New York: Madison Square

Garden in Midtown Manhattan, the

most famous indoor stadium in the
world, is likely to see a political
spectacle unlike anything before:
some 20,000 Indian American will
troop in for the reception for Prime
Minister Narendra Modi during his
most anticipated US visit in
September for UN General
Assembly and meeting with
President Obama in White House.
The organizers initially looked at
renting the New York MetLife
Stadium (capacity 82500) or the
Yankee Stadium (50,000) to cele-
brate Modis return to the US after
being denied a visa for many years,
but both venues were unavailable
because of clashing sports events.
Modi's US supporters and princi-
pal event organizers led by Indiana
physician Bharat Barai are in talks
with MSG executives to rent the
stadium for an event that is expect-
ed to cost more than $1 million.
The bill for MSG alone will come
to over $550,000, including an ini-
tial non-refundable deposit of
$165,000 once the application is
approved.If the MSG deal comes
Glasgow, Scotland: India' s
Sukhen Dey took the gold tally of
the country to two on the very first
day of the Commonwealth Games
in Glasgow by outshining all the
other participants in the lifting cat-
egory. The day began for India
with the gold medal won by
weightlifter K Sanjita Chanu who
lifted a total weight of 173kg.
In lifting, while Dey comfortably
got hold of the first place by lifting
a total of 248kg after trailing at the
halfway snatch stage, his compa-
triot Ganesh Mali claimed the third
spot (bronze). The champion
weightlifter lifted 139 kg in the
s e c o n d
a t t e mp t .
Dey lifted
a total
weight of 248
kg to lead
the other
compet i -
tors followed Malaysia' s ZMD
Pisol, who won silver.
Dey had to satisfy with a silver
back in the New Delhi
Commonwealth Games as
Hamizan Aminul Ibrahim sur-
passed him and won the gold.
Mali lifted a total weight of 244
to win bronze.
The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
excellence in journalism
HEALTH 27 US AFFAIRS 10 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30
New York: Aam Admi Party leader
Dr Kumar Vishwas, who shot to
fame with his face-off with
Congress Vice President Rahul
Gandhi in race for Amethi Lok
Sabha seat, may have lost the elec-
tion, but the renowned Hindi poet is
now much sought after in Indian as
well as the USA.
Vishwas has been invited by
Google to give a lecture on leader-
ship to its employees at its head-
quarters in Silicon Valley. The AAP
leader who has been reportedly
offered Rs 5 crore to star in the new
season of Indian TV show Bigg
Boss is also expected to deliver a
lecture on the changing mood of
Asian political upbringing at the
Stanford University in California.
Here for his show Hum Hai Desi
in New York and New Jersey this
weekend, Vishwas gave an exclu-
sive interview to The South Asian
Times and reflected on his journey
from being a poet to a politician,
Vol.7 No. 13 July 26-August 1, 2014 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Zeroing in on MSG in New York
for Narendra Modi reception
A grand reception awaits
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in the USA.
OP ED 14
Continued on page 4
Congressman Steve
Israel recently met with
Indian Ambassador to
US, S. Jaishankar on
Capitol Hill in
Washington, DC.
The two discussed,
amongst other things,
the new BJP
government, Prime
Minister Narendra
Modis upcoming US
visit and US-India
relations.
Exclusive interview
by Jinal Shah
Poet, politician, in-demand
celeb: Kumar Vishwas
Continued on page 4
Sanjita Khumukcham
(right) won gold and
compatriot Chanu
Saikhom won silver in
48-kg women's weightlift-
ing. (left) Sukhen Dey of
India won gold in the
Mens weightlifting
With 3 silver and two bronze, India
takes the medals tally at Glasgow to 7,
coming in at 4th place
India opens well
with 2 golds at
Cwealth Games
Kumar Vishwas here to entertain NY-NJ
July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
3 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
By Jinal Shah
New York: On Friday, Indian con-
sulate in New York hosted a lec-
ture on the Role of the Ethnic Me-
dia in promoting India-US ties by
Aziz Haniffa, India Abroad Man-
aging Editor. The lecture, fifth in
the Media India lecture series (a
brain child of Consul General
Dnyaneshwar Mulay), was attend-
ed by some prominent journalists
and members of the Indian Amer-
ican community.
Citing examples of India Abroad
and its founder Gopal Raju, Hanif-
fa set off on a journey from Indias
emergency period in 1975, where
the paper relentlessly published
articles by Indian exiles despite
pressure from the Indira Gandhi
government, to the more recent
Indo US nuclear deal. He high-
lighted the contributions of the
ethnic media in showcasing In-
dias image to the west in report-
ing various issues of Indian Amer-
icans including immigration,
racial profiling, and discrimination
and in covering success of Indian
Americans.
Stating that the importance of
the ethnic media is virtually a no
brainer, Haniffa read a paragraph
from a 2003 Carnegie Corpora-
tions cover story New Ameri-
cans- Fresh off the Presses, fo-
cusing on the importance of this
small but growing media. In the
report, Daniel Akst, whose work
appears in the New York Times,
Wall Street Journal, Wilson Quar-
terly and other publications, talks
of how the reach - and influence
of the ethnic media in the US con-
tinues to grow. Assimilation, ac-
culturation, citizenship and news
from home are only some of the
subjects that ethnic media outlets
present to millions of eager read-
ers in dozens of different lan-
guages every day, he read.
Just like the late Gopal Raju,
many Indians who migrated
abroad started and kept alive me-
dia organizations to voice their
concerns, preserve their culture
and identity, and bring the com-
munity together. Though the huge
Indian ethnic media is spread over
60 countries, Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas listed about 100 print, radio,
TV and online media organiza-
tions in 20 countries. These are
owned, managed and run by Indi-
ans to cater to NRIs and persons of
Indian origin and the number is
growing by the year.
In fact Kalita Mitra, Ideas Editor
at Atlantic Medias Quartz and
moderator of the event, pointed
out that only last year 21 ethnic
newspapers emerged at a time
when over 100 mainstream news-
papers folded over a decade. Han-
iffa replied, Newspapers in Indi-
an languages are thriving in the
US because of the arrival of new
immigrants from India, the sub-
scription for English language In-
dian newspapers on the other hand
is drying up.
Admitting that even old timers
like him prefer to read newspa-
pers like the Washington Post and
New York Times online, he said
the biggest problem for ethnic me-
dia is bringing in the new gener-
ation as readers who do not read
newspapers at all.
He added, We have grown in
our reporting from being India
centric to Indian American centric
yet the second and third generation
do not read newspapers at all. We
write two to three pages of profile
on them but they do not buy news-
papers and instead ask for PDF
copies.
The next lecture in the series
will be delivered by Leander Paes,
Indias tennis champ on August
22. He will talk on My game and
India US relations.
New Delhi: US Secretary of State
John Kerry will arrive here on July
30 on a three-day visit during which
he will hold
talks with Indi-
an leaders on a
range of key bi-
lateral, regional
and global is-
sues of mutual
interest besides
co-chairing the
fifth India-US
Strategic Dia-
logue. It will be
Kerry's first vis-
it to India after the BJP-led govern-
ment came to power.
"External Affairs Minister Sush-
ma Swaraj will host US Secretary
of State John Kerry in New Delhi
from July 30 to August 1. The Ex-
ternal Affairs Minister and Secre-
tary Kerry will co-chair the fifth In-
dia-US Strategic Dialogue on July
31," the External Affairs Ministry
said.
Kerry and Swaraj are expected to
prepare the ground for a bilateral
meeting between Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and US President
Barack Obama, who has invited the
Indian leader for a meeting in
Washington. Modi is expected to
visit the US in September.
The ministry said Swaraj and
Kerry will exchange views on re-
gional and global issues of mutual
interest during the annual Strategic
Dialogue. On the bilateral front,
their focus will be on expanding co-
operation in areas of security, trade
and investment, science and tech-
nology, energy and en-
vironment.
Kerry is expected to
meet Indian leaders in-
cluding the Prime Min-
ister. He will also visit
Bangalore.The US
Secretary of State will
be accompanied by a
high-level inter-agency
delegation with repre-
sentatives from the De-
partments of Com-
merce, Energy, Home-
land Security, Depart-
ment of State among
others. India and the
US had launched the
Strategic Dialogue in
July 2009, focusing on five pillars
of mutual interest namely Strategic
Cooperation, Energy and Climate
Change, Education and Develop-
ment, Economy and Trade, Science
and Technology and Health and In-
novation. The first Strategic Dia-
logue was held in Washington in
June 2010, followed by successive
rounds in New Delhi in July 2011,
Washington (June 2012) and New
Delhi (June 2013).
Washington, DC: New age guru
Deepak Chopra is attempting to
break the Guinness Record for the
worlds largest meditation gathering.
Chopra, whose new book The Fu-
ture of God releases this Fall, with a
TV series of the same title starting
around the same time, will try to set
the new record on August 8, on the
final day of his annual meditation
event called the Seduction of Spirit,
to be held in Toronto, reported
Forbes. He hopes to have two million
people from around the world join-
ing in for the session via live stream,
with only around 300 people attend-
ing in person.
Chopra will lead the meditation
with motivational speaker Gabrielle
Bernstein, and the focus will be
world peace. If we focus our inten-
tion on peace in large groups like
this, we can reach a critical mass and
make peace sustainable, he says. He
hopes to get 100 million people pray-
ing together, in the future.
Chopra will also soon launch along
with Oprah Winfrey their free, 21-
day meditation experience Expand-
ing Your Happiness, the registration
for which begins next month, report-
ed Elevated Existence. Expanding
Your Happiness, voiced by Oprah
and Chopra, offers an audio medita-
tion each day and a series of thought-
provoking reflection questions de-
signed to anchor the teachings,
which are easily accessible from a
mobile phone, tablet or computer,
said the report.
Aziz Haniffa the speaker, Kalita Mitra the moderator
and Amb. Mulay. Photo: Parash Chettri
Importance of the ethnic media is virtually a no brainer: Aziz Haniffa
US Secretary of State John Kerry to arrive in India on July 30
Deepak Chopra to set record for
worlds largest meditation group
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US Secretary
of State John
Kerry
Deepak Chopra along with
Oprah Winfrey will also
launch their free,
21-day meditation experience
Expanding Your Happiness,
the registration for which
begins next month.
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4 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TURN PAGE
Zeroing in on MSG in New York ...
Continued from page 1
through later this week as expected, it
will lead to the biggest Indian politi-
cal spectacle in the United States,
easily surpassing several community
receptions held for previous visiting
Prime Ministers, including for Dr
Manmohan Singh and Atal Behari
Vajpayee, which were usually held in
the ball room of five star hotels.
Kumar Vishwas here to entertain...
Continued from page 1
from dabbling in Bollywood to par-
ticipating in Bigg Boss.
The South Asian Times: Why did
you contest from Amethi knowing
well it is considered a pocket bor-
ough of the Nehru-Gandhi family?
Do you think you had better chance
to win in some other constituency?
Kumar Vishwas: I chose to con-
test from Amethi because I hated the
dynasty politics. And although I lost
the election, I won in the sense that I
contested from a constituency where
nobody was willing to contest due to
the stronghold of Congress. I gave
him (Rahul Gandhi) a tough competi-
tion and forced the entire Gandhi clan
to come out and campaign.
Your Twitter bio and website does
not mention your link with AAP can
you share your current status with
the party?
I am very much a member of the
executive committee, a spokesperson
for Aam Admi Party (AAP) but I am
not a regular politician. I travel for
my shows globally. In fact this is the
fifth year in a row I visited US and
first in New York for my poetry read-
ing. Indians living in the US have
always shown love and respect for
me and my work. They have admired
my work especially Koi Deewana
Kehta Hai and Hotho Par Ganga
Ho, Hatho me Tiranga Ho Solo con-
certs.
You were approached by Endemol
Production Company for the fourth
time for Bigg Boss and this time
with a Rs 5 crore deal? What made
you to agree now?
It is true that they have approached
me for the fourth time and I am
thankful to the channel but I havent
said yes (yet). The call is to be taken
by my brand team. Personally I
would not like to be a part of it. I
come from a family of engineers and
doctors, I myself have a doctorate,
and I feel it (Big Boss house) is not a
suitable place for me. I am comfort-
able with a smaller audience of 500
to 1000 people in a show than be in a
house for 14 weeks. We have put
forth some terms, if the channels
agrees I dont mind doing it.
So if your terms are met, why
would you participate?
I dont think the channel will agree
on my terms. And even if I partici-
pate, I am not doing it for fame, I
have enough fan following. I have
the third largest fan following on
Facebook as a politician after Mr
(Narendra) Modi and Mr (Arvind)
Kejriwal.
Can you tell us about your show
'Hum Hain Desi'?
I am here for my show Hum Hain
Desi for Indians living away from
their motherland. The two and half
hour show is a mix of poetry, melody
and humor. We are touring various
places including New York, New
Jersey, Bay Area, Houston, Detroit,
Canada and Chicago for almost a
month and on August 29 I will deliv-
er a lecture on leadership at Google
headquarters.
Dr Kumar Vishwas will be per-
forming at Hindu Temple Auditorium
on July 25 at 7.30 PM and at Edison
Hotel in Edison, NJ on Sunday, July
27 at 5 PM. (Three hours of great
entertainment guaranteed.)
The events are nationally promoted
by Music Waves, and RK Video. The
South Asian Times is the Grand
Sponsor of Flushing Concert.
T
he wreckage of an Air
Algerie plane missing
since early today with 116
people on board has been found
in Mali near the Burkina Faso
border, an army coordinator in
Ouagadougou said. "We have
found the Algerian plane. The
wreck has been located ... 50 km
north of the Burkina Faso border"
in the Malian region of Gossi,
said General Gilbert Diendiere of
the Burkina Faso army.
A witness had earlier reported
seeing the plane "falling" in the
region of Gossi and the general
said they were taking the reports
seriously as they matched radar
images of the flight path.
"That is where we will strength-
en our search," he had added.
Flight AH5017, which originat-
ed in Ouagadougou and was
bound for Algiers with 51 French
nationals aboard, according to
Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius,
went missing amid reports of
heavy storms, company sources
and officials said.
It had been presumed to have
been lost even before French
President Francois Hollande went
on TV to announce: "Everything
leads us to believe that the plane
has crashed."
He said the plane' s Spanish
crew had signaled they were
altering course "due to particular-
ly difficult weather conditions".
The airline said it also had 24
Burkinabe, eight Lebanese, six
Algerians, six Spanish, five
Canadians, four Germans and
two Luxembourg nationals on
board.
Mali, Algeria, Niger and France
coordinated their search efforts
under the umbrella of the French-
led military intervention in Mali,
Operation Serval.
"Even though the aircraft was
above Mali it was in airspace
managed by the control centre in
Niamey in Niger," an air traffic
control official told AFP.
Aviation sources told AFP the
MD-83 was leased from Spanish
company Swiftair.
Its six-member crew were all
Spanish, said Spain' s airline
pilots' union Sepla, and Swiftair
confirmed the aircraft went miss-
ing less than an hour after take-
off.
The plane had apparently been
given the "all clear" following an
inspection in France only this
week, the French civil aviation
authority DGAC said.
London: In a stern stand, Britain
said on Thursday that the west is
becoming less sympathetic to
Israel's cause.
Britain's new foreign secretary
Philip Hammond told Israel PM
Benjamin Netanyahu that Britain
was "gravely concerned" by the
number of civilian casualties suf-
fered in Gaza over the course of
the past two and a half weeks.
Last week, Hammond urged
Israel to act "in a way that is pro-
portionate" and do all it can to
"prevent unnecessary loss of civil-
ian life".
With the death toll on both sides
having risen to 750, Hammond
said, "Britain has been very clear
that Israel has the right to defend
itself and its citizens but we are
gravely concerned by the ongoing
heavy level of civilian casualties.
We want to see a ceasefire quickly
agreed". Visiting Israel and the
Occupied Palestinian Territories on
July 23 and 24, Hammond met
Palestinian Authority President
Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and
Israeli foreign minister Avigdor
Lieberman.
The foreign secretary said, "The
conflict in Gaza is taking a terrible
toll. With more than 700
Palestinians killed, including more
than 150 children, as well as the
loss of more than 30 Israeli lives, it
is beyond time to bring an end to
this conflict and stop the blood-
shed". The United Nations Human
Rights Council meanwhile has
decided to launch an independent
inquiry into purported violations of
international humanitarian and
human rights laws in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory, including
East Jerusalem. The Council con-
demned in the strongest terms the
"widespread, systematic and gross
violations of international human
rights and fundamental freedoms"
arising from the Israeli military
operations since June 13 and called
for an immediate ceasefire. At
least 2,000 rockets and mortars
have reportedly been fired towards
Israel since earlier this month,
according to the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs. Meanwhile, over 2,900
targets in Palestine were struck
during the same period, the UN
agency confirmed. The fighting
has forced approximately 118,000
Palestinians to seek refuge in 77
schools run by the UN Relief and
Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees in the Near East.
Wreckage of missing Algerian airliner found in Mali
West becoming less sympathetic to Israel: UK
5 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
By Jinal Shah
New York: Club FilLit (Club for Films, Litera-
ture and Culture with Indian connection), an ambi-
tious project of Indian Consulate in New York was
launched with inaugural screening of Blue like
me: The Art of Siona Benjamin a work in
progress documentary here on Wednesday.
Inaugurated on July 15 by Bhartiya Janata Party
leader and fabled dancer Hema Malini, the Club
FilLit, is yet another initiative by Consul General
Ambassador Dnyaneshwar Mulay to reach out to
the community.
Our consulate is at the forefront of experimen-
tation. We host book release, fashion show, film
screening so there is no gap activity. Thats why
the name of this new venture is FilLit. Fil stands
for film and Lit for literature. There is no gap as
well, he said in his opening remarks.
The theme, Madhura Deo, coordinator of the
club explained is to bring forth Indian connections
in films and literature. This initiative is to bring
forth eminent writers, directors, film producers, ac-
tors, actresses and other personalities to share their
Indian connections in their creations, she said.
Introducing Indian American artist Siona Ben-
jamin, whose journey back to her roots is being
documented, Aroon Shivdasani, executive director
of Indo-American Arts Council and advisor of
Club FilLit said, Benjamin, a painter from Mum-
bai now living in the US. In her paintings she com-
bines the imagery of her past with contrasting ob-
servations and experiences in America, making a
mosaic inspired by both Indian miniature,
Sephardic icons, Talmudic, Hindu and Islamic ref-
erences as well as contemporary Western art influ-
ences." The rough cut of the documentary- in the
making -profiles Siona an artist with a fascinating
back story: She was raised in a near mythical 2000
year old Jewish community in Mumbai and though
most of the Jews from her childhood, like Siona,
are now scattered around the world, some Jews re-
main and are the subject of her recent work. Other
than the Jews, the Catholic nuns and Zoroastrian
teachers she studied with have influenced her art-
work majorly. These experiences and influences
form a major theme in her art: how can we live
peaceably amongst our neighbors who might look
and think differently from ourselves?
Also present at the event was the director/produ-
cer of the documentary, Hal Rifken. The club will
host one event every month with different theme.
New York: Dr. Atul Gawande, a
professor in the Department of
Health Policy and Management at
Harvard, will deliver the 2014
BBC Reith Lecture series. BBC
invites a leading figure to deliver
their flagship annual lecture series.
Gawande, named as one of the
worlds most influential thinkers
by Time Magazine in 2010, will
give four talks this fall, grouped un-
der the title, The Future of Medi-
cine. Hell be speaking in Boston, London,
Edinburgh and Delhi.
The Reith lecture series- named after BBCs
first director general, John Reith, have been
held since 1948 to advance public under-
standing and debate about significant issues
of contemporary interest. Former lecturers
include Betrand Russell, Robert Oppen-
heimer, and Dr. Jonathan Sacks.
Gawande, 48, follows Grayson Perry, a
Turner Prize-winning artist who looked at the
state of art in the 21st Century in the 2013
seies. I hope to use the lectures to bring to-
gether my thinking on how medicine is
changing and must change globally, said
Gawande in a statement to the BBC.
The lectures will be broadcast on BBC Ra-
dio 4 and the BBC World Service from No-
vember. Gawande, an expert on medical error
and performance, will explore the growing
importance of systems in medicine and the
role of medical profession.
Why do Doctors Fail? is the first lecture
and itll examine whether failure in
medicine is down to ignorance or
ineptitude. Itll be followed by The
Century of the System, whose fo-
cus will be on the development of
systems from simple checklists to
complex mechanisms. The Prob-
lem of Hubris, the third lecture will
explore aging and death, while the
fourth, The Idea of Wellbeing,
will argue for a shift in medicines
priorities.
Born in Brooklyn to Indian parents,
Gawande is a practicing general and en-
docrinal surgeon at Brigham and Womens
Hospital in Boston. He is a professor at both
the Harvard School of Public Health and Har-
vard Medical School. Also a Harvard Medical
School graduate, Gawande is executive direc-
tor of Ariadne Labs, a joint center for health
systems innovation at Brigham and Womans
Hospital and Harvard School of Public
Health. He is the co-founder and chairman of
Lifebox, an international not-for-profit imple-
menting systems and technologies to reduce
surgical deaths.
The multi-talented surgeon has written ex-
tensively on medicine and public health for
The New Yorker magazine since 1998 and has
authored three books. Complications, his
first book, was a finalist for the National
Book Award in 2002 while Better, his sec-
ond one was selected as one of the ten best
books of 2007 by Amazon.com. The Check-
list Manifesto was his third book.
New York, NY: The India-America Chamber
of Commerce (IACC), provides members of
the Chamber a vital platform to connect and
build relationships with prominent speakers
and attendees from India and the U.S.
