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Vol.9 No. 44 March 4-10, 2017 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

PM Modi unveils 112ft Trump finally

Adiyogi statue in Coimbatore
112-ft
to explore 112
dimensions
condemns Indian
techie's killing
of life

08
months to
build the
statue
In address to Congress, the President pitched
500 for merit-based immigration as in Canada and
tonnes
its weighs Australia, a move welcomed in India.
Washington: President Donald
Trump has finally denounced the
killing of an Indian techie in Kansas
Prime Minister Narendra
and endorsed a "meritbased" sys
Modi with Sadhguru at
tem focused on allowing highskilled
the consecration of
Adiyogi, considered the workers into the US.
largest face on the planet. Trump began his first address to
Congress on the Capitol Hill on
Coimbatore: Mahashivarathri was celebrat Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of Tuesday by condemning the fatal
ed with hundreds of thousands of people Sadhguru. attack on Srinivas Kuchibhotla, say
in attendance at the Isha Yoga Center, Adiyogi is the largest face on the planet, ing the country "stands united in
Coimbatore on Feb 24, made special by the recognizing the first yogis unparalleled condemning hate and evil".
unveiling of the towering 112 feet face of contribution to humanity. This iconic face "Last week's shooting in Kansas
Adiyogi the Source of Yoga by Prime symbolizes Continued on page 4 city reminds us that while we may
be a nation divided on policies, we
are a country that stands united in

Russian envoy at center of condemning hate and evil in all its

forms," he said.
A White House spokeswoman said Trump delivering his first address to the US Congress,

new Trump controversy the shooting appeared to be "an act

Continued on page 4
which was favorably received as it was less abrasive
compared to his inaugural address. (Photo: IANS)
Washington: The Trump adminis
tration's backtoback controver
sies over its Russian ties now have
India must not make H-1B/L1 issue
at least one thing in common:
Russian Ambassador to the US,
Sergey Kislyak, reports AP.
agenda for talks with US: Think tank
Washington: President Donald Trump has to acquire some of American strategic hi
A Washington fixture with a
made some shifts from his preelection tech companies. This would help generate
sprawling network, he has
rhetoric, and India should monitor it for jobs in the US and provide financial
emerged as the central figure in
better bilateral ties with the US, an Indian returns to India. The Hyderabadbased
the investigations into Trump
thinkthank has said in a report. CAAPR analyzed recent incidents regard
advisers' connections with Russia.
The report by the Center for Asia Africa ing Trump's position on Mexico, Japan
In a matter of weeks, contact with
Policy Research (CAAPR) has suggested and China, and how it changed after
Kislyak led to the firing of a top
that India should avoid making H1B/L1 Trump won the presidential elections in
adviser to the president and, on
visa matters a major agenda point of bilat 2016. The CAAPR report said that corpo
Thursday, prompted calls for the US Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself
eral discussions with the US. It said that in rations of India and the US should jointly
attorney general to resign. from any probe into Trump campaigns contacts with
Russians over revelation that he had met the Russian order to savor better ties with the US, work on projects in the developing
Separately, a White House
Ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak (right). Indian corporations should be encouraged countries.
Continued on page 4

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info March 4-10, 2017
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY March 4-10, 2017 3

By 2050, India will have worlds Sarna meets Trump

most Muslims: Pew Research
Washington: India will have the largest popula
tion of Muslims in the world by 2050,
American think tank Pew Research
Centre predicted in a new report
titled Muslims Are the Fastest
Growing Religious Group in the
World. India will have more
than 300 million Muslims by
2050, according to the Pew
report. At 249 million,
Indonesia currently has the
worlds largest Muslim popula
tion.)
According to the 2011 census,
India has 170 million Muslims account
ing for the 14.23 per cent of the population.
In 2010, there were 1.6 billion Muslims in
the world and if the current demographic
trends continue, the Muslim population is
expected to exceed the number of Christians by
the end of this century. Islam is currently the
worlds secondlargest re lig ion after
Christianity and is the fastestgrowing religion
on the planet.
The report added that the Muslim population
in Europe is growing too. Ten per cent of all
Europeans will be Muslims by 2050, it said.
About 3.3 million Muslims lived in the US in
2015, about one per cent of the US population.
Demographic projections estimate Muslims
in 2050 will make up 2.1 per cent of US
population.
A majority of Muslims, almost 62
per cent, live in the AsiaPacific
reg ion which includes India,
Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Iran and Turkey, among others.
The Pew report attributed the
rapid projected growth of Islam
across the globe to two factors, and
both involve simple demographics.
For one, the report said, Muslims
have more children than mem
bers of other religious groups.
Around the world, each Muslim
woman has an average of 3.1 children, com
pared with 2.3 for all other groups combined.
Muslims are also the youngest (median age of
23 years old in 2010) of all major religious
groups, seven years younger than the median
age of nonMuslims, the Pew research said. As a
result, a larger share of Muslims already are, or
will soon be, at the point in their lives when
they begin having children. This, combined
with high fertility rates, will fuel Muslim popu
lation growth, it added.
in Oval Ofce
India's
Ambassador
to the US
Navtej Sarna
and President
Trump
Washington: India's Ambassador to
the US Navtej Sarna has met President
Donald Trump, even as his counter
parts from other countries also met Mr
Trump at the Oval Of fice in White
House. This was the first meeting of
the top Indian diplomat with Trump
after he was sworn in as the US
President on January 20. A 1980
batch IFS officer, Sarna arrived in the
US a few days before the November 8
presidential elections last year. Prior
to his appointment as envoy to US, Mr
Sarna was India's High Commissioner
to the UK. Postelection, Sarna could
not meet the then President Barack
Obama during the transition.
Before leaving his office, Obama had
issued an executive order formally cre
dentialing all the new ambassadors
including Mr Sarna so as to facilitate
them to attend the swearing in cere
mony of the new president.
Since arriving in the US, Mr Sarna
has met scores of top American law
makers, has engaged the community
across the country and interacted with
the thinktanks.
Last week, he hosted a reception for
National Governors Association that
was attended by Governors from 25
States.

Indian American woman Raja Krishnamoorthi urges

cuffed in Georgia for Sessions to combat hate crimes
expired drivers license
New York: An Indian American
woman from Georgia, Shalini
Gupta, has alleged in a widely
circulated social media post on
WhatsApp that she was treated
unfairly by the police, arrested,
handcuf fed painfully, and
thrown into jail for possessing
an expired drivers license. In
an interview to a community
newspaper, Gupta confirmed
that every thing she wrote
about her predicament is true,
and the police department has
filed wrong charges against
her. The paper also got a report
of Guptas arrest record done
by the John Creek, Georgia,
police department.
The report says Gupta was
arrested for not having a
license at all. The police report
says Gupta surrendered her dri
vers license, and was not
allowed a drivers license after
that.
Gupta has re futed the
charges, saying the police is
wrong. She said she has got a
court date, to clarify the truth
about her case, and get her
record expunged. Gupta says
she got her drivers license
renewed the next day after her
arrest.
Asked if she would sue the
police officers who arrested her
and the police department,
Gupta said shes only interested
in getting her record expunged
for now.
I wrote about what happened
to me as an email to some of
my friends. One of those
friends put it out on
WhatsApp, said Gupta.
Washington: Indian American
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi
has urged US Attorney General Jeff
Sessions to take immediate action
to stop rising hate crimes in the US.
Krishnamoorthi, in a letter,
requested Sessions to use his dis
cretion in the Justice Department
to thwart the rising incidents of
hate and violence in the country,
an online media reported on
Thursday.
"From grave desecration at a
Jewish cemetery in St. Louis to a
shoot ing at a bar in Kansas,
Americans have been shaken to the
core by the recent rise in hate
crimes," Krishnamoorthi said in the
letter. The Indian American com
munity was in a state of shock after
a US Navy veteran Adam Purinton
shot dead Indian engineer Srinivas
Kuchibhotla and injured Alok
Madasani in an apparent hate
crime on February 22. Purinton
reportedly got into an argument
Indian engineer Srinivas
Kuchibhotlas shooting death in
Kansas is being treated as a hate
crime by the authorities.
with the two and hurled racial
slurs. He yelled "get out of my
country" before shooting them.
"All Americans must be able to
count on the federal government to
defend their fundamental rights as
citizens of this great republic. If
any American is harassed or
threatened because of who they
are, it harms everyone,"
Krishnamoorthi said.
"I respectfully urge you to use
the full powers of the Just ice
Department to investigate and
combat this disturbing rise in hate
crimes," he said. "These attacks
seek to undermine not just public
safety, but the very nature of
American exceptionalism."
He said: "For more than two hun
dred years, the US has stood as a
beacon of freedom from tyranny,
oppression, and persecution."
"A fundamental promise of our
nation is that any American
regardless of where you come
from, the color of your skin, or how
you pray can trust the federal
government to preserve, protect,
and de fend their rig hts,"
Krishnamoorthi added.
 4 March 4-10, 2017 TURN PAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

PM Modi unveils 112ft Adiyogi statue in Coimbatore Trump finally increases in national defense spending in
condemns Indian techie's killing American history," he said.
Continued from page 1
of racially motivated hatred". Trump's Russian envoy at center of new
Principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Trump controversy
Sander added, "We want to reiterate that the Continued from page 1
Ceremonies President condemns these and any other official confirmed Trump's soninlaw Jared
at the racially or religiously motivated attacks Kushner and ousted national security adviser
consecration in the strongest terms." Michael Flynn met with Kislyak at Trump
of Adiyogi In his highly anticipated State of Union Tower in December for what the official
statue at Isha address, Trump also acknowledged the called a brief courtesy meeting. Flynn was
Yoga center pushed out of the White House last month
recent surge in threats against Jewish insti
in Coimbatore. after officials said he misled Vice President
tutions and desecration of their cemeteries.
In a move that could benefit Indians, the Mike Pence about whether he and the
President called for adopting a meritbased ambassador had discussed US sanctions
immigration system. against Russia in a phone call.
He said the US should give out green cards At issue Thursday were two meetings
Continued from page 1 Governor and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, using a meritbased system similar to those between Sessions and Kislyak one in July
liberation, representing the 112 ways in Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Lt. of Canada and Australia. "Such a system will and another in September, at the height of
which one can attain to ones ultimate Governor of Puducherry and many other save countless dollars and raise workers' concern over Russia's involvement in hack
through the science of yoga. dignitaries. wages." By not following such a system, he ing of Democratic officials' emails accounts.
PM Modi addressing the gathering, said, The Honble Prime Minister also released said the US was "straining the very public Intelligence officials have since concluded
Today, yoga has come a long way. There the book on Adiyogi coauthored by resources that our poorest citizens rely Moscow ordered the hacks to tilt the election
are various definitions, types, schools of Sadhguru & Arundhati Subramaniam and lit upon". However, Trump made no mention of toward Trump. In his confirmation hearing,
yoga and ways to practice yoga that have the sacred fire marking the beginning of a those working in the US on temporary pro the Alabama Republican denied having con
emerged. This is the beauty of yoga. It is Maha Yoga Yagna, an initiative to spread fessional work visas known as H1B. tact with any Russian officials, neglecting to
ancient yet modern, it is constant yet evolv yoga to 100 million people through one mil Trump also called on Congress to repeal mention the meetings with Kislyak, which
ing. The essence of yoga has not changed. lion Yoga Veeras in a years time. and replace Obamacare with "reforms that were first reported by the Washington Post.
And I say this because it is utmost impor The Ministry of Tourism, Government of expand choice, increase access, lower costs, The Russian Embassy did not respond to a
tance to preserve this essence. India has included the Consecration of this and provide better healthcare". request for comment.
Standing here before this 112ft face of glorious face in its official Incredible India The Affordable Care Act, signed by former Although the White House dismissed the
Adiyogi and the Yogeshwar Linga, we are campaign as a destination. President Obama, was designed to increase revelation as part of a political witch hunt,
experiencing a colossal presence envelop The festivities of Mahashivaratri included health insurance quality and affordability, Sessions' former colleagues took the omis
ing everyone in this space. In the times to the powerful midnight meditation and dis lower the uninsured rate and reduce the sion seriously. At the urging of some in his
come, the place where we have gathered is course by Sadhguru, cultural performances costs of healthcare. own party, Sessions recused himself from the
going to be a source of inspiration for all, a by Kailash Kher, Rajasthan Roots with Kutle He also vowed to take a hard line against Department of Justice's investigation. Still,
place to immerse oneself and discover Khan, Sounds of Isha (Ishas home grown, "radical Islamic terrorism". Democrats called for him to step down.
truth, he added. Speaking at the occasion, eclectic group of musicians) and dance The President, stepping away from Kislyak, who was appointed to his post in
Sadhguru, the Isha Yoa founder, said, A troop Nritarutya. Maha Annadanam or the decades of US insistence on engineering the 2008, is regularly spotted walking around
time has come where we need to under offering of food was made for all. world according to its perceptions, said his town, heading to and from meetings. Early in
stand that human wellbeing can only hap An exact 21ft replica of the face of job was not to represent the world but to put his tenure, he often opened the doors of the
pen from within. If you know how to take Adiyog i has also been established by America's interests first while respecting the Russian Embassy, hosting dinners for foreign
charge of this interiority, then human well Sadhguru in the United States, within the right of nations to chart their own course. policy professionals, Pentagon officials, jour
being is assured. In this direction, Adiyogi Abode of Yoga at the Isha Institute of Presenting a gentler version of his America nalists and Capitol Hill staffers. At a press
has made an unparalleled contribution as Innersciences in Tennessee, a leading cen First policy, he said Washington will "respect conference where he recused himself from
he explored and expounded the science of ter for inner exploration and complete well the sovereign rights of nations". the investigation into the Trump campaign's
yoga. T he event was attended by the being. "Free nations are the best vehicle for ties with Russia, Sessions said he discussed a
expressing the will of the people and number of things with Kislyak, including
Dow tops 21,000 after Trump speech, rate hike talk America respects the right of all nations to
chart their own path."
counterterrorism. He said the meeting
became confrontational when the discussion
New York: The Dow crossed the 21,000 mark for the first time on Wednesday after The US President also spoke about increas turned to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Ministry
President Trump's measured tone in his first speech to Congress lifted optimism & ing military spending. spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday
investors viewed a looming interest rate hike as a glass half full, Retuers reported. The "I am sending the Congress a budget that ridiculed the claims of Kislyak's involvement
three main stock indexes were on track for their best oneday gain since Nov. 7, a day rebuilds the military, eliminates the Defence in espionage as "total disinformation" and
before the U.S. presidential election, with the S&P 500 & Nasdaq also hitting record highs. sequester, and calls for one of the largest part of efforts to sway public opinion.

Jaipur (India) Bureau IANS Newswire Services

Prakash Bhandari IANS Washington Bureau
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info Arun Kumar
arun.kumar@ians,in
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY March 4-10, 2017 5

Hindu Americans for Kumar want

WaPo to apologize for hit piece
Chicago: Hindu Americans for Kumar has
demanded an immediate apology from
Washington Post for the erroneous report
ing against Shalabh Kumar and Hindu tradi
tions in the article "The Man Angling to
Become the U.S. Envoy to India shares
Trump's Love of the Limelight," published
on 2/22/17. The article provides biased
opinion and indecorous facts while harness
ing indirect attack on Hindu traditions of
Dharma relationships.
This is a hit piece targeted to undermine
Mr. Kumars selfless work for our Nation,
Republican Party and Hindu Americans. He
is an honorable man of faith who has been
working tirelessly for many years, said
Krishna Bansal, on behalf of Hindu
Americans for Kumar, explaining how the
sacred relationship of Goddaughter in
Hinduism is defined. This seems to be an
organized move to tarnish Mr. Kumars
image due to his major role in President
Trumps victory. We have learnt that
Washington Post was offered documents to
counter reporter Annie Gowens assertions,
Shalabh Kumar, The South Asian Times
Person of Year 2016, may be offered a
position in Trump White House.
like the Zee News Poll and the Nov. 25th let
ter from House Republican Conference, but
they ignored all that. And the fact that this
hit piece was written 66 days after the Press
conference in Delhi exposing WPs real
motives. He asked supporters to write to
the editor of Washington Post at
fred.hiatt@washpost.com and
annie.gowen@washpost.com.
Earlier, Congressman Pete Sessions issued
a strong letter to Washington Post stating,
As a Republican Member of Congress who
has worked with Mr. Kumar to improve U.S.
India ties, I have seen his involvement up
close for many years. I know of no one who
has dedicated more time and resources to
help the Republican Party engage the Hindu
and Indian American communities and to
strengthen the relationship between the
world's oldest democracy and the world's
biggest democracy.
I am personally aware of this sacred rela
t ionship between Mr. Kumar and his
Dharma daughters, Anika and Manasvi, and
have had regular involvement with the
entire Kumar family. The article on Mr.
Kumar ignored some of the basic facts about
his incredible contribut ions to the
Republican Party and his staunch devotion
to his faith and family. His deep ties with the
Indian community present a wonderful
opportunity for this Administration to not
only bolster the support among Republicans
but to also reach across the aisle in the
IndianAmerican community. I believe the
Post's readers deserve to know the entire
truth about this wonderful man, continued
Congressman Sessions.
Shalabh Kumar is an industrialist, philan
thropist, and a fearless leader. He is the
Chairman of Republican Hindu Coalition
and had played a major role in Trumps vic
tory in battleground states. This claim has
been verified by the scientific polls conduct
ed by Zee News, one of the largest media
entities serving the U.S.Indian community.
Hindu Americans for Kumar is a dedicated
group that has been formed in admiration of
his service to the America and Hindu
American community.
Contact: Krishna Bansal, email:
krishna@hindusforkumar.com

