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Vol.10 No. 31 December 2-8, 2017 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Senate to vote on tax bill

this week after panel okay Prime Minister
Modi and
Ivanka Trump
Dem leaders clash with Trump admiring the
indigenous
over govt funding talks robot Mitra at
the Global
Entrepreneurs
hip Summit in
Hyderabad on
Nov 28.
(Photo: PIB)

President Trump shames Pelosi, Schumer with empty seats at

White House meeting they boycotted on Nov 28.
Washington: Senate Republicans
took a significant step toward
passing a sweeping tax overhaul
on Tuesday, with the budget
committee giving its approval
and several wavering senators
indicating they would support
the tax package, helping clear
the way for full Senate vote later
this week.
A flurry of lastminute deal
making helped garner the sup
port of a few Republican lawmak
ers who had expressed concerns
about the $1.5 trillion package,
including its treatment of small
businesses and its effect on the
deficit. The rapid turnaround
underlines the pressure
Republicans face to pass a tax
cut and notch a significant leg
islative victory in their first year
controlling both Congress and
the White House. To help push
the effort forward, President
Continued on page 4
GES reects close US-
India ties: Modi & Ivanka
India can grow by over $150 bn if labor gender gap closed: Ivanka
Hyderabad: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Ivanka Trump,
US President's daughter and advis
er, inaugurated the 3day Global
Entrepreneurship Summit (GES)
here. The event, which focuses on
female entrepreneurs, is being
jointly hosted by India and the US.
Modi said the event shows the
close ties between the US and
India. He also evoked inspirational
stories of women from history and
the rural heartland. "Indian
women continue to lead in differ
ent walks of life. Our space pro
grams, including the Mars Orbiter
Mission, have had immense contri
bution from our women scientists,"
he said.Echoing him, Ivanka said
that the holding of the GES for the
Continued on page 4
MORE STORIES OF
IVANKA IN INDIA, ON PAGE 3

North Korea new missile
launch a global threat: US
Washington: North Korea has fired its high
estever intercontinental ballistic missile
and poses a worldwide threat, US Secretary
of Defense James Mattis has said.
Earlier the Pentagon said the missile had
flown for about 1,000 km (620 miles)
before falling into the Sea of Japan. The
launch, early on Wednesday, is the latest in
a series that have raised international ten
sions. North Korea's last ballistic missile
launch was in September and came days
after its sixth nuclear test.
Secretary Mattis was speaking at the
White House as he briefed President Trump
and senior officials on the missile launch.
"It went higher, Continued on page 4
Barack Obama visiting Congress has a shot at
wresting Gujarat from BJP
India this week New Delhi: The Congress party, out of
power for 22 long years in Gujarat, may
Washington: Former presi on November 30, Obama is well have its best shot at supplanting the
dent Barack Obama has scheduled to speak at the HT BJP from power this time.
embarked on a threenation Media Leadership Summit A 5point swing in Congress favor could
tour with stops in China, and meet with Modi, with help the party catch up with the BJP, and
India and France, during whom he had developed a perhaps even pull ahead of the States ruling
which he will meet with good kinship particularly on party, said an analysis by Hindu Business
Chinese President Xi Jinping issues like climate change. Line. Victory in Gujarat where Prime
and Indian Prime Minister On Friday, he will hold a Minister Narendra Modi was thrice elected
Narendra Modi, his office townhallstyle event for the Chief Minister could electrify the Grand
announced Tuesday. Obama Foundation with Old Party into action in the upcoming bat
The India visit comes soon Former President some 280 young leaders tles in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and
after White House adviser Barack Obama from across India to expand Rajasthan. If, however, there is no swing, the
Ivanka Trump participated in a global eco the conversation about what it means to be BJP will be back in the saddle for a fifth con
nomic summit in Hyderabad. In New Delhi an active citizen Continued on page 4 secutive term. As Continued on page 4

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY December 2-8, 2017 3

Ivanka in India
Ivanka gets a Taste of
India at Falaknuma
Hyderabad: Ivanka Trump
and other delegates of GES
summit on Tuesday attend
ed a dinner hosted by
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi at Taj Falaknuma
here.
Modi, Telangana
Governor E.S.L.
Narasimhan, Chief
Minister K. Chandrasekhar
Rao and some top politi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi escorting Ivanka Trump as they visit the Virtual Exhibition at
cians and industrialists
the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017 in Hyderabad on November 28. (Photos: IANS)
dined with Ivanka on 101
seater dining table, the

Hyderabad summit draws largest in the world, at the

palace hotel. The guests
PM Modi and Ivanka Trump at
were treated with a variety
1,500 delegates of delicacies including the
famous Hyderabadi biryani. The five
Falaknuma Palace before the dinner.

They all reached the palace after the inau

Hyderabad: About 1,500 delegates from
150 countries and territories are taking
part in the threeday Global
Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) here that
began on Tuesday.
Selected startups displayed their prod
ucts at the lobby at the venue while digital
displays spoke about India's potential in
various sectors. A hoarding with Ivanka
Trump's picture and slogan of "When
women succeed, we all succeed" was seen
on the approach road to the venue. This is
the eighth GES, which brings together
entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem
supporters for mentoring, networking and
investment matchmaking. It is the first
time the event is being held in South Asia.
Ivanka was also scheduled to visit the his
toric Golconda Fort but not the Charminar
on Wednesday, police sources told IANS.
After attending a GES session on
Wednesday, she was scheduled to leave
for the fort. She flies back home on
Wednesday evening.
course menu, inspired by Hyderabad's
famed cuisine, contained a mix of exotic
Indian ingredients and delicacies like dahi
ke kebab, gosht shikampuri kebab, kubani
ke malai kofta, murg pista ka salan and
sitaphal kulfi.
Ivanka received a royal treatment as
horsedrawn carriage of the Nizam era fer
ried her from the main gate to the palace
atop the hill. The White House advisor also
went around the palace, which was once
the residence of the Nizam of Hyderabad.
guration of GES at Hyderabad International
Convention Centre (HICC).
The Nizams suite, which used to be the
private suite of the ruler of Hyderabad
State and costs a whopping Rs 5 lakh to Rs
8 lakh a night was booked for Ivanka in
case she stays at the palace. However, she
returned to Trident Hotel, where she is
staying.
Ivanka was the first highprofile foreign
dignitary visiting the palace after it was
converted into a star hotel a decade ago.

Neeta Lulla designs

ensemble for Ivanka
Mumbai: Ace Indian designer
Neeta Lulla was commis
External Affairs
sioned to design an outfit for
Minister Sushma
Ivanka Trump who came to Swaraj meets
Hyderabad for the Global Ivanka Trump on
Entrepreneurship Summit the sidelines of
(GES). the GES 2017
Describing the ensemble in Hyderabad on
she has planned for Ivanka, Nov 28.
Lulla said in a statement: "As
stylish and elegant as Ms.
Trump is, her ensemble too
will be intricate and exquisite.
We are honored to present an
exclusive bespoke collectable
inspired from the Vrindavan
Symphony which is our trib
ute to the celebrated Radha
Krishna fable."
"It has a motif of the tradi
(from left) Spokesperson of
tional musical instrument Ministry of External Affairs
sitar, which has its roots... in Raveesh Kumar, India's
classical music... and is Ambassador to US Navtej
inspired by the Vrindavan Sarna, Ivanka Trump and US
Gardens where the impecca Neeta Lulla designed the Indian inspired Ambassador to India
ble portrayal of the divine
ensemble for Ivanka Trump who is seen Kenneth Juster seen when
with Defence Minister Nirmala President Trump's daughter
romance was performed as
Sitharaman. (Photo : AP) and adviser arrived in
'Raas Leela'. We have created
a signature ensemble using threads, this gown has a 'sitar' on
Hyderabad on Nov 28.
the traditional sari restyled into an the trail made of finely woven silk
elegant gown. from the historic city of Varanasi,"
"Dawned in ivory and golden silk she added.
 4 December 2-8, 2017
At GES, Modi
hardsells India
Hyderabad: Hardselling India
at GES, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi invited
investors from across the
globe to invest in India to
take advantage of a friendly
climate while President
Donald Trump's daughter
Ivanka said much remains to
be done with regard to equi
table laws for women in
many developing as well as
developed countries.
"To my entrepreneur
friends from across the
globe, I would like to say:
Come, Make in India, Invest
in Indiafor India, and for the
world. I invite each one of
you to become a partner in
India's growth story. And
once again assure you of our
wholehearted support,"
Modi said while inaugurating
the 2017 GES.
Modi told young entrepre
neurs from India that each of
them has something valuable
to contribute towards creat
ing a New India by 2022.
"You are vehicles of change
and instruments of India's
transformation."
"My government under
stands that an environment
of transparent policies and a
rule of law providing a level
playing field are necessary
for entrepreneurship to flour
ish.
Listing various steps taken
by his government in the last
over three years in improving
the business climate, Modi
said the jump in India's rank
ing in the World Bank's Ease
of Doing business Report
Chairman and Co-Founder
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from 142 to 100 in three
years was a result of this.
"My government under
stands that an environment
of transparent policies and a
rule of law providing a level
playing field are necessary
for entrepreneurship to flour
ish.
"A historic overhaul of the
taxation system has been
recently undertaken, bring
ing in the Goods and Services
Tax across the country. Our
Insolvency and Bankruptcy
Code introduced in 2016 is a
step towards ensuring timely
resolution for stressed ven
tures. We have recently
improved this further, pre
venting wilful defaulters
from bidding for stressed
assets," he said.
Touching on demonetiza
tion, the Prime Minister said
tough measures have been
adopted to tackle the parallel
economy, check tax evasion
and control black money.
"Our efforts have been rec
ognized by Moody's recent
upgrade of India's govern
ment bond ratings. This
upgrade comes after a gap of
almost 14 years."
"An investmentfriendly
environment needs to be sta
ble from the macroeconomic
perspective. We have suc
ceeded in containing the fis
cal and current account
deficits and curbing inflation.
Our foreign exchange
reserves have crossed $ 400
billion and we continue to
attract large foreign capital
flows," he said.
Associate Editor:
Hiral Dholakia-Dave
Contributing Editors: Surekha Vijh
(Washington DC), Suchitra Srinivas (New
Jersey), Shivaji Sengupta, Nilima Madan,
Melvin Durai, Dr Prem Kumar Sharma,
Ashok Vyas, Dr Akshat Jain,
and Ashok Ojha.
West Coast Correspondent
Pooja Jain,
Pooja@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
TURN PAGE
GES reflects close USIndia Senate to vote on tax bill
this week after panel okay
ties: Modi & Ivanka
Continued from page 1
Continued from page 1
Trump went to Capitol Hill on Tuesday
first time in India reflects the growing
security and economic partnership for a lunch meeting with Republican
between America and India. She also senators, where he made promises to
showered praise on Modi, for doing some and admonished another.
to build India as a thriving economy I think were going to get it passed,
a beacon of democracy and a he said later at the White House. Its
symbol of hope to the world. What going to have lots of adjustments
you are achieving is truly extraordi before it ends, but the end result will
nary. be a very, very massive the largest
The threeday event, being cohost in the history of our country tax
ed here by the US and India, is being cut.
attended by 1,500 entrepreneurs, Several hurdles remain, however,
investors and ecosystem supporters including resolving differences with
from 159 countries. the House version of the tax bill,
Ivanka said in her keynote address, which differs in significant ways from
"As President Trump said earlier this that of the Senate. Both bills cut taxes
year: India has a true friend in the on businesses and individuals, but dif
White House." Indeed, the recent pro fer in the scope and timing of those
nouncements of the US administration cuts.
have been favorable to India in securi Meanwhile, the same day
ty, diplomacy and cooperation. Democratic congressional leaders can
Complimenting India for being one celled a meeting with President
of the fastest growing economies Trump after he said he did not think
globally, she said, "The people of India he could reach a deal with Nancy
have lifted more than 130 million citi Pelosi and Chuck Schumer on funding
zens out of poverty. All of you are the government. The Democrats said
helping India's middle class reach its they would negotiate with Republican
goal of becoming 500 million people lawmakers instead.
by 2030." Averting a federal shutdown is just
"Its wonderful to be in this ancient one of this month's big challenges for
city brimming with transformative Republicans, who control Capitol Hill.
technology," she said referring to Congress must agree to a yearend
Hyderabad. "Now, your tech centers spending package to keep the US gov
may even outshine your world famous ernment running beyond 8th
biryani," she added. December.
Ivanka noted that Hyderabadbased Democrats have suggested negotia
startups incubator THub's "brand tions could hinge on saving an
new facility is set to open next year Obamaera program that allowed
and will become the largest incubator undocumented immigrants who
in Asia". entered the US as children to stay.
Referring to the theme of the 8th
GES Women First, Prosperity For All North Korea new missile
Trump said this is the "key to our launch a global threat: US
future". Continued from page 1
"I am proud that for the first time frankly, than any previous shots they
ever, women make up the majority of have taken," he said, adding that the
the 1,500 entrepreneurs selected to North was building "ballistic missiles
attend," she said. that threaten everywhere in the
The Indian economy, she said can world". Japanese government officials
grow by over $150 billion in the next said the missile travelled for about 50
three years if it was able to close the minutes but did not fly over Japan, as
labor force gender gap by half. some have done in the past.
New Delhi Bureau
Meenakshi Iyer
Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Jaipur (India) Bureau
Prakash Bhandari
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/
masalajunction.com.
Xitij Joshi/xitijphoto.com
Photo Journalist: Sandeep Girhotra
Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah
Art and Design: Dhiraj Kumar Showaan
Vladimir Tomovski
Bhagwati Creations,
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
President Trump was briefed while
the missile was still in the air, the
White House said. Afterwards he said:
"We will take care of it.
Barack Obama visiting
India this week
Continued from page 1
and make an impact." In a statement,
the foundation identified India as
among the world's "most culturally,
religiously, linguistically, and ethnical
ly diverse nations."
Obama reached Shanghai in China
on Tuesday. He will be in Paris on
Friday and Saturday.
Congress has a shot at
wresting Gujarat from BJP
Continued from page 1
the fight for Gujarat intensifies, Modi
and Congress Vice President Rahul
Gandhi will descend on the pollbound
state on Wednesday, with both step
ping up their campaign ahead of the
first phase elections on December 9.
A preelection survey conducted by
CSDSLok Niti in October found the
BJP with only a sixpercentagepoint
lead over the Congress, down from
over 30 points in August. The
Congress partys slogans Congress
aave che (the Congress is coming) and
Vikas gando thayo che (development
gone crazy) seem to have resonated
with voters.
But the Congress is not merely
banking on spin; there is discontent
on the ground, and it is real.
Gujarats famed business community
particularly those who run small
and medium businesses took a bat
tering in last years demonetization
exercise, and was harrowed by the
GSTs implementation earlier this year.
The Congress, sensing an opportunity,
is bending over backwards to connect
with the traders, and is holding out
the promise of an 18 per cent cap on
GST rates.
Hardik Patel, who has been leading
the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samitis
agitation for reservation in jobs and
education since 2015, has struck a
deal with the Congress.
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Trehans gift $1 million to Kennedy
Center for Indian cultural performances Literature Translation Fellowship
Washington, DC: The prestigious
Kennedy Center has received $ 1
million seed money grant to create
an Indian Fund to facilitate a
series of Indian cultural perform
ances over the next several years.
Well known Indian American
philanthropist couple Ranvir
and Adarsh Trehan recently
made the donation in this regard
to establish the India Fund at the
Kennedy Center, a top American
center for performing arts.
The India Fund will exclusively
be used to create and present at
the Kennedy Center performing
arts, artistic exhibits and festivals
showcasing the history, traditions,
literature, music, dance and cul
ture of India, Ranvir told ethnic
India Abroad newspaper in an
interview.
The intent of the India Fund is to
be country focused, he told the
weekly, adding the programming
is intended to utilize established
or emerging artists, singers, musi
cians or other performers or per
formance creators who are either
citizens of India or whose ancestry
is from India.
There is a need and desire for
sustained India programming at
the Kennedy Center for many
years to come and I see this as a
THREE HONORED AT 2017 IISD AWARD CEREMONY
New York: Inst itute of
International Social Development
(IISD), an international NGO in
Special Consultative Status with
ECOSOC of the United Nations,
celebrated the 2017 IISD Award
Ceremony with the recognition of
three eminent personalities from
the United Nations and the spiri
tual world for their contributions
to the society. The program was
he ld on November 17 at the
Tillman Chapel at the Church
Center, United Nat ions. T he
theme for the event was
Realization of our one human
family through spirituality and
the UN Goals. Salwa Kader,
President and Founder,
Internat ional Federat ion of
Middle East Peace and
Sustainable Development, former
ly the Director of United Nations
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Prof. Narayan Hegde receives NEA
Ranvir and Adarsh
Trehan
(Image :
indiaprwire.com)
broad based effort by individuals
both in the IndianAmerican com
munity and others interested in
Indian culture from foundations
and MNCs, Ranvir said.
He said, The result maybe sev
eral events every year or even a
minifestival or a substantial festi
val like Maximum India. T he
Kennedy Center may choose to
cooperate with performing arts
centers in other cities on this
effort.
The Indian Ambassador to the
US, Navte j Sarna, called the
Trehans initiative the encourage
ment that we need.
The Indian arts are at a very
interesting phaseIt surprises me
(L to R): Sharon HamiltonGetz, Vice President, IISD, NY; Nayaswami Devi of Ananda Sangha Worldwide;
Salwa Kader, President and Founder, International Federation of Middle East Peace and Sustainable
Development; Nayaswami Jyotish; and Shomik Chaudhuri, President, IISD, NY (Photo courtesy: Jitendra)
Womens Guild in Manhattan, was
presented the 2017 Global
Ambassador Peace Award for her
constantly because we are all used
to a certain vision of Indian cul
ture, but if you now put on a new
film or you see a new dance per
formance, you are always sur
prised because people are always
crossing borders in different direc
tions, Sarna said. R. Ananthamurthy. First published Stories by U. R. Ananthamurthy,
President, Kennedy Center,
Deborah F Rutter said it is impor
tant for the national cultural cen
ter to bring international program
ming for its audiences.
The Kennedy Center had been
contemplating ways to expand its
international programming and trilogy are available in English Kumaravyasa Bharatha for publica
the Trehans gift will ensure these
offerings on a more ongoing basis,
he told India Abroad. (PTI)
immense contributions in bring
ing about understanding and
peace in the Middle East and
December 2-8, 2017 5
New York: T he of India, spoken by
National Endowment roughly 60 million
for the Arts has people in the state of
announced that Dr. K a r n a t a k a .
Narayan Hegde will Ananthamurthy
receive an NEA (19322014) is one
Literature Translation of the most celebrat
Fellowship. A profes ed writers of contem
sor emeritus of English porary India. He was
at the State University one of the pioneers of
of New York at Old the Navya
Westbury, Dr. Hegde (Modernist) move
is one of 22 ment in Kannada lit
Dr. Narayan Hegde
Literature Translation erature. Dr. Hegde
Fellows for fiscal year 2018. In retired from fulltime teaching at
total, the NEA is recommending SUNY Old Westbury in January
$300,000 in grants this round to 2017 after 36 years as a member of
support the new translation of fic the Colleges faculty, where he
tion, creative nonfiction, and poetry taught English, Indian, and World
from 15 dif ferent languages into Literature. As a Senior Fellow of the
Eng lish. As an NEA Literature American Institute of Indian
Translation Fellow, Dr. Hegde will Studies, he has translated several
translate from the Kannada the works of Kannada literature, includ
novel Avasthe by Indian writer U. ing Stallion of the Sun and Other
in 1978 and made into a feature Annayya's Anthropology by A. K.
film in India, Avasthe is the third Ramanujan, and a 19thcentury
novel in a trilogy that chronicles the drama, T he Marriage Farce of
social and political changes in India Iggappa Hegade. He is a recipient of
immediately after the country's the Katha Translation Award. He is
independence from colonial rule. currently part of a team translating
While the other two books in the the 15th century Kannada epic
translations, Avasthe remains vir tion by Harvard University Press in
tually unknown outside southern its Murty Classical Library of India
India. Kannada is a major language series.
emissaries of Paramahansa
Yog ananda and Spiritual
Directors of Ananda Sang ha
Worldwide, received the 2017
Global Ambassador Peace Award
for their outstanding work in
bringing about peace in the world
with their international organiza
tion which teaches meditation
and the kriya yoga in the tradi
tion of Paramhansa Yogananda.
The Institutes goal is to attain
the UN goal of One Earth One
Family through UNs goals and
programs and also instilling spiri
tual values to uplift humanity to a
higher level of consciousness for
them to help attain the UN goals.
The award was presented by
Shomik Chaudhuri, President,
other regions. IISD, New York and coordinated
From the world of spirituality, by Sharon HamiltonGetz, Vice
Nayaswamis Jyotish and Devi, President.
6 December 2-8, 2017
SIAEA announces new
scholarship in honor of
Bansi Shah
T he Society of IndoAmerican
Engineers and Architects (SIAEA)
Scholarship Program is introducing a
special Grand Scholarship in addition to
the ten scholarships which are given
annually to Indian American students
pursuing degrees in the elds of
Engineering and Architecture.
The announcement of this years
Grand Scholarship worth $5,000, comes
after the demise of the programs former
president Bansi Shah who passed away
in August.
Shah was a very popular, friendly and
a strong community leader, who took
the Society of Indo American Engineers
and Architects to greater heights and
worked in the construction business, IT
sector, security systems and real estate.
The Bansi Shah Memorial Trust
Foundation will award one Indian
American student a $5,000 scholarship
along with awarding ten Indian
American students, a scholarship worth
$2,000 each.
To qualify for a scholarship, a student
must have the following:
s Must be enrolled as a full time stu
dent in a college or university, who is
working towards an undergraduate
degree, a graduate degree or is enrolled
in a masters program in an Engineering
or Architecture related eld.
NYC kindergarten applications
accepted
YC Department of Education has
N started accepting applications for
the 2018 kindergarten. All students
born in 2013 who currently live in
NYC are eligible to attend kindergarten
starting in September 2018. All fami
lies that submit their application by
the January 12 deadline will receive
their offer in March.
Families can apply by: Submitting an
online application at:
http://schools.nyc.gov/applyonline.
The online application is available in
ten languages (English, Spanish, Chi
nese, Russian, Arabic, Korean, Haitian
Creole, Bengali, Urdu and French); Over
TRISTATE COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info
IN BRIEF
Consulate@YourDoorstep event
held in Andover
s Preferences will be given to students
who are in their third or fourth year of
college as well as graduate students,
Merit and need based.
s The student must have a minimum
overall GPA of 3.0 and be able to provide
transcripts certifying the above, which
will be attached to the application.
s As scholarship checks will be made
payable to the institution and not to stu
dents individually, a preference will be
given to institutions located within the
TriState region, though students outside
of the TriState region are also eligible to
apply. Over 200 people participated in the passport/visa/OCI facilitation camp
s Students must be a member of
onsular Facilitation Camp and welcome served over 200 people by working non
SIAEA; membership forms can be sent
with the scholarship application. C reception for the Consul General of In stop and well beyond scheduled hours the
s The Scholarship Application Form dia NY, Sandeep Chakravorty was held in press statement said. The other two staff
must be submitted by Dec. 1 with a per Andover, MA. The events took place with of the Consulate were unable to come due
manent email address, NOT a student support and assistance of Global Indians to an accident between NY and MA. But
email address. for Bharat Vikas, Milan USA, Chinmaya Mr. Krishnamurthy with the help of a few
s Previous scholarship recipients are Mission Boston (CMB), India Association of volunteers ensured each and every regis
NOT eligible to apply again. Greater Boston (IAGB), Art of Living Boston tered attendee as well as walkins received
s Awardees must be present to receive (AOL), Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America necessary preapproval and/or advice.
the Scholarship Awards during SIAEA (VHPA), and other local organizations New Consul General Chakravorty re
Annual Gala on the evening of Saturday, Approximately 200 people from Greater ceived a warm welcome by local communi
Dec. 16 at the Grand Hyatt in New York Boston area participated in a ty leaders in the foyer of Chinmaya Maruti,
City. passport/visa/OCI facilitation camp. Indi performed a quick pooja/tour at the
Scholarship Applications can be sub ans and IndianAmericans from the area Mandir, interacted with community mem
mitted to: Ketan.icc@gmail.com or also welcomed Indias new Consul General bers and leaders such as Desh Deshpande
mailed to: SIAEA Scholarship Committee, in New York Sandeep Chakravorty. before reaching the auditorium for his
Society of IndoAmerican Engineers & Responding to early arrivals of commu community reception.
Architects, P. O. Box 596, Tarrytown, nity members, the passport/visa/OCI facili Maha Pula from CMB and Pawan Roy
tation camp was kicked off about an hour from GIBV led/coordinated the community
ahead of schedule by Consul (CPV) Mr. L. reception by welcoming everyone in the
Krishnamurthy who single handedly audience and explaining the agenda.
the phone by calling 7189352009.
Families can access translation servic
es over the phone in over 200 lan
guages; Visiting a DOE Family Wel
come Center in person.
The online directory is also available
in ten languages.
Schools Chancellor Carmen Faria
says, The kindergarten application
process is an exciting moment for fam
ilies as they continue to lay the
groundwork for their childs education
al experience, and I am proud of the
highquality opportunities that
DOE is able to offer across the entire
City. Kathakali performed as part of India @70 Celebrations at Gaston Hall, Georgetown University,
Washington DC on November 20, 2017 (Image : India in USA/Washington Facebook page)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY December 2-8, 2017 7