The Chamber of Commerce tries to make
the right things happen. What needs to happen
in India is the growth of corporations that take
their corporate governance seriously, so that
the shareholder value is unlocked. Its our duty
to push for better corporate governance in In-
dia, said Rajiv Khanna, President of the
Chamber and Equity Partner of Seyfarth Shaw,
in his opening remarks to the members of the
Chamber. The Indian government has intro-
duced several measures to improve the corpo-
rate governance environment in India, includ-
ing a completely revamped Companies Act and
revised corporate governance guidelines. Sev-
eral other bills are under various stages of con-
sideration which would bring corporate gover-
nance norms in India at par with any developed
economy. The government of Prime Minister
Modi has clearly emphasized its resolve to-
wards improving the corporate governance
practices in India, said Rajiv Khanna, as he
welcomed the guest speaker.
Sandeep Baldava, partner at Ernst & Young,
India, started by thanking the Chamber for
hosting a very important discussion, and
spelled out the latest changes in corporate gov-
ernance standards in India.
Baldava addressed several issues during
the Q&A. Excerpts:
1. What will the Indian government do to
change the problem of concentrated owner-
ship and family rule in India?
In the new Act, if a single promoter, includ-
ing the government, has more than 75% of the
shares, it needs to offload such access. It helps
bring transparency and promote public partici-
pation. It also specifies more responsibility for
independent directors, which needs to be at
least 50% of the board.
2. What are the major changes of the new
Act?
On the governance side, more responsibili-
ties and clearer management; on the auditor
side, monitoring of auditor rotation, more de-
tailed fraud reports, more standardized proce-
dures and budget. In all, 262 sections have
been modified.
3. What will the government do to improve
the implementation of the reform?
The reform on paper is the first step in the
right direction. For implementation, the new
government wants to improve the legal system.
It needs further steps, but the first step has been
taken.
4. What does law say about insider trading
in India?
There is no adequate process to deal with it
effectively.
5. What are the differences between India
and other major economies? What are the
gaps and can they lead to future problems?
On paper, India is on par with developed
economies. Problems may come from imple-
mentation. The new government needs to
strengthen the enforcement.
6. What are the new governments resolves
to strengthen implementation?
Different departments of India have made it
clear that they are going to improve the trans-
parency in India. The public has more access to
the regulation system. The process has already
started in India.
7. India does not have forensic audits?
We do not have a system to find out what goes
wrong, only the balance sheets and signoffs.
8. What has been implemented to let the
stakeholders know what goes wrong beyond
the balance sheets?
We just launched a security center to wel-
come investigations from global organizations.
Most of the Indian enforcement agencies are
trained by the FBI and are equivalent to the
FBI. The government has made an effort to in-
troduce skill sets from their resources to detect
fraud of the new age. Auditors responsibility
has been enhanced: they are required to report
all fraud.
Indian Consulate launches Club FilLit
with screening of a documentary
Roundtable discusses challenges of corporate governance in India
Harvards Atul Gawande to deliver
BBC Reith Lectures
Sandeep Baldava, Partner, Ernst &
Young, India
Dr Atul
Gawande
(L-R) Aroon Shivdasani, executive director of
Indo-American Arts Council and advisor of
Club FilLit, director/producer of the docu-
mentary, Hal Rifken and Siona Benjamin
Astoria, NY: Om Puri, the pro-
lific and internationally
renowned Indian actor will ap-
pear at Museum of the Moving
Image on Sunday, August 3, for a
conversation about his career
moderated by actress and writer
Madhur Jaffrey. The tribute program, presented with clips of
Puris finest performances, will be followed by a preview
screening of The Hundred-Hoot Journey, in which he co-stars
with Helen Mirren. In The Hundred-Foot Journey, an adapta-
tion of the book by Richard C. Morais and directed by Lasse
Hallstrm, the opening of a new Indian restaurant in the south
of France next to a famous Michelin-starred eatery is cause
for an all-out war between the two establishments. As the pa-
triarch of a family displaced from their native India, Om Puri
gives one of his most memorable performances.
The Hundred-Foot Journey is a warm, richly textured film,
and a showcase for Om Puri, who has a memorable role op-
posite Helen Mirren, said David Schwartz, the Museums
Chief Curator. The evening at the Museum is a great oppor-
tunity to pay tribute to one of the worlds most beloved and
admired screen actors.
The film is releasing in the US on August 8.
6 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
By Jinal Shah
New York: South Asian Americans
especially Indian Americans may be
a model minority in achieving the
American dream however this mod-
el community has not been particu-
larly successful in addressing issues
related to mental health.
In fact experts believe that there
may be psychological effects on be-
ing perceived as the model minority.
A 2009 focus group study- model
minority at risk: expressed needs of
mental health by Asian American
young adults that had two focus
groups with 17 young adults from
eight Asian American communities
including Asian Indians in Mont-
gomery County, Maryland highlight-
ed several common sources of stress
that affected the mental health of
Asian American young adults. Some
of them being: pressure to meet
parental expectations of high aca-
demic achievement and live up to the
"model minority" stereotype; diffi-
culty of balancing two different cul-
tures and communicating with par-
ents; family obligations based on the
strong family values; and discrimi-
nation or isolation due to racial or
cultural background. Experts suggest
that stress leads to isolation and de-
pression.
In a bid to raise awareness around
the issues of mental health among
minority communities, the United
States House of Representatives, in
2008, proclaimed July as Bebe
Moore Campbell National Minority
Mental Health Awareness Month to
address severe mental illness in di-
verse communities. According to a
report by National Alliance on Men-
tal Health-one of the countrys
largest non-profit organizations ad-
dressing the issue of mental health-
one out of four adults living in the
US and one out of every 10 children
struggle with mental health issues.
The numbers become grimmer
when they are associated with Asian
and South Asians; due to lack of
data, it is difficult to point out the
specific number of South Asians fac-
ing mental health issues. However, a
study released by the Asian and Pa-
cific Islander American Health Fo-
rum (APIAHF) reported that a high-
er percentage of South Asian Ameri-
cans, especially between the ages of
15 to 24, tested positive for symp-
toms of depression. Additionally,
young South Asian American
women have a higher rate of suicide
when compared to the larger Ameri-
can population. The study noted that
family conflict, anxiety and stress
were precursors to depression and
suicide in this community.
Dr Vasudev Makhija, clinical asso-
ciate professor at department of psy-
chiatry at Seton Hall University and
founder of South Asian Mental
Health Initiative and Network
(SAMHIN), adds cultural change,
isolation, lack of support from loved
ones and in some extreme cases even
domestic violence as some of the
triggers of mental illness in young
women.
The APIAHF report further noted
that despite the high number of cas-
es, South Asian Americans are the
lowest users of mental health servic-
es because of the perceived cultural
stigma attached to mental health is-
sues.
The 2009 study supports the find-
ings of APIAHF report stating that
young Asian Americans tend not to
seek professional help for their men-
tal health problems; instead they use
personal support networks-close
friends, significant others, and reli-
gious community. Cultural stigma
is not unique to the South Asians but
is very much prevalent and this stops
many families or individuals from
seeking help, added Dr Makhija
who is also the past president of NJ
Psychiatric Association.
However, another aspect is the lack
of culturally and linguistically spe-
cific services that address the unique
issues faced by the South Asian com-
munities. This lack of culturally ap-
propriate programs and caregivers
motivated Dr Makhija to start
SAMHIN. Through the organiza-
tion, we are trying to educate, engage
and empower the South Asian com-
munity to promote mental health lit-
eracy and serve as a resource to pro-
vide consultation to health care poli-
cy makers and health care delivery
facilities, he said.
Currently Dr Makhija is in the
process of developing a searchable
database of South Asian mental
health care providers, social services
and mental health resources to im-
prove access to mental health care.
He is even exploring ways to make
affordable treatment services avail-
able considering a lot of patients do
not have medical insurance or their
insurance is not accepted by
providers in the patients vicinity.
Another organization actively
working for South Asians for years is
South Asian Mental Health Aware-
ness in Jersey-SAMHAJ, affiliated
with National Alliance of Mental Ill-
ness. The organization has a number
of resources designed for South
Asian individuals and families suf-
fering with various mental illnesses.
Dr Makhija tapped this source of
religious support along with Arsha
Bodha Center four years ago. The
Hindu community in Central New
Jersey has grown significantly in the
past decade, but culturally competent
services have not kept up with this
growth. The Jana Raksha communi-
ty care program at Arsha Bodha Cen-
ter reaches out to community mem-
bers coping with physical or emo-
tional distress caused by illness, life
events or family situations, said Dr
Makhija.
The center provides free of charge
confidential one-on-one support, of-
fering encouragement and spiritual
comfort to those in need and also
provide referrals to community
based services that are available.
Although the program is intended
to help members of the Hindu com-
munity in Central New Jersey but the
program can be replicated in all reli-
gious places, schools etc. he added.
Plaque presented to Congress leader from Punjab Satvir Singh on behalf of NY
Assemblyman Mike Miller, Executive Committee members & Chapter heads of INOC (I),
whose president is Juned Qazi.
Grant Lally receives
Republican nomination
Om Puri to be honored at special preview
of Hundred-foot Journey
Dr Vasudev Makhija and volunteers at SAMHIN Family Day in
Edison last month.
Indian Americans struggle with mental health issues
New York: Mi-
neola attorney
Grant Lally won
the 3rd Congres-
sional District
GOP primary by
11 votes, the
State Board of
Elections said
Thursday. I
would like to
thank Stephen
Labate for his
good wishes. He
ran a spirited
campaign and I
wish him and his family well,
Grant Lally stated after re-
ceiving the news that Labate
has conceded and will not pur-
sue a recount. It is time to
unite the Republican Party
along with the Conservative
Party and move forward to de-
feat Obamas DCCC cam-
paign operative, Steve Israel.
added Lally. I am honored to
have won the Republican
nomination for United States
Congress and look forward
winning in No-
vember, stated
Lally. We need
to bring the kind
of change - low-
ering taxes, cre-
ating economic
opportunity, re-
placing Oba-
macare, protect-
ing our seniors
and veterans,
and ending de-
structive politi-
cally-targeted
government reg-
ulations and audits to free
our economy and bring
growth and prosperity to our
country and our district.
Im excited to have the op-
portunity to run against
Barack Obamas chief cam-
paign operative, Steve
Israel.Im running for Con-
gress because I want to fight
for the people of Queens and
the North Shore. It is time to
change our representation and
Im the candidate to do it.
Shy away from seeking professional help
Grant Lally is seeking
Congressional seat
from 3rd NYS district
7 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Washington, DC: Infosys co-
founder Senapathy Kris
Gopalakrishnan has donated
$1.8 million to Carnegie Mel-
lon University to establish a
research partnership between
CMU and the Centre for Brain
Research at the Indian Institute
of Science in Bangalore.
I am profoundly grateful to
(Gopalakrishnan) for his gen-
erous gift and his wonderful
support of this partnership be-
tween CMU and IISc, CMU
president Subra Suresh said in
a statement. One of the most pressing chal-
lenges facing humanity is to understand the
human brain.
Our hope is that this new research collabo-
ration will lead to discoveries about neurode-
generative diseases that afflict the aging pop-
ulation, and that those findings help improve
our diagnostic and treatment capabilities for
such diseases, the Indian American universi-
ty president said.
Carnegie Mellon University is a world-
renowned leader in many areas of research
and education, Gopalakrishnan added. I am
very pleased to support presi-
dent Subra Sureshs strategic
vision for the collaboration be-
tween CMU and IISc through
this gift so that we can address
one of the grand challenges of
our times by understanding the
human brain.
The goal of the partnership
will be to foster two-way in-
teractions in brain research
and education and in areas
such as data sciences and en-
gineering, human behavior
and computation.
The donation was made through the Pratik-
sha Trust, a charitable foundation established
by Gopalakrishnan and focused on under-
standing and treating neurodegenerative dis-
orders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinsons
diseases.
Professor Padmanabhan Balaram, director
of the Indian Institute of Science, said in the
statement, As an alumnus of Carnegie Mel-
lon, I know firsthand the enormous impact a
collaboration of the kind envisioned here be-
tween CMU and IISc will have in enhancing
our understanding of the human brain.
New York: How have some
of the most successful women
in technology found success?
What lessons can they share
to others who hope to crack
the "glass ceiling?"
Former Triangle tech entre-
preneur Vivek Wadhwa, now
an academic and author,
examines the challenges
women face in the tech
industry through a new book
based on input from hundreds
of female executives and tech
workers around the world.
Few if any people have
been more outspoken about
the challenges women and minorities face in
the tech sector than Wadhwa, a U.S. citizen
who was born in India. Wadhwa now is an
academic at Duke University and several
other institutions, researching and writing
about entrepreneurship and education (partic-
ularly STEM - science, technology, engineer-
ing and math) as well as social issues.
Wadhwa often shows up on news programs
(PBS, Bloomberg TV) and speaks internation-
ally about issues that arouse deep passions.
And for his efforts, he has received a great
deal of press - not always good - from his cru-
sade against sexism in Silicon Valley (with
Twitter as the best-known example). Time
Magazine has cited him as one of the "Forty
Most Influential Minds in Technology.
Foreign Policy Magazine
labelled him a "Top 100 Global
Thinker."
To try to explain the plight of
women in the tech industry,
Wadhwa turned his efforts to a
crowd-sourced book. Teaming
with journalist Farai Chideya,
he conducted interviews and
gathered stories from around
the world, including Megan
Smith, vice president at
Google{x}.
"The book incorporates the
input of more than five hun-
dred women from all over the
world and directly quotes about
one hundred of these,"Wadhwa wrote in an
email to colleagues about the book.
"Innovating Women also has about twenty
powerful essays from some amazing women,
the latest being from Google[X] VP Megan
Smith, venture capitalist Heidi Roizen,
Patriarch Partners CEO Lynn Tilton, entrepre-
neur and technology executive Kim Polese,
and one of the first woman in space,
Anousheh Ansari. It is hard hitting but opti-
mistic. It discusses the harsh realities of today
but also presents realistic solutions and a
vision for the future. I know it will inspire
thousands to step up and fulfill their poten-
tial." This is Wadhwa's second book. His first
book "The Immigrant Exodus" was published
in 2012.
New book traces science
advances to ancient Asian culture
Oswego, NY: In his new book, Dr.
Alok Kumar, a professor of
physics at the State University of
New York Oswego, describes and
documents the development of sci-
entific and mathematical concepts
in South Asia centuries -- and in
some cases millennia -- before
they were rediscovered or adopted
in Europe.
"Sciences of the Ancient Hindus" describes
many discoveries and advances of the ancient
inhabitants of the country now known as
India. Maintaining that these people have
been widely known as Indians primarily in the
250 years since the British colonized the
region, Kumar prefers the name Hindus for
the inhabitants of the Indus-Sarasvati region,
which has variously been called Hind,
Hindustan, Bharat and India.
What is now known as the Arabic number
system did arrive in Europe from the Middle
East, he notes, but it came to the Arabs from
the Hindus. The concepts of zero, the atom,
and Earth as a planet that moves through the
universe all appear in Hindu science long
before they were proposed in Europe, he
explains, and the ancient Hindus developed
detailed knowledge of human anatomy, devis-
ing cataract surgery and skin grafting, for
example.
"Modern science and medicine would be
unrecognizable, and far more primitive, with-
out the immense contribution of
the ancient Hindus," he writes.
With this new book, Kumar
aims to encourage appreciation
of the multicultural nature of sci-
ence and to make the modern
world aware of the intellectual
contributions of Hindu culture as
earlier scholars have done for the
contributions of the Chinese and
Islamic cultures. "The science of ancient India
is a subject of great richness, far too often
overlooked, that deserves a central place in
the history of pre-modern science, a role now
advanced by this excellent work," said Scott
L. Montgomery, an affiliate faculty member at
the University of Washington in Seattle and
the author of many books, essays and scholar-
ly papers on the history of science.
Kumar uses original documents translated
from Sanskrit and cites accounts of contem-
poraneous Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Persian,
Arab, Roman and other sources crediting the
scientific contributions of the Hindu people.
Kumar's colleague, Dr. Ronald A. Brown,
emeritus professor of physics at SUNY
Oswego, said, "The demonstrated accuracy of
the factual documentation given by Kumar is
undeniable. The book fills a gap in the history
of science that preceded the work of the
ancient Greeks, to form a more detailed and
complete picture of the earliest beginnings of
science and mathematics."
Vivek Wadhwa's book 'Innovating
Women' hits markets Sept. 2
Senapathy
Gopalakrishnan with CMU
president Subra Suresh
Few if any people have
been more outspoken
about the challenges
women and minorities
face in the tech sector
than Wadhwa
Corporate Office: 385 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385
718.821.3182, www.AtlanticDialysis.Com
New collaboration to leverage research
capabilities of CMU and IISc
Infosys co-founder donates
$1.8 M to Carnegie Mellon
8 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
New York: An Indian-American
entrepreneur and his company have
been slapped with a permanent ban
after he sent millions of unwanted
messages to consumers falsely
promising free gift cards to them.
Rishab Verma and his company
Verma Holdings agreed to settle
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
charges that they were responsible
for the unwanted messages to con-
sumers across the US.
The deceptive messages prom-
ised that the consumers will get
free $1,000 gift cards from major
retailers like Walmart, Target and
Best Buy, the FTC said in a state-
ment.
Under the terms of the settlement
with the FTC, Verma and his com-
pany would be permanently banned
from sending unwanted or unso-
licited commercial text messages
or assisting others in doing so.
In addition, the two will be pro-
hibited from misrepresenting to
consumers that a product is "free",
that they have won a prize or se-
lected for a gift, or that consumers'
personal information is needed to
send free merchandise.
He would also be required to pay
over $26,000 as fine.
Verma and his company were
among the defendants in the FTC's
2013 sweep against text message
spammers and affiliate marketers
who used false promises of gift
cards to draw consumers to web-
sites that collected sensitive per-
sonal information.The sites also re-
quired consumers to provide credit
card information to sign up for trial
offers.
The settlement contains a mone-
tary judgment of $ 2.8 million
which is suspended due to the de-
fendants' inability to pay.
Washington: For the first
time after the formation of
the Modi Government, high-
level delegations of Indian
CEOs are visiting the US this
week with the objective to re-
vitalize India-US economic
relationship.
Led by Ajay Shriram,
chairman and senior manag-
ing director, DCM Shriram,
the CEO's delegation seeks to convey to their
American counterparts the sense of optimism
amongst Indian Industry.
This is with regard to the policies and messages
emanating from the new government, as well as an
understanding of the new and emerging business
opportunities for US-India collaboration.
The three-day visit of the Indian CEOs, organ-
ized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII),
would come just ahead of the expected resumption
of several bilateral dialogues including the India
US Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi towards the
end of this month.
The delegation will hold preliminary consulta-
tions with key US stakeholders relating to various
upcoming developments including the US-India
Strategic Dialogue, the visits of several high level
officials to India and finally the visit of Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi to the
US, a CII statement said. In
addition to Mr Shriram, who
is also the CII president, oth-
er members of the delegation
include Naushad Forbes, vice
president, CII and Director,
Forbes Marshall Private Lim-
ited and Chandrajit Banerjee,
director general, Confedera-
tion of Indian Industry.
It also includes Vikram Kirloskar, vice chairman,
Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited and Rajan
R Navani, Chairman, CII National Committee on
India@75 and managing director, Jetline Group of
Companies. In Washington DC, the CII delegation
will meet various high level officials from the gov-
ernment agencies such as USTR, US Department
of State, Department of the Treasury, Department
of Defence and National Security Council.
Other meetings on the agenda include interac-
tions with Members of US Congress and with busi-
ness leaders from the US India Business Council.
In addition, CII will hold a public program in part-
nership with the Carnegie Endowment for Interna-
tional Peace, where the delegates will discuss
promising developments for the Indian economy
following its recent watershed results and the fu-
ture direction of the India-US bilateral partnership.
Washington,DC: An Indian-American CEO of two
publicly-traded companies has been convicted for
paying kickbacks in return for purchases of his com-
panies' stocks, a media report said.
Shailesh Shah, 48, of California pleaded guilty be-
fore a US district judge to two counts of mail fraud
and two counts of wire fraud Monday, The Boston
Globe reported.
Shah will be sentenced in October and could face
up to 20 years in prison for each count and a
$250,000 fine.
Shah was the president and CEO of SOHM and
Costas, both based out of California. Hewas accused
of paying kickbacks to an investment fund repre-
sentative in exchange for buying stock in the two
companies.
The fund representative was, in fact, an undercov-
er FBI agent working on an investigation into fraud
in the market for penny stocks, the report said.
Penny stocks are less heavily regulated than stocks
that trade on major exchanges such as the Nasdaq or
the New York Stock Exchange.
Chicago: Federation of Indian As-
sociations-Chicago [FIA] and
Chicagos renowned showbiz-team
Messrs. Sahil & LA Tan have
teamed up to host the India Inde-
pendence Day Grand Mela - A fes-
tival of music, dance and singing
serving as a fitting grand finale to a
series of exciting festive events
hosted in celebration of India Inde-
pendence Day on Saturday, August
16 starting at 2:30 pm in the Re-
public Bank outdoor premises lo-
cated at 2720 W. Devon Ave in
Chicago immediately after the con-
clusion of the Parade.
This Grand Mela encompasses
eclectic array of music, dance, and
singing and food samplers to con-
tinue the Indian Independence Day
festive exuberance.
The Mela will showcase, pro-
mote and celebrate the host of local
artists bringing their incredible tal-
ent for people of all ages to enjoy
and experience the spirit of India
and Indianness. This Mela is being
hosted under the chairmanship of
Ajeet Singh, FIAs Joint Treasurer
along with Co-Chairs: Minhaj
Akhtar & Ankur Choudhari who
are teaming up with SAHIL & LA
Tan to unveil the neighborhood's
most exhilarating festive event of
the season that expressively re-
flects the indomitable spirit of In-
dia.
This leading Grand Mela festival
aims to unleash a wealth of local
community talent showcasing the
best of traditional and contempo-
rary Bollywood music, dance per-
formances, singing. This Mela will
feature emerging artists in genres
that span between the traditional to
contemporary.
To make it family-centered fes-
tivity, the admission is free and it is
expected to enliven the paths of In-
dia Town in the Rogers Park neigh-
borhood.
