The South Asian Times

e x c e l l e n c e

Vol.9 No. 37 January 14-20, 2017 80 Cents

i n

j o u r n a l i s m

New York Edition

BJP likely to wrest UP;

AAP a factor in Punjab

New York:

Five Indian States go to polls Feb 6-March 8

New Delhi: T he Elect ion
Commission of India has
announced the schedule for assem
bly elections in five Indian states.
Vot ing w ill be he ld in Uttar
Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand
and Manipur at dates from 4
February to 8 March. Votes will be
counted on 11 March.
Opinion polls are divided on the
outcome of assembly elections in
the two important states of Uttar
Pradesh and Punjab. India Today
Axis have predicted a big victory
for the BJP in the countrys politi
cally important state of UP. They

Continued on page 4

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Russia ties
trail Trump
Trumps cabinet nominees promise
to stand up to adversary Putin

Akali Dal leader & Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal, accompanied by his
daughterinlaw Harsimrat Kaur and son Sukhbir Badal, files nomination
papers from Lambi constituency in Punjab on Jan 12. Photo: IANS

Modi asks NRIs to

first develop India

Washington:

New Delhi:

Biswal, Dr Barai & Dr Shivangi among PBD honorees

PM Modi along with the Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa and
the Surinam Vice President Michel Ashwin Satyandre Adhin and other
New York:
dignitaries at the inauguration of the PBD2017 in Bengaluru on Jan 8.
Photo: Bhanu Seth New York:
Bengaluru: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Sunday urged
the Indian diaspora to first devel
op India by investing and con
tributing its expertise in the land
of its origin.
"To me, FDI means First Develop
India throug h Foreign Direct
Investment, whose norms have

Follow us on

been fully liberalized for NRIs and

PIOs and made on par with domes
tic firms for availing same bene
fits," Modi told the14th Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas here.
Inaugurating the 3day mega
event, Modi exhorted the diaspora

Continued on page 4
See more stories on pg 1417.

Will happen within first 100 days

of Trump's presidency: Paul Ryan
Washington: House Speaker Paul
Ryan said Thursday Republicans
plan to repeal
President
Obama's health
care law at the
same time they
approve a GOP
replacement
plan. "We want
House Speaker
to do this at the
Paul Ryan
same time, and
in some cases in the same bill,"
Ryan said during a town hall in
Washington sponsored by CNN.
Ryan said Republicans are mov
ing "as quickly as they can" to
repeal and replace the Affordable
Care Act, but said he doesn't yet
have a date, and it will take "a lit
tle bit of time" to do so.
He added that the GOP will act
"definitely within these first 100

Continued on page 4

Presidentelect denounces unverified dossier as fake news, Russia

Washington:
denies any compromising material on him
New York: Presidentdesignate
Donald Trump denounced on
Wednesday the publication of
"fake news" about his and his cam
paign's alleged links to Russia.
A dossier created by an agent
paid for by opposition to Trump
that carries unsubstant iated
details that Russia has compromis
ing material on his personal and
financial dealings has been posted
on Buzzfeed and summarized for
Trump by US intelligence.
The controversy is likely to play
out long past Inauguration Day,
The New York Times has weighed
in.
Trump denounced the unproven
claims in a news conference at
Trump Tower as a fabrication, a
Nazistyle slander concocted by
sick people. But it has further

undermined, at least temporarily,

his relationship with the intelli
gence agencies and cast a shadow
over the new administration.
A former British intelligence offi
cer named Christopher Steele has
been widely named as the author
of the 35page dossier, which has
been doing the rounds of
Washington for some time. BBC
has since reported that feeling the
heat over the matter he has gone
underground T hose critical of
Trump have been wondering at his
avowed soft corner for Russian
supremo Vladimir Putin and desire
for better relations with Russia
despite clear evidence that
Moscow meddled in the presiden
tial election. Yet, refreshingly, at
the confirmat ion hearings in

Continued on page 4

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January 14-20, 2017

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

TRISTATE COMMUNITY

Andy Bhatia elected FIA

president for 2017
New York: Noted community activist Andy
Bhatia has been elected as President of the
Federation of Indian Association (FIA of
NYNJCT), which organizes the largest
India Day Parade in New York City.
He took charge on January 1 along with
a new team comprising Srujal Parikh (exec
utive vice president); Alok Kumar (vice
president); Chhavi Dharayan (secretary);
Jatin Patel (joint secretary); Himanshu
Bhatia (treasurer); Anand Patel (immediate
past president) promising that an all out
effort will be made to expand the activities
of the organization. The signature events
of the FIA, including the India Day Parade,
India Day Banquet and the Dance pe
Chance will be organized to attract more
people with new features, which will take
them to the next level. A college fair for the
youth and a fundraising event for the
org anizat ion in April are also being
planned. Expanding the programs of FIA to
Connecticut and Queens/Long Island areas
is also being explored .
Andy Bhatia is the president of American
Sales and Marketing Partners LLC, which
has extensive experience in the
airline/travel industry. He retired as the

Andy Bhatia
Area Sales Manager for Air India in New
York, where he worked for nearly 35 years.
Bhatia has served in the FIA in various
capacities for several years. For a quarter
of a century, he actively participated in
organizing the India Day Parade and Diwali
Festival in New York City and Diwali Mela
in Jackson Heights, among other communi
ty events in the TriState area on behalf of
Air India.

Mangano unlikely
to be nominated
for 3rd term
Mineola: Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, who is facing federal corrup
tion charges, is unlikely to be renominated for a third term, and potential replace
ments include former state Sen. Jack Martins, County Clerk Maureen OConnell
and Hempstead Town Councilman Bruce Blakeman, according to two Republican
sources familiar with the partys thinking, New day reported.
The Nassau Republican Committee expects to pick its slate of countywide candi
dates for 2017 in the next four to six weeks, said one of the sources, who declined
to be identified.
Its hard to foresee a circumstance or a set of facts where Mangano would be
running again with the partys imprimatur, the source said.
With the GOPs nominating convention scheduled for May and four possible
Democratic candidates already raising money for county executive campaigns
Republicans appear ready to move on from Mangano.
There is no one in the party that doesnt think he needs to go, said the other
GOP source. This is a business of practicality and Mangano is an albatross.
Mangano, county executive since 2010, questioned the loyalty of some GOP offi
cials and said he would make a decision about running for a third term in due
time.
Federal prosecutors in October charged Mangano with receiving bribes and
kickbacks from a businessman who also gave Manganos wife, Linda, a lucrative
noshow job. Prosecutors also charged Linda and thenOyster Bay Town
Supervisor John Venditto in the case. The Manganos and Venditto have pleaded
not guilty.

January 14-20, 2017

Ashley Tellis as US
envoy to India?
Washington: As Donald Trump gets ready to
be inaugurated as 45th US President, all the
US ambassadors in foreign capitals are
being recalled. The one name said to be like
ly to be Trump pick for envoy to India to
succeed Richard Verma, an Obama
appointee.
Ashley Tellis, a Mumbaiborn, Indiaedu
cated scholardiplomat, is currently a senior
fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace specializing in interna
tional security, defense, and Asian strategic
issues. An alumnus of the University of
Bombay who came to US for graduate stud
ies at the University of Chicago, he served as
senior adviser to Robert Blackwill, the US
Ambassador in New Delhi during 2001
2003. He also served on the US National
Security Council staff as special assistant to
President Bush and was intimately involved
in negotiating the civilian nuclear deal with
India.
The Times of India wrote that Tellis's nom
ination is certain to be welcomed in New
Delhi, not just because he's IndianAmerican,
but also because of the body of scholarly
work he's done on the region, on USIndia
ties, and his tireless promotion of closer
defense and strategic relations between the

Tellis is a senior fellow at the Carnegie

Endowment for International Peace
two countries. He is, among other works, the
author of 'India's Emerging Nuclear Posture'
and coauthor of 'Interpreting China's Grand
Strategy: Past, Present, and Future'.
Besides Tellis, the Trump administration
can also choose: Atul Keshap, who is cur
rently the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and
Maldives; Geeta Pasi, US ambassador to
Chad; and Krishna R Urs, Deputy Chief of
Mission at the US Embassy in Madrid, Spain.
And then, there are IndianAmerican politi
cal contributors and early Trump backers
such as Shalabh Kumar and KV Kumar,
wrote the Times.

Is Cuomo prepping
for 2020 run
Albany, NY: After three days and
mission and longterm strategy
six stops, Governor Andrew
after the election of Donald J.
Cuomo has of ficially finished
Trump to the White House, Mr.
giving his State of the State
Cuomo seems eager to quickly
Address.
position himself as a dif ferent
This year, the democratic gov
sort of Northeast liberal, one
ernor ditched the tradition of
capable of building things
de livering a sing le address,
beyond a social agenda and
instead making multiple stops
remaking a persona that has
around the state to discuss
long rubbed some of his col
issues local to each stop.
leagues and voters the wrong
But he talked of some big
way. Mr. Cuomo and Senators
New York State Governor
ideas, including from the 2016
Cory Booker of New Jersey,
Andrew Cuomo
campaign trail: a tuitionfree col
Sherrod Brown of Ohio and
lege plan. It was the latest in a series of highpro Kamala D. Harris of California, among others, are
file, leftleaning policy moves that the Democrat thought to be on a short, if still amorphous, list
can claim including the legalization of samesex of fresher options for 2020.
marriage, the passage of guncontrol laws and a
Of those who have prompted presidential spec
higher minimum wage.
ulation, Mr. Cuomo seems the keenest to quickly
The next day, the governor was at it again. broaden his appeal since the election, and is per
Surrounded by more bunting, he announced a haps the most roadtested in political warfare
$10 billion overhaul of Kennedy International and theatrics. His appearance with the stillpopu
Airport, the latest think big project that he has lar Mr. Sanders, whom Mr. Cuomo did not sup
initiated or completed, including the recently port in last years primary campaign, illustrated
opened Second Avenue subway, a new Tappan the governors instincts; although the event
Zee Bridge and a revamped Penn Station.
was Mr. Cuomos, he allowed Mr. Sanders to
As Democratic leaders reassess their partys speak last.

January 14-20, 2017

TATA SONS APPOINTS

N. Chandrasekaran as new chairman
Mumbai: Tata Sons on T hursday
named Natarajan Chandrasekaran as
its new chairman, ending months of
speculation over leadership at the Tata
Group the $103billion salttosoft
ware conglomerate that is embroiled
in a bitter feud with its ousted chair
man Cyrus Mistry.
Chandrasekaran, who currently
heads Tata Consultancy Services, is
the third nonTata, after Nowroji
Saklatwala and Cyrus Mistry, to hold
this position. TCS is the most success
ful Indian IT company valued at $67

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

TURN PAGE

Natarajan
Chandrasekaran
succeeds Raty Tata

billion thats 60% of the Groups

market value and 70% of the dividend
earnings of Tata Sons, the groups
holding company.
He was inducted on the board of
Tata Sons on October 25, a day after
its board ousted Cyrus Mistry and
named Ratan Tata as the interim
chairman, kicking of f a boardroom
battle that has now reached the
National Company Law Tribunal.
Mistry was removed on charges that he
disregarded Tata traditions, values and
ethos.

Biden conferred
Presidential Medal of
Freedom
President Barack Obama has conferred Vice
President Joe Biden with the highest civilian
honor, Presidential Medal of Freedom, at a cere
mony in the White House in Washington DC com
memorating an "extraordinary man with an
extraordinary career in public service."

Letters to the Editor

Correction

Dear Sir,
I read your New Year Special issue thoroughly. I do not like
your Person of Year 2016 Shalabh Kumar. But I understand.
He's the "in" thing these days, at least for Indian Americans
but not for this one!
Shivaji Sengupta, New York
A Modi Bhakt and Trump supporter as TSAT Person of the
Year is very disappointing disgusting in fact. There are so
many other Indian Americans doing us proud in various
fields, who would have rightfully deserved this. In fact in this
year, it was the perfect time to have a woman as person of
year.
Roopsi Narula, Iselin, NJ
Shalabh Kumar is a good choice for Person of Year. The
extensive interview with him by Managing Editor Parveen
Chopra was competently done. As a journalist myself, I
would have loved to sit on that interview too.
Brahm, Queens

The picture published on Page 4 in

the New Year Special issue of Dec
31Jan 13, 2017 under the head
ing "Trump appoints Raj Shah to
White House" was wrong. Here is
the correct picture. The error is
regretted.

Russia ties trail Trump

Continued from page 1
Congress, Trumps security picks have
clearly stated that Russia is an adver
sary not to be trusted.
General James N. Mattis, Secretary
of Defense nominee, said Russia con
tinues to be an adversary in key areas
and attempts to engage positively
with the country have always been
thwarted.
Mike Pompeo, in his CIA director
hearings, said he accepts the report
that found Russia responsible for the
hacks, which was designed to af fect
American democracy and that Russia
is in violation of law of war for tar
geting civilians in Syria.
Mattis and Rex Tillerson, nominee
for Secretary of State, have also
expressed high regard for NATO
alliance, which they feel Russia is try
ing to weaken.

BJP likely to wrest UP; AAP a

factor in Punjab
Continued from page 1
give the BJP a clear majority of 206
216 out of the total 403 seats and
give the ruling Samajwadi Party,
which is embroiled in a family feud,
9297 seats followed by the BSP of
Mayawati with 7985 seats and
the Congress coming a distant fourth
with 59 seats
On the other hand, ABP News
LoknitiCSDS predicted a close fight
between the BJP and the SP in UP: it
gave 141151 seats to the SP, 129
139 to the BJP, 93103 to the BSP
and 1319 to the Congress. ABP
NewsLoknit iCSDS opinion poll
showed the ruling Shiromani Akali
DalBJP combine locked in a tough
contest with the Congress in Punjab
and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) com
ing third. It gave 5058 out of the
total 117 seats to the SADBJP
alliance, 4149 to the Congress and
1218 to the AAP. But India Today
Axis survey predicted a keen fight
between the Congress and AAP in
Punjab. It gave 4955 seats to the
Congress, 4246 to the AAP and 17
21 to the SADBJP.

Jaipur (India) Bureau

Prakash Bhandari
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Chairman and Co-Founder
Kamlesh C. Mehta

Associate Editors:
Hiral Dholakia-Dave

Co-Founder: Saroosh Gull

Contributing Editors: Meenakshi Iyer,

Nilima Madan, Melvin Durai,
Dr Prem Kumar Sharma, Ashok Vyas,
Dr Akshat Jain, Ashok Ojha

President: Arjit Mehta

India TodayAxis also forecast a vic

tory for the BJP in Uttarakhand.
Analysts say that the ef fect of the
rupee ban is expected to play a cru
cial role in all five state elections.

Modi asks NRIs to first

develop India
Continued from page 1
to participate in the governments
flagship programs like Digital India,
Make In India, Startup India, Swacch
Bharat and Clean Ganga for the coun
trys allround development. Indian
orig in Portug al Prime Minister
Antonio Luis Santos da Costa and
Indianborn US diplomat Nisha Desai
Biswal were among the 30 PBD
awardees.
Of the awardees, six are from the
US, including Dr Bharat Barai and Dr
Sampat Shivangi.
This time, PBD was also celebrated
worldwide by the Indian Embassies
and Consulates with participation of
the members of the Indian
Community.

GOP will repeal, replace

Obamacare together
Continued from page 1
days" of Trump's presidency. Ryan's
comments align the speaker with
Presidentelect Donald Trump, who
said at a news conference Wednesday
that repealing and replacing
Obamacare should happen "essentially
simultaneously." Some Republicans on
Capitol Hill have urged more caution,
however, as the party tries to find con
sensus on a plan to replace the law
that has insured millions of people.
At the outset of the town hall, Ryan
didn't say that the government has an
obligation to insure every American. "I
clearly think there's a role for the gov
ernment in health care, no doubt about
it," the Wisconsin Republican said.
He added that he supports elements
of the health care law including that
"people with preexisting conditions,
no matter how much money they
make," should have access to insur
ance. But, he said, "The law is collaps
ing, and so we've got to rescue people."

IANS Newswire Services

IANS Washington Bureau
Arun Kumar
arun.kumar@ians,in

Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/

masalajunction.com.
Xitij Joshi/xitijphoto.com

Printing: Five Star Printing, NY

Photo Journalist: Sandeep Girhotra

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publication do not imply connection or endorsement of these businesses. All rights reserved.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

TRISTATE COMMUNITY

IndianAmericans to
celebrate Trump's
Inauguration with a ball
Washington,DC: Eminent
IndianAmericans from
across America are gearing
to celebrate inauguration of
Donald Trump as the 45th
president of the US with a
presidential ball along with
other Asian American com
munity on January 19. The
only presidential inaugural
ball of its kind, among oth
ers, would also fe licitate
IndianAmericans who have
been nominated by Trump to
key positions in his adminis
tration.
Prominent among them
being South Carolina
Governor Nikki Haley, who
has been nominated to the
position of US Ambassador
to the United Nations, which
is a Cabinet level post.
"Asian Pacific American
Presidential Inaugural Gala
2017" being organized by
TrumpPence Asian Pacific
American
Advisory

Committee (APAAC) and the

National Committee of Asian
American Republicans has
several
top
Indian
Americans on its leadership
team, including Puneet
Ahuwalia from Virginia, K V
Kumar from California,
Shalabh Kumar from Illinois,
and Harry Walia from
Florida.
"T he
Asian
Pacific
American Gala is defining
statement of our nations
diverse strength and huge
intellectual capital amongst
the
Asian
American
Communit ies.
Indian
Americans should be leading
the Presidential inaugural
celebration as we have the
most to benefit with strong
USIndia relations," Puneet
Ahluwalia,
Finance
Chairman of the gala, told
PTI.
"We are leading in numer
ous fields and it is time we

lead in mainstream political

activities," he said.
The presidential inaugural
gala will be held in the his
toric ball room of Mayflower
hotel on the eve of Trump's
swearing in on January 20.
"The Asian American Gala
as part of President Trump's
Inaugural symbolises the
success achieved by Indian
and Asian Americans," said
Vivek Lall, who has been a
leading US corporate figure
working with many govern
ments globally.
"Under
the
Trump
Presidency we can foresee a
stronger America w ith
enhanced substantial part
nerships in trade and active
diplomacy across the globe,"
he said, asserting that US
India cooperation will fur
ther deepen on mult iple
fronts during the incoming
administration.
(PTI)

H1B visa reform to increase IT

firms' margin pressure: report
New Delhi: IT firms' margins will
come under more pressure if the US
government clears the H1B visa
reform Bill 'Protect and Grow
American Jobs Act', rating agency
India Ratings and Research (IndRa)
said today.
"...the employee cost of IT compa
nies has increased over the past
eight quarters and impacted mar
gins negatively. The passage of the
Bill would impact IT companies
operations and might lead to fur
ther increase in the onshore efforts
and subcontracting expenses," Ind
Ra today said in a statement.
The key proposal in the Bill is to
increase the salary of H1B visa
holder to $100,000 (Rs. 66 lakh)
from $60,000 per annum and the
cessation of an exemption of having
a master's degree. The cash cushion
and low debt levels that IT compa
nies enjoy however will mean the
squeeze on margins will be credit
neutral. The salary level that has

been proposed is significantly high

er than the average employee cost
of Indian IT companies of under Rs.
1 million (ranges between Rs. 3 lakh
to Rs. 5 million).
Indian IT companies generate
around 5560 per cent of the rev
enue from the US. The onsite pro
portion of revenue exceeds the off
shore portion and the subcontract
ing expenses as a percentage of rev
enue has increased by around 50
100 bps over the last eight quarters
for the top IT companies.
"Further the removal of the
exemption of possessing a master's
degree to qualify for a H1B visa if
implemented will reduce the talent
pool qualifying for such visas and in
turn result in either increased
employee cost for hiring employees
with higher qualification or subcon
tract work, both of which would
increase the cost of operations and
pressurize margins," IndRa said.
(PTI)

January 14-20, 2017

Parag Havaldar is
Technical Oscar winner

Kolkata: IIT Kharagpur alumnus Parag

Havaldar has won the Technical Oscar for
the development of expressionbased facial
performancecapture technology at Sony
Pictures Imageworks, the institute said in a
statement on Friday.
The IndianAmerican graduated from the
Department of Computer Science &
Engineering at IIT Kharagpur in 1991.
Havaldar is a software supervisor at Sony
Pictures Imageworks, where he leads the
company's proprietary efforts in the area of
performance capture.
Some of his notable work and the technol

ogy developed by him and his group have

been used to create stylized and realistic
animated characters in a variety of movies
including 'Alice in Wonderland', 'Monster
House', 'Hancock', `Watchmen', 'Green
Lantern', 'T he Amazing SpiderMan',
'Beowulf ' and 'Hancock'.
"This pioneering system has enabled
largescale use of animation rigbased facial
performancecapture for motion pictures,
combining solutions for tracking, stabiliza
tion, solving and animator controllable
curve editing," as released on the Academy
(IANS)
main page.

