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8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 28 - Nov 14-Nov 20, 2015
1/31
London Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Thursday told the British
Parliament that India was the new
bright spot of hope and opportuni‑
ty as New Delhi and London
signed a civil nuclear cooperation
agreement.
On the first day of his three‑day
visit to Britain, Modi addressed the
British parliament ‑‑ the first
Indian prime minister to do so ‑‑
and dwelled on history, shared
expressions of joy and the desire
on two sides to transform the
strategic partnership.
Modi talked of "winds of
change", "boldness and speed in
decisions," accountability in gover‑
nance and his government's com‑
mitment to individual liberties in
his address to the British
Parliament, which was heard with
rapt attention and received a
standing ovation and.
Modi and his counterpart, David
Cameroon also held delegation‑
level talks. "The conclusion of the
civil nuclear agreement is a sym‑
bol of our mutual trust and our
resolve to combat climate change,
Modi said while issuing a joint
statement along with Cameron.
Modi said India attached great
value to defense and security
cooperation with Britain and said
UK will participate in the
International Fleet Review in India
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 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30US AFFAIRS 9 ROTARY CONFERENCE 15 CRICKET 18
Vol.8 No. 28 Nov 14-20, 2015 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
BJP’s Bihar poll debacle foreshadowsPM’s Wembley stadium reception Friday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivering his statement to the mediawith the British Prime Minister David Cameroon in London on
November 12. (Photo: PIB)
India, UK signcivil nuclear
deal during
Modi’s visit
Continued on page 4
Shane Warne 2, Sachin 0
After winning the inaugural match of the Cricket All‑Stars series in New York on Nov 7, WarneʼsWarriors beat Sachin's Blasters again in Houston Nov 11. But cricket is winning going by the enthusi‑asm of the crowds that thronged the Citi Field Stadium in New York as seen in this photo. The series,
brainchild of Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne, is designed to promote cricketin America to globalize it. (Photo: Sandeep G./The South Asian Times)
More pix on page 1819.
Diwali lights upIndia & the worldMillions of Indians the world overcelebrated Diwali, the festival of
lights and the victory of good overevil, on November 11 with gaiety. The traditional fervor was more
marked, naturally, in India,as seen in this picture from
Bhubaneshwar, Odisha.(Photo: IANS)
After poll win,Nitish to take oathas Bihar CM Nov 20People greet JD (U) leader Nitish KumarNov 10 in Patna after the victory of the
Grand Alliance, which includes Congressparty and Lalu Yadavʼs RJD, over BJP‑led
NDA, in the recently concluded Biharassembly polls. (Photo: IANS)
See detailed story on page 10.
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 28 - Nov 14-Nov 20, 2015
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info November 14-20, 2015
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 28 - Nov 14-Nov 20, 2015
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3November 14-20, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info TR I S TATE COMMUNI TY
ashingtonThe Indian‑American diaspora among the top ten
percent earners in the US has the capacity to give to India at
levels that could dwarf official US development aid there,
according to a new report.
Indian‑Americans are expanding their philanthropy from
giving to family and community to giving to broader‑based
social causes aimed at addressing Indiaʼs most challenging
problems, noted the report released Monday by the
Bridgespan Group.
Approximately 3.5 million Indian‑Americans and their chil‑
dren are living in the US States. The India‑born population is a
rapidly evolving and fast‑growing diaspora group, noted the
Group, an advisor for not‑for‑profit organizations and philan‑
thropists. “The Indian diaspora in the United States is posi‑tioned to help now more than ever before,” said Rohit
Menezes, a Bridgespan partner who leads the organizationʼs
India office. “Indian immigrants have fared well and amassed
significant wealth. It is our aim to encourage donors to give
more to India and to do so more effectively,” he said.
The report notes that Indian‑headed households have a
median annual income of $89,000 (compared to a US median
of $50,000), and 27 percent of Indian households earn more
than $140,000, putting them in the top 10 percent of earners
nationally.
The combined annual discretionary income of Americans of
Indian origin is approximately $67.4 billion.
“If their philanthropic contributions were consistent with
those of other US households in similar income brackets, and
they directed 40 percent of their philanthropy to India, $1.2
billion per year would flow from Indian diaspora donors to
Indian causes, as compared to current US foreign aid to India
($116.4 million in FY 2014),” the report noted.
And it represents over half the entire amount of annual offi‑
cial development aid received by India from all countries‑$2.2
billion, on average, from 2005 through 2013.
The report also points to significant nonfinancial assets the
diaspora community has to offer.
“Indian‑Americans are highly educated and well represented
in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) profes‑
sions, in technology and entrepreneurship, and increasingly
occupy roles of political and social influence in the US,” said
Menezes. “This achievement, combined with familiarity with
Indian culture and communities, positions Indian‑Americans
well to increase involvement in building the capacity and pro‑fessionalism of Indiaʼs civil society organizations and the phil‑
anthropic entities that support them.”
The Bridgespan Group along with Stanford Social
Innovation Review and Dasra have also launched “Impact
India “‑ a joint publication on strategic philanthropy in India.
It represents trends in giving by Indian‑Americans back to
India, and the impact of these funding flows. The giving could
also be in non‑monetary terms.
Washington
Ten US lawmakers
including the lone Indian‑
American Congressman Ami Bera
and the only Hindu‑American law‑maker Tulsi Gabbard joined
"Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and
Buddhists across the world" in cel‑
ebrating Diwali.
Bera, Democratic co‑chair of
Congressional Caucus on India and
Indian Americans, noted that last
week almost 1,000 people came
together in Washington to "cele‑
brate the largest ever
Congressional Diwali to recognize
who we are as a community and
what we have accomplished
together."
"Diwali is celebrated by nearly a
billion people around the world
and more than two million peoplein the US," he said and "I look for‑
ward to continuing to grow this
celebration and wish all who are
celebrating this week a Happy
Diwali."
Gabbard, who represents Hawaii
in the US House, said: "Diwali rep‑
resents the victory of light over
darkness, truth over untruth, right‑
eousness over wrong. "Let it
inspire us to set aside our differ‑
ences, and find ways to work
together towards the greater and
common good."
"No matter who we are, no mat‑
ter what our race, religion, eco‑
nomic status, gender, age, or any
other material consideration, each
of us can use our lives in the loving
service of God and of mankind,
according to our own abilities," she
said.
"So as we light our lamps for
Diwali, let us light the lamps of
love for God within our hearts. Letus share the light of His uncondi‑
tional love for us, and celebrate
Diwali by doing what we can to
bring about positive change in the
world," Gabbard added.
Grace Meng, who represents
New York, reaffirmed her call for
the creation of a Diwali postage
stamp, an initiative she has pushed
the US Postal Service (USPS) on
with Representative Carolyn
Maloney and others. She also
wanted a school holiday created
for Diwali in New York City.
Ju dy Ch u, ch ai r of th e
Congressional Asian Pacific
American Caucus (CAPAC), said: "I
am proud to join millions in the
United States and around the
world in celebrating Diwali this
week."
"As we light up our diyas and
share in this joyous festival with
family and friends, we are remind‑
ed that this holiday is a time to cel‑ebrate the triumph of good over
evil , l ight over darkness, and
knowledge over ignorance."
"As Chair of the Congressional
Asian Pacific American Caucus, I
wish everyone celebrating Diwali
my best wishes and Saal
Mubarak!" she stated.
Other CAPAC members who
issued statements on Diwali
included: Michael Honda, CAPAC
Chair Emeritus, Xavier Becerra,
House Democratic Caucus
Chairman, Barbara Lee, Ted Lieu,
Loretta Sanchez and Chris Van
Hollen.
Obama greetsModi on Diwali,
to meet in Turkey
New Delhi President Barack
Obama ca lled up Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on
Tuesday night to greet him on
Diwali and they agreed to meet
in Turkey on the sidel ines of
the G20 Summit to be held
early next week. Modi tweeted:
President Obama & I dis‑
cussed a wide range of other
issues as well . It was good
knowing how @WhiteHouse is
marking Diwa li ‑‑ (@naren‑
dramodi) November 10, 2015
A sh or t while ago @POTUS
called. We exchanged Diwali
greetings. This was our first
conversat ion through the
newly established hotline.
(@ narendramodi) November
10, 2015 "President Obama & I
look forward to mee ting in
Turkey during the G20
Summit," he said.
After his visit to the United
Kingdom beginning on
November 12, Modi will travel
to Turkey to attend the G20
Summit to be held on
November 15‑16.