7 Indian-American students nominated Indiaborn Uber executive quits

for prestigious Truman scholarship over old harassment claim
Houston: Seven IndianAmerican students Shreya Ganeshan of the University of
have been nominated for the prestigious Georgia, Anjali Misra of the Massachusetts San Francisco: An Indiaborn Susan Fowler and other cur
Harry S Truman Scholarship, which is Institute of Technology, Samarth Gupta of top executive at Uber has left rent and former employees
given to college juniors for demonstrating Harvard University, Meg an Pate l of his job for not disclosing an have claimed that the compa
leadership potential and a commitment to Georgetown University, Maya Durvasula of allegation of sexual harass ny's human resource of ficials
public service. Duke University, Manju Bangalore of the ment by his former employer repeatedly ignored harassment
The students will compete for the presti University of Oregon, and Anjana Murali of Google, the media reported. claims about employees who
gious national awards, which provides up the University of Pittsburgh. Uber executives were made were "top performers."
to $30,000 for graduate study. A foundation regional review panel will aware of the allegation this Uber asked Eric H. Holder Jr.,
The awards are given to college students interview the finalists from March 3April wee k by tech news outlet who served as Attorney
on their records of leadership, public serv 7, with the scholars being announced April Recode, which said an investi General under President
Amit Singhal
ice and academic achievement. Only about 21. The Truman Scholarship Foundation gation at Google had found the Barack Obama, to investigate
60 Truman Scholars are named nationwide was established by Congress in 1975 as charges "credible", the USA Today reported. those claims.
each year. The foundation reviewed 768 the federal memorial to President Harry S Amit Singhal, who was born in Jhansi, Singhal, a highlyrespected engineer in
potential scholars from 315 institutions Truman. Each year, a selection committee Uttar Pradesh, denied the charge. Silicon Valley, had joined Uber in January,
before settling on the 199 students from reviews applications from more than 600 "Harassment is unacceptable in any set said the report.
136 institutions, according to a release. nominees for the Truman Foundation in ting. I certainly want everyone to know that Singhal worked for 15 years at Google
Among the scholarship finalists were Washington. (PTI) I do not condone and have not committed where he was the Internet giant's head
such behaviour," Singhal said in a statement. search honcho. He left Google last year. At
"In my 20year career, I've never been Uber, he was tapped to oversee mapping
After engineer's shooting, Telugu body in US advises 'Talk in English' accused of anything like this before and the division as well as a unit that runs the dis
decision to leave Google was my own." patching, marketing and pricing of Uber
Hyderabad: The Telangana American Telugu Association (TATA) has advised the communi
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick asked Singhal to cars. He reported directly to Kalanick and
ty to avoid communicating in mother tongue in public places in the US.
resign on Monday because Singhal did not advised Anthony Levandowski, who runs the
Srinivas Kuchibhotla (32), working at the Garmin headquarters in Olathe, was killed in the
disclose the investigation. Uber declined to company's selfdriving automobile efforts.
shooting at a restaurant in Kansas on Wednesday night. Another Indian and his colleague
comment further. Google also declined to Upon joining Uber, Singhal wrote on his
Alok Madasani was injured in the incident. "Much as we love talking in our mother tongue, it
comment. blog that he felt like Uber was a "geek's
can often be misconstrued. Please see if you can communicate in English in public places,"
Singhal's departure comes at a time when candy store" because it was trying to solve
the association said in a statement put out in its Facebook page. The organisation further
Uber is facing intense scrutiny following "one of the most challenging computer sci
advised people not to get into argument with others in public places and leave the place
allegations of sexual harassment by a for ence problems I've encountered in my thir
immediately without confrontation. "Isolated places can often be targets. Please avoid going
mer female employee against her manager. tyyear career." (IANS)
or going single," it said. (PTI)
6 March 4-10, 2017
Indian delegation meets Mississippi
business leaders to boost trade
I
ndian Consul general Nagesh Singh
from Atlanta, Georgia visited the state of
Mississippi in his continued efforts to
shore up business ties between Mississippi
and India. Mississippi is known for its vast
agriculture base industry along with one of
the largest naval ship building, aeronautic,
space and defense oriented manufacturing
industry in the country. Mississippi has
also recently gone into high tech industries
along with massive auto manufacturing
companies like Nissan and Toyota.
Mississippi based industries are right fit
for exchange of technologies and the plan
of US and India to increase their trade five
fold in next four years. This trade relation
ship will boost the economies of both the
countries. Nagesh Singh met quite a few
business leaders who are interested to
partner with India. He along with Dr. Shiv
angi also met the Governor Phil Bryant, Lt
Governor Tate Reeves, Secretary of State
Delbert Hoseman and a host of govern
mental officials including Mississippi De
velopment Authorities who are hosting this
venture. Nagesh Singh also addressed the
Mississippi State Senate embossing the
Indian, Himalayan & SouthEast
Asian works of art at Sothebys NY
othebys unveils highlights from the
S March sale of Indian, Himalayan &
Southeast Asian Works of Art. Led by
property from the Cleveland Museum of Art,
an institution at the forefront of this field,
the springs auction features works span
ning all mediums sculpture, miniatures,
giltbronzes and more. The New York exhi
bitions open to the public on March 9 and
will remain open until the evening of the
14th, before the auction on 15 March. Sold
to benefit future acquisitions, twelve works
of art from the Cleveland Museum of Art
headline this seasons sale of Indian, Hi
malayan and Southeast Asian art. The top lot
of the group is a Bronze Group Depicting
Shiva Embracing Uma (Alinganamurti) from
Southern India, Chola Period 12th Century.
Measuring 10 inches in height, the work was
first exhibited in 1942 as part of famed Chi
nese dealer C.T. Loos An Exhibition of the
Sculpture of Greater India before it was dis
played at the Rhode Island School of Design,
the San Francisco Museum of Art and the Art
Institute of Chicago. In addition to its distin
guished provenance and exhibition history,
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
Governor of state of Mississippi Phil
Bryant with Indian Consul General
Nagesh Singh, Dr Sampat Shivangi at
Governor's office promoting US trade
delegaion to India in May 2017
growth of India and projecting India as one
of the top five industrialized nations in the
world and just recently bypassing UK's in
dustrial growth. Dr. Sampat Shivangi a
community leader of Mississippi, accompa
nied Indian Consul General Nagesh Singh
in the meetings with State officials and
business leaders. He hosted a dinner in the
honor of visiting Consul General Mr. Singh
at his home along with many legislators,
government officials and business leaders
that evening, to deepen the understanding
and relations between the two nations.
the sculpture of Shiva and Uma is spectacu
larly cast, particularly for such a complex
work. The presale estimate is
$300/500,000.
Additional highlights from this group of
property include a Gandharan Seated Bud
dha, Kushan Period from the first half of the
3rd century in Pakistan (estimate
$200/300,000) and a 10th century Parvar
ti (Consort of Shiva), also of the Chola Peri
od in South India (above left, estimate
$150/250,000). Approximately 60 works
from the Lanier Collection, carefully formed
over forty years by a passionate collector of
Old Master drawings and Indian paintings,
is a wonderful addition to this March sale.
Selected for their quality and rarity, many of
these classical paintings and drawings of In
dia have not been seen in the market place
for decades. Amongst the highlights is an
opaque watercolor heighted with gold on
paper titled A Yogini Holding a Fan. Painted
in India, Deccan, circa 161020, this paint
ing is a previously unrecorded depiction of a
Yogini from the early 17th century Bijapur
a true discovery.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Preparing global citizens: Expanding
multilingual classrooms in NYC
By Carmen Faria
L
ike many New Yorkers, I am a child of
immigrants. Being a City of immigrants
is what makes us strong and resilient,
and as New Yorkers, we take pride in living
in a diverse, multicultural place. That same
pride extends to our schools.
First and foremost, we know that in the
21st century, speaking more than one lan
guage opens doors and opportunities for our
Citys students. Thats why, as Chancellor, I NYC Schools Chancellor Faria visits a 9th
am dedicated to increasing Dual Language grade Transitional Bilingual Education
and Transitional Bilingual Education pro Preengineering classroom at Manhattan
Bridges High School on February 28
grams across the City, which provide in
struction for students to acquire fluency in Spanish. Bilingual programs are critical for
two languages while fostering an apprecia the 150,000 English Language Learners
tion for multiple cultures. In other words, to who attend public school in New York City.
be thoughtful and productive citizens of our As a former ELL myself, I know the many
country and our world. benefits that come with being bilingual. This
This year, I am particularly proud that we expansion will give hundreds of ELLs access
are opening 68 new Dual Language and to highquality bilingual programs, prepar
Transitional Bilingual Education programs ing them for real world experiences and suc
across all five boroughs in September 2017. cess in the classroom and beyond. As Chan
This large expansion includes our first Urdu cellor, providing families with limited Eng
Transitional Bilingual Education program in lish skills access to information, workshops
Brooklyn, in addition to programs in Chi and conferences in their native language has
nese, Russian, Arabic, French, Bengali, and been one of my biggest priorities.
Consular Open House
held in Maryland
s a part the initiative munity attended this inter
A on community out
reach, consular offi
cers of the Embassy of India,
active event with the Em
bassy officers.
The team of six Consular
Washington DC, participat officers from the Embassy
ed in a 'Consular Open was led by Arun K. Sinha,
House' held at Center for So Minister (Consular) and
cial Change, Elkridge, Mary N.K. Mishra, Minister (Com
land, on February 25 to ad munity Affairs). A five
dress the concerns of the In memberteam from the out
dian community on various sourced service providers,
issues including Passport, CKGS, were also present for
Visa, OCI and emergency the event. After the intro
services. The event was ductory session, large num
jointly organized by the Na ber of queries from the
tional Council of Asian Indi community members and
Senior officers answered
an Associations (NCAIA), several queries by attendees applicants were answered
The Sikhs of America, Asian by the senior officers. The
Indians for Community Service, Hunt Val community members were also apprised of
ley Indian Association, and The Indian several new initiatives by the Embassy and
American Community Organizations of the Government of India on consular mat
Washington DC Metropolitan Region. ters. There was a huge appreciation by the
Apart from several prominent Community organizers as well as from members of
leaders, more than 100 members of com community to this outreach event.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY March 4-10, 2017 7

How Trump's meritbased immigration could benet Indians

New York: President Donald
Trump's proposal for a merit
based immigration system has
the potential to benet Indians, a
large number of whom have high
levels of education and skills.
But this will ultimately depend
on the ner details of how the
proposal is implemented.
In his State of the Union
Address to a joint session of
Cong ress on Tuesday nig ht,
Trump said the US should give
out green cards using a merit
based system similar to those of
Canada and Australia in place of
its current "outdated" program.
"Nations around the world, like
Canada, Australia and many oth
ers have a meritbased immi
gration system," he said.
"It is a basic principle that those
seeking to enter a country ought
to be able to support themselves
nancially."
By not following such a system,
he said the US was "straining the
very public resources that our
poorest citizens rely upon.
"Switching away from this cur
rent system of lowerskilled
immigration, and instead adopt
ing a meritbased system, will who qualify for H1B visas under
have many benets: it will save more stringent conditions either
countless dollars, raise workers' imposed by the Trump
wages, and help struggling fami Administration or by a bill intro of Indians in the US are college
lies including immigrant fami duced jointly by a Republican and
lies enter the middle class," he a Democratic in Congress would
said. likely have a leg up in the merit
Trump did not make any men system.
tion of those working in the US Any drastic reform of the immi
on temporary professional work gration process will be a difcult
visas known as H1B. undertaking for Trump.
In earlier speeches, he had said Trump did not spell out how
that he would root out abuses in the meritbased system would
that visa category and restrict work. On the face of it, Indians
them if they were to throw would make a goo d t for a
Americans out of work. Those meritbased system going by the
community's current prole.
According to a report by the
Pew Research Center, 70 percent
graduates.
The US Census Bureau reported
that in 2013, the median house
hold income for Indian families
was over $100,000.
But there are other factors such
as whether the current national
quotas or limits on people from
any country who could be admit
ted in a year are retained could
ultimately determine how it plays
out for Indians.

Trump condemns Indian White House staffer

quits Trump's ofce
techie's killing in Kansas over travel ban
Washington, DC: President Donald

Speaker Ryan meets

Trump has denounced the killing of
an Indian techie in Kansas saying the
nation condemns "hate and evil."
Trump began his State of the Union
address on Tuesday night by referring Jaishankar, condoles
to racism and bias crimes, including
the killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla last
week and the threats against Jewish
'senseless murder' of techie
institutions and desecration of their
cemeteries. fter US President Donald of democracy and freedom," Ryan
"Last week's shooting in Kansas city
reminds us that while we may be a
nation divided on policies, we are a
A Trump condemned the killing,
House of Representat ives
Speaker Paul Ryan has of fered the
said in a statement after his meeting
with Jaishankar.
"We had a great opportunity today
Bangladeshiorigin Rumana Ahmed was hired in
2011 to work at the White House.

country that stands united in con
demning hate and evil in all its forms,"
the president.
Meanwhile, at a media brieng after
Trump had completed his address,
White House Principal Deputy Press
Secretary Sarah Sander said: "The
President is keeping the family of the
victim, who was senselessly killed, in
his thoughts, and we're praying for
the full and speedy recovery of those
who were wounded."
"As more facts come to light, and it
begins to look like this was an act of
raciallymotivated hatred, we want to
reiterate that the President condemns
these and any other racially or reli
giously motivated attacks in the
strongest terms," Sander said.
"They have no place in our country,
and we will continue to make that
clear," Sander asserted. Trump, during
his address, also said: "Recent threats
targeting Jewish Community Centres
and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries,
as well as last week's shooting in
condolences of the House for the
"senseless" murder of Indian techie
Srinivas Kuchibhotla, during his
meet ing w ith Indian Foreign
Secretary S. Jaishankar here.
Ryan, in a statement, also said that
the two sides discussed ways to
enhance the bilateral economic and
defence cooperation.
T he Indian Foreign Secretary
arrived here on Tuesday on a four
day visit to hold talks with top of
cials of the Trump Administration.
"The relationship between the US
and India is rooted in shared values
Kansas City, remind us that while we
may be a nation divided on policies,
we are a country that stands united in
condemning hate and evil in all its
forms,"
Trump said. Fending off criticism by
his political foes that he is insensitive
to racism and bigotry, he said: "We
are reminded of our Nation's path
toward civil rights and the work that
to build on this critical partnership
by discussing ways to enhance our
economic and defense cooperation,"
he stated.
"In our meeting, I expressed the
House's condolences on the death of
Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was
senselessly murdered last week in
Kansas. Our peoples must continue
to stand together, and I look forward
to working with Foreign Secretary
Jaishankar in the years ahead."
Jaishankar also met w ith US
National Security Advisor Lt. Gen.
H.R. McMaster.
still remains." "Each American genera
tion passes the torch of truth, liberty
and justice in an unbroken chain all
the way down to the present," he said.
"That torch is now in our hands. And
we will use it to light up the world.
I am here tonight to deliver a mes
sage of unity and strength, and it is a
message deeply delivered from my
heart."
Washington,DC: Hijabwearing Muslim exWhite
House staffer of Bangladeshiorigin has said she quit
her job after US President Donald Trump announced
his controversial travel ban, lasting just eight days in
the new administration. Rumana Ahmed was hired in
2011 to work at the White House and eventually the
National Security Council (NSC).
"My job there was to promote and protect the best of
what my country stands for. I am a hijabwearing
Muslim woman I was the only hijabi in the West
Wing and the Obama administration always made me
feel welcome and included," she wrote in an article
published in The Atlantic.
Ahmed said that like most of her fellow American
Muslims, she spent much of 2016 watching with "con
sternation" as Mr Trump "vilied our community."
"Despite this or because of it I thought I should try
to stay on the NSC staf f during the Trump
Administration, in order to give the new president and
his aides a more nuanced view of Islam, and of
America's Muslim citizens.
"I lasted eight days. When Trump issued a ban on
travelers from seven Muslimmajority countries and
all Syrian refugees, I knew I could no longer stay and
work for an administration that saw me and people
like me not as fellow citizens, but as a threat," she said.
 8 March 4-10, 2017
An innocent life lost to hate crime
SRINIVAS KUCHIBHOTLA MURDER
Kin of Srinivas Kuchibhotla mourn his death
(Image courtesy: ibtimes.co.in)
Family, friends bid tearful adieu
Hyderabad: Family members, rela
tives, friends and people from dif
ferent walks of life bid a tearful
adieu to Indian techie Srinivas
Kuchibhotla, who was shot dead in
the US on February 22 in a sus
pected hate crime.
His last rites were performed at
the cremation ground in Jubilee
Hills here on Tuesday.
K. Madhusudhana Sastry per
formed the last rites of his son as
some of the mourners including
Wife seeks answers on
rising hate crimes
Washington,DC: The wife of Indian
engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla has
publicly sought answers to what
she perceived was a spread in
American hate crimes.
"I have a question in my mind: Do
we belong here," Sunayana Dumala
asked at a news conference on
Friday at the headquarters of elec
tronics manufacturer Garmin,
where Kuchibhotla worked as an
aviation systems engineer.
"We've read many times in news
papers of some kind of shooting
happening... And we always won
dered, how safe we are?"
Of the two of them, she said, she
was most concerned, asking her
reassuring husband: "Are we doing
the right thing of staying in the
United States of America?"
Kuchibhotla hailed from
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
the techie's friends were seen car
rying placards with slogans like
"down with racism."
Union Minister Bandaru
Dattatreya, Bharatiya Janata Party
General Secretary Muralidhar Rao,
other leaders from the BJP, TRS
and other parties, and actor couple
Jeevitha and Rajasekhar paid their
last respects. T he bo dy was
brought from Kuchibhotla's house
in Bachupally, on the city's out
skirts. As his nal journey began,
Sunayana Dumala breaks down
as she has his last glimpse
(Image courtesy: dnaindia.com)
Hyderabad and his wife is return
ing to India for Kuchibhotla's
funeral. She said she wanted to
come back to their home in south
Olathe, Kansas state, fullling her
husband's wishes for an American
life and "me being successful in any
eld I choose", Kansas City Star
newspaper reported.
Parents of Srinivas
(Image courtesy: PTI)
the engineer's parents were incon
solable while his wife Sunayana
Dumala, who arrived with the mor
tal remains on Monday nig ht,
broke down as she had his last
glimpse. The body was brought by
a cargo ight while Sunayana, her
brother, sisterinlaw and another
relative reached by a passenger
ight. Mourners poured in at his
residence through the night and
Tuesday morning to pay their last
respects.
Killer Adam Purinton
appears in court
Washington, DC: A former US Navy
veteran arrested last week for
shooting two
Indian engineers
and an American at
a bar had his rst
court appearance
through video con
ference. Adam
Purinton, 51, faces one charge of
rstdegree murder and two
charges of attempted rstdegree
murder in an apparent hate crime
in Olathe that killed Srinivas
Kuchibhotla & injured Alok
Madasani. A third patron, 24year
old Ian Grillot, was also wounded
while trying to intervene.
Appearing in court via video con
ference on Monday, Purinton
looked haggard & was softspoken.
He was assigned a courtappointed
attorney, and his bond remains set
at $2 million. His next court date is
March 9, CNN reported.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Alok Madasani and his wife Reepthi Gangula at the candlelight vigil
for Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Olathe. (Image : hindustantimes.com)
HUNDREDS ATTEND
PEACE MARCH
Washington, DC: Hundreds gath
ered in Kansas city for a peace
march and prayer vigil for slain
Indian eng ineer Srinivas
Kuchibhotla and two other victims
of a US bar shooting.
Alok Madasani, the Indian
injured in an apparent hate crime
last week, attended the march for
peace and a prayer meeting at the
Ball Conference Centre in Olathe
on Sunday, reported Kansas City
Star newspaper.
The vigil was sponsored by the
India Association of Kansas City.
"I w ish it was a dream,"
Madasani said of the Austins Bar
& Grill shoot ing that le ft
Kuchibhotla dead.
American Ian Grillot was also
shot when he tried to intervene.
He is still in a hospital.
"One thing I really want to
emphasize is, the main reason I
am here is that's what my best
friend, Srinivas, would have done,"
Madasani told the gathering.
"He would have been here for
me, and that's what I'm doing
right now."
Kuchibhotla and Madasani
worked as engineers at electron
ics manufacturer Garmin.
"What happened that night was
a senseless crime and that took
away my best friend," Madasani
said of the man who befriended
him in 2008. "Srini was the kind
est person you would meet, full of
love, care and compassion for
everyone. He never uttered a
word of hatred, a simple gossip, or
a careless comment. He would
always make sure everyone is
doing ne and taken good care."
Ian Grillot's sister Maggie also
attended the march and the
prayer meeting. She said her
brother's actions were because of
how they were raised.
"It doesn't matter what your
color is... Everybody's equal," she
said. The vigil followed a somber
march outside around the confer
ence center.
Marchers held pictures, banners
and shouted "We want peace",
"We love peace", "Let us not leave
our children", "Unity is part of
community, together we stand,
divided we fall" and "Hate + guns
tragedy."
Many carried candles and signs
reading, "We don't support poli
tics of hate." Clergy people repre
senting Hinduism, Christianity,
Islam, Sikhism and Judaism held
peace prayers, local TV station
KSHB reported.
Olathe Mayor Mike Copeland,
Olathe Police Chief Steve Menke,
Kansas state Senator Rob Olson,
US Rep. Kevin Yoder and Kansas
Lt. Gov. Jef f Colyer also spoke
about union and respect at the
vigil.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info US AFFAIRS March 4-10, 2017 9

TRUMP WANTS TO CAPITALIZE ON

POSITIVE RESPONSE TO SPEECH
Washington: President Donald Trump wants
to take advantage of the good reception his
address to Congress received to advance his
legislative agenda, White House press secre
tary Sean Spicer told reporters on
Wednesday.
In a meeting with journalists of fcamera,
Spicer said that it was a "great night" for the
president, whose first speech before a joint
session of Congress on Tuesday evening was
generally wellreceived, Efe news reported.
Spicer added that Trump is now trying to
take advantage of the momentum generated
by the speech to start working on achieving
his legislative goals in meetings with advis
ers and a luncheon at the White House with
Republican Senate and House leaders. In his
speech, the president of fered few details
about his policies, or how they will be paid
for, but he did give Congress some guidelines
for eliminating and replacing Obamacare. He
also called for funding to help rebuild US
infrastructure and urged both Democrats
and Republicans to compromise to achieve
immigration reform.
Despite the lack of details on how he
intends to move forward on his agenda,
Trump struck a much more presidential tone
in his address than on other occasions, and
President Trump addressing Joint Session of Congress Tuesday. (Courtesy: AP)
observers and analysts said that it was con
siderably more conciliatory and optimistic
than his dark and apocalyptic speech on
Inauguration Day.
Republicans, who had been concerned by
the image of chaos the new administration
had been projecting during the first five
weeks since Jan. 20, celebrated the mogul's
speech effusively. According to a survey con
ducted by CNN among its TV viewers, 78
percent of those who saw the speech felt it
was positive with 57 percent saying "very
positive" and 21 percent saying "somewhat
positive while just 21 percent viewed it as
negative. Spicer also said that Trump would
not sign on Wednesday the revised executive
order replacing his controversial temporary
ban on US entry for refugees and citizens of
seven Muslimmajority nations, although
several top government officials had earlier
said that he would.
Spicer said he did not want to speculate on
whether Trump would sign the revised order
before the week is out.
Donald Trump's
new travel ban
order to drop Iraq
Washington: US officials say President
Trump's new immigration order will
remove Iraq from the list of countries
whose citizens face a temporary US
travel ban. Four officials say the admin
istration's decision follows pressure
from the Pentagon and state depart
ment. They had urged the White House
to reconsider Iraq's inclusion given its
key role in fighting the Islamic State
group. The new order is designed to
replace an earlier Trump order that was
blocked by federal courts.
The of ficials spoke on condition of
anonymity because they weren't
authorized to discuss the order before
it is signed.
They said six countries Iran, Libya,
Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen will
remain on the travel ban list.
The signing of new ban order has
been delayed.

