PIOs IN HURRY - India Post Newspaper

NEW YORK • WASHINGTON D.C. • CHICAGO • ATLANTA • CALIFORNIA VOL 25, No. 1321 January 24, 2020 50¢ Periodical Postage

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This week’s question

Last week’s result

YES 56% NO 44%

Can Modi govt resettle KashmiriPandits to valley?

Panel discussionon KashmiriPandit exodus

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PIOs IN HURRYIndians rush to get US citizenship before elections

India Post News Service

WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: Indian Americans hurryto become US Citizens before US Elections fearing ofthe Trump administration's immigration policies. Theywere also encouraged and supported by both Demo-crats as well as Republicans seeking their votes in theupcoming elections.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)final fiscal year (FY) 2019 agency statistics are nowavailable online. These statistics include naturaliza-

tions, green cards, employment authorizations andprotected populations, among other categories.

USCIS naturalized 834,000 new citizens in FY 2019- an 11 year high in new oaths of citizenship. USCISgranted lawful permanent residence to nearly577,000 individuals and in FY 2019, the number ofapplications pending for green cards and naturaliza-tions was reduced by 14 percent and 12 percent re-spectively.

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CONTENTSBollywood -------------------------- 30Classifieds ------------------------ 26Community Post -------------- 18-23Date Book -------------------------- 27Edit Page --------------------------- 28Horoscope ------------------------- 13Immigration Post ---------------- 24Life Style ---------------------------- 12Perspective/Philosophy ------- 25Info/Highlights ---------------------- 4Real Estate -------------------- 14-15TechBiz Post ------------------ 10-11Travel & Hospitality Post ---------- 8Wellness Post ---------------- 16-17

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Surajkund Mela:Be the part oflargest craft fair

Prince Harryreunite withwife, son

56 journalistskilled in 2019:United Nations

Aims to send10 lakh peopleto Mars

Chicago SBIcelebrate VishwaHindi Diwas

Should Modi call all party meeton economic crisis?

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30HIGHLIGHTS

Bollywood:Saif new movie is about ageSaif Ali Khan says his upcoming rom-com "Jawaani Jaaneman" is about ac-cepting age, and responsibilities as afather.

5Cover Story:Indians hurry to get US citizenshipIndian-Americans hurry to become USCitizens before US Elections fearing ofthe Trump administration's immigrationpolicies.

18Community:Discussion on Kashmiri PanditMA-KOA held a panel discussion on theethnic cleansing, genocide, and thetragic mass-exodus day of KashmiriPandits being forced out of Kashmir.

24Immigration:Press India to reverse CAATop US Senator has urged Mike Pompeoto press the Indian government for aswift reversal of the CAA and the pro-posed NRC.

12Lifestyle:UN Goals & India's artisansGovt machinery supporting and pro-moting handmade enterprises and howhandmade industry can help India toachieve its eleven SDGs.

10Techbiz:Amazon to double its investment Amazon chief Jeff Bezos said that he hasdecided to double the investment forthe streaming service in the country.

8Travel:Surajkund MelaHeld everyt year, Surajkund is theWorld's largest craft fair, every year1000's of artisans across the world par-ticipate.

16Wellness:Next-gen therapy for cancer patientsIndraprastha Apollo Hospital launchedthe most advanced version ofTomoTherapy Radixact X9 to treat themost complicated cancer tumours.

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Cover/Top Stories

Indians hurry to get US citizenshipbefore US elections

India Post News Service

WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: IndianAmericans Hurry to become US Citizensbefore US Elections fearing of theTrump administration's immigrationpolicies. They were also encouragedand supported by both Democrats aswell as Republicans seeking their votesin the upcoming elections.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Ser-vices (USCIS) final fiscal year (FY) 2019agency statistics are now availableonline. These statistics include natural-izations, green cards, employment au-thorizations and protected populations,among other categories.

USCIS naturalized 834,000 new citi-zens in FY 2019 - an 11 year high in newoaths of citizenship. USCIS granted law-ful permanent residence to nearly

2019, including specialty occupation,temporary agricultural and non-agri-cultural, and other workers.

USCIS also processed more than 40million cases through E-Verify.

USCIS granted immigration reliefto more than 25,000 individuals, in-cluding victims of trafficking, crimeand Violence against Women Act(VAWA) recipients - an eight percentincrease from FY 2018.

USCIS is committed to administer-ing our nation's immigration systemand safeguarding its integrity whilefulfill ing our mission to efficientlyand fairly adjudicate the applicationsof those seeking lawful status in theU.S.

Disclaimer: Don't become a victim ofan immigration scam.

577,000 individuals and in FY 2019, thenumber of applications pending forgreen cards and naturalizations was re-duced by 14 percent and 12 percentrespectively.

According to US Department ofHomeland Security press report whichprovides country wise data India born

immigrants were the 2nd largest groupconsisting of 52,194 to be granted UScitizenship in the year 2018.

The agency received nearly 2.2 mil-lion employment authorization appli-cations. Fur thermore, USCIS ap-proved more than 500,000 petitionsfor non-immigrant workers in FY

Prince Harry arrives in Canadato reunite with wife, son

LONDON/OTTAWA: The UK's PrinceHarry has arrived in Canada to be re-united with his wife Meghan Markleand baby son Archie, weeks after thecouple's shocking announcement ofstepping back from royal duties to be-come financially independent, the me-dia reported.

According to a report in The DailyMail, the Prince was spotted landing inthe Vancouver International Airport onMonday night and he left the Boeing747 by the back staircase.

At the end of the near-10-hour flight,he was whisked away in a black minivanto continue his journey with a short 25-

minute hop over to Victoria onVancouver Island to join his family.

Harry met Prime Minister BorisJohnson and world leaders at the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London,which is likely to be one of his few re-maining official engagements beforethe Sussexes take their 'leap of faith'and leave the monarchy later this year,mirror.co.uk said in its report.

The Prince's arrival in Canada comesafter he gave an emotional speech, say-ing he had "no other option" but to giveup his official royal duties and forge anew life in Canada, where his wife andson are setting up home.

Ahead of Prince Harry's arrival inCanada, Markle was spotted taking sonArchie for a walk on Monday morning inthe Horth Hill Regional Park, just acouple of miles from the oceanfrontresident where she has spent most ofthe past two months on Vancouver Is-land, The Daily Mail report said.

Meanwhile, the couple's apparenthopes for a "half-in, half-out" role in themonarchy were dashed on January 18as Buckingham Palace said they "can nolonger formally represent" the Queenafter stepping back from public duties.

After 10 days of talks, an agreementwas reached whereby they can quitfront-line duties but cannot use theirHRH titles, must pay back 2.4 millionpounds of taxpayer cash and no longerreceive public funds, said metro.co.ukin the report.

The pair have been allowed to usetheir Sussex Royal brand.

Since the couple have not technicallybeen stripped of their HRH styles, likePrincess Diana was after her divorce,they can continue to be called Duke andDuchess of Sussex.

The developments comes after thecouple's January 8 announcement thatthey were stepping back as royals inorder to become financially indepen-dent, but would continue to serve theQueen. IANS

3 Sikh men killedin London overrow about money

LONDON: The three Sikh men whowere stabbed to death in a single at-tack in London, were killed in a rowabout not being paid for work, it hasbeen claimed.

The victims of the stabbing nearSeven Kings station in Ilford were iden-

tified as Harinder Kumar, 22, NarinderSingh, 26, and Baljit Singh, 34, themetro.co.uk said in a report.

They were killed in a fight allegedlysparked by a dispute over money owedfor construction work, the reportadded. Meanwhile, two Sikh men, aged29 and 39, were arrested on suspicionof murder after the horrific incident.

According to the police, the fight be-tween groups of Sikh men escalated intoa fatal clash. Speaking at the scene onMonday, Chief Superintendent StephenClayman said the suspects and the vic-tims were all known to each other.

"We believe the groups involved aremembers of the Sikh community,"metro.co.uk quoted Clayman as saying.IANS

India Post January 24, 20206

www.indiapost.comTop Stories

56 journalists killed in 2019: UN

Unemployment figures likely torise by 2.5 million in 2020: ILO

Modi stresses on Indo-Nepal legacy

UNITED NATIONS: Fifty-six journalistswere killed in 2019 and most of themdied outside conflict zones, a UNspokesperson said.

The number dropped by nearly halffrom the year 2018, but perpetratorsenjoyed almost total impunity, Xinhuanews agency quoted StephaneDujarric, spokesperson for UN Secre-tary-General Antonio Guterres, as say-ing citing Unesco figures.

The figure was published in the'Unesco Observatory of Killed Journalists'.

In total, Unesco recorded 894 jour-nalist killings in the decade from 2010to 2019, an average of almost 90 peryear. The number in 2018 was 99.

Journalists were murdered in all re-gions of the world, with Latin Americaand the Caribbean recording 22 killings,

the highest number, followed by 15 inAsia-Pacific, and 10 in Arab States.

"The figures show that journalists not

only suffer extreme risks when cover-ing violent conflict, but that they arealso targeted when reporting on local

politics, corruption and crime - often intheir hometowns," the Unesco said.

Almost two thirds (61 per cent) ofthe cases in 2019 occurred in countriesnot experiencing armed conflict, a no-table spike in a wider trend in recentyears, and a reversal of the situation of2014, when this figure was one third.

More than 90 per cent of cases re-corded in 2019 concerned local journal-ists, consistent with previous years, itadded.

In response to these figures, AudreyAzoulay, the Director-General of Unesco,said: "Unesco remains deeply troubledby the hostility and violence directed atall too many journalists around theworld.

"As long as this situation lasts, it willundermine democratic debate." IANS

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister NarendraModi, along with Nepal's Prime MinisterK.P. Sharma Oli, jointly inaugurated thesecond Integrated Check Post (ICP) atJogbani - Biratnagar.

Jogbani - Biratnagar is an importanttrade point between the two countries.The ICP is equipped with all the mod-ern facilities. The second IntegratedCheck Post at Jogbani - Biratnagar wasbuilt with Indian assistance to facilitate

trade and people's movement acrossIndo-Nepal border.

Both PM Modi and PM Oli partici-pated through Video Conferencing dur-ing which, Modi said, "India has beenplaying the role of a trusted partner inNepal's all round development," add-ing, "Neighbourhood first is the mainpolicy of my government and improv-ing cross border connectivity is an im-portant aspect of it."

Stressing on the long legacy Indo-Nepalrelations, he remarked, "the issue of betterconnectivity becomes all the more impor-

tant if it concerns both the countries, be-cause our relations are not simply ofneighbours but because History and Ge-ography have connected us through cul-ture, nature, families, language, develop-ment and many more threads".

The Prime Minister said, "My Govern-ment is committed to develop bettertransportation facilities with all thefriendly nations and to further developrelations in trade, culture, education

etc... India is working on cross connec-tivity projects Road, Rail and Transmis-sion lines in Nepal."

Referring to 2015 earthquake inNepal, Modi said, "India played the roleof first responder in relief and rescueoperations and now is standing shoul-der to shoulder with our friends in thereconstruction of Nepal".

Out of Government of India's com-mitment to build 50,000 houses inGorkha and Nuwakot districts, 45,000have already been completed. PM Olithanked India for its efforts. IANS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of Nepal, KP Sharma Oli jointly inaugurate theIntegrated Check Post, at Jogbani-Biratnagar through video conference, in New Delhi

GENEVA: Unemployment is projectedto increase by around 2.5 million thisyear, said a new International LabourOrganisation (ILO) report.

Nearly half a billion people world-wide are working fewer paid hours thanthey would like or lack adequate accessto paid work, according to the reporttitled "World Em-ployment and So-cial Outlook:Trends 2020"(WESO).

The ILO globalreport on em-ployment and so-cial trends showsthat a lack of decent work, combinedwith rising unemployment and persist-ing inequality, makes it increasingly dif-ficult for people to build better livesthrough their work, Xinhua reported.

According to the WESO, in addition tothe global number of unemployed thatstands at 188 million, 165 million

people do not have enough paid work,and 120 million have either given upactively searching for work or other-wise lack access to the labour market.

ILO Director-General Guy Ryder saidat a UN news conference here thatlabour markets and labour activity re-main the principal sources of livelihood

for most people inthe world, butlabour marketoutcomes arevery unequal inthe world in termsof how easy it is tofind paid work, thetype, and quality

of that work and their remuneration."Persisting and substantial work-re-

lated inequalities and exclusion are pre-venting people from finding decentwork and better futures. That's an ex-tremely serious finding that has pro-found and worrying implications for so-cial cohesion," he said. IANS

he ILO global report onemployment and social

trends shows that a lack ofdecent work, combined with

rising unemployment


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Apple empowering students inBurhanpur pen success on iPads

BURHANPUR (Madhya Pradesh): Fre-quented by historians and art loversseeking solace in its rich past, anothertransformation, albeit quietly, is takingplace in the city of Burhanpur and thistime, Cupertino-based tech giant Appleis empowering talented kids at theMacro Vision Academy (MVA) to findtheir place in the fast-changing world.

One of the handful schools in Indiathat has employed iPads and Mac desk-tops for imparting education, the CBSE-affiliated, day-cum-residential schoolhas customised Apple products to im-prove students' results and rankings -thus earning the tag of 'Apple Distin-guished School' (ADS) for the secondtime in a row.

Worldwide, there are 470 ADSs in 34countries and four are in India. AppleDistinguished Schools share theirachievements by collaborating withApple teams to host on-site Apple Dis-tinguished Educators (ADEs) visits. Theeducators showcase best practices forusing iPad, Mac, apps, multi-touchbooks and other digital materials to cre-ate powerful learning experiences.

At the academy which is touted asthe complete Gurukul, students are cre-ating world-class apps while teachersare busy imparting lessons via AppleTVs in classrooms as students deployiPads at the same time to imbibe real-time learning, including music on iPad.

The benefits of learning on iPads -nearly all students at the Academy areequipped with iPads and the Academyhas over 150 top-of-the-line iMacs at itsfully-equipped iMac Lab -- are numer-ous: Learn and revise on the go, lesserbooks to carry, analytical performancereports to improve and track the

growth, digitised voice notes at a se-cured Wi-Fi campus, and much more.

Today, the MVA students are workingat Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, Uber, IBM,Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley,Infosys, Microsoft, Adobe, and severalother top-notch firms. They have got

admissions to prestigious universitieslike Penn State University, The State Uni-versity of New York and all IITs.

