The South Asian Times

e x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
Vol.10 No. 47 March 31-April 6, 2018 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

N. Korea is 'committed to
denuclearization'
Beijing/Seoul: China said on
Wednesday it secured a pledge
from the visiting North Korean
leader Kim Jong‑un to denu‑
clearize the Korean peninsula
during a meeting with President
Xi Jinping, who pledged in return
that China would uphold its
friendship with its isolated neigh‑ President Trump ordered the
bor. After two days of specula‑ expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats Kremlin has denied any role in
tion, China announced on
from the US in coordination with nerve attack and President Putin
western nations over nerve gas is expected to retaliate.
Wednesday that Kim had visited
attack on Russian ex‑spy (Photo courtesy Reuters)
Beijing and met Xi during what
on British soil.
the official Xinhua news agency North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un met Chinese President
called an unofficial visit from Xi Jinping in a surprise visit to Beijing.
Sunday to Wednesday.
The trip was Kim's first known
journey abroad since he assumed
power in 2011 and is believed by
Trump speaks to
analysts to serve as preparation
for upcoming summits with
South Korea and President
Trump. Beijing has traditionally
been the closest ally of secretive
North Korea, but ties have been
frayed by North Korea's pursuit
Continued on page 4

Congress, BJP slug fest on data mining western leaders

on expelling
New Delhi: The Congress and BJP traded charges
this week on the issue of alleged data theft with
Rahul Gandhi accusing Prime Minister Narendra
Modi of misusing his position to build personal
database "with data on millions of Indians via the
NaMo App promoted by the government".

ʻChhota Bheem' knows

Russian envoys
The BJP hit back, terming him "technologically
illiterate." I&B Minister Smriti Irani tweeted "even
Continued on page 4 Washington: President Donald Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier
Rahul Gandhi has accused PM Modi of misusing Trump on Tuesday spoke with on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.
NaMo app promoted by the government. BJP has leaders of France and Germany on The three nations on Monday
claimed Cambridge Analytica was involved in the expulsion of Russian diplo‑ announced to expel Russian diplo‑
Rahulʼs social media campaign. mats. Earlier on Monday, he also mats over the poisoning attack of
spoke with Canadian Prime former Russian double agent

Indian community prays for FL school shooting victims Minister Justin Trudeau to coordi‑
nate stances on the issue.
Skripal and his daughter in
Britain's southwestern city of
Melville, NY: Members of The White House said Trump Salisbury on March 4.
the Indian American spoke with French President In his call with Macron, Trump
community held a spe‑ Emmanuel Macron and German Continued on page 4
cial prayer assembly on
March 25 in the memory
of the victims of the
We Are Moving
mass shooting at
Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School in The South Asian Times office is moving from April 1st to
Parkland, FL, in 95 Broadway, # 2, Second Floor, Hicksville, NY 11801.
February. Approximately
Several lawmakers and community organizations took part in the prayer Our phone (516-390-7847), fax (516.465.1343 )
300 Nassau, Suffolk, and
assembly at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Melville, NY on March 25. and emails remain the same as before.
Continued on page 4

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x More than 60 undergraduate and graduate degrees
x Small classes with exceptional faculty
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Contact us at: (516) 876-3200 or www.oldwestbury.edu

US AFFAIRS 10 LENS EYE 15 ART & CULTURE 18 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30 excellence in journalism
TheSouthAsianTimes.info March 31-April 6, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
On India visit, Governor Abbot woos businesses to his state
Mumbai: Texas Governor Greg
Abbott, who is in India on a 9‑day
trade mission, is touting the econo‑
my of his big state and clinching
deals. Speaking March 25 to the
Rotary Club of Bombay, the
Governor emphasized the impor‑
tance of trade with India, noting
that Texas is the 2nd largest
exporter to India in the U.S., and the
4th largest importer of Indian goods
in the U.S.
“Itʼs not just the exchange of
goods that connects the people of
India and Texas,” Abbott is quoted
saying at the Rotary meeting. “The
values that we share are founded on
family, faith, commitment to our
communities, and hard work.”
Dallas News, which is accompany‑
ing the Governor and his delegation
US Senator introduces Enormity and urgency of ecological
Bill to keep call issues cannot be ignored: Sadhguru
centers in US
Washington: Senator Sherrod
Brown (D‑Ohio) has introduced a
bill in Congress to keep call‑cen‑
ter jobs within the country to
impede moving them offshore to
Indian companies or some place
else.
Brownʼs office has cited federal
Bureau of Labor Statistics arguing
that the US lost 200,000 call‑cen‑
ter jobs from 2006 to 2014.
“Most Americans want to sup‑
port American jobs by buying
American whenever they can and
that includes the customer serv‑
ice they get from call centers.
Jobs at call centers are some of
the most vulnerable to offshoring.
Too many companies have
packed up their call centers in
Ohio and across the country, and
moved to India or Mexico," he
said.
According to news release from
the Senator, the US Call Center
Workers and Consumer
Protection Act would give prefer‑
ence in federal contracts to com‑
panies that havenʼt relocated call‑
center jobs overseas; require U.S.
companies to identify the location
of the call center and allow the
customer to be transferred to a
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Governor Greg Abbott secured a $500 million investment in
Texas from JSW Group led by Sajjan Jindal (left).
to India, reported that he has 15
people in his delegation, including
“some Indian American business‑
men who have flown to India at
their own expense to accompany
him for part of his nine‑day jaunt.”
The governor also visited the
call center located in the US if
asked; and require companies to
notify the Department of Labor
before they relocate call centers
and create a public list of compa‑
nies that outsource call‑center
jobs.
The list would be maintained by
the DOL and be available for pub‑
lic reference, Brown said.
Any companies on the list
would be ineligible for federal
grants or loans, with an exception
for national security or substan‑
tial job loss in the United States,
according to the news release.
Additionally, federal agencies
would be required to give prefer‑
ence to U.S. employers that do not
appear on the list.
headquarters of Mahindra &
Mahindra and praised the company
and its operations in Texas.
Mahindra North America donated
$1.5 million in cash and kind after
Hurricane Harvey hit last
September. “That shows us that
United Nations: Management of
water resources is critical for the
survival of humanity, renowned
spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi
Vasudev said March 22 as he wel‑
comed the UN's initiative to
launch a new decade to focus
action on saving the world's
water bodies.
Speaking at a special event on
water, sanitation and women's
empowerment at the UN head‑
quarters here ahead of the World
Water Day, Sadhguru said it is
"appropriate" that at this moment
the UN has taken the step to
launch the 10‑year action plan.
He emphasized the need to
increase vegetation to revitalize
the severely depleting rivers of
the world, Sadhguru said,
“Fortunately, a majority of rivers
in the world are forest‑fed
because we can put back forests.
The soil can hold water if itʼs rich
in organic content and if there is
enough vegetation.”
Addressing a large gathering
consisting of delegates of mem‑
ber nations and UN Systems like
UNICEF, UNESCO, etc. Sadhguru
said, “Ecology knows no bound‑
aries. Regional cooperation and a
common, implementable policy
are must for revitalization of
rivers in the world. Unfortunately,
people consider economy as
March 31-April 6, 2018
youʼre more than just a business
operating in Texas. You are a gen‑
uine part of our community,” he
said while also praising Indian com‑
munity in Texas, describing them as
“very productive, very hard‑work‑
ing, very committed to the ideals
that … underlie both America and
the American dream.”
Meanwhile, JSW Group, led by
Sajjan Jindal, second‑generation
leader of the Indian conglomerate is
investing $500 million to upgrade a
steel plant it owns outside Houston,
creating 500 new jobs, Gov. Greg
Abbott and company officials
announced Monday. The state will
chip in $3.4 million from Abbott's
deal‑closing Texas Enterprise Fund.
"We are proud to be connected with
the largest steel producer in India,"
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev welcomed the UN's initiative to launch a new
decade to focus action on saving the world's water bodies
todayʼs and ecology as tomor‑
rowʼs issue. But time to under‑
stand that ecology is today's
issue. The enormity and urgency
of ecological issues cannot be
ignored.”
Sadhguru also spoke on the
urgent need to address human
population and shifting to micro
irrigation. “The crisis we are
grappling with is not Ecological,
itʼs a population crisis. Itʼs time
#WaterActionDecade addresses
ever expanding human popula‑
tion.” Aggregating irrigation
processes & encouraging micro
irrigation could be a landmark
step in revolutionizing agricul‑
ture & optimizing water
resources. Shifting from conven‑
3
Abbott said. The Republican gover‑
nor defended using taxpayer money
to clinch the agreement. Abbott said
the subsidy only will flow to JSW if
the company's American steel sub‑
sidiary ̶ just renamed as JSW USA
̶ hits targets for pay and jobs cre‑
ated.
Note from the Consulate
The Consulate General of India in
New York will like to inform the
public how to get updates on the
Consulateʼs activities and events
on social media.
With Facebook icon:
IndiaInNewYork
With Twitter icon:
IndiaInNewYork
With Instagram icon:
IndiaInNewYork
tional systems of irrigation to
micro irrigation can bring the
water usage for agriculture down
by 40%. Micro irrigation will also
enhance the role of women in the
agricultural & food processing
industries,” Sadhguru added.
The panel was moderated by
Mr. Sirodjidin Aslov, Minister of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
Tajikistan. Ranked amongst the
fifty most influential people in
India, Sadhguru is a yogi, mystic,
visionary and bestselling author.
He is the founder of Isha
Foundation and has initiated
powerful yoga programs for
human transformation and well‑
being, as well as various outreach
projects for uplifting rural India.
 4 March 31-April 6, 2018 TURN PAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Trump speaks to N. Korea is 'committed to Analytica, that claims to have

Blue states to sue Trump admin
over census citizenship question
Washington: Democratic attorneys
general in several states said
Tuesday they would bring legal
action to stop the Trump adminis‑
tration from adding a question on
citizenship to the next US census, a
question they said would lead to
serious undercounts that could
reverberate for years to come.
T he administration said late
Tuesday it would include a question
on the decennial survey that would
ask whether respondents are
American citizens.
That question has not appeared
on a census questionnaire since
1950. Civil rights groups and
Democrats in blue states said the
question, combined with the Trump
administrationʼs hostile attitude
toward immigrants, could lead to
undocumented immigrants avoid‑
ing the census altogether, creating
an underestimation of the number
of residents who live in certain
states. An undercount could put at
risk billions of dollars in federal aid,
in programs ranging from health
care to education and even law
Pakistan defends nuclear safety
record after US sanctions companies
Islamabad: Pakistan has defended
its record on nuclear safety after
the United States sanctioned seven
Pakistani companies over alleged
links to the nuclear trade, saying
the suspicions over the companies
should not be used to discredit it.
Ties between the US and nuclear‑
armed Pakistan have frayed in
recent years over Islamabadʼs sus‑
pected support for Islamist mili‑
tants waging war in Afghanistan.
The US Bureau of Industry and
Security, Commerce imposed sanc‑
tions on the Pakistani companies on
March 22, placing them on its
“Entity List”, making it harder for
enforcement funding for some
states. Figures from the census are
used to allocate federal money
through programs across the gov‑
ernment.
California Attorney General
Xavier Becerra (D) filed suit in U.S.
District Court seeking to block the
question from appearing on the
census, which will take place in
2020. “Having an accurate Census
count should be of the utmost
importance for every Californian,”
Becerra said in a statement. “The
Census numbers provide the back‑
bone for planning how our commu‑
nities can grow and thrive in the
coming decade. California simply
has too much to lose for us to allow
the Trump administration to botch
this important decennial obliga‑
tion.” New York Attorney General
Eric Schneiderman (D) said in a
statement Tuesday he would lead a
multistate effort against the ques‑
tion. In a statement, he cited the
14th Amendment and the enumera‑
tion clause of the Constitution as
potential areas for legal challenges.
them to operate in the US and do
business with US companies.
The sanctions could complicate
Pakistanʼs bid to join the Nuclear
Suppliers Group, a 48‑nation club
dedicated to curbing nuclear arms
proliferation by controlling the
export and re‑transfer of materials
that could foster nuclear weapons
development. Pakistanʼs foreign
office said many companies around
the world are placed on the US
commerce departmentʼs Entity List,
including businesses from countries
that are part of the NSG, and the
sanctions should not be politicized
by Pakistanʼs opponents.
western leaders on
expelling Russian envoys
Continued from page 1
and the French top leader
expressed support for the West's
"strong response" to the Russia‑
related incident, including the
expulsion of a large number of
Russian intelligence officers on
both sides of the Atlantic.
In a separate call with Merkel,
Trump reaffirmed with her the
cooperative relationship between
the two countries.
Both leaders praised the joint
announcements from North
Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allies, EU member states and
other countries to expel "unde‑
clared Russian intelligence offi‑
cers" in solidarity with Britain
and in response to Russia's
alleged use of chemical weapons,
said the White House.
Russia has denied any involve‑
ment in the poisoning of Sergei
Skripal and his daughter Yulia.
The White House said in a sepa‑
rate statement that Russia's
behavior "is the latest in its ongo‑
ing pattern of destabilizing activi‑
ties around the world."
On Monday, at least 137
Russian diplomats were ordered
out by 24 governments, including
60 Russians from the US.
William Courtney, adjunct sen‑
ior fellow of RAND Corporation,
said that West‑Russia relations
will become more strained, but
the West is willing to run this
risk.
In his protest, Russia
Ambassador to the US Anatoly
Antonov said that Moscow will
give adequate response with
regard to each case in the coming
days.
The Russian Foreign Ministry
also said later that the West's
expulsion of its diplomats is an
unfriendly step, and vowed to
react accordingly.
denuclearization'
Continued from page 1
of nuclear weapons and China's
backing of tough UN sanctions in
response. Xinhua cited Kim as
telling Xi that the situation on the
Korean peninsula is starting to
improve because North Korea has
taken the initiative to ease ten‑
sions and put forward proposals
for peace talks.
"It is our consistent stand to be
committed to denuclearization on
the peninsula, in accordance with
the will of late President Kim Il
Sung and late General Secretary
Kim Jong Il," Kim Jong‑un said,
according to Xinhua.
Congress, BJP slug fest
on data mining
Continued from page 1
that commonly asked permission
on Apps doesn't tantamount to
snooping." BJP, in turn, accused
the Congress of sharing users'
data with a Singapore‑based firm,
the Congress took down its
“WithINC” mobile app, saying it
had been defunct for five months
and emphasizing that there was
no breach of data through it.
The BJP salvo came a day after
Gandhi, citing a media report,
accused Modi of leaking details of
his official mobile app users to
US firms.
Sharpening his attack, he
termed Modi a "Big Boss who
likes to spy" and also alleged that
NaMo App secretly records audio,
video, contacts and even tracks
location via GPS.
"Modi misusing PM position to
build personal database with data
on millions of Indians via the
NaMo App promoted by Govt. If
as PM he wants to use tech to
communicate with India, no prob‑
lem. But use the official PMO APP
for it. This data belongs to India,
not Modi," Gandhi said in a tweet.
BJP has claimed that the con‑
troversial British firm Cambridge
helped Trump win the White
House, was involved in Rahul
Gandhi's social media campaign.
Congress rubbished the charge
and asked if the government will
lodge an FIR against the company
and its India partner Oveleno
Business Intelligence (OBI).
Congress leader Randeep Singh
Surjewala said that BJP's former
IT head, who now runs Indian
government's biggest portal
(mygov.in), Arvind Gupta had
termed Cambridge Analytica a
"powerful tool".
Indian community prays
for FL school shooting
victims
Continued from page 1
Queens county residents attended
the prayer assembly organized at
the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan
Mandir here. The prayer assem‑
bly began with a Vedic Shanti
Path – prayers for peace in the
world. Then members of different
faiths spoke and offered their
thoughts and prayers for those
affected by the tragedy.
Special guests who attended the
Prayers for Peace program were
US Congressman Tom Suozzi,
Huntington Town Supervisor
Chad Lupinacci, Suffolk County
Legislature members Susan
Berland and Tom Donnelly and
several notable members of the
Indian community on Long
Island.
US Senator Charles Schumer
issued a letter in support of the
event. Participating organizations
included AAPI – Long Island, AIA,
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha,
FOKANA, Jain Center of New
York, RANA, and The Gujarati
Samaj of New York.
BAPS is a worldwide spiritual
and humanitarian organization
that is dedicated to community
service, peace, and harmony. It is
currently headed by H.H. Mahant
Swami Maharaj.