Trumps real aim to cut number

of immigrants in US: WaPO
Washington: Behind President
Trumps efforts to step up deporta
tions and block travel from seven
mostly Muslim countries lies a
goal that reaches far beyond any
The Obamas have also signed lucrative book deals. immediate terrorism threat: a
desire to reshape American demo
Paris, Trump said Friday during a
speech to the Conservat ive
Political Action Conference, refer
ring to riots last week in a predom
inantly Muslim neighborhood in
Stockholm, as well as attacks and
unrest in similar neighborhoods in
of refugee and immigration flows,
telling other policymakers that if
large numbers of Muslims are
allowed to enter the U.S., parts of
American cities will begin to repli
cate marg inalized immig rant
neighborhoods in France, Germany

Obama set to return to politics'
Washington: Former President
Obama is getting closer to making
his public reappearance in politics,
his friend and former Attorney
General Eric Holder said.
Holder said on Tuesday he's
been talking to Obama about ways,
including fundraising and interact
ing with state legislators, that
could he lp the new Nat ional
Demo crat ic Redistrict ing
Committee (NDRC), which Obama
asked Holder to chair last year,
Politico reported.
"It's coming. He's coming,"
Holder said, speaking to reporters
at a briefing for the new group.
"And he's ready to roll."
T he NDRC was set up by the
Demo crats to prepare for the
changes in 2021 that will see US
states redraw their Congressional
and state legislative lines. The
group stated that it intends to
"fight back and produce fairer
maps" in the redistricting process.
Holder said Obama "will be a more
visible part of the effort". He said
that fighting Republican gerry
mandering would be a "primary
concern" for Obama after his presi
dency, reported the New York
Times. "He thinks, and I think, that
this is something that threatens
our democracy," Holder said. "We
have a system now where politi
cians are picking their voters, as
opposed to voters making selec
tions about who they want to rep
resent them."
Book Deals for the Obamas :
Penguin Random House has
announced that it will publish two
books, one written by President
Obama and one by former first
lady Michelle Obama. Terms of the
agreement were not disclosed, but
reports on the bidding war esti
mated numbers in the tens of mil
lions.
Penguin has published books by
the Obamas previously.
graphics for the long term and
keep out people who Trump and
senior aides believe will not assim
ilate, wrote the Washington Post.
In pursuit of that goal, Trump in
his first wee ks in of fice has
launched the most dramatic effort
in decades to reduce the countrys
foreignborn population and set in
motion what could become a gen
erational shift in the ethnic make
up of the U.S.
Trump and top aides have
become increasingly public about
their underlying pursuit, pointing
to Europe as an example of what
they believe is a dangerous path
that Western nations have taken.
Trump believes European govern
ments have foolishly allowed
Muslims with extreme views to set
tle in their countries, sowing seeds
for unrest and recruitment by ter
rorist groups.
Take a look at what's happen his chief strategist, Stephen K.
ing in Sweden. Take a look at
what's happening in Germany.
Take a look at what's happened in
France. Take a look at Nice and
Germany and France over the last
few years.
Two days after Trump imposed
the ban, a senior administration
official told reporters at the White
House that the order was part of a
larger strategy to develop an immi
gration system that selects immi
grants the White House believes
will make positive contributions
to the country.
We dont want a situat ion
where, 20 to 30 years from now,
its just like a given thing that on a
fairly regular basis there is domes
tic terror strikes, stores are shut
up or that airports have explosive
devices planted, or people are
mowed down in the street by cars
and automobiles and things of that
nature, the of ficial said. US
demographics have been changing
rapidly and undesirably in the
eyes of top Trump aides, including
Bannon, and domestic policy advi
sor Stephen Miller.
Inside the West Wing, the two
men have pushed an ominous view
and Belgium that have been home
to plotters of terrorist attacks in
recent years, according to a White
House aide familiar with the dis
cussions.
They point to shifts in immigra
tion in the U.S. over the past centu
ry to make their case.
In 1960, 84% of migrants to the
U.S. came from Europe or Canada,
a bubble that was largely a result
of the Immigration Act of 1924,
which restricted the migration of
Italians and Eastern European
Jews and essentially banned the
immigration of Arabs and Asians.
Once the U.S. immigration sys
tem was revamped in 1960s to be
more open to people from around
the world, Europeans declined
sharply as a share of those migrat
ing to the U.S. By 2014, the most
recent year figures are available,
that share had dropped to 13.6%.
Immigrants from Asia made up
the largest share with 26.4%.
Thats a trend Trump criticized
long before he began linking it to
the risk of terrorism.
 10 March 4-10, 2017 OP-ED TheSouthAsianTimes.info

that we have come out of a highly

The Get out of my

By Prof. A.D. Amar
contentious election, we have to

W
hen, in January 2016, I
formally endorsed
Donald J. Trump for
president and promoted his candi
dacy by founding and leading a
political action committee for the
purpose, I was afraid that while
some of the radical policies that he
espoused were essential to bring
the revolutionary changes needed
to revive Americas economy and
glory, they also could be miscon
strued by the overzealous people
who are likely to be stimulated by
the situations resembling what
they know from the media or expe
rience from their environment.
The shooting in Olathe, Kansas
of two Indian eng ineers that
resulted in the killing of one is
exactly what I had feared, but
hoped would never happen.
Nevertheless, people going astray
and becoming violent rather than
working to bring change through
peaceful, legal routes is what
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
called the Himalayan Blunder,
when he had engaged in nonvio
lent revolution to take back India
from the Brit ish Empire.
T hroug hout his fig ht for the
change, he always remained cog
nizant of the kind of happenings
we saw in Olathe, Kansas.
We should also be afraid of the
recurrence of such happenings in
the future. All leaders and gener
al public, Republicans and
Democrats, citizens and immi
grants, and the media have a
part to play in this. While it is true
accept that it is over. Donald
Trump, for right or wrong, is the
president; and it is natural for him
to work to realize the controversial
agenda on which he won. We also
know that he will be president for
these four years and will be voted
country tragedy:
out if he does not do what
Americans approve. First onus for
this falls on President Trump, his
administrat ion, and the
A Himalayan Blunder
Republican leadership. Like
Mahatma Gandhi, they have con
stantly to remind their supporters
that by remaining law abiding,
they w ill he lp Trump and his
cause. Moreover, Trump should
strong ly condemn those who
engage in lawless activities. The
second responsibility for this falls
on the Democratic leaders. They
have to remind continuously their
followers not to engage in activi
ties that spread hate; and should
condemn those who do. The third
oblig at ion to keep peace in
America rests with the media.
They should not directly or indi
rectly give any message that can
potentially promote intolerance
and hate, resulting in lawlessness.
Finally, we all should resolve to
remain peaceful and use legal
Hundreds of people march for peace on Feb. 26 in Olathe, Kan., before a prayer vigil in response to the
methods to express our discontent.
shooting Wednesday which took the life of Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla. (Pic courtesy: AP)
Such happenings can be avoided
if we all play a role in keeping know that America is not the coun therefore, what is happening here Management at the Stillman
everyone calm. Otherwise, the try of Adam Purinton, the shooter is temporary. We, all Americans, School of Business, Seton Hall
blood of innocents like Srinivas of Olathe, but also of Ian Grillot w ill come back stronger as a University,
Kuchibhotla, victim of Olathe who intervened in behalf of nation. South Orange, NJ 07079. He
shooting, will be on all who engage Srinivas Kuchibhotla ag ainst Dr A.D. Amar is Founder also serves on the leadership coun
in acts that incite hate and intoler Purinton at the risk to his life. President of IndianAmericans for cil of the Republican Hindu
ance. I also want the world to America is fighting its problems; Trump 2016, Professor of Coalition.

Trump times: Good cop,

By Arun Kumar

T
he allies are upset. Bad hombres are
scared. Millions of illegal immigrants,
over 300,000 desis among them, have
slipped into the shadows. And 'fake media' is
hopping mad. But there is no stopping the
trundling Trump train.
"Now you finally have a President. Finally!"
Donald Trump told a raucous crowd of sup
porters at an annual gathering of conserva
tives as he ticked off a dizzying list of actions
he has taken with his executive pen in the five
weeks he has been in office.
He has pulled the US out of a major trade
deal, rebooted two major oil pipe lines,
ordered reduction in regulations and initiated
a huge "military operation" to get "really bad
dudes out of this country at a rate nobody has
ever seen before."
Now he promised a "brand new action" to
ban travel from seven terror prone nations to
replace the one derailed by the courts and
vowed one of the greatest military build ups
in American history" and to "totally obliter
ate" the Islamic State.
Trump also could not resist the temptation
of taking a dig at his Democratic presidential
rival Hillary Clinton for calling his supporters
"irredeemable deplorables" amid familiar
chants of "Lock her up" and railing against
the "dishonest" and "fake news" media.
Even as he vowed afresh to repeal and
replace "the disaster known as Obamacare,"
as he called former President Barack Obama's
Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly
and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
visited Mexico's Foreign Secretary Luis
Videgaray in Mexico City Feb. 23.
signature health care law, Republican law
makers faced tough questions at town halls
about this that and all things Trump.
But Trump dismissed "the socalled angry
crowds in home districts of some
Republicans" as "actually, in numerous cases,
planned out by liberal activists. Sad!"
His top cabinet picks, however, were
singing a slightly different tune abroad.
If days after taking over as President,
Trump had again lamented not taking the
Iraqi oil as "spoils of war," his Defense
Secretary James Mattis assured worried
Iraqis, "We're not in Iraq to seize anybody's
oil."
And if the President had called NATO "obso
lete," his vice President Mike Pence assured
nervous European allies that Washington
"strongly supports NATO and will be unwa
vering in its commitment to our transAtlantic
bad cop, just no stop!
alliance." And his Secretary of State Rex
Tillerson and Homeland Security Secretary
John Kelly hopped over to Mexico to assure
"there will be no use of military forces in
immigration. And there will be no mass
deportation." As Mexico baulked at reported
US plans to deport even OTMs Other than
Mexicans to Mexico instead of their home
countries as previously, they also sought to
soothe concerns over Trump's plan to build a
wall on the border and make Mexico pay for
it.
Is the Trump team playing the "good cop,
bad cop" routine as a "maniacally focused"
President hits "his agenda every single day"
as his reclusive strategic advisor Stephen
Bannon asserted in a rare public appearance?
Calling the press as the "opposition party,"
Bannon, the controversial "brain" behind the
President, declared an unending battle with
"corporatist media and other globalist forces
to deconstruct the administration state" a
system of taxes, regulations and trade pacts.
And escalating his war with what Trump
again called "fake news" media and "the
enemy of the people", the White House
barred several news outlets, including
"Clinton News Network" CNN and the "failing
New York Times" from an of fcamera press
briefing. The move came as CNN reported
that the FBI had rejected a White House
request to publicly knock down media reports
about communications between Trump's
associates and Russians known to US intelli
gence during the 2016 presidential cam
paign. "The FBI is totally unable to stop the
national security 'leakers' that have permeat
ed our government for a long time. They can't
even... find the leakers within the FBI itself,"
Trump fumed in a tweet.
Meanwhile, as Trump detractors chanting
"Dump Trump" marked the "Presidents Day"
as "Not My Presidents Day" across the coun
try, his diehard supporters voiced frustration
that critics unable to digest his success were
too quick to protest.
The Office of Special Counsel, an obscure
federal watchdog, too has been flooded with
inquiries from bureaucrats about what they
can and can't do in office.
And some others are taking their politics
from the streets to the couch as a 'Postelec
tion stress disorder' sweeps the nation, CNN
reported citing mental health professionals
"especially those working in Democratic
strongholds." IANS

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Billionaire investor confirmed as Commerce Secretary
Washington: The US Senate confirmed
billionaire banker and investor Wilbur L.
Ross as Commerce secretary, installing a
key leader for the Trump administration's
plans to overhaul trade deals such as the
NAFTA.
By a vote of 72 to 27 on Monday, the
Senate confirmed Ross, who has already
been advising President Trump on eco
nomic policy and helping him to craft
ways to rewrite the tax code. A renegotia
tion of NAFTA is expected to be Ross' top
priority when he takes over the job, the
New York Times reported.
Dubbed the "King of Bankruptcy" for his
leveraged buyouts of battered companies
in the steel, coal, textile and banking
industries, Ross has generated a fortune of
$2.5 billion, ranking him among
the wealthiest 250 people in
America, according to
Forbes.
Ross, 79, has indicated he
will step down from the
Bank of Cyprus after
he takes office,
according to
Wilbur
L. Ross
US AFFAIRS March 4-10, 2017 11
reports. The White House is expected to organizations to take the Commerce hearing on January 18.
hold a swearingin ceremony for the new Secretary post. Ross's confirmation was largely uncon
Commerce Secretary on Tuesday prior to "I am not antitrade, I am protrade, but I troversial, though Sen. Cory Booker and
Trump's address to a joint session of am prosensible trade, not protrade that other Democrats asked the billionaire in
Congress. is to the disadvantage of the American recent days to clarify his business ties to
During his confirmation hearing in mid worker in the American manufacturing Russian shareholders while serving on the
January, Ross pushed for taking a tough community," Ross said in his confirmation board of directors of a Cypriot bank.
stance on China, which he called the "most
protectionist country of very large coun
tries". He said countries that resort to
"malicious" trading tactics should be
"severely" punished.
Ross led an auto parts company that
moved jobs to Mexico, while a textile firm
he founded opened a cotton plant in
Vietnam that would employ 1,500 work
ers, said the New York Times.
Trump praised Ross as a savvy business
man and one of the most valuable
advisers in his administration.
Ross agreed to divest of
nearly all of his personal
holdings and resigned
from dozens of
boards
and
When a photo causes a kerfuffle
Washington: Photos of White House adviser Twitter users were quick to highlight the
Kellyanne Conway kneeling on an Oval photos as evidence of a lack of respect for
Office couch with her shoes on have the office from Conway and the Trump
sparked an online debate about decorum in administration, as well as a show of white
the executive mansion. privilege. Other users have countered with
The occasion Monday was President photos of former President Obama resting
Trump meeting with leaders of historically his feet on the office's desk during his time
black colleges and universities. Some in office.
 12 March 4-10, 2017 INDIA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Gurmehar gets police

protection but DU is calm
New Delhi: Delhi University was calm a day
after thousands of students protested
ag ainst the ABVP, even as student
Gurmehar Kaur, facing rape and death
threats, got police security at her home
town Jalandhar in Punjab.
After two Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi
Parishad (ABVP) activists were arrested
here for attacking two leftwing students,
about 50 ABVP members demonstrated
outside the Delhi Police headquarters.
The RSSaffiliated student body demand
ed action against the students it said had
raised "ant inat ional slog ans" at the
Jawaharlel Nehru University a year ago but
have never been caught.
"After creating commotion in JNU, these
antinational sloganeers have moved to
Delhi University," ABVP media convenor
Saket Bahuguna said.
The Delhi university campus was peace
ful but a large number of police personnel
remained deployed outside various col
leges. Guards checked the identity cards of
the students.
Trouble erupted in the otherwise placid
Delhi University campus on February 21
Parrikar for freedom of
expression within limits
New Delhi: Defense Minister Manohar
Parrikar on Thursday said he believed in
the freedom of expression within the
legal ambit.
"I believe in the freedom of expression
with whatever legal restrictions are
there. All freedom of expression have
legal limit," he said when asked about his
opinion on Delhi University student
Gurmehar Kaur.
"You cannot barge on another person's
right," Parrikar said on the sidelines of a
program here.
Defense Ministry officials later said the
minister's comments "were not in con
next day, ABVP activists were blamed for paign. While her college teachers, fellow
text of any particular issue."
attacking students, teachers and journalists students and family have stood by her, she
A Lady Shri Ram College student, Kaur
left Delhi after being threatened with in the campus, triggering widespread con did not speak to the media on Wednesday
rape and death after launching a social demnation. at Jalandhar, where the Punjab Police
media campaign against the RSSaffiliat Lady Shri Ram College student Gurmehar deployed two women constables for her
ed ABVP. Kaur then launched a social media cam protection.
paign against the ABVP, only to face death On Tuesday, Delhi's Lt Governor Anil
when the ABVP forced the cancellation of a and rape threats. Baijal promised speedy action against
seminar at Ramjas College over the partici On Tuesday she left Delhi for Punjab, those who indulged in violence in Delhi
pation of a controversial JNU student. The saying she was pulling out of the cam University and those who threatened Kaur.

Mahesh Bhatt gets threats,

UP police detain one suspect
Mumbai: The Uttar Pradesh Police
have detained a person suspected
to have issued death threats to vet
eran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and
his family members on WhatsApp,
police sources here said.
The development came barely
hours after Bhatt lodged at the
Juhu police station a complaint of
extortioncumdeath threat against
himself, wife Soni and actress
daughter Alia from an "unknown
person". Mumbai police's Anti
Extortion Cell contacted the Uttar
Pradesh Police who swung into
action and detained a suspect in
UP voters 'rebelling' against
the case early T hursday. A
Mumbai police team is expected to
go to Uttar Pradesh shortly to take
custody of the detained man and
bring him to Mumbai, the sources
here said. According to the 69
year old Bhatt, the caller allegedly
demanded Rs 50 lakh, failing
which he would eliminate his wife
Soni (60) and and daughter Alia
(24). Later, Bhatt tweeted: "A bolt
from the blue in the form of an
extortion call and threat to my
family was nipped in the bud by
the Maharashtra and UP Police in
tandem. Gratitude!"
Hard work won over
Harvard, says Modi
Maharajganj (Uttar Pradesh): In
the wake of encouraging GDP
growth figures released a day ear
lier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
said on Wednesday that "hard
work has won over Harvardedu
cated economists" who had pre
dicted otherwise.
T he Prime Minister said the
Bharatiya Janata Party is winning
in Uttar Pradesh after five of the
seven phases of polling, and asked
the electorate to vote for his party
in the remaining two phases as
bonus.

