The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e
Vol.11 No. 15 August 11-17, 2018 80 Cents
Trump warns countries against
doing business with Iran
Washington: President Donald
Trump on Tuesday issued a
strong warning to America's
trading partners that anyone
who does business with Tehran
will not be doing business with
Washington, following his admin‑
istration's re‑imposition of sanc‑
tions on Iran.
Trump described the new sanc‑
tions, which hit Iran's access to
dollars, gold and precious metals,
as "the most biting ever
imposed".
"In November they ratchet up
to yet another level," he tweeted.
"Anyone doing business with Iran
will not be doing business with
the US. I am asking for world
peace, nothing less!"
Some re‑imposed sanctions
Sushil Gupta selected
2020‑21 Rotary President
Eminent Rotarian and hotelier will be the 4th Indian
to lead the international humanitarian organization
New Delhi: Sushil Kumar Gupta,
of the Rotary Club of Delhi
Midwest in India, is the selection
of the 16‑member Nominating
Committee for President of
Rotary International for 2020‑
21. He will be declared the presi‑
dent‑nominee on 1 October if no
challenging candidates have
been suggested.
Gupta wants to increase
Rotaryʼs humanitarian impact as
well as the diversity of its mem‑
bership.
“As individuals, we can only do
so much,” Gupta said in a state‑
ment. “But when 1.2 million
Rotarians work together, there is
no limit to what we can achieve,
and in the process, we can truly
BOLLYWOOD 16 BOOKS 23
i n
President Trump has re‑imposed sanctions on Iran, termed as
"psychological warfare by his counterpart, Hassan Rouhani.
already took effect and tougher
ones relating to oil exports will
begin in November. The sanc‑
tions followed the US withdrawal
change the world.”
Gupta has been a Rotarian
since 1977 and has served
Rotary as district governor,
training leader, and resource
group adviser, and as a member,
vice chair, or chair of several
Continued on page 4
FOOD 25
j o u r n a l i s m
New York Edition
from the Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action, also known as the
Continued on page 4
Related stories on pg 12
Switzerland likely to
share HSBC accounts
data in 10 days: FM Goyal
New Delhi: Finance Minister Piyush
Goyal on Tuesday said that Swiss
government is likely to share the
HSBC accounts data in about 10
days, after the Supreme Court of
Switzerland ordered it to share data
with India.
"T he Supreme Court of
Switzerland has ordered the Swiss
government to share with us the
data. In about a week or 10 days,
that is going to get formalized,"
Goyal informed the Rajya Sabha
during Question Hour.
He said that HSBC list was
released somewhere in the year
2010‑11, and from 2011‑12 till
2014, the government kept trying
to make an effort but was stalled by
the Swiss government from getting
any information on the ground that
this is a secret information.
"It is only after this government
came in that we sent our Revenue
Continued on page 4
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India pays
homage to
colossus of
Tamil politics
Chennai: Tens of thousands of
emotionally charged people from
all over Tamil Nadu on Wednesday
paid homage to DMK patriarch M.
Karunanidhi even as his party bat‑
tled legally with the state govern‑
ment for a burial place at the
Marina Beach here.
Led by Governor Banwarilal
Purohit, Chie f Minister K.
Palaniswami, DMK members, lead‑
ers and people from all walks of
life ‑‑ VIPs and others ‑‑filed past
the mortal remains of Karunanidhi
at the Rajaji Hall in the heart of
Chennai.
Meanwhile, in one victory for
DMK against the ruling AIDMK,
the Madras High Court granted
permission to bury Karunanidhi at
Marina Beach next to his mentor
Annaduraiʼs memorial.
M. Karunanidhi
(1924-2018)
Court grants
burial for
DMK patriarch
Karunanidhi
at Marina
Beach in
Chennai
DMK cadres cheer the news.
Earlier, a legal battle reigned as
the AIADMK government late on
Tuesday rejected the request of
DMK and asked them to bury
Karunanidhi on Sardar Patel Road
which is home to memorials dedi‑
cated to Rajaji (C. Rajagopalachari)
and K. Kamaraj.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee flew
into Chennai on Tuesday night, a
host of national leaders, including
Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
were expected to arrive here on
Wednesday to attend the last rites.
Early on Wednesday Deputy
Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam
along with people from dif ferent
walks of life ‑‑ leaders, actors,
industrialists and others ‑‑ paid
Continued on page 4
excellence in journalism
TheSouthAsianTimes.info August 11-17, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
IAAC inducts Dr Mattoo as Chairman
New York: Dr. Nirmal Mattoo has
been appointed by the Board of
IAAC (Indo American Arts
Council) as its new Chairman
effective July 1, 2018. Dr.
Mattooʼs background as a philan‑
thropist supporter of the arts and
artists, educator, humanitarian
doctor and successful business‑
man with a strong track record of
building non‑profit centers of
excellence made him uniquely
qualified to head and lead the
institution.
The announcement was made
at a gala gathering at the Indian
Consulate in New York on July 30
attended by over 160 people
from the arts, media and commu‑
nity. Consul General Ambassador
Sandeep Chakravorty welcomed
the IAAC members in his opening
remarks. The IAAC Board thanked
US continues to welcome NASA names Sunita Williams for first
qualified Indian travelers: space flights on commercial spacecraft
US consul general
Mumbai: As the Trump adminis‑
tration continues to tighten
screws on the H‑1B visa program,
United States consul general in
Mumbai, Edgard Kagan, says his
country encourages and wel‑
comes "qualified Indians".
President Donald Trump is
"very committed" to relations with
India, he told PTI.
"The US continues to be as wel‑
coming as it has always been to
qualified Indian travelers," Kagan
said, adding a record number of
Indians flying to the US last year
proves that people in India are
aware that his country welcomes
them.
"We strongly encourage and
welcome Indians to study in the
US. We believe that Indians study‑
ing in the US and our students
studying in India are part of the
glue that holds our relationship
together," he told PTI.
Indians who are in the US con‑
tinue to have great opportunities
there. The country is aware that
Indians there want to be treated
well.
Responding to another ques‑
tion, he said the US President is
"very committed" to relations with
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
(from left) Sunil Hali, Yakub Mathew, Rakesh Kaul, Anurag Harsh, Aroon Shivdasani,
retiring Executive and Artistic Director of Indo American Arts Council. Consul General
Sandeep Chakravorty, Dr Nirmal Mattoo and Rajeev Kaul at the event.
Aroon Shivdasani, the retiring called Aroon a trailblazer in fos‑
Executive and Artistic Director, tering the arts and the artist com‑
for her services in building IAAC munity as well as a film festival,
into a premiere art and cultural book festival, dance, music and
organization of the Indian art festivals. Aroon Shivdasani
American community. Dr. Mattoo said Dr Mattoo has the fiduciary
Houston: Indian‑origin U.S. astro‑
India. naut Sunita Williams is among the
"I think part of this is making nine astronauts named by NASA
sure we continue to grow trade in who will fly the first missions into
a way that is fair and balanced on space on commercially provided
both sides, part of it is making rockets and capsules, starting next
sure that both the countries con‑ year.
tinue to support investment," he After years of vehicle develop‑
said. ment and building anticipation, the
"We welcome and are thrilled National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) has now put
with the amount of Indian invest‑
the crew in commercial crew space‑
ments that are coming to the US,"
craft.
he added.
Kagan said the US wants to get The space agency announced on
the right policy framework favor‑ Friday that the nine astronauts will
ing investments in both the coun‑ launch on the first crewed test
tries and make sure that ties flights and missions of new com‑
mercial spacecraft built and operat‑
between people of the US and
ed by The Boeing Company and
India remain strong.
SpaceX.
"The president understands all
“Future Commercial Crew astro‑
that Indian‑Americans have done
nauts will be riding to space on
in the United States. He also is
partner vehicles built by SpaceX &
very proud of what the Americans
BoeingSpace,” NASA said in a tweet.
have done in India and I think we
“We are on the brink of launching
want to find ways to highlight
American astronauts on American
that and expand it," he said.
rockets from American soil,” said
On the areas in which the US
NASA Administrator Jim
and India could further strength‑
Bridenstine during the ʻLaunch
en ties, Kagan said, "Having more
Americaʼ announcement.
travel, having more people know
The eight active NASA astronauts
each other, expanding study,
and one former astronaut‑turned‑
expanding partnerships in educa‑
corporate crew member will launch
tional institutions, partnerships
on Boeing CST‑100 Starliner and
between businesses."
August 11-17, 2018
spirit to take the IAAC mission to
the next level. She thanked her
key team members Aseem
Chhabra, Ramneek Kang, Nili
Lakhani, Rohan Gupta, Monty
Kataria, Abhi Chintakunta and
The space agency has announced
that the nine astronauts will
launch on the first crewed test
flights and missions of new
commercial spacecraft built and
operated by The Boeing
Company and SpaceX.
SpaceX Dragoncapsules to the
International Space Station begin‑
ning in 2019.
The missions will mark the first
crewed launches from U.S. soil
since the end of the space shuttle
program in 2011.
“Today, our countryʼs dreams of
greater achievements in space are
within our grasp. This accom‑
plished group of American astro‑
nauts, flying on new spacecraft
developed by our commercial part‑
ners Boeing and SpaceX, will
launch a new era of human space‑
flight,” Mr. Bridenstine said.
NASA has worked closely with
3
Suman Gollamudi as well as many
volunteers. Plaques were present‑
ed to Aroon by Ambassador
Chakravorty and the IAAC.
Dr. Mattoo announced the
appointments of Sunil Hali as new
Executive Director, Rakesh Kaul
as Vice Chairman and Anil Bansal,
Anurag Harshand sas board mem‑
bers.
Dr. Mattoo called Sunil Hali a
leader in South Asian media, art
and entertainment field and mar‑
keting.
Sunil Hali announced a literary
event with author Ramchandra
Guha on October 2nd followed by
music with Ustad Amjad Ali
Khan, and his sons Amaan and
Ayaan Ali at the Carnegie Hall the
same month. The New York
Indian Film Festival will run May
7‑12, 2019.
the companies throughout design,
development and testing to ensure
the systems meet its safety and per‑
formance requirements.
In addition to naming the crews
of the test flights, NASA also
announced the four astronauts who
will fly aboard the first operational
Starliner and Dragon missions to
the space station. Both vehicles
were developed in cooperation
with NASA to deliver crew mem‑
bers to and from the orbiting labo‑
ratory. Josh Cassada, 45, will fly
with Sunita (“Suni”) Williams, 52,
aboard NASAʼs first contracted
Starliner mission. It will be Mr.
Cassadaʼs first spaceflight. Ms.
Williams previously logged 321
days in orbit on two stays aboard
the space station, most recently
returning to the Earth in 2012.
The commercial crew members
took to the stage during an event
led by Bridenstine at the agencyʼs
Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Mr. Behnken, Mr. Boe, Mr. Hurley
and Mr. Williams were named in
2015 as NASAʼs “commercial crew
cadre” and have been working with
Boeing and SpaceX on the develop‑
ment of the spacecraft and the sim‑
ulators that will be used to train
astronauts to fly.
 4 August 11-17, 2018 TURN PAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Sohum Sukhatankar wins South Asian Spelling Bee title

Edison, NJ: Sohum Sukhatankar of
Dallas, TX correctly spelled the
word “Dasyuridae” (a family of
polyprotodont marsupials that
includes the native cats, pouched
mice, banded anteater, Tasmanian
devil, and related forms) during the
2018 South Asian Spelling Bee
finals to clinch the title of national
champion and take home a cash
prize of $3,000. Abhijay Kodali
from Flower Mound, TX was the
Jaideep Janakiram, Head of North America, Sony Entertainment National 1st Runner‑Up at the
Television‑Asia, Sohum Sukhatankar (National Champion) and Father, Touchdown Media initiative on
Abhijay Kodali (National First Runner Up) and Father, and Rahul Walia, Aug.2, which was taped live for
Founder of South Asian Spelling Bee broadcast on Sony Entertainment
Television. The initiative was organ‑
ized by leading multicultural adver‑
tising firm, Touchdown Media Inc.
Sony Entertainment Television Asia
will broadcast the initiative across
the globe in over 120 countries.
Kawan Foods returned as the main
sponsor for the initiative which is
now in its 11th year. The South
Asian Spelling Bee celebrated a
decade of bees, which included
some special guests at the finals
such as 2017 South Asian Spelling
Bee National Champion, Sravanth
Malla and 2014 South Asian
Spelling Bee National Champion,
Gokul Venkatachalam. “It fills my
heart to see such talented young
spellers from across the country
who make us proud as a communi‑
ty. The initiative is unique in its
reach and engagement and this
year with the introduction of the
SAS‑Bee program we were able to
give even more spellers the oppor‑
tunity to win it all and raise the bar
even higher. My heartiest congratu‑
lations to the winner,” said Rahul
Walia, Founder. The initiative was
open to children up to 14 years of
age and was held in 7 regional cen‑
ters across the United States.

India pays homage to
colossus of Tamil politics
Continued from page 1
homage to their departed leader.
Actor‑turned‑politician Rajinikanth
also paid his respects and consoled
the family members of the DMK
patriarch. Chief Minister for five
times and leader of DMK party for
50 years, the 94‑year‑old breathed
his last owing to age‑related ail‑
ments in a private hospital in
Chennai on Tuesday evening.
His mortal remains was brought
to the Rajaji Hall early on
Wednesday after it was taken to his
homes at Gopalapuram here and at
CIT Colony for relatives and lead‑
ers to pay their last respects.
The veteran politician's body is
covered with the national flag.
On Tuesday Union Home
Ministry in a statement said the
Tricolour will fly half‑mast on
Wednesday as a mark of respect to
the former Tamil Nadu Chie f
Minister.
Trump warns countries
against doing business
with Iran
Continued from page 1
Iran nuclear deal, earlier this year.
Orchestrated by the Obama admin‑
istration, the agreement was signed
in 2015 between Iran and China,
France, Russia, the US, the UK, plus
Germany and the EU. It was aimed
to restrict Iran's nuclear program
in return for the lifting of interna‑
tional sanctions. Trump's new
warning appeared to be aimed at
the EU, which is attempting to pro‑
tect European businesses trading in
Iran from facing US sanctions,
according to CNN.
Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani called the measures "psy‑
chological warfare" which aimed to
"sow division among Iranians". The
sanctions take aim at various sec‑
tors, with further punitive action
planned against Iran's oil trade.
Rouhani said the US government
had "turned their back on diploma‑
cy" with the action. "They want to
launch psychological warfare
against the Iranian nation," he said.
However, the Iranian President also
said that he was willing to hold
talks with Washington to resolve
the matter.
He indicated that Iran would
want the US to scale back sanctions
before any talks could begin.
"Negotiations with sanctions
doesn't make sense. We are always
in favour of diplomacy and talks...
but talks need honesty." The
Iranian President also accused the
Trump administration of using
Tehran as domestic political lever‑
age ahead of November's midterm
elections in the US. "They will exert
pressure on us and cause pain, but
we will certainly come out of the
end of this healthier," he said about
the penalties that went back into
effect at 12.01 a.m. on Tuesday.
Switzerland likely to
share HSBC accounts
data in 10 days: FM Goyal
Continued from page 1
Secretary to Switzerland. We had
high‑level discussions with the gov‑
ernment of Switzerland and a joint
statement was issued in October
2014, in which both sides agreed
that they will share information
with each other and since then we
have started getting information on
the HSBC accounts from
Switzerland," he said.
Responding to supplementaries,
he said with regard to HSBC, the
already undisclosed income of Rs.
8,448 crore has been brought to
tax. "The tax demand of Rs. 5,447
crore has been raised and a penalty
of Rs. 1,290 crore levied in 164
cases so far. 199 prosecution com‑
plaints have been filed in 84 cases,"
he said.
On Panama Papers, he said, it
contains details of 426 persons.
"Investigations are going on in all
the cases. So far, 62 invasive
actions have been conducted which
included search, seizure action in
50 cases and survey action in 12
cases."
Mr Goyal said that criminal pros‑
ecution complaints have been filed
in 16 cases and in 33 cases, notices
under Section 10 of the Black
Money Act have been issued.
"As an outcome of these investi‑
gations so far, undisclosed foreign
investments to the tune of Rs.
1,542.88 crore has been detected ...
and the investigations continue," he
said. The Minister said that it was
only under this government that
the people have started increasing‑
ly filing their returns.
Sushil Gupta selected
2020‑21 Rotary President
Continued from page 1
committees. Gupta was awarded an
honorary Doctor of Science degree
by the IIS University, Jaipur, in
recognition of his contributions to
water conservation.
He has also received the coveted
Padma Shri Award, the fourth‑high‑
est civilian award in India, con‑
ferred by the president of India, for
distinguished service to tourism
and social work.
Gupta has also received the
Distinguished Service Award from
The Rotary Foundation for his sup‑
port of its humanitarian and educa‑
tional programs. He and his wife,
Vinita, are Major Donors to The
Rotary Foundation and members of
the Arch Klumph Society.
Gupta is CMD of Asian Hotels
(West) Ltd., and owner of Hyatt
Regency Mumbai and JW Marriott
Hotel New Delhi Aerocity. He has
served as president of the
Federation of Hotel and Restaurant
Associations of India and on the
board of directors of Tourism
Finance Corporation of India Ltd.
International.
Sushil Gupta is a founding patron
of the Gift of Life India since its
inception in 2002.
Past District Governor
Ravishankar Bhooplapur honored
him in 2012 on Long Island with
an Angel Award for his outstanding
humanitarian services and help for
setting up Gift of Life India project.
Gift of Life India so far has saved
6,000 childrenʼs lives.

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY August 11-17, 2018 5

Indra Nooyi to step

down as PepsiCo
CEO after 12 years
New York: Indra Nooyi
w ill step down as
PepsiCo's CEO after lead‑
ing the US food and bev‑
erage giant for 12 years,
the company announced
on Monday, w ith its
Indian‑origin top execu‑
tive exuding confidence
that the "best days are
yet to come" for the soda
and snacks firm.
Nooyi, 62, will leave the
company on October 3
after 24 years with the
PepsiCo. She will remain
as chairman until early
2019. President Ramon
Laguarta was elected by
the board of directors to Indra Nooyi will leave the company on Oct 3 after 24 years
succeed her. Laguarta was with PepsiCo. (Image courtesy: news18.com)
also elected to the board.
"Growing up in India, I never imagined tweeted.
I'd have the opportunity to lead such an "Guided by our philosophy of
extraordinary company," Nooyi, one of Performance with Purpose delivering sus‑
the world's most powerful and influential tained performance while making more
business leaders, said in a statement. nutritious products, limiting our environ‑
"I'm incredibly proud of all we've done mental footprint and lifting up all the
over the past 12 years to advance the communities we serve we've made a more
interests of our stakeholders in the com‑ meaningful impact in people's lives than I
munities we serve. What I admire about ever dreamed possible," she said.
our global team is an incredible drive to "PepsiCo today is in a strong position
compete to be the best, to remain the for continued growth with its brightest
best," the Chennai‑born executive said on days still ahead," she added. It was not
Twitter. immediately clear why Nooyi decided to
"Today is a day of mixed emotions for step down.
me. @PepsiCo has been my life for 24 In 2017, Nooyi was placed at No 2 on
years & part of my heart will always the US Fortune's list of 'T he Most
remain here. I'm proud of what we've Powerful Women in Business' outside the
done & excited for the future. I believe US. She also topped the list of highest‑
PepsiCo's best days are yet to come," she paid female CEOs. (PTI)

JUS Broadcasting announces

launch of Hindi channel
New York: JUS Broadcasting announced a
major change to its line‑up with the
launch of its first Hindi channel JUS Hindi.
Penny Sandhu, founder and CEO speak‑
ing from her New York headquarter said,
“After over 12 years of successfully cap‑
turing the Punjabi market and being the
brand leader, it is time for us to realize
our potential in providing the same quali‑
ty, local content to the Hindi speaking
market.
We aim to do this by rebranding our
JUS 24x7 comedy channel to a brand new
24 hour Hindi channel JUS Hindi.”
JUS Broadcasting has been undergoing
a number of changes lately including the
recruitment of heavyweight media execu‑
Penny Sandhu, Founder and CEO
tive Rajan Singh. Singh brings over 25
years of media experience and is is also about to announce a complete
renowned for his shrewd business acu‑ brand refresh across its entire network
men and boasts a track record of building together with recruitment drive for senior
profitability in companies. The company executives from mainstream media.
6 August 11-17, 2018 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

IN BRIEF

Jericho school district named Upset Hindus urge Walmart to withdraw

No. 1 in the U.S. in ranking Lord Ganesh toe ring & apologize

T U
he Jericho school district is tops in
the nation among public school sys‑
tems in the Niche 2019 Best School
Districts ranking, the first time it has
achieved that distinction. Eight other dis‑
tricts on the Island are among the top 100
public systems in the United States in the
rankings. This is the fifth year Niche has
released the rankings.
“We are honored by the recognition,”
said Henry L. Grishman, superintendent of
the 3,000‑student Jericho system. “I think
the district has been very consistent in all
the measures. Our kids do really well, our
kids love the school district, and our par‑
ents and our teachers love the school dis‑
trict.” In previous Niche rankings, Jericho
has made it into the top 10 and top 25 in
the country, he said. Other districts in
Nassau and Suffolk counties in the top
100 nationally on the new Niche list are
Great Neck, ranked seventh; Syosset,
ranked 23rd; Roslyn, ranked 33rd;
Herricks, ranked 34th; East Williston,
Attorney J. Nicholas Ranjan
nominated for U.S. District Judge
Seat in Western Pennsylvania
ranked 49th; Manhasset, ranked 58th; the
Bellmore‑Merrick Central High School
District, ranked 94th; and Harborfields in
Greenlawn, ranked 100th. Niche rankings
are based on data obtained from the U.S.
Department of Education as well as test
scores and ratings collected from Niche
users, according to the Niche website.
Many factors influence a districtʼs ranking,
including academics, teacher satisfaction,
culture and diversity, parent and student
experiences, overall safety, resource avail‑
ability and the variety of extracurricular
activities and offerings. "We do a lot of
research to see when people are searching
for the best school district, what that
means to them," Niche spokeswoman
Jessica Hair said. "We try to capture the
whole experience of going to a school."
Researchers analyzed 10,758 public
school districts, 83,542 public schools and
3,903 private schools, making the Jericho
districtʼs achievement even more signifi‑
cant, Hair said. (Source: Newsday)
pset Hindus are urging multina‑
tional retail corporation Walmart
to immediately withdraw “Ganesh
Toe Ring” from Walmart.com, calling it
highly inappropriate. Hindu statesman
Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada, said
that Lord Ganesh was highly revered in
Hinduism and was meant to be wor‑
shipped in temples or home shrines and
not to adorn oneʼs toe. Inappropriate
usage of Hindu deities or concepts or sym‑
bols for commercial or other agenda was
not okay as it hurts the devotees. Zed, who
is President of Universal Society of
Hinduism, also urged Walmart CEO Doug
McMillon and Walmart Board Chairman
Gregory B. Penner to offer a formal apolo‑
Palki Yatra marks Guru Purnima
celebration at Shri Shirdi
Saibaba Temple, Flushing
S
hri Shirdi Saibaba Temple, the old‑
est house of worship in the US for
the revered saint took out a palan‑
quin procession marking the culmination
of weeklong Guru Purnima celebrations.
The celebrations, part of the centennial of
gy, besides withdrawing ʻGanesh Toe Ringʼ
from the website, as this was not the first
time for the company to offer such prod‑
ucts which were deemed offensive by
Hindu devotees. Zed also urged the with‑
drawal of another inappropriate product
involving Lord Ganesh and being sold at
Walmart.com: ʻShri Ganesha Belly Button
Ringʼ. In Hinduism, Lord Ganesh is wor‑
shiped as god of wisdom and remover of
obstacles and is invoked before the begin‑
ning of any major undertaking. Hinduism
ʻGanesh Toe Ringʼ, described as .925
Sterling Silver, was selling at Walmart.com
for $8.99; while ʻShri Ganesha Belly
Button Ringʼ, at $14.99, was available in
Gold and Silver colors.

