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Vol.8 No. 1 May 9-15, 2015 60 Cents

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Tories set for surprise UK election win: exit poll

India will
compete
with China in
commerce,
trade:
Modi
Arun K Singh assumes charge as Indias envoy to US
Over 50 Indian-origin candidates in UK election
London: Prime Minister David
Cameron's Conservatives looked
on course Friday for a surprise victory in Britain's general election
that could herald more economic
austerity and redefine the country's
future in Europe, AFP reported.
Exit polls upended pre-election
forecasts of a knife-edge contest
between the Conservatives and
Labour, and also pointed to a land-

Prime Minister David Cameron

of the Conservative party was
likely to serve a second term

Washington: Arun Kumar Singh,

the new Indian ambassador to the
US, has formally assumed charge
after presenting copies of credentials to the Office of Chief of
Protocol at the State Department.
The 24th Indian Ambassador to
the US, Singh till recently was the
Indian envoy to France, in which
capacity he was instrumental in the
historic Paris visit of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
Singh will present his formal credentials before President Barack
Continued on page 4

slide for Scottish nationalists that

will reopen the question of
Scotland breaking away from the
United Kingdom. The poll commissioned by Britain's national
broadcasters put the centre-right
Conservatives on 316 seats, compared to 239 for Ed Miliband's centre-left Labour party.
This time over 50 candidates of
Indian origin are contesting. Those
in the fray include Sajid Javid of
the Conservative party, who is half
Indian and has been a cabinet
Continued on page 4

On the eve of Indian

PMs visit to China,
Time magazine
interviewed him
Amb. Arun K. Singh (3rd from left) with Justin McCarthy (Sr VP,
Pfizer), Ajay Banga (Chairman, USIBC); his wife Dr. Maina
Chawla Singh; Nancy Ziuzin Schlegel (VP, Lockheed Martin); & Dr.
Mukesh Aghi (President, USIBC) at a reception hosted by USBIC.

Salman Khan gets 5 years in jail for hit-&-run

Court to decide Friday if the superstar gets bail or go to jail
Mumbai: Will superstar Salman
Khan go to jail on Friday to serve
a five-year prison term handed
down to him for killing a homeless man in a 2002 hit-and-run
case?
The question will be answered
when the Bombay high court
hears Khans bail plea on Friday
as his 48-hour interim bail comes
to an end, putting to rest all speculation about the stars fortunes in
the 13-year-old case that has seen

US AFFAIRS 9

almost as many twists and turns as

a Bollywood blockbuster.
The 49-year-old "Dabangg" star
was sentenced to five years for
culpable homicide not amounting
to murder on Wednesday for
killing a man and injuring four
others - with his SUV after a night
out drinking at an upmarket bar.
However, he escaped jail after the
Continued on page 4
Related stories on page 16

TAKAT JEWELER 15

Salman Khan leaves court in

Mumbai Wednesday after his
conviction for homicide.

MOTHERS DAY 18

New York: Even as it cooperates

with China on the international
stage, India will also compete with
it in the areas of commerce and
trade, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has said.
Modi told the Time magazine in
an extensive interview that both
countries had learnt from history
since their 1962 war.
"For nearly last three decades,
there is by and large peace and
tranquillity on the India-China border," he said even as he gets ready
to embark on his visit next visit to
China, Mongolia and South Korea.
"I think both India and China
have shown great maturity in the
last couple of decades to ensure
and commit to economic cooperation which has continued to grow
over the last 20 to 30 years to a
stage where we currently have an
extensive trade, investment and
project related engagement
between the two countries.

SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30

"Given the current economic situation in the world, we are at a

stage where we cooperate with
China at the international stage but
we also compete with China when
it comes to commerce and trade."
Asked to comment on China's
growing influence in the world,
Modi said: "It is a very natural tendency for the nations to increase
their influence in the international
space, as they pursue their international relations with different countries.
Time magazine asked him if he
would like a special message to
Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead
of his trip to Beijing this month.
"I firmly believe that the relationship between two countries, the
India-China relationship as you are
referring to, should be such that to
Continued on page 4

excellence in journalism

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

May 9-15, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Indo-US ties in momentous

phase: Amb. Arun K Singh
Washington: With two back-toback heads of the State visit in less
than a year after the formation of
the new government, it is a "very
momentous" phase of India-US
relationship, Arun Kumar Singh, the
new Indian ambassador to the US,
said.
has formally resumed his charges
after presenting copies of credentials to the Office of Chief of
Protocol at the State Department.
Addressing the US India Business
Council (USIBC) in Washington on
Wednesday, he said, "We are in a
very momentous phase of our relationship. India is moving quickly on
its commitment to reform, throwing
up tremendous opportunities for
working together."
Selecting the American business
community for his first major public
interaction after arriving in the US
capital, Amb. Singh exuded confidence that the US business and
industry will continue to seize the
potential.
"Our cooperation will reinforce
our strategic ties in a long-term
framework," he said.
Singh was welcomed by USIBC
chairman Ajay Banga and president
Mukesh Aghi at the reception hosted in his honor.
The past year has been transfor-

The new Indian envoy to the US,

Arun Kumar Singh

mational in many ways. It was

exactly a year ago that Prime
Minister Narendra Modi took over
the reins of a new government, riding on an unprecedented mandate
for development and reform, Singh
said. Since then, the government
has pushed forward with the reform
agenda at a remarkable speed,
focusing on infrastructure development, manufacturing, technological
advancement, skills development
and financial inclusion, through
new and innovative programmes
like Make in India, Digital India,
Smart Cities and the Jan Dhan
Yojana, he said.
"Behind all these initiatives lies
the Prime Minister's vision of making India a global manufacturing
hub, with state of the art infrastructure and a skilled workforce," he
said.

TRISTATE COMMUNITY

New York: Indian-born CEO of

PepsiCo, the second largest food
and beverage business in the
world, Indra Nooyi, has been
ranked fifth in the Now It Counts
(NiC) 50, the definitive ranking
of the most powerful Americans
50+ in 2015.
In announcing the list, NiC
wrote, Indra Nooyi is the very
embodiment of the American
dream. How this Indian-born
titan of business became an
American, and rose to become
one of the most powerful women
on the planet is a testament to her
can-do-ness. Her life embodies
a lead-by-example principle that
surely inspires millions of young

girls and women around the

globe.
The four people in the list preceding Nooyi are: Bill Gates,
who is ranked No. 1, followed by
Hillary Clinton, Opera Winfrey,
and Charles/David Koch brothers. She is also the highest paid
Indian-origin chief executive in
the US.
According to the data recently
published by USA Today, Nooyi
took home $22.5 million in fiscal
2014.
As the highest-ranking Indianborn woman in corporate
America, Nooyi has pushed
PepsiCo to take bold risks. Born
in Chennai, she attributes much
of her success to her upbringing
in India. "

GOP nominates Nasrin Ahmad for

re-election as Hempstead Town Clerk
Levittown, NY: On May 6 at
Wisdom Lane School in
Levittown, the Nassau County
Republican Party nominated
Nasrin Ahmad to run for her second term as Town of Hempstead
Town Clerk in the local elections
this November.
Ahmad is the first South Asian
to be voted into office in New
York State's history. Born in East
Africa to Pakistani parents and
raised in the UK, she worked as a
civil servant in the Hempstead
Town Clerk's office for over a
decade before being selected in
2013 to fill the vacant office following the removal of her predecessor, and won a hotly contested
election the same year for a twoyear term.
A doctor, lawyer and communications specialist, Ahmad is an
increasingly important figure in
Long Island's South Asian community, headlining events organized by PACOLI, IALI and Urdu
poetry society Halqa Arbab-eZauq. A mother of three, she is
married to Naeem Ahmad, a
mechanical engineer who worked
for last 30 years with Amba
Sharma.

Indra Nooyi ranked fifth

most powerful in America

By SATimes

May 9-15, 2015

PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi

Hon. Nasrin Ahmad, the first South Asian elected official in the
State, spoke at Rotary Club Hicksville South meeting Thursday
hosted by AW Mobile. Pictured (from left) are Salil Zaveri,
President, Rotary - Hicksville South; Jerry Kohli, President of AW
Mobile; Nasrin Ahmad; Kawal Sahni, Director Sales and
Marketing, AW Mobile; and Kamlesh Mehta,
Rotary Dist 7255 Governor (2015-16).

Nassau County Republicans

have announced their full slate of
candidates for the election later
this year. Notable among them are
Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate
Murray for District Attorney, and
Town Councilman Anthony
Santino to take her place. Oyster
Bay Town supervisor John

Venditto will seek another term.

For Nassau County legislature,
sitting lawmakers Norma L.
Gonsalves (13th District) and
Rose Walker (17th District) are
among those renominated.
The County Executive Ed
Mangano, serving a second 4-year
term, is a Republican.

Skelos under pressure to

quit as NYS Senate chief
Albany, NY: Not just Democrats,
Dean Skelos is now under pressure from a growing number of his
GOP colleagues to quite as Senate
majority leader.
Six Republican lawmakers a
fifth of the conference have said
Skelos needs to resign his leadership post after his recent arrest in a
federal corruption case,.
With his grip on power in
Albany slipping, Skelos is taking a
leave of absence from the Long
Island law firm where he has
worked for two decades, the firm
said on Thursday.
Skelos was arrested on Monday
along with his son Adam Skelos
on extortion, bribe-solicitation and
fraud charges.
Breaking his silence, Governor
Andrew Cuomo insisted on

New York State Sen. Majority

Leader Dean Skelos has been
arrested on corruption
charges, which he denies.

Wednesday that he did not commit

any criminal acts with the giant
real estate firm (Glenwood
Management company ) at the
center of corruption cases against
Dean Skelos and former Assembly
Speaker Sheldon Silver.

May 9-15, 2015

TURN PAGE

Second Vaisakhi 5K run held

Richmond Hill, NY: The second

Vaisakhi 5K Run took place at Forest
Park in Woodhaven, NY on April 26.
About 600 participants donning their
bright blue race t-shirts stormed the
park, expressing their excitement and

displaying an incredible solidarity. They

came from as far away as Texas, Illinois, and the UK.
Sunder Singh Bandeshah (BIB# 349),
age 14, was the first finisher, timing
19:38.36. The first female finisher was

36-year-old Param Kaur Ghangas

(BIB# 347), whose time was 21:59.60.
The race was presented by marathoner
Dr. Avtar Singh Tinna and IALI President Satnam Singh Parhar in association
with The Sikh Cultural Society.

'Islamic State using social

media to win recruits in US'

Letter to Editor
ast week we celebrated the
Fifth Anniversary of the formal inauguration of our Shri
Shirdi Sai Baba Temple at
Flushing, NY. The inauguration
ceremony was well covered by Mr.
Brahm Kanchibotla in 2010 as
published in The South Asian
Times. As a part of our 5th year
celebration, he presented us an
enlarged and framed copy of the
that report in your paper.
We are grateful to you for publishing the news articles and periodic coverage about the temple
programs. It is only due to the
services of people like you that we
are able to reach our community
far and wide and spread the message of Baba.
-Temple Management,
Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple
Flushing, NY

Rashmin S Master successfully

completed his 12th half marathon in 2
hours 46 minutes at the Long Island
Marathon on May 3. The 62-year-old
CPA says, When I first started running
LI half marathon in 2004, it was difficult to convince our Indian community
to participate in such events. Now
Indians are increasingly participating
in such events.

Washington: Amidst a federal investigation into a foiled attack on a

Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest
in Texas, FBI Director James Comey
has said that Islamic State is leveraging social media to recruit people in
US. "Hundreds, maybe thousands" of
people across the country are receiving recruitment overtures from the
terrorist group or directives to attack
the US, he told reporters Thursday.
The Islamic State is leveraging social
media in unprecedented ways through
Twitter and other platforms, directing
messages to the smart phones of "disturbed people" who could be pushed
to launch assaults on US targets,
Comey said. "It's like the devil sitting
on their shoulders, saying 'kill, kill,
kill,'" he said amidst a federal investigation into a foiled attack in Garland,
Texas, involving two gunmen allegedly sympathetic to IS.
New Delhi Bureau
Meenakshi Iyer
Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info

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Contributing Editors:Nilima Madan,

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info
India will compete with China in...
Continued from page 1
communicate with each other there should really not be
a need for us to go through a third entity," he said.
"That is the level of relationship that we currently
have."
Tories set for surprise UK election...
Continued from page 1
minister since 2010. Also fighting his old seat of
Leicester East is Keith Vaz of the Labour party who is
the seniormost of the Indian-origin MPs, not to mention
his sister Valerie Vaz, also a Labour candidate.
In this election, one of the biggest losers appeared to
be the Liberal Democrats, who were in coalition with
the Conservatives in the outgoing government but who
were suffering a drubbing in early returns.
While they do not give the Conservatives a clear
majority, if the results are borne out they could put
Britain on a collision course with the European Union
as Cameron has promised an in-out referendum on
membership.
Arun K Singh assumes charge as...
Continued from page 1
Obama at a later date. He replaces Ambassador S.
Jaishankar who has been appointed Foreign Secretary
by the Modi government.
A career foreign service officer of 1979 batch, Singh
till two years ago served as the Deputy Chief of
Mission at the Indian Embassy in Washington for four
and half years. Known for his visionary strategic thinking, Singh during his previous stint in Washington
played a key role in strengthening India-US relationship in the first term of the Obama Administration, during which he oversaw the State Visit of Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh to US in 2009 and India visit of
President Obama in 2010.
Singh also served in New York at the Permanent
Mission of India to the UN from 1993 to 1997.
Salman Khan gets 5 years in jail for hit-&-run...
Continued from page 1
Bombay high court granted interim bail barely hours
after his conviction.
Khan challenged his conviction immediately after he
was convicted by the Mumbai sessions court, along
with a plea seeking bail while the court hears the
appeal.
It is possible the high court will grant him regular bail
while it hears his appeal challenging the conviction and
the five-year jail term. But the court may also cancel
the interim bail granted to Khan, sometimes described
as the enfant terrible of Bollywood.
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TRISTATE COMMUNITY

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

India awarded Sant Chatwal after Hillary

backed N-deal, says Book
Washington, DC: Asserting
that India quickly became a
rich vein of Clinton
Foundation, a controversial
book which hit the stands on
Tuesday has alleged that the
then Indian government
rewarded hotelier Sant Chatwal
with one of its highest civilian
awards for getting Hillary
Clinton support the landmark
Indo-US civil nuclear deal in
2008.
The book Clinton Cash by
Peter Schweizer also alleges
that the donations made by
some Indian politicians and
organizations were instrumental
in getting Hillary, who was then
a US Senator, to support the
nuclear deal, reports PTI.
The allegations have been
refuted by the office of Hillary
Clinton, who last month
announced her second presidential bid. Clinton Cash is
attempting to rewrite history to
fit a pre-determined partisan

The book alleges that Sant Chatwal got Hillary Clinton to

support the Nuclear deal

narrative. It only takes a quick

look at Hillarys actual voting
record and statements to see
that this conspiracy theory
doesnt even come close to
passing the smell test, Josh
Schwerin, spokesperson of the
Hillarys presidential campaign
had told PTI. Schweizer writes
in his book: In the end, both

Bill, who initially imposed the

sanctions against the Indian
government, and Hillary, who
supported that policy, played a
vital role in getting them lifted. Shortly after the legislation passed, the Indian government granted one of its most
prestigious civilian awards (the
Padma Bhushan) to a close

Bizarre US fake-police force

included Kamala Harris aide
Washington, DC: A bizarre fake-police
force group claiming to be descendants of
ancient Knights Templar that included an
aide to California Indian-American attorney
general Kamala Harris has been arrested.
Besides Brandon Kiel, an aide to Harris,
the group included David Henry and Tonette
Hayes. All the three have been charged with
impersonating police officers, the Los
Angeles Times reported citing County
Sheriff's Captain Roosevelt Johnson.
Harris has received regular briefings on
the case since it began.
"The attorney general has been concerned
about these serious allegations from the
point she was first briefed on this investigation," David Beltran, a spokesman for the
state Department of Justice told the Times.
"Our office has been cooperating with
investigators from the beginning and will
continue to do so."
Johnson, according to the Times, thought
it was odd when three people - two of them
dressed in police uniforms he didn't recognize - strolled into the Santa Clarita station
in February. One man introduced himself as
chief of the Masonic Fraternal Police

Department and told Johnson this was a

courtesy call to let him know the agency
was setting up shop in the area.
Henry, Hayes and Kiel had allegedly
introduced themselves to police agencies
across the state, though it is unclear why.
A website claiming to represent their force
cites connections to the Knights Templars
that they say go back 3,000 years. The site
also said that the department had jurisdiction in 33 states and Mexico.
"When asked what is the difference
between the Masonic Fraternal Police
Department and other police departments,
the answer is simple for us. We were here
first!" the website said.
Los Angeles County prosecutors said the
whole effort was a ruse, though for what
purpose remains unclear. The investigation
is continuing. During their search of two
locations, police said, they recovered
badges, ID cards, weapons, uniforms,
police-type vehicles and other law enforcement equipment, according to The
Sacramento Bee. Kiel went by the title of
"Deputy Director of Community Affairs"
has been placed on administrative leave.

Clinton family friend precisely

because, as they saw it, he got
Hillary to support the legislation, he says in the book and
then goes on to write about
Sant Chatwal, a New Yorkbased Indian-American hotelier. What we do know is that
millions were spent on cultivating the relationship with the
Clintons, who not only received
money directly through lucrative speaking deals, but also
reaped millions in donations to
the Clinton Foundation, the
book alleges referring to the
donations received from India.
Indeed, India quickly became
a rich vein of Clinton
Foundation
support,
Schweizer wrote. In fact, one
full chapter of the book has
been devoted on fund received
by the Clinton Foundation from
Indian companies and individuals. Politician Amar Singh is
the other individual prominently mentioned in the book.

May 9-15, 2015

Modi to address 18th

Biennial JAINA
Convention in
Atlanta via video
New York: Federation of Jain
Associations in North America (JAINA)s
18th Biennial JAINA Convention will be
held July 2-5 in Atlanta, GA. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi will address the
Convention via video. Prominent Sadhus,
Sadhvijis and scholars will attend the
event and address the audience.
The convention will have a host of religious, cultural, professional and social
programs including events such as live
entertainment, ras garba, talent show,
alumni reunions, academic bowl, youth
activities, Jain Networking Forum, Jain
Milan, Kids Club and a Lake Cruise for
Youth.
3500 people attended the last convention. The event offers ample opportunities
to reunite with family and friends, deepen
knowledge of Jainism, make new professional and personal connections, enjoy
Jain vegan and vegetarian food and help
children build a network of Jain friends.

Three Indian-Americans plead guilty to

student visa fraud
New York: Three Indians have pleaded guilty
to criminal charges of conspiring to commit
student visa and financial aid fraud through a
for-profit school they ran and agreed to forfeit
over $8 million to federal authorities.
Suresh Hiranandaney, 61; Lalit Chabria, 54;
and Anita Chabria, 50, were arrested in May
2014, along with co-defendants Samir
Hiranandaney and Seema Shah following a
long-term investigation by the United States
Immigration and Customs Enforcements
Homeland Security Investigations.
Hiranandaney and the Chabria duo pled
guilty on April 30 in Manhattan federal court to
one count of conspiracy to commit student visa
fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit
student financial aid fraud.
They also agreed to forfeit $7.4 million of
proceeds of the student visa fraud conspiracy
to the U.S. government and another million
dollars in restitution to the U.S. Department of
Education for losses from the student financial
aid fraud conspiracy.
Each faces a maximum of ten years in prison
and will be sentenced in September this year.
Hiranandaney, 28, and Shah, 42, face pending
criminal conspiracy charges. Indian American

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said

the three turned their for-profit schools into
"instruments of fraud to exploit our nations
foreign student visa and domestic student
financial aid programs for their own personal
financial gain. Education fraud remains a highpriority focus of ours and we will prosecute all
those who make a self-serving sham out of
education."
According to the indictment filed in this case,
the three were associated with the Micropower
Career Institute, a for-profit school with five
campuses in New York and New Jersey, as well
as with the Institute for Health Education, a
for-profit school located in New Jersey.
Hiranandaney was MCI's president; his brother-in-law Lalit Chabria was its vice president
and his sister Anita MCI's vice president. The
three failed to report to immigration authorities
that foreign citizens were not attending classes
at their institutes, despite a federal law requirement that foreign citizens on student visas must
pursue full courses of study at approved
schools. If a student fails to attend classes as
required, the school is required to inform
immigration authorities so that the authorities
may terminate that student's visa.