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Cynthia Nixon to challenge Gov.
Cuomo in Democratic primary
Albany: Actress Cynthia
Nixon has made it official
̶ she is challenging Gov.
Cuomo in this yearʼs
Democratic primary. “I love
New York, and today Iʼm
announcing my candidacy
for governor,” Nixon said
on Twitter.
The message was accom‑
panied by a more‑than‑two‑
minute video.
“Something has to
change,” the “Sex and the
City” star says in the slickly
produced spot. “We want
our government to work
again on health care, end‑ Actress Cynthia Nixon may become New Yorkʼs first
ing mass incarceration, fix‑
woman and openly gay governor. (Image : today.com)
ing our broken subway.”
And while she never mentioned Cuomo by
name in the video, she took a shot at the
two‑term Democratic governor by saying,
“We are sick of politicians who care more
about headlines and power than they do
about us.”
“Our leaders are letting us down,” she said. anyone can run for office” while citing a
“We are now the most unequal state in the
entire country, with both incredible wealth
and extreme poverty.”
Her decision immediately elevated what
seemed a cakewalk to the nomination for
Cuomo into a national race that immediately family leave program and the establishment
trended on Twitter.
Looking to become New Yorkʼs first
woman and openly gay governor, Nixon, 51,
received immediate support from her “Sex
and the City” castmate Kristin Davis, who
played Charlotte on the show opposite
After Indianapolis, Infosys to launch new
technology and innovation hub in Connecticut
New York: Bangalore‑based global consult‑
ing, technology and next‑generation services
company Infosys launched its flagship
Technology and Innovation Hub in
Indianapolis, Ind. on March 6th.
In a news release the Indian company also
announced that it has hired more than
2,500 U.S.‑based workers over the past 12
months as part of its commitment to acceler‑
ate innovation for American enterprises.
The company also announced plans to
open next hub in Hartford, Connecticut.
"We are excited to continue our collabora‑
tion with the state of Indiana by opening our
first Technology and Innovation Hub here in
Indianapolis,” Infosys president Ravi Kumar
said in a statement. “This will expand our
ability to serve clients' needs in cutting‑edge
technologies and evolve our local workforce
to help our clients in their efforts to digitize
and renew their core businesses as well as
innovate into new breakthrough areas.”
The Indianapolis Hub will train, upskill
and reskill employees in the technologies
required to help businesses accelerate their
digital transformations, while also allowing
Infosys to work closely with clients to devel‑
op cross‑functional solutions to pressing
business challenges, it said.
“What an honor to celebrate Infosys'
grand opening in Indiana,” Gov. Eric J.
TRISTATE COMMUNITY March 31-April 6, 2018 5
Nixonʼs brainy Miranda Hobbes.
“No one cares more than she does about
EVERY person getting a fair change and a
good education,” she wrote. “I know that she
would be an excellent Governor!”
A Cuomo campaign spokesman called it
“great that we live in a democracy where
number of Cuomoʼs progressive achieve‑
ments. Among them: the legalization of
same‑sex marriage, passage of the SAFE Act
gun control law, enactment of a $15 hourly
minimum wage, creation of a statewide paid
of a free tuition program for some public
college students.
“Gov. Cuomo has delivered more real pro‑
gressive wins than any other Democrat in
the country,” the spokesman said.
(Source: nydailynews.com)
Holcomb said in a statement. “Not long ago,
Infosys announced its plans to grow and cre‑
ate up to 2,000 high‑wage jobs for Hoosiers.
Today, the company is not just up and run‑
ning here in Indiana; it's taking off,” the gov‑
ernor added.
“It's great to welcome a company like
Infosys that shares our vision for a 21st cen‑
tury skilled workforce and is committed to
increasing opportunity for working adults,
students and educators,” Holcomb said. “I'm
glad they'll be a part of our efforts to take
Indiana to the next level, and I look forward
to witnessing their continued success.”
For the Connecticut hub, Infosys said it
would hire about 1,000 workers by 2022.
"We will open our next technology and
innovation hub at Harford in Connecticut
and hire 1,000 American workers in the
state by 2022," said the IT major in a state‑
ment.
The Connecticut hub will focus on insur‑
ance, healthcare and manufacturing to bring
the company to the eastern state's clients
and serve as the global hub for its InsurTech
and HeathTech efforts, the report said.
"Investment in Connecticut is a part of our
commitment to accelerate innovation for
American enterprise by amplifying local tal‑
ent and shrink the IT skills gap in the mar‑
ketplace," asserted the statement.
 6 March 31-April 6, 2018
Indian American Forum honors 5 women achievers
IAF Chair Indu Jaiswal honoring Nassau County Executive Laura Curran
Hicksville, NY: T he Indian
American Forum honored five
distinguished women with an
award for their outstanding
achievements. T hey included
Pinky Rangi, Dr. Isha Mehta,
Nami Kaur, Reema Rasool, and
Anang a Manjari Malatesta
Meng legislation to combat widespread
telephone scam signed into law
Washington, DC: U.S. Rep.
Grace Meng (D‑Queens)
announced that her legislation
to combat a widespread tele‑
phone scam that has adversely
affected the South Asian com‑
munity has been signed into
law. The legislation, which was
signed into law as part of the
omnibus spending bill, would
crack down on criminals who
engage in spoofing, a scheme
in which criminals disguise
their caller ID to make it
appear that theyʼre calling
from a financial institution,
police department or govern‑
ment agency. Using technolo‑
gy to impersonate their name
and/or phone number, these
crooks call unsuspecting vic‑
tims and falsely claim theyʼre
from one of these official
entities.
They then steal their money
by convincing them to wire
cash or provide bank account or
personal information. Thieves
posing as Internal Revenue
Service (IRS) personnel who
demand immediate payment for
unpaid taxes – and disguise
their telephone numbers to
make it appear that the call is
originating from IRS – has been
among the more prevalent
schemes.
“Spoofing has been one of the
fastest growing forms of fraud
in America, but the enactment
of my Anti‑Spoofing Act will
provide new and critical tools to
stop those who perpetrate this
Gonzalez. Nassau County
Executive Laura Curran present‑
ed the awards at a glittering gala
at Antuns by Minar in Hicksville,
March 22, a day after the official
arrival of Spring, albeit with a lot
of snow.
Speaking on the o ccasion,
Scam has adversely
affected South
Asian Community
Congresswoman Grace Meng
deceitful and malicious crime,”
said Congresswoman Meng.
“Finally, we can fight back
against these unconscionable
thieves who for too long have
preyed on unwitting consumers
including the most vulnerable
in our society such as immi‑
grants and the elderly.”
Mengʼs legislation would
make spoofing attempts from
abroad a criminal act. Presently,
spoofing to defraud Americans
is not against the law if the calls
originate from outside the U.S.
Her measure would also expand
spoofing protections to cover
text messaging and internet‑
based Voice over Internet
Protocol (VoIP) services that
enable individuals to make calls
from computers and tablets.
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Honorees and Board of Directors with staff and supporters of IAF
County Executive lauded the hon‑
orees for their achievements and
hoped many more women will
come forward to play significant
role in the County. She spoke of
many opportunities available in
Nassau County to women entre‑
preneurs and exhorted women to
Bihar Diwas celebrated by
BJANA at NY Consulate
New York: The Bihar Jharkhand
Association of North America
(BJANA) celebrated “Bihar Diwas”
for the first time at the Consulate of
India in New York on March 18th to
commemorate the 106th anniver‑
sary of the formation of the Bihar
state. More than 200 people from
dif ferent parts of North America
attended the function to show their
pride and appreciation for their rich
cultural heritage of Bihar. The func‑
tion commenced with the lighting
ceremony by Vinay Singh, President
of BJANA, Dr. Avinash Gupta, Vice
President of BJANA and Consulate
General of India in NY, Ambassador
Sandeep Chakravorty. Sanjeev
Singh, Secretary of BJANA, wel‑
comed all guests and thanked them
for their participation. Alok Kumar,
a BJANA executive committee mem‑
ber and the Executive Vice
President of FIA recognized and
applauded the achievements of
Lauding Edison for Diwali holiday, Hindus want all NJ schools to follow suit
Nevada: Welcoming Edison
Township Public Schools (ETPS)
in New Jersey declaring Diwali
holiday for students, Hindus are
urging all public school districts
and private‑charter‑independent
schools in New Jersey to close on
their most popular festival Diwali.
ETPS Board of Education, in the
Public Board Meeting of February
26, upon the recommendation of
the Superintendent of Schools,
unanimously approved 2018‑
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
take advantage of them.
The gala which was attended
by a couple of local politicians
and of ficials, attracted a large
number of community members,
leaders and presidents of various
organizations.
Those who addressed the gath‑
BJANA members and Consul General Chakravorty inaugurate the event
some of the prominent BJANA mem‑
bers. All BJANA executive members
helped in making this event very
successful. The cultural program
consisting of songs in Bhojpuri and
Maithili and dance performances by
children, Mithila painting and the
Bihari cuisine was the major attrac‑
tion of the function. BJANA execu‑
tive members shared a few words
about the event and vision and mis‑
sion of BJANA. Anurag Kumar,
Treasurer of BJANA, presented a list
of accomplishments and encour‑
2019 School Calendar which
gives a day of “no school for stu‑
dents” for Diwali in November.
Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a
statement here said that holiday
on Diwali in New Jersey schools
would be a step in the positive
direction in view of presence of
substantial number of Hindu stu‑
dents at schools around the state,
as it was important to meet the
religious and spiritual needs of
Hindu pupils. Zed, who is
ering included IAF founder
Bobby Kumar Kalotee, IAF chair
Indu Jaiswal, and Mohinder
Taneja, IAF PR chair. Gala chair
Shammi Singh welcomed guests.
A colorful entertainment pro‑
gram was the highlight of the
evening.
aged BJANA members to actively
participate in philanthropic and
charitable causes of BJANA, both in
the United States and in home
states (Bihar and Jharkhand) in
India. The cultural function con‑
cluded with a video presentation on
the history and achievements of
Bihar. The Chief Minister of Bihar,
Nitish Kumar, sent his best wishes
to BJANA and congratulated the
members for their constant efforts
and interest in maintaining their
identity.
President of Universal Society of
Hinduism, indicated that since it
was important for Hindu families
to celebrate Diwali day together
at home with their children; clos‑
ing schools on Diwali would
ensure that and would also dis‑
play how respectful and accom‑
modating New Jersey schools
were to their faith.
If schools had declared other
religious holidays, why not
Diwali, Rajan Zed asked.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
US suspends premium
processing of H‑1B visa
Washington, DC: The United States
last week decided to suspend pre‑
mium processing of H‑1B visas
petitions for fiscal year 2019. The
H‑1B visa is popular among Indian
IT professionals. The US
Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) said the tempo‑
rary suspension will help it
"reduce overall H‑1B processing
times." The move will impact all H‑
1B petitions subject to the annual
caps. However, US immigration
agency, said it will begin accepting
H‑1B petitions subject to the fiscal
year 2019 cap from April 2, 2018.
"We will temporarily suspend
premium processing for all FY
2019 cap‑subject petitions, includ‑
ing petitions seeking an exemp‑
tion for individuals with a US mas‑
ter's degree or higher," the USCIS
said in a statement released on
March 20.
The suspension of premium pro‑
cessing of H‑1B visa petitions is
expected to last until September
10, 2018, said USCIS.
During this time, the USCIS will
continue to accept premium pro‑
cessing requests for H‑1B peti‑
tions that are not subject to the FY
2019 cap.
The US government had earlier
notified an annual cap for the H‑
1B visa category at 65,000. Not all
How Sunita Williams is continuing her career in space
Washington, DC: Indian‑origin astro‑
naut Sunita Williams is now helping
privately‑held companies like Space
X and Boeing to develop their new
spacecraft systems, which will even‑
tually provide round‑trip crew trans‑
portation services to the
International Space Station (ISS).
After completing two missions to
the orbiting laboratory, she is contin‑
uing her career in space on Earth as
a member of NASA's Commercial
Crew Transportation Capability
(CCtCap), npr.org reported.
She is among the four astronauts
who were selected by NASA in 2015
to train and prepare for commercial
space flights that will return
American launches to US soil and
further open up low‑Earth orbit
transportation to the private sector,
according to the US space agency.
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
H‑1B non‑immigrant visas are sub‑
ject to this annual cap, the agency
states on its website.
The H‑1B petition filing is for
the fiscal year 2019 beginning
October 1, 2018., USCIS said.
During the temporary suspen‑
sion of H‑1B visa petitions, the US
will reject "any Form I‑907,
Request for Premium Processing
Service, filed with an FY 2019 cap‑
subject H‑1B petition. If a petition‑
er submits one combined check
for the fees for Form I‑907 and
Form I‑129, Petition for a
Nonimmigrant Worker, we will
reject both forms."
While Form I‑907 is used for
request of premium processing
service, Form I‑129 is used by
petitioners filing on behalf of a
non‑immigrant worker to go to the
US temporarily to perform servic‑
es or labor, or to receive training.
The USCIS said that during tem‑
porary suspension of premium
processing, a petitioner may sub‑
mit a request to expedite an FY
2019 cap‑subject to H‑1B petition
if he or she meets the expedite cri‑
teria.
The US agency also said that by
temporarily suspending premium
processing, it will be able to
process long‑pending petitions.
(source: ndtvprofit.com)
Astronaut Sunita Williams is helping private companies to develop their
new spacecraft systems (Image courtesy: concordmonitor.com)
Since the discontinuation of
NASA's Space Shuttle programme in
2011, US astronauts have had to rely
Indian‑origin man crashes
into US air base. FBI says
no terror angle.
Los Angeles: T he FBI is st ill
unclear why Indian‑American
Hafiz Kazi drove a burning van
loaded with propane tanks and
gasoline canisters onto a major
US Air Force base in California
and had a fiery death, according
to media reports.
The FBI said Kazi's intentions
and motive for the bizarre inci‑
dent at the Travis Air Force Base
remain a mystery, and it has not
yet found any connection to ter‑
rorism.
Now the question is, why? Sean
Ragan, special agent in charge of
the FBI's fie ld of fice in
Sacramento, said in a news con‑
ference.
Why did this individual end up
at the front gate of Travis Air
Base, on fire, and now deceased?
And we don't have the answers
to that.
It is not yet known what killed
Kazi, Ragan said, and the Solano
County Sherif f's coroner is con‑
ducting an autopsy to determine
the cause of death, airforce‑
times.com reported.
Invest ig ators found five
propane tanks, three plastic one‑
on Russian shuttles to get into orbit.
The goal of the commercial crew
program is safe, reliable and cost‑
March 31-April 6, 2018
Hafiz Kazi drove a burning van onto Travis Air Base
(Image courtesy: nydailynews.com)
g allon g asoline cans, three
phones, and several lighters in
the van, as well as a gym bag
with personal items.
Ragan said agents found one
video on a phone that was of no
real substance. He said agents
found no jihadi‑type videos sug‑
gesting a connection to or affini‑
ty for terrorism.
"We don't have any nexus to
terrorism at this point," he said.
effective transportation to and from
the International Space Station from
the US through a public‑private
approach.
NASA, Boeing and SpaceX have sig‑
nificant testing underway, which will
ultimately lead to test missions when
the systems are ready and meet safe‑
ty requirements.
Boeing's Starliner will launch on a
United Launch Alliance Atlas V rock‑
et from Space Launch Complex 41
and SpaceX's Crew Dragon will
launch on the company's Falcon 9
rocket from Launch Complex 39A,
according to NASA.
After completion of each compa‑
ny's uncrewed and crewed flight
tests, NASA will review the flight
data to verify the systems meet the
requirements for certification.
Upon NASA certification, the com‑
7
Ragan said that Kazi was origi‑
nally from India and has been liv‑
ing in the United States as a legal
permanent resident since about
1993.
Ragan said that Kazi is believed
to have spent most of his time in
the US living in the San Francisco
Bay area, though investigators
are still looking into specifically
where he has lived most recently,
and in the past. (PTI)
panies are each slated to fly six crew
missions to the ISS beginning in
2019 and continuing through 2024,
NASA said in January this year.
Williams, 52, has spent 50 hours
and 40 minutes outside the ISS and
part of her new job is to verify that
the companies' spacecraft can
launch, manoeuvre in orbit and dock
to stationary spacecraft like the ISS,
according to the npr.org report.
"This is really different from my
old job, you know," Williams was
quoted as saying.
"She is currently assigned to the
cadre of astronauts training to fly
the initial test flights for America's
first commercially built spacecraft
the Boeing CST‑100 Starliner and
SpaceX Dragon," according to the
biography of the astronaut at the
NASA website. ( IANS)
 8 March 31-April 6, 2018 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Air India to operate Delhi‑San Francisco

flight nine times a week
New Delhi: Air India has decided to oper‑
ate nine flights every week from here to
San Francisco soon, encouraged by the
success of the direct six‑days a week flight
between Delhi and the city in the US west
coast. The three new flights to the 'Golden
Gate City' will operate on every Tuesday,
Friday and Sunday from the new summer
schedule which comes into force from
March 25.
"The San Francisco flight is clocking
over 80 per cent seat factor since the
launch in December 2015, and on days it
runs to capacity. The addition of services
would give travellers more choice to fly to
the US West Coast," an airline official said.
The load factor, especially on Fridays
and Sundays, remain high and double
flights of these days would help meet the
increased rush, the official said.
The three new flights will leave from
here at 7.10 pm and arrive San Francisco
at 8.30 pm local time. It will leave San
Francisco at 1 am local time on Monday,
Wednesday and Saturday and arrive here
6 am.
As of now, the national carrier operates
flights from New Delhi to San Francisco
on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays,
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays which
depart from here at 2.35 am and arrive in
the US city at 6 am local time.
Besides San Francisco, there are daily
flights of Air India to New York and
Chicago from New Delhi and Newark from
Mumbai, as well as three flights a week to
Washington from New Delhi. It also flies
to Newark via London from Ahmedabad.
The three new flights
will leave from New
Delhi at 7.10 pm IST
and arrive San
Francisco at 8.30 pm
local time. It will leave
San Francisco at 1 am
local time on Monday,
Wednesday and
Saturday and arrive in
New Delhi 6 am IST.
(Image : thehindu.com)
Indian Embassy advisory
on fraud calls
I
t has been brought to the notice of the
Embassy that some fraudsters are
spoofing Embassy of India telephone
lines to make calls aimed at cheating peo‑
ple. Some of these calls are shown as be‑
ing from the Embassy telephone numbers
(202‑939‑7000) while others simply use
Embassy identity. These fraudsters either
seek personal information like credit card
details etc. or try to extort money from
Indian nationals by inter alia claiming
that there are errors in their passports,
visa forms, immigration forms etc. which
could be rectified by paying money, and
at the same time warning that the so
called errors, if not rectified, could result
in deportation of the individual to India
or their imprisonment in USA. In some
cases, these fraudsters have also falsely
claimed that they received such privi‑
leged information from the Embassy or
other authorities in India. Visa applicants
have also received such calls purporting
to be from the Embassy.
This is to confirm that no officials from
the Embassy make any telephone calls
seeking personal information from any
Indian or foreign nationals. In case any
additional documentation is required
from an existing applicant, it is sought
only through email(s) originating from
the email domain @mea.gov.in.
The Embassy of India hereby advises
members of the public not to entertain
any suspicious telephone calls made in
the name of Embassy of India. They are
also advised not to reveal any personal
information or transfer any money in re‑
sponse to such calls. They may bring
such matters to the notice of the Embassy
at the email ID:
cons1.washington[at]mea.gov.in.
Also If you want to share the informa‑
tion on spoofed telephone calls PLEASE
FILL THE FORM and send it by email to
cpers.washington[at]mea.gov.in with a
subject: INFORMATION ON SPOOFED
CALLS

Indian American teaches President Etsy discards

Bush the art of painting portraits
Dallas: Indian‑Americans are known for
their skills in IT, engineering, medicine,
franchise, entrepreneurship and yes
spelling bees, but art? Well, now there is
at least one Indian‑American artist who is
taking art to great heights.
Earlier this month, former President
George W. Bush invited Vilas Tonape,
chairman of the department of art at
Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC,
at his home in Dallas to provide him les‑
son in portrait painting in oil.
After retiring as the 43rd president of
the United States, Bush began painting as
a hobby after reading late British Prime
Minister Winston Churchillʼs essay
“Painting as a Pastime.” Last month, Bush
released a book of portraits of veterans:
“Portraits of Courage.”
“It was a huge honor to teach President
Bush to make portraits. I am so humbled
and honored,” Tonape told India New
England News in a telephone interview.
“Indian‑Americans are not only in IT,
engineers and doctors. There is at least
one person who is doing good in art.”
Tonape said President Bush wanted to
learn how to make portraits, and his cur‑
rent teacher, Jim Woodson, who had also
taught Tonape, recommended and con‑
nected Tonape with Bush.
Tonape spent March 14 at Presidentʼs
home and painted live portrait of former
first Lady Laura Bush.
“President Bush has a tremendous pas‑
sion for learning how to paint. He not
only has great passion but looks like a
very serious graduate student,” Tonape
said. “After the day‑long class was over,
President Bush himself cleaned the paint‑
ing brushes. I was very touched by that
he cleaned by brushes.”
How it all began?
Tonape said his former professor Mr.
Woodson showed some amateur videos
of his work on Youtube to the president
and he liked and expressed his desire to
learn from Tonape. The next was a con‑
tact from secret service for Tonapeʼs
social security number and security
check before the March appointment was
set up.
One more thing: Mr. Woodson was to
choose lunch from a menu of 40 items.
During the lunch and during the class,
President Bush talked about portraits of
Vilas
Tonape
with former
President
Geroge
Bush at his
Dallas
home
(Image :
neweng‑
landnews.
com)
various world leaders including Mahatma
Gandhi.
Tonape is originally from Mumbai and
settled in U.S. about 24 years ago and
still visits Indian in summer to teach art
to Indian students in Nasik. He received
his BFA in Drawing and Painting with dis‑
tinction from the Sir J.J. School of Art,
University of Mumbai, India. He earned
an MFA in Painting from Texas Christian
University in Fort Worth, Texas.
Tonapeʼs work has been exhibited
internationally, including venues in New
York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Ontario and
Bombay. He has won numerous awards
throughout the United States and India.
“I believe it was first time that an
Indian has even been invited by an
American President for teaching,” said
Tonape.
(Source: indianewengland.com)
Lord Ganesh flip‑
flops hours after
Hindu protest
A
n Indian American activist group that has
achieved some success in the past in con‑
vincing online retailers like Amazon and
Wayfair to withdraw products carrying the image
of Hindu deity Lord Ganesh, has now persuaded
Brooklyn, New York‑based e‑commerce company
Etsy, Inc., to do the same.
Etsy, Inc. withdrew flip‑flops carrying an image
of Lord Ganesh from its website in less than six
hours after the advocacy group of Indian
American Hindus protested, calling it “highly
inappropriate.”
The Ganesh flip‑flops, earlier selling for $25 at
Etsy.com, do not show up anymore.
The item description of the flip‑flops stated:
“Traditionally, Ganesh is thought to provide pros‑
perity, fortune and success. He is the Lord of
Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles of both
material & spiritual kinds… Stand out from the
crowd in these cute flip flops!” according to a
press release.
In July 2017, Etsy withdrew a toilet seat carry‑
ing the image of Lord Ganesha from its website in
less than two hours after a protest spearheaded
by Rajan Zed, president of Universal Society of
Hinduism.
Zed thanked Etsy for understanding the con‑
cerns of Hindu community which thought that
having the image of Lord Ganesh on such a prod‑
uct was highly objectionable.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL March 31-April 6, 2018 9

Yoga teacher appointed to Indian embassy

By Surekha Vijh
Washington DC: In the run up to
the 4th International Day of Yoga,
the Indian Embassy in Washington
DC is imparting yoga training to its
staff. The arrival of a new yoga
expert from India has added
vibrancy and a healthy touch to the
embassyʼs desk bound staff.
“Yoga is not just a physical exer‑
cise, but an exercise for mind, body
and spiritual self,” says Dr.
Mokshraj ʻAcharyaʼ teacher of
yoga and Indian culture, appointed
to the Indian embassy. After DC,
other Indian missions in the world
will follow suit.
“Since yoga is recognized by the
UN and has become very popular
in the US, it is our responsibility to
preserve the correct way of doing
yoga,” says Dr. Mokshraj.
Though soft spoken and unas‑
suming, Dr. Mokshraj comes with
an extensive expertise and experi‑
ence in yoga, Vedas, Upanishads
and Bhagavad Gita. Yoga class is
Dr. Mokshraj ʻAcharyaʼ has been appointed by the Indian government to teach yoga and Indian culture at the
Indian embassy, after which he will do the same at other Indian missions.
held from 5 to 6 in the evening at
the embassy premises when most
of the staff assemble and lay down
their yoga mats to learn and prac‑
tice Indiaʼs gift to the world. They
are happy with the new addition
to the routine as it helps them in
stress reduction and to improve
alertness. It is the first‑time that
the Indian embassy has a full‑time
yoga teacher and cultural repre‑
sentative since it opened in the US
in the 1950s.
Well‑versed in Sanskrit literature
and an inspiring Hindi poet, Dr.
Mokshraj has worked for the uplift
of village schools, empowerment of
women and de‑addiction and clean‑
liness in India. He holds a PhD in
Vedas and is Acharya in
Dharamshastra.
Dr. Mokshraj comes from
Rajasthan and has worked for the
Indian government there.
After introducing yoga to the
embassy staff, he will move to vari‑
ous universities to connect stu‑
dents with yoga and Indian philos‑
ophy. Yoga will help students to
learn better and have less restless‑
ness of kind. He hopes to have
more student presence on June 21,
Yoga Day. The yoga teacher post
has been created by ICCR (Indian
Council for Cultural Relations)
Besides teaching yoga at Indian
missions, Dr. Mokshraj will help
promote Indian culture, literature
and philosophy.
“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” says
Dr. Mokshraj, explaining, “Indian
culture teaches us that the entire
world is one family. It is one of the
oldest surviving civilizations, and
we should preserve the great
thoughts and wisdom given to us
by our ancestors, our gurus, espe‑
cially Patanjali, who gave us the
gift of yoga.”

