Post on 07-Jul-2018
8/19/2019 Vol-8-Issue-46 March 26-April 1, 2016
1/32
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi will travel to
Brussels on March 30 for the long‑
pending India‑EU summit, notwith‑
standing the string of explosions in
the Belgian capital Tuesday.
India announced PM Modi's visit
to Brussels which is part of a
three‑nation tour including to the
US and Saudi Arabia as it strongly
condemned the attack on the city's
airport and metro system in which
two Indians were injured.
The prime minister is visiting
Brussels to attend the 13th India‑
EU which had last taken place in
2012. He will also address an
Indian diaspora meet at the
Brussels Expo for which 5,000
people have registered.
The India‑EU ties witnessed
some strain after the 28‑member
bloc had not responded to New
Delhi's proposal for a brief visit by
PM Modi to Brussels, the EU head‑
quarters during his trip to France,
The South Asian Timese x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
excellence in journalism FESTIVAL 2 US AFFAIRS 9
Vol.8 No. 46 March 26-April 1, 2016 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
FASHION 18 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30
Continued on page 4
Brussels Belgium: Counter‑terror‑
ism officials widened a sweep tar‑
geting suspected IISI operatives to
several European countries on
Friday, reporting newly uncoveredlinks between the Brussels and
Paris massacres, at least five
arrests and the foiling of what
France described as an advanced
plan for another attack.
The actions reflected both new
momentum from information
uncovered since the Brussels
bombings on Tuesday and deep
worries about missed opportuni‑
ties to thwart the attacks.
European officials, particularly in
Belgium, have come under strong
criticism for lapses that might
have enabled the Brussels plotters
to succeed.
President François Hollande of France, who has declared a state of
war with the Islamic State, praised
the police work carried out in
recent days but said that “we know
that there are other networks”
affiliated with the extremist organ‑
ization and lurking in Europe.“Even if the one that carried out
the attacks in Paris and in Brussels
is in the process of being wiped
out ̶ with a certain number of its
members arrested ̶ there is
always a threat weighing upon us,”
Mr. Hollande said in Paris.While European investigators
already had established numerous
India pulled off athrilling one‑run, lastbowl win against aresurgent BangladeshWednesday, to keeptheir hopes alive in the
T20 World Cup. Nowthey meet Australia ina kind of quarter final.Pictured is wicketkeep‑
er MS Dhoni whosprinted to run out theBangladesh batsmanseeking a single on thelast ball. The previoustwo balls fetched Indiawickets and dot balls.
(Photo: Reuters)
Two bombs exploded at the airport in Brussels and at a metro stationin Belgium Tuesday. (Photo courtesy AP)
Continued on page 4
Five held in sweeps as
link with Paris seen
BRUS S E L S B LAS T S
Mumbai/New Delhi: For most it
has been a nightmare they are
jus t glad to surv ive. Emergi ng
from the shock and debris of one
of the worst terror attacks on
European soil, Indian passengers
evacuated from Brussels flew
into Mumbai and Delhi on
Thursday & Friday, some smiling,
others teary, as they hugged their
loved ones. Jet Airways flew 423
stranded passengers to Delhi,
Mumbai and Toronto on Friday.
But most of them had to leave
their baggage behind as the
Brussels airport security officials
told all passengers to vacate the
terminal buildings immediately
after Tuesday's blasts.
However, Jet had to book 11
flyers into a hotel in Brussels as
they refused to fly home without
their bags. For most passengers,
Survivors have emotional reunion with families at the airportin New Delhi on Friday (Source: rediff.com)
Indian survivors return
home, terrorized
Despite blasts, PM Modi tokeep date with Brussels
Continued on page 4
From Brussels, PM Modi will flyto Washington March 31 for
the nuclear summit.(Source : worldtechfun.com)
India survive Bangladesh scare
See story on >> page 23
Happy Holi! Holi celebrated in India ‑ Page 2.
8/19/2019 Vol-8-Issue-46 March 26-April 1, 2016
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info FEST IVALMarch 26-April 1, 20162
New Delhi India burst with colors and
frenzied street dances by thousands of
revelers on Thursday as the nation cele‑
brated Holi, a seasonal festival joyously
observed by all ‑ young and old, rich and
poor, Hindus and Muslims.
Delhi Police booked 558 people for
drunken driving, with the highest from
south Delhi, on the eve of the festival,
associated with boisterous fun.
The celebrations were louder in crowd‑
ed urban pockets of Delhi. "I was waiting
for this morning since long. It is fun," said
Ronit Tomar, a 14‑year‑old boy, smeared
with different hues of color, from Sangam
Apartments in Rohini.
He threw a watercolor‑filled balloon at a
passer‑by who was caught unaware. As
the man looked around, Tomar shouted
"Bura na maano Holi hai" (Don't mind, it is
Holi).
Politicians also had fun, an apparent
break from political mudslinging. Many of
them made a big splash of the day and
were seen clicking selfies with visitors.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted
his Holi pictures and wished "everybody
on this festival". About the terror alert, the
home minister said: "There are routine
alerts issued before every festival. The
country is safe." Congress president Sonia
Gandhi and her son Rahul celebrated the
day at the party headquarters with lead‑
ers and workers. “My message is of peace
and brotherhood," Rahul Gandhi told
reporters. Asked if the greetings were for
Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well, he
said: "Yes. My greetings are for everyone."
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal cel‑
ebrated Holi with auto‑rickshaw drivers,
his family members and others at his offi‑
cial residence.
"Played holi with my family, volunteers,
ministers, MLAs, officers, autowallas and
my dear junta. Happy Holi," Kejriwal
tweeted.
Bihar politicians like Rashtriya Janata
Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad and Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar also celebrated
Holi together. Lalu Prasad drove off to the
chief minister's residence along with his
two minister sons ‑ Tejaswi and Tej Pratap
Yadav.
In West Bengal, the festival was cele‑
brated a day earlier as "dol". People across
the state marked it with colors, songs,
dances and special dishes.
In Punjab, thousands of people gathered
at Sikh holy town of Anandpur Sahib, 85
km from Chandigarh, for the final day of
the 'Hola Mohalla' festival ‑ where tradi‑
tional weapons and the 'gatka' martial art
display were the highlights.
Celebrations also took place in Haryana.
At some places in the state, especially in
rural areas, women could be seen playing
the 'lathmaar' Holi with sticks and wet
ropes in which they hit men with them.
INDIA REVELS IN SWEET, COLORFUL HOLI
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice president Rahul Gandhi and Ajay Makencelebrate Holi at Congress headquarters.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Yadav celebrate holi in Patna.(Photos: IANS)
BSF jawans celebrate Holi at Attari‑Wagha bordernear Amritsar on March 24, 2016.
Actors SushantSingh Rajput and
Jacqueline Fernandezduring the Zoom Holi
celebrations in Mumbai on Thursday, March 24, 2016.
People celebrate holi during"Rangotsav 2016" in
Kolkata, on March 24, 2016.
8/19/2019 Vol-8-Issue-46 March 26-April 1, 2016
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3March 26-April 1, 2016TheSouthAsianTimes.info TR I S TATE COMMUNI TY
Los Angeles After being saved by the judges
twice, Indian American singer Sonika Vaid
saw her “American Idol” journey cut short
March 24 from the Fox singing competition
show after she failed to rack up enough audi‑ence votes.
The 20‑year‑old student from
Massachusetts, who made history as the first
contestant of South Asian descent to advance
to the ʻTop 5ʼ of the reality singing comple‑
tion, had been an early favorite of the judges
since opening auditions, who had constantly
made admiring comments about her power‑
ful voice.
The episode marked the Marthaʼs Vineyard
residentʼs third time in the bottom, and now
that there were no saves left on the farewell
season of the show, Vaid, whose rendition of
pop hit “Clarity” by DJ Zedd featuring English
singer Fox on March 17 couldnʼt pull in the
fan votes, was sent home.
“Being in this competition has been thebiggest journey of my life,” Vaid, who sobbed
on being axed, said in her final words before
thanking the judges and her mother.
“I think I got more comfortable being
onstage. I just feel so blessed to be here right
now. This has been such an amazing experi‑
ence. I came out of my comfort zone and it's
been like a dream for me.” Only two Indian
Americans in the past have made it to the
finals of the much famed singing competi‑
tion. Sanjaya Malakar advanced to the sev‑
enth place on the sixth season while Anoop
Desai achieved a sixth place finish on the
eighth season of the show.
New York An Indian national living ille‑
gally in Glen Burnie, Maryland, KaushikKanti Modi, 43, has pleaded guilty to a
money laundering conspiracy arising
from a scheme to launder millions of dol‑
lars of fraud proceeds obtained from
individual victims through a variety of
scams. According to his plea agreement,
Modi received text messages from con‑
spirators instructing him to buy large
numbers of stored value cards, principal‑
ly GreenDot cards, and to forward the
PIN numbers of the cards to other
unidentified co‑conspirators.