May 9-15, 2015

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info

IN BRIEF

Telugu association honors

Nag Ashwin and Priyanka Dutt

Domestic Harmony Foundation to host 7th

annual fundraiser gala
omestic Harmony Foundation
(DHF) is hosting its 7th Annual
Fundraiser Gala on May 17th at
Terrace on the Park, NY. The annual
fundraiser is the main source of sustaining the organization and it also helps to
shed light on issues related to family violence. This years theme is Break the
SilenceBe the Change, which emphasizes on breaking the cycle of violence through outreach and education.
Delivering the keynote speech will be
Joya Dass, a TV anchor, filmmaker and
co-founder of LadyDrinks, a Southeast
Asian Womens networking group.
Dass is an exceptionally strong female
role model who has co-survived domestic violence, as she was a witness of domestic violence firsthand. Despite all
the struggles and challenges she has
faced, she has progressed into a life of

freedom and success for herself. She

strongly believes in helping other
women and giving back to the community.
The second guest speaker will be
Imam Khalid Latif, University Chaplain
for New York University, Executive Director of the Islamic Center at NYU,
and a Chaplain for the NYPD. Latif has
worked tirelessly to foster dialogue with
people of other faiths, in order to clarify misconceptions about Islam and encourage mutual learning. He has given
many lectures on Muslim women's
rights and the role of men in gender
equality. Recently, he has received an
award: "New NY Abolitionist" for his
work on trafficking and forced marriage
(2015.)
For
more
information
visit:
www.dhfny.org

Akshat Chandra wins two Chess titles

kshat
poor chess in a few
Chandra
of the games, beof Iselin,
ing unable to preN.J., won two
pare for the oppoevents the U.S.
nents as several
Chess Federations
of my opponents
National
High
had no games in
School Champidatabase and
onship and the Nabeing quite tired
tional Blitz High
during some of the
School Champigames, as I was
onship at the
coming after playU.S. High School
ing a very intense
Chess
Champinine rounds at the
onships, held April
Philadelphia
9-12 in Columbus,
Open, Chandra
Ohio.
said on his blog.
Top seeded in
The competition
the High School
herewas
exChampionship, the
tremely tough, and
Indian American
several
players
entered the final
were underrated.
Akshat Chandra
round tied at 5.5
So it was extremewith three other
ly satisfying to
players, with 18 others trailing by just a capture the title of the National High
half point.
School Champion 2015.
Playing white against another Indian
A total of 472 players competed in the
American player, Kesav Viswanadha, championship section and 1,492 in all
Chandra won, giving him a 6.5 score in sections.
the seven-round tournament. The two
According to his blog, Chandra began
other players who were tied with Chan- playing chess in 2009 at a very late
dra entering the round, Indian American (age) compared to my peers.
Kapil Chandran and F.M. Cameron
Players in my age group from India,
Wheeler, played to a draw, leaving them the U.S. and Europe were already playwith identical 6.0 scores.
ing and learning chess with (grand masOverall, I was thrilled to have won ters) and professionals since five and six
the tournament, despite playing some years of age.

Prayer service for Nepal victims at Hindu Temple

he Hindu Temple Society of North America has organized a Prayer Service
for the victims of the Nepal earthquake disaster on Saturday, May 16 at 3:00
PM in the Community Center (143-09 Holly Ave. Flushing NY 11355).

he Telugu Literary & Cultural Association (TLCA) on April 25th featured one of the latest successful
Tollywood movies " Yavade Subramanyam" for its members in the Big Cinema, Flushing, NY. The TLCA President
said, "It is always nice to bring a fine
movie to the community members, but it is
truly rare to have the honor of the presence
of both the director and the producer of the
movie with us."
The movie "Yavade Subramanyam"
(Who is Subramanyam?) is a movie about
love, life, power, money and mainly about
"spirituality and self-discovery." The debut
director and scriptwriter Nag Ashwin takes
the audience through a beautiful journey in
pursuit of the answer to one's life time
question, "who am I?" This is the first Tollywood movie mostly shot at the base
camp and at some of the highest points of
Mount Everest. In attempting to prepare
himself, Nag Ashwin trained on an inclined
treadmill for several months prior to the
shoot. Out of the 33 member filming crew,
not all made it through to completion as
several members suffered from altitude
sickness and other ailments. Nag Ashwin
dedicated his debut movie to his deceased
cousin Sirish Bhumi, who was like his
brother.
Dr. Sridevi Bhumi, Dr. Sarat Bhumi,
Mrs. Sadhana & Dr. Malla Reddy, Mr. Mahesh Salladi, and the TLCA Executive
Committee joined President Raji Kuncham

Nag Ashwin and Priyanka Dutt with

TLCA president Raji Kuncham

to present Nag Ashwin with the "Outstanding Directorial Achievement Award."

Priyanka Dutt, the producer of the featured film is the daughter of C. Ashwin
Dutt, a well known Indian film producer
and the founder of Vyjayanthi Movies.
Priyanka studied filmmaking at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
She made her debut as a filmmaker at the
age of 21 by co-producing the movie Balu
in 2004 and has many additional successful ventures so far.
Dutt launched her own production house,
Three Angels Studio in the year 2009 to encourage New Age cinema. The studio produced its first film Baanam and it won
Priyanka the Silver Nandi Award in the
best film category. Priyanka Dutt was honored with the TLCA "Outstanding
Achievement Award."

South Asian American community endorsed

Dan Donovan for Congress
alling him honest and a
man with integrity,
prominent South Asian
American community leaders
endorsed Republican District
Attorney Daniel Donovan for
Congress of the race for the
11th Congressional District in
a special election on May 5th ,
11th district includes all of
South Asian community leaders endorse Dan
Staten Island and parts of
Donovan for Congress.
southern Brooklyn, including
the neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Benson- sity to the Staten Island DA office, including members of the South Asian communihurst, Dyker Heights, and Gravesend.
Jacob Cherian, a prominent South Asian ty."
Virendra Patel, South Asian American for
American community leader stated: As a
proud son of immigrants, Dan Donovan un- Dan Danovan stated, "Staten Island is one
derstands the struggle and the promise of of the fastest growing Asian communities
the American Dream and will take that in the city.We need a dynamic and fair
promise with him to Washington to ensure minded representative like Dan Donovan
that many more immigrants and their chil- who understands the needs of the immidren can follow in his footsteps and achieve grant community and will fight to represent
the promise of the American Dream just hardworking families.
Raj Mehta, founder, New York Indian
like he did.
Harry Singh, another leader stated, As American Political Action Committee said:
the District Attorney of Staten Island, Dan "We are grateful for the opportunity to parDonovan has shown great respect for the ticipate in this countrys political system
immigrant community, winning the New and support a man like Dan Donovan who
York City Bar Association's Diversity has the experience and integrity to repreChampion Award for bringing racial diver- sent us in Washington."

NATIONAL COMMUNITY

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Washington, DC: In a curtain-raiser event

for the First International Day of Yoga on
June 21, the newly founded Congressional
Yogi Association organized the rst-ever
"Yoga on the Hill" at Capitol Hill, the seat of
US parliament.
Supported by the Embassy of India in
Washington, the May 1 event was organized
to advocate better physical and mental health
for US military veterans.
The event was led by Keith Mitchell, former National Football League (NFL) pro and
a celebrity yogi, who suffered a paralyzing
spinal injury and recovered through the practice of yoga
Prominent guests included Democrat
House members Tim Ryan, Charles Rangel
and Barbara Lee, Brennan Mullaney from
Team Red, White and Blue, a leading veteran non-prot organization and Tom Voss, an
Iraq War veteran.
Around 60 Congressional ofcials participated in the yoga and meditation session
besides senior embassy ofcials.
The yoga event was focused on practice of
yoga as an effective tool for the physiological and physical healing of war veterans who
get affected by mental illnesses upon returning from combat.

May 9-15, 2015

Yoga on Capitol Hill

It was a curtain-raiser event for the First International Day of Yoga on

June 21, and supported by the Indian Embassy.

It is estimated that since the start of the

war in Afghanistan in 2001, more than
100,000 combat veterans have sought help
for mental illness and yoga is considered to
be a form of health care support in such
cases of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dr Kiran Patel building one of

Tampas largest estates
New York: Indian
unit.
American cardioloHis wife Pallavi,
gist Kiran Patel is
son, daughters and
overseeing the conve grandchildren
struction of a palatial
are set to move into
home touted to
the family estate in
become the largest
2016 when it is
single-family estate
ready after construcin
Hillsborough
tion began three
County in Tampa
years ago.
Bay, Florida, accordThe more than
ing to India West.
15,000-square-foot
With a total square
main house includes
footage of 35,000,
a 3,700-square-foot
the lakefront combanquet room and a
Dr Kiran Patel
pound will comprise
600-square-foot
six luxury homes of
kitchen. There are
more than 7,000 square feet each, also plans for a 450-foot-long swimsurrounding a large house for Patel ming pool with waterfalls and founand his family, reported the Tampa tains, as well as three guest homes,
Tribune.
accommodation for the staff, a
The Patels bought 17 acres of land garage big enough for 12 cars and a
for $3.2 million in 2003 for the proj- maintenance building, reported the
ect, which is expected to cost in Tampa Tribune.
excess of $10 million upon compleAlthough Hillsborough County
tion, added the report.
has several estates that are more
Patel is building the home with than 30,000 square feet, Patels
the intention of housing three gener- project is poised to become the
ations of the Patel family as one areas largest and most expensive.

Lawmaker Ryan, who joined the yoga and

meditation session, said: "The extremely
high levels of stress Americans deal with on
a daily basis is an important issue facing our
country." "Mindfulness and the practice of
yoga help to reduce stress, improve concen-

tration, and increase feelings of well-being,"

he said expressing support for the event.
Rangel said "As a Korean War Veteran,
Yoga on the Hill's mission to promote wellness among the veteran community is close
to my heart".
Lee, member of House Subcommittee on
Veteran Affairs, hoped that "we will continue
expanding research and access to health
alternatives like yoga that improve the quality of life for our brave veterans."
Counselor Mohit Yadav from Indian
Embassy highlighted Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's remarks at the United
Nations describing yoga as "an invaluable
gift of India's ancient tradition" and a holistic
approach to health and well-being.
Starting with a talk by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
on 'Nurturing Peace through Yoga and
Meditation' on April 29, the Indian Embassy
here is organizing a series of events in the
run-up to the International Day of Yoga on
June 21.
The embassy also hosted an event at an
open theatre at University of Maryland, in
partnership with their student association
DESI (Develop, Empower and Synergize
India), Life in Yoga organization and the Art
of Living Foundation.

ASU professor to investigate 'intellectual

migration' between India, US
Washington, DC: Arizona State
University professor Wei Li has
focused her career on promoting
cultural understanding, especially
between new immigrant groups and
native-born residents, in the United
States, Canada and in locations
around the world.
Li, who has been named a
Fulbright-Nehru Senior Scholar, has
turned her attention to the rapidlygrowing segment of international
immigrants who are highly educated
holding at least bachelor's degrees
and often more advanced degrees. In
one effort, she compared highlyskilled immigrants to the United
States and Canada, focusing especially on individuals from India and
China.
Highly skilled international
migrants from China and India are
facing different challenges in these
two countries, Li says in her interview on ASU website. In Canada,
immigration policies make it easier
for immigrants to obtain permanent
residency and political rights, but
many are unemployed or underemployed, or are waiting for their

Wei Li is Fulbright-Nehru
Senior Scholar

applications to be processed in their

home countries.
As a Fulbright-Nehru Senior
Scholar and funded by the United
StatesIndia
Educational
Foundation, Li will spend a few
months each in 2016 and 2017 looking deeply into patterns of migration
between the United States and India.
Shell focus on migrants from India
whove taken highly-skilled jobs in
the United States, on those whove
worked in the United States and
returned, and on one additional

group: those who come to the

United States to earn college
degrees.
Like migrants who already have
advanced education, college students come to the United States in
search of better futures, Li said.
Students often consider taking jobs
in the country where they did their
studies. It makes sense to consider
these groups together.
Li has coined a term for the phenomena of international migration
among students and those with
degrees, including those who continue to live away from their native
country and those who return
intellectual migration.
Intellectual migration can benet both the sending and the
receiving country, Li said. "Both
countries benet from the expertise
and creativity of the migrants.
Whether they return home or stay in
the receiving country, intellectual
migrants often continue to collaborate with colleagues in places where
theyve lived previously, helping
build knowledge thats benecial
around the globe.

May 9-15, 2015

NATIONAL COMMUNITY

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

IN BRIEF

Sulekha.com receives $28 m in funding

ulekha.com, Indias leading digital
platform for local services, has announced that GIC, the sovereign
wealth fund of Singapore, and Norwest
Venture Partners, a top-tier global investment firm, have invested $ 28 M into the
company. Sulekha.com will use the capital
to further expand its platform that connects
one of the largest bases of users and local
service providers, and invest in technology
and branding.
Satya Prabhakar, Founder and CEO of
Sulekha.com, said, Sulekha was founded
in Austin as a tiny website serving Indians
in US and this investment by GIC and Norwest is a powerful endorsement of the vast
potential of the local services opportunity
and Sulekhas ability to prosecute it successfully both within and outside of India.
Sulekha has cultivated deep expertise and
built a sophisticated platform in 800+ local
service categories including home/office
services, coaching/training, health/lifestyle
and property/rentals. Sulekhas large base of
user and businesses, unique IP, vast operational footprint, plus rapid migration to mo-

Singapore Sovereign Fund GIC and

Norwest Venture Partners invest in
the local services leader

bile are transforming the local services market. Param Parameswaran, Chairman of
Sulekha.com, said, We are pleased to add
GIC to our investor group. Sulekha has architected a remarkably lucrative business
model because of the immediacy, specificity and location-oriented nature of the user
local service needs. Sulekha has been enjoying significant organic growth while being quite capital efficient, making it one of
only a few digital companies in India that
have been profitable.
Promod Haque, Senior Managing Partner
of Norwest Venture Partners, said, Sulekha
is seizing an enormous opportunity in transforming how businesses find local customers and grow and we look forward to
significant scale ahead.

Sikhs explain meaning of turban

to US lawmakers
ikhs have to explain to American
people what the turban means because that is the immediate source
of their identification, according to the
author of a new report on Sikhs in America presented to US lawmakers.
"Sikhs have to explain what it symbolizes and what values it represents," said
Geoff Garin, former political strategist
for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton
presenting the key findings of the report
at a briefing arranged by the National
Sikh Campaign (NSC).
"This will have a very powerful impact
on the broader American public," he said.
"The study shows that when people see
Sikhs on the streets anywhere, people are
very confused about what Sikh faith is
and that confusion leads to tragic consequences," said Garin.
"They also feel that they will not have
very much in common with Sikhs."
Garin, whose current clients include
the World Bank, Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation and the Harvard University,
heads the Hart Research Associates, one
of the leading survey firms in the US.
The firm conducted a six-month long nationwide polling and focus group study
to understand how Sikhs are perceived in

Search on for missing good Samaritan

Indian techie in Texas

America and what strategies would be

helpful to change perceptions.
The report lists specific messaging
techniques which Sikhs could use in their
media strategies resonating with American public.
Garin said the survey showed that 6 out
10 Americans acknowledge that they
know nothing at all about Sikhs and
Sikhism."
"Better educated Americans are likely
to come in contact with Sikhs," he said.
"Younger Americans are likely to have
some information about Sikhs."
Judy Chu, founder and vice chair of the
Congressional American Sikh Caucus,
called it "a very significant report about
the American perceptions of the Sikh
community."
John Garamendi, co-chair of the Sikh
Caucus, said, "It's extremely important
that the people of the United States and
beyond learn and understand the multiple
cultures that we have in the United
States."
Dr. Rajwant Singh, senior advisor to
NSC, said the NSC plans to start a media
ad campaign based specifically on this
study and the various intricate details input collected from common Americans.

S authorities continue to search

for a good Samaritan Indian
American techie who was helping
a crash victim when an alleged drunk driver possibly sent him over a bridge and into
a river in Texas.
Puneet Nehra, 43, a resident of Sugarland suburb and originally from Noida,
Uttar Pradesh, went missing after an accident shortly after 9 p.m. on Sunday on the
Grand Parkway northbound on the Brazos
river in Fort Bend county.
Texas EquuSearch, the Fort Bend county sheriff's office and local fire departments are searching the river by boat and
helicopter, Click2Houston.com reported.
Tim Miller with Texas Equusearch said
high water levels and debris in the water
were making the search more difficult.
"The Brazos river is unforgiving, down
there where he went in, it goes anywhere
from 25 to 48 feet," he was quoted as saying. Police believe that Nehra, who had
stopped to assist with an accident on the
bridge may have gone over the bridge and
into the river when an intoxicated driver
crashed into the original scene, the news

site said. "We didn't realise that it had happened until it was time to clear the scene
and we had one more vehicle than we had
drivers, and that's when the deputies had to
reassess what happened and figure out
where he might be," Maj. Chad Norvell,
with the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office
was quoted as saying.
A family friend told KPRC 2 News that
Nehra was on his way back home after
picking up dinner for his family when he
encountered the crash.
Investigators said the suspected drunk
driver, Gregory Kure, of Needville, was
arrested. Kure, 30, is charged with driving
under the influence.
"If you can envision a sweet and pure
soul, willing to help anyone in need, who
would open his heart to anyone he saw,
that's Mr. Nehra," a close family friend
Anjali Bakshi-Rami told the news site.
Nehra's wife and two young children are
having a difficult time with this, hoping
and praying for the best and asking anyone
with information about what happened at
the crash site to contact the police, she
said.

Woman gas station attendant killed

in robbery attempt
n Indian-origin woman gas station attendant in South Carolina, who was shot in the face
and left in a critical condition, has died
two days after the robbery attempt, according to media reports.
Mradulaben Patel died on Saturday
morning after being shot at a gas station
along Highway 153 on Thursday, the
local News 13 reported citing the An-

derson County Coroner's Office.

Police have not said if the suspect in
the shooting has been apprehended.
Surveillance footage showed the suspect, moments before, asking for cigars
and then shooting Patel.
Investigators cited by FOX Carolina
said they believe the man in the video
shot Patel during an attempted
robbery.

US AFFAIRS

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Pamela Geller on Texas Shooting:

'There Is A War On Free Speech'
New York: Two gunmen were
shot dead Sunday night at free
speech event in Texas where a
"Draw Mohammed" contest was
a central focus of the conference.
Pamela Geller, the organizer
of the event, reacted to the
shooting by telling Fox News,
"Clearly what happened is
indicative of how very vital this
conference was needed. The
idea that there is a violent war;
there is a violent assault on freedom of speech, clearly was
brought home last night.
When Geller was asked if
there was a concern whether she
would have another Charlie
Hebdo like situation on her
hands, she replied, "We entered
a new era last night because
this wasnt Paris. This
wasnt Copenhagen. This was
Texas."
Geller concluded by saying,
We will not abridge our freedom of speech in order to not
offend savages."
Meanwhile, ISIS has allegedly
issued a threat that it wants to
lop the head off Geller, who
they call a Muslim-hater. And

Pamela Geller

the NYPD is taking the terror

threat seriously.
We have been in touch with
Pamela
Geller,
police
spokesman Stephen Davis told
The Daily News. People known
to be associated with ISIS have
posted a direct threat to her. To
whatever extent she will be in
New York City, we will do a
comprehensive threat assessment to determine what, if any
measures, to take.
Geller, a right-wing blogger
who has been fanning flames
since at least 2010, when she
financed ads attacking a planned
Islamic Community Center near
the the 9/11 site, has been the
target of threats before.

May 9-15, 2015

Obama launches My Brothers Keeper Alliance

to help young men of color
New York: President Obama on Monday announced the
formation of a corporate-backed nonprofit organization
to help boys and young men of color, describing it as a
group that will outlast his presidency and advance his
administrations goal of achieving greater racial and
social justice.
The organization will focus on improving early childhood education, keeping black and Latino boys out of the
criminal justice system, and on preparing young men to
be more successful when entering the workforce, he said.
Speaking a week after riots scarred Baltimore, Obama
said decades of disadvantage had sowed discontent in
minority communities. Righting those conditions, he
said, will take a sustained effort far exceeding the 20
months he has left in office.
These kids are all our kids. We will profit by or pay
for whatever they become, Obama said. This will
remain a mission for me and for [first lady Michelle
Obama], not just for the rest of my presidency, but for the
rest of my life.
The organization, My Brothers Keeper Alliance, follows a public-private partnership by almost the same
name that Obama has used to attract more than $300 million in donations over the past year. That group, he said,
has studied key points in the lives of young black men at
which greater engagement could make the biggest difference. Thats where the alliance will focus, he said.
On Monday, the White House announced a lengthy list
of corporate donors, including the chief executives of
Sams Club, Deloitte Consulting, PepsiCo and Sprint,
who would be founding members of the board and had
committed $80 million in in-kind and financial dona-

President Obama at the launch of the

initiative in NYC.

tions to get the alliance off the ground.

Also in attendance on Monday were the boards honorary chairman, singer John Legend, and board member
and former NBA star Alonzo Mourning.
The launching of the alliance comes as questions continue to mount over whether contributions to the foundation created by former president Bill Clinton and Hillary
Rodham Clinton, front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, influenced her work and advocacy
efforts as secretary of state.
Regardless, My Brothers Keeper Alliance seems certain to play a large part in Obamas life after the White
House.
Standing on a stage at a mostly minority college in the
Bronx on Monday, Obama repeated a call he made last
week for national soul searching on the issues of racial
and social justice after the death of Freddie Gray in
Baltimore.

Three more aspirants for Republican presidential candidature

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, reputed neurosurgeon Dr Ben Carson,

and former CEO of Hewlett-Packard Carly Fiorina.

Washington: The Republican bid for the 2016

US presidential election is getting crowded as
three new contestants Dr Ben Carson, business executive Carly Fiorina and former
Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee threw
their hat in the ring.
Reputed neurosurgeon Ben Carson became
the first African American to join the
Republican candidature race on Monday. He
made official announcement in his native city
of Detroit. ,
Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard
(HP) also confirmed her candidature with a
video and later interacted with citizens on
social networking sites. She is the first
Republican female aspirant for the presidential
post.
In 2010, she lost the election to the US
Senate, defeated by the Democrat Barbara
Boxer in California.
Baptist minister and television personality
Huckabee on Tuesday became the sixth conservative hopeful to launch a campaign for the
White House, announcing it to hundreds of
supporters at the University of Arkansas

Community College.
Huckabee contested the 2008 Republican
presidential primaries, during which he won
the Iowa caucuses. That win demonstrated his
strong connection with the rural Evangelical
electorate, but he lost momentum while trying
to win over the electorate's most moderate section.The three new candidates join Republican
senators Rand Paul (Kentucky), Ted Cruz
(Texas) and Marco Rubio (Florida) in the bid
to secure their party's presidential candidature.
While analysts see slim chances for any of
the three, their participation reflects the diversity of proposals in the Republican primaries
in the race for the White House.
Heavyweight conservatives, including former Florida governor Jeb Bush and current
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker are considered to be favorites, though they still have to
announce their candidature.
So far, the Democrats have come up with
only two candidates: former secretary of state,
Hillary Clinton, and independent Senator from
Vermont, Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed
Socialist.