DIASPORA

Australia scraps work visa Scotland Yard chief Neil

program popular among Indians
Melbourne: Australia has abolished its pop‑
ular employer‑sponsored 457 visa program,
widely used by Indians, replacing it with
new stringent program that requires higher
English‑language proficiency and job skills.
The 457 visa program, used by over
95,000 foreign workers, majority of them
Indians, was replaced on March 18 by a new
Temporary Skills Shortage visa program.
The 457 visa program allowed businesses
to employ foreign workers for a period up
to four years in skilled jobs where there was
a shortage of Australian workers.
The majority of the visa holders under the
category were from India, accounting
almost a quarter of the intake, followed by
the UK and China at 19.5 per cent and 5.8
per cent respectively.
The visa allowed people to live in
Australia with their immediate family. It was
designed to fill gaps in skilled labor but it
had been criticized as being too accessible.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in April
last year had announced that his govern‑
ment will abolish the popular work visa pro‑
gram to tackle the growing unemployment
and replace it with a new program.
He had said that Australia will adopt a
new 'Australians first' approach to skilled
migration.
"We will no longer allow 457 visas to be
passports to jobs that could go ‑‑ and should
go to Australians, he had said.
The new visa program which came into
effect from March 18 after an official notifi‑
cation issued by Department of Home
Affairs, comprise two streams Short Term
and Medium Term and is underpinned by
more focused occupation lists that are
responsive to genuine skill needs and
regional variations across Australia.
Short term visas will be issued for two
More stringent requirements for
the new visas, including at least
2 years of work experience,
better English language
proficiency and a criminal check
are also a part of new program.
years, while medium term visas will be
issued only for more critical skills shortages
and for up to four years.
More stringent requirements for the new
visas, including at least 2 years of work
experience, better English language profi‑
ciency and a criminal check are also a part
of new program.
Other key reforms that have been includ‑
ed are a minimum market salary rate which
ensures overseas workers cannot be hired
to undercut Australian workers, labor mar‑
ket testing, making it mandatory for
employers to ensure there is no suitable
candidate in the local labor market and
extending the permanent residency path‑
way from two years to three years.
Apart from that more than 650 jobs were
available for 457 holders, but under the
new visa rules it has been reduced by 200.
The new visa program also includes a
strengthened training obligation for
employers sponsoring foreign skilled work‑
ers to provide enhanced training outcomes
for Australians in high‑need industries and
occupations. The 457 visa was introduced
in the 1990s to quicken the entry of busi‑
ness professionals and highly skilled
migrants but over time it was opened up for
a broad category of workers. The program
was hit by controversy with allegations that
the visa was being misused by employers to
import cheap workers who lack necessary
skills. (PTI)
Basu launches new
anti‑terror campaign
London: Scotland Yard's
newly appointed Indian‑ori‑
gin counter‑terrorism chief,
Neil Basu, has launched a
new campaign to urge the
public to help in the fight
against terrorism. The
Metropolitan Police
Assistant Commissioner of
Specialist Operations
revealed that last year more
Neil Basu
than a fifth of reports from (Image : standard.co.uk)
the public produced intelli‑
gence which is helpful to police. "Since the
beginning of 2017, we have foiled 10
Islamist and four right‑wing terror plots, and to discover and stop these attacks before
there is no doubt in my mind that would
have been impossible to do without relevant
information from the public," Basu said at
the launch of Action Counters Terrorism
(ACT) campaign in London yesterday. "We
have been saying for some time now that
communities defeat terrorism, and these fig‑
ures demonstrate just how important mem‑
bers of the public are in the fight to keep our cylinders for no obvious reasons, or receiv‑
country safe," he noted.
According to the police data, of the nearly
31,000 public reports to the Met Police's
Counter Terrorism (CT) Policing unit during
2017, more than 6,600 (21.2 per cent)
resulted in useful intelligence information
which is used by UK officers to inform live
investigations or help build an intelligence
picture of an individual or group.
Research carried out by CT Policing sug‑
gests that while more than 80 per cent of
people are motivated to report suspicious
activity or behavior, many are unclear exact‑
ly what they should be look‑
ing for.
The ACT campaign, accom‑
panied by a 60‑second film
based on real life foiled plots,
aims to educate the public
about terrorist attack plan‑
ning and reinforce the mes‑
sage that any piece of infor‑
mation, no matter how
small, could make the differ‑
ence.
"Like other criminals, ter‑
rorists need to plan and that creates oppor‑
tunities for police and the security services
they happen. But we need your help to
exploit these opportunities, so if you see or
hear something unusual or suspicious trust
your instincts and ACT by reporting it in
confidence by phone or online," Basu said.
He detailed some forms of suspicious
activity, which could involve someone buy‑
ing or storing chemicals, fertilizers or gas
ing deliveries for unusual items, or someone
embracing extremist ideology, or searching
for such material online.
UK Security Minister Ben Wallace added:
"The police's fantastic ACT campaign is
rightly highlighting the vital part that com‑
munities are playing in defending this coun‑
try against terrorism.
"The public should remain alert, but not
alarmed, and I urge anyone who is worried
about suspicious behavior and activity to fol‑
low this advice and report their concerns to
the police."
 10 March 31-April 6, 2018
Between “A”s and AKs: School kids protest gun violence
If I die in a school shooting,
drop my body at the NRA…
(A placard in one of the Marches
Against Gun Violence)
T
his weekend we woke up to
newspapers and television
sets announcing the more
than 800 marches by middle and
high school teenagers around the
country to protest gun violence.
Already in 2018, eighteen
shootouts have taken place in
schools. Since 1999, more than
200 students have been killed by
guns. The last one was this past
Tuesday.
The first major coordinated
action of the student‑led move‑
ment for gun control contained the
same elements that had defined
the Parkland shooting: young emo‑
tional voices, impressive rhetoric
yet innocent and uplifting. “We
support the right of law‑abiding
Americans to keep and bear arms,
as set forth in the United States
Constitution,” they said, “but with
rights come responsibilities.” From
adults these words seem tired and
jaded; but youth gives them new
meaning, new hope.
I will be 71 years old this year,
John Bolton replaces
McMaster as National
Security Adviser
Washington: President Donald
Trump has named former ambas‑
sador and Fox News analyst John
Bolton as his new Nat ional
Security Adviser replacing Lt.
Gen. H.R. McMaster.
The President announced the
news in a tweet on Thursday,
saying that Bolton would take
the job starting April 9, making
him Trump's third NSA in the
first 14 months of his presiden‑
cy, reports The Washington Post.
Bolton's appointment does not
require Senate confirmation.
Trump and Bolton have been
discussing for weeks how he
could replace McMaster, CNN
quoted an informed source as
saying.
Bolton's hard edged, hawkish
views on issues like North Korea,
Iraq and Syria make him a con‑
troversial pick especially ahead
of a proposed meeting between
Trump and North Korea's Kim
Jong‑un.
Bolton is a fierce North Korea
hawk who, in his prolific writings
and television commentary, has
said that pre‑emptive war would
likely be the only way to stop
North Korea from obtaining the
capability to attack the US with a
nuclear missile, reports T he
Washington Post.
Op Ed by Shivaji Sengupta
complete 50 years in this country
in June. Just as I was getting ready
to write my swan song, my wishes
seemingly complete with the elec‑
tion of Barack Obama as president,
just as the shadows of my lifeʼs
evening seemed to be extending
over life itself, come the youths.
Shot, killed and maimed by sense‑
less gun violence, they are saying
“Enough is Enough!” Their
unequivocal message to legislators
is: Ignoring the toll of school
shootings and everyday gun vio‑
lence will no longer be tolerated.
As I switched to the Internet
from TV, I saw the slogans that
came from the very depths of the
kidsʼ minds and hearts. Read in a
continuum in the context of gun
violence that has gripped America,
these will make politicians shud‑
der: “Students today; voters tomor‑
row…You canʼt fix stupid, but you
can vote it out…” The one I partic‑
ularly fell for was a photo of a
teen‑aged Middle School girl hold‑
ing a poster saying, “The only
thing that can stop a bad guy with
a gun, is a good guy with a gun,
said a guy who wants to sell TWO
John Bolton in, Lt Gen. HR
McMaster out.
Bolton had touted "the legal
case for striking North Korea
first" in an editorial in the Wall
Street Journal.
However, Bolton, who had dis‑
missed negotiations with North
Korea as a waste of time, moder‑
ated his views slig htly after
Trump announced he would sit
down with Kim, suggesting that
the encounter between the two
leaders would be short and large‑
ly devoid of traditional diploma‑
cy.
Regarding Iran, Bolton told Fox
News in January that Trump
should dump the nuclear deal,
re‑impose economic sanctions on
Tehran and work toward an over‑
throw of the government there.
Bolton had previously served in
the George W. Bush administra‑
tion in a key arms‑control job.
US AFFAIRS
Demonstrators hold signs during a 'March for Our Lives' rally
in support of gun control. (Photo courtesy PTI)
guns!” The reference is to
President Trump in the aftermath
of the Florida school‑shooting,
advocating for school teachers to
carry guns.
Then there is Cameron Kasky,
from Stoneman Douglas High
School in Florida where the shoot‑
ing took place, as she spoke into
the loudspeaker near 1600
Pennsylvania Avenue: “To the lead‑
ers, skeptics and cynics who told
us to sit down, stay silent and wait
Trump signs budget bill after
threatening veto
$1.3 trillion budget allows big spending increases for defense and domestic
programs, while adding money for infrastructure projects and veterans.
Washington: Backing down from
his earlier threat to veto the spend‑
ing bill, leaving both Congress and
Democrats reeling, the US President
Donald Trump on Friday signed the
$1.3 trillion budget bill.
While calling it a "ridiculous situa‑
tion", Trump said the spending plan
was important because it increases
money for the military.
"As a matter of national security I
have signed this omnibus budget
bill," The New York Times quoted
Trump as saying. He added that
there was "a lot in it I'm unhappy
about." He accused Democrats of
demanding increases in domestic
Many lawyers want to help me
in Russia probe: Trump
Washington: President Donald
Trump said on Sunday that "many
lawyers" want to help him in the
investigation into Russian interfer‑
ence in the 2016 election amid
speculation that he is having diffi‑
culty finding a new attorney after
the departure of one of his top legal
representatives last week.
The statement comes after his
main attorney, John Dowd, stepped
down on Thursday from his position
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
your turn: Welcome to the revolu‑
tion, …Either represent the people
or get out. Stand for us or beware.
The voters are coming.”
Emma González, 18, took the
stage in a dull olive coat and torn
jeans, speaking of the “long, tear‑
ful, chaotic hours in scorching
afternoon sun” as students waited
outside Stoneman Douglas High on
the day of the shooting. González
stood silent on the rallyʼs main
stage for nearly four minutes ̶
programs as the price for approving
extra money for the Pentagon and
complained about the length and
complexity of the legislation, Xinhua
reported. The $1.3 trillion spending
bill was approved by the House of
Representatives on Thursday and by
the Senate early Friday morning. It
helps to avert a government shut‑
down as the current funding expires
midnight. The spending package
allows big spending increases for
defense and domestic programs,
while adding money for infrastruc‑
ture projects, veterans and meas‑
ures to combat the opioid crisis,
among other programs.
representing Trump in Special
Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia
probe, reportedly because he felt
President Trump was not heeding
his advice.
The Washington Post suggested
this past week that Trump was hav‑
ing dif ficulty finding top‑quality
attorneys to represent him in the
case because they "do not want the
controversy of representing a divi‑
sive and unpopular president".
evoking the time it took Parkland
shooter Nikolas Cruz to carry out
his attack. The crowd began chant‑
ing, “Never again.” This moment
has been widely shared on televi‑
sion and social media. “Fight for
your lives before itʼs someone
elseʼs job,” González said to politi‑
cians before she left the stage.
Not surprisingly, much of the
youthsʼ wrath was directed at the
NRA. Reminiscent of the recent
Town Hall style meeting in CNN,
the March for Our Lives youths
challenged the absent NRA every‑
where, taunting them, berating
them for having bought over the
politicians who wouldnʼt reform
gun control laws. One mother who
has lost her child to one such
school shooting held a placard:
“Why is the NRA more powerful
than the Congress, Senate and our
President?”
I sincerely hope that as the
school students are saying, this is
just the beginning. We have been
led by the likes of myself long
enough: old, cynical and decrepit.
Let us now give the kids a try.
Let Isiahʼs apocryphal call in the
Bible ring true: “And a little child
will lead us…” (II, 6)
It also includes measures meant to
strengthen gun sale background
checks and improve school safety.
But the bill also provides $1.6 bil‑
lion ‑‑ far short of what the Trump
administration has sought ‑‑ for bor‑
der security measures, including
construction of a border wall with
Mexico. "I say to Congress, I will
never sign another bill like this
again. I'm not going to do it again,"
Trump said at the press conference.
Trump has been frustrated that
Congress has not provided enough
funding to build a wall along the US‑
Mexico border, one of Trump's cam‑
paign promises.
John Dowd, Trumpʼs lead lawyer
in the Mueller probe stepped
down last week
TheSouthAsianTimes.info US AFFAIRS March 31-April 6, 2018 11

US expels 60 Russian envoys Facebook stock slides

over nerve agent attack in UK
By Arul Louis
New York: The US on
Monday expelled 60
Russian diplomats accusing
them of being "intelligence
agents" and shut down the
consulate in Seattle in retal‑
iation for the chemical
attack in Britain on a for‑
mer Russian spy and his
daughter.
As tensions rose to new levels
between the West and Moscow, a
senior administration official said
Washington was responding in con‑
cert with its allies to the Russian
attack on "our closest ally" by using
military grade chemical weapons
when it poisoned a former agent,
who is now a British citizen, and
endangered hundreds of British
people.
"When you attack our allies, you
face consequences," the official told
reporters while explaining the US
actions in a conference call.
The Seattle consulate was target‑
ed for closure because it was near a
submarine base, and although it
was not linked to a particular activi‑
ty there, it was meant to "degrade
Russian spying operations on the
West Coast of the US, the official
said.
There was a steady drumbeat of
Russian efforts to destabilize
democracies around the world, the
official added.
Acknowledging that the US had
close ties with countries like India,
the official said the action against
Russia was not intended to send a
message for them to follow suit.
On March 4, former Russian spy
Sergei Skripal and his daughter
Yulia suffered a chemical attack in
Salisbury in Britain and were in a
critical but stable condition in hos‑
pital.
British officials identified the
more after FTC announces
probe of data scandal
chemical as Novichok, a
Washington: Shares of
nerve agent developed by
Facebook cratered as much
Russia during the Cold War.
as 6 % Monday after the
British Foreign Secretary
Federal Trade Commission
Boris Johnson said last
announced it is investigat‑
week that it was "over‑
ing the company's data
whelmingly likely" that
practices in the wake of the cy settings.
Russian President Vladimir
Cambridge Analytica leak of A violation of the consent
Putin himself ordered the
50 million users' information. decree could carry a penalty
attack. However, Russia
"The FTC takes very seri‑ of $40,000 per violation.
denied its involvement.
ously recent press reports "We remain strongly com‑
Britain expelled 23 Russian diplo‑
raising substantial concerns mitted to protecting people's
mats last week and Russia ordered
about the privacy practices of information. We appreciate
retaliatory expulsions.
Facebook. Today, the FTC is the opportunity to answer
German Chancellor Angela
confirming that it has an questions the FTC may have,"
Merkel called for coordinated meas‑
open non‑public investiga‑ Rob Sherman, deputy chief
ures by European Union members
tion into these practices," the privacy officer for Facebook,
and the group's ambassadors were
agency said in a statement. said in a statement to CNBC.
meeting in Brussels to discuss
The FTC declined to con‑ Facebook is facing ques‑
action against Russia.
firm last week that it was tions over its data handling
Trump was criticized for being
investigating Facebook, following reports that
soft on Russia, which, in turn, was
including whether it violated research firm Cambridge
accused of interfering in US elec‑
a consent decree the tech Analytica improperly gained
tions to help bring him to power in
company signed with the access to the personal data of
2017.
agency in 2011. more than 50 million
Earlier this month, Trump
The decree required that Facebook users.
imposed sanctions on several
Facebook notify users and Facebook's stock shed more
Russian individuals and an organi‑
receive explicit permission than 13 percent in the five
zation for their "malicious cyberat‑
before sharing personal data days of trading following the
tacks" and interference in the US
beyond their specified priva‑ initial reports.
elections.

I was threatened to keep quiet

about Trump: Stormy Daniels
Washington: Stormy Daniels, a porn star
who alleges of having an
affair with US President
Donald Trump, has said
that she was threatened in
2011 after attempting to
sell her story to a maga‑
zine, a media report said.
She made the remarks on
Sunday in her first extend‑
ed television interview Porn star Stormy Daniels was be a shame if something
since the news of her
interviewed by Anderson
Cooper for CBSʼs ʻ60
alleged 2006 affair
Minutesʼ. (Image : CBS News)
emerged. In July 2007, a
year after they met, Daniels told CBS News
that Trump asked to meet her privately at
his bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel in
Los Angeles to discuss a development
regarding her possible appearance on
"Celebrity Apprentice". According to
Daniels, Trump called her the following
month to say he had not been able to get
her a spot on "Celebrity Apprentice".
She said they never met again and only
were intimate in that first meeting in
2006. In May 2011, Daniels agreed to tell
her story to a sister publication of In
Touch magazine for $15,000.
Two former employees of the magazine
told CBS News that the story never ran
because after the magazine called Trump
seeking comment, his attorney Michael
Cohen threatened to sue.
Daniels said she was never paid, and
says a few weeks later, she was threatened
by a man who approached her in Las
Vegas. "I was in a parking lot, going to a
fitness class with my
infant daughter... And a
guy walked up on me and
said to me, 'Leave Trump
alone. Forget the story'.
And then he leaned
around and looked at my
daughter and said, 'That's
a beautiful little girl. It'd
happened to her mom.'
And then he was gone,"
the adult film actress said.
Trump had dinner Saturday night at
Mar‑a‑Lago with Cohen, an informed
source told CNN. Returning to Washington
on Sunday evening, Trump ignored
reporters' shouted questions about
whether he would watch the interview and
whether Daniels was a liar.
The interview came despite a $130,000
hush agreement struck days before the
2016 presidential election between
Daniels and Cohen.
Daniels said she was violating her non‑
disclosure agreement and risking a $1 mil‑
lion fine "because it was very important to
me to be able to defend myself". In a simi‑
lar development, former Playboy model
Karen McDougal, who also claims to have
had a pre‑presidential romance with
Trump, filed a lawsuit asking that her
2016 non‑disclosure agreement be
annulled. Both Trump and the White
House has denied the alleged affairs.
 12 March 31-April 6, 2018 INDIA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Congress, BJP trade barbs over data theft via apps

New Delhi: Congress President
Rahul Gand hi made a fierce
attack on Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on the issue of
corruption, promised to break
walls in the party between work‑
ers and leaders to revitalize it and
compared BJP to Kauravas and
his party to Pandavas for the
2019 Lok Sabha poll battle.
In his concluding remarks at
the party's 84th plenary, he said
"the name Modi" symbolizes col‑
lusion between corrupt Indian
businessmen and the Prime
Minister of India, termed BJP
President Amit Shah as "a man
accused of murder" and accused
RSS of trying to control institu‑
tions including judiciary, parlia‑
ment and police.
Gand hi, who got rapturous
applause from the assembled
gathering at the Indira Gandhi
Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
Indoor Stadium here, packed his Modi, the BJP and RSS.
address with a lot of punches at He soug ht to energ ize the
Congress rank and file with the
party having tasted some elec‑
toral success in recent past after a
string of reverses over the past
four years.
Gandhi particularly focused on
the youth and farmers, sections
that are perceived to be getting
disenchanted with the govern‑
ment, and whose support is criti‑
cal for the Congress to make an
electoral comeback in 2019.
He promised to create jobs for
the youth and, referring to the Rs
70,000 crore farm loan waiver by
the UPA government, said the
party would be prepared to help
farmers in a similar way if need‑
ed. Gandhi also sought to take
sheen of f Modi particularly on
the issue of corruption with his
fiercest attack on the BJP leader,
and referred to former Indian
Premier League (IPL) chairman
Lalit Modi and diamond jeweler
Nirav Modi, who are accused in
dif ferent cases of fraud for the
purpose.
"Nirav Modi, who carried out
India's biggest theft has the same
name as our PM. It's an interest‑
ing fact that there is more. The
most corrupt man in cricket also
shares the same name with the
PM. So what does Modi actually
mean? The name Modi symbol‑
izes the collusion between the
India's biggest crony capitalists
and the PM of India," he said.
"Modi gives Modi Rs 30,000
crore of your money and, in turn,
Modi gives Modi money for mar‑
keting Modi and winning elec‑
tions. That is what is going on,"
he said.
He said BJP's dharma was to
conquer power while Congress
fights for people.