10 US lawmakers wish HappyDiwali and Saal Mubarak!
10 US Congress members including Ami Bera and Tulsi Gabbard greeted Indians on Diwali
Ram Shriram, founder of Sherpalo Ventures,and Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande, president and chairman
of Sparta Group LLC, a family investment office, wereinterviewed for this report.
Indian American philanthropy may dwarf US aid to India: Report
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 28 - Nov 14-Nov 20, 2015
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India UK sign civil nuclear deal..
Continued from page 1
in February 2016. Stating that Britain
was already the third largest investor in
India, he said there was more invest‑
ment from India in Britain than in rest
of the European Union combined.
He thanked Cameron for the strong
British support for India's permanent
membership of the UN Security Council
and membership in the internationalexport control regimes.
Answering media queries, Modi said
that India would never tolerate intoler‑
ance. Asked about sectarian strife in
India, he told the media that the Indian
authorities will "take strict action
against those who indulge in such (vio‑
lent) acts".
"We are a democracy and committed
to freedom of speech," he said. "We are
not an intolerant society."
Without naming Pakistan, Modi said
countries promoting terrorism must be
isolated.
In his speech to parliament, Modi said
India's momentum does not come only
from its growth rate, which hadincreased to 7.5 percent per year, but
transformation it seeks in quality of life
of every Indian.
"India is new bright spot of hope and
opportunity for the world," Modi said
referring to 800 million being under the
age of 35 years.
Prior to the official talks, the Indian
prime minister was accorded a ceremo‑
nial guard of honour at the Treasury
Quadrangle on King Charles Street here.
Modi also met members of the Sikh
community in Britain before beginning
his official engagements.
The first day of Modi's visit saw
protests staged by groups opposed to
him.It is yet to be seen what effect, if any,
BJPʼs poor showing in Bihar polls will
have on the mammoth event organized
at Wembley Stadium on Friday. An esti‑
mated 70,000 people, mostly of Indian
origin will be present, as also the entire
British cabinet. Cameron is expected to
introduce Modi.
New York Macyʼs, a chain most closely associ‑
ated with Christmas, has warned of trouble
brewing ahead of the holidays in retail sales,
worrying other retailers, reports The NewYork Times.
The retailer of “Miracle on 34th Street”
warned Wednesday that its stores were awash
with merchandise after a sluggish fall season
and that slow business would force it to go all‑
out on discounts during the coming weeks.
Macyʼs shares plunged about 14 percent,
dragging other retailers down, too. The
Hudsonʼs Bay Company, which owns Saks Fifth
Avenue and Lord & Taylor, fell 5 percent, as
did Kohlʼs. Burlington Stores fell about 7 per‑
cent.
“Weʼre clearly disappointed,” Terry J.
Lundgren, Macyʼs chief executive, said in a call
with investors. “We believe the retail industry
is going through a tough period. We seem to
experience something like this every five toseven years or so.”
Aggressive discounting from one of the
countryʼs biggest merchants is bad news for
retailers this holiday sales season, which is
shaping up to be highly discount‑driven. It
also raises questions about the strength of the
economic recovery, and of consumer senti‑
ment.
But a shift in the way Americans shop
because of the proliferation of e‑commerce,and the power to compare prices at a click of
the mouse, has meant that a brightening econ‑
omy is no longer a tide that raises all retailers,
said Oliver Chen, a retail analyst at Cowen.
“The only tide thatʼs raising all ships is
online and mobile,” Mr. Chen said.
Still, the outlook for some merchants is bet‑
ter, analysts say. Winners, and losers, are
emerging.Retailers that go head‑to‑head in the mall
with Macyʼs are likely to take a hit from its
heavy promotions, including J. C. Penney, Gap
and Kohlʼs, said Paul Lejuez, a retail analyst at
Citigroup.
But off‑price stores like Ross Stores or TJX,
which runs T.J.Maxx and Marshalls, are
expected to do well again this year as “trea‑
sure hunting” for rock‑bottom deals on nation‑
al brands becomes the norm. These off‑price
businesses also source their wares from retail‑
ers with excess inventory.
Over all, the National Retail Federation, a
trade group, predicts sales in November and
December will rise 3.7 percent to $630 billion,
slightly under last yearʼs 4.1 percent gain.
Another retailer looking to prove itself isWalmart, which announced its holiday plans
on Wednesday. Its Black Friday deals will
begin in stores at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day
(November 26). Online deals are available at 3
a.m. Eastern time.
Corporate bigwigs to attend Resurgent Rajasthan Parternship SummitBy Prakash Bhandari
Jaipur: India's corporate bigwigs will attend Resurgent Rajasthan
Partnership Summit 2015 to be held here Nov 19‑20. "Anil Ambani,
chairman of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group; Anand
Mahindra; Rakesh Bharti Mittal, vice chairman of Bharti Enterprises;
Cyrus P. Mistry, chairman of Tata Sons; Gautam Adani, chairman,
Adani Group; Adi Godrej, chairman, Godrej Group; Kumar Mangalam
Birla, chairman, Aditya Birla Group and Anil Agarwal, chairman,
Vedanta Group, among others, will attend the event," a statementissued here said. Resurgent Rajasthan Partnership Summit (RRPS), to
be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 19,
will have strategic conferences, panel discussions, round‑table delib‑
erations, presentations and one‑on‑one business meetings. The sum‑
mit is expected to bring together investors from all over the world
for interacting with policy makers, including the political leadership,
government officials and, local business leaders on the investment
environment and opportunities in Rajasthan.
larification about Diwali Food Drive founder
In The South Asian Times issue of October 31, 2015, on page 6
with the story headlined, ʻIALI 20th Diwali Food Drive in progressʼ,
the picture mentioned Suda Sharma as Food Drive project founder
and convener for past 20 years. Mr Peter Bheddah clarified to the
newspaper that though he never claimed to be so, he in fact is the
founder of the Diwali Food Drive. He recounts that over 20 years
ago, he presented a proposal to IALI (India Association of Long
Island) executive committee to start doing charitable work for the
needy on Long Island. He recommended the INN (InterfaithNutrition Network) as partner and it was agreed to start the
Diwali Food Drive in 1996. He also cites that for the past 19 years,
he has been a major financial supporter of the INN, which honored
him as Humanitarian of the Year in 2014. Suda Sharma, he agrees,
has been chairperson of the food drive for the first 13 years, and
he respects her work. She, in turn, respects Mr Bheddah as the
biggest financial donor of this project and being a well known phi‑
lanthropist in our community.Editor
As Macyʼs sounds alarm, retailerslikely to offer heavy discounts
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 28 - Nov 14-Nov 20, 2015
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5November 14-20, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info TR I S TATE COMMUNI TY
M i n e o l a Diwali was
celebrated at the
Legislative chambers
of Nassau County host‑
ed by County Executive
Edward P Mangano
Nov 5. Also joining in
the evening was
Nasreen Ahmed,
recently re‑elected
Town Clerk for Town
of Hempstead, Shila
S h a h ‑ G a v n o u d i a s ,
Commissioner of
Public Works, and
Sharanjit Singh,
Human Rights
Commissioner.
The program was hosted by
Indian American Forum and the
hall was filled with distinguished
members of Indian American com‑
munity. CE Mangano wished a
Happy Diwali to all and honoredthe following members for their
accomplishments and services:
Dr Raghava R. Polvarapu, an
orthopedic surgeon with Brooklyn
Hospital Medical Center
Dr Sunil Mehra, Board Certified
in specialties including internal
medicine, pulmonary, Critical Care
and Geriatrics
Alan Kleinman, a distinguished
Wall Street investment banker
Dr Rajiv Jauhar, well known
Cardiologist, currently Director of
the Cardiac Cauterization labs and
the chief of adult CardiologyDepartment of North Shore
University Hospital
Rathi Raja, an educator and
founder of the Young Indian
Culture Group in Herricks
Following awards presentations,
Students of Nartan Rang Dance
Academy of Bharatiya Vidya
Bhavan presented a cultural pro‑
gram choreographed by Swati
Vaishnav, along with members of
TLCA Youth Group. Program was
followed up with Garba and
Dandiya Raas enjoyed by all guests.
Vandana Govil . ProgramCoordinator in welcome remarks
spoke about Diwali and its impor‑
tance. Indu Jaiswal Chairperson
Indian American Forum also
thanked the Nassau County
Executive for all his support for the
Indian American community.
New York A one‑on‑one math tutor‑
ing program can relieve anxiety
about doing math problems in your
kids, says a study by a group of
Indian American researchers.
