most famous indoor stadium in the world, is likely to see a political spectacle unlike anything before: some 20,000 Indian American will troop in for the reception for Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his most anticipated US visit in September for UN General Assembly and meeting with President Obama in White House. The organizers initially looked at renting the New York MetLife Stadium (capacity 82500) or the Yankee Stadium (50,000) to cele- brate Modis return to the US after being denied a visa for many years, but both venues were unavailable because of clashing sports events. Modi's US supporters and princi- pal event organizers led by Indiana physician Bharat Barai are in talks with MSG executives to rent the stadium for an event that is expect- ed to cost more than $1 million. The bill for MSG alone will come to over $550,000, including an ini- tial non-refundable deposit of $165,000 once the application is approved.If the MSG deal comes Glasgow, Scotland: India' s Sukhen Dey took the gold tally of the country to two on the very first day of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow by outshining all the other participants in the lifting cat- egory. The day began for India with the gold medal won by weightlifter K Sanjita Chanu who lifted a total weight of 173kg. In lifting, while Dey comfortably got hold of the first place by lifting a total of 248kg after trailing at the halfway snatch stage, his compa- triot Ganesh Mali claimed the third spot (bronze). The champion weightlifter lifted 139 kg in the s e c o n d a t t e mp t . Dey lifted a total weight of 248 kg to lead the other compet i - tors followed Malaysia' s ZMD Pisol, who won silver. Dey had to satisfy with a silver back in the New Delhi Commonwealth Games as Hamizan Aminul Ibrahim sur- passed him and won the gold. Mali lifted a total weight of 244 to win bronze. The South Asian Times e x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m excellence in journalism HEALTH 27 US AFFAIRS 10 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30 New York: Aam Admi Party leader Dr Kumar Vishwas, who shot to fame with his face-off with Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in race for Amethi Lok Sabha seat, may have lost the elec- tion, but the renowned Hindi poet is now much sought after in Indian as well as the USA. Vishwas has been invited by Google to give a lecture on leader- ship to its employees at its head- quarters in Silicon Valley. The AAP leader who has been reportedly offered Rs 5 crore to star in the new season of Indian TV show Bigg Boss is also expected to deliver a lecture on the changing mood of Asian political upbringing at the Stanford University in California. Here for his show Hum Hai Desi in New York and New Jersey this weekend, Vishwas gave an exclu- sive interview to The South Asian Times and reflected on his journey from being a poet to a politician, Vol.7 No. 13 July 26-August 1, 2014 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info Zeroing in on MSG in New York for Narendra Modi reception A grand reception awaits Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the USA. OP ED 14 Continued on page 4 Congressman Steve Israel recently met with Indian Ambassador to US, S. Jaishankar on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The two discussed, amongst other things, the new BJP government, Prime Minister Narendra Modis upcoming US visit and US-India relations. Exclusive interview by Jinal Shah Poet, politician, in-demand celeb: Kumar Vishwas Continued on page 4 Sanjita Khumukcham (right) won gold and compatriot Chanu Saikhom won silver in 48-kg women's weightlift- ing. (left) Sukhen Dey of India won gold in the Mens weightlifting With 3 silver and two bronze, India takes the medals tally at Glasgow to 7, coming in at 4th place India opens well with 2 golds at Cwealth Games Kumar Vishwas here to entertain NY-NJ July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 3 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY By Jinal Shah New York: On Friday, Indian con- sulate in New York hosted a lec- ture on the Role of the Ethnic Me- dia in promoting India-US ties by Aziz Haniffa, India Abroad Man- aging Editor. The lecture, fifth in the Media India lecture series (a brain child of Consul General Dnyaneshwar Mulay), was attend- ed by some prominent journalists and members of the Indian Amer- ican community. Citing examples of India Abroad and its founder Gopal Raju, Hanif- fa set off on a journey from Indias emergency period in 1975, where the paper relentlessly published articles by Indian exiles despite pressure from the Indira Gandhi government, to the more recent Indo US nuclear deal. He high- lighted the contributions of the ethnic media in showcasing In- dias image to the west in report- ing various issues of Indian Amer- icans including immigration, racial profiling, and discrimination and in covering success of Indian Americans. Stating that the importance of the ethnic media is virtually a no brainer, Haniffa read a paragraph from a 2003 Carnegie Corpora- tions cover story New Ameri- cans- Fresh off the Presses, fo- cusing on the importance of this small but growing media. In the report, Daniel Akst, whose work appears in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Wilson Quar- terly and other publications, talks of how the reach - and influence of the ethnic media in the US con- tinues to grow. Assimilation, ac- culturation, citizenship and news from home are only some of the subjects that ethnic media outlets present to millions of eager read- ers in dozens of different lan- guages every day, he read. Just like the late Gopal Raju, many Indians who migrated abroad started and kept alive me- dia organizations to voice their concerns, preserve their culture and identity, and bring the com- munity together. Though the huge Indian ethnic media is spread over 60 countries, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas listed about 100 print, radio, TV and online media organiza- tions in 20 countries. These are owned, managed and run by Indi- ans to cater to NRIs and persons of Indian origin and the number is growing by the year. In fact Kalita Mitra, Ideas Editor at Atlantic Medias Quartz and moderator of the event, pointed out that only last year 21 ethnic newspapers emerged at a time when over 100 mainstream news- papers folded over a decade. Han- iffa replied, Newspapers in Indi- an languages are thriving in the US because of the arrival of new immigrants from India, the sub- scription for English language In- dian newspapers on the other hand is drying up. Admitting that even old timers like him prefer to read newspa- pers like the Washington Post and New York Times online, he said the biggest problem for ethnic me- dia is bringing in the new gener- ation as readers who do not read newspapers at all. He added, We have grown in our reporting from being India centric to Indian American centric yet the second and third generation do not read newspapers at all. We write two to three pages of profile on them but they do not buy news- papers and instead ask for PDF copies. The next lecture in the series will be delivered by Leander Paes, Indias tennis champ on August 22. He will talk on My game and India US relations. New Delhi: US Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive here on July 30 on a three-day visit during which he will hold talks with Indi- an leaders on a range of key bi- lateral, regional and global is- sues of mutual interest besides co-chairing the fifth India-US Strategic Dia- logue. It will be Kerry's first vis- it to India after the BJP-led govern- ment came to power. "External Affairs Minister Sush- ma Swaraj will host US Secretary of State John Kerry in New Delhi from July 30 to August 1. The Ex- ternal Affairs Minister and Secre- tary Kerry will co-chair the fifth In- dia-US Strategic Dialogue on July 31," the External Affairs Ministry said. Kerry and Swaraj are expected to prepare the ground for a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama, who has invited the Indian leader for a meeting in Washington. Modi is expected to visit the US in September. The ministry said Swaraj and Kerry will exchange views on re- gional and global issues of mutual interest during the annual Strategic Dialogue. On the bilateral front, their focus will be on expanding co- operation in areas of security, trade and investment, science and tech- nology, energy and en- vironment. Kerry is expected to meet Indian leaders in- cluding the Prime Min- ister. He will also visit Bangalore.The US Secretary of State will be accompanied by a high-level inter-agency delegation with repre- sentatives from the De- partments of Com- merce, Energy, Home- land Security, Depart- ment of State among others. India and the US had launched the Strategic Dialogue in July 2009, focusing on five pillars of mutual interest namely Strategic Cooperation, Energy and Climate Change, Education and Develop- ment, Economy and Trade, Science and Technology and Health and In- novation. The first Strategic Dia- logue was held in Washington in June 2010, followed by successive rounds in New Delhi in July 2011, Washington (June 2012) and New Delhi (June 2013). Washington, DC: New age guru Deepak Chopra is attempting to break the Guinness Record for the worlds largest meditation gathering. Chopra, whose new book The Fu- ture of God releases this Fall, with a TV series of the same title starting around the same time, will try to set the new record on August 8, on the final day of his annual meditation event called the Seduction of Spirit, to be held in Toronto, reported Forbes. He hopes to have two million people from around the world join- ing in for the session via live stream, with only around 300 people attend- ing in person. Chopra will lead the meditation with motivational speaker Gabrielle Bernstein, and the focus will be world peace. If we focus our inten- tion on peace in large groups like this, we can reach a critical mass and make peace sustainable, he says. He hopes to get 100 million people pray- ing together, in the future. Chopra will also soon launch along with Oprah Winfrey their free, 21- day meditation experience Expand- ing Your Happiness, the registration for which begins next month, report- ed Elevated Existence. Expanding Your Happiness, voiced by Oprah and Chopra, offers an audio medita- tion each day and a series of thought- provoking reflection questions de- signed to anchor the teachings, which are easily accessible from a mobile phone, tablet or computer, said the report. Aziz Haniffa the speaker, Kalita Mitra the moderator and Amb. Mulay. Photo: Parash Chettri Importance of the ethnic media is virtually a no brainer: Aziz Haniffa US Secretary of State John Kerry to arrive in India on July 30 Deepak Chopra to set record for worlds largest meditation group DENTAL PRACTICE FOR SALE In Hicksville, Long Island This dental practice on prime location is over 20 years old. 1600 sq ft, 5 fully equipped operation cabins, 3 digital P/A X-rays, 1 digital panoramic X-ray. Fully computerized with 9 work stations. Yearly gross about half a mi lli on. Asking price $ 375,000. Rent: $6700 monthly + Half of property tax. SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY. Email me at: devila_shah@yahoo.com US Secretary of State John Kerry Deepak Chopra along with Oprah Winfrey will also launch their free, 21-day meditation experience Expanding Your Happiness, the registration for which begins next month. 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The editor/publisher does not warrant accuracy and cannot be held responsible for the content of the advertisements placed in the publication and/or inaccurate claims, if any, made by the advertisers. Advertisements of business or facilities included in this publication do not imply connection or endorsement of these businesses. All rights reserved. 4 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TURN PAGE Zeroing in on MSG in New York ... Continued from page 1 through later this week as expected, it will lead to the biggest Indian politi- cal spectacle in the United States, easily surpassing several community receptions held for previous visiting Prime Ministers, including for Dr Manmohan Singh and Atal Behari Vajpayee, which were usually held in the ball room of five star hotels. Kumar Vishwas here to entertain... Continued from page 1 from dabbling in Bollywood to par- ticipating in Bigg Boss. The South Asian Times: Why did you contest from Amethi knowing well it is considered a pocket bor- ough of the Nehru-Gandhi family? Do you think you had better chance to win in some other constituency? Kumar Vishwas: I chose to con- test from Amethi because I hated the dynasty politics. And although I lost the election, I won in the sense that I contested from a constituency where nobody was willing to contest due to the stronghold of Congress. I gave him (Rahul Gandhi) a tough competi- tion and forced the entire Gandhi clan to come out and campaign. Your Twitter bio and website does not mention your link with AAP can you share your current status with the party? I am very much a member of the executive committee, a spokesperson for Aam Admi Party (AAP) but I am not a regular politician. I travel for my shows globally. In fact this is the fifth year in a row I visited US and first in New York for my poetry read- ing. Indians living in the US have always shown love and respect for me and my work. They have admired my work especially Koi Deewana Kehta Hai and Hotho Par Ganga Ho, Hatho me Tiranga Ho Solo con- certs. You were approached by Endemol Production Company for the fourth time for Bigg Boss and this time with a Rs 5 crore deal? What made you to agree now? It is true that they have approached me for the fourth time and I am thankful to the channel but I havent said yes (yet). The call is to be taken by my brand team. Personally I would not like to be a part of it. I come from a family of engineers and doctors, I myself have a doctorate, and I feel it (Big Boss house) is not a suitable place for me. I am comfort- able with a smaller audience of 500 to 1000 people in a show than be in a house for 14 weeks. We have put forth some terms, if the channels agrees I dont mind doing it. So if your terms are met, why would you participate? I dont think the channel will agree on my terms. And even if I partici- pate, I am not doing it for fame, I have enough fan following. I have the third largest fan following on Facebook as a politician after Mr (Narendra) Modi and Mr (Arvind) Kejriwal. Can you tell us about your show 'Hum Hain Desi'? I am here for my show Hum Hain Desi for Indians living away from their motherland. The two and half hour show is a mix of poetry, melody and humor. We are touring various places including New York, New Jersey, Bay Area, Houston, Detroit, Canada and Chicago for almost a month and on August 29 I will deliv- er a lecture on leadership at Google headquarters. Dr Kumar Vishwas will be per- forming at Hindu Temple Auditorium on July 25 at 7.30 PM and at Edison Hotel in Edison, NJ on Sunday, July 27 at 5 PM. (Three hours of great entertainment guaranteed.) The events are nationally promoted by Music Waves, and RK Video. The South Asian Times is the Grand Sponsor of Flushing Concert. T he wreckage of an Air Algerie plane missing since early today with 116 people on board has been found in Mali near the Burkina Faso border, an army coordinator in Ouagadougou said. "We have found the Algerian plane. The wreck has been located ... 50 km north of the Burkina Faso border" in the Malian region of Gossi, said General Gilbert Diendiere of the Burkina Faso army. A witness had earlier reported seeing the plane "falling" in the region of Gossi and the general said they were taking the reports seriously as they matched radar images of the flight path. "That is where we will strength- en our search," he had added. Flight AH5017, which originat- ed in Ouagadougou and was bound for Algiers with 51 French nationals aboard, according to Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, went missing amid reports of heavy storms, company sources and officials said. It had been presumed to have been lost even before French President Francois Hollande went on TV to announce: "Everything leads us to believe that the plane has crashed." He said the plane' s Spanish crew had signaled they were altering course "due to particular- ly difficult weather conditions". The airline said it also had 24 Burkinabe, eight Lebanese, six Algerians, six Spanish, five Canadians, four Germans and two Luxembourg nationals on board. Mali, Algeria, Niger and France coordinated their search efforts under the umbrella of the French- led military intervention in Mali, Operation Serval. "Even though the aircraft was above Mali it was in airspace managed by the control centre in Niamey in Niger," an air traffic control official told AFP. Aviation sources told AFP the MD-83 was leased from Spanish company Swiftair. Its six-member crew were all Spanish, said Spain' s airline pilots' union Sepla, and Swiftair confirmed the aircraft went miss- ing less than an hour after take- off. The plane had apparently been given the "all clear" following an inspection in France only this week, the French civil aviation authority DGAC said. London: In a stern stand, Britain said on Thursday that the west is becoming less sympathetic to Israel's cause. Britain's new foreign secretary Philip Hammond told Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu that Britain was "gravely concerned" by the number of civilian casualties suf- fered in Gaza over the course of the past two and a half weeks. Last week, Hammond urged Israel to act "in a way that is pro- portionate" and do all it can to "prevent unnecessary loss of civil- ian life". With the death toll on both sides having risen to 750, Hammond said, "Britain has been very clear that Israel has the right to defend itself and its citizens but we are gravely concerned by the ongoing heavy level of civilian casualties. We want to see a ceasefire quickly agreed". Visiting Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on July 23 and 24, Hammond met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman. The foreign secretary said, "The conflict in Gaza is taking a terrible toll. With more than 700 Palestinians killed, including more than 150 children, as well as the loss of more than 30 Israeli lives, it is beyond time to bring an end to this conflict and stop the blood- shed". The United Nations Human Rights Council meanwhile has decided to launch an independent inquiry into purported violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. The Council con- demned in the strongest terms the "widespread, systematic and gross violations of international human rights and fundamental freedoms" arising from the Israeli military operations since June 13 and called for an immediate ceasefire. At least 2,000 rockets and mortars have reportedly been fired towards Israel since earlier this month, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Meanwhile, over 2,900 targets in Palestine were struck during the same period, the UN agency confirmed. The fighting has forced approximately 118,000 Palestinians to seek refuge in 77 schools run by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Wreckage of missing Algerian airliner found in Mali West becoming less sympathetic to Israel: UK 5 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY By Jinal Shah New York: Club FilLit (Club for Films, Litera- ture and Culture with Indian connection), an ambi- tious project of Indian Consulate in New York was launched with inaugural screening of Blue like me: The Art of Siona Benjamin a work in progress documentary here on Wednesday. Inaugurated on July 15 by Bhartiya Janata Party leader and fabled dancer Hema Malini, the Club FilLit, is yet another initiative by Consul General Ambassador Dnyaneshwar Mulay to reach out to the community. Our consulate is at the forefront of experimen- tation. We host book release, fashion show, film screening so there is no gap activity. Thats why the name of this new venture is FilLit. Fil stands for film and Lit for literature. There is no gap as well, he said in his opening remarks. The theme, Madhura Deo, coordinator of the club explained is to bring forth Indian connections in films and literature. This initiative is to bring forth eminent writers, directors, film producers, ac- tors, actresses and other personalities to share their Indian connections in their creations, she said. Introducing Indian American artist Siona Ben- jamin, whose journey back to her roots is being documented, Aroon Shivdasani, executive director of Indo-American Arts Council and advisor of Club FilLit said, Benjamin, a painter from Mum- bai now living in the US. In her paintings she com- bines the imagery of her past with contrasting ob- servations and experiences in America, making a mosaic inspired by both Indian miniature, Sephardic icons, Talmudic, Hindu and Islamic ref- erences as well as contemporary Western art influ- ences." The rough cut of the documentary- in the making -profiles Siona an artist with a fascinating back story: She was raised in a near mythical 2000 year old Jewish community in Mumbai and though most of the Jews from her childhood, like Siona, are now scattered around the world, some Jews re- main and are the subject of her recent work. Other than the Jews, the Catholic nuns and Zoroastrian teachers she studied with have influenced her art- work majorly. These experiences and influences form a major theme in her art: how can we live peaceably amongst our neighbors who might look and think differently from ourselves? Also present at the event was the director/produ- cer of the documentary, Hal Rifken. The club will host one event every month with different theme. New York: Dr. Atul Gawande, a professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Harvard, will deliver the 2014 BBC Reith Lecture series. BBC invites a leading figure to deliver their flagship annual lecture series. Gawande, named as one of the worlds most influential thinkers by Time Magazine in 2010, will give four talks this fall, grouped un- der the title, The Future of Medi- cine. Hell be speaking in Boston, London, Edinburgh and Delhi. The Reith lecture series- named after BBCs first director general, John Reith, have been held since 1948 to advance public under- standing and debate about significant issues of contemporary interest. Former lecturers include Betrand Russell, Robert Oppen- heimer, and Dr. Jonathan Sacks. Gawande, 48, follows Grayson Perry, a Turner Prize-winning artist who looked at the state of art in the 21st Century in the 2013 seies. I hope to use the lectures to bring to- gether my thinking on how medicine is changing and must change globally, said Gawande in a statement to the BBC. The lectures will be broadcast on BBC Ra- dio 4 and the BBC World Service from No- vember. Gawande, an expert on medical error and performance, will explore the growing importance of systems in medicine and the role of medical profession. Why do Doctors Fail? is the first lecture and itll examine whether failure in medicine is down to ignorance or ineptitude. Itll be followed by The Century of the System, whose fo- cus will be on the development of systems from simple checklists to complex mechanisms. The Prob- lem of Hubris, the third lecture will explore aging and death, while the fourth, The Idea of Wellbeing, will argue for a shift in medicines priorities. Born in Brooklyn to Indian parents, Gawande is a practicing general and en- docrinal surgeon at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston. He is a professor at both the Harvard School of Public Health and Har- vard Medical School. Also a Harvard Medical School graduate, Gawande is executive direc- tor of Ariadne Labs, a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham and Womans Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health. He is the co-founder and chairman of Lifebox, an international not-for-profit imple- menting systems and technologies to reduce surgical deaths. The multi-talented surgeon has written ex- tensively on medicine and public health for The New Yorker magazine since 1998 and has authored three books. Complications, his first book, was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2002 while Better, his sec- ond one was selected as one of the ten best books of 2007 by Amazon.com. The Check- list Manifesto was his third book. New York, NY: The India-America Chamber of Commerce (IACC), provides members of the Chamber a vital platform to connect and build relationships with prominent speakers and attendees from India and the U.S. The Chamber of Commerce tries to make the right things happen. What needs to happen in India is the growth of corporations that take their corporate governance seriously, so that the shareholder value is unlocked. Its our duty to push for better corporate governance in In- dia, said Rajiv Khanna, President of the Chamber and Equity Partner of Seyfarth Shaw, in his opening remarks to the members of the Chamber. The Indian government has intro- duced several measures to improve the corpo- rate governance environment in India, includ- ing a completely revamped Companies Act and revised corporate governance guidelines. Sev- eral other bills are under various stages of con- sideration which would bring corporate gover- nance norms in India at par with any developed economy. The government of Prime Minister Modi has clearly emphasized its resolve to- wards improving the corporate governance practices in India, said Rajiv Khanna, as he welcomed the guest speaker. Sandeep Baldava, partner at Ernst & Young, India, started by thanking the Chamber for hosting a very important discussion, and spelled out the latest changes in corporate gov- ernance standards in India. Baldava addressed several issues during the Q&A. Excerpts: 1. What will the Indian government do to change the problem of concentrated owner- ship and family rule in India? In the new Act, if a single promoter, includ- ing the government, has more than 75% of the shares, it needs to offload such access. It helps bring transparency and promote public partici- pation. It also specifies more responsibility for independent directors, which needs to be at least 50% of the board. 