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8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 18 - Sep 5-11, 2015
1/31
The South Asian Timese x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
excellence in journalism SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30
Vol.8 No. 18 September 5-11, 2015 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
INTERVIEWS 14 FASHION 15 PHOTO FEATURE 16-17
By Jinal Shah
New York From highway motel
chains to convenience stores, from
the diamond business to trading,
the Gujarati community has often
been at the vanguard of the Indian
diasporaʼs growth in the US, both
economically and numerically. The
US census data shows that
Gujaratis ̶ who account for 6% of
the total population back home ̶
form more than 20% of the Indian
American community.
And this 1.5 million strong com-
munity of Gujaratis have one mes-
sage for the 22-year-old Hardik
Patel, who has taken Gujarat by
storm : “Stop violent protests in
the land of Mahatma Gandhi and
Sardar Patel.”
More than 10 people including a
police constable died in the vio-
lence since August 25 maha rally
organized by Hardik Patel. He has
been demanding inclusion of Patel
community in the “other backward
class” category for education and
jobs or reservation for none.
Hardik does find some support
from the NRI Gujaratis, albeit they
do not approve of his method.
“In democracy everyone has a
By Arun Kumar
Washington DC Ahead of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's visit to
Silicon Valley, a war of words has
broken out between pro- and anti-
Modi academics of Indian descent
spread over major American uni-
versities.
The first salvo was fired by over
100 professors "who engage South
Asia in our research and teaching",
asking US technology executives to
be wary of supporting Modi's
Digital India initiative when he vis-
its Silicon Valley on Sep 27.
The other group hit back with "a
counter petition against the anti-
Modi statement given by some
Ankara As mortifying images of the lifeless
body of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi at the Turkish
beach resort of Bordum went viral on
Thursday, a furious Turkey President Recep
Erdogan, hosting the G-20 meet of global
business leaders, broke from summitteering
to say Europe and "the rest of humanity"
must bear the blame for the tiny child's death.
Joining Erdogan in critiquing the interna-
tional response to the burgeoning humanitar-
ian crisis of war refugees trying to enter
Europe in tens of thousands per day, was
Germany's labor minister Andrea Nahles. She
said, "The failure to
Continued on page 4
Continued on page 4
Continued on page 4
Hardik Patel, the 22-year-old leader of Gujaratʼs Patel reservationmovement, and his associates were booked on Thursday for rioting
and forced entry into the Umiya Campus, a Patel community-ownededucational organization on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.
The images of a toddlerʼs body washed ashore in Turkeywent viral and moved the world. (Inset) The 3-year-old Syrian
boy has since been identified as Aylan Kurdi.
The war of words has erupted on PMModiʼs Digital India initiative when
he visits Silicon Valley Sept 27.50,000 people are expected to con-
gregate to listen to his address there,surpassing the 30000 in NY last year.
Gujaratis inUS to Hardik:Stop violent
protestsRefugee crisis convulses Europe
Indian-American academics sparover Modi visit to Silicon Valley
Schengen visa, the continent'scherished system of borderlesstravel, is also increasingly at risk.
The potentially award
winning film ̒ Goddess:
Creation to Immersion
showcasing Durga Puja asʻlargest outdoor art festival inthe worldʼ will be screened inNY Sept 11-18. It hopes tocreate world awareness to leadto sustenance and preservationof the art of idol making fromstraw and clay. Made by aKolkata Rotarian, the Fundsraised from the film will gotowards charity.
Detailed story on page 3.
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 18 - Sep 5-11, 2015
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(Tax Exempt 501(C) (3) A Not for Profit NJ Corporation)(Tax Exempt 501(C) (3) A Not for Profit NJ Corporation)
Proudly PresentsProudly Presents
Dazzling Ramleela - By Varsha Naik(NDA)
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irewo
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September 5-11, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 18 - Sep 5-11, 2015
3/31
N e w Y o r k Goddess
Durga is said to be an
embodiment of shakti
or power. She emerged
from the collective
energies of all the gods.
Different people in dif-
ferent parts of India
and other countries
worship her for her dif-
ferent attributes.
In Bengal, it was in
the eighteen century
that Durga Puja took
the form of a mass
festival. Thus began a
journey which has cul-
minated into “The Largest Outdoor Art
Festival” of the world. The idols of
Durga are made just from straw and
clay collected from the holy river
Ganges. The film ʻGoddess: Creation
to Immersionʼ gives a glimpse into the
entire process of idol making, hoping
to create worldwide awareness to lead
to sustenance and preservation of the
art. It shows the journey of the
Goddess from Creation to Immersion,
highlighting the role of the artists and
the significance of the age old rituals
associated with Maa Durga. The filmʼs
Director-Producer is Rotarian
Pradeep Rawat, whose Rawat Group is
well known in the field of railway
bridges, platform shelters, etc. He is
on the Board of West Bengal Small
Industries Development
Corporation. An amateur artist, he
has been President Rotary Club of
Calcutta Mahanagar 2002-03 and
2004-05. “Funds raised from the filmwill go for charity through Rotary,” he
told The South Asian Times. ʻGoddess:
Creation to Immersionʼ will be
screened at Cinema Village hall 1 in
NY from 11th to 24th Sept and in Los
Angeles at Music Hall 3 from
Sept 18-24.
Contact: [email protected].
3September 5-11, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info TR I S TATE COMMUNI TY
ashingtonSouth Carolina Gov.
Nikki Haley said Wednesday she
would consider joining the
Republican ticket next year if the
partyʼs presidential nominee asks
her to run for vice president.
Haley, in a high-profile appear-
ance at the National Press Club in
Washington, initially said she
would not bother thinking about
the 2016 GOP ticket. But when
asked about her interest in becom-
ing a running mate, she didnʼt dis-
miss the idea.
“If there is a time where a presi-
dential nominee wants to sit down
and talk, of course I will sit down
and talk,” she said in response to
audience questions after deliver-
ing a speech promoting South
Carolina. She touted the state's
success in recruiting industry,
expanding workforce training andavoiding violence in the aftermath
of two racially charged shootings
this year. “Black lives do matter,and they have been disgracefully
jeopardized by the movement that
has laid waste to Ferguson (Mo.)and Baltimore (Md.),” Haley said.
“In South Carolina, we did things
differently.”
Haleyʼs handling of the June
mass shooting at a historic church
in Charleston, in which a white
gunman is charged with targeting
nine black parishioners, launched
her into the national spotlight.
Within days she called for the
removal of the Confederate flag
from the Capitol grounds in
Columbia, and she became the face
of a state recovering from its seg-
regationist past.
That helped fuel talk that Haley,
43, might be selected to run with
whichever GOP candidate becomes
the presidential nomine. Child of
Indian immigrants, Haley is South
Carolinaʼs first female, minority
governor, an attractive biography
to Republicans struggling to earn
minority votes.In her speech Wednesday, Haley
addressed her partyʼs shortcom-
ings with voters of color. “I have
no doubts that when it comes to
jobs, education, health care, and
many other policy areas,
Republican principles are the right
ones for lifting up all people,” she
said. “The problem for our party is
that our approach often appears
cold and unwelcoming to minori-
ties. That is shameful, and it has to
change.”
She also criticized Donald
Trump. “Every time someone criti-
cizes him, he goes and makes a
political attack back,” Haley said.
“That is not who we are as
Republicans.”
She also urged Republican candi-
dates to celebrate the contribu-
tions of legal immigrants, and to
offer more details about their
plans to secure the Southwest bor-der to reduce illegal immigration.
By SATimes Team
New York On Friday the Indo-American Festivals
(IAF) Inc. announced the dates for annual Grand
Dushahra Festival in New York and New Jersey at
the kickoff event at the Indian Consulate here.
“In New York the festival will be celebrated onSeptember 13 at South Street Seaport and in New
Jersey on October 3 at Lake Papa ianni Park in
Edison,” said Raj Mittal, president of IAF at the
event.
The festival, celebrated in New Jersey since 1999
and founded by late Mangal Gupta, brings young
Indian Americans closer to the rich culture and her-
itage of India through Ramayana. Due to high
demand by the community, the festival made its
debut in New York last year. For the second time in
a row, Dushahra will be celebrated both in New
Jersey and in New York.
The festivities will include cultural performances,
Ram Leela, a theatrical act depicting the life of Lord
Rama, the burning of the effigy of King Ravana inthe symbolic triumph of good over evil, flying
Hanuman. The festival will also include booths sell-
ing Indian arts, crafts, clothing and Indian food,
medical camp is also available for free health
screening as well as a special play area for children.
