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Vol.11 No. 5 June 2-8, 2018 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

NOKO summit can happen

on June 12: Trump
Washington: President Donald
Trump said on Tuesday that a
senior North Korean official is
headed to New York to discuss a
possible summit between the US
President and North Korean
leader Kim Jong‑un.
"We have put a great team
together for our talks with North
Korea. Meetings are currently Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a warm welcome by
taking place concerning Summit, Indonesian President Joko Widodo. (Photo: MEA/Twitter)
and more. Kim Yong Chol, the
Vice Chairman of North Korea,
heading now to New York,"
Trump said on Twitter.
"Solid response to my letter,
thank you!" the President added.
Modi on tour
Kim Yong Chol, who is headed to the US, is vice chairman of the ruling
Workers' Party's Central Committee in North Korea. He had earlier met
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang. (Photo : SamoaObserver)

Kim Yong Chol will be the high‑
est‑ranking North Korean official
to visit the United States in near‑
ly two decades. The vice chair‑
to boost India’s
man of the ruling Workers' States on Wednesday, where he
Party's Central Committee is will help put the final touches on
scheduled to arrive in the United Continued on page 4

India follows UN, not US sanctions India, Pakistan armies Look East policy
talk peace after days
on Iran: Sushma Swaraj
New Delhi: India abides by sanc‑
tions imposed by the United
Nations and not those imposed by
any other country, such as ones
announced by the United States
against Iran, external affairs min‑
ister Sushma Swaraj said on
Monday. The ministerʼs remarks at
her annual press conference came
hours before a meeting with visit‑
ing Iran foreign minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Iran is the third largest source of
Indiaʼs oil imports. New Delhi is
making strategic investments in
the Chabahar port in Iran that con‑
nects Afghanistan to Central Asia
bypassing Pakistan.
Swaraj said Indiaʼs decision on
ties with Iran or its position on
sanctions is independent of any
other country.
“India follows only UN sanctions,
and not unilateral sanctions by
any country,” Swaraj said, after
External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj welcomed her Iranian
counterpart Mohammad Javad
Zarif in New Delhi ahead of the
delegation‑level talks.
(pic: SushmaSwaraj/Twitter)
being asked about Indiaʼs response
to the US decision to impose sanc‑
tions against Iran. US President
Donald Trump this month exited
from the Iran nuclear deal and
sought the reimposition of eco‑
nomic sanctions against Tehran
that were suspended under a 2015
Continued on page 4
of border violence
New Delhi: Top India and Pakistan
army commanders on Tuesday
spoke over a special hotline con‑
tact and committed to peace on
the borders in Jammu and
Kashmir amid persistent crackling
of gunfire and mounting casualties
on both sides.
"The hotline mechanism was ini‑
tiated by Pakistan Director
General Military Operations
(DGMO) Maj. Gen. Sahir Shamshad
Mirza at 6 p.m. with his Indian
counterpart Lt.Gen. Anil Chauhan.
"Both the DGMOs reviewed the
prevailing situation along the Line
of Control and International
Border in Jammu and Kashmir," an
army spokesperson said.
Lt.Gen. Chauhan, the spokesper‑
son said, "agreed with the propos‑
al (from his Pakistani counterpart)
to undertake sincere measures to
Continued on page 4
Jakarta, Indonesia: Ahead of their
bilateral summit, Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi was
received by Indonesian President
Joko Widodo at the Merdeka
Palace here with a guard of honor
on Wednesday.
“Relationship that evokes a feel‑
ing of warmth and kinship. A red
carpet welcome and a guard of
honor extended to PM @naren‑
dramodi on his arrival at Istana
Merdeka ahead of his talks with
President @jokowi,” Indian
External Affairs Ministry
spokesperson Raveesh Kumar
tweeted.
Earlier, Modi started his official
engagements by a laying a wreath
at the Kalibata Heroesʼ Cemetery
here. He had arrived here on
Tuesday in his first visit to
Indonesia as Prime Minister.
He will also visit Malaysia and
Singapore in the course of his five‑
day three‑nation tour of southeast
Asia. He expressed the hope that
the visit will further boost India's
Act East policy.
Following Wednesdayʼs bilateral
summit, a number of agreements,
including in the areas of defense
and trade, are expected to be
signed between India and
Indonesia.
Modi and Widodo will then joint‑
ly inaugurate a kite festival being
organized by the Museum Layang‑
Layang of Jakarta and the Kite
Museum of Ahmedabad that will
be depicting the common themes
of the Indian epics Ramayana and
Mahabharata, which are strong
cultural, civilizational linkages that
India shares with Indonesia.
Modi will also attend an Indian
community event at the Jakarta
Convention Centre here and take
part in an India‑Indonesia CEOs
Forum.
Indonesia is home to around
Continued on page 4

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY June 2-8, 2018 3

India central to US policy in DOE to launch first dual

Pacific, Pompeo tells lawmakers language program in Bengali
Queens, NY: After urging the New York
Washington: India needs to the two countries have had.”
City Department of Education (DOE) to
be central to what the Pompeo and Mattis are
create dual language programs in South
Trump administration does expected to host External
Asian languages, Reps. Grace Meng (D‑
in South and Central Asia, af fairs Minister Sushma
Queens) and Joe Crowley (D‑
US Secretary of State Mike Swaraj and Defense Minister
Queens/Bronx), Chairman of the House
Pompeo told the lawmak‑ Nirmala Sitharaman some
Democratic Caucus, announced last week
ers at a Senate hearing on time this summer for the
that the agency has taken concrete steps
Thursday last week. “They inaugural 2+2 dialogue.
to develop this initiative in city public
ought to be one of our clos‑ T he decision about this
schools. Beginning this September, the
est partners,” Pompeo said, was taken when Prime
DOE will offer a dual language program
in what were possibly his Minister Modi was hosted by
in Bengali, which will be the first South
first remarks on India after President Trump at the Reps. Grace Meng & Joe Crowley urge
Asian dual language program in the city
taking over as secretary of White House on June 26 last the agency to expand the program to
public schools. The DOE will make the
state in late April. “We year. other South Asian languages. In dual lan‑
program available at P.S. 7/the Louis F.
ought to be doing every‑ Pompeo also urged the guage programs, students are taught half
Simeone School in Elmhurst, Queens.
thing we can to make sure Secretary of State Mike Senate to grant waiver pow‑ in English and half in another language.
The decision to add Bengali comes after
we achieve that.” Pompeo said the joint ers from Russia‑related sanc‑
Meng and Crowley urged the DOE in 2015 Bangladeshi descent. I am also thrilled that
“For scores of reasons, meeting of the defense and tions under the Combatting
to expand their language programs, argu‑ it will be offered in a school attended by
India needs to be central to foreign ministers of India and Americaʼs Adversaries
ing that these initiatives would better meet my constituents here in QueensI now call
what we do. Specific issues the US is set for this summer. T hroug h Sanct ions Act
(Photo IANS) the needs of the large South Asian popula‑ on the DOE to expand dual language pro‑
̶ South Central Asia (CAATSA) for countries that
tion in New York. The lawmakers noted in grams to other South Asian languages in
issues, Southeast Asia were intended to be hurt by
their letter to then‑Schools Chancellor order to meet the needs of students and
issues. They ought to be one of our closest it. That law sanctions “significant” transac‑
Carmen Fariña that dual language pro‑ parents in the Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese,
partners and we ought to do everything we tions with designated Russian entities by
grams included everything from Chinese and other South Asian communities.” “New
can to make sure that we achieve that,” he third parties, and could impact Indiaʼs plans
and French to Haitian Creole and Russian York City has made great strides in offer‑
said. to buy Russian S‑400 missile defense sys‑
but no South Asian languages. ing a variety of language programs for our
Pompeo also spoke about the upcoming tem. The US‑India relationship enjoys bipar‑
“I applaud the Department of Education cityʼs schoolchildren, and Iʼm honored that
2+2 joint meeting of the defense and for‑ tisan support in the US Congress. Last
and our new Schools Chancellor Richard Queens will be home to the first South
eign affairs ministers of the two countries, week, State Department Spokesperson
Carranza for implementing this new dual Asian dual language program,” said Rep.
which he said was “very, very important”. Heather Nauert said the Trump administra‑
language program,” said Rep. Meng. “This Crowley. In dual language programs, stu‑
Pompeo responded that, “Defense Secretary tion supports Indiaʼs emergence as a leading
initiative is greatly needed and it will be a dents are taught half in English and half in
(James) Mattis and I will jointly meet with global power and as a key partner in the
tremendous boon to students of another language.
our Indian counterparts in a dialogue that Indo‑Pacific region.

Tamils taking back to India with pride and purpose

Tamil Nadu Foundation (TNF) announces an initiative at its convention to create a large corpus
fund to finance women’s education and empowerment in the south Indian state.
By Suchitra Srinivas
Skillman, NJ: A new initiative targeting to set
up an $8 million corpus fund to finance
charity projects back in India was launched
by Tamil Nadu Foundation (TNF) at its 44th
annual convention.
The two‑day convention held in New
Jersey on May 26‑27 at the Montgomery
Performing Arts Center was well‑attended
and brought to light the conviction of NRIs
to give back to India ʻreverse brain drainʼ if
you may want to call so.
Announcing the new initiative, Somalay
Somasundaram, President TNF, said that
ʻMann Vaasanaiʼ is a US wide TNF initiative
to raise $250,000 for each of the 32 Tamil
Nadu districts and Pondicherry aggregating
to $8 million. This will be one of the largest
funds by any Indian organization focused on
giving back to India, he said. The interest
generated through the corpus fund will be
used for social projects intended to help
women, health and hygiene education and
rural development.
TNF, started as a small initiative by four
families, is now celebrating its 44th year of
service and focuses entirely on charity proj‑
ects, said Balaji Prakash Rao, the convention
chair. At this yearʼs convention the fund‑rais‑
ing vigor was much intense with encourag‑
ing corporate and individual participation.
The theme for the convention was ʻOoru
namma ooruʼ, literally aiming to connect
NRIs back to their origin, Rao added. The
convention alone raised over $150,000 that
would be used to fund TNF projects in dis‑
tricts of choice of the donor or Kanavagam
orphanage, a project that TNF supports. Somalay Somasundaram (at the dais), TNF President at the
Continued on page 4 inauguration of the convention.
 4 June 2-8, 2018
WHO adopts resolution on digital
health initiated by India
New Delhi: Health and Family Welfare
Minister J.P. Nadda on Tuesday said the reso‑
lution on digital health brought out by India
was adopted by the 71st World Health
Assembly, the decision‑making body of the
World Health Organization (WHO).
“Iʼm happy to share that the landmark res‑
olution on #DigitalHealth – initiated by India
– was unanimously adopted by the 71st
World Health Assembly in Geneva. India
received widespread praise for its leadership
on this forward looking agenda,” Nadda said
in a tweet.
The 71st World Health Assembly was held
last week in Geneva and was attended by del‑
egations from all WHO member states.
In his address at the Assembly, Nadda said:
“Digital health technology have a huge
potential for supporting Universal Health
Coverage (UHC) and improving accessibility,
Tamils taking back to India
with pride and purpose
Continued from page 3
The Foundation has over 23 chapters across
the US with over 1,000 life members who
mobilize funds.
Much of the funds will be used for the
TNFʼs ABC initiative, which focuses on edu‑
cating the poorest of the poor. Of the 10 mil‑
lion children who go to government schools
across 30,000 villages in Tamil Nadu, a third
are below their grade level proficiencies,
said Kavitha Ramasami, an attorney who
jointly with Balaji Prakash Rao started
Kanavagam, an orphanage in Karaikudi, that
focuses on girl childʼs education, health and
character building.
TNF has permission to serve inside the
government schools during school hours, to
give the extra help that these students may
require. The ABC project was piloted in 2011
in the Sivaganga district. The acceptance by
the parents, teachers and students made
other districts to adopt it. Now the ABC proj‑
ect is successfully running in 10 districts of
Tamil Nadu. Almost 27,000 students have
benefitted by the ABC project as of May
Chairman and Co-Founder
Kamlesh C. Mehta
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TURN PAGE
quality and affordability of health services.
This is a resolution which should be owned
by all of us so as to pave the path for a for‑
ward looking global health agenda.”
The resolution paves the path for WHO to
establish a global strategy on digital health
identifying priority areas including where
WHO should focus its efforts and engages
member states to optimize their health sys‑
tems in sync with the global digital health
agenda.
Introducing the resolution on digital health
at the assembly on behalf of India and 20
cosponsors, Joint Secretary (International
Health) Lav Agarwal last week said: “Digital
health is important in the context of coun‑
tries achieving health‑related SDG targets as
well WHOʼs implementation of 13th General
Program of Work. Digital health agenda is
multisectoral and cross cutting in nature.
2018. The project aims at achieving grade
level proficiency, boosting morale and cham‑
pioning for higher aspirations. Many US‑
born Tamil children have been sent on
internship projects to serve as coaches in
these ABC programs.
At the convention TNF conferred the
Lifetime achievement award posthumously
on Dr Peumalswamy, one of the founding
member of TNF.
Interesting parallel sessions on H1B visa
issues, siddha medicine, and a separate
youth convention on topics ranging from
college planning to career choices, and ses‑
sions on continuing medical education too
were organized. Cultural programs by
renowned artists Nithyashree Mahadevan,
Tamil Pattimandram fame Raja and Bharathi
Bhaskar, Mersel light music performance,
comedy play by stage friends, show on
women empowerment directed by Sumitra
Ramjee, Karna dance drama by Madurai R
Muralidaran and troupe were the highlight.
Around 1200 people attended the conven‑
tion from across the US. New Jersey Tamil
Sangam was one of the supporting organiza‑
tions.
Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra
P : 516.710.0508
parveen.chopra@gmail.com
Associate Editor
Hiral Dholakia-Dave
Contributing Editors: Prof. Shivaji
Sengupta, Surekha Vijh (Washington, DC),
Suchitra Srinivas (New Jersey),
Melvin Durai, Dr Prem Kumar Sharma,
Ashok Vyas, and Dr Akshat Jain
New Delhi Bureau
Meenakshi Iyer
Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Modi on tour to boost Indiaʼs
Look East policy
Continued from page 1
100,000 people of Indian origin and 7,000
NRIs working as professionals across differ‑
ent sectors. On the eve of his visit there,
Modi said, "I am confident that my visit to
Indonesia will create greater synergy
between Asia's two largest democracies and
further elevate our bilateral ties."
On May 31, on his way to Singapore from
Indonesia he will briefly halt in Malaysia to
congratulate the new Malaysian Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad. In Singapore
he will be focusing on enhancing India‑
Singapore partnership in areas of fintech,
skill development, urban planning and arti‑
ficial intelligence.
NOKO summit can happen
on June 12: Trump
Continued from page 1
the June 12 Singapore summit and meet
with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who
recently visited North Korea on two sepa‑
rate occasions, South Korea's Yonhap news
agency said, Efe reported.
Last Thursday, Trump sent a letter to the
North Korean leader calling off the meeting,
citing Pyongyang's "hostility."
A day later, however, the US president
said that the summit could still go on as
planned.
On Monday, The Wall Street Journal
reported that Washington had decided to
hold off on implementing new sanctions
against North Korea while talks to relaunch
the summit were held. If it takes place, the
Singapore summit will be the first meeting
between a US president and a North Korean
leader in the almost seven decades since the
1950‑1953 Korean War.
India follows UN, not US sanc‑
tions on Iran: Sushma
Continued from page 1
agreement. “The external affairs minister
conveyed that all parties to the agreement
should engage constructively for peaceful
resolution of the issues that have arisen
with respect to the agreement,” a statement
from the ministry said after Swaraj met
Zarif. Zarif, who had been to Moscow,
Jaipur Bureau
Prakash Bhandari
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Photographs
Xitij Joshi/xitijphoto.com
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Bharat Bhushan Chopra
Consultants
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Beijing and Brussels, arrived in India
Sunday night. Zarif briefed Swaraj about the
discussions that Iran “has undertaken with
parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action following the US decision to with‑
draw from the agreement,” said the min‑
istryʼs press release.
“The two sides positively assessed the
implementation of decisions taken during
the visit of President Rouhani to India.
These included bilateral cooperation in the
areas of connectivity, energy, trade and pro‑
motion of people to people contacts”, the
release said.
India, Pakistan armies talk peace
after days of border violence
Continued from page 1
improve the existing situation to ensure
peace and avoidance of hardships to the
civilians along the borders".
They agreed to "fully implement" the
2003 ceasefire agreement "in letter and
spirit" and ensure the truce was not violat‑
ed.
"It was also mutually agreed that in case
of any issue, restraint will be exercised and
the matter will be resolved through utiliza‑
tion of existing mechanisms of hotline con‑
tacts and border flag meetings at local com‑
manders' level."
The Pakistan Army in an identical state‑
ment said a special hotline contact was
established with the Indian DGMO "to
ensure the ceasefire will not be violated by
both sides".
The latest DGMO level talks came after
repeated ceasefire violations on the borders
in Jammu and Kashmir that caused many
civilian casualties earlier this month. Similar
talks were held between the two countries
on April 27.
The External Affairs Ministry on May 23
said Pakistan had carried out more than
1,088 ceasefire violations along the LoC
and International Border in the first five
months of 2018. The border shooting has
claimed 36 lives on the Indian side and left
more than 120 injured.
Pakistan's foreign office on May 25 said
during 2018, Indian committed over 1,050
ceasefire violations resulting in the killing
of 28 innocent civilians, while injuring 117.
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY June 2-8, 2018 5

Venkat Ranjan wins 2018

National Geographic Bee

Mike Ulica, Interim President and CEO of the National Geographic Society, awards 2018
National Geographic Bee winner (Image : nationalgeographic.org)
By SATimes
New York: Venkat Ranjan, an eighth grader
from San Ramon, CA student won the 30th
annual National Geographic Bee finals held
on May 23rd. His answer “Paraguay” to the
question, “Which South American country
has a population size most similar to
Lebanon?” won Ranjan, 13, from Windemere
Ranch Middle School, the coveted champi‑
onship. Another 13‑year‑old eighth grader at
Bridgewater‑Raritan Middle School,
Anoushka Buddhikot, of Bridgewater, N.J.,
answered “Guyana” to the same question,
resulting in her coming in second place.
Another Indian American, Vishal Sareddy, 14,
of Suwanee, Ga., an eighth grader at
Riverwatch Middle School, finished third in
the competition.
Ranjan, who has been competing in the
geography bee since 2015, had to beat out
10 finalists to win the grand prize of the bee.
Overall, he topped the roughly 2.6 million
kids in fourth through eighth grade from
more than 10,000 schools who started the
competition testing knowledge of geography
and world affairs.
As part of the prize Ranjan won a $50,000
college scholarship, a lifetime membership to
the National Geographic Society, including a
subscription to National Geographic maga‑
zine, and an all‑expenses‑paid Lindblad expe‑
dition to the Galápagos Islands aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour ll.
Buddhikot, for claiming second, was award‑
ed a $25,000 college scholarship; third‑place
finisher Sareddy won a $10,000 college
scholarship. "All of you have demonstrated an
impressive commitment to geography and
maps, and today weʼre rewarding that com‑
mitment," National Geographic Society chair
Jean Case told the audience at the event.
At National Geographic, "we consider our‑
selves map geeks," Case added. "But we
understand geography is about so much more
than just memorizing places on a map."
Since the bee started, some 120 million stu‑
dents have participated with more than 90
scholarships doled out totaling $1.5 million
to date.