According to Anand PrakashChouksey, Director, MVA, iPads andiMacs are part of students' everyday lifeat Macrovision.

"The devices help teachers connectwith students in a seamless way. Thedigital approach has increased kids' in-

terest in studies and their confidencelevels have gone up too. They think in amore creative manner while looking atthe same old curriculum. This has in-creased parents' confidence too,"Chouksey said during the campus visit.

Apple School Manager at the pre-mises is a simple, web-based portal forIT administrators to manage people, de-vices, and content all from one place.There is a redesigned user interface,more powerful ways to manage bulkactivities, and greater control over ac-counts and classes.

"With the help of Apple School Man-ager, installing, maintaining and inte-gration of 2,500 iPads was simple anddid not incur any extra cost. It also gaveus the flexibility to customize andimplement policies as per our schoolneeds," informed Vijay Sukhwani whotakes care of the entire Apple ecosys-tem at the campus.

Apple Classroom appturns iPads and Macs intopowerful teaching assis-tants. The app also makesit easy to share informa-tion and send and receivefiles with the entire classand individual studentsusing AirDrop, or showstudent work on the bigscreen.

All Apple products arebuilt with an integratedapproach to privacy andsecurity and providingschools with devices,apps, and services thatkeep students' work andpersonal information se-cure.

With Managed AppleIDs, the school controls

student information and can choose toenable or disable apps and servicessuch as iMessage, FaceTime or studentprogress reporting with the School-work app.

Jay Firke from the school who at-tended Apple's annual flagship World-wide Developers Conference (WWDC)in San Jose, California, last year is superexcited.

"I have created an e-portfolio appwherein class teachers can fill the stu-dents' report about their skills and edu-cational topics. The app currently workson school Wi-Fi," Firke said.

"I have also worked on an iOS schoolapp which is made with Swift 4.1. Thisapp includes all our school details," headded, as his team members show-cased some of the apps they have builtin the classroom.

Apple has also developed apps thathelp teachers at the Academy put thepower of technology to work, bringingideas into their lessons and productiv-ity to their classrooms.

The 'Schoolwork' app makes it easyfor teachers to share class materials, as-sign activities within apps and view stu-dents' progress. Students have oneplace to see assignments, submit workand view their own progress.

Apple Teacher is a free online profes-sional learning programme designed tosupport and celebrates the great workof teachers around the world.

"We are aiming for an all-round de-velopment of not only students but alsoteachers as true digital learning canonly happen then", said a beamingChouksey. IANS

Worldwide, there are 470 ADSs in 34 countries and four are in

India. Apple Distinguished Schools share their achievements by

collaborating with Apple teams to host on-site Apple Distin-

guished Educators (ADEs) visits. The educators showcase best

practices for using iPad, Mac, apps, multi-touch books and other

digital materials to create powerful learning experiences

January 24, 2020www.indiapost.comIndia Post8

MAIN ATTRACTIONS:SHOWCASE OF REGIONALAND INTERNATIONALCRAFTS AND ARTEFACT

A splash of colours,rhythm of drum beatsand joie-de-vivre

merge at Surajkund inFaridabad, Haryana during thefirst fortnight of each February.

The curtains go up on the ac-claimed annual Surajkund Inter-national Crafts Mela which willstarts from 2 February 2020, acelebration of Indian folk tradi-tions and cultural heritage.

Occupying a place of prideon the international tourist cal-endar, more than a million visi-

tors throng the Mela during thefortnight including thousandsof foreign tourists.

The Surajkund Mela isunique as it showcases the rich-ness and diversity of the handi-crafts, handlooms and culturalfabric of India, & is the largestcrafts fair in the world.

The Mela is organized by theSurajkund Mela Authority &Haryana Tourism in collabora-tion with Union Ministries ofTourism, Textiles, Culture andExternal Affairs.

For the 34th Surajkund Inter-national Crafts Mela-2020, thestate of Himachal Pradesh hasbeen chosen to be the ThemeState. At least 20 countries & allthe states will be participating

in the Mela.The Mela is indeed a custo-

dian of the heritage crafts in-volving the use of traditionalskills that are fading away dueto cheap machine made imita-tions, and a special section isearmarked for showcasing ofthese heritage crafts.

The multi-cuisine food courtprovides ethnic cuisines from allover the world, which are im-mensely popular with visitors.

In 2013, the fair was up-graded to an international level.In 2015, a record number of 20countries participated in theMela and Lebanon was the Part-ner Nation and Chhattisgarh, theTheme State.

The Mela celebrates theunique diversity of Indian tradi-tions and culture in an ambi-ence, created to represent theethos of rural India.

Handmade fabrics soaked inethnic colours make an eye-catching display for the visitors.

The scintillating folk perfor-

mances at the two 'Chaupals'and mesmerizing evening recit-als at 'Natyashala' rev up the en-tertainment quotient.

There are designated placesfor amusement, adventuresports and joy rides to make ita must-visit event for theyoung.

In 2014, over 15 countries fromEuropean & African continents

participated in the Mela, includ-ing SAARC nations. In the upcom-ing Surajkund International CraftsMela, across 20 countries are ex-pected to attend.

HOW TO REACH?By Air: The nearest airport is

at Delhi. Surajkund is a 35-minute drive from the IndiraGandhi International airportand 25 kilometres from Palamairport.

By Rail: Delhi is the nearestrailway junction. Faridabad andGurgaon are both linked toDelhi via railway lines. Fromeach of these stations, one cantravel to Surajkund by car/cabor tourist coach.

By Road: Surajkund is well-connected to Delhi, Gurgaonand Faridabad by metalledroad approachable by one'sown or hired conveyance.

Venue: Surajkund, FaridabadDate: 2 February 2020 to 16

February 2020

For the 34th Surajkund International Crafts

Mela-2020, the state of Himachal Pradesh has been

chosen to be the Theme State. At least 20 countries

& all the states will be participating in the Mela

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Tech News TechBizWill double our investments in

India: Jeff BezosMUMBAI: Amazon chief Jeff

Bezos said Prime Video is doingbetter than expectations in In-dia, and he has decided todouble down the investmentfor the streaming service in thecountry.

Bezos met a Bollywood gath-ering as he sat down for a chatwith superstar Shah Rukh Khanand director Zoya Akhtar on hisfirst trip to Mumbai though hehas been to India earlier.

"Prime Video is doing well allover the world. It is doing wellin Japan, in Germany as well asin America. It is doing well ev-erywhere, but there's nowhereit's doing better than in India,"Bezos said during the half-an-hour-long chat with Shah Rukhand Zoya.

He added that the Primemembership, which comeswith free shipping from Ama-zon, has also proved excellentfor the e-commerce service.

"It's a vehicle to make fantas-tic content, and from a businesspoint of view, it works for us aswell. So we love it. We just de-

cided to double down in ourPrime Video investments herein India," he said.

Bezos said he started Ama-zon in 1994 with the idea tobuild the world's biggest book

store and to be able to afford aforklift but never thought itwould become so huge.

The streamer also unveiledseven more shows that will

soon be joining its exclusive In-dian content slate.

The shows are "Dilli","Bandish Bandits", "Paatal Lok","Gormint", "Mumbai Diaries-26/11", "The Last Hour" and "Sons

of Soil- Jaipur Pink Panthers".The billionaire said the whole

world is witnessing "goldenage of television".

"When you look at TV series

today, they are outstanding interms of quality. They're as goodas the very best movies haveever been. And now we're get-ting the best storytellers andactors to come and do TV.

"This is one of those busi-nesses where the viewer is al-ways looking for somethingfresh. And so you can never finda formula because as soon asyou find the formula, it's notfresh anymore. So it takes hu-man ingenuity... I want AmazonStudios to be all over theworld."

He further said that he wantsAmazon Studios to be "themost talent friendly studio inthe world".

"One of the hardest thingsthat humans do is tell riveting,engaging, inspiring stories.When you get it right, it's a le-ver that can change the world."

The event ended with asoul-stirring performance bymusic maestro A R Rahman,who performed his famous Sufinumbers 'Kun Faya Kun', 'MaulaAli' and 'Mann Kunto Maula'. PTI

Jeff Bezos

Aims to send 10 lakh people to MarsSAN FRANCISCO: SpaceX

CEO Elon Musk aims to send10 lakh people to Mars by2050 and in a series oftweets, has revealed how heis going to achieve the daunt-ing task of colonizing the RedPlanet and make humans be-ings 'multi-planetary'.

Throwing more detailsabout his Starshipprogramme, Musk said therocket would carry manymegatons of cargo per yearto the Red Planet to prepareMars for a human presenceby mid-century.

"Megatons per year to orbitare needed for life to become

multi-planetary," he tweeted."Starship design goal is

three flights/day avg rate, soover 1,000 flights/year at over

100 tonnes/flight, so every tenships yield one megaton per

year to orbit," Musk explainedto his 30.7 million followers.

The orbital Starship proto-type, designed "SN1" is cur-rently under construction atSpaceX's Texas facility.

"Building 100 Starships/year gets to 1,000 in 10 yearsor 100 megatons/year ormaybe around 100k peopleper Earth-Mars orbital sync,"the SpaceX CEO further ex-plained.

That translates to a sched-ule of once every two yearswhen Earth and Mars are clos-est to one another.IANS

Elon Musk

Israel launchescybersecurity socialnetwork 'Cybernet'

JERUSALEM: Israel haslaunched a cybersecurity so-cial network to share cyber-at-tacks information to protectcompanies and otherorganisations, the Israel Na-tional Cyber Directorate(INCD) has announced.

According to the INCD, thenew network, namedCybernet, is the "first of its kindin the world," aiming to se-curely and reliably share cyber-attack reports to deal withthem as they start.

The network was set up bythe INCD in collaboration withIsrael's leading companies andorganisations, as well as the lo-cal and international cybercommunity, the Xinhua newsagency reported.

Cybernet includes about1,000 cyber professionals suchas analysts, researchers and in-formation security managers.

The new network is built likea social network, where everyuser has a personal profile andcan post information, evenanonymously. IANS

Downloadunlimited with UCbrowser

NEW DELHI: In the era wheretechnology is mastering theart of living, the challenges tosimplify the existing simplicityof being tech-savvy have beenmushrooming at a rapid pace.

We came from the zonewhere from the desire to justdownload has changed todownloading unlimited thingsat the most rapid pace and un-beatable speed. You watchmovies online, you listen tomusic online, you check differ-ent sites, and that's everythingthat you wanted to store inyour smart device.

But that's always not so easy,especially when smart deviceshave obstacles like that of lim-ited storage.

Well!! We have recentlycome across UC browser's 20GB Free storage and it is some-thing that seems to come upwith a solution for users whohave been riddling with theproblem of storage on theirdevices. PTI

11India PostTechBiz PostJanuary 24, 2020www.indiapost.com

Tech BriefsOPPO launches F15 in IndiaNEW DELHI: Kick-starting the

new year in style, OPPO, theleading global smartphonebrand, has launched its latestsmartphone, OPPO F15, in In-dia.

The latest addition toOPPO's popular F series, F15 isa design marvel with just7.9mm thickness and172g weight. The sleeksmartphone sports a laserlight-reflective backcover, adding to its aes-thetic brilliance, makingit an ideal smartphone foryoung consumers wholike to flaunt their style.OPPO F15 is equippedwith a 48MP Ultra Wide-Angle Macro Quadcamsetup offering an impres-sive photography experi-ence. Available in Light-ning Black and UnicornWhite colours, the OPPOF15 is stylish, ultra-por-table and is the perfectsmartphone when on the go.The device will be available forsale from 24th Jan across bothonline and offline stores at anew cost of INR 19,990.

With the F15, OPPO aims toreinforce its commitment to-wards bringing uber-cooltechnology products to cus-tomers in its price segment.

Commenting on the launch,Sumit Walia, Vice President -Product & Marketing, OPPO In-dia, said, "OPPO believes inpushing the boundaries to pro-vide consumers with best inthe class consumer experi-ence.

The F series has been a tes-timony to this approach andoffered a bouquet of excitingfeatures that consumers mostdesire. Our latest edition to theF series, OPPO F15 will intro-duce not only a new level offun, creativity, speed but alsoan unparalleled stylish design.

We believe it will appeal to theyoung consumers who wantthe most out of theirsmartphone and love to flauntits capabilities."

Ultimate Sleek Design andPerformance Ergonomicallydesigned to fit in hand, the

lightness of OPPO F15 isinstantly noticeable.OPPO F15 has aminimalist design with athickness of just 7.9mmand only 172g in weight.

The slim design en-sures that the OPPO F15can easily slide into thepocket without feelingbulky. Furthermore, thelaser light-reflective backcover is inspired by danc-ing colours in the light,like the sunlight reflect-ing on water in awaterhole, adding to itsoomph factor.

The device'sminimalist, yet the fash-

ionable design is also em-bodied in its camera set up,with four cameras featured onone side and a uniquely elon-gated flashlight to match theshape of the camera array. Theraised decorative ring also in-creases the surface of the cam-era, helping to preventscratches to the lenses. PTI

Cambridge Analytica whistleblowerreleases new FB documents

LONDON: CambridgeAnalytica whistleblower BrittanyKaiser has released new docu-ments that detail initial ex-change in 2015 where Facebookonly requested the politicalconsultancy firm by email to de-lete the data and casuallyasked the company to "pro-vide us with confirmation".

It wasn't until January2016 that Facebook re-ceived the signed certifica-tion from CambridgeAnalytica CEO AlexanderNix, claiming they had deletedthe data related to 87 millionFacebook users, TechCrunch.

The Facebook users' datawas improperly obtained in2014 by researchers with ac-cess to Facebook's developer

platform.Kaiser, a former employee of

the now-defunct British dataanalytics and consulting com-pany Cambridge Analytica, re-vealed the documents at theWorldWebForum conference in

Zurich.This 'email exchange' -

which TechCrunch has notbeen able to verify at this pointindependently - has never pre-viously been published.

Earlier this month, new de-

tails leaked by Kaiser via ananonymous Twitter account,@HindsightFiles, showed theextent of the rot is far moreprofound than previouslythought.

"Over the past two years, Ihave given evidence to in-vestigators, journalists andacademics to analyze whathappened at CambridgeAnalytica, and how our datawas used to influence de-mocracies around theworld. In the name of shed-

ding light on these shady prac-tices, I am releasing docu-ments and emails in full for thepublic good," Kaiser, whoworked with CambridgeAnalytica from 2014 to 208,was quoted as saying.