Corporate Office: 385 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385

718.821.3182, www.AtlanticDialysis.com

10

US AFFAIRS

May 9-15, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

And he shall be called? Hillary may pose unique question to US

By Anirudh Bhattacharyya
f Hillary Clinton becomes the
nominee of the Democratic
Party to contest the 2016 presidential election (very likely) and
wins the November election (she
could), it will be a culmination of
the cult of the American First Lady.
If shes sworn in in January 2017,
that will have been in the making
for over 240 years, or since Martha
Washington occupied a presidential
mansion in Philadelphia (before the
city named after her husband,
George, was built, or obviously, the
White House) and was referred to
by visitors as our Lady
Presidentess.
She was the first of a long line of
first ladies to charm the public,
even if it chafed at their husbands.
Abraham Lincoln depended on
Mary Todd, John F Kennedys wife
Jackie occupied a starry space of
her own, and Ronald Reagans
decisions were often predicated on
what Nancys astrologer predicted.
The current incumbent, Barack
Obamas policies may have fewer
fans than those that fawn over
Michelles new do. In fact, this
FLOTUS, or First Lady of the
United States, has, like other recent

The critical issue facing the American populace will be what to

call the spouse of a woman president. First Gentleman gets
acronymed into the ugly FGOTUS.

predecessors, her own apparatus

including an efficient media operation.
For instance, a recent White
House schedule pointed to Michelle
Obama selecting the china for the
state dinner honoring the visiting
Japanese prime minister, which
may have been apt since that subject was certainly on the table during official talks. If she were to opt
for politics post-2016, she could
probably walk into any office.
Like much that is American, like

urban race riots, this may appear

alien to an Indian. After all, since
the time of Kamala Nehru, the first
spouse has been as significant in
the countrys discourse as Kumar
Gauravs second film. That may
have changed somewhat with Rajiv
Gandhi because of the apparent origin sin, but his successors ensured
the tradition of spousal anonymity
remained a mark of our democracy.
Try naming the wives of VP
Singh, Chandra Shekhar, HD Deve
Gowda, IK Gujral or even

Baltimore mayor asks Justice

Department to probe police practices
Washington: Baltimore
sustained in police custody.
Mayor Stephanie RawlingsA state prosecutor on
Blake has asked the US
Friday announced criminal
Justice Department to concharges against all the six
duct a civil rights investigaBaltimore police officers
tion into the city police
involved in Gray's death, a
practices after the death of
prompt move seen by many
25-year-old
Africanas to defuse tension in the
American man Freddie
city.
Gray thrusted the city into
Maryland Governor Larry
the vortex of a heated
Hogan on Wednesday
national debate over police
announced that he has lifted
brutality in minority neighthe state of emergency in
borhoods.
Baltimore.
"Such an investigation is
Meanwhile, a statement by
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie
essential if we are to build
the Justice Department on
Rawlings-Blake
on the foundation of
Wednesday said that that the
reform," Rawlings-Blake said during a press attorney-general was "actively considering"
conference on Wednesday, adding that mayor Rawlings-Blake's request for federal
despite efforts of the city government to probe. The Justice Department was conductreform the city police department, "more ing an independent investigation into Gray's
needs to be done".
death, the department said last month.
"I believe that we need the assistance of
According to an investigation report by the
the Department of Justice and the civil rights Baltimore Sun newspaper, last September,
investigation to shore up that foundation (of the city of Baltimore shelled out about $5.7
trust), which is weak right now in this city," million since 2011 over lawsuits claiming
she said, adding that she had already solicit- that police officers "brazenly beat up alleged
ed from the new Attorney General Loretta suspects".
Lynch during their Tuesday meeting in
"Victims include a 15-year-old boy riding
Baltimore a federal probe into whether there a dirt bike, a 26-year-old pregnant accountis "a pattern or practice" of civil rights viola- ant who had witnessed a beating, a 50-yeartion in policing.
old woman selling church raffle tickets, a
The city of Baltimore has witnessed wide- 65-year-old church deacon rolling a cigaspread protests, sometimes uncontrolled rette and an 87-year-old grandmother aiding
ones, in the past two weeks due to the death her wounded grandson," the newspaper
of Gray, who died of a spinal cord injury reported.

Manmohan Singh. PV Narasimha

Rao came into office a widower,
AB Vajpayee a bachelor, and our
current incumbents relationship
status is only acknowledged on an
election affidavit, where such a
mention was mandatory.
The critical issue facing the
American populace will be what to
call the spouse of a woman president. First Gentleman gets
acronymed into the ugly FGOTUS.
Theres no magic in that. Or in a
double-downer like POTUS-FGOTUS since in this case the
spouse would also be a former president that sounds too much like
hocus pocus, and may remind too
many of the Clintons habit of magical thinking.
Sarah Palin, as governor of
Alaska, had her husband described
as the First Dude. But in these
times of government cutbacks, an E
could be dropped, making things
awkward. Bill Clinton, in one interview, tossed out Adam as an option,
referring to the Biblical First Man.
Or, alternatively, in 2008, he said
his Scottish friends had suggested
First Laddie. Either way he will
be First Something. Of course, that
time, Obama rained on Hillarys
reign-to-be.

From her legacy as secretary of

state of a West Asian wasteland,
to a grand deletion of emails, and
questionable donors to the Clinton
Foundation, from Saudis to
Russians to Sant Chatwal - it could
be 2008 again if a viable competitor
emerges, asking whether those
quids came with a pro quo. She carries more baggage than an overburdened porter at New Delhi Railway
Station.
The Clintons are American royalty, worth over $100 million. Still,
Hillary has been belting out this
refrain, without any sense of irony:
The deck is still stacked in favor
of those at the top, and we need to
shuffle the cards. We need to play a
different hand. Meanwhile, it may
just be that the jokers are in another
pack.
The Republican field, as currently
constructed, points to the former
first lady moving into the Oval
Office. Her status as a former FLOTUS has carried her this far and
thus far, and possibly further, it has
worked for her.
(Anirudh Bhattacharyya is a
Toronto-based commentator on
American affairs. The views
expressed by the author are
personal)

Elizabeth Warren, Myor de Blasio lay out plan to

Revive the American Dream
Washington: In an op-ed piece for the
Washington Post, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (DMA) and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio (D)
discuss the so-called American Dream,
wealth inequality, and cronyism that
works only for those at the top.
Warren and de Blasio wrote,
Across generations, Americans shared
the belief that hard work would bring opportunity and a better life. America wasnt perfect, but we invested in our kids and put in
place policies to build a strong middle class.
We dont do that anymore, and the result
is clear: The rich get richer, while everyone
else falls behind. The game is rigged, and
the people who rigged it want it to stay that
way. They claim that if we act to improve
the economic well-being of hard-working
Americans whether by increasing the
minimum wage, reining in lawbreakers on
Wall Street or doing practically anything
else we will threaten economic growth.
Theyre wrong, the pair added, noting
that those in powers thinking is backwards. A growing body of research

including work done by Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and the
Roosevelt Institute, said the senator and
mayor, shows clearly that an increasing disparity between rich and poor, cronyism and
an economic system that works only for
those at the top are bad for the middle class
and bad for our economy.
They then lay out a plan to fix Americas
middle class and economy as a whole, which
includes raising the minimum wage,
strengthening unions collective bargaining
powers, passing equal pay legislation, a paid
family leave requirement, repairing the
flawed student loan system, focusing on
technological research and innovation,
fixing our crumbling infrastructure, passing
trade policies that benefit American workers, strengthening Social Security, and
reforming the tax code to end tax breaks to
billionaires and their corporations.
Rebuilding our middle class wont be easy,
but real change rarely is, Warren and de
Blasio concluded. Its time to be bold. The
American Dream depends on it.

Obama picks Marine general

as Joint Chiefs chairman
President Barack Obama on Tuesday
nominated Marine General Joseph Dunford as
the next chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of
Staff, a strategic thinker who played a major
role in ending the US combat operations in
Afghanistan.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

INDIA

Modi set for China, Mongolia,

South Korea visit
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi took to Twitter to
say he was looking forward to his
upcoming visit to China, Mongolia
and South Korea, with some of his
tweets in the respective language
scripts.
Modi will embark on a threenation official visit to China,
Mongolia and South Korea on May
14-19. He will be in China May
14-16, Mongolia on May 17 and
South Korea on May 18-19.
The prime minister, who is active
on social media, also joined
Chinese microblogging website
Sina Weibo two days ago.
"Looking forward to visiting
China from 14-16 May to boost
friendship between our 2 ancient
civilizations & 2 largest developing
nations. In China I will visit Xi'an,
Beijing and Shanghai. I eagerly
await productive discussions with
President Xi Jinping & Premier Li
Keqiang," Modi tweeted.
"Honoured that Mr. Xi Jinping
invited me to Xi'an in his home
province & a land associated with
Xuan Zang, who visited India," he
said.
"I am confident my visit will lay
the foundation for further enhancing economic co-operation with
China in a wide range of sectors. I
also look forward to meeting the

India's continued support

in all areas to Mongolia,"
he said.
Modi will be the first
Indian prime minister to
visit Mongolia.
On his visit to Seoul, he
tweeted: "Hello to my
friends in the Republic of
Korea. I will be visiting
this beautiful land of the
morning calm once
again, on 18th & 19th
Naremdra Modi will embark on a three- May."
nation official visit to China, Mongolia
"South Korea is a very
and South Korea on May 14-19.
important pillar of our
Act East Policy. We are
captains of industry in Shanghai &
sharing with them the wonderful committed to maximising engagement with the Asia Pacific Region.
opportunities India has to offer."
Modi said he was certain that his I look forward to meeting President
visit to China "will strengthen sta- Park Geun-hye. I warmly recall my
bility, progress and prosperity in meeting with her in Myanmar in
Asia". On his trip to Mongolia, he November last year."
"Trade & Investment relations
tweeted: "Glad to visit Mongolia
on 17th May to commemorate 60th are at the core of our bilateral
year of our diplomatic relations engagement. Korea was 1st OECD
and the silver jubilee of Mongolia's country with which India signed a
CEPA. We look forward to hardemocracy."
"Democracy and Buddhism bind nessing Korean capabilities &
India with Mongolia - our spiritual investments in infrastructure, manfriend. Looking forward to more ufacturing, ship building, energy,
trade and investment ties with defence production.
"India-Korea ties will be given a
Mongolia.
"Honored to get the opportunity new energy and priority. Korea will
to address the Great Khural (parlia- always be a special partner in our
ment) on 17th May. I reassure development journey."

May 9-15, 2015

11

A Year in Power: BJP plans to

counter opposition onslaught
New Delhi: In a move to counter
opposition parties' attack against
the Modi government, the
Bharatiya Janata Party is planning
a major outreach program involving its ministers and members of
parliament.
According to party insiders,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
directed all his ministers and BJP
parliamentarians to visit their Lok
Sabha constituencies and adopted
villages, soon after the budget session of parliament ends on May 8.
The National Democratic Alliance
government completes its first year
in office on May 26.
BJP's South Delhi MP Ramesh
Bidhri told IANS: "We have been
asked to visit our constituencies
after the budget session. Congress
vice president Rahul Gandhi has
been spreading misinformation
against the government and we will
aim to counter this."
He said each MP will go to his or
her constituency and apprise the
people of the pro-poor steps taken
by the government. "A Jan
Sampark Abhiyan - a campaign to
contact people - will be carried out
to inform the people as to how misleading Rahul Gandhi's propoganda has been," he said.
The ministers have also been
asked to spend at least one day
between May 12 and 30 in the village each has adopted under the

government's Sansad Adarsh Gram

Yojna (SAGY), a party official
who did not want to be identified
said.
Modi too is expected to visit his
adopted village, Jayapur, in his
Lok Sabha constituency of
Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, possibly
on May 26.
This would be his second visit to
the village as prime minister, party
sources said.
The decision to start this campaign has been taken following the
opposition's attack on the government, and its bid to paint the government as anti-poor and pro-corporate, the source said.
Rahul Gandhi, who has struck an
aggressive stance after returning
from a two-month long sabbatical,
has apparently been able to make a
dent in the image of the Modi government, calling it a "suit-boot
sarkar", feel some party insiders.
During the stay in their constituencies or adopted villages, BJP
MPs and ministers have been asked
to talk about all the programmes
that have been launched by the
Modi government to help the poor.
Added to this will be the three
social security schemes that Modi
is scheduled to launch on May 9 in
Kolkata. These include Pradhan
Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna,
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima
Yojna and Atal Pension Yojna.

Pranab Mukherjee to visit Russia Sonia launches fiercest attack on Modi government
9) to commemorate
Russia's victory in the
Second World War,
Foreign Secretary S.
Jaishankar told media
persons here.
On the occasion, a
75-member Indian
Army contingent from
the Grenadiers, an
infantry regiment, will
take part in a military
parade in Moscow.
Mukherjee, who will
be accompanied by
union minister Manoj
Sinha on this trip, will
hold bilateral talks with
his Russian counterpart
Vladimir Putin and will
meet top officials of
Russian universities
along with a delegation
President Pranab Mukherjee.
of vice chancellors of
important Indian uniNew Delhi: President Pranab
Mukherjee will embark on a five- versities, who will also be travelday state visit to Russia on May 7, ing with him.
During the presidential visit,
the external affairs ministry said.
On his first official visit as pres- India will conclude nine agreeident, Mukherjee will participate ments with Russia in science and
in the celebrations of the 70th technology as well as higher
anniversary of Victory Day (May education.

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi launched

her fiercest attack yet on Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, accusing his government of promoting crony capitalists and displaying "obstinate arrogance",
"hypocrisy" and of running the "most centralized government". After first taking on the government in parliament over vacant constitutional posts, Gandhi later
denounced the Modi government in no uncertain terms
while addressing her party MPs.
"I bring to attention the deplorable lapse of the government in appointing a Chief Information
Commissioner," Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha during
zero hour. "This post has been lying vacant for the last
eight months. The posts of the three information commissioners of the Central Information Commission have
also been lying vacant," she said.
A combative Gandhi, who had moved an adjournment
motion over the issue, said: "The prime minister made
many promises to the people on transparency and good
governance and continues to do so."
She said the government's aim was to shield itself
from public scrutiny.
Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office,
Jitendra Singh, said the CVC's post was vacant as the
Supreme Court was overseeing the matter. A panel was
close to shortlisting names for the post, he added.
Unhappy with his reply, Congress members walked out
of the house.
In her speech before Congress MPs, Gandhi went several steps further, saying the Modi government had poisoned the political discourse, was "anti-farmer" and
"arrogant" and "a government of some people, by one
person, for a select few". Modi, she said, had very little
to showcase after one year in office.
"Behind the smokescreen of 'development', the gov-

Sonia Gandhi with Rahul Gandhi.

ernment is providing 'achche din' only for crony capitalists. Under the pretext of 'Make in India', the government is planning to dilute the rights and interests of
workers and laborers. Do they make nothing in India?"
Gandhi asked.
In a personal attack on Modi, Gandhi accused him of
playing domestic politics on foreign soil, citing his criticism of the previous Congress-led UPA government and
then prime minister Manmohan Singh in France.

12

INDIA

May 9-15, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

India one of world's fastest growing economies: IMF

Washington: India's growth rate
is expected to rise to 7.5 percent
this year and next, making it one
of the fastest growing economies
in the world, according to the
IMF's latest economic health
check.
The other Asian giant China's
economy is slowing to a more sustainable pace - 6.8 percent GDP
growth in 2015, and 6.3 percent in
2016,
according
to
the
International Monetary Fund's
Regional Economic Outlook for
Asia and the Pacific.
Growth in Asia and the Pacific
will continue to outperform the
rest of the world, and is expected
to remain steady at 5.6 percent in
2015, easing slightly to 5.5 percent in 2016, said the report

released Thursday. Growth will be

driven by domestic demand,
underpinned by healthy labour
markets, low interest rates, and the
recent fall in oil prices.
The global recovery, while moderate and uneven, will continue to
support Asia's exports, says the
report.
The IMF's Regional Economic
Outlook calls for a strong push for
structural reforms across most, if
not all, economies in the region.
The report notes that in addition
to boosting productive capacity,
structural reforms can help rebalance growth toward consumption,
which remains a priority for some
major Asian economies.
Major reform areas include
measures to address supply-bottle-

Growth in Asia and the Pacific will continue to

outperform the rest of the world.

SC suspends defamation
suit against Rahul

necks in India, state-owned enterprises, and financial liberalisation

in China, and initiatives to raise
services productivity, and labour
force participation in Japan.
Maintaining flexible fiscal and
monetary policies to effectively
manage aggregate demand will
remain important in the future, say
the report's authors.
The report noted that lower oil
prices have provided an opportunity to undertake further fiscal
reforms aimed at lowering energy
subsidies, and measures have been
taken in a number of countries,
including India, Malaysia, and
Indonesia.
Financial and macro-prudential
policies should continue to
address financial sector risks.

Rahul Gandhi debuts on Twitter

New Delhi: Congress Vice
President Rahul Gandhi has made
his debut on micro blogging site
Twitter.
The handle of his official account
is "@OfficeOfRG".
"Watch this space for informa-

tion and updates on Rahul

Gandhi's official programs and
upcoming events," one of the initial tweets from the handle read.
The handle, which was verified
within 24 hours, got more than
27,000 followers as of 3 p.m. on

Thursday. It follows only three

accounts -- all related to
Congress.
Among the most followed
Congress leaders on Twitter are
Shashi Tharoor, Digvijay Singh
and Manish Tewari.

Alarming rise of heroin smuggling from Pak into Rajasthan

By Prakash Bhandari

Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: The Supreme Court

has suspended criminal defamation suit against Congress vice
president Rahul Gandhi for his
speech about the RSS and the
assassination of Mahatma Gandhi
during elections last year.
While putting on hold the trial
court
proceedings
in
Maharashtra, the apex court
bench of Justice Dipak Misra and
Justice Prafulla C. Pant also
issued notice for Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)
activist Rajesh Kunte.
Kunte initiated the criminal

defamation proceedings against

the Congress vice president.
Besides Kunte, the notice has
also been issued to the central and
Maharashtra governments.
The court gave the Centre,
Maharashtra government and the
RSS activist four weeks to file
their replies and another two
weeks to Rahul Gandhi to file his
rejoinder. Fixing the next date of
hearing on July 8, the court also
made it clear that in the event of
any failure to file response to
Gandhi's petition, the date of final
hearing will not be changed.

Rajnath assures Rahul of 'no revengeful politics'

New Delhi: In the light of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi
expressing concern over the scrapping of a proposed food park in
his constituency Amethi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said there
is "no question of revengeful politics".
"There is no question of revengeful politics. I also hail from a
farmer's family ... as far as my information (goes), may be the
company has refused (to build) it," Singh said in the Lok Sabha,
adding that he will "personally inform" him (Rahul) about it.
"We want to develop the country and the ruling party can't do it
alone," the minister said.

manage to sneak inside the

Indian territory and hide the conJaipur: The recent rise in smug- signment at the hideouts of their
gling of heroin at the internation- Indian counterparts and return
al border in Rajasthan has sent home safely.
alarming signals to the security
The recent haul of nine kg of
forces. The smuggling of heroin heroin worth Rs 45 crore by the
and other contraband from Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) has
Pakistan dropped considerably revealed the network of the
after the fencing of borders and smugglers and exposed laxity of
also floodlighting of the interna- the Border Security Force (BSF).
tional border.
In the seizure at Randhwa hamlet
But the high consumption of in Thar desert under Jhinjhiyali
heroin in Punjab and steep rise in police station, 14 bottles ware
prices in international drug mar- recovered carrying 6 kgs of heroket has seen a spurt in smuggling in. Another 3 kg was recovered
of the deadly stuff from Pakistan. in another village.
The smugglers from Pakistan
After the arrest of the smug-

glers, the police submitted a

chargesheet in the court in which
serious questions were raised on
the security system at the border.
The 500-page chargesheet said
that the Pakistani smuggler
Roshan Khan Nohadi entered
India by crossing the fenced border four times bringing along
heroin, fake currency and 14 pistol cartridges. The consignment
in India was received by one
Nawab Khan, also known as
Nabia of Barmer.
Several other smugglers mostly belonging to the minority
community also received the
consignments.

Kerala athlete dies after eating poisonous fruit, 3 serious

Alappuzha (Kerala): A young
girl athlete died and three others
were in a serious condition after
they consumed poisonous fruit
here, police said.
All these sportspersons were
inmates at the Sports Authority
of India (SAI) water sports center at Vembanad lake,
Alappuzha district police superintendent Suresh Kumar said.
"They were all brought in a
serious condition to the
Alappuzha Medical college hospital, yesterday (Wednesday)
night after they consumed a poisonous fruit found commonly in
the state," he said.
"One of them, Aparna, passed
away early Thursday, while the

three others have been put in the

intensive care unit of the hospital and doctors attending on
them have said that nothing can
be said of the condition now,"
Kumar added.
All of them are athletes in
canoeing and kayaking. One of
the girls in serious condition had
won a gold medalist at the
recently-held 35th National
Games here.
Sources told IANS that the
girls had drank beer and this
was brought to the notice of the
authorities. They had admonished these girls for it.
Unhappy at being scolded by
the authorities, these girls consumed the poisonous fruit.

Sports minister Sarbananda

Sonowal expressed his condolences and assured help to the
bereaved family.
I am deeply aggrieved by the
incident that has happened in
Kerala. I convey my condolences to the bereaved family.
We will give all possible help
to the bereaved family,"
Sonowal said in a statement on
Thursday.
Sonowal also said that he has
directed the Sports Authority of
India director general Injeti
Srinivas to ensure that the
athletes receive adequate treatment and provide a factual
report of the incident by visiting
the spot.