T
he White House July 24 announced
that J. Nicholas Ranjan has been
nominated to be the U.S. District
Judge for the Western District of
Pennsylvania. Nicholas Ranjan is an equity
partner in the Pittsburgh office of K&L
Gates LLP. On July 13, 2018, Republican
President Donald Trump nominated
Ranjan to a seat on the United States
District Court for the Western District of
Pennsylvania The nomination, made in
response to Kim R. Gibson retiring, was
officially sent to the Senate, a White House
news release said. His practice focuses on
a variety of complex litigation and arbitra‑
tion including class action defense and
energy litigation, appeals, compliance
counseling and internal investigations.
His practice is across a number of differ‑
ent industries, such as the energy, com‑
mercial real estate, financial services, high‑
er education, innovation, internet market‑
ing, insurance, consumer, pharmaceutical,
and transportation industries.
He has been selected by Chambers USA
as one of the top commercial litigators in
Pennsylvania multiple times, with clients
commending his “creative approach and
responsiveness.” He has been selected as a
fellow with The Litigation Counsel of
America, which is an invitation‑only trial
lawyer honorary, representing less than
one‑half of one percent of American
lawyers. He serves as a 2017 fellow with
the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.
He also serves as a member of the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce Litigation Center
(state litigation advisory committee), advis‑
ing the Chamber of Commerce on appel‑
late amicus involvement throughout the
country.
Ranjan is the pro bono coordinator for
the firmʼs Pittsburgh office. During his
time in this position, the Allegheny County
Bar Association awarded the firm the pro
bono law firm of the year award. He also is
the chairman of the Pittsburgh officeʼs
diversity committee and is a member of
the K&L Gates global diversity committee.
He is active in leading diversity initiatives
within the firm and in the community. For
these efforts, he was a recipient of the
Leadership Excellence Award, awarded by
the Pittsburgh Leadership Conference.
Maha Samadhi of Shirdi Saibaba, drew a
total of 5,000 devotees. The highlight of
the annual celebration was the proces‑
sion, which this year was renamed as Ek
Yatra. The procession is usually known as
Palki Yatra. Ek Yatra procession marked culmination of
Ek Yatra, in which representatives of all
weeklong Guru Purnima celebrations
major religions formed a major segment,
comprised nine parts representing each
of the nine forms of devotion to god.
A dance troupe and a band representing
various Indian ethnic groups, mostly
Maharashtrian, drew applause from par‑
ticipants in the procession and onlookers
on the sidewalks, as it went round in the
Flushing neighborhood in Queens.
Shiva Haran, temple president, estimat‑
ed that 1,200‑1,300 people participated
More than 5000 people attended the event
in the celebrations on July 28 afternoon,
when the yatra was taken out. There were another feature of the yatra. The person
also scores of people waiting in the house who acted as Saibaba all through the pro‑
of worship to receive the procession and cession with full makeup as the saint
its participants. The re‑enactment of drew tremendous applause along with his
Chavdi Utsav, which used to be taken out associates such as Hemadpant, Madhvrao
from Dwarakamai (where Saibaba used to Deshpande and Shyama. A horse also
be based in much of his lifetime) at Shirdi formed part of the procession to give
to the neighborhoods in the village, was authenticity to the yatra.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY August 11-17, 2018 7

Stanford professor Akshay Venkatesh wins Scientist Subroto Chatterjee

Fields Medal, the "Nobel of Mathematics" part of team developing
New York: Akshay Venkatesh, a
renowned Indian‑Australian
mathematician, is one of four
winners of mathematics' presti‑
gious Fields medal, known as the
Nobel prize for math.
The Fields medals are awarded
every four years to the most
promising mathematicians under
the age of 40.
New Delhi‑born Akshay
Venkatesh, 36, who is currently
teaching at Stanford University,
has won the Fields Medal for his
"profound contributions to an
exceptionally broad range of sub‑
jects in mathematics."
The citation for his medal ‑
awarded at the International
Congress of Mathematicians in
Rio de Janeiro ‑ highlights "strik‑
ingly far‑reaching conjectures" of
his contributions.
The other three winners are:
Caucher Birkar, a Cambridge
University professor of Iranian
Kurdish origin; Germany's Peter
Scholze, who teaches at the
University of Bonn and Alessio
Figalli, an Italian mathematician
at ETH Zurich.
Each winner receives a 15,000
drug to reverse hair loss
From being a child prodigy to
becoming one of the most
renowned researchers in the
field of mathematics, Indian
Australian Akshay Venkatesh's
journey has been full of achieve‑
ments and accolades.
(Image : news.stanford.edu)
Canadian‑dollar cash prize.
The prize was inaugurated in
1932 at the request of Canadian
mathematician John Charles
Fields, who ran the 1924
Mathematics Congress in
Toronto. From being a child
prodigy to becoming one of the
most renowned researchers in the
field of mathematics, Venkatesh's
journey has been full of achieve‑
ments and accolades.
He moved to Perth, Australia,
with his parents when he was 2.
He participated in physics and
math Olympiads ‑ the premier
international competitions for
high school students and won
medals in the two subjects at ages
11 and 12, respectively.
He finished high school when
he was 13 and went to the
University of Western Australia,
graduating with first class hon‑
ours in mathematics in 1997, at
the age of 16.
In 2002, he earned his PhD at
the age of 20. Since then, he has
gone from holding a post‑doctoral
position at MIT to becoming a
Clay Research Fellow and, now a
professor at Stanford University.
Venkatesh has worked at the
highest level in number theory,
arithmetic geometry, topology,
automorphic forms and ergodic
theory.
His research has been recog‑
nized with many awards, includ‑
ing the Ostrowski Prize, the
Infosys Prize, the Salem Prize and
Sastra Ramanujan Prize. (PTI)
New York: Scientists including
one of Indian‑origin have devel‑
oped an experimental drug that
could successfully reverse hair
loss, hair whitening and skin
inflammation ‑‑ all previously
linked to diets heavy in fat and
cholesterol ‑‑ in mice. Treatment
with D‑threo‑1‑phenyl‑2‑decanoy‑
lamino‑3‑morpholino‑1‑propanol
(D‑PDMP) halts the production of
certain fats called glycosphin‑
golipids, or GSLs.
GSLs are major components of
skin and other cell membranes
and could reverse hair dis‑
colouration, extensive hair loss
and inflammation of skin exhibit‑
ed by multiple wounds which
result due to high fat diets, the
researchers explained.
"Our findings show promise for
someday using the drug we
developed for skin diseases such
as psoriasis, and wounds result‑
ing from diabetes or plastic sur‑
gery," said Subroto Chatterjee
from the Johns Hopkins
University in Maryland. In the
study, published in the journal
Scientific Reports, the team fed
Western diet high in fat and cho‑
lesterol, and standard chow to
two groups of mice who had ath‑
erosclerosis ‑‑ a disease in which
arteries are clogged by fat
deposits.
The analysis said that mice who
had Western diet had lost hair,
formed skin lesions and suffered
from hair whitening as compared
to those who ate standard chow.
These results became more
severe when the mice continued
eating a Western diet for 36
weeks, with 75 per cent of the
mice having skin, hair loss and
multiple skin lesions.
But, mice who also received 1
mg and 10 mg of D‑PDMP in a
capsule per kilogram of body
weight started regaining hair and
hair colour, and their skin inflam‑
mation reduced.
The drug also significantly
reduced the number of neu‑
trophils, implying reduced skin
inflammation and wounding.

Prof Bharat Anand Indian‑American geared up

becomes Senior Academic
Administrator at Harvard
New York: An Indian‑origin professor at
Harvard Business School has been named
Harvard University's new Vice Provost for
advances in learning, a role that focuses on
teaching and learning innovation.
Bharat Anand, who is the Henry R Byers
Professor of Business Administration, will
take over in October from Peter Bol as new
vice provost for advances in learning (VPAL).
A report in The Harvard Gazette said the
Harvard Business School professor is also the
Senior Associate Dean and faculty chair of
HBX, the school's digital learning initiative
that he helped create. Anand said he is look‑
ing forward to the challenge and opportuni‑
ties of his University‑wide role.
"Harvard has been a hotbed of innovations
in pedagogy and learning during the last few
years," he said in the Gazette report.
"It's a good time to take stock of what we've
learned from these various projects and how
this might inform our future efforts, while
also recognizing that we are still probably in
the early stages of imagining and shaping
what the future of higher education will even‑
tually look like."
In announcing the appointment, Provost
Alan Garber cited Anand's experience with
HBX, describing him as among the most dedi‑
cated contributors to the University's efforts
to explore innovations in learning.
"He is a distinguished scholar of organiza‑
tional strategy and digital change, and he is
an accomplished teacher, having twice
Bharat Anand, who is the Henry R Byers
Professor of Business Administration, will
take over in October from Peter Bol as
new vice provost for advances in learning
(VPAL). (Image courtesy: LinkedIn)
received the HBS Faculty Award for Teaching
Excellence," Garber said in his statement
adding that he is impressed by Anand's lead‑
ership and strategic insight, ability to inno‑
vate and collaborate, and his deep analytic
skills. Anand received his BA in economics
from Harvard College and his PhD in econom‑
ics from Princeton University. He is a recipi‑
ent of the Greenhill Award for outstanding
contributions to Harvard Business School.
Bol said Anand was instrumental in estab‑
lishing HBX as a model for excellence in
online business education. (PTI)
for Michigan primary
New York: Inspired by the Gandhian prin‑
ciple of ʻBe the change that you wish to
see in the worldʼ, Indian‑American entre‑
preneur Suneel Gupta is seeking to enter
U.S. Congress to fight against the special
interests of the corporate sector, which
he believes have peaked under the
Donald Trump Administration.
“Our family has always been very prin‑
cipled in the ideals that if you donʼt like
what you see, you have to do what
(Mahatma) Gandhi said, be the change,
you cannot sit on the sidelines,” said
Gupta, 38, as he explained the reasons
for jumping into electoral politics, which
is new to his illustrious family from
Michigan.
His mother Damayanti Gupta was the
first woman engineer with a degree at
Suneel Gupta is running for the U.S. House
Ford Motor Company and his elder
of Representatives from the 11th
brother Sanjay Gupta is a popular CNN
Congressional District of Michigan.
health reporter.
(Image courtesy: suneelgupta.com)
Gupta, who holds an MBA from the
Kellogg School of Management and a law happened. They fled, and she ended up in
degree from the Northwestern a refugee camp as a little girl. My grand‑
University, is running for the U.S. House parents ̶ her parents ̶ spent every
of Representatives from the 11th penny they possibly could to get her an
Congressional District of Michigan. Given education... in 1967, she became Ford
the current political climate, pundits have Motor Companyʼs first female engineer,”
described this as a “toss‑up” seat. he said.
It is currently being held by Republican Members of the Indian‑American com‑
David Trott, who is not seeking his re‑ munity in the district are not only provid‑
election. ing him with financial support, but also
The zeal to fight for the common peo‑ with their time and sweat. “Because they
ple against the special interests, he says, believe that itʼs time to send an Indian
comes from his mother. “She was on the American to Congress from Michigan,” he
other side of the border when Partition said.
 8 August 11-17, 2018 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

US Senators question Sundar Asia Society to host kickoff event of

Pichai on reported China Project
Media reports surfaced last week that Google is
planning a censored search engine for China.
Washington: Six US senators have written to Google CEO
Sundar Pichai asking about the tech giant's reported
plan to create a censored Chinese version of its search
engine. "What has changed since 2010 to make Google
comfortable cooperating with the rigorous censorship
regime in China?" asked the senators, including Florida
Republican Marco Rubio, Fortune reported on Sunday.
According to the letter, Google's project is "deeply
troubling and risks making Google complicit in human
rights abuses" in China.
Google in 2010 "refused to comply with Chinese gov‑
ernment censorship requirements on ethical grounds,
and essentially abandoned the market," said the report.
Media reports surfaced last week that Google is plan‑
ning a censored search engine for China.
According to The Information, the company is also
developing a news‑aggregation app for use in China that
will comply with the country's censorship laws.
Google was yet to officially confirm or deny the search
engine project. The senators asked whether the agree‑
ment was "connected in any way with (Google's) efforts
to enter the Chinese market via the custom search app."
The letter also asked "which 'blacklist' of censored
searches and websites" Google would use in a Chinese
Sundar Pichai (Image courtesy: livemint.com)
search product.
The state‑owned China Securities Daily, however, last
week refuted the report that Google is building a search
engine for China.
China is home to 772 million Internet users ‑‑ the
biggest online community in the world.
Google, which has hundreds of people working in
China, has launched its Artificial Intelligence lab in the
country. (IANS)
Mahatma Gandhi Sesquicentennial
yearlong celebrations
ahatma Gandhi, apostle of
M peace and non‑violence,
demonstrated to the world the
effectiveness of non‑violent means
for bringing about profound social
changes and lasting peace. Asia
Society, Mahatma Gandhi Library,
Arya Samaj Greater Houston and
Boniuk Institute have announced
the kick‑off event of yearlong cele‑
bration of Mahatma Gandhi
Sesquicentennial(150th birthday)
Bhagwan Ajitnath endowed professorship
in Jain studies established
n the Guru Purnima day, July 27
O with a gift of $800,000 dollars,
Drs. Jasvant and Meera Modi of Los
Angeles signed the legal documents
to establish the Bhagwan Ajitnath
Endowed Professorship in Jain
Studies at California State University
Northridge (a suburb of Los
Angeles).Philanthropist couple
Modis have promoted gnan mandirs
(temples of learning) in Jainism at
colleges and universities in USA. So
far, they have been instrumental
which falls on October 2.
T he event will be he ld on
September 30 from 2.30‑6.00 pm at
Asia Society of Texas, 1370
Southmore Blvd, Houston, TX
77004
The event will include screening
of two episodes of A Force More
Powerful and a Panel Discussion led
by Director/Producer of the film
Steve York followed by reception.
The ticket for the event is only $5.
with their big donations to establish
Bhagwan Parshvanath Chair at
University of California at Irvine,
Bhagwan Mallinath Endowed
Professorship at Loyola Marymount
University, Bhagwan Vimalnath
Lecturership at University of
California at Santa Barbara, Shrimad
Rajchandra Chair at University of
California at Riverside and Bhagwan
Mahavir Post‑Doctoral Fellowship at
Rice University and several other
such initiatives.

IMMIGRATION

Protecting Children from “Aging Out” of Petitions

By Michael Phulwani, Esq.
& Dev B. Viswanath, Esq.
C TALK
hild Status Protection Act
(CSPA) which offers a
method to calculate a per‑
sonʼs age to see if they meet the
criteria of a child for immigration
purposes. According to the
Immigration and Nationality Act
(INA) the definition of a child is a
person who is both unmarried and
under 21 years of age. If a peti‑
tioner applies for lawful perma‑
nent resident (LPR) status as a
child but turns 21 before their
LPR application is adjudicated,
that petitioner will no longer be
considered a child for immigration
purposes. This circumstance is
usually referred to as “aging out”
and means that those petitioners
would have to file a new petition
or application, or that their peti‑
tion category will convert to an
adult, and for both scenarios they
will wait even longer for a Green
Card, or it may be that they no
longer be eligible for a Green
Card. To avoid children from
“aging out” and having to start all
over CSPA was created and went
into effect on August 6, 2002.
The meaning of a child did not
change under the CSPA. The new
calculated age of the child is called
“CSPA age” and it allows some
petitioners to remain classified as
a child past their 21st birthday.
The beneficiary MUST still be
unmarried. The following people
may take advantage of the CSPA
* Immediate relatives;
* Family sponsored preference
principal and derivative appli‑
cants;
* Violence Against Women Act
(VAWA) self‑petitioners and deriv‑
ative applicants;
* Employment based preference
derivative applicants;
* Diversity immigrant visa (DV)
derivative applicants;
* Derivative refuges; and
* Derivative asylees.
If a petitioner is applying for a
Green Card based on one of the
categories above, they are eligible
for CSPA consideration if the
proper forms were filed or pend‑
ing on or after August 6, 2002.
Refugees and Asylees: If a peti‑
tioner is a derivative refugee then
their CSPA age is their age on the
date the principal refugee parent
or Form I‑730 petitioner filed
their I‑590. If the petitioner was
under the age of 21 at the time of
their parentʼs interview, their age
froze as of that date and they will
not age out. In order to qualify as
a derivative refugee, the petitioner
must be unmarried but they do
not need to remain unmarried in
order to qualify for a Green Card
The Child Status Protection Act
under INA section 209.
If a petitioner is a derivative
asylee their CSPA is their age on
the date the principal asylee par‑
ents or Form I‑730 petitioner filed
their Form I‑589. If the petitioner
was under the age of 21 at the
time their parentʼs filed Form I‑
589, their age froze as of that date
and they will not age out. In order
to be granted derivative asylum
and to qualify for a Green Card
under INA section 209 the peti‑
tioner must be unmarried.
Immediate Relative: If a petition‑
er is an immediate relative, a
VAMA self‑petitioning abused
spouse or child of a U.S. citizen, or
a derivative child of a VAMA self‑
petitioning abused spouse or child
of a U.S. citizen, their age is frozen
on the date the Form I‑130 or
Form I‑360 was filed. If the peti‑
tioner was under the age of 21 at
the time the petition was filed,
they are qualified for CSPA and
will not age out. The petitioner
must remain unmarried or they
will not qualify for CSPA.
Family and Employment
Preference and Diversity Visa
Immigrants: If a petitioner is a
family preference, employment‑
based preference, or DV applicant,
their CSPA age is calculated by
subtracting the number of days
their petition was pending from
their age on the date an immi‑
grant visa becomes available to “seek to acquire” requirement the
them. In order to qualify for CSPA petitioner must:
the petitioner must remain unmar‑ * Properly file Form I‑485; or
ried. The formula is calculated * Submit a completed Part One
based on the age of the child when of Form DS‑260; or
the petition was filed, the number * Have a Form I‑824 properly
of years for the petition to become filed on their behalf.
approved. The age of the benefici‑ If an LPR becomes a naturalized
ary when Visa numbers become citizen before their child receives
available. their Green Card, their childʼs peti‑
If the petitioner is under this tion is converted to either an
category, in order to use the CSPA immediate relative or family first
age they must pursue to gain law‑ preference case. There are also an
ful permanent resident status additional amount of time that can
within one year of a visa becoming be calculated to protect a childʼs
open to them. This is called the age because of the September 11,
“seek to acquire” requirement. If 2001 attacks, and the Patriot Act
this requirement is not satisfied, illustrates this additional protec‑
USCIS may use its discretion to tion.
excuse this requirement if the The CSPA is the saving grace for
petitioner can show that the so many families that have wait
requirement was not met due to many many years for their oppor‑
special circumstances. Under the tunity for a green card.
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.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY August 11-17, 2018 9

Sikh man beaten on Obama endorses Indian‑Tibetan

head with rod, told for November Congressional polls
“Go back to your country”
New York: A 50‑year‑old Sikh man
was beaten up multiple times by
two white men who yelled racial
slurs that "You're not welcome
here!, Go back to your country!" in
the state of California, prompting
police to investigate the "heinous"
hate crime, authorities said.
The incident happened last week
near the intersection of Keyes and
Foote roads in California as the man
was putting up campaign signs
alone along a rural stretch on the
outskirts of Keyes, the police was
quoted saying by The Sacramento
Bee. Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam
Christianson said the assault is
being investigated as a hate crime.
"T his is a random despicable
criminal act against a member of
the Sikh community," Christianson
said. Sherif f Sergeant Tom Letras
said the 50‑year‑old victim was
placing signs for local candidates
when two white men wearing black
hooded sweatshirts ambushed him
and beat him to the ground.
He was struck multiple times as
the assailants screamed, "You're not
welcome here!" and "Go back to
your country!" They then spray
painted his truck, Letras said.
"This is a heinous crime and we
are aggressively investigating it,"
Letras said.
T he victim required medical
attention so an ambulance was
called and he was treated on scene
for cuts and other wounds.
According to a Facebook post, the
man was beaten on the head with a
rod. But he escaped major injury
because of his turban, which is tra‑
ditionally worn by Sikh men, the
report added.
Also, the post shared an image of
the pickup truck, which was spray
painted in large black letters with
the words "Go back to ur country"
alongside a Celtic cross. The image
is a well‑known white supremacist
symbol, according to the Anti‑
Defamation League which tracks
anti‑Semitic and other hate crimes
across the country, the report
added. The department is looking
for help identifying the suspects or
witnesses to the crime. (PTI)
Washington, DC: Barack Obama
has endorsed Aftab Pureval, an
American of Indian‑Tibetan
descent, for the Congressional
elections in November as the for‑
mer US President released his
first endorsement list of over 80
Democratic candidates.
Pureval, 35, who is seeking to
enter the House of
Representatives from the first
Congressional District of Ohio, is
the only American of Indian‑
Tibetan descent in the list of 81
candidates running for various
positions in the November mid‑
term elections.
"I'm proud to endorse such a
wide and impressive array of
Democratic candidates ‑ leaders
as diverse, patriotic and big‑heart‑
ed as the America they're running
to represent," Barack Obama said
on Wednesday as he released his
first list.
One fourth of them are running
for the US Congress.
Pureval is seeking to unseat an
11‑term incumbent Republican
Congressman Steve Chabot, with
local media reports describing it
Aftab Pureval, 35 seeks to enter
the House of Representatives
from the first Congressional
District of Ohio
(Image: @aftabpureval/twitter)
as a toss‑up race.
Pureval, whose campaign has
g ained momentum in recent
weeks, said he was "fired up and
ready to go." "President Obama
inspired me to get involved in
public service. It is surreal and
incredible to have his endorse‑
ment," he said. "As he told us, we
are the ones who have been wait‑
ing for. Change starts with us. And
in 100 days, we're going to make
it happen here," said Pureval.
Aftab Pureval was the first
Democrat to get elected as the
Hamilton County Clerk of Courts
in more than 100 years. Born and
raised in Southwest Ohio, Pureval
worked at a law firm and became
a special assistant federal prose‑
cutor where he worked with the
FBI to prosecute crimes against
children.
If elected, Pureval would be the
first Tibetan‑American to enter
the US House of Representatives.
Before that, he had worked at
P&G as the global brand attorney
for Olay, supporting a billion dol‑
lar business.
"Pureval raised more than dou‑
ble what Chabot raised last quar‑
ter and is approaching the long‑
time incumbent's cash‑on‑hand
total," said Sabato's Crystal Ball, a
weekly online political newsletter.
According to Dayton Daily news,
Pureval raised $ 823,663 last
quarter compared with $339,290
raised by Chabot. (PTI)

