U.S. President announces sweeping measures to vaccinate ...

VOL 15 ISSUE 37 ● NEW YORK / DALLAS ● SEPT 10 - 16, 2021 ● ENQUIRIES: 646-247-9458 ● [email protected] www.theindianpanorama.news

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U.S. President announcessweeping measures tovaccinate Americans

Appeals to vaccine shunners to "do the right thing" and get vaccinated

WASHINGTON (TIP): U.S. President Joe Bidenhas announced wide-ranging measures to pushAmericans to get vaccinated. Some 100 millionpeople or two-thirds of the American workforce willbe covered by the new executive orders and rules onvaccinations. Opposition to the rules quicklyemerged, with several governors vowing tochallenge the orders.

While over 170 million Americans (just over 50%of the population) have been fully vaccinated as perofficial data, almost 80 million are yet to have theirfirst shot, resulting in what Mr. Biden called a"pandemic of the unvaccinated". Many of thecountries intensive care units are overrun withunvaccinated COVID-19 patients - with over 101,000

CONTD ON PAGE 40

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room atthe White House, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, in Washington.

BRICS Leaders Call forSettling Afghan Situation

by Peaceful MeansTHE DECLARATION AT THE SUMMIT SAID THE

LEADERS ALSO SOUGHT AN "INCLUSIVE INTRA-AFGHAN DIALOGUE SO AS TO ENSURESTABILITY, CIVIL PEACE, LAW AND ORDER".

NEW DELHI (TIP):

The five-nation BRICSsummit chaired by PrimeMinister Narendra ModiThursday evening calledfor settling the situationin Afghanistan throughpeaceful means. Thedeclaration at the summitsaid the leaders alsosought an "inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue so as toensure stability, civilpeace, law and order".While the theme for the

summit is "cooperation for continuity, consolidation andconsensus'', the focus remained on Afghanistan.

The "New Delhi Declaration" adopted at the end of thesummit also emphasized the need to "address thehumanitarian situation and to uphold human rights,including those of women, children and minorities".

The five-nation grouping (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) also underscored their "priority of fightingterrorism, including preventing attempts by terroristorganizations to use Afghan territory as terrorist sanctuaryand to carry out attacks against other countries".

The declaration said they were "committed to combatingterrorism... including cross-border movement of terrorists,and terrorism financing networks and safe havens".

CONTD ON PAGE 40

At BRICS summit chaired by PMModi, leaders called for settling

Afghan situation by peaceful means

INDIA'S MINISTER MEENAKSHI LEKHIINVITES THE INDIAN DIASPORA TO

"SUPPORT AND BUILD A NEW INDIA"

NEW YORK CITY (TIP): India's Minister ofState for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi praisedthe Indian diaspora at the "Azadi Ka AmritMahotsav", a program commemorating 75 years ofIndia's Independence, at the Indian Consulate hereon September 8.

"Members of the Indian diaspora are innovators,engineers and have contributed to the well-being ofyour adopted nation. That is the positivity of Indiawhich Indians bring together" the Minister said.

Ms Lekhi added: "We tend to assimilate ourselvesin the societies we live in. We believe in working forthe well-being of mankind and not cause disruption,which several other people do.

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47 PUNJAB-ORIGIN CANDIDATESIN FRAY FOR CANADA POLLS

OTTAWA (TIP): As many as 47 Punjabis aretrying their luck in the Canadian Federal GeneralElections for which the polling is scheduled to beheld on September 20.

Prominent faces

● Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan from VancouverSouth

● Minister Anita Anand from Oakvilla in Ontario● Minister Bardish Chagger from Waterloo● Jagmeet Singh, leader of New Democratic Party

who provided support to the minoritygovernment of Justice Trudeau, from BurnabySouth

In the final list of candidates, the maximumPunjabi candidates (17) have been fielded by theLiberal Party, followed by Conservative Party (13),

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Minister of Statefor External

Affairs MeenakshiLekhi exhortingthe gathering to

"support andbuild a new India"

(L-R) Harjit Sajjan, Anita Anand, Bardish Chagger andJagmeet Singh

9/11: 20 YEARS OF THE TRAGEDYPAGE 11 - 17

EDITORIAL THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 02YEARS

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Prof. Indrajit S. Saluja

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Drug deaths in PunjabAN URGENT PROBE SHOULD REVEAL THE SUPPLIER-PEDDLER NETWORK

Drug addiction remains anunresolved issue in Punjab,despite the intervention at

various levels by the government andvoluntary organizations. The spate ofdeaths attributed to drug abuse inBathinda district in the recent past is ascary reminder of the scale of themenace, and the apparentineffectiveness and limited scope of themeasures put in place to deal with thecrisis. In the Chief Minister's ancestralvillage Mehraj, though, the drug-relateddeaths of two brothers, both below 30,and reports of widespread addiction inthe area point to the absence of anycontrol mechanisms, and unhinderedpatronage to the peddlers and handlers.The spotlight is back on the dealer-politician-police nexus.