OP-ED

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

May 9-15, 2015

13

American Philanthropy: A Symbol of American Exceptionalism

By Chandra K. Mittal, Ph.D.
ecent announcement by
Tim Cook, the CEO of
Apple Computers, Inc. that
he will donate his entire wealth of
about $750 Million for charity,
reaffirmed yet again the American
exceptionalism of volunteer giving back to society, indeed to the
global society. In making such
pledge Mr. Cook joins the rank of
global philanthropists like Bill
Gates, Warren Buffett, Larry
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
Ellison and many other Americans
Computers,
has joined the rank
who are sharing their wealth for
of
global
philanthropists
like
charitable causes.
Bill Gates, Warren Buffett,
Such charitable giving reinLarry Ellison
forces the truth that capitalism and
market economy are not evil but for control and eradication of disindeed the source for human good ease epidemics, natural disasters,
in many ways despite the critics war-torn areas, refugees relief,
and skeptics who perpetuate the protection and empowerment of
myth that capitalism is only about women, prevention of children
taking rather than giving.
exploitation, abolition of poverty,
One does not have to go too far etc.
or dig too deep to find American
Not many countries can match
wealth working for charitable pur- the US in contributing to global
poses around the world. In many charity. In 2013, the year for which
instances, the private charities like latest data is available, Americans
the Bill and Melinda Gates gave $ 335 Billion in charity, an
Foundation, the Ford Foundation, impressive sum of money despite
etc. work for human welfare side that country experienced a severe
by side the United Nations or the recession between 2008 and 2010
US government-funded programs with higher unemployment. Per

Giving USA 2012, the largest

source of charitable giving came
from individuals at $241.32 billion, or 72% of total giving; followed by foundations ($50.28 billion/15%), bequests ($26.81 billion/8%), and corporations ($16.76
billion/5%).
American charity giving is not
confined to only Millionaires and
Billionaires. It does percolate to all
sections of the society. At individual level Americans are instinctively generous when it comes to
giving for charitable worldwide for
worthy causes. In 2013 with median household income of $ 52,250
about 95.4% of American households made individual voluntary
contribution of about $3,000 to
hundreds of charities around the
world. Such contributions turn out
to be about 6% of their yearly
incomes. This is in addition to paying income taxes, real estate taxes,
sales tax, etc. to the government
coffers which also pays for many
welfare programs in society.
The skeptics with socialistic
leanings, however, argue that governments should play the dominant
role in welfare programs for its citizens and it should not be left to
the voluntary giving of private
citizens. They feel that govern-

ments should levy heavy taxation

on the wealth creators to collect
more revenue to fund these services.
This may be relevant to some
selected segments such as civil
infrastructure, defense etc., but this
model has universally failed to
meet its promise in most government-provided social services programs as these are generally inefficient, ineffective and ridden with
corruption. In contrast, the welfare
programs sponsored and executed
by the private individuals and
foundations run more efficiently
and effectively and bring actual
relief to the needy.
Economics is a man-made
(social) science that deals with
production, distribution and consumption of goods and services in
human society.
Depending on how these components are controlled, make it a
capitalistic (private ownership) or
socialistic (public ownership)
model of economics. While the
overall wealth may be collectively
owned by the nation, the history
has shown that private ownership
and control of resources creates
positive economic growth in a
society. These reasons convinced
the American founding fathers

having experienced the tyranny of

the British monarchy and feudalism to adopt the capitalistic economic system with private ownership rights for their new nation.
And this system has delivered on
its promise which is unmatched in
the world.
It is only the genius of the
American capitalistic system that
has created wealth which has also
found its way in supporting various charitable causes. Philanthropy
is only possible if people have the
opportunity to create private
wealth. As Ted Turner, the founder
of CNN, once said in his TV interview with Pier Morgan, you have
to have a Billion before you can
donate it. He was speaking in the
context of his pledge to give $1
Billion Dollars to the UN for charitable causes over the 10 year period.
As countries liberalize and adopt
market-based capitalistic economic model, the level of private philanthropy is likely to catch up in
the world as is being witnessed in
countries like India, Mexico, etc.
Dr. Chandra Mittal (drckmittal@yahoo.com) is Professor at
Houston Community College, and
Co-Founder of Indo-American
Association (IAA), Houston.

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.

OSAP Loans NOW available to Ontario applicants !!!

SEPT 2015

14

OP-ED

May 9-15, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Modi wields soft power to befriend Chinese

By Chaitanya Mallapur

head of his visit to China from

May 14 to 16 Indias social-media
friendly Prime Minister Narendra
Modi joined the Chinese social media platform Weibo to connect with Chinese citizens.
Sina Weibo is the largest Chinese microblogging site with over 140 million monthly
active users, and China, with 1.29 billion
subscribers, has more cellular phone users
than any other country. India has 960 million
subscribers.
With more than 12 million Twitter followers and 28 million Facebook page likes,
Modi is the second most followed political
leader on social media, after US President
Barack Obama (58 million Twitter followers
and 43 million Facebook page likes).
Political leaders globally are aware that
power comes from attraction, and have been
using it effectively through social media as a

to Nye. In other words, it is an attractive

power or the ability to attract that leads to
acquiescence.
Public diplomacy through social media is
an emerging modern day foreign policy tool,
largely influenced and guided as means of
projecting soft power.
Social media has come to the forefront as a
means of political activism around the world
in recent times.
Former Indonesian president Sushilo
Bambang Yudhoyono follows Obama and
Modi in the third position with more than 7
million Twitter followers.
Modi joined Instagram in November 2014,
and within hours of posting his first picture,
the account had nearly 38,000 followers. He
gathered more than 443,000 followers in less
than five months.
IndiaSpend has reported how Twitter influenced Indian politics, particularly the 2014
Lok Sabha elections, which saw a large
social media influence on voting.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Weibo:

Hello China! Looking Forward To Interacting With Chinese Friends.

means of soft-power, a term coined in 1990

by Joseph Nye, an American political scientist.

Soft-power is defined as getting others to

want the outcomes that you want co-opt
people rather than coerce them, according

Friends and foes mixed up:

Arab balance of power being shaped

"As flies to wanton boys are we to the

Gods; they kill us for their sport."
--King Lear

his could well be a powerful chorus,

the primeval cry from the Arab street
as the Americans erect a new balance
of power in West Asia now that the Iranians
have been brought into the game, creating
dread, promise, uncertainty.
For allies, or clients, the US will always be
around, up, above, guns ablaze when
required, to keep everyone in line, to keep the
balance. Also, regional powers, with the
capacity to buy arms, must now be encouraged to use these arms more frequently. Kids
must play with their toys otherwise how
would the supply chain be kept busy.
The US would now like to focus much
more on the bigger theme developing in the
Pacific, or on the "dangers" of Germans and
Russians cosying up.
This is the sort of conversion you might
expect in Arab Deewaniye or drawing rooms.
In Washington, folks have grown accustomed to Arab rage. Their considered priorities are more in line with what is emerging as
official policy. Myanmar, Cuba and Iran kept
outside the ball park serves no American purpose any longer. Engagement does. But for
regional players this is no minor alteration in
American policy. This is a tectonic shift.
Look at the consequential changes afoot in
Riyadh. Saudi Royalty which never conducted diplomacy above the sound of whispers
are today in battle albeit from the air in
Yemen. Syria was seen as Iran's (and
Russia's) opening onto the Mediterranean,
Yemen onto the Red Sea. They must block
both. At least be seen to have checked Iran.
Otherwise the GCC may bolt.
The US, playing umpire from the air, has
reserved the right to intervene to correct the
game against the Houthis in Yemen (never
mind if Al Qaeda is thereby helped), against

Saudi Royalty which never conducted diplomacy above the sound of whispers
are today in battle albeit from the air in Yemen.

Iraqi Shias and Iran in Tikrit (not necessarily

against ISIS), against Bashar al Assad and
Iran in Idlib, for Turkey which helps ISIS on
its border with Syria. Fair is foul and foul is
fair.
These are extremely complex set of adjustments. Place one point of the compass on
Riyadh and the rotating point will touch all
the locations listed above - except the military
regime in Cairo.
Gen. Abdel Fatttah el-Sisi is so beholden to
Saudi money that he must appear in Riyadh's
camp. The US meanwhile watches Egypt
with bifocals.
At the time of Sisi's coup, the US State
Department was persisting with support for
the Muslim Brotherhood government. It was
the Pentagon which, along with Israel and

Saudi Arabia, tipped the scales for Sisi. He is

a variation on the Hosni Mubarak theme. But
Hosni Mubarak lasted 30 years as president
when the US was a 24X7 presence in West
Asia. It provided a veneer to Mubarak's otherwise excruciatingly unpopular rule.
For remote control of Cairo, the US will
require a more broadbased, popular structure
in place. Something like the Muslim
Brotherhood. This cannot but be a source of
concern for Israel as well as Saudi Arabia.
Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt becomes a
source of great strength to its resourceful ideological kin in Gaza - the Hamas.
As for the Saudis, they have gone to town
about Iran and Shias being their sworn enemies. The truth of the matter is that much the
greater danger to the monarchy comes from

Political Islam reared in the ideology of the

Akhwanul Muslimeen or the Muslim
Brotherhood.
The existential crises the Saudi monarchy
faced, was not the Iranian revolution. That
was the Saudi trick to externalize an internal
problem. This internal crisis was the siege of
Mecca that year by Sunni Muslims opposed
to the notion of Monarchy.
Of course, a great deal of propaganda
against Otaybi was blamed on Iranian machinations.
This found traction in the media because
the fall of the Shah was an extremely demoralizing event for the West.
The air strikes on Yemen are being
explained in like fashion: because Shia Iran is
helping Shia Houthis.
Damascus, one would have thought, would
have been angry against Saudi action in
Yemen. This is not the mood in the Syrian
Foreign office. Foreign Minister Walid
Muallem's advisers are instead livid with Iran.
This is something of a surprise. The antiIran line picked up traction in Damascus for
two reasons: village of Jisr ul Shughur near
Idlib in Syria was captured by ISIS with support from Turkey. 100 Syrian troops were
encircled. This action took place after Turkish
Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan's recent visit
to Tehran.
True, Tehran blasted Saudi action in Yemen,
goes the line in Damascus. Fair enough. But
its silence on Turkish action inside Syria is
inexplicable in Damascus. Syrian pride is
hurt. After all the Syrian army's staying
power against the Syrian opposition, helped
from outside, added to Iran's clout which
came in handy in its nuclear negations in
Geneva.
(A senior commentator on diplomatic and
political affairs, Saeed Naqvi can be reached
on saeednaqvi@hotmail.com. The views
expressed are personal.)

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

FASHION

May 9-15, 2015

15

Sourcing some of the best emeralds, tanzanite and diamonds in the world, Takat designs
sparkle with good taste, refinement and sophistication, making them highly coveted by
celebrities who flaunt them on the red carpet and in TV shows. Last week, Takat held a
special viewing of its exquisite collection in New York
Coming from a traditional family
dealing in precious stones in India,
New York based Rayaz Ahmed has
crafted Takat into a glamorous brand
in America since year 2000.

By Jinal Shah
hat started as a small family business in Jaipur in India, Takat has
today grown into a global fine
jewelry brand. Celebrities such as Joan
Rivers, Minnie Driver, Gale Anne, Lily
Collins and Melissa Clair are just some of its
prominent discerning end users.
On April 29, Takat in New York organized
a special viewing of its exquisite collection.
Takat, which means strength in Hindustani,
was founded in 1955 in the Pink City by Haji
Nisar Ahmed Takat, descendant of an ancient
Indian family of precious stone craftsmen. In
1976, with the help of his sons Siraj Ahmed
and Rafeeq Ahmed, he set up a small office
for trading in the Jaipur from where they
started exhibiting at gems and jewelry trade
shows around the world. In 1996, the company opened their first trade office in Bangkok.
In the year 2000, Rayaz Ahmed, grandson of
the founder, opened the companys trade
office in New York City. In 2005, he established a studio for designing and creating
jewelry in the Big Apple.
The high quality colored stones for which
Rayaz Ahmed is known, brings wonderful
depth and beauty to every piece with combinations of emeralds, rubies, sapphires, tanzanite set off with a thick smattering of
sparkle from clusters of diamonds. Most of
the jewelry collection at the private viewing
included emeralds, tanzanite and pearls.
Takats designs featured stones that
demand attention simply by virtue of their
size, rarity and quality. One show-stopping
pendant at the showing stars a Columbian
emerald that weighs an astonishing 108.88
carats. The stone is set among 25.25 carats of
round marquis, and pear cut diamonds. The
chain supporting this exceptional pendent is
impressive as well with 47.02 carats of round
and marquis cut diamonds. The necklace
alone is worth $4.5 million.
Style expert Michael O'Connor, who
worked with the celebrities to coordinate
their red carpet looks, said, Takat uses some
of the best emeralds, tanzanite and diamonds
in the world.
O'Connor has curated a selection of oneof-a-kind jewelry pieces from Takat for
celebrities to borrow for the red carpet to
appearances in TV shows. He is responsible
for the Joan Rivers look at her last appearance in the Tonight Show, Minnie Drivers
look at the Golden Globe Awards 2014 and
many more Hollywood celebrities.
These (Takats) pieces are highly coveted

Actress Alexandra Malick at the Oscars

2012 wearing Takat ensemble.

Actress Chrishell Stause flaunted earrings by Takat at the 40th Annual

Daytime Emmy Awards in 2013.

by celebrities when they are in the spotlight

for the world to show they have good taste,
that they have refinement, they have sophistication to really work beautifully with
gowns because its not just the fashion, its
about the entire look, said OConnor.
The intricate designs in Takats collection
reflects Indian style. Our designs are heavily influenced by India and Indian heritage
where we belong. This is something we try to
do with every piece of jewelry we create,
said Rayaz adding, "what you see is the big
collection of my whole family."
OConnor added, Indian design is influencing fashion around the world these days.
Even if you see fashion runways of the major
designers, a lot of them are major influences
from India right from how paisley is
designed to the intricacies and the color mixtures not used before but we are starting to
see now. O'Connor also sees an overall fascination with colors and size as the current
trend in fashion. A couple of things are in
trend today and thats what makes these
pieces so important, he said adding, The
color in fashion. Years ago, you go to a runway show and everyone would be in either
black, white or beige, now you see a gamut
of colors. As a matter of fact emerald became
a pantheon of choice only last year. We see a
lot of color happening and therefore we are
seeing a lot of gemstones and jewelry. The
reason is that, no matter what the color is,
you are always going to want to make that
color pop by using the contrasting colors.
The other trend OConnor pointed that is
fast catching up is in size. Zippers, big
broad zippers they are showing longer
fringes, big bows everything is exaggerated so the proportion of the pieces need to be

Carrie Keagan, then host of Big

Morning Buzz Live on VH1, wore Takat
Couture Emerald Earrings to the Critics
Choice Awards 2013 in Los Angeles.
The late Joan Rivers sparkled in the
Takat emerald and diamond set
complete with ring.

exaggerated, it keeps up with the outfit, he

said. The collection at Takats New York
office also featured exquisite pearl necklace
and earrings. Its edgy design is redefining the
shimmery white gemstone which has long
been seen as both a preppy heirloom and
more mature to something that is young.
A lot of people think pearls is something
their grandmother wore. But pearls have a
beautiful story to them. Pearls are believed to
be tears of dragons in the rivers and at one
time only royalty could wear them. But when
you see the evolution of design, something
like this can see that pearls are young, they
are youthful and not what your grandmother
wore, added OConnor.
Takat is a member of professional gemstone and jewelry organizations in many
parts of the world. Rayaz Ahmed Takat has
served on the Board of Indian Diamond and
Color stone Association (IDCA) since 2010
and for 2013 was its Joint Secretary.
Besides New York, Takat has presence in
Dallas and Beverly Hills. email:
rtakat@takat.com, website: Takat.com.

All eyes on Takat Emerald & Diamond

Earring sported by Julie Gonzalo
playing Pamela Barnes Ewing in a
2013 episode of Dallas.

Oscar nominated British

actress Minnie
Driver
wearing an
emerald
earring from
Takat at
Golden Globes
2014.

16

ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD

May 9-15, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Salman jailed for five years, gets interim bail

ollywood superstar Salman Khan has
been sentenced to five years in jail for
a 2002 hit-and-run accident here that
left one man dead and four others injured.
The Bombay High Court, however, granted
interim bail for two days to Khan.
As Additional Sessions Judge D.W.
Deshpande, who earlier found him guilty on
all the charges, pronounced the sentence in a
packed courtroom here, the 49-year-old
Salman was in tears.
His sisters, Alvira and Arpita, tried to console him although they themselves were crying.
One of the highest paid actors in
Bollywood, Salman was sentenced for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, driving without valid licence and other charges.
The judge also held Salman guilty of rash
and negligent driving when he was behind
the wheel of his Land Cruiser that killed the
victim on a footpath in suburban Bandra in
September 2002.
Special Public Prosecutor Pradeep Gharat
said the court has found Salman guilty on all
counts.
Defence lawyer Shrikant Shivade, who
pleaded for a milder sentence keeping in
view the social services the actor was

Actor Salman Khan arrives at Mumbai sessions court.

involved in and his medical problems, is

expected to move the Bombay High Court.
Legal experts said the time was too short
for Salman's defence team as the court will

close for the annual summer vacation after

three days (from May 9) and reopen only on
June 7.
Filmmakers, musicians and actors

expressed solidarity with the mega star.

"We all know that Salman is excellent as
human who can't fight with destiny," said
Subhash Ghai, Bollywood producer and
director.
Actor-producer Riteish Deshmukh called
Salman one of the "finest people I have met
in this industry".
Actress Bipasha Basu added: "Salman is
the nicest human being in this business...
Deeply saddened."
Actress-producer Dia Mirza said: "He is
the man (who) saved my mother's life. That I
will never forget."
Actress Sonakshi Sinha, Salman's co-star in
"Dabangg", called the verdict "terrible
news". Director Kunal Kohli said he was
"heartbroken".
This is the third case of a high-profile
Bollywood actor going to jail in Mumbai.
In May 2013, actor Sanjay Dutt was convicted for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial
bombings and sentenced to five years in jail.
He is lodged in Pune's Yerwada Central Jail.
In March 2011, a Mumbai Sessions Court
sentenced actor Shiney Ahuja to seven years
for raping his domestic help in 2009. Since
April 2011, he is out on bail, pending a hearing of his appeal against the sentence.

Verdict came after 13 years: A Timeline

Charges against Salman:

Salman Khan in a

he verdict is out and

that leaves a pall of
uncertainty over the
fate of Salman Khan's film
projects worth a whopping
Rs.200 crore. But industry
experts say there's no
cause to worry.
"The High Court has
accepted his appeal," trade
expert Vinod Mirani told
IANS, adding that the
courts have of late become
"strict" and "stringent" in
judgments over car accident cases.
"The media has been
doing its own trial for
Salman for the past two
days, so the court can't be
lenient...," Mirani said.
Over the past few years,
trade experts agree,
Salman's films "Dabangg",
"Wanted",
"Ready",
"Bodyguard" or "Ek Tha
Tiger" have turned out to

aijaan.'
poster of 'Bajrangi Bh

be box office winners.

This year, the
actor has been
geared up for
m o v i e s
Bajrangi
Bhaijaan" and
"Prem Ratan
Dhan Payo",
which are nearing completion.
Both are muchanticipated projects
-- Kabir Khan's
Bajrangi Bhaijaan,
which also stars Kareena
Kapoor Khan, is about a
Brahmin girl and Muslim
boy;
while
Sooraj
Barjatya's "Prem Ratan
Dhan Payo" would see him
revisiting his popular cinema name 'Prem'.
The total cost of the two
films would be around
Rs.200 crore plus. So that

Salman
has Rs.200
crore riding
on him
is the amount riding on
him at present, industry
expert Amod Mehra said.
The actor, who will turn
50 later this year, is
believed to have stopped
accepting any new projects
till the verdict was pronounced.

Indian Penal Code: Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder)
which attracts upto 10 years in prison;
Section 279 (rash and negligent driving)
which stipulates six months jail; Sections
337 & 338 (causing hurt by act endangering life & causing grievous hurt) with punishment upto two years; Section 427
(causing damage to property) with maximum punishment of upto two years
Motor Vehicles Act: Sections 34, 181
(driving vehicle in contravention of rules)
and 185 (driving at great speed after consuming alcohol) with cancellation of driving license
Bombay Prohibition Act: Driving
under influence of alcohol with maximum
six months in jail
 April 20: Judge Deshpande sets date
May 6, 2015 for verdict
Defence counsel Shrikant Shivade
forcefully argues against prosecution
charges and closes arguments
 March 25: Special Public Prosecutor
Pradeep Gharat closed his case against
Salman after examining 27 witnesses during the re-trial
 April 2014: First witness Samba
Gowda deposes in the re-trial, which continues before the Sessions Court with regular hearings
 December 2013: Mumbai Sessions
Court orders a fresh trial against the actor
and recording of fresh evidence from all
witnesses who had also deposed before the
Metropolitan Magistrate court.
 July 23, 2013: Sessions court frames
charges against Salman invoking the
enhanced charge of culpable homicide not
amounting to murder

Actor Sohail Khan, brother of Salman

Khan, arrives at Mumbai
sessions court.