New Delhi: The US India Political Ac-
tion Committee (USINPAC), a forum of
the Indian American community in the
US, has urged the Narendra Modi gov-
ernment to issue infrastructure bonds for
the NRI community.
Suggesting that these bonds be named
"Vibrant India Bonds" in order to lever-
age the brand awareness of "vibrant In-
dia", the USINPAC said the bonds will
help India tap the goodwill of the global
Indian diaspora.
A press release said USINPAC chair-
man Sanjay Puri said India will need
about $1.5 trillion over the next five years
to finance its infrastructure needs.
"Since infrastructure projects are gen-
erally structured in a debt equity ratio of
70:30, it implies that India would need
over $1 trillion of debt funding over the
next five years. This is the right time to
tap the intangible goodwill of the Indian
diaspora by issuing these bonds specially
targeted at the diaspora," he said.
The release said the USINPAC was
working with members of the US Con-
gress to build momentum for an address
by Prime Minister Modi to the joint
Session of the US Congress during his
visit to the country in September.
It said that over 40 Congressmen have
already signed a letter requesting the US
speaker, and over 20 Senators have al-
ready written or verbally informed the
speaker of their wish to hear an address
by Modi. The release said the USINPAC
was also preparing ground for two other
events during Modi's visit - a luncheon
with US Senators and an interaction with
chief executive officers of America's top
private equity funds and IT and manufac-
turing corporations.
The USINPAC had last month
launched an initiative among winners of
the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman awards
globally to discuss ways in which the di-
aspora could contribute to India's growth,
it said. "Several of the awardees from
countries like Singapore, Indonesia,
Qatar, Abu Dhabi, France and Britain to-
gether with the USINPAC have together
written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi
offering their support for his vision of a
vibrant India. The suggestion and support
for vibrant India bonds is the next step in
this endeavor," the release said.
FIA-Chicago partners with SAHIL
& LA Tan to host Grand Mela
Indian-American charged with
sending deceptive messages
Issue infrastructure bonds for
NRIs says USINPAC
Indian-American convicted for paying
kickbacks in stock scheme
Suraj Sharma joins
Homeland
California: Life of Pi and Million
Dollar Arm fame New Delhi-born actor
Suraj Sharma has joined the cast of
Homeland.
In the acclaimed Showtime series starring
Claire Danes, he first appears in Episode 3
of Season 4, which will be set in Pakistan
and will begin Oct. 5.
Indian CEO team in US to
revitalize economic ties
POLITICS 9 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Robert Golomb
A
ll recent polls taken on the
November New York State
governors election show
one-term incumbent Democrat
Governor Andrew Cuomo holding
a daunting 30% plus lead over his
Republican/Conservative chal-
lenger 3-term Westchester County
Executive Rob Astorino. However,
Chris Moss, 46, the upstate New
York Chemung County Sheriff
who received in May the Republi-
can Partys nomination for Lieu-
tenant Governor placing him as As-
torinos running mate on the GOP
ticket, discounts these polls and be-
lieves that the political world will
be looking at a major upset in the
empire state this coming fall.
In a recent interview conducted
in a local restaurant an hour before
a scheduled campaign event he was
set to attend in Freeport, Long Is-
land, Moss told me, The polls are
irrelevant today. The election sea-
son does not actually begin until af-
ter Labor Day. And then, once Rob
Astorino begins to explain to voters
how his record of success as
Westchester County Executive
contrasts with Cuomos record of
failure as governor of New York
State, and begins to show how even
Cuomos running mate disagrees
with him on at least two critical is-
sues, I believe the polls will change
and despite what the pollsters are
forecasting at this moment, New
York State will have a new gover-
nor come January 2015.
Moss was alluding to Kathleen
Hochel, Cuomos own personal se-
lection for running mate for Lt.
Governor, replacing current Lt.
Gov. Robert Duffy who announced
in May that he would be leaving
the ticket. A former member of
Congress from upstate Erie County
and a former Erie County Clerk,
Hochel had as a congresswoman,
won the endorsement of the Na-
tional Rifle Association (NRA)
based on her anti- gun control vot-
ing record, and as County Clerk,
had been a strong opponent of then
Governor Spitzers 2007 proposal
to accord NYS Drivers Licenses to
illegal immigrants. Such endorse-
ments and positions have reported-
ly caused many in the powerful left
wing of the Democratic Party to
question why Cuomo, a supporter
of pro illegal alien leaning immi-
gration reform and a fierce oppo-
nent of the NRA, picked her in the
first place.
Moss told me that he and Rob As-
torino, unlike Cuomo and Hochul,
share the same views on gun- con-
trol, immigration and other impor-
tant state issues. Referring to the
Safe Act, a 2013 gun control law
pushed by Governor Cuomo and
approved by state lawmakers, de-
spite the NRAs fierce opposition,
Moss stated, Mr. Astorino and I,
unlike our opponents, see eye to
eye on the Safe Act. We strongly
oppose it.
When I noted to Moss, the mar-
ried father of an 8-year-old son and
the current president of the New
York State Sheriffs Association,
that according to recent polls the
Safe Act has a 2 to 1 approval to
disapproval rating among New
York State voters, he responded,
As a law enforcement official and
a parent myself I have tremendous
concerns about the gun related vio-
lence that plagues our state. If
the Safe Act reduced that gun vio-
lence to any degree, and saved one
innocent life, I would support it.
But the reality is that it doesnt. It
will be our responsibility to explain
this to voters.
Gun related crime in New York
State, Moss continued, has not
been reduced here since the Safe
Act was passed a year ago. And
criminal justice studies show that
the rates of gun related crimes in
other states that passed laws similar
to the Safe Act, including Con-
necticut and California, have actu-
ally increased. This, I believe, is
because laws like the Safe Act con-
tain so many complicated provi-
sions that the already existing more
practical gun laws become harder
for police to enforce.
Moss contended that he and As-
torino had a more realistic and re-
search proven approach to address
the problem of gun related crime.
We will seek common sense legis-
lation that will increase the penal-
ties for those convicted of commit-
ting a crime with the use of a
weapon, and we will appoint
judges who will apply that law, he
told me. As a law enforcement of-
ficial, I have reviewed numerous
studies on the subject of guns and
crime. These studies have proven
that increasing penalties for offend-
ers is the most effective way to re-
duce gun and weapon related
crime. Concerning his position on
immigration reform coinciding
with Astorinos Moss said, We
both agree that on the federal level,
of which, a governor is indirectly
involved, a nation must control its
own borders and enforce its immi-
gration laws. Failure to do so
places a tremendous burden on the
state, as we see in the immigration
crisis that now confronts Texas.
On a state level, Rob and I agree, as
just one example of correctly deny-
ing benefits to those who have bro-
ken the law to get here, with Ms.
Hochuls past decision not to grant
drivers licenses to illegal immi-
grants.
Asked if he was aware that polls
show a majority of New Yorkers fa-
vor some form of immigration re-
form, Moss responded, I am. But
the questions posed in these polls
do not ask the nature of the reforms
the responders might have actually
wanted. They do not, for example,
refer to the awful circumstances
prevalent in Texas right now. I be-
lieve that the majority of New
Yorkers, like most Americans, want
reforms that will offer rewards and
incentives for those immigrants
who have come here legally and
penalize those who have not.
Moss promised that the above
two of what he described as issues
pivotal to the success of our cam-
paign will continue to be thor-
oughly addressed as the race moves
forward. However, he added, the
campaign will place much of its fo-
cus upon the state economy, which,
he contended, is in dismal condi-
tion, and on the fight to end the
Common Core State Standards
(aka Common Core), a federal ed-
ucation program requiring that par-
ticipating states, of which New
York is one of 45, follow a stan-
dardized curriculum and adhere to
federally mandated measurements
on standardized exams for students
in every grade.
Discussing the economy first,
Moss stated, New Yorkers pay the
highest rate of taxes in the nation.
These taxes, which continue to in-
crease under Cuomo, have unfairly
burdened the middle class, hurt
businesses, deterred new capital in-
vestments and consequently pre-
vented job growth. Reducing this
tax burden throughout the state, as
Rob Astorino has demonstrated in
Westchester, would benefit the
middle class, stimulate the econo-
my and create tens of thousands of
new badly needed private sector
jobs from NYC to Buffalo.
Thousands of new private sector
jobs, he added, could also be cre-
ated through beginning hydro-
fracking in the upstate region. In
addition, hydro- fracking would
lower the currently burdensome en-
ergy costs imposed upon home-
owners and businesses. Even Pres-
ident Obama has endorsed it. Why
has Gov. Cuomo been holding it
back the past four years?
Moss was no less critical and
questioning of the Governors pol-
icy on Common Core, asserting,
Common Core takes educational
policy out of the hands of teachers,
administrators and parents and
places it under the control of feder-
al bureaucrats who possess little
understanding of how education
works on a local level. Accord-
ing to a preponderance of educa-
tional research, Common Cores
emphasis on high stakes testing
alongside its one size fits all ap-
proach to curriculum is destructive
to the learning process of students
in all grades. Why was the Gover-
nor at first a supporter of Common
Core? And why does he continue to
refuse to remove New York State
from participating in it, instead cre-
ating a committee to study it?....
Rob Astorino and I will not need
any further committees. If elected,
we will immediately rescind New
York States participation in Com-
mon Core.
Such tough talk from Moss about
Common Core comes on the heels
of Astorinos recent announcement
that he is in the process of estab-
lishing a third-party ballot line un-
der the name Stop Common
Core. It is believed by both Dem-
ocratic and Republican insiders
that the Astorino campaign will
find it an easy chore to collect the
15,000 signatures required to ap-
pear on that line and gather the
30,000 additional signatures need-
ed to overcome an expected Cuo-
mo challenge. Securing this Stop
Common Core ballot line Moss
predicted would play an important
role in making this a winnable race
for his ticket. Campaigning
throughout the state, he related, I
have spoken with many voters who
told me they were registered De-
mocrats, not normally inclined to
vote for Republicans, but now are
looking for a way to show their dis-
pleasure with Cuomo over Com-
mon Core. The Stop Common
Core ballot line will provide them
that way.
If Moss was talking about a still
undetected major voter trend rather
than just retelling a few anecdotes,
there could be long lines of poll-
sters looking for new careers come
this November.
Robert Golomb (MrBob347@aol.com)
is a nationally published columnist.
Sheriff Chris Moss is running
for Lt. Governor to help clean
up corruption in Albany.
Rob Astorino, currently Westchester County Executive, and
Chris Moss were nominated unanimously to run for Governor
and Lt. Governor at the Republican State Convention in May.
Photos provided by Astorino for Governor.
Current polls show Gov. Cuomo comfortably winning a second term, but Moss contends that the
political world will be looking at a major upset in the empire state this coming fall. And he explains why.
New York: The long-shot
Republican challenging New York
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) wants
more help from New Jersey Gov.
Chris Christie in his role as chair-
man of the Republican Governors
Association.
If he doesn' t get it. Well, then
maybe Christie should quit as chair-
man, he says. "Clearly he can come
across the bridge and not just raise
money for himself, but raise money
for the Republican candidate here --
unless he is unable or unwilling
because of an issue that we don't
know about with Andrew Cuomo
and the ' Bridge-gate' scandal,"
Westchester County Executive Rob
Astorino said.
Christie signaled in Connecticut
on Monday that he probably won't
be campaigning for Astorino.
I will spend time in places where
we have a chance to win, I said that
right from the beginning, said
Christie, according to the Newark
Star-Ledger.
A Siena College poll this week
showed Cuomo lapping Astorino,
60 percent to 23 percent.
Christie added, If the New York
race becomes competitive, Ill con-
sider campaigning in the New York
race, but right now, by the public
polls, theres a lot more competitive
races like this one in Connecticut.
Astorino said he thinks Christie
has done "a good job" in New
Jersey. But he said the governor's
job as RGA chairman "is to raise
support and money for Republican
candidates and governors."
San Francisco: Facebook
Inc' s fast-growing mobile
advertising business helped
drive a 61 per cent increase in
revenue during the second
quarter, beating Wall Street's
financial targets and sending
shares to a record-high in
after-hours trading on
Wednesday.
The world's No.1 Internet
social network said on
Wednesday that it saw
increased interest from both
advertisers and from users
during the second quarter.
Facebook now counts 1.5
million advertising customers
and the company's ad busi-
ness saw strong growth across
all of its geographic regions
in the second quarter, COO
Sheryl Sandberg told Reuters
in an interview on
Wednesday.
Facebook said that mobile
advertising revenue represent-
ed 62 per cent of its ad rev-
enue in the second quarter, up
from 41 per cent in the year-
ago period and 59 per cent in
the first quarter of 2014.
Facebook' s newsfeed ads,
which inject paid marketing
messages straight into a user's
stream of news and content,
have ignited Facebook's rev-
enue growth and bolstered its
stock price during the past
year. Shares of Facebook,
which finished Wednesday's
regular trading session at
$71.29, have nearly tripled
since last July.
Overall revenue totaled
$2.91 billion in the three
months ended June 30, versus
$1.81 billion in the year-ago
period. Analysts polled by
Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S
were looking for revenue of
$2.81 billion. Facebook said
it now counted 1.32 billion
monthly users. It posted $791
million in net income, or 30
cents a share, compared with
$333 million or 13 cents a
share in the second quarter of
2013.
Excluding certain items,
Facebook said it earned 42
cents a share in the second
quarter, surpassing expecta-
tions for 32 cents a share.
Atlantic City gets 'Junk'
downgrade from Moody's
Atlantic City, NJ: Struggling Atlantic City
of New Jersey took another hit Wednesday
as Moody's Investors Service downgraded
the citys general obligation bonds to "junk"
status, citing the casino town's declining tax
base. The credit rating service cut the city's
underlying rating to "Ba1" from "Baa2." It
affects $245 million in outstanding debt.
"The downgrade to Ba1 reflects the city's
significantly weakened tax base, revenue-
raising ability, and broader economic out-
look," Moody's said in a statement, adding
that its outlook remained negative. By the
end of August, potentially up to one-third of
Atlantic City's casinos will have closed this
year. Some reports suggest up to a quarter of
the city's casino workforce will be put out of
work as a result.
US AFFAIRS
Facebook beats Wall Street targets,
stock hits record high
10 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
New York: The office of New York
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a rising Demo-
cratic star and potential presidential
candidate, hamstrung an ethics in-
quiry when it examined the gover-
nors political allies, an exclusive re-
port by The New York Times
revealed on Wednesday.
Senior aides to the
governor used their
oversight of the ethics
commission to derail
investigations and
pressure investiga-
tors whenever they
examined people
politically
close to
the
governor or issues that might reflect
poorly on him, the Times found, be-
fore the investigation was abruptly
disbanded.
The ethics committee was estab-
lished with great fanfare by the gov-
ernor himself last summer as a
way to end the states polit-
ical corruption once and
for all. But behind closed
doors, the commissioners
were impaired by the gov-
ernors office, which
eventually cut their work
short despite finding a num-
ber of concerning offenses.
The shutdown of the com-
mission is now being examined
by federal investigators led by
U.S. District Attorney Preet
Bharara, the same prosecutor in-
vestigating potential abuses of
power by New Jersey Gov.
Chris Christies office with the
Port Authority. The news
comes just as the governor
runs for re-election in Novem-
ber, against Westchester
County Executive Rob Astori-
no.
Thanks to strong approval
ratings, Cuomo is currently
ahead by 37 points, according to
a Siena poll from earlier this
week.
The governors office defended it-
self in a 13-page response, arguing
that they oversaw the commission to
prevent a conflict of interest. But ac-
cording to the Times, the commission
was not looking into the governors
office when their investigations were
curbed, but in fact looking into groups
that were politically close to the gov-
ernor.
A commission appointed by and
staffed by the executive cannot inves-
tigate the executive, the governors
office statement said. It is a pure
conflict of interest and would not pass
the laugh test.
The ethics committee was created to
root out the corruption that has
marred Albany for years, but the com-
missioners grew paranoid and disillu-
sioned over time. One commissioner
said they thought their communica-
tions were being monitored by the
governors aides.
The thing that bothered me the
most is we were created with all this
fanfare and the governor was going to
clean up Albany, said Barbara Barto-
letti, legislative director for the
League of Women Voters of New
York State and a special adviser to the
commission. And it became purely a
vehicle for the governor to get legis-
lation. Another notch for his re-elec-
tion campaign. That was it.
B
ad politicians like to "game" the system instead of hon-
oring the public trust as an honest fiduciary, but even
they don't try to own the system without going to jail.
A Governor can appoint judges, but can't control them; same
is true for Ethics Commissioners.
America's exceptional gift to humanity is our separated pow-
ers regime - forcing each self-interested party to cut the best
deal each time - and hence, squeezing out the best possible div-
idend for the citizenry while the deal-cutters take care of their
favored special interests.
Trying to "control" politics can run afoul of criminality as
well as destroying our cherished separated powers; its un-
American. But when you "control" others engaged in inde-
pendence-based ethics review, investigations and oversight -
you have committed the ultimate sin - fixing the system to get
a fixed result: wearing a Boy Scout uniform and mugging the
little old lady crossing the sidewalk.
Even Jimmy the Greek knows its illegal to fix it. And
USA Preet Bharara, way smarter than Jimmy, knows this isn't
mere "insider trading," but an attempt to convert democracy
into an illegal empire or sell illegal favors.
It was illegal to control or kill the Moreland Commission.
While we like to call New York the Empire State, no New
Yorker will serve an emperor or his aide on "bent knee." In-
dictments are necessary...to restore the public trust.
The author had resigned from NYS JCOPE (Joint Commis-
sion on Public Ethics)
Astorino angry with Chris Christie
for lack of support
Gov. Cuomos office derailed ethics
commission: NYT
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and the short life of
the Moreland Commission
New York State Governor
Andrew Cuomo
Is Albany dark and deep,
un-American and an
unconstitutional empire?
By Ravi Batra
Comment
Rob Astorino, Republican
challenger to Cuomo for
Governor, is displeased with
Chris Christie, chairman of
the Republican Governors
Association.
Trump casino: one-third of Atlantic
City casinos will have closed this year
INDIA
New Delhi: The government has said its
policy on Palestine remains unchanged and
rejected calls for a parliament resolution on
the violence in Gaza where more than 500
Palestinians have been killed in Israeli mili-
tary attacks since the past fortnight.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj,
in her reply to a debate on the Gaza vio-
lence, said the need of the hour was to sup-
port the Egypt-backed ceasefire proposal.
Sushma Swaraj denied charges that the
Narendra Modi government was changing
the country' s foreign policy vis-a-vis
Palestine.
India, she told the Rajya Sabha, desired
good relations with both Israel and
Palestine.
More than 500 Palestinians have been
killed and over 3,000 injured in Israeli mili-
tary attacks on suspected hideouts of the
Hamas militant group that has fired rockets
into Israel.
Sushma Swaraj dismissed opposition
charges that the government was silent on
the issue, saying it had reacted to the Gaza
bloodshed at the BRICS summit in Brazil.
Prime Minister Modi attended the BRICS
- Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa
- Summit in Brazil July 15-17.
Sushma Swaraj said all Arab states were
for peace in the region.
"The emphasis of the house should be to
condemn incidents of violence everywhere
in the world and to support the Egyptian-
initiated ceasefire... This should be the
stance of the house, of parliament and gov-
ernment," she said.
The debate, which was listed in the upper
house last week, was stalled after the gov-
ernment said it did not want a debate on
Gaza.
Later, after the chairman gave the go-
ahead, the government agreed to take up the
debate. The UN Security Council has called
for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
New Delhi: India, which is current placed
134th in the World Bank's ease of doing
business report, would jump 50 spots by
implementing the Gujarat model of
reforms, World Bank group president Jim
Yong Kim said.
Talking to media persons after meeting
Prime Minister Narendra Modi here, Kim
said the new government must focus on
improving the business environment.
He said what Modi did in Gujarat as
chief minister, if implemented nationally,
would significantly improve ease of doing
business.
In the World Bank's ease of doing busi-
ness report released recently, India was
placed at the 134th spot out of 189 coun-
tries.
On criticism of the report, Kim said the
report was not perfect but provides a very
important guide to the businesses and pol-
icy makers globally.
Several countries, including India,
voiced concern over the report's method-
ology.
"The report ranks countries according to
the regulations in place only for small and
medium enterprises but which, owing to
its name, often gets mista ken to refer to
general business environment," Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley said recently in a
written reply to the Lok Sabha.
"The government has indicated its con-
cerns about the indicators used, methodol-
ogy, sample size, use of ranking, neglect
of qualitative and country specific busi-
ness environment etc. to the World Bank,"
Jaitley said.
Kim said the government's concerns
were genuine and the World Bank was
trying to improve the report and make it
more relevant.
New Delhi: It has been almost two months
since Narendra Modi took charge as
India's prime minister, but the new govern-
ment is yet to spell out its media and infor-
mation policy - except by default.
All that journalists are able to surmise -
in the absence of any official articulation -
is that the Modi government wants to keep
members of the fourth estate at an arm's
length and feed them information crumbs -
only when and what it wants to.
Departing from the convention of nam-
ing a media adviser, one of the first acts of
any new prime minister in a democracy,
Modi has appointed 70-year-old veteran
aide, Jagdish Thakkar, as only a Public
Relations Officer (PRO), an indication by
itself that Modi did not feel the need to
have "media advice".
Thakkar, a PRO during Modi's chief
ministership in Gujarat and who is familiar
with Modi's working style, is increasingly
becoming infamous in media circles for
not answering calls and, simply, just not
being available.
When a group of journalists cornered
him at Parliament House recently, Thakkar
gave no assurances and said he would only
give them what he was asked to give -
nothing more. He also made no promise of
answering journalists' calls or queries, a
standard practice of a media or press
adviser and part of his job profile.
Modi's council of ministers also believe
in evading the media - even those who
were earlier friendly with the media and
loved chatting with them. Any journalist
seeking an interview with External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj, who was known
to be media-savvy and always available
for a juicy anti-government byte as Leader
of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, now gets
a firm "no" in abrupt and unlikely
response.