DIASPORA

British lawmakers want 9-year-old 75‑year‑old farmer grows

Indian chess prodigy to stay in UK
London: Two British MPs have intervened
in the visa battle of a nine‑year‑old Indian
boy who has the potential to be the future
world chess champion but must leave the
country by next month when his father's
work visa expires.
Shreyas Royal, who has won a series of
chess championships, is ranked number
four in the world in his age group. His
father Jitendra Singh's IT‑related visa will
expire in September when the family is
expected to return to India.
In a joint letter to UK Home Secretary
Sajid Javid, Opposition Labor MPs Rachel
Reeves and Matthew Pennycook said the
UK would lose an "exceptional talent" if
Shreyas was to leave.
T heir letter notes: "T he UK should
always encourage the world's brightest,
most talented people to work and make
their lives here. Shreyas Royal is recog‑
nised by the English Chess Federation as
the country's greatest chess prospect in a
generation."
Shreyas Royal, who was born in India,
moved to the UK when he was three with
parents Jitendra and Anju Singh from
Bangalore six years ago. His father was
of fered a fixed‑term contract under the
Intra‑Country Transfer (ICT) route as an
IT project manager with the Tata Group in
the company's UK office.
The only way he can now extend his
visa for a further four years is if he
earned 120,000 pounds a year.
Shreyas Royal is ranked number four
in the world in his age group
(Image courtesy: thetimes.co.uk)
Rachel Reeves said: "Government plan
to force a chess prodigy to leave the coun‑
try next month because his father earns
less than 120,000 pounds a year.
"T he UK shouldn't be deporting its
brightest young talent. Sajid Javid should
intervene and allow Shreyas Royal to stay
in the only home he can remember."
Their intervention came as Shreyas
Royal's parents had appealed to the UK
Home Office on the grounds that Shreyas
Royal is a national asset but were told in a
letter earlier this week that while he
showed "immense promise" it did not
mean he could remain in the country.
While the Tata Group is happy for Mr
Singh to continue working for them in the
UK on his current salary, there is no visa
mechanism for him to apply to remain in
the UK.
worldʼs largest cucumber,
prayed to it everyday
London: A 75‑year‑old Sikh living in Derby has "I've been growing vegetables all my life but
grown a giant 51 inch cucumber and says pray‑ I've never had anything like this. I think the hot
ing to it every day helped the vegetable grow to weather may have helped it to grow," he said.
a potential world‑record size, British media Sanghera plans to submit the giant cucumber
reported. Raghbir Singh Sanghera worked as a to the Guinness Book of Records when it has
farmer in India before com‑ stopped growing.
ing to the UK in 1991. Peter Glazebrook, an
Sanghera, a priest at a local expert in growing giant
Gurdwara and keen gar‑ vegetables, says it appears
dener, said the cucumber to be an Armenian cucum‑
continues to grow in girth ber (Cucumis meloflexuo‑
and length. sus), making it a muskmel‑
T he current Guinness on as opposed to a stan‑
World Record for the dard cucumber (Cucumis
longest cucumber, which sativus), which is part of
was grown in Wales in the gourd family. "We have
2011, is 42.13 inches (107 seen these presented
cm), the BBC reported. "I before at giant veg shows
have made a seat to sit next only to be rejected,"
to it and where I can see it Glazebrook was quoted as
and watch it," he said. saying by the BBC.
"I pray that it grows, that "However, it is a fine
it keeps us all healthy and specimen of its type, and
that everybody stays well he has done well."
and happy ‑ it makes me Raghbir Singh Sanghera has grown a Only members of the
happy seeing it." giant 51 inch cucumber. Cucumis sativus species
(Image courtesy: indiatimes.com)
"Last year I grew a 39‑ can qualify for the
inch cucumber with the same seeds but this Guinness World Record of longest cucumber.
year I wanted to do better. I sit next to it and A spokesman for Guinness World Records
pray for my health, for my family and for the said they have no current record for the longest
cucumber," he was quoted as saying by ITV Armenian cucumber, "but anyone can apply to
channel. create a new title via our website."
 10 August 11-17, 2018
Trump admits son met Russian to get oppo research
Washington: President Donald
Trump admitted on Sunday that
his son met with a Russian
lawyer in Trump Tower in 2016
"to get information on an oppo‑
nent" but defended it was "totally
legal."
It was Trump's most direct
acknowledgement that the
motive for the June 2016 meet‑
ing was to get dirt on Hillary
Clinton, his Democratic rival for
the presidency.
As he has in the past, Trump
insisted in a tweet that he did not
know at the time about the meet‑
ing between his son Donald Jr.
and Natalia Veselnitskaya, a
lawyer with links to the Kremlin.
"This was a meeting to get
information on an opponent,
totally legal and done all the time
in politics ‑ and it went nowhere.
I did not know about it!
The meeting has come under
intense scrutiny from Special
Counsel Robert Mueller, who is
investigating whether members
of the Trump campaign coordi‑
nated with a Russian effort to
sway the 2016 election in the
Republican's favor. The
Washington Post reported
Largest wildfire in California
history still growing
Lakeport, Calif.: Wildfires tear‑
ing through trees and brush,
rampaging up hillsides and
incinerating neighborhoods:
The place‑names change but
the devastation is showing
signs of becoming the new nor‑
mal in California.
On Monday, twin fires being
treated as one incident north of
San Francisco became the
largest wildfire in state history,
destroying 443 square miles
(1,148 square kilometers) ̶
nearly the size of the city of
Los Angeles.
The Mendocino Complex was
still growing as it broke the
record set last December. The
Thomas Fire killed two people,
burned 440 square miles, and
destroyed more than 1,000
buildings in Southern
California before being fully
contained Jan. 12. The
Mendocino Complex, which is
President Trumpʼs new tweet comes after a report that he has
been worried that Don Jr may have put himself in legal
jeopardy by meeting with Russian agent. (Photo AP)
Sunday that Trump has been
brooding in private about
whether his son unintentionally
put himself in legal jeopardy by
meeting with Veselnitskaya.
Trump called the report "a
complete fabrication." Donald Jr.
initially said in a statement to the
New York Times in July 2017
that the meeting was "primarily"
about American adoptions of
Russian children. The Post has
reported that the statement was
dictated by the president. Donald
30 percent contained, has been
less destructive to property
than some of the other wild‑
fires in the state because it is
mostly raging in remote areas.
But officials say it threatens
11,300 buildings and some
new evacuations were ordered
over the weekend as the flames
spread.
Hotter weather attributed to
climate change is drying out
vegetation, creating more
intense fires that spread quick‑
ly from rural areas to city sub‑
divisions, climate and fire
experts say. But they also
blame cities and towns that are
expanding housing into previ‑
ously undeveloped areas.
More than 14,000 firefight‑
ers are battling more than a
dozen major blazes throughout
California, state Department of
Forestry and Fire Protection
spokesman Scott McLean said.
US AFFAIRS
Jr. later admitted he accepted the
meeting with Veselnitskaya in
hopes of obtaining damaging
information on Clinton, but said
nothing came of it.
Trump's lawyers argue that the
meeting, in and of itself, violated
no laws.
"The question is how will it be
illegal? The real question here is,
would ... the meeting itself consti‑
tute a violation of the law,"
Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow said
Sunday on ABC's "This Week.
Rick Gates testifies in court he
and Manafort committed fraud
Washington: Rick Gates on
Monday took the stand in the
federal fraud case against his
former business partner, ex‑
Trump campaign chairman
Paul Manafort, testifying that
he and Manafort conspired to
commit bank and tax fraud ‑‑
and that he embezzled hun‑
dreds of thousands of dollars
from Manafort.
The day ended with the
judge in the case ripping into
prosecutors, telling them to expe‑
dite their case. But earlier, federal
prosecutor Greg Andres got the
government's star witness to admit
he committed crimes while working
for Manafort.
“Did you commit crimes with Mr.
Manafort?” Andres asked Gates
after he took the stand.
“Yes,” Gates said.
Manafort, facing charges of bank
and tax fraud related to his work in
Ukraine, has pleaded not guilty to
the charges. Gates struck a plea
deal with prosecutors to cooperate
in the case against his former busi‑
ness partner. The usually bearded
Gates appeared in court clean‑
shaven on Monday.
During his testimony, Gates read
out loud the language from his
indictment charging him with con‑
spiracy and making false state‑
ments to the government.
“Who did you conspire with?” the
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
ADVISERS URGE TRUMP
TO STOP TWEETING ON
TRUMP TOWER MEETING
P
resident Donald Trump
has been urged to stop
tweeting about the 2016
Trump Tower meeting between
his top advisers and several
Russians, a media report said. The
President was advised that his
tweeting only gives oxygen to the
topic, even if those around Trump
do not believe there is any truly
new development, an informed
source told CNN on Monday.
On Sunday, Trump tweeted an
apparent response to stories by
CNN and The Washington Post
that said he was worried about
his son Donald Trump Jr.'s legal
exposure following the 2016
meeting. Calling the reported con‑
cerns a "complete fabrication",
the President acknowledged that
the meeting was accepted on the
premise that his son would get
dirt on former presidential hope‑
ful Hillary Clinton. "This was a
Rick Gates (right) is the star witness
in Paul Manafort case
prosecutor asked. “Paul Manafort,”
Gates replied.
Gates testified that he and
Manafort under‑reported income
and failed to file FBAR, or Foreign
Bank Account Report, forms.
Gates said that Manafort request‑
ed “over the years” that Gates make
wire transfers from foreign
accounts “primarily in Cyprus,” and
those funds were not reported.
Gates also testified that he lied to
Manafortʼs bookkeeper and
accountants. He replied “yes” when
asked if he knew it was a crime not
to file those reports. Gates also
admitted to embezzling “several
hundred thousand” dollars from
Manafort while working for him.
Gates' testimony is important for
prosecutors: Ellis said in court last
week they “canʼt prove conspiracy”
in the case unless prosecutors call
Gates to the stand. During opening
arguments last week, the defense
meeting to get information on an
opponent, totally legal and done
all the time in politics ‑ and it
went nowhere. I did not know
about it!" the President tweeted.
The President's Sunday move
about the purpose behind the
2016 Trump Tower meeting was
the latest step in the long‑evolv‑
ing story from him, Donald
Trump Jr. and the President's
legal team.
Donald Trump Jr. initially
responded to the first revelations
about the meeting by releasing a
misleading statement claiming
the meeting primarily concerned
Russian adoption policy. As more
details emerged, he released a
new statement acknowledging
there was an offer of potentially
damaging information on Clinton
and the Democratic Party, and he
eventually published emails about
the meeting.
team made it clear
they intend to blame
Gates, who handled
some day‑to‑day busi‑
ness operations for
Manafort, for many of
the alleged reporting
deficiencies Manafort
is charged with.
“Rick Gates had his
hand in the cookie jar
and couldnʼt let his
boss find out,”
Manafort defense attorney Thomas
Zehnle said during opening argu‑
ments. Prosecutors have introduced
a bevy of exhibits and are in the
process of calling several witnesses
as part of their effort to paint
Manafort as a tax scofflaw who
failed to report money spent on lux‑
ury items ‑‑ then lied to get bank
loans when his foreign consulting
work dried up.
The judge in the Paul Manafort
trial reminded prosecutors on
Friday of the high bar for convic‑
tion ‑‑ that they must prove the for‑
mer Trump campaign chairman
knowingly violated tax and bank
laws related to his political work
overseas. Manafort served as chair‑
man of Trumpʼs presidential cam‑
paign during the summer of 2016,
and was forced out in August of
that year amid news stories about
his ties to then‑Ukrainian President
Viktor Yanukovych.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info US AFFAIRS August 11-17, 2018 11

Senator Rand Paul seeks dialogue US to resume

with Russian legislators sanctions against Iran
Washington DC: Republican Senator Washington: The White House ping sectors, its petroleum‑related
The Republican said in a statement on Monday transactions, and foreign transac‑
Rand Paul has said the main pur‑
Senator has that the US will reactivate a slew tions with the Central Bank of
pose of his visit to Russia is to
invited Russian of sanctions on Iran's financial and Iran, according to the statement.
establish and develop dialogue
lawmakers to industrial sectors beginning on The European Union on Monday
between the lawmakers of the two Washington after
countries. Tuesday. The action, followed by said it regretted the US' decision to
meeting Russian
"We are interested in cooperation another set of sanctions scheduled reimpose sanctions on Iran after
members of
with the Russian Federation, espe‑ parliament in for November, will bring US sanc‑ Washington withdrew from a
cially with the legislative bodies, Moscow. (Photo tions against Iran to the level on nuclear agreement that had been
because we have common prob‑ courtesy AP) par with those prior to a major reached by Iranian leaders, China,
lems, common tasks," Paul was multilateral nuclear deal reached France, Russia, the UK, the US,
quoted as saying on Monday by a in 2015, Xinhua reported. Germany and the EU. The bloc
"There are many differences in our ment, led by the committee's chair‑
press release of the Federation US President Donald Trump communicated its decision in a
approaches. Nevertheless, your man Leonid Slutsky.
Council, the upper house of the withdrew the US from the Joint joint statement by EU High
position in favor of developing dia‑ "The conversation with US politi‑
Russian parliament, Xinhua report‑ Comprehensive Plan of Action in Representative Federica
logue that equally meets the inter‑ cians was about resuming close
ed. Paul headed a US delegation, May while other signatories Mogherini and Foreign Ministers
ests of the US and Russia can not cooperation between the Russian
which includes member of the vowed to remain committed to it. Jean‑Yves Le Drian of France,
but inspire respect," Kosachev said. Federal Assembly and the US
Texas State Senate Don Huf fines The first batch of sanctions, Heiko Maas of Germany and UK
Kosachev said the visit is especial‑ Congress," Slutsky told reporters
and representatives of the Cato which will take effect on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt,
ly valuable as some US representa‑ after the meeting.
Institute, a public policy research target Tehran's purchase of US Efe reported. Meanwhile, the US
tives are attempting to treat all con‑ He said the parties agreed to
organisation. banknotes, trade in gold and other dollar index increased against
tacts with Russian politicians as make efforts in the coming weeks
The delegation met the Chairman precious metals, as well as the use other major currencies as
toxic ones. The senior Russian law‑ and try to relaunch some kind of
of the Federation Council of graphite, coal, aluminum and investors digested the US decision
maker listed the main issues which cooperation format as early as this
Committee on International Affairs steel in industrial processes. to resume sanctions against Iran.
should constitute the core of bilat‑ autumn. Slutsky added that his com‑
Konstantin Kosachev and Vice They also af fect transactions In late New York trading on
eral relations, including maintain‑ mittee intends to continue discus‑
Speaker of the Federation Council related to the Iranian Rial, the Monday, the euro decreased to
ing strategic stability, arms control sion with the US delegation at a
Vladimir Lukin. issuance of sovereign debts, and $1.1553 from $1.1579 in the pre‑
and ensuring a further reduction of luncheon on Tuesday.
The parties discussed issues of the country's automotive sector. vious session, and the British
military tension. Paul also met rep‑ He named the situation in
Russian‑US relations and prospects Another round of sanctions, to pound was down to $1.2943 from
resentatives of the Foreign Affairs Ukraine, Syria and disarmament
of inter‑parliamentary relations, be reinstalled in November, will be $1.3009 in the previous session,
Committee of the State Duma, the issues as possible topics for the
according to the press release. on Iran's port, energy and ship‑ Xinhua news agency reported.
lower house of the Russian parlia‑ upcoming conversation.
 12 August 11-17, 2018
Karunanidhi, a colossus in
Dravidian politics, is dead
Chennai: Muthuvel Karunanidhi
was one of the last links to the
Dravidian movement that ushered
in the rise of backward classes in
politics and the end of Congress
rule in Tamil Nadu five decades ago
on the plank of social justice.
A five‑time Chief Minister, the 94‑
year‑old Karunanidhi, died on
August 7 at the Kauvery Hospital.
He was admitted to the hospital on
July 28 and his condition kept
worsening. He strode the public life
of Tamil Nadu like a colossus, also
played a key role in national politics
when he aligned with Indira Gandhi
in 1971 and reaped rich rewards in
elections.
Under Karunanidhi, the DMK
occupied a prime position in the
UPA governments at the Centre in
2004 and 2009 and earlier in the
NDA government under Atal Bihari
Vajpyee, an alignment that sur‑
prised many given the party's
Dravidian moorings.
He was a wily politician who suc‑
ceeded his mentor C.N. Annadurai
or 'Anna' as Chief Minister in 1969
and kept a stranglehold on the
party and government. He remained
the President of the DMK for nearly
50 years, a rare feat in any demo‑
cratic country. Born in Tirukkuvalai
in the erstwhile Thanjavur district
on June 3, 1924, Karunanidhi was a
multifaceted personality ‑‑ journal‑
ist, playwright, script writer ‑‑
whose fiery dialogues as an icono‑
clast in films unleashed changes in
SC gets 3 new judges
amidst Justice Joseph row
New Delhi: Justice Indira Banerjee,
Justice Vineet Saran and Justice
K.M. Joseph were sworn in as
Supreme Court judges.
T hey were administered the
oath of of fice by Chief Justice
Dipak Misra.
T he swearing in took place
amidst a raging controversy over
the government relegating Justice
Joseph to the third position in the
order of seniority even though he
was recommended for elevation
way back on January 10.
His recommendation was reiter‑
ated on July 17 after the govern‑
ment had returned it for reconsid‑
eration by the Supreme Court col‑
legium.
With three new judges joining,
the strength of the top court
judges is now 28 as against the
sanctioned strength of 31.
It is for the first time that the
Supreme Court has three sitting
woman judges ‑‑ Justice R.
Banumathi, Justice Indu Malhotra
and Justice Indira Banerjee.
Tamil Nadu's social scene.
He joined the Dravidian move‑
ment as a teenager under the tute‑
lage of the late social reformer
'Periyar' E.V. Ramasamy and Anna.
'Kalaignar', as Karunanidhi was
called for his proficiency in arts and
literature, fashioned theatre and
cinema in a way that gave a fillip to
the Dravidian movement and the
rise of DMK as a major pole in
Tamil Nadu.
Karunanidhi's political fortunes
rose when Anna broke away from
the DK to float the DMK in 1949.
The box of fice hit of Tamil movie
'Parasakthi' for which he wrote the
script and a 'rail roko' agitation in
Kallakudi near Tiruchirapalli made
him known throughout the state.
He ascended to the DMK throne
and the Chief Ministership follow‑
ing the death of party founder
Annadurai in 1969.
Karunanidhi had the party in his
strong grip till the end despite pre‑
siding over two major splits and
being out of power continuously
between 1977 and 1989.
His fortunes gained strength
when the DMK won the 1967 elec‑
tions and Annadurai made
Karunanidhi the Minister of Public
Works.
After Anna's death in 1969,
Karunanidhi became the Chief
Minister. He led the DMK to a land‑
slide win in 1971.
Bad times started soon after.
Perceiving the popularity of movie
The oath of office was
administered by Chief
Justice Dipak Misra.
Justice Banerjee is the seventh
woman judge of the Supreme
Court, first being Justice Fatima
Beevi, followed by Justice Ruma
Pal, Justice Ranjana Desai, Justice
Gyan Sudha Misra, Justice R.
Banumathi and Justice Indu
Malhotra.
INDIA NEWS TheSouthAsianTimes.info
hero and party leader MGR as a
future threat to him, Karunanidhi
began sidelining him and ousted
him in 1972.
MGR floated the AIADMK that
took power in 1977. He cultivated
the Congress well ‑‑ sharing liberal‑
ly the Lok Sabha seats while retain‑
ing his hold on the Assembly ‑‑ to
effectively consign the DMK to the
opposition benches.
DMK's fortunes revived in 1989
when it won handsomely assisted
by a split in AIADMK, with one fac‑
tion led by its founder's widow
Janaki Ramachandran and the other
by Jayalalithaa.
However, in 1991, the DMK gov‑
ernment was dismissed in the wake
of heightened activities in Tamil
Nadu of Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers
whose vocal supporter he was.
The DMK suffered a second split M. Karunanidhi, the five‑time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.
in 1993 when Karunanidhi saw
fiery speaker Vaiko as a threat to
his son M.K. Stalin's ascendancy in
the party and expelled him.
KARUNA'S MORTAL
After that it was a see‑saw battle
with people choosing DMK and REMAINS TO BE TAKEN
AIADMK alternatively. In 2006, the
DMK was voted back to power for
its populist promises.
TO GOPALAPURAM
In 2011 Karunanidhi promised Chennai: The mortal remains of DMK leader.
more, but the DMK lost the battle. In DMK President M Karunanidhi "T he plan is to take our
2016 too, it suffered the same fate. will be taken to his home at leader's body to his residence at
Karunanidhi is survived by his Gopalapuram here from the Gopalapuram. And from there
two wives Dayalu and Rajathi, sons Kauvery Hospital and then to to Rajaji Hall for people to pay
M.K. Muthu, Alagiri, Stalin and M.K. Rajaji Hall for people to pay their last respects," the leader
Tamilarasu and daughters S. Selvi their last respects, said a senior said.
and Kanimozhi and grandchildren.
Modi, Rahul, TN CM express
anguish over Karuna's death
New Delhi/Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra
Mo di and Tamil Nadu Chie f Minister K
Palaniswami and Congress President Tahul
Gandhi expressed anguish and grief over the
death of DMK President M Karunanidhi.
In a series of tweets, Modi said: "Deeply sad‑
dened by the passing away of Kalaignar
Karunanidhi. He was one of the senior most
leaders of India.
"We have lost a deep‑rooted mass leader,
prolific thinker, accomplished writer and a
stalwart whose life was devoted to the welfare
of the poor and the marginalized.
"Kalaignar Karunanidhi stood for regional
aspirations as well as national progress. He
Supporters outside the Kauvery Hospital
was steadfastly committed to the welfare of
where Karunanidhi was admitted.
Tamils and ensured that Tamil Nadu's voice
was effectively heard," Modi said. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
Modi said he had the opportunity of interacting Karunanidhi fought for social justice, the Chief
with Karunanidhi on several occasions. "His under‑ Minister said. His death is a great loss to the state. He
standing of policy and emphasis on social welfare of fered his condolences to the late leader's family
stood out. Firmly committed to democratic ideals, his members.
strong opposition to the Emergency will always be Congress President Rahul Gandhi said India has lost
remembered." a great son, who strode the stage of Tamil politics like
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK leader K a colossus for over six decades.
Palaniswami said in a statement that he was "Loved by the Tamilian people, Kalaignar strode the
anguished on hearing about the demise of the former stage of Tamil politics, like a colossus, fo
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA August 11-17, 2018 13