NYPD gets first female turbaned

Sikh auxiliary police officer
New York: The New York Police Minister of State for Housing
Department (NYPD) has got its and Urban Af fairs Hardeep
first female turbaned Sikh auxil‑ Singh Puri also tweeted about
iary police officer, whose induc‑ Kaur, expressing hope that a
tion aims to motivate others to turbaned lady of ficer will help
join law enforcement and help create better understanding of
create better understanding of Sikhism in the US. "Delighted to
Sikhism. see a turbaned lady of ficer in
Gursoach Kaur will join the NYPD. Hope this fosters better
New York Police Department as understanding of Sikhism and
an Auxiliary Police Officer (APO) Sikhs and corrects perceptions
after graduating last week from in the US so that incident which
the New York City Police happened with me in 2010 and
Academy. "We are proud to wel‑ recently with Canada minister
come first Sikh turbaned female Navdeep Bains do not recur.
Auxiliary Police Officer in the New Gursoach Kaur Sikhs are ambassadors of harmo‑
York Police Department. APO ny," Puri tweeted.
Gursoach Kaur and other Auxiliary Police He was referring to the 2010 incident in
Officers graduated from the academy. We are which Puri, then Ambassador to the UN, was
proud of you. Stay safe. #sikhsinlawenforce‑ asked by airport officials to remove his tur‑
ment," the Sikh Officers Association tweeted. ban during a security check at Houston
The association said in a Facebook post Airport. When Puri refused to remove his tur‑
that it is "proud" to welcome Kaur to the ban, the officials made him wait for over half‑
Police Department. "Your service will be a an‑hour in a 'holding room'.
motivation for others to join the Law enforce‑ T he matter was resolved only after a
ment Family," it said. Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
The association is the nation's first organi‑ official, accompanying Puri, intervened. India
zation to represent Sikh Of ficers in Law had lodged an official protest with US author‑
Enforcement. ities over the incident. (PTI)
6 June 2-8, 2018
Malini Rudra, Syosset Girls golf team win
big at Nassau County championship
The Nassau County Champions
S
yosset Girls golf team made a
clean sweep at the Nassau County
HS Golf Championship, winning
the team as well as the individual title.
Malini Rudra won the individual cham‑
pionship by a record ten strokes.
The Syosset junior shot a 144 over two
days at Bethpage State Park. She shot par
71 on Monday at Bethpage Yellow and a
2‑over 73 at Bethpage Green on Tuesday.
“I did a lot of preparation over the win‑
ter and Iʼm so happy it paid off,” said
Rudra, who joined the varsity team as a
seventh‑grader and finished second in
each of the past three seasons. She also
has three top‑10 finishes at the state
tournament. “I was mentally strong and
just took things shot by shot,” she added.
“Over these two rounds, I had a lot more
birdies than I had in the past, so my put‑
ting really helped me.
“I need to thank [Syosset coach] Steve
Naranjo and my individual coach, James
Hong,” Rudra said. “Both of them have re‑
ally helped me grow as a player. I remem‑
ber as a seventh‑grader barely being able
to play 18 holes. Now Iʼm stronger, I hit
the ball farther and Iʼm more confident,
thanks to their help.” Syosset also won its
Delta to resume nonstop
flights to India in 2019
D
elta Air Lines will fly nonstop from
the U.S. to India for the first time in
a decade, a decision the airline said
was due to recent agreements over three of
its Middle Eastern rivals' practices.
The flights will begin next year and either
depart from New York's John F. Kennedy In‑
ternational Airport or Delta's home base at
Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Air‑
port, but the airline has not made a final de‑
cision.
Delta's announcement came after agree‑
ments this year appeared to put to rest a bit‑
ter, years‑long dispute with three Persian
Gulf airlines ̶ Qatar Airways, Emirates and
Etihad ̶ which U.S. airlines said received
government subsidies making it impossible
for the U.S. carriers to compete in certain
markets. Delta CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC
earlier this month the airline intended on re‑
turning to markets, including India, where it
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
Syosset Coach Steve Naranjo
and Malini Rudra
fourth team title in five seasons, led by
Rudra and Arushi Gahlaut, who finished
in fifth individually with a 170.
“We had three players playing in their
first county tournament,” Rudra said.
“Weʼve been telling them how it was up‑
setting to lose the title last year. All of us
worked really hard, so to get the title
back means the world.”
“Malini is an inspiration to the other
girls,” Naranjo said. “Sheʼs dedicated to
the sport and they look up to her. And
this is a great group thatʼs just fun to be
around.”
had been "hurt" by the three carriers.
In January, Qatar agreed to open its books
and provide financial statements. Earlier this
month, the United Arab Emirates agreed to a
similar deal with the Trump administration.
Bastian credited the administration for al‑
lowing the airline to restart the service to In‑
dia. The three Persian Gulf carriers involved
in the dispute with their U.S. competitors of‑
fer frequent service from their hubs to India.
"This move will mark a return to India for
Delta, which was forced to exit the market
after subsidized state‑owned airlines made
service economically unviable," the company
said in its announcement
The service requires government ap‑
proval, Delta said, adding that it plans to
also expand its code‑sharing agreement with
local partner Jet Airways to carry passen‑
gers to other destinations in India.
(Source: cnbc.com)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Tirlok Malikʼs “On Golden
Years” to premiere on TV Asia
T
he television premiere of retire in India vs America, con‑
Tirlok Malikʼs new film tentedness vs regrets, etc. We
On Golden Years will be need to come to terms with life
shown on TV Asia on June 1st as an immigrant: the retire‑
at 8pm and June 3rd 2018 at ment of the American Dream.
1pm. Malik who is an Indian This romantic comedy teaches
American and a New Yorker us to live every day like Valen‑
has made many films starting tine's Day,” he says.
from Lonely In America, Love, The film On Golden Years is
Lust & Marriage, Khushiyaan, written and directed by New
Emmy‑nominated
On Golden Years and many York Emmy nominated film‑
filmmaker Tirlok Malik
more. They all deal with the ef‑ maker Tirlok Malik. The idea
fects of migration in America. of the story is inspired from the book Seek‑
“As an immigrant, when we come in the ing Roots by Iggy. Iggy Ignatius is also the
search of American Dream, at times we find codirector/producer of the film. The film
ourselves we are “Lonely in America.” After stars Ranjit Chowdhry, Jyoti Singh, Reeves
achieving and living the American Dream, Lehmann, Shetal Shah, Noor Naghmi, Tirlok
we also realize if we want real Malik, Shruti Tewari, Farokh Daruwala,
“Khushiyaan” (meaning: happiness), we Indu Gajwani, Prof. Indrajit S. Saluja, Lovl‑
need to make time to visit our aging par‑ lien Kaurr, Sandeep Suri, Iggy Igantius,
ents and family in India. Now in “On Gold‑ Kamlesh Gupta and more. The film has
en Years” (the time to retire), some of us been shot at the Indian retirement commu‑
have conflicts such as deciding whether to nity Shantiniketan in Florida.
Artwork honors first Sikh UFC
fighter Arjan Singh Bhullar
N
ational Sikh
Campaign and
We are Sikhs has
partnered with Elliot
Gerard, the famed artist
who made LeBron
Jamesʼs "Zero Dark 23"
illustration as well as the
Cleveland Cavaliers "De‑
fend the Land" Mural for
the 2017 NBA Finals, to
make artwork for Arjan
Singh Bhullar, the first
Sikh UFC fighter. Arjan Singh Bhullar and the artwork inspired by him.
For Bhullar, being a
fighter is not enough. He wants his fighting Sikh faith, and fight for the countless Sikhs
career to have purpose. The reason he is across the globe that have been put down,
using his platform as a professional athlete
to spread awareness about the turban, the
called names, or bullied simply because
they are different.
White House honors Hindu
Charities for America
By Aashi Morales, HC4A volunteer new dances.” Dr. Royce Avery, the keynote
speaker, noted that “though I work with
T
hank you for helping [Keisha many charities, [HC4A] stands out in mak‑
(eighth grade student)] with school ing a difference. The work they do is very
supplies!” These were the words of important.” HC4A raises funds to provide
a grateful homeless, single mother with school supplies to homeless students and
lupus, at Hindu Charities for Americaʼs vocational education scholarships to
(HC4A) April 29the Bollywood Meets needy students. This year, HC4A awarded
Borscht Belt event, one of the many eco‑ $78,000 in scholarships for more than
nomically disadvantaged people benefit‑ 130 students and raised $26,000 for
ing from the funds raised at the event. school supplies to help more than 1,400
During the afternoon of dance, music, students. Hindu Charities for America
food, and fun, $26,000 was raised for (HC4A) and its founder, Harish Kotecha,
school supplies for homeless students in were recently recognized for this out‑
the Austin area. Jan Cohen, a first‑time at‑ standing charitable work, receiving
tendee, was enthusiastic about the multi‑ awards from both the Greater Austin
cultural nature of the event and being able Asian Chamber of Commerce (GAACC) and
to “introduce my kids to new foods and the White House.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY June 2-8, 2018 7

Ohio Sikh truck driver dies two weeks after being shot
New York: A 32‑year‑old Sikh
truck driver, who was shot at two
wee ks ago in Ohio, has suc‑
cumbed to his injuries, with pros‑
ecutors saying they will seek a
murder charge ag ainst the
accused in the case.
Jaspreet Singh of Monroe, Ohio
died of injuries he sustained
when he was shot at by 20‑year‑
old Bro derick Malik Jones
Roberts on the night of May 12,
a report in the Journal News
said.
Roberts had been indicted for
aggravated robbery, felonious
assault and possessing weapons
under disability for allegedly fir‑
ing at Singh.
Sing h suf fered a gunshot
wound to the upper torso on
May 12, according to a Hamilton
Police report. He died on May
21, said Butler County
Prosecutor Michael Gmoser.
Jaspreet Singh with family
According to court documents, The police report added that
Roberts allegedly shot Singh Roberts' attorney David
"while he sat in his vehicle." Washington entered a not guilty
Since Singh died of his injuries, plea on his client's behalf but
prosecutors said they will now acknowledged a murder indict‑
see k a murder indictment ment is expected next week.
against the accused. Singh had been living in the US
Broderick Malik Jones Roberts
(Image : Butler County
Sheriffʼs office)
since eight years.
Judge Jennifer McElfresh has
set a bond of $1 million, substan‑
tially increasing it from the ini‑
t ial amount of $1,25,000 in
Hamilton Municipal Court.
Roberts is scheduled to be back
in court on May 31.
Manjinder Singh, a friend of
Jaspreet Singh, said he was a
devoted husband and father of
four. "He was very well known
and well liked within the commu‑
nity," Manjinder Singh said, not‑
ing that his friend helped man‑
age area stores but was recently
employed as a truck driver.
He was act ive at the Guru
Nanak Society in the area, he
said.
"It is just sense less," said
Manjinder Singh, adding that
"there is no way he would have
engaged in any wrong activity.
He would have just walked
away."
Roberts has a criminal history
and was sent to prison in 2016
after pleading guilty to trespass,
unlawful restraint and assault,
according to Butler County court
records. (PTI)

Indian researchers develop Sharp hike in EB5 visa investment

insect‑size drone limits on anvil, says expert
Washington, DC: A team of researchers
including three Indians at a prestigious US
university has built the world's first wireless
fly‑sized drone that can easily slip into tight
places inaccessible to big unmanned aerial
vehicles. Developed by members of the Allen
School's Networks and Mobile Systems Lab
and the Department of Mechanical
Engineering's Autonomous Insect Robotics
Lab, RoboFly represents a milestone in
autonomous flight that could launch a new
wave of innovation in aerial robotics.
The University of Washington team, which
created the wireless flying insect RoboFly, are
Allen School professor Shyam Gollakota,
Mechanical Engineering professor Sawyer
Fuller, Vikram Iyer, a Ph.D. student in
Electrical Engineering who works with
Gollakota, Ph.D. student Yogesh Chukewad
and Ph.D. student and lead author Johannes
James.
The insect‑sized flying robots could help
with time‑consuming tasks like surveying
crop growth on large farms or sniffing out gas
leaks, the university said in a statement. These
robots soar by fluttering tiny wings because
they are too small to use propellers, like those
seen on their larger drone cousins.
These robots are cheap to make and can
easily slip into tight places that are inaccessi‑
ble to big drones. "We built the world's first
fly‑sized drone that does not need a wire to
The insect‑sized flying robots could help
with time‑consuming tasks like surveying
crop growth on large farms or sniffing out
gas leaks (Image : ndtv.com)
the ground to supply power and control sig‑
nals," Chukewad, 28, said.
"This is a challenge because of the difficulty
of miniaturizing the circuitry to drive the
robot's piezo actuators. The piezo actuators,
which drive its flapping wings, require a step‑
up voltage converter. We figured out a new
way to quickly make the ultra‑light circuit and
incorporated the first microprocessor brain
on‑board, creating a circuit weighing less than
a toothpick. We provided power using an
infrared laser beam," he said.
The team, which includes University of
Washington students Johannes James, Vikram
Iyer and faculty members Shyam Gollakota
and Sawyer Fuller, presented its findings at
the International Conference on Robotics and
Automation in Brisbane, Australia. (PTI)
New Delhi: With the latest deadline for the
extension of the US EB5 visa, popularly
known as the "Golden Visa" that allows for‑
eign nationals to apply for a green card by
investing in the US, set to expire on
September 30, investment limits under the
scheme are expected to be hiked sharply,
according to an expert. The Office of
Management and Budget earlier this month
released its Spring 2018 Unified Agenda,
meant to inform the public of regulations
under consideration that the US administra‑
tion plans to enact, which seeks, among
other things, to sharply hike the EB5 invest‑
ment limit from the current $500,000 and
$1 million. "The Office of Management and
Budget has announced that in August of this
year, the final action will be taken for the
new regulations for the EB5," Rogelio
Caceres, Chief Commercial Officer of LCR
Capital Partners, a firm that helps EB5 appli‑
cants with investments, told IANS here.
Stating that the administration of former US
President Barack Obama proposed the
changes in these regulations right before he
left office in January 2017, Caceres said:
"The $500,000 limit will go up to $1.35 mil‑
lion and the $1 million limit will be
increased to $1.8 million."
Introduced in 1990, the EB5 visa program
as of now allows an individual to invest
$500,000 in either of two Targeted
Employment Areas (TEAs) ‑‑ a high unem‑
ployment area in a US metropolis or a rural
area outside of a metro ‑‑ or $1 million in a
non‑TEA area that can create 10 or more
jobs, and get US citizenship in a shorter time
than H1‑B visa holders.
With President Trump calling for stricter
norms for issuance of H1‑B visas, largely
availed of by Indian IT firms, the EB5 visa
has been in demand for the shorter route to
citizenship it offers. Stating that President
Trump is "anti‑H1‑B", Caceres said the US
Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) is now reviewing all H1‑B petitions
with a lot more scrutiny.
At the same time, the EB5 visa program
has also come under controversy with critics
saying that it puts up US citizenship for sale.
Authorization for the EB5 program has been
carried on a temporary basis on
Congressional spending bills since
September 2015.
Indians are third after the Chinese and the
Vietnamese in terms of EB5 applicants.
However, the approval rate for Indian
applicants is 64 per cent as against the glob‑
al rate of 92.4 per cent. Caceres said that
one of the reasons for this is many people
from Gujarat try to invest directly rather
than going through a regional centre which
facilitates and monitors the investments and
creation of jobs. "Source of funds is the rea‑
son (for lower approval rate for Indians).
What is needed is white money," he said.
 8 June 2-8, 2018 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

5 persons of Indian origin among 2018 Ellis Island Medal honorees

New York: Five Persons of Indian
origin, including four from the
United States, and one from Canada
were among the 84 prominent
immigrants who received the presti‑
gious 2018 Ellis Island Medal of
Honor at a ceremony here on May
12nd. The Medal has been officially
recognized by Congress as one of
the nationʼs most prestigious
awards; it is annually memorialized
in the Congressional Record.
Software pioneer Vanu Bose, who
was honored posthumously after
succumbing to a sudden pulmonary
embolism last year; Moon Express
founder Naveen Jain; Ethan Allen
chairman and Kashmiri activist
Farooq Kathwari; and Sikh activist
Bhai Sahiba Inderjit Kaur Khalsa,
and Peter Dhillon, the ʻcranberry
kingʼ of Canada, were the recipients
Farooq Kathwari and Naveen Jain are among the honorees
of the International Ellis Island
Medal.
According to reports, all the hon‑
orees and their guests were ferried
to Ellis Island for the awards cere‑
mony. Fireworks illuminated the
night skies above the Statue of
Liberty – the symbol of the
American immigrant dream – in
New York Harbor after the medals
were presented.
Farooq Kathwari, the chairman,
president and CEO of Ethan Allen is
a member of the Board of Overseers
of the International Rescue
Committee, the advisory board of
the Center for Strategic and
International Studies, the Council
on Foreign Relations, chairman
emeritus of Refugees International,
an advisory member of the New
York Stock Exchange, co‑chairman
of the Muslim‑Jewish Advisory
Council, a director of the Institute
for the Study of Diplomacy at
Georgetown University and a mem‑
ber of the International Advisory
Council of the United States
Institute of Peace.
Bose, who died unexpectedly at
the age of 52 on Nov. 11, 2017, was
a software pioneer best known for
bringing mobile service to remote
areas in the U.S., India, and Africa,
among other regions. Bose was the
son of Amar Bose, founder of the
Bose Corporation, which pioneered
high‑quality audio.
Naveen Jain made history in 2016
when Moon Express, a for‑profit
venture, received approval to
embark on the first commercial
space mission beyond Earthʼs orbit.
Inderjit Kaur Khalsa is known
throughout the world as the Bhai
Sahiba (chief minister) of Sikh
Dharma. She is followed by more
than 25 million Sikhs around the
globe.
Dhillon, the “cranberry king” of
Canada, is the president and CEO of
the Richberry Group, the largest
Canadian supplier of cranberries to
Ocean Spray. The company annual‑
ly supplies Ocean Spray with more
than 20 billion pounds of cranber‑
ries; Dhillon also serves as Ocean
Sprayʼs chairman of the board.

Dr. Prasad Srinivasan bows out
of Connecticut race for Governor
D
r. Prasad Srinivasan has been forced
out of the crowded race for
Connecticut Governorʼs office, as he
failed to secure a slot in the GOP primary in
the race to become the stateʼs next governor
at the Republican Party Convention attend‑
ed by 1,150 delegates at the Foxwoods
Resorts Casino in Mashantucket on May 12.
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, 54, was
declared winner at the third ballot out of a
field of eight candidates. Boughton is
expected to easily win the primary and then
face off against the Democratic nominee in
a bid to regain the seat held by Democratic
Gov. Dan Malloy for the past eight years. He
now faces a primary in August, most proba‑
bly with five other candidates ̶ three of
whom received sufficient votes to overcome
the threshold and two who bypassed the
state convention.
A four‑term Republican Connecticut state
legislator, Srinivasan, 68, of Glastonbury
was eliminated after falling below the
required 8 percent threshold in the first bal‑
lot at the state Republican Party
Convention. He missed meeting the thresh‑
IN BRIEF
Dr Prasad Srinivasan (Image : theunn.com)
old by a whisker, garnering 7.94 percent of
the delegatesʼ votes. Srinivasan had entered
the race more than a year ago, raising a sig‑
nificant amount of money much to the sur‑
prise of many analysts. Srinivasan had been
among the wave of candidates who
expressed a desire to run for governor and
set up an exploratory committee in late
2016. By the time he entered the race on
Dec. 16, he announced that in his first quar‑
ter he had raised more than $138,000.
(Source: theunn.com)
The AAPI‑USAID partnership will work to end tuberculosis
AAPI announces health
partnerships with USAID in India
T
he American Association of
Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI)
has announced the launch of a
new partnership with the United States
Agency for International Development
(USAID) to end tuberculosis (TB) in India.
Under the Memorandum of
Understanding, signed last month in
New Delhi and announced in Mumbai,
AAPI and USAID will work together to
utilize the 100,000‑strong network of
physicians of Indian‑origin living in the
United States to support health pro‑
grams in India, engage AAPIʼs network
of private charitable clinics for TB
awareness, detection and treatment, and
explore opportunities for collaborations
between U.S. and Indian medical schools
to exchange cutting‑edge health care
solutions. Home to more than one‑fourth
of the global TB burden, India has more
TB and multidrug‑resistant TB cases
than any country in the world. A further
one million Indian citizens, including
170,000 children, are estimated to be
undiagnosed and untreated. At the Delhi
End‑TB Summit, inaugurated on March
13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had
emphasized the need for a multi‑sectoral
approach including the private sector
and announced a national plan to elimi‑
nate TB by 2025,five years ahead of the
World Health Organizationʼs stated glob‑
al 2030 goal. (Source: theunn.com)

San Diego Museum showcases Biochemist Asish Penugonda

ʻepic tales from ancient Indiaʼ
T A
he San Diego Museum of Art
(SDMA) is presenting “Epic Tales
from Ancient India” exhibition of
world‑renowned over 90 paintings of
16th‑19th centuries from June 9 through
September 3, 2018.
It includes depictions from Hindu texts
Bhagavata‑Purana and Ramayana, and
Ragamala. The exhibition also includes
an interactive performance space to
bring the narratives to life through
hands‑on workshops, musical perform‑
ances, dance, educational storytelling and
more; Museum announcement says.
Activities associated with this exhibition
include collaborative rangoli, lecture by a
Swami, Navarasa Dance Theater, Indian
miniature paintings workshop, henna
painting, Indian traditional puppet mak‑
ing, Indian dances, Indian films, etc.
Museumʼs collection of Indian paintings
“consists of more than 1,400 works of art
created during the 12th through 19th
centuries at the Mughal, Deccani,
Rajasthani and Pahari courts” and is
claimed to be “one of the finest and most
comprehensive collections of South Asian
paintings outside of India.”
falls to death in Yosemite
sish Penugonda, an Indian
American resident of New York,
was identified as the hiker who fell
to his death from the cables on Half Dome
in Californiaʼs Yosemite National Park.
Friends of Penugonda, 29, who died from
the fall around 4:30 p.m. May 21, launched
a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for his
funeral, which will be held in Fremont,
Calif., as well as the transport of his body
to his native India and assist his mother
and older brother.
“We share this news with grief ridden
heart and shock that our beloved friend
Asish Penugonda is no more with us,” the
GoFundMe page created by Swamy Sagar
Kottur started. Citing the National Park
Service, Kottur detailed how Penugonda
was with other hikers on the cables of Half
Dome during a thunderstorm when he
slipped and fell. “Asish has been the epito‑
me of character and a sunshine of positivi‑
ty to everyone surrounding him,” Kottur
wrote. “The people who knew him would
always remember the good he did and for
the surreal strength of morality he has
been when they need him. He will always
be in our hearts, thoughts and prayers.”
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY June 2-8, 2018 9

