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Vol.11 No. 39 February 2-8, 2019 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Indian missions With many firsts on 70th Republic Day...

in US celebrate
Republic Day
Washington/New York:
Hundreds of Indian
India displays military
Americans including reli‑
gious and business leaders
as well as US lawmakers and
members of the diplomatic
corps attended the Republic
might & cultural heritage
Day celebrations at the
Indian missions in the coun‑
try on January 26.
At the Indian embassy in
Washington, over 1,000
enthusiastic members of the
Indian community converged
for the celebration led by the
new Indian Ambassador to
the US, Harsh Vardhan
Shringla. He unfurled the
Indian national flag and read
out excerpts from the R‑Day
address of Indiaʼs President
Ram Nath Kovind.
In the Indian Consulate in
New York, two well attended
events were hosted by A birdʼs eye‑view of the magnificent 70th Republic Day parade Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcoming President Ram Nath
Consul General Sandeep marching down Rajpath in New Delhi on January 26 morning Kovind to Beating the Retreat ceremony at Vijay Chowk on Jan 29.
Chakarvorty– a solemn flag‑
New Delhi: Thousands of people time gallantry award. Ashok
hoisting ceremony in the Transportable
morning as well as a recep‑ including foreign dignitaries wit‑ Chakra was received by Waniʼs Satellite
tion in the evening graced by nessed the 70th Republic Day cele‑ wife and mother. Terminal
lawmakers like Reps Carolyn brations at the Rajpath in New Women power was the main (TST) of the
Maloney and Gregory Meeks Delhi on January 26 where India attraction this yearʼs Republic Day Indian Army
and consuls general of half a showcased its military might parade at the Rajpath. Women offi‑ passes
dozen nations in New York. including rising women power in cers led the contingents of the through the
the armed forces and cultural her‑ Navy, the Army Services Corps and Rajpath
The Permanent Mission of
itage. The main celebration ended the Corps of Signals. In a first, during the
India (PMI) to the United
with a majestic flypast by the Lieutenant Bhavana Kasturi led all‑ Republic Day
Nations in New York held
pilots of the Indian Air Force to the male Army Service Corps (ASC). Parade.
two events to celebrate the (Photos PIB)
Republic Day: Ambassador delight of the spectators, among The K‑9 Vajra and the M777
Syed Akbaruddin hoisted the whom was South African President howitzers took part in the parade
tricolor on January 26 in the Cyril Ramaphosa, the chief guest for the first time this year. Defence
mission premises and hosted for the event. Research and Development
a well‑attended reception for The Republic Day function began Organisation (DRDO) displayed its
with the National Anthem after Continued on page 6 In a first,
diplomats and other digni‑ Lt Bhavana
taries at the UN Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Kasturi led
Headquarters on January 25 received chief guest Ramaphosa
the all‑male
and President Ram Nath Kovind at
evening where the guests Army Service
were treated to Indian dance the main stage. It was followed by Corps (ASC)
and dinner. the traditional 21‑gun salute. contingent
President Kovind awarded Ashok during the
SEE DETAILED STORIES ON Chakra to Nazir Ahmad Wani, the parade.
PAGE 3 AND 16. first martyr from the Kashmir
Valley to receive the highest peace

DIGNITARY MESSAGES 16 OP ED 23 KAMALA HARRIS 28 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 38 excellence in journalism

TheSouthAsianTimes.info REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL February 2-8, 2019
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info R-DAY CELEBRATIONS IN USA February 2-8, 2019 3

Hundreds join in R-Day

celebration at Indian embassy
By Surekha Vijh

Washington DC: It was a beautiful,

mild morning when the 70th
Republic Day of India was cele‑
brated at the nationʼs embassy. As
the function was opened to the
public for the first t ime, an
unprecedented crowd of over
1,000 enthusiastic members of the
Indian community converged
on Massachusetts Avenue, also
called the Embassy Row, as most of
the foreign embassies are situated
here. The scene was almost like a Indian Ambassador to the US, Harsh Vardhan Shringla addressed the
fair. packed hall of the embassy and read out excerpts from Ambassador Shringla (in the middle, sporting a bandgala) posing for pic‑
President Ram Nath Kovindʼs Republic Day address. tures with members of the community outside the embassy premises.
It was the first Republic Day for
the new Indian Ambassador to the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi; event with us.” Young students from the Krishna, a longtime resident of
US, Harsh Vardhan Shringla. He the 70th anniversary of the adop‑ The ambassador lauded the piv‑ Gand harva School of Music, Virginia to this reporter. Added
paid floral tributes to the statue of tion of the Constitution of India; otal role played by the Indian dias‑ Richmond, VA, sang patriot ic Naina Shah, a Georgetown
Mahatma Gandhi at the public and elections for the 17th Lok pora in strengthening the bonds of songs. Printed copies of the University student, “We are excited
park in front of the Embassy and Sabha. friendship between India and President's Address in Hindi and to be part of this celebration.”
then unfurled the tricolor. In his own remarks, Shringla America. He thanked the guests for English were made available to the An hour or so later, a dozen
People were then ushered inside said, “It will be fourteen days since turning out in such large numbers guests. Outside the embassy, boxed Sikhs demonstrated near the
the embassy, where Amb. Shringla I arrived here. It is a great opportu‑ as a reflection of their affection for snacks of Indian delicacies were embassy, holding blue flags. But
read out excerpts from the R‑Day nity for me to meet so many of our India and as a source of strength handed out and hot tea and coffee they were outnumbered by the flag
address of Indiaʼs President Ram fellow citizens, so many of our and inspiration for the Embassy served. waving, enthusiastic and patriotic
Nath Kovind. President's speech well‑wishers and so many patriots “as we seek to further strengthen “It is really nice to see so many Indian Americans. Heavy police
highlighted the important mile‑ who are here on this cold morning and deepen the bonds of friend‑ people of our community together presence averted any untoward
stones in 2019: the 150th birth to celebrate this very important ship between India and USA.” on this special day,” said Arvind incident.

Community upbeat as Consulate holds 2 R-Day fetes

Special to The South
Asian Times

New York: An atmosphere of

patriotic fervor pervaded the cel‑
ebration of 70th Republic Day of
India at the Indian consulate
here on January 26 in which
Consul General Sandeep
Chakravorty read out the speech
of President Ram Nath Kovind
made for the occasion.
Despite the bitter cold that
morning, over 250 people
joined in the celebrations in the
consulate ballroom as the event
was thrown open to the public,
Patriotic songs at the event
were sung by Bharatiya Vidya
Bhavan students and their music
teacher Sanjukta Sen.
Deputy Consul General
Shatrughna Sinha conducted the
event.
Dayashankar Vidyalankar, the
yoga and culture teacher at the
consulate, said a nation becomes
great through "ashta guna", and
India has all the requirements.
Those eight characteristics men‑
tioned in the Atharva Ved are:
Satya (truth), Brihat (big), Vritam
(industriousness), Ugram (fierce‑
ness), Deeksha (determination),
Consul General Sandeep Chakravorty hoisting the tricolor at the Indian
consulate in New York on Republic Day.
Tap (focus), Brahma (God) and rig ht.” Suvina Mathur and
Yagya (sacrifice). Ashwini Dayal, a married couple
The South Asian Times spoke aged around 30, said they feel
to a few attendees. connected to the motherland
“As President suggested one through such events.
should vote fearlessly. A free and According to Guru Dilipji, who
fair election will go a long way in is closely associated with a non‑
strengthening democracy in profit at the UN, such occasions
India,” said Mahendra Singh as Republic Day and
Gulati, 74. “People should not be Independence Day should be cel‑
attracted to lollipops and reject ebrated by all Indians. He also
such politicians and parties out‑ appreciated the arrangements
A view of the gathering at the reception Ambassador Chakravorty
hosted for dignitaries and prominent community members on the
evening of January 26.
for the event. Noted actor Anupam Kher and
On the evening of January 26, many community leaders also
the Consul General hosted a attended the reception.
reception which was attended by T he evening beg an w ith
dignitaries such as Congress singing of Indian and US nation‑
members Carolyn Maloney and al anthem by prominent Jewish
Gregory Mee ks, Syed singer Issac Blech. Remarks were
Akbaruddin, Indiaʼs ambassador de livered by Rep Carolyn
to the UN, New York Senators Maloney, Rep Gregory Meeks
John Liu and Kevin T homas, and Senator Kevin Thomas con‑
Councilmember Paul Vallone, veying their greetings and well
Hersh Parikh, represent ing wishes on the Indiaʼs Republic
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Day. T his was followed by a
Amb. Masud Bin Moman, PR of dance performance by NYC
Bangladesh to the UN, Consuls Bhangra group.
General from Israel, Bangladesh, Guests were then treated to an
Nepal, T hailand and Guyana. authentic Indian dinner.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL February 2-8, 2019

New Delhi: An eclectic display of
military might, rising women's
power, tableaux depicting different
aspects of Mahatma Gandhi's life
and cultural performances by
school children marked the celebra‑
tions of the 70th Republic Day at
Rajpath here.
Ahead of the parade, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi drove
down Rajpath to the Amar Jawan
Jyoti at India Gate where he paid
homage to the Unkbown Soldier
before returning to the saluting
base to receive President Ram Nath
Kovind and his South African coun‑
terpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, the chief
guest on the occasion.
The national anthem was then
played and the tricolour unfurled
as a 21‑gun‑salute boomed.
T he parade then commenced
under the command of Lt General
Asit Mistry, the General Of ficer
Commanding of the Delhi Area,
with his deputy, Major General
Rajpal Punia, following.
As in the past, the parade was led
by the Lancers of the 61 Cavalry in
their blue and black uniforms,
astride powerful steeds ‑ the only
active serving horse cavalry regi‑
ment in the world.
And in a departure from tradition,
New Delhi: T he me lo dious
'Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram'
wafted throug h the air on
Saturday as the Delhi tableau,
among 21 others, rode past a sea
of onlookers and thousands of
heads swayed to the uplifting
music at the 70th Republic Day
Parade on Rajpath ‑‑ an event
VVIPs, commoners and security
personnel unanimously declared
to be a 'parade of pride'.
"I grew up admiring their uni‑
form and the immense responsi‑
bility it brings. Republic Day is
truly the day for which a police‑
man wears the 'vardi' (uniform)
with extra pride," Tej Singh, a
Delhi Home Guard, told IANS,
smiling proudly and bringing
back to mind the 21‑gun salute
that marked the beginning of the
parade an hour earlier.
Currently in his 10th year of
service, Singh said that he has
only seen the parade thrice, when
he was deployed inside one of the
enclosures. Posted on duty as
early as 3 a.m. on Saturday for the
10 a.m. parade, he said he rev‑
elled in the enthusiasm of the
audience.
Despite the early morning win‑
ter chill, enthusiasts thronged the
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Military might, Gandhi's
life mark R-Day parade
Akash Weapon system on display and tableau of Jammu & Kashmir passes through the Rajpath. (Photos: PIB)
right behind them came the Indian
Army's Main Battle Tank (MBT), the
T‑90 Bhishma followed by Infantry
Combat Vehicles and the track‑
mounted Surface Mine Clearing
System (SMCS).
Next up was the the new ly‑
inducted K‑9 Vajra self‑propelled
howitzer and the M 777 A2 Ultra
Light Howitzer (ULH), which were
inducted last year. Both were mak‑
ing their debut at the Republic Day
parade.
T he Transportable Sate llite
Terminal (TST) that can transmit
high quality data and is the main‑
stay of military communication, as
also the Akash missile weapon sys‑
The Border Security Force Camel Contingent passes through the Raj Path and the parade came alive with the dare devil
Parade strings together
thousands on Rajpath
venue in their thousands for the
perfect family day‑out ‑‑ with even
the children bundled up in wool‑
lens to beat the cold. Long queues
outside each entry gate, tight
security arrangements, and clo‑
sure of roads and nearby Metro
stat ions do not deter the
'Delhiwallahs' and others who
flocked to Rajpath for the annual
jamboree. "People start trickling
THE PARADE
tem were the other attractions in
the mechanised columns.
It was then the turn of the march‑
ing contingents to take centre‑stage
‑‑ drawn from, among others, the
Madras Regiment, the Rajputana
Rifles, the Sikh Reg iment, the
Gorkha Brigade, the Army Service
Corps and the Territorial Army.
In between them was the massed
band of the Sikh Light Infantry, the
Mahar Reg imental Centre and
Ladakh Scouts, playing the tune
'Shankhnaad', also for the first time
in the parade.
The focus then shifted to the
Indian Navy contingent, comprising
144 young sailors abd led by Lt
stunts of motorbike riders of Corps of Military Police. (Photos: PIB)
in from 6 a.m., and even before ‑‑
such is the excitement," said Ram,
an auto rickshaw driver, who
couldn't make it to Rajpath but
said gleefully: "I saw the full dress
rehearsal (on January 23)."
"Pride connects us all", was how
a Class 12 student put it. For the
security personnel involved in the
event, the parade is a mater of
national pride. "Nothing can go
February 2-8, 2019
Commander Ambika Sudhakarn
that gave a cracking salute to
President Kovind, the Supreme
Commander of the Indian armed
forces.
The naval tableau depicted the
combat potential of the multi‑
dimensional Indian Navy of the
21st century.
The Indian Air Force marching
contingent also consisted of 144 air
warriors. It was followed by a
tableau showcasing scaled‑down
models of aircraft, radar and mis‑
sile system which have been indige‑
nously designed and manufactured.
T he De fence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO)
wrong. Even after returning to my
room at 12 midnight yesterday, I
was back on duty at 4 a.m. It's our
national festival and I am proud to
serve," a senior police officer told
IANS, lauding the innumerable
backstage enablers of an event
that connects millions of citizens ‑
be it in person or on television.
The images from the parade will
remain forever etched in the mind
as will the loud cheers that rent
the air as the cavalcade of
President Ram Nath Kovind and
his visiting South African counter‑
part Cyril Ramaphosa (the chief
guest on the occasion) and before
that of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi rolled down Rajpath. With
5
In a powerful
statement of
empowerment,
the all-women's
contingent of
the Assam
Rifles, another
first at the
parade,
was led by
Major Khushboo
Kanwar.
displayed its Medium Range
Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM)
developed in collaboration with
Israel and and Armoured Recovery
and Repair Vehicle mounted on the
chassis of an indigenously‑devel‑
oped Arjun MBT.
In a powerful statement of
empowerment, the all‑women's
contingent of the Assam Rifles,
another first at the parade, was led
by Major Khushboo Kanwar.
Twenty‑two tableaux, comprising
16 from different states and Union
Territories and six ministries,
departments and other institutions,
displaying the life, times and ideals
of Mahatma Gandhi.
this year's Republic Day parade
themed on Mahatma Gandhi in
the 150th year of his birth, there
was much more showcased than
military might and an impressive
flypast of fighter jets. Each of the
22 tableaux ‑ 16 from various
Indian states and six from central
ministries and departments ‑ pro‑
vided an episodic slice from the
life of the Father of the Nation.
A regular visitor said the parade
left her with feelings she could
not put into words. "You really
have to come here to experience it
yourself," she said.
The parade, a grand success as
always, came to a close with a sea
of people making their way out.
 6 February 2-8, 2019 TURN PAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

India displays

Sops for middle class, farmer relief military might &

cultural heritage
Continued from page 1

likely in interim Indian budget Medium range Surface to Air

New Delhi: The interim budget to
be presented by the Modi govern‑
ment this Friday is expected to
include measures to tackle the
farm crisis as well as tax benefits
for the middle class, as it reaches
out to key constituencies ahead of
this summerʼs general elections,
reports Times of India.
Some of the sops may be avail‑
able during the first few months of
the 2019‑20 fiscal with the gov‑
ernment promising to extend them
if voted back to office. The govern‑
ment was widely expected to
tweak tax rates in the 2018 Budget
but refrained from doing so due to
the fiscal implications, though it
has repeatedly stated its philoso‑
phy to leave money in the taxpay‑
erʼs pocket for higher consump‑
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal
will present the interim
budget as FM Arun Jaitley is in
the US for medical treatment.
tion. The government had
announced the Ayushman Bharat
scheme which needed public
spending and the GST regime was
still settling down. While there has
been expectation of the Modi gov‑
ernment delivering on the most‑
watched element of the Budget this
year, it was felt that conventions
involving the interim budget may
come in the way. But senior
finance minister Arun Jaitley
recently indicated that the govern‑
ment could initiate steps to
address immediate challenges con‑
fronting the economy. In February
2014, then finance minister P
Chidambaram had undertaken
“some interventions” in the form of
reduction in indirect taxes, arguing
that they could not wait for the
regular budget, which was present‑
ed in July. This time, addressing
concerns over farm distress and its
impact on the overall economy is
seen to be the top priority for the
government, with interim finance
minister Piyush Goyal expected to
dedicate a major chunk of his
maiden Budget speech to the gov‑
ernmentʼs initiatives and outline
the agenda for the future. There is
already speculation on how far
Goyal would go on tax breaks ̶
whether it will be a reworking of
slabs or higher standard deduc‑
tion, or be limited to concessions
on purchase of medical insurance.
Like the bill to amend the
Constitution for providing quotas
to economically weaker sections,
any proposal on tax‑related
changes may be tough to oppose
by political parties though they
may accuse the government of
deviating from convention. There
was considerable confusion on
Friday over whether the govern‑
ment would present a full Budget
or an interim one.
Missile (MRSAM) and the Arjun
Armoured Recovery and Repair
Vehicle (Arjun ARRV).
Among the tableaux represent‑
ing individual states were one
from Assam playing a popular
song of late Bhupen Hazarika, who
was posthumously awarded the
Bharat Ratna. The tableau from
Punjab displayed the story of
Jallianwala Bagh massacre that
happened in 1919. The spectacle
ended with Indian air force aircraft
whizzing past the saluting base.
The Fly Past was led by Advanced
Light Helicopters Weapon System
Integrated (WSI) ʻRudraʼ and two
Advanced Light Helicopters,
ʻDhruvʼ of Army Aviation in
ʻDiamondʼ formation. The theme of
the parade was the 150th birthday
of Indiaʼs independence leader,
Mohandas Gandhi.

