measure,
known as Fix NICS, that helps
local officials improve efforts
to enter data into the National
Instant Criminal Background
Check System and the con‑
gressional STOP School
Violence Act to improve
school security and provide
some funding for such efforts.
 12 March 17-23, 2018
Maharashtra concedes
farmers' demands
Mumbai: The grueling 200‑km,
six‑day long 'Long March' by over
35,000 farmers ended on a posi‑
tive note, with the Maharashtra
government conceding most
demands.
The decision was announced at
a rally addressed by state minis‑
ters along with farmers' leaders
at Azad Maidan where the peas‑
ants arrived at dawn, following
which the All India Kisan Sabha
(AIKS) leaders announced that the
agitation was withdrawn.
"We held very cordial discus‑
sions and have conceded most of
the demands of the tribals,
labourers and farmers who took
part in the march," Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis announced
here. According to a Kisan Sabha
leader, the main demands per‑
tained to complete implementa‑
tion of the loan waiver scheme
announced last year, implementa‑
tion of the Forest Rights Act,
2006, and compensation for vic‑
tims of damage to cotton crops
following bollworm infestation
and the unseasonal rains and hail‑
storm.
On implementing the Forest
Rights Act, Fadnavis said that all
Lok Sabha stalemate
continues, House
adjourned
New Delhi: The Lok Sabha stale‑
mate continued for the seventh
consecutive day on Tuesday
amid continuing protests, forc‑
ing Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to
adjourn the House for the day.
Members from the Congress,
the Trinamool Congress and
some other opposition parties
protested against the banking
fraud committed by Nirav Modi
and his associates, while the
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and
the YSR Congress demonstrated
for the special economic status
for Andhra Pradesh.
The AIADMK meanwhile, has
demanded a board for the man‑
agement of the Cauvery river
water. Soon after the House met,
members from several parties
trooped near the Speaker's podi‑
um, raising slogans and display‑
ing placards. In the din, the
Speaker adjourned the House
till 12 p.m., and then later for
the day. The Lower House has
not transacted any major busi‑
ness, except introduction of two
bills on Monday and routine lay‑
ing of papers since the post‑
break part of the Budget Session
that started on March 5.
Farmers under the banner of All India Kisan Sabha in a sit‑in
demonstration at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. (Photo: IANS)
pending claims/appeals shall be
cleared in six months.
About the farm loans waiver,
the government said it had
already distributed funds to
banks for 46.52 lakh farmers and
35.51 lakh farmers had been dis‑
bursed their loan waiver amounts.
On the implementation of the
M.S. Swaminathan Commission
report, he said the government
Prime Minister Modi sets 2025
deadline for TB‑Free India
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Tuesday set
deadline of 2025 to free India
from tuberculosis (TB), five years
ahead of the global deadline set
by World Health Organization
(WHO).
"The deadline to eradicate TB
from the world has been set at
2030. But I declare that India
would be free from tuberculosis
five years ahead by 2025. The
target is set," said Modi in his
inaugural address at Delhi End
TB Summit at Vigyan Bhawan.
He said the De lhi summit,
organized by India's Health and
Family Welfare Ministry, WHO
South East Asia Region and Stop
TB Partnership, is a landmark
event before the United Nations
General Assembly in September
2018 as it is an important step
for entire humanity.
India is confident of achieving
its target of 2025 as the govern‑
ment is follow ing a new
approach with multi‑sectoral
interventions, said the Prime
INDIA
would pursue it with the center.
Additionally, farmers who were
not entitled to the loan waiver
scheme of 2008 shall be brought
under the ambit of the current
Chhatrapat i Shivaji Maharaj
Shetkari Sanman Yojana, and
farmers from 2001 onwards
would now get the benefits.
Similar satisfactory outcome
was reported for other demands
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Minister T he disease was
declared as an emergency 25
years ago and since then several
countries have tried dif ferent
measures to check the disease
but with limited success, and
there was a need to change the
approach of tackling the problem
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
including water projects, the
Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana,
Indira Gandhi Old Age Pension
Scheme, fixing of milk rates and
pending issues with ration cards
to enable farmers and poor get
ration at fair price shops.
Kisan Sabha leaders including
Ajit Nawale expressed satisfaction
over the outcome.
Earlier, top political leaders
including NCP President Sharad
Pawar, Congress leader Ashok
Chavan, Samajwadi Party leader
Abu Asim Azmi, CPI‑M General
Secretary Sitaram Yechury and
so cial crusader Anna Hazare
attacked the government for
ignoring the case of the farmers.
"Any party which ignores the
cause of farmers will not survive,"
thundered Yechury.
"Today, if the farmers demands
are not conceded, they will shake
up the state and the Centre, and
install a government of their
choice," he said. The 35,000‑plus
farmers, including men, women
and youths, who halted under the
scorching sun at the historic Azad
Maidan since dawn will prepare
to return to their homes later
tonight.
advocating for a more holistic
approach, he added,
"India has launched a new
approach and strategy to eradi‑
cate TB from the country. The
National Strategic Plan is fully
operation," he said.
In 2016, the number of tuber‑
SC extends
Aadhaar linking
deadline
New Delhi: The Supreme Court
on Tuesday extended the dead‑
line for linking of various servic‑
es with Aadhaar till it delivers
its judgment on a batch of peti‑
tions challenging the constitu‑
tional validity of the biometrical
identification scheme.
Announcing the order, a five‑
judge constitution bench, head‑
ed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra,
however said that this extension
will not affect the linking of
Aadhaar with the disbursal of
benefits under social welfare
schemes.
The order came as senior
counsel Arvind Datar, appearing
for one of the petitioners, told
the court that passport issuing
authorities have made submis‑
sion of Aadhaar mandatory for
issuance of passports.
At this point, Attorney General
K.K. Venugopal sought to clarify
that this requirement of
Aadhaar was only for issuance
of 'tatkal' passports.
The court order also extended
this extension to the issuance of
passports.
The current deadline for link‑
ing of bank accounts, mobile
phone connections, and other
services with Aadhaar was
March 31 and this had been
extended by the apex court on
December 15 last year.
culosis related deaths in India
was more than 400,000, about
one‑third of the total number of
global toll.
Mo di said immunizat ion in
India had been going on for 30‑
35 years but at the prevailing
rate of one per cent in 2014,
another 40 years would have
been required. "In the last three‑
and‑a‑half years, the rate has
gone up to six per cent. By next
year, I am confident of achieving
90 per cent immunisation in the
country." Elaborating how the
immunisation rate was increased,
he said that the government had
first identified the districts and
regions out of its coverage and
then the 'Mission Indradhanush',
targeting these areas with better
vaccines, medicines and deeper
engagement at ground level, was
launched. Terming frontline TB
physicians and workers a crucial
part of the TB Free India
Campaign, he said those patients
who overcome this disease also
inspire others.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
IndiGo, GoAir cancel several flights
following DGCA order
New Delhi: A day after the
Directorate General of Civil
Aviat ion (D GCA) directed the
grounding of 11 A320neo aircraft,
budget carrier Indigo canceled 47
flights on various routes, according
to the information available on the
airline's website, while GoAir had
to cancel some flights originating
out of eight centers.
While accepting that there were
cancellations of flights, the compa‑
ny said that passengers were given
the option to either choose another
flight at no additional cost or can‑
cel their booking and get a full
refund.
In an of ficial statement on
Tuesday, the airline said: "IndiGo
has canceled certain flights due to
the grounding of our aircraft fur‑
ther to the DGCA directions which
Naresh Agrawal regrets
comments on Jaya Bachchan
New Delhi: Samajwadi
Party former leader
Naresh Agrawal has
expressed regret for
calling actress and
politician Jaya Bachchan
a "mere film dancer"
while joining the BJP.
"I express regret if
anyone was hurt by my
comments on Jaya
Bachchan," he told
reporters here. When
asked if he would apolo‑
gise, he declined to com‑
ment. On Monday,
Agrawal said the SP
had refused him a
Rajya Sabha berth and
gave it to a person just
because she "could dance and act
in the films".
"My stature has been equated
with that of a mere film actress.
Just because she could dance and
act in films, my candidature (to
Iran invites Pak to join Chabahar project with India
Islamabad/New Delhi: Iranian
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has
invited Pakistan to participate in
the Chabahar Port project that
connects India to Afghanistan,
Central Asia and Eastern Europe,
a leading Pakistani daily reported.
The move may be seen as Zarif's
bid to allay concerns here over
the Indian involvement in the
Iranian port, Dawn online report‑
ed. The Iranian minister also,
meanwhile, extended the invita‑
tion to China.
Citing safety concerns, the aviation industry regulator asked IndiGo
and GoAir to ground 11 A320neo aircraft fitted with faulty Pratt &
Whitney 1100 engines.
has been issued in the interest of
safety. While we understand that
this may cause inconvenience to
some of our passengers, given that
Former Samajwadi Party
MP Naresh Agrawal.
Rajya Sabha) has been sacrificed
for her. I haven't taken it kindly."
His remarks were denounced by
External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj and Union Minister
Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
"We offered to participate in the
China‑Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC). We have also
offered Pakistan and China to par‑
ticipate in Chahbahar," Zarif, who
is on a three‑day visit to Pakistan,
said while delivering a lecture at
the Institute of Strategic Studies
Islamabad (ISSI) on Monday,
according to the daily.
India, Iran and Afghanistan
signed a trilateral agreement in
2016 to jointly develop the
Chabahar port, opening a new
INDIA
we have multiple flights to the
same destination, we are proactive‑
ly re‑accommodating all our affect‑
ed passengers on other flights.""
Chhattisgarh: Nine CRPF
personnel killed in Maoist attack
Raipur: At least nine CRPF person‑
nel were killed and three others
injured when Maoists blew up an
anti‑landmine vehicle in Sukma
district of Chattisgarh, said a sen‑
ior police of ficial. The blast was
followed by a heavy exchange of
fire between the security forces
and the Maoists, said Vivekanand
Foreign law firms not allowed
to practice in India: SC
New Delhi: The Supreme court said
that foreign law firms cannot set
up of fices in India but their
lawyers could give legal advise on
foreign laws. However, the bench
headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar
Goel and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit
said that foreign lawyers could
come to the country and partici‑
strategic transit route between
the three nations and other
Central Asian nations, bypassing
Pakistan.
In November 2017, India deliev‑
ered the first consignment of
wheat to Afghanistan through the
Chabahar Port.
Zarif had earlier held bilateral
talks with his Pakistani counter‑
part Khawaja Asif and addressed a
trade conference. The visiting
Foreign Minister is being accom‑
panied by a large trade delegation
March 17-23, 2018
"GoAir has complied with the
DGCA directive by grounding the
late serial number PW GTF
engines. This has resulted in the
cancellation of some flights origi‑
nating out of 8 centers. Flight
schedules are being altered to
accommo date those af fected.
Alternate arrangements are made
or offered to minimize impact and
inconvenience; in cases where
appropriate, free cancellation and
re‑booking opt ions have been
made available," a GoAir
spokesperson said.
Citing safety concerns, the avia‑
t ion industry regulator asked
IndiGo and GoAir to ground a total
of 11 A320neo aircraft fitted with
Pratt & Whitney 1100 engines.
Out ot the 11, eight are operated
by IndiGo while GoAir operates
Sinha, Inspector General (IG) of
Police, Bastar.
The exchange of fire was going
on till the time of reporting.
The CRPF personnel were on a
routine patrolling in Palodi of
Kishtaram area in Sukma district
when Naxalites set of f an impro‑
vised explosive device (IED), blow‑
pate in international commercial
arbitration. Justice Goel, while pro‑
nouncing the judgment, said that
even for the limited purposes they
would be subject to the Bar
Council of India's Code of Conduct.
The court also said that BPO
companies engaged in rendering
legal services did not come within
from Iran.
He also said that Gwadar Port
and Chabahar Port needed to be
linked through sea and land
routes for development of
deprived Eastern and South‑east‑
ern Iran and South Western
Pakistan.
"We are taking measures to do
that and there is an open invita‑
tion to Pakistan to participate in
that," Zarif said.
He also said that the Chabahar
port project was not meant to
13
three, the DGCA said in a state‑
ment. With this, all the A320neo
aircraft with PW1100 engines
beyond serial number 450 have
been taken off operation in India.
DGCA said: "Both IndiGo and
GoAir have been told not to refit
these engines, which are spare
with them in their inventory."
The directive came immediately
after an IndiGo A320neo VT‑ITA
flight reported engine failure and
had to make an emergency landing
at Ahmedabad following take of f
from the same airport on Monday.
Previously, the D GCA had
ordered grounding of three aircraft
in IndiGo's A320neo fleet after the
European Aviation Safety Agency
issued an emergency airworthiness
direct ive reg arding similar
A320neos on February 9, 2018.
ing the vehicle at around 11 a.m,
Sinha said. There were 11 troopers
in the ant i‑landmine vehicle,
according to the of ficer. T he
injured jawans were being airlifted
to Raipur, Sinha said.
A large force has been sent to
the spot, said D.M. Awasthi, Special
DG (Naxal).
the ambit of the Advocate Act and
thus they can operate in India.
The court verdict came on pleas
challenging judgments by the
Bombay and Madras High Courts.
Madras High court had said that
foreign lawyers can fly in and fly
out for tendering legal advice on
foreign laws.
"encircle Pakistan ... strangulate
anybody", adding that Iran would
not allow anybody to hurt
Pakistan from its territory, much
like Pakistan would not allow its
soil to be used against Iran.
Zarif likened Iran's relations
with India to Pakistan's ties with
Saudi Arabia. "Our relations with
India, just like Pakistan's relations
with Saudi Arabia, are not against
Islamabad as we understand
Pakistan's relations with Saudi
Arabia are not against Iran."
 14 March 17-23, 2018
By Shivaji Sengupta
T
his week the world was
treated to REAL news:
President Trump has
accepted a meeting with Kim Jong
Un, head of the Democratic
Peopleʼs Republic of Korea (DPRK),
or North Korea. Americans are
stunned at this news, Republicans
and Democrats alike; South
Koreans are elated; Russia has
murmured its approval, though
only just. China has come out in its
support, but…but? (read till the
end…!) Japan is puzzled by
Trumpʼs move.
Just a couple of months ago,
Shinzo Abe had promised the
world in no uncertain terms that
DPRK would have to actually denu‑
clearize if it harbored any hopes of
the sanctions against it being lift‑
ed. And then what? Trump is going
to meet with Kim!
The media, naturally, are agog
with analysis. They canʼt call it
“fake news” from Trump, because
Trump did not break the news to
them; the South Koreans did, right
from the White House, immediate‑
ly after the president accepted. It
seems that Donald Trump fully
anticipated the uproar he would
create, especially if the first
announcement did not come from
him. He did not even tell his
Secretary of State beforehand that
he would accept this invitation.
The million‑dollar question is
how did it happen. The received
explanation from the American
newspapers is that Donald Trump
got so taken in by the flattery the
South Korean National Security
BJP's politics of dualism could easily backfire
By Amulya Ganguli
T
he Shakespearean phrase
"fair is foul, foul is fair" can
be one way of describing the
contradictory nature of the
Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) poli‑
cies in different parts of the coun‑
try. The party's penchant for trim‑
ming its sails in accordance with
regional sentiments as, for
instance, over the consumption of
beef, can also be described in the
words of a Hindi film song, "Jo
tumko ho pasand wohi baat
kahengey" (I will say whatever you
want me to say).
While saffron mobs have been
assaulting those suspected of eat‑
ing beef or transporting cattle in
northern India, the BJP's stand in
the northeastern states, and also in
Goa, is that beef is kosher. When a
party spokesman was questioned
about this dichotomy during a tele‑
vision debate on the northeastern
polls, he used the word, binary, to
explain the BJP's stand.
If this duality indicates an accept‑
Trump to meet Kim: Another
twist to US foreign policy
Donald Trump is set to meet Kim Jong Un by May.
Advisor heaped on him, crediting
him with the recent rapproche‑
ment of the two Koreas, that when
they informed him immediately
after that Kim Jong Un was ready
to discuss denuclearization, he
said, yes!
In fact, he interrupted the South
Korean to accept, as if to say,
“Donʼt bother me with all the
details! Kim wants me to meet
him? I will!” When his own
National Security Advisor and
Defense Secretary tried to caution
him and slow him down, Trump
cut them off too by saying “I get it,
I get it!” – right in front of the
The gulf will remain between the BJP in the northeast
and elsewhere in the country.
ance by the party of India's diversi‑
ty and a refusal to abide by the
preferences of the orthodox ele‑
ments that have had a dominating
presence in the party till now, it is
a welcome development. This step
in the direction of multicultural
norms can be seen as an accom‑
modative approach which has not
been the BJP's strong point till now
although it is the hallmark of all
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
OP-ED
South Korean guests. The South
Koreans were stunned. The
Americans present in the room
were stunned. The world was
stunned.
It is instructive that the South
Korean foreign officials were not
even scheduled to meet with the
president until the next day. But
when Trump heard on Thursday
that they were in the White House,
he summoned them in for an
impromptu meeting. Since there
was already some intelligence
available to Trump that Kim Jong
Un was planning to invite him, it is
possible that the president had
"secular" parties.
However, many people will sus‑
pect that this genuflexion towards
northeastern sensitivities is no
more than an expedient tactical
manoeuvre. If the BJP can change
its color once, like a chameleon, it
can do so again. It will be advis‑
able, therefore, to wait to see if the
BJP is serious or is merely playing
political games by trying to pull
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
It is my belief that when the
Chinese sided with the US
regarding the tightening of
the sanctions against North
Korea, Kim was assuaged by
the sage Chinese politicians
and told to invite the
Americans. Quietly, under
the table Chairman Xi and
President Trump had
negotiated that if China
were to agree with the
sanctions, the US would
have to negotiate with the
North Koreans, provided,
they were prepared to
discuss denuclearization.
already made up his mind that if
the invitation came he would
accept.
But why? Why would he meet
with the man whom apparently
most of the world despises, whom
he had personally insulted time
and again including at the recent
United Nations annual meeting?
There have been many explana‑
tions, most of which have to do
with Donald Trumpʼs idiosyncratic
temperament. However, what no
one has said so far, and I believe to
be the case, it is China.
Never trust the inscrutable
the wool over the people's eyes.
The reason for the doubts is that
irrespective of the policies which
the BJP pursues in the northeast, it
is unlikely to change its stance on
dietary preferences and other
lifestyle issues elsewhere in the
country. There is also little doubt
that it will find it extremely diffi‑
cult to pull of the trick of being dif‑
ferent parties in different parts of
the country without being tied up
in knots.
It is unlikely, therefore, that the
BJP will look on benignly if any
beef parties are held in Nagaland
or Meghalaya as they were earlier
in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. In all
probability, the BJP's objective is to
first establish its political authority
in the northeastern states and then
try, ever so slowly, to inculcate its
culinary fetishes in the society as a
whole. Given, however, the fragile
nature of the coalitions it has
helped to set up as a "facilitator",
as a spokesman explained the
party's tactics, it is doubtful if the
BJP will succeed in persuading the
Chinese! They have quietly and
surreptitiously influenced the Don
in a way nobody else has, no, not
even Trumpʼs ʻbest friendʼ, Putin. It
is my belief that when the Chinese
sided with the United States
regarding the tightening of the
sanctions against North Korea,
Kim was assuaged by the sage
Chinese politicians and told to
invite the Americans. Quietly,
under the table Chairman Xi and
President Trump had negotiated
that if China were to agree with
the sanctions, the US would have
to negotiate with the North
Koreans, provided, they were pre‑
pared to discuss denuclearization.
Those who would disagree with
my explanation may point to how
much influence China may lose
over North Korea were Trump and
Kim come to a ground‑shaking rev‑
olutionary agreement. But the
chances of that happening is prob‑
ably very slim. A more likely sce‑
nario is for the American president
to understand that this is not busi‑
ness; that Kim Jong would not
agree to giving up nuclear
weapons unless US abandoned
South Korea, which Washington
wouldnʼt.
The Chinese know this.
(The writer regularly contributes
Op Eds to The South Asian Times)
north‑easterners to replicate the
lifestyles of the denizens of the cow
belt if only because the regional
outfits which are currently its allies
will not like to be seen dancing to
the tune of a Hindu‑Hindi party.
The gulf will remain, therefore,
between the BJP in the northeast
and elsewhere in the country. The
political implication of this dichoto‑
my is that the party's ups and
downs in its new areas of "con‑
quest" will have only a limited
impact on its fortunes in the rest of
India in view of the perception of
the northeast as a remote, exotic
region whose society and politics
have no more than a marginal
influence on the mainland.
What is more, since the BJP does‑
n't have too many supporters at the
ground level, it has had to co‑opt
the members of other parties such
as the Congress in Tripura.
However, what impact the induc‑
tion of these fair‑weather birds will
have on the BJP's organizational
cohesion will only be known in the
future.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INTERFAITH March 17-23, 2018 15