December 2012: Bandra
Metropolitan Magistrate Court rules that a
case has been made out under Sec. 304
and commits the trial to the Sessions Court
 March 2011: The prosecution seeks
enhanced charges against Salman
 May 2007: Chemical analysis report
suggested that Salman was drunk at the
time of the accident
 October 2006: Bandra Metropolitan
Magistrate Court frames charges against
the actor under Section 304 of the IPC and
other sections
 December 2003: In a breather for
Salman, Supreme Court rules that the
magistrate should, after perusal of all the
evidence, decide whether to invoke harsher sections of IPC
 October 21, 2002: The Bandra
police file charge-sheet, slapping Section
304 on Salman
 September 28, 2002: Around 2 a.m.
Salman Khan's Toyota Land Cruiser rams
into a roadside bakery in Bandra West,
close to his Galaxy Apartments seafront
home. Five people sleeping are injured,
one of whom later dies.

ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

anaji: Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap,

whose "Bombay Velvet" has been
granted an 'A' certificate by the
Central Board of Film Certification
(CBFC), says he will approach the
Revising Committee as he does not consider the period drama an "adult film".
"I will be sending the film to the
Revising Committee. I have faith in
them... It's not an adult film," Anurag,
who once had a run-in with the censor
board over the use of anti-smoking disclaimers, said.
He said three to four cuts have been
suggested by the CBFC for "Bombay
Velvet", a crime drama set in the 1960s.
Featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka
Sharma and Karan Johar in key roles, and
co-produced by Vikas Bahl and
Vikramaditya Motwane of Phantom
Films, along with Fox Star Studios, the
film is slated to release on May 15.
Kashyap is hopeful the Revising
Committee will ensure timely and right
certification for the film.

or from
Ranbir Kapo
vet.'
el
V
y
ba
'Bom

17

Kamal Haasan to don

khaki in his next

Kamal Hassan in a scene from 'Uttama Villain'

fter playing an ageing superstar in latest

Tamil outing "Uttama Villain", actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan will don khaki in his
yet-untitled upcoming Tamil-Telugu bilingual.
"Kamal will be seen as a police officer. It'll be a
stylish thriller that'll unfold in a single night. The film
will go on floors from the second or third week of
this month," a source from the film's unit said.
Trisha Krishnan has been finalized as the leading
lady, while Prakash Raj has also been roped in for an
important role.
The project will be helmed by Kamal's long-time
associate Rajesh.
Originally, the film was planned to be originally
shot in Mauritius. But now there seems to be change
of plans.
"The plan was to shoot in Mauritius. Kamal had
also finalized some locations on the island. But due to
some logistical issues, the team plans to shoot in
India," the source added.
Ghibran has been roped in as the composer. This
will be fourth time association with Haasan in a row.

Review

'Gabbar Is
Back' - Akshay
redefines
superhero
et's
g i v e
the drivel' its
due. Films about heroes who harangue
and punish the corrupt go back to the
time when Guru Dutt turned his back on
a hopeless humanity in "Pyaasa". Since
then, corruption has grown epidemic.
And so have films on the theme.
What sets "Gabbar is Back" apart in
the genre is its unabashedly massy tone.
Here is a film about a man who decides
to take charge of a social order on the
brink of anarchy when all the formal
faculties fail. He doesn't believe in reprimanding the corrupt. He believes in punishing them with death.
So, we have bribe-happy district collectors and other law enforcers hanging
limp on trees and hoardings.
Ouch!
Yup, this Gabbar means business. And
to the character's good fortune, he is
played by the very watchable Akshay
Kumar. For my money and time, Akshay
is by far the most complete star-actor
package among contemporary A-lister
heroes in Bollywood. The way in which
he delivers his lines on the rampancy of
corruption, his demeanour and his wry
detached disdain for the corrupt, are all
brought to the surface with a forceful
equilibrium constantly at play.
This is a star-actor at the pinnacle of
his power. Akshay exudes the kind of

May 9-15, 2015

A poster of 'Gabbar is Back'

understated confidence while delivering

lines about a corrupt-free nation, that
requires a lot of sang-froid, inner conviction and most important of all, an
audience that would believe in the hero's
convictions.
With due respect, none of the other Alister superstars of Bollywood have the
power to sway the masses with idealistic
rhetoric. It's in his eyes. Akshay makes
you sit up and listen without raising his
voice. To his good fortune, in
"Gabbar...", he gets lines about a
Swachh Bharat that are compelling
rather than corny. The lines flow with
furious passion without getting
swamped in a bombast. That's a nearmiraculous achievement in a film which
is designed as a high-octane melodrama
with every sequence punctuated by elaborate background acoustics (Sandeep
Chowta).
Thank God for Akshay Kumar. The
screenplay would otherwise have been
more of scream-play. The characters and
the twists and turns in the lot constantly

scream for attention. The exception

besides Akshay is Sunil Grover. Known
as the drag queen Gutthi on Kapil
Sharma's comedy show, Sunil playing a
low-rank police constable in a police station filled with officers who are more
bothered with the chutney for their
plates of samosa than the collapse of the
law and order and situation, epitomises
India's smothered voice of the conscience.
The women are sketchily portrayed.
Shruti Haasan bustles in and out playing
a lawyer who is busy delivering homilies
and babies on the streets rather than
fighting cases. Chitrangda pops up to do
an awful item song, best left edited out.
And Kareena Kapoor Khan, looking like
a zillion bucks (so what's new), sings a
romantic song with Akshay and perishes
in a clumsily staged building collapse.
Luckily, the film survives to tell a tale
that's as relevant today as it was when
Kamal Haasan, all dressed up in wizened prosthetics blew the lid off governmental corruption in "Hindustani".

Aamir Khan heartbroken

over rising toll in Nepal
week after Nepal faced a 7.9-magnitude
earthquake, the toll has crossed the 7,000
mark and made many heartbroken, including
Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan. The "Taare
Zameen Par" star, 50, has shown concern over the rising deaths in the quake-hit country and asked his followers on Twitter to "help the affected children" by
donating. I visited Nepal recently, and my heart
breaks with the rising death toll. Please
lets help the affected children
, Aamir, who took up the
role of social crusader with
his TV show "Satyamev
Jayate", tweeted.
The powerful April 25
earthquake has shaken
much of Nepal, leaving over 7,000 people
dead,
thousands
injured and millions displaced in
the Himalayan
nation.

18

May 9-15, 2015

MOTHERS DAY SPECIAL

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Some touching tributes to commemorate Mothers Day, May 10.

By Parveen Chopra

Loving me and Abracadabra

my everything. Sure, at times, we bicker and tease.

However, at the end of the day, I feel confident and secure,
knowing that through thick and thin, my mom has got my
back. I am most appreciative for her for all the little things
she does that, quite frankly, nobody would ever bother
doing for me. Thank you, mom, for making sure that I pack
tissues with my lunch every day because you know I can be
a messy eater. Thank you, mom, for allowing me to sing
24/7 around the house, because you know I can't live without the presence of music in my life. Thank you for staying
up with me those long nights with cups of warm, sugary
chai and bowls of cold, juicy, mango slices when I had
mounds of homework assignments to do and commitments
to fulfill. Above all, thank you for teaching me to never give
up on anything I am passionate about.
Simply put, thank you, mom, for everything.
-Shweta Lodha
Graduating senior at Herricks High School, New York

Love at first sight

A younger Akash with his mother, Mamta Mishra.

t age nine I begged my mother for a puppy. A lifelong vegetarian, and animal-lover-from-a-distance, my mother had never before lived with, let
alone raised a dog. Juggling running a charity, a home, and
my own academics and extracurriculars - my mom had
hardly enough time for a weekend movie. Yet after four
decades of no pets, it took her less than six months to agree
to my wish.
My sister Abracadabra, a long haired German pointer, is
now eight years old and has received more mothers love
and attention than anyone I know apart from myself and
thats only because I had a head start.
My mother not only lives for others, but also finds joy in
sacrifice. She has always been, and will continue to be, the
most impressive person I have ever known.
-Akash Mishra Ondaatje
Studying at McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Friend, guide and philosopher

Shweta with her mother, Dr Smita Lodha.

love my mother, my eccentric, brilliant, odd, hilarious,

charismatic mother. My mom is more than just a parent
to me. She's one of my best friends, my support team,
and my teacher. My mom is like rain for me, washing away
all of anxiety, and replacing it instead with unshakable
resilience. She's my sunshine, filling me with positivity and
second chances. She's my rock, making sure I always have
a shoulder to lean on through stormy weather. My mother is

Going to 11th grade at Maxfort School, New Delhi

hen you learn to speak, what is the first word you

utter? It's Maa! We have grown up in the arms of
our mothers. There is no love so lasting, so
strong, so disinterested, so unselfish, so devoted as that first
and purest of all loves, a mother's love. I believe in love at
first sight, why? Because I have been loving my mother
since I opened my eyes. The only child, I have been showered with love from her though she is a bit overprotective
towards me: "Dont lean over the railing, you may fall";
"Dont ride the bicycle that fast." It felt as if I was being
controlled by her .... later I got the point that all these
restrictions were there for my good, for my safety. My mom
is the only person that I can always trust.
A mother's love is unlimited. When I was small, any time
I had fever my mom would stay awake all night to look
after me. She never shows off her love for me though. She
scolds me for small mistakes. But the moment I say sorry,
she breaks into a smile.
A mother can hold her child's hand for a while but holds
his heart forever. For me, Mom is teacher, motivator and
friend. She also inspires me to live life instead of hanging
around watching YouTube videos.
Way back when I was around 6 years old, to make me an
ideal disciplined boy shed tell me that there is a microscopic camera in my classroom which is connected to her laptop
... and I believed her! Each time I lied to her, I dont know
how she always caught me. When asked, she used to say
that a red light flashes on my forehead whenever I lied
(Pinocchio!). Id run to see my face in the mirror. Then,
shed say that the flashing red light was only visible to her.
So Id end up telling her the truth and admit my mistake.

Recalling that time makes me laugh like a hyena.

This Mothers Day I would like to tell everybody that
your mother is the biggest influencer in your life.
-Vedant Chopra
Studying at Maxfort School, New Delhi

Mama gave me wings to fly and

roots to return
t is that time of the year when you find people browsing
through the net to choose a gift to give their mother on
Mothers Day. The approaching day lightens a smile on
my face and brings back all the fond memories of my mother who now rests in
peace. I left an ailing
mother behind in India
when destiny brought
me to the US and still
feel the emptiness. I
lost her just after one
year of coming to
New York and was
unable to be with her
in her last moments.
It saddens me but I
relish all the good
times we shared
together.
I still recall the first
Renu Chopra
day of my school
when she held my
hand and fought with all in family to ensure I studied in an
English medium school in Calcutta. She was always a pillar of support and I owe all to her. I still feel she is watching
me from heavens.
I try to instill the same upbringing in my only child that I
received from her. She gave me an environment to blossom
and be my own person. She gave me my freedom and I
would like to pass down this legacy to my son so he has the
wings to fly and roots to return.
-Renu Chopra
Marketing executive, Long Island

Why celebrate Mothers Day

he love that never changes over the years is mothers
love. I have heard that a mother can get the strength
to lift a car if her child was stuck beneath it. Can you
guess the strength of a
mothers love for her
child?
When I was growing
up I never realized
that the role of a
mother was not easy. I
would feel that my
mother paid more
attention to my brother than to me, because
he is a boy as well as
the youngest one in
the family. She would
reassure me that for a
Bina Sabapathy
mother, all her kids are
the same and loved equally the same. Back then being
young, selfish and absent knowledge of motherhood, I was
not convinced, but now as a mother of three, I believe and
know in my heart that what she said to me was indeed true.

Continued on page 19

FEATURE

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

May 9-15, 2015

19

Bindi: Traditional symbol or fashion statement?

An analysis of Cultural Appropriation in the South Asian community
By Shweta Lodha
ecently, pop-culture icons Selena
Gomez, Kendall Jenner, and Vanessa
Hudgens were seen wearing bindis,
traditionally worn by South Asian women
on their foreheads for reasons ranging from
religious to decorative. As the celebrities
entered various venues, cameras flashed,
pictures were published, and not long after,
girls across the country were soon posting
pictures on social media sporting the bindi.
This newfound trend of women of all cultures wearing bindis for decorative purposes
rather than to fulfill religious tenets of
Hinduism sparks an age old debate over cultural appropriation, or the adoption of elements of one culture by members of a different cultural group. Should it be acceptable for non-South Asians to wear a bindi if
they don't understand the significance of
such an act? Who decides?
Historically, cultural appropriation has
been correlated to oppression under claims
that when members of a dominant culture
mimic assets of a minority culture, these
assets begin to become more associated
with the dominant culture than with its true
progenitor, the minority culture. In essence,
several people believe that mimicking parts
of another culture with only superficial
understanding of the significance of these
parts degrades that cultures authenticity
and value.
The debate over cultural appropriation has
been widely spotted in popular culture and
sports. Most notable is the controversy over
the name and logo of a professional football
team from Washington DC, the Washington
Redskins. Opponents of this name claim
that using the term Redskin is akin to racially discriminating Native Americans, who
were previously verbally abused through
this term. Additionally, opponents state that
the Merriam Webster Dictionary also
defines Redskin as "unusually offensive",
and thereby, the term should not be used.
On the other hand, proponents argue that the

Some pop culture celebrities have lately been seen sporting the bindi, which was traditionally worn by women in India in
the middle of the eyebrows to embody ajna chakra, or the third-eye.

name is a tribute to not only the team's ageold pride and personality, but also to the
honorable achievements and personal
strength of Native Americans.
Fans of the Redskins state that the team is
not decreasing the value of Native
American traditions, but instead is expressing its appreciation of the culture through its
incorporation of a Native American term
that did not always have a negative connotation in society.
The debate over whether it should be
acceptable for women of all cultures to wear
bindis as decorative marks matches a similar tone as emanated by the debate over
renaming the Washington Redskins. Those
who are offended by non-South Asian
females wearing bindis claim that these
women are disintegrating the authenticity
and value of the bindi by wearing it for decorative purposes.
The bindi was traditionally worn to
embody ajna chakra, or the third-eye that
can see beyond traditional dimensions into
future wisdom. Though an abstract concept,
the location of the bindi in the center of the
forehead gives concrete meaning to this
idea, as it represents balance. Those who

Continued from page 18

My mother lost her son four years ago, and not a
single day goes by when she does not mourn for
him. I know her too well, she is my best friend, and
she is always putting on a smiling face, to keep me
and my family happy, but is empty inside and crying behind closed doors. No one can take the place
of your mother. She has and always will have a
special place in your heart. To commemorate the
importance of a mother, the celebration of Mothers
Day is a must. Every time I have any problem, my
mother is the first person I turn to for advice. I
know she is the only one who can give me fair and
honest advice while keeping my welfare in the
forefront. When you get hurt regardless of your
age, the first word that comes out of your mouth is:
Mom. You can always cry for a moms help. From
the time she has brought you into this world, until
the day she closes her eyes, she is the only one who
never changes and her love remains unconditional.
With my love to my dear Mom and to all the mothers in the world.
-Bina Sabapathy
Vice President, India Association of Long Island (IALI)

wear bindis for traditional purposes claim

that it allows them to partake in the quest
for unconditional truth and self-realization.
Furthermore, the color of a bindi had
immense significance in most South-Asian
cultures of yore. Red bindis were meant for
married women, while black bindis were
worn by widows. Essentially, those who feel
that not everyone should wear a bindi wish
to preserve a large portion of their cultural
history. However, others argue that though
the bindi had immense significance in the
past, it does not hold the same symbolic
importance as it did before. As author Anjali
Joshi stated in her piece on cultural appropriation published in the Huffington Post,
"...most South Asians won't be able to tell
you the religious significance of the bindi."
Joshi went on to comment that wearing a
bindi is not an act of cultural appropriation,
but rather cultural appreciation, as mimicry
is often a sign of flattery.
This controversy begs several questions.
Primarily, who is to say whether the bindi
should be worn only by South Asian
women, and only for traditional purposes at
that? Answering this question, the chairperson of the Social Studies department of a

Mothers face trumps

unseen God
others love is a fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.
A mother is the truest friend we have.
We are always so
grateful for the love
you have always
shown and guided us
in each phase of our
lives. Even if you are
far away, your blessings and love have
always been unconditional. This Hindi film
song rightly equates
Indu Jaiswal
mother with God.
Usko nahin dekha hamne kabhi, ab iski jaroorat
kya hogi Aye maa teri surat se alag Bhagwan ki
surat kya hogi
-Indu Jaiswal
Chair, Indian American Forum

prestigious high school in the New York

area stated, "Though people should not
commit offensive acts of cultural appropriation, the Constitution still preserves their
right to freedom of speech and expression.
The true controversy lies over the interpretation of the First Amendment and whether
the intent for cultural appropriation is malicious or not."
On the other hand, an Indian Senior from
the same high school stated that cultural
appropriation "is offensive, no matter the
type. It doesn't matter if I wear a T-shirt
with an Indian God on it because I think it
looks cool. I still am degrading the sacredness of an ancient religious system!"
Countering that, another South Asian student commented, "Culture is universal, and
thereby it should be treated as such."
Should culture be treated as a shared system of beliefs? Are traditional principles,
and the idea of cultural systems themselves,
meant to evolve with a changing society?
Shweta is a graduating senior at Herricks
High School, New York, and Contributing
Editor (Youth) of The South Asian Times.
shwetalodha1924@gmail.com

Meet the Mother of Mothers Day

others Day is celebrated in America and elsewhere in the
world every year on the second Sunday of May. It is a
modern celebration honoring one's own mother, as well as
motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. Anna Jarvis, of West Virginia, is the progenitor of Mother's Day.
It all began when she want to honor her
own mother, Ann Jarvis, who was a
peace activist who organized aid to lower
infant mortality and other public health
projects, besides providing medical care
to soldiers on both sides during the Civil
War. From hosting a few friends at home
on her mom's 2nd death anniversary,
Anna began her campaign to celebrate
Mother's Day on 'the 2nd Sunday of
May'.
One letter at a time, village by village,
Anna Jarvis
it
spread to big cities and states and cul(1864-1948)
minated into the joint resolution by the
US Congress and proclamation by President Woodrow Wilson
in 1914.

20 May 9-15, 2015

DIASPORA

Two NRIs offer to build

1,200 houses in Nepal
Kathmandu: Two billionaire
NRIs have offered to build 1,200
earthquake-resistant houses in
quake-affected villages of Nepal
immediately, Nepal's embassy in
London has said.
Mukesh Kumar Sehgal, managing director of Britain-based
SISMO Company that is well
known for its building technology,
met Nepal's Acting Ambassador to
Britain, Tej Bahadur Chettri, on
Friday and offered to build 1,000
quake-resistant houses in Nepal,
according to the embassy.
Sehgal told Chettri that his company was experienced in building
houses with new technology and
if the Nepal government accepted
the offer, he would start construction of houses in remote areas of
Nepal that have been severely hit
by the April 25 earthquake in the
Himalayan nation.
"Initially we will construct temporary houses so that affected
people can be relocated," he told
Chettri. "Later once debris is
cleared, we will build the new settlement."
Sehgal mentioned that his com-

pany was not promoting itself but

wanted to help Nepal in this
moment of crisis.
Similarly, another billionaire
NRI, Shree Prakash Lohia, also
offered to build 200 houses in
quake-ravaged villages of Nepal
through his Lohia Foundation.
He also met Chettri in London
and made the offer, said the
embassy. Experts in building
quake-resistant buildings would
construct the houses in 90 days,
he told Chettri, adding that if
Nepal gave the green signal his
foundation would start working
from May 30. Chettri told Lohia
he would consult the authorities in
Nepal and revert back to him, said
the statement.
Before shifting from India to
Britain, Lohia's father had run
Ashok Textile in Biratnagar in
Nepal, it said.
Lohia, 62, now has businesses
in 24 nations. With a personal
worth of $4.4 billion, Lohia is
founder and chairman of
Indorama Corporation, a diversified petrochemical and textile
company.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Indian-origin UKIP candidate

suspended over anti-Jewish remark
London: An Indian-origin candidate for the far-right UK
Independence Party (UKIP) has
been suspended over alleged
anti-Jewish remarks ahead of the
May 7 General Elections.
Jack Sen, whose grandfather
was Indian and served as a doctor in the British Indian Army
during the Raj era, was to contest the seat from West
Lancashire.
Sen, who describes himself on
Twitter as "unapologetically
politically incorrect pro-British",
directed abuse on the social networking site at Luciana Berger,
the Labor party's candidate who
is Jewish.
"You're about authentic Labor
as Ed Miliband. Protect child
benefits? If you had it your way
you'd
send
the

to
Poland/Israel," he wrote in one
message.
In another, he said: "Britain's
youngest Jewish MP, Luciana
Berger, is facing criticism over
her record of...loyalties."
The reference to divided

loyalties is a common antisemitic slur meant to suggest

that Jews are loyal to Israel,
rather than to the country in
which they live.
Berger said it was "clearly an
anti-Semitic comment". In a separate interview, Sen said minorities in South Africa were being
ethnically cleansed and laid the
blame for a "genocide" in western Europe at the door of Labor
leader Ed Miliband and other
prominent Jewish figures across
the world.
Speaking to the Guardian' yesterday, Sen claimed that the messages had been tweeted by a
party activist, not by him. But he
failed to provide any further
details on his remarks.
A UKIP statement said, "Jack
Sen, a UKIP candidate, has
expressed views that in no way
reflect the views of the party and
any other of our hard-working
dedicated candidates.
"In the light of these and other
comments, Sen has been suspended from UKIP with immedi-

ate effect."
UKIP leader Nigel Farage
apologized for the comments
attributed to Sen and those posted on his Twitter account.
He said: "We've got over 5,000
people standing for us at this
election, and less than a handful
have caused us a problem.
"UKIP is a non-sectarian, nonracist party and we have actually
got a remarkable number of people standing for us from every
single walk of life, from every
religion and every ethnic group
in this country."
The news of Sen's suspension
comes after Janice Atkinson, one
of the leading figures in the
party and a parliamentary candidate, was expelled from UKIP
over fake expenses claims.
The anti-immigration UKIP is
against the UK's membership of
the European Union (EU).
It currently has no major presence in the British Parliament
and is not expected to register
any major impact in the May 7
elections either.