H-4 work visa to be revoked, Indian‑American ex‑diplomat

process in final stages: wins Texas Democratic Primary
Trump administration
Washington, DC: The move to
revoke work authorization to cer‑
tain categories of H‑4 visa hold‑
ers is in final stages, the Trump
administration has told a court in
the United States. H‑4 visas are
issued to the spouses of H‑1B
visa holders, a significantly large
number of whom are high‑skilled
professionals from India.
The Donald Trump administra‑
tion is planning to end the
Obama‑era rule for H‑4 visas,
which allows spouses of H1‑B
visa holders to work legally in
the US. The move is likely to have
a devastating impact on more
than 70,000 H‑4 visa holders,
most of who are Indians having
work permits.
The proposed rule (to revoke
H‑4 visas) is currently in final
clearance, the US' Department of
Homeland Security has informed
a federal court in a status update.
The Donald Trump administra‑
tion told the court that once the
proposal is cleared through the
Department of Homeland
Security, it will be sent to the
Office of Management and
Budget for review under
Executive Order for regulatory
and planning review.
As previously represented to
the court, the Department of
Homeland Security intends to
proceed with publication of this
new rule concerning the H‑4 visa
rule, the visa authority said in its
court filing.
The final notification to revoke
the work authorization is expect‑
ed to be issued in June. (PTI)
Houston: Indian‑American Sri
Preston Kulkarni has won the
Democratic primary for the 22nd
congressional district of Texas.
Sri Preston Kulkarni, 39, a former
US diplomat, won the Democratic
primary runoff for Texas by defeat‑
ing his only rival Letitia Plummer
on Tuesday.
Kulkarni received 9,466 votes
(nearly 32 per cent) while his fellow
Democrat Letitia Plummer got
7,230 votes (24.3 per cent). He will
now face Republican incumbent
Pete Olson in November.
Earlier, Olson had won the
Republican primary in March
defeating three candidates. "On
May 22nd, we made history in
District 22. Our movement, uniting
diverse communities through
shared values, took us across the
finish line and helped me become
your Democratic nominee for US
Congress," Kulkarni said, thanking
his voters after the poll results.
If elected, Sri Preston Kulkarni
Sri Preston Kulkarni
(Image : kulkarniforcongress.com)
will be representing District 22
which makes up an ethnically
diverse community, a mosaic of
many cultures from all over the
world. The runof f was required
after no candidate was able to
secure the 50 per cent threshold in
the primary held in March.
Kulkarni quit his State
Department job to run for the
Congress.
"We can't actually do our job and
we can't represent America when
the government is not representing
America. If this is what America
represents, then I need to change
that," he said.
"As we look ahead, let us remem‑
ber what is at stake this fall. We are
fighting for the students who fear
gun terror in their schools; we are
fighting for immigrant families who
are seeking the American Dream;
we are fighting for the teachers and
everyday heroes struggling to sup‑
port their families. Tonight we cele‑
brate, but tomorrow we strive for‑
ward to bring decency back to our
country," he said.
According to Cook Partisan
Voting Index, Texas 22nd is a
Republican leaning district.
Kulkarni is a native Houstonian
with degrees from University of
Texas and Harvard.
He spent 14 years in the State
Department as a Foreign Service
Of ficer and has extensive experi‑
ence at the federal level, overseas
tours in multiple countries and pro‑
ficiency in six languages. (PTI)

DIASPORA

Daughter's "soul consoled": Gobind Singh Deo becomes

Malaysia's first Sikh minister
Savita Halappanavar's parents Kuala Lumpur: Gobind He was sworn in during a
Singh Deo, an Indian‑origin ceremony at the National
after Ireland abortion vote Sikh politician in Malaysia,
has become a cabinet minis‑
Palace yesterday after Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad
Belagavi: "Our ter, the first member of the included him in the new cabi‑
daug hter's soul is minority community in the net.
now consoled," the country's history to be He was first elected as an MP
parents of a woman appointed as a minister. Deo, in the 2008 general elec‑
who died of complica‑ 45, who has been given the tions. Deo was re‑elected to
tions in 2012 after Gobind Singh Deo
communications and multi‑ the lower house, with an
being denied abortion (Image : dailyhunt.in)
media portfolio, is among the increased margin, in 2013
by doctors in Ireland two politicians of Indian descent included in and he again won this year's election with a
said a day after the the Pakatan Harapan coalition's Cabinet. The margin of 47,635 votes.
country voted to other Indian‑origin lawmaker is M Kulasegaran The Punjabi community in the country has
repeal its stringent from the Democratic Action Party, who has hailed the appointment of Deo as the minister.
abort ion laws in a been made the human resource minister. Deo "It is good to see Gobind Singh, a member of the
landmark re feren‑ represents Puchong constituency in the Punjabi community in the cabinet. It is a proud
dum. Malaysian Parliament and is the son of late and happy occasion for our community.
"It is a landslide Malaysian lawyer and politician Karpal Singh. (PTI)
opinion in favor of
repeal of the abortion
laws that has sup‑
Veena Sahajwalla elected Australian
(Image courtesy: indianwomenblog.org)
ported our cause,"
Savita's father Kitty Holland is a journalist with the Academy of Science fellow
Andanappa Yalagi told PTI. Irish times, who broke the story of Melbourne: Indian‑origin innovator Veena engineer and innovator, has made her mark in
One of the key cases influencing the Savita's death. Sahajwalla, who has made her mark in revolu‑ revolutionizing recycling science. She is cur‑
debate on abortion in Ireland was that of Holland had come all the way to India tionizing recycling science, is among the 21 dis‑ rently the Associate Dean (Strategic Industry
dentist Savita Praveen Halappanavar, and met Yalagi family here in 2013, tinguished Australian scientists elected as new Relations), Faculty of Science, at the University
who died of sepsis in the Galway before penning a book titled 'Savita ‑ The fellows of the prestigious Australian Academy of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney.
University hospital after being denied an tragedy that shook a nation. of Science this year. The Academy, a not‑for‑ She is also associated with Australian
abortion during a protracted miscarriage The couple said the new law would profit organization founded in 1954, said they Research Council as its Laureate fellow.
in 2012. enable women to opt for abortion in have been honored for making significant and Sahajwalla, who did her B. Tech in metallurgi‑
The 31‑year‑old woman's death had emergency cases, which would save their lasting impacts in their scientific disciplines. cal engineering from the Indian Institute of
triggered a massive debate in that coun‑ lives. Their works include revolutionizing the way Technology (IIT) in Kanpur, is renowned for
try over the issue of life‑saving abortions. A vote in favor of repeal paves the way e‑waste is recycled, changing the way people pioneering the high temperature transforma‑
Hailing the result of the referendum, for the Irish Parliament to legislate for a think about carbohydrate foods, research that tion of waste in the production of a new gener‑
Akkamahadevi, Savita's mother said, "It is change which would see the introduction led to the detection of gravitational waves and ation of 'green materials'.
also a win for Kitty Holland who took up of a much more liberal regime. new insights into how the immune system may In April this year, she launched the world's
the mission and created awareness The Catholic church in Ireland had be harnessed to devise new therapies for can‑ first e‑waste microfactory, which has the poten‑
among the Irish people on the unnatural strongly opposed repealing the law. cer and other diseases, it said. Sahajwalla, an tial to reduce the vast amount of electronic
law." (PTI) internationally‑recognized materials scientist, waste heading into landfill. (PTI)
 10 June 2-8, 2018
N. Korea denuclearization
could take 10 years: Experts
Washington: Any diplomatic
agreement in which North Korea
agrees to give up its nuclear
weapons could take as long as
10 years to implement, accord‑
ing to a new analysis by US
experts.
The assessment, released late
Monday by the experts at
Stanford University, comes as the
White House is trying to verify
how committed North Korea is to
denuclearizat ion and how it
could be achieved, ahead of a
potential summit between the
two countries' leaders, CNN
reported.
Siegfried Hecker, a nuclear sci‑
entist who has previously trav‑
elled to North Korea to inspect
its nuclear site, co‑authored the
assessment with Robert Carlin, a
Korea analyst who spent years at
the CIA and State Department,
and Elliot Serbin, Hecker's
research assistant.
They identified 22 specific pro‑
grams or activities, such as the
Ivanka Trump granted 7
new trademarks in China
Washington: Seven
new trademarks were
officially registered to
senior White House
advisor and President
Donald Trump's
daughter Ivanka
Trump this month
with China's State
Administration for
Industry and
Commerce, the media
reported.
The trademarks are
for items such as
kitchenware, furniture,
paper products and
cosmetics, reports
CNN.
The approvals come
White House advisor and President
as the President
Trump's daughter, Ivanka
remains engaged in
trade negotiations with
China on a wide range of issues.
The trademarks received pre‑
liminary approval in February
2018, and economic tensions
between the US and China did
not begin in earnest until
March.
Abigail Klem, president of the
Ivanka Trump brand, said in a
statement that the fashion line
regularly files for trademarks,
especially in areas where trade‑
mark infringement is common.
"The brand has filed, updated,
and rigorously protected its
international trademarks over
the past several years in the
Foreign journalists were invited last week to view the
destruction of North Koreaʼs nuclear test site
country's nuclear weapons stock‑
pile, its missile arsenal or its
nuclear reprocessing facilities,
that US negot iators need to
address with North Korea.
Halting or suspending many of
these will likely take less than a
year, the authors estimate, but
eliminating or setting limits on
them will take six to 10 years.
Last week, President Trump
normal course of business,
especially in regions where
trademark infringement is ram‑
pant," she said on Monday.
Since her father's election,
Ivanka Trump has stepped away
from the management of her
business, though she still
retains an ownership stake,
CNN reported.
She is not legally required to
sell all her assets in order to
work in the White House,
though she is subject to rules
for federal employees that pro‑
hibit her from participating in
matters in which she has a
financial interest.
US AFFAIRS
abruptly cancelled his planned
Singapore summit with North
Korean leader Kim Jong‑un,
reports CNN.
But after a flurry of diplomatic
activity, Trump has hinted that
the talks may be back on track.
American of ficials are in
Singapore and South Korea to
prepare for the summit's poten‑
tial revival.
Confessing alcoholism,
Congressman to quit
Washington: Virg inia
Congressman Tom Garrett has said
that he was an alcoholic and will
not seek re‑election in November.
The 46‑year‑old Garrett was the
subject of a Politico report on May
25 citing four former aides who
said that the congressman and his
wife, Flanna, had used official staff
to run errands and take care of
their dog. In his Monday state‑
ment, he called the allegations "a
series of half‑truths and whole
lies". But, he confessed, “There's
one area where I haven't been hon‑
est. The tragedy is that any person
Republican, Democrat or inde‑
pendent who's known me for peri‑
od of time and has any integrity
knows two things: I am a good
Threats against New York schools multiply
New York: NYPD has revealed that
threats against schools in the city
have reached epidemic propor‑
tions. The NYPD has fielded 334
threats of violence against schools
since September 2017, an average
of two a day and 18 per cent more
than the 282 threats received over
the same time last school year, a
department official told The New
York Post recently.
While the NYPD did not give the
number of arrests made in connec‑
tion to the threats, it said the prob‑
lem has worsened as school shoot‑
ings continued around the coun‑
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Origins of Mueller probe
illegtimate: Trump lawyer
Washington: Donald Trump's
lawyer Rudy Giuliani has defended
the US President's political attacks
against special counsel Robert
Mueller's investigation into possi‑
ble Russian collusion, suggesting
that the origins of the probe were
illegitimate, the media reported.
Asked during a CNN interview
on Sunday whether there was a
larger strategy to undermine the
investigation at play, Giuliani said
he "couldn't do it if they didn't
have the material".
"They're giving us the material
to do it. Of course, we have to do it
in defending the President. To a
large extent, what we're doing
here, it is the public opinion,
because eventually the decision
here is going to be impeach or not
impeach," Giuliani said.
The lawyer also suggested that
the start of the Mueller probe was
illegitimate, citing fired FBI
Director James Comey's leaked
memos and a lack of evidence of
collusion between Trump and
Russia. "You get the Comey thing,
man and I am an alcoholic."
Garrett is not be the first House
member to seek treatment for
excessive alcohol use while in
office, reports Politico.
T he late Demo crat
Representative Karen McCarthy
fe ll down an escalator in the
Rayburn House Office Building in
2003 and later received treatment
for alcohol misuse.
In 2000, the late Illinois
Republican Phil Crane entered a
30‑day rehabilitation facility after
admitting he struggled with alco‑
hol use.
Former Rhode Island lawmaker
Patrick Kennedy was treated for
substance abuse, as well as other
mental health issues.
try, including the February 14
massacre of 17 people at Marjory
Stoneman Douglas High School in
Parkland, Florida, and the May 18
killing of 10 at Santa Fe, Texas.
A week after the Texas tragedy,
New York city schools reported
threats on three consecutive days.
The threats have come verbally,
by phone, letter, e‑mail and on
social media, NYPD spokeswoman
Sgt. Jessica McRorie told the New
York Post.
A school that President Donald
Trump's son Barron once attended
was evacuated earlier this month
which is the leak of a confidential
memo, which is illegal for an FBI
official to do. I'm not saying
Mueller is illegitimate. I'm saying
the basis on which he was appoint‑
ed was illegitimate," Giuliani
remarked.
Asked whether the Mueller
probe was legitimate now, Giuliani
told CNN "not anymore", citing
reports of an FBI informant within
the Trump campaign as one of the
reasons for its discrediting.
The former New York City
mayor also said the President was
"adamant" about doing a sit‑down
interview with Mueller.
Giuliani said two topics were
likely to be addressed during the
interview: collusion and obstruc‑
tion of justice.
Mueller has been pursuing his
investigation since May 2017 to
determine if ‑ as US intelligence
agencies say ‑ the Kremlin inter‑
fered with the 2016 presidential
vote to favor Trump and whether
or not members of Trump's cam‑
paign colluded with that effort.
Virginia Congressman Tom
Garrett was also accused by his
staff that they were made to run
errands and take care of his dog.
and closed after the words "shoot‑
ing today at 12.45" were found
written on campus.
The school reopened the follow‑
ing day and there is an ongoing
investigation, the NYPD said.
School staffs get trained annual‑
ly on safety protocol, including a
requirement to report threats
immediately to the NYPD, accord‑
ing to the city's Department of
Education.
Schools must conduct four lock‑
down drills and eight evacuation
drills each year to prepare for
shootings and other emergencies.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
TRUMP‑KIM: ROUND TWO
At the heart of the revived summit is how much North Korea will
have to give up and what constraints will the West remove for it.
By Shivaji Sengupta
G
eorge Bernard Shaw, the
Irish author known for
his satirical plays, once
said that journalists predict what
w ill happen polit ically next
week, next month and next year;
and then, when it doesnʼt hap‑
pen they will explain why it did‑
nʼt. Newspapers have been
awash with commentaries and
criticism about the summit meet‑
ing between Trump and Kim.
Then came the announcement
last Wednesday from the White
House that there will be no sum‑
mit, only to back‑track a bit on
Friday, saying it may happen.
Newspapers are left speculating
as to whether or not the summit
will take place, if not on June 12,
when.
This diplomatic level dithering
done by Trump et al speaks vol‑
umes about the intricate political
conundrum that the USA‑North
Korea summit is, both at the
local and international level. In
my comments on this could‑be
event last week, I had left myself
a weasel hole by invoking the
proverbial slip between the cup
and the lip, anticipating precise‑
ly this sort of breakdown. For a
week before the back‑tracking
both North Korea and the U.S.
have been making provocative
and even aggressive statements.
John Bolton, the new National
Security Advisor, was the most
agg ressive, cit ing the Libya
model as desirable. The U.S. and
the western world had persuad‑
ed the Libyan leader Gaddafi to
give up entirely the countryʼs
nuclear capacity in 2004, only to
witness his assassination by his
own people in 2011. North
Korea has repeatedly invoked
Libya as an example of
“American treachery”. For Bolton
to refer to Libya at this juncture
was hardly diplomatic. In my
view Bolton was being deliber‑
ately hawkish and trying to dis‑
suade Trump to roll back the
summit. (Trump had committed
himself to it before Bolton joined
the White House). Other impor‑
US AFFAIRS
tant office holders and a number
of conservative Republicans had
also been criticizing Trumpʼs
decision to meet with Kim.
Mike Pompeo had warned
Korea during a Senate hearing
last week that “We are not going
into the summit with any conces‑
sion in mind.” Not to be outdone,
North Koreans were spouting
their own rhetoric, saying that
the US must be sadly delusional
if they imagine that North Korea
will denuclearize their arsenal.
One of their very senior officials
went as far as to call Vice
President Mike Pence a political
dummy. Seasoned political com‑
mentators may chalk all these up
to “posturing” but we all have to
remember the political ground
beneath Trump and Kim.
Consider total denucleariza‑
tion. Apart from being impracti‑
cal, for the US to demand that
North Korea trash their nuclear
weapons, something they have
been carefully and often sneakily
building for a couple of decades,
is actually admitting that there is
the so‑called nuclear club com‑
prising the US, Russia, Britain,
France and China; and then
there are all the others (India,
Israel, Pakistan, Iran). It is only
the Club, this view maintains,
who know how to handle
nuclear capacity responsibly.
There is reluctant admission that
there is little one can do about
India and Pakistan, but they will
go hammer and tongs at any
other country with nuclear aspi‑
rations.
To me, this position is palpably
unfair. T he world should be
denuclearized; but the whole
world including the United
States and the rest of the Club,
not just the countries they want
to denuclearize. Like it or not,
having nuclear weapons is a
June 2-8, 2018 11
The coin
minted to
commemorate
the summit.
deterrent, at least it has been so
far. What is at the heart of this
summit is how much will they
have to give up and what con‑
straints will the West remove for
it. There is talk that NoKo will
want complete security guaran‑
tee on top of lifting the economic
and trade embargoes. But then
what does “complete security
guarantee” mean?
These are the questions that
have to be sorted out before the
summit can go ahead. What is
probably reasonable to expect is
that North Korea, in exchange
for lifting the embargoes, will
cease to develop further nuclear
capability and gradually scale
down their present nuclear
capacity. To expect more would
be to set up for failure.
 12 June 2-8, 2018 INDIA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Opposition coming together to

save themselves: Modi
Cuttack: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
attacked the opposition unity, saying the cor‑
rupt leaders are coming together "not to save
the country but to save themselves", making
an apparent attack on Congress President
Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi.
"Due to the commitment of this government
against black money and corruption, people
who are out on bail in the Rs 5,000‑crore cor‑
ruption case and many others involved in
other corruption cases have come together on
the same platform," Modi said addressing a
rally here on the occasion of completion of
four years of his government.
He was apparently referring to Gandhis tak‑
ing bail in the National Herald case and oppo‑
sition leaders coming together in Bengaluru
during the Karnataka Chief Minister H.D.
Kumaraswamy's swearing‑in ceremony.
"As we promised four years ago about zero
tolerance towards corruption, four former
Chief Ministers are behind bars," Modi said.
The Prime Minister also said that his is a
"committed government" instead of being a
"confused government".
"With a clear commitment to work, we have
shown how this government along with its
ally parties is capable of taking harsh deci‑
sions and strict measures," he said.
"When a committed government works,
then decisions like surgical strike and much‑
delayed One Rank‑One Pension are taken."
"On seeing this government's commitment
against corruption, even enemies have
become good friends," he said, adding that the
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina at
Santiniketan in West Bengal. (Photo: IANS/PIB)
people of the country are watching them all.
"These leaders have not come together for
the country, they have come together to save
themselves and their families."
Modi said that in the last four years, the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has become the
party from Panchayat to Parliament.
He alleged that the opposition leaders want
to destabilise the current government, "but
people know everything".
Taking a dig at the opposition, the Prime
Minister said: "The people who try to confuse
the people for power can't bring back black
money, neither they can fight against corrup‑
tion."
Reminding the gathering of the corruption
cases four years ago, Modi said: "People need
to remember the situation of the country four
years ago. This is important to remember
what a family did for the country that
remained in power for 48 years."
"How people can forget the cases of corrup‑
tion in the previous government due to which
the image of the country was maligned across
the globe?" he said.
Attacking the Gandhis for guiding former
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on every
key decisions, Modi said: "They believed in
the development of their party as against the
development of the nation. They remote‑con‑
trolled the Prime Minister and issued direc‑
tions to several ministers on email.
"But now the government does not run from
Janpath (the of ficial address of Gandhis), it
runs from Janmat (people's mandate)."
The Prime Minister also stressed that the
President (Ram Nath Kovind), Vice President
(M. Venkaiah Naidu) and the "Pradhan Sewak"
(Prime Servant) of the country come from
very humble and poor background.
The Prime Minister also said that in last
four years, the investigating agencies have
carried out searches at over 3,000 locations
and unearthed over Rs 53,000 crore of the
undisclosed money.
Modi claimed that the government seized
properties worth over Rs 3,500 crore after
the Benami Properties Bill was passed by the
government.
Highlighting the works of his government
in the last four years, Modi said: "Since com‑
ing to power in 2014, we have moved from
incompleteness to completeness.
"Now the electricity has reached every vil‑
lage of the country. Now about 80 per cent of
the population resides in clean surrounding
as compared to 39 per cent in 2014. We have
built over seven crore toilets in the last four
years, which was earlier only six crore across
the country," Modi said.
The Prime Minister pointed out that the
government has abolished over 1,400 such
laws which were not useful.