SP, BSP & Congress "Wellknown intellectuals from

Harvard and Oxford (universities),
Varanasi: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley claimed a groundswell of who have been at key positions in
support in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said the people of the Indian economic system, had
Uttar Pradesh were in the "mood of rebellion" against the ruling Samajwadi said the Gross Domestic Product
Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Addressing a press confer will go down by two per cent; some
ence in the city, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister others said it will go down by four
Narendra Modi, the Union Minister said the people were fed up with the per cent," Modi said at an election
"castedriven and biased politics" of these two parties and the Congress. rally here.
Citing the large number of candidates fielded by these parties in the sixth "On one hand, there are these
and the seventh phase of assembly elections, Jaitley said there were "dimin inte llectuals who talk about
ishing returns to this brand of politics". "Such politics does not go too far, Harvard, and on the other, there is
and in these elections these parties will bear the brunt of peoples' ire for this son of a poor mother, who is
such way of politics" he said, adding that the BJP was so far coursing ahead trying to change the country's
of its opponents comfortably in the five phases of polling held so far. "The economy through hard work."
base of the BJP is expanding because of our policies and also against the Whether Harvard will win or
policies pursued by the BSP, SP and Congress," he added. There is a large hard work farmers, laborers and
section of society which has so far been kept away from benefits of gover honest people of the country have
nance and they are now rising against such parties, he said, while pointing already proved it, he said.
out how recently the BJP did exceedingly well in local body polls in "Hard work is more powerful
Maharashtra and Odisha. "We have done extremely well in tribal areas of than Harvard. India is among the
Odisha," he said, and claimed that the opposition to demonetization was world's fastest g row ing
hurting the opposition parties in a big way. economies," Modi said. "The GDP
The Prime Minister said the Bharatiya Janata Party is winning in
Uttar Pradesh after five of the seven phases of polling.
figures came out yesterday
(Tuesday), and it is proved that
despite demonetization, honest
and hardworking people of India
villagers, farmers and the youths
did not allow the country's devel
opment to get hampered," he said.
The Prime Minister's remarks
come in the backdrop of Nobel lau
reate Amartya Sen dubbing the
November 8 demonetization in
which Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes
were scrapped as a "despotic
action that has struck at the root
of economy based on trust". Sen is
Professor of Economics and
Philosophy at the Harvard
University. Modi's predecessor
Manmohan Sing h, a senior
Cong ress leader, too had in
December called the demonetisa
tion a "monumental mismanage
ment", adding that the GDP could
shrink by 2 percentage points due
to the manner it was implemented.
India's GDP for the third quarter
ending December 31 stood at Rs
30.28 lakh crore, recording a
growth of seven per cent, com
pared with 7.3 per cent in the sec
ond quarter, official data said.
Speaking at the rally, the Prime
Minister said: "People have made
the BJP victorious in the five phas
es; you only have to give us a
bonus in the 6th and 7th phases."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
India denounces
Pak's bid to raise
Kashmir at UN
United Nations: Denouncing
Pakistan as the global "epicenter"
of terrorism, India has rejected
Islamabad's attempts to raise the
Kashmir issue at the UN Human
Rig hts Council in Geneva and
accused it of trying to destabilize
the state.
"Pakistan has created terrorist
outfits against India," Ajit Kumar,
India's Permanent Representative
to the UN in Geneva, told the
Council meeting in the Swiss city.
"This monster is now devouring
its own creator".
Earlier Pakistan's Law Minister
Zahid Hamid had called for the
Council's intervention in Kashmir,
asserting that the "human rights
and fundamental freedoms of inno
cent Kashmiris are being trampled
upon."
Hamid denied that there was a
terrorism problem in Kashmir and
claimed that Islamabad's involve
ment was only in providing "politi
cal, moral and diplomatic support".
Re ject ing these assert ions,
Kumar said: "The fundamental rea
son for disturbances in parts of
Jammu and Kashmir is crossbor
der terrorism aided and abetted by
Pakistan."
Pakistan has been carrying out
"an intense campaign to desta
bilise" the state through "infiltra
tion and crossborder terrorism,
inciting, promoting and glorifying
violence", he said.
Calling terrorism "the grossest
violation of human rights", Kumar
said, adding "Members will recog
nise the irony of a nation that has
established a wellearned reputa
tion of being a global epicentre of
terrorism holding forth on human
rights. For the last two decades,
the most wanted terrorists of the
world have found succour and sus
tenance in Pakistan."
Hamid made an appeal to
Indians to be aware of the human
rights situation in Kashmir.
"We call upon all the mechanism
of the Council and the Indian com
munity to remain seized of the
Modi lauds successful testing
of interceptor missile
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the
country's defense scientists for successfully testing an interceptor
missile, saying it was a proud moment for the entire nation.
"With this, India joins the select group of five nations with such
capability a proud moment for the entire country," the Prime
Minister said in a tweet.
India on Wednesday successfully test fired the Advanced Air
Defence (AAD) Missile, the second level of twotier interceptor
missile system that can destroy hostile ballistic missiles.The latest
test comes less than a month after India successfully tested the
Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) interceptor missile on February 11.
Ajit Kumar, India's Permanent
Representative to the UN in
Geneva.
grave and systematic violation of
human rights and fundamental
freedoms in Indiano ccupied
Jammu and Kashmir."
Reacting to Hamid's claims that
Kashmir was an international issue
under Security Council resolutions,
Kumar said: "Pakistan's unwarrant
ed re ferences to UN Security
Council resolutions are grossly
misleading as Pakistan was
required to vacate the parts of the
State of Jammu and Kashmir under
its illegal and forced occupation."
The Permanent Representative
also played down the seriousness
of the situation in the state and
spoke of efforts to develop it and
bring normalcy "in the wake of
Pakistansupported violent unrest."
"The robust and mature Indian
democracy proved once again that
it has sufficiently strong and ade
quate mechanisms to redress any
internal dif ficulties even if they
are incited from outside," he said.
Ninetynine per cent of the high
school students in the state have
written their exams was a sign of
the return of normalcy, he said.
Kumar said that Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has fasttracked a
$12 billion development package
for the state.
Hamid also broug ht up the
request by Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein,
the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights, to send a team to
the state.
INDIA March 4-10, 2017 13
Slain techie's wife to return
to US to fulfill his dream
Hyderabad: Sunayna Dumala,
the wife of Indian techie Srinivas
Kuchibhotla who was shot dead
managers at Garmin, an MNC.
Recalling their meeting in
2006, long friendship and mar
in Kansas in a hate crime last riage in 2012, she wrote that
week, has said that she will Srinivas gave her the courage to
return to the US to fulfill his pursue her dream of coming to
dream. Sunayna, who came here the US and studying and this
with the body of Srinivas, made her an independent, self
revealed this in a heartwrench sufficient and strong woman.
ing Facebook post, which went "I started working only recent
viral on Wednesday. ly, May 2016. He'd played a
While Srinivas's mother said major role in me attaining a job,"
she will not allow her younger said Sunayna, who works at
son Sai Kishore to return to the Intouch Solutions in Kansas.
US, Sunayna is determined to She recalled that they moved
resume life in Kansas where the from small town like Cedar
couple had moved few years ago Rapids, Iowa to a big city so that
Sunayna Dumala with her husband
with dreams and built their she could get a job and be able
Srinivas Kuchibhotla, in happier times.
house. "This is my Srinu's dream, to pursue her dreams.
and it is the least I could do for my Srinivas fulfill his "Kansas was our instant choice, and we moved here
dreams through my eyes and it is for this I have to with a lot of dreams. We built our dream home, which
come back to the USA," she wrote while thanking he painted, and installed the garage door," she wrote.
Congressman Kevin Yoder and Senator Jerry Moran The couple were also planning to expand their fami
for working on her migration status. Srinivas was on ly. "We had had a doctor's appointment just a few
H1B visa while Sunayna was on H4 dependent visa. weeks ago. One of the last thoughts that he shared
Her Facebook post assumes significance in the wake with me were Nani (his nickname for me), we need to
of reports that US authorities may not allow her to save money if we have to end up going for invitro to
enter the country. conceive." Srinivas would have turned 33 on March 9
Srinivas, 32, was killed and his friend Alok Madasani and the couple were planning to fly to New Jersey for
was injured when Adam Purinton, a white man who his cousin's engagement. "He was excited and eagerly
earlier served in the US Navy, shot them at the Austins waiting for the event, and we had plans to shop this
Bar & Grill in Olathe, Kansas state, on February 22. past weekend for the trip. Things turned out different
Srinivas and Alok were working as aviation program ly, I was on my way to India with him in a coffin."
Slain techie's mother
questions Trump's policies
Hyderabad: T he mother of Parvatha Vardhini, mother of did not say anything to the man
Indian techie who was shot Srinivas Kuchibhotla. who entered into an argument.
dead in the US in a suspected "If you kill people because of "My son did not say anything
racist attack, questioned the their colour and race, what will even thoug h the attacker
immig rat ion policies of happen to their parents? Did kept throwing racial slurs," she
President Donald Trump, which you give birth to them, raised said.
allegedly triggered racist and educated them," asked the She said Indians living in the
attacks. griefstricken mother, opening US should stay united to pre
"T he US is the country of up for the first t ime since vent such incidents. She, howev
migration. People from all coun Kansas shooting incident which er, was not sure how they will
tries migrate to US. Who are killed her son. succeed in the atmosphere cre
you to say don't come," asked She claimed that Kuchibhotla ated in that country.
Manjeev Singh Puri new Indian
envoy to Nepal
Kathmandu: India has proposed would beg in very soon,
the name of Manjeev Singh Puri T he Himalayan Times
as its next ambassador to Nepal, reported.
with the term of senior Indian Outgoing Indian Ambassador
diplomat Ranjit Rae coming to an Rae, whose term ended on
end, a media report said. Tuesday, had informed Nepal
Puri is the incumbent Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal
Indian Ambassador to the Dahal 'Prachanda' of New Delhi's
European Union, Belgium and decision during his farewell call
Luxembourg. on Wednesday, the daily said
An of ficial at the Ministry of quoting sources.
Foreign Af fairs in Kathmandu Charg d'af faires at the
confirmed that Puri's name was Kathmandubased Indian
sent to MoFA on Tuesday and the Embassy, Vinay Kumar, refused
pro cess for sending the to comment on the issue, the
agreement for his appointment daily said. Manjeev Singh Puri
14 March 4-10, 2017
By Saeed Naqvi
udiences in their hundreds
A of thousands across the sub
continent will remember
Reshma with her flashing eyes
and haunting, gypsy voice singing
"Dama dum mast qalandar". Well,
that's the Dhamaal signature tune.
It was the punchline of this song
which had become controversial
when President Zia ul Haq set
Pakistani Islam on a course of
Arabisation in the 1980s in order
to wrench it away from the syn
cretic Islam which hundreds of
Sufi schools had established in
India since the 13th century.
"If Iran imbibes Indian culture, it
w ill st ill remain Iran, but if
Pakistan retains Indian traditions,
it will over time become India."
That was the General's warped
reasoning.
The suicide attack on the shrine
of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sindh,
which killed nearly 100 devotees
last week, is unlikely to dampen
the spirit of Dhamaal, the ecstatic
dance performed in the shrine's
courtyard at dusk every Thursday
to the magical rhythm of drums.
Nazir Akbarabadi has a brilliant
poem on "haal" or trance. It
describes perfectly the transcen
dent dance at Dhamaal. Terrorism
is too feeble an instrument to kill
the idea. The punchline of the
Mast Qalandar song is "Ali da
pehla number" which means "Ali is
first". This, unfortunately, touches
on the principal point of dif fer
ence between Shias and Sunnis.
Shias believe that the Prophet's
Innovation key to India surviving next industrial revolution
By Amit Kapoor
I
t is not often that the world
finds itself at the cusp of a rev
olution, and an industrial one
is even more uncommon. India
missed the bus on the first major
industrial revolution that was
brought about in 18th century
Britain, on account of being on the
wrong side of colonial history. No
other phase of innovation has
transformed the industrial land
scape to a similar extent, except
the digital revolution in the latter
half of the 20th century.
Fortunately, or unfortunately,
we are about to witness the next
industrial revolution, which has
the potential to change the way we
live, work, and interact with one
another.
Technological breakthroughs at
a rate that the world has never
seen before are the defining char
acteristics of the latest revolution.
This has been witnessed in various
fields like artificial intelligence
(AI) , robotics, the Internet of
Things, 3D printing, autonomous
vehicles, nanotechnology and
CARNAGE AT QALANDAR:
The Shia, Sunni, Sufi triangle
The suicide attack on the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sindh, which killed nearly 100 devotees last week,
is unlikely to dampen the spirit of Dhamaal, the ecstatic dance.
soninlaw, Ali should have been
the first inheritor of the Prophet's
worldly and spiritual responsibili
ties, the Caliphate. Sunnis accept
what actually happened: the
Prophet's senior companion, Abu
Bakr Siddiq became the first
Caliph of Islam. To avoid further
controversies, the punchline was
amended. It became "Ali dum dum
de andar", or Ali is in every breath.
The two sects cite different tra
ditions to advance their claims.
The Shias point to the episode of
Ghadir Khumm. Returning from
other similar technological innova
tions.
The implications of the oncom
ing revolution have been a topic of
heated debate, especially in the
developed world.
The impact of robotics and AI on
job creation is increasingly becom
ing a cause for concern. Recently,
physicist Stephen Hawking warned
that automation of factories would
make traditional manufacturing
jobs irrelevant while the advent of
AI will cut deep into the middle
classes.
Satya Nadella on his visit to
India last week reassured the
country that unemployment
wouldn't be an issue for a services
led economy as in a world with "a
lot of artificial intelligence, real
intelligence will be scarce, real
empathy will be scarce, real com
mon sense will be scarce. So, we
can have new jobs that are actual
ly predicated on those attributes".
Underlying this reassurance are,
in fact, a few causes of grave con
cern for a developing economy
like India. First, the Indian econo
my is only servicesled in terms of
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
OP-ED
his last Haj, the Prophet stopped
at an elevated spot in Ghadir, held
Ali by the hand and announced to
the congregation that they must
respect Ali's primacy after his
death.
Why are ShiaSunni differences
being explained in the context of
an attack on the Sind h Sufi
shrine? Because in popular per
ception there is a lack of clarity on
the Shia, Sunni, Sufi triangle.
At a recent lecture in Oslo,
Henry Kissinger said it in so many
words: the defining issue in the
growth. Only about 30 percent of
the population is employed in
services, within which only a tiny
proportion is employed in jobs
that artificial intelligence might
find hard to replace.
Second, it might just be a mis
nomer that AI will never be able to
develop "real intelligence." Google
has managed to develop AI that
can respond to a piano player with
its own set of notes based on vari
ous melodies it has learned. Self
learning AI can easily display
human traits and put even creative
jobs at risk.
Mark Zuckerberg's recent 6,000
word manifesto on the future that
he imagines for the world exposes
the danger that arises from an
Americacentric technological rev
olution. He envisions that the next
step for humanity is the creation
of a global community in which
Facebook can act as a facilitator.
Such a world is not hard to fath
om, and the "global community"
can never find a better platform
than Facebook since everyone is
locked on to it and shifting to an
alternative makes little economic
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Arab world is not Palestinian
homeland but the ShiaSunni con
flict. If the West, Israel and Saudi
Arabia are on the same page on
what is increasing ly being
described as the central faultline
in the Arab world, namely the
ShiaSunni divide, what does one
make of the Sunni Salafi suicide
bomber, sometimes wearing the IS
cap, on a relentless spree of mur
der and mayhem? On whose side
is the West? It must be added, in
parenthesis, that no suicide
bomber has ever been identified
sense. Therefore, in a technology
dominated world, Americancen
trism can only imply fewer jobs
for developing economies.
Like the first industrial revolu
tion, India is again merely coping
with the ef fects on the sidelines.
Satya Nadella reassured the country that unemployment wouldn't be
an issue for a servicesled economy.
as a Shia. Mysteriously, this fact
has never been highlighted by the
western media, currently under
severe pressure to arrest its plum
meting credibility.
In the Indian subcontinent, the
Shia, Sunni, Sufi triangle has its
own dynamics. From the Delhi
Sultanate right up to the last
Mughal, rulers had Central Asian
antecedents with a sprinkling of
Persian, Shia elite in key positions.
T his may have been one
enabling factor for most the
regional Muslim dynasties being
Shia Bahmani Sultanate, Sharqi,
Berar, Bidar, Qutub Shahi, Adil
Shahi, Awad h Nawabi, Najafi
Nawabs of Beng al, Nawab of
Murshidabad and Rampur.
All these came under the cultur
al influence of Iran which has an
abiding respect for its Zoroastrian
past. Shias of the subcontinent,
like the Parsis, celebrate Navroz,
the Persian New Year.
The catchment areas of these
Kingdoms and Nawabis were fer
tile ground for Sufi schools to take
root. In Awad h, Holi, Basant,
Diwali, Krishna, Radha, Rama were
incorporated into Sufi songs.
Mohsin Kakorvi's celebration of
the Prophet's birthday invokes
Gang a, Jamuna and Krishna.
Maulana Hasrat Mohani belonged
to a school which respected
Krishna as God's messenger. His
numerous poems on Radha and
Krishna are high points of Sufi
mysticism. All Urdu poets are of a
Sufi bent. There is not a single line
in the annals of Urdu poetry sup
portive of the hapless Mullah.
The country, like its erstwhile
colonial counterpart, waits for the
next technological innovation and
adapts it into daily life. If India
hopes to ride the next industrial
revolution, it needs to be the cen
ter of innovation.

Washington: Ambassador of India Navtej
Sarna hosted a reception for the Governors
of US States at his residence last week. This
event, the first of its nature held in recent
years, was attended by more than 25 Gov-
ernors, including those of Virginia, Nevada,
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Con-
necticut, Guam, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Ken-
tucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota,
Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota,
Utah, Virgin Islands, Wisconsin and Wyo-
ming. Senior representatives of Governors
of California, Maryland, New York and Penn-
sylvania were also in the audience.
Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej
Sarna addressing the gathering.
The reception coincided with the Winter
Meeting of the National Governors Asso-
ciation (NGA) last weekend in Washington
D.C. Founded in 1908, NGA is one of Wash-
ington D.C.s most respected public policy
organizations and is called the collective
voice of the nations governors.
Ambassador Navtej Sarna with Governor of Iowa, Terry Branstad.
Besides Governors and their spouses,
there was also strong presence from US
and Indian industry as well as chambers of
commerce, think-tanks and prominent me-
dia personalities, at Amb. Sarnas reception.
Welcoming the guests, he noted that this
interaction reflected the solid ground of bi-
partisan political and popular support on
which the India-US strategic partnership
is based. He emphasized that the India-US
DIPLOMACY March 4-10, 2017 15
Ambassador Sarna
hosts 25 US governors
relationship is a symbiotic one which em-
bodies our shared values of freedom, de-
mocracy and federation.
Ambassador underlined the particularly
fruitful economic relationship between In-
dia and the United States that has greatly
benefitted our two countries - providing
jobs, creating resources and making both
countries globally competitive.
Urging US companies to be part of the
Indian success story, Ambassador said that
Indias booming economy creates strong de-
mand for U.S. goods, helping to create jobs
and prosperity. Ambassador added that In-
dian companies operate in most U.S. states
and are present in diverse sectors like IT
and telecommunications, healthcare, phar-
maceuticals and life sciences, education, fi-
nancial service and manufacturing.
Ambassador drew attention to the im-
mense contribution of the high tech sector in
promoting bilateral economic cooperation. Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe, Chair of National Governors Association,
with Ambassador Navtej Sarna. Also seen is Governor of Nevada, Brian Sandoval.
From 2011-15, studies by reputed business
houses reveal that more than 400,000 jobs various opportunities that a growing Indian To express their appreciation and regard,
have been directly and indirectly supported market represents to US companies and in- Vice Chair of NGA, Gov. Sandoval then pre-
by the Indian tech companies recording a vestments. On behalf of NGA, he assured the sented a memento to Ambassador Sarna.
growth of 10% annually. Over the last 5 gathering that NGA and its components- the The evenings formal program concluded
years, Indian tech companies have paid US State Governments, will continue to work with the screening of several visual presen-
over $20 billion as taxes, $7 billion towards closely with India to assure a safe and secure tations showcasing the themes of Invest
social security contributions and impacted work and living environment for Indian citi- and Make in India jointly prepared and pro-
over 120,000 American lives through Cor- zens in the US as well as a productive busi- duced by the Ministry of External Affairs,
porate Social Responsibility contributions. ness environment conditioned by a favorable Invest India Corporation, NASSCOM and the
regulatory and legal set-up. Embassy of India in Washington DC.
The Telegraph reported that guberna-
torial mansions across America have felt
need to assure the increasingly visible but
nervous Indian immigrant community in
the US that they should not feel threatened
by stray incidents of hate crimes of the
kind that killed Kuchibhotla and injured
another Indian, Alok Madasani, last week.
I am sure all right-thinking people in
A family photograph - posing with Ambassador Sarna.
America will work together and ensure
that this tragic incident is behind us, Sar-
na said in remarks welcoming the gover-
nors to his residence.
On the behalf of NGA, its Chair, Gov. McAu-
liffe of Virginia highlighted the rapid strides
and holistic growth in the bilateral relation-
ship. Fondly recalling his 11-day visit to India
in November 2015 (as the head of a Trade
and Investment Mission), he highlighted the A view of the gathering at the reception hosted by the Indian Ambassador.
 16 March 4-10, 2017 BOLLYwOOD

Lipstick... wins award Sunny Pawar roars

at Glasgow film fest like The Lion King
The film has
been refused E ight-year-old Indian actor Sunny
Pawar and Jimmy Kimmel, the host of
the 89th Academy Awards ceremony, re-
certification
in India for enacted the scene from the popular ani-
mated film The Lion King.
its sexual
Kimmel went up to the Lion actor, who
references.
has built a strong fan base for playing the
child version of Saroo Brierley in the Dev
Patel-starrer, and asked if he had watched
the 1994 film The Lion King.
Sunny said: Yes.
After agreeing to reenact the scene which
featured baby Simba and his father Mufasa,
Kimmel and Sunny recreated it in front of
Hollywood stars like Nicole Kidman, Matt Da-
mon, Denzel Washington and Emma Stone.
Kimmel lifted Sunny, dressed in a tuxedo,

I ndian filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastavas

Lipstick Under My Burkha, which has
been denied a certificate by the countrys
movie censor board, has bagged the Audience
Award at the Glasgow Film Festival 2017 in
Glasgow. The director says the honor couldnt
be better timed. Scottish actor David Tennant
presented Shrivastava with the award, which
was voted for by the festivals audience.
The Prakash Jha production, starring
Konkona Sen Sharma and Ratna Pathak Shah,
chronicles the secret lives of four women of
different ages in a small town in India as they
search for different kinds of freedom.
Indias Central Board of Film Certification
(CBFC) on February 23 refused to give a cer-
up in the air.
This is not in the first time that Sunny
has attended an award ceremony in the
tificate to the film for its sexual references and West. He also stole the show at the 2017
use of abusive words, among other reasons. Golden Globes red carpet in January.
I am so deeply honored that Lipstick Un- Lion, set in India and Australia, bagged Sunny also stole the show at
der My Burkha has won the ScotRail Audi- six nominations this year at the Oscars. the 2017 Golden Globes.
ence Award at the Glasgow Film Festival.
Right now, when the film has been denied
certification for exhibition in India because it R e v i e w
is a women-centric film with a female point of
view, I think the award could not have been
more timely, Shrivastava said in a statement.

Rani Mukerji confirms

comeback with Hichki
S he took everyone by storm
with her power-packed per-
formance as the policewoman in
Mardaani, and then took time off
for motherhood. Now, actress Rani
Mukerji is returning to the big
screen with Hichki, which she

Rangoon
says is built on a positive response.
To be directed by Siddharth P
Malhotra and produced by Ma-
neesh Sharma under the Yash Raj
Films banner, Hichki will see
Rani in a positive and inspiring
story about a woman who turns
her biggest weakness into her An impressively immersive film
biggest strength.
Shahid Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan promoting Rangoon.
Talking about it, Rani said in

The actress was last seen in Mardaani.
a statement: I was looking for a
script that would challenge and
excite me, and Hichki came my
way.
Each of us has a weakness that
pulls us back. It could be a disabil-
ity or any condition but if we just
look at it as simply a hiccup, we
can emerge as a winner. It wont
come in the way of achieving our
dreams. Hichki is built on this
positive premise and I decided to
take it up, added the actress, who
is married to YRF head honcho
Aditya Chopra and has a daughter
named Adira with him.
Hichki will be Sharmas third
film as a producer with YRF after
Dum Laga Ke Haisha and the
forthcoming Meri Pyaari Bindu.
R
angoon is director Vishal Bhardwajs
monumental and rewarding work. It is
a classic, weighed and measured by the style
and manner of its narrative. Adapted from
the English film Casablanca, it is a simple
romance triangle set in India, circa 1943,
against the backdrop of World War II.
The plot, a trifle to hang the emotions on,
involves an ex-actor turned film producer
Rustom Billimoria aka Rusi (Saif Ali Khan),
his lover and muse Julia (Kangana Ranaut)
and the army personnel Jamadar Nawab
Mallik (Shahid Kapoor) who is assigned to
protect her during an arduous journey to the
border, where she is deputed to entertain the
Indian Army, serving under the British.
It is during this journey that the inevitable
happens, she falls in love with Nawab Malik
and soon realizes that she is torn between
the two. The screenplay is well-designed.
The narrative begins in a dispassionate tone
but gradually during the course of the nar-
rative, it emotionally hooks you on, making
you root for every character.
Rangoon is Kanganas canvas. She is the
soul of the film as the perky actress modeled
after the yesteryears heroine Fearless Nadia.
Her role is more difficult than it might ap-
pear. What she does here is as extraordinary
in its own way as Nadia did during her times.
Shahid portrays Nawab Malik with all
earnestness. With natural ease, he inter-
nalizes his character and communicates
his affection through his intense gaze. He
is equally flawless in the action scenes.
Saif does not have much to do. As Rustom
Billimoria, he plays the aristocratic producer
with lan. He is convincing as the chauvinist
lover yet deeply in love who is willing to go
to any lengths to get his lady-love back.
 BOLLYwOOD March 4-10, 2017 17

Oscars celebrate Starstruck auditor blamed

for Best Picture goof-up
diversity, marred P wC, the accounting firm which has Cullinan posted the Stone photograph on

by goof-ups
been responsible for Oscars votes for
83 years, has blamed their auditor Brian
Cullinan for the Best Picture Oscar fiasco
at the 89th edition of the gala.
The firm has disclosed he personally
handed actor-filmmaker Warren Beatty
the wrong Best Picture envelope on Febru-
ary 26 night at the Oscars ceremony and
then failed to correct the mistake quickly
enough, reports telegraph.co.uk.
PwC admitted it failed the Academy,
with protocols for correcting the on-stage
error not followed immediately.
Cullinan and his professional partner
Martha Ruiz had been jointly blamed by
viewers, after it emerged the mistake was
caused by a mix-up with their envelopes.
Moments before he handed out the wrong
envelope, Cullinan tweeted a behind-the-
scenes photo of winner Emma Stone hold-
ing her just awarded statuette saying Best
Actress Emma Stone backstage!
According to the Wall Street Journal,
Twitter about three minutes before Dun-
away and Beatty took the stage.
The post was then deleted from his ac-
count but a journalist tweeted a screenshot
of it. A copy of the tweet was also kept by
Google and available through a cache page,
reports telegraph.co.uk.
The Journal also quoted a person famil-
iar with the matter saying that Cullinan was
turned down when he had sought permis-
sion to post to social media during the show.
Cullinan posted other photos on Twitter
during the awards show that were also re-
portedly deleted, the Journal quoted a per-
son with knowledge of the matter as saying.
This was our issue. PwC made the er-
ror, and were accountable, said Tim Ryan,
PwCs US chairman, in an interview with
the newspaper.
Ryan said he has spoken to Cullinan,
who doesnt believe that a tweet caused
the error. He added that Cullinan said he
feels horrible, absolutely horrible.

Oscar statues seen during preparations for the awards.