4 IndianAmerican scientists
chosen for Presidential award
Washington: Four IndianAmerican
scientists have been chosen among
102 researchers who will receive
the President ial Early Career
Awards for Scient ists and
Engineers (PECASE) the highest
honor given by the US government
to science and engineering profes
sionals.
T hese are: Pankaj Lal from
Montclair State University
(Department of Ag riculture);
Kaushik
Chowd hury
from
Northeastern
University
(Department of Defense), Manish
Arora, Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai (Department of Health
and Human Services) and Aradhna
Tripati, University of California, Los
Angeles (UCLA) (National Science
Foundation).
"I congratulate these outstanding
scientists and engineers on their
impactful work. These innovators
are working to he lp keep the

United States on the cutting edge,

showing that Federal investments
in science lead to advancements
that expand our knowledge of the
world around us and contribute to
our economy," Obama said in a
statement.
Lal, who earned his Master's from
Delhi School of Economics, is an
associate professor in the depart
ment of earth and environmental
studies at Montclair.
Undertaking interdisciplinary
research that explores interconnec
tions among society and the envi
ronment, he has been working on
environmental economics and eco
nomic geography, human dimen
sions of ecosystem management,
natural resource conservation and
policy and climate change.
Dr Chowdhury, who received his
PhD from the Georgia Institute of
Technolog y, directs the Next
Generation Networks and Systems

(GENESYS) Lab. He is the winner of

the "NSF CAREER" award in 2015
and the Of fice of Naval Research
Director of Research Early Career
Award in 2016.
An environmental epidemiologist
and exposure biologist, Arora's
research focuses on effects of pre
natal and early childhood chemical
exposures on lifelong health tra
jectories.
He is known for his work on bio
markers that utilize human decidu
ous and permanent teeth to recon
struct the timing of exposure to
various harmful chemicals and
essential nutrients.
At UCLA, Tripati's lab uses the
chemistry of natural compounds as
well as models as tools to under
stand how the Earth works to
understand climate change, the
oceans, and the transfer of carbon
between the biosphere, atmosphere
(IANS)
and oceans.

January 14-20, 2017

TRISTATE COMMUNITY

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

IN BRIEF

Vin Gopal announces

candidacy for NJ State Senate
onmouth County smallbusiness
owner Vin Gopal announced his can
didacy for New Jersey State Senate on
January 2 challenging longtime incum
bent politician Jennifer Beck. Born in Nep
tune Township and raised in Freehold
Township, Gopal says that it is time for
new leadership to tackle New Jersey's
grave fiscal problems. A successful local
smallbusiness owner, Gopal previously
served on the Board of Directors for the
now Monmouth County Chamber of Com
merce where he chaired the Chamber's
Government Affairs Committee. He is a
pastPresident of the Hazlet Township
Business Owners Association, and a past
Board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters
of Monmouth County.
Gopal previously served as a volunteer
EMT for the Colts Neck and Freehold First
Aid Squads, responding to hundreds of
911 emergencies. Gopal currently volun
teers with the Long Branch Fire Depart
ment. He is also the Founder and Presi

omedian Aziz Ansari will host Satur

day Night Live on Jan. 21, the NBC
show announced Tuesday, and in do
ing so, he will make history as its first host
of South Asian descent.
The gig comes on the heels of a big year
for Ansari. The standup comic and televi
sion star won his first Emmy (outstanding
writing for a comedy series) after earning a
total of four nominations for his Netflix se
ries Master of None.
His nomination for outstanding lead ac
tor in a comedy series was the first for an
Indian American.

Aziz Ansari
(Image courtesy: vergecampus.com)

Vin Gopal
dent of a 501 c (3) organization dedicated
to helping local charities and individuals
in need. Gopal volunteered his time as the
Democratic Party Chairman in Monmouth
County where he helped place the focus
of local campaigns on the crushing prop
erty tax burden placed on Monmouth
County homeowners.

Book on Allama Mashriqis

family published
llama Mashriqis Sons & Daugh
ters: British Indias Young Free
dom Fighters, author Nasim
Yousafs (Allama Mashriqis grandson)
sixteenth book, has been published in
the United States of America. The book
profiles the stories of Allama Mashriqis
sons and daughters, who fought for the
freedom of the Indian subcontinent
(now Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh).
Like Mashriqi, these individuals made
great sacrifices for the nation in order
to end the British Raj.
The newly published book is a com
pelling read that sheds light on these
heroes. The book is bound to draw con
siderable interest not only from re
searchers, students, and academics of
South Asian studies, but also any indi
vidual interested in the history of the In
dian subcontinent.
Allama Mashriqi led the freedom
movement of the Indian subcontinent
(now comprised of Bangladesh, India,
and Pakistan) and liberated his people
from British rule in 1947.

Aziz Ansari will be SNLs rst

South Asian American host

'Indian origin' man arrested in

shooting of US diplomat in Mexico
man who may be of Indian origin has
been arrested in connection with the
shooting of a US consular official in
the Mexican city of Guadalajara, according
to reports in local media there.
Zafar Zia, the alleged assailant, was de
scribed in Mexican media as a 31yearold
American citizen of "Indian" or "Hindu" ori
gin. Impacto el Diario newspaper's web site
said that the Jalisco state prosecutor's con
firmed his arrest on Sunday on its Twitter ac
count.
The shooting on Friday was not terrorism
related but was motivated by a visa issue, as
per the victim's statement to the US Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI), reported Cron

ica.com. Mexican media also reported that

the Foreign Ministry said that Zia "will be ex
pelled and repatriated to the United States of
America where his legal status will be deter
mined."
US authorities have not as of Monday
morning local time confirmed the arrested
man's identity or that of the diplomat who
was shot. Mexican media identified the vic
tim as Deputy Consul Christopher Ashcraft.
Impacto el Diario and El Mudo described
Zia as being of "Hindu" origin, while the
Cronica.com said he was "Indian." In Mexico
sometimes "Hindu" and "Indian" used inter
changeably as national identification, rather
than religious.

Indianorigin dentist to pay

$250,000 in fraud case
n Indianorigin dentist is to pay
$250,000 to settle a fraud case in
volving treatment of children en
rolled in a government insurance for the
poor, according to a federal prosecutor in
Texas. Akhil Reddy agreed to pay the
amount to resolve the governments' claims
in the case involving a dental practice in
Texas that he party owned, John Parker the
Northern Texas federal prosecutor an
nounced on Monday.
A total of $8.45 million was recovered by
the government from him, four other den
tists and a manager of the practice, the

Bookcover
Nasim Yousaf, a grandson of Allama
Mashriqi, has spent a considerable por
tion of his adult life engaged in aca
demic research on Allama Mashriqi and
the Khaksar Tehrik.

prosecutor said.
Between 2009 and 2014, their dental
practices submitted false claims to Texas
Medicaid for singlesurface fillings in chil
dren that were not done and allegedly kick
backs were paid to the patients, their fami
lies and marketers, according to the prose
cution.
Medicaid is the government health insur
ance program for the poor.
A whistleblower who worked for the
practices, Veronica Garcia, is to receive a
reward of $1.5 million for exposing the
fraud.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

NATIONAL COMMUNITY

January 14-20, 2017

India glimpse in new 2nd Avenue subway

T

he stat ions at New York

City's Second Avenue sub
way line, a century in the
making, feature museum quality
mosaic art, including portraits of
SikhAmerican designer Waris
Ahluwalia and an Indian woman
in a sari. Actordesignermodel
Waris Ahluwalia features among
art ist Vik Muniz's Perfect
Strangers mosaics at the 72nd
Street station. Muniz, a Brazilian
born artist, has captured the City's
diversity with sights that are rare
for subway walls like a South
Asian woman in a sari and a gay
couple holding hands.
The diversity in the art made
Indian Americans in New York
feel seen. Sumana Harihareswara
told a local daily that she was
brought to tears when she saw the
portrait of the South Asian woman
in a sari.
This woman could be my aunt,
she could be my cousin, she was
quoted as say ing in the NYT.
There is no feeling quite like see
ing yourself cemented into the
infrastructure of New York. It lets
me know that my city loves me.
This station features Sarah Sze,
an artist and MacArthur Genius
with deep Indian ties. She is mar
ried to Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee,

Love this mosaic of a Sikh American in New York City's newest subway station.
Love that our kids will grow up feeling represented, tweeted Simran Jeet Singh, an
academician and a New Yorker, with the pic posiing in front of a representation of
designer Waris Ahluwalia.
who won the Pulitzer Prize for his
book Emperor of the Maladies.
Each of the four new stations
servicing New York City's famous
Museum Mile and supported by a

$4.5 million budget serves as

permanent art installations by a
dif ferent artist, including Chuck
Close and Jean Shin. Shin's work
at the 63rd Street stop is a nod to

There is no feeling quite like seeing yourself cemented

into the infrastructure of New York, said an Indian origin
woman commenting on the mural of a woman in a sari.

the city's transit history an

interesting theme for a subway
line that has been in the works
since 1929.
The subway line was of ficially

Still life with Snow

The first big snow in the

Tristate area on Saturday,
Jan 7, took many people
by surprise, inconve
nienced others. But Jinal
Shah, formerly part of the
editorial team at The
South Asian Times, was
out capturing the sereni
ty and silence of every
thing enveloped by
snow at Liberty State
Park in Jersey City, near
where she lives.
Photos by Jinal Shah

opened when Gov. Andrew M.

Cuomo took elected officials and
other guests on the inaugural sub
way ride under Second Avenue on
Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016.

January 14-20, 2017

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

US AFFAIRS

Former MI6 sleuth behind Trump

dossier now 'in hiding'
London: A former MI6 of ficer who is
believed to have prepared a memo claim
ing that Russia has compromising materi
al on US Presidentelect Donald Trump is
now in hiding, the BBC said in a report on
Thursday.
Christopher Steele has been widely
named as the author of the memo which
has been published in some US media
that contains extensive allegations about
Trump's personal life and his campaign's
relationship with Russia.
Among the allegations are that Moscow

has a video recording of Trump with pros

titutes and damaging information about
his business activities.
Steele, who runs a Londonbased intelli
gence firm, is believed to have left his
home on either Tuesday or Wednesday,
before he was publicly named, and was
now "in hiding", the BBC report said.
It said that Steele had asked his neigh
bor to look after his cats.
MI6 of ficials considered Stee le
"extremely, highly regarded" and he was
thought of as "competent".

AMAZON TO CREATE
100,000 NEW JOBS IN US
IN NEXT 18 MONTHS
New York: Ama
zon.com Inc. re
vealed plans to
hire more than
100,000 people
in the U.S. in the
next 18 months,
grabbing
the
spotlight
as
Presidentelect
Donald Trump
pushes compa
nies to employ
more Americans. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos had tangled with Trump dur
ing the election campaign. Now the timing of the
The staffing
up isnt particu companys big announcement will make the incom
ing President look good.
larly surprising
for a company moving into multiple and Alibaba have publicly
hiring
sprees,
categories from groceries, hard announced
ware and video to fashion and cloud though some of them were
services. But the move could ap repolishing
pease Trump, who tangled with previously announced intentions.
Amazons move could do less to
Amazon Chief Executive Officer Jeff
Bezos during the election campaign. help the U.S. economy than is im
Its a very powerful headline, and mediately apparent. Research
the timing certainly makes Trump groups have argued that the com
look good, said Ivan Feinseth, an pany kills more jobs than it creates
analyst at Tigress Financial Part because it has disrupted the tradi
ners LLC. Its going to happen in tional retail industry. Critics also
the first year and half of his admin say tax breaks and other incentives
istration. Bezos couldnt have set that have helped fuel Amazons
him up any better to look good warehouse growth werent worth
the investment because they create
timing is everything.
Bezos was among a group of lead mostly lowwage jobs, many of
ing technology industry executives them temporary.
Over the past five years, Amazon
who met with Trump last month in
Manhattan to discuss points of con says it has created more than
cern. Jobs, immigration and China 150,000 jobs in the U.S., growing its
topped the agenda. Since then, sev workforce in the country to
eral companies from IBM to Ford 180,000 at the end of last year

Steele is believed to be a former member

of the Secret Intelligence Service MI6 and
is a director of Orbis Business Intelligence
which describes itself as a leading cor
porate intelligence consultancy.
According to the report, Christopher
Burrows, who is listed as a codirector of
Orbis alongside Steele, refused to confirm
or deny whether the firm had produced
the memo on Trump.
The 35page dossier on Trump which
is believed to have been commissioned ini
tially by Republicans opposed to the real

estate mogul has been circulating in

Washington for some time.
But the allegations have not been inde
pendently substantiated or verified and
some details have been challenged as
incorrect by those who are mentioned.
Trump himself was briefed about the
existence of the allegations by the US
intelligence community last week but has
since described them as "fake news" and
"phoney stuf f ", accusing the American
inte lligence services of leaking the
dossier.

Trump raises business issues

that could impact India
New York: In his first media confer
ence as Presidentelect, Donald
Trump, without naming any coun
try in particular, laid bare his views
on the US pharmaceutical sector, as
well as on the loss of American jobs
in manufacturing, both of which are
issues with potential to hit Indian
business interests.
Nine days before he is to be
sworn as the 45th US President,
Trump spoke of his plans to stem
the flow of manufacturing from
America and took aim at the phar
maceutical sector.
"We've got to get our drug indus
try back," he said.
"Our drug industry has been dis
astrous. They're leaving left and
right. They supply our drugs, but
they don't make them here, to a
large extent," he said at the chaotic
news conference on Wednesday in
the lobby of Trump Tower in
Manhattan, attended by some 250
journalists from the world over.
The US is the largest market for
Indian drug makers. In 2015, India
exported $6 billion worth of drugs
to the US and could feel the impact
of the Trump announcement to
change drug pricing policy.
Trump's strong remarks on "over
charging" by pharma companies
indicates a future tougher operat
ing environment for foreign compa
nies, including Indian, in the US.
However, India could also gain
from his plans to cut the cost of
pharmaceuticals because of its lead

Presidentelect Donald Trump during his press conference

in New York on Wednesday
ership in generics.
Declaring pharma companies as
"getting away with murder" in over
charging and sending capacity
abroad, Trump said: "We are the
largest buyer of drugs in the world,
and yet, we don't bid properly."
He promised to start such "bid
ding" and save billions of dollars for
the US over a period of time.
Just hours after the press confer
ence, Indian pharma companies
were trading in red. The S&P BSE
healthcare index receded by 110.99
points.
Shares
of
Sun
Pharmaceutical, Dr. Reddy's, Lupin,
Cipla, Cadila and Glenmark were
down on the BSE. The scrip price of
Cadila went down by 1.89 per cent
to close at Rs 350.45 per share.
Lupin was down 2.03 per cent at
Rs 1,489.45 and Dr. Reddy's 1.19
per cent at Rs 3,011.20. Sun closed

at Rs 643.90 down 0.59 per cent.

Wockhardt lost 11.30 points and
closed at Rs 687.45, down 1.62 per
cent.
Glenmark closed at Rs 889.95 per
share, down 1.57 per cent. IPCA
Labs closed at Rs 548.85, losing
down 7.50 points. NATCO at the
closing traded at Rs 640.40 down
0.09 per cent. He also threatened to
impose a "border tax" on companies
that move manufacturing outside.
Trump spoke about Fiat Chrysler
and Ford setting up factories in the
US Midwest where the core of his
supporters scarred by deindustrial
ization live, with more such plants
to be announced in the coming
weeks. They were all because of his
efforts, he declared.
A mega IndoUS defense venture
could take a potential hit following
Trump's announcement.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

January 14-20, 2017

US AFFAIRS

Trump denounces 'fake news' about Russian ties

New York: Presidentdesignate Donald
Trump denounced on Wednesday the pub
lication of "fake news" about his and his
campaign's alleged links to Russia.
At his first news conference at Trump
Tower in a long time, he complimented the
media like The New York Times that did
not publish the reports because they ques
tioned their veracity. The reports attrib
uted to a person formerly with British
intelligence were published by Buzzfeed, a
web media, whose editor himself expressed
doubts about them.
Earlier in the day, Trump had tweeted,
Intelligence agencies should never have
allowed this fake news to leak into the
public. One last shot at me. Are we living in
Nazi Germany?
At his news conference, Trump defended
the praise he has lavished on Russian fed
eration leader Vladimir Putin and acknowl
edged that he thought Russia was behind
the hacking of Democratic Party email
accounts, a position that he had rejected in
the past. Intelligence officials have said the
Russians attempted to influence the presi
dential election with the cyberattacks.
If Putin likes Donald Trump guess

what, folks? thats an asset not a liabili

ty, Trump said later questioning whether
his presidential opponent Hillary Clinton
wouldve been tougher on Putin had she
been elected.
Russia will have much greater respect
for our country than when others have led
it, he added of his presidency.
Asked what hed tell Putin about the
Russian hacking allegations, Trump said,
He shouldnt be doing it. He wont be
doing it when Trump is president.
Meanwhile, Trump also announced that
he would leave management of his busi
nesses to his two eldest sons in efforts
to limit potential conflicts of interest
and his attorney indicated that Trump will
maintain ownership of his real estate
empire.
On Trumps businesses, Sheri Dillon, an
attorney who was overseeing how Trump
would separate himself to limit potential
conflicts of interest, said, President Trump
should not be expected to destroy the com
pany he built. She said he would isolate
himself from management.
Trump also spoke about the various busi
nesses like Fiat and China's Jack Ma that

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied allegations that the
Kremlin has compromising information about Donald Trump.
were planning to invest in the US after his
election and said that he would next focus
on bringing back pharmaceutical manufac

turing to the US. This is a sector that is

important to India, one of the largest phar
maceutical producer.

Obama lays out threats to democracy in farewell speech

Chicago: Outgoing President
Barack Obama bid farewe ll to
Americans in an emotional speech
here on Tuesday night with the
same message of hope and opti
mism that brought him into the
White House eight years ago.
From his adopted hometown of
Chicago, the city where he found
purpose in public life, the 44th
President of the US called on the
country to be "anxious, jealous
guardians of democracy", CNN
reported.
While asking Americans to stay
committed to democratic values
and persist in their optimism for
change, Obama also expressed
warning for the years to come.
He spoke in front of a crowd of
about 20,000 people in an hour
long address in a large convention
hall a few blocks from Grant Park,
where he spoke to supporters on
the night of his historic election in
2008. He implored his backers to
be vigilant in protecting basic
American values that he warned
could come under siege.
"Democracy can buckle when we
give in to fear," he said. "So just as
we, as citizens, must remain vigi
lant against external aggression,

The outgoing President, Barack Obama, was forceful and tearful

we must guard against a weaken
ing of the values that make us who
we are."
And he warned against turning
inward, telling Democrats that only
by involving themselves in a real
political discourse could they hope
to renew the hopeful vision he
brought to the White House eight
years ago.
He warned that "laws alone won't

be enough" in resolving persistent

dif ferences between Americans.
"Hearts must change," he said.
The speech also reflected the
unique situation Obama will con
front as he leaves the Oval Office.
At just 55, he is preparing for an
active postpresidency in which he
will champion many of the same
core issues he worked on in the
White House, including minority

rights and opportunities for young

people, the Los Angeles Times
reported.
In 4,300 words, Obama also list
ed major feats his administration
had accomplished during his
tenure, including reversing reces
sion, opening up a new chapter
with Cuba, inking the Iranian
nuclear deal, taking out Osama bin
Laden, promoting gay marriage
and increasing medical insurance
coverage.
His successor, Presidentelect
Donald Trump has vowed to undo
some of his signature policies. He
would be sworn into of fice on
January 20.
The President also stressed soli
darity despite a presidency some
times at odds with the Congress.
"Democracy does not require uni
formity," Obama said. "Our
founders quarreled and compro
mised, and expected us to do the
same. But they knew that democra
cy does require a basic sense of sol
idarity the idea that for all our
outward differences, we are all in
this together; that we rise or fall as
one."
He said he has not abandoned his
vision of progressive change but

warned that it now comes with a

new set of caveats.
Senior advisors said Obama
knows that many progressive, reli
gious and ethnic minorities and
immigrants were feeling apprehen
sive with the approach of the han
dover to Trump, the Los Angeles
Times reported.
Obama's successor was elected
after promising to crack down on
immigration, scrutinize Muslims in
the US and challenge what he
termed "political correctness".
He paid an emotional tribute to
First Lady Michelle Obama, "You
took on a role you didn't ask for
and made it your own with grace
and grit and style and good humor.
You made the White House a place
that belongs to everybody."
The First Lady received a stand
ing ovation, and a visibly over
whelmed President was seen wip
ing away tears when he addressed
his wife as a "girl of the south side".
A protester held aloft a "Pardon
All of Us" sign, and chants of "Four
more years" drowned out the
shouts.
"I can't do that," Obama said
when the crowd begged him to run
again.