Pope Francis to
visit India soon
Pope Francis and Acharya Lokesh had
a historic Interfaith Dialogue in Vatican
last week. When the Jain muni invited him
to India for an interfaith conference, the
Holy Father said, “I hope and wish to
come to India soon." Acharya Lokesh Muni formally invited Pope Francis to the International Interfaith
Conference in India organized by Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti founded by him.

Acharya Lokesh Muni with the delegation posing at St Peterʼs Square in Vatican City:
(from left) Dr. Raj Bhayani, Anil Monga, Kamlesh Mehta, Acharya Lokesh Muni, Acharya Lokesh Muni with his high level delegation inside
Mahesh Wadher, Bhavya Shrivastava, and Karamjeet Singh Dhaliwal. the famous St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

Vatican City: World renowned

Jainacharya Dr. Lokesh Muni had a
historic interfaith dialogue with the
Supreme Religious Leader, His
Holiness Pope Francis at Vatican
City on March 7.
Acharya Lokesh accompanied by
a high level delegation invited the
honourable Pope for the
International Interfaith Conference
organized in New Delhi.
During the historic meeting
between the two religious leaders,
pressing international issues like
World Peace, Religious Harmony,
Environment Protection and Human
Welfare were discussed. The Pope
was delightfully receiving the invi‑
tation from Acharya Lokesh to
come to India said that
International Interfaith Conference
will be a step ahead towards World
Peace. His Holiness addressing the
delegation said, "I hope and wish to
come India soon and inter‑religious
dialogue is necessary for the protec‑
tion of humanity, world peace and
harmony".
Jainacharya Dr. Lokesh Muni said
that violence and terrorism cannot
solve any problem. “All conflicts can
be resolved through dialogue. We
must respect othersʼ point of view
and thoughts along with our own.
Environmental pollution and con‑
ceptual pollution both are harmful.”
Global Change Makers Award
for Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti
New York: The Delhi based Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti, founded by Acharya
Dr. Lokesh Muni, will be honored with ʻDr. Ambedkar Ratna – Global
Change Makers Awardʼ for rural development work during the 127th
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar birth anniversary celebrations at United Nations
headquarters in New York from April 14‑16, 2018. Founder President
of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti, Acharya Lokesh Muni has been invited to
speak at the event and also receive the prestigious award on April 14.
He will also be felicitated at the Indian Consulate, New York on April 15
and White House National Park, Washington DC on April 16.
The Jain guru added that Indian Pope at International Interfaith
culture is based on unity in diversi‑ Conference to be organised in New
ty and European culture emphasizes Delhi by Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti, the
interreligious harmony. Both message of World Peace and
together can give important contri‑ Harmony will have a global impact.
bution for world peace and harmo‑ He mentioned that honourable Kamlesh Mehta, a Founding Member & Patron of Ahimsa Vishwa
ny. President of India, Shri Ramnath Bharti, receiving a gift from HE Miguel Ayuso, Secretary of
Acharya Lokesh, founder of Kovind, Prime Minister Shri Inter‑religious Center in the Vatican, as Dr Lokesh Muni looks on.
Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti based in Narendra Modi and top leaders of
Delhi, said that India is a multicul‑ major worldʼs religions will be invit‑ Lokesh Muni said that
tural country, where people of dif‑ ed for the conference. During his
ferent communities, religions, faiths visit to the Vatican, Jainacharya
Indian culture is based
and cultures live together with love Lokesh Muni was accompanied by a on unity in diversity
and harmony. He added that Jain high level delegation comprising and European culture
philosophy based on unity in diver‑ senior vice president of JAINA, Mr.
emphasizes
sity, non‑violence and non‑posses‑ Mahesh Wadher from California,
siveness can solve many global Mr. Anil Monga from New Jersey, interreligious harmony.
problems like violence, terrorism, Mr. Karamjeet Singh Dhaliwal, Dr. Both together can give
environmental pollution and Raj Bhayani and Mr. Kamlesh Mehta important contribution
inequality. Jainacharya Lokesh from New York, Mr Subrata Ganguly
expressed the hope that with the from Kolkata and Mr. Bhavya
for world peace and
participation of the honourable Shrivastava from New Delhi. harmony.
 16 March 17-23, 2018
Sufi singers Ustad Puranchand Wadali and Pyarelal Wadali (right) famously known as
Wadali Brothers ‑ performing during a programme. (File Photo: IANS)
Sufi singer Pyarelal of
Wadali Brothers dead
N
oted Punjabi Sufi singer Pyarelal,
the younger of the two famed
Wadali Brothers, died in Amritsar
following cardiac arrest. He was 75.
Pyarelal, brother of singer Puranchand
Wadali, died at a private hospital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the
nation in mourning Pyarelal's death.
Family sources told IANS that Pyarelal
was admitted to the hospital after complain‑
ing of chest pain. He was put on ventilator.
But his health continued to deteriorate.
Pyarelal's cremation was held at his
native village Guru Ki Wadali in Amritsar
district.
The singer, the fifth generation of musi‑
cians, is survived by his wife, two sons and
three daughters.
The Wadali Brothers have performed at
numerous shows in India and other coun‑
tries. Their famous numbers include "Tu
maane ya na maane dildara, aasan te tenu
rab manya", "Ik tu hi tu hi" and "Chitthiye".
They sang for the film "Pinjar".
Known for their humble beginnings, they
'BLACK PANTHER' MAKERS
HAVE IDEAS FOR SEQUEL
T
here is a "solid direction" in
place already for "Black
Panther 2", says Marvel
Studios boss Kevin Feige.
The original "Black Panther" movie,
which stars Chadwick Boseman as
T'Challa and his titular alter‑ego, may
have only just hit screens in
February, but Feige has confirmed a
sequel will be coming too, reports
ew.com.
When asked what he could reveal
about "Black Panther 2", the 44‑
year‑old: "Nothing specific to reveal,
A scene from the movie ʻBlack Pantherʼ.
other than to say we absolutely will
do that." "One of the favorite pastimes at
Marvel Studios is sitting around on a Part
One and talking and dreaming about what
we would do in a Part Two. There have been War", "Black Panther" shows T'Challa
plenty of those conversations as we were
putting together the first 'Black Panther'.
We have ideas and a pretty solid direction
on where we want to head with the second
one," he added. "Black Panther" is among
the first films by the house of Marvel
Studios which predominantly has a black
cast and also shows a number of strong
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD TheSouthAsianTimes.info
NYT compares Madhubala
to Marilyn Monroe
T
he New York Times has doffed its hat
to Bollywood legend Madhubala who is
among 15 remarkable women across
the world it pays homage to. The New York
Times has gone back in time to remember the
contribution of these women by writing their
obituary in a new segment called
ʻOverlookedʼ.
“Since 1851, obituaries in the New York
Times have been dominated by white men.
Now, we are adding the stories of 15 remark‑
able women,” the newspaper wrote.
“Obituary writing is more about life than
death: the last word, a testament to a human
contribution. Yet who gets remembered ‑ and
how ‑ inherently involves judgment.”
Madhubala, who has often been compared
to another tragic screen icon ‑‑ Marilyn
earned national and international recogni‑
Monroe, has been profiled by Aisha Khan in
tion over the years thanks to their sheer tal‑
the newspaper.
ent. The Prime Minister's Office tweeted:
“Madhubala (born as Mumtaz Begum) often
"Saddened by the demise of Pyarelal
portrayed modern young women testing the
Wadali. His renditions attained great popu‑
limits of traditions,” the newspaper said while
larity globally. His work will continue to
recalling her first major role as the leading
draw people towards the joys of Sufi music.
lady in 1949 film Mahal opposite Ashok
May his soul rest in peace." Actress Madhubala's wax statue
Kumar. She was 16 at the time.
Punjab Tourism and Cultural Affairs at Madame Tussauds in
“She died 20 years later as an icon of beau‑
Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, Shiromani New Delhi. (Photo: IANS)
ty and tragedy ‑ her dazzling career, unhappy
Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal and
love life and fatal illness more dramatic than produce. Kumar demanded that she choose
central Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma
any movie she starred in,” it said. between him and her father. She chose her
also paid condolences.
Madhubala was born with a ventricular sep‑ family. An ugly lawsuit over another movie
Badal wrote: "I'm deeply saddened to hear
tal defect, a hole in her heart. The condition hastened their breakup,” the newspaper said,
about the demise of Pyarelal of Wadali
was diagnosed in 1954 and there was no adding that it was the big story of her life and
Brothers ‑ the epitome of Sufi music. It is an
treatment for it. The obituary also chronicles added to her legend.
unbearable loss to the music world."
her tragic romance with Dilip Kumar Madhubala married singer‑actor Kishore
Sharma said it was a "sad day for the
(Muhammad Yusuf Khan, who like Madhubala Kumar but they became estranged, it said.
music industry and music lovers".
was discovered and rechristened by Devika As her health deteriorated, the star with‑
Sidhu said Pyarelal Wadali was an excep‑
Rani). “They had been eager to marry, but drew from public eye. She died on February
tional singer devoted to Punjabi and his
Madhubalaʼs father had set conditions, 23, 1969, just nine days after her 36th
demise had left a deep void in the Punjabi
including that they star in movies he would birthday.
Sufi singing arena. Punjab Kala Parishad
Chairman Surjit Patar said the death was a
big loss to Sufi music.
Omi's 'Cheerleader' to
get Indian version
F
ilmmaker Shekhar Kapur and him.
actress‑singer Suchitra "Kaveri has a beautiful voice and there is
Krishnamoorthi's daughter Kaveri so much virtue and genuineness in her
Kapur will produce a cover version of music. If she invests her 100 per cent, she
Jamaican singer Omi's hit song definitely has the potential to be a global
"Cheerleader". Kaveri, who had earlier col‑ phenomena. I'd love to collaborate with
laborated with British music artistes her," Omi said in a statement.
HRVY and The Vamps, got an opportunity Suchitra found Omi "gracious enough"
to meet Omi, who was in India for a debut to take time out and meet Kaveri.
showcase by White Fox India. "As a parent you are always watching
Omi spent close to 60 minutes listening out for your child and these collaborations
and jamming to Kaveri's music while an will definitely empower her musical
eager Kaveri took lessons in music from appetite," she added.
women of substance who work as the pro‑
tagonist T'Challa's allies.
Set shortly after "Captain America: Civil
Jamaican
returning home to the isolated, technologi‑
singer Omi.
cally‑advanced African nation of Wakanda
to become king. Distributed by Walt Disney
Studios Motion Pictures, "Black Panther"
also features Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B
Jordon, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Angela
Bassett, Forest Whittaker and Martin
Freeman, among others.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
TAIMUR WAS TO BE
NAMED 'FAIZ': KAREENA
B
ollywood actress
Kareena Kapoor Khan
says her son, who has
become a sensation on the inter‑
net not only because of his
adorable look but his name
'Taimur', was initially to be
named 'Faiz'.
The actress was present at
The India Today Conclave 2018
along with her sister Karishma
Kapoor in Mumbai.
In a conversation with journal‑
ist Rajdeep Sardesai, she was
asked if too much of media
scrutiny spoils their private life,
especially after how the social
media trolled her son's name.
Kareena said: "Of course, there
was trolling but at the same
time there was an immense sup‑
port from the people we were
getting, not that trolls matter to
us that much but it was our
choice." "The day before I was
going to the hospital for deliv‑
ery, I had a talk with Saif and he
was suggesting to keep his
name Faiz, he said, 'Bebo, that is
a more poetic, more romantic
name'. I said 'no, Taimur means
iron and if I give birth to a son,
my son is going to be a fighter, I
will produce an iron man'. And
yes, I proudly did so."
Asked whether she enjoys the
amount of attention her son is
getting from paparazzi, she said:
"Now I do not like the fact that Taimur's
every move is monitored... and people even
talking about his hairstyle and all... I mean.
he is just 14 months old." "I do not know
3 Storeys: A collage of endless sorrow, some joy
A
t one point in this three‑storeyed
plot we see a kindly Muslim patriar‑
chal shopkeeper offering verbal
comfort to an abused wife. Before we get a
chance to suspect his motives the story‑
telling moves on in search of other manifes‑
tations of suppressed pain in an environ‑
ment that breeds a stagnant disingenuity in
anyone who cares to partake of the life on
offer in this haven of hopelessness.
That moment comes back to bite the very
hand that feeds the plot, when we recognize
that comforting look in the patriarchal
shopkeeper's eyes as the beginning of lust.
Yup, no one is what he or she initially
promises to be. 3 Storeys tucks away little
surprises like notes pinned on the refrigera‑
tor, to be pulled out at a later time when we
least expect it. This is a film with a strange‑
ly unfinished look. Many of the chawl
scenes are shot on the studio floor giving
the character's resonant wretchedness a
precariously stagey look.
There are three stories here, interwoven
into a plot by a seductive wet‑dream queen
of a narrator, played by Richa Chadha with
smoking‑hot mischief. Early in the narrative
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Actod Kareena Kapoor Khan.
how to control it now. Having said that I
think he is becoming more familiar with
the camera now, he looks right into the
camera," she added.
Review
I realized we can't trust Chadha to tell the
truth. Just how much of the wool she pulls
over our eyes is a surprise that the plot
saves up for the last. By then we are beyond
caring about the veracity of the goings‑on.
All we want is to know what happens to the
characters.
Every character, big or small, is written
into the plot as a vivid entity. This is not to
say that they are all satisfying in their dra‑
matic thrusts. Often the people who popu‑
late Althrea Delmas Kaushal's chawl are a
chimeric deceptions. They flatter to deceive,
as the brutalized wife (Masumeh Makhija
trying hard, and succeeding, in fitting into
the battered mould) finds her lost beloved
(Sharma Josh, characteristically reliable) in
the chawl next door.
This is a film that makes us forget it steep
trespasses, and that one shocker which the
narrative saves for the last when a Hindu‑
Muslim alliance must be called off for rea‑
sons that have nothing to do with love‑
jihad, is so sickeningly incriminating it
makes our blood boil.
Ballerina to Lara Croft:
Vikander's trainer
reveals challenges
F
rom the delicate frame of a balleri‑
na to a rock‑solid body for action
adventure film "Tomb Raider",
Oscar‑winning actress Alicia Vikander
underwent seven months of intense
workout and training to kick and punch
as the audience expects Lara Croft to do.
Vikander's trainer Magnus Lygdback
says the actress' physical transformation
was not easy as balancing the gym sched‑
ule with training for technical skills was a
challenge.
"What I knew about Alicia when I was
stepping in was that she was a former
ballerina and there is nothing tougher on
Earth for a ballerina. They are used to
working for six‑seven hours non‑stop. I
had very high hopes for this to be a great
project for me," Lygdback told IANS in an
India exclusive interview over phone
from Los Angeles.
"She was extremely hardworking. The
only challenge was to give her all the
skills she needed... Technical skills like
climbing, fighting and cycling to build
into the character, while you are building
it physically in the gym.
"So that is a challenge... To get so many
traits or build all those skills in one (indi‑
vidual) in a short time," added Lygdback,
whose clientele also includes names like
Avicii, Alexander Skarsgard, Britney
Spears, Mike Posner, Ben Affleck, Katy
Perry, Lukas Graham and Harry Styles.
With films like "Ex Machina", "The
Danish Girl" and "Jason Bourne",
Vikander is known for her acting
prowess. But her latest film "Tomb
Raider" also tested her physical strength.
The Warner Bros Pictures project,
March 17-23, 2018 17
Alicia Vikander's trainer
Magnus Lygdback.
based on a popular reboot of a video
game with the same name, was released
in India on Friday, a week before it opens
in the US.
Lygdback, who is also training actress
Gal Gadot for "Wonder Woman 2", opted
for a balanced approach.
"There were four cycles. I started the
first cycle seven months before filming. I
started her off with a basic strength pro‑
gramme where I sent her training videos
to build up the fundamental strengths
and make sure she is physically aligned
because when you start training you
want the body to be in a complete way it
should be and reform and technique
should be good," he said.
The training then transitioned into the
"Magnus method".
"I started her off with my Magnus
method with nutrition and lifestyle plan,
which is all about boosting your metabo‑
lism and eating five times a day, and
maintaining or gaining a healthy amount
of muscle mass. It is a balanced pro‑
gram," added the Swedish health and
wellness expert.
 18 March 17-23, 2018 GLAMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Miss World Manushi Chhillar presents

South Asian Empowerment Awards
Great Neck, NY: In a glittering ceremony held
at Leonardʼs Palazzo here, 12 South Asian
women who have achieved extraordinary suc‑
cess against insurmountable odds were hon‑
ored by the reigning Miss World Manushi
Chhillar. The first such South Asian Women
Empowerment Gala dinner to be held in USA
was attended by 300 guests from New York
in the middle of a snow storm on March 7.
The grand event marked the International
Women Empowerment year.
The event was organized by Ms Bindu
Kohli, a well‑known promoter and TV host
from New York, and it mightily impressed
guests from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi,
Nepali and Caribbean community.
The evening started with welcome address
by Chintu Patel, cofounder of Amneal pharma
giant, which was an event sponsor. Manushi
Chhillar was then introduced. A medical pro‑
fessional from Sonepat near New Delhi, she
had won the much‑coveted title of Miss World
2017 last November – a feat last accom‑
plished by an Indian was by Priyanka Chopra
17 years ago. Manushi stunned the audience
when she walked in, 5 ft 9 inches tall, all
aglitter and wearing the Miss World crown.
She was received by Bindu Kohli who hosted
the evening with support from Prashantt
Guptha, Bollywood actor who is a native of
Long Island. Manushi was presented a flower
bouquet by Mrs. Falguni Patel.
The first of its kind set up by Bindu Kohli
SOUTH ASIAN WOMEN HONORED
1) CHANDRA DA SUGRIM
2) JAWERIA AFZAL KHAN
3) LAKHWINDER KAUR
4) MEERA GANDHI
5) MUKTA SINGH
6) NEETA BHASIN
7) POONAM KHUBANI
8) RAFEIYA HUSSAIN
9) SHANTI AMMAR
10) SHEHLA IFTEKAR
11) SHREE SAINI
12) SONIA ADNAN MUNAWER
AMERICAN WOMEN HONORED
1) TINA‑MARIE FRANZONI (from left) Shree Saini, Miss India USA 2017 and honoree, Publisher Sunil Hali, Miss World
2) CHRISTINE SCHAFFER 2017 Manushi Chhillar, event organizer Bindu Kohli, & Bollywood star Prashantt Guptha.
3) VIVIANNE KING Logistics and created by Shitiz Saigal. Each and promoter, for his achievements and con‑
honoree was introduced by Bindu Kohli and tribution to the event to make it a success.
guests who had dressed up for the evening briefly recounted their struggle and success. He, in turn, congratulated Manushi Chhillar
made a perfect setting for such a glamorous The honorees were jubilant as Miss Chillar for making India and Indians proud world‑
event. presented plaques to them. Each honoree was wide, especially NRIs.
Bindu Kohli kicked off the evening with a also presented a citation from New York The evening included dance performances
QA and interactive with Miss World to unfold Senate by Mr Dilip Chauhan, former Deputy and a fashion show by Sunny Gill and will be
Manushiʼs story. This was followed by a pres‑ Comptroller of Nassau County. remembered for a long time for its grandeur
entation of plaques to patrons by Miss World. Bindu Kohli thanked Sunil Hali, publisher and celebration never seen before.
The grand patrons included Chintu and
Falguni Patel of Irada Foundation, Deepak
Verma of Amba Jewelers, and fashion design‑
er Premal Badiani. This was followed by a
presentation of honors to 12 women, whose