A record number of wins by black stars, a

Muslim actor winning for the first time,
the victory of an Iranian filmmaker who
skipped the ceremony in protest against a
travel ban, US President Donald Trump-bash-
ing and a Best Picture winner announcement
gone wrong. The 89th Academy Awards --
where La La Land got six honors and late
Indian actor Om Puri was remembered --
turned out to be one of a kind.
The Oscars ceremony was held at the
Dolby Theatre at Los Angeles, with Indian
actress Priyanka Chopra, Indian-origin Brit-
ish actor Dev Patel, his mother and Indian
child actor Sunny Pawar, 8, in attendance.
Quantico star Priyanka stepped out in a
white Ralph & Russo gown for her red carpet
moment, while Dev was nominated for his
role in Lion, and Sunny stood out when he
acted like baby Simba from The Lion King
on being lifted by Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel.
Overall, La La Land took the lions share
of six honors, including Best Actress for
Om Puri honored
at Oscars 2017
Emma Stone and Best Director for 32-year-
old Damien Chazelle, who made history by
becoming the youngest Best Director Oscar
winner. The films lead actor Ryan Gosling
lost in the Best Actor to Casey Afflecks griev-
ing brother act in Manchester by the Sea.
La La Land also missed out on -- in an
oops moment -- the Best Picture trophy to
Moonlight. In an unprecedented gaffe, pre-
senters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway
announced La La Land as the winner in the
Best Picture category, when in fact it was
Moonlight. In an interesting turn of events,
Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, who
skipped the ceremony in protest against
Trumps travel ban, won the Best Foreign
Language Film for his movie The Salesman.
It is his second Oscar, and in a state-
ment, he said: My absence is out of re-
spect for the people of my country and It was all about Moonlight and La La Land at the award ceremony.
those of other six nations who have been
disrespected by the inhuman law that bans
entry of immigrants to the US.
Priyanka interviews Aniston
at Oscars backstage
B ollywood actress Priyanka
Chopra seemed to have some
fun while interviewing Hollywood
star Jennifer Aniston along with
The veteran actor got a model Chrissy Teigen at the back-
musical tribute by singer stage of the 89th Academy Awards.
Sara Bareilles. Priyanka took to Twitter to share
a video,in which she, along with
Teigen and Live With Kelly host

I ndian actor Om Puri, whose repertoire
as an actor reflected a rare realism and
was popular for films like East Is East,
Gandhi, City of Joy and Wolf , was
honored at the 89th Academy Awards cer-
emony in the In Memoriam montage.
Om Puri, who died after a heart attack in
Mumbai, India in January earlier this year, got
a musical tribute by Grammy and Tony-nom-
inated singer and songwriter Sara Bareilles.
Bareilles delivered a special performance
of the Joni Mitchell song Both sides now.
A visibly emotional actress Jennifer Anis-
ton introduced the memoriam segment.
Om Puri was remembered at the awards
ceremony, which was held at the Dolby
Theatre.
He was included in the annual montage
along with Carrie Fisher, Prince, Gene
Wilder, Michael Cimino, Patty Duke, Gar-
ry Marshall, Anton Yelchin, Mary Tyler
Moore, Curtis Hanson and John Hurt.
Bareilles created an emotional moment
as she rendered the song in memory of all
the departed souls. While not in the video
presentation, actor Bill Paxton, who died
the night before, was mentioned by Anis-
ton before Bareilles took the stage.
Kelly Ripa, is seen having a funny
conversation backstage of the
event on February 26 night. They
talk about hall pass, something of a
tradition in the US where a husband
or a wife allows the partner to go
bachelor/spinster for a few days.
As they are seen having a con-
versation, they bring in Aniston
and ask her about her hall pass. Priyanka arrives
Priyanka captioned the video: for the red
carpet of the
This was too much fun. Chrissy
89th Academy
Teigen, Kelly Ripa, Jennifer Anis-
Awards.
ton. Backstage shenanigans.
 18 March 4-10, 2017 Dance

Born to Dance
By Mudita Girotra

T he inception of their 50-year-journey

was without fanfare and in the face
of quite some opposition, but the commit-
ment and passion of iconic dance couple
Raja and Radha Reddy brought Kuchipudi Raja-Radha Reddys Kuchipudi traverses 50 years
on to the cultural map of the world.
When Raja Reddy took his first step as Lord Shiva on Mahashivratri for their success. India in New York, Washington and London. cial assistance to classical dancers should be
a professional dancer, his relatives and People enjoy our presentations a lot We are the first Indian dancing couple more supportive towards struggling artists.
neighbors found it bizarre. For them, danc- and we get a lot of love from our audiences to come out of the state of Andhra Pradesh State governments should help their art-
ing was a thing for the lower classes. wherever we perform, Reddy said, adding: and we have created a mark nationally and ists locally to preserve the rich heritage of

Kuchipudi dance is a beautiful

What is Raja doing? He is unnecessarily
getting into this classless business and also
bringing his wife into it, they said.
His mother was socially boycotted.
People were saying all kinds of things, but
we were mad about dancing, Raja Reddy told
IANS in an interview, speaking for the duo.
Two years after this, our names ap-
peared in the papers. The same people who
initially objected were now boasting about
us and our achievements, he said.
And, to celebrate their golden milestone,
the dancing couple organized a night-long
concert at Sakets Natya Tarangini Perform-
ing Arts Centre last Friday to pay obeisance to
It perhaps depends on your way of pre-
senting that makes the audience hold their
breath until the last moment.
Even so, it was a tough start to their phe-
nomenal journey, Reddy reminisced.
The only dance forms that were valued in
South India in that era were Bharatanatyam
and Odissi, Reddy said. But their persistence
resulted in the dyad becoming the first danc-
ing couple from India to perform in the Inter-
national Dance Festival of Avignon (France)
and Salzburg (Austria) in 1974.
They later went on and participated in
many important international dance fes-
tivals including the prestigious Festival of
combination of four kinds of
Abhinayas: angrika (body lan-
guage), aharya (ornaments and
costume), satvika (sentimental
expression) and vachika (speech),
Raja Reddy says, adding: No
other form has this kind of
combination to make it versatile
and easy for the masses to
understand.
internationally, Reddy said proudly.
Our journey started when we performed
Kuchipudi in a full length recital in Delhi
for people from all cultures of our country.
This attracted major media attention
and we became the subject of admiration
for not only people who understand and
enjoy Kuchipudi but just about everyone
else, he said. The maestro, despite all
his struggles, has always been optimistic
about the survival of Kuchipudi.
Kuchipudi dance is a beautiful combi-
nation of four kinds of Abhinayas: angrika
(body language), aharya (ornaments and
costume), satvika (sentimental expression)
and vachika (speech), he said, adding: No
other form has this kind of combination to
make it versatile and easy for the masses
to understand.
The only way classical dance is suffering
is because there is not enough patronage by
the various bodies that are there to propa-
gate and support these dance forms, he said.
Reddy felt that the government bodies
that are meant to give support and finan-
their respective art forms and the central
government should definitely (do more) to
support and help artists, various art forms
from fading away.
According to Reddy, life has changed tre-
mendously. He feels that the present gen-
eration is usually caught up with a lot of re-
sponsibilities early in life that prevent them
in devoting adequate time to the dance form.
A very good number of kids from all over
come up to learn Kuchipudi. Their parents
take interest in the classical forms. The
problem is that there is not a lot of time as
life today is very fast. They have so many
things to focus on and not just dance.
Things were different when we started
our career in Kuchipudi. We had a lot of time
to invest and that helped us make a mark
in the world, he said. We still continue to
work tirelessly towards the propagation and
preservation of our rich Indian heritage of
dance and music as a way of giving back to
society in the form of imparting knowledge
and presenting shows all across, he said.
It is our only aim and it is our way of life.

(Mudita Girotra can be contacted at mudita.g@ians.in)

Radha and Raja

Reddy during their
performance last
Friday marking 50
years of successfully
dancing together.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA FEATURES March 4-10, 2017 19

By Rakesh Bisaria

Case for Modern Governance The

votes have been cast in Punjab and
the people are now back on the
farms preparing for the Rabi har
vest. AAP overseas volunteers are
also back in New York,
Philadelphia, and Toronto fre
quently facing a rough winter. The
voters in Punjab have done very
well keeping the focus on real
issues that include a surge in
farmer suicides, an uncontrolled
drug epidemic, alarming rural
unemployment, and one of the
most skewed gender ratios in the
country. Contrast the states
peaceful and issue based elections
with the shameful spectacle of
power grabbing in Tamil Nadu, or
the juvenile charade to trick the
public by SP in UP, and one can
sense a mature resoluteness in
Punjab to rise above the chaos to
solve their problems.
According to the volunteers,
Punjabs young voters have found
the well thought out governance
priorities of AAP far more trust
worthy than the election promises
of Captain Amarinder Singh and
the Badals. By the way, a volun
teer asked me why the captain
who wants to run the state a sec
ond time never got promoted to be
a major.
I have no answer but if we go by
media polls, the youth vote that
cuts across economic and regional
lines is very likely to put AAP into
power in Punjab after the poll
results are out on March 11. If
that indeed happens, AAP will
have its work cut out to overhaul
the public services in the state
including education, health, trans
AAP may win in Punjab,
but where is the organization?
AAP workers electioneering in Punjab
portation, sanitation, law enforce
ment, ag riculture loans, crop
insurance, crop procurement
probably a much longer list that
se ldom got the attent ion it
deserves from previous adminis
trations. And that by itself is noth
ing out of the norm because mod
ern states are supposed to govern
for the public and in partnership
with the public.
By this token, despite all the con
tradictions, AAPs Delhi state gov
ernment is the only government in
the country with elements of mod
ern governance. Today Delhis
governance is driven by public
policies and programs and not by
terms of initiating policies and
building the organization. There
are no committees open to volun
teers that discuss and formulate
policies in core areas like primary
health, educat ion, sanitat ion,
transportation, water supply, elec
tricity. T here are no internal
forums that meet regularly and
engage the party cadre on sub
stantive organizational and policy
issues.
Lets face the facts, the party
has no credible second tier or
third tier leadership. The party
desperately needs to expand its
organizational base by finding
new talent and retaining its volun
considerations of caste, language, teer base. National Executive
religion, family, money, vote bank, needs to gradually expand to 100
power brokering, crony capitalism members through an open elec
again the list is endless. The tion process. Core Committees
hope is that AAP has the organiza need to start engaging volunteers
tional capability to transform in key policy areas. AAP volun
Punjab into a modern state at least teers are a very diverse and talent
in some core areas of governance. ed base including students, busi
AAPs Organizational Challenges ness owners, lawyers, academics,
Punjab is a great opportunity yet scientists, writers, political strate
it is also a huge organizational gists it will really hurt the party
challenge for AAP. AAP has not if this vibrant base remains
invested appropriately into build untapped. Finally, the young vol
ing the party organization needed unteers in India who work for the
to support governance for a full party day and night need a fair
fledged state. The National execu deal from the party.
tive has 25 members and many of Fair Deal for the Volunteers
them are invisible in the party in According to an informal survey,
6065% of AAPs volunteers are in
the 2535 year age group. AAP is
very much a young party and its
young volunteers need to be sus
tained, nurtured, and prepared so
that the baton can be passed to
them in a timebound manner by
the current leadership.
Thousands of party volunteers
have no regular income and fail to
contribute their fair share to their
families. In the process they face
loss of dignity and humiliation and
sometimes fail in meeting their
responsibilities. There is no ques
tion in my mind that volunteers
are the future of the party. We see
frequent appeals for donations to
finance elections. We would love
to see a donation appeal go out
from the leadership to build a fund
for the volunteers so that many of
them can be provided a living
wage. The sentiment is so strong
for volunteers that a reasonable
volunteer fund can be created in a
short time. That would really be
an honest and sincere gesture
towards thousands of volunteers
who deserve our thanks for risk
ing everything so that a better life
can be realized by millions who
never had a chance.
Rakesh Bisaria is an AAP
volunteer based in New Jersey. He
works for AT&T.

Layoffs likely as India's manufacturing shrinks

By Prathamesh Mulye
espite the governments ef forts to
D attract investment under its Make in
India campaign, sales of manufac
tured goods fell 3.7 per cent during 2015
16 the first decline in seven years spark
ing fears of layoffs and debt default in the
months to come.
Spurred by a global slowdown and lack of
demand, sales of manufactured goods were
falling even before demonetization, af fect
ing sectors ranging from textiles to leather
to steel.
As a result, in the six months to September
2016, engineering major Larsen & Toubro
laid off some 14,000 employees. Companies
such as Microsoft, IBM and Nokia were also
reported to have cut back on their work
force in 2016, albeit on a smaller scale,
blaming sluggish demand for downsizing.
In November 2014, just weeks after Prime
Minister Narendra Modi launched his Make
in India campaign, Nokia shut its factory in
Chennai, rendering 6,600 fulltime workers
jobless. Economists say the government
must step in to support the manufacturing
sector, which constitutes 1516 per cent of
the GDP and supports 12 per cent of the
workforce. A range of factors including
falling investment, increased input costs and
higher import duties have caused demand
for manufactured goods to fall, a trend that
was visible before demonetization and has
strengthened since.
While the services sector grew by 4.9 per
cent in 201516, faster than the 3.7 per cent
recorded in the previous financial year,
manufacturing contracted for the first time
in seven years, from a growth rate of 12.9
per cent in 200910 to 3.7 per cent in 2015
16, RBI data shows.
Smallscale private companies, with yearly
annual sales of less than Rs 100 crore, have
been more seriously affected as their sales
have contracted continuously for the last
seven years. Having registered an 8.8 per
cent decline in 200910, their sales fell by
19.2 per cent yearonyear in 201516. tially (quarteronquarter) as well as on a
"Our sector is making huge losses as the
price of electricity and raw material has
Manufacturing
contracted from a
growth rate of
12.9% in 2009-10
cent of corporate loans, have declined by 77
to 3.7% in 2015-16.
gone up," Shan Ali Syed, owner of a small
textile plant in the town of Bhiwandi, near
Mumbai, told IndiaSpend. "Hence, cost of
final product also increases, and we are
unable to compete with cheaper imported
Chinese products."
"Hig her export duty and decline in
demand has led to reduction in sales even
before demonetization," Manoj Kishanchand
Ahuja, a Mumbai jewelry manufacturer, said.
"We were forced to reduce production. So,
hiring of workers on contractual basis has
also gone down." He added that most of his
business takes place in cash, and post
demonetization, the situation has worsened.
Investment has fallen because of a decline
in demand, leading to lower sales and prof
its. "New orders recorded a decline sequen
istry estimated in a December 2015 reply in
yearonyear basis and dipped into negative
territory," the RBI said in its latest report.
A cutdown in industrial output for the
fourth straight month in December, along
with a depressed investment outlook, could
lead to more layoffs, industry captains have
warned. On top of that, net loans to the man
ufacturing sector, which account for 65 per
per cent in the last six years, IndiaSpend
reported in January 2017. Largescale man
ufacturing units have been the worst hit,
recording a fall of 69 per cent.
The fallout: Jobs and companies at risk
If sales do not improve, companies will act
to cut costs, manufacturers and traders said.
"The most common way of cutting cost in
India is to reduce the workforce," economist
Ila Patnaik, who has served as the principal
economic advisor to the government of
India, told IndiaSpend. "If the global econo
my and the domest ic market do not
improve, we can expect more layoffs in this
sector."
Companies forced to close down due to
financial distress will also lay off workers.
Closure of 186 industrial units led to net job
losses of 12,176 in the manufacturing sec
tor over the last four years, the labor min
the Lok Sabha.
IANS in arrangement with IndiaSpend.org
 20 March 4-10, 2017 DIASPORA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Indians largest group of foreign skilled workers in UK

London: Indians were the largest
group of skilled workers granted
visas to live and work in the UK
last year at 57 per cent, according
to of ficial figures released here
today.
The Home Of fice said Indians
accounted for 53,575 skilled work
visas granted in 2016, and US
nationals were the second largest
group at 9,348.
"Indian nationals accounted for
57 per cent of total skilled work
visas g ranted (53,575 of
93,244)... The information tech
nology sector sponsored 42 per
cent of skilled work visa applica
tions, followed by professional,
scientific and technical activities
(19 per cent) and financial and
insurance activities (12 per cent),"
the Of fice of National Statistics
said in its immigration update.
Indians also accounted for over
half the applications made in the
Indian nationals accounted for 57 per cent of total skilled work visas
granted (Image courtesy: londonlovesbusiness.com)
sponsored skilled visa category
last year at 30,556 of the total
56,058 applications.
"Indian nationals were issued
the largest proportion (40 per
cent of the total) of skilled work
visas in the 2010 cohort and, of
these skilled Indian nationals, 32
figures will further highlight the
importance of mobility of profes
sionals and students as part of the
wider IndiaUK relationship.
"For us, mobility is key for our
services sector. There has to be a
system where our professionals
can come to the UK and return.
They contribute immensely to
both the Indian and Brit ish
economies," Indian high commis
sioner to the UK, Yashvardhan
Kumar Sinha recently said.
Overall, net migration to the UK
dropped to 273,000 last year up
unt il September 2016, down
49,000 from the previous year. It
per cent had received settlement is still far short of the UK govern
after five years, while a further 12 ment's target figure for net migra
per cent still had valid leave to tion to be under 100,000.
remain in the UK," the ONS said. The ONS figures record the dif
The student visa figures for India ference between the number of
registered a very slight uptick people coming to live in the UK
with 11,330 granted in 2016, up and those leaving.
from 11,160 in 2015. The latest Immigration was estimated to
be 596,000, including 268,000
EU citizens and 257,000 nonEU
citizens (which includes Indian
nationals).
They included the highest level
ever recorded of Romanians and
Bulgarians coming into the UK at
74,000, one of the major factors
behind the vote in favor of Brexit
last June.
"This is the first release to con
tain longterm internat ional
migration estimates including
three months of data following
the EU referendum. Although we
have seen a fall in net migration
of EU citizens there have been
continued increases in immigra
tion from Romania and Bulgaria,
so it is too early to say what effect
the referendum result has had on
longterm international migra
tion," said Nicola White, ONS Head
of Internat ional Mig rat ion
Statistics. (PTI)

Willing to accommodate more Italian president grants

Indian IT professionals: EU
New Delhi: The European Union on Wednesday Broadbased Trade and Investment Agreement
partial pardon to exCIA
indicated that it would be willing to accommo (BTIA) would resume and both sides were
date more Indian IT professionals amid con
cerns over the Trump administration tighten
hopeful of a summit.
The BTIA talks, launched in 2007, have failed
agent Sabrina De Sousa
ing H1B visa norms. to move forward since May 2013 though 16 Washington, DC: Italian president Sergio
To a question on whether the EU would be rounds of talks have been held so far. During Mattarella has effectively pardoned a for
"prepared to welcome" Indian IT professionals the EUIndia Summit in Brussels, both sides mer CIA agent convicted of involvement
in the wake of US President Donald Trump failed to make any announcement on resump in the kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric as
pushing for tightening H1B visa rules, an EU tion of the negotiations as bottlenecks remain. part of a controversial US program that
official said that Europe is "open" to allowing Talking about the significance of the kidnapped suspects for interrogation.
more Indian professionals who are in high Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility Sabrina De Sousa, a 61yearold
demand. David McAllister, head of a delegation (CAMM) between the EU and India, Tomasz American cit izen, was arrested in
of European Parliament's Committee on Kozlowski, Ambassador of the European Union Portugal and was to have been handed
Foreign Affairs, said they have read about the to India pointed out that, "The EU has long rec over to Italy to serve a fouryear prison
tweets of President Trump and also his speech ognized the potential of promoting peopleto sentence on Wednesday. But a statement
es and interviews on the subject. "We believe in people connectivity. AsiaConnect is an excel released by the president's office late on
a globalised world. Protectionism of any kind is lent example of regional integration, with the Tuesday said president Mattarella had
not beneficial in the long run," McAllister said. R&E communities of 21 AsiaPacific countries granted a partial pardon reducing De
"Europe is open for people with high demand. interconnected by powerful highcapacity, Sousas sentence by a year to threeyears, Sabrina De Sousa
Indian people are highly skilled. Our IT sector high quality Internet links. without the need to serve a prison term. (Image courtesy: news.vice.com)
would not have been successful if we did not This project will be a vehicle for promoting a The statement said the president had was then reduced to four years. De Sousa,
have skilled professionals from India," he peaceful, secure, open and cooperative ICT based his decision on "the attitude of the who left the CIA in 2009, was detained in
added. He also hoped the stalled dialogue on environment between Asia and Europe, and in sentenced party, the fact that the United Portugal last week after a twoyear fight
the EUIndia trade and investment pact turn benefit society as a whole." (IANS) States has discontinued the practice of against extradition and was due to be put
extraordinary renditions and the need to on a plane once formalities between
India to closely engage with other countries over Indians' safety weigh up the penalty with that of others
convicted of the same offence".
Portuguese and Italian police were con
cluded.
New Delhi: With US President Donald Trump condemning the fatal shooting at a bar in De Sousa was one of 23 Americans con De Sousa, who was born in India and
Kansas last week that claimed the life of an Indian techie, the Indian government on victed of kidnapping suspect Osama holds both US and Portuguese passports,
Wednesday said that it will closely engage with authorities of other countries wherever the Moustafa Hassan Nas, also known as Abu said she had been living in Portugal and
safety of Indians is concerned. "The safety of Indians all over the world is a matter of the Omar, from a Milan street on February intended to settle there. She was on her
highest priority for the government," said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal 17, 2003. She denied involvement in the way to visit her elderly mother in India
Baglay. "You saw that the senior authorities of the United States and Kansas where this abduction. The former agent was original with a roundtrip ticket when she was
unfortunate took place, they had a very clear and categorical approach to such crimes. ly sentenced to a sevenyear term which detained.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SUBCONTINENT March 4-10, 2017 21