10

January 14-20, 2017

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

INDIA

Amazon removes Indian flag SC refuses to

allow Jallikattu
doormat from website
Washington/Ottawa: Soon after India threatened it won't
grant visas to any Amazon of ficial if the company did not
withdraw an Indian flagthemed doormat from its Canadian
platform, the ecommerce website removed the article from
the online marketplace, a media report said.
An Amazon spokesman at its headquarters in Seattle con
tacted The Washington Post to say that the doormat was no
longer for sale on its website. External Af fairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday took up the cause on Twitter,
responding to one of the hundreds of people who have peti
tioned her to demand action from Canadian authorities.
"Amazon must tender unconditional apology. They must
withdraw all products insulting our national flag immediate
ly," Swaraj said in a tweet.
"If this is not done forthwith, we will not grant Indian Visa
to any Amazon official. We will also rescind the Visas issued
earlier," she added.
An image of the products was tweeted to the Minister, after
which she asked the Indian High Commission in Ottawa,
Canada, to raise the issue with Amazon.
"Indian High Commission in Canada: This is unacceptable.
Please take this up with Amazon at the highest level," the
Minister said in a tweet.
The Indian High Commission did not respond to a request
for clarification on whether it had lodged a complaint with
Amazon's Canadian offices.
Doormats featuring the Indian flag were made available on

An Amazon spokesman said the doormat was no longer

for sale on its website.
Amazon Canada site by two vendors Mayers Flag Doormats
and XLYL. They also offers versions with the American and
Canadian flags. No laws in Canada prohibit these sales.
"Unlike US or Canada where people have shoes, underwear
etc made of national flags, we indians respect our flag. Please
remove this flag before this information goes viral and people
stop using Amazon in india. This is hurting our sentiments,"
wrote a user named Soumitra Bhattacharya.
The product had been accruing onestar ratings from
offended Indians.

India's first Madame Tussauds

museum to open in Delhi

The first India branch of the museum will be in the capital New Delhi.
New Delhi: World famous wax
museum Madame Tussauds is set
to debut in India in June, with
Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
Bollywoo d meg astar Amitabh
Bachchan and American pop star
Lady Gaga's statues as some of the
star attractions.
"Madame Tussauds will open
doors in June this year," Anshul
Jain, General Manager and
Director of Merlin Entertainment
Pvt Ltd, said here on Wednesday at
a press conference. The first India
branch of the museum will be in
the capital New Delhi.
The museum, renowned for the
creation of detailed and lifelike
wax figures, will house statues of
prominent figures from the world
of sports, Bollywood, politics, et al.
Amitabh is likely to attend the
launch of the museum, which will
be spread across the first and sec

ond floors of the Regal Cinema

complex in Connaught Place here.
T his is the 23rd branch of
Madame Tussauds across the
world, and Merlin Entertainment is
looking forward to a red carpet
welcome.
"Many said that why Delhi when
Mumbai is the Bollywood hub, but
for us, Madame Tussauds is not
just about entertainment, but rep
resenting wax statues or people
from dif ferent walks of life,"
Marce l Kloos, Director, New
Openings Europe and emerging
markets, said here.
Indian celebrities like Aishwarya
Rai Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor
Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik
Roshan and Salman Khan, apart
from Modi, are some of the names
who already have their statues in
international branches of Madame
Tussauds.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court refused to pass an inter

im order for organizing the bull taming sport
Jallikattu during the ensuing Pongal festival.
A division bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra said
that the draft of Jallikattu judgment has been prepared
but it would not be possible to deliver it before
Saturday.
The court had reserved its verdict on a batch of peti
tions challenging the Centre's notification allowing the
sport.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam had
urged the central government to promulgate an ordi
nance enabling the holding of Jallikattu.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Mo di,
Panneerselvam said Jallikattu is an integral part of the
Pongal festivities and the festival holds great impor
tance for the people of Tamil Nadu.
In Jallikattu, a bull vaulter is expected to hang on to
the bull's hump for a stipulated distance or for a mini
mum of three jumps made by the bull.
The Supreme Court in May 2014 banned Jallikattu in
Tamil Nadu.
The court also held that bulls cannot be used as per
forming animals either for Jallikattu events or for bul
lock cart races in the states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra
or elsewhere in the country.
The festival of Pongal is celebrated to thank the Sun,
rain and farm animals. It would be celebrated on
January 14.

Modi ejects' Gandhi in Khadi

Udyog's calendar, diary
Mumbai: In a surprise development,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
ejected Father of the Nation
Mahatma Gandhi in the 2017 wall
calendar and table diary published
by the Khadi Village Industries
Commission (KVIC), official sources
said here.
Most employees and of ficials
were taken aback to see the cover
photo of the calendar and diary
showing Modi weaving khadi on a
large charkha', in the same classic
pose as Gandhiji.
While Gandhi's historic picture
weaving khadi on a simple charkha,
wearing his trademark loin cloth, is
legendary and imprinted in the
minds of the masses since genera
tions, Modi comes across in his sig
nature attire of kurtapyjamawaist
coat, weaving khadi on a slightly
modern charkha.
Virtually rendered speechless,
employees of KVIC at its Vile Parle
headquarters plan to stage "a silent,
soulcleansing" protest wearing
black bands on their mouths, during
lunch hour on Thursday.
When contacted KVIC Chairman
Vinai Kumar Saxena said this was
"not unusual" and there have been
deviations in the past.
"T he entire khadi industry
(udyog) is based on Gandhiji's phi
losophy, ideas and ideals, he is the
soul of KVIC, so there is no question
of ignoring him," Saxena told IANS.

People were taken aback to see the cover photo of the calendar and
diary showing Modi weaving khadi on a large charkha.'
He added that Modi has been
wearing khadi since long, and has
popularised it among the masses
and even among foreign dignitaries,
while developing his own styles
around khadi.
"In fact, he is khadi's biggest
brand ambassador, and his vision
matches KVIC's, of 'Make In India'
by making villages selfsuf ficient,
'skill development' by generating
employment among the rural mass
es, infuse modern technology for
khadi weaving, innovations and
marketing. Plus, the PM is a youth
icon," Saxena explained.
"We are pained at this systematic
easing out of Mahatma Gandhi's
ideas, philosophy and ideals by the

government. Last year, the first

attempt was made by including the
PM's photos in the calendar," said a
senior KVIC staf fer, requesting
anonymity amid fear of of ficial
reprisals. In fact, in 2016 the staff
unions in KVIC had raised the calen
dar matter strongly with the man
agement and were assured that it
would not be repeated in future.
"However, this year it's a total
washout. The pictures and teaching
of Gandhiji who created khadi for
the poor masses and made it a sym
bol of the swadeshi' selfreliance
during
the
strugg le
for
Independence are completely left
out in the calendar and diary," the
staffer rued.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

January 14-20, 2017

INDIA

11

Andhra capital Amaravati enters execution phase

By Mohammed Shafeeq
Vijayawada: The development of
And hra Pradesh's new capital
Amaravati on the banks of the
Krishna river near here has entered
the execution phase with the
focus now shifting to creating criti
cal infrastructure.
The state administration moving
here from Hyderabad recently pro
vided the impetus for the develop
ment of Amaravati, which promises
to be a "worldclass bluegreen
city".
After preparing the Master Plan
with the help of Singapore in the
first year and successfully ensuring
land pooling in the second, the
project for developing the 217 sq
km greenfield city has entered a
key phase with the launch of road
laying works.
The area is abuzz with activity as
men and machinery lay the Seed
Access
Road
connect ing
Vijayawada to the heart of
Amaravati. Some other key roads
under Phase 1 have also been ten
dered out by the Andhra Pradesh
Capital Reg ion Deve lopment
Authority (APCRDA).
With $2.2 billion funding tied up
from the World Bank and HUDCO,
APCRDA is creating infrastructure
and taking up some key economic
projects under Phase 1, scheduled

to be completed by the end of next

year.
Geographically located at the cen
ter of the new state with abun
dant water resources and close to
major economic hubs Amaravati
is being designed to house a 35
million population and is projected
to provide 3.31 million jobs by
2035.
While an estimated Rs 58,000
crore capex is required for develop
ing Amaravati in 20 years, about
50 percent of this will be spent in
the next three years.
The road connectivity now being
laid will open up the city, benefiting
the farmers who came forward to
give 33,000 acres of land under a
unique Land Pooling System (LPS),
the largest exercise of this kind in
the country.
T he process of handing over
developed residential and commer
cial plots to farmers has almost
been completed, and the govern
ment will be investing over Rs
7,000 crore to provide infrastruc
ture for the 17,000 acres handed
back.
As 95 per cent of residential land
and 50 per cent commercial land is
with farmers, construction activity
is expected to begin soon with
deve lopers joining hands with
farmers.
T he government set the ball

Amaravati is being designed to house a 35million population

and is projected to provide 3.31 million jobs by 2035.
rolling in terms of kicking off eco
nomic activity with the setting up
of the Interim Government
Complex (IGC) in October last year.
About 6,000 employees started
functioning from the IGC, compris
ing six blocks of 600,000 sq ft, and
completed in a record eight months
an astonishing feat.
APCRDA of ficials expect fast
paced development over the next
two years with the creation of infra
structure and some major econom
ic projects under Phase 1.
One of the key projects is the
main government complex, which
will come up on 1,400 acres and
comprise the Raj Bhavan, the High

Court, the legislature, the secretari

at, the Chief Minister's bungalow,
houses of ministers and other offi
cials. Two iconic structures will
form the nucleus of the government
complex to create value and attract
people to the city.
The economy will be driven by
nine themat ic cit ies just ice,
sports, knowledge, electronics,
media, tourism, education, govern
ment and finance. APCRDA is iden
tifying an anchor for each city to
kick start the activity.
Officials say while it may take 30
to 40 years for this mega city to
reach its full potential, the first step
has to be in the right direction.

"With the physical master plan

ready in record time, the next step
is to get people inside. As a first
step to kick start the economic
activity in the private sector, the
government allotted major chunks
of land to universities," said Y.
Nagireddy, APCRDA's Director of
Economic Development.
Dubaibased B.R. Shetty Group
will invest Rs 1,000 crore for its
Medi City project, which w ill
include a stem cell unit, a super
speciality hospital and a star hotel.
The IndoUK Institute of Health
has been allotted 150 acres of land
to set up a super speciality hospital
and a medical college.

12

January 14-20, 2017

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

INDIA

Uncertainty looms as Punjab heads for

TRIANGULAR CONTESTS

Chandigarh: With some days to go for cru

cial assembly elections in Punjab, political
uncertainty looms over the frontier state on
the issue of who will assume power post
March 11, once the results are declared.
The reason for this is that Punjab, for the
first time, is witnessing triangular contests
in most of the 117 assembly constituencies.
Traditional rivals, the Shiromani Akali Dal
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine and
the Congress, are not only fighting each
other, but are aware of the political chal
lenge being posed by the latest entrant on
Punjab's political turf the fledgling Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP).
As of today, none of the parties seems to
have the edge, even though each one of
them claims to be heading for a clear, and
even sweeping, majority in the February 4
election. Not surprisingly, in this uncertain
period, a rather unusual question is being
asked: "Will Punjab end up with a hung
assembly?"
Till about a year ago, the AAP had made
formidable inroads in the state and opinion
polls even suggested a massive win. But a lot
has changed since then.
After seemingly peaking at the wrong
time, the AAP started imploding politically
from June last year. Thus, the party is fight
ing two battles one with the Akali DalBJP
and Congress, and the second one within
itself.

Congress leaders Dr Manmohan Singh and Captain Amrinder Singh launch party's
manifesto ahead of Punjab assembly polls, in New Delhi. (Photo: IANS)
Allegations of corruption in allotment of
tickets, accusations of immoral activities of
some leaders, lack of any big leader from
Punjab who could be projected as the
party's face, and internal rumblings about
"outsiders" mainly leaders from Delhi,
Uttar Pradesh and other states running
the AAP show in Punjab at the cost of local
leaders, have all taken a toll on the party.
In the past six months, there has been an
exodus of state and district level leaders
from the fold. But top party leaders like
Arvind Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh, Durgesh
Pathak and others are upbeat about AAP

repeating a "Delhitype political magic in

Punjab" when it won 67 of the 70 assembly
seats in the 2015 assembly polls.
Things are not too tidy either with the rul
ing Akali DalBJP alliance or the main oppo
sition party the Congress, which believes it
is on an upswing.
The Akali DalBJP alliance, which has been
in power in the state since 2007 for two
consecutive terms, is aiming for a third stint.
Akali Dal president and Punjab Deputy Chief
Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is out to once
again deploy his strategic skills which, in the
2012 assembly election, broke the fiveyear

Some forces plotting to split

party,: Mulayam
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav
made a passionate pitch to his supporters and party workers
here and said that while some forces were out to split the
party, he was doing everything to ensure that did not happen.
"This party has emerged out of a lot of labor, hard work and
struggle of party workers and its founding leaders, I will nei
ther allow it to disintegrate nor the party symbol to go,"
Mulayam told an unscheduled interaction with workers at the
party office at Vikramaditya Marg here.
Appearing resigned to the fate of an imminent split in the
party he formed 25 years ago, Mulayam Singh also said he has
given everything to the party and that he was left with noth
ing. "Mera jo bhi tha, maine party ko de diya hai. Par sabne ye
manna chahiye ki yeh party sangharshon se yahan tak
pahunchi hai (I have given everything to the party and every
one should accept that the party has reached here after much
struggle)," he said in one emotive tone even as his supporters
raised slogans in his favour.
He stated how he had gone to jail during the Emergency
when Akhilesh Yadav was a kid. He also mentioned how
Shivpal Singh Yadav, his younger brother, who was seated next
to him, would bring food for him to the prison during his peri
od of incarceration and later hide it at various places.
Targeting his cousin, Ram Gopal Yadav, who is mentoring the
Akhilesh Yadav faction, the Yadav chieftain said everyone now
knew who was trying to break the party.
"Everyone knows who has met the leaders of our opponents,"
the 77yearold leader said and pointed out that while he has
mingled with opposition leaders these were "just social courte
sies". He was apparently referring to potshots taken by Ram
Gopal at him with regards to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
presence at a family wedding in Saifai, Uttar Pradesh.

Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav

in Lucknow.
He also accused the Rajya Sabha member, who was expelled
from the party on December 30 last year, of going ahead to
form a separate party the Akhil Bharatiya Samajwadi Party
(ABSP) with the party symbol of a motorcycle.
Political observers here feel that Mulayam Singh was now
reconciled to the fact that all efforts of a patchup with his son
have failed and that a split in the party is imminent.
With elections to the state assembly just round the corner
and nominations for the first phase of polling to begin on
January 17, fear of the party symbol being frozen are doing
the rounds in both camps.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, however, seems to have made
up his mind and is now trying to stitch up an alliance with the
Congress for the crucial polls.

AkaliCongress cycle of governments.

But his party faces antiincumbency of the
past decade, charges of corruption, and criti
cism that the financial health and clout of
the ruling Badal family headed by 89year
old Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal
has been multiplying at the cost of the state.
There also allegations of the Badals patro
nising drug cartels and other mafias in
moneyspinning businesses like sand min
ing, infrastructure, transport and cable TV,
et al.
In this background, it is not surprising
that the Congress, led by former Chief
Minister Amarinder Singh, feels it has an
edge over its opponents.
Not all, however, is hunkydory for the
party.
It is facing rebels who could rock its boat.
While accepting discarded leaders from the
Akali Dal, BJP and AAP into its fold ahead of
the elections, the Congress has ended up
making things more complicated for itself in
the matter of ticket allocations.
The party, which, going by Amarinder
Singh's own statements, wanted to allocate
tickets to candidates six months in advance,
has failed to provide a complete list even a
month before the polls.
All the three major players are charting a
dif ficult and uncertain course, leaving the
voters a tad confused about which is the
lesser evil.

IN BRIEF
BJP releases list of 17
candidates for Punjab polls
New Delhi: The BJP has released its first list of 17
candidates for the Punjab assembly elections on
February 4. The BJP has fielded its sitting MLA
Dinesh Singh Babbu from Sujanpur, Seema Kumari
from Bhoa (SC), Ashwani Sharma from Pathankot,
K.D. Bhandari from Jalandhar North and Sukhjeet
Kaur Sahi from Dasuya.
Announcing the names of the other candidates,
union minister J.P. Nadda said, the Central Election
Committee of the party has cleared the name of
V.D. Dhupad from Dinanagar (SC), Rakesh Gill from
Amritsar West (SC), Tarun Chugh from Amritsar
Central, Rajesh Hani from Amritsar East and
Arunesh Shakar from Mukerian.
Candidates have also been announced for
Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana Central, Ludhiana West,
Ludhiana North, Firozpur city, Abohar and Rajpura.

BJP releases list of

29 candidates for Goa
assembly polls
New Delhi: The BJP released its first list of 29
candidates for the Goa assembly elections sched
uled to be held on February 4.
The list includes the names of the 18 incumbent
legislators.
Union minister J.P. Nadda announced the names
of the candidates after a meeting of the party's cen
tral election committee (CEC).
The elections for the 40 assembly seats are
scheduled to be held on February 4. Results of the
elections would be announced on March 11.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

January 14-20, 2017

OP-ED

l By Amulya Ganguli

t is obvious that the ensuing elections

in five states will be an excellent mid
term appraisal of Narendra Modi's
tenure. The interest in their outcome will
be all the greater because the Prime
Minister hasn't had it all in his own way as
may have been expected after his resound
ing victory in 2014. Except for the
Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) success in
Assam last year, Modi's appeal as the
"vikas purush" or the man of development
hasn't worked anywhere else up till now.
In 2015, the BJP was badly trounced by
a fledgling party in Delhi and comprehen
sively beaten by a motley coalition in
Bihar. Its sole success in the following year
in Assam accompanied by defeats in
West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and
Puducherry was over an aging Chief
Minister and his tired Congress party.
There was little doubt at that stage that
the wind of popular expectations which
swept Modi to power at the Centre had dis
sipated.
His indifferent performances might have
continued this year, too, if providence had
not intervened in the form of undermining
the chances of the ruling Samajwadi Party
(SP) in Uttar Pradesh.
As it is, the SP would have faced the anti
incumbency factor because its stint in
power hasn't been as much of a success
story as its personable Chief Minister,
Akhilesh Yadav, will like everyone to
believe.
But the party's breaking into two with
Akhilesh on one side and his father,
Mulayam Singh Yadav, on the other cannot
but ensure a much easier ride for the BJP
to power than before. Luck, therefore,
seems to have turned for Modi in the new

STATE ELECTIONS

Modi may prove

to be lucky

Whatever gains which Narendra Modi makes in the forthcoming elections, it will be via
the courtesy of a weak opposition.
year. Even if the findings of an opinion poll
which gives a majority to the BJP in the
403member Uttar Pradesh assembly are
ignored, the fact is undeniable that an SP
at war with itself can hardly be expected to
win, let alone put up a stiff fight, irrespec
tive of how much Akhilesh is liked by the
younger generation because of his pro
growth and noncasteist approach to poli

tics. Considering that the worst of the

demonetization process is over with the
banks no longer as crowded as before, it is
possible that Modi's developmental pitch
will work once again as it did in 2014
when the BJP won 71 of the 80 parliamen
tary seats in the state and its ally, the Apna
Dal, two. A victory in Uttar Pradesh is like
ly to be regarded by the BJP as a favorable

13

omen for 2019. If the party also comes out

on top in Uttarakhand and Goa, as the
opinion poll says, then the BJP may well
believe that it is on the way to consolidat
ing its position on a wider basis.
However, if the bad spell which clouded
the party's fortunes in 2015 and 2016 has
ended, it has less to do with Modi than
with the fortuitous presence for the BJP of
a fractured opposition.
There are several reasons why the latter
has failed to get its act together. One is
that there is no inspirational leader with
ideas about an economic road map for the
country and about ways to address prob
lems such as endemic corruption, violence
against women and the continuance of
reservations which bolsters the caste sys
tem. As the alternate pole at the national
level, the Congress still reposes its faith in
the NehruGandhi family. But as Rahul
Gandhi's occasional disappearing acts sug
gest he is away in London at present
he is not an inveterate political animal.
However, if the Congress wrests power
from the AkaliBJP combine in Punjab, as
is likely, it will be Rahul who will be credit
ed with the good showing, and not former
Chief Minister Amrinder Singh, with the
result that he may well be crowned at last
with the post of the Congress president.
The Congress's setbacks in Uttar Pradesh
and in Goa will not be allowed to come in
the way of his ascent by his posse of syco
phants. The two leaders who may have
been able to pose some kind of a challenge
to Modi Bihar Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar and his Odisha counterpart, Naveen
Patnaik are with the Prime Minister at
present. W hatever gains which Modi
makes in the forthcoming elections, there
fore, it will be via the courtesy of a weak
opposition.