No confidence motion not BJP, Congress

taken up, Lok Sabha adjourned slugfest on Cambridge
Analytica escalates
New Delhi: A no confidence motion could debate.
not be taken up on Tuesday again amid "More than 50 MPs are supporting the no
protests even as Congress leader confidence motion... We want a debate," he
Mallikarjun Kharge and Parliamentary said amid the din.
New Delhi: The political
Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said both Ananth Kumar reiterated that the govern‑
slugfest over links with
sides were willing to have a debate on it. ment was ready for a debate but also took a
the controversial data
The scene was no different when the dig at the Congress for following other par‑
consultancy firm
House met again as members from the ties in submitting a no trust motion.
Cambridge Analytica
AIADMK trooped near the Speaker's podi‑ As the disturbances continued, Speaker
(CA) escalated with the
um. MPs from Telangana Rashtra Samithi Mahajan said she cannot take up the notice
BJP claiming that the
(TRS) who have been protesting over the for the motion on trust vote and adjourned
firm was involved in
last week did not do so and have also the House for the day amid loud protests
Rahul Gandhi's social
extended support to the no confidence from opposition benches.
media campaign and
motion. The House has witnessed a washout since
Congress rubbishing the
Apart from the TDP and YSR Congress, the second half of the Budget Session began
charge and asking if the
the Congress and Communist Party of on March 5, which saw even the Budget
government will lodge
India‑Marxist have also submitted no confi‑ being passed in din, without any debate.
an FIR against the com‑
dence motions against the government. This is the seventh consecutive day when
pany and its India part‑
As the protests continued in the House, the motion on no confidence could not be
ner Oveleno Business
Kharge said the opposition wanted a taken up due to protests.
Intelligence (OBI). Law Union IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Minister Ravi Shankar

Concerned with sanctity of

Prasad, who had stirred a political firestorm CA's India partner Oveleno Business
with his allegations that the Congress was Intelligence (OBI) lists the BJP, the Congress
using the services of the London‑based polit‑ and the JD‑U as its clients. The India partner

electoral process: SC ical data analytics firm, fired fresh salvos at

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has said that
it was concerned with the purity and sancti‑
ty of the electoral process as it asking how
people barred, upon conviction in criminal
cases, from contesting election or holding
public office, can be allowed to float a politi‑
cal party or be its office bearer. An unim‑
pressed bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra,
Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y.
Chandrachud said this as it was told about
the Central government's stand that a per‑
son who upon his conviction in a criminal
case is barred from contesting election can't
be stopped from floating a political party or
becoming its office bearer.
In the last hearing of the matter on
February 12, the top court had asked that if
a convicted person can't contest election,
then how can he be at the helms of the
affairs of a political party and select candi‑
dates to contest elections.
Posting the matter on May 3 for final
hearing, the bench asked all the parties to
the case to file their written notes of sub‑
mission by next date of hearing.
The Central government has told the top
court in its response that the office bearer
of a political party was not a "representa‑
tive" and there was no "connectivity and
nexus" between a person barred from con‑
testing election to parliament or the state
assembly upon conviction and prohibiting
such a person from forming or becoming a
member of any political party.
Pointing to the situation in the legisla‑
tures including Parliament, senior counsel
Vikas Singh said that 40 per cent of coun‑
try's lawmakers have criminal antecedents.
the Congress on Thursday claiming that the
firm was involved in Congress President
Rahul Gandhi's social media campaign and
there had been meetings too in this regard.
Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala
termed Prasad as a "minister of lies", and
asked the BJP if "Cambridge Analytica was
involved in stealing data, then why did it
take its services" and "whether an FIR would
be registered against CA and OBI".
He said that Information and Broadcasting entrap politicians and stealing data from
Minister Smriti Irani "follows" Cambridge
Analtytics on Twitter and BJP's former
Information Technology head, who now
runs Indian government's biggest portal
(mygov.in), Arvind Gupta had termed CA a
"pwerful tool".
Rahul Gandhi accused the Modi govern‑
ment of seeking to divert attention from its
past "lies" about 39 Indians killed in Iraq by
inventing story of data theft on Congress.
is Amrish Tyagi, son of senior JD‑U leader
K.C. Tyagi. Prasad questioned the "silence"
of Congress President for more than five
months over media reports that claimed his
party had roped in CA as 'Brahmastra (ulti‑
mate weapon)' to counter Prime Minister
Narendra Narendra Modi in 2019.
Prasad also claimed that that the Congress
took the services of CA in Gujarat Assembly
polls. Prasad said the analytics firm was
accused of using bribes and sex workers to
Facebook. Surjewala said the BJP govern‑
ment has "become a manufacturer of fake
news and an epitome of post‑truth."
"The business alliance between BJP‑JD‑U
and Cambridge Analytics has now been
exposed," he said, adding that "new fake
agenda" is being used to stop the proceed‑
ings in Parliament" and Prasad should be
named a "lie minister" instead of law
minister.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Karnataka to vote on
May 12, results on May 15
New Delhi: The Election Commission
on Tuesday announced that voting to
elect a new Karnataka Assembly will
be held on May 12 and results will
be declared on May 15, setting the
ball rolling for one of the most pres‑
tigious battles between the Congress
and the BJP. "It will be a single phase
election," Chief Election
Commissioner O.P. Rawat told
reporters here. He said the date of
notification is April 17 and the last
date to file nominations is April 24.
The scrutiny of nominations will
take place on April 25 and the last
Hazare seeks roadmap on implementation of demands
New Delhi: The fifth day of hunger
strike at Ramlila Maidan for fair
crop prices, Lokpal appointment
and electoral reforms witnessed
social activist Anna Hazare losing
considerable weight, protesters'
number thinning out but creation of
conducive atmosphere to resolve
the deadlock as the government
agreed to accept the demands.
The anti‑corruption crusader,
however, said he will call of f his
ongoing hunger strike only after the
day for withdrawal is April 27.
The polling will take place on May
12 and counting will be held three
days later on May 15, he said.
Rawat said VVPAT machines, apart
from EVMs, will be deployed in
Karnataka for the polls.
T he 224‑member Assembly
expires on May 28 in the state where
the Congress is currently in power,
with 122 seats against the BJP's 43.
Karnataka is one of the eight states
where elections were scheduled this
year. Elections to three northeastern
states were held last month.
Anna Hazare at hunger strike.
Narendra Modi government comes
up with a roadmap on implementa‑
tion of demands and present in a
INDIA March 31-April 6, 2018 13
Mukesh and Nita Ambani with Akash and Shloka
at the engangement party in Mumbai.
Celebrities attend
BJP chief Amit Shah addressing a
rally in Shivamogga, Karnataka.
(Photo: IANS/Twitter/@BJP4India)
engagement party of
Akash Ambani, Shloka
Mumbai: Akash Ambani, son of piece suit while his lady love
Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman appeared in light silver‑maroon
written format.
Mukesh Ambani, got engaged to gown for the occasion.
If the government accepts the
Shloka Mehta, daughter of dia‑ Akash currently heads strategy
demands but went back on its
mond magnate Russell Mehta last at Jio, Reliance Industry's 4G serv‑
promises later, he would be back at
weekend and to celebrate the ice provider. According to reports,
Ramlila Maidan again, Hazare
occasion, a lavish party was the wedding is planned for
added. Hazare has been pressing for
thrown that witnessed many December 2018.
setting up a Lokpal at the Centre
celebrities attending. Ambani's Shloka, youngest of the three
and Lokayuktas in the states to
threw lavish party to celebrate Mehta children, is director of Rosy
probe corruption cases, bring in
engagement of lovely couple at Blue Foundation and the co‑
new electoral reforms and imple‑
their residence for their family founder of ConnectFor, an organi‑
mentation of the M.S. Swaminathan
and friends in Mumbai. Akash sation that matches volunteers
Committee report to address the
appeared in classy blue three with NGOs that need them.
agrarian crisis in the country.
 14 March 31-April 6, 2018
Is Sonia the answer to ego hassles in non‑BJP camp?
By Amulya Ganguli
A
n indication as to how difficult it is
going to be for the opposition at the
national level to get its act together
was available after K. Chandrashekar Rao
met Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata to lay the
foundation for a federal front.
However, even before the proposed
alliance could get off the ground, the differ‑
ences about its framework were visible.
While the Telangana Chief Minister wanted
it to be a non‑Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),
non‑Congress group, his West Bengal coun‑
terpart kept her options open about includ‑
ing the Congress.
A feature of these alliances is that each of
their constituents is guided by the ground
realities in their own states which may be at
variance with the political condition in
some other state. For instance, the Congress
may be a more formidable adversary for
Chandrashekhar Rao in his state, but it isn't
so for Mamata Banerjee. So, while the
Telangana Chief Minister wants to keep the
133‑year‑old Grand Old Party at arm's
length, Mamata Banerjee, a former
Congress person, is more accommodative.
Similar conflicting perceptions are known
even within one party such as the
Communist Party of India‑Marxist (CPI‑M)
where the Kerala comrades are against any
proximity to the Congress, obviously
because the latter is a force to reckon with
in the southern state, but the Marxists in
West Bengal are keen on a tie‑up with the
Congress against the BJP since they no
How can India improve her Happiness Quotient?
By M. Rajaque Rahman
I
t does crush the pride of a nation to find
itself ranked as low as 133rd in a global
ranking of happiness.
While it's debatable whether something
as subtle as happiness can be plotted on
the basis of gross factors such as income
and life expectancy or intangible values like
social support and generosity, we cannot
brush aside the fact that we are ranked
much unhappier than our counterparts in
terror‑ravaged Pakistan (80) or poverty‑
stricken Somalia (93) and Ethiopia (119).
Interestingly, the 11‑place decline from
the preceding year has come at a time
when our GDP growth seems to be doing
just fine. So where have we slipped up?
Much as beauty is in the eyes of the
beholder, happiness is a state of mind. And
like all things mental, happiness is subtle
and delicate. Despite being the ultimate
motivation behind all our actions in this
world, only a few people genuinely experi‑
ence happiness in today's hectic and fast‑
paced world.
That money cannot buy happiness is a
known proposition. The old‑school model
of linking happiness to material gratifica‑
tion and possessions has fallen flat, with
many of the world's most developed coun‑
tries topping in suicide rates and depres‑
sion. So what can India do to improve her
ranking the World Happiness Report
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
OP-ED
Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and A.K. Antony during the 84th plenary
session of the Indian National Congress in New Delhi earlier this month. (Photo: IANS)
longer face any major threat from their old
opponent in the state.
Rahul Gandhi's hope, therefore, of forming
a "workable" anti‑BJP alliance with other
parties faces considerable roadblocks.
Who can be the unchallenged leader in
the non‑BJP camp at present? Although the
leaders in a federal front are highly influen‑
tial in their home provinces, none of them
measures up to the popular image of a
Prime Minister who is a sober, sophisticat‑
ed, well‑educated, widely respected, trust‑
worthy and unbiased person with a clearly
identifiable vision. To start with Sharad
India needs an emphatic bid for happiness whose goal is not confined to just improving
the dismal rank in the Global Happiness Index.
(WHR)? The first challenge is to engineer a
paradigm of happiness away from prosperi‑
ty. Happy countries which have topped the
latest ranking have risen to their pole posi‑
tions more on intangibles like social capital,
trust and generosity than the conventional
measures of prosperity. This finding must
add to India's happiness as we are the tradi‑
tional repository of these values.
Generations of people from all over the
world have been coming here to find true
happiness. Spirituality, as practised in this
Pawar, who is among those who have
shown an interest in leading the charge
against the BJP, there has been a question
mark over his reliability ever since his party
was seemingly regarded by the BJP as a
prop against the Shiv Sena's machinations
in Maharashtra. He is generally seen as too
clever by half and too much of a deal‑maker
to be trusted as the guiding light for the
nation.
His age ‑‑ Pawar is 78 ‑‑ is also against
him. India appears to be coming around to
accepting Modi's view, as articulated by
senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, that a
country, is nothing but the science that pos‑
tulates the wisdom, techniques and
processes of fostering happiness.
Spirituality does provide a tool to calm the
mind and cope with the stresses of life. It
does empower one to face realities of life
and deal with them happily with care, com‑
passion and courage. In a sense, we gave
the world the formula for happiness but
failed to apply it at home.
The consolation is this ancient formula
that we have has the power to shore up the
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
politician is "brain dead" after 75. Rahul
Gandhi at 48 is safe in this regard as is
Mamata Banerjee (63), whose case is being
energetically pushed by one of her lieu‑
tenants in Delhi. But while the Congress
president is still considered not "grown‑up"
enough, the West Bengal Chief Minister is
too immersed in her own province to be
seen as a national leader.
Akhilesh Yadav (45) and Mayawati (62)
have the same disadvantage of being rooted
in the Hindi belt with its concomitant of
casteism. The bare cupboard of PM hope‑
fuls leaves only 72‑year‑old Sonia Gandhi,
who has been engaged in dinner diplomacy
to cobble together an anti‑BJP formation, as
a possible candidate. But her minus points
are obvious. For one, she does not appear to
be in the pink of health. For another, any
whiff about her aspirations will make the
Hindu Right revive the "foreigner" debate
with great gusto with Sushma Swaraj per‑
haps once again threatening to shave her
head as in 2004. For a third, she may not be
interested as she is seemingly intent on
paving the way for her son's elevation.
Yet, the former Congress president is pos‑
sibly the only one with a much wider
acceptability in the non‑BJP camp than any‑
one else and also among the Dalits, back‑
ward castes and minorities as well as a sec‑
tion of the traditional Congress supporters
in the upper caste though not among the
middle class.
In a way, she offers the best of a bad bar‑
gain with the resultant turmoil proving to
be one of the worst in recent years.
six indicators used for the WHR ranking. Be
it income, life expectancy, social support,
freedom, trust and generosity, this philoso‑
phy of holistically looking at life can effec‑
tively address it for India.
What is needed is an effective mechanism
that could deliver the skill of happiness to
its masses. In short, skill development of a
different kind.
Firstly, that will require a paradigm shift
from "money cannot buy happiness" to
"happiness can be delivered and adminis‑
tered". More importantly, the delivery
mechanism must go beyond feel‑good pop‑
ulism of a few welfare schemes and focus
on teaching happiness, not as a concept but
as a practical experience of it. The good
news is that happiness can be taught and
learnt. There are already structured cours‑
es available.
Such structured training will not only
help in demystifying the abstract concept
of happiness but also make its massifica‑
tion easier. In this context, it may not be a
bad idea to have a national ministry for
happiness on the lines of one pioneered by
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in
Madhya Pradesh.
Such a national ministry, backed by a
holistic policy, can surely make India more
happiness‑savvy. India needs an emphatic
bid for happiness whose goal is not con‑
fined to just improving the dismal rank in
the Global Happiness Index.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info LENS EYE March 31-April 6, 2018 15

Portraits @ one every 2 minutes

Working non-stop for 24 hours, Venkata Krishnan Ganesan
clicked 680 portraits in Times Square to capture Big Apple’s diversity.
By Parveen Chopra

V
enkata Krishnan
Ganesan, a portrait
photographer, loves
the Big Apple diversity and
wanted to capture its
changing beauty by the day
with peopleʼs excitement
when they visit the capital
of the world. He stationed
himself in Times Square, one
of the most visited locations
i1n Manhattan. He also want‑
ed to test his endurance
working for 24 hours nonstop
and challenge his ability to
convince strangers to pose for
a portrait. In the biting cold
with temperature dipping to
20s, it turned out to be a great
test of patience, persistence,
physical and mental stamina.
2.5 liters of water, 3 energy
bars, 5 cups of coffees, 15.9
miles, and 35429 steps took
him from Father Duffy Square to
US Army Recruitment Centre
and from 11:59 pm on March 16th, 2018 to
12 am on March 18th. He had to overcome
not only thermometer but also his own
barrier of being a South Asian approach‑
ing strangers to convince them to get
the pictures taken by him. Speaking to
more than 1000 strangers he got
about 680+ portraits, that is one
every two minutes. A minute for talk
and convince and the other minute to
get the picture right.
He told The South Asian Times,
“These portraits are different from
the ones normally shot in a studio,
which are more planned and the emo‑
tions are very different. In the Times Children who attend free,
Square set, itʼs more about true emo‑
tions as itʼs getting into the lives of peo‑
ple for that moment and capture the best
full-day, high-quality pre-K learn
of them.”
He also shared that it took lot of convincing
to problem-solve, ask questions,
to get strangers to pose. “I had more rejec‑
tions than approvals. But it makes a photog‑
and work together.
rapher more seasoned. And there is a

nyc.gov/prek
sense of satisfaction when you have test‑
ed your endurance.”
Born in Chennai in 1986, Venkata
Krishnan Ganesan, known to his friends
as Venky, is a photographer, serial entre‑
preneur and a visual artist who had come
from India to New York in 2016 to do a
photography course to expand, enhance
New York City families with children born in 2014
and explore the artistic vision at New York can apply for free, full-day, high-quality pre-K for the
Film Academy. He uses this medium to
bring people closer to understanding them‑
2018-19 school year. Call 311 | Text “prek” to 877-877.
selves better. His artistic work fetched him Receive automated recurring messages from NYC DOE. No purchase necessary. MSG and data rates may apply.
the opportunity as a commercial photogra‑
phy in India working across the country as
an advertising photographer, shooting for
the top agencies and brands of the world
based in the Indian subcontinent.
See more at : www.24hourstimessquare.com/
 16 March 31-April 6, 2018
Important for celebrities
to bring change: Deepika
A
s multiple Bollywood films are cele‑
brating how weaknesses can be
turned into strengths, leading
actress Deepika Padukone says it is impor‑
tant for celebrities to use their place of
influence and power to bring about change
in society.
"I think it is extremely important for those
who are in positions of influence or power
to bring about social change. It is extremely
important for them to speak up about what‑
ever issue it might be," Deepika told IANS in
interview.
Of late, film actors and filmmakers are
attempting storylines which have a
strong underlying message that can
bring change in society. The latest
example is Rani Mukerji's
"Hichki", which talks about
how a woman with Tourette
Syndrome, a neuropsychi‑
atric disorder, makes it
her strength and becomes
a teacher.
Deepika, one of Bollywood's top‑earning
actresses, believes people can see if you do
not have genuine connect or if it is not
authentic.
"For many years, people always said, 'You
know you are successful, you should do
work in social sectors as well or associate
with an NGO'. There were so many options
(for me), but I didn't feel like I was being
honest to them.
"It didn't come naturally to me until I
HOPE I DO JUSTICE IN
'VENTILATOR' IN GUJARATI: JACKIE
A
ctor Jackie Shroff, who will
be seen playing the lead in
the Gujarati version of
"Ventilator", hopes to do justice to
his character.
"My father belonged to Rajkot,
Gujarat so now, I am doing my
first Gujarati film in my career. I
hope I will be able to do justice to
my character in Gujarati version of
'Ventilator'," Jackie told media.
"I used to communicate in
Gujarati but since my father
passed away, I don't communicate
in the language as much as my
childhood phase. Now I am doing
film in 11th language which is
being spoken in India so, I will try
my best to speak in correct man‑
ner in the film. I think I am not flu‑
ent in any of Indian language but I
always try to do a film in all
Indian languages." the actor
added.
Asked about his preparations for the film,
Jackie said there was a great team in terms
of writer, producer, director and composer
"so I don't think there will be any difficulty
while shooting the film".
Asked whether he has watched the original
movie, he said: "I really liked the original
Marathi film."
"I don't watch films as much but I made a
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Actress Deepika Padukone.
came across mental health, also because of
my personal experience," said the actress,
who had earlier opened up about her battle
with depression.
She feels speaking up for a cause has to
be an "organic" process.
"I don't think there is any fixed time as to
when one should do it. I think you should do
it when you feel it is right."
Deepika said she wants to see India as the
happiest nation in the world.
Actor Jackie Shroff.
point to see that film. I cried and laughed
while watching that film and I am glad that I
got opportunity to be part of such film which
touched the heart of Marathi speaking audi‑
ence," he said.
The remake is written by Niren Bhatt, a
renowned Gujarati scriptwriter and the story
is co‑written by Karan Vyas. The film will be
directed by Umang Vyas.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Yesteryearʼs Actor
Zeenat Aman.
Businessman held after
Zeenatʼs rape complaint
A
Mumbai‑based businessman was According to the actress' complaint,
arrested after a leading actress of yes‑ between 2011‑2015, the accused had taken
teryears, Zeenat Aman, lodged a com‑ cash and gold‑silver jewelries worth Rs 15.4
plaint accusing him of rape, cheating and for‑ crore from her for business purposes and
gery, a top police officer said. despite repeated pleas made by her, he
"The complaint was lodged by the victim refused to return it.
late on Thursday with Juhu Police Station and Instead, he offered to give her four flats in a
the accused has been arrested," Mumbai government colony and a flat in Santacruz of
Police spokesperson Deepak Deoraj told IANS. which he prepared fake documents and cheat‑
Deoraj said the case had been transferred to ed her, she said in her complaint.
the Crime Branch for further investigations. Simultaneously, he prepared a forged
The accused, identified as Sarfaraz 'anikaahnama' (certificate of marriage as per
Mohammed,38, alias Aman Khanna, was Islamic laws) document in her name on the
arrested late on Thursday from Versova and basis of which he used to threaten and rape
has been remanded to police custody till her.
March 28, Deputy Commissioner of Police Incidentally, on January 30 this year, the
(Crime Branch) Nisar Tamboli told IANS. actress had lodged a complaint of stalking
This is the second complaint registered by
the 69‑year old actress against Sarfarz in the
and harassment against Sarfaraz.
The police arrested him after carrying out a
past two months. detailed investigation, officers said.
I adore visiting India:
Liz Hurley
B
ritish actress Elizabeth Hurley says
she loves visiting India, and likes to
combine business and pleasure dur‑
ing her trips to the country.
"I adore visiting India and make the trip at
least twice a year. I combine business and
pleasure," Hurley told IANS.
"I produce all my beautiful kaftans and
dresses for my beachwear company in
Mumbai and I also have some very dear
friends in the city," she added.
Hurley is back in India, and is currently
enjoying her trip to the city of dreams
Mumbai.
She tweeted: "Uber strike in Mumbai
today. Traffic moving for once. Wish they'd
stay on strike. Love the old black and yellow
taxis."
Hurley was once married to Arun Nayar, a
businessman of Indian origin.
Her affair with India started when she got
married to Nayar at Umaid Bhawan Palace
in Jodhpur in 2007.
Her marriage ended with a divorce in British model and
actress Elizabeth Hurley.
2011, but Hurley developed a special con‑
nection with the country, where she keeps the appreciation coming her way for her
making short trips every now and then. portrayal of Queen Helena in "The Royals",
On the work front, the actress is enjoying which airs in India on Colors Infinity.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD March 31-April 6, 2018 17

What makes male stars coy about nudity?

