THEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017

www.theindianpanorama.com

VOL 5 ISSUE 13 ● DALLAS ● MAR 31 - APR 06, 2017 ● ENQUIRIES: 646-247-9458 ● PRICE 40 CENTS

8 An expansive Hindutvaagenda?9 Congressional briefing

aims to address uptick inhate violence5 12 Richa Chadha on love

life: I won’t minddating an actor now

Rise of the anti-liberal order

2 THEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017INDIAN ABROAD

Indian American Former USAmbassador to India Richard Vermajoins SFS as Centennial Fellow

GEORGRTOWN (TIP):

Former US Ambassador toIndia Richard Verma hasjoined GeorgetownUniversity's Walsh School ofForeign Service as SFSCentennial Fellow, theUniversity announced. TheCentennial Fellows program atthe School of Foreign Servicebrings distinguishedpractitioners and scholars to beresources for students, faculty,staff and alumni, as well as thebroader public.

Ambassador Verma willhelp support Georgetown's India Initiative, a signatureprogram to advance research and teaching around India, worldaffairs and the United States. With his 25 years of experience inthe national security field, he will also be an importantresource for students interested in Asia, security studies, andthe US Congress and its role in foreign policy decision-making.

"The Walsh School of Foreign Service is truly excited to haveRich Verma join us as a Centennial Fellow," Senior AssociateDean Anthony Clark Arend said. "Ambassador Verma has awealth of experience in both the public and private sectors. Hewill bring to the School a unique perspective that will help allof us re-imagine our mission in a new and changing world."

"I'm really honored to be a part of the School of ForeignService and the Centennial Fellows program," AmbassadorVerma said. "Georgetown has always been at the forefront ofinternational relations scholarship, and I look forward toengaging with students, faculty and staff as we compare notesabout developments in Asia, and in particular recent trends inIndia."

Ambassador Verma served as the 25th United StatesAmbassador to India, nominated by President Obama inSeptember 2014 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December2014. During his two-year tenure, U.S.-India relationsexperienced a significant resurgence, with important gainsmade in defense, trade and clean energy. The Ambassadormanaged an unprecedented 9 meetings and 3 summits betweenPresident Obama and Prime Minister Modi, leading to over 100new initiatives and more than 40 government to governmentdialogues.

Ambassador Verma previously served as the AssistantSecretary of State for Legislative Affairs, where he led the StateDepartment's efforts on Capitol Hill. He worked in the Senatefor many years, serving as Senior National Security Advisor tothe Senate Majority Leader and he also worked in the House ofRepresentatives. He is veteran of the U.S. Air Force, where heserved on active duty as a Judge Advocate. His militarydecorations include the Meritorious Service Medal and AirForce Commendation Medal.

The Ambassador also has a distinguished career in theprivate sector, serving as partner at the global law firm ofSteptoe & Johnson LLP, and as Senior Counselor to theAlbright Stonebridge Group. He served as a commissioner onthe Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction andTerrorism Commission and is a co-author of their landmarkreport, "World at Risk." He was also a National Security Fellowat the Center for American Progress, a DC-based think tank.

Indian American tech executiveindicted for H-1B visa fraud

FREMONT, CA (TIP): Two Bay Area tech executives,Including an Indian American CEO of an employment firmbased in Fremont with an office in India, are accused offiling false visa documents through a staffing agency in ascheme to illegally bring a pool of foreign tech workers intothe United States.

An indictment from a federal grand jury unsealed onFriday, March 24 accuses Indian American JayavelMurugan, Dynasoft Synergy's chief executive officer, and a40-year-old Santa Clara man, Syed Nawaz, of fraudulentlysubmitting H-1B applications to illegally obtain visas,according to Brian Stretch, U.S. attorney for the NorthernDistrict of California.

The men are charged with 26 counts of visa fraud,conspiracy to commit visa fraud, use of false documents,mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, according toprosecutors. Each charge can carry penalties of betweentwo and 20 years in prison.

Indian American Physician Couple donate $5 million to Florida

Hospital Carrollwood CARROLLWOOD, FL (TIP): Florida

Hospital Carrollwood has received asignificant donation of $5 million fromDr. Kiran Patel and his wife, Dr. PallaviPatel. This gift will help fund a $21million project aimed to bring amodernized Catheterization (Cath) Laband sizable Emergency Departmentexpansion to the Tampa Bay community.

"We are all in, to help make FloridaHospital Carrollwood's Cardiac CathLab second to none and are excited tobring this advanced facility to thecommunity that we call home," said Dr.Kiran Patel.

A noted Indian Americanentrepreneur and philanthropist fromTampa, Dr. Kiran Patel is the Chairmanand President of Freedom Health, Inc.and Optimum Health, Inc. in Florida. Hesees philanthropy as his responsibilityand passion. Dr. Patel built the WellCareManagement Group which he sold in2002 to a private equity group. ThePatel's have used these proceeds tocontinue their generous philanthropicwork in the Tampa Bay community.Recently, Dr. Patel purchased the formerClearwater Christian College propertyand has plans to create a college ofosteopathic medicine to attract moredoctors to this area. Their non-profitorganization, the Kiran and PallaviPatel Foundation for GlobalUnderstanding, funds a number of

initiatives in health, education andculture. It even offers an annualscholarship to the underprivilegedyouth in the United States.

As longtime residents of theCarrollwood community, the Patels havebeen giving back to the Tampa Bay areafor decades. In addition to theirprevious accomplishments, Dr. Patelserved as an accomplished Cardiologistand his wife, Dr. Pallavi Patelspecialized in Pediatrics.

"We feel blessed that the Patel's havechosen Florida Hospital Carrollwood todonate $5 million. This major

contribution will help us better serveour community by building a state-of-the-art Cath Lab. In addition, thesefunds will go directly to expanding ourEmergency Department. Most peoplelook forward to receiving gifts on theirbirthday however, Dr. Patel iscelebrating his birthday today, by givingback to the community," said JoeJohnson, President and CEO of FloridaHospital Carrollwood.

The new Cath Lab will open in July2017 and ground-breaking on the "Dr.Kiran C. Patel" Emergency Departmentexpansion will occur in late 2017.

Dr. Kiran Patel and wife Dr. Pallavi Patel present a donation of $5 million to FloridaHospital Carrollwood

Ambassador Verma willhelp support Georgetown's

India Initiative

Indian American engineer to headHouston’s Public Works Department

HOUSTON, TX (TIP): HoustonMayor Mayor Sylvester Turner hasnominated Veteran Indian Americanengineer Karun Sreerama to head theHouston Department of Public Worksand Engineering (PWE). Sreerama is ahighly respected engineer with 28 yearsof experience managing multi-milliondollar capital projects across the U.S.and abroad. He is a registeredProfessional Engineer and holds adoctorate in civil engineering as well asa Master's degree in businessadministration. He will fill the vacancycreated by the retirement of DaleRudick, who has led PWE since 2014.Pending council approval, the newappointment is to be effective April 3,

2017. In the interim, PWE's Deputy Director for Engineering andConstruction Carol Haddock will manage the department.

"Karun has developed an impressive 100 day transition plan," saidMayor Turner. "He is focused on the organization's culture andspending as well as collaboration with City Council, neighborhoods andthe engineering community. He definitely understands the importantrole the city plays in boosting quality of life for all Houstonians. He willbe able to build upon the excellent progress made during Dale Rudick'stenure. I want to thank Dale for his service and wish him well in thisnext chapter of his life."

Sreerama comes to the city from ESPA Corporation where he servedas president and CEO. Under his leadership, the firm secured contractswith the Harris County Hospital District, Harris County Toll RoadAuthority, the City of Houston, Pearland, Missouri City, RiceUniversity, University of Houston, Houston Independent SchoolDistrict, Aldine Independent School District and the Texas Departmentof Transportation. Prior to joining ESPA, Sreerama was senior vicepresident and chief engineer for Professional Service Industries, Inc.

Sreerama serves on the boards of the Houston DowntownManagement District, Houston Community College Foundation,American Council of Engineering Companies of Houston and the IndoAmerican Political Action Committee of Greater Houston.

Sreerama is a highlyrespected engineer with 28

years of experiencemanaging multi-million-dollar

capital projects across theU.S. and abroad

Indian American studentswin top three spots at USABrain Bee Championship

M A R Y L A N D

(TIP): IndianAmerican studentssweep top threespots at USA BrainBee Championshiphosted by theUniversity ofMaryland. Thewinner of thecompetition, whichtook place March 17through March 19, isSojas Wagle of LittleRock, Ark. Thesecond- and third-place winners,respectively, areAarthi Vijayakumarof Minneapolis,Minn., and Amit Kannan of Indianapolis.

This is the 10th anniversary of the Brain Bee, aneuroscience competition for high school studentsthat was founded by Dr Norbert R. Myslinski,associate professor in the Department of Neuraland Pain Sciences at the University of MarylandSchool of Dentistry (UMSOD).

"Its purpose is to motivate young students tolearn about the human brain and inspire them toseek careers in the basic and clinicalneurosciences to help treat and cure diseases of thebrain and nervous system," Myslinski said of theBrain Bee. "We build better brains to fight braindisorders."

As the first-place winner, Sojas Wagle advancesto the international competition, to be held inAugust in Washington, D.C.

Brain Bee founder NorbertMyslinski, PhD, associate

professor at the University ofMaryland School of Dentistry,

presents a trophy to 2017USA champion Sojas Wagle

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Parliament Passes FinanceBill: Jaitley invitessuggestions forTransparency in electoralfunding

VAISAKHI SPECIAL EDITION The Indian Panorama will bring out a

special edition to commemorate Vaisakhi-the festival of India-on April 14,2017.

Readers are requested to send in articlesfor publication by April 6, 2017, with their

brief bio and a photograph.

Advertisers may please book space byApril 6, 2017. For rates and other details,

please call 646-247-9458 or email tosalujaindra@gmail.com

Trump’s discredited NSA Michael Flynnoffers to testify in exchange for immunity

WASHINGTON (TIP)

Not entirely unexpectedly, PresidentTrump's former National SecurityAdviser Michael Flynn has

reportedly told the FBI that he is willing totestify about the Trump campaign'spotential ties to Russia, in exchange forimmunity from prosecution, the Wall StreetJournal reported.

Flynn resigned in February, after it wasreported that he misled White House staffon his interactions with Russia and haddiscussed sanctions with Russianambassador Sergey Kislyak ahead ofPresident Trump's inauguration.

The Journal reported, citing officialsfamiliar with the matter, that the FBI andthe House and Senate Intelligencecommittees that are investigating Russia's

contd on Page 20 Flynn resigned in February, barely a month after he was appointed NSA, after it wasreported that he misled White House staff on his interactions with Russia

NEW YORK (TIP): SixIndian-Americans have beennamed recipients ofprestigious Ellis IslandMedal of Honor 2017- thehighest civilian award in theUS for immigrants.

Among 88 recipients, thesix Indian- Americans are -PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi,Fareed Zakaria, Author andhost of CNN's "Fareed

contd on Page 20

Indra Nooyi and Fareed Zakaria named recipients ofEllis Island Medal of Honor

Indra Nooyi, Fareed Zakaria among Ellis Island Honor recipients

Finance Minister Arun Jaitleyspeaks in the Lok Sabha, March 30,2017 Photo courtesy of PTI

NEW YORK (TIP): Air India announced thatit is increasing its services to India from the U.S.to 33 flights per week with the launch of the onlynonstop service out of Washington DullesInternational Airport (IAD) to Delhi (DEL),starting July 7, 2017. contd on Page 20

"Air India is committed to making service faster andmore convenient for our customers, whether

traveling for business or leisure," said Ms. VandanaSharma, Air India's Regional Manager-Americas

Air India Washington-Delhi Service from July 7Only Airline to offer Nonstop Flights from Washington, D.C., toDelhi, Service Will be Three Times a Week on Boeing 777

NEW DELHI (TIP): India'sParliament approved, March 30,the Finance Bill, 2017,subsequent to the Lok Sabharejecting amendments moved toit by the Rajya Sabha andupholding its form it hadadopted earlier. This marks theaccomplishment of thebudgetary exercise for 2017-18.

contd on Page 20

8 An expansive Hindutvaagenda?9 Congressional briefing

aims to address uptick inhate violence5 12 Richa Chadha on love

life: I won’t minddating an actor now

Rise of the anti-liberal order

Houston’s India House honors Kansas ‘Hero’ Ian GrillotHOUSTON, TX (TIP): On Saturday,

March 25, the Houston Indian communitycame together to present a $100,000 check toIan Grillot, the Kansas man who tried tosave two Indians from a gunman at a baroutside Kansas City. The money will be usedto help Grillot buy a house. On Feb. 22 AdamPurinton, a Kansas man reportedly shouted

contd on page 20

Ian Grillot, second from the left, accepting a$100,000 gift from Indian Ambassador to the

U.S. Navtej Sarna

4 THEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017US

'Best of Bollywood' coming toU.S. movie theaters

NEW YORK (TIP): 'Best of Bollywood' is coming toU.S. movie theaters beginning in July. The initiative istaken by Fathom Events who are planning to screen atleast two Bollywood films this year and as many as sixnext year as part of what it's touting as the first-everBollywood classic film series presented in NorthAmerican cinemas. The event will kick off with the 2002romantic drama "Devdas" and include titles fromprominent Indian film studios Eros International andYash Raj Films.

"Devdas," from Eros International, stars Shah RukhKhan, Madhuri Dixit, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.Fathom will also show Yash Raj Films' "Veer-Zaara,"starring Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, and RaniMukerji, as a part of this year's series.

The Bollywood series will be shown at several hundredsites for one night and include exclusive bonus content.

Indian-American Killed in Hit-and-Run in Indiana, WifeCritically Injured

COLUMBUS, INDIANA (TIP): An Indian Americanwas killed and his wife was critically injured in a hit-and-run crash in Columbus, Indiana, on Sunday, March 26evening.

Anshul Sharma, 30, died on the spot while his wifeSamira Bharadwaj, 28, was critically injured in theaccident. The police said witnesses at the scene told theofficers that a man was driving a red Chrysler minivanand hit the couple from behind near Four SeasonsRetirement Centre in Columbus and the accused later fledthe scene. Later police arrested 36-year-old Columbusresident Michael Demaio who was driving the car.

The accused, who is in now in a county jail, faces anumber of preliminary charges, including "failure tostop after an accident resulting in death," "failure to stopafter an accident resulting in injury," "operating whileintoxicated resulting in death," and "operating whileintoxicated resulting in injury."

The event will kick off with the 2002 romantic drama "Devdas"

Anshul Sharma died on the spot while his wife SamiraBharadwaj was critically injured in the accident

Liberian Indian American Dr RajPanjabi to receive Skoll Award forSocial Entrepreneurship

NEW YORK (TIP): Dr Raj Panjabi, aLiberian Indian American physician andsocial entrepreneur, is among fourrecipients of the 2017 Skoll Award forSocial Entrepreneurship. The otherrecipients are Kola Masha, BradleyMyles and Dr. Elizabeth Hausler.

The Skoll Awards distinguishtransformative leaders whoseorganizations disrupt the status quo,drive sustainable large-scale change, andare poised to create even greater impacton the world. Awardees' organizationsreceive $1.25 million core supportinvestments to scale their work andincrease their impact. Four socialentrepreneurs will accept their awards at the Skoll WorldForum's Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, April 5, 2017.

"Social entrepreneurs share several importantcharacteristics: concern for the vulnerable, optimism aboutour future, an ability to think and do, and most importantly, anunfailing belief in solutions," said Jeff Skoll, Founder andChairman of the Skoll Foundation. "These four remarkablepeople give us great hope that a more peaceful, prosperous,and sustainable future is within reach."

Dr Panjabi is CEO of Last Mile Health and AssociatePhysician in the Division of Global Health Equity at Brighamand Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Last MileHealth saves lives in the world's most remote communities bypartnering with governments to design, scale, and advocatefor national networks of community health professionals.

In 2016, TIME Magazine named Dr. Panjabi to its annual listof the "100 Most Influential People in the World", with a tributefrom President Bill Clinton. In 2015, Fortune Magazine namedDr. Panjabi one of the "World's 50 Greatest Leaders,"recognizing Last Mile Health's work to support the LiberianGovernment to build a national community health workforce.Dr. Panjabi is a Forbes 400 Philanthropy Fellow, a DraperRichards Kaplan Foundation Social Entrepreneur, and anEchoing Green Fellow. He is a recipient of the Clinton GlobalCitizen Award, Outstanding Recent Alumni Award from JohnsHopkins, the Distinguished Young Alumni Award from theUniversity of North Carolina, and the Global CitizenMovement Award.

Indian American Vanita Guptanamed President and CEO ofLeadership Conference

WASHINGTON (TIP): The LeadershipConference on Civil and Human Rights onMarch 23 announced that it and its sisterorganization, The Leadership ConferenceEducation Fund, had selected civil rightslitigator and advocate Vanita Gupta toassume the leadership of bothorganizations. The chairs of the twoorganizations' boards made theannouncement after a joint board meetingto ratify the consensus recommendationof a 16-member joint board searchcommittee. Gupta, who most recentlyserved in President Obama'sadministration as the head of the Civil Rights Division at theU.S. Department of Justice, will officially begin on June 1. WadeHenderson, who announced his retirement in November 2015,has led the organizations for nearly 21 years.

"At a time when our nation's ideals and progress are beingthreatened in such fundamental ways, The LeadershipConference is a vital nerve center of the broad swath of civil andhuman rights organizations that are fighting for justice,fairness, and equality around the country," Gupta said. "Civiland human rights work has never been easy, and theseunprecedented times demand a clarity of vision, strategy, andsolidarity that the Leadership Conference coalition is uniquelypositioned to champion. I am honored and humbled to take onthis essential work to guarantee that justice and equality applyto every individual as we struggle to be a more perfect union andremain a beacon for hope in the world."

"Wade Henderson will go down as one of the all-time greatcivil and human rights leaders. A true visionary and a brilliantleader, Wade has fundamentally transformed both TheLeadership Conference and The Education Fund into theindispensable organizations they are today. It is my privilege tofollow in his footsteps and build on his legacy in thesechallenging times."

Obama appointed Gupta as principal deputy assistantattorney general and head of the U.S. Department of Justice'sCivil Rights Division in October 2014, where she served untilJanuary. As the nation's chief civil rights prosecutor during oneof the division's highest profile and most productive eras, Guptaoversaw a wide range of criminal and civil enforcement effortsto ensure equal justice and protect equal opportunity for all.

Dr Raj Panjabi, aLiberian Indian

American physicianand social

entrepreneur

Gupta will officiallyassume the charge

on June 1

Google's case against Uber just tookan unexpected turn

SAN JOSE, CA (TIP): In anunexpected twist to the Uber vsGoogle case, lawyers forAnthony Levandowski, the starengineer at the center of thetrade-secret dispute, haveadvised him to exercise his fifthamendment right to notincriminate himself in acriminal proceeding, accordingto a court transcript.

In February, Waymo, the self-driving company owned byGoogle's parent companyAlphabet, sued Uber , claimingthat Levandowski had stolen vital Lidartechnology shortly before starting hisown self-driving company (which Uberlater acquired).

The trade secrets case is shaping up tobe one of the most significant andclosely-watched battles in Silicon Valleyin years, pitting two of the world's mostpowerful companies, and formerpartners, against each other.