It is widely known that the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) ministers have been
told "not to speak to the media" unless an
official line about the government's posi-
tion is to be announced.
Senior bureaucrats, who under the previ-
ous UPA regime were welcoming to
scribes, have been issued a gag order and
asked not to "entertain" the media.
In fact, in some ministries, if a mediaper-
son is seen near a minister's office, in
Parliament House, or in the ministries,
they are rounded up and packed off.
The writing on the wall is clear - avoid
the media so that they do not have any-
thing to sensationalise or create
controversies.
New Delhi: Sania Mirza
has reacted strongly to
Telangana BJP leader' s
barb branding her
' Pakistan' s daughter-in-
law' and said that she is 'an
India and will always
remain an Indian.
"I am an Indian and will
always remain an Indian,"
the statement issued by
her said.
The tennis star strongly
condemned the statement
of BJP Telangana leader
branding her an outsider.
"I strongly condemn any
attempts by any person to
brand me an outsider.
Hurts me that so much
time is being wasted on a
petty issue of my being
appointed as brand ambas-
sador of Telangana," the
statement added.
Earlier, Telangana BJP
leader K Laxman flayed
the TRS government' s
decision to appoint tennis
star Sania Mirza as brand
ambassador of the newly
carved-out state, terming
her as "daughter-in-law" of Pakistan and
questioning her credentials for the honour.
Sania was born in Maharashtra and settled
in Hyderabad only later and, hence, is a "non-
local", he told reporters here and sought to
dub her as "daughter-in-law" of Pakistan,
pointing out that she was married to that
country's cricketer Shoaib Malik.
The 27-year-old tennis player had never
participated in agitation for a separate state of
Telangana, said Laxman who is leader of BJP
in Telangana legislative assembly.
External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj
11 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Modi's media policy - keep them away?
I will remain an Indian, Sania Mirza
World Bank group president
Jim Yong Kim
Sania Mirza has reacted strongly to
Telangana BJP leader's barb
Indian government rejects
Gaza resolution
Gujarat model may help India
in doing business
12 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA
Lucknow: Stirred by a series of
sexual crimes in the state and else-
where, an NGO has decided to
build a Nirbhaya Memorial to the
women who were victims of such
crimes and to stir society's con-
science against such acts.
Nutan Thakur, an office-bearer of
NGO People' s Forum, said the
forum has an 8,000 sq ft piece of
land in Khadgapur in the
Gomtinagar extension for the
memorial, named after the Dec 16,
2012, Delhi gang-rape victim. The
memorial would not only be for
highlighting many such cases of
sexual assault, crimes and brutality
perpetrated against women but also
to "shame" the assailants and soci-
ety at large that "such heinous
crimes continue under their watch".
The memorial would also have a
counselling centre for women fac-
ing "similar situations" and would
work to alert them before it's too
late.
"The idea is to salute the
women' s spirit which in many
avatars in Hindu mythology is an
incarnation of Shakti," Nutan
Thakur's husband Amitabh Thakur,
a senior IPS officer, who is also
contributing to the memorial that is
likely to be completed by the first
week of January 2015, said.
"We, as responsible citizens,
have taken it upon ourselves to
ensure that such crimes are not
only adequately highlighted but
also not brushed under carpet by a
society which does not want to live
with shame and pain beyond a cer-
tain timeline," he mused while
explaining how, when such inci-
dents take place, there is a wave of
public sentiment that soon wanes.
The idea behind the memorial -
which will have a statue of a
woman in abstract and symbolic
along with a demon-like man out to
assault her sexually - was to ensure
that the pain lingers on until it
shakes the people into a permanent
action mode, Amitabh Thakur said.
Thus, the memorial would also
have a small museum where mem-
ories of these crimes would be pre-
served in the form of pictures of
victims, the stories of their fami-
lies, their dreams, paper cuttings of
news reports and details of the
police action or inaction with a
detailed follow up, he added.
Asked if this would be akin to
extending the pain of such
tragedies, he said this was the
whole idea behind the memorial!
"Does brushing aside the incidents
lessen the pain and increase the
safety of women," he asked.
The forum has begun talks with
some local architects and are in the
process of fund collection for the
memorial, they say. "It is a memo-
rial for a social cause and we hope
that there would be some sculptors
who would volunteer to take up the
statue's design and fabrication and
we will then follow it up," Nutan
Thakur said.
The forum is also in the process
of talking to the parents and fami-
lies of such victims and will try to
detail the life they lived and the
macabre ends they met. "We would
also try to asses, assimilate and
showcase how normal dreams were
shattered due to the uncontrolled
lust and unchecked criminal
instincts," Nutan Thakur said.
Uttar Pradesh has recorded a
quantum jump of 55 per cent in
sexual crimes and rapes over the
previous year, union home ministry
data shows.
Politicians and police, howev-
er, chose to look the other way.
May be, the memorial will shame
them enough! One can only keep
one's fingers crossed.
A memorial to 'shame' society on growing sexual crimes
India ranks 135 in Human
Development Index
Nandan Nilekani impresses Narendra Modi
New Delhi: In a sign that shows
India has a lot of catching up to
do, the country's ranking in the
Human Development Index (HDI)
remained unchanged at 135 in
2013, reflecting little improve-
ment in the living standard of its
people, says a United Nations
Development Programme report.
"India's HDI value for 2013 is
0.586 - which falls in the medium
human development category -
positioning the country at 135 out
of 187 countries. Between 1980 to
2013, India's HDI value increased
from 0.369 to 0.586," said the
UNDP report.
The report further said that none
of the BRICS countries were in
the high human development cate-
gory and India remained at the
bottom with lowest HDI value
among them.
"India is the lowest performing
country among the BRICS nations
in all categories of the HDI with
the exception of life expectancy,
which is lower in South Africa as
a result of the HIV/AIDS epidem-
ic," the report said.
Among the BRICS countries,
Russia, Brazil and China are in the
high HDI category. Russia
secured the highest rank at 57, fol-
lowed by Brazil at 79 and China at
91. South Africa and India rank in
the middle category, securing
118th and 135th position respec-
tively, it said.
The HDI reflects long-term
progress in three basic dimensions
of human lives - a long and
healthy life, access to knowledge
and a decent standard of living. In
2013 the study covered 187 coun-
tries, the same as in 2012 and
2011.
The report said that based on the
data available on November 15,
2013, there were few countries
with changed in ranks between
2012 and 2013.
Presenting a review of India's
progress in each of the HDI indi-
cators between 1980 and 2013, it
said, "The life expectancy at birth
increased by 11 years, mean years
of schooling increased by 2.5
years and expected years of
schooling increased by 5.3 years."
New Delhi: Four days before Prime Minister
Narendra Modi made his first public statement surpris-
ingly backing the Unique Identification Authority of
India (UIDAI), former UIDAI chairman Nandan
Nilekani met with the PM and finance minister Arun
Jaitley and persuaded the new regime to persist with
Aadhaar numbers and the Direct Benefits Transfer
(DBT) scheme.
This meeting a life-saver for the Aadhaar pro-
gramme happened on the first of July. On July 5,
Modi sought a 100 crore enrollment target under
Aadhaar at the 'earliest', casting aside earlier notions
that the new government will go slow on the UIDAI
project.
Nilekani, who was appointed by Congress to head
UIDAI in 2009, was in Delhi in the last days of June
to vacate the government bungalow allotted to him in
Lutyens' Delhi. It is during this period that he and
UIDAI sought and obtained a meeting with the
prime minister and the finance minister. Nine days
after this meeting, Jaitley, in the Union Budget,
increased allocation for UIDAI from Rs 1,550 crore
(revised estimate) to Rs 2,039 crore.
There is enough evidence to suggest that the crucial
July 1 meeting between Nilekani, the prime minister
and the FM, brought forth a volte face in the govern-
ment stand on UIDAI.
Glasgow: India has hit the
headlines for reasons other
than sporting in the just-begun
Commonwealth Games here
after it came to light that the
country' s flag was shown
upside down in the official
song for the 11-day event.
The official song titled "Let
the Games Begin" is also the
Glasgow Children' s 2014
Anthem for UNICEF.
The song features the flags
of all the participating coun-
tries but the makers have blun-
dered while showcasing the
tri-colour.
India, who finished second
in the medals in the previous
edition of the event in Delhi,
has sent a 215-strong contin-
gent this time. The Games
kicked off with a colorful
here.
None of the BRICS countries were in the high
human development category.
Former Unique Identification Authority of India
chairman Nandan Nilekani
Indian contingent at the CWG opening ceremony in Glasgow
Indian flag shown upside down in CWG song video
13 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena has
defended its parliamentarians
accused of force-feeding a Muslim
canteen supervisor on fast at
Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi
last week, invoking the Maratha
pride and turning the spotlight on
the facilities, which the party said
were not up to the mark, at the
state guest house.
In an editorial published in party
mouthpiece Saamna, Shiv Sena
said the incident was blown out of
proportion and given a communal
angle.
The editorial added that the Shiv
Sena respected all religions. "One's
belief is a personal matter and
making such a political mockery of
someone's beliefs could only be an
attempt to malign the Shiv Sena," it
added.
Video footage of a group of Shiv
Sena MPs inspecting food at the
Sadan's canteen and one of them
Thane parliamentarian Rajan
Vichare thrusting a chapati into
the canteen supervisor's mouth had
triggered outrage in Parliament and
social media on Wednesday.
Ashraf Zubair, the canteen super-
visor, had his name badge on.
According to ANI, Janata Dal
(United) leader Ali Anwar, who is a
Rajya Sabha MP, said the Shiv
Sena parliamentarians had trig-
gered the controversy with the
intent to "polarise" voters in view
of the upcoming Maharashtra
assembly elections.
However, Shiv Sena leader
Uddhav Thackeray had said, "It's
an attempt to silence us...MPs did-
n't want to hurt any religious feel-
ings."
The Saamna editorial also cited
problems faced by the MPs resid-
ing in Delhi's Maharashtra Sadan.
Launching an attack on chief min-
ister Prithviraj Chavan, it said the
food served at the state guest house
must be "force-fed" to him.
New Delhi: The union cabinet has
approved a proposal to increase for-
eign direct investment (FDI) limit
in the insurance sector to 49 percent
from the current 26 percent. The
Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi okayed the
proposal for the hike but maintains
Indian management control.
A senior government official who
did not want to be named said the
overseas investments in the insur-
ance sector would be allowed
through the Foreign Investment
Promotion Board (FIPB) route.
In the budget for 2014-15 present-
ed earlier this month, Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed
to hike the overseas investment
limit in the insurance sector to 49
percent.
Welcoming the government' s
move, Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII) director general
Chandrajit Banerjee said the
increase in FDI limit will help
attracting the much needed long
term capital for the sector which
can have multiplier effect on the
state of economy especially in
meeting the huge infrastructure
financing requirements".
New Delhi: The 39 Indian workers
held captive in Iraq are safe and get-
ting proper food and water, External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
said.
"The government has got to know
from various sources that they
(Indian workers) are safe and get-
ting food and water," the minister
told the Lok Sabha.
The Indians are held captive in the
Iraqi city of Mosul.
The minister, however, refused to
divulge the action being pursued by
the government to bring them back.
"Secrecy is the first principle.
How can I divulge the action plan?"
she asked.
Sushma Swaraj said she had spo-
ken over telephone to all her coun-
terparts in the Gulf countries and
met their ambassadors in New Delhi
too.The inter-ministerial Standing
Group for Repatriation of Indian
Nationals from Abroad has put in
place robust contingency plans for
safe and expeditious evacuation of
Indians from Iraq, she said.
She added that as of July 22,
around 4,000 Indian nationals had
been provided assistance to return to
India.
Shiv Sena fights row triggered by MPs
Cabinet okays 49 percent FDI in insurance
SEP.
4,000 Indian nationals had been provided assistance
to return to India.
Thane parliamentarian
Rajan Vichare.
Indian captives in Iraq safe:
Sushma Swaraj
By Karan Thapar
I
t amazes me how the smallest
and, sometimes, the silliest
things work us into a frenzy
and make us froth at the mouth.
The Ved Pratap Vaidik affair is
the latest example which shows
how, at critical moments, we lack
a sense of proportion, balance
and perspective. Sadly, the worst
offenders seem to be the media
and the Opposition.
If you look carefully at the
questions this controversy has
raised you will see what I mean.
First, was Mr Vaidik, a journalist,
right to meet Hafiz Saeed? The
answer is simple.
Journalists have a right to meet
whoever they want, wherever
and for as long as the person is
willing.
If journalists can interview
Osama bin Laden, Mullah Omar,
Prabhakaran, Maoist leaders in
India and Veerappan then, by the
same token, Mr Vaidik can inter-
view Hafiz Saeed, even though
India, America and the European
Union consider him a terrorist.
Last month the BBC inter-
viewed Hafiz Saeed. The British
government saw nothing wrong
in that. No one in Britain object-
ed. How is Mr Vaidiks case any
different?
Second, is Mr Vaidik required
to produce a formal interview in
Q&A form or some other jour-
nalistic account of it? Not neces-
sarily. As a journalist, hes enti-
tled to meet Hafiz Saeed, or any-
one else, for either an off-the-
record chat or a formal interview.
Consequently, the Congress
partys claim that Mr Vaidik
should be arrested for meeting
Hafiz Saeed is simply preposter-
ous. The kindest thing I can say
is it reminds me of the
Emergency.
Finally, most journalists I know
would jump at an opportunity to
interview Hafiz Saeed. I find it
hard to believe those who say the
opposite. This would be an inter-
view that quickens the spirit,
sharpens the mind and drives the
adrenaline of every journalist I
respect. It would also be a scoop!
The second aspect of the
Vaidik affair is his comments on
Kashmir. For the record, he
spoke of the two halves of that
partitioned state coming together
with common elections, a single
assembly and a single chief min-
ister. He then went on to speak of
the possibility of azaadi only to
say it would be unviable and
against Kashmirs interests.
However, what he said is mere
detail because he has every right
to say whatever he wants. Thats
freedom of expression. We may
not like it. It could be offensive
to many. But, as Voltaire alleged-
ly put it and even if he didnt
the point still holds the proper
response from the rest of us is to
defend to the death Mr Vaidiks
right to say what he did.
The last issue and, perhaps,
the most controversial is Mr
Vaidiks alleged relationship with
the government. Was he an inter-
mediary? Was he carrying mes-
sages to Hafiz Saeed?
He says he wasnt. The govern-
ment insists he wasnt. Perhaps
one reason for believing both is
the way he spoke about Kashmir
on Pakistani television. An inter-
mediary would not have done
this. It would have amounted to
an unforgiveable lapse. The fact
Mr Vaidik did suggests hes
probably right in claiming his
meeting cannot be connected to
the government.
To sum up, this episode didnt
deserve the attention it received.
The fact it, nonetheless, got it
suggests we dont know how to
respond to events we dont like
or developments we cant fully
understand. Rather than think
carefully and candidly we con-
vert them into instant controver-
sies. Each time we do we either
show ourselves up or, worse, let
ourselves down.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
14 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED
Are Hindutva hawks flying again?
By Amulya Ganguli
T
he latest reported observations of the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) supre-
mo, Ashok Singhal, echo what the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideo-
logue, M.S. Golwalkar, said in his 1939 pub-
lication, "We, or Our Nationhood Defined".
In it, the Hindutva icon had given an outline
of what the minorities can expect in India.
"The foreign races in Hindusthan," the RSS
guru had written, "must either adopt the
Hindu culture and language, must learn to
respect and hold in reverence Hindu religion,
must entertain no ideas but those of glorifica-
tion of the Hindu race and culture ... or may
stay in the country, wholly subordinated to
the Hindu nation, claiming nothing, deserv-
ing no privileges, far less any preferential
treatment, not even citizen's rights."
Seventy-five years later, Singhal's state-
ment shows that little has changed so far as
the saffron worldview is concerned. In an
interview to the Hindustan Times, he has said
that the "Muslims will be treated as common
citizens - nothing more, nothing less. And
they must learn to respect Hindu sentiments.
If they keep opposing Hindus, how long can
they survive?"
Unlike Golwalkar, the VHP leader is will-
ing to concede citizen's rights to Muslims,
but the precondition of respecting Hindu sen-
timents remains. He has also issued an unam-
biguous threat by linking the "survival" of
the Muslims to the need to defer to the
Hindus.
Singhal has imposed a caveat as well. It is
that the Muslims must forsake their claims on
the Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura mosques
and accept a uniform civil code. By reviving
the demand for the Varanasi and Mathura
shrines along with that of Ayodhya, Singhal
has recalled the slogan which was raised by
the saffron cadres after the demolition of the
Babri Masjid in Ayodhya: "Yeh to pehli jhan-
ki hai, Kashi, Mathura baki hai." (This is
only the first instalment; Kashi and Mathura
will be next).
Following a carrot-and-stick policy, the
VHP leader has promised to give the
Muslims "love" - another change from
Golwalkar - and pledged not to claim any
other mosque (for demolition) even though
there are thousands built on the "ruins of
temples" which were destroyed in medieval
times.
This show of forbearance is reminiscent of
another chilling slogan of the 1990s: Teen
nahin, teen hazar, nahin rahegi ek mazar.
(Not three but three thousand, not a single
holy place will remain intact.)
In the interview, Singhal has given the saf-
fron brotherhood's interpretation of Narendra
Modi's success. It was based, according to
him, essentially on the "undercurrents" of the
Ram temple and Godhra issues over which
development and governance acted as a
veneer. The next step is to do "what we want
to do" though by "constitutional means".
If these observations are read together with
Singhal's earlier hope that only Modi can pre-
vent the "total Islamization" of India, then it
will be obvious that while the people in gen-
eral are expecting an economic revival, the
saffron lobby wants the implementation of its
Hindu agenda.
Evidently, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
will have to undertake a careful balancing act
in order to reconcile the two - if it wants to.
Perhaps, it will start with a few sops to the
fundamentalists by, say, initiating moves to
introduce the uniform civil code and hold a
wide-ranging discussion on Article 370 of the
constitution which confers special status on
Kashmir.
It has already appointed an RSS sympathiz-
er to the post of chairman of the Indian
Council of Historical Research who may
resume former human resource development
minister Murli Manohar Joshi's unfinished
task of rewriting Indian history.
But the BJP cannot be unaware that too
many pro-active steps will carry the danger
of upsetting the apple-cart. Having come to
power under exceptional circumstances, viz,
the Congress's collapse under an inept leader-
ship, the BJP cannot afford to throw it all
away by following the diktats of the extrem-
ists in the Sangh Parivar.
Only the BJP knows whether they are paper
tigers or have real teeth. Outsiders have little
clue although their capability to set off riots
is not unknown. However, having depended
heavily on the RSS and its non-political affil-
iates during the election campaign, the BJP
will be wary of displeasing them now that it
is in power.
Modi, in contrast, is an "ideal swayamse-
vak", according to Singhal. The saffron
zealots will, therefore, expect him to fulfil
their dream of establishing a Hindu rashtra
(nation). How they will react if they are dis-
appointed, as in Vajpayee's time, is the mil-
lion dollar question.
Narendra Modi is an "ideal swayamsevak", according to Ashok Singhal (left),
sitting next to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
Vaidik affair: Why we let ourselves down
The Ved Pratap Vaidik affair is the latest example which shows
that we lack a sense of proportion, balance and perspective.
NATIONAL COMMUNITY July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 15
Traditional lamp lighting to
open the convention.
(below) Renowned musician Pt. Jasraj, the
chief guest, with prominent guests and
RANA functionaries.
(above) Sampat Poddar was honored for
business acumen in gems and jewelry.
New York: The Rajasthan Association
of North America (RANA) successful-
ly hosted the 4th Rajasthani
International Convention at the
Islandia Marriott on Long Island, from
July 3-6, 2
Over 800 people took part in the
convention and enjoyed delicious
Rajasthani cuisine, Bollywood &
Rajasthani folk music and traditional
dances, said Dr. Narendra Hadpawat,
Convener & RANA President.
The Convention was inaugurated by
Padma Vibhushan Sangeet Martand
Pt. Jasraj along with Consul General
of India, Amb. Dnyaneshwar Mulay
who was the Chief Guest.
Grand Sponsor Dr. Samin Sharma,
Platinum Sponsor Dr. Chitranjan
Ranawat and Corporate Sponsor
Naveen Shah, chief of Navika Group
of Companies were also present on the
occasion.
Dr. Hadpawat highlighted the
importance of such conventions if we
are to instill our rich culture and her-
itage in our youth. In his address, he
called upon the youth to carry the
torch forward and continue to grow
RANA with their exuberance and
energy.
At the convention, RANA honored
four individuals for excellence in their
respective fields: Prof. Arvind
Panagariya for Economics, Prem Jain
for entrepreneurship in IT, Dr.
Radheshyam Agrawal for medicine
and Sampat Poddar for business acu-
men in gems and jewelry.
The theme of the Convention was to
help build a Healthy and Literate
Rajasthan. Accordingly, a check of
$50,000 was presented to D.R. Mehta,
the founder of Jaipur Foot The target
was to raise another $50,000 for
improving education in villages of
Rajasthan. K.K. Mehta, President of
Rajasthan Foundation, invited all
Rajasthan organizations in USA to
participate in a drive to help develop
Rajasthan.
Senior Board members of RANA
were seen taking to the catwalk in an
impromptu Fashion Show as well as
participating in a traditional
Rajasthani dance and song program.
Bollywood music director Bhappi
Lahiri along with the melodious
Sadhna Sargam kept the capacity
crowd entertained and dancing. A
musical revue Rangeelo Rajasthan,
presented by Dhwani showcased the
glory of Rajasthan. Chefs specially
flown in from Rajasthan prepared
authentic cuisine of the state.
Shailesh Lodha and his team of
poets regaled the attendees with their
wit & Hasya Kavita. The convention
attracted people from not only the tri-
state area, but also from other parts of
the country and Canada as well.
Prof. Arvind Panagariya was honored for excellence in economics.