Modiʼs co‑conspirators loaded money
onto the stored value cards using a vari‑
ety of scams. Some of the money came
from calls made by persons impersonat‑
ing IRS employees who convinced inno‑
cent taxpayers that they owed taxes to
the IRS, and needed to send money to the
co‑conspirators to avoid arrest and incar‑
ceration. On at least two occasions, vic‑
tims of the IRS impersonation fraud
deposited money directly into accounts
held in Modi s̓ name. Other money was
derived by offering merchandise for sale
on the internet and then failing to pro‑vide the merchandise once money was
received from the victim‑purchaser.
After money was loaded on the stored
value cards, Modi was instructed to use
the cards to buy money orders, principal‑
ly MoneyGram money orders at Walmart
stores, and then to deposit those money
orders into bank accounts either in
Modiʼs name or the names of others.
From January 1, 2014 to March 24,
2015, Modi deposited 241 money orders
totaling $2,077,308.20 into his bank
accounts. Moreover, Modi frequently
bought the money orders using stored
value cards that were activated using the
identification of identity theft victims.
Modi has agreed to forfeit
$902,678.08, the amount involved in the
money laundering offense that the gov‑
ernment has seized or restrained. He
faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in
prison. U.S. District Judge J. Frederick
Motz scheduled sentencing for May 12,
2016. (Agencies)
Houston In a March 1 election for
the Fort Worth, Texas, 360th
District Court, incumbent Judge
Mike Sinha fell short to his chal‑lenger, Patricia Baca Bennett.
Bennett received 57 percent of
the vote in the Republican pri‑
mary, with the Indian American
judge tal ly ing jus t 43 per cen t.
With no Democrats running for
the seat, Bennett has all but won
the position.
Leading up to the election, an
anonymous person authored a
smear campaign against Sinha on
social media titled, "Sinha
Muslim," according to a Fort
Worth Star‑Telegram March 8
report. The five‑paragraph mes‑
sage claimed that Sinha, who was
appointed by Gov. Rick Perry in2010, "wants to bring Sharia ...
into our family courts" and used
"Muslim poll workers," the Star‑
Telegram reported.
The e‑mail was signed "Alex
Jackson" with an address leading
to a vacant storage space, accord‑
ing to the report.
Bennett posted on Facebook fol‑lowing publication of the e‑mail
saying, “My opponent is a
Christian with a pretty amazing
Christian walk. … I would never
condone disparaging another reli‑
gion,” adding she is having the
incident investigated.
All of the incumbent judges on
the March 1 primary won exceptSinha. “I think, unfortunately, my
last name was an issue,” Sinha
said in the Star‑Telegram report.
‑India West
Incumbent judge loses inelection after smear campaign
SONIKA VAIDʼS DREAM RUN
ENDS ON ʻAMERICAN IDOLʼ
Indian man inMaryland pleads guilty
to $2 million scam
Judge Mike Sinha came up short in the Fort Worth, Texas, 360th DistrictCourt. He blamed it on his last name. (Facebook photo)
Toronto Yet another Indian‑
Canadian, Prabhjeet Gill, hasbeen elected as a lawmaker in
Alberta, Canada.Gill, of the Progressive
Conservative party, won the by‑
election to the Calgary‑
Greenway constituency inAlberta.
The seat fell vacant after theuntimely death of former
Alberta cabinet minister
Manmeet Bhullar, 35, in a roadaccident in November last year.
The 41‑year‑old Sikh defeated
fellow Indian‑CanadianDevinder Toor of the Wildrose
Party by garnering 27.73 per‑cent of the vote as against 23.68
percent for Toor.
Roop Rai of the ruling NewDemocratic Party (NDP), which
was voted to power just last
year with a big majority, camefourth with just 20.17 percent
of the vote. Gill is a real estate
appraiser by profession.Paying tributes to his prede‑
cessor Manmeet Bhullar, whowas considered the most prom‑
ising Indian‑Canadian politician,
Gill said: “He (Bhullar) was just
on a different level. But I knowwhat his vision was; I know
where he wanted the communi‑ty to go.”
IANS
Another Sikh elected
lawmaker in Canada
Prabhjeet Gill elected MLAin Alberta
Massachusetts‑based Sonika Vaid reached Top 5 in the final season of American Idol,something no Indian American had done
before. (AmericanIdol/Twitter photo)
8/19/2019 Vol-8-Issue-46 March 26-April 1, 2016
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Five held in sweeps as link withParis seenContinued from page
links between suspects in the Paris and
Brussels attacks, the Belgian prosecu‑
torʼs office confirmed the most direct
connection on Friday. It said DNA match‑
es showed that one of the bombers who
blew himself up at Brussels Airport had
been a bomb maker who helped produce
two suicide vests used in the NovemberParis attacks, which killed 130 people.
The man identified as the bomb maker
̶ Najim Laachraoui, 24, a Belgian citi‑
zen ̶ has been described by the Belgian
prosecutorʼs office as an accomplice of
Salah Abdeslam, 26, who was captured
in Belgium on March 18 and charged
with terrorist murder. Mr. Abdeslam is
thought to be the sole surviving direct
participant in the Paris attacks, and his
arrest appeared to have accelerated the
plot that culminated in the attack on
Brussels, which killed 31 people.
Courtesy: The New York Times
Indian survivors return home,terrorizedContinued from page
though, returning home after the har‑
rowing experience was the only thought
on their minds, even if it meant leaving
their luggage behind. The Indians who
returned from Brussels on Friday came
back with harrowing tales.
Recalling the attack in the Belgian cap‑
ital, Venkat Narayan, whose flight from
Mumbai had landed at 7.15 am local
time in Brussels on Tuesday , said: "I was
looking for breakfast when I heard a
mild boom.'' Francis Dsouza, who was
travelling from the US to India to visit
his family, said he had just stepped out
of a washroom when he saw people run‑
ning and shouting.
"Before I could understand what was
happening, the airport loudspeakers
blared, `Evacuate, Evacuate'. I grabbed
my phone, wallet and passport and ran.
It was a stampede,'' said Dsouza, who
arrived in Mumbai on Friday.
"We have been hearing about these
terror attacks for past several years but
living it was worse than any nightmare...
we lost all our hopes of returning back
home alive. We had no clue what to do,
where to go and whom to approach,"
said Satnam Singh, who was on a vaca‑
tion in Brussels and was among the 242
passengers and 28 crew members who
arrived in Delhi on Fr iday morning.
After their evacuation from the
Brussels airport, the travelers were
moved to an army camp where they
stayed for 36 hours before going to
Amsterdam."When we reached the army camp, we
had no clue about our return to Delhi. I
had no hopes of returning soon," said
Jas leen Sin gh, 52, who was stranded
along with her seven family members
while waiting for their flight to Toronto,
after landing in Delhi.
"We received help from the local
authorities but amid the commotion,
most of the passengers lost their lug‑
gage," recounted Pradeep Sharma (56)
from Delhi, who was on a business trip
and was waiting for his flight back to
India. Some passengers returned to India
carrying just a plastic bag. Pune's
Jaydeep Karande the only member in his
family to have ever travelled abroad whowas returning home after working as a
bartender in Kentucky for a year had to
leave behind bags packed with gifts for
the loved ones.
"For me, the only important thing is
that my son comes back to me safe and
sound," said Lalita, Jaydeep's mother,
who travelled to Mumbai with her family
to receive her son who alighted from
Amsterdam‑Delhi‑Mumbai flight.
Courtesy: The Times of India
Despite blasts, PM Modi to keepdate with BrusselsContinued from page
Germany and Canada in April last year.
Brussels will be PM Modi's first stopfrom where he will travel to Washington
to attend the Nuclear Security Summit
and then pay a bilateral trip to Saudi
Arabia, a key partner of India in the
strategically important Gulf region.
From Brussels, PM Modi will leave for
Washington to attend the 4th Nuclear
Security Summit on March 31 and
April 1.
‑IANS
Washington The Pentagon announced on Friday a senior Islamic State commander in Syria
believed to be in line to lead the extremist group had been killed by the US. Abd al‑Rahman
Mustafa al‑Qaduli, also known as Haji Imam or al‑Afri, served as ISIS's finance minister, and was
killed this week by US military, US defense chief Ash Carter said here at a Pentagon briefing.
"We've taken out the leader who oversees the funding for ISIL's operations, hurting their ability
to pay fighters and hire recruits," said Carter, adding that the US‑led coalition was "systematically
eliminating" IS's cabinet. Carter refused to offer details about the operation against al‑Afri, whom
many analysts consider the extremist group's second‑in‑command. Meanwhile, Carter acknowl‑
edged that striking ISIS leadership was far from sufficient, noting that "leaders can be replaced."