Levandowski isn't named in the civilsuit between the technology giants, buthis lawyers met with Judge WilliamAlsup in a hastily arranged conferenceon Wednesday, March 29.

According to a transcript seen byBusiness Insider of the court

proceedings, Levandowski's lawyers sayhe plans to assert his fifth amendmentrights because there is a "potential forcriminal action" against the engineer atthe heart of the case. The New YorkTimes first reported the courtproceedings.

Part of Waymo's argument againstUber is that Levandowski allegedly stole14,000 files and took them to Uber toadvance its competing self-driving carefforts. It was separately revealed onWednesday that Google had previouslyfiled demands against Levandowski inarbitration for allegedly usingconfidential information to poachemployees.

In the transcript, it wasdisclosed that a secondemployee was also a part of thearbitration proceedings. Thisperson was not identified in thetranscript. A Waymo persondeclined comment.

For the time being,Levandowski's lawyers said thatthey're "broadly asserting" hisFifth Amendment rights to "anydocuments he may possess andcontrol" that are relevant. Thiscould include pleading the fifthshould Google try to depose him.

However, one of his lawyers stressedthat he could change his mind as thecase progresses and that they're simplyprotecting his constitutional rightsupfront.

Uber's associate general counsel,Angela Padilla, said in a statementprovided to Business Insider that itplans to respond in court on April 7.

"We look forward to our first publicresponse laying out our case on Friday,April 7. We are very confident thatWaymo's claims against Uber arebaseless and that Anthony Levandowskihas not used any files from Google in hiswork with Otto or Uber," she said.

(Source: Business Insider)

5USTHEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017

India's NSA Ajit Dovaldiscussescounter-terrorismcooperation with top US officials

WASHINGTON (TIP):

During his recent US trip,India's National SecurityAdviser Ajit K Dovalreviewed securitysituations in South Asia aswell counter-terrorismcooperation between twocountries when he helddiscussions with top USofficials.

Doval met US DefenseSecretary, Gen (retired)James Mattis on March 23.The Mattis-Doval meetingwas one of the highest-level meetings between thetwo countries after DonaldTrump assumedpresidency on January 20.

According to a readoutof their meeting by Pentagon Spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis,Mattis hosted Doval at the Pentagon to discuss theimportance of the US-India relationship, and the role ofboth nations in cooperating to uphold international lawsand principles.

"Mattis specifically applauded India's efforts to promotestability in the South Asia region. Both leaders reaffirmedbuilding upon the significant defense cooperation progressmade in recent years," Davis said in the read out, adding thatthe two leaders discussed their role in cooperating to upholdinternational laws and principles.

"Secretary Mattis and NSA Doval further discussedcollaboration on a wide range of regional security mattersincluding maritime security and counter terrorism. The twopledged to continue the strong defense partnership betweenboth nations," Davis said.

Indian Ambassador to US Navtej Sarna was also presentat the meeting.

During his four-day visit, Doval also held discussionswith Secretary of Homeland Security Gen (retired) JohnKelly, and National Security Advisor Lt Gen H R McMaster.He also met Senator John McCain, Chairman of SenateArmed Services Committee, and Senator Richard Burr,Chairman of Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

US lawmakers reintroduceBipartisan Bill to StopOutsourcing of American Jobs

WASHINGTON (TIP): On March 23, RepresentativesDerek Kilmer (D-WA) and Doug Collins (R-GA)reintroduced a bill to prevent employers from sending jobsoverseas by abusing a temporary visa program. Thelegislation would stop employers that are awardedtemporary visas through the H-1B program from usingthem to train workers in the United States then move thosejobs to another country.

H-1B visas allow American businesses to hire foreignprofessionals if skilled American workers are unavailableto fill job openings. The employees must have expertise infields like science and technology and generally havecollege degrees. This month, 60 Minutes reported thatunscrupulous employers have utilized the program to bringforeign workers in and displace American jobs. This followsreports last year that American workers were forced totrain H1B visa holders to do their job so that the jobs couldbe permanently outsourced to foreign workers.

"Our policies should promote jobs in America,"saidKilmer. "They shouldn't be about sending jobs done by hardworking Americans overseas. That's why I'm continuing mypush with Representative Collins to keep H-1B visas fromever being used to send any job to another country."

"Protecting American jobs is crucial in order for oureconomy to continue to gain strength and momentum," saidCollins. "Companies have the opportunity to bring workersfrom overseas on an H-1B visa in the event that qualifiedAmericans aren't available, but we can't allow the law to beexploited to displace American workers and send their jobsabroad. The Keeping American Jobs Act protects Americanworkers by preventing bad actors from abusing the systemin order to offshore jobs."

India and the US pledged tocontinue their strong defensepartnership during a meetinghere between Indian National

Security Advisor Ajit Dovaland US Secretary of Defense

James Mattis.

Congressional briefing aims toaddress uptick in hate violence

WASHINGTON (TIP): On March 23,2017, South Asian Americans LeadingTogether (SAALT), a national SouthAsian civil rights organization, held aCongressional briefing to address theuptick in hate violence nationwide andhighlight recommendations for change,as outlined in their recent report, "Power,Pain, Potential." SAALT was joined byeight members of Congressionalleadership and community partners inan urgent discussion on combating thesurge in hate violence aimed at SouthAsian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Arab, andMiddle Eastern Americans across thecountry.

Indian American lawmakers whojoined the discussion includeCongressman Ami Bera,Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal ,Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi , andCongressman Ro Khanna.

"As President Trump continues to testfire Muslim bans, this administrationappears intent on intensifying efforts toignore and provoke hate violence," statedSuman Raghunathan, Executive Directorof SAALT. "The President has a swornduty to protect the rights and safety of allAmericans. Today's briefing withCongressional leaders is an importantstep in making sure President Trumpdoesn't escape his responsibilities."

"As a nation, we must come together tostand up to these disturbing acts of hateviolence - starting with the President. Iam saddened and outraged when I hearabout any American being warned not tospeak their language or wear traditionalclothing in public out of safety concerns.These hateful attacks do not reflect whowe are as a nation of immigrants, butsuch violence could do irreparabledamage to our reputation around theworld", said Ami Bera.

"We will continue to be resilient to

counter the fearful, hateful people whothink they can control us-they cannot.The resolution that CongressmanCrowley and I introduced, along with thework of SAALT are steps in the directionof ending this vitriol, but every singleperson in this country has a stake inending hate. This falls on all of us, Iwould encourage the currentadministration to remember that", saidPramila Jayapal.

"The hate-motivated crimes we havewitnessed these past months have been

an attack on the very spirit of America.As we confront this wave of hate, it isheartening to see so many Americans -from the South Asian community andothers - coming together for essentialmeetings, like this briefing, to speak outand stand up for the values of ourcountry", said Raja Krishnamoorthi.

"I have full confidence that our countrywill stand together, on a bipartisan basis,against hateful words and actions, and wemust prosecute any hate crimes to thefull extent of the law", said Ro Khanna.

SAALT was joined by eight members of Congressional leadership and community partners

Indian American CongressmanAmi Bera welcomes annulment ofHealth Care Repeal Bill

WASHINGTON (TIP): Afterthe House majority cancelled avote to repeal the Affordable CareAct, popularly known asObamaCare, Indian AmericanCongressman Ami Bera welcomedthe move noting that 'AffordableCare Act Repeal Bill would haveKicked 100,000 in SacramentoCounty off Health Care.'

"This bill would have kickedmillions of hardworkingAmericans off their health care,raised the cost of coverage forfamilies, and imposed an age tax on our parents andgrandparents. I hope that after cancelling this vote, theSpeaker and the majority will hear loud and clear that playingpolitics with peoples' health care is not going to work. Now isthe time for Democrats and Republicans to come together,because the job isn't over until every American has affordableand accessible healthcare. Real lives are at stake here and I'mready to get to work", said Berawhois one of just twoDemocratic doctors in Congress, and practiced internalmedicine, taught at the UC Davis School of medicine, andserved Sacramento County as Chief Medical Officer beforebeing elected to Congress.

It's estimated that more than 100,000 hardworkingAmericans in Sacramento County would have lost their healthcare under the proposed legislation.

Bera is one of just twoDemocratic doctors in

Congress

ICE makes 84 arrests inthree-day operationtargeting Pacific Northwest

PORTLAND, ORE (TIP): A U.S. Immigration andCustoms Enforcement operation in the PacificNorthwest resulted in 84 arrests, according to a FoxNews report, March 30, 2017.

The operation targeted "at-large criminal aliens,illegal re-entrants and immigration fugitives" over athree-day period in Oregon, Washington and Alaska,according to ICE.

Seven women and 77 men from 12 countries werearrested, including 64 from Mexico.

The most arrests were made in King County, where19 suspects were arrested. In Oregon, 13 were arrestedin Washington County, seven in Multnomah Countyand four in Lane County, among others. ICE arrestedthree people in Clark County.

Of those arrested, 19 had criminal convictions fordriving under the influence, according to ICE. Sevenwere convicted of assault, four of larceny, three ofdomestic violence and two of sexual assault, amongother offenses.

"The operation, conducted by ICE Enforcement andRemoval Operations (ERO), targeted criminal alienswho pose a public safety threat and individuals whohave violated our nation's immigration laws,including those who re-entered the country afterbeing deported and immigration fugitives ordereddeported by federal immigration judges," according toan ICE statement.

6 THEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017INDIA

NO SUMMER BREAK, 19JUDGES TO HEAR CASESON TRIPLE TALAQ, WHATSAPPPRIVACY

NEW DEIHI (TIP): It will be a long working summer forthe country’s topjudges.

For the first time inthe Supreme Court’shistory, threeconstitution benchesof five judges each willsit during the summerbreak. These would bein addition to the tworegular vacationbenches set up everyyear to hear urgent matters.

Chief Justice of India JS Khehar made the announcementon Thursday while fixing May 11, the first day of thesummer break, for hearing petitions demanding scrappingof triple talaq, nikah halala and practice of polygamyamong Muslim community.

The court was ready to give up its vacation to hear “issuesof grave importance”, the CJI said. “The court is ready to siteven on Saturdays and Sundays to hear the matter,” he said.

Nineteen of the 28 judges will be hearing cases during the90-day break, which is unprecedented. Typically, four SCjudges work during court holidays.

The practice has often come under criticism in the face ofhuge backlog. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last yearquestioned the long vacation.

The SC also breaks for around 10 days in winters. Highcourts follow a similar holiday calendar though dates vary.

The court will also hear if WhatsApp sharing withFacebook, its parent company, details of calls, messages,photographs and documents exchanged by 160 millionIndian users violated the citizens’ right to privacy.

The third constitution bench will examine whetherchildren born to Bangladeshi migrants could be accordedIndian citizenship. It is not clear which of the benches wouldbe led by the CJI.

As the CJI came out with the schedule, senior advocates,including country’s top law officer the attorney generalMukul Rohatgi, expressed concern over simultaneoushearing of the cases.

Rule and tradition required the court to take the lawyer’sconsent before hearing a case during a vacation, Rohtagisaid. “If we don’t hear the matter now, it will be pending foryears, if you (Centre) do not want to cooperate let us know.But then, don’t come blaming us that the matter has beenpending for so long,” the CJI said.

EC asks analysts not to predictwinning margins, seat shares

NEW DELHI (TIP): Political analysts must not predictfigures — such as winning margins or the number of seats aparty is likely to win — in their comments during polls, theElection Commission announced on March 30.

This is the crux of a fresh advisory by the commission,which widened the ambit of rules that prohibit exit polluntil all rounds of voting are completed. The new rule willapply in all future elections.

“The commission is of the view that predictions of resultsof elections in any form or manner by way of predictionsetc., by astrologers, tarot readers, political analysts or by anypersons during the prohibited period is violation of thespirit of Section 126A,” the advisory said.

According to the communiqué, sent to the NationalBroadcasters Association and Press Council of India amongothers, all political analysis citing numbers will beconsidered as exit poll.

The poll panel has set limits, a first in the world’s largestdemocracy, on what can be said by political commentatorswithout violating the Representation of People’s Act, 1951 —the federal law governing Indian elections.

The law bans exit poll in the middle of an election, as itcould influence voting in later rounds.

The opposition Congress welcomed the advisory, sayinganalysts put forth views that are as good as an exit poll.

“It is a forward step. The EC must also take cognizance ofso-called surveys conducted by parties during elections,”party spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said.

Centre accordsZ+ VVIP security to UPCM Adityanath

New Delhi (TIP): TheCentre has accorded the topcategory 'Z+' VVIP armedsecurity cover to newly-appointed Uttar PradeshChief Minister YogiAdityanath.

The cover will be providedby a special commando teamof the CISF along with asmall contingent of the UttarPradesh police.

Adityanath was till nowenjoying the smallestcategory of 'Y' categoryVVIP cover by the CISF inhis capacity as a BJPMember of Parliament fromGorakhpur but officials saidwith his taking charge asCM, a threat perceptionreport of central securityagencies required hissecurity paraphernalia to beupgraded.

"The Chief Minister'ssecurity has been bolsteredand he will now be securedby a strong team of CISFcommandos everytime hemoves across the country. Asimilar commandocontingent will be deployedat his official residence," asenior officer said.

As part of the new andupgraded securityparaphernalia, Adityanathwill have about 25-28commandos accompanyinghim with sophisticatedweapons at all times he ismobile and his convoy willhave pilot and escortvehicles armed withjammers. Under the 'Y' cover,he was accompanied byabout 2-3 commandos whenhe travelled, officials said.

A Central IndustrialSecurity Force squad fromits Special Security Group(SSG) has recently takencharge of his security inLucknow, they said.

STRATEGIC PUSH: INDIA TO CONNECT TAWANGIN ARUNACHAL WITH RAIL NETWORK

NEW DELHI (TIP): Giving strategicinterests a further push, the Centre isexploring feasibility to connect Sino-Indiaborder district Tawang in ArunachalPradesh with the railway network.

The Centre has asked Minister of Statefor Railways Manoj Sinha and Minister ofState for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, whois also an MP from Arunachal West seat,to explore the feasibility of the railnetwork in the remote area.

The two ministers will tour the state onSaturday to study the viability ofconnecting Tawang with Bhalukpongwhich is the last station of IndianRailways on Assam-Arunachal Pradeshborder.

Sinha and Rijiju will be visitingArunachal Pradesh from April 1 inconnection with commencement of final

location survey of new broad gauge lineconnecting Bhalukpong with Tawangwhich is a distance of 378 kilometres.

It takes 18 hours from Guwahati inAssam to reach Tawang through road.Guwahati is the nearest major city andcitizens of Tawang depend on it for anymedical emergency.

Other new broad guage railway lineswhich will be part of the survey will be249-kilometre North Lakhimpur-Bame -Silapathar which is between Pasighatairport and Rupa in Arunachal Pradesh.

Sinha and Rijiju will also be meetingcitizens, elected representatives andsenior railway officers during the visit.

Tawang is of immense strategicimportance to India as it is located on theSino-India border and China has beenlaying claim to it. China claims

Arunachal Pradesh as part of Tibet androutinely objects to any visit by topIndian leaders, officials and diplomats tothe area. It had recently objected to aproposed visit of the Dalai Lama toArunachal Pradesh.

The government has said the DalaiLama is going to visit the state as areligious leader and there is no reason tostop him as his followers are demandinghe should come.

Tawang was one of the regions whereIndian Army had come under attack fromChina in the 1962 war.

Ignoring China’s protests, thegovernment had earlier allowed then USambassador to India Richard Verma andTibetan spiritual leader Karmapa OgyenTrinley Dorje’s visit to ArunachalPradesh last year.

Stay away from sitesof encounters,

Kashmir youths toldJ&K top cop says bullets don't see who they hit

SRINAGAR (TIP): Statingthat civilians who marchtowards the encounter siteswere “committing suicide”,Jammu and KashmirDirector General of Police S PVaid on March 30, Thursday,said bullets don’t see whothey hit. “A bullet does not seewho is coming or who it willhit. Youths should stay athomes. Those coming to theencounter site arecommitting suicide,” the DGPsaid in the backdrop of therecent killing of three youthsin Budgam area of centralKashmir during a stone-pelting protest.

He said even security forcestake cover of a vehicle orhouse to avoid being hit bybullets. The police chiefblamed Pakistan’s spy agencyfor trying to instigate andprovoke innocent boys toreach the site of exchange offire. “As per the inputsreceived, ISI is trying toinstigate and provokeinnocent young boys to comeout of their houses and reachthe site of exchange of fire,”an official statement quoting

the DGP said. “There are alsorecorded messages indicatingthat as soon as an encounterbegins, the Pakistanpropaganda mill immediatelygets into action.” The stategovernment has issuedadvisories on encountersseveral times asking people tostay away from gun battle sitesto avoid collateral damagesduring anti-militancyoperations. The police haveimposed a ban on assembly ofpeople within a radii of 3 km

of an encounter site andadvised people to stay indoorsand not peep out of theirwindows to avoid being hit bystray bullets. Army chiefGeneral Bipin Rawat had lastmonth warned of tough actionagainst those attackingsecurity forces. However,people in large numbers,especially youth, come out oftheir houses and chant pro-azadi slogans on seeingsecurity forces arriving intheir area to take on militants.

WhatsApp groups with Pak admins enticestone pelting, mislead Kashmir youth: DGP

Recover Rs 97 cr from AAP for ads: LG tells CSNEW DELHI (TIP): In a

setback to the Kejriwaldispensation, Lt GovernorAnil Baijal has directed thatRs 97 crore be recoverd fromAAP that was allegedly"splurged" by the citygovernment onadvertisements in violation

of the Supreme Courtguidelines. Baijal alsoordered an inquiry into thespendings on advertisementsprojecting Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal and hisparty and asked the chiefsecretary to fixresponsibility.

The AAP will have toreimburse the money withina month. The move comesmonths after a Centre-appointed three-membercommittee indicted the AAPgovernment for "misusing"exchequer money onadvertisements.

7INDIA THEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017

AFRICAN STUDENTS GRAPPLEWITH ANGER, SHOCK OVERATTACK ON NIGERIANS

NEW DELHI (TIP): African students in the capital arestill shocked over the violent attack on some Nigerianstudents earlier this week in Greater Noida, which they sayis a grim reminder of the "palpable hatred" which someIndians still harbour for the 'blacks'.

The Monday, March 27 night incident they say has struck amortal blow in the hearts of Africans and wonder that such"militant racism" could exist in the 21st century in a countrywhich was in the forefront of the global anti-racism struggle.

"This (attack) was a very barbaric incident and this is notthe first time something like this has happened. A few yearsback (in 2012), a black man was killed in Jalandhar, and hewas brutally lynched by a mob," a Democratic Republic ofCongo (DRC) national Clovis, who is pursuing his Ph.D inChemistry from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, told IANS.

He said the attack has filled him with anger andfrustration.

"I am very upset. I have not gone out of the campus sincethe attacks... What is our fault? We are not here to dobusiness, we are not stealing your job or money. We will goback once our courses are over...

"What if the same thing starts happening to Indians inother places...in Africa, where so many of them live!" he saidand added that the episode does not bode well for the Indiansliving in Africa.

Another person from Kenya, a student of EnvironmentalSciences, said that he feared for his life after such openviolence.

"I fear for my life, I have not gone out of the campus afterthe incident and have also received advice from the Africanstudents association not to venture out for a few days... I amshocked to hear that such attacks were carried out purely onthe basis of rumours.. It's all about mentality," he told IANS.