AAP won't be allowed to win in Punjab at any cost

l By M.R. Narayan Swamy
nly a miracle can prevent the Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP) from finishing
on top in the Punjab assembly
election, irrespective of how many seats
it ultimately bags. But miracles do hap
pen.
For a party born only some four years
ago, the AAP India's youngest political
outfit now exists in every nook and cor
ner of the largely rural state. This itself is
no mean achievement.
Even those not sympathetic to the AAP
admit that Punjab will see a serious
threeway contest for the first time
even if Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir
Badal keeps joking that AAP will get no
more than 10 seats.
The Punjab election is crucial for the
AAP and its leader and magnet Arvind
Kejriwal, the Delhi Chief Minister.
A possible loss will make many say that
the sweeping Delhi victory in February
2015 was a fluke and perhaps an isolated
urban phenomenon. But if the AAP takes
over Punjab, it will mean much more.
A Punjab win will add to the AAP's
stature as a growing party, one capable of
expanding its wings against great odds,
evident by the way it has been boxed in
by the central government in Delhi.

Can Arvind Kejriwal himself be

arrested on some spurious charge?
A Punjab victory would not only boost
the AAP's confidence in the other states it
is eyeing but also increase its stake in a

larger number of Lok Sabha seats in

2019.
Precisely for this reason, the Modi
administration will want the AAP to lose
Punjab and badly. A Congress win will
also be problematic but will be a lesser
evil in the given circumstances.
Journalists from Delhi who visit Punjab
are returning with more or less a unani
mous view that an AAP defeat is very dif
ficult if not impossible.
But many are also coming with an omi
nous message delivered off the record by
BJP's Punjab leaders: AAP won't be
allowed to win at any cost.
On its part, the Congress keeps parrot
ing that an agg ressive ly ant iMo di
Kejriwal as AAP chief is no good news
for Punjab. The point doesn't have too
many takers, in part because of Kejriwal's
personal popularity.
So how can the AAP be tripped? Some
signs are evident.
Already Kejriwal has become a persona
non grata in many television channels
unless he can be shown in bad light. This
could not have been possible without
someone directing it all.
W hen Ke jriwal hurls accusat ions
against Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
he gets virtually no publicity in the elec

tronic media. But the same channels are

generous if Rahul Gandhi makes the very
same charges.
Recent developments in Delhi leading
to the abrupt resignation of Lt Governor
Najeeb Jung indicate that the Modi gov
ernment may be planning to arrest one or
two AAP ministers.
This could happen ahead of February 4
when Punjab votes along with Goa, the
only other state where the AAP is contest
ing.
Irrespective of what finally happens to
the arrested ministers, the corruption
charges will be used to undermine the
AAP's appeal as an outfit different from
the established parties.
The argument will be: if the AAP is no
dif ferent, why not try known devil
Congress if the Akalis are indeed bad?
By arresting AAP ministers, the Modi
government will also attempt to cripple
the movements outside Delhi of Kejriwal,
who is a key although not the party's
sole vote catcher.
Can Kejriwal himself be arrested on
some spurious charge?
But if this happens now, not many will
be surprised. Keep your fingers crossed
till Punjab and Goa vote.

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

14

January 14-20, 2017

P B D B e n g a l u ru

(Image courtesy: pib.nic.in)

Modi asks diaspora

to first develop India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

addressing the gathering at
the inauguration of the Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas (PBD-2017)
celebrations, in Bengaluru,
Karnataka on January 08, 17.
Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the
Indian diaspora to first develop India by investing and contributing
its expertise in the land of its origin.

Appealed to
all persons of
Indian origin
living the world
over to convert
their PIO cards
into Overseas
Citizen of India
(OCI) card at
the earliest
To me, FDI means First Develop
India through Foreign Direct Investment, whose norms have been
fully liberalized for Non-Resident
Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and made on
par with domestic firms for availing same benefits, Modi told the
the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
(Non-Resident Indian Day) here.
Inaugurating the three-day mega
event, Modi exhorted the diaspora
to participate in the governments
flagship programs like Digital India, Make In India, Start-up India,
Swacch Bharat (Clean India) and
Namami Gange (Clean Ganga) for

the countrys all-round development.

Diaspora can contribute to India by sparing their time and energy on implementing our flagship
programs and stay connected,
said Modi during a 40-minute special address in Hindi and English.
Asserting that engaging with the
overseas Indian community was
a priority area for him, the Prime
Minister said the government was
trying to convert brain drain into
brain gain by inviting the diaspora to contribute their mite in making India strong and self-reliant.
Brain drain has been considered a loss for the country as Indians went abroad seeking jobs
and better life. But for me and my
government, such a movement is
not a brain drain but brain gain as
they can help us in the development, noted Modi.
Modi also appealed to all persons of Indian origin living the
world over to convert their PIO
cards into Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card at the earliest.

For young Indians seeking jobs

abroad, Modi said his government
would soon launch a skill development program.
We will shortly launch a skill
development program, the Pravasi
Kaushal Vikas Yojana, targeted at
Indian youth seeking overseas employment he said.

The program will train the jobseekers with soft skills so that
they do not feel strangers in the
country they migrate to in terms
of manners and culture.
We are working on new procedures to ensure all descendants
of Indians, especially their fourth
and fifth generations living in Fiji,

Modi later visited the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

(PBD-2017) Exhibition Center.

Govt. to launch
a skill development program,
the Pravasi
Kaushal Vikas
Yojana, targeted
at Indian youth
seeking overseas
employment

Suriname, Guyana and Caribbean

states to become eligible for OCI
cards, Modi said.
Clarifying that the government
does not see the color of the passport but the blood ties, the Prime
Minister said the PIO card superseded the individuals passport as
far as his or her ties to India were
concerned. When the PIO card is
seen, we dont see the color of the
passport but the blood ties, Modi
said to huge applause.

PM thanks diaspora for backing note ban

Bengaluru: Terming the political backlash against demonetisation as unfortunate, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on
Sunday thanked the Indian diaspora for their support to the
note ban to curb black money
and fight corruption.
I would like to thank you for
supporting our fight against
black money and corruption
though political pundits called
the note ban anti-people, Modi
told about 1,800 overseas Indians at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations here.
Modi, on November 8, 2016,
banned the old Rs 500 and Rs
1,000 notes to check black money, corruption, terror funding
and counterfeiting of currency
and gave the people 50 days till
December 30 to exchange the
phased out notes for new ones.

Ruing that the twin evils -black money and corruption -had adversely affected the countrys economy and polity over
the years, Modi said the time
had come to eliminate them and
help the honest people live with
dignity and respect.
I am grateful to all of you
for supporting us in this war
against the two evils that were
weakening the country, the
Prime Minister said.
The moment Modi raised the
demonetization issue during his
40-minute address -- in both
English and Hindi, a majority
of the audience cheered and applauded, hailing his decision.
As corruption and black money
were corroding our system from
within, we had to take a strong
stand and we did, Modi said.
Modi urged the diaspora, es-

pecially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), to avail of the six-month extension given from January 1 to surrender the banned notes at designated Reserve Bank of India (RBI) offices till June 30. We have made
arrangements at airports for NRIs to declare on arrival the old notes
they are carrying and submit them to the RBI in exchange for new
notes or crediting them to their bank accounts, he said. The government has also given three months up to March 31, 2017, to Indians
staying or travelling abroad to declare if they possess old notes.

P B D B e n g a l u ru

January 14-20, 2017

15

Portugal PM Costa, US diplomat

Biswal among Pravasi awardees
Bengaluru: Indian-origin Portugal Prime Minister Antonio Luis
Santos da Costa and Indian-born
US diplomat Nisha Desai Biswal
are among the 30 awardees of the
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD).

Portugal Prime Minister

Antonio Luis Santos da
Costa addressing the meet.
Costa, Nisha and other of the
diaspora have been conferred the
PBD 2017 awards for their outstanding contribution in diverse
fields, including public service,
community service, social service,
business, education and arts &
culture, said the External Affairs
Ministry in a statement on the
PBD valedictory day here.
The 55-year-old Costa, a Chief
Guest at the three-day 14th PBD
(Non-Resident Indian Day) celebrations, is the son of Goan father
Orlanda da Costa.

As a senior Indian-American diplomat, the 48-year-old Biswal, who

hails from Gujarat has been overseeing the US foreign policy and
relations with 11 countries in the
region from Bangladesh to Uzbekistan since October 21, 2013.
Costa and Biswal have been
awarded for public service and
public affairs.
Of the awardees, six are from the
US, two each from Britain and United Arab Emirates (UAE) and one
each from 27 other countries the
world over, noted the statement.
Five other overseas Indians
from the US sharing the honours
with Biswal are Hari Babu Bindal
for environmental engineering,
Bharat Haridas Barai, Mahesh
Mehta and Ramesh Shah for community service and Sampatkumar
Shidramapa Shivangi for community leadership.
Priti Patel and Neena Gill are
the awardees from Britain for
public service. Vasudev Shamdas
Shroff and India Social and Cultural Centre from Abu Dhabi in
the UAE are the winners for community service and philanthropy.
Two more organisations - Antwerp Indian Association in Belgium
and Singapore Indian Association in
Singapore have been honoured with
the award for community service.
The other four winners for community service are Gorur Krishna
Harinath (Australia), Naseer Ahamed Mohamed Zackiriah (Brunei),
Nalinkumar Sumanlal Kothari (Djibouti) and Ariful Islam (Libya).
Other two winners for public
service are Pravind Kumar Jugunath (Mauritius) and Winston
Chandarbhan Dookeran (Trinidad

& Tobago).
Raghunath Marie Antonin Manet
(France) and Sandip Kumar Tagore
(Japan) bagged for arts & culture.
Other awardees are Mukund
Bhikhubhai Purohit (Canada) and

Susheel Kumar Saraff (Thailand)

for business; Vinod Chandra Patel
(Fiji) for social service; Lael Anson
E. Best (Israel) for medical science;
Tan Sri Dato Muniandy Thambirajah (Malaysia) for education &

community service; Raghavan

Seetharaman (Qatar) for business
management; Zeenat Musarrat
Jafri (Saudi Arabia) for education
and Carani Balaraman Sanjeevi
(Sweden) for medicine. (IANS)

US diplomat Nisha Desai Biswal receiving her award

Dr Sampat Shivangi being conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman

Dr Bharat Barai conferred Pravasi Bharatiya Samman

New York: Born in Mumbai, India,
Dr Bharat Barai migrated to USA in
1974 and became Naturalized US
Citizen in 1981. He had a brilliant
academic career with an MD in Medicine (Uni of Illinois), MD in Medical
Oncology (Northwestern Uni Med
School) and MD in Hematology
(Rush Uni Medical School).He is currently Medical Director of the Cancer Institute, Methodist Hospitals,
Clin Asst Prof of Medicine at Indiana
University Medical School, Secretary
and former President of the Medical
Licensing Board of the State of Indiana (since year 2000). He has been
the President of the Medical Staff,
Chairman of the Medical Executive
Committee, and serves on the Board
of Directors of the Methodist Hospitals. He also serves on the advisory board of the Indiana University
School of Business. He also serves
on the Medical Advisory Panesl

for US Senators and Congressmen.

Public service is second hobby of
Dr Barai. He has received numerous community service awards in
last 25 years for his voluntary services to the local communities. He
is a Trustee and former President
of The Federation of Indian American Associations (FIA) Chicago
land area. Founding member and
Former Chairman of the Board of
Trustees of the Manav Seva Mandir, a large Hindu temple in Chicago land area, Trustee of the Hindu
Temple of Greater Chicago, Trustee
of the Indian American Cultural
Center NW Indiana and many Indian American organizations.
He believes in social responsibility and has served communities
to improve health care education
and services. He served as voluntary Medical Director of Sickle
Cell Foundation of NW Indian for

the Children of Gary, IN; served as

a director of the American Cancer
Society, NW Indiana for public education and cancer screening. He
has organized meetings to raise
resources when natural disasters
have struck: Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, Earthquake in India,
Earthquake in Haiti.
Dr Barai has been very active in
promoting India US relations. He
has worked with several Indian Ambassadors, Indian Consul Generals
in Chicago and elected US Officials
towards this goal. He has co-hosted
many Indian leaders when they visit
Chicago and has accompanied some
US elected officials when they visit
India. He was part of the NRI delegation that accompanied President
Clinton during his State visit to India.
Dr Bharat Barai is recipient of
the 2013 Ellis Island Medal of
Honor as well. His Medical Pro-

fessional story as an immigrant is

featured in US National Museum
of Immigration, Ellis Island, NY.
In 2014, Dr Bharat Barai was
the lead person and President of

the Indian American Community

Foundation that organized the legendary reception for Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Madison
Square Garden.

Dr Bharat Barai with wife Dr Panna Barai after receiving the award

16

January 14-20, 2017

P B D B e n g a l u ru

India beckons young

diaspora for social projects

Bengaluru: India on Saturday

wooed its young diaspora to be
part of its growth story by tapping emerging opportunities in
the country.
India offers huge opportunities
to be part of its growth story and realize your dreams through development programs, Minister of State
for External Affairs, Gen V.K. Singh
(retd.) told the diaspora on the
Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here.

and that of India through four Ts

-- talent, technology, training and
team work -- as the Prime Ministers vision will make India the
skill capital of the world by 2022,
the minister told about 400 young
members of the Indian diaspora.
The government had recently
launched a platform for online
registration of Indian students
abroad, which will help the ministry estimate their exact numbers,
map them and reach out.
Singh said the scholarship programme for diaspora children to
pursue undergraduate courses in

market for novel utility products,

India offers plethora of opportunities in cities and towns across the
country, the minister said.
The government had recently
launched a platform for online
registration of Indian students
abroad, which will help the ministry estimate their exact numbers,
map them and reach out.
Echoing Singhs call, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs
and Sports Vijay Goel invited the
young diaspora to take up social
projects as part of its contribution
to the motherland.
We will encourage the young diaspora to undertake social projects
anywhere in the country, including
states, cities or towns they originally belong to, he said in a keynote
address on the Role of Diaspora in
the Transformation of India.
Goel said his ministry would
open single-window clearance to
allow the diaspora implement social projects in any state or city at
the earliest.
The young diaspora can play an
important role in building a mod-

ern and prosperous India. We have

taken steps to facilitate this process
by simplifying rules and procedures
for the overseas Indians, he said.
Goel said his ministry would
open single-window clearance to
allow the diaspora implement social projects in any state or city at
the earliest.
The young diaspora will be
allowed to take up renovation of
heritage sites, including monuments and historical places and
adopt them to serve the country
better, said Goel.
There are about 1,000 heritage
sites, including 36 declared by
Unesco as world heritage across
the country with rich social and
cultural background, noted Goel.
Admitting that children of the
diaspora face problems when they
come to India to study, be an entrepreneur or invest, Goel said the
concerned ministries, including
the Human Resource Development (HRD) and Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs would address
them to ensure they are solved in
a time-bound manner.

Noting that the young diaspora

has many opportunities to engage
with its country of origin, Goel
said the government had launched
many initiatives such as Make in
India, Digital India, Start-up India
and Skill India to transform the
country into a digitally empowered
society and knowledge economy.
A number of initiatives, including smart cities project, have also
been launched for developing infrastructure across the country.
Claiming that India was one of
the youngest nations, with 65 per
cent population under 35 years of
age, the minister said the country
would have a median age of 28
years by 2020 as against 38 years
in the US, 42 years in China and
48 years in Japan.
Observing that a large number
of young Indians had gone to various parts of the world and earned a
good name for themselves and the
country of their origin, the minister
said a sizeable section of the overseas Indian community comprises
skilled young professionals, who
have been successful in their work.

Caption-Minister of State for External Affairs, General (Retd.)

V.K. Singh addressing the inaugural session of the Youth
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2017 on January 7.
He said the Smart Cities Mission,
Digital India, Skill India, Start-Up
India and Swacch Bharat campaign
were the Narendra Modi governments flagship programs for building a prosperous, skillful, enterprising, clean and futuristic country.
Asserting that global good could
not be achieved by one country
alone, as the challenges were complicated, he said the Indian diaspora
had to strengthen the bridges that
connect it with the motherland.
You can transform your lives

Indian universities and institutes

had been revamped and extended
to 66 countries from 44 and scholarship amount increased; besides
a portal had been set up for online
application and processing.
We will be happy to offer expertise in your areas of interest. Training can also be through internships,
volunteering or even philanthropy.
The choice is yours, Singh said.
Whether you are looking for
adventure tourism, quality education, tech start-ups or even a

Raj Diamonds, the only exhibitor displaying

fine, diamond studded jewelry, offering
100% money back guarantee, was the major
attraction at the Hall 1, Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas 2017 meet in Bengaluru.

Seen in the photo, seating, from right, Eshwar Surana,

Vijay Surana & Kamlesh Mehta.

Vice President of the Republic of Surinam, Ashwin Adhin, the Minister of State for Youth Affairs
and Sports (I/C), Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Vijay Goel,
the Minister of State for External Affairs, General (Retd.) V.K. Singh, the Minister of Large
& Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development of Karnataka, R.V. Deshpande
and other dignitaries at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2017.

PM Modi with winners of MEA-NITI Ayog contest on Social Innovation

P B D B e n g a l u ru

January 14-20, 2017

Embassy of India celebrates

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
Ambassador Navtej Sarna addressing the gathering

Washington, DC: Embassy of

India Washington DC celebrated
Pravasi Bhartiya Divas on January
9. The event was attended by a large
number of guests from the IndianAmerican community, including
representatives from business, politics, administration, professionals,
media, etc. Welcoming the guests,
Ambassador Navtej Sarna extended
his warm greetings to the audience
on this proud occasion.

Pravasi Haryana Divas

kicks off in Gurugram
Gurugram: The celebrations of
the first-ever Pravasi Haryana Divas
kicked of here on Tuesday with an
invitation to Harayanvis around the
world to make a significant contribution in the development of state
and reconnect themselves with
their roots. More than 400 Pravasis
of Haryanvi origin from 33 different countries attended the event at
the Kingdom of Dreams here.
Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh

Solanki, Chief Minister Manohar

Lal Khattar, Union Minister Piyush Goel, Rajya Sabha MP Subhash
Chandra, several Haryana ministers
and renowned cricketer Kapil Dev
were among the prominent personalities present on this occasion.
A colorful cultural program was
also organized on the occasion
where Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam, Surendra Sharma and Arun
Jaimini regaled the audience.

17

The video message of the Prime

Minister Modi on the occasion
was shared with the gathering.
The program included a panel
discussion on the subject Indian
Diaspora - Past trends and way
forward. The panelists were Manpreet Anand, Deputy Assistant
Secretary in the Bureau of South
and Central Asian Affairs, Puneet
Ahluwalia,10th district Representative on the Virginia Republican
State Central Committee, Sonal
Shah, an economist and entrepreneur who is the founding executive director of the Beeck Center
for Social Impact & Innovation at
Georgetown University and Suhag
Shukla, Esq., Executive Director
and Legal Counsel and co-founder
of Hindu-American Foundation
(HAF). The discussion saw enthusiastic participation from the audience in the Q&A session.

Adopt sportspersons of Haryana, Minister to NRIs

Gurugram: Union Minister of
State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines Piyush
Goyal on Tuesday urged Indian
diaspora from Haryana to adopt
the sportspersons of the state from
their early age so as to groom them.
The Minister was addressing
first-ever two-day Pravasi Haryana Divas that kicked off on Tuesday at Kingdom of Dreams here.
While lauding the sportspersons
of Haryana for their outstanding
contribution in the field of sports

P B D

at national and international

level, Goyal exhorted the Pravasi
Haryanvis (expatriates from Haryana) to adopt the Haryana sportspersons so as to groom them.
The Minister, whose maternal
grandparents come from Gohana
in Haryana, said the state has
made tremendous progress in the
last five decades.
He was all praise for the initiatives taken by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to make Haryana
free of open defecation and kero-

sene-use. He also praised the housing schemes being implemented in

the state to realise Prime Minister
Narendra Modis vision of Housing
for All by 2022.
Noted cricketer Kapil Dev also
appreciated the manner in which
the sports culture has developed
in the state with its sportspersons
bringing laurels in national and
international sports meets.
He said that the daughters of
Haryana have done proud to the
state in various sports meets.

w o r l d w ide

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrated worldwide by the Indian Embassies and Consulates with participation of the members of the Indian Community. Few glimpses . . .

Cairo

Riyadh

Suriname

Hong Kong

(Image courtesy: PBD 2017 Facebook page)

18

January 14-20, 2017

Nation mourns veteran

actor Om Puri's death

eteran Bollywood actor Om Puri,

whose repertoire as an actor
reflected a rare realism, died after
a heart attack, triggering
nationwide outpour
ing of condolences
from top lead
ers, fans and
the film fra
ternity.
The widely
celebrated
Om Puri, 66,
was found
dead at his
Andheri
West resi
dence, a
family

Obituary
friend said. He is survived by his son
Ishaan, whom he had with former wife
Nandita Puri.
The sudden demise of one of
India's most talented actors
stunned the film industry.
Khalid Kidwai, producer
of the actor's upcoming
film "Ram Bhajan
Zindabad", said he had
met Om Puri earlier
regarding the promotional
activities of the Hindi
movie.
Known for his deep bari
tone and distinctive acting
style, Om Puri had an affini
ty towards socially
relevant cin
ema. This
drove
him
into

A very powerful actor, Om Puri was muchloved for his simplicity and humility.