Mumbai
Family members of Infosys software
engineer Raghavendran Ganeshan, who has
been missing in Brussels since Tuesdayʼs blasts,
have said that many of his friends claimed tohave received a message on social media from
him saying he was safe although there was still
no official word about his whereabouts.
Raghavendranʼs mother Annapoorani
Ganeshan, who lives in Mumbai, confirmed that
some people received “notifications” on
Facebook of her son being safe. “But I did not
get any confirmation from the Ministry of
External Affairs about such a notification. I
have been informed that my son will be traced
with information of the location of his last
mobile call,” she said.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said
on Thursday that Ganeshanʼs last phone call
had been tracked to the metro rail .
“Raghavendran Ganesh – We have tracked his
last call in Brussels. He was travelling in the
metro rail,” Swaraj posted on Twitter.
Infosys engineer missingafter Brussels blasts
New York The wife of an Air Force lieutenant
colonel was one of at least two Americans killed
in the Belgium terror attacks Tuesday, officials
told Fox News.
The woman's name was not revealed. In all,
31 people were killed in coordinated bombings
Tuesday at Zaventem Airport outside Brussels
and a metro station in the city, Belgian officials
say.
"The United States is praying and grieving
with you for the loved ones of those cruelly
taken from us, including Americans, and for the
many who were injured in these despicable
attacks," Secretary of State John Kerry told
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel in
Brussels Friday.
Relatives of siblings Sascha and Alexander
Pinczowski, Dutch nationals living in New York
known to have been at the aiport, issued a
statement Thursday confirming that the pair
was not on a list of survivors.
"The State Dept Friday confirmed that two
Americans have died in the Brussels attacks.
Others remain in critical condition."
Wife of US Air Force officer, twoNew Yorkers among victims
Infosys software engineerRaghavendran Ganeshan.
ISIS No leader killed in US raid
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6 March 26-April 1, 2016 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TR I S TATE COMMUNI TY
No Casino at Belmont Park” agrassroots organization against
the VLT parlor at Belmont Park,
proposed by Nassau OTB, will be hold‑
ing a rally Saturday March 26th at Bel‑
mont Parkʼs Gate 3 at 11 am to tell
elected officials that they are tired of
casino roulette on Long Island and sup‑
port legislation in Albany to revoke the
planned casinos in Nassau and Suffolk
County.
“No Casino at Belmont Park” will be
joined by Assemblywoman Michaelle
Solages, Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky,
Nassau County Legislator Carrie Solages
and Floral Park Mayor Tom Tweedy.
“No Casino at Belmont Park” will be
tweeting positive messages to electedofficials using #NoCasinosLI to show
support to see that current legislation is
passed ending Nassau and SuffolkOTBʼs casino roulette as these projects
will not benefit communities in either
counties. “No Casino at Belmont Park” is
against the proposed casino due to the
casinoʼs location to six different local
schools, the increase in crimes such as
DWI associated with casinos, the casi‑
noʼs proposed 20 hours of gambling,
and the detrimental impact the casino
will have on the surrounding neighbor‑
hoods. “No Casino at Belmont Park” is
made up of the surrounding communi‑
ties of Elmont, Floral Park, South Floral
Park, Franklin Square, Queens Commu‑
nity Board 13 and other communities
throughout Long Island. Over 2200
people have signed an online petitionon Change.org against the proposed
casino.
Bruhud New York, Seniors organized
Diabetic Seminar under leadership of
Shashikant Patel/Gopi Udeshi on
March 16 at Saneeswara Temple New York.
Dr. Himanshu Pandya , who is a leading
member of Diabetes Expo Committee,
Chairman of South Asian Diabetes Expo
and Medical Director of Cobble Hill Health
Center Brooklyn. Dr. Pandhya emphasized
on annual medical checkup, follow up and
symptoms.
He explained how to keep this silent
killer disease in control with right food
habits and exercise.
Becker's Hospital Review
has named Adhi Sharma,
MD, chief medical officer
at South Nassau CommunitiesHospital, to its prestigious list of
"100 Hospital and Health Sys‑
tem CMOs to Know" in the Unit‑
ed States.
The list is based on individu‑
als' experience in overseeing
medical and quality affairs at
their respective organizations.
The 100 CMOs are indispensable members
of hospital and health system leadership
teams and have demonstrated a commit‑
ment to continuous improvement in safety
and quality. Members of the list do not and
cannot pay to be included on this list. Beck‑
er's Hospital Review is a Chicago‑based pub‑
lication focusing on hospital and healthcare
news and business advice. The primary au‑dience for the publication is hospital execu‑
tives and healthcare industry leaders.
“This honor testifies to Dr. Sharmaʼs ex‑
emplary leadership and ad‑
vancement of South Nassauʼs
mission to provide high‑quality,
patient‑centered healthcareservices. He is truly dedicated
to improving patient care and
has the respect of his peers for
his wisdom and passion for his
work,” said Richard Murphy,
South Nassauʼs president and
CEO. As chief medical officer
and senior vice president of
medical affairs, Dr. Sharma (a resident of
Muttontown) is responsible for facilitating
medical staff interactions with hospital ad‑
ministration and the governing board and
for assuring the effective and efficient de‑
livery of quality medical care consistent with
the mission of South Nassau. He also over‑
sees strategic planning and execution, as
well as the implementation of care manage‑ment programs, and monitors the effective‑
ness of management practices and produc‑
tivity indicators.
Rally against Long Islandʼscasino roulette
Sudhir Parikh, a prominent Indian‑
American doctor and publisher has
dissociated himself from 'Indian
Americans for Trump 2016', a group
supporting Republican frontrunner Don‑
ald Trump.
"I allowed myself to be identified with
that group," he said in an emailed state‑ment "because some members of the
group are friends of mine."
"I wish to clarify that I no longer be‑
long to the group and I do not support
the candidacy of Mr. Donald Trump,"
Parikh, founder chairman of Parikh
Worldwide Media publishing house, said
without assigning any reason.
"For over three decades I have sup‑
ported both Democrat and Republican
candidates based on their individual
merits and their commitment to the in‑
terests of the Indian‑American commu‑
nity and US‑India relations," he wrote.
"I remain committed to this course,"
added Parikh, who had been named chair
of fundraising and advisory committee
of Indian‑Americans for Trump 2016
formed in January.Calling Trump the "best hope for Amer‑
ica", the group from New York Tristate
area formed a Political Action Committee
(PAC) to support and raise funds for him.
Headed by Dr A.D. Amar, a business
professor with Seton Hall University in
New Jersey, the group's sole declared
goal is "to garner actively the support of
all Americans, but particularly Indian‑
Americans, to have Donald J. Trump be‑
come the next President of the USA."
Bollywood dance enthusiasts will
get opportunity to learn the pop‑
ular dance form from none otherthan Saroj Khan in New Jersey in April.
ʻDance Diaries by Master Saroj Khanʼ is
a three day workshop organized byNavrang Dance Academy in association
with World Cinema Partners .
The workshop will run for 3 daysstarting from April 1‑3. Classes include
Junior, Senior and Adult dance work‑shops, an actorʼs workshop for aspiring
actors/theatre artists who want to mas‑
ter the art of facial expressions and
emotions, and an exclusive session forestablished choreographers and dance
instructors. The workshop will takeplace at Navrang Dance Academy stu‑
dio in South Plainfield, NJ.“Itʼs all about learning from the Leg‑
end. We all live and breathe Bollywoodand this 3‑day intensive workshop is an
opportunity to learn from the master
herself,” says Mrs. Varsha Naik ‑ direc‑tor of Navrang Dance Academy.
“The main motivation behind this is
to provide a cross cultural dance plat‑form for kids and adults in New Jersey
and learn from the best of the best inthe industry. Who better than Saroj
Khan, whose name is synonymous with
choreography and Bollywood, to pro‑
vide that training,” says Raaj Rahhi fromWorld Cinema Partners.
For workshop information contact
Varsha Naik @www.navrangdance.com
Dr Sudhir Parikh drops supportto Donald Trump
Three day workshop with
dance legend Saroj Khan in NJ
Dr. Adhi Sharma named in ‘100 CMOs to Know’ list
The third‑annual Vaisakhi 5K race,
scheduled for April 24 has increased
its runner capacity to 1,000 runners.