Anthia of Zimbabwe wondered whether such acts ofanimosity can be take place only on the basis of hearsay.

"As far as I know, the accusations (of drug running) are yetto be substantiated. There must be a feeling of rancourgathering for a long time against blacks, otherwise theseattacks couldn't have been carried out," the JNU student said.

Having been in India for only two months, Anthia said shehasn't faced any gross act of racism yet. But also confidedthat she is treated very differently at times and rememberedbeing "handled terribly" at the hands of a hairdresser, whobecame very "frustrated" with her hair.

The attack on a Nigerian student took place on Mondaynight in Greater Noida, some 40 km from the national capital,following protests over the death of a Class 12 student of aresidential colony there due to a drug overdose.

Another Nigerian, a student of JNU, who has been livingin the national capital for the last one month, said that theviolence has "betrayed the trust between the two countries"and may become a cause of "coolness" in future.

"How can people, who are treated as gods in my country,commit such an act," Edewale, a student of Global StudiesProgram, who is here for just one semester, told IANS.

"In Nigeria, Indians are a very well respected lot..but herethe reality is a bit different," he added ruefully.

(Source: IANS - Vishal Narayan. Vishal can be reached atvishal.n@ians.in)

1984 RIOTS CASE: TYTLERREFUSES LIE-DETECTION TEST

NEW DELHI (TIP): Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, whohas been given a clean chit by the CBI in a 1984 anti-Sikhriots case, today told a court he was not ready to undergo alie-detection test as it amounted to cruelty.

Tytler’s counsel said the CBI had not given any reason forconducting it and the agency’s plea for the test was a “grossmisuse of law”, filed with “malafide intention”.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate ShivaliSharma listed the matter for April 18 for further argumentson the CBI’s plea for permission to conduct the test on Tytlerand arms dealer Abhishek Verma. The move came inpursuance to the court’s December 4, 2015, order that a lie-detection test may be conducted, if required.

Meanwhile, the CBI filed a status report in a sealed coverregarding its further probe. The case pertains to riots atGurdwara Pulbangash in north Delhi where three peoplewere killed on November 1, 1984. Tytler has been given aclean chit by the CBI thrice, but the agency has been directedto further investigate the matter. Source: PTI

High-value funds transferredelectronically could also

come under scrutinyNEW DELHI (TIP): The taxmen or

bank officials may question anyonereceiving high-value funds in hisaccount, even if it is through anelectronic transaction.

A transaction above Rs 2.5 lakh by anindividual is considered “high value”.

Large cash deposits in savings bankaccounts of citizens have been underscrutiny after the government scrappedhigh-value banknotes from November 9in a multi-pronged crackdown on taxdodgers and counterfeiting.

Tax officials have also been keepingan eye on big sums being transferredelectronically, especially funds comingfrom new bank accounts and Jan Dhanaccounts, meant for the poor.

Several savings accounts were openedunder the Pradhan Mantri Jan DhanYojana, and there are reports that some

of these were used to deposit illegal cashafter the demonetization exercise.

Government sources said a spurt infresh deposits in dormant savingsaccounts or Jan Dhan accounts is beinginvestigated.

“Many Jan Dhan accounts have beenused to convert black money into white,investigations will be carried out andnotices will be sent,” a senior officialsaid on Thursday.

The government had asked people notto allow anybody to use their Jan Dhanaccounts to park undisclosed cash.

“We will track the flow of funds andbased on our findings, appropriate stepswill be taken,” the official said.“Genuine cases need not worry.”

There were more than 230 million JanDhan accounts last August. That wentup to more than 250 million in Novemberand currently stands at 280 million.

Large cash deposits insavings bank accounts ofcitizens have been underscrutiny after thegovernment scrappedhigh-value banknotes fromNovember 9, 2016

Stamping, tagging of handbaggage at 7 airports to end

New Delhi (TIP): Stampingand tagging of the handbaggage of passengers at sevenmajor airports, includingDelhi and Mumbai, will bedone away with from April 1,the CISF said on Thursday.

The other airports whichwill see the new system ofbaggage security coming ininclude the ones in Bengaluru,Hyderabad, Kolkata, Cochinand Ahmedabad.

"The system of stampingand putting tags on the handbaggage of passengers will bedispensed with from April 1 atseven airports. We have put inplace the required securitysystems that will help us inushering in this passenger-friendly move," CISF DirectorGeneral O P Singh told PTI.

The move, the CISF chiefsaid, will enhance "passengerexperience and provide hasslefree security environment tothem".

The move was earlierannounced by the aviationsecurity regulator, the Bureauof Civil Aviation Security(BCAS), but the CentralIndustrial Security Forcewanted to deploy appropriatesecurity infrastructure beforesuch a regime could be usheredin without any compromise onthe security aspect at thesesensitive facilities.

Singh said his personnelhave been updated about thenew protocol and that hehimself had seen thepreparations made in thisregard at the Bengaluruairport yesterday. Source: PTI

Tibetan lama gives up monkhood to marry childhood friend

NEW DELHI (TIP): A senior Tibetanlama based in India, who is one of theclaimants to the title of Karmapa Lama, hasmarried a childhood friend and abandonedmonkhood, his office announced on Marck30, Thursday.

Thaye Dorje, 33, married RinchenYangzom, 36, in a private ceremony attendedby close family members in New Delhi onMarch 25. His office described the couple as“close childhood friends” who have knowneach other for more than 19 years.

“I have a strong feeling, deep within myheart, that my decision to marry will have apositive impact not only for me, but also forthe lineage,” Thaye Dorje was quoted assaying in a statement posted on his website.

“Something beautiful, somethingbeneficial will emerge, for all of us.”

Rinchen Yangzom, whose Tibetan namemeans “precious prosperity gathered”, wasborn in Thimphu and was educated in Indiaand Europe. Thaye Dorje proposed to heraccording to Tibetan traditions on January19. A spokesman for Thaye Dorje said thathe will no longer be a monk but willcontinue “as the lineage lama and as theKarmapa, including by offering teachingsand blessings to students around the world”.

The statement said Thaye Dorje“appreciates that the news of his marriagewill come as a surprise to many, and hasfaith that his students will understand his

wish to have kept private this personalelement of his very public life”. He and hiswife will make their first public appearancetogether in Bodhgaya in December this year.

Thaye Dorje has claimed since childhoodto be the reincarnation of the KarmapaLama, the 12th century leader of one of thefour major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

Ogyen Trinley Dorje, another monk whofled from Tibet to India in 1999, isrecognised by many followers of the KarmaKagyu school as the Karmapa Lama. He isalso recognised by the Dalai Lama.

The spokesman said Thaye Dorje has beenthe “Karmapa from birth” and will“continue his activities as the Karmapa”.He added, “He will hold meditation sessionsand will continues his travels, including aEuropean tour that will take him tocountries such as Sweden and Spain.”

The 15-day period following the weddingis a “sacred time” and Thaye Dorje and hiswife will spend this time with theirextended families, the spokesman said.

Thaye Dorje was born in Tibet and hisfather was a high lama while his motherwas descended from Tibetan nobility.According to his official biography, he wasone-and-a-half years old when he startedtelling people that he was the KarmapaLama.

The Karmapa Lama is not the only seniorTibetan Buddhist title to be disputed.

Thaye Dorje (upper left) and Rinchen Yangzom (lower left) were married in a privateceremony in Delhi. (Picture courtesy:Karmapa.org)

8 THEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017EDITORIAL

It's time airlines took a toughline against unruly VIP behavior

“Air rage" - or sudden and violent behavior by apassenger affecting those who work on flights orassociated people - is a menace that has led to civil

aviation authorities issuing strict guidelines on deterrenceand punishment for those responsible for such acts. InIndia, while the laws on unruly and disruptive behavior inan airliner are clear, they are difficult to enforce when theperpetrators take the cover of their positions of power. Theoutrageous conduct of Ravindra Gaikwad, the Member ofParliament from Osmanabad who belongs to the Shiv Sena,with Air India staff after seeking a business class seat in anall-economy flight from Pune to Delhi, required more thanjust a legal response by the airline. The Air India cabincrew had its task cut out but handled the incident well ascan be gleaned from raw video images of what transpiredon March 23. The consequent steps taken by the nationalcarrier and members of the Federation of Indian Airlinesto put him on a "no-fly list" is a welcome one. While theAircraft Rules of 1937 have outlined a course of actions tobe taken after such disruptive behavior, the application of a"no-fly list" is a new development and is in line with similarpractices adopted in many countries. This practice shoulddeter such outrageous actions by anyone, irrespective ofwhether the malefactor is in a position of power or not.

Such behavior is, unfortunately, not uncommon amonglegislators. In 2015, a Jet Airways woman cabin crewmember complained about alleged misbehavior by BiharMLA Pappu Yadav during a Patna-Delhi flight. InNovember 2015, a case was registered against YSRCongress Party MP P. Mithun Reddy and others forallegedly assaulting an Air India station manager atTirupati airport. These incidents are symptomatic of aculture of entitlement that pervades many in power todayand, sadly, gives credence to the flawed notion that politicalrepresentatives are a law unto themselves. Mr. Gaikwad'sactions were compounded by the fact that he brazenlyjustified his behavior - of hitting an airline employee withhis slippers after the latter said that he would complain tothe Prime Minister. While the Shiv Sena has said it does notcondone his actions, its leader and MP, Sanjay Raut, has inbizarre fashion put the onus on Air India, asking it to thinkover "what would happen if the public decides to blacklistthe airline". The Shiv Sena has a history of high-handedness and use of political muscle. Party presidentUddhav Thackeray had sought to move away from therough-arm tactics of the past and to align his party to a newform of provincial politics. Mr. Gaikwad's behaviorsuggests that the party is no closer to that goal.

(The Hindu)

Two weeks after the counting ofvotes, with a controversial Yogiensconced as UP Chief Minister,

and the surprising lacklustreperformance of the AAP in Punjab,analysts and politicians continue to mullover the outcome.

The AAP questioned the sanctity ofEVMs, arguing that sworn affidavits byparty loyalists exceed actual ballots insome booths. They may beunderestimating the guile of 'simple'village folk, although ElectionCommission's hesitation to double-checkthe paper trail in some constituenciesraises questions. While the SupremeCourt examines this aspect, trends fromabroad may hold an explanation.

Like the AAP, European Pirate partiesrose from issue-based politics as analternative to traditional parties inSweden in 2006. They grew rapidly thereand in Germany and Iceland, winningtwo seats even in the Europeanparliament in 2009. The 2009 UpsalaDeclaration spelt out their platformencompassing greater governmenttransparency, privacy and civil rightsreform, open data access and directdemocracy by co-opting citizenry indecision-making via the Internet. InGermany, additionally, the rights of theLGBT community and basic incomeguarantee were added.

Their growth, however, has beendisappointing except in Iceland. Germanysaw the bickering which is a daily fare inNew Delhi. In Iceland, the Panama Papersscandal, compelling the prime minister toresign, gave them an impetus. The realproblem has been that public opinion hasmoved past their issues to existentialdilemmas like terrorism, immigration,economic stagnation due to perceivedimpact of globalisation and theconsequent ethno-religious resurgence.The AAP needs to recalibrate its messageand broaden the leadership bench-strength to tap contemporary India'saspirations that go beyond corruption.That issue too, usurped by Modi'sdemonetisation juggernaut at present,needs to be redefined.

In Punjab, the principal reason for theAAP's fading at the finish line was lackof experienced and credible faces. TheHindu minority and Sikh elite thusgravitated towards the Congress as theonly viable alternative to the detestedAkali Dal. Punjab wanted change, butalso feared chaos, as did people inEurope when assessing Pirate parties.As a result, Punjab may have missed itschance for radical governance reform.Though still early days but an educationminister who knows no Punjabi, aculture minister fixated on televisionearnings and an industrialist as powerminister are hardly symbols ofaccountability and governance change.The battle was for more than redbeacons on cars.

In Italy, new politics shapeddifferently, albeit with motives sharedwith Pirate Parties. Five Star Party(M5S) founded by popular comedianBeppo Grillo, a European Bhagwant

Mann, and Gianoroberto Casaleggio,aimed to marginalise traditional partiesseen as responsible for constantstagnation and impasse. They wonmayors of Rome and Turin, like the AAP,but unlike it, are leading in the 2018national election race. In his defence,while Arvind Kejriwal contends with anascendant national leader, NarendraModi, Grillo and associates step into avacuum.

The BJP sweeping UP and nominatingYogi Adiyanath as Chief Minister isreplete with danger. For Gorakhnathmath's head to be so elevated raisesquestions about mixing religion andpolitics. The math, which allows non-Brahmin leadership, has a chequeredpast. Its head, Yogi Digvijay Nath joinedthe Congress in 1921. However, hissuspected role in the Chauri Chauraincident involving police firing and inrevenge burning alive of the entirepolice post personnel forced Gandhiji towithdraw the Non-CooperationMovement. Yogi and the math thereafterparted ways with the Congress.

Yogi Adityanath's rise invited adverseeditorial comment from the New YorkTimes, which the Modi government hasslammed. President Donald Trump, afellow victim of the same paper,promptly telephoned to congratulateModi on his electoral success. Thiswould be a first for the US President asstate elections are a domestic issue bestleft alone by foreign leaders.

The separation of religion and statebegan the post-1648 Treaty ofWestphalia, ending 30 years of religiouswars in Europe. French CardinalRichelieu's concept of 'raison d'etat' orinterests of state as the determinant ofall actions, instead of religion ordynasty, brought secular thinking intointer-state affairs. Papal desire tocontrol the Holy Roman Empire endedwith its decline and ultimate demise bystart of the 19th century.

Arthur Koestler in Yogi and theCommissar argues there is littlecommon ground between the two as oneconcerns man's relations to the universeand the other to society. While SikhGurus did espouse the concept of 'Miri-Piri', implying the dual role as temporal

and spiritual guides, in reality, the Badaltrio - father, son and the bahu - wereabove the dictates of the Sikh clergy. Thesecularisation of the Akali Dal has beencomplete, but the BJP's UP experimentdefies history.

In Shia Islam, the debate is stillunsettled. Traditionally, the Shia clergyconsidered all governance as profaneand thus beyond their pale. AyatollahKhomeini of Iran, in exile in Iraq,developed the concept of Velayat-e-Faqih, or the rule of the mostjurisprudent. He reasoned that till thereturn of the 12th Imam, who was inoccultation, the wisest among the clergymust guide the ruler to stymie misrule.The revered living Iraqi cleric, AyatollahSistani, contests this thesis, subscribinginstead to the quietist school requiringclerics to remain in the background.

The issue confronting India, as indeedthe entire Western world, is the rise ofpopulist leaders challenging liberal, pro-globalisation post World War II order,mixing xenophobia, religion and voodooeconomics. Steve Bannon, PresidentTrump's closest adviser and former headof Breitbart News, apocalypticallysenses the coming confrontation of theChristian world with 'jihadist Islamicfascism'. He spelt this out in a 2014 Romeinterview. Capitalism's crisis, he argued,is loss of its Judea-Christian roots asevidenced by 'secularisation' of theWest. Yogi Adityanath and his sponsorswould concur.

How then can the demonised andbeleaguered forces of liberalismrespond? The recent defeat of Dutchnativist Geert Wilders provides a clue.D66, a collection of earnest pro-European liberals, improved seats by 50per cent and Green Left tripled itsstrength by contesting and not dodgingthe narrative of Wilders with a counter-vision, as The Economist notes, centredon tolerance, openness andinternationalism. The question is, whoshall bell the Indian cat? Hopefully,Aristotle was right when he said 'natureabhors a vacuum'.

(The author is a former Secretary,Ministry of External Affairs, government

of India)

British English

AS I SEE ITGUEST COMMENT

READERS WRITE

Rise of the anti-liberal order“

The issue confronting India, as indeed the entireWestern world, is the rise of populist leaderschallenging liberal, pro-globalisation post World War

II order, mixing xenophobia, religion and voodooeconomics. Steve Bannon, President Trump's closestadviser and former head of Breitbart News,apocalyptically senses the coming confrontation of theChristian world with 'jihadist Islamic fascism'. He speltthis out in a 2014 Rome interview. Capitalism's crisis, heargued, is loss of its Judea-Christian roots as evidencedby 'secularisation' of the West. Yogi Adityanath and hissponsors would concur", says the author.

By KC Singh

Challenging liberalism- US President Trump and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath

Sikhs should think of partying tocelebrate Vaisakhi

Why not we do any festival parties, as Christians doChristmas parties, Muslims do Iftar parties andHindus do Diwali & Holi parties. All these are

religious festivals but people celebrate with food, dance andparties. Gujrati people celebrate Garba with dance andfood. I think that Vaisakhi is the best festival to do partiesbecause it is religious and cultural festival. We can havefamily get together parties at home or in party halls withbhangra and giddha. We can invite other religion andcountry people to these parties to tell them about ourreligion and culture. It doesn't matter that parties are doneat home or party hall. We can make variety of vegetarianPunjabi dishes for them. Our young generation will alsolike and take part in this type of celebrations. I alwaysthink that there should be a festival when we can cook ormake a variety of dishes at home.

Tejinder Dhillon

9PERSPECTIVETHEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017

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By Valerian Rodrigues

An expansive Hindutva agenda?The Hindutva project has succeeded in projecting itself as speaking to the deep diversities that crowd U.P

“The invocation ofShiva and Shaktiin this projectthat hitherto heldfirmly to a gradedorder andpaternalismwould haveimplications forIndian democracythat have beenlittle envisaged sofar”, says theauthor.

If symbols speak, and in the layered culturedeposits of the Gangetic plain they do speakloud, one of the most memorable spectacleswas Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit toKashi Vishwanath Temple on March 4, 2017.

It was preceded by a roadshow in the narrow,winding streets of Varanasi all decked up for thegrand effect, following the garlanding of the statueof Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya at the BenaresHindu University. Within the temple precincts itselfMr. Modi appeared the great performer, oozing aburst of energy, while the archakas were transfixedin the archaic layout of the ancient temple complex.Place this spectacle alongside Mr. Modi's salutationto 'Ganga Ma' at the Dashashwamedh Ghat of theriver on May 17, 2014, a day after his victory fromVaranasi Lok Sabha constituency, three years ago:and you have before you one of the most powerfulsymbols to reach out to the length and breadth ofIndia, Shiva and Parvathi, alongside Ganga, andtheir complex personifications in myriad forms, theprinciples of dynamism and recreation, galoreacross India, in much more vivid forms than Ramlalan of Ayodhya.

Yogi Adityanath, the new Chief Minister of UttarPradesh, himself heads a temple, the Gorakhnathtemple, named after a representation of Lord Shiva,a representation that gathers in its fold elements ofBuddhism, the tantra practices, the Nathpanthitraditions, and renouncer cults.

Shiva in political pantheonWhile the Hindutva project is unlikely to shed

Ram from its political pantheon, it would be worthwatching the deployment of Shiva and Shakti sitesspread across the length and breadth of the country,particularly in its peripheral regions. Lord Shiva isthe lord of the dissenter, the renouncer, thewayward, the very captive of his devotee, the greatpatron of arts and crafts, the yogi par excellence,while he is at the same time the great destroyer,angry and disdainful of the social order. Heinhabits the peripheries of the Brahmanicaldispensation that stipulates a tightly ordered socialuniverse. He is primarily the lord of the lowersocial orders, of the margins. He is the presidingdeity across the vast expanses of the Himalayas,most of the southern part of India, and the hillsand ghats where the Brahmanical order isprecariously present.