Pak's top diplomat in UN Afghanistan no threat

faces ire, deletes tweet
Lodhi deleted a congratulatory tweet
about Oscar winner Muslim actor
Mahershala Ali.
Islamabad: Pakistan's envoy to the United
Nations Maleeha Lodhi came under fire
back home for congratulating Mahershala
Ali, who became the first Muslim to won
the bestsupportingactor Oscar.
Maleeha faces the backlash for promot
ing Ali, an Ahmadi, who are considered
nonMuslims in Pakistan.
She later de leted her tweet as a
response to all the criticism.
Ahmadis are considered as nonMuslims
by law in Pakistan and have been perse
cuted over the years for being Kafirs
(heretics). The group has been deprived of
re lig ious rig hts under the Second
Amendment to the Const itut ion of
Pakistan. Article 2603 of Pakistan's
Constitution declares Ahmadis "non
Muslims". Ali played the role of a drug
dealer Juan in Oscar winning "Moonlight",
who takes care of Chiron as he struggles
to find his place in the world while grow
ing up in Miami.
Nepal reiterates bilateral to any country: Ghani
cooperation under Belt & Road
Kathmandu: Nepal's holding negotiations to
Prime Minister Pushpa finalize another MoU
Kamal Dahal has reiter for cooperation proj
ated that Kathmandu ects to be developed
and Beijing will carry under the Be lt and
out bilateral develop Road Init iat ive in
ment cooperation proj future," Adhikari said.
ects under the frame Nepal and China agreed
work of the Chinese to enhance cooperation
Be lt and Road under the framework of
Initiative. the Be lt and Road
Dahal said this during Initiative introduced by
his meet ing w ith the Chinese leadership
Nepal initially signed a framework
Chinese Ambassador to when former Prime
MoU with China in Dec 2014.
Nepal Yu Hong, Xinhua Minister K.P. Sharma Oli The president also appreciated
reported. Dahal told Yu that Nepal was visited Beijing in March last year. Afghan security forces.
working for the effective implementation "Regarding NepalChina bilateral coop
Kabul: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said
of previous agreements reached between eration, both sides agreed to synergize
his country is not a threat to any other
China and Nepal to enhance crossborder each other's development planning, for
country.
connectivity, trade and physical infra mulate appropriate bilateral cooperation
"Afghanistan is an independent country
structure development in Nepal, accord programs and to carry out major projects
and will remain so for hundreds of years
ing to Rishiraj Adhikari, the Foreign under the framework of the Belt and
to come," Ghani said here.
Relations Advisor to the Prime Minister. Road Initiative," said part of a joint com
"Those who want to change Afghanistan
"I am confident bilateral cooperation muniqu issued during Oli's visit.
into a battle field will take their wishes to
projects will be carried out under the During the meeting, the Prime Minister
the grave with them."
framework of the Belt and Road Initiative briefed the ambassador regarding his
The President also expressed his appre
proposed by China," Adhikari quoted government's preparations to hold local
ciation for the ef forts of the security
Dahal as saying. Nepal initially signed a body elections on May 14 this year.
forces and said: "Maw law i Salam,
framework Memorandum of "We expect goodwill and support from
[Taliban's shadow governor for Kunduz]
Understanding (MoU) with China in China as my government is in a crucial
and his fig hters were e liminated in
December 2014 though it has yet to phase of constitution implementation and
Kunduz because of you."
finalize cooperation projects to be devel holding local body elections in May this
"Terrorists do not have the ability to
oped under the initiative. "Now the for year," the Prime Minister told the ambas
face Afghan security forces," he said.
eign ministries of the two countries are sador.

UK Labour Party to extend Kabul hopes for partial

support for Sri Lankan Tamils reopening of border
Colombo: Britains Labour Party is to
reaffirm its strongest possible sup
port for the Sri Lankan Tamils at a
Parliamentary event next week, a
media report said.
Leading figures from the UK
Labour Party, including Leader of
Opposition Jeremy Corbyn, Shadow
Chancellor John McDonnell and
Shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily
Thornberry, will attend the "Tamils
for Labour" event at the UK
Parliament on February 28 to
express their solidarity with the
Tamil people, both in Britain and in
Sri Lanka, the Colombo Gazette
daily said in the report. Sen
Kandiah, Chair of Tamils for Labour,
said he was delighted Corbyn and
so many Shadow Cabinet members
and Labour MPs will attend the
Leader of Britain's main opposition Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn.
event. Kandiah said Labour has
always stood alongside and spoken
up for the Tamil people. "With a
crucial UN Human Rights Council
(UNHRC) Session about to com
mence, the Party has a vital role to
play in helping to highlight the on
Kabul: Afghan Ambassador to
Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal
expressed hope that border
points between Pakistan and
Afg hanistan w ill part ially
reopen. According to Zakhilwal,
Afghan authorities are hopeful
that the travel routes will com
pletely reopen in coming three
or four days, Khaama Press
reported. He said elder men,
patients and children would
travel on March 4 and those in
Pakistan would be able to
going cases of human rights abuses
committed against the Tamil com
munity in Sri Lanka and in support
ing our people's legitimate demands
for truth, justice, accountability and
selfdetermination on the island," he
added.
return to Afghanistan.
He urged the Afghan people
to travel with full documents
including visas once the travel
routes are fully reopened.
Pakistan closed the Torkham
and Chaman crossing point
with Afghanistan due to securi
ty concerns hours after the
February 15 terror attack at
the shrine of Lal Shahbaz
Qalandar in Sehwan town of
Sindh province in which 88
persons died.

Death for 5 in Bangladesh for murder of Japanese

Dhaka: A Bangladesh court sentenced five mem
bers of an extremist group to death for killing a
Japanese national in 2015. Japanese national
Hoshi Kunio, 65, was shot dead near his farm in
Rangpur district on October 3, 2015. One year
later, authorities charged eight people belonging
to the Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB)
group one of whom was later acquitted and two
others were killed in police clashes. "The court
sentenced five accused to death as the prosecution
could successfully prove the allegation against
them," Special Public Prosecutor Abdul Malek told
Efe news.
Malek said the two deceased accused were killed
in clashes w ith police in August 2016 and
January. Following the sentencing, defense lawyer
Abul Hossin said he will appeal against it in the Pakistan closed the Chaman crossing point
high court. with Afghanistan due to security concerns.
 22 March 4-10, 2017
China to build its first
underwater observation
platform in South China Sea
Chinese frigate "Huangshan" in the South China Sea.
Beijing: China is planning to build
its first underwater observation
platform in the disputed waters
of the South China Sea, which are
claimed by several of its neigh
boring countries, EFE reported.
The Institute of Acoustics of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences and
Shanghai's Tongji University will
be in charge of constructing the
facility, whose exact location has
not been revealed, according to
CCTV News.
The underwater platform will
be the first of an observation net
work the two institutions are
Russia, China veto UN resolution
on Syria sanctions
United Nations: Russia and China
vetoed a United Nations Security
Council draft resolution aimed at
imposing sanctions against the
Syrian regime over the use of chem
ical weapons against civilians in the
conflict ravaging the country.
It was the first open clash pitting
China and Russia against the United
States since the e lection of
President Donald Trump, who has
been accused by his political foes of
being soft on Moscow.
The resolution, sponsored by the
US, France and Britain, sought to
place travel and financial restric
tions on 11 Syrians linked to the
military similar to those imposed
on terrorists and ban the sale of
some equipment like helicopters to
the government of Bashar alAssad
while placing restrictions of 10 gov
ernmentrelated organizations.
Egypt was one of three nations
abstaining from voting on the reso
lution, which received nine votes in
support and three negative votes.
The initiative was being negotiat
ed since it was initially drafted by
France and the Britain in December,
and found support from the US later
on. The sanctions were proposed on
the basis of an investigation by the
Organisation for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW) which
said that the Assad government
aiming to create in the South and
East China Seas.
The observation point will be
used to monitor undersea physi
cal, chemical, and geological
dynamics although it could also
be used for other purposes,
according to the virtual commu
nity and science blog ScienceNet.
China's territorial claims over
almost all of the South China Sea,
an area rich in natural resources
and crucial for navigation routes,
have led to disputes with the
Philippines, Vietnam and
Malaysia.
UN Security Council voting on a draft resolution.
forces had used chlorine gas loaded
into barrels and dropped from heli Masood Azhar, and Pakistan itself
copters three times and the Islamic
State (IS) terrorists had deployed
mustard gas. The use of both these
chemicals is banned under the
Chemical Weapons Convention.
Hitting out against the veto, US
Permanent Representative Nikki
Haley said, "Russia and China made
an outrageous and indefensible
choice today."
"So what message are we sending
to the world," she asked, "If you are
allies with China and Russia, they
will cover the backs of their friends
who use chemical weapons to kill
their own people." China has in the
past used its veto to protect against
sanctions a Pakistanbased terrorist,
INTERNATIONAL
Malaysia charges two
women with Kim's murder
Kuala Lumpur: Two Asian
women arrested on suspicion of
assassinating the halfbrother of
North Korean leader Kim Jong
un were indicted here, prosecu
tors said.
Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, and
Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, 29,
were of ficially charged with
murder for allegedly smearing
VX nerve agent, a banned chemi
cal weapon, on the face of Kim
Jongnam at the Kuala Lumpur
airport on February 13. Kim was
awaiting a flight to Macau.
Aisyah and Huong appeared at
a court surrounded by dozens of
armed police of ficers and hun
dreds of reporters. It was their
first public appearance after
they were arrested last month,
Yonhap reported.
During the hourlong court
procedure, both denied murder
ing the victim intentionally, say
ing they thought it was a prank,
not an actual chemical attack.
The police and the prosecu
tion, however, rebutted, saying
the women rehearsed the attack
and were aware of the toxicity of
JaisheMohammad (JeM) founder
for harbouring LashkareTaiba
leader ZakiurRehman Lakhvi.
China's Permanent Representative
Liu Jieyi said Beijing vetoed it
because, he asserted, the investiga
tions were still going on. Russian
Deputy Permanent Representative
Vladimir Safronkov said Moscow
vetoed the resolution because the
West had proposed the resolution
as a "provocation against it.
Britain's Permanent Representative
Matthew Rycroft told reporters
after the meeting that Moscow's
seventh veto of a resolution against
Syria showed that Russia would
rather cover up for Assad rather
than act on chemical weapons.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Kim Jongnam, the half brother of
North Korean leader Kim Jongun.
the substance they were han
dling.
The two suspects can be sen
tenced to death, if convicted of
the allegations, according to the
Amina Mohammed
sworn in as UN
deputy secygen
United Nations: Nigeria's for
mer Minister for Environment,
Amina Mohammed, has been
of ficially sworn in as deputy
secretarygeneral of the United
Nations.
In a welcoming speech, UN
SecretaryGeneral Antonio
Guterres said that he was
extremely happy and proud
that she had accepted to serve
with him, Xinhua news agency
reported.
Mohammed told the press
that she would focus primarily
on helping the secretarygener
al to reposition sustainable
Amina Mohammed speaks to the press after taking the oath of office.
prosecutors. The next court date
is April 13.
Prosecutors were also plan
ning to indict Ri Jongchol, a 46
yearold North Korean man
arrested in connection with the
case.
Malaysia has been demanding
the repatriation of the four other
suspects, who allegedly fled back
to North Korea after the incident.
A former North Korean deputy
ambassador to the UN, Ri Tongil
arrived in Malaysia, amid an
escalating diplomatic row over
the death, to request the country
to hand over Kim's body.
South Korea's Foreign Minister
Yun Byungse addressed the
assassination as an outright
challenge to the international
order and said it showed the
inhuman nature of the North
Korean regime.
"In order to stop North Korean
leadership from further violating
human rights, it is necessary to
clarify who is responsible," Yun
said at a meeting with UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights
Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein in Geneva.
development at the heart of the
United Nations.
In her first eng agement,
Mohammed declared open the
2017 Economic and So cial
Council (ECOSOC) Segment on
Operat ional Act ivit ies for
Development.
Mohammed resigned from
Nigerian Federal Execut ive
Council on Fe bruary 24.
Previously, she was a key play
er in the Post2015 develop
ment process, serving as a spe
cial adviser to UN Secretary
General Ban KiMoon on post
2015 development planning.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info BUSINESS March 4-10, 2017 23

Note ban pulls down Q3 GDP growth in India to 7%

New Delhi: Reflecting the impact
of the November 8 demonetiza
tion measure, India's GDP for the
third quarter ended December,
estimated at Rs 30.28 lakh crore,
recorded a growth of 7 per cent,
compared with 7.3 per cent in
the second quarter, official data
showed. Industry said the figures
were in line with expectations.
The country had registered a
Gross Domestic Product of Rs
28.31 lakh crore in the corre
sponding quarter of 201516.
The estimates of GDP growth
for the full fiscal 201617 at 7.1
per cent, marked a sharper fall
from the 7.9 per cent recorded
for the fiscal 201516.
In terms of gross value added
(GVA) considered a better
measure of economic perform
ance, as it excludes product taxes
and subsidies of Rs 28.02 lakh
crore for the quarter, the growth
at 6.6 per cent was slower com
pared with 7 per cent in the pre
vious year, mainly due to a con
The estimates of GDP growth for the full fiscal 201617 at 7.1 per cent, marked a sharper fall
from the 7.9 per cent recorded for the fiscal 201516.
traction in the financial and real
estate sectors.
Within the GVA, the manufac
turing activity showed a sharp
fall in the December quarter at
8.3 per cent, against 12.8 per
cent in the same quarter of the
previous year. While construc
tion growth fell to 2.7 per cent,
from 3.5 per cent the year
before, financial, real estate and
professional services GVA during
the quarter in consideration saw
a massive fall to 3.1 per cent,
from 10.4 per cent growth seen
in the third quarter of 201516.
However, government services,
including de fence, logged a
robust growth of 11.9 per cent,
against 7.5 per cent in the previ
ous year. The primary sector,
including agriculture and fish
eries, bounced back impressively
during the quarter in question
w ith g rowth of 6 per cent,
against a decline of 2.2 per cent
in the same quarter of the previ
ous year.
Mining and quarrying output
also recorded a major fall at 7.5
per cent, as compared to the
13.3 per cent growth a year ago.
Chief Statistician T.C.A. Anant
told reporters after releasing the
data that the impact of demoneti
sation is difficult to assess in the
absence of sufficient data.
"Policies such as demonetiza
tion are difficult to assess with
out a lot of data, a lot of which is
still to come in. As of now we
have factored in the third quarter
figures on industrial production
and only the advance filings cor
porates," Anant said.
Industry body Assocham said
that estimates of GDP are "very
much in line with the expecta
tions."

Tata Sons agrees to pay GST to come into

$1.18 bn to DoCoMo
Mumbai: Tata Sons said it has
agreed to pay $1.18 billion (Rs
7,876 crore) to Japanese mobile
operator NTT DoCoMo for trans
fer of the latter's shares to Tata
Teleservices Ltd..
"The Board has agreed to pay
$1.18 billion to DoCoMo as
enforced by the London Court of
International Arbitration on June
22, 2016 and withdraw objec
tions to its award in India," Tata
Sons, the Tata Group's holding
firm, said in a statement here.
As both the parties have jointly
applied to the Delhi High Court
for settling their dispute, the set
tlement terms will be subject to
its further orders.
Tata Sons has already deposited
the amount with the Delhi High
Court.
"As part of the joint application,
DoCoMo has agreed to suspend
its enforcement proceedings in
Britain and the US for a period of
time," added the statement.
effect from July 1: Das
New Delhi: The Goods
and Services Tax (GST)
w ill be implemented
from July 1 as all states
have ag reed on the
implementation date,
Economic Af fairs
Secretary Shaktikanta
Das said.

Samsung, Jio launch project to up

"GST should be imple
mented by July 1. All
states have agreed (on

LTE communication panIndia the date)," Das told

Barcelona: In a bid to upgrade
the current longterm evolution
(LTE) mobile communication
services across India, Samsung
announced its innovative "I&G
(Infill & Growth) Project" for
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd that
will help expand both the cur
rent network capacity as well as
network coverage.
The project will extend Jio
services in rural areas by
expanding its reach to over 90
per cent of the population and
enable seamless indoor and out
door coverage in dense urban
areas.
"We successfully achieved
100 million subscribers in 170
days and are committed to
bring gamechanging digital
experiences to India with supe
rior ecosystems, mobile content,
allIP networks and ongoing
process innovations," Jyotindra
Thacker, President of Reliance
Jio Infocomm, told IANS here.
"It was possible because we
introduced a truly effective LTE
service, PanIndia. We are com
reporters here.
T he government Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das.
mitted to bringing gamechang
plans to get the GST
ing digital experiences to India
Council's approval on iGST (inte legislatures.
w ith superior ecosystems,
grated GST), cGST (central GST) T he four bills form the
mobile content, allIP networks
and sGST (state GST) drafts at its enabling laws under the GST con
and ongoing process innova
March 45 meeting before the stitutional amendment.
tions," Thacker added.
second half of the budget session Another step remaining is to
Samsung previously provided
of Parliament begins on March 9. slot all the commodities under
the LTE core, base stations and
The draft compensation bill the GST tax slabs: 5 per cent, 12
solutions required for VoLTE
has already been approved in the per cent, 18 per cent and 28 per
services, as well as deployment
Council's February 18 meeting. cent.
services for establishing a
The draft laws passed by the Each item has to be fitted
nationwide network for Jio.
Council will have to be passed by under a particular slab. After the
The two companies have suc
Parliament. Simultaneously, sGST March 45 meeting, GST officers
cessfully established the world's
will have to be passed by state will do the slotting.
largest greenfield LTE network.
 24 March 4-10, 2017 SPORTS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Australia hand over

humiliating defeat to India
Pune: Inspired by an allround
effort, Australia ended India's 19
match record unbeaten streak
after thrashing the hosts by a
mammoth 333 runs within three
days of the opening Test at the
Maharashtra Cricket Association
Stadium here.
Playing his first Test in the sub
continent, leftarm spinner Steve
O'Keefe turned out to be the dark
horse, taking six wickets in each
innings to break the backbone of
the Indian batting as Virat Kohli
tasted his first defeat as skipper
of all three formats.
Chasing a mammoth 441, the
home side once again succumbed
to the visiting spin duo of O'Keefe
and Nathan Lyon to be dismissed
for a paltry 107 in their second
essay. The visitors have now
taken a 10 lead in the fourmatch
Test series. O'Keefe returned fig
ures of 6/35 the best of his nas
cent fourTest career while Lyon
took 4/53.
O'Keefe ended up with match
figures of 12/70. Earlier, in the
first innings, the 32yearold left
armer had also registered figures
of 6/35 to skittle the hosts out for
105 in response to Australia's
first innings score of 260.
O'Keefe's figures are the second
best by a visiting bowler in India,
behind Ian Botham's 13/108 in
Bombay 37 years ago. It is the
India going to come back harder: Warner
Bengaluru: Ahead of the second Test against India starting here on
Saturday, flamboyant Australia opener David Warner on Wednesday
warned his side against any sort of complacency, saying the No.1
ranked Test side will come back harder.
"They (India) are the No. 1 Test team in the world. They are a great
bunch of players and we know what to expect," Warner told
reporters here.
"We saw all the tricks in Pune their bowling changes, their field
ing placements, the way they play as a number one team so for us
to beat them on home soil was awesome and fantastic."
"But we know they're going to come back harder and we've just
got to adapt to the conditions again with what we face here," he
added. Commenting on the Pune strip, which drew a "poor" rating
from the International Cricket Council (ICC), the 30yearold left
hander said it wasn't a wicket where one can play his natural game.
fifthcheapest 12wicket haul in match world record winning
Test cricket. streak.
Before coming into this match, The men from Down Under had
the lefthander had 14 wickets lost nine consecutive Test match
from four Test matches after es in Asia before this match. Four
making his debut against of those were in India during
Pakistan in Dubai two years ago. their last vist in 2013, two Australian captain Steve Smith celebrates century on the third day
The visitors thus put an end to against Pakistan in the UNited of the first cricket Test match in Pune. (Photo: IANS)
India's 20Test unbeaten streak. Arab Emirates (UAE) and three in essay with Murali Vijay, Lokesh been in excellent batting form in
The last time India lost a Test Sri Lanka. Rahul and Kohli returning to the recent times, lasted all of eight
match at home was in in 2012 This is also India's second pavilion even before the Indian deliveries before being trapped
when England registered a seven biggest in a home Test and fourth total had reached the 50run leg before by O'Keefe. The umpire
wicket victory in Kolkata. Since largest overall. Their biggest loss mark. Cheteshwar Pujara the had initially adjudged Ashwin as
then, they have won 17 Test have also been against Australia, highest scorer in India's second not out, but a review by the visi
matches and drawn three. by 342 runs in Nagpur in 2004 innings with 31 and Ajinkya tors prompted a change in the
Saturday's victory also saw 05. Rahane could add only 30 runs decision. The hosts were reeling
Australia avenge their 171run Coming in to bat in the post between them before the latter at 99/6 at the tea break and the
loss to India in the second Test of lunch session after dismissing mistimed a delivery from O'Keefe Australians needed only six overs
the BorderGavaskar Trophy of Australia for 285, the hosts ran only to find Lyon at cover. after the restart to complete the
2001 which ended their 16 into trouble early in their second Ravichandran Ashwin, who has win.