The success of last yearʼs race̶which had a
capacity of only 500 runners̶and the an‑
nouncement of celebrity runner Fauja
Singhʼs appearance have created a spectac‑
ular demand for the 2016 race. The top
three finishers in each category will have the
opportunity to meet and greet with Fauja
Singh. In order to accommodate the in‑creased demand, Vaisakhi 5K has allocated
new and improved customer service re‑
sources. Last year, runners had the opportu‑
nity to register online or at tri‑state area
Gurdwaras and community centers every
Friday evening and Sunday morning. In ad‑
dition to these two points‑of‑registration,
this yearʼs runners can also register over the
phone by calling (844) VAISAKHI. Phone
lines will be active seven days a week, from
9:00am to 8:00pm. Registrations are live un‑
til April 22, or until the 1,000‑runner capac‑
ity is reached. To streamline race‑day check‑
in and BIB distribution, runners will not be
able to register on the morning of the race.
Vaisakhi 5kʼs new customer serviceto meet high demand
IN BRIEF
Dr Adhi Sharma
Winners will get to meet Fauja Singh
Bruhud NY Seniors host Diabetic Seminar by Dr. Himanshu Pandya
(L to R) : Labhubhai Upadhyaya, Hemant Shah, Kashmira Shah, Indubhai Patel,Gopi Udeshi, Mukund Mehta,Dr Himanshu Pandya,Kantibhai Patel, Shashikant Patel and Jayant Patel.
8/19/2019 Vol-8-Issue-46 March 26-April 1, 2016
7/32
Washinton DC:
A group of influ‑
ential American lawmakers have
introduced a legislation asking the
Obama administration to help
India join the Apec forum, saying
an economically prosperous India
benefits the US' strategic goals in
Asia.
"Membership in Apec (Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation)
would provide India a construc‑
tive forum to glean insight from
other Asian countries that have
already taken significant steps to
advance their economies,"
Chairman of the House
Subcommittee on Asia and the
Pacific Matt Salmon, who intro‑
duced the legislation in the US
Congress, said.
"Indian Prime Minister
(Narendra) Modi is striving for
major economic reforms to open
India's markets, improve trade
volume, and facilitate his growing
population's need for continued
job growth," he said yesterday.
Salmon is joined by
Congressman Ami Bera, the only
Indian‑ American lawmaker in the
current Congress, co‑chair
Congressional Caucus on India
and Indian‑Americans; Ed Royce,
chairman of House Foreign Affairs
Committee; Elliot Engel, Brad
Sherman, George Holding, Derek
Kilmer, Dana Rohrabacher and
Scott DesJarlais.
Bera said that India is one of the
world's largest and fastest grow‑
ing economies.
"An economically prosperous
and regionally engaged India ben‑
efits the US' strategic goals on
Asia," Bera said.
The legislation notes that the
US‑India partnership is vital to the
US strategic interests in the Asia‑
Pacific region and across the
globe, and is an integral aspect to
the Administration's Rebalance to
Asia. Observing that India enjoys a
location within the Asia‑ Pacific
region which provides an avenue
for continued trade and invest‑
ment partnerships with Apec
member states, the legislation
asks Secretary of State John Kerry
to develop a strategy to obtain
membership status for India in
Apec, including participation in
related meetings, working groups,
activities and mechanisms.
It directs the Secretary of State
to act ively ask Apec member
states to support such member‑
ship status for India and submit a
report to the Congress within two
months of the passage of this leg‑
islation.
Singapore‑headquartered Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation
(Apec) is a forum for 21
economies to promote free trade
throughout the Asia‑Pacific
region.
The members are Australia,
Brunei Darussalam, Canada,
Chile, China, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Japan, South Korea,
Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand,
Papua New Guinea, Peru, the
Philippines, Russia, Singapore,
Taiwan, Thailand, the US and
Vietnam. (PTI)
7March 26-April 1, 2016TheSouthAsianTimes.info NAT I ONAL COMMUNI TY
Superbugs can be beaten:
Indian‑origin researcher
Indian American groups laud
Houston CGI's contribution
Bill introduced in US Cong to help India join APEC
N e w Y o r k Researchers, including one of
Indian‑origin, have developed novel peptide‑
like analogs or peptoids that have the similar
antimicrobial properties as peptides but more
robust. The discovery paves the way for cre‑
ation of new generation antibiotics that can
defeat the so‑called multi‑drug resistant bacte‑
ria "superbugs".
Like proteins, peptides are chains of amino
acids that participate in the metabolic system
of living organisms and the immune system.
They are the first line of defense against a
broad range of pathogens, and are released bythe body in the earliest stage of infection.
These peptides are attractive antimicrobials.
However, they degrade in the body and have
short half‑life.
Rinki Kapoor, a Delhi born scientist pursued
bachelors and masters degree in Chemistry
from St. Stephenʼs in the Indian capital and
then moved to the US for her PhD at Stanford
University. At Stanford, along with her PhD
advisor and professor Annelise Barron, Rinki
Kapoor studied novel mimics of antimicrobial
peptides or peptoids for their antibacterial
activity against multi‑drug resistant bacteria,
also known as superbugs.
In one of their studies, they showed that
peptoids kill resistant Pseudomonas aerugi‑
nosa ‑‑ one of the leading bug causing hospi‑
tal‑associated infections.
The group synthesized seven different pep‑
toids and compared their activity with three
different antibiotics.
In a separate study, Kapoor and Barron also
revealed that peptoids kill resistantMycobacteria ‑‑ bacteria responsible for caus‑
ing Tuberculosis, a leading cause of death
worldwide. In this study, published in the jour‑
nal of Antimicrobial Agents and
Chemotherapy (AAC), they evaluated the effi‑
cacy of s ix different peptoids against
Mycobacteria.
"These molecules are currently under
research and development and merit further
studies to investigate their potential as new
class of drugs for treating resistant bacterial
infections," Kapoor told The South Asian
Times.
Currently, Dr. Kapoor is working for Wako
Life Sciences, Inc. a clinical diagnostics com‑
pany in Mountain View, CA, where she is
working on developing diagnostic assaysagainst infectious agents. In 2014 she was
selected to present her current work at the
American Association of Clinical Chemistryʼs
annual conference in Chicago. Dr. Kapoor con‑
tinues to purse her passion of working in the
field of infectious diseases, either to develop
therapeutics or diagnostic test to improve
patient healthcare.
Houston Over 20 major Indian‑American
organisations have praised the work of the
outgoing Indian Consul General here, sayinghe immensely contributed towards improving
consular services and championing the cause
of trade.
Twenty‑two Indo‑American organisations
organised a community‑wide farewell dinner
in honour of Harish Parvathaneni, who has
been assigned to report as Indian
Ambassador to Vietnam in April.
Parvathaneni has been serving as the Consul
General of India in Houston since July, 2012.
"It is a testament to the popularity of the
Consul General and a reflection of the out‑
standing consular services he and his con‑
sulate are providing for our community.
Harish has set a high benchmark," said
Jagdip Ahluwal ia, Executive Director of Indo‑
American Chamber of Commerce of GreaterHouston. He also expressed his appreciation
for the Consul General immense contribution
from improving consular services to champi‑
oning the cause of trade between Houston
and India, from encouraging Houstonians to
practice Suryanamaskars to promoting
Indian art and culture in Houston.
Video messages from several organisations
were played, appreciating Consul Generals
positive contribution and attendees joined in
an impromptu chorus of "hes a jolly good fel‑low" from the ICC group recording.
Thanking the gathering for their friendship
and warmth, Parvathaneni stated that it is
"our duty, our dharma to do what we have
been sent to do."
He spoke of his efforts to improve Consular
services starting from improving the facilities
at the Consulate, greater accessibility and the
installation of an emergency number for
weekends and off duty hours so that the con‑
sular experience is "seamless."
"We realised the magnitude of the Houston
assignment when we greeted almost 300
guests at the Independence Day function. We
felt so encouraged by the warmth and friend‑
ship that each one of you showed to us that
day," Harish said. The Republic Day functionalso provided an indication of the problems
at the Consulate. "At the reception, one of the
guests asked me to look at the access to the
Consulate and the lack of toilets for Consular
applicants. This comment made me wonder
how this could be an important issue. But it
did turn out to be a significant issue. We
addressed it within a day," he said. (PTI)
Delhi‑born Dr Rinki Kapoor did her doctor‑ate from Stanford University and is working
in the field of infectious diseases.
Consul General and Mrs. Nandita Parvathaneni (center) with prominent leaders of the Indo‑American community in Houston (CGI Houston Facebook page)
8/19/2019 Vol-8-Issue-46 March 26-April 1, 2016
8/32
New York: First Lady Michelle
Obama chose a floral gown made
of Kashmiri fabric and embroi‑
dery by Indian‑American designerNaeem Khan for dinner on the
concluding day of the Obamas'
visit to Cuba on Tuesday.
"The dress Michelle Obama
selected for the Cuban dinner was
in a Kashmiri fabric," the New
York Times reported.
"It was embroidered with an
Indian floral motif, and was simi‑
lar to one in the same fabric from
the designer's pre‑fall collection,"
it added.