Republican Hindu Coalition-

Ajit Pai: Stop harassing my
family over net neutrality
Washington, DC: Federal
Communications
Commission (FCC) chairman
Ajit Pai asked people to stop
harassing his family over his
attempts to roll back net
neutrality provisions.
During a Monday inter
view on Fox News's "Fox &
Friends," Pai addressed a
sign that was put up outside
his home that mentioned his
children's names and read:
They will come to know the
truth. Dad murdered
Democracy in cold blood.
I have a friend that lives
near Ajit Pai. Net neutrality
"activists" posted these
signs, featuring his chil
Ajit Pai, chairman, Federal Communications
dren's names, outside his
Commission (Image courtesy: theverge.com)
house. Pizzas also reportedly
sent to his house every half
hour last night, said Brendan
Bordelon on Twitter. It certain
ly crosses a line with me, Pai
said. I understand that people
are passionate about policy, but
the one thing in America that
should remain sacred is that
families, wives and kids, should
remain out of it," he continued.
the issue."
Pai earlier this month
announced that the FCC will
vote next month to roll back
neutrality rules that require
internet service providers
to treat all web traffic
equally.
Pai blasted the Obamaera
rules as "heavy handed, util
itystyle" regulation of the
internet. But Pai's attempt
to roll back the rules has
been met with criticism
from members of both par
ties, who fear that allowing
carriers to favor different
forms of content will stifle
innovation on the internet.
If Pai's proposal passes, it
would free internet service
providers of restrictions on
"And stop harassing us at our blocking or prioritizing certain
homes. web content as long as they
In a statement, Pai said "inter publicly disclose doing so.
net regulation activists have During an interview last week,
crossed the line by threatening Pai defended his plan to elimi
and harassing my family," nate net neutrality rules, accus
according to The Washington ing critics of overstating their
Post. "They should leave my fears about what it will mean for
family out of this issue and the internet.
focus on debating the merits of (Source: Thehill.com)
backed candidate to challenge
Raja Krishnamoorthi
New York: A candidate backed by
the Republican Hindu Coalition
(RHC) has announced she wants
to challenge Indian American
Democratic Congressman Raja
Krishnamoorthi when he is up for
reelection in 2018.
But Vandana Jhingan is herself
being challenged by another
Indian American, Jitendra
Diganvker, for the Republican
Partys ticket in the House of
Representatives constituency in
Chicago suburbs.
In the election system of Illinois
state, candidates will rst have to
win a primary election in which
party members elect their partys
candidate to run in the general
election.
Therefore, Jhingan or
Diganvker will have to win the
Republican primary to be held in
March 2018 to run against
Krishnamoorthi in the November
election.
The terms of representatives is
only two years in the US, requir
ing Krishnamoorthi, who was
elected for the rst time in
November 2016 to run for reelec
tion in 2018.
Krishnamoorthi is one of four
IndianAmericans in the House of
Representatives, all of them
Democrats. Kamala Harris, the
sole Senator of Indian descent, is
also a Democrat.
Krishnamoorthi led his papers
on Monday for the Democratic
Party primary.
Jhingan announced her inten
tions to run in the Republican pri
mary over the weekend and
Diganvker earlier in November.
All of them may face other can
didates in their respective partys
primaries.
In the constituency known as
Illinois District eight whites make
up 70 per cent of the population
and only 12 per cent is Asian, a
category that includes Indians.
Krishnamoorthi is the rst non
white person to be elected from
there. Jhingans announcement
said that her candidacy is sup
ported by the RHC. A journalist,
Jhingan is the Midwest Bureau
Chief for the Indiaoriented
American TV channel TV Asia.
Diganvker is a businessman
who runs a credit cardprocessing
business. (IANS)

Amazon adds thousands of Indian

vendors to cater to American market
Mumbai: Americans shopping on
Amazon.com this holiday season may nd
that the best deals for popular gifts like
leather shoes and luxury bedding are
coming from an unexpected source:
Indian merchants.
Amazon, always on the lookout for ways
to lower prices, has been aggressively
recruiting Indian vendors to sell their
goods directly on the ecommerce giants
American site. At least 27,000 Indian sell
ers have signed up since Amazon began
the outreach two years ago. They range
from giants like the Tata Group, a con
glomerate that hawks its Titan watch line
on the site, to smaller rms like The Boho
Street, a peddler of vegan tapestries,
incense and handcrafted copper mugs.
The result is lower prices for consumers
because selling foreign goods through the
ecommerce giant cuts out some of the
usual costs of a traditional importer. But it
is also benecial to Amazon, which gets to
add to its enormous product lineup and
charge sellers hefty fees.
The growth of Amazons Indian global
seller program shows how sophisticated
the Seattle retailers strategy has become.
The company operates Indias second
largest ecommerce site, Amazon.in, which
caters to the countrys growing base of
online consumers. But Amazon also sees
India as a source of cheap and highquali
ty products that can be sold on its
American site, especially in crucial cate
gories like apparel, to help it take market
share from competitors like Walmart.
Abhijit Kamra, who heads Amazons
global selling program in India, said that
Americans already buy many products
that are made in India, such as cotton tow
els. What we are trying to do is compress
the global supply chain and bring sellers
and customers closer, he said in a phone
interview. Some of the 75 million Indian
products on the main Amazon.com site,
such as saris, tend to attract customers of
Indian heritage. But other categories, like
jewelry and health products, have wider
appeal, Mr. Kamra said.
Amazon has listed many of its Indian
products on a special page,
Amazon.com/India, to help customers in
the United States nd them. For the holi
day selling season that kicked off with
Black Friday, the company spent months
helping sellers prepare by stockpiling
goods in the United States and program
ming special lightning deals to generate
shopper interest. In some cases, the com
pany even lent sellers money for invento
ry. The India program is quite lucrative
for Amazons bottom line. A merchant who
chooses the full array of Amazon services,
including buying advertising and contract
ing with the company to store and deliver
the products from Amazons American
warehouses, typically hands over about
onethird of the items sale price in fees
and commissions.
(Source: The New York Times)
 8 December 2-8, 2017 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Great to be an Indian in the US SHERIN MATHEWS'

right now: YouTube star Vidya Vox
New Delhi: USbased YouTube star Vidya Vox says that,
while growing up, she tried to shun her Indian heritage
as she was often bullied in school. But she is now "100
per cent" proud of her roots and feels it is great to be
an Indian in the US right now.
Vidya Iyer, better known by her stage name Vidya
Vox, was born in the Chennai, grew up in Virginia, and
is based in Los Angeles.
Asked how she feels being an Indian in the US under
Donald Trump's administration, Vidya told IANS here:
"It's great. There are many people like Priyanka Chopra
of South Asian descent in the media who are in the fore
front right now. That's really great. While growing up, I
didn't see examples like that."
"I was bullied when I was in middle school in DC,
especially for being an Indian, because there weren't
many Indian kids in school. And because of that, I tend
ed to hide my Indian culture, but that changed by the
end of high school. Now, I am 100 per cent proud of it. I
am not going to hide it any more," she said.
"Growing up, I had a bit of an identity crisis. I spoke
in Tamil at home and ate dosa and idli. At school, I
would listen to Beyonce (Knowles) and eat pizza and
fries," she added.
The singer, who has learnt Carnatic music, felt like
she was living in two separate worlds.
"I always thought how could I marry these two
worlds... even if it's for a few minutes. That's how we
came up with the idea of mashups," said Vidya.
In 2015 she launched her YouTube channel with
mashups of western pop hits and music from India. She
SISTER PLACED WITH
HOUSTON FAMILY NOW
Houston: The 3yearold sister of
Sherin Mathews, the Indian girl
found dead in a culvert last
month, has been placed with a
family member here, according to
authorities, days after her mother
was arrested for abandoning and
endangering the toddler.
Sherin, who went missing on Oc
tober 7, was found dead in a cul
vert under a road about a half a
kilometre from her home on Octo
ber 22.
The biological daughter of Indi
Vidya Vox (Image courtesy: twitter) anAmericans Wesley and Sini
has amassed over 350 million views and over three mil Mathews was placed in foster care
lion subscribers. October 9, two days after Sherin
Being a YouTube star, cyber bullying must be com was reported missing by her adop
mon. How does she deal with it? tive father, who was later charged
"I don't look at comments. I try really hard not to. It's with serious bodily injury to a
very difcult... people get bullied all the time. It's impor child, Dallas News reported.
tant to remember not to listen to them. Your music is The biological daughter has
personal. Some people connect with it and some don't. now been placed with a family
That's okay," said Vidya, popular for mashups like member living in Houston, the re
"CloserKabira" and "Love me like you doHosanna". port quoted Child Protective Serv dered that once all involved par
She has also come out with an album, "Kuthu Fire", ices (CPS) as saying.
consisting of original songs. To promote it, she is cur Sherin's sister remained in fos
rently in India for a multicity tour. (IANS) ter care while a judge weighed
placement options. A homestudy
was completed of a relative's
home in the Houston area, Maris
sa Gonzales, a spokeswoman with
the Department of Family and
Protective Services said.
The child was released days af
ter her mother Sini was arrested
for abandoning and endangering
Sherin, for leaving the 3yearold
alone at home.
Sini has been lodged at the Dal
las county jail on a bond of $
250,000.
Sini appeared before a family
court judge November 13, days
before her arrest, to attempt to re
gain custody of Sherin's sister,
who has not been named, but the
judge decided to delay part of the
custody proceedings because of
"aggravated circumstances" in the
case, it said.
At the hearing, the judge or
ties were in agreement, the girl
would be placed in the family
member's care, Ms Gonzales said

Father arrested for IndianAmerican garners prestigious

driving with unresponsive Houston Youth Poet Laureate accolade
child in backseat of car
New York: A 34yearold Indian
origin man has been charged with
risk of injury to a child and evi
dence tampering for allegedly fail
ing to seek medical care for his 1
monthold son after realising that
the infant was unresponsive and
could be dead. Divya Patel of
Rocky Hill in Connecticut was ar
rested after police discovered his
1monthold child dead in the
backseat of his car on Sunday.
According to state police, it re
ceived a 911 call on November 18
from a mother stating that her 1
monthold was not breathing.
She told police that the child
was with his father in a car parked
at the Residence Inn on Cromwell
Ave.
When officers arrived, they
were unable to locate Patel or the
New York: While Carnegie
Vanguard High School senior
Rukmini Kalamangalam dreams of
working at the United Nations one
child. They contacted him via cell
day, for now, she holds the honor
phone but he was uncooperative
of being the rst IndianAmerican
and would not tell police his loca
to garner Houstons Youth Poet
tion, nbcconnecticut reported.
Laureate title. She took home the
After about 30 minutes, Patel re
Texas citys 2017 to 2018 title
turned to the Residence Inn where
with her poem After Harvey.
officers located the unresponsive
The 16yearold awardwinner
child.
will serve as a cultural arts advisor
The child was taken to Connecti
to Mayor Sylvester Turners Youth
cut Children's Medical Centre in
Council for throughout the year
Hartford and pronounced dead.
she holds the title, according to
During their investigation, po
the Houston Independent School
lice learned that Patel was aware
District (HISD). Writers in the
his child had died and did not ren
Schools in conjunction with the
der aid or seek emergency care. Rukmini Kalamangalam (Image courtesy: youtube.com)
Mayors Ofce of Cultural Affairs,
Patel is being held on a $ 1 mil
the City of Houston, and the was held at The Astorian, which is Houston Chronicle relayed.
lion bond. He appeared in New
Houston Public Library created a premier event venue in Houston. Kalamangalam also received publi
Britain Superior court on Monday
the competition and award. The gala event raised almost cation in the Houston Chronicle
and is due back in court on De
Kalamangalam was recognized $200,000 for the program. for her poem After Harvey, as
cember 5. Police said the investi
as the citys youth poet laureate at The award recipient was also well as a mentorship from
gation is ongoing and additional
the third annual Writers in the given a scholarship at the gala, Deborah D.E.E.P. (us.blast
charges are pending.
Schools Gala on November 10 that which prior winners attended, the ingnews.com)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY December 2-8, 2017 9