The kickoff event, attended by the Deputy Consul
General of India Dr. Manoj Mohapatra, saw cultural
performances and glimpses of Ram Leela.
Nikki Haley would consider joining GOP ticket
Film on Durga Puja asʻlargest outdoor art
festivalʼ comes to NY
Gov. Haleyʼs firm decision to remove the Confederate flag from theCapitol grounds in Columbia in June plus her being of Indian origin
has appeal for Republicans struggling to earn minority votes.
The potentially award winning film ʻGoddess:Creation to Immersionʼ will be screened in NY Sept
11-18. It hopes to create awareness to lead to suste-nance and preservation of the art of Durga idol mak-
ing from straw and clay.At the Consulate kickoff, some glimpses of Ram Leela were staged.
Dushahra mela in NY onSept 13, in NJ Oct 3
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 18 - Sep 5-11, 2015
4/31
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Gujaratis in US to Hardik: Stop ...
Continued from page 1
right to protest but that should not mean
taking law in our hands,” said Dr. Sudhir
Parikh, Chairman of ParikhWorldwide
Media Inc. Jayesh Patel, past president of
OFBJP who along with other organization
members is writing letters to the Gujarat
state and central government on the ongo-
ing agitation in Gujarat, said, “The point he
is raising is correct and he should continueto do that but in a nonviolent way. Gujarat is
a bhoomi of Gandhi. If Gandhi could achieve
Swaraj with non-violence, this issue too can
be solved with non-violence.”
Jayesh be longs to the estimated 145,000
Patels in the US. According to sociologist
Pawan Dhingraʼs 2012 book “Life behind
the lobby” one of every two motels in the US
is owned by Indian Americans, 70% of them
are owned by Gujaratis, of them three-
fourths share the last name Patel.
Jayesh, however, points out that the Patels
back home are not that well to do. “If you
go back in time, Patel community has been a
prosperous farming community owning
acres of land. However as families grew the
land got divided, the drought situations anddebts forced farmers to quit farming. It has
come to a stage that even if they want to do
farming they cannot survive. Hence they are
moving out to other professions. But the
quota system does not put them on equal
footing. The OBC status would make it easi-
er for the ʻeconomically backwardʼ Patels to
access education, government jobs and
other facilities.” Like Hardik, Jayesh too
calls for an end to reservation. If it is not
possible to withdraw the archaic reservation
system, he calls for a shift in quota system
based on economic indicators.
“Reservation based on caste is not the
solution and the Patidar movement provides
a great opportunity for the country to turn
the quota debate away from caste to class,”he said.
Dinesh Kantaria, president of the Kadwa
Patel Samaj of North America, agrees. “Not
all Patels are from affluent families. There
are about 40% Patel families who are still
living below the poverty line in Gujarat.
Why should they be devoid of reservations
ju st be ca us e th ey ar e bo rn Pa te l?
Reservation should be based on economic
backwardness and not on caste,” he said.
Indiaʼs reservation system allows for 15%
reservation for scheduled castes, 7.5% for
scheduled tribes and 27% for OBC across
government institutions. As many as 148
communities fall under the OBC category
initiated by Baba Ambedkar to uplift the
Dalit community. Over the years, however,
affirmative action has become counter-pro-
ductive in India. Far from helping peoplemove out of backwardness, reservations are
making the well-off to demand special treat-
ment depriving the more deserving.
On being included in the OBC category for
the purpose of reservation Kantaria said, “If
it helps the community at large I donʼt mind
being called as backward.”
Refugee crisis convulses Europe ...
Continued from page 1
handle the migrant crisis effectively could
adversely affect the idea of Europe," and
called for a fair distribution of refugees with-
in the European Union. Nahles warned that
Europe had "come to a crossroads", and that
poor handling of asylum seekers from Syria,
Iraq, Afghanistan, even North Africa andPakistan, was fueling anger and skepticism
towards the EU. Erdogan said migrants are
dying while attempting to sneak into Europe
because the latter would not accept them
legally.
"The Mediterranean is turning into a grave-
yard of migrants," Erdogan told the select top
global business leaders at the B20 meeting
Thursday evening.
Turkey's state-owned Anadolu news agency
said apart from Aylan, at least 12 more
refugees fleeing the war in Syria, including
two young boys, had drowned while trying to
reach the Greek island of Kos from Bodrum.
The mass migration in Europe has already
surpassed the levels of World War-II with
migrants fleeing unending wars: of PresidentAssad's retaliation against rebels in Syria, of
IS expanding its bloodied footprints in Iraq
and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The refugee influx began four years ago,
but has turned deadly in recent weeks with
increasing European resistance, evident from
long queues at the gates of Hungary, Greece,
Macedonia and other central-east European
countries. The numbers are staggering.
Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon have taken in
four million refugees since 2011 when the
flow started. Turkey says it has spent $6.5
billion on refugees with its "open door" poli-
cy. Now, as these countries are saturated and
governments begin to put Syrians in refugee
camps, the latter are turning to Europe in
greater numbers, lured by claims of "human
traffickers" promising automatic refugee sta-
tus and welfare in prosperous Europe, justacross the sea.
Unscrupulous people milking misery to
make millions are pushing migrants in rub-
ber dinghies towards Europe. These boats
are capsizing, turning into floating coffins,
like that of toddler Kurdi.
Even the Schengen system is creaking under
the pressure of refugee crisis (see page 23).
Indian American academics spar over...
Continued from page 1
faculty of South Asian studies" on
Change.org, an American website providing a
petition tool backed by nonprofits and politi-
cal campaigns. By Thursday evening the
counter-petition accusing the anti-Modi
group of lacking "the slightest respect forfacts and for academic integrity" had gath-
ered 1108 supporters.
"The allegation that Narendra Modi ought
to be viewed with suspicion, if not disdain, by
business leaders in Silicon Valley because of
surveillance implications in the Digital India
initiative seems a desperate ploy rather than
any genuine concern for India," the counter
petition said.
"Their attempt to invoke an admitted mis-
take on the part of the US government in
denying Modi a visa as a 'powerful signal' is a
stark case of false reasoning . . .and a
deplorable attempt to exhume ugly lies about
Modi's attitude towards Muslims," it said.
The "allegations that somehow academic
freedom is under threat in India because of administrative changes at a couple of institu-
tions are completely belied by the reality of
what Indian citizens see in their news media
every day," the counter petition said.
"On the contrary, for all their talk about
assaults on academic freedom, the signato-
ries of the anti-Modi letter have never admit-
ted that the subject of the greatest censor-
ship and distortion in South Asian academics
in recent years has been Narendra Modi," it
said. Rejecting "the faculty statement against
Modi in its entirety," the pro-Modi group
asked the other "to introspect, change, and
for once seek to earn the trust and respect of
the community in whose name they have
been making a living all these years."
Responding on the Academe Blog, the anti-
Modi group said "despite the intimidation
and harassment we have received at this blogsite and elsewhere" their numbers had
swelled from 125 to 135.
The group claimed that it "did not ask
Silicon Valley companies not to invest in
India; we asked them to consider carefully
the terms of partnership with India."
"The objective of our letter is to raise
awareness and debate in Silicon Valley and
elsewhere, of Mr. Modi's record on key issues
related to 'Digital India,'" it said.
While "technology can unleash potent
changes in society, many of them positive,"
the group said, it can also pose a threat to
privacy that "is certainly not unique to India."
Surging Trump signsRepublican loyalty pledgeWashington To the relief of the
Republican establishment, the party's
presidential frontrunner Donald Trump
has signed a pledge to support the even-
tual party nominee and promising not to
make an independent or third-party run.
"I have signed the pledge," the real
estate mogul declared Thursday waving
an agreement requested by the
Republican National Committee, at a
news conference in the lobby of Trump
Tower in Manhattan.
Trump who had caused a degree of
nervousness in the party establishment
by his refusal to make that very pledge at
the first Republican presidential debate
on Fox News last month did so after
meeting privately with RNC chairman
Reince Priebus.
Trump said he had decided to sign the
pledge because the Republican Party in
recent months has been "extremely fair"
to him.
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 18 - Sep 5-11, 2015
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5September 5-11, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info TR I S TATE COMMUNI TY
Amityville NY: The Science of Spirituality
Meditation Center is organizing The Darshan
Mela Spiritual Festival on September 13
from 1-5 PM.