SUBCONTINENT

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

May 9-15, 2015

21

Toll from Nepal quake Nepal asks foreign rescue teams to leave
escalates to 7,557
Sindhupalchowk district recorded 2,911
casualties, while Kathmandu witnessed 1,202

Kathmandu: The toll across

Nepal from the devastating April
25 earthquake has risen to 7,557,
according to the latest update by
the country's home ministry.
As many as 10,718 buildings
were destroyed in the massive
earthquake while 14,741 sustained partial damages, the min-

istry said on Tuesday.

About 191,058 houses have
been attened and 175,162 were
partially devastated.
The district worst hit in the
quake is Sindhupalchowk which
recorded 2,911 casualties, while
Kathmandu witnessed 1,202 and
Nuwakot 904, the ministry added.

Kathmandu: Rescue teams from

India and 33 other countries were
on Monday asked by Nepal to
leave as it prepared to launch
massive operations to rehabilitate
millions of uprooted victims of
the devastating temblor. The
decision that also applies to
India's National Disaster
Response Force (NDRF), which
has the largest presence in Nepal,
comes in the wake of criticism by
Nepalese on social media over
glorication of New Delhi's aid
efforts by the Indian media.
Nepal's foreign ministry said
the government has asked countries to remove their rst
response teams as the focus now
shifts to relief rather than rescue.
As such, Nepal has asked all
rescue teams from 34 nations to
withdraw. They now need rubble
removal equipment and have
asked India for help; an army
engineering team will be coming, the ministry said. Teams
from Japan, Turkey, Ukraine, the
UK and the Netherlands have
already begun the process of
leaving Nepal.
NDRF chief O P Singh said the

Chouhan urges MP citizens to

support Nepal quake victims

A four-year-old and a 100-year old among contributors; Rs 5 crore collected already

New Delhi: As a humanitarian gesture,

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh
Chouhan made an appeal to his fellow citizens to contribute and help Nepal overcome
the aftermath of the earthquake. He launched
a campaign in Bhopal on Tuesday in this
regard.
After a condolence meeting this morning, a
collection drive garnered Rs 5 crore from the
citizens, with the biggest sum coming from
Bohra community. A four-year olds piggy
bank chipped in with Rs 507, while a 100year-old reportedly contributed Rs 250, the
smallest sum. A private person from Indore
contributed a vanity sum of Rs 5,55,555
through check to mark his marriage anniver-

sary. The state chief minister had already

contributed an amount of Rs 5 crore to earthquake victims in Nepal. Our government is
with the kin of those who have lost their lives
in the earthquake -- in Nepal and in India. I
have contributed an amount of Rs 5 crore to
the Prime Minister's Relief Fund for the purpose. It may be used for helping victims in
India and Nepal, he had said earlier last
month.
The fund collection for Nepal earthquake
victims would continue till May 15. The
money collected from public would be parked
in the Chief Ministers Relief Fund, from
where it would be routed to Nepal through the
Prime Ministers Relief Fund.

This comes in the wake of criticism by Nepalese on social media

over Indian medias coverage of the disaster

reason behind the Nepalese government asking foreign rescue

teams to leave is that the search
operations have come to an end
and there was very little chance
of nding survivors from the
debris. Around 4,500 foreign rescue workers descended on the
Himalayan nation following its

worst disaster in over 80 years.

The widespread destruction has
affected around 8 million of
Nepal's 28 million population and
the rescuers' departure would test
the country's capabilities of handling the crisis through the
remaining relief work and rehabilitation.

US Marines begin
relief operations
Kathmandu: US military aircraft, heavy equipment and air trafc controllers
will start arriving in Nepal as part of an American relief operation following the
devastating earthquake, a senior US ofcer said.
Brigadier General Paul Kennedy of the US Marine Corps told Reuters that the
six military aircraft, including two helicopters, will arrive from Saturday,
accompanied by 100 marines and lifting equipment under an agreement
reached with Nepal's government earlier in the week.
The US military would help manage the growing piles of relief supplies clogging Nepal's only international airport in Kathmandu, which has struggled to
distribute the aid arriving from around the world since the earthquake. "You
don't want to build up a mountain of supplies," Kennedy said.
Kennedy's own ight was close to "a fuel emergency" because it had to spend
some time circling over Kathmandu after a long ight from his base in
Okinawa, Japan he said. "Nepal serves as the worst-case scenario for military
planners," Kennedy said. "It is land-locked and there are very few useable airelds that will handle military-sized aircraft."
Kennedy did not say how extensive the US presence in Nepal would grow
after the initial arrival of four vertical take-off Osprey aircraft, two Bell Hueys
and equipment such as forklift trucks to help move relief supplies at the airport.
Soldiers carrying portable radars and including airstrip repair experts, will be
sent to enable two provincial airports to receive heavy transport ights day and
night. The airports being considered include one at trekking destination
Pokhara and another near the birthplace of Buddha.

Haryana CM announces Rs 5 crore

relief for Nepal
Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced a
relief of Rs 5 crore for the victims of the Nepal earthquake. The chief minister
announced to give nancial assistance for relief and rehabilitation of earthquake ravaged Nepal through the Centre, an ofcial spokesperson said. He
asked the people to lend a helping hand to the victims in whatever way they
can in this hour of crisis. Khattar, who was celebrating his 61st birthday on
May 5, chose to keep it a low-key affair in view of the tragedy in Nepal.

22

SUBCONTINENT

May 9-15, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

US gave Pak arms worth $5.4 bn since 2001: Report US posts hefty bounty
on four key IS figures

Washington: Since the September

11, 2001 terror attack, the US has
given Pakistan arms worth about
$5.4 billion for counter-terrorism
operations, along with many "big
ticket" platforms more suited to
conventional warfare.
Sales of F-16 combat aircraft and
related equipment account for nearly half of these Foreign Military
Sales agreements with Pakistan,
according to a report by
Congressional Research Service for
lawmakers.
India has time and again opposed
the sale of such equipment to
Pakistan as it apprehends that
Islamabad may eventually use them
against India.
In dollar value terms, the bulk of
purchases have been made with
Pakistani national funds, although
US grants have eclipsed these in
recent years, CRS said.
Congress, it noted, has appropriated about $3.6 billion in Foreign
Military Financing (FMF) for
Pakistan since 2001, more than twothirds of which has been disbursed.
These funds are used to purchase
US military equipment for longerterm modernization efforts.
Pakistan also has been granted US
defence supplies as Excess Defence
Articles (EDA).
In April 2015, the State

India has time and again opposed the sale of such equipment to
Pakistan as it apprehends that Islamabad may eventually use
them against India.

Department approved a possible

$952 million FMS deal with
Pakistan for 15 AH-1Z Viper attack
helicopters and 1,000 Hellfire II
missiles, along with helicopter
engines, avionics, training, and support.
Under Coalition Support Funds
(in the Pentagon budget), Pakistan
received 26 Bell 412EP utility helicopters, along with related parts and
maintenance, valued at $235 million.
For counterinsurgency operations,

the US has provided 4 Mi-17 multirole helicopters (another 6 were

provided temporarily at no cost), 4
King Air 350 surveillance aircraft,
450 vehicles for the Frontier Corps
and 20 Buffalo explosives detection
and disposal vehicles, the CRS
report said.
Through International Military
Education and Training and other
programs, the US has funded and
provided training for more than
2,000 Pakistani military officers,
report noted,

Washington: The
State Department is
seeking tips that can
lead to the arrest of
Abd al-Rahman
Mustafa al-Qaduli,
Abu Mohammed alAdnani, Tarkhan
Ta y u m u r a z o v i c h
Batirashvili and Tariq Bin-alTahar Bin al Falih al-Awni alHarzi.
The US administration has
posted a bounty of $20 million
for information on four key figures of the Islamic State (IS), an
extremist group it is fighting in
Iraq and Syria.
The State Department is seeking tips that can lead to the
arrest of Abd al-Rahman
Mustafa al-Qaduli, Abu
Mohammed al-Adnani, Tarkhan
Tayumurazovich Batirashvili
and Tariq Bin-al-Tahar Bin al
Falih al-Awni al-Harzi.
Al-Qaduli, once a deputy to
the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,
rejoined the IS following his
release from prison in early
2012 and is operating from

Syria, Xinhua news agency

cited the State Department as
saying in a statement on
Tuesday.
Al-Adnani is the group's official spokesman, Batirashvili is
serving as a senior commander,
while al-Harzi is described as
the leader for the border region
between Syria and Turkey and
chief of its suicide bombers.
Last year, they were branded as
specially designated global terrorists by the US Department of
Treasury.
Washington is leading
airstrikes on the IS targets inside
Iraq and Syria, with a view to
"degrading and ultimately
destroying" it, as the group has
established a "caliphate" in
areas under its control in the
two Arab countries.

Reconstruction key to next Nepal may call off this year's Everest expeditions
stage of Nepal recovery: UN

Since April 29, aid agencies have distributed

52,000 tarpaulins in 29 earthquake-affected districts.

United Nations: Various UN

agencies have appealed for
humanitarian relief and reconstruction in the next stage of
Nepal recovery after a major
quake there claimed more than
7,300 lives so far, a UN
spokesperson has said.
"While search-and-rescue
teams are preparing to leave
Nepal, the next phase of aid
delivery to people in urgent
need is scaling up," UN
spokesperson Stephane Dujarric

said.
Since April 29, aid agencies
have distributed 52,000 tarpaulins in 29 earthquake-affected
districts, and more than 230,000
more are en route to Nepal. The
distribution of more than 2,000
tons of food has also begun
across 15 districts, said
Dujarric. Moreover, the UN
Development Programme said
that alongside humanitarian
relief, reconstruction is needed
to start in Nepal.

Kathmandu: Nepal may call off

the expeditions to Mount Everest
this year after an elite team of sherpas informed the government that
they would take at least two
months to set up a new route to the
top of the world's highest peak
after an avalanche on April 25 hit
the traditional route.
Hundreds of climbers have
refused to climb Everest due to
fears after a series of avalanches hit
the base camp following the massive earthquake, and killed at least
16 climbers.
The Sagarmataha (Everest)
Pollution Committee that was
given the responsibility to rebuild
the path to the top of Everest from
the base camp, on Tuesday met
Minister for Tourism and Culture
Dipak Chandra Amatya and
informed him that it was almost
impossible to rebuild the traditional
route in a short time.

Hundreds of climbers have refused to climb Everest due

to fears after a series of avalanches.

The "icefall doctors" informed

the minister that it will take at least
two months to create a new route
after the deadly avalanche hit the
traditional route.

In a letter to the minister, the

committee said expedition equipment was buried in the avalanche
and it was virtually impossible to
resume the expeditions.

Nepal quake rekindles fears on Tehri dam, Jaitpur n-plant

Bengaluru: The devastating
quake in Nepal has revived the
controversy in India over the Tehri
dam in Uttarakhand that was commissioned in 2006-07 and a
nuclear plant proposed to be set up
at Jaitapur in Maharashtra.
Both the dam and the site for the
nuclear plant were approved in
spite of advice to the contrary by

independent seismologists, the

Rome-based
International
Association for Promoting
Geoethics (IAPG) has said.
The 260.5-metre-high Tehri
dam, the tallest in India, and the
9,900 MW nuclear plant, the
world's largest, are among the controversial projects cited by IAPG
in its latest publication "Geoethics,

Ethical Challenges and Case

Studies in Earth Sciences". The
two case studies from India "relate
to future risks to engineering
structures and concern fundamental ethical issues", Vinod Gaur,
former director of Hyderabad's
National Geophysical Research
Institute and the author of the
study, said.

INTERNATIONAL

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

May 9-15, 2015

23

British leaders eye Indian votes

London: As the campaigning for
the British parliamentary election
enters its final phase, Prime
Minister David Cameron and
other leaders are eyeing undecided voters, especially among the
700,000 strong Indian community. Ironically, the fate of Britain the oldest democracy in the world
- is in the hands of a few thousand
immigrants from its erstwhile
colony India.
Various surveys have predicted
a hung parliament and the balance
of power and future direction of
the country could be decided by a
single seat. Punters have predicted the size of the smallest winning margin in a single seat
would be just 29 votes.
The two main parties Cameron's Conservatives and Ed
Miliband's Labour - are neck-andneck since the hustling started on
March 30. Both have secured
about 35 percent of votes in the
surveys, which is not enough to

Various surveys have predicted a hung parliament and the

balance of power and future direction of the country
could be decided by a single seat.

muster the majority of seats in

parliament. Both are predicted to
win about 280 seats each in the
650-member House of Commons.
Nick Clegg's central-left Liberal
Democratic party, Cameron's

coalition partner, can be the kingmaker, securing about 30 seats

despite its erosion of support,
especially among the young over
the hiking of university tuition
fees.

The
right-wing
UK
Independence Party is expected to
bag just two or three seats but can
be a spoiler for the Conservatives
in many seats. The Scottish
Nationalist Party, which has
sought independence from the
union, is predicted to win almost
all the 59 seats in Scotland.
A survey conducted by BBC
Asian Network/ICM has shown
that nearly a quarter of Asian voters are yet to make up their minds
about the ballot. The survey also
found that, of those who had
decided, 39 percent said they may
change their minds before polling
day.
The survey indicates that the
Asian vote in Britain, traditionally considered to lean towards
Labour, is still up for grabs.
Asians constitute just about five
percent of the British population
but they are crucial in 168 marginal
seats
including
Southampton, Oxford, Sherwood,

Ipswich and Northampton.

Other prominent candidates of
Indian origin are Natasha Asghar
from Newport East, Kishan
Devani from Leicester East,
Douglas Hansen-Luke from
Walsall North, Altaf Hussain
from Swansea East, Samir Jassal
from East Ham, Vidhi Mohan
from Croydon North, Simon
Nayyar from Feltham and Heston.
Suria
Photay
from
Wolverhampton South East,
Chamali
Fernando
from
Cambridge, Arun Photay from
Birmingham Yardley, Suhail
Rahuja from Hornsey and Wood
Green, Gurcharan Singh from
Slough and Bob Dhillon from
Washington and Sunderland
West.
Labour is fielding 52 ethnic
minority candidates, including
Keith Vaz from Leicester East,
Virendra Sharma from Southall
and Seema Malhotra from
Feltham and Heston.

Washington can't confirm IS Netanyahu cobbles coalition in the nick of time

was behind Texas shooting

The Islamic State (IS) has taken responsibility for the attack.

Washington: The White House

has said that investigators have
been unable to determine if the
Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization was behind the attack last
weekend on a Texas exhibit of
cartoons of the Prophet
Mohammad, despite the claim of
responsibility IS issued via its
Internet radio station.
"Too early to tell," was White
House press secretary Josh
Earnest's response when asked
whether the two assailants -- who
died in the attack -- had any connection to IS.
The two gunmen, who shot and
wounded a security guard before
they were fatally shot by police,
were Arizona residents, and one
of them had been investigated in
the past for links to terrorism.
"The thing that we can say

definitively, because of the

quick, professional, brave work
of local law enforcement forces,
is an attempted terrorist act was
foiled," Earnest said at his daily
press briefing.
In addition, the spokesperson
said that the government of
Barack Obama remains on the
alert for attempts by the IS and
other extremists to "radicalize"
and recruit individuals in the US.
The attack was staged at the
Curtis Culwell Center in
Garland, a Dallas suburb, and the
two gunmen were identified as
Elton Simpson, 30, and Nadir
Soofi, 34. Simpson was known
to the FBI, given that in 2011 he
was sentenced to three years on
parole for lying about his plans
to travel to Somalia to join a terrorists group.

Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu has managed
to clinch a deal with the nationalist
Jewish Home party on Wednesday
night, securing a new ruling coalition with a tiny majority in the 120member parliament.
At a joint press conference, the
fourth-time prime minister
announced the deal, which was
reached hours before the deadline to
form the new government , Xinhua
reported. "I`m sure no one is surprised of the fact these negotiations
continued with all of the factions,
and no one was surprised that it
ended on time," Netanyahu said.
"This is not a government for
right-wing people or left-wing people or center people but for the
entire people of Israel," Jewish
Home leader Naftali Bennett told
reporters. "Prime Minister

Fourth-time Israel PM
Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu, we are behind you, we

will do everything to assist your
success and for the success of the
government. We`ve reached a fine
and worthy result for all involved.
This government can complete a
term," Bennett added.
The agreement between the parties was not officially inked, as final
details will be hashed out in the
upcoming days, but they have

reached a basic understanding on

the Jewish Home`s intention to join
the government.
Netanyahu will have until next
week to present his new government
and have it inaugurated. On
Monday, Netanyahu must present
the members of his new government
to the Knesset plenum. He will still
have to make final decisions on how
to allocate the portfolios among
members of his own Likud party.
Netanyahu`s Likud party won 30
out of 120 seats in the parliament in
the March 17 elections. President
Reuven Rivlin tasked him with
establishing the next government.
Commenting the new coalition,
Yitzhak Herzog, whose Labor party
gained 24 seats in the parliament,
said that the upcoming government
"lacks responsibility, stability and
governability."

UNSC reform with permanent seat for India urgent: France

United Nations: To bolster the
legitimacy of the UN in a changed
world, it is "vital" and "urgent" to
expand the Security Council's permanent membership to include
India, France has declared. France's
Permanent Representative Francois
Delattre said, "France favors
enlarging the Security Council's
both categories of membership,
permanent and non-permanent, and
supports Germany and Japan,
which deserve relief (from the burden of their World War II roles)
today, but also India, Brazil and
African representation." His ringing
endorsement of permanent membership for India came in his speech
in French at a session of the
General Assembly commemorating
the 70th anniversary of World War

II. As a permanent member of the

Security Council, France's support
for India - and for Brazil, Germany
and Japan - is crucial as the long
stymied reform efforts gain new
momentum during the current
General Assembly session ahead of
the celebrations of the 70th
anniversary of UN's founding in
September.
India, Brazil, Germany and Japan
form a group at the UN called G-4,
which is committed to lobbying for
Security Council reforms and supporting each other for added permanent seats.
While four of the five Security
Council permanent members,
France, Britain, Russia and the
United States, have at other forums
supported India's bid for a perma-

nent seat, this was probably the first

direct endorsement of New Delhi
by a permanent member at a
General Assembly meeting.
Stressing the need for Security
Council reform, Delattre said a lesson learnt from World War II was
that "our capacity for action is related to the legitimacy of our institutions." Therefore, "the reform of the
Security Council in this respect is
more than important, it is urgent, I
would say even vital," he said.
"It is a fact that deserves to be
repeated: 70 years after the creation
of the United Nations, our world in
2015 does not have much in common with that of 1945," he added.
"The United Nations must adapt
and reform to reflect the world we
live in today."

24 May 9-15, 2015

BUSINESS

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Lok Sabha clears way for pan-India goods and services tax
New Delhi: The Lok Sabha gave
its consent to a far-reaching
amendment to the constitution to
pave the way for a pan-India
goods and services tax regime and
create a unified market across the
country, doing away with multiplicity of central and state levies.
The Constitution (One Hundred
and Twenty Second Amendment)
Bill, 2014, was passed by a division with 336 ayes, 11 against and
10 abstentions. Lok Sabha
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan
announced the bill was approved
with two-thirds majority of the
house, as required.
Earlier, replying to the debate on
the amendment bill, Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley refuted
opposition claims that the government was pushing through some
amendments to some provisions

The main purpose of the bill is a unified regime that will subsume
most indirect taxes levied by the central and state governments.

without taking the house into confidence and refusing to send it to a

parliamentary panel.
The finance minister said the

Future Group's retail business

to merge with Bharti Retail
New Delhi/Gurgaon: Kishore
Biyani-promoted Future Retail
Ltd. said its board has approved
the consolidation and realignment of its retail operations with
Bharti Retail Ltd.
"The board of directors of
Future Retail Ltd, the flagship
company of Future Group, and
the board of directors of Bharti
Retail Limited at their respective
meetings held today (Monday)
have approved a partnership
between the companies," Future
Retail said in a statement. "To
streamline the operations resulting from this consolidation, the
board of directors of Future
Retail and Bharti Retail have
proposed a demerger of the retail
business of Future Retail to
Bharti Retail and a demerger of
the infrastructure business of
Bharti Retail to Future Retail," it
added.
The first entity, proposed to be
known as Future Retail Ltd. post
the completion of the demerger,
will host the retail operations of
both the entities, while the second, proposed to be known as
Future Enterprises Ltd., will host
the infrastructure, investments

The combined entity will have over 570 retail stores

in 243 cities with operational retail space of over
18.5 million square feet.

and assets of both the companies,

the statement said.
After the consolidation, the
shareholders of Bharti Retail and
Future Retail would be shareholders in each of the entities.
The combined entity will have
over 570 retail stores in 243
cities with operational retail
space of over 18.5 million square
feet. Future Group operates over
17 million square feet of retail
space in different formats and
categories across 166 Indian
cities, while Bharti Retail cur-

rently operates a network of over

200 Easyday stores in multiple
formats across 114 cities with a
strong presence in key markets
like Punjab, Haryana, National
Capital Region, western Uttar
Pradesh, Uttarakhand and
Bengaluru.
The combined entity will operate 203 Big Bazaar and Easyday
hypermarkets, 197 Food Bazaar
and Easyday supermarkets, and
171 other stores comprising
Home Town, eZone, FBB and
Foodhall.

same recommendations of the parliamentary panel, when the original bill was referred to it, were
incorporated in the amended version and that the opposition had no
reason to fault the government on
this count.
One such amendment, he cited
as an example, was to set up a
goods and services tax council,
with representations from the central and the state governments, to
oversee any dispute, rather than
leave it to a panel led by a retired
Supreme Court judge.
Jaitley also warned that referring
the amendment bill back to the relevant Standing Committee of
Parliament would result in missing
the target date for its implementation from April 1 next year,
despite the broad consensus that
had already been achieved after

extensive consultations.
The constitutional amendment
bill needs to be passed by a twothird majority in both houses of
parliament and by the legislatures
of half of the states in the country
to become a law.
The main purpose of the bill is a
unified regime that will subsume
most indirect taxes levied by the
central and state governments
such as excise duty, service tax,
value added tax, sales tax and
octroi to facilitate a common market across the country.
"There would be more no tax on
tax," the finance minister said
referring to how these levies were
leading to duplication, escalating
the final price paid by customers,
stoking inflation, standing in the
way of efficient supply chains and
preventing economies of scale.