Indian American professor at Navtej Sarna, Indian Ambassador

University of Chicago among 2017 to the US, gets a year's extension
Infosys prize winners New Delhi: Reflecting the
governments tendency of
Secretary (West) in the Ministry
of External Affairs where he
Bengaluru: An Indian University of California, keeping faith in trusted oversaw the successful hosting
American professor from San Diego; Amartya Sen, people in key diplomatic in October 2015 of the India
the University of Chicago Harvard University; posts, the term of Indian Africa Forum Summit that was
is one of six individuals Inder Verma, Salk Ambassador to the US attended by a record number of
who were selected for the Institute of Biological Navtej Sarna has been 53 African countries.
Infosys Prize 2017, the Sciences; Srinivasa S.R. extended. Modi was personally very
software major's Science Varadhan, New York According to reliable happy with the organization of
Foundation said Nov. 21. University; Shrinivas sources, the term of Sarna, the Summit and had congratu
"A sixmember jury of Kulkarni, California a 1980 batch Indian lated External Affairs Minister
renowned scientists and Yamuna Krishnan Institute of Technology Foreign Service officer and Sushma Swaraj for it.
professors selected the winners from 236 and Kaushik Basu, Cornell University. who was supposed to retire It is clear Modi wanted some
nominations received in six categories," the "The award aligns with our principle of November end, has been Navrej Sarna. one in Washington he was confi
foundation's board of trustees president and promoting science and inspiring young extended by a year. dent would be able to steer the
Infosys cofounder K. Dinesh told reporters researchers across the country. The Infosys He was named India's envoy in Washington multifaceted IndiaUS relations into a new
here. Prize is gaining recognition and has become in September last year ahead of the US presi phase with a new administration.
Yamuna Krishnan, the professor in the one of the coveted prize awards in science dential election and after serving just eight Sarna was among the longestserving
Department of Chemistry at the University of and research in the country," said Dinesh. months as Indian High Commissioner to spokespersons of the ministry between 2002
Chicago who was one of the winners, won in Krishnan won in the Physical Sciences cat Britain. and 2008. He has also had postings in
the Physical Sciences category. egory for her groundbreaking work in the With Sarna as the Ambassador, Prime Moscow, Warsaw, Tehran, Geneva and
"Prize continues to honor and recognize emerging field of DNA architecture. Minister Narendra Modi had a highly success Thimphu.
some of the best researchers and scientists "By manipulating DNA, the building blocks ful firsttime meeting with US President Sarna is also a prolific author of many fic
of our time. Among the winners are a neuro of life, to create biocompatible nanoma Donald Trump in Washington this year. tion and nonfiction books, the most recent
scientist using computers to map the human chines, Krishnan created novel ways of inter Both Sarna and his predecessor, Arun being 'Second Thoughts: On Books, Authors
brain, a computer scientist studying biologi rogating living systems, increasing our Kumar Singh, are former Indian Ambassadors and the Writerly Life' that was released in
cal systems and a chemist trying to make knowledge of cell function and getting one to Israel, underlying the importance of a post 2015.
DNA machines to study living cells," said step closer to answering unresolved biomed ing in Tel Aviv which is one of Washington's This is the second highlevel extension this
Dinesh. ical questions," said the statement. closest allies. Sarna has had a previous post year after Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar's
The prize for each category is Rs. 65 lakh, The awards ceremony will be held Jan. 10 ing in Washington when he was Minister for term was also extended by a year. Jaishankar
a 22karat gold medallion and a citation cer in Bengaluru. Nobel laureate Kip S. Thorne, Press, Information and Culture between 1998 is set to retire in January 2018, but South
tificate. professor emeritus at the California Institute and 2002. Block is agog with speculation whether he
The jury members were Pradeep K. Khosla, of Technology, will felicitate the winners. Prior to his London posting, Sarna was would get another extension from Modi.
 10 December 2-8, 2017
Republican Party must focus on
Constitutional Conservatism
An outdated platform focused on social issues cannot win future elections.
GOP must embrace Constitutional Conservatism, upon which it was founded.
Op-Ed by Milan Bharadwaj
fter spending dozens of hours knock
A ing on doors and making calls this
summer with the John Adams cam
paign, I was a bit disheartened to see every
single one of the Republican candidates
lose in the election last week. However, it
wasnt the loss itself that saddened me the
most I had expected narrow losses for
the entire ticket but rather the fact that
the Republican candidates lost in such
spectacular fashion, with Republican guber
natorial candidate Ed Gillespie faring worse
than even President Trump last year in
Virginia. By pretty much all measures,
Gillespie was a superior candidate in my
mind whether examining his subjectively
great debate performances, or his detailed
set of fiscal plans for our state. He couldnt
have possibly run a better campaign and
seemed to have the unequivocal support of
the Republican base unlike Trump so
why did he and the rest of the ticket get
absolutely annihilated?
Many Democrats would contend that
increasing minority populations are the
cause for Republican struggles in Virginia
in recent years, and such claims are not
baseless. It is easy to come to such a con
clusion when you consider the fact that
minorities overwhelmingly voted for Ralph
Northam in the election, and that the white
Time says Trump is
'incorrect' in saying
he rejected Person of
Year overture
New York: President Trump tweeted on Friday
that Time called to tell him that he was "proba
bly" going
to be
named the
magazine's
person of
the year,
but that he
turned the
offer
down, an
account
Time later
disputed.
"The
President
is incorrect Donald Trump was named
about how Time's 2016 Person of the Year
we choose after his upset win in the
presidential election
Person of
the Year. TIME does not comment on our
choice until publication, which is December 6,"
Time said in a tweet. Trump was named Time's
2016 Person of the Year, one month after his
upset win against Hillary Clinton in the presi
dential election.
US AFFAIRS
population has dropped significantly in
proportion over the past few decades.
However, I think this is a case of correla a restructuring of the Republican platform
tion, not causation, for I dont believe skin
color alone inherently affects ones political
values. The real reason that Republicans
are doing increasingly worse in states like
Virginia and North Carolina, which were
once solidly red, is because of the decline of
Christianity in America, which coincides
with this demographic shift. According to a
Pew Research study, the number of
Christians in America has dropped by near people. None of these ideas have anything
ly 8 percent in the past seven years alone,
and is still steadily declining. As a result,
Christiancentric social issues that have
been the bread and butter of the
Republican Party for years are no longer
getting the same levels of support, and
probably never will. Whether it be gay
rights in the past, or abortion and marijua
na usage in the present, it is clear that
newer generations are becoming less and
The enthusiasm in this country has never been higher
Palm Beach, Fla.: On Thanksgiving,
President Trump celebrated winning.
Early in the morning, he tweeted a list
of wins, including the highest Stock
Market EVER, a reduced unemployment
rate and a new Supreme Court justice. A
few hours later, he videochatted with
troops stationed around the world and
told them that they are now winning
because his administration is allowing
them to do their jobs and win.
Trump then traveled to a nearby Coast
Guard mess hall to hand out sandwiches
and commend the military branch for
improving its brand over the past few
months. Afterward, he stopped by his pri
vate golf club in West Palm Beach.
Our country is doing great, Trump
said, standing behind an overflowing bas
ket of sandwiches in the mess hall. You
folks are fighting so hard, and working so
hard. And its nice that youre working for
something thats really starting to work.
The presidents day started, as most
now do, with an earlymorning tweet.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, Trump tweet
ed at 6:28 a.m., your Country is starting
to do really well. Jobs coming back, high
est Stock Market EVER, Military getting
really strong, we will build the WALL, V.A.
taking care of our Vets, great Supreme
Court Justice, RECORD CUT IN REGS, low
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
less accepting of traditional Christian repealing Roe v. Wade is nothing but a fan
depictions of morality. This is evidenced by tasy used to trick gullible voters, and the
the nationwide rise of Libertarianism in same can be said for numerous other social
this country, even amongst Republicans
like myself. As a result, I think that if the
Republican Party is to have a future in
issues. That being said, though I may per
sonally disagree, this doesnt make prolife
advocates immoral, or even necessarily
Virginia and other purple states, we must wrong on this issue the fact of the mat
abandon outdated Christian values and ter is that Republicans simply cannot win
embrace Constitutional Conservatism, on this premise. The courts have decided
upon which the Republican Party was that it is constitutional, so the party that
founded. prides itself on its constitutionality should
The primary rightwing argument against accept this judgment. The Republican mes
sage has not changed much over time,
is that to do so would be to compromise despite the fact that the world were living
conservatism itself, which I believe to be in has changed immensely. This will be the
false. In my opinion, the three pillars of Republican Partys undoing if something is
conservatism are as follows a strict not done. With an increasingly nonreli
interpretation of the constitution, an under gious populace, it makes no strategic sense
standing of the efficacy and morality of to push so hard for Christian issues which
free market capitalism and a belief that the younger generations oppose or simply
power of the federal government must be dont care about. I personally take a liber
limited in order to protect the liberty of the tarian stance on most social issues, and
regardless of your beliefs, the Republican
to do with the social issues I listed, which Party will only continue to lose power in
instead find their roots in the Bible, not the our state if it doesnt change holistically.
Constitution. We must focus on a message of economic
Moreover, with regards to abortion in and personal freedom, security, limited gov
particular, it is not just polarizing but also ernment and fiscal responsibility for that is
blatantly dishonest to run a platform based what it means to be a conservative.
on repeal. Because of stare decisis the
judicial law that courts shall always side Milan Bharadwaj is an Opinion columnist
with precedent, unless given a very com for The Cavalier Daily in the University of
pelling reason not to it is clear that Virginia.
President Trump, with First Lady Melania Trump, greets and hands out sandwiches
on Thanksgiving to members of the Coast Guard at Lake Worth Inlet Station in
Riviera Beach, Fla. (Photo courtesy: AP)
est unemployment in 17 years . . .! Our country is doing very well, Trump
In honor of the holiday, the president said. We are doing something very spe
also released a video address in which he cial. People are feeling it. The enthusiasm
retold the story of Thanksgiving, thanked in this country has never been higher.
those who responded to disasters this Were very, very happy on this
year and, again, recounted the wins. Thanksgiving Day.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Senate GOP making lastditch changes to tax plan
McConnell still needs to win over key holdouts before a vote this week.
Washington: Senate Republicans
were rushing Monday to change
their tax overhaul just days before
a planned floor vote, with GOP
leaders trying to appease at least
a halfdozen holdouts, reported
Politico.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell can lose only two votes
and still pass the bill by weeks
end. The lastminute modifica
tions underscore the speed with
which leadership is moving and
the narrow margin for error on
the partys top legislative priority.
Two critical Republican swing
votes, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin
and Bob Corker of Tennessee, left
open the possibility that they
could vote against the tax plan in
a key committee vote scheduled
for Tuesday if changes werent
made to their liking. That would
tank the bill before it could reach
the floor, putting more pressure
on leadership to quickly make
revisions.
Johnson and a fellow former
businessman, GOP Sen. Steve
Cyber Monday sales in US jump 17 percent to reach $6.6 billion
Black Friday &
Thanksgiving deliver
record online sales
Washington: Black Friday and
Thanksgiving online sales in the
U.S. rose to record highs, while
brickandmortar store traffic fell
slightly, heralding divergent trends
in retail industry in the yearend
shopping season, according to
retail analytics firms on Sunday.
The online sales on Black Friday
and Thanksgiving rose to 7.9 bil
lion dollars, a record high, and up
17.9 percent from a year ago, said
Adobe Analytics in a latest report,
which covers transactions at the
largest 100 U.S. online retailers.
Cyber Monday, the Monday after
the Thanksgiving, is expected to
rake in 6.6 billion dollars in online
Daines of Montana, are demand
ing more generous tax treatment
for socalled passthrough busi
nesses. Yet the changes they want
are expensive, and taxwriters
would have to find savings else
where to ensure the bill ultimately
costs no more than $1.5 trillion
over a decade as required under a
budget framework.
Were gonna make them
happy, Senate Finance Committee
Chairman Orrin Hatch of Utah
said of Johnson and Daines. But
sales, making it the biggest U.S.
online shopping day in history,
said the report.
The sales data for traditional
brickandmortar stores is still
unavailable. The National Retail
Federation (NRF) said fair weather
across much of the nation had
helped draw shoppers into stores.
NRF will release its data of
Thanksgiving, Black Friday and
Cyber Monday on Tuesday.
Preliminary data tracking shop
pers' visits to physical stores on
Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday
shows a yearoveryear decline of
1.6 percent, according to retail
research firm ShopperTrak.
US AFFAIRS
were not sure we can do exactly
what they want to have done.
And a handful of deficit hawks
including Corker and Sens. Jeff
Flake of Arizona and James
Lankford of Oklahoma are dis
cussing a trigger mechanism that
would kick in and potentially
change tax rates if the economic
growth needed to defray the cost
of the tax overhaul doesnt materi
alize. A letter from Republican
economists published in The Wall
Street Journal projected that the
Melania welcomes Christmas
and children to White House
Washington: As she descended a
staircase to the front entryway of
the White House, the First Lady
was greeted with a performance
from several Vivid Ballet Company
dancers performing to live music
from The Nutcracker. The dancers
were surrounded by snowy trees
that flocked the front entry and
hall of the White House:
After watching the dancers per
form from the entry and into the
hall, Melania Trump walked down
to the State Dining Room, where
three tables of children were deco
rating small wreaths. One young
girl handed her wreath to the first
lady, who held it up and remarked,
So beautiful:
Veteran Dem Congressman gives up post amid inquiry
Washington: Longestserving
member of the US Congress John
Conyers has said he is stepping
aside as top Democrat on the
House Judiciary Committee while
sexual harassment allegations
are investigated.
Denying the accusations again,
Conyers said on Sunday he was
stepping down "to clear his
name", the BBC reported.
A staff member had alleged she
was fired for refusing to "suc
cumb to sexual advances" from
the Michigan Democrat.
A prominent civil rights leader,
December 2-8, 2017
businessside tax changes in the
GOP plans could boost GDP about
0.4 percent annually over a
decade. Other analyses, however,
have cast doubt on that estimate
and said even that level of growth
would not be enough to pay off
the cost of the $1.4 trillion Senate
tax cut.
What if the growth estimates
dont hit the 0.4 percent? What
happens? said Lankford, one of a
handful of Senate Republicans
worried the bill will be a budget
buster. What should happen in
the tax code to be able to make
the adjustments? Every economist
is guessing.
Corker told reporters he had
spoken with National Economic
Council Director Gary Cohn
throughout the weekend about his
deficit concerns, and also met
with Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin. Mnuchin also made a
stop at Daines office at the
Capitol to discuss his concerns.
Corker added that it was very
possible he might vote no on
She spent time with the children
in each White House room she vis
ited, admiring their crafts and
engaging with them. They dis
Conyers first joined the Congress
in 1965.
The House Ethics Committee
has launched an investigation
into the allegations of sexual
harassment and age discrimina
tion involving the staff.
On Sunday, Conyers, 88, tweet
ed that he would like to remain
as ranking member on the
Judiciary Committee, but that he
could not "in good conscience"
allow the charges to "undermine"
House colleagues.
It was reported last Tuesday
that the accuser was paid
11
Tuesday when the Senate Budget
Committee meets to prepare the
tax legislation for the floor.
Johnson told The Associated Press
that he will vote against the meas
ure in the committee unless sena
tors come up with a fix.
Republicans hold just a oneseat
majority on the Budget
Committee, although budget
experts say there are likely ways
to bring the measure directly to
the Senate floor if its voted down
in the committee.
But Corker also downplayed his
potential opposition, saying his
concerns over cutting taxes with
out measures to prevent increases
to the national debt has been
known for some time. Flake said
he was a bit encouraged about
the direction of those discussions,
but added: We have a ways to
go. Sen. John McCain (RAriz.)
suggested he still had concerns
about the proposal, too.
I have to see what the bill says,
he told reporters. It changes
every day.
cussed their creations, their
Christmas plans, their activities at
the White House that day, and
they traded a variety of questions:
$27,000 in 2015 in exchange for
the confidentiality. That staff
member had alleged she was
fired for rejecting sexual
advances, the BBC said.
Conyers was also accused of
repeatedly making sexual
advances and inappropriately
touching other female
employees, according to signed
legal documents seen by
Buzzfeed.
Conyers said that many of the
allegations "were raised by docu
ments reportedly paid for by a
partisan altright blogger".
 12 December 2-8, 2017
Who 'hugged' Chinese envoy, Modi asks Rahul
Bhuj: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi hit back at Rahul Gandhi over
his 'hugplomacy' jibe saying, it was
the Congress leader who hugged
the Chinese Ambassador when the
Indian Army was in a stand of f
with Chinese troops in Doklam ear
lier this year.
"W hen the Indian Army was
standing eyetoeye with Chinese in
Doklam for 70 days, you were hug
ging the Ambassador of China.
When the Indian soldier stood for
the country, you were hugging the
Chinese Ambassador. For whom? I
am asking you a question," he said
addressing a public meeting resum
ing his election campaign in north
Gujarat after a break.
"This is Modi. He has been nur
tured in this land of Sardar
Patel...The people who have looted
the country will have to give it
back," he said, reminding his audi who do not know the names of
ence of the surgical strikes carried Congress leaders, how will they
out last year by his government develop our nation?" Modi asked.
after the Uri attack He said the Congress cannot
"I asked a Congressman to write think beyond one family. "How
down the names of all the many people remember Kamaraj or
Presidents of Congress. The people Debharbhai (U.N. Dhebar), who
Tharoor bats for
IndiaPakistan cricket
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor at Times LitFest in New Delhi.
New Delhi: Stressing on the need for more
peopletopeople contacts between India and
Pakistan, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor
wondered that if Prime Minister Narendra
Modi could attend a wedding in Lahore why
could both the countries not play cricket.
"I do believe India and Pakistan should
play cricket because we unfortunately will
not go very far through diplomatic contacts
with them.
"The real problem with India and Pakistan
has little to do with anything like persuading
them diplomatically. It all depends on the
military rulers of Pakistan. In our country,
the state has an Army. In Pakistan, the Army
has a state," Tharoor said at an interactive
session at the Times Lit Fest here.
The interaction also included senior jour
nalists Rajdeep Sardesai, Nalin Mehta and
former Indian cricketer Bishen Singh Bedi.
INDIA
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
were presidents of Congress
nationally. Many in the party would
not even know that Debharbhai
was a Gujarati. The party that does
not go beyond one family, what do
you expect from them?" he added.
Modi expressed his confidence
Hyderabad: US Ambassador to India Kenneth
"What we have
seen is that the
National Security
Advisers of both
countries have
met in Bangkok.
Our Prime
Minister met with
theirs in Ufa, then
the Prime
M i n i s t e r
(Narendra Modi)
went to Lahore
and participated
in a wedding, a
birthday party
and so on. So if all
that can happen,
why can't we play
cricket."
"It couldn't be business as usual after what
happened on 26/11 (Mumbai terror attacks
in 2008). We (United Progressive Alliance)
were certainly turning the screws on
Pakistan and send them a strong signal," the
former Union Minister said.
He said that the situation now was differ
ent. "It is simply a different stage we are at
now, from when the ban was init ially
imposed. We are all floundering on ways
and approaches to Pakistan. There is no rea
son for cricket to be held hostage."
"Why don't we expand the space for peo
pletopeople contact between India and
Pakistan?" the Congress leader asked.
"Why should sport, and cricket in particu
lar, have to bear the burden if diplomacy
cannot solve... diplomacy cannot change the
nature of Pakistani state," said Tharoor.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
I sold tea but not nation: Modi
Bhuj: "Yes, I sold tea but not the nation", said Prime Minister
Narendra Modi paying back Congress in the same coin for its
"chaiwala" jibe.
"The Congress dislikes me because of my poor origins. Can a
party stoop so low? Yes, a person belonging to a poor family has
become Prime Minister. They do not fail to hide their contempt for
this fact. Yes, I sold tea but I did not commit the sin of selling the
nation," Modi said while addressing a rally here in Gujarat.
"They (Congress) have insulted the poverty...they have insulted
the mother... I am son of this soil and have been your friend of
good and bad days," he added.
Modi's remarks come in the wake of a Youth Congress magazine
publishing a meme calling Narendra Modi a "chaiwala" (tea ven
dor). Modi has himself said that he used to sell tea along with his
father at their small tea stall in Gujarat before he joined politics.
Accusing the Congress of spreading lies, Modi said that the
opposition party has been engaged in creating an atmosphere of
pessimism.
that the BJP in Gujarat will win 151 from jail. "Narendrabhai, baat nahi
seats in the 182member assembly. bani (this is not done). Terror mas
Gandhi had in a sarcastic tweet termind is free. President Trump
raised questions over Indian diplo just delinked Pak military funding
macy after a Pakistani court from LeT. Hugplomacy fail. More
allowed release of Mumbai terror hugs urgently needed," Gandhi
attack mastermind Hafiz Sayeed tweeted.
India can be anchor for US
business: Juster
Juster said India can be the anchor for US
process. Here we are here working together
to promote innovation. We are two most
business and investment in the IndoPacific innovative societies, two democracies and we
region. Stating that economic relationship is share values," he added. Juster said while the
an important part of overall strategic partner event was organized to stimulate innovation
ship, he described GES as another significant and job creation, it may have a side benefit of
symbol and tangible sign of very strong additional investment and trade.
strategic partnership between the two coun Describing GES as an extraordinary event in
tries. which 150 countries will be represented, he
"Economic relationship should be as strate said the US and India were not only working
gic as security relationship. India should try together for their prosperity but also for
to see itself over (a period of ) time as the countries around the world.
anchor for the US business and investment in Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said that
IndoPacific region. T hat will only give through GES, they were trying create the best
greater value to our strategic relationship ecosystem for entrepreneurship, startups,
and make sure US presence in this region is a technology disruptions and innovations. He
longterm one and we are here in full force," said the young entrepreneurs would meet
the Ambassador told a news conference. with investors, interact and learn pitching for
"This conference is important step in that investment.
'Modi will be responsible if
anything happens to dad'
Patna: A day after the NSG cover for former pared down. "It is a dangerous trend," the
Union Minister Lalu Prasad was withdrawn, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister said.
his son Tejashwi Yadav said Prime Minister Tejashwi said Lalu Prasad had been visit
Narender Modi will be held responsible if ing dif ferent parts of Bihar and was sur
anything untoward happens to the RJD rounded by hundreds of people.
chief. "If anything happens to Lalu Prasadji, According to police sources, Lalu Prasad's
Modi will be responsible and blamed for it," Z Plus security has been downgraded to Z
Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of Opposition in the category.
Bihar assembly, said. Now, he will be guarded by Central
Tejashwi said his father Lalu Prasad was Reserve Police Force commandos especially
on the hit list of some vested interests who trained for VIP security rather than National
could murder him. Security Guard.
He said while smalltime leaders of the The central government has also withdrew
National Democratic Alliance have been pro the Z Plus security of former Chief Minister
vided security, that of Lalu Prasad has been Jitan Ram Manjhi.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA December 2-8, 2017 13

Hadiya asks for 'freedom, release' AAP dubs Rs 30 crore

New Delhi: Her head covered in a red scarf, Hadiya, a
24yearold Hindu woman from Kerala who convert tax notice as bogus
ed to Islam, told the Supreme Court that she wants
New Delhi: A Rs 30.67 crore
"freedom and release". The top court set her free
Income Tax department notice to
from the custody of her parents and directed that
the Aam Aadmi Party triggered a
she be allowed to complete her studies at a Salem
political row with Delhi's ruling
homeopathy college.
party terming the move as "bogus"
Allowing Hadiya to walk free, the bench headed by
and "political vendetta" by the
Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra directed the Salem
agencies of the Modi government.
college to allow her to complete her house surgeon
The Congress and BJP, however,
internship.
asked the AAP to come clear on
She studies in Salem's Sivaraj Homoeopathic
the issue and alleged that the
Medical Colleges and Research Institute.
party had failed to live up to its
Diminutive Hadiya spoke in Malayalam, which was
selfproclaimed standards of trans
translated for the bench by a lawyer.
parency and probity.
She had to wait for about two hours before the
Slamming the notice, Delhi Chief
bench decided to interact with her. Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi
Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the
In arguments that were spread over nearly two Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
action of the IT department was
hours, the clincher came as senior counsel Kapil
the "height of political vendettta". income was Rs 68.44 crore for
Sibal told the court that he was not arguing on
"In the history of India, all dona 201415 and 201516. It also said
Hadiya's marriage with Shafin Jahan or on her con
Hadiya, a 24yearold Hindu woman from Kerala tions to a political party have been the money received as donation in
version to Islam or anything else but how she could
be kept in the custody of her father. who converted to Islam, comes out of the declared illegal. All these were its bank account had not been
Supreme Court in New Delhi. accounted for and shown in books recorded in the account books.
Sibal, who appeared for Shafin Jahan, cited Article
(Photo: Bidesh Manna/IANS) of accounts. This is the height of The notice also said that AAP
21 of the Constitution saying that no person could
leaving after she is freed from the care of her par political vendetta," Kejriwal said in had not recorded full details of
be deprived of his life and liberty without due
ents, Hadiya said she would stay with her husband. a tweet. 461 donors who had given a total
process of law.
The question asked by Justice Chandrachud cen AAP also held a press conference of Rs 6.26 crore, each donation
The court directed that she be allowed to meet
tred around qualification, interest in studies, percep and said it had maintained a amount exceeding Rs 20,000.
people as per the medical college hostel rules.
tion of life, what she intends to do. She told the court record of every donation. The AAP was also accused of not
The court order came after the bench, also com
that she wants to complete her internship and "The IT Department has declared disclosing the donations on its web
prising Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y.
intends to become a fullfledged doctor. the complete amount of donations site.
Chandrachud, interacted with her for about 25 min
The court directed the Kerala government to we received as illegal and has put "The latest notice to the party
utes during which she expressed her desire to com
ensure that Hadiya safely reaches her medical col it under the category of taxable was served on November 23," a
plete her house surgeon internship and pursue her
lege in Salem in the custody of plain clothes police income although we have main senior IT of ficial, who spoke on
career as a homeopathic doctor.
personnel. tained the records of each paisa condition of anonymity, told IANS.
"Freedom, release", Hadiya said in response to a
Hadiya was asked to be present in the court to that we received from donors," The of ficial also said that the
question from Justice Chandrachud "What is your
ascertain her views on her marriage to a Muslim AAP treasurer Deepak Bajpai said. notice was sent after assessing all
dream for the future?"She was in the custody of her
man, Shafin Jahan. Her parents have alleged it is a The IT notice said the AAP had the tax records of the party and
parents for last eight months.
case of "forced conversion". not disclosed income of Rs 13.16 was part of routine tax assessment
As the court inquired with whom she would be
crore and that its total taxable and not a vindictive action.