$150 5G phones to belaunched

BEIJING: Chinesesmartphone manufacturerHuawei's President for 5Gproduct line, Yang Chaobinbelieves that 5G smartphonespriced around $150 ex-pected to be launched by theend of 2020 or in early 2021.

Huawei, along with its sub-brand Honor, has launchedmany 5G smartphones in2019, in-c l u d i n gMate 305G series,Mate 20 X5G, MateX 5G,Nova 65G, HonorV30 se-r i e s ,among others, news portalGizmoChina reported on Fri-day.

Recently, the company an-nounced that it had shipped6.9 million units of 5Gsmartphones as of December2019, in addition to offeringend-to-end 5G solutions.

Additionally, Chinese localresearch agencies sug-gested that 20 per cent of allmid-range smartphones willsupport 5G, thanks to the ex-pansion of the network in thecountry.

An estimated 5 million 5Gcapable smartphones weresold in December 2019alone. It is expected that

m o r ethan 20per centof thesmartphonesu n d e r$290 willbe 5G-e n a b l e dthis year.

B y2021, the same statistics areexpected to be applicableacross the globe.

Xiaomi co-founder Lei Junrecently announced thecompany is planning topump $7 billion in 5G, AI andIoT over the next five years.IANS

Bharti, Ericsson partner toset up Robotic Lab

CHANDIGARH: Bharti Foun-dation, the philanthropic armof Bharti Enterprises, in part-nership with Ericsson Indialaunched "The Robotic Lab"at the Satya Bharti Senior Sec-ondary School, Jhaneri,Punjab.

The state-of-the-art lab inthe government school inJhaneri will benefit the under-privileged students from ClassIV to Class VIII and furtherstimulate their interest in sci-ence and technology, a BhartiFoundation statement said.

The program curriculumaims to introduce these stu-dents to the world of digitaltechnology by improvingtheir general understandingas well as providing hands-onexperience of programmingand digital tools.

During the robotic classes,students will learn the basics

of programming and de-velop the skill sets to createprecise and accurate instruc-tions, it added.

The three-year partner-ship with Bharti Foundationaims to impart knowledgethat inspires students to pur-sue a career in Science, Tech-nology, Engineering andMath (STEM).

This program will provideknowledge in the areas ofnew technologies, coding,programming and robotics,to name a few, the Founda-tion said.

Mamta Saikia, CEO, BhartiFoundation said: "Use of ro-botics in the classroom hasproven to be a consistentand dependable way toteach students the requiredskills needed to preparethem for the future job mar-ket." IANS

January 24, 2020India Post12 www.indiapost.com

HARPREET SINGH

Set in 2015 by the UN General Assembly are a list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),

intended to end poverty, inequalityand address the urgency of climatechange, with the target year 2030.

As such, the handmade industry ofIndia (actually globally), can directlyaddress 11 of the 17 SDGs. However,there is no clear data on the size of thehandmade sector in India or, on thesize of handmade exports. Official es-timates from the Ministry of Textiles,under which, are positioned the De-velopment Commissioners for Textileand Handicrafts, suggest 3.5M weav-ers plus 7M other artisans. While theMadras School of Economics esti-mates the number at 31M artisans,

extracted from the 2001 census. An-other estimate suggests 200M extrapo-lated, based on the 5th Five-Year planpilot study of industrial codes; CraftCouncil of India/MSE, 2011. The 12thFive-Year plan of India has projected

this sector would become the largestnon-farm sector in rural India.

How does one define artisanal? Ac-cording to UNESCO-UNCTAD WTO"Artisanal products are those producedby artisans, either completely by hand,or with the help of hand tools or evenmechanical means, as long as the directmanual contribution of the artisan re-mains the most substantial componentof the finished product. The special na-

ture of artisanal prod-ucts derives from theirdistinctive featureswhich can be utilitarian,aesthetic, creative, cul-

turally attached, decorative, functional,traditional, religiously and socially sym-bolic and significant."

Speaking in New Delhi recently, Mr.Ashoke Chatterjee, former Director ofNational Institute of Design, and associ-ated since with Craft Council of India,

spoke providing the followingvaluable insights and de-

tails on handmade in In-dia.

In the recentpast China has

started tolook upon

t h e i r

own handmade sector as a 'sunrise'industry with the entire governmentmachinery offering back stoppingsupport and promoting handmadeenterprises, while in 2009 India a viewof the craft sector emerged as being a'sunset' industry.

The need in India for new jobs, eachyear, is estimated at 10-15M while'jobless growth' threatens to becomereal with emerging technologies. Theso-called 'informal' sector accounts for90% of the national workforce, includ-ing artisans. The handmade sector ofIndia probably represents the largestresource of artisanal creativity, innova-tion and skills available in theworld.(Only China could be larger).The implications of this huge competi-tive advantage will go well beyondthe handmade sector, as already dem-onstrated by Japan, East Asian Tigersand in the economies of Italy,Scandinavia and Latin America.

Unfortunately India's artisans areprimarily those still at the margins ofsociety. SC/ST and tribal communities,minorities and women who contributeas estimated 50% of sector output.Handcrafts are thus also a socio-eco-nomic safety net.

Hence, the challenge probably liesin how to make it desirable for theyoung to take up and excel ascraftspersons, especially those with non-craft family backgrounds. And moreimportantly how to ensure acraftsperson earns more than justmeeting ends, along with dignity, self-respect, recognition and a significantplace in India's social order.

India PostJanuary 24, 2020 13www.indiapost.comHoroscope

Kindly read the predictions from your ascendant sign. If you do not know your ascendant sign then read thesame from Moon sign. If Moon sign is also not known then read it from the Zodiac sign. The ascendant sign which is

calculated from the birth details viz. date, month, year, time & place of birth gives 85 % accurate predictions. Theaccuracy of predictions from Moon sign get limited to only 50 %. The predictions from Zodiac sign are only 25 %

accurate. In nutshell the predictions from ascendant sign are most accurate. In getting personality analysis the traitsgiven by ascendant sign are 100 % accurate and that is the essence of Vedic Astrology.

Your Weekly Futureby VANEET SHARMA

MAR 21 to APRIL 20 JUN 21 to JULY 22 SEP 23 to OCT 22 DEC 22 to JAN 19

MAY 21 to JUN 20 AUG 23 to SEP 22 NOV 23 to DEC 22 FEB 19 to MAR 20

APRIL 21 to MAY 20 JULY 23 to AUG 22 OCT 23 to NOV 22 JAN 20 to FEB 18

JAN 24TH - JAN 30TH 2020

“Felicitated andhonored by then

President of India ShriPranab Mukherjee"

VANEETSHARMA

510-648-4899

The planetary transit on first day

of the keep shall keepyou disturbed how-ever from next day

there is very strong indication that youshall be putting in lot of efforts to do wellat work place so that you succeed ingetting a solution for the problems thatare following you from a long time. Youshall succeed in doing so the only hitchis lack of focus therefore if you shall workwith a focused approach the successshall come easily.

The planetary tran-sit indicates

that your energy levelshall be high and youshall be determined to

accomplish all tasks and from the begin-ning of the week you shall be givingquality time to your family, friends, rela-tives and home. There shall be an atmo-sphere of celebration everywhere. Thefamily atmosphere shall be full of love,laughter, peace and happiness. Every-body would be impressed with yourachievements and status of family.

The beginning ofthe week is in-

dicating decent finan-cial gains. On 24th and25th you might remain

slightly disturbed however you shall feelbetter if you happen to go out on a jour-ney. The day of 28th and 29th are goodfor the restoration of your destiny andharmony with family members. The plan-etary transit is wonderful for your per-sonality development. Finally the last twodays of the week are excellent for thehappiness of the family.

The initial 5 days ofthe week shall

be extremely goodfor you but 28th and29th can go very bad

for you. In the mid of the week your worksituation shall improve and you shall beearning more gains with increase in income.There won't be ups and downs in financialmatters but you are advised in the latterpart of the week and it would be betternot to get into any type of argument withpeople around unnecessarily as otherwiseyou shall be losing your reputation.

This shall prove tobe one of the

best weeks for you.Avoid getting into ar-gument with spouse

and partner. You shall be paying due at-tention to your children in this week andapart from that if you are a student orresearch associate betterment can beexpected. In business you can giveshape to your plans of expansion. Lovelife shall be too good. The last two daysof the week are wonderful for maritalcompatibility.

The first day of theweek is good

but 24th & 25th Janu-ary is not good daysfor decision making

and your personnel happiness. Later ontime period is good but skip the deci-sion of making big investment where riskis involved. The inflow of money shall re-main intact and it shall go on increasing.If you wish to get rid of your mental ten-sions then don't keep anything pending.Accomplish all tasks at right time and donot postpone any work.

In the beginning ofthe week you

shall be worried re-garding education,love relationship, chil-

dren and speculative activities etc. In themid of the week the family atmosphereshall be quite good and you shall havegood time with your spouse. Specially27th and 28th January is too good foryour married life. Health conditions shallnot remain very good on 28th and 29thJanuary. The last two days are indicatingsome possibility of travel.

You shall be gettinggood results

in terms of harmonyamong family mem-bers but your own pa-

tience and tolerance level shall be go-ing down. Your expenses might go un-controlled but you shall be doing lot ofplanning to consolidate your resourcesof financial arrangement and manage-ment of funds. You shall be able to im-prove your bonding with potential part-ners and apart from that your organiz-ing capacities shall also be at its best.

This shall be a won-derful week

for you as your workand education shallget upgraded. Your

children shall do very well. There shall betremendous improvement in your lovelife. Speculative activities shall also provefruitful. 24th and 25th of this week shallbe the best days of the week not only formarried life, partnership venture & workarea but also for getting associated withnew people. You shall enjoy great conju-gal compatibility with your partner.

The beginning ofthe week is

excellent for takingimportant decisions.The support of family,

especially mother and other friendswould help you to be on top. Profession-ally you shall see the bright side and allodds shall get eradicated with the pas-sage of time. This shall be a fulfilling weekin all areas. Your mission shall be to getresults in love life and work area. Youmight get tempted to involve in specu-lative activities on last two days.

The planetary transit indicates

that health problemsshall get aggravated.From 28th January you

shall get some relief from your mentaltensions and health troubles. Althoughhealth related troubles and stress in-creasing causes are indicated howeverthe possibilities of sudden financial gainsin the latter half of the week are alsoequally strong. The financial problemsshall get rectified. From children pointof view this week shall be good for you.

Your energy levelshall be low in the be-

ginning of the week.However, from 24ththere shall be better-

ment in all areas and the confidencelevel shall also come up and you mightplan to go on a journey probably a tour-ist place of religious significance. Thisweek is best for matrimonial planningif you are unmarried. The business, workand income area shall improve espe-cially on 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th ofJanuary.

Realty Tidbits

India Post January 24, 2020www.indiapost.com

Real Estate14

Housing sales fell 30% inlast quarter

NEW DELHI: Sales in the resi-dential real estate segmentdeclined 30 per cent duringthe October-December quar-ter on a year-on-year basisacross nine major cities in thecountry, a PropTiger reportsaid.

A total of 64,034 homeswere sold across nine key mar-kets during the third quarter ofthe financial year 2019-20.

"Housing sales in India's ninekey property markets fell 30per cent annually during theOctober-December quarterdespite the governmentlaunching several measures inthe recent past to revive buyersentiment. As against 91,464units sold during the quarterlast year, only 64,034 homeswere sold across the nine mar-kets in Q3 this year," it said.

Mumbai contributed nearly40 per cent to the overall salesnumbers during the period un-der review, as per the report.

"What points towards a na-tion-wide phenomenon, sales

declined across all these mar-kets, with Bengaluru, popularlyknown as India's Silicon Valley,registering a 50 per cent fall insales numbers."

For the period, April-Decem-ber 2019-20, sales at 2,28,220units fell by 13 per cent, com-pared to 2,63,294 units lastyear.

New project launches in

India's nine key residentialmarkets continued to decline,falling 44 per cent year-on-yearto 41,133 units during the Oc-tober-December quarter, pri-marily on liquidity concerns,the report said.

"Only 41,133 units werelaunched in Q3 FY20, as against73,226 units in the corre-sponding period last fiscal,

the report shows. Newlaunches fell across markets,with Kolkata and Gurugramseeing the biggest fall, at 79and 74 per cent, respectively,"it said.

Nearly 40 per cent of newlaunches were concentratedin India's financial capitalMumbai. Affordable housingcontinued to dominatelaunches, with 52 per centunits launched in this seg-ment across the major cities.

Compared to the first ninemonths (April-December) ofthe previous financial year,launches declined by 32 percent during the same period inthe current fiscal. While2,15,596 units were launchedbetween April and Decemberin the previous year, 1,45,852units were launched during thesame period this year, it added.

The cities covered underthe survey were Ahmedabad,Bengaluru, Chennai,Gurugram, Hyderabad,Kolkata, Mumbai (includingNavi Mumbai and Thane), Puneand Noida, including GreaterNoida and the Yamuna Express-way. IANS

SC forms committeeto auction Amrapaliproperties

NEW DELHI: The SupremeCourt formed a four-membercommittee to accelerate the

auction of the assets of the de-funct Amrapali group to gen-

erate funds for incompletehousing projects. The commit-

tee includes two forensic au-ditors.

A bench of Justices ArunMishra and U.U. Lalit formed

the committee comprisingRajiv Bhatia and Pawan

Aggarwal (forensic auditors),court-appointed receiver and

senior advocate R.Venkatramani, who will assist

the state-owned MSTC to auc-tion the assets, and D.K.

Mishra, a chartered accoun-tant.

The court asked NBCC tobegin work on seven projects

as soon as possible and expe-ditiously roll out the tenders

for these projects in Noidaand Greater Noida.

The court noted that thecommittee would see proper-

ties should be sold first, whichincludes identifying the mar-

ket value, as funds are primaryto complete the unfinished

projects.The top court asked its reg-

istry to pay Rs 14 crore toNBCC for the work completed

so far. The next hearing isscheduled on February 17. The

court was informed that MSTChad sold eight luxury cars at-

tached on the court's orderalong with three apartments.IANS

NAREDCO launchese-commerce portal for housing

NEW DELHI: National Real Estate DevelopmentCouncil (NAREDCO) announced the launch of an e-commerce housing portal, 'HousingForAll.Com'.

The portal will be open for home buyers with a45-day sale period starting February 14, aNAREDCO statement said.