For the Hindutva ideologues, at least those whowalk hand in hand with Mr. Modi, the conquest ofLord Ram's place of birth at Ayodhya is over; whatis important is to bind India together, its myriaddifferences and diversities through new bonds. Wasthe Prime Minister, who said little on the RamJanmabhoomi issue during his numerous publicmeetings across the length and breadth of UttarPradesh, opening a new front for Hindutva? Are we,therefore, stepping into a religio-political projectthat was little seen as integral to Hindutva so far?

Finger on the U.P. pulseThe socio-political space that constitutes Uttar

Pradesh today has always nurtured a complexinternal debate with regard to the idea of Indiafrom the later part of 19th century. The great debatewith regard to the future of Muslims in thesubcontinent following the demise of the MughalEmpire was centred around this region in whichthe ulema of Deoband and Barelvi madrasas andlater the Aligarh Movement played a decisive role.

One always found in this region informal groupingsof religious adherents, be they Hindus or Muslims,who did not toe the line of any one political party.Besides, after the abolition of the zamindari systemthis region, as a whole, was not much shaken up bythe powerful agrarian and anti-caste movementsthat have had such powerful impact in theneighbouring region of Bihar.

However, recent evidence suggests that a largenumber of traditional upper caste religiousgroupings in the region have been veering round tothe Hindutva project, and orthodoxy has spread itsappeal much wider among Muslims. Theegalitarian social imaginary of the lower rungsamong Hindus has thrown up new modes ofreligious gatherings, revitalised marginal deities,and much social effort has gone into theconstruction of shrines and temples and writingcaste histories. The Hindutva expressions in thisregion have reached out to this imaginary while theother political formations in the region have hadlittle say on it.

The cryptic comment that Samajwadi Partyleader Mulayam Singh Yadav made, that ChiefMinister Akhilesh Yadav's defeat is on account ofhis departure from Lohiawad, has a ring of truthabout it, although the former himself reached outto this social imaginary very little. The secular hatthat the Congress wears is totally disconnectedfrom this groundswell. The Bahujan Samaj Partydid little to disabuse the charge that the PrimeMinister made in his election rallies that it servesthe good of one against its claims to represent themany. Besides, the impermeable walls that thedominant discourse within this party erects acrosscastes and communities makes it difficult for it toaccess complex modes of oppression and culturalnuances that play a decisive role in an electorallysurcharged arena such as Uttar Pradesh.

The strategyIn sum, over the years there has been little

attempt to make the deep diversities that crowdUttar Pradesh speak to one another. The Hindutvaproject has succeeded in projecting itself asspeaking to this diversity through a phalanx oforganisations. Mr. Modi was only the presiding

deity, the organising centre of this process. TheUttar Pradesh strategy also demonstrates that theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will adopt verydistinct strategies in different regions of India,with a few slogans such as 'Sabka sath, sabka vikas'as common.

It is a pity to watch the plight of the Muslims inUttar Pradesh if we ignore the local bravado ondisplay in some places. The Hindutva project hasbeen surreptitiously redefining the Muslim worldin this region that has global ramifications. It hasselectively extended support to the Sufi heritage,and Mr. Modi even addressed the World Sufi Forumin Delhi in March 2016. It has tried to win over asection of the Shias with an eye on Pakistan, Iranand West Asia, but also tapped the historic Shia-Sunni rivalry in the State to its advantage. It hasnot been sympathetic to the demand of AligarhMuslim University for minority status and hasexpressed strong resentment against the relativelydoctrinaire strand of Islam upheld by the Deobandmadrasa. Organised Muslim political opinion haslargely concentrated in carving out electoralstrategies rather than propose ways by whichpeople who subscribe to deep differences in beliefsand values but share much of everyday life incommon can live together. The coexistence andtoleration argument does not apply here becauseeveryday life is deeply caught in conflicts and thelanguage of sterile secularism does not offer a lineof advance.

The language of vikas that the BJP spoke duringthe electioneering, therefore, may have to be seenthrough the lens of this expansive Hindutvaproject. Everyone is welcome to participate in thecommon economic endeavour, but the normativeand cultural codes of such an endeavour will begoverned by this project. The invocation of Shivaand Shakti in this project that hitherto held firmlyto a graded order and paternalism would haveimplications for Indian democracy that have beenlittle envisaged so far.

(The author is a former professor at the Centre forPolitical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, andcurrently National Fellow, Indian Council of Social

Science Research)

British English

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh perform Pooja Photo courtesy of PTI

10 THEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017MISCELLANY

ASHOKA THE GREAT & PRINCIPLES OF CO-EXISTENCEBY K. NATWAR SINGH

HGWells, the British author, acontemporary of Bernard Shaw andGK Chesterton, wrote in his, Outline

of History: "Amid tens of thousands of names ofmonarchs that crowd the columns of history - theirmajesties, and graciousness, and serenities androyal highnesses and the like - the name of Ashokashines and shines almost alone, a star…"

He was Ashoka Devanampiya (beloved of thegods); 'Piyadasi' (pleasant to behold). He is thegreatest ruler India has produced. He lived from 273BC to 232 BC.

Ashoka was the grandson of ChandraguptaMaurya and the son of Bindusara. Ashoka's empireextended from present-day Afghanistan to Madurai.The Dharama Chakra, incorporated into the flag ofIndia, is taken from the Ashokan pillar at Sarnath.

For almost two thousand years, Ashoka theBuddhist was all but forgotten. He himself left adetailed account of his reign on many pillars andedicts he built. Two pillars have survived in Delhi.

Romila Thapar in her preface to her book, Ashokaand the Decline of the Mauryas writes: "The reign ofAshoka began to attract attention of historians wellover a century ago. In 1837 James Prinsep came outwith his work on Ashoka inscriptions in a series ofpapers. According to KM Panikkar, Ashok's namewas restored to honour as a "result not of Indianresearchers but the work of European scholars."

I conclude this piece with two quotations from hisedicts: "All sects deserve reverence for one reason oranother. By thus acting a man exalts his own sectand at the same time does service to the sects ofother people." The second is: "All men are mychildren, and just as I desire my children that theyshould obtain welfare and happiness both in thisworld and the next, so do I desire the same for allmen."

I have written this as I am reading RomilaThapar's wonderful book, Ashoka and the Fall of theMauryas.

It gave me much pleasure when I read that theNobel Prize citation and medallion (pure gold)which had been stolen by miscreants was recoveredand returned to Kailash Satyarthi. I have so far notmet him, but doubtlessly he is a noble and public

spirited individual.It was in the early years of this century that

Rabindranath Tagore's Nobel medal was stolen froma room in which the poet lived. I was then ExternalAffairs Minister. The Swedish government wasgracious enough to send a replacement. This washanded over to me by the Swedish ambassador inNew Delhi. I decided to take the medal toShantiniketan to give it to the Vice Chancellor. FromKolkata Pranab Mukerjee and I flew by helicopter toBolpur and then by car to Gurudev's creation. Therewe were joined by Governor of West Bengal GopalKrishna Gandhi, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath

Chatterjee and economist Amartya Sen. Theceremony was short and simple.

I had first been to Santiniketan in December 1954escorting a Chinese cultural delegation, led by ChenTho, a great Tagore scholar. I remember his namebecause I saw much of him when I was posted inChina 1956-58.

One more significant memory of Santiniketan hasstayed with me. The great Nandlal Bose (a pioneer ofmodern Indian art) showed me around Kala Bhawan,his creation.

Here's my list of the famous and the infamouspoliticians of the 20th century: Mahatma Gandhi(1869-1948), V. Lenin (1870-1924), Winston Churchill(1874-1965), M.A. Jinnah (1876-1948), Joseph Stalin(1879-1953), Franklin D Roosevelt (1883-1945), AdolfHitler (1889-1945), Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964),Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970), Mao Tse Tung (1893-1976) & Nelson Mandela (1918-2013).

Mahatma Gandhi is a class by himself. Lenin wasa revolutionary, intellectual, founder of the SovietUnion, was ruthless. Winston Churchill arch-imperialist, racist, greatest Englishman and Nobellaureate. MA Jinnah was a brilliant lawyer, a clear-headed politician who knew what he wanted and gotit (Pakistan). Joseph Stalin, founder of the USSR,killed millions of his own people. He led the SovietUnion to victory in 1945 World War-II.

Franklin D Roosevelt was a great US President(four terms) except Lincoln. Adolf Hitler was acharismatic German leader and a brutal killer ofmillions of Jews. His autobiography Mein Kampfwas a bestseller. He committed suicide. JawaharlalNehru was a noble humanist, a founder of modernIndia. Charles de Gaulle is the greatest Frenchmanafter Napoleon. He was an excellent writer inFrench and was President of France during 1958-1969.

Mao Tse Tung was a revolutionary intellectualand the founder of the People's Republic of China.He killed seventy millions of his people. NelsonMandela is one of the great moral and politicalleaders of our time. He spent 27 years (1964-1991) inprison. A Nobel laureate, he was President of SouthAfrica during 1994-1999. He died at the age of 95.

(The author is an Indian politician, a former seniorbureaucrat, a former Union cabinet minister, and a

writer)

BY VISHAKHA N. DESAI

It's time Indian-Americans in the U.S.involved themselves deeply in civic issues.Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Kansas, Harnish

Patel in South Carolina, and Deep Rai inWashington, all well settled Indians inAmerica, were shot at in a span of three weeksresulting in two deaths. The words repeatedlyused by their assailants were, "go back whereyou came from." While these are the mostvisible cases of attacks against Indian-Americans, the harassment of the communityis far more pervasive since Donald Trumptook office as U.S President.

In my own family, spread throughout theU.S., we are hearing stories of insults andinnuendoes. A niece in Maryland being toldby a co-worker that she will have to go backwhere she came from, if she was not a citizen(she is); a friend in the DC suburb detained bythe local police for 'suspicious appearance'and for not carrying an identification (shewas simply taking a walk in her neighborhoodas she has done for years). In our familyWhatsApp group, we are constantly sharingstories we hear in our communities,reminding each other about carryingidentification, staying away from bars in theMidwest, worrying that hate speeches aboutour 'foreignness' could easily end up ingunshots as it happened to the three victims ofthe crime. Needless to say, it has shaken theIndian-American community to its core.

Faulty terms of engagement?

For the longest time, we were proud todeclare that Indian Americans were the truesuccess story in the U.S. After all, even as arelatively young immigrant group (87.2%being foreign born) at 1% of the population(around 3 million), we could claim to have thehighest per capita income ($88,000 medianhousehold income compared to all U.S.median at $49,800) and highest levels ofeducation (70% of those age 25 and older withcollege degrees, two-and-a-half times thefigure for overall population) of any ethnicgroup.

We could boast that Indians had trulyarrived in America, as prominent writers,business leaders, academics, and evenpolicymakers. We lived and breathed the so-called American dream; we bought expensivehomes in American suburbs, sent ourchildren to the best universities and reapedthe benefits of the American system. But, byand large, we didn't engage in the messyissues of civil rights, political participation,or racism. We thought these were not ourissues.

We remained attached to our country oforigin, going back and forth frequently,contributing to local causes (after all, ourdollars could go much further in India, andIndia surely needed help). Some of us also gotvery active in the politics of our homeland,especially when it came to right-wing Hindu

causes. Like other immigrants, wenostalgically longed to hold on to our sense ofbelonging in the old country while movingforward with our lives in our adopted country.Secure in our successful Americanexperience, we took the American part of ourhyphenated identity for granted.

From my perch as a leader of aninternational organization, I often criticizedmy fellow Indian-Americans for notstrengthening their roots in America, notgetting involved enough in the civicorganizations in America, and not engagingenough in the American issues of the day. Inthe age of Trump, this is no longer just a goodidea. Now the stakes have becomedangerously high and the need visibly urgent.While the White House, including thePresident, continues to deny any relationshipbetween the rhetoric and policies of the newgovernment and the unprecedented spike inhate speech and hate crimes against SouthAsian, Arab, Muslim and Jewishcommunities, the truth is that the Trumppresidency has emboldened latent racist andultra-right nativist elements to come out inthe open. This has to be the real wake-up callfor the Indian-American community.

During the election, a group of Indians,calling themselves "Hindus for Trump," triedto make a distinction between themselves andother Indians, especially Muslim Indian-Americans, and other brown-skinned people,

suggesting that they were different, that theyshould not be confused with Muslims and,therefore, should not be targeted. As politicalscientist Sanjay Mishra has pointed out, suchan approach shows real ignorance about thefundamental dynamics of racism - treating allpeople of a particular color or ethnicity as anundifferentiated mass, "erasing individuality,distinctiveness and humanity."

Now, it is time for this well-to-docommunity to recognize that criminals whocommit hate crimes are indiscriminate. As weknow from the assailants of the three Indianvictims, they confused their target forIranians and Arab Americans, or Muslims. Itdidn't matter that all three of them were well-to-do, living in comfortably prosperouscommunities.

It's time Indian-Americans joined handswith all Americans who suffer from racial,ethnic or social prejudice, Muslims, Arabs,African-Americans, Latinos or the LGBTcommunity, to fight for what makes Americathe great country that it is, welcoming newimmigrants eager to make a new life here, andin the process, constantly renewing the veryidea of America, always in the process ofbecoming, not so much looking in the rearview mirror as moving forward.

(The author is president emerita of the AsiaSociety and a senior adviser to the President

of Columbia University)

PREJUDICE MAKES NO DISTINCTION

11WORLDTHEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017

Several hurt in clashes atTurkey's Brussels consulate

BRUSSELS (TIP): Several people were injured andtaken to hospital after supporters and opponents of theTurkish government clashed outside the country'sconsulate in central Brussels on Thursday, Belgian policesaid.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel condemned theviolence, which he linked to a forthcoming referendum inTurkey on increasing the powers of President TayyipErdogan.

"The Belgian government has absolute zero tolerancefor any spillovers from the Turkish referendum. Icondemn the riots at the embassy in Brussels," he said onTwitter.

A police spokeswoman said she could give no furtherdetails on the number of people hurt or the nature of theirinjuries. The Turkish mission to Brussels could not beimmediately reached for comment.

Ties between Turkey and European Union states havedeteriorated in recent weeks over Turkish governmentattempts to rally support for Erdogan among expatriateTurks.

Erdogan reacted with fury after Germany and theNetherlands - which, like Belgium, have big Turkishminorities - moved to restrict political rallies on their soilin the run-up to the April 16 referendum.

Kurdish news agency Firat said the Thursday incidenttook place as people arrived at the consulate in Brussels tocast early 'no' votes in the referendum. Reuters was notable to confirm that independently. (Reuters)

Suicide truck bombing kills 15in Baghdad: Iraqi officials

BAGHDAD (TIP): A suicide truck bomb targeted apolice checkpoint in southern Baghdad on Wednesdaynight, killing 15 people and wounding 45, according toIraqi officials.

The bomber detonated the vehicle, an oil tanker ladenwith explosives, security and hospital officials said,speaking on condition of anonymity under regulations.Three policemen were among the dead while the rest werecivilians, and a number of policemen were also wounded,the officials said.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for theattack, but the Islamic State group has carried out similarattacks as their territorial hold in Iraq weakens.

Iraqi forces are fighting IS in western Mosul, wheresome 2,000 IS fighters are launching fierce counterattacks.After the beginning the operation to retake Mosul inOctober, Iraqi authorities in January declared they haveliberated eastern Mosul, which is separated from the city'swestern neighborhoods by the Tigris River.

Western Mosul is densely populated and has proven tobe a much more difficult fight for Iraqi and coalitionforces, which have resorted to greater use of artillery andairstrikes to clear and hold territory.

A number of airstrikes in western Mosul have resultedin high civilians casualties, according to residentsinterviewed by The Associated Press. The U.S.-ledcoalition says a strike in western Mosul on March 17likely resulted in civilian casualties and is investigatingthe incident. Iraqi witnesses have said that airstrikesearlier this month killed scores of civilians. U.S. officialshave said that the munitions used by the U.S.-led coalitionthat day should not have taken the entire building down,suggesting that militants may have deliberately gatheredcivilians there and planted other explosives that weredetonated by airstrikes. (AP)

Why China is pressuring India to join OBOR meeting

BEIJING (TIP): China is puttingpressure on India to participate in aninternational conference on its OneBelt, One Road or Silk Road programmenext May after realizing thatshowcasing the China-PakistanEconomic Corridor (CPEC) would notbe enough to sell the OBOR idea.

This is evident from severalcomments from Chinese officials andexperts about the Indian reluctance tojoin the OBOR program that involvescreating road, rail and portinfrastructure connecting China to theworld.

A Chinese expert has now accusedIndia of taking a "biased view" of theOBOR program. The expert, LinMinwang of the Institute ofInternational Studies at Shaghai'sFudan University, even tried to shameIndia by citing some reports aboutRussia expressing interest in it.

"New Delhi may also feelembarrassed as Moscow has activelyresponded to the Belt and Road (OBOR)initiative and will build an economiccorridor with China and Mongolia," Linsaid adding, "Since the beginning ofthis year, there have been reports onRussia and Iran seeking to join theChina-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC), which will likely put India in amore awkward position".

However, Russia has not sanctionedany specific programme for connectingwith OBOR apart from making a fewstatements about its interests.

China expects heads of at least 20countries to participate in the OBORconference, when it will try to persuadegovernments in Asia and Europe to jointhe programme. Beijing desperatelywants India to participate because thatwould make it attractive to other SouthAsian countries.

China is sore because India'sreluctance has made it difficult forChina to extend the OBOR network toNepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka andMyanmar. But Lin maintained thatthese countries are also interested injoining the program.

He said, "Beijing has expressed, onvarious occasions, its anticipation to seeNew Delhi join the grand project and tomake concerted effort with India inbuilding economic corridors involvingChina, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal,Bangladesh, and Myanmar."

Writing in the state-backed GlobalTimes, Lin said that "other smallerstates in South Asia have shown interesttoward the One Belt, One Roadinitiative. India is definitely reluctant tosee itself being left out of all theseeconomic cooperation projects betweenChina and other South Asian nations.Whether to continue to boycott or jointhe Belt and Road remains a conundrum

for New Delhi."On its part, India has pointed out that

China is building infrastructureprojects in the disputed PakistanOccupied Kashmir, and thus hurting itsinterest in the name of China PakistanEconomic Corridor and OBOR. NewDelhi cannot join a program that hurtsIndian territorial interests.

"The official reason why the Indiangovernment rejected the offer to join theinitiative is that it is designed to passKashmir, a disputed area between Indiaand Pakistan. However, it is just anunfounded excuse as Beijing has beenmaintaining a consistent position onthe Kashmir issue, which has neverchanged," said Lin.

He seemed to suggest that Indiashould accept Beijing's oral assurancesin the face of mounting evidence ofChina creating infrastructure andlegitimizing Pakistan's claim over POK.(TOI)

File photo of a meeting between PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinpingat Tashkent

South Korea's ousted leader ParkGeun-Hye arrested

SEOUL (TIP): South Korea's oustedpresident Park Geun-Hye arrived at adetention centre near Seoul early March31 after being arrested over thecorruption and abuse of power scandalthat brought her down. The SeoulCentral District Court ordered Park'sarrest on charges of bribery, abuse ofauthority, coercion, and leakinggovernment secrets, after a marathoncourt hearing the previous day. "It isjustifiable and necessary to arrest (Park)as key charges were justified and thereis risk of evidence being destroyed," thecourt said in a statement.