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12 South Asian honorees included Meera Gandhi and (right) Lakhwinder Kaur.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
RapeRoko
Join the fight or risk being
reduced to a statistic
By Vijaylakshmi Nadar
I
t is over five years since the brutal
Nirbhaya/Jyoti rape incident in a Delhi
bus caused extreme outrage among
Indians back home and abroad, but her
helpless parents still await justice. In
January this year, an 8‑month‑old baby too
became a statistic and would have proba‑
bly remained so but for the young, dynam‑
ic, and proactive head of the Delhi
Commission for Women (DCW), Swati
Maliwal.
"The eyes of the baby haunted me, her
painful cries from damaged internal
organs reverberated throughout the hospi‑
tal when I paid her a visit, and to think that
this baby was left to die in a pool of blood
after being raped by her own 27‑year‑old
uncle made me very angry. I baulked at the
prospect of her fighting a court battle for
the next 16 years of her life, internalized
my anger and channelized it into getting
her speedy justice instead", says Swati.
While Indian politicians and local media
are consumed by Hindu‑Muslim debates
and ʻnationalismʼ, besides the latest scam,
Swati Maliwal has chosen to scream in the
deafening silence that followed the rape by
launching an online and on‑ground move‑
ment called RapeRoko starting from
January 31. She has also undertaken a
quiet satyagraha, where she has decided
not to return home from work until March
How Indoreʼs mayor made her city clean & litter‑free
By Manish Gupta
P
rem Sharma sells gutka and ciga‑
rettes near the Vijay Nagar square
in Indore, but the most visible
part of his tiny business is the dustbin
that he dare not lose. Similar is the case
with all small and big businesses across
the city.
"In Indore, people fear the yellow vehi‑
cles more than the police vehicles," he
said referring to the vehicles of the
Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) that
patrol the city round the clock and penal‑
ize those spreading litter on the streets.
The penalties for littering the city (pop‑
ulation about 2 million) can range from
Rs 100 to Rs 1 lakh and the IMC has
done well last year, collecting spot fines
to the tune of Rs 1 crore in the city.
"It's not just fear, people respect the
work being done by the IMC," says Indore
Mayor and BJP MLA Malini Gaur. True,
many residents take pride that their city
is dubbed cleanest in India in a country‑
wide rating done by the Ministry of
Housing and Urban Development.
The force behind the stupendous rise of
Indore on the Swachh Survekshan
FEATURES
8, International Women's Day. Catching
some sleep in the office itself during work,
where both the victims and
volunteers/supporters need her time and
attention, she says, "My demands are three
‑ ensure that the perpetrators of these
heinous crimes on children are given the
death sentence, that a fast track court is
appointed to deal with these cases which
are disposed of within six months of the
crime".
Joining her in the struggle are thousands
across the country. NRIs in USA and
Canada too have joined in, by recording
their protests and sharing it on social
media, and signing the petition listing her
three demands to the Prime Minister's
Office (PMO) in Delhi.
It is an issue that affects everybody, irre‑
spective of their political or communal
bearing. NRI volunteers have been calling
MPs pressing them to take up the issue in
parliament. Though most of the MPs, irre‑
spective of the gender or party, were insen‑
sitive and unresponsive, Dr. Farooq
Abdullah, MP from Jammu and Kashmir,
expressed his support and promised to
raise the issue in parliament, as he too was
troubled by the rape of an eight‑year‑old
girl in his home state, according to
Rajendra Lodha, a volunteer from Texas. "I
am shocked that media coverage back
home on the issue was so poor that nobody
had even heard of the rape, until they saw
Indore Mayor and
BJP MLA Malini Gaur.
Rankings is Mayor Malini Gaur. Indore
rose from a low of 180 in 2015, to 25 in
2016 and finally to the No 1 rank among
434 cities in 2017.
Delhi Commission of Women (DCW) chief
Swati Maliwal is carrying on a silent
satyagraha in her office to protest the
rape of an 8‑month baby in Delhi.
our campaign here", says Lodha.
California based Prabhat Sharma, who is
disturbed by rising rape incidents, believes
that the remedy is educating the masses, or
introducing stringent punishment. "Since
education is a slow process, we have to
press for a severe deterrent instead". He
too had some success with Dr
Subramanian Swamy, MP from Tamil Nadu,
who promised to look into the matter if
details are sent to him. Responding to the
smear that NRIs sometimes bring a bad
name to India, Roopsi Narula, based in
New Jersey, says, "Bringing the issue of
rapes in India to international spotlight is
not being 'anti‑national', but is an attempt
to wake up the Indian government to pro‑
tect women and children, and punish the
rapists".
The situation in Delhi, which has over the
years came to be known as the rape capital
"The day PM Narendra Modi gave a call
for Swachh Bharat from the ramparts of
Red Fort in 2015, we decided to work on
it," said Gaur who has another two years
as Mayor. "We are confident of retaining
the top position in 2018," she told media‑
personss.
With efforts on all fronts, including
establishment of integrated solid waste
management, the city has brought down
the Respirable Suspended Particulate
Matter (RSPM) from 145 mg per unit in
2015 to about 70 now, and there is plan
to cut it to 40. The safe threshold is 100.
Till date, Indore has been visited by
about 250 municipal authorities from
across India to learn the mantra. "It's
political and administrative will, and the
support of people," says the Mayor who
had withstood all resistance ‑‑ from politi‑
cal parties, business lobbies and sanita‑
tion workers.
It also required a conscious decision to
keep out private contractors. The job is
done entirely by the corporation itself ‑‑
from collection and transportation to
treatment and disposal.
IMC engaged with various associations
like those of schools, hospitals, temples
March 17-23, 2018 19
of the world (witnessing some six rapes
and 13 instances of molestation every sin‑
gle day), has deteriorated because the
entire machinery to protect women and
children is in a state of near collapse.
Crimes against women and children
between 2012 and 2014 alone stood at
31,446 with only 150 convictions.
The Nirbhaya rape outrage had spooked
the then UPA government to release a sum
of Rs 1,000 crore, referred to as the
Nirbhaya fund, which has since then multi‑
plied, but not been utilized for women and
children empowerment and safety. The
tokenism has since been discarded by the
current NDA government which has failed
to effectively put the funds to use.
"The complexity of the problem is often
the reason stated for further lethargy, but I
refuse to stay quiet. I will summon every
ounce of power vested in the Women's
Commission, instituted under the Delhi
Commission for Women act of 1994, to
ensure that all the stakeholders in the
women's and children issues come togeth‑
er to break down the problem into bits and
pieces and take responsibility for address‑
ing it", states Swati.
One of the first steps she took was to get
a high court order to re‑energise the spe‑
cial task force, set up after the Nirbhaya
episode, which was to meet twice a month
to look into issues related to crimes against
women and children. The task force until
then had met only 11 times in three years
without offering any suggestions.
DCW was a toothless tiger before her.
Not any more. Says Swati, "When I was
appointed, I read the Act, and was amazed
at the powers at my disposal. In one year
alone, we have overseen 11,696 cases,
attended to 316 lakh distress calls on the
181 helpline, conducted 7500 grass roots
visit, attended 5500 court cases, counseled
1869 sexual assault victims and have made
55 recommendations for womenʼs safety to
the government.”
and hotels to design a sustainable system
that has made Indore perhaps the only
city in India that is litter‑free, garbage‑
free and free from stray animals.
The city is now looking at a facility to
make compost, at extracting methane gas
from waste from the wholesale vegetable
market to fuel some of the city buses, to
making the district open defecation free,
ensuring dry and wet waste segregation
at a door‑to‑door level, and cleaning mon‑
uments and footpaths each night.
Rajesh Godale, a Chief Sanitary
Inspector at IMC, while taking photo‑
graphs of mechanized sweeping vehicles
and footpath cleaners at work around
midnight, said, "There are four inspectors
who go around the city taking photo‑
graphs of the cleaning process each night
that is shared on a WhatsApp group as
proof."
To keep the city spic and span, the IMC
has a budget of Rs 400 crore under the
Swachh Bharat Mission, but its opera‑
tional cost is just Rs 160 crore after a
capital investment of Rs 150 crore.
Individual households pay Rs 60 and
commercial units pay Rs 90 per month
for Clean Indore.
 20 March 17-23, 2018 SUBCONTINENT TheSouthAsianTimes.info

49 dead in Nepal plane crash Pak raises Kashmir at UN;

Kathmandu: At least 49
people were killed and 23
injured when a passenger
plane of the US‑Bangla
Airlines crash‑landed and
exploded into a ball of
flame at the Tribhuvan
International Airport (TIA)
here on Monday, authorities
said.
"Forty‑nine people were
killed in the incident. Now
we are carrying out rescue
operations," Bishwo Raj
Pokharel, a senior police
official involved in the res‑
cue operation at TIA, told
Xinhua news agency.
The 78‑seater Bombardier
Dash 8 aircraft, with 71 The wrangled remains of passenger plane of the US‑Bangla Airlines at Nepal's
people on board, was flying
from Dhaka to Kathmandu.
It veered off the runway and
caught fire while landing at 2.20
p.m., said TIA spokesperson Prem
Nath Thakur.
All flights in and out of the
Tribhuvan International Airport
were cancelled. The airport was
reopened later.
Director General of Civil Aviation
Authority of Nepal Sanjiv Gautam
said the plane lost control when it
attempted to land on the runway.
"The aircraft was permitted to
Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).
land from the southern side of the
runway flying over Koteshwor but
it landed from the northern side,"
said Gautam, adding that the air‑
craft might have sustained techni‑
cal glitches.
"We are yet to ascertain the rea‑
son behind the unusual landing,"
he said.
Photos and videos posted on
social media showed smoke rising
from the airport runway.
Witnesses said the plane crashed
when trying to take a sharp turn
over the runway, My Republica
reported.
After a normal take‑off from
Dhaka, the plane began to behave
strangely as it approached
Kathmandu.
The US‑Bangla Airlines is a pri‑
vately‑owned Bangladeshi airline
headquartered in Dhaka.
This is the most severe air crash
at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan
International Airport after a
Turkish Airlines flight crash‑land‑
ed in March 2015.
India hits back at 'failed state'
United Nations:
Responding to Islamabad's
bid to raise the Kashmir
issue at the UN Human
Rights Council meeting in
Geneva, India denounced
Pakistan as a "failed state"
where terrorists thrive and
Osama Bin Laden received
protection, and demanded
that it bring the perpetra‑
tors of the Mumbai,
Pathankot and Uri attacks
Mini Devi Kumam, Second
to justice. "Even as terror‑
Secretary at India's UN Mission in
ists thrive in Pakistan and
Geneva, hit back at Pakistan.
roam its streets with
impunity, we have heard it lec‑ described as a failed state," she
added. Kumam was responding
ture about the protection of
human rights in India," Mini to Tahir Andrabi, Pakistan's UN
Devi Kumam, a Second Deputy Permanent
Secretary at the India's UN Representative in Geneva, who
Mission in Geneva, said. earlier invoked Jawaharlal
"We await credible action by Nehru to make his case for a
the Government of Pakistan to plebiscite in Kashmir.
bring all those involved in the Andrabi said that at the heart
2008 Mumbai attack and the of the Kashmir problem is the
2016 Pathankot and Uri attacks right to self‑determination
to justice," she said. which was conceded by "the
"The world does not need les‑ first Prime Minister of India,
sons on democracy and human one of the founding fathers of
rights from a country whose India" and by the UN Security
own situation is charitably Council through a plebiscite.

Nepal's PM Oli wins China gives Xi Jinping indefinite rule

vote of confidence
Kathmandu: Nepal's Prime
Minister K. P. Sharma Oli won a
vote of confidence by a two‑thirds
majority during a floor test in
Parliament. Oli was appointed the
Prime Minister 25 days ago. The
Nepal Congress decided to sit in
the opposition saying it will see
the performance of the govern‑
ment for another 100 days and
will take all possible steps if the
government tries to become
authoritarian. While questioning
the intent of the government in
seeking a two‑thirds vote as it had
already secured a majority, Nepali
Congress leader Gagan Thapa
warned Oli "not to dream to
become Li Kuan Yew of Singapore
in the name of two‑third majori‑
ty".
In the 275 seat Federal
Parliament, 268 votes were cast
PM K. P. Sharma Oli pledged to
work for the welfare of the people.
and Oli received 208 votes.
The move came as a surprise to
many as Oli and the Madhesi par‑
ties did share "acrimonious" rela‑
tions in the past where Madhes
based parties used to depict him
as an "anti‑Madhesi" leader.
Beijing: In a historic decision, China
removed the two‑term limit on pres‑
idency and vice presidency, clearing
the decks for the all‑powerful
President Xi Jinping to rule the
world's most populous country
indefinitely.
Scrapping the 35‑year‑old rule
brought by "paramount" leader
Deng Xiaoping to prevent the coun‑
try from returning to one‑man rule
like that of Mao Zedong, China's
largely ceremonial parliament ‑‑ the
National People's Congress ‑‑
amended the Constitution by lifting
the limit. Of the 2,963 lawmakers,
only three abstained and two voted
against the amendment, proposed
by the powerful Central Committee
of the Communist Party in last
February. Never has China's parlia‑
ment said no to a diktat by the
party ‑‑ the country's real boss.
With the term limit gone, Xi, 64,
can rule China until he retires, dies
or is ousted. He is already dubbed
President Xi Jinping can
now rule China until he retires,
dies or is ousted.
as the country's next Mao ‑‑ the
founder of modern China who ruled
from 1949 until his death in 1976.
Besides, the legislature also
approved the amendment to add Xi
Jinping Thought on Socialism with
Chinese Characteristics into the
Constitution, an honor only given to
Mao and Deng.
China watchers say the country,
which has a one‑party rule, could
well be headed for a single‑man
rule. Xi, who succeeded Hu Jintao in
2012 as General Secretary of the
Communist Party, became China's
President a year later.
Over the years, Xi has come to
hold a vice‑like grip on China. Of
the 200‑member Central
Committee, the majority is said to
be close to him.
In the Xi‑headed 25‑member
Politburo ‑ the second most power‑
ful body in China ‑ 14 are believed
to be his supporters.
Xi had made his intention to stay
in power beyond 2023 sort of
known when he did not name his
successor at the party's key once‑in‑
five‑year meet last October. His
predecessors, Hu and Jiang Zemin,
had conventionally announced their
successors.
Xi's move was widely speculated
as his desire to cling to power
beyond 10 years, but little was
anticipated of the proposal in this
regard that came like a bolt from
the blue last month.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INTERNATIONAL March 17-23, 2018 21

