The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e
Vol.10 No. 36 January 6-19, 2018 80 Cents
Trump open to talks with
North Korea
Kim Jong Un’s Olympian play led to toning down of war rhetoric.
Washington: President Donald
Trump said on Wednesday that
he is open to talks with North
Korea. He said this in a phone
conversation with the South
Korean President Moon Jae‑In
who talked about Seoulʼs talks
with the North Koreans.
"President Trump expressed
his openness to holding talks
between the United States and
North Korea at the appropriate
time, under the right circum‑
stances," the White House said in
a readout of the call. Briefing
reporters on his phone call,
Trump said he had a good con‑
versation with the South Korean
leader. "I just spoke to President
Moon. He's very thankful for
what we've done. They're having
Kamlesh Mehta
Chairman & Publisher
Dear Friends:
arm greetings for a beauti‑
W ful & joyous New Year. Hope
the year 2018 brings more happi‑
ness in everyone's life.
The Team @ The South Asian
Times is proud to present our
New Year Special issue.
NEWSMAKERS 28 ON TRUMP 44
i n
On Tuesday, South and North Korea held high‑level talks in the
Demilitarized Zone, blessed by their leaders Moon Jae‑in & Kim Jong Un
talks with North Korea.”
Trump also claimed that “with‑
out our attitude, that would have
Letter from the Publisher
Presenting Persons of the Year 2017
We are about to complete 10
years of our uninterrupted publi‑
cation, which would not have
been possible without your con‑
tinued support.
We are also proud to present
The South Asian Times‑Person of
the Year 2017. Make it Persons.
Let me explain.
Normally, it is not an easy task
to zero down our Person of the
Year, which has become a much
anticipated feature among our
readers. This is because there are
always so many Indian Americans
achieving so much every year in
some or the other sphere, making
the Indian community very proud.
This time we found our Persons
of the Year literally in our back‑
yard, right here on Long Island.
Co‑Founders of Amneal
AMB. LAKSHMI PURI 48
j o u r n a l i s m
New York Edition
never happened. Who knows
where it leads. Hopefully, it will
Continued on page 4
Pharmaceuticals,
Chintu and his
elder brother
Chirag Patel are
the toast of the town since their
companyʼs merger with Impax
Laboratories. Creating the fifth
largest generic‑drugs corporation
in North America in less than 15
years is a significant success
story – that too of an immigrant
family of humble background.
The American Dream lives!
Now consider that Amnealʼs
phenomenal growth and success
has come not despite but because
of the values on which it was
founded with guidance from their
father, Kanu Bhai Patel, a
Gandhian. He taught the future
billionaires that they can achieve
Continued on page 4
ON MODI 56
Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
H-1B visa
extensions to
continue: USCIS
Indian techies relieved. Earlier reports had emerged
about tightening of H-1B visa rules leading to
deportation of 750,000 Indian in US.
Washington: The United States has lakhs of people will be forced to
no plans under consideration to self‑deport from the US as a result
discontinue the extension of H‑1B of this move had caused panic
visas beyond six years, when bene‑ among Indians here who comprise
ficiaries wait for permanent resi‑ a significant portion of green card
dency, or green card, authorities applicants.
clarified on Monday. A flurry of A spokesperson of the U.S.
speculative reporting on the issue Citizenship and Immigration
over the last 10 days that said Continued on page 4
India building itself as a
maritime power
By Arul Louis deputy assistant secretary of state
for South Asia, said Wednesday.
New York: India increasingly sees
its role across the Indian Ocean as
"There is a transformation of the
way the Indian Navy talks about
a "net provider of regional securi‑ the seas, from using the seas to
ty", which is echoed by the US securing the seas ‑ this whole idea
Secretaries of Defence and State of New Delhi now playing a role
when they talk about its role in the in protect ing the freedom of
region, Alyssa Ayres, a former Continued on page 4
excellence in journalism
 4 January 6-19, 2018 TURN PAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

H‑1B visa extensions to the Trump administration can change their vision, corporate leadership, phi‑

CG message on The continue: USCIS

Continued from page 3
through executive action only those
aspects of the H‑1B program that were
effected through executive actions. The
lanthropy and becoming an inspiration
for the Indian community, especially
for the youth. As they said in the exclu‑

South Asian Times

Services (USCIS) under the Department
work permit for spouses of H‑1B visa sive interview with our Managing
of Homeland Security that administers
holders and the lottery system that Editor, Parveen Chopra, “We always
the non‑immigrant, temporary worker

Persons of Year 2017

selects beneficiaries of the program want to help our community and stay
visa program said in a statement:
every year are governed by executive active in the society and help the
“….USCIS is not considering a regulato‑

O
decisions. The administration could young entrepreneurs to be the next
n the occasion of New Year, I wish all the ry change that would force H‑1B visa
suggest changes for Congress to con‑ Chintu and Chirag.”
readers of The South Asian Times a very holders to leave the United States by
sider and legislate, as part of its review. Since its inception, The South Asian
happy and prosperous 2018. I am glad that changing our interpretation of section
Times has earned an immaculate repu‑
the message is 104(c) of AC‑21, which provides for H‑
1B extensions beyond the 6 year limit.”
Trump open to talks with tation for its excellence in journalism:
appearing in one
AC‑21 or the American North Korea value based content, clean display and
of the most well Continued from page 3 qualitative advertising. Our unique
Competitiveness in the Twenty First
regarded Indian lead to success for the world ‑‑ not just vision has set new trends and stan‑
Century Act is the law passed by the
weeklies widely for our country, but for the world. And dards in South Asian media fraternity
U.S Congress in 2000, which also gov‑
circulated and we'll be seeing over the next number of of America, both in print and online.
erns the extension of H‑1B visas.
read in the Tri‑ weeks and months what happens." We, the team at The South Asian
“Even if it were [considering changes
State area. I also Moon also briefed Trump on his gov‑ Times, sincerely thank all our readers
to section 104‑c], such a change would
take this oppor‑ not likely result in these H‑1B visa ernment's talks with the delegation and supporters who have been integral
tunity to congrat‑ from the North which resulted in partners in our gracious success.
holders having to leave the United
ulate Mr. Chintu Pyongyang agreeing to send a delega‑ Hope you enjoy the hard work put in
States because employers could
Patel and Mr. tion to the Winter Olympics in by our editorial team in New Year
request extensions in one‑year incre‑
Chirag Patel, Co‑ Pyeongchang in South Korea next Special issue.
ments under section 106(a)‑(b) of AC ‑
Chairmen, 21 instead,” Jonathan Withington, chief month, both sides said. According to
Amneal of media relations for USCIS, told The the White House, Vice President Mike India building itself as a
Pharmaceuticals) Hindu. Pence would lead the US delegation to maritime power
for being Sandeep Chakravorty, Consul The agency added that there has not the Winter Olympics. Continued from page 3
bestowed with the General of India, New York been a move at all to reinterpret the navigation as opposed to just the
honour of The South Asian Times ‑ Persons of the clause related to three‑year extensions. Letter from the Publisher sealanes that the Indian Navy uses,"
“…any suggestion that USCIS changed Continued from page 3 she said. Ayres, who is now a senior fel‑
Year 2017. M/s Patels are not only renowned busi‑
its position because of pressure is prosperity also through hard work and low with the Council on Foreign
nesspersons but they are leaving an indelible mark
absolutely false,” Withington said by conducting business with honesty Relations and the author of the recent‑
on society both in India and the U.S. by their philan‑
adding that no changes were under and integrity. Eventually these Patel ly‑published "Our Time Has Come: How
thropy. They are fine examples to emulate and
consideration, connected to it. Brothersʼ entrepreneurship and acu‑ India is Making Its Place in the World",
inspire all of us.
The reports on possible discontinua‑ men contributed to transform Amneal was speaking at the Asia Society here
I also felicitate South Asian Times for being a from family business to one of the
tion of extensions had prompted indus‑ on "India 2018".
strong vehicle for communication within the Indian world's largest generic‑drug compa‑ When thinking about the strategic
try bodies, immigrant associations, and
Community and for nurturing the traditional and nies. Their fairy tale story is an inspi‑ future there is concern about China's
even US lawmakers to protest against it
family values which distinguishes and marks our cul‑ ration as entrepreneurs and philan‑ activities in East and Southeast Asia,
even as the administration remained
ture and ethos. You are the connect between thropists as well as for family values she said. As a result the US and India
silent until Monday. Indian officials
Matribhoomi or Janmabhoomi and the Karmabhoomi. which they hold dear in their public, share an interest in ensuring that the
had brought the panic among the
I also invite readers of the Newspaper to partici‑ private, personal and professional lives. sealanes remain open.
Indian community here to the attention
pate in the events of the Consulate and connect to us The great Indian ideal of Vasudhaiva "India like the US is a vocal advocate
of the White House last week, suggest‑
through our website, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and ing a clarification to quell it. Kutumbakam (The World is Our of freedom of navigation," she said.
Instagram platforms. The Consulate has various ini‑ The USCIS is reviewing the H‑1B visa Family) is their company motto. To "T he US and India are both very
tiatives such as Art&Culture@Consulate, programme, and will come up with practice and not just preach it, both focused on this issue." "What you have
Consulate@YourDoorstep, Open House on changes later this year. “The agency is have recently thrown themselves into seen in the last four‑five months is an
Wednesdays and the ʻNew Indiaʼ Lecture Series. Your considering a number of policy and far‑reaching philanthropic initiatives. increasing convergence, where
participation and feedback on them can only make regulatory changes to carry out the It is a matter of immense pride for us (President Donald) Trump's administra‑
them meaningful. If you have any ideas and sugges‑ Presidentʼs Buy American, Hire as a leader in the South Asian print‑ tion has picked up what the Indian, the
tions please feel free to write to me at American Executive Order, including a media to announce and profile Chintu Japanese and the Australian govern‑
cg.newyork@mea.gov.in thorough review of employment based and Chirag Patel as "The South Asian ment talk about, a concept of the Indo‑
visa programs,” Withington said. But Times ‑ Persons of the Year 2017" for Pacific region," she said.

New Delhi Bureau News Service: HT Media Ltd.

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018

Exclusive Interview
By Parveen Chopra
I the fifth largest generics business in America, who are also
n October last when The Wall
Street Journal ran a story on
the deal between Amneal
Pharmaceutical and Impax
Laboratories to create the fifth
largest generics drug company in
the US, it created a sensation,
more so in the Indian American
community. Amnealʼs Co‑CEOs
and Chairmen are Chintu and
Chirag Patel. The Indian
American brothers based in Long
Island and New Jersey started
Amneal at the cusp of this mil‑
lennium and are expecting $ 2
billion revenue in 2018. The duo
must be among the top echelon
of richest Indian Americans,
heading one of the top Indian
American owned corporates.
Then, how come we never heard
about these ʻPatel Brothersʼ?
Well, the simple answer is, as
Chintu and Chirag Patel explain,
they deliberately kept low‑key all
these years. Now they are going
public – in more ways than one.
After merger with Impax (the
6 January 6-19, 2018
Chintu & Chirag Patel
Business with a Purpose
Presenting the Co‑CEOs and Chairmen of Amneal Pharmaceuticals,
dedicating themselves to new age philanthropy: helping find
solutions for humanityʼs big problems with technology.
company listed on Nasdaq), the
new entity, still called Amneal
Pharmaceuticals, will also go
public and be listed on New York
Stock Exchange. Chirag and
Chintu are also escalating activi‑
ties of their foundations, respec‑
tively called Niswarth and Irada,
with big plans for philanthropic
activities in India. Discerning
observers already may have
noticed Chirag Patel making 7‑
figure donations to charities like
Ekal Vidyalaya and Wheels
Global Foundation.
The South Asian Times is
pleased to proudly name Chintu
and Chirag Patel as our Persons
of the Year 2017. The two
youthful brothers, 46 and 51
respectively, graciously gave
COVER STORY TheSouthAsianTimes.info
their consent to be featured in are not done yet; they aim to are absolutely thrilled. We have
the premier newsweekly for the make Amneal the No 1 generics been the fastest growing gener‑
Indian community. They gave us drug company in the US, and ics company in the world since
full cooperation as well as too grow on the biotechnology side, 2006. We work in USA, in
time out for interviews. a sector which is opening up, and Europe, Ireland, India. We have 6
The interviews covered a whole make products to meet unmet manufacturing plants in India
gamut of topics about the needs. They want to create more and 5 here in the US. We have
Chintu‑Chirag and Amneal: grow‑ riches so as to be able to help achieved this because of our
ing up in a joint family in humanity find solutions – using great team, our energy, passion,
Ahmedabad, inspiration from the latest and greatest technolo‑ emotional connection with our
their father to do business with gy ‑ to big problems facing coun‑ people, taking risks, actions and
honesty and integrity, starting tries like India. execution. All that came together
Amneal (named after Chiragʼs to build an extremely successful
sons Amun and Neal) in 2002 Excerpts from the exclusive company with the highest level
with a small sum, but a lofty pur‑ interview: of quality and great care of our
pose ‑‑ to make affordable medi‑ people. It did not happen on day
cines available to the masses, The South Asian Times: How sat‑ one, but over the years it accu‑
and what goes into growing a isfied are you with the phenome‑ mulated. It happened because we
business to Himalayan propor‑ nal growth of Amneal? made right decisions, fast
tions. Chintu
Continued on page 7
and Chirag Chintu Chintu & Chirag Patel: We
Patel (sitting) and
Chirag Patel complement
each other. Chintu, with
background in pharmaceuticals,
handles product strategy, R&D and
operations. Chirag looks after
sales and marketing and
finance as well as IT.
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info COVER STORY January 6-19, 2018 7

Continued from page 6
decisions. In 2017 we had over
a billion dollars in revenue. We
are growing and going on a pub‑
lic platform.
So you are taking it public?
called Kashiv Pharma, named
after Chintuʼs two daughters,
based in Bridgewater, NJ. Kashiv
with over 100 employees is an
emerging pharmaceutical
research and drug delivery com‑
pany. Asana BioSciences is a clin‑
ical stage, oncology‑focused bio‑
pharmaceutical company. So,
unlike Amneal generics, this is a
branded side. We have a small
marketing unit for branded prod‑
ucts called Gemini Laboratories.
Any of your products people
would know?
Chintu & Chirag Patel: All the
pharmacy stores would know,
but the CVSʼs of the world put
their own label on it. Going for‑
ward when we have our own
inhalation, our own topical prod‑
ucts, that time consumer would
know because it would have our
direct label on it. You have a tube
of a cream, it will have our label
on it ‑ Amneal. We do have some
products in the topical and
inhalation area like Nasonex
nasal spray that carries Amneal
name. That's a direct packaged
product from us, the pharmacy is
just handing it to you. But in
tablets, capsules, liquids – the
generics we make you would find
CVS label.
So, in years to come, will Amneal
become a brand name too?
Chintu & Chirag Patel: Not a
brand name, but in complex
dosage forms, they will be able
to recognize Amneal's name
because in transdermal to topical
to inhalation products, consumer
will see Amneal name directly.
The business world is supposed
to be cut‑throat, what is your
experience of doing business
with values like integrity, does it
help or hinder business growth?
Chintu & Chirag Patel: Honesty,
integrity, and ethics always help
the business, it helps in the long
run. At Amneal we always had a
long vision, and these are the
foundation that help to grow an
organization ten‑fold. It builds
the quality ‑‑ we are a very
quality‑centric company. Our
Continued on page 8

Chintu & Chirag Patel: Yes. Impax

Laboratories, the company we
acquired, is already a public
company. So we will become a
public company too. We will be
the 75% owner, 25 percent pub‑
lic. Impax is already listed in
NASDAQ, the stock is trading
around $17‑18. We will be relist‑
ed under our name Amneal. So
Impax name will go away, it will
be listed in the New York Stock
Exchange as Amneal, but same
platform.

Tell us more about Amneal

enterprises.

Chintu & Chirag Patel: We have 5

Amneal enterprise companies
that are not affiliated with
Amneal Pharmaceuticals but
ownership is common. They
include Prolong Biologics, where
we are doing research work
Chintu and Chirag Patel started Amneal inspired and guided
since 2009 on biologic product
called Sanguinate. Adello
by their father, Kanu Patel. Raised on the Gandhian philoso‐
Biologics is in Piscataway, NJ,
with manufacturing in Chicago phy of truth and service, Kanu Bhai taught them that they can
and over 150 employees. Adello
is doing a biosimilar product, achieve prosperity though hard work and by conducting
which is like genetic version of a
larger molecule. Third is business with honesty and integrity.
a company
Based
in the tristate area,
with multiple manufacturing
plants in US, India and Ireland,
and a big distribution center in
Kentucky, Amneal is looking at
$2 billion in revenue
in 2018.
 8 January 6-19, 2018 COVER STORY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Amneal-Impax mega merger

P
rivately held generic will become chief executive of
drug maker, Amneal the combined company, said in
Pharmaceuticals LLC, an interview that the merger
and Impax Laboratories, Inc. “gives us the leverage to partic‑
announced last October that ipate in the new distribution
Continued from page 7 they have entered into an all environment. He said the com‑
stock deal to merge and form a pany would grow by double
highest focus and No. 1 goal,
new publicly traded company ‑ add to Impax's standalone action. In fact, the deal is antici‑ digits annually and would gen‑
always year over year, is to focus
Amneal Pharmaceuticals Inc. adjusted earnings in the first pated to generate $200 million erate enough free cash to both
on quality. We believe that any
Pursuant to the deal, Amneal 12 months and generate dou‑ in annual cost savings within pay down debt and “tur‑
medication we are making, our
and Impax shareholders will ble‑digit revenues and earnings three years following the close bocharge growth” further by
parents, our brother or sister,
own about 25% and 75% of the growth in the next three years. of the transaction. doing deals with other compa‑
even our kids could be taking it.
new company's pro forma Additionally, the merger will The combined company is nies “pretty much right away.”
Consumers are trusting their
shares, respectively. Markedly, help Amneal to achieve its long‑ expected to have 2017 pro To boost their bargaining
health and their well‑being with
the combined company will term goals of providing greater forma net revenue in the range power, generic‑drug companies
our products, so quality has to be
rank as the fifth largest in the access to safe and affordable of $1.75 billion to $1.85 bil‑ including powerhouse Teva
the highest focus.
United States by gross revenue, medicine for people around the lion. Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
said a press release at the time. world. “We would become probably have been consolidating. Last
Your father inculcated those val‑
Impax's shares outperformed In fact, the combined compa‑ the most interesting company year, Teva bought Allergan
ues in you...
the industry in 2017: its stock ny will drive growth in a num‑ to do deals with,” Chirag Patel, PLCʼs generic‑drugs business
increased 45.7% as against the ber of ways. It will have a Amnealʼs co‑CEO, said in an for $40 billion.
Chintu & Chirag Patel:
industry 's decline of 23.4%. generics portfolio with about interview as quoted by Wall St Mr. Bisaro, an Allergan board
Absolutely, it runs in the family.
Furthermore, the combined 165 differentiated product Journal. Chirag, who founded member who took over as
We grew up in a joint family in
company got a diverse pipeline families marketed in all dosage Amneal with his brother Chintu Impax chief executive in March,
Ahmedabad in India. Our grand‑
with more than 300 products forms. The new company is Patel, described the merger as a has been outspoken about the
father was a staunch Gandhian
either filed with the FDA or in also expected to generate annu‑ step toward their longtime goal need for generic makers to add
believing in high values. And we
active stages of development. al double‑digit growth in net of creating a top‑3 generic‑drug heft to better cope with the
saw that even though he was a
The deal, expected to close in revenue over the three years company. buying groups and find new
chairman of a bank, he was rid‑
the first half of 2018, would following the close of the trans‑ Impax CEO Paul Bisaro, who ways to sell their medicines.
ing a bicycle. My father inherited
the same qualities ‑ he had three
other brothers, yet it was all joint
family, the business and every‑ "We believe that any medication we are making, our parents, our
Continued on page 10
brother or sister, even our kids could be taking it. Consumers are
trusting their health and their well‐being with our products, so
quality has to be the highest focus." ‐Chintu and Chirag Patel
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
 10 January 6-19, 2018 COVER STORY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Continued from page 8

thing was shared. So the first
value we learned was to share:
charity begins at home, so there
is no one left behind.
Chirag being the older by five
years had more exposure to life
in a joint family and how it
boosts confidence and has mag‑ Amneal bagged Generics Bulletinʼs "Company of the Year"
nificent impact on children grow‑ Chirag Patel receiving the Ernst and Young National Entrepreneurs award 2014, received by Chintu Patel. Global Generics & Biosimilars
ing up in that environment. We of the Year (U.S. Life Sciences) award for 2011. Awards recognized Amneal as Leader of the Yeear 2017.
saw our father, Kanu Bhai Patel,
The support of our father Kanu al. We have a plant in injectable, long acting injectable raw material plants in India, one
work hard from a young age to
Patel and mother Vimala Patel is Ahmedabad for both injectable product where you give for one‑ in Dahej, Gujarat, and the other
move from a lower middle class
not only in the business part, but products and oral solids. Here, month injection. Then there is in Vizag, down south. So, in total
family to middle class and then
making us who we are. let us define the different cate‑ oncology, the cancer product, or we have 6 manufacturing plants
upper middle class. He was brave
gories. Amneal is a generics com‑ phytotoxic products. in India. And we have 5 here in
and fearless and principled and
Is your father still living in pany where we are able to make We have two injectables plants in the US and one in Ireland. And
that inspired us. Practically
America? all dosage forms and we have an India, one in Hyderabad and one we have a centralized big distri‑
speaking, Chirag saw the
in‑house capability of develop‑ in Ahmedabad. Third category is bution center in Kentucky.
progress from walking to school
Chintu & Chirag Patel: He spends ment and manufacturing of all transdermal products, which are
to cycling 16 km to college, then
about 7‑8 months a year here dosage. What I mean by that, the patches which we make in The official headquarters is in
the first scooter and family car.
and about four months or so in there are oral solids, which cov‑ Piscataway, NJ. The fourth cate‑ New Jersey.
Initially, our father was a food
India, in Ahmedabad. He is CMD ers tablets, capsules, soft jells gory is the inhalation product,
and drug administration inspec‑
of Amneal Pharmaceuticals and liquid products. We manu‑ which are for asthma, products Chintu & Chirag Patel: Yes, in
tor in India. When he saw that
(India) Pvt Ltd, an affiliate of facture those products in India, like Advair. Then, we have a Bridgewater, New Jersey. Chirag
corruption was creeping in that
Amneal Pharmaceuticals, LLC. oral solids in India and also in plant in Ireland, in Cashel. There sits there. The one in
line, he quit because he did not
He also wanted to help us with the US. Liquid is only in the we make inhalation products. Brookhaven, Long Island, is
want to be a part of corrupt gov‑
our two foundations over there: United States along with soft jell. Another category is topical another company headquarters:
ernment body. In the 1970's he
Irada and Niswarth. Then there is a second category products, creams and ointments Chintu sits there. People report‑
started his own generic drug dis‑
called injectable products, and jells, that we make in ing to him include R&D heads,
tribution business and gauze and
Please describe for our readers where we have capability of mak‑ Piscataway, NJ. There are other CSO, quality head and operations
bandage manufacturing unit in
your operations and different ing all different types of products such as nasal sprays, head.
India. Growing up, we saw the
products, what part is done in injectable products, complex that we do in New Jersey. So, we
strength, the confidence, the
the US and what part in India and have 7 different dosage forms You both are Co‑Chairmen of
comfort that the joint family
elsewhere? that gives us the dis‑ Amneal. What is the division of
gives and we saw in our father,
tinct advantage labor?

From family
and our grandparents, that hon‑
Chintu & Chirag Patel: compared to our
esty, integrity, ethics always have
Amneal India has multi‑ competitors that we Chintu & Chirag Patel: We both
paid off in their own journeys –
ple plants and R&D. It are able to do the are also co‑CEOs. We have run

business to
me and my brother and our
does manufacturing development work the company together since the
entire family firmly believe in
and R&D work for and the manufac‑ beginning. We two have
that because thatʼs in our genes.

generics
both finished prod‑ turing all in‑house.
Luckily our spouses had the Continued on page 12
ucts and raw materi‑ Then we have two
same kind of values and culture.

pharmaceuticals
C A company founded on
hirag and Chintu Patel were nology
inspired to enter the pharmaceu‑ arena, while

powerhouse high quality, broad access

tical industry by their father,
Kanu Patel, an industrial pharmacist by
training who worked as a drug regulatory
inspector in India. Responsible for
inspecting drug manufactures and their
products in an effort to protect the pub‑
lic, Kanu worked to ensure that con‑
sumers had access to the highest quality
pharmaceutical products. Raised on the
Gandhian philosophy of truth and service,
Kanu taught his sons that they can
achieve prosperity though hard work and
by conducting business with honesty and
integrity.
The family immigrated to the United
States in 1987, providing Chintu and
Chirag with access to higher education
and a business environment that fosters
and rewards the entrepreneurial spirit.
Chirag began his business pursuits with
several start‑ups in the information tech‑
Chintu fol‑
lowed in his
fatherʼs foot‑
steps as a
pharmacist. During his
time as a pharmacist, generic sub‑
stitution rates were less than 40% in the
United States, and Chintu witnessed first‑
hand the struggle patients had in choos‑
ing between buying food or affording
their medication. The desire to provide
affordable high quality medicine to
patients in need triggered a passion with‑
in Chintu, and together with his fatherʼs
guidance and experience and Chiragʼs
business savvy, Amneal was born.
Chirag and Chintuʼs commitment to
quality manufacturing, investment in new
product development, and operating with
honesty and integrity, has made Amneal
one of the fastest‑growing global generics
and patient service stays
true to their promise that
“The World is Our Family”.
pharmaceutical manufacturers in the company is based on a strong sense of
world, with more than 140 US FDA family values, and every employee is a
approvals to market generic drugs. With member of the Amneal family.
capital from the principals of private
investment group, Tarsadia Investments, Recognized for their entrepreneurial
LLC, and more than 10 M&A deals since achievements, the Patel brothers contin‑
2007, Amneal Pharmaceuticals has ue to find innovative technologies beyond
grown to be the 5th largest US generics the generic drug space. Chirag and Chintu
pharmaceutical company by prescription Patel have invested in five other health‑
volume, with 5,000 employees across care related start‑ups that focus
North America, Europe and Asia. resources on finding cures for diseases
Amnealʼs corporate culture prides itself such as sickle cell anemia and
on a shared belief that the legacy of the cancer.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
 12 January 6-19, 2018 COVER STORY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Continued from page 10
complementary skills. Chintu
with background in pharmaceuti‑
cals handles all the product strat‑
egy, R&D, operations, quality.
Chirag handles sales and market‑
ing, finance, and corporate legal
as well as IT (he ran IT compa‑
nies before Amneal). Intellectual
property ‑ legal goes to Chintu.
HR and business development
activities are shared. All key
decisions we take together. In
the end, it is the love between us
that wins.
A
mnealʼs product
pipeline represents
a diversified range
of products across multiple
therapeutic areas and
dosage forms, including a
sizable proportion of com‑
plex, high barrier‑to‑entry
and difficult‑to‑formulate
products. The companyʼs
portfolio now includes
more than 100 U.S. FDA‑
approved molecules, more than 100
molecules pending approval and
another 200 in development.
The Amneal product pipeline
affords broad coverage of thera‑
peutic areas including cardio‑
vascular, central nervous sys‑
tem/pain, oncology, inflamma‑
tion, anti‑infective, dermatology,
endocrinology, diabetes, rhinology,
urology, and hematology, among others.

Besides you two brothers, there
is another partner…
Chintu & Chirag Patel: Yes, his
name is Tushar Patel, based in
California. He is the founder and
Chairman of Tarsadia
Investments LLC, focusing on
real estate, hospitality, health‑
care, life sciences, financial serv‑
ices and financing. He was one of
the largest hoteliers and has sup‑
ported us since 2005. Tushar is
not related to us but now it's a
very close relationship, like a
brother. He's been an integral
part of our growth journey. So
it's myself, my brother, and
Tushar Patel are the three who
own Amneal and all the Amneal
enterprise companies.
What is your vision for Amneal in
the next five years?
Chintu & Chirag Patel: In the next
five years, as we become a public
company, we want to be the No.
1 generic company. We want to
“We were able to bring
the right people on
board. After getting the
right people in the right
place you have to
empower them.
Ultimately, when your
people have total clarity
and direction, they are
going to perform well”.
‐Chintu Patel
become a consumer health com‑
pany, and provide affordable
medicine not only for prescrip‑
tion but for all other segments,
from animal health to over the
counter and all other adjoining
businesses. That's on the Amneal
side. On bio‑similar, it is the same
thing, there is a lot of biologics,
so we want to bring a lot more
affordable biologics products to
the market and create access to
consumers worldwide. There are
about 150 million dollarsʼ worth
of products: those are branded
biologics with no competition
and so very expensive. Those
markets are just opening up.
You may know Humira, adver‑
tised on TV, that is like a biolog‑
ics product. So, on Amneal enter‑
prise side we are going to focus
on bringing certain branded
products to the market, some
biologics to the market and focus
on new technology and create
well diversified biologics and
branded company. On Amneal
generics side we are also going
to focus on certain merger and
acquisitions because now we
have the public platform to
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam
become the top generic company
in America in the next five years. At Amneal, they ‘view
Explain to us the basics of gener‑ the world as our family’
ics business. One would assume
that big pharma companies that Amneal
spend millions and billions on employees
discovering and developing around the world un‑
drugs and patenting them derstand that every
would discourage generics. product we develop, manu‑
India, we know, fights to facture and distribute is des‑
make and distribute tined for someoneʼs loved one. It
generics which are is this shared belief that drives
much cheaper. their commitment to provide
greater access to high‑quality, af‑
Chintu & Chirag Patel: fordable medicines and the meaning‑
Good you asked. ful role they play in treatment and
Right now 85% of all care for patients globally.
prescription drugs in Says the company on its website: “Our
America are generics. companyʼs relentless pursuit of quali‑
Only 15% drugs are ty, integrity and value are intrinsic to
branded products. The the decisions we make about our
Hatch‑Waxman Act of company, our people and our fu‑
1984 encourages the ture. This steadfast focus on these
values has guided our journey
manufacture of generic
to becoming one of the lead‑
Continued on page 14
ing generic pharmaceutical
companies in the United
States.
“Across the
compa‑
ny, there is a
strong sense of fami‑
ly values, treating each
other with respect and en‑
couraging the very best in
everyone. This philosophy has
inspired employees to go the extra
mile and take accountability for the
work that we do. We believe that we
are accountable to the people who
use our products, our customers, and
our business partners. Amneal not
only embraces the responsibility that
comes with maintaining our reputa‑
tion among our stakeholders for
quality products, we also thrive un‑
der it. More importantly, we never
forget that no matter how large
the company may become, our
legacy and strength of charac‑
ter lay firmly in the hands
of each and every mem‑
ber of the Amneal
family.”
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
 14 January 6-19, 2018 COVER STORY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

“I have played golf once with

President Donald Trump but
I run into him when he is at
Playing
his Bedminster golf club in
golf with
Continued from page 12
New Jersey. I have known
drugs by the pharma industry
and established the modern sys‑
him for 4 years even before President
Trump
tem of regulating generic drugs
in the United States and way to
challenge the patent. But yes, the he became the President as I
original company gets exclusivi‑
ty and rights. They get on certain belong to his golf club. He is
patents 17‑20 years of exclusivi‑
ty. Then they extend the time
frame for certain patents, thatʼs
very relaxed on the golf
when generic companies like
ours go and challenge those
course, engages well and is a
patents.
fast player. I am a big‐time
Generic alternatives to Viagra are
now entering the market... golfer, I love golf.”
Chintu Patel: True, Viagra (from ‐Chirag Patel
Pfizer) was under protection for
the last 18‑20 years. So, after
that, you challenge. So we active‑
ly litigate lot of cases with brand You two started and nurtured
companies for intellectual prop‑ Amneal. What goes into run‑
erty. At any given time, we may ning and growing such a
have 5‑10 cases going on. large corporation?

How much cheaper are generic Chintu & Chirag Patel:

drugs vis‑à‑vis the originals?
Chintu & Chirag Patel: Depending
on the product, it can go from
70% cheaper to 95% cheaper
than the branded product.
So, itʼs good for the public.
Chintu & Chirag Patel: Generics
industry has saved over one tril‑
lion dollars in the last 10‑12
years. So itʼs good for the con‑
sumers. As you can see from the
video on our website, our inspi‑
ration to start generics was
because we believe that any busi‑
ness that we do has to have a
purpose and our purpose was to
create access of affordable medi‑
cine to American consumers and
consumers world‑wide.
Besides America, where else do
you distribute?
Chintu & Chirag Patel: We have
some distribution in Europe,
Germany, UK and some Nordic
countries. But over 95 % is all in
US.
Number 1 is ability to
change your own self.
So, every year, as we
were growing, we were
flexible enough to
change ourselves and take
faster decisions and were
able to bring the right people
on board. After getting the right
people in the right place you
have to empower them.
Ultimately, when your people
have total clarity and direction,
they are going to perform well.
Even though we are a large
organization, we focus heavily on
creating the culture. We firmly
believe that any organization will
grow and last for a long time
Chintu Patel says that being in business, they are non‐partisan
and give contributions to good candidates of both Republican
and Democratic parties.
that over‑analysis is paralysis.
So, we don't over‑analyze; we
have never believed in consult‑
oth‑ ants giving you guidance on your
ers own business. I believe that you
have not should know what you are doing
when
done. That posi‑ and focus on execution.
built with a
tive attitude is generat‑
great solid foundation
ed because we are working as How is it running big corpora‑
of culture ‑ which is the values,
one large family: when you have tions as Indians in America?
your honesty, integrity, family
support of one another, the
values, teamwork, ownership.
strength increases, and you are Chirag Patel: We are extremely
Amneal employees have can‑do
able to do a lot more than being
attitude: we are willing to take Continued on page 16
an individual person. We believe
lot of risks and to do things that

Has Obamacare and the stress it

is under affected your business?