The embroidery on the gown
was Kashmir's traditional "Ari
work."
The dinner's dress code was
"casual cocktail."Celebrated designer Khan told
the media "after what America
has done for me, coming from
India, I need to give back to this
country."
"She (Michelle Obama) has
made my brand and put America
back in fashion," he said. "I would
do anything for her."
Barack Obama is the first US
President since 1928 to under‑
take a three‑day visit to Cuba
along with his wife Michelle
Obama and senior officials.
Washington DC:
An Indian‑
American software
executive, investorand philanthropist
has been felicitated
with the inaugural
Asians in America
Award in recogni‑
tion of his efforts
to strengthen Indo‑
US ties.
Silicon Valley‑
based Madhavan
Rangaswami and a Chinese‑ori‑
gin Philanthropist, shipping
magnate Dr James S C Chao
were honoured by the US China
Education Trust for their
efforts to strengthen t ies
between US‑China‑India trilat‑eral relationship.
In his acceptance speech
Rangaswami underlined the
need of "giving back" to the
society, which he said is the
most gratifying thing in life.
"Giving back is where I enjoy
the most," he said,
adding that the
other thing is to
connect peoplewithout expecting
anything back.
The small but
powerful Indian‑
American commu‑
nity can collective‑
ly achieve a lot."
Founder of
I n d i a s p o r a ,
Rangaswami had
organised the first Indian‑
American presidential ball in
January 2013 before the sec‑
ond swearing of President
Barack Obama.
He and his team have started
preparation for the secondIndian‑American ball for the
next president which is set for
January 18, 2017, said commu‑
nity leader and philanthropist
Frank Islam in his introductory
remarks.
(PTI)
New York: A masterpiece by one of
Indiaʼs most important abstract
artist Vasudeo S. Gaitonde fetched a
whopping $2.8 million at Sothebyʼs,
leading the sales at a week‑long
auction of Southeast Asian works of art at the auction house here.
Gaitondeʼs 1960 work ʻUntitledʼ
sold for $2.8 million during the just
concluded ʻAsia Week New York.ʼ
Sothebyʼs sales of Indian,
Himalayan and Southeast Asian
works of art altogether raised $55
million.
Gaitondeʼs painting, the largest‑
known canvas by the artist, led both
the sales and all of Sothebyʼs Asia
Week New York auctions.
It was commissioned by Air India
to commemorate the addition of
transatlantic flights to their sched‑
ule, the auction house said in a
statement.The art sale included works by
Indiaʼs modern masters, including
Amrita Sher‑Gil and Raja Ravi
Varma, it said.
“Our sale built on the growing
western interest in modern and
contemporary South Asian art with
great results for artists, such as
Nasreen Mohamedi and Bhupen
Khakhar, who are soon to be the
subjects of exhibitions at the newly‑
opened Met Breuer. They joined thelikes of V.S. Gaitonde and Amrita
Sher‑Gil at the highest echelons of
the auction market,” Yamini Mehta,
international head of department of
Indian and South Asian art at
Sothebyʼs, said.
An untitled portrait of a lady in a
russet and crimson sari by Varma,
Indiaʼs earliest oil painter, went for
almost 2.5 times its estimate, selling
at $586,000.
Henry Howard‑Sneyd, chairmanof Asian Arts, Americas and Europe
at Sothebyʼs, said the Asia Week
total of about $55 million was at
the “top of pre‑sale expectations,
proving that clients across the
globe remain actively engaged in
collecting the finest examples of
Asian Art.” (PTI)
8 March 26-April 1, 2016 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NAT I ONAL COMMUNI TY
Washington DC: Allcharges have been
dropped against an
Indian‑ American jo ur na li st , wh o was
arrested last weekwhile covering
Republican frontrun‑
ner Donald Trump'selection rally in Chicago which
was called off due to unprece‑
dented protests, his news net‑work said.
Chicago Police Department andIllinois State Police in a statement
said they have dropped al l
charges against CBS Newsreporter Sopan Deb, who is
assigned to cover Trump's presi‑
dential campaign."While this incident was very
dynamic and troopers and offi‑cers were forced to make split‑
second decisions inthe interest of public
safety of demonstra‑
tors and police offi‑cers, we have collec‑
tively decided to dropthe administrative
charges in this case.
"This decision wasmade after a methodical review
of the physical evidence including
video and interviewing bothtroopers and pol ice officers
involved in the incident," CBSNews reported, citing the state‑
ment. Last week while covering
an election rally of Trump inChicago, which was marred by
violence, Deb was handcuffed
and briefly detained by theChicago Police. The White House
had condemned the incident.(PTI)
Indiaspora founderMadhavan Rangaswami
V S Gaitondeʼs ̒ untitledʼ 1960 painting
CBS reporter SopanDeb heckled at Trump
rally cleared of charges
Gaitondeʼs 1960 painting sellsfor $2.8 M at Sothebyʼs auction
First Lady chooses Naeem Khan made'Kashmiri gown' for Cuba dinner
Michelle Obama dazzles in Khanʼs Kashmiri creation(Photo courtesy: economictimes.com)
Madhavan Rangaswamiconferred inaugural
Asians in America Award
Sopan Deb
8/19/2019 Vol-8-Issue-46 March 26-April 1, 2016
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8/19/2019 Vol-8-Issue-46 March 26-April 1, 2016
10/32
r inagar
Mehbooba Mufti was
unanimously elected as the leader
of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) lawmakers, paving the way
for her to become the first woman
chief minister of Jammu and
Kashmir and head a government in
India's only Muslim majority state
after months of tension with the
ruling partner, the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP).
"Mehbooba Mufti has been nomi‑
nated as the chief ministerial can‑
didate of the PDP," party
spokesman and former minister
Naeem Akhtar told reporters out‑
side the Fairview residence of the
Muftis on the high security Gupkar
Road in Srinagar.
PDP lawmakers had gathered atthe Muftis to discuss government
formation with the BJP. Akhtar said
the decision was unanimous and
every legislator and senior PDP
leader was on board.
Mehbooba, 56, will now succeed
her father, Mufti Mohammad
Sayeed, who died on January 7, as
the chief minister. Jammu and
Kashmir has been without an elect‑
ed government since.
Mehbooba was tipped to take
over the reins but she dragged her
feet on continuing to ally with the
BJP and wanted it to redraw the
alliance terms that her father had
authored. However, the BJP
refused any fresh concessions and
said it will only give assurances on
the agenda, finalized last yearwhen the two parties came togeth‑
er to form the state government.
After remaining entrenched in
their respective positions for more
than two months, the two sides
warmed up to each other following
Mehbooba's meeting with Prime
Minister Modi on Tuesday in Delhi.
Senior PDP leader and Lok Sabha
member Muzaffar Hussain Beigh
denied that there has been any give
and take with the BJP. "There is no
addition or subtraction from the
agenda of alliance agreed upon by
the two parties. The agenda will be
implemented in letter and spirit."
PDP leader and Lok Sabha mem‑
ber Tariq Hameed Karra, a vocal
opponent of his party's continua‑
tion of alliance with the BJP, wasalso present in Thursday's meeting.
Before chairing the PDP meeting,
Mehbooba went to her father's
grave in south Kashmir Bijbehara
town along with one of her daugh‑
ters to pray there and apparently
seek blessings for the governance
innings she would be playing for
the first time in her political career.
She presently represents south
Kashmir's Anantnag constituency
in the Lok Sabha. She will now
have to get elected to either house
of the state's bicameral legislature
and also resign her Lok Sabha seat.
Mumbai In a shocking disclo‑
sure, Pakistani‑American terror‑
ist‑turned‑approver David
Coleman Headley claimed that
an attempt was made on the life
of late Shiv Sena founder‑patri‑
arch Bal Thackeray.
"I believe an attempt was made
on the life of the Shiv Sena
chief... The man who made the
attempt had escaped from police
custody," Headley said in the
Special Court of Additional
Sessions Judge G.A. Sanap.
His replies came on the second
day of his cross‑examinationconducted by lawyer Abdul
Wahab Khan, the defence coun‑
sel for Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari
alias Abu Jundal, who is facing
trial in the 26/11 case.
During his examination‑in‑
chief by Special Public
Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam on
February 12, Headley had first
confirmed the Lashkar‑e‑Taiba's
plot to target Thackeray, but had
said nothing on an unsuccessful
bid made to kill him and the
attacker having slipped from the
police hands.
"The LeT wanted to target the
chief of Shiv Sena (Bal
Thackeray). LeT wanted to kill
him whenever a chance arose. I
have no first‑hand knowledge,
but I think an attempt was made
to kill him," Headley said.
Denying knowledge of how the
attempt was made, he said the
person sent to kill Thackeray
was arrested but slipped from
police custody.