ANGRY INDIA TELLS Hindu temple vandalized, idols

PAKISTAN TO LAY OFF J&K
New Delhi: A very angry India told
Pakistan on Wednesday to lay of f
on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir
after a telephone conversation
between Pakistan Foreign Minister
Shah Mahmood Qureshi and
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq of the All
Parties Hurriyat Conference.
Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale
summoned Pakistan High
Commissioner Sohail Mahmood and
conveyed New Delhi's condemna‑
tion in "the strongest terms of this
latest brazen attempt by Pakistan to
subvert India's unity and to violate
our sovereignty and territorial
integrity, by none other than the
Pakistan Foreign Minister", the
Eternal Af fairs Ministry said in a
statement. "The Foreign Secretary
conveyed that this deplorable act
has violated all norms for the con‑
duct of international relations even
by Pakistan's own standards," the
statement said. "T he Pakistan
Foreign Minister's actions are tanta‑
mount to direct interference in the
internal af fairs of its neighbor," it
stated. "Foreign Secretary under‑
scored that by this action Pakistan
has confirmed yet again that it offi‑
cially abets and encourages individ‑
uals associated with terrorism and
anti‑India activities." Gokhale said
that it has exposed to the entire
international community Pakistan's
duplicity in professing their desire
for normal relations with India on
the one hand, while openly inciting
anti‑India activities on the other.
blackened in Kentucky
Louisville, KY: In a hate crime, a
Hindu temple has been vandalized
in the state of Kentucky by miscre‑
ants who sprayed black paint on
the deity and left a knife stabbed
into a chair in the main hall. The
incident happened between
Sunday night and Tuesday morn‑
ing at the Swaminarayan Temple
in the Louisville city.
According to local media report,
vandalism resulted in deity image
sprayed with black paint, broken
windows, walls spray‑painted with
inappropriate messages and graffi‑
ti. A knife was stabbed in the chair,
and cabinets were emptied. The
incident has sent shock waves
through the Indian‑American com‑
munity in Louisville, Kentucky.
Authorities are investigating the
incident as a hate crime.
Condemning the incident of van‑
dalism, Louisville Mayor Greg
Fischer called upon the city resi‑
dents to stand up against this
hatred.
“Anytime we see hatred or big‑
otry we will stand against it. The
cowards who did this have only
given our community more fuel
and determination to embrace
compassion, understanding, and
each other,” Fischer said as he vis‑
ited the temple Wednesday. The
vandalism of this temple, Fischer
said, is another example of the
work “we still have to do as a city
and a nation to make sure we live
to our ideals of equality, of a coun‑
try where everyone is treated with
the respect we all deserve.”
“Regardless of what religion you
are, this should not happen,” Raj
Patel from the Swaminarayan tem‑
ple said. “We come here to wor‑
ship. We should not have to turn
our backs to see who is behind us,
but we should be happy to come
here and worship in peace,” he
added. Kentucky State
Representative Nima Kulkarni, the
first Indian‑American elected to
the Kentucky General Assembly,
said the vandalism was an “act of
intimidation designed to weaken
our faith and community”.

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 TheSouthAsianTimes.info PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS February 2-8, 2019 7

President backs 10 percent

quota for upper castes
New Delhi: Treading on polit ical turf,
President Ram Nath Kovind fully backed the
10 per cent reservation for economically
backward sections enacted by the Modi gov‑
ernment, saying it is another step towards an
India of Mahatma Gandhis dreams.
Addressing the nation on the eve of 70th
Republic Day, he called the coming Lok
Sabha elections "not just a once‑in‑a‑genera‑
t ion moment" but "once‑in‑a century
moment" saying it will shape India of the
remainder of 21st century.
Kovind also said the country belongs to all
sections ‑‑ every group and every communi‑
ty, every region and every identity. "India's
pluralism is its greatest strength and its the
greatest example to the world. The 'Indian
model' rests on a tripod of diversity, democ‑
racy and development. We cannot choose
one above the other; we must have all the
three and, we will have all three," he said.
The President referred to Gandhiji's book
'India of My Dreams' in which he wrote of an
India where the poorest will have an "effec‑
tive voice", where there will be no "high class
and low class", where "all communities shall
live in perfect harmony", and where "women
will enjoy the same rights as men".
"These ideals are a constant reminder of
the India that we are building. In this con‑
text, the recent constitutional amendment to
provide special facilities for talented children
from poorer families is another step to an
India of our dreams ‑ and of Gandhiji's
dreams," he said in an apparent reference to
President Ram Nath Kovind with South
African President Matamela Cyril
Ramaphosa and Prime Minister
Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan
in New Delhi. (Photo: IANS/RB)
the 103rd Constitution amendment provid‑
ing for quota for the economically weaker
sections that are not covered by any of the
existing reservations.
The Bill to provide 10 per cent quota to
the economically backward among upper
castes was passed by Parliament earlier this
month. Referring to the upcoming general
election, he said "each one of us" has the
responsibility of voting in the elections.
"The ideas and idealism of our democracy
will come into full force. Once more, as we do
every five years, voters will deliver their ver‑
dict and write their destiny. This year's elec‑
tion will be the first when voters born in the
21st century will contribute to electing a
new Lok Sabha." He said election is not just a
political exercise, it is a collective call to wis‑
dom and a collective call to action.
The election, he said, represents a renewal
and recommitment to the goals of a "shared
and egalitarian society", diverse and yet sin‑
gular urges of people, and that the act of vot‑
ing is sacred.
"Who the voter chooses to vote for is up to
him or her, I would only request all eligible
voters to go out and vote. Our country is at a
key juncture. In some respects this is as criti‑
cal and formative a period as the late 1940s
and early 1950s. Decisions and actions of
today will shape the India of the remainder
of the 21st century. As such, this is not just a
once‑in‑a‑generation moment ‑ it is a once‑
in‑a‑century moment," he said.
Kovind said the election is only a milestone
in the journey towards fulfilling the aspira‑
tions of people and building a developed
India and the country was at the doorstep of
eliminating extreme poverty for the first
time in memory.
He referred to efforts to boost connectivity
through rail, road, air and waterways besides
the surge in phones and data access and said
all of it is bringing together as never before.
"India has been united and integrated ‑ now
it is being networked."
He said "leapfrogging technologies" were
empowering farmers and equipping soldiers,
enabling the deprived and boosting entre‑
prenuership and start up culture.
The President said that through his travels
and engagements, he has sensed an appreci‑
ation for such ef forts and such hard‑won
advance. "This is more so in the perception
of senior generations that have lived through
and strived to overcome the shortage econo‑
my."
He said difficulty has been converted into
availability in all areas and a change was vis‑
ible in areas ranging from foodgrain, LPG
cylinders, telephone connections and ability
to get a passport.
"In many cases, technology has been a
force multiplier. And in all cases, inclusive‑
ness has been a moral multiplier."
He said a programme of universal health‑
care has begun, af fordable medicines and
medical devices and implants were becoming
more accessible and a greater number of
Indians have access to proper housing, with
modern sanitation and electricity.
The President said that values that shaped
India's independence and which continue to
shape the Republic are also the values that
uphold supremacy of the people.
The Republic Day, he said, commemorates
the values of democracy and was an occa‑
sion to reaffirm commitment to liberty, fra‑
ternity and equality.

Breaking protocol again, Gadkari, Rahul chat

Modi walks on Rajpath
New Delhi: Continuing his style of
g reet ing the crowd after the
Republic Day parade, Prime
Minister Narendra Mo di on
Saturday walked on the Rajpath
greeting people amid chants of
"Modi, Modi".
Modi has undertaken similar
walks earlier too. He broke his
security cover after last year's
Independence Day speech at the
Red Fort when he stepped out of
his car to meet school children.
Donning a yellow orange head‑
gear with a red tail and kurta paja‑
ma and Nehru jacket, Modi waved
to the crowds enthusiastically as he
zig‑zagged the Rajpath, closely fol‑
lowed by security personnel and
his slow‑moving motorcade. The
Prime Minister started his walk
soon after President Ram Nath
Kovind and his South African coun‑
terpart and chie f guest at the
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves at the crowd after
witnessing the Republic Day Parade. (Photo: Amlan Paliwal/IANS)
Republic Day parade, Cyril
Ramaphosa, le ft Rajpath. T he
crowds appeared pleased to get a
glimpse of the Prime Minister from
close. As Modi went close to the
seating enclosures, some chanted
"Modi, Modi" while others captured
the moment on their mobile phones
and cameras. Many came near the
makeshift barricades to greet him.
during R-Day parade
New Delhi: Union Minister Nitin
Gadkari, who had been in the news
for seemingly calling on the BJP's
top brass to own responsibility for
the losses in the recent Assembly
polls, was seen chatting with
Congress President Rahul Gandhi
during the 70th Republic Day cele‑
brations here on Saturday. Seated in
the front row, Gandhi and Gadkari
were seen chatting and smiling
while watching the grand parade.
Incidentally, Gandhi's seating
arrangement in previous year's
parade had created a controversy
after he was allotted a seat in the
sixth row. The Congress then had
accused the Narendra Modi govern‑
ment of indulging in "cheap poli‑
tics". A former Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) President, Gadkari had
created a buzz with his remarks
saying that the party leadership
should own up to the defeat and
failures, following the losses in the
Assembly polls in Rajasthan,
Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
While he had claimed of being
"misinterpreted" and "misquoted",
the remarks were perceived by
many to be directed towards Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and BJP
chief Amit Shah.
The remarks followed calls for
replacing Modi with Gadkari.
While prominent Maharashtra
farmer leader Kishore Tiwari had
written to the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) saying
Modi must be replaced by Gadkari,
veteran BJP leader Sanghpriya
Gautam earlier in January demand‑
ed Gadkari be made the Deputy
Prime Minister.

Delay in getting
justice an
injustice in itself:
Chhattisgarh
Chief Minister
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister
Bhupesh Baghel.
Raipur: On the occasion of the
70th Republic Day, Chhattisgarh
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel
said this is an opportunity to
remember the glorious past of
India and that "delay in getting
justice is an injustice in itself".
"Many people took the plunge
to get freedom for India. There is
a tremendous contribution of
the great dignitaries and the
people who have been steering
our country after Independence,"
he said after hoisting the tri‑
colour at a ceremony here.
Talking about the Jhiram
Valley incident of 2013, Baghel
said the state has announced an
SIT investigation into the matter.
At least 27 people, including for‑
mer state minister Mahendra
Karma and Chhattisgarh
Congress chief Nand Kumar
Patel, died when Maoists
attacked a Congress cavalcade.
Former Union Minister Vidya
Charan Shukla had succumbed
to his injuries later.
"District Mineral Institute
Trust Fund (DMF) has been con‑
stituted to protect the environ‑
ment and the people affected by
mining in the state," he said.
The present and future genera‑
tions should be associated with
their heritage and contribute in
fulfilling the dreams of the
Constitution makers, he said.
8 February 2-8, 2019
West Bengal celebrates R-Day
with patriotic fervor
Kolkata: West Bengal Governor
Keshari Nath Tripathi unfurled the
Tricolor and took the ceremonial
salute as the state celebrated 70th
Republic Day.
Amidst stringent security,
Tripathi also inspected a guard of
honor and raised the national flag
with the national anthem "Jana
Gana Mana" reverberating across
the arterial Indira Gandhi Sarani to
signal the start of a colorful march‑
past.
A he licopter hovered above
spraying petals, as units from the
Army, Navy and Air Force took
part in the customary parade dis‑
playing sophisticated arms and
weapons like the Mechanised
Infantry Combat vehicle and the
Brahmos Supersonic Cruise mis‑
sile.
Models of the battleship INS
Kolkata and the Apache helicopter
were also exhibited in the pres‑
ence of Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee, Assembly Speaker Biman
Bandopadhyay, ministers, bureau‑
crats, police officers and members
VICKY, YAMI, VARUN PERFORM Karnataka industrial clusters to
AT ATTARI-WAGAH BORDER compete with China: Governor
Actor Varun Dhawan performing at the Attari‑Wagah border on Jan 26.
Chandigarh: On the ocassion of
70th Republic Day, the "Uri: The
Surg ical Strike" stars Vicky
Kaushal and Yami Gautam, along
with actor Varun Dhawan, per‑
formed live at the Attari‑Wagah
border.
Honored to be a part of the cele‑
brations, Varun took to social
media to post a photograph of his
patriotic performance.
"An incredible honor to perform
live at the Attari border
today...thank you, Jai Hind, Happy
Republic Day," he captioned the
photograph.
Varun was also accompanied by
choreographer‑director Remo
R-DAY STATES
West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi during the Republic Day Parade
at Red Road in Kolkata. (Photo: IANS)
of the diplomatic corps.
Several contingents of Kolkata
and West Bengal Police, Border
Security Force, traf fic sergeants,
fire brigade and NCC cadets partic‑
ipated in the parade.
Students of south Kolkata's
South Point High School got all
D'Souza at the event.
Yami and Vicky, who are on roll
with the success of "Uri...", too
shared the videos and photo‑
graphs of their border visit on
social media. T hey both were
dressed in ethnic.
Yami had a "surreal experience"
at the border as she wrote: "The
josh was unbeatable today for the
Republic day celebrations at the
Wagah Border."
Vicky said that he was " thrilled
and honoured to ce le brate
Republic Day with our First Line
of Defence‑ the BSF Jawaans and a
crowd of 28,000 Indians at the
Attari Wagah border."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
round applause for their smart
demeanour.
Folk artists from various districts
and the Chhau dancers of Purulia
brought the rear of the parade.
Earlier, in a tweet Banerjee called
for cherishing the 'idea of India' for
which the freedom fighters had
Bengaluru: In a bid to increase
industrial production capacity,
Karnataka is developing manufac‑
turing clusters in nine districts
under "compete with China" scheme
of the state, Governor Vajubhai Vala
said.
"The state government is imple‑
menting the 'Compete with China'
scheme, by developing industrial
clusters in nine districts. Action is
being taken to create one lakh jobs
in each cluster," the Governor said in
his Republic Day address here. The
southern state, which is a pioneer in
IT and manufacturing businesses,
had approved 1,958 projects with
an investment of Rs 3.49 lakh‑crore,
under its Industrial Policy 2014‑19,
Vala said. These projects will create
Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala inspects the Guard of Honor at
Manekshaw Parade Ground in Bengaluru.
laid down their lives to end colo‑
nial rule. "Our people and our
great institutions must strive to
remain "independent", in the true
sense of the word, she said. The
national flag was also hoisted at
the various government of fices
across the state to mark the day.
employment opportunities to 10.28
lakh people, he added.
"Karnataka stood first in the coun‑
try in attracting investments," Vala
said in his speech.
According to the Union Ministry
of Commerce and Industry's data
from November last year, Karnataka
saw the highest investment in the
country for the first three quarters
of 2018.
The ruling Janata Dal‑Secular (JD‑
S)‑Congress coalition government
led by Chief Minister H.D.
Kumaraswamy last year announced
identifying nine districts across the
state to set up industrial clusters to
foster innovation and product diver‑
sification, thereby creating new
jobs.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL February 2-8, 2019

Happy
Republic
Day
 10 February 2-8, 2019 R-DAY STATES TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Andhra, Telanagana celebrate R-Day

Kasturi first woman
to lead all-men
contingent on R-Day
New Delhi: Lieutenant Bhavana
Kasturi became the first woman
officer to lead an all‑men Army con‑
tingent in the Republic Day parade.
She led the Army Services Corps
contingent. A display of women
power in the armed forces was a
major highlight of this year's
parade with a slew of women offi‑
cers in leading roles.Among the
many firsts was an all‑women con‑
tingent of the Assam Rifles led by
Major Khushboo Kanwar. Captain
Shikha Surbhi of the Army Signals
Corps performed a standing salute
on a moving motorcycle.
Hyderabad/Vijayawada: Patriotic
fervor and enthusiasm marked
the 70th Republic Day celebra‑
t ions in the Te lugu states of
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
For a fifth consecutive year
Governor of both the states E.S.L.
Narasimhan unfurled the national
flag at the main of ficial cere‑
monies held in Vijayawada and
Hyderabad.
However, for the first time he
attended the parade at
Vijayawada be fore fly ing to
Hyderabad to hoist the tricolour.
In the past, he used to first attend
the parade in Hyderabad.
The celebrations were also held
in all district headquarters, gov‑
ernment institutions and of fices
of political parties in both the
states. District collectors led the
celebrations in their respective
districts.
The main Republic Day pro‑
gramme of Andhra Pradesh was
held at the Municipal Stadium in
Vijayawada. T he Governor
reviewed the colourful parade
Telangana Governor E. S. L. Narasimhan inspects the Guard of Honor
at Parade Ground in Secunderabad.
and took the salute from partici‑
pating contingents of state police.
Speaking on the occasion, the
governor highlighted the devel‑
opment and we lfare schemes
implemented in Andhra Pradesh
during the last four‑and‑half
years. He said facing all odds
post bifurcation, the state made
rapid strides in all the sectors.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu
Naidu, his cabinet colleagues and
senior officials attended the cere‑
mony.
Naidu also unfurled the nation‑
al flag at his official residence at
Amaravati.
Assembly Speaker Ko de la
Sivaprasad Rao hoisted the tri‑
colour at a function held in the
Assembly premises.
In Hyderabad, the main cere‑
monial parade was held at Parade
Grounds, Secunderabad. T he
Governor reviewed the parade
and took salute from 13 contin‑
gents including those of Army,
Air Force and state police. Chief
Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao
unfurled the national flag at a
function held at his official resi‑
dence Pragati Bhavan.
He later laid a wreath at the
martyrs' memorial before attend‑
ing the Parade Grounds ceremo‑
ny along with senior officials and
leaders of the ruling Telangana
Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
Telangana Assembly Speaker P.
Srinivas Reddy hoisted the
national flag in Assembly premis‑
es. He garlanded the statues of
Mahatma Gand hi and B.R
Ambedkar.
At the Republic Day ceremony
he ld in the premises of
Te lang ana Hig h Court, Chie f
Just ice B. Rad hakrishnan
unfurled the tricolour. At the TRS
headquarters Telangana Bhavan,
the party's Working President
K.T. Rama Rao led the celebra‑
tions.

Mizoram Governor speaks at

Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh inspects guard of honor in Jaipur.
almost empty ground
Aizawl: Mizoram Governor Kummanam
Rajasekharan addressed Republic Day func‑
tions at the Assam Rifles ground, where no
civilian and lower rank officials were present
in view of the boycott called by an apex NGO
bo dy to protest ag ainst the Cit izenship
(Amendment) Bill 2016.
The 70th Republic Day celebrations across
Mizoram were at low key as the NGO
Coordination Committee (NCC) organised
demonstrations across the state in protest
against the Citizenship Bill.
Only Chief Minister Zoramthanga, some of
his cabinet colleagues, a few legislators and
top of ficials were present in the main func‑

70th R-Day celebrted tions of the Republic Day at the Assam Rifles
ground.
According to the police, in other district
Kummanam Rajasekharan.
(File Photo: IANS)

Earlier, Chief Minister Zoramthanga threat‑

with patriotic zeal & headquarters, the Deputy Commissioners

hoisted the national flags, but there were no
officials and people in these events.
The police said placard‑carrying protesters
ened to sever t ies w ith the North East
Democratic Alliance (NEDA) if the Centre does
not withdraw the Bill that seeks to grant citi‑
zenship to migrants from six non‑Muslim

fervor in Rajasthan. demonstrated near the venues where of ficial

Jaipur: The 70th Republic Day was
celebrated with patriotic zeal and fer‑
vor in Rajasthan.
Governor Kalyan Singh hoisted the
national flag at a ceremonial event at
the SMS stadium here after which he
was given the guard of honor.
In attendance was Chief Minister
Ashok Gehlot, Cabinet Ministers and
other high ranking officials.
Earlier in the day, Singh and Gehlot
went to the Amar Jawan Jyoti and
of fered floral tributes to those who
sacrificed their lives for the country.
Thirty‑four servicemen were felici‑
tated with the President's Police
Medal, police medals and certificates
on the occasion.
Speaker C.P. Joshi hoisted the flag
at the Assembly premises.
Speaking on the occasion, he said
that each and every citizen of the
country should be aware of their
rights and duties.
Rajasthan's Deputy Chief Minister
Sachin Pilot hoisted the flag at the
Rajasthan Pradesh Cong ress
Committee office.
Republic Day functions were organized.
Despite the Chie f Minister and Home
Minister Lalchamliana's repeated requests, the
NCC on late Friday reiterated its previous
announcement that it would boycott the
Republic Day celebrations "to protest the pass‑
ing of the Bill in the Lok Sabha".
NCC activists demonstrated near the Assam
Rifles ground in the state capital where the
Governor unfurled the national flag and
addressed a very small gathering.
"In response to the boycott call, the members
of the public did not part icipate in any
Republic Day event in the state. However, there
were no reports of any untoward incident," a
police officer said on contion of anonymity.
minority groups from Bangladesh, Pakistan
and Afghanistan.
The ruling Mizo National Front party is a
constituent of the BJP‑led NEDA.
The Mizoram Governor in his address said
stringent measures will be in place to protect
the state's borders and execute the Mizoram
Village Level Citizen Registration.
Rajasekharan said the government would
endeavour to maintain the unity and brother‑
hood among all Mizo people living within India
and across the world.
"All out efforts would be made for combating
the drug menace and alcoholism with support
from civil society. Necessary measures would
be taken to repeal T he Mizoram Liquor
(Control & Prohibition) Act, 2014."
 B E AT I N G T H E R E T R E AT February 2-8, 2019 11

BEATING THE RETREAT ENTHRALLS

CROWDS AT VIJAY CHOWK
The ceremony in New Delhi, which
creates nostalgia for the times gone by,
marked the culmination of the 70th
Republic Day celebrations.