Chintu & Chirag Patel: On manu‑

facture level, on generics
Obamacare does not have any
affect. There was some more
usage with Obamacare on pre‑
scription drugs because people
Chintu and wife Falguni Patel with former President Bill Clinton and Chintu Patel with former Secretary of State Colin Powell
had more insurance.
Steve Israel, who represented a New York district in the House. under President George W Bush.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018

Continued from page 14
proud of being be Indian
Americans. I tell my kids I wish
they had spent their first 15‑20
years in India and then come to
America. It is a great combina‑
tion. To have lived in the diversi‑
ty of India and picked up so
many things India teaches you.
Then you come here with a gift
from India and now you a gift
from America. Now you are a
nation without boundaries. Our
business thinking came from US
only. That is important because
we do not have narrow thinking
in business. With that mindset
we could grow Amneal in such a
big way. And we are not done
yet. We have lot of growth left –
in biotechnology, oncology, etc,
we have multiple investments.
Indian Americans are going to do
great, they are already doing
great. They will be more success‑
ful because of this special ingre‑
dient from India, the culture we
inherited. We love America
equally. With best from America
and the best from India, and the
right purpose, the sky is the
limit. In 20‑30 years Indian
Americans will have the same
influence as Jewish Americans.
How do you see the changing
profile of the Indian community?
Chintu & Chirag Patel: The com‑
“Growing up, we saw
the strength, the
confidence, the
comfort that the joint
family gives and we
saw in our father, and
our grandparents,
that honesty,
integrity, ethics
always have paid off
in their own journeys
– me and my brother
and our entire family
firmly believe in that
because that’s in
our genes.”
16 January 6-19, 2018 COVER STORY TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has done such a
tremendous job internation‐
ally to make people realize
the importance of India and
what Indians are capable of.
People the world over are
now understanding India,
respecting India and see
long‐term value in partnering
with India. NRIs have played business. Don't think negative yoga and meditation, and a
a major role along with PM that I don't have money or healthy lifestyle. Then skyʼs the
resources. Please take that first limit.
Modi in creating this step and start, taking a risk ‑‑
without risk there is no reward. You two came to America as
momentum. Start early, start at a young age. I students…
‐Chintu Patel started this business when I was
31, my brother was 36. Chintu & Chirag Patel: No, we all
Chintu Patel: I will tell young migrated in 1987 as a family to
munityʼs image has improved understanding India, respecting people to always have ambition. America, to New Jersey: our
tremendously. As Indian India and they see long‑term Then work at it, not expect any‑ Continued on page 18
Americans, you know, we are value in partnering with India. I thing to happen right
running for high office: people would add that the NRIs have away, so have
like Nikki Haley and Bobby played a major role along with patience. Add
Jindal, and so on. Prime Minister PM Modi in creating this to your
Narendra Modi has done such a momentum right now. regi‑
tremendous job internationally men
to really make people realize the What is your message for the
importance of India and what young people in our community?
Indians are capable of. It's the
largest democracy in the world Chintu Patel: Through the
with the largest young popula‑ columns of this paper we wish to
tion in the world, and they are inspire young people to take a
vibrant, have abilities to do so chance. There are millions of
many different things whether ideas but to take that hard step
itʼs IT to pharma to other manu‑ whether it is to quit your
facturing sectors. So I think peo‑ job or how do you go
ple internationally are now about setting up a “The support of
our father Kanu
Patel and mother
Chintu Vimala Patel is not only
and Chirag Patel in the business part, but
with their families, in making us who we
their parents, and are,” say Chirag and
their sister Bindu Chintu. .
Patelʼs family.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
 18 January 6-19, 2018 COVER STORY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Chirag Patel
A meditative mind spells success
C
Continued from page 16 hiragʼs
father Kanu Patel, mother lifelong
Vimala Patel and one sister drive and
named Bindu and we two. Chintu constant desire
was 15 then and finished his to discover
high school here and then went “whatʼs next” has
to Rutgers school of pharmacy. carried Amneal
Chirag left home for Jersey City from humble
in 1991 to study for his finance beginnings to an
degree from New Jersey City emerging global
University. We still speak speak presence. As the
Gujarati besides Hindi. founder of two
technology compa‑
Your sister Bindu Patel is also nies, his clear
associated with Amneal, right? vision, steady guid‑
ance and boundless
Chintu & Chirag Patel: Yes Bindu enthusiasm served Chirag
Patel and her husband, Vikrant as catalysts for the and Priti Patel
steady and contin‑ with their children,
Patel, both are working at Because
Amun and Neal. of
Amneal ‑ in IT, based out of New ued expansion of there are so many
Amneal. As the company Living Foundation®,
Jersey. They have two sons, and activities here we just
continues its upward trajectory, New Jersey City University
they are a wonderful family. donate. For example,
Chiragʼs vision assures Amnealʼs Foundation and the Family
we support Big
focus to expand its footprint, Reach®Foundation.
What is your forward‑looking Brothers and Big
drive incremental value and Chirag received his bachelorʼs
vision? Sisters. I am on the
enhance its strong relationships degree in commerce from H.A.
board of New Jersey
throughout. College of Commerce, India and
Chintu Patel : On the Amneal City University
Chirag is the recipient of sever‑ his B.S. in business administra‑
enterprise companies side, creat‑ Foundation and
al industry honors including the tion from New Jersey City
ing a branded biologics company Niswarth supports
2011 Ernst & Young National University. He also received an
and focus on hardcore research scholarships for stu‑
Entrepreneur of the Year Life honorary doctorate degree from
and development where we can dents locally and from
Sciences Award® and supports New Jersey City University in
come out with new drugs for India. I am also trustee
various philanthropic and chari‑ recognition of his efforts to
unmet needs. of Liberty Science
table causes both in the U.S. and serve others and help them
Center in Jersey City.
Also the new focus is heavily on abroad. Chirag and his wife, Priti, transform their lives. We just opened a
activities of our two foundations established the Niswarth huge planetarium
Children Foundation in 2013, Chirag Patel spoke to The South
– Niswarth and Irada ‑‑ where we there, the largest in
with the goal of bringing fresh Asian Times.
can help millions, for example in the western hemi‑
India, who really need help. We water, sanitation, sustenance and sphere.
education to over one million It seems Niswarth and Irada are
are waiting for the necessary I also started two
underprivileged children in India. doing more work in India com‑
official permissions and paper‑ initiatives in India
Chirag serves on the boards of pared to here in the US?
work to complete and embark with IITs and IIPH
on big welfare projects there. the Association for Accessible (Indian Institute of
Medicines® (formerly Generic Chirag Patel: That is not a correct
Here in the US, we always want Public Health) with
Pharmaceutical Association), assumption. Niswarth and Irada
to help our community and stay Wheels Foundation,
Liberty Science Center®, the Art are US foundations. More of our
active in the society and help the
dollars go to the US than India. Continued on page 22
young entrepreneurs to be the

next Chintu and Chirag.
Chirag Patel: Our Niswarth
Foundation along with Wheels
Global Foundation are working
on two innovation centers
focused on big issues in India:
Mother and Child Health, and
Water and Sanitation. The goal is
to use technology ‑‑ the latest
and the greatest ‑‑ to solve these
huge problems systematically.
We may not be able to come up
with solutions right away but we
get the great idea how technolo‑
gy can be used to solve that
problem. Then we may partner
with other NGOs, or the govern‑
ment or enhance government
programs or do social entrepre‑
neurship. All that will open up. I
am happy that people like Rajat
Gupta are on my board.
I
magine a world where every child has the
opportunity to make their dreams real.
Where they all go to school to feed their
Niswarth Foundation
minds and nourish their soul. Where they
can inspire other children to believe in them‑ Headed by Chirag & Priti Patel
selves and what they can accomplish when
they dare to dream. This is the heart of the
Niswarth Foundation. Niswarth in Hindi
means selfless.
MISSION
Founded in 2013, the mission of the
Foundation is to make a significant and posi‑
tive impact on the lives of primary school
children in the areas of:
4Safe Drinking Water
4Health
4Education
4Sanitation and Hygiene
4Nutrition Chirag
Chirag Patel says that their friend and co‑ and Priti Patel at
trustee Warren Buffett Continued on page 22 a Niswarth project in
India
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
 20 January 6-19, 2018 COVER STORY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Chintu Patel
Resolve to do good and entertain
C
hintuʻs vision of building an inno‑
vative pharmaceutical
company based upon
quality and integrity has guided
every chapter of the Amneal story.
His passion for excellence in
research and development and
helping to develop high quality
and affordable medicines to benefit
people around the world has been
deeply rooted since his days as a
student of pharmacy. Chintu has
more than 20 years of distinguished
experience within the industry,
starting his career in Eckerd
Pharmacy. He has been recognized
by his peers on numerous occasions,
including the 2011 Ernst & Young Chintu
National Entrepreneur of the Year Patel with wife
Life Sciences Award®. Falguni and
His commitment to business growth daughters Kanan
and philanthropy is evident in the and Shivani on a
many organizations he supports. cruise. Foundation activities, Bollywood films or Indian‑American
Chintu has been a featured speaker at the and help the communities. films?
Hauppauge Industrial Association of New I love sports, tennis, cricket, football, love
York and serves on the boards of the Long to travel and I love entertainment. Chintu Patel: Any films, content‑based
Island Association and the Make‑a‑Wish films, I donʼt want to categorize only
Foundation®. Chintu, along with his wife, What do you mean by entertainment? Bollywood. We want to make sure there is
Falguni, created the Irada Foundation, at least some good coverage on our par‑
focusing on health and education issues. Chintu Patel: I love dancing, love to lis‑ ents, my father and mother because my
Chintu holds a bachelorʼs degree in phar‑ ten to music, love making movies. father was an integral part of Amneal. Ya
macy from Rutgers College of Pharmacy. thatʼs where we made a movie called
Your company Irada Entertainment Irada. That movie came out in February
He spoke to The South Asian Times. made the movie Irada, so you plan to grow last. The company called Irada
that line. Entertainment is based out of Mumbai. Itʼs
Tell us about your hobbies and personal a Bollywood production, Bollywood‑based
interests. Chintu Patel: Ya, we will be making more production house where we are making
content based films, making more web‑ films, we are making web‑series. We are
Chintu Patel: My passion and long‑term series and growing it into certain other working on two web series, with other
goal is to spend more time in our Irada media outlets over a period of time. Continued on page 22

I Irada Foundation
rada Foundation envisages in
creating an enabling environ‑
ment through awareness gen‑
eration, motivating the under‑
privileged and contributes Headed by Chintu & Falguni Patel
towards national development.

MISSION
Improving overall quality of
life of communities through long
term and sustainable interven‑
tions in the area of Public Health
& Education, Preventive Social
Medicines and encourage and
involving volunteerism from var‑
ious society groups.

AIM

All ideal aspirations have hum‑

ble beginnings and so is Irada
Foundation endeavor. Our mis‑
sion is to address and initiate
corrective measures for issues
like Cancer into totality, Health
& Medical Services and Safe
Drinking water system in Rural

Continued on page 22
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
 22 January 6-19, 2018 COVER STORY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Continued from page 20
companies. Our Gujarati comedy
film called ʻVentilatorʼ will be
released in May 2018.
I want to mention my father‑in‑
law who is no longer there, but
he helped a lot with the business
in the initial stages. He passed
away in 2003 because of lung
cancer. That's what inspired me
to make the movie ʻIradaʼ. He
helped us in the initial time for
sourcing a lot of equipment from
India to start Amneal. So I really
want to thank him, his name was
Rasik Patel.
How do you keep fit?
Chintu Patel
Chintu Patel: I workout every
day, focus on healthy diet, vege‑
tarian. I don't drink alcohol, my
brother Chirag would have nice
red wine but I and my wife don't
drink. With focus on family life
Iʼd love to have dinner at home.
Tell us about your family.
Chintu Patel: Falguni has been
a great support and strength for
my personal success. I still
remember the day when I want‑
ed to quit my job to get into
business, she gave me the
courage to say go ahead. She has
an IT degree and was working
full time until 2008. We have
been married since 1996. My Chintu and Falguni Patel have started Irada
Entertainment, which produced the movie ʻIradaʼ
daughters names are Kanan and
starring Naseeruddin Shah and New York born actor
Shivani. And making a portman‑
Prashantt Guptha. Irada was based on Falguniʼs
teau word from their names, we
father, Rasik Patel, passing away in 2003 because of
named one our companies: lung cancer.
Kashiv Pharma

Continued from page 20
India that are threatening
and weakening our country's
progress and also the quality
of life.
Irada Foundation
We aim to achieve aware‑
ness and advocacy, eradicate
unhealthy conditions, devel‑
op better sanitation prac‑
tices, uplift and instil confi‑
dence among the weaker sec‑
tions of the society. Our serv‑
ices focus on assessing indi‑
vidual strengths and needs,
setting personal goals and
providing an environment
that encourages overall
growth and development.
http://www.iradafounda‑
tion.com/
Falguni and Chintu Patel plan to produce movies
and web series under the banner of Irada
Entertainment. Their Gujarati comedy Ventilator
is releasing later this year.

Chirag Patel Niswarth

Continued from page 18
which is IIT alumni
Foundation and supported
by people from New York
and all over America. I am
excited about it because we
are getting the support from
all 27 IITs. Both projects
with IIT and IIP are going to
be located in Gandhinagar in
India.
You are associated with Sri
Sri Ravi Shankarʼs Art of
Living.
Chirag Patel: Yes, and since
2003. I have taken a few of
their courses. I am on the
board of Art of Living
Foundation USA and on first‑
name basis with Sri Sri.
What has been your personal
experience like.
Chirag Patel: It has been fan‑
tastic. I think it should be
implemented everywhere.
Any form of meditation and
yoga if promoted all over
United States can solve the
problems of depression and
drugs.
Such programs if properly
incorporated from prelimi‑
nary school level, it will have
tremendous impact on men‑
tal stability, thinking clearly.
In nature, everything is so
beautiful, people donʼt real‑
ize, they are shuttered. And
shutters open up when we
do any form of meditation,
any structured course, and
20 minutes is enough. I am
not very regular because I
travel a lot, so I am a conven‑
ient meditator.
How do you maintain work‑
life balance?
Chirag Patel: For one, you
have to love everybody.
Because we are all one fami‑
ly. Once you have that feel‑
ing, work‑life balance auto‑
matically happens. Family is
must. I absolutely adore my
wife, my kids. With my
friends too, there is no hold‑
ing back, the same even in
my business meetings. I basi‑
cally have love for every‑
body in this world and that
translates very well in rela‑
tionships.
Tell us about your family.
Chirag Patel: My wifeʼs name
Any form of meditation and yoga if promoted all over United
States can solve the problems of depression and drugs.
is Priti Patel and we have
two sons Amun and Neal.
Spelled it Amun instead of
Aman, so people donʼt just
keep saying, ʻA Manʼ. Amun,
23, is a scientist, pursuing
advanced degree in mathe‑
matics and physics. Neal, 22,
is finishing his engineering
school in alternative energy.
Amneal the company was
named after them
Foundation
Continued from page 18
once gave them some great advice about philan‑
thropy: “Donʼt just go for safe projects,” he said.
“Take on the really tough problems.” Continues
the Niswarth profile: “We couldnʼt agree more.
Our foundation is teaming up with partners
around the world to take on some tough chal‑
lenges: extreme poverty and poor health in
developing countries, and the failures of
Americaʼs education system. We focus on only a
few issues because we think thatʼs the best way
to have great impact, and we focus on these
issues in particular because we think they are
the biggest barriers that prevent people from
making the most of their lives.
“For each issue we work on, we fund innova‑
tive ideas that could help remove these barriers:
new techniques to help farmers in developing
countries grow more food and earn more money;
new tools to prevent and treat deadly diseases;
new methods to help students and teachers in
the classroom. Some of the projects we fund will
fail. We not only accept that, we expect it̶
because we think an essential role of philanthro‑
py is to make bets on promising solutions that
governments and businesses canʼt afford to
make. As we learn which bets pay off, we have to
adjust our strategies and share the results so
everyone can benefit.
“Me and wife Priti are both optimists. We
believe by doing these things̶focusing on a few
big goals and working with our partners on
innovative solutions̶we can help every person
get the chance to live a healthy, productive life.”
http://niswarthfoundation.org/
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018

bâÜ {xtÜà|xáà vÉÇzÜtàâÄtà|ÉÇá

Mr Chirag Patel
&
Mr Chintu Patel

For your recognition as

Persons Of The Year 2017
Uç
The South Asian Times
ENJOY THIS MOMENT
You have earned it !

Go Confidently In The Direction Of Your Dreams !!

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND BEST WISHES

Girish and Amita Patel

 24
Chintu Patel featured as a
keynote speaker at LIUʼs
Arnold and Marie
Schwartz College of
Pharmacy and Health
Sciences commence‑
ment ceremony on May
7, 2017 at the Tilles
Center for the Performing
Arts on the LIU Post cam‑
pus in Long Island.
Giving back to society
No matter how successful it becomes, Amneal continues to be grateful to the communities it serves.
A
mneal employees firmly believe in
community service as a core compa‑
ny value. “We have genuine passion
for providing care and support to those local
community members in need,” says their
website.
Product Donations
Every year, Amneal donates medications
to organizations dedicated to getting these
medicines to people who need them most.
AmeriCares® provides disaster relief and
humanitarian medical aid at no cost to peo‑
ple in crisis in the U.S. and around the world.
Read about some of their work here in
America, in Cambodia and for the Typhoon
Haiyan recovery.
Dispensary of Hope® is a charitable med‑
ication distributor delivering surplus med‑
ications from manufacturers, distributors,
and providers to clinics and pharmacies
serving the poor and uninsured.
Outreach
Here are some of the various philanthro‑
pies Amneal has been involved to serve the
greater good.
KaBOOM!® Playground
Todayʼs kids spend less time playing out‑
side than any previous generation, in part
because only 1 in 5 children live within
walking distance of a park or playground.
This causes profound consequences for kids
physically, socially and cognitively. Since
2012, more than 100 volunteers from
Amneal Pharmaceuticals have joined with
local residents and KaBOOM! to build new
playgrounds in New York and New Jersey
communities.
Race for the cure
January 6-19, 2018
Chintu and Falguni Patel with Amneal employees' kids at an annual picnic, giving gifts,
Chirag Patel speaking at Ekal Vidyalya's The
Future of India Gala in New York last year.
Amneal employees in New Jersey and New
York team up annually for the Susan G.
Komen Race for the Cure. Known as “Team
Carpe Diem,” Amneal participants and
donors consistently raise more than
$10,000 per year for this very worthy cause.
Relay for Life®
Amnealʼs New Jersey facilities gear up
each year for the American Cancer Societyʼs
Relay for Life event, an overnight communi‑
ty fundraising walk.
Habitat for Humanity®
Amneal joins Habitat for Humanity
because it believes that every man, woman
and child deserve a safe and affordable
place to live. Every year, Amneal New York
employees strap on their tool belts and hard
hats to help build a home for a deserving
family.
Sponsorships
Amneal proudly supports numerous wor‑
thy organizations across a wide range of cat‑
egories and industries with sizable sponsor‑
ships and endowments. Below are a just a
few examples:
COVER STORY
as part of Irada Foundation work.
Family Reach®
Amnealʼs continued commitment to sup‑
porting families fighting cancer has been
evident in its support of key institutions and
programs focused on addressing this dis‑
ease. Some of these beneficiaries include
Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital, Family
Reach Foundation NJ Golf Classic and 5K
events. The company has been involved with
the organization for a number of years with
an Amneal executive working previously as
an original member and ambassador, and
now proudly serving on the Family Reach
Board of Directors.
Hauppauge Industrial Association of Long
Island (HIA‑LI)
As one of the largest employers of the
Long Island community, Amneal takes great
pride in contributing back to local communi‑
ty through the sponsorship and participa‑
tion in HIA‑LI. This organization is the rec‑
ognized voice for business in Long Island
and an influential engine for responsible
regional development.
The Indo‑American Pharmaceutical
Society (IAPS)
IAPS is committed to high‑quality pharma‑
cist care and restoring, maintaining, and
promoting the health and well‑being of the
people they serve. Sharing common roots
from India, CEOs Chirag and Chintu Patel
regularly support the IAPS through program
sponsorships and participation.
Charitable Foundation
Support
Niswarth Children Foundation
Founded by Chirag and Priti Patel with
support from Kanu Patel and family, the
Niswarth Children Foundation aims to pro‑
vide education along with essentials such as
purified drinking water, nutraceuticals, and
hygiene to underprivileged children in India.
Since its inception in 2013, the foundation
has reached as many as 80 schools in the
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Gujarat province with its donations of first
aid kits and has provided water systems,
school clothing, equipment, and transporta‑
tion to 14 schools, benefiting more than
3,500 school children. Additionally,
Niswarth has provided a number of scholar‑
ships for college students in need.
Irada Foundation
The Irada Foundation is a non‑profit chari‑
table organization, established by Chintu
and Falguni Patel, which focuses on helping
communities in the areas of health and edu‑
cation. One of the foundationʼs core pro‑
grams is the promotion of cancer awareness
and support. One of its initial efforts was
conducting breast cancer screening camps
to benefit approximately 250 women in
India. The screenings included diagnosis,
treatment, referrals & linkages, pathological
testing, mammography, follow‑ups and
maintaining data records for breast cancer
and other cancer‑related conditions. The
foundation has also provided a number of
scholarships for deserving students.
Tarsadia® Foundation
Guided by the belief that all human beings
have value, the Tarsadia Foundation was
established in 1999 and now supports over
100 nonprofit organizations, locally and
internationally, focusing on three critical
areas: education, health and human services,
and economic empowerment. As personal
involvement by all family members is funda‑
mental, the Foundationʼs board members,
including individuals as young as nine‑years
old, actively participate in the grant‑making
process and community service projects.
Sri Sathya Sai Institute (SSI) – India
The Sai educational institutions have been
established not only to enable students to
earn a living, but also to help instill produc‑
tive traits & develop ethical, moral & spiritu‑
al strength. Amneal supports the Sri Sathya
Sai Institute of Education with scholarships
to help provide for students who would oth‑
erwise be denied the chance to go to school.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018

Congratulations to
Chintu Patel & Chirag Patel
The South Asian Times Persons of The Year 2017
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
 28 January 6-19, 2018 NEWSMAKERS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

The Rising Indian American

A
s the face of United States
at the United Nations she
has proved her mettle on
a number of occasions – be it put‑
ting forth the countryʼs decision
to shift embassy to Jerusalem or
announcing a $285 million cut in
the 2018‑2019 U.N. operating
budget after a resolution voted
against it.
The first year of Trump admin‑
istration has been a difficult one
but few people have stood out as
future leaders of the Republican
Party – Nikki Haley being one of
them.
As U.S. ambassador to the Unit‑
ed Nations, Haleyʼs handling of
recent events set her apart as a
rising star. Her performance has
shown that she has what it takes
on the international stage to rep‑
resent America abroad. Like the
president, she refuses to let the
U.S. to be bullied by other coun‑
tries.
Haley was a successful two‑
term governor of South Carolina.
She especially won praise for
bridging the racial divide in the
aftermath of the mass shooting at
Emanuel AME Church in
Charleston, when nine black
church members were gunned
down by an avowed white su‑
premacist.
She cried with the bereaved
families and then led a group of
Star in US Politics
Will future see Nikki Haley as ‘Madame President’ ?
the South Carolina House of Rep‑
Going by the resentatives and the governor of
buzz, with South Carolina has a natural ap‑
peal to Southerners. Usually the
odds all Republicans have swept the for‑
merly Democratic South but this
stacked in year Virginia, Georgia and Ala‑
bama all elected Democrats to the
her favor, the Congress. Nikki Haley has spent
Randhawa girl over a decade in South Carolinaʼs
politics and as a fellow Southern‑
seems to be in er could sweep the South.
Being a Sikh American too may
for a big seat well work in her favour. Born as
Nimrata Randhawa in South Car‑
at the table. olina she would have a natural
appeal to 20 million Asian‑Ameri‑
cans who voted 75% for Clinton
and only 19% for Trump. Among
the the 4 million Indian Ameri‑
cans who voted 77% for Clinton
and 16% for Trump, experts say
she should be able to win a con‑
vincing majority. This would be
the first time that a major party
would have nominated an Asian
US Ambassador to UN Nikki Haley (Image : independent.co.uk) American or Indian American to
high office. That might even at‑
leaders to do what was once un‑ brightened her political prospects tract some non‑Asian Americans
thinkable: taking down a racially‑ like nothing else. In 2020 or who are attracted by this back‑
divisive flag at the state capitol 2024 she may emerge as the next ground as proof that the Ameri‑
that many South Carolinians be‑ American Presidential or at least can system really does work.
lieved would fly forever. Her han‑ a Vice Presidential candidate with Winning the female vote may
dling of that dark period in the several factors working in her fa‑ be easier to her. Statistics say
Palmetto State, and subsequently vor. women make 53% of the elec‑
record‑level flooding and the af‑ Having grown up in South Car‑ torate and records show while
termath of Hurricane Matthew, olina, the former majority whip of Trump won only 42% of the fe‑
male vote, Clinton won 54%. This
is an historic weakness for many
candidates. But for Haley it may
well work in her advantage with
all the outrage against numerous
cases of sexual harrassment by
men in power across the spec‑
trum – from the halls of US Con‑
gress to Hollywood and Silicon
Valley. A female candidate influ‑
ences not only female voters but
many male voters who feel that
itʼs time to have a woman in the
White House. At 45, she is rela‑
tively young and energetic. Many
of the other potential candidates
for either the Republican or Dem‑
ocratic Presidential nomination in
2020 and 2024 are, like Jerry
Brown, Bernie Sanders and Joe
Biden, in their 70s or like Eliza‑
beth Warren and Howard Dean in
their late 60s.
The first female president – the
one who makes history and blasts
through that glass ceiling – wonʼt
be a token woman elected out of
anger for past elections lost or
past presidents despised. The
first female president will be
elected on her own merits – be‑
cause of her accomplishments,
her intelligence, her strength, her
substance and her ability to lead
the nation. She will stand out, not
blend in. And Nikki Haley quite
fits the bill.

Raj Shah is optimistic for Indian immigrants

By Surekha Vijh passed a legislation to impose porters. Shah is proud of his Indi‑
in Washington DC more restrictions on the H‑1B an heritage as well as his Ameri‑
work visas, the most sought after can upbringing. He was born in

I
ndian American community in
Washington DC and elsewhere
in the US is hopeful that Raj
Shah would have some influence
over President Trumpʼs policies,
especially immigration, since a
curtailment of H‑1 visas for Indi‑
an IT professionals is in the
works.
Allaying the worries, Principal
Deputy White House Press Secre‑
tary Raj Shah told The South
Asian Times, “The new policies
are not against immigration; Pres‑
ident Trump in fact favors it.
There is nothing to worry about.”
Shah clarified that although
there were “a pretty serious set of
proposals on immigration; not
just on enforcement but also on
reforming the legal system be‑
hind it, but it was not anti‑immi‑
grant.”
A Congressional panel has
by Indian IT professionals. But
Shah feels optimistic: “There was
more to the information.”
Raj Shah made news in Septem‑
ber 2017 when President Trump
promoted him from Deputy White
House Communications Director
for Research to the Principal
Deputy Press Secretary. That
made Shah, 33, not only the first
Indian American but also the
youngest to hold this very public
position.
Shah said he was happy to rep‑
resent the President and his
views to domestic and interna‑
tional audiences. “What I did ear‑
lier was about developing our
message. This is about delivering
the message," he added. The me‑
dia seems more comfortable with
him. Shah is also proud to enjoy
the privileges of being on board
Air Force One and gaggle with re‑
1984 to Indian parents of Gu‑
jarati origin. He was born and
raised in Connecticut. It was at
Cornell that he became politically
active, but not as a Republican
initially. “I actually interned for a
Democrat when I was in college,"
he said. In 2005 turning Republi‑
can he interned in the Bush White
House. He went on to work in the
research wing of the Republican
National Committee.
The US Ambassador to the UN,
Nikki Haley has named Raj Shah
among the top Indian‑Americans
working in the Trump administra‑
tion. She added, “We are seeing
more political activity by Indian
Americans on both sides of the
aisle. We are proud to watch the
work of Raj Shah, Manisha Singh,
Neil Chatterjee, Naomi Rao and
Vishal Amin in the Trump admin‑
istration.” Raj Shah, Principal Deputy White House Press Secretary
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018

New Year.
New Beginning. New Mindset.
New Focus. New Intentions. New Results.

Wishing you a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year 2018.

Warm Congratulations to
The South Asian Times
& Persons of the Year
 30
Indian Americans who
hit the headlines in 2017
AJIT PAI
(Image courtesy: youtube)
As chairman of Federal Communications
Commission he has been in news for more
wrong reasons than right. Ajit Pai unveiled
his plan to gut the Obama‑era Net neutrality
rules, which were meant to keep broadband
providers from playing favorites with web‑
sites and apps.
Paiʼs policies seem to be more favorable to
the phone, cable and broadcasting industries
than those of the Obama‑era FCC.
Under the new proposal, companies would
be able to block, slow, or provide fast lanes
to particular sites or services. Their only
responsibility under the proposal would be
to disclose such practices to customers. The
FCC would leave it up to the Federal Trade
Commission to determine whether broad‑
band companies were doing anything they
hadn't disclosed.
PRAMILA JAYAPAL
(Image courtesy: Twitter)
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal figured in
the Politico's Power List for the year 2018,
for having assumed the mantle of a House
'leader of resistance'.
Jayapal, 52, ranked fifth on 18 is the only
January 6-19, 2018
Indian‑ American to figure in the Politico's
power list.
"18 to watch in 2018 highlights politi‑
cians, activists and operatives across the
country who are poised to have a big year in
2018. Jayapal, a fast‑rising democratic star
and determined critic of President Donald
Trump, has assumed the mantle of a House
"leader of the resistance" the magazine said.
"From her spot as first vice chair of the
Congressional Progressive Caucus, she has
worked as a relentless advocate of civil
rights and immigration reform on Capitol
Hill," said her friend and fellow freshman
House member Republican Ro Khanna.
Among her most recent drives include, a
legislative push back against Trump threats
to end Temporary Protected Status for thou‑
sands of Haitians and Salvadorans by allow‑
ing them to apply for permanent residency
if they can prove they would face extreme
hardship if they return to their home coun‑
tries.
Politico heavily praised Jayapal, the first
Indian‑American woman to serve in the US
House of Representatives and said that she
has rarely backed down from a challenge.
PREET BHARARA
(Image courtesy: cardschat.com)
Preet Bharara was fired from his job as US
Attorney for the Southern District of New
York after refusing to agree to the surprise
Trump Justice Department demand that he
and 45 other U.S. attorneys submit their res‑
ignations.
In a tweet, he reiterated that he did not
resign his post as one of the nation's top fed‑
eral prosecutors.
Preet Bharara, 48, was preparing to try
former aides and associates of Gov. Andrew
M. Cuomo in a bid‑rigging case. His office
also has been investigating New York Mayor
Bill de Blasio's campaign fundraising and
the alleged sexting to a 15‑year‑old girl by
disgraced former U.S. Rep. Anthony
Weiner.
Ever since Bharara continues to take on
the top leadership.
He called for the appointment of an inde‑
NEWSMAKERS
pendent counsel to lead the probe into
Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential
election, the media reported. Soon after his
dismissal he said in an op‑ed published in
the Washington Post the move would be of
"common sense" especially in the wake of
former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Director James Comey's firing.
Comey was heading the FBI's probe into
Russia's links with Trump's presidential
election.
RAVI BHALLA
(Image courtesy: ndtv.com)
Ravi Bhalla was elected as the first Sikh
Mayor of Hoboken, a suburb of New York
City. A lawyer, who was a member of the city
council, Bhalla was the target of an anti‑Sikh
campaign pamphlet that said "Don't let TER‑
RORISM take over our town!" next to a pic‑
ture of the turbaned candidate.
Bhalla, a 17‑year resident of the city, had
won elections in 2009 and 2013 to the City
Council and twice served as its president. He
was endorsed for mayor by the incumbent,
Dawn Zimmer, who did not seek re‑election.
He went on to win with 34 percent of the
vote in a six‑way race. Of the 14,000 votes
cast, he received 4,781, according to the
Hudson County Board of Elections.
Bhalla was born and raised in New Jersey.
GURBIR GREWAL
(Image courtesy: nj.com)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Gurbir Singh Grewal became the first
Attorney General in New Jersey of South
Asian descent. Moreover, he is also the first
Sikh Attorney General in U.S. history.
Grewal will serve as the stateʼs chief law
enforcement officer and a key partner to the
Governor in upholding constitutional and
civil rights, ensuring equal protection under
the law, and building a stronger and Fairer
New Jersey for all.
A child of immigrants from India, Grewal
grew up in New Jersey in Bergen and Essex
counties. As a prosecutor and the chief law
enforcement officer of New Jerseyʼs most
populous county, Grewal oversees a staff of
over 250 personnel and exercises superviso‑
ry authority over almost 3,000 law enforce‑
ment officials.
Grewal previously worked for six years as
Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal
Division of the U.S. Attorneyʼs Office for the
District of New Jersey, prosecuting major
white‑collar crimes, cybercrimes, cases of
securities fraud, and Ponzi schemes. Before
that, he prosecuted white collar crimes, nar‑
cotics offenses, and terrorism cases for the
U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District
of New York.
Grewal graduated from Georgetown
University and obtained his law degree from
William and Mary. He is a past president of
the South Asian Bar Association of New
York. He currently lives in Bergen County
with his wife and three daughters.
AZIZ ANSARI
(Image courtesy: businessinsider.com)
Aziz Ansariʼs Emmy‑winning adventurous
comedy, “Master of None.” This Netflix series
̶ which has won two Emmys for
ʻOutstanding Writingʼ and scored multiple
acting nods for the Indian American actor ̶
has fetched him yet another
nomination.Ansari and “Master of None”
have been nominated in two categories for
the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards,
which will air Jan. 7, 2018 on NBC.
“Master of None” is up for two awards:
ʻBest Television Series ̶ Musical or
Continued on page 32
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
 32
Indian Americans who
hit the headlines in 2017
Continued from page 30
Comedy,ʼ and ʻBest Actor in a Television
Seriesʼ for Ansari.
“Master of None” is competing with ABCʼs
“black‑ish,” Amazonʼs “The Marvelous Mrs.
Maisel,” Showtimeʼs “Smilf,” and the NBC
comedy, “Will & Grace.”
Ansari, 30, was nominated in the same cat‑
egory in 2016. However, this is not the only
award that this Columbia, South Carolina‑
born actor‑comedian is vying for in 2018.
For his role in Season 2 of “Master of None,”
Ansari has also been nominated in the ʻBest
Actor in a Comedy Seriesʼ category for the
23rd annual Criticsʼ Choice Awards, to air
on The CW Network Jan. 11, 2018.
GITANJALI RAO
(Image courtesy: people.com)
Gitanjali Rao, 11, won Discovery Educationʼs
3M Young Scientist Challenge 2017 for her
January 6-19, 2018
prototype water lead contamination detec‑
tor, called ʻTethysʼ.
The sensor‑based device detects the quality
of water and shares the results to a mobile
application via bluetooth.
“Millions of people around the world are
exposed to water containing lead and its
harmful side affects. My solution addresses
a core issue of speedy detection of lead con‑
tamination, allowing preventive action and
saving lives,” the Class 7 girl said.
“There are over 5,000 water systems in
the US alone with lead contamination issues.
Detection and preventive action can help
mitigate the problem,” Gitanjali, who studies
at STEM School and Academy in Colarado,
added.
INDRANI DAS
(Image courtesy: examrace.com)
Indrani Das won the 76th Regeneron
Science Talent Search, which is famously
NEWSMAKERS
quoted as Americaʼs Junior Nobel Prize for
her research on treating brain injury and
disease.Das is a 17‑year‑old student living in
New Jersey. Her work looked at boosting the
survival rate of neurons. A contributor to
neuron death is astrogliosis, a condition that
occurs when cells called astrocytes react to
injury by growing, dividing and reducing
their uptake of glutamate, which in excess is
toxic to neurons.
DRS. KIRAN & PALLAVI PATEL
(Image courtesy: youtube)
Nova Southeastern University (NSU)
received the largest philanthropic gift in its
history from Tampa‑area cardiologist Dr.
Kiran C. Patel and his wife, pediatrician Dr.
Pallavi Patel. The commitment will signifi‑
cantly expand its programs in osteopathic
medicine and health care sciences, and be
used to develop a new 27‑acre campus for
NSU in Clearwater, Florida. Kiran and Pallavi
Patel are renowned in Florida for their phi‑
lanthropy, community service and entrepre‑
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
In a laboratory model, she showed that
exosomes isolated from astrocytes transfect‑
ed with microRNA‑124a both improved
astrocyte uptake of glutamate and increased
neuron survival.
The talent search, nicknamed the ʻJunior
Nobel Prizeʼ, is the oldest U.S. science com‑
petition for students. It is organized by the
Society for Science and the Public in associa‑
tion with medical firm Regeneron.
neurship.
The commitment from the Patel Family
Foundation includes a $50 million gift and
an additional $150 million real estate and
facility investment in a future 325,000
square‑foot medical education complex that
will be part of NSUʼs new Tampa Bay
Regional Campus, in Clearwater. The cam‑
pus will house a new site for NSUʼs College
of Osteopathic Medicine, as well as its exist‑
ing programs in the Tampa area.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018