Internet services should be

non-discriminatory: TRAI People in position shouldn't
New Delhi: Telecom regulator TRAI came out with its
muchawaited recommendations on Net Neutrality
holding that Internet services should be nondiscrimi
natory. "The service providers should be restricted
comment on 'Padmavati': SC
New Delhi: The Supreme Court took censor board. A bench of Chief Justice comment as it would amount to viola
from entering into any arrangement, agreement or exception to people holding of ficial Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar tion of the principle of the rule of law."
contract, by whatever name called, with any person, positions making adverse comments and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said: "We The court also junked a petition by
natural or legal, that has the effect of discriminatory about the Hindi film "Padmavati", saying are governed by the rule of law. lawyer Manohar Lal Sharma objecting to
treatment based on content, sender or receiver, proto these breached the principle of rule of "When the matter is pending before the of fshore re lease of the film
cols or user equipment," a release issued by the law.The court also said people in posi the Central Board of Film Certification "Padmavati".
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said. tion of responsibility should not com (CBFC) for grant of certificate, nobody Taking exception to Sharma's plea, the
It also said the scope of the proposed principles on ment on the film as it may prejudice the holding a responsible position should court said it was unwarranted.
nondiscriminatory treatment apply specifically to
'Internet Access Services', which are generally avail
able to the public. The paper said the Internet Access
Service Providers may take reasonable measurements
for traffic management, provided the same are pro
portionate, transient and transparent.
"The Telecom Service Providers (TSP) shall be
required to declare their Traf fic Management Kshatriya
Practices, as and when deployed and the impact it Samanway Samiti
may have had on the users. The disclosure require members protest
ments shall also include information about specialized march against
services, direct or indirect arrangements entered by 'Padmawati' at
them," the regulator recommended. Kargil Chowk in
The TRAI said for monitoring and investigation of Patna.
(Photo: IANS)
violations, a collaborative mechanism has been rec
ommended to be established in the form of a multi
stakeholder body comprising members representing
dif ferent categories of TSPs and Internet Service
Providers, large and small content providers, repre
sentative from research and academia, civil society
organizations and consumer representatives.
 14 December 2-8, 2017
New York Wage & Hour Law compliance
A new monthly column by Rashmee Sinha, Esq., Senior Counsel in
Peckar & Abramson, P.C.s New Jersey office, where she is a member
of the firm's Labor and Employment Practice group.
By Rashmee Sinha, Esq.
ew York's wage and hour laws have
N some of the nations most expansive
wage payment, recordkeeping and notice
regulations. Many employers are unaware of
the states more discrete wage payment
requirements. If overlooked, violations may
result in costly fines and penalties. Below is
a list of 10 preventative strategies for New
York employers to help guard against wage
and hour claims.
Minimum Wage Increases for
NonExempt Employees
On December 31, 2017, the minimum
wage in New York will increase as it did last
year. In New York City, it will increase from
$10.50 per hour for employers with 10 or
fewer employees to $12.00 per hour, and
from $11.00 per hour to $13.00 for busi
nesses with 11 or more employees. In
Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties,
minimum wage will increase from $10.00
per hour to $11.00. Everywhere else in the
state, it will increase from $9.70 per hour to
$10.40 per hour. Please note, there are dif
ferent hourly rates for workers in the fast
food industry and those who receive tips.
Federal Salary Basis Test is
Only the Beginning for
Exempt Employees
For employees properly classified as
exempt from overtime (based on for exam
ple, professional, executive or administrative
status), the salary basis test articulated by
the United States Department of Labor, for
now, requires payment of at least $455 per
week. However, the state of New York
imposes a far greater remunerative thresh
old for exempt employees based on number
of employees and county. For example, for
large employers in New York City with
eleven or more employees, the current
salary basis threshold is $825.00 per week,
which is set to increase to $975.00 per
week on or after December 31, 2017. For
large employers, in Nassau, Suffolk and
Westchester counties, the threshold is
$750.00 per week, and is set to increase to
$825.00 per week on or after December 31,
2017. For employers outside of the above
counties, the salary threshold is $727.50
per week, and will increase to $780.00 per
week, regardless of size.
Frequency of Payment
Under the New York Labor Law, manual
workers must be paid weekly, no later than
seven (7) days after the end of the week in
which they earned their pay. All other
employees, with limited exception, must be
paid at least semimonthly, on precise pay
days designated in writing by the employer.
Notice to Employees
The Wage Theft Prevention Act requires
employers to furnish written notice to all
employees of their respective pay rates, the
employees regular payday and identifying
information about the employer annually
between Jan. 1 and Feb. 1 of each year. This
information must be made available to all
new hires. The New York State Department
of Labor (NYSDOL) can levy fines of $50
per week, per worker, if proper notice is not
given, and $100 per week, per worker, for
insufficient or undistributed wage state
ments.
Spread of Hours
The spreadofhours rule entitles any
nonexempt employee to one additional
hour of pay for every day on which he/she
works more than 10 hours, or, on a split
shift, where the number of hours between
the start and end of the employees workday
exceeds 10. This means, for instance, that a
waiter who works the morning and evening
shifts at a restaurant will likely be due an
extra hour of pay, even where there is a
betweenshift break.
LAW
However, this rule does not apply to
workers whose weekly wages equal or
exceed the total of: (1) 40 hours paid; (2)
overtime paid at the particular employee's
overtime rate; and (3) one hour's basic min
imum wage rate for each day the employee
worked in excess of 10 hours. In other
words, the spreadofhours rule does not
apply to most employees whose rate of pay
adequately exceeds the minimum wage.
Please note, this exception does not apply
to hospitality industry employers. Those
employers must provide spreadofhours
pay to all nonexempt employees, irrespec
tive of the amount of the workers weekly
compensation.
Breaks are Compensable
New York State law also requires employ
ers to compensate employees for all breaks
of up to 20 minutes. In other words, a bath
room break, cigarette break or quick trip to
Dunkin Donuts will count as compensable
working time.
Overpayments York employers will agree not to contest an
Many New York employers assume they
can deduct from paychecks overpayments
or advances of wages, regardless of the cir
cumstances.
But the revised regulations require
employers to adhere to a multistep proto
col, which involves a dispute procedure, to
properly take a deduction due to an over
payment or advance.
Many employers
are unaware of
the states more
discrete wage
payment
requirements. If
overlooked,
violations may
result in costly
fines and
penalties in
litigation.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Termination
When an employee is terminated, the
employer must notify the discharged
employee, in writing, of the exact termina
tion date and the exact date his or her ben
efits will end. The New York Labor Law
("NYLL") requires payment of earned wages
no later than the first regularly scheduled
payday following termination. In addition,
if a terminated employee has accrued but
unused vacation time, the employer, absent
a written forfeiture policy, must pay the
employee for such time.
Severance Pay versus
Unemployment Benefits
If an employee is terminated, many New
employees eligibility for unemployment
insurance benefits as part of his/her sever
ance package.
However, the NYLL precludes the receipt
of unemployment benefits for any week in
which severance pay is greater than the
maximum benefit rate, with lump sum sev
erance payments allocated on a weekly
basis. Where the severance payment is
made more than 30 days after an employ
ees last day of work, the employee is still
eligible for unemployment benefits upon
termination.
Documentation
The State of New York requires that
employers retain comprehensive wage pay
ment and timekeeping records for at least
six years. That mirrors the statute of limita
tions governing New York State law wage
and hour claims, tripling the FLSA s two
year limitations period for nonwillful viola
tions.
Comprehensive timekeeping records are
extremely beneficial to have in any ensuing
litigation. Attention to the above issues can
help prevent wage and hour litigation or
put employers in a much better position to
aggressively and efficiently defend against
lawsuits that have little factual or legal
merit.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
l By Mohammed Shafeeq
P
resident Donald Trump's
daughter Ivanka is set to get
royal treatment at Taj
Falaknuma, the palace hotel where
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is
hosting a dinner for her and other
delegates of Global
Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) on
November 28.
A possible ride on regal horse
drawn carriage from the main gate
to the palace atop the hill, a rose
petal shower, a gala dinner on the
famed 101seater dining table with
mouthwatering delicacies on
menu and of course a guided tour
to the grand palace await Ivanka.
While she will be staying at
Westin Hotel near the GES venue
in Hitec City, Nizam's suite, the
costliest among all suites at
Falaknuma, has been booked for
her in case she wants to stay for
couple of hours. This suite used to
be the private suite of the ruler of
Hyderabad State. Ivanka, advisor
to the President, is also the first
highprofile foreign dignitary visit
ing the palace after it was convert
ed into a star hotel a decade ago.
Telangana Chief Minister K
Chandrasekhar Rao, some key
members of US delegation, select
ed politicians and industrialists
will join Ivanka and Modi on 101
seater dining table, on which the
Nizam used to dine with his guests.
It was Nawab VaqarulUmra, the
Nizam's prime minister, who built
the palace in 1893. Impressed by
its magnificence, sixth Nizam Mir
Mahboob Ali Khan bought it for
himself and stayed there till 1911.
Built over 32 acres, the scorpion
shaped, allmarble palace stands
tall in its splendor and majesty
atop a hill, overlooking the old city
of Hyderabad. A majestic blend of
THANK YOU, JOHN DOE
l By Pushpa Bhargava
T
his story is about an inci
dent from when my hus
band and I were a young
couple living in an apartment
complex in Warminster,
Pennsylvania. As was common
then, the washing machines and
dryers were in the basement. One
would need to put in a quarter to
operate the washing machine and
a dime for the dryer. As there
were only a few machines serving
all the families living upstairs,
there was generally a wait
required to get an unoccupied
machine.
One evening, we found an avail
able washing machine, put a big
load of clothes in, left the empty
clothes basket on top of the
machine and went back upstairs
to wait out the washing cycle.
While upstairs, we suddenly real
ized that we had planned to go to
At Falaknuma, royal
treatment awaits Ivanka
The palace called Mirror of Heavens has been decked
up for President Trumps daughter who is visiting
Hyderabad for the GES summit.
The palaces interiors are a splendid interplay of Venetian chandeliers and intricate frescos.
Italian and Tudor architecture, it
has 60 lavish rooms and halls
including Durbar Hall, embellished
with intricately carved wooden
ceilings, parquet flooring, regal
walnut wood furniture and hand
crafted mirrors. The interiors are a
splendid interplay of Venetian
chandeliers and intricate frescos,
and have charming outdoor ter
races, and a treas
ure of rare arte um p, along with PM
Ivan ka Tr
facts, including
US and Indian
paintings, statues,
November at
the longest in
furniture, manu
table, one of
scripts and books.
a nearby Sears for buying some
clothes on a special sale for our
baby boy. We jumped in the car
and were off to the store. About
two hours later, on the way back
we remembered about the
clothes in the washing machine.
Scared and embarrassed, we
rushed back to the laundry room
fully expecting to face some
angry neighbors and our wet
clothes thrown into the basket.
What we encountered was our
basket filled with fully dried and
neatly folded clothes sitting next
LIFESTYLE
Modi and top
ne on 28th
officials, will di
101seat dini
ng
Falaknumas
the world.
to one of the dryers. Not even a
note in the basket so we could
thank this kind person for taking
the clothes out of the washer,
putting a dime in to the dryer,
drying the clothes and finally
FOLDING and putting them in our
basket!
Thank you, John Doe, for that
anonymous kind act.
With Thanksgiving over, and
Holiday season upon us, you can
try this pumpkin recipe that you
can try in the coming weeks in
the traditional Indian way or as
a cold soup.
KADDU KA RAITA
Delicately Spiced Yogurt
with Pumpkin
Serves 4
Preparation time: 25 min
Ingredients
l cup fresh pumpkin,
December 2-8, 2017 15
Falaknuma Palace is a majestic blend of
Italian and Tudor architecture. (Photos: IANS)
water until soft (about 15 min
utes) on medium heat. Keep cov
ered. Remove from water, drain
and let cool. Mash.
Mix yogurt, milk and water in
mixing bowl until smooth.
Add salt and spices and mix
again.
Add mashed pumpkin and mix.
Optionally, garnish with
chopped coriander leaves.
skinned and cut into approxi
mately 1 in. cubes
l 11/2 cups water for boiling
l 1 cup yogurt
l 1/4 cup milk
l 1/8 cup water
l 1/2 teaspoon salt
l 1/4 teaspoon red chili pow
Pushpa Bhargava is the author of
der
l 1/4 teaspoon cumin, roasted From Mom with Love: Complete
Guide to Indian Cooking and
and ground
Entertaining. A homemaker and
l 1 tablespoon fresh coriander
leaves, finely chopped mother of two grownups, she
(optional) lives in New Jersey. She also blogs
Method on her website,
Boil pumpkin in 11/2 cups of Momsindiancooking.com.
 16 December 2-8, 2017 ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Not restricted to just dance

and action, says Tiger Shroff
H
is unique action style
and dance moves won
him praise when he
debuted in Bollywood with
the 2014 film "Heropanti".
However, actor Tiger Shroff
says he doesnt want to
restrict himself to just that
and is open to playing more
diverse characters.
"I've been fortunate
(enough) to be recognized for
the effort, but I'm certainly
Ranveer Singh plays Alauddin Khilji in the film. not restricted to just that
(action and dance)," Tiger,

BRITISH OKAY 'PADMAVATI',

son of veteran actor Jackie
Shroff and Ayesha Shroff,
said.

ROW CONTINUES IN INDIA

"Even in Munna Michael',
my role was quite different
from what I've essayed in the

E
ven as the British censors cleared the
controversial film "Padmavati" for
release on December 1, India's apex
court said it will hear on November 28 a
fresh plea seeking to block the release of
the Sanjay Leela Bhansali's movie outside
India.
A source close to the film's makers said
"Padmavati" won't release anywhere on
December 1 its original release date
which was deferred after the Indian cen
sor board returned their application on
grounds that it was incomplete.
"We are not releasing the film anywhere
on December 1," the source said.
A petitioner told the Supreme Court in
New Delhi that "grave damage would be
done to social harmony if the movie was
allowed to be released abroad".
According to the official website of the
British Board Of Film Classification
(BBFC), "Padmavati" will be released
"uncut" in the UK. But its release will now
have to wait.
The makers are yet to secure a censor
certificate in India, where Chief Ministers
of at least four states have taken a stand
against the release of the historical drama.
The movie, Bhansali says, is a tribute to
the valor of legendary queen Padmavati.
past. It was a very challeng
ing role, especially the dance
sequences were intense and
hard on the body, but I tried
to give my best.
"I'm really open to any
character where I know I could do justice to
the role offered," added the 27yearold,
who has also appeared in films like "Baaghi"
and "A Flying Jatt".
While Tiger has usually played happygo
lucky roles, his next big screen venture
"Baaghi 2", promises a surprise if one goes
by the actor's new raw look, which he
flaunts over social media. "It was the film's
Tiger will next be seen in Baaghi 2.
makers who wished to reintroduce me in a
new light (with Baaghi 2'). Of course, this
was a planned effort and we had to keep it
quiet for a long time," Tiger said.
Besides that, he also has films like
"Student of the Year 2", a yet untitled Yash
Raj Films (YRF) project and the Indian
remake of Hollywood film "Rambo" in his
kitty.

REVIEW
IFFI: No clarity over screening
'Kadvi Hawa': Bitter truth well told
frustrates 'S... Durga' crew ased on true sto