Beating the Retreat ceremony underway in New Delhi on January 29. (Photo: IANS)

New Delhi: As the sun prepared
to hide behind the Raisina Hill, sil-
houettes of men astride horses ap-
peared on top of the Hill. It was the
President’s Bodyguard strutting
down to the Vijay Chowk flanking
the President’s limousine for Beat-
ing the Retreat ceremony.
The Vice President, the Prime
Minister and other dignitaries had
already arrived at the Vijay Chowk
and the threes services chiefs
stood in rapt attention waiting for
the Supreme Commander of the
Indian armed forces.
The ceremony on January 29
every year, which creates nostal-
gia for the times gone by, marks
the culmination of the Republic
Day celebrations.
This year, Indian tunes were
the flavor of as many as 27 perfor-
mances, with 19 tunes composed
by Indian musicians from the Army,
Navy, Air Force, police and Central
Armed Police Force (CAPF).
The Indian tunes included ‘In-
dian Star’, ‘Paharon ki Rani’, ‘Ku-
maoni Geet’, ‘Jai Janam Bhumi’,
‘Queen of Satpura’, ‘Marooni’, ‘Vi-
jay’, ‘Soldier-My Valentine’, ‘Bhu-
pal’, ‘Vijay Bharat’, ‘Aakash Ganga’,
‘Gangotri’, ‘Namaste India’, ‘Samu-
drika’, ‘Jai Bharat’, ‘Young India’,
‘Veerta Ki Misal’, ‘Amar Senani’
and ‘Bhumiputra’.
The eight Western tunes were
‘Fanfare by Buglers’, ‘Sound Barrier’,
‘Emblazoned’, ‘Twilight’, ‘Alert (Post
Horn Gallop)’, ‘Space Flight’, ‘Drum-
mers Call’ and ‘Abide with Me’.
‘Beating the Retreat’ marks a
centuries old military
tradition, when the troops ceased
fighting, sheathed their arms and
withdrew from the battlefield and
returned to the camps at sunset.
The present ceremony traces its
origins to the early 1950s when
Major Roberts of the Indian Army
developed the unique ceremony
of display by the massed bands.
The colorful event came to a
close with the marching bands
tapping their way back to the tune
of ‘Sare Jahan Se Achcha’ amid
thumping applause from the audi-
ence. The BSF camels along with
armed troopers that were stationed
on the facade of the North and
South Blocks made their way back
to the camp. As soon as the sun
went down, the Rashtrapati Bha-
van, North Block, South Block and
Parliament House building were il-
luminated with dynamic lights that
kept changing color and brightness.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the 70th
The BSF and Pakistani Rangers participate in the Beating the Retreat
Republic Day’s chief guest, South African President M. Cyril Ramaphosa at the
ceremony at the Attari-Wagha border in Punjab. (Photo: IANS)
Ceremonial Reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Jan 25.
 12 February 2-8, 2019 LENS EYE

INDIA CELEBRATES 70TH R-DAY

S O M E S N A P S H O T S
An eclectic display of military might, rising women’s power, tableaux depicting Mahatma Gandhi’s life
and cultural performances marked the celebrations of the 70th Republic Day. A few glimpses…

The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel celebrate at the Attari-Wagah border.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi signing the visitor’s book

at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate.

Transportable Satellite Terminal passes

through the Rajpath at the parade.

President Ram Nath Kovind with the participants of 2019 Republic Day
Parade at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. (Photos: IANS)
REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL February 2-8, 2019

Army chief
Rawat among
19 awarded
PVSM
Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani
was an ex‑militant. He was
posthumously conferred
Ashoka Chakra, India's highest
peacetime gallantry medal.
New Delhi: Army Chief Gen.
Bipin Rawat is among 19 senior
army officials who have been
conferred the Param Vishisht
Seva Medal, the highest military
medal awarded in recognition of
peace‑time services not relating
to gallantry.
Fifteen lieutenant generals and
three major generals have also
been awarded the Param
Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM).
The defence ministry also
announced Kirti Chakra ‑‑ India's
second highest peacetime gal‑
lantry award ‑‑ for Major Tushar
Gauba from the Jat Regiment
and Sowar Vijay Kumar (posthu‑
mously) from 22 Rashtriya
Rifles.
Nine army men have been
awarded with Shaurya Chakra,
the third highest peacetime gal‑
lantry award after the Ashoka
Chakra and the Kirti Chakra.
The Shaurya Chakra awardees
included Lieutenant Colonel
Vikrant Prasher of 10 Parachute
Regiment (Special Forces), Major
Amit Kumar Dimri from 14
Rashtriya Rifles, Major Imliakum
Keitzar from 4th Gorkha Rifles,
Major Rohit Lingwal of 9th bat‑
talion, Parachute Regiment and
Captain Abhay Sharma, first bat‑
talion, Parachute Regiment,
according to the defence min‑
istry. Captain Abhinav Kumar
Choudhary from 21 Rashtriya
Rifles, Lance Naik Ayyub Ali
from 9th battalion of Rashtriya
Rifles, Sepoy Ajay Kumar, 42nd
battalion of Rashtriya Rifles and
Sapper Mahesh HN, 44th battal‑
ion of the Rashtriya Rifles also
won the Shaurya Chakra. (PTI)
14 February 2-8, 2019
Bharat Ratna for Pranab Mukherjee,
Nanaji Deshmukh, Bhupen Hazarika
New Delhi: Pranab Mukherjee,
India's 13th President and one of
the Congress' tallest leaders for
decades, has been awarded the
Bharat Ratna, the country's highest
civilian honor. Along with
Mukherjee, social activist and one
of the BJP's senior‑most leaders
Nanaji Deshmukh and music maes‑
tro from Assam, Bhupen Hazarika,
have been awarded posthumously.
Mukherjee, reacting to the honor,
said he has always received more
from the people of the country
than he has given them. "It is with
a deep sense of humility and grati‑
tude to the people of India that I
accept this great honor
#BharatRatna bestowed upon me. I
have always said and I repeat that I
have got more from the people of
our great country than I have given
to them. #CitizenMukherjee (sic)"
President Kovind
awards 26 children for
innovation, bravery
New Delhi: Six‑year‑old Eiha
Dixit's excitement knew no
bounds when she received the
National Award from President
Ram Nath Kovind for her contri‑
bution towards the environment.
She alone planted 500 saplings.
Like Eiha, 25 more children
were awarded with the Pradhan
Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar at
Rashtrapati Bhawan on Tuesday
evening. They achieved remark‑
able feats in various fields ranging
from sports to science and social
welfare.
The award was earlier known as
the National Child Award. It was
previously organized by an NGO,
the Indian Council for Child
Welfare (ICCW). From this year,
the selection of children for the
award has been brought under
the Women and Child
Development ( WCD) Ministry.
This year, the National Bravery
Award was also merged with the
President Kovind with the awardees
AWARDS
Bhupen Hazarika, Nanaji Deshmukh, Pranab Mukherjee
he tweeted. Among the very first to
congratulate the awardees was
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He
Bal Shakti Puraskar which was
given away to Kartik Goyal and
Adrika Goyal of Madhya Pradesh
who showed courage during riots
and curfew at Morena in April last
year and provided food, water,
medicine and first aid to the pas‑
sengers of a train raided by riot‑
ers. Another recipient Arunima
Sen, who is a Class XII student in
Bengaluru, said the award is no
less than living a dream
moment."My board exams are
near but nothing could have
brought me more happiness than
this," said Sen who bagged the
award for her contribution in the
field of innovation and science.
Each award carries a medal, a
cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, book
vouchers worth Rs 10,000, a cer‑
tificate and a citation. The final
list was drawn up by the National
Selection Committee, under the
chairpersonship of the WCD
Minister Maneka Gandhi.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
tweeted to say that Pranab
Mukherjee is an "outstanding
statesman of our times."
112 people conferred Padma Awards
New Delhi: President of Djibouti
Ismail Omar Guelleh, L&T chair‑
man A M Naik, late journalist
Kuldip Nayar, late actor Kadar
Khan and cricketer Gautam
Gambhir are among the 112
prominent personalities who were
selected from 50,000 nominations
for conferment of this year's
Padma awards.
Folk artist Teejan Bai, Guelleh,
Naik and theatre actor Balwant
Moreshwar Purandare will be hon‑
ored with Padma Vibhushan, for‑
mer CAG V K Shunglu, former
union minister Kariya Munda,
Akali leader S S Dhindsa were
named for Padma Bhushan, which
will be conferred by President Ram
Nath Kovind in March‑April.
Late actor Kadar Khan, cricketer
Gautam Gambhir and former diplo‑
mat S Jaishankar are among 94
persons named for Padma Shri, the
home ministry announced.
One of the highest civilian
Awards of the country, the awards
are conferred in three categories,
namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma
Bhushan and Padma Shri.
The awardees are from across
the nation and all segments of
society, and the government has
gone beyond excellence alone, rec‑
ognizing the larger impact and
their selfless services. As many as
12 farmers were selected from
nine states for the Padma awards,
including Kanwal Singh Chauhan
for babycorn and mushroom,
Vallabhbhai Vasrambhai
Marvaniya for carrot and Jagdish
Prasad Parikh for cauliflower.
Progressive farmers who have
been adopting technology and sci‑
"He has served the nation self‑
lessly and tirelessly for decades,
leaving a strong imprint on the
nation's growth trajectory. His wis‑
dom and intellect have few paral‑
lels. Delighted that he has been
conferred the Bharat Ratna," the
PM tweeted for the former presi‑
dent.
Social activist Nanaji Deshmukh
played a crucial role in the social
restructuring programme in 500
villages in Madhya Pradesh and
Uttar Pradesh. He died in 2010 at
the age of 93. Dr Bhupen Hazarika,
a music maestro from Assam is a
recipient of Sangeet Natak
Akademi Award, Padmashri and
Padmabhushan. He was also
awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the
country's second‑highest civilian
honor, in 2012. He died in
November 2011 at the age of 85.
entific methods in cultivation are
Bharat Bhushan Tyagi, Ram Sharan
Verma, Venkateswara Rao
Yadlapalli.
The 14 doctors to be honored
were from 11 states, serving the
poor and fighting diseases affect‑
ing the common man. They are:
Omesh Kumar Bharti (rabies),
Sudam Kate (sickle ce ll),
Ramaswami Venkataswami (recon‑
struction surgery of burns), Pratap
Singh Hardia (cataract and
myopia). Serving the poor with
quality healthcare at minimal, and
often zero cost are doctors Shyama
Prasad Mukherjee (Jharkhand),
Smita and Ravindra Kolhe
(Me lghat, Maharashtra), R V
Ramani (Tamil Nadu). Serving in
the remotest areas of India are
doctors Tsering Norboo (Ladakh),
Illias Ali (Assam), Ashok
Laxmanrao Kukade (Latur,
Maharashtra).
Nine leading sportspersons from
nine disciplines are Bombayla Devi
Laishram (archery), Prashanti
Singh (basketball), Harika
Dronavalli (chess), Gautam
Gambhir (cricket), Sunil Chhetri
(football), Ajay Thakur (kabaddi),
Bachendri Pal (mountaineering),
Sharath Kamal (table tennis) and
Bajrang Punia (wrestling). This
year's Padma awardees also
include socialist leader Hukumdev
Narayan Yadav, tribal leader
Kariya Munda, Sikh leader
Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, grassroots
Mahadalit woman leader
Bhagirathi Devi and Sikh lawyer
fighting for justice for 1984 riot
victims Harvinder Singh Phoolka.
(PTI)

By Shaker Nelanuthala
A
s India celebrated the 70th
Republic Day last Saturday,
the US‑born children of
Indian immigrants may be wonder‑
ing why India celebrates this day in
addition to the Independence Day on
August 15th. Iʼll try to shed some
light on the issue here.
After India gained independence
on August 15th, 1947, it still did not
free itself from the clutches of Great
Britain. Great Britainʼs King George
VI was still the head of India, and his
then Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten
became the Governor‑General of
India, and appointed Jawaharlal
Nehru as the first Prime Minister of
the country. In order to become truly
independent, India needed to create
its own Constitution ( There are
about 16 Commonwealth countries
that are still headed by Queen
Elizabeth II, including Canada,
Australia and New Zealand).
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
What R-Day means to India and the expats
The work to write the constitution
was started right after independence
under the leadership of Dr. B.R.
Ambedkar along with the innate abil‑
ity and tenacity of other founding
fathers. The architects essentially
replaced the Government of India
Act of 1935 with a new Constitution
on November 26th, 1949 but waited
until January 26th, 1950 to imple‑
ment it. On Indiaʼs first Republic day,
Dr. Rajendra Prasad become the first
President of the country replacing
Lord Mountbatten as the head of the
country.
The founding fathers faced a host
of dilemmas in designing the
Constitution. Whether to pick US‑
style presidential system or UK‑style
parliamentarian system? As the
country was getting rid of a monar‑
chy, they did not want a system
where the President would be all
powerful. Instead, they chose to
break up the power: The President ‑‑
Chief Executive, defender of the
Constitution and commander of the
armed forces ‑‑ is elected by an elec‑
toral college of legislators and a
Prime Minister who is duly elected
by the people (by a majority of MPs).
Notably, the Indian Constitution is
the longest that any country in the
world has, spanning 395 articles and
COMMENT
R Day was celebrated at
the Town of Hempstead
and attended by
Supervisor Laura Gillen.
22 parts and it imparts constitution‑
al supremacy over the Parliament.
For this Dr. Ambedkar and his part‑
ners deserved all the adulations.
The modern Republic Day celebra‑
tions show essentially the strength of
the nation with a profusion of pomp
and gallantry from the armed forces
at a parade in New Delhi. The states
of India show their colors and cul‑
tures in well decorated floats. A head
of state is invited as chief guest to
February 2-8, 2019
the R‑Day celebrations in Delhi. In
2015, President Barack attended.
This year, President Trump was
invited for the event, but he could
not attend due to prior commit‑
ments. In the end, the honor went to
South African President Cyril
Ramaphosa.
The R‑Day speech by the President
typically follows the pattern of the
State of the Union given by US
Presidents. President Ram Nath
15
Kovind gave an inspirational speech
this time and made a pitch that India
is generally a pacifist.
The power and status that the
Indian diaspora has achieved in USA
is represented through celebration
of the Republic Day at various local
governments here in the US. We had
the honor of holding an event at the
Nassau County legislature attended
by County Executive Laura Curran
and by Majority leader Rich
Nicolello. An event was also held at
the Town of Hempstead attended by
Supervisor Laura Gillen, Town Clerk
Sylvia Cabana and Town Majority
leader Erin King Sweeney.
We should be proud of the culture
and heritage that we brought to this
adopted country of ours, USA. A little
haughtiness on our part is very
much justified. May God bless both
these countries, United States of
America and India. Jai Hind!
S h a k e r
Nelanuthala is an
IT & property
management (PM)
consultant and an
editorial contribu‑
tor to the SA
Times. He lives on
Long Island.
 16 February 2-8, 2019 DIGNITARY MESSAGES TheSouthAsianTimes.info

R-Day Message for

The South Asian Times
Antonio Guterres visited India
to participate in the Mahatma
Gand hi Internat ional
Sanitation Convention and
underscored re levance of
Gandhiji's life and message for
the sustainable development
From Amb. Syed goals. Traditions of Peace &
Akbaruddin Non‑Violence, the 2018 United
Permanent Representative Nations Day Concert, paid hom‑
of India to the UN age to Gandhiji in the General
Assembly. In 2018, India con‑

I
am happy to know that The
South Asian Times is publish‑
ing a special edition on the
occasion Indiaʼs 70th Republic
Day. The Republic Day repre‑
sents the true spirit of modern
and demo crat ic India. T he
Constitution of India has played
a fundamental role in shaping
our developmental journey so
far. It is through the values and
principles enshrined in it that
we aspire to secure for all our
citizens, justice, liberty, equality,
and gender and economic equi‑
ty.
T he world is ce le brat ing
150th birth anniversary of
Mahatma Gandhi. The United
Nations Secretary General Mr.
tinued to play an active role at
the United Nations in shaping
global discourses on a range of
issues related to peace and secu‑
rity, sustainable development,
human rights, reform of the
United Nations, climate change,
clean energy, terrorism, health
and migration.
The projects being undertaken
by the India‑UN Development
Partnership Fund in partner
countries are demonstrating
that working together can bring
about positive changes on the
ground. The International Solar
Alliance (ISA), another global
initiative led by India, is finding
resonance in addressing the
need for clean and sustainable
sources of energy. Indiaʼs lead‑
ership role in addressing climate
change was recognized by the
United Nations which conferred
Champions of the Earth award
to Prime Minister Modi.
India is committed to multilat‑
eralism and partnerships in the
quest for lasting peace and sus‑
tainable development.
I compliment Manag ing
Editor Mr. Parveen Chopra and
his team for promoting greater
friendship and understanding
between India and the USA. I
also extend to the readers of
T he South Asian Times my
greetings on Republic Day and
best wishes for the year ahead.
Warm regards.

PMI celebrates R-day at the UN

The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York hosted two events to celebrate the 70th Republic Day of India.

India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Syed Akabruddin unfurled the Indian
national flag at the Indian mission on the morning of January 26 to celebrate the 70th Republic Day.