Sachin Tendulkar joins LinkedIn Please don't call our

New Delhi: Indian cricket icon
Sachin Tendulkar has joined pro
fessional networking we bsite
LinkedIn as a LinkedIn Influencer.
He is said to be the first cricketer
in the world to join the league of
over 500 global influencers on the
professional network, a statement
said.
His first post on LinkedIn talks
about how he made the transition
in business after cricket.
Tendulkar wants to use the medi
um to reach a wider audience and
help them get better in their field.
Speaking on this association,
Tendulkar said: "I am continuing
the process of learning and have
enjoyed gaining insightful experi
ences off the field in recent times.
These experiences have distinctly
been different from the ones dur
ing my days in international crick
et. Being a part of a team and
learning from each other has been
an integral part of my develop
ment."
The batting maestro feels there
are multiple situations in organisa
tions that he is involved with
where his onfield learnings bene
Sachin Tendulkar.
fit those organisations.
"My aim is to share these experi
ences on a platform, like LinkedIn,
to reach a large number of profes
sionals and entrepreneurs to give
them get a dif ferent perspective
and help better their everyday per
formance," he added.
As a LinkedIn Influencer,
Tendulkar will join a select group
that includes Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, actress Priyanka
Chopra, and polit ician Shashi
Tharoor.
"We are delighted that Sachin
Tendulkar is now a LinkedIn influ
encer.
Tendulkar, with his success in
sports and in business adds to the
growing cast of iconic Indian influ
encers, ult imate ly he lping to
inspire our more than 467 million
members worldwide to achieve
higher heights in their careers,"
said Akshay Kothari, Country
Manager, LinkedIn India.
players illiterate: Goel
New Delhi: Bollywood lyri
cist Javed Akhtar drew
sharp criticism from Sports
Minister Vijay Goel for call
ing India's sportstars "illit
erate" in his tweet in sup
port of Delhi University stu
dent Gurmehar Kaur.
Calling the sportspersons
India's pride, Goel took to
Twitter to respond to
Akhtar, which read: "Please
don't call our players illit
erate. You're a champion in
Sports Minister Vijay Goel.
your fie ld and they are
champions in their own field. Olympic medallist wrestler
India is proud of them!" Yogeshwar Dutt.
Earlier, Akhtar had voiced sup "If a hardly literate player or a
port for Gurmehar, who is in the wrestler troll a pacifist daughter
eye of a storm over her stance of a martyr its understandable but
against student outfit Akhil whats wrong with some educated
Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad folks." Akhtar wrote.
(ABVP) and a video campaign Kaur is the daughter of Captain
advocating peace between India Mandeep Singh, who was killed in
and Pakistan. a militant attack in Jammu and
Akhtar's comments came in the Kashmir's Kupwara district on
wake of Gurmehar facing criticism August 6, 1999, four days after
from noted sportspersons like Pakistani troops withdrew from
cricketer Virender Sehwag and Kargil.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Cardiologists cull fact from fad of health foods
Denver, CO: With so many diet fads around
these days, how do you know which ones
are actually good for you?
In a new review of studies covering about
40 years, researchers attempted to dispel
the hype surrounding some popular diet
trends and to outline what experts really
know about a hearthealthy diet. They pre
sented what might be considered the "best"
dietary pattern for reducing the risk of
heart disease, and explained why con
sumers should be wary of nutrition fads
such as antioxidant pills and juicing.
The bottom line: A hearthealthy diet is
one that's high in fruits, vegetables, whole
grains and legumes, and includes nuts in
moderation. Such diets may also include
limited amounts of lean meat, fish, lowfat
and nonfat dairy products, and liquid veg
etable oils, the researchers said. In contrast,
people should avoid saturated, trans and
solid fats, sodium, added sugars, and refined
grains.
"There is a growing consensus that a pre
dominantly plantbased diet that empha
sizes green, leafy vegetables; whole grains;
legumes; and fruit is where the best
improvements are seen in heart health,"
study coauthor Dr. Andrew Freeman, direc
tor of cardiovascular prevention and well
ness at National Jewish Health hospital in
Denver, said in a statement.
Juicing: There are few studies that have
compared the benefits of juicing your fruits
Integrating IT and medical services WHOs list of antibiotic-resistant
can boost medical tourism in India bacteria needing research
New Delhi: Integration of Information
Technology (IT) in highend medical serv
ices provided by Indian medical institu
tions can boost medical tourism in the
country, say experts.
According to the experts, major advan
tages of IT integration in highend medical
services include information about right
diagnosis, right treatment, right selection
and right cost about the hospitals and
medical procedures to the patients who
are travelling to India.
When a patient is recommended for a
surgical procedure and that too critical in
nature, such as Organ Transplant and
Oncology Surgery, the patient and the
family members are surrounded by a
series of questions Here, technology can
play a major role and can change the
whole dynamics, said Jatinder Kumar,
senior Neurosurgeon and Medical
Director at Paras Hospitals.
Stating that the use of technology in
medical tourism is still at a nascent stage
in India, Kumar said with right and rele
vant dissemination of information, it can
empower patients to take informed deci
sions.
For instance, ediagnoses and econsul
tations may inform medical travelers of
their options before they travel. Electronic
health records and digitized medical
devices help healthcare providers to easily
make more informed decisions, said
Kumar.
According to Government of India fig
ures, in October 2015, Indias medical
HEALTH
A hearthealthy diet is
one that's high in
fruits, vegetables,
whole grains and
legumes, and includes
nuts in moderation.
and vegetables with the benefits of consum most beneficial source of antioxidants, the
ing them whole, according to the review. In researchers said.
addition, "the process of juicing concen Glutenfree diets: People with celiac dis
trates calories," which makes it much easier ease, gluten sensitivity or a wheat allergy
to ingest too many, the researchers said. So, should avoid gluten. But there's no evidence
researchers recommend consuming whole that avoiding gluten will help people with
fruits and vegetables, keeping juicing for out these conditions lose weight or have
when people aren't getting enough fruits any benefit on heart health, the researchers
and vegetables in their daily diet. Also, they said.
should not consume too many calories Coconut and palm oils: Coconut oil and
from the juice, and avoid adding additional palm oil are high in saturated fatty acids,
sugars, such as honey. which are fats that are known to raise peo
Antioxidant supplements: Rigorous stud ple's blood cholesterol levels, according to
ies have not found any benefits on heart the American Heart Association. Some stud
health from taking highdose antioxidant ies even suggest that palm oil may increase
supplements. The current evidence shows heart disease risk, the researchers said. So
fruits and vegetables are the healthiest and the use of coconut oil and palm oil should
tourism sector was estimated to be worth
a whopping $3 billion. It is now project New Delhi: The WHO
ed to grow to $7$8 billion by 2020. on Monday said it it has
Integration of IT in medical arena published the firstever list of
is important because most patients antibioticresistant "priority
look forward to accelerated quali pathogens", 12 families of bacte
ty support to manage their med ria that pose the greatest threat to
ical and surgical care away from human health, to guide and pro
home, said Swadeep mote research and development of
Srivastava, founder of India new antibiotics.
Virtual Hospital (IVH). The Genevabased WHO said that list
What they look forward to was drawn up as part of its efforts to
is help to take informed deci address growing global resistance to antimicrobial
sion with expert consulta medicines. According to the global health body, the list
tions, working out the best is divided into three categories according to the
medical travel plan, coordi urgency of need for new antibiotics: critical, high and
nat ing w ith the hospital medium priority.
team for hospitalization and "The most critical group of all includes multidrug
procedure and providing resistant bacteria that pose a particular threat in hos
muchrequired counseling pitals, nursing homes, and among patients whose care
for patients and their family, requires devices such as ventilators and blood
Srivastava added. catheters. They include Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas
IVH hospitals work in mini and various Enterobacteriaceae (including
mizing gaps in the service that Klebsiella, E. coli, Serratia, and Proteus)," said a
leave pat ients coming from WHO statement.
other countries and cities at a dis It said that all the bacteria can cause severe
advantage leading to suboptimal and often deadly infections such as blood
services and low patient satisfaction stream infections and pneumonia.
level. "These bacteria have become resistant to list of pathogens will help to reduce deaths
According to the Confederation of a large number of antibiotics, including
Indian Industries (CII), the primary reason carbapenems and third generation
that attracted patients to explore medical cephalosporins the best available
value travel to India was costef fective antibiotics for treating multi
ness, highend treatment from accredited drug resistant bacteria,"
facilities at par with developed countries said the report.
and with absolutely no waiting period for T he second
procedures.
March 4-10, 2017 25
be discouraged, researchers concluded. In
contrast, liquid vegetable oils, such as olive
oil, are linked with hearthealth benefits,
such as lower levels of "bad cholesterol" and
higher levels of "good cholesterol," the
researchers said. Still, these oils are high in
calories and should be used in moderation.
Nuts: Nuts can be part of a hearthealthy
diet, but people should be careful not to
consume too many nuts, because they are
high in fats and calories, the researchers
said. The researchers noted that there are
challenges in studying the role of nutrition
in the prevention of diseases, and these
challenges may lead to conflicting findings,
thus resulting in confusion of which diets
are healthy.
For example, people who have healthy
diets often also engage in other healthy
behaviors, such as getting regular exercise
and avoiding smoking, and it can be hard to
separate the effects of these behaviors from
those of a diet, Freeman said.
In addition, some studies rely on people's
memories of what they ate on a certain day,
and these memories aren't always reliable,
he said. New technologies, such as smart
phones, may allow people to do a better job
of recording what they ate, and lead to more
robust evidence for nutrition research, the
researchers said.
The review was published in the Journal
of the American College of Cardiology.
Courtesy: Live Science.
t ier which includes
antibiotics of high priority
includes for Enterococcus
faecium, which is vancomycin
resistant, Staphylo co ccus
aureus which is methicillinresist
ant, Helicobacter pylori which is
clarithromycinresistant,
Campylobacter spp which is fluoro
quinoloneresistant, Salmone llae
which is fluoroquinoloneresistant,
Neisseria gonorrhoeae which is cephalosporin and flu
oroquinoloneresistant.
The third tier which includes medium priority
includes Streptococcus pneumoniae which is penicillin
nonsusceptible, Haemophilus influenzae, which is
ampicillinresistant and Shigella spp which is fluoro
quinoloneresistant.
"This list is a new tool to ensure research and devel
opment responds to urgent public health needs," said
WHO's Assistant DirectorGeneral for Health
Systems and Innovation MariePaule Kieny in the
statement.
Evelina Tacconelli, Head of the Division of
Infect ious Diseases at the University of
Tbingen and a major contributor to the list,
said: "New antibiotics targeting this priority
due to resistant infections around the
world.
"Wait ing any longer w ill
cause further public health
problems and dramatically
impact on pat ient
care."
 26 March 4-10, 2017 SCI-TECH TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Moving at airline speed Hyperloop

One unveils Vision for India
New Delhi: A futuristic technology
in the transport system could see
one whiz from Delhi to Mumbai in a
podlike car in just under one hour.
T he system, unveiled by
Hyperloop One here on Tuesday as
part of its vision for India, promis
es to revolutionize the advanced
surface system by moving people
and things at airline speeds.
Hyperloop One is developing the
worlds first operational Hyperloop.
If implemented, it would be possi
ble to travel from Delhi to Mumbai
in 55 minutes, Mumbai to Chennai
in 50 minutes and Bengaluru to
Chennai in 20 minutes, whizzing at
a speed of around 1,100 km an
hour and above.
Expressing interest in the technol
ogy, Railway Minister Suresh
Prabhu said India would be keenly
watching the project, which the
company said was on track to run
the worlds first fullsystem test
Hyperloop is a land transportation system which proposes to
propel a podlike vehicle through a nearvacuum
tube at more than airline speed
later this year in Nevada, USA. Prabhu said.
We all are living in exciting He added the highspeed rail proj
times. India is thinking of ways to ect was also at an advanced stage
revamp its railway network by vari while India was also partnering
ous means like increasing the aver with private entities to codevelop
age speeds as well as developing new railway innovations which, for
specific highspeed corridors, the first time, would achieve speeds
higher than what we currently call
highspeed rail.
Prabhu, however, added that India
chooses her partners carefully and
Hyperloop One would have to
undergo a rigorous, but transpar
ent, process to partner with India.
Hyperloop is a transportation sys
tem which proposes to propel a
podlike vehicle through a nearvac
uum tube at more than airline
speed. NITI Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant
said the key to Indias growth now
depends on how we transform the
process of urbanization and the way
people move.
Future of the Hyperloop technol
ogy doesnt belong in the United
States of America or in Europe. It
belongs in a place that needs solu Hyperloop networks and reimagin
tions, Kant said referring to India.
Rob Lloyd, the CEO of Hyperloop
One, said the technology would help
India build infrastructure that is
both financially and environmental necting the world, he said.
ly sustainable.
A transportation system like the
Hyperloop will undoubtedly ease
the pressure on existing infrastruc
ture while enhancing the quality of
life of the people.
We are already working with the
governments around the world on
passenger and freight projects, and
we look forward to also partnering
with India to support this endeav
or, he said.
Shervin Pishevar, Executive
Chairman of the company, said the
ambitious project was in line with
Prime Minister Narendra Modis
vision for transforming India.
India is an extremely important
geography for deve loping
ing how cities and regions work.
The Prime Ministers vision of con
necting the country is directly
aligned with our objective of con