2. What are the major changes of the new Act? On the governance side, more responsibili- ties and clearer management; on the auditor side, monitoring of auditor rotation, more de- tailed fraud reports, more standardized proce- dures and budget. In all, 262 sections have been modified. 3. What will the government do to improve the implementation of the reform? The reform on paper is the first step in the right direction. For implementation, the new government wants to improve the legal system. It needs further steps, but the first step has been taken. 4. What does law say about insider trading in India? There is no adequate process to deal with it effectively. 5. What are the differences between India and other major economies? What are the gaps and can they lead to future problems? On paper, India is on par with developed economies. Problems may come from imple- mentation. The new government needs to strengthen the enforcement. 6. What are the new governments resolves to strengthen implementation? Different departments of India have made it clear that they are going to improve the trans- parency in India. The public has more access to the regulation system. The process has already started in India. 7. India does not have forensic audits? We do not have a system to find out what goes wrong, only the balance sheets and signoffs. 8. What has been implemented to let the stakeholders know what goes wrong beyond the balance sheets? We just launched a security center to wel- come investigations from global organizations. Most of the Indian enforcement agencies are trained by the FBI and are equivalent to the FBI. The government has made an effort to in- troduce skill sets from their resources to detect fraud of the new age. Auditors responsibility has been enhanced: they are required to report all fraud. Indian Consulate launches Club FilLit with screening of a documentary Roundtable discusses challenges of corporate governance in India Harvards Atul Gawande to deliver BBC Reith Lectures Sandeep Baldava, Partner, Ernst & Young, India Dr Atul Gawande (L-R) Aroon Shivdasani, executive director of Indo-American Arts Council and advisor of Club FilLit, director/producer of the docu- mentary, Hal Rifken and Siona Benjamin Astoria, NY: Om Puri, the pro- lific and internationally renowned Indian actor will ap- pear at Museum of the Moving Image on Sunday, August 3, for a conversation about his career moderated by actress and writer Madhur Jaffrey. The tribute program, presented with clips of Puris finest performances, will be followed by a preview screening of The Hundred-Hoot Journey, in which he co-stars with Helen Mirren. In The Hundred-Foot Journey, an adapta- tion of the book by Richard C. Morais and directed by Lasse Hallstrm, the opening of a new Indian restaurant in the south of France next to a famous Michelin-starred eatery is cause for an all-out war between the two establishments. As the pa- triarch of a family displaced from their native India, Om Puri gives one of his most memorable performances. The Hundred-Foot Journey is a warm, richly textured film, and a showcase for Om Puri, who has a memorable role op- posite Helen Mirren, said David Schwartz, the Museums Chief Curator. The evening at the Museum is a great oppor- tunity to pay tribute to one of the worlds most beloved and admired screen actors. The film is releasing in the US on August 8. 6 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY By Jinal Shah New York: South Asian Americans especially Indian Americans may be a model minority in achieving the American dream however this mod- el community has not been particu- larly successful in addressing issues related to mental health. In fact experts believe that there may be psychological effects on be- ing perceived as the model minority. A 2009 focus group study- model minority at risk: expressed needs of mental health by Asian American young adults that had two focus groups with 17 young adults from eight Asian American communities including Asian Indians in Mont- gomery County, Maryland highlight- ed several common sources of stress that affected the mental health of Asian American young adults. Some of them being: pressure to meet parental expectations of high aca- demic achievement and live up to the "model minority" stereotype; diffi- culty of balancing two different cul- tures and communicating with par- ents; family obligations based on the strong family values; and discrimi- nation or isolation due to racial or cultural background. Experts suggest that stress leads to isolation and de- pression. In a bid to raise awareness around the issues of mental health among minority communities, the United States House of Representatives, in 2008, proclaimed July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to address severe mental illness in di- verse communities. According to a report by National Alliance on Men- tal Health-one of the countrys largest non-profit organizations ad- dressing the issue of mental health- one out of four adults living in the US and one out of every 10 children struggle with mental health issues. The numbers become grimmer when they are associated with Asian and South Asians; due to lack of data, it is difficult to point out the specific number of South Asians fac- ing mental health issues. However, a study released by the Asian and Pa- cific Islander American Health Fo- rum (APIAHF) reported that a high- er percentage of South Asian Ameri- cans, especially between the ages of 15 to 24, tested positive for symp- toms of depression. Additionally, young South Asian American women have a higher rate of suicide when compared to the larger Ameri- can population. The study noted that family conflict, anxiety and stress were precursors to depression and suicide in this community. Dr Vasudev Makhija, clinical asso- ciate professor at department of psy- chiatry at Seton Hall University and founder of South Asian Mental Health Initiative and Network (SAMHIN), adds cultural change, isolation, lack of support from loved ones and in some extreme cases even domestic violence as some of the triggers of mental illness in young women. The APIAHF report further noted that despite the high number of cas- es, South Asian Americans are the lowest users of mental health servic- es because of the perceived cultural stigma attached to mental health is- sues. The 2009 study supports the find- ings of APIAHF report stating that young Asian Americans tend not to seek professional help for their men- tal health problems; instead they use personal support networks-close friends, significant others, and reli- gious community. Cultural stigma is not unique to the South Asians but is very much prevalent and this stops many families or individuals from seeking help, added Dr Makhija who is also the past president of NJ Psychiatric Association. However, another aspect is the lack of culturally and linguistically spe- cific services that address the unique issues faced by the South Asian com- munities. This lack of culturally ap- propriate programs and caregivers motivated Dr Makhija to start SAMHIN. Through the organiza- tion, we are trying to educate, engage and empower the South Asian com- munity to promote mental health lit- eracy and serve as a resource to pro- vide consultation to health care poli- cy makers and health care delivery facilities, he said. Currently Dr Makhija is in the process of developing a searchable database of South Asian mental health care providers, social services and mental health resources to im- prove access to mental health care. He is even exploring ways to make affordable treatment services avail- able considering a lot of patients do not have medical insurance or their insurance is not accepted by providers in the patients vicinity. Another organization actively working for South Asians for years is South Asian Mental Health Aware- ness in Jersey-SAMHAJ, affiliated with National Alliance of Mental Ill- ness. The organization has a number of resources designed for South Asian individuals and families suf- fering with various mental illnesses. Dr Makhija tapped this source of religious support along with Arsha Bodha Center four years ago. The Hindu community in Central New Jersey has grown significantly in the past decade, but culturally competent services have not kept up with this growth. The Jana Raksha communi- ty care program at Arsha Bodha Cen- ter reaches out to community mem- bers coping with physical or emo- tional distress caused by illness, life events or family situations, said Dr Makhija. The center provides free of charge confidential one-on-one support, of- fering encouragement and spiritual comfort to those in need and also provide referrals to community based services that are available. Although the program is intended to help members of the Hindu com- munity in Central New Jersey but the program can be replicated in all reli- gious places, schools etc. he added. Plaque presented to Congress leader from Punjab Satvir Singh on behalf of NY Assemblyman Mike Miller, Executive Committee members & Chapter heads of INOC (I), whose president is Juned Qazi. Grant Lally receives Republican nomination Om Puri to be honored at special preview of Hundred-foot Journey Dr Vasudev Makhija and volunteers at SAMHIN Family Day in Edison last month. Indian Americans struggle with mental health issues New York: Mi- neola attorney Grant Lally won the 3rd Congres- sional District GOP primary by 11 votes, the State Board of Elections said Thursday. I would like to thank Stephen Labate for his good wishes. He ran a spirited campaign and I wish him and his family well, Grant Lally stated after re- ceiving the news that Labate has conceded and will not pur- sue a recount. It is time to unite the Republican Party along with the Conservative Party and move forward to de- feat Obamas DCCC cam- paign operative, Steve Israel. added Lally. I am honored to have won the Republican nomination for United States Congress and look forward winning in No- vember, stated Lally. We need to bring the kind of change - low- ering taxes, cre- ating economic opportunity, re- placing Oba- macare, protect- ing our seniors and veterans, and ending de- structive politi- cally-targeted government reg- ulations and audits to free our economy and bring growth and prosperity to our country and our district. Im excited to have the op- portunity to run against Barack Obamas chief cam- paign operative, Steve Israel.Im running for Con- gress because I want to fight for the people of Queens and the North Shore. It is time to change our representation and Im the candidate to do it. Shy away from seeking professional help Grant Lally is seeking Congressional seat from 3rd NYS district 7 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY Washington, DC: Infosys co- founder Senapathy Kris Gopalakrishnan has donated $1.8 million to Carnegie Mel- lon University to establish a research partnership between CMU and the Centre for Brain Research at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. I am profoundly grateful to (Gopalakrishnan) for his gen- erous gift and his wonderful support of this partnership be- tween CMU and IISc, CMU president Subra Suresh said in a statement. One of the most pressing chal- lenges facing humanity is to understand the human brain. Our hope is that this new research collabo- ration will lead to discoveries about neurode- generative diseases that afflict the aging pop- ulation, and that those findings help improve our diagnostic and treatment capabilities for such diseases, the Indian American universi- ty president said. Carnegie Mellon University is a world- renowned leader in many areas of research and education, Gopalakrishnan added. I am very pleased to support presi- dent Subra Sureshs strategic vision for the collaboration be- tween CMU and IISc through this gift so that we can address one of the grand challenges of our times by understanding the human brain. The goal of the partnership will be to foster two-way in- teractions in brain research and education and in areas such as data sciences and en- gineering, human behavior and computation. The donation was made through the Pratik- sha Trust, a charitable foundation established by Gopalakrishnan and focused on under- standing and treating neurodegenerative dis- orders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinsons diseases. Professor Padmanabhan Balaram, director of the Indian Institute of Science, said in the statement, As an alumnus of Carnegie Mel- lon, I know firsthand the enormous impact a collaboration of the kind envisioned here be- tween CMU and IISc will have in enhancing our understanding of the human brain. New York: How have some of the most successful women in technology found success? What lessons can they share to others who hope to crack the "glass ceiling?" Former Triangle tech entre- preneur Vivek Wadhwa, now an academic and author, examines the challenges women face in the tech industry through a new book based on input from hundreds of female executives and tech workers around the world. Few if any people have been more outspoken about the challenges women and minorities face in the tech sector than Wadhwa, a U.S. citizen who was born in India. Wadhwa now is an academic at Duke University and several other institutions, researching and writing about entrepreneurship and education (partic- ularly STEM - science, technology, engineer- ing and math) as well as social issues. Wadhwa often shows up on news programs (PBS, Bloomberg TV) and speaks internation- ally about issues that arouse deep passions. And for his efforts, he has received a great deal of press - not always good - from his cru- sade against sexism in Silicon Valley (with Twitter as the best-known example). Time Magazine has cited him as one of the "Forty Most Influential Minds in Technology. Foreign Policy Magazine labelled him a "Top 100 Global Thinker." To try to explain the plight of women in the tech industry, Wadhwa turned his efforts to a crowd-sourced book. Teaming with journalist Farai Chideya, he conducted interviews and gathered stories from around the world, including Megan Smith, vice president at Google{x}. "The book incorporates the input of more than five hun- dred women from all over the world and directly quotes about one hundred of these,"Wadhwa wrote in an email to colleagues about the book. "Innovating Women also has about twenty powerful essays from some amazing women, the latest being from Google[X] VP Megan Smith, venture capitalist Heidi Roizen, Patriarch Partners CEO Lynn Tilton, entrepre- neur and technology executive Kim Polese, and one of the first woman in space, Anousheh Ansari. It is hard hitting but opti- mistic. It discusses the harsh realities of today but also presents realistic solutions and a vision for the future. I know it will inspire thousands to step up and fulfill their poten- tial." This is Wadhwa's second book. His first book "The Immigrant Exodus" was published in 2012. New book traces science advances to ancient Asian culture Oswego, NY: In his new book, Dr. Alok Kumar, a professor of physics at the State University of New York Oswego, describes and documents the development of sci- entific and mathematical concepts in South Asia centuries -- and in some cases millennia -- before they were rediscovered or adopted in Europe. "Sciences of the Ancient Hindus" describes many discoveries and advances of the ancient inhabitants of the country now known as India. Maintaining that these people have been widely known as Indians primarily in the 250 years since the British colonized the region, Kumar prefers the name Hindus for the inhabitants of the Indus-Sarasvati region, which has variously been called Hind, Hindustan, Bharat and India. What is now known as the Arabic number system did arrive in Europe from the Middle East, he notes, but it came to the Arabs from the Hindus. The concepts of zero, the atom, and Earth as a planet that moves through the universe all appear in Hindu science long before they were proposed in Europe, he explains, and the ancient Hindus developed detailed knowledge of human anatomy, devis- ing cataract surgery and skin grafting, for example. "Modern science and medicine would be unrecognizable, and far more primitive, with- out the immense contribution of the ancient Hindus," he writes. With this new book, Kumar aims to encourage appreciation of the multicultural nature of sci- ence and to make the modern world aware of the intellectual contributions of Hindu culture as earlier scholars have done for the contributions of the Chinese and Islamic cultures. "The science of ancient India is a subject of great richness, far too often overlooked, that deserves a central place in the history of pre-modern science, a role now advanced by this excellent work," said Scott L. Montgomery, an affiliate faculty member at the University of Washington in Seattle and the author of many books, essays and scholar- ly papers on the history of science. Kumar uses original documents translated from Sanskrit and cites accounts of contem- poraneous Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Persian, Arab, Roman and other sources crediting the scientific contributions of the Hindu people. Kumar's colleague, Dr. Ronald A. Brown, emeritus professor of physics at SUNY Oswego, said, "The demonstrated accuracy of the factual documentation given by Kumar is undeniable. The book fills a gap in the history of science that preceded the work of the ancient Greeks, to form a more detailed and complete picture of the earliest beginnings of science and mathematics." Vivek Wadhwa's book 'Innovating Women' hits markets Sept. 2 Senapathy Gopalakrishnan with CMU president Subra Suresh Few if any people have been more outspoken about the challenges women and minorities face in the tech sector than Wadhwa Corporate Office: 385 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385 718.821.3182, www.AtlanticDialysis.Com New collaboration to leverage research capabilities of CMU and IISc Infosys co-founder donates $1.8 M to Carnegie Mellon 8 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY New York: An Indian-American entrepreneur and his company have been slapped with a permanent ban after he sent millions of unwanted messages to consumers falsely promising free gift cards to them. Rishab Verma and his company Verma Holdings agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that they were responsible for the unwanted messages to con- sumers across the US. The deceptive messages prom- ised that the consumers will get free $1,000 gift cards from major retailers like Walmart, Target and Best Buy, the FTC said in a state- ment. Under the terms of the settlement with the FTC, Verma and his com- pany would be permanently banned from sending unwanted or unso- licited commercial text messages or assisting others in doing so. In addition, the two will be pro- hibited from misrepresenting to consumers that a product is "free", that they have won a prize or se- lected for a gift, or that consumers' personal information is needed to send free merchandise. He would also be required to pay over $26,000 as fine. Verma and his company were among the defendants in the FTC's 2013 sweep against text message spammers and affiliate marketers who used false promises of gift cards to draw consumers to web- sites that collected sensitive per- sonal information.The sites also re- quired consumers to provide credit card information to sign up for trial offers. The settlement contains a mone- tary judgment of $ 2.8 million which is suspended due to the de- fendants' inability to pay. Washington: For the first time after the formation of the Modi Government, high- level delegations of Indian CEOs are visiting the US this week with the objective to re- vitalize India-US economic relationship. Led by Ajay Shriram, chairman and senior manag- ing director, DCM Shriram, the CEO's delegation seeks to convey to their American counterparts the sense of optimism amongst Indian Industry. This is with regard to the policies and messages emanating from the new government, as well as an understanding of the new and emerging business opportunities for US-India collaboration. The three-day visit of the Indian CEOs, organ- ized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), would come just ahead of the expected resumption of several bilateral dialogues including the India US Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi towards the end of this month. The delegation will hold preliminary consulta- tions with key US stakeholders relating to various upcoming developments including the US-India Strategic Dialogue, the visits of several high level officials to India and finally the visit of Prime Min- ister Narendra Modi to the US, a CII statement said. In addition to Mr Shriram, who is also the CII president, oth- er members of the delegation include Naushad Forbes, vice president, CII and Director, Forbes Marshall Private Lim- ited and Chandrajit Banerjee, director general, Confedera- tion of Indian Industry. It also includes Vikram Kirloskar, vice chairman, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited and Rajan R Navani, Chairman, CII National Committee on India@75 and managing director, Jetline Group of Companies. In Washington DC, the CII delegation will meet various high level officials from the gov- ernment agencies such as USTR, US Department of State, Department of the Treasury, Department of Defence and National Security Council. Other meetings on the agenda include interac- tions with Members of US Congress and with busi- ness leaders from the US India Business Council. In addition, CII will hold a public program in part- nership with the Carnegie Endowment for Interna- tional Peace, where the delegates will discuss promising developments for the Indian economy following its recent watershed results and the fu- ture direction of the India-US bilateral partnership. Washington,DC: An Indian-American CEO of two publicly-traded companies has been convicted for paying kickbacks in return for purchases of his com- panies' stocks, a media report said. Shailesh Shah, 48, of California pleaded guilty be- fore a US district judge to two counts of mail fraud and two counts of wire fraud Monday, The Boston Globe reported. Shah will be sentenced in October and could face up to 20 years in prison for each count and a $250,000 fine. Shah was the president and CEO of SOHM and Costas, both based out of California. Hewas accused of paying kickbacks to an investment fund repre- sentative in exchange for buying stock in the two companies. The fund representative was, in fact, an undercov- er FBI agent working on an investigation into fraud in the market for penny stocks, the report said. Penny stocks are less heavily regulated than stocks that trade on major exchanges such as the Nasdaq or the New York Stock Exchange. Chicago: Federation of Indian As- sociations-Chicago [FIA] and Chicagos renowned showbiz-team Messrs. Sahil & LA Tan have teamed up to host the India Inde- pendence Day Grand Mela - A fes- tival of music, dance and singing serving as a fitting grand finale to a series of exciting festive events hosted in celebration of India Inde- pendence Day on Saturday, August 16 starting at 2:30 pm in the Re- public Bank outdoor premises lo- cated at 2720 W. Devon Ave in Chicago immediately after the con- clusion of the Parade. This Grand Mela encompasses eclectic array of music, dance, and singing and food samplers to con- tinue the Indian Independence Day festive exuberance. The Mela will showcase, pro- mote and celebrate the host of local artists bringing their incredible tal- ent for people of all ages to enjoy and experience the spirit of India and Indianness. This Mela is being hosted under the chairmanship of Ajeet Singh, FIAs Joint Treasurer along with Co-Chairs: Minhaj Akhtar & Ankur Choudhari who are teaming up with SAHIL & LA Tan to unveil the neighborhood's most exhilarating festive event of the season that expressively re- flects the indomitable spirit of In- dia. This leading Grand Mela festival aims to unleash a wealth of local community talent showcasing the best of traditional and contempo- rary Bollywood music, dance per- formances, singing. This Mela will feature emerging artists in genres that span between the traditional to contemporary. To make it family-centered fes- tivity, the admission is free and it is expected to enliven the paths of In- dia Town in the Rogers