The PMI hosted a well‑attended reception for diplomats and

other dignitaries at the Delegates Dining Room, UN Headquarters
on January 25 evening. The guests were treated to
Indian dance and dinner.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL February 2-8, 2019
 18 February 2-8, 2019 INDIA FEATURES TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Some conceptual underpinnings

of Indian foreign policy
By T.C.A. Raghavan firm stands based on constitutional cy. Obviously there a mix of reasons geopolitics and geo‑economics.
norms and provisions. In Pakistan, for this – in particular the changes None is more pressing now as that

A
synoptic overview of Indian
foreign policy throws up
some broad conceptual
themes: neighbourhood first; bal‑
ancing the continental and the mar‑
itime; balancing regional and extra
regional powers; consolidating a
favorable external environment for
domestic economic growth and
safeguarding national security. This
cocktail of priorities is not substan‑
tively new in themselves but each of
its themes constantly acquires new
characteristics.
In South Asia a principal axis of
change over the past two years was
elections which led to new govern‑
ments in Nepal, Pakistan, Maldives
and Bhutan. In each case electoral
verdicts were unambiguous – this
trend most strikingly demonstrated
in Bangladesh (December, 2018) in
favor of the existing ruling party.
2019 may also see Presidential
elections in Afghanistan and in Sri
Lanka. Continuation of the same
trends as elsewhere in South Asia
would be to the advantage of the
region as a whole and certainly be a
factor in facilitating strong relations
with India.
Another institutional factor was
that of the judicial process playing a
major role. In both Sri Lanka and
Maldives the Supreme Courts took
however, the judiciary appeared
bent on being a somewhat partisan
player in the political melee as it
unseated a PM and then effectively
kept him out of the poll process.
Expanding the lens to include the
subcontinent's flanks on the east
and the west shows a considerable
contrast. Our Act East Policy looks
at South East and East Asia and pro‑
vides a conceptual underpinning for
our bilateral and regional initia‑
tives. BIMSTEC and the expanded
ASEAN mechanisms and summit
processes alongside strong bilateral
relationships are institutions that
sustain a web of interactions. The
other flank comprises the littoral of
the Arabian Sea and is a region no
less vital for us in terms of trade,
investment, remittances and finally
as a source of hydrocarbons and a
place of employment for large num‑
bers of Indians. As is the case of
south east Asia and the Bay of
Bengal littoral countries, we have
strong bilateral relationships with
Iran and all the gulf countries. But
while on the east, there are frame‑
works such as BIMSTEC and the
ASEAN that work towards stability,
on the west there are none. Intra
GCC tensions, rivalries with Iran
and poor US‑Iran relations mean
that balancing by India between dif‑
ferent interests is a much more deli‑
cate and sensitive process.
A broader focus unites both the
Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea
into the wider maritime framework
of the Indo Pacific. For India its util‑
ity lies in the fact that it under‑
scores the growing. The Indo Pacific
domain for India unites a number of
themes: our traditional links with
Africa and other littoral countries
of the Indian Ocean, the importance
of the western Indian Ocean as it
merges into the Pacific and freedom
of navigation and
trade in all these spaces.
Bilateralism, multilateralism, naval
diplomacy and economic impera‑
tives all merge together under its
rubric. That the Indo Pacific is fun‑
damentally a maritime concept also
means the reentry of the maritime
into the otherwise largely continen‑
tal perspectives that have tradition‑
ally dominated Indian foreign poli‑
in our macroeconomic profile and
structure and the emergence of
China as a major economic and mili‑
tary player regionally and globally
including in the maritime domain.
This focus on the maritime cannot
however imply any dilution in the
continental emphasis of our foreign
policy. China, Central Asia, Pakistan
and Afghanistan all fall in this
domain and here too both major
opportunities and real threats jostle
against each other. Full membership
of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization and adding even more
ballast to our traditionally strong
relations with Russia provide a plat‑
form to maximize opportunity and
manage the threats and challenges.
Balancing between major powers
is not a new challenge. China's
emergent profile, US‑China, US‑
Russia relations and finally our own
substantive relationship with each
of the three means that such balanc‑
ing will have a continuously kinetic
quality to it as also occupy a high
priority in our external policies. The
difference in the situation is that in
the past balancing was postulated
on the premise that keeping South
Asia free from great power rivalries
was in the region's overall interest.
India has however challenges and
expectations that go far beyond
of social development. How we
address issues of malnutrition, illit‑
eracy and healthcare falls largely in
the domestic domain. To the extent
that an external facilitatory environ‑
ment can be achieved, that will
remain a principal objective of
Indian foreign policy. Ultimately
however it is only success on the
domestic social development front
that can cement India's progress
externally. Finally, national security
and foreign policy. The rise of the
terrorist threat from Afghanistan
and Pakistan in the 1990s and post
9/11, the morphing of this threat
with a larger global concern with
terrorism has since been a near
constant feature in our external
policies. Developments in the mid‑
dle east and nearer to us underline
how this will remain a principal
challenge. Addressing national secu‑
rity concerns will thus require
working with others and building
concerts and alliances with the like‑
minded. This is, as it has always
been, the traditional domain of
diplomacy and foreign policy and
must remain one of our principal
thrust areas.
T.C.A Raghavan is a former Indian
diplomat and currently Director
General, Indian Council of World
Affairs.

India’s next big dream! Send an

Indian into space with own tech
By Pallava Bagla announce that very soon as a part of our then to a space station following which
manned‑space mission; we shall be sending human missions to the Moon and Mars will

I
ndia has a new dream, a deep conviction
to launch an Indian into space, from
Indian soil on an Indian rocket by 2022.
Work has started in right earnest at ISRO
which is expected to deliver this Herculean
task in less than 1.4 billion dollars, possibly
the cheapest human space flight ever. This
confidence and promise comes riding on
the repeated successes that the Indian
space agency has tasted in the past.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said last
year, “We have a dream; our scientists have
a dream. We have resolved that by 2022,
when India ce le brates 75 years of
Independence, certainly some of our young
boys and girls will unfurl the tricolor in
space. With Mangalyaan our scientists have
proved their capabilities. I feel proud to
an Indian into space. This will be done
through the pursuit of our esteemed scien‑
tists, and we will proudly find ourselves as
the fourth such nation to have launched a
successful man space mission.”
When India succeeds it will be the fourth
country after Russia, America and China
that have independent capabilities to
launch humans into space.
Unlike other nations India aspires to send
a woman as the first astronaut and the
human space flight is part of a sustained
long term endeavor, Dr K Sivan, Chairman
of ISRO, says `not far into the future
humanity will definitely colonize space and
1.3 billion Indians just canʼt be left behindʼ
so as a first step an Indian son or daughter
will be launched into a low Earth orbit and
be considered.
In 2018 India conducted 17 space mis‑
sions and in 2019 Sivan has promised to
undertake 32 missions which will include
Indiaʼs second visit to the Moon through
Chandrayaan‑2 which will include an
orbiter, a lander and a six wheeled rover.
India also set another global record when in
2014 its satellite Mars bound satellite the
Mangalyaan reached the orbit of Mars.
Pallava Bagla is author of the book
`Reaching for the Stars: Indiaʼs Journey for
Mars and Beyondʼ
The only Indian ever to fly into space has
been Wing Commander (Retd) Rakesh
Sharma who flew on a Russian mission.
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info PBD 2019 February 2-8, 2019 19

President confers Pravasi

Bharatiya Samman awards
Varanasi: President Ram Nath Kovind con‑
ferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
awards on 28 eminent personalities and
two organizations of the Indian diaspora
for their contributions and achievements in
various fields, here on Wednesday.
The awards were conferred at the valedic‑
tory session of this year's Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas (PBD) on the concluding day of the
three‑day diaspora conclave.
According to a list provided by the
External Affairs Ministry, the awards were
conferred in the fields of social, community
and public service, business, business man‑
agement, entrepreneurship, chartered
accountancy, training and simulation, sci‑
ence, medical science, engineering, technol‑
ogy, architecture, academics, arts and diplo‑
macy.
Nihal Singh Agar, known for his services
to the Hindu community in Australia, was
conferred the award under the category of
social service.
Two organizations ‑‑ Indian Community
Association of Egypt and Guyana Hindu
Dharmic Sabha ‑‑ and Swami
Saradaprabhananda of the Ramakrishna
Centre of South Africa, got the award for
community service. Himanshu Gulati, a
Member of Parliament in Norway, and
Shamim Parkar Khan of the United Arab
The awardees from the US are Chandra Shekhar Mishra (science), Gita Gopinath
(academics), Gitesh Desai (structural engineering) and Kiran Patel (medical science)
entrepreneurship, and Purnendu Chandra
Tiwary of Qatar for training and simulation.
In the field of medical science, Guna
Se khar Muppuri of Jamaica, Kiran
Chhotubhai Patel of the US, and Zulekha
Daud of the UAE were honored.
Rajendra Kumar Joshi of Switzerland and
Chandra Shekhar Mishra of the US were
honored for their contributions in the field
of science.
Rajinder Nath Khazanchi of Bhutan got
the award for civil engineering, Gitesh
Jayantilal Desai of the US for structural
engineering, P.V. Sambasiva Rao of Kenya
for technology and Rajpal Tyagi of Kuwait
for architecture.
Malini Ranganathan of France and Gita
Gopinath of the US were honored for their
President Ram Nath Kovind with the honorees
contributions in the fields of academics and
Emirates (UAE) were honored for public Girish Pand and Surender Singh Kandhari arts. Veteran South African diplomat Anil
service. of the UAE were honored. Sookal was conferred the award in the field
Under the business category, Ramesh While Banwarilal Satya Narayan Goenka of diplomacy.
Chotai of Canada, Amit Waikar of China, was conferred the award in the field of The 15th edition of the PBD was organ‑
Bitthal Das Maheswari of Italy, Bhavdeep business management, Rajesh Chaplot of ized by the External Af fairs Ministry in
Singh Dhillon of New Zealand, Vinodan Uganda got it for chartered accountancy, partnership with the Uttar Pradesh govern‑
Verambally Thazhikuniyil of Oman and Jagdeshwar Rao Maddukuri of Poland for ment. (IANS)

Be part of India's growth story,

President urges diaspora
Varanasi: President Ram Nath
Kovind urged Indians living in
countries across the world to take
advantage of the "billion opportu‑
nities" available in India and
become a part of the growth story.
"India today is a land of billion
opportunities," Kovind said while
delivering the valedictory address
at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the
conclave of the Indian diaspora,
here. "I invite each one of you to
become a part of India's growth
story which is being etched by its
billion minds," he said.
"We want to leverage your tech‑
nology, knowhow, and investment
to power our Make in India,
Digital India, Clean India and Skill
India programmes."
Kovind called upon the gather‑
ing to encourage people in their
respective countries to visit India
as knowledge providers and as
tourists.
Urging overseas Indians to con‑
nect with their ancestral villages
and towns here in India, he said:
"We want to change the brain‑
drain of yesterday to brain‑gain of
today." The President said that the
Indian diaspora is among the
largest in the world and its history
is as rich and diverse as the dias‑
pora itself.
"In the past, our ancestors trav‑
eled to Southeast Asia as mer‑
chants and as monks," he said.
"Much later, many lived and
prospered as traders and entre‑
preneurs along the Silk Route.
"And more than a century ago,
Veteran actor and BJP MP Hema Maliniʼs 90‑minute dance drama at the ʻPravasi Bharatiya Diwasʼ in
under the indenture system, we
Varanasi drew praise from Union Minister Sushma Swaraj, who hailed the performance as Adbhut,
witnessed millions of our people Avishwasniya and Akalpaniya (wonderful, unbelievable and unimaginable).
crossing the seven seas."
Kovind said that members of the
Indian diaspora are today com‑
manding global heights while Sushma & Yogi inaugurate Youth
embracing their cultural ethos
and diversity. "And while they do
so, they must also preserve and
Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas
T
strengthen their unity as a com‑ he opening day on Monday, Jan 21
munity." He also said the Indian was marked by the Youth PBD with
diaspora's success and hard work the focus on the generation next espe‑
have set an example. "They are cially from Uttar Pradesh. The young diaspo‑
the face of India and its identity ra engaged with its counterparts back home
abroad," he stated. Stating that in India. External affairs minister Sushma
India is proud of them and their Swaraj along with UP chief minister Yogi
achievements, Kovind said: "But Adityanath, MoS sports and Youth affairs,
what really makes their contribu‑ Colonel Rajyawardhan Singh Rathore shared
tions stand out are the values that the dais with Member of Parliament from
they espouse and live for. These New Zealand Kanwal Jeet Singh Bakshi and
are values that intrinsically MP from Norway Himanshu Gulati among
remain Indian." (IANS) others. (image : socialnews.xyz)
 22 February 2-8, 2019 INDIA NEWS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Rahul promises Not the first to

Will not 'beg'
for alliance:
Fadnavis warns
Shiv Sena
Maharashtra Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis.
Mumbai: Hours after the Shiv
Sena flexed muscles and pro‑
claimed itself as the 'Big Brother'
in Maharashtra politics, Chief
Minister Devendra Fadnavis hit
back saying the BJP will not 'beg'
for an alliance with the Sena.
"Yes, we want an alliance but we
are not 'beggars' and will not
plead for it. The Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) wants the alliance to
keep the 'Hindutva' forces united
and ensure the anti‑corruption
forces remain together," Fadnavis
told a party at Jalna.
His statement came a few hours
after Sena MP Sanjay Raut dis‑
missed the possibility of aligning
with the BJP and warned that the
"Shiv Sena will always remain the
'Big Brother' in Maharashtra and
shake the throne of Delhi".
Sharply countering this,
Fadnavis said that those who
minimum income
guarantee for poor
if voted to power
Raipur: Congress President Rahul
Gandhi made a major bid to woo
the poor ahead of the Lok Sabha
elections by promising a minimum
income guarantee for every poor
person if the Congress is voted to
power.
"We cannot build a new India
while millions of our brothers and
sisters suffer the scourge of pover‑
ty. If voted to power in 2019, the
Congress is committed to a mini‑
mum income guarantee for every
poor person, to help eradicate
poverty and hunger. This is our
vision and our promise," he told a
farmers rally here.
Gandhi said that no government
in the world had taken such a step.
In its original concept, Indian
policymakers conducted two
important studies test ing the
impact of UBI through uncondi‑
tional cash transfers in Madhya
attack, but don't
spare whoever
attacks us: Modi
Pradesh and Delhi between 2011
and 2012. The experiment gave
100 randomly‑selected households
1,000 rupees per month. T he
money was deposited under the
name of the female head of partici‑
pating households in a bank.
The idea got prominence after
Arvind Subramanian, as the then
Chief Economic Adviser, pushed it
in a big way in the pre‑budget
Economic Survey of 2017 which
included a 40‑page chapter on UBI
that outlined the three compo‑
nents of the proposed program‑‑
universality, unconditionality and
agency.
Speaking at the Raipur meeting,
Gand hi also attacked Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and the
BJP alleging that while they had PM Narendra Modi addressing the culmination parade
no money to waive loans of farm‑ of National Cadet Corps.
ers, they had no hesitation to can‑ New Delhi: Prime Minister won't hesitate to take any
cel loans of industrialists. Narendra Modi said that the tough action to ensure our
Indian Army has shown that it national security...I can assure
Congress does not meddle with others, you that in future, too, every
President but if someone attacks India, it necessary act ion would be
Rahul Gandhi does not spare the aggressor. taken for national security," he
addressing a "Army ne dikhaya ki hum added.
farmersʼ rally chherte nahi, lekin koi chhere Modi said that last year India
in Raipur. toh usey chhorte nahi hain has entered the league of those
(Our Army has given this mes‑ few nations that have nuclear
sage that we do not meddle strike and defence capabilities
with others, but if someone from air, land and water.
attacks us, we do not spare He said that his government's
them either)," Modi said while "thinking and act ion" has
addressing the National Cadet shown that no matter how big
Corps (NCC) cadets here. or powerful a corrupt person
"We want peace, but we is, he won't be spared.

Ex‑Union Minister George

believe in 'Hindutva' will come for
an alliance and the BJP will take
them along with it.
"The (BJP) President Amit Shah
has made it clear: if friends come
with us and strengthen Modi, we
will ensure that all of us win or
else we will ensure their defeat,"
Fadnavis said in a veiled threat to
the Sena. "Our objective is not just
to capture power but serve our
'Bharat Mata'. And for this, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi must be
returned to power. This should be
our only resolve," Fadnavis thun‑
dered. Taking a swipe at opposi‑
tion unity, Fadnavis said that
'MahaThug Bandhan' will achieve
nothing and it is time to strive and
ensure that the reforms initiated
after 2014 are continued by
bringing back Modi to power.
He said it was not easy to "fill up
the holes created in past 60 years"
in just five years, but the process
had begun and will continue, call‑
ing upon the party activists to
propagate the government's
achievements.
Fernandes dead at 88
New Delhi: Former Defense Minister George
Fernandes, long‑time socialist and a trade union‑
ist, who fought the Congress all his life died after
prolonged illness. He was 88.
Fernandes, who was suf fering from
Alzheimer's disease, had been out of the public
eye and was bed‑ridden for more than eight
years, family sources said.
He had cold and cough and was taken to the
Max Hospital in Saket by his wife, Lie la
Fernandes, earlier in the day, when doctors said
that the veteran leader was already dead.
His son, who lives in New York, is expected
back in a day or two, after which the funeral will
take place, the sources said.
Fernandes, a long‑time socialist, rose to politi‑
cal prominence when he led the Bombay Taxi
Unions Association and defeated "uncrowned
king of Bombay" S.K. Patil, a Congress heavy‑
weight in the 1967 general election.
A fire‑brand and hardworking Fernandes, only
37 then, campaigned tirelessly, covering large
swathes of the constituency with his workers.
And when the results were declared, he unseated
the 'king' with 48.5 per cent of the votes.
Fernandes later joined the Janata Dal. He
served as Railways Minister in the V.P. Singh gov‑
ernment from 1989 to 1990. He was instrumen‑
tal in setting up the Konkan Railway project, con‑
necting Mangalore and Bombay.
In 1994, Fernandes formed the Samata Party,
which later allied with the Bharatiya Janata
Party. He was appointed convenor of the
National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and served
as the Defence Minister in the Atal Bihari
Vajpayee government for two terms, between
1998 and 2004.
His term was eventful as it witnessed the Kargil
war and Pokhran test.
Former Defense Minister George Fernandes
was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED February 2-8, 2019 23

Priyanka's entry makes for riveting

triangular pre‑election pirouette
must go entirely to her for the two are not being sent to UP for two
elections. months but for much longer. "We
Her husband Robert Vadra's want to have our Chief Minister in
business misdemeanors were, in UP." T hat will require staying
By Saeed Naqvi popular expectation, the vulnera‑ power.
ble points where the opposition All the empirical data we have so

T
he image of Priyanka
Gandhi that has stayed with
me is of her campaigning
for her mother and brother in Rae
Bareli and Amethi in April‑May
2014. It was a desperate bid to
keep the family in play.
For weeks, months if not years,
Kishori Lal Sharma, assigned by
Congress President Sonia Gandhi
to keep a watch on the two family
constituencies, would wait for
Priyanka Gand hi to turn up.
Sharma would mobilize crowds,
panchayat leaders, teachers in
schools and colleges to be
addressed by Priyanka but on
most occasions shamianas had to
be dismantled after the invitees
had tea and samosas. Priyanka, of
course, did not turn up.
Her disinterest or disability must
have alarmed the family as
Narendra Modi mounted history's
most expensive media campaign.
The media was comprehensively
under Mo di's spe ll. Reports
reached Sonia Gandhi that the
Congress score in Uttar Pradesh
was likely to be zero. That was
when Priyanka galvanized the
campaign so ef fectively that the
family's "izzat" was saved in the
two constituencies. The credit
mig ht choose to strike. But
Priyanka turned the game around.
She raised the subject herself. "I
am confident like my grandmother
always was that the truth will
eventually come out." What sad‑
dened her was not that the opposi‑
tion had tried to humiliate (she
used the expression "zaleel kiya")
the family but that her "bewil‑
dered" children had to be
explained what they were hearing.
Indians are nothing if not a feu‑
dal people, holding on to their
hierarchies adoringly. It is the
dream of the lowest in the land to
enact the "princely" image and
come riding a horse as a bride‑
groom on marriage day. Imagine,
then the "princess" from the coun‑
try's premier family, taking "her"
people in the family pocket bor‑
oug h into confidence on the
humiliations that the opposition
has tried to heap upon her. How
evocative. Will not the people be
moved?
In her public eng agements,
Priyanka follows the stately dic‑
tum: "Favors to none, to all she
smiles extends, Oft' she rejects
but never once offends."
In her speech she comes across
as someone who has grown up
Priyanka Gandhi’s status as Mrs Vadra may be an obstruction
to her political ambitions.
among Kashmiri aunts and uncles,
with clear diction. In this she is far
removed from Rahul Gandhi's
blandness of tone and expression.
Priyanka's persona is potentially
a very promising package for pub‑
lic life but with two caveats. There
is no assessment available of her
intellectual or cultural pursuits,
areas that were reasonably culti‑
vated in Indira Gandhi. The second
caveat is on her ability for hard
work. What her brother, the party
President, said while announcing
her candidature is fairly ambi‑
tious. Priyanka and Jyotiraditya
far confirms one fact: she has the
stamina for one short burst of
energetic campaigning. There will
be a question mark on her stamina
as a long distance runner. She has
demonstrated strong instincts of
self‑preservation. Towards this
end she can work for the family.
The unknown quantity is this: can
political ambition be ignited in her
breast. Her status as Mrs. Vadra
may be an obstruction.
T he party's performance in
recent elections has been dismal.
The formula for seat distribution
in Uttar Pradesh was straightfor‑
ward: BSP, SP, Cong ress, RLD
would be entitled to the number of
seats in which they came second,
that is, 34, 31, 5, 2 in that order.
Ag ainst this backdrop the
Priyanka shock may be designed
to pressure BSP‑SP to open negoti‑
ations for more.
The former Congress President
is aiming at retirement. Not only
did she not go to Kolkata
(Mallikarjun Kharge and Abhishek
Manu Singhvi were sent instead)
but it is believed she has also
decided not to contest from Rae
Bareli. Will Priyanka inherit that
seat? That will change the whole
game.