Amit Shah kicks off 2019 Pak Army summons ex‑ISI chief
election campaign over claims in book
New Delhi: As part of
the BJP's e f forts to
reach out to people for
the 2019 Lok Sabha
polls, party President
Amit Shah on Tuesday
kicked of f a personal
contact campaign
'Contact for Support' to
generate awareness
about the Narendra
Mo di government's
achievements so far.
"Shah would start his
grand public outreach campaign
from the house of former Army
chief, Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag at
Sector 46 in Gurgaon at 11 am,"
said BJP national media head Anil
Baluni in a statement.
Thereafter, Shah would go to the
house of constitutional expert
Subhash Kashyap and discuss with
him about the Central govern‑
ment's welfare programmes, he
said, adding that Shah would meet
at least 50 individuals personally
to enlig hten them about the
achievements of the Modi govern‑
ment.
Under the 'Contact for Support'
campaign, Prime Minister
Narendra Mo di on Monday
BJP chief Amit Shah.
through the NaMo App interacted
with the beneficiaries of Ujjwala
Yojana, a scheme to provide LPG
connections to women from Below
Poverty Line (BPL).
Baluni said about 4,000 senior
party workers would carry out this
personal contact campaign to meet
more than one lakh well‑known
people to discuss with them about
the government's achievements in
the last four years.
T hese 4,000 party workers
include Union Ministers, Chief
Ministers and Deputy Chie f
Ministers of states where the party
is in power, MPs, MLAs, District
Panchayat members and senior
office bearers.
Islamabad/New Delhi: T he
Pakistan Army has summoned for‑
mer ISI chief Lt. Gen. Asad Durrani
(retd) to explain his position on
views attributed to him in a book
of dialogues with former Indian
intelligence chief A.S. Dulat, accus‑
ing him of violating the "Military
Code of Conduct".
Durrani, who was ISI's Director
General between 1990 and 1991,
has been summoned to General
Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi
on May 28.
He will be asked to explain his
position on views attributed to him
in the book "Spy Chronicles",
Pakistan Army spokesperson Maj.
Gen Asif Ghafoor said in a tweet.
"Attribution (is being) taken as
(a) violation of Military Code of
Conduct applicable on all serving
and retired military personnel," he
added.
Durrani and former Secretary of
India's Research and Analysis Wing
(RAW), A.S. Dulat have participated
in a book of dialogues, moderated
by journalist Aditya Sinha
"Spy Chronicles," throws light on
the perspectives, assumptions and
The cover art of 'Spy Chronicles'.
observations of the two spymas‑
ters on Kashmir; Hafiz Saeed and
26/11; Kulbhushan Jadhav; surgi‑
cal strikes; the deal for Osama bin
Laden; how the US and Russia fea‑
ture in the India‑Pakistan relation‑
ship; and how terror undermines
the two countries' attempts at
talks. In the book Durrani makes
an assessment that "the ISI proba‑
bly learnt about" Osama bin Laden
and "he was handed over to the US
according to a mutually agreed
process". Dulat maintains that the
assessment from the Indian side "is
the same. That he was handed over
by Pakistan".
However, when Dulat asks him
about the deal, Durrani clarifies:
"This was only my assessment".
On the issue of Kulbhushan
Jadhav, Dulat says that if he was
"really a RAW spy, then it's a pretty
sloppy operation."
Durrani on the other hand
believes that the revelation about
Jadhav must have been done to
counter the Indian threat after the
January 2, 2016 attack on the
Pathankot air base.
"W hat was the threat," asks
Dulat.
"That India is looking for links
between Pathankot and our estab‑
lishment. So we came up with a
counter‑argument that we know
you've been doing this (in
Balochistan)."
However, both of them maintain
that India and Pakistan should
have been discreet about the mat‑
ter, ensuring the exchange of spies
in each other's custody.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Kumaraswamy becomes
new Karnataka CM
Bengaluru: Putt ing an end to
wee ks of polit ical turmoil in
Karnataka, Chief Minister H.D.
Kumaraswamy won the confi‑
dence motion with a voice vote in
the new Assembly, after opposi‑
tion BJP members walked out
ahead of the floor test.
"T he confidence motion has
been put to vote and won by a
voice vote in favor of
Kumaraswamy," declared newly‑
elected Assembly Speaker K.R.
Ramesh Kumar.
The Janata Dal‑Secular (JD‑S)‑
Congress coalition government
won the floor test as 116 mem‑
bers voiced their favor for the con‑
fidence motion with none against
as all the 104 Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) legislators walked out
before the trust vote.
"Though our party did not get
the mandate of the people, I took
Congress' support for the welfare
of farmers and the people. We are
confident of giving good gover‑
nance to the state," Kumaraswamy
told the House.
The Chief Minister said he was
confident that the alliance govern‑
ment would stay in power for five
years. Opposition BJP leader B.S.
Yeddyurappa, in a rebuttal, termed
the alliance of JD‑S‑Cong ress
619 militants killed in 4
years in J&K: Rajnath
Lucknow: Union Home
Minister Rajnath Singh on
Tuesday said a total of 619 ter‑
rorists in Jammu and Kashmir
had been killed in gun battles
with security forces as he high‑
lighted the all‑round improve‑
ment in internal and external
security under the Narendra
Modi government.
He also clarified that the
operations against militants
had not been stopped during
the holy month of Ramadan
but had just been suspended.
"It is not ceasefire but a tempo‑
rary suspension of operations,"
he said, adding that the army
is free to respond to any ter‑
rorist attack.
Addressing media persons
here, the senior BJP leader
said the number of terrorists
killed in the previous UPA‑II
government was 471.
"There has been no compro‑
mise on the unity and integrity
of the nation and we are proac‑
tively pursuing operations
against the terrorist groups
Congress leader Siddaramaiah greets Karnataka Chief Minister H.D.
Kumaraswamy (right) at the state assembly in Bengaluru. (Photo: IANS)
"opportunistic" and said it was
against the people's mandate.
"The alliance between JD‑S and
Congress is unholy and oppor‑
tunistic. The parties have disre‑
spected people's mandate even as
the state has re jected them,"
Yeddyurappa said in an emotional
speech.
Indulging in a war of words, the
BJP leader attacked the Chief
Minister for being "power hungry"
for forging an alliance between
the JD‑S and the Congress.
"Congress has lost all its morali‑
ty by joining hands with JD‑S," he
and subversive elements,"
Singh added, but did not
respond to a query on how
many security personnel were
killed in this period.
He however said that
respecting the supreme sacri‑
fice of the security personnel
in the line of duty for the
nation, the Union Government
had scaled uo the ex‑gratia
sum from Rs 50 lakh to Rs one
crore for their families.
Rajnath Singh also said that
incursions had also decreased
during the four years of the
Modi government and it had
come down by 85 per cent in
the northeast.
Compared to a high of 2,418
Maoist incidents under the
UPA regime, only 1,481 inci‑
dents have taken place in the
NDA rule, he said.
"In 2013, Maoists were
active in 76 districts but there
area of influence and opera‑
tions has shrunk to 58 districts
in the last four years," he
added.
INDIA
added, before the party's legisla‑
tors staged a walkout.
"All our 104 MLAs walked out of
the assembly after our leader
Yeddyurappa addressed the House
in protest against the unholy
alliance of JD‑S and Congress," a
BJP leader told IANS.
Though the Karnataka Assembly
strength is 225, including one
nominated member, e lections
were held on May 12 in 222 con‑
stituencies only, which threw up a
hung House, with the BJP emerg‑
ing as the single‑largest party with
104 seats.
My tweets connected elitist
MEA to people: Swaraj
New Delhi: External Af fairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj said it was
her engagement on Twitter that has
transformed the once elitist min‑
istry to a people‑centric one
Responding to the Congress' alle‑
gations that she just takes care of
the Twitter handle, Sushma Swaraj,
addressing a press conference on
the achievements of the ministry in
last four years, said: "Ministry of
External Af fairs during Congress
rule was an elitist ministry, it had
nothing to do with the common
people. My Twitter is doing the job
of connecting MEA with common‑
ers."
She said it was possible to trans‑
form the ministry as she is in poli‑
tics for 41 years, fought 11 elec‑
tions and is from Lok Sabha and
thus know the problems of the peo‑
ple. As a minister, it is her first pri‑
ority to solve the problems of the
people, she said.
"We have added the people's poli‑
cy in the foreign policy. The insen‑
sitive people may laugh at it, but
ask the entire nation and those
Indians stuck in foreign land. They
Nipah scare pushes several
states to issue alerts
New Delhi: Nipah virus may not
have spread beyond Kerala but its
scare has spread across the country
with several states investigating
suspicious cases and issuing advi‑
sories on precautions and travel to
Kerala.
With another death in Kerala, the
total number of deaths due to Nipah
virus has reached 13. The majority
of the deaths have been reported
from Kozhikode district with some
from the nearby Malappuram dis‑
trict in Kerala.
Even as incidence of fresh cases in
Kerala has come down, state health
authorities claim things are under
control and the Union Health
Ministry maintains virus outbreak
is a localized occurrence and there
is no need to panic, fear runs high
across the country.
Panic gripped Himachal Pradesh
when several bats were found dead
at Government Senior Secondary
School in Barmapapri in Sirmaur
district this week. However, tests at
the National Institute of Virology in
Pune ruled out that the bats were
carrying Nipah virus.
Himachal Pradesh Additional
Chief Secretary B.K. Agarwal has
advised people not to panic about
the Nipah virus and said that all
medical colleges in the state are
prepared to deal with the situation,
if it occurs. Similarly, in Telangana,
two persons, including one who vis‑
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj addressing a press
conference in New Delhi. (Photo: IANS)
(Congress) will understand when
one of their own gets stuck one
day," she said.
As for the allegation that the MEA
has shifted to Prime Minister's
Office, Sushma Swaraj asked: "How
am I answering all your questions if
I do not know about the foreign
policy as I only look after the
Twitter handle?"
On Doklam, she said the entire
international community appreciat‑
ed India's handling of the issue with
diplomacy and dialogue, which oth‑
June 2-8, 2018 13
The total number of deaths
due to Nipah virus in Kerala
has reached 13.
ited Kerala recently, were admitted
to hospitals on Friday with suspect‑
ed Nipah virus infection. The state
health authorities without taking
any chances have sent their samples
to Pune for investigation.
T he Bihar government issued
Nipah virus alert, asking people to
take precautions. An advisory has
also been issued to people with the
dos and don'ts as preventive meas‑
ures. Nipah virus is transmitted to
humans through infected fruit bats,
pigs or other Nipah‑infected per‑
sons.
With test results showing that a
particular variety of bats, found in
and around Kozhikode and mostly
at the worst‑af fected Perambara
town, is not carrying the virus, a
special team from Pune will see
how best they can take samples
from other varieties of bats also
found in the district.
erwise they thought the standof f
was not possible to resolve without
a war. Sushma Swaraj also ruled out
charges of distancing Russia.
"Just look at the visuals of Sochi
informal summit. There is no dis‑
tancing of relations with Russia.
Russian President Putin invited PM
Modi for the informal summit and
despite lack of time Modi went in
the morning and came back in
evening. If somebody says we have
distanced Russia it is completely
untrue," she said.
 14 June 2-8, 2018 FOUR YEARS OF MODI TheSouthAsianTimes.info

By Shishir Gupta While the US, Japan and France

Successful security plan, are Indiaʼs core partners, Prime

N
ational security and foreign
policy do not fetch votes,
and rarely act as an ef fec‑
tive polarizer of vote banks, as seen
in e lections after the 26/11
Mumbai attacks. Their main divi‑
dend is peace and certainty, on the
foundation of which sound econom‑
ic growth is built.
The Narendra Modi government,
in its first four years, has done well
on these two parameters, barring
terror attacks from Pakistan‑based
groups in Jammu and Kashmir and
bordering Gurdaspur in Punjab, and
the rise of radicalization in South
Kashmir. The governmentʼs resolve
in tackling Maoists, who once ruled
the mineral‑rich belts of eastern
India, and the capacity to prevent
any major terror attack in the hin‑
terland goes to the credit of home
minister Rajnath Singh and security
agencies.
The courage and resoluteness of
the Indian Army, under the guid‑
ance of Prime Minister Modi and
his National Security Adviser (NSA)
Ajit Doval, in conducting surgical
strikes in Pakistan‑Occupied
Kashmir (PoK) in 2016 and stand‑
ing up against a belligerent Peoples
Liberation Army (PLA) in the
Doklam plateau last year in defense
of Bhutan is now part of the military
legacy.
foreign policy hallmark of Modi
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
during a road
show in New
Delhi on May 27.
However, the Modi governmentʼs
main success lies in its diplomatic
and security engagement of West
Asia and the Association of South‑
East Asian Nations (Asean) and that
too at a time when the dark shadow
of the so‑called Islamic State had
loomed large since 2014. Before the
advent of Modi, governments used
to look towards Sunni West Asia
through the prism of Pakistan and
hence were reticent in making over‑
tures towards countries in the
region.
Today, Prime Minister Modi and
his key advisors are on an SMS
basis with key west Asian powers
including Saudi Arabia, United Arab
Emirates, Jordan, Oman and ASEAN
countries like Singapore, Indonesia,
Malaysia and Vietnam. The result is
quite evident in a single mention of
Jammu and Kashmir in the
Organization of Islamic
Cooperationʼs Dhaka declaration
this year; Bangladesh was at the
forefront of support for Indiaʼs
claim to observer status in the OIC.
With Prime Minister Modiʼs per‑
sonal diplomacy working on global
leaders, including the rulers of
Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the days
of Indian fugitives and terrorists
taking refuge in these two king‑
doms or for that matter anywhere
sin West Asia are practically over.
Minister Modi has managed to
forge a personal bond with Russian
President Vladimir Putin and
Chinese President Xi Jinping
through candid conversations. The
depth of the India‑US relationship is
evident from the bipartisan consen‑
sus in Washington on building clos‑
er ties with India; this is also reflect‑
ed in the people‑to‑people relation‑
ship.
Pakistan and its terror shadow on
Kashmir remain a matter of concern
for the Modi government, as they
have been to previous regimes in
New Delhi since Independence.
With a politically fluid situation in
Pakistan and Rawalpindi General
Headquarters continuing to push
extremists across the Line of
Control (LoC) into Kashmir, the
Modi government is left with no
option but to cut its losses and just
manage the relationship.
Apart from Pakistan, the Modi
government has expanded coopera‑
tion with nations in its immediate
and extended neighborhood. Close
relations have been established
with Myanmar, Bangladesh and
Afghanistan; ties with Sri Lanka and
Nepal have been brought back on
track and are on the mend with
China and the Maldives.
(The opinion piece appeared in
The Hindustan Times)

than he was in 2014 and his attacks are

Modi's
sharper and unrelenting.
Congress General Secretary Ashok Gehlot
said people had trusted Modi but he

momentum
"betrayed" them. As a member of the opposi‑
tion, he sees an all‑round failure in the gov‑
ernment.

under attack
"Farmers, youth, traders, women, every‑
one now feels betrayed. There is sense of
fear and mistrust among people. Fuel prices
are sky‑rocketing. This is a loot. The situa‑
By Prashant Sood tion in the country is such and all sections
of society are so unhappy that the people

W
ith his party 'stopped' in
Karnataka and bracing to face
crucial Assembly elections in
three major states in the north this year
end, Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes
his government into the last year in office
with the political momentum slightly shak‑
en against the mounting burden of fulfilling
expectations on numerous election promis‑
es.
Political analysts say that many of the
promises of the Modi government have
been rhetoric and it needs course correction
by being more accommodative over the next
year if BJP's prospects are to improve.
They said the outcome of 2019 elections
will largely depend on opposition parties
coming together to pose a common chal‑
lenge to the BJP.
The BJP's inability to form the govern‑
ment in Karnataka, despite being the single
largest party, has come as a damper to the
party. It had suffered jolts earlier this year
in defeats in prestigious parliamentary by‑
elections in Gorakhpur and Phulpur as also
Ajmer and Alwar. "Intolerance has been a
major drawback in the last four years," says
will force every party in the country to come
together to defeat Modi and the BJP," he
said.
BJP Spokesperson G.V.L. Narsimha Rao,
however, as expected, termed the last four
years as "epoch‑making."
Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, BSP chief Mayawati, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata "These will be best remembered for usher‑
Banerjee and Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu at the swearing‑in ceremony ing in a New India Era with corruption‑free
of Karnataka CM H.D. Kumaraswamy in Bengaluru. (Photo: IANS) governance, inclusive economic growth with
special focus on farmers, women and mar‑
political analyst and senior journalist H.K. tiative had to come from Prime Minister but ginalised sections," Rao told IANS.
Dua adding that the idea of India as a plural that has not come," he said, adding there is He said that Prime Minister Narendra
polity had suffered due to incidents like doubt how deep is the faith of government Modi's government has fulfilled long neg‑
'love jihad' and lynchings. in democratic practices. lected basic needs of the common citizens
"Every incident fouls the atmosphere. As Prime Minister, Modi has sought to with innovative schemes like Ujjwala.
India is a composite society and Prime bring speed to decision‑making by cutting The Ayushman Bharat scheme, announced
Minister himself said 'Sabka saath, sabka red tape, set ambitious targets, launched in this year's budget which aims to provide
vikas' which did not happen. That's why some imaginative schemes, focused on health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh to
Dalits have been very angry, tribals have delivery, simplified norms and shaken off around 10 crore families is an ambitious
been very angry, farmers have been very lethargy in the official machinery. move to connect with the poor and, if suc‑
angry. Caste divisions are sharper than The BJP‑led National Democratic Alliance cessful, can help BJP earn goodwill in run
before. That does not speak well," he said. government is seen to be more focused and up to 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Dua said constitutional institutions "have target‑oriented but there is little visible The elections in Madhya Pradesh,
not been shown the respect they deserve." impact of some of its initiatives such as the Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh later this year
He said consensus between the ruling and Swachh Bharat Campaign. are expected to set the tempo for the Lok
opposition parties for running parliamen‑ Congress President Rahul Gandhi is also Sabha polls and the BJP is the incumbent in
tary democracy has been ignored. "The ini‑ now a more formidable opponent of Modi all three states facing tough contests.

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ART June 2-8, 2018 15

Art and opulence of

Jodhpur royals
on show

‘Peacock in the Desert’ exhibition in Houston gives a bird’s

eye-view of the Rathores, the Rajput clan who over the oil
nt Singh II, Jodhpur, 1895,
Portrait of Maharaja Jaswa
course of 500 years built a life both cosmopolitan & grand. on canvas, Umaid Bha wa n Palace.