G
lobally, major strides
have been taken in cine‑
ma as far as gender
equality is concerned. But when it
comes to nudity, men still prefer
to keep themselves clothed even
while playing sexually‑embold‑
ened characters.
Take, for example, last year's
game‑changing same‑sex love
story "Call Me By Your Name"
which features the incredibly
charismatic Armie Hammer as a
visiting American student who has
a passionate affair with the son of
his hosts in Italy.
Armand Douglas Hammer, a
straight man in real life, who has
unabashedly played gay roles in at
least three recent films, revealed
that his co‑star Timothy Chalamet
and he remained naked on the
sets while shooting their love
scenes. However, they had both
stipulated in their contracts that
there would be no bared private
parts on screen.
Explaining his reluctance to go
starkers on camera, Armie
explained how he didn't want a
films last year.
Male actors, though, have
always been shy. This lopsided
reading of physical objectification
goes back to the cinema of Yash
Chopra where the romantic songs
shot in snowcapped Switzerland
featured heroines in skimpy chif‑
fon sarees while the heroes were
padded up in woolens.
Even the much‑vilified item
songs are almost invariably meant
for the male gaze. So many girls.
Where are the item boys?
Women, it is pretentiously pre‑
sumed, are too shy to gaze at any‑
In Rohit Dhawan's ʻDesi Boyzʼ, Akshay Kumar and thing except the cooking range.
John Abraham performed a striptease pole dance. And then, after dinner, the lights
go out. Women are, of course, pre‑
picture of his penis to surface on frontal nudity in Shekhar Kapur's sumed to be loath to objectify
the internet to embarrass his Bandit Queen hit the theatres. men. But some Bollywood's resi‑
daughter. For all her reservations, she did dent beefcakes don't mind being
Fair enough. We must respect it nonetheless. Somehow women item boys.
the self‑censorship that an individ‑ have always had an easier time Randeep Hooda, who played a
ual imposes on artistic liberty. And exteriorizing their character's can‑ dangerous sex machine in his lat‑
Armie is partially right. Nudity can dor through nude scenes. Top con‑ est release "Saheb, Biwi Aur
get mortifying in the family. I temporary actresses in the West Gangster", used his sexuality with
remember the pain and suffering like Jennifer Lawrence and Sally the power of a gun. After seeing
that the fiercely committed Seema Hawkins have appeared without his libidinous act, Shobhaa De
Biswas went through after her full their clothes in award‑winning wrote on a micro‑blogging site,
"Finally figured out what
Sush(mita) saw in Randeep Hooda.
He's hotter than all the Khans."
In Rohit Dhawan's "Desi Boyz",
Akshay Kumar and John Abraham
performed a striptease pole dance,
as the ladies drooled to their
heart's content. The trend of item
boys in Bollywood started with
Abhishek Bachchan who sur‑
rounded himself with a bevy of
beauties and sang "One love" for
Mahesh Manjrekar's film "Rakht"
in 2004. In Soham Shah's "Kaal",
Shah Rukh Khan took off his shirt
and joined Malaika Arora for a
water‑drenched raunchy romp.
But these remain isolated
instances.
It's the women who get objecti‑
fied in the item songs. So when
Armie Hammer gets nervous
about being exposed to his daugh‑
ter's friends, we should also spare
a thought for all the female actors
who are regularly dunked in
water, soaked in the rain and
made to wear as much as decency
requires.
Women have families too.

HICHKI SKIRTS GREATNESS

VIA RANI'S PERFORMANCE
T
here is a disarming idealism at
the heart of this inspirational
tale told without frills of fancy.
Review
The flights of daring that the protagonist
Naina Mathur undertakes never seems
Actor Chris Evans. irrelevant. On many occasions I found the
plot veering towards a sweeping senti‑
\Evans may retire mentality that, given other circumstances,
would be considered manipulative.
as Captain Not here.
Hichki dives deep into the collective con‑
America from sciousness of a nation inured in prejudices

'Avengers' and comes up with some well‑served les‑

sons on humanism tolerance and generos‑

A
ctor Chris Evans, who plays
Captain America in the Marvel
Cinematic Universe (MCU), is
ready to move on from his superhero
avatar.
According to a report in the New
York Times, Evans says he has no plans
to return to the franchise once
"Avengers 4" hits the theatres in May
2019..
"You want to get off the train before
they push you off," Evans said.
He will be returning for re‑shoots
later this year, but it is expected that
they will mark the end the road for
Evans in the MCU.
Evans has played Captain America
since 2011 when "Captain America:
The First Avenger" was released.
"Avengers: Infinity War" will open
worldwide on April 27. Several fans
have speculated that Captain America
might die in the film.
ity. It may not be India's To Sir With Love.
But by Jove, Rani Mukerjee in what easily
ranks as her career's best performances
(yes, better than Black) gives Mr Sidney
Pottier a run for his heroic stature.
The plot derives its creative juices from
a real‑life British teacher who suffered
from the Tourette Syndrome, a neurologi‑
cal disorder that causes painful verbal
dysfunction in the sufferer. It's astonish‑
ing how Rani takes over the sufferer's role
without allowing the disease to impede
A scene from the film ʻHichkiʼ
her character's ingrained sunniness of
countenance. aged and performed in pitch‑perfect har‑ almost as though she were sparring with
When faced with a classroom filled with mony. When the father's patronizing sym‑ her destiny.
contumacious students from the slums pathy gets too much Rani marches off to Hichki is a work of wondrous lightheart‑
(played by young actors who frequently the kitchen to make rotis, venting her edness. Its absence of cynicism and its
act with representational emphasis) Rani's need to exhale in the kneading. touching belief in the power of benevo‑
Naina never falters, and never mind her Rani Mukerjee makes her Tourette‑ lence and generosity could get a wee over‑
tongue. It's only when she is with her informed character unwavering in her powering for many of us who face brutal
estranged father (Sachin Pilgoankar) that upbeatness and yet no giddyheaded betrayals every day. But isn't life in cinema
she loses her cool. Rani's Naina' two din‑ breathless optimist. The pain comes gush‑ all about alchemizing the pain and hurt
ing‑table sequences with her screen‑father ing out in a sequence where she pounds into art? Hichki does that quite often and
are marvels of screenwriting drama, pack‑ and pummels her uncontrollable mouth quite effectively.
 18 March 31-April 6, 2018
OUTER, HIGHER REACHES OF ART
By Ashok Vyas
T
here has been an ongoing debate
about whether art should be for artʼs
sake or art should be used as a medi‑
um to bring about social change? There are
Shivoham: Chandrika
Tandonʼs Quest
Gum Ganapataye Namah!
You hear this chant in Chandrikajiʼs
voice in the beginning of ʻShivoham:
The Questʼ (Movement 1 Yearning)
and it spreads a feel in you that the
whole world is innocently and gen‑
uinely yearning for the Divine. This
sense of oneness is a part of her
whole rendition in a mystical way.
Ancient words, profound adoration of
Lord Ganapati: The mantra describes his
form, his tusk, his glow which equals hun‑
dreds of suns.
When we pray, we donʼt
pay attention to the words,
but there is conviction in
the intellect of our sages
who have offered invoca‑
tions as human heritage.
Shivoham gives a sense of
cheerful movement in music
and a deep connectivity to
different dimensions of life.
Dancing form is considered
as a complete art form as it
combines all art forms.
Chandrikajiʼs singing in this
composition kindles a sense
of dance in the heart of listen‑
ers. But is it the dance of
yearning or celebration of ful‑
fillment?
Chandrikaji also wants you
to ʻWake upʼ using one line of
the traditional song ʻUtha Jaag
Grammy nominated Chandrika Tandon,
Musafir Bhor Bhaeeʼ.
her CD set, and conducting the orchestra.
Opening alaap of the song is
of course:
Asato Ma Sadgamay!
Tamso Ma Jyotirgamay!
Mrityorma Amritamgamay!
Aum Shantih Shantih Shantih
A modern rishi witnessing life from the
business capital of the world, goes back to
her roots and yearns to be one with Truth
even as she is working with a combination
of music from world over while retaining
authentic Bharatiyata. The melodious voice
of the singer keeps spiraling out accentuated ing alaap.
by the chorus.
Shivoham, Shivoham invites you to merge
wholeheartedly into it: Proof of how such
music, singing and a sense of surrender can
reach from one human being to another.
This idea of adoration of the Absolute not
confined to any specific tradition or nation‑
ality becomes even more evident in the third
song of the first CD: Daras Bina Dukhan lage
nain, which expresses the devoteeʼs pangs of
separation from the Beloved Lord.
Then it moves to English verses with a
ART & CULTURE
some who feel if you impose your ideology on
ʻartʼ, it takes away the purity and innate sense
of freedom from art work. Others believe that
if you are not clear about your purpose,
whether it is art or life, it would be futile.
There is perhaps an overlapping space,
similar feel: “Let me feel your love, make me
understand”.
The harmonious attempt to reach out to
the infinite leads to joy. Joy of being a part
of the glorious movement is uplifting.
Chandrikaji succeeds in initiating that
movement in the hearts of listeners. The
mind groomed in Indian culture may con‑
nect instantly with the call ʻRadha Govind
Daras Dikhaoʼ, that invokes a smiling Lord
Krishna with the chant enveloped by a unify‑
The Shivoham CD set shares three stages
of seeking: Yearning, Searching and
Connecting. In the accompanying booklet,
Chandrika Tandon shares her journey
towards music: “I had no goal in mind ‑ I was
simply desperate to stay in that place of
light that music took me to.”
You can appreciate how she has managed
to absorb that ʻlightʼ and offered this place
through ʻShivohamʼ. So you express grate‑
fulness to the artist who is presenting music
as an extension of her love and devotion.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
where these two differing perceptions meet purpose. While Smritaʼs creative process uses
and artists pursue their creativity with a art as a tool to act on an intellectual plane
sense of purpose. Ashok Vyas talked to and aims at positive social change, Chandrika
Grammy nominated musician and philanthro‑ Tandonʼs music aspires to raise level of con‑
pist Chandrika Tandon and award winning sciousness and make people aware of the
artist and designer Smrita Jain about art and Absolute.
Speaking for others:
Artist Smrita Jain
S
mrita Jain is an artist, designer, pho‑
Smrita Jain won an
tographer, writer and educator. But
award for her work
the activist and artist co‑exist in her on Incredible
as she believes, ʻSpeaking for others is India campaign
speaking for yourselfʼ. Her work is deeply and has
infused with positive feminism and empow‑ designed
erment. She boldly share her story to Ateem Hindi
address issues like racism, sexism, and all Typeface.
forms of discrimination. To cap it, she is
also mentor for upcoming artists and
designers.
Blessed with a unique sensibility,
Smrita is fascinated by shapes and
colors. She loves to creatively
express her independent spirit
and yet fulfil the parameters
given by the designing project.
She believes India is so much
about languages and each lan‑
guage is visually different and
beautiful. She designed Ateem
typeface in Devnagri
script to express her
love for Indian cul‑
ture. This was part of
an independent proj‑
ect which she started
at the Pratt Institute.
Currently NYC‑
based Sumrita is an
award winning
designer at ʻThe
Aqurio Groupʼ and
artist at the Surmrit
Gallery of Art and
Design, with studios
in Brooklyn and
Manhattan. She says,
art spreads harmony
tary photographer.
but artists need to struggle for their expres‑
Smrita is excited about her second book,
sion and to protect their ability to be cre‑
titled ʻFat Free Samosaʼ: This art book has
ative. She looks at it as a long process. For
autobiographical elements. For her, samosa
her experience of failure and achievement
is a reference point to talk about ʻmind, body
both get expressed in art form. In October
and soulʼ, and make a statement for womenʼs
last year, Smrita received the 47th Creativity
liberation with a fresh approach. She pres‑
International Award Gold from Indiaʼs
Ministry of Tourism for her work on promo‑ ents her life as an Indian living and surviv‑
tional material for ʻIncredible Indiaʼ cam‑ ing in New York City for over a decade. With
paign. She picked the theme ʻLook Closerʼ as honest, humorous, witty and dramatic narra‑
she wanted to present it as mind‑body‑soul tion, she candidly shares confusing moments
blend in the Indian context. She also got the of her life.
54th American Graphic Design Award for Smrita Jain was selected as People To
this campaign. Watch 2018 by GDUSA, as an individual who
She has exhibited at Pratt Institute, Javits embodies the combination of art and design.
Center, Queens Museum, The Juliana Curran Invited to various conferences, she con‑
Terian Design Center Pavilion, The Arthur veys her ideas and unique way of thinking as
M. Berger Art Gallery and The Nehru Center, well as understanding of life. She professes
London. that life can be shaped differently through
ʻCreating Durgaʼ is Smritaʼs first photogra‑ persistence. She was the keynote speaker at
phy‑based journal published by Surmrit KADLondon 2017 where she spoke on
Gallery. It depicts the life of artists who ʻGlobal Status of Women and Girlsʼ.
make sculptures of mother Goddess. This Ashok Vyas is President, Insight for
book establishes her as a cultural documen‑ Creativity: insight4creativity@gmail.com
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Sameer Dhanrajani
T
he Facebook data breach
raises urgent questions that
need to be answered respon‑
sibly by our industry ‑‑ given its ter‑
rifying scale and impact. In today's
world, data is a form of soft power,
and it is essential for those who
wield it, to use it responsibly so that
consumer confidence isn't compro‑
mised.
The challenge is that, at an idea‑
generation stage, it can be difficult
to draw a clear, bright line between
whether data is being used for opti‑
mization or for manipulation.
Take, for instance, the Obama and
Trump campaigns in the US. The
former used the same digital plat‑
forms for optimizing communica‑
tion and ensuring voter confidence
and dissemination of information.
On the other hand, British political
consulting firm Cambridge
Analytica used the same platforms
but with mala fide intent ‑‑ to
manipulate the views and prefer‑
ences of voters.
As investigations continue, it is
increasingly clear that data was
stolen, models used were unautho‑
rized for the purpose they were
being used, the messages (in many
cases) were outright lies.
So the whole operation was ques‑
tionable from the get‑go. It is, there‑
fore, extremely critical to demarcate
this difference ‑‑ are the final con‑
sumers of a data‑driven model
being actively manipulated or is
data being used to merely optimize
a communications strategy?
It is also essential to clearly
define the parties involved in the
By Amit Kapoor
D
ata is the new oil" has been
a cliched maxim of the
internet age. But the events
that unfolded last week have
underlined the extent of complexi‑
ties that can be created in society
depending on the nature of its
usage.
A year‑long investigation by mul‑
tiple media outlets in the US and
Britain revealed that a consulting
firm, Cambridge Analytica,
accessed data of at least 50 million
social media users without their
proper consent. They then used
these data points to psychological‑
ly profile people and individually
target them with politically‑moti‑
vated content to manipulate the
2016 US presidential election. A
similar approach was used to influ‑
ence electoral outcomes all around
the world, possibly even in India.
Even though the process of
manipulating the political narrative
during elections is not something
new, there is something sinister
about for‑profit organizations and
foreign agents using data technolo‑
gies to disrupt democratic norms.
If electoral outcomes come to be
defined by exploiting deep‑rooted
psychological fears of voters based
on data analytics instead of devel‑
The corrective measures required
post‑Facebook data breach
data "lifecycle" and their roles and
responsibilities, with regard to how
data is being used. There are usual‑
ly three parties in this lifecycle,
each requiring a different kind of
oversight and norms.
First are the data originators,
those that capture and store the
data. And I'm not only talking about
Facebook and Google, but also a
wide range of other originators –
such as Equifax (which holds
extremely sensitive consumer credit
information), banks (which store
individual‑centric financial informa‑
tion), and telecom companies
(which hold a treasure trove of com‑
munications and browsing informa‑
tion). Two safeguards are critical
here. One, data security safeguards
to ensure the privacy (external par‑
Democracy in the age of data
Facebook CEO
Mark Zuckerberg
with PM Modi in
New Delhi. BJP &
Congress party
have been accus‑
ing each other of
misusing data.
opmental issues that drive
progress and prosperity, social
cohesion will fall under immediate
threat, proving pernicious to the
very fabric of democracy. The polit‑
ical vision of governments and
politicians need to be steered by
people instead of mathematical
algorithms.
Social media and the vast explo‑
sion of data due to it are not the
problems per se. However, when
societies are finding themselves
being increasingly run by data, a
defined set of ethical norms need
to be formulated to guide its use.
COMMENT
ties shouldn't be able to see it) and
integrity (external parties shouldn't
be able to change it) of the data.
This can be improved by ring‑fenc‑
ing the data sources and ensuring
advanced security measures.
And two, ensuring explicit con‑
sumer consent for sharing and
using this data. This can be done by
introducing easy‑to‑understand lan‑
guage around fair‑use.
These two interventions will go a
long way in winning back consumer
trust in these platforms.
The second type of entity involved
is the data processing companies
which employ intelligent algorithms
over the data to extract insights.
This includes companies like
Cambridge Analytica.
Given that data processing com‑
The issue is of the utmost impor‑
tance for India, as it has a signifi‑
cant online presence that is vulner‑
able to privacy violations. It has the
highest number of Facebook users
and the second‑highest number of
Twitter users in the world ‑‑ with a
combined reach of almost 300 mil‑
lion. A committee of experts under
Justice B.N. Srikrishna has already
been set up to deliberate upon a
data protection framework for
India. It is working on drafting a
data protection bill and has delib‑
erated on pertinent issues like
what constitutes "personal data",
March 31-April 6, 2018
panies also have access to a large
scale of data, entrusted by clients, it
is imperative that their systems are
subject to similar levels of security,
compliance and governance norms.
This can be resolved through
globally‑agreed standards of securi‑
ty, enforced through regular third‑
party audits. We need to be held to
the same standards as the data
sources themselves when it comes
to security of the data so that we
aren't the weak link in the event of
a data leak.
There may also be value in
exploring how we can expressly
declare the nature of algorithms
employed and the source of these
algorithms (in cases where there is
a patent to one), to an unaffiliated
third‑party regulator. This will
ensure better transparency around
what the data is being used for.
Finally, we have the third party in
the data lifecycle: The buyers of the
data ‑‑ organizations that pay for
the data and algorithm‑driven
insights around it. In this case, they
are the political organizations that
are beneficiaries of the analysis
work by the processing companies.
Here, let's go back to my earlier
point of drawing the line between
what is optimization and manipula‑
tion.
Are the data buying organizations
sponsoring an ad because they feel
the specifications of consent and
establishment of a data protection
authority. A white paper has also
been published by the authority.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary
Standing Committee on
Information Technology has also
listed "Citizens' data security and
privacy" as a subject of study.
However, not much seems to have
been done on the subject. Recent
events might hopefully set the ball
rolling on that front and inspire a
multi‑partisan report on the mat‑
ter. Once the processes of setting
up a robust framework of regulato‑
ry policy and statutory law to gov‑
ern matters of data privacy are
complete, there will be a require‑
ment to establish cultural expecta‑
tions that incorporate ethical stan‑
dards right when the data tech‑
nologies are being built. The appli‑
cation of regulatory mechanisms
after individuals have been profiled
is akin to closing the stable doors
after the horses have bolted. The
race to become the next‑big‑thing
in technology has placed ethics on
the backseat and, hence, it is often
the case that investigations are
19
consumers genuinely stand to bene‑
fit from the content, or are they
using the data to manipulate users
into actions that are not in their
best interest?
More importantly, does the ad‑
sponsoring organization have the
authority to display that ad, or are
they a geo‑political adversary? This
can be cleared up by implementing
fair‑usage policies around what the
extracted data is being used for,
who is using it, and what are the
implications of that data ‑‑ all of
which needs to be made more trans‑
parent and subject to governance
norms in certain cases.
Obviously, the three parties inter‑
play with each other. For instance,
Facebook and Google are two of
these parties ‑‑ the source and the
processor. Thus, it needs to be
ensured that they be accountable to
both sets of norms.
It is imperative that all parties in
the data lifecycle take seriously the
trust with which data is being
shared with them by their users ‑‑
for their own good. The way things
stand right now, biting around the
edges of this debate is not going to
win back lost consumer confidence
in our industry and we are all the
losers in the long term.
Sameer Dhanrajani is Chief
Strategy Officer at analytics service
provider Fractal Analytics.
conducted, and apologies are
demanded, only after the damage
has been done. The environment of
"develop first, question later" will
have to change.
The issue of data and privacy
regulations will become even more
important as technological compa‑
nies gain greater market share in
provision of financial services
instead of traditional banks. When
you instantly transfer money to
friends and family over WhatsApp,
the company gains direct access to
your transactions.
The use of data mining, put in the
right hands, can be a powerful tool
to understand societal preferences
and address consumer needs.
However, our democratic societies
need to build robust security mech‑
anisms that ensure privacy and
consent. At times, even that might
not be enough. A final action that
needs to be undertaken is to build
user‑awareness. There is simply no
substitute to a well‑informed con‑
sumer base.
Amit Kapoor is chair, Institute for
Competitiveness in Delhi.
‑‑IANS
 20 March 31-April 6, 2018 SUBCONTINENT TheSouthAsianTimes.info