Will the interim budget provide a lifeline to realty?

By Vinod Behl estate, though in the backdrop of NPA‑
The upcoming budget is expected struck banking, this looks unlikely, especial‑

I
n a way, this year's interim budget, the
last from the present NDA government
before the Lok Sabha elections, is set
against a similar backdrop as its first (albeit
not full) budget of 2014‑15 when the real
estate sector was reeling under a major
financial crisis. As such, it is expected of the
February 1 budget to provide a liquidity life‑
line to revive the realty sector, recently hit
by the crisis in the NBFCs that have been a
major source of its funding.
The Modi government's first budget had
contributed to considerably improving the
investment climate by liberalizing the FDI
norms in the construction sector, besides
injecting Rs 4,000 crore to the National
Housing Bank (NHB) to promote affordable
housing and introducing REITs (Real Estate
Investment Trusts) with tax incentives to
unlock a new source of financing for cash‑
strapped developers. And now, five years
later, in the wake of the real estate sector
facing the initial disruptive impact of pro‑
gressive reforms like RERA and GST, the sec‑
to provide a liquidity lifeline to
revive the Indian realty sector.
tor is looking up to the government to pro‑
vide it a similar budgetary booster dose,
both on the supply and demand side.
Hundreds of housing projects across India
are today stalled for want of funds, in turn
driving down the real estate sentiment. It is
in this backdrop that the sector is looking
up to the new budget as a savior to provide
some kind of lifeline to the stalled projects.
It is expected of the budget to create a
stressed asset fund to take up incomplete
projects.
The supply constraint can be considerably
tackled by boosting flows from banks to the
sector. This can be achieved through a poli‑
cy initiative to grant industry status to real
ly as the infrastructure status earlier grant‑
ed to affordable housing has not brought in
the desired results in terms of cheaper bank
funding.
W hile the liquidity crunch has been
adding to the supply side problems, the cur‑
rent crisis in the real estate sector has a lot
to do with home affordability. As such, it is
expected of this budget to follow the first
budget of the NDA government in enhancing
the income tax limit as well as increasing
the home loan interest deduction limit.
There is likelihood of bringing down the
GST on construction material like cement to
boost home af fordability, paving the way
for speedy revival of housing.
But the big question is: Will these high
hopes from the interim budget materialize
for the real estate sector, especially as due
to poll compulsions, the government has a
higher priority of addressing the rural and
farm distress?
(Vinod Behl is Founder & Editor, Ground
Real(i)ty Media)

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.

South Asian
Times reporter
honored
Suchitra Srinivas received
the MLK ʻMake a Difference
awardʼ of Plainsboro town
Plainsboro, NJ: Human Relations
Council of Plainsboro presented
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr ʻMake a
Difference awardʼ for the individ‑
ual category to Suchitra Srinivas,
Contributing Editor, The South
Asian Times. The award was pre‑
sented on January 20th at a well‑
attended ceremony organized by
the township. Every year the
council selects individuals and
organizations for their exemplary
contribution towards community
building through their voluntary
leadership efforts.
Suchitra has been recognized
for her initiatives to design and
effectively run community proj‑
ects that help young children and
adults enhance their skills. Her
role in the school PTSA board, the
Boy Scouts of America, autism
awareness campaign, fundraisers
including for setting up the
Harvard Tamil chair were men‑
tioned at the ceremony.
Commendable is also her contri‑
bution towards preserving lan‑
guage and culture. She runs the
popular Tamil Language Club in
Plainsboro for the past 12 years
and through her initiatives, the
students are now able to test for
the Biliteracy seal recognition in
New Jersey. Qualifying students
get the necessary college credits
that exempt them from language
studies in college. Natasha
Kantikar and Nia Harish, seniors
at West Windsor Plainsboro high
school received youth awards.
Plainsboro Township Mayor Peter
Cantu presented the awards.
World Vegan Vision is hosting
free Health Seminar by three
prominent Vegan speakers on
February 10th from 11:00 AM
to 2:30 PM @ Hicksville
Community Center, 28,
W. Carl St, Hicksville, NY 11801.
Free Admission, Vegan Lunch
will be served
24 February 2-8, 2019
Senator Liu, community celebrate historic
passage of reproductive health act
Bayside, NY: Reproductive Health
Act (RHA) became law in New York
state, which was celebrated on
January 24 by its advocates and
community members at the office of
Senator John Liu. Attendees included
co‑creator of the RHA Vote cam‑
paign, Erika Christensen, President
of Queensboro Hill Flushing Civic
Association, Maureen Regan, Rokeya
Akhter, Executive Director of NAVA
PAC, Dr. Neeta Jain, District Leader
of 25th AD and Sandra Ung, special
assistant to Congresswoman Meng.
RHA finally brings into the modern
era the stateʼs outdated, unconstitu‑
tional restrictions on abortion, and
on who can provide them.
“At long last, state law will protect
women's choice as a matter of
health,” said Senator Liu. “As a man,
the state of New York does not tell
RENU GUPTA RECEIVES ʻSHE THE
CHANGE‑NARI UDHYAMI SANMANʼ
New York: On January 23,
Cincinnati based Renu Gupta
received ʻShe The Change ‑ Nari
Udhyami Sanman 2019ʼ for her
lifelong efforts in bringing about a
positive change in the lives of peo‑
ple in India and the US. The award,
conferred by the Beti & Shiksha
Foundation in Varanasi, India was
presented by Tara Gandhi, grand‑
daughter of Mahatma Gandhi and
Baby Rani Maurya, Governor of
Uttarakhand. While happy at the
honor, Renu downplays her
achievements and says there are
many people who are doing as
much work as she is and she just
“happened to be lucky” that she
was recognized.
Renu, 61, spent her growing
years in Rajasthan where she com‑
pleted her studies in Sanskrit and
Eng lish. Marriage to Dr. Arun
Gupta, a scientist, brought her to
the US where she plunged into a
job, studies and community activi‑
ties. She credits two strong influ‑
ences in her life. Her maternal
AICC holds business networking nite in NJ
South Brunswick: The Asian Indian
Chamber of Commerce (AICC) held
its first business networking event of
2019 at Ember Restaurant in
Monmouth Junction on Jan 23.
The event was well‑attended by
executives, business owners and
prominent community leaders from
all parts of New Jersey. Gerri Burns
(Independent Associate/ Gold
Executive Director/NJ Group
Trainer) at LegalShield was the
keynote speaker for the night. As a
TRISTATE
Senator John Liu and Neeta Jain (second from right) at the event
me what to do with my body. The
RHA is an important step in equal
rights for women and I've been
proud to fight alongside tireless and
Renu Gupta (2nd from right) receives the award from Tara Gandhi,
granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, seated,
and Baby Rani Maurya, Governor of Uttarakhand.
grandmother who instilled the val‑
ues of Hindu dharma and her
paternal grandfather from whom
she absorbed the spirit of selfless
service. T he appeal of Hindu
Dharma, observes Renu, is its “uni‑
versality, logic and its step by step
direction for self‑realization.” She is
“very comfortable being a Hindu in
the US” and accepts other religious
traditions with the same openness.
A member of the Vishwa Hindu
Silver Jubilee promotion to all new
members who sign up for the annual
membership in the months of
January/February/March of 2019,
AICC is offering free entry to each
upcoming networking night until
June 2019. Priti Pandya‑Patel, the
AICC president described herself to
be “excited with this announcement
for special membership drive” and
hopes this will bring onboard many
new members. AICC networking
nights are held on the fourth
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
tenacious advocates in the drive
towards reproductive justice."
Erika Christensen, patient advo‑
cate, said, "I had to leave New York
Parishad America for the last 36
years and now serving as VP of
Seva in VHPA, Renu spearheaded a
group of 15 likeminded women for
“Seva, Shakti and Sadhana.” All
activities are geared towards this
mission such as organizing spiritu‑
al retreats, workshops and serving
the community. In 2008, she
received a call from a Catholic
Service coordinator who asked for
help in rehabilitating 50 refugee
Six months of free networking offered to new members
Wednesday of every month between
6 PM‑9.30 PM in different venues
across the state. A Silver Jubilee gala
for a late abortion that I should have
been able to access here at home.
The RHA is a great step forward, and
removes a legal obstacle that has
been in place for far too long.”
Dr. Neeta Jain, District Leader of
the 25th AD, said, “Women should
always have the choice to make deci‑
sions about their own bodies. I thank
and appreciate our New York State
Legislature for recognizing the
importance of womenʼs rights and
for passing the RHA. I also thank
Senator Liu for co‑sponsoring the
bill. Actions speak louder than
words.”
“With Roe v. Wade under attack in
Washington, New York took the bold
step of ensuring that womenʼs repro‑
ductive healthcare will always be
protected in our state,” said U.S. Rep.
Grace Meng.
Bhutanese and Nepali families.
Over the course of 10 years, the
VHPA group worked with the
refugees to set up their homes,
taught them to clean houses and
drive so they could find employ‑
ment, file taxes and helped their
children enroll in school.
Five years ago she took up the
“Support A Child” project – a VHPA
initiative that was languishing for
want of attention. The initiative
raises funds for the education and
boarding of underprivileged chil‑
dren in India and her ef forts
helped the support grow from 700
children to 2500 children.
One of the original volunteers of
Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA,
Renu was e lected as the first
woman to become the chairperson
of the Board. Renuʼs husband Dr.
Arun Gupta, is equally engaged in
Ekal and serves as a Board
Director.
Renu also spends time teaching
Hindi and Hindu culture to chil‑
dren in Cincinnati.
will be also held later in the year,
details of which are to be announced
in the near future.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL February 2-8, 2019

Radio Mirchi
starts
operations
in US
Mumbai: Radio Mirchi, India's
No. 1 radio station, started
operations in the US on
January 26th with its first sta‑
tion going on‑air in the tri‑
state area of New York, New
Jersey, and Connecticut with a
frequency of 1600 AM.
With an eye on the South
Asian diaspora, which forms a
significant portion of the
ʻimmigrantʼ population in
these cities, the content prom‑
ises to be a combination of the
best in Bollywood music, info‑
tainment,, and comedy. The
network will also feature
shows from popular Indian
radio jockeys such as RJ
Sayema, RJ Rochie, and RJ
Shruti to give listeners in the
US 'a slice of their homeland.'
"We are over the moon to
finally launch our stations in
the US.
The South Asian community
is one of the most educated
and affluent communities and
it is truly tragic that there are
very few radio stations with
quality programming that
cater to this audience. We aim
to be able to change that with
our product offering and
hope that the audience loves
what we have come up with as
much as we loved putting it
together for them," MD and
CEO of Radio Mirchi Prashant
Panday said.
Mirchi stations in the US
will also be available online
on radiomirchiusa.com.
(Source:timesofindia.com)
Booklet 'Philanthropy in Indian American Community' launched
Los Angeles: Ambassador Sanjay
Panda, Consul General of India, San
Francisco, during his recent visit to
Los Ange les, launched Inder
Singhʼs latest booklet Philanthropy
in Indian American Community.
T he booklet, Philanthropy in
Indian American Community gives
a brief account of Indian American
philanthropists who have donated
substantial amounts – about one
26 February 2-8, 2019
Shantanu Narayen, Subhash Kak
among Padma honorees from the US
New York: Adobe chairman and
CEO Shantanu Narayen, scientist
Subhash Kak and novelist Gita
Mehta are among 94 luminaries
in the list of the prest ig ious
Padma awardees this year.
The awards were conferred Jan.
26 by President Ram Nath
Kovind, during the Republic Day
celebrations in New Delhi.
Narayen, who serves on the
Board of Directors of United
States India Strategic Partnership
Forum is a pioneer in digital shar‑
ing. He was ranked #7 out of 10
last year on Forbesʼ annual list of
the 10 Most Innovative Leaders,
credited with turning around a
slumping company.
Computer scientist Subhash
Kak is Regents Professor of
Electrical and Computer
Engineering, Oklahoma State
University, and is more recently
Proud to be first Hindu
American to run for
president: Tulsi Gabbard
Washington, DC: Congresswoman Tulsi
Gabbard hit back at critics who accused
the Democratic presidential hopeful of
being a "Hindu nationalist" saying ques‑
tioning her commitment to America
while not probing non‑Hindu leaders
creates a "double standard" that can
only be rooted in "religious bigotry."
Gabbard, the four‑term lawmaker said
from Hawaii, wrote an op‑ed for the
Religious News Services on Sunday,
describing the campaign against her,
supporters and donors as "profiling and
targeting of Hindu Americans and
ascribing to them motives without any
basis." The 37‑year‑old on January 11
announced that she would be running
for the White House in 2020.
In the hard‑hitting piece, Gabbard, the
first Hindu elected to the US Congress,
noted that she has been accused of being
a Hindu nationalist. "My meetings with
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's
democratically elected leader, have been
highlighted as 'proof' of this and por‑
trayed as somehow being out of the ordi‑
million dollars or more – for causes
dear to their hearts in India or
America. The booklet also talks
about those who volunteered their
time, service, and knowledge in the
spirit of advancing the causes they
loved. A complimentary copy of the
booklet is available for download at
www.Indianamericanheritagefndn.c
om/Publication.
The author regularly writes and
NATIONAL TheSouthAsianTimes.info
between West Bengal and San
Rafael, California ̶ where he
serves as the director of percus‑
sion at the Ali Akbar College of
Music ̶ received the Padma Shri
for his contributions to the art
and music world.
Indian American eng ineer
Ganpatbhai Patel, the founder of
Ganpat University in Mehsana,
Gujarat, was also awarded a
Padma Shri. Patel, who was born
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen Scientist Subhash Kak in Mehsana to a farming family,
founded the college to enable
known for his critical analysis on The writer, however, declined the low‑income students to access
the limitations of artificial intelli‑ award. The writer said she was higher education.
gence. grateful to the Government of Tao Porchon‑Lynch, a yog a
New York‑based novelist Gita India for choosing her but polite‑ master of French and Indian
Mehta was conferred Padma Shri ly refused to accept it stating that descent who lives in the U.S., was
for her contributions to literature the timing of the award might be also awarded a Padma Shri. At
and education. She is the daugh‑ interpreted wrongly with elec‑ age 100, Porchon‑Lynch is the
ter of freedom fig hter Biju tions looming. oldest‑known yoga teacher in the
Patnaik and the sister of Odisha Tabla maestro Swapan world. Deepak Chopra has cited
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Chaudhuri, who divides his time Porchon‑Lynch as his mentor.
Pro-Khalistan group’s call to burn
Tricolor on R-Day a flop show
Washington: A small group of Sikh separatists held a protest in
front of the Indian Embassy in Washington during which they
tried to burn the Tricolor on the Republic Day, a move slammed
by the local Sikh community.
Organized by New York‑based Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), the pro‑
testers raised "Khalistan Zindabaad" slogans and tried to burn
the Indian flag in the presence of a battery of reporters from the
local Pakistani media. They ended up burning a green flag that
had 'S' written on it. However, the SFJ supporters were outnum‑
bered by Indian‑Americans raising 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat
Mata Ki Jai' slogans with Indian flags flying high in their hand.
With passions running high between Indian‑Americans and pro‑
testers, the local law enforcement officials had warned against
any attempt to burn the Indian flag. The standoff lasted for
about two hours after which the protestors were forced by the
local police to move across the road. The local Sikh community
slammed the SFJ for the protest. "Such theatrical protests like
flag burning are detrimental to the peace‑loving and harmony
enhancing Sikh community everywhere," Jasse Singh and
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard
Kamaljit Singh Soni, the chairman, and the president, respective‑
nary or somehow suspect, even though ly, of the Sikhs of America said in a joint statement. "The intent
President (Barack) Obama, Secretary of flag burning is also an immense affront to the largest democ‑
(Hillary) Clinton, President (Donald) racy on the earth and causing huge grief to the American
Trump and many of my colleagues in Hindus," said Harsh Sethi, the AHC president who himself has a
Congress have met with and worked Sikh inheritance. Ravi Batra, an Indian‑American attorney from
with him," Gabbard said. New York, said, "What SFJ ‑ an American‑born and accredited
"I am proud to be the first Hindu‑ entity is seeking to do, however ‑ is to burn the flag of another
American to have been e lected to nation ‑ and here is the critical part ‑ as part of a campaign,
Congress, and now, the first Hindu‑ allegedly, as an unregistered foreign agent engaging in terrorist
American to run for president," she said. activities in India." (Source: news18.com)
speaks on Indian diaspora. He has
co‑authored The Gadar Heroics –
life sketches of over 50 Gadar (L‑R)
heroes, published in 2013, the cen‑ Community
leader Kewal
tenary of the Gadar Movement that
Kanda,
was started in the USA to free India
Ambassador
from British slavery. The author is
Panda and
at present the Executive Trustee of author Inder
the Global Organization of People Singh
of Indian Origin (GOPIO)
Foundation.