"The e-commerce housing portal to start withwill host a 45-day 'All-India Online Home-BuyingFestival' for ready-to-move-in homes, with over1,000 projects expected to be listed," it said. IANS

Century communities offer rewardsto Homebuyer

With an array of single-family homes and

townhome-style condos-ranging from the $400s toover $1 million in sought-af-ter locations from Soledadto Antioch-Century Commu-nities offers rewards for ev-ery homebuyer.

Many communities fea-ture to-be-built and quickmove-in options, allowinghomebuyers to move on the

timeline that works best forthem. Master-planned ameni-ties are also available at selectlocations, such as the Moun-tain House communities.

Ready to start your search?Local New Home Specialists willwork with you to find the homethat matches your wish list.

To learn more, call833.769.1656 or visitCenturyCommunities.com/NorthernCalifornia.

15India PostJanuary 24, 2020

www.indiapost.comReal Estate Post

California governor promotes $1 billion housing planCALIFORNIA: Gov. Gavin Newsom be-

gan a week-long statewide tour pro-moting his $1 billion effort to addressone of California's most pressing andpolitically fraught problems _ its grow-ing homeless crisis.

The Democratic governor started atNevada County's Homeless Outreachand Medical Engagement (HOME)project with a Republican state law-maker.

Newsom has faced criticism fromGOP President Donald Trump, who con-tinued blaming the state's Democraticleaders last week, particularly those inLos Angeles and San Francisco, for fail-ing to address homelessness ad-equately.

``The fact that it's on his radar is fabu-lous,'' Newsom said. ``We all need moresupport from the federal government.''

The governor declared himselfCalifornia's ``homeless czar`` Fridaywhen he asked state lawmakers to ap-prove a $750 million fund that provid-ers could use to pay rents, affordablefund housing and aid boarding andcare homes.

His proposed budget also includes$695 million of state and federal

Additional stops are to include aSouthern California suburban area, LosAngeles County, the Central Valley andthe San Francisco Bay Area. His officesaid he planned to tour outreach pro-grams, recovery and behaviouralhealth centres and transitional hous-ing shelters.

His plan this year builds on $1 bil-lion in spending he sought a year ago,though the final portion of $650 mil-lion in emergency homeless aid to cit-ies and counties was just released lastweek.

Conservative critics have said thestate also should streamline its strictenvironmental protections to speedup housing construction and addresstransients which may be resistant tohelp because of mental illness or drugaddiction, perhaps by expanding in-voluntary treatment.

Newsom dismissed the idea thatthere is a widespread refusal to ac-cept help if it is offered without barri-ers.

"I think that's bunk,'' he said. ``Thevast majority of people ... will jump atthe opportunity not to live out in theelements." AP

matching funds to boost spending onpreventive health care. Still, his ad-ministration said part of that moneycould go to things such as rent assis-tance if it reduces recipients' need forhealth care services.

Newsom planned to spend thisweek meeting with people experi-encing homelessness and providers

who work with them. GOP Assembly-woman Megan Dahle initially joinedhim at the program northeast of Sac-ramento that provides health assis-tance and low-barrier housing.

``Government matters, but not asimportant as a community,'' he saidwhile standing in a dormitory linedwith bunk beds.

Gavin Newsom

Real estate agent scales new heights with unique triathlonNew York: The real estate agent from

Utah, indulged in a triathlon trainingprogram that at times was straight outof a couch potato's handbook.

All the beer, pizza (cheese mostly)and heavy cream he could consume.

Rob Lea needed that not-so-routinediet to gain a little extra weight for hisnot-so-ordinary sort of climb, swim andbike endeavour he called ``The UltimateWorld Triathlon.''

Lea scaled Mount Everest throughwhipping wind, swam in the frigid wa-ters of the English Channel while endur-ing constant jellyfish stings and rode hisbike, through painful saddle sores, fromone American coast to the other.

All in six months, too. He started onApril 25 as he acclimated at Everestbase camp and finished on October 7by holding his bike aloft while standingin the waves. He did take a brieftimeout in the middle _ to get married.

``What a great adventure,'' Lea saidin a phone interview.

The concept struck him while sittingin a doctor's office. Dealing with anklepain, the physician recommended hegive up running.

His mind wandered. A former swim-mer at the University of California atDavis, he began to think about the En-glish Channel.

Then, a random thought: Would the

English Channel or Everest be more dif-ficult?

More thoughts: How about accom-plishing both? Maybe a bike ride threwin as well?

A plan was hatched.Joining him on the expedition was

professional ski mountaineer CarolineGleich, who married Lea after the En-glish Channel portion of the journey.

To train for Everest, the couple scaledCho Oyu, which is one of the highestsummits in the world. It's also the spotwhere they took their relationship to aneven higher plateau with Gleich pro-posing to him.

Lea said, yes.About two months before their

Everest departure, though, Gleich torethe ACL in her left knee. She climbedEverest anyway.

Instead of trying to summit along thesouth side through Nepal (there was aviral photo of a traffic jam created byclimbers waiting to ascend), they tooka northern route. Despite all the windgusts, they reached the summit on May24 with the thermometer reading mi-nus-35 degrees (minus-37 Celsius).

``I'm speechless and trying to findthe words on what it all means,`` Leawrote on Instagram. ``Guess it's time tostart thinking about swimming the En-glish Channel.'' AP

Lea scaled Mount Everest through whipping wind, swam in

the frigid waters of the English Channel while enduring

constant jellyfish stings and rode his bike, through painful

saddle sores, from one American coast to the other

Health Line


One can be said to be perfectly healthy in body and mind only if no part of the body or mind makes itself felt. A partmakes itself felt only when there is something wrong with it. You know that you have a head only when it aches.

Sri Atmananda (1883 - 1959)

Next-gen radiation therapyfor cancer patients

NEW DELHI: IndraprasthaApollo Hospital in New Delhilaunched the most advancedversion of TomoTherapyRadixact X9-- the smartest ra-diation therapy to treat themost complicated cancertumours. Tomotherapy comesas a boon for cancer treatmentsince it has a higher degree ofprecision, speed and accuracy.Patients find it more comfort-able to be treated under thistechnology owing to the rota-tional helical mechanism, alsothe set-up time is lesser ascompared to other therapies.

"The launch of the most ad-vanced version ofTomotherapy technology is atruly remarkable develop-ment in the field of RadiationOncology. It will be a revolu-tionary step in the treatmentof cancer. With this system, wecan deliver both fractionatedradiotherapy as well as SBRT

and Radiosurgery," saidSuneeta Reddy, Managing Di-rector, Apollo Hospitals

Group."The new generation radia-

tion machine and our highly

experienced team enable usto move ahead towards pre-cise and personalised care,

therefore improving the qual-ity of life of cancer patientsand ensure better clinical out-

comes," Reddy added.Tomotherapy is effective in

treating cancer, irrespective

of the stage, especially mul-tiple metastases. The bestoutcomes are for treatment ofbilateral breast cancer, paedi-atric oncology and all otherforms of cancer.

"We are taking precisionand excellence to the nextlevel with the revolutionaryRadixact-X9: Tomotherapy,system powered by state-of-the-art 3D CT imaging. It usesa linear accelerator to deliverhigh-dose radiation to the tu-mour with sub-millimetre pre-cision," said P Shivakumar,Managing Director,Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals.

"With the most recent in-troduction of Radixact X9, ra-diation oncology has reacheda new horizon in the race of ef-fective curative treatment forcancer. Large field size can betargeted at once. 1.35 cms oflength can be targeted with-out repositioning the ma-chine," Shivakumar added.IANS

Soybean oil diet may trigger genetic changes in brainNEW YORK: Widely con-

sumed soybean oil not onlyleads to obesity and diabe-tes but may also affect neu-rological conditions like au-tism, Alzheimer's disease,anxiety and depression, re-port researchers from Uni-versity of California River-side, including one of Indianorigin.

In a study conducted onmice, the scientists foundpronounced effects of thesoybean oil on the hypo-thalamus where severalcritical processes takeplace.

The research team dis-covered nearly 100 genes -

including the 'love hormone'oxytocin produced in hypo-thalamus -- affected by the

soybean oil diet."The hypothalamus regu-

lates body weight via your me-tabolism, maintains body tem-perature, is critical for repro-

duction and physical growth aswell as your response to

stress," said MargaritaCurras-Collazo, an associateprofessor of neuroscienceand lead author on the studypublished in the journal En-docrinology.

The research team has notyet isolated, which chemicalsin the oil are responsible forthe changes they found inthe hypothalamus.

"But they have ruled outtwo candidates. It is not li-noleic acid since the modi-fied oil also produced ge-netic disruptions; nor is itstigmasterol, a cholesterol-like chemical found naturallyin soybean oil," the studynoted. IANS

AI tool to detectchanges in patients'mental health

NEW YORK: Researchers, in-cluding one of Indian-origin,have developed an artificial in-telligence (AI) tool that can ac-curately detect changes in clini-cal states invoice data of pa-tients with bipolar, schizophre-nia and depressive disorders asaccurately as attending doctors.

"Machine learning allowedus to illuminate the various clini-cally-meaningful dimensions oflanguage use and vocal patternsof the patients over time andpersonalised at each level," saidIndian-origin researcher ShriNarayanan from the Universityof Southern California.

The USC Signal Analysis andInterpretation Lab (SAIL), whichhas long applied artificial intel-ligence and machine learning toidentify and classify video, au-dio and physiological data,partnered with researchers toanalyse voice data from pa-tients being treated for severemental illnesses.

For the results, the research-ers used the 'MyCoachConnect'interactive voice and mobiletool, created and hosted on theChorus platform to providevoice diaries related to theirmental health states.

SAIL team then collaboratedwith researchers to apply artifi-cial intelligence to listen to hun-dreds of voicemails using cus-tom software to detect changesin patients' clinical states.IANS

India PostWellness Post 17

www.indiapost.com

January 24, 2020

LifeCell receives accreditationfrom American Tissue Banks

CHENNAI: LifeCell International,India's premier human cells tissues andgenetics services provider, has now re-ceived accreditation from the AmericanAssociation of Tissue Banks (AATB) for itsbirth tissue products. This accreditationpositions LifeCell as the first & only com-pany not only in India but also outside theUS to receive this accreditation. This ac-creditation certifies the entire process ofconsent, birth tissue acquisition, process-ing, release, storage and distribution.

Birth tissue products include the pla-centa, umbilical cord, and amniotic fluid.Of these the most widely used productis the placental amniotic membrane,which is used as a biological bandage formanagement of wounds in a variety ofspecialities such as podiatry, ophthal-mology, burns, gynaecology, general andplastic surgery. This membrane is distrib-uted in a sterile and dehydrated formand used as an intervention when stan-dard wound care has failed. Over 200growth factors, cytokines and specialityproteins that are naturally present in thetissue act as a catalyst for wound closureenabling a quick healing process. A fast

and effective wound healing processwould substantially decrease medical &hospitalization costs, treatment periodand significantly improve patients' qual-ity of life. The birth tissue products canbe stored at room temperature at hos-pitals / pharmaceutical outlets withoutrequiring any special storage require-ments. Most importantly, it can be usedon any person without requiring any tis-sue matching criteria.

With these significant advantages, therising awareness in the recent past hasled to a surge in usage of these birth tis-sue products. The global market for birthtissue-derived membrane was valued atUSD 2.26 Billion in 2017, with an esti-mated growth of 12% annually.

LifeCell will soon launch the productin India under the brand "Amchoplast"from its a manufacturing facility inChennai.

Mayur Abhaya, Managing Director,LifeCell said, "India is the world's largestbirthing country and therefore providesa natural opportunity for India to a lead-ing supplier of these issues in the world.PTI

www.indiapost.com January 24, 2020

COMMUNITYACROSS AMERICA

India Post

Desi News

Details on page 20

Hari Om Mandircelebrates Lohri

18

Details on page 23

Details on page 21

Panel discussion on Kashmiri Panditexodus held at MA

GEETHA PATIL

WESTBOROUGH: MAKashmiri Overseas Association(KOA) held a panel discussionon the ethnic cleansing, geno-cide, and the tragic "Mass-Exo-dus Day" of Kashmiri Panditsbeing forced out of Kashmir atWestborough, MA on 19 Janu-ary 2020.

Over 3.5 lakh KashmiriPandits were forced to leavetheir ancestral homes andhomeland in the valley follow-ing a very barbaric ethniccleansing and genocidal cam-paign launched by the terror-ists. More than 100 audiencesattended the program.

The program began withthe chanting of Shanti Mantraby Sanjay Saxena and SangeetaSaxena and rememberedthose who were killed.Sunayana Kachroo, a poet, re-cited two poems that narratedwhat happened to Kashmirison 19 January 1990 and howmuch she misses her home-land. Later, distinguished panelmembers spoke on the exodusof Hindus from Kashmir thatoccurred three decades agoby narrating many pennedtheir memories of loss and

pain.Their stories of lost child-

hood lost homes, lost culture,music, and art, mixed with feel-ings of lost friendships, be-trayal and a sense of being dis-owned, dispossessed and up-rooted made audienceempathetic. Few other memberstalked about the current plightof Kashmiris as refugees in theirown country and what and howthe government can help themto re-establish their lives.

Dr Chand Bhanspoke abouthow all the NRI Kashmiris areworking together and gather-ing all the resources to work ontheir agendas that help to endgenocide in the valley. KavitaChibber gave a vivid picture of

how the government and non-government agencies, includ-ing media, were working onthis Kashmir issue. Arti Kaul,who is a famous singer, talkedabout losing Kashmiri culture,

music, and art and how she isworking to restore and reviveit. Dr Omanand Koul spoke elo-quently about the rich historyof Kashmir. Lalit Koul talkedabout the terrorists' violence inKashmir and how they wereforced to flee the Kashmir val-ley by terrorists.

Ms Megha Koul, a medicalstudent here visited Kashmirrefugee camps in India to un-derstand their pain and plightand trying to provide themwith medical services. VikramSalman, a young boy, experi-enced the terror of mass-exo-dus of Kashmiris by Muslimmilitants and narrated thathorrendous story. On that darkday, Kashmiri Hindus weregiven an eviction notice by theMuslim community & the Is-lamic terrorists. It was the daywhen the threat to convert, dieor run away replaced thesounds of morning Azaan fromall mosques in the Valley. Herecalled the horror of wakingup to hear this command.