Wishes You
PEACE AND PROSPERITY IN 2018
 34
DALVEER BHANDARI,
NRIs
NETHERLANDS
(Image courtesy: thehindu.com)
Indiaʼs nominee to the International Court of
Justice (ICJ) Dalveer Bhandari was re‑elected
to the fifth and the last seat of the world
court after Britain withdrew its candidate
from the election.
Bhandari received 183‑193 votes in the
General Assembly and secured all the 15
votes in the Security Council after separate
and simultaneous elections were held at the
UN headquarters in New York.
The elections were held after United
Kingdom, in a dramatic turn of events, with‑
drew out of the race for the Hague‑based
ICJ, thus paving the way for Bhandariʼs re‑
election to the prestigious world court.
Bhandari and Britainʼs Christopher
Greenwood were locked in a neck‑and‑neck
fight for re‑election to the ICJ.
The permanent members of the Security
Council ̶ USA, Russia, France and China ̶
were understood to have been throwing
their weight behind Greenwood. The UK is
the fifth permanent member of the Security
Council. Judge Bhandariʼs new full term of
nine years will begin on February 6, 2018.
After the election in New York, Judge
Bhandari left for The Hague, Netherlands,
where the court is located.
JAGMEET SINGH,
CANADA
(Image courtesy: gq.com)
Justin Trudeau has nearly another two years
to prepare for the next general Canadian
election. But one of his newest opponents is
ready to take on the youthful 45‑year‑old
Liberal prime minister in the political arena,
or on a wrestling mat.
New Democratic Party (NDP) Leader
Jagmeet Singh, the 38‑year‑old, Toronto‑
born son of Punjabi immigrants and turban‑
wearing bearded Sikh, made Canadian histo‑
January 6-19, 2018 DIASPORA NEWSMAKERS
ry when he was elected federal NDP leader
on October 1st 2017 and became the first
non‑white head of a major Canadian politi‑
cal party. He also has a 30‑year background
in martial arts, and includes training in
Olympic‑style wrestling, jiu‑jitsu, taekwondo,
boxing, Muay Thai and submission grap‑
pling in which he competed at amateur tour‑
naments in Canada and the United States.
That “fighting spirit” followed him through
his career as a criminal‑defence lawyer and
as a politician in Canadaʼs largest province
of Ontario where he served as deputy NDP
leader and member of the legislature until
his resignation in late October.
He said he fought for his clients and con‑
stituents against unfair laws, corporations
or industries “taking advantage of people,”
now hopes to emerge as the champion for
Canadians when they are scheduled to head
to the polls on Oct. 21, 2019 to choose their
next federal government.
Singhʼs NDP is currently placing a distant
third in public‑opinion polls, trailing
Trudeauʼs Liberals and the Official
Opposition Conservatives led by Andrew
Scheer. However, Canadians view Singh
favourably according to an early December
poll, so the new leader may help the NDP
catch up with the competition.
AKSHAY RUPARELIA,
UK
(Image courtesy: thesun.co.uk)
Akshay became one of Britain's youngest
millionaires after his online estate agency
business got valued at 12 million pounds in
just over a year.
At just 19 years of age, Akshay juggled his
school work with negotiating property deals
for his no‑frills business that offers to sell
properties for a fraction of the cost charged
by established high street estate agents.
"Doorsteps.co.uk" became the 18th biggest
estate agency in the UK just 16 months after
the website went live.
Ruparelia claims to have already sold 100
million pounds worth of properties since he
set up his business.
The north London‑based schoolboy was
able to sell the property and land within
three weeks, which set the ball rolling.
He started his company with 7,000
pounds, borrowed from relatives and now
employs 12 people.
Ruparelia got an offer to study economics
and mathematics at Oxford University but
he decided to put that on hold to grow his
business.
in the
spotlight
OBAIDUR RAHMAN,
SAUDI ARABIA
(Image courtesy: Twitter)
Saudi Arabia‑based NRI Obaidur Rahman
joined hands with Super 30, a free coaching
centre which helps children from poor fami‑
lies reach the prestigious IIT engineering
institutes, to help talented youth from the
minority community.
Rahman, a businessman who is also chair‑
man of the Bihar foundation in Saudi Arabia,
formed an organization called Rahman 30,
which selected 30 talented students from
the minority community through screening
tests. These students are provided free
coaching by Super 30 founder director
Anand Kumar. The initiative of Rahman and
Super 30 will help provide opportunity to
talented students from the minority commu‑
nity to move ahead in life.
LILY SINGH,
CANADA
(Image courtesy: forbes.om)
With a net worth of $10.5 million, Indo‑
Canadian YouTube sensation Lilly Singh
made it to Forbesʼ ʻTop 10 Highest‑paid
YouTube Stars of 2017ʼ list.
Singh, who delights fans with comedy
sketches, was at number ten on the list,
which is topped by British gamer Daniel
Middleton, who made $16.5 million between
June 1, 2016 and June 1, 2017, before man‑
agement fees and taxes.
The comedian/rapper/dancer, who was
also one of the highest‑earning YouTubers
of 2016, has gained a huge fan base of over
12 million YouTube subscribers.
In 2017, she released her international
and New York Times bestselling book, “How
to Be A Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life,”
and will also be featuring in HBOʼs film
adaptation of Ray Bradburyʼs “Fahrenheit
451.”
In June 2017, Singh, who uses the pseudo‑
nym IISuperwomanII,ʼ was ranked number
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
one on Forbesʼ ʻTop Influencersʼ list in the
entertainment category.
ANIL AGARWAL,
UK
(Image courtesy: indiatvnews.com)
Mining baron Anil Agarwal who has pledged
75 per cent of his family wealth for the larg‑
er society, said a chunk of it will go to nur‑
turing over 7.5 crore underprivileged chil‑
dren below the poverty line.
The NRI billionaire Agarwal, who controls
London‑listed Vedanta Resources, has a net
worth of $2.4 billion.
Agarwal is ranked 603rd on the world's
billionaire list and is the 63rd richest Indian,
as per the Forbes magazine. Vedanta has
already started a unique initiative of 'Nand
Ghars', in which Vedanta is investing Rs 400
crore to create 4,000 Nand Ghars pan India.
The project, in association with the govern‑
ment, aims at strengthening the foundation
of children below the age of seven years,
their nutrition, health and education.
SANJEEV GUPTA,
UK
(Image courtesy: libertyhousegroup.com)
Indian‑origin metals tycoon Sanjeev Gupta's
Liberty House Group completed the pur‑
chase of the South Carolina‑based
Georgetown steel mill from ArcelorMittal in
2017. The deal between Liberty House and
NRI steel magnate Lakshmi N Mittal's US
steelworks, which includes a 540,000‑ tonne
a year electric arc furnace and 680,000‑
tonne a year rod mill, had been agreed earli‑
er that year. The sale marks the first in a
series of strategic North American acquisi‑
tions and new projects targeted by Gupta‑
led GFG Alliance.
The 600,000‑square‑foot plant, serving
the construction and automotive markets, is
set to re‑start melting and rolling this year
as the first step in GFG's investment plans
for the American steel industry.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
 36 January 6-19, 2018 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Indian techies stare at 'self-deportation'

in proposed H-1B tweak
grants, predominantly Indian im‑ thousands of talented spouses
migrants, beyond the allowed two who couldnʼt legally work.
three‑year terms if a green card is The latest update on H‑4 visa

T
he US is considering new
regulations aimed at pre‑
venting the extension of H‑
1B visas, predominantly used by
Indian IT professionals, as part of
president Donald Trump's "Buy
American, Hire American" initia‑
tive.
The move could directly stop
hundreds of thousands of foreign
workers from keeping their H‑1B
visas while their green card appli‑
cations are pending.
The proposal, which is being
shared between the Department
of Homeland Security Department
(DHS) heads, aims to impose new
restrictions to prevent abuse and
misuse of H‑1B visas, besides end‑
ing the provision of granting ex‑
tension for those who already
have a green card.
The act currently allows the ad‑
ministration to extend the H‑1B
visas for thousands of immi‑
pending.
This step would lead to sort of
'self‑ deportation' of hundreds of
thousands of Indian tech workers
in the United States to open up
those jobs for Americans.
The proposed changes would
have a dramatic effect particular‑
ly on Indian visa holders consider‑
ing more than half of all H‑1B
visas have been awarded to Indian
nationals.
This would be a major cata‑
strophic development as many
people have been waiting in line
for green cards for over a decade,
have US citizen children, own a
home.
According to estimates more
than 1 million H1‑B visa holders
in the country are waiting for
green cards, many of whom are
from India and have been waiting
for more than a decade.
America is probably not a land
Indians living in America protesting at the Capitol Hill
against a broken immigration system.
of opportunity for these 300,000
young children of Indian origin,
on the verge of being discriminat‑
ed in the college admissions
process; for the only reason their
parents are still in queue for their
green card. Ironically these sto‑
ries of ʻH4 dreamersʼ remain un‑
told and unheard. Certain cate‑
gories of H‑4 spouses to work
legally in the US is in jeopardy a
result of Trump administrationʼs
immigration reforms.
The Obama‑administration in
2015 made spouses of H‑1B ap‑
plicants, waiting for their green
card approval, eligible to work in
the US, giving a sigh of relief to
program from the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) has
caused an escalation of the wor‑
ries of H‑4‑visa holders as the fed‑
eral agency said it is all set to do
away with the rule that permits H‑
4 dependents to work in the US.
Since Obama Administration al‑
lowed work permit for H‑4‑visa
holders, the program has been
facing lawsuits accusing it of tak‑
ing away the opportunities of
American workers by employing
foreign workers for lower wages.
Save Jobs USA, a group of for‑
mer employees of Southern Cali‑
fornia Edison, filed a lawsuit
against DHS but it lacked legal
standing and was dismissed by
the trial. The group has now
moved to the US Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia Cir‑
cuit but immigration lawyers be‑
lieve there is little chance that
they will be successful.

Srinivas Kuchibhotla : Victim of

racially motivated hate crime
S
rinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed
when 51‑year‑old US Navy veteran Not just the
Adam Purinton opened fire at him
and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar in community but the
(L to R): Kamala Harris, Ami Bera, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishanmoorthi, Pramila Jayapal
(Image courtesy: thehitavada.com)
Olathe on February 22nd before yelling
“get out of my country.” He reportedly
nation was shocked
mistook them for immigrants from the by the murder of an
2017 saw Indian Americans Middle East.
Purinton was arrested at a bar in Mis‑
souri and remains jailed on murder and
Indian techie in
get highest representation attempted murder charges. The bartender
there told an emergency dispatcher that
Olathe, Kansas.

in Congress
the suspect admitted he shot two people
but described them as Iranian.
Madasani and American national Ian

W
ith five Indian‑Americans, in‑
cluding two women, elected to
the US Congress, euphoric com‑
munity members said that the unprece‑
dented victory shows they have become
part of the mainstream political land‑
scape.
Kamala Harris, who was elected to the
Senate, and Pramila Jayapal, Raja Krish‑
namoorthi and Ro Khanna to the House of
Representatives ‑ entered one of the
citadels of democracy for the first time.
Rep Ami Bera was also declared elected
for a third consecutive term, overcoming
his fatherʼs conviction on campaign fund‑
Grillot were injured in the attack.
ing impropriety.
The incident led to fear among the mi‑
Seattle based, self‑proclaimed feminist
nority Indian‑American community, who
Pramila Jayapal, endorsed by Senator
feel being targeted by President Donald
Bernie Sanders, has also become the first
Trumpʼs controversial plan to ban travel‑
Indian‑origin woman to become a mem‑
ers from certain countries to realize his
ber of the US Congress.
campaign pledge of putting “America
Raja Krishnamoorthi, a former Obama
first.”
aide, won from Illinois, after being en‑
Both Kuchibhotla and Madasani worked
dorsed by President Obama. (Image courtesy: livemint.com)
in Garminʼs aviation systems.
Rohit "Ro" Khanna, 40‑year‑old, avenged
Kuchibhotla and Madasani hailed from held soon after the tragic death in his
his defeat at the hands of fellow‑Democ‑
Hyderabad and Warangal respectively. memory. Marchers held pictures, banners
rat Mike Honda in 2014.
Kuchibhotla posted on LinkedIn in 2014 and shouted, “We want peace”; “We love
All 5 Indian Americans in the next
that he managed helicopter programs. He peace”; “Let us not leave our children”;
House of Representatives and Senate are
had a masterʼs degree in electrical and “Unity is part of community, together we
Democrats.
electronics engineering from the Universi‑ stand, divided we fall”. Many of them car‑
ty of Texas at El Paso. ried candles and signs reading, “We donʼt
He earned his bachelorʼs degree from support politics of hate.” The march for
the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological Uni‑ peace and the prayer meeting was attend‑
versity in Hyderabad. ed by friends of Srinivas.
Kansas has recognized March 16 as ʻIn‑ Breaking a week‑long silence that had
dian‑American Appreciation Dayʼ in his riled some quarters in India, the US Presi‑
honor. dent Donald Trump condemned the
Hundreds of people in Kansas City killing of Kuchibhotla in his first speech to
joined a peace march and prayer vigil a joint session of Congress.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018

Message for 2018
By Ravi Batra
O
n December 5, 2016, now‑
Deputy Minister Andrei
Dapkiunas of Belarus,
proudly declared in the United Na‑
tions Trusteeship Council chamber
that “Diwali is now global” at an
event entitled: “Small Stamp For A
Great Festival (of lights) ‑ Celebrat‑
ing the living heritage of a billion
people and honoring the 7‑year‑
long quest of a woman to have it
immortalized in a stamp ‑ USPS ʻDi‑
waliʼ Stamp Dedication Ceremony.”
That moment was ostensibly to
celebrate the history‑making
achievement of getting the Forever
Diwali Stamp and honor Diwali
Stamp and Ranju Batraʼs 7‑year suc‑
cessful journey of getting it. Yet, the
number and identity of countries
and speakers supporting the event
was itself history‑making. In addi‑
tion to Belarus and India as Co‑Or‑
ganizers, there were 22 additional
nations as co‑sponsors: Armenia,
Austria, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, France,
Georgia, Germany, Honduras, Israel,
Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Moldova, Mo‑
rocco, Nepal, Panama, Slovakia, Sri
Lanka, Tunisia, Ukraine, United
Kingdom, Vietnam and P.O. state of
Palestine. The Speakers were led by
Acting President of the UN General
Assembly Mwabe Patricia Kasese‑
Bota, Indiaʼs Permanent Represen‑
tative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin,
Belarusʼ then‑Minister Valentin Ry‑
bakov, Kazakhstanʼs now‑Foreign
Minister Kairat Abdrakmanov, USPS
Postmaster Kevin J. Crocilla, Diwali
Stamp Project chair Ranju Batra,
and National Advisory Council
South Asian Affairs chair Ravi Ba‑
38 January 6-19, 2018
Diwali - the Metaphor
- is now Global
Diwali’s message of victory of Good, Light & Hope is also the core goal of the United
Nations. So, why not establish a Diwali Day at the UN, considering we already have a Yoga
Day. Indeed, release of the USPS’ Diwali stamp over a year ago is segueing into Diwali Day.
tra.
Yet the remarks made by every
diplomat at that event nurtured the
Declaration of Diwali having gone
global into a seed of “Global Diwali ‑
the Metaphor”: Victory of Light
over Darkness, Good over Evil,
Hope over Despair. Aside from each
speaker reflecting upon Diwaliʼs
message being the core goal of the
UN Charter, Amb. Akbaruddinʼs
public warmth and ease of sharing
the essential message of Diwali
with the world was the runway,
from which each speaker took off.
Indeed, Minister Abdrakmanov
spoke of the power of Diwaliʼs mes‑
sage as well as the “soft” power of
stamps, as they travel around the
world. Minister Rybakov joined in
those sentiments, and explicitly
spoke of Ranjuʼs respectful inclu‑
sive grassroots efforts as the “Pow‑
er of One.” At the conclusion of the
honorific event, nobody, I think,
then realized that a moment of
pregnant pause, incubating future‑
history, had been created.
Indeed, during the gestational pe‑
riod that followed, and multiple
promptings of one type or another
later, resulted in Ranju creating an
NGO in 2017 ‑ Diwali Foundation
USA, to promote use of only re‑
spectful and inclusive process to
achieve goals, and support the es‑
sential and vital work of the UN to
help form a more perfect world.
Soon thereafter, the Diwali Founda‑
tion USAʼs Power of One Awards ‑
Oscars of Diplomacy ‑ were estab‑
lished to honor, in the main, former
or soon‑to‑be‑former Permanent
Representatives and High Ranking
members of the UN Secretariat.
On December 11, 2017, the inau‑
gural Power of One awards were
bestowed upon globally exceptional
diplomats: Egyptʼs H.E. Maged Ab‑
delaziz, Molodovaʼs H.E. Ion Bot‑
naru, Indiaʼs H.E. Lakshmi Puri,
UKʼs H.E. Matthew Rycroft,
Lebanonʼs H.E. Nawaf Salam and
Ukraineʼs H.E. Yuriy Sergeyev.
DIPLOMACY
Ranju Batra, now Diwali
Foundation USA Chair,
spearheaded the Diwali
stamp campaign.
The Awards event was officially
supported by 24 nations: Belarus,
Georgia and India as Co‑Organiz‑
ers, and Co‑Sponsors Algeria, Ar‑
menia, Azerbaijan, Botswana,
Cyprus, France, Honduras, Kaza‑
khstan, Kuwait, Malta, Morocco, Re‑
public of Korea, Romania, Slovakia,
Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia,
Ukraine, UK, USA, Permanent Ob‑
Six exceptional diplomats were honored with the Power of One
Awards last month by the Diwali Foundation USA.
server State of Palestine, and Inter‑
national Atomic Energy Agency‑NY. day in Fiji, Guyana, India, Pakistan, majority‑Christian, majority‑Muslim
In addition, there were several
more Permanent Representatives of Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suri‑
additional nations gracing the
event to give personal support. Also
gracing the event was Indiaʼs Coun‑ ki Haley provided most welcome
sel General Sandeep Chakravorty
and his wife, Taruna.
Speaking at the Awards event
were Amb. Rybakov, Chef de Cabi‑
net to PGA Lajcak Amb Frantisek
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Ruzicka, Amb. Akbaruddin, Amb.
Kaha Imnadze, Amb. Sabri
Boukadoum, Amb. Kairat Umarov,
Diwali Foundation USA chair Ranju
Batra, and Ravi Batra.
Each of the speakers and
awardees extolled Diwaliʼs message
of victory of Good, Light & Hope
and how that is the core goal of the
United Nations. Amb. Umarov, ac‑
knowledging the Diwali Stamp and
the now‑annual Diwali Foundation
USAʼs awards, invited an effort to‑
wards a UNGA Resolution establish‑
ing Diwali Day at the UN.
At the awards event, Ranju Batra
said, “At the core of our purpose is
the concept of harmonious inclu‑
sion. Respect of all peoples and all
cultures serves as the only proven
path to a peaceful and just society.
Diwali Stamp proves it. May God
bless each nation, so every person
is blessed too. That will make Di‑
wali ‑ Global.”
Diwali is currently an official holi‑ chamber, because nations that are
Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar,
nam, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Representing the USA, Amb. Nik‑ fact, when fully achieved, Utopia
co‑sponsorship to the Diwali Foun‑
dation USAʼs Power of One Awards blessed.
honoring exceptional diplomats
and UNʼs core goal. While Lord
Ramʼs return to Ayodhya may have Council ‑ South Asian Affairs.
started the religious Diwali Diya
tradition, it is the metaphoric mes‑
sage of Diwali that has universal
application to all of humanity. Itʼs
worth pondering that all religions,
Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jain‑
ism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, to
name a few, only when compre‑
hended beyond religiosity have the
most impact. Pope Francis is a per‑
fect example of teaching religion to
the faithful, and reaching out to
many more, when freed of religious
dogma, focusing instead on achiev‑
ing a safe and just society for all.
The path to achieving Diwali ‑
metaphorically ‑ is to converse with
Plato, Thomas Becket ‑ the un‑
adorned father of separation of
Church & State, the Barons at Run‑
nymede who secured the Magna
Carta from King John, but most of
all, with Thomas Jefferson ‑ who
wrote the Declaration of Independ‑
ence and the culmination of hu‑
manityʼs architectural self‑gover‑
nance recipe for a near‑perfect soci‑
ety, the United States Constitution.
Lincolnʼs Gettysburg Address is a
warning that governments must re‑
main “for the people,” and not for
the elite‑governing class. The Jew‑
ish Sage Hillel stated the Golden
Rule: “That which is hateful to you,
do not unto another: This is the
whole Torah. The rest is commen‑
tary...” In the holy Bible, Luke 6:31
and Matthew 7:12; and in the holy
Quran(2), the Golden Rule is at
Q:4:36, 13:22, 41:34, 28:54, 42:40.
Diwali has gone Global in the
United Nations Trusteeship Council
and majority‑Jewish support the
victory of Good over Evil, Light over
Darkness and Hope over Despair. In
will have been achieved, and every
human being aware of being
Ravi Batra is eminent attorney
and Chair of National Advisory
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
 40 January 6-19, 2018 US TOP 10 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

A Trumpestuous Year
1. MUELLER PROBE INTO RUSSIAN MEDDLING

2017 was extraor-

dinary when it
comes to news —
all because of one
person: President
Trump. His
actions, from his
Twitter account to
the various con-
troversies that
swirled around
the White House, Robert Mueller, appointed special counsel after James Comey was
fired by Trump, has already secured the guilty plea of Mike Flynn and Trump has refuted any collusion between his campaign and Russia and
dominated indictment of Paul Manafort. has said that Putin has also denied any meddling in US election in 2016.

headlines. While
P
resident Trump abruptly
fired FBI Director James
we have commu- Comey in May. His ouster
set into motion a series of events,
nity commenting including the appointment of for‑
mer FBI Director Robert Mueller as
on his presidency special counsel to head the crimi‑
nal investigation into Russian in‑
in later pages, terference in 2016 election.
here is look back More than five months later,
Muellerʼs office indicted President
at the 10 top Trumpʼs former campaign manag‑
er, Paul Manafort, and his longtime
stories of the year. business associate Rick Gates on
12 charges, including money laun‑
dering and beeing an unregistered
foreign agent. The special coun‑
selʼs office also announced that
day that it had struck a coopera‑
tion agreement with former Trump
adviser George Papadopoulos, who
secretly pleaded guilty to lying to
federal agents about his contacts
with Kremlin‑connected Russians.
In early December, former Na‑
tional Security Adviser Michael Fly‑
nn pleaded guilty in federal court
to making false statements to the
FBI about his contacts with Russia,
and agreed to cooperate with
Muellerʼs probe.
The indictments and guilty pleas
have everyone, from the White
House to Congress to the nation,
wondering what will come next.
Democratic Senator Diane Fein‑
stein has said that Mueller is build‑
ing obstruction of justice case –
which harks back to the time Presi‑
dent Nixon was impeached for ob‑
struction of justice not the actual
crime.
Trump has of course vehemently
pushed against collusion charge
and called the Russian investiga‑
tion a witch hunt by the liberal me‑
dia and Democrats who have not
yet reconciled to the idea that
Hillary Clinton lost. But he has
been warned by allies that if the
Democrats flip the House in 2018,
they may set the impeachment
process in motion.

2. SEXUAL HARASSMENT EMBROILS POLITICOS ALSO

3. TOP WHITE HOUSE OUSTERS

T
he Trump administration
has been rocked by a series
of high‑profile exits since
President Donald Trump took of‑
fice in January 2017.
The #MeToo movement unleashed by the storm surrounding Here are the top‑level peo‑
movie mogul Harvey Weinstein forced Sen. Al Franken to ple who've either been
resign after allegations of sexual misconduct. fired or resigned
stood behind the podium in an ill‑ Communications Director Antho‑
fitting suit and propagated a sad ny Scaramucci: The demise of
lie about the size of the crowd on Sean Spicer and chief of staff
inauguration day, we knew he'd be Reince Priebus was accelerated by
a press secretary to remember. the arrival of Anthony Scaramucci.
What followed The Mooch, like a shooting
was star, appeared in the
White House universe

I
n early October, back‑to‑back
bombshell reports in The New
York Times and The New Yorker
revealed that film mogul Harvey
Weinstein allegedly lured women
into hotel rooms and bars, and sex‑
ually harassed or assaulted them in
what some have described as an
open secret known for years in Hol‑
lywood.
Later that month, after a tweet
from actress Alyssa Milano, who
was one of Weinsteinʼs accusers, so‑
powerful men in entertainment,
business, politics and the news me‑
dia have been publicly condemned
for their alleged sexual misconduct
and many have lost their jobs as a
result, including Weinstein.
“The Silence Breakers” of the
#MeToo movement, who gave a
voice to sexual assault and harass‑
ment survivors, have since been
named Time magazineʼs 2017 Per‑
son of the Year. The #MeToo move‑
ment hit Washington in December
from the adminis‑ before burning out
tration: just 10 days later af‑
Chief Strategist ter an expletive
Steve Bannon: laden interview to
The President's The New Yorker.
chief strategist Chief of staff Reince
was always a con‑ Steve Bannon Priebus: He resigned
Reince Priebus
troversial member as six months into his
of the administration. The tenure after a public
head of the right wing Breitbart feud with Scaramucci. He was re‑
News website helped frame the place by John Kelly, the secretary
President's hardline stance on im‑ of homeland security at the time.
migration and trade, particularly Health Secretary Tom Price: The
CONTINUED ON PAGE 41.

cial media was inundated with per‑
sonal stories of being the victims of
sexual harassment or assault, all us‑
ing the hashtag #MeToo.
Weinsteinʼs downfall has seem‑
ingly emboldened others to come
forward with allegations of sexual
misconduct against prominent men.
In recent months alone, at least 30
when Sen. Al Franken (D‑Minn.) and
Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D‑Mich.), the
longest‑serving member of the
House, both resigned after allega‑
tions of sexual misconduct. Rep.
Trent Franks (R‑Ariz.) also resigned
after it became public that he had
discussed the possibility of female
staffers serving his surrogate.
the proposed travel bans on peo‑
ple from mostly Muslim majority
countries. He was ejected from
the White House a few days after
the Charlottesville 'Unite the
Right' Rally in August.
Press Secretary Sean Spicer: From
the first moment Sean Spicer
Sean Spicer
months of
reprimanding and fighting with
the White House press corps be‑
fore he was replaced by Sarah
Huckabee Sanders.
secretary of health and human
services had elicited bipartisan
condemnation over the cost of his
air travel ̶ he had cost taxpayers
more than $1 million between his
use of private planes for domestic
travel and military jets for trips to
Africa, Europe, and Asia.
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info US TOP 10 January 6-19, 2018 41

A Trumpestuous Year CONTINUING THE LOOK BACK AT THE 10 TOP

5. THE DEVASTATING HURRICANE SEASON NEWS STORIES OF THE YEAR FROM USA.

A
devastating hurricane sea‑
son towards the latter part
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 40 of the year caused billions
of dollars in damages as Hurri‑
4. THE TRUMP TAX canes Harvey, Irma and Maria
Less than two weeks later, Hur‑
ricane Irma ravaged Florida, dev‑
astating the Florida Keys as a Cat‑
egory 4 storm before weakening.
The storm also lead to the deaths

CUTS ARE PASSED

plowed through southeast Texas, of 12 patients at a Hollywood,
Florida and the Caribbean. Puerto Florida, nursing home.

T
rump got a huge Christ‑
mas present from the
GOP Congress when it
passed a sweeping $1.5 trillion
tax bill days before the holi‑
days. It capped a difficult year
in Congress, but many of the
disappointments were forgot‑
ten following the tax billʼs pas‑
sage, the biggest such legisla‑
tion to be approved since the
Rico was the worst sufferer.
Harvey, a Category 3 storm,
drenched southeast Texas in late
August causing historic flooding
in Houston, where some down‑
town areas were knee‑deep in wa‑
ter and portions of highways were
shut down with 10 feet of water.
6. TRUMPʼS TRAVEL BAN
And at the end of September, the
Category 4 Hurricane Maria, the
strongest storm to hit Puerto Rico
in almost a century, steamrolled
through the island, annihilating
homes, knocking out the entire
power grid and leaving many The worst sufferer was Puerto Rico: when Hurricane Maria struck, aid
without electricity for months. reached late and infrastructure already was not up to mark.

Reagan era. Households and
businesses across the country
will be affected by the legisla‑
tion, which chopped the corpo‑
rate rate from 35 percent to
21 percent. It was also a huge
victory for Speaker Paul Ryan
(R‑Wis.) and Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell (R‑
Ky.). People across income lev‑
els will see a tax cut of some
sort under the bill, though
most of the benefits will go to
top earners.
P
resident Trump intro‑
duced his controversial
travel ban just one week
after taking office, sparking
widespread protests fueled by
social media at airports across
the country after several
refugees were detained.
The ban, which called for the
U.S. to restrict travelers from se‑
lected Muslim‑majority coun‑
tries, triggered a court battle that
lasted throughout the year.
But on Dec. 4, the Supreme
Court provided the president
with a major victory by granting
the administrationʼs request to
fully reinstate a revised version
of his travel ban.
The president's sudden
first travel ban caused protests
and chaos at airports in January 2017.
Many attorneys including South Asians
volunteered to help those facing
problems at airports.
Photo courtesy AP.

7. OBAMACARE REPEAL FAILS AS MCCAIN CASTS NO VOTE 10. GORSUCH

IS CONFIRMED

A
fter running on the issue,
Congressional Republicans
scrambled all summer to re‑
had returned to Washington after
being diagnosed with an aggressive TO THE SUPREME
form of brain cancer. In a speech on
COURT

peal ObamaCare. But voting no in
July on a skinny version of a repeal
bill, veteran Senator John McCain
alongside fellow GOP Senators Su‑
san Collins and Lisa Murkowski
threw a wrench into his partyʼs ef‑
forts to do away with former Presi‑
dent Obamaʼs signature health‑care
law.
McCain did so in the most dra‑
matic way possible. Days earlier, he
8. THE MASSACRES IN LAS VEGAS & TEXAS
the Senate floor, the Arizona Repub‑
lican admonished his party for
abandoning what he called “regular
order” in its pursuit of an Oba‑
maCare repeal. The GOP did repeal
ObamaCareʼs individual mandate as
part of the tax vote. McCain sup‑
ported that bill, but missed the vote
as he continued to battle his cancer
diagnosis and his colleagues con‑
templated his future.
M
ore than a year after Oba‑
ma nominated Judge Mer‑
rick Garland to fill the va‑
cancy left by the late Antonin Scalia
on the Supreme Court, Trump had
his own pick, Neil Gorsuch, con‑
firmed to the court.
Gorsuchʼs confirmation amounted
to one of Trumpʼs biggest wins of
The dramatic no vote by Senator John McCain on skinny Obamacare his first year in office. It was also a
repeal stunned party leaders. huge win for Mitch McConnell, who
devised the strategy to block Oba‑
9. DEMS WREST ALABAMA SENATE SEAT AFTER 25 YEARS maʼs pick.