Congress slams Modi govt;

to launch battle on corruption
New Delhi: The Congress stepped up its
attack on the Modi government on the issue
of corruption and took ownership of the
National Register of Citizens while accusing
BJP of using it as "divisive tool" as it decided
to launch a "decisive battle" along with
opposition parties against the BJP.
A meet ing of the Cong ress Working
Committee (CWC), which was held here
under chairmanship of party President
Rahul Gandhi, spent considerable time dis‑
cussing National Register of Citizens in
Assam, which has electoral implications
beyond the state.
The CWC also discussed the "scams of the
Modi Government including bank frauds,
failing economy, rampant unemployment
and agrarian distress" during its four‑hour
long meeting.
It decided to launch a "decisive battle" in
the coming days with other opposition par‑
ties on the issue of corruption.
The party accused the Modi government
of causing Rs 41,000 crore loss to excheq‑
Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
uer in the Rafale fighter jet deal, "complici‑
ty" in the escape of Mehul Choksi, charged
in the PNB bank fraud case, and causing tax
terrorism. The party sought to deflate BJP's
nationalist plank on National Register of
Citizens (NRC), saying that Congress‑led
UPA government had deported 82,728
Bangladeshi foreigners between 2005‑2013
against a mere 1,822 done by the Modi gov‑
ernment. Cong ress Communicat ions
Incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala said the
CWC noted with grave concern the "deliber‑
ate and diabolic agenda of BJP to play poli‑
tics to use NRC as a divisive and emotional
tool for misleading the people".
"This is being done to deflect countryʼs
attention from the colossal failures, mega
scams like Rafale, bank frauds and others as
also betrayal of people by Modi Government
on various promise," he said.
The CWC called upon Congress leaders
and workers to expose the acts of omission
and commission of Modi Government and
not allow it escape accountability.
Surjewala said that opposition leaders
have discussed the "corruption‑related"
issues of Modi government with Rahul
Gandhi and other party leaders and they will
together fight a decisive battle in the coming
days to take the matter to people.
Surjewala alleged that there had been
bank scams to the tune of Rs 72,000 crore
and CWC had expressed its shock and dis‑
may "over the complicity and connivance" of
the Modi government in the escape of fraud‑
ster Mehul Choksi in Rs 23,484 crore PNB
scam.
He said the statement made by Citizenship
Investment Unit of Antigua makes it clear
that External Af fairs Ministry had given
"clean chit" to Mehul Choksi in May, 2017.
The SEBI had also given a similar 'clean chit'
and CBI and ED failed to provide adequate
evidence to Interpol.
He said the Modi government had ade‑
quate knowledge of bank frauds by jeweller
Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. "
On Rafale deal for the puchase of 36 fight‑
er jets from France, Surjewala alleged that
the Modi government was indulging in a
"cover up" and had refused to disclose the
price of the aircraft.

Countdown begins to elect Swaraj to address 73rd

RS Deputy Chairman
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu.
New Delhi: The countdown to elect the
new Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman began
here as Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu
‑‑ which could ally with the government in
certain situations.
Opposition sources said that there were
UNGA session on Sept 29
New Delhi: External af fairs minister
Sushma Swaraj will address the annu‑
al high‑level UN General Assembly
session at United Nat ions on
September 29, according to the pro‑
visional list of speakers released by
the UN, media reports said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is
not likely to attend this yearʼs UNGA
session. According to the first provi‑
sional list of speakers for the General
Debate of the 73rd session of the
General Assembly, Swaraj w ill
address the high‑level session in the
afternoon of September 29. She had
addressed the General Debate last
year as well. The General Debate will
open on September 25 and run External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had
through October 1. addressed the General Debate last year as well.

Army major, 3 soldiers

announced the dates for the likely contest
between the ruling NDA and a united
opposition.
Janata Dal‑United MP Harivansh is likely
to be the NDA candidate while the opposi‑
tion will be meeting soon to finalize its
candidate. Talking to reporters, Harivansh
said that he was the candidate of the rul‑
ing coalition. "I got to know through the
media that I am NDA's candidate for the
post of Deputy Chairman of the Rajya
Sabha. I express my gratitude to the par‑
ties in the NDA. I am hopeful that I will
succeed," he said.
The election is likely to be a close affair
as the opposition bloc has an edge over
the BJP‑led NDA in terms of numbers.
The outcome will depend on the stance
of parties such as BJD, AIADMK,
Telangana Rashtra Samiti and YSRC Party
35 "fence‑sitters" and the outcome will
depend on their stance. The two large par‑
ties in the upper house ‑‑ BJP and
Congress ‑‑ were unlikely to put up any
candidate. The parties which would sup‑
port an opposition nominee include the
Congress (50), TMC (14), SP (13), TDP (6),
killed in Kashmirʼs Gurez
Srinagar: An Army major and three soldiers
CPI‑M (5), CPI (2), DMK (4), NCP (4), AAP
were killed while foiling an infiltration bid in
(3), BSP (4), RJD (5), PDP (2), JD‑S (1),
north Kashmirʼs Gurez sector, of ficials said.
Nominated (1), Kerala Congress‑Mani (1)
At least two militants were killed in the oper‑
and IUML (1).
ation, they added.
Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah
The encounter between the patrolling party
Naidu had earlier announced that the new
of the Rashtriya Rifles and the infiltrating
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman will be
group took place at Govind Nallah in Gurez
elected on August 9.
sector of Bandipore district, a report in the
The post of the Deputy Chairman fell
Hindustan Times said.
vacant after P.J. Kurien retired in July.
Initial reports said a group of eight was try‑
The election will be held a day before
ing to infiltrate into the country. Of them,
the conclusion of the monsoon session of
Parliament.
four ran back to Pakistan‑occupied‑Kashmir, A soldier takes position during a
officials said. gunfight with militants.
 14 August 11-17, 2018 OP-ED TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Washington's waiver:
India inches closer to
NSG membership
By Bhaswati Mukherjee Department of Commerce's Strategic Trade
Authorisation licence exception, the waiver

A
gainst the background of intense
speculation about US President
Donald Trumpʼs growing indiffer‑
ence to Indiaʼs security needs and the land‑
mark India‑US Nuclear Cooperation
Agreement came the dramatic announce‑
ment of the "Tier 1 waiver" for India.
This exception from the export control
regime will allow the US to export sensitive
technology to India without individual
licences or approval from Congress, where
anti‑India interest groups used to hold them
up through filibusters.
The waiver is historic and marks a new
stage in the India‑US strategic partnership.
No other country in the region has ever
been granted such a waiver, normally
allowed only for the US's NATO partners or
key allies like Japan and South Korea. Only
36 nations currently have this status. It also
brings India one step closer to full NSG
membership, a goal so tantalizingly close
and yet denied because of Chinese intransi‑
gence and insistence on linking it with
Pakistan's membership.
Commonly referred to as Tier‑1 of the US
will not only ensure a much required high‑
tech upgrade for India's lagging defence
industry but will also promote the ʻMake in
India' initiative. It will bring US defence com‑
panies for the first time into India. The com‑
petition with other foreign companies
already in India, including from France and
Russia, will eventually translate into a win‑
win situation for the country.
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross
described it as a "very important change" in
India's status, noting that "US companies
will be able to more efficiently export a
much wider range of products to Indian
high technology and military customers.
India's new status will benefit US manufac‑
turers while continuing to protect our
national security". Also, he added that "it
finally reflects India's status as a major
defence partner of the US".
Ross said this new designation reflects
India's membership in three of the four mul‑
tilateral export control regimes, as well the
development of its national export control
system. He asserted that US companies will
be able to more efficiently export a much
NSG membership is now vital for India since this group controls export and
import of high‑grade nuclear related technology.
wider range of products to Indian high tech‑
nology and military customers. He said
India's new status will benefit US manufac‑
turers while continuing to protect its nation‑
al security.
Speaking at a panel discussion of the first
Indo‑Pacific Business Forum organised by
the US Chambers of Commerce, Indian
Ambassador Navtej Sarna highlighted that
the Trump administration's decision
acknowledges the security as well as eco‑
nomic relationship between the world's two
largest democracies and boosts their
defence partnership in a big way.
India is a member of three of the four
international export control regimes includ‑
ing the Australia Group, the Wassenaar
Arrangement and the Missile Technology
Control Regime (MTCR). These develop‑
ments, along with the civil nuclear coopera‑
tion agreement with US, have also strength‑
ened India's case for permanent member‑
ship of the UN Security Council.
NSG membership is now vital for India
since this group controls export and import
of high‑grade nuclear related technology.
India has been repeatedly checkmated by
the Chinese veto, cleverly disguised in the
plea of equating India and Pakistan's pend‑
ing membership applications.
The Trump administration has given a
timely and important signal that India
remains a vital strategic partner in the
region. Washington demonstrated through
the waiver for India (which remains outside
the NPT regime) that the country is a vital
ally in maintaining international peace and
security.

Why India shouldnʼt rush into engaging with Pakistan

By Brahma Chellaney remain the puppet master calling extremists like Ijaz Shah, an ex‑ISI
the shots from behind the scenes, officer and handler of Hafiz Saeed,

I
t has taken the Pakistani mili‑
tary a full year to complete the
soft coup it launched when it
used a pliant judiciary to oust an
elected prime minister. The mili‑
tary‑engineered election outcome
in favour of Imran Khan came vir‑
tually on the anniversary of Nawaz
Sharifʼs removal from office. What
happened to Sharif is likely to hap‑
pen to any PM that seeks to assert
civilian control over a praetorian
military.
In fact, no PM has been allowed
to complete a full five‑year term.
When a PM falls foul of the deep
state, the judiciary, opposition and
bureaucracy are used to smear the
leaderʼs reputation and oust him or
her. Every PM has been thrown out
on charges of corruption and
incompetence.
Pakistanʼs Supreme Court hanged
one elected PM in 1979, ousted
another in 2017 and legitimised
every military coup. Sharif was
ousted without a trial, let alone a
conviction. Turning natural justice
on its head, the Supreme Court first
pronounced him guilty of corrupt
practices on the basis of the report
of a military intelligence‑associated
joint investigation team and then
Instead of rushing to engage Imran Khan, New Delhi should let the
new leader establish his bona fide intentions for combating terrorism.
ordered his trial post‑ouster.
The Sharif removal anniversary
was a reminder that Prime Minister
Narendra Modiʼs surprise Lahore
visit proved very costly for the
now‑jailed Sharif and for India,
with the Pakistani military
responding with a series of daring
terrorist attacks on Indian security
bases, from Pathankot to Uri and
Nagrota. Modiʼs visit sealed Sharifʼs
political fate, with the subsequent
Panama Papers leak providing the
perfect pretext for ousting him.
For India, this is not just a cau‑
tionary tale but a sobering lesson
that policy made on the fly increas‑
es the odds of a boomerang effect.
So does diplomacy seeking to
befriend Pakistanʼs civilian govern‑
ment in the hope of both offsetting
Pakistani militaryʼs implacable hos‑
tility to India and driving a wedge
between civilian and military
authorities. Such diplomacy has
repeatedly recoiled on India. Didnʼt
Atal Bihari Vajpayee ride a bus to
Pakistan and then publicly bewail
that his “bus got hijacked and
taken to the Kargil battlefield”?
The latest election has changed
little in Pakistan, a country still
struggling to be at peace with
itself. The Pakistani military will
with Imran as its newest puppet.
The military didnʼt just stack the
electoral odds in Imranʼs favour; it
did practically everything to put
him in power. It took the general
election to literally mean that it
was to be run by the generals. The
EU team found the voting “well
conducted and transparent” but
cited “restrictions on freedom of
expression and unequal campaign
opportunities.” Former Indian chief
election commissioner SY Quraishi,
however, gave the polls a clean
chit.
It was the militaryʼs brainchild to
bring into the political mainstream
the terrorists and militants assist‑
ing its belligerent India policy and
Afghanistan meddling. In the elec‑
tion, not all the Islamists and mili‑
tants fared badly. One militant
group, Tehreek‑i‑Labbaik, garnered
nearly two million votes.
The military has actually scored
a double win. The next PM is a sup‑
porter of the military‑backed
jihadists and Islamists. Imran, long
ridiculed as “Im the Dim” for his
lack of intelligence, has morphed
into a religious zealot who plays
the blasphemy card and whose
party brass includes hardcore
Mullah Omar and Daniel Pearlʼs
murderer. Shah, now in Parliament,
also helped hide Osama bin Laden.
Make no mistake: After this con‑
trived election, Pakistan seriously
risks slipping deeper into a jihadist
dungeon. Its exploding population,
resource pressures, a pervasive
lack of jobs, high illiteracy and fast‑
spreading jihadism create a deadly
cocktail of internal disarray.
Caught in mounting debt to China,
it now needs an international
bailout.
Successive Indian governments
have failed to develop a clear strat‑
egy to deal with this Mecca of ter‑
rorism.
Today, instead of rushing to
engage Imran, New Delhi should let
the new leader establish his bona
fide intentions for combating ter‑
rorism. Tellingly, in his “victory”
speech, he called Kashmir the
“core” subject but evaded the cen‑
tral issue for India, Afghanistan,
the US and Pakistanʼs own future
̶ tackling and terminating the
presence of terrorist groups on
Pakistani soil.
(Brahma Chellaney is a geostrate‑
gist and author. The article
appeared in The Hindustan Times)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Jaipur: Steeped in royal splendor
and untouched beauty, the walled
city of Jaipur is once again excited
to mark its presence on the world
map with Union Minister for
Culture Mahesh Sharma informing
the Rajya Sabha that the city is the
next proposed site for UNESCO
World Heritage recognition.
Notably, it was in 2015 when the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
submitted a proposal to UNESCO
for World Heritage City status for
Jaipur.
Since then, it has been in the ten‑
tative list while Ahmedabad proved
luckier, bagging the tag of becom‑
ing the first Indian World Heritage
city last July.
The International Council on
Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS),
one of the three formal advisory
bodies to the World Heritage
Committee constituted by UNESCO,
then requested ASI for an inspec‑
tion tour of the walled city here to
scan its potential for the heritage
tag.
The team visited the city in
September 2017 and since then
there have been whispers doing the
rounds about its heritage status. But
Jaipur has always been greeted
affectionately for its magnetic her‑
itage and splendor. The blend of
wild, culture and history assimilated
in this city, make it a unique combi‑
nation for discerning travelers.
The city also enjoys concept plan‑
ning more on the lines of Lahore,
Cairo and Tunis; it houses a unique
street layout with the primary axis
leading to a central place of wor‑
ship flanked by colorful shops on
either side while its secondary and
The city of Kolkata is becoming a climate casualty
By Somini Sengupta, NYT
Kolkata: I wanted to glimpse the
future in the city where I was born.
So, this summer I returned to India
for a firsthand look at the way cli‑
mate change is affecting Kolkata.
I spent the first seven years of my
life in this delta city, close to where
the Ganges pours into the sea. In
my memory, it was a city of steam
and sweat, rice and fish, of languid,
muggy afternoons. A city of water.
Lots and lots of water.
On this trip, in the era of global
warming, I found a city at profound
risk. Kolkata, formerly known as
Calcutta, now faces more intense
and more frequent storms, cyclones,
river tides and floods.
Plus, its hot, muggy days are get‑
ting hotter and muggier: In mid‑
June, when I was there, the heat
index, a measure of temperature
and humidity, peaked at 45 degrees
Celsius, or 113 degrees Fahrenheit.
In Gariahat market, where I once
watched my mother unfurl sari
after sari, one street vendor leaned
wearily against a wall, dabbing his
head with a handkerchief in vain.
Most worrying, this sprawling
metropolis of 14 million is utterly
WHY THE WALLED CITY OF JAIPUR
deserves World Heritage recognition
tertiary roads, further segregated
on basis of its functional needs,
stand out as an exemplary show of
interesting town planning.
Emerging from an amalgamation
of ancient and contemporary urban
planning principles, which range
from varied
Amber Fort is one among the UNESCO World Heritage
sites of Rajasthan (Image courtesy: quora.com)
sources such as the traditional
Hindu treatise, imperial Mughal
principles and western town plan‑
ning, Jaipur presents a blend of
architectural styles. It is home to
some of the most marvelous monu‑
ments, a surreal melting pot of
world heritage and culture.
In fact, Amber Fort is one among
the UNESCO World Heritage sites of
Rajasthan that fascinate tourists
with its amazing architecture and
history of brave Rajput rulers.
(Image courtesy: topyap
unprepared. “On one side your
threat is increasing and you are
basically in a prehistoric level of
preparedness,” JayantaBasu, an
environmental journalist and a
Kolkata native, said of his city. “All
in all, youʼre in for a disaster.”
More upsetting to Mr. Basu, it did‑
nʼt have to be this way.
Kolkata had natural defenses: the
mighty Ganges to the west, wet‑
lands to the east, all emptying into
FEATURES
Here's a quick look at some key
components of the walled city of
Jaipur:
Amber Fort: A majestic citadel
built by Maan Singh, Amber is situ‑
ated on a high hillock of Aravali.
Once a capital of Rajasthan before
Jaipur, it is quite popular among
local and overseas tourists for the
regal elephant rides, its exem‑
plary architecture and the
Sound and
Light
Show which pays a tribute to
Rajputana heritage in Amitabh
Bachchan's baritone.
The mesmerizing Sheesh Mahal
situated within the fort is adorned
with millions of glass mirrors on the
walls and ceiling, which offer a fas‑
cinating aura to the visitors of
UNESCO's World Heritage Site in
Jaipur.
Nahargarh Fort: Once this mes‑
merizing fort formed a strong
defence ring and created a strong
s.com)
the mangrove‑rich delta region
known as the Sundarbans and out
to the Bay of Bengal. The cityʼs
lakes and creeks could swallow the
rains. The soft clay soil, used by the
cityʼs sculptors to create figures of
revered Hindu gods, could hold
groundwater. Today, many lakes
and canals are filled with muck or
built over altogether. An area of
low‑lying fields that once absorbed
the runoff is now a suburb of high‑
rises known as New Kolkata. The
August 11-17, 2018
protecting force for Amber and
Jaigarh Fort. Comprising 7 palaces
within its walls, it offers the highest
point, which gives an awesome aeri‑
al view of the city.
The fort recently had a few addi‑
tions in the form of a zoo and wax
museum.
Jaigarh Fort: Built in 18th centu‑
ry, Jaigarh Fort is the majestic
palace which houses world's largest
canon originally built to protect
Amber Fort.
Amer and Jaigarh are also con‑
nected through secret tunnel.
Jantar Mantar: This is yet another
heritage site which speaks of phe‑
nomenal expression of untold mys‑
teries of universe. The astronomical
skills have been made to bespeak in
the form of distinguished architec‑
ture which brings out discrete
observations fascinating visitors
from different parts of the world.
Albert Hall: Albert Hall is basically
the state museum of Rajasthan
which houses marvelous paintings,
exquisite sculptures and interesting
objects bespeaking a story of their
historic significance. Constructed in
1876, Albert Hall is the oldest
museum in the state which has
gained enormous fame for its Indo‑
Saracenic architecture.
Surrounded by the lush greenery
from all sides, it basks in the color‑
ful lighting during night hours
rapid extraction of groundwater is
causing the landscape to sink.
“Weʼre actually kind of destroy‑
ing all these natural subsidies,” Mr.
Basu said.
And the Sundarbans? The people
of the Sundarbans are pouring into
Kolkata. The water of the Bay of
Bengal is rising faster than the
global average. Their paddy fields
turned salty, they told me, and
their houses fell down. So they
packed up and moved to Kolkata,
the closest big city, joining the
ranks of the most vulnerable: the
cityʼs poor.
Now, they live in houses made
of bamboo and tin, in neighbor‑
hoods where the drains back up
in the monsoon and you have to
hitch up your sari to wade through
the filthy, stinking floodwaters.
Kolkata ̶ once a city of empire,
then a city of jazz, then a city syn‑
onymous with destitution ̶ sits in
a saucer, sloping down from the
Ganges to the wetlands and eventu‑
ally out to the Bay of Bengal, rough‑
ly 90 miles away. The Adi Ganga, a
tributary of the Ganges, meanders
through the city. Clogged with silt,
today, it is no more than a shallow,
fetid wastewater canal. The risk of
15
under the night tourism concept
launched by Rajasthan Tourism
recently.
City Palace: Accommodating sev‑
eral renowned temples, gardens
and museums, this palace covers a
major portion of the walled city.
This magnanimous palace also
showcases world's largest silver
containers which were once used to
carry water during Maharajaʼs
entourages to different countries of
the world.
Hawa Mahal: With intact 953
honeycombed jharokhas (windows),
Hawa Mahal enjoys the credit of
being the tallest building in the
world without a foundation. Also
there is no front door and hence
one needs to enter the palace from
behind.
It is also called the Palace of
Winds owing to its five‑storey exte‑
rior with 953 windows which help
in keeping the palace cool as the
wind blows gently.
Jal Mahal: This is yet another
architectural wonder. With a five
storey palace, there are two floors
which are visible on top of water in
the middle of Maan Sagar Lake
while the other three remain hidden
in water.
The palace seems as if floating in
water and gives a surreal feel espe‑
cially at night with colorful lights all
around.
flooding has increased, as extreme
rainfall events have become more
common. One study found that
Kolkata is receiving many more
heavy rainfall days than before.
One of Dr. Hazraʼs doctoral stu‑
dents, Amit Ghosh, drilled down fur‑
ther. He found that between 1955
and 2015, the city recorded three
times as many cloudburst days,
when it rained more than 100 mil‑
limeters a day, as compared to the
first half of the 20th century. These
heavy rainfall events are disastrous
for an already flood‑prone city,
where nearly a third of the popula‑
tion lives in slums, or worse, on the
sidewalks under the open sky.
According to the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and
Development, if the current trajec‑
tory of greenhouse gas emissions
continues, by 2070 Kolkata is pro‑
jected to have more people exposed
to coastal flooding than any city in
the world.
(Excerpt from an article published
in The New York Times. The author
Somini Sengupta covers interna‑
tional climate issues and is the
author of "The End of Karma: Hope
and Fury Among India's Young.")
Courtesy The New York Times
 16 August 11-17, 2018 ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Pakistan viewers urged Housewives biggest CEOs

to watch ʻMulkʼ illegally in India: Aishwarya
M A
ulk movie
ctress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan says the house‑
has been
wives are the biggest CEOs in the country.
banned in
Pakistan, according
She said this on the sets of "Indian Idol 10"
to Bollywood film's
after a contestantʼs mother asked Aishwarya
makers who are
about her views on the housewives of the coun‑
upset over the "prej‑
try.
udiced verdict".
"The housewives are the biggest CEOs in the
Director Anubhav
country and they should be given utmost
Sinha has urged
respect and appreciation in the country. I
viewers in Pakistan
doff my hat off with full respect and appre‑
to "watch the film
ciation to all the housewives of the country
illegally, if you
and the world," said Aishwarya.
must".
To which, one of the show's judges Vishal
According to a
Dadlani said: "Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
statement issued on
being one of the most beautiful women in
behalf of the mak‑
the world is just like any other house‑
ers, the Federal
wife. As I remember on one of my
Censor Board of
music world tours when Amitabh
Pakistan has banned
Bachchanji had invited me and
the film, a court‑
the whole crew to his suite for
room drama around
a dinner party, the world's
restoring the hon‑
most beautiful lady... served
our of a Muslim
Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor and Taapsee Pannu dinner with her own hands
family accused of
in a still from the movie. to each and every member Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was recently
treason. Danyal
of the crew. seen in the movie ʻFanney Khanʼ.
Gilani, Chairman, Pakistan's Central Board of Pakistan" in what he calls a "risk of
of Film Censors (CBFC), said via the social being called an anti‑national by some los‑
media: "Members of the CBFC unanimously ers back home", Sinha's letter reaches out
decided not to approve the trailer of 'Mulk'
as its contents flout the Censorship of Film
to film lovers across the border as they will
not be able to see the film legally.
'Karwaan': Irrfan Khan elevates
Code, 1980."
Sinha has penned a "letter to Pakistan",
through which he raises a question about
"Why is it that they do not want you to
see the film that talks about co‑existence. I
know, sooner or later, you will have access
this light-hearted comedy
why the censors in Pakistan are not letting to the film. Please do watch it and give me
the citizens watch a film "that talks about your opinion why did the Pakistan censor
co‑existence". Addressed to "Dear citizens board ban the film.”