Panel members

A section of the adience

Ms Sunayan Kachroo reciting a poem

Cont’d on page 23

Chicago SBIcelebrate VishwaHindi DiwasRAMESH SOPARAWALAIndia Post News Service

CHICAGO: It was for the firsttime that Chicago based facil-ity of premiere Indian Bank,State Bank of India, decided tocelebrate Hindi Diwas as partof the worldwide celebrationat its premise. The Bank CEOAmit Jhingran handled the en-tire affair, and it met with a re-markable degree of success.

The Chief Guest for theevent was Indian ConsulSudhakar Dalela. The Guests ofHonor were Gurbachan KaurNeelam, President of Hindi Lov-ers Club and an activist and lit-erary figure Rakesh Malhotra.

AACC to Host 37thAnnual Lunar NewYear Celebration

RAJINDER SINGH MAGO

CHICAGO: Plans are under-way for the Asian AmericanCoalition of Chicago's 37th An-nual Lunar New Year Celebra-tion, to be held on February 8,2020, at the Hyatt RegencyO'Hare Rosemont, a Northsidesuburb of Chicago with about900 people expected at theoptional black-tie gala. Thetheme for the 2020 Annual Lu-nar New Year Celebration is"Advocate. Advance. Achieve".

Details on page 23

Thomas Puthoor:A Gospel singer,Rocks Chicago

SURESH BODIWALA

CHICAGO: Hope UnitedMethodist Church, Naperville asouth-west suburb of Chicagohosted a Gospel Concert withThomas Puthoor last week in-cluding an orchestra by Rich-ard Christian.

India Post 19January 24, 2020 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com

In solidarity withKashmiriPandits

NEELA PNDYA

WASHINGTON, DC: The Hindu Ameri-can Foundation held a candlelight vigilon January 19 in several major cities inthe US to mark the 30th anniversary ofthe Kashmiri Pandit Exodus.

Thirty years ago, Kashmiri Hindus(known as Pandits) in the state ofJammu and Kashmir were forced toleave their ancestral homeland due to

terror and killing by Pakstan sponsoredterrorist in 1990.

The displaced pandits across theworld commemorate January 19 as theholocaust day when more than 3.5 lakhsKashmiris pandits were forced to leavethe state.

On that day, newspapers posted fli-ers, and mosques issued declarationsthat Kashmiri Hindus were infidels andhad to leave Kashmir, convert to Islam,or be killed.

The campaign, according to theformer Ambassador of Pakistan to theUnited States, Hussain Haqqani, waspart of an orchestrated campaign by Is-lamist militant groups sponsored byPakistan's Inter-Services Intelligenceagency to create an Islamic state inKashmir.

The Hindus of the Kashmir Valleywere forced to flee the Kashmir valleyas a result of being targeted by JKLFand Islamist insurgents during late1989 and early 1990. Of the approxi-mately 300,000 to 600,000 Hindus liv-ing in the Kashmir Valley in 1990, only2,000-3,000 remain there in 2016. Janu-ary 19, 1990, is widely remembered byKashmiri Hindus as the tragic "exodusday" of being forced out of Kashmir.

According to the Indian government,more than 62,000 families are regis-

tered as Kashmiri refugees, includingsome Sikh and Muslim families. Mostfamilies were resettled in Jammu, Na-tional Capital Region surrounding Delhiand other neighboring states

The vigils were held at a number ofUS cities that included - Sacramento, CAState Capitol | West Lawn, San Jose, CASan Jose City Hall | West Plaza, Concord,

CA Concord Temple, Milpitas, CA* IndiaCommunity Center, Washington, DCLafayette Square, Naperville, IL*Naperville City Hall | 400 S Eagle St,Edison, NJ* Kashmiri Overseas Associa-tion Day of Remembrance | UmiyaMatajiTemple Philadelphia, PA IndependenceNational Historical Park | People's Plaza,Sugar Land, TX Sugar Land Town Square| City Hall Steps

NOTE: Kashmiri Pandit organizations,not HAF, are organizing events followedby an asterisk following them. We in-clude them here in a spirit of supportand solidarity with these organizations.

Exodus of Kashmir Pandis from their homeland

Candlelight vigil for KashmiriPandit

SUMAN DHAR

Gathering of Indian Americans for a Vigil on Kashmiri Pandits exodus

CHICAGO: Indian Americans fromvarious organizations came out for acandlelight vigil in the suburb of Chi-cago, Naperville to commemorate 30years of exodus of Kashmiri pandit fromthe valley.

There was heart-wrenching storiesfrom daughters of Kashmir Pandits whohave faced the atrocities first hand. Thebiggest betrayal was from theirneighbours and friends from the ma-jority community who had come outon the streets not to help but shoutthe slogans against them in a nutshell

that seared their lives forever.Several community leaders spoke

about the failure of the Governmentin 1990 and observed how things arechanging. They hoped that such aw-ful things would never be allowed tohappen again in India.

The gathering of almost 120people paid homage to all those whohave lost their lives in the last 30 yearsof the struggle. The vigil programended with a poem of hope that theKashmiri Pandits would go back homesoon.

On 19 January 2020,

a candlelit vigil held at

Sugar Land, TX to

commemorate the

forceful eviction of the

Kashmiri Pandit from

Jammu and Kashmir

thirty years ago

January 24, 2020India Post20 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com

Hari Om Mandir celebrates LohriSURESH BODIWALA

CHICAGO: A massive crowdof devotees and participantsthronged the Hari Om Mandirin Medinah, a Chicagonorthside suburb on 12 Januaryto celebrate the Lohri in thetraditional north Indian style.

The special meal of the sea-son - Makki Ki Roti, Saag, Lassiand Gur Wale Chawal alongwith this, the traditional itemslike Bhugga, Popcorn, Rewari,Moongphali, Khajoor

andChirvara was distributed.Another attraction was a

beautiful village set up ofPunjab which depicts the au-thentic culture and ambienceof the festival. Charkha, chakki,yogurt matki, hand cart full ofpeanuts, rickshaws, a cartladen with the harvested crop,manjis, pirhi were some of theeveryday items in the streetsof a Punjab's village were dis-played in this HOM village.

Men with Dhols and women intheir Giddha was also de-picted. Random cows, dogs, aChullah and a kettle of hot tea,completed the entire visual!

The dinner was followedwith all coming to sing anddance l Mona & DeepakSharma along with UshaVerma,Shama Sharma, Veerpal, Pooja,Parveen, Nidhi etc. joined insinging beautiful Punjabi FolkSongs. A Group of Young Girlsled by NehaSobti performedthe traditional Fold Dance ofPunjab - "Giddha" followed by"Jaggo" - another traditionalritual of Punjab.

House of Spices partneredwith Hari Om Mandir this yearbesides donating $1000/- andMakkiKa Atta to the Mandir, onthis occasion.

Last but not least, the LohriBonfire was lighted, andpeople gathered around to of-fer the Prasad items to the HolyGod of Fire. As the "SunderMundriye" Lohri Song echoed

Hari Om Mandir Celebrates Lohri Traditional North Indian Style

Performers -Traditional Folk Dance of Punjab - "Giddha"

Traditional Folk Dance of Punjab - "Giddha"to the beat of Ajay Ghai'sDhol,everybody - young and old -

was seen dancing and enjoy-ing.

Ind-Am painter Lakshmi Shankarreddy creating art for a good cause

Lakshmi Shankarreddy is afine artist from the San

Francisco Bay Area. She grewup in India and currently livesin northern California.

Her parents, both doctors,encouraged her from herchildhood to draw, paint andcreate.

She loves to paint andcontinues to be a profes-sional and practising artist.Lakshmi's artworks havebeen exhibited in art showsin USA and India.

Press has widely pub-lished her art shows.

She is known for her oilpaintings which have her dis-tinctive contemporary touchwith a soft impressioniststyle. She is also an inspiringart educator, having taughtart workshops in the USA andIndia. She has been conduct-ing 'Creating Art for a goodcause 'Art show fundraisersfor nonprofit organizations.

She has been teachingfine art to children, Teens andAdults for the past 29 years.

In her own words - "I am

continuously inspired by thebeauty of nature and to makeArt. Art is my passion and anessential part of my life. Therehas never been anything else Iwanted to be or do.

My muses are many - Kind-ness, Compassion,Nature, UnitedStates of America,India, Indian mythol-ogy, food, festivals,family and friends. Iam delighted toshare my art and in-spiration with you."

h t t p s : / /www.instagram.com/lakshmishankarreddy_artist/?hl=en

www.lakshmishankarreddy.comLakshmi art

workshop - creat-ing art for a goodcause and art edu-cation

Lakshmi Shankarreddy hasbeen teaching art classes atLakshmis Art Workshop, anaward-winning art school inUnion City, San Francisco BayArea and conducting art show

fundraisers for nonprofit orga-nizations - 'Creating art for agood cause 'thus inspiring andencouraging budding artistsand students to create andshare art for a useful purpose.

2013: Student Art Show

Fundraiser for Colorful Minds, CA2015: Student Art Show

Fundraiser for Small Steps Foun-dation, CA

2017: Exhibition of Art Cards-Art show fundraiser for Lucille

Packard Children HospitalStanford CA

2019: Lakshmis Art Workshophas been awarded Best of2019, Art School, Union City CA.

Lakshmi Shankarreddystarted Lakshmis Art Workshop

with the purpose ofteaching art, mainlyvisual arts in all itsmanifestations, be-ginning withchildren's art classes,summer art camps tocourses in Drawing,Painting, Art Portfolioprep for Teens and Oilpainting classes forAdults.

Lakshmis Art Work-shop conducts artclasses and summerart camps which aredesigned to bring outthe creative talent inchildren apart from

imparting skills; the emphasisis on the very free expressionof ideas through art lessons,specially designed projectsand art appreciation. Childrenare introduced to freehand,

model, memory, geometricand perspective drawing.They are encouraged tochoose their manner of ex-pression and learn to createart using various mediumslike pencil art, charcoal, oilpastels, Ink sketches, water-color painting, acrylic paint-ing, oil painting, clay art, col-lage making, mixed media ,printmaking and art history.

Art opportunities:Lakshmis Art Workshop pro-vides art opportunities forstudents and budding art-ists, a platform to displaytheir artworks through artshows, art show fundraisersfor nonprofit organizationsand teaching opportunitiesfor selected advance levelstudents to assist in theclassroom and summercamps.

Artist LakshmiShankarreddy conductsLakshmis Art Workshop

In 2019, Lakshmis artworkshop was awarded Bestof 2019, Art School, UnionCity CA.

Lakshmi Shankarreddy


Chicago SBI celebrate Vishwa Hindi Diwas

Vishwa Hindi Diwas Lamp Lighting SBI CEO Honoring Indian CGSudhakar Dalela

Attendees at SBI Vishwa Hindi Diwas Celebrations

Guests of honor L to R Sudaksha Kapoor, Gurbachan Kaur Neelam, RakeshMalhotra Indian CG Dalela and SBI CEO Amit Jhingran

RAMESH SOPARAWALAIndia Post News Service

CHICAGO: It was for the firsttime that Chicago based facil-

ity of premiere Indian Bank,State Bank of India, decided to

celebrate Hindi Diwas as partof the worldwide celebrationat its premise. The Bank CEOAmit Jhingran handled the en-

tire affair, and it met with a re-markable degree of success.

The Chief Guest for theevent was Indian ConsulSudhakar Dalela. The Guests ofHonor were Gurbachan KaurNeelam, President of Hindi Lov-ers Club and an activist and lit-erary figure Rakesh Malhotra.

The start was with CEOJhingran, welcoming all theguests and accompanying the

Chief Guest for ceremoniallamp lighting. He presentedthe CG Dalela and other guestswith Mementos commensu-rate with the event.

In his brief address, CEOJhingran talked about the im-portance of learning Hindi andthen read out a message fromDinesh Khada, SBI India. Indian

CG Dalela in his speech, spokeabout the celebration ofVishwa Hindi Diwas inChicagoland and emphasizedthe need for the use of Hindilanguage in daily life and con-versation.

Gurbachan Kaur and RakeshMalhotra recited Hindi poems.A Bank officer Mansi Saxenaalso recited a poem penned byher. Another highlight of theprogram was the hosting ofHindi Essay competition, andthe theme was the contribu-tions of Indian origins to theWorld. NupurJhingran evalu-ated essays. The winner wasArun Kumar while the first run-ner was Ashwini ChangadaThere wan an exciting tie forthe second category and threecontestants declared winners.

Indian CG Dalela honouredall the three winners withprize. The programme endedwith a vote of thanks proposedby Ashwini Changada.

Munish Raizada film records second songSURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: After the success-ful release of "Bol re Dilli Bol",Munish Raizada Films has re-leased their second songcalled the "Chanda Song". Thesong is also a part of the up-coming web series called

'Transparency: Pardarshita'.'Produced by Dr Munish

Raizada, 'Kitna Chanda JebMein Aaya' or the 'ChandaSong' is about political funding.Political funding is a way bywhich political parties raise

money for the campaign androutine activities. All politicalparties are publicly funded, i.e.,depended upon public dona-tions.

The song is sung by the fa-mous singer Udit Narayan. The

music is composed by PraveshMallick and written by AnnuRizvi.

Like all political parties, theAAP is also publicly funded.When AAP was formed, it wasrooted in three principles - In-

ternal Vigilances, Transparencyin Political Funding and Decen-tralization of Power. The partystarted a new chapter in theIndian public's life by askingfor donations viacrowdfunding and hence setan ideal for transparency in po-litical funding. So much so, thatArvind Kejriwal, the CM ofDelhi that time challenged allthe other parties to follow suit.

The Aam Aadmi Party hadpromised alternative politics.People had seen hope in theparty. But when the AamAadmiparty removed its donors' listfrom the website in June 2016,they not only strayed from thecore principle of the party butalso slipped away from the pa-rameter of accountability andtransparency. "KitnaChandaJeb Mein Aaya" song is a reflec-tion of disappointment and an-guish by common man againstthe system. It is a clarion call.The song is an appeal to the

party to set their politicsYouTube link of Trailer of theHindi web series named"Transparency": https://youtu.be/TLk4g82F_-8

MunishRaizada is a Chicagobased medical specialist andhas run a campaign'ChandaBandh Satyagraha"against his party. He was co-convener of NRI cell ofAamAadmi Party.

India Post22 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com

January 24, 2020

Dance performance by differently-abled children

Mentally Challenged"DIVYANG" children'sresidential School of

Asmita Vikas Kendra, ofBharuch, Gujarat has per-formed a fantastic culturaldance on "Social Justice Day fordisadvantaged population" atBharuch. Supreme Court Justice

Mukesh Shah and the otherjudges from the state of Gujaratwere present at the event. Chil-dren welcomed all VIPs andguest by performing traditionalprayer geet (song).