Television footage of the formerleader showed her looking grim andstaring straight ahead as she left theprosecutor's office to be taken intocustody.

Despite the early hour, when Parkarrived at the jail in a black sedan ataround 4.45am (1945 GMT), about 50supporters were at the gates to greet her,waving national flags and chantingslogans demanding her release. Park, 65,becomes the third former leader to bearrested over corruption in Asia's

fourth-largest economy, where politicsand big business have long been closelytied.

She will now be processed and placedin a cell after changing into prison garbwith her prisoner number emblazonedon the chest. Being taken into custody is

a dramatic step in the disgrace of SouthKorea's first woman president, and was akey demand of the millions of peoplewho took to the streets to protest againsther as the scandal engulfed herleadership last year. whether she shouldbe arrested. (AFP)

12 THEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017BOLLYWOOD

RICHA CHADHA ON LOVELIFE: I WON’T MIND

DATING AN ACTOR NOW

PHILLAURICCAASSTT:: AAnnuusshhkkaa SShhaarrmmaa,, SSuurraajj SShhaarrmmaa,, DDiilljjiitt

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DDUURRAATTIIOONN:: 22 hhoouurrss 1188 mmiinnuutteess

STORY Kanan accidentally marries a ghost, Shashi,

while conducting pre-wedding rituals to get rid ofbad luck. But as luck would have it, Shashi sticksaround and turns into his agony aunt.

REVIEWNothing is scarier than falling in love and having

the ghosts of your memories together haunt you.But Kanan (Suraj Sharma) is experiencing ahaunting of a more specific kind. He isn’t botheredby memories of a former lover, but by an actualghost-in-love from another era.

Kanan marries a tree to ward off back luck beforehis wedding, and the tree turns out to be the restingplace of Shashi (Anushka Sharma), who lived and

loved there almost a hundred years ago. As a resultof this marriage, Shashi is bound to Kanan, whomust figure out a way to take care of the unfinishedbusiness that’s causing her to linger around.

Conceptually, Phillauri is a winner and thatmuch was evident from the trailer. The idea issuperbly original, culturally on point and has greatpotential. The problem is, you only get what you seein the trailer. Nothing more (and thankfully nothingless). The hilarious, exciting one-line plot developsinto a two-and-a-half hour film that is full ofromantic-movie tropes.

The invisibility of the ghost can only get so manylaughs; the narrative shifts between Shashi’s pastand Kanan’s present seem abrupt; the soulful songsare easy on the ears but strain your eyes by addingto the runtime, and most importantly, Shashi’s story(the emotional core of the film) is largely formulaic.

The actors sweep in and carry the film, though.With his body language and voice modulation, SurajSharma nails the confused-aimless millennial andlightens the mood. Mehreen Pirzada’s helpless andhopelessly-in-love Anu is endearing. Diljit Dosanjhbrings his trademark goodness to a rather blandrole. And as the translucent ghost (kudos to the VFXteam), Anushka delivers a solid performance with aweird mix of sadness and humour.

M O V I E R E V I E W

Richa Chadha has been quite adamantabout not getting into a relationship withsomeone from the industry, but she seems

to think otherwise now.The 30-year-old says that she won’t mind

dating an actor. “I used to feel that way, but now, Ihave changed my mind. I?have matured withtime. I realise that people are people, no matterwhere they are from,” says Richa.

Unlike many actors who are comfortable beingin relationship with someone from the sameprofession, Richa however, feels that things aremore difficult when one is dating an actor. “Itcomes with its own set of problems. There willalways be professional rivalry. There is a lot oftemptation (in the industry),” she says.

Richa also says that it largely depends on theperson you fall for. “If you meet the right person,and fall in love, you can’t deny it. If someone isperfect for me, I’ll be with him no matter wherehe is from. But I have to feel that way for him. Iwon’t date a vaguish businessman. I?need to fallin love with the person,” she adds. Ask her if shehas found the right one and she laughs, “I’minterested in some people. Let’s see where it goes.I was so busy with work, but now that I’m goingon a break, I’ll finally have some time toconcentrate on my love life.”

As far as her career is concerned, Richa hasbeen on the lookout for interesting projects. “I’veread three scripts and liked two of them. I’ve tosay no to the third one and decide what else todo,” says Richa who would be seen in Cabaretand the sequel to 2013 film Fukey.

I’m not thinking aboutmarriage or planning asof now: Alia Bhatt

She is clearly riding high on the success ofher latest hit, Badrinath Ki Dulhania(BKD) making over Rs 100 crore at the box

office. As Alia Bhatt prepares to start work on anew lot of films, the actor says she isn’t“looking at only acting.” Here, the 24-year-oldtalks about career, life, marriage and more.

Technically speaking, it’s a new year but mylast release was in November (last year) itself.Although I started promoting BKD two monthsbefore, in February, on a personal level, it wasalmost as if things were in continuation. Butsomewhere, it has also hit me that it (new film)is probably my only release this year, which iswhy I made sure that it gets a lot of attraction.So, I did all that I could to push the filmthroughout the country. That’s the only way itcould have reached the interiors of the country.

I do want to settle down early (in life) becauseI have an advantage of having started off (incareer) very early. That way (getting married), Ican get done with it and continue (in mycareer). Also, I don’t want to settle down too latein life because that also has its own issues. Buthonestly, I’m not thinking about it or planningas of now.

Earlier, we used to say that an actresses’ shelflife lasts only until she gets married. But I don’tthink that’s true anymore. That has completelychanged, especially with the way Bebo (KareenaKapoor Khan) has gone about her marriage andeven her pregnancy. Even after getting married,she did really well in a few tough films. Andnow, although she delivered (a baby) a fewmonths back, she is readying to get back toshooting. I think that’s the way it should be foran actor. You shouldn’t stop acting just becauseyou settle down, and I also don’t plan to go thatway.

Never thought ofsinging: Parineeti

She has had a rollickingcareer since herBollywood debut, Ladies

Vs Ricky Bahl. Now, Parineeti ais set to add another dimensionto her career with her singingdebut with the song, ‘Maana kehum yaar nahi’, in her nextfilm, Meri Pyaari Bindu.Herein, she talks about singing,working in Golmaal Again andmore. Honestly, it was nerve-wracking. I am alwayssinging. I have even sung onstage before but singing onthe mic is on another level.Now, I understand whyplayback singers are geniusesbecause for that, you requiretalent. Thankfully, I think Iperformed okay for the firstsong. Every one – includingSachin-Jigar, ManeeshSharma (producer), Akshay(Roy), Kausar (Munir) and,most importantly, my parents– were happy.

13HOLLYWOODTHEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017

M O V I E R E V I E W

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DDUURRAATTIIOONN:: 11 hhoouurr 3377 mmiinnuutteess

STORYBased on the popular seventies TV show by the

same name, it's an action comedy about a goofy X-games biker and a macho undercover FBI agentjoining the California highway patrol to bust a ringof armed robbers on bikes.

REVIEWJust like 'Charlie's Angels' and the more

recent, '21 Jump Street', 'CHIPs' is a film made inthe same vein of films based on older, populartelevision shows.

A buddy-comedy, it has Dax Sheppard playingofficer John Baker, an ex-motocross champ whohas fallen on hard times and is now a pill-popping, oldest rookie detective in the

department. He is assigned to officer Frank'Ponch' Poncherello (Michael Peña), a trigger-happy under cover FBI agent, who is tracking abunch of crooked cops involved in high-speedheists.

There may not be too many Indian fans of theearlier show. But for the ones catching it firsttime, there's not too much to get involved with.The action is decent, but nothing too hardcore.The violence is quite is real and there are somegory, yet darkly funny scenes. Like, when ponchhas three of his fingers blown off, and Jonathanmanages to retrieve only two as a maniac RayKurtz (Vincent D'Onofrio) sprays the groundaround him with bullets.

As far as the chemistry between the duo isconcerned, there's not too much there. Betweentheir bickering and chasing bad guys there's noreal investigation going on and the case kind ofopens itself up to them.

While the story is weak, the humouroccasionally salvages it, yet the misplacedhomosexual jokes and the misogny make youcringe in places.

A formulaic film, there are no real surpriseshere and it fails to cash in its chips as far asholding your interest is concerned.

KATE DEL CASTILLO: ISTILL WANT TO MAKE

EL CHAPO FILMMexican actress Kate Del Castillo still

wants to tell drug kingpin El Chapo'slife story so that all her drama from

the past two years counts for something. Thejailed crime lord, real name Joaquin Guzman,contacted Kate before he escaped prison in 2015and asked her to mastermind a biopic.

Del Castillo met with El Chapo's lawyers andstarted making calls about a possible movie.Her interest reached Sean Penn, who asked herto set up an interview with the crime bosswhile he was on the run, during which Penninterviewed Guzman at his jungle hide-out,embarrassing Mexican authorities.

She has since become a wanted woman inher native Mexico, but now El Chapo has beenrecaptured, she still wants to make his lifestory. Asked if she was still interested duringan interview with Access Hollywood Live, shesays, "Absolutely, are you kidding me? After allI've been through. I have charges in Mexico.I've been charged for money laundering, forobstruction of justice and something else...They've been investigating me for a year and ahalf and the case is almost closed now becausea federal judge ordered that... I know I'mclean... If I can't go back to Mexico, I'm sorry."

"It's sad that things like this happen inMexico, because we have so many other issues,so many terrible, hurtful issues in Mexicoright now and that they're chasing me... it justseems stupid."

Kate admits Guzman's lawyers are still intouch with her legal team. "He likes me in agood way; he's like a fan. He likes my work...I'm just thankful for him to give me the rightsto his life story."

SANDRABULLOCK OPENTO EXPANDINGHER FAMILY

Actress Sandra Bullock isopen to having more kids.The 52-year-old actress,

who already has two kids, isreportedly planning to expand herbrood in the future as motherhoodis one thing she is most proud of.

"Sandra is not opposed tohaving more kids in the future.She has her hands full with hercareer, but having children is whatshe is most proud of in her life," asource says.

'The Blind Side' star is happy inher relationship withphotographer Bryan Randall andthe couple is planning to spendtheir life together. "They havediscussed spending their lifetogether. (They considerthemselves) pretty much(married)" the source adds.

Bullock, who split from her ex-husband Jesse James in 2010 afterfive years of marriage, feels 'morein love now' with her partner andis happy.

Chelsee Healeyshows off herbaby scanActress Chelsee Healey

has shared the scanpicture of her unborn babyand says that the kid has gotlips like father. The 28-year-old 'Hollyoaks' actress isexpecting her first baby withboyfriend Jack Malloy butshe couldn't wait to see whatthe little boy or girl will looklike.

Healey revealed that shehad undergone a 4D scan tosee what her first-born willlook like.

14 THEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017WORLD

Britain targets legal certainty with planto convert EU law after Brexit

LONDON (TIP): The Britishgovernment set out on Thursday how itwill handle the mammoth task ofconverting European Union laws intodomestic legislation in preparation forits exit from the bloc, seeking to easebusiness uncertainty about life afterBrexit.

Prime Minister Theresa Mayformally notified Brussels on March 28of Britain's intention to leave the EUafter more than 40 years ofmembership. In that time, tens ofthousands of EU-related laws have madetheir way onto the British statute book,governing almost everything fromfarming to finance.

Her ministers laid out how theyintend to unpick that complexlegislative web by initially convertingthe entire body of EU law into Britishlaw - a step seen as necessary to ensurecontinuity for businesses trading acrossEU borders.

The plan centres around a "GreatRepeal Bill" due to be laid beforeparliament in May. The bill willtranspose EU law, repeal the 1972European Communities Act whichformalises Britain's EU membership,and give ministers the power to changeexisting laws to make sure they workafter Brexit.

"The bill will convert EU law intoUnited Kingdom law, allowingbusinesses to continue operatingknowing the rules have not changedovernight, and providing fairness toindividuals, whose rights andobligations will not be subject to suddenchange," Brexit minister David Davistold parliament.

Analysis by Thomson Reuters says52,741 laws have been introduced in theUK as a result of EU legislation since1990, and research published byparliament estimates 13.2 percent of UKprimary and secondary legislationenacted between 1993 and 2004 was EU-related.

Davis said the European Court ofJustice (ECJ) would have no future rolein interpreting British laws, but thatcourts would be able to reference ECJcase law.

The bill is expected to be subject toclose scrutiny, with companies sayingthey cannot plan without knowing whatcomes after Brexit, forcing them to putinvestment programmes on hold andsometimes delaying majorinfrastructure projects.

Drugmakers are concerned thatBrexit will mean the UK leaves the EU-wide European Medicines Agency,forcing the creation of a separateBritish system for drug approvals. Thatwill mean more red tape and could delaynew medicines reaching Britain.

The government's proposals did notspecifically address such concerns,which are echoed in other industriessuch as finance and aviation wherefirms worry that leaving the EU willmean quitting the regulatory bodiesthat authorise them to trade.

Aides said membership of EUagencies would be a matter for May'snegotiation.

POWER GRABThe plan also raised hackles among

some politicians who fear thegovernment will use the Brexit processto reshape EU laws without properparliamentary scrutiny as they movethem into British law.

The Liberal Democrats called it a"shameless power grab" and the main

opposition Labour Party demandedtighter controls on the powers that thegovernment wants to grant itself toamend legislation without consultinglawmakers.

The plan to use such powers, oftenreferred to as 'Henry VIII powers' afterthe 16th century monarch who ruled byproclamation, also drew widercriticism.

Gina Miller, the investment managerwho took on the government and wonover whether May needed parliament'sapproval to begin Brexit talks, said shewas concerned that laws affectingcitizens' rights could be changed.

"If there is any sniff that they aretrying to use Henry VIII powers, thatwould be profoundly unparliamentaryand undemocratic, and I would seeklegal advice, because what you are doingis setting a precedent that governmentcould bypass parliament," she told BBCRadio 5 Live.

Davis rejected such concerns, sayingthe bill and the powers it will createwere designed to ensure legal certaintyand that any changes in policy would becarried out through the normallegislative process, during whichparliament would have its say.

"We're not considering some form ofgovernmental executive orders," he toldparliament. (Reuters)

Paris exhibition explores racismamid tensions in France

PARIS (TIP): A UNESCO-backed Paris exhibitionexploring the psychology behind racism aims to shed lighton why racist acts in France are on the rise, and to educateagainst prejudice.

"We and the Others, Prejudices of Racism," which opensFriday to the French public at Paris' Museum of Mankind,comes at a prescient moment _ during a divisive presidentialcampaign that's been rife with anti-Islam rhetoric.

This week, deep racial tensions affecting France's largeAsian community were exposed in violence that spilled ontoParis' streets.

Heyer said that some French political parties, especiallythe far-right, have used fear to fuel anti-Islam and anti-immigration policies.

"In politics, French people, especially young people, aretaking on prejudiced attitudes and extreme views becausethey have forgotten where it leads," said co-curator EvelyneHeyer, a professor of genetic anthropology at the NationalHistory Museum.

The exhibit, which includes multimedia, objects and text,makes for uncomfortable viewing.

It revisits dark historical moments including theRwandan Genocide, segregation in the United States, theHolocaust, as well as French colonial rule.

One section's display features a simple metal funnel dated1943 that was used to gas people in Natzweiler-Struthof, theonly Nazi death camp on current French territory.Elsewhere, cabinets showcase colonial-era French scientifictextbooks that teach children hierarchical racial difference.

But the exhibit is rooted in the present day.It presents newly-published research, which shows that

while racial tolerance is generally increasing, racist actsand threats have been rising over the last ten years inFrench society.

Exhibit organizers launched a prominent campaign in theParis metro, featuring large poster images of Frenchcelebrities of different ethnic backgrounds reduced tosimplified black and white shapes.

The museum hopes that its prime position on the Place duTrocadero, opposite the Eiffel Tower, will help attracttourists from all nationalities.

"This is a very good moment to look at French society... It'sbeen 20 years since scientists proved race doesn't exist, butwhy is there still racism?" Heyer asked.

"We hope people _ and some who are prejudiced _ willcome and take another look at why they feel the way theydo," she added. (AP)

Trump to host Xi in Florida infirst meeting

WASHINGTON (TIP): US President Donald Trump willhost his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on April 6-7 nextweek at his Mara-a-Lago resort in Florida, the White Houseannounced March 30. The engagement -- the first betweenthe two leaders after a torrid US election campaign duringwhich Trump repeatedly attacked China on various issues -- will provide the first clue about how the newadministration will handle major global powers,particularly potential adversaries. Leaders from nearly adozen countries, including Ireland and Denmark havebreezed through Washington in the nearly ten weeks sincePresident Trump took over. But few are so protocol- andoptics-conscious as the establishments in Beijing and NewDelhi, the latter of whom will watch the Xi visit keenly toread the tea-leaves about the new establishment's Asiaoutlook in preparing for Prime Minister Modi's visit to USthat is expected to follow soon. (AFP)

China sets rules on beards, veils tofight extremism

BEIJING (TIP): China will step up acampaign against religious extremismin the far western region of Xinjiangon March 25 by implementingmeasures, including prohibiting"abnormal" beards, the wearing ofveils in public places and the refusal towatch state television.

Hundreds have died in recent yearsin Xinjiang, home to the MuslimUighur people, in unrest blamed byBeijing on Islamist militants andseparatists, though rights groups saythe violence is more a reaction torepressive Chinese policies.

The government denies committingabuses in Xinjiang and insists thelegal, cultural and religious rights ofUig hurs, a Turkic ethnic group, arefully protected.

While China officially guaranteesfreedom of religion, authorities havetaken steps in the past few years totackle what it sees as a rise in religiousextremism. New legislation passed onWednesday, widens existing rules andwill come into effect on April 1.

Workers in public spaces will berequired to "dissuade" those who fullycover their bodies, including veilingtheir faces, from entering, and toreport them to the police, the rulesstate. It will be banned to "reject orrefuse radio, television and otherpublic facilities and services",marrying using religious rather thanlegal procedures and "using the nameof Halal to meddle in the secular life ofothers". "Parents should use goodmoral conduct to influence their

children, educate them to reverescience, pursue culture, uphold ethnicunity and refuse and oppose extremism," the rules say . The documentalso bans not allowing children toattend regular school, not abiding byfamily planning policies, deliberatelydamaging legal documents and"abnormal growing of beards".

While Uighurs have traditionallypracticed a more relaxed form ofIslam, the popularity of veils forwomen has grown in recent years inwhat experts say is an expression ofopposition to Chinese controls.

Chinese President Xi Jinping calledfor a "great wall of iron" to safeguardXinjiang during the annual meeting ofthe parliament earlier this month.(Reuters)

15TEXASTHEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017

BAPS Women’s Conference Inspires and empowers women

DALLAS, TX (TIP): The BAPS ShriSwaminarayan Mandir in Dallas, TX held itsannual Women's Conference themedResolutions: Bonds that Liberate. Theconference centered on positive resolutionsthat transform lives by transforming habits:accepting ownership, performing hard work,and making sacrifices. Distinguished speakersdiscussed how one's resolve to take ownership,perform hard work, and make sacrifices canstrengthen character and develop grit. The firstpart of the conference was a panel discussionled by Pratiksha Desai, previously working as aTalent Acquisition Specialist, currently a stayat home mom, focused on how individuals cancultivate personal accountability within family,community, and spiritual growth withoutfeeling burdened. The audience learned thathard work requires drive and dedication, acommitment to finding the solution withoutgiving up from Maidiki Patel, Supply Chain andProcurement Leader. They learned the value ofsacrifice, putting the needs of others first, isempowering from Priti Choksi, AdvertisingAccount Supervisor.