T
wo days after the Kerala High Court
directed the organizers of the 48th
IFFI to screen "S Durga", the cast of
the Sanal Kumar Sasidharan directorial con
tinues to wallow in uncertainty over
whether the film will be screened at all.
The movie's lead actress Rajshri
Deshpande said on the sidelines of the
International Film Festival of India (IFFI)
that it was frustrating to be at the gala and
not be able to watch the movie despite a
clear judicial direction.
"Unfortunately, we are discussing about
the controversy and waiting for the film to
be screened here. It is so frustrating,"
S Durga is a road movie that shows the chilling encounter of two hitchhikers.
Deshpande said.
The makers of the film have claimed that
both IFFI director Sunit Tandon, as well as
B ries, "Kadvi Hawa"
is the bitter pill
that reminds you about
the dark winds of
the Union Ministry for Information and
change. Global warming
Broadcasting have been dodging them over
and climate change are
the issue of screening the film at the festi
real and are caused by
val despite orders from the Kerala High
human activity. Despite
Court.
not showing any such
"S Durga" and "Nude" were controversial
activity that is destroy
ly dropped by the Union Information and
ing the civilization, the
Broadcasting Ministry from the screening
film makes a heartfelt
schedule at the Indian Panorama section,
point in a straightfor
despite the jury's approval. She also said
ward way.
that there was nothing in the film which Actor Sanjay Mishra in a still from kadvi Hawa.
The narrative begins
would hurt religious sentiments.
with closeup shots alternating between a debt and unbeknownst to him, Hedu
pair of weary feet trudging a beaten path befriends Gunu Babu, the loan recovery
and a head shot moving with a staff till the officer, who hails from Odisha. The plot
old man comes preciously close to a cliff in unfolds in a simply witty and satirical man
the barren ravines of Mahua in ner especially when Hedu interacts with his
Bundelkand. curious granddaughter Kuhu. This is simply
The man is blind and this dramatic start evident in practically every scene with her.
sets the ball rolling to the personal story of Sanjay Mishra is the Sun around which the
Hedu, the father of Mukund, a debtridden talented supporting cast orbit. He shines
farmer. Hedu lives with his son Mukund brilliantly, with his downtoearth, natural
and his family comprising of his wife and performance. You experience his anxiety
two daughters Kuhu and Pihu. They live a and pain as Hedu. He is aptly supported by:
handtomouth existence. His companion is Ranvir Shorey as the frustrated Gunu,
Anapurna the Buffalo who he tends dur Bhupesh Singh as his reticent son, Mukund,
ing the day. Hedu lives in constant fear that Tillotama Shome as his concerned daugh
his son Mukund might commit suicide terinlaw and Ekta Sawant as his chirpy
because of his inability to pay back his granddaughter Kuhu. They all add a dis
loan. In his endeavor to clear Mukund's tinct flavor to their characters.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
'Newton' wins two
honors at APSA
ndia's Oscar entry "Newton" secured
I two wins at the Asia Pacific Screen
Awards in Brisbane with Rajkummar
Rao winning the best actor and Mayank
Tewari and Amit V. Masurkar claiming the
best screenplay honor. Manipuri movie
"Lady of the Lake" won a special mention.
Ecstatic over the win, Rajkummar tweet
ed: "Won the best actor award at the most
prestigious APSA 2017. Thank you Maa.
Thank you team 'Newton'. Don't stop chas
ing your dreams because they really do
come true."
He also posted a photograph in which the
actor, wearing a black bandhgala, is seen
kissing the trophy.
The winners' names were being updated
on the event's Twitter handle, which also
gave a glimpse into Rajkummar's accept
ance speech.
"Let's keep doing this beautiful work, let's
keep making these wonderful stories.
Here's to cinema," Rajkummar said and
thanked his late mother for blessing
"Newton", read a post on the official APSA
Twitter page.
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta and actor
Manoj Bajpayee congratulated the movie's
team.
"Congratulations my darling Rajkummar
Rao and amazing talents Mayank Tewari,
Amit Masurkar. A win at the APSA is a huge
achievement and should make India super
proud," tweeted Hansal Mehta, who has
worked with Rajkummar multiple times.
VARUN DHAWAN'S SELFIE STUNT
LANDS HIM IN TROUBLE
he Mumbai Police issued a challan to
T Varun Dhawan for taking a selfie with a
fan from his car and warned him to
avoid such antics in future. The actor has
apologized. The official Twitter handle of
Mumbai Police shared snapshots of a news
paper article featuring Varun pulling off the
selfie stunt on the road. The actor is seen
partly out of his car's window and taking a
selfie with a female fan who is seen travelling
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Rajkummar Rao was adjudged the
Best Actor.
"Newton" is India's official entry for the
foreign language film category at the
Academy Awards 2018. Produced by
Drishyam Films and directed by Masurkar,
the movie revolves around a young govern
ment clerk who is sent on election duty to a
Maoistcontrolled town and how the ideo
logical struggle puts him in an awkward sit
uation.
in an auto rickshaw.
"Varun Dhawan these adventures surely
work on the silver screen, but certainly not
on the roads of Mumbai. You have risked
your life, your admirer's and few others.
"We expect better from a responsible
Mumbaikar and youth icon like you! An e
challan is on the way to your home. Next
time, we will be harsher," the tweet read.
Varun apologized for his behavior.
Actor Varun
Dhawan
apologized
for his
behavior.
December 2-8, 2017 17
I don't tell Aditya to cast
me in films: Rani Mukerji
ctress Rani Mukerji,
A who is coming back
to the big screen
with "Hichki" after a long
hiatus, says she doesn't
ask her husband and
filmmaker Aditya Chopra
to cast her in films.
"I don't talk about work
with Aditya. I don't tell
him to cast me in films, I
can only tell him when do
we make our next baby.
My conversation with Adi
is all about love and
Adira. I can't have a huge
family as I think I have
missed the bus. I should
have started long time
ago. But I can always try
for a second child," Rani
said at the India Today
Conclave East 2017.
Rani, who has
Rani Mukerji is making a comeback
appeared in films like
in Bollywood with Hichki.
"Black", "Laaga Chunari
Mein Daag", "Mardaani" and "No One accept you or not accept you. You may be
Killed Jessica", says she "never wanted to the brother, sister or daughter of a popu
be an actor" in the first place. lar actor or director, and still not be
"My mum wanted me to be an actor, I accepted. "When I got into films, my dad
actually agreed to her wish. My father was wasn't a very successful producer or direc
very against my mum's wish. He was not tor. Nepotism debate is baseless."
very keen that I join films because he has On her next film "Hichki", she said: "The
been in the industry for so long" two years' break I took for my baby, I told
On the issue of nepotism, the daughter my director I might not do it. I am too
of late filmmaker Ram Mukerji, said: "I domesticated. He said if we work around
wouldn't say I had a soft landing. In the the timing. I asked him I don't know if I
film industry, you get where you get
because of your talent and merit. We have
can act. When I went for the first day of
the shoot for 'Hichki', I found it so easy.
And (thought) I should never forget that
to sweat it out and work in all kinds of
environment and wait for the audience to this is who I am."
INDIANS' ENTHUSIASM ATTRACTS
US THE MOST: PAKISTANI ACTOR
akistani actress Humaima Malick,
P
who ventured into Bollywood with Pakistani
actress
the 2014 film "Raja Natwarlal", says
Humaima
the enthusiasm with which the Indian film
Malick made
fraternity works attracts artistes from her
her
country to Indian cinema. Bollywood
Humaima is currently gearing up for the debut with
release of "Arth 2" a Pakistani remake of Raja
filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's 1982 film Natwarlal.
"Arth". The film also features Shaan Shahid,
Mohib Mirza and Uzma Hassan.
"Indians value art; they consider it as part
of their culture; they don't slack behind
debating over what's right and wrong,"
Uzma, who is a theatre artist and visits
India twice a year for her theatrical per
formances, said at a university event here,
reports tribune.com.pk.
Adding to that, Humaima said: "And they
(Indians) know and comprehend their jobs
well; they work hard and in unity; they
wake up in the morning with the same
enthusiasm about their jobs as they would
have done a day before, no matter how
petty their job may seem on the outside
and this is what attracts us the most as
artistes."
18 December 2-8, 2017
Once the destination, like Goa, of backpacking hippies, Manali
in Himachal Pradesh is now crowded with domestic tourists.
l By Dhiraj Kumar Showaan
T
hat was a great day in my life as I as
traveling with my family to Kullu
Manali in Himachal Pradesh from
Punjab. I am a person who loves to travel
long distances, but on the bus to Manali I
fell asleep. My wife woke me up to say we
had reached. The moment I opened my eyes
I was amazed blue skies, white mountains,
green land. It was very cold too. We stayed
in a hotel near Manali bus stand. From the
window of my room I was able to see the
market in Manali. It was crowded with
tourists now there are more domestic
tourists coming here, a sea change from 30
40 years ago, when backpacking hippies
swarmed here, mainly for tripping on
hashish. From Manali, at 6,726 feet above
sea level, the view of the mountains is
breathtaking. I have travelled to other hill
stations, but I have never seen more beauti
ful mountain ever before.
From Manali, which is just a small town in
the Kullu district, we went to Gulaba, a
small village on the road to Rohtang Pass. I
did some skiing and played a lot with the
snow. My brotherinlaw did paragliding.
Next day we went down to Kullu. There
we went for river rafting on the Beas. It was
8 A view of Solang Valley situated 13 km northwest of Manali.
TRAVEL TheSouthAsianTimes.info
awesome. The water was ice cold and the
current fast. Kullu is famous for its shawls. I
too bought one for my granny. In Manali
too on both sides of what is called the Mall
road, there are shops selling clothes, eata
bles, shoes, bags, etc. There are many tem
ples in the area besides the better known
Hidimba temple. One temple we were visit
ing seemed to have been taken over by
monkeys and my little son was scared. After
three blissful days, we returned home. The
constant, gurgling sound of the river Beas is
still echoing in my head. The memories of
this trip will remain with me for years to
come. We all have heard the proverb, "East
or west home is the best", but once you
have travelled to Manali, then this proverb
makes no sense. They also used to say
Kashmir is heaven, but strife has made it
less appealing. Manali is real heaven, where
you get lost in its serene beauty. 8 Hidimba temple is always on the sightseeing map of Manali.
Reaching there BY ROAD towns. The road distance from Chandigarh
to Manali is 310 km (190 mi), and the
BY AIR Manali can be reached from Delhi by NH total distance from Delhi to Manali is 570
1 up to Ambala and from there NH 22 to km (350 mi). Luxury buses (including
The nearest airport is at Bhuntar town, 50 Volvos) usually ply overnight on this route
Chandigarh and from there by national
km south of Manali. Air India has regular and are available from all major bus termi
highway NH21 that passes through
flights to the airport from New Delhi. nals.
Bilaspur, Sundernagar, Mandi and Kullu
8 Authour standing in Gulaba, located near the Solang Valley in Manali.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
l By Saeed Naqvi
P
admavati", in a sense, is a
neighborhood story. My vil
lage, Mustafabad, happens
to be in Rae Bareli, which
embraces numerous Chishtiya
Sufi shrines or places where the
saints spent some time, including
Khwaja Ashraf Jehangir Semnani,
the saint Malik Mohammad Jaisi,
the author of "Padmavat", was
devoted to. Jaisi would faint at the
controversy surrounding his mas
terpiece.
From nearby Salon, Naeem Ata
Shah in his flowing orange robes
and headgear, often visited
Mustafabad. Jaisi, who preceded
Tulsidas, in the list of great poets
of Awadhi, was an endless source
of quotations. So was Tulsidas,
whose correspondence with
emperor Akbar's premier courtier,
Abdul Rahim Khan e Khana, on
meter and structure of poetry, one
heard about later and which is
something one would have
expected more scholarship on.
To a most unexpected source I
owed my acquaintance with the
fact that Rahim, known for his
dohas, wrote devotional poetry on
Lord Rama in Sanskrit. The source
happened to be Vishnu Kant
Shastri, former Vice Chancellor of
Banaras Hindu University. It
always puzzled me how a man of
such catholic interests knew
l By Amulya Ganguli
ahul Gandhi's coronation
R as the Congress president
next month is taking
place at the right time for him
and the party.
Over the last two months, he
has undergone a remarkable
metamorphosis. It is dif ficult to
say why this change has taken
place, but there is little doubt
about its reality.
From someone who tried to
cover up his inadequacies in the
fields of ideas and oratory by
his shrillness in parliament and
outside, Rahul Gandhi has sud
denly become calm and com
posed a person who can artic
ulate his views cogently and is
not afraid to mock himself by
saying that he has been called
"stupid" by a section of netizens
ostensibly associated with the
saf fron camp.
Little wonder, therefore, that
his election rallies in Himachal
Pradesh and Gujarat, and espe
cially in Gujarat, have drawn
more enthusiastic crowds than
during his earlier campaigns in
Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
His maturity, too, is evident
from his decision to dispense
with as a propaganda ploy the
popular jibe on the social media
about vikas or development
growing crazy in Gujarat since
'Padmavati' row:
Fair is foul & foul is fair
Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena activists stage a demonstration against
the screening of Padmavati in Ranchi. (Photo: IANS)
Jaisi as well as Akbar Allahabadi
backwards had actually
emerged from the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) stable.
If Jaisi's flight of fancy can cre
ate so much mayhem, I shudder to renamed "Maharana Pratap
contemplate the fate of the 1960
classic, MughaleAzam, in a simi
lar circumstance. By today's yard
stick, that was the original,
unadulterated case of "Love
Jihad". In fact the settled conven
tional wisdom in the 1960s con
ceded Akbar victory at Haldighati. ing the police to fire on 'kar
Rahul Gandhi
in a new avatar
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
OP-ED
The national mood today has
reversed the outcome of that bat poll.
tle in favor of Maharana Pratap.
There have been suggestions that
New Delhi's Akbar Road be
Road". In other words, revenge
with retrospective effect is in
order. To give this trend a more
contemporary twist, the Vishwa
Hindu Parishad has demanded
that a FIR be lodged against
Mulayam Singh Yadav for order
December 2-8, 2017
sewaks' in 1990.
In that frame
work, it can be
argued that pro
ducer K. Asif
glorified Akbar's
Love Jihad. For
that unforgiv
able guilt, copies
of the film must
be consigned to
the flames by
way of historical
revenge. Dilip
Kumar, who
played Prince
Salim, is unwell;
otherwise he
could have been
brought into
focus of public
ire with great
effectiveness on
the eve of key
elections with a
singular purpose polarize the
At a time when logic has been
crowded out by a rush of non
sequitur, some pundits have
attempted common sense. It will
not work.
In his very first speech in
Parliament after the 2014 elec
tions, this was precisely the nerve
Narendra Modi touched: "The
nation has to recover from the
subjugation of 1,200 years". This
is what differentiates the present
he does not want any disrespect
to be shown towards the Prime
Minister. It is possible that the
refined genes of the Nehru
Gandhi family are coming to the
fore.
It is for this reason that senior
leaders like Sharad Pawar are
no longer averse to dealing
directly with him instead of pre
ferring Sonia Gandhi.
It is not surprising, therefore,
that the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) is no longer taking him
lightly, as can be seen from the
harshness of Narendra Modi's
attacks on the Congress or
"termites", as he has called it
and his charge about the
intense dislike of Gujarat which
the Congress and the dynasty
apparently harbour against the
state. Clearly, if the BJP is san
guine about winning 150plus
seats in Gujarat as a step
towards ushering in a
Congressmukt India, then
there would not have been the
need for the Prime Minister to
spend so much time campaign
ing in a single state, especially
when it is regarded as his baili
wick. Or for the BJP to raise the
inevitable suspicion that it per
suaded the Election
Commission to delay for a few
weeks the announcement of the
poll dates in Gujarat so that
some more sops for the elec
19
government from previous
regimes. Congressmen may have
privately believed in "1,200 years
of subjugation", but they consid
ered it tactically proper to speak
only of the British as foreigners.
Let us, meanwhile, revert to
Jaisi's purpose in Padmavati. The
sentiment is common in Western
poetry too. The "desire of the
moth for the star, of the night for
the morrow. The devotion to
something afar from the sphere of
our sorrow." Shelley's lines are an
ultra simplified version of the
interplay between love and beau
ty which Jaisi is delineating.
Padmini and Khalji are secular
symbols of Jaisi's elaboration of
the theme on an epic scale. Keat's
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty, that
is all ye know on earth and all ye
need to know" can also be tossed
in to simplify communicating
Jaisi.
Should the everexpanding tribe
of the new cultural warriors run
out of ideas, here are some on
offer, gratis. They should deni
grate with retrospective effect
those Muslims who dared to take
liberties with Hindu Gods.
Remember, how India's greatest
modern painter, Maqbool Fida
Husain, was exiled for his
supreme guilt: Excessive adora
tion of Goddesses. His "adoration"
was considered lewd by the pro
tectors of culture and faith.
torate could be rolled out by
the state government before the
model code of conduct came
into force.
The BJP's nervousness about
the unexpected challenge posed
by someone whom it routinely
derided as Pappu or an adoles
cent might have been exacer
bated by the sudden praise
heaped on Rahul Gandhi by a
spokesman of the BJP's ally, the
Shiv Sena, who even said that
the Congress vicepresident was
capable of becoming the Prime
Minister a possibility to which
neither Rahul Gandhi's friends
or foes had alluded to before.
The ascent of the Nehru
Gandhi scion is also timely
where the Congress is con
cerned. There is little doubt
that the party has come out of
the slough of despond into
which it had sunk in the after
math of its poorestever per
formance in the last general
election.
The Congress is also exuding
greater confidence because of
the belief that it is on the verge
of a generational shift which
cannot but breathe new life into
the party as its old guard
retreats into the background
and a younger lot Sachin Pilot
in Rajasthan, Jyotiraditya
Scindia in Madhya Pradesh
takes charge.
 20 December 2-8, 2017 DIASPORA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

India opens help desk as
Indonesia raises Bali volcano
alert to highest level
New Delhi: As
Indonesia raised
Bali volcano alert to
the highest level,
External Affairs
Minister Sushma
Swaraj has said she
was monitoring the
situation closely and
that the Indian
Thick grey smoke from Mount Agung
Mission there would
has forced flights to be
provide assistance to
grounded (Image: bbc.com)
Indians requiring
help. The Indian Consulate in
Bali has opened a help desk at
the city airport to provide any
assistance to the Indians stuck
there.
"Indians in Bali Pls do not
worry. Pradeep Rawat Indian
Ambassador in Jakarta
@IndianEmbJkt and Sunil Babu
Consul General @cgibali are on
the job and I am monitoring this
personally(sic)," she said on
Twitter. Massive columns of
Study nds Indian BPO workers face racial
abuse daily; accused of being 'job thieves'
New Delhi: A new study
has revealed that Indian
business pro cess out
sourcing (BPO) workers
face racial abuse almost
on a daily basis. The sur
vey was conducted by
Sweta RanjanRankin
from the University of
Kent, UK. Not only racial
abuse, the workers are
almost always accused of
being 'job thieves.'
"It is a postrecession
reality. Western clients
are extremely cagey. If
thick grey smoke that have been
they think you are an Indian, their
belching from Mount Agung
biggest fear is you are stealing
since last week have now begun
their job and that everything is
shooting more than three kilo
being outsourced," says Rajan
metres (two miles) into the sky,
Rankin. She conducted the study
forcing flights to be grounded.
based on ethnographic research
The airport in Bali's capital
with two global outsourcing firms
Denpasar, a top holiday destina
operating call centres in India
tion that attracts millions of for
from 201012. A report in TOI
eign tourists every year, has
says that almost all the employees
been closed, a move expected to
interviewed for the study were
affect tens of thousands of pas
accused and cursed.
sengers. (PTI)
RanjanRankin said, "In terms of
this is done so that the
companies can portray
that the services are
available in the same
country.
"The rules of call agents
don't allow them to dis
close that they are work
ing in India, no matter
what. As a result they get
enormous amounts of
abuse, which is often
racial in nature," said
RajanRankin.
(Image courtesy: timesofindia.com) The employers would
even send the employees
the current context, with Brexit in
to America to brush up the
the UK and Trump in America,
American accent and voice modu
recession, pulling back of services,
lation. In fact, they would be given
we have seen a resurgence of
lessons on popular culture and
national politics... you might see
baseball. "Narratives around iden
much more customer abuse, much
tity masking of call agents are
more racial abuse." She further
rooted in attempts to stem racial
added that in the 1990s, when
abuse from western clients who
companies came to India they fol
may perceive them as 'job
lowed something called 'complete
thieves'," RajanRankin said. A lot
masking'. It essentially means that
of the abuse is triggered by the
the ethnic identity of the caller is
receiver's disbelief over the caller's
hidden. RanjanRankin adds that
identity. (Source: businesstimes.in)

Indias Supreme Court tells PPF account to be

NRI to approach Constitution
Bench on Aadhaar linking
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on
Friday directed an NRI to approach
the Constitution Bench, scheduled to
hear a challenge to Aadhaar validity,
regarding his challenge to amend
ments in rules against money launder
ing to facilitate linking of bank
accounts with Aadhaar numbers.
A bench of Justice A.K. Sikri and
Justice Ashok Bhushan asked Non
Resident Indian Femin Panikkassery
Subramanyan to approach the
Constitution Bench that will hear a
batch of petitions in the last week of
November.
Subramanyan, a Kerala native resid
ing in Dubai for two decades, said
amendments to the Prevention of
Money Laundering Rules that man
dated linking of bank accounts with
Aadhaar numbers violated his funda
mental rights under Articles 14, 19,
and 21 of the Constitution.
A bench of Chief Justice Dipak
Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and
Justice D.Y. Chandrachud had, on
October 30, said that the hearing on
the petitions against Aadhaar will
take place in the last wee k of
November.
T hese include pleas by former
Karnataka High Court Judge K.S.
Puttaswamy, Magsaysay awardee
Shanta Sinha, and feminist researcher
Kalyani Sen Menon, who questioned
Aadhaar validity on several counts,
principally on the ground of its being
violative of the fundamental right to
privacy.
Challenging mandatory linking of
bank accounts w ith Aad haar,
Subramanyan pointed to the immense
contribution that NRIs make to the
Indian economy through remittances.
The petitioner said Aadhaar was
applicable to individuals who reside in
India for 182 days prior to applying
for the unique identification number.
He contended that by this criterion,
Aadhaar was not applicable to NRIs,
People of Indian Origin or any other
class of expatriates. He said Aadhaar
was not citizen centric.
"The Aadhaar Act, as it stands today,
does not permit Aadhaar enrolment of
an NRI, PIO or any other class of
Indian expatriates. It is the specific
case of the petitioner that the present
amendment has created untold mis
eries to the millions of expatriates,
including the petitioner", his plea said.
He said his financial base has been
"wrecked owing to the whims and
vagaries of some Tughlaqian admin
istrators."
He said 16 millionstrong Indian
diaspora's contribution to the coun
try's economy in 2015 was $72 bil
lion, that is, 4 per cent of the coun
try's GDP in that year. It was more
than 12 per cent of the world's remit
tances in 2015. (IANS)
closed if holder status
changes to NRI
New Delhi: With changes in investment rules for select small
savings schemes including National Savings Certificate
(NSC), the government has said such accounts will be closed
before their maturity in case status of the holder changes
from resident to nonresident Indians (NRIs).
Such holders will earn only post office savings account
rate of 4% and not the higher rate on those instruments
when the status was one of a resident.
In the case of public provident fund (PPF), the account is
deemed to be closed the day the status of the account holder
changes to NRI.
According to the amendment to the Public Provident Fund
Act, 1968, ... if a resident who opened an account under this
scheme subsequently becomes a nonresident during the
currency of the maturity period, the account shall be
deemed to be closed with effect from the day he becomes a
nonresident...
The amended rules were notified in the official gazette
earlier this month.
With regard to NSC, a separate notification said it is
deemed to be encashed on the day the holder becomes an
NRI.
...interest shall be paid at the rate applicable to the post
office savings account, from time to time, from such day and
up to the last day of the month preceding the month in
which it is actually encashed, it stated. (PTI)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SUBCONTINENT December 2-8, 2017 21