'Live-in
relationships not a
negative thing'
Adityas next film
releases on Jan 13.

ditya Roy Kapoor, who will be seen playing the

lead role in upcoming "Ok Jaanu", thinks that
liveinrelationships which are common these
days are not a negative thing. "It is not about what is
right or wrong. Livein relationships are common these
days, that's why so many movies are being made on
the subject. Many of my friends are going through live
in relationships, some have worked out and some did
n't. But I don't feel it is a negative thing and marriage
has to do anything with it," he said at the press confer
ence, ahead of the film's release.
The film sees Aditya and Shraddha Kapoor as a
young couple in a livein relationship in Mumbai while
Naseeruddin Shah and Leela Samson play an older
couple who are their landlords.
"I don't think it is wrong if a couple who want to get
married get into a livein relationship to know each
other better," he added. Directed by Shaad Ali, the
romantic drama is releasing on January 13.

doing movies like "Aakrosh" and "Ardh

Satya" which proved to be box office
hits. A National School of Drama alum
nus, Om Puri also featured in movies like
"Dharavi" and "Mirch Masala" and
explored the comedy genre with "Jaane
Bhi Do Yaaro", "Chachi 420", "Hera
Pheri", "Malamaal Weekly" and more.
For his superlative work, he was hon
ored with the National Film Award for
Best Actor twice for "Arohan" in 1982
and for "Ardh Satya" in 1984.
Om Puri also nurtured an international
career, which started with a cameo in
Richard Attenborough's iconic "Gandhi".
Among some of his British films were
"My Son the Fanatic", "East Is East" and
"The Parole Officer". He also appeared in
Hollywood films including "City of Joy",
"Wolf" and "The Ghost and the
Darkness". An advocate of peace
between India and Pakistan, he even fea
tured in Pakistani film "Actor In Law". He
also sank his teeth into regional Indian
film projects.
Political leaders from Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, Congress President
Sonia Gandhi and Chief Ministers
Mamata Banerjee and Vasundhara Raje
mourned his death.
A Padma Shri awardee and National
Awardwinner, Om Puri was also made
the honorary officer of the Order of the
British Empire for his services to the
British film industry.

'Rangoon'
a love
triangle,
not biopic:
Vishal
Bhardwaj
ilmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj
has shot down reports
about "Rangoon" being a
biopic, saying it is a work of fic
tion. National Awardwinning
filmmaker Bhardwaj's period
drama is set in the 1940s amidst
the turmoil of India's independ
ence struggle, and includes
some historic references.
There was a buzz that the film
is a biopic. But Bhardwaj has set
the record straight saying that
the movie doesn't follow the life
of any of the various actresses of
the era.
"'Rangoon' is a love triangle
set in the era of the Second
World War. We have tried to
create the ethos of the era but
it's a work of fiction," Bhardwaj
said in a statement.
In the film, Kangana Ranaut

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD

Aamir's 'Dangal' beats

his 'PK' as highest
Hindi grosser

The film released on December 23 last year.

ith "Dangal" registering a collection of
Rs 345.3 crore, Bollywood star Aamir
Khan has created a new record for the
highest Hindi grosser, beating the business of his
own movie "PK". The film's makers are over
whelmed.
The sports drama film, directed by Nitesh
Tiwari, took a leaf out of wrestler Mahavir Singh
Phogat's real life.
"Dangal", which released on December 23 last
year, collected Rs 14.33 crore on January 8, tak
ing the cumulative total to Rs 345.3 crore (net
India box office), read a statement issued on
behalf of the makers.
Amrita Pandey, Vice President, Studios, Disney
India, said: "'Dangal' is an extremely special film
for us at Disney, Aamir Khan and the entire cast
and crew of the film. This is our ninth film with
Aamir Khan, and with 'Dangal' we've broken our
own record of 'PK'. Aamir has set new bench
marks with each of his movies."

Important to be real
in reality shows:
Remo D'souza
horeographerdirector Remo D'souza,
who has also judged dance shows on the
small screen, says it is important to avoid
melodrama
and focus on creative content of
na
The film starring Kanga
the
reality
show
to reach out to the audience.
the
of
Ranaut is set in the era
Talking
about
the
importance of good con
II.
r
World Wa
tent in dance shows, Remo said: "It is important
plays to be real in a reality show. Instead of over
the role of a seductress Julia and
melodramatizing anything, if you are show
Saif Ali Khan is the film
casing real dance and introducing
maker in love with
various genres, people will gen
her. Shahid Kapoor
uinely develop an interest in
is the soldier
that."
named Nawab
"So, when I do any dance
Malik who falls
show, I categorically tell
in love with
everyone not to create any
Julia during a
unnecessary drama that we
train journey.
get to see in other reality
"Rangoon",
shows," added the choreographer,
directed by Bhardwaj
who has judged shows like
under the banners of
"Dance India Dance" and
Remo has judged shows
Nadiadwala Grandson
"Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa".
e
nc
like Dance India Da
Entertainment and
After making his directorial
.
Jaa
la
hh
and Jhalak Dik
Viacom 18 Motion
debut in 2011 with the film
Pictures, will release on
"F.A.L.T.U", Remo made 3D dance movie "ABCD
February 24.
Any Body Can Dance" in 2013.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD

Parents should teach

sons to respect
women: SRK

Shah Rukh Khan with his son AbRam.

ollywood Superstar Shah

Rukh Khan has urged par
ents to teach their sons
how to respect women. Asked
about the recent Bengaluru
mass molestation, Shah Rukh
said: "It is completely wrong. I
feel mothers and fathers should
teach their sons how to respect
women."
SRK spoke to media at the
Archana Kochhar Show, where
he walked as a showstopper.
The charity event was held to
raise funds for free heart sur
geries for 100 children at the
Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani

Hospital & Medical Research

Institute. "All women as daugh
ters or mothers are close to my
heart. It's high time we realize
and make sure that they are
the most respected people on
the planet. They are god's
creations. Irrespective of their
field, they should be respect
ed," he said.
Bollywood celebrities like
Salim Khan, Shekhar Kapur,
Akshay Kumar and Farhan
Akhtar had earlier strongly
condemned the incident that
took place during the New Year
celebration in Bengaluru.

January 14-20, 2017

19

Streep calls Trump a bully, he

dubs her Hillary lover
scar winning
actress Meryl
ep one
Streep called the
Trump called Stre
ted
ra
er
US Presidentelect a
of the most ov
od.
wo
lly
Ho
in
bully who humiliates
actresses
others, prompting
Donald Trump to
describe her as "one of
the most overrated
actresses in Hollywood"
and "a Hillary (Clinton)
lover".
While antiTrump com
ments at the Golden Globe
award ceremony in
Beverly Hills, California,
were relatively restrained,
Streep, one of the most out
spoken progressives in
Hollywood, mounted a pow
erful critique of Trump's
abilities.
tated a disabled reporter," she said,
"There was one performance this referring to a speech by Trump in
year that stunned me it sank its
2015 when he shuddered and
hooks in my heart," Streep said.
flailed his arms, seeming to mock a
"Not because it was good; there
disabled reporter of The New York
was nothing good about it. But it
Times. "It kind of broke my heart
was effective and it did its job. It
when I saw it, and I still can't get it
made its intended audience laugh
out of my head, because it wasn't
and show their teeth.
in a movie. It was real life."
"It was that moment when the
Reacting to this, Trump tweeted:
person asking to sit in the most
"Meryl Streep, one of the most
respected seat in our country imi
overrated actresses in Hollywood,

doesn't know me but attacked last

night at the Golden Globes. She is a
Hillary flunky who lost big."
Trump, in a brief telephone
interview with the New York
Times, said he had not heard
Streep's remarks but added he was
not surprised he had come under
attack from "liberal movie people".
Trump flatly denied he had
intended to make fun of the
reporter, Serge F. Kovaleski. "I was
never mocking anyone".

Gulshan Devaiah, wife stranded in Istanbul airport

ctor Gulshan Devaiah

and his wife Kalliroi
Tziafeta are stranded
due to snowstorm at
Istanbul airport en route to
India.
The couple had gone to
Greece to ring in Christmas
and New Year and were on
their way to Mumbai from
Athens. "Stuck in Istanbul
airport. All flights

afeta.
with his wife Kalliroi Tzi
Actor Gulshan Devaiah

cancelled due to snowstorm. Been here

over 12 hours. The whole airport is
closed," Gulshan tweeted.
In a series of tweets, Gulshan has been
sharing updates from the trip.
From pictures of exotic locales in Greece
to homecooked gourmet meal, the
"Hunterrr" actor has been having a ball of
a time. The couple even watched Damien
Chazelle's musical comedy "La La Land".
Last seen in Konkana Sensharma's "A
Death in the Gunj", Gulshan awaits the
release of "Cabaret", which also stars Richa
Chadda.

Golden Globes 2017: 'La La Land' shines with 7 awards

yan Gosling and Emma
Stonestarrer musical come
dy "La La Land" clinched as
many as seven honors at the 74th
Golden Globe Awards, where pop
ular Indian actress Priyanka
Chopra made a glittering debut at
the gala as a presenter. Hosted by
Jimmy Fallon, the awards show
organized by Hollywood Foreign
Press Association took place at
T he Beverly Hilton in Beverly
Hills. Directed by Damien
Chazelle, "La La Land" follows a
romantic relationship between a
dedicated jazz musician, Sebastian
(Gosling), and an aspiring actress,
Mia (Stone), who are struggling

to make ends meet in Los Angeles.

The film won in categories like
Best Motion Picture Musical or
Comedy, Best Performance by an
Actress in a Motion Picture
Musical or Comedy (Stone), Best
Director Motion Picture
(Chazelle), Best Performance by
an Actor in a Motion Picture
Musical or Comedy (Gosling), Best
Screenplay, Best Original Score
Motion Picture and Best Original
Song Motion Picture.
The Best Supporting Role Male
and Female Awards were given to
actors Aaron TaylorJohnson
("Nocturnal Animals") and Viola
Davis ("Fences").

"Zootopia" was declared as the

winner for Best Motion Picture
Animated.
In the television categories, "The
Crown" was announced as the
winner for Best Television Series
Drama, while "Atlanta" was given
the Best Te levision Series
Musical or Comedy award and the
Best Television Limited Series or
Motion Picture Made for
Television trophy was given to
"T he People v. O.J. Simpson:
American Crime Story".

Bollywood actress Priyanka

Chopra makes her debut at the
Golden Globes.

20

January 14-20, 2017

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

SUBCONTINENT

Kabul calls for UN action against Islamabad

United Nations: A day after an inter
national meeting in Islamabad to
pave way for peace talks between
Kabul and the Taliban, Afghanistan
launched a stinging attack on
Pakistan for aiding terrorist groups
and asked the Security Council to
take action on governments pro
moting extremist violence.
The Security Council could devise
a method to identify "elements in
some 'State institutions' (that) facili
tate violence and extremist activi
ties by nonstate proxies as a means
to advance their foreign policy
agenda," Afghanistan's Permanent
Representative Mahmoud Saikal
said. Speaking at the Council debate
on Conflict Prevention and

Sustaining Peace, he did not men

tion Pakistan, but it was clear that
he was referring to Islamabad's
activities in the region.
"The cycle of violence and insecu
rity in Afghanistan, and our part of
the world is inextricably linked to
the presence of sanctuaries and
safehavens in the region, from
which extremist groups are sus
tained and enjoy an incessant flow
of political, financial, material and
logistical support for the continua
tion of their malicious activities," he
said. On an issue with bearing on
the meeting in Islamabad on
Monday by Afghanistan, China,
Pakistan and the US to facilitate
peace talks between Kabul and the

Ghani urges Islamic

countries to help
bring peace

Taliban, Saikal declared that inter

actions with "armed groups" active
in his country should have Kabul's
approval.
He said, "Any kind of talks on the
situation in my country has neither
any value nor legitimacy without
the participation and approval of
our government which is the most
democratically elected administra
tion in the history of our nation."
Without naming Islamabad, he
added, "We have expressed strong
reservations in regards to open dec
larations by some in our region of
their contacts with armed opposi
tion groups active in Afghanistan,
conducted without the consent of
the Afghan government."

Afghanistan's Permanent Representative Mahmoud Saikal.

Sri Lanka hails Chinese investment

in economic zone
Colombo: Sri Lanka has hailed China's intention to
invest over $5 billion in a new economic zone in the
south of the island country.
Chinese ambassador Yi Xianliang on Saturday said in
Hambantota that this was a great opportunity for Sri
Lanka as more than 50 Chinese investors were keen on
investing in the southern development project, Xinhua
news agency reported. He said China would invest
about $5 billion in the new economic zone within the
next three to five years, which could also help create
100,000 jobs especially for the people of Hambantota
and the south.

"With all this, no negative force can stop the corpora

tion between China and Sri Lanka and no one can stop
the strong friendship between our two peoples," the
ambassador said.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
appreciated China's investment in the southern eco
nomic zone and also thanked China Merchants
Holdings for helping develop the Hambantota Port.
"No one can stop us from establishing a new Sri
Lanka so that our youth will benefit. Like Malaysia,
Singapore and China, we will also be proudly devel
oped," Wickremesinghe said.

Pak tests first ncapable

sublaunched cruise missile

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani.

Kabul: Afghanistan President
Ashraf Ghani has urged Islamic
countries to put pressure on
extremist groups to join the peace
process in the conflictravaged
nation, media reported.
Tolo News quoted Ghani as
telling Arabic newspaper Asharq
alAwsat that it was important for
Taliban to separate itself from
terrorist groups that pose a threat
to Islamic nations.
"We hope that Islamic coun
tries, including Saudi Arabia,
exert pressure on extremist lead
ers to push them towards recon
ciliation," he said.
Ghani also said that Afghanistan
had strong relations with Saudi
Arabia and described it as "strong
and essential".
The Afghanistan President said
the country has good ties with
other Islamic countries as well,
including the United Arab
Emirates. Regarding Pakistan,
Ghani said Islamabad's best inter
est lies with Kabul.

He called the Islamic State ter

ror group as a threat to the entire
region.
"When you look at the history
of these groups, you see that each
lifespan is on average between 20
to 40 years and we need a mini
mum of 20 years to stop them,"
Ghani said.
When asked whether he was
concerned reg arding foreign
interventions in Afghanistan's
internal af fairs, Ghani said:
"Millions of Afghans fled to neigh
boring countries at the beginning
of the crisis and some moved to
different cities in Afghanistan. By
the end of 2016, one million
Afghans returned to their country
and we welcomed them."
In an apparent reference to
eastern neighbor Pakistan, he fur
ther said: "Unfortunately, some
countries differentiate between a
good and a bad terrorist. Those
who conduct operations outside
their countries are good terrorists
and vice versa."

Islamabad: Pakistan fired its first submarinelaunched

nuclearcapable cruise missile with a 450 km range in
an apparent show of force visavis nuclear neighbor
India. "Pakistan eyes this hallmark development as a
step towards reinforcing policy of credible minimum
deterrence," said General Mahmood Hayat, the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
Terming it a major scientific milestone, Gen Hayat
said: "It is manifestation of the strategy of measured
response to nuclear strategies and postures being
adopted in Pakistan's neighborhood."
The Army said in a statement: "BaburIII Submarine
Launched Cruise Missile in landattack mode, is capa
ble of delivering various types of payloads and will
provide Pakistan with a credible second strike capabili
ty, augmenting deterrence."

The latest test, in the Indian Ocean, came days after

India tested its indigenously developed intercontinen
tal surfacetosurface nuclearcapable ballistic missile
Agni V.
BaburIII is a seabased variant of Ground Launched
Cruise Missile (GLCM) BaburII, which was successfully
tested in December 2016.
The missile incorporates state of the art technologies
including underwater controlled propulsion and
advanced guidance and navigation features, duly aug
mented by Global Navigation, Terrain and Scene
Matching Systems. The missile features terrain hug
ging and sea skimming flight capabilities to evade hos
tile radars and air defences, in addition to certain
stealth technologies, in an emerging regional ballistic
missile defence environment.

India's antidumping cess on jute

worries Bangladesh
Dhaka: Bangladeshi firms have expressed deep con
cern over India's recent imposition of antidumping
duty on jute and other goods exported by them.
Jute industry insiders urged India to withdraw the
antidumping duty on jute items which hitherto
enjoyed dutyfree access to India under the South
Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement.
They further urged the Bangladesh government to
discuss the matter with the relevant Indian ministry in
the greater interest of bilateral trade.
India on January 5 imposed antidumping cess rang
ing from $6.30 to $351.72 per tonne on imports of
jute and jute products from Bangladesh and Nepal to

protect domestic industry. An official in Bangladesh's

Ministry of Commerce told Xinhua that imposition of
antidumping duty on jute exports to India was "unex
pected and unfortunate".
The decision irked not merely businesses but also
of ficials as it would af fect the local jute industry
severely, said the official requesting anonymity.
Sector insiders said many jute spinning mills will suf
fer a big blow due to the high duty and will ultimately
be closed, leaving hundreds of thousands of workers
with an uncertain future.
They stressed the need for lobbying with the Indian
government to withdraw the decision.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

US HITS RUSSIA WITH NEW

SANCTIONS

Washington/Moscow: T he US
blacklisted five Russians, includ
ing Russia's chief public investiga
tor who is a close aide to
President Vladimir Putin, for
human rights abuses, in a move
described by Russia as the "inade
quacy" of outgoing President
Barack Obama.
"T he
inadequacy
of
Washington's leaders, who have
fallen into a sanctions mania, is
obvious to all," Russian Deputy
Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov
told RIA Novosti news agency.
The sanctions announced by the
US Treasury Department on
Monday were imposed on
Russians for violations of the
2012 Magnitsky Act, a bill passed
by the US Congress intending to
punish Russian officials responsi
ble for death of Sergei L.
Magnitsky, an anticorruption
lawyer, in Moscow prison
in 2009.
The biggest name added to the
list was that of Ale ksandr I.
Bastrykin, who reports directly to
Putin and has carried out political
investigations on his behalf, said a
report in the New York Times.
The Obama administration has
till date sanctioned 44 Russians
under the Magnitsky Act. T he
sanctions announced include a
ban on travel to the US and a
freezing of any assets held by or
transactions with American finan
cial institutions.
In addition to Bastrykin, the
Obama administration targeted
Andrei K. Lugovoi and Dmitri V.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

Kovtun, two Russian intelligence
of ficers who the British authori
t ies said poisoned a fe llow
Russian spy, Alexander V.
Litvinenko, in London in 2006.
Also added to the list are
Stanislav Gordievsky and Gennady
Plaksin, two lowerlevel of ficials,
who the US said were involved in
the coverup of Magnitsky's death,
said the New York Times.
According to the Russian
Deputy Foreign Minister, the
White House showed "unworthy
vengeance" with the sanctions,
and the Obama administration in
the remaining 10 days in of fice
could take more steps to obstruct
the work of the new President
Donald Trump.
He added that the Obama
administrat ion experienced
"anger for its candidate's loss in
the presidential election and the
desire to seek out those responsi
ble for the defeat anywhere, but
not at home."

11 killed, UAE
envoy hurt in
Kandahar blast
Kabul: At least 11 people were
killed in an explosion at a
provincial government guest
house in Kandahar city of
Afghanistan this week, officials
said.
The UAE ambassador, anoth
er envoy and Kandahar
Governor Hamayun Azizi were
among those injured in the
explosion,
provincial
spokesperson
Samim
Khpolwak, who is himse lf
injured, told TOLOnews.
He said at least four Arabs,
who were bodyguards, were
among those killed. A source
told TOLOnews the governor
was in a serious condition.
Also, the Kandahar police
chief, General Abdul Raziq,

January 14-20, 2017

INTERNATIONAL

who was also at the guest

house at the time of the explo
sion, was unharmed.
T he explosion took place
during a highlevel meeting at
the guest house. No group has
claimed responsibility yet for
the attack.
Meanwhile, the toll from two
suicide blasts in the Kabul city
earlier on Tuesday rose to 28,
the Interior Ministry said on
Tuesday
nig ht,
adding
among the killed were four
police of ficers and four
women.
It said about 64 people were
injured by the bombings. The
Taliban militant group has
claimed responsibility for
Kabul attack.