When Khan asked him how
many times he visited the party
headquarters Shiv Sena Bhavan
in Dadar and what was themotive, Headley said he recced
the building twice and reiterated
that the LeT's target was the late
Thackeray.
To the question, under whose
instructions, Headley said he
was instructed by his LeT super‑
visor in Pakistan, Sajid Mir.
On any other attempts on
Thackeray's life, Headley said he
had learnt of one previous
attempt on the late champion of
Hindutva (Thackeray), and the
man who made the bid had
escaped police custody.
10 March 26-April 1, 2016 TheSouthAsianTimes.info I ND IA
Decks cleared for Mehboobato head new J&K government
Bid made on BalThackeray's life:
Headley
PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti meeting the Prime Minister NarendraModi, in New Delhi. (Photo: IANS/PIB)
New Delhi The Congress
on Friday urged unityamong all the voices which
differ from the BJP‑RSSideology in opposing the
brutality unleashed by the
central government to sup‑
press the voices of dissent."It is disturbing to see
when a central university isbeing used as a platform to
teach those people a lessonwhose voices are not in
concurrence to that of BJP
or central leadership of itsgovernment," Congress
spokesperson Sachin Pilot
said in reference to theincidents of violence occurring in Hyderabad
University."All should stand by those individuals and
ideologies which may differ from the BJP
and RSS," he said. "The attempt of the incum‑bent government is, if anybody is anti‑BJP;
he or she is shown as anti‑India. That tiesinto their new definition of nation‑hood,patriotism and nationalism," Pilot added.
"What we have now seen is calibrated anddeliberated attempt to suppress any voice
that is in contradiction to
the ideology of the incum‑bent government. The kind
of brutality we are seeingbeing unleashed on faculty
and students in campuses
across the country is unbe‑
coming on the democraticsetup where all voices are
heard," Pilot said."It doesn't matter what
opinions are expressedwhether they are left right
or center, we now have sit‑
uation where we are notallowed to speak," he said,
asking the BJP leadership
to introspect on "who werethe people and what were the powers which
compelled Rohith Vemulla to commit sui‑cide."
Pilot also alleged the central government
of creating a situation of confrontation inparliament by avoiding a dialogue with the
opposition on crucial issues.The Congress leader was reacting to the
police action on the Hyderabad Central
University students who were protestingagainst Vice Chancellor Appa Rao.
Hyderabad An umbrella organization of
student groups at Hyderabad Central
University has alleged that students
arrested on the campus on March 22
were beaten up in police custody.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) for
Social Justice, which comprises 14 stu‑
dent groups, has condemned theʻheinous, brutal, and communally vio‑
lentʼ treatment of the 24 students, two
faculty members and one media person.
In a statement on Friday, it alleged
that they were beaten up in police cus‑
tody after being picked up from the
campus when they were staging a
protest over return of P. Appa Rao as the
vice chancellor.
It said the police resorted to criminal
action in this case by assaulting the
arrested in the police vehicles and later
in police stations. They were also men‑
tally tortured by constantly moving
them from one police station to other.
It claimed that those arrested were not
produced before a magistrate within 24hours of their detention. The group was
remanded only late in the evening of
March 23. The group was also beaten up
in the police van while being shifted to
Cherlapally Jail in the early hours of
March 24. A city court on March 24
adjourned hearing on the bail petitions
of the students to March 28.
JAC said no of ficial information on the
whereabouts of the arrested people was
provided by the police to their family or
friends. “Family members who calledpolice stations were either refused infor‑
mation, or given misleading informa‑
tion,” the statement said.
The faculty members who tried to
intervene when policemen were beating
up students in police vehicles, were
punched and slapped and abused for
teaching anti‑nationalsʼ.
“Muslim students were especially tar‑
geted and were branded ʻanti‑nationalsʼ,
Pakistanis, drug peddlers and naxalites,”
it said.
The arrests were made on the campus
when students were staging a sit‑in to
protest Appa Rao resuming charge as
vice chancellor after nearly two month
long leave.Appa Rao had gone on leave in
January after he was named in the FIR
lodged after the suicide of Dalit research
scholar Rohith Vemula.
Congress calls foruniting voices differing
from BJP‑RSS
HYDERABAD VARSITYSTUDENTS ALLEGEDLY
BEATEN UP
Congress spokespersonSachin Pilot
8/19/2019 Vol-8-Issue-46 March 26-April 1, 2016
11/32
11March 26-April 1, 2016TheSouthAsianTimes.info I ND IA
New Delhi Delhi Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal was named byFortune magazine as one of theWorld's 50 Greatest Leaders ‑‑for his innovative odd‑even traf‑fic scheme to battle pollution.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)leader took the 42nd place in thelist.
Responding to congratulatorymessages, Kejriwal said: "They(have) included my name for
odd‑even, credit for which goesto people of Delhi who made itsuccessful."
According to Fortune maga‑zine, when "Kejriwal unveiled ablueprint to tackle the smog inNew Delhi ‑ called the worldÂʼsmost polluted city by the WHO ‑many were skeptical.
"A key component: an 'odd‑even' pilot project in which vehi‑cles were allowed on the roadsonly on alternate days.
"The uplifting result of the pilotthis January: Roads were lessclogged, hourly particulate airpollution concentrations
dropped by 13 percent and citi‑zens could breathe deep," it said.
AAP media coordinator DeepakBajpai told IANS: "(Kejriwal) is anexemplary leader. This rank had
been given to Kejriwal on thebasis of some concrete work. Heis a person who delivers."
AAP leader Ashutosh added:
"Leadership is not about talkingbut about doing. No wonderArvind is among top global lead‑ers and (Prime MinisterNarendra) Modi is not."
umbai
Pakistani‑American LeTterrorist‑turned‑approver David
Coleman Headley said here that
he nursed a hatred towards India
and Indians since December
1971 when his school was
bombed by Indian fighter planes
during India‑Pakistan war which
saw the creation of Bangladesh.
"I have this hatred... towards
Indian since December 7, 1971...
When Indian planes had bombed
my school. . . The school was
destroyed and many people who
worked there had died," Headley
claimed on the third day of his
ongoing cross‑examination
before Special Judge G. A. Sanap.He was replying to the ques‑
tions posed by lawyer Abdul
Wahab Khan, the defence cousel
for Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu
Jundal, one of the key plotters of
the 26/11 Mumbai terror
attacks.
Headley was referring to the
bombing of his school during the
India‑Pakistan war which saw the
dismemberment of East Pakistan
that became Bangladesh.
The childhood incident when
he was barely 10 years old leftsuch an imprint on his tender
mind that Headley decided to
join the Lashkar‑e‑Taiba later to
avenge the bombing of his
school. He admitted that it was
one of the reasons why he joined
the LeT years later.
In another disclosure, Headley,
56, said he made attempt to
organise a fund‑raising pro‑
gramme for the Shiv Sena party
and even invite the party's
founder‑patriarch, the late Bal
Thackery to the US, but he had
no plans to attack him there.
Incidentally, on February 12 he
had revealed a plot to kill the lateBal Thackeray and on March 24
(Thursday) he spoke of an attack
made on him (Thackeray) with
the attacker caught but managed
to escape from police custody.
Headley said that he was in
touch with the then Shiv Sena
Public Relations Officer Rajaram
Rege whom he had earlier
befriended in connection with
the planned trip for the late
Thackeray.Lance Havildar
Bhawan Tamang
Kejriwal in Fortune's World's 50Greatest Leaders
Jammu The BJP on Friday elect‑ed Nirmal Singh as its leader in
the Jammu and Kashmir assemblyand nominated him for thedeputy chief minister's post in thenew PDP‑BJP alliance govern‑ment to be headed by PDP leaderMehbooba Mufti.
Speaking after BJP legislatorsmet here, state BJP president SatPal Sharma said: "The BJP legisla‑ture party has elected NirmalSingh as its leader and nominatedhim for the deputy chief minis‑ter's post in the new coalitiongovernment."
Sharma also said the BJP haddecided to extend support toMehbooba Mufti, daughter of for‑
mer chief minister MuftiMohammad Sayeed, to head thePDP‑BJP government in the state.
Nirmal Singh also served as thedeputy chief minister in the MuftiMohammad Sayeed‑led PDP‑BJPcoalition that was in office for 10months till Sayeed died on
January 7. Jammu and Kashmir has been
under Governor's Rule since January 8.
Besides the BJP legislators, Jitendra Sin gh, the minister of
state in the Prime Minister'sOffice, and Ram Madhav, generalsecretary in the Bharatiya JanataParty in charge of Jammu andKashmir affairs, attended themeeting.
Informed sources said those atthe meeting were apprised byRam Madhav about the recentdevelopments, including theTuesday meeting in New Delhi
between PDP presidentMehbooba Mufti and PrimeMinister Narendra Modi.