By SATimes

C
enturies of royal treas‑
ures from India come to The Mahi‑
the United States for the o‑Maratib
first time, in an epic presentation. Insignia in
Peacock in the Desert: The Royal Procession,
Arts of Jodhpur features master‑ Jodhpur,
pieces and relics̶never before 18th
seen beyond palace walls̶that century,
opaque
illustrate the history and artistic
watercolor
legacy of the Rathore dynasty.
and gold
The exhibition, organized by the
on paper.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in
partnership with the Mehrangarh
Museum Trust of Jodhpur, will be
open to the public till August 19
before travelling to Seattle in the fall
and then Toronto. Pavilion (Baradari), Jodhpur, 19th century, wood,
The exhibition showcases nearly paint, lacquer, and gold, Mehrangarh.
four centuries of artistic creation from
the kingdom of Marwar‑Jodhpur, in
Rajasthan. Lavishly made ceremonial
objects; finely crafted arms and armor;
sumptuous jewels; a monumental 17th‑
century court tent; intricately carved
furnishings; a Rolls‑Royce; a 1944 L‑5
Sentinel aircraft; and more outline the
dynamic history of the Marwar‑Jodhpur
region and the Rathore dynasty that
ruled it for more than 700 years.
Some 250 objects from Indian courtly
life illuminate how the Rathores
acquired and commissioned objects Shiva on His Vimana with Himalaya (detail), folio 53 from the Shiva
amidst cross‑cultural exchanges to Rahasya, Jodhpur, 1827, opaque watercolor and gold on paper.
leverage patronage, diplomacy, matri‑
monial alliances, trade, and conquest.
Drawn primarily from the collections of
the Mehrangarh Museum Trust and the
private collections of the royal family of
Jodhpur, Peacock in the Desert includes
textiles, tapestries, ceremonial regalia,
paintings, jewels, furniture, tents,
canopies, carpets, and weapons. Large‑
scale photomurals evoke the stunning
setting of the Mehrangarh Museum in
Jodhpur. Presented concurrently with
Peacock in the Desert is the exhibition
ʻModernism on the Ganges: Raghubir
Singh Photographsʼ, on view in the Beck
Building through June 3. The retrospective
Maharaja Takhat Singh on a Hunt with Royal
features work by visionary Indian photogra‑
Women (detail), Jodhpur, c. 1853, opaque Rolls‑Royce Phantom with Coachwork by
pher Raghubir Singh spanning the 1960s to
watercolor and gold on paper. Windovers of London, England, 1927.
1990s.
 16 June 2-8, 2018 ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD TheSouthAsianTimes.info

I did not assault women: 'I try to break stereotypes

Morgan Freeman with each film'
L A
egendary actor "And that is why I apologized and will ctress Sonam Kapoor
Morgan Freeman, continue to apologize to anyone I might Ahuja, who is promoting
who has been have upset, however unintentionally," he her upcoming film
accused of sexual added. 'Veere Di Wedding', has said
harassment by eight "But I also want to be clear: I did not that she tries to break stereo‑
women, has said he did create unsafe work environments. I did types with each of her films.
not create "unsafe work not assault women. I did not offer Interacting with media dur‑
environment" and he did employment or advancement in ing a promotion for 'Veere Di
not "assault women". exchange for sex. Any sugges‑ Wedding', Sonam said: "Every
Through his publi‑ tion that I did so is com‑ film that I do, I hope to break
cist Stan pletely false," Morgan stereotypes in some way and
Rosenfield, concluded. inspire young people, be it
Freeman came out women or men, to look forward
with a statement, and feel like they can break the
reported glass ceiling in some way.
Legendary
variety.com. "I have always aspired to
actor Morgan
The statement make films that kind of change
Freemanʼs career
read: "I am devastat‑
spans nearly five the mindsets of people and at
ed that 80 years of decades. the same time, entertain them."
my life is at risk of Sonam added: "Now, before
being undermined, the release of the film, I don't
in the blink of an think so much about it because
eye, by Thursday's I get stressed thinking about
media reports." Weinstein released on how it will do once it's
"All victims of assault and harassment $1 mn bail over rape, released."
deserve to be heard. And we need to listen
to them. But it is not right to equate hor‑
abuse charges Sonam said that in the movie,
there are some cheeky dia‑
rific incidents of sexual assault with mis‑ isgraced producer Harvey logues spoken by female char‑
placed compliments or humor.
"I admit that I am someone who feels a
need to try to make women‑and men‑feel
D Weinstein has been released on
$1 million bail after being
charged with rape and sexual abuse.
acters of the film which "are not
going well with certain section of
people". 'Veere Di Wedding' is
Actress Sonam Kapoor Ahujaʼs
ʻVeere Di Weddingʼ releases on June 1.
appreciated and at ease around me. As a Weinstein, 66, also agreed to wear a female buddy comedy film, directed by It stars Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor,
part of that, I would often try to joke with GPS tracker and to surrender his pass‑ Shashanka Ghosh. The film is co‑produced by Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania in
and compliment women, in what I port after turning himself in to police, Rhea Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor and Nikhil Dwivedi. lead roles. It is releasing on June 1.
thought was a light‑hearted and humor‑ reports bbc.com. He pleaded not guilty
ous way."
The Oscar winning actor said that he
was not always coming across the way he
to charges of first‑ and third‑degree
rape and committing a criminal sexual
act in the first degree at his arraign‑
'Parmanu': Sincerely
intended. ment.
mounted patriotic tale
Kajol gets wax statue at P
armanu: The Story of Pokhran", is ded‑
icated to all the unsung heroes ‑‑ engi‑
neers, scientists and soldiers, who

Madame Tussauds Singapore helped our nation make a mark in the war of
nuclear supremacy.
The narrative begins with informing us that

B
ollywood actress after the disseverment of the USSR, and faced
Kajol walked on with the dilemma of tackling other superpow‑
the red carpet with ers and Pakistan's close association with the
her daughter Nysa for the US, we had no choice but to conduct the
first time to unveil her wax nuclear weapon detonation at Pokhran, a
statue at Madame remote location in the Thar Desert region.
Tussauds attraction in The core action takes place in 1998
W
REVIE
Singapore. after a failed attempt in 1995 when
"My little girl with me on Himanshu Shukla (Boman Irani) the
a red carpet for the first Principal Secretary of the then Prime
time," the actress tweeted Minister, calls upon Ashwat Raina (John
hours before the ceremo‑ Abraham), a disgruntled and disappointed IAS
ny. officer to assist him in this endeavor.
Kajol, who made her How Ashwat puts up a team of diligent John Abraham puts forth a sincere performance
Bollywood debut in 1992 workers and executes the mission in total and does well in group scenes.
with "Bekhudi", gave a secrecy, forms the crux of the narrative. well in group scenes, but fails to rise above
western touch to her sari While the film has its fair share of drama, the basics when the camera focuses on him
and looked glamorous and there are no moments that sweep you off solely. He is aptly supported by Anuja Sathe
sophisticated at the event. your feet. Even the patriotic card that plays to as his wife; Diana Penty as Ambalika
Her daughter looked chic perfection at the end makes one uncomfort‑ Bandhopadhyay in charge of security.
in a black dress. The moth‑ able as you root for the unsung heroes with The cinematography by Zubin Mistry is
er‑daughter duo were some trepidation. Your logical mind is torn striking. He captures the locales, action and
twinning in black. between patriotism and leaving a legacy for scenes competently. And his live action
She will be seen next in the future generation ‑‑ being a superpower scenes are meshed effortlessly with the stock
Pradeep Sarkar's "Eela" at what cost? news reels and the background‑score by the
(tentative title) which will John Abraham stars, in a powerful and editing team.
hit the theatres on effective performance as Ashwat Raina. He Overall, the film is worth a watch for the
September 14. puts forth a sincere performance and does unsung heroes of the tale.
Kajol made her Bollywood debut in 1992 with ʻBekhudiʼ.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
I was a minority, a lone
ranger: Aamir Khan
F A
rom winning
awards without
attending award
shows to bringing a new
wave in the business of
Indian cinema, actor‑film‑
maker Aamir Khan not
only broke all the rules to
establish his stardom over
the last 30 years but also
remains a watchdog of the
film industry.
He believes the changing
sensibility of the Indian
audience is one of the best
things happened in few
decades. During a media
interaction, Aamir said: "I do
Ac tor Aamir Khan is known as
believe that the sensibility of
Bollywood for his choic
the audience has been chang‑
ing from last 30 years that I
have been acting. I know that films like 'Jo
Jeeta Wohi Sikandar' if made today, would
have been a massive hit (at the box office)
because this is the kind of films that today's
audience love. When I came to the film indus‑
try, I was a minority, a lone ranger.
"I was someone, doing films that I believed
in, but the market, the host of other people
did not believe in such films. Only a few of us
did. I was constantly swimming against the
tide. Now the time has changed. Now, these
films are considered mainstream."
"I do not think about commercial and con‑
tent driven film so sharply in my head. For
me, a cinema should be good and I want it to
be loved by as many people as possible. Now,
'good cinema' is considered as critically
acclaimed, and 'loved by people' means com‑
mercially successful. These two are different
Hugh Grant finally marries at 57
A
ctor Hugh Grant finally
married at 57 his
Swedish girlfriend Anna
Eberstein, 39, in an intimate cer‑
emony. They married amid close‑
knit family and friends at
Chelsea registry office, reports
mirror.co.uk.
"The Four Weddings and a
Funeral" actor wore a sleek navy
blue suit, while Eberstein
dressed casually in a powder
blue shirt and short white skirt
that featured a thick black belt.
Following the ceremony, the
newly married couple, along
with Eberstein's parents and two
brothers, Grant's father and
brother and their two eldest chil‑
dren, travelled in chauffeur driv‑
en cars to carry on the celebra‑
tions at an unknown location.
The nuptials were said to have
come as a surprise to many of
his close friends, who thought he
would never marry.
He himself once called mar‑
riage "unromantic", saying: "Do I
think humans are meant to be in
a 40‑year‑long faithful relation‑
Actor Hugh Grant with producer
ship? No, no, no."
wife Anna Elisabet Eberstein.
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
ʻMr Perfectionistʼ of
e of cinema.
things from outside...but these words don't
enter my head," said the man who produced
films like "Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Naa", "Peepli
Live", "Delhi Belly", "Dangal"and "Secret
Superstar". "As a creative person, I want to do
good work. And I want more and more people
to like my work. When I am trying to do
these two things, it automatically translates
into my work as commercial cinema and criti‑
cally acclaimed cinema," Aamir explained.
Known for going by his instinct while
choosing a script and judge a film like an
audience first before as an actor, Aamir is
well aware of the potential business of a film.
However, that does not bother him.
He said: "My thought process is still the
same. When I am doing a film like 'Talaash' I
know it will not be the biggest blockbuster of
the year but I want to do that film because I
believed in it."
June 2-8, 2018 17
Priyanka urges world to
care for Rohingya refugees
ctress and global
Unicef Goodwill
Ambassador for
Child Rights Priyanka
Chopra, who is on a field
visit here, has urged the
world to care for and sup‑
port Rohingya refugees,
among whom are a whole
lot of children who she says
are scarred for life because
of their ordeal.
Priyanka visited Cox's
Bazaar, one of the largest
refugee camps in the world,
and shared photographs of
her experience with
Rohingya children, on
Instagram.
Almost 700,000 refugees
have fled violence in neigh‑
boring Myanmar and
arrived in Cox's Bazar since
August 2017, according to
the UN.
"In the second half of
2017, the world saw horrif‑
ic images of ethnic cleans‑
ing from the Rakhine State
of Myanmar (Burma). This
violence drove nearly
700,000 Rohingya across
Actress and global Unicef Goodwill Ambassador for
the border into Bangladesh ‑ Child Rights Priyanka Chopra.
60 per cent are children!
"Many months later they are still highly vul‑ sense of safety, monsoon season
nerable, living in overcrowded camps with no looms...threatening to destroy all that they
idea when or where they will ever have built so far. This is an entire generation
belong...even worse, when they will get their of children that have no future in sight."
next meal," Priyanka wrote. Priyanka asked for helping these children
"And as they finally start to settle and feel a "because right now, their future is bleak".
Karan Soni wants to make
film with Alia Bhatt
D
eadpool" actor Karan Soni
says he is working on a
script keeping Bollywood
actress Alia Bhatt in mind.
Asked about the progress of the
script, Karan said: "I am still trying
to get that made. It is taking time
but it is definitely on the list. I want
to get it made. It is slowly moving
forward."
In another interview, Karan had
shared that he is writing the script
with her voice in the mind.
"I wrote three parts with her in
mind for one part. I wrote the
script with her voice in mind.
Because when I write I like to think
who would be the actor who would
play it. And in a dream situation, I
would like to have her," said Karan,
who got noticed as Deadpool's
Indian cab driver Dopinder.
After "Deadpool 2" ‑‑ brought to
India by Fox Star India, Karan will
be seen as an angel in "Miracle
Workers". He will also feature in
"Corporate Animals", starring Sharon Actress Alia Bhatt is riding high
Stone. on the success of ʻRaaziʼ.
 18 June 2-8, 2018
Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading a
yoga session for International Day of
Yoga at India Gate in New Delhi last year.
Modi advocates
including yoga in life
P
rime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday
urged everyone to include yoga in their
life and focus on fitness.
Ahead of the International Yoga Day on June
21, he said: "I appeal to all the citizens to adopt
their legacy of yoga and create a healthy, happy
and harmonious nation."
Modi in his monthly radio address ‑ Mann Ki
YOGA
Baat ‑‑ said the practice of yoga leads to building
up of courage, a sense of forgiveness and mental
peace.
Talking about the 'Fit India' campaign, he men‑
tioned a large number of people came forward to
support the campaign and are sharing videos of
their workouts on social media.
"When I say 'Fit India', I believe that the more
DISPLAY CLASSIFIEDS
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Celebrating 4th
International Day
of Yoga
Washington DC June 16: IDY
Yoga event organized by
Embassy of India in partnership
with Friends of Yoga at the US
Capitol, West Lawn, Washington DC.
Hartsdale, NY June 23: Outdoor
Yoga Class organized by the Indian
Cultural Association of North
America with Greenburgh Parks &
Recreation & Indian Consulate –
New York, at Richard Presser Park
(Webb Park), 218 N Central Ave,
Hartsdale, NY 10530; 5.30 pm. Free
Yoga mats for first 100 participants.
Hicksville, NY June 23: Learn yoga
and meditation from Shri Sanjay
Attada (disciple of Swamy Bua), at
Asa Mai Hindu Temple, organized by
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA,
Asa Mai temple and Indian
Consulate; 10.00 am.
Hartford, CT June 24: Yoga and
meditation practice and introduc‑
tion to ayurveda, homeopathy and
naturopathy, organized by the
Indian Consulate and Milan CT at
we play, the more we will inspire the country to
Capitol Building, Capitol Avenue;
come out and play.
10 am.
"For me, it is heartwarming that the captain of
Boston June 22‑24: 3rd
the Indian cricket team Virat Kohli has included
International Conference on
me in his (fitness) challenge... and I have accepted
Integrative Medicine: Role of Yoga
his challenge. I believe this is gainful and this
and Ayurveda, Harvard Medical
kind of a challenge will inspire us to be fit along
School, Boston, MA.
with others as well," he added.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SUBCONTINENT June 2-8, 2018 19

Xi asked Pakistan to shunt out 23 killed, over 1.66 lakh affected

Hafiz? Baseless, says China as heavy rains lash Sri Lanka

Jamaat‑ud‑Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed.

Beijing: China rejected as "baseless" a report
that it had asked Pakistan to shunt out
Mumbai terror attack mastermind and
Jamaat‑ud‑Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed to
some West Asian country.
"The report is shocking and baseless," the
Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
According to a news report in The Hindu,
Chinese President Xi Jinping told Pakistan
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in
March to relocate international terrorist
Saeed to some West Asian country.
Saeed is the mastermind of the 2008
Mumbai terror attack that killed 166
Indians and foreigners and has been
declared a global terrorist by the UN, India
and the US.
Under international pressure to crack
down on terror outfits, Pakistan had banned
the JuD in February this year.
China has been accused of shielding its
"all‑weather friend" Pakistan on the terror
front. China has an investment of over $50
billion in infrastructure projects in Pakistan.
China frequently hails Pakistan for con‑
tributing to the fight against global terror‑
ism and counsels the world to "acknowl‑
edge" Islamabad's efforts.
New Delhi and Kabul accuse Islamabad of
sheltering terrorists.
People wade through water in suburban areas of Colombo.
Colombo: At least 23 persons were killed
and over 1.66 lakh persons were affected
due to heavy monsoon rains in Sri Lanka
in the past 10 days, official figures indi‑
cated.
Over 75,013 of the affected people
have been evacuated from flooded areas
whereas 13 persons have been reported
missing, the country's Disaster
Management Centre said.
The displaced have been put up in 339
camps and shelters.
Rain and strong winds have lashed
around 20 districts, especially in the
southern half of the country, for more
than a week now, Efe news reported.
At least 1,359 members of the armed
forces have been deployed in rescue oper‑
ations across the country, and another
6,264 are on standby, the centre said.
Every year, Sri Lanka experiences heavy
rain during the monsoon.
In June last year, monsoon rain and
cyclone Mora had caused at least 212
deaths. As many as 79 persons were
reported missing.