December 3 is dedicated a

World disabled day by the in-ternational organization. Thesechildren shared the story of theriver Narmada and performed acultural drama on MahatamaGandhi's idealogy. Union minis-ter Thawar Chand Gahlot anddistrict collector M D Modiawere also present at the event.

Our yoga teacher, Mrs. AvaniPandya(volunteer), who stood#1 in national competition ofyoga in 1998, is teaching ourchildren all techniques of yogaand meditation which has im-proved the overall functions of

our children. We also have pro-fessional Bharat Natyamteacher, Mrs. Vatsa Patel (volun-teer) who continuously teachthese children to improve theirart of dance performance. Au-dience applauds for these chil-dren.

Ten children namely, MehtaRudra, Parmar Akshaya, VasavaKinjal, Yesha Patel, Vyas Hirali,Vasava Prakas, Patel Vikas, andPatel Gopi participated alongwith their three teachers,Trivedi Manisha, Parekh Shilpaand Bhatt Piyush, choreogra-pher Patel Vatsa and yogateacher Pandya Avani. Theseteam has worked very hard.

This school has presently 92Mentally Challenged childrenfrom socially and economicallydisadvantaged population ofGujarat State. Many children in

School Committee chooses next Superintendent

Priya Tahiliani

The Everett School Com-mittee last night selected

Priya Tahiliani to serve as the

next Superintendent ofSchools. In a unanimous vote

that Chairman ThomasAbruzzese called "historic,"

Tahiliani was chosen to leadthe district beginning no

later than July 1, 2020.Currently working on her

doctorate, Ms Tahiliani hasacademic credentials fromHarvard and Boston Univer-

administrator in Boston. MsTahiliani, who is bilingual, hasdemonstrated a great depthof knowledge and under-standing of teaching andlearning and student concernsand is well known in her fieldand among her colleagues. Shehas been noted for her excel-lent communications skills andher understanding of studentsat risk, including new immi-grants and those just learningEnglish.

sity. She presently oversees theOffice of English LanguageLearners having spent almost20 years as an educator and

"Mere Paas Tum Ho" makes you believe a man can be so good!A.Q. SIDDIQUI

If social media reports are tobelieve, Pakistani TV drama

serial, "Mere Pass Tum Ho" hasattracted Indian viewers onYouTube on a large scale. TheARY serial drama that started afew months back and endingthis week has maintained asteady grip on viewers. It is sur-prising how the producer anddirector have managed a scripton the subject of the extramari-tal affair or vivid illicit relationsof a married woman for viewersof not so liberal society.

After a long time, one aes-thetic taste is grasped by sharpand catchy dialogues. "A man isalways half unfaithful, but when awoman is unfaithful, she remainsentirely. Remember old literarysage, Shakespeare's quote,"Frailty thy name is a woman".This drama serial is all about it.

While the drama is takingwoman character to a veryloath full low level, it is glorify-ing a man's role to the unbeliev-able altar. And that is the linewhere drama gets far from re-ality. Of course, by nature,"Frailty thy name is a woman",but there are always factors inmarried life that lead a marriedwoman on the path of extra-marital affair or adultery. Hus-band mostly generates thesefactors towards his wife in mar-ried life. And only these factors

as created by a man for hiswoman makes her unfaithful.

A married woman is neverunfaithful for a choice if her manis caring and loving. And for thisreality, the drama script is fail-ing. Because here the husbandis so caring and friendly, a wifehas no room to be unfaithful.The wife is not satisfied as herhusband is a simpleton, refusingbribe in his job and deprivingher of worldly possessions. Onlythis reason will never make awoman frail to be unfaithful. Butthe writer has a powerful wayto make it believe so. The hus-band brings home a large sumof bribe, shows to his wife andnext day returns the money ashis conscience will not let himaccept it. This action on his partis like keeping milk Infront of acat and taking it away. Makesyou feel fair enough.

But the winning factor in thisdrama serial actor HumayunSaeed. He plays the role of sucha sweet and caring husbandthat any wife will feel proud topossess. He believes that he ison top of the world because hiswife is with him. His belief isshattered. His expression of in-nocence is so vivid that you lovehim. The dialogues are quotedin social media. "Is 2 take kiaurat ke liye" was viral all-overthe social media. Many scenes

and conversations are so catch-ing that you would not want tomiss any episode. In a scenewhen Saeed has to divorce hiswife, and she goes to pick some

stuff in the bedroom, he re-minds her that she cannot en-ter his bedroom.

The big debate this serial israising, shall a man forgive hisunfaithful wife if she is repent-ing? When reminded by friendsthat God forgives and likes

those who forgive, HumayunSaeed reminds his friend thatGod has also kept a ruling forHimself. He will not forgivethose who will associate part-

ners unto Him.Ayza Khan, the beautiful ac-

tress as an adulterous marriedwoman, might have incurredthousands of curses fromwomen viewers, but she is sim-ply convincing in her character.She is lovely and mesmerizing

when she attracts AdnanSiddiqui. But veteran actorAdnan Siddiqui is not so con-vincing in his role. Or he is over-shadowed by the powerfulpresence of Saeed. And aboveall is child actor The ARY digitalserial drama has not ended yetand the last episode will be re-leased this week. The writer hasbeen quoted as saying that menwith weaker hearts shall notwatch the last episode. Thereare also reports that Saeed willscreen the last episode in the-atres. Watch this drama onYouTube if have a taste for litera-ture. All episodes make you feellike reading a novel.

the state do not getadvantaged of this education.Your support and encourage-ment could change the lives ofmany children.

Asmita is appealing to thepublic to join our mission of hu-manity. Asmita Vikas Kendra is anon-profit organization whichworks empower individuals andfamilies, instill self-confidence,promote respect and provide

tangible tools to allow individu-als and families to feel like a val-ued member of the society.

Asmita is focusing on disad-vantaged communities, indi-viduals and families with con-strained financial resources, re-gardless of their caste, genderor religion. Please visit theirwebsite: asmitavikas.org for in-depth details and our contactsinformation.


Panel discussion on KashmiriPandit exodus held at MA

Over half a million innocentpeople had to abandon theirhomes and belongings as theyheaded to safer areas outsideof Kashmir. He said that KashmiriPandits/Hindus were madehomeless overnight, and sincethen they have become refu-gees in our own country. SanjaySaxena talked about how to ex-ercise control over the breed-ing of terrorists and eliminatethem from the valley and safe-guard the lives of the Hindus inKashmir. AnupamWali, he nar-rated how they all struggled inthe initial years being scatteredall over the world and laterformed their KOA to stay to-gether and support each other.

In the end, Dr AbhayaAsthana talked about how thepresent government can helpthem in re-establishingKashmiris' life. At the sametime, he encouraged theKashmiri community to take

the initiative and get moti-vated as all the non-Kashmirisstand behind them.

The panel members an-swered all the questions of theaudiences with the relevantfacts. Sanjay Kaul moderatedthe program very diligently. Heconcluded the program bysaying the denial, misinforma-tion, and silence of the forcedexodus of the Kashmiri Hinducommunity has been rampantin narratives by the press andin discussions and debates allacross the world. It was thusimperative on Kashmiri Over-seas Association to educateothers and to make all effortsto get their voices heard.

Sanjay thanked all the panelmembers for sharing their sto-ries and making suggestionsfor policymaking. He ex-pressed his gratitude for all theparticipants for their interestand support. He also thankedall the volunteers for their helpand services.

Cont’d from page 18

AACC to Host 37th Annual Lunar New Year CelebrationRAJINDER SINGH MAGO

CHICAGO: Plans are under-way for the Asian AmericanCoalition of Chicago's 37th An-nual Lunar New Year Celebra-tion, to be held on February 8,2020, at the Hyatt RegencyO'Hare Rosemont, a Northsidesuburb of Chicago with about900 people expected at theoptional black-tie gala. Thetheme for the 2020 Annual Lu-nar New Year Celebration is"Advocate. Advance. Achieve".

This year's Lunar New YearGala welcomes the Year of theRat 4718. The Cocktail Recep-tion begins, and exhibits andthe political forum will start at4:30 p.m. Opening Ceremoniesare at 6:30 p.m. with dinner,entertainment and awardspresentation following untilapproximately 10 p.m. Ticketsare $1000 per table of ten.

Every year a different Asian

community takes a turn play-ing the host of Lunar New Year.This year it is the Indian Ameri-can Community, for the thirdtime hosting the Asian PacificAmerican community'smost importantevent of the year.The IndianAmerican Com-munity lasthosted thisevent in 2011.An event held onthis grand of a scaleonly once a year. LunarNew Year is the largest annualcelebration of its type in theMidwest.

A good number of dignitar-ies traditionally attend the fes-tivities, including the Asianconsular corps, elected andappointed governmental offi-cials, political candidates, top

business and corporate lead-ers, decision-makers and on-airtalent at Chicago's major me-dia press outlets, According tothe U.S. Census, there are 21.4

million people of Asian de-scent in America

(2017). The numberis growing by 20per cent annually.Illinois has thes i x t h - l a r g e s tAsian population

in the USAAWARDS

The Coalition plans toaward its prestigious Pan AsianAmerican Ping Tom MemorialAward - its highest award - thatevening. The Coalition alsoplans to award its Grand AsianAmerican Sandra Otaka Memo-rial Award, that evening. TheGrand Asian American Award isperiodically presented to a

non-Asian Friend of the AsianCommunity. Betides there willbe an award its 2020 Exem-

plary Community ServiceAwards and its Youth Who Ex-cels Awards that evening.

Thomas Puthoor: A Gospelsinger, rocks Chicago

SURESH BODIWALA

CHICAGO: Hope UnitedMethodist Church, Naperville asouth-west suburb of Chicagohosted a Gospel Concert withThomas Puthoor last week in-cluding an orchestra by Rich-ard Christian, Base Guitarist:John Mall, Keyboard Players:Joel Christian,ShahjadMarkas, andSound: Tariq Khan Itwas an evening of mu-sic, testimonies, anddedication to God.

Rev Avani Christian,Pastor of the Church,welcomed all and in-vited them for the up-coming events in theworship of the Church.The program startedwith an invocation byPastor Paul Morris.BlessonMacloen wasthe MC of the Pro-gram. He introduced ThomasPuthoor, a renowned interna-tional gospel singer who hassung in many languages -Hindi, Gujarati, Malayalam andSwahili. Puthoor is ministeringthrough singing for last 26years and has done musical

programs in the US, Singapore,London, Canada, Fiji Island, Aus-tralia, Kenya, New Zealand, Tan-zania and India.

Thomas Puthoor dedicatedhis life to bring God's love andworship through music fortwenty-six years. He is from

Kenya and is the Managing Di-rector of one of the largest ap-parel manufacturing Compa-nies in Kenya since last 17years.

He sang his first song with asoul touching song called"TerepaasAaata Ho". Hope

UMC choir for chorus accompa-nied him. Then he sang aGujarati song,MaguIshwaraatlu" which wassoul searching song ofstrength and courage in timesof difficulty and uncertainty. Hecontinued many songs and

showed God's gift.The evening ended with

dinner and Garba with ThomasPuthoor'sGarba songs. To-gether We Serve, Rev AvaniChristian and Pastor, HopeUnited Methodist Church.

GOSPEL Singer Thomas with Rev Christian and BabuVerma with Kid


In Brief Immigration

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"The law to grant

citizenship based on

religion violates India's

international legal obliga-

tions and its constitution,

which guarantees the

rights to equality and

nondiscrimination,"

US Senator urges Pompeo to 'press'India for reversal of CAA, NRC

WASHINGTON: A top USSenator has urged Secretary ofState Mike Pompeo to pressthe Indian government for a"swift reversal" of theamended Citizenship Act andthe proposed National Regis-ter of Citizens to ensure theprotection of human rights ofall persons in the country re-gardless of their religion.

In a letter to Pompeo, Sena-tor Bob Menendez, a rankingmember of the powerful Sen-ate Foreign Relations Commit-tee, expressed concern overthe Citizenship AmendmentAct (CAA) and the potential forthe establishment of a nation-wide National Register of Citi-zens (NRC) in India.

Asserting that the US mustremain steadfast in defendingdemocratic values, freedomsand human rights, he said, "Iurge the Administration to en-gage the Indian government atthe highest levels on theseconcerns, press for a swift re-versal of these policies andpractices, and ensure protec-tion of the human rights of allpersons in India regardless oftheir religion."

According to the CAA, mem-bers of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist,Jain, Parsi and Christian com-munities who have come from

Pakistan, Bangladesh and Af-ghanistan till December 31,2014, following religious per-secution there will get Indiancitizenship.

"The law to grant citizenshipbased on religion violatesIndia's international legal obli-gations and its constitution,which guarantees the rights toequality and nondiscrimina-tion," Menendez said.

"The citizen registry has al-

ready disproportionately af-fected Muslims in India. Theseefforts threaten India's long his-tory of secularism and demo-cratic values," claimed the

Democrat leader who representsNew Jersey, which has amongthe highest concentration of In-dian-Americans in the US.

"Despite the government'sclaims that the Citizenship Billseeks to protect religious mi-norities, its failure to include

Muslim groups facing persecu-tion in neighbouring countries,such as Pakistan's Ahmadiyyaand Burma's Rohingya, signalan anti-Muslim intent," wrotethe Senator.

Menendez also expressedconcerns over reports of inju-ries and deaths of peacefuldemonstrators protesting theCAA and the proposed nation-wide NRC.

Referring to the NRC, theSenator said in October lastyear. He had travelled to Indiaduring which he met with civilsociety activists who expresseddeep concern about the "trajec-tory of these policies and itsnegative impact on the futureof democracy in India".

"The government's efforts inAssam has left effectively 1.9million persons, primarilyBengali-speaking Muslims,stateless. The government ap-pears to now be extending thiseffort across the country," hesaid.

The NRC exercise was con-ducted in Assam on the direc-tions of the Supreme Court. PTI

Bob Menendez

US to send Mexican migrants 1,000 miles from borderPHOENIX: The Trump admin-

istration said it will start de-porting about 250 Mexicans aweek on flights from Tucson,Arizona, to Guadalajara, over1,000 miles from the border.

The move reflects how Mexi-cans have become a higher pri-ority in border enforcement asfewer Central Americans headto the U.S. The flights aim to de-ter attempts at crossing theborder illegally by sendingpeople deeper into Mexico.