The US intelligence community,

including the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA), the Federal Bureau
of Investigation (FBI) and the
National Security Agency (NSA),
has recently published a report
claiming Russia's involvement in
act ivit ies, including hacker
attacks, aimed at promot ing
Trump to the presidency.
Washington, in December, had
expelled 35 Russian diplomats in
retaliation over presidential poll
hacking.
However, the Kremlin had
rejected such accusations and on
Tuesday expressed its readiness
to further cooperate with the US.
"The sanctions remain an ele
ment which af fects our bilateral
relations extremely negatively,
but at the same time even in con
dit ions of sanct ions, w ithout
doubt, Moscow would welcome
and be ready for any opportuni
t ies for dialogue," Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

21

Chinese daily
warns India over
Vietnam ties
Beijing: China will not sit quietly if
India boosts military ties with
Vietnam to counter Beijing, a
Chinese newspaper warned.
An oped in Global Times also
told New Delhi not to "stir up
troubles" in Southeast Asia. "If the
Indian government genuinely
treats its enhancement of military
relations with Vietnam as a strate
gic arrangement or even revenge
against Beijing, it will only create
disturbances in the region and
China will hardly sit with its arms
crossed," said the daily which is
said to represent the views of the
Chinese leadership.
According to reports, India is in
talks with Vietnam to sell indige
nous surfacetoair missile system.
"This was supposed to be a nor
mal arms sale, yet was portrayed
by the Indian media as a response
'to counter the Chinese threat.'"
the daily said.
It said it was natural for New
De lhi to deepen its ties with
Hanoi, which is a pillar of India's
Act East Policy.
It, however, cautioned that
"such ties should be built for the
sake of peace and stability in the
region, rather than stirring up
troubles or anxiety for others.
"However, when India and
Vietnam are in talks about possi
ble sales, New Delhi seems to
keep taking a sneak peak at
Beijing, as if the deal is stealthily

aimed at China." During an official

visit to Hanoi in September 2016,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
announced $500 million defence
credit line to Vietnam, which is
dubbed as "principal protagonist,"
in the South China Sea claimed
by Beijing.
It said Indian experts and media
describing Vietnam as China's
backyard reflected "India's outdat
ed diplomatic mindset".
The article said "due to geopolit
ical factors, some nations have
been cosying up to India over the
years, which to a large extent con
tributed to India's fruitful devel
opment.
"New Delhi understands that the
best strategy for itself is to contin
ue its collaboration with all par
ties, instead of picking a side and
turning hostile to one another.
"Otherwise, it might not only
turn others' troubles to its own
puzzles, but also suffer enormous
losses of development opportuni
ties.
"India has a dream to grow into
a great power. But under today's
international circumstances, it
will be extraordinarily hard to
achieve the goal on its own.
"What India needs is more prag
matic cooperation with other
countries." The newspaper, run by
the China's Communist Party,
hoped that India will join the Belt
and Road project.

Islamic State could be

routed in 2017: Italian PM
Paris: The Islamic State jihadist
group could see military defeat
his year, Italian Prime Minister
Paolo Gentiloni said.
"The year 2017 could be the
one in which Daesh gets defeat
ed," Gentiloni said, using the
Arabic acronym for IS, after a
meet ing here w ith French
President Francois Hollande.
"But we are all aware that mil
itary victory will not be enough
unless it is accompanied by vic
tory on a cultural and social
level and the recognition of our
values and way of life."
Italy and France belong to a
68member military coalition
against IS which has significant
ly degraded IS's capabilities
since its launch by US President
Barack Obama in September
2014.

Italian Prime Minister

Paolo Gentiloni.
With coalition support, local
ground forces, with have now

retaken 56 percent of the popu

lated territory IS once held in
Iraq and 27 percent in Syria,
Obama's special envoy to the
coalition, Brett McGurk, told its
plenary meeting in Washington
DC on 28 November.
IS foreign fighters in Iraq and
Syria are at their lowest levels
in two and a half years and
"negligible" numbers are enter
ing the countries, while the
group's revenue sources have
seen a "dramatic" decrease,
McGurk said.
Almost all of IS leader Abu
Bakr alBaghdadi's deputies
have been killed and precision
airstrikes are also targeting IS's
external plotters, military com
manders,
administrators,
recruiters, communicators, and
battlefield fighters, he stated.

22 January 14-20, 2017

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

SPORTS

Never thought will captain India in all formats: Kohli

Pune: Virat Kohli has expressed
his happiness at the prospect of
leading India in all three formats
of cricket, terming it "surreal".
Kohli, the Test skipper, succeed
ed M.S. Dhoni as the limited overs
team skipper recently after the
Ranchiborn cricketer stepped
down. He will lead India in the
first of the threematch ODI
series against England here on
Sunday.
"It is quite surreal. I never
thought this day is going to come
to my life. When I came to the
team, I was always looking to
perform, get more opportunities
and build solid consistent career
and contribute to the team in
winning games," Kohli said here.
Kohli said he never thought he
would get this huge honor of
leading the country.

Virat Kohli, the Test skipper, succeeded M.S. Dhoni

as the limited overs team skipper.

Ronaldo wins FIFA best

player award

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Zurich: Real Madrid superstar Cristiano

Ronaldo won the FIFA Best Male Player
Award over his great rival Lionel Messi and
Antoine Griezmann for a stellar 201516
season, at a glittering ceremony here.
Ronaldo also won the Ballon d'Or, given
by France Football magazine, in December,
with both honours recognition for success
in the Champions League with Real and
Euro 2016 with Portugal.
"I will never forget 2016," Ronaldo said,
as quoted by the BBC.
He thanked his teammates, family and
his whole staf f. Leicester City coach
Claudio Ranieri won FIFA Best Men's Coach
award. Argentine legend Diego Maradona
handed the award to Ranieri.
"I'm crazy now," said the Leicester coach,
as quoted by the BBC. "Thank you so much
for voting me. I'm 65 now, I start now as a
manger!"

Russia 'on track' to hold

2018 World Cup: FIFA chief
Zurich: Russia is following an approved
schedule in org anizing the 2017
Confederations Cup and the 2018 World
Cup, world football governing body FIFA's
President Gianni Infantino has said.
"When it comes to the World Cup, every
thing is on the track and we have received
the necessary guarantees that the deadlines
will be hit and everything will be completed
by the end of this year," Infantino said on
Tuesday, reports Tass. Infant ino was
addressing a news conference following a
FIFA Council here.
"Work is on schedule when it comes to the
stadiums. There is still a lot of work to be
done and still deadlines to be fixed in some
stadiums," he added.
The 2017 Confederations Cup will be held
next year between June 17 and July 2 at
four stadiums in Russia and they are

OtkritieArena in Moscow, St. Petersburg

Arena, Fisht in Sochi and KazanArena in
Kazan.
Russia is currently in fullswing prepara
tions for the global football tournaments
after the country won the bid to host the
2018 World Cup at the FIFA Congress in
2010.
The country selected 11 host cities to be
the venues for the matches of the 2018
World Cup. T hey are Moscow, St.
Petersburg, So chi, Kazan, Saransk,
Kaliningrad, Volgograd, RostovonDon,
Nizhny Novgoro d, Ye katerinburg and
Samara.
The matches of the 2018 World Cup will
be held between June 14 and July 15 at 12
stadiums in 11 cities across Russia. Two of
the stadiums are located in the Russian
capital.

"I feel everything is God sent.

Anything happens to you, hap
pens for a reason and happens at
a rig ht t ime in your life," he
added.
The righthanded run machine
said though he has the experi
ence of leading in junior levels,
captaining at the highest level is
a different ball game altogether.
"But being captain of India is
whole dif ferent ball game alto
gether. As they mention it, it is
the hot seat in all different ways
such as the attention, the praise,
criticisms, all these things come
along with it."
"But one thing comes along
with this is the responsibility and
that makes me a better cricketer
and a better person as I learn
about life through this experi
ences, so I take it as an opportu

nity," he said.
The 28yearold said captaincy
may be stressful but he sees the
lighter aspect of it.
"I won't say it is not a stressful
job, however, it is fun. The way I
came up in my career is similar. I
knew my strengths and weak
nesses but people did not like me
as such. T hey were not too
pleased with the way I presented
myself, the way I was."
Kohli added that legend Sachin
Tendulkar's valuable advice has
helped him enormously in his
career so far.
"The advice I got from was to
believe in your own game and
believe in the way you want to
prepare and do not follow some
one and that helped and from
that onwards, I was really com
fortable," he said.

Dhoni to be felicitated at
IndiaEngland Eden ODI

Outgoing
limited
overs team
skipper
Mahendra
Singh.

Kolkata: India's outgoing limitedovers

team skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will
be felicitated by the Cricket Association
of Bengal (CAB) when India play their
third and final OneDay International
match against England here at the Eden
Gardens.
Dhoni stepped down as India's ODI and
T20I captain recently. Test skipper Virat
Kohli has been appointed as Dhoni's suc
cessor. T he third ODI match will be
played on January 22. The first match
will be played in Pune on January 15.
Dhoni, who scored an unbeaten 68 in
his last match as captain of India A side
playing a practice match against England
XI in Mumbai on Tuesday, will be given a
plaque and a shawl, CAB officials said.
The Ranchi man is arguably India's
finest captain, leading India to two World
Cup triumphs T20I title in 2007 and
ODI World Cup in 2011.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Courtappoint
ed R.M. Lodha Committee is expected to
clarify on the CAB's query whether or not
the assistant secretary is an office bearer
is expected on Wednesday after a meet
ing of the committee members.

ENGLAND BEAT
INDIA A BY
THREE WICKETS
Mumbai: Riding on Sam Billings' bril
liant 93, England defeated India A by
three wickets in the first 50over
warmup match at the Brabourne
Stadium here. Billings, Jason Roy (62),
Jos Buttler (46) and Liam Dawson (41)
were the major contributors for the vis
itors, who chased down India's 3045
with 1.1 overs and three wickets to
spare. Earlier, put in to bat, the Indian
side posted 3045 with Ambati Rayudu
slamming an unbeaten ton. He scored
100 runs in 97 balls before being
retired out.
Apart from him, opening batsman
Shikhar Dhawan (63), Yuvraj Singh (56)
and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (68 not
out) contributed handsomely to India's
cause. For England, David Willey and
Jake Ball scalped two wickets each.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

January 14-20, 2017

SPORTS

23

He is the only captain in world

cricket who has won the ODI
World Cup, T20 World Cup
and the ICC Champions
Trophy. But to Dhoni,
cricket is essentially a
philosophy of life.

A tribute,

as he steps down as captain

from the oneday side.

By Shivaji Sengupta

he Wankhede Stadium is
hushed in anticipation. Sri
Lankan
pace
bowler,
Kulasekara is bowling the 48th
over. India has four runs more to
win, six wickets left. But the Sri
Lankan bowlers have a reputation
of being overly stingy in the
"death" overs. Victory is not a fore
gone conclusion.
Facing Kulasekara is India's cap
tain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He
had brought himself up the order
to bat before Yuvraj Singh who had
himself been playing superbly
throughout the tournament. But it
is the captain now who, in the com
pany of Yuvraj Singh, were expect
ed take India to their second ever
World Cup.
T he stadium turns quiet as
Kulasekara bowls. Up goes Dhoni's
bat in a flash. The ball rockets
toward the stands. Dhoni watches,
face calm and poised. But there is a
glint in his eyes. The ball clears the
boundary. India wins!
The above scenario is described,
not from the footage of the ICC
World Cup but from the now well
known film, MS Dhoni, The Untold
Story. In it we see a young foot
baller slowly turning his attention
to cricket. It is a story of a common
man, playing hard, practicing hard
until he makes his appearance, first
for Bihar and then for India.
Now that Mahendra Singh Dhoni
has relinquished the captaincy of
the Indian cricket team from all
formats of the game, but said that
he will be available in the limited
overs competition (50over ODIs
and T20s), perhaps it is time to
take stock of not only what sort of
captain he was, but, more impor
tantly, his overall contribution to
the leadership of Indian cricket. He
followed another extremely suc
cessful captain, Sourav Ganguly,
under whom he had started his
international career. Ganguly had
been, up to that time, the most suc

cessful.
Dhoni bettered Ganguly's record,
and it looks like the man who suc
ceeded him to India's captaincy,
Virat Kohli, will better his. What
this means is that the reputation of
Indian cricket has been steadily ris
ing. Ganguly, with the help of some
batting geniuses like Tendulkar,
Dravid and Sehwag, brought com
petitiveness and a certain feisti
ness to the side.
W hen the three Masters of
Indian cricket Tendulkar, Dravid
and Ganguly recommended to the
BCCI that they appoint Dhoni as
captain of the first T20 World Cup,
it took many people, including
myself, by surprise. Hitherto Dhoni,
despite some notable performanc
es, mainly with the bat, was still
considered relatively junior. After
all, there were players like Yuvraj
Singh and Zaheer Khan in the side.
Even Gautam Gambhir had started
his international career before
Dhoni!
But that's why they call them
Masters. Tendulkar, Dravid and
Ganguly had been watching Dhoni
for some years. Yes, he had the
ability to take any bowling by the
scruf f of the neck, and run ram
page. In England, the same year
when they suggested his name,
they had watched this young man
stay unbeaten with 76 in the first
Test match at Lord's when the rest
of the side had crumbled around
him. With the number 11 batsman
for company Dhoni kept calm and
managed to draw the Test, albeit
with help from the weather. India
won the Test Series against
England that year quite possibly
because of Dhoni.
W hat Tendulkar, David and
Ganguly noticed was Dhoni's
sangfroid an unusual capacity to
keep calm in face of dire adversity.
Yet, the calmness to the opposition
can be dangerously misleading. For
underneath that unflappable
behavior, Mahendra Singh Dhoni
had the capacity to be murderous

with the bat; possessed the brains

to understand the psychology of
the opposition; and had the intel
lectual skills to strategize in such a
way so as to whisk the cover from
under the rival team's feet.
As an example of such strategy,
let us recall two incidents. The first
was the IndiaPakistan T20 match
in that World Cup in South Africa.
The second was the final of the
same World Cup, against the same
rival, Pakistan.
They used to break a T20 tie
those days with something called
"Bowl Out": five bowlers from each
side would alternately take turns
to bowl at, and break a batsman
less set of three wickets. T he
Pakistani team had chosen its five
best bowlers for this eventuality.
Not so, Dhoni. He chose mostly
batsmen to bowl at the wickets.
The result was that each Indian
batsmenturned bowler successful
ly dislodged the stumps while the
Pakistani bowlers, weighed down
with their reputation, anticipated
an easy win, and then, panicked
when the Indians immediately took
the lead. India won.
Dhoni explained later: "You spec
tators think of batsmen as people
who know only how to bat. But
most international cricketers have
the ability to bowl some quite
decently. We practiced Bowl Out
with these batsmen only. When the
real test came, we succeeded! "
Finally, in the same T20 World
Cup, India once again met its
perennial nemesis, Pakistan, in the
final. Think of it: Pakistan had
already been defeated by India in
the early stages of the tournament.
This time, with only one wicket to
go, MisbaulHaq, one of their best
batsmen, was batting with five
runs to win in the last over! Once
again, instead of bringing on an
ace bowler, Dhoni brought in
Joginder Sharma who had never
before played for India before this
World Cup. He bowled; Misbah
tried an unorthodox shot and got

caught. India was champion! (By

the way, Sharma appeared as him
self in Dhoni: the Untold Story)
Each time Dhoni won or lost he
was his same calm self, explaining
why he did something, or did not
do. To him, a game of cricket was a
process. Only if we regard this
process as a continuum, victory
and defeat seem incidental. We
critics and cricket enthusiasts
wanted this and that from Dhoni;
never satisfied with his achieve
ments, even though he is the only
captain in world cricket who has
won the ODI World Cup, T20
World Cup and the ICC Champions

Trophy. But to Mahi (for that's

what he is endearingly called),
cricket is essentially a philosophy
of life. As captain, he was its
philosopher king. T he term
Philosopher King, was created by
the ancient Greek philosopher,
Plato who said that a Philosopher
King is a ruler who possesses both
a love of knowledge, as well as
intelligence and reliability.
Throughout his career Dhoni has
shown us these qualities.

The writer is an academic who

regularly writes opeds and sports
articles for The South Asian Times.

MSD made players feel

they can be world-beaters

Dhoni led India to win first T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007.

By Veturi Srivata
iger Pataudi showed his
India teammates what self
respect is, Sourav Ganguly
taught his troops to stand up to
the best in the business and
Mahendra Singh Dhoni provided
them the spunk to be worldbeat
ers. There have also been cap
tains who can be categorized as
brilliant and even inspiring. They
led the side by personal example,
like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and
Sachin Tendulkar, or even
Mohammad Azharuddin. They all
had their innings, never looking

like leaders of champions. Not

that they lacked leadership quali
ties, they only left others in the
team awestuck by raising their
own bar, making it dif ficult for
others to aim at. Dhoni inspired
confidence in his players. Dhoni
is one leader who said after his
first major success the inaugu
ral World Twenty20 in South
Africa what he looked for in
his teammates: He would like to
see them stand in front of a mov
ing truck! In other words, he
wanted them to sacrifice every
thing for the team and the cap
tain.

24

January 14-20, 2017

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

BUSINESS

GST, demonetization can boost World Bank, Fitch

cuts Indian GDP
growth rate: Jaitley
Gandhinagar: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that
the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST),
coupled with the impact of demonetization can give a formi
dable push to India's growth rate.
"The digitization of economy that happened following
demonetization, which, subsequently, will lead to expansion
of formal economy, and GST both these factors have the
capacity to boost economy and increase the growth rate,"
Jaitley said here.
"I hope we will be able to see their impact this year only,"
he added at the conference on 'GST: The Game Changer for
Indian Economy' organized as a part of the ongoing Vibrant
Gujarat Global Summit 2017.
The Finance Minister hoped that the critical issues of dual
control and crossempowerment in the GST will get resolved
over the next few weeks.
GST Council is deliberative democracy in action. Most of
the issues have been sorted. Some critical issues remain and
I hope... they will be sorted out, Jaitley said.
"We want the GST to be in force by April 1, if all issues are
sorted out, he said, adding "Since the constitutional amend
ment has been passed, it is mandatory to implement the GST
before September 16."
When GST merges all the taxes and makes India into one
entity, it's an advantage to the assessee as there will be no
cascading effect of tax and will lead to larger revenues for
states, he said.
The next meeting of GST Council is scheduled on January
16, to discuss the critical issues of dual control and cross
empowerment which deal with the assessee jurisdiction.
Talking about the inconvenience caused to various sectors

SC rejects
probe into
alleged Birla
Sahara payoffs
to Modi
New Delhi: In a breather to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, the Supreme
Court rejected a plea for probing the
alleged payof fs by the BirlaSahara
groups when he was the Gujarat Chief
Minister.
Rejecting the plea by NGO Common
Cause, the bench of Justice Arun Mishra
and Justice Amitava Roy said that the evi
dence produced for seeking filing of an
FIR against the Prime Minister and other
political functionaries, including govern
ment officials, is not admissible.

growth for fiscal

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

because of the current cash crunch, he said difficult deci
sions initially pass through dif ficult phases and the real
impact of demonetization would be felt after this transient
inconvenience.
"It can have temporary transient pain attacks, but in medi
um and long term, the roadmap on which the country is des
tined to move can change," he said.

Washington: In its first projection on India post

demonetization, the World Bank has lowered the coun
try's GDP growth estimate for this fiscal to 7 per cent,
from its earlier estimate of 7.6 per cent made in June
last year.
"Growth in India is estimated to reach 7 per cent in
financial year (FY)2017 ... reflecting a modest down
grade to India's expansion," the multilateral lender said
in its Global Economic Prospects report released here.
"Unexpected demonetization the phasing out of
large denomination currency notes weighed on
growth in the third quarter of FY 2017," it said.
"Weak industrial production and manufacturing and
services purchasing managers' indexes further suggest
a setback to activity in the fourth quarter of FY 2017,"
the report added.
Meanwhile, American rating agency Fitch downgrad
ed India's growth outlook to 6.9 per cent for 201617,
from the earlier 7.4 per cent, citing the "shortterm dis
ruptions" caused by demonetization.
According to the report, even with a 7 per cent
growth rate for 201617, India will still be the fastest
growing major economy in the world, bypassing China,
which is projected to grow at 6.5 per cent in 2016.
The World Bank also noted that demonetization may,
in the medium term, aid liquidity expansion in the
banking system, which may help in lowering lending
rates and boosting economic activity.

Connected cars, 5G technology,

VR gaming dominated CES 2017
Las Vegas: Not just smartphones, convert
ibles or cameras, it was time for ground
breaking products in 5G technology, self
driving vehicles, digital health, Artificial
Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), robotics
and machine learning to be showcased at
the world's biggest annual electronics
event here.
As CES 2017 celebrated its 50th anniver
sary this year, the mega electronics event
was also a recordbreaker in hosting more
than 600 startups and more than 175,000
industry professionals including 55,000
from outside the US.
"Our industry is he lping the world
improve through connectivity and innova
tion, touching literally every facet of our
lives. Today's connected world was on full
display at CES 2017 our largest, boldest
show in history," Gary Shapiro, president
and CEO, Consumer Technolog y
Association (CTA), told IANS.
In the field of connected cars, Intel show

cased a system with Microsoft Hololens

(augmented reality headset) that sent sig
nals to the Cloud via 5G and received com
mands from artificial intelligence (AI)
servers, taking decisions for automatic
driving.
Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Blackberry and
QNX Operating Systems, Mitsubishi and
Mercedes also showcased their electric and
hybrid cars.
The US glass manufacturing company
Corning introduced a car with Corning
Gorilla Glass that provided toughness with
a 30 per cent decrease in the vehicle's
weight.
Chip manufacturer Qualcomm intro
duced its newest mobile platform
Snapdragon 835 processor with X16 LTE
modem, which will provide high perform
ance and enhanced power efficiency.
Expected to revolutionize the connected
world, 5G was a major focus throughout
CES.