O D
n Oct. 1, a lone gun‑
man unleashed a
rapid‑fire barrage of
bullets down on a crowd of
concertgoers from the 32nd
floor of the Mandalay Bay Re‑
sort and Casino in Las Vegas,
killing 59 people and injuring
more than 500 others. It was
the deadliest mass shooting in
modern American history.
The shooter ̶ 64‑year‑old
bullets on concertgoers from the 32nd floor
Stephen Paddock of Mesquite, Ne‑
vada ̶ acted alone, police said. In‑
vestigators found 23 firearms in his
room at the Mandalay Bay, and 19 more
at his home. He was found after killing
himself with a self‑inflicted gunshot to
the head. On Nov. 5, an armor‑clad
shooter entered a church in rural Texas
and opened fire, killing 26 parishioners
and injuring at least 19 others.
A lone gunman unleashed a barrage of
of the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas,
killing 59 and injuring more than 500.
The gunman, Devin Kelley, fired the
first shots outside of the church before
unleashing more bullets inside the
church. His victimsʼ ages ranged from 5
to 72 years old, police said. Kelley was
later found dead inside his vehicle after
a Good Samaritan stepped in.
emocrat Doug Jones pulled
off a stunning victory in Al‑
abamaʼs special Senate elec‑
tion in December, capping off a bit‑
ter race marked by sexual miscon‑
duct allegations against Republican
Roy Moore.
With his narrow victory over
Moore, Jones became the first De‑
mocrat to be elected to the US Sen‑
ate from Alabama in 25 years.
Moore, an insurgent former Ala‑
bama Supreme Court justice, was
largely considered the favorite to
win after defeating incumbent Sen.
Luther Strange (R‑Ala.) in the stateʼs
GOP runoff in September. Strange
had been backed by both Senat ma‑
jority leader McConnell and Trump.
But allegations emerged in Novem‑
ber that Moore pursued sexual and
romantic relations with teenage
Doug Jones celebrating his stunning
victory, vanquishing Ray Moore who
was a shoo‑in till the sexual miscon‑
duct charges against him became a
national story. (Photos : Reuters)
girls when he was in his 30s,
prompting calls by many Republi‑
can officials and lawmakers for
Moore to withdraw from the race.
Moore denied the allegations. In the
days before the election, he re‑
ceived Trumpʼs full‑throated en‑
dorsement. But that did not suffice.
Gorsuch was just one of Trumpʼs
judicial appointees. In his first year
in office, the real estate mogul has
filled seats on federal courts across
the country with conservative
judges, reshaping the judiciary for
decades to come.
Trump was able to nominate Neil
Gorsuch to the apex court
because McConnell had blocked
Obamaʼs nominee in 2016 when
vacancy arose with the death of
Justice Antonin Scalia.

Trumpʼs solid record
of accomplishments
in 2017
Naveen Shah
Naveen Shah is President
and CEO of Navika Group
of Companies, which is
into commercial real
estate.
I Donald. J. Trump, 45th Presi‑
dent of the United States, be‑
lieved in the countryʼs incredible
potential to coin his campaign
slogan, “Make America Great
Again”. Now we must give credit
to him for his solid record of ac‑
complishments in 2017 despite
intense opposition from various
lawmakers.
Among major accomplishment
under Trump's leadership: dereg‑
ulation of unwarranted regulato‑
ry environment imposed by the
Obama administration, solidify
free enterprise system, efforts in
partial repeal of Obamacare, big
tax cuts and above all a solid eco‑
nomic recovery.
On the security front, Trump
enforced former President Oba‑
ma's Red Line against Syria's use
of chemical weapons. He has also
taken a surprisingly tough line
with Russia and imposed new
sanctions on Moscow for violat‑
ing the Intermediate Range Nu‑
clear Forces Treaty. He also got
NATO allies to kick in $12 billion
more towards our collective secu‑
rity and above all he has virtually
eliminated the Islamic State
caliphate. Trump has made every
effort to make America safe by
introducing stringent immigra‑
tion policies and additional secu‑
rity measures.
On the economic front, Trump
has enacted historic tax and regu‑
latory reforms to turbocharge
economic growth and full em‑
ployment. His policies have led to
low inflation and interest rates,
rising GDP, historically low unem‑
ployment and record‑breaking
success in the stock market.
44 January 6-19, 2018
This record suggests that de‑
spite noxious tweets and self‑in‑
flicted wounds emerging from
the White House, Trump has the
potential to become one of the
most consequential conservative
Presidents in modern US history.
He expects to accomplish much
more in infrastructure spending,
welfare regime and economic
prosperity for the citizenry of the
United States.
Let us celebrate and encourage
him to continue to support the
citizens of America, especially
hardworking Indian Americans.
My fears about Trump
are coming true
Aleya Jung
Aleya Jung is Home Health
Care Administrator,
Metropolitan Jewish
Health Care System.
One of the most devastating
and painful experiences in my life
that was external in nature was
the election of Donald Trump as
President. First, full disclosure ‑ I
am a registered Democrat. That
said, in my over 30 years in the
USA, I have voted across party
lines.
The Trump election upended
everything I believed this country
stood for. As the results rolled in
that night of November 8, 2016
my heart sank and got colder
than the ice cubes in my single
malt. Life goes on, I consoled my‑
self, he is the President now,
elected constitutionally.
Letʼs see what he does, I said to
myself.
VOX POPULI
So what has President Trump
and his administration given us
this past year? Maybe a better
question would be, what has he
given to the people who voted for
him ‑ his still loyal base?
Tax reform: Letʼs start with the
tax plan: in its simplest form, the
wealthy ($418,000+ income
bracket) get a break from 39.6%
down to 35%. So the 1% can re‑
joice. And so can big and small
businesses. Trickle down eco‑
nomics anyone?
For the middle class? Current
standard deduction is $6350 for
individuals and $12,700 for mar‑
ried couples will double. Al‑
though the child tax credit will
increase, State and Local income
tax deduction will be eliminated,
which means you may see a big‑
ger check but less services, espe‑
cially in states like New York.
The Wall: As an immigrant I ab‑
hor the idea, not because I do not
believe in a nationʼs sovereign
right to protect its borders and to
have stringent immigration poli‑
cies, itʼs the way this President
presents it ‑ bombastic, insulting
and demeaning. He promised his
base Mexico would pay for it, the
Mexican President categorically
denied it, so it looks like if and
when the wall along the southern
border gets built, it will be from
the taxpayers pocket. His base
should give him a big minus on
this.
Obamacare: Affordable Care
Act repeal attempt failed three
times. And why not? Trumpʼs
base either donʼt realize or just
choose to ignore, but they use it
the most. In fact, every entitle‑
ment that is out there is accessed
in majority by his base, be it food
stamps, child care or health care.
The enrollment for 2018 sur‑
passed the past year and this af‑
ter and an ongoing effort to sab‑
otage the enrollment process.
Now there are certainly cobwebs
that need to be cleared in the
ACA, but the idea is very Ameri‑
can and it is good one. A minus
from his base.
Some more negatives: He hap‑
pens to be the first US President
in history to lose a third of his
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
senior staff in the first year. He is
probably the only President in
history to openly demean women
and admits to grabbing womenʼs
private parts and still is in office.
I donʼt see any positives and
even if there are, they have been
overshadowed by this crass, un‑
cultured and divisive President.
In the US fear of the immigrant,
fear of the liberal, fear of losing
an imagined past way of life
(which really is a dog whistle ‑
meaning the White Caucasian
way of life) seems the way to go,
as this past elections have
proved.
Trump tax bill is pro‑
growth and pro‑people
Dev Makkar
Dev Makkar is
Secretary, Indian
Americans for Trump
2016.
Personally I have failed to un‑
derstand Democrats calling the
Trump Tax Bill as anti‑growth
and anti‑common person. The
fact is, this bill is pro‑growth and
pro‑people. Sure, residents like
me of high property and state tax
states like New Jersey, New York
and California will be affected to
an extent because of the $10,000
cap on property tax and state tax
deduction, but not a whole lot be‑
cause of the doubling of standard
deduction.
As an NJ resident since 1996, I
can simply say that if the proper‑
ty taxes are exorbitantly high in
my state, blame the residents for
allowing unionized politicians
posing as Republicans and
Democrats to govern 8.5 million
people in 8,000 sq. miles with
588 governments with over
10,000 elected/appointed politi‑
cians and 660,000 employees
with no or little work.
Democrats are ignoring the fact
that about 70% of Americans
take the standard deduction.
Trump Tax Bill has doubled that
deduction to $12,000 for individ‑
uals, $18,000 for heads of house‑
hold, and $24,000 for joint filers
combined with some more gener‑
ous 7 tax brackets and rates.
Child tax credit has been in‑
creased from $1,000 to $2,000
per child. A portion $1,400
would be refundable. The Bill
also raises the income limit for
child credit, so families with high‑
er incomes can qualify. Families
also could claim a new, $500
“family” tax credit for non‑child
dependents.
For Tax payers subject to the
alternative minimum tax, for indi‑
viduals the exemption from cur‑
rent first $54,300 has been
raised to $70,300. For married
couples filing jointly the limit
from $54,500 has been raised to
first $109,400 of income. Under
the new Tax Bill by one estimate,
a family of four with an income
of roughly $73,000 would save
$1,500 each year in taxes.
Lower Property & state taxes
deduction: A maximum $10,000
deduction for state and local
taxes could be split between
property taxes, and either state
income or sales taxes. Thatʼs
compared with an unlimited de‑
duction in the current tax code is
certainly a setback for residents
of high property & local tax
states only. This $10,000 cap ap‑
plies to both singles and married
couples filing jointly, though mar‑
ried people filing separately
could deduct a maximum of only
$5,000 each. People who run
home businesses could still
deduct the portion of state and
local taxes, including property
tax, that applies to that business.
Interest on up to $750,000 in
mortgage debt on a newly pur‑
chased primary home could be
deducted; thatʼs a drop from the
$1 million allowed now.
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
On President
Trump’s one
year in office
He is truly making America
great again
Sunil Tolani
Sunil Tolani is California based
CEO of Prince Organization,
which is into hospitality.
I cheer President Trump's strong economic
message of bringing back millions of jobs, and
putting America first again. I am optimistic
about the Trump administration as I see a
president who is direct and pragmatic, a fellow
hotelier and businessman, a problem solver.
The promises in the Trump campaignʼs “Con‑
tract with the American Voter” began with
“restoring honesty and accountability, bringing
change to Washington” with a pledge to “drain
the swamp”. President Trump is daily blowing
the conch shell “Make America Great Again”
and “America First”.
The checkered flag has been waived as
America is the dominant global economy and
Trump is writing history by winning as he is
capable of the Impossible. He sees the world
and the problems in a way other leaders donʼt.
He is re‑building America that projects power
to the world, like the Pharaohs built the pyra‑
mids. He wants to be strong and decisive with
dignity and prestige that evokes Americaʼs
heroic past. President Trump will uphold Arti‑
cle I of the US constitution which established
the role of the federal government in creating
a “stable, profitable environment for private
enterprise.” 2017 has been a blockbuster year
for investment gains. Americans are getting
rich and richer with the stock markets, and
real estate going up. Fewer Americans are liv‑
ing paycheck to paycheck. Consumer confi‑
dence is high and unemployment at 17‑year
low. So, employers will raise salaries, bonuses
and workplace benefits.
President Trump gave a Christmas present
with tax cuts and increased government spend‑
ing. Americans need to celebrate 2017 and
cheer 2018 as US job force has one of the
greatest “Work Martyr” working spirit, desire
and will to advancement with sincerity and in‑
genuity ever known in the industrial world.
We at the Prince Organization are expanding
it in the Americas, where employees are the
heart and soul of our organization. We proudly
invest in our associates and the communities
we serve in. As we work to reenergize our com‑
pany, our hospitality industry, our economy,
we are confidently investing in the future of
VOX POPULI January 6-19, 2018 45
the greatest nation on earth, investing in capi‑
tal investments, renovations, new remunera‑
tive jobs and employee trainings.
He scares world leaders
with a mere tweet
Anand Ahuja
Anand Ahuja, Esq, is Cofounder
of Indian Americans for Trump
2016 and President of Indian
American Republican Committee
– Long Island Chapter..
That President Trumpʼs tax reform is pro‑
rich is a wrong allegation. Note that he has not
touched estate tax. The corporate tax cut from
35% to 21% is to boost economic growth
which would create jobs and raise wages. Even
small business owners will get tax relief. That
plus drastic cuts in the middle income brack‑
ets, makes the middle class the main benefici‑
ary of the new tax regime.
The work visa rules changes under consider‑
ation by the Trump administration are aimed
to stamp out misuse of H1B program, which
some in my own attorney fraternity and our
community are known to misuse. Checks on
H1B visas for Indian techies may turn out to be
a blessing in disguise for India, because then
US companies concerned will have to offshore
work to India, creating employment opportuni‑
ties for IT workers over there. On trade deals
like TPP, Trump is trying to renegotiate those
because other countries took advantage of us
with one‑sided agreements. For example, US‑
China trade imbalance is as much as $ 500 Bil‑
lion. With Mexico our deficit is $54 billion.
In global affairs, Trump has made America
stronger not weaker as liberals allege. Note
how he has dealt with Iran, and most signifi‑
cantly, North Korea. He also had the foresight
to take Russian help in Syria, crushing ISIS.
And unlike previous presidents, he has mus‑
tered courage to recognize Jerusalem as Is‑
raelʼs capital, which honors the Jerusalem Em‑
bassy Act of 1995 passed by the US Congress
way back in 1995. His critics badger Trump
for how he comports himself. My submission is
that the world so far has been taking advan‑
tage of USAʼs liberal foreign policy and weak
leadership. America needed a bullhead like
Trump in the White House. Indeed, he scares
world leaders with a mere tweet. India should
be happy that Trump has finally called Islam‑
abadʼs bluff on abetting terrorism, and stopped
$255 million aid to Pakistan. But India miscal‑
culated by voting against the US on Jerusalem
in the United Nations.

By Shivaji Sengupta
I
n October last year, The Last
Republicans: Inside the Ex‑
traordinary Relationship Be‑
tween George H.W. Bush and
George W. Bush, written by Mark
K. Updegrove, was published. The
title grabbed my attention. Last
week in my column in this paper,
I had argued that despite Presi‑
dent Trumpʼs avowed criticism of
the Republicans, he seems to be
morphing into one himself. So
what, and who is Republican? Af‑
ter reading some hot‑off‑the‑press
reviews of the book, I decided to
read it.
I am glad I did. As readers of
this paper know by now, I am a
Democrat. But I am interested in
America, this United States that
may be the first country to be cre‑
ated as an idea. Like many former
colonies, ʻAmericaʼ also rebelled
against the British Empire, defeat‑
ed them in battle and threw them
out. But here, its similarities end
with other former colonies. Unlike
India, for instance, the United
Statesʼ first thirteen colonies did
not continue the British system of
government. In fact, they pur‑
posefully turned to the French
model instead. More significantly,
many of the Founding Fathers,
particularly Thomas Jefferson
and John Adams, envisioned intel‑
lectually and imaginatively the
image of what a free country
might look like, creating America.
According to Updegrove, Jeffer‑
son, who became President after
Adams, founded the Democratic
Republican Party. In effect, he
was Americaʼs first Republican
president.
George Walker Bush is on
record saying that he is afraid, he
might be the “last Republican”
president. Whether or not the
statement inspired Updegrove to
give his book the title, the emer‑
gence of Donald Trump, ostensi‑
bly a Republican president who
was once a Democrat, provokes a
discussion whether Republican‑
ism as weʼve known it, ended with
the Bushes.
Mark Updegroveʼs book is pri‑
marily about the relationship be‑
tween father and son, 41 and 43
as they are often referred to by
the writer (because they were the
41st and 43rd presidents). It is
only indirectly about Republican‑
ism, as the reader may extrapo‑
late from the story of the two
presidents, father and son. My in‑
terest in the book, however, is
more about them being Republi‑
cans than the lives of, or even the
46 January 6-19, 2018
The Last Republican
in the Age of Trump
relationships between, the two.
Even a cursory reading of The
Last Republicans– to which I will
shortly return ‑ shows us that the
elder Bush, George HW, whether
wrong or right, at least acted out
of some of the fundamental prin‑
ciples of Republican political phi‑
losophy as it emanated from
Thomas Jefferson: freedom with‑
out domination. The Declaration
of Independence, first drafted by
Jefferson, insisted that the pri‑
mary reason for breaking away
from Britain was its “a long train
of abuses & usurpations… pursu‑
ing invariably a design to reduce
[us] under absolute despotism.”
The Declaration further goes on
to state that “A prince (i.e., King
The emergence of
Donald Trump,
ostensibly a Republican
president who was
once a Democrat,
provokes a
discussion whether
Republicanism as we’ve
known it ended with
the Bushes, 41 and 43.
And who was the real
last Republican
President, George H.W.
or George Walker?
George II of England) whose char‑
acter is thus marked by every act
which may define a tyrant, is unfit
to be the ruler of a people who
mean to be free.” So, Jefferson
and the Founding Fathers were
against arbitrary power and domi‑
nation.
Philip Pettit, in his recent book,
Republicanism: A Theory of Free‑
dom and Government, emphasizes
the importance of non‑domina‑
tion in a fair government. To him,
non‑domination means “a condi‑
tion under which a person is more
or less immune to interference on
an arbitrary basis.” In other
words, governmental interference
is right only when the people
have given consent that it should
interfere.” Arbitrary interference
amounts to domination.The recur‑
rent motif in Republican thinking,
down to and including the Ameri‑
can and French Revolutions, was
an emphasis on this notion of lib‑
POLITICS
erty as a status that could only be
achieved when others in control
were deprived of arbitrary pow‑
ers.
My problem with Pettitʼs theory
is “arbitrary power.” Pettit doesnʼt
define the term. To me, arbitrary
power is the power over other
people achieved, not by democrat‑
ic means, but by money, coercion,
and/or brute force. In our times,
interest groups and lobbyists rep‑
resent money and coercion. If I
am correct, then, according to
those who are in opposition to a
president, many presidential deci‑
sions run the risk of being blamed
for exercising politically motivat‑
ed power: Eisenhowerʼs decision
to send the army into Little Rock,
Arkansas, to enforce bussing of
school children regardless of race;
President Kennedyʼs interception
of Soviet ships ostensibly carrying
nuclear weapons to Cuba; George
H.W. Bushʼs invasion of Kuwait;
George Walker Bushʼs bombing of
Iraq; even Barack Obamaʼs execu‑
tive order to stay the deportation
of undocumented immigrants so
that they are not separated from
their children who were born here
legally. Evidently, political biases,
personal motivations, all interrupt
presidential decisions. Arbitrary
power itself becomes a thorough‑
ly politicized phrase. In the face of
all this, we are left with little else
except the presidentsʼ stated rea‑
sons for pursuing certain actions,
and search in them traces of their
political philosophies.
Against this somewhat annoy‑
ing but necessary theoretical
background, if we review the sen‑
ior Bushʼs primary political ac‑
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
tions as president, they are based
on the Republican perspective of
freedom against domination: he
attacked Saddam Hussainʼs an‑
nexation of Kuwait in the name of
challenging arbitrary power.
(Here, it must be pointed out that
according to the government of
Iraqʼs official position, Kuwait had
belonged to Iraq in the first place,
before the British redrew the ter‑
ritories). Bush also presided over
the end of the Cold War, and the
unification of Germany – both, to
him, representing the end of dom‑
ination.
Compared to the older Bush,
George Walker Bush seemed to be
driven less by an authentic Re‑
publican philosophy and more by
pragmatic, business‑oriented mo‑
tivations.
The Second Gulf War serves as
a good example when compared
to the elder Bushʼs decision not to
pursue the war into Iraq once
Kuwait was “liberated.” Apparent‑
ly, George H. Bushʼs cabinet, led
by Donald Rumsfeld and Norman
Schwarzkopf, pleaded with him to
bring down Iraq, capture Saddam
Hussain and “finish the job.” The
president refused on the grounds
that the United Statesʼ commit‑
ment is to the freedom of nations
from domination. Freeing Kuwait
was the warʼs objective, not Iraq.
Bush‑critics maintain that the
real intention of the war(s) on
Iraq was oil; the United States as‑
pired to controlling Iraqʼs massive
oil production, and apparently,
there is evidence to that effect. If
it is so, George H. Bush would not
acknowledge it though he was not
probably averse to profiting from
it. Officially, he upheld what he
called the “real reason” America
was in Kuwait: to end the domina‑
tion by a foreign power.
The whole scenario fits in neat‑
ly into Philip Pettitʼs Republican
theory of non‑domination politics.
Which brings us back to The
Last Republicans.
The book is an interesting read
when it comes to the two presi‑
dentsʼ relationship with each oth‑
er. Contrary to popular view‑
points that the son and the father
had a tempestuous relationship,
that the younger Bush resented
the elderʼs fame and position, Up‑
degrove argues that there was,
and still is, enormous love and re‑
spect between them. My own
reading is, that if there was a rift
between them it was over the two
very different philosophies father
and son carry. George H. Bush is a
Republican because he believes,
at least theoretically, in freedom
from coercive and arbitrary domi‑
nation. His position against Sad‑
dam Hussainʼs annexation of
Kuwait, against the Cold War and
the unification of Germany attests
to that. By comparison, George
Walker Bush hardly evinces any
part of Republican philosophy. His
war on Iraq was based on a mis‑
perception. His deputies have al‑
legedly amassed immense wealth
from the second Gulf War. The
deregulations in business he
presided over led to dramatic col‑
lapses in banks, the corporate
world, and, eventually in the econ‑
omy itself.
None of these is based on any
political principle. I am not that
interested in Updegroveʼs other
thesis that the Bushesʼ Republi‑
canism consisted of sober up‑
bringing among massive family
wealth. Whether or not George H.,
George W. or Jeb Bush are polite,
decent, self‑effacing human be‑
ings does not interest me. George
H. W. Bush was a president with a
philosophy; George W. Bush was
not. Thus, the latterʼs lament that
he may be the last Republican
president is probably not true.
His father is.
Prof. Shivaji
Sengupta,
Vice President
Academic
Affairs at
Boricua
College in
NYC,
regularly
writes for The
South Asian
Times”
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018

Ms. Lakshmi Puri,
United Nations
Assistant Secretary-
General and Deputy
Executive Director
of UN Women, is
the architect of this
21st century UN
institution that
strives for gender
equality and
empowering all
women and girls.
Excerpts from an exclusive
interview with the
diplomat who has had an il-
lustrious career with the
United Nations since 1981.
The South Asian Times: Tell us
about your role and achievements
at UN Women.
Ambassador Lakshmi Puri: My time Development Goal ‑ SDG 5 to
at UN Women has been the climax
of my career with the United Na‑
tions. I joined the organization at
its inception (2011) as Assistant
Secretary‑General and Deputy Ex‑
ecutive Director and had the privi‑
lege of being the architect of this
only 21st century UN entity work‑
ing to achieve gender equality and
empower all women and girls.
I have been engaged in its great‑ on the gender‑responsive imple‑
est normative standards and inter‑ mentation of the 2030 Agenda
governmental achievements to
date, including comprehensive
commitments from Governments to ing the SDGs a reality for all
a historic Gender Equality Compact women and girls.
in the last 7 years as never before.
Our work with the annual sessions
of the Commission on the Status of
Women (CSW) has also been criti‑
cal, as it is the largest global forum opment
on gender equality and womenʼs
empowerment. Some milestones in‑ ments in the Paris Climate Change
clude:
l CSW 57 focused on ending
violence against women and the
global plan of implementation.
l CSW 58 reviewed the Millen‑
nium Development Goals (MDGs)
and provided an assessment and a
segue into a twin track approach in
the 2030 Agenda – i) a standalone
Sustainable Development Goal and
ii) mainstreaming gender equality
and the empowerment of women
(GEWE) throughout the agenda.
l CSW 59 marked the 20‑year
48 January 6-19, 2018
Champion of women
at global forums
review of the Beijing Platform for
Action by assessing implementa‑
tion of the platform.
l The 2030 Agenda for Sus‑
tainable Development being at the
heart of the Gender Equality Com‑
pact, recognizing gender equality
as precondition for the realization
of sustainable development and de‑
fined it as a universal Sustainable
“achieve gender equality and em‑
power all women and girls,” a goal
which I conceptualized and advo‑
cated for with UN Women.
l Convening of the first ever
Summit on Gender Equality with
65 heads of state and governments
making commitments (September
2015).
l CSW 60 adopted a road map
which must now guide Member
States and the UN system in mak‑
l CSW 61 focused on womenʼs
economic empowerment and its
importance in the achievement of
GEWE as well as sustainable devel‑
at large.
l Gender equality commit‑
Agreement, the Women, Peace and
Security Agenda in the UNSC, the
New York Declaration on Migration
and the New Urban Agenda.
One of my major achievement at
UN Women has been to turn gen‑
der equality from being a social is‑
sue, to being one of priority. I have
contributed to movement building
for gender equality and worked
closely with women's movements
and civil society in this precious
enterprise. Pushing each and every
UN organization to deliver for
DIPLOMACY
women and girls in their work is
also part of my mission accom‑
plished.
I have been honored to receive
several awards for my work since I
first became engaged in this field.
l The NOVUS Award for cham‑
pioning the SDGs, especially for Ex‑
cellence and Leadership on Gender
Equality
l Millennium Campus Network
2015 Global Generation Award as
Inspiration for Youth.
l I was awarded the Eleanor
Roosevelt Human Rights Award
2016 for my contribution to fur‑
thering UNʼs mission.
You told a media outlet that
“Women's equal role in global
economy may up GDP by $28 tril‑
lion”. How has been the progress
on that front?
Amb. Puri: Womenʼs economic em‑
powerment is a force multiplier for
good governance, economic
growth, poverty eradication, end‑
ing hunger and achieving food se‑
curity and nutrition, environmental
sustainability, and SDG achieve‑
ment overall. We have made
tremendous progress, particularly
at the normative level, but this still
has to be extended into more real
results for women and girls on the
ground, and progress must also be
accelerated in order for us to
achieve a Planet 50/50 by 2030.
The world of work is still very pa‑
triarchal and needs to transformed.
According to estimates from the
World Economic Forumʼs latest
Gender Gap Report, at the current
pace, it may take 170 years to
achieve economic equality between
women and men!
We cannot bear the cost of this
delay in reaching economic gender
parity and equality! That is why
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Farewell call with the
Secretary‑General of the United
Nations, Antonio Guterres,
December 2017.
Amb. Lakshmi Puri
addressing the UN
General Assembly
in April 2017.
(Photo: Jay Mandal)
we ask for a Planet 50/50 latest by
2030 ‑ within a generation and for
all stakeholders to Step It Up for
GEWE and take special measure
and increased targeted invest‑
ments!
You champion UN role and poten‑
tial of doing good in world affairs
and societies. What do you think
about the stance of the current US
administration?
Amb. Puri: I believe that the USA
has been and should continue to be
an essential partner to the UN in
the fulfillment of its mandates. It
can prove that gender equality is
not just an American dream, but a
mission possible for all. This is cen‑
tral to American greatness as it is
to Americaʼs global soft power and
leadership!
On funding for UN Women, we
have called on and expect the US to
be a leading investor. We are grate‑
ful for the financial contribution
that US government has made in
the past. We are pleased that in
2017, thanks to the leadership of
Ambassador Nikki Haley, our rela‑
tionship with the US Mission to the
UN, and our outreach to Congress‑
men and women, we received an in‑
crease of nearly a million dollars in
the US contribution to our core re‑
sources. We hope this continues to
grow to a level that the financial
stake is commensurate with the po‑
litical stake.
You were one of six diplomats hon‑
ored last month with the Power of
One award by the Diwali Founda‑
tion USA…
Amb. Puri: I was honored to receive
the esteemed Power of One award
from the Diwali Foundation USA
for my contribution to help form a
more "perfect, peaceful and secure
world". This award is an affirma‑
tion of all the passion and commit‑
ment that I have poured into my
work to help realize the projects of
development, peace and security,
human rights and humanitarian ac‑
tion.
You are leaving the UN to return to
India, but in you Power of One
award acceptance speech, you said,
“you cannot take the UN out of
me.”
Amb. Puri: In any capacity, I will
continue to embrace the values of
the United Nations and forcefully
contribute to its goals, including
gender equality. Also, I do not rule
out supporting specific UN mis‑
sions and mandates in the future.
You take your role as wife and
mother seriously. So what is the se‑
cret of maintaining work‑life bal‑
ance?
Amb. Puri: No secret formula. I be‑
lieve that there isnʼt a real equilib‑
rium. It is important to have a
partner who is as engaged as you
are in what you want to achieve in
life. Being in the same profession,
my husband (Hardeep Singh Puri,
Indiaʼs former ambassador to the
UN) and I have a compatible and
intellectually engaging relationship
which has enabled me to have
some semblance of a work‑life bal‑
ance.
You call Amb. Hardeep Puri your
soulmate…
Amb. Puri: I joined the Indian For‑
eign Service in the 1974 batch, and
this is where I met Hardeep Singh
Puri ‑ a batch mate. We married in
1975 at the young age of 22 years
and virtually grew up together for
43 years! I call him my soulmate
because he has been an inspiration
to me in both my personal and pro‑
fessional life. His intellectual bril‑
liance and wisdom has stimulated
me; his optimism has lifted me and
his ʻcan doʼ spirit has pushed me on
to strive. We are both deeply spiri‑
tual and that is a bond that has
seen us through the separation we
have had to go through.
Lakshmi Puriʼs husband Hardeep
Singh Puri, former Indian
ambassador to the UN, is currently
Minister in Indian Ministry of
Housing & Urban Affairs.

By Aroonim Bhuyan
T
hough the personal chem‑
istry between Prime Minis‑
ter Narendra Modi and
new US President Donald Trump
was the highlight of India‑US ties
in 2017, what has come as a huge
boost to bilateral relations to‑
wards the end of the year is the
key strategic geopolitical role for
India in the new US security strat‑
egy. At the same time, New Delhi
made it clear that its foreign poli‑
cy remains independent when it
went with the rest of the world in
voting in the UN General Assem‑
bly against Trump's decision to
recognize Jerusalem as the capi‑
tal of Israel.
Despite a change of guard in
Washington, the India‑US global
strategic partnership remained
strong as ever and a warm hug
marked the first‑ever meeting be‑
tween Modi and Trump at the
White House in June this year.
While Trump said that bilateral
ties have "never been stronger",
Modi said that both the countries
were "committed to such a bilat‑
eral architecture that will take
our strategic partnership to new
heights".
"President Trump and Prime
Minister Modi expressed confi‑
dence that, together, the United
Despite ‘Trump effect', global momentum on climate change gains
By Vishal Gulati
T
he Trump administrationʼs
decision earlier this year to
pull out of the historic
2015 Paris Climate Agreement,
saying the Obama‑era deal was an
attempt to diminish the US econo‑
my and take jobs away, has not
stopped incredible global momen‑
tum to curb global warming.
Environmental advocates believe
that, amidst the shadow of the US
decision, 2017 has seen progress
in new climate action, ranging
from the World Bank announcing
it won't fund upstream oil and gas
projects after 2019 to a range of
commitments from brown to
green investments by companies
joining the Global Big Shift cam‑
paign. In a major initiative, the
World's No.1 polluter, China, this
week announced plans to start a
market‑based carbon‑trading sys‑
tem, initially in over 1,700 power‑
generating firms, to keep global
warming within 1.5 degrees Cel‑
sius and aiming to cut greenhouse
gases from burning fossil fuels.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
US-India ties: Washington
bets big on New Delhi
Deepening bonhomie: Indian PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.
States and India will provide
strong leadership to address glob‑
al challenges and build prosperity
for their citizens in the decades to
come," the statement said.
And that is exactly what got re‑
flected in the New Security Strate‑
gy (NSS) that Trump announced
this month that sees India being
mentioned no less than seven
times.
"We welcome India's emergence
as a leading global power and
stronger strategic and defense
A plenary meeting of the "One Planet Summit" in Paris in 2017.
Taking the lead, French Presi‑
dent Emmanuel Macron this
month called "The One Planet"
summit in Paris ‑‑ the birthplace of
the Paris Agreement ‑‑ to mark its
second anniversary, to speed up
development of decarbonization
pathways by nations and to do
something serious about climate
mitigation and adaptations.
Observers say the summit was
both a celebration of the historic
achievement of the Paris Agree‑
INDO-US RELATIONS
partner," the NSS states. "We will
seek to increase quadrilateral co‑
operation with Japan, Australia,
and India."
This comes in the wake of the
meeting between officials of In‑
dia, the US, Japan and Australia in
the Philippines last month in
which the security and prosperity
of the Indo‑Pacific region were
discussed.
"We will expand our defense
and security cooperation with In‑
dia, a Major Defense Partner of
ment and an opportunity for the
countries that are willing to go
further and faster in transitioning
their economies to demonstrate
the action they are taking.
At The One Planet summit, more
than 200 civil society organiza‑
tions from nearly 60 countries re‑
leased a letter calling on multilat‑
eral development banks, including
the World Bank Group, and G20
governments to end public finan‑
cial support for fossil fuels by
January 6-19, 2018
the United States, and support In‑
dia's growing relationships
throughout the region," the NSS
states.
And what will come as music to
New Delhi's ears is the reference
to Pakistan from the perspective
of terrorism.
"We will press Pakistan to in‑
tensify its counter‑terrorism ef‑
forts, since no partnership can
survive a country's support for
militants and terrorists who tar‑
get a partner's own service mem‑
2020 at the latest.
With the US government with‑
drawing funds to deal with climate
change, such as the $2 billion
pledge to the Green Climate Fund,
the European Union announced
nine billion euro climate finance
contribution at The One Planet
summit to achieve climate goals.
In a related announcement at
the summit, 225 of the most influ‑
ential global institutional in‑
vestors, with more than $26.3 tril‑
49
bers and officials," the NSS states.
Another highlight of the India‑
US ties this year was President
Trump's announcement of a new
US policy on South Asia that
called for India playing a key role
in the reconstruction of
Afghanistan.
The appointment of Kenneth
Juster as the new US Ambassador
in New Delhi came in for praise
from all quarters. Juster is an old
India hand who played a key role
in the India‑US civilian nuclear
cooperation agreement.
Another highlight was the visit
of President Trump's daughter
Ivanka Trump to Hyderabad for
the Global Entrepreneurship Sum‑
mit, hosted by India for the first
time.
On the downside of the bilateral
issue this year, however, was the
H1‑B visa issue that continues to
remain prickly.
Soon after taking over as Presi‑
dent, Trump called for stricter
norms for issuance of H1‑B visas,
largely availed of by Indian IT
firms. A private member's bill was
also introduced earlier this year
in the US Congress by Democrat
Zoe Lofgren which seeks to in‑
crease the minimum salary of an
H1‑B visa holder to a whopping
$130,000 from the current mini‑
mum of $60,000.
lion in assets under management,
launched a new collaborative ini‑
tiative to engage with the world's
largest corporate greenhouse gas
emitters to step up action on cli‑
mate change.
The Paris gathering took place
less than a month after the suc‑
cessful conclusion of the UN Cli‑
mate Change Conference in Bonn
(COP‑23) in November and was
the first in a series of international
summits to help countries to raise
the bar and bolster their national
climate action plans ‑‑ crucial to
achieving the Paris Agreement's
goals. Interestingly, Trump is con‑
tinuing support to the Montreal
Protocol on Substances that De‑
plete the Ozone Layer, one of the
most successful international envi‑
ronmental treaties that celebrated
its 30th anniversary in Montreal
last month.
"We've seen incredible support
for the Kigali Amendment, and
much of this is due to the fact that
we've also had strong support
from businesses," UN Environment
head Erik Solheim said.