SpaceX to fly 2 private India may meet its energy

tourists around moon in 2018 needs from moon by 2030
Washington: US aerospace major SpaceX
has announced plans to fly two private citi
zens on a weeklong trip around the moon
next year. The two individuals approached
SpaceX for the trip and they have "already
paid a significant deposit" to do a moon
mission, the company said in a statement
on Monday.
"Fly me to the moon ... Ok," SpaceX CEO
Elon Musk tweeted after the announcement
was made. Liftoff will be from the Kennedy
Space Center's historic Launch Complex
39A at Cape Canaveral in Florida the
same launch pad used by the Apollo pro
gramme for its lunar missions.
"Like the Apollo astronauts before them,
these individuals will travel into space car
ry ing the hopes and dreams of all
humankind," SpaceX said. Following the
announcement about the private space mis
sion around the moon, NASA said it "com
mends its industry partners for reaching
higher".
"For more than a decade, NASA has
invested in private industry to develop
capabilities for the American people and
seed commercial innovation to advance
humanity's future in space," the US space
agency said in a statement on Tuesday. The
two tourists would be sent on a SpaceX's
Dragon 2 capsule, launched on the compa
ny's Falcon Heavy rocket.
"NASA's Commercial Crew Program,
which provided most of the funding for
Dragon 2 development, is a key enabler for
this mission," SpaceX said while thanking
the US space agency "without whom this
would not be possible".
"Falcon Heavy is due to launch its first
test flight this summer and, once success
ful, will be the most powerful vehicle to
reach orbit after the Saturn V moon rocket,"
the company said. SpaceX said the space
shuttle Dragon was designed from the
beginning to carry humans and already has
"a long flight heritage".
For the Hawthorne, Californiaheadquar
tered company, the private trip around the
moon is one step on the way to their goal of
transporting humans to Mars.
Later this year, as part of NASA's
Commercial Crew Program, SpaceX will
launch its Crew Dragon (Dragon Version 2)
spacecraft to the International Space
Station (ISS).
This first demonstration mission will be
in automatic mode, without people on
board. A subsequent mission with crew is
expected to fly in the second quarter of
2018. SpaceX is currently contracted to
perform an average of four Dragon 2 mis
sions to the ISS per year, three carrying
cargo and one carrying crew.
"By also flying privately crewed missions,
which NASA has encouraged, longterm
costs to the government decline and more
flight reliability history is gained, benefiting
both government and private missions,"
SpaceX said.
SpaceX said it will conduct health and fit
ness tests of the two individuals who have
expressed interest in a trip around moon.
Initial training for the two will begin later
this year.
"This presents an opportunity for humans
to return to deep space for the first time in
45 years and they will travel faster and fur
ther into the solar system than any before
them," SpaceX said in the statement.
"Other flight teams have also expressed
strong interest and we expect more to fol
low," SpaceX said.
New Delhi: India can look
forward to the moon to ful
fil its energy requirements,
to go by the words of ISRO
scientist Sivathanu Pillai, a
distinguished professor at
the ISRO. He said with con
viction last week that the country would
meet its energy requirements by 2030
through Helium3 mined from the moon.
"By 2030, this process target will be
met," Mr Pillai said while delivering the
valedictory address at the threeday
Observer Research Foundation (ORF)
Kalpana Chawla Space Policy Dialogue,
organised by ORF.
Mr Pillai, a former chief of BrahMos
Aerospace, said mining lunar dust, which is
rich in Helium3, was a priority program
for the ISRO.
He said other countries were also work
ing on the project and there was enough
helium on the moon, which can meet the
2,500 startups from Smart India Hackathon: Official
Kolkata: India will get as many as 2,500
startups from the Smart India Hackathon
2017, a 36hour nonstop digital program
ming initiative scheduled on April 12, an
official said here on Thursday.
"Over 500 problems came to us for the
hackathon, including from ISRO. This will be
the world's largest hackathon with 7,000
entries," said All India Council of Technical
Education (AICTE) Director Manpreet Singh
Manna. The hackathon under the Ministry
of HRD, he said, is world's largest hackathon
spanning 25 centers across India. Every
team of six students has to include a girl
child, he said. "They are going to create the
codes. After developing the solution, they
energy requirements of the
whole world, read an ORF
statement.
"In a few decades, people
will be going to the moon
for honeymoon," he
quipped. Lt Gen P M Bali,
Director General, Perspective Planning,
Indian Army, said the launch of GSAT7,
India's first dedicated military satellite, is a
testimony to the country's outlook towards
using the outer space for the national secu
rity.
He noted that India possesses one of the
largest constellations of communication
and remote sensing satellites, covering
Asia Pacific.
Lt. Gen. Bali added that although India
continued with a civilian orientation to its
space program, the changing regional and
global realities required it to develop mili
tary assets in space and on ground as an
emerging regional and global power.
Each team of six students
has to include a girl child.
are going to give it to the ministry free of
cost. Institutes get branding on mygov.in or
AICTE website," he said, adding NASSCOM
will fund the startups.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
East Coast dominates best US states list
New York is at 17th place and southern states worst to live in
New York: State pride is a matter
many people take very seriously.
Whether its supporting a sports
team or simply declaring where
youre from any chance you get,
most will argue their hometown is
the best. Well, U.S. News & World
Report may be able to settle some
disputes as they just released their
list of the best states in the nation.
The new best states rankings
and platform are a comprehensive
ef fort to provide citizens with a
full picture of whats working and
what needs to be improved in their
states," said Brian Kelly, editor and
chief content of ficer, in a state
ment.
To create the list, data was col
lected from 26 sources like the
U.S. Census, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
and the U.S. Bureau of Justice.
Those 68 metrics were eventually
broken down into seven cate
gories. McKinsey & Companys
Leading States Index then led a
survey where people were asked
to prioritize each subject in their
state and provide their levels of
700% rise in antibiotic
resistant infections in US kids
New York: Researchers have
found a 700per cent surge in
infections caused by bacteria that
is resistant to multiple kinds of
antibiotics among children in the
US. According to researchers,
these antibiotic resistant infec
tions caused by
Enterobacteriaceae, a family of
bacteria that also include such
pathogens as Salmone lla and
Escherichia coli are linked to
longer hospital stays and poten
tially greater risk of death.
The findings showed that the
proportion of these infections in
children caused by bacteria
increased from 0.2 per cent in
2007 to 1.5 per cent in 2015, a
more than 700 per cent increase
in prevalence over the eightyear
period.
"There is a clear and alarming
upswing throughout US of antibi
otic resistant Enterobacteriaceae
infections in kids and teenagers,"
said lead author Sharon B.
Meropol, a pediatrician and epi
demiologist at Case Western
Reserve University in the US.
Bacterial infections resistant to
multiple drugs are especially con
cerning in children, for whom
there are a limited number of
stronger antibiotics currently
approved for use compared to
Massachusetts, home to a host of schools including Harvard and MIT, topped the Best States report.
satisfaction. Topics like health
care and education were weighted
as the most important, while fac
tors including infrastructure,
crime and corrections, opportuni
ty, economy and government were
also included.
So, which state took the top
spot? Massachusetts reigned
supreme this year because it is No.
1 for education and No. 2 for
health care, the most heavily
adults, putting kids at higher risk
for worse outcomes, the
researchers said.
For the study, published in the
Journal of the Pediatric Infectious
Diseases Society, the team ana
lyzed data from 48 children's hos
pitals throughout the US, focusing
on approximately 94,000 patients
under the age of 18 who were
diagnosed with
Enterobacteriaceae associated CULT.
infections between 2007 and
2015. More than 75 per cent of
the antibioticresistant infections
were already present when the
young people were admitted to
the hospital, upending previous
findings that the infections were
mostly picked up in the hospital.
This suggested that the bacteria
may be increasingly
spreading in the com
munity. In addition,
the bacterial infec
tion may also cause a
greater mortality risk
among pediatric patients.
"Health care providers have
to make sure we only prescribe
antibiotics
when they're
really needed.
It's also essential to stop using
antibiotics in healthy agricultural
animals", Meropol added.
LIFESTYLE
weighted categories.
It also has the most educated
population and the best access to
health care.
Meanwhile, New Hampshire
came in at No. 2 spot because of
its successful preK12 education
system, high health care quality
and the opportunities it provides
its citizens, including strong racial
equality in education and gender
equality. And New England in gen
Hrithik Roshan to launch
his own workout regime
Mumbai: Want a fit bo dy like
Hrithik Roshan? The actor, with
his fitness brand HRX, will be
launching a workout regime.
Hrithik has collaborated with
CureFit, a healthcare startup, for
the launch and the regime will be
available at CureFit's gym centres
Talking about it, Hrithik said in a
statement: "The overall idea of
HRX is to inspire people of all ages
to be the best version of them
selves and mental and physical fit
ness are key factors in that con
text." He said his latest col
laborat ion is "a
eral took the top honors, with
three states claiming three of the
top 10 spots. Rhode Island ranked
the lowest in the region at No. 21.
But, a diverse group rounded out
the top five, with Minnesota, North
Dakota and Washington all rank
ing well despite dif ferences in
geography and overall political
persuasions. Southern states
ranked low overall, w ith
Mississippi and Louisiana claiming
very concrete step towards this
objective".
"The idea behind this workout is
to help people move better, faster
and feel athletic by progressing
gradually. I am asked all the time
what I do for my physique, well
here it is these workouts are
combinations of all that I do and
all that I have learnt in the gym.
"I would particularly push people
to try the ZMR (zero momentum
reps) which is
some
thing
I dis
covered for
joint strength thru all my injuries. I
hope I am able to serve my
fans throug h this,"
added Hrithik.
March 4-10, 2017 27
the bottom two spots. No Southern
state made the top 10.
New York is at No 17, and New
Jersey a little better at No 14.
With the news from
Washington, D.C., dominating the
headlines and local newspapers
cutting budgets, the best states
platform fills a crucial hole, shed
ding light on the policies and prac
tices that directly af fect citizens
where they live their lives," said
Mark Silva, assistant managing
editor of the best states rankings,
in a statement.
Best 10 States Overall
1. Massachusetts
2. New Hampshire
3. Minnesota
4. North Dakota
5. Washington
6. Iowa
7. Utah
8. Maryland
9. Colorado
10. Vermont
Termed 'The HRX Workout', it is
a specific workout which draws
inspiration from the regime per
sonally followed by Hrithik. It is
designed by the actor in conjunc
t ion w ith his fitness trainer
Mustafa Ahmed, read a statement.
Hrithik and Mustafa w ill be
training a bunch of other trainers
to impart the knowledge, tech
nique and philosophy endorsed by
this workout to fitness enthusiasts
in CULT centers.
Mustafa said: "Hrithik's intent
has always been to serve his fans
and the people who wanted to
know about his physique, fitness
regime and his lifestyle to stay
healthy."
The workout will majorly focus
on improving range of motion, full
body strength, and core activation.
It is a threelevel course which will
be available for trained as well as
untrained fitness lovers from the
next month.
Afsar Zaidi, CoFounder of HRX,
said: "Our collaboration is a strate
gic move to grow the fitness com
munity for our brand and use it as
a launchpad to propel itself to the
league of the top fitness and active
lifestyle brands in the country."
 28 March 4-10, 2017
Don't count your Oscars before they're secured
I
f you happened to watch the
Academy Awards or "Oscars"
this year, you were probably
left shaking your head, wondering
how something simple could be
messed up so badly.
But enoug h about Priyanka
Chopra's dress.
What really got screwed up was
the final award of the night the
Oscar for Best Picture. It was first
awarded to the movie "La La
Land," then the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
(AMPAS) changed its mind and
awarded the Oscar to "Moonlight."
Then it realized the unfairness of
the situation and awarded the
Oscar to "La La Moon." T hen
Priyanka Chopra walked on stage
and distracted everyone.
Actually, what really happened
was that the wrong envelope was
handed to the presenters, actors
Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.
It was the enve lope for "Best
Actress," an award that had
already been given to Emma Stone
of "La La Land." Dunaway decided
BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA
AND
PAKISTAN
New York Head Quarter
422S Broadway
HICKSVILLE
NY 11801
5168271010
Humor with Melvin Durai
to announce "La La Land" as the
Best Picture, not realizing, in the
excitement of the moment, that it
would have been smarter and
more accurate to announce Emma
Stone as the Best Picture. That
would have made up for the fact
that she didnt win the Oscar for
Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
Just like that, a colossal mistake
was made, the type of mistake that
in certain countries would result in
the culprit being brought in front a
judge and given a stiff sentence, if
not a few months in prison then at
least a few weeks of listening to
Donald Trump speeches.
The person responsible for the
mistake was an employee of
PricewaterhouseCoopers, the
accounting firm that has managed
the Academy's ballotcounting
process for 83 years and never
messed up before, though it's still
unclear how Matthew
McConaughey ended up with an
Oscar in 2014.
The presenters had mistakenly
been given the wrong category
HUMOR
envelope and when discovered,
was immediate ly corrected,
PricewaterhouseBloopers said in
its statement.
"Immediately corrected" is a
good alternative fact. It wasn't
until the producers of "La La Land"
had completed two acceptance
speeches and were in the process
of making a
third that they
realized that the
Oscar wasn't
theirs after all.
Laughter is the Best Medicine
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,
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
It wasn't until the parents and
grandparents of the cast and crew
had run around their homes,
screaming and jumping and
pulling several muscles, that reali
ty hit them in their faces.
They soon joined millions of peo
ple around America who were
shout ing at the Pricewater
houseCoopers employee:
"You had ONE JOB!"
"La La Land" producer Jordan
Horowitz showed immense grace
in announcing the mistake and
by Mahendra Shah
he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
handing the Oscar to the rightful
recipients, the pro ducers of
"Moonlight."
"La La Land" had already won six
Oscars, but viewers couldn't help
feeling bad for Horowitz and his
copro ducers. T he least the
Academy could have done was to
give them a special Oscar for "Best
Handoff."
There is one important lesson to
be learned from this incident: if
you happen to win an Oscar, don't
stand on stage and give an accept
ance speech. Take your Oscar and
RUN!
Yes, run as fast as you can with
your Oscar and lock it up some
where safe. Only after your Oscar
is safe and secure, fully and com
pletely in your possession, can you
count yourself as an Oscar winner.
Dont worry: if a mistake was
made, the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences will give
an Oscar to the person who was
supposed to win. They may send
you a letter requesting that you
return the Oscar in your posses
sion. If they do, you will have no
choice but to tell them the truth:
"Sorry, I tried to send Oscar back,
but he likes it here and doesn't
want to leave his adopted family."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
MARCH 410, 2017
ARIES: At work you will be perfect in what
ever you do during this week. Relatives are
likely to give some valuable advice regard
ing personal life. Investment on longterm plans
would pave the way for earning financial gains.
Your wit & charm would help in catching the
attention of opposite sex. A very healthy week
when your cheerfulness gives the desired tonic
and confidence. Your travel experience is going
to be an extent of sharing your knowledge and
communication. Avoid the use of estate agents to
sell your house or property. Keep yourself away
from bad habits & bad company. This will pave
the way for success in your life.
TAURUS: Selfconfidence would
immensely help in achieving good
results at professional front. Friends and
family members would lend a helping hand. You
succeed in making some extra cash on playing
your cards well. Avoid raising controversial
issues in love rather enjoy the company.
Wasting invaluable energy by getting irritated
over small matters brings disappointment. Your
next journey is to a place which is full of natural
beauty and ravishing. If you are hoping to sell
your house quickly then you should consider a
private sale. Trust to a limit in friendship.
GEMINI: Politicians find a very smooth
sailing as results go in your favor, thus
immensely boosting confidence. Help
from family members would take care of your
needs. Monetary position is likely to improve
later in the week. Warm romantic thoughts
occupy mind. Meditation and yoga prove benefi
cial for spiritual as well as physical gains.
Excitement for a vacation is not enough, plan
ning is also required. If you wish to achieve a
good deal in property then try at commercial
basis. You successfully solve your old disputes
and landrelated problems.
CANCER: People engaged in tourism
will have the energy to keep pace with
fast taking events thus giving them
selves an edge over others. You will enjoy the
time spent with family members and friends. You
need to make a proper planning before embark
ing on love journey. Time for Hypertension
patients to change their eating habits. Many peo
ple want to fly international & you are one of
them. It is advisable to check the authenticity of
the real estate agent, whom you are dealing with.
LEO: Journey undertaken for business
purpose might fail to bring expected
results. Property dispute might erupt
causing mental tension to all at family front. An
unrealistic planning could lead to paucity of
funds. Your charm & generosity bring new
romantic opportunities for you. Health problem
could make it difficult to concentrate. By travel
ing youll learn about new places and cultures,
which is ultimately a great deal about yourself.
Develop an attitude to be successful on your
property investment plans. Personal ef forts
would greatly help in increasing influence in
social & political fields.
VIRGO: Betterment awaits people
engaged in the field of graphic designing.
Your generous behavior would enable to
enjoy some lovely moments with family. Instead
of wasting time, better to get involved in some
thing to improve your financial position. Love life
brightens your week. Health secret for you: men
tal enemies lower the diseaseresisting power of
the body therefore, do not allow any unwanted
thoughts to come in your mind. You and your
loved ones been busy for quite sometimes and
have finally decided to go on a vacation. If you
are looking for a surefine method to earn on
your property, student rental could be exactly
what you need.
ASTROLOGY
LIBRA: The efforts of people aspiring to
join interior designing course are likely
to be handsomely rewarded. An unex
pected message from a distant relative brings
happy news for the entire family. An auspicious
week to invest money on items that would grow
in value. Make sure you dont surrender yourself
under physical passions to save romantic bond.
You need to take advantage of your enormous
confidence to make new contacts and friends.
Time for a vacation, sit back and relax. Looking
to buy property, then go for commercial one.
Your opponents find you a headache.
SCORPIO: Leadership qualities and abili
ty to understand people would benefit at
work. An auspicious week for family
functions and important ceremonies. The secret
mantra of earning your profits: invest wisely. If
possible avoid wearing clothes, which could
offend love partner. Engaging yourself in cre
ative work would keep you relaxed. If you are
thinking of escaping from the hectic daily rou
tine plan a trip. Good time to purchase a proper
ty. Recognition and influence would increase in
social field.
SAGITTARIUS: Promotion is likely to
make you vulnerable, as everyone is
watching you closely and failure could
be embarrassing and expensive. Matrimonial
alliance for eligible bachelor in family brings joy
to all. Expenses take an upward swing as you
involve yourself in groupentertainment. If pos
sible, dont allow your romantic views to be
aired. You need to develop selftrust to encour
age yourself to fight illness. Time to relax and
unwind for few days. You can apply for your
home loan.
Your innovative style & creativity will come as a
pleasant relief to people.
CAPRICORN: If possible, take the help of
emotional intelligence to succeed at
professional front. You receive care and
affection from family members. You will make
good money, but dont let it slip through your
fingers. Love partner would be extremely sup
portive and in a loving mood. High time for you
to realize your true potentials.Its time for a vaca
tion after a long and hard year at work. Buying
overseas property will be beneficiary for you.
Unexpected accolades bring happiness. Better to
share them with close friends to double the joy.
AQUARIUS: Support and appreciation
from seniors would raise your morale
and confidence. A new outlook will be
the source of laughter at family front today.
Improvement in finances makes it convenient in
clearing long pending dues & bills. A romantic
week as you receive all praises from partner.
You are likely to maintain good health that
would also give you success. Vacations are
meant to be fun filled and relaxing but hectic
schedules may ruin it. Your search for a house is
towards its final destination. You succeed in con
vincing people that colors have spiritual and
symbolic values.
PISCES: To take business to newer
heights you will have to induct highly
motivated persons with excellent inter
personal skills in your team. A week for renewal
of bonds and family ties. Investment is recom
mended but after a proper advice/guidance.
Dont worry everything changes with time so
will your romantic life. Cataract patients should
avoid visiting a polluted environment as smoke
could cause further problems to their eyes. It is
advisable to be careful regarding your safety,
while traveling.
A good deal for your new property is ready to be
made. Legal problem will be solved with the
timely help of friends.
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
4th March, 2017
Dominated by number 4 and the planet
Uranus, you are simple, energetic, authorita
tive, jovial, reliable and highly systematic
person. You possess a persuasive and mag
netic personality. You have a great potential
to handle complicated tasks and you seldom
complain, but you need to check your ten
dency to behave vindictive, timid and spend
thrift at times. This year long awaited pro
motions and monetary benefits will finally be
yours. Financially you will face some prob
lems initially, but things will become better
later in the year. This is an excellent period
to develop new contacts and revive old ones.
Travelling will be undertaken for attending
auspicious events. Avoid entering into any
financial joint ventures and stay away from
speculation. Wedding bells will ring for those
eligible towards the end of the year. The
months of October, December, February and
June will be highly important.
5th March, 2017
Ruled by number 5 and the planet
Mercury. You are practical, sensitive, friend
ly, diplomatic and an optimistic person. You
possess a sharp memory, excellent health,
and a powerful character. You are highly
respected in your group and people look up
to you for inspiration and support, but you
need to check your tendency to behave rest
less, nervous and timid at times. This year
brings in appreciation and rewards that you
deserve. Investments in real estate during
this year w ill prove hig hly rewarding.
However indulging in speculation will be
detrimental and should be avoided. Legal dis
putes, which have been bothering your mind,
will settle amicably to your satisfaction.
Children will be a major source of happiness
and spouse will keep you happy. Health of
your parents will suf fer due to stress, and
rise in family medical expenses will bother
your mind. T he months of September,
November, April and May will be highly
important and eventful.
6th March, 2017
Influenced by number 6 and the planet
Venus. You are highly energetic, independ
ent, ambitious and charming person. You are
fond of socializing with people, who are well
educated, intelligent and hold important
positions in the society. You can easily make
friends, but you need to check your tendency
to behave moody, stubborn and lazy at times.
This year brilliant opportunities will come
your way but you need to grab them before
others. Financial gains will accrue from past
investments. A wonderful period to do things
that you enjoy and make you feel good. A dis
tant journey for pleasure or pilgrimage
seems likely later in the year. Your health
will remain good but health of an aged family
member will become a matter of concern.
New friendship and contacts developed dur
ing this period will be highly worthwhile. The
months of August, October, February and
April will be eventful.
7th March, 2017
Governed by number 7 and the planet
Neptune. You are independent, brilliant,
quick, confident and friendly person. You are
very cheerful and pleasant person and posses
as excellent sense of humour. You dislike
office politics, arguments and confrontation,
but you need to check your tendency to
behave jealous, introvert and selfish at times.
March 4-10, 2017 29
The year promises to bring you physical as
well as financial benefits. Your energy will be
high and will bring you immense gains.
Speculation in real estate will yield hand
some returns. Distant travel will be undertak
en for business purpose as well as pleasure.
Children need to concentrate more on their
career. Health despite some initial hiccups
will be more or less fine. You need to spend
time on meditation and yoga for remarkable
gains. The months of October, January and
July will be highly significant and result ori
ented.
8th March, 2017
Ruled by number 8 and the planet Saturn.
You are assertive, cheerful, confident, author
itative and enthusiastic person. You are gift
ed with strong intuition, a lot of talent and a
remarkable imagination. You are simple and
honest, but you need to control your tenden
cy to behave erratic, hypocrite and ungrate
ful at times. The coming year promises new
hope and possibilities. Your gains will com
mensurate according to your efforts, but luck
will definitely be on our side. Your imagina
tion and skills will do wonders for you and
your creativity will be at all time high. Your
best opportunities will develop through your
association with people who hold position of
authority. Sudden gains and losses are fore
seen, therefore do not indulge into hasty
speculation. Children will bring happy news
later in the year. The month of September,
November, March and April will be eventful
months.
9th March, 2017
Influenced by number 9 and the planet
Mars, you are dynamic, courageous, ener
getic, warm hearted and a religious person.
You are a great admirer of music and litera
ture. You are research oriented and have a
strong determination, but you need to check
your tendency to behave jealous, lazy and
erratic at times. This year investments will
bring you fresh gains and you will spend
more on luxuries and other comforts.
Romantic entanglement will be pleasant and
chances to enter into a matrimonial alliance
will be very strong. Religious feelings will
arise making you embark on a pilgrimage
later in the year. Expect gifts and goodies
both in cash and kind, but some unexpected
expenses will take you by surprise. The
months of October, December, January and
April will especially be significant.
10th March, 2017
Governed by number 1, and the Sun, you
are original, active, responsible, trustworthy
and a very simple person. You are highly tal
ented and fond of accepting challenges, but
you need to control your tendency to domi
nate, overspend and behave destructive at
times.
This year you should plan things well in
advance to reap benefits. Efforts that you put
during this period will bring desired results
in the long run. Favourable period for prop
erty investment. Romance will be on top of
your list. There seem to be chances too of a
new arrival as well. Your financial condition
will improve as you pickup job involving
higher responsibility and position. Some
exhilarating news from distant relations will
boost up the spirits of the entire family.
Travel and journey will be pleasurable. The
months of August, November and June will
be significant for you.
30 March 4-10, 2017
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
A
basic need for every human
being is to love and be loved.
Psychologists speak of our
human needs as food, clothing,
shelter, and safety. They also add
the need for love. Love is the state
when two entities discover each
other and find an affinity of heart
and soul. T hey recognize their
essential oneness. Love is the
expression of that recognition that
two are really one. On this planet,
to find love we often look in the
outer worldlove from our par
ents, siblings and relatives. As we
grow older, we seek love from our
friends. In adulthood we seek the
love of our spouse and our chil
dren. Unfortunately, at sometime in
life, we also learn that these loves
are fleeting. Relationships change;
children move away; parents die.
Eventually, with each loss, the loves
of this world bring us sorrow.
At some point we turn to God for
relief from the suffering of the loss
By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji
Maharaj
V
arious scriptures from the
East tell us that we are born
into this world with a limit
ed number of breaths. When our
numbered breaths are up, our soul
leaves the body at the time of
death. What we do with those
breaths is up to us. We can consid
er our number of breaths like capi
tal or a bank account given to us
by God. Every moment we make a
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
A love that lasts forever
of love. When God hears our cry,
God brings us to someone who can
show us that we always have Gods
love. Saints and Masters show us
that Gods love is eternal.
T he Masters who have come
through the ages have shown us a
way to find lasting love within.
They teach us meditation on the
inner Light and Sound so we can
experience deeper states of Gods
love for us. Because we cannot see
God with our outer eyes, God com
municates instructions to us
through a spiritual Master who
teaches us how to find God with
our inner eye.
Gods love is like sweet mango
nectar flowing into the cup of ones
soul. It is an allpervading sweet
ness that permeates ones being. It
is filled with a life force or vibra
tion that uplifts the soul.
We know how some people drink
alcohol to get drunk or take drugs
to become high. They use chemical
means to make themselves feel
intoxicated. Although they are
looking for happiness, they fail to
realize that no matter how inebriat
ed one can become with drugs or
alcohol, that state cannot equal a
fraction of the intoxication one
receives when tasting Gods love
within. Additionally, chemical
intoxication does not last and has
serious side effects for which one
suffers. However, the intoxication
we receive from God is lasting and
has no dangerous side effects.
EVERY BREATH IS IMPORTANT
choice about how to spend our
breaths. We can choose to spend
our capital wisely or foolishly.
In this regard, there is a story
about a poor man who was given a
sandalwood forest by a rich man
for whom he did a favor. The poor
man did not realize the value of
the sandalwood and began chop
ping it up for ordinary lumber to
build houses and sell for firewood.
Whoever tastes of godly love
wants to be in that state again and
again. It uplifts the soul far beyond
this physical world and carries one
through regions of bliss and divine
love.
Our situation is similar to a fish
whose whole existence is living in
the sea. There is nowhere the fish
can survive other than the sea.
Wherever the fish swims, it finds
the sea surrounding it. Whether
the fish swims up or down, left or
right, it finds itself still in the sea.
Likewise, God is an infinite sea
without any shore. God has no
After many years, the rich man
returned to see how the poor man
was doing, expect ing that he
would now be rich from the sale of
the expensive sandalwood. He was
shocked to find the forest depleted
and the poor man still barely mak
ing ends meet. Not having realized
the high value he could have got
ten for the sandalwood, he had
squandered his treasure away.
Likewise, we have been given a
sandalwood forest or the gift of a
number of breaths to benefit our
selves, our family, and all creation.
Let us ask ourselves what we are
trading for each breath. Are we
using our breaths for something
that will be truly he lpful? To
answer this question we need to
define our purpose and goal in life.
Whatever we decide will lay down
the tracks on which the train of
our life will go. Every person has
the ability to choose between
going towards God or away from
God. Every person has the choice
of working towards goals of a
worldly nature or those of a spiri
tual nature.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
beginning and no end. Like a fish
within the sea, our soul is always
immersed in God. There is no place
the soul can go where it is not sur
rounded by God. Whether the soul
is asleep or awake, standing or sit
ting, going right or left, inhabiting
a physical body in life or a spiritual
body after life, it is always
immersed in God. Just as a fish can
not live without the sea, the soul
cannot live without God. We can
become aware of our situation and
experience the ocean of Gods love
at all times through meditation.
Once we realize that Gods love
First of all, let us be grateful and
celebrate that we have been born
into this physical existence as a
human being. Recent scientific
studies estimate that there are
anywhere from 7 to 9 million
species of life. This bears out what
the ancient Hindus spoke of when
they said that there were 8.4 mil amass the spiritual rewards of
lion species. This is where the
terms being on the wheel of 84
and the cycle of births and
rebirths come from. Science is
now confirming what ancient
sages told us thousands of years
ago.
Whether the actual number is 7
million, 8.4 million or 9 million,
the fact remains that there are mil
lions of life forms. Being in the
human form is a reason to cele
brate and should not be taken for
granted. It is in the human form
that the faculty exists to know our
selves as soul and to know God.
Let us make the best of this oppor
tunity and not squander our life
away.
Most people devote the entire
gift of the human form to feeding
for us is eternal, we begin to under
stand its uniqueness. Gods love for
us does not wither with time like a
flower, nor does it turn sour or sad
like some worldly relationships.
Gods love withstands all the tests
of time.
When we choose to love God
instead of the multiple temporary
loves in the universe, we discover a
Be loved who is with us even
beyond the gates of death. We will
go with God to Gods true Abode.
There, we will live in eternal wed
lock with the true Beloved.
(For more visit www.sos.org)
When we
choose to
love God
instead of
the multiple
temporary loves
in the universe,
we discover a
Beloved who is
with us even
beyond the
gates of death.
it, reproducing it, and keeping it
alive. However, our lives are pre
cious. Let us use the spiritual capi
tal of this birth and our remaining
breaths to realize God. If we use
our breaths for our own spiritual
development and for the better
ment of the lives of others, we will
eternal love, bliss and peace. By
using our breaths for our spiritual
evolution and to help others, we
will make the world we live in a
better place.
Each day let us take some time
to keep our priorities straight. We
can write out our plan for the day,
giving time to our spiritual priori
ties of meditation, selfless service,
and ethical living. In this way, the
sandalwood forest we have been
given by God can be invested to
bring more good for ourselves and
for others. Let us be more aware
of how we use each moment of our
lives. In this way our spiritual suc
cess of reuniting our soul with
God can be achieved in the short
est possible time. The choice is
ours.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info March 4-10, 2017