Hafiz Saeed vows to fight for Nepal votes in first

Kashmir after release
Lahore: LashkareTaiba (LeT )
founder Hafiz Saeed vowed to
continue the "jihad" for Jammu
and Kashmir's "independence",
shortly after the man accused of
plotting the 2008 Mumbai mas
sacre was re leased after 10
months of house arrest.
Speaking to his supporters at
Lahore's Jamia Masjid Al Qadsia,
the JamaatudDawa (JuD) leader
spewed venom against India and
the Pakistani civilian leadership.
Saying he was "fighting for the
freedom of Pakistan and
Kashmir", he said he had been put
under house arrest for fighting for
the rig hts of Kashmiris and
Pakistani leaders were making
decisions under external pressure.
"If the leaders of Pakistan start
making their own decisions, they
will no longer face external pres
sure," he thundered as his sup
porters kept raising slogans hail
ing him.
"I'm happy that no allegation
against me was proved, which
could have done damage to me, or
my country's interests," Saeed told
supporters. He called his release a
"victory" for Pakistan.
general election under
2015 Constitution
Kathmandu: People in Nepal
queued up to vote in the first
phase of a general election
under a new Constitution that
was adopted in 2015, to end
almost two decades of an inter
im government and elect repre
sentatives to the lower house of
parliament and seven provin
cial assemblies.
The polls opened amid tight
security at 7 am (local time) in
4,465 polling stations across
32 districts and according to
the Election Commission by 10
26/11 mastermind and LashkareTaiba founder Hafiz Saeed. a.m. they had recorded a 25 per
cent turnout, Efe news agency
President Trump warns Pakistan reported. The government
deployed 238,000 security per
nited States President Donald Trump has warned Pakistan that sonnel in the 32 districts (of a
U failure to take action against JammatudDawa leader Hafiz
Saeed "will have repercussions for bilateral relations".
The US "strongly condemns" his release from house arrest and
total of 77) of northern Nepal,
where the first round of elec
tions is being held, an Internal
"calls for his immediate rearrest and prosecution," Trump's Press Affairs Ministry Spokesperson
Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. "If Pakistan told Efe. More than three mil
does not take action to lawfully detain Saeed and charge him for his lion Nepalese are voting in this
crimes, its inaction will have repercussions for bilateral relations and phase of the polls.
for Pakistan's global reputation" the statement said. While most of the voting took
The State Department had condemned the release of Saeed, who place peacefully, there were
carries a $10 million bounty from the US, and demanded his re some stray incidents of vio
arrest. lence recorded in some areas.
In Bitado district, 800 km
(497 miles) west of Kathmandu,
an improvised explosive device
was found and deactivated by
the Army, Election Commission
Spokesperson Nabaraj Dhakal
told Efe.
Dhakal added that voting was
disrupted in Dolakha province,
around 150 km east of
Kathmandu, owing to a clash
between supporters of the
Communist Party of Nepal
Maoist and the Nepali Congress
party.
Nepalese voters will directly
elect 165 national lawmakers
while another 110 members of
the lower house will be elected
through the partylist propor
tional representation system,
which takes into account the
total number of votes obtained
by the parties.
Similarly, 330 members of
the seven provincial assemblies
will be elected directly while
another 220 members will be
elected through the same
partylist proportional repre
sentation system.

1 killed, 200 injured in Pakistan

clashes; media blacked out
Islamabad: Violent protests erupt
ed across Pakistan after security
forces launched an earlymorning
crackdown on thousands of reli
gious demonstrators camped on a
highway in the capital in which a
policeman was killed and 200
hundred people were injured. The
authorities ordered private televi
sion channels to go off the air.
Roughly 8,500 elite police and
paramilitary troops in riot gear
were seen throwing rocks and
using slingshots in the bid to fol
lowers of the cleric Khadim
Hussain Rizvi of the Tehreeke
Labaik party who began rallying
near Faizabad interchange soon
after dawn.
The protests had erupted after
the Pakistani Parliament
approved an amendment to the
electoral law earlier, removing an
oath public servants had to take
before assuming of fice, reiterat
ing their be lie f in Prophet
Muhammad.
The amendment was deemed a
"clerical error" by the government
and was rectified. But the protest
ers still demand the resignation
of Law Minister Zahid Hamid for
his alleged role in the controver
sy. They attacked his home in
Securitymen resorted to rubberbullets after protesters upped resistance.
Pasrur but the minister and his
family were not present at that
time.
Security forces resorted to rub
berbullets after the protesters
put up the resistance. The law
enforcement agencies lobbed tear
gas shells and used water can
nons to disperse the crowd. In
return, the demonstrators pelted
stones on the security personnel.
Amid the furor, Interior Minister
Ahsan Iqbal claimed that religious
parties protesting in Islamabad
had "contacted India", and that
the government was investigating
the matter. T he Pakistan
Electronic Media Regulatory
Pakistan Law
Minister resigns
akistan Law Minister
P Zahid Hamid resigned
following deadly clashes
between the police and pro
testers of various "religious"
parties, media reports said.
T he resignation came as
part of an agreement reached
between the government and
the protesters late Sunday
night, reports Dawn news.
T he agreement followed
after a twoday faceof f at
Faizabad Interchange and
other parts of the country
between protesters and secu
rity forces that saw at least
six people killed and hun
dreds injured.
Following the agreement,
the protest leaders were like
ly to announce an end to the
sitin at a press conference.
Authority (Pemra) prohibited all
satellite TV channels from cover
ing the operation at Faizabad. The
authority advised media houses
to ensure the safety and security
of their field staff.
 22 December 2-8, 2017 INTERNATIONAL TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Egypt mosque attack toll rises Merkel rejects snap

305, 'attackers carry IS flag' elections after failed talks Berlin: German Chancellor Angela
Cairo: The death toll in a terrorist Merkel has rejected new elections
attack on a mosque in Egypt's and wanted to form a new govern
North Sinai has risen to 305 ment quickly, as a consequence of
killed, including 27 children, and the failed government coalition
128 others were wounded, state talks with the Free Democratic
news agency MENA reported. Party (FDP) and the Greens.
"The attackers of the mosque "The people have voted, and I
were carrying the Islamic State absolutely do not favor, if we can't
flag," MENA quoted the statement do anything with the result, asking
of the country's general prosecu people to vote again," Merkel said
tor as saying. on Saturday at a party conference
"Some 2530 militants have of her Christian Democratic Union
(CDU) in Kuehlungsborn, north German Chancellor Angela
gunned down the worshippers
east Germany, Xinhua reported cit Merkel faces the most serious
while performing the Friday
political crisis of her career.
prayer," it added. ing Focus Online.
The attack took place after the Merkel is facing the most seri that Germany must have a stable
mosque's preacher started his ous political crisis since she government, "but also a govern
speech, when the terrorists threw assumed office 12 years ago after ment that really advances the
bombs from the windows and the breakdown of the government country".
Egyptian soldiers stand guard outside a hospital in Ismailia.
doors of the mosque, besieging coalition exploratory talks on The CDU leader also said talks
the worshippers inside, the state November 19. with the Social Democratic Party
who came from Delta Menoufia "infidels." The FDP decided to withdraw (SPD) would have to be conducted
ment said.
province to get the license of Local militant group Ansar Bayt the talks with the Greens, the CDU on the basis of mutual respect, and
Long queues of the victims' rel
burying Amir said. alMaqdis declared allegiance to and the Bavarian Christian Social the compromise is part of it.
atives were laid on the ground,
The attackers were riding five the IS in 2014. Union (CSU), for a new coalition German President FrankWalter
some covered with blankets, out
jeeps and they set seven cars of Sufis have been a target of government after the September Steinmeier has invited Merkel,
side the Suez Canal Hospital in
the worshippers ablaze before Ansar Bayt alMaqdis who burnt 24 federal elections. SPD leader Martin Schulz and CSU
Ismailia. "My 23years old
fleeing. Some of the worshippers one of their shrines in 2013. Merkel told the party confer leader Horst Seehofer for a meet
nephew, Amir, who was working
were Sufis, members of Islam's No group has declared respon ence that she wants to "come ing next week to discuss another
as a nurse has passed away in the
myst ical movement, whom sibility for the al Rawda attack quickly to a government", adding "Grand Coalition".
attack," said Samy Mohammed,
groups such as the IS consider as yet.

Japanese politician Mnangagwa is new Zimbabwe President

brings baby
to assembly
Legislator Yuka Ogata took her child to highlight the
difficulties working mothers face.
Tokyo: A Japanese politician created a stir by bringing
her baby to a municipal council session.
Yuka Ogata, 42, said she wanted to show how difficult
it was for women to juggle careers and raise children.
Kumamoto municipal assembly of ficials said the
woman had violated assembly rules as "visitors and
observers are forbidden from the floor".
The incident was the first time Ogata had attended a
municipal assembly plenary session since giving birth to
her son seven months ago, the BBC reported.
She told reporters that she had asked the Secretariat
repeatedly to either allow her son to be with her during
the assemblies or to provide a daycare facility.
"I wanted the assembly to be a place where women
who are raising children can also do a great job," Ogata
said. However, she received no positive response and
then decided to bring her child anyway.
After a lengthy discussion, Ogata left the child with a
friend and the session started 40 minutes late. The
council said it will discuss her case and ways to support
lawmakers with young children.
Harare: Former Vice President
Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose recent
ousting prompted a military takeover in
Zimbabwe, was sworn in as President,
triggering an uncertain phase in the
country's history following the end of
Robert Mugabe's 37year reign.
T he swearingin ceremony of
Mnangagwa, a highprofile member of
the ruling ZANUPF party, took place at
the capital's National Sports Stadium
and was witnessed by tens of thousands
of jubilant Zimbabweans. Dignitaries,
including leaders from various African
countries, filed in to cheers.
Widely known as "the Crocodile",
Mnangagwa was a key Mugabe confi
dant for decades until they fell out due
to the presidential ambitions of former
first lady Grace Mugabe. "I, Emmerson
Dambudzo Mnangagwa, swear that as
President of the Republic of Zimbabwe I
Prince Harry uses Diana's legacy for engagement
London: There was something old and
something new in the ring Meghan
Markle, the American actress, wore
when she and Prince Harry announced
their engagement.
The ring, which the prince himself
designed, bore three glittering dia
monds: a central stone from Botswana
and two others from the collection of
the Harry's mother, Princess Diana, who
died in 1997, the couple said in a joint
interview shared on social media.
"It's incredibly special to be able to
have this, which sort of links where you
come from and Botswana, which is
important to us, and it's perfect," Markle
crowd with a raised fist.
"I will protect and promote the rights
of the people of Zimbabwe and dis
charge my duties with all my strength,
the best of my knowledge and ability,"
he added. Opposition leaders Morgan
Tsvangirai and Joice Mujuru who both
had their sights on the presidency at
various times were at the ceremony.
Mugabe did not attend Mnangagwa's
inauguration and the of ficial explana
tion for his absence was that the 93
yearold needed to rest. Mnangagwa,
who served for half a century as his pre
decessor's righthand man, also paid
President Emmerson Mnangagwa is tribute to Mugabe as his "father" and
widely known "mentor". "He led us in our struggle for
as the Crocodile in Zimbabwe. national independence. He assumed
will be faithful to Zimbabwe and obey, responsibility for leadership at a forma
uphold and defend the Constitution and tive and very challenging time,"
Mnangagwa said, adding later that the
all of the laws of Zimbabwe," the 75
nation should "let bygones be bygones".
yearold leader said while greeting the
said to Prince Harry during the inter
view. The ring is yellow gold, Markle's
favorite, Prince Harry said.
The couple dated for about a year and
a half before becoming engaged in
November. Just weeks into their rela
tionship, Prince Harry invited Markle on
a fiveday trip to Botswana.
T he Prince, 33, and Markle, 36,
appeared for photographers at
Kensington Palace's Sunken Garden
shortly after announcing the engage
ment.
Prince Harry with Meghan Markle in
London on November 27.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
S&P maintains India's sovereign ratings with stable outlook
New Delhi: Rat ing agency
Standard & Poor's (S&P) refused
to upgrade India's sovereign rat
ings maintaining status quo at
BBB with stable outlook, a devel
opment that comes a week after
Moody's did an upgrade.
"The stable outlook reflects our
view that, over the next two
years, growth will remain strong,
India will maintain its sound
external accounts position, and
fiscal deficits will remain broadly
in line with our forecasts," the
global agency said in a state
ment.
It said upward pressure on the
ratings could build if the govern The S&P said the ratings on India reflect the country's strong GDP
ment's re forms markedly growth, sound external profile, and improving monetary credibility.
improve its net general govern
ment fiscal outturns and so sure could also build if India's
reduce the level of net general external accounts strengthen sig
government debt. Upward pres nificantly.
Meredith buying Time Inc
New York: U.S. media company Meredith
Corp said on Sunday it will buy Time Inc,
the publisher of People, Sports Illustrated
and Fortune magazines, in a $1.84 billion
allcash deal backed by conservative billion
aire brothers Charles and David Koch.
The deal is a coup for Meredith, which
held unsuccessful talks to buy Time earlier
this year and in 2013.
It will give news, business and sports
brands to the Des Moines, Iowabased pub
lisher and broadcaster, which owns lifestyle
GST: October collections keep
falling at Rs 83,346 crore
New Delhi: With all but 50 items removed
from the highest GST rate slab, collections in
October fell to Rs 83,346 crore from over Rs
92,000 crore in September, official data
showed. India's Goods and Services Tax (GST)
collections received in November totalled Rs
83,346 crore till November 27, a Finance
Ministry release here said.
A total of "50.1 lakh returns have been filed
for the month of October till November 26,
2017", it said.
Over 95.9 lakh tax payers have been regis
tered under the GST so far, out of which 15.1
lakh are "composition dealers" who are
required to file returns every quarter, it
added. The Central government has released
a compensation of Rs 10,806 crore to the
states for July and August, while a compensa
tion of Rs 13,695 crore for September and
October is being released, the union ministry
said. "The states' revenues have been fully
BUSINESS
However, it caut ioned that
there could be downward pres
sure on the rat ings if GDP
magazines such as Better Homes & Gardens
and Family Circle.
The Koch brothers are two of the worlds
richest men through their ownership of
Koch Industries. The Kochs are known for
their advocacy of conservative policies and
influence on some quarters of the
Republican Party. The companies said the
Kochs will have no influence on Merediths
editorial or managerial operations.
Meredith said it expected the deal to close
in the first three months of 2018.
protected taking base year revenue as 2015
16 and providing a projected revenue growth
rate of 14 per cent," it said.
The GST collection in July was over Rs
95,000 crore, while in August, it was more
than Rs 91,000 crore. September's indirect
tax collection stood at over Rs 92,150 crore.
"Since implementation of some of the main
features of GST such as matching of returns,
eway bill as well as reverse charge mecha
nism have been postponed, the tax compli
ance may not be up to the mark," it said.
Besides, because of the initial requirement of
paying Integrated GST (IGST) on transfer of
goods from one state to another state, there
was an additional cash flow of IGST in the
first 3 months. "As and when the final trans
action of these goods takes place, the credit
for IGST is being utilized for payment of SGST
and CGST and therefore, the inflow of new
taxes is low," it said.
December 2-8, 2017 23
growth disappoints, causing us try's strong GDP growth, sound
to reassess our view of trend external profile and improving
growth; if net general govern monetary credibility...T hese
ment deficits rose significantly; strengths r balanced against vul
or if the political will to maintain nerabilities stemming from coun
India's reform agenda signifi try's low per capita income & rel
cantly lost momentum. atively high general gov debt
"Ratings are constrained by stock, net of liquid assets."
India's low wealth levels, meas Subhash Chandra Garg,
ured by GDP per capita, which Secretary in the Department of
we estimate at close to $2,000 in Economic Af fairs, expressed
2017, the lowest of all invest relief that the rating agency has
mentgrade sovereigns that we not downgraded India.
rate. T hat said, India's GDP The S&P said the ratings on
growth rate is among the fastest India reflect the country's strong
of all investmentgrade sover GDP growth, sound external pro
eigns, and we expect real GDP to file, and improving monetary
average 7.6 per cent over 2017 credibility.
2020 (6.5 per cent in per capita India's strong democratic insti
terms)," the agency said. tutions and its free press pro
Reacting to the ratings, the mote policy stability and com
Finance Ministry tweeted: promise, and also underpin the
"Ratings on India reflect coun ratings.
Digital space should not become
terror playground: Modi
New Delhi: Noting that
cyber attacks are a sig
nificant threat, Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi said it must be
ensured that digital
space does not become
a playground for
forces of terror and
radicalization. "The
quest for an open and
accessible Internet
often leads to vulnera Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Global Conference on Cyber
bility. Stories of hack
ing and defacement of
Space (GCCS 2017) in New Delhi. (Photo: IANS/PIB)
websites are the tip of an iceberg. They suggest cyber space. Therefore, we all need to speak in
that cyber attacks are a significant threat, espe one voice against cyber crimes," Prasad
stressed.
cially in the democratic world," he said while
The Prime Minister said three factors
inaugurating the fifth edition of the Global
financial inclusion through our JanDhan bank
Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS). In identical
accounts; the Aadhaar platform; and the Mobile
remarks, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said
phone have greatly helped reduce corrup
radical elements and terrorists are abusing
tion. "We need to ensure that vulnerable sec
social media platforms for perpetuating hate
tions of our society do not fall prey to the evil
and terror but India is determined to address
designs of cyber criminals. Alertness towards
the misuse of cyber space and thwart them.
cyber security concerns should become a way
"Our government has effectively used social
of life," he said.
media for giving voice to the unheard but it is
Modi said the JAM trinity had also helped
equally true that radical elements and terror
bring in transparency.
ists are abusing this medium for perpetuating
"We call this the J.A.M. or JAM trinity.
hate and terror. Radicalization of young people
Through better targeting of subsidies, the JAM
through tools of social media poses grave
trinity has prevented leakages to the tune of
threat to humanity," Prasad said during his
nearly $10 billion so far."
address to the gathering. "Misuse of Internet
Modi said that one of the major focus areas
for child pornography is posing grave threat to
should be the training of well equipped and
childhood. Financial frauds and cyber attacks
capable professionals to counter cyber threats.
can eliminate the trust of ordinary citizens in
 24 December 2-8, 2017 SPORTS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Second Test: India overwhelm Sri Lanka

Nagpur: India bow led out Sri
Lanka for 166 runs in their second
innings to register a victory by an
innings and 239 runs in the sec
ond Test and take a 10 lead in the
threematch series here.
Beginning the day 384 behind
with nine wickets in hand and
needing to bat about five sessions
to save the Test, Sri Lanka failed to
step up to the pressure and folded
up inside the tea session on the
fourth day at the Vidarbha Cricket
Association Stadium.
Captain Dinesh Chandimal (61)
waged a lone battle as shared a 58
run stand for the eight wicket with
Suranga Lakmal (31) to delay the
inevitable.
Indian bowlers hunted in packs,
with all of them getting into wick
ets column. Of fspinner
Ravichandran Ashwin (4/63), left
arm spinner Ravindra Jade ja
(2/28), pacers Umesh Yadav
(2/30) and Ishant Sharma (2/43)
were all over the Sri Lankan bats
men. Ashwin, following his four
wickets, became the fastest bowler
to take 300 wickets in Test history.
The 31yearold, who bagged eight
wickets in the Test, achieved this
feat in 54 matches, surpassing the
record of Australia's Denis Lillee,
who achieved the milestone in 56
Tests. Ashwin also became the fifth
Indian to claim 300 wickets.
After India declared their first
innings on a mammoth 610/6, tak
ing a 405run lead, it was always
going to be tough for the visitors,
R Ashwin, following his four wickets, became the fastest bowler to take
300 wickets in Test history.
who have an inexperienced batting
lineup in the fiveday format.
They had lost opening Sadeera
Samaraw ickrama (0) be fore
stumps.
Resuming the play at 21/1, Sri
Lanka kept losing wickets at regu
lar intervals. Two overnight bats
men Dimuth Karunaratne (18) and
Lahiru Thirimanne (23) lacked
patience in the morning.
While Karunaratne was caught
by Murali Vijay at short leg of f
leftarm spinner Ravindra Jadeja
in the seventh over of the session,
Thirimanne sliced a wide delivery
from paceman Umesh Yadav to
Jadeja at backward point, to leave
the tourists at 48/3.
Sri Lankan hopes were further
dashed when former captain
Angelo Mathews played Jadeja
straight into the hands of Rohit
Sharma at midoff.
Wicketkeeperbatsman Niroshan
Dickwella could only manage an
Kohli rested for ODIs,
Rohit to lead
New Delhi: Days after India skip
per Virat Kohli hit out at the
cramped schedule of the team
ahead of the crucial South Africa
tour next month, the BCCI selec
tion committee rested the 29
yearold batsman for the upcom
ing threematch ODI series
against Sri Lanka, starting
December 10.
The BCCI, however, retained
Kohli in the squad for the third
and final Test to be hosted at the
Ferozshah Kotla here from
December 26.
For the ODI rubber Kohli's
deputy in limited overs Rohit
Sharma will take over the reins
of the side, which has Punjab
pacer Siddarth Kaul as the lone
new face. The ODI series will also
see the return of allrounder
Hardik Pandya, who was given a
break for the ongoing three
match Test series against the
Lankans. The first ODI will be
outside edge to a rising delivery
from Ishant as he guided the ball
to Virat Kohli, who took on the sec
ond attempt at slip to leave Sri
Lanka reeling at 75/5.
Later, Ashwin did his magic,
removing Dasun Shanaka (170,
Dilruwan Perera (0) and Rangana
played at Dharamsala on
December 10, followed by games
at Mohali (December 13) and
Visakhapatnam (December 17).
The 50over series will be fol
lowed by a threematch T20I
series, starting December 20.
"Current India captain Virat
Kohli has been rested for the ODI
series," a BCCI statement read.
Before the start of the second
Test in Nagpur, which India won
by an innings and 239 runs with
in three and a half days, Kohli
criticized the board for leaving
very less time to prepare for a
challenging tour.
"As usual cramped for time,
which I think we needed to
assess in future as well because
we very easily assess the team
when we go abroad but we don't
look at how many days we have
got to prepare before we go to a
particular place to play," Kohli
had said.
Herath. The of fspinner got good
purchase from the fourth day pitch
that offered spin and bounce.
Chandimal continued his battle
as he stroked his way to his 14th
fifty in Test cricket. He was
unbeaten on 53 from 62
deliveries.