"The most exciting aspect of ourfindings is that cognitive tutoring
not only improves performance, but
is also anxiety‑reducing," said the
study's senior author, Vinod Menon,
professor of psychiatry and behav‑
ioral sciences at Stanford University
School of Medicine in Palo Alto,
Calif. "It was surprising that we
could, in fact, get remediation of
math anxiety," Menon noted.
Even if they are good at math,
many children feel anxious about
doing math problems.
For some, the anxiety persists
throughout life, discouraging them
from pursuing advanced math and
science classes as well as careersthat rely on mathematical expertise.
The study included 46 children in
third grade. Before receiving tutor‑
ing, each child took a test that
assessed his or her level of math
anxiety.
The brain scans of the children
with high levels of math anxiety
showed activation in the brain's
fear circuits and so‑called "fear cen‑
ter," or amygdala, before tutoring.
Children then participated in anintensive, eight‑week tutoring pro‑
gram consisting of 22 lessons
involving addition and subtraction
problems. Tutors gave the lessons
to each child individually.
All of the children performed bet‑
ter on addition and subtraction
problems after tutoring.
The children who started the
study with high levels of math anxi‑
ety had reduced anxiety after tutor‑
ing, while those in the low‑math‑
anxiety group had no change in
their anxiety levels.
After tutoring, the fear circuits
and amygdala were no longer acti‑
vated in children who had begunthe study with high math anxiety,
confirming that tutoring ameliorat‑
ed the anxiety itself, rather than
providing the kids with a coping
mechanism that relies on other
brain circuits.
New York An Indian American
entrepreneur in Illinois Nov. 2announced he has donated a
multi‑million dollar building to
the YMCA.
Sunil Puri, president and
founder of international real
estate company First Midwest
Group (formerly First Rockford
Group) in Rockford, Ill., donated
the building which is estimated to
be worth about $2.25 million.
Puri , 55, is originally from
Mumbai and focuses his real
estate business in the midwestern
United States, as well as India and
China.
Now living in Rockford, Puri
wanted to honor the city where heearned his education and got his
first job. With the help of business
partner Dan Arnold, Puri is donat‑
ing the 15,500 square‑foot facility
which will become the southeast
Rockford YMCA branch.
“As the father of three children,
I understand the importance of
family time,” Puri said in a state‑ment. “People turn to the YMCA
for supporting their families in
mind, body and spirit. This build‑
ing will provide a safe, affordable
place for families to live healthy
lives in a growing area of the
community.”
The facility, to be named the
Puri Family YMCA, will have mul‑
tiple fitness rooms and offer fit‑ness classes, personal trainers,
wellness coaches, senior social
clubs, youth and sports programs,
as well as childcare.
“Mr. Puriʼs donation allows us to
bring the YMCA closer to home
for many residents and that
strengthens our community,” said
chief executive officer of the
YMCA of Rock River Valley Mike
Brown in a statement.
Puri, upon moving to the United
States in 1979, went on to gradu‑
ate from Rockford College (now
Rockford University), receiving a
bachelorʼs in accounting in 1982.
He then did graduate work thereand also at the London Business
School, and graduated in 2013
from the 10‑year Program of
Management and Leadership at
the Harvard Business School.
The new YMCA faci l i ty is
expected to open after renova‑
tions are complete in early 2016.
New York Veer Singh,
a new recruit and the
first Indian‑origin play‑er to play for Seton
Hall School basketball
team in New Jersey,
has been praised for
his skills in the game.
Standing tall at 6' 7,
the New Yorker plays
as a freshman wing
and was signed from
St. Peter's Preparatory
School in New Jersey
earlier this year, app.com news
website reported on Wednesday.
Singh brings a desperately need‑
ed deadeye to a roster short on
shooters. He is a great defender
and a shooter, the report added."It means a great deal for them
to have confidence in me, because
if they don't, they are not going to
kick it out. The fact that they're
looking to kick it out, that's huge,"
Singh said.
The teammates and the coach
are all praise for the player.
"He is going to bring the shoot‑
ing ability I think we lack, and he
is going to stretch the floor for
us," a player said, adding, "I saw
him play a couple of times in high
school and I thought he couldshoot, he's really excelled here."
Team head coach Kevin Willard
commended Singh for his attitude.
"I love Veer's attitude. I love his
toughness. I love how hard he has
played. Anyone who can make
shots like he can is really going to
help us," Willard said.
Sunil Puri
Veer Singh (Photo: The Star‑Ledger)
Entrepreneur Sunil Puri donates$2.25M building to YMCA
Indian‑origin basketballplayer making waves in US
Tutoring can relieve Mathanxiety in kids: Stanford research
NASSAU COUNTY CELEBRATES DIWALI
Honorees with Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and others
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 28 - Nov 14-Nov 20, 2015
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6 November 14-20, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TR I S TATE COMMUNI TY
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz sponsored a Diwali celebration on November 4 with delegates of Indian‑origin. Five outstanding achievers were awarded citation of honor at the event. Gopi Udeshi (fourth from
left) was one of them from “Bruhud New York seniors “ for her community services for the last two decades.
Consul General of India in Houston, Mr. P Harish and Mrs. Nandita
Parvathaneni attended a Western‑Indian Fusion Music Ensembleconcert directed by Vidushi Smt. Rajajrajeswary Bhat ̒ Shaking HandsAcross Continentsʼ organized by Global Organization for Divinity at
Pearland, TX on November 7. In photo, Consul General (right) honor‑ing an artist (2nd left) as Vidushi Rajarajeswary Bhat (left) and Hon.
Mayor Delores Martin, City of Manvel, TX (center) looks on.
New York The art@telangana
book was released at the Rubin
Museum of Art in New York bythe Consul General of India in
New York, Dnyaneshwar Mulay.
The event was attended by a
large number of art gallery own‑
ers, art critics and art lovers.
The book, art@telangana,
which had been published in
October 2014, was initially
launched in Hyderabad, India,
during the World Metropolis
Congress, then at the India Art
Fair 2015 in New Delhi and the
India Festival 2015 in Tokyo.
The year‑long promotion of the
book had its finale at the Rubin
Museum of Art.
Consul General, DnyaneswarMulay, said, “Many people think
of India as monolithic. This work
illustrates the diversity within
India and highlights the tremen‑
dous contribution of Telangana
artists.”
B.V.Papa Rao, one of the
Trustees of the art@telangana
Trust explained that the Trust is
the instrument to bring in pri‑
vate funding and private partici‑
pation for the promotion of art
from Telangana. He gave an
example of how a private initia‑
tive of people led to the forma‑
tion of the Rubin Museum of Art,
where the event was held. He
said, “It is my hope that such
examples will encourage more
private initiatives to promote
Indian Art.” Deepanjana Klein,
the International Head of the
Department for South Asian
Modern and Contemporary Art at
Christieʼs, said the book made a
tremendous contribution.
“Telangana artists have a rich
and long history. With this book,
we get a feel for the depth and
breadth of art from the region.
As scholars, we see this compila‑
tion as invaluable,” she comment‑
ed.
Wash i ng t o n DC : Two Silicon
Valley companies owned by an
Indian‑American have been
ordered to pay $ 103,000 in fines
to the federal government and $
84,000 in back wages to its
employees carrying H‑1B visas.
The two companies ‑‑ Scopus
Consulting Group and Orian
Engineers ‑‑ owned by Indian‑
American Kishore Kumar, bring
workers from India and other
countries on H‑1B visas to
employ them as software engi‑
neers for Silicon Valley firms
such as eBay, Apple and Cisco
Systems.During investigations, US
Department of Labor Wage and
Hour investigators found that the
two companies violated the H‑1B
provisions of the Immigration
and Nationality Act by misrepre‑
senting the prevailing wage level
on the Labor Condition
Applications required by the act,
an official release said yesterday.
Federal Administrative Law
Judge Stephen R Henley ordered
the two businesses owned by
Kishore Kumar to pay 21 workers
$ 84,000 in back wages and $
103,000 in fines to the federal
government.
"Some of the country's most
cutting‑edge, successful organiza‑
tions benefit from underpaid H‑
1B workers," director for the
Wage and Hour Division in San
Francisco, Susana Blanco said.
"H‑1B workers must be paid local
prevailing wages. We will not
allow companies to undercut
local wages and hurt US workersand businesses who pay their
workers fairly," Blanco said.
The employers also recruited
experienced workers, most of
whom have master's degrees, and
paid them as entry level employ‑
ees. "Both firms have been
debarred from H‑1B program
participation for one year," the
statement said.
ART@TELANGANA BOOK
LAUNCHED IN NYIndian‑American
owned cos fined for
misuse of H1B
Book release function at the Rubin Museum of Art.