New York: The New York City Health
Department has started an aware‑
ness campaign on lead exposure
specifically for the South Asian com‑
munity. While peeling lead paint
remains the primary source of lead
exposure in young children among
all races and ethnicities, some tradi‑
tional consumer products used by
families from India, Pakistan and
Bangladesh can contain unsafe
traces of lead.
These products include the cos‑
metics and religious powders kohl,
kajal, surma and sindoor; spices
bought in South Asian countries,
especially turmeric and chili powder;
and certain Ayurvedic medicines.
T he campaign educates New
Yorkers about the health risks of
lead exposure, provides recommen‑
dations on how to reduce exposure
and encourages blood lead testing
for those who use or come into con‑
Wishing the Community Happy 70th Republic Day of India
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
NYC Health Dept warns South
Asians about lead exposure
tact with these products.
The campaign is appearing in the
Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens in com‑
munities with large South Asian pop‑
ulations. It will run in English, Hindi,
Urdu, and Bengali. Ads will appear
on bus shelters, newspapers, neigh‑
borhood shops and online, and an
accompanying brochure will be
widely distributed. T he Health
Department has also been partner‑
ing with community‑based organiza‑
tions to raise awareness of this
important issue. The campaign will
run through March. The South Asian
lead campaign is part of
LeadFreeNYC, the Cityʼs roadmap to
eliminating childhood lead exposure.
“Some South Asian cosmetics, reli‑
gious powders, Ayurvedic medicines
and spices can contain lead, but lead
may not be listed on the productsʼ
packaging,” said Health
Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot. “We
want the South Asian community to
be aware of this potential hazard and
be careful when using these types of
products. Children and pregnant
women who use these products are
especially at risk, but lead can be
NATIONAL
harmful to people of all ages. The
more often a person uses these prod‑
ucts, the greater the health risk.
Users of these types of products
should speak with their doctor and
ask for a blood lead test.” Lead is a
harmful metal that can cause serious
health problems in both children and
adults. When exposed to lead, chil‑
dren can develop learning and
behavior problems. In adults, lead
exposure can increase the risk of
miscarriage in pregnant women and
infertility in both men and women.
The NYC Health Department advises
4Building owners are required to
safely fix peeling paint. Report peel‑
ing or damaged paint to your build‑
ing owner. If they do not fix the
February 2-8, 2019 27
Consumer products such as spices
(particularly if bought in South Asia), some traditional health
remedies and cosmetics and peeling paint may contain lead.
paint, you can report them online for lead exposure at their first prena‑
(nyc.gov/311) or by calling 311. tal visit. Users of any products that
4Keep children away from peel‑ may contain lead should also get a
ing paint and renovations. blood lead test. Call 311 for help
4Wash floors and windowsills finding a doctor or clinic. The Health
often. Wash childrenʼs hands and Department, through its Healthy
toys too. Homes and Environmental Health
4Remove shoes before entering Assessment and Communication
your home. Programs, has developed a compre‑
4Get tested: A blood test is the hensive approach to address elevat‑
only way to find out if you or your ed blood lead levels in children and
child has an elevated blood lead level. adults and to reduce lead hazards in
In New York State, children must be homes and communities. T his
tested for elevated blood lead levels includes follow‑up investigations of
at ages 1 and 2, and screened for risk individuals with elevated blood lead
up to age 6. Ask your doctor about levels, environmental interventions
testing older children if you think and enforcement activities, educa‑
they may have been exposed to lead. tion and outreach, surveillance and
Pregnant women should be assessed research.

By Shivaji Sengupta
I
t is hard for a current‑events
writer to discuss Senator Kamala
Harris's new book, The Truths
We Hold: An American Journey,
without considering whether this
book is a forerunner to her presi‑
dential ambitions. Yet, to do that
would be a disservice to the book as
an autobiography of a woman who
has doubtless become one of the
more important persons in
American politics. As a reader, my
job is to discuss it as an autobiogra‑
phy, albeit contextually. But text
and context play games here, and
for that perhaps Kamala Harris is
herself responsible.
She announced she would run for
president of the United States on
January 21, within less than 20
days of her bookʼs publishing date.
Reviewers all over have pounced on
this (coincidence?) and made hey
with it. Could the equation between
her book and the announcement be
more of a problem than a help?
Harrisʼ autobiography recalls
Barack Obamaʼs The Audacity of
Hope rather than Dreams from My
Father which was published quite a
few years before he ran for presi‑
JLF: The Kumbh of literature concludes
By Prakash Bhandari
J
aipur Literature Festival
(JLF), the ʻKumbh of litera‑
tureʼ, continues its tradition
of providing access to a gamut of
ʻstoriesʼ ‑ fearless, funny, tender,
fantastical, true‑to‑life, fiery,
equivocal, atypical and everyday
‑ to all.
The 2019 chapter (January
24‑27) of JLF proved to be the
most ambitious yet with over
500 speakers from 15 Indian
and 12 international languages,
representing over 30 nationali‑
ties and awards ranging from the
Nobel, the Man Booker and the
Pulitzer to the Sahitya Akademi.
The keynote was delivered by
Nobe l laureate Venki
Ramakrishnan. The inaugural
session also featured Man
Booker‑winners Ben Okri and
Yann Martel; Pulitzer‑awardee
Colson Whitehead; famous femi‑
nist Germaine Greer; and key
authors such as Chitra Banerjee
Divakaruni, Hari Kunzru, and
Je f frey Archer. We ll known
Indians featured at the festival
28 February 2-8, 2019
Kamala Harris has penned
a political autobiography
dent. Obamaʼs Audacity is a bril‑
liantly written book; Kamala Harrisʼ
though less literary, is equally
thought provoking about the United
Statesʼ domestic policies, especially
under the present administration.
The story of her life is gripping.
We learn of Kamalaʼs mother,
Shyamala Gopalan, who came to the
University of California, Berkeley, to
research cancer at age 19, right
after obtaining the bache lorʼs
degree from the University of Delhi.
Shyamala Gopalan married Donald
Harris, an African‑Jamaican man
studying political science, also in
Berke ley. W hile I marve led at
Shyamalaʼs sense of courage and
adventure, not least her intellectual
acumen, I could not help thinking
that young Kamala had it made,
thanks to her mother.
Both her mother and father were
civil rights activists. Indeed, thatʼs
how they met, because of their
mutual commitment to human
rights. Had Kamala just narrated
these things, matter‑of‑factly, like
Michelle Obama does in her book,
Becoming, Truths would have read
differently, the kind of autobiogra‑
phy I had expected it to be.
And this brings us to the most
important aspect of Kamala Harris.
Authors featured at the litfest in Jaipur included Yann Martel (Life of
Pi) and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (2nd and 3rd from left).
included Usha Uthup, Devdutt
Pattanaik, Manisha Koirala and
Meghna Gulzar, who discussed
her book Because He Is, in a ses‑
sion with her legendary father,
Gulzar.
Sir Venki Ramakrishnan
stressed the need to acknowl‑
edge the role of science in creat‑
ing a know ledge‑rich and
resource‑rich so ciety and
addressing pertinent questions
like climate change and digital
security. In a session on her
book, ʻMapping The Heavens:
The Radical Scientific Ideas That
Reveal The Cosmosʼ, Yale astro‑
BOOKS
Senator Kamala Harris released
her book weeks before announc‑
ing her run for the White House.
Her CNN Town Hall in Iowa
showed she is ready for
prime time.
The autobiography is not an ordi‑
nary lifeʼs story. It is obvious from
the book, and more importantly,
from her life as she has been living
it for the past 26 years or more,
that she is a devoted and passionate
public servant. The CNN Town Hall
appearance in Iowa on Jan 28 was
proof. Juxtapose the autobiography
physicist Dr. Priyamvada
Natarajan simplified the
advancements made in the field
of cosmolog y, from pre‑
Copernican geocentricism to the
21st century. The audience was
left enriched and in awe.
Je f frey Archer said RK
Narayan deserved a literature
Nobel, arguing he could write
about anything, take a villager
and make it into a brilliant story.
At a fiery session with Bee
Rowlatt, irrepressible octogenar‑
ian Germaine Greer, whose latest
book ʻOn Rapeʼ expresses her
own stirring and provocative
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
with what she said in Iowa and how
she said it, and you will find amaz‑
ing consistency. Indeed, the Town
Hall meeting compelled me to start
reading her book again.
Critics have started pointing out
the albatross already hanging
around her neck. They point to the
set of bland, idealistic statements
she has made in this book (and else‑
where) about reforming criminal
justice. As Californiaʼs Top Cop
(attorney general) until 2017,
Senator Harrisʼ record, critics say,
flies in the face of her actions as AG.
She has been severely criticized for
not being understanding and forgiv‑
ing enough when it comes to the
committers of the crimes and mis‑
demeanors. Her book doesnʼt men‑
tion any of the complexities that
came with her career. She compen‑
sates by giving us a thorough histo‑
ry of how the American judiciary
has dealt with criminals, and not
the crime.
T he Town Hall, however, was
another story. When asked about
her being called a cop tough on
crime, and less concerned about
reforming criminals, she loudly and
assertively declared that she was
one hundred percent committed to
reforming criminals, and recounted
perspectives, was at her best and
spoke with passion.
Colson Whitehead spoke of the
visceral strain of white suprema‑
cy‑led violence which had found‑
ed America.
Politician, international diplo‑
mat and writer Shashi Tharoor
has emerged as a social media
phenomenon, which is why a ses‑
sion w ith him was called,
“#Tharoorisms”. Tharoor shared
some ebullient observations on
life and language, while also
engaging in unabashed discus‑
sions on legislation, loyalty, and
legality.
He admitted that he could take
peopleʼs interest in unusual
words and make a larger point,
recalling how he used the word
“floccinaucinihilipilification” in a
tweet last year to promote his
new book. “T his English lan‑
guage thing is a kind of a joke
that ran out of control,” he
quipped.
There was tremendous diversi‑
ty in sessions, speakers, and
themes, from the erudite to the
effervescent. There were many
a number of policies and legisla‑
tions she helped enact both as
Californiaʼs attorney general and as
a senator. She writes in her book
that having compassion for the
criminal is not enough. One has to
walk the straight and narrow path
of both doing justice, and yet have
enough wherewithal to explore the
causes of criminality. Does Ms.
Kamala Harris have it in her to do
so when (and if) she is President?
From the Town Hall meeting, I
would reply with a resounding yes!
Thus, Senator Kamala Harris has
written not a personal autobiogra‑
phy, but a political autobiography.
The late Indian journalist Bhabani
Sen Gupta (my father) writes in his
preface to a biography of Rajiv
Gandhi: a political biography is dif‑
ferent from a biography in the
sense the readers are told about the
development of the subjectʼs public
and political life and thoughts,
eschewing all that is personal and
private. Nor is it expected to be self‑
reflective in the personal sense,
though self‑reflection is important
for any public servant about his/her
public life.
Senator Kamala Harrisʼ autobiog‑
raphy is one such: rich in polity, and
not very personal.
sessions relevant to both India
and the world including a discus‑
sion on Pavan K. Varmaʼs ʻAdi
Shankaracharya: Hinduism's
Greatest Thinkerʼ.
Referring to his novel turned
into a movie, ʻLife of Pi, Yann
Martel said: “Every book I write
is a conscious attempt to under‑
stand some issue… Life of Piʼs
was to understand this curious
phenomenon called faith ‑ a won‑
derful mechanism unique to the
human species.” He also shared
his connection with India and
how its monsoons nourished
him: “India of fers multiplicity,
not just to foreigners but also to
locals.” He also conveyed his
belief that India does not hide its
pain and the cracks in its society:
“India is an endlessly thought‑
provoking and philosophically
engaging country.”
In ʻWhere Does Fiction Come
Fromʼ discussion, Andrew Sean
Greer, Ben Okri, Sebastian Barry,
Tania James and Vikram
Chandra spoke about the cre‑
ative process touching upon the
novel vs the short story.
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info US AFFAIRS February 2-8, 2019 29

Trumpʼs State of the Union on

US-China
tensions spike
as Huawei
charged
Washington: Tensions between
the US and China flared up on
the eve of their crucial parleys to
end their bruising trade war after
Washington slapped a series of
criminal charges against Chinese
telecom company Huawei and its
detained top executive Meng
Wanzhou, infuriating Beijing that
decried the move as "unjust
repression".
Feb 5 as shutdown ends
Washington: President Donald
Trump has accepted an invitation
from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
to deliver the State of the Union
address on February 5.
"When I wrote to you on January
23rd, I stated that we should work
together to find a mutually agree‑
able date when government has
reopened to schedule this year's
State of the Union address," Pelosi
wrote in a letter to Trump, a copy
of which was posted by her deputy
chief of staf f Drew Hammill on
Twitter Monday, Xinhua reported.
"In our conversation today, we
agreed on February 5th."
"Therefore I invite you to deliver
your State of the Union address
before a Joint Session of Congress
on February 5, 2019 in the House
Chamber," the letter added. In a let‑
ter published by the White House
de liver his annual address to
Congress on Jan. 29, but later she
rescinded the invitation citing secu‑
rity concerns since federal agencies
designated to provide security for
the event had not been funded due
to a record‑breaking partial govern‑
ment shutdown.
In apparent retaliation, Trump
postponed a planned foreign trip
by Pelosi and other lawmakers, in a
spat at the height of the partial gov‑
ernment shutdown that left some
800,000 federal workers without
While opening the government, President Trump gave
pay for five weeks.
Congressional leaders three weeks to hammer out a border deal else
Last week, Trump signed a bill to
he will initiate a shutdown again or declare national emergency
to get his border wall. Speaker Nancy Pelosi renewed the fund parts of the government
SOTU invitation to him after government opened. through Feb. 15, leaving more time
for the White House and Democrats
later in the day, Trump said he "It is my great honor to accept," to negotiate over issues of border
thanked Pelosi for inviting him to the president said. "I look forward security, the impasse over which
de liver the State of the Union to seeing you on the 5th." led to the 35‑day partial govern‑
address next week. Pelosi originally invited Trump to ment shutdown.

Mueller probe close US SANCTIONS

The indictment filed on
Monday by the US authorities
against Huawei, two affiliates
and Meng detailed allegations of
bank and wire fraud. The compa‑
ny was also charged with violat‑
ing Washington's sanctions on
to being completed: VENEZUELA OIL
Iran and conspiring to obstruct
justice related to the investiga‑
tion. "We are announcing that we
Acting AG FIRM TO FORCE
are bringing criminal charges
Washington: Special

OUT MADURO
against Huawei and its associates
Counse l Robert
for nearly two dozen alleged
Mueller's investigation
crimes," US acting Attorney
into Russian interfer‑
General Matthew Whitaker said
ence in the 2016 US Washington: T he Trump Last wee k, the opposit ion
in a statement.
presidential election is administration will sanction leader of Venezuela's National
"The criminal activity in this
"close to being com‑ Venezue la's state‑owned oil Assembly, Juan Guaido, named
indictment goes back 10 years
pleted", act ing firm, a move the White House himself interim president amid
and goes all the way to the top of
Attorney General Matt has long put off for fear that it street protests. President
the company. China must hold its
Whitaker has said. would raise oil prices and hurt Trump soon recognized Guaido
citizens and Chinese companies
He told the media at American refiners. as the nation's leader and his
accountable for complying with
the White House on The move comes after a tur‑ administration has been mar‑
the law," he added.
Monday that he has bulent week for Venezuela that shaling international support
Both Huawei and its Chief
been "fully briefed" on Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker. has created a standoff over the for the opposition figure since
Financial Officer Meng deny the
the investigation, CNN (Photo courtesy AP) country's leadership. then.
allegations.
reported. "I look for‑ The sanctions aim to transfer Maduro, having recently start‑
China on Tuesday said the US
ward to Director Mueller delivering tion has consistently returned control of Venezue la's oil ed another term after highly
was leading a "smear campaign"
the final report," he said. results ‑‑ the grand jury has indict‑ wealth to forces that oppose disputed elections, is refusing
against Chinese companies and
Whitaker's announcement fol‑ ed former Trump campaign chair‑ so cialist dictator Nicolas to back down.
decried the move as "unjust
lows a new bipartisan legislation man Paul Manafort and his deputy Maduro and deprive the strong‑ He is supported by the coun‑
repression". "For some time, the
tabled earlier on Monday that Rick Gates, their Russian business man of resources that could try's minister of defense and
US has used its government
would require Mueller to summa‑ associate Konstantin Kilimnik, 12 prolong his grip on power. Russia.
power to discredit and crack
rize his findings in a report to Russian military intelligence of fi‑
down on specific Chinese compa‑
Congress and the public. cers, 13 Russians and three compa‑
nies in an attempt to stifle their
The Russia investigation, which nies that allegedly manipulated
legitimate operations," Chinese
began when Mueller was appointed social media to sway US voters,
Foreign Ministry spokesperson
in May 2017, has showed signs of CNN reported.
Geng Shuang said at a press con‑
nearing its end. Manafort and Gates have since
ference. "We strongly urge the
Some of the probe's prosecutors pleaded guilty to reduced sets of
US to stop the unreasonable sup‑
moved to different jobs outside of charges, with Mueller alleging in
pression of Chinese companies,
Mueller's of fice and the of fice December that Manafort had lied
including Huawei, and treat them
moved some of its cooperators like on five major counts since agreeing
objectively and fairly. There is a
former National Security Adviser to cooperate with the special coun‑
political motivation behind this
Michael Flynn toward sentencing. sel's office as part of his plea agree‑
case," Geng added. In a state‑
T he arrest of former adviser ment.
ment, Huawei rejected the
Roger Stone, one of the last key Flynn, former Trump attorney
charges, saying it didn't commit
campaign associates in President Michael Cohen and campaign advis‑
"any of the asserted violations"
Donald Trump's orbit, on January er George Papadopoulos have also Opposition leader Juan Guaido (left) and
and that it "was not aware of any
25 was also a long anticipated pleaded guilty to charges from the socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro.
wrongdoing by Meng".
move from Mueller. The investiga‑ special counsel's office.