Gopi clinches men's

Asian marathon title Sindhu loses in Hong Kong Open final
Dongguan (China): T. Gopi created history by Hong Kong: Indian shuttler P.V. Sindhu
becoming the first Indian man to clinch the gold lost to top seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese
medal in the Asian Taipei in a repeat of the 2016 final of the
M a r a t h o n Hong Kong Open Superseries here.
Championships World No.1 Tai played a compact and
here. complete game to earn a 2118, 2118 tri
The 29yearold umph in 45 minutes to pocket her third
Kerala longdis Hong Kong Open title.
tance runner com It was Asian champion Tai's fifth
pleted the dis Superseries crown of 2017 after triumph
tance in 2 hours, ing at All England, Malaysia, Singapore
15 minutes and and France.
48 seconds, finish Tai, who had a healthy 73 advantage in
ing ahead of career headtohead records coming into
Uzbekistan's this match against Sindhu, dominated the
Petrov Andrey Indian from the beginning. She quickly
(2:15:51 hours). opened up a 72 lead in the first game. But
Longdistance
T he bronze Sindhu made a strong comeback by notch
runner T. Gopi.
medal went to ing up four consecutive points.
P.V. Sindhu lost to top seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei.
T.Byambajav of Mangolia, who clocked 2:16:14 Tai went to the midgame break holding
hours. an 118 advantage. Afterwards, even judgment mistakes at the critical moment playing ruthless and aggressive bad
Gopi becomes only the third Indian after Asha though Tai kept bagging points, Sindhu as Tai pocketed the first game 2118. minton, making the most of acute angles.
Aggarwal (1985) and Sunita Godara (1992) to didn't allow her to run away, keeping her In the second game, Sindhu took a 41 Sindhu looked flabbergasted at the way
win gold at the Asian Marathon Championships self in the game. lead but Tai hit back with three consecu Tai dictated the pace of the game. Tai
and the second since it was moved out as a sepa Tai, however, thanks to a combination of tive points, making the most of her fiery grabbed six points in a row to sit at a 18
rate event away from the Asian Athletics aggressive strokes and cunning net game, smashes. However, Sindhu went into the 12 advantage. Sindhu tried to catch Tai
Championships. took a 1815 lead. But Sindhu refused to midgame break holding a slender 1110 but the latter ran away the winner with a
Gopi, who has a personal best of 2:15:25 which surrender. Capitalising on a couple of lead. 2118 victory in the second game.
he recorded in the Rio Olympics in 2016, was in unforced errors from Tai, the 2016 But after the break, Tai upped the ante T hreet ime World Championships
fine form this year winning the New Delhi Olympic silver medallist, urged on by a and turned the heat on Sindhu, who had medallist Sindhu has now lost to the 23
Marathon in 2:15:37, his best performance of the vociferous and sizeable Indian crowd, spent a lot of energy in containing the yearold Tai for the fourth consecutive
season so far. equalised 18all. But Sindhu made two line Taiwanese. Tai stamped her authority by time.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Courting Politics: In praise
of Indias 9 lawyerpoliticians
l By Vishnu Makhijani
New Delhi: One is described as calm as a millpond, another as
an incredible flirt who terms himself a sinner with a clean
conscience; then there is a details lawyer and another who
is arrogant about his gumption. What binds these four indi
viduals, and five others, together is the fact that they have
managed to stride the worlds of law and politics with consum
mate ease without needing to wear their affiliations on their
sleeves.
Noting that the Indian Parliament is headed, layered and
controlled by legal luminaries, debutante author Shweta
Bansal, who has just won a place in the IFS after a bitter legal
battle, told IANS that she discovered that these lawyers in
politics have not been written about and blinkered and incom
plete stories float about them in the public domain, which
barely do justice to their lives and achievements.
Courting Politics (EBC/Rs 695) is a 450page tome that
serves as an invaluable chronicle of the journey of these nine
individuals in the postemergency (197577) years,
Who then are these nine individuals?
Theres The Daredevil Ram Jethmalani, The Lawyer of
Emerging India Shanti Bhushan, The ReformerinChief P.
Chidambaram, The Gentleman Muzaffar Hussain Baig, The
Ultimate Multitasker A.M. Sanghvi, The Artiste Kapil Sibal,
The Man for all Seasons Arun Jaitley, The Debonair Man
Salman Khurshid and The Lawyer of Lord Rama Ravi
Shankar Prasad. A fair mix across the spectrum, but the
author laments she could not include any women and explains
it thus: While there are some successful women politicians
Sushma Swaraj, Mamata Banerjee and Mayawati who hold
law degrees, they have a negligible legal practice. On the other
BOOKS December 2-8, 2017 25
hand, lawyers such as Flavia Agnes, Meenakshi Lekhi, Pinky
Anand and Indira Jaisingh have impressive legal careers, but
prime political benefits still elude them.
What, then, are the insights the author provides on the
nine individuals?
Sibal: Calm as a millpond with an extremely optimistic out
look both winning characteristics for success in law and
politics.
Baig: God lies in details and in the annexures of the case
brief. He is a details lawyer. He is not a special leave petition
type of lawyer.
Jethmalani: Despite his honesty, the man cannot help but
be an incredible flirt and is notorious for his extramarital
affairs Nevertheless, he claims to be a sinner with a clean
conscience. Ram is a man full of contradictions. He is a cru
sader against institutional corruption on the one hand, the
defense counsel of corrupt politicians on the other.
Shanti Bhushan: Many a times a successful lawyer makes a
hopeless parliamentarian; and a brilliant parliamentarian may
prove to be an ineffective lawyer. Only a few people combine
both the skills and are effective in both Bhushan is proud of
his achievements and is arrogant about his gumption.
Chidambaram: He is brisk, cerebral, crafty, direct and Born in Lucknow into a family devoted to public service,
unbending. Shweta Bansal is a product of the La Martiniere Girls College.
Singhvi maintains a precarious balance between selfcriti A childhood accident left me differently abled, but what
cism and overweening confidence, Jaitley can make deals one lacks in physical attributes, one makes up for in sheer
like nobody else and is said to know everyone and everybody mental strength, I guess. The desire to take the civil services
worth knowing in Delhi and its power corridors, Prasad is led me to take the exams and clear them but I had to fight
passionate yet cautious, authoritarian yet informal, intelligent the government for over three years regarding my rank and
but not creme de la creme.(in whom) one can see a brand cadre, after which a landmark judgment helped me through to
new script of a Bihari lawyer, while Khurshid is very ambi the IFS, Bansal told IANS.
tious but does not wear his ambition on his sleeve. Her story makes for a book of its own.
 26 December 2-8, 2017
A doctors tips to stay healthy during holiday travel
M
ore than 100 million Americans
will travel this holiday season,
according to AAA estimates.
Holiday travel can seem daunting, between
flight delays and bumpertobumper traffic.
Whats more, it has potential health
impacts, including leg swelling and
increased risk for cold and flu.
Air travel, long drives, less sleep and
added stress can weaken your immune sys
tem at a time when youre around more
people and susceptible to illness, says
nationally renowned natural health physi
cian and bestselling author, Dr. Fred
Pescatore.
Dr. Pescatore is sharing a few tips to help
boost health for this seasons holiday travel.
FEED YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
Cold and flu season ramps up just in time
for the holidays, which means you may be
more at risk of catching a bug. Take pre
cautions before boarding your flight wash
your hands frequently, bring hand sanitizer
with you and snack on antioxidantpacked
vegetables like broccoli, carrots and sweet
potatoes to keep your immune system
strong, says Dr. Pescatore.
FEND OFF FATIGUE Sleep disturbances make you feel tired,
The American Sleep Association estimates nauseous and irritable not a good combi
that nearly 93 percent of travelers experi nation with holiday activities, says Dr.
ence jet lag and it can be severe enough to Pescatore. A peerreviewed study shows
interfere with holiday and vacation plans. that daily supplementation with the super
Spending 'me
time' may reduce
depression,
anxiety
New York: People who spend some time only with them
selves may easily reduce their stress level and lower the
risk of depression and anxiety by being creative, said
researchers. Some solitude is not bad for healing psycho
logical health, but can rather improve the functioning the
brain by fostering creativity, said researchers, reported
the Daily Mail.
Creativity reduces stress by helping "us reach a flow
state", in which the brain works at optimal efficiency, in
order to release dopamine, a neurotransmitter that regu
lates emotional responses that further rewards us for
both creating and solving problems in the process, they
said. On the other hand, social interaction plays a "cen
tral role" in both mental and physical health, but a room
full of people is not the most conducive environment to
creative activities, the researchers noted.
"When people think about the costs associated with
social withdrawal, often times they adopt a developmen
tal perspective," said Julie Bowker, Professor at the
University of Buffalo.
"Shy and avoidant individuals may be unable to use
their solitude time happily and productively, maybe
because they are distracted by their negative cognitions
and fears." The researchers examined 300 people, who
were in a habit of spending time in solitude, and asked
them questions related to their behavior.
The results showed that those who felt timid or fearful
around other people tended to make less productive use
of their alone time, while the others preferred to be alone
because it gave them an opportunity to work on creative
pursuits. Researchers also noted that the stress reduction
has been proven to translate into better heart health and
a reduced risk in dementia, at the same time.
HEALTH
antioxidant, Pycnogenol (Picnojenall),
reduces jet lag symptoms by nearly 50 per
cent. Pycnogenol, a natural botanical
extract from the bark of the French mar
itime pine tree, is a travelers best friend.
Highintensity exercise
improves memory: Study
Toronto: Some physical exercises may
also be good for your brain as
researchers have found that high
intensity exercise may lead to better
memory. The study, published in the
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience,
could have implications for an ageing
population which is grappling with the
growing problem of catastrophic dis
eases such as dementia and
Alzheimer's.
In the experiment, six weeks of
intense exercise short bouts of inter
val training over the course of 20 min
utes showed significant improve
ments in what is known as highinter
ference memory, which, for example,
allows us to distinguish our car from
another of the same make and model.
The findings are important because
memory performance of the study par
ticipants, who were all healthy young
adults, increased over a relatively short
period of time, the researchers said.
They also found that participants
who experienced greater fitness gains
also experienced greater increases in
brainderived neurotrophic factor
(BDNF), a protein that supports the
growth, function and survival of brain
cells. "Improvements in this type of
memory from exercise might help to
explain the previously established link
between aerobic exercise and better
academic performance," said lead
author of the study Jennifer Heisz,
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
You can spend less time feeling fatigued
and more quality time with your loved ones
this holiday season, says Dr. Pescatore.
BOOST CIRCULATION
Long periods of immobility in a cramped
space like a car or plane contribute to
swelling and fluid accumulation throughout
the legs. Known as edema, it can be uncom
fortable and may feel worse after travel.
Dr. Pescatore recommends taking shorts
breaks to move around on road trips and to
stand up and stretch during long flights to
keep blood circulating and reduce swelling.
Pycnogenol is also shown to promote cir
culation, and studies show its benefits for
reducing swelling and discomfort during
longdistance travel. Again, its a good sup
plement for travel, he says.
Pycnogenol is one of the most researched
ingredients on the market with decades of
studies showing its benefits for a variety of
health applications. Its available in more
than 700 dietary supplements, multivita
mins and health products worldwide. For
more information, visit pycnogenol.com.
Drink plenty of water, use a supplement
for a beneficial boost and remember to
enjoy the holidays. Yes, even the travel can
be fun, says Dr. Pescatore.
This holiday season, give yourself the gift
of better health by taking simple steps.
(Source: Statepoint )
(Image courtesy: builtlean.com)
Assistant Professor at McMaster training groups improved performance
University in Ontario, Canada. on a highinterference memory task,
"At the other end of our lifespan, as while the control group did not.
we reach our senior years, we might Researchers measured changes in
expect to see even greater benefits in aerobic fitness, memory and neu
individuals with memory impairment rotrophic factor, before and after the
brought on by conditions such as study protocol.
dementia," she said. The results revealed a potential
For the study, 95 participants com mechanism for how exercise and cog
pleted six weeks of exercise training, nitive training may be changing the
combined exercise and cognitive train brain to support cognition, suggesting
ing or no training (the control group that the two work together through
which did neither and remained seden complementary pathways of the brain
tary). Both the exercise and combined to improve highinterference memory.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
US telecom regulator to end Obama-era net neutrality rules
FCC chair Ajit Pai unveiled a 'Restoring Internet Freedom' order
to be voted on at the regulators Dec 14 meeting
Washington: The top US telecom regulator
unveiled a formal plan last week to roll
back the "net neutrality" rules adopted in
2015 aimed at treating all online traffic
equally.
The announcement by Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) chair
man Ajit Pai marked the latest twist in a
decadeold political dispute with both
sides claiming to represent a "free and
open" internet.
Pai unveiled a "Restoring Internet
Freedom" order to be voted on at the FCC's
December 14 meeting, scrapping a hotly
contested rule which barred broadband
firms from shutting out rival services or
creating online "fast" and "slow" lanes.
Pai said his plan would return to a "light
touch regulatory approach" which has
allowed the internet to flourish.
He said the 2015 rule had "depressed
World's security
agencies must
collaborate to fight
cyber threats: Doval
New Delhi: Security agencies
across the world must forge
greater collaboration to ward off
cyber threats and to counter cyber
criminals, including terrorists,
National Security Adviser Ajit
Doval said here on Friday.
Speaking at the ministerial forum
of countries participating in the
fifth Global Conference on Cyber
Space, Doval said that cyber chal
lenges of present times were
unique as terror groups were using
Internet at far greater level than
before. The problem was set to get
compounded manifold as Artificial
Intelligence, Internet of Things,
and robotics gained more currency
in the coming years, Doval said.
"The cyberspace provides oppor
tunities and challenges at the same
time. While it provides global con
nectivity, it also provides connec
tivity to terrorists, which is worri
some," the NSA said.
According to Doval, an orderly
management of cyberspace was
very important as it was expanding
very fast.
"Timely and swift response to
threats posed by cyber criminals is
the key," Doval stressed. The cyber
world had changed the way we
lived, he said, adding that never
before had there been such a
change that held such wide ramifi
cations affecting all of us. "The
world needs a new jurisprudence
to deal with the growing chal
lenges. We need a specific regime
to deal with the cyber threats," he
added.
SCI-TECH
investment in building and expanding
broadband networks and deterred innova
tion."
"Today, I have shared with my colleagues
India committed to secure,
inclusive cyber space: Sushma
New Delhi: Pitching for the govern
ment's flagship Digital India cam
paign in front of a global audience,
External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj on Friday said that India is
committed to an open, safe, secure,
inclusive, democratic and dynamic
cyber space.
"The Digital India program is
focused on three key vision areas,"
Sushma Swaraj said while delivering
the valedictory address at the closing
ceremony of the Global Conference
on Cyber Space (GCCS) 2017.
"One, infrastructure as a utility to
every citizen, two, governance and
External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj and Union Minister for
services on demand, and three, digi
Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad at the Global Conference on the law enforcement agencies."
tal empowerment of citizens," she
said. Swaraj said that the Digital
India program has the potential to truly
transform India from a developing to a
developed knowledge economy.
She also pointed out that the very dynamic
and evolving nature of cyber space has
brought cyber issues to the centerstage of
development polity, crime prevention and
investigation, expansion of economy and
trade, national and international security.
"The fact that all forms of activities politi lowers on the social media platform, said.
cal , social, economic and development
which are now conducted and connected in
cyber space has not only expedited the pace
of growth, but also brought forth a new set
of challenges for which no preset solutions
exist," Swaraj said while dwelling on threats
in the digital space.
"The lack of borders in cyber space and
the anonymity of the actors has ensured
that the traditional concepts of sovereignty,
jurisdiction and privacy are challenged," she
cautioned.
She said that the global gathering of cyber
experts in the GCCS was a testimony to the
a draft order that would
abandon this failed
approach and return to
the longstanding consen
sus that served con
sumers well for decades,"
Pai said in a statement.
"Under my proposal, the
federal government will
stop micromanaging the
internet."
The dispute over net
neutrality has been the
subject of several court
battles, with backers
arguing rules are needed
to guard against powerful
broadband firms like
Comcast and AT&T acting as "gatekeep
ers" which can punish rivals.
Matt Wood of the consumer group Free
Cyber Space in New Delhi on Nov 24, 2017. (Photo: IANS)
fact that the nations need to engage with
each other to redefine concepts and align
traditional processes to the new paradigms.
"India is committed to the objective of hav among countries for cooperation at various
ing an open, safe, secure, inclusive, demo
cratic and dynamic cyber space that
responds swiftly to challenges," the External
Affairs Minister, who is known for her active nisms for international cooperation need to
use of Twitter and has over 10 million fol
Stating that the growing significance of
cyber issues in the international arena could instances of cyber attacks to defuse tensions
not be exaggerated, she said that this was
reflected in the growing conversations
across the world at all high level summits,
interactions and conferences.
"That there is hardly a meeting between
heads of states which goes without a discus
sion on cyber issues points to the growing
penetration, significance and criticality of
Internet to the social, economic and cultural
lives of the nations," Sushma Swaraj said.
At the same time, she said that cyber space event. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inau
has been infiltrated by malicious actors
December 2-8, 2017 27
Press said the new initiative was a "mas
sive giveaway to the handful of media con
glomerates" which control broadband.
"The mosthated and worstrated compa
nies will be free to block, throttle and dis
criminate against your speech on the
internet if Trump's FCC chairman gets his
way," Wood said.
"Companies like AT&T, Comcast and
Verizon will be free to censor online
speech and manipulate economic activity
to their favor, while taking away the edu
cational opportunities and politicalorgan
izing tools essential to millions of people
across the country." But Jonathan Spalter,
chief executive of the industry association
USTelecom, welcomed the move.
"The removal of antiquated, restrictive
regulations will pave the way for broad
band network investment, expansion and
upgrades," Spalter said in a statement.
looking for opportunities to
exploit vulnerabilities.
"The anonymity, borderless
spaces and speed have helped
these elements to carry out
nefarious activities ranging from
cyber espionage, concerted
attacks on networks, data theft,
infringement of privacy and
extremist propaganda to name a
few," she stated.
"Crime syndicates and terrorist
organizations now leverage mali
cious tools in cyber space to
carry out complex crimes pos
ing considerable challenges to
Sushma Swaraj said that the
disappearance of traditional
concepts of borders and the speed of prolif
eration of crime has heightened the need to
enter into agreements and arrangements
levels. "Further as more and more develop
ing countries take to digital space to carry
out developmental activities, new mecha
be evolved," she said.
"It is imperative that the states engage
with each other diplomatically in increasing
arising in the wake of challenges of attribu
tion," the External Affairs Minister said.
She stated that India has taken steps to
promote international security and stability
in cyber space through a framework that
recognises the applicability of international
law, in particular the UN Charter.
GCCS 2017 was attended by around 3,900
delegates, including 800 foreign delegates,
with 139 countries being represented in the
gurated the GCCS on Thursday.
 28 December 2-8, 2017 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Side by Nury Vittachi