Trump won't meet Kim until 11 dead in Turkish

concrete actions by N Korea plane crash in Iran
Washington: US President Donald
Trump will not meet with his North
Korean leader Kim Jong‑un, until
concrete, verifiable actions are
taken by North Korea, the White
House press secretary said.
"This meeting won't take place
without concrete actions that match
the promises that have been made
by North Korea," Sarah Sanders said
in her daily press conference.
Nor did the spokesperson wish to
confirm any place or date when the
meeting between Trump and Kim
would take place, though the South
Korean government had announced
that the two leaders would meet
before the end of May, Efe reported.
"The president has accepted that
invitation on the basis that we have
concrete and verifiable steps," she
said.
Should it take place, the Trump‑
Kim meeting will be the first face‑
to‑face meeting in history between
the leaders of North Korea and the
US.
Sanders said Kim's invitation is
the result of the "maximum pres‑
sure" campaign waged by Trump,
and that as a result, "the president
is getting exactly what he wants."
Following the briefing, the White
No sitting American President has
ever met a North Korean leader.
House released a summary of a tele‑
phone conversation between Trump
and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"The two leaders welcomed the
prospect of dialogue between the
US and North Korea, and committed
to maintain pressure and sanctions
until North Korea takes tangible
steps toward complete, verifiable,
and irreversible denuclearisation,"
the White House said in a state‑
ment.
According to the note, Trump
expressed his hope that "Kim Jong‑
Tehran: All 11 people on
un might choose a brighter path for
board the Turkish plane
North Korea's future."
crashed in Iran are dead,
US Secretary of State Rex
media reports said.
Tillerson said earlier that it would
The locals reached the
take a few weeks to arrange the
wreckage of crashed plane
meeting between Trump and Kim.
late evening and encountered
"Now it's a question of agreeing
the corps which are not iden‑
on the timing of the first meeting
tifiable and need DNA exami‑
between the two of them, and that
nation, the spokesman of
will take some weeks before we get
Iran's Emergency
all that worked out," Tillerson said.
Organization announced.
The secretary said Trump himself
A Turkish jet with 11 on
had made the decision to meet with
board crashed in the subur‑
Kim despite their well‑publicized
ban of western Shahr‑e‑Kord
trading of insults in recent months,
city of Iran's Chaharmahal
adding that he was not surprised in
and Bakhtiari Province, the
the least and that his boss had the The crashed plane type was
Aviation Organization of Iran
matter "on his mind for quite some Bombardier CL604.
(OVA) confirmed.
time."
The plane was seen caught operators have been dispatched
Recently, at the White House, the
fire in the air, and then it to the area, but due to the rainy
head of South Korea's National
crashed into the heights of air and mountainous geography
Security Office, Chung Eui‑yong,
Helen Mountain near Dorak of the region, the operators
delivered Trump a message that he
Anari village. should walk four hours to the
had received from Kim during a
There were three crew mem‑ accident location, according to
high‑level meeting in Pyongyang.
bers and eight passengers in spokesman of the Emergency
In an offer aimed at kick starting
the plane, according to Public Organization of Iran.
the negotiations, Kim has pledged
Relations of the OVA. Rezaee Far, the chief of
to freeze ballistic missile tests and
The plane was flying from Accidents Bureau of the OVA,
embark upon a denuclearization
Sharjah of the UAE to Istanbul said that based on the prelimi‑
process provided his regime is
which disappeared from the nary reports, the crashed plane
given security guarantees, the
radar. Iranian Red Crescent type was Bombardier CL604.
South Koreans said.