Beth Bowman, President and CEO of GreaterIrving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, wasinvited to serve as the keynote speaker for theconference who mentioned BAPS is creatingcitizens of service, empowering service withinthe community. She further encouragedwomen to continue their passion of service.

Rashmi Varma, Founder of iCode Inc.,United Softech and Tagait, Inc., also expressedher alignment with the theme of theConference. She expressed how she wasplanning to attend only for a short while, butwas extremely glad she stayed through theduration of the program as each topiccontinued to inspire her and further resonatewith her own philosophy.

The Women's Conference was organized bylocal youth and women volunteers of BAPS.They dedicated weeks of their time leading upto the conference to organize a professionalforum where women could share theirstrengths and empower one another. Thediversity of speakers invited to present at theconference appealed to a wide variety ofinterests among audience members. Theirpersonal experiences and adherence to culturalvalues inspired young women to strive forsuccess while imbibing spirituality into theirdaily lives.

"This year's Women's Conference focused onempowering and inspiring women to improvethemselves to make the world a better place. Ifeven one of our attendees walks away energizedto do this and transforms themselves we knowthat the conference has been successful." said

Kala Patel, Business Transformation Leader,and a local volunteer from the BAPS ShriSwaminarayan Mandir, "and as we heardtowards the end, the topics definitely impactedand resonated with many who attended, whichlead us to believe that we achieved our goal.

Tina Javeri, Sr Portfolio Executive at Vizient

expressed "What an amazing group of womenthat presented today. I am renewed andrefreshed and motivated to do better with myresponsibilities, work even harder and makethe necessary sacrifices. But ultimately it won'tbe achieved withoutworking on my spirituality.As if we did not know these things already,today made me want to seriously do all this my

listening to these role models."After the conference, audience members

were able to network with the speakers andother professional women who attended theevent. The Women's Conference programconnected with members of the audience tobring them together and inspire them. His

Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj encouragedevents as such to strengthen and supportwomen to, in turn, support the backbone of oursociety. Today, his beliefs are persevered by HisHoliness Mahant Swami Maharaj whoencourages all to lead a life infused withspirituality and integrity.

About BAPSThe BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) is

a worldwide spiritual and humanitarianorganization that is dedicated to communityservice, peace, and harmony. Motivated byHindu principles, BAPS strives to care for theworld by caring for societies, families, andindividuals. Through various spiritual andhumanitarian activities, BAPS endeavors todevelop better citizens of tomorrow with highesteem for their roots and culture. Its 3,300international centers support these character-building activities. Under the guidance andleadership of His Holiness Mahant SwamiMaharaj, BAPS aspires to build a communitythat is free of addictions as well as morally,ethically and spiritually pure. For more details,please visit www.baps.org.

About Mahant Swami MaharajHis Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj is the

sixth and current spiritual successor ofBhagwan Swaminarayan. He was ordained aswami by Yogiji Maharaj in 1961 and namedSadhu Keshavjivandas. As he was appointedthe head (Mahant) of the Mandir in Mumbai,he became known as Mahant Swami. Hisdevout, humble and service-focused life earnedhim the innermost blessings of Yogiji Maharajand Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Mahant SwamiMaharaj travels throughout the world inspiringpeople through his insightful spiritual

discourses and disciplined conduct. Hisvirtuous lifestyle and profound devotion toBhagwan Swaminarayan and gurus are idealstoward which devotees strive. Mahant SwamiMaharaj became the guru and President ofBAPS upon Pramukh Swami Maharaj's passingin 2016.

About Pramukh Swami MaharajPramukh Swami Maharaj was the fifth

spiritual successor of BhagwanSwaminarayan. Under his leadership, BAPSgrew into an international spiritual andhumanitarian organization with over 3,300centers worldwide. He dedicated his life to thewell-being of others, traveling throughout theworld tofoster love, peace, harmony,righteousness, faith in God, and service tohumanity. With genuine care and compassion,he reached out to all members of societyirrespective of class, color, or age. Recognizedand respected as one of India's greatestspiritual teachers, he lived by and promoted theprinciple: "In the joy of others, lies our own."

CONTACT: BAPS North American HeadquartersPhone: 732-777-1414

Email: media@na.baps.orgSOURCE: BAPS

INGREDIENTS500 gm sago, 2potato, 1/2 cupcoriander leaves, 1/2teaspoon red chilli,powder, 1 1/2 cuprefined oil, 3 largegreen chilli, SendhaNamak as required,1/2 cup roasted,peanuts

Soak sago in wateraround for 2 to 3hours. On the other hand, boil potatoes. When the sago is doneand has turned a little fluffy, remove it from water and drain itwell. In a big bowl, add the boiled potatoes and mash themcompletely, crushed peanuts, chopped green chillies &coriander, red chilli powder and sendha namak along with thedrained sago. Make small patties of this potato and sagomixture and make sure it's not soggy. The patties or the tikkisshould be a little tighter. Put a kadhai on medium to high heatand heat oil in it till hot. Now, carefully place the sago-potatopatties in it and deep fry till they turn crispy. Serve these hotand crispy patties or tikkis with peanut chutney and beatencurd.

INGREDIENTS1 cup paneer, 1/4 cup Milkpowder, 1/2 teaspoon,powdered green,cardamom, 4 strandsaffron, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4cup milk, 5 teaspoonbutter, 10 slicedpistachios

MethodHeat a pan over medium flame. Add butter, paneer, sugar andstir well.

Keep stirring from time to time to prevent it from sticking tothe bottom. In the meantime, mix the milk powder and milk ina separate bowl.

Pour this into the paneer mixture. Stir well and when it stopssticking to the sides of the pan, add the saffron, cardamompowder and mix well.

Remove from flame and allow it to cool. Make small laddoosand keep aside.

Garnish with pistachios or silver warq. Serve.

16 THEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017WOMEN

PANEER LADDOO

WOMEN’S SENSE OFSMELL MAY INFLUENCE

THEIR SOCIAL LIFE

Ladies, take note! Your social lifemay be linked to how well yoursense of smell functions, say

scientists who found that older womenwho perform poorly in odouridentification test tend to have fewerfriends.

Researchers from Monell ChemicalSenses Centre, a non-profit researchinstitute in the US, analysed datacollected from about 3,005 adultsbetween the ages of 57 and 85, the dataincluded odour identification test scoresas well as information aboutparticipants’ social lives.

They then compared eachparticipant’s odour identification score,an established measure of olfactoryfunction, with an aggregated “overall

social life” score, which includedmeasures such as participants’ numberof friends and close relatives, and howoften they socialised.

The data was adjusted to control forpossible confounding variables,including education level, tobacco use,as well as physical and mental healthstatus.

The findings showed a clear linkbetween an older woman’s olfactoryability and her overall social life score.

Women with good olfactory abilitytended to have more active social liveswhile those with diminished olfactoryfunction were associated with a poorersocial life score, researchers said.

“We know that social interactions areclosely linked to health status, so older

women who have a poor sense of smellmay want to focus on maintaining a vitalsocial life to help improve their overallmental and physical health,” said SanneBoesveldt, from Monell Chemical SensesCentre.

The researchers did not find the sameassociation between olfactory functionand social life in older men.

“This intriguing sex difference couldsuggest that smell training, which hasbeen shown to improve a reduced senseof smell in both men and women, mayhave an additional beneficial function inolder women by helping to restore boththe sense of smell and by extension,social well-being,” said JohanLundstrom of Monell Chemical SensesCentre.

DETOXIFY YOUR SKIN WITH ESSENTIAL OILS

Essential oils can help boost a springtime detox,pampering and enhancing skin, and purifying thebody by helping flush out toxins. Here are five

essential oils to help stimulate blood circulation, detoxifythe liver and firm up tissue.

Whether for massages or baths, these highly concentratedplant-based essences penetrate the skin easily and reach thebloodstream quickly. This makes them highly effective.Sometimes one or two drops applied to the sole of the footcan lead to a taste in the mouth.

The right quantity

As a result, it’s important to be careful with the quantitiesyou use. One teaspoon is equivalent to 5ml, or 100 drops. Fora detoxifying massage, essential oils must always be dilutedin a plant-based carrier oil, like sweet almond oil,macadamia nut oil, hazelnut oil or apricot kernel oil.

As a general rule, up to six drops of essential oil can bemixed with 5ml of carrier oil. For baths, this quantity can bediluted directly in a bathwater that’s not too hot.

The best kindsOne star essential oil for detox and weight loss is juniper,

which has diuretic and purifying virtues, acting on waterretention and cellulite. Mix up to 90 drops of essential oil in50ml of macadamia nut oil for and massage firmly intoaffected areas.

Geranium essential oil (Egyptian or Bourbon) is anothergreat weight-loss partner. With its delicate fragrance andanti-inflammatory properties, it also helps beat sugarcravings and reduces appetite while promoting theabsorption of different sugars and starches.

Detox champion, lemon, reveals its full potential inessential oil form. Used for detoxifying massages, thisessence stimulates lymphatic circulation and flushes outtoxins built up in the liver and the bladder, while alsostrengthening the immune system.

Although less well known, atlas cedar wood essential oil isa great ally for boosting circulation. With its woody aroma,this oil is used for its detoxifying, circulatory anddecongestant properties and is rubbed into skin mixed witha carrier oil.

Another invigorating essence for blood circulation ishelichrysum italicum essential oil. Like arnica, thisMediterranean plant oil firms tissue and fights edema, withanti-inflammatory properties.

Note that essential oils are not recommended for use bypregnant women, children under the age of seven or duringsun exposure.

F O O D C O R N E RSABUDANA TIKKI

Whether for massages or baths, thesehighly concentrated plant-basedessences penetrate the skin easily andreach the bloodstream quickly,making them highly effective

Women with goodolfactory ability tended to

have more active sociallives while those withdiminished olfactory

function were associatedwith a poorer social lifescore, the researchers

found

17HEALTH & FITNESSTHEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017

HIGH-FIBRE DIET MAYCHECK ONSET OF DIABETES, FINDS STUDY

Adiet rich in high-fibre foods, such as fruits,vegetables, legumes and whole grains, encouragesthe production of short-chain fatty acids that are

beneficial for the immune system and may help protectagainst the onset of Type 1 diabetes, a study shows.

The findings showed that the western diet, which lacksdietary fibre affects human gut microbiota and theproduction of short-chain fatty acids acetate or butyrate. Thespecialised diet uses starches – found in many foodsincluding fruit and vegetables – that resist digestion and passthrough to the colon or large bowel where they are brokendown by microbiota (gut bacteria).

This process of fermentation produces acetate andbutyrate which, when combined, provided completeprotection against Type 1 diabetes, the researchers said.

“Our research found that eating a diet which encouragesthe gut bacteria that produce high levels of acetate orbutyrate improves the integrity of the gut lining, whichreduces pro-inflammatory factors and promote immunetolerance,” said Eliana Marino researcher at MonashUniversity in Australia. “We found this had an enormousimpact on the development of Type 1 diabetes,” Marinoadded.

The study, published in the journal Nature Immunology,highlighted how non-pharmaceutical approaches includingspecial diets and gut bacteria could treat or preventautoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes.

“The materials we used are something you can digest thatis comprised of natural products – resistant starches are anormal part of our diet. The diets we used are highlyefficient at releasing beneficial metabolites. I would describethem as an extreme superfood,” explained Charles Mackay,professor at Monash University.

However, the diet was not just about eating vegetables orhigh-fibre foods but involved special food and a specialprocess and would need to be managed by nutritionists,dietitians and clinicians, Mackay noted.

BENEFITS OF CASHEW NUT:FROM HEART HEALTH TO

GORGEOUS HAIR

Foods such as fruits, vegetables andlegumes help in production of short-chain fatty acids that are good for theimmune system and may help protectagainst the onset of Type 1 diabetes

Apopular ingredient finding itsway into many Indian gravies,cashew - a plant originating

from Brazil, is a nut high in minerals.Brought to India by traders, the cashewtree grows up to exceptional heightshaving a rather irregular trunk.Hanging from the branches are largejuicy apples at the bottom of which areattached the cashew nut. Madeavailable round the year, the nut has agreat shelf life if stored properly.

The nut and the fruit, both havemultiple uses. The nut, often known asthe poor man’s plantation although nowit is sold for steep prices, is used tomake delectable and rich curries andalso roasted and eaten dry. Back whennomads had no idea how to consume thefruit, the nut was discarded while thefruit was given more importance. Abook written by SP Malhotra, WorldEdible Nuts Economy, points out,"Natives also knew of many medicinaluses for the apple juice, bark andcaustic seed oil that were laterexploited by the Europeans.”

Heart HealthThe National Centre for

Biotechnology Information (NCBI) inits case study points out that nuts arelikely to be beneficial for health,keeping a check on various ailments,such as heart disease. Studiesconsistently show that nut intake has acholesterol-lowering effect, in thecontext of healthy diets, and there isemerging evidence of beneficial effectson oxidative stress, inflammation, andvascular reactivity. Cashews help lowerLDL and increase the carrying capacityfor HDL. HDL is responsible to absorbthe cholesterol from the heart and takeit to the liver where it can be brokendown.

In 2003, the Food and DrugAdministration had stated that a fistfulof nuts a day as part of a low-fat dietmay reduce the risk of heart disease.The heart association recommends fourservings of unsalted, unoiled nuts aweek and warns against eating toomany, since they are dense in calories.Another study, published in the NewEngland Journal of Medicine (NEJM),also establishes a significantassociation between the consumption ofnuts and a lower incidence of death dueto heart diseases, cancer andrespiratory diseases. The study statedthat nutrients in nuts, such asunsaturated fatty acids, protein, fiber,vitamins, minerals and antioxidantsmay confer heart-protective, anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatoryproperties.

Prevents Blood DiseaseThe consumption of cashews on a

regular basis and limited manner mayhelp in avoiding blood diseases. Cashewnuts are rich in copper, which plays animportant role in the elimination offree radicals from the body. Copperdeficiency can lead to iron deficienciessuch as anemia. Hence our diet shouldcontain recommended quantity of

copper. And cashew nuts are a goodsource.

Protects the EyeIn the urban environment matched

with its excessive pollution, our eyesoften suffer from various infections.Cashews contains a powerfulantioxidant pigment called ZeaXanthin. This pigment is readily anddirectly absorbed by our retina, saysnutritionist Anju Sood. This then formsa protective layer over our retina whichprevents the harmful UV rays. DrAnshul Jaibahrat Bhatnagar says smallquantities of Zea Xanthin helps preventage related macular degeneration inelderly and hence helps maintaineyehealth.

Good for the SkinDerived from the cashew seeds,

“cashew oil does wonders for yourskin,” says Gargi Sharma, ManagerWeight Management, Aayna. Cashewnut oil is rich in selenium, zinc,magnesium, iron and phosphorous.Also, they are great sources ofphytochemicals, proteins andantioxidants. The high percentage ofselenium in cashews is not only goodfor your skin but “helps prevent canceras well,” says nutritionists.

Weight LossIn comparison to diets excluding the

intake of nuts, people consuming nutson a moderate and regular basis loseweight faster. Based on the evidencefrom epidemiological and controlledclinical studies, nut consumption isnot associated with higher bodyweight. The study done by the Journalof Nutrition states that theepidemiological evidence indicatesconsistently that nut consumers have

a lower BMI than non-consumers.With respect to clinical studies, theevidence is nearly uniform that theirinclusion in the diet leads to little orno weight gain. Moreover, nuts likecashews are “packed with Omega 3fatty acids that contribute to giving aboost to the metabolic process to burnexcess fat,” says a Delhi-basednutritionist. Nuts are a great snack forthose who are looking to lose weight asthey are nutritious and tend to keepyou full for a longer time. Nuts shouldalways be eaten raw and unsalted, sothey are beneficial for weight lossefforts.

Source of Dietary FibresAccording to studies, cashew nuts

have a great percentage of dietaryfibers. The two essential dietary fibresrequired by our body are, oleic acid andpalmitic acid. “These fibers are notproduced by our body hence they needto be consumed externally,” saysnutritionist Anju Sood. Cashew nutsare good sources of these fibers.Dietary fibers help digest food better,however excessive consumption maycause bloating and significantintestinal gas production. Consumptionof nuts like cashews have been relatedto decreased incidences of severaldigestive diseases.

Healthy and Shiny HairExperts say that the consumption of

cashews as well as the application ofcashew oil on your scalp ensureshealthy hair. “Copper present in cashewnut oil helps in the production of skinand hair pigment called melanin,” saysnutritionist Gargi Sharma. It alsoenhances hair colour and can provide asilky-smooth texture due to thepresence of linoleic and oleic acids.

BENEFITS The nut and the fruit, both have multiple uses Cashew nuts are rich in copper, zinc, magnesium,

iron and phosphorous Cashews help lower LDL and increase the carrying

capacity for HDL

NEW YORK (TIP): Samsung onMarch 29 (Wednesday) launched itsflagship smartphones – the Galaxy S8and S8+ – alongside some new productsat a event in New York.

The Galaxy S8 smartphones, thatSamsung hopes will help it woo morecustomers after the Note 7 fiasco, willcome with newer technologies such asInfinity display, iris scanner and facerecognition, a virtual home button and aUHD bezel-less curved display.

The phone, which will be availableglobally from April 21 (expectedly at aprice of $720) along with Harman AKGearbuds priced at $99, will come with topof the line Qualcomm Snapdragon 835processor in the US and SamsungExynos processor in other countries.

The smaller 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 willcome with a QuadHD Infinity displaywith 570 pixels per inch (ppi) along with4GB RAM. The S8 will have an internalmemory of 64GB with microSD supportupto 256GB. The phone, which will drawpower from a 3,000 mAh battery, will runon Android Nougat. In terms of optics,the S8 will sport a 12-megapixel rearcamera and a 8-megapixel front shooter.

The larger 6.2-inch S8+ will come withan OLED display with 529 ppi support.The S8+ will come with a higher batterycapacity of 3,500 mAh due to the biggerdisplay. Other features of the S8+ aresame as the S8. Both the phones, whichare IP68 (dust and water resistant) willcome with USB-C, 3.5mm headphonejack, NFC and MST for Samsung Pay,wireless charging, fingerprint sensor,LTE Cat.16, Bluetooth 5.0 that supportsstreaming to two devices and Wi-Fi.

Additionally, both the phones willcome with digital assistant Bixby thatwill help the user in interacting with thedevice. According to Samsung, Bixbyalso shows contextual info. This meansit learns about app usages and throwsback info in the form of cards. It simplyadapts to the user based on usage, timeand date. It also has a basic reminderstool that lets you set geo-location alerts.Bixby is also compatible with GooglePlay Music.

Samsung has designed a button on theside of the S8 that’s entirely dedicated tolaunching Bixby. The S8 and S8+’scamera is enhanced with Bixby forvisual search. This means that it cansearch for similar images, identify

landmarks, and of course let users buythings from Amazon.

Other striking features of the phone isthe iris scanner and face recognitionjust like Windows Hello. An user canunlock the phone using iris scans.Samsung also has upgraded a fewservices like Samsung Health to woo theuser to the ecosystem. Users can nowdirectly connect with a doctor to getdiagnosis and prescriptions withouthaving to leave your house via videocalls. The company also launched a newproductivity tool like WindowsContinuum called DeX that allows the

user to turn the phone into a PC with thehelp of a keyboard, screen and mouse.The price of the DeX was not revealed.