Intel showcased an infrastructure of a

connected car with Microsoft
Hololens that sent signals to the cloud
through 5G. (Photo: IANS).

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

HEALTH

January 14-20, 2017

25

MORE AYURVEDA CHAIRS TO BE

CREATED ABROAD: ICCR DG
Kolkata: The ICCR, the organization tasked
with projecting the countrys heritage and
engaging culturally with friendly countries,
aims to set up more ayurveda chairs abroad
as part of its bid to harness Indias soft
power as a potent tool.
If you want to be a superpower, soft
power should be one of your potent tools,
Amarendra Khatua, Director General of the
Indian Council for Cultural Relations, told
IANS in an interview here on the sidelines of
the Vedic Mathemat ics Internat ional
Conference.
He added that more chairs in ayurveda
will be created in the coming years.
Noting that his mandate includes promot
ing and showcasing diaspora linkages, yoga
and the ayurvedic pharmacopeia, the
Director General underscored the impor
tance of harnessing Indias soft power with a
more focused and transparent approach.
And to this end, we are streamlining the
activities of the ICCR and ensuring efficien
cy, transparency, he said.
The ICCR, which administers scholarships
to international students, is also working on
ensuring that these scholars become Indias
constituencies in the course of their future
work.

We receive 6,000 foreign students

and they should become
our own constituencies
when they finish their
education and go back,
Khatua said, adding
that the ICCR is con
sciously nurturing the
idea.
At
the
moment there is
no organized frame
work
to
track where
they are and
what they are
doing. So we
are computer
izing
and
recording everything
from the day he or she comes as part of the
Arrival to Alumni initiative, the veteran
diplomat said.
Odishaborn Khatua belongs to the 1981
batch of the Indian Foreign Service. During
his diplomatic career, he has held trade and
economic positions in various Indian mis
sions around the world. His last posting was
as Indian ambassador in Argentina. Uruguay

Blood pressure rising globally

including in India: Report
New Delhi: The rate of elevated
systolic blood pressure (SBP)
has increased substantially
across the globe between 1990
and 2015, researchers report,
warning that the situation has
put more people at an
increased heart attack and
stroke risk including in India.
In 2015, an estimated 3.5 bil
lion adults had systolic blood
pressure of at least 110115
mm Hg and 874 million adults
had SBP of 140 mm Hg or higher, said
Christopher JL Murray from the Institute
for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME),
University of Washington in Seattle.
Systolic is the top number and diastolic is
the bottom number when it comes to
measuring blood pressure.
Five countries accounted for more than
half of global disabilityadjusted life years
(DALYs) associated with SBP of at least
110 to 115 mm Hg China, India, Russia,
Indonesia and the US.
T he new analysis, published in the
Journal of the American Medical
Association, was based on 8.7 million peo
ple from 154 countries across 844 studies.
T he largest numbers of SBPrelated
deaths were caused by ischemic heart dis
ease (4.9 million), hemorrhagic stroke (2
million), and ischemic stroke (1.5 million).
"These estimates are concerning given
that in 2015, an estimated 3.5 billion indi
viduals had an SBP level of at least 110 to

115 mm Hg," the authors write.

The global obesity epidemic may further
increase SBP in some populations, the find
ings showed.
Systolic blood pressure of at least 110 to
115 mm Hg was associated with more
than 10 million deaths and more than 212
million DALYs in 2015 a 1.4fold increase
since 1990.
Compared with all other specific risks
quantified in a 2015 study, SBP of at least
110 to 115 mm Hg was the leading global
contributor to preventable death in 2015.
"Both the projected number and preva
lence rate of SBP of at least 110 to 115
mm Hg are likely to continue to increase
globally. These findings support increased
efforts to control the burden of SBP of at
least 110 to 115 mm Hg to reduce disease
burden," the researchers noted.
The new study suggests blood pressure
should be kept low with diet control, exer
cise and stress reduction.

and Paraguay.
In its renewed efforts
to promote Brand
India,
ICCRs
approach to confer
ences has also
changed, Khatua
informed.
We are not
doing fulltour
conferences.
Instead, we are
organizing
little con
ferences
such
as
those on
AbdulQadir
Bedil (a master of
Persian poetry who was born in India) and
an international qawwali festival in Tehran,
among others, he said.
To empower upandcoming artistes, ICCR
will also empanel them for performances
abroad.
With regard to troupes which are going
abroad, lot of empanelment has not been
made. Young artistes are suffering and older
artistes are doing well. So now we are trying

to empanel all the young artistes so that

everybody gets a chance, Khatua said.
Another initiative that the ICCR is promot
ing involves keeping the secondgeneration
diaspora in touch with their mother tongues.
We are now sending secondary school
teachers abroad so that the diaspora can be
taught (the) ABCD (of Indian languages), he
said. This apart, Khatua aims to take the
twoway cultural diplomacy to Tier II and
Tier III cities as well.
We receive about 400 cultural troupes
from outside and we send about 400
abroad. So we have to see that these troupes
go to Indias Tier II and III cities with a large
middle class and educated population (so
that) they know about these cultural
aspects, he said.
India currently has 26 cultural centers
across the globe. But more are needed if the
countrys soft power is to be put on effective
display.
At least six are in the pipeline during
2017. We have already announced centres
for Washington and Sydney, he said.
Indias stress on soft power is evident
from the fact that on June 21, 2015, the
first International Day of Yoga was celebrat
ed all over the world.

Don't just make right food

choices, exercise too
New Delhi: Being healthy
means that you pay atten
is more than just making
tion to the foods you choose
the right food choices its
in order to properly fuel
also about supplementing
your body. Establish regular
healthy food choices with
eating habits and follow a
increased participation in
few simple rules for a
physical activity, says an
healthier diet include
expert, who feels a few
plenty of vegetables and
exercise trends must be
whole fruits at meals and
incorporated into ones
snacks, limit your intake of
daily life.
fats and sweets, make sure
Susan
Bowerman,
to feed your muscles with
Director of Worldwide
protein, and drink plenty of
Nutrition Education and A standing officedesk to cut water.
sitting hours
Training, Herbalife, has
* Challenge yourself: Sign
shared tips and trends for
up for races such as com
those who resolve to be fitter in the New munity 5ks, mud runs, obstacle course races
Year, but lose interest with time.
and triathlons to put your body to the test.
* Ditch the office chair: Just because you
* Join online: The tech fit industry jumped
work in an of fice setting, it doesnt mean to new heights in 2016 and proved to be a
you cant be active. Adding more activity to very practical solution for so many people.
your day can be as easy as standing at your Its now easier than ever to work out with a
desk while you make phone calls, holding fitness star in a foreign country from the
walking meetings, or even taking the stairs comfort of your own home, or use a fitness
instead of the elevator.
app for guidance. With live streaming, get
* Take a walk at lunch: To combat after ready to travel, without a passport, for a fit
noon slumps in energy and focus, take a ness class.
walk during your lunch hour. A recent study,
* Be balanced: The focus in fitness is
published in the Scandinavian Journal of becoming centered on overall wellness and
Medicine and Science in Sports, showed that not just a quick fix fitness program. And
lunchtime strolls can boost peoples moods the same holds true for diet too. There will
and ability to handle stress at work. If you be a rise in more balanced routines that
combine your walk with a meal replacement encompass simple oldschool time tested
shake, you are getting a convenient meal exercise, complemented by a healthy diet
while getting some exercise.
that is rooted in balanced nutrition, promot
* Eat more mindfully: Eating mindfully ing a healthy, active lifestyle.

26

January 14-20, 2017

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

SELF HELP

How womens concepts of beauty are changing

T
he modern age has expanded the scope
of what Americans consider beautiful,
while at the same time, it has also
introduced social media an everpresent
reminder of ones appearance.
In an ef fort to better understand these
shifts, LOral Paris recently commissioned a
study with Ipsos engaging women on the
topic and shared some top insights on this
beauty evolution.

CHANGING VALUES
Women are changing how they view beau
ty to be a more holistic, progressive
and optimistic vision. A majori
ty of women see beauty
dif ferently than they
did 10 years ago.
They believe beau
ty
is
about
progress not
perfection and
are optimistic
about continuing
to be beautiful as
they age. Most sur
veyed admit that
while women in
Most surveyed admit that while women in their 40s, 50s and 60s
their 40s, 50s and
used to be considered to look old, women of the same age
60s used to be con
today are in their prime.

sidered to look old, women of the same age

today are in their prime. Furthermore,
beauty standards have changed and expand
ed as weve become a more culturally
diverse, global community.

SKINCARE STILL WORTH IT

While many factors play a role in beauty,
the care and appearance of skin determines
how beautiful a woman feels, according to
the survey respondents, particularly in the
social media age. Beauty routines can be
timeconsuming; however, women strongly
believe the skin care element is worth it.
Were seeing a major shift in routines of
millennial women. Four out of the five skin
care products used are cleansers. This is dra
matically different from what we saw in the
past, says Dr. Rocio Rivera, LOral Paris
director of scientific communications.
Among the top regimens women are incor
porating into their skincare is the use of at
home facial masks that cleanse and beautify
skin by absorbing oils and impurities.
I am often asked what are little ways to
make a difference at home? Handsdown a
mask is usually the answer, says Vanessa
Hernandez, celebrity esthetician. Finding
one tailored for your skin type is so impor
tant and from there, its like a mini facial in

Why are you avoiding

the doctor?
M
ost Americans want to stay healthy and pre
vent disease and illness. For many, this means
getting regular checkups and using their
health plan benefits. For others, it seems that ignorance
is bliss.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), Americans get their preventive serv
ices only about half the time, even though preventive
care is fully covered at no cost by most health plans
under the Affordable Care Act. Preventive services save
lives and decrease suffering from advanced illnesses.
Vaccinations prevent lifethreatening diseases. Health
screenings can find serious conditions early. Managing
diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure can
prevent heart attacks, strokes or kidney failure. Despite
these facts, there are numerous reasons people avoid
their doctors.
Understanding why you avoid getting your needed
preventive care is the first step in taking action for your
health, says Dr. Christina Stasiuk, senior medical direc
tor for Cigna.
Dr. Christina and the experts at Cigna identified six
types of people based on common perceptions.
Thinking about where you fit can help you see why you
may put off preventive care:
Procrastinators : Procrastinators fear that a checkup
will discover a condition that needs to be addressed
and will impact them personally and financially. They
delay or avoid getting a checkup to cope with their
apprehension.
Whatif Worriers : Whatif Worriers spend a lot of
time thinking about unpleasant hypothetical situations
and things. While some worriers see a doctor for every
ache or pain, others avoid checkups altogether because
they anticipate an unfavorable diagnosis.
Solitary Sufferers: Many people dont get help from
their doctors to avoid revealing personal issues or con
cerns especially related to mental health or substance
use because theyre ashamed and worried about
being judged as weak by others. This fear also keeps

them from using their Employee Assistance Programs

(EAP) at work.
Super Savers: Super Savers always look for a good
deal and hate to pay full price for anything. They pinch
every penny and may view a checkup as not worth the
cost. Some dont even realize their health benefit plan
covers preventive care services with no outofpocket
costs, or how advanced diseases may cost them much
more time and money.
Workaholics: People in this group value work over
any other activity. They may consider a checkup to be
a waste of time, and dont realize that poor health can
impact the work performance they prize.
SelfDiagnosers: SelfDiagnosers feel confident that
they are engaging in healthy activities and the need for
a checkup doesnt really apply to them. They may not
consider that early on, many conditions have no physi
cal symptoms. No matter what your own motivations
and concerns may be, you can get tips on taking control
of your health and using your health benefits to the
fullest at Cigna.com. From vaccinations to early detec
tion, optimal health absolutely includes preventive care.
Get past the hurdles and schedule your recommended
checkups. It is crucial for your longterm health and
wellness, says Dr. Christina.

the comfort of your home.

To find one tailored for you, first deter
mine your skin type. The PureClay Masks
from LOral, for example, are made from
clay minerals sourced globally and are
of fered in three varieties for specific skin
needs whether you want to reduce excess
shine, reduce dull skin and even out skin
tone, or exfoliate and tighten pores.

INNER BEAUTY
How women feel on the inside dictates
how beautiful they fee l overall. W hen
describing what makes them beautiful, the
women surveyed described a number of
emotional traits and these qualities vary by
generation.
Growing confidence is important to
Millennials as they move from their 20s to
30s. There is hope among them that they
will continue to grow stronger and healthier.
For boomers, staying active and feeling
young is important to them as they age.
Personality, however, is timeless. Women of
all ages and ethnicities believe their outlook
on life is a huge part of what makes them
feel beautiful, concluded the researchers.
From new skincare habits to new outlooks,
women are viewing beauty differently these
days and taking different steps to achieve it.

What to know about

treating common illnesses
or shortterm conditions that
come on quickly like the com
mon cold, to chronic condi
tions such as arthritis or allergies,
homeopathic medicines are among
the safest types of drugs, say
experts.
Homeopathic treatments of fer
another choice for those looking for
lowrisk overthecounter options
with natural active ingredients,
says Mark Land, president of the
American
Association
of
Homeopathic Pharmacists (AAHP),
which represents the majority of
the manufacturers, distributors and
marketers of homeopathic prod
ucts.
While many may be unfamiliar
with homeopathy, Land and the
experts at AAHP offer some useful
facts that could help you approach
illness differently in the future.

WHAT IS
HOMEOPATHY?
Contrary to common be lief,
homeopathy is not a synonym for
natural or herbal supplement.
Its a specific system of medicine
that uses high dilutions of plants,
animals or minerals to relieve the
same symptoms that they can cause
at full strength. For example, a
microdose of a cof fee bean can
help alleviate nervousness.
The medicines health claims are
based on traditional uses of these
200yearold active ingredients.
Given their long history, the prod

ucts are not evaluated through the

FDAs new drug approval process.
However, the agency oversees their
manufacturing and marketing.

SAFETY BENEFITS
Amassing a long record of safety,
these traditional homeopathic
remedies demonstrate very little
possibility of adverse events.
Generally, homeopathic prepara
tions have very low risk of side
ef fects, overdose, or interaction
with conventional medications or
herbal remedies, according to the
AAHP. They also dont mask or sup
press symptoms, which is helpful in
the case of misdiagnoses.

WHERE CAN
YOU FIND IT?
Local health food stores provide
an abundance of homeopathic
choices for a wide variety of condi
tions, while national retailers,
including drugstores, offer popular
top sellers. Prices are competitive
with their conventional counter
parts.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR?

Product labels provide familiar
drug information, including what
the item treats and instructions for
use. The active ingredients are Latin
for their source and are followed by
a dilution level. For more informa
tion about homeopathy, visit
aahp.info/consumerinformation.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

January 14-20, 2017

LIFESTYLE

27

Let go and start fresh in 2017

We should register in our minds that our past is a memory and the future is our potential and offers opportunities.
We cannot undo what has happened and we should prevent previous mistakes and unpleasant issues from
replaying in our mind because itpushes us backward, makes us depressed, weak, hopeless and unhappy.
l By T. Selva
his is the best time of the
year for us to drop the past
and make a fresh start for
2017. In the New Year it is vital
that we prepare our resolutions
and plans so that we are able to
give ourselves a chance to move
forward and not dwell in the past.
Many people spend most of their
time worrying about what had
happened rather than living in the
present and preparing for the
fresh year.
We should register in our minds
that our past is a memory and the
future is our potential and of fers
opportunities.
We cannot undo what has hap
pened and we should prevent pre
vious mistakes and unpleasant
issues from replaying in our mind
because it pushes us backward,
makes us depressed, weak, hope
less and unhappy.
Some people are gloomy most of
the time owing to accumulation of
their past which is harmful to their
health because it affects the indi
viduals peace of mind.
Facing fact helps us to maintain
inner peace which is the core of
happiness. Children are the best
examples of being liberated from
the past and future.
I adore spending time with chil
dren because they are the excel
lent living beings of happiness.
They are full of cheer, love and
energy because they are free from
implications of what has already
occurred. Children are only keen

Tips on inner cleansing

8
8
8
8
8

Find a quiet spot or sacred space in your house.

Sit comfortably on the floor or chair facing east.
Close your eyes and drop your shoulders and take a deep breath.
Hold on to your breath for a few seconds.
During this process gather all the impurities inside you and
exhale forcefully.
8 During your exhalation, imagine that all your negativity and past
is flushed out.
8 Do the breathing out exercise several times until you get a feel of
ease inside you.
8 Next, inhale fresh air a few times and start a new life.

EXTERIOR CLEANSING

on the present like what are they

going to do now and what had
happened seems meaningless.
One of the biggest challenges in
the lives of many people is being
unable to erase or let go of the
bygone errors, which acts more
current than their present, thus
outshining their accomplishments.
Our unpleasant past retards our
thinking power, makes us weary,
drains our energy, suppresses our
happiness and makes us dull and
withdrawn.
It is important that we focus on
our present and the goodness of
our daily life because this naturally
pushes the past out of our minds.
But when this happens, there is
another category of people who
start worrying about the future.
Their issues are will our chil
dren do well in their studies, will
they be successful, will I be able to

support their education, will I be

healthy, will I get promoted, will I
get married, and their fears go on
and on.
Such qualms become more
prevalent in some families when
ever a new year begins because
they are unsure of what lies ahead.
The sad side of such people is
that they selfinflict their emotions
with worries, concerns and nega
tive thoughts of the future and
postpone happiness, resulting in
them being miserable most of the
time. Our life is not meant to be a
suf fering and we should not
become a vict im to our foul
thoughts because we are all born
with only near perfection and not
total perfection. There will always
be mistakes, obstacles and bumps
in life but one should view them as
subtle messages from the universal
forces to pick up the pieces and

Take some salt and rub your soles with it. Dispose of the salt. Next,
take another scoop of salt and dissolve it in a pail of warm water.
Bathe with the water. Do this once or twice a week. This process will
reduce your tension and enhance your aura.
learn from the experiences.
Our problems will only resolve
when we realise happiness in our
present attitude and not on future
condition.
Learn to live in the present and
not to live in the t ime that is
absent because it only causes ten
sion when we think about the
unknown.
T he current time is the only
opportunity for us to share our
happiness and we must not waste
it or rethink about yesterday and
ponder about tomorrow.
Our future excites us w ith
unsure hopes and endless uncer
tainties and there is no better time
than now to be happy.
We should shut the doors of our
past and free our mind from our
indefinite future and concentrate

on our current work efficiently.

One excellent declaration to
make for the fresh year would be
to exercise gentleness and positivi
ty because having such attitudes
would make your mind happy even
under challenging circumstances.
Those who are adaptable to diffi
cult situations will be able to view
weakness as a learning process
and ward off anger by being pleas
ant and gentle.
Do not hold on to your pain or
hurt but let it go because hanging
on to it makes the pain last longer
thus causing greater damage to
yourself.

Dr T. Selva is the author of the

bestseller book Vasthu Sastra
Guide.
Article courtesy: The Indian Down Under

Not getting paid new minimum wage? Call new hotline

New Year means a new
minimum wage in New
York State and Governor
Andrew Cuomo wants to make
sure everyone is getting the
money they deserve.
The Governor has created a
200member mult iagency
Minimum Wage Enforcement
and Outreach Unit to ensure all
minimum wage workers are paid
the proper rate.
Landmark leg islat ion was
signed last year, making New
York the first state in the nation
to enact a $15 minimum wage.
On December 31, 2016, the first
phasein schedule for the mini
mum wage increase went into
effect.
With the first increase in the

minimum wage now in ef fect,

this new enforcement unit will
ensure workers are being paid
what they earned, and employ
ers who flaunt the law will be
held accountable.
If you arent being paid the
new minimum wage, youre
encouraged to call the hotline at
18884NYSDOL you can also
see how much you should be
paid at ny.gov/MyWage.
The $15 minimum wage will
be phased in over time depend
ing on where you work and who
you work for.

$15 MINIMUM
WAGE PHASEIN
For workers in New York City

employed by large businesses

(those with at least 11 employ
ees), the minimum wage will rise
to $11 at the end of 2016, then
another $2 each year after,
reaching $15 on 12/31/2018.
For workers in New York
City employed by small
businesses (those with
10 employees or fewer),
the minimum wage will
rise to $10.50 by the
end of 2016, then
another $1.50 each year
after, reaching $15 on
12/31/2019.
For workers in Nassau,
Suf folk and Westchester
Counties, the minimum wage
will increase to $10 at the end
of 2016, then $1 each year after,

reaching $15 on 12/31/2021.