SAUDI KING ORDERS SETTING Russian spy attack: UK police

UP OF ANTI‑CORRUPTION UNITS identify over 240 witnesses
Riyadh: Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz
Al Saud ordered the creation of special‑
ized anti‑corruption units in the public
prosecution, the media reported.
The units will specialize in investigat‑
ing and prosecuting corruption‑related
cases, which will be directly linked to the
Attorney‑General, Xinhua news agency
reported citing Al Arabiya news.
The new departments come within the
framework of the king's concern to com‑
bat corruption in all its forms with the
aim of protecting the country and its
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
resources, said Attorney‑General Sheikh
Saud Bin Abdullah.
He added that both the king and the
crown prince are keen to continue their
fight against corruption, and "eradicate it
from its roots with utmost force and
transparency".
The units are part of the many steps
Saudi Arabia has been taking to reform
the national economy, including the last
year series of arrests that covered
princes and sitting and former ministers
in corruption‑related cases.
London: The UK police
have identified more than
240 people as witnesses
to the poisoning of former
Russian sky Sergei Skripal
and his daughter in the
English city of Salisbury,
according to Home
Secretary Amber Rudd.
Speaking after a meeting
of the government's emer‑
gency committee, Cobra,
Rudd said the government
was using enormous
resources to try and iden‑
tify those responsible for
the attempted murder,
reports the BBC.
"I want to stress that
they are proceeding with
British Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
speed and professional‑
ism," she said. absolutely clear where it should be.
The committee heard that 250 counter‑ter‑ "The police have said that if anybody thinks
rorism police have identified more than 240 they have any additional information they
witnesses and were looking at more than 200 would welcome them coming forward.
pieces of evidence. "There is also substantial amounts of CCTV
Rudd said both Skripal, 66, and his daugh‑ they have to go through. This is a painstaking,
ter, Yulia, 33, who are being treated at detailed investigation and the police need to
Salisbury District Hospital, remain in a "criti‑ be given the space and time to get on with it,"
cal but stable condition" after being exposed the BBC quoted Rudd as saying.
to a nerve agent on March 4. Skripal was convicted by the Russian gov‑
"This investigation is focused on making ernment of passing secrets to British intelli‑
sure that we keep people safe and also that gence agency, the MI6, but given refuge in
we collect all the evidence so that when it the UK in 2010 as part of a "spy swap".
comes to attribution (of the attack) we will be Russia has denied any involvement.
 22 March 17-23, 2018
ISA members pledge to use more solar power
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other world leaders at the Founding Conference of International Solar
Alliance (ISA) at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. (Photo: IANS/PIB)
New Delhi: Member states at the
founding conference of the
International Solar Alliance (ISA)
here pledged to pursue an
increased share of solar energy in
their overall power consumption
thereby realising the huge potential
the sector offers to create jobs and
empowering poorer communities.
A three‑page 'Delhi Solar Agenda'
issued at the end of the conference
stated that the ISA reiterated its
commitment to the 2030 UN
Agenda for Sustainable
Development that calls for eradica‑
tion of poverty in all its forms and
dimensions and for transforming
our world in which development
and application of technology are
climate‑sensitive, respect biodiver‑
sity and are resilient. Launched by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
then French President Francois
Hollande at the Paris climate sum‑
mit in 2015, the ISA was conceived
as a coalition of solar resource‑rich
countries to address their special
Eicher Motors
shuts joint
venture with
US‑based Polaris
New Delhi: Automobile manufacturer
Eicher Motors said the company has
decided to shut its joint venture ‑‑
Eicher Polaris Private Ltd (EPPL) ‑‑
with US‑based Polaris Industries Inc.
"The initial interest (among cus‑
tomers) could not be sustained, and
subsequent sales performance was sig‑
nificantly slower than the company's
expectations," it said in a regulatory fil‑
ing to the BSE, adding: "The board of
EPPL has concluded, in the present cir‑
cumstances, it is in the best interest of
all stakeholders to close the operations
of the company."
EPPL was incorporated in October
2012 and in June 2015, it launched a
personal utility vehicle, "Multix". The
company will however, continue to
provide spares and service support for
the fleet of Multix vehicles on the road,
the filing said. "As of December 31,
2017, EML (Eicher Motors) had invest‑
ed Rs 289.50 crore in EPPL.
energy needs and provide a plat‑
form to collaborate on dealing with
the identified gaps through a com‑
mon, agreed approach.
It is open to all 121 prospective
member countries falling between
the Tropics of Cancer and
Capricorn. Of these, 61 have signed
the framework agreement and 32
have also submitted their instru‑
ments of ratification.
The Agenda emphasized that "our
endeavor has the potent ial to
achieve sustainability by generat‑
ing growth, enhancing skills, creat‑
ing jobs, unleashing entrepreneur‑
ship, fostering innovation and
increasing incomes".
It acknowledged "the importance
of access by women and youth to
advance knowledge and solar ener‑
gy technologies, especially in poor‑
er communities, rural and remote
areas". The ISA member states also
agreed "to increase their efforts to
pursue an increased share of solar
energy in the final energy con‑
ED moves SC against HC order
giving relief to Karti
New Delhi: The Enforcement
Directorate (ED) on Tuesday
approached the Supreme
Court against the Delhi High
Court order giving relief to
Karti Chidambaram till March
20 from arrest in the INX
Media money laundering
case.
The ED mentioned the
case challeng ing the
order be fore a bench
headed by Chief Justice
Dipak Misra, who agreed
to hear it on March 15.
In an interim relief to
Karti Chidambaram, 46,
son of Congress leader P.
Chidambaram, the High
Court on March 9 had
asked the ED not to take
"any coercive act ion"
against him till the next
hearing of the case slat‑
ed for March 20.
BUSINESS
sumption in our respective national
energy mix, as a means of tackling
global challenges of climate change
and as a cost effective solution by
supporting and implementing poli‑
cy initiatives and participation of
all relevant stakeholders, as appli‑
cable, in our respective states".
The Agenda also called for facili‑
tating affordable finance, access to
appropriate, clean and environment
friendly technology and undertak‑
ing capacity building, including
forging mutually beneficial part‑
nerships with reputable interna‑
tional institutions and reputable
financial institutions for the benefit
of developing countries.
It also called for exploring inno‑
vative financing mechanisms that
can generate a sustainable market
for the deployment of cost effective
solar technologies, coupled with
constructive policy initiatives to
catalyse public and private invest‑
ments to reduce the cost of solar
projects in developing countries.
The ED told the apex court
that Karti should not have
been given protection from
arrest as it will become a legal
device for accused persons
like Nirav Modi to get relief
even before they are ques‑
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Macron announces additional
700 mn euros for solar energy
New Delhi: French President
Emmanuel Macron announced
an additional investment of 700
million euros for global solar
energy generation by 2022 to
reduce the use of fossil fuel and
help combat climate change.
Speaking at the launch of the
first International Solar Alliance
(ISA) summit, Macron called for
"joint duties" towards a "planet
that we are sharing" and took a
dig at his US counterpart Donald
Trump who pulled out of the
2015 Paris climate deal.
Macron said the summit to rev‑
olutionize the use of the clean
energy by generating over 1,000
GW of solar power by 2030 was
an outcome of the Paris accord
even as "some left the floor" but
others decided to act and keep
acting.
The French President co‑
chaired the summit with with
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at
the Rashtrapati Bhavan that was
Earlier in the day, addressing the
inaugural session of the confer‑
ence, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi presented a 10‑point action
plan to promote the use of solar
energy.
Modi said there should be a full
ecosystem for availability and
development of technology, eco‑
nomic resources, development of
storage technology, mass manufac‑
tioned or investigated by the
probe agency.
Karti Chidambaram is being
interrogated by the Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
since his February 28 arrest.
The CBI investigated him for
also attended by the heads of 23
nations and 10 ministerial repre‑
sentatives.
Conceptualized by India, the
solar alliance currently has 121
member countries. Out of those,
60 have signed the solar treaty
and some 30 have ratified it.
The French President pointed
out that the alliance of the coun‑
tries situated between the
Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer
account for three‑fourth of the
world's population with a poten‑
tial of 138 GW of solar power.
Macron said the alliance need‑
ed to identify solar projects in
every single member country.
"Each country with its solar
energy potential will identify
here their needs and how much
finance they need. One hundred
projects have already been list‑
ed," he said, further calling the
member states that investments
in "these projects are very prof‑
itable".
turing and innovation.
He called for concessional financ‑
ing at lower risk for solar projects
and said regulatory aspects and
standards should be developed to
find solutions fast.
India's wind power generation
capacity is 32.8 GW. It aims to
achieve 175 GW of clean energy by
2022, of which 100 GW will be
solar.
allegedly receiving money to
facilitate Foreign Investment
Promotion Board (FIPB) clear‑
ance to INX Media in 2007
when his father was the
Finance Minister in the UPA
government.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Manpreet to lead Indian hockey team at CWG
New Delhi: Ace mid fie lder
Manpreet Singh is set to lead the
Indian mens hockey team at the
Gold Coast Commonwealth
Games, starting April 4, while the
experienced former captain
Sardar Singh has been left out of
the 18‑member squad, Hockey
India has announced.
The Indian team is grouped in
Pool B along w ith Pakistan,
Malaysia, Wales, England and will
begin their campaign on April 7
against Pakistan.
Midfielder Chinglensana Singh
Kangujam will be the vice‑captain
of the team.
It was under Manpreet's leader‑
ship that the Indian team lifted
the Asia Cup in 2017 followed by
a bronze medal at the Hockey
World League Final in
Bhubaneswar last year.
Freeman and drag‑flick expert
'Wrong if BCCI
dropped Shami from
annual contract'
Cricketer Mohammed Shami's wife Hasin Jahan
talking to mediapersons in Kolkata.
Kolkata: BCCI's former Principal
Legal Advisor Usha Nath
Bandyopadhyay said it would be
"illegal and wrong" if the BCCI
has canceled pacer Mohammed
Shami's annual contract on the
basis of a "complaint by his wife".
Shami, engaged in a bitter feud
with his wife Hasin Jahan, found
himself out of the Board of
Control for Cricket in India's
(BCCI) 26‑member annual con‑
tracts system on Wednesday.
However, the BCCI so far has
not clarified whether the deci‑
sion was taken simply on merit
or in view of the ongoing contro‑
versy involving shami's wife, who
accused the Bengal pacer of
domestic violence and carrying
on extra‑marital affairs.
Shami faces charges of
Manpreet Singh in action. (Photo: IANS)
Rupinder Pal Singh will form
India's wall of defence along with
Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar,
Kothajit Singh, Gurinder Singh
and Amit Rohidas, while the goal‑
post will be guarded by India's
attempting to murder his wife by
poisoning her, with a First
Information Report filed at the
Jadavpur police station the impli‑
cating the cricketer and four oth‑
ers under various sections of the
Indian Penal Code.
"The selection (of a player) is
done on the basis of merit and I
have nothing to say if a player's
contract is cancelled on the basis
of that.
"If the contract is canceled on
the basis of a complaint by his
wife, it would be illegal and
wrong. BCCI has no right to can‑
cel the contract on the basis of a
complaint filed by his wife," said
Bandyopadhyay.
According to the lawyer, action
against a person can be taken
once he is convicted by a court.
SPORTS
experienced goalkeeper P.R.
Sree jesh who made a strong
comeback into the team during
the New Zealand Tour where he
displayed some exceptional goal‑
keeping abilit ies. He w ill be
Indian women's cricket
enters golden phase
By Sunil Yash Kalra
New Delhi: In a landmark
announcement, the BCCI has
revised the annual central con‑
tract of Indian women crick‑
eters, making it the highest ever
annual retainer fee in the wom‑
ens category globally.
T he Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) has
recently announced its 2017‑18
contract for Indian men and
women cricket teams. In view
of the recent rise of women's
cricket and media attention on
the Indian eves squad, the