Join for a day of fun, entertainment and
spiritual rejuvenation to celebrate the birth
anniversaries of two great Spiritual Masters
of Sant Mat Meditation, Sant Darshan Singh
Ji Maha ra j an d Sa nt Ra ji nd er Si ng h Ji
Maharaj. There will be kids' rides, family
entertainment, a spiritual photo exhibit, and
free public talks on meditation and healthy
living, as well as basic medical check-ups
offered. A festive outdoor food court with
delicious vegetarian cuisine will begin at
1:00 pm. Two Public talks on meditation
and vegetarianism will simultaneously take
place from 3:00pm ‒4:00pm : “Meditation
for Body, Mind and Spirit” and “Vegetarian
Diet for Health and Well Being.” There will
be a bilingual Spanish translation available.
The day will include fun-filled activities for
the kids beginning at 2:00pm, with games,
rides, crafts, face painting and other family
fun. Free and open to all.
For more information mail
[email protected] , or visit
www.sos.org/location
N e w Y o r k : Indian AmericanAaswath Raman and Indian-ori-
gin innovators Rahul Panicker,
Rohan Paul and Saurabh
Srivastava were among the “35
Innovators under 35,” a list cre-
ated by the MIT Technology
Review and announced Aug.
18.
The annual list is broken up
into six categories: biotechnolo-
gy and medicine; computer
and electronics hardware;
energy; Internet and web; nan-
otechnology and materials; and software.
Raman, 30, a researcher at Stanford
University in Stanford, Calif., was honored
for his work in energy. His innovation couldpotentially lead to air conditioning units sav-
ing energy by beaming heat into outer space.
He has a prototype on the roof of
Stanfordʼs Packard Electrical Engineering
Building. It is made up of a sheet of passive
cooling material about a square meter in
area, mounted on a custom-machined plexi-
glass box patterned with water channels.
In a finished system, the water would cir-
culate through the building air-conditioning
system, then go into the cooler box to chill
and back into the building system.
Raman, who still needs to demonstrate
that his prototype can chill a substantial vol-
ume of water, has already part-nered with a manufacturer
that can produce large sheets
of the cooling material for fur-
ther development.
Panicker is the president and
co-founder of Bangalore-based
Embrace Innovations. A gradu-
ate of IIT Madras, the innova-
tor received his M.S. and doc-
torate from Stanford
University. His company,
Embrace, has found a way to
help premature babies.
With help from some Stanford classmates,
they created a prototype incubator that costs
1 percent of traditional solutions and can be
operated by a non-expert.The incubator uses phase-change materials
to keep babies at the ideal temperature for
up to six hours without electricity. When
heated with hot water or another source, a
phase-change material melts, and it can
release heat the baby needs at a constant
temperature.
The MIT Technology Review has released
its annual 35 innovators under 35 since
1999, recognizing exceptionally
talented young technologists whose work
illustrates the most important emerging
technologies of the moment, according to a
statement.
New York: Drs. Akshat Jain and Abena Appiah-Kubi
pediatric hematologist-oncologists at the North
Shore LIJ School of Medicine were each awarded
last night at a Hofstra University MPH Symposium
with a Certificate of Achievement.
For their devotion and academic work in the
field of bettering lives with children with blood
and blood related disorders on a global level, the
physician-scientists were chosen for the high
award.
Dr Jain presented his seminal work in improving
access to care with children with cancer in devel-
oping countries, an experience that bringsresearch into action, was lauded by peers and
experts in the field alike. Dr Appiah Kubiʼs ground
breaking research in children with sickle cell dis-
ease, which promises a new modality of treatment
for such children who suffer from lifelong pain,
was received very well at the ceremony held at the
Hofstra University Clubʼs David S. Mack hall in
Hempstead New York on August 26.
Chicago: In 2010 when
he was appointed Dean
of the University Of
Chicago Booth School
Of Business Sunil
Kumar, an expert in
operations research at
that time at Stanford
University Graduate
School of Business, was
one of the very few
business school deansof Indian origin in the
United States. Late last month
Kumar was named dean of the busi-
ness school for a second five-year-
term in recognition of his energetic
leadership in the first term and
earning the respect of the schoolʼs
worldwide community.
President Robert J.
Zimmer and Provost
Eric D. Isaacs, who
announced his reap-
pointment, said in a
statement that they
look forward to
working with Sunil
in the years ahead to
ensure that Booth
remains a preemi-
nent destination forbusiness education
and scholarship.
“He has demonstrated a commit-
ment to the success of Boothʼs fac-
ulty individually and as a whole, and
to the success of Booth students
and alumni in Chicago and around
the globe,” the statement said.
Indian American among
MIT Technology Review's
ʻ35 Innovators Under 35ʼ
Dr Akshat Jainconferred prestigiouspublic health award
Sunil Kumar namedBooth Business SchoolDean for second term
Aaswath Raman
Sunil Kumar
Darshan Mela Spiritual Festivalon Sept 13 in Amityville
Indian-American doctortrains peers in robot-
assisted surgeryWashington DC: An India-American doctor has been train-
ing his peers in robotics-assisted surgery as part of a pro-
gram that draws surgeons from all over the US, a media
report said.
Kirpal Singh, a surgeon at St. Vincent Indianapolis
Hospital in Illinois, has so far performed about 450 opera-
tions using the $2 million da Vinci robot.
He is the driving force behind the Surgery 101 program
of the Indianapolis hospital, which is one of about 25 epi-
centers of training in robotics-assisted surgery in the US,
the Tri-Valley Dispatch reported on Wednesday."Dr Singh is quite the expert in this field," said Anand
Patel, a surgeon with Union Associated Physicians Clinic,
Indiana. "He's a very good teacher. He's very patient."
Singh himself started using the robot for surgeries about
three years ago. "The robot is a tool to do the same thing
that you did," he was quoted as saying.
The Indian-origin doctor said that trainees were not
allowed to participate in any of the actual surgeries.
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6 September 5-11, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TR I S TATE COMMUNI TY
Dr. L. Subramaniam, Indiaʼs ac-claimed violinist, composer and
conductor and Sri Chinmoy Centre
International together offered a free
Manhattan concert in tribute to Sri Chin-
moy on August 29, 7:30 p.m. at the
Baruch Performing Arts Center. Perform-
ing with Dr. Subramaniam was his wife
Kavita Krishnamurthy Subramaniam.
Kavita is a much recorded, platinum play-
back artist, often referred to as the
"Melody Queen" of India. She said, “A few
years ago I met Sri Chinmoy in New York
and the happiest moment in my life is
when Sri Chinmoy blessed me.” Their
daughter Bindu Subramaniam and son
Ambi Subramaniam also L. Subramaniam
has earned international respect and ac-claim for his virtuosic techniques and dis-
tinctive style. Dr. Subramaniam met with
and performed for Sri Chinmoy on a num-
ber of occasions and the two greatly ad-
mired and respected one another.
Sri Chinmoy prolifically expressed his
spiritual life through music, poetry and
the visual arts. Born in Bengal, India in
1931, he made his home in New York in
1964. During his frequent travels world-
wide, Sri Chinmoy emphasized the impor-
tance of meditation, music and inner
peace.
Upon hearing about an exhibition of Sri
Chinmoyʼs “Paintings for World-Harmo-
ny” at the United Nations in 2008, L. Sub-
ramaniam commented, “I am delighted to
know that Sri Chinmoyʼs paintings are be-
ing exhibited at the UN. Sri Chinmoy him-
self was an embodiment of peace and har-
mony and it is a fitting tribute to such a
realized soul.”
Indian National Overseas Congress(INOC) has lauded circuit courtʼs ruling
that dismissed the lawsuit filed by Sikhs
for Justice against Sonia Gandhi. “Once
again, we are grateful to the courtʼs ruling
that hopefully, will put an end to these
whimsical lawsuits that are nothing more
than grand standing and waste of taxpay-
erʼs money” said George Abraham, Chair-
man, INOC, USA.
Attorney Ravi Batra who defended Sonia
Gandhi and the Congress Party in the
court said, ʻSFJ is out of business - as they
represent no one, and hence they lack as-
sociational standing to sue; and the Court
considered all of plaintiffs' arguments andfound them to be without merit.' Anti-Sikh
riots in New Delhi were indeed a blot on
our democracy and the perpetrators of
those heinous crimes ought to be pun-
ished. As someone who is concerned with
human rights violations anywhere, I urge
the group to drop this showmanship and
take the case with courts in India that have
jurisdiction over the matter. It is a known
fact that Mrs. Sonia Gandhi was not in the
political arena when the riots took place
and the groupʼs intention to drag her into
the case in a foreign court showed nothing
but malicious intent by the group.”