Ganesh Vandana dance in classical style.
16 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Post 'Devil',
Nargis Fakhri
bruised, battered
A
live performance by singer
Kamaal Khan on popular
Bollywood tracks, dcor
reflecting the golden period and
actresses Bipasha Basu and
Chitrangada Singh walking the ramp in
true diva style, the grand finale by
Shree Raj Mahal Jewellers as a part of
India Couture Week 2014 turned out to
be a complete Bollywood affair.
While Chitrangada started the show
in black voluminous Gauri and
Nainika gown accessorising it well
with statement neckpiece, Bipasha
looked no less than a bride in designer
Rohit Bal lehanga and matching jewel-
ery.
"Whenever I wear Indian outfit, I
make sure of accessorising it well with
jewellery and today I am feeling like a
queen. I started my career as a model
and it's great to come back to Delhi
again and walk on ramp. It was such a
great welcome that I felt emotional,a
Bipasha shared after the show.
As the actress was looking no less
than a bride, it was obvious for her to
get bombarded with questions on wed-
ding.
Asked that whether she would like to
adorn the similar heavy pieces on her
wedding day, she said: "I would love to
look like a Bengali bride and I don't
mind if I get the chance to wear such
beautiful looking pieces. Afterall,
every bride wants to look her best on
the most special day of her life."
Chitrangada, on the other hand, took
her inspiration from the famous
Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe
when she walked down the ramp danc-
ing and smiling.
"Yes I tried to replicate her (Marilyn)
but it is not easy . Doing Marilyn is not
easy for anyone. She was someone
who has inspired many but I tried to
give my best," she said.
The show was mix of jewelleries
from the Svara and Sondaraya collec-
tion of the title sponsor of the couture
week. Pieces inlaid in gold and dia-
monds embellished with precious
stones such as emeralds, rubies and
pearls dominated the range of designs.
The Svara collection comprises of
gold and polka jewellery embellished
in precious stones such as emerald and
ruby while Sondaraya was a variable
mix of traditional motifs and contem-
porary styles in diamond jewellery.
Also seen walking the ramp was
filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar and
model-actor Muzammil Ibrahim.
One of the highpoint of the show was
live singing by Kamaal Khan who
sung tracks including "Afrin" , "Ishq
Sufiana" and "Mein tenu samjhawan".
Though it was difficult for people sit-
ting in Main Show Area (MSA) to see
him but the voice certainly made of
them Asing with him.
R
ockstar" fame actress
Nargis Fakhri may be
in bed resting it out
after sustaining injuries
while shooting her "devil"
item song with Salman Khan
for Sajid Nadiadwala' s
"Kick", but she finds the
experience exhilarating.
"It was a devil of a song,"
she said punning on the
song's title "Devil".
The song is composed by
Yo Yo Honey Singh, his first
for Salman and after his
"Lungi dance" track for Shah
Rukh Khan in "Chennai
Express".
"It is a very special song. I
do like Yo Yo Honey Singh's
songs. So I was super-excit-
ed about that as well. And I
am blessed to have danced to
it with Salman. Never mind
the minor injuries."
Nargis admits it was physi-
cally an ordeal to dance to Yo
Yo's energetic beats.
"It was stressful. Before
the dancing, I always get so
nervous and stressed. I am
not very comfortable with
the gyrations and thrusts. My
entire physical presence
becomes tense.
"I was dancing with
Salman with a torn meniscus,
a torn ham-string and two
inflamed discs. So there was
a lot of pain. But I kept push-
ing myself because Ahmed
Khan's choreography was so
very inspiring. Now I am
recuperating in bed." She had
suffered similar injuries
while performing the
"Dhating" number with
Shahid Kapoor for "Phata
Poster Nikla Hero". "For that
number with Shahid as well
as for this number with
Salman, I didn't allow my
physique enough time and
rehearsals to warm up prop-
erly. So it was a bit of deja-
vu dancing. But every bit of
the pain was worth it because
of Salman."Thankfully,
Ahmed Khan worked the
dance movements around
Nargis's comfort zone.
Bipasha Basu at India
Couture Week 2014
Nargis Fakhri in a scene
from 'Devil'
S
alman Khan, who
chooses festive
season to release
his mega movies,
continues the trend
with "Kick", which
is coming out in the
Eid week. He
believes choosing
the right slot is
important from busi-
ness perspective. He
said: "Be it Eid or
Diwali, the holiday sea-
son matters a lot.
There is no release
during Ramadan,
so when a film
releases during
this period, people
die to see that
film. Again with
Diwali being a fes-
tive season, people
want to go and see
the film with
family." In the last
few years, Salman
has booked Eid for his mega releases and most of them
turned out to be bumper hits. His "Kick", which marks
the directorial debut of Sajid Nadiadwala, will hit the
screens July 25. Usually one big movie comes on each
festival, but Salman is of the view that "Diwali, Holi,
Republic Day, Christmas - they can accommodate
three to four films."
Holiday
season
matters a lot:
Salman
Salman Khan in 'Kick'
S
ri Lankan beauty
Jacqueline Fernandez is
excited about her next
project "Bangistan", a film
about two terrorists. Directed
by Karan Anshuman,
"Bangistan" features Riteish
Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat in
the male leads, while the actress
will make a special appearance
in it. "I am doing a song and a
special appearance in the
movie. It's a very interesting
script about two terrorists, it's
extremely funny," said the 28-
year-old.
It has Pulikt and Riteish, and I
play a character who shows
them life otherwise. I am
extremely excited about the
film," added Jacqueline, who is
currently busy promoting
"Kick", in which she plays
Salman Khan's ladylove.
Jacqueline
excited
about
'Bangistan'
Actor
Jacqueline
Fernandez
Nitish Bhardwaj
back as Krishna
H
e left an indelible mark on the
Indian TV viewers when he first
played Lord Krishna over 25
years ago in B. R. Chopra' s
" Ma h a b h a r a t a " .
Now he will reprise
the role in the play
"Chakravyuh".
"Chakravyuh" is
an offering from
Delhi-based theatre
group, the Films and
Theatre Society, and
directed by theatre
personality Atul
Satya Koushik.
When he scripted
the play, Koushik
immediately decided to cast Nitish as
Arjunas charioteer.
The play "Chakravyuh" will be staged
here Saturday at the Kamani Auditorium
followed by a show at Gurgaon Aug 3.
"It is almost after 25 years that I will
once again pick the flute and get on the
stage," Nitish said in a statement.
"I am a bit nervous as I, at no cost,
want to disappoint my fans who have for
decades showered me with their love,"
added the actor who is not new to theatre
- he performed in six Hindi and Urdu
plays in the late 1980s.
Nitish quit his career of a veterinarian
to pursue acting, and he was just 23 years
old when he was picked up for the epic
role of Lord Krishna in "Mahabharata",
which was aired in 1988.
Apart from his stage comeback, Nitish
is also awaiting the release of his Hindi
film "Yaksha", directed by Mukul
Abhyankar in which he plays the title
role.
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 17
Toronto: Priyanka Chopra-
starrer "Mary Kom", based on
boxer M.C Mary Kom, will
have its world premiere here at
Toronto International Film
Festival (TIFF), the organizers
announced.
The 39th Toronto
International Film Festival will
take place between September
4 and 14.
"Glamorous Indian star
Priyanka Chopra completely
transforms herself to play Mary
Kom, world champion in
women's boxing. From tradi-
tional village life in remote
Manipur state to high-stakes
bouts in India and around the
world, this is a remarkable
story of triumph. The film will
have its world premiere at
TIFF," said a statement from
the organizers.
Directed by Omung Kumar,
"Mary Kom" was made with
the support of the five-time
World Champion boxer herself.
Priyanka spent a lot of time
with Mary to understand the
nuances, stance and style of a
boxer like her.
The film' s first look was
unveiled via two posters earlier
recently and they were received
warmly on socialnetworking
sites.The movie is slated for
theatrical release Oct 2.
D
ocumentary maker Raj Sampad's
short film "Dreaming With Sand"
chronicling the inspiring story of
sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has official-
ly entered the Sundance Film Festival, its
maker said.
"Dreaming With Sand" will compete
with other films and if it wins, it will be
premiered at the 2015 edition of the festi-
val, starting Jan 22.
"Sundance is one of the largest inde-
pendent film festivals in the United
States. It takes place every year in the
Park City of Utah. My docu-fiction
' Dreaming With Sand' has officially
entered the festival, the result will be out
Oct 1," Sampad told IANS. "In the docu-
fiction ' Dreaming With Sand' I have
shown Pattnaik's journey from being in a
financial predicament to rising into one
of the greatest and critically acclaimed
sand artists on the planet today," he
added.
At 22, Sampad, an independent film-
maker from the city, has made three short
films under his production house
Incendiary Films on offbeat topics.
The theme of this year's fest was to cre-
ate an inspirational story that would show
an individual or a community overcom-
ing poverty or hunger.
"When I first read the theme, the first
person that struck my mind was Sudarsan
Pattnaik as I had heard about his strug-
gle," said Sampad.
"Everybody knows him as a famous
sand sculptor, but the real inspiration lies
in his past life and very few people know
about it. Pattnaik himself has lent his
voice in the film," he said.
Europe beckons
'Yamaleela 2' team
T
he team of upcoming Telugu fanta-
sy film "Yamaleela 2" will soon be
heading to some exotic locations in
Europe such as Switzerland, Slovenia,
Milan and Italy to shoot important por-
tions of the film.
"We will be shooting songs and some
important scenes in these locations. The
script demanded that we explore some
new places in Europe and that's how we
zeroed in on these places. We recently
completed our India schedule as well," the
film's director S.V, Krishna Reddy, said.
Starring newcomers K.V. Satish and
Nikita Diah Nicholas, "Yamaleela 2" is
said to be high on VFX.
"About 30 to 40 percent of the film is
replete with visual effects. We've had a
team of foreign technicians working on
the VFX in the film. It will be a visual
delight," he added.
Actresses Sada and Nisha Kothari will
be seen in two item numbers in the film,
which is nearing completion.
A scene from
'Yamaleela 2'
A scene from the
film 'Mary Kom'
Aamir's daughter
organizes charity
football match
B
ollywood superstar Aamir Khan's
daughter Ira organized a celebrity
football match to raise funds for an
animal welfare shelter. The charity match
was held in
Mumbai for PIGI
Foundation, which
will build an ani-
mal welfare shelter
with the money.
Nuzhat Khan, actor
Imran Khans
mother and Ira' s
aunt, will look after
the shelter, read a
statement. Aamir
and actor Abhishek
Bachchan were
captains of the two teams and the former's
team won the match by 4:2. Celebrities
like Sohail Khan, Karan Wahi, Gurmeet
Choudhary and Shabbir Ahluwalia also
participated in the match. Superstar
Salman Khan distributed prizes to all.
Film on Sudarsan Pattnaik
goes to Sundance fest
Aamir Khan's
daughter Ira
Actor Nitish
Bhardwaj
Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik
18 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info FASHION
Actors Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy
Kapoor at designer Manish
Malhotra`s show at the India
Couture Week 2014
Manish Malhotra portrays old
world charm with 'Portraits'
T
he ace designer created an old
world charm at the Shree Raj
Mahal Jewellers India Couture
Week (ICW) with Portraits, an amal-
gamation of vintage embroidery on
contemporary silhouttes, and wowed
the gathering.
The cherry on the cake was
Bollywoods young talents Alia Bhatt
and Aditya Roy Kapur, who turned
confident showstoppers for him
Saturday. On multiple pieces, the
designer used an ethereal touch of
Kashmiri Zari work and teamed up
some of them with elaborate ivory
thread work set against the backdrop
of colors like beige, grapevine, emer-
ald, ruby red velvet and tulle. The
show received an applause from the
audience, which also included celebri-
ties and socialites like Shahnaz
Hussain, Vandana Luthra and Ayaan
Ali Khan.
Actor
Chitrangada
Singh displays
jewellery by
Moni Agarwal
during the
IIJW. 50-year-old film star Sridevi donned
a gold lehenga and choli teamed
with an elaborate raanihaar from
Golecha Jewels at IIJW.
Bollywood turns showstopper
A
live perform-
ance by singer
Kamaal Khan
on popular Bollywood
tracks, dcor
reflecting the golden
period and actresses
Bipasha Basu and
Chitrangada Singh
walking the ramp in
true diva style, the
grand finale by Shree
Raj Mahal Jewellers
as a part of India
Couture Week 2014
turned out to be a
complete Bollywood
affair. While
Chitrangada started
the show in black
voluminous Gauri and
Nainika gown acces-
sorizing it well with
statement neckpiece,
Bipasha looked no
less than a bride in
designer Rohit Bal
lehanga and matching
jewelry.
Chitrangada, on the
other hand, took her
inspiration from the
famous Hollywood
actress Marilyn
Monroe when she
walked down the
ramp dancing and
smiling. The show
was mix of jewelries
from the Svara and
Sondaraya collection
of the title sponsor of
the couture week.
Pieces inlaid in gold
and diamonds embel-
lished with precious
stones such as emer-
alds, rubies and pearls
dominated the range
of designs. Also seen
walking the ramp was
filmmaker Madhur
Bhandarkar and
model-actor
Muzammil Ibrahim.
(1) A model walks on the ramp
for designer Varun Bahl`s
show. (2) A model displays
Manish Arora designs. (3) A
model displays Gaurav Gupta
creation.
Glitter and gold at IIJW
The high note during
the India International
Jewelry Week (IIJW) in
Mumbai was of course
Bol l ywood beauti es
sashayi ng down the
ramp i n gl i tter and
gold.
In its fifth edition this
year, the four-day
event from July 14-17
was organized by the
Gems and Jewellery
Export Promoti on
Council (GJEPC), which
has become a major
destination for buyers
and designers alike as
the latest in traditional
and modern wear with
diamonds, gold, silver
and precious stones
are presented for the
upcoming bridal and
festive season.
Raveena Tandon at the India
International Jewellery Week (IIJW)
2014 - Day 2
1
2
3
Kuala Lumpur: An Indian origin flight
steward was among the 15 crew members
on board the Malaysia Airlines flight
MH17 that was shot down over Ukraine
last Thursday.
Sanjid Singh Sandu, 41, had swapped
flights with his colleague to fly on the
MH17, the Malaysian Insider reported.
"He was last here about a month ago. He
told us recently that he swapped with a col-
league for the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur
flight," Sandu's father Jijar Singh, 71, said.
Sandu was Jijar's youngest child and the
only son.
"He always called us before he left for
his trip," Singh said.
Just 131 days ago, Sandu's wife, also a
Malaysia Airlines flight stewardess had
swapped out of flight MH370 which van-
ished while en route from Kuala Lumpur to
Beijing.
"Sanjid' s wife was meant to fly on
MH370 but swapped with another col-
league at the last minute," Singh said.
"He was supposed to come here at noon
after he returns from Amsterdam this
morning. His mother had prepared all his
favorite dishes," Singh said
Sandu and his family, including their
seven-year-old son, live in Kuala Lumpur.
New Delhi: In a bid to prevent
human rights violations among
Indian migrant workers in the Gulf
region, Amnesty International
India and UAE Exchange India
have launched a "Go to Gulf with
rights" campaign.
The awareness campaign will
provide information about migrant
workers' rights under Indian and
international law, legally author-
ized channels for migration, pre-
departure training programs and
the risks of irregular migration, an
Amnesty International statement
said Friday.
Migrant workers and their fami-
lies will also be able to access
information about support systems
in destination countries and details
of Indian embassies and NGOs that
can provide assistance.
"Migrant workers who travel to
the Gulf can face exploitation even
before leaving home. They are
known to be charged excessive
recruitment fees and deceived
about their contracts, leaving them
more vulnerable to human rights
abuses in the Gulf, including
human trafficking and forced
labor," G. Ananthapadmanabhan,
chief executive of Amnesty
International India, said in the
statement.
The workers will be equipped
with a safe migration booklet,
pamphlet and a toll free telephone
number 1800-200-1303.
V George Antony, managing
director and country head of UAE
Exchange India, a financial servic-
es firm, said that this pioneering
campaign will be featured in UAE
Exchange offices for the next six
months, and will help prospective
migrants learn about their rights
and how to migrate safely.
Now, Uttar Pradesh sets
up NRI department
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh gov-
ernment Friday announced a new
department has been set up for
NRIs, tasked with not only solving
their problems but also attracting
investment in the state.Infrastructure
and Industrial Development princi-
pal secretary has been handed over
the charge of the new department, a
state government spokesman said.
The new department would not only
work to address the problems faced
by the NRI community in the state
but would also encourage the hard-
working and technically advanced
NRIs to invest here. The spokesman
added that recognizing the large
number of NRIs from the state, the
department would also increase
communications with the communi-
ty and make them partners in the
efforts to usher in growth in the
state. A cell was earlier constituted
in the Udyog Bandhu to address the
problems faced by NRIs and inform
them of investment and job opportu-
nities in the state.
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj called upon NRIs to work
for the reconstruction of the country, and
said Indians living abroad endorse the
NDA government as their "own."
"The NDA government is the first gov-
ernment which NRIs endorse as their own.
We want the NRIs to work with us for the
progress of our nation," Sushma Swaraj
said in the first Baleshwar Agrawal
memorial lecture at the India International
Centre here.
She said NRIs played an important role
in the victory of the Bharatiya Janata
Party-led National Democratic Alliance
(NDA) in the general election.
"The NRIs were crucial in our victory.
They assisted us by coming here and from
abroad as well. It is our duty that we will
have to live up to their expectations,"
Sushma Swaraj said.
She said it was only during the previous
NDA government of 1998-2004 that NRIs
earned their rightful place in foreign coun-
tries. "After the first NDA government
came to power, India became an IT power
which enabled NRIs to live with dignity
and recognition," Sushma Swaraj said
during the lecture titled "Diaspora policy
of the government of India". She said the
government was giving final shape to a
Rs.94-crore NRI building project.
"By Jan 9, when we mark Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas, the building would be
ready for inauguration," she said.
She said her ministry was contemplating
an immigration bill which would take all
such people to task who lure other people
with false promises of jobs abroad and
issue fake visas.
"If there is any trouble to any Indian in
any country, India should be ready to
come to help," Sushma Swaraj said,
adding that this would be the basis of her
NRI policy.
She lamented that because of the "policy
paralysis" of the previous UPA govern-
ment, the success story of India was being
written off.
She expressed hope that with its strong
initiatives, the current government would
regain India' s global position. L.K.
Advani, who presided over the lecture,
said the government should be prepared to
permanently solve the issues of blue collar
Indian workers who face multiple prob-
lems in other countries. "It is the duty of
the government to serve Indians, the ones
who are living here as well as those who
are living abroad," Advani said.
Sanjid Singh
Sandu with
his wife
and son
'Go to Gulf with rights'
campaign to help expats
Singapore: Indians
were among the top
three spenders in
Singapore during
their visit here in
the first quarter of
this year, Singapore
tourism board
(STB) said on
Monday.
But spending by
the Indians during
the quarter was off
by 3 per cent on the
year at SGD284 million due to a
fall in arrivals and less per capita
expenditure of leisure visitors, the
board said.
The Indian tourist arrivals in
Singapore was 65,557 in January
which is down by 7.9 per cent a
year ago.
In February, 62, 999 Indian
tourists visited Singapore, which
was 5.6 per cent better than a year
ago and in March the number was
70,472 visitors, unchanged from
March 2013.
In April, 79,522 Indian tourists
visited Singapore, up by 4.5 per
cent on the year.
But the expenditure of these visi-
tors was outside the quarterly
report.
Indian-origin steward on board
MH17 swapped flights
DIASPORA 19 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Sushma exhorts NRIs to assist
in India's progress
Indians among the top three
spenders in Singapore
New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi will be welcome whenever he chooses
to visit Pakistan, said that country's envoy
here.
Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit
said a visit to Pakistan by Modi "would be
welcome whenever he comes".
But Basit noted that such high-level visits
"don't happen without adequate prepara-
tion".
"It is too early to say anything" about such
a visit, he said at an event at the Press Club
of India.
Basit said the meeting between Modi and
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif dur-
ing Modi's May 26 swearing-in ceremony
and the bilateral talks a day later here "was a
good beginning".
He said Sharif has articulated the agenda
of "development for security and security
for development" and "we are very glad that
the new Indian government is also commit-
ted to it...There is compatibility of agendas".
While stressing that it was time for
Pakistan and India to "dispense with past
stereotypes" and move forward in their bilat-
eral relationship, Basit said that "all roots of
the problems go back to Jammu and
Kashmir".
"The genesis of all disputes find origin in J
and K... we need to resolve all the issues.
We have new challenges to face like terror-
ism," said the envoy and stressed that both
sides need to bring stability to the region
through more engagement.
He said that Pakistan is keen to build itself
as a bridge between South Asia and the
Economic Cooperation Organisation, a bloc
of 10 South-Central Asian countries which
was founded by Turkey, Pakistan and Iran in
1985.
He said Pakistan is "destined to become a
regional economic power" and is keen to
boost regional connectivity.
Islamabad: After denying him a visa for
years, the US now wants to engage with
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a
Pakistani daily said, adding Washington
wants to re-engage with "Modi's India".
An editorial in the Dawn said the US-
India Strategic Dialogue will resume when
Secretary of State John Kerry visits New
Delhi later this month.
His trip will be followed by a series of
cabinet- and sub-cabinet-level visits lead-
ing up to the summit between Modi and
Barack Obama in September.
"A hearing by a subcommittee of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
held this week highlights the fast-chang-
ing mood in the US that wants to re-
engage with Modi's India, as well as the
renewed thrust for India to play a larger
regional role," it said.
It said the mounting interest in Modi and
his promise of reviving India's growth and
reaching out to neighbors "is important for
the Pakistani government to follow close-
ly".
"The implications are that Modi' s
approach to reforming India's allocative
priorities holds important clues to what
neighboring countries such as Pakistan
can expect in the years to come."
Islamabad: A top Pakistani
security adviser told a visit-
ing US regional envoy that
the security forces are target-
ing all armed groups in the
North Waziristan tribal
region.