New York: Well‑known Indian man‑ufacturing company Mahindra has
plans to launch an electric scooter
that dreams of being a tiny pickup
truck.
Called the GenZe because it gen‑
erates zero emissions and many of
its customers will be the young
people in Generation Z.
Terence Duncan, who designed
the scooter being assembled in Ann
Arbor, Mich. , argues that the
GenZe, which costs $3,000, just
might make owning a car unneces‑
sary for many city residents, espe‑
cially college students. With a 30
mph top speed, it's just for city
streets. It has a 30‑mile range. You
can lift the battery out and take it
into a cof fee shop to recharge.
The cargo space in the back is
big enough to haul groceries,which is why Mahindra calls this a
"pickup scooter."
"We built the entire architecture
of this bike around this pickup
truck bed back here. You can put a
cooler back here. You can put your
laundry, you can put a couple gro‑
cery bags, you can go to the farm‑
ers market," Duncan told Michigan
Radio.
Mahindra Chief Operating Officer
Deven Kataria acknowledges U.S.
consumer demand for scooters
isn't even close to demand over‑
seas. "Our growth really comes
from expanding the market," he
says. "If we can change the waypeople perceive these sorts of
products, [that] is when we really
start to win in this marketplace."
Kataria says scooters aren't the
only things Mahindra has going on
here. The company sells its small
tractors, mainly to hobby farmers.
Tech Mahindra, an IT company,
employs 7,000 people in the U.S.
Mahindra also has about 100 engi‑
neers in Troy, Mich., developing
vehicles for India and the U.S.
Mahindra hopes to eventually set
up stores in every state and export
GenZes from the U.S. to markets
like Europe.
GenZe costs $3000 and generates zero emissions
Mahindra plans to introduce 'Pickup Scooter' in the US
Colorf ul Diwali celebration at Queens Borough Hall
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 28 - Nov 14-Nov 20, 2015
7/31
New York:
Prominent
Indian‑American business
executive Neel Kashkari
was on Tuesday appointed
as the head of the US
Federal Reserve's regional
bank in Minneapolis.
Kashkari, who was once a
Republican gubernatorial
candidate in California,
would replace another
Indian‑American Narayana
Kocherlakota whose tenure
as CEO and president ends
on December 31. "Kashkari
is the right person to build on the
Minneapolis Fed's core strengths and suc‑cessfully lead the Bank into the future,"
said Randall Hogan, chairman of the
Minneapolis Fed's board of directors and
co‑chair of the search committee.
As president of the Minneapolis Fed,
Kashkari, 42, will participate on the
Federal Open Market Committee in the
formulation of US monetary policy.
He will oversee 1,100 employees.
Kashkari had earlier
served in the US
Department of the
Treasury from 2006 to
2009, first as senior advis‑
er to Secretary Henry
Paulson and then as assis‑
tant secretary of the
Treasury.
In the latter role, he
established and led the
Office of Financial Stability
and oversaw the Troubled
Asset Relief Program
(TARP) for both Presidents
George W Bush and Barack Obama.
Kashkari holds an MBA from theWharton School of the University of
Pennsylvania and bachelor's and master's
degrees in mechanical engineering from
the University of Illinois at Urbana‑
Champaign.
The Federal Reserve Bank of
Minneapolis is one of 12 regional Reserve
Banks that make up the Federal Reserve
System, the nation's central bank.
Washington DC: Two USSenators have introduced a
bipartisan legislation in the
Senate seeking reform of H‑1B
visa program and modify wage
requirements while also calling
for a sense of urgency against
the "abuse of the system" over a
scheme they claim has gotten
away from its original intent.
The bill has been introduced
by Senators Chuck Grassley,
chairman of senate judiciary
committee, and Dick Durbin,
the assistant democratic leader.
It is co‑sponsored by Senators
Bill Nelson, Richard
Blumenthal, and SherrodBrown.
"The H‑1B visa program was
never meant to replace quali‑
fied American workers but it
was instead intended as a
means to fill gaps in highly spe‑
cialized areas of employment
that cannot be filled by
Americans," Grassley said. "Theabuse of the system is real, and
media reports are validating
what we have argued against
for years, including the fact that
Americans are training their
replacements." There is a sense
of urgency for Americans who
are losing their jobs to lesser
skilled workers who are coming
in at lower wages on a visa pro‑
gram that has gotten away
from its original intent, he said.
"Reform of the H‑1B visa pro‑
gram must be a priority,"
Grassley stressed.
The bill would prohibit com‑
panies from hiring H‑1Bemployees if they employ more
than 50 people and more than
50% of their employees are H‑
1B and L‑1 visa holders.
The bill would also give the
Department of Labor enhanced
authority to review, investigate
and audit employer compliance
as well as to penalize fraudu‑lent or abusive conduct.
The bill says that working
conditions of similarly
employed American workers
may not be adversely affected
by the hiring of the H‑1B work‑
er, including who have been
placed by another employer at
the American worker's work‑
site. In addition, the bill
includes establishment of a
wage floor for L‑1 workers;
authority for the Department of
Homeland Security to investi‑
gate, audit and enforce compli‑
ance with L‑1 program require‑
ments; assurance that intra‑company transfers occur
between legitimate branches of
a company and don't involve
"shell" facilities; and a change
to the definition of "specialized
knowledge" to ensure that L‑1
visas are reserved only for truly
key personnel.
Washington DC:
Padma Shri awardeeI n d i a n ‑ A m e r i c a n
Ashok Mago has beenappointed as a mem‑
ber of Board of
Regents of theUniversity of North
Texas.
Dallas‑based Magowas appointed by
Texas Governor GregAbbott for a six‑year
term ending on May
22, 2021, said a state‑ment issued by the Governor's
office on Monday.
Mago is the founding chairman of the Greater Dallas Indo American
Chamber, now known as the US‑INDIA Chamber, and board member
of the Primary Care Clinic of North
Texas, advisory board
member of BBVACompass Bank in
Dallas.He is member of
Dal las Regional
Chamber Board,Salvation Army
Advisory Board of
Dallas County, andthe Dal las County
Community CollegeDistrict Foundation
Board, and is a for‑
mer board member of 1st Independent National Bank.
He was awarded the Padma Shri
in 2014. Mago received a bache‑lor's degree from Delhi University,
India, and a Master of BusinessAdministration from The University
of Texas at Dallas.
Washington DC: A leading South Asian com‑
munity organization has expressed "out‑
rage" over the declaration of a second mis‑
trial in the case of an Alabama police officer
charged with slamming an Indian grandfa‑
ther to the ground.
South Asian Americans Leading Together
(SAALT) also asked the community to be vig‑
ilant and engaged in the efforts of the move‑
ment for Black lives to draw attention to the
ways in which Black communities in particu‑
lar, as well as other communities of color
are facing state violence.
SAALT said Thursday it was "outraged"
that a second mistrial was declared by a fed‑
eral court in Huntsville after a deadlocked
jury once again failed to convict Madison,
Alabama police officer, Eric Parker. The US
Department of Justice re‑tried the case afterthe first mistrial was declared in September.
"While the trial was supposed to focus on
the unreasonable use of force that Parker
used on Patel, it was Patel's immigration sta‑
tus and English proficiency skills that were
really on trial," said Lakshmi Sridaran,
Director of National Policy and Advocacy at
SAALT. Indeed, in his opening remarks,
Parker's attorney said: "When you come to
the US we expect you to follow our laws and
speak our language. Mr. Patel bears as much
responsibility for this as anyone." "We con‑
tinue to believe in the strength of the evi‑
dence and that the defendant's actions vio‑
lated the constitutional rights of the plain‑
tiff," said Bhavani Kakani, President of
AshaKiran.
"As we see time again with police brutality
cases in this country, particularly with Black
victims, the message of this case is loud and
clear: that police brutality rarely warrants
punishment." Dante Barry, Executive
Director of Million Hoodies United, noted: "It
is absolutely devastating to hear the news
from Alabama as it reflects a deep pattern of
unfairness for people of color.”
"Although grounded in anti‑blackness,
police brutality by law enforcement andimmigration enforcement is no stranger to
South Asian communities and it is indicative
of this political moment to be on the path to
justice," he said. "The case of Mr. Patel pro‑
vides an opportunity for South Asians to
become active participants in the demands
of the movement for Black lives," said
Suman Raghunathan, Executive Director of
SAALT.