Free concerts offered intribute to Sri Chinmoy
Kavita Krishnamurthy (center) holdingPeace Torch with Dr L. Subramaniyam &their daughter Bindu at the concert hall.
INOC lauds US courtʼsruling on Sonia Gandhi
A29-year-old Indian-American baby sit-
ter will serve 14 years in prison in the
US after she was found guilty of the
death of a toddler in her care.
Kinjal Patel pleaded under the Alford doc-
trine, in which a defendant does not admit
guilt but concedes that there is enough evi-
dence for conviction at trial, New Haven
Register reported.
Patel was found guilty by court for the
death of Athiyan Sivakumar, who was 19-
months-old when he died at Yale-NewHaven Hospital on January 19, 2014.
Sivakumar sustained fatal injuries while
he was under Patel's care.
Medical examiners involved in the case
ruled that the child's death is a homicide
and the cause of his death was blunt force
trauma. Patel's attorney Kevin Smith assert-
ed that the boy's death was an accident.
"There was zero intent on her part to harm
this child," Smith was quoted as saying.
"This was a horrible, tragic accident, prob-
ably due to her lack of experience with
small children and not knowing how to han-
dle these types of situations," she added.
"The physical evidence (if the case had
come to trial) would not show a plan or
thought on her part. It was just split secondreactions with unintended but tragic conse-
quences," Smith said.
According to the police warrant, the tod-
dler gave Patel a hard time about eating rice
and spat water on her face.
A furious Patel picked up the boy and
slammed his feet onto the kitchen floor
three times and shook his head back and
forth. She later pushed the boy in the face
and he fell backward, hitting his head, the
warrant added.
The prosecutor did not comment and said
she will talk in detail about the case duringthe sentencing hearing scheduled for Octo-
ber 29.
Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Clifford
will impose a 20 year sentence, to be sus-
pended after Patel serves 14 years, and she
will also serve five years probation, the re-
port in the daily said.
Smith argued that since Patel is not a US
citizen she must be deported to India after
she completes her sentence.
The boy's parents also face charges in the
case. They allegedly lied to detectives about
the incident in which their boy was injured,
the report said. The boy's mother, Then-
mozhi Rajendran, 26, told police initially
that she was taking care of her son when
she noticed his breathing was abnormal andthe boy fell while reaching for a doorknob.
After giving authorities the slip for near-
ly 16 years, an Indian-origin man ac-
cused of killing a person outside a New
York wedding in 1999 has finally been ar-
rested in Trinidad, media reported. Balkumar
Singh, 37, from Guyana apologized to the peo-
ple as he was led into a court on Long Island
in New York on August 31, India West news
portal reported.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to murder,
assault, weapons and other charges and was
ordered to be held without bail.
"I am sorry for the pain I caused the family,"
Singh was quoted as saying.
According to the prosecutors, Singh got into
an argument while attending the wedding in
Hicksville, New York. He fired numerous times
outside the wedding hall, killing 19-year-old
Abzal Khan.
Singh was featured on popular US television
series "America's Most Wanted" in 2009.
Acting district attorney Madeline Singas
said Singh used numerous aliases while on the
run and might have spent time in Canada and
Guyana.
According to the district attorney, he was ar-
rested in Trinidad in March this year after au-
thorities were tipped off to his whereabouts.
He apparently was homeless and living on the
streets, the report added.
Indian-origin baby sitter to serve14 years for toddler's death
NY shooting case: Indian-origin man pleads not guilty
IN BRIEF
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Washington DC: The Obama
administration is challenging
Louisiana's Indian-American
Governor Bobby Jindal's attempt
to terminate Planned Parenthood
Gulf Coast, a non-profit providing
reproductive health and maternal
and child health services, from the
state's Medicaid program.
Republican presidential con-
tender Jindal's effort to terminate
Planned Parenthood was launched
following the release of a series of
undercover videos by abortion
opponents that have raised ques-
tions about clinic operations.
Most of the others in the crowd-
ed field of 17 Republican presi-
dential contenders have also
vowed to stop federal funding for
the program if elected.
In a brief filed late Monday in a
Louisiana federal court, Justice
Department lawyers said the state
had not provided appropriate "jus-
tification" to strip the provider
from the federally-subsidized
Medicaid program, USA Today
reported. The action is ahead of a
scheduled hearing where Planned
Parenthood is moving to block
Jindal's effort.
The hearing is set for
Wednesday in Baton Rouge before
US District Judge John
deGravelles, who was nominated
to the federal bench by President
Barack Obama. He was confirmed
in January. "States do not have
unfettered discretion to determine
that a provider is not qualified for
purposes of federal Medicaid law,"
according to the brief as cited by
USA Today.
"To conclude otherwise would
not only strip the Medicaid Act's
free choice provider of all mean-
ing, but also would contravene
clear congressional intent to give
Medicaid beneficiaries the right to
receive covered services from any
qualified and willing provider."
"President Obama is so commit-
ted to protecting Planned
Parenthood's baby harvesting
operation that he sent his lawyers
from the Department of Justice all
the way to Baton Rouge to sue me
and try to stop us from cancelling
these contracts," Jindal said in a
statement issued by his campaign.
"President Obama won't watch
the videos but he'll take time to
file a lawsuit. Well, I've got news
for him. We are not backing
down."
The dispute between Jindal and
Planned Parenthood has escalated
outside the courtroom in recent
weeks. Last month, as Planned
Parenthood staged protests out-
side the governor's mansion,
Jindal responded by playing the
undercover videos on an outdoor
screen.
W a s h i n g t o n D C : An Indian
grandfather who was slammed
down to the ground by an
Alabama police officer while
walking in his son's neighbor-
hood in February recalled the
horrific encounter that left him
badly injured.
Sureshbhai Patel , 57, was
called to the stand as the trial of former police officer Eric Parker,
26, began in a Huntsvil le,
Alabama federal court
Wednesday.
Parker is accused of using
excessive force against an
unarmed Patel and charged with
violating his civil rights.
Patel , according to local
whnt.com, told the jury he went
for a walk around the neighbor-
hood every morning, but stayed on the same
street as his son's house and never went farther
than ten or 11 houses away. He walked on the
footpath next to the road and did not go to any-
body's house or into anyone's yard on his walk.
Patel said on the morning of the incident, hestopped when he heard shouting from behind
him. He recognized the uniforms the men wore as
police uniforms.
He said he stopped when they shouted, but he
could not understand them. He says he was only
able to respond, "No English, no English."
Patel said when the officer put his hand on him,
he did not attempt to jerk or pull away. Shortly
after that, the officer "put him
on the grass." He said officers
tried to lift him but his hands
and legs were numb.
As a result of his injuries, he
now has trouble walking and
cannot care for his grandson,
he told the jury.
When the defence asked
Patel why he did not carryidentification or a card with his
son's contact information on it,
he replied that he was simply
going for a short-distance
morning walk and that there
was no need for identification.
Earlier, officer Charles
Spence who was called to
respond after Parker arrested
Sureshbhai Patel, said Parker
used a standard takedown
move, the "front leg sweep" taught in the police
academy. Spence said it's used when a subject is
being combative but he didn't observe Patel being
combative. He also said this type of takedown is
"high risk" and he wouldn't have handcuffed him
in this circumstance.Prosecutors asked Spence if he saw anything
that would have caused him to lay hands on Patel.
"No sir, I didn't," Officer Spence replied.
Throughout questioning, even in opening state-
ments, Parker's lawyer, Robert Tuten, argued his
client was doing what was necessary to "control
the situation," which is a duty of a police officer in
an uncertain situation.
Illinois: For the last several years, eachVeggie Fest has seen record-breaking
increase in attendance. The 10th
Annual Veggie Fest on August 15-16,2015 was no different when close to
35,000 locals and visitors from around
the world came to enjoy the free, two-day outdoor festival.
Held in a new location on the campusof Benedictine University in Lisle, IL,
Veggie Fest had even more space for
their huge international food court;Spirituality and Health Symposium with
professionals speaking on diet, lifestyle,and environmental issues; engaging
food demos by restaurant owners,
chefs, and authors; children's tent withface painting, clowns, and crafts; live
music from some of Chicago's best
bands; over 100 vendor booths toexplore; and fun for the whole family.