ʻModi doesn't Pakistan to hold general

advocate peace talksʼ
Washington: Former
Pakistani military
dictator Pervez
Musharraf has said
his country and
India were on the
path of reconcilia‑
tion when he was in
power but that was
no longer the case
because Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi "isn't an advo‑
cate of peace talks".
In an interview
President Pervez Musharraf.
with Voice of
America, Musharraf said when he
was at the helm, "I spoke to both
the Prime Ministers, Atal Bihari
Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.
They both wanted to move for‑
ward from the disputes" between
the two countries.
According to Express Tribune,
Musharraf recalled how he had
worked out a four‑point peace for‑ nuclear threats. Pakistan became
mula to solve Siachen and
Kashmir disputes between the two posed an undeniable existential
nuclear neighbors.
"We were working on my strate‑
gy because both sides wanted to
have peace. This is not the case
Former Pakistan
anymore. They want to undo
us...Modi wants to enforce
supremacy in India," he said.
Musharraf said there was a bias
between treatment of India and
Pakistan.
"Nobody asks India to control
their (nuclear) assets. No one
questions India's possession of
a nuclear state because India
threat.
"The US should've stopped them,
we've been loyal to them through‑
out," he added.
elections on July 25
Islamabad: Pakistan President
Mamnoon Hussain has set July 25
as the date for the country's next
general elections, the media report‑
ed. The Election Commission of
Pakistan (ECP) had sent a summary
to the President on May 21, propos‑
ing the holding of the 2018 general
elections on any date between July
25 and 27.
An of ficial from the President's
Office told Dawn news that Hussain
had signed the summary approving
July 25 as the polling date.
Under Section 57 (1) of the
Elections Act, 2017, the President
announces the date for elections in
consultation with the ECP after
which the Commission is required to
announce the schedule for the polls
within seven days of the announce‑
ment. Sources in the ECP said a ten‑
tative schedule for the polls was
ready and was most likely to be
announced after formal approval.
An ECP official said that it would
be for the first time in the electoral
history of the country that the
scrutiny period would be extended
from seven to eight days and the
poll campaign period would be
increased from 21 days to 28 days.
Pakistani President
Mamnoon Hussain.
Around 85,000 polling stations
with some 285,000 polling booths
would be established across the
country and security cameras would
be installed at the most sensitive
polling stations, reports Dawn news.
The five‑year term of the National
Assembly and the Punjab Assembly
will end on May 31 while the Sindh,
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and
Balochistan assemblies will com‑
plete their terms on May 28.
Under Article 224 of the
Constitution, elections for the
national and provincial assemblies
are to be held within 60 days from
the day the term of the assemblies
expires.
Nasirul Mulk is
Pak's caretaker PM
Islamabad: Former Chief Justice
Nasirul Mulk was announced as
Pakistan's caretaker Prime
Minister. The announcement
was made by opposition leader
Khursheed Shah at a joint press
conference with Prime Minister
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and
National Assembly Speaker
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
"We have selected a candidate
for caretaker Premier who will
prove to play a democratic role
in the upcoming general elec‑
tion," Abbasi said, adding "every
name was discussed, and this
name was decided upon. It's a
name no one can point fingers
at". "No one's name was dis‑
carded... We have chosen his
name on the basis of merit,"
Shah said.
It took the government and
the opposition six meetings to
decide on a name for the covet‑
ed position. Justice Mulk has
served as the 22nd Chief
Justice of Pakistan.
 20 June 2-8, 2018
Kim Jong‑un reaffirms
willingness to meet Trump
Seoul: North Korean leader Kim
Jong‑un has reaffirmed his willing‑
ness to denuclearize the Korean
Peninsula and hold a summit with
US President Donald Trump, South
Korean President Moon Jae‑in
said.
"Chairman Kim Jong‑un has once
again clearly expressed his com‑
mitment to the complete denu‑
clearization of the Korean
Peninsula following his pledge in
the Panmunjom Declaration and
expressed his willingness to end
the history of war and confronta‑
tion through the success of the
North Korea‑US summit," Moon
said of his latest summit with the
North Korean leader.
"We both agreed the June 12
North Korea‑US summit must be
successfully held," Yonhap News
Agency quoted Moon as saying
here. Trump had called off his
scheduled summit with Kim, citing
the North's tremendous anger and
open hostility, only to suggest
later the meeting would go ahead
as planned. "While explaining the
Russian military missile brought
down MH17, say investigators
Workers at the site of MH17 plane crash.
The Hague: The missile that
brought down a Malaysia Airlines
passenger jet over eastern Ukraine
in 2014, killing all 298 people on
board, belonged to the Russian
military, Dutch investigators said.
For the first time, the Dutch‑led
team said the missile had come
from a unit based in western
Russia, the BBC reported.
All people on board the Boeing
777 died when it broke apart in
mid‑air flying from Amsterdam to
Kuala Lumpur.
It was hit by a missile fired from
rebel‑held territory in Ukraine.
Russia said none of its weapons
was used. But Wilbert Paulissen, a
North Korean leader
Kim Jong‑un has reaffirmed
his denuclearization pledge.
outcome of my summit with U.S.
President Trump held last week, I
relayed the message that President
Trump is firmly willing to end his
country's hostile relationship with
North Korea and enhance econom‑
ic cooperation should Chairman
Kim make a decision on complete
denuclearization and implements
it," Moon said.
Dutch official from the Joint
Investigation Team (JIT), told
reporters: "All the vehicles in a
convoy carrying the missile were
part of the Russian armed forces."
He said that after studying all
available photos and footage,
investigators had been able to
trace the convoy to Russia's 53rd
Brigade, which consists of 300
people based in the city of Kursk.
Dutch prosecutor Fred
Westerbeke said that a few dozen
people of interest had been identi‑
fied, adding that the probe into
who was responsible for downing
flight MH17 was now entering its
final phases.
INTERNATIONAL
US officials in
N Korea over
summit planning
Washington: US President
Donald Trump has confirmed
that a team of American offi‑
cials arrived in North Korea
to organize the planned sum‑
mit between him and Kim
Jong‑un, after he officially
cancelled the meeting last
week and then appeared to
retract that move.
"Our US team has arrived in
North Korea to make
arrangements for the Summit
between Kim Jong‑un and
myself. I truly believe North
Korea has brilliant potential
and will be a great economic
and financial Nation one
day," Trump tweeted.
"Kim Jong‑un agrees with
me on this. It will happen!"
he added.
Ireland set to dump abortion
ban, PM hails 'revolution'
Dublin: Ireland's Indian‑origin
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar
hailed his country's "quiet revo‑
lution" as early results in the
country's historic abortion ref‑
erendum pointed to a "resound‑
ing" vote for overturning the
ban.
"The people have spoken.
They have said we need a mod‑
ern Constitution for a modern
country," Varadkar said, after
exit polls suggested a landslide
vote in favor of reforming the
law.
One exit poll released by
Ireland's national broadcaster
RTE after polling stations
closed predicted that 69.4 per
cent voted in favor of repealing
the Eighth Amendment and
30.6 per cent "No".
Another by the Irish Times,
68 per cent voted in favor of
ditching the prohibition.
A campaign to liberalize abor‑
tion gathered momentum in
2012 after 31‑year‑old Indian
woman Savita Halappanavar
died in a Galway hospital after
she was refused an abortion dur‑
ing a miscarriage. For many,
Halappanavar became the sym‑
bolic image to strive for change.
Varadkar, who campaigned in
favor of liberalization, said:
"What we've seen is the culmina‑
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Turkey vows to retaliate
if US halts F-35 delivery
Ankara: Turkey will
retaliate if the US sus‑
pends delivery of F‑35
fighter jets, the coun‑
try's Foreign Ministry
warned.
A US Senate com‑
mittee bill aiming to
prevent Turkey from
purchasing Lockheed
Martin F‑35 Joint
Strike Fighter jets was
"against the spirit of
Turkey is scheduled to buy more
our alliance with the
than 100 F‑35 fighter jets.
US", Ministry
spokesman Hami Aksoy said. targeting Iranian airlines.
"This is not a program man‑ A US Senate committee
aged merely by the US. It's a passed a bill to block Turkey
multinational program and we from purchasing Lockheed
expect everybody to fulfill their Martin F‑35 jets over its deten‑
obligations." tion of the US priest Andrew
If the US takes such steps, "we Brunson.
will have to respond", the Lockheed Martin was expect‑
spokesman warned. ed to deliver the first F‑35
Aksoy also vowed protection fighter jet to Turkey on June
of Turkey's firms following a 21. Turkey is scheduled to buy
decision by the US Treasury more than 100 F‑35 fighter jets
Department to impose sanc‑ while negotiating with
tions on several Iranian and Washington over the purchase
Turkish companies in a move of Patriot missiles.
A huge poster for legalized abortion is seen on
a building in downtown Dublin.
tion of a quiet revolution that's legislate for change which would
been taking place in Ireland over see the introduction of a much
the past 20 years." more liberal regime. Varadkar
Irish voters "trust and respect said he hoped to have a new
women to make the right choic‑ abortion law enacted by the end
es and decisions about their own of 2018.
health care", he added. Following the exit polls,
The vote saw citizens effec‑ Ireland's pro‑life "Save The 8th"
tively opt to either retain or campaign conceded defeat. The
repeal the Eighth Amendment of group said: "What Irish voters
the country's Constitution, which did yesterday is a tragedy of his‑
prohibits terminations unless a toric proportions... However, a
mother's life is in danger. wrong does not become right
A vote in favor of repeal paves simply because a majority sup‑
the way for Irish Parliament to port it."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Modi to visit Indonesia,
Malaysia, Singapore
New Delhi: As part of India's
e f forts to boost t ies w ith
Southeast Asia under its Act East
Policy, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi will visit Indonesia, Malaysia
and Singapore from May 29 to
June 2.
"Prime Minister's of ficial
eng agements in Jakarta and
Singapore include bilateral meet‑
ings with the leadership, delega‑
tion level talks, meetings with the
business and Indian communities,"
the External Affairs M inistry said
in a statement.
It said Indonesia, Malaysia and
Sing apore, three countries of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(Asean) reg ional blo c, are Strateg ic
Partners of India.
"India attaches high importance to its
relations with the Asean region and is
committed to deepening its relationship
with individual Asean member states,
within the framework of the government's
Act East Policy," the statement said.
"The visit would enable the leaders to
AirAsia Group CEO under US portal questions Tata Trusts'
$50mn donation to Harvard
CBI scanner
New Delhi: The CBI has registered a
case against AirAsia group CEO Tony
Fernandes, a Malaysian billionaire, for
allegedly trying to circumvent rules to
get international flying license for
AirAsia India, the probe agency said on
Tuesday.
Searches were being held in multiple
locations in Delhi, Mumbai and
Bengaluru in connection with the case,
according to CBI spokesperson R.K.
Gaur.
"A case has been registered against
Fernandes and some other unidentified
persons linked to the firm (AirAsia
India)," Gaur said.
Gaur said Fernandes had lobbied and
was trying to violate rule 5/20 that
requires an airline to have a minimum of
five years of flying and 20 aircraft to apply
for international licenses.
AirAsia India ‑ a subsidiary of Malaysian
low‑cost airline AirAsia Berhad ‑ started
domestic operations in June 2014.
Besides Fernandes, Group CEO AirAsia
BUSINESS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
discuss bilateral, regional and internation‑
al issues of mutual interest."
W hile Indonesia hosts the Asean
Secretariat, Singapore is the current Chair
of the regional bloc.
Modi will reach Indonesia on May 29
and and hold a summit with the country's
President Joko Widodo the next day in
Jakarta. This will be his first official visit
to that southeast Asian nation.
Indonesia is India's largest trading part‑
ner within the Asean with bilateral trade
AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes
Malaysia, the company AirAsia, Travel
Food owner Sunil Kapoor, AirAsia Director
R Venkatraman, aviation consultant
Deepak Talwar, Director of Singapore‑
based SNR Trading Rejendra Dubey and
unidentified public servants have been
named in the FIR.
standing at around $18
billion. Around 250,000
jobs have been created
by Indian companies in
Indonesia.
On May 31, Modi will
make a brief stopover in
Malaysia on his way from
Indonesia to Singapore.
Mo di w ill meet new ly
elected Malaysian Prime
Minister Mahathir
Mohamad.
From Malaysia, Modi
will reach Singapore on
May 31 and will begin his engagements by
visiting an India‑Singapore Enterprise and
Innovation Exhibition.
He will then participate in a business
and community event where he will talk
about India's economic engagement with
Asean. Modi will also participate in a CEOs
Round Table with the top 20 CEOs of
Singapore. On June 1, Modi will call on
Singapore President Halimah Yacob and
then hold a summit with Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong.
Washington: The controversy surrounding
the $50 million donation from not‑for‑profit
Tata Trusts to the Harvard Business School in
2010 has now reached the American shores
with a leading Conservative website question‑
ing the globally presti‑
gious institution for
accepting "questionable
funds" that should other‑
wise have been "used for
the welfare of the poor."
That was against "every
tenet of good (corporate)
governance", Alex Beard, director of a
Washington‑based global financial advisory
firm and a former professor from
Georgetown University, said in a signed arti‑
cle. Beard also questioned Harvard's moral
obligation, asking if it would return the funds
"or rectify it in some other way".
The 2010 donation agreement ‑‑ the largest
from an international donor in the 102‑year
history of the Harvard ‑‑ between HBS Dean
Nitin Nohria and business magnate Ratan
Tata that resulted in the subsequent construc‑
tion of Tata Hall in 2013 is under a parlia‑
mentary scrutiny in India.
June 2-8, 2018 21
CII pegs India's growth
between 7.3-7.7 percent
New Delhi: Industry chambers
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on
Monday said that it expects India's econo‑
my to grow at 7.3‑7.7 per cent in 2018‑
19 on the back of "sustained structural
reforms", recovery in global markets and
a normal monsoon.
The industry body said that "sustained
structural reforms" have led to a rebound
in the country's economy as businesses
across several key sectors experience
firm growth trends.
"The impact of sustained structural
reforms is now being felt on the ground
as a mammoth economy is turning
around," CII President Rakesh Bharti
Mittal was quoted as saying in a state‑
ment. "Businesses across several key sec‑
tors are experiencing firm growth in sales
and orders, indicating better capacity uti‑
lization and higher investment expecta‑
tions." According to CII, strong rural con‑
sumption is reflected in sectors such as
consumer non‑durables, two‑wheelers
and tractors. CII noted that "capital
goods" sector has shown a steady
improvement and order books are filling
up. This sector is a key indicator of a
country's economic activity. "Exports too,
are poised to grow at a faster pace in the
current fiscal year, which started on a
good note," the industry body said.
A sub‑panel of the Public Accounts
Committee was looking into the $50 million
donation and other such gift pacts, suspect‑
ing the money may have been donated in vio‑
lation of tax rules, according to a member of
the panel.
"The committee's major
concern was to check mis‑
use of tax exemptions in
cases where donations
were made outside the
country. The committee
recommended knowing the
usefulness of such donation for the country.
And if it was not useful (to the country) then
the taxes should be levied. It was meant for
all such trusts and charitable institutions and
not Tata Trusts alone," former BJP Rajya
Sabha member Ajay Sancheti, who was part of
the panel when it prepared the report, told
IANS. He completed his term in April this
year.
Incidentally, the matter has come to fore
after Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS),
previously a significant beneficiary of Tata
Trusts funds, stopped financial aid to poor
students in 2017 due to funding deficiencies.
 22 June 2-8, 2018 SPORTS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Watson blitz helps Chennai clinch third IPL title

Chennai Super Kings celebrate after winning the IPL 2018 at
Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)
Mumbai: Shane Watson was back to his bru‑
tal best as the opener's scintillating unbeat‑
en 117 runs helped Chennai Super Kings lift
their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title,
thrashing Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight
wickets in the summit clash here.
Making a comeback after serving two
years of a ban, the Yellow Brigade stood up
to their reputation of being one of the best
team in the cash‑rich league. The Mahendra
Singh Dhoni‑led side hunted down a compet‑
itive 179‑run target against one of the best
bowling attacks of the current season with
nine balls to spare.
Watson was in devastating touch in his
entire 57‑ball innings, which comprised of
11 boundaries and eight massive hits into
the stands. The Australian along with Suresh
Raina (32) forged a 117‑run match‑winning
partnership to put Chennai ahead of their
opponents. Chasing 179, Chennai lost their
first wicket in the fourth over as Opener Faf
du Plessis (10) was caught and bowled by
pacer Sandeep Sharma when the scoreboard
was reading just 13 runs.
Raina then joined Watson and the duo
started slamming bowlers all round the park
at will. The strike mostly remained with
Watson and the Australian all‑rounder took
advantage beautifully by unleashing some
ferocious shots.
Soon the duo helped their team get past
the 100‑run mark in the 12th over and just
after that Watson, who was looking at his
best, hammered Sandeep to 27 runs in his
final over. Trying to join the party, Raina
miscued while trying to pull a short ball
from Carlos Brathwaite knicked his gloves
which landed in wicketkeeeper's hand.
The southpaw's 24‑ball knock was laced
with three boundaries and one six.
T he fall of wicket brought in Ambati
Rayudu (16 not out) who followed the same
strategy of giving the strike to Watson.
We won the IPL defying
all odds: Bravo
Mumbai: Back in the mix after a two‑
year hiatus and playing almost all of
their home games away from home,
Dwayne Bravo said Chennai Super Kings
defied all odds to lift their third Indian
Premier League (IPL) title.
"It has been good. This is a special
moment. The team did not play together
for the last two years. We had to move
from Chennai after one game. For most
of the guys, this is their first time. We
were able to keep fo cus and do it.
Nothing is better than winning finals,"
Bravo said after the game.
"We always said experience will help
in crunch times. (Shane) Watson batted
on one leg and despite the hamstring,
his experience helped him. Watson is a Dwayne Bravo.
world class player," the West Indian all‑
rounder added. down," an elated Rayudu said after the
"I was really fortunate to have such a match where he hit the winning runs.
season for Chennai. I worked really hard Harbhajan Singh, who was dropped for
for it and am glad that I could hit the the final for Karn Sharma, said he was
winning runs. Initially the wicket looked happy to bag his fourth IPL title, win‑
a little slow, it was damp, got much ning the previous three with Mumbai
quicker and I am glad we could chase it Indians.
Soon, the Australian slammed his second season.
century of the season off just 51 deliveries For Hyderabad, Carlos Brathwaite and
through a single of f Rashid Khan. With Sharma took one wicket each.
Chennai needing 21 runs in 20 balls, the Put in to bat, Hyderabad started their pro‑
duo kept on playing freely and overhauled ceedings on a bad note as opener Shreevats
the target with ease to become the only Goswami (5) gifted his wicket in the second
team to beat a side four times in a single over with the just 13 runs on the board.

Pitch-fixing: Sri Lanka offers

full support to ICC's probe
Colombo: In wake of allegations of
pitch‑fixing involving the curator of
the Galle pitch, Sri Lanka Cricket
(SLC) said it will give its "fullest
cooperation" to any investigation
into match‑fixing.
An Al Jazeera documentary is
believed to allege groundsmen in
Galle are being bribed to alter pitch‑
es for Test matches involving teams
such as Australia and England.
"Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to state
that it has zero tolerance towards
corruption and will take immediate
action against any person involved
in the alleged incident, if found
guilty," the SLC said in a statement.
"Sri Lanka Cricket is constantly
engaged with the ICC and is follow‑
ing its guidelines on how to handle
anti‑corruption operations for the
forthcoming tours in Sri Lanka," it
added. The International Cricket
Council (ICC) has already launched
an investigation, saying it took the
allegations reported in the docu‑
mentary "very seriously" and urged
"all evidence and supporting mate‑
rial" to be shared with the investiga‑
tors. "The ICC is aware of an investi‑
gation into corruption in cricket by
a news organization and as you
would expect we will take the con‑
tents of the program and any alle‑
gations it may make very seriously,"
the ICC said in a statement.
"We have made repeated requests
that all evidence and supporting
materials relating to corruption in
cricket is released immediately to
enable us to undertake a full and
comprehensive investigation."
"We have already launched an
investigation working with anti‑cor‑
ruption colleagues from member
countries based on the limited
information we have received," the
statement added.
T he London‑based Daily
Telegraph said that the Al Jazeera
footage seen by the newspaper fea‑
tured Robin Morris, a former pro‑
fessional cricketer from Mumbai,
Tharindu Mendis, a player from
Colombo, and Tharanga Indika, an
assistant manager at Galle
International Stadium.
The newspaper reported that the
footage showed the men talking
about doctoring pitches during a
meeting with an undercover
reporter.
FIFA announces 2018 World
Cup national slogans
Moscow: The worlds governing
football body, FIFA, published a list
of official logos for each of 32 par‑
ticipating teams in the upcoming
2018 FIFA World Cup and the logo
of hosts Russia is "Play With an
Open Heart."
"The votes have been counted.
The fans have spoken," FIFA said
in a statement, reports Tass news
agency.
"We now have the 32 slogans
that captured the hearts, and
votes, of the global FIFA Club com‑
munity."
Before the winning variant of
"Play With an Open Heart" was
approved in the course of the vot‑
ing the other two variants in previ‑
The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicks off from
ous top‑three had suggestions of June 14 with the opening match in Moscow.
"T he Russian Bears Stride to
Victory" and "With a Full Heart the that each lucky slogan creator will 11 host cities to be the venues for
Ent ire Nat ion is Pursuing the be awarded with a trip to Russia the matches of the 2018 World
Dream." for the world football champi‑ Cup and they are Moscow, St.
"The winning slogans will be dis‑ onship. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk,
played on the 32 team buses at the The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicks Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov‑on‑
2018 FIFA World Cup Russia," the off from June 14 with the opening Don, Nizhny Novgoro d,
statement from FIFA said adding match in Moscow. Russia selected Yekaterinburg and Samara.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA FEATURES June 2-8, 2018 23

Awareness on sanitary napkins still

low in rural areas: India's real Pad Man
By Sugandha Rawal recalling his journey. movie on menstrual hygiene. They
What was the most dif ficult believed in the cause and that can

S
ome thought he was pos‑
sessed, some thought he
was just being a pervert
when he started quest ioning
young women about sanitary
pads.
But Arunachalam
Muruganantham did all this in his
quest to make cheap sanitary nap‑
kins for his wife, which, eventual‑
ly, went on to revolutionize men‑
strual health for rural women
around the globe.
Murug anantham, who hails
from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu,
says he still has miles to go in his
mission "to make menstrual
hygiene accessible and affordable
for everyone".
"It all started for my w ife
(Shanthi) and now it has gone
global and become a revolution. I
am very g lad and happy with
where my mission has reached,"
Muruganantham told IANS in an
email interview from Coimbatore.
"People have definitely changed.
More people are having open con‑
versat ions about sanitary
hygiene... 20 years ago no one
dared to speak about it. Today,
taboos have been broken. But
India is not made up of metros
alone. We have 600,000 villages
and the awareness level is low. We
Arunachalam Murugananthamʼs
incredible story of making
sanitary pads available to women
found its way into Bollywood
through "Pad Man", with actor
Akshay Kumar promoting the
cause with his star power.
have miles to go in our mission to
make menstrual hygiene accessi‑
ble and affordable for everyone,"
he added.
Muruganantham believes every‑
one can be a Pad Man.
"And that is why I feel it is my
responsibility to create more Pad
Men," he added.
Muruganantham did not embark
on this journey to get acclaim or
fame, but to ensure his wife does‑
n't resort to unhygienic ways like
cotton, ash or rag cloth during
'that' time of the month. A school
dropout, Muruganantham nearly
lost his family, his money and
respect in society. People started
avoiding him, he was subjected to
taunts from the people from his
own neighborhood, and some
even thought he had contracted a
sexual disease. In fact, his wife
also left him due to his craze to
create af fordable sanitary nap‑
kins.
"What kept me going was my
desire to provide a hygiene prod‑
uct for my w ife. Also, I have
worked for an engineering firm
and I know for a fact that even if I
fail 9999 times, I know if I change
the angle of the blade, I might suc‑
ceed tomorrow," he said while
thing to crack in his endeavor?
"T he most dif ficult thing is
changing people's mindset. No
man ever died of poverty; every‑
thing is because of ignorance. To
break the age‑old taboos and to
see girls and women use pads
was a difficult task," he said.
Flash forward to the present,
he runs a company in
Coimbatore to supply women
with sanitary pads, provides
technolog y for his low cost
hyg iene pro ducts to several
countries, was named one of
Time magazine's 100 most influ‑
ential people in 2014, and was
honored with the Padma Shri in
2016. His story found its way
into Bollywood in a more drama‑
tized way through "Pad Man", with
actor Akshay Kumar driving the
project with his star power.
Directed by R. Balki, "Pad Man"
is based on a short story from
Tw inkle Khanna's book "T he
Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad". The
film, also starring Sonam Kapoor
and Radhika Apte, will air on May
26 ‑‑ just days before Menstrual
Hygiene Day ‑‑ on Zee Cinema.
The film has opened a wider dia‑
logue on menstrual hygiene.
"It was the first time that a
superstar came forward to do a
be seen in the way the movie was
made," he said, adding that the
stardom of "Akshay ji he lped
increase the awareness and take
conversations to the next level".
That has added more power to
his mission.
"I want to create more Pad Men
who can make an impact in socie‑
ty. The movie has contributed
immensely towards this and I
would like to thank Tw inkle,
Akshayji, Balki sir and the entire
team for this," added
Muruganantham.
Muruganantham, who believes
in living a simple life, is using the
new found commercial interest to
spread word about his endeavor.
"We have an initiative called
#StandByHer, aimed at spreading
awareness in menstrual hygiene
digitally and on ground. With the
help of a few like‑minded people,
we create awareness amongst
school students and villages.
"We also distribute pads to
police women, school girls and vil‑
lagers. We are creating various
unique concepts to create aware‑
ness ‑‑ the Pad Man challenge
being one amongst them. We are
also bringing out a multi lingual
song to raise awareness about
menstrual hygiene."