"The BJP reiterated that nofresh conditions (by PDP) hadbeen accepted and the alliancewith the PDP will continue on thebasis of the agenda of alliancesigned (earlier) by the two par‑ties," a BJP source told IANS.
BJP's Nirmal Singh isDeputy CM toMehbooba
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.(Photo: IANS)
Nirmal Singh. (File Photo)
Hated India, Indianssince 1971:
David Headley
Jammu A soldier rescued from
the Siachen glacier avalanche suc‑
cumbed to his injuries as the
search for his missing colleague
continued despite inclement
weather.
An Army patrol party was hit by
an avalanche in Turtuk area, west
of the Siachen glacier in Jammu
and Kashmir.Two soldiers were swept away
by the avalanche and one of them
was rescued in a critical condition
while the other went missing.
Colonel S .D. Goswami,
spokesman of the army's
Udhampur headquartered north‑
ern command told IANS on Friday
evening here: "Lance Havildar
Bhawan Tamang, who was earlier
rescued from an avalanche in
Turtuk Sector that hit an army
patrol today (Friday) morning has
succumbed to his injuries.
"The soldier, who was immedi‑
ately retrieved and evacuated to
the nearest medical facility could
not be revived by the medical
team.
"Lance Havildar Bhawan
Tamang was a resident of Lopshuvillage in Darjeeling tehsil of West
Bengal state.
"Meanwhile, massive efforts are
currently on to rescue the other
jawan inspite of inclement weath‑
er in the area.
Lieutenant General D.S. Hooda,
Army Commander, Northern
Command, expressed his deep
condolences to the family of
Lance Havildar Bhawan Tamang
Soldier rescuedfrom Siachen
avalanche dies
8/19/2019 Vol-8-Issue-46 March 26-April 1, 2016
12/32
12 March 26-April 1, 2016 TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED
By Rajendra Shende
US President Barack Obama
and Canadian Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau met
in Washington some days ago and
signed a joint statement reiterating
their resolve to fight climate
change, adding that both the coun‑
tries "must and will play a leader‑
ship role internationally in the low
carbon global economy over the
coming decades".
Let's not forget that the US is the
only developed country that never
signed the Kyoto Protocol. Canadais the only country that ratified
and then walked out of the Kyoto
Protocol without meeting its legal‑
ly binding targets.
Canada and the US are the first
and second largest per capita emit‑
ters of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in
the world today, the positions both
would retain for years to come.
To many who are now quite con‑
versant with such official
rhetorics, the statement beckoned
the end of 100 days of wordy cele‑
brations of success of the Paris cli‑
mate agreement of December 12,
2015, and the start of yet another
era of endless joint communiquéspeppered with promotional prom‑
ises. Similar bilateral statements
intended to save the world and
protect future generations from a
climate cataclysm were plentifully
propagated during the months
leading to the Paris meeting. This
particular statement, though well‑
intended, looked rather helpless
because of several reasons.
First, Obama's term is coming to
an end next January. Second, the
front‑runners to succeed him are
shying away from the issue of cli‑mate change, leave alone declaring
any specific proposals on tacking
it. Second, the American presiden‑
tial debates reveal familiar lines of
business‑as‑usual or even signal
the eminent danger of undoing the
success of the Paris agreement.
Third, Canada not presently being
part of the Kyoto Protocol, has not
even declared its legally binding
pre‑2020 ambitious target of emis‑
sion reduction. Such a target is one
of the key issues for successfully
implementing the universal agree‑ment reached in Paris.
It's not only Obama, one of the
passionate champions of climate
change, who would be exiting the
world theatre. There will be
unprecedented and eminent exo‑
dus of key personalities that
worked relentlessly for the fruitful
outcome at Paris.
Recently, Laurent Fabius quit
both as French foreign minister
and the president of COP‑21,
where he was hailed as the "messi‑
ah" of the new universal climate
agreement. The executive secre‑
tary of the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC), ChristaineFigures, who was a key figure in
coordinating the nuts and bolts of
the Paris agreement, has declared
that she will step down in July at
the end of her six‑year term. She
firmly stated that she would not
accept any extension.
Achim Steiner, the UN under‑sec‑
retary general and the executive
director of the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP)
that, inter alia, facilitates the
implementation of the climate
change agreement globally, will
soon be finishing his tenure and
has already accepted a new job not
directly related to climate change.Hela Cheikhrouhou, head of the
UN's Green Climate Fund set up to
provide $100 billion per year to
the developing countries to help
them cope with climate change,
also said that she would stand
down in September. (The fund has
so far attracted about $10 billion
in pledges from 43 nations, after
repeated delays. It has so far dis‑
persed $1.5 billion.)
To top it all, the towering figure
that took climate change as a glob‑
al priority from day one of his UN
assignment as secretary general,
Ban Ki‑moon will be relinquishing
his office when his term ends by
the end of 2016.During the 100 days after the
historic agreement in Paris, the
world is inundated with alarming
news which all point to the fact
that while climate change is hap‑
pening faster than expected, the
action to prevent it is slowing
down.
The phrase "changing of the
guard" is used to refer to the situa‑
tion where the guards from earlier
shift would change and the new
guards for the next shift would
replace them. It is not known if
this change of the guard has ever
taken place at a time so dramatic
and so critical as 2016, whenuncontrolled climate change is fast
approaching.
By Amulya Ganguli
Few people will have any objections to
chanting "Bharat Mata ki Jai (Glory to
Mother India)”, but are unlikely to
accept the idea of being compelled to say it.
They may still do so out of fear, but that canhardly be the kind of patriotism which the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief
Mohan Bhagwat had in mind when he said
that the new generation had to be taught to
hail Mother India.
His directive, however, was promptly
taken up by the Maharashtra legislators,
including those belonging to the Congress
and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP),
who decided to expel a Majlis‑e‑Ittehadul
Muslimeen (MIM) MLA for refusing to chant
the slogan.
It is now obvious that the catchphrase has
become the latest test after the focus on
beef by the BJP and the Sangh Parivar to
judge a person's patriotism.
If the ostensibly "secular" parties like theCongress and the NCP joined the saffron
brotherhood in Maharashtra to ascertain a
person's loyalty, the reason is a pusillani‑
mous disinclination to be branded as unpa‑
triotic by the gung‑ho saffron brigade.
It will not be easy for the Congress to get
over its cowardly faus pas in Maharashtra,
which has starkly exposed its secular pre‑
tensions.
There is little doubt that Rahul Gandhiʼs
bluster will lose much of its thrust in the
coming days. As past‑masters in playing a
win‑win game with the concept of national‑
ism, the Hindutva warriors must be delight‑
ed with the new card handed to them by
their mentor in Nagpur.They undoubtedly believe that it can be
used to corner their political opponents and
bring them in line with saffron xenophobia.
It will take considerable political courage
and intellectual virtuosity for the Left‑
Liberals to challenge the BJP's latest divisive
manoeuvre.
The "old" Nehruvian Congress might have
been able to point to the fascistic tactics
guiding the BJP and the parivar, but not the
present self‑serving and intellectually vacu‑
ous dispensation.
Yet, the arguments against the latest saf‑
fron offensive are obvious. There are
already symbols which represent the coun‑
try such as the tricolour and the nationalanthem. A respectful attitude towards these
emblems is enough to testify to person's
loyalty.
There is no need to add a slogan and that,
too, by a quasi‑political outfit like the RSS
whose contribution to the independence
movement was nil.
Besides, the danger of vigilantism inher‑
ent in making a slogan obligatory for a per‑
son to prove his patriotism is obvious.
There may be occasions as in Mumbai
some years ago when the Shiv Sena used to
accost people in the streets and ask them to
speak in Marathi. Those who fumbled were
beaten up.
Not surprisingly, the Sena now favours the
revocation of the citizenship and voting
rights of those who refuse to pay obeisance
to Mother India.Ever since the BJP secured a majority in
the Lok Sabha, it has been trying relentless‑
ly to push its Hindutva agenda. At first, the
hardliners organised the ʻghar wapsiʼ and
love jihad campaigns. Then they turned to
assaulting and even killing suspected beef‑
eaters.
The ʻBharat Mata ki Jaiʼ gambit is their lat‑
est ploy, which includes a threat by a BJP
member to cut off MIM leader Asaduddin
Owaisi's tongue for refusing to chant the
slogan.
The BJP and the RSS apparently believe
that their slogan follows naturally from the
government's penchant for applying the
sedition charge against opponents ranging
from Hardik Patel in Gujarat to KanhaiyaKumar in Delhi.
But since the sedition law has been
deemed "defective" by the Law Commission,
the saffron brigade apparently wants to fall
back on the Mother India tag to brand what
it once called non‑nationalists as being less
than reliable.