For workers in the rest of the
state, the minimum wage will
increase to $9.70 at the
end of 2016, then
another
.70
each year

after until reaching

$12.50
on
12/31/2020 after
which the minimum wage will

continue to increase to $15 on

an indexed schedule to be set by
the Director of the Division of
Budget in consultation with the
Department of Labor.
Read more on the Minimum
Wage Enforcement Unit at
Governor.ny.gov.

28

January 14-20, 2017

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

HUMOR

Funny Side by Nury Vittachi

WORLD WEIRDNESS QUOTIENT

IS RISING FAST
I

f I were a woman I would draw one eye

brow way higher than the other and
spend my whole life looking wildly
skeptical about everything.
Wait. That might make me unpopular in
church.
Still, it might be worth it. News stories
sent in by readers indicate that Destiny has
run out of believable plot lines and has fall
en back on extreme stereotypes. I can pre
dict the end of every tale readers send me.
Example: After a childcustody deal
recently, a little boy was set to be handed
from one grandma to another. In most
places, that would be straightforward but
this took place in America, in the state of
Texas, no less. You can guess what's com
ing. Both grandmothers carried loaded
weapons as they entered the chosen trans
fer site, a Walmart parking lot. Both shoot
ing. Police got involved, the area was
sealed of f, blood was spilled, violent
grannies had to be subdued, hundreds of
people were inconvenienced and a global

Image courtesy:
problogginghq.com
nuclear war started. Well, maybe the last
thing didn't happen, but everything else
did.
"America can no longer be parodied, as it
is already a ridiculous version of itself,"
said Marie Kan, who sent me the link.
True, Marie. The same is true of China.
That country's reputation for bureaucratic
obtuseness reached a new pinnacle. A read
er from that country, in which fingerprints

are often used instead of signatures, sent

me a tale about a man with no arms who
tried to get a bank loan.
You can guess the rest.
"We'll need your fingerprints," said bank
of ficials. "I have no arms," said Wu
Jianping, 25, of Henan province. "Refusing
to cooperate, huh? The deal's of f," said
bankers. The same thing happened at
every bank he tried.
I wonder what the bankers would say if
you put a decapitated corpse in front of
them? "So, you refuse to talk, or even stay
upright in the seat? The deal's of f, Mr
Headless Corpse."
Even in placid, dramafree places like

Canada, irrationality is the new norm.

Officials in Toronto recently decided to dis
cuss the importance of making facilities
accessible for wheelchairs and you
guessed it they chose a venue only reach
able by stairs.
Perhaps the saddest recent tale in this
reg ard was that of Shog a Takeda, a
Japanese man of 24 who wanted to get his
life together. He applied for a job. Halfway
through the interview, the boss left the
room for a moment, and Shogo stole his
wallet. And following the dumb criminal
stereotype, he left behind his application
form, complete with his name, address and
numerous ways to contact him.
My colleague has a theory that Destiny
has upped the weirdness quotient of real
life so as to combat all that fake news cir
culating these days. "That couldn't happen
in real life," we will say to each other as we
scan the clickbait headlines. "It's not weird
enough."
Meanwhile, if any female reader will
draw one eyebrow higher than the other
on her face and kindly report back to me
on the general effect, I will be grateful.
But just don't try to get a bank loan in
China. "So, you're skeptical about every
thing, applicant? The deal's off."

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.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

ASTROLOGY

By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma

JANUARY 1420, 2016
ARIES: At work you will be a part of
something big, bringing appreciation &
rewards. Parents and friends will do
their best to keep you happy. Longterm
investment in stocks & mutual funds will
enable to earn profits. Sudden romantic
encounter is foreseen this week. You need to
relax and get involved in hobbies that you
enjoy doing the most. Adventurous holidays,
the best way to experience with your friends,
time to enjoy. Its high time to think of pur
chasing a new office. You impress others by
your wit and repartee.
TAURUS: Develop a good adaptability
to handle pressurized situations at
professional front. You should take
some time to enjoy it with children, even if
you have to go out of your way to make that
happen. Avoid being volunteer to overspend
otherwise you will have to come home empty
pocket. Use your discretion power in love this
week. Knowing your calories would enable to
keep yourself fit. If your family loves to travel,
then put together some ideas to help you.
Location is the key to any property you pur
chase, so go through it very well. It would be
in your interest if you avoid easily get friendly
with others.
GEMINI: Make sure you keep team
spirit going to achieve higher profes
sional goals. If people approach you
with problems better to ignore them for the
sake of family life. Be careful with whom you
deal financially during this week. If possible,
give the gift of time to beloved/lover. Time to
understand body and at the same time avoid
the food that does not go well with it to keep
ailments a bay. Traveling internationally
means too much expense. You have to very
patient while dealing with your estate agent.
Avoid disclosing personal secrets even to
your close relatives.
CANCER: Plans for new ventures get
streamlined with the help of seniors.
Children would do their best to keep
you happy. Real estate investment would be
lucrative. Love comes your way as friendship
turns into romance. Your confidence and
energy will be high in this week. Destination
with a great deal is on your way, be ready for
traveling. Your investment plans are at full
boom and you might succeed in them. In the
company of friends you are likely to enjoy, as
many good things happen at a same time.
LEO: Female colleagues lend a helping
hand in completing important assign
ments. You are likely to be benefited as
family members positive ly respond.
Investment in stocks & mutual funds would
help in earning profits. You are likely find
comfort in the arms of romantic partner. A
week when smile will perpetually be on your
face and strangers will seem familiar. Be ready
to travel with a challenge, new connections
will help you. Your girlfriends desire for an
apartment might lead to its destination. You
succeed in maintaining a distance from affairs
that don't concern you at all.
VIRGO: Use your strong determination
& decisionmaking trait to face unusual
& challenging situations with ease at
professional front. Take your parents into con
fidence regarding your new projects and plans.
Avoid overspending on entertainment and
luxuries.
Love and romantic encounter will keep you in
a cheerful state. Health will be fine despite
some mental pressures. Traveling abroad can
be exciting adventure that will be remembered
forever. The deals which you are looking for
ward might be delayed due to increase in prop
erty rates. To gain something we have to lose
something. This is the success of maintaining
relationship.

LIBRA: This week it would require

some urgent & quick decisions to
turn the tide in your favour at profes
sional front. Good time to get involved into
activities that include children. Make sure you
do not overspend on household luxuries.
Dont give into unnecessary demands of
romantic partner. Channelising energy for
selfimprovement would immensely benefit
you. Finally you have found the time for your
deserving break, travel will be favourable.
Time to plan a gift for your parents may be
their dream home. Your wit & repartee would
immensely help in developing healthy rela
tions with others.
SCORPIO: You will be highly benefited
by making the fullest use of communi
cation skills and the ability to handle
any pressurized situation. A week when you
should not force your opinion on others in the
family. Be prepared to say no to people who
expect too much in financial matters. You
need to hold romantic emotions and shouldn't
do anything making you repent later. Make
the best use of your energy to enjoy a sound
health. Your whole family needs a holiday,
look further and take a break. Your invest
ment on overseas plans might give some
impact on your bank balance.
SAGITTARIUS: Don't get surprised if
you are entrusted with additional
responsibilities at work. Looking after
the needs of children would be essential. Crucial
decisions regarding investment should be put
of f for another week. A promising week for
romance when your innovation infuses a new
spirit in it. You need to remain calm & tension
free to enjoy a sound health. Take a trip, as
there is some place waiting for you. It might be
the right time to sale your empty plot as prop
erty rates are at peak. You are likely to contem
plate a new construction programme.
CAPRICORN: Tough situations at
workplace would give you the oppor
tunity to grow. You must restraint
yourself from nagging the child to save
him/her. Avoid investing money in specula
tions based on rumours. Make sure you don't
get sentimental on lover/beloveds comments.
Your energy level will be high. Better to chan
nelise it in a positive direction. An ideal vaca
tion can claim your basic living expenses.
Investment has to be made keeping in mind
about the area where your plot is. Make sure
you maintain decency in your behaviour espe
cially with opposite sex.
AQUARIUS: You are likely to establish
yourself a good manager on manag
ing people and situation without any
problem. A promising week to plan things for
your progeny. Improvement in finances is cer
tain. Partner brings immense romantic pleas
ure even if work pressure occupies your mind
Positive outlook impresses those around you
besides keeping you fit & fine. Great time for
perfect family vacation to an exciting destina
tion. Your plan for a new house will be in
process very soon. You are likely to impress
others by behaving politely & charmingly to
everyone whosoever comes to you.
PISCES: You will be successful in realis
ing your targets at professional front.
You would be the center of attraction
at a social gathering that you attend especially
with family. Speculation coupled with some
unexpected gains improves financial health.
Romance rules heart & mind this week.
Chances of recovering from physical illness
are on the card. Travel opportunities full of
challenges are often the beginning of great
enterprises. Being too choosy in investing
plans can loose the property you are looking
for. Your legal battle could be sorted out pro
vided friends lend a helping hand.

January 14-20, 2017

29

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

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

ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK

14th January, 2017
You are governed by the number 5 and ruled
by the planet Mercury. You are co operative
by nature and will go all out to maintain
peace and harmony at work, as well as the
domestic front. Since you do not like to annoy
anyone, and are always adjusting to others
demands, you have a lot of friends around
you. Your keen power of observation and
your sharp mind will bring success to you in
your business pursuits, in the year ahead of
you. You are a reserved person and do not
easily show your emotions. This will be an
added asset to you. Those of you, who are sin
gle, can expect to find their life partner, in the
year ahead of you. Also, marriage will bring
you happiness as well as prosperity. You will
be tempted to play high stakes in gambling,
and you should be careful where to draw the
line. The months of May, September and
January will be very eventful.
15th January, 2017
You are governed by the number 6 and the
planet Venus. You are also dominated by the
planet Mercury. You are born with intelli
gence and communication skills. Most of you
do well as lawyers, because you have the abil
ity to put forward your arguments. Honour,
prestige and dignity, will be all yours, in the
year ahead of you. You will enjoy your work
and go to the depth of any project that you
undertake. The domestic front will be full of
happiness and peace. You will have well wish
ers and family around you and they will be
ever ready to help you, when and if the need
arises. But you will have to be careful of not
taking hasty decisions. Be calm, take your
time, weigh the pros and cons, before jump
ing to any decision or conclusion. Use your
sharp memory to your advantage. You will be
drawn towards research and studies, in the
coming year. The months of June, October
and December will be very significant.
16th January, 2017
You are dominated by the planet Neptune and
governed by the planet Mercury. You are also
dominated by the number 7. You are humble
and modest by nature and do not like to exert
your authority. But, at the same time, you do
not like people interfering in your personal
life. You like to be left alone and enjoy priva
cy. Your love for reading and your search for
knowledge, will be your assets, in the coming
year. Your sharp power of observation, will
allow you to notice minute happenings
around you, and you will be able to make the
best of this. Your humble and modest nature
will draw the attention of your friends, who
will flock to you for advice and help. But, you
tend to get restless at times and in the bar
gain you take hasty decisions. This only leads
to unpleasantness. Your children will bring
you fame and happiness, in the year ahead of
you. The months of July, September and
November will be very eventful.
17th January, 2017
You are governed by the number 8 and the
planet Saturn. You are also dominated by the
planet Mercury. You are ambitious by nature
and will always aim to reach the top. You
desire to achieve the best and nothing but the
best, for yourself in life. Your creative ideas
and hard work will bring success to you, in
your professional front, in the year ahead of
you. You can expect to see plans and projects,
being fulfilled to perfection. You will not
accept traditional customs and conventions,

and keep away from those who have ortho

dox views in life. Although a believer of reli
gion, you will not follow the routine track.
Your pleasing personality and your deep
knowledge of various issue, will make you the
centre of attraction at social gatherings. But
you will be cold towards sentiments and emo
tions of others. You are not led away by tears
or emotions. The months of June, September
and February will be very important.
18th January, 2017
You are governed by the number 9 and domi
nated by the planet Mars. You are also influ
enced by the planet Mercury. Generosity and
courtesy, are two distinct qualities of your
nature. In the coming year, you will leave no
stone unturned, in fulfilling your responsibili
ties. You will be able to do this to the satisfac
tion of your loved ones. Your honesty will
bring you prestige and recognition in whatev
er you undertake, in the year ahead of you.
You will be able to pursue your quest for
knowledge. Reading and research will bring
you pleasure and satisfaction. Your communi
cation skills will draw the attention of your
bosses and you will be able to impress them
with your views and knowledge of various
subjects and issues. Your lucky colours are
shades of yellow, red and white, and you
should keep these in mind, while buying
clothes or painting your house. The months
of May, October and November will be very
eventful.
19th January, 2017
Governed by the number 1 and the Sun, you
are also dominated by the planet Mercury.
You are intelligent by nature, and like to go
deep into the study of any subject. Research
and studies, are your passion. With your
methodical approach to work, coupled with
your sincerity, you will be able to achieve suc
cess in your professional career. Those of
you, who are pursuing your studies, you are
advised to try and put in your full concentra
tion in whatever you are doing. This will
bring out the best in you and you will be
rewarded with flying colours. You are full of
life and energy. Your enthusiasm in anything
that you do makes you a centre of attraction
at any social gathering. In the year ahead of
you, you will make many friends and enjoy a
life full of activity, fun and laughter. Your
lucky colours are gold, yellow and green. The
months of July, September and November will
be very eventful.
20th January, 2017
Governed by the number 2, you are also dom
inated by the planets Moon and Mercury. Full
of self confidence and determination, the year
ahead of you, promises to be a successful one,
as far as your professional career is
concerned.
Those of you in the media or the teaching line
can expect to reach newer heights of excel
lence in the coming year. Proximity, to a
water body will be of utmost important to
you. Getting a transfer to a city or town near
and water body, like a riverside or seaside,
will help you to gain prosperity and happi
ness. You will have a large circle of friends
and can expect to socialize and have lots of
fun, in the year ahead of you. Some of you
will be attracted to the opposite sex, and may
even make a special friend. Your concern for
the oppressed will make you do a lot of chari
ty work. The months of August and January
will be very significant.

30

January 14-20, 2017

SPIRITUAL AWARENESS

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Setting spiritual goals in our lives

By Sant Rajinder Singh

Ji Maharaj
pirituality is not only devel
oped in one place like a
monastery, or on the banks of
a river, or in the wilderness. If we
want spirituality, it can be devel
oped in any place. We can recog
nize our spirituality in whatever
culture, region, or religion we are
born and in whatever activities we
are involved.
Although in some forms of mysti
cism people try to negate life and
everything else just to concentrate
on their spiritual journey, we need
to become complete human beings.
We need to develop physically,

By Sant Rajinder Singh

Ji Maharaj

mentally, emotionally, and spiritu

ally. Actually, on the health of the
spirit depends the health of the
body, mind, and intellect.
In the East it is said that when
the peacock dances in the jungle or
forest and nobody sees it, what
good is it? Just like a flower that
blooms and gives fragrance to oth
ers, so should we. Hence, we should
remain in our outer societies and
not negate that part of our life.
Once we recognize that we are
soul, we need to spend time in
enhancing our spiritual capabili
ties. To do so, we need to set spiri
tual goals. If, on the other hand, we
spend our time haphazardly, with
out knowing where we are going,
then we will have a hard time
reaching our aspirations. In the
spiritual arena, our goals consist of
spending time in meditation and in
improving our ethical life.
On the spiritual path we need to
realize what is important, set our
goals, and do whatever makes
sense to take us in a direction to
reach those goals. It is essential to
realize that there are certain fac
tors that will help us in our spiritu

al progress.
The key is to still the mind. If we
do not still the mind, we will not be
able to recognize ourselves spiritu
ally. Therefore, leading an ethical
life in which we cultivate the
virtues of truthfulness, nonvio
lence, humility, purity, and selfless
ness will aid us on the spiritual
path. When we lead virtuous lives,
our mind is calmer, and once our
body and mind are stilled, we can
connect with the divinity within.
This is why the mind, which is the
source of all desires, must be

stilled.
Keeping the mind focused on God
helps us in this process. That is
where the principle of simran
comes into play. Simran keeps the
mind occupied by the repetition of
the names of God. If the mind is
empty, thoughts will come in, and
as soon as a thought enters
whether it is a good or bad
thoughtit distracts us in our
meditation. Once we learn how to
still our mind, we automatically get
closer to a state of having no
desires.

If we want spirituality, it can be

developed in any place. It does help
when we live in a peaceful environ
ment where there is little or no
commotion around us. It definitely
helps when there is peace, calm,
and quiet. That is why we find a
quiet place to meditate, but when
we reach a certain level in our spir
itual growth, none of these outer
things bother us. There is a story of
Isaac Newton who was sitting by a
roadside, lost in thought.
He was so absorbed that he did
not notice a band passing by.
Similarly, when someones atten
tion is focused on the divine with
in, nothing in the outside surround
ings bothers him or her. It takes a
long time to get to that state, but
we can improve spiritually wherev
er we are and in whatever environ
ment we live.
In order to reach our spiritual
goals, we need to evaluate our pri
orities so that our desires do not
make us attached to the objects or
activities of the world. Instead,
when we are detached, our atten
tion will automatically focus on the
Divine.

THE STRONGEST ENEMY

This article has been selected and reprinted from Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharajs
book, Spiritual Pearls for Enlightened Living (Radiance Publishers) an inspirational
collection of stories from the worlds great wisdom traditions.
uring the time of Guru
Gobind Singh, there was a
great rishi who gave up
everything to go to a forest to med
itate. There was also a king who
had already conquered many other
territories and their people. One
day, the king set his ambition on
conquering the rishi to make him
obey his commands. People
thought it was strange that the
king would focus on conquering a
rishi who had no property, king
dom, or wealth. But it turned out
that the rishi had previously been a
king before giving up his kingdom
for the spiritual life. This made the
present king have an obsession
with wanting to conquer the rishi.
So the king gathered his entire
army to prepare for battle.
The army marched into the deep
forest. The army finally reached
the rishi, who was sitting in the
woods, deep in meditation.
The king waited for the rishi to
come out of meditation, but he kept
on sitting there.
Finally, the king became restless
and shook the rishi out of medita
tion.
The king shouted, Prepare for a
fight. I have come to do battle with
you.
T he rishi surveyed the scene
calmly. He saw the great army and

said, Fight! I ran away from my

worldly life for fear of my one
great enemy. I came here to hide in
the woods from this enemy. My
soul shudders in fear when I hear
the sound of my enemys name.
Just to think of this enemys name
causes my heart to quiver.
The king listened carefully as
the rishi continued to describe his
feared enemy. Finally, the king
became angry and shouted, Is
your enemy stronger than me?
T he rishi replied, Even the
thought of this enemy destroys my
soul. I left everything to escape
from this enemy.
The king said, Tell me the name
of this enemy of yours.
The rishi said, There is no use in
telling you who it is. You will never
be able to conquer him.
The king replied, If I cannot
conquer him, I will consider myself
a failure.
The rishi then told him, This
great enemy of whom I am speak
ing is the mind.
From that day on, the king tried
everything to overcome the mind.
He tried all kinds of techniques to
gain control over his own mind.
Years passed and still he could not
conquer the mind. Finally, the king
had to admit that he had failed and
that the mind is truly the strongest

enemy. The mind is powerful and

will try every means possible to
gain control over our soul.
Many yogis and rishis have tried
to gain control over their minds
but failed. If such is the fate of
those who have given up the world
to conquer their own mind, then
what is the fate of the rest of us
who are immersed in the world?
The mind is the obstacle our soul
must deal with to return to God.
The mind is like a soccer goalie,
guarding the goal. It will try every
thing to keep the ball from reach
ing the goal. If even devoted rishis
had trouble overcoming the mind,
how can we do it?
The fact is that we cannot con
quer the mind on our own. The
only way to conquer the mind and
still it is through the help of some
one who has conquered the mind.
Such enlightened beings give us a
lift to contact the Light and Sound
within us. The Light and Sound
help uplift our soul beyond the
realm of mind.
The rishi found that doing spiri
tual practices alone in the jungle
did not help him overcome the
mind. The mind still tempted him
with the countless desires of the
world.
The mind knows that contact
with the soul will render it harm

less. Thus, the mind will find all

kinds of excuses to keep us from
meditation. It will make us think of
the past. It will make us think of
the future. It will make us wiggle
around instead of sitting still. It will
make us feel sleepy just when we
sit to meditate. It will make us feel
hungry. It will make us feel jealous.
It will make us feel depressed. It
will make us feel like doing work
instead of meditating. It will find a
million excuses.
How do we overcome the minds
tendencies to distract us? We must
use the tendency of the mind to
form positive habits. The mind

likes habits. If we tell our mind that

we need to sit for meditation each
day at the same time and place, a
habit will form. Soon we will find
ourselves compelled to sit for med
itation at that time each day. If will
miss meditation, we will start to
feel like something is amiss. Soon
we will find ourselves meditating
regularly.
When we learn to concentrate
fully, wholly, and solely into the
Light and Sound, we will experi
ence bliss, peace, and joy. We will
want to repeat meditation again
and again because of the wonderful
experience we receive.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

January 14-20, 2017

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