Immigration authorities be-gan the repatriation flights toMexico's interior in December.The Department of HomelandSecurity said there will be twoflights a week, starting January 24

Heather Swift, a departmentspokeswoman, said the flightssatisfy a longstanding requestof the Mexican governmentand will take people who aredeported closer to their home-towns. Mexicans from states

that border the U.S. will not beput on the flights.

Mexicans are exempt from aU.S. policy introduced a yearago to make asylum-seekerswait in Mexico for hearings inU.S. immigration court. More

than 56,000 asylum-seekershad been turned back by theend of November, according toSyracuse University's Transac-tional Records Access Clear-inghouse, about two-thirds ofthem Guatemalan or Hondu-

ran.The policy, called ``Migrant

Protection Protocols,'' has ex-panded across the border asthe number of Central Ameri-cans arriving at the border hasplunged.AP

The move reflects how Mexicans have becomea higher priority in border enforcement asfewer Central Americans head to the U.S.

Gurdwara defacedwith swastikagraffiti in US

WASHINGTON: In an appar-ent hate crime, a SikhGurdwara in the US state ofCalifornia has been defacedwith a swastika graffiti.

Police officials took state-ments from the Granthi (priest)of Guru Maneyo GranthGurdwara Sahib in Orangevale,California.

People saw the words"White Power" and a swastikagraffitied onto the sign outfront. "I strongly condemn theracist graffiti spray-painted at aSikh house of worship inOrangevale," Indian-AmericanCongressman Dr Ami Bara said.

He said that California's 7th

congressional district is a com-munity of diversity and inclu-sion, and the Sikh community isan integral part of it.

Dimple Kaur Bhullar from theGuru Maneyo Granth GurdwaraSahib Sangat said, "we beganservices as of mid-December2019, the weekend of January10-12 we had our official GrandOpening with Bhai SahibHarjinder Singh Ji Sri Nagar wale,without any problems. Therewas no negativity before this".

In a statement, Sikh AmericanLegal Defence and EducationFund, the oldest Sikh Americancivil rights and advocacyorganisation, condemned thehate speech that defaced theGuru Maneyo Granth GurdwaraSahib in Orangevale.

Philosophy

January 24, 2020 India Post 25www.indiapost.com

Perspective

Available on AMAZON, FLIPKART

50 SPIRITUAL APPETIZERSVinod Dhawan

“It’s a lovely book. It feels en-

ergetically clear and light. It’s

easy to read, dip in and out and

most importantly it offers infor-

mation without fluff! Blessings

on this project.”Jac O’Keeffe

Spirituality teacher based inUSA.

Excerpted from 'In Search of theMiraculous' in which P.D.Ouspensky quotes teachings ofGurdjieff

Man's chief delusion is his con-viction that he can do. All

people think that they can do, allpeople want to do, and the first ques-tion all people ask is what they are todo. But actually nobody does anythingand nobody can do anything. This isthe first thing that must be under-stood.

Everything happens. All thatbefalls a man, all that is done by him,all that comes from him - all this hap-pens. And it happens in exactly thesame way as rain falls as a result of achange in the temperature in thehigher regions of the atmosphere orthe surrounding clouds, as snowmelts under the rays of the sun, asdust rises with the wind.

"Man is a machine. All his deeds,

actions, words, thoughts, feelings,convictions, opinions, and habits arethe results of external influences, ex-ternal impressions. Out of himself aman cannot produce a singlethought, a single action. Everythinghe says, does, thinks, feels - all thishappens. Man cannot discover any-thing, invent anything. It all happens.

"To establish this fact for oneself,to understand it, to be convinced ofits truth, means getting rid of a thou-sand illusions about man, about hisbeing creative and consciously orga-nizing his own life, and so on. There isnothing of this kind.

Everything happens - popularmovements, wars, revolutions,changes of government, all this hap-pens. And it happens in exactly thesame way as everything happens inthe life of individual man. Man is bornlives, dies, builds houses, writes books,not as he wants to, but as it happens.Everything happens. Man does notlove, hate, desire - all this happens.

"But no one will ever believe youif you tell him he can do nothing. Thisis the most offensive and the mostunpleasant thing you can tell people.It is particularly unpleasant and of-

fensive because it is the truth, and no-body wants to know the truth.

"When you understand this it willbe easier for us to talk. But it is onething to understand with the mindand another thing to feel it with one's"whole mass,' to be really convincedthat it is so and never forget it.

"With this question of doing" (G.emphasized the word), "yet anotherthing is connected. It always seems topeople that others invariably do thingswrongly, not in the way they should bedone. Everybody always thinks hecould do it better. They do not under-stand, and do not want to understand,that what is being done, and particu-larly what has already been done inone way, cannot be, and could not havebeen, done in another way.

Have you noticed how everyonenow is talking about the war? Every-one has his own plan, his own theory.Everyone finds that nothing is being

done in the way it ought to be done.Actually everything is being done inthe only way it can be done. If onething could be different everythingcould be different. And then perhapsthere would have been no war.

"Try to understand what I am say-ing: everything is dependent on ev-erything else, everything is con-nected, nothing is separate. Thereforeeverything is going in the only way itcan go. If people were different every-thing would be different. They arewhat they are, so everything is as it is."

George Ivanovich Gurdjieff was amystic, philosopher, spiritual teacher,and composer of Armenian andGreek descent. His 136th birth anni-versary was observed on January 13.

Nobody does anything,everything happens

G.I. Gurdjieff

All that befalls a man, all that is doneby him, all that comes from him - allthis happens

Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal to the author

Righting the Wrongs ofHistory in Kashmir

VENKAT NAGARAJAN

On August 2019, the Indian gov-ernment revoked the specialstatus of the Indian state of

Jammu and Kashmir to fully integratethe state within India and put thestate's citizens on an equal footing withthe citizens of the country.

Since then, there have been numer-ous articles in the media that have criti-cized the Government of India.

All these articles have focused onMuslims of Kashmir and portrayedthem as victims of domination of a re-surgent Hindu India.

This narrative, which is based on aninflexible ideology that views Mus-lims as victims and Hindus as aggres-sors, is myopic and not supported byhistorical facts. Fact confirms thatthe Hindus of Kashmir are the real vic-tims and that they have suffered un-der the hegemony of Islamic domina-tion since Islam was brought to Kash-mir by invaders in the 12th century.

With the Islamic invasion of Kash-mir, which began in the 12th century,the downfall of Hindus and Hinduismin Kashmir started to.

The pluralistic culture of Kashmirstarted to erode, and the Hindupopulation began to decline overtime due to a variety of factors, in-cluding local rulers' privileging of Is-lam to outright ethnic cleansing. Theperiod ranging from 1752-1819 wasthe most brutal.

During this time, Kashmir wasdominated by Islamic invaders fromAfghanistan. Ethnic cleansing was or-chestrated through forced conver-sions, the imposition of draconiantaxes called Jizya, and the destructionof places of worship.

There is a plethora of evidence sup-porting the brutality of the Islamicrule, but only three crucial pieces ofevidence are noted here. First andforemost is the outright elimination ofthe Hindu population of Kashmir.

Hindus, Buddhists and members ofother Indic religions constituted100% of Kashmir's population beforethe 12th century, but the 1901 cen-sus noted that Hindus only repre-sented 5% of the people of Kashmir.Second, there are numerous partiallyor fully destroyed temples all overKashmir; these temples serve as tes-timony to the brutality of Islamic rule.

Lastly, as noted in Walter R.Lawrence's book titled "The Valley ofKashmir", there is a neighborhood inthe Kashmir Valley that is called theGraveyard of the Pundits, where thebrutal Afghani ruler Asad Khan usedto drown Hindus in grass sacks; thename of this neighborhood also af-firms the brutality of Islamic rule.

The subjugation of the remainingHindus in Kashmir continued afterIndia's independence. The Islamic Re-public of Pakistan invaded and occu-pied part of Kashmir, which is todayreferred to as Pakistan OccupiedKashmir ("POK"). Upon occupation,the Islamic republic ethnicallycleansed the Hindus that remained inthe part of Kashmir that it occupiedsuch that, the non-Muslim populationof POK today is virtually zero.

This is consistent with the designof the neighboring Islamic countriesof Pakistan and Bangladesh, whichtogether have experienced a signifi-cant decrease in their Hindu popula-tions. Specifically, in Bangladesh, thepopulation of Hindus stood at 23% in1951 and now stands at 9.6%.

Having ethnically cleansed theHindus in POK, the Islamic Republicof Pakistan focused on instigating anew wave of violence and intimida-tion to get rid of the remaining Hin-dus in Kashmir.

In this respect, in 1990, the Islam-ists of Kashmir, aided by the IslamicRepublic of Pakistan, managed to or-chestrate the ethnic cleansing of theremaining Hindus from Kashmir. Spe-cifically, on the fateful night of Janu-ary 19, 1990, Islamists broadcastpublic threats against the Hindus.

They demanded that the Hinduseither convert to Islam or leave theKashmir Valley and threatened to killany Hindus that did not accept oneof their two demands.

In the aftermath of that day, sev-eral hundred Hindus were killed,and many Hindu women wereraped. Eventually, approximately400,000 Hindus fled the Kashmir Val-ley and sought refuge in other partsof India. To this day, the vast major-ity of Kashmiri Hindus continue toendure severe living conditions asrefugees displaced within their owncountry.

26 January 24, 2020India Postwww.indiapost.com

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Every Saturday• Hindi Club of Illinois conducts

free Hindi classesBy Anil Yesudas 773 580 6510

Venue: Shree Ganesh Temple of

Chicago, 2545 W. Devon Ave., Chicago

Il 60650

Both kids and adults welcome.

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.www.hindiclub.orgTime: 01:30pm to 2:30pm

CHICAGOUpcoming

ATLANTAUpcoming

Sun, Mar 08• Carnatic 2.0 Fusion MusicalConcert - AtlantaVenue: Berkmar High School, 405Pleasant Hil l Road, Lilburn, GA30047Time: 07:00 pm

NEW JERSEYUpcoming

NEW YORKUpcoming

Sat, Jan 25• Desi Saturdays - Weekly SaturdayNight DesiParty at Stage48 NYC

V e n u e :

Stage48, 605 W

48th St, New

York, NY 10036

Time : 10:00 pm

Sat, Mar 7• Holi In The City : NYC's Biggest

Festival of Colors Holi Party

Venue: Stage 48, 605 West 48th Street,

New York, NY 10036

Time : 12:00 pm

Fri, Jan 24• Salute India - Republic DayBollywood BashVenue: Dorrian's Red Hand, 555washington blvd, Jersey City, NJ 07310Time: 09:00 pm

Sat, Jan 25• Dance Pe Chance 2020Venue: Patriots Theater at the WarMemorial, 1 Memorial Drive, Trenton,NJ 08608Time: 04:00 pm

WASHINGTON DCUpcoming

Fri, Mar 20• Jaspreet Singh Stand-Up ComedyLive - Washington DCVenue: McLean High School, 1633Davidson Rd, McLean, VA 22101Time: 07:30 pm

Sun, Apr 19• Festival Of ColorsVenue: Bull Run Regional Park, 7700Bull Run Dr, Centreville, VA 20121Time: 12:00 pm

India Post 27January 24, 2020 Datebookwww.indiapost.com

Fri, Feb 14• Multicultural Fundraiser Fashion

Show

Venue: The Carlisle, 435 E Butterfield

Rd, Lombard, IL 60148

Time: 06:30 pm

NORTHERN CALIFORNIAUpcoming

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAUpcoming

Fri, Feb 14• Valentine's PartyVenue: Encore Banquet Hall, 7850

Beach Boulevard, Buena Park, CA

90620Time: 07:00 pm

Sat, Feb 29• SMAP Shiv Jayanti Celebra-tions - Los Angeles

Venue: Woodrow Wilson Classical

High School Auditorium, 4400 East

10th Street, Long Beach, CA 90804Time: 03:00 pm

Sat, Mar 7• Abhishek Upmanyu Stand-UpComedy: Live in Los AngelesVenue: Carr Auditorium, 750 North

Fairview Street, Santa Ana, CA 92703Time: 07:00 pm

ILLINOISUpcoming

TEXASUpcoming

Sat, Mar 7• HTW Holi 2020 Festival of

Colors

Venue: Hindu

Temple of the

W o o d l a n d s ,

7601 S Forestgate Dr Texas, The

Woodlands, TX 77382Time: 11:00 am

Sat, Mar 7• Bombay Jazz - Mar 7, 2020 - Mar

8, 2020

Venue: TBD, TX, Houston, TX 77002Time: 05:00 pm

Sun, Feb 16• Laughter Night with Comedy King

Umer Dharif

Venue: North Shore Center for the

Performing Arts, 9501 Boulevard,

Skokie, IL 60077

Time: 08:00 pm

Sat, Jan 25• The Art of Memory and

MemorizationVenue: Cisco Building 24, 510McCarthy Boulevard, Milpitas, CA

95035

Time: 08:00 am

Sat, Jan 25•Dr Gnanasambandan Pongal

Special Pattimandram

Venue: University of Silicon Andhra,

521 California Circle, Milpitas, CA

95035

Time: 04:00 pm

Fri, Feb 07• Bollywood Nights Breakup Party -

Anti-Valentines Bash

Venue: Fuz Lounge, 58 South 1st Street,

San Jose, CA 95113

Time: 10:00 pm

Sat, Feb 29• Unity in Diversity Music Concert

Venue: Bay area

Contact: Darshana Bhuta Music

Academy, Ticket inquiry contact

Narendra ji @ 914.714.8310 or

Darshana ji @ 510.910.9764

28 Edit Pagewww.indiapost.com

January 24, 2020India Post

Finally justice for KashmiriPandits

#Humwapasayenge was trending on twitter on January 19,while many must have ignored the trend taking it as anothermovie or campaign promotion. But, one of the tweet catchesthe glimpse which reads, "We have been made a forgottencommunity. Our culture is fading. Our existence is underthreat…"

On January 19, not just social media, but, the whole coun-try commemorates the mass exodus of the Kashmiri Panditfrom their own home almost 30 years ago. Threat and killingstarted long before January 19. Since then, Kashmiri Panditshas picked January 19 as their "exodus day." Yet, the date isanother day, those who left the beautiful valley must havemissed the serenity, calm and home since then.