Punjab Chief Minister
Amarinder Singh.
PUNJAB
ELECTIONS
RE‑ALIGNED
STATE'S POLITICS
I THE YEAR THAT ENDED BJP'S 14‑YEAR EXILE IN UP
t was widely expected to
be a crowning moment for
the Aam Aadmi Party in
Punjab this year, but it was
the Congress which took top
honors. The assembly election
results in March clearly rede‑
fined the political space in the
state.
Hitherto, Punjab was happy
to see a direct contest be‑
tween the Congress and the
Shiromani Akali Dal‑Bharatiya
Janata Party (SAD‑BJP) al‑
liance for the past few
decades. The emergence of
the AAP in the state's political
scene this time saw a re‑align‑
ment of political forces. The
three‑cornered contest, for
the first time in Punjab, saw
the Akali Dal‑BJP alliance dec‑
imated.
The Congress, nine months
into power, swept the munici‑
pal elections in the state in
December.
The opposition alleged
booth capturing, intimidation
and misuse of power by the
Congress. While the SAD‑BJP
combine won a few wards in
the municipal polls as a face
saver, the AAP clearly lost the
trust of the voters.
The AAP managed to win
20 seats in the 117‑member
assembly and even got the
post of Leader of Opposition
(LoP).
While the Congress won an
impressive 77 seats in the
117‑member assembly, it was
the Malwa belt which helped
the party romp home in style.
50 January 6-19, 2018
Rahul elevated as BJP
continued to win
While the Congress party
lost a series of state elections
to the formidable BJP since
its debacle in the 2014 Lok
Sabha elections, Sonia
Gandhi bid goodbye to
active politics and
elevated son Rahul Gandhi
as the party President
By SAT Team
I
t was a year when Rahul Gand‑
hi finally stepped into the Con‑
gress President's shoes. Rahul
took over the reins of the party
from Sonia Gandhi, who helmed
the party for 19 long years.
It was also a year when Con‑
gress won its first major victory in
a state ‑‑ Punjab ‑‑ and also faced
several disappointments.
Gandhi, who had been perceived
as a reluctant heir to the Nehru‑
Gandhi dynasty, made quite a
turnaround earlier this year as he
U
ttar Pradesh was a parched land
for the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) for 14 long years. Ever
since the then Chief Minister Rajnath
Singh lost the plot in the 2003 state as‑
sembly elections, the saffron party found
itself on the sidelines of the country's po‑
litically most crucial state.
In March, however, when it picked fire‑
brand monk‑turned‑politician Yogi
Adityanath for the Chief Minister's post,
it left many amused ‑‑ and many
alarmed. Nine months down the line,
though there have been no communal
conflicts, Adityanath continues with his
Hindutva agenda and the BJP continues
BJP RETAINS GUJARAT, SNATCHES HIMACHAL
T
he BJP managed to
hold on to
power in Gu‑
jarat, edging past the
half‑way mark to
clinch a sixth term in
government, but
wrested Himachal
Pradesh from Con‑
gress with a comfort‑
able majority.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with BJP
Overcoming initial set‑
backs in a seesaw battle,
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
bagged 99 seats, seven more than
the magic figure of 92 in a House
of 182. Later, an Independent can‑
didate also came in the BJP fold
and the party reached the figure of
100.
Putting up an improved perform‑
ance, the Congress secured 77 seats had previously held 36 seats. Two
while its allies got three more. The
NCP, which fought alone, got a lone
INDIA TOP 5 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
launched scathing attacks on
Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
posed sharp questions, debunked
the government's economic poli‑
cies and sought to portray the BJP
as a party which has failed to de‑
liver on its promises.
From the time of his visit to the
US in September where he also ad‑
dressed students, Gandhi has kept
up the stridency of his attacks on
Modi. The Congress has lost a se‑
ries of state elections since its de‑
bacle in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
The party could win only Punjab
among the seven states that went
to polls this year and lost govern‑
ments in Uttarakhand and Hi‑
Sonia Gandhi welcomes Rahul as party President as senior leader
machal Pradesh. It could not form
Manmohan Singh looks on. (Photo: IANS)
governments in Goa and Manipur
despite emerging as the single‑ Eight states go to the elections es bigger challenges for Gandhi as
largest party. next year and most of the big ones he builds the tempo for the 2019
The Congress is now in power in
one Union territory and only four
‑‑ Karantaka, Madhya Pradesh, Ra‑
jasthan, and Chattisgarh ‑‑ are ex‑
Lok Sabha elections. The electoral
battles next year will test Gandhi's
states, and two of these ‑‑ Karnata‑ pected to witness a largely direct mettle as these will be fought di‑
ka and Meghalaya ‑‑ will go to the contest between the BJP and the rectly under his charge as Con‑
polls in the coming year. Congress. The year 2018 also pos‑ gress president.
to win elections.
In election after election, the BJP was
battered by regional satraps like Sama‑
jwadi party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh
Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
supremo Mayawati.
In 2017, its political "vanvaas" (exile)
ended and the party romped home with
its highest seat tally ever ‑‑ 312 in a
house of 403.
The results were catastrophic for the
SP and the Congress, the former slip‑
ping to its lowest‑ever tally of 47 and
the latter doing no better than its last
showing. The BSP was reduced to an
abysmal 19 seats. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
TOUGH POLICY ON MILITANTS, SEPARATISTS IN KASHMIR
oncerted action against militants
C and appointment of an inter‑
locutor to carry forward the
dialogue process were key aspects
of Centre's policy on Jammu and
Kashmir in the past year as it sought
to expose the narrative of the sepa‑
ratists through a crackdown on their
flow of funds from the "neighboring
A total of 203 militants were killed in
country" to finance unrest in the Jammu and Kashmir in till December
state. 10 ‑ the highest in the past seven years.
A total of 203 militants were killed
President Amit Shah. militant commander Burhan Wani.
in Jammu and Kashmir in till December
seat and Independents got two. The incidents of coordinated stone‑
10 ‑ ‑ the highest in the past seven years
In contrast, Himachal Pradesh pelting came down drastically this year.
‑‑ as part of Centre's "tough" strategy to
lived up to its reputation of chang‑ As part of its ongoing probe in the ter‑
root out militancy from the trouble‑torn
ing the ruler every election, as the ror‑funding cases, NIA seized nearly Rs
Valley. Those killed included some top
BJP comfortably beat Congress, 36.5 crore in demonetized currency
militant commanders such as Lashkar‑e‑
winning 44 of the 68 seats that from separatist leaders in November.
Taiba's Bashir Ahmad Wani, Abu Dujana
were up for grabs. The Congress Around 900 ceasefire violations ‑‑ the
and Junaid Mattoo, and Hizb‑ul‑Mu‑
won 21 in the hill state where it highest in a decade ‑‑ were committed
jahideen's Sabzar Ahmad Bhat.
by Pakistani forces both along the Line
The security forces had a hard time
seats went to Independents and a of Control and the International Border
last year in dealing with incidents of
lone seat was taken by CPI‑M. in Jammu and Kashmir.
stone‑pelting following the killing of
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
 52 January 6-19, 2018 INDIA TOP 5 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

India gets 14th President

National Democratic
Alliance's Dalit nominee
Ram Nath Kovind
elected India’s 14th
President, securing a
2G VERDICT massive margin over his
CONGRESS, DMK United Progressive
CLAIM VINDICATION Alliance (UPA) rival Meira
Kumar in a straight fight.
election of Kovind as the 14th
President, Returning Officer and
Lok Sabha Secretary General
Anoop Mishra said Kovind had
got the required votes under the
quota allotted to him in the
transferable vote system under
the Presidential and Vice Presi‑
dential Elections Act.
Kovind was a former President
of the BJP Dalit Morcha between

I
n an electoral college of
4,986 voters with a vote val‑
ue of 10,98,903, Ram Nath
Kovind got 2,930 votes carrying
a value of 7,00,244, while the
former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira
Kumar secured 1,844 votes with
a value of 3,67,314.
While Kovind got 65.65 per
Former Telecom Minister A. Raja.
cent of the total valid vote value
1998‑2002 and President of the
All‑India Koli Samaj.
On August 8, 2015, the Presi‑
dent of India appointed him the
Governor of Bihar. He was born
on October 1, 1945 at Kanpur
Dehat, Uttar Pradesh and was
married to Savita Kovind on
30th May, 1974. Kovind was Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets President
Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Central Government Advocate in
Delhi High Court from 1977 to Court from 1980 to 1993. He 1978 and had practiced in Delhi

T
he Congress and the DMK
claimed vindication after a
special court acquitted all
the accused in the alleged 2G scam
while the BJP insisted that the 2G
of 10,69,358, Meira Kumar got 1979 and Central Government became Advocate‑on‑Record of High Court and Supreme Court
34.35 per cent. Announcing the Standing Counsel in Supreme the Supreme Court of India in for about 16 years till 1993.
The
LOK SABHA CLEARS TRIPLE TALAQ BILL Bill makes the act

spectrum allotment was "arbitrary,
faulty and corrupt" and that the
next course of action would be de‑
cided by the investigating agencies.
In his first comments after being
acquitted in the 2G case, former
Telecom Minister A. Raja said he
stood vindicated as accusations that
he took Rs 200 crore bribe to allo‑
cate lucrative radio wave spectrum
in 2008 were false.
"I have felt somewhat vindicated
all along even prior to this judg‑
ment because the beneficial results
of my actions are evident and being
enjoyed by the nation's public, es‑
pecially the poor," Raja said in a
statement.
Raja, who was jailed for 15
months for his alleged wrongdoing,
T
he Lok Sabha passed a bill
that criminalizes instant
divorce with three years
of imprisonment for Muslim hus‑
bands after the government re‑
jected an overwhelming demand
from the Opposition to refer the
legislation to a Parliamentary
standing committee for detailed
consideration.
The Muslim Women (Protec‑
tion of Rights on Marriage) Bill,
2017 was passed by a voice vote
after rejecting a resolution
moved by Revolutionary Socialist
Party member N.K. Premachan‑
dran that the legislation be circu‑
PRIVACY
lated for public opinion. of pronouncing
The Bill makes the act of pro‑
talaq‑e‑biddat
punishable
nouncing talaq‑e‑biddat punish‑
offence.
able offence. There is provision
for subsistence allowance from
the husband for the livelihood
and daily supporting needs of
the wife as also of the dependent
children. The wife would also be
entitled to the custody of minor
children. The clearance was criti‑
cized by the All India Muslim
Personal Law Board as a direct
attack on the religious freedom
of the Muslim community, while
women activists sought collec‑ converting the Bill into law. triple talaq bill went to Rajya
tive support of political parties in After the Cabinet clearance, the Sabha.
MAHAGATHBANDHAN IS NO MORE

O
alleged that "vested interests ma‑
nipulated public perception by n July 26 evening, Bi‑
leveraging the media and sensa‑ BECOMES A har Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar re‑
tionalizing fabricated allegations"
against him.
FUNDAMENTAL signed from his post.
DMK MP Kanimozhi said it was a RIGHT The next day morning ‑
barely over 12 hours
big day for her party as "justice has
prevailed". after he resigned ‑ Ni‑
"It was a harrowing experience to tish was at Bihar's Raj
be accused of something which you Bhavan taking the
oath of office, once

haven't done and being accused of
a corruption that you have never
been a part of," a beaming Kani‑
mozhi said after the verdict was an‑
nounced.
BJP leader and Communications
Minister Manoj Sinha, however,
said the 2G spectrum allotment was
arbitrary, faulty and corrupt and
that the next course of action on
the 2G issue would be decided by
the investigating agencies. The al‑
leged scam on the issuance of li‑
censes and allocation of 2G spec‑
trum by the Department of Telecom
occurred during the Congress‑led
UPA government's first tenure in
2008 but was widely reported in
2010 following a report by the
Comptroller and Auditor General of
India (CAG).
C
oming out
strongly in sup‑
port of individual
freedom, the Supreme Court de‑
clared right to privacy as a funda‑
mental right guaranteed by Consti‑
tution.
In a unanimous verdict, a nine‑
judge Constitution bench observed
that privacy was protected as an in‑
trinsic part of life and personal lib‑
erty and freedoms guaranteed by
the Constitution. The verdict can
impact on the apex court's earlier
judgment re‑criminalizing gay sex.
Rejecting the government's con‑
tention that privacy was not a fun‑
damental right, the bench headed
by Chief Justice J.S. Khehar unani‑
mously overturned two earlier rul‑
ings
in the
M.P. Sharma
and Kharak Singh cases that held
that the right to privacy was not
protected by the Constitution.
"The right to privacy is protected
as an intrinsic part of the right to
life and personal liberty under Arti‑
cle 21 and as a part of the free‑
doms guaranteed by Part III of the
Constitution. Decisions subsequent
to Kharak Singh which enunciated
the above (line) lay down the cor‑
rect position in law," the bench said.
There were six judgments written
by the nine judges but all of them
held that right to privacy was a fun‑
damental right.
again, to become the
state's chief minister,
once again.
The hours between saw
the spectacular end of the
'mahagathbandhan', a grand
alliance starring Nitish's Janata
Dal (United) (JDU) and Lalu Prasad
Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal, and
the Bihar CM's return to the NDA
fold.
Nitish's July 26 evening resigna‑
tion, a result of his discontent over
allegations of corruption against his
deputy and Lalu's son Tejashwi, was
followed by a series of 'coinci‑
dences'.
Moments after he announced his
decision to step down, the BJP,
which just happened to be holding
ister
Bihar Chief Min
Nitish Kum ar.
a parliamentary meeting in New
Delhi, announced it would support
the JD (U) in Bihar. Soon after,
MLAs of the two parties managed a
late‑night meeting in Patna and
signed letters of approval backing
Nitish's return to the CM's chair.
In between, PM Modi, on Twitter,
praised Nitish for "joining the fight
against corruption", Nitish replied
with a thank you and the RJD
raged.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018

Happy New Year Opening Soon In

Richmond Hill, NY
 54 January 6-19, 2018 INDIA OP-ED TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Four reasons why India can

look forward to 2018
fer social support to TB patients,
and actively find patients in high‑
By IndiaSpend Team risk communities.
Declining infant/maternal mortal‑
mortality to 12 per 1,000 live
births.
Scavenger deaths: In 2017, a year
that saw about nine deaths every

T
he seeds of many positive ity: In 2016, there were 90,000 month because of manual scaveng‑
changes were sown in 2017 fewer infants deaths than 2015 and ing, India finally decided to have an
and could bring news to the infant mortality rate too de‑ official count of how many people
cheer Indians in 2018. Here's a clined by eight per cent in the same clean sewer lines in violation of
look at four positives. period. laws banning such practices.
Renewed fight against TB: The The gender disparity in infant As many as 180,000 people still
government, in March 2017, in‑ deaths is also closing: In 2016, the clean latrines manually. Of this,
creased its focus on tuberculosis infant mortality rate was 33 per 1,470 have died since 2010,
(TB) ‑‑ a preventable, airborne infec‑ 1,000 for boys and 36 per 1,000 claimed Safai Karmachari Andolan's
tious disease that killed 423,000 In‑ for girls; in 2015, the figures were Bezwada Wilson, winner of the
dians in 2016 ‑‑ with the release of 35 and 39, respectively. 2016 Ramon Magsaysay award.
the National Strategic Plan for Elim‑ There were reductions in mater‑ States, however, claim there are
ination of Tuberculosis. nal mortality too. By 2013, India's about 13,000 manual scavengers,
The plan is to reduce the inci‑ maternal mortality ratio was lower of whom 270 have died, according
dence of TB from 217 new cases than the global average. From 254 to data presented to Social Justice
per 100,000 in 2015 to fewer than deaths per 100,000 live births in Minister Gehlot in November 14.
44 new cases by 2025. As part of 2004‑06, the ratio fell to 167 in The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the
this plan, funding for TB prevention 2013. The global average in 2016 Modi government's sanitation The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the Narendra Modi government's sanita‑
tion scheme, was launched on October 2, 2014.
and care doubled from $280 mil‑ remained higher at 179. scheme launched on October 2,
lion in 2016 to $525 million in India prevented one million 2014, had increased the workload dian Constitution. Apart from the Aadhaar program,
2017. deaths among children under five of sanitation workers without any This ruling holds significance for the right to privacy judgement is
To achieve its goal of TB elimina‑ years of age between 2005 and improvement in their lives, accord‑ the future of Aadhaar, the govern‑ also likely to affect future judg‑
tion, India needs to reduce its inci‑ 2015. India's next challenge is to ing to Milind Ranade, general secre‑ ment's 12‑digit biometric identifica‑ ments on cases related to freedom
dence by 10 per cent every year. meet the 2030 Sustainable Devel‑ tary of Mumbai's sanitation work‑ tion program that intends to link of sexual orientation, right to eat
For this, the government needs to opment Goals on child and neonatal ers' union. with all schemes and services citi‑ what one wants to, right to medical‑
include the private sector which mortality. These goals were agreed Right to privacy: In a historic ver‑ zens avail of. ly terminate a pregnancy, freedom
treats at least half of the TB cases upon under the United Nations De‑ dict, a nine‑judge constitution In a recent hearing on the matter, to criticise the government and
in the country. It also needs to im‑ velopment Program and involve the bench of the Supreme Court ruled the SC extended the deadline for right to control dissemination of
prove treatment completion and reduction of child mortality to 25 in August that the right to privacy Aadhaar linking by three months to personal information in the physi‑
cure rates through counselling, of‑ per 1,000 live births and neonatal is a fundamental right under the In‑ March 31, 2018. cal and virtual world, among others.

India needs to harmonize ties with major power nodes

By C. Uday Bhaskar President Trump has identified against the authoritarian duo of
both Russia and China as revi‑ China and Russia. Moscow has a

T
hree unrelated develop‑
ments in December pro‑
vide some useful indicators
about the security and strategic
outlook for India in 2018.
The first, which is most recent,
is the killing of four Indian army
personnel, including a major, in
the Rajouri sector of Jammu and
Kashmir in the run‑up to Christ‑
mas in end‑December and the re‑
taliatory action in the Rakh Chikri
sector of Poonch that resulted in
the death of three Pakistani sol‑
diers. Clearly, the Line of Control
(LoC) ‑‑ dividing Kashmir between
India and Pakistan ‑‑ will become
even more animated in 2018 and
a new normal has been estab‑
lished with the kind of assertive
military retribution that both In‑
dia and Pakistan have inter‑
nalised.
The second development re‑
lates to the China factor in the
larger Indian calculus and how
this will play out in the new year.
While 2017 was punctuated by
the Doklam military standoff and
the Indian position on the OBOR
(One Belt One Road ), now re‑
ferred to as the BRI (Belt Road
Initiative), a little ASEAN‑related
India's more complex strategic challenge will be to harmonize its
relations with the three major power nodes ‑‑
Washington, Moscow and Beijing.
nugget offers some interesting
extrapolation.
At a CSCAP (Council for Securi‑
ty Cooperation in Asia‑Pacific)
meeting in December in Thailand,
an ASEAN delegate referred to
China as an "erupting power" and
was duly chastised by the Beijing
representative. The unease in
ASEAN over China's intimidating
economic‑trade embrace is palpa‑
ble and the recent Australia‑China
discord over Beijing's covert at‑
tempt to shape local Australian
politics has raised deep anxiety in
the smaller countries. It may be
recalled that Singapore took an
unusually strong stand in termi‑
nating the services of a high pro‑
file academic of Chinese origin
earlier in 2017 over similar
charges.
The third development, which is
at the larger global strategic level
but of relevance to India, is the
release of the US National Securi‑
ty Strategy by the Trump admin‑
istration in December. In a return
to some of the language used dur‑
ing the Cold War, the US under
sionist powers that are seeking to
undermine US "prosperity and se‑
curity". India, on the other hand,
has been referred to as a "leading
global power" and the broad cor‑
respondence between the world's
oldest and largest democracies
points to a certain strategic empa‑
thy between Washington and Del‑
hi.
This preliminary rapproche‑
ment between the US and India is
not in itself new and goes back to
the Clinton‑Vajpayee period of the
bilateral relationship. What was
not as evident was the degree to
which the Trump team would al‑
low for the continuity in the rela‑
tionship that was nurtured over
the last 16 years in the Bush‑Oba‑
ma years. The Trump document
reiterates that the contour of the
bilateral will essentially be the
same ‑‑ though the transactional
element will be more visible.
India's more complex strategic
challenge will be to harmonize its
relations with the three major
power nodes ‑‑ Washington,
Moscow and Beijing ‑‑ in such a
manner that no single bilateral
lurches into a brittle, impulsive bi‑
nary that pits the democracies
special status in the Indian strate‑
gic framework and this is a rela‑
tionship that needs to be fire‑
walled from contemporary disso‑
nances ‑‑ be it in relation to Pak‑
istan or Afghanistan. Tokyo is a
new partner ‑‑ albeit hesitant ‑‑
but the potential for security and
strategic coordination is visible.
Despite the positive tenor in the
India‑US relationship and the en‑
dorsement in the Trump security
framework, there is an inherent
glass ceiling, given the diver‑
gences that obtain in relation to
Pakistan and Iran. Both are per‑
ceived to be state sponsors of ter‑
rorism ‑‑ the former by India and
the latter by the US, with little
possibility of arriving at a modus
vivendi.
The immediate neighborhood
that includes Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives
pose distinctive bilateral chal‑
lenges‑cum‑opportunities and
here again the Chinese shadow
looms large. Finding the right mix
of firmness and flexibility in em‑
bedding the Indian security and
strategic objectives in a larger
collective will be the challenge of
2018 for the Modi team.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018

New Year
resolutions amid
challenges for Modi
T
he result of recent Gujarat
election shows reaffirma‑
tion of people's faith in
Narendra Modi's policies. To
come back with super majority
again in 2019, BJP will have to
work even harder to succeed and
meet peopleʼs expectations in the
following areas:
Make in India: There is need to re‑
double the efforts to grow jobs in
India. The ʻMake in Indiaʼ initia‑
tive has propelled the share of
manufacturing in the countryʼs
GDP to 17 per cent, it is still al‑
most half the size for countries like
China.
Employment and youth: Creating
more and more jobs for new grad‑
uates entering the job market as
well as taking care of loss of jobs
due to automation, skilling work‑
ers should be No 1 priority of the
Bipin Patel
Bipin Patel is President &
CEO of Ampal Group,
which is into retail,
restaurant and real estate
A visionary leader
in action
A
true leader always leads
the whole nation towards
better living conditions. It
is difficult to uplift society while
keeping democratic values intact.
The biggest success of Shri Naren‑
dra Modi is, “Development not at
the coast of democracy”.
The following points show how
Modi has led India with foresight
and vision.
l Commencement of divest‑
ment program in public sector
companies.
l Cabinet nod for Prime Minis‑
ter's 100 Smart Cities Project.
l Fast‑tracking of defence pur‑
chases like Rafale fighter jets deal,
MoUs for making submarines,
fighter jets and ships at home.
l Cooking gas now under di‑
rect‑cash‑benefit transfer scheme,
56 January 6-19, 2018
Modi government.
Balanced budget: A budget that
will keep the population at large
happy and at the same time fuel
economic growth will be another
important challenge for the Modi
government in the coming years,
especially following demonetiza‑
tion and GST.
Corruption: Continuing the fight
against corruption must be a key
New Year resolution of PM Modi.
Acquittals in 2G scam has shocked
the nation. Cases against Kirti Chi‑
dambaram and Robert Vadra are
not moving.
Governance: Progress of Minimum
Government, Maximum Gover‑
with potential saving of $5 billion
annually in subsidies, plus Diesel
prices de‑regulated
l Crackdown on black money
through demonetisation.
l Jan Dhan Yojana: More than
15 crore bank accounts opened,
over 10 crore RuPay debit cards is‑
sued, with life cover, pension.
l Increased international
standing through strategic part‑
nerships and new forged alliances
along with settlement of persistent
issues such as border dispute with
Bangladesh.
Engine of growth: With Modi as
CM, Gujarat became one of the
most prosperous states in India
and he signed deals with many for‑
eign companies and governments.
He has been successful in replicat‑
ing the same on a national level.
His foreign tours have brought in a
lot of investment with Japan in‑
vesting in first bullet train in the
country. Though the world shows
slower progress, the Indian econo‑
my has been progressing with over
7% rate.
Dynamic international relations:
Though criticised by the opposi‑
tion for his many foreign tours, his
travels have made a lot of friends
for India in high places: be it about
those warm hugs with Barack Oba‑
ma and President Trump, or at‑
tending Ganga Aarti with Japanese
PM. It is because of his dynamic
leadership that UAE spoke openly
against Pakistan sponsored terror‑
ism.
Controlled internal security:
There has been a crackdown on
VOX POPULI
nance
is slow. It should
get top priority as
red tape is still killing
new start ups, drivers
of employment.
Clean Ganga: The gov‑
ernment had only used
$260 million of the $1.05 billion
earmarked for the Clean Ganga
program between 2015 and 2017,
according to CAG. The water quali‑
ty in eight of 10 towns surveyed
along the Ganga did not meet out‑
door bathing standards.
Introspection: Considering win‑
ning Gujarat proved difficult, itʼs
time to take a good look at why
party workers, volunteers and
common public is expecting a lot
more from the Modi government.
Meeting those expectations should
be top priority.
Elections in Karnataka, Rajasthan
and Madhya Pradesh are not too
terror activities, with many terror‑
ists caught plans foiled. Communal
violence has come down signifi‑
cantly.
Make in India: Modi took many
initiatives that directly impact the
common people. Make in India
wooed MNCs to the country to
generated employment and boost
the economy. Many countries have
signed deals with Indian state gov‑
ernments and the central govern‑
ment to boost FDI and employ‑
ment.
Clean image by good governance:
In India, politics is often consid‑
ered as a synonym for corruption.
Unlike the previous government
that face criticism for scandals like
CWG, Coalgate and 2G spectrum,
the current dispensation has not
faced any corruption charges and
the politicians have worked with
commitment.
Swachh Bharat: Cities have started
to realise the importance of clean‑
liness now. Railway stations and
public places are now way cleaner
than the past and the general pub‑
lic has been involved to make it a
mass moment.
Priority on rural India: Pradhan
Mantri Ujwala Yojna has been
much appreciated scheme as the
central government asked people
to give up their subsidies to help
rural women get access to clean
energy. Other schemes too aim to
improve the standard of living of
the rural population.
Tough stands: The politics of ap‑
peasement is getting over. The
Supreme Court has declared Triple
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Dr Raj Bhayani
Dr Raj Bhayani,
an ENT specialist
based in New
York, is a great
supporter of PM
Modiʼs programs.
far off. I think BJP should work on
simultaneous holding of state and
parliament elections as lot of ener‑
gy, time and money gets diverted
and wasted from governance to
electioneering and the party stays
in campaign mode, which leads to
neglect of several great projects.
That hardens peopleʼs overall un‑
satisfactory mindset towards gov‑
ernment and the ruling party.
Ram mandir construction should
start as soon as possible to make
BJP devotees happy and restore
Talaq unconstitutional and asked
the government to enact a law to
abolish it. Though much needs to
be done still, Modiʼs government
has surely instilled a feeling of
hope among Indians.
Mukesh Modi
An emerging community
leader, Mukesh Modi is MD,
Yash Imports, wholesaler
and distributor of garments.
Best prime minister
India has had
W
hen Narendra Modi
stormed into power in
2014 by leading BJP to
a massive mandate, he delivered a
strong message, “We are not here
for any position but for a responsi‑
bility. I am not Prahdan Mantri I
am Pradhan Sevak.”
Modi is a different kind of Prime
Minister India had ever witnessed.
His dedication, commitment,
smartness, effective use of re‑
sources and hard working nature
makes him a role model for many.
Even World Bank Group President
faith in its commitment to the
cause.
Focus on farmers: As made clear
by Gujarat's farmers, with BJPʼs
loss of many seats in Saurashtra,
agriculture will need serious atten‑
tion from central government and
the party to make farmers happy
Create a reserve: Oil and other
petroleum products are expected
to get expensive this year and that
may force PM Modi to reduce
spending on infrastructure devel‑
opment projects. So prepare ahead.
Jim Yong Kim found the policies
and work of Modi visionary.
His initiatives like introducing
the Aadhar card and GST have far
reaching consequences. Even his
major decision of demonetization,
which some critics allege has mis‑
fired, stopped terrorist activities
immediately.
Modiʼs frequent foreign trips elic‑
it FDI and India has emerged as
the biggest grosser of foreign in‑
vestment: from #15 in 2013 to #1
in 2015. This rise despite the fact
that world economy is in a lean
phase and when even China and
other emerging economies are suf‑
fering. Big thanks to Modiʼs initia‑
tives like "Make in India". One big,
bold intuitive of the Modi govern‑
ment is electrification of the entire
nation ‑ rural and urban centers,
which targets bringing electricity
to 18,452 villages by May 2018.
But the fast progress made, the tar‑
get will be reached by March 2017.
Passing of Real Estate Bill, Rejig of
Air Defense System to save Rs
49,300 crore also come to mind as
his big accomplishments. Among
other progressive programs of
Modi for overall development of In‑
dia and welfare of all I can list: Dig‑
ital India, Pradhan Mantri Jan
Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas
Yojana, Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana,
Suraksha Bima Yojana, Krishi Sin‑
chai Yojana, Kaushal Vikas Yojana,
MUDRA Bank Yojana, Sukanya
Samriddhi Yojana, DigiLocker
Scheme, Modiʼs Sagar Mala and
Gold Monetization Scheme.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018