Park neigh- borhood. New Delhi: The US India Political Ac- tion Committee (USINPAC), a forum of the Indian American community in the US, has urged the Narendra Modi gov- ernment to issue infrastructure bonds for the NRI community. Suggesting that these bonds be named "Vibrant India Bonds" in order to lever- age the brand awareness of "vibrant In- dia", the USINPAC said the bonds will help India tap the goodwill of the global Indian diaspora. A press release said USINPAC chair- man Sanjay Puri said India will need about $1.5 trillion over the next five years to finance its infrastructure needs. "Since infrastructure projects are gen- erally structured in a debt equity ratio of 70:30, it implies that India would need over $1 trillion of debt funding over the next five years. This is the right time to tap the intangible goodwill of the Indian diaspora by issuing these bonds specially targeted at the diaspora," he said. The release said the USINPAC was working with members of the US Con- gress to build momentum for an address by Prime Minister Modi to the joint Session of the US Congress during his visit to the country in September. It said that over 40 Congressmen have already signed a letter requesting the US speaker, and over 20 Senators have al- ready written or verbally informed the speaker of their wish to hear an address by Modi. The release said the USINPAC was also preparing ground for two other events during Modi's visit - a luncheon with US Senators and an interaction with chief executive officers of America's top private equity funds and IT and manufac- turing corporations. The USINPAC had last month launched an initiative among winners of the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman awards globally to discuss ways in which the di- aspora could contribute to India's growth, it said. "Several of the awardees from countries like Singapore, Indonesia, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, France and Britain to- gether with the USINPAC have together written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi offering their support for his vision of a vibrant India. The suggestion and support for vibrant India bonds is the next step in this endeavor," the release said. FIA-Chicago partners with SAHIL & LA Tan to host Grand Mela Indian-American charged with sending deceptive messages Issue infrastructure bonds for NRIs says USINPAC Indian-American convicted for paying kickbacks in stock scheme Suraj Sharma joins Homeland California: Life of Pi and Million Dollar Arm fame New Delhi-born actor Suraj Sharma has joined the cast of Homeland. In the acclaimed Showtime series starring Claire Danes, he first appears in Episode 3 of Season 4, which will be set in Pakistan and will begin Oct. 5. Indian CEO team in US to revitalize economic ties POLITICS 9 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info By Robert Golomb A ll recent polls taken on the November New York State governors election show one-term incumbent Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo holding a daunting 30% plus lead over his Republican/Conservative chal- lenger 3-term Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino. However, Chris Moss, 46, the upstate New York Chemung County Sheriff who received in May the Republi- can Partys nomination for Lieu- tenant Governor placing him as As- torinos running mate on the GOP ticket, discounts these polls and be- lieves that the political world will be looking at a major upset in the empire state this coming fall. In a recent interview conducted in a local restaurant an hour before a scheduled campaign event he was set to attend in Freeport, Long Is- land, Moss told me, The polls are irrelevant today. The election sea- son does not actually begin until af- ter Labor Day. And then, once Rob Astorino begins to explain to voters how his record of success as Westchester County Executive contrasts with Cuomos record of failure as governor of New York State, and begins to show how even Cuomos running mate disagrees with him on at least two critical is- sues, I believe the polls will change and despite what the pollsters are forecasting at this moment, New York State will have a new gover- nor come January 2015. Moss was alluding to Kathleen Hochel, Cuomos own personal se- lection for running mate for Lt. Governor, replacing current Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy who announced in May that he would be leaving the ticket. A former member of Congress from upstate Erie County and a former Erie County Clerk, Hochel had as a congresswoman, won the endorsement of the Na- tional Rifle Association (NRA) based on her anti- gun control vot- ing record, and as County Clerk, had been a strong opponent of then Governor Spitzers 2007 proposal to accord NYS Drivers Licenses to illegal immigrants. Such endorse- ments and positions have reported- ly caused many in the powerful left wing of the Democratic Party to question why Cuomo, a supporter of pro illegal alien leaning immi- gration reform and a fierce oppo- nent of the NRA, picked her in the first place. Moss told me that he and Rob As- torino, unlike Cuomo and Hochul, share the same views on gun- con- trol, immigration and other impor- tant state issues. Referring to the Safe Act, a 2013 gun control law pushed by Governor Cuomo and approved by state lawmakers, de- spite the NRAs fierce opposition, Moss stated, Mr. Astorino and I, unlike our opponents, see eye to eye on the Safe Act. We strongly oppose it. When I noted to Moss, the mar- ried father of an 8-year-old son and the current president of the New York State Sheriffs Association, that according to recent polls the Safe Act has a 2 to 1 approval to disapproval rating among New York State voters, he responded, As a law enforcement official and a parent myself I have tremendous concerns about the gun related vio- lence that plagues our state. If the Safe Act reduced that gun vio- lence to any degree, and saved one innocent life, I would support it. But the reality is that it doesnt. It will be our responsibility to explain this to voters. Gun related crime in New York State, Moss continued, has not been reduced here since the Safe Act was passed a year ago. And criminal justice studies show that the rates of gun related crimes in other states that passed laws similar to the Safe Act, including Con- necticut and California, have actu- ally increased. This, I believe, is because laws like the Safe Act con- tain so many complicated provi- sions that the already existing more practical gun laws become harder for police to enforce. Moss contended that he and As- torino had a more realistic and re- search proven approach to address the problem of gun related crime. We will seek common sense legis- lation that will increase the penal- ties for those convicted of commit- ting a crime with the use of a weapon, and we will appoint judges who will apply that law, he told me. As a law enforcement of- ficial, I have reviewed numerous studies on the subject of guns and crime. These studies have proven that increasing penalties for offend- ers is the most effective way to re- duce gun and weapon related crime. Concerning his position on immigration reform coinciding with Astorinos Moss said, We both agree that on the federal level, of which, a governor is indirectly involved, a nation must control its own borders and enforce its immi- gration laws. Failure to do so places a tremendous burden on the state, as we see in the immigration crisis that now confronts Texas. On a state level, Rob and I agree, as just one example of correctly deny- ing benefits to those who have bro- ken the law to get here, with Ms. Hochuls past decision not to grant drivers licenses to illegal immi- grants. Asked if he was aware that polls show a majority of New Yorkers fa- vor some form of immigration re- form, Moss responded, I am. But the questions posed in these polls do not ask the nature of the reforms the responders might have actually wanted. They do not, for example, refer to the awful circumstances prevalent in Texas right now. I be- lieve that the majority of New Yorkers, like most Americans, want reforms that will offer rewards and incentives for those immigrants who have come here legally and penalize those who have not. Moss promised that the above two of what he described as issues pivotal to the success of our cam- paign will continue to be thor- oughly addressed as the race moves forward. However, he added, the campaign will place much of its fo- cus upon the state economy, which, he contended, is in dismal condi- tion, and on the fight to end the Common Core State Standards (aka Common Core), a federal ed- ucation program requiring that par- ticipating states, of which New York is one of 45, follow a stan- dardized curriculum and adhere to federally mandated measurements on standardized exams for students in every grade. Discussing the economy first, Moss stated, New Yorkers pay the highest rate of taxes in the nation. These taxes, which continue to in- crease under Cuomo, have unfairly burdened the middle class, hurt businesses, deterred new capital in- vestments and consequently pre- vented job growth. Reducing this tax burden throughout the state, as Rob Astorino has demonstrated in Westchester, would benefit the middle class, stimulate the econo- my and create tens of thousands of new badly needed private sector jobs from NYC to Buffalo. Thousands of new private sector jobs, he added, could also be cre- ated through beginning hydro- fracking in the upstate region. In addition, hydro- fracking would lower the currently burdensome en- ergy costs imposed upon home- owners and businesses. Even Pres- ident Obama has endorsed it. Why has Gov. Cuomo been holding it back the past four years? Moss was no less critical and questioning of the Governors pol- icy on Common Core, asserting, Common Core takes educational policy out of the hands of teachers, administrators and parents and places it under the control of feder- al bureaucrats who possess little understanding of how education works on a local level. Accord- ing to a preponderance of educa- tional research, Common Cores emphasis on high stakes testing alongside its one size fits all ap- proach to curriculum is destructive to the learning process of students in all grades. Why was the Gover- nor at first a supporter of Common Core? And why does he continue to refuse to remove New York State from participating in it, instead cre- ating a committee to study it?.... Rob Astorino and I will not need any further committees. If elected, we will immediately rescind New York States participation in Com- mon Core. Such tough talk from Moss about Common Core comes on the heels of Astorinos recent announcement that he is in the process of estab- lishing a third-party ballot line un- der the name Stop Common Core. It is believed by both Dem- ocratic and Republican insiders that the Astorino campaign will find it an easy chore to collect the 15,000 signatures required to ap- pear on that line and gather the 30,000 additional signatures need- ed to overcome an expected Cuo- mo challenge. Securing this Stop Common Core ballot line Moss predicted would play an important role in making this a winnable race for his ticket. Campaigning throughout the state, he related, I have spoken with many voters who told me they were registered De- mocrats, not normally inclined to vote for Republicans, but now are looking for a way to show their dis- pleasure with Cuomo over Com- mon Core. The Stop Common Core ballot line will provide them that way. If Moss was talking about a still undetected major voter trend rather than just retelling a few anecdotes, there could be long lines of poll- sters looking for new careers come this November. Robert Golomb (MrBob347@aol.com) is a nationally published columnist. Sheriff Chris Moss is running for Lt. Governor to help clean up corruption in Albany. Rob Astorino, currently Westchester County Executive, and Chris Moss were nominated unanimously to run for Governor and Lt. Governor at the Republican State Convention in May. Photos provided by Astorino for Governor. Current polls show Gov. Cuomo comfortably winning a second term, but Moss contends that the political world will be looking at a major upset in the empire state this coming fall. And he explains why. New York: The long-shot Republican challenging New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) wants more help from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in his role as chair- man of the Republican Governors Association. If he doesn' t get it. Well, then maybe Christie should quit as chair- man, he says. "Clearly he can come across the bridge and not just raise money for himself, but raise money for the Republican candidate here -- unless he is unable or unwilling because of an issue that we don't know about with Andrew Cuomo and the ' Bridge-gate' scandal," Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said. Christie signaled in Connecticut on Monday that he probably won't be campaigning for Astorino. I will spend time in places where we have a chance to win, I said that right from the beginning, said Christie, according to the Newark Star-Ledger. A Siena College poll this week showed Cuomo lapping Astorino, 60 percent to 23 percent. Christie added, If the New York race becomes competitive, Ill con- sider campaigning in the New York race, but right now, by the public polls, theres a lot more competitive races like this one in Connecticut. Astorino said he thinks Christie has done "a good job" in New Jersey. But he said the governor's job as RGA chairman "is to raise support and money for Republican candidates and governors." San Francisco: Facebook Inc' s fast-growing mobile advertising business helped drive a 61 per cent increase in revenue during the second quarter, beating Wall Street's financial targets and sending shares to a record-high in after-hours trading on Wednesday. The world's No.1 Internet social network said on Wednesday that it saw increased interest from both advertisers and from users during the second quarter. Facebook now counts 1.5 million advertising customers and the company's ad busi- ness saw strong growth across all of its geographic regions in the second quarter, COO Sheryl Sandberg told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. Facebook said that mobile advertising revenue represent- ed 62 per cent of its ad rev- enue in the second quarter, up from 41 per cent in the year- ago period and 59 per cent in the first quarter of 2014. Facebook' s newsfeed ads, which inject paid marketing messages straight into a user's stream of news and content, have ignited Facebook's rev- enue growth and bolstered its stock price during the past year. Shares of Facebook, which finished Wednesday's regular trading session at $71.29, have nearly tripled since last July. Overall revenue totaled $2.91 billion in the three months ended June 30, versus $1.81 billion in the year-ago period. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S were looking for revenue of $2.81 billion. Facebook said it now counted 1.32 billion monthly users. It posted $791 million in net income, or 30 cents a share, compared with $333 million or 13 cents a share in the second quarter of 2013. Excluding certain items, Facebook said it earned 42 cents a share in the second quarter, surpassing expecta- tions for 32 cents a share. Atlantic City gets 'Junk' downgrade from Moody's Atlantic City, NJ: Struggling Atlantic City of New Jersey took another hit Wednesday as Moody's Investors Service downgraded the citys general obligation bonds to "junk" status, citing the casino town's declining tax base. The credit rating service cut the city's underlying rating to "Ba1" from "Baa2." It affects $245 million in outstanding debt. "The downgrade to Ba1 reflects the city's significantly weakened tax base, revenue- raising ability, and broader economic out- look," Moody's said in a statement, adding that its outlook remained negative. By the end of August, potentially up to one-third of Atlantic City's casinos will have closed this year. Some reports suggest up to a quarter of the city's casino workforce will be put out of work as a result. US AFFAIRS Facebook beats Wall Street targets, stock hits record high 10 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info New York: The office of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a rising Demo- cratic star and potential presidential candidate, hamstrung an ethics in- quiry when it examined the gover- nors political allies, an exclusive re- port by The New York Times revealed on Wednesday. Senior aides to the governor used their oversight of the ethics commission to derail investigations and pressure investiga- tors whenever they examined people politically close to the governor or issues that might reflect poorly on him, the Times found, be- fore the investigation was abruptly disbanded. The ethics committee was estab- lished with great fanfare by the gov- ernor himself last summer as a way to end the states polit- ical corruption once and for all. But behind closed doors, the commissioners were impaired by the gov- ernors office, which eventually cut their work short despite finding a num- ber of concerning offenses. The shutdown of the com- mission is now being examined by federal investigators led by U.S. District Attorney Preet Bharara, the same prosecutor in- vestigating potential abuses of power by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christies office with the Port Authority. The news comes just as the governor runs for re-election in Novem- ber, against Westchester County Executive Rob Astori- no. Thanks to strong approval ratings, Cuomo is currently ahead by 37 points, according to a Siena poll from earlier this week. The governors office defended it- self in a 13-page response, arguing that they oversaw the commission to prevent a conflict of interest. But ac- cording to the Times, the commission was not looking into the governors office when their investigations were curbed, but in fact looking into groups that were politically close to the gov- ernor. A commission appointed by and staffed by the executive cannot inves- tigate the executive, the governors office statement said. It is a pure conflict of interest and would not pass the laugh test. The ethics committee was created to root out the corruption that has marred Albany for years, but the com- missioners grew paranoid and disillu- sioned over time. One commissioner said they thought their communica- tions were being monitored by the governors aides. The thing that bothered me the most is we were created with all this fanfare and the governor was going to clean up Albany, said Barbara Barto- letti, legislative director for the League of Women Voters of New York State and a special adviser to the commission. And it became purely a vehicle for the governor to get legis- lation. Another notch for his re-elec- tion campaign. That was it. B ad politicians like to "game" the system instead of hon- oring the public trust as an honest fiduciary, but even they don't try to own the system without going to jail. A Governor can appoint judges, but can't control them; same is true for Ethics Commissioners. America's exceptional gift to humanity is our separated pow- ers regime - forcing each self-interested party to cut the best deal each time - and hence, squeezing out the best possible div- idend for the citizenry while the deal-cutters take care of their favored special interests. Trying to "control" politics can run afoul of criminality as well as destroying our cherished separated powers; its un- American. But when you "control" others engaged in inde- pendence-based ethics review, investigations and oversight - you have committed the ultimate sin - fixing the system to get a fixed result: wearing a Boy Scout uniform and mugging the little old lady crossing the sidewalk. Even Jimmy the Greek knows its illegal to fix it. And USA Preet Bharara, way smarter than Jimmy, knows this isn't mere "insider trading," but an attempt to convert democracy into an illegal empire or sell illegal favors. It was illegal to control or kill the Moreland Commission. While we like to call New York the Empire State, no New Yorker will serve an emperor or his aide on "bent knee." In- dictments are necessary...to restore the public trust. The author had resigned from NYS JCOPE (Joint Commis- sion on Public Ethics) Astorino angry with Chris Christie for lack of support Gov. Cuomos office derailed ethics commission: NYT Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and the short life of the Moreland Commission New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo Is Albany dark and deep, un-American and an unconstitutional empire? By Ravi Batra Comment Rob Astorino, Republican challenger to Cuomo for Governor, is displeased with Chris Christie, chairman of the Republican Governors Association. Trump casino: one-third of Atlantic City casinos will have closed this year INDIA New Delhi: The government has said its policy on Palestine remains unchanged and rejected calls for a parliament resolution on the violence in Gaza where more than 500 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli mili- tary attacks since the past fortnight. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, in her reply to a debate on the Gaza vio- lence, said the need of the hour was to sup- port the Egypt-backed ceasefire proposal. Sushma Swaraj denied charges that the Narendra Modi government was changing the country' s foreign policy vis-a-vis Palestine. India, she told the Rajya Sabha, desired good relations with both Israel and Palestine. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed and over 3,000 injured in Israeli mili- tary attacks on suspected hideouts of the Hamas militant group that has fired rockets into Israel. Sushma Swaraj dismissed opposition charges that the government was silent on the issue, saying it had reacted to the Gaza bloodshed at the BRICS summit in Brazil. Prime Minister Modi attended the BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa - Summit in Brazil July 15-17. Sushma Swaraj said all Arab states were for peace in the region. "The emphasis of the house should be to condemn incidents of violence everywhere in the world and to support the Egyptian- initiated ceasefire... This should be the stance of the house, of parliament and gov- ernment," she said. The debate, which was listed in the upper house last week, was stalled after the gov- ernment said it did not want a debate on Gaza. Later, after the chairman gave the go- ahead, the government agreed to take up the debate. The UN Security Council has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. New Delhi: India, which is current placed 134th in the World Bank's ease of doing business report, would jump 50 spots by implementing the Gujarat model of reforms, World Bank group president Jim Yong Kim said. Talking to media persons after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi here, Kim said the new government must focus on improving the business environment. He said what Modi did in Gujarat as chief minister, if implemented nationally, would significantly improve ease of doing business. In the World Bank's ease of doing busi- ness report released recently, India was placed at the 134th spot out of 189 coun- tries. On criticism of the report, Kim said the report was not perfect but provides a very important guide to the businesses and pol- icy makers globally. Several countries, including India, voiced concern over the report's method- ology. "The report ranks countries according to the regulations in place only for small and medium enterprises but which, owing to its name, often gets mista ken to refer to general business environment," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said recently in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. "The government has indicated its con- cerns about the indicators used, methodol- ogy, sample size, use of ranking, neglect of qualitative and country specific busi- ness environment etc. to the World Bank," Jaitley said. Kim said the government's concerns were genuine and the World Bank was trying to improve the report and make it more relevant. New Delhi: It has been almost two months since Narendra Modi took charge as India's prime minister, but the new govern- ment is yet to spell out its media and infor- mation policy - except by default. All that journalists are able to surmise - in the absence of any official articulation - is that the Modi government wants to keep members of the fourth estate at an arm's length and feed them information crumbs - only when and what it wants to. Departing from the convention of nam- ing a media adviser, one of the first acts of any new prime minister in a democracy, Modi has appointed 70-year-old veteran aide, Jagdish Thakkar, as only a Public Relations Officer (PRO), an indication by itself that Modi did not feel the need to have "media advice". Thakkar, a PRO during Modi's chief ministership in Gujarat and who is familiar with Modi's working style, is increasingly becoming infamous in media circles for not answering calls and, simply, just not being available. When a group of journalists cornered him at Parliament House recently, Thakkar gave no assurances and said he would only give them what he was asked to give - nothing more. He also made no promise of answering journalists' calls or queries, a standard practice of a media or press adviser and part of his job profile. Modi's council of ministers also believe in evading the media - even those who were earlier friendly with the media and loved chatting with them. Any journalist seeking an interview with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who was known to be media-savvy and always available for a juicy anti-government byte as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, now gets a firm "no" in abrupt and unlikely response. It is widely known that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ministers have been told "not to speak to the media" unless an official line about the government's posi- tion is to be announced. Senior bureaucrats, who under the previ- ous UPA regime were welcoming to scribes, have been issued a gag order and asked not to "entertain" the media. In fact, in some ministries, if a mediaper- son is seen near a minister's office, in Parliament House, or in the ministries, they are rounded up and packed off. The writing on the wall is clear - avoid the media so that they do not have any- thing to sensationalise or create controversies. New Delhi: Sania Mirza has reacted strongly to Telangana BJP leader' s barb branding her ' Pakistan' s daughter-in- law' and said that she is 'an India and will always remain an Indian. "I am an Indian and will always remain an Indian," the statement issued by her said. The tennis star strongly condemned the statement of BJP Telangana leader branding her an outsider. "I strongly condemn any attempts by any person to brand me an outsider. Hurts me that so much time is being wasted on a petty issue of my being appointed as brand ambas- sador of Telangana," the statement added. Earlier, Telangana BJP leader K Laxman flayed the TRS government' s decision to appoint tennis star Sania Mirza as brand ambassador of the newly carved-out state, terming her as "daughter-in-law" of Pakistan and questioning her credentials for the honour. Sania was born in Maharashtra and settled in Hyderabad only later and, hence, is a "non- local", he told reporters here and sought to dub her as "daughter-in-law" of Pakistan, pointing out that she was married to that country's cricketer Shoaib Malik. The 27-year-old tennis player had never participated in agitation for a separate state of Telangana, said Laxman who is leader of BJP in Telangana legislative assembly. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj 11 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info Modi's media policy - keep them away? I will remain an Indian, Sania Mirza World Bank group president Jim Yong Kim Sania Mirza has reacted strongly to Telangana BJP leader's barb Indian government rejects Gaza resolution Gujarat model may help India in doing business 12 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA Lucknow: Stirred by a series of sexual crimes in the state and else- where, an NGO has decided to build a Nirbhaya Memorial to the women who were victims of such crimes and to stir society's con- science against such acts. Nutan Thakur, an office-bearer of NGO People' s Forum, said the forum has an 8,000 sq ft piece of land in Khadgapur in the Gomtinagar extension for the memorial, named after the Dec 16, 2012, Delhi gang-rape victim. The memorial would not only be for highlighting many such cases of sexual assault, crimes and brutality perpetrated against women but also to "shame" the assailants and soci- ety at large that "such heinous crimes continue under their watch". The memorial would also have a counselling centre for women fac- ing "similar situations" and would work to alert them before it's too late. "The idea is to salute the women' s spirit which in many avatars in Hindu mythology is an incarnation of Shakti," Nutan Thakur's husband Amitabh Thakur, a senior IPS officer, who is also contributing to the memorial that is likely to be completed by the first week of January 2015, said. "We, as responsible citizens, have taken it upon ourselves to ensure that such crimes are not only adequately highlighted but also not brushed under carpet by a society which does not want to live with shame and pain beyond a cer- tain timeline," he mused while explaining how, when such inci- dents take place, there is a wave of public sentiment that soon wanes. The idea behind the memorial - which will have a statue of a woman in abstract and symbolic along with a demon-like man out to assault her sexually - was to ensure that the pain lingers on until it shakes the people into a permanent action mode, Amitabh Thakur said. Thus, the memorial would also have a small museum where mem- ories of these crimes would be pre- served in the form of pictures of victims, the stories of their fami- lies, their dreams, paper cuttings of news reports and details of the police action or inaction with a detailed follow up, he added. Asked if this would be akin to extending the pain of such tragedies, he said this was the whole idea behind the memorial! "Does brushing aside the incidents lessen the pain and increase the safety of women," he asked. The forum has begun talks with some local architects and are in the process of fund collection for the memorial, they say. "It is a memo- rial for a social cause and we hope that there would be some sculptors who would volunteer to take up the statue's design and fabrication and we will then follow it up," Nutan Thakur said. The forum is also in the process of talking to the parents and fami- lies of such victims and will try to detail the life they lived and the macabre ends they met. "We would also try to asses, assimilate and showcase how normal dreams were shattered due to the uncontrolled lust and unchecked criminal instincts," Nutan Thakur said. Uttar Pradesh has recorded a quantum jump of 55 per cent in sexual crimes and rapes over the previous year, union home ministry data shows. Politicians and police, howev- er, chose to look the other way. May be, the memorial will shame them enough! One can only keep one's fingers crossed. A memorial to 'shame' society on growing sexual crimes India ranks 135 in Human Development Index Nandan Nilekani impresses Narendra Modi New Delhi: In a sign that shows India has a lot of catching up to do, the country's ranking in the Human Development Index (HDI) remained unchanged at 135 in 2013, reflecting little improve- ment in the living standard of its people, says a United Nations Development Programme report. "India's HDI value for 2013 is 0.586 - which falls in the medium human development category - positioning the country at 135 out of 187 countries. Between 1980 to 2013, India's HDI value increased from 0.369 to 0.586," said the UNDP report. The report further said that none of the BRICS countries were in the high human development cate- gory and India remained at the bottom with lowest HDI value among them. "India is the lowest performing country among the BRICS nations in all categories of the HDI with the exception of life expectancy, which is lower in South Africa as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidem- ic," the report said. Among the BRICS countries, Russia, Brazil and China are in the high HDI category. Russia secured the highest rank at 57, fol- lowed by Brazil at 79 and China at 91. South Africa and India rank in the middle category, securing 118th and 135th position respec- tively, it said. The HDI reflects long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human lives - a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living. In 2013 the study covered 187 coun- tries, the same as in 2012 and 2011. The report said that based on the data available on November 15, 2013, there were few countries with changed in ranks between 2012 and 2013. Presenting a review of India's progress in each of the HDI indi- cators between 1980 and 2013, it said, "The life expectancy at birth increased by 11 years, mean years of schooling increased by 2.5 years and expected years of schooling increased by 5.3 years." New Delhi: Four days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first public statement surpris- ingly backing the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), former UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani met with the PM and finance minister Arun Jaitley and persuaded the new regime to persist with Aadhaar numbers and the Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) scheme. This meeting a life-saver for the Aadhaar pro- gramme happened on the first of July. On July 5, Modi sought a 100 crore enrollment target under Aadhaar at the 'earliest', casting aside earlier notions that the new government will go slow on the UIDAI project. Nilekani, who was appointed by Congress to head UIDAI in 2009, was in Delhi in the last days of June to vacate the government bungalow allotted to him in Lutyens' Delhi. It is during this period that he and UIDAI sought and obtained a meeting with the prime minister and the finance minister. Nine days after this meeting, Jaitley, in the Union Budget, increased allocation for UIDAI from Rs 1,550 crore (revised estimate) to Rs 2,039 crore. There is enough evidence to suggest that the crucial July 1 meeting between Nilekani, the prime minister and the FM, brought forth a volte face in the govern- ment stand on UIDAI. Glasgow: India has hit the headlines for reasons other than sporting in the just-begun Commonwealth Games here after it came to light that the country' s flag was shown upside down in the official song for the 11-day event. The official song titled "Let the Games Begin" is also the Glasgow Children' s 2014 Anthem for UNICEF. The song features the flags of all the participating coun- tries but the makers have blun- dered while showcasing the tri-colour. India, who finished second in the medals in the previous edition of the event in Delhi, has sent a 215-strong contin- gent this time. The Games kicked off with a colorful here. None of the BRICS countries were in the high human development category. Former Unique Identification Authority of India chairman Nandan Nilekani Indian contingent at the CWG opening ceremony in Glasgow Indian flag shown upside down in CWG song video 13 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA Mumbai: The Shiv Sena has defended its parliamentarians accused of force-feeding a Muslim canteen supervisor on fast at Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi last week, invoking the Maratha pride and turning the spotlight on the facilities, which the party said were not up to the mark, at the state guest house. In an editorial published in party mouthpiece Saamna, Shiv Sena said the incident was blown out of proportion and given a communal angle. The editorial added that the Shiv Sena respected all religions. "One's belief is a personal matter and making such a political mockery of someone's beliefs could only be an attempt to malign the Shiv Sena," it added. Video footage of a group of Shiv Sena MPs inspecting food at the Sadan's canteen and one of them Thane parliamentarian Rajan Vichare thrusting a chapati into the canteen supervisor's mouth had triggered outrage in Parliament and social media on Wednesday. Ashraf Zubair, the canteen super- visor, had his name badge on. According to ANI, Janata Dal (United) leader Ali Anwar, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, said the Shiv Sena parliamentarians had trig- gered the controversy with the intent to "polarise" voters in view of the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. However, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray had said, "It's an attempt to silence us...MPs did- n't want to hurt any religious feel- ings." The Saamna editorial also cited problems faced by the MPs resid- ing in Delhi's Maharashtra Sadan. Launching an attack on chief min- ister Prithviraj Chavan, it said the food served at the state guest house must be "force-fed" to him. New Delhi: The union cabinet has approved a proposal to increase for- eign direct investment (FDI) limit in the insurance sector to 49 percent from the current 26 percent. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi okayed the proposal for the hike but maintains Indian management control. A senior government official who did not want to be named said the overseas investments in the insur- ance sector would be allowed through the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) route. In the budget for 2014-15 present- ed earlier this month, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed to hike the overseas investment limit in the insurance sector to 49 percent. Welcoming the government' s move, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) director general Chandrajit Banerjee said the increase in FDI limit will help attracting the much needed long term capital for the sector which can have multiplier effect on the state of economy especially in meeting the huge infrastructure financing requirements". New Delhi: The 39 Indian workers held captive in Iraq are safe and get- ting proper food and water, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said. "The government has got to know from various sources that they (Indian workers) are safe and get- ting food and water," the minister told the Lok Sabha. The Indians are held captive in the Iraqi city of Mosul. The minister, however, refused to divulge the action being pursued by the government to bring them back. "Secrecy is the first principle. How can I divulge the action plan?" she asked. Sushma Swaraj said she had spo- ken over telephone to all her coun- terparts in the Gulf countries and met their ambassadors in New Delhi too.The inter-ministerial Standing Group for Repatriation of Indian Nationals from Abroad has put in place robust contingency plans for safe and expeditious evacuation of Indians from Iraq, she said. She added that as of July 22, around 4,000 Indian nationals had been provided assistance to return to India. Shiv Sena fights row triggered by MPs Cabinet okays 49 percent FDI in insurance SEP. 4,000 Indian nationals had been provided assistance to return to India. Thane parliamentarian Rajan Vichare. Indian captives in Iraq safe: Sushma Swaraj By Karan Thapar I t amazes me how the smallest and, sometimes, the silliest things work us into a frenzy and make us froth at the mouth. The Ved Pratap Vaidik affair is the latest example which shows how, at critical moments, we lack a sense of proportion, balance and perspective. Sadly, the worst offenders seem to be the media and the Opposition. If you look carefully at the questions this controversy has raised you will see what I mean. First, was Mr Vaidik, a journalist, right to meet Hafiz Saeed? The answer is simple. Journalists have a right to meet whoever they want, wherever and for as long as the person is willing. If journalists can interview Osama bin Laden, Mullah Omar, Prabhakaran, Maoist leaders in India and Veerappan then, by the same token, Mr Vaidik can inter- view Hafiz Saeed, even though India, America and the European Union consider him a terrorist. Last month the BBC inter- viewed Hafiz Saeed. The British government saw nothing wrong in that. No one in Britain object- ed. How is Mr Vaidiks case any different? Second, is Mr Vaidik required to produce a formal interview in Q&A form or some other jour- nalistic account of it? Not neces- sarily. As a journalist, hes enti- tled to meet Hafiz Saeed, or any- one else, for either an off-the- record chat or a formal interview. Consequently, the Congress partys claim that Mr Vaidik should be arrested for meeting Hafiz Saeed is simply preposter- ous. The kindest thing I can say is it reminds me of the Emergency. Finally, most journalists I know would jump at an opportunity to interview Hafiz Saeed. I find it hard to believe those who say the opposite. This would be an inter- view that quickens the spirit, sharpens the mind and drives the adrenaline of every journalist I respect. It would also be a scoop! The second aspect of the Vaidik affair is his comments on Kashmir. For the record, he spoke of the two halves of that partitioned state coming together with common elections, a single assembly and a single chief min- ister. He then went on to speak of the possibility of azaadi only to say it would be unviable and against Kashmirs interests. However, what he said is mere detail because he has every right to say whatever he wants. Thats freedom of expression. We may not like it. It could be offensive to many. But, as Voltaire alleged- ly put it and even if he didnt the point still holds the proper response from the rest of us is to defend to the death Mr Vaidiks right to say what he did. The last issue and, perhaps, the most controversial is Mr Vaidiks alleged relationship with the government. Was he an inter- mediary? Was he carrying mes- sages to Hafiz Saeed? He says he wasnt. The govern- ment insists he wasnt. Perhaps one reason for believing both is the way he spoke about Kashmir on Pakistani television. An inter- mediary would not have done this. It would have amounted to an unforgiveable lapse. The fact Mr Vaidik did suggests hes probably right in claiming his meeting cannot be connected to the government. To sum up, this episode didnt deserve the attention it received. The fact it, nonetheless, got it suggests we dont know how to respond to events we dont like or developments we cant fully understand. Rather than think carefully and candidly we con- vert them into instant controver- sies. Each time we do we either show ourselves up or, worse, let ourselves down. The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times. 14 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED Are Hindutva hawks flying again? By Amulya Ganguli T he latest reported observations of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) supre- mo, Ashok Singhal, echo what the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideo- logue, M.S. Golwalkar, said in his 1939 pub- lication, "We, or Our Nationhood Defined". In it, the Hindutva icon had given an outline of what the minorities can expect in India. "The foreign races in Hindusthan," the RSS guru had written, "must either adopt the Hindu culture and language, must learn to respect and hold in reverence Hindu religion, must entertain no ideas but those of glorifica- tion of the Hindu race and culture ... or may stay in the country, wholly subordinated to the Hindu nation, claiming nothing, deserv- ing no privileges, far less any preferential treatment, not even citizen's rights." Seventy-five years later, Singhal's state- ment shows that little has changed so far as the saffron worldview is concerned. In an interview to the Hindustan Times, he has said that the "Muslims will be treated as common citizens - nothing more, nothing less. And they must learn to respect Hindu sentiments. If they keep opposing Hindus, how long can they survive?" Unlike Golwalkar, the VHP leader is will- ing to concede citizen's rights to Muslims, but the precondition of respecting Hindu sen- timents remains. He has also issued an unam- biguous threat by linking the "survival" of the Muslims to the need to defer to the Hindus. Singhal has imposed a caveat as well. It is that the Muslims must forsake their claims on the Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura mosques and accept a uniform civil code. By reviving the demand for the Varanasi and Mathura shrines along with that of Ayodhya, Singhal has recalled the slogan which was raised by the saffron cadres after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya: "Yeh to pehli jhan- ki hai, Kashi, Mathura baki hai." (This is only the first instalment; Kashi and Mathura will be next). Following a carrot-and-stick policy, the VHP leader has promised to give the Muslims "love" - another change from Golwalkar - and pledged not to claim any other mosque (for demolition) even though there are thousands built on the "ruins of temples" which were destroyed in medieval times. This show of forbearance is reminiscent of another chilling slogan of the 1990s: Teen nahin, teen hazar, nahin rahegi ek mazar. (Not three but three thousand, not a single holy place will remain intact.) In the interview, Singhal has given the saf- fron brotherhood's interpretation of Narendra Modi's success. It was based, according to him, essentially on the "undercurrents" of the Ram temple and Godhra issues over which development and governance acted as a veneer. The next step is to do "what we want to do" though by "constitutional means". If these observations are read together with Singhal's earlier hope that only Modi can pre- vent the "total Islamization" of India, then it will be obvious that while the people in gen- eral are expecting an economic revival, the saffron lobby wants the implementation of its Hindu agenda. Evidently, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will have to undertake a careful balancing act in order to reconcile the two - if it wants to. Perhaps, it will start with a few sops to the fundamentalists by, say, initiating moves to introduce the uniform civil code and hold a wide-ranging discussion on Article 370 of the constitution which confers special status on Kashmir. It has already appointed an RSS sympathiz- er to the post of chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research who may resume former human resource development minister Murli Manohar Joshi's unfinished task of rewriting Indian history. But the BJP cannot be unaware that too many pro-active steps will carry the danger of upsetting the apple-cart. Having come to power under exceptional circumstances, viz, the Congress's collapse under an inept leader- ship, the BJP cannot afford to throw it all away by following the diktats of the extrem- ists in the Sangh Parivar. Only the BJP knows whether they are paper tigers or have real teeth. Outsiders have little clue although their capability to set off riots is not unknown. However, having depended heavily on the RSS and its non-political affil- iates during the election campaign, the BJP will be wary of displeasing them now that it is in power. Modi, in contrast, is an "ideal swayamse- vak", according to Singhal. The saffron zealots will, therefore, expect him to fulfil their dream of establishing a Hindu rashtra (nation). How they will react if they are dis- appointed, as in Vajpayee's time, is the mil- lion dollar question. Narendra Modi is an "ideal swayamsevak", according to Ashok Singhal (left), sitting next to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Vaidik affair: Why we let ourselves down The Ved Pratap Vaidik affair is the latest example which shows that we lack a sense of proportion, balance and perspective. NATIONAL COMMUNITY July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 15 Traditional lamp lighting to open the convention. (below) Renowned musician Pt. Jasraj, the chief guest, with prominent guests and RANA functionaries. (above) Sampat Poddar was honored for business acumen in gems and jewelry. New York: The Rajasthan Association of North America (RANA) successful- ly hosted the 4th Rajasthani International Convention at the Islandia Marriott on Long Island, from July 3-6, 2 Over 800 people took part in the convention and enjoyed delicious Rajasthani cuisine, Bollywood & Rajasthani folk music and traditional dances, said Dr. Narendra Hadpawat, Convener & RANA President. The Convention was inaugurated by Padma Vibhushan Sangeet Martand Pt. Jasraj along with Consul General of India, Amb. Dnyaneshwar Mulay who was the Chief Guest. Grand Sponsor Dr. Samin Sharma, Platinum Sponsor Dr. Chitranjan Ranawat and Corporate Sponsor Naveen Shah, chief of Navika Group of Companies were also present on the occasion. Dr. Hadpawat highlighted the importance of such conventions if we are to instill our rich culture and her- itage in our youth. In his address, he called upon the youth to carry the torch forward and continue to grow RANA with their exuberance and energy. At the convention, RANA honored four individuals for excellence in their respective fields: Prof. Arvind Panagariya for Economics, Prem Jain for entrepreneurship in IT, Dr. Radheshyam Agrawal for medicine and Sampat Poddar for business acu- men in gems and jewelry. The theme of the Convention was to help build a Healthy and Literate Rajasthan. Accordingly, a check of $50,000 was presented to D.R. Mehta, the founder of Jaipur Foot The target was to raise another $50,000 for improving education in villages of Rajasthan. K.K. Mehta, President of Rajasthan Foundation, invited all Rajasthan organizations in USA to participate in a drive to help develop Rajasthan. Senior Board members of RANA were seen taking to the catwalk in an impromptu Fashion Show as well as participating in a traditional Rajasthani dance and song program. Bollywood music director Bhappi Lahiri along with the melodious Sadhna Sargam kept the capacity crowd entertained and dancing. A musical revue Rangeelo Rajasthan, presented by Dhwani showcased the glory of Rajasthan. Chefs specially flown in from Rajasthan prepared authentic cuisine of the state. Shailesh Lodha and his team of poets regaled the attendees with their wit & Hasya Kavita. The convention attracted people from not only the tri- state area, but also from other parts of the country and Canada as well. Prof. Arvind Panagariya was honored for excellence in economics. Ganesh Vandana dance in classical style. 