Other product launches included thenew motion sensing Bluetooth remotefor the Gear VR, a new 360 Gear cameraand a smart WiFi mesh called ConnectHome.

While the new remote will helpSamsung put in more immersive contenton its VR platform, the new 360-degreecamera will help users create content forVR. The Connect Home also comes withan app to manage other Samsungproducts just like Apple Home.

18 THEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017SCIENCE & TECH

GOOGLE KNOWS IF YOU’REWATCHING TOO MUCH PORN

Whilst originallydesigned as away for people to

buy secret presents fortheir partners or to Googlethings they were tooembarrassed for anyone toknow, incognito windowsare used by a vast array ofpeople to watch porn.

Yes, Google Chrome'sincognito mode allows youto browse porn to yourheart's content and yourlaptop or phone will storeno evidence of it. And itappears the brains behindGoogle are well aware ofthe function's main use.

When you open 100incognito windows, asmiley or winky faceappears. Instead of thenormal tab counter in thetop right-hand corner,users will see the cheekyface. A winky face -;) -appears on Android devices, whereas iOS users see anormal smiley -:).

Google seem to be poking fun at prolific users ofincognito windows but it's unclear why the faces appear.

According to Mashable, it could be that the app wasn'tdesigned to have more than two characters in the number oftabs field so rather than displaying three digits, they use aface instead. This is just one of many hidden features -known as Easter Eggs -in Google Chrome. For example, ifyou search `google in 1998' in your browser, you'll betransported back to the original version of the searchengine.

SpaceX studying landing spotson Mars with NASA

Elon Musk’s US-based aerospace company SpaceX isworking with NASA to identify landing spots onMars for its spacecraft.

“We are working with scientists at NASA’s Jet PropulsionLaboratory and elsewhere, have identified several potentiallanding sites, including one that looks particularlypromising,” SpaceNews quoted SpaceX’s Paul Wooster assaying.

Wooster oversees Dragon spacecraft guidance, navigationand control systems and also works on the company’shigher-level Mars plans.

According to Wooster, the site selection is based onseveral criteria like access to large quantities of ice near thesurface that could, ultimately, support human settlements.

“Another is to be close to the Equator and at a lowelevation for solar power and better thermal conditions. It’sprobably hard to find that along with ice. So, the focus hasbeen on four locations at latitudes no more than about 40degrees from the Equator,” Wooster noted. The study hasidentified four regions in the northern hemisphere of Marsfor landing. The Red Dragon spacecraft is capable ofcarrying about one ton of payload to Mars.

“SpaceX is a transportation company. We transport cargoto the space station, we deliver payloads to orbit, so we’revery happy to deliver payloads to Mars,” Wooster said.

SAMSUNG LAUNCHES GALAXYS8, S8+, DEX, NEW GEAR 360

AND CONNECT HOME

Korean electronics giant Samsung on Wednesdaylaunched its flagship smartphones — Galaxy S8 and S8+— that will be available globally from April 21. Thecompany also launched a new Windows Continuum-likeproductivity service called DeX and a new edition of theGear 360 camera that allows users to create their own360-degree videos.

HIGHLIGHTS When you open 100

incognito windows, asmiley or winky faceappears

Instead of the normaltab counter in the topright-hand corner, userswill see the cheeky face

Google seem to bepoking fun at prolificusers of incognitowindows but it'sunclear why the facesappear

NOW, YOU MAY HELP HUNT FOR 'PLANET NINE'MELBOURNE (TIP): Amateur

astronomers, take note! You can now helpresearchers discover 'Planet 9' - an elusivecosmic body believed to exist in our solarsystem, scientists say.

The project to find "Planet 9" will allowcitizen scientists to use a website tosearch hundreds of thousands of imagestaken by the Australian NationalUniversity (ANU) SkyMapper telescopeat Siding Spring.

SkyMapper will take 36 images of eachpart of the southern sky, which isrelatively unexplored, and identify

changes occurring within the Universe,researchers said.

"We have the potential to find a newplanet in our Solar System that nohuman has ever seen in our two-million-year history," said Brad Tucker fromANU.

"Planet 9 is predicted to be a superEarth, about 10 times the mass and up tofour times the size of our planet. It'sgoing to be cold and far away, and about800 times the distance between Earth andthe Sun. It's pretty mysterious," Tuckersaid. Volunteers would be required to

scan through the SkyMapper imagesonline to look for difference and areexpected to also find and identify othermystery objects in space, includingasteroids, comets and dwarf planets likePluto, researchers said.

"It's actually not that complicated tofind Planet 9. It really is spot thedifference. Then you just click on theimage, mark what is different and we'lltake care of the rest," Tucker said.

Volunteers will also get a chance toname the asteroid or object foundalthough not after themselves.

19BIZ & FINANCETHEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017

DEALERS OFFER BS-III TWO-WHEELERS AT STEEP DISCOUNTS

CHENNAI (TIP): Planning to buy a two-wheeler? Thenext two days before the weekend may be the best time to doso. Two-wheeler dealers stuck with BS-III stock have beenoffering discounts ranging from 10-15% since mid-Marchbut those are expected to go up sharply in the next two daysas dealers and companies rush to liquidate BS-III stock.

Although most companies remained tight-lipped abouttheir BS-III stock strategy, dealers and officials spoke about'customer benefits' going up to 20-25% particularly on slowmoving models. "In the commuter segment alone thediscounts for the past two weeks have been in the range ofRs 4,000-5,000 in some models, brands and geographies," saida senior official with a two-wheeler financing firm.

"The discounts will be higher in higher priced models buteven mopeds are fetching around Rs 1,000-2,000 discount insome geographies."

Sources say in some higher-priced models in the Rs 1 lakhand above range, discounts are in the range of Rs 15,000-20,000. For example the Honda CBR 250R and CBR 150R arefetching cash discount of Rs 15,000 in some dealerships andgeographies while the rest of the range, including scooters,get Rs 7,500 off in those sectors.

SBI RAISES $500 MN IN 3-YEAR DOLLAR DEBT

MUMBAI (TIP): India’s largest lender State Bank ofIndia has raised $500 million in forex debt in three-yeardollar money as part of its medium term notes (MTN)programme, making it the second fund raising by it thisyear.

The RegS bond programme has been sold through itsLondon branch and is priced at Libor plus 95 bps. A RegS orRegulation S issue means that under the US SecuritiesCommission norms, the instrument will be denominated inthe greenback, but resident Americans cannot buy intothem.

“We have successfully concluded a benchmark bond sale,raising $500 million, priced at Libor plus 0.95%. The three-year money was drawn through our London branch,” asenior bank official said.

The notes will be traded on the Singapore StockExchange, the official added.

With this, the bank has raised $4 billion out of its $10billion MTN plan, including $400 million in perpetual bondslast year.

The bank is also in the process of raising Rs 15,000 croredirectly from the market next fiscal year through a clutch ofinstruments, including QIP, preferential issue amongothers, for which it has secured shareholder approval.

On January 17 this year, SBI had raised $500 million in afive-year dollar money sale, through its London branch andgot listed on the Singapore Exchange. Before this, the bankhad raised overseas debt by issuing $300 million inSeptember 2016. Prior to that, it had raised $1.25 billion inanother dollar money sale in February 2014.

India, Korea to cooperate onstartups, tech transfer

NEW DELHI (TIP): India and SouthKorea today agreed to deepencooperation among their small andmedium enterprises through technologytransfer, joint ventures, businessalliances and facilitation of mutualmarket access.

Both countries also emphasised onproviding support to each other’sstartups in accordance with theirschemes and programmes.

The Korean side proposed to initiatecooperation for startup companies inIndia and the Republic of Korea. Itproposed to hold a contest to identifystartups would be interested to establishthemselves in each other’s country.

The decisions were taken at the first

Korea-India SME bilateral workinggroup meeting, wherein the Koreandelegation led by SME Minister of Smalland Medium Business AdministrationYoung-sup Joo met the Indiandelegation, led by Union MSMEMinister Kalraj Mishra.

The representatives of both the sidesbriefed about their respective policiesfor promotion and development ofSMEs to have a better understanding ofeach others policies and identify areasof cooperation.

The parties agreed to implementtechnology transfers and businessmatch-making through establishmentof a technology exchange centre. Theyalso agreed to consider and plan

policies aimed at providing support forresearch and development.

Both sides agreed to form a jointtask force to prepare the action plan onthis proposal discussed and timelinesby the end of 2017. The two leadersagreed for NSIC from Indian side andSmall Business Corporation fromKorea to Collaborate in SMECooperation.

It was agreed to hold biannualbilateral working Group meetingsheaded at appropriate level to discussand develop cooperation agenda. Theoutcome of these meetings can bediscussed at Ministerial level (once intwo years) in India and South Koreaalternatively.

INDIA MUSCLES ITSWAY TO GLOBAL

ENERGY’S HIGH TABLE

NEW DELHI (TIP): India's energy musclewas on full display when oil ministerDharmendra Pradhan and power, coal,renewable energy and mines minister PiyushGoyal -- who together account foradministering nearly a fifth of India's GDPand are responsible for energising a billion-plus lives -- took the stage with InternationalEnergy Agency's executive director FatihBirol on March 30 (Thursday).

It was a clear signal by the Narendra Modigovernment that India cannot be ignored anylonger and must be heard as the voice ofdeveloping economies at the high table ofglobal energy market. A fact dulyacknowledged by Birol, when he said, "Wecan't talk about the future of the global energymarkets without talking with India".

India has so far been a partner country. The'associate' status will make India part of allmeetings and dialogues, allowing anopportunity for it to shape relationships inthe global energy market. China, the world'ssecond-largest oil consumer, has been anassociate member since 2015.

The Modi government's measures to makefuel and electricity accessible and affordablefor the vast population, combined withindustrialisation through 'Make in India'

initiative will drive India's hunger for energy."IEA Association will not entail any

additional burden or commitment on thegovernment or people of India, but will alsohelp India plan better and serve the needs ofits citizens better, ensuring energy securityfor days and years to come," Goyal said.

"IEA has helped in promotingunderstanding of India's interests andconcerns as the third-largest consumer ofenergy," Pradhan said urging IEA to anchordialogue between oil sellers and buyers forevolving a balanced market.

It is for this reason that fielding Pradhanand Goyal becomes significant. Pradhan,besides trying to raise India's oil securitythrough various policy initiatives, isspearheading 'Ujjwala' - a scheme to provideLPG connection free of cost to poorhouseholds. This scheme alone has helpedincrease LPG penetration to 71% householdsand turned India into the second-largest LPGconsumer in domestic sector.

Goyal is tasked with an array ofresponsibilities -- from electrifying everyhome in the country, ensuring 24X7 qualitysupply and greening India's power sector, notto mention bringing in efficiency andtransparency.

SNAPDEALSEARCHES FORFUNDS, TAKEOVERSPECULATIONGROWS

HONK KONG/MUMBAI

(TIP): Indian online retailerSnapdeal is seekinginvestment to shore up itsfinances after unsuccessfultalks with Chinese funds andAlibaba Group Holding Ltd asit battles to remaincompetitive, sources withdirect knowledge of thematter said.

Faced with the prospect offalling cash reserves andlittle interest from existinginvestors such as Japan’sSoftbank and U.S. hedgefunds, Snapdeal is nowincreasingly being seen as anacquisition target, they said.

“Snapdeal has beendesperately looking to raisemoney in China for the lastfew months,” said a sourcewith direct knowledge ofSnapdeal’s plans.

“It had multiple rounds oftalks with some Chinesefunds and was also hoping toget some fresh money fromAlibaba. But those talks werenot going anywhere andAlibaba made it clear to themthey would not write a newcheque for them given thedim outlook for makingmoney any time soon.”

Both Alibaba, whichalready has a small stake inSnapdeal, and Softbankdeclined to comment.

20 THEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017TURN PAGE

contd from page 1

Trump’s discredited NSA...attempts to interfere in the U.S. election have not taken Flynn's

lawyers up on the offer.Flynn's lawyer said in a statement that "General Flynn

certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it,should the circumstances permit."

"Notwithstanding his life of national service, the media areawash with unfounded allegations, outrageous claims of treason,and vicious innuendo directed against him. He is now the targetof unsubstantiated public demands by Members of Congress andother political critics that he be criminally investigated," Flynn'slawyer Robert Kelner said in a statement.

"No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice fromcounsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized,witch hunt environment without assurances against unfairprosecution," he added.

Kelner said there have been discussions with the House andSenate Intelligence panels.

Flynn spoke with Kislyak multiple times during the transition,including on Dec. 29, the day then-President Obama retaliatedagainst Moscow for its hacking of Democratic political groupsand individuals, which intelligence agencies say was done to aidTrump's campaign.

Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, whoseties to Russia have been under scrutiny, and son-in-law JaredKushner earlier this week volunteered to be interviewed by theHouse Intelligence Committee. Former aides Roger Stone andCarter Page, who have also been in the spotlight in the Russianinvestigations, have also offered to talk with the committees - butnone with any conditions of immunity.

Parliament Passes Finance...Lok Sabha's consideration of the amendments was marked by

an engaging debate, which was initiated by Congress WhipDeepender Hooda. It was laced by searching questions from theOpposition and combative reply by Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley. The core of the amendments revolved against changes inincome tax and company laws in the Bills, which, the Oppositionsaid, gave powers to taxmen to raid and seize without beingaccountable. The objection was to lift the ceiling on electoralfunding by companies; and to prevent disclosure of identity

of benefactor (donor) company and the beneficiary politicalparties.

Winding up the discussion, Jaitley extended "open invitation"to the Opposition to suggest steps to improve transparency inelectoral funding. "I am only hearing adjectives like the systemmust be clean...It must be transparent," Jaitley said.

The changes were necessitated on account of ground realities.Companies are inhibited from being identified for obviousreasons. The system of payment and receiving through checkswould continue though.

The identities of companies purchasing electoral bonds andthe donee political parties would be known to the ElectionCommission and the banks. Rejecting amendments and theapprehensions of the Opposition, Jaitley said: "Do not give afictional argument that anyone has been given power to conductraids without being accountable."

"Never has it happened that the person raided is informedbeforehand. It would be a disaster," he said, and justified theprovision of attachment of properties.

Air India Washington-Delhi...The Boeing 777-200LR flights will depart Washington three

times a week, on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with a flyingtime of just 14 hours - more than two hours faster than its nearestcompetitor. Flight No. AI-104 will depart Washington at 11:00 AMand arrive in Delhi at 10:30 AM the next morning. The westboundflight AI-103 will depart Delhi at 1:15 AM on Wednesday, Fridayand Sunday and arrive in Washington at 7:15 AM the same day.

Washington Dulles is Air India's fifth U.S. destination, whichalso includes Chicago O'Hare, New York JFK, Newark Liberty,and San Francisco International Airports. For passengerstraveling beyond Delhi, Air India also offers convenientconnections to major cities across India, including Bengaluru,Mumbai, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi and more. LikeAir India's other nonstop flights, the Washington-Delhi flightswill feature First, Business, and Economy Class service, alloffering a choice of Continental or Indian cuisine.

"Air India is committed to making service faster and moreconvenient for our customers, whether traveling for business orleisure," said Ms. Vandana Sharma, Air India's RegionalManager-Americas. "Our expanding service also addresses thegrowing demand of customers living and working in Indo-American communities throughout the U.S. that are looking for

fast, direct service with seamless connections to cities acrossIndia, and the added convenience of customs and immigrationformalities at the final destination. We are proud and privilegedto fill that need."

For more information on Air India's new Washington - Delhiservice and for reservations, contact your travel agent or call 1-800-223-7776.

About Air India: Air India, India's national airline, has beenin operation since 1932. Today, the airline serves 35 internationaldestinations on four continents, and 66 cities across India. Theairline's fleet of

118 aircraft, including B787 Dreamliners and B777LR's andER's, is one of the world's youngest. Air India is also a member ofthe Star Alliance. For more information about the airline, visitwww.airindia.in.

Indra Nooyi and Fareed Zakaria...Zakaria GPS" show, Harman International Industries

chairman CEO Dinesh Paliwal, Dr Annapoorna S Kini, YashvantPatel, and Mohan H Patel. The National Ethnic Coalition ofOrganizations, which awards the medals, announced that 88people will receive the Ellis Island Medal of Honor during anofficial ceremony on May 13.

According to the NECO website, "the Ellis Island Medals ofHonor embody the spirit of America in their celebration ofpatriotism, tolerance, brotherhood and diversity. They recognizeindividuals who have made it their mission to share with thoseless fortunate their wealth of knowledge, indomitable courage,boundless compassion, unique talents and selfless generosity; allwhile maintaining the traditions of their ethnic heritage as theyuphold the ideals and spirit of America. As always, NECOremains dedicated to the maintenance and restoration ofAmerica's greatest symbol of its immigrant history, Ellis Island."

Indra Nooyi was named President and CEO of PepsiCo onOctober 1, 2006 and assumed the role of Chairman on May 2, 2007.In addition to being a member of the PepsiCo Board of Directors,Mrs. Nooyi serves as a member of the boards of U.S.-IndiaBusiness Council, The Consumer Goods Forum, Catalyst,Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Tsinghua University.She is also a member of the Foundation Board of the WorldEconomic Forum, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences andwas appointed to the U.S.-India CEO Forum by the ObamaAdministration.

Fareed Zakaria is host of CNN's flagship foreign affairs show,a Washington Post columnist, a contributing editor for TheAtlantic and a New York Times bestselling author. EsquireMagazine called him "the most influential foreign policy adviserof his generation." From 2010 to 2014, Dr. Zakaria served as editor-at-large for TIME. Before that, he spent ten years overseeing all ofNewsweek's editions abroad. Before joining Newsweek, from 1992to 2000, he served as managing editor of Foreign Affairs, a post hewas appointed to at only 28 years old.

Houston’s India House honors..."get out of my country" before opening fire at Austins Bar &

Grill in Olathe, killing Srinivas Kuchibhotla, and wounding hisfriend Alok Madasani and Grillot.

On behalf of the Indian-American community in Houston,India House recognized this selfless act beyond the call of dutyand has extended the community's gratitude to Ian Grillot byhelping him to buy a house. Charlie Yalamanchili, a prominentHoustonian of Indian origin, proposed the house purchase, andoffered to match every dollar raised by India House for this cause.With such generous support from Yalamanchili, India Houseraised $100,000 that will help Ian buy a house in his hometown inKansas. This initiative was strongly encouraged and supportedby the Consul General of India in Houston, Dr. Anupam Ray.

"It is not every day that one meets a genuine hero - a personwho risks his life for another, and takes a bullet for a completestranger," India House Houston's annual gala chair Jiten Agarwalsaid in a statement. "Ian Grillot is a man who reminds us of thepromise of America and its greatness."

"I don't know if I could've lived with myself if I wouldn't havestopped or attempted to stop the shooter because that would'vebeen completely devastating. I do now have a very powerfulmessage and if I can help empower people and spread hope andlove, then why not? I am honored to be at India House that servesso many families from so many communities in the Houstonarea," Ian said.