The comments came days
after the US commander of
NATO-led forces in
Afghanistan, Gen. Joseph
Dunford, said he has reser-
vations about the overall
effectiveness of the army
operations in North
Waziristan.
Dunford said Pakistani
forces have had some suc-
cess against the Pakistani
Taliban and the Islamic
Movement of Uzbekistan
(IMU) in North Waziristan,
but that they certainly has
not had the effect against the
Haqqani network and others
that Washington would want
to have seen.
However, Pakistan' s
Advisor to the Prime
Minister on National
Security and Foreign Affairs,
Sartaj Aziz told outgoing US
Special Representative for
Afghanistan and Pakistan
James Dobbins in Islamabad
that Pakistan was taking
action again all militants in
North Waziristan.
"The advisor highlighted
Pakistan's monumental effort
to address the threat of ter-
rorism and underscored that
the military operation was
addressing this menace
without any discrimination
or distinction," a foreign
ministry statement said.
Pakistani forces launched a
major offensive codenamed
"Zarb-e- Azb" against local
and foreign militants June 15
and have killed nearly 450
militants.
"The two sides reiterated
their resolve to further deep-
en the bilateral relationship
and strengthen mutual con-
sultations on Afghanistan
post-2014 with a view to
advancing the shared objec-
tives of peace, stability and
economic development in
the region and beyond," the
foreign ministry said.
Aziz welcomed the solu-
tion to the election crisis in
Afghanistan and appreciated
the efforts of US Secretary
of State John Kerry, who had
contributed to an amicable
settlement on election-relat-
ed issues.
Modi welcome to visit Pak
anytime, says envoy
US wants ties with 'Modi's India': Pak daily
Pakistan taking action
against all militants, US told
New Delhi: Pakistani author Reema Abbasi
has launched her new book "Historic
Temples in Pakistan - A Call to
Conscience" documenting Hindu shrines,
and pilgrimage sites in Pakistan through
400 photographs.
The book highlights unreported aspects of
harmony, and will act as a window for the
people of India, feels Abbasi who will
launch the book at India International
Centre.
As a researcher and author, Abbasi, along
with the photographer Madiha Aijaz, took
almost a year to traverse each province and
their many crevices to explore antiquated
sacred sites.
Abbasi's book chronicles various pilgrim-
age sites like Hinglaj, Katas Raj, Kalka
cave temple, Panchmukhi Hanuman
Mandir and Shivala Mandir located in dif-
ferent areas of Pakistan.
"The purpose of this book is multi-lay-
ered," Abbasi said.
"It seeks a journey towards pluralism,
preservation of some of the most ancient
places in history, tolerance and participa-
tion, empowerment of a community, which
is facing a major onslaught of hardliner
menace towards the north, and promote
religious tourism and peace," she added.
Abbasi also feels the book will highlight
aspects that often go unreported such as
harmony among the people.
Pak author documents
Hindu temples in
her country
SUBCONTINENT 20 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Pakistan High Commissioner
Abdul Basit
Washington wants to re-engage with Modi's India.
PM urged to secure
fishermen's release from
Sri Lanka
Chennai: Tamil
Nadu Chief
Minister J.
Jayalalithaa has
requested Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi to intervene
and secure the
release of Indian
fishermen and their
fishing boats from
Sri Lankan custody.
In a letter to Modi
Tuesday, text of
which was released
to the media here Wednesday,
Jayalalithaa said: "I once again
request your immediate inter-
vention to secure the release of
the 43 Indian fishermen from
Tamil Nadu and their 55 fishing
boats, including the 46 mecha-
nised fishing boats, that are
already under Sri Lankan cus-
tody."
Citing the recent arrest of 43
fishermen from Tamil Nadu by
Sri Lanka, she said: "The
instances of apprehension of our
fishermen continue unabated
and are creating a sense of fear,
anxiety and unrest among the
fishermen community in Tamil
Nadu."
Sri Lanka is following a delib-
erate strategy of destroying the
primary means of livelihood of
Indian fishermen by impounding
their fishing vessels, the chief
minister said.
She requested the central gov-
ernment to take up the matter
with the Lankan government for
the release of impounded fishing
boats and gear before these are
rendered useless.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
J. Jayalalithaa
MH17 TRAGEDY
Moscow: Russia on Monday released
military monitoring reports which
showed a military jet, SU-25 which
belonged to Kiev following Malaysian
Airline's MH17 sometime before it was
shot down in Ukraine.
According to the reports, the jet was
merely three to five kilometers from
Boeing which was carrying 300 people.
This release led to Russia posing yet
another set of questions to Ukraine and
the US regarding the circumstance of the
tragedy as reported by Russia Today.
Russian military officials, chief of
General Staff of the Armed Forces Lt.
Gen. Andrey Kartopolov and chief of the
Air Force Main Staff Lt. Gen Igor
Makushev posed the following questions
to Kiev and Washington concerning the
potential causes of the crash in Eastern
Ukraine that killed almost 300 people
last Thursday.
Ten questions for the Ukrainian
authorities
1. Immediately after the tragedy, the
Ukrainian authorities, naturally, blamed
it on the self-defense forces. What are
these accusations based on?
2. Can Kiev explain in detail how it
uses Buk missile launchers in the con-
flict zone? And why were these systems
deployed there in the first place, seeing
as the self-defense forces dont have any
planes?
3. Why are the Ukrainian authorities
not doing anything to set up an interna-
tional commission? When will such a
commission begin its work?
4. Would the Ukrainian Armed Forces
be willing to let international investiga-
tors see the inventory of their air-to-air
and surface-to-air missiles, including
those used in SAM launchers?
5. Will the international commission
have access to tracking data from reli-
able sources regarding the movements of
Ukrainian warplanes on the day of the
tragedy?
6. Why did Ukrainian air traffic con-
trollers allow the plane to deviate from
the regular route to the north, towards
the anti-terrorist operation zone?
7. Why was airspace over the warzone
not closed for civilian flights, especially
since the area was not entirely covered
by radar navigation systems?
8. How can official Kiev comment on
reports in the social media, allegedly by
a Spanish air traffic controller who
works in Ukraine, that there were two
Ukrainian military planes flying along-
side the Boeing 777 over Ukrainian ter-
ritory?
9. Why did Ukraines Security Service
start working with the recordings of
communications between Ukrainian air
traffic controllers and the Boeing crew
and with the data storage systems from
Ukrainian radars without waiting for
international investigators?
10. What lessons has Ukraine learned
from a similar incident in 2001, when a
Russian Tu-154 crashed into the Black
Sea? Back then, the Ukrainian authori-
ties denied any involvement on the part
of Ukraines Armed Forces until
irrefutable evidence proved official Kiev
to be guilty.
Moscow: Pro-Russian rebels have reportedly
handed over the black boxes of Malaysia
Airlines flight MH17.
The prime minister of the self-proclaimed
people' s republic of Donetsk, Alexandr
Borodai, presented the two devices to the
head of the Malaysian delegation during an
official ceremony held at the seat of the sepa-
ratist government Monday.
Ukraine announced earlier Monday that the
process of recovering bodies from the wreck-
age of the Boeing 777 was over.
Emergency workers found 282 bodies and
fragments corresponding to 16 other bodies,
21 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Moscow: Russia on Tuesday wel-
comed the UN Security Council's
(UNSC) resolution calling for an
independent investigation into the
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17
crash in Ukraine last Thursday.
The resolution highlights that
the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) plays a
"crucial role" in a "completely
independent and unbiased interna-
tional investigation" and that
Russia is ready to assist, the
Russian foreign ministry said.
Moscow stressed that all con-
fronting parties in Ukraine should
stop fighting in the area and guar-
antee access to the crash site for
the investigators, Organization for
Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) monitors and
other international organizations,
Xinhua reported.
In the resolution, adopted at a
meeting Monday, the Council
members condemned "in the
strongest terms" the downing of
flight MHI7.
The resolution "demands that
the armed groups in control of the
crash site and the surrounding
area refrain from any actions that
may compromise the integrity of
the crash site, including by
refraining from destroying, mov-
ing, or disturbing wreckage,
equipment, debris, personal
belongings, or remains, and
immediately provide safe, secure,
full and unrestricted access to the
site and surrounding area for the
appropriate investigating authori-
ties".
The flight data recorders from
the plane were handed over to
Malaysia Tuesday by the self-pro-
claimed Donetsk People' s
Republic's (DPR) prime minister
Alexander Borodai.
"I can see that the black boxes
are intact with only minor dam-
age. They are in good condition,"
a special envoy of the Malaysian
government said.
Flight MH17, a Boeing 777,
was flying from Amsterdam to
Kuala Lumpur when it crashed
after being hit by a missile in
Ukraine near the Russian border
last Thursday, killing all 298 pas-
sengers and crew on board. Of the
283 passengers on board, 193
were Dutch.
This is the second major
tragedy for Malaysia Airlines this
year after flight MH370 with 239
passengers and crew on board
went missing while going from
Kuala Lumpur to Beijing March
8. That flight remains untraced till
date despite intense international
efforts.
Moscow: A train with
the remains of the
victims of Malaysia
Airlines flight MH17
arrived on Tuesday
in the city of Kharkiv,
outside rebel territo-
ry. According to offi-
cials, the remains
will be flown from a
coordination center
in Kharkiv to the
Netherlands for iden-
tification and foren-
sic identification,
BBC reported. The
officials said that
282 bodies as well as
recovered parts of 16 other bodies were loaded on to the refrigerated train.
(Photo source: dailyrecordco.uk)
Russias Deputy Defense Minister
Anatoly Antonov
(Photo source: rt.com/news)
The charred remains of Malaysia Airlines' flight MH17
Russia welcomes UN resolution on MH17s investigation
Russia questions Ukraine and US
over MH17 crash
Journalists record the handing over of black boxes (Photo source: nypost.com)
(right) A Malaysian expert (C) checks one of the two black boxes of the crashed
Malaysian Air airliner MH17 after being handed over to his delegation
by pro-Russian rebels (Photo source: sbs.com)
Ukraine rebels hand over MH17
black boxes to Malaysia
MH17 victims' bodies moved out of Ukraine rebel area
Gaza: US Secretary of State John
Kerry has arrived in Israel to
boost efforts to reach a ceasefire
agreement between Israel and
Hamas.
The US Secretary of State, who
came from Cairo where he met
Egyptian officials, is scheduled to
travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah.
Kerry has planned to meet
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas and also UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
who is also in the region amidst
diplomatic efforts to end the
fighting.
Kerry's arrival on the
16th day of Israel' s
Operation Protective
Edge comes a day after
the US Federal Aviation
Authority (FAA) banned
US commercial
flights into Tel
Aviv' s Ben
G u r i o n
International
Airport, after
a rocket
s l a mme d
i n t o
I s r a e l i
t erri t ory
in the cen-
tral town of
Yahud, not far
from the airport.
Prime Minister
Netanyahu spoke
with Kerry over the phone and
asked him to restore air travel to
Tel Aviv.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-
moon urged Israeli officials to act
with maximum restraint amid
Israel's operation in the Gaza Strip
as the Palestinian civilian toll
escalated. At least 639
Palestinians, including women,
children, the elderly and the dis-
abled, have been killed and over
4,000 others injured since Israel
started its offensive on Gaza July
8 in response to Palestinian rocket
firing into its territory.
Two Israeli civilians and 29 sol-
diers were also killed during the
ongoing offensive.
INTERNATIONAL 22 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Baghdad: The Iraqi parliament has
convened to elect a president and
two vice presidents in a bid to put
together a new government.
Newly-elected Speaker Salim al-
Jubouri opened the session in the
presence of 236 lawmakers.
Jubouri told the lawmakers that the
political blocs would need further
deliberation to reach a consensus
between the political blocs, and sug-
gested delaying the choosing process
to the end of the session. His sugges-
tion was voted in by the lawmakers.
This week, al-Jubouri had said in
Baghdad that more than 100 candi-
dates were vying for the president's
post and their resumes were being
reviewed by the parliament.
However, Iraq' s power-sharing
consensus stipulates that the presi-
dent should be a member of the
Kurdish minority, while the speaker-
ship is reserved for a Sunni Arab and
the prime ministership for a Shia.
The agreement has been supported
by the leading Shia, Sunni and
Kurdish political parties, though it
has not been incorporated in the
country's constitution.
Iraq's constitution requires a new
president to be chosen 30 days after a
speaker is elected.
Around two weeks after the new
head of state is elected, the bloc with
the most lawmakers will nominate a
prime minister who will be responsi-
ble for forming a new government.
Washington: The Antarctic sea ice
may not be expanding as fast as previ-
ously thought, a new research suggests,
adding that there may be a processing
error in the satellite data.
Arctic sea ice is retreating at a dra-
matic rate. In contrast, satellite obser-
vations suggest that sea ice cover in the
Antarctic is expanding and that sea ice
extent has reached record highs in
recent years.
Now, a team of researchers has sug-
gested that much of the measured
expansion of the Southern Hemisphere
sea ice cover may be due to an error,
not previously documented, in the way
satellite data was processed.
"This implies that the Antarctic sea
ice trends reported in the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) 2007 and 2013 reports
cannot both be correct: our findings
show that the data used in one of the
reports contains a significant error,"
said lead author Ian Eisenman of the
Scripps Institution of Oceanography at
University of California San Diego.
But we have not yet been able to
identify which one contains the error,
he added.
Reflecting the scientific literature at
the time, the 2007 IPCC report said that
Antarctic sea ice cover remained more
or less constant between 1979 and
2005.
On the other hand, recent literature
and the 2013 IPCC report indicate that,
between 1979 and 2012, Southern
Hemisphere sea ice extent increased at
a rate of about 16.5 thousand square
km per year.
Scientists assumed the difference to
be a result of adding several more years
to the observational record.
"But when we looked at how the
numbers reported for the trend had
changed, and we looked at the time
series of Antarctic sea ice extent, it did
not look right," Eisenman noted.
Scientists have used satellite data to
measure sea ice cover for 35 years.
If the error is in the current dataset,
the results could contribute to an unex-
pected resolution for the Antarctic sea
ice cover enigma, said the findings
published in The Cryosphere, a journal
of the European Geosciences Union
(EGU).
Arctic sea ice is retreating at a dramatic rate.
Death toll in Gaza 639
Gaza: At least four more people
were killed in Gaza, where 635
Palestinians and 29 Israelis have
already been killed during Israel's
two-week air, naval and ground
offensive. Palestinian officials
said that two men were killed in
the southern of Bei Lahiya, and a
17-year-old teenager was killed in
Khanyounis Ccity, south of Gaza.
Another Palestinian man dieed of
his injuries in Khanyonis.
Air Algerie plane with 116 on board goes missing
Algiers: A passenger plane of Algeria's state-run Air Algerie was reported
missing 50 minutes after taking off from Ouagadougou Airport in Burkina
Faso on July 24, according to media. "Air navigation services of Air Algerie
have lost contact Thursday with AH5017 flight coming from Ouagadougou
to Algiers, at around 1.55 a.m GMT, or 50 minutes after take-off," an Air
Algerie statement read.
"In accordance with these developments, the company launches the
emergency response plan," the statement said.
The statement did not say how many people were aboard the missing air-
craft, but TSA news website reported that the plane was an Airbus A320,
carrying 110 passengers. TSA said that two emergency units have been set
up by the airline authorities, one in Algiers and the other in Ouagadougou.
Iraqi parliament convenes
to elect new president
Erroneous satellite data over
Antarctic sea in question
Kerry in Israel to give push
to Gaza ceasefire
US Secretary of State John Kerry has
arrived in Israel
Geneva: The UN's top human rights official has told diplo-
mats that Israel's military and Hamas militants appear to have
violated international humanitarian law and might have com-
mitted war crimes during their two-week war in the Gaza
Strip.
UN high commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay, said
that around three-quarters of the 650 Palestinians and 31
Israelis killed in the conflict were civilians, and thousands
more have been injured.
Pillay told the 47-nation UN human rights council that the
situation in Gaza requires its urgent attention because of "a
strong possibility that international humanitarian law has
been violated, in a manner that could amount to war crimes".
Pillay said that every allegation of human rights abuses
"must be properly and independently investigated".
Strong possibility of
war crimes in Gaza: UN
UN high commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay
We are not targeting Adanis: Greenpeace Australia
Sydney: Even as Greenpeace
Australia denies charges of tar-
geting an Indian energy major led
by Gautam Adani for reasons
other than environment safety, the
Adanis say green activists are
hampering India's progress and
job creation in Australia.
"Greenpeace's campaign is not
even specific to Adani. It is
against any company from any
country threatening the health of
the climate, local eco-systems
and the future of the Great Barrier
Reef," a Greenpeace Australia
spokesman said when asked
whether Adanis were being made
a target of an orchestrated cam-
paign.
There has been speculations in
the mining and political circles
that Adanis are facing severe
opposition from some global
NGOs in India, Australia and
elsewhere because of their prox-
imity to Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
The rumor mills got further fil-
lip when Australia's Environment
Minister Greg Hunt extended his
review of Adani's A$16.5 billion
($15.5 billion) Carmichael coal
and rail project last month.
Adani's Carmichael project is
one of the three major, multi-bil-
lion dollar projects which are try-
ing to export Australia's thermal
coal to India. Another Indian
company GVK has partnered
with Hancock Prospecting which
is owned by the richest Australian
Gina Rinehart. The third mega
project in the remote part of
Queensland is owned by an
Australian maverick politician
Clive Palmer who also happens to
be a mining magnate.
Greenpeace Australia has
labelled Adanis' multi-billion dol-
lar Carmichael mine project,
which is located in the remote
Galilee Basin, as a "major threat
to the environment".
"The mine itself will clear
20, 000 hectares of bushland,
including areas which are home
to threatened species like the
black-throated finch. Scientists
estimate the mine's water use will
cause water tables to drop signifi-
cantly outside the mine bound-
aries, reducing underground
water supplies to surrounding
farms and rivers," Greenpeace
has alleged.
Greenpeace has been running a
sustained campaign against the
Carmichael project. The well
known green organisation recent-
ly commissioned a highly-damag-
ing report against Adanis' various
commercial activities in India.
The report is titled "Adani' s
record of environmental destruc-
tion and non-compliance with
regulations".
When asked for their response
to the Greenpeace campaign, an
Adani spokesperson criticised
environmentalists for obstructing
the progress of India and also
employment generation in
Australia.
"This massive mine, rail and
port project will not only generate
8,000 Australian jobs during con-
struction and nearly 12,000 when
operating, but the coal produced
will support the growth and elec-
trification of India, helping to
bring more than 100 million peo-
ple out of poverty," an Adani
spokesperson wrote in response
to an e-mail questionnaire sent by
IANS.
Adanis have also allayed the
environmentalists' fears that burn-
ing Australian coal would lead to
more pollution.
The Indian mining company's
confidence in getting the project
clearance is reflected in the recent
agreement signed with Korea's
Posco E&C. According to the
binding deal, Posco would be the
procurement and construction
contractor for Adanis' rail project
which, when completed, would
be capable of hauling a whopping
60 million tonnes per year.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has turned down Sahara Group chairman Subrata
Roy's plea for release on parole to arrange the sale of three overseas hotels to generate
Rs.10,000 crore to be returned to investors. A bench headed by Justice T.S. Thakur said
that in case a concrete proposal came before the court regarding the sale of property,
then it would examine it and permit him to be released from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the
time it took to finish the transaction. The apex court had July 4 reserved its order on
Roy's plea.
Roy and two other directors Ravi Shankar Dubey and Ashok Roy Choudhary are cur-
rently under custody since March 4 for the failure of two group companies to comply
with the apex court's Aug 31, 2012, and Dec 5, 2012, order to return investors' money,
which in 2012 was Rs. 24,000 crore.
Mumbai: The benchmark sensex this week extended its winning run to the sixth
straight session and soared 311 points to reclaim the 26,000-mark at close as robust
earnings from key bluechips boosted investor sentiment.
Improving macroeconomic indicators, monsoon progress and positive global cues
have also supported the buoyancy in the domestic markets, brokers said.
This is only the second time in its history that the 30-share BSE sensex has closed
above the 26k level. The index had closed at record 26,100.08 on July 7. Its all-time
high, however, is 26,190.44 and was hit on July 8.
Mumbai: In his latest visit to India,
AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes pointed to
an air hostess and announced the company
will help her "realise her dream" of becom-
ing a pilot.
By his side sat AirAsia India CEO Mittu
Chandilya, a former model, and among the
audience was India finance chief Vijay
Gopalan, who has previously sung for and
acted in Tamil movies.
While, AirAsia India's fate in a turbulent
sky of cut-throat competition is unknown,
its quirky hiring has certainly caught the
industry's attention. "It's true AirAsia has
made some unusual choices," said Manish
Sabharwal, chairman of staffing firm
Teamlease Services.
"This is something that AirAsia does
globally too, and a different pair of eyes
always makes things interesting," he added.
Out-of-the-box appointments across the
board have been integral to the AirAsia
story, almost as much as its aggressive
fares. Bo Lingam, Air Asia's chief of opera-
tions, Kathleen Tan, its former regional
commercial director, and Tassapon
Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia, have all
joined the airline from Warner Music
International, the music company that
Fernandes quit as Southeast Asian regional
vice-president to launch AirAsia back in
1993. The airline abounds with stories of
ground staff elevated to the levels of cabin
crew and pilots. In fact, 11 out of AirAsia's
first crew of 18 pilots had joined the airline
as baggage handlers, cabin crew, cabin
assistants or store boys.
There has been speculations in the mining and political
circles that Adanis are facing severe oppositionfrom
some global NGOs in India.
11 out of AirAsia's first crew of 18
pilots had joined the airline as baggage
handlers, cabin crew, cabin assistants
or store boys.
Air hostesses, loaders
turn pilots at AirAsia
BUSINESS July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
SC turns down Subrata Roy's
plea for parole
Sensex reclaims 26k-mark on robust earnings
23
London: Ishant Sharma' s career best
seven for 74 bounced out England to give
India a historic 95-run victory, their first in
28 years at Lord's, in the second cricket
Test here.