7November 14-20, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info NAT I ONAL COMMUNI TY
South Asian body outragedover mistrial in Indian
grandfather's case
Ashok Mago appointedto key university
position in Texas
Neel Kashkariappointed head of
Minneapolis Fed bank
Bill to limit H1B hiringintroduced in US senate
Neel Kashkari
Ashok Mago
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 28 - Nov 14-Nov 20, 2015
8/31
8 November 14-20, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NAT I ONAL COMMUNI TY
Washington DC: Indian‑
American comedian, actor and
best‑selling author Aziz Ansari
mocked long shot Indian‑
American Republican presiden‑
tial candidate Bobby Jindal on
The Tonight Show with Jimmy
Fallon. Assuming the Louisiana
Governor's hair and speech pat‑
terns, Ansari as Jindal played on
the politician's low poll num‑
bers. "I'm not polling at 1 per‑
cent. I was polling at 1 percent,
I'm now polling at 2 percent.
That's a 100 percent increase,"
he said, adding that 1 percent
milk tastes better than 2 per‑
cent milk. He even presented a
new campaign slogan for Jindal:
"Taste the fat."
When Jindal entered the 2016
race, Ansari thought it could be
his big "Saturday Night Live"
moment. "I finally look like a
guy!" he joked recalling his
excitement.
"I'm used to appearing on C‑
SPAN at 2 a.m. right before they
start airing those NutriBullet
infomercials, so this is crazy!"
Ansari, as Jindal, said.
He also poked fun at Jindal for
not believing in "any science,
period" and, as Jindal, "correct‑
ed" Fallon's suggestion that the
campaign was not in a good
state.
Later in the show, Ansari gave
his take on why Jindal wasn't
doing well in the primaries. "I
have a theory that he's not
Indian," Ansari said. "I don't
know any Indian person that
would allow himself to lose to
that many white people in a
contest."
Aziz Ansari givesBobby Jindal new
slogan: Taste the fat
New York: American India
Foundation (AIF) has raised$200,000 for its Maternal and
Newborn Survival Init iat ive
(MANSI), designed to reducematernal and child mortality in
rural, impoverished areas of
India.Founded in 2001 at the initia‑
tive of then US President BillClinton, the community organiza‑
tion engaged in catalyzing social
and economic change in India,raised the amount at its annual
Washington DC gala Friday.
The gala featured MamtaMahato, a 26‑year old health
worker from Jharkhand, India.She shared that skills training
from AIF's MANSI program has
enabled her to safely deliver over
90 healthy newborns in her vil‑lage.
Over 250 influential guestsfrom US and Indian governments,
corporate and entrepreneur lead‑ership, media, and philanthropy
of the greater Washington DC
area attended the power‑packedevening at the historic
Congressional Country Club in
Bethesda, Maryland.
Javed Akhtar, noted film writer,lyricist, and poet, was honored at
the event addressed by IndianAmbassador to the US Arun
Kumar Singh. The gala also rec‑
ognized the leadership of Neera
Tanden, President of The Centre
for American Progress, KumarBarve, member of the Maryland
House of Delegates and AzizHaniffa, managing editor at India
Abroad.
N e w Y o r k : The OIFC (Overseas
Indian Facilitation Centre ‑ a not‑for‑profit initiative of the Ministry
of Overseas Indian Affa irs &
Confederation of Indian Industry)
Indian Diaspora Business Meet on
14 November in Los Angeles dur‑
ing Regional Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas offers an opportunity for
Indian Diaspora in the US to
explore investment opportunities in
India, identify potential business
partners and meet senior
Government of India officials and
top Indian companies.
The Business Meet is being
organised during the Regional
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (RPBD),
organised by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affa irs ,
Government of India on 14 & 15
November in LA.
The OIFC Business Meet with
include exclusive panel discussions
on: Investment opportunities in
clean and renewable energy sector
in India; Technology partnerships,
investments and innovation
through the digital India initiative;Impact investments into social
enterprises in India.
The speakers for the panel dis‑
cussions include industry leaders
and innovators from India as well
as Indian American subject matter
experts.
A special session on ʻConnect
with States in Indiaʼ will showcase
opportunities to invest and do busi‑
ness in Indian states. The session
will be led by senior officials from
state governments of Andhra
Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand and
Kerala. OIFC is also bringing a busi‑
ness delegation comprising senior
Government officials & industryleaders from India. Members of the
Indian Business Delegation repre‑
sent top Indian companies. The
Business Meet will offer a platform
to Overseas Indians to interact with
the members of the Indian Business
Delegation through B2B & B2G
meetings at the venue.
Comedian Aziz Ansari takes a dig at Bobby Jindal
Noted filmwriter and poet Javed Akhtar was honored at the event.
American India Foundation raises$200,000 for India initiative
Washington DC: Indian‑American
doctors have sought assistance
from former US President Bil l
Clinton and his foundation to find
lasting solutions to pressing health
problems affecting millions of peo‑
ple in India. "President Clinton
expressed keen interest on AAPI's
Obesity Campaign and was appre‑
ciative of the healthcare initiatives
of AAPI and its members for their
ongoing support and collaboration,"
said Seema Jain, president
American Association of Physiciansof Indian Origin (AAPI). "We are
looking forward to working with
the Clinton Foundation that builds
partnerships of great purpose
between businesses, governments,
NGOs, and individuals to work
faster, better, and leaner, will work
with AAPI in realizing some of the
noble goals we have set before us,"
Jain said after she led a delegation
of AAPI officials to meet Clinton.
Jain highlighted the importance
of AAPI's initiatives launched for
working towards health issues that
are of importance to India, particu‑
larly on diabetes, cardiovascular
diseases, trauma & head injury and
mental health issues, includingdepression.
"Together we hope to work
towards finding solutions that last,
and will transform lives and com‑
munities from what they are today
to what they can be, tomorrow," she
added, while affirming the common
goals of AAPI and the Clinton
Foundation.
Noting that while important
progress has been made by con‑
necting patients to essential treat‑
ment, Jain said millions of people
continue to die unnecessarily from
AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and
other treatable diseases.
Access to critical medicines and
diagnostics is often l imited inresource‑poor settings, resulting in
dire consequences for some of the
world's most vulnerable popula‑
tions, she added.
New York NY: Gamaya Inc. launch‑es Gamaya Legends, a video game
that blends the physical world with
the virtual world categorized asʻToys to lifeʼ similar to Skylanders™
or Disney Infiniti™. Gamaya
Legends is based on one of themost popular folktales – The
Ramayana. As a pioneer in this cat‑egory, Gamayaʼs main goal in the
launch of this project is connecting
kids with culture.With kids gravitating towards
digital stimulation, Gamaya offers
a unique blend of the real and vir‑tual worlds, bringing folktales and
stories of the past to life.The Gamaya Legends game is a
3D action adventure game based
on the Ramayana world availablefor free from the iTunes & Google
Play store. The game revolves
around a sinister evil that isdestroying the legend and the char‑
acters from the Ramayana have
been brought to our world to avoidharm. In our world these charac‑
ters appear as toys but playershave the power to bring them back
to life and rescue their world from
destruction. As the user plays the
game and saves the legend, they
will discover scrolls that reveal theoriginal Ramayana story. In addi‑
tion to the game & the toys, thereis an animated cartoon series that
focuses on the back stories of all
the characters, created with stateof 3D graphics that further
immerses kids and families into the
fascinating world of the Ramayana.The Gamaya Legends will launch
November 2015 and is aimed atchildren between 7 and 12 years of
age. From November 2015 through
June 2016, new levels of the videogame will be available for free
along with a new character toy,
each with their unique skills, avail‑able for purchase.
GAMAYA INC. LAUNCHES INDIAN
MYTHOLOGY VIDEO GAME
Meet Indian BusinessDelegation duringRegional PBD in LA
Indian doctors in US seek Bill Clinton's help on India's health issues
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 28 - Nov 14-Nov 20, 2015
9/31
9November 14-20, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info U S AFFA I RS
Milwaukee WI: The confrontation betweenDonald Trump and John Kasich in Tuesday
nightʼs Republican debate over immigration
was telling̶not because they shared practi‑
cal solutions, but for what it revealed about
how each views the country and its ideals.
The debate laid bare clear divisions among
the partyʼs presidential candidates on the
hot‑button issue. Trump fielded a question
on immigration, and offered a response that
he has regurgitated several times on the
campaign trail̶and which accounts for his
surge in the polls.
“We are a country of laws. We need bor‑
ders,” Trump said. “We will have a wall. The
wall will be built. The wall will be success‑
ful.” Itʼs a regular talking point for the real‑
estate mogul, who also vows that Mexicowill pay for the wall. But, on Tuesday, it was
his deportation strategy that drew the
strongest response from his rivals. Trump
has said that he would deport 11 million
undocumented immigrants in one fell
swoop. Ohio Governor John Kasich dis‑
missed that idea as a “silly argument.”