ʻChina's attempt to change status Maldivian President

quo may lead to another Doklamʼ
Beijing: Any attempt by China to
change the status quo along the
Indian border may lead to another
Doklam‑like stand‑off, India's
envoy Gautam Bambawale has
said, adding that the best way to
prevent such incidents is through
candid and frank talks.
In an interview to the Hong
Kong‑based South China Morning
Post, Bambwale said the un‑
demarcated border between India
and China is "the most serious
problem between the two coun‑
tries" and they need to redefine
the boundary soon.
Bambawale said New Delhi will
oppose the China‑Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC) but
won't let the difference over Belt
and Road become a dispute with
Beijing. He also downplayed the
reports of India joining the bloc of
the US, Japan and Australia to
counter China.
The two militaries were locked
in a 73‑day stand‑off at Doklam in
the eastern sector of their border
last year. The issue was resolved
in August, only after souring the
bilateral ties.
ends Emergency
Indian envoy to China Gautam
Bambawale said New Delhi will
continue to oppose CPEC.
"In order to maintain the peace
and tranquility (along India‑China
border), there are certain areas,
certain sectors which are very
sensitive, where we must not
change the status quo. If anyone
changes the status quo, it will lead
to a situation like what happened
in Doklam," Bambawale said.
"The Chinese military changed
the status quo in the Doklam area
and therefore India reacted to it.
Ours was a reaction to the change Male: Maldivian
in the status quo by the Chinese President Abdulla
military. Yameen lifted a
"... when incidents like Doklam widely denounced
happened last year, it meant that state of
we were not frank and candid Emergency after
enough with each other. So we a period of 45
need to increase the level of days, stating that
frankness. the situation in
"In the sense that if the Chinese the atoll nation
military are going to build a road, had returned to
they must tell us 'we are going to normal.
build a road'. If we do not agree to "Upon the
it then we can reply that, 'look, advice of the
you're changing the status quo. security services
Please don't do it. This is a very‑ and in an effort
very sensitive area'," he said. to promote nor‑
On India's concerns about The state of Emergency in Maldives was declared
malcy, the by President Abdulla Yameen on Feb 5.
China's Belt and Road project, President has
Bambawale said if the initiative decided to lift the state of Mohamed Nasheed.
meets the norms of an interna‑ Emergency," President Yameen's It was extended via a resolution
tional program then New Delhi office said in a statement. The of Parliament on February 20 for
has no problem. state of Emergency was declared 30 days following a request by
"One of the norms is that the by Yameen on February 5 for a the President.
project should not violate the sov‑ period of 15 days due to a "threat During the 45‑day state of
ereignty and territorial integrity to the national security" follow‑ Emergency, the government said
of a country. Unfortunately, there ing a Supreme Court ruling day‑to‑day activities of the citi‑
is this thing called the CPEC which ordering the release of detained zens had not been affected and
violates India's sovereignty and opposition leaders including self‑ tourists could continue to visit
territory integrity. Therefore, we exiled former President the island nation.
oppose it."

Kabul bombing near Shiite India putting regional peace

shrine by IS kills 29 at stake: Pakistani President
Afghan policemen stand near the site of a suicide attack in Kabul.
Kabul: An Islamic State suicide bomber
killed at least 29 people in Kabul who were
celebrating the Persian New Year, accord‑
ing to Afghan government officials.
Nasrat Rahimi, the deputy spokesman for
its website, Amaq, as monitored by the SITE
Intelligence Group.
The Nowroz celebration, however, drew
many people from other ethnic groups, who
were among the victims as well, according
Islamabad: Pakistani President
Mamnoon Hussain has accused
India of putting regional peace
at stake by ceasefire violations
and human rights abuses in
Jammu and Kashmir, in an
address marking the 78th
Pakistan Day.
Pakistan Day commemorates
the passing of the Lahore
Resolution on March 23, 1940,
when the All‑India Muslim
League demanded a separate
nation for the Muslims of the
British Indian Empire. On this
day in 1956, Pakistan became
the world's first Islamic repub‑
lic.
Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain warned India
While addressing the Pakistan
over cross‑border violations.
Day event at Parade Ground in
the capital, Mamnoon "warned India to violations in Jammu and Kashmir. Hussain
stop its atrocities along the border", Dawn said "India was continuously increasing its
online reported. military might and this attitude and
"With these actions, Pakistan's neighbor behavior is harmful... Our peace oriented
has put the regional peace at stake," he approach should not be taken as our
said referring to cross‑border ceasefire weakness," he said.

the Ministry of Interior, initially said that a
suicide bomber on foot detonated his explo‑
sives in front of the Ali Abad Hospital, in
the Kart‑e Sakhi area of Kabul, killing 26
and wounding 18. Later, Wahid Majrooh,
the spokesman for the Ministry of Public
Health, put the death toll at 29, with 52
wounded, TOLONews reported.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility
for the bombing, according to a report on
to a reporter who recounted seeing numer‑
ous children and women among the dead
and wounded.
"Most of the wounded were initially taken
to three hospitals in Istiqlal, Aliabad and
Ibn‑e‑Sina, located near the explosion site.
After providing basic treatment, the wound‑
ed have been transferred to other special‑
ized ones," Health Ministry spokesperson
Wahidullah Majroh said.
Musharraf to return to
Pakistan in April
F
ormer Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf will return to the country in April,
Pakistan Awami Ittehad (PAI) Secretary General Iqbal Dar has said. Addressing a
press conference, Dar said the date of arrival and the city where Musharraf would
land would be announced after consultation with all members of the PAI, Dawn online
reported. Musharraf is living in exile in Dubai.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INTERNATIONAL March 31-April 6, 2018 21

Russia 'highly likely' responsible First non-stop flight

for ex‑spy poisoning: EU
Brussels: Following a time‑consuming
dinner discussion, leaders of the
European Union (EU) gave credence to
Britain's allegation that "highly likely"
Russia is responsible for poisoning a
former spy on British soil, in which
Moscow has denied any involvement.
"EUCO (European Council) agrees
with UK government that highly likely
Russia is responsible for
#SalisburyAttack and that there is no
other plausible explanation,"
European Council President Donald
Tusk tweeted.
According to the European Council
conclusions, the leaders of the 28‑
member bloc "condemns in the
strongest possible terms the recent
attack in Salisbury, expresses its deep‑
est sympathies to all whose lives have
been threatened and lends its support
to the ongoing investigation."
"We stand in unqualified solidarity
with the United Kingdom in the face of
this grave challenge to our shared
security," Xinhua cited the conclusion
as saying.
As "the use of chemical weapons...
constitutes a security threat to us all,"
the conclusions said EU member
states "will coordinate on the conse‑
quences to be drawn in the light of the
answers provided by the Russian
European Council President Donald Tusk.
authorities."
"The European Union will remain
closely focused on this issue and its
implications," read the conclusions.
Earlier, after British Prime Minister
Theresa May met with German
Chancellor Angela Merkel and French
President Emmanuel Macron in the
margin of the EU summit in Brussels,
a spokesperson of Downing 10
between Perth-London
makes history
Perth: The first non‑stop
flight between Australia
and the UK left Perth on
Saturday and landed in
London on Sunday, mak‑
ing a history.
Qantas Flight QF9 com‑
pleted its 14,498km
(9,009‑mile) journey in
just over 17 hours,
reports the BBC.
The airline used the
Boeing 787‑9 Dreamliner,
which is twice as fuel‑effi‑
cient as the Boeing 747.
It is part of ambitious
plans by Qantas to add
ultra long‑haul flights to
its schedules.
Chief Executive Alan
Joyce has called the new
Perth‑London service a
claimed that "the UK, Germany and "game‑changing route".
France reaffirmed that there is no Speaking at an event
plausible explanation other than that ahead of the inaugural
the Russian state was responsible." flight, he said the earliest
The three leaders also agreed on Qantas flights between
"the importance of sending a strong Australia and the UK ‑
European message in response to known as the "kangaroo
Russia's actions and agreed to remain route" ‑ had taken four
in close contact in coming days," a days and involved seven
spokesperson was quoted as saying. stops.
Western Australia's
state government is also
hoping to see an increase
in tourist numbers as a
result of the new direct
route.
The flight will be the
world's second‑longest
after Qatar Airways' route
from Doha to Auckland,
which spans 14,529km,
according to the
International Air
Transport Association.
To minimise the discom‑
fort of such a long flight,
the plane has been
equipped with improved
air quality and lower
cabin noise, the BBC
reported.
Some of the passengers
have agreed to share data
on their sleeping and
activity patterns with
researchers from the
University of Sydney.
They are wearing spe‑
cial monitors and devices
that also record mental
state, eating patterns and
hydration.

Israeli police to investigate 64 dead in Russia shopping mall fire

Netanyahu in 'case 4000'
Tel Aviv: Israel's Prime
Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, his wife and
son will be questioned by
the police on Monday as
part of an ongoing cor‑
ruption investigation, the
police confirmed.
Shaul Elovitch, former
chairman of Israel's
largest telecom company
Bezeq, and his wife, Iris
Elovitch, will be ques‑
tioned too, Xinhua quot‑
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
ed a police spokesperson
as saying.
The five are suspects in a major
bribery case, dubbed by the police
"case 4000," in which Bezeq under
Elovitch allegedly received regulato‑ and until recently one of his closest
ry and financial benefits in return to associate, who turned a state wit‑
positive coverage for Netanyahu in
Walla, a news site under Elovitch's
control. Netanyahu will be ques‑
tioned in the prime minister's offi‑
cial residence in Jerusalem, while
the other four in the offices of
Lahav 433 anti‑corruption unit in
Lod, outside Tel Aviv, the police
said. Their questioning will be held
at the same time in separate rooms.
They will be investigated under cau‑ investigations are part of a witch‑
tion, meaning they are all suspects
in the case. The questionings are
Moscow: At least 64 people, includ‑
ing many children, were killed in a
deadly blaze that engulfed a shop‑
ping mall in Russia's industrial city
of Kemerovo, the Emergencies
Minister said.
The inferno ripped through the
top floor of the four‑storey Winter
Cherry commercial complex on
Sunday afternoon in Kemerovo,
located in southern Siberia around
3,000 km east of Moscow. Many of
the victims were children as the
mall's shops, cinema and bowling
alley were packed due to school hol‑
idays.
Netanyahu. (File Photo: IANS) Emergencies Minister Vladimir Firefighters dousing the fire at the shopping mall in
Puchkov confirmed the death toll Kemerovo, Russia. (Xinhua/Sputnik/IANS)
expected to focus on the informa‑
and said six bodies were yet to be
tion provided by Nir Hefetz, 1,500 square metres of the 23,000 but had not heard any fire alarm.
recovered, TASS news agency
Netanyahu's former media adviser square metre mall were destroyed. Witness Anna Zarechneva said "a
reported.
A video posted on social media The region's deputy governor woman burst into the cinema dur‑
showed people jumping from win‑ Vladimir Chernov was quoted as ing the film and shouted 'Fire! Fire!',
ness against him last month. saying the fire probably began in a and we started running out".
dows to escape the flames.
It will be Benjamin and Sara children's trampoline room. "The "The lights didn't come on in
"According to preliminary informa‑
Netanyahu's second questioning in preliminary suspicion is that a child there to help us escape... no alarm
tion, the roof collapsed in two cine‑
the "case 4000." had a cigarette lighter which ignit‑ bells were ringing. I only heard an
mas," Russia's Investigative
Netanyahu and his associate have ed foam rubber in this trampoline alarm when I reached the first
Committee (ICR) said in a state‑
been entangled in at least four cor‑ room, and it erupted like gunpow‑ floor," she said.
ment.
ruption investigations over the past der," he said. The most serious case was of a
The fire was extinguished but
months. However, Rossiya 24 TV, a nation‑ 11‑year‑old boy whose family died
Puchkov said that the rubble start‑
The long‑time leader denies any al broadcaster, said an electrical in the fire, Health Minister Veronika
ed to smoulder due to the multilay‑
wrongdoing and maintains that the fault was the most likely cause. Skvortsova said. He reportedly fell
er floorings in the building.
Firefighters said smoke was billow‑ Two witnesses told the BBC that from the fourth floor and was in
hunt perpetrated by the media and they had seen the fire blazing in the intensive care with multiple
ing out and the remaining struc‑
"the left." trampoline room on the fourth floor injuries.
tures were at risk of collapse. Some
 22 March 31-April 6, 2018
As US-China trade war escalates, financial markets hit
Washington/Beijing: Global finan‑
cial markets plunged as a trade
war between the US and China
escalated, with President Donald
Trump imposing tariffs worth $60
billion in Chinese imports and
Beijing threatening Washington
with higher tariffs worth $3 billion
for imported American products.
In his strongest trade confronta‑
tion with China in nearly a quarter
century, Trump signed an order
imposing the tariffs and also limit‑
ing China's freedom to invest in
the US technolog y industry.
Financial markets took a hit on
fears of a potential trade war
between the world's two largest
economies.
Trump declared that China was
responsible for thousands of lost
American jobs and billions in lost
revenues. The Chinese government
fired back on Friday, calling
Trump's Thursday announcement
"typical unilateralism and protec‑
t ionism". China's Commerce
Ministry said the US had set a
"very bad precedent" while the
Foreign Ministry called the US to
make "rational and prudent deci‑
sions".
The US also launched a com‑
Karti protected from arrest
in Aircel‑Maxis case
New Delhi: A special court has
granted interim protection from
arrest, till April 16, to Karti
Chidambaram in the Aircel‑Maxis
deal case.
Special Judge O. P. Saini direct‑
ed that Chidambaram, the son of
former Union Finance Minister
po. Chidambaram, will not be
arrested in the case till April 16,
the next date fixed for hearing on
his anticipatory bail plea.
The court meanwhile directed
him to join investigation whenev‑
er required and not to leave the
country without permission.
The Central Bureau of
Investigation and Enforcement
Directorate has sought three
more weeks to file reply on his
anticipatory bail plea.
Karti Chidambaram's advocate
and senior counsel Kapil Sibal
Donald Trump has signed an order imposing the tariffs and also limit‑
ing China's freedom to invest in the US technology industry.
plaint against China at the World
Trade Organization (WTO), the
BBC reported.
"China appears to be breaking
WTO rules by denying foreign
patent holders, including US com‑
panies, basic patent rights to stop
a Chinese entity from using the
technology after a licensing con‑
tract ends," the US government
said in a statement.
Karti Chidambaram, son of for‑
mer Finance Minister P.
Chidambaram. (File Photo: IANS)
told the court that his client was
arrested arbitrarily by the CBI in
the INX media case and now he
apprehends that he may be
arrested in the instant case with‑
out any reason and sought inter‑
im protection from arrest till the
probe agencies filed the reply in
BUSINESS
"China also appears to be break‑
ing WTO rules by imposing
mandatory adverse contract terms
that discriminate against and are
less favorable for imported foreign
technology."
The White House said it was tak‑
ing action in retaliation for China's
use of pressure and intimidation to
obtain American technology and
trade secrets. After Trump's
the matter. The CBI is investigat‑
ing how Karti Chidambaram
allegedly managed to get a clear‑
ance from the Foreign
Investment Promotion Board
(FIPB) in the Aircel‑Maxis deal
when his father was the Finance
Minister in 2006.
The special court, trying 2G
cases, had discharged the Maran
brothers ‑ Dayanidhi and
Kalanithi ‑ in the case, holding
that that there was no prima
facie case warranting the fram‑
ing of charges.
The CBI had chargesheeted
Maran, his brother and business‑
man Kalanithi Maran and others
alleging that Dayanidhi Maran
used his influence to help
Krishnan buy Aircel by coercing
its owner Sivasankaran to part
with his stake.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Will fight to the end in
any trade war: China
Beijing: The Chinese Foreign
Ministry reaffirmed its position
on recent US trade moves, saying
that China will fight to the end in
any trade war.
Hua Chunying said at that
China urges the US to make cau‑
tious decisions.
A White House trade adviser
told reporters that retaliation
could be difficult for China.
In response, Hua said these
remarks miscalculated the situa‑
tion, underestimated China's
resolve and capability to defend
its own legitimate rights and
interests, as well as the price the
United States has to pay for its
recklessness and willfulness.
Hua said the US imported low‑
announcement, China's Commerce
Ministry said it was proposing tar‑
iffs on 128 US products including
pork, wine and seamless steel
tubes. T he $3 billion worth of
goods that Beijing planned to
CBI books Jignesh,
10 others in
Rs 137‑cr fraud case
Mumbai: The CBI has registered
a fresh case against former MCX
Managing Director Jignesh Shah
and 10 others for allegedly facili‑
tating nationwide multi‑exchange
status for the Multi Commodity
Exchange of India Ltd (MCX).
Four former chairmen of the
Forward Market Commission
(FMC) and six others have also
been named in the FIR filed by
the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI).
"Shah and the rest are accused
of facilitating MCX in getting the
status of nationwide multi‑com‑
modity exchange even though it
was not fulfilling stipulated crite‑
ria," a CBI official said.
The CBI also said that Shah and
cost, labor‑intensive products
from China in large quantities,
which considerably lowered the
consumption costs for the US
consumers, increased con‑
sumers' surplus. This in fact
improved consumers' welfare
and also helped the US to curb
inflation in the larger sense.
Maintaining sound and steady
China‑US economic and trade
relations will be conducive to
upholding global economic sta‑
bility and normal international
trade order, she said.
Relevant issues should be
properly resolved through con‑
structive dialogue and consulta‑
tion, which is in the interests of
both sides, Hua said.
penalize represented just about 2
per cent of US exports to China,
which amounted to $130 billion in
2017, said Chad Bown, a senior
fellow at the Peterson Institute for
International Economics in the US.
his company illegally retained
shares beyond the permissible
26 per cent till 2012 and thereby
derived wrongful gains of Rs 137
crore by se lling 26,41,715
excess shares at a rate of Rs
1,032 per share.
Shah is already facing CBI
probe in various other cases.
Besides Shah, the other accused
named by the CBI include MCX
Deputy MD Joseph Massy and
then Deputy Director of Market
Commission Vishal Nair.
The CBI sleuths carried out
searches at nine residential and
office premises of the accused in
Mumbai, Shimla and Gwalior and
recovered several incriminating
documents.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPORTS March 31-April 6, 2018 23

Ball tempering: Smith steps down, punished by ICC

Cape Town: Steven Smith stepped
down as Australia captain for the
remainder of the ongoing third Test
against South Africa and was penal‑
ized by the ICC in the wake of the
ball‑tampering controversy.
Smith's deputy David Warner also
stepped down as vice‑captain..
The decision comes on the back
of the ongoing ball‑tampering con‑
troversy, with Australia's Cameron
Bancroft caught on cameras using
what is believed to be a tape before
attempting to hide the object down
the front of his pants, moments
before the umpires seeming ly
inquired about the contents of his
pockets on the third day of the Cape
Town Test on Saturday.
Television footage later showed
Bancroft rubbing the ball and then
seemingly putting an object back in
his pocket.
As soon as the incident was
shown on the giant screen, the play‑
er was questioned in the presence
of his captain Steve Smith by the
two on‑fie ld umpires Richard
Illingworth and Nigel Llong.
The on‑field of ficials along with
third umpire Ian Gould and fourth
umpire Allahudien Palekar later
charged Bancroft.
The umpires inspected the ball at
that time and elected not to replace
Steven Smith has stepped down as Australiaʼs captain.
the ball and award a five‑run penal‑
ty as they could not see any marks
on the ball that suggested that its
condition had been changed as a
direct result of Bancroft's actions.
Smith and Bancroft admitted to
the of fence after play on the day,
and Bancroft was charged by the
International Cricket Council (ICC)
for altering the condition of the
ball.
A contrite Smith and Bancroft
later addressed a press conference,
admitting to ball‑tampering and
apologized for their actions.
"Following discussions with Steve
Smith and David Warner, they have
agreed to stand down as captain
and vice‑captain respectively for
the remainder of this Test match,"
Cricket Australia CEO James
Sutherland said.
"This Test match needs to pro‑
ceed, and in the interim we will con‑
Rahane replaces Smith as
captain of Rajasthan Royals
New Delhi: In the aftermath of the recent ball tampering controversy
which forced Australia skipper Steve Smith to step down, his IPL fran‑
chise Rajasthan Royals stripped Smith of the captaincy and named
Ajinkya Rahane to lead the side in the upcoming Indian Premier
League.
The Royals, returning to the IPL fold after serving a two‑year ban
on charges of corruption, had on Sunday sought time to take a final
call ahead of the start of the 11th edition of the cash‑rich league.
"Ajinkya Rahane has been an integral part of the Royals family for a
long time now and he understands the culture and values of our
team. We have absolutely no doubt that he will be a great leader of
the Rajasthan Royals," the team's head of cricket Zubin Bharucha said
in a statement.
Rajasthan Royals will launch their season with an away fixture
against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 9 followed by their first home
game in Jaipur on April 11 where they will host Delhi Daredevils at
Sawai Mansingh stadium. The IPL starts April 7 with Mumbai Indians
facing Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai.
tinue to investigate this matter with entire match fee.
the urgency that it demands. Additionally, Bancroft has been
"As I said earlier today, Cricket fined 75 percent of his match fee
Australia and Australian cricket and handed three demerit points
fans expect certain standards of for breaching Level 2 of the ICC
conduct from cricketers represent‑ code of conduct.
ing our country, and on this occa‑ T he CA also apologized to
sion these standards have not been Australia cricket fans, admitting
met," he added. that the episode had put the integri‑
The ICC slapped Smith with a one‑ ty of the players as well as officials
match suspension and fined his under scrutiny.