The award presentation drew a number of prominentcommunity leaders, diplomats and politicians, including IndianAmbassador to the U.S. Navtej Sarna, Mayor Sylvester Turner,Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, star chef Vikas Khanna,Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Former US AssistantSecretary of State Nisha Biswal, Congressman Al Green, ConsulGeneral of India in Houston, Dr. Anupam Ray andrepresentatives from Senator John Cornyn and CongressmanPete Olson's office, among others.

Chaitra Navratri is nine days festivitywhich starts on the first day of HinduLuni-Solar calendar and falls in the

month of March or April. Chaitra is the firstmonth of Hindu lunar calendar and becauseof it this Navratri is known as ChaitraNavratri. Chaitra Navratri is also known asVasanta Navratri. Rama Navami, the birthdayof Lord Rama usually falls on the ninth dayduring Navratri festivity. Hence ChaitraNavratri is also known as Rama Navratri.

All nine days during Navratri are dedicatedto nine forms of Goddess Shakti. Mostcustoms and rituals followed during ShardiyaNavratri, which falls in the month ofSeptember or October, are also followedduring Chaitra Navratri. Ghatasthapana PujaVidhi for Shardiya Navratri and ChaitraNavratri is same.

Chaitra Navratri is more popular innorthern India. In Maharashtra ChaitraNavratri begins with Gudi Padwa and inAndhra Pradesh it begins with Ugadi.

Ghatsthapana, Shailputri PujaThe first day of Chaitra Navaratri festival

will fall on March 28, Tuesday. GoddessShailputri is worshipped on the first day ofNavratri. Just like the Shardiya Navratri,most of rituals and traditions remain similarduring the spring festival celebrations.Ghatasthapana Muhurta is the mostimportant ritual which is to be followeddedicatedly as it marks the beginning ofChaitra Navaratri festivity. Ghatasthapana isan invocation of Goddess Shakti and to bedone only in shubh muhurat time.Ghatasthapana is also known as KalashSthapana or Kalashsthapana.

Chandra Darshan, Brahmacharini PujaThe second day of Chaitra Navaratri

festival will fall on March 29, Wednesday.Goddess Brahmacharini is worshipped on thesecond day of Navratri. Dwitya also marks the2017 Chandra Darshan, the first day of moonsighting after no moon day also known asAmavasya. Goddess Brahmacharini isbelieved to be controlling Lord Mangal, theprovider of all fortunes according to Hindulegends and hence worshipping the goddessbrings happiness and prosperity.

Gauri Teej, Chandraghanta PujaThe third day of Chaitra Navaratri festival

will be on March 30, Thursday. GoddessChandraghanta is worshipped on the thirdday of Navratri. She is believed to govern theshukra (Venus) planet. According to ages oldmythology, she drives away the spiritstroubling her devotees with the sound of themoon-bell present on her forehead. The day isobserved as Gangaur also known as GauriTritiya. Gangaur festival is widely celebratedin Rajasthan and some parts of Uttar Pradesh,Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat.

Varad Vinayaka Chauth, Kushmanda PujaThe fourth day of Chaitra Navaratri festival

will be on March 31, Friday. GoddessKushmanda is worshipped on the fourth dayof Navratri. She governs the God Sun and isthe source of energy and direction of Sun.Kushmanda Puja and Varad Vinayaka Chauthis celebrated on Chaturthi. Varad means“asking God to fulfill any desire one has”.Goddess Kushmanda is worshipped with herfavourite red coloured flowers.

Lakshmi Panchami, Skandamata PujaThe fifth day of Chaitra Navaratri festival

will be on April 1, Saturday. GoddessSkandamata is worshipped on the fifth day ofNavratri. This form of Goddess Parvati,Goddess Skandamata governs Planet Budha(Mercury), and red coloured flowers are alsoused to worship her. Devotees worshipSkandamata also gets the benefit ofworshipping Lord Kartikeya. Panchami isalso widely celebrated as Kalpadi Tithi.Chaitra Shukla Panchami is also known as

Lakshmi Panchami, dedicated to GoddessLakshmi, the Goddess of wealth andprosperity. Among Tamil Hindus, this day iscelebrated as Skanda Sashti or Kanda SashtiVratam 2017 as Skanda, son of Lord Shiva andGoddess Parvati is a favorite deity.

Yamuna Chhath, Katyayani PujaThe sixth day of Chaitra Navaratri festival

will be on April 2, Sunday. Goddess Katyayaniis worshipped on the sixth day of Navratri.She governs the planet B?haspati (Jupiter).Roses are the favourite flowers to worshipGoddess Katyayani. The day also marks thebirth anniversary of Goddess Yamuna andcelebrated as Yamuna Jayanti. YamunaChhath is a popular festival celebrated inIndian city Mathura.

Maha Saptami, Kalaratri PujaThe seventh day of Chaitra Navaratri

festival will be on April 3, Monday. GoddessKalaratri is worshipped on the seventh day ofNavratri. Goddess Kalaratri is also known asGoddess Shubhankari and worshipped withnight-blooming Jasmine flowers. She isbelieved to govern planet Shani (Saturn). She

is one of the most powerful and ferociousforms of Goddess Parvati and said to removethe darkness from the lives of her pure-hearted devotees and wrath hell on the evil-doers.

Durga Maha Ashtami, Mahagauri PujaThe eighth day of Chaitra Navaratri

festival will be on April 4, Tuesday. GoddessMahagauri is worshipped on the eighth day ofNavratri. This form of Goddess Parvatigoverns the planet Rahu (Neptune). MasikDurgashtami 2017 also falls on the day withdevotees fasting during Ashtami Tithi ofShukla Paksha. The day also marks theSandhi Puja, which has a special significanceduring Navratri festival puja. Sandhi Puja isdone at the juncture when Ashtami Tithiends, and Navami Tithi starts.

Rama Navami, Siddhidatri PujaThe ninth and final day of Chaitra

Navaratri festival will be on April 5,Wednesday. Goddess Siddhidatri isworshipped on the ninth day of Navratri.Siddhidatri is believed to provide energy anddirection to planet Ketu (Uranus). She can

award ultimate power and fulfill every wish ofher devotee. 2017 Chaitra Navratri Parana isdone with the end of Navami Tithi ends, andDashami Tithi begins. The day also marks thebirth of Lord Rama, the human incarnation ofLord Vishnu. Rama was born on Navami Tithiduring Shukla Paksha of Chaitra month andthe day is celebrated as Ram Navmi festivalacross India.

21SPIRITUALITYTHEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017

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CHAITRA NAVRATRIGoddess Shakti is worshipped and offered prayers during the nine days

CHAITRA NAVRATRI IS MORE POPULAR INNORTHERN INDIA. IN MAHARASHTRA CHAITRANAVRATRI BEGINS WITH GUDI PADWA AND INANDHRA PRADESH IT BEGINS WITH UGADI

22 THEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017SPORTS

Second blow for RCB, Lokesh Rahul may miss IPL 10

BENGALURU (TIP): Sweating overthe likelihood of missing skipper ViratKohli for the first few matches, RoyalChallengers Bangalore received asecond blow with in-form wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul likely to miss theentire IPL-10 season.

Sources said the 24-year-old localtalent — India's second-highest run-getter in the recent Test series againstAustralia — is likely to travel to Englandnext week and go under the knife for hisleft shoulder injury, which he enduredfor most part of the series.

Rahul, who dislocated the shoulder inPune during the opening match of thefour-Test series, batted through the nextthree matches with pain. This restrictedhis shot selection.

Rahul, who moved from SunrisersHyderabad to RCB last season, was theteam's third-highest run-getter afterKohli and AB de Villiers with 397 runsfrom 12 innings. In the absence of Kohli,RCB would have looked to Rahul toshoulder the top-order responsibilitiesalongside Chris Gayle and De Villiers.But the absence of their star batsman

would add pressure on domesticbatsmen like Sarfaraz Khan andMandeep Singh to step up.

Another area that will be hit iswicketkeeping. Last season, Rahulreplaced Maharashtra's Kedar Jadhav asthe wicketkeeper-batsman in the squadafter the first four matches. With theinjury woes compounding, RCB havealready started looking for

replacements, with coach Daniel Vettoriexpected to have a look at someuncapped players in Bengaluru onSunday. While Rahul's recovery period isunclear, the Karnataka player will hopeto be fit in time for the ChampionsTrophy in England in June, followed by atour of Sri Lanka — three Tests, fiveODIs and one T20 — in July-August. RCBofficials were unavailable for comment.

Mary Kom eyes comeback atAsian Championship

NEW DELHI (TIP): Five-time world champion andLondon Olympics bronze-medallist boxer MC Mary Kom iseyeing a comeback to the ring at this year's Asianchampionship in Vietnam before deciding her futurecourse of action.

The Rajya Sabha MP, who has not competed since lastyear's World Championships, ruled out retirement for thetime being but has decided to set short-term goals.

Asked whether she has any plans to quit boxing, the 34-year-old celebrated pugilist said: "Not yet. I am still doingpractice and still continuing to follow my schedule. I amstill dreaming for another year (in boxing)."

"My next target is Asian Championships in November. Iwant to give myself a chance to be in the team and give mybest and win a medal for India," she said on the sidelines ofthe felicitation ceremony of India's Special Olympicscontingent.

The Indian Special Olympics contingent won 73 medals,including 37 gold, 10 silver and 26 bronze at the just-concluded Special Olympic World Winter Games inAustria.

Mary once again ruled out turning professional. "I haveno plans to turn professional as I still love to play for India."

The women's Asian Championships is scheduled to beheld in Vietnam from November 2 to 12 later this year. MaryKom was recently appointed National Observer for boxingby the Government of India to assist in the preparation andimplementation of the government's long termdevelopment plan for Olympics.

Asked about her new role, Mary said: Whateverresponsibility the government has given me, I will try mylevel best to perform them. My priority will be to worktowards providing immediate facilities and help to all theboxers."

Meanwhile, air pistol shooter Heena Sidhu, who was alsopresent on the occasion alongside ace shuttler SainaNehwal, urged the Sports Ministry to keep its immediatefocus on next year's Commonwealth and Asian Games.

"We are still lagging behind for the 2020 Olympics. Weshould now pay attention to the Commonwealth Games andAsian Games. The government should pull up its socks andfocus on these two events," she said. "We still don't know thegovernment's plan for Commonwealth and Asian Gameswith just a year remaining.

Virat Kohli, Deepa Malik,Sreejesh receive Padma Shri

NEW DELHI (TIP): Indian cricket skipper Virat Kohli,Paralympian Deepa Malik and hockey captain PR Sreejeshwere honoured with the Padma Shri by President PranabMukherjee at a civil investiture ceremony at RashtrapatiBhavan on March 30.

Besides Kohli, Sreejesh and Deepa Malik, five othersportspersons were named for the prestigious Padma Shriwhen the honours list was declared on the Republic Day onJanuary 26.

They included Rio Olympics bronze medallist wrestlerSakshi Malik, gymnast Dipa Karmakar, ParalympianMariyappan Thangavelu, discus thrower Vikas Gowda andblind cricket team captain Shekhar Naik.

The dignitaries presented on the occasion were VicePresident Mohd Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister NarendraModi, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and UnionHome Minister Rajnath Singh.

India finish third in ISSFWorld Cup

NEW DELHI (TIP): India finished theISSF Shotgun World Cup on third positioneven as the skeet shooters endured a shoot-offheartbreak in the men's event in Acapulco,Mexico.

India finished third in the standings owingto Ankur Mittal's gold medal in men's doubletrap.

On the concluding day of the competitions,Angad Vir Singh Bajwa and Man Singh wereinvolved in a six-way shoot-off for the sixthand final qualifying spot of the men's skeetfinal.

While Man Singh was the first to beeliminated, young Angad fought till the endbefore missing his 12th target, to enableChinese first-time World Cupper Antao Wan ashot at the gold.

In securing seventh spot, the 21-year-oldAngad, who has been competing at the seniorlevel for just over a year now, registered hisbest World Cup finish in his fourthappearance. He also shot his highest score of118 out of 125 at this level.

In the first combined World Cup stage inNew Delhi earlier this year, Angad had wonthe mixed skeet team gold, which wasconducted as a test event.

The 28-year-old Man Singh, an AsianChampionships gold medal winner, also shot118. He has had two World Cup top 10s in thelast two years and this 11th place should boosthis confidence further.

The third Indian in the fray, AmrinderCheema finished 42nd with a qualifyinground score of 109.

Italian Marco Sablone won the gold in theevent with a final round score of 55, whileUSA's Frank Thompson won the silver,shooting 53. Australia's Paul Adams won hissecond consecutive World Cup bronze of theyear.

USA finished on top of the medal's tallywith two gold and two silver from the fiveevents.

Spain followed with one gold and one silver.The World Cup series next travels to

Larnaca, Cyprus, where the third shotgunstage is scheduled from April 28 to May 8.

Federer, Kyrgios advance to Miami Opensemi-finals

MIAMI (TIP): Roger Federer dramatically fought his way into the MiamiOpen semi-finals with a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (8/6) victory over Czech 10th seed TomasBerdych on March 30.

The 35-year-old Swiss, who has already won the Australian Open and IndianWells so far this year, extended his win streak over Berdych to seven matches.

There was plenty of tension in the match-deciding tie-breaker, whereFederer saved match point and then Berdych lost on a double-fault.

"I definitely got very lucky at the end, but I think I showed great heart today,"Federer said. "I fought and Tomas definitely started to step it up, but it was agreat match at the end."

Federer will face Nick Kyrgios in the semi-finals after the Australian camethrough an entertaining 6-4, 6-7 (9/11), 6-3 victory over 19-year-old GermanAlexander Zverev.

Federer next will play the winner of Thursday's later quarter-final betweentwo of the ATP's up and coming stars, Australia's Nick Kyrgios and Germany'sAlexander Zverev.

Should Federer win Friday, there is a chance he will play Sunday's finalagainst long-standing rival Rafael Nadal, who faces Italy's Fabio Fognini in theother semi-final.

But Thursday could very easily have been the end of the tournament for the18-time Grand Slam champion, who entered the match having not dropped a setover eight consecutive matches at Indian Wells and Miami.

Berdych was broken in the opening game of the match and then Federerdealt with a break point in the second game. The Swiss was comfortable on hisserve and then broke Berdych again at 4-2 to put the opening set beyond doubt.

But then, the Czech dug deep and came out fighting.Berdych broke to go 5-3 up and took the contest into a third set, where

Federer made the most of some unforced errors from his opponent to break at4-2 but then, uncharacteristically, Federer let some sloppiness creep into hisgame. Federer was broken when serving for the match at 5-3 and was unable toconvert on match-point at in the next game.

Berdych led 6-4 in the tie-breaker but gave up two points and Federer blasteda superb ace to get in front before the double-fault from the Czech ended thecontest. It was the second demoralizing defeat this month for Berdych. He lostat Indian Wells in the third round after leading 6-1, 5-2 against Japan'sYoshihito Nishioka.

Asked about his frustration, Berdych said: "What should I do? Should Idestroy the table? Then you see how much I'm frustrated. I don't know.

"It's obviously not something that you want, to finish the tournament likethat. But I got a lesson in the last tournament, so this is going to be fine to getover with. I think this is going to be a strawberry cake after that. It's going tobe fine." Federer improved to 17-1 in 2017, his best start to a season since 2006,and has now won seven tie-breakers in a row.\ The Kyrgios-Zverev quarter-final was billed as a glimpse at the future of top-level tennis and if so, the sportshould have an entertaining era ahead.

The match featured huge serves from Kyrgios, audacious and expertlyexecuted lobs from Zverev and an intense second set tie-breaker decided for theGerman after his rival tried unsuccessfully to return a lob on set point throughhis legs.

23ASTROLOGYTHEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017

Predictions for the month of APRIL, 2017

Bejan Daruwalla is available for astrologicalconsultations. He can be reached at

info@bejandaruwalla.com and on phone 011-91-9825470377

Compassion has not a single wrinkle,says your Ganesha, devotee. No wrinkle,therefore, no moral or spiritual crinkle.Friends, family and finance complete the

picture. Goodness is often its own reward. Berewarded in April. Buying and selling will be asingular feature of this month.

They say that unrestricted gammarays can kill the world. If it is so youwill be the last on the list. Use yourconsiderable talent, incredible

toughness, great secrecy of purpose to help pets,subordinates, servants, colleagues, familymembers in every which way. Time to serveothers unflinchingly and whole heartedly

Cancer is the great mother of the zodiac.Scientists say we were born on a stringof lucky breaks and many chances.Some of them compare it to cricket

which is a game of chance. In April, you will havevigor, verve and vitality to shake the world andshake hands with God.

Cornucopia is the horn of plenty,overflowing with fruits and flowers.You can be the cornucopia in April

because the Sun will be in your third angle ofpilgrimage, prayers, education, charity, spiritualpowers, scholarship, hymns, intellectualbrilliance, invention and sharp intelligence. Useit for the whole world

The dark nucleus of DNA isresponsible for our birth. Listen Librathis is the right time for all types ofconnections, alliances, partnerships.

You owe it to yourself to be happy by makingothers happy. Be decisive. Be positive. Aim foryour targets and goals. You might hit the bull's eyewith God your target.

: For the second time, I am repeatingthat Gemini Trump is an exception tothe rule and he will end up very badly.Excepting this, April is a fine monthfor friendship, fraternity, laughter,

group activity, social events. Help and be helpedby others. This applies very specially to youbecause you have both intelligence and kindness.Geminis are gems.

Home, house, property and journeysmake a happy foursome. You may'spin, shake, bend but truth is truth'.You are the sum total of your

personality, experiences, DNA, energies andeven your weaknesses. This is an ideal time toimprove upon it and shine like polished brass.

We were born out of a single cell saythe scientists. Whatever it may be inApril loans and funds, tantra andmantra, sex and salvation will ride

together for you. It is an uncomfortable but veryadventurous and exciting month. Throw cautionto the winds. Finance, family, friends make thethree F's.

Taurus = colors. Holi, Diwali and allother festivals are based on Indianastrology. In April however you willwork in subtle and hidden ways to

gain your end. Be practical and yetcompassionate. This rare combination,believeme, is your road to both, spirituality andsuccess.

Children, hobbies, creativity, wildadventure, speculation could run inyour blood. If that is the case learn to goa little slow. Try to avoid bluster and

bravado. Very surprisingly God will lend a specialear to your prayers and requests. Believe me I amnot kidding. The Sun in your fifth solar angle ismainly responsible for it

Atoms came together to form us as Iam sure you do know. You are a Leo,powerful and commanding. In April

pilgrimages, journeys, communications,contacts, through all media of transport andpublicity should bring you into the limelight ofpublicity. Use it wisely and well. Help others.

PiscesScorpioCancer

Gemini AquariusLibra

CapricornVirgoTaurus

SagittariusLeoAries

BEJAN DARUWALLA Email- info@bejandaruwalla.com | Phone : +91-9825470377

The Sun (power), Venus (love), andUranus (revolution) are all in your ownsign by Western Astrology and thatmeans energy, enthusiasm, inspiration

and high voltage ego. That is okay by me as long asyou remember that we are human and thereforeimperfect. Make love, be bold and reach out for thestars with both your hands.

Today there is computerized voice type analysis. My observation is you, Scorpio, Taurus and Libra are blessed with thebaritone which persuades people to do your bidding. This is certainly yoga time or yoke time or partnerships of all

possible sorts. I suggest yoga and partnership with God will be exceptionally fruitful. Enjoy it. Life is sweet but short.

24 THEINDIANPANORAMAFRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017ADVERTISEMENT