"It's incredible to see the growingenthusiasm toward the vegetarian diet,"
said Jonathan Kruger, spokesperson forthe event. "This was our biggest andbest Veggie Fest yet!"
In addition to standing-room-only
keynote talks on both days by SantRajinder Singh Ji Maharaj, world-
renowned spiritual Master and head of Science of Spirituality (Veggie Fest's
primary sponsor), Dr. Mason, Chief
Operating Officer of the Cook County
Public Health System, spoke about theimportance of the vegetarian diet; the
Mayor of Lisle, Joe Broda, cut the rib-bon on opening day; and Honorable
Sandra Sanchez, Consul General of
Colombia also attended the festival.Record numbers who "pledged to go
veg" for 14 days by taking the
Vegetarian Challenge went home withrecipes, tips, and shopping lists; $5,500
worth of food was donated to People'sResource Center in Wheaton, IL in the
annual vegetarian food drive; and thou-
sands learned new vegetarian, vegan,and raw food recipes in the popular
demo tents. These are now available on
the Veggie Fest website.
7September 5-11, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info TR I S TATE COMMUNI TY
Slammed Indian grandfatherTESTIFIES AT US COP'S TRIAL
Another year of record-breaking attendance at
10th Veggie Fest
Recovering from spine injury,Sureshbhai Patel is nowdependent on a walker.
Joe Broda, Mayor of Lisle, cuts the rib-bon at the 10th Anniversary of Veggie
Fest on opening day
US challenges Bobby Jindal's effortsto stop Planned Parenthood
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8 September 5-11, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NAT I ONAL COMMUNI TY
New York An Indian Americanprofessor from Duke University is
set to be presented with the
"2015 SMS Emerging Scholar
Award" from Illinois-based
Strategic Management Society
(SMS).
Aaron Chatterji will be honored
at the 2016 SMS annual interna-
tional conference and will receive
$5,000 as prize money. He will
also present his research at the
conference, India West news por-
tal reported. The prize is awarded
to a relatively young or new
scholar who displays exemplary
scholarship that promises to have
an impact on future strategic
management practice.
Chatterji served as a senior
economist with the White House
Council of Economic Advisers
where he worked on a wide range
of policies relating to entrepre-
neurship, innovation, infrastruc-
ture and economic growth.
He has authored several
columns in the New York Timesand the Wall Street Journal, has
appeared on TV and radio and
was recently profi led in The
Financial Times and Fortune.
Chatterji is a term member of
the US Council on Foreign
Relations and previously worked
as a financial analyst at global
investment firm Goldman Sachs.
New York: The American Federation
of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI)has honored India-born entrepre-
neur and philanthropist, Frank
Islam with the "Pride of India"
award, the media reported on
Monday.
India's Consul General in New
York Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay on
Sunday conferred the award upon
Islam who had donated $222,000
in May this year to the Aligarh
Muslim University in India, India
New England daily reported.
"It is a distinct honor and privi-
lege to be here tonight to accept the
AFMI 'Pride of India' award. It is
also a privilege to be asked to speak
as a part of AFMI's silver jubilee cel-ebration," Islam was quoted as say-
ing. "I have received many awards.
But this one is extra special because
it comes from this prestigious
organization in its silver jubilee
year," Islam added.
"I must admit that receiving this
award and joining such luminaries
does not make me proud. It makes
me humble," he noted.
Islam, 63, was born in Azamgarh
in Uttar Pradesh and is married to
Debbie Driesman, 61.Apart from being a successful
entrepreneur, philanthropist and
civic leader, he is also a thought
leader with a special commitment
to civic, educational and artistic
causes. He currently heads the FI
Invest Group - a firm that he estab-
lished after he sold his information
technology firm called the QSS
Group in 2007, the report added.
Islam serves on several boardsand advisory councils including the
Kennedy Center Board of Trustees,
the US Institute of Peace, the
Woodrow Wilson Center and the
Brookings Institution in
Washington D.C.
He has written two books on the
American condition, titled "Working
the Pivot Points: To Make America
Work Again" (2013) and "Renewing
the American Dream: A Citizen's
Guide for Restoring Our
Competitive Advantage" (2010).
The donation to the Aligarh
Muslim University (AMU) will be
used towards building the Frank
and Debbie Islam School of Management with an endowed
chair and building a technical col-
lege for girls in Azamgarh in memo-
ry of his mother Qumran Nisan.
The AFMI, a philanthropic charity
formed by American Muslims of
Indian Origin in the 1989, celebrat-
ed its silver jubilee convention on
August 29.
S a n t a A n a C A : The 2015 MOONBOTS
Challenge is an international online competi-tion that challenges youth from 8 to 17 years
old to form a team (2-4 members) to design,
create and program their own robots.The competition is divided into two phases.
In Phase One, teams submitted a short video
or written story about what inspires themabout the Moon, from old tales to the poten-
tial of lunar exploration. Thirty teams wereselected by a panel of experts to move onto
the next stage. In Phase Two, teams received
a robotics kit of their choice: LEGO® MIND-
STORMS® EV3, VEX IQ Superkit or MECCA-NO Meccanoid G15 KS to create their own
robot to rove on a simulated lunar landscapebased on the story the team created in Phase
One of the competition. Teams are also askedto create & upload a video showing how they
have demonstrated their MOONBOTS game
to children and adults in their community.Three grand prize winners will land a once-
in-a-life time trip to Japan to meet with teams
from all over the world competing in theGoogle Lunar XPRIZE.
The MOONBOTS teams will learn how
these Google Lunar XPRIZE teams are plan-ning to reach the Moon with their innovative
robotic technology.
Team GalacTechs is made up of four futurescientists from Orange County, CA with inter-
ests ranging from filmaking, acting, 3D print-ing, math and robotics. Nadia (11), Rayyan
(10), Kamran (10) and Aleena (8) bonded
over their love for space and their desire to
explore the moon.They have built a lunar resort that will
showcase state of the art features for its visi-tors. The ʻFour Moon Seasonsʼ is the brain-
child of GalacTech Getaways, a lunar tourism
company powered by Team GalacTechs. Theyhave made it to Phase 2 of this competition
and are conducting their public outreach ini-tiatives currently.
Mumbai Another incident of an Indian ath-
lete disillusioned by politics and bureaucrat-
ic bottlenecks was brought to light at the
recently held Festival of Globe Silicon Valley.
Legendary athlete Mohinder Singh Gill, a
1972 Summer Olympian triple jumper and
Arjuna Awardee, was honored by Indians on
foreign shores at the Festival of Globe
Silicon Valley.
It was also announced that a biopic about
Mohinder Singh Gill is to be made by Silicon
Valley based company Smart We Creatives
along with four young men - Chet Jain,
writer Sandeep Nath, actor Prashantt
Guptha and Jitender Grewal. An Indian-
American actor has also been roped in to
play the role of the sportsman.“I am really glad, we could give them a
platform at FOGSV to give seed to this biopic
of this Arjuna Awardee,” says an emotional
Dr. Romesh Japra, FOGSV- Founder and
Convener. Disillusioned by politics,
Mohinder Singh Gill left it all at the peak of
his career and quietly moved to setup his
sports equipment business in the USA. In his
spare time he takes it upon himself to train
youngsters. Mohinder Singh Gill was also
elected into the Cal Poly Athletic Hall of
Fame in 1993, the only Asian to receive that
honor.
Speaking about the biopic, Chet Jain says,
“We are excited for this project and are
proud to present it to the world.”
Team GalacTechs makes itto Phase 2 of Google Xprize
Moonbots Competion
Indian Americanhonored with top
scholar award
Aaron Chatterji
Entrepreneur and philanthropistFrank Islam
Frank Islam conferred'Pride of India' award
After Milkha, itʼs
Mohinder Singh Gill
Athlete Mohinder Singh Gill (center), a1972 Summer Olympian triple jumper and
Arjuna Awardee honored at the Festivalof Globe Silicon Valley.
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 18 - Sep 5-11, 2015
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9September 5-11, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info NAT I ONAL COMMUNI TY
Erie PA: India is coming alive and flour-
ishing economically. In fact, Citigroup
estimates that by 2050, India will have
the world's largest economy, larger than
China and the United States. For cen-
turies, only the politically connected and
elite prospered in the densely populated
country, while the remaining residents
lived in poverty. However, since 1991,
more than 200 million people have been
lifted out of poverty and are finding new
ways to flex their personal and economic
power.