Not only social media but candlelight vigil and the silent pro-test were held by the hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits includingchildren and others were gathered at Jantar Mantar and differ-ent part across the world. The protesters demanded that theirhuman rights be restored as they have faced discriminationover the years and are given step-motherly treatment.

Undoubtedly, the killing of the Kashmiri in 1990 under thewatch of the administrator was a deplorable event. The an-nouncement from the mosque left a little corner for thePandits at that time to believe that their neighbour could betrusted. The departure of 1990 - the trigger was set in 1989when the country was headed by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhiand the state was ruled by Farooq Abdullah. The attacks werestarted by then and went on. The government fails to takeany precautionary steps. According to many Kashmiri Journal-ist, 1989 saw a sudden shift in the attitude of Kashmiri Muslimyouth, when the teenaged boys were chanting Azadi fromIndia, leading to the killing of 79 Kashmiri youth in 1989 andleading mass exodus in 1990.

Finally, after thirty long years, the demand for resettlementof Kashmiri Pandits back to valley seems to reach a newheight. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) election manifesto hassaid that their party is dedicated to shifting Kashmiri Panditsto their homeland with honour and safeguards.

BJP has not only assured the Pandits to shift them to theirhomeland. But, this is the first time when Kashmiri Pandits arevoicing their concern in such a large number for returning tothe valley. The communities have been organising similar pro-tests for many years. Still, recent developments in their homestate have given a boost to the morale of the city, which wasevident in the slogans raised during the protest.

Not just today, but, in the 1990s too, Bal Thackeray was thefirst person by offering 1000 seats in the technical colleges ofMaharashtra without capitation fees. That was the revival ofthe next generation of Kashmiri Pandit's engineer. What Con-gress offered was tents, the of refugee in their own countryand food for refugees.

Today, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi government,many steps have been taken to curb terrorism in the state.The brainwashed Muslim youth who were earlier involved instone-pelting incident against their own country, are nowlooking for jobs and career opportunity for themselves. Afterthe end of section 370 and bifurcating the state, the NarendraModi government has created huge expectations and hopesthat he'll be able to keep it.

Investment Strategy 2.0TAPONEEL MUKHERJEE

Recently, market com-mentator SaurabhMukherjea pointed out

the formalisation in varioussectors of the Indian economyleading to the emergence ofone or two giants in each in-dustry, thereby creating a mar-ket structure where a largershare of the profits sits withfewer firms. The price actionIndia witnessed last year withthe BSE Sensex soaring even asBSE Small-Cap index failed tokeep up would provide furthercredence to the theory.

The above-mentioned abil-ity of large firms to capturelarger profit shares and invest-ment dollars would imply thatthere is value in considering abusiness that can create"accretive" growth platformsthat, in turn, can create futuregiants. Essentially, now is per-haps the time when investors,including local conglomeratesand foreign funds, must look atsectors that still have struc-

tural demand but are con-strained by poor capital alloca-tion and, more importantly,lack of access to capital. Thetrifecta of deal sourcing, deal-making, and truly creating op-erating efficiencies can be agame-changer.

Primarily, the major focus forfunds in India has been oncarve-outs or traditionalbuyouts of companies in India.In a carve-out, the fund prima-rily acquires an asset that per-haps a large conglomerate isdivesting.

Alternatively, the traditionalbuyout business has seen in-vestors take a stake in an exist-ing business. Going forward,creating "platform companies"that can be growth accretiveplatforms is a strategy worthpursuing.

The focus of the "platformcompanies" will have to be notjust growth, but growth thatcan drive the levers of valuecreation through volume ex-

pansion and margin improve-ment at the same time.

Quite simply, one can thinkof the value of businesses asthe present value of the freecash flows a firm generates.The free cashflow is essentiallythe difference between the"return on capital" and "cost ofcapital". The phenomenonSaurabh Mukherjea talks aboutis the fact that smaller busi-nesses in India have struggledto generate a significantlyhigher return on capital overand above their cost of capital.And this is where investorsneed to step in to creategrowth-oriented platformsthat can generate profitsthrough creating efficiencies.

While creating such plat-forms, the focus must remainon using growth and relatedscale advantages to expandmargins and indeed, createpricing power, lower cost ofborrowing and improve oper-ating leverage. Fundamentally,

improve free cashflows signifi-cantly.

The ability to create plat-forms that can be profitableand generate value will stemfrom the capacity to truly ex-pand margins and lower thecost of capital through acquisi-tions and growth that do helpin achieving the two objec-tives.

The phenomenon of largeefficient companies capturingmore significant market shareis amongst other factors drivenby the virtuous cycle of a lowercost of capital allowing them todo "projects" that offer a lowerreturn and yet the project stillhelps them reduce their costof capital further -- therebycreating a cycle of growth,margin expansion and profit-ability.

To illustrate the above point,suppose there are two compa-nies A and B. Company A has acost of capital of 10 per centwhile that for Company B is 14

per cent. A project that offersa return of 12 per cent is notonly profitable for company Abut may even assist in syner-gies that may help furtherlower the cost of capital forcompany A. What the "inners"as such have been able to do isto continually work towardsgrowth that has assisted themin creating more substantialfree cashflows, thereby allow-ing them a lion's share of sec-tor profits.

Value accretive investmentplatforms are a phenomenonquite visible in the West. Whiletheir merits and demerits canbe debated, the fact remainsthat when done well, they havecreated significant value. TheIACs and AB InBevs of the worldhave demonstrated thatgrowth-oriented accretive plat-forms can generate value for all,including for both the end con-sumer and shareholders.

Creating such platforms willalso allow investors to have ahigher level of control on thedebt structure of the business.Issues around debt have hurtinvestors and businesses alikein India. When one adds to themix that Indian debt-marketsare still evolving, one realisesthat a good investment thesis inIndia will require much morethought, control and executionaround the capital structure.Identifying high-demand sec-tors is a good start, but unless inthe long-run one can ensure thatthe return on capital is higherthan the cost of capital, highgrowth may not always guaran-tee high investment returns.

In the quest for the nextphase of growth and returns,growth accretive platformsdeserve focus. However, suc-cess will need time and opera-tional diligence. The winners oftomorrow may be decided inno small extent by the capac-ity to be hands-on and createthe next phase of free-cash-flow generators.

(The views expressed in thisarticle are personal and that ofthe author. The author headsDevelopment Tracks, an advi-sory firm. You can contact himat taponeel.mukherjee @de-velopment-tracks.com or@Taponeel on Twitter)

Primarily, the major focus for funds in India hasbeen on carve-outs or traditional buyouts ofcompanies in India. In a carve-out, the fundprimarily acquires an asset that perhaps a

large conglomerate is divesting


www.indiapost.comPunjab Post

Doaba region to become maize processing hubJASWANT SINGH GANDAM / RAMAN NEHRAIndia Post News Service

PHAGWARA: Newly-appointedKapurthala Deputy Commissioner SmtDeepti Uppal Wednesday visitedSukhjit Mega Food Park(SMFP) atnearby Rehana Jattan village to takestock of the progress of the work of theproject.

On her maiden visit to Phagwara af-ter assuming charge as DC, Smt Uppalalso presided over the meeting ofMega Food Park CoordinationCommittee(MFPCC).

She inspected cold store, maize pro-cessing plant and other units of the Parkand expressed her satisfaction over theongoing work.

Addressing the meeting, she saidthat the Punjab government was leav-ing no stone unturned in promotingindustrialisation in the state.

"Due to it, Doaba region is going to

become maize processing hub of statesoon", she maintained.

She said that by March the Park, hav-ing the capacity of processing over twolakh tonnes of maize annually, will start

functioning.Bhavdeep Sardana, member Secre-

tary/Convener MFPCC and DheerajSardana, Director SMFP said that thePark, coming up on 55-acre area with

ultra-modern machines, will process600-tonne maize daily.

They said, "The purpose of the Park isto generate significant demand ofmaize - a crop having austere use ofwater, help break wheat-paddy cropcycle with view to diversification, cre-ate affordable infrastructure for thefood processing industry, facilitate di-rect procurement of various crops,stabilise underground water table andprovide relief from pollution caused bypaddy stubble/residue('parali') burn-ing".

They claimed the project was near-ing its completion and will hopefullystart functioning in March.

Kapurthala ADC(D) SP Angra, PhagwaraADC Gurmit Singh Multani, SDMGurvinder Singh Johal accompanied DC.

She earlier visited Phagwara TehsilComplex and held meeting with offi-cials in SDM's office.

America's Western University of Health Sciences(WesternU) and LPU collaborates

Jubilant on the MoU signing at LPU Head Division of International Affairs Mr Aman Mittal, President Dr Daniel R. Wilson andConsultant Ambassador Mr TJ Barring of Western University USA

JASWANT SINGH GANDAM / RAMAN NEHRAIndia Post News Service

PHAGWARA: Western University ofHealth Sciences (WesternU), California,USA and Lovely Professional University(LPU) have collaborated to achieve vari-ous objectives for mutual developmentin the areas of academic and research,according to recent varsity release.

Cooperativeprograms be-tween the twouniversities areto promotes u s t a i n a b l eeducation andscholarly activi-ties. Collabora-tive programswill enhanceintellectual lifeand culturaldevelopmentof both the in-stitutions.

Head Divi-sion of Interna-tional Affairs atLPU Mr AmanMittal informed that this MoU will facili-tate visits by students and faculty, ofboth the universities, to learn about thestudy environment and culture in thehost country. He shared: "We are proudto sign MoU with WesternU as it is awide-ranging university of the UnitedStates with amazing opportunities forstudents and staff members. With out-

standing commitment, it always workson innovations, which enhances its glo-bal profile."

MoU was signed between the twouniversities by the President Dr DanielR. Wilson of the Western University ofHealth Sciences (USA) and Registrar DrMonica Gulati of Lovely ProfessionalUniversity, India. MoU is for Joint educa-

tional and research activities; exchangeof visiting scholars and students to eachother university; sharing and creation ofeducational materials and resources;and, other related endeavours as mutu-ally agreed upon. Consultant Ambassa-dor Mr TJ Barring of WesternU was alsopresent on this occasion.

The most active in a broad range of

teaching, administration and researchprograms, Dr Wilson holds that all at theeducational institutions should focus oninclusive teamwork at all levels. For himhealthcare and education is a social en-deavour. So, the focus must be on affin-ity and alignment with other universi-ties, health systems, community organi-zations, and outside innovators. Illustra-

tive, Western University of Health Sci-ences holds a unique place in the firma-ment of American higher education.Founded on a philosophy of humanistic,compassionate care, the University hasenjoyed phenomenal growth andevolved into the most comprehensivegraduate health sciences university inthe United States.

Lohri celebratedfor 101 daughtersJASWANT SINGH GANDAM /RAMAN NEHRAIndia Post News Service

PHAGWARA: To end gender dis-crimination and break the tradi-tional shackles of son-fixation, theawakened section of people havestarted celebrating Lohri for new-born daughters as well.

It may be mentioned here thatLohri is traditionally celebrated fora newly-born son.

Union minister of state for Com-merce and Industry Som Parkashjoined Lohri celebration for 101newly born daughters.

The 'Dhian Di Lohri' function wasorganised by his wife and social ac-tivist Aneeta Som Parkash.

Gifts and Lohri-related sweetslike reoris, gatchak, chirwadas weregiven to the newly born daughtersand their mothers.

The traditional bonfire was alsoorganized.

Addressing a gathering on thisoccasion, Som Parkash hailed thechanging social scenario in whichLohri festival was also being cel-ebrated for a girl-child.

Calling it a new-age brand ofwomen empowerment, Parkashmaintained that by changing themedieval mindset of celebratingLohri only for a newly born malechild, people were now talking togender equality and doing awaywith discrimination against women.

1 Dheeme Dheeme: Pati Patni

Aur Who

2 Munna Badnaam Hua: Dabang 3

3 Shaitan ka Saala: Housefull 4

4 Akhiyon se Goli Maare:

Pati Patni Aur Who

5 Muqabla: Street Dancer 3D

6 Sauda Khara Khara: Good

Newwz

7 Don't Be Shy Again:

Bala

8 Naah Goriye: Bala

9 Chandigarh Mein:

Good Newwz

10 Makhna: Drive

www.indiapost.com30 India Post January 24, 2020

TOPTOPTOPTOPTOP TENTENTENTENTENHINDI SONGS

Actor Saif Ali Khan says his upcomingrom-com "Jawaani Jaaneman" is aboutaccepting age, and responsibilities as a

father. He also praised his co-actor Tabu sayingshe is one of the best actors in the country.

"This story is about a man accepting his age,his responsibilities and his journey in life. I thinkthe father is one of the most important peoplein our lives.

A lot of people mess up being a father andcreate children that need therapy, that need

Superstar Aamir Khan's daughter Ira Khan hasalways been open about her relationship

with boyfriend Mishaal Kirpalani, and she saysshe never intended to hide anything.

"I wasn't trying to be open about it. I wasjust posting what I felt like posting. I try andkeep my account pages as real as I can. And thatis what I felt like posting and so I posted it," Irasaid when asked about her decision to be openabout her relationship status.

MUMBAI: Actress Raveena Tandon sayssensuality is not about shedding yourclothes, but about how one carries it off.

"Sensuality is not about shedding yourclothes. You can be sensuous in whateveryou wear. It's all about how the outfit is de-signed and how you carry it off," Raveenasaid.

Talking about films, she said: "A lot ofmovies have been offered to me, but veryfew are the kind I would want to do."

"It depends on the kind of person you are.If you feel like being open about it, you shouldbe open about it, and if you don't, then don't. Iwas not trying to be open, but I was also nottrying to hide anything," she added.

Last year, Ira celebrated two years of to-getherness withMishaal by postinga throwbackphoto of thecouple onInstagram. IANS

friendship and that need all kinds ofthings to fix their problems because theyare not ready to be responsible fathers.In the film, my character is not ready. Hethinks that (having) a family is not cool,and the solo life is the way to go," saidSaif, while interacting with the media atthe launch of the song "Gallan kardi'' fromhis upcoming film.

"Jawaani Jaaneman" is set to release onJanuary 31.

On balancing her time between familyand work, the actress said: "I used toFaceTime my kids and teach them when Iwas not around."

Raveena said she is not a fitness freak. "I'm a very lazy person and I go to the

gym when I feel like it. There's no regime Ihave."

Talking about her food habits, Raveenashared that she does not enjoy sweets andlikes to opt for vegetarian food. IANS

India Post 31www.indiapost.com

January 24, 2020

India Postwww.indiapost.com

January 24, 202032

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