sports frat has now come forth
for increased pay scales for the
eves.
The central contract however is
only the beginning of the golden
period for the Indian eves. It
should be looked upon as a step
in right direction ahead of the
Women's Tri Series featuring
India, Australia and England, slat‑
ed to begin from March 22 at the
Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
While the decision to include
women cricketers in the central
contract is a fresh start towards
the success platform at an inter‑
national level, this will not only
improve women's cricket infra‑
structure but will also add up to
at the international level in terms
of performance and parity.
England have a system of a full
central contract of two years
worth 50,000 pounds ($69,264)
as their retainer fee.
The current World Cup champi‑
ons Australia's current minimum
March 17-23, 2018
backed by the 22‑year‑old Suraj
Karkera who played a crucial part
in the team's goo d show in
Bhubaneswar last year in his sen‑
ior counterpart's absence.
India's midfield will see skipper
Manpreet in the lead role, ably
supported by the experience of
Chinglensana along with young
blood in Sumit and Vivek Sagar
Prasad.
The Indian attack will feature a
combination between experience
and youth as S.V. Sunil, Akashdeep
Sing h, Mandeep Sing h, Lalit
Kumar Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh
and Dilpreet Singh are all in the
team.
Dilpreet Singh and Vivek Sagar
Prasad who made their interna‑
t ional de but during the New
Zealand tour have been rewarded
with this opportunity for a good
show where the duo scored in
Indian women cricket team
captain Mithali Raj.
retainer fee has seen the base
rate go up from $40,000 to
$72,076 with a 80.2 percent
increase that invites a stark com‑
parison as India is higher in
terms of retainer fee with a con‑
tract signed under $76000 (Rs.
50 lakhs) for Grade A players.
Next in line is New Zealand
between $20,000 to $34,000,
under a three year MoU.
The West Indies were the first
ones to introduce a central con‑
tract for women cricketers, rang‑
ing from $12,000 to $30,000.
Pakistan's recent contract
awards an annual fee of Rs.10
lakh to a category A player.
Having recorded the first ever
women's cricket match in 1745
at Surrey, Eng land between
Brambley and Hambleton to dat‑
ing back to Indian women's crick‑
et that etched history in the 20th
century when an Australian
school teacher Anne Ke lleve
made cricket a compulsory game
23
important games.
Sardar's exclusion comes on the
heels of India finishing fifth under
his leadership at the Sultan Azlan
Shah Cup tournament. However a
few eyebrows have been raised
w ith Ramandeep Sing h being
dropped despite his decent show
in the same tournament.
In the previous two outings at
the Commonwealth Games, India
has finished second behind
Australia.
Manpreet, however, is confident
of turning the tables this time.
"Our first aim is to do well in the
group stage because we have
some strong teams in our Pool.
It's extremely crucial to top our
table and make the Semis but if
we do meet Australia in the
knockouts, I believe we will be up
for a strong challenge," the 25‑
year‑old Manpreet said.
at the Baker Memorial School
in Kottayam, Kerala in 1913,
women's cricket has come a
long way.
Since 1913, the Indian
women's team officially started
their first World Cup in the
year 1973, two years before
the Indian men.
Unfortunate ly the Indian
women could not enjoy the
same success path as the Indian
men's team.
However the Women's World
T20 that started in the year
2009 brought some glory to the
existing scene that reflected in
the recently concluded Women's
World Cup 2017 where India
reached the semi‑finals putting
up a brilliant show especially
against hosts Eng land in the
beginning.
W hile the Indian eves are
focused on making the game
more intense and resplendent
ahead of the tri‑series, inclusion
in the central contract will defi‑
nitely boost their confidence with
an added and much needed sup‑
port.
Witnessing the growth curve of
increasing number of advertise‑
ments, sponsorships and various
other promotional opportunities
for the players, the Indian
Women's team is fast gaining a fit
& wealthy status amidst the glob‑
al scenario.
(Sunil Yash Kalra is a women's
cricket expert and historian. He
can be contacted at
sunilyash.kalra@prosportify.com)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info March 17-23, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
SINDHIS
Who can turn
dust into gold
By Sunil Tolani
Social entrepreneur; CEO,
Prince Organization
S
indhis are Heroes with a
capital H. “A Hero is any
person really intent on
making this world a better place
for humanity.” So let us all Sindhis
the world over do kind deeds, no
matter small or big because collec‑
tively it becomes XXXL Large. You
must do your best to erase the neg‑
ative stereotypes and myths per‑
petuated by others about Sindhis
like ‑‑ “Kill a Sindhi before a snake;
Sindhis have crab mentality̶they
love pulling each other down; Kitna
kanjoos hai yaar tu, Sindhi mat
ban”.
Yet, the fact is, Sindhi community
is one of the most iconic races and
has overcome Everest‑high chal‑
lenges. The one question you must
always ask with humility and
unflagging commitment is, “What
can I do to help?” If each one of us
would just pick one cause and we
poured our attention and love into
it, imagine the kind of transforma‑
tion we can achieve. Just imagine
the immense difference you can
make every single day as you
expand your sphere of influence
with higher responsibilities,
integrity and aplomb.
There are two questions that
guide me in life. The first is, “What
are you contributing in this
world?” If the answer is “nothing
much”, then I wonʼt be missed at all
when I die. The second question,
“Are you part of the problem or
part of the solution?” This keeps
me in check whenever I face diffi‑
culties. Itʼs also the question I ask
my teams when they come to me
with problems and challenges.
Being part of the solution means
taking the actions needed to
address the problem, to find a way
to solve it. And if not, to just move
SINDHI COMMUNITY
Banished from Sindh
after the Partition,
Sindhi Hindus lost
everything and
scattered. But with grit
and entrepreneurship
they have built fortunes
in India and the world
over and are an
emulated and envied
community like the
Jews. Following is a love
letter for the
community, which now
hankers for a state of
their own in India.
forward in the most positive man‑
ner. I love both these questions
because they serve as a great
reminder of whatʼs most important
in life. I want to live a life where I
am contributing to the world
instead of taking away from it. I
want my presence to be an addi‑
tion, not a subtraction.
For over 70 years Sindhis have
been stripped of their wealth, prop‑
erties and valued possessions from
the time of Indiaʼs partition. We
lost territorial battles and suffered
the fate of the vanquished, but we
have emerged triumphant in an
unusual way. God did not allow the
oppressors to rob us of our tenaci‑
ty, strong will, guts, dignity, self‑
respect and courage. Now your
time has come. You have caused
major disruptions in this modern
world and are emperors of your
estates. You are the Vikings of
today as you boldly expand into
new jurisdictions enhancing the
Sindhi brand in every corner of the
world. Sindhi minds are the “oxy‑
gen” and “life blood” of entrepre‑
neurship. Your gumption adds fuel
and fire to your rocketing ambi‑
tions, lets fly your rockets into
highest orbits. Sindhi talent hits
targets no one else can and Sindhi
genius hits targets no one else
sees. For us success is not final and
failure is not fatal. It is the courage
to continue that counts. The only
way to do great work is to love
what you do with the best vision
called insight. Always remember
that great minds have purposes
and weak minds have wishes.
Fortune favors the brave, fortune
Cheti Chand (March 19) is Sindhi New Year / Birth anniversary
of their deity, Lord Jhulelal.
favors the audacious.
Sindhis were all born under dif‑
ferent circumstances, have faced
failures, succeeded through tri‑
umphs, gone through hurt, pain,
showed forgiveness, showed love,
and yet you are still unlocking life's
mysteries by testing new destina‑
tions and goals and scaling new
heights. The most amazing thing
all Sindhis have in common is to be
happy by putting others first, a
selfless giving, by using their tal‑
ents for the greater good. Being
passionate, honest, giving, and
most importantly being A L I V E.
Sindhis arenʼt born rich but love
to make money ‑‑ this is one of the
best things we do. They earn
money and prize money. Like the
Jews, the Sindhi community repre‑
sents someone to be emulated,
even envied. We all have the Sindhi
will, the unconquerable will, never
to submit or yield, surmount all
with good values and a strong
work ethic. Given this frame of
mind, we make gold even out of
dust.
Many of us lost it all, our forefa‑
thers lost it all, but one thing we
did not lose was self‑respect,
morals, dedication, and integrity.
We started again from scratch,
working hard and honestly, went
from nothing to everything, earn‑
ing respect and admiration of all.
We donʼt have our own region.
Sindhi identity is the spirit of entre‑
preneurship. It is about resilience,
perseverance, and an optimism to
survive anywhere in the world. The
calling card of Sindhis is not brand‑
March 17-23, 2018
ed with “loss” but branded with
“investments‑profits.” Sindhis have
guts, have gravitas, have chutzpah
which commands respect. You all
are Classic Winners ‑ Success is in
your DNA. You have a long life
ahead of yourself, take good care
of it and make the best out of it and
your positivity will send reverbera‑
tions throughout the world.
Sindhi virtues are heralded:
speed, wisdom, cleverness and
strength (Sindhi grit). Friends,
keep your momentum as you raise
your game upping the ante and see
yourselves victorious leading a
winning team and keeping every‑
one moving forward, while under‑
standing well that difficulties, mis‑
takes and setbacks are and will
always be an inevitable part of
work and life. Dream big dreams
and they will manifest themselves
for you. Commit to a class act and
watch success follow. Be the ulti‑
mate arbiter of success hitting a
home run. Never forget how much
impact your name can have; your
Sindhi identity has a huge curiosity
and wow factor as you share your
unique blessings with the world
building upon your legacy. When
the history books are written, your
names will be up there with the
worldʼs eminent Sindhis.
The Sindhi identity crisis is an
international disgrace, so letʼs
embrace new horizons and join
hands and forces in our faith in the
future. It is imperative that we act
now and stop reminiscing about
what we lost and start to work
hard with a bold strategy and
25
fierce determination to make your
Sindhiyat dream a reality, fighting
together towards an evolution and
not a revolution. We should never
have to answer to our children and
grandchildren wondering where
we were or what we could possibly
be thinking or why we kept quiet
and did nothing as this uncon‑
scionable catastrophe took place. I
am personally committed to pro‑
viding reinforcements of ten thou‑
sand soldiers and thirty thousand
horses for this noble mission.
Welcome are all missionaries will‑
ing to join this noble cause and
provide moral support. To be suc‑
cessful we must be greater than
what we suffer.
There is an over 40% chance that
a Sindhistan state will be carved
out by the Modi government in
India in the next few years and the
odds will only increase as time
goes by. PM Modi will honor his
word. Five years ago nobody could
have thought that it would be pos‑
sible but today we are closer to
reality than ever. We have many
global Sindhi youngsters who are
sincere, brave and willing to walk
on ice barefoot to realize the
dream. Sindhis will have a state
where we will invite the world's
largest and most reputable compa‑
nies to set up shop and create a
free trade zone, doing equitable
fair trade where both sides win. A
state where women are respected,
treated as more than equals.
Where women's sexual exploita‑
tion and domestic violence perpe‑
trators will be harshly punished. A
state where women will have wage
equality and people will be given a
second chance. Women will have a
seat at the table, the highest seat.
There will be a Sindhi chief minis‑
ter and a Sindhi minister in the
central government and some day
may be the countryʼs President if
not Prime Minister. This is my lifeʼs
mission to make this a reality.
I look forward to see you contin‑
ue your pursuit of excellence in
your personal and professional
lives as you all work hard to build a
first‑class excellent reputation
keeping an eye with energy and
focus on your result‑oriented goals,
being useful, being informative,
being interesting and unique to
one‑and‑all you come in touch with.
My mother says, ʻYour smile is
your logo, your personality is your
business card and how you deal
and leave an impact on this world
is your trademark.ʼ May each of
you be inscribed in the book of life
and enjoy great years ahead. Reach
higher in any and everything you
do. Being a Hindu I count my bless‑
ings daily, being a Hindu‑Sindhi, I
count them twice.
Your time has come, my Sindhi
brethren.
The international Sindhi Sammelan
2018 will be held in Santa Clara,
CA, from July 5 ‑ 8, 2018. Details in
the next issue of The South Asian
Times.
26 March 17-23, 2018 HERITAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