In the new 60-minute documentaryʻIndia Awakes,ʼ Johan Norberg explores
an inherited British bureaucracy, which
created layers of rules and regulations.
Today's globalization and economic liber-
alization have created fluidity between
classes - and greater ambition.
"Within two decades India will have the
largest population in the world, and
another two decades later, it will have the
world's largest economy," said Norberg.
"What happens in India will have an
effect on the world and on the US, and its
triumphs and challenges also sheds new
light on the policies we are pursuing back
home."
ʻIndia Awakesʼ premieres on World
Channel on Wednesday, September 2 at
7:00 p.m. Eastern. Additional airings will
be on September 3 at 12 a.m., 8 a.m. and
2 p.m. Eastern; Saturday, September 5 at
1 p.m.; Sunday, September at 11 p.m.
Eastern; Monday, September 7 at 5 a.m.
and 11 a.m.
Eastern and Tuesday, September 8 at 6
p.m. Eastern. Check local listings.The documentary highlights three indi-
viduals who are working to improve their
lives, and in the process, breaking down
the centuries-old caste system: Banwari
Lal Sharma, the president of a growing
street vendor association, is helping ven-
dors in his area feel more empowered to
demand their legal rights, after years of
intimidation and bribes to corrupt local
officials; Rama Bhai, a Sagai village leader
and farmer, comes from a group called
the "forest people," who were once viewed
as trespassers on the land where they
have lived and farmed for generations.
Using GPS technology and Google Earth
they have now obtained deeds to their
land; Mannem Madhusudana Rao, who
was born to what is considered the lowest
rung of India's caste system, the "Dalit,"
was able to break free from the chains
that have bound his societal position to a
life of poverty.
Through entrepreneurial perseverance,
Rao formed a thriving, major construction
firm and has secured a higher quality of life for himself and his extended family,
along with a new status of "millionaire."
'India Awakes' reveals the enormous
power of unlocking human potential and
ambition, and how doing so, could estab-
lish this country as a preeminent world
leader.
"This story is emotional and inspira-
tional," said James Tusty and Maureen
Castle Tusty, who co-wrote, produced and
directed ̒ India Awakes.ʼ
hicago Telugu movie actress and popular TV
artist Divya Vani -- whose brilliant acting
career spanning across many years in Telugu,
Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil movies --
now embarking on a transformational spiritual
journey has fluently shared her personal testi-
mony of faith on her maiden visit to Chicago
addressing a large gathering at Grace
Lutheran Church hosted by United Christian
Cultural Association [UCCA] on August 22 in
Westchester, Illinois.
Award-winning actress Divya Vani whorenounced her lucrative acting profession to
embrace new found faith in Christianity gave a
passionate narrative of her transformational
journ ey and how her li fe has pro fou ndl y
changed from a life of movie acting to a life of
a devout Christian. Divya Vani in her awe-
inspiring testimony outlined her life with her
uplifting message of faith, values and belief
and waking up every day to newer opportuni-
ties to reach out to touch people and their lives
with love, grace, peace and faith. Star of yester-
year' s Divya Vani held the congregation in
rapt attention as she shared her journey of
faith and said “Christianity is not a religion but
itʼs a personal relationship with Savior Lord
Jesus Christ. She recalled how her sonʼs seri-ous health problem and her resultant relent-
less pursuit for healing led her to divine reve-
lation who, she said, has answered her prayers
bringing a dramatic healing to her sonʼs life.
Corporate Office: 385 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385
718.821.3182, www.AtlanticDialysis.com
Telugu actress Divya Vani
shares her inspiring journey of faith in Chicago
Divya Vani being felicitated by UCCA host committee [L to R] Emmanuel Neela, KeerthiRavoori, Varghese Chacko, Shirley Kalvakota, Babu Varma, Vasanth Charles, Pravin Neetipudi,
Renee Thogaru, Johnson Sukka, Nandan T hogaru, Raju Pasumarathi & Surender Charles.
The 60-min documentary celebrates India's entrepreneurial spirit
Johan Norberʼs ʻIndia Awakesʼpremieres on World Channel Sept 2
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 18 - Sep 5-11, 2015
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10 September 5-11, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info U S AFFA I RS
Washington DC: CNN hosting the
next Republican presidential
debate has announced changes to
debate criteria that mean former
Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina
will almost certainly join the rest
of the top-tier candidates on the
main stage at the Reagan Libraryin Simi Valley, CA on Sept. 16.
"CNN reevaluated its criteria and
decided to add a provision that
better reflects the state of the race
since the first Republican presi-
dential debate in August," the net-
work announced. "Now, any candi-
date who ranks in the top 10 in
polling between August 6 and
September 10 will be included."
The CNN move is being greeted
as a positive development, and not
only for the most obvious reason,
which is that a woman will be in
the mix, in contrast to the 10-man
tableau that a huge national televi-
sion audience saw at the first
debate on Fox Aug. 6 in Cleveland,
Ohio.
Fiorina also had fairness on her
side, say supporters. The original
rules would have made the cutaccording to an average of polls
conducted between July 16 and
Sept. 10.
That arithmetic minimized the
significant rise in Fiorina's num-
bers since she gave what was
widely reviewed as the single best
performance of the evening in
Cleveland, despite being relegated
to the earlier, non-prime-time
"undercard" debate of longshot
contenders.
Milwaukee Wisconsin: Cities across
America are seeing a startling rise
in murders after years of declines.
Milwaukee tops the list of cities
which have recorded the spikes.
With the summer not yet over, 104
people have been killed this year ̶
after 86 homicides in all of 2014,
reports The New York Times.
More than 30 other cities have
also reported increases in violence
from a year ago. In New Orleans,
120 people had been killed by late
August, compared with 98 during
the same period a year earlier. In
Baltimore, homicides had hit 215,
up from 138 at the same point in2014. In Washington, the toll was
105, compared with 73 people a
year ago. And in St. Louis, 136 peo-
ple had been killed this year, a 60
percent rise from the 85 murders
the city had by the same time last
year.
Different factors are cited by law
enforcement experts for the worri-
some development. Some officials
say intense national scrutiny of the
use of force by the police has made
officers less aggressive and embold-
ened criminals, though many
experts disagree with this theory.
Rivalries among organized street
gangs, often over drug turf, and the
availability of guns are cited as
major factors in some cities, includ-
ing Chicago. Many top police offi-
cials also point to a growing willing-ness among disenchanted young
men in poor neighborhoods to use
violence to settle ordinary disputes,
The Times reports. “Maintaining
oneʼs status and credibility and
honor, if you will, within that peer
community is literally a matter of
life and death,” Milwaukeeʼs police
chief, Edward A. Flynn, said. “And
thatʼs coupled with a very harsh
reality, which is the mental calcula-
tion of those who live in that strata
that it is more dangerous to get
caught without their gun than to
get caught with their gun.”
Murders and overall violent crime
rate remains far below the peaks of
the late 1980s and early ʼ90s, and
criminologists say it is too early to
draw broad conclusions from the
recently climbing numbers. In somecities, including Cincinnati, Los
Angeles and Newark, homicides
remain at a relatively steady rate
this year.
Washington As the release of some 7,000
new emails brought a fresh headache for
Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton,
neurosurgeon Ben Carson caught up with
Donald Trump in new poll to challenge his
frontrunner status among Republicans.
But long shot Indian-American presiden-
tial contender Bobby Jindal, languishing at
the bottom of the polls, boasted Monday
that the real estate mogul's popularity is
part of a "summer of silliness" and it was
he would eventually emerge as the
Republican nominee.
Clinton may not be in legal trouble yet,
but the new emails with information
redacted from 150 of them is bound to add
fresh fuel to the controversy over the use
of her own private server that has roiled
her presidential campaign for over five
months.
Information was redacted from her
emails because it has now been deemed to
require classification, the State Department
said Monday night in releasing the materi-
al to meet a federal court direction to make
public 25 percent of Clinton's emails by
end August. A State Department official
said that the approximately 150 emails
from Clinton's four year tenure as secre-
tary of state that are being upgraded and
subsequently classified are all at the "confi-
dential" level - the lowest level of classifica-
tion.