Instead, Kasich invoked the emotional bur‑
den such a move would impose on the fami‑
lies of undocumented immigrants. “Think
about the families, think about the children,”
he said, adding, “if theyʼve been law abiding
[and] they pay a penalty, they get to stay.”
This wasnʼt simply a policy dispute, but a
fight over premises. In his remarks, Trump
implied that being an American is a privi‑
lege, not a right. His argument against
undocumented immigrants implicitly rejects
the notion that the U.S. benefits from such
immigration, or is morally committed to
offering opportunity. But Trumpʼs argument
connects to the Republican base by success‑
fully tapping into a very different ideology.
Republican voters have taken to the far right
on the issue, fueling Trumpʼs campaign. Ted
Cruz has taken note, and is using a similar
approach to solidify his position with core
voters, who have been backing outsider can‑
didates like Trump and Ben Carson. Trump
has drawn the support of such voters per‑
haps because he believes that illegal immi‑
gration poses a threat to the United States,
and vows to protect the country and upholdthe law.
Meanwhile, Kasichʼs approach to immigra‑
tion rests on a different set of principles. In
his remarks, he stressed the pain deporta‑
tion would inflict on families, which could be
torn apart. His opposition to Trumpʼs
scheme was framed as humane and prag‑
matic. Jeb Bush, by contrast, appealed to
principle. The former Florida governor has
supported a pathway to citizenship and, on
many occasions, worked to appeal to
Hispanic voters, either by speaking Spanish
or citing his ties to the community through
his family. So it comes as no surprise that
when pressed on immigration he would
offer a principled response: Sending mil‑
lions of people back to Mexico is “notembracing American values.”
“It would tear communities apart. And it
would send the signal that weʼre not the
kind of country that I know America is,”
Bush said. Ted, Cruz placed his own empha‑
sis on the interests of two other groups:
American workers, and aspiring immigrants.
“If Republicans join Democrats as the party
of amnesty, we will lose,” Cruz said. “Every
sovereign nation secures its borders, and it
is not compassionate to say weʼre not going
to enforce the laws and weʼre going to drive
down the wages for millions of hard‑work‑
ing men and women.”
Washington: US Just ice
Department said on Tuesday it
would ask the Supreme Court to
review Monday's ruling by a feder‑
al appeals court against President
Barack Obama's immigration exec‑
utive action. A ruling from the
Supreme Court could represent a
last‑gasp effort to salvage Obama's
signature achievement, Xinhua
reported. In a statement, Justice
Department spokesman Patrick
Rodenbush said the departmentplans to appeal the ruling by the
5th US Circuit Court of Appeals
which upheld a Texas federal
ju dg e' s in ju nc ti on to bl oc k
Obama's immigration executive
action of protecting an estimated 5
million illegal immigrants from
deportation.
"The Department disagrees with
the Fifth Circuit's adverse ruling
and intends to seek further review
from the Supreme Court of the
United States," the statement said.
"The Department of Just ice
remains committed to taking steps
that will resolve the immigration
litigation as quickly as possible inorder to allow DHS (Department of
Homeland Security) to bring
greater accountability to our immi‑
gration system by prioritizing the
removal of the worst offenders,
not people who have long ties to
the United States and who are rais‑
ing American children," it said.
In a controversial move last year,
Obama resorted to his executive
authority to circumvent Congress
and push forward immigration
reforms by seeking to provide as
many as five million illegal immi‑
grants with work permit while
shielding the majority of them
from deportation. Republicansimmediately outcried the action as
an illegal executive overreach
when Obama announced it last
November.
Columbia MO:
The chancellor of
the University of Missouri's flag‑
ship campus in Columbia became
the latest school official Monday
to announce that he will be step‑
ping down at the end of the year.
Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin's
announcement came hours after
the university system's president,
Tim Wolfe, said he was resigning,effective immediately, in the face
of growing protests ‑‑ including
the threat of a faculty and student
walkout ‑‑ over his handling of a
spate of racially charged inci‑
dents.
Wolfe's fate appeared to have
been sealed when the Universityʼs
football team drew national atten‑
tion to the campus protests by
announcing during the weekend
that they would not participate in
team activities until Wolfe was
removed. Head coach Gary Pinkeland athletic director Mack
Rhoades expressed solidarity with
the players and showed support
for Jonathan Butler, a Missouri
student staging a hunger strike.
In the end, Wolfe said he hoped
his resignation could lead to heal‑
ing. “It is my belief that we
stopped listening to each other,”
Wolfe said during his statement.
“We didnʼt respond or react.
We got frustrated with each
other and we forced individuals
like Jonathan Butler to take imme‑diate action, unusual steps to
affect change. This is not – I
repeat, not – the way change
should come about.
Mi lwau k e e Indian‑American
Republican presidential hopeful
Bobby Jindal seized the offensive
to attack two of his rivals relegat‑
ed to the undercard debate as "big
government conservatives" and
suggest that he alone had cut gov‑
ernment spending.
Citing a long list economic sta‑
tistics to compare his record with
those of New Jersey Governor
Chris Christie and former
Arkansas governor Mike
Huckabee, Louisiana Governor
Jindal ass ai led the two dur ing
Tuesday's undercard debate in
Milwaukee. Christie though
repeatedly refused to respond to
the attacks, pivoting to criticism of
Democratic frontrunner Hillary
Clinton even as Jindal compared
budget decreases in Louisiana to
budget increases in New Jersey.
Records matter, Jindal argued
attacking Christie for expanding
food stamps and accepting
Medicaid expansion with funding
from President Barack Obama's
signature healthcare law, the
Affordable Care Act that
Republicans oppose. "My point is
this," he said. "If politicians say
they're going to be conservative,
say they're going to cut spending,
but they don't do it, why should
we send them to D.C.?"
"If we send another big govern‑
ment Republican to the White
House, we will not do enough to
fix what is wrong in this country,"
Jindal said.
"Let's not just beat Hillary, let's
elect a conservative to the WhiteHouse, not just any Republican,"
Ji nd al sa id , ar gu in g th at th e
Republican shouldn't be "a second
liberal party."
OBAMA APPEALS IMMIGRATIONRULING TO SUPREME COURT
Donald Trumpʼs stand on deporting millions of illegals was stoutly opposed by Kasichand Bush at the Milwaukee debate
Jindal attacks Republicanpresidential rivals inundercard debate
4th GOP debate exposes sharp divisionin party over immigration
IndianAmerican Republicanpresidential hopeful Bobby
Jindal at the undercarddebtate in Milwaukee.
University of Missouri chancellor, president resign amid race backlash
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 28 - Nov 14-Nov 20, 2015
10/31
10 November 14-20, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info I ND IA
London Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in
London on November 12 for a three‑day visit that
will see India and Britain sign a number of pacts onmutual investments and defense cooperation.
Modi was received at Heathrow International
Airport, among others, by British Minister of State
for the Foreign Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire,
British High Commissioner to India James David
Evan, Indian High Commissioner to Britain Ranjan
Mathai, and British Minister of State for Employment
Priti Patel, who is of Indian origin.
"My visit is aimed at strengthening cooperation
with a traditional friend that is not only a major eco‑
nomic partner of India but also one of the leading
economic players of the world," Modi said in a series
of pre‑departure Facebook posts.
"India and UK are two vibrant democracies, which
are proud of their diversity and multicultural soci‑
eties," he said.
Modi's visit to Britain is the first bilateral visit by
an Indian prime minister in nine years after
Manmohan Singh's visit in 2006. Singh also visited
Britain in 2009 to attend the G‑20 summit.
"UK is one of the fastest growing G‑7 economies
and is home to a strong financial services sector,"
Modi said. "I see immense scope for our economic
and trade relations to improve and this will benefit
both our economies," he added.
On Thursday, Modi will be presented a guard of
honour and an official welcome by his British coun‑
terpart David Cameron following which the two lead‑
ers will hold bilateral talks and delegation‑level dis‑
cussions.
Modi will then address a joint session of the British
parliament and thus become the first Indian prime
minister to do so.
Following this, he will address the City of London
at the Old Library in Guildhall.
He will then continue talks with Cameron at the
Chequers, the countryside retreat of the British
prime minister, and spend the night there.
On Friday, Modi's schedule is filled with business
engagements, including an address to a CEOs round‑
table. He will also be hosted for lunch by Britain's
Queen Elizabeth II, a signal honor.
