Vol-8-Issue-46 March 26-April 1, 2016

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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.


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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.


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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)


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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.


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)


8/32

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


9/32


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


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


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


13/32

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


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

Documents

Vol-8-Issue-46 March 26-April 1, 2016