Newly-classified emails include corre-
spondence Clinton had with an aide about
an Iran speech she delivered at American
University in 2010, and another from the
minister counselor for public affairs in
Pakistan with the subject "Facebook Freed
in Pakistan," according to NBC News.
None are "Top Secret" as were two of the
emails released last month, it said. In a
2010 note, Clinton asks colleague Philippe
Reines if he can help her learn to use her
new iPad, or "hPad," as Reines dubbed it.
Meanwhile, in the Republican camp,
Carson caught up with Trump in Iowa, one
of the first four nominating states in the
party primary.
A new Monmouth University poll found
the two tied at 23 percent. It was the first
time since July 26 that a poll in the first
four states to select a Republican nominee
did not find Trump substantially ahead of
all other candidates.
Farther behind Trump and Carson were
former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina,
at 10 percent; Texas Senator Ted Cruz, at 9
percent; Scott Walker at 7 percent and for-
mer Jeb Bush at 5 percent.
Louisiana's governor Jindal polled below
one percent. Yet during a campaign stop at
Storm Lake, Iowa, he suggested Trump's
popularity is part of a "summer of silli-
ness".
"We don't need another talker in the
White House," said Jindal. "We need a doer,
not a talker. So I think voters are going to
focus on who can do this job."
Jindal said Trump and other candidates
have tapped into frustrations that voters
have with insiders in Washington.
Carly Fiorinaʼs recent risingnumbers and CNNʼs changeddebate criteria will see her on
the big stage.
Carly Fiorina earns a spoton CNNʼs GOP debate
Washington It wasn't all serious
stuff that Hillary Clinton was
doing as America's top diplomat
for years. There were a few fun
things too as revealed by the lat-
est cache of 7,000 emails
released by the StateDepartment.
For instance, in a March 5,
2010 email to Richard Verma,
now the US ambassador to India,
and another State Department
staffer, Clinton asked: "Where
are we on this?" about gefilte
fish, the famously controversial
Jewish delicacy.
The Time magazine citing
Tablet magazine writer Yair
Rosenberg said Clinton was ask-
ing about a blocked US shipment
of carp to Israel.
In a February 27, 2010 email,
a State Department help desk
analyst asked if she could
receive email.
Clinton's Indian American
assistant Huma Abedin clarified
in a follow-up that the help desk
hadn't recognized Clinton's pri-
vate address while troubleshoot-
ing.
"They had no idea it was YOU,
just some random email address
so they emailed," Abedin wrote.
In a January 3 email the same
year to State Department staf fer
Monica Hanley, Clinton asked
when two TV shows aired --
"Parks and Recreation" and "The
Good Wife".
"Can you give me times for
two TV shows?" she asked.
In an August 20, 2010 email
to a State Department staffer,
movie producer Harvey
Weinstein pushed for Clinton to
watch "The King's Speech", his
film about how King George
overcame his stuttering prob-
lem.
"It's a fun movie that is much
in the tradition of SHAKE-
SPEARE IN LOVE, again I think
yo u wo ul d bo th li ke it (a nd
Hillary would approve because
it's PG-13 with not too many
swear words," he wrote.
Finally in a December 2010
email thread, Clinton, staffer
Cheryl Mills and lawyer David
Kendall joked about a news
story about a man who robbed a
bank wearing a Hillary mask.
"Should I be flattered? Even a
little bit?" Clinton asked.
Mills dug into it and found 11
times bank robbers wore
Richard Nixon masks "perhaps
not surprisingly".
Neurosurgeon Ben Carson is anotheroutsider like Donald Trump doing well
in the presidential race.
Email saga dogs Hillary Clinton; Carson stumps Trump
Murder rates spike in many US cities
Some fun thingsin Hillary emails
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 18 - Sep 5-11, 2015
11/31
11September 5-11, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info I ND IA
Mumbai
After saying mum for nearly a
week, Indrani Mukerjea, the former media
tycoon has finally admitted to have played a
role in the murder of her daughter Sheena
Bora, media reports said this week.
According to a report published in 'The
Times of India', which quoted Mumbai Police
sources close to the investigation into the
Sheena Bora murder case, Indrani has finally
confessed her role in the crime.
Till recently, Indrani, who broke down
after briefly meeting her other daughter
Vidhie at Bandra court on Monday, had been
maintaining that Sheena was very much
alive and staying in the US.
"There are a few discrepancies in her story
and we are now piecing together the jigsaw
of the roles of each of the three accused," an
officer was quoted as saying.
The development comes soon after she
was produced along with her two accom-
plices - ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna and for-
mer driver Shyamvar Rai - before the metro-
politan magistrate for extension of police
custody.
Indrani, who also met her lawyers and
Vidhie, is believed to have learnt that her co-
accused have already confessed to their part
in the crime.
However, she categorically denied that she
intended to kill Mikhail.
She also did not reveal any motive for
killing Sheena. "While she has admitted to
the crime she has not given us any particu-
lar motive behind the murder. She is in our
custody for three more days and we hope to
learn everything by then," the officer added.
A Mumbai Police team is also in Kolkata to
bring Siddharth Das to Mumbai for a DNA
test to establish the identity of the remains
recovered from Raigad.
Das, believed to be Indrani's first husband,
had claimed that he was Indrani's live-in
partner and fathered both Sheena and
Mikhail.
New Delhi A Delhi court on
Wednesday jailed a company offi-
cial for six years, and another com-
pany official and four municipal
off icers convicted in a
Commonwealth Games scam for
four years each.
Those sent to prison by CBI
Special Judge Brijesh Garg were
then superintending engineer D.K.
Sugan, then executive engineer
O.P. Mahala, then accountant V.
Raju and then tender clerk
Gurcharan Singh of the Municipal
Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
Sweka Power Tech Engineers
Pvt. Ltd. managing director T.P.Singh was jailed for six years and
fined Rs.42,000 and director J.P.
Singh was sent to prison for four
years and fined Rs.22,000.
They were accused of entering
into a criminal conspiracy for
upgrading street lights during the
2010 Commonwealth Games
and awarded the contract to Swekaby manipulating tender docu-
ments.
This caused undue pecuniary
loss of over Rs.1.42 crore to the
government, a CBI chargesheet
said.
The MCD officials were held
guilty of criminal conspiracy and
cheating under the Indian Penal
Code. The company and its direc-
tors were convicted for offences
dealing with criminal conspiracy,
cheating and forgery.
The court fined the firm
Rs.70,000 and the MCD officials
Rs.30,000 each.
The court said: "The allegations
proved against the convicts are
quite serious in nature. They con-
spired together and cheated the
MCD/Government of National
Capital Territory of Delhi for forg-ing the tender documents, a valu-
able security, and have also forged
the tender opening register."
This was the first CWG irregular-
ity to be decided by a court.
Gandhinagar The international
secretary of Vishva Hindu
Parishad (VHP), Dr Pravin
Togadia, has held the policies of
the Gujarat government responsi-
ble for the resentment among peo-
ple manifested in the Patidar agi-
tation.
Togadia, who belongs to the
community, took on the state gov-ernment for lack of growth and
development in the farming sector
and the distress of farmers.
Releasing a special edition of
Vishva Hindu Samachar recently,
on the occasion of its golden
jubilee, Togadia maintained that
the recent unrest in Gujarat was a
concern for India and needed to be
evaluated as such.
Togadia maintained that the dis-
content brewing among farmers
and youth had erupted in the state
as little was done to address their
concerns by the government.
"With 70 crore people of the
country dependent on agriculture,farming has become a non-prof-
itable occupation." Togadia said
that it was not any particular gov-
ernment but the policies of succes-
sive governments that was respon-
sible for the situation.
Coming down on Gujarat gov-
ernment, Togadia alleged that
while have nearly 90% of their
agricultural land irrigated, Gujarat
has less than 50% of its land under
irrigation. He also noted that while
the cost of input has gone up by
250%States like Haryana and Punjab
have nearly 90% of their agricul-
tural land irrigated; Gujarat has
less than 50% of its land under
irrigation. He also noted that while
the cost of input has gone up by
250% to 300%, the minimum sup-
port prices of agricultural prod-
ucts have not matched up.
"Farmers are therefore looking for
alternative occupations.
He also came down on education
system and observed that while
the number of private and self-
financed institutions have gone up
by leaps and bounds in Gujarat in
the last decade, the cost of educa-tion has also risen in a big way.
"Can any farmer's son who cannot
afford Rs 50 to 60 lakh become a
doctor today," he asked.