NDA can
make India
ʻglobal guruʼ
Krishna Reddy Anugula
Krishna Reddy Anugula
is president of OFBJP
(USA), based in
New Jersey.
The BJP‑led ruling National
Democratic Alliance has been
transforming the country. PM
Modiʼs mantra is 'sabke saath
sabka vikas.' Development‑ori‑
ented policies have resulted in
electoral successes in the last
three and half years for the
BJP.
Modi envisioned ʻNew Indiaʼ
that will transform the coun‑
try to make an impact on the
lives of 1.3 billion people. The
goals include doubling agri‑
culture income and eliminat‑
ing corruption, poverty and
injustice, as well as providing
houses, electricity and water
for all.
The NDA launched such pro‑
grams as Mudra Yojana (col‑
lateral‑free loans for small en‑
trepreneurs, which helped 80
million), Jan Dhan Yojana
(transferred Rs 1.93 lakh
crore to 320 million accounts
and saved Rs 49,000 crore
from middlemen), Ujjwala Yo‑
jana (distributed 23 million
gas cylinders to the poor),
Swachh Bharat (built more
than 50 million toilets).
The government helped
farmers with minimum sup‑
ported price, insurance and
soil cards.
The Modi government is fo‑
cusing on infrastructure proj‑
ects such as building roads
58 January 6-19, 2018
(133km/day rural connectivi‑
ty), electrifying all villages by
the year‑end, envisioning bul‑
let train and Bharatmala (110
billion dollar highway projects
to connect 550 revenue dis‑
tricts) and Udan Yojana (con‑
necting smaller airports).
Modi made bold decisions
like demonetization and im‑
plementation of GST to build a
solid financial foundation. The
benefits include a widened tax
base (5.7 million new filers),
tax collection growth (41% ad‑
vanced tax), deregistered
200,000 shell companies,
identified 1.8 million suspi‑
cious transactions. India is
one of the fastest‑growing
economies in the world with
low inflation and high foreign
direct investment.
The Indian foreign policy
moved from apologetic to as‑
sertive. India is providing lead‑
ership and standing firm
against China, which is bully‑
ing its neighbors and using its
financial muscle to trap na‑
tions with predatory lending.
The NDA government ap‑
proved the proxy vote, which
will benefit approximately
800,000 NRIs living in US.
BJP and its allies are ruling
19 out of 29 states (roughly
67% of population). People are
voting for the BJP because of
its governance and develop‑
ment model. Two‑thirds of the
youth is under 35.
They want development,
jobs and security ‑‑ and not di‑
visions and caste politics ac‑
tively engaged by the Con‑
gress party. Individuals‑fo‑
cused or family‑oriented or
outdated communist parties
are not viable as an alterna‑
tive to BJP.
I believe BJP will play a sig‑
nificant role in the next few
decades to make India a ʻglob‑
al guru.ʼ
I strongly believe that peo‑
ple will give a second term for
the NDA under the leadership
of Modi to complete 'New In‑
dia' by 2022, which will trans‑
form the country for genera‑
tions to come.
VOX POPULI
Modi failed on
many fronts;
nationʼs
image down
Shudh Parkash Singh
Shudh Jasuja, based on
Long Island, is President
of Indian National
Overseas Congress, USA.
The Modi government has
achieved a few things and divid‑
ed the country like no other
government in India did before
it. The image of a peaceful, sec‑
ular country has been tainted
all over the world. Even former
president Barack Obama has
commented on the situation
negatively. The American news
media, including the Long Is‑
land paper Newsday, has criti‑
cized the growing extremism re‑
sorted to by some Hindu
zealots. This kind of situation is
not helping the cause of Hin‑
dus, but hurting them.
In comparison, the Congress
party‑led UPA headed by our
honest prime minister Manmo‑
han Singh transformed India
into an economic powerhouse.
The Singh governmentʼs
achievements are so many that
there is no comparison with the
current dispensation.
More than 100 people died
only because of mismanage‑
ment by the government follow‑
ing demonetization in 2016.
Can you imagine a president of
the United States or any other
Western nation to stay in power
after taking a drastic and terri‑
ble step like demonetization?
The Modi governmentʼs unilat‑
eral action brought nothing but
shame for all of us.
Unemployment is the biggest
issue in present‑day India. The
youth are frustrated. Narendra
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Modi came to power on promis‑
es of change in governance and
providing employment to all.
His policies on these and other
fronts have miserably failed.
Congress is the only party in
the country that has real eco‑
nomic‑development policies.
Rahul Gandhi, the new presi‑
dent of the party, has not
looked back since he returned
to India from his historic US in
the middle of last year. That
time we, at the INOC, organized
a reception in New York, which
turned out to be a huge success.
We presented him with a base‑
ball bat and he has been hitting
home runs one after another
since then. Now the youth and
women of the country are look‑
ing up to Rahul ji as their new
re‑energized leader.
The biggest achievement of
Modi is to create an impression
that he is a strong prime minis‑
ter. In reality that is not the
case. He has failed among other
things to act decisively against
Pakistan, which has in recent
years began creating problems
for India, failure in tackling cor‑
ruption and youth joblessness.
Rahul Gandhi gives
no guarantee for win
in 2019 elections
Rajesh Sampath
Rajesh Sampath is
associate professor at
Brandeis University,
Massachusetts.
Given the promises Prime
Minister Modi made during his
campaign that led to BJP victo‑
ry in 2014, one could argue
that he has the momentum to
lead his party to a victory again
in 2019. He promised strong
economic growth, rising in‑
comes for all, a pro‑business
market approach, deregulation,
massive industrialization, com‑
mitments to building infrastruc‑
ture given the appalling un‑
evenness in electricity transmis‑
sion, sanitation and sewage that
have plagued India.
After his election, world lead‑
ers, particularly in the West,
courted Modi seeing the vast
market India presents and the
fact that many predict its rise to
the superpower status. But
things are not so cur and dry for
2019. The BJP eked out a victo‑
ry in Gujarat by only a slim mar‑
gin. Reason may be that Indiaʼs
economic growth has begun to
slow while China continues its
steady rise to arguably the fu‑
ture dominant world power. The
poor and working classes have
not seen the benefits of Modiʼs
policies such as demonetization
and GST. Structural inequality is
intensifying as Dalit movements
continue their quest to break
through the institutional, socie‑
tal and cultural inertia of the
caste system. With a youthful la‑
bor force, the demand for
change and opportunity never
abates.
But to assume that Rahul
Gandhiʼs assumption of the lead‑
ership of Congress is a guaran‑
tee for victory in 2019 would be
premature. Perhaps dynastic cy‑
cles and name brands are begin‑
ning to erode in Indiaʼs 70‑year
postcolonial democracy. By com‑
parison, the youth did not turn
out for Hillary Clinton which
cost her the election in the US.
India has to decide whether un‑
bridled economic growth and
the rapid ascent to world super‑
power status should come at the
expense of reducing inequality,
creating opportunity for all, per‑
haps by reforming the constitu‑
tion to ban caste itself and not
just discrimination on the basis
of caste given the legacy of
Ambedkar, and alleviating mass
poverty and fixing basic infra‑
structure such as electricity, san‑
itation and sewage.
India has an opportunity to
not only become a world eco‑
nomic leader in the 21st century
but perhaps be the true example
of fairness, justice, liberty, equal‑
ity and fraternity for all as
promised in its celebrated Con‑
stitution.
Compiled and edited by our
Special Correspondent.
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ANALYSIS January 6-19, 2018 59

Can BJP stymie

rejuvenated Rahul?
Special to The South Asian Times to BJP is strong long run, it is reins in 2014.
and Rahul difficult to say That does not seem to be the case now. If

T
hough the BJP won the recent state Gandhi, the re‑ whether they the Modi government wants to bring down
elections in Gujarat and Himachal juvenated pres‑ will yield re‑ poverty to a manageable level, economic
Pradesh, it should give everyone a ident of the sults before the growth should catch up to 8%‑10%. In fact
pause. In Himachal, the electorate ‑‑ like 133‑year‑old upcoming elec‑ it should cross the double digits in order to
people in Kerala – like to vote against the Grand Old Par‑ tions. GST, significantly bring down unemployment,
incumbent party. So, BJP had an advantage ty of India, will which is sup‑ which is growing precipitously.
over Congress which was in power. be a shoo‑in in posed to raise Still, the advantage lies with Modi as his
Gujarat was a different case. It has been the coming GDP by 2 slogans such as corruption‑free nation and
ruled by the BJP for more than two state and par‑ points in a few Clean India remain popular. Unfortunately
decades and you would expect anti‑incum‑ liamentary years, has been for the opposition there are no significant
bency factor to kick in. And voters almost elections. De‑ modified a few economic alternatives.
did turn toward the opposition. Eventually, spite his vigor‑ times resulting They are also largely disunited. Modi, an
for the BJP, it was a pyrrhic victory. The ous campaign‑ in a sharp drop astute politician, should be able to capital‑
party hovered over the three‑figure mark ing in Gujarat, Rahulʼs charisma could not in the originally expected revenue. The ize the situation to his and his partyʼs ad‑
in the 182‑member assembly while party match that of Modiʼs. He still seems to be present GDP growth is not even 6.5%. As‑ vantage. The next two national budgets,
president Amit Shah had predicted 150 lackadaisical, though he is now party pres‑ suming that the 2% is added in the next scheduled for February 1 and early next
seats. ident. two years, the growth rate would just year, will show the path on which the
Just a few months ago, it was the consen‑ According to Times Now news channel, equal the one when Modi took over the country is traversing.
sus among most political analysts that Rahul was in a theater watching Star Wars:
Modi would be unbeatable in the 2019 The Last Jedi shortly after his party lost

Happy New Year

Lok Sabha polls. Not many are talking the Gujarat battle. Compare this with the
about it now, though it still is possible. The work ethic of Modi, who has an 18‑hour a
aging leader, who touts a Congress‑free In‑ day schedule for the party and the govern‑
dia, has to shepherd his party in four ma‑ ment.
jor state elections this year. “If you are in public life, you must have
And the BJP is already struggling to re‑ no attachment and be committed totally to
tain three – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh public work,” historian Ramachandra Guha
and Rajasthan. In Karnataka, currently has said recently. “It is a valorization of
ruled by the Congress party, Siddaramaiah joylessness.”
seems to be well entrenched as chief min‑ Two of the prime ministerʼs major eco‑
ister and it is not going to be easy to un‑ nomic policies, sometimes described as
seat him. Chief ministers of the three BJP Modinomics, demonetization and GST,
states in question are apparently have been vehemently criticized by many
vulnerable. people and the opposition. Though some
All this is not to say that the opposition argue that both measures are good in the

New Year Message

On behalf of HAB BANK, I would like to
extend our joyous greetings on New Year
2018.

May the New Year brings peace, joy, and

prosperity to the entire Indian American
Community living and working in the tri‑
state area.

As we celebrate the beginning of New

Year, let us hope that it brings along new
opportunities for us to work together and
reach new heights of success and glory. On
this happy occasion, we take pride in our achievements as a community in
the US despite the challenges that lie ahead and pray for prosperity in the
New Year.

HAB BANK, since is inception in 1983 as New York State chartered bank,
has played a vital role in nurturing communities through its network of
branches in New York, New Jersey, and California. HAB experienced robust
growth during 2017 and, with your help, the Bank will continue to move
forward while adhering to sound and prudent banking principles.

Thank you for your continued support, trust, and partnership. We look for‑
ward to working with you in the years to come.

All My Best
Saleem Iqbal
President & CEO
HAB BANK New York

North Korea's dictator
Kim Jong‑Un.
US‑NORTH
KOREA RIFT
WORRIES WORLD
N
orth Korea's dictator
Kim Jong‑Un shook
the world last year by
claiming that the country has
missiles that can hit the US
mainland. Missiles were test‑
fired close to US allies ‑ Japan
and South Korea, forcing for
the US and the world to not to
take Kim's claims lightly.
The US involved the United
Nations Security Council to
take action. The regulator
then adopted US's drafted
sanctions against North Ko‑
rea, which cuts exports of
gasoline, diesel and other re‑
fined oil products by a total of
89 percent, among other
things.
North Korea claimed this to
be an act of war and rejected
the UN sanctions.
The Chinese government
called on the US and North
Korea to exercise restraint
and help reduce tensions af‑
ter two US bombers flew near
the Korean peninsula before
US President Donald Trump's
upcoming Asia trip.
North Korea has not yet
crossed the red line, meaning
that the country has not yet
demonstrated the ability to
reach major American cities
with a nuclear‑armed inter‑
continental ballistic missile
(ICBM).
Nevertheless, in 2017,
North Koreaʼs progress to‑
ward this objective has
changed the calculus regard‑
ing the threat posed by Py‑
ongyang, creating a level of
alarm that is unprecedented.
The US‑North Korea rift is
yet to reach a consensus.
60 January 6-19, 2018 I N T E R N A T I O N A L R O U N D U P TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Hope for real India-Pak
peace next Yuletide
From one Yuletide to
another, two Christmas days
saw the springing of hope of
betterment in India-Pakistan
relations, only for the usual
bitterness to creep back in,
even as voices of civil society
activists continue to call for
peace
By Ranjana Narayan
O
n December 25, 2015,
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi took the unexpected
and unannounced step of paying a
visit to then Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif's house in Lahore, to stop
by for a tea meeting ‑‑ on a day
that happened to be the Pakistan
Premier's birthday and also his
granddaughter's wedding.
But true to form, the Pathankot
attack happened a few days later,
and all went in vain. Bilateral ties
since then scaled one bitter peak
ISLAMIC STATE: DISMANTLED BUT STILL DANGEROUS
T
he year 2017 saw significant
damage to the Islamic State
(IS), which lost almost all of
its self‑proclaimed “Caliphate” in
Iraq and Syria, but experts warn the
group is adapting and continues to
be a threat.
British Prime Minister Theresa
May congratulated her Iraqi coun‑
terpart Haider Abadi over the Is‑
lamic State victory, but warned the
militant group is "not yet defeated".
Abadi announced that the Islamic
State no longer occupies significant
territory in Iraq, and the fight
against Islamic State was over after
PANAMA PAPERS TOOK NAWAZ SHARIF'S JOB
T T
he year belonged to the
Supreme Court in Pakistan. If
2017 was the worst year for
Nawaz Sharif, who felt not only in‑
sulted but also humiliated at the
hands of the judiciary, it was “a
dream come true” for Imran Khan,
reports Dawn.
Imran, perhaps in his over‑opti‑
mism after his 20 years of struggle,
considered the disqualification of
Nawaz as his possible victory in the
general elections in 2018, finding a
hurdle in the form of just one per‑
son between him and Islamabad ̶
Shehbaz Sharif, the chief minister of
Punjab and younger brother of for‑
mer PM Nawaz Sharif.
The year was also one of the
worst ̶ perhaps the worst‑everr̶
for the Muttahida Qaumi Move‑
ment, and, for the first time in al‑
most 30 years (1987 to 2017),
elections in Karachi in 2018 would
after another, as the Uri attack in
September and the Surgical
Strikes followed. In between came
Burhan Wani's killing and Pak‑
istan raised the Kashmir bogey,
and then Saarc fell victim to it all.
Cut to December 25, 2017. This
time it was the meeting between
Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Indi‑
an naval officer sentenced to
death by Pakistan on charges of
spying and terrorism, and his wife
and mother. All eyes were riveted
on the meeting, arranged at the
Foreign Office building in Islam‑
abad.
The meeting, set‑up through
diplomatic channels, could have
worked to bolster the sagging re‑
lationship. But Pakistan's treat‑
ment of Jadhav's wife and mother,
who were made to remove their
bindi, mangalsutra and bangles
for the meeting, has left ties as
they were ‑‑ bitter.
India has slammed Pakistan's
treatment as violative of the hu‑
more than three years of combat
operations.
Iraqi forces mopped up the last
pockets of IS fighters from Iraq's
western deserts later last year, se‑
curing the country's border with
Syria, a step that marked the end of
combat operations against the ex‑
tremists.
IS rapidly captured large territo‑
ries in Iraq and Syria and declared a
caliphate in 2014. The group con‑
trolled more than 34,000 square
miles of territory from the Mediter‑
ranean coast to south of Baghdad.
The campaign to eradicate the Is‑
Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif walks
past Indian PM Narendra Modi
at the SAARC Summit in
Kathmandu. (File photo: IANS)
be not be predictable.
What really went wrong between
the Sharifs and the judiciary is still
a mystery, as the former prime min‑
ister has yet to disclose the 'con‑
spiracy' against him and his sudden
harsh stance against the July 28
judgment by the courts.
Kulbhushan Jadhav meets his family at the Pakistan Foreign Office in
Islamabad on December 25. (Photo: Twitter/@ForeignOfficePk)
man rights of the two women Pakistan taking umbrage at the
who, it said, were made to "appear US' promotion of India as its
like widows" minus the Hindu em‑ friend, especially in dealing with
blems of a married woman. Pak‑ Afghanistan, though on the
istan has justified its treatment, ground Islamabad‑Washington
saying Jadhav is no ordinary pris‑ ties continue to oscillate under the
oner, but a "convicted Indian ter‑
rorist and spy" for which extra se‑
Trump administration. Also China
and Pakistan cosying up, with In‑
curity measures were needed. dia as an intended target, has not
Adding to the tensions has been helped much.
lamic State took more than three months. Troops in December retook
years and about 25,000 coalition the town of Rawa, one of IS' last
air strikes. Iraqi forces have in‑ footholds in the country. At that
creasingly been pushing IS out of point, only pockets of IS resistance
the country over the past few remained.
THE ROHINGYA FLED TO BANGLADESH
he Rohingya Muslim
minority has faced
ethno‑religious dis‑
crimination in Myanmar for
decades. In August, this per‑
secution descended into wide‑
ly‑acknowledged ethnic
cleansing, with violence perpe‑
trated by the Myanmar mili‑
tary on Rohingya men, women,
and children that shocked the
world.
More than 655,000 Rohingya
fled the country since August,
Rakhine
adding to the more than
State, and the tragic indifference of
210,000 Rohingya already living in
Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu
Bangladesh as refugees. The Inter‑ Kyi to the suffering.
national Rescue Committee has But with nearly 870,000 Ro‑
called this the “fastest‑growing hu‑ hingya refugees in legal limbo, and
manitarian crisis in the world.” surviving under rudimentary condi‑
The problems inside the refugee tions in Bangladeshʼs Teknaf Penin‑
camps in Bangladesh have attracted sula, attention should shift urgently
less media attention than the sto‑ to funding the relief operations
ries of brutal violence in Myanmarʼs there.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018

Locations in New York:

East Meadow Hicksville Poughkeepsie
Flushing Manhattan Scarsdale
Forest Hills New Hyde Park Valley Stream

By Biswajit Choudhury
T he 70th year since Inde‑
pendence will go down in
Indian history since the country
switched over to the Goods and
Services Tax (GST) regime, real‑
izing, thereby, the vision of a
unified market in a federal sys‑
tem that guided the nationalist
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The new indirect tax regime unifying
the Indian market has four tax slabs of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent.
E‑commerce sector rides on Digital India, note ban
By Fakir Balaji
A dopting disruptive technol‑
ogy and riding on the Digi‑
tal India bandwagon, the e‑com‑
merce sector has survived the
slowdown in 2017 and benefit‑
ed from the note ban, which
spurred online transactions.
More than computer‑based In‑
ternet penetration and broad‑
band extension, the record
growth of smartphones and the
4G network rollout made e‑tail‑
ing popular even in secondary
cities and towns across the
country thanks to easy and
quick access to information and
data on products and services.
"In the growing e‑commerce
business, e‑tailers like Flipkart,
Amazon and Snapdeal have led
the growth, with more cus‑
tomers shopping online than
ever before in the digital space,"
a market analyst told IANS here.
Though e‑tailing accounts for
2.5 per cent of the retail trade,
its advantages are making more
people buy groceries, vegeta‑
bles, fruits, chicken, eggs, meat
and fish online from BigBasket,
Fresh to Home, Nature Fresh
and Grofers sites in metros like
Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad,
62 January 6-19, 2018
GST made 2017 most
significant year for economy
bourgeoisie in joining Mahatma
Gandhis struggle to liberate In‑
dia from the British.
Of course, the structural re‑
form came accompanied with
pain for trade and industry
caught off‑guard by the rigors
of new compliance procedures.
Queried by corporate leaders at
industry chamber Ficci's 90th
AGM here earlier this month on
how GST was impacting through
lower tax collections, Finance
Kolkata, Mumbai, NCR and
Pune.
"As commuting through heavy
traffic and finding a place for
parking becomes difficult, we
are hard‑pressed for time to
shop offline. It's easy and cheap‑
er to order and get what we
need ‑‑ and at discounted prices
than relying on hard bargain‑
ing," said homemaker P.
Susheela in the city's southeast
suburb.
Not to be left out, popular
eateries like KFC, Pizza Hut, Mc‑
Donald's, SubWay and a host of
Indian food joints have extend‑
ed their services online, with
dedicated portals for orders,
payments and delivery on time.
"Growing consumerism, dis‑
posable incomes, changing
lifestyles, extended work hours
and social gatherings have
made ordering food from out‑
side common as it saves time
and is made easier by multiple
e‑payments," the analyst said.
Though demonetisation dis‑
rupted the economy and caused
hardship to millions of people
using cash, the controversial
move accelerated digital trans‑
actions and spawned a plethora
of e‑payment gateways.
BUSINESS ROUNDUP
Minister Arun Jaitley put the
onus on them.
"It is you from industry, who
have been calling for so long to
bring GSTÂ… and no sooner do
these initial problems in imple‑
menting a reform of such scale
appear, then you want to go
back to the system we've had
for 70 years," he said.
The earlier system was a myri‑
ad of central and state taxes
where the movement of goods
was slowed down by products
being taxed multiple times and
at different rates.
State level taxes replaced by
the pan‑India GST include state
cesses and surcharges, luxury
tax, state VAT, purchase tax,
central sales tax, taxes on adver‑
tisements, entertainment tax,
various forms of entry tax, and
taxes on lotteries and betting.
Central taxes replaced by GST
are service tax, special addition‑
al customs duties (SAD), addi‑
tional excise duties on goods of
special importance, central ex‑
cise, additional customs duties,
excise on medicinal and toilet
preparations, additional excise
duties on textiles and textile
products, and cesses and sur‑
Digital payments firm Paytm
unveiled its e‑commerce arm
Paytm Mall in February and
wooed customers to use its
gateway for buying even offline
through its omni‑channel from
retail chains like Big Bazaar,
Spar, Hyper City and other su‑
permarkets.
The Unified Payment Interface
(UPI) of the National Payments
Corporation of India (NPCI) also
helped to spawn scores of state‑
run and private digital payment
channels across the country and
benefited e‑commerce players
in other sectors like B‑2‑B, B‑2‑C
and government services.
Online payments were made
more acceptable through state‑
run BHIM (Bharat Interface for
Money) and Bharat QR code for
scanning and paying.
"The increasing mobile and In‑
ternet usage, mobile‑commerce
sales, advanced shipping, multi‑
ple payment options and dis‑
counts have fuelled the growth
of the e‑commerce sector across
the country," the study noted.
Online access to global brands
and products across verticals
have given an opportunity and
choice for netizens to decide
what and when to buy from
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
charges.
The new indirect tax regime
unifying the Indian market has
four tax slabs of 5, 12, 18 and
28 per cent.
It has a novel feature whereby
goods and services providers
get the benefit of input tax cred‑
it for the goods used, effectively
making the real incidence of
taxation lower than the headline
taxation rate.
The second half of the year
saw a radical reworking of the
items within the four‑slab tax
structure by the supremely fed‑
eral institution of the GST Coun‑
cil, whereby all but 50 of over
1,200 items remained in the
highest 28 per cent bracket.
Those retained included luxury
and sin items, the cess on which
goes to fund the compensation
to states for the loss of revenue
arising from implementing GST.
With the Council's decisions last
month, GST has been cut on a
host of consumer items such as
chocolates, chewing gum, sham‑
poos, deodorants, shoe polish,
detergents, nutrition drinks,
marble and cosmetics. Luxury
goods such as washing ma‑
chines and air conditioners have
home or office and commuting
or travelling outside.
Increasing awareness on the
benefits of online trading has
also helped people opt for virtu‑
al shopping, selecting, ordering,
transacting business in retail
and other sectors like logistics,
healthcare, education, procure‑
ment and a range of services
like booking tickets for travel‑
ling or even watching films.
"The e‑commerce retail mar‑
ket is estimated to be $12 bil‑
lion in gross merchandise value
(GMV) terms. Sales rose 40 per
The e‑commerce retail market is estimated to be $12 billion
in gross merchandise value (GMV) terms.
been retained at 28 per cent.
Eating out has become cheap‑
er as all restaurants outside
high‑end hotels charging over
Rs 7,500 per room will uniform‑
ly levy GST of five per cent. The
facility of input tax credit for
restaurants has, however, been
withdrawn as they had not
passed on this benefit to con‑
sumers.
Petroleum, including oil and
gas, is a strategic sector that is
still not under GST, while the in‑
dustry has been pushing for its
inclusion so as not to be de‑
prived of the benefits of input
credit.
Including real estate is anoth‑
er matter pending before the
GST Council.
The icing on the cake came
with the World Bank announc‑
ing earlier this year that India
had jumped 30 places in its
Ease of Doing Business rankings
to get among the top 100 coun‑
tries on the list. Though reforms
in India's direct tax regime fig‑
ured among the parameters
considered in evaluation, GST
had not been taken into account
by the multilateral agency since
their cut‑off date was June 30.
cent due to smart deals and
huge discounts offered to lure
consumers into online shop‑
ping," said a marketing research
official.
Electronics continues to be the
favorite in e‑tailing, accounting
for 47 per cent of e‑sales, fol‑
lowed by apparel with 31 per
cent e‑sales. According to a re‑
port by global professional serv‑
ices firm KPMG, online spend‑
ing, including domestic and
cross‑border shopping, is set to
grow 31 per cent annually to
$136 billion by 2018.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
 64 January 6-19, 2018 SPORTS ROUNDUP TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Women kept the

Tricolor high
From weightlifter Saikhom
A watershed
Mirabai Chanu who became
year for Indian the first Indian in over two
badminton decades to claim a gold
medal at the World
weightlifting championship
to Mithali Raj and her girls
who gave women's cricket a
big fillip, the year gone by
was clearly all about the
new breed of sportspersons.

P.V. Sindhu in action. l By SAT Team

Weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu. Indian womenʼs cricket team skipper Mithali Raj (center).

Indian badminton in 2017 con‑
tinued to move northwards,
dishing out one stunning per‑
formance after another, espe‑
cially with the men's shuttlers
earning respect on the global
stage.
While P.V. Sindhu extended
her status as India's leading
shuttler, the likes of Kidambi
Srikanth, H.S. Prannoy and B.
Sai Praneeth left their mark on
the circuit, even as Saina Nehw‑
al, now a veteran, battled her
way to a World Championship
bronze.
Saina, 27, struggled with her
consistency and fitness but the
2012 London Olympic bronze
medallist fought against time
and went on to clinch the BWF
World Championship bronze
medal along with the Malaysia
Masters, proving her doubters
wrong and ending debates on
her future.
Recuperating from her ca‑
reer‑threatening knee ligament
surgery after the 2016 Rio
Games, Saina showed signs of
improvement at the Premier
Badminton League (PBL), which
the Sindhu‑led Chennai Smash‑
ers won in January.
The Indian juggernaut on the
global stage continued, with
player after player stealing the
limelight. Sindhu defeated
reigning world champion Nozo‑
mi Okuhara of Japan in the
women's singles final of the Ko‑
rea Open Superseries.
I
n a country where cricket domi‑
nates the headlines, woman
weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai
Chanu in November grabbed the at‑
tention when she became the first
Indian in 22 years to claim a gold
medal at the World weightlifting
championship.
Chanu lifted 85 kg in snatch and
109 kg in clean and jerk to total an
impressive 194 kg in the 48 kg cat‑
egory and in the process set a new
National record in clean‑and‑jerk.
Her own previous record was 108
kg in June this year. The gold
medal also earned Chanu redemp‑
Indian
cricket
vaults to
new high
T
he Indian men's cricket
team achieved many highs
in 2017 ‑‑ winning 37 out
of their 53 matches across all for‑
mats.
The men's team experienced an
array of transformations with skip‑
per Virat Kohli taking over the
mantle of all the three formats in
company of head coach Ravi Shas‑
tion after she had failed at the Rio
Olympics in 2016.
Olympic bronze medalist Karnam
Malleswari had won the top prize
in the World championship twice
̶ in 1994 and 1995.
President Ram Nath Kovind and
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
tweeted their congratulations on
Chanuʼs gold‑medal winning effort.
Earlier in July, whether they win
the Cricket World Cup or not,
Mithali Rajʼs dashing girls did
enough to
give womenʼs
ce continued ac
Indiaʼs dominan
exit of Kumble
after 12 months of an
otherwise harmonious
tenure that grabbed the
headlines.
The Champions Trophy
followed a brief, victorious
limited overs tour to the
West Indies. The Indians
then toured Sri Lanka for a
sport in the country a shot in the by a narrow margin of nine runs.
arm. Sachin Tendulkar and Amitabh
Sports personalities including top Bachchan later joined Modi in
cricket players took to various so‑ praising the Indian women's cricket
cial media platforms to heap praise team.
on India's women cricketers for "Our team did well in the World
their effort in the ICC World Cup fi‑ Cup. I wouldn't say good because of
nal where they went down to hosts the result but we have created a
England just by nine runs at Lordʼs. buzz about women's cricket in In‑
The Prime Minister, in his 'Mann dia among people. I am hoping it
Ki Baat' radio program, said he will be good times henceforth for
could feel their pain at losing the fi‑ women's cricket," Raj said.
nal against England
ross formats in 2017.
The
newly‑wed
couple.
Virat, Anushka
begin new innings

Sindhu, however, lost to
Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in
the women's singles final of the
season‑ending BWF World Su‑
perseries Finals.
Just after Sai Praneeth won
the Thailand Open Superseries
title, Srikanth began his amaz‑
ing run in the Superseries cir‑
cuit. In June, the Guntur shut‑
tler consecutively pocketed the
Indonesia Open and the Aus‑
tralian Open and then lifted the
Denmark and French titles in
October.
tri, who replaced Anil Kumble after
an avoidable battle.
Of the 37 victories, 21 came in
One‑day Internationals (ODIs)
even as India regained their No.1
spot in the longest format, having
won seven out of 11 Tests before
South Africa pipped them towards
the end of the year.
The only heartbreak came dur‑
ing the final of the ICC Champions
Trophy when the Men‑in‑Blue lost
to an unpredictable Pakistan.
But more than the loss to Pak‑
istan, it was the unceremonious
full series under the new coach,
where they whitewashed the Is‑
landers 9‑0 across all formats.
Coming back, India's dominance
continued across formats, starting
with a 4‑1 demolition of the Kan‑
garoos in the ODIs before sharing
the T20I series 1‑1.
Kohli's men then made light
work of the New Zealanders, beat‑
ing them 2‑1 in both the ODIs and
T20Is before ending the year with
another humiliation of the hapless
Sri Lankans in a hurriedly‑organ‑
ized home series.
I
ndian cricket team captain Vi‑
rat Kohli and Bollywood actress
Anushka Sharma ‑‑ India's most
watched couple ‑‑ sealed their rela‑
tionship with a wedding – in Italy
amid close family and friends.
From megastar Amitabh
Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan,
Priyanka Chopra, ace filmmaker
Karan Johar to master blaster
Sachin Tendulkar and tennis star
Sania Mirza ‑‑ a host of celebrities
from the Indian film and sports
world got together in wishing a
"happily ever after" to the newly‑
wed couple. After hosting their
first reception in Delhi – attended
by the Prime Minister Narendra
Modi ‑‑ the high‑profile couple
hosted their second reception at St
Regis' Astor Ballroom in Mumbai.
After wrapping the wedding fes‑
tivities, Anushka and Virat left for
South Africa where Virat will stay
on for an upcoming series.
Anushka is scheduled to touch
base in Mumbai after New Year
celebrations, where she will
resume her pending work
commitments.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
 66 January 6-19, 2018 LAW AND TECH TheSouthAsianTimes.info

A great work visa option for Canadian

& Mexican nationals: The TN visa
Mexican citizens meets the qualifi‑
cations for the job in question.
Under this visa an individual may
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for up to three years, and then ap‑
8 Letter from the future employ‑
er showing proof of profes‑
sional employment describing
the professional capacity in
which you will work, the pur‑

T
he North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
established certain eco‑
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the United States, Canada and
Mexico. The TN (Treaty NAFTA)
visa is a non‑immigrant visa that
grants skilled Canadian and Mexi‑
pose of your employment,
ply for an extension for an addi‑
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tional three years. The individual qualifications;
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limited amount of times. There is
no minimum or maximum number
of years for TN visa status. Since
the TN visa is a temporary visa,
the Canadian or Mexican citizen
8 Credentials evaluation, if
needed; and
8 Applicable fees

A prospective TN employer may

can citizens temporary entrance
into the United States to engage in
business activities at a profession‑
al level. Some professions that
qualify for a TN visa are account‑
ants, engineers, lawyers, pharma‑
cists, scientists, and teachers.
Eligibility requirements for TN
non‑immigrant visa:
8 The individual must be a citi‑
zen of Canada or Mexico;
8 The profession must be listed
on the NAFTA professional job
list;
8 The position in the U.S. needs
a NAFTA professional;
8 The individual has a pre‑
planned full‑time or part‑time
job with a U.S. employer; and
8 The individual is qualified for
the job in question.
NAFTA controls what evidence
is required to prove a Canadian or
must show that he or she expects
to return to his or her home coun‑
try once the visa expires when ap‑
plying for the visa.
To obtain TN visa status, citi‑
zens of Canada have to go
through a different process than
citizens of Mexico. A citizen of
Canada does not need to apply for
a TN visa at a U.S. consulate but
instead can seek admission by
presenting certain documents to a
U.S. Customs and Border Protec‑
tion (CBP) officer at certain ports
of entry. If all the required docu‑
ments are correct and the CBP of‑
ficer finds the individual eligible
for admission, then they will be
admitted. The required documents
are:
8 A request for TN status admis‑
sion to the immigrant officer;
8 Proof of Canadian citizenship;
also file on behalf of a Canadian
citizen who is outside of the U.S.
by submitting Form I‑129, Peti‑
tion for Nonimmigrant Worker.
Once the I‑129 is approved by US‑
CIS, the prospective employee,
may apply to CBP for admission
to the U.S.
A citizen of Mexico would need
to get a visa to enter the United
States as a TN nonimmigrant. A
visa can be applied for directly at
the U.S. embassy or consulate in
Mexico. Once the TN visa is ap‑
proved, an individual may apply
for admission at certain CBP des‑
ignated U.S. ports of entry. If a
CBP officer finds an individual
qualified for admission, then they
will be allowed to enter the U.S. as
a TN nonimmigrant.
Any dependents of TN nonimmi‑
grants, spouse and children under
the age of 21, may be eligible for
TD nonimmigrant status. Howev‑
TALK
By Michael Phulwani, Esq. and Dev B. Viswanath, Esq.
er, dependents are not allowed to TN nonimmigrant. All in All, the
work, but they are allowed to TN Visa is a wonderful visa option
study, and the TD status is grant‑ to have for those with work inter‑
ed for no longer than the period ests without a need to remain per‑
of time granted to the principal manently in the US.
Dev Banad Viswanath is the Principal
Attorney of The Banad Law Offices PC
in the United States, and Banad
Immigration in India for which
Attorney Michael Phulwani is also
affiliated as Of Counsel. With Offices
in Manhattan, Queens, Bangalore, and
Mumbai, the firm is able to assist
clients with all facets of the immigra‑
tion process, including Employment
Visas, Consular Visa Assistance,
Student Visas, Removal & Deportation,
US Citizenship and Green Card
Applications based on Family or
Employment. Dev B. Viswanath can
be reached at Dev@Bana dlaw.com
and 718‑361‑5999.