Stardom comes with a small

price tag to pay: Ranveer Singh
I
n his eight‑year‑long jour‑
ney in the Hindi film indus‑
try, Ranveer Singh has tast‑
ed immense success with
blockbusters like "Goliyon Ki
Raasleela Ram‑Leela", "Bajirao
Mastani" and "Padmaavat". The
actor says attaining this star‑
dom comes with a "small" price
to pay. Popularly known as
'Karwaan' is a road film and stars Irrfan Khan (right) in a pivotal role.
Bollywood's livewire, Ranveer

made his acting debut in 2010
with the hit "Band Baaja
Baaraat". Since then, he has
starred in movies like "Ladies vs
Ricky Bahl", "Lootera" and "Dil
Dhadakne Do" among many oth‑
ers which did well at the box
office.
Asked if he agrees stardom comes with a
price tag, Ranveer said in an e‑mail inter‑
view from Mumbai: "Yes, but my point of
view is that it is a small price to pay. I feel
very lucky and blessed that I'm one of
those people who is getting to do what I
love to do for a living and I could not ask
for more."
With big and diverse projects like
"Simmba", "Gully Boy" and "'83", Ranveer,
32, has no reason to complain.
"I'm doing good work, I've collaborated
with the finest filmmakers in the business,
I'm a part of some exciting stories that are
made his Bollywood
Actor Ranveer Singh Baaratʼ.
foray with ʻBand Baaja
there to be told and I'm a part of some of
the largest projects. So, the work is good.
"Along with being a professional in show‑
biz, there are a few things that come with
it. You have to sacrifice a few things in
your life. Your personal time, your sense of
privacy... But like I said, the good (coun‑
ters) the negatives for me. So, honestly, you
will never find me complaining," added the
actor, who also endorses the eyewear
brand Carrera.
The "Lootera" star is grateful for the
opportunities that have come his way in
such a short span of time. And with suc‑
cess, there is also criticism.
F
ocusing more on the journey rather
than on the goal, "Karwaan" is a light‑
hearted comedy, designed as a road
film. So obviously, you have little of the road
and more of the comedy which is quirky, sub‑
tle and sardonic.
The story written by Bejoy Nambiar, brings
to fore the question as to how much of a story
it really offers? While the setup is interesting,
the payoffs and character arcs are flat and
unimpressive.
It is the story of a dutiful son Avinash Raj
Purohit (Dulquer Salmaan), who ensures
that he performs the last rites of
his father. Avinash despised his REVIEW
father for not letting him pursue his
passion in photography.
Avinash goes to collect his father's remains
from the airport's cargo section along with
his friend Shaukat (Irrfan Khan), who owns a
garage. So it is obvious that he gets the vehi‑
cle to transport the corpse.
But after collecting the body, they realize
that there has been a goof up. So to correct
the wrong, Avinash along with Shaukat travel
to Kochi to exchange the bodies. En route
they pick up Tanya from her college, she is
the granddaughter of the dead lady whose
body is with Avinash.
Their journey yields enlightenment which
contains the trio's own secrets about life and
loss and is peppered with moments sans any
major conflict, but yet action‑packed, senti‑
mental and hilarious. The key character who
brightens the screen and makes the
film momentous is Irrfan Khan. His
peculiar one‑liners are what keep you
in splits. It's not that his lines are original,
but the way he delivers them, the timing et al,
is what makes it unique, preposterous and
memorable, ensuring a chuckle after every
delivery. Dulquer Salmaan slips into Avinash's
boots with grace and ease. He is the epitome
of a good and conscientious boy.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Having Taimur in public domain
is Kareena-Saif’s choice
K
areena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali
Khan are often heard expressing
concern about over‑exposure of
their son Tamiur ‑‑ not yet two ‑‑ in the
media. So how come Saif's other children
from his first marriage did not face the
same problem when they were kids?
Oh I see: The paparazzi were neither that
active nor this persistent back then.
Ok. So another question to do with other
star‑toddlers today? How come Aamir
Khan's son Azad doesn't get hounded by the
paparazzi? The answer is simple. Aamir and
his wife Kiran don't want their child in the
limelight.
Aishwarya‑Abhishek's Aaradhya was con‑
stantly in the public eye, till their parents
took a conscious decision to limit their
child's appearance on social media.
As Meryl Streep recently observed, you
can't expect privacy for a celebrity's chil‑
dren when they are put on a public plat‑
form. She chose to be in the limelight and
therefore had to forefeit her privacy. But
her children were exempted from the atten‑
tion. She never put their pictures out on the
social media and never allowed paparazzi to
Fighting censorship scares
me: Anurag Kashyap
F
ilmmaker Anurag Kashyap
said it is not impossible to
make a political cinema in
India, but the process of fighting
the system scares many filmmak‑
ers, including him.
Participating in "Neta Abhineta"
session of an international media
forum at the Media Rumble in New
Delhi, Kashyap said: "It's not that if I
wanted to make political cinema, I
wouldn't do it because of the fear for
censorship, but it's the process of
fighting it which scares me.
Filmmaker Anurag Ka
"You can't just give up at the first
level ‑‑ you have to go through many
levels, the executive committee, the
of Wasseypur" and "Bombay Velvet", how‑
revising committee, the tribunal, and
ever, said that "the most restrictive
maybe even all the way to the Supreme
regimes in the world" come out with "the
Court in the end."
best films".
The filmmaker, known for movies like
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Actors Saif and Kareena
with son Taimur.
access her children's lives.
I think there is a huge takeaway in Meryl's
pronouncements on privacy for celebrities
in Bollywood who complain that their chil‑
dren are hounded by the paparazzi. It is
really very simple. If you don't put your chil‑
dren in the public spotlight, they won't be.
Now, star‑kids learn to face prying cam‑
eras even before they learn to walk proper‑
ly. It's not easy for a two‑year‑old or a three‑
year‑old to have flash bulbs piercing his or
her bewildered uncomprehending eyesight.
I brought up my concerns with Aaradhya's
grandfather, who sighed in resignation. "Ab
kya keren? The attention is a little discon‑
certing. We've gotten used it. Aaradhya
would also have to get used to it," said
Amitabh Bachchan.
Akshay Kumar, forever playing the real‑
life role of the monk with the Ferrari, is
even more charitable about his children 17‑
year‑old Aarav and five‑year‑old Nitara
being hounded by the paparazzi.
"They are only doing their job. Woh unki
rozi‑roti hai," he rationalizes the unreason‑
able invasion of his children in tender terri‑
tory.
shyap is known for
Wasseypurʼ.
movies like ʻGangs of
"Gangs
August 11-17, 2018 17
Hope I've opened doors for
women of color: Priyanka
A
s Priyanka Chopra bid goodbye to
her role as Alex Parrish in
"Quantico", which gave an unprece‑
dented push to her career in Hollywood,
hopes she has been able to kick open the
door for women and especially those of
color to get to play lead characters in
American showbiz.
"As the season ends, I am saying good‑
bye to Alex Parrish. As you'll see, her story
will come full circle...and that is the best
feeling as an actor. Bringing Alex to life
has challenged me physically and emotion‑
ally, but even more significant it has (I
hope) cracked the door open for female
talent and women of color to play leading
ladies," Priyanka wrote in an emotional
tweet.
"Thank you for opening your homes and
hearts to me every week! Thank you to the
cast and crew of 'Quantico' for being such
an amazing team to work with, for all the Actress Priyanka Chopraʼs ʻQuanticoʼ
memories that I will cherish... Memories of journey has come to an end.
laughter, of learning new things, of making When Priyanka landed the role for
friends for life. It was a pleasure working "Quantico", she was touted as the first South
with each and every one of you, and I look Asian to headline an American network
forward to crossing paths again," she added. drama series.
I want to change Indian
cinema: John Abraham
F
rom producing Indian cinema's
first ever film on sperm dona‑
Actor‑producer
tion to giving an insight into the John Abraham
iconic nuclear test of Pokhran, super‑ at the success
model‑turned‑actor‑producer John party of his film
Abraham has proved he is a perfect mix ʻParmanuʼ.
of brains and brawn. He says he wishes
to bring about a change in Indian
cinema.
His last release "Parmanu ‑ The Story
of Pokhran" had a successful run, and
he is now gearing up for the
Independence Day release of
"Satyameva Jayate".
"We just had five days of promotion
of 'Parmanu...' and I am really glad how
the film sustained in the theatre for so
long, and not only earned money, but
respect too. I think the best promotion
for a film is the film itself. As a actor‑
producer, I really want to change our
Indian cinema so that people gain that
faith to invest time and money on a
Friday to go to the theatre to watch a
film produced by (my banner) JA
Entertainment," John told IANS in an
interview.
After "Satyameva Jayate", John has
two important projects lined up ‑ "Batla
House" and "Romeo Akbar Walter
(RAW)". He says both the movies will
give him the opportunity to prove his
potential as actor and producer.
From his 2003 debut film "Jism", an
erotic thriller, to some successful films
like "Dhoom", "Water", "Taxi No. 9211",
"Kabul Express" and "Dostana" among
others, John was most appreciated for
his well‑built body and strong screen
presence.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info August 11-17, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SUBCONTINENT August 11-17, 2018 19

Imran Khan gets MQM‑P Armed men attack

support to form govt
Islamabad: The Muttahida Qaumi
Movement‑Pakistan (MQM‑P) has
decided to join Imran Khan's
Pakistan Tehreek‑e‑Insaf (PTI) to
form the federal government, the
media reported.
MQM‑P convener Khalid Maqbool
Siddiqui confirmed the news on a
Geo TV programme. "Yes, we have
agreed to cooperate with them (the
PTI) for the formation of (a coali‑
tion) government at the Centre," he
said. The PTI also sought the sup‑
port of Balochistan National Party‑
Mengal (BNP‑M).
MQM‑P's Siddiqui added that
after a series of past experiences,
the party does not want to side
with the Pakistan Peoples Party
US envoy's cars
in Dhaka
Dhaka: Armed men have
attacked a convoy of cars carry‑
ing the US envoy to Bangladesh
in the capital Dhaka, US officials
said. Ambassador Marcia
Bernicat and her security team
were able to get away unharmed,
but two cars were damaged fol‑
lowing the attack, BBC reported.
It comes as thousands of stu‑
dents and school children con‑
tinue a week‑long protest calling
for safer roads.
Pakistanʼs PM‑in‑waiting Imran Khan.
Police used tear gas to dis‑
perse crowds. At least 50 pro‑
Imran's oath-taking ceremony on Aug 14 testers have also been injured in
ed that political activists belong‑
ing to the governing party beat
students marching towards their
offices.
The students were demanding
to know why protesters were
attacked, in clashes which left
dozens injured.
The US ambassador con‑
demned the violence.
"Nothing can justify the brutal
attacks and violence over the
weekend against the thousands
of young people who have been
peacefully exercising their dem‑
ocratic rights," a statement on

(PPP). "The PPP does not need any‑
one in Sindh. The MQM‑P will sit
alongside the PTI on government
benches." "We have decided to sit
on treasury benches instead of the
opposition. Sitting with the opposi‑
tion would have created doubts
about our stance and because of
this, the MQM‑P has arrived at a
consensus on this move."
"We respect everyone's mandate
and want everyone to respect ours,"
said the MQM‑P convener.
He also said that the MQM‑P will
not be attending the All Parties'
Conference. It will be a meeting of
opposit ion part ies led by the
Pakistan Muslim League‑Nawaz
(PML‑N) to hold talks on alleged
T
street attacks. the embassy's Facebook page
he oath‑taking ceremony of former cricketer Imran Khan, who is
The Bangladeshi media report‑ said.
set to be the next Prime Minister of Pakistan, may not take place
on August 11, as expected earlier. The swearing‑in is now likely to
be held on August 14, the media reported. Leading daily Dawn quoted
Law Minister Ali Zafar as saying that he, along with caretaker Prime
Minister Nasirul Mulk, want the Pakistan Tehreek‑e‑Insaf (PTI) chief's
swearing in to take place on August 14 (the country's Independence
Day). "We wanted that the new Prime Minister should take his oath on
Independence Day so that the new government can start its functioning
with full national fervor and commitment to bring progress to the coun‑
try," Zafar said. The caretaker Law Minister told the media that as per
the Constitution, the first session of the National Assembly would have
to be summoned within 21 days after the general election. It was neces‑
sary to fulfil this obligation by August 15.
rigging in the July 25 general elec‑ support Khan for the Prime
tion. MQM‑P MNA and coordina‑ Minister slot, they were yet to
tion committee member Aminul decide if they will take any min‑ The attack comes amidst road safety protest in Dhaka.
Haq said though MQM decided to istries.

1.67 million ballots rejected 35 killed in Afghan

in Pakistan polls: Report
Islamabad: About 1.67 million
votes were excluded from the
count in Pakistan's July 25 gener‑
al election, surpassing the num‑
ber of ballots rejected in 2013
polls, according to a report by an
independent poll watchdog.
Free and Fair Election Network
(FAFEN) is a coalition of 30
domestic non‑governmental
organizations that observe gener‑
al election and mobilize voters.
According to the FAFEN report,
the increase in the number of dis‑
carded ballots was a ubiquitous
phenomenon observed in
Election officials open ballot boxes
Pakistan's all four provinces and
Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
Overall, the increase was recorded at
around 11.7 per cent. There were more
than 100 million registered voters in
Pakistan but out of them, only about 51
per cent exercised their franchise, accord‑
ing to the Election Commission.
Around 40 per cent increase in the
number of rejected votes was observed in
Balochistan, 30.6 per cent in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa including Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), 7 per
Shia mosque attack
Gardez: At least 35
people were killed
and more than 70
others wounded after
two explosions ripped
throug h a Shia
mosque in
Afghanistan's Gardez
city, the media report‑
ed.
T he blasts took
place at 1.30 pm
when people were
of fering Friday
prayers inside Imam‑
e‑Zaman Mosque in
Police District 2.
to count votes.
Gardez is the capital Security beefed up in Imam‑i‑Zaman mosque after the attack.
cent in Sindh and 6.6 per cent in Punjab, of eastern province of
said the report cited by Geo News. Paktia, a police of ficer told Xinhua news "Several wounded people were shifted to
In ICT, the number of ballots excluded agency. Reports suggested two gunmen a military hospital in Afghan Army's Corps
from the count was over double the dis‑ entered the mosque, opening fire on wor‑ 203 Thander for intensive treatment as
carded ballots in the region in 2013 elec‑ shippers before detonating the explosives. the government‑run hospitals were not
tion. The report also said that the num‑ The mosque building was severely dam‑ able to provide treatment for all the vic‑
ber of votes excluded from the count sur‑ aged by the blasts. The bombers also used tims," Ahmadzai said.
passed the margin of victory in 120 (21 hand grenades during the attack, Paktia He warned that the toll may go up as
per cent) of the 570 provincial assembly police chief was quoted as saying by TOLO many of the wounded were in critical con‑
constituencies where polls were News. Walayat Ahmadzai, head of provin‑ dition. At least 600 people were inside the
conducted. cial health department, confirmed the toll. mosque at the time of strike, TOLO said.
 20 August 11-17, 2018 INTERNATIONAL TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Venezuelan President survives 91 killed in massive

'drone assassination bid' Indonesia quake
Caracas: Venezuelan President
Nicolas Maduro survived what he
called an "attempt against his life"
involving explosive drones, blam‑
ing Colombia's outgoing
President Juan Manuel Santos
and far‑right elements for the
foiled assassination bid. Maduro
was evacuated from a stage dur‑
ing a speech at an event to com‑
memorate the 81st anniversary of
the Bolivarian National Guard
here after what authorities con‑
Most fatalities were caused by the collapse of buildings.
cluded was a "failed" and attempt‑
ed "terrorist attack against the Jakarta: At least 91 people were (BNPB) sent a search and rescue
President", reports CNN. killed and hundreds others team to the affected area,
While he was in the middle of a injured in a massive quake reports Efe news.
pledge to lead the country toward measuring 7 on the Richter Most fatalities were caused by
an economic recovery, two drones
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro blamed Colombia for the attack. scale that struck Indonesia's the collapse of buildings, accord‑
loaded with explosives went of f sions were fireworks which were to Maduro's allegations. Lombok Island, authorities said. ing to the BNPB, which added
near the podium from where the part of the parade. "This is baseless. The President The shallow quake that occured that hundreds of the injured
President was speaking, "The preliminary investigation (Santos) is engaged in the bap‑ only 10 km underground, comes have to be treated outside hospi‑
Communications Minister Jorge indicates that many of those t ism of his g randdaug hter, a week after another temblor hit tals because of the poor condi‑
Ro driguez confirmed to the responsible for the attack, the fin‑ Celeste, and not overthrowing for‑ Lombok, popular with tourists tion of the buildings.
media. anciers and planners, live in the eign governments," a source from who visit its beaches and hiking "The main focus at this time is
Later in an address to the US in the state of Florida," the Colombian President's of fice trails, killing 16 people. the search, rescue and assis‑
nation on state TV, Maduro said: Maduro said. told the media in Bogota. It was followed by about 130 tance to people affected by the
"To all of our friends in the world, On blaming Colombia for the Meanwhile, an unknown group, aftershocks, some over magni‑ earthquake and meeting their
I am fine, I am alive... attack, Maduro said: "All the "Soldados de Franela" emerged on tude 5. A tsunami warning was basic needs," the BNPB said,
"A flying object exploded near investigations point to Bogota... Twitter, claiming responsibility issued but was lifted after a few pointing out the urgent needs
me, a big explosion. Seconds later They have tried to kill me today". for the attack, which it termed as hours. for medical personnel, clean
there was a second explosion." In response, the Colombian gov‑ "Operation Phoenix", according to The Indonesian National water, food, blankets and medi‑
He initially thought the explo‑ ernment said there was "no basis" Efe news. Board for Disaster Management cine.