Indrani finally admits to role inSheenaʼs murder: Cops
Gujarat govtresponsible for Patel
agitation: Togadia
Indrani broke down during interrogationand admitted her role in killing daughter
(File photo).
Pravin Togadia comes down heavily on Gujarat govt
New Delhi Talks between govern-
ment and military veterans over
the One Rank One Pension
scheme have made significant
progress, sources said, adding
that the latter are ready to com-
promise on a two-year revision of pensions.
This is one of the major bones
of contention still unresolved.
The government initially
offered a 10-year time frame,
bringing it down to five, and then
to three years, as the present
offer stands.
A source said an agreement on
the issue appears likely soon.
Sources said both sides
appeared to be softening their
stands, and the progress in dis-
cussions was "highly positive".
However, the veterans are not
ready to call it a breakthrough yet, as they say they have not got
any formal offer from the govern-
ment,
"The government has not given
anything concrete in writing or
even orally. How can we call it a
breakthrough," a representative
of the veterans asked.
Another issue on which the
talks were stuck was the date of
the scheme's implementation.While the veterans wanted it to
be implemented from April 2014,
the government stood adamant
on implementing it from April
2015."We can give up few a
months, that is not an issue," said
the veteran.
There are indications that the
government may agree for an
implementation date of May or
June 2014.Sources said the issues over
base year for implementation,
which veterans want to be 2011,
was also almost resolved.
No breakthrough yet on OROP
JAIL FOR FIVE IN 2010 CWG SCAM
Social activist Nafisa Ali shows her support to ex-servicemenagitating for OROP in New Delhi
The MCD officials were heldguilty of criminal conspiracy and
cheating under the IndianPenal Code.
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 18 - Sep 5-11, 2015
12/31
Indian woman
withdraws US case
Lucknow Uttar Pradesh's ruling SamajwadiParty has walked out of the anti-BJP coali-
tion in Bihar and said it will contest the
assembly election in the state on its own.
Samajwadi Party general secretary Ram
Gopal Yadav told reporters here that the
"grand coalition" had humiliated his party
by giving it just five of the 243 seats.
He said the Samajwadi Party would con-
test the upcoming Bihar polls "with all its
might" and would talk to other parties as
well. There are indications that the party
would field 150 candidates in Bihar.
Asked if the decision was linked to his
recent meeting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
president Amit Shah, Yadav answered in the
negative.
He said the Samajwadi Party could not be
blamed for the division of secular votes, say-
ing the BJP did well in recent elections in
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat
even in a straight contest.
Ashok Singh, president of the UttarPradesh unit of the Rashtriya Janata Dal
(RJD), called the Samajwadi Party decision
"very unfortunate".
He said all stakeholders should get togeth-
er and rethink the issue.
But Samajwadi Party sources ruled out any
such possibility and added that the decision
was final.
While there were back-channel talks
between RJD chief Lalu and Samajwadi
Party leader Mulayam Singh in recent days
over seat allocation, the deal did not materi-
alize largely owing to opposition from Ram
Gopal Yadav.
While the Samajwadi Party was not given
any seat initially, Lalu Prasad gave away five
seats from his quota of 100.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata
Dal-United will contest another 100 seats.
The Congress will contest 40 seats and the
Nationalist Congress Party three.
ashingtonAn Indian woman executive
who sued Uber after allegedly being raped
by a driver for the cab-hailing service in
India has voluntarily withdrawn her lawsuit,
a media report said citing a court filing.
The 26-year-old woman filed her lawsuit
in January in the US, about a month after
she was allegedly raped and assaulted on a
Uber ride in Delhi.
The woman's alleged attacker, Shiv Kumar
Yadav, was quickly arrested and confessed
to the crime a week later during interroga-
tion, according to Delhi Police. He is cur-
rently awaiting trial in India.
The filing with the US District Court for
the Northern District of California did notstate whether there were any terms
involved with the withdrawal, CNet.com
reported.
Representatives for Uber and the alleged
victim declined to comment.
The woman's New York-based attorney
Douglas Wigdor could not immediately be
reached for comment.
In her original lawsuit, the alleged victim
accusing the web-based US taxi firm of
focusing on profit over the safety of its pas-
sengers, sought unspecified damages and
for Uber to "overhaul" its safety measures.
The woman detailed 13 separate safety
measures she believes the company should
adopt, including requiring drivers to install
"tamper-proof" video cameras in their carsthat would trigger an alarm if disabled.
"Uber's focus on its bottom line over the
safety of its passengers has resulted in what
can only be described as modern day elec-
tronic hitchhiking," Wigdor said at that time.
"We hope that this lawsuit will bring
about positive change that will ultimately
protect people worldwide who are unaware
of the serious risks of entering into an Ubercar," Wigdor added.
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick initially also
called the crime "horrific" and said the com-
pany would do "everything to help bring
this perpetrator to justice".
But the company argued in April that the
lawsuit should be dismissed because the
company had no relationship with the
defendant and because the lawsuit could
not be brought in the US.
"While the plaintiff undoubtedly can state
a claim against her alleged assailant, she
cannot state a claim against Uber US, which
is the wrong party," Uber wrote in its
motion, saying that Yadav was working for
Uber BV, a Netherlands-based overseas
operation."Nor does California law govern a dispute
involving an alleged wrong committed by
one Indian citizen against another Indian
citizen, in India."
New Delhi The CBI told a special court hear-
ing the 2G spectrum allocation case that for-
mer telecom minister A. Raja misled then
prime minister Manmohan Singh on the allo-
cation and has a "habit" of making false state-
ments.
Special public prosecutor Anand Grover told
Special Judge O.P. Saini that Raja had "deliber-
ately" told incorrect facts to Manmohan Singh
on policy issues.
He said Raja has a habit of making false
statements. He even misled the then prime
minister, and with a stroke of a pen changed
the cut-off date for receiving applications
from firms seeking 2G licences, the prosecu-
tor submitted.
The cut-off date for receiving applications
was changed from October 10, 2007 to
October 1, 2007, and the decision was taken
by Raja to favour some firms, said the Central
Bureau of Investigation. The court was hear-ing final arguments in the case which will con-
tinue on Thursday. The case pertains to the
2G spectrum allocation in which Raja, DMK
Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi and others
are facing trial. According to the CBI, Raja was
biased in allocating 2G mobile airwaves and
operating licences to telecom firms, causing
huge loss to the state exchequer. The court
framed charges on October 22, 2011, against
14 accused and three companies under vari-
ous provisions of the Indian Penal Code and
the Prevention of Corruption Act. All theaccused, including Raja, are out
on bail.
Islamabad Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif said that unprovoked Indian firing is
not only an "aggression against the people of
Kashmir but also amounts to targeting the
conscience of the world community".
The remarks came amid growing incidents
of cross-border shelling that have caused civil-
ian deaths on both sides. Both countries
accuse each other of violation of a 2003
ceasefire on the Line of Control (LoC) in the
disputed Kashmir region. "Pakistan is continu-ously keeping the international community
abreast of these provocations, ceasefire viola-
tions and trampling of human rights of
Kashmiris by Indian troops," Dawn quoted
Sharif said during his visit to the Pakistan-
administered Kashmir.
He inaugurated a newly-constructed sports
stadium at Bagh district in Kashmir as part of
the developmental projects for the people
affected by the 2005 devastating earthquake
that had killed thousands in Kashmir and
parts of Pakistan's northwest. "Indian firing
across Line of Control and the Working
Boundary has increased in recent days posing
threats not only to innocent people but also topeace and security of the region," he said. He
said Pakistan was drawing attention of the UN
and the international community towards
these violations and the threat to peace.
Mulayam dumps Bihar alliance,to contest alone
IN HAPPIER TIMES
Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad, Sharad Yadav and Nitish Kumar.
12 September 5-11, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info I ND IA
Raja misled Manmohan in2G spectrum allocation: CBI
Sharif condemns 'unprovoked Indian firing'
Former telecom minister A. Raja.
UBER RAPE:
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 18 - Sep 5-11, 2015
13/31
By Amulya Ganguli
N
othing shows more starkly the dis-
tortions that have vitiated the policy
of reservations as the agitation by
the financially and politically influentialPatel community in Gujarat for inclusion in
the backward-caste category to avail of the
quota system in the allocation of govern-
ment jobs and educational opportunities.
Behind their quest for safety in the
reserved categories is the evident failure of
the m
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