Iran, Turkey to
enhance cooperation
to defy US sanctions
Tehran: Iran and Turkey have dis‑
cussed ways, including preferen‑
tial trade and bartering, to devel‑
op mutual trade amid US sanc‑
tions against Iran, Tehran Times
daily reported.
In a meeting held in Tehran on
Saturday, Iran Chamber of
Commerce, Industries, Mines and
Agriculture (ICCIMA) Head,
Gholam‑Hossein Shafeie, and the
Union of Chambers and
Commodity Exchanges of Turkey
(known as TOBB) President, Rifat
Hisarciklioglu, also discussed
issues of mutual concern, Xinhua
news agency reported. The ICCI‑
MA head mentioned bartering as
a way of expanding trade ties
between the two sides, saying
“the two countriesʼ chambers
could have a significant influence
on increasing bartering of goods
and services.” Hisarciklioglu, for
his part, welcomed Shafeieʼs pro‑
posals and noted that establish‑
ing a desirable bartering system
is one of the main solutions for
Iran and Turkey to pass through
the US sanctions. The TOBB chief
is visiting Tehran with a trade
delegation.
Pakistan willing
to resume talks
with India after
polls: Minister
Islamabad: Pakistan will try to
resume peace talks with India only
after election results are out as it is
“useless” to talk to New Delhi
because no big decisions are expect‑
ed from the present Indian govern‑
ment, a senior minister has said.
Fawad Chaudhry, Minister of
Information of Pakistan, said that the
time is not right to hold dialogue as
the Indian leaders are preparing for
the upcoming general elections, Gulf
News reported.
“It is useless to talk to them (India)
now unless there is some stability.
We will move forward once the new
government is formed after the elec‑
tions,” he said. “We have delayed our
ef forts to hold talks with India
because we do not expect any big
decision from the present Indian
leadership,” he said. He said the
Pakistan government would respect
any Indian leader and the party
elected by the Indian people.
30 February 2-8, 2019
27 killed in Philippine church blast
Manila: At least 27 people were
killed when explosions hit Jolo
Cathedral in the Mindanao region
of the Philippines on Sunday.
Local police reported that two
improvised explosive devices
(IEDs) exploded at the cathedral at
8:28 am. One of the explosions
occurred inside while the other
one was outside the establishment.
The report said at least 19 indi‑
viduals were immediately killed,
including members of the mili‑
taryʼs 35th Infantry Battalion (IB)
who were responding to the first
blast, while others were civilians.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo is
a Latin Catholic missionary.
The Mindanao region has been
With no-deal Brexit looming, UK firms plan mass exodus
London: In order to cope with a
no‑deal Brexit, thousands of
British companies are gearing
up to move operations abroad if
the UK crashes out of the
European Union, the media
reported. The British Chambers
of Commerce said on Saturday
that it believed the companies
that had already gone ahead
Engage in direct talks
or be used as 'tool',
Ghani tells Taliban
Kabul: Afghanistan's President
Ashraf Ghani on Monday called on
the Taliban to engage in direct
talks with the government or be
used a "tool" by other countries.
His comments came as the
President's of fice, citing US spe‑
cial envoy on Afghanistan Zalmay
Khalilzad, said that no agreement
was reached with the Taliban on a
ceasefire or the withdrawal of for‑
eign troops from the war‑ravaged
country.
In his address to the nation,
Ghani said his government was
committed to end the ongoing war
and that "no country wants the
presence of foreign troops on its
soil indefinitely, but currently,
Afghanistan needs these forces",
TOLO News reported.
The President said the terror
group had two choices at the
moment ‑‑ to either stand with the
people of Afghanistan or be used
as a tool by other countries. He
added that the foreign troops in
the country would leave at some
point, but that would be done in
accordance with an orderly plan.
The US special envoy had on
Sunday evening shared with the
Afghan government the details of
INTERNATIONAL
plagued by separatist violence for
decades.
The explosion follows a Monday
(January 21) referendum asking
the majority‑Muslim population
whether they back a plan by sepa‑
ratists and the government to cre‑
ate a new self‑administered region.
The majority (85%) of the 2.8
million people participating in the
vote supported the referendum,
but the town of Jolo rejected it.
PNP chie f, Director General
Oscar Albayalde condemned the
incident and has immediate ly
called for an investigation.
The main entrance of the Jolo
Cathedral after the blast
with their plans represented the
"tip of the iceberg" and that
many of its 75,000 members
were already spending vital
funds to prepare for a disorderly
exit, the Guardian reported.
The development comes
before a crucial week in
Parliament, in which MPs will
try to wrest control from Prime
SUBCONTINENT
Afghanistan President
Ashraf Ghani
(Image courtesy: tribune.com.uk)
his peace talks with the Taliban in
Qatar aimed at ending the 17‑
year‑old conflict, according to Efe
news.
"The Taliban have asked for the
withdrawal of foreign troops from
Afg hanistan, but so far (the)
Americans (have) reached no
ag reement w ith them," said
Khalilzad, according to the
President's office.
It said the US envoy had assured
Ghani that any decision regarding
the withdrawal of foreign troops
would be coordinated and dis‑
cussed comprehensively with the
Afghan government.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Minister Theresa May's govern‑
ment in order to delay Brexit
and avoid a no‑deal outcome.
The BCC said that in recent
days alone, it had been told that
35 firms had activated plans to
move operations out of the UK,
or were stockpiling goods to
combat the worst effects of
Brexit.
Nepal official
launches mission
to eradicate
menstruation huts
Kathmandu: A Nepal of ficial
has launched a mission to end
an ancient tradit ion which
forces menstruating women to
stay in rudimentary shelters,
following an incident this
month when a woman and her
two children were found dead
in such a hut in Bajura district.
"The practice of 'chhaupadi'
is an ill religious practice that
has killed many women. This
d ee p l y e n t r e n ch ed b e l i e f
should be ended now," Shristi
R eg m i , D e p u t y M a y o r of
Budinanda Municipality in
Bajura district, around 720 km
west of Kathmandu, told Efe
news.
On the night of January 8,
Amba Bohara had been exiled
to the windowless mud and
stone hut to wait out her men‑
struation and had lit a fire to
keep herse lf and her sons,
aged nine and 12, warm.
When Bohara's mother in‑
law opened the door to the hut
the next morning, all three
were dead.
According to the police, they
died of suf focation due to lack
of ventilation.
R eg m i , 2 6 , w i l l t r a ve l t o
every village in the remote
Bajura ‑ her own constituency
and the district with the lowest
human development index in
Nepal ‑ to demolish these huts.
For centuries in Nepal, men‑
struat ing women and g irls
h a ve b ee n e x i l ed f r o m t h e
home to separate huts
although the practice was
banned by the Supreme Court
in 2005.
In August 2017, the Nepal
government criminalized the
practice with a three‑month
jail sentence and/or a penalty
of 3 , 0 0 0 N e p a l e s e r u p ee s
($30).
The Deputy Mayor has so far
managed to dismantle 80 men‑
strual huts across various
municipalities.

Indonesia
Masters:
Saina crowned
champion
Jakarta: Ace Indian shuttler
Saina Nehwal was crowned
champion of the Indonesia
Masters 2019 on Sunday after
her opponent Carolina Marin
pulled out of the summit clash
due to an injury.
Marin, the reigning Olympic
champion and three‑t ime
world champion, twisted her
right knee after landing awk‑
wardly following a smash in
the first game itself.
The Spanish shuttler was
leading 10‑4 before her dis‑
comfort and pain made her
pull out of the mega final.
Saina was the runner‑up in
the 2018 edit ion of the
Indonesia Masters.
Jet plan to convert debt to equity
Mumbai: The Board of the
beleaguered Jet Airways will
meet on February 21 to discuss
a fresh resolution plan being
considered by lenders trigger‑
ing speculation whether it will
end up as a redux of the
Kingfisher Airlines disaster that
eventually led to Vijay Mallya
being declared a fugitive eco‑
nomic offender.
In a stock exchange filing on
Monday, Jet Airways said an
Extraordinary General Meeting
(EGM) of the company would be
Efforts on to bring back
'high‑value' economic offenders
New Delhi/Georgetown: Hectic
diplomat ic parleys have been
mounted by the Indian govern‑
ment to get some "high value" eco‑
nomic offenders from West Indies
amid reports that a long‑haul air‑
craft of Air India is being readied
to bring them back.
India does not have a mission in
St John's, the capital of Antigua
and Barbuda ‑‑ the country where
diamantaire Mehul Choksi has
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
3rd ODI: India outclass New Zealand to win series
Mount Maunganui: India rode on
another all‑round show to thrash
New Zealand by seven wickets in the
third ODI at the Bay Oval here on
Monday and take an unassailable 3‑
0 lead in the five‑match rubber. This
is India's first ODI series win in New
Zealand in a decade. The Men‑in‑
Blue last achieved the feat under
Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2009.
Chasing a below‑par 243, India
lost opener Shikhar Dhawan after a
breezy 28 of f 27 balls, but fellow
opener Rohit Sharma struck his
39th ODI fifty to lay the foundation
in the company of the skipper Virat
Kohli, who also got to his 49th ODI
half century. Rohit (62 off 77 balls;
4X3, 6X2) and Kohli (60 of f 74;
4X6, 6X1) forged a 113‑run second
wicket stand to ease the work for
the middle order, weakened by the
absence of the in‑form former skip‑
per Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was
left out of the playing XI after suf‑
fering a hamstring injury.
Rohit appeared the more aggres‑
sive in the second wicket stand,
stamping his authority over the Kiwi
bowlers and smashing them all over
the park before racing to his half
century and taking India's total to
the three figures.
Kohli wasn't left much behind and
the Delhi right‑hander gradually
matched his partner shot by shot to
eventually get to his fifty even as the
held on February 21. It said a
special resolution would be put
forth in the EGM to consider
and "to approve conversion of
loan into shares or convertible
instruments or other securities".
The private carrier on January
1 defaulted in paying interest
and instalments on loan repay‑
ments due to banks, following
which rating agency ICRA down‑
graded both the short and long‑
term credit facilities of the air‑
line. With no resolution forth‑
coming and a deadlock persist‑
acquired citizenship. India also
does not have an extradition treaty
with Antigua. Recently, he had sub‑
mitted his Indian passport to
Antigua and Barbuda authorities
amounting to giving up his Indian
citizenship.
Of ficials in the Indian Hig h
Commission in Georgetown, the
capital of Guyana, which is concur‑
rently accredited to Antigua, are as
yet unaware of any operation to
SPORTS
India's Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik after India won the third ODI against
New Zealand in Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, New Zealand.
India total swelled past the 150‑run
mark. Just when the duo looked set
to take the men‑in‑blue to another
easy win, left‑arm spinner Mitchell
Santner deceived Rohit with a flight‑
ed delivery to be stumped only for
the second time in one‑day interna‑
tionals.
Three overs later, Kohli also fol‑
lowed Rohit back to the dressing
room after being spooned by Henry
Nicholls at cover of f Trent Boult,
leaving the untested middle order to
fetch another 76 runs from 113
balls. T he new pair of Ambati
Rayudu (40 not out) and Dinesh
BUSINESS
ing, Abu Dhabi‑based Etihad last
week submitted a fresh propos‑
al for a stake hike in Jet
Airways, proposing a rights
issue worth $500 million.
Through this mechanism, Eithad
proposes to hike its stake to 49
per cent in Jet Airways.
Etihad currently holds 24 per
cent in Jet Airways and the
rights issue by Etihad is expect‑
ed to be at around Rs 160 per
share. It is likely to infuse Rs
2,170 crore by subscribing to
the rights issue.
bring back the "assets", including
diamantaire Mehul Choksi and
Winsome Diamonds promoter
Jatin Mehta, who have taken citi‑
zenship in the Caribbeans.
Sources in Delhi said the govern‑
ment of India through its high
commission in Georgetown has
taken up the matter of Mehul
Choksi. It is understood the matter
is still under consideration, they
said.
February 2-8, 2019
Karthik (38 not out) showed no
nerves and went about the business
in their customary fashion.
W hile Rayudu, who was on
Monday suspended by the ICC from
bowling in international cricket,
started off aggressively, Karthik was
welcomed by a bouncer and the
Tamil Nadu stumper didn't look
back from there on, playing his nat‑
ural game and eventually sealing off
the deal in India's favour.
Earlier, pacer Mohammed Shami
starred with the ball taking three
wickets to help India overcome vet‑
eran Ross Taylor's defiant 93 and
Zee stock shoots
up on reaching
deal with lenders
Mumbai: The Zee Entertainment
Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) sto ck
gained 16.64 per cent on Monday
after Zee and Esse l Group
Chairman Subhash Chandra said
that the company has successfully
arrived at an understanding with
lenders to whom the shares held
by the group's promoters have
been pledged.
Accordingly, the ZEEL stock
g ained 16.64 per cent at Rs
372.50 a share, up Rs 53.15 from
its previous close on the BSE.
Zee had said late on Sunday that
it has reached an agreement with
its lenders under which the latter
will not declare a default owing to
the steep fall in its share prices
last week.
On Friday, after a media report
said that the Zee promoter Essel
Group was involved in money
laundering in the aftermath of the
November 2016 demonetisation,
the shares of the company's enter‑
tainment arm tanked over 30 per
cent and the firm suffered a mar‑
ket capitalisat ion loss of Rs
14,000 crore. In the release on
Sunday, the Essel Group said it
31
Tom Latham's 51, and restrict the
hosts to 243 in 49 overs.
Shami accounted for the wickets
of opener Colin Munro (7), Taylor
and Ish Sodhi (12) while fellow
quick Bhuvneshwar Kumar account‑
ed for the scalps of the other opener
Martin Guptill (13) and Trent Boult
(2). Electing to bat on a slow track,
New Zealand once again lost the
momentum quite early after the
cheap dismissals of the openers
before skipper Kane Williamson
(28) and Taylor steadied the ship
with a brief 33‑run third wicket
stand.
Zee and Essel Group
Chairman Subhash Chandra.
(File Photo: IANS)
has arrived at an agreement with
its lenders "which are having
pledge on shares held by the pro‑
moters".
In an "open letter", Essel Group
Chairman Subhash Chandra apol‑
ogized to bankers, NBFCs and
mutual funds for "not having lived
up to their expectations" and
being in debt due to the failure of
multiple infrastructure projects,
and said that he intended to pay
back the loans through the sale of
his promoter stake in ZEEL.
 34 February 2-8, 2019 B O L LY W O O D

Kader Khan, MANIKARNIKA CROSSES RS 40

Mohanlal, Prabhu CRORE IN OPENING WEEKEND
Deva named for
Padma awards ‘Manikarnika’
marks actress
Kangana’s
(Image courtesy: indiapage3.com) directorial
debut.

T he late Bollywood actor, Kader

Khan, has been named for the
Padma Shri honor by the Indian
government, which will also confer
the fourth-highest civilian honor
on film celebrities Prabhu Deva,
Manoj Bajpayee and Shankar Ma-
hadevan. Malayalam star Mohanlal (L to R) Kader Khan, Manoj Bajpayee,

will get the Padma Bhushan.
The Padma awardees for the year
were announced on the eve of In-
dia’s 70th Republic Day.
Actor Manoj Bajpayee is feeling
ecstatic as his work has been rec-
ognized by the “highest office”. “It’s
a huge honor for any professional
because it’s not an honor for just
Prabhu Deva, Mohanlal
one particular film or performance. It’s an honor for
your journey, for your conviction and belief that you
had,” said Manoj.
Singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan feels hum-
bled and honored on being chosen for the Padma
Shri. He also considers his musical partners Ehsaan
Noorani and Loy Mendonsa as equal recipients of
the country’s fourth-highest civilian honor.
K
angana Ranaut’s “Manikarnika: The
Queen Of Jhansi” minted Rs 43 crore
at the box office in its opening weekend.
“Manikarnika...”, released last week, tells
the story of Rani Lakshmibai, a key leader
in the First War of Indian Independence
in 1857. It is co-directed by Kangana and
Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi.
As per trade expert Taran Adarsh, the
film had an excellent weekend. “The film
crosses Rs 40 crore mark after a sluggish
start (Day 1)... Kangana’s biggest opener...
Delhi, NCR, UP, Punjab and Rajasthan have
performed best,” he tweeted.
Co-produced by Zee Studios, the movie
also features Ankita Lokhande, Atul Kulkarni,
Vaibhav Tatwawaadi and Danny Denzongpa.
TV star Ankita Lokhande, who has ven-
tured into Bollywood with ‘Manikarnika’,
has heaped praise on Kangana Ranaut’s
ability as a director and is sure she will
make a mark as a filmmaker.

PM Narendra Modi
shooting begins in Ahmedabad
A ctor Vivek Oberoi on Monday started shooting
Vivek Oberoi plays the titular
role in the biopic of India’s
current prime minister.
for “PM Narendra Modi”, a film tracing the life
of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A photograph from the set of the biopic has been
released where producer Sandip Ssingh, director
Omung Kumar B and Vivek can be seen holding the
clapperboard at the set here.
Vivek will essay the role of Modi in the film, which
also stars Boman Irani and Darshan Kumaar. The bi-
opic will trace Modi’s journey from a tea-seller to as-
suming the office of the Prime Minister of India.
With the film’s poster launched in 23 languages
earlier this month, “PM Narendra Modi”, which has
a tagline ‘Desh Bhakti Hi Meri Shakti Hai’, will be
shot extensively in Gujarat and across locations
within the country.
The film is being co-produced by Ssingh and
Suresh Oberoi, Vivek’s actor father.
Oscar nominations: ‘Roma,’
‘Favourite’ lead with 10
T
he Oscars are spreading the
love around in a wild awards
season, with “Roma” and “The Fa-
vourite” landing 10 nominations
each a week ago, and “Black Pan-
ther” becoming the first superhero
film in the running for best picture.
“Roma,” Alfonso Cuaron’s emo-
tional drama about a year in
the life of a Mexican maid, and
Yorgos Lanthimos’ 18th-century
costume farce “The Favourite”
garnered nominations for best
picture and director at the 91st
Academy Awards. But they each
were led by their women, too:
Yalitza Aparicio of “Roma” and
Olivia Colman of “The Favourite”

DEFENSE MINISTER WATCHES are up for best actress, and “Fa-

vourite” landed two spots in the
‘URI’ WITH WAR VETERANS supporting category for Emma
Stone and Rachel Weisz, while

D efense Minister Nirmala Sith-

araman on Sunday watched
the film “Uri: The Surgical Strike”
with war veterans at a Bengalu-
ru mall. “What a power-packed
movie... Brilliant performances
Yami Gautam, Vicky Kaushal,
Paresh Rawal, Mohit Raina. Re-
charged also by the energy in the
cinema hall! #HighJosh,” Sith-
araman tweeted. In a series of
tweets, she shared videos of her
movie-viewing experience and
her repeating a famous line from
the film, “How’s the josh?” as the
audience screamed “High sir.”
Nirmala Sitharaman asked ‘how is the josh’
after watching the movie.
Marina de Tavira of “Roma”
scored a surprise supporting
nomination, reports USA Today.
Also of note: Spike Lee was
honored with the first best pic-
ture and best director nomina-
“Black Panther,” starring Chadwick Boseman,
tions of his career for ‘70s cop
became the first superhero film to land
movie “BlacKkKlansman.” The an Oscar best picture nomination.
films competing for the best pic-
ture Oscar include musically tinged drama and Melissa McCarthy (“Can You Ever For-
“A Star Is Born,” period dramedy “Green give Me?”). “Vice” star Christian Bale is in
Book,” and Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhap- a race for the best actor Oscar with Brad-
sody” and political satire “Vice.” ley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”), Rami Malek
Lady Gaga (“A Star Is Born”) and Glenn (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), Viggo Mortensen
Close (“The Wife”) are up for an Best Ac- (“Green Book”) and Willem Dafoe (“At
tress Oscar alongside Aparicio, Colman Eternity’s Gate”).