N Korea still pursuing

nuclear, missile
Saudi Arabia expels Canadian
programs: UN report
Washington: A confidential UN report has
ambassador, recalls envoy
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia
accused North Korea of continuing to develop
nuclear and mis‑
sile programmes
announced that it was
expelling the Ambassador of Canada using DNA, ancestry
Canada and froze new trade
in violation of
international
deals with the country after
Ottawaʼs criticism of human‑
websites to investigate migrants
sanctions. Ottawa: Canadian immigration officials are using DNA testing and ancestry websites to try to
rig hts violat ions in the
The report was establish the nationality of migrants, the Canada Border Services Agency said. CBSA spokesman
Islamic Kingdom.
prepared by inde‑ Jayden Robertson said the agency uses DNA testing to determine identity of “longer‑term
T he Ministry of Foreign
pendent experts detainees” when other techniques have been exhausted. “DNA testing assists the CBSA in deter‑
Af fairs announced that it
who submit their mining identity by providing indicators
was recalling its ambassador
findings every six of nationality thereby enabling us to
in Canada for consultation
months to the UN focus further lines of investigation on
North Korean leader and simultaneously declared
North Korea Kim Jong‑un. particular countries,” Robertson said in
the Canadian Ambassador
Sanctions an email.
Dennis Horak persona non‑
Committee of the Security Council, CNN But the process raises concerns about
grata, giving him 24 hours to
reported. The report also says North Korea is privacy of data held by ancestry web‑
leave, reports the Saudi
defying sanctions through diplomats and oth‑ sites, and highlights political pressure
Gazette.
ers based overseas and continues to sell con‑ over the handling of mig rants by
T he move comes after
ventional weapons to fuel violence. Canadaʼs Liberal government. More
Canadian Foreign Af fairs
The revelation comes as US Secretary of than 30,000 would‑be refugees have
Minister Chrystia Freeland
State Mike Pompeo, in Singapore for an crossed the US‑Canada border since
last week called on Saudi
Association of Southeast Asian Nations January 2017.
Arabia to release arrested
(Asean) ministerial meeting, told reporters
civil‑rights activists and sig‑
that he was an advocate of keeping pressure
nalled concern at a new considers the Canadian state‑ trying to make contact with of Saudi Arabia," the spokes‑
on Pyongyang as the country has yet to take
crackdown in the Middle ments as a "blatant interfer‑ Saudi Arabia, reports woman said.
any concrete steps to dismantling its nuclear
Eastern country. ence in the Kingdom's inter‑ Canadian daily The Globe T he detained act ivists
program. "I've also emphasized the impor‑
Saudi Arabia took this firm nal affairs that violates sim‑ and Mail. include Samar Badawi, sister
tance of maintaining diplomatic and econom‑
stance following Canada's ple international norms" that "We are seriously con‑ of writer Raif Badawi who is
ic pressure on North Korea, to achieve the
statement about "civil society governs relations between cerned by these media already imprisoned in Saudi
final, fully verified denuclearization of North
activists" that was negative countries. A spokeswoman reports and are see king Arabia and sentenced to
Korea as agreed to by chairman Kim (Jong‑
and baseless, according to for Freeland said that the greater clarity on the recent 1,000 lashes for insulting
un)," he said.
the Ministry. The ministry Canadian government was statement from the Kingdom Islam.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info BUSINESS August 11-17, 2018 21

CBI moves request for Choksi's extradition from Antigua

New Delhi: The extradition request for fugi‑
tive diamond merchant Mehul Choksi, who
has secured an Atiguan passport and is liv‑
ing there, will soon be sent to the Caribbean
country, the CBI said.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI),
which is probing the Rs 13,500‑crore bank‑
ing fraud allegedly committed by the jeweler
and his nephew Nirav Modi, said that its let‑
ter to get Choksi deported has been for‑
warded to the Ministry of External Af fairs
(MEA).
The CBI sent the letter to the Union Home
Ministry which in turn forwarded it to the
MEA, an official said.
In its request to the Home Ministry, the
CBI said Choksi's extradition was being
sought "on grounds of principle of reciproci‑
ty and dual criminality". A source revealed
that the MEA has received the extradition
request from the CBI and is currently in the
process of conveying it to the authorities in
Antigua and Barbuda.
India and Antigua are signatory to the
United Nat ions Convent ion ag ainst
Corruption (UNCAC) ‑‑ a multilateral treaty
negotiated by the member‑states of the
United Nations and promoted by the UN
Mehul Choksi.
Office on Drugs and Crime, the CBI pointed
out in its request.
Choksi is said to have fled India on an
Indian passport in the first week of January
2018. The Antiguan government is believed
to have cleared his application for citizen‑
NIRAV MODI EXTRADITION
SOUGHT FROM UK
New Delhi: The government has sent a
request to the UK for extraditing fugitive
diamantaire Nirav Modi, who is wanted in
the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank
(PNB) fraud case, parliament has been
informed. "An extradition request has been
received in the Ministry of External Affairs
(MEA) from the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA) for the extradition of Nirav Modi
from the UK," Minister of State for External
Affairs V.K. Singh told the Rajya Sabha.
"The request has been sent by a Special
Diplomatic Bag to the High Commission of
India (HCI), London for onward transmis‑
sion to the UK authorities," he said.
Singh said that the MEA revoked the pass‑
port of Modi as per the provisions of
ship in November 2017, for which he may
have paid around Rs 1.3 crore. He took the
oath of allegiance as a citizen of Antigua on
Section 10(3)(c) of the Passports Act, 1967,
on February 16, 2018.
"This information was conveyed to the
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for
onward transmission to the Interpol," he
said.
He also said that the Ministry has no
means to verify the travels, if any, of Nirav
Modi, and the passport used for such trav‑
els by him.
Nirav Modi along with his uncle Mehul
Choksi of the Gitanjali group are being
probed in the fraud scam by the CBI and the
Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The ED had, on May 24 and May 26, filed
prosecution complaints or charge‑sheets
against Choksi and Modi.
January 15. Days later, on January 29, the
CBI filed a case and started investigating
Choksi and Nirav Modi.

US jobless rate drops India's Forex

to 3.9%. in July
Washington: The United States' headline
unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 per
cent in July, a month in which nonfarm
payrolls in the world's largest economy
rose by 157,000, the Labour Department
said.
The US economy remains close to full
employment even though the number of
jobs added last month was below the
195,000 forecast by economists, Efe
reported. US employment has risen for 94
consecutive months, the longest jobs‑
expansion streak on record.
The unemployment rate has now dipped
below 4 percent for the third time this
year.
The jobless rate unexpectedly climbed
to 4 percent in June ‑ up from 3.8 per
cent in May, the lowest level since 2000 ‑
mainly because more people were actively
looking for work.
Average hourly wages for all employees
on private nonfarm payrolls rose in July
by $0.07 to $27.05; average hourly earn‑
ings climbed 2.7 percent relative to July
2017, and economists expect labour costs
to keep rising.
The US labour force participation rate
reserves deplete by
(the share of the population 16 years and
older either working or seeking work),
which peaked at 67.1 percent in 2000,
over $950 million
remained unchanged from the previous
month at 62.9 percent.
"The unemployment rate edged down to
3.9 per cent. This is only the eighth time
that the monthly unemployment rate has
fallen below 4.0 per cent since 1970, and
three of those months happened under
President (Donald) Trump in 2018," US
Labour Secretary Alexander Acosta said in
a statement on the July jobs report.
"There is a record 156 million people in
the labour force.
Mumbai: India's foreign exchange (Forex) Segment‑wise, FCAs ‑‑ the largest compo‑
Since President Trump's election, more
reserves plunged by $950.9 million during nent of the Forex reserves ‑‑ receded by
than 1 million prime‑age people joined or
the week ended July 27, of ficial data $1.01 billion to $379.03 billion during the
rejoined the labor force. For the second
showed. week under review.
consecutive month, the unemployment
According to the Reserve Bank of India Besides the US dollar, FCAs consist of
rate for Hispanics reached a record low,"
(RBI)'s weekly statistical supplement, the nearly 20‑30 per cent of major global cur‑
the statement added.
overall forex reserves slipped to $404.19 rencies.
Following this latest solid jobs report, it
billion from $405.14 billion reported for However, the value of the country's gold
remains likely that the US Federal Reserve
the week ended July 20. reserves increased by $61.1 million to
will hike interest rates two more times in
India's forex reserves comprise of foreign $21.20 billion.
2018. The Fed has already raised its fed‑
currency assets (FCAs), gold reserves, spe‑ As per the data, the SDRs' value inched
eral‑funds rate twice this year, with that
cial drawing rights (SDRs) and the RBI's up by $0.3 million to $1.48 billion, while
benchmark rate currently set at a range of
position with the International Monetary the country's reserve position with the IMF
between 1.75 per cent and 2 per cent.
Fund (IMF). was up by $0.5 million to $2.47 billion.
 22 August 11-17, 2018 SPORTS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

England beat India in first Test to lead series

India were bowled out for 162 in their second innings,
losing the first Test to England by 31 runs.
Birmingham: India were bowled out for 162
in their second innings, losing the first Test
to England by 31 runs before lunch on the
fourth day here.
Chasing 194, India resumed the day at
110/5 but kept losing wickets, including
the one of captain Virat Kohli (51), to fall
short by 31 runs.
For England, medium‑pacer Ben Stokes
was lethal, taking the important wickets of
Kohli and Hardik Pandya (31) on the day.
The right‑armer ended up with figures of
4/40 in the second innings for a match haul
of six wickets. England's rookie bowling all‑
rounder Sam Curran was adjudged the Man
of the Match. The 20‑year‑old picked up a
total of five wickets. This included a four‑
wicket haul in the first innings when he
destroyed the much hyped Indian top order.
The youngster was impressive with the
bat as well. He emerged as the highest scor‑
er in England's second innings with a quick‑
fire 63 which propelled the hosts to a
strong lead.
For the visitors, there was very little posi‑
tives to take away from the series opener.
Just like the first innings, Kohli was the
only saving grace for the visitors in the sec‑
Kohli grabs top spot in
ICC Test batting rankings
London: India captain Virat Kohli became
the top‑ranked batsman in Test cricket
for the first time in his career as he
ended Australian Steven Smith's reign of
nearly 32 months.
Kohli scored 149 and 51 in India's 31‑
run de feat in the first Test in
Birmingham against England and has
gone up by 31 points, according to an
International Cricket Council (ICC)
release. "The 29‑year‑old right‑hander
from Delhi also became the seventh India
batsman and first since Sachin Tendulkar
in June 2011, to top the rankings for
Test batsmen, which were released fol‑
ond innings as well. The Indian skipper
scored a gritty 51 before being trapped lbw
by Ben Stokes.
Apart from Kohli, star of f‑spinner
Ravichandran Ashwin and pacers Ishant
Sharma and Mohammed Shami were the
only other Indians who managed leave a
mark.
Ashwin troubled the England batsmen in
both innings to emerge with a match haul of
seven wickets. Ishant was impressive in the
second innings with figures of 5‑51 while
Shami bagged three wickets during the
hosts' first essay. Overall, the Indian
bowlers turned in a satisfactory perform‑
lowing the conclusion of the Edgbaston
Test," ICC said.
Kohli now leads Smith (who had held
the top spot since December 2015) by
five points, but will have to maintain the
form in the remaining four Tests to finish
the series as the world's highest‑ranked
batsman.
Tendulkar had joined South Africa's
Jacques Kallis in the number one posi‑
tion in January 2011, but had dropped
to second spot following the Jamaica
Test in June 2011 after he had missed
the three‑Test series against the West
Indies.
ance while most of the batsmen failed mis‑
erably. Starting the day needing 84 runs to
win, the visitors' job was made even more
difficult when Dinesh Karthik was caught in
the slips after edging a delivery from James
Anderson.
Hardik Pandya joined Kohli in the middle
but the duo could could hold the England
bowlers at bay for only around 10 overs
before the latter fell victim to a misjudged
shot. As the Delhi batsman trudged back
into the pavilion, India's hopes of winning
the Test seemed to vanish along with him.
An England victory was only a matter of
time from then.

India have to get over touring troubles quickly

By Veturi Srivatsa the replay showed the ball was hit‑
ting just the leg stump and that was

T
here are similarities in
India's defeat in the
Birmingham Test and
Pusarla Venkata Sindhu losing the
World Badminton Championships
final. Both were expected to win, yet
lost.
Chasing 194 in the fourth innings,
India had a great chance of winning,
provided their skipper Virat Kohli
stayed till the end. He got out just
when India seemed to have weath‑
ered the first hour. In the end, 31
runs separated the two teams.
The victory and defeat can be
seen in dif ferent ways. It can be
seen as India losing a match they
should have won and England look‑
ing at it as something their team
badly needed in a five‑Test series to
push ahead.
In Sindhu's case, people will start
questioning her temperament,
ignoring her opponent and two‑
time world champion Carolina
Marin's near flawless court craft
and speed to wit, showing how fit
she is.
Sindhu just could not press home
the advantage of a handy lead mid‑
way through the first game. A game
up, the Spaniard went on an over‑
Indian cricket team skipper Kohli and shuttler PV Sindhu.
drive in the second game straight‑
away and never looked like loosen‑
ing the grip.
The result was a repeat of another
major final at the Rio Olympics.
Both know each other's game too
well and it is a case of which one
seizes the opportunity first.
Sindhu looked good to win the
gold this time after beating her con‑
queror in the last year's final
Nozomi Okuhara in the quarter‑
finals and another dogged Japanese
Akane Yamaguchi in the semis, both
in straight games.
At Edgbaston, just as Hardik
Pandya started showing signs of
confidence, hitting Stuart Broad
straight past him and then whipped
him through midwicket, Kohli
thought he could relax a bit and
play his strokes freely.
Not for the first time in his career
did Kohli go well across to try and
flick to fine leg to get full value for
the shot, but he did not realize that
if he missed he would be in danger
of either getting bowled or leg
before to Stokes. That's because he
got away with such audacious shots
more often than not when well set.
This time the Indian captain did‑
n't, though he had just crossed fifty,
and umpire Aleem Dar raised his
left‑hand index finger the moment
the ball missed Kohli's bat, though
good enough to seal India's fate.
This was not the first time the
England team was bailed out by
Stokes. Pundits following English
cricket counted quite a few where
Stokes bowled critical overs to get
crucial wickets to bowl his team to
victory.
In his post‑match comments,
England skipper Joe Root quipped:
"Stokesy's just got that knack, hasn't
he, he loves the big moments."
If it is any relief for the Indians,
the all‑rounder will not be there for
the second Test at Lord's as it clash‑
es with his trial on a charge of
af fray in Bristol that starts on
Monday, Chris Woakes comes in for
him.
India under Kohli gives the
impression that they have resources
to be gallant travelers, but they sel‑
dom look convincing.
As usual, the positives are being
counted in defeat and yet they are
in a fix whether to go into the sec‑
ond Test with the same team or any
changes. The only ones who had
acquitted creditably are the
bowlers.
All said and done, plenty of crick‑
et still to be played.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info BOOKS August 11-17, 2018 23

Sahitya Akademi expresses solidarity

with writers as threats continue
New Delhi/ Thiruvananthapuram/ Panaji: In a
major development that has averted a possi‑
ble return of the 2015 awardwapsi protest,
the Sahitya Akademi has vociferously
expressed solidarity with writers after at least
26 heavyweight authors urged Indiaʼs
National Academy of Letters to condemn
repeated ongoing threats to Goa's award win‑
ning writer Damodar Mauzo and Malayalam
novelist S. Hareesh.
"I must make it clear that the Akademi con‑
demns all attacks against writers and I am
saddened by the news of Mauzo and Hareesh.
I condemn these threats in strongest of
words," Sahitya Akademi President
Chandrashekhar Kambar told IANS over tele‑
phone from Bangalore.
The 81‑year‑old said that he will be writing
to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and draw
his attention to the "pressures and attacks"
writers like Hareesh are facing. “I am also try‑
ing to speak to the concerned minister
(Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma) but he is
not available," he said.
"The Akademi is meant to uphold free
speech and I will not hesitate. I will talk,"
Kambar asserted.
On being reminded that the same body took
as many as 54 days to publicly condemn the
killings of rational thinkers and writers M.M.
Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Narendra
Dabholkar that had triggered massive
protests by writers bringing the Akademi to a
standstill in 2015, Kambar said that the past
should be left behind as the Akademi was on
the cusp of revival.
"Forget the past, we are doing everything in
our capacity and we have taken a stand
already that we condemn these attacks
against S. Hareesh and Damodar Mauzo," he
said. A collegium of heavyweight and multiple
award winning writers such as Nayantara
Sahgal, Keki Daruwalla, K. Satchidanandan,
Ritu Menon, Jerry Pinto and Meena
Alexander, among several others, had written
to the Akademi under the banner of Indian
Writers' Forum, urging it to condemn such
instances. The writers' forum pointed out that
the Akademi had failed to take a "bold, public
stand" in 2015.
"We hope this would not happen in your
dispensation and that this big literary institu‑
tion will take a brave stand now," the letter
read.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Thursday
said that the culture of banning books
impacts the free flow of ideas and should not
be taken recourse to unless they are hit by
Section 292 of the IPC that prohibits obsceni‑
ty. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra,
Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y.
Chandrachud reserved its order on a plea
seeking to omit certain excerpts from
"Meesha" by Hareesh.
"You are giving undue importance to this
kind of stuff. In the age of Internet, you are
making this an issue. It is best forgotten," said
Justice Chandrachud.
But even as top writers express their soli‑
darity, the vitriol against Malayalam novelist
S. Hareesh and his publisher DC Books have
continued as they received numerous threats
and messages of intimidation from some right
wing outfits. The Kerala state government has
assured the publisher of their support.
An officer of the Cantonment Police station
in Thiruvananthapuram said a case has been
registered on Thursday against four activists
of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (the
youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party)
who took part in a protest before the DC
Books office on Wednesday.
Mauzo has been provided police security
following threats to his life in view of revela‑
tions made by those arrested in the murder
case of activist‑journalist Gauri Lankesh in
Bengaluru. The award‑winning Konkani
writer and progressive thinker Mauzo had
earlier confirmed to IANS that round‑the‑
clock security was provided to him after he
was informed by a central intelligence agency
about threat to his life.

KBC creator pens book on Will Smith is writing a book

making of modern India
New Delhi: A curation of the
landmark events, iconic person‑
alities and benchmark institu‑
tions that have shaped India over
the last century will be released
in the form of a full‑fledged book
by creator of the hugely popular
"Kaun Banega Crorepati"
Siddhartha Basu.
Titled "Indian Century" it will
be published by DK Books India,
known for its illustrated refer‑
ence books and a part of the
Penguin Random House group.
"The 20th century is where the
hinge of history turned for mod‑
ern India. This book, timed to
release as the country completes
70 years of independence,
recounts the milestones of that
century, and of the millennial
years that follow, together with
thumbnail profiles of many of its
major players," Basu said in a
statement. "For me, the best quiz
facts always open up layers of lit‑
tle or lesser‑known details.
"This is a curated collection of
facts I find fascinating about the
events and people that have
shaped the India we know today,"
he said. The publisher informed
IANS that the book will be divid‑
ed into two parts.
The first part "Headlines" will
showcase dramatic events, the
rise of landmark institutions,
political evolutions and changing
sociocultural landscapes of India.
"Snapshots," the second section
in the book will elucidate the
lives and achievements of the
most iconic personalities of 20th‑
century India in a question and
Siddharth Basu
(Image courtesy:
babubasu@twitter.com)
answer format.
This format will make it easier
for the reader to capture infor‑
mation and gather facts quickly,
the publisher said.
The book will also feature
more than 250 images.
"The book visually documents
the evolution of modern India
and provides much‑needed
insight into our political land‑
scape. It features milestone
events from each year of the past
century and gives a glimpse into
the lives of the game changers ‑‑
people who helped shape mod‑
ern India," the publisher added.
Priced at Rs 500, the book will
be released on August 20.
Siddhartha Basu is an award‑
winning television producer,
director, and India's foremost
quiz master. He is the man
behind landmark shows such as
"Kaun Banega Crorepati" and
"Mastermind India.” (IANS)
with author Mark Manson
Los Angeles: Will Smith has revealed
he is writing a book, which will be
full of "stuff" he has gathered over
the years. The 49‑year‑old actor is
collaborating with self‑help author
Mark Manson, who wrote "The
Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k" on
the project.
Smith took to Instagram to share
the news on what will be his first
official book.
"I'm writing a book! I got years
and years of stuff I want to say, and
I'm finally going to write a book for
y'all," the actor said in the video
which also featured Manson.
Smith then asked the writer, "Are
you feeling confident? Are you feel‑
ing like we'll be able to do transcen‑
Ramachandra Guha pens 'the most
ambitious book' on Mahatma Gandhi
New Delhi: Renowned historian
and author of several bestselling
books, including the highly
acclaimed "India After Gandhi"
and "Gandhi Before India"
Ramachandra Guha has penned a
new book on the father of the
nation, which has just gone to the
press and will be out in
September.
Billed as the most definitive new
biography of Gandhi, the upcom‑
ing book is titled "Gandhi: The
years that changed the world
(1914‑1948)" and will be pub‑
lished by Penguin Random House
India. "This magnificent book,"
sources said, "will not only tell the
Smith took to Instagram to
share the news on what will
be his first official book.
dent art with this book?" To which
Manson replied, "I spent the last six
months with crippling anxiety, but
today I feel great.”
"The "Bright" actor then joked that
they are meeting five publishers for
Ramachandra Guha
(Image : khaskhabar.com)
story of Gandhi's life, from his
departure from South Africa to his
dramatic assassination in 1948
the book and they will go with the
"highest bidder."
"We're going to be meeting with
five publishers. We're gonna pick
one. And if I had to take a guess, I
feel very confident that we're gonna
go with the highest bidder. I'm just
saying," Smith quipped.
Manson, on the other hand,
revealed that the book is due next
year. "I grew up watching this guy
after school. It's a true honor to
work with @willsmith and help him
share his incredible life with the
world. Look for a book from us in
2019!" he wrote on Instagram.
According to reports, the book will
be a combination of memoir and
inspirational experiences. (PTI)
but also the history of our free‑
dom movement and its many
strands."
It is said to be a book with "a
Tolstoyan sweep" revealing
Gandhi to the readers just as he
was understood by his contempo‑
raries. The book will also include
new readings of his arguments
with B.R. Ambedkar, Mohammad
Ali Jinnah and Subhas Chandra
Bose, among others. Drawing on
never‑before‑seen sources and ani‑
mated by its author's unparalleled
sense of drama and politics,
Guha's latest work will be market‑
ed as the "most ambitious and
integral book" on Bapu. (IANS)
 24 August 11-17, 2018 HEALTH TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Toxic air to blame for lung cancer;

no longer just a smoker's disease
By Tish Sanghera/IndiaSpend

New Delhi: Smokers and non‑smokers now

represent an equal number of lung cancer
patients, according to a study carried out by
the Lung Care Foundation, a not‑for‑profit
organization focused on improving lung
health in India.
An analysis of 150 patients at Sir Ganga
Ram Hospital (SGRH), New Delhi, found that
close to 50 per cent of patients with lung can‑
cer–the type of cancer responsible for the
highest number of cancer deaths nation‑
wide–had never smoked, and yet had devel‑
oped the pulmonary disease.
Health professionals in India now believe
there is strong evidence that points to the
role of air pollution in the increasing inci‑
dence of lung cancer amongst the young and
female populations.
“This is the first time I have seen this 1:1
ratio of smokers to non‑smokers suffering
from lung cancer”, Arvind Kumar, chairman,
center for chest surgery, Sir Ganga Ram
Hospital, New Delhi, told IndiaSpend.
“Looking at this data, the obvious reason that
comes to mind is air pollution, which contains
smoke and PM 2.5.”
PM 2.5 is particulate matter less than 2.5
microns in size, or 30 times finer than a
human hair, which, when inhaled deeply into
the lungs is known to cause lung cancer, car‑
diovascular and respiratory diseases. Outdoor
pollution was classified as a cancer‑causing
agent in 2013 by the International Agency
for Research on Cancer (IARC), a part of
WHO.
In November 2017, a public‑health emer‑
gency was declared by the Indian Medical
Association in Delhi as the air quality index
breached 999, likened to smoking 50 ciga‑
rettes a day. Currently, lung cancer is respon‑
sible for five deaths per 1,000 in India (seven
Currently, lung cancer is responsible for five deaths
per 1,000 in India and seven per 1,000 in Delhi
21 per cent of patients in the 2018 study
are under 50 years old. Of this group, five
out of 31 patients are between 21 and 30
years of age, representing 3.3 per cent of
the total patient group. Compare this to
70 years ago, when the proportion of
cancer patients under 30 was 2.5 per cent.
per 1,000 in Delhi, a city that regularly expe‑
riences high levels of air pollution) and is
accompanied by a survival rate of no more
than five years.
The effects of air pollution on respiratory
and lung health – typically associated with
decades of smoking tobacco and tobacco‑
related products – have become a growing
focus for medical researchers and health
workers, as awareness of health hazards
amongst the public has risen.
Patients are younger, more
females and non‐smokers
Lung cancer is no longer “a smokerʼs dis‑
ease, a disease of old age and [one of] strong
male preponderance”, according to the Lung
Care Foundation study. Nearly 21 per cent of
patients analysed in the 2018 study are
under 50 years old. Of this group, five out of
31 patients are between 21 and 30 years of
age, representing 3.3 per cent of the total
patient group. Compare this to 70 years ago,
when the proportion of cancer patients under
30 was 2.5 per cent, according to a study con‑
ducted across 15 teaching hospitals between
1955‑59. The number of women contracting
the disease appears to be increasing, data
show. The male to female ratio of lung cancer
patients went from 6.7:1 between 1958‑85,
to 3.8:1 between 2012‑18.
In 2012, 3.2 per cent of women were smok‑
ers compared to a 23 per cent prevalence
amongst men, according to this study at the
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
(IHME) at the University of Washington.
Women are also less likely to be exposed to
work environments which can increase the
chances of developing cancer, such as mines
and construction sites.
The increasing numbers of non‑smokers
now suffering from lung cancer, is another
ʻdisturbing trendʼ that points to factors
beyond smoking tobacco as being the pri‑
mary cause. Of the total 150 patients sur‑
veyed, 50 per cent or 74 were non‑smokers
(meaning they had never smoked in their life).
The proportion of non‑smokers rose to 70
per cent amongst the younger age category
(i.e less than 50 years old).
Amongst the reasons given in the study for
non‑smokers contracting lung cancer were
exposure to radiation and asbestos and occu‑
pational hazards attached to mining, in addi‑
tion to environmental factors such as heavy
air pollution.
Increased levels of lung cancer amongst the
20‑30 age group and high prevalence of the
ardeno carcinogenic pathology point towards
a looming epidemic, the study warned. Late
detection and misdiagnosis as tuberculosis
are further adding to the situation. However,
prevention and early detection is possible.
Currently, 70‑80 per cent of patients are diag‑
nosed at stage III and IV, and health profes‑
sionals are calling for more screening and
diagnosis to take place at stage I instead.
A reduction in air pollution levels is also a
key point of action for health campaigners,
who hope additional data on health risks will
activate policymakers into looking at the
issue more closely.
The decision on whether to ban firecrackers
– which emit PM 2.5 and contribute to heavy
levels of pollutants in the air – during Diwali
was heard in the Supreme Court on World
Lung Cancer Day, August 1, 2018. Opposition
to the ban was heard from firecracker manu‑
facturers who believe the impact on air quali‑
ty and lung health is not as severe as is made
out, positing that the car and construction
industries should also bear responsibility for
their emissions. The case is now listed for
concluding arguments on August 8, 2018.
Over the Diwali weekend of 2016, Indiaʼs
air quality was among the worldʼs worst and
between 40 per cent and 100 per cent worse
in five north Indian cities than at the same
time the preceding year, an IndiaSpend analy‑
sis of national data and our Breathe network
of sensors showed in November 2016.
Sanghera is a graduate of Kingʼs College London