Kerala to unveil world's largest bird sculpture

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala tourism will
inaugurate the world's largest bird sculp‑
ture, Jatayu Earth's Centre, in
Thiruvananthapuram on July 4, Tourism
Minister Kadakampally Surendran said.
The replica of the bird 'Jatayu' ‑‑ a char‑
acter in the Ramayana ‑‑ is 200 feet long,
150 feet wide, 65 feet tall and is posi‑
tioned right at the top of a rock situated
1,000 feet above sea level. The sculpture,
spread over 65 acres in
Thiruvananthapuram, has been built at a
cost of Rs 100 crore.
"This has been the work of film‑maker
In the epic Ramayana
Rajiv Anchal and this project was declared when Jatayu sees
under built‑operate‑transfer basis during
the previous Left government in 2006,"
Ravana abducting Sita,
said Surendran. he tries to rescue her.
"All these years he was working for this Jatayu fought valiantly
and on July 4, this would be thrown open The 'Jatayu' sculpture is 200 feet long, 150 feet wide, 65 feet tall and is positioned
to the public. Even now it's ready, but right at the top of a rock in Thiruvananthapuram.
with Ravana, but as he
since rains are expected anytime, we have was very old Ravana
decided to inaugurate in July," added The museum and a 6D theatre inside the is the place where the mythical bird
Surendran. sculpture will open in November, as the 'Jatayu' fell after its wings were slain by soon got the better
Anchal, an award‑winning filmmaker, 10‑minute film which tells the tale of Ravana. The state government, apart from of him.
selected the project site as the place has Jatayu is being made in Hollywood and of fering the land for a 30‑year lease,
some myths associated with it. would be screened here for the visitors," spent Rs 10.25 crore for infrastructure be reviewed once in three years. The proj‑
"One can reach the top of the rock from said Anchal. development. ect will be handed over to the government
the car park via a cable car that has come According to the legend the ro ck, "Two per cent of the revenue will be after 30 years. At a time the complex can
from Switzerland and is already installed. 'Jatayupara', where the structure is based, given to the state government and it will hold 5,000 people," added Anchal.
 24 June 2-8, 2018 FEATURES TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Inequality in India can be seen from outer space

A
re night lights on earth
captured by satellites from
outer space a good way to
measure inequality?
Economists Praveen
Chakravarty and Vivek Dehejia
certainly believe so. They acquired
images grabbed by satellites from
the US Air Force Defence
Meteorological Satellite
Programme. These satellites circle
the earth 14 times a day and
record lights from the earth's sur‑
face at night with sensors. They
superimposed a map depicting
India's districts on their images,
allowing them to develop a unique
data set of luminosity values, by
district and over time.
Using data generated by the
night lights, they studied 387 of
640 districts in 12 states. These
districts account for 85% of India's
population and 80% of its GDP.
Some 87% of parliamentary seats
are in these districts. Using the
novel methodology, the econo‑
mists documented income diver‑
gence in India.
average just a fifth as bright as the
big cities of Mumbai and
Bangalore.
Also, 90% of all the districts are
just a third as bright in the night
as the top 10% of all districts. And
the ratio has worsened between
1992 ‑ a year after India
embraced economic reforms ‑ and
2013. While the pre‑1991 years
show a modest trend towards con‑
vergence of income between dif‑
ferent states, the years after show
widening divergence. By 2014, the
economists found, the average
person in the three richest states
(Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra)
was three times as rich as the
average person in the three poor‑
Most of India is dark at night because there is little economic activity est states (Bihar, Uttar Pradesh
going on. Some 380 districts in 12 states were on average just a fifth as and Madhya Pradesh).
bright as the big cities of Mumbai and Bangalore. Economists also tell "What we find is that both
us that the average person in the three richest states of Kerala, Tamil across states and across districts
Nadu, Maharashtra is three times as rich as the average person in the
with each state, this is a wide, and
three poorest states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
widening disparity in economic
Most of India is dark at night space also showed that the states activity. No, it is not that the rich
because there is little economic are becoming more unequal getting richer and the poor getting
activity going on. But the delicate between and within them. Some poorer, but that the poor are not
tracery of lights as seen from 380 districts in 12 states were on getting richer fast enough to close
the gap with the already rich,"
says Dr Dehejia, a senior fellow at
the Mumbai‑based think tank IDFC
Institute. In other words, less
developed states are falling behind
the more prosperous states.
So why are disparities within
India rising even as standards of
living are going up? Some econo‑
mists believe it could be due to
poor governance and lack of ade‑
quate skills for jobs in poorer
areas. But, in the end, it remains a
puzzle. The economists find this
worrying. In a large and complex
country like India, they warn, this
could "easily lead to social dishar‑
mony as populous, poorer regions
attempt to extract greater redistri‑
bution from less populous, richer
regions ‑ whether within or across
states".
Dr Dehejia feels it would be a
good idea for the government to
use night lights – which have their
own challenges but are getting
better ‑‑ as a proxy to measure
economic activity in India.
Source: BBC

Yes, it is possible to kick the killer habit

By Dr. Sachin Sinha Cancer, Lung Cancer, iv) Expect urges ‑ When you want to
Smoking Increased risk of heart smoke, wait. After 5 minutes the urge will

T
obacco is a consumer product which
kills half of its consumers. In India,
according to the WHO, 10 to 11 lakh
people die every year due to tobacco use,
either in smoking or smokeless form.
Central and state governments do take
actions to reduce the harm related to tobac‑
co use, actions such as enforcing COTPA or
Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products
(Prohibition of Advertisement and
Regulation of Trade and Commerce,
Production, Supply and Distribution) Act of
2003 or by increasing the taxation on
tobacco products. But it has not been
enough to check the suffering of individu‑
als or families. Smoking is the leading
(90%) cause of lung cancer. Gutkha and
Khaini are the leading cause of cancer of
mouth, tongue & throat. We have to start
anti‑tobacco/anti‑gutkha campaign at
grassroot level and create awareness at
school level.
Factors for tobacco use: Film actors, par‑
ents, teachers, elder brothers, etc smoking
in front of them influence the children. Peer
pressure is another key factor. Stress is
another reason for using licit or illicit drugs
as are lack of individual attention, lack of
proper diet, conflicts with parents over
issues, lack of time management, shift from
school to college, lack of adequate sleep,
exam tension and love affairs.
Patterns of tobacco use: In rural areas in
India: Smokeless tobacco use is more com‑
pared to smoking. In urban areas: Smoking
is more common. Based on socio‑economic
status, Lower income group: Khaini,
Gutkha, Kharra, bidi, Gul, Gudaku; Middle
income group: Non‑filter cigarette, Gutkha;
High income group: Filter cigarette, Dope
and other disease and strokes, be less, distract yourself. Call a friend, run
tobacco High B.P & heart for 5 minutes or fast walk for 10 minutes.
products are rate, Blindness due v) Plan for the future ‑ Weeks or even
very addictive. to carbon monox‑ months after quitting, you might find your‑
It is not easy ide exposure, self thinking, ʻjust one cigarette won't hurt
but absolutely Asthma in chil‑ meʼ. If you slip, figure out why. What tempt‑
possible to quit dren whose par‑ ed you go back? Parties, an argument,
and get back ents smoke, Bone drinking, feeling sad, work pressure? Come
to health. related problems. up with ideas for dealing with these situa‑
Read on Nicotine addiction: tions or feelings the next time you quit.
how… Nicotine is the chemi‑ Tips for staying quit: i) Delay urge to pick
cal present in tobacco up again, ii) Yoga ‑ Deep Breathing exercise
which causes dependency. It for 20 minutes or through Instant relax‑
actually produces physical changes in ation technique (IRT), iii) Drink warm
the smoker's brain. Smokers get hooked on water, iv) Do something else except have a
the taste, smell and feel of a cigarette. cigarette ‑ make yourself busy.
People who begin smoking at an early age Withdrawal Syndrome: Irritability‑ frus‑
are more likely to develop severe nicotine tration & anger, Anxiety, Sleep disturbance,
addiction than those who start later. There Increased appetite & weight gain,
is no safe form of tobacco. Restlessness, difficult concentration.
Why do teens smoke? To feel adult, Enjoy the benefits of quitting: You'll
curiosity, media images, they believe they start to feel better, Your eyes and throat
can stop smoking any time. Teenagers often will be less irritated, You will have more
begin smoking to fit in. Social groups form money and less stress, You will get sick less
when the same employees regularly go out‑ often, Your smoker's cough will go away,
side the work place to smoke during No second hand smoke for your family.
breaks. How will I quit?: Going Cold Turkey,
Quitting tobacco: It isn't always easy. Tapering off, Medication: Nicotine replace‑
But it's absolutely possible with family and ment therapy (NRT) . NRT uses nicotine in
friendsʼ support and doctor treatment. therapeutic doses. Nicotine replacement
Smart steps to quit the habit: Products include NRT Gums, Nicotine
i) Know why you are using tobacco ‑ to patch, Nasal Spray, NRT inhaler, NRT
calm down, when you are angry / Lozenge. Electronic cigarette is not a substi‑
depressed / hungry? tute for conventional cigarette. Research is
ii) Select a good time to quit (Birthday / going on E‑cigarettesʼs pluses and minuses.
(mixing tobacco & marijuana), Filter khaini, marriage anniversary / 1st day at Job)
Pan parag or Rajnigandha. iii) Learn a new habit ‑ Aim for daily phys‑ Dr. Sinha, MDS, MBA, is Tobacco, Drugs &
Diseases: Tobacco products can cause ical activity, do relaxation technique when alcohol de‑addiction therapist; he is General
many a health problem for both smokers you get the craving. Have carrots, broccoli. Secretary, Narain Sewa Sansthan,
and those around them, such as: Mouth Play music. Bangalore.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Kamlesh Patel
aka Daaji
T
hese days we have gurus
for everything – cooking
gurus, management gurus,
as well as spiritual gurus. It is not
surprising as the word ʻguruʼ
simply means ʻteacherʼ or ʻdis‑
peller of darknessʼ. Anyone who
enlightens us about any topic
can be called a guru.
What about in the field of spiri‑
tuality? Swami Vivekananda said,
“The Guru is the bright mask
which God wears in order to
come to us. As we look steadily
on, gradually the mask falls off
and God is revealed.” This sounds
so noble, whereas gurus do not
always appear noble. Some have
bad press, and many people see
spirituality as a commercialized
business of yoga merchants
charging seekers for enlighten‑
ment or breathing exercises.
My first guru, Ram Chandra of
Shahjahanpur, always said God is
not for sale. Back in the 1940s,
he wrote about gurus in his book
Reality at Dawn: “Generally, peo‑
ple select anyone for the pur‑
pose, without any regard to his
capabilities or worth. … The dis‑
ciple‑hunters are not wanting.
They are as numerous as the
leaves of a tree, for to most of
them gurudom is a very prof‑
itable job that can secure enor‑
mous income, which they cannot
otherwise earn.
Besides, they command the
highest respect and personal
service from their disciples. The
ignorant masses thus fall a ready
prey to these self‑seeking profes‑
sionals.”
So if you are a seeker wanting
guidance for your inner journey,
what should you look for?
You will find the full range of
quality among gurus today, from
quacks and charlatans to
inspired, experienced teachers of
calibre, who can take a seeker to
the Ultimate state. In between
there are those who lecture and
teach from books, and those who
offer practices without the back‑
ing of spiritual essence.
Spiritual realization is the
awakening of the soul, and this
results from practical training.
Knowledge on its own is of little
use. A guru of calibre connects a
seeker with God and removes the
obstacles and intricacies that
block the path. As we continue
on the journey we pass through
various chakras and the interven‑
ing spaces between them, and at
times the conditions become slip‑
pery, requiring a push from the
guru to move us forwards.
Moving from one yogic chakra to
another always changes the state
of consciousness, whether one
goes up or down the ladder of
chakras.
The failure of many teachers is
due to their inability to transmit
the conditions that are found at
SPIRITUALITY June 2-8, 2018 25
On choosing a guru
Sensible yet profound advice from the fourth in the line of Raja Yoga Masters in
the Sahaj Marg system of spiritual practice of Shri Ram Chandra Mission. Born
in Gujarat, Daaji lived in New York for many years and is now based in India.
K
the different stages on the path. AMLESH D. PATEL is
A real teacher gives the true known widely as Daaji.
impulse to awaken the soul and His teachings arise from
supports our journey on the path his personal experience on the
of realization. The result is a path of Heartfulness, while
superfine state of perfect tran‑ reflecting his deep spirit of
quillity and moderation in com‑ inquiry and respect for the
plete harmony with nature. worldʼs great spiritual tradi‑
The power of transmission is a tions and scientific advance‑
yogic attainment of a very high ments. Daaji practised pharma‑
order, by which a yogi infuses cy in New York City for over
Godly essence and removes any‑ three decades before being
thing unwanted or detrimental to named the successor in a centu‑
spiritual progress. He can trans‑ ry‑old lineage of spiritual mas‑
mit to those around him, and to ters. Fulfilling the many duties
those who are far away. of a modern‑day guru, he trav‑
Transmission changes the entire els widely, extending his sup‑
nature of a person. port to spiritual seekers every‑
Every guru has his own level of where. A self‑professed student
attainment and elevation, so of spirituality, he devotes much
when we attach ourselves to a of his time and energy to
guru we can attain the corre‑ research in the field of con‑
sponding elevation. sciousness and spirituality,
A guru is fit only when he does approaching the subject with
not entertain the slightest scientific methodology – a prac‑
impression of being a guru. If tical approach that stems from
there is even a hint, it indicates a his own experience and mas‑
feeling of self‑importance or tery in the field.
greatness. As long as the idea of
self‑importance remains in the
T
heart, he remains separate from he turbulence of the modern world has per‑
the rest of the Godly kingdom. meated into many of our hearts, causing us
How then can he help others
to live without a sense of purpose or fulfill‑
connect with Reality? It is ego of
ment. The order of the day is for each of us to
the worst type, whereas the real
Master creates masters!
reclaim our birthright of inner peace, joy, and ful‑
Ultimately, God is the real guru, fillment.
but as it is difficult for us to con‑ Through ʻThe Heartfulness Wayʼ, Daaji, the spiri‑
nect with God we seek the help tual master who humbly considers himself yet a
of a fellow being who is connect‑ seeker, takes us through the practical aspects of
ed with the Ultimate. the Heartfulness System of Meditation with Yogic
The ideal guru remains the Transmission, as he prepares us to embark on the
humblest servant of God, serving
exhilarating journey deep into ourselves in pursuit
humanity in the name of the
of the profound and unfathomable stillness, peace,
Divine.
A true guru is free from any
and joy of a silent heart.
personal motive, selfish interest, Considered a “must‑read” by Dr. Sanjay Gupta of
or feeling of pride or greatness. CNN fame, the Heartfulness Way releases in the
He is selfless, filled with pure United States on June 1 and can be pre‑ordered at
love, without need for name, http://theheartfulnessway.com/us/
fame or money. He can access
the farthest possible limit and
has the power of yogic transmis‑
sion.
How to select a guru? Imagine
a scenario where you are seated
by the fire, do you feel its
warmth? With the same logic,
ask yourself, “Does his associa‑
tion promote a feeling of peace
and calmness in me, if he is him‑
self at peace at least?” Also, when
you are with him, are the restless
tendencies of your mind silenced
without any weight or effect
upon it? If so, he is fit to lead you
on the path.
May your spiritual quest be ful‑
filled.
26 June 2-8, 2018 HERITAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

The Magic of Vedic Mathematics Part 16

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.

Continued on page 27
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Short‑term visits DO NOT equal
Permanent Residence opportunities
By Michael Phulwani, Esq.
& Dev B. Viswanath, Esq.
O TALK
n August 1, 2017, the
Department of State
(DOS) revised its Foreign
Affairs Manual (FAM) and expand‑
ed the previous “30/60 day” rule
to a 90‑day threshold. This is new
guidance for how consular offi‑
cers should make determinations
of inadmissibility under INA
212(a)(6)(C). Previously, the rule
was that if a person who entered
on a non‑immigrant visa, like a
visitor visa or visa waiver, filed for
permanent residence within 30
days of entry, there was an irre‑
buttable presumption that they
committed fraud/misrepresenta‑
tion. If the person filed within 30‑
60 days of entry, there was a
rebuttable presumption of fraud,
which the applicant had the bur‑
den of proving otherwise. If after
60 days, there was no legal pre‑
sumption, although Immigration
would still be able to ask ques‑
tions as to the applicantʼs inten‑
tions when entering. In order to
find an alien inadmissible under
INA 212(a)(6)(C)(i), it must be
determined that: (1) there has
been a misrepresentation made
by the applicant; (2) the misrepre‑
sentation was willfully made; (3)
Continued from page 26
the fact misrepresented is materi‑
al; and (4) the alien by using fraud
or misrepresentation seeks to pro‑
cure, has sought to procure, or
has procured a visa, other docu‑
mentation, admission into the
United States, or other benefit
provided under the INA.
Under the new rule a presump‑
tion of willful misrepresentation is
established “if an alien violates or
engaged in conduct inconsistent
with his or her nonimmigrant sta‑
tus within 90 days of entry.” 9
FAM 302.9‑4 gives the following
examples of "conduct that violates
or is otherwise inconsistent with
an alien's nonimmigrant status,"
for purposes of applying the 90‑
day rule (i) engaging in unautho‑
rized employment; (ii) enrolling in
a course of academic study, if
such study is not authorized for
that nonimmigrant classification;
(iii) a nonimmigrant in B or F sta‑
tus, or any other status prohibit‑
ing immigrant intent, marrying a
United States citizen or lawful per‑
manent resident and taking up
IMMIGRATION
residence in the United States; or
(iv) undertaking any other activity
for which a change of status or an
adjustment of status would be
required, without the benefit of
such a change or adjustment. If
any of these actions occur within
90 days of entry a consular offi‑
cer "may presume that the appli‑
cant's representations about
engaging in only status‑compliant
activity were willful misrepresen‑
tations of his or her intention in
seeking a visa or entry."
A consular offer must request
an Advisory Opinion from the
Advisory Opinion Division of the
Office of Legal Affairs in the Visa
Office of the Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs in
order to make a finding of inad‑
missibility for misrepresentation
under the 90‑day rule. Under 9
FAM 302.9‑4 when more than 90
days pass there is no presumption
of willful misrepresentation.
The prior “30/60‑day rule” and
the current 90‑day rule have a
few similarities and differences.
Under the new rule the window
during which an activity contra‑
dictory to the initial visa classifi‑
cations could trigger inadmissibil‑
ity under INA 212(a)(6)(C) is 90
days as opposed to 30 days. The
new rule applies the same “rea‑
Answers
June 2-8, 2018 27
sonable belief” standard to incon‑ ing their own independent deter‑
sistent activities that occur after minations and adjudications.
90 days of entry to determine if Volume 8, Part J of the USCIS
the alien misrepresented him or Policy Manual directs USCIS offi‑
herself. Under the prior rule if a cers that "as long as there is a rea‑
status violation or inconsistent sonable evidentiary basis to con‑
activity occurred after 60 days of clude that a person is inadmissi‑
entry than the DOS did not solely ble for fraud or willful misrepre‑
consider that activity as conduct sentation, and the applicant has
to constitute inadmissibility. not overcome that reasonable
However, under the new rule basis with evidence, the officer
there is no limit on when an should find the applicant inadmis‑
inconsistent activity or status vio‑ sible.”
lation occurring after 90 days will Granting that USCIS has not yet
give rise to "reasonable belief " updated its Policy Manual to
that the alien misrepresented his reflect the change to the 90‑day
or her intent. Although the DHS, rule, applicants for USCIS benefits
USCIS, ICE, and CBP are not should be mindful that they may
bound by the policies of another be asked to present evidence to
agency, DOS, they are allowed to explain any misrepresentation
consider such policies when mak‑ concerns that USCIS may have.
Dev Banad Viswanath is the Principal
Attorney of The Banad Law Offices PC in the
United States, and Banad Immigration in
India for which Attorney Michael Phulwani is
also affiliated as Of Counsel. With Offices in
Manhattan, Queens, Bangalore, and Mumbai,
the firm is able to assist clients with all facets
of the immigration process, including
Employment Visas, Consular Visa Assistance,
Student Visas, Removal & Deportation, US
Citizenship and Green Card Applications
based on Family or Employment. Dev B.
Viswanath can be reached at
Dev@Banadlaw.com and 718‑361‑5999.
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 infor‑
mation, Mr R.P.
Jain, email:
mlbd@mlbd.
com. US
distributor:
southasia‑
books@gmail.
com
To be continued
in the following
issues of The
South Asian
Times.
28 June 2-8 2018 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Side by Nury Vittachi

In Asia, anything furry

can be sold as a 'puppy'

BEST
RATE (Image: eventfinda.co.nz)
FOR
T
his columnist's daughter brought While waiting for my daughter's thing to

INDIA home a strange fuzzy creature that

she said was a dog she was looking
slaughter my family, I checked my email to
find a dog‑related news story sent in by a

AND after to earn pocket money, but I've seen

Gremlins, Ghoulies, Critters, Troll, Chucky et
reader. A householder left his dog to guard
his home when he went out. A burglar broke

PAKISTAN al. It's always the small, innocent‑looking

things that rise up and kill you in the night.
Asia is relatively new to pet‑ownership
and so it's easy to claim that pretty much
New York Head Quarter anything furry is a puppy ‑‑ skunks, rac‑
coons, capybaras, giant tarantulas, wigs,
422‑S Broadway
floor mops, mouldy meat and certain types
HICKSVILLE of deciduous shrubs.
NY 11801 A news report is circulating at the moment
about a family in China's Yunnan province
516‑827‑1010 whose "puppy" grew up to be a 115‑kilo
bear. But regular readers of this column will
know that this happens regularly in that
country, and I would be more surprised by a
headline which said: "Puppy Sold As Puppy
In China Actually Was One."
in and the dog simply followed the man
around, wagging his tail. The whole thing
was captured on a security video, which
quickly went viral on the Internet.
This didn't surprise me at all. This colum‑
nist has an old dog who barks ferociously at
family members, but gives strangers a
friendly licking. A vet once told me that a
dog's brain was the size of a walnut, but
that's an insult to walnuts. You read about
some dogs being able to smell things on
other planets, but mine can't find a chunk of
meat she's sitting on.
It was a good thing that the burglar inci‑
dent happened in the United States.
Housebreakers who enter homes in China to
be jumped on by bottom‑wagging grizzly
bears with names like Rover and Buddy may

Laughter is the Best Medicine find it an unpleasant surprise.