16 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD Post 'Devil', Nargis Fakhri bruised, battered A live performance by singer Kamaal Khan on popular Bollywood tracks, dcor reflecting the golden period and actresses Bipasha Basu and Chitrangada Singh walking the ramp in true diva style, the grand finale by Shree Raj Mahal Jewellers as a part of India Couture Week 2014 turned out to be a complete Bollywood affair. While Chitrangada started the show in black voluminous Gauri and Nainika gown accessorising it well with statement neckpiece, Bipasha looked no less than a bride in designer Rohit Bal lehanga and matching jewel- ery. "Whenever I wear Indian outfit, I make sure of accessorising it well with jewellery and today I am feeling like a queen. I started my career as a model and it's great to come back to Delhi again and walk on ramp. It was such a great welcome that I felt emotional,a Bipasha shared after the show. As the actress was looking no less than a bride, it was obvious for her to get bombarded with questions on wed- ding. Asked that whether she would like to adorn the similar heavy pieces on her wedding day, she said: "I would love to look like a Bengali bride and I don't mind if I get the chance to wear such beautiful looking pieces. Afterall, every bride wants to look her best on the most special day of her life." Chitrangada, on the other hand, took her inspiration from the famous Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe when she walked down the ramp danc- ing and smiling. "Yes I tried to replicate her (Marilyn) but it is not easy . Doing Marilyn is not easy for anyone. She was someone who has inspired many but I tried to give my best," she said. The show was mix of jewelleries from the Svara and Sondaraya collec- tion of the title sponsor of the couture week. Pieces inlaid in gold and dia- monds embellished with precious stones such as emeralds, rubies and pearls dominated the range of designs. The Svara collection comprises of gold and polka jewellery embellished in precious stones such as emerald and ruby while Sondaraya was a variable mix of traditional motifs and contem- porary styles in diamond jewellery. Also seen walking the ramp was filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar and model-actor Muzammil Ibrahim. One of the highpoint of the show was live singing by Kamaal Khan who sung tracks including "Afrin" , "Ishq Sufiana" and "Mein tenu samjhawan". Though it was difficult for people sit- ting in Main Show Area (MSA) to see him but the voice certainly made of them Asing with him. R ockstar" fame actress Nargis Fakhri may be in bed resting it out after sustaining injuries while shooting her "devil" item song with Salman Khan for Sajid Nadiadwala' s "Kick", but she finds the experience exhilarating. "It was a devil of a song," she said punning on the song's title "Devil". The song is composed by Yo Yo Honey Singh, his first for Salman and after his "Lungi dance" track for Shah Rukh Khan in "Chennai Express". "It is a very special song. I do like Yo Yo Honey Singh's songs. So I was super-excit- ed about that as well. And I am blessed to have danced to it with Salman. Never mind the minor injuries." Nargis admits it was physi- cally an ordeal to dance to Yo Yo's energetic beats. "It was stressful. Before the dancing, I always get so nervous and stressed. I am not very comfortable with the gyrations and thrusts. My entire physical presence becomes tense. "I was dancing with Salman with a torn meniscus, a torn ham-string and two inflamed discs. So there was a lot of pain. But I kept push- ing myself because Ahmed Khan's choreography was so very inspiring. Now I am recuperating in bed." She had suffered similar injuries while performing the "Dhating" number with Shahid Kapoor for "Phata Poster Nikla Hero". "For that number with Shahid as well as for this number with Salman, I didn't allow my physique enough time and rehearsals to warm up prop- erly. So it was a bit of deja- vu dancing. But every bit of the pain was worth it because of Salman."Thankfully, Ahmed Khan worked the dance movements around Nargis's comfort zone. Bipasha Basu at India Couture Week 2014 Nargis Fakhri in a scene from 'Devil' S alman Khan, who chooses festive season to release his mega movies, continues the trend with "Kick", which is coming out in the Eid week. He believes choosing the right slot is important from busi- ness perspective. He said: "Be it Eid or Diwali, the holiday sea- son matters a lot. There is no release during Ramadan, so when a film releases during this period, people die to see that film. Again with Diwali being a fes- tive season, people want to go and see the film with family." In the last few years, Salman has booked Eid for his mega releases and most of them turned out to be bumper hits. His "Kick", which marks the directorial debut of Sajid Nadiadwala, will hit the screens July 25. Usually one big movie comes on each festival, but Salman is of the view that "Diwali, Holi, Republic Day, Christmas - they can accommodate three to four films." Holiday season matters a lot: Salman Salman Khan in 'Kick' S ri Lankan beauty Jacqueline Fernandez is excited about her next project "Bangistan", a film about two terrorists. Directed by Karan Anshuman, "Bangistan" features Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat in the male leads, while the actress will make a special appearance in it. "I am doing a song and a special appearance in the movie. It's a very interesting script about two terrorists, it's extremely funny," said the 28- year-old. It has Pulikt and Riteish, and I play a character who shows them life otherwise. I am extremely excited about the film," added Jacqueline, who is currently busy promoting "Kick", in which she plays Salman Khan's ladylove. Jacqueline excited about 'Bangistan' Actor Jacqueline Fernandez Nitish Bhardwaj back as Krishna H e left an indelible mark on the Indian TV viewers when he first played Lord Krishna over 25 years ago in B. R. Chopra' s " Ma h a b h a r a t a " . Now he will reprise the role in the play "Chakravyuh". "Chakravyuh" is an offering from Delhi-based theatre group, the Films and Theatre Society, and directed by theatre personality Atul Satya Koushik. When he scripted the play, Koushik immediately decided to cast Nitish as Arjunas charioteer. The play "Chakravyuh" will be staged here Saturday at the Kamani Auditorium followed by a show at Gurgaon Aug 3. "It is almost after 25 years that I will once again pick the flute and get on the stage," Nitish said in a statement. "I am a bit nervous as I, at no cost, want to disappoint my fans who have for decades showered me with their love," added the actor who is not new to theatre - he performed in six Hindi and Urdu plays in the late 1980s. Nitish quit his career of a veterinarian to pursue acting, and he was just 23 years old when he was picked up for the epic role of Lord Krishna in "Mahabharata", which was aired in 1988. Apart from his stage comeback, Nitish is also awaiting the release of his Hindi film "Yaksha", directed by Mukul Abhyankar in which he plays the title role. ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 17 Toronto: Priyanka Chopra- starrer "Mary Kom", based on boxer M.C Mary Kom, will have its world premiere here at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the organizers announced. The 39th Toronto International Film Festival will take place between September 4 and 14. "Glamorous Indian star Priyanka Chopra completely transforms herself to play Mary Kom, world champion in women's boxing. From tradi- tional village life in remote Manipur state to high-stakes bouts in India and around the world, this is a remarkable story of triumph. The film will have its world premiere at TIFF," said a statement from the organizers. Directed by Omung Kumar, "Mary Kom" was made with the support of the five-time World Champion boxer herself. Priyanka spent a lot of time with Mary to understand the nuances, stance and style of a boxer like her. The film' s first look was unveiled via two posters earlier recently and they were received warmly on socialnetworking sites.The movie is slated for theatrical release Oct 2. D ocumentary maker Raj Sampad's short film "Dreaming With Sand" chronicling the inspiring story of sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has official- ly entered the Sundance Film Festival, its maker said. "Dreaming With Sand" will compete with other films and if it wins, it will be premiered at the 2015 edition of the festi- val, starting Jan 22. "Sundance is one of the largest inde- pendent film festivals in the United States. It takes place every year in the Park City of Utah. My docu-fiction ' Dreaming With Sand' has officially entered the festival, the result will be out Oct 1," Sampad told IANS. "In the docu- fiction ' Dreaming With Sand' I have shown Pattnaik's journey from being in a financial predicament to rising into one of the greatest and critically acclaimed sand artists on the planet today," he added. At 22, Sampad, an independent film- maker from the city, has made three short films under his production house Incendiary Films on offbeat topics. The theme of this year's fest was to cre- ate an inspirational story that would show an individual or a community overcom- ing poverty or hunger. "When I first read the theme, the first person that struck my mind was Sudarsan Pattnaik as I had heard about his strug- gle," said Sampad. "Everybody knows him as a famous sand sculptor, but the real inspiration lies in his past life and very few people know about it. Pattnaik himself has lent his voice in the film," he said. Europe beckons 'Yamaleela 2' team T he team of upcoming Telugu fanta- sy film "Yamaleela 2" will soon be heading to some exotic locations in Europe such as Switzerland, Slovenia, Milan and Italy to shoot important por- tions of the film. "We will be shooting songs and some important scenes in these locations. The script demanded that we explore some new places in Europe and that's how we zeroed in on these places. We recently completed our India schedule as well," the film's director S.V, Krishna Reddy, said. Starring newcomers K.V. Satish and Nikita Diah Nicholas, "Yamaleela 2" is said to be high on VFX. "About 30 to 40 percent of the film is replete with visual effects. We've had a team of foreign technicians working on the VFX in the film. It will be a visual delight," he added. Actresses Sada and Nisha Kothari will be seen in two item numbers in the film, which is nearing completion. A scene from 'Yamaleela 2' A scene from the film 'Mary Kom' Aamir's daughter organizes charity football match B ollywood superstar Aamir Khan's daughter Ira organized a celebrity football match to raise funds for an animal welfare shelter. The charity match was held in Mumbai for PIGI Foundation, which will build an ani- mal welfare shelter with the money. Nuzhat Khan, actor Imran Khans mother and Ira' s aunt, will look after the shelter, read a statement. Aamir and actor Abhishek Bachchan were captains of the two teams and the former's team won the match by 4:2. Celebrities like Sohail Khan, Karan Wahi, Gurmeet Choudhary and Shabbir Ahluwalia also participated in the match. Superstar Salman Khan distributed prizes to all. Film on Sudarsan Pattnaik goes to Sundance fest Aamir Khan's daughter Ira Actor Nitish Bhardwaj Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik 18 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info FASHION Actors Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapoor at designer Manish Malhotra`s show at the India Couture Week 2014 Manish Malhotra portrays old world charm with 'Portraits' T he ace designer created an old world charm at the Shree Raj Mahal Jewellers India Couture Week (ICW) with Portraits, an amal- gamation of vintage embroidery on contemporary silhouttes, and wowed the gathering. The cherry on the cake was Bollywoods young talents Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur, who turned confident showstoppers for him Saturday. On multiple pieces, the designer used an ethereal touch of Kashmiri Zari work and teamed up some of them with elaborate ivory thread work set against the backdrop of colors like beige, grapevine, emer- ald, ruby red velvet and tulle. The show received an applause from the audience, which also included celebri- ties and socialites like Shahnaz Hussain, Vandana Luthra and Ayaan Ali Khan. Actor Chitrangada Singh displays jewellery by Moni Agarwal during the IIJW. 50-year-old film star Sridevi donned a gold lehenga and choli teamed with an elaborate raanihaar from Golecha Jewels at IIJW. Bollywood turns showstopper A live perform- ance by singer Kamaal Khan on popular Bollywood tracks, dcor reflecting the golden period and actresses Bipasha Basu and Chitrangada Singh walking the ramp in true diva style, the grand finale by Shree Raj Mahal Jewellers as a part of India Couture Week 2014 turned out to be a complete Bollywood affair. While Chitrangada started the show in black voluminous Gauri and Nainika gown acces- sorizing it well with statement neckpiece, Bipasha looked no less than a bride in designer Rohit Bal lehanga and matching jewelry. Chitrangada, on the other hand, took her inspiration from the famous Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe when she walked down the ramp dancing and smiling. The show was mix of jewelries from the Svara and Sondaraya collection of the title sponsor of the couture week. Pieces inlaid in gold and diamonds embel- lished with precious stones such as emer- alds, rubies and pearls dominated the range of designs. Also seen walking the ramp was filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar and model-actor Muzammil Ibrahim. (1) A model walks on the ramp for designer Varun Bahl`s show. (2) A model displays Manish Arora designs. (3) A model displays Gaurav Gupta creation. Glitter and gold at IIJW The high note during the India International Jewelry Week (IIJW) in Mumbai was of course Bol l ywood beauti es sashayi ng down the ramp i n gl i tter and gold. In its fifth edition this year, the four-day event from July 14-17 was organized by the Gems and Jewellery Export Promoti on Council (GJEPC), which has become a major destination for buyers and designers alike as the latest in traditional and modern wear with diamonds, gold, silver and precious stones are presented for the upcoming bridal and festive season. Raveena Tandon at the India International Jewellery Week (IIJW) 2014 - Day 2 1 2 3 Kuala Lumpur: An Indian origin flight steward was among the 15 crew members on board the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that was shot down over Ukraine last Thursday. Sanjid Singh Sandu, 41, had swapped flights with his colleague to fly on the MH17, the Malaysian Insider reported. "He was last here about a month ago. He told us recently that he swapped with a col- league for the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight," Sandu's father Jijar Singh, 71, said. Sandu was Jijar's youngest child and the only son. "He always called us before he left for his trip," Singh said. Just 131 days ago, Sandu's wife, also a Malaysia Airlines flight stewardess had swapped out of flight MH370 which van- ished while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. "Sanjid' s wife was meant to fly on MH370 but swapped with another col- league at the last minute," Singh said. "He was supposed to come here at noon after he returns from Amsterdam this morning. His mother had prepared all his favorite dishes," Singh said Sandu and his family, including their seven-year-old son, live in Kuala Lumpur. New Delhi: In a bid to prevent human rights violations among Indian migrant workers in the Gulf region, Amnesty International India and UAE Exchange India have launched a "Go to Gulf with rights" campaign. The awareness campaign will provide information about migrant workers' rights under Indian and international law, legally author- ized channels for migration, pre- departure training programs and the risks of irregular migration, an Amnesty International statement said Friday. Migrant workers and their fami- lies will also be able to access information about support systems in destination countries and details of Indian embassies and NGOs that can provide assistance. "Migrant workers who travel to the Gulf can face exploitation even before leaving home. They are known to be charged excessive recruitment fees and deceived about their contracts, leaving them more vulnerable to human rights abuses in the Gulf, including human trafficking and forced labor," G. Ananthapadmanabhan, chief executive of Amnesty International India, said in the statement. The workers will be equipped with a safe migration booklet, pamphlet and a toll free telephone number 1800-200-1303. V George Antony, managing director and country head of UAE Exchange India, a financial servic- es firm, said that this pioneering campaign will be featured in UAE Exchange offices for the next six months, and will help prospective migrants learn about their rights and how to migrate safely. Now, Uttar Pradesh sets up NRI department Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh gov- ernment Friday announced a new department has been set up for NRIs, tasked with not only solving their problems but also attracting investment in the state.Infrastructure and Industrial Development princi- pal secretary has been handed over the charge of the new department, a state government spokesman said. The new department would not only work to address the problems faced by the NRI community in the state but would also encourage the hard- working and technically advanced NRIs to invest here. The spokesman added that recognizing the large number of NRIs from the state, the department would also increase communications with the communi- ty and make them partners in the efforts to usher in growth in the state. A cell was earlier constituted in the Udyog Bandhu to address the problems faced by NRIs and inform them of investment and job opportu- nities in the state. New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called upon NRIs to work for the reconstruction of the country, and said Indians living abroad endorse the NDA government as their "own." "The NDA government is the first gov- ernment which NRIs endorse as their own. We want the NRIs to work with us for the progress of our nation," Sushma Swaraj said in the first Baleshwar Agrawal memorial lecture at the India International Centre here. She said NRIs played an important role in the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the general election. "The NRIs were crucial in our victory. They assisted us by coming here and from abroad as well. It is our duty that we will have to live up to their expectations," Sushma Swaraj said. She said it was only during the previous NDA government of 1998-2004 that NRIs earned their rightful place in foreign coun- tries. "After the first NDA government came to power, India became an IT power which enabled NRIs to live with dignity and recognition," Sushma Swaraj said during the lecture titled "Diaspora policy of the government of India". She said the government was giving final shape to a Rs.94-crore NRI building project. "By Jan 9, when we mark Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the building would be ready for inauguration," she said. She said her ministry was contemplating an immigration bill which would take all such people to task who lure other people with false promises of jobs abroad and issue fake visas. "If there is any trouble to any Indian in any country, India should be ready to come to help," Sushma Swaraj said, adding that this would be the basis of her NRI policy. She lamented that because of the "policy paralysis" of the previous UPA govern- ment, the success story of India was being written off. She expressed hope that with its strong initiatives, the current government would regain India' s global position. L.K. Advani, who presided over the lecture, said the government should be prepared to permanently solve the issues of blue collar Indian workers who face multiple prob- lems in other countries. "It is the duty of the government to serve Indians, the ones who are living here as well as those who are living abroad," Advani said. Sanjid Singh Sandu with his wife and son 'Go to Gulf with rights' campaign to help expats Singapore: Indians were among the top three spenders in Singapore during their visit here in the first quarter of this year, Singapore tourism board (STB) said on Monday. But spending by the Indians during the quarter was off by 3 per cent on the year at SGD284 million due to a fall in arrivals and less per capita expenditure of leisure visitors, the board said. The Indian tourist arrivals in Singapore was 65,557 in January which is down by 7.9 per cent a year ago. In February, 62, 999 Indian tourists visited Singapore, which was 5.6 per cent better than a year ago and in March the number was 70,472 visitors, unchanged from March 2013. In April, 79,522 Indian tourists visited Singapore, up by 4.5 per cent on the year. But the expenditure of these visi- tors was outside the quarterly report. Indian-origin steward on board MH17 swapped flights DIASPORA 19 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info Sushma exhorts NRIs to assist in India's progress Indians among the top three spenders in Singapore New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be welcome whenever he chooses to visit Pakistan, said that country's envoy here. Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit said a visit to Pakistan by Modi "would be welcome whenever he comes". But Basit noted that such high-level visits "don't happen without adequate prepara- tion". "It is too early to say anything" about such a visit, he said at an event at the Press Club of India. Basit said the meeting between Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif dur- ing Modi's May 26 swearing-in ceremony and the bilateral talks a day later here "was a good beginning". He said Sharif has articulated the agenda of "development for security and security for development" and "we are very glad that the new Indian government is also commit- ted to it...There is compatibility of agendas". While stressing that it was time for Pakistan and India to "dispense with past stereotypes" and move forward in their bilat- eral relationship, Basit said that "all roots of the problems go back to Jammu and Kashmir". "The genesis of all disputes find origin in J and K... we need to resolve all the issues. We have new challenges to face like terror- ism," said the envoy and stressed that both sides need to bring stability to the region through more engagement. He said that Pakistan is keen to build itself as a bridge between South Asia and the Economic Cooperation Organisation, a bloc of 10 South-Central Asian countries which was founded by Turkey, Pakistan and Iran in 1985. He said Pakistan is "destined to become a regional economic power" and is keen to boost regional connectivity. Islamabad: After denying him a visa for years, the US now wants to engage with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Pakistani daily said, adding Washington wants to re-engage with "Modi's India". An editorial in the Dawn said the US- India Strategic Dialogue will resume when Secretary of State John Kerry visits New Delhi later this month. His trip will be followed by a series of cabinet- and sub-cabinet-level visits lead- ing up to the summit between Modi and Barack Obama in September. "A hearing by a subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held this week highlights the fast-chang- ing mood in the US that wants to re- engage with Modi's India, as well as the renewed thrust for India to play a larger regional role," it said. It said the mounting interest in Modi and his promise of reviving India's growth and reaching out to neighbors "is important for the Pakistani government to follow close- ly". "The implications are that Modi' s approach to reforming India's allocative priorities holds important clues to what neighboring countries such as Pakistan can expect in the years to come." Islamabad: A top Pakistani security adviser told a visit- ing US regional envoy that the security forces are target- ing all armed groups in the North Waziristan tribal region. The comments came days after the US commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Joseph Dunford, said he has reser- vations about the overall effectiveness of the army operations in North Waziristan. Dunford said Pakistani forces have had some suc- cess against the Pakistani Taliban and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) in North Waziristan, but that they certainly has not had the effect against the Haqqani network and others that Washington would want to have seen. However, Pakistan' s Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz told outgoing US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan James Dobbins in Islamabad that Pakistan was taking action again all militants in North Waziristan. "The advisor highlighted Pakistan's monumental effort to address the threat of ter- rorism and underscored that the military operation was addressing this menace without any discrimination or distinction," a foreign ministry statement said. Pakistani forces launched a major offensive codenamed "Zarb-e- Azb" against local and foreign militants June 15 and have killed nearly 450 militants. "The two sides reiterated their resolve to further deep- en the bilateral relationship and strengthen mutual con- sultations on Afghanistan post-2014 with a view to advancing the shared objec- tives of peace, stability and economic development in the region and beyond," the foreign ministry said. Aziz welcomed the solu- tion to the election crisis in Afghanistan and appreciated the efforts of US Secretary of State John Kerry, who had contributed to an amicable settlement on election-relat- ed issues. Modi welcome to visit Pak anytime, says envoy US wants ties with 'Modi's India': Pak daily Pakistan taking action against all militants, US told New Delhi: Pakistani author Reema Abbasi has launched her new book "Historic Temples in Pakistan - A Call to Conscience" documenting Hindu shrines, and pilgrimage sites in Pakistan through 400 photographs. The book highlights unreported aspects of harmony, and will act as a window for the people of India, feels Abbasi who will launch the book at India International Centre. As a researcher and author, Abbasi, along with the photographer Madiha Aijaz, took almost a year to traverse each province and their many crevices to explore antiquated sacred sites. Abbasi's book chronicles various pilgrim- age sites like Hinglaj, Katas Raj, Kalka cave temple, Panchmukhi Hanuman Mandir and Shivala Mandir located in dif- ferent areas of Pakistan. "The purpose of this book is multi-lay- ered," Abbasi said. "It seeks a journey towards pluralism, preservation of some of the most ancient places in history, tolerance and participa- tion, empowerment of a community, which is facing a major onslaught of hardliner menace towards the north, and promote religious tourism and peace," she added. Abbasi also feels the book will highlight aspects that often go unreported such as harmony among the people. Pak author documents Hindu temples in her country SUBCONTINENT 20 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit Washington wants to re-engage with Modi's India. PM urged to secure fishermen's release from Sri Lanka Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and secure the release of Indian fishermen and their fishing boats from Sri Lankan custody. In a letter to Modi Tuesday, text of which was released to the media here Wednesday, Jayalalithaa said: "I once again request your immediate inter- vention to secure the release of the 43 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu and their 55 fishing boats, including the 46 mecha- nised fishing boats, that are already under Sri Lankan cus- tody." Citing the recent arrest of 43 fishermen from Tamil Nadu by Sri Lanka, she said: "The instances of apprehension of our fishermen continue unabated and are creating a sense of fear, anxiety and unrest among the fishermen community in Tamil Nadu." Sri Lanka is following a delib- erate strategy of destroying the primary means of livelihood of Indian fishermen by impounding their fishing vessels, the chief minister said. She requested the central gov- ernment to take up the matter with the Lankan government for the release of impounded fishing boats and gear before these are rendered useless. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa MH17 TRAGEDY Moscow: Russia on Monday released military monitoring reports which showed a military jet, SU-25 which belonged to Kiev following Malaysian Airline's MH17 sometime before it was shot down in Ukraine. According to the reports, the jet was merely three to five kilometers from Boeing which was carrying 300 people. This release led to Russia posing yet another set of questions to Ukraine and the US regarding the circumstance of the tragedy as reported by Russia Today. Russian military officials, chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Andrey Kartopolov and chief of the Air Force Main Staff Lt. Gen Igor Makushev posed the following questions to Kiev and Washington concerning the potential causes of the crash in Eastern Ukraine that killed almost 300 people last Thursday. Ten questions for the Ukrainian authorities 1. Immediately after the tragedy, the Ukrainian authorities, naturally, blamed it on the self-defense forces. What are these accusations based on? 2. Can Kiev explain in detail how it uses Buk missile launchers in the con- flict zone? And why were these systems deployed there in the first place, seeing as the self-defense forces dont have any planes? 3. Why are the Ukrainian authorities not doing anything to set up an interna- tional commission? When will such a commission begin its work? 4. Would the Ukrainian Armed Forces be willing to let international investiga- tors see the inventory of their air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles, including those used in SAM launchers? 5. Will the international commission have access to tracking data from reli- able sources regarding the movements of Ukrainian warplanes on the day of the tragedy? 6. Why did Ukrainian air traffic con- trollers allow the plane to deviate from the regular route to the north, towards the anti-terrorist operation zone? 7. Why was airspace over the warzone not closed for civilian flights, especially since the area was not entirely covered by radar navigation systems? 8. How can official Kiev comment on reports in the social media, allegedly by a Spanish air traffic controller who works in Ukraine, that there were two Ukrainian military planes flying along- side the Boeing 777 over Ukrainian ter- ritory? 9. Why did Ukraines Security Service start working with the recordings of communications between Ukrainian air traffic controllers and the Boeing crew and with the data storage systems from Ukrainian radars without waiting for international investigators? 10. What lessons has Ukraine learned from a similar incident in 2001, when a Russian Tu-154 crashed into the Black Sea? Back then, the Ukrainian authori- ties denied any involvement on the part of Ukraines Armed Forces until irrefutable evidence proved official Kiev to be guilty. Moscow: Pro-Russian rebels have reportedly handed over the black boxes of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. The prime minister of the self-proclaimed people' s republic of Donetsk, Alexandr Borodai, presented the two devices to the head of the Malaysian delegation during an official ceremony held at the seat of the sepa- ratist government Monday. Ukraine announced earlier Monday that the process of recovering bodies from the wreck- age of the Boeing 777 was over. Emergency workers found 282 bodies and fragments corresponding to 16 other bodies, 21 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info Moscow: Russia on Tuesday wel- comed the UN Security Council's (UNSC) resolution calling for an independent investigation into the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash in Ukraine last Thursday. The resolution highlights that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) plays a "crucial role" in a "completely independent and unbiased interna- tional investigation" and that Russia is ready to assist, the Russian foreign ministry said. Moscow stressed that all con- fronting parties in Ukraine should stop fighting in the area and guar- antee access to the crash site for the investigators, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitors and other international organizations, Xinhua reported. In the resolution, adopted at a meeting Monday, the Council members condemned "in the strongest terms" the downing of flight MHI7. The resolution "demands that the armed groups in control of the crash site and the surrounding area refrain from any actions that may compromise the integrity of the crash site, including by refraining from destroying, mov- ing, or disturbing wreckage, equipment, debris, personal belongings, or remains, and immediately provide safe, secure, full and unrestricted access to the site and surrounding area for the appropriate investigating authori- ties". The flight data recorders from the plane were handed over to Malaysia Tuesday by the self-pro- claimed Donetsk People' s Republic's (DPR) prime minister Alexander Borodai. "I can see that the black boxes are intact with only minor dam- age. They are in good condition," a special envoy of the Malaysian government said. Flight MH17, a Boeing 777, was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it crashed after being hit by a missile in Ukraine near the Russian border last Thursday, killing all 298 pas- sengers and crew on board. Of the 283 passengers on board, 193 were Dutch. This is the second major tragedy for Malaysia Airlines this year after flight MH370 with 239 passengers and crew on board went missing while going from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing March 8. That flight remains untraced till date despite intense international efforts. Moscow: A train with the remains of the victims of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 arrived on Tuesday in the city of Kharkiv, outside rebel territo- ry. According to offi- cials, the remains will be flown from a coordination center in Kharkiv to the Netherlands for iden- tification and foren- sic identification, BBC reported. The officials said that 282 bodies as well as recovered parts of 16 other bodies were loaded on to the refrigerated train. (Photo source: dailyrecordco.uk) Russias Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov (Photo source: rt.com/news) The charred remains of Malaysia Airlines' flight MH17 Russia welcomes UN resolution on MH17s investigation Russia questions Ukraine and US over MH17 crash Journalists record the handing over of black boxes (Photo source: nypost.com) (right) A Malaysian expert (C) checks one of the two black boxes of the crashed Malaysian Air airliner MH17 after being handed over to his delegation by pro-Russian rebels (Photo source: sbs.com) Ukraine rebels hand over MH17 black boxes to Malaysia MH17 victims' bodies moved out of Ukraine rebel area Gaza: US Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Israel to boost efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The US Secretary of State, who came from Cairo where he met Egyptian officials, is scheduled to travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah. Kerry has planned to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and also UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who is also in the region amidst diplomatic efforts to end the fighting. Kerry's arrival on the 16th day of Israel' s Operation Protective Edge comes a day after the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) banned US commercial flights into Tel Aviv' s Ben G u r i o n International Airport, after a rocket s l a mme d i n t o I s r a e l i t erri t ory in the cen- tral town of Yahud, not far from the airport. Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke with Kerry over the phone and asked him to restore air travel to Tel Aviv. UN Secretary General Ban Ki- moon urged Israeli officials to act with maximum restraint amid Israel's operation in the Gaza Strip as the Palestinian civilian toll escalated. At least 639 Palestinians, including women, children, the elderly and the dis- abled, have been killed and over 4,000 others injured since Israel started its offensive on Gaza July 8 in response to Palestinian rocket firing into its territory. Two Israeli civilians and 29 sol- diers were also killed during the ongoing offensive. INTERNATIONAL 22 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info Baghdad: The Iraqi parliament has convened to elect a president and two vice presidents in a bid to put together a new government. Newly-elected Speaker Salim al- Jubouri opened the session in the presence of 236 lawmakers. Jubouri told the lawmakers that the political blocs would need further deliberation to reach a consensus between the political blocs, and sug- gested delaying the choosing process to the end of the session. His sugges- tion was voted in by the lawmakers. This week, al-Jubouri had said in Baghdad that more than 100 candi- dates were vying for the president's post and their resumes were being reviewed by the parliament. However, Iraq' s power-sharing consensus stipulates that the presi- dent should be a member of the Kurdish minority, while the speaker- ship is reserved for a Sunni Arab and the prime ministership for a Shia. The agreement has been supported by the leading Shia, Sunni and Kurdish political parties, though it has not been incorporated in the country's constitution. Iraq's constitution requires a new president to be chosen 30 days after a speaker is elected. Around two weeks after the new head of state is elected, the bloc with the most lawmakers will nominate a prime minister who will be responsi- ble for forming a new government. Washington: The Antarctic sea ice may not be expanding as fast as previ- ously thought, a new research suggests, adding that there may be a processing error in the satellite data. Arctic sea ice is retreating at a dra- matic rate. In contrast, satellite obser- vations suggest that sea ice cover in the Antarctic is expanding and that sea ice extent has reached record highs in recent years. Now, a team of researchers has sug- gested that much of the measured expansion of the Southern Hemisphere sea ice cover may be due to an error, not previously documented, in the way satellite data was processed. "This implies that the Antarctic sea ice trends reported in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2007 and 2013 reports cannot both be correct: our findings show that the data used in one of the reports contains a significant error," said lead author Ian Eisenman of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California San Diego. But we have not yet been able to identify which one contains the error, he added. Reflecting the scientific literature at the time, the 2007 IPCC report said that Antarctic sea ice cover remained more or less constant between 1979 and 2005. On the other hand, recent literature and the 2013 IPCC report indicate that, between 1979 and 2012, Southern Hemisphere sea ice extent increased at a rate of about 16.5 thousand square km per year. Scientists assumed the difference to be a result of adding several more years to the observational record. "But when we looked at how the numbers reported for the trend had changed, and we looked at the time series of Antarctic sea ice extent, it did not look right," Eisenman noted. Scientists have used satellite data to measure sea ice cover for 35 years. If the error is in the current dataset, the results could contribute to an unex- pected resolution for the Antarctic sea ice cover enigma, said the findings published in The Cryosphere, a journal of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). Arctic sea ice is retreating at a dramatic rate. Death toll in Gaza 639 Gaza: At least four more people were killed in Gaza, where 635 Palestinians and 29 Israelis have already been killed during Israel's two-week air, naval and ground offensive. Palestinian officials said that two men were killed in the southern of Bei Lahiya, and a 17-year-old teenager was killed in Khanyounis Ccity, south of Gaza. Another Palestinian man dieed of his injuries in Khanyonis. Air Algerie plane with 116 on board goes missing Algiers: A passenger plane of Algeria's state-run Air Algerie was reported missing 50 minutes after taking off from Ouagadougou Airport in Burkina Faso on July 24, according to media. "Air navigation services of Air Algerie have lost contact Thursday with AH5017 flight coming from Ouagadougou to Algiers, at around 1.55 a.m GMT, or 50 minutes after take-off," an Air Algerie statement read. "In accordance with these developments, the company launches the emergency response plan," the statement said. The statement did not say how many people were aboard the missing air- craft, but TSA news website reported that the plane was an Airbus A320, carrying 110 passengers. TSA said that two emergency units have been set up by the airline authorities, one in Algiers and the other in Ouagadougou. Iraqi parliament convenes to elect new president Erroneous satellite data over Antarctic sea in question Kerry in Israel to give push to Gaza ceasefire US Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Israel Geneva: The UN's top human rights official has told diplo- mats that Israel's military and Hamas militants appear to have violated international humanitarian law and might have com- mitted war crimes during their two-week war in the Gaza Strip. UN high commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay, said that around three-quarters of the 650 Palestinians and 31 Israelis killed in the conflict were civilians, and thousands more have been injured. Pillay told the 47-nation UN human rights council that the situation in Gaza requires its urgent attention because of "a strong possibility that international humanitarian law has been violated, in a manner that could amount to war crimes". Pillay said that every allegation of human rights abuses "must be properly and independently investigated". Strong possibility of war crimes in Gaza: UN UN high commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay We are not targeting Adanis: Greenpeace Australia Sydney: Even as Greenpeace Australia denies charges of tar- geting an Indian energy major led by Gautam Adani for reasons other than environment safety, the Adanis say green activists are hampering India's progress and job creation in Australia. "Greenpeace's campaign is not even specific to Adani. It is against any company from any country threatening the health of the climate, local eco-systems and the future of the Great Barrier Reef," a Greenpeace Australia spokesman said when asked whether Adanis were being made a target of an orchestrated cam- paign. There has been speculations in the mining and political circles that Adanis are facing severe opposition from some global NGOs in India, Australia and elsewhere because of their prox- imity to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The rumor mills got further fil- lip when Australia's Environment Minister Greg Hunt extended his review of Adani's A$16.5 billion ($15.5 billion) Carmichael coal and rail project last month. Adani's Carmichael project is one of the three major, multi-bil- lion dollar projects which are try- ing to export Australia's thermal coal to India. Another Indian company GVK has partnered with Hancock Prospecting which is owned by the richest Australian Gina Rinehart. The third mega project in the remote part of Queensland is owned by an Australian maverick politician Clive Palmer who also happens to be a mining magnate. Greenpeace Australia has labelled Adanis' multi-billion dol- lar Carmichael mine project, which is located in the remote Galilee Basin, as a "major threat to the environment". "The mine itself will clear 20, 000 hectares of bushland, including areas which are home to threatened species like the black-throated finch. Scientists estimate the mine's water use will cause water tables to drop signifi- cantly outside the mine bound- aries, reducing underground water supplies to surrounding farms and rivers," Greenpeace has alleged. Greenpeace has been running a sustained campaign against the Carmichael project. The well known green organisation recent- ly commissioned a highly-damag- ing report against Adanis' various commercial activities in India. The report is titled "Adani' s record of environmental destruc- tion and non-compliance with regulations". When asked for their response to the Greenpeace campaign, an Adani spokesperson criticised environmentalists for obstructing the progress of India and also employment generation in Australia. "This massive mine, rail and port project will not only generate 8,000 Australian jobs during con- struction and nearly 12,000 when operating, but the coal produced will support the growth and elec- trification of India, helping to bring more than 100 million peo- ple out of poverty," an Adani spokesperson wrote in response to an e-mail questionnaire sent by IANS. Adanis have also allayed the environmentalists' fears that burn- ing Australian coal would lead to more pollution. The Indian mining company's confidence in getting the project clearance is reflected in the recent agreement signed with Korea's Posco E&C. According to the binding deal, Posco would be the procurement and construction contractor for Adanis' rail project which, when completed, would be capable of hauling a whopping 60 million tonnes per year. New Delhi: The Supreme Court has turned down Sahara Group chairman Subrata Roy's plea for release on parole to arrange the sale of three overseas hotels to generate Rs.10,000 crore to be returned to investors. A bench headed by Justice T.S. Thakur said that in case a concrete proposal came before the court regarding the sale of property, then it would examine it and permit him to be released from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the time it took to finish the transaction. The apex court had July 4 reserved its order on Roy's plea. Roy and two other directors Ravi Shankar Dubey and Ashok Roy Choudhary are cur- rently under custody since March 4 for the failure of two group companies to comply with the apex court's Aug 31, 2012, and Dec 5, 2012, order to return investors' money, which in 2012 was Rs. 24,000 crore. Mumbai: The benchmark sensex this week extended its winning run to the sixth straight session and soared 311 points to reclaim the 26,000-mark at close as robust earnings from key bluechips boosted investor sentiment. Improving macroeconomic indicators, monsoon progress and positive global cues have also supported the buoyancy in the domestic markets, brokers said. This is only the second time in its history that the 30-share BSE sensex has closed above the 26k level. The index had closed at record 26,100.08 on July 7. Its all-time high, however, is 26,190.44 and was hit on July 8. Mumbai: In his latest visit to India, AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes pointed to an air hostess and announced the company will help her "realise her dream" of becom- ing a pilot. By his side sat AirAsia India CEO Mittu Chandilya, a former model, and among the audience was India finance chief Vijay Gopalan, who has previously sung for and acted in Tamil movies. While, AirAsia India's fate in a turbulent sky of cut-throat competition is unknown, its quirky hiring has certainly caught the industry's attention. "It's true AirAsia has made some unusual choices," said Manish Sabharwal, chairman of staffing firm Teamlease Services. "This is something that AirAsia does globally too, and a different pair of eyes always makes things interesting," he added. Out-of-the-box appointments across the board have been integral to the AirAsia story, almost as much as its aggressive fares. Bo Lingam, Air Asia's chief of opera- tions, Kathleen Tan, its former regional commercial director, and Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia, have all joined the airline from Warner Music International, the music company that Fernandes quit as Southeast Asian regional vice-president to launch AirAsia back in 1993. The airline abounds with stories of ground staff elevated to the levels of cabin crew and pilots. In fact, 11 out of AirAsia's first crew of 18 pilots had joined the airline as baggage handlers, cabin crew, cabin assistants or store boys. There has been speculations in the mining and political circles that Adanis are facing severe oppositionfrom some global NGOs in India. 