The Magic of Vedic Mathematics Part 5

Rediscovered half a century ago by the Puri Shankaracharya Bharati Krishna Tirtha, Vedic Mathematics is a lightning fast mental math
system. We continue to serialize from ‘The Curious Hats of Magical Maths’ book that makes learning the system easy.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info IMMIGRATION March 17-23, 2018 27

the US for at least one year and process. After the two years of
then they will be eligible for an R‑ work are complete, the first step
1 visa again. Any dependents of R‑ is for the US employer to file Form

By Michael Phulwani, Esq.
& Dev B. Viswanath, Esq.
exemption, or a non‑profit organi‑
zation which is affiliated with a
religious denomination in the US.
TALK
tions as a general proposition do
not include positions such as jani‑
tors, maintenance workers, clerks,
or similar occupations.
The first step is for a prospec‑
tive or existing US employer to
file a petition on behalf of the for‑
eign national requesting to enter
the US as a nonimmigrant minis‑
ter, or religious worker in a reli‑
gious vocation or occupation. The
foreign national must have been a
member of the same religious
denomination having a real non‑
profit religious organization in
the US for a least two years direct‑
ly before the filing of the petition.
Once the petition is approved, the
consular post will then determine
whether the foreign national is
qualified to receive the R‑1 nonim‑
migrant visa. When submitting
the petition you must also include
evidence to support qualification
1 nonimmigrants, spouse and chil‑
dren under the age of 21 may be
eligible for R‑2 nonimmigrant sta‑
tus. However, dependents are not
allowed to work and R‑2 status is
granted for no longer than the
period of time granted to the prin‑
cipal R‑1 nonimmigrant.
Since the R‑1 visa is a tempo‑
rary visa, nonimmigrant religious
workers must show intent to leave
the US when their nonimmigrant
stay expires. If there is a change
of location of employment the
petitioner may need to file an
amended petition and receive an
approval before the beneficiary
moves to the new employment
location.
An R‑1 visa holder who would
like to become a green card hold‑
er must first work for two years
under the R‑1 visa status in the US
and then have the same or anoth‑
er employer start the green card
Dev Banad Viswanath is the Principal
I‑360 with USCIS. Visa #s for reli‑
gious workers are immediately
available which means that after
USCIS approves the application
the employee can file an I‑485,
application to adjust status with
USCIS in the US right away, or
apply for an immigrant visa
(green card) at the US consulate
abroad.
The R‑1 Religious Worker visa is
the visa to be used for most spe‑
cialized religious activities at any
registered religious institution, be
it a Temple, Mosque, Synagogue
or other Religious House or
Center. For institutions that are in
need of assistance for work that is
specifically carried out by mem‑
bers of the faith as a profession,
the R‑1 visa can be a most useful
tool. Especially when there may
be a shortage of the workers in
that capacity here in the United
States.

T
he R‑1 visa is a non‑immi‑
grant visa for foreign reli‑
gious workers to work in
the US. A religious worker is one
who is a minister or a person
working in the religious vocation
or occupation. An R‑1 visa holder
must work for either a non‑profit
religious organization in the US, a
religious organization that is
authorized by a group tax exemp‑
tion holder to use its group tax
This visa is granted to religious
workers whose lives are dedicated
to religious practices and func‑
tions. A religious occupation is
defined as an occupation whose
duties must primarily relate to a
traditional religious function, be
recognized as a religious occupa‑
tion within the denomination, and
primarily related to teaching the
religious faith and beliefs of the
denomination. Religious occupa‑
for the R‑1 visa. Both the petition‑
er and the beneficiary must satis‑
fy certain requirements in order
to approve the R‑1 visa.
Under this visa individuals may
live and work in the United States
for up to 30 months, and then
apply for an extension for an addi‑
tional 30 months. If an individual
would like to stay in the US for
more than 60 months, they must
live and be physically outside of
Attorney of The Banad Law Offices PC in the
United States, and Banad Immigration in
India for which Attorney Michael Phulwani is
also affiliated as Of Counsel. With Offices in
Manhattan, Queens, Bangalore, and Mumbai,
the firm is able to assist clients with all facets
of the immigration process, including
Employment Visas, Consular Visa Assistance,
Student Visas, Removal & Deportation, US
Citizenship and Green Card Applications
based on Family or Employment. Dev B.
Viswanath can be reached at
Dev@Banadlaw.com and 718‑361‑5999.

Answers

To be continued in the following issues of The South Asian Times.

Extracted from ʻThe Curious Hats of Magical Maths ‑ Vedic Mathematics for Schools Book 1ʼ
by James Glover, with permission from Motilal Banarsidass (MLBD). Founded in 1903, they
specialize in Indology books. For more information, Mr R.P. Jain, email: mlbd@mlbd.com.
US distributor: southasiabooks@gmail.com
 28 March 17-23, 2018 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Side by Nury Vittachi

How to eat something

larger than yourself
A
n alligator can eat a quar‑
ter of its bodyweight in a
single meal, equivalent to
a human eating 89 bowls of rice,"
a reader told me in an electronic
conversation.
I was not impressed. Ever seen
teenagers eat? Eighty‑nine bowls
is just the appetizer.
This exchange was triggered by
a March 3 news report that a
snake had been seen in Florida
eating a deer larger than itself.
The snake became a new Dining
Hero for my son and myse lf,
replacing TV's Miss Piggy, whose
sensible eating plan is: "Never eat
anything you cannot lift."
How did you eat something
larger than you are?
Snakes temporarily dislocate
their upper and lower jaws so
that they can eat big things,
including cows and buf faloes,
said a herpetologist friend via
email. (Humans have to do the
same when eating those extra‑
tall burgers.)
A bird‑lover in our office com‑
mented that some songbirds eat
a meal of insects roughly every
two seconds during their waking
hours. That's 30 meals a minute!
Definitely worth adding them to
our Dining Heroes list.
Listening to this conversation
was a colleague who was on a
diet where you have six small
meals a day. (I told her I totally
loved the sound of that, except
for the word "small".)
The discussion became a com‑
petition. "Forget alligators. A
growing hummingbird consumes
TWICE its weight in food every
single day," the bird‑lover said.
Impressive. In human terms,
that would be equivalent to a
teenaged boy eating a couple of
sheep a day. Could teens really
do that? I texted one to ask. "If
you put them on a pizza, or
cooked them as rogan josh, sure,"
was his reply (after translation
from teenspeak).
But would it be dangerous? I
phoned a doctor friend who said
that physicians used to think it
was impossible to eat yourself to
death.
But in 1985, top medical jour‑
nal The Lancet reported a case in
which a 23‑year‑old woman con‑
sumed one pound (450 grams) of
liver, two pounds of kidneys, an
eight ounce steak, two eggs, a
pound of cheese, two slices of
bread, a pound of mushrooms,
two pounds of carrots, a cauli‑
flower, 10 peaches, four pears,
two apples, four bananas, two
pounds of plums, two pounds of
grapes, and two glasses of milk.
She was rushed to hospital where
surgeons cut her open ‑‑ but she
died before they could remove
her lunch.
It reminded me of a true story
from this column in 2014. A
woman ate so much to celebrate
Lunar New Year that she explod‑
ed. A nutrit ionist at Beijing
Friendship Hospital said the 58‑
year‑old patient fe lt ill from
overeat ing and demanded a
lunchectomy. The electric knife
used by a surgeon provided a
spark which met combustible
gases from alcohol, causing a
messy explosion in the operating
theatre.
I don't wish to be morbid or
anything, but you have to admit,
if you have to die, this is pretty
cool way to go. You eat all your
favorite foods, and before even
your weig hing scale can
reproach you, BOOM. You're
done.
And someone else has to clean
up the mess.
Now please excuse me while I
go dislocate my jaw.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA
AND
PAKISTAN

New York Head Quarter

422‑S Broadway
HICKSVILLE
NY 11801
By Mahendra Shah
516‑827‑1010
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession,
artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the
plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons.
Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
MARCH 17‑23, 2018
ARIES: This is the best opportu‑
nity for you to impress someone,
so plan carefully. You are likely
to hit upon an idea to promote your‑
self on the professional front and gain
from it. Money lent to someone is like‑
ly to be returned. You are likely to
motivate those around for a trip and
add to your enjoyment. Resetting the
house may be on the cards for some
homemakers. A romantic week ahead
is on the cards and promises much
fun.
TAURUS: Keep the longing for
someone or something in your
heart and donʼt do anything
impulsive. You may get invited to a
party or a function that promises an
opportunity to network. Spending
quality time with family is possible
this week and will enhance together‑
ness. Cupidʼs arrow can be expected
for those looking for love! A journey
by road will prove most exciting.
GEMINI: Take suggestions and
opinions, before you set out on
a new course. Those feeling
under the weather will once again
start enjoying good health. Good sav‑
ings promise to keep your financial
boat from rocking. Networking is like‑
ly to work to your advantage on the
academic front. Higher ups will be
happy with your performance at work.
You may have mixed feelings about
someone in your social circle, so
observe more closely. Donʼt be care‑
less on the road.
CANCER: It is a good time to
turn your focus on career and
chart your course. A previous
investment is likely to mature and
bring you into big money. You will
manage to maintain your schedule of
workouts and enjoy good health.
Additions and alterations to property
can be initiated by some. Be thorough
in whatever you undertake this week.
Remain aware of what all is happen‑
ing on the academic front, lest you be
caught on the wrong foot.
LEO: Keep a tab on someone
who is not your well wisher. A
social gathering will give you
much joy and happiness. Your resent‑
ment for someone in the family is like‑
ly to turn into admiration. An impor‑
tant project being handled by you will
help you establish firmly on the pro‑
fessional front. You will be able to
keep up the pace on the academic
front. Not getting hundred percent
returns on an investment is possible.
Health remains satisfactory.
VIRGO: Think before speaking,
lest you of fend someone by
your frank ways. You can
expect total recovery from an ailment
that has been troubling you for long.
Close supervision may be required of
something initiated by you on the pro‑
fessional front. Donʼt follow others
blindly, especially in matters involving
finance. You may find yourself lagging
behind on the academic front, so tight‑
en your belt. Maintain a helping atti‑
tude on the social front, as someone
close may genuinely need it.
LIBRA: There is much that is
happening on the social front.
Something unforeseen may
delay your current efforts on the pro‑
fessional front. Think through any
responsibility entrusted to you at the
beginning itself to avoid any hitches
afterwards. You will need to prioritise
things on the academic front, so as not
to miss out any thing important.
Changes that you desire at home may
not be agreed to by others. Longing
for a loved one may give you sleepless
nights.
SCORPIO : If you are looking to
get even with someone you
hate, perish the thought as suc‑
cess is not foretold. You may find lover
or spouse most responsive and accom‑
modating. Celebrating some event at
home is possible. You are likely to give
a good account of yourself in some‑
thing that you had been entrusted with
on the professional front. Wise invest‑
ments are likely to secure excellent
returns for the future, so donʼt delay.
SAGITTARIUS: Someone may
get in your way to prevent you
from achieving what you
desire, so wise up to it. Stepping out to
meet people you know is on the cards.
Your love life is certain to look up, as
you begin to feel closer to the one you
love. Saving may be on your mind and
you will not hesitate to cut corners
and becoming ultra‑economical. Doing
up the house can be on the minds of
some homemakers.
CAPRICORN:Try to remain
cool, as you may face many
annoying situations. Steady
recovery can be expected by those suf‑
fering from an ailment. Extending a
helping hand to others may not get
you the expected regard, so donʼt
overdo it. Something going wrong in
office may have to be nipped in the
bud, but donʼt become a martyr. Your
plans for a family gathering may not
materialise, due to the non‑availability
of others. Romantic front may not be
exciting.
AQUARIUS: A good time is
indicated on the family front.
You will once again take the
centre stage and get the spotlight on
yourself! Outstanding work on the pro‑
fessional front may line you up for an
award or recognition. Your excellent
preparation will find you leading the
pack on the academic front. Lover may
surprise you with some original ideas
on the romantic front, so simply follow
the directions! Health remains satisfac‑
tory, but with effort on your part.
PISCES: On the professional
front, some of you may be run‑
ning behind schedule in sub‑
mitting a project or an assignment. If
you are stuck in the midst of some‑
thing important, there is no harm in
asking for help. Someoneʼs sudden
departure can leave you high and dry
on the family front. Your ef forts to
mingle socially may not immediately
materialise. You will need to get down
to it, if you want to keep up the pace
on the academic front.
ASTROLOGY
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
17th March, 2018
Traits in you: Your governing plan‑
et Saturn makes you confident,
unique, creative, dynamic, and intelli‑
gent. You are determined enough to
perform any task assigned to you. So
you always remain a step ahead from
others. Along all your good charac‑
teristics, you have few negative char‑
acters as well. You need to work on
your unreliability, insensitiveness,
and selfishness.
Health this year: T hough you
would not face any major health
related issues, you should take extra
care of your health. Do not take
unwanted risk of putting your health
in stake. Go for regular medical
checkups.
Finance this year: Your confidence
and hard work will help you earn a
lot of money and you will be able to
expand your business as well. You
may go ahead investing on anything
you want as this year is pretty
rewarding for you. Your past legal
disputes will get resolved this year
and give you enough opportunity to
make money.
Career this year: Your interest and
enthusiasm to perform will make
you an extraordinary performer in
your professional circuit. You will be
respected and rewarded for your
work. You need to take the leader‑
ship responsibility to cement your
position in your organization.
Romance this year: Your relation‑
ship with your spouse or partner will
blossom this year. If you are not mar‑
ried, you may have to wait for few
more years though you are eligible
for marriage.
18th March, 2018
Traits in you: Being ruled by Mars,
you are aggressive, courageous,
aspiring, focused, friendly, generous,
and honest. You lag behind others
because you lose many opportuni‑
ties. You need to work on your fre‑
quent mood swings and tempera‑
ment.
Health this year: You should take
your prescribed medication in spite
of a better health. The health of your
parents may make you a worried
person.
Finance this year: Your financial
condition will be pretty good as the
movements of your stars are favor‑
able for making money this year. You
may go for any investment on real
estate or gold. Do not trust anyone
when partnerships are concerned.
You should not lend or borrow
money as it will create disputes.
Career this year: You will be estab‑
lishing yourself as a very ef ficient
and important resource in your
organization this year. Your perform‑
ance will influence your peers, sen‑
iors and higher management. It is
the best time to look out for a new
job as it will help you grow both pro‑
fessionally and financially.
Romance this year: Your romantic
relationship will reach new heights
this year. You may get married this
year, if you are unmarried yet. You
need to take care of the emotional
requirements of your partner to
strengthen your relationship.
19th March, 2018
Traits in you: Your ruler the sun
makes you unique, creative, dedicat‑
ed, responsible, reliable, and confi‑
March 17-23, 2018
dent. You are the master of intelli‑
gence and skills. However, your dom‑
ination nature and stubbornness you
make you lag behind others.
Health this year: Your overall
health would remain fine this year.
Some of the aged members in your
family may fall sick frequently to add
your woes. You need to take care of
your family members by
providing them better medical
attention.
Finance this year: Your undisputed
energy and enthusiasm to earn
money will make you financially sta‑
ble this year. You may go for proper‑
ty sale this year and earn a lot of
money.
Career this year: You may have to
take few major decisions in your pro‑
fession. You can succeed if you put
some extra effort in your work and
deliver quality. You have to drive the
team to put qualitative effort.
Romance this year: You will spend
a peaceful life with your love interest
this year. You will lead a blissful life
with your beloved with lots of love,
care, concern, and support.
20th March, 2018
Traits in you: As dominated by the
Moon, you are very peace loving. You
do not want to get involved in unnec‑
essary talks. You are reliable, emo‑
tional, generous, humble, kind,
mature, and optimistic. However, you
need to eradicate selfishness from
your nature to improve as an individ‑
ual.
Health this year: As far as health is
concerned, you will be enjoying a
pretty good health this year.
However, some of your family mem‑
bers may fall sick and that will both‑
er you.
Finance this year: You will get
enough good opportunities to con‑
vert your startup business to an
established one. You need to work
hard this year to gain money. It is
advisable to avoid partnerships. You
may get benefited from your past
investments.
Career this year: You should take
inputs from senior and experienced
professionals to learn new things
and grow professionally. Act diplo‑
matically if you have some profes‑
sional issues. Getting emotional and
aggressive would not work though.
Romance this year: If you are yet
to be in a committed relationship,
you may get into one this year. If you
are already committed, then you may
plan for marriage towards the end of
the year.
21st March, 2018
Traits in you: As you are ruled by
Jupiter, you are ambitious, dignified,
friendly, cheerful and highly opti‑
mistic. You are a believer but you do
not believe anything without proper
proof. People respect in many ways
as you are very social and friendly to
them. However, your arrogance
blocks the way to become a complete
person.
Health this year: Your sibling may
suffer from an incurable disease this
year. You need to take care of your‑
self and your family members by
providing them with modern medical
facilities.
Finance this year: You may be able
to improve your financial conditions
by find an extra source of income.
29
You may go for new short term
investments. You will be able to
obtain luxury and happiness by
spending money.
Career this year: Your confidence
will convert you into a winner. You
will be capable enough to overcome
any challenge you need to face. The
chances of your promotion and
transfer are high due to the organi‑
zational change.
Romance this year: You will find
your partner to be a huge emotional
support for you during the tough
times of your life. You may get
involved in a matrimonial alliance.
22nd March, 2018
Traits in you: Your dominating
planet Uranus makes you dynamic,
friendly, fun loving, reliable, focused
and optimistic. Your skills and opti‑
mism allows you to crate wonders in
everything you do. However, you
need to work on your frequent mood
swings to obtain expected success in
your life.
Health this year: Your health will
not be very normal this year. You
may suf fer from some chronic dis‑
eases. You should take some precau‑
tions before you fall sick badly.
Finance this year: Though you will
be able to improve your financial sta‑
tus, you may end up spending a lot
of money in buying luxury and com‑
fort for yourself and your family. You
may put your money in real estate
for better returns.
Career this year: Your efforts will
bear results and you will be appreci‑
ated with awards and rewards
towards the end of the year. You may
get a promotion for your smart work
and efficiency.
Romance this year: You will be
enjoying a better relationship with
your partner or beloved. You will get
the required emotional support from
your partner whenever you seek.
23rd March, 2018
Traits in you: Your ruling planet
Mercury makes you realistic, reli‑
able, sincere, and optimistic. You are
the master of an excellent memory
power and charismatic characteris‑
tics. You need not get nervous at
tough time as it may create a ques‑
tion mark on your capabilities.
Health this year: T hough you
would not face any major health
related issues, you should take extra
care of your health. Do not take
unwanted risk of putting your health
in stake. Go for regular medical
checkups.
Finance this year: You may get
your pending works done, which will
yield enough financial benefits for
you. You should invest in share mar‑
ket or real estate to get better bene‑
fits. You need not borrow or lend
money as it may create disturbances
in your personal life.
Career this year: You need not con‑
centrate on the gossips prevailing in
your workspace. You should concen‑
trate on your career goals and try to
succeed in every department. You
should handle professional issues
diplomatically.
Romance this year: Your relation‑
ship with your spouse or partner will
blossom this year. If you are not mar‑
ried, you may have to wait for few
more years though you are eligible
for marriage.
30 March 17-23, 2018 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Learn to let go and be free