By Mahendra
Shah
Mahendra Shah is an
architect by education,
entrepreneur by
profession, artist
and humorist,
cartoonist and writer
by hobby. He has been
recording the plight of
the immigrant Indians
for the past many year
in his cartoons. Hailing
from Gujarat,
he lives in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania.
Some Chinese zoos exploit this unfamiliar‑
ity. In 2013, a zoo in the People's Park of
Luohe, Henan province, displayed a suspi‑
ciously small creature in the enclosure
labelled "African Lion". When visitors
approached, it started barking ‑‑ revealing
itself to be a dog with its fur trimmed to
look like a mane. The zoo's leopard was a
fox and its wolf a mongrel.
Is your dog a bear? To know for sure, just
listen to it. Bears, like married men, commu‑
nicate entirely by grunting. Dogs bark ‑ but
having traveled a lot, this writer knows that
they sound different depending on where
you come from. Indonesians say hounds go:
"guk‑guk" (except in Bali where they go
"kong‑kong"). In Hindi, it's "bow‑bow", in
Sinhala "buh‑buh" and in Thai "hong‑hong".
Americans hear dog sounds as "woof‑woof".
I think I would give the prize for accuracy to
the Chinese, who claim dogs say, "Houh!
Houh!" and the least accurate to the British,
who hear hounds going: "Bow‑wow".
Meanwhile, my daughter's temporary dog‑
like thing spent the evening trying to gnaw
on a large bone. Unfortunately it did not
seem to realize that my left tibia was still in
regular use.
Tonight this writer may have to replace it
with a cunningly selected deciduous shrub.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY June 2-8, 2018 29

Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874

By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com

JUNE 2‑8, 2018

ARIES: Your participation will be much
appreciated, so go all out. At work, you
may try to get your way, but someone
may not allow you to do so. A family member,
splurging your hard earned money, needs to
be controlled, but it may not be as easy as it
sounds.
Those incommunicado with spouse need to
work on a compromise. You may feel envious
of someone gaining popularity on the social
front. Health needs care.
TAURUS: It will be fun enjoying the
limelight, so enjoy while it lasts! You
will manage a position where you call
the shots on the professional front. Additional
authority will be your reward for your contri‑
bution to the organisation you work for.
Remaining slim and trim may become your
aim and you will go all out to achieve it. A
chance meeting with an opposite number
shows much promise on the romantic front. A
fun trip is on the cards.
GEMINI: Keep some spare time up your
sleeve, as you may require it this week.
Unusual behaviour of a family member
may puzzle you, but donʼt read too much into
it. You may be reluctant to take anybodyʼs
advice in organising something at home. At
work, you may resent a rival being favoured
by superiors, but your turn will come too, if
you can match his or her performance. Public
transport may not be the best choice to enjoy
a journey.
CANCER: You may have a problem on
your hands this week at work, so
focus on solving it. A conscious effort
on your part will help boost earning and sta‑
bilise the financial front. Keep a light and
relaxed attitude towards life, especially this
week, to cope with everyday tensions. Family
life will give immense fulfillment as you spend
time together. You will need to curb your lack
of persistence and sharpen your focus to suc‑
ceed on the professional front.
LEO: If you have the will, you are cer‑
tain to find a way, so donʼt lose heart.
Your organisational powers will be
much in evidence on the home front. Someone
on the social front may go ga‑ga over you and
fill you with self‑pride. Meeting targets on the
professional front, much before deadline, is
like ly to g ive you an edge over others.
Financially, you grow stronger by wise invest‑
ments and savings. Health improves by eating
right.
VIRGO: If you donʼt mingle, you are
likely to remain single! Your concerns
may not be addressed on the profes‑
sional front and make you impatient. Change
of option is indicated on the academic front
for some.
Your lifestyle may get a bit extravagant, so go
slow on spending. Something you feel is being
thrust upon you on the family front may keep
you mentally upset. Tie up with someone, if
you want a trip out of town.
LIBRA: You will be in for a pleasant
surprise this week. Loverʼs proximity
may get you into a romantic mood, so
enjoy! Some delay may be caused in an ongo‑
ing project on the professional front, but you
will be able to complete it in time. You may
need to be a bit assertive in having your way
on the social front, as someone is out to side‑
line you. Financially, you will remain in a com‑
fortable situation, as money flows in.
SCORPIO: You may need assistance in
completing something, so donʼt feel
reluctant to ask. A loss making venture
can put your financial front in doldrums, so
review it. Soft pedaling an important issue can
get you into trouble at work, so accord it the
priority it deserves and act accordingly.
Unwanted advice given to youngsters runs the
risk of being rejected outright. Getting back
into shape is the need of the hour. You get
your way on the social front.
SAGITTARIUS: Extra workload may
affect what you have currently under‑
taken. Your financial situation is likely
to improve. Following your peers on the fit‑
ness front will prove most beneficial in retain‑
ing perfect health. You may waste time this
week in waiting for an appointment with
someone important on the professional front.
Find out if you have the aptitude for whatever
you have opted for on the academic front and
then move ahead. Limit social interaction to
devote more time to serious issues.
CAPRICORN: You may need to take
help from someone, who is generally
not cooperative. Doctors, engineers and
other professionals can expect a satisfying peri‑
od, both professionally and monetarily. Not
catering to spouseʼs mood is likely to create an
ugly scene, so donʼt get on his or her wrong
side. Spending on something you badly need,
can prove heavy on the pocket. A sporting activ‑
ity will help bring back your energy and
strength.
AQUARIUS: This is not the right oppor‑
tunity to take the plunge. Do something
about a situation before it gets out of
hand on the academic front. You may end up
sinking your money by using guesswork in play‑
ing the stocks. Difficulties are foreseen for busi‑
nesspersons trying to raise capital for a project.
Good networking may bring a prized posting
within reach of those in uniform. Generating
enthusiasm amongst the family members will be
important, before taking up a new initiative.
PISCES: You will manage to overcome
the hiccups faced in organising some‑
thing important. Attending a celebrity
do or a prestigious event is on the cards for
some. A surprise on the romantic front is all set
to delight you. Travelling with family and
friends is indicated and will prove lots of fun.
Your professional competence may get you
amongst the top few in your organisation.
Financially, you are likely to go from strength to
strength. Buying new property is possible.

2nd June, 2018
Traits in you: As dominated by the
Moon, you are very peace loving. You
do not want to get involved in unneces‑
sary talks. You are reliable, emotional,
generous, humble, kind, mature, and
optimistic. However, you need to eradi‑
cate selfishness from your nature to
improve as an individual.
Health this year: As far as your
health is considered you may go
through minor health issues this year.
However, regular medical checkups and
proper medication will solve this prob‑
lem. You may go for Yoga and medita‑
tion classes to remain healthy.
Finance this year: Your financial con‑
ditions will be very stagnant this year.
As you will not earn much or spend
much, you will lead a peaceful life in
money matters. You may invest for
future. Do not lend or borrow money
from your friends or colleagues.
Career this year: You will be success‑
ful professionally this year. You will be
additional responsibility and you will
well execute them to perfection. Your
success may get you various awards
and rewards as well. You may share
your ideas with the higher manage‑
ment as it would help you grow quick‑
ly.
Romance this year: You may get
some good news from your spouse or
partner later this week. This will make
your relationship grow stronger. You
may have to travel to distant places to
spend time youʼre your partner and
maintain a good relationship.
3rd June, 2018
Traits in you: Being ruled by Jupiter,
you are courteous, courageous, deci‑
sive, ambitious, disciplined, and realis‑
tic. You are gifted with high imagina‑
tion power, optimism, and enthusiasm.
However, behaving restless and domi‑
nating may hamper your characteris‑
tics at times. You need to work on your
personality to make yourself better as
an individual.
Health this year: As far as health is
concerned, you will be enjoying a pret‑
ty good health this year. However,
some of your family members may fall
sick and that will bother you.
Finance this year: You may try your
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
entrepreneurship skills this year and
you will be successful unexpectedly.
You will be able to get many projects,
which you help you establish as a good
businessperson. You should go for
investments in real estate and stock
market.
Career this year: You will get enough
opportunities in your professional life
to prove yourself. You will create a bet‑
ter impression on your seniors or high‑
er management, which may result in
promotion. You should work efficiently
to maintain your respect at your work‑
space.
Romance this year: You will spend a
peaceful life with your love interest this
year. You will lead a blissful life with
your beloved with lots of love, care,
concern, and support.
4th June, 2018
Traits in you: The influence of your
ruling planet Uranus makes you active,
practical, enthusiastic, courageous,
ambitious, and highly philosophical.
You are very proud of your traditions,
culture and rituals. You are highly reli‑
gious and have a very sharp mind.
However, you need to work on your
impatient and stubborn behavior.
Health this year: You should take
your prescribed medication in spite of a
better health. The health of your par‑
ents may make you a worried person.
Finance this year: Your undisputed
energy and enthusiasm to earn money
will make you financially stable this
year. You may go for property sale this
year and earn a lot of money.
Career this year: You will get new
heights in your profession because of
your excellent communication skills.
Your employer would be very
impressed and will admire you. You
may get few extra responsibilities and
salary will also increase. You will get
expert in your domain and you must go
for learning new things in your profes‑
sion.
Romance this year: Your relationship
with your spouse or partner will blos‑
som this year. If you are not married,
you may have to wait for few more
years thoug h you are e lig ible for
marriage.
5th June, 2018
Traits in you: As you are influenced
by your ruling planet Mercury, you are
intelligent, unique, sensible, business
oriented, dignified, optimistic and
charismatic. You are also pretty warm‑
hearted and friendly. However, you
need not be restless and impatient
always to get your things done.
Health this year: You will enjoy a bet‑
ter health this year as compared to last
year. However, the health of an aged
family member may deteriorate and
that will make you bothered. You may
end up spending lot of money for the
health issues of your family members.
Finance this year: You may go for a
property transaction this year and this
will bring you a lot of money. You need
to be decisive to invest on real estate or
gold as there are risks involved. Do not
trust any of your new partners as they
may cheat you. You may spend enough
money on buying a vehicle or renovat‑
ing your property.
Career this year: You need to work
hard to prove yourself in your profes‑
sion. Do not take up minor issues to an
escalat ion. Try and brush up you
knowledge and skills to perform more
efficiently. You may go for a job change
during the last months of the year.
Romance this year: You will share a
good relationship with your spouse.
You may decide to turn your relation‑
ship into marriage if you are not mar‑
ried yet. However, you need to under‑
stand your beloved and provide the
required emotional support for the bet‑
terment of your relationship.
6th June, 2018
Traits in you: Your ruling planet
Venus makes optimistic, ambitious, car‑
ing, aspiring, and determined. You are
very social and love to make new
friends and get into new relationships.
You are a huge follower of intelligence
and education.
Health this year: You will enjoy a
pretty good health this year. You need
to take care of the health of your family
members. You need to take extra care
of your health if you are having some
chronic diseases. You may go for
domestic healthcare instead of allo‑
pathic medicines as it will give better
results for your ailments and save your
money as well.
Finance this year: Your innovative
ideas to earn money may not meet your
expectations. However, you need to
keep trying until you succeed. You will
find it tough to make money this year.
You may go for investments in various
sectors like shares, gold, land and so
on.
Career this year: You will get new
heights in your profession because of
your excellent communication skills.
Your employer would be very
impressed and will admire you. You
may get few extra responsibilities and
salary will also increase. You will get
expert in your domain and you must go
for learning new things in your profes‑
sion.
Romance this year: Your relationship
with your partner may reach to new
heights this year as your love, trust,
care and concern will develop towards
your beloved. You may get married
towards the end of this year if you are
yet to marry.
7th June, 2018
Traits in you: As you are governed by
planet Neptune, you are blessed with
various positive characters. You are
confident, decisive, generous, humor‑
ous, honest, modest and optimistic. You
are not an admirer of arguments or
silly fights. You should work on your
nature of being selfish, pessimistic, and
arrogant.
Health this year: You will enjoy a bet‑
ter health this year as compared to last
year. However, the health of an aged
family member may deteriorate and
that will make you bothered. You may
end up spending lot of money for the
health issues of your family members.
Finance this year: You may get bene‑
fits from your investments later this
year. This year seems to be an ideal one
to start investing in business, land or
gold. Your efforts to earn money may
pay off this time. You may go for new
partnerships. However, you should veri‑
fy the financial background of your
partner for your financial security.
Career this year: You will be success‑
ful professionally this year. You will be
additional responsibility and you will
well execute them to perfection. Your
success may get you various awards
and rewards as well. You may share
your ideas with the higher management
as it would help you grow quickly.
Romance this year: 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.
8th June, 2018
Traits in you: Your governing planet
Saturn makes you confident, unique,
creative, dynamic, and intelligent. You
are determined enough to perform any
task assigned to you. So you always
remain a step ahead from others. Along
all your good characteristics, you have
few negative characters as well. You
need to work on your unreliability,
insensitiveness, and selfishness.
Health this year: Though you would
not face any major health re lated
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: Though you will be
able to improve your financial status,
you may end up spending a lot of
money in buying luxury and comfort
for yourself and your family. You may
put your money in real estate for better
returns.
Career this year: You should take
inputs from senior and experienced
professionals to learn new things and
grow professionally. Act diplomatically
if you have some professional issues.
Getting emotional and aggressive
would not work though.
Romance this year: You may go
through minor personal disturbances
and these could be solved by talking
more to your partner. Do not let the
distance grow. Get some time to talk to
your spouse. You may plan a long trip
with your partner to strengthen your
relationship.
30 June 2-8, 2018
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
O
ne of the subtlest and
trickiest blockages to over‑
come is ego. Ego is the
mindʼs way of keeping us from hav‑
ing contact with our spiritual
nature. Ego manifests in many
forms: pride of wealth, pride of
knowledge, pride of beauty and
pride of power.
We may suf fer from the ego of
wealth in which we are proud of
how much money we have or our
expensive possessions. We may
have ego of knowledge in which we
become proud of how much we
know or the number of educational
degrees we have. We lack humility
and think we are the source of all
knowledge and look down on oth‑
ers who know less than we do.
There is also the ego of beauty. We
may flaunt our looks to such a
degree that we make others who
are not as beautiful feel inferior.
We can become an egoist when we
Take an inner voyage
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
A
vacation of fers a chance
to take a break from the
stresses of daily living. We
usually seek places that are relax‑
ing, enjoyable, and beautiful. Yet
going on an outer vacation is
often stressful. We have to earn
money for the trip; book tickets;
undergo the rigors of trave l,
whether by road, train, bus, or air;
find the right accommodations
and food service; and face unex‑
pected inclement weather. Often,
we return from a vacation more
exhausted than we had left.
What if we could experience a
vacation that did not cost any‑
thing and in which we could
instantly travel to and experience
unimaginable vistas more beauti‑
ful than anything ever seen in this
world? W hat if that vacation
filled us with relaxation of our
body, mind, and spirit, and had
the added benefit of putting us
into the states of tremendous
love, joy and bliss? What if we
could tap into a restful peace that
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Ego ‑‑‑‑ edging God out
talk too much about ourselves or
think too much about ourselves.
Outer beauty fades with age. If
we do not have the beauty of spirit,
few will be attracted to our outer
beauty as wrinkles appear on our
face. Knowledge is also temporary,
for it changes every year. What we
learnt in the elementary school
maybe obsolete today. Wealth can
disappear with the changes in the
economy. Stocks and bonds may
lose value or a serious illness may
drain our finances.
The harm caused by ego is that it
boosts up our mental and physical
attributes, worldly positions and
possessions while it negates God,
who is the true Giver of these gifts.
It causes us to forget our true self
and God. Rooting out ego takes
understanding and a firm grip on
the mind. If our attention is on the
outer being, our personality, looks,
mind, or possessions, then we are
certainly not going to be focusing
on our soul. The soul is the source
of all beauty, wisdom, and wealth,
but we remain bereft of these gifts
as long as we are filled with
thoughts of our body and mind.
Our soul is free of ego. Thus, it is
free from fear of the vicissitudes of
life. Empowering our soul means
we free ourselves from reliance on
outer sources of pride to make us
happy. Rather, we live in a state of
eternal happiness with the state of
our soul, because it is one with the
Many enlightened beings, saints, mystics, and
spiritual masters have taken this inner voyage.
(Image courtesy: pinterest.com)
washed away our troubles and
stayed with us even when we
Ego is the mind’s way of keeping us from having
contact with our spiritual nature. Ego manifests in
many forms: pride of wealth, pride of knowledge,
pride of beauty and pride of power.
Lord. It is said that among the asce‑
tics and monks, the last enemy they
must conquer is the ego. They may
give up desire for material posses‑
sions, they may give up lust, anger,
greed and attachment. But if they
pride themse lves on giving up
these things, they are still caught in
the net of ego. That is how ego
imperceptibly rears its ugly head.
It is said by the mystics, “Where I
am God is not. Where God is I am
not.” In Sikh scriptures it is
written:
returned from the journey? What
if we could take this trip anytime
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
(Image : desiseni.com)
Where egoism exists, Thou are
not experienced,
Where Thou art, is not egoism.
You who are learned, expound in
your mind
This inexpressible proposition.
(Adi Granth, Maru‑ki‑Var,M.1,
p1092)
If God and the soul are one, there
is no question of I and Thou. Both
are Thou.
When we eliminate ego‑‑‑‑ I‑ness
is gone, and there is no separation
between the soul and God.
we wanted, as many times as we
wished, by just closing our eyes?
This is not science fiction. This
journey is not imaginary. Many
enlightened beings, saints, mys‑
tics, and spiritual masters have
taken this inner voyage. Through
the ages, the spiritual journey
was large ly a mystery to the
masses, but was known to the dis‑
ciples through an oral tradition
whereby Masters passed on the
travel directions for this journey.
This experience is still avail‑
able today to all who want to
undertake this incredible voyage.
The way within is through medi‑
tation. Meditation is the art of
inverting our attention from the
world outside to that within.
Sightseeing in the physical world
may attract our senses with inter‑
est ing and beaut iful sig hts,
sounds, smells, tastes, and feel‑
ings. Yet inner sightseeing dazzles
us. The inner voyage thrills our
soul with bliss, love and joy that
far surpass any sensory delights
experienced in this physical
world.
(For more visit www.sos.org)
Yoga and
meditation
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
T
here are many forms
of yoga. Some forms
of yoga deal with con‑
trolling the bodily functions.
In our body we have two cur‑
rents. We have the motor
currents and the sensory
currents flowing through our
bodies. The motor currents
keep us alive, by controlling
our involuntarily body func‑
tions, such as the growth of
our nails and hair, our
breathing, and our blood cir‑
culation.
In meditation on the inner
Light and Sound, one does
not practice the control of
the motor currents for tran‑
scending the body. The
motor currents are allowed
to go on by themselves so
that the process by which we
survive in this world is not
tampered with. Instead, we
withdraw the sensory cur‑
rents. The sensory currents
give us sensation in the
body. It is the sensory cur‑
rents which make us aware
of the sense of sight, hearing,
smell, taste, and touch. If we
withdraw our sensory cur‑
rents from the outside world,
and collect them at the eye‑
focus, we will be able to trav‑
el to the realms within.
Meditation is, in reality, a
process of concentration. It
is so simple and natural that
it can be practiced by a
young child or the elderly, by
a healthy person or someone
with a physical disability.
Meditation does not require
any asanas or difficult pos‑
tures or any rigorous physi‑
cal activity. It is a nondenom‑
inational technique that has
been practiced by people of
all religions and faiths, cul‑
tures, and backgrounds, as a
science. It is open to one and
all, and has been offered as a
free gift by the spiritual
Masters who have come
throughout the ages. It is up
to us whether we wish to
merely read about the
realms beyond, or experi‑
ence them. The saints tell us
that being made of matter,
the physical body deterio‑
rates, decays, and is finally
destroyed. But our true self,
which is our spirit or soul, is
eternal. It lives on and on. By
connecting with our soul, we
will have access to the
answers of what awaits us
beyond.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info June 2-8, 2018

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info June 2-8, 2018