11 out of AirAsia's first crew of 18 pilots had joined the airline as baggage handlers, cabin crew, cabin assistants or store boys. Air hostesses, loaders turn pilots at AirAsia BUSINESS July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info SC turns down Subrata Roy's plea for parole Sensex reclaims 26k-mark on robust earnings 23 London: Ishant Sharma' s career best seven for 74 bounced out England to give India a historic 95-run victory, their first in 28 years at Lord's, in the second cricket Test here. Set a target of 319, England were bowled out for 223 runs in their second innings, a little over an hour before tea on the final day as India took a 1-0 lead in the five- match series. Curiously, England could not get as many as they scored in the first innings (319) to win the match. India riding on a fine century by Ajinkya Rahane (103) had scored 295 in the first innings and 342 in the second innings. The 25-year-old Ishant, who went wick- etless in the first innings, used the short- ball well to his advantage as Joe Root (66), Moeen Ali (39), Matt Prior (12), Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad (8) all fell to short-pitched deliveries on the final day. Ishant was adjudged the Man of the Match. Resuming at 105 for four on the fifth morning, England had a daunting chal- lenge at hand to save the Test match. Root and Moeen frustrated the Indian bowlers in the first session but at the stroke of lunch Ishant struck to remove Moeen and tilt the scales in India's favour. Moeen was com- pletely taken aback by a short pitched delivery that rose sharply and he took his eyes off and gloved it to Cheteshwar Pujara at short-leg. The 101-run stand for the fifth wicket between Root and Moeen helped England to recover from a precarious 72 for four. But with Moeen's dismissal, India sensed victory and piled the pressure on the hosts. In the post-lunch session, Ishant pep- pered the England bowlers with short- pitched deliveries and it did the trick for India. Prior found Murali Vijay at deep mid-wicket while attempting a pull in 80th over. Stokes continued his poor run as he fell for his fourth consecutive duck while attempting a pull and two balls later Root found Stuart Binny at deep square leg in a similar fashion. It was just a co-incidence that Binny's father Roger, now a national selector, also featured in the last win at Lord' s in 1986 under the captaincy of Kapil Dev. Glasgow (Scotland): With sym- bols of the Forth Bridge west to Edinburgh, Scotch whisky barrels, Edinburgh Castle gate and cannon, Scottish Tartan kilt at the central stage, the opening ceremony of the 20th Commonwealth Games in Scotland's largest city presented a combination of sports and culture in a distinguished Scottish style. Reading her message in the Queen's Baton to welcome the ath- letes, the Queen Elizabeth II for- mally announced the opening of the Games, stressing "the shared value and ambition" of the Commonwealth in front of a 40,000 crowd at Celtic Park. After a 288-day relay touring about 190,000 km and inside the stadium, the final Queen's Baton relay was carried by Britain's six- gold-medal Olympian Chris Hoy, who grew up in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. Joined by her husband the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth II entered the opening ceremony site in a Rolls-Royce car, followed by the audience' s upstanding and singing of the British national anthem "God Save the Queen". The Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force aerobatic team, performed a flypast over Glasgow to signal the arrival of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. The opening ceremony also paid tribute to the 298 victims of the crashed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, as proposed by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, who later welcomed the athletes to Scotland. More than 4,500 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and terri- tories paraded in a one-hour jour- ney from the Athletes' Village in Dalmarnock in southeast of Glasgow, which is close to Celtic Park. The Games featuring 261 events in 17 sports in 11 days of competi- tion begin Thursday and the clos- ing ceremony takes place on August 3 at Hampden Stadium, which has been transformed into an athletics venue with 44,000 seats. Glasgow: Indian judokas start- ed on a positive note as Shushila Likmabam qualified for the semi-finals while Manjeet Nandal and Navjot Chana won their respective bouts to make the quarter- finals of the Commonwealth Games at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) here. Shushila (-48kg) qualified for the women' s semi-final while Meerut girl Shivani lost her Round of 16 match in the - 57kg category. Shivani suf- fered since she picked up three consecutive shidos against Canada's Jessica Kimklait. Shushila first beat Cameroon's Marie Medza Effa in the Round of 16 and then got the better of Australian Amy Meyer in the quarter- final where she picked up three shidos but got an ippon, full point. Nandal won both his bouts in the men's -66kg preliminary Round of 32 and Round of 16. The 24-year-old from Haryana first beat Malta' s Jeremy Saywell by O-Soto-Gari. Next up, Nandal got the bet- ter of Asa Weithers of Barbados. He had a shido, penalty, in the first minute but he also had two waza-ari to seal the bout comprehensively, entering the last eight. England bullied, bounced out by India: Warne London: Legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne said India "bullied and bounced" out England to earn their first win at Lord's since 1986. "Horrific hour for Eng. India bullied & bounced them out. Remember Eng won the toss on the greenest pitch ever & blew it, changes needed !!" tweeted Warne, referring to the bouncers bowled by Indian pacers, especially Ishant Sharma. The former leg spinner also praised pacer Ishant, who achieved career best figures of 7/74, for getting left-hander Moeen Ali out off a bouncer on the last ball before lunch. Impressive show by Indian judokas Forbes rates Dhoni as fifth most valuable athlete CWG opening ceremony full of Scottish flavor SPORTS 24 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info The Indian contingent at the glittering opening ceremony in Glasgow. Ishant's becomes Lord of Lord's Ishant Sharma's career best seven for 74 gave India a historic 95-run victory at Lord's after 28 years. London: India cricket team cap- tain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the fifth most financially valuable athlete on earth, according to Forbes Magazine. Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Phil Mickelson and Maria Sharapova succeed Dhoni, who is valued at 21 mil- lion dollars, in Forbes' list. Swiss tennis ace Federer and American golf ace Woods are tied at the first place valued at 46 million dollars each followed by Basketball ace LeBron James, who is valued at 27 million dollars, in the second place, Sport24 reported. Federer and Woods earned 46 million dol- lars each to their names in 2013 while Dhoni managed to bag 21 million dollars. Federer holds a record 17 Grand Slam tennis titles, while Woods has won 14 major golf titles; sec- ond only to Jack Nicklaus's record 18. SC relieves Gavaskar as interim BCCI chief New Delhi: The Supreme Court has relieved leg- endary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar as the interim president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in charge of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014 and said that he was free to take up any assignment. The apex court bench headed by Justice T.S. Thakur relieved Gavaskar noting that the IPL 2014 for which he was appointed interim president had concluded June 1. The apex court had appointed the former India captain as interim president in March after then BCCI chief N. Srinivasan was asked to step aside in the wake of the alleged betting charges against his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan during IPL 2013 . July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info Delhi's World Heritage City bid should have been made earlier: INTACH The poetic side of a talented actress By Shilpa Raina A s Delhi gears up to welcome a team from UNESCO in September to evaluate the national capital's bid for the World Heritage City tag, an NGO spearhead- ing the move says this idea should have been proposed earlier and reveals how "frustrating" it can be to negotiate with different government bodies. "Delhi should have been nominated for the World Heritage City tag a long time ago, but the problem is that these things require a lot of time and effort. And, unfortunately, most of the offi- cials think of these things as a headache and not about national pride," INTACH Delhi Chapter con- vener A.G.K. Menon said. The Delhi chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is involved in sev- eral conservation projects in the national capital. Menon feels "lack of communication" among various gov- ernment agencies make it difficult to speed up the conservation process. "We are not blaming different bodies because they have to follow certain procedures, but what happens, at times, is that these bodies don't even communicate with each other. So we act as interlocutors and communicate, but these negotiations take time and sometimes can be difficult," Menon said. Despite the bureaucratic hurdles, Menon took up the task to have Delhi inscribed in Unesco's list of World Heritage Cities. The decision will be announced in June 2015. On behalf of the Delhi government, INTACH pre- pared a 367-page mini bible on the capital, contending it is a city of "Outstanding Universal Value". Menon and his team of researchers compiled the voluminous dossier, which follows Unesco's stringent sub- mission guidelines, in three years. It is substantiated with double-spread pho- tographs and the necessary documen- tation and maps. The two specific areas listed in it are: Shahjahanabad in old Delhi, which has Mughal-era her- itage, and Lutyens' Bungalow Zone (LBZ) in New Delhi. The argument INTACH is making is that Delhi is an outstanding example of an imperial city encompassing two stages in the Indian subcontinent's history: the peak of the Mughal Empire and apogee of British rule. "We chose these sites because their respective rulers at that time chose to leave their earlier capitals and made these two sites their new capitals," said Menon, adding Delhi is also the city that has three World Heritage Sites - Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb and the Red Fort. To increase awareness about heritage and conservation, Menon feels children are the best tar- get audience. "Children are the best target audience to generate awareness about heritage and the society has to take ownership of cultural heritage," Menon contended. To this end, INTACH organises heritage quizzes in schools and colleges, as also seminars and workshops, to make youngsters heritage friendly. "Preservation is still not a priority for people. This attitude can be changed by introducing them to this wonderful world early in their lives," Menon concluded. A ctors have a power that many might envy - the power of essaying varied, even atypical characters and then returning to their normal lives. The problem however begins when the boundary line between reel and real life begins to blur. Meena Kumari, a legendary performer of roles of star- crossed and ultimately-doomed women, was a victim of this trend and that melancholy tinges her life - and poetry. "Shamaa hoon, phool hoon, ya ret pe qadmon ka nishaan/Aap ko haq hai mujhe jo bhi ji chahe keh le" is a couplet that uncannily echoes the crushed, social-conforming, desire- denied woman she played in count- less tear-jerkers. Or even, "Ab yahaan kuch nahi sannata hi sannata hai/Dekh ke veerana log abh bhi yehi kehte hai/Kisi dulhan ka maqbarah hai yeh khandar to nahi!!!" Meena Kumari's four-decade life was scarcely enviable - a childhood stunted by the need to work to sup- port her family, a fairytale romance that ultimately soured, lack of gen- uine love and support, a grievous and eventually fatal illness from heavy drinking and, on the other hand, being ruthlessly typecast onscreen as a quietly-suffering woman in thrall to a dominant male figure. Poetry was the only exercise of free self-expression for this intel- ligent and sensitive woman, who writing under the pen name "Naaz", could fashion some imaginative and striking imagery or convey an endearing wistfulness, in that queen of languages, Urdu. But then this was inaccessible to the majority, who only had recourse to some transliterations, occasional translations and, of course, the record "I Write, I Recite", in which she performed some of her composi- tions, set to music by the evergreen Khayyam. Distinguished scholar Noorul Hasan has performed the signal service of bringing her poetry to a wider audience, translating nearly 50 of her works into English, while also providing a transliterated ver- sion of the original for the bilingual connoisseur. Hasan, who confesses to being impressed by the cadence and clari- ty of the translated pieces he spotted and how they convinced him to fol- low suit, also provides an insightful introduction to the poetess Meena Kumari "whose flirtations with the pen are as seductive as her univer- sally celebrated femininity" while his daughter Daisy Hasan and critic Philip Bounds render an equally thoughtful examination of the poet- ry as a critical reaction to popular culture, specially its Bollywood manifestation. This is brought out well in the nazm titled "Khaali Dukaan/The Empty Shop" with its wistfully expressed requirement of "Pyaar ka ek khoobsurat khwab...", and "Mohabbat ka ek purtapak lamha..." but "Bas inhi ek do cheezon ki main khareedar thi/Aur waqt ki dukaan in cheezon se khaali hai". The transla- tion - "I came looking for nothing but these/And the shop of Time/Supplies none of these things" - faithfully reproduces the rhythm. This is not a compilation of Meena Kumari's entire work but a representative selection displaying the refined sensibility she could achieve in verse too. Her poetry may be "sad, joyless, pessimistic, morbid..." but was "entirely in char- acter with her life, or at least her comprehension of her life" as her biographer Vinod Mehta observes in "Meena Kumari: The Classic Biography". It may not have been very great poetry but was far beyond what her contemporaries (or successors) have been capable of. All those who identified vicari- ously with her sufferings - on and off screen - owe it to themselves to acquaint themselves with this side of this talented woman too. Book: "Meena Kumari The Poet: A Life Beyond Cinema"; Author/Translator: Noorul Hasan; Publisher: Roli Books ; Pages: 159; Price: Rs 395. The argument INTACH is making is that Delhi is an outstanding example of an imperial city encompassing two stages in the Indian subcontinent's history: the peak of the Mughal Empire and apogee of British rule. Meena Kumaris poetry may be sad, joyless, pes- simistic, morbid, but was entirely in character with her life, or at least her comprehension of her life . 26 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ART & CULTURE Book Review Delhi is already the city that has three World Heritage Sites - Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb and the Red Fort. HEALTH 27 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info H aryana has heightened the crackdown against illegal sex determination tests to reverse the negative image caused by its skewed gender ratio. This has meant a strict check on ultrasound machines but the authorities are now grappling with the new men- ace of hand-held ultrasound machines. Health authorities in the state say that the increasing misuse of portable ultrasound machines is making their task more difficult. These machines, some of which can even be easily put inside a jack- et pocket, are being illegally used for sex determination tests. "The biggest challenge in PNDT (Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act) cases is the use of illegal and unregistered ultrasound machines. Recently, portable ultrasound machines have been recovered in the state, including some machines which could be carried in the pock- et. There is need for a better infor- mation system for checking such cases," Principal Secretary (Health) Navraj Sandhu said. In February, the health authorities were informed that some people were using portable ultrasound machines, which were not regis- tered with the health department, to clandestinely conduct sex determi- nation tests. The racket was exposed after a woman was arrest- ed in Bhiwani district. "The portable ultrasound machines are a very dangerous trend. Most of these machines are Chinese-made. These are imported under licence by some firms and land up with the wrong people who indulge in sex determination tests," a health department official said. The non-portable ultrasound machines cost Rs.30 lakh and more. The authorities have seized 42 portable ultrasound machines this year. They found that nearly 70 such machines had been imported and sold across the country in recent months. Haryana is the worst among Indian states in the gender ratio, with 879 females for every 1,000 males. The national ratio improved to 943 in the 2011 Census against 933 females per 1,000 males in the 2001 Census. To encourage people to report illegal sex determination tests, the health department hiked the incen- tive by 150 percent this week. Informers will now get Rs.50,000 against Rs.20,000 earlier, Health minister Rao Narender Singh said. People in rural and urban areas go for illegal sex determination tests as most have a preference for boys. "There has been considerable improvement in bringing to book the accused under the PNDT Act during the last one year. So far, 54 people have been convicted in 97 cases in the lower courts and 49 cases in upper courts. Of these, 33 were doctors. Similarly, during the last six years, eight accused, includ- ing five doctors, have been convict- ed," a health department spokesman said. The frequency of raids has been increased with the help of district administrations to deal with clinics indulging in the illegal practice. Special focus has been laid on Narnaul and Rewari areas in south Haryana. Earlier this year, health officials trapped a midwife who had carried out 500 illegal abortions in Jhajjar district. Officials estimate that about 40,000 unborn girls are killed in the womb annually in the state. Haryana is the worst among Indian states in the gender ratio, with 879 females for every 1,000 males. M edical researchers announced (mostly) good news last Saturday: HIV infection diagnoses went down by a third for Americans as a whole over the course of a decade. At the begin- ning of the study period, in 2002, doctors were diagnosing about 24 out of every 100,000 patients with HIV. By 2011, that rate was down to an encouraging 16 diagnoses per 100, 000 patients. The overall decline also holds true, according to the BBC, for men, women, whites, blacks, Hispanics, heterosexuals, injection drug users and most age groups. The only groups that showed an increase? Gay and bisex- ual men ages 13 to 24, as well as those over 45. Its important to note that a drop in diagnoses doesnt necessarily mean a drop in overall HIV cases. One theory the researchers have for the overall drop is a ceiling effect. In that case, most patients who have carried the virus for months or years have already been diagnosed, leav- ing only newer cases to be recorded without a drop in actual infection rate. (Indeed, the percentage of adults ever tester for HIV rose from 37 percent in 2000 to 45 percent in 2010.) More optimistically, the drop could be due to fewer people getting infected in the first place although the studys authors are hesitant to cite any one reason, since there are so many possibilities. The reason for higher diagnosis rates in gay and bisexual men, on the other hand, leaves less to specu- lation. The authors of the study believe that those new cases are on the whole due to less condom use among men too young to remember the ravages of the AIDS epidemic. Its been more than 30 years since the first cases were reported, co- author Amy Lansky said. Its hard- er to maintain that sense of urgency. The authors of the study estimate that about 16 percent of HIV-positive Americans dont even realize they have the virus. And in a population with higher rates of HIV infection, safe sex is all the more important, even in an age when HIV isnt the death sentence it once was. Still, HIV-prevention programs including sterile-needle distribution, increased testing, and better aware- ness at least seem to have helped infection rates on the whole. And the studys findings give doctors, activists, and other public-health advocates an idea of where to con- centrate their efforts. As it stands, the U.S. is still in line with the glob- al drop in AIDS rates. Do your part to help: when youre having awe- somely safe sex, be sure to use an awesomely safe condom. Haryana's gender bias continues - with portable ultrasound machines HIV rates falling for most Americans, but up for some gay men L ooking for lasting hap- piness? Try to match the DNA of Danish people. According to an interesting study, genetics could be the key to explain- ing a nation's level of happiness. The closer a nation is to the genetic makeup of the people of Denmark, the happier that country is, University of Warwick researchers found. "We found that the greater a nation's genetic distance from Denmark, the lower the reported wellbeing of that nation. Our research adjusted for influences like GDP, cul- ture, religion and the strength of the welfare state and geog- raphy," explained Eugenio Proto from the University's centre for competitive advan- tage in the global economy. Eugenio Proto and his team found three forms of evi- dence for a link between genetic makeup and a nation's happiness. Firstly, they used data on 131 countries from a number of international surveys including the Gallup World Poll, World Value Survey and the European Quality of Life Surveys. The researchers linked cross-national data on genetic distance and well- being. The second form of evi- dence looked at existing research suggesting an asso- ciation between mental well- being and a mutation of the gene that influences the re- uptake of serotonin - believed to be linked to human mood. The short version of the gene has been associated with lower life satisfaction. "We found that Denmark and the Netherlands appear to have the lowest percentage of people with this short ver- sion," Proto suggested. The final form of evidence looked at whether the link between genetics and happi- ness also held true across generations and continents. "There are reasons to believe that genetic patterns may help researchers under- stand international well-being levels and more research in this area is needed," they concluded. True happiness lies in your DNA Common cholesterol drug linked to death risk Niacin no longer to be prescribed N iacin, a common cholesterol drug for 50 years, should no longer be prescribed owing to potential increased risk of death, dangerous side effects and no benefit in reducing heart attacks and strokes, researchers said. "There might be one excess death for every 200 people we put on Niacin. With that kind of signal, this is an unacceptable therapy for the vast majority of patients," said cardiologist Donald Lloyd-Jones from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Niacin should be reserved only for patients at very high risk for a heart attack and stroke who cannot take statins, Lloyd-Jones added. Lloyd-Jones's research was based on a large new study that looked at adults, aged 50 to 80, with cardiovascular disease who took niacin (vitamin B3) to see if it reduced heart attack and stroke compared to a placebo over four years. All patients in the trial were already being treated with a statin medication. Researchers found that Niacin did not reduce heart attacks and stroke rates compared with a placebo. More, Niacin was associated with an increased trend towards death from all causes as well as significant increases in serious side effects. These included liver problems, excess infec- tions, excess bleeding, gout and loss of control of blood sugar for diabetics. "For the reduction of heart disease and stroke risk, statins remain the most important drug- based strategy," Lloyd-Jones said. The research appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. S o I get a news report from a young reporter. A car was in collision with a bath,, it tells me. Huh? So. someone was driving a bath down a road? No. She explains that the guy in the bath claimed that the car drove through the wall of his house (this happened in the US city of Oklahoma). But she says decided to write that the car and the bath were in collision to try to be fair and impartial. Good thinking, I told her. Life is strange. An investigation might conclude that the car was innocently parked by the curb when a house came roaring down the road and subsumed it. *** I suppose this actually might happen in New Zealand, where many houses are wood- framed and portable, and people drive homes around the way normal folk take dogs for walkies. Just taking the house around the block for a bit of air. If youve ever wanted to win a road race, go to Christchurch and get aggres- sive at the traffic lights with a man who has a two-story mansion on his trailer. *** But the main point I wanted to make to the young reporter is that journalists these days have to be VERY careful, which is why we write things like: It will allegedly be cloudy with an alleged chance of rain, according to the alleged weather forecast released by our alleged government. *** Thus we avoid screw-ups. This colum- nist was recently reminded of one of his worst journalistic mistakes when reader Juanita Joseph sent a news link which said Kim Jong Un had scored 100 percent of the votes in an election. I covered a North Korean election in the 1990s in which his dad Kim Jong-Il was the only candidate. I predicted he would win. I was wrong. The North Korean Electoral College dis- cussed the issue for hours and finally gave the presidency to the corpse of the candi- dates father. Losing any election is bad enough, but it must really hurt to be defeated by a decom- posing pile of organic matter. *** In my youth, I lost a student union elec- tion to a person who could only be described as a pile of decomposed organic matter, no offence intended to piles of decomposed organic matter. *** But the truth is, being a reporter is harder than ever, now that news often breaks on social websites. My new golden rule: Forgive those who sin against you: its easier than trying to work out how to delete their Facebook posts. *** Yet sometimes readers do send interesting tales through social media: like the guy who forwarded a report about two dogs who drove away their owners truck. Apparently true. I guess this could have happened if they were jumping around and accidentally hit the controls. But generally speaking, dogs hate machines. If you want to break into any high securi- ty place protected by guard dogs, just carry a vacuum cleaner and make a zzzzhhhhhh- hh noise. Watch those Alsatians