Sensex, Nifty crash by

more than 2 percent

Mumbai: A benchmark index of

the Indian equities markets, the
30-scrip BSE Sensitive Index
(Sensex), plunged 672.21 points
or 2.45 percent during afternoon
session on May 6.
The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the
National Stock Exchange (NSE)
also tanked 216.55 points or 2.60
percent and was trading at
8,108.25 points.
The Sensex of the S&P Bombay
Stock Exchange (BSE), which
opened at 27,473.36 points, was
trading at 26,767.93 points (at
12.40 p.m.), down 672.21 points
or 2.45 percent from the previous
day's close at 27,440.14 points.

The Sensex has touched a high

of 27,501.15 points and a low of
26,738.55 points in the intra-day
trade so far.
Almost all the sectors were trading in red. Heavy selling pressure
was seen in capital goods, power,
realty, consumer durables, metal
and banking.
The BSE S&P capital goods
index tanked by 3.76 percent,
power index fell by 3.55 percent,
realty index dropped by 3.32 percent, consumer durables index fell
by 3.12 percent, metal index
slipped by 3.11 percent and
bankex went down by 2.98 percent.

SPORTS

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

May 9-15, 2015

25

Mayweather vanquishes Pacquiao for perfect boxing record

Las Vegas: American boxer
Floyd Mayweather extended his
perfect overall fight record to 480 with a unanimous decision over
Manny Pacquiao here and said
he'll retire after one more bout.
"He is a hell of a fighter,"
Mayweather said of Pacquiao
after the bout last weekend. The
Filipino icon has won world titles
in an unprecedented eight weight
divisions.
"I take my hat off to him. Now
I see why he's one of the guys
that are at the pinnacle of the
sport of boxing."
Total revenues of the fight were
projected to reach as much as
$400 million. Mayweather
expected to rake in $200 million
and Pacquiao was in line for a
potential $100 million payday
once revenue from sources,
including pay-per-view television

sales, was counted.

Mayweather reiterated that he
plans to fight just one more time.
With one more fight, the 38year-old Mayweather will fulfill
his rich six-fight deal with telecaster Showtime. And with one
more victory, he would match the
iconic 49-0 overall ring record of
Rocky Marciano.
Mayweather has insisted
throughout the build-up to the
Pacquiao fight that 49-0 would be
enough for him -- although sceptics think that should he get there
he won't be able to resist trying
for a 50th win.
"My last fight is in September,
and then it's time for me to hang
it up," Mayweather said.
"I'm almost 40 years old now.
I've been in this sport for 19 years
and have been a champion for 18
years. I'm truly blessed."

Amir Khan open to Mayweather

fight in September
London: Britain's Amir Khan says he
could fight Floyd Mayweather in
September despite previously stating
Ramadan might disrupt his training.
Khan, 28, is a Muslim and is set to fast
during the holy month, which lasts from
mid-June to mid-July this year.
Ahead of his bout with Chris Algieri on
29 May, Khan said: "Mayweather normally fights mid-September and
Ramadan is a little bit earlier this year.
"It gives me enough time to get the
training done, so it can happen."
Khan said that Mayweather's manager
was keen to "get a fight on" after the
undisputed welterweight champion beat
Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas.
Mayweather, 38, took his unbeaten
record to 48 fights with a one-sided
points victory over Pacquiao and is
expected to make his next fight his last.
Bolton-born Khan, who takes on former light-welterweight world champion
Algieri in New York, says he has also
been invited to fight Pacquiao, 36.
But Khan insisted his focus is purely
on Algieri, who was knocked down six
times by Pacquiao during a massive
points defeat in November.
He said: "I really can't take this Algieri
fight lightly - lose and it would ruin my
dreams to fight the biggest names in boxing. "I'm not going to be fighting

British boxer Amir Khan.

Mayweather until I win this fight. I'm not

looking past Chris because I've made that
mistake in the past. There are bigger
fights out there for me, but this is my
focus."
During Ramadan practicing Muslims
fast during daylight hours to learn selfdiscipline, while also reminding them of
those less fortunate than themselves.

Floyd Mayweather with his title belts after defeating Manny Pacquiao
of the Philippines in Nevada last weekend.

IPL: Gayle leads Kings XI rout

Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bangalore
(RCB), riding high on a hurricane century
by Chris Gayle, handed out a massive 138run defeat to a spiritless and spineless
Kings XI Punjab in an Indian Premier
League match and moved into the fourth
spot with their fifth win in 10 outings here.
It was a hiding of sorts as RCB piled up
226 for three which left visiting skipper
George Bailey ruing his decision to field
after winning the toss, and under pressure,
the visitors collapsed to 88 in 13.4 overs as
pacemen Mitchell Starc (4 for 15) and
Sreenath Aravind (4 for 24) sliced through
the line-up.
Gayle struck a brilliant 117 off 57 balls,
with seven fours and 12 sixes.
For Kings XI Punjab, runners-up last
season, but looking like ragtag team, it was
their fifth consecutive defeat in 10 matches, leaving them at the bottom of the eightteam league with just four points with little
hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.
RCB, with a massive total on the board,
bowled well even as the Kings XI batsmen, barring Axar Patel (40 not out, 21b,
5x4, 2x6) showed little or no determination
to even make a fight of it, much less win
the game.
The early dismissals of openers Manan
Vohra (2) who replaced Virender Sehwag,
and Murali Vijay (2), took the wind out of
Kings XI sails.
It was a regular procession thereafter
before Axar Patel used the long handle, but
to little effect as wickets fell in a heap at
the other end.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Chris

Gayle at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium
in Bengaluru.

RCB, thus, recorded their biggest IPL

victory (in terms of runs), beating their
previous best of 130-run win over Pune
Warriors in 2013, at this very venue when
Gayle smashed his highest T20 score of
175.

26

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Tips to avoid and treat common summer skin woes

n summer you want your skin to

look and feel its best. But all
that extra exposure introduces
more risks of irritation, rashes and
bites. If youre careful and prepared, you can reduce your risk for
certain ailments as well as limit
your discomfort, says Dr. Vishakha
Gigler, a board certified dermatologist in Encinitas, Ca. Heres a handy
guide your family can use to avoid
and treat skin woes, such as itching
and pain, most common in the summer months.
 Prevent sunburn by always
applying a high SPF sunblock
before sun exposure. If possible,
wait 15 minutes before walking outdoors. Dont forget to reapply after
excessive sweating or water exposure.
If you do get burned, relieve
inflammation and redness by apply-

SELF HELP

May 9-15, 2015

ing ice in a milk-soaked face cloth

to affected areas for five to 10 minutes.
Protect your pucker and treat
dry, chapped lips with shea butter or
beeswax lip balm with SPF, which
moisturize while providing sun protection.
Drink plenty of cold water to
cool down and hydrate your body
and skin.
Mosquitoes dwell in areas near
standing water and are attracted to
hot skin temperatures. Keep skin
cool and eliminate standing water
from your yard. Also, be mindful
that mosquitoes are most active at
dusk.
 Do you live near a wooded
area? Are you taking advantage of
the season to go hiking or camping?
Avoid exposure to poisonous plants
by wearing long pants, long shirts

and boots, along with a topically

applied ivy block barrier cream to
prevent getting a poison ivy or oak
rash breakout.
When prevention fails, adults
and children two years and older
can treat bug bites and other itchy
summer skin flare-ups with a dermatologist- recommended, overthe-counter non- steroid-based topical treatment, such as TriCalm.
A highly effective itch relief gel,
TriCalm is five times more effective
than hydrocortisone 1% at reducing
itch, and does not have side effects
like skin thinning and stretch
marks.
Summer fun and sun can have its
drawbacks, especially where your
skin is concerned. For a more comfortable season, be prepared to prevent and treat itches, burns and skin
flare-ups.

Thoughtful mother's day ideas that won't bust your budget

pring is here and with it comes
a great day to celebrate moms.
If youre watching your wallet, you may be in need of some
great ideas for celebrating Mothers
Day. As it turns out, some of the
most thoughtful gift and activity
ideas are the most economical and
easy to plan. To help you plan your
Mother's Day celebration, the discount experts at Dollar General are
offering some great ideas.
Breakfast in Bed
Pamper mom with breakfast in
bed, complete with delicious pancakes, a good book or magazine and
hot coffee. Shell love the opportunity to relax and enjoy her morning
without the hustle and bustle of
everyday life.
Grow Something Together
Sometimes the best gift is an
afternoon spent together. Pick out a
planter Mom will love, along with
seeds, soil and gardening tools.
Spend the afternoon creating something that will grow all season long
and remind Mom of her time spent
with you.

Three steps to
improve your credit
ood credit is a key ingredient in succeeding financially; yet building a
strong foundation takes time. If
you are new to credit or are working to improve it, there are many
steps you can take to put you on a
path to stronger credit.
Here are three essential steps
that help you get started:
 Check your credit report:
Experts recommend checking your
credit report at least once a year.
Your credit report contains details
of your credit history, including
balances, credit limit and payment
status. Lenders, apartment managers and some employers may
check your credit report to see how
responsible you are with money.
When you check your report,
make sure it contains current and
accurate information. If you find
errors, correct them as soon as possible because they may negatively
impact your credit score and even
indicate possible identity theft.
You can request a free copy of
your credit report from each of
three major credit reporting agencies -- Equifax, Experian and
TransUnion -- once each year at
www.AnnualCreditReport.com or
call toll-free 1-877-322-8228.
Make sure youre paying your
bills on time: Life happens and you
may find yourself forgetting to pay
a bill on time. Because your payment history is one of the biggest
factors in your credit score, its
important that you stay organized
and keep track of all your bills.
This applies to more than just credit card bills, but also when it comes
to rent, utilities and cell phone
payments.
Using free online tools, often

Bake and Make

Mom might love her kitchen just
the way it is, but you can add a
splash of color and flair with some
inexpensive additions from a discount retailerl. Update Moms
kitchen with new accessories, like a
kitchen towel or oven mitt, or even
a new appliance like a coffee maker
or mixer. Complete your kitchen
additions with a baking mix for
cookies or brownies, and spend time
with Mom creating something

yummy together.
Tell the Birds
Does your mom love the outdoors? Pick out a unique birdhouse
and bird seed for her, so she can
enjoy the natural sounds of the season. You could even turn it into an
art and crafts project and make a
birdhouse together.
This Mothers Day, show Mom
how much you care, while making
memories you can cherish for years
to come.

Tips to throw the perfect summer party on a budget

ne of the best ways to celebrate the summer season is
by hosting an outdoor party
for all your friends and neighbors.
Dont get overwhelmed by the
party planning process. The discount experts at Dollar General are
offering tips to help you save
money and throw a hot summer
party that all your guests will love.
Set the Mood
Escape the heat and throw your
outdoor party right at sundown.
Light up the night with solar lights
and tiki torches to create a relaxing
atmosphere. Paper lanterns hanging
from tree branches provide lowlevel lighting and a festive
ambiance. Just dont forget the bug
spray and citronella candles to keep

If going hiking, avoid exposure to poisonous plants by wearing

long pants, long shirts and boots, along with a topically applied
ivy block barrier cream to prevent getting a poison ivy
or oak rash breakout.

the insects away!

Accessorize
No summer party is complete
without colorful accessories that
make your backyard really pop. Fill
planters of different sizes with
blooming flowers for a natural,
decorative look. Add colorful tablecloths to dress up all kinds of patio
furniture and protect against spills.
Make plain paper napkins stand out
with napkin holders for an inexpensive upgrade to outdoor dining.
Also, consider buying a bright
cooler that will lead your guests
right to a refreshing beverage.
Make a list
Shopping for your bash? Take
time to make a list of the items you
will need to throw a great party.

Grab all the essentials like charcoal, chips, dip, sodas and bottled
waters. Dont forget to get extra
paper products like plates and napkins -- they will go fast at an outdoor party.
You can also save time by downloading DG digital coupons to
enjoy all the savings on your
favorite summer items without the
coupon clipping. With everything
from food and drink to lawn and
garden accessories, a discount
retailer like Dollar General can be a
one stop shop for all of your party
needs.
With a little creativity and some
planning ahead, the perfect summer
party doesnt have to break the
bank.
(StatePoint)

available through your financial

institutions online banking, can
help your develop a budget and
create an automatic bill payment
schedule. Many financial institutions also allow you to change
your payment due dates for one
that is convenient for you. If it
helps, you can organize all your
payments to be due on the same
day of the month.
Make a budget and stick to it:
One of the best ways to keep up
with your bills is to closely monitor your spending. Creating a
budget can help you decide when
to use credit and when to hold off
on a purchase. Keeping a budget is
also helpful because lenders look
at the amount of debt a consumer
has compared to their income.
As an important rule of thumb,
keep debt at no more than 35 percent of your income or lower. This
will tell lenders that your debt is at
a manageable level relative to your
income, and you are likely to have
money left over for saving or
spending after you pay your bills.
In addition to the steps listed
above, there are many free
resources available that can help
you improve and manage your
credit. Wells Fargo recently
launched Path to Good Credit, a
new website that offers videos,
tips, quizzes and infographics that
illustrate how good credit can help
consumers succeed financially.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

SCI-TECH

May 9-15, 2015

27

India tops list of drone-importing nations; wide use after Nepal quake
New Delhi: The decision by
India's National Disaster
Response Force (NDRF) to use
drones to help Nepal map the
scale of devastation caused by last
month's earthquake indicates how
India has enthusiastically taken to
these pilot-less aircraft.
With 22.5 percent the world's
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
imports, between 1985 and 2014,
India ranks first among droneimporting nations, followed by
the UK and France. UAVs, or
drones as they are commonly
known, are pilotless aerial vehicles used for reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence gathering
and aerial combat missions.
The advantage of UAVs is that
they come at a fraction of the cost
of manned aircraft with no risk to
human lives. The data here relate
to
drone/UAV
transfers
(imports/exports) between countries. There are also drones that
have been indigenously developed, so the actual number of
UAVs possessed by each nation
may be different.
A total of 1,574 UAV transfers
have taken place across the world

The Indian Air Force and Navy are already operating about a
few score Heron drones in a number of squadrons.

between 1985 and 2014. Of these,

16 are armed UAVs, according to
data provided by Stockholm
International Peace Research
Institute (SIPRI), an independent
global conflict-research institute.
India's UAV imports, have
almost all been from Israel,
according to SIPRI data. Of 176
UAVs, 108 are Searcher UAVs
and 68 are Heron UAVs. Israel is
the leading exporter of drones,
accounting for 60.7 percent 1985
and 2014.

The US, with a 23.9 percent of

UAV exports, ranks second, followed by Canada with 6.4 percent. Israel has shipped 783
drones since 1980.
Some of India's eyes in the sky:
Netra: An autonomous UAV
developed jointly by ideaForge
Technologies and Defence
Research and Development
Organisation. Can take off and
land vertically, like a helicopter. It
can also fly and return to base on
its own. Currently used by Indian

Net neutrality: Facebook opens up Internet.org for developers

New Delhi: Social networking site
Facebook on Monday opened up its
Internet.org for developers to easily
create services that integrate with
its site.
"Our goal with Internet.org is to
work with as many developers and
entrepreneurs as possible to extend
the benefits of connectivity to
diverse, local communities. To do
this, we're going to offer services
through Internet.org in a way that's
more transparent and inclusive,"
Facebook said in a post.
This decision by the international
giant comes at a time when the
India is debating on net neutrality.
The company said: "We're building an open platform and anyone
who meets these guidelines will be
able to participate."
The platform that was launched
on Monday will be open to all
developers who will build web sites
that must be optimized for browsing

Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook

announcing Internet.org

on both feature and smartphones

and in limited bandwidth scenarios.
"In addition, web sites must be
properly
integrated
with
Internet.org to allow zero rating,"
the post said.
Reliance Communications, a part
of the Anil Ambani-led group, on
February 10 said it has been roped
in by Facebook to offer free access
to data and websites to customers
through the social networking site's

global digital inclusion initiative,

Internet.org. The Internet.org initiative will provide access to popular
web sites and services with zero
data charge to make it easier for
people to access the internet across
both the 2G and 3G platforms.
The company clarified: "At the
core of our efforts with Internet.org
are non-exclusive partnerships with
mobile operators to offer free basic
internet services to people through
Internet.org. This is a set of basic
websites and services to introduce
people to the value of the internet,
and that we hope add value to their
lives."
"These web sites are very simple
and data efficient, so operators can
offer these for free in an economically sustainable way. Web sites do
not pay to be included, and operators don't charge developers for the
data people use for their services,"
it said.

Internet on brink of collapse: Experts

London: The internet is heading
towards a 'capacity crunch' and
could reach its limit in just eight
years, say scientists.
The cables and fiber optics that
relay information to our laptops,
smartphones and tablets will have
reached their limit within eight
years, and fiber optics can take no
more data from a single optical
fiber, scientists warned.
"At the current usage rate, all of
Britain's power supply could be
consumed by internet use in just 20

years," scientists said.

Leading engineers, physicists
and telecoms firms have been summoned to a meeting at London's
Royal Society later this month, to
discuss what can be done to avert a
web crisis, Daily Mail reported.
"We are starting to reach the
point in the research lab where we
can't get any more data into a single optical fibet," professor
Andrew Ellis, who has co-organized the Royal Society meeting on
May 11, was quoted as saying by

Daily Mail.
"Demand is increasingly catching up. It is growing again and
again, and it is harder and harder to
keep ahead. We have done very
well for many years to keep ahead.
But we are getting to that point
where we can't keep going forever," he added.
The boom of internet television,
streaming services and ever-more
powerful computers has increased
the strain on our communications
infrastructure.

armed and paramilitary forces.

The NDRF used the Netra drone
during the 2013 Uttarakhand
floods to identify survivors and
assess damage. It was also
deployed during the Bhuj floods
in 2013 by the Gujarat government.
Nishant: Used for day/night
reconnaissance, target tracking
and extraction of target coordinates, artillery fire correction and
damage assessment. Nishant is
being inducted into the Indian
army, with 4 UAV units.
Panchi: Wheeled-version of
Nishant. Capable of taking-off
and landing from small airstrips.
First flight in December 2014.
Rustom I: All-weather, medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV.
It will operate at medium-to-long
ranges and gather near real-time
high-quality imagery and radio
signals. It will perform a range of
military missions.
Rustom II: Being designed to
operate at up to 30,000 feet for 24
hours at a stretch.
Aura: A combat drone capable
of flying at 30,000 feet and
launching missiles, bombs and

guided missiles.
Lakshya: Remotely operated
and used as a target to train gun
and missile crew and air-defence
pilots for the three services.
The use of drones/UAVs in
India is mainly confined to surveillance and reconnaissance,
unlike the US, which uses armed
drones in Pakistan, Afghanistan
and Yemen, according to Sameer
Patil, associate fellow on national
security, ethnic and terrorism
studies at Gateway House and former assistant director at the
National Security Council
Secretariat in the Prime Minister's
Office.
Drones used along the IndiaPakistan border are simpler than
the ones used on the Chinese border in Ladakh, where they require
long endurance and high-altitude
capability, Patil said.
UAV squadrons in India mainly
operate with Herons and Searcher
MK IIs from Israel. However,
there are also some UAVs/drones
that have been indigenously
developed or are under development. As use grows, more drones
are coming, also the armed ones.

$3,000 device to power

entire home for eight hours
Washington: Have
you ever heard of a
battery that can power
an entire household
for as long as eight
hours? Tesla founder
Elon
Musk
has
unveiled one.
Musk introduced the
Powerwall device at a
press conference in
California recently Elan Musk debuts the Tesla Powerwall
and termed the $3,000
battery as "revolutionary" and device would be able to meet a
one that could "change the quarter of a home's energy needs
world". The device might soon be on any given day.
However, it would likely last
available in the open market.
Powerwall is three-feet wide and far less time than eight hours durfour-feet tall, weighs 100 kg, and ing the mornings and evenings,
can be installed both on and when homes use the vast majority
inside the wall. Powerwall can be of their electricity.
Musk said that the devices can
used as back up power in the case
of an emergency, or to store be stacked together to provide
power from renewable energy more energy.
The system would let homesources.
"Our goal is to fundamentally owners with solar panels or other
change the way the world uses sources of renewable energy easienergy...It sounds crazy, but we ly store their energy at home,
want to change the entire energy rather than the current model
infrastructure of the world to zero whereby they sell power back to
carbon," tech site Mashable quot- energy suppliers as it is produced,
then buy it again during peak
ed Musk as saying at the event.
The daily use version has a times.
It could also let savvy concapacity of 7-KW-hours, which is
around a quarter of a home's daily sumers take advantage of power
companies' lower rates during the
usage.
According to that figure, a sin- night and use the cheaper, stored
gle, fully-charged Powerwall energy during peak periods.