He will then address the Indian diaspora at the
iconic Wembley Stadium in London. On November
14, Modi will leave for Turkey to attend the annual
G‑20 summit.
Patna Congress president SoniaGandhi and chief ministers of
Delhi, West Bengal, Odisha and
Uttar Pradesh will attend theNovember 20 oath taking of
Bihar Chief Minister Nit ishKumar in an event which is being
touted as the beginning of oppo‑
sition unity against the BJP.Congress vice president Rahul
Gandhi and former prime minis‑
ter H.D. Deve Gowda will alsoattend the event along with
Assam's Congress Chief MinisterTarun Gogoi. So will former chief
ministers Babulal Marandi and
Hemant Soren of Jharkhand andINLD leader Abhay Chautala
from Haryana.
The Grand Alliance led byNitish Kumar ‑‑ who will take
oath as chief minister for a thirdstraight time ‑‑ also includes the
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of
Lalu Prasad and the Congress. Itcrushed the BJP and its allies,
winning 178 of the 243 assem‑
bly seats.The JD‑U, the RJD and the
Congress grabbed over 41 per‑
cent of all the votes in the five‑phased elections that began on
October 12 and concluded onNovember 5. The BJP alliance
got 38 percent.
The Shiv Sena, the BJPʼs juniorally in Maharashtra, joined Chief
Ministers Arvind Kejriwal of
Delhi and Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal as well as former
Jammu and Kashmir chief minis‑ter Omar Abdullah in hailing the
Grand Alliance win and taking a
dig at Modi.
The Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP), which was confident of
ousting Nitish Kumar, admittedits calculations had gone wrong
in one of the toughest state elec‑
tions in recent times.“This is not an outcome we
expected,” BJP general secretary
Ram Madhav said. “The GrandAlliance has done much better
than what we thought . This
defeat calls for serious thinking.We need time to analyse.”
Compared to the number of assembly segments it led in the
2014 Lok Sabha election, the BJP
lost every second seat.The chief ministers expected to
attend are Akhilesh Yadav
(Samajwadi Party, UttarPradesh), Naveen Patnaik (BJD,
Odisha), Arvind Kejriwal (AAP,Delhi) and Mamata Banerjee
(Trinamool Congress , West
Bengal).Lalu Prasad, whose RJD is the
single largest party in the new
Bihar house, and JD‑U presidentSharad Yadav will be the main
guests at the event.In the Grand Alliance, the RJD
won 80 seats followed by the JD‑
U with 71 and the Congress with27 seats. There will be 16 minis‑
ters from the RJD, 15 from the
JD‑U and five from the Congress.
atna Actor and BJP's Lok Sabha
member Shatrughan Sinha said
that the party should not run
away from fixing responsibility in
the Bihar debacle and warned
party leaders not to treat him like
a Rajya Sabha member with no
support base.
"...now that the (Bihar assembly
elections) verdict is out and we're
saddened by this humiliatingdefeat, we should not run away
from fixing responsibility," Sinha
tweeted.
The Bollywood vet‑
eran's comment came
after the BJP old
guard, including L.K.
Advani and Murli
Manohar Joshi,
demanded a thorough
review of the debacle
and said it cannott be
done by those wh o
were responsible (forthe electoral defeat).
Sinha, a former union minister,
also warned party leaders not to
treat him like a
Rajya Sabha
member, and
reminded them
that he has a
support base. "I
am not a Rajya
Sabha MP. I've
come through the
support of the
masses and(h ave) won two
Lok Sabha elections with record
margins. I have a support base,"
he said.
Sinha said despite his sincerity,
efforts and intentions, he was
kept away from campaigning in
the Bihar assembly elections.
"My friends, voters and support‑
ers were let down," he said.
Sinha said he never wanted to
be the chief minister of Bihar, but
insisted the election results would
have been different if he was
allowed to campaign in the state.
He reiterated he had not worked
against the BJP in any way. Therehave been rumours that the party
might take disciplinary action
against him for alleged "anti‑
party" activities.
The Grand Alliance led by Nitish Kumar won 178 of the 243assembly seats.
Narendra Modi was received at HeathrowInternational Airport.
BJP MP from Patna SahibShatrughan Sinha arrives to
greet JD(U) leader Nitish
Kumar for his victory.
Modi in London forthreeday visit to Britain
Nitish oathtaking to display
anti‑Modi muscle
DON'T RUN AWAY FROM FIXINGRESPONSIBILITY: SHATRUGHAN
On the occasion of Bhagwan MahavirNirvan Diwas, emi‑
nent Jainacharya andFounder of Ahimsa
Vishwa BhartiAcharya Dr. Lokesh
Muni presenting thephoto of Bhagwan
Mahavir to Honorable
President of India ShriPranab Mukherjee.
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 28 - Nov 14-Nov 20, 2015
11/31
Amritsar New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi visited forward areas in
Punjab, close to the India‑Pakistan inter‑
national border, to spend time with army
personnel on the occasion of Diwali.
The visit of the prime minister was
kept under wraps by defense authorities.
"People celebrate Diwali with their
family members and loved ones. I too
have come to celebrate it with you," he
said while addressing army personnel
after paying homage to martyrs at the
Dograi War Memorial at Khasa near
Amritsar.
It was at this site that Indian troops
fought one of the toughest battles
against Pakistani troops and triumphed
50 years ago. "I am honored to be
among you today on the occasion of
Diwali," said Modi, sporting an army cap.
"I spent time with our soldiers and we
had a wonderful conversation," Modi
tweeted. "The Battle of Dograi on
September 22, 1965, was one of the
toughest battles fought and won by our
forces," he said.
Modi also visited the Barki War
Memorial at Ferozepur town, close to the
India‑Pakistan border, and laid a wreath
there to pay homage to martyrs.
He also paid homage to Param Vir
Chakra awardee Company Quarter
Master Havildar Abdul Hamid at the war
memorial at Asal Uttar near Amritsar.
Mumbai Tinsel town celebrities
like Shilpa Shetty, Hrithik Roshan
and Manish Malhotra attended the
grand Diwali party hosted by
megastar Amitabh Bachchan.Shabana Azmi, Shilpa and Mika
Singh and other attendees took to
Twitter to thank Amitabh and his
family for the hospitality.
Shabana Azmi: Just returned
from Bachchan's Diwali party. The
night was just beginning. Feeling of
kinship in abundance.
M i k a S i ng h Had a wonderful
party at SrBachchan's house.
Thanks brother juniorbachchan for
such a great party. Happydiwali.
Parineeti Chopra Happy Diwali
everyone! Off to SrBachchan 's din‑
ner. Honoured!
Sh i lp a She t t y Diwali party at
Amitji's home. Photo time!Sonakshi Sinha Photobomb level
MAX. Diwalicelebrations with
these shiny happy people.
Raj Kundra Dearest SrBachchanji
juniorbachchan thank you so much
for your kind hospitality and a
wonderful evening.
Divya Dutta
Thanks SrBachchan,
ja ya ji , ju ni or ba ch ch an an d
Aishwarya for being the most gra‑
cious hosts! Thanks so much for a
beautiful Diwali! Shukriya.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the soldiers at the Dograi War Memorial, in Khasa, Amritsar.
The sky lights‑up with fireworks inLucknow on Diwali. (right) A view of
beautifully lit Golden Temple onDiwali or Bandi Chhor Divas
in Amritsar.
Modi marks Diwali with army men along Pak border
B-Town thanks Amitabh for grand Diwali party
11November 14-20, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info I ND IA
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 28 - Nov 14-Nov 20, 2015
12/31
12 November 14-20, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED
By Amitava Mukherjee
As the Bihar assembly electionresults came out, veteran
Congress leader Mani
Shankar Aiyar made a serious mis‑
take while going through his other‑
wise admirable election analysis on
CNN‑IBN. Faced with a question
whether Nitish Kumar can become
a rallying point for the opposition
at the national level, Aiyar dis‑
counted the possibil ity on the
ground that he did not have a pres‑
ence outside Bihar.
Obviously, Mani Shankar Aiyar
did not have in mind the past
example of Vishwanath Pratap
Singh when the latter became a ral‑
lying point for anti‑Congress forces
in the late 1980s and cobbled up a
coalition which was supported by
the Left and the BJP at the same
time. V.P. Singh too had very little
political presence outside Uttar
Pradesh. It may be a strange coinci‑
dence that Nitish Kumar whose
political star started rising at that
time now holds out the same possi‑
bility. Certainly it is not prudent at
this stage to jump to a specific con‑
clusion but that possibility would
always remain. Before the Bihar
elections, West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee, also the
Trinamool Congress chief,
expressed her support for NitishKumar and wished for a victory of
the Janata Dal‑United‑Rashtriya
Ja na ta Da l‑ Co ng re ss co mb in e.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal, of the Aam Aadmi Party,
had already expressed his support
to the Nitish Kumar‑led conglomer‑
ation.