vanish. *** Anyway, motorists: if you crash into a mountain going home today, tell people that you swerved to avoid a speeding bath driven by a pair of dogs. With a bit of luck, your story may be covered by a young reporter determined to be fair and impartial. A mountain was in collision with a car on the expressway today 28 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info HUMOR Funny Bone by Nury Vittachi Laughter is the Best Medicine When writing a balanced report is wrong by Mahendra Shah Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The author Nury Vittachi regrets how news reports nowadays are losing a balanced approach 26th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Saturn Ruled by no: 8 Traits in you:Under the influence of Neptune you will develop your characteristics to be a dynamic, reliable, organized, sober and disciplined person. You are a born fighter. Health this year: You will have few minor health is- sues this year, which can be cured by regular medica- tion. Finance this year: If you have made any investments in real estate or stocks, you will be hugely benefited this year. You may have a foreign trip for business purpose. Career this year: You would never fidget in adverse situations and fight back all the problems in your life. However, your stubbornness may make you lag behind others so it will be better for you to take others opinion. Romance this year: You will find lot of love and care from your spouse. You may think the last quarter of the year to be idle for you wedding. Some of you may get involved in romantic relationships, which you help you enjoy your life the most. Lucky month: November, February, April and July 27th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Mars Ruled by no: 9 Traits in you: The vigor of you ruling planet, Mars blesses you with energy. You are charismatic, coura- geous, enthusiastic, and intellectual. You will be a crowd puller as you have the characteristics of intel- lectuality. You will impress people with your personal- ity and talks. However, you should not behave aggres- sive and short tempered. This may ruin your image in front of others. Health this year: The last quarter of the year will make you seek help from a spiritual person to attain peace of mind. You may go through minor health related prob- lems due to stress. Finance this year: You will earn excellent returns if you had invested in past. Your legal issues will be set- tled in your favor this year. You may receive money un- expectedly from friends and relatives throughout the year. Your business trips will be successful this year and you will receive earning opportunities from your trips. Career this year: This year is the best time to go back to your old contacts and create new contacts to receive help to make yourself better in professional life. Romance this year: You may get involved in a ro- mantic relationship this year, which may get converted to marriage later on. Lucky month: December, March, May and July 28th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1 Traits in you: Being ruled by Sun, you will be creative by nature. Your other characteristics include smartness, intelligence, and dignity and so on. Health this year: Your younger siblings may have some health issues, which will put you in immense pressure. Finance this year: You may go ahead creating new contacts and casual relationships this year. If you are a businessperson, there are huge opportunities for you to start new ventures and earn lot of money as you will be successful whatever initiative you take this year. Your assumptions of investing will prove to be highly beneficial. Career this year: Art and literature are your area of in- terest and you want to contribute to these fields. How- ever, you need to be sober and down to earth to create a good impression. If you are a scientist or a lawyer, you may find this year to be rewarding for you. Women professionals in advertising and media will also be re- warded for their good work. Romance this year: If you are unmarried, this year may bring romance in your lonely life. Lucky month: January, April and June 29th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Moon Ruled by no: 2 Traits in you: The influence of your ruling planet Moon enhances your imagination power. You are hon- est, sensitive and creative by nature. You are helpful by heart and you help people in need with money and physical support. However, you should not behave in- trovert or shy. You should let your personality grow. Health this year: The drip in the health of your parents might cause concern for you. Finance this year: Your assumptions on investments would prove to be correct and you will earn a hand- some amount of money from your investments. There is a healthy chance of overseas travel regarding busi- ness meeting this year. The travel would be successful and you may get new projects. You should avoid finan- cial transactions with casual friends as it may result in loss and complications in relationships. Career this year: This year may bring new opportuni- ties for you. You may get promotions and transfer orders. Romance this year: Your partner will be supportive enough and help you in every respect. If you are eligi- ble and unmarried, you may get marriage proposals this year. Lucky month: October, January and May 30th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3 Traits in you: Ambition, dignity, intelligence, confi- dence are your inborn qualities as you are under the in- fluence of the powerful planet Jupiter. You like being philosophical and organized. You can impress anyone on the earth with your intellectual behavior and talks. However, you need not behave weird to impress others. It may be proved to be a negative aspect in your nature. Health this year: You may suffer with problems in your eyes and mouth. So you need to get your periodic medical checkup done on time and take prescribed medicines without negligence. Finance this year: The rewards will also open the door for you to earn much more than you are earning cur- rently. You may win a foreign contract or government contract this year. It will enhance your business and earn a lot of money and respect for you. You may trav- el abroad in the last half of the year for business meet- ings. You should research well before investing on any- thing. You may concede enough money on renovation and construction activities. Career this year: This year belongs to you as you will be appreciated and awarded throughout the year for your professional achievements. Romance this year: You will be in a good mood throuhout the year as your partner will provide you with lots of love, care and concern. If you are unmar- ried, this year may end our bachelorhood or spinster- hood. Lucky month: July, November, February and April 31st July, 2014 Ruled planet: Uranus Ruled by no: 4 Traits in you: The planet Uranus makes you active, de- pendable, energetic, systematic and honest. You have a practical approach to lead a life. You are serious to- wards you goals and dreams. Health this year: Some of your relatives may fall sick suddenly and that may make you a bit bothered. You need to drive carefully at night as there are chances of accident this year. Finance this year: This year is very productive for you in terms of investments. You should put your money in real estate as it is very much rewarding this year. You will be benefited from you near and dear ones as they will support you financially. Career this year: You want to realize your aspirations by working hard. You put your duties in high esteem. However, you have to control on your behavioral ap- proach. You should not show your stubbornness to your colleagues. Romance this year: You will find extra love and con- cern from your spouse. You may tie your knots if you are unmarried. Lucky month: September, December, March and June 1st August, 2014 Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1 Traits in you: Your ruling planet, the Sun makes you confident, intellectual, religious, creative, and inven- tive. You have exceptional speaking capacity and you like to be among high society people. Among all your positive characteristics, you have stubbornness as a negative aspect in your nature. You need to eradicate the negatives from your nature to tend to perfection as a human being. Health this year: You may have to celebrate religious functions very frequently at your place to find peace of mind. Finance this year: Your confidence level will go up as a result of developing new partnerships. Your financial status may not take a huge leap, but you can expect sta- bility in future. You may get more than expected at times provided you put your best efforts to achieve your goals. Career this year: You will get support from each and every one in your professional circle and that will al- low to learn a lot of things and become successful. Romance this year: You will be successful in providing emotional support to your spouse and children the best way you can. Your spouse may come good on all your expectations and make you feel happy and satisfied. Lucky month: November, January, April and July By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874 Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899 psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com Stars Foretell: July 26-August 1, 2014 Annual Predictions: For those born in this week 29 ARIES: You will have to take some cal- culated risks to conquer challenging situ- ations at workplace. Evening enjoyed with family and close relatives brings immense pleasure. Long pending arrears and dues will finally be recovered. Your charm & generosity bring new romantic opportunities for you. Inexhaustible energy enables to participate in outdoor activities. Travel in comfort with kids to an adventurous place might be possible. Buying property can lead to gains as property prices continue to increase. Your innovative style & creativity will come as a pleasant relief to people. TAURUS: Use sharp thinking and abili- ty to formulate quick strategies to bring positive results. You are likely to plan a short trip with family. Investment concerning residence will be profitable. Time now to strive to bring back harmony in romantic relations. You attain a bloom in health on sharing happi- ness with others. A trip that stimulates and gives opportunity for work is coming ahead. You could buy the property that you are looking for. You succeed in convincing people that colours have spiritual and symbolic values. GEMINI: With your high confidence you will be able to cross all hurdles at professional front. Unexpected visit by old friend could give you a pleasant surprise. Control your expenses and avoid being too lav- ish in your spending. Romance will flourish provided you take care of partner. A cheerful state of mind would allow enjoying the perfect health. A luxurious getaway type vacation with your spouse waiting for you. Investing on prop- erties which are under developed will be prof- itable. You will be successful in acquiring new skills to discover more about yourself. CANCER: Timely help of associates will not only pass difficult times at work but also help in regaining profes- sional edge. Good advice from family members will help in reducing mental tension/pressure. Explore new investment opportunities that comes your way, commit only after considering the viability of the projects. Love life brightens your week. Divine knowledge from a saintly person provides solace & comfort. Thrilling experience is on your way, as your trip is full of excitement Whether young or old, now is the time to start investing. If possible make the optimum use of spare by engaging yourself in creative activities. LEO: Remain self-confident & deter- mined. This is the secret mantra of suc- ceeding at work. Sudden good news in the evening will bring cheers for the entire fam- ily. You need to control your spending by pur- chasing only essential items. Your wit & charm would help in catching the attention of opposite sex. Meditation and yoga prove beneficial for spiritual as well as physical gains. Pack your bags as a happy, fun-filled holiday is looking forward. Looking for good long term invest- ments, then go for a property which is under construction. You find someone to let your emotions flood out. VIRGO: A promising week to start a new venture in partnership. All are like- ly to be benefited. Your efforts bring success & happiness at family front. Financial hassles seem to get over as someone lends a timely helping hand. Love partner would be extremely supportive and in a loving mood. A very healthy week when your cheerfulness gives the desired tonic and confidence. An enriching vacation full of fun is what you need. Value the property at right price to attract buy- ers for it. Friendship tool would benefit friend by removing the flaws in behaviour. LIBRA: Self-confidence & discipline will be required to bring positive results in competitive examinations. You achieve success in personal work with the timely help & support provided by family members. Promising week to invest surplus money in real estate. A romantic week as you receive all praises from partner. You are likely to maintain good health that would also give you success. Time to make your vacation a dream come true. It always is exciting to begin looking at homes for sale in your area. You will be successful in cutting yourself away from old ideas & beliefs that have outlived their utility/purpose. SCORPIO: Your technical expertise gives a decisive edge over competitors at work. Misunderstandings with near ones in the family will get cleared. A sound financial health would enable to invest on lucrative schemes. You find pleasure and enjoy ecstasies of love in the arms of partner. A continuous positive thinking gets rewarded as you succeed in whatever you do in this week. It is advisable to be careful regarding your safety, while traveling. Buying cheap property in the right location can provide you triple gain annually. Efforts to defend your identity would pave the way for your future success. SAGITTARIUS: Hard work of the past brings rich dividends. However continue enhancing your skills/adopt techniques for further development. Children would do their best to keep you happy. Your brilliant ideas would help in bringing financial gains. You enjoy a lovely time as Cupid is on your side in this week. Creative hobbies are likely to keep you relaxed. Affordable luxury vacation will explore your desires. Investing in property business sounds very appealing. Things begin to move in your favour as you find people supporting you. CAPRICORN : Dedication & loyalty at work would bring desired results. You are likely to be benefited as fami- ly members positively respond. A promising week to earn profits in real estate and financial transactions. If possible plan something inter- esting with lover/beloved for future. With a positive outlook & confidence, you succeed in impressing people around you. Perfect get- away time for you and your partner. Banks love to finance those, who invest in properties which are underdevelopment. Your creativity would immensely help in doing well in life. AQUARIUS: New ventures start on a positive note. Parents and friends will do their best to keep you happy. An improvement in monetary position makes it convenient to purchase essential items. A special message from beloved/lover lifts spir- its. Mental alertness would enable to solve a tricky problem. Vacations are meant to be fun filled and relaxing but hectic schedules may ruin it. A good deal on commercial property might occur. You would be full of good ideas but might fail to translate them. PISCES: You succeed in completing projects efficiently provided you put in all your efforts. A promising week to plan things for your progeny. If possible take independent decisions when it comes to making fresh investments. Love companion will be eager to meet you in this week. A cheerful state of mind brings mental peace. A group of friends or your partner is looking for- ward for a vacation with you. Their might be a chance of acquiring a plot from your closed relative. Friends would come to your aid if needed. July 26- August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY 30 July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPIRITUAL AWARENESS God is around us, within us W henever we swim or sail in the ocean, the beautiful blue waters of the sea surround us on all sides. Just as while swimming we are surrounded by the ocean, every second of our lives we are also surrounded by the ocean of divine love. The ocean of Gods love surrounds us. It is not only around us, but within. It is to the right of us, the left of us, above us, below us, and in us. If we could only have the eyes to see, we would find we are perpetually swimming in the ocean of Gods love. In this connection, there is a story of a man who had been meditating many years yet was frustrated because he had not seen God. He had given up many worldly pleasures to meditate and spent long hours meditating in silence. He was devoted and did whatever he could to find God. Finally, he prayed to God, O Lord, I have been meditating and praying to You all my life, yet You have not appeared to me. God did not respond to his prayer. The man became more and more impatient and soon started saying, There is no God. I have wasted my time. The man strolled along the side of the river, upset at his lack of experience with the Lord. Finally, the man took a pebble and threw it into the river, saying, O river, I have wasted my life. I have prayed and meditated to find God, but there is no God. Suddenly, a fish raised its head out of the water, saying, Why have you thrown a stone at me? The man apologized and said, I did not mean to hit you. I only threw it into the river in frustra- tion. The fish asked, Why are you frustrated? The man said, I have spent my life searching for God, but have not found God. My efforts have been wasted. The fish said, You think you have problems? Look at me. I have been swimming in this river my whole life looking for water. I am dying of thirst and cannot find any water to drink. The man said, What is wrong with you? You must be a fool instead of a fish. The whole river is filled with water. There is not a spot in the river where there is no water. You are surrounded by water. Just open your fish eyes to see it. The fish said, Well, it is the same with you. You are surround- ed by God. God is all around you and within you. You are swim- ming in the Lord and claim there is no God. Who is the bigger fool? You or I? This amusing story points out a great truth. We are all looking for God, but do not realize God is surrounding us and within us. There is no place where God is not. We only have to open our eyes to see it. God is everywhere. Just as the ocean is all around us, so is God. Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj said in a verse: Every grain of sand in the desert is a mirror; Amidst your infinite reflections, your mad lovers are lost. The verse is explaining how God is everywhere. God is in every grain of sand in the desert. God is in every particle of cre- ation. God is in the fish. God is in the reptiles. God is in the ani- mals. God is in every human being. When we can see God everywhere, we are lost in the love of God at every moment. God is love. When we recognize God everywhere, we are recog- nizing the power of love and are lost in the madness of that love. Meditation is merely changing our vision from blindness of God to vision of God. God is all around us every moment. God is pulsating with us. God is closer to us than our jugular vein. Meditation helps us experience that. We may feel we are putting in a great deal of time meditating but have not yet seen God. It is only because we are not really medi- tating. We are thinking. We are evaluating. We are judging. We are sitting and thinking, O, God is not coming, God is not com- ing. That is not meditating; rather, that is thinking. If we truly want to find God, we need to stop thinking. We merely need to gaze within. The fish could have just looked out of its eyes and seen water. But it was so busy thinking, I cannot find the water. I am dying of thirst. While thinking that, it was distracting itself and not able to see the reality in front of it. Let us not be like the man or the fish in the story. Let us truly meditate, by stilling our mind and opening ourselves to the vision of God. God is available at every moment. We need to still our body and mind to experience it. Any thoughts of evaluation, judg- ing, or clutching is going to keep us from the experience. Avoid Clutching in Meditation Clutching is another form of expectation in which we are try- ing to see one thing or another in meditation. We feel unsatisfied no matter what we see unless it is what we planned to see. Clutching interferes with us enjoying what we do receive because we are too focused on what we want to receive instead. Thus, clutching takes our atten- tion away from the stillness need- ed in meditation. It is incredible how many ways the mind can interrupt our medi- tation with thoughts. The mind uses the habit of complaining as one of its tools to keep us occu- pied. We are swimming in the ocean of Gods love, but cannot see it because we are engaged with the negative trends of the mind. There is an interesting example of how clutching puts us into a complaining mode so that we do not experience the beauty around us. In the United States, there are national parks and state parks in which people can enjoy the beau- ty of nature. In these beautiful parks we can enjoy mountains, valleys, rivers, streams, creeks, forests, and fields. These areas are kept preserved so that people can be in touch with nature with- out the development of houses, buildings, commercial areas, and concrete jungles found in towns and cities. These parks are places where people can walk in nature and enjoy the lovely trees, flow- ers, and waterways. We can hear the lovely sounds of birds chirp- ing. We can get glimpses of Gods beautiful creatures such as deer, rabbits, squirrels, butter- flies, and fish. We can hear the sounds of silence, wind blowing through trees, and the natural sounds of wildlife. We can see the lovely sky with floating clouds in the day, or the stars and moon at night. Some people feel the national or state parks are a natural paradise. Yet, in one of the state parks, the park adminis- trators were processing a pile of unopened mail that had accumu- lated in their office for a long time from people who had visited the parks. These letters came from many different people over a long period of time. Instead of writing to thank the park administrators for their preservation of natures beauty, the people wrote a list of com- plaints. Some complaints were humorous and some were ridicu- lous, yet the nature of the letters showed what people were really thinking about when they visited these natural parks instead of enjoying their beauty. People complained that some of the natural trails were not wide enough for people to walk along together, side by side, holding hands. Some complained that they did not like some of the trails that went up the side of the mountains because it made them have to walk uphill! Some com- plained that the hiking trails meant for hiking should have chair lifts so the people did not have to hike. Some said that the animals made too much noise at night and kept them awake when they camped out and the people wanted the park department to get rid of all the animals. Someone else said that a deer came into his campsite and stole a jar of pickles and the person wanted the park department to reimburse him for the stolen jar. Another said they wanted escala- tors put on the mountains so they did not have to climb. Another wanted a fast food restaurant put into the forest so they did not have to cook out. Someone even said there were too many rocks on the mountain. When we look at this list we want to laugh at how ridiculous the complaints sound. On one hand people want to be in nature, hike, and camp out, and when they get there, instead of enjoy- ing the natural beauty, they want to turn it into a town or city. This is what we are doing when we meditate or try to experience Gods love in our lives. We have the entire kingdom of God within us, but refuse to see it because we are listening to the chatter of our mind or viewing the images our thoughts create when we think. We have the love of God flowing in us and around us every second of our lives, but do not experi- ence it because we are focused on complaining about everything in our lives. (To be continued...) By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj Meditation is merely changing our vision from blindness of God to vision of God. God is all around us every moment. God is pulsating with us. God is closer to us than our jugular vein. Meditation helps us experience that. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is an internationally recognized spiritual leader and Master of Jyoti Meditation who affirms the transcendent oneness at the heart of all religions and mystic tradi- tions, emphasizing ethical living and meditation as building blocks for achieving inner and outer peace. www.sos.org. July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 26-August 1, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info