Automation, anti‑globalization disrupted India's IT sector in 2017

By Fakir Balaji
Bengaluru: The resilient Indian IT indus‑
try, which has been going through chal‑
lenging times on multiple fronts, faced
disruption in 2017 from increasing au‑
tomation and the boardroom spat in In‑
fosys. Though the $150‑billion software
sector reconciled to single‑digit export
growth of 7‑8 % for the 2017‑18 fiscal,
demand for more automation and using
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the services
had put the vendors under pressure to
hone the skills of their techies in the
thousands and invest in new technolo‑
gies to deliver on time for global enter‑
prises.
"The Indian IT industry has been going
through challenging times due to disrup‑
tive technologies, changing business
models, rising protectionism, anti‑global‑
isation and political and economic up‑
heavals slowing its growth," Nasscom
President R. Chandrashekhar told IANS.
Brexit and the sluggish demand in Eu‑
rope also lowered the industry's export
growth from 9‑10 % in the last fiscal.
Software exports contribute about 80
per cent to the industry's revenue, with
the US market generating 60 per cent of
this, while the domestic market is pro‑
jected to grow 10‑11 per cent in 2017‑
18.
"Modernization of clients' IT operations
gistics, a host of other verticals are in‑ platforms for digital business.
vesting in automation, AI, cloud comput‑ Hiring in traditional services like appli‑
ing, data analytics, machine learning, ro‑ cation development, testing and mainte‑
botics and Internet of Things (IoT). nance will, however, continue to decline
On the flip side, innovation and tech due to automation and AI.
start‑ups have also faced headwinds, as Infosys, meanwhile, was rocked by
angel investments and initial funding boardroom battles that led to the dra‑
have sharply declined over the months. matic exit of its first non‑promoter Chief
Skill shortage in developed countries Executive, Vishal Sikka, in August and re‑
implied huge opportunities for the Indi‑ turn of co‑founder Nandan Nilekani as
an IT industry to invest in building hu‑ Chairman to steer it out of troubled
and adoption of new technologies such man capital talent and developing new times.
as SaaS (Software As A Service) applica‑
tions, cloud platforms, BI (Business Intel‑
ligence), cognitive and embedded analyt‑
ics for digital projects of enterprise cus‑
tomers have been the industry's growth
drivers in 2017," noted Chandrashekhar.
According to Nasscom Chairman Ra‑
man Roy, the industry has reinvented
and is focused on building digital solu‑
tion offerings through a combination of
business model changes and investment
in products and platforms.
Admitting that the industry would need
bold and imaginative action to resolve is‑
sues, Chandrashekhar said opportunities
were unfolding, as new sectors such as
healthcare, energy, transportation and
manufacturing were also adopting ICT
solutions to sustain, compete and grow.
Besides traditional sectors like banking,
financial services and insurance (BFSI),
telecom, retail, utilities, transport and lo‑
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018

Happy
Happy
Happy New Year
Diwali
Republic Day
 68 January 6-19, 2018 TRISTATE SPOT NEWS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

New York Tamils raise $125,000

for Tamil Chair at Harvard
Garden City, NY: Tamil groups in
New York area organized a grand
gala at Akbar restaurant here on
Jan 7 and raised $125,000 for a
Tamil Chair at Harvard University.
The groups included New York
Tamil Academy, New York Tamil
Sangam, NY chapter of the Tamil
Nadu Foundation, and the
Muthamizh Munnetra Mandram.
The event was headlined by the two
Participating groups included New York Tamil Academy, New York
seed donors, Dr. V. Janakiraman
Tamil Sangam, NY chapter of the Tamil Nadu Foundation, and the
and Dr. S. T. Sambandam, who had
Muthamizh Munnetra Mandram. Jonathan Ripley from Harvard University with donors.
already given half a million dollars
each to jump start this process a York Tamil Sangam, agreed. Dr. and Kanchana Poola of NYTS and in traditional Tamil costumes‑‑Saree topics from “why Harvard?” to “how
couple of years ago. Gupta, the Chairperson of TNF‑NY Mr. Sriram and Mr. Selvan of NYTA and Vaetti‑Sattai. The Panel Discus‑ the Chair can help Tamils?” to what
“The New York Tamil groups have chapter added, “In more than 40 helped, it is the enthusiastic sup‑ sion on Tamil Chair with the seed the future of the Chair would be.
shown that when we come together, years, this is the first time an event port from the community that pro‑ donors and Dr. Vasu Renganathan, Mr. Dexter A. Bailey, Senior VP of
we scale new heights,” said Dr. Bala where raising funds was the focus pelled us to reach the goal,” noted who teaches Tamil at the South Advancement and Executive Direc‑
Swaminathan, president of New instead of entertainment.” Indeed, a Swaminathan. The function started Asian Studies department in Univer‑ tor of Stony Brook foundation,
York Tamil Academy. “It is gratify‑ total of $125,000 was raised. “I am with a surprise‑‑a “flash mob” dance sity of Pennsylvania, was informa‑ spoke about leadership in advance‑
ing to join forces for a common sure it is going to be a motivation by volunteers to the upbeat “Aalap‑ tive and engaging. The discussion ment, principal gifts strategies and
cause,” Ranganathan Pu‑ to all other fundraisers in the fu‑ poran Thamizhan” song from the moderated by Dr. Bala Swami‑ the role and experience of minori‑
rushothaman, president of New ture. While big donations from Jack film Mercel with everyone dressed nathan touched upon a range of ties in university advancement.

Indian-American legal AAPIʼs historic Global Healthcare

advisor kept critical
info from Trump: NYT
Washington, DC: In the latest ʻexposeʼ
on the internal troubles roiling the White
House, The New
York Times re‑
ported that a top
Indian‑American
legal advisor de‑
liberately misled
President Trump
on whether he
could fire former
FBI Director
James Comey.
In a Jan. 4 arti‑
Uttam Dhillon
cle, the Times said
(Image : www.law.com)
Uttam Dhillon,
one of the Presi‑
dentʼs advisors, kept under wraps an earlier
finding that legally allowed the Commander‑in‑
Chief to fire the FBI director even without cause.
After a Congressional hearing at which Comey
refused to answer a question whether President
Trump was under investigation on the Russia
collusion issue, an “infuriated” Mr. Trump “be‑
gan to discuss openly with White House offi‑
cials his desire to fire Mr. Comey.”
This unnerved some inside the White House
counselʼs office, and even led one of White
House Counsel Donald F. McGahnʼs deputies to
mislead the president about his authority to fire
the F.B.I. director, the Times report says. That
deputy was Dhillon, a former Justice Depart‑
ment lawyer.
Dhillon, according to the Times, “was con‑
vinced that if Mr. Comey was fired, the Trump
presidency could be imperiled, because it would
force the Justice Department to open an investi‑
gation into whether Mr. Trump was trying to
derail the Russia investigation.”
Summit concludes in Kolkata
Kolkata: The 11th edition of the annual
Global Healthcare Summit organized by the
American Association of Physicians of Indi‑
an Origin (AAPI), USA concluded here on
December 31st, 2017 at the famous JW
Marriott with CEOs Forum, Womenʼs Fo‑
rum, Launching Free Health Clinic, First Re‑
sponders Training, CMEs, Research Contest,
Fashion Show, Cultural extravaganza, Tour‑
ing Dubai, UAE Assam, Kolkata, & Bhutan to
be major highlights of the Summit.
At the valedictory event presided over by
Indiaʼs Vice President, Venkaiah Naidu, he
urged Physicians of Indian Origin to return
to India and rededicate their lives for the
wellbeing of their motherland, India, as all AAPI President Gautam Samadder welcomes Venkiah Naidu, Vice President of India
the opportunities are now available here. on the stage before the latter gave the valedictory address of the GHS 2017
“Apart from conducting CMEs, seminars in Kolkata on December 30, 2017
and workshops, AAPI must consider collab‑ ing best practices, developing efficient and Dr. Ashok Jain, Chairman of AAPIʼs BOD,
orating with various governments and other cost effective solutions for India. in his address, summarized some of the
private organizations in establishing a state‑ In his welcome address, Dr. Gautam achievements of AAPI including the 16 free
of‑the‑art healthcare facility in each district Samadder, President of AAPI, said, “This healthcare clinics, AAPIʼs legislative initia‑
of the country where affordable treatment GHS has promised to be one with the great‑ tives in the US, and the ongoing collabora‑
is dispensed,” the Vice President of India est impact and significant contributions to‑ tion with the government of India and the
told the delegates. The Governor of West wards harnessing the power of internation‑ state governments and several NGOs in
Bengal, Keshri Nath Tripathi, the Minister al Indian diaspora to bring the most innova‑ helping healthcare efficient and cost effec‑
for Urban Development, West Bengal, tive, efficient, cost effective healthcare solu‑ tive. The Vice President of India praised
Firhad Hakim and other dignitaries were tions to India.” “AAPI has capped the volu‑ AAPI and its noble “mission for India is to
present on the occasion. GHS 2017 was at‑ minous achievements of the past 34 years play an important role in making quality
tended by the over 1000 leading experts with a clear vision to move forward taking healthcare accessible and affordable to all
from several countries, and focuses on shar‑ this noble organization to newer heights.” people of India.
"New India Lecture Series" launched by Consulate General of India, New York
New York: To galvanize ourselves in the 4th Monday of the month beginning this 2019". The 2nd lecture of the series is on
spirit of Prime Minister's vision of NEW month. The inaugural lecture will be on February 26th, 2018 by Dr. Nitin Nohria,
INDIA by 2022, the Consulate General of January 22, 2018 by Dr Arvind Pana‑ Dean of the Faculty, Harvard Business
India, New York is launching the “New In‑ gariya, Professor of Economics at Colum‑ School.
dia" Lectures on reimagining and renew‑ bia University and former Vice Chairman For upcoming lectures, please visit:
ing India by eminent luminaries on every of NITI Aayog. He will speak on "Agenda Consulate's website: www.indiacgny.org

Milind Soman to
run at Jaipur
Marathon on Feb 4
Jaipur: “Iron Man” Milind So‑
man will be part of the ninth
AU Bank Jaipur Marathon on
February 4, organizers an‑
nounced during a press meet
here. Over 15,000 people have
already registered for the event
and the organisers expect more
than 75,000 people from 20
countries running at the event.
The run will begin from Albert
Hall Museum.
According to Pandit Suresh
Mishra, President of Sanskriti
Yuva Sanstha, one of the organ‑
isers, Soman, 50, holds a record
of barefoot running for 517 km.
“Registrations are from 15
countries including India, Amer‑
ica, Japan, Poland, Sweden, Ar‑
gentina, Malaysia, Singapore,
Italy and the UK,” said Anoop
Bartiya, Chairman of World
Trade Park, another organiser.
The press conference was at‑
tended by Bartiya, Mishra, Head
Marketing of AU Bank Mrinal
Purohit and Sunil Parnami, CSR
head of AU Bank.
South Africa beat
India in first Test
Cape Town: South Africa
bowled out India for 135 in
their second innings, register‑
ing a 72‑run victory on the
fourth and penultimate day of
the opening cricket Test here.
Indian bowlers had given In‑
dia big hopes after bowling
out South Africa for 130 in
their second innings, setting a
target of 208 to win the
match. But the visiting bats‑
men capitulated, with pace‑
man Veron Philander scalping
six wickets.
All‑rounder Ravichandran
Ashwin top‑scored for India
with 37. Captain Virat Kohli
was the second‑highest scorer
with 28 as the hosts took a 1‑
0 lead in the three‑match se‑
ries.
It could very well have been
1‑0 in favor of the visitors had
their batsmen shone like the
bowlers did. Resuming from
Saturday's total of 65/2 as the
third day's play was complete‑
ly washed out, the hosts failed
to get going and could only
manage to add 65 runs before
losing the final eight wickets.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
National anthem not
must in cinema halls: SC
New Delhi: Overturning its earlier
order, the Supreme Court said
that playing the national anthem
before screening movies in cine‑
ma halls was no longer mandato‑
ry. The ruling by a bench headed
by Chief Justice Dipak Misra fol‑
lowed an order of November
2016 when an apex court bench
including Justice Misra had made
the playing of the national an‑
them compulsory in cinema halls
before movies are screened.
The Central government on
Monday told the top court that it
had set up an inter‑ministerial
committee to frame guidelines to
decide the circumstances when
the national anthem should be
played or sung with decorum and
suggested that the earlier order
could be reviewed.
Attorney General K.K. Venu‑
gopal urged the court to modify
its 2016 order substituting "shall"
with "may" for the playing of the
Asean essential for Indo-Pacific peace, prosperity: India
Singapore: India reiterated that
the leadership and centrality of
the southeast Asian region is es‑
sential for the peace and prosperi‑
ty of the Indo‑Pacific region.
"Asean has reached the golden
milestone of 50 years," External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
said during her opening address
at the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (Asean)‑India
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, a gather‑
ing of the Indian diaspora of this
region, here.
Sushma Swaraj also referred to
the fact that the Asean‑India Dia‑
logue Partnership that was estab‑
lished in 1992 was elevated to
that of a strategic partnership on
its 20th anniversary in 2012.
'Padmavat' to release on
January 25, not in Rajasthan
Jaipur: Going by the popular
mood in Rajasthan, Chief
Minister Vasundhara Raje
Scindia said Sanjay Leela
Bhansali's movie 'Padmavati',
now rechristened as 'Padma‑
vat', will not be released in
the cinema halls of the state.
"The sacrifice by Queen Pad‑
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's
mini (also known as Padma‑
movie 'Padmavati' is now
vati) is a matter of honor and
rechristened as 'Padmavat'.
respect for all of us and
hence we will not allow anyone to show dis‑ film would not be released in the state "re‑
respect to this honor," Scindia added further. specting the sentiments of the people of Ra‑
Queen Padmini, she said, "is not just a his‑ jasthan". Shri Rajput Karni Sena, however,
torical character for us, but a pride for all of still remains firm on its stand, disallowing
us and we will not allow anyone to disre‑
INDIA SPOT NEWS January 6-19, 2018 69
SC to re‑examine law
criminalizing gay sex
New Delhi: The Supreme Court ed as reasonable to yield to the
said it will re‑examine its 2013 morality of the Constitution".
verdict upholding the Indian Pe‑ The court order came on a pe‑
nal Code's Section 377 crimi‑ tition by Sangeet Natak Akade‑
nalizing gay sex as it observed mi awardee Bharatnatyam
that "a section of people or indi‑ dancer Navtej Singh Johar,
The 2016 order had said that all
viduals who exercise their celebrity chef Ritu Dalmia and
viewers in the cinema halls should
choice should never remain in a others holding that Section 377
stand up when the national
state of fear". was "violative of fundamental
anthem was played.
A bench of Chief Justice Dipak rights under Article Article 21
national anthem in cinema halls. Misra, Justice A.M.Khanwilkar (right to life)".
The 2016 order had said that all and Justice D.Y.Chandrachud Johar, Dalmia and others have
viewers in the cinema halls should decided to re‑consider the top sought declaration that Section
stand up when the national an‑ court's December 12, 2013 or‑ 377 was unconstitutional since
them was played. der saying that "individual au‑ it infringes Article 21 encom‑
Disposing of the petition by tonomy and also individual ori‑ passes the right to sexuality,
Shyam Narayan Chouksey, the entation cannot be atrophied sexual autonomy and choice of
court allowed him to take his case unless the restriction is regard‑ sexual partner.
to the inter‑ministerial committee.
tivity has reinforced proximity".
"Today, 16 Indian cities are con‑
nected to Singapore," she said. "A
trilateral highway project from In‑
dia to Thailand is making
progress. We plan to expand this
further to connect India to other
Asean countries."
She also praised the Indian dias‑
pora of the region for their role in
maintaining ties between India
and southeast Asia while lauding
their contributions for the devel‑
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj interacts with the delegations
of Indian Diaspora from ASEAN countries in Singapore. opment of their respective na‑
tions.
Stating that the Asean, which heart of New Delhi's Act East poli‑ "We all know your connections
comprises Brunei, Cambodia, In‑ cy, Sushma Swaraj said that with with India, the land of your her‑
donesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myan‑ each member, India has growing itage," she said. "We deeply value
mar, the Philippines, Singapore, economic, political and cultural your role in nurturing the ties be‑
Thailand and Vietnam, is at the relations while "growing connec‑ tween India and southeast Asia."
Lalu Prasad gets jail
in fodder scam case
Ranchi: In a huge setback to
the RJD, its supremo Lalu
spect this pride in any away".
Prasad was sentenced to three‑
Scindia has also written to
and‑a‑half‑years jail in a fodder
state Home Minister Gulabc‑
scam case. After three days of
hand Kataria in this regard.
arguments on the quantum of
Bhansali's period saga Pad‑
punishment, special CBI judge
mavati, which was mired in
Shivpal Singh pronounced the
controversy, is finally going to
order through video conferenc‑
see the light of day and it will
ing. The court also slapped two fines of Rs 5 lakh each
now be released on January
on the former Bihar Chief Minister. If the fine is not de‑
25 as Padmavat across the
posited, he will have to stay in jail for another six
country but not in Rajasthan.
months. The court convicted Lalu Prasad and 15 oth‑
Vasundhara Raje said the
ers on December 23 in the case relating to the multi‑
million‑rupee scam. While hearing arguments of quan‑
tum of sentence, the judge observed that the convicts
"should be kept in open jail as they have experience in
looking after cows".
release of the movie.
 70 January 6-19, 2018 INTERNATIONAL TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Trump, advisers Pak accuses US of betrayal

Washington: President Donald
Trump and his advisers continued
with their campaign against a new
controversial book which expresses
doubts about the his ability to gov‑
ern the nation.
Both Trump and his spokesperson
last week harshly attacked Michael
Wolf and his book “Fire and Fury”
which reopened the nationwide de‑
bate about the presidentʼs mental
health and stability, Efe reported.
“Iʼve had to put up with the Fake
News. Now I have to put up with a
Fake Book, written by a totally dis‑
credited author. Ronald Reagan had
the same problem and handled it
well. So will I!” Trump wrote on his
slam tell‑all book
Twitter last Sunday.
On Saturday, the president stirred
things up on Twitter and in political
circles by fully entering into the de‑
bate about his mental health and in‑
telligence, touting himself as “a
very stable genius” and “really
smart”.
One of Trumpʼs closest advisers,
Stephen Miller, was especially harsh
on Sunday on former White House
strategy chief Steve Bannon, with
whom the president angrily broke
relations this past week.
Wolff had quoted Bannon criticiz‑
ing his son Donald Jr. for his June
2016 meeting with a group of Rus‑
sians, ostensibly to receive political
“dirt” on his fatherʼs Democratic ri‑
val in the presidential election,
Hillary Clinton.
It is “tragic and unfortunate that
Steve would make these grotesque
comments so out of touch with real‑
ity and obviously so vindictive,”
Miller
after military aid suspension
Islamabad: Amid opposition
calls for retaliation, the Pakistan
government accused the US of
betrayal and decried "arbitrary
deadlines" and "unilateral pro‑
nouncements" after the Donald
Trump administration suspend‑
ed an estimated $1 billion in
military assistance.
In one of the harshest actions
in years between the troubled
allies, Washington moved to
block the military aid at the end
of a contentious week that be‑
gan with Trump bashing Islam‑
abad for years of "lies & deceit"
as well as for harboring terror‑
ists. The US State Department
officials said they were holding
back the aid as an incentive for
Islamabad to take "decisive ac‑
tion" to rid its lands of terrorist
safe havens. It also placed Pak‑
istan on a watch list of countries
failing to protect religious free‑
dom.
"Working towards enduring
peace requires mutual respect
and trust along with patience
and persistence," Pakistan's For‑
eign Ministry said in a state‑
ment. "Arbitrary deadlines, uni‑
lateral pronouncements and
shifting goal posts were counter‑
productive in addressing com‑
mon threats."
The Ministry defended Islam‑
abad's stance on terrorism, say‑
ing that "it has fought the war
against terrorism largely from
its own resources which has cost
over $120 billion in 15 years.
In a media interview, Foreign
Minister Khawaja Asif accused
Trump of "speaking the lan‑
guage of India".

Seoul, Pyongyang
hold formal talks
after two years

5‑member South Korean delegation which

went e for the high‑level inter‑Korean
talks. (Photo: IANS)
Seoul: South and North Korea held their first
meeting in more than two years with a focus
on facilitating Pyongyang's participation in
the upcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympics
and ways to improve their long‑stalled bilat‑
eral ties. Held at the truce village of Pan‑
munjom, a heavily fortified border area in
South Korea's North Hwanghae province, the
high‑level meeting is the first of its kind since
December 2015, reports Efe news.
"I came here with hopes that the two Kore‑
as hold talks with a sincere and faithful atti‑
tude to give precious results to the Korean
people who harbor high expectations for this
meeting, as the first new year present," Yon‑
hap News Agency quoted Ri Son‑gwon, North
Korea's chief delegate, as saying in his inau‑
gural speech.
"These talks started after long‑frayed inter‑
Korean ties," said Unification Minister Cho
Myoung‑gyon, South Korea's chief negotiator,
in response.
"Well begun is half done. I hope that (the
two sides) could hold the talks with determi‑
nation and persistence."
The meeting comes after North Korean
leader Kim Jong‑un extended a rare rap‑
prochement to Seoul in his New Year's Day
message.
He expressed a willingness to send a dele‑
gation to the Games and said the country was
open for dialogue.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018

To book ads in The Asian Era in 2018

Please contact Ginsmon Zacharia
Ph: 516 390 7847 / 516 882 7246
 72 January 6-19, 2018 CELEBRATIONS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Photo taken
on Dec. 31,
2017 shows
fireworks
over the
Harbour
Bridge
during New
Year's
celebrations
in Sydney,
Australia.

Fireworks
explode over While
the London Eye Times Square ball drop in
during the New Year New York was held in frigid
this time temperatures, Niagara Falls actually
celebrations in For the New Year eve celebrations
London, Britain, on for a massive laser sho w instead froze, becoming a winter wonderland,
Dubai opted
st tower attracting people on the New Year
Jan. 1. (Photo: of fireworks at Burj Khalifa, the talle
ntow n Dub ai) eve. (Photo courtesy: AP)
IANS) in the world. (Photo: Dow

5 ‘Healthy’ New Year’s resolutions worth giving up

W
hile most New Yearʼs resolu‑
tions are well‑intentioned,
sometimes they look better on
paper than in practice, actually doing
more harm than good. Here are five so‑
called “healthy” resolutions worth giving
up in 2018, as well as better solutions.
Resolution 1: Iʼm going to take up perma‑
nent residence in the gym.
Working out is an important piece of the
weight loss puzzle, but moderation is key.
Studies suggest that too much exercise
can lead to a number of issues like hor‑
monal imbalance, fatigue, insomnia and
even depression. Many people also report
experiencing a drastic increase in ap‑
petite after extreme bouts of physical ac‑
tivity, which can lead to overeating and
negate the weight‑related benefits. Plus, if
you exercise so intensely that youʼre in‑
jured or sore for days, it will be difficult
to sustain this otherwise healthy habit.
Resolution 2: Iʼm saying goodbye to fats
completely.
Fatty foods have gotten a bad rap. The re‑
ality is there are good fats and bad fats. In
humans, fat helps support normal growth
and development, provides energy, allows
for proper cellular function, provides pro‑
tective cushioning for organs, and helps
with absorption of certain vitamins. Bad
fats are found in foods like meat, butter,
lard, cream and trans fats (found in baked
goods, fried foods and margarine) and
can increase the risk of cardiovascular
disease. Aim to replace these with good
fats, which are associated with a de‑
creased risk of chronic disease. Good fats
include plant‑based oils like olive and
canola, avocados, nuts, seeds, and dairy,
since these also offer the nutrition your
body needs.
Resolution 3: Iʼm going to skip breakfast
to cut calories.
According to The Academy of Nutrition
and Dietetics, if youʼre skipping breakfast,
youʼre doing something wrong. Research
shows breakfast helps support brain func‑
tion, energy and mood. And research sug‑
gests that people who eat breakfast con‑
sume fewer calories throughout the day,
weigh less and have fewer risk factors for
heart disease. Just a few reasons to load
up in the a.m.
Resolution 4: Iʼll just crash diet to lose
the weight.
Crash diets donʼt work and many people
who do them end up just gaining the
weight back.
“Sustainable weight loss should not in‑
volve hunger or deprivation,” says Mandi
Knowles, dietitian for South Beach Diet.
“Your weight loss efforts should include
sensible changes that are easy to follow.”
Find a weight loss plan thatʼs convenient
and lets you know with confidence that
you are losing weight the healthy way.
Plans like South Beach Diet teach portion
control through a low‑carb, high‑protein
approach with meals delivered to your
door.
Resolution 5: Iʼm going to stop snacking.
Snacks can account for more than a quar‑
ter of oneʼs daily calories. But if you
munch on nutrient‑dense foods (high in
vitamins, minerals and fiber and low in
calories), youʼre more likely to maintain a
healthy weight, according to the “National
Health and Nutrition Examination Sur‑
vey.” So, snack wisely.
In the new year, ditch extreme diets and
exercise schemes. Youʼll find more suc‑
cess with sustainable health and wellness
habits.
(StatePoint)

Mega movies
that fell flat
Big names, extravagant budgets,
picturesque locales, brilliant
promotions and yet, insuffi-
cient box-office collections.
The year 2017 has been a mixed
bag for stars like Shah Rukh
Khan, Salman Khan, Kangana
Ranaut and Ranbir Kapoor.
JAGGA JASOOS
A musical drama starring Ran‑
bir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, the
film had been in production for
over three years. The film met
with a lukewarm response at
the box office as it collected a
mere Rs 54.16 crore.
TUBELIGHT
Salman Khan in ʻTubelightʼ
After a string of blockbusters
including "Bajrangi Bhaijaan"
and "Sultan", Salman Khan
failed to light up the box office
with "Tubelight", set against the
1962 Sino‑Indian war.
JAB HARRY MET SEJAL
Featuring superstar Shah Rukh
Khan and Anushka Sharma did‑
n't mint the expected moolah.
Shah Rukh reportedly gave re‑
funds to the movie's distribu‑
tors.
RANGOON
Directed by National Award
winner Vishal Bhardwaj, the
film had an ensemble cast of
Kangana Ranaut, Saif Ali Khan
and Shahid Kapoor. Despite
garnering good reviews, the
film was a disaster at the box
office as it only collected Rs
20.68 crore.
SARKAR 3
The third instalment of the
popular "Sarkar" franchise saw
some of the sought‑after names
like Amitabh Bachchan, Manoj
Bajpayee and Jackie Shroff
coming together, but the film
reportedly made less than Rs
20 crore at the box office.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info BOLLYWOOD ROUNDUP January 6-19, 2018 73
Bollywood mired up
in controversies
From Sanjay Leela
Bhansali's “Padmavati” to
actress Kangana Ranaut
tagging filmmaker Karan
Johar as a "flagbearer of
nepotism," Bollywood had
enough controversies
grabbing headlines this
year. A sneak peak…
Whether it was the protest against
filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's
"Padmavati" that resulted in the
film's release date being pushed to
uncertainty, actress Kangana Ra‑ A still from the controversial film ʻPadmavatiʼ and actor Kangana Ranaut.
naut tagging filmmaker Karan Jo‑
har as a "flagbearer of nepotism" tracted widespread criticism. lakh reward. Lovely" co‑star Niharika Singh
who slammed the actor for not
or singer Sonu Nigam facing a
backlash for calling azaan "forced
SONU NIGAM AND NAWAZUDDIN'S taking her consent before sharing
religiousness" – the Hindi film in‑ THE AZAAN MEMOIR their personal equation with the
dustry saw a new low in 2017. world in his memoir.
Renowned singer Sonu Nigam Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui had
Here are the biggest controver‑
lashed out at "forced religious‑ to apologize and withdraw his IFFI'S
sies of the year.
ness" in India after being woken
up by the azaan (Islamic call to
book "An Ordinary Life" after a
complaint was reportedly filed
NON‑SCREENINGS
PADMAVATI prayer) from a mosque. After the against him for outraging the "S Durga", a Malayalam movie,
brouhaha that ensued, he even modesty of his was dropped from a jury‑suggest‑
This Sanjay Leela Bhansali direc‑ shaved off his hair in reaction to a "Miss ed shortlist of the Indian Panora‑
torial raised controversy after the maulvi's supposed call to ma section of the IFFI along with
Karni Sena, an organisation of the have his head another film "Nude", trigger‑
Rajput community, urged a nation‑ shaved for a Remarkable ing controversy.
wide ban on the film claiming that Rs 10 If
it "distorts historical facts". during year for Konkona
Bhansali also appeared before a the year
Parliamentary committee, reject‑ 2017, the
new Sen Sharma
("A Death In The
ing charges that he had distort‑
ed "historical" facts about the
scarcity of new directorial Gunj"): Konkona is a
acting talent was very quiet actress. To no
possibly mythological Ra‑ scary, the abundance of talent one's surprise, she made her
jput queen, played by directorial talent instantly directorial debut with a thriller
Deepika Padukone in lifted the spirit and made sore with an eerie stillness at its heart.
the film. expectations soar. Yes, there is hope
The film, which for Bollywood. Around 28
was scheduled for new directors made
Sunaina Bhatnagar ("Dear Maya"): A lovely
fragile and far from flamboyant feel‑good
release on Decem‑ their debut during the film about follies of youth and the search for
ber 1, has been year that was. Here's look- love. Sunaina also gave Manisha Koirala a
indefinitely de‑ ing at the finest directorial chance to come back.
ferred. talent that broke into the
KAN‑ Hindi cinema this year. Ravi Udyawar ("Mom"): Ad maker Ravi
GANA Avinash Das ("Anaarkali of Aarah"): An
Udyawar managed this familiar rape‑
RANAUT astonishingly energetic adrenaline‑pump‑
vendetta saga with tremendous restrain,
eliciting remarkable performances from
VS ing raunchy and ravishing debut by a direc‑ all from Sridevi to Abhimanyu Singh.
tor who knows the Indian heartland by
KARAN heart, this was original and staggering in its
Ashwini Iyer Tiwari ("Bareilly Ki Barfi"): Now here is
JOHAR deep empathy with the grassroots. a female director who proved that the era of the
One of the Basu Chatterjee/ Hrishikesh Mukherjee comedies
most fearless was not over. Ashwini's film sparkled with
and outspoken Shubhashish Bhutiani ("Mukti chuckles. It was engaging in a way we had
actresses in Bolly‑ Bhawan"): For a 24‑year‑old di‑ forgotten comedies can be.
wood, Kangana rector, understanding the dy‑
namics of death and decoding
called filmmaker
the irony of mortality with
Suresh Triveni ("Tumhari Sulu"): The
Karan Johar a "flag‑ story of a rather clumsy housewife
bearer of nepotism" on such warmth, vigor and com‑ who constantly dreams of out‑
his own chat show. Johar passion, was not only rare, it doing herself, told in a way
and actors Saif Ali Khan was miraculous. Bhutiani that was fresh stimulat‑
and Varun Dhawan poked made a marvel of a movie ing and revealing.
fun at Kangana and chanted whose message on life Triveni is a talent to watch.
"Nepotism rocks" at the IIFA and death splashed s
e film
Awards event in the US. They later against our senses
n es from th and
Sce arfiʼ
like the holy wa‑ ly Ki B uluʼ.
apologized for their act once it at‑ ʻBareil ʻTumhari S
ters of the w )
(belo
Ganga.