The energy and inventiveness which it has
been displaying in this respect cannot but
divert attention from the government̓ s
development plank. But is the government
prepared to put the record straight?
Citizens should not be forced to chant 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat. (Photo: IANS)
US President Barack Obama with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeauin Washington, DC. (Photo: IANS)
Change of guard 100 days into Paris climate pact
8/19/2019 Vol-8-Issue-46 March 26-April 1, 2016
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New Delhi: In what can prove to be
a great aid for the Indian forces in
dealing with hostage situations,
India's premier government R&D
body DRDO has developed a radar
that can look through a wall.
The Through Barrier Imaging
Radar, named 'Divyachakshu'
(divine eye), has been developed
by Defence Research and
Development Organisation's
(DRDO) Electronics & Radar
Development Establishment
(LRDE) based in Bangalore and is
going through development trials
now.
It can look though walls of 20‑30cm thickness made of any material,
by using thermal imaging.
"The radar can produce images
from the other side of the barrier
up to a distance of 20 meters. It
catches the thermal signatures and
movements in a room can be clear‑ly seen," a scientist working on the
project told IANS on condition of
anonymity. The radar tracks heat
on the other side of the wall and
gives real time thermal image,
which can disclose the movement,
number of people and otherimportant information about the
situation on the other side of the
barrier.
"In a hostage situation, the radar
can help give an idea about the
number of people inside the room
and their movement," the scientists
said. According to experts, the
nature of movements can help in
locating the terrorists and differ‑
entiating them from the hostage.
The development of the radar
was triggered by the Mumbai ter‑
ror attack of November 2008,
where terrorists took hostages at
several locations, including hotel
Taj Mahal, Oberoi Trident and
Nariman House.
The device will also prove useful
in situations such as the recent
attacks in Gurdaspur, Punjab,where terrorists entered the Dina
Nagar police station, or the
Pathankot airbase and two of the
terrorists went on to hide in a
building.
The project was started in 2010
and the development trials are
expected to conclude by the year
end.
"We are looking at the Army, the
BSF and paramilitary forces as the
buyers," the scientist said.
The Indian Army at present does
not have such an equipment.
Apart from the distinction of
being indigenously developed, the
equipment cost is low. The scien‑
tist said the device costs around Rs
35 lakh, while similar devices in
the international market cost
around Rs. 2 crore.Efforts are also on to bring down
the weight of the device from pres‑
ent 6‑7 kg.
‑(IANS)
13March 26-April 1, 2016TheSouthAsianTimes.info D E FENSE
By Anjali Ojha
Pokharan Rajasthan): It started with a
sonic boom, a Mig 29 breaking the sound
barrier, sending a shiver down the spine of
those witnessing it.
The Iron Fist 2016, held in the desert at
Pokharan test range in Rajasthan on March
18 was a showcase of the past, present and
future of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Pokharan is a name synonymous with
nuclear tests for most people. This weapon
testing field, with a vast expanse of desert
land in the middle of nowhere, had a differ‑
ent aura on Friday when the IAF set out to
display its day and night attack capabili‑
ties.
The horizon was filled with fire, dust, and
clouds of smoke, and the sky buzzed with
compact fighters and grand transport air‑
craft, sturdy helicopters, and lethal missiles
and air warriors.
The Mig 29 caught the spectators
unaware, but it was just a precursor to the
event. A sonic boom is the sound that
comes when shock waves are created as
the sound barrier is broken. This happens
when an object moves faster than the
speed of sound. The waves are known to
even damage buildings around.
There was the vintage Tiger Moth, the
aircraft from the past which also has a
place in the Iron Fist logo. Also on show
were soon‑to‑retire Mig 27 ‑‑ which has its
non‑upgraded jets retiring this year ‑‑ Mig
21, set to retire between 2017 and 2025,
as well as the upgraded Mig 29, Jaguars,
mighty Su‑30s, and trainer Pilatus.
When the debutante Tejas entered the
show displaying its fire power, the future
of the force was in view.
The IAF, facing a dwindling number of
fighter jets, shone in the desert, as it flexed
its muscle, a showcase of capability that
IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha
called the 'tip of the iceberg'.
For the spectators, who included
President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, along with several
defense attaches and personnel from the
three forces, the precision of the attacks
was wondrous.
The fighters were swift, while the trans‑
port aircraft were majestic.
Air‑to‑air refueling by IL‑78 FRA along
with two Su‑30 aircraft, assault landing
capability of versatile C‑130 J aircraft and
the fire fighting capability of the Mi‑17V5
were witnessed with awe, the mere size of
the whole show was enough to instill a
sense of fear in the war machines. As the
combat demonstration got under way, the
sight of missiles and bombs hitting succes‑sive targets, a few kilometers away from
the spectator stands, was not for the faint
of heart.
From several kilometers away, the sound
of blast travelled to shake the chairs of the
visitors. The clouds of dense smoke and
fire were clearly visible in the open desert,
dissolving in the air slowly only to be
replaced by a bigger, fiery cloud as more
bombs hit their targets.
The display of night time capability came
as a visual delight, as the sky was lit bright
with flares and missiles.
The grandest of all was, however, the
Akash surface‑to‑air missile, which drew a
line of fire, as it was launched, in the dark
sky, the target far from the view of the
spectators. The missile has beyond‑visual
range capability. The event started with a
bang, and ended with the sky illuminated
with air warriors jumping from an aircarft
in a combat freefall, which was also show‑
cased for the first time in a night operation.
An air warrior, present at the event,
summed up the display as a dedication to
the spirit of serving the nation.
"It is the spirit that wins wars and when
you are sure of your capability the spirit
can never be low," the warrior said.
President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessingIAF Fire Power Demonstration 'IRON FIST 2016' at Pokharan on March 18.
Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh is also seen. (Photo: PIB)
A SU 30 MKI fighter aircraf t fires a rocket at Chandhanfire range in Pokharan. (Photo: The Hindu)
IAF conducting combat drills at Iron Fist 2016. (Photo: MoD)
THE IRON FIST 2016, HELD IN THE DESERT AT POKHARAN TEST RANGE IN RAJASTHAN,WAS A SHOWCASE OF THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF THE INDIAN AIR FORCE.
Power play by Indian Air Force
India's defense lab develops thermal imaging radar to look through walls
8/19/2019 Vol-8-Issue-46 March 26-April 1, 2016
14/32
Hinduja brothers topBritainʼs ʻAsian Rich ListʼLondon The Hinduja brothers have emerged as the
richest Asian‑origin entrepreneurs in Britain for the
fourth consecutive year with an estimated personal
fortune of 16.5 billion pounds.
The India‑born brothers GP Hinduja and SP Hinduja
topped the "Asian Rich List 2016" released here onFriday night and the annual rankings showed that
they had added one billion pounds to their personal
fortune in a year to be worth an estimated 16.5 billion
pounds.
The Asian Rich List assesses the total wealth of
Britain's top 101 richest Asians and is compiled by
UK‑based publishing house Asian Media and Market.
Steel tycoon Lakshmi Niwas Mittal was ranked sec‑
ond in the list, released by the Indian high commis‑
sioner to the UK Navtej Sarna. The fortune of Mittal,
however, has plummeted by 3.3 billion pounds to fin‑
ish with 6.4 billion pounds.
Leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul is listed as
15th richest with fortune worth 500 million pounds.
This year's analysis showed that the UK's richest
Asians have their fortunes worth 55.54 billion pounds
up from 54.48 billion pounds in 2015.
S.African opposition tolay criminal chargesagainst Indian family
Cape Town
South African opposi‑
tion, The Democratic Alliance (DA),
threatened on Sunday to lay crimi‑
nal charges against an Indian family
"for what now amounts to further
prima facie evidence of an attempt
to improperly benefit from public
resources."
This followed media reports on
Sunday that former GovernmentCommunication and Information
System (GCIS) CEO, Themba
Maseko, was called by President
Jacob Zuma prior to a meeting with
the Gupta family from India in
Jo nn es bu rg an d as ke d to "h el p
them", Xinhua reported.
At the meeting, it is alleged that
the Guptas wanted government
advertising to be channelled to The
New Age newspaper run by the
Gupta family. The DA said it will
write to Public Protector Thuli
Madonsela to request her to include
the latest shocking revelations by
Maseko in her investigation into
Zuma and the Guptagate scandal."This latest information regarding
Gupta attempts to channel informa‑
tion to their newspaper may now
explain why it is that the
Department of Communications
spent more than 10 million rand
($640,000) on advertising in The
New Age in 2013/14.
Thiruvananthapuram Singapore has
emerged as the most preferred desti‑nation among NRIs from Tamil Nadu.
A study has revealed that 410,000 of the 2.2 million Tamil diaspora wereresiding in Sing