Swachh Bharat Mission can avert up to 3 lakh deaths: WHO

New Delhi: “As the initial results of a WHO
modelling study on the health impact of the
Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM‑G)
outline, Indiaʼs accelerated coverage of safe
sanitation services, and its determination to
end open defecation, will have a substantial
effect on the burden of diarrheal disease
and PEM by reducing mortality and accu‑
mulative Disability Adjusted Life Years
(DALYs),” said WHO quoting Poonam
Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director for
South‑East Asia.
According to WHO, the Swachh Bharat
Mission could result in over 14 million
more years of healthy life in the period
measured, with the benefits accruing yearly
thereafter.
“That is especially remarkable given that
before 2014 unsafe sanitation caused an
estimated 199 million cases of diarrhea
annually, with modelling showing the prob‑
lem will almost be eliminated when univer‑
sal use of safe sanitation facilities is
achieved,” she added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a Swachh Bharat Mission event. (Photo: Wikipedia)
According to ministry of Drinking Water
and Sanitation, sanitation coverage in rural
India, under the Swachh Bharat Mission
rose to 85 per cent with 7.4 crore toilets
built across rural India. As a result over 3.8
lakh villages and 391 districts were
declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) this
year.
“India pursues WHO South‑East Asiaʼs
Flagship Priorities and strives to fulfill the
Sustainable Development Goals, including
Sustainable Development Goal 6, which
obliges countries to ensure access to safe
water and sanitation for all, and
Sustainable Development Goal 3, which
obliges them to ensure healthy lives and
promote wellbeing for all at all ages,” Singh
said. The Swachh Bharat campaign is a
brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi. It was officially launched on 2
October 2014 at Rajghat, New Delhi by the
prime minister. It is India's largest cleanli‑
ness drive to date with 3 million govern‑
ment employees, school students, and col‑
lege students from all parts of India partici‑
pating in 4,041 statutory cities, towns and
associated rural areas. Modi has called the
campaign "Satyagrah se Swachhagrah"in
reference to Gandhi's “Champaran
Satyagraha” launched on 10 April 1917.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Even on your worst day, don't stop loving yourself
By Vishnu Makhijani
ven on your worst day, don't
E stop loving yourself, says
content specialist and human
rights evangelist Reeta Gupta,
whose just‑published book,
"Rescripting Your Life", presents a
cogent five‑step guide to achieving
just that.
"My everyday mantra is: Even on
your worst day, don't stop loving
yourself... What you listen from
others is what your ears hear.
That's external appreciation, criti‑
cism or validation. But your most
powerful conversation happens
between your ears, in your mind.
You can hear that conversation
louder than any other. That's inter‑
nal self‑worth. You are only as
good as your next thought about
yourself," Gupta says in the book,
which has been published by Rupa.
"Believe that the best will hap‑
pen and it often does. When it
comes to yourself, choose kindness
‑‑ being unkind to yourself is vio‑
lent," Gupta penned in a copy of
the book that she presented to this
correspondent.
How then does one go about
rescripting one's life? It's a five‑
step process, Gupta explains in the
book:
8 Connect to your source:
Nothing comes from nothing ‑‑ you
5 Life Insurance myths busted
L
ife insurance. Itʼs something
that most people need but a
topic that no one wants to
discuss, leading to many miscon‑
ceptions.
To help you make sense of it all,
here are five common my ths
de bunked ‑‑ just in t ime for
Nat ional Life Insurance
Awareness Month in September:
1. I’m single; I don’t
need life insurance.
Most people think life insurance
is more necessary for married
people than for singles, according
to the 2017 Insurance Barometer
Study by Life Happens and
LIMRA. But even if youʼre single
and donʼt have children, you may
still leave behind loved ones who
would have to pay your debts. For
example, if you have a cosigner on
a loan, he or she would be respon‑
sible to pay it back. Life insurance
can provide peace of mind by
potentially paying off any remain‑
ing debt. Or, if you want to leave
money to a charity, life insurance
can help ensure your wishes are
carried out.
2. It’s too expensive.
Cost is one of the top reasons
people donʼt purchase life insur‑
Reeta Guptaʼs book has a
blurb on the cover from
cricket legend Kapil Dev
have within you the immensity of
the source that created you and
the rest of this world. Tap into that
boundless creative energy.
8 Opt out of being ordinary: Start
actively challenging any non‑serv‑
ing thoughts and beliefs given to
you from your childhood. Don't try
to blend in or be normal against
your wishes. Rise above labels
given to you.
8 Activate your imagination: As
the Creator created you, so you
create your future. Your imagina‑
tion is your domain for creating
the life that you desire, and the
ance. Sixty‑six percent of partici‑
pants in the Insurance Barometer
Study said itʼs too expensive. The
same consumers overestimated
the price by more than three
times the actual cost. It can cost
as little as $14.24 per month for a
$250,000 policy at Erie
Insurance, for example. Thatʼs less
than 50 cents a day. Millennials
can get an even bigger break by
purchasing while theyʼre still
young. Premiums are typically
less expensive since theyʼre gener‑
ally healthier and have fewer
assets.
3. My employer pro‐
vides life insurance;
I donʼt need my own. While itʼs
great to have coverage through an
employer, it often isnʼt enough. “A
SELF HELP
"I am writing from the deep
realization that India needs to
delve into her rich spiritual
past if she is to solve her
problems," says Reeta Gupta,
content specialist and human
rights evangelist.
best part of it is that you are the
monarch of this kingdom! Guard
the gates of your imagination fero‑
ciously ‑‑ don't imagine what you
don't wish for.
8 Master your emotions: Practise
tuning into how your body would
feel ‑‑ when you live the life you
wish for. Increase your overall con‑
scious experience through becom‑
ing more aware of your bodily
reactions to thoughts, feelings and
events. Stay with emotions that
energize you.
8 Find your values: They act as
guideposts that direct your behav‑
ior and shape your goals in useful
ways. Even a terrorist can connect
to his source, opt out of the ordi‑
nary, activate his imagination and
master his emotion ‑‑ but his val‑
ues are compromised.
How did the book come about?
"I am writing from the deep real‑
ization that India needs to delve
typical group life benefit is two
times your annual salary, but you
may need more like six to eight
times your salary just to break
even,” says Louis Colaizzo, senior
vice president for Life at Erie
Insurance.
Whatʼs more, if you take anoth‑
er job, your policy may not be
transferable.
4. I’m a stay‐at‐home
parent.
If youʼre not the breadwinner in
your household, you may think
your family doesnʼt depend on
your income. However, think
August 11-17, 2018
into her rich spiritual past if she is
to solve her problems," Gupta told
IANS in an interview.
"As a nation, if we are to emerge
as a world leader, we first need to
look within and set our house in
order. We are a diverse country ‑‑
with multifarious problems. We
need creativity, energy and
resourcefulness to solve them.
These attributes exist within our
youngsters ‑‑ we need to harness
and channelize them.
"We have a collective responsi‑
bility to take the message of posi‑
tive self‑worth and happiness to
the young. Through this book, I'd
like to sow the seeds of a socio‑
spiritual awakening ‑‑ and ask our
politicians to make this message a
part of their manifesto for the
2019 elections," Gupta added.
How did she evolve into a con‑
tent specialist and human rights
evangelist?
about the value of all the unpaid
services that would need to be
replaced, such as childcare, house‑
hold cleaning, transportation and
cooking. A stay‑at‑home parent in
2018 contributes a salary of
$162,581 annually, according to
research by Salary.com.
5. I don’t have the time
to research this
or sign up.
An insurance agent can quickly
walk you through the process to
identify what you need and your
options, as well as explain the
terms. Think of your agent as a
25
"We all have something that
makes us come alive. In my case, it
was writing. So despite an MBA in
HR, and two jobs thereafter, I
wanted to somehow find my way
back into a career that involved
writing," Gupta explained. She also
started looking for “my purpose".
"As if the universe was listening
to my command, people in sectors
such as disability, gender, impact
investment and policy reform in
healthcare and education, public
health came knocking.
"Everyone and everything I knew
up to that point was preparing me
for a life where I could take on this
role. Now, instead of creating con‑
tent on the 'hottest trends for sum‑
mer 2012', I started writing about
'what percentage of university
seats allocated for students with
disability were going empty'. I
could reach out to influencers and
ask them to endorse these causes
too ‑‑ and Bollywood was more
than willing," Gupta explained.
Today, her team at The Network
creates slogans and effective con‑
tent for public health as well as
inclusive social development ‑‑ and
she connects influencers to causes
they may be inclined to support.
"This would explain my evolu‑
tion into a human rights evangelist
and content expert," Gupta said.
‑IANS
trusted partner who will keep an
eye on how your policy is keeping
up with your life. Plus, the appli‑
cation at such providers as Erie
Insurance only takes about 15
minutes, doesnʼt include compli‑
cated forms and may not require
doctorʼs visits.
Bottom line: Most people could
benefit from life insurance, but itʼs
not a one‑size‑fits‑all scenario.
T he amount needed really
depends on individual circum‑
stances. To protect those who
matter most, check with your
insurance agent to make sure you
get the right coverage.
StatePoint
 26 August 11-17, 2018 FOOD TheSouthAsianTimes.info

The city has one of the best and

Eating out in deepest restaurant rosters in the
world with close to 30,000 eateries.

New York If you are a foodie, here are the best

F
ew questions
are more
urgent than
where to eat when
youʼre travelling to a
place with more than
two restaurants. In
New York the problem
is of plenty.
The city has one of
the best and deepest
restaurant rosters in
the world, and the num‑
ber is increasing: in
2017, there were
26,697 restaurants in
the city.
Of course you can
make a list of must‑try
restaurants; that never
hurts. But for a city as
big and fast moving as
New York, having a solid
set of strategies to maxi‑
mize your meals is the
expert way to go.
Hereʼs how youʼve been
messing it up.
1. You skip
breakfast.
Unlike some breakfast‑oriented
cities like Atlanta and San
Francisco, New York hasnʼt
always taken the first meal of the
day seriously, beyond a bagel and
schmear or slapped‑together deli
bacon‑egg‑cheese. Now the city
has embraced it, and youʼll find
stellar options from the maple‑
cinnamon crullers and smoked‑
gouda‑and‑sausage breakfast
bagels at the compact Daily
Provisions in Gramercy to the
ranchero eggs at NoHoʼs Atla. For
a true New York bagel, splash out
with a spread at Russ &
Daughters Café on the Lower
East Side. For a statement break‑
fast in midtown, the Lobster Club
highlights dishes from other
Major Food Group restaurants
including Sadelleʼs sticky buns, as
well as an over‑the‑top caviar
breakfast egg toast.
2. You’re taking “No”
for an answer.
If you really want to eat or
drink at a restaurant or bar that
accepts reservations and there
arenʼt any, stay strong, advises
Jim Meehan, co‑founder of cult
cocktail bar PDT. “Ask to be put
on the cancellations list and tell
the contact that you will be
standing by for their call̶and
then do. Most restaurants lose
10% of their reservations to no‑
shows or last minute cancella‑
tions. If they can rely on you to
fill a slot, theyʼll be more inclined
to offer it to you, first.”
3. You’re blinded
by stars.
Famed food writer and former
Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl sug‑
gests you pay attention to the
second, less‑expensive and less‑
time‑intensive restaurants from
great chefs. One of the best exam‑
ples is Enrique Olveraʼs all‑day
Mexican cafe Atla instead of his
high‑end Cosme. Likewise the Bar
Room at the Modern has a more
modestly priced menu than the
adjoining Modern dining room.
Thereʼs also Nomad instead of
Eleven Madison Park, and JoJo
instead of Jean‑Georges.
4. You’re only sitting
at a table.
The time‑honored tradition of
eating at the bar at great restau‑
rants like Gramercy Tavern, Le
Bernardin, and Union Square
Café also appeals to Reichl. Itʼs a
more social experience than the
dining room; you can often walk
in and still enjoy the full menu;
strategies from experts on how
to make the most of it.
and itʼs also a good place to get
tips on where to eat from the
staff and other diners if youʼre
visiting.
“And donʼt forget the counter at
the Oyster Bar,” advises Reichl, of
the Grand Central Station icon.
“Itʼs a quintessential New York
experience. And you only need to
have a few oysters to have the
pleasure of watching those fan‑
tastic guys open the shells and
concoct oyster stews.”
5. You’re only order‐
ing cocktails.
We happen to be in the golden
age of cocktail bars in New York,
with destination versions of
everything from speakeasies
(Dear Irving) to tiki bars (the
Polynesian) to rooftop hideaways
(Broken Shaker). Many of these
places also have very decent bar
menus. Meehan, who put chef‑
made hotdogs on the map at PDT
along with fully loaded tater tots,
recommends eating while drink‑
ing around New York.
Among the top spots to do this
are the Italian‑styled Dante in the
Village where the negronis (and
ice) are an art form; the Office,
where Michelin‑starred chef
Grant Achatz oversees dishes like
prime ribeye tartare; the James
Beard‑winning, New Orleans‑cele‑
brating Maison Premiere in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn (it also
has one of the cityʼs best $1 oys‑
ter happy hours); and Bar Goto,
which serves exquisite okonomi‑
yaki, or Japanese omelet, to go
with its meditative drinks.
6. You think Brooklyn
is the only other
borough.
Yes, yes, Brooklyn is fantastic
when it comes to food. Donʼt not
eat in Williamsburg; Lilia contin‑
ues to be one of the top five
restaurants in New York, and itʼs
here youʼll find the cityʼs best
pancakes. Robert Sietsema, sen‑
ior critic at Eater.com, recom‑
mends Di An Di, the new
Houston‑style Vietnamese spot in
Greenpoint; the fresh pasta spe‑
cialists Faro or its offshoot
General Debʼs, in Bushwick; and
the “wonderful” Pheasant under
the BQE.
And then thereʼs Queens.
“They have food from every‑
where, itʼs such a great place to
eat,” says Sietsema, “with prices
that are half of what youʼd pay in
Manhattan̶if you could find
that food in Manhattan.” He
shouts out Taqueria El
Sinaloense, which offers regional
Mexican food; Mapo B.B.Q. with
its stellar Korean menu; and the
O.G. Xiʼan Famous Foods in a
Flushing mall that started a
robust pulled‑noodle empire.
7. You’re not pound‐
ing the pavement.
Even with all our restaurants,
make time to eat on the street.
The midtown‑based Halal Guys,
with their chicken and gyro
combo and incendiary hot sauce,
have long since
replaced a “dirty‑water dog” as
New Yorkʼs most iconic street
food. Reichl has recommenda‑
tions: “I just had the most deli‑
cious Taiwanese oyster omelet in
TurnStyle at the Columbus Circle
subway station. The guy at N.Y.
Dosas at Washington Square
Park, are another stop. Now that
itʼs summer, what could be better
than eating outside?”
8. You’re not going
big at lunch.
Fancy restaurants offer great
deals at lunchtime. Le Coucou has
a $48 lunch with many of the
same sought‑after dishes that are
served at its impossible‑to‑get‑
into dinner. Mareaʼs lunch time
meal is $58. And the $38 prix fixe
at Nougatine and the Terrace at
Jean‑Georges is still a steal. Reichl
also sees opportunity, and value,
at many of the cityʼs top Japanese
restaurants. “Thereʼs a great
omakase sushi deal at Sushi Ginza
Onodera̶if $130 can be called a
deal,” she says. Sakagura, too.
Also Sushi Yasaka, probably the
best cheap sushi in the city, is
remarkable at lunch. I honestly
donʼt know how they do it.”
9. You’re afraid of a
little line‐up.
Lines have become routine.
Diners are drawn to them; itʼs
part of the experience and an
event you can record. Among the
places where thereʼs often a line
thatʼs worth standing on:
Momofuku Noodle Bar;
Dominique Ansel Bakery; Bubbyʼs
for brunch; the Michelin‑starred
Tim Ho Wan for dim sum; and, of
course, the original Shake Shack
in Madison Madison Park.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Google releases AI‑
packed Android 9 Pie
San Francisco: Google has released
its latest version of Android
Operating System ‑‑ Android 9 Pie,
which harnesses the power of
Artificial Intelligence (AI) to pre‑
dict how users would like to expe‑
rience their devices while offering
a smoother navigation system and
an easier way to track and limit
usage of apps.
It comes with features like
Adaptive Battery, which learns the
apps you use most and prioritizes
battery for them, Google said in a
statement on Monday.
Another interesting feature that
Android 9 Pie brings is Adaptive
Brightness, which learns how you
like to set the brightness in differ‑
ent settings, and does it for you.
"Android 9 aims to make your
phone even smarter by learning
from you and adapting to your
usage patterns," said Sameer
Samat, Vice President of Product
Management, Android and Google
Play.
"It also helps you get things done
faster, like predicting what you
will want to do next based on your
context and displaying that action
right on your phone," Samat said,
SCI-TECH August 11-17, 2018 27
Facebook removes US conspiracy
theorist's pages for hate speech
adding that the company was
San Francisco: book has “completely fake”.
working to add key capabilities
announced it has removed four Facebook said after it blocked
right into Android to help people
pages of US conspiracy theorist those Jones pages, it received
achieve the balance with technolo‑
Alex Jones for violation of its more content from the same
gy they are looking for.
policy that bans extremist behav‑ Pages that was taken down for
At Google developers conference
iours including hate speech. glorifying violence.
in May, Google previewed digital
“Earlier today, we removed Those pages broke Facebookʼs
wellbeing features for Android
four Pages belonging to Alex graphic violence policy, and used
including a new Dashboard that
Jones for repeatedly posting “dehumanizing language to
shows time spent on the device; an
content over the past several describe people who are trans‑
App Timer that lets users set time
days that breaks those gender, Muslims and immi‑
limits on apps and greys out the
Community Standards,” grants, which violates our hate
icon on the home screen when the
Facebook said on Monday, speech policies,” Facebook said.
time is up.
Xinhua news agency reported. Apart from Facebook, Jones
Google said "Digital Wellbeing"
The worldʼs largest social has also been banned from other
is now available in beta for Pixel
media company said it has been major social media platforms,
phones running Android 9, and Alex Jones of Info Wars
pursuing a policy that wants such as Google‑owned YouTube
will be officially available in the
“everyone using Facebook to feel Page. Jones has been banned and Apple.
next few months.
safe. Itʼs why we have from posting violating content Apple confirmed on Monday
It will be coming to Android One
Community Standards and on his Facebook pages for a peri‑ that it had taken down five pod‑
and other devices later in 2018,
remove anything that violates od of 30 days, Facebook said. casts of Jonesʼ infamous “The
the tech giant added.
them, including hate speech that Jones is a notorious conspiracy Alex Jones Show,” and a number
Android 9 features a new system
attacks or dehumanizes others.” theorist who claimed the Sandy of other audio streams from his
navigation featuring a single, clean
Facebook said it banned four Hook Elementary School shoot‑ right‑wing media platform
home button. Users can swipe up
videos on four Facebook Pages ing that occurred on December InfoWars.
to see a newly designed
for violating its hate speech and 14, 2012, in Newtown, Apple said Jonesʼ podcasts that
"Overview", the place where you
bullying policies, and these Connecticut, was a hoax. violated its guidelines were
have at‑a‑glance full‑screen pre‑
pages were identified as the Alex He denied the shooting, which removed from its directory
views of your last used apps.
Jones Channel Page, the Alex killed 20 students and six school “making them no longer search‑
The "Smart Text Selection" fea‑
Jones Page, the InfoWars Page staff, had never actually able or available for download or
ture is designed to make switching
and the Infowars Nightly News occurred, asserting that it was streaming”.
between apps easier.
DISPLAY CLASSIFIEDS
 28 August 11-17, 2018
We need ice, but
do we need ICE?
I
f you ask Indians on the street
how they feel about ice, you will
probably get puzzled looks that
say, “What kind of an idiotic ques‑
tion is that?”
Those who bother answering the
question may say something like
this: “Of course, I love ice. Who does‑
nʼt love ice in this burning heat? If
you want some cold water, just ask
for a cup of ice and wait a second or
two.” But if you ask Americans on
the street how they feel about ice,
you will get mixed opinions. “We
donʼt need it anymore,” some will
say. “Ice is too cold.”
Ice is indeed cold, but those com‑
plaining that itʼs “too cold” are usu‑
ally referring to ICE, not ice. ICE
stands for Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, the government
agency that arrests and deports
unauthorized immigrants. Many
people believe that ICE has been too
aggressive in enforcing Americaʼs
BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA
AND
PAKISTAN
New York Head Quarter
422‑S Broadway
HICKSVILLE
NY 11801
516‑827‑1010
Humor with Melvin Durai
immigration laws. Others feel that
ICE has not been aggressive enough.
Itʼs an interesting debate, but the
first thing that the U.S. government
needs to do is rename ICE. Itʼs not
fair to ice to be connected with ICE.
Letʼs just compare them:
4 Ice has been around for bil‑
lions of years; ICE has been
around since only 2003.
4 Ice helps cool people down;
ICE makes people sweat.
4 Ice can be used to treat ankle
sprains and other injuries;
running from ICE can cause
ankle sprains and other
injuries.
4 In hot weather, people often
ʻraidʼ the refrigerator for ice;
during an ICE raid, people
hide in the refrigerator.
4 Ice is used as a surface for
hockey, figure skating and
other sports; ICE never lets
people skate.
HUMOR
Some politicians want to abolish
ICE, prompting many others to
defend ICE. Theyʼre concerned that
ICE might melt away in the heated
political climate. But many of the
people who donʼt want ICE to melt
away are often oblivious to a bigger
concern: ice melting away.
The world needs ice badly, partic‑
ularly the ice in the Arctic and
Antarctic regions. According to a
report in The Guardian, two studies
have shown that me lting in
Antarctica has “accelerated three‑
fold in the last five years” and the
polar ice sheet is now disappearing
faster than a crowd in Los Angeles
after someone shouts “ICE!”
Ninety percent of the planetʼs ice
is found in the Antarctica, which lost
a total of 2.71 trillion metric tons of
ice between 1992 and 2017, accord‑
ing to a study published in the jour‑
nal Nature. Can you picture 2.71 tril‑
lion metric tons of ice? Thatʼs the
Laughter is the Best Medicine
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
amount of ice used during the
recent World Cup in Russia. No, not
for the beer, but to cool off all the
German fans.
So why should we be concerned
about all this ice melting? Why
should we try to slow down global
warming? Well, when the ice melts,
it increases the amount of water in
the worldʼs oceans. Some scientists
believe that unless something is
done, global sea levels could rise by
more than one meter over the next
50 years. The choice is clear: Either
we do something about g lobal
warming or we all take swimming
lessons.
Granted, only the coastal areas
will be submerged at first. People
who live near the shores will gradu‑
ally move inland. People who live in
the interior may be thankful at first.
West Virginia businessman: “It
used to take my grandfather six
hours to get to the beach, but it
takes me only four hours. Isnʼt it
great?”
Son: “Did your grandfather drive a
slow car or what?”
Businessman: “No, the ocean has
been moving closer to West
Virginia.”
Son: “Arenʼt you worried that it
will keep coming closer?”
Businessman: “No, Iʼm prepared
for that. Why do you think I bought
a mobile home? If the ocean gets too
close for comfort, weʼll just move
further back.”
Son: “So this is what they meant
on CNN when they said that America
is turning blue.”
By Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an
architect by education,
entrepreneur by pro-
fession, artist and
humorist, cartoonist
and writer by hobby.
He has been
recording the plight
of the immigrant
Indians for the past
many years in his
cartoons.
Hailing from Gujarat,
he lives in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY August 11-17, 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