It can be taken for granted that
the Left would like to see the Bihar
chief minister as a rallying factor
for anti‑BJP politics at the national
level as after the demise of Jyoti
Basu, the Left is not in a position to
throw any leader at the pan‑India
level who commands acceptance
from other political parties.Interesting will be the case of the
Congress. It is a known fact now
that Rahul Gandhi played a vital
role in persuading Lalu Prasad to
accept Nitish Kumar as the leader
of the Grand All iance and the
future chief minister if the alliance
won the elections. But Congress is
certain to have reservations in
accepting Nitish Kumar as even an
informal leader of any future anti‑
BJP political platform. This has
already been indirectly indicated
by former finance minister P.
Chidambaram without taking
Nitish's name in an interview to theelectronic media while results were
still coming in. The message of
Chidambaram's interview was that
the Congress would act as a junior
partner where the party is weak
but would certainly take the lead‑
ing role where it enjoys a strong
position. Moreover, long years of
Nitish Kumar's alliance with the
BJP in Bihar and his track record of
anti‑Congress politics as a disciple
of Jayaprakash Narayan might
come in the way of the Congress
accepting his leading role.
The Samajwadi Party will certain‑
ly remain an enigma. Mulayam
Singh Yadav must now be ruing his
decision to walk out of the JD‑U‑led
alliance in Bihar. His so‑called third
front has not been able to cut any
ice in the Bihar polls. Besides, he is
senior to Nitish Kumar in age. But
Mulayam Singh is a pragmatic
man. Moreover the Communist
Party of India‑Marxist has very
good influence over him and it is
not inconceivable that the Left
might step in while prevailing upon
the Samajwadi Party to have at
least some sort of understanding at
the national level.
The factor that can go in favour
of Nitish Kumar is his suave per‑sonality. He enjoys good equations
with Navin Patnaik and
Jayalalithaa, the chief ministers of
Odisha and Tamil Nadu. As a rail‑
way minister, Nitish Kumar had a
tiff with the mercurial Mamata
Banerjee when he truncated the
Eastern Railway to create a new
division. But at a later stage, he was
able to iron out his difference with
her and the two now enjoy a very
good relation.
As the chief minister of Bihar,
Nitish Kumar has an enviable
record. So far as vital parameters
of development are concerned, like
net per capita state domestic prod‑
uct as percentage of all India per
capita net national income, annual
growth rate in agriculture and
allied activities, decrease in per‑
centage of population below pover‑
ty line and life expectancy of peo‑
ple of Bihar, he has been able to
show impressive results. It is true
that he has yet to come out of the
tag of a regional leader. But the
electoral triumph and his several
stints as a central minister give his
case a certain legitimacy.
NITISH: CAN HE BE A RALLYING FIGURE
FOR THE OPPOSITION?
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
As the chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar has an enviable record.
By Barkha Dutt
M y dear Shah Rukh, I wonʼt hold it
against you if you decide never to
give me an interview again. This
is the second or third time that the hon‑
esty of your thoughts and the clarity of
your conviction ̶ in response to ques‑
tions from me, questions that have never
had anything to do with Kajol or Karan
Johar or even the lungi dance ̶ have
landed you in the middle of a nonsensical
and shameful controversy.
This week some Right‑wing ideologues
asked me why I asked you what I did.
They implied that by discussing issues of
creative freedom, the wider debate around
tolerance and, above all, the scrutiny you
have had to face as an Indian Muslim from
chest‑thumping, hyper‑nationalists, I was
revealing signs of my own twisted and
communal mind.
I ignored the toxicity of the statement
and reminded them that there was history
to your words when you told me that hav‑
ing to prove your patriotism was “the
most degrading and hurtful” experience of
your life.
It goes back to 2010 when we sat for an
interview, just like we did this week. Over
the years our conversations have become
slow ambles that wander casually through
a deeply emotional terrain. You have spo‑
ken to me with a candor that has dis‑
armed me. You ̶ Indiaʼs most beloved
star ̶ have told me you have no friends.
You have opened up about how “solitary
and reclusive” you are and why your
daughter is the only one who really under‑
stands you.
You have wondered out loud on national
television about whether itʼs your failure
that you canʼt sustain friendships. You
have been willing, on more than one occa‑
sion, to third‑eye yourself and make a joke
or two without any of the pomposity and
self‑importance that is so typical of others
in your fraternity. You have laughed at
yoursel f and made me laugh. You have
always taken questions from the media
head‑on, handling them with self‑depre‑
cating wit ̶ even when one or two of
them are intrusive, tasteless and irritate
the hell out of you. Like the time you
laughingly told the reporter who asked if
you were gay: “Kabhi mere saath ek raat
to guzaro (Spend a night with me some‑
time).”
You are a first among equals in your
community. Almost no one else (save a
handful of notable exceptions) among the
biggest and most glamorous stars is will‑
ing to speak ̶ if you put it politely, you
can call it reticence; if you are blunter, the
word you would use is cowardice. But you
bucked the trend, yet again.
Whatʼs most sickening is how youʼre
now being told that the fact that a ʻKhanʼ
can be so popular is proof of Indiaʼs secu‑
larism. You anticipated this rubbish when
you told me acerbically, “Khan shining is
not India shining.” Broken down, the gross
subtext is that you should be grateful for a
country where so many Hindus are fans of
a Muslim star. Itʼs been left to you to point
out that the tokenism of the ʻthree Khans
of Bollywoodʼ is the very antithesis of sec‑
ularism.
I wish I could ignore the hate brigade.
But when a party general secretary and a
long‑term MP are among those asking you
to leave for Pakistan ̶ and when the
minority affairs minister calls you her
brother but makes apologies for their poi‑
son, all I can say is every word you spoke
becomes even more invaluable.
You, Shah Rukh ̶ the real life man ̶
not Raj or Rahul, your screen avatars ̶
are my hero. But shamefully, I must admit
̶ We donʼt deserve you.
You, Shah Rukh — the real life man — not Raj or Rahul, your screen avatars — are myhero. But shamefully, I must admit — We donʼt deserve you.
Shah Rukh, you are my hero but we don t deserve you
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 28 - Nov 14-Nov 20, 2015
13/31
13November 14-20, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP - ED
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
Bihar outcome: Modi has let himself downBy Amulya Ganguli
Even more than the crushing
defeat which the Bhartiya
Janata Party (BJP) suffered
in Delhi, its setback in Bihar willhurt it a great deal more not only
because of Bihar's greater impor‑
tance as an electoral arena but
also because of the huge empha‑
sis which the party had placed on
the contest.
Perhaps to avert the demoraliz‑
ing effect of a second successive
defeat in an assembly poll, the
BJP used all its supposed assets
to register a victory with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi address‑
ing nearly 40 rallies, which is
likely to remain a record of its
kind in the foreseeable future,
and deputing as many as 14 cabi‑
net ministers to campaign in thestate even if, so far as political
importance is concerned, they
are mostly non‑entities.
Party president Amit Shah may
be an exception in this context
but he apparently shot the party
in the foot by saying that a victo‑
ry for the ʻmahagathbandhanʼ or
the Grand Alliance of the Janata
Dal‑United, the Rashtriya Janata
Dal (RJD) and the Congress will
be celebrated in Pakistan.
This puerile attempt to depict
the anti‑BJP alliance's supporters
‑‑ Muslims ‑‑ as anti‑nationalist
evidently backfired. Just asRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
(RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat's sug‑
gestion about a review of the
quota policy was effectively used
by the alliance to portray the BJP
as intrinsically pro‑upper caste
who have never liked the policy
of reservations.
Not to be left behind, Modi
himself added fuel to the fire by
snidely suggesting that the
alliance, if it won, would take
away some of the quotas meant
for the backward castes to give
them away to the Muslims.
But it may not be these pettygames alone which let down the
BJP. There are two other factors
which undoubtedly cut the
ground from under the party's
feet.
One is the murderous activity
of the Hindu Right ranging from
the killing of rationalists to the
lynching of suspected beef‑
eaters, which have persuaded the
artistes of various professions to
return their awards in protest
against the prevailing climate of
intolerance.
The other is the overweeningarrogance of the BJP leaders,
which was demonstrated by
Subramanian Swamy's advice to
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