Cricket can expect some good from Cape Town shock

By Veturi Srivatsa prehension that an Australian team
management did not know that to

A
ustralians proudly proclaim
they play their cricket hard,
now they have revealed they
play so hard that they are out to
win at any cost.
For someone like Steve Smith, one
of the best batsmen in world crick‑
et, going by sheer weight of figures,
it is hard to believe that he could
resort to a stupid tactic like tamper‑
ing with the ball to win a match,
when scores of television cameras
are catching every minute happen‑
ing in detail.
In three years as captain of
Australia, he has done everything a
leader is expected to do and he is
the No.1 batsmen in the
International Cricket Council (ICC)
rankings.
Yet, even the most liberal
Australian cricket fan is today con‑
demning Smith as a cheat after he
had admitted to the ball‑tampering
plot in the third Test at Cape Town.
Accepting the guilt does not miti‑
gate the gravity of the crime.
Now even the ICC levels of
offence and the punishment look
inadequate as Smith was slapped a
ban of just one Test and fined the
entire Cape Town match fee while
the young man (Cameron Bancroft)
who exuberantly executed the dis‑
gusting plan 75 percent of his
match fee. It is beyond one's com‑
carry a foreign object on to the field
with the objective of changing the
condition of the ball to gain an
unreasonable advantage. It is clear‑
ly against not only the Laws, but the
spirit of the game.
The Australians have always been
famous for their sledging, and their
unprintable verbal on‑field
exchanges between individuals
unnerved their opponents, disturb‑
ing their equanimity. This was part
of their strategy, but seldom have
they been so desperate to employ
underhand methods to win a match.
It is not that Smith got into a fit
all of a sudden to numb his think‑ Australian captain Steve Smith (center), vice captain David Warner and the Indian team
ing. He has had a record of on‑field during the second test in Bangalore.
eruptions.
He was fined for his unacceptable
behavior in the Christchurch Test
and had his run‑ins with fast
bowlers, Englishman James
Anderson and on the current tour
with Kagiso Rabada. He was clearly
unhappy that Rabada's ban for two
Tests was overturned by an ICC
inquiry committee.
After the Christchurch flare‑up,
Smith stated that he should learn
from his mistakes to be a better
leader. This was two years ago and
obviously he has not learnt any‑
thing from his past errors.
Cricket can expect some good
from Cape Town shock.
 24 March 31-April 6, 2018 HEALTH TheSouthAsianTimes.info

FDA plans to slash Why eating healthy is so

nicotine in cigarettes
Washington: The Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) said last week
it wants to sharply reduce the
amount of nicotine in cigarettes.
The idea is to help wean millions of
smokers off their deadly habit and
prevent millions more from becom‑
ing regular smokers in the first
place.
"Despite years of aggressive
efforts to tackle the leading cause
of preventable disease and death in
the United States, tobacco use ̶
largely cigarette smoking ̶ still
kills more than 480,000 Americans
every single year," FDA
Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in
a statement.
"Given their combination of toxic‑
ity, addictiveness, prevalence, and
effect on non‑users, it's clear that
to maximize the possible public
health benefits of our regulation,
we must focus our efforts on the
death and disease caused by addic‑
tion to combustible cigarettes," he
said. The FDA hasn't yet decided
exactly how much it will cut nico‑
tine or how quickly.
But the goal is clear. In a Federal
Register notice that is expected to
be published Friday, the agency
said it "is considering developing a
proposed product standard to make
cigarettes minimally addictive or
nonaddictive by setting a maximum
nicotine level."
The agency cited research that
could support reducing levels of
nicotine to 0.3 to 0.5 milligrams
per cigarette. The nicotine levels
delivered by conventional ciga‑
rettes made domestically are in the
range of 1.1 to 1.7 milligrams,
Cutting nicotine to 0.4 mg (from 1.1‑1.7 mg current range) could help
about 5 million adults smokers to quit within one year.
according to the notice.
Cutting nicotine to 0.4 milligrams
could help about 5 million adults
smokers to quit within one year
and prevent more than 33 million
people from becoming regular
smokers by the year 2100. The
shift could reduce the current U.S.
smoking rate from 15 percent to as
low as 1.4 percent, the FDA said,
and prevent 8 million tobacco‑relat‑
ed deaths by the end of the century.
The FDA's move was welcomed
by anti‑smoking advocates.
"The announcement today is
potentially the most significant
public health step the Food and
Drug Administration has taken in
decades," says Matthew Myers, who
heads the Campaign for Tobacco‑
Free Kids. "The benefits laid out in
this proposal are of such an
extraordinary nature that it com‑
pels rapid action. It is a public
health urgency to move forward
rapidly."
One concern is that cutting nico‑
tine in cigarettes could result in
smokers smoking more or inhaling
smoke more deeply to compensate.
Another concern is that slashing
nicotine could lead to a black mar‑
ket in high‑nicotine cigarettes.
But the FDA says research has
indicated that there may be ways to
prevent such negative outcomes.
expensive in America
New York: The
American plate has
increasingly lacked
nutritious food. This
eating trend has serious
consequences: There is
a strong link between
diets low in fruits and
vegetables and obesity
and diabetes.
One reason why
Americans tend to
choose less healthy
options is simple: cost.
Processed foods tend to
have a lot more calories
at a lower price; thatʼs
more bang for your
buck than fresh food if
youʼre on a budget.
Fresh fruits and veg‑
gies are more expensive
to farm than crops that
will be processed.
Produce relies on Fresh fruits and veggies are more expensive
to farm than crops that will be processed.
human labor rather
Processed foods tend to have a lot more
than machines, and
calories at a lower price.
machines are more effi‑
cient and cheaper in the long run. And there are programs trying
But the US government also does‑ to make produce more affordable
nʼt subsidize leafy vegetable for lower‑income Americans. The
crops in the same way it supports Fruit and Vegetable Prescription
wheat, soy, and corn, vital ingre‑ Program, or FVRx, for example,
dients in a lot of junk food. enables doctors to give partici‑
Some programs in the United pants $1 vouchers toward fresh
States are trying to steer con‑ produce. Other potential solu‑
sumers toward healthier options. tions include community gardens
Researchers are suggesting a and creative advertising for
junk food tax on “nonessential” healthy eating.
foods like candy, soda, and potato More research is needed to find
chips as the next frontier in pub‑ out which policies work best, but
lic health policy. Experts cite sim‑ they are worth trying for one
ilar taxes on alcohol and ciga‑ simple reason ̶ if Americans ate
rettes that have worked to curb more fruits and vegetables, theyʼd
consumption. be a whole lot healthier.

New York: Health experts

always advise the people
to slow down their
Cut
calorie intake which
will keep them away
from many diseases
calories
and can help them to
stay fit at the same
to live
time. A recent
researcher at the longer
Pennington Biomedical
Research Center in Baton Rouge tells
about some healthy tips that can help you
to live longer. This research tells that by
cutting the intake to 25 percent a person
can enjoy his life for more.
This sticking and scanning and starving
has many long‑term effects on a personʼs
body and can let him face a number of
complications as well. The study gets fund‑
ed by the National Institute of Health
which also includes the sites of
Washington University in St. Louis and
Tufts in Boston. In the research, the
researchers also tried to find that how a
simple diet can help to slow down the
aging process.
Leanne Redman who is the lead author of
the study and an endocrinolo‑
gist as well tells,
“Restricting calories can
Modicare to be ready for
slow your basal metabol‑
ic rate, the energy you
need to sustain all nor‑
launch by July end
mal daily functions.”
“After two years, the
New Delhi: The Ayushman Bharat National
Health Protection Mission (NHPM), hailed
An important aspect of the paperless,
cashless, portable and IT‑based health
as the world's largest public funded health insurance scheme is the validation of the
lower rate of metabolism
and level of calorie restriction
insurance scheme, would be ready for
launch by July end, Union Health and
target audience who can avail the benefit.
The scheme aims to provide Rs 5 lakh per
was linked to a reduction in
Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda said last family per year medical coverage to 10
oxidative damage to cells and tissues,”
week. crore poor and vulnerable households.
Redman added. The study doesnʼt update
"All activities related to launching of On April 14, the Health Ministry would
about the restriction of calorie intake and
Ayushman Bharat will be done by the end of join the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan of the Rural
the effectiveness of the same on a personʼs
July," he told reporters a day after the Development Ministry to carry out an
lifespan. Luigi Fontana who is an internist
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister exhaustive exercise of updating and validat‑
who had led the Washington University
Narendra Modi approved the health pro‑ ing the data of Socio Economic and Caste
research says, “You can have a low resting
gram will cover 40 per cent of India's popu‑ Census (SECC) with all gram panchayats in
metabolic rate because youʼre dying of
lation. About the timeline, Nadda said the every state. The 10.74 crore eligible fami‑
starvation.”
operational guidelines being drafted by the lies have been identified from various depri‑
“Does that make it a biomarker of
seven working groups will be shared with vation categories based on SECC data.
longevity? No. You can be calorie restricted
the states along with the model of the ten‑ While the Central government has kept Rs
by eating half a hamburger and a few fries
der and the contract in April. Preparation of 10,000 crore for the program, shared by
each day but will you live longer? No, you
1,347 packages that lists down diseases and the Centre and the states in the ratio of
will die of malnutrition,” Fontana added.
related procedures is in the final stage. 60:40, for 2017‑18 and 2018‑19, the
The study tells about the positive aspects
Registration and operationalization of Health Minister said that there is no lack of
of having low‑calorie food which is always
national health agency led by an independ‑ funds and their only concern was to ensure
work in a right manner for the people.
ent CEO will be done in April. the entitled person gets the benefit in time.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SCI-TECH March 31-April 6, 2018 25

Breaking up Google into smaller Apple to unveil a

companies should be kept open
London: The European Union (EU)
has “grave suspicions” about
Googleʼs abuse of the monopoly it
enjoys over Internet search in
Europe and is open to breaking the
tech giant into smaller companies,
the blocʼs competition commis‑
sioner has warned. According to
ʻThe Daily Telegraphʼ, Margrethe
Vestager has said that the threat to
split the Internet giant up into
smaller companies must be kept
open.
In June last year, the Danish
commissioner slapped the technol‑
ogy giant with a record fine of
2.42 billion euros or $2.7 billion
for breaching EU antitrust rules by
abusing the monopoly it enjoys
over Internet search. Google has a
91.5 per cent share of the search‑
engine market in Europe, the
report said.
“I think it is important to keep
that question open and on the
agenda. We are not there yet but it
is important to keep an awakened
eye,” Vestager was quoted as say‑
ing when asked if the only solution
to its dominance was to break up
the company.
She warned that the search
engine could become so big as to
EU competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager said the EU is
suspicious about Google's abuse of its monopoly (Image : afr.com)
be indispensable for businesses
and the economy. “There is no ban
on success in Europe. You get to be
dominant and you get a special
responsibility that you do not
destroy the already weakened
competition,” she was quoted as
saying.”We have proven their dom‑
inance in search and we have
found they have misused this dom‑
inance to promote themselves and
diminish competitors,” she added.
This development comes at a
time when another Silicon Valley
giant Facebook is facing flak for
data breach. Facebook is facing the
heat after Cambridge Analytica, a
British consulting company, was
accused of harvesting data of up to
50 million Facebook users without
permission and using the data to
help politicians, including US
President Donald Trump and the
Brexit campaign. EU and British
lawmakers have demanded that
social media giant Facebook
should clarify data breach follow‑
ing revelations that personal data
was massively misused for politi‑
cal purposes. (IANS)
lower‑cost iPad for
students, teachers
Chicago: Apple will reportedly
release a new, low‑cost iPad
aimed at teachers and students.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman
reports that Apple has devel‑
oped the education‑focused
device in an attempt to "win
back" students and teachers. In
recent years, both Microsoft
and Google have found success
in the education market thanks
to their lower cost laptops and
tablets.
Currently, Apple's lowest‑cost
iPad is the 9.7‑inch iPad, which
starts at $330. There's no word
yet on how much the new iPad
(Image courtesy: apple.com)
would cost.
Apple most recently launched
an updated iPad Pro at WWDC
last year. The new model came
in a different size ‑ 10.5 inches ‑
and included updated features
and specs like a better display,
smoother scrolling, a faster
chip, the ability to multitask
among apps, and the same cam‑
era that's in the iPhone 7.
Bloomberg reports that Apple
is also working on a new
MacBook laptop that would
cost less than $1,000, which
would likely replace the
MacBook Air.

Novel AI tool may help tackle
substance abuse in youth
New York:
Researchers have
developed a novel
algorithm‑based on
artificial intelligence
(AI) that leverages
social networks to
optimize substance
abuse intervention
groups for the home‑
less youth.
The algorithm cate‑
gorizes partici‑
pants, who volun‑ (Image : dailycampus.com)
tarily work on
recovery, into
smaller groups, or subgroups, in a way
that maintains helpful social connec‑
tions and breaks social connections that
could be detrimental to recovery and
inadvertently expose them to negative
behaviors.
"We know that substance abuse is
highly affected by social influence; in
other words, who you are friends with,"
said Aida Rahmattalabi, a post‑doctoral
student at the University of Southern
California in the US.
"In order to improve the effectiveness
of interventions, you need to know how
people will influence each other in a
group," Rahmattalabi added.
While group therapy can offer sup‑
port to homeless youth, if not structured
properly, they can also lead to friend‑
China's Baidu can now test
self‑driving cars in Beijing
Beijing: China's capital city has given the
green light to tech giant Baidu Inc to test
self‑driving cars on city streets, just days
after an autonomous Uber vehicle killed a
woman in Arizona.
Beijing gave Baidu, best known as
China's version of search engine Google, a
permit to test its autonomous vehicles on
33 roads spanning around 105 kilometers
(65 miles) in the city's less‑populated sub‑
urbs, the firm said in a statement.
It is the first company to receive licenses
to conduct open road tests in Beijing, and
five cars ventured onto public roads in the
Daxing district on Thursday.
ships based on anti‑social behavior. "With supportive policies, we believe that
The team tackled this problem from an Beijing will become a rising hub for the
AI perspective, creating an algorithm autonomous driving industry," Baidu Vice‑
that takes into account both how the President Zhao Cheng said in the state‑
individuals in a subgroup are connected ment. "We hope to work with more part‑
‑‑ their social ties ‑‑ and their prior histo‑ ners to pave the way for the full develop‑
ry of substance abuse. ment of autonomous driving."
Survey data gathered voluntarily from There is growing scrutiny on safety glob‑
homeless youth, as well as behavioral ally after a fatal accident involving an Uber
theories and observations of previous self‑driving car in Tempe, Arizona earlier
interventions, were used to build a com‑ this month. The autonomous Uber, which
putational model of the interventions. was driving at about 64 kph (40 mph) at
"Based on this we have an influence the time, did not slow down for a pedestri‑
model that explains how likely it is for an who was hit and later died.
an individual to adopt negative behav‑ It is thought to be the first time a pedes‑
iors or change negative behaviors based trian has been killed by an autonomous
on their participation in the group," vehicle. The National Transportation Safety
Rahmattalabi noted. Board is investigating the crash but the
"This helps us predict what happens local police chief said "Uber would likely
when we group people into smaller not be at fault in this incident."
China's tech giant Baidu Inc is the
first company to receive the license to
conduct the open road tests
(Image courtesy: newsweek.com)
Despite this, the company has reportedly
paused all self‑driving operations in
Tempe, San Francisco, and Toronto and a
number of other companies, including
Toyota, followed suit.
"Because Toyota Research Institute (TRI)
feels the incident may have an emotional
effect on its test drivers, TRI has decided to
temporarily pause its own Chauffeur mode
testing on public roads," Toyota told
Business Insider.
There have also been calls for companies
to be more transparent about the use of
self‑driving technology with the public.
But in China, Baidu is leading the push
for driverless technology, with Beijing keen
to keep up with global rivals such as
Waymo, the self‑driving arm of Google par‑
ent Alphabet and Tesla. (Source: www.busi‑
nessinsider.in)
26 March 31-April 6, 2018 HERITAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

The Magic of Vedic Mathematics Part 7

Rediscovered half a century ago by the Puri Shankaracharya Bharati Krishna Tirtha, Vedic Mathematics is a lightning fast mental math
system. We continue to serialize from ‘The Curious Hats of Magical Maths’ book that makes learning the system easy.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
The P-3 Visa: Dancing, Acting, &
Singing to Show Your Culture!
By Michael Phulwani, Esq.
& Dev B. Viswanath, Esq.
T TALK
he P‑visa is a temporary
nonimmigrant visa that is
granted to individuals who
wish to come to the U.S. to per‑
form services as an international‑
ly recognized athlete, entertainer,
and/or performer. There are four
different categories of P visas:
4 P‑1A: Internationally recog‑
nized athletes
4 P‑1B: A member of an inter‑
nationally recognized entertain‑
ment group
4 P‑2: Artist or entertainer,
individually or as part of a group,
coming to the U.S. to perform
under a reciprocal exchange pro‑
gram
4 P‑3: Artist or entertainer
coming to the U.S. to specifically
teach, perform, or coach under a
culturally unique program.
In order to be eligible for a P‑3
non‑immigrant visa an individual
must be coming to the U.S. with
the intention of developing, inter‑
preting, coaching, or teaching a
unique or traditional ethnic, folk,
cultural, musical, theatrical, or
artistic performance or presenta‑
tion. The individual must also
take part in a cultural event(s)
which will advance the under‑
standing or development of their
artwork. We often utilize the P3
visa for people coming for shows,
concerts, plays and performances.
What is the first step? A
prospective P‑3 employer or
sponsoring organization must file
a petition on behalf of an individ‑
ual or individuals in a group. The
petition must be accompanied
with supporting documents such
as
4 Written consultation from
IMMIGRATION
an appropriate labor organiza‑
tion;
4 Contracts;
4 An explanation of the events
or activities and a copy of the itin‑
erary for the events or activities;
4 Letters from perceived spe‑
cialists attesting to the genuine‑
ness of the individuals or individ‑
ualʼs group abilities in perform‑
ing, presenting, coaching, or
teaching the unique and tradition‑
al art form; and
4 Evidence that all the per‑
formances or presentations will
be culturally unique events.
P‑3 Visa Holderʼs Essential
Support Personnel: According to
USCIS “essential support person‑
nel who are an integral part of
the performance of a P‑3 artists
or entertainer and who perform
support services that cannot be
readily performed by a U.S. work‑
er” are also eligible for P‑3 classi‑
fication. A few examples of sup‑
port personnel include coaches,
scouts, and trainers. The U.S. peti‑
Answers
Extracted from ʻThe Curious Hats of Magical Maths ‑ Vedic Mathematics for Schools Book 1ʼ
by James Glover, with permission from Motilal Banarsidass (MLBD). Founded in 1903, they
specialize in Indology books. For more information, Mr R.P. Jain, email: mlbd@mlbd.com.
March 31-April 6, 2018 27
tioner must file a separate peti‑ ue or complete the event, activity
tion for ESP in addition to the pri‑ or performance.
mary P3 petition. Any dependents of P‑3 nonim‑
Under a P‑3 visa an individual migrants, spouse and children
may stay in the U.S. for the time under the age of 21, may be eligi‑
needed to complete the event, ble for P‑4 nonimmigrant status.
activity or performance, but it However, dependents are not
may not be for more than one allowed to work, but they are
year. After the initial period of allowed to study, and the P‑4 sta‑
stay ends, an extension of stay tus is granted for no longer than
may be granted in increments for the period of time granted to the
up to one year in order to contin‑ principal P‑3 nonimmigrant.
Dev Banad Viswanath is the Principal
Attorney of The Banad Law Offices PC in the
United States, and Banad Immigration in
India for which Attorney Michael Phulwani is
also affiliated as Of Counsel. With Offices in
Manhattan, Queens, Bangalore, and Mumbai,
the firm is able to assist clients with all facets
of the immigration process, including
Employment Visas, Consular Visa Assistance,
Student Visas, Removal & Deportation, US
Citizenship and Green Card Applications
based on Family or Employment. Dev B.
Viswanath can be reached at
Dev@Banadlaw.com and 718‑361‑5999.
To be continued in the following issues of The South Asian Times.
US distributor: southasiabooks@gmail.com
 28 March 31-April 6, 2018 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Side by Nury Vittachi