so he tried again and again. Each
time he enclosed the coins in his This article has been
fist, his hand was too wide to be
removed from the jar. Suddenly, he
selected and reprinted
heard the owner coming home. He from Sant Rajinder
knew that if he did not get his hand Singh Ji Maharaj’s
out of the jar, he would be caught.
But he was so intent upon trying to book, Spiritual Pearls
get the money out that he would for Enlightened Living,
not give up. The result was that the
By Sant Rajinder Singh man came in, caught him, and had
an inspirational
Ji Maharaj him arrested. collection of stories
We too are like the thief in the
from the world’s great

O
nce upon a time, there was
a man who lived alone. He
kept his money in a special
jar so that no one could steal it. One
day, while the man was out farming
his land, a thief broke into his
house. Looking for something to
steal, he came across a heavy stone
jar. He could barely jiggle it to hear
the coins inside. He could not lift
the jar. So the man stuck his hand
in the jar to take out the money. His
hand fit perfectly into the jar.
The man grabbed as much money
as he could, holding it in his fist. But
when he tried to pull out his hand,
it would not come out. He tried his
hardest to pull out his hand, but the
fist made his hand wider. While
holding the money, he could not get
it through the neck of the jar. He let
go of the money and his hand was
freed to come out of the jar. But he
was intent upon having the money,
story. Desires cause us to be caught
with our hand in the jar. Desires
keep us bound to this world. It is
only by letting go of the things of
this world that we can be free. We
need to stop clutching for whatever
binds us as prisoners of our desires
so we can enjoy true freedom. We
need to stop clutching and let go.
Then we will find the joy of free‑
dom.
What kind of joy did the thief
have in his pursuit of the money?
Instead he ended up a prisoner in
the jail. We too are like prisoners in
the jail of this physical world. We
spend all our time going after
things that will not give us happi‑
ness. Whatever material gains we
have in the world can lead us to
more bondage if we are attached to
them. For example, if we want a big
house, we have to work longer
hours to pay for its mortgage. Then
we need to fill it up with more and
more furniture. That will take more
time to work to pay for it, shop to
buy it, and then to clean and repair
everything. Before we know it, the
house that was supposed to bring
us pleasure has made us a slave to
it. We no longer have time for our
family, our children, or pursuits
that will give us more fulfillment.
We spend all our time going after
things that may not give us true
and lasting happiness.
Similarly, we may want to buy a
computer to keep up with the latest
technology. We then find ourselves
working harder to buy all the right
software and equipment to make it
work. Soon we realize that we are
not happy with a simple computer.
We want to upgrade to a faster and
wisdom traditions.
more elaborate computer. Next, we
find the computer that was sup‑
posed to save us time is taking up
all our time. We end up spending
hours learning to use the computer.
We spend hours exploring the
Internet. The e‑mail system that
was supposed to make communica‑
tions faster is taking more and
more of our time. Suddenly, we find
fifty people e‑mailing us daily and
they expect an instantaneous
response. If we do not respond
right away they accuse us of being
nonresponsive and indifferent.
Soon, we are spending hours on the
computer. We have become slaves
to our possessions. How can we end
our bondage? We need to let go and
be free. When we can let go of our
desires for impermanent gains, we
can be free. Then, our soul can
experience the love and beauty that
God has to offer. True happiness
comes when we connect with the
source of joy within us̶our soul
and God.
To do so, we must turn our atten‑
tion from the worldly enticements
and listen to our soul. Beautiful
melodies of God are playing within
us all the time. Light and love are
shining within us. By turning our
attention from the world, we are
releasing our hold on the coins that
keep our hand stuck in the jar. By
letting go, we are gaining eternal
freedom.
By sitting in meditation, free from
all worldly desires and attachments,
we can let go and find ourselves
free to soar back to God

will be put to death.” ourselves. No friends of this world can

Finding a true friend The daughter was wise and had an

By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji and enlightenment. Month after month,
Maharaj the king listened to the scriptures read
by the minister. However, he did not at‑
idea. “Do not worry,” she said. “Tomorrow
I will speak to the king.” On the following
day, the ministerʼs daughter asked for an
audience with the king.
“Why have you come?” he questioned
help us. They can sit by our bedside and
hold our hand, but they can neither pro‑
tect us from death nor accompany us.
Knowing this, we still put our reliance on
people of this world.
Looking back at the friendships we

T
rue friends are those who stand by
you always. They will sacrifice
themselves for you, and are people
on whom you can always rely. True
friends listen to your problems and share
your burdens. Truly, if we have even one
real friend in life, we are lucky.
If we think about our childhood
friends, how many are still with us now?
Have we parted ways already? Perhaps
they have moved away, or we have lost
contact with them. Let us consider our
close friends today. Can we imagine that
they, too, will one day be parted from us
just as those friends from our childhood
are gone?
Even if we have one close friend, or
even a few, they can only be with us up
to our last breath, or their last breath.
They can only remain with us in this life
and cannot help us in the moment of our
greatest need̶the time of death.
In this connection, there is an interest‑
ing story from the Hindu scriptures.
There was a learned pundit who was the
personal minister of King Prikshat. Each
day the minister would read out the
scriptures to the king. The particular
scripture said that whoever hears the
scriptures will receive spiritual liberation
tain liberation.
One day, the king sat down and
thought, “Here I am̶listening to these
scriptures every day, and I am not yet
spiritually liberated. The scriptures say
that whoever listens to these holy writ‑
ings will receive salvation once and for
all, but I have not.”
Therefore, the king called the minister
and said, “Look here. I have heard these
scriptures so many times and have not
attained liberation. I will give you one
more chance to read these scriptures to
me from end to end. If I am not liberated
after that, you will be put to death.”
Trembling in his shoes, the minister be‑
gan the task of re‑reading the scriptures
to the king. By the sixth day he was near‑
ing the end of the scriptures, and the
king was not satisfied. Fearing that on
the seventh day he would be put to
death, the minister sat down in his home
and started to cry.
“Why are you so sad?” asked his
daughter when she saw him.
The ministered explained the situation
to her, “The scriptures say that whoever
reads them will be liberated. However, I
know that the king is not liberated, nor
am I liberated. Therefore, tomorrow, I
her.
She told him, “I have come to reply to
the question that you have asked of my
father. But to do this, you and I must go
together to the wilderness.” The king was
perplexed, but agreed to go along with
her plan. The girl then sent for her fa‑
ther. She brought along two ropes and
when they reached the wilderness she
tied the king to one tree and her father
to another tree. Both were then bound,
hand and foot. The king was wondering
what all this meant when the girl asked,
“Father, can you kindly unbind the king
over there?”
The minister replied, “I am already
bound! How can I free him?”
The girl asked, “Your Majesty, will you
kindly unbind my father?”
The king replied, “Foolish girl, donʼt
you see that I am bound? How can a
bound man unbind another?”
That is all she wanted to hear and said,
“Then how can you expect my father,
who is not free himself, to liberate you
spiritually?” The king himself had an‑
swered the dilemma in which he had
placed the minister. With that under‑
standing, the king spared the life of the
minister.
At the time of death, we all depart by
have had in our lives, how many of them
led us closer to God, and how many of
them have taken us away from God?
What kind of friend should we look for
then? To be truly awakened spiritually,
we should seek the friendship of the
Lord.
We have only a set number of breaths
to reunite our soul with God. Let us do
everything possible to attain that goal.
The best way to reach the Lord is
through meditation, sweet remembrance,
and selfless service. These activities safe‑
guard us from being pulled away by dis‑
tractions of the world. If we do these
things, then we will be ready at the time
of our death. Having mastered the art of
rising above body‑consciousness (by
meditating daily on the inner Light and
Sound of God) , we will know what awaits
us in the Beyond.
Befriending God makes our spirit soar.
Waves of divine love make our soul rise
to the eye‑focus where we see tremen‑
dous Light. Is there any love or friend‑
ship of the world that can bring us to the
eye‑focus and make us rise above physi‑
cal body‑consciousness? Only the love of
the Lord can make us wide awake̶not
only in this world, but wide awake into
the Beyond.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info March 17-23, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info March 17-23, 2018