The world's laziest

people make indolence
an art form
Lazy dad tip: You can answer any
question asked by your child with
"Go ask your mama", including
"Where's mama?"
The tragedy of modern life is that
people look down on lazy individu
als, not realizing that Advanced
Indolence is an art form.
And it's better than working.
Consider this. A man was sacked
recently for working too hard.
Bosses at Lidl supermarket in
Barcelona gave Jean P. the boot
after seeing security footage which
showed him toiling from five o'clock
in the morning.
A news cutting about this was put
on this columnist's desk by a col
league with a note saying it should
be added to a file headed: "Things
Which Will Never Happen To You."
Ha ha, very funny.
But it did reinforce my belief that
hard work may actually be a bad
thing, and I phoned a friend in
human resources who confirmed it.
"Actually, you'd be surprised, but
working over long hours is consid
ered bad for the company," she said,
and sent me a link to the work of
HR expert Suzanne Lucas, who
showed that people who overwork
prevent bosses from knowing how
many manhours any particular job
needs. But I'll admit this is mostly a
Western attitude. Bosses in Asia
take an opposite stance, as shown
by the case of Li Jianhua, who
worked himself to death at his desk
in Beijing in 2015.
His employers, the Chinese
Banking Regulatory Commission,
held him up as an example other
staff should follow, saying (and I am
not making this up): "We can all
learn from Comrade Li Jianhua...
who gave an unremitting struggle
to perform his best and to sacrifice
everything."
Then a report flashed up on the
news monitor which said that
Richard Thaler, who just won the
Nobel Prize for Economics, revealed
the secret of his success: "Terminal
laziness." His "default tendency of
avoiding work" led to him to focus
only on the most intriguing puzzles,
leading directly to his winning the
Nobel Prize.
So there you have it. Your boss
thinks you are a "workshy waste of
space suffering from terminal lazi
ness" (to quote the sort of phrases
(Image courtesy: memecenter.com)
used in this writer's school reports)
when actually this is the secret of
high achievement. Top role model?
My files have two people tied in
first place, both from India.
Government engineer A.K. Verma
stopped going into work in 1990
but wasn't actually sacked for 23
years. Teacher S. Kashyap who was
fired only after bosses noticed she'd
been absent for 23 years of her 24
year career.But I also have a soft
spot for police of ficer Albert
Muraglia, 53, of San Remo, Italy. He
lived in same block as the police
station, so every day he would wake
up, walk down to the timeclock in
his underpants and check himself in
to work. Then he would go back to
bed. Sometimes he was too lazy to
even do that, and he sent his child,
in her pajamas, to clock in for him.
Bonus lazy dad tip: When your
wife tells you to round up the chil
dren for dinner, you don't have to
move. Just reach for the router and
turn the wifi of f. The kids will
appear like magic.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA
AND
PAKISTAN

New York Head Quarter

422S Broadway
HICKSVILLE
NY 11801
By Mahendra Shah
5168271010
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession,
artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the
plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons.
Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
DECEMBER 28, 2017
ARIES: New ventures start on a positive
note. New relationship at family front will
be long lasting & highly benecial. Avoid
investing money in speculations based on
rumors. Make sure you celebrate your new love
by enjoying a pleasure trip with partner to make
a perfect start. A week when smile will perpetual
ly be on your face and strangers will seem famil
iar. Affordable luxury vacation will explore your
desires. Investing on properties which are under
developed will be protable. Using magnetic per
sonality to your benet would attract people
towards you.
TAURUS: At work you will be a part of
something big, bringing appreciation &
rewards. A promising week to plan things
for your progeny. Make sure you do not over
spend on household luxuries. You are likely to
enjoy a pleasure trip that will rejuvenate your
passions. A continuous positive thinking gets
rewarded as you succeed in whatever you do this
week. If you are planning a vacation, be sure to
consider your family and friends. Investment on
construction business might give fruitful results.
Unique but original ideas bring success in work.
GEMINI: You are likely to establish your
self a good manager on managing people
and situation without any problem.
Engaging yourself in praiseworthy things would
add to familys reputation. Long pending arrears
and dues will nally be recovered. Romantic
entanglement would add spice to your happi
ness. Creative hobbies are likely to keep you
relaxed. Traveling on your own, with a friend or
with the whole family will be exciting and com
fortable too. Plan your budget rst, and then try
for a property. Court matters seem to go in your
favour.
CANCER: You will be successful in real
izing your targets at professional front.
You would be the center of attraction at
a social gathering that you attend especially with
family. Investment concerning residence will be
protable. Chances of your love life turning into
lifelong bond are high on the card. With a posi
tive outlook & condence, you succeed in
impressing people around you. Travel in comfort
with kids to an adventurous place might be pos
sible. Investing on a ship or a cruise is an exciting
venture to be made. You do a good to yourself by
maintaining distance from dubious/bad
characters.
LEO: With your high condence you will
be able to cross all hurdles at profession
al front. You would prefer to relax and
enjoy the company of family members in the
evening. Financial hassles seem to get over as
someone lends a timely helping hand. Exciting
week as your long pending wait for afrmation is
going to materialize.
Mental alertness would enable to solve a tricky
problem. You will have to go out of routine work
to enjoy your vacation. The best ideas for invest
ment are to on invest on real estate business.
Timely action enables saving reputation with
from tarnishing.
VIRGO: Timely help of associates will not
only pass difcult times at work but also
help in regaining professional edge. This
week you will move with new excitement & con
dence as you receive support from family and
friends. Promising week to invest surplus money
in real estate. Enjoying the company of partner in
a lively restaurant would bring immense roman
tic pleasure. A cheerful state of mind brings men
tal peace. A trip that stimulates and gives oppor
tunity for work is coming ahead. Are you longing
to buy a farmhouse, try for it? Wit and repartee
greatly helps in developing healthy relations
with others.
ASTROLOGY
LIBRA: A promising week to start a new
venture in partnership. All are likely to
be beneted. Family front seems to go
smoothly as you receive their full support to
your plans. A sound nancial health would
enable to invest on lucrative schemes. The pres
ence of love would make you feel life meaningful.
Good time to divert attention to spirituality to
enhance mental toughness. A luxurious getaway
type vacation with your spouse waiting for you.
If you want to invest on property, then go for res
idential one. The week promises success in doing
whatever you want to do at personal front.
SCORPIO: Your technical expertise gives
a decisive edge over competitors at work.
Your continuous nagging could make
child a victim of shyness. Your brilliant ideas
would help in bringing nancial gains. Love life
brings some memorable moments that you could
cherish rest of your life. A pleasure trip gives the
muchneeded tonic to health. Planning a vaca
tion, keep an eye on your expenditure before you
travel. Selling your home privately can be an
excellent way of saving on costs. You succeed in
sorting out past dif ferences with close
associates.
SAGITTARIUS: Remain selfcondent &
determined. This is the secret mantra of
succeeding at work. You nd relief, com
fort and affection in the company of family mem
bers. A promising week to earn prots in real
estate and nancial transactions. Your ashing
smile would work as the best antidote for roman
tic partners unhappiness. Cutting down the num
ber of parties and pleasure jaunts would help in
keeping in good mood. Thrilling experience is on
your way, as your trip is full of excitement Off
plan property investment is one of the easiest
and most protable methods to maximize gains
in the real estate market. You get social recogni
tion for voluntary work put in the past.
CAPRICORN: Selfcondence & disci
pline will be required to bring positive
results in competitive examinations.
Time spent with relatives will be to your advan
tage. Crucial decisions regarding investment
should be put off for another week. If possible
make sure you enjoy the lovely romantic journey
to cement the bond. A benecial week to work on
things that will improve your health. Pack your
bags as a happy, funlled holiday is looking for
ward. Your property prices will boost in the com
ing period. Many of your personal expectations
will be fullled in this week.
AQUARIUS: Hard work of the past
brings rich dividends. However contin
ue enhancing your skills/adopt tech
niques for further development. Family members
will be very positive & supportive to your plans.
An improvement in monetary position makes it
convenient to purchase essential items. Sharing
candy oss and toffees with lover/beloved would
bring unlimited joy. Strive to attain selfcon also be high on your agenda. Chronic patients
dence because it is as essential for good health as
capital for business. An enriching vacation full of
fun is what you need. Buying property can lead
to gains as property prices continue to increase.
You restrain yourself from attracting towards
materialistic needs.
PISCES: Dedication & loyalty at work
would bring desired results. Relatives
will be willing to lend a helping hand at
the time of need. Longterm investment would
enable to make substantial gains. Company of
love partner would inspire to take initiatives in
this week. Your condence and energy will be
high. Time to make your vacation a dream come
true. You could buy the property that you are
looking for. Polite and nice behaviour catches
others attention in a social gathering.
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
2nd December, 2017
Ruled by number 2 and the moon, you are a
simple, responsible, trustworthy, creative,
intelligent and a talented person. You enjoy
each and every day of your life to its best and
possess talents to become a thinker, a philoso
pher or a writer, but you need to control your
tendency to behave restless and stubborn at
times. This year you will be facing new chal
lenges, but your strong will power along with
help from close associates will ensure victory
for you. Your financial condition will improve
as the year progresses. Gains from investment
as well as speculation cannot be ruled out.
You will be a concerned parent and will pro
vide your children with nothing but the best.
Some disturbing news from a distant place
can be expected towards the middle of the
year. Spiritual person provides solace and
mental peace. The months of January, March,
May and August will be highly productive for
you.
3rd December, 2017
Dominated by number 3 and the Planet
Jupiter, you are charming, ambitious, talented,
helpful, dignified and a highly methodical per
son. You are independent by nature and peo
ple admire you for your ability to take quick
decisions, but you need to curb your tenden
cies to behave extravagance, jealous and hyp
ocrite at times. Business ventures that you
establish overseas will bring you lot of gains
and prosperity. New sources of income will
improve your financial position and your con
fidence will be at its peak. Professional
changes if done towards the middle of the
year will prove to be beneficial. Family
responsibilities will escalate and people at
home will be more demanding. Realestate
transaction towards the yearend should bring
monetary gains. The months of December,
February, July and September will be result
oriented.
4th December, 2017
Dominated by number 4 and the planet
Uranus, you are active, jovial, confident,
methodical and a systematic person. You are
capable of converting sand to gold provided
you put in your best, but you need to check
your tendency to behave vindictive, stubborn
and moody at times. If you have been worried
about the lack of progress in your profession
al career then this period is to celebrate and
rejoice. Your work will be highly appreciated
and will put you into the good books of your
seniors, colleagues and clients. Matters relat
ed to property will also bring you gains.
Distant travel, for some will ensure pleasure
and monetary benefits. Renovation of the
house or construction related activities will
atic, original and an authoritative individual.
definitely need to be more careful about their
health. Preventive medicines should not be
avoided at any cost. The months of October,
January, March and June will prove to be
highly significant.
5th December, 2017
Ruled by number 5 and the planet Mercury.
You are practical, sensitive, friendly, honest,
diplomatic and possess a sharp memory. Your
life is always full of exciting activities and you
are very fond of visiting distant places and
meeting new people, but you need to check
your tendency to behave nervous, unreliable
and spendthrift at times.
This year gains and rewards are certain but
will require you to be completely focused on
December 2-8, 2017 29
your goals. Your inability to gather proper
and accurate information will put you in to
the losses or lot of embarrassment. Period in
the second half of the year will be much better
for financial dealing, though partnership and
joint ventures should be completely avoided.
Romance will flourish and some lovebirds will
even go in for a matrimonial alliance. Friends
and close relatives will appreciate your sensi
tive and helpful nature. Despite tensions and
stress your health will be fine. The month of
December, February and July will be eventful.
6th December, 2017
Influenced by number 6 and the planet
Venus. You are smart, active, independent,
ambitious, charming and love peace and har
mony. You possess a remarkable personality
and you can easily make friends with your
helpful nature, but you need to check your
tendency to behave moody, spendthrift and
careless at times. The coming year promises
physical and financial gains. Recognition and
rewards for your efforts will be plenty. There
will be a rise in your confidence and determi
nation enabling you to handle difficult tasks
with ease. Stronger relationship will develop
with people you associate at parties and clubs.
During this period there will be an increase in
expenses on entertainment, and you will also
make valuable purchases for the house.
Health will be fine in spite of hectic work
schedule that you might need to follow for ini
tial few months. The months of January,
April, May and August will be highly signifi
cant and productive.
7th December, 2017
Governed by number 7 and the planet
Neptune. You are active, energetic, brilliant,
confident, vigilant and a shrewd individual.
You are blessed with remarkable imagination
and can easily win over your rivals, but you
need to check your tendency to behave vindic
tive, reckless and stubborn at times.
This year the stars will shine brightly bring
ing success and prosperity on every venture
you undertake. Wonderful period to seek
favours and establish new contacts. Your
imaginative powers will stretch beyond what
they generally do and bring you addition
gains and rewards. Taking part in debates and
interesting conversations will help improve
your intellectual mind. Matrimonial alliances
for some, while others will find romance to
keep them going. Children will bring happy
news later in the year. The month of October,
Dec.February & May will be eventful months.
8th December, 2017
Influenced by number 8 and the planet
Saturn, you are energetic, disciplined, system
You are a conservative person who believes
very strongly in old values and customs. You
are helpful and trustworthy but you need to
control your tendency to behave pessimist,
stubborn and nervous at times. This coming
year will require you to improve upon your
knowledge and skills. You will have to deal
with government agencies and people at high
er places, who will be slow in providing
results, which will prove frustrating at times.
But important contacts that you establish dur
ing this phase will be helpful in the long run.
Foreign education or travel for some seems
later in the year. New romance will shine for
some, but unfortunately it will be short lived.
The months of January, April, August and
September will be very significant.
30 December 2-8, 2017
By Sant Rajinder
Singh Ji Maharaj
pirituality is not only developed
S in one place like a monastery, or
on the banks of a river, or in the
wilderness. If we want spirituality, it
can be developed in any place. We
can recognize our spirituality in
whatever culture, region, or religion
we are born and in whatever activi
ties we are involved.
Although in some forms of mysti
cism people try to negate life and
everything else just to concentrate
on their spiritual journey, we need
to become complete human beings.
We need to develop physically,
mentally, emotionally, and spiritual
ly. Actually, on the health of the spir
it depends the health of the body,
mind, and intellect.
In the East it is said that when the
peacock dances in the jungle or for
est and nobody sees it, what good is
it? Just like a flower that blooms
and gives fragrance to others, so
should we. Hence, we should remain
in our outer societies and not
negate that part of our life.
Once we recognize that we are
soul, we need to spend time in
enhancing our spiritual capabilities.
To do so, we need to set spiritual
goals. If, on the other hand, we
spend our time haphazardly, with
out knowing where we are going,
then we will have a hard time reach
ing our aspirations. In the spiritual
arena, our goals consist of spending
time in meditation and in improving
our ethical life.
On the spiritual path we need to
realize what is important, set our
goals, and do whatever makes sense
to take us in a direction to reach
those goals. It is essential to realize
that there are certain factors that
will help us in our spiritual
progress.
The key is to still the mind. If we
do not still the mind, we will not be
able to recognize ourselves spiritu
ally. Therefore, leading an ethical
life in which we cultivate the virtues
of truthfulness, nonviolence, humili
ty, purity, and selflessness will aid
us on the spiritual path. When we
lead virtuous lives, our mind is
calmer, and once our body and mind
are stilled, we can connect with the
divinity within. This is why the
mind, which is the source of all
desires, must be stilled.
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Setting spiritual goals in our lives
Keeping the mind focused on God That is why we find a quiet place to
helps us in this process. That is meditate, but when we reach a cer
where the principle of simran comes tain level in our spiritual growth,
into play. Simran keeps the mind none of these outer things bother
occupied by the repetition of the us.
names of God. If the mind is empty, There is a story of Isaac Newton
thoughts will come in, and as soon who was sitting by a roadside, lost
as a thought enterswhether it is a in thought.
good or bad thoughtit distracts us He was so absorbed that he did
in our meditation. Once we learn not notice a band passing by.
how to still our mind, we automati Similarly, when someones attention
cally get closer to a state of having is focused on the divine within,
no desires. nothing in the outside surroundings
If we want spirituality, it can be bothers him or her. It takes a long
developed in any place. It does help time to get to that state, but we can
when we live in a peaceful environ improve spiritually wherever we are
ment where there is little or no com
motion around us. It definitely helps
and in whatever environment we
live.
goals, we need to evaluate our prior
ities so that our desires do not make
ties of the world. Instead, when we
are detached, our attention will
when there is peace, calm, and quiet. In order to reach our spiritual us attached to the objects or activi automatically focus on the Divine.
THE STRONGEST ENEMY
This article has been selected and reprinted from Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharajs book,
Spiritual Pearls for Enlightened Living (Radiance Publishers) an inspirational collection
of stories from the worlds great wisdom traditions.
uring the time of Guru Gobind Singh, world? The mind is the obstacle our soul
D there was a great rishi who gave up must deal with to return to God. The mind
everything to go to a forest to meditate. is like a soccer goalie, guarding the goal. It
There was also a king who had already will try everything to keep the ball from
conquered many other territories and reaching the goal. If even devoted rishis
their people. One day, the king set his am had trouble overcoming the mind, how
bition on conquering the rishi to make can we do it?
him obey his The fact is that we cannot conquer the
commands. People thought it was mind on our own. The only way to con
strange that the king would focus on con quer the mind and still it is through the
quering a rishi who had no property, king help of someone who has conquered the
dom, or wealth. But it turned out that the mind. Such enlightened beings give us a
rishi had previously been a king before lift to contact the Light and Sound within
giving up his kingdom for the spiritual us. The Light and Sound help uplift our
life. This made the present king have an soul beyond the realm of mind.
obsession with wanting to conquer the The rishi found that doing spiritual
rishi. So the king gathered his entire army practices alone in the jungle did not help
to prepare for battle. him overcome the mind. The mind still
The army marched into the deep forest. tempted him with the countless desires of
The army finally reached the rishi, who the world.
was sitting in the woods, deep in medita The mind knows that contact with the
tion.
When we learn to concentrate soul will render it harmless. Thus, the
The king waited for the rishi to come fully, wholly, and solely into the mind will find all kinds of excuses to keep
out of meditation, but he kept on sitting
Light and Sound, we will experi us from meditation. It will make us think
there. of the past. It will make us think of the fu
Finally, the king became restless and ence bliss, peace, and joy. We will ture. It will make us wiggle around instead
shook the rishi out of meditation. want to repeat meditation again of sitting still. It will make us feel sleepy
The king shouted, Prepare for a fight. I just when we sit to meditate. It will make
have come to do battle with you. and again because of the won us feel hungry. It will make us feel jealous.
The rishi surveyed the scene calmly. He derful experience we receive. It will make us feel depressed. It will
saw the great army and said, Fight! I ran make us feel like doing work instead of
away from my worldly life for fear of my one The king replied, If I cannot conquer him, I meditating. It will find a million excuses.
great enemy. I came here to hide in the woods will consider myself a failure. How do we overcome the minds tendencies
from this enemy. My soul shudders in fear The rishi then told him, This great enemy to distract us? We must use the tendency of
when I hear the sound of my enemys name. of whom I am speaking is the mind. the mind to form positive habits. The mind
Just to think of this enemys name causes my From that day on, the king tried everything likes habits. If we tell our mind that we need
heart to quiver. to overcome the mind. He tried all kinds of to sit for meditation each day at the same time
The king listened carefully as the rishi con techniques to gain control over his own mind. and place, a habit will form. Soon we will find
tinued to describe his feared enemy. Finally, Years passed and still he could not conquer ourselves compelled to sit for meditation at
the king became angry and shouted, Is your the mind. Finally, the king had to admit that that time each day. If will miss meditation, we
enemy stronger than me? he had failed and that the mind is truly the will start to feel like something is amiss. Soon
The rishi replied, Even the thought of this strongest enemy. we will find ourselves meditating regularly.
enemy destroys my soul. I left everything to The mind is powerful and will try every When we learn to concentrate fully, wholly,
escape from this enemy. means possible to gain control over our soul. and solely into the Light and Sound, we will
The king said, Tell me the name of this ene Many yogis and rishis have tried to gain experience bliss, peace, and joy. We will want
my of yours. control over their minds but failed. If such is to repeat meditation again and again because
The rishi said, There is no use in telling you the fate of those who have given up the world of the wonderful experience we receive.
who it is. You will never be able to conquer to conquer their own mind, then what is the
him. fate of the rest of us who are immersed in the (For more visit www.sos.org)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info December 2-8, 2017
TheSouthAsianTimes.info December 2-8, 2017