Set a target of 319, England were bowled
out for 223 runs in their second innings, a
little over an hour before tea on the final
day as India took a 1-0 lead in the five-
match series.
Curiously, England could not get as
many as they scored in the first innings
(319) to win the match. India riding on a
fine century by Ajinkya Rahane (103) had
scored 295 in the first innings and 342 in
the second innings.
The 25-year-old Ishant, who went wick-
etless in the first innings, used the short-
ball well to his advantage as Joe Root (66),
Moeen Ali (39), Matt Prior (12), Ben
Stokes and Stuart Broad (8) all fell to
short-pitched deliveries on the final day.
Ishant was adjudged the Man of the
Match.
Resuming at 105 for four on the fifth
morning, England had a daunting chal-
lenge at hand to save the Test match. Root
and Moeen frustrated the Indian bowlers in
the first session but at the stroke of lunch
Ishant struck to remove Moeen and tilt the
scales in India's favour. Moeen was com-
pletely taken aback by a short pitched
delivery that rose sharply and he took his
eyes off and gloved it to Cheteshwar
Pujara at short-leg.
The 101-run stand for the fifth wicket
between Root and Moeen helped England
to recover from a precarious 72 for four.
But with Moeen's dismissal, India sensed
victory and piled the pressure on the hosts.
In the post-lunch session, Ishant pep-
pered the England bowlers with short-
pitched deliveries and it did the trick for
India. Prior found Murali Vijay at deep
mid-wicket while attempting a pull in 80th
over.
Stokes continued his poor run as he fell
for his fourth consecutive duck while
attempting a pull and two balls later Root
found Stuart Binny at deep square leg in a
similar fashion. It was just a co-incidence
that Binny's father Roger, now a national
selector, also featured in the last win at
Lord' s in 1986 under the captaincy of
Kapil Dev.
Glasgow (Scotland): With sym-
bols of the Forth Bridge west to
Edinburgh, Scotch whisky barrels,
Edinburgh Castle gate and cannon,
Scottish Tartan kilt at the central
stage, the opening ceremony of the
20th Commonwealth Games in
Scotland's largest city presented a
combination of sports and culture
in a distinguished Scottish style.
Reading her message in the
Queen's Baton to welcome the ath-
letes, the Queen Elizabeth II for-
mally announced the opening of
the Games, stressing "the shared
value and ambition" of the
Commonwealth in front of a
40,000 crowd at Celtic Park.
After a 288-day relay touring
about 190,000 km and inside the
stadium, the final Queen's Baton
relay was carried by Britain's six-
gold-medal Olympian Chris Hoy,
who grew up in Edinburgh, the
capital city of Scotland.
Joined by her husband the Duke
of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth II
entered the opening ceremony site
in a Rolls-Royce car, followed by
the audience' s upstanding and
singing of the British national
anthem "God Save the Queen".
The Red Arrows, the Royal Air
Force aerobatic team, performed a
flypast over Glasgow to signal the
arrival of the Queen and the Duke
of Edinburgh.
The opening ceremony also paid
tribute to the 298 victims of the
crashed Malaysia Airlines flight
MH17, as proposed by Scottish
First Minister Alex Salmond, who
later welcomed the athletes to
Scotland.
More than 4,500 athletes from 71
Commonwealth nations and terri-
tories paraded in a one-hour jour-
ney from the Athletes' Village in
Dalmarnock in southeast of
Glasgow, which is close to Celtic
Park.
The Games featuring 261 events
in 17 sports in 11 days of competi-
tion begin Thursday and the clos-
ing ceremony takes place on
August 3 at Hampden Stadium,
which has been transformed into
an athletics venue with 44,000
seats.
Glasgow: Indian judokas start-
ed on a positive note as
Shushila Likmabam qualified
for the semi-finals while
Manjeet Nandal and Navjot
Chana won their respective
bouts to make the quarter-
finals of the Commonwealth
Games at the Scottish
Exhibition and Conference
Centre (SECC) here.
Shushila (-48kg) qualified
for the women' s semi-final
while Meerut girl Shivani lost
her Round of 16 match in the -
57kg category. Shivani suf-
fered since she picked up three
consecutive shidos against
Canada's Jessica Kimklait.
Shushila first beat
Cameroon's Marie Medza Effa
in the Round of 16 and then
got the better of Australian
Amy Meyer in the quarter-
final where she picked up
three shidos but got an ippon,
full point.
Nandal won both his bouts in
the men's -66kg preliminary
Round of 32 and Round of 16.
The 24-year-old from Haryana
first beat Malta' s Jeremy
Saywell by O-Soto-Gari.
Next up, Nandal got the bet-
ter of Asa Weithers of
Barbados. He had a shido,
penalty, in the first minute but
he also had two waza-ari to
seal the bout comprehensively,
entering the last eight.
England bullied, bounced
out by India: Warne
London: Legendary Australian spinner
Shane Warne said India "bullied and
bounced" out England to earn their first
win at Lord's since 1986.
"Horrific hour for Eng. India bullied
& bounced them out. Remember Eng
won the toss on the greenest pitch ever
& blew it, changes needed !!" tweeted
Warne, referring to the bouncers
bowled by Indian pacers, especially
Ishant Sharma.
The former leg spinner also praised
pacer Ishant, who achieved career best
figures of 7/74, for getting left-hander
Moeen Ali out off a bouncer on the last
ball before lunch.
Impressive show by
Indian judokas
Forbes rates Dhoni as fifth
most valuable athlete
CWG opening ceremony full of Scottish flavor
SPORTS 24 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
The Indian contingent at the glittering opening ceremony
in Glasgow.
Ishant's becomes Lord of Lord's
Ishant Sharma's career best seven for
74 gave India a historic 95-run victory
at Lord's after 28 years.
London: India cricket team cap-
tain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the
fifth most financially valuable
athlete on earth, according to
Forbes Magazine.
Roger Federer, Tiger Woods,
LeBron James, Phil Mickelson
and Maria Sharapova succeed
Dhoni, who is valued at 21 mil-
lion dollars, in Forbes' list. Swiss
tennis ace Federer and American
golf ace Woods are tied at the first
place valued at 46 million dollars
each followed by Basketball ace
LeBron James, who is valued at
27 million dollars, in the second
place, Sport24 reported. Federer
and Woods earned 46 million dol-
lars each to their names in 2013
while Dhoni managed to bag 21
million dollars.
Federer holds a record 17 Grand
Slam tennis titles, while Woods
has won 14 major golf titles; sec-
ond only to Jack Nicklaus's record
18.
SC relieves Gavaskar
as interim BCCI chief
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has relieved leg-
endary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar as the interim
president of the Board of Control for Cricket in
India (BCCI) in charge of Indian Premier League
(IPL) 2014 and said that he was free to take up any
assignment. The apex court bench headed by
Justice T.S. Thakur relieved Gavaskar noting that
the IPL 2014 for which he was appointed interim
president had concluded June 1.
The apex court had appointed the former India
captain as interim president in March after then
BCCI chief N. Srinivasan was asked to step aside
in the wake of the alleged betting charges against
his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan during IPL
2013
.
July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Delhi's World Heritage City bid should have been made earlier: INTACH
The poetic side of a talented actress
By Shilpa Raina
A
s Delhi gears up to welcome a
team from UNESCO in
September to evaluate the
national capital's bid for the World
Heritage City tag, an NGO spearhead-
ing the move says this idea should
have been proposed earlier and reveals
how "frustrating" it can be to negotiate
with different government bodies.
"Delhi should have been nominated
for the World Heritage City tag a long
time ago, but the problem is that these
things require a lot of time and effort.
And, unfortunately, most of the offi-
cials think of these things as a
headache and not about national
pride," INTACH Delhi Chapter con-
vener A.G.K. Menon said.
The Delhi chapter of the Indian
National Trust for Art and Cultural
Heritage (INTACH) is involved in sev-
eral conservation projects in the
national capital. Menon feels "lack of
communication" among various gov-
ernment agencies make it difficult to
speed up the conservation process.
"We are not blaming different bodies
because they have to follow certain
procedures, but what happens, at
times, is that these bodies don't even
communicate with each other. So we
act as interlocutors and communicate,
but these negotiations take time and
sometimes can be difficult," Menon
said.
Despite the bureaucratic hurdles,
Menon took up the task to have Delhi
inscribed in Unesco's list of World
Heritage Cities. The decision will be
announced in June 2015. On behalf of
the Delhi government, INTACH pre-
pared a 367-page mini bible on the
capital, contending it is a city of
"Outstanding Universal Value".
Menon and his team of researchers
compiled the voluminous dossier,
which follows Unesco's stringent sub-
mission guidelines, in three years. It is
substantiated with double-spread pho-
tographs and the necessary documen-
tation and maps. The two specific
areas listed in it are: Shahjahanabad in
old Delhi, which has Mughal-era her-
itage, and Lutyens' Bungalow Zone
(LBZ) in New Delhi. The argument
INTACH is making is that Delhi is an
outstanding example of an imperial
city encompassing two stages in the
Indian subcontinent's history: the peak
of the Mughal Empire and apogee of
British rule.
"We chose these sites because their
respective rulers at that time chose to
leave their earlier capitals and made
these two sites their new capitals," said
Menon, adding Delhi is also the city
that has three World Heritage Sites -
Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb and
the Red Fort. To increase awareness
about heritage and conservation,
Menon feels children are the best tar-
get audience. "Children are the best
target audience to generate awareness
about heritage and the society has to
take ownership of cultural heritage,"
Menon contended. To this end,
INTACH organises heritage quizzes in
schools and colleges, as also seminars
and workshops, to make youngsters
heritage friendly. "Preservation is still
not a priority for people. This attitude
can be changed by introducing them to
this wonderful world early in their
lives," Menon concluded.
A
ctors have a power that
many might envy - the
power of essaying varied,
even atypical characters and then
returning to their normal lives. The
problem however begins when the
boundary line between reel and real
life begins to blur. Meena Kumari, a
legendary performer of roles of star-
crossed and ultimately-doomed
women, was a victim of this trend
and that melancholy tinges her life -
and poetry.
"Shamaa hoon, phool hoon, ya ret
pe qadmon ka nishaan/Aap ko haq
hai mujhe jo bhi ji chahe keh le" is a
couplet that uncannily echoes the
crushed, social-conforming, desire-
denied woman she played in count-
less tear-jerkers. Or even, "Ab
yahaan kuch nahi sannata hi sannata
hai/Dekh ke veerana log abh bhi
yehi kehte hai/Kisi dulhan ka
maqbarah hai yeh khandar to
nahi!!!"
Meena Kumari's four-decade life
was scarcely enviable - a childhood
stunted by the need to work to sup-
port her family, a fairytale romance
that ultimately soured, lack of gen-
uine love and support, a grievous
and eventually fatal illness from
heavy drinking and, on the other
hand, being ruthlessly typecast
onscreen as a quietly-suffering
woman in thrall to a dominant male
figure. Poetry was the only exercise
of free self-expression for this intel-
ligent and sensitive woman, who
writing under the pen name "Naaz",
could fashion some imaginative and
striking imagery or convey an
endearing wistfulness, in that queen
of languages, Urdu.
But then this was inaccessible to
the majority, who only had recourse
to some transliterations, occasional
translations and, of course, the
record "I Write, I Recite", in which
she performed some of her composi-
tions, set to music by the evergreen
Khayyam.
Distinguished scholar Noorul
Hasan has performed the signal
service of bringing her poetry to a
wider audience, translating nearly
50 of her works into English, while
also providing a transliterated ver-
sion of the original for the bilingual
connoisseur.
Hasan, who confesses to being
impressed by the cadence and clari-
ty of the translated pieces he spotted
and how they convinced him to fol-
low suit, also provides an insightful
introduction to the poetess Meena
Kumari "whose flirtations with the
pen are as seductive as her univer-
sally celebrated femininity" while
his daughter Daisy Hasan and critic
Philip Bounds render an equally
thoughtful examination of the poet-
ry as a critical reaction to popular
culture, specially its Bollywood
manifestation.
This is brought out well in the
nazm titled "Khaali Dukaan/The
Empty Shop" with its wistfully
expressed requirement of "Pyaar ka
ek khoobsurat khwab...", and
"Mohabbat ka ek purtapak lamha..."
but "Bas inhi ek do cheezon ki main
khareedar thi/Aur waqt ki dukaan in
cheezon se khaali hai". The transla-
tion - "I came looking for nothing
but these/And the shop of
Time/Supplies none of these things"
- faithfully reproduces the rhythm.
This is not a compilation of
Meena Kumari's entire work but a
representative selection displaying
the refined sensibility she could
achieve in verse too. Her poetry
may be "sad, joyless, pessimistic,
morbid..." but was "entirely in char-
acter with her life, or at least her
comprehension of her life" as her
biographer Vinod Mehta observes in
"Meena Kumari: The Classic
Biography". It may not have been
very great poetry but was far
beyond what her contemporaries (or
successors) have been capable of.
All those who identified vicari-
ously with her sufferings - on and
off screen - owe it to themselves to
acquaint themselves with this side
of this talented woman too.
Book: "Meena Kumari
The Poet: A Life Beyond Cinema";
Author/Translator: Noorul Hasan;
Publisher: Roli Books ;
Pages: 159; Price: Rs 395.
The argument INTACH is making is that Delhi
is an outstanding example of an imperial city
encompassing two stages in the Indian
subcontinent's history: the peak of the
Mughal Empire and apogee of British rule.
Meena Kumaris poetry may be sad, joyless, pes-
simistic, morbid, but was entirely in character with
her life, or at least her comprehension of her life
.
26 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ART & CULTURE
Book Review
Delhi is already the city that
has three World Heritage Sites
- Qutub Minar, Humayun's
Tomb and the Red Fort.
HEALTH 27 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
H
aryana has heightened the
crackdown against illegal
sex determination tests to
reverse the negative image caused
by its skewed gender ratio. This has
meant a strict check on ultrasound
machines but the authorities are
now grappling with the new men-
ace of hand-held ultrasound
machines.
Health authorities in the state say
that the increasing misuse of
portable ultrasound machines is
making their task more difficult.
These machines, some of which
can even be easily put inside a jack-
et pocket, are being illegally used
for sex determination tests.
"The biggest challenge in PNDT
(Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques
Act) cases is the use of illegal and
unregistered ultrasound machines.
Recently, portable ultrasound
machines have been recovered in
the state, including some machines
which could be carried in the pock-
et. There is need for a better infor-
mation system for checking such
cases," Principal Secretary (Health)
Navraj Sandhu said.
In February, the health authorities
were informed that some people
were using portable ultrasound
machines, which were not regis-
tered with the health department, to
clandestinely conduct sex determi-
nation tests. The racket was
exposed after a woman was arrest-
ed in Bhiwani district.
"The portable ultrasound
machines are a very dangerous
trend. Most of these machines are
Chinese-made. These are imported
under licence by some firms and
land up with the wrong people who
indulge in sex determination tests,"
a health department official said.
The non-portable ultrasound
machines cost Rs.30 lakh and more.
The authorities have seized 42
portable ultrasound machines this
year. They found that nearly 70
such machines had been imported
and sold across the country in
recent months.
Haryana is the worst among
Indian states in the gender ratio,
with 879 females for every 1,000
males. The national ratio improved
to 943 in the 2011 Census against
933 females per 1,000 males in the
2001 Census.
To encourage people to report
illegal sex determination tests, the
health department hiked the incen-
tive by 150 percent this week.
Informers will now get Rs.50,000
against Rs.20,000 earlier, Health
minister Rao Narender Singh said.
People in rural and urban areas
go for illegal sex determination
tests as most have a preference for
boys.
"There has been considerable
improvement in bringing to book
the accused under the PNDT Act
during the last one year. So far, 54
people have been convicted in 97
cases in the lower courts and 49
cases in upper courts. Of these, 33
were doctors. Similarly, during the
last six years, eight accused, includ-
ing five doctors, have been convict-
ed," a health department
spokesman said.
The frequency of raids has been
increased with the help of district
administrations to deal with clinics
indulging in the illegal practice.
Special focus has been laid on
Narnaul and Rewari areas in south
Haryana.
Earlier this year, health officials
trapped a midwife who had carried
out 500 illegal abortions in Jhajjar
district.
Officials estimate that about
40,000 unborn girls are killed in the
womb annually in the state.
Haryana is the worst among Indian states in the gender
ratio, with 879 females for every 1,000 males.
M
edical researchers
announced (mostly) good
news last Saturday: HIV
infection diagnoses went down by a
third for Americans as a whole over
the course of a decade. At the begin-
ning of the study period, in 2002,
doctors were diagnosing about 24
out of every 100,000 patients with
HIV. By 2011, that rate was down to
an encouraging 16 diagnoses per
100, 000 patients. The overall
decline also holds true, according to
the BBC, for men, women, whites,
blacks, Hispanics, heterosexuals,
injection drug users and most age
groups. The only groups that
showed an increase? Gay and bisex-
ual men ages 13 to 24, as well as
those over 45.
Its important to note that a drop
in diagnoses doesnt necessarily
mean a drop in overall HIV cases.
One theory the researchers have for
the overall drop is a ceiling effect.
In that case, most patients who have
carried the virus for months or years
have already been diagnosed, leav-
ing only newer cases to be recorded
without a drop in actual infection
rate. (Indeed, the percentage of
adults ever tester for HIV rose from
37 percent in 2000 to 45 percent in
2010.) More optimistically, the drop
could be due to fewer people getting
infected in the first place although
the studys authors are hesitant to
cite any one reason, since there are
so many possibilities.
The reason for higher diagnosis
rates in gay and bisexual men, on
the other hand, leaves less to specu-
lation. The authors of the study
believe that those new cases are on
the whole due to less condom use
among men too young to remember
the ravages of the AIDS epidemic.
Its been more than 30 years since
the first cases were reported, co-
author Amy Lansky said. Its hard-
er to maintain that sense of
urgency. The authors of the study
estimate that about 16 percent of
HIV-positive Americans dont even
realize they have the virus. And in a
population with higher rates of HIV
infection, safe sex is all the more
important, even in an age when HIV
isnt the death sentence it once was.
Still, HIV-prevention programs
including sterile-needle distribution,
increased testing, and better aware-
ness at least seem to have helped
infection rates on the whole. And
the studys findings give doctors,
activists, and other public-health
advocates an idea of where to con-
centrate their efforts. As it stands,
the U.S. is still in line with the glob-
al drop in AIDS rates. Do your part
to help: when youre having awe-
somely safe sex, be sure to use an
awesomely safe condom.
Haryana's gender bias continues -
with portable ultrasound machines
HIV rates falling for most Americans,
but up for some gay men
L
ooking for
lasting hap-
piness? Try
to match the DNA
of Danish people.
According to an
interesting study,
genetics could be
the key to explain-
ing a nation's level
of happiness.
The closer a nation is to the
genetic makeup of the people
of Denmark, the happier that
country is, University of
Warwick researchers found.
"We found that the greater
a nation's genetic distance
from Denmark, the lower the
reported wellbeing of that
nation. Our research adjusted
for influences like GDP, cul-
ture, religion and the strength
of the welfare state and geog-
raphy," explained Eugenio
Proto from the University's
centre for competitive advan-
tage in the global economy.
Eugenio Proto and his team
found three forms of evi-
dence for a link between
genetic makeup and a
nation's happiness.
Firstly, they used data on
131 countries from a number
of international surveys
including the Gallup World
Poll, World Value Survey and
the European Quality of Life
Surveys. The researchers
linked cross-national data on
genetic distance and well-
being.
The second form of evi-
dence looked at existing
research suggesting an asso-
ciation between mental well-
being and a mutation of the
gene that influences the re-
uptake of serotonin - believed
to be linked to human mood.
The short version of the gene
has been associated with
lower life satisfaction.
"We found that Denmark
and the Netherlands appear to
have the lowest percentage of
people with this short ver-
sion," Proto suggested.
The final form of evidence
looked at whether the link
between genetics and happi-
ness also held true across
generations and continents.
"There are reasons to
believe that genetic patterns
may help researchers under-
stand international well-being
levels and more research in
this area is needed," they
concluded.
True happiness lies in
your DNA
Common cholesterol drug
linked to death risk
Niacin no longer to be
prescribed
N
iacin, a common cholesterol drug for 50
years, should no longer be prescribed
owing to potential increased risk of
death, dangerous side effects and no benefit in
reducing heart attacks and strokes, researchers
said.
"There might be one excess death for every
200 people we put on Niacin. With that kind of
signal, this is an unacceptable therapy for the
vast majority of patients," said cardiologist
Donald Lloyd-Jones from Northwestern
University's Feinberg School of Medicine.
Niacin should be reserved only for patients at
very high risk for a heart attack and stroke who
cannot take statins, Lloyd-Jones added.
Lloyd-Jones's research was based on a large
new study that looked at adults, aged 50 to 80,
with cardiovascular disease who took niacin
(vitamin B3) to see if it reduced heart attack and
stroke compared to a placebo over four years.
All patients in the trial were already being
treated with a statin medication.
Researchers found that Niacin did not reduce
heart attacks and stroke rates compared with a
placebo.
More, Niacin was associated with an
increased trend towards death from all causes as
well as significant increases in serious side
effects.
These included liver problems, excess infec-
tions, excess bleeding, gout and loss of control
of blood sugar for diabetics.
"For the reduction of heart disease and stroke
risk, statins remain the most important drug-
based strategy," Lloyd-Jones said.
The research appeared in the New England
Journal of Medicine.
S
o I get a news report from a young
reporter. A car was in collision with a
bath,, it tells me.
Huh? So. someone was driving a bath
down a road?
No. She explains that the guy in the bath
claimed that the car drove through the wall of
his house (this happened in the US city of
Oklahoma).
But she says decided to write that the car
and the bath were in collision to try to be fair
and impartial.
Good thinking, I told her. Life is
strange. An investigation might conclude that
the car was innocently parked by the curb
when a house came roaring down the road and
subsumed it.