HUGH HEFNER
91
MEDIA PUBLISHER
(Image : biography.com)
Known as a ladies' man and a
driving force behind a sex revo‑
lution, Playboy magazine cre‑
ator Hugh Hefner never let age
hold him back. The sometimes
controversial media mogul,
who always seemed to have
young and attractive women
around him, published the first
Playboy magazine in 1953 at
the age of 27. Since then he
and his Playboy empire have
produced movies, developed a
clothing line, opened resorts
and much more. He passed
away on Sept 27th.
GIRIJA DEVI
88
THUMRI QUEEN
(Image : thehindu.com)
Eminent classical singer and
Padma Vibhushan awardee Gir‑
ija Devi passed away on Oct 25
following a cardiac arrest. Con‑
sidered as the queen of thumri,
Girija Devi was a legendary
singer of the Banaras gharana.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
had tweeted, “Saddened by de‑
mise of Girija Devi‑ji. Indian
classical music has lost one of
its most melodious voices.”
My thoughts are with her ad‑
mirers.”
74 January 6-19, 2018
Famous people
who left us in
SHASHI KAPOOR
79
ACTOR
(Image courtesy:
hindustantimes.com)
Veteran actor Shashi Kapoor
passed away on December 4th .
Born in 1938 to the illustrious and
formidable theatre and film actor
Prithviraj Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor
hit the spotlight at the age of four,
acting in plays directed and pro‑
duced by his father. He started act‑
ing in films as a child artiste in the
late 1940s. He also worked as as‑
sistant director in the ʻ50s.
He made his debut as a leading
man in the 1961 film Dharmputra
and went on to appear in more
than 116 films in ʻ70s and until
the mid ʻ80s. Some of his memo‑
rable films include Jab Jab Phool
Khile, Deewar, Kabhie Kabhie, Na‑
mak Halal and Kaala Pathar.
He was honored with Padma
Bhushan in 2011 and received the
Dada Saheb Phalke award in 2015.
OM PURI
66
ACTOR
(Image courtesy: Wikimedia.org)
Veteran actor Om Puri was died
from a heart attack on April 20th.
The recipient of two National
awards and two Filmfare Awards
including a Lifetime Achievement
Award, Om Puri had an illustrious
film career spanning over four
decades. Born in 1950 and hailing
from Ambala in Haryana, he stud‑
ied at the Film and Television In‑
stitute of India and at the National
School of Drama and made his ilm
debut in 1976 with the Marathi
film 'Ghasiram Kotwal'.
A critically acclaimed actor, Puri
PASSAGES
featured in films like 'Ardh Satya',
'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro' and 'Aakrosh',
and 'Mirch Masala'. He also had a
meaty role opposite Helen Mirren
in Steven Spielberg's 2014 Ameri‑
can comedy drama 'The Hundred‑
Foot Journey'.
He made a dent in Hollywood
with his roles in 'East is East', 'City
of Joy', 'Gandhi' and 'The Reluctant
Fundamentalist' and received an
honorary OBE in 2004 for his con‑
tribution to British cinema.
VINOD KHANNA
70
ACTOR
(Image courtesy:
hindustantimes.com)
Veteran actor Vinod Khanna, who
was suffering from cancer, passed
away on April 27 in Mumbai.
Starting his career with minor
roles in 1969, over the years the
actor built up a hugely successful
career and featured in some of the
biggest Bollywood hits like 'Mere
Apne', 'Parvarish', 'Muqaddar Ka
Siqandar', 'Qurbani', 'Dayavaan',
'Mera Gaon Mera Desh', and 'Amar,
Akbar, Anthonyʼ. He was the BJP
member of Lok Sabha from Pun‑
jab's Gurdaspur constituency.
KISHORI AMONKAR,
84
CLASSICAL VOCALIST
(Image courtesy:thehindu.com
Renowned Hindustani classical vo‑
calist Kishori Amonkar passed
away on April 3rd after a brief ill‑
ness. Born in 1932, Amonkar was
recognized as one of the foremost
singers in the Hindustani tradition
and as an innovative exponent of
the Jaipur gharana.
While learning the finer points
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
2017
and techniques of the Jaipur gha‑ in the field of science and to the
rana from her mother, Amonkar study of cosmic rays, high‑energy
also developed her own personal physics and astrophysics.
style, which reflects the influence
of other gharanas and was gener‑
ally regarded as an individual vari‑ ROGER MOORE,
89
ant of the Jaipur tradition. ACTOR
She cultivated a deep understand‑
ing of her art, largely through ex‑
tensive study of the ancient texts
on music. Amonkar was known
primarily for her skillful singing of
classical khayals set in the tradi‑
tional ragas of Hindustani music,
but also performed the lighter
classical genres of thumri, bhajans
and film music.
Amonkar was awarded the Padma
Bhushan (1987) and Padma Vib‑
Making his 007 debut in Live and
hushan (2002). In 2010, she be‑
Let Die, Sir Roger Moore played
came a fellow of the Sangeet Natak
suave and sophisticated British se‑
Akademi.
cret agent James Bond in seven
films. His final appearance was in
YASH PAL 1985ʼs A View to a Kill. Although
he went on to appear in several
90
SCIENTIST
television shows and films, he be‑
came known for his charitable en‑
deavors for UNICEF, for which he
became a goodwill ambassador in
1991. He was made a Commander
of the British Empire in 1999 and
promoted to Knight Commander in
2003. He passed away on May 23.
U R RAO
85
SPACE SCIENTIST
Scientist, communicator and insti‑
tution builder, Dr Yash Pal died in
Noida on July 25th. He belonged
to an era of scientists who es‑
poused ʻMake In Indiaʼ decades be‑
fore PM Modi adopted it.
In the 1970s, as director of the
Space Applications Centre, a wing
of ISRO set up to conceptualize ap‑
plications for satellite technology
for societal needs, Yash Pal put to‑
gether a team of young scientists (Image : indianexpress.com)
from the Tata Institute of Funda‑
Udupi Ramachandra Rao passed
mental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai
away in Bengaluru on July 24th.
to develop remote‑sensing tech‑
The celebrated space scientist was
nologies, disregarding suggestions
the fourth Chairman of ISRO in its
that scientists be sent to the U.S.
formative years between 1984 and
for training.
1994. ISRO credits him with estab‑
Pal, born in Jhang (in erstwhile un‑
lishing the development of indige‑
divided Punjab), had earned a doc‑
nous satellite technology, giving
torate at MIT. He began his career
thrust to early rocket development
as a professor at the TIFR and
efforts with the ASLV and PSLV.
went on to hold several senior po‑
He initiated the development of
sitions in government as Chief
the medium powered GSLV rocket
Consultant with the Planning Com‑
for two‑tonne spacecraft in 1991.
mission, Secretary, Department of
It was during his time that India
Science and Technology and as
was denied the Russian cryogenic
chairman of the University Grants
technology for the GSLV's upper
Commission.
third stage.
A scientist of international repute,
Prof. Rao was awarded Padma Vib‑
Pal was awarded Indiaʼs second
hushan in 2017. He is the only In‑
highest civilian honor, the Padma
dian to have been inducted into
Vibhushan, in 2013.
the Satellite Hall of Fame, Wash‑
He made significant contributions
ington, in 2013.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
 76 January 6-19, 2018 ASTROLOGY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

By Dr PremKumar Sharma Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874;

Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899;
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com

13th January 2018
Traits in you: As you are ruled by planet
Uranus, you are highly energetic, generous,
focused, friendly, humble, honest, hard
working and optimistic. You are endowed
with the ability to deal with various kinds of
people. You should control your mood
swings and stubbornness to be a better in‑
dividual.
Health this year: You may suffer from stress
related sickness throughout the year. Do
not work overtime and take unnecessary
stress. You should see a doctor regularly to
get relieved from your health issues. Try
meditation to avoid your problems. You
should also take care of the health of you
parents.
Finance this year: Financial gains will be
plenty for you this year as your past invest‑
ments would pay off. You may start few
new business ventures. You may expand
your business in foreign as well. Do not
trust new people as they may prove un‑
trustworthy. Do not lend a big amount of
money.
Career this year: Being a hardworking pro‑
fessional, you may create wonders for your
organization. You need to learn more and
look for better options. You may not get
your expected promotion or salary hike in
spite of your hard work and efficiency.
Romance this year: You may get married to
your long time partner this year. If you are
already married, this year will bring you the
joy of being in a marital relationship. Do not
create any unpleasant situation at home as
it may weaken your relationship with your
spouse.
Lucky month: February, May and July
14th January 2018
Traits in you: The influence of your ruling
planet Mercury makes you dynamic,
unique, smart, confident, workaholic,
knowledgeable, and highly independent.
You being very social loved by your friends
and you are capable of making friends very
soon. You should not become introvert and
work on your frequent mood swings.
Annual Predictions: For those born in this week (January 13-19 2018)
Health this year: You need to stop your bad
habits such as smoking and consuming al‑
cohol to remain healthy. You should take ex‑
pert advice from a doctor to avoid health re‑
lated issues. You should take your medi‑
cines at time to avoid further complicacy in
your health. Take care of the health of your
spouse and parents as well.
Finance this year: Your new business al‑
liances and partnerships will help you earn
financial stability this year. You will receive
all the pending payments and money you
gave away as loans in the past. You should
go for investing in real estates and share
market.
Career this year: You will find your profes‑
sion hectic enough as you have to do over‑
time due to the project requirements. Your
confidence and determination will be at
peak so you will perform better than ever
this year. You may not like the behavior of
your seniors. You need to deal diplomati‑
cally with the unpleasant situations arising
at your workspace.
Romance this year: Your spouse will be sup‑
portive enough throughout the year in cru‑
cial times. You can rely on your partner for
any kind of support may be financial or
emotional. You should get married this year
as this is the best time for you.
Lucky month: March, June and August.
15th January 2018
Traits in you: As you are influenced by your
ruling planet Venus, you are very energetic,
joyful, optimistic, practical, realistic, punc‑
tual, determined and kindhearted. Your
helpful nature toward all help you earn
friends and popularity wherever you go.
Your friends are quite fond of your compa‑
ny.
Health this year: You will remain fit and fine
throughout this year. However, the health
issues of your family members may put you
in immense pressure. You need to secure
the health of your family member by in‑
vesting some money every year.
Finance this year: You will be in ample fi‑
nancial gains this year. Your new business
ventures will be successful this year. You
should go for new partnerships and busi‑
nesses as your star favors your luck this
year. You may go for investments in any
sector. Do not spend unnecessarily in luxu‑
ry and comfort.
Career this year: Your communications
skills will be proved instrumental in the
overall improvement of your professional
career. You will be able to make enough
contacts and you will get regular projects
and assignments. You may get promotions
and salary hike towards the end of the year.
Romance this year: If you are yet to be in a
romantic relationship, this is the ideal time to
go for one. You will enjoy a pleasurable rela‑
tionship with your spouse or partner.
Lucky month: December, July and Novem‑
ber.
16th January 2018
Traits in you: As your governing planet is
Neptune, you are simple, dignified, unique,
charismatic, reliable, trustworthy and confi‑
dent. You have a great leadership skill and
you are very creative. You should not be
pessimistic and show your stubbornness.
Health this year: As far as your health is
considered you may go through minor
health issues this year. However, regular
medical checkups and proper medication
will solve this problem. You may go for
Yoga and meditation classes to remain
healthy.
Finance this year: Your financial conditions
will be very stagnant this year. As you will
not earn much or spend much, you will lead
a peaceful life in money matters. You may
invest for future. Do not lend or borrow
money from your friends or colleagues.
Career this year: With an enhanced confi‑
dence and brushed up skills, you will be‑
come very successful professionally. You
will do justice to the role assigned to you.
You may get promotion or a hike in your
current salary. If you are in creativity field,
this year will bring you much more success
and recognition.
Romance this year: Your marital life would
be a peaceful one this year. Your partner
will be supportive enough in every tough
situation. You should get married this year
if you have not married yet.
Lucky month: January, May and November.
17th January 2018
Traits in you: Your ruling planet the Saturn
makes you highly dynamic, hardworking,
courageous, trustworthy, reliable, courte‑
ous and friendly. You are very much in‑
clined to music and literature. You should
work on your impatience. You need to en‑
hance your constructive ideas as well.
Health this year: You will enjoy a pretty
good health this year. You need to take care
of the health of your family members. You
need to take extra care of your health if you
are having some chronic diseases. You may
go for domestic healthcare instead of allo‑
pathic medicines as it will give better re‑
sults for your ailments and save your mon‑
ey as well.
Finance this year: You may try your entre‑
preneurship skills this year and you will be
successful unexpectedly. You will be able to
get many projects, which you help you es‑
tablish as a good businessperson. You
should go for investments in real estate and
stock market.
Career this year: Your professional ability
and skills will take you to new heights. You
will be admired by your peers and seniors
for your high productivity. You should help
others at office as it will be considered as a
positive pointer during your appraisal.
Romance this year: Your relationship with
your partner or beloved will be strength‑
ened as day passes. You may decide to get
married this year if you are in a long term
relationship.
Lucky month: February, June, August and
September.
18th January 2018
Traits in you: Being governed by the planet
Mars, you are adventurous, sensitive, coura‑
geous, emotional, hard working, charismat‑
ic and punctual. You are full of enthusiasm
and ambitions. You should try and avoid
your shyness and stubbornness.
Health this year: Your health may remain
disturbed throughout the year because of
some minor ailments. If you do not take
proper care of your health you may end up
spending a lot of money for your treatment.
You should take preventive actions to avoid
health issues.
Finance this year: As far as finance is con‑
cerned, you will be earning a lot of money.
You will be assigned to new projects and
those will be highly yielding for you. You
will gain enough profits from your past in‑
vestments. Your improved financial status
may bring you lot of happiness and joy lat‑
er this year.
Career this year: If you are a working pro‑
fessional, you may face various profession
related problems this year. You need to han‑
dle all the issues diplomatically else you
may lose your job. You may create wonder
in the creativity field if you are a writer,
singer or actor.
Romance this year: This is a quite good year
for women when romance is concerned.
You will enjoy a very strong relationship
with your spouse. You may decide to get
married towards the end of the year.
Lucky month: March, May and October
19th January 2018
Traits in you: As you are ruled by the pow‑
erful Sun, you are dynamic, confident, intel‑
ligent, unique, daring, and very helpful. You
are the master of a strong willpower, which
helps you stay ahead of others. However,
you need t work on your nature of being in‑
trovert, careless, and fickle‑minded.
Health this year: Your health would not
cause much worries for you this year. How‑
ever, the health of your family member s
may require extra care. Provide your par‑
ents with proper medication as they may
fall sick often due to old age. You may start
taking a balanced diet. You should stop con‑
suming alcohol and smoking cigarettes for
the betterment of your health.
Finance this year: Your financial conditions
will be very good this year as you will be
working hard to reach your goal. Your past
property dispute will get solved and it will
earn you a lot of money. If you are into busi‑
ness, you may go for new ventures as those
seem to be very profitable this year.
Career this year: You need to work hard to
prove yourself in your profession. Do not
take up minor issues to an escalation. Try
and brush up you knowledge and skills to
perform more efficiently. You may go for a
job change during the last months of the
year.
Romance this year: Your relationship with
your spouse will get filled with more ro‑
mance as day progresses. You will find
enough support from your partner in every
crucial situation. If you have not married
yet, this is the best time to tie knots.
Lucky month: December, June and Sept.,

Stars Foretell: January 13-19, 2018

ARIES: You will need to keep your cool and do
what your heart and mind dictate.
Those in a new job are likely to
learn the ropes fast. Keeping a
tab on others will help strength‑
en your position on the academic
front. Money flows in and will keep
you financially strong. Your decision to eat
homemade food will save you from seasonal
ailments. Visiting a relative or friend is on the
cards and will prove enjoyable.
TAURUS: You will need to proceed cautiously in
something that you have not
attempted before. At work, your
nose can be on the grindstone, but
you will somehow enjoy it!
Impressing someone on the aca‑
demic front will not pose much prob‑
lem, as you play on your strengths. Your bank
balance is likely to keep you in an upbeat mood.
Family will be supportive in making you realise
your dreams. Look forward to an exciting trip
with friends.
GEMINI: A different format of the same old thing
will help ward of f monotony in
whatever you are engaged in. You
may be made to do someone elseʼs
task at work, but little you can do
about it. Neglecting studies may
make it difficult for you to catch up at a
later date. You may not be satisfied with the
kind of payment you are getting for your work,
but something is better than nothing. Donʼt
indulge in self‑medication.
CANCER: Taking on additional job with a smile is
the need of the hour, so prove that
you are up to it. Your lethargy on
the professional front is likely to
cost you heavy, so complete every‑
thing assigned to you in a timely
manner. Facing a tough exam without
adequate preparation is possible, so donʼt har‑
bour any high expectations. Monetary loss is indi‑
cated this week, so remain vigilant. Be careful on
the road, as stars appear unfavourable.

LEO :It will be important for you to stick to the
given timings or you can go wrong.
You will prove a great asset to sen‑
ior at work and get rewarded for
the same. Some kind of recognition
awaits you on the academic front.
You may opt to take the healthy path by
making your irregular meal hours, regular!
Romance blossoming with a workmate is possible,
so donʼt resist the thought! A property matter is
likely to be resolved amicably.
VIRGO: You may not manage to set things right
at work by harsh methods, so learn
to give a soft touch. Praise is in
store for you on the professional
front in recognition of your ster‑
ling performance. Guidance from
someone will prove a godsend and help
you clear a tough competition. Those indulging
in speculation may hit it rich. Coming back in
shape will not be as difficult as it had initially
seemed. A family reunion is on the cards.
LIBRA: Someone may shoptalk you into parting
with your money, so be careful.
Some of you may be preparing for
a celebration or a wedding in the
family. Keeping good relationship
with those you usually donʼt see eye
to eye with will be in your interest at
this juncture. On the academic front, you will
remain satisfied with your performance. Your way
with words is likely to convince all those opposed
to your ideas on the work front.
SCORPIO: Some more time may be needed in
completing a project at work. You
may get the opportunity of trav‑
e lling with someone close.
Setting up a new house is likely
to prove most exciting. Not taking
any chances and sticking to tried and
tested routes will keep you on course on the
academic front. At times you crave to spend
time alone with lover, so enjoy! Dif ficulties
faced by you will ease.

SAGITTARIUS: There is little that you can do
about someone, who has made up
his or her mind not to do your
bidding. A chance to accompany
friends on an organised trip is
likely to materialise soon. A ver‑
dict regarding a disputed property will
be in your favour. Your financial position is set
to improve. Health supplements are likely to
help you attain the desired figure and physique.
Rising competition on the professional front
may begin to worry you.
CAPRICORN: Have faith in yourself in whatever
you do and you will have the world
eating out of your hands! You
will succeed in tackling the diffi‑
culties that come your way at
work. Keeping up good perform‑
ance on the academic front will not
pose much problem.
You may make it a point to keep some time
aside for spending exclusively with family. An
invitation to a party or wedding may be
received. You remain fit and healthy.
AQUARIUS : If you show interest, the other
party is certain to reciprocate and
welcome you aboard. This week,
you are likely to make good
money. Those playing the stocks
can expect to hit it rich. Your
active lifestyle will help keep ailments
at bay. Renting out property on lucrative terms
is foreseen for house owners. Taking shortcuts
at work may not be tolerated by higher ups and
tarnish your image. You need to keep a commit‑
ment made to someone.
PISCES: UIf you want a chance to show your
mettle, go for it now. Your sincerity
on the professional front is like‑
ly to get noticed by those who
matter on the professional
front. An academic achievement
can be expected that is likely to
boost your self‑esteem. Good handling of tax
matters will help you save much. Starting on a
special exercise routine is indicated for some
and will prove most advantageous. VIP treat‑
ment is in store on an official trip.
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
The debate whether ʻAchhe Dinʼ have arrived for the nation or not rages on, but ʻAchhe
Dinʼ have certainly arrived for most of you in the year 2018 in many aspects of your life,
ARIES the Ram
(Mar 21‑Apr 20)
The year 2018 for Aries is likely to have more
pluses than minuses. You will be
happily investing in various as‑
sets and will benefit out of them
as well. First quarter of the year
will bring in bright chances of ac‑
quiring a property in your name. Make sure
you explore some new places as stars support
your travel plans; so you can expect an enjoy‑
able time in the months of January and Febru‑
ary. Investment in gold done towards mid of
the year will be highly profitable. Those plan‑
ning to start a new business should seek an
opinion from a good consultant first. A promo‑
tion or a salary hike is much indicated in the
months of July or August. Health may require
some attention after june. Romance that start‑
ed giving you feelings of a stagnant relation‑
ship is now set to improve this year.
Lucky Months: January, February, July, August
Lucky Number: 5, 11, 4
Lucky Colour: Golden, Mauve, Maroon
Lucky Days: Tuesday & Thursday
TAURUS the Bull
(Apr 21‑May 20)
Year 2018 is likely to bring smile on the face
of Taureans. Students, profession‑
als and entrepreneurs especially
will find the year more reward‑
ing. Hurdles being faced from the
last few months on the work place
will start disappearing. New career opportuni‑
ties can also be explored in the first quarter.
Some major decisions can be taken during the
June and July months which will elevate your
overall graph. An overseas leisure trip may ma‑
terialize in August or September; so make you
apply for leaves accordingly. Differences
among the family members will be sorted out
amicably. Someone may sweet talk to allure
you to invest in schemes that may benefit them
more as compared to you. Make sure you take
personal interest in managing your finances
than accounting on someone else. Romantic
aspirations will be fulfilled as you write a new
chapter on the love front.
Lucky Months: June, July, August, September
Lucky Number: 8, 17, 12
Lucky Colour: Beige, Dark Green, Rust
Lucky Days: Sunday & Wednesday
GEMINI the Twins
(May 21‑Jun 21)
Good news on most of the fronts is in store for
the Geminians in the year 2018.
Things that were left half way in
the previous year will show
tremendous progress now as you
start taking personal interest in
them. You will see your productivity multiplied
especially in the first half of the year 2018.
Wedding bells may ring for those eligible. A
new addition to the family is possible between
August to December. Those working in private
organizations or involved in trading are likely
to find the months of May and June particu‑
larly rewarding. Travel stars burn bright in the
months of July and August.
Lucky Months: May, June, August, December
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
2018: THE YEAR OF ‘ACHHE DIN’
maintains our celebrated resident astrologer, Dr. Prem Kumar Sharma
Lucky Number: 4, 6, 19
Lucky Colour: Royal Blue, Orange, Pink
Lucky Days: Saturday & Thursday
CANCER the Crab
(Jun 22‑Jul 22)
Stars promise fame and fortune for the Cance‑
rians in year 2018. This is going
to be one lucky year for you
when things move as planned.
The months of March and April
appear fruitful for writers, teachers
and academicians. Promotion prospects will
turn brighter in the last quarter but the result
will be worth the wait. Health requires atten‑
tion especially between February to June. The
months of May or June will be the period when
a travel wish to a dream destination may get
fulfilled. Romance front brightens up as you
make interesting efforts to reignite love and
romance. Financially things may not go as
planned in the second half but you will still be
able to overcome the challenges.
Lucky Months: March, April, Nov. December
Lucky Number: 7, 9, 12
Lucky Colour: Sea Green, Red, Cream
Lucky Days: Tuesday & Friday
LEO the Lion
(Jul 23‑Aug 23)
Year 2018 promises to bring more achieve‑
ments than you even would have
thought of. Keep your travelling
bag always handy especially in
the first quarter as you will be
mostly on the move. Career wise,
things will start following an upward trend
May onwards. Property related disputes or
other litigation prone events will get sorted
and settle in your favour between July and Sep‑
tember. Those feeling not so good on the
health front will start recovering June on‑
wards. You need to be a little sensitive while
handling relationship related problems. Finan‑
cially, you may have to remain tight fisted be‑
tween July and October.
Lucky Months: January, July, August, Sept.
Lucky Number: 5, 7, 9
Lucky Colour: Peach, Off White, Lavender
Lucky Days: Monday & Wednesday
VIRGO the Virgin
(Aug 24‑Sep 23)
Virgos, you must keep your focus in tact on
property and travel front in the
year 2018. Overseas travel is
much indicated between Febru‑
ary and March. Business profes‑
sionals and entrepreneurs will find
the months from August to October quite fruit‑
ful as they start achieving what they desire.
Some of you may also plan to buy a house or a
vehicle during this period as well. New career
avenues open up for job seekers and students
giving them an opportunity to showcase their
skills and talents. Health will become your pri‑
ority in the second half of the year. Romantic
bonds will grow strong with time. Family may
not agree with your opinions; it will be better
to maintain a low profile.
Lucky Months: March, August, Sept., October
Lucky Number: 14, 18, 22
ASTROLOGY
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874;
Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899;
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
Lucky Colour: Cyan, Pink, Yellow
Lucky Days: Friday & Tuesday
LIBRA the Scales
(Sep 24‑Oct 23)
The saying “slow and steady wins the race” will
apply quite well to you in the year
2018, Libran! Your hard work at
the work place will be noticed by
those who matter. Singers, artists
and stage performers get due
recognition paving a way for reaching higher
echelons. Those in uniformed services are like‑
ly to receive a special appreciation or a presti‑
gious award. Those newly married may enjoy
a good time in the company of the beloved.
Those waiting for some news from abroad are
likely to hear of the positive developments.
You will get a chance to visit an out of town rel‑
ative or a school friend and re‑live some old
memories.
Lucky Months: April, May, June, July
Lucky Number: 2, 12, 17
Lucky Colour: White, Red, Bottle Green
Lucky Days: Sunday & Saturday
SCORPIO the Scorpion
(Oct 24‑Nov 22)
Scorpions will find 2018 to be a year which
will give them opportunities to re‑
alize their skills and talents. Your
finance savvy nature will interest
you to look out for various in‑
vestment schemes. Investing in the
name of the spouse will yield much profits as
compared to investing in your own name. An
inclination towards spirituality will usher more
positivity in you and help you get rid of the
anxieties. April to June will be a period when
you achieve what you thought was not possi‑
ble or was beyond your capacity. Those plan‑
ning to switch jobs are likely to hear of the op‑
portunities between May to July. October and
November may bring pleasant surprises for en‑
trepreneurs.
Lucky Months: April, May, June, November
Lucky Number: 9, 16, 24
Lucky Colour: Plum, Sky Blue n Grey
Lucky Days: Sunday & Wednesday
SAGITTARIUS the Archer
(Nov 23‑Dec 21)
Sagittarians are set to grow stronger in the
year 2018. The good news is that
things start consolidating for you
this year. Whatever you had in‑
vested your hard work and ef‑
forts in will start giving excellent re‑
sults. Your dreams on the professional front
will come true between July and September.
Those aspiring for higher studies will hear
from their choice of universities. Romance
wise, you may not be on the same page with
the one you admire. Those eligible for mar‑
riage are likely to find their potential partners.
Stars advise you to stay financially prudent
and evaluate things that work or do not work
for you.
Lucky Months: Feb., July, August, September
Lucky Number: 5, 8, 27
Lucky Colour: Dark Grey, Magenta, Lemon
Lucky Days: Monday & Thursday
January 6-19, 2018 77
CAPRICORN the Goat
(Dec 22‑Jan 21)
The year 2018 not only is going to fulfill your
desires and aspirations but will
also help you reach new
heights. A league of positive
events will follow you from May
to July which will take you to‑
wards unprecedented success. Some of you
may step up the career ladder and make a
mark for yourself in the office space. The
months of November and December will be
exceptionally good for students as their hard
work brings laurels and make their families
proud. Do not be lazy with your health. Stars
advise you to start making some efforts on
the health front especially in the second half.
Some of you may be able to purchase their
dream house.
Lucky Months: May, June, Nov., December
Lucky Number: 4, 13, 9
Lucky Colour: Red, Purple n Sky Blue
Lucky Days: Sunday & Wednesday
AQUARIUS the Water Bearer
(Jan 22‑Feb 19)
2018 will put an Aquarian in the fast track
mode. Not everyone will be able to
match your energy levels but
you will make sure you are
amongst the leaders in whatev‑
er you do. You may get various
opportunities in January and February to dis‑
play your professional skills. March or April
months will give you a chance to explore na‑
ture or go for a luxurious vacation. The last
quarter of the year will prove to be beneficial
for the educational pursuits. Your close prox‑
imity to a celebrity will help you big time.
Steer clear any misunderstanding on the
domestic front to maintain your peace of
mind.
Lucky Months: March, April, Sept., October,
November
Lucky Number: 19, 2, 10
Lucky Colour: Brown, Silver n Light Yellow
Lucky Days: Thursday & Saturday
PISCES the Fish
(Feb 20‑Mar 20)
Pisceans are likely to find the year extra re‑
juvenating as you overcome the
setbacks of the past. You will
shed off all disappointments
that lowered your morale in the
previous year and emerge
stronger and more determined now. Your
performance at the work place will be no‑
ticed by those who matter and some of you
may also hear of the promotion or elevation
to the next levels. Relations with someone
very close may not be the same now but fam‑
ily will remain supportive of the decisions
you make overall this year. Travelling to
places you have only dreamt of will keep
stress at bay. Enroll for some regular yoga or
other health regime to stay fit and healthy.
Lucky Months: June, July, August
Lucky Number: 18, 6, 15
Lucky Colour: Aqua Blue, Parrot Green, Rosy
Pink
Lucky Days: Monday & Friday

l By Ashok Vyas
S
wami Vivekananda once
said, ʻI am at my best
when I am aloneʼ. That
sense of completeness when one
is with oneself is manifested in
our lives if we start connecting
with ourselves. Connecting with
oneself requires concentration,
concentration flows out of love.
Love is not a mechanical act, and
is not regulated by any kind of
data. Data is ruling the world
now.
As we look towards this unit of
365 days in the New Year, and
try to optimize our happiness,
our success, our satisfaction, let
us look at the data of our
thoughts. Has there been any
study of ʻmy thoughtsʼ? A sociol‑
ogist or psychiatrist may throw
some light on human thoughts
and thought patterns and how
this or that factor influences our
potential to grow and succeed,
but that is not about you as an
individual, that is not about me
as an individual.
Each one of us is unique and
distinct and gifted with a won‑
derful ability to experience life
and respond to life. All of us have
eyes but we see differently, you
walk in a room and what you see
and absorb and retain might be
different than all the people on
the planet. What you think in
any given day may not have any
parallel in the universe. Your
concerns, aspirations, experi‑
ences, thoughts and feelings
make you unique.
In the maze of data, we are
prone to ignore this uniqueness,
this distinctness, this power to
see our own glory and celebrate
life in our own way, with our set
of priorities as a creative being.
Based on the borrowed under‑
standing of life and our individ‑
ual potential, we are dragging
ourselves along a track tread by
others, in a direction we are told
is the only safe direction. At
every step we get accustomed to
ignore our original self in order
to enclose ourselves in the mould
of expectations.
This is the cause of suffering
and pain and depression. I say it
because as long as we donʼt un‑
derstand ourselves and appreci‑
ate our glory, we will feel a sense
of undefinable misery. We feel
suffocated because we have not
been letting ourselves accept our
own expansion. Why?
That question has to be an‑
swered by the individual con‑
cerned. My answer may be true
78 January 6-19, 2018
Million dollars
for Liberation
Financial security is not going to ensure fulfillment. Then what will?
Remember the lion cub who grew up with a flock of sheep and had to be brought near a pond to remind
him of his true identity, the fable that gets echoed in The Lion King Broadway musical. Let the lion in you
recognize yourself and your true potential and purpose on this earth.
for me – that, too, if I manage to
discern it cutting through the
cloud of imposed limitations. We
hear the Wise Ones, we quote
them, like I started off by quot‑
ing Swami Vivekananda, but if I
donʼt make any attempt to under‑
take my own internal journey to
reach this realization of ʻbeing
the best when I am aloneʼ, I
might misunderstand him or I
might repeat these ideas like a
parrot without ever connecting
with the essence of the speaker. I
consciously used essence instead
of the term ʻsoulʼ because we
donʼt know what soul is, yet we
use the word generously and
with authority.
Do we have time to go beyond
the dictionary meaning of soul
and learn and understand its
essence in our own individual‑
ized context?
Perhaps, we are not interested
in the true meaning of the soul?
Some of us may even feel such
questions as pointless in the face
of immediate material challenges
and with due respect to the idea
of being pragmatic and practical.
Our immediate needs and con‑
cerns donʼt let us look at the to‑
tality of life. We ignore the im‑
portance of learning about the
vastness of our existence as hu‑
mans and we continue to live life
without ever realizing its expan‑
sion, its richness and the pure joy
and the inexhaustible love hid‑
den in us.
This assurance comes to us
from scriptures. Let me propose
PERSONAL GROWTH TheSouthAsianTimes.info
fable, the lion with awareness
brought the lion cub who grew
up in a flock of sheep to a pond
and showed him his true form in
the reflection. In our lives, each
one of us needs to invoke that
lion with awareness. No need to
go near any pond, time offers us
the possibility to see our reflec‑
tion in it. Happy New Year greet‑
ing without happy new ʻyouʼ is
not going to sustain the enthusi‑
asm needed for awareness of
perpetual happiness.
So, my modified greeting is,
ʻWishing a Happy New Youʼ.
a theory: “Knowledge leads to world. Being rich without know‑
love. Love leads to knowledge ing yourself is futile. Disciple of Swami Shri
and worthy education has to be a Our sages gave the clarion call, Ishwarananda Giriji Maharaj,
means to take us to this realiza‑ ʻReturn to the rootsʼ. I echo that Ashok Vyas is a poet,
tion.” Let us remember this apho‑ when I propose that resolve to program director with ITV
ristic Sanskrit phrase, ʻSa Vidhya do away with distractions. Let Gold, and President of
Ya Vimuktayeʼ, meaning, ʻknowl‑ the lion in you recognize itself ʻInsight for Creativity LLCʼ;
edge is that which liberatesʼ. and the unit of 365 days in the email:
insight4creativity@gmail.com.
My friends are not interested New Year act as a mirror. In the
in liberation; they say, give me a
million dollars, I will take care of
Laughter is the Best Medicine
liberation. I have known many
friends, who made more than
millions. Did they think of liber‑
ating themselves afterwards? Are
they happy because their imme‑
diate concerns of financial secu‑
rity got fulfilled?
As a society we are giving so
much emphasis on security and
comforts and a pattern of posses‑
sions as a standard for being
called respectable that we end up
considering ʻlifeʼ to be just this
game of gaining and making our‑
selves comfortable. Is that all?
We are more interested in for‑
warding wisdom on social media
without letting it grow within us
through contemplation.
Here is the thing. In place of
typical New Year resolutions like
ʻlosing weightʼ or ʻmaking more
moneyʼ, let me propose this fresh
resolution for your consideration
with love: “Do away with distrac‑
tions”. That would be possible
only if you respect yourself. In
By Mahendra Shah
my humble opinion, do away Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by
with distractions with the aim to profession, artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby.
be with yourself. You are good, He has been recording the plight of the immigrant Indians for
you are the best. Let this realiza‑ the past many years in his cartoons.
tion bring all the richness of the Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
 80 January 6-19, 2018 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Being pristine
means that we
make our soul
purified and
clean to meet
God. To be
New Year’s Message pristine for God
From Sant Rajinder
Singh Ji Maharaj we need to
cleanse our soul
of blemishes or
layers of dust
or grime..
January 1, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in God,

G od as a loving Parent wants to meet each of us as we are all Godʼs children. God is waiting for us to
turn our face to the One who created us. As we turn the corner from 2017 to 2018, can we include in
our list of holiday gifts one that will make God happy? How about offering God the gift of our turning our
vision inward to meet restless God waiting for us to meet again after a long separation?

To accomplish this task of meeting God, I will give all of you a new slogan we can use for the coming year:

Be Pristine in 2018

What does being pristine mean? Being pristine means that we make our soul purified and clean to meet
God. To be pristine for God we need to cleanse our soul.

When our soul has no blemishes or layers of dust or grime, we are in a pristine state and ready not only
to meet God, but merge back into the Source from where our soul originally came.

To be pristine in 2018 so we can make this coming year a chance to meet God, who is patiently waiting
for us, we can take several steps.

One, we can pray to God to reunite us in the ocean of bliss, happiness, and joy. We can ask for more pas‑
sion, zeal, commitment, and regularity in meditation so we can experience God. Through meditation on
the inner Light and Sound, we will become pristine so that the drop of our soul will take its inner journey
on the current that flows out from God and embraces us to carry us back to God.

Two, we can attend spiritual discourses that remind us that God is waiting. The spiritual readings moti‑
vate us to not only do our duty in the world but spend time in meditation to meet God within.

Third, we can pay attention to our thoughts, words, and deeds and the direction they take our soul.
When we find our thoughts, words, and deeds are producing coverings over our soul, we can pray and
take action each day to remove them so our soul shines in its pristine glory.

If we truly want to be pristine in 2018 we can set up our daily routine so daily we can grow closer to our
goal. In this way, we can become closer to God.

I pray that each of us becomes pristine in 2018 and we each reunite our soul with God, who is eagerly
waiting to meet us.

Yours affectionately,
RAJINDER SINGH
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NEW YEAR SPECIAL January 6-19, 2018