28

May 9-15, 2015

HUMOR

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Side by Nury Vittachi

The science of super heroes

L

ast week, my wife told me I still

had a lot of growing up to do. I
was so angry I refused to let her
share this really neat giant cardboard box
Id found.
It had once contained some sort of giant
TV, so was big enough for me, a pillow,
the newspaper, and some kids.
But I leapt out in excitement after I read
an article in the paper which said radioactive wild boars, contaminated by the
Chernobyl nuclear disaster, had been discovered in European forests. THE
STORY OF THE YEAR!
Yet the report infuriatingly failed to
answer the obvious question: what superpowers would you get if such a beast bit
you?!!!!!
***
Dont scoff. There are LOADS of books
out now on the science of superheroes,
showing that much of what we read or see
at the movies has a COMPREHENSIVE
scientific basis.
These books are rigorous, well-written
and highly persuasive, according to their
authors. And they would know, right?
The fact that they chose to publish them
as e-books doesnt automatically make

them rubbish. (Disclaimer: This may be

the opposite of the truth.)
Anyway, these days, lawyers wont let
people publish stuff thats totally untrue,
with the sole exceptions of Perez Hilton,
the National Inquirer, Fox News, the
entire Internet, all the newspapers, everything on Facebook, etc.
***
Actually, the subject of journalism and
the law has been on my mind.

Reporter friends recently toasted the

fourth anniversary of the London Daily
Telegraphs famous libel case win against
tennis player Robert Dee.
The media dubbed Mr Dee the worlds
worst tennis pro so he hired lawyers to
sue them. Some 30 scared media outlets
printed apologies, but the Daily Telegraph
did not.
After the judge heard that Mr Dee had
lost 54 consecutive matches in straight
sets, he dismissed the case.
The following day, the Daily Telegraph
printed a gloating report: World's Worst
Tennis Player Loses Again.
***
That was in the West. In Asia, most people dont expect justice from judges.
Although I have heard that the economy
is so bad these days that many corpora-

tions are dropping judges from their payrolls.

***
Going back to superheroes and radioactivity, has anyone considered what would
actually happen to Schrdingers cat, in
the famous experiment in which a cat is
put into a box with a radioactive substance?
If Stan Lee, creator of Spider-Man, the
Hulk, etc., is correct, the cat will get
superpowers and break out of the box,
right?
Hopefully, the cat will be able to talk,
too.
You thought you could get away with
locking me away forever, Erwin. But now,
revenge is mine! Mwah ha ha ha ha.
Exit one quantum scientist. You can
totally see the whole movie now, right????
***
Whatever. Anyway, I am delighted that
scientists are at last taking the beliefs of
superhero fans seriously.
Perhaps they can solve one thing that
has always puzzled me.
Every time John Banner turns into The
Hulk, all his clothes get ripped and fall off
except his pants.
His pants survive every time!
WHAT ARE THEY MADE OF? THE
PUBLIC DEMANDS TO KNOW.
Having reached the age where I am a
couple of kilos heavier every year, I need
a pair of those.
Especially when playing games which
involve climbing in and out of giant cardboard boxes.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

by Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and
humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the
immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat,
he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

ASTROLOGY

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

May 9-15, 2015

29

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

Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com

By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma

May 9-15, 2015

ARIES: You are likely to realise that
interviewing is not an easy job. The company of family friends will keep you in a
happy & relaxed mood. Improvement in finances
is certain. You are likely to enjoy a pleasure trip
that will rejuvenate your passions. Your enormous confidence would help in enjoying a
healthy life.
Small journey with your office colleagues will be
interesting. There are chances of getting good
amount from an older property of yours. Sticking
to beliefs & faith, you can expect things in your
favour.
TAURUS: Lack of communication skills
will force to suffer at workplace. Parental
guidance in your decision would
immensely help. Speculation coupled with some
unexpected gains improves financial health.
Romantic entanglement would add spice to your
happiness. A very healthy week filled with happiness & vitality. Your boss may ask you for your
company to a friends party. The plot you were
looking for can be profitable from investment
point of view. You are likely to make serious
efforts to bring changes in behaviour.
GEMINI: Auspicious week to start a new
venture. A week when misunderstandings
at family front are sorted out with ease. A
new source of income will generate through
influential contacts. Chances of your love life
turning into life-long bond are high on the card.
Pleasure trip would help in maintaining sound
health in this week. Travel plan with a colleague
might lead to a new relationship. It is better to try
for your office accommodation as soon as possible. Involving yourself in different kind of activities would bring enjoyment.

CANCER: Professional attitude at work

brings success. Believe it or not someone
in the family is watching you closely and
considers you a role model. Better to ignore those
who come for temporary loans to you in this week.
Exciting week as your long pending wait for affirmation is going to materialize. Yoga and meditation would help in keeping in shape and mentally
agile. Small picnic organized by your company is
good to change your mood. Time to think about
your investment plans, as investing residentially
might be profitable. You maintain a distance from
gossip & talking ill about others.
LEO: Seniors colleagues are likely to lend
a helping hand. An important development
at personal front brings jubilation for entire
family. Investment made in this week would
enhance prosperity and financial security. Enjoying
the company of partner in a lively restaurant would
bring immense romantic pleasure. Blessings of a
saintly person give peace of mind. Official journeys prove to be more fruitful for you. Your investment can be done on a cheap or smaller piece of
land. You need to keep an eye on hidden enemies
as they try to spread rumors about you.
VIRGO: Hard work & dedication would
win the trust of seniors at work. A happy
time in the company of friends and relatives as they do many favours to you. An improvement in financial position would enable to make
important purchases. The presence of love would
make you feel life meaningful. Chances of recovering from physical ailment are high. Fly away
with your dreams, new business horizons are ready
to explore. Family can be helpful on acquiring
your property or plot. Best period to explore new
travel opportunities to take first-hand-experience.

LIBRA: Mental clarity would remove

past business confusions. Enjoying the
company of close relatives will brighten
your evening. You are likely to earn monetary profits through most unexpected sources. Love life
brings some memorable moments that you could
cherish rest of your life. Inexhaustible energy
enables to participate in outdoor activities. A funfilled holiday at an amusement and theme park with
your family is there. Its time to invest in property
and get most profitable method to maximize your
bank balance. You strive to mould orthodox thinking to benefit you.
SCORPIO: Travel undertaken for establishing new contacts and business expansion will be very fruitful. Spend some
relaxed moments with family members. A sudden
inflow of funds will take care of your bills and
immediate expenses. Your flashing smile would
work as the best antidote for romantic partners
unhappiness. You attain a bloom in health on sharing happiness with others. Your official trip is must
dont under estimate it; otherwise you will be in
trouble. Investing overseas can provide you new
business opportunities. Giving an ear to what others
have to say about your actions would benefit you.
SAGITTARIUS: Your artistic and creative ability would attract a lot of appreciation. Shopping with family members will
be highly pleasurable and exciting. Monetary position is likely to improve on recovering of delayed
payments. Sharing candyfloss and toffees with
lover/beloved would bring unlimited joy. A cheerful state of mind would allow enjoying the perfect
health. Enjoy traveling without going broke.
Selling your plot might increase your bank balance.
Paying heed to others suggestions would benefit.

CAPRICORN: A long pending decision

gets finalized at professional front. You will
be at the limelight in a social gathering provided you attend. Investment in antiques & jewelry
brings monetary gains and improvement in financial
position. Company of love partner would inspire to
take initiatives in this week. Divine knowledge from
a saintly person provides solace & comfort. An
interesting cruise ship is next place for your vacation. Buyers will get attracted to your property as
your property value is good. Turning thoughts
towards love and fun would immensely benefit.
AQUARIUS: Plans for new ventures get streamlined with the help of seniors. You will be
the star of attraction of familys gettogether in this week. Long pending
arrears and dues will finally be recovered. Love
works like a panacea as you find sanity. Meditation
and yoga prove beneficial for spiritual as well as
physical gains. Breathtaking beautiful site scenes
are your lovers desire. If you wish to achieve a
good deal in property then try at commercial basis.
Your highly developed intuition would act as a
guide to lead in a positive direction.
PISCES: Female colleagues lend a helping hand
in completing important assignments. Help
from family members would take care of
your needs. In this week investment concerning residence will be profitable. Love partner
touches soul that would take imagination to unlimited heights. A very healthy week when your cheerfulness gives the desired tonic and confidence.
Time to relax and enjoy your visit to a relatives
place. Develop an attitude to be successful on your
property investment plans. Changing attitude and
prioritising things would help in managing everything.

Annual Predictions: For those born in this week

9th May, 2015
Ruled planet: Mars Ruled by no: 9
Traits in you: Being ruled by Mars, you are
endowed with energy. You are energetic, dependable, and organized.
Health this year: This year you will remain
healthy. You may lose things both personally
and personally being emotional. You may visit a distant pilgrimage to attend an auspicious
occasion towards the end of the year to attain
mental health which is contaminated due to
pressure and overload of work.
Finance this year: Your financial condition
may improve this year thanks to your previous
investments. You need to invest your life time
investment intelligently so that you need not
repent later.
Career this year: You have the ability to make
quick decisions. You are capable enough to get
rewards and appreciation for your efficiency in
your professional field. However, you should
control your jealousy to improve your personality. You should not try to do things beyond
your capabilities. It may land you in difficulties.
Romance this year: Your romantic life would
be an excellent one this year as you will be able
to clarify past misunderstanding with your
partner.
Lucky month: October, January and March
10th May, 2015
Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1
Traits in you: Being under the guidance of
Sun, you are active, dynamic, authoritative,
brilliant and talented. You have the ability to
initiate new ideas and work on them. However, you need to work on your stubbornness to
become a better individual.
Health this year: You may suffer from joint
pain or high blood pressure this year. Gowever, proper medication would help you maintain
a good health.
Finance this year: You will find new ways to
enhance your confidence to earn and improve
your financial condition. Your professional
journeys will pay off and you will be successful in your deals this year. You should invest in
a house or selected socks to get better benefits.
If you schedule business trips abroad, you may
find a chance to meet old friends and get new

opportunities to improve your business. You

may end up spending a lot of money in your legal issues as they will be stretched more than
expected.
Career this year: The following year will
bring you lot of promises and surprises to cherish in your career. You may get rewards for
your work. Your long cherished dreams may
get fulfilled this year.
Romance this year: You will find your spouse
or partner supportive and understanding
enough to help you in critical situations this
year.
Lucky month: September, October, April and
May
11th May, 2015
Ruled planet: Moon Ruled by no: 2
Traits in you: As you are ruled by Moon, you
are simple, honest, and cooperative. You are
fond of peace and harmony.
Health this year: You may get worried for
your parents health and increasing household
expenditure.
Finance this year: You may establish new
contacts and partnerships this year. You will
get benefitted from your previous investments.
You may gain unexpectedly, which will improve your financial position much better than
expected.
Career this year: You have ample new and innovative ideas. You are a perfectionist in whatever you do. However, you have to control
your whim and jealousy to succeed in your
life.
This year will fulfill all of your dreams by providing you with lot of opportunities.
Romance this year:
You will find
your spouse supportive enough to your concerns and provide you with love and affection.
Lucky month: August, October & December
12th May, 2015
Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3
Traits in you: Jupiter signifies ambition, dignity, and independence. You are blessed with
all these characteristics and you are kind hearted as well.
Health this year: You may plan for a pilgrimage or a distant journey to find mental peace
and take rest from your busy schedule, which

makes you weak physically.

Finance this year: This year will be very fruitful for you in terms of investments. If you want
to invest in the stock market, you will be benefited hugely. This year is the best time to go
for property.
Career this year: You will be enjoying a good
position and respect in your professional life.
However, you should not behave dominant this
year. It may affect your life negatively. If you
are in creativity field, you may gain lot of
recognition and of course money will follow.
You will find help from your near ones when
required. This will be a major boost to your
professional life.
Romance this year: You may plan for a romantic trip with your partner to a distant place.
Lucky month: August, December, March &
April
13th May, 2015
Ruled planet: Uranus Ruled by no: 4
Traits in you: Being an active, sensible, enthusiastic, authoritative, and energetic person,
you have enough capability to perform very
well in your professional career.
Health this year: You will find improvements
in your health though working long at office.
Finance this year: Some of you may visit
abroad for business trips as you areplanning to
enhance your business territory. You will get
success in you new ventures and this will make
you financially stable.
Career this year: Your intelligence will enable you create wonders in your profession.
However, you should work on your impatience, whim and stubbornness. You should
plan something to execute your plans in this
year. You will find luck and success easily this
year if you grab the opportunities at right
times. You will find good opportunities by developing new relationships and attachments.
Romance this year: Some of you may get
married to your desired partners this year.
Lucky month: June, August, January,
February
14th May, 2015
Ruled planet: Mercury Ruled by no: 5
Traits in you: Your guiding star, Mercury
makes you practical, intelligent, distinguished,

responsive, unique and dashing individual.

You possess friendly and cooperative. However, you should control your being impatient
and short-temperedness.
Health this year: You may remain tensed for
the health of your spouse.
Finance this year: You will be in financial
gain this year as your business will grow. This
will enhance your confidence. You will be able
to settle down your legal matters this year and
find peace from the results.
Career this year: You will find new proposals
and work assignments this year. Some of you
may get good increments and promotions as
well in your professional life. If you are a
sportsman or an artist, you can expect fame towards the end of the year.
Romance this year: Your relationship with
your partner might get ruined due to minor issues. If you have never been in a relationship,
this year may be lucky for you as you will have
an emotional and romantic attachment.
Lucky month: May, July, November and
April
15th May, 2015
Ruled planet: Venus Ruled by no: 6
Traits in you: Venus being your ruling planet
offers you with a charismatic personality and
intelligence. You will always find peace of
mind.
Health this year: You may find blessings of a
sacred person to remain physically and mentally healthy.
Finance this year: You may find your friends
helpful enough to support you financially. You
may get influence from one of your female
friends, which will bring new dimensions to
your life. You have to ignore them who approach you for loans and financial assistance.
Career this year: As a vivid learner, you will
get the chance to move ahead of others when it
comes to new technology. However, you have
to work on your nature of being lazy, moody.
You should control yourself from interfering in
the affairs of others.
Romance this year: Your partner will be with
you in every situation you are in. You will be
relieved with the helping hand of your partner.
Lucky month: July, October, January and
April

30

SPIRITUAL AWARENESS

May 9-15, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Happiness is a State of Mind

By Sant Rajinder Singh

Ji Maharaj
ife is filled with many challenges and sometimes, under
pressure, people crack. They
feel they can no longer stand all the
problems facing them. Sometimes
people feel they have the worst job
in the world. Others feel they have
the worst health problems; they feel
no one could be plagued with as
many physical problems as they
have. At some time in our lives, we
feel that no one could have things
as bad as we have.
There is a folk tale about a wise
man who lived in a forest. People
would travel far and wide to seek
him out for answers to their problems. One day, a woman came to
him for advice.
He said, My dear, what can I do
for you?
She said, Things are terrible at
home. I live in a small hut with my
husband and two children. The hut
is barely large enough for the four
of us. I wanted a bigger house but
my husband is not doing well at
work and cannot afford anything
larger. As times are bad, my husbands father lost his job, so his
parents had to move in with us. We
were already crowded before but
now with six of us living together
in that small space, it is unbearable.
I cannot take it anymore. I feel like
screaming!

By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji

Maharaj

The wise man thought for a

moment and asked, Do you have a
cow? The woman said, Yes, we
do. He said, I advise you to bring
the cow into the hut to live with
you for a week and then come back
to see me. The woman was puzzled. She thought that since he was
a wise man, there must be some
magic in bringing the cow into the
house, so she did what he said.
The next week was horrible. It
was so crowded in the house that
every time the cow turned around,
all the six family members had to
change their seats. When they tried
to sleep, the smell was intolerable
and it would moo throughout the

a week.
The woman was fed up with his
advice but thought she would give
it one last chance. She returned
home and pulled the cow out of the
house. She took the chickens out
and returned them to the backyard.
A week later, the woman returned
to the wise man.
How are things now? he asked.
Thank you so much! You are
truly wise. Since I removed the cow
and chickens from the hut I feel so
much happier. Things have become
so peaceful.
The wise man smiled. The
woman returned home and lived
happily with her husband, her chil-

Next time we think things are

going badly and that God is not
properly listening to us, we
should sit back, take a deep
breath, and relax. We should
give God a chance to let things
happen and observe patiently.
We will find when all is said and
done that God worked things out
for the best in the end.
night, waking them all up.
After the week passed, the
woman returned to the wise man
and began shouting at him, What
have you done? I came to you to
make things better and now I am
more miserable than before. Your
advice did not work.
He thought for a moment and
asked, Do you have any chickens? Yes, she said.
He told her, Take them into the
hut with you for a week. She did

hut. My in-laws are always choking

from the smell and complaining
about how bad it is living with us.
The children find chicken feathers
falling into their food. My husband
is constantly fighting with me over
the living conditions in our home
and says, It is all your fault!
The wise man thought for a
moment and said, My dear, go
home and try one more thing. Take
the cow and the chickens out of
your hut. Then, come back to me in

dren, and her in-laws.

This story illustrates that we are
often unhappy with our situation
until we find that things could
always be worse. We think our job
is horrible, until we lose it and find
that life is harder without an
income. We think our health is bad
until we spend time in a hospital
and find people in worse condition
than we are. We think our family
members are bad until we find ourselves alone and realize how diffi-

Teaching By Example

ll too often people are quick to pass

judgment on others without knowing
their full story. They may be quick to
criticize someones actions, believing that
their perspective is correct and that they
understand all the circumstances. In turn, how
many of us are willing to withhold judgment
and put ourselves in the shoes of another person? How many times have we passed judgment on others only to later find that they had
a good reason that justified their actions?
Along the same lines, if we want others to
change their ways, telling them will have little
effect unless we are examples of that behavior. In this connection, there is a true story
from the animal kingdom about a team of
researchers who had gone to Africa to study
the behavior of elephants. They came across
an area in which a pack of elephants was running wild. As the research team set up telescopic cameras to observe the animals from a
distance, they saw that every day the elephants were fighting with each other, running

not understand how this would

help, but since he was a wise man,
and everybody in her village found
his advice helpful, she thought she
would give this a try.
When she returned home, she
collected all the chickens from the
backyard and moved them into the
house. For the next week, the
chickens were flying around the
hut, landing on everything and
making a mess of the place.
After a week, she returned and
cried, in tears, You must be crazy.
Your advice is terrible. It is impossible to live in the hut now. The
cow turns around and knocks into
us. The chickens fly all around the

over trees and destroying their environment.

They had studied other elephant packs before
and never saw such chaotic and wild behavior.
On further investigation they discovered that
the group was composed of all teenage male
elephants. There were no adult male elephants
in the group. When they checked with the
local inhabitants in the village why there were
no adult male elephants in the pack, the villagers explained that poachers came into the
village and killed all the male adults for their
ivory.
The researchers saw that the teenage male
elephants had no adult male role models from
which to learn. Curious to see if it truly made
a difference, they arranged to have some male
elephants brought in from another area. The
first thing the male adults did was to flap their
ears and raise their trunks. Next, they began to
make loud trumpeting sounds. In the beginning, there was no change and the teen elephants continued to run wild and fight each
other. However, after a few days in which the

adults flapped their ears, raised their trunks,

and made loud noises, the teen elephants
began to settle down. Over time, they became
well behaved and their wild actions subsided.
The researchers realized that on their own,
the teen elephants had no role models and did
not know how to behave. Once the male
adults were introduced into their pack, the
teens had role models and began to be disciplined.
In the same way, as parents, we teach our
children through loving discipline and by setting an example. Our children do not believe
in our words alone but in what they see us do.
They copy our own good and bad habits
because that is the example we set. Similarly,
when we are in a position to train or teach otherswhether we are teachers, parents,
employers, or citizens imploring others to be
conscientiouswe must first set an example
ourselves. That is the only way to bring about
change, teaching by example rather than by
mere words. If we want to see a positive

cult life is without them. We always

feel the grass is greener on the
other side. The woman learned that
what she thought was bad was actually not so bad when she saw how
much worse things could be. It is
human nature to think that everybody else has it so good and it is
only we who are suffering.
We think we know what is best
for us. How many times have we
tried to intervene with our two
cents to find that when we tried to
change our situation, we made
things worse? Then, we regret what
we have done and wish we could
make things go back to the way
they were.
On the spiritual path, one of the
lessons we need to learn is accepting the will of the Lord. Life would
be so much easier if we accept that
God knows what is best for us. If
we examined the times in our lives
that we interfered with Gods will,
we may have discovered that we
messed things up terribly on our
own and prayed to God to return
things to the way they were.
Next time we think things are
going badly and that God is not
properly listening to us, we should
sit back, take a deep breath, and
relax. We should give God a chance
to let things happen and observe
patiently. We will find when all is
said and done that God worked
things out for the best in the end. If
we reflect, we would find that if
God had listened to our complaints
and let us do things our own way,
things may not have been in our
best interest at all. Happiness is a
state of mind. If we think that God
is not doing what is best for us, we
will always be unhappy. If we
would realize that we are living
according to what God wishes for
us and that God is giving us what is
best for us, we would always be
happy and content.

On the spiritual path, two

qualities to inculcate are
patience and understanding. These are aspects of
leading a nonviolent life.
change in others and in our family, neighborhood, community, society, or country, then we
need to set an example. In the words of
Mahatma Gandhi, Be the change you want to
see in the world.
On the spiritual path, two qualities to inculcate are patience and understanding. These are
aspects of leading a nonviolent life. Those
who are nonviolent are patient. They do not
rush to criticize or accuse someone. With
empathy they try to think of how the world
looks through other peoples eyes. If each of
us could treat others with patience, love, and
understanding, this world would be more
peaceful and loving. When we are patient and
understanding, we never have to go to sleep at
night worrying if we did the right thing. We
will know that when we have patience and
understanding, we are acting in a noble way.