AUGUST 11‑17, 2018

ARIES: Be pragmatic about your expansion
plans. Try to be discreet with your views
and make sure you have all the relevant
information handy as the top management may
be gauging your levels of efficiency. Attending to
your social obligations will be a priority this
week. Suspicion is likely to cloud your mind on
the romantic front, but things will turn out differ‑
ently. Avoid digging the things happened in the
past and handle the situations with tact this
weekend.
TAURUS: You will find your coffers brim‑
ming, as you grow financially stronger.
Make sure you have evaluated the poten‑
tial of your resources before making any strong
commitments. Health remains good, as you
become more fitness conscious. Students are like‑
ly to fare well in competitive exams. Do not neg‑
lect your love life as it can hamper the peace of
mind. Litigation cases will settle in your favor.
Wear something in white or yellow if appearing
for a job interview.
GEMINI: Plans for a get‑together are likely
to be cancelled, as others may not be in
the mood. Taking centre stage and
expressing your ideas generate new business
opportunities. Focus on supervising things under
your guidance rather than doing everything by
yourself. Someone may interfere with your desire
to arrange the house in an aesthetically pleasing
manner. Stars advise you to control your temper
while things do not turn as per your plans.
Wearing shades of blue will help you stay calm
and composed.
CANCER: There is a new opportunity
waiting for you, but you will have to seize
it quickly. You can be a bundle of nerves
in this week regarding some issue. Delegating
tasks and asking for help as and when required
will he lp you meet the desired objectives.
Someone in the family may irritate you to no end,
but keep your temper in check. Robust health will
find you energetic and cope up with challenges!
Unexpected expenditures might shake your bank
balance and could be a matter of concern.
LEO: A change in the place of work is
worth considering and in fact is the need
of the hour. Someone you helped in the
past is likely to reciprocate in full measure.
Excellent time to rejuvenate as friends make you
feel special and celebrate your success on the
career front. An opportunity on the romantic
front will need to be seized, if you want someone
on your side. A house bought on installments may
finally be yours. Donʼt get too involved in the
problems of the loved ones as they may resent
your interference.
VIRGO: You may feel overwhelmed with
the new responsibilities that need to be
accomplished. Avoid any monetary trans‑
actions this week as stars appear unfavorable.
Seniors would want you to work over time. All
work and no play might irritate you. Getting used
to changed circumstances on the home front will
be good for your peace of mind. Delays in a long
journey cannot be ruled out. A lifestyle disease
can play up, if you are not regular with your exer‑
cising regimen.
LIBRA: Remain alert at work, as you are
prone to committing mistakes. You will
succeed in cutting domestic expenses by
tightening your belt. You may need to bring about
some changes at home. Stop being over conscious
about the way you look; concentrate more on the
happiness that you got to look forward to. A dis‑
puted property bothering you is not likely to get
you into any legal wrangle. Interest and gain from
occult experiences and legacies is indicated.
SCORPIO: Homemakers may have their
hands full with chores around the house.
Someone on the social front is likely to
take you for granted. Career is set to shine for
those involved in sports or adventure. Those
involved in litigations will see successful settle‑
ment of disputes. Some of you may face an
embarrassing situation as you forget your wallet
at home. Capricorn women are likely to hear
some good news from abroad and should cash in
on the opportunities immediately. Commit your‑
self a daily exercising regimen.
SAGITTARIUS: Good returns from a finan‑
cial venture can be expected. Stars gov‑
erning your love life seem on the ascen‑
dant! Spiritual travel or exposure to spiritual liter‑
ature is now indicated.
Singles have excellent possibilities of entering
into wedlock. Small changes in personal relation‑
ships might upset you, especially if your efforts
are being taken for granted. Be diplomatic in your
interactions at work and donʼt react to any dis‑
agreements. Efforts on the work front bring more
recognition and fame.
CAPRICORN: Newlyweds can expect a
time of their lives, as love overwhelms
them. Financial stability is regained
despite overstepped budget. Irregular workouts
may tell upon your health. A delayed payment is
likely to be released, but not without you running
around. Encounters on the social front could
impress you by the welcoming respect you are
given. Children bring laurels and give you one
more reason to smile. Health should not be one of
your worries as you feel on the top of the world
this week.
AQUARIUS: You are slated to enjoy this
week with friends and relatives. Some of
you may travel out of town for health
reasons and benefit from it. An excellent opportu‑
nity awaits those who are planning to embark on
something new on the professional front. This is
the right time to get your business expansion
plans on paper. Some other unscheduled tasks
can delay an important assignment at work.
Spend quality time with loved ones and find ways
to show your appreciation. Finances will be good.
PISCES: Stars advise you to carefully
study the financial trends before making
any investments in this week. Your consis‑
tent efforts will help to prove your mettle at work
this week. On the work front, it is best to seek
assistance from co‑workers to ease your work‑
load. A social gathering is likely to prove most
enjoyable. Spending a romantic evening with the
one you love cannot be ruled out. A business trip
will give you enough opportunities to attract a
good financial position in the long run.

11th August, 2018
Traits in you: As you are governed
by the planet Moon, you hold the traits
such as honesty, sensitivity, emotions
and intelligence. You are respected
among your know circle for your wit
and decision making capabilities. Your
charismatic personality and knowl‑
edge wins you admiration in your pro‑
fessional and personal friend circle.
You are blessed with patriotism and
you are pretty religious. However, you
have many negative traits that make
you lag behind others as an individual.
Health this year: You may remain
worried for your health throughout
the year.
Finance this year: You will have a
fluctuating income this year. You will
receive financial support during cru‑
cial times from your friends and rela‑
tives. You need to perform on every
opportunity you get as it will stabilize
your financial condition. If you can
realize your plans into actions, then
you may get benefits straightaway.
Career this year: You may take vari‑
ous crucial decisions to grow profes‑
sionally but you would not get enough
support from your family.
Romance this year : You w ill be
enjoying love, care, and support from
your spouse or partner throughout the
year. If you have become eligible for
marriage, you will receive many mar‑
riage proposals this year.
12th August, 2018
Traits in you: Your ruling planet
Jupiter makes you audacious, courte‑
ous, ambitious, dignified, and devoted
towards your work. You love music
very much and you want to be a musi‑
cian always. Your personal traits dis‑
play that you are an independence lov‑
ing individual and you like to take
your own decisions without anyoneʼs
interference.
Health this year: You may have to
visit distant pilgrimages to attain men‑
tal peace. You will enjoy a sound
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
health but one of your aged family
memberʼs health may degrade and put
you in immense stress.
Finance this year: You are not
advised to get involved in any financial
deals or partnerships this year as it
may end up in your loss. You may
invest in real estate business this year
as you will be benefited in future from
these investments.
Career this year: Your commitment
and enthusiasm towards your work
win admiration from your colleagues
and seniors. Your stubbornness may
create problems for you in future. You
will be able to face your challenges
bravely this year and expectedly, you
will solve them all to perfection. If you
are a sportsperson or artist, you will
receive awards, rewards, and apprecia‑
tions from all around the world.
13th August, 2018
Traits in you: Your ruling planet
Uranus allows you to showcase your
vibrant nature and win many hearts
with you enthusiasm and simplicity. By
nature you are smart, dynamic, realis‑
tic, daring and religious. You never
lose your composure on tough times
and solve every problem with equal
efficiency. You are well aware of the
rules of life and consider each and
every thing in a realist ic view.
However, you nature of behaving rest‑
less may hamper your personality and
impression.
Health this year: You should go for
regular medical checkups this year as
there are chances of degradation of
your health conditions.
Finance this year: You will settle
your property related legal matters to
your satisfaction and the settlement
will bring you mental peace.
Career this year: You will be hugely
benefited in your professional career
this year. You will develop a very good
relationship with your colleagues. This
may help you grow in your profession.
However, you will find your seniors to
be too tough to appease.
Romance this year : Your love life
will be strengthened by the trust and
love of your partner. You may receive
lots of gifts from your partner, which
will make your love stronger than
ever. You should give enough time and
take care of the elders and children in
the family.
14th August, 2018
Traits in you: As you have the ruling
planet Mercury, you are born smart,
sentimental, sharp, practical, dignified,
and unique. You have a charismatic
personality, which attracts people
towards you. You can make friends
easily as you are trustworthy. You
need to work on your characteristics
of being impatient and possessive at
times.
Health this year: Your health will
remain good provided you take a good
care of your health. You may consult
doctor to take preventive vaccines and
medicines to remain healthy.
Finance this year: You may go for
selling your property this year. You
may let your house for rent and this
will bring you monetary gains. Your
dividends and interests may pay of f
this year. You should invest on orna‑
ments or antique items as this seems
to be very profitable for you.
Career this year: T his year may
prove to be very rewarding for you.
You will be hugely benefited in your
profession as a result of your
improved personality and confidence.
You will be appreciated and admired
by your colleagues and employer as
you will be able to showcase your tal‑
ent and skills.
Romance this year : Your romantic
life would be extra ordinary this year.
You will not find your spouse to be
supportive enough. You may suffer a
lot in your personal life as well.
15th August, 2018
Traits in you: You being guided by
Venus are dynamic, creative, honest,
joyful, and charming. Your carefree
nature can influence people to lead
their lives the way you do. This may
help them heal them emotionally. You
need to control your mood swings.
However, your laziness may make you
lag behind others though you are
more deserving than they are.
Health this year: You should start
practicing Yoga and meditation to keep
yourself mentally and physically fit.
Finance this year: Your management
skills will enhance, which will help you
invest your money in a right way. If
you are into business, you should
enter into some computer related busi‑
ness as this will be a highly rewarding
business this year
Career this year: You are expected to
gain fame and good luck throughout
this year. To get new heights in your
profession, you need to be more
knowledgeable and you should create
new contacts.
Romance this year : You w ill be
deeply involved in the romantic rela‑
tionship you are currently in. You may
decide to get married this year.
16th August, 2018
Traits in you: Your dominating plan‑
et Neptune makes you realistic, opti‑
mistic, reliable, creative, and a simple
individual. Though you take a lot of
time to trust someone, it last forever
once you start trusting someone. You
believe in being a methodical person.
However, you have to work on your
nature of behaving arrogant and domi‑
nating at times.
Health this year: You need to take
more care of your health by going
through regular medical checkups.
Finance this year: Business trips may
keep you trave lling frequently
throughout this year. You will be able
to get success by cracking overseas
business, which will bring you foreign
currency.
Career this year: Your pending
works may gain momentum and get
completed by the end of this year.
Though you will be ahead of others
regarding to efficiency, you would not
be able to earn much.
Romance this year : Your romantic
life may get disturbed due to your fre‑
quent business outings. You need to
spend extra time with your partner to
make up the loss of time you are
expected to spend together. Keep your‑
self away from any nasty arguments
with your partner as it may make your
relationship weak.
17th August, 2018
Traits in you: Saturn being your rul‑
ing planet makes you ambit ious,
dynamic, creative, sober and practical.
You are the owner of a dynamic and
charismatic personality, which differ‑
entiates you from others. Your stub‑
bornness and selfishness might stop
you being a better individual. So you
need to work on your nature to make
it better.
Health this year: Some young family
member may fall sick and you may
feel stresses and concerned for the
same.
Finance this year: You may consider
investing in shares and real estates as
it might give you the highest returns
for a long term. You may have to travel
to a distant place for business purpose
towards the end of the year.
Career this year: You may be benefit‑
ed in your professional life by working
on the current projects.
Romance this year : Your romantic
life will flourish this year with lots of
love, care, and concern from your part‑
ner. You will gain immense confidence
from the trust of your partner and you
will succeed in your new ventures.
30 August 11-17, 2018
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
L
ife on earth, as we have it,
has a tremendous bearing
in building the body and
mind. We must therefore strive to
simplify life and learn to live truly.
It is true living on which every‑
thing e lse depends, even the
search for one self. The impor‑
tance of true living cannot be over
emphasized. It is rightly said,
"Truth is higher than everything,
but higher still is true living." The
problem of personal conduct of
man as an individual is one of
prime importance for success in
spiritual path. In order to
progress in spiritual path, we
need to develop right understand‑
ing so that we can have right
thoughts, right words and right
deeds.
Each day we have so many
shortcomings in leading an ethical
life. We have so many failures in
the areas of non‑violence, truthful‑
ness, humility, selfless service and
chastity.
Unfortunately, we have devel‑
oped ugly blemishes and are cov‑
ered with the dirt and dust of sins
Being active and being still
By Sant Rajinder
Singh Ji Maharaj
F
rom childhood, our life is a
series of activities that
occupy our time. Parents
create a schedule for their infants
and toddlers. As children, our life
becomes a regiment of one activity
after another. In school, we rush
about to reach classes on our
schedule. When we graduate, we
take a job and we have a list of
tasks to do. It seems our whole life
is occupied in one activity after
another. Thus, when we try to
meditate, we find it almost unnatu‑
ral to sit still and still our mind.
As a society we seem to value
activity. The more we are seen
doing, the better it looks. Few peo‑
ple value sitting in silence. We
think that if we sit still, we are not
doing anything. We fear being
labeled as lazy or incompetent.
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Truth is high, true living is higher
we have accumulated while pass‑
ing through the wheel of life. How
many times we have gone wrong
in matters of non‑violence?
Nonviolence has several aspects.
It involves non‑injury in
thought, word and deed. We know
that we should not kill or hit any‑
one but still we are violent to
some. We may be able to develop
control over ourselves so that we
do not physically harm anyone,
but we are quite careless when it
comes to non‑violence in words
and thoughts.
We injure the feelings of so
many people, we think ill of so
many others. And because of our
grievous lack of patience, we are
prone to speak harshly. We must
weigh our words carefully. If we
can keep control on our tongue,
we will find that our issues will be
resolved lovingly and we will not
injure or be injured in the process.
For those treading the spiritual
path, truthfulness is one of ethical
virtues we need to inculcate.
Failures in truthfulness can be
broken down into categories of
falsehood, deceit, hypocrisy and
illegal gain. Some failures under
these headings are quite obvious,
such as telling a lie or stealing.
People can lie in thought, word or
deed. It basically means they are
hiding the truth. We need to real‑
ize that while we may sometimes
hide the truth from others but we
cannot hide it from God. He is all
knowing and He is watching us all
the times, so our thoughts, words
and deeds should be above board.
Next comes humility. Humility
means treat ing every human
being as equal and speaking to
However, each person needs to
take time from all their busy activ‑
ities and be still.
Being still has many purposes. It
is in stillness that we come up
with creative ideas. It is in stillness
that we solve a difficult problem.
It is in stillness that we have reve‑
lations. Scientists, musicians,
artists, poets, writers, philoso‑
phers, and inventors often came
up with masterpieces by sitting in
stillness. From the stillness arose
new ideas that revolutionized the
world.
Similarly, stillness is where we
find our soul and God. God cannot
be found by outer activity; God
can only be found within.
Meditation requires stillness for
attaining spiritual results.
Our life is like a train rushing
along tracks of busyness. We are
so used to being busy that it feels
unnatural to stop our activities to
sit in silence. Yet to solve a prob‑
each one in a humble tone, with
a sweet voice. But in reality each
person thinks that he or she all
powerful, all‑know ing and
endowed with the greatest of
qualities. We are filled with ego.
Ego manifests in dif ferent forms
i.e. ego based on know ledge,
wealth and power. We try to
flaunt our knowledge. We try to
overawe others with our power
and we try to prove our superiori‑
ty to others on the basis of the
riches we possess.
We should have love for all the
people, regardless of their social
status and position in life. The
more we empty ourselves of our
ego, the more God's grace can
enter into us.
Then we lack compassion. Man
was created to have sympathy for
his fellow beings, to share the
pain, the trials and tribulations of
others. We should share the sor‑
rows and afflictions of our fel‑
lows, as well as of entire creation.
lem or create something new, we
need to take time from our busy
schedule to tap into our inner
resources. Similarly, to achieve
self‑knowledge and God‑realiza‑
tion we need to learn to sit in still‑
ness.
When we sit in stillness it may
look to others as if we are not
doing anything. Yet, in stillness we
are doing the most important
activity in life̶finding our soul
and God. Few people attain God in
life. Why? They do not know how
to do nothing. If they would learn
to sit and do nothing, they would
find everything.
It may be good for each of us to
set aside some time daily to prac‑
tice sitting in stillness. At our jobs,
we can spend some time thinking
about whether we are doing our
work in the best possible manner
and if not, how to make improve‑
ments. We may come up with a
new and better way of doing
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
How many opportunities for self‑
less service, we take advantage
of? By serving se lflessly, we
expand our hearts from our self to
our family, to community, our
country, the world and ultimately
the cosmos.
Selfless service comes from an
understanding that we are all
members of one large family of
God. To truly perform selfless
service, we must act without any
desire for a reward or recognition.
It is one of the goals of spirituality
to help all humanity develop the
quality of love and service to all.
Chastity is the most important
part of spiritual life. Spirituality
cannot dawn on a mind which is
driven or attracted through the
outgoing faculties to the outward
enjoyment. Out of five outgoing
faculties of eyes, ears, nose, touch
and taste, three are most power‑
ful. Lust attacks us eighty percent
through eyes, fourteen percent
through ears and six percent
things at work. If we run a house‑
hold, we can spend some time sit‑
ting in stillness to reflect on how
we can solve our family problems
or make life for our family better.
If we are involved in the arts, the
stillness can help us tap into our
creativity.If we learn the art of sit‑
ting in silence, even for our world‑
ly work, we will be able to transfer
that ability to sitting in silence for
meditation. We will find we are
less jumpy and restless. We can
develop the ability to sit still for
the longest possible time. We will
In order to progress in
spiritual path, we need
to develop right under‑
standing so that we can
have right thoughts,
right words and right
deeds. Each day we
have so many shortcom‑
ings in leading an ethical
life. We have so many
failures in the areas of
non‑violence, truthful‑
ness, humility, selfless
service and chastity.
through touch. So how should we
maintain chastity? We have to just
control our attention. If our atten‑
tion is riveted at the centre of the
soul in the body, we will not be
affected by what we see or hear.
We should observe chastity in
thoughts, words and deeds. To be
pure is the ground on which God
manifests. Christ said, "Blessed
are pure in heart, for they shall
see God."
As a result of failure in leading
ethical life, our soul continues to
come again and again to this cre‑
ation, without hope of returning
to its source. The only way to
become purified is to take shelter
under a Living Master. T he
Master throug h meditat ion
process helps us to lead an ethical
life. He has treatment for all our
ailments. He is yearning and long‑
ing to come and bestow His love
on us.
(For more visit www.sos.org)
be used to stopping our mind, to
let our soul have its voice. When
all is still, we find the soulʼs voice
is calling for us to find God. If we
are still, we can hear the Voice of
God, or the Music of the Spheres,
the Celestial Harmony, or the holy
Word.
We can balance our activities
with times in which we are still. In
this way we can improve our medi‑
tations. By sitting still in medita‑
tion we will find that we can be
the most productive, because we
can attain the state of finding God.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info August 11-17, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info August 11-17, 2018

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