***
I suppose this actually might happen in
New Zealand, where many houses are wood-
framed and portable, and people drive homes
around the way normal folk take dogs for
walkies.
Just taking the house around the block for
a bit of air. If youve ever wanted to win a
road race, go to Christchurch and get aggres-
sive at the traffic lights with a man who has a
two-story mansion on his trailer.
***
But the main point I wanted to make to
the young reporter is that journalists these
days have to be VERY careful, which is
why we write things like:
It will allegedly be cloudy with an
alleged chance of rain, according to the
alleged weather forecast released by our
alleged government.
***
Thus we avoid screw-ups. This colum-
nist was recently reminded of one of his
worst journalistic mistakes when reader
Juanita Joseph sent a news link which said
Kim Jong Un had scored 100 percent of the
votes in an election.
I covered a North Korean election in the
1990s in which his dad Kim Jong-Il was the
only candidate. I predicted he would win.
I was wrong.
The North Korean Electoral College dis-
cussed the issue for hours and finally gave
the presidency to the corpse of the candi-
dates father.
Losing any election is bad enough, but it
must really hurt to be defeated by a decom-
posing pile of organic matter.
***
In my youth, I lost a student union elec-
tion to a person who could only be
described as a pile of decomposed organic
matter, no offence intended to piles of
decomposed organic matter.
***
But the truth is, being a reporter is harder
than ever, now that news often breaks on
social websites.
My new golden rule:
Forgive those who sin against you: its
easier than trying to work out how to delete
their Facebook posts.
***
Yet sometimes readers do send
interesting tales through social media:
like the guy who forwarded a report about
two dogs who drove away their owners
truck.
Apparently true.
I guess this could have happened if they
were jumping around and accidentally hit
the controls.
But generally speaking, dogs hate
machines.
If you want to break into any high securi-
ty place protected by guard dogs, just carry
a vacuum cleaner and make a zzzzhhhhhh-
hh noise.
Watch those Alsatians vanish.
***
Anyway, motorists: if you crash into a
mountain going home today, tell people
that you swerved to avoid a speeding bath
driven by a pair of dogs.
With a bit of luck, your story may be
covered by a young reporter determined to
be fair and impartial. A mountain was in
collision with a car on the expressway
today
28 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info HUMOR
Funny Bone by Nury Vittachi
Laughter is the Best Medicine
When writing a balanced report is wrong
by Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and
humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the immigrant
Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania.
The author Nury Vittachi regrets how news reports nowadays
are losing a balanced approach
26th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Saturn Ruled by no: 8
Traits in you:Under the influence of Neptune you will
develop your characteristics to be a dynamic, reliable,
organized, sober and disciplined person. You are a born
fighter.
Health this year: You will have few minor health is-
sues this year, which can be cured by regular medica-
tion.
Finance this year: If you have made any investments
in real estate or stocks, you will be hugely benefited this
year. You may have a foreign trip for business purpose.
Career this year: You would never fidget in adverse
situations and fight back all the problems in your life.
However, your stubbornness may make you lag behind
others so it will be better for you to take others opinion.
Romance this year: You will find lot of love and care
from your spouse. You may think the last quarter of the
year to be idle for you wedding. Some of you may get
involved in romantic relationships, which you help you
enjoy your life the most.
Lucky month: November, February, April and July
27th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Mars Ruled by no: 9
Traits in you: The vigor of you ruling planet, Mars
blesses you with energy. You are charismatic, coura-
geous, enthusiastic, and intellectual. You will be a
crowd puller as you have the characteristics of intel-
lectuality. You will impress people with your personal-
ity and talks. However, you should not behave aggres-
sive and short tempered. This may ruin your image in
front of others.
Health this year: The last quarter of the year will make
you seek help from a spiritual person to attain peace of
mind. You may go through minor health related prob-
lems due to stress.
Finance this year: You will earn excellent returns if
you had invested in past. Your legal issues will be set-
tled in your favor this year. You may receive money un-
expectedly from friends and relatives throughout the
year. Your business trips will be successful this year and
you will receive earning opportunities from your trips.
Career this year: This year is the best time to go back
to your old contacts and create new contacts to receive
help to make yourself better in professional life.
Romance this year: You may get involved in a ro-
mantic relationship this year, which may get converted
to marriage later on.
Lucky month: December, March, May and July
28th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1
Traits in you: Being ruled by Sun, you will be creative
by nature. Your other characteristics include smartness,
intelligence, and dignity and so on.
Health this year: Your younger siblings may have
some health issues, which will put you in immense
pressure.
Finance this year: You may go ahead creating new
contacts and casual relationships this year. If you are a
businessperson, there are huge opportunities for you to
start new ventures and earn lot of money as you will be
successful whatever initiative you take this year.
Your assumptions of investing will prove to be highly
beneficial.
Career this year: Art and literature are your area of in-
terest and you want to contribute to these fields. How-
ever, you need to be sober and down to earth to create
a good impression. If you are a scientist or a lawyer,
you may find this year to be rewarding for you. Women
professionals in advertising and media will also be re-
warded for their good work.
Romance this year: If you are unmarried, this year
may bring romance in your lonely life.
Lucky month: January, April and June
29th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Moon Ruled by no: 2
Traits in you: The influence of your ruling planet
Moon enhances your imagination power. You are hon-
est, sensitive and creative by nature. You are helpful by
heart and you help people in need with money and
physical support. However, you should not behave in-
trovert or shy. You should let your personality grow.
Health this year: The drip in the health of your parents
might cause concern for you.
Finance this year: Your assumptions on investments
would prove to be correct and you will earn a hand-
some amount of money from your investments. There
is a healthy chance of overseas travel regarding busi-
ness meeting this year. The travel would be successful
and you may get new projects. You should avoid finan-
cial transactions with casual friends as it may result in
loss and complications in relationships.
Career this year: This year may bring new opportuni-
ties for you. You may get promotions and transfer orders.
Romance this year: Your partner will be supportive
enough and help you in every respect. If you are eligi-
ble and unmarried, you may get marriage proposals this
year.
Lucky month: October, January and May
30th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3
Traits in you: Ambition, dignity, intelligence, confi-
dence are your inborn qualities as you are under the in-
fluence of the powerful planet Jupiter. You like being
philosophical and organized. You can impress anyone
on the earth with your intellectual behavior and talks.
However, you need not behave weird to impress others.
It may be proved to be a negative aspect in your nature.
Health this year: You may suffer with problems in
your eyes and mouth. So you need to get your periodic
medical checkup done on time and take prescribed
medicines without negligence.
Finance this year: The rewards will also open the door
for you to earn much more than you are earning cur-
rently. You may win a foreign contract or government
contract this year. It will enhance your business and
earn a lot of money and respect for you. You may trav-
el abroad in the last half of the year for business meet-
ings. You should research well before investing on any-
thing. You may concede enough money on renovation
and construction activities.
Career this year: This year belongs to you as you will
be appreciated and awarded throughout the year for
your professional achievements.
Romance this year: You will be in a good mood
throuhout the year as your partner will provide you
with lots of love, care and concern. If you are unmar-
ried, this year may end our bachelorhood or spinster-
hood.
Lucky month: July, November, February and April
31st July, 2014 Ruled planet: Uranus Ruled by no: 4
Traits in you: The planet Uranus makes you active, de-
pendable, energetic, systematic and honest. You have a
practical approach to lead a life. You are serious to-
wards you goals and dreams.
Health this year: Some of your relatives may fall sick
suddenly and that may make you a bit bothered. You
need to drive carefully at night as there are chances of
accident this year.
Finance this year: This year is very productive for you
in terms of investments. You should put your money in
real estate as it is very much rewarding this year. You
will be benefited from you near and dear ones as they
will support you financially.
Career this year: You want to realize your aspirations
by working hard. You put your duties in high esteem.
However, you have to control on your behavioral ap-
proach. You should not show your stubbornness to your
colleagues.
Romance this year: You will find extra love and con-
cern from your spouse. You may tie your knots if you
are unmarried.
Lucky month: September, December, March and June
1st August, 2014 Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1
Traits in you: Your ruling planet, the Sun makes you
confident, intellectual, religious, creative, and inven-
tive. You have exceptional speaking capacity and you
like to be among high society people. Among all your
positive characteristics, you have stubbornness as a
negative aspect in your nature. You need to eradicate
the negatives from your nature to tend to perfection as
a human being.
Health this year: You may have to celebrate religious
functions very frequently at your place to find peace of
mind.
Finance this year: Your confidence level will go up as
a result of developing new partnerships. Your financial
status may not take a huge leap, but you can expect sta-
bility in future. You may get more than expected at
times provided you put your best efforts to achieve
your goals.
Career this year: You will get support from each and
every one in your professional circle and that will al-
low to learn a lot of things and become successful.
Romance this year: You will be successful in providing
emotional support to your spouse and children the best
way you can. Your spouse may come good on all your
expectations and make you feel happy and satisfied.
Lucky month: November, January, April and July
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874
Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
Stars Foretell: July 26-August 1, 2014 Annual Predictions: For those born in this week
29
ARIES: You will have to take some cal-
culated risks to conquer challenging situ-
ations at workplace. Evening enjoyed
with family and close relatives brings immense
pleasure. Long pending arrears and dues will
finally be recovered. Your charm & generosity
bring new romantic opportunities for you.
Inexhaustible energy enables to participate in
outdoor activities. Travel in comfort with kids
to an adventurous place might be possible.
Buying property can lead to gains as property
prices continue to increase. Your innovative
style & creativity will come as a pleasant relief
to people.
TAURUS: Use sharp thinking and abili-
ty to formulate quick strategies to bring
positive results. You are likely to plan a
short trip with family. Investment concerning
residence will be profitable. Time now to strive
to bring back harmony in romantic relations.
You attain a bloom in health on sharing happi-
ness with others. A trip that stimulates and gives
opportunity for work is coming ahead. You
could buy the property that you are looking for.
You succeed in convincing people that colours
have spiritual and symbolic values.
GEMINI: With your high confidence
you will be able to cross all hurdles at
professional front. Unexpected visit by
old friend could give you a pleasant surprise.
Control your expenses and avoid being too lav-
ish in your spending. Romance will flourish
provided you take care of partner. A cheerful
state of mind would allow enjoying the perfect
health. A luxurious getaway type vacation with
your spouse waiting for you. Investing on prop-
erties which are under developed will be prof-
itable. You will be successful in acquiring new
skills to discover more about yourself.
CANCER: Timely help of associates
will not only pass difficult times at
work but also help in regaining profes-
sional edge. Good advice from family members
will help in reducing mental tension/pressure.
Explore new investment opportunities that
comes your way, commit only after considering
the viability of the projects. Love life brightens
your week. Divine knowledge from a saintly
person provides solace & comfort. Thrilling
experience is on your way, as your trip is full of
excitement Whether young or old, now is the
time to start investing. If possible make the
optimum use of spare by engaging yourself in
creative activities.
LEO: Remain self-confident & deter-
mined. This is the secret mantra of suc-
ceeding at work. Sudden good news in
the evening will bring cheers for the entire fam-
ily. You need to control your spending by pur-
chasing only essential items. Your wit & charm
would help in catching the attention of opposite
sex. Meditation and yoga prove beneficial for
spiritual as well as physical gains. Pack your
bags as a happy, fun-filled holiday is looking
forward. Looking for good long term invest-
ments, then go for a property which is under
construction. You find someone to let your
emotions flood out.
VIRGO: A promising week to start a
new venture in partnership. All are like-
ly to be benefited. Your efforts bring
success & happiness at family front. Financial
hassles seem to get over as someone lends a
timely helping hand. Love partner would be
extremely supportive and in a loving mood. A
very healthy week when your cheerfulness
gives the desired tonic and confidence. An
enriching vacation full of fun is what you need.
Value the property at right price to attract buy-
ers for it. Friendship tool would benefit friend
by removing the flaws in behaviour.
LIBRA: Self-confidence & discipline
will be required to bring positive
results in competitive examinations.
You achieve success in personal work with the
timely help & support provided by family
members. Promising week to invest surplus
money in real estate. A romantic week as you
receive all praises from partner. You are likely
to maintain good health that would also give
you success. Time to make your vacation a
dream come true. It always is exciting to begin
looking at homes for sale in your area. You
will be successful in cutting yourself away
from old ideas & beliefs that have outlived
their utility/purpose.
SCORPIO: Your technical expertise
gives a decisive edge over competitors
at work. Misunderstandings with near
ones in the family will get cleared. A sound
financial health would enable to invest on
lucrative schemes. You find pleasure and
enjoy ecstasies of love in the arms of partner.
A continuous positive thinking gets rewarded
as you succeed in whatever you do in this
week. It is advisable to be careful regarding
your safety, while traveling. Buying cheap
property in the right location can provide you
triple gain annually. Efforts to defend your
identity would pave the way for your future
success.
SAGITTARIUS: Hard work of the
past brings rich dividends. However
continue enhancing your skills/adopt
techniques for further development. Children
would do their best to keep you happy. Your
brilliant ideas would help in bringing financial
gains. You enjoy a lovely time as Cupid is on
your side in this week. Creative hobbies are
likely to keep you relaxed. Affordable luxury
vacation will explore your desires. Investing
in property business sounds very appealing.
Things begin to move in your favour as you
find people supporting you.
CAPRICORN : Dedication & loyalty
at work would bring desired results.
You are likely to be benefited as fami-
ly members positively respond. A promising
week to earn profits in real estate and financial
transactions. If possible plan something inter-
esting with lover/beloved for future. With a
positive outlook & confidence, you succeed in
impressing people around you. Perfect get-
away time for you and your partner. Banks
love to finance those, who invest in properties
which are underdevelopment. Your creativity
would immensely help in doing well in life.
AQUARIUS: New ventures start on
a positive note. Parents and friends
will do their best to keep you happy.
An improvement in monetary position makes
it convenient to purchase essential items. A
special message from beloved/lover lifts spir-
its. Mental alertness would enable to solve a
tricky problem. Vacations are meant to be fun
filled and relaxing but hectic schedules may
ruin it. A good deal on commercial property
might occur. You would be full of good ideas
but might fail to translate them.
PISCES: You succeed in completing projects
efficiently provided you put in all your
efforts. A promising week to plan
things for your progeny. If possible
take independent decisions when it comes to
making fresh investments. Love companion
will be eager to meet you in this week. A
cheerful state of mind brings mental peace. A
group of friends or your partner is looking for-
ward for a vacation with you. Their might be a
chance of acquiring a plot from your closed
relative. Friends would come to your aid if
needed.
July 26- August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY
30 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
God is around us, within us
W
henever we swim or
sail in the ocean, the
beautiful blue waters
of the sea surround us on all
sides. Just as while swimming we
are surrounded by the ocean,
every second of our lives we are
also surrounded by the ocean of
divine love. The ocean of Gods
love surrounds us. It is not only
around us, but within. It is to the
right of us, the left of us, above
us, below us, and in us. If we
could only have the eyes to see,
we would find we are perpetually
swimming in the ocean of Gods
love.
In this connection, there is a
story of a man who had been
meditating many years yet was
frustrated because he had not
seen God. He had given up many
worldly pleasures to meditate and
spent long hours meditating in
silence. He was devoted and did
whatever he could to find God.
Finally, he prayed to God, O
Lord, I have been meditating and
praying to You all my life, yet
You have not appeared to me.
God did not respond to his
prayer.
The man became more and
more impatient and soon started
saying, There is no God. I have
wasted my time.
The man strolled along the side
of the river, upset at his lack of
experience with the Lord. Finally,
the man took a pebble and threw
it into the river, saying, O river,
I have wasted my life. I have
prayed and meditated to find
God, but there is no God.
Suddenly, a fish raised its head
out of the water, saying, Why
have you thrown a stone at me?
The man apologized and said, I
did not mean to hit you. I only
threw it into the river in frustra-
tion. The fish asked, Why are
you frustrated? The man said, I
have spent my life searching for
God, but have not found God.
My efforts have been wasted.
The fish said, You think you
have problems? Look at me. I
have been swimming in this river
my whole life looking for water. I
am dying of thirst and cannot
find any water to drink.
The man said, What is wrong
with you? You must be a fool
instead of a fish. The whole river
is filled with water. There is not a
spot in the river where there is no
water. You are surrounded by
water. Just open your fish eyes to
see it.
The fish said, Well, it is the
same with you. You are surround-
ed by God. God is all around you
and within you. You are swim-
ming in the Lord and claim there
is no God. Who is the bigger
fool? You or I?
This amusing story points out a
great truth. We are all looking for
God, but do not realize God is
surrounding us and within us.
There is no place where God is
not. We only have to open our
eyes to see it. God is everywhere.
Just as the ocean is all around us,
so is God.
Sant Darshan Singh Ji
Maharaj said in a verse:
Every grain of sand in the
desert is a mirror;
Amidst your infinite reflections,
your mad lovers are lost.
The verse is explaining how
God is everywhere. God is in
every grain of sand in the desert.
God is in every particle of cre-
ation. God is in the fish. God is in
the reptiles. God is in the ani-
mals. God is in every human
being. When we can see God
everywhere, we are lost in the
love of God at every moment.
God is love. When we recognize
God everywhere, we are recog-
nizing the power of love and are
lost in the madness of that love.
Meditation is merely changing
our vision from blindness of God
to vision of God. God is all
around us every moment. God is
pulsating with us. God is closer
to us than our jugular vein.
Meditation helps us experience
that.
We may feel we are putting in a
great deal of time meditating but
have not yet seen God. It is only
because we are not really medi-
tating. We are thinking. We are
evaluating. We are judging. We
are sitting and thinking, O, God
is not coming, God is not com-
ing. That is not meditating;
rather, that is thinking.
If we truly want to find God,
we need to stop thinking. We
merely need to gaze within. The
fish could have just looked out of
its eyes and seen water. But it
was so busy thinking, I cannot
find the water. I am dying of
thirst. While thinking that, it
was distracting itself and not able
to see the reality in front of it.
Let us not be like the man or
the fish in the story. Let us truly
meditate, by stilling our mind and
opening ourselves to the vision of
God. God is available at every
moment. We need to still our
body and mind to experience it.
Any thoughts of evaluation, judg-
ing, or clutching is going to keep
us from the experience.
Avoid Clutching in
Meditation
Clutching is another form of
expectation in which we are try-
ing to see one thing or another in
meditation. We feel unsatisfied
no matter what we see unless it is
what we planned to see.
Clutching interferes with us
enjoying what we do receive
because we are too focused on
what we want to receive instead.
Thus, clutching takes our atten-
tion away from the stillness need-
ed in meditation.
It is incredible how many ways
the mind can interrupt our medi-
tation with thoughts. The mind
uses the habit of complaining as
one of its tools to keep us occu-
pied. We are swimming in the
ocean of Gods love, but cannot
see it because we are engaged
with the negative trends of the
mind.
There is an interesting example
of how clutching puts us into a
complaining mode so that we do
not experience the beauty around
us. In the United States, there are
national parks and state parks in
which people can enjoy the beau-
ty of nature. In these beautiful
parks we can enjoy mountains,
valleys, rivers, streams, creeks,
forests, and fields. These areas
are kept preserved so that people
can be in touch with nature with-
out the development of houses,
buildings, commercial areas, and
concrete jungles found in towns
and cities. These parks are places
where people can walk in nature
and enjoy the lovely trees, flow-
ers,
and waterways. We can hear
the lovely sounds of birds chirp-
ing. We can get glimpses of
Gods beautiful creatures such as
deer, rabbits, squirrels, butter-
flies, and fish. We can hear the
sounds of silence, wind blowing
through trees, and the natural
sounds of wildlife. We can see
the lovely sky with floating
clouds in the day, or the stars and
moon at night. Some people feel
the national or state parks are a
natural paradise. Yet, in one of
the state parks, the park adminis-
trators were processing a pile of
unopened mail that had accumu-
lated in their office for a long
time from people who had visited
the parks. These letters came
from many different people over
a long period of time.
Instead of writing to thank the
park administrators for their
preservation of natures beauty,
the people wrote a list of com-
plaints. Some complaints were
humorous and some were ridicu-
lous, yet the nature of the letters
showed what people were really
thinking about when they visited
these natural parks instead of
enjoying their beauty.
People complained that some of
the natural trails were not wide
enough for people to walk along
together, side by side, holding
hands. Some complained that
they did not like some of the
trails that went up the side of the
mountains because it made them
have to walk uphill! Some com-
plained that the hiking trails
meant for hiking should have
chair lifts so the people did not
have to hike. Some said that the
animals made too much noise at
night and kept them awake when
they camped out and the people
wanted the park department to
get rid of all the animals.
Someone else said that a deer
came into his campsite and stole
a jar of pickles and the person
wanted the park department to
reimburse him for the stolen jar.
Another said they wanted escala-
tors put on the mountains so they
did not have to climb. Another
wanted a fast food restaurant put
into the forest so they did not
have to cook out. Someone even
said there were too many rocks
on the mountain.
When we look at this list we
want to laugh at how ridiculous
the complaints sound. On one
hand people want to be in nature,
hike, and camp out, and when
they get there, instead of enjoy-
ing the natural beauty, they want
to turn it into a town or city. This
is what we are doing when we
meditate or try to experience
Gods love in our lives. We have
the entire kingdom of God within
us, but refuse to see it because we
are listening to the chatter of our
mind or viewing the images our
thoughts create when we think.
We have the love of God flowing
in us and around us every second
of our lives, but do not experi-
ence it because we are focused on
complaining about everything in
our lives.
(To be continued...)
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
Meditation is
merely changing
our vision from
blindness of God
to vision of God.
God is all around
us every moment.
God is pulsating
with us. God is
closer to us than
our jugular vein.
Meditation helps
us experience
that.
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
is an internationally recognized
spiritual leader and Master of
Jyoti Meditation who affirms the
transcendent oneness at the heart
of all religions and mystic tradi-
tions, emphasizing ethical living
and meditation as building blocks
for achieving inner and outer
peace. www.sos.org.
July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info