A rash of crimes by animals gets us thinking

T
wo large sums of public money went
missing in Nigeria recently. In one
case, the of ficial concerned said a
MONKEY had run off with the cash and, in
the other, an official said that a SNAKE took
it.
The population was highly skeptical, since
large sums of public money are not kept as
bank notes so the animals would have had
to arrange bank transfers, a bit of a chal‑
lenge for any tiny‑brained creatures such as
snakes, monkeys, bacteria, nationalist politi‑
cians, newspaper columnists, etc.
The of ficials probably chose such weak
excuses because there have been a rash of
animal‑steals‑stuf f stories in the news
recently.
Consider what happened in Chonburi,
Thailand, last month. A monkey stole a
smartphone. T he phone‑owner's friend
Mongkol Wisulokanon pressed video call,
hoping to surprise the monkey into drop‑
ping the phone. But the monkey answered
the video call. The ape then sent the "bye‑
bye" emoji, which is a waving hand.
Mong kol recorded screenshots of the
exchange as proof.
This is astonishing. Many adults couldn't
do such a thing without weeks of training by
small children.
This lends credence to the theory that
some species (monkeys, dogs, dolphins, cats)
are actually smarter than humans but hide
the fact so that they don't have to pay tax,
wear clothes, work in offices, take out mort‑
gages, etc.
In 2012 a band of monkeys reportedly
learned to understand Indian train platform
announcements ‑‑ again something few
adults can do. They would wait for the echo‑
ing voice to make an announcement: "The
next train to arrive at Platform Seven will be
the 2.15 express", and they'd gather for
action.
As passengers emerged on to the platform
of Rajasthan's Chittorgarh station, the mon‑
keys would grab people's bags, the wire
service IANS reported. At the time, station
bosses offered a cash prize of $365 to any‑
one who could think of a way of dealing
with the problem, but they ignored my sug‑
gestion: Give them uniforms and call them
porters.
Another recent animal‑as‑thief story took
place in New Zealand in January this year.
Auckland resident Ed Williams got into trou‑
ble when his girlfriend found another
woman's underwear at his home. Ed swore
he knew nothing about it. They later discov‑
ered his cat Mo stealing clothes from neigh‑
bors.
A colleague reading over my shoulder
liked the idea of blaming a cat for his love
affairs, but I told him that blaming the lip‑
stick on his collar on animals would just
make his terrible reputation worse.
But my favorite "it ate my money" story
happened in China a year ago. Qi Shengli, a
60‑year‑old farmer in Sichuan province,
opened his buried savings haul of 20,000
yuan (about $3,000) and found that white
ants had eaten most of it.
The bank refused to replace the money.
But an artist from Beijing bought the shred‑
ded remnants of money from the farmer as
"conceptual art"!
The ending of that true story leads me to
two conclusions. First, life is so weird that
there's really nothing like it. Second, the the‑
ory that animals are actually smarter than
us is starting to sound seriously believable.
Does your household pet, like mine, give you
secret pitying looks when it thinks you can't
see it? I'm sure mine does.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA
AND
PAKISTAN

New York Head Quarter

422‑S Broadway
HICKSVILLE
NY 11801
By Mahendra Shah
516‑827‑1010
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
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
MARCH 31‑APRIL 6, 2018
ARIES: You will need time to
sort a personal problem, so
donʼt be hasty. Home remedy
may come in handy in getting rid of a
nagging health problem. Keep your
wits about in a competitive situation
on the academic front. Donʼt volun‑
teer for anything at work, if you are
not confident of completing it in time.
A stagnating romantic life may need
urgent resurrection, so be up to it!
Weather may play spoilsport in a
leisure trip.
TAURUS: Your nature is likely
to impress those around you.
Chances of getting into thick
soup over an issue on the profession‑
al front cannot be ruled out. Your
performance on the academic front
may leave much to be desired.
Enjoying the company of loved ones
is on the cards. Someone will be there
to help you out financially. It is in
your interest to improve your eating
habits, if you want to remain healthy.
Love life remains satisfactory.
GEMINI: You may need to
speak up for someone, so donʼt
run away from it! Something
that you had been hoping for on the
professional front is likely to happen
this week. Academic front looks
bright, as you are able to give a good
account of yourself. Be judicious in
putting money in betting or specula‑
tion, as luck may not support you
indefinitely. You will need to prevent
someone you dislike from latching on
to you in an outing. Health remains
satisfactory.
CANCER: If you are waiting
for a favourable outcome of
something important, it is
time to rejoice! Your financial situa‑
tion is set to improve. Efforts put on
the professional front are likely to get
you noticed by those who matter. An
alternative medicine may give relief
from an ailment. Academic pursuits
will prove fruitful and get you nearer
your goal. A short vacation cannot be
ruled out for some. Chance of setting
up a new house may soon come.
LEO: Something said in jest by
you may not go down well with
your near and dear ones, so be
careful. You are likely to remain in a
confused state of mind this week due
to indecisiveness of a senior.
Increasing workload threatens to take
up a major portion of your time this
week. Setting the pace on the academ‑
ic front will be a step in the right direc‑
tion. Blowing hot and cold in a rela‑
tionship cannot be ruled out for some.
VIRGO: This is a great week
for you, when you finally get
your way. You will feel proud
of something achieved at work. Great
opportunities await you on the aca‑
demic front. Your resolve to become
fit is likely to bring positive results on
the health front. Money w ill no
longer be a problem, as you spend
wisely and focus on saving. You are
likely to find your partner loving and
caring. Romance is on the cards for
some.
LIBRA: Going is likely to get
better on the professional
front. Something that you
were unable to achieve previously
will come within your grasp on the
academic front. You are likely to take
steps to make your love life more
exciting and enjoyable. Good net‑
working opportunity may present
itself on the social front. Those trying
to get the best price for their proper‑
ty may get lucky this week.
SCORPIO: A great outing is in
store for you this week, so get
set to enjoy your heart out! A
family event will bring you into the
limelight. This week turns out well, as
you are able to achieve your aims
both on personal and professional
fronts. Excelling in academics is a
foregone conclusion and will add to
your prestige. Meeting targets and
going beyond may make you a strong
contender for winning extra incen‑
tives at work.
SAGITTARIUS: A small begin‑
ning may be made that will
ultimate ly lead to profits.
Someone who has caught your fancy
on the romantic front may send posi‑
tive signals.
A chance for an overseas journey is
likely to materialise and make you
see new places. Someone in the fami‑
ly may make you feel proud by his or
her achievement. You will manage to
keep your professional front in order
by being proactive. You may opt for
an exercise regimen.
CAPRICORN: You may not be
in a position to prevent some‑
one from going ahead with his
idea, so let it be. A property you have
been eyeing for long is likely to come
within your grasp.
It will be difficult to bulldoze your
way at work, as a senior may get into
the details of your performance.
Remain well prepared on the academ‑
ic front to avoid getting surprised.
Donʼt be rash while driving to avoid
unnecessary risks.
AQUARIUS: Someoneʼs caring
attitude will keep you in a
happy mood. You will be able
to compel someone to change the
date of a social event to be able to
attend the same. Lover may need
space, so respect it by giving a back‑
seat to romance. Health tips given by
someone are likely to come to your
aid now.
Your stubborn nature can get you
into trouble on the professional front,
if you are not careful.
PISCES: You will need to be in
the fore front of things to
ensure success. Attempts at
coming back in shape will be richly
rewarded. Money spent for a good
cause will give excellent returns in
kind. Some of you may get tempted to
steal a short vacation in the midst of
work.
Facelift of house is on the cards and
will provide a much needed change.
Differences with spouse may crop up,
so it is best to give space.
ASTROLOGY
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
31st March, 2018
Traits in you: Uranus, being your
dominating planet helps you become
dynamic and creative. You are positive,
realistic, responsive, and sincere. You
need to work and overcome the weak‑
nesses in your personality to attract
more people towards you.
Health this year: You will enjoy a
good health throughout this year but
provided you go for regular medical
checkups and take proper medication
prescribed by the doctor.
Finance this year: Your financial con‑
dition will be pretty good as the move‑
ments of your stars are favorable for
making money this year. You may go
for any investment on real estate or
gold. Do not trust anyone when part‑
nerships are concerned. You should not
lend or borrow money as it will create
disputes.
Career this year: You may have to
take few major decisions in your pro‑
fession. You can succeed if you put
some extra ef fort in your work and
deliver quality. You have to drive the
team to put qualitative effort.
Romance this year: Your plans to go
for holidays with your partner may not
work because of huge work pressure
and this may create disturbance in your
marital life. You need to take care of the
emotional requirements of your partner
to lead a peaceful life this year.
1st April, 2018
Traits in you: Due to the positive
effects of your ruling planet Sun, you
will have the characteristics of a good
human being. By nature, you are
accountable, unique, courageous, com‑
mitted, competitive, coordinated and
intelligent. You should work on your
negative personality traits such as self‑
ishness, dependency and pessimism.
Health this year: You may remain
worried for the health of your spouse.
Your will remain fit though it needs
extra care. You should regularly visit to
your doctor for checkups. Try to secure
your parentʼs health as they may suffer
from frequent ailments throughout this
year.
Finance this year: This year may
bring you huge financial benefits. You
will enjoy the returns of your past
investments. If you want to gain finan‑
cial profits, you need to work hard. You
may invest in various profitable busi‑
nesses. Howt‑ever, you should not start
new partnerships or trust new friends.
Career this year: You may get the
chance to complete all your previous
assignments and this will enhance your
respect as a brilliant performer in your
professional circuit. If you are into a
profession that demands creativity,
then you will be very successful this
year as far as your career is concerned.
Romance this year: If you are yet to
be in a committed relationship, you may
get into one this year. If you are already
committed, then you may plan for mar‑
riage towards the end of the year.
2nd April, 2018
Traits in you: As you are influenced
by the Moon, you are confident, emo‑
tional, imaginative, simple, creative,
courteous, and warm hearted. You can
easily make friends because of your
nature so you enjoy enormous respect
amongst your friends. You should con‑
trol your mood swings and you should
not be lazy.
Health this year: You will enjoy a nor‑
mal health this year. However, you need
to be in regular contact with your doc‑
tor to remain healthy. If you face some
minor health issues, you should take
prescribed medication without
March 31-April 6, 2018
neglecting.
Finance this year: You may go
through a moderate financial condition
this year. You past investments may not
bring you expected results. You may get
minimal return from your fixed savings
and that would not make you secure
financially. You should not lend money
to anyone during this year as you may
feel the requirement of money at any
point of time.
Career this year: You will be given
more responsibility this year as you
have proved yourself to be an efficient
resource for your employer. You may
expect a promotion or salary hike later
this year. You should guide your ordi‑
nates to perform better and bring unex‑
pected results for your organization.
Romance this year: You may find
yourself among the wedding bells if
you are eligible. Your love life with your
partner will flourish with the love, care,
and support of your partner.
3rd April, 2018
Traits in you: Being ruled by Jupiter,
you are courteous, courageous, deci‑
sive, ambitious, disciplined, and realis‑
tic. You are gifted with high imagina‑
tion power, optimism, and enthusiasm.
However, behaving restless and domi‑
nating may hamper your characteristics
at times. You need to work on your per‑
sonality to make yourself better as an
individual.
Health this year: You will be going
through a not so very good health this
year around. You might need to take
proper care of your health by frequent‑
ly visiting your doctor for medical
checkups. You need to adhere to the
medications prescribed by the doctors
for your betterment.
Finance this year: You may be able to
improve your financial conditions by
find an extra source of income. You
may go for new short term investments.
You will be able to obtain luxury and
happiness by spending money.
Career this year: Your confidence will
convert you into a winner. You will be
capable enough to overcome any chal‑
lenge you need to face. The chances of
your promotion and transfer are high
due to the organizational change.
Romance this year: You may get
engaged to your love this year. You will
enjoy a great marital life with your
beloved. You will find your partner sup‑
portive enough in every situation. You
should try and maintain a better rela‑
tionship with your partner to enjoy a
better family life.
4th April, 2018
Traits in you: Your ruling planet
Uranus blesses you with a charismatic
character. You are able to impress any‑
one in your surroundings with your
nature and attitude. You are generous,
peace loving, disciplined, and creative in
nature. Your hard work pays off every
time and you get success as a result.
Health this year: You would not
remain satisfied as far your health is
concerned as minor illness may disturb
you throughout this year. To avoid
these health issues, you need to take
care of your health by taking healthy
food and medicines at time. You may go
for yoga and meditation.
Finance this year: Financial gains will
be plenty for you this year as your past
investments would pay of f. You may
start few new business ventures. You
may expand your business in foreign as
well. Do not trust new people as they
may prove untrustworthy. Do not lend a
big amount of money.
Career this year: Your ef forts will
bear results and you will be appreciated
29
with awards and rewards towards the
end of the year. You may get a promo‑
tion for your smart work and efficiency.
Romance this year: If you are yet to
be in a relationship, this year is the
ideal time to find a partner. You will get
ample support from your spouse in any
critical decision you have to take. You
should show your love to your partner
as it strengthens your relationship.
5th April, 2018
Traits in you: You will go through
minor health issues this year. You have
to take regular advice from the doctor
and practice healthy nutrition and diet
to remain healthy. Meditation and yoga
may help you in retaining a perfect
health throughout the year.
Health this year: Your new business
alliances and partnerships will help you
earn financial stability this year. You
will receive all the pending payments
and money you gave away as loans in
the past. You should go for investing in
real estates and share market.
Finance this year: You need to focus
on your profession and put your cent
per cent effort to achieve your expected
goals. You will be appreciated by your
peers and seniors for your efficient out‑
put. You may be assigned extra respon‑
sibilities as you are very decisive and
capable of performing wonders.
Career this year: You need to focus
on your profession and put your cent
per cent effort to achieve your expected
goals. You will be appreciated by your
peers and seniors for your efficient out‑
put. You may be assigned extra respon‑
sibilities as you are very decisive and
capable of performing wonders.
Romance this year: You should avoid
any kind of conflict with your beloved.
Plan a long holiday with your spouse to
make your relationship stronger. If you
are unmarried, you should not get to a
marital relationship this year as the
movement of your stars is not favorable
for marriage.
6th April, 2018
Traits in you: As you are ruled by
Venus, you are optimistic, modest,
focused, punctual, reliable, and depen‑
dant. You are pretty interested in doing
social work and charity. However, you
should control your mood swings,
impatience, and whim.
Health this year: You need to focus
on your health a little more as you may
fall sick frequently this year. You
should go for regular medical checkups
to maintain a healthy life. Your parents
may fall sick towards the end of the
year and it will put you in immense
pressure.
Finance this year: You will get finan‑
cial benefits if you have invested in
past. For future financial gains, you
may invest on real estate and stock
market. You should study the market
well before investing on anything. Do
not be in a hurry to invest as it may go
in loss.
Career this year: As far as your pro‑
fessional life is concerned, you are
expected to get a lot of opportunities
throughout this year. However, you
have to work hard and ef ficiently to
convert those opportunities. Being a
quick decision maker, you may have to
decide on many critical matters in your
professional circle.
Romance this year: You will share a
good relationship with your spouse.
You may decide to turn your relation‑
ship into marriage if you are not mar‑
ried yet. However, you need to under‑
stand your beloved and provide the
required emotional support for the bet‑
terment of your relationship.
30 March 31-April 6, 2018 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Mysticism, the science that

injects life with peace and joy
pursuit deals with realms of expe‑ The method is simple. As we
rience that ultimately transcend gaze within, we transcend aware‑
that which is physical and mental, ness of body‑consciousness into
it seems mysterious. That is why realms of Light and Sound within.
this approach came to be known As we continue this process we
as mysticism. will prove to ourselves that there
By Sant Rajinder Singh Mysticism, however, is a science is Light and Sound beyond, that
Ji Maharaj that injects life with understand‑ we can exist separately from the
ing, joy, peace, and love. It is a physical body, and that there are

M
ysticism, rightly under‑
stood, is the most univer‑
sal and fundamental
approach to achieving an integrat‑
ed and fulfilling life. In a world
that has made such remarkable
scientific and material progress,
the challenge before us, individu‑
ally and collectively, is to make
similarly spectacular progress in
the spiritual sphere.
Each of us is allotted a limited
amount of time on earth. During
this time we have a unique oppor‑
tunity to investigate the purpose
for which we were born and try to
understand the meaning of life
itself.
The desire to know and under‑
stand things seems to be innate in
human beings. Scientists are
engaged in this pursuit, but the
tools they use are limited to those
that are physical and intellectual.
Over the years, saints and mystics
have unraveled the mysteries of
life and death and have discov‑
ered that complete understanding
could only be gained at the spiri‑
tual level. Because the spiritual
practical approach to living that
enriches our inner life and enrich‑
es our relationships with others.
The basic premise of mysticism is
that each of us, in reality, is a soul
inhabiting a physical body for a
rather short period of time. It may
be twenty, forty, sixty, eighty, or
even a hundred years, but in the
not too distant future, each of us
will die and leave this world.
Where did our soul come from
before we entered this world?
Where will it go after we leave
here? What is the purpose of this
world, and of life itself? These
questions are fundamental to
understanding our human exis‑
tence.
The mystics are those enlight‑
ened individuals who have
searched and found the answers
to these questions. They tell us
that the purpose of our life is to
reunite our soul with its Creator,
and they offer to teach us a
method by which we can do so.
Throughout the ages many meth‑
ods have been taught to achieve
this union, but in our contempo‑
rary world, we need an approach
that takes into account the reali‑
ties of modern life. Such an
approach to mysticism offers
unlimited opportunities for
improving our lives and improv‑
ing the lives of people throughout
the globe.
The beginning of our soulʼs jour‑
ney is the contact with the Light
and Sound of God. The Light and
Sound current flows out from God,
higher realms of divine conscious‑
ness. The test is to prove it to our‑
selves. Those who spend time
daily in this process have had suc‑
cess in proving the hypothesis
that there is an existence beyond
this world.
Through meditation on the
inner Light and Sound we can
achieve the peace, harmony, love,
and bliss that we so desperately
seek, and we can be a part of an
ever‑increasing group of people
who are spreading peace and
human unity throughout the
world.
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji
but it also flows back to God. We
Maharaj is an internationally
can catch this current at the point
recognized spiritual leader
of the third or single eye. That is
and Master of Jyoti
the connecting point between our
Meditation who affirms the
soul in the body and the Light and
transcendent oneness at the
Sound current emanating from
heart of all religions and
the Creator. If we can concentrate
mystic traditions, emphasizing
our attention at that point, we can ethical living and meditation
soar on it back through the higher as building blocks for
regions of existence. The current achieving inner and outer
will ultimately lead us to our pri‑ peace. www.sos.org.
mary Source, back to the Lord.

Theory vs. Practice

better idea. Rather than go to Mount
By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji
Sinai where Moses was given the Ten
Maharaj
Commandments, why donʼt you just stay
The true heart of the spiritual teachings is in the
practice. It is not enough to know what others have
said about it. It is essential that we have our own
firsthand experience of spirituality. That can be
accomplished when we sit in meditation.
not enough to read the books or scrip‑ and accomplish spiritual progress, we
tures and know the theory. We need to are being unrealistic. We need to practice
live up to them in our own lives. If we daily.
learn a method of meditation and in‑ It is said that if we take one step to‑
structions for progress, that is not ward God, God will take a hundred steps

O
nce the great writer Mark Twain
was having a discussion with a
businessman who was known for
being aggressive and ruthless in his deal‑
ings with others.
The businessman said to the writer,
"Before I die I would like to make a pil‑
grimage to the Holy Land and climb to
the top of Mount Sinai to read the Ten
Commandments aloud at the top."
Mark Twain quickly replied, "I have a
home here in Boston and practice the
Ten Commandments in your life!"
This humorous comment carries a sig‑
nificant meaning. Many of us read the
Commandments or advice given by the
great saints in the scriptures. Many of us
are happy even to preach what our holy
books say. But how many of us live up to
the teachings we follow?
There is a big difference between
knowing the theory and practicing it. It is
enough; we have to actually practice it.
The true heart of the spiritual teach‑
ings is in the practice. It is not enough to
know what others have said about it. It is
essential that we have our own firsthand
experience of spirituality. That can be ac‑
complished when we sit in meditation.
Progress is a matter of accuracy. We
can become accurate only by practice.
Practice makes perfect. If we expect to sit
in meditation once or twice in our life
toward us. The time we spend in medita‑
tion will be richly rewarded.
Instead of merely reading the Ten Com‑
mandments, live them.
If we do our meditations and lead ethi‑
cal lives, observing the virtues of nonvio‑
lence, truthfulness, purity, humility, self‑
less service, and love for all, we will be
blessed with inner vision. We will have
the proof for ourselves of the existence
of our soul and God.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info March 31-April 6, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info March 31-April 6, 2018