By Michael Phulwani, Esq. &
Dev B. Viswanath, Esq.
V
oluntary departure is an
order allowing an immi‑
grant to depart from the
United States by a certain day with‑
out an order of removal. Meaning
that the foreign national may
“Voluntarily Depart” the U.S. with‑
out carrying the ramifications of a
deportation order. A voluntary
departure may be ordered before
removal proceeding are initiated,
before completion of proceeding,
and at the conclusion of proceed‑
ings. The voluntary departure order
will state the amount of time the
immigrant has to leave the US; this
time begins to run on the date of
the order. If the immigrant chooses
to appeal an immigration judgeʼs
decision to the Board of
Immigration Appeals (BIA), the vol‑
untary departure time does not run
until a “final” decision is made. If
the BIA rejects the appeal, then the
voluntary departure will be rein‑
stated for the same amount of time
initially ordered by the immigration
judge.
An order of voluntary departure
can be terminated automatically if
the immigrant files a petition for
review of the judgment or any
other judicial challenge and then
BEST
RATE
FOR
INDIA
AND
PAKISTAN
New York
Head Quarter
422‑S Broadway
HICKSVILLE
NY 11801
516-827-1010
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Voluntary departure: Does it
do more harm than good?
the alternate order of removal will
be in effect. However, if the immi‑
grant leaves the U.S. within 30 days
of filing a petition for review and
provides proof of departure to DHS,
the departure will not be consid‑
ered a removal.
An order to voluntary departure
can also be terminated automatical‑
ly if the immigrant files a motion to
reopen or reconsider the immigra‑
tion judgeʼs decision. The filing of
the motion automatically ceases
the voluntary departure order and
the alternate order of removal will
be in affect. Once a voluntary
departure order is terminated nei‑
ther an immigration judge nor the
BIA can reinstate, toll, or stay vol‑
untary departure, except as allowed
under 8 C.F.R. § 1240.26(h).
Under 8 C.F.R. § 1240.26(h) an
immigration judge or the BIA can
restore voluntary departure if the
immigrant successfully reopens
their case before the expiration of
the original period of voluntary
departure. The total time for volun‑
tary departure cannot pass 120
days. If an immigrant files a motion
to reopen or reconsider after their
voluntary departure time expires
then it will be considered as over‑
staying their voluntary departure
period.
If a foreign national chooses to
accept voluntary departure they
should earnestly be focused on
departing the U.S. before the time
IMMIGRATION
TALK
frame ordered by the court. If an
immigrant does not depart within
the specified time they may be sub‑
ject to a monetary fine of up to
$5,000 and will be barred for ten
years from being granted cancella‑
tion of removal, adjustment of sta‑
tus, change of status, registry, and
voluntary departure. Once an immi‑
grant fails to depart, the voluntary
departure order automatically
becomes a removal order and they
will accrue unlawful presence, and
may be subject to the three or ten‑
year bar under INA § 212(a)(9)(B)
in addition to all the other ramifica‑
tions that stem from the removal.
In a few circumstances the failure
to leave the U.S. once the voluntary
departure order expires will not
result in civil penalties for the for‑
eign national. If the immigrant or
the attorney representing the immi‑
grant did not receive proper notice
of the voluntary departure order,
the immigrant may argue that they
are not subject to the consequences
of overstaying. If an immigrant did
not request voluntary departure,
did not have an opportunity to
decline, or if there was no strict
compliance with eligibility and
Laughter is the Best Medicine
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and humorist,
cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the immigrant Indians for
the past many year in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
February 2-8, 2019 35
notice requirements, the voluntary depart” then the consequences of
departure order may be considered not leaving the U.S. will not apply.
invalid and the immigrant may INA § 240B(d)(2) also allows
argue that they are not subject to Violence Against Women Act self‑
the consequences of overstaying. If petitioners who overstay a period
an immigrant was not informed of of voluntary departure remain
the penalties of failure to depart or qualified for cancellation of
if the immigration judge did not removal and adjustment of status if
provide notice of the requirement it can be shown that extreme cruel‑
to provide proof to the BIA within ty or battery was at least one main
30 days that a voluntary departure reason for the overstay passed the
bond was paid, then the immigrant departure date.
may be granted a new period of The greatest benefit of voluntary
voluntary departure. But those in departure is that after departing
removal should be cautious of the U.S. the immigrant is not auto‑
jumping into any of these argu‑ matically inadmissible from the U.S.
ments and must consult with an for a set number of years. A volun‑
experiences attorney practicing tary departure should not be
Immigration Law. accepted unless the immigrant
In addition, according to Matter intends to leave because then they
of Zmijewska, if an immigrant will have to face a removal order,
“through no fault of his or her own, possible monetary penalties, and
is unaware of the voluntary depar‑ automatic ten‑year bar to some
ture order or is physically unable to types of immigration relief.
Dev Banad Viswanath is the Principal
Attorney of The Banad Law Offices PC in the
United States, and Banad Immigration in
India for which Attorney Michael Phulwani is
also affiliated as Of Counsel. With Offices in
Manhattan, Queens, Bangalore, and Mumbai,
the firm is able to assist clients with all facets
of the immigration process, including
Employment Visas, Consular Visa Assistance,
Student Visas, Removal & Deportation, US
Citizenship and Green Card Applications
based on Family or Employment. Dev B.
Viswanath can be reached at
Dev@Banadlaw.com and 718‑361‑5999.
By Mahendra Shah

February 2, 2019
Influenced by number 2 and the
Moon. You are active, smart,
energetic, responsible, systematic
and a friendly person. You are
never satisfied until you achieve
your dreams.
You can really do wonders with
the given opportunities but you
need to check your tendency to
behave stubborn and fickle‑mind‑
ed at times.
New sources of income will
improve your financial position.
New contracts will be highly bene‑
ficial. Frequent and fruitful jour‑
neys will be undertaken bringing
you desired results. A property
transaction or acquiring a new
vehicle during this period seems
likely. Visit to a religious place or
blessings from a spiritual person
will be high on your agenda. Your
outgoing nature will work to your
advantage as you gain favours
and benefits from important peo‑
ple. T he months of October,
November and March will bring
prosperity.
February 3, 2019
Governed by number 3 and the
planet Jupiter. You are a practical,
energetic, business minded, bril‑
36 February 2-8, 2019
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899; Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874;
Annual Predictions: For those born in this week (FEBruary 2-8, 2019)
liant and an optimistic person.
Youʼre co‑operative and helpful
and enjoy great respect in your
friendʼs circle, but you need to
check your tendency to behave
jealous and stubborn at times.
This year you are advised not to
trust others on important issues.
Sharing personal and secretive
information will not be in your
interest. The atmosphere at office
will require you to handle impor‑
tant jobs with more responsibility.
A sudden influence of a spiritual
person will bring remarkable
change in your life. Your spouse
and family members will be sup‑
portive to your concerns and pro‑
vide you with love and affection.
Distant journeys, maybe overseas
for some will fetch favorable
returns. The months of November,
January and April will prove to be
significant.
February 4, 2019
Ruled by number 4 and the
planet Uranus. You are generous,
peace loving, dashing, systematic,
disciplined, artistic character and
introvert in nature. You possess a
strong memory and an ability to
impress others with your intelli‑
gent and witty conversation, but
you need to control your tendency
to be extravagant, reckless and
moody at times.
This promises to be a memo‑
rable year bringing prosperity
and good fortune. This is going to
be a rewarding period for women
as there will be new opportunities
to improve career prospects.
ASTROLOGY
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
Students need to concentrate on
their studies and plan for the year
ahead. Romance and new
alliances look likely for the unat‑
tached. Elders and children in the
family will demand a lot of your
attention. Health of your spouse
may cause concern and anxiety.
The months of August, December,
March and May will be significant.
February 5, 2019
Ruled by number 5 and the
planet Mercury, you are active,
intelligent, sensible, systematic
and highly courageous. You are a
great admirer of music and litera‑
ture, but you need to curb your
tendency to behave moody, spend‑
thrift and careless at times.
This year success in whatever
you do will keep you happy. Past
investments will fetch you hand‑
some returns and long pending
judicial disputes will settle in your
favour. The latter half of the year
will see you getting closer to a
spiritual person who will make a
remarkable dif ference on your
thinking and personality.
Unexpected gains in cash and
kind from near ones and friends
through out the year. Stress and
tension might lead to some minor
health problems. The months of
August, November, March and
June will prove to be significant.
February 6, 2019
Ruled by number 6 and the
planet Venus, you are generous,
practical, energetic, original and a
simple person. Your hard‑work
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
and sincerity are appreciated by
others but your tendency to
behave extravagant and to inter‑
fere in the af fairs of others
attracts enormous criticism at
times.
This year rewards and apprecia‑
tion for scientist, lawyers, writers,
and women professionals associ‑
ated with advertising and market‑
ing seems certain. A better under‑
standing with your family mem‑
bers will ensure happiness, peace
and prosperity at home.
Financial gains will increase as
the year progresses making you
spend more on luxuries and other
comforts. Heath matters w ill
cause concern, therefore do not
ignore medical advice whenever
necessary. The months of July,
December, January and May will
prove to be highly beneficial.
February 7, 2019
Dominated by number 7 and the
planet Neptune, you are responsi‑
ble, af fectionate, creative, simple
and a research oriented person.
You possess many talents, which
make you popular amongst your
friends, but you need to check
your tendency to behave jealous,
introvert and hypocrite at times.
The year is perfect to undertake
important changes and make
strong decisions. Matters related
to property, partnerships and new
ventures will get resolved.
Concentrate on your efforts and
growth and prosperity will follow
by themselves. The latter half of
the year will bring in opportuni‑
ties to travel overseas for business
as well as pleasure. Selective
speculation will bring gains. Some
good news can be expected from
children towards the last quarter
of the year. Renovation, construc‑
tion and socializing will be major
highlight of this year. The months
of September, November, January
and May will prove to be highly
significant.
February 8, 2019
Influenced by number 8 and the
planet Saturn. You are ambitious,
energetic, authoritative, systemat‑
ic, and a sober person. You pos‑
sess remarkable talent and con‑
vict ion to fig ht ag ainst any
adverse conditions with courage,
but you need to check your ten‑
dency to behave highly stubborn
and jealous at times.
Your coming year promises
financial prosperity and good
health. Businessmen will invest in
more profitable ventures.
Promising contacts will build
through social get‑togethers and
traveling.
Unexpected help from a distant
relative will give a major boost to
your career. Your spouse will be
quite cooperative and shower her
full love and af fection upon you
despite your erratic behavior
towards her. An infatuation within
the group will keep you in high
spirits for some time but it will
not be long lasting. The months of
August, December, March and
April will prove to be highly sig‑
nificant.

Stars Foretell: February 2-8, 2019

ARIES: Good performance on the academic
front is your aim and you are not
likely to spare any efforts. Recent
developments on the social front
may make you change your opin‑
ion about someone. Choosing the
right options on the health front is
foretold and will help you in coming back in
shape. Much loving and sharing is foreseen on
the romantic front.
Lucky Number : 5
Lucky Colour : Light Green
TAURUS: Seek the best price for something that
you want to sell and donʼt sell it
cheaply. You are likely to make a
special place for yourself at work
due to you contribution on the
professional front. Enjoying the
company of like‑minded people is fore‑
told. A romantic situation promises to sweep you
off your feet in a social gathering! Stepping up
workouts to become fit is possible.
Lucky Number : 18
Lucky Colour : Red
GEMINI: This is a good period to earn money,
so go ahead with your ventures
without any fear of failure. You
may get involved in organising
something for your near and dear
ones. Keep things simple on the
professional front to avoid getting
confused. A selective diet may become your
mantra for keeping fit as a fiddle. Be careful of
bad investments to avoid financial instability.
Lucky Number : 15
Lucky Colour : Chocolate
CANCER: Your efforts on the professional front
will start bringing good returns.
Distance will not manage to keep
you apart from the one who gen‑
uinely loves you, so expect him
or her to drop by and surprise
you! Some of you may concentrate
on your body just to be able to undertake a
physical venture. If relaxation is what you seek,
get rid of all sources of interruption.
Lucky Number : 2
Lucky Colour : White

LEO : Some of you may be gearing up to enter a
new field on the professional front.
Donʼt let anything distract you
from your aim on the academic
front. Attending parties and wed‑
dings is foreseen and will prove
enjoyable. There is much that requires
your attention, so it is best to get down to it as
soon as possible. Aches and pains that had been
troubling some for so long are set to disappear.
Lucky Number : 9
Lucky Colour : Saffron
VIRGO: Prospects for earning big money grow
stronger, as you remain steadfast in
adding to your wealth. Some of
you may get involved in social
work and derive immense satisfac‑
tion from it.
House owners can expect to demand
good rent for their property. You will get the
opportunity of sharing your deepest feelings and
emotions with lover.
Lucky Number : 15
Lucky Colour : Sea Green
LIBRA: Spending a few leisurely hours with
friends and associates is possible.
Lack of thoroughness may prove a
bane for you on the academic
front. Self‑discipline and focus will
be the key factors in maintaining
top physical condition. Adjustment
problems faced on the social front will become a
thing of the past, as you manage to establish your
own identity.
Lucky Number : 6
Lucky Colour : Peach
SCORPIO: Hurdles can be expected by those
pursuing a specific goal, but they
will be able to overcome them.
Maintain your stand on some‑
thing you feel strongly about and
you will come out the winner.
There is little chance of someone tak‑
ing your side in a dispute. Your financial posi‑
tion remains strong. Marriage of someone eligi‑
ble in the family may get fixed or solemnized.
Lucky Number : 4
Lucky Colour : Beige

SAGITTARIUS: You will gain enough confidence
to put your point across to higher
ups on the professional front. You
may not like a parent or family
elder keeping track of your activi‑
ties. There is a good chance of
meeting someone you adore sooner
than you expect! Travelling with near and dear
ones is indicated and will be fun. You will curb
your urge to splurge in a shopping spree, as bet‑
ter sense prevails.
Lucky Number : 17, Lucky Colour : Forest Green
CAPRICORN: A competitive situation on the aca‑
demic front is likely to bring out the
best in you. Bank balance remains
healthy, as you become judicious in
your spending. You will be able to
turn your creativity into cash by
showcasing your work. Making a choice
was never so difficult, but you will be at liberty to
take your time. Your love life is likely to turn for the
better.
Lucky Number : 9
Lucky Colour : Dark Yellow
AQUARIUS : Much effort may be required to live
up to the expectations of the one you
want to impress. A long journey is
indicated and will prove most
exciting. On the financial front,
you will remain conscious of your
spending and make efforts to conserve
money. Donʼt count of anyone, even if you are
assured of their support. Profits accrue for those
in the field of art or media.
Lucky Number : 15
Lucky Colour : Chocolate
PISCES: Your qualifications are likely to raise
your professional price, so donʼt
settle for anything less than a
hefty package. There is a good
chance of getting together with
someone for a common cause. A
shopping spree is on the cards, as
you are in mood to splurge. Spending time with
someone who is near to your heart is indicated
on the social front. Health remains satisfactory.
Lucky Number : 22
Lucky Colour : Dark Slate Grey
TheSouthAsianTimes.info REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL February 2-8, 2019

For more information, write to : ttninternational@timesgroup.com

 38 February 2-8, 2019 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Mysticism, the science that

injects life with peace and joy
stand things seems to be innate Light and Sound of God. T he
in human beings. Scientists are Light and Sound current flows
engaged in this pursuit, but the out from God, but it also flows
tools they use are limited to those back to God. We can catch this
that are physical and intellectual. current at the point of the third
Over the years, saints and mys‑ or single eye. That is the connect‑
tics have unraveled the mysteries ing point between our soul in the
of life and death and have discov‑ body and the Light and Sound
ered that complete understand‑ current emanat ing from the
ing could only be gained at the Creator. If we can concentrate
spiritual level. Because the spiri‑ our attention at that point, we
tual pursuit deals with realms of can soar on it back through the
experience that ultimately tran‑ higher regions of existence. The
scend that which is physical and current will ultimately lead us to
mental, it seems mysterious. That our primary Source, back to the
is why this approach came to be Lord.
known as mysticism. The method is simple. As we
Mysticism, however, is a sci‑ gaze within, we transcend aware‑
ence that injects life with under‑ ness of body‑consciousness into
By Sant Rajinder Singh standing, joy, peace, and love. It is realms of Light and Sound within.
Ji Maharaj a practical approach to living that As we continue this process we
enriches our inner life and will prove to ourselves that there

M
ysticism, rightly under‑
stood, is the most uni‑
versal and fundamental
approach to achieving an inte‑
grated and fulfilling life. In a
world that has made such
remarkable scientific and materi‑
al progress, the challenge before
us, individually and collectively,
is to make similarly spectacular
progress in the spiritual sphere.
Each of us is allotted a limited
amount of time on earth. During
this t ime we have a unique
opportunity to investigate the
purpose for which we were born
and try to understand the mean‑
ing of life itself.
The desire to know and under‑
enriches our relationships with
others. The basic premise of mys‑
ticism is that each of us, in reality,
is a soul inhabiting a physical
body for a rather short period of
time. It may be twenty, forty,
sixty, eighty, or even a hundred
years, but in the not too distant
future, each of us will die and
leave this world.
Where did our soul come from
before we entered this world?
Where will it go after we leave
here? What is the purpose of this
world, and of life itself? These
questions are fundamental to
understanding our human exis‑
tence.
The mystics are those enlight‑
ened individuals who have
searched and found the answers
to these questions. They tell us
that the purpose of our life is to
reunite our soul with its Creator,
and they of fer to teach us a
method by which we can do so.
Throughout the ages many meth‑
ods have been taught to achieve
this union, but in our contempo‑
rary world, we need an approach
that takes into account the reali‑
t ies of mo dern life. Such an
approach to mysticism of fers
unlimited opportunit ies for
improving our lives and improv‑
ing the lives of people throughout
the globe.
T he beginning of our soulʼs
journey is the contact with the
is Light and Sound beyond, that
we can exist separately from the
physical body, and that there are
hig her realms of divine con‑
sciousness. The test is to prove it
to ourselves. Those who spend
time daily in this process have
had success in proving the
hypothesis that there is an exis‑
tence beyond this world.
T hrough meditation on the
inner Light and Sound we can
achieve the peace, harmony, love,
and bliss that we so desperately
seek, and we can be a part of an
ever‑increasing group of people
who are spreading peace and
human unity throug hout the
world.

If we learn a method of meditation and

By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji
Maharaj
nce the great writer Mark
Twain was having a discussion
with a businessman who was
known for being aggressive and ruth‑
less in his dealings with others.
The businessman said to the writer,
"Before I die I would like to make a pil‑
grimage to the Holy Land and climb to
the top of Mount Sinai to read the Ten
Commandments aloud at the top." Mark
Twain quickly replied, "I have a better
idea. Rather than go to Mount Sinai
where Moses was given the Ten Com‑
mandments, why donʼt you just stay
home here in Boston and practice the
Ten Commandments in your life!"
This humorous comment carries a sig‑
nificant meaning. Many of us read the
Commandments or advice given by the
great saints in the scriptures. Many of
us are happy even to preach what our
holy books say. But how many of us live
up to the teachings we follow?
There is a big difference between
knowing the theory and practicing it. It
is not enough to read the books or
scriptures and know the theory. We
need to live up to them in our own lives.
Theory vs. Practice instructions for progress, that is not
enough; we have to actually practice it.
The true heart of the spiritual teach‑
ings is in the practice. It is not enough
The true heart of the spiritual teachings is in the to know what others have said about it.
It is essential that we have our own
practice. It is not enough to know what others firsthand experience of spirituality. That
have said about it. It is essential that we have our can be accomplished when we sit in
meditation.
own firsthand experience of spirituality. That can Progress is a matter of accuracy. We
be accomplished when we sit in meditation. can become accurate only by practice.
Practice makes perfect. If we expect to
sit in meditation once or twice in our
life and accomplish spiritual progress,
we are being unrealistic. We need to
practice daily.
It is said that if we take one step to‑
ward God, God will take a hundred steps
toward us. The time we spend in medi‑
tation will be richly rewarded.
Instead of merely reading the Ten
Commandments, live them. If we do our
meditations and lead ethical lives, ob‑
serving the virtues of nonviolence,
truthfulness, purity, humility, selfless
service, and love for all, we will be
blessed with inner vision. We will have
the proof for ourselves of the existence
of our soul and God.
(For more visit www.sos.org)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL February 2-8, 2019