There will be an announcement soonof a crackdown in the district. Since it isthe election year, the action taken reportis bound to be more substantive and textheavy. The deaths of these young peoplewould in all likelihood be used to trainguns at those in power, indulge indisparaging verbal crossfire, let thematter hog news space for a few days andthen allow a quiet burial before anothertragedy strikes. Politics casts its shadowover the drug abuse crisis in the state,with little or no space for any admissionof failure of policy, discussions of theground reality, or constructive inputs onhow to go forward. An issue layered withsocial, economic, administrative andmental health factors is reduced to andseen only through the political prism,with the result that no one is the wiser,

or held accountable.The distraught father, who had no

inkling that his now deceased boys hadbeen taking drugs, has a message thatcould not be more clear in content andintent: 'I do not want any compensation.I just want that no other parent shouldbear such loss due to drugs. Just curbthis menace.' There are no quick-fixsolutions, but if the governments havelet Punjab down, its people, too, do nothave much to show by way of theirinvolvement or interest in dealing withthe crisis. Public pressure rides on theback of community participation. That'swhat drives change, and has beenmissing.

(Tribune India)

Return of the Mullahs: On the Taliban'sIslamic Emirate of Afghanistan

TALIBAN HAVE SENT A CLEAR MESSAGE THAT THEY CARE LITTLE ABOUT WHAT THEWORLD THINKS OF THEM

The debate on whether the Talibanwould form an "inclusivegovernment" representing all

sections of Afghan society was laid torest by the Taliban themselves onSeptember 7 when the group'sspokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid,announced the formation of the newadministration of the 'Islamic Emirate ofAfghanistan'. Of the 33 CabinetMinisters named, 30 are Pashtun, twoethnic Tajiks, and one is Uzbek. TheTaliban are predominantly Pashtun,who make up some 40% of Afghanistan'sethnically diverse population of 40million. Women and the Hazara Shiaminority - both faced targetedharassment and discrimination whenthe Taliban were in power in the 1990s -were excluded completely. SeventeenMinisters are on the UN sanctionsblacklist for terrorists, including thehead of the government, Mullah HassanAkhund, and Sirajuddin Haqqani, thehead of the Haqqani Network. MullahHibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban'sreclusive emir, will be the 'Amir ul-

Momineen' (commander of the faithful),a title Mullah Omar had assumed in the1990s. With the Cabinet portfoliosallocated to the Taliban's core and theHaqqanis and introducing a system thatresembles the previous Islamic Emirateknown for its disregard for basic humanrights, the Taliban have sent a clearmessage that they care little about whatthe world thinks about them.

Today's Taliban appear to be strongerthan their last avatar. In the 1990s, onlythree countries recognized the IslamicEmirate; the Taliban also nevercontrolled the whole of Afghanistan. Butnow, more regional powers are ready toengage with them, including China andRussia. The group has also claimed totalcontrol over the country, with Panjshir,the last holdout, overrun earlier thisweek. With the new government, astronger Taliban are trying to tightentheir grip, though it may not be easy.Ever since Afghanistan became arepublic in 1973, no government in Kabulhas managed to stabilize the country.The ethnic, religious and political

contradictions are too deep to be glossedover by the Taliban's divisive IslamistPasthun nationalism. In Panjshir, therebels may have withdrawn to themountains, like the Taliban did in 2001,but they could regroup and hit back likethe Taliban did after 2005. The totalexclusion of Shias and marginalizationof other ethnicities could blow back inthe near term. Afghanistan has also seenthe emergence of a vibrant civil society,especially in its cities, which may notaccept the Taliban's rule of the Mullahsquietly. Already, the crackdown onwomen's rights has sparked large-scaleprotests by women in Kabul andelsewhere, which was unimaginable inthe 1990s. If the Taliban were wise, theywould have focused on healing thewounds of the long war and rebuildingthe ruptured state and society. But thePashtun, Islamist, sectarian Talibanseem programmatically incapable ofdoing that.

(The Hindu)

NEW YORK THE INDIAN PANORAMA


India's Minister Meenakshi Lekhi invites theIndian diaspora to "support and build a new India"

CONTD FROM PAGE 1

India is for peaceful purposes, India is for the progressof mankind, India stands truly for VasudhaivaKutumbakam and that message is carried on by all ofyou. While India is innovating, India is trying to help theworld and help itself and that is what Atmanirbharta'and self-sustenance is all about. We have to ensure wemeet our goal of building Aatmanirbhar Bharat whenwe celebrate 100 years of India's Independence."

"I cannot thank you enough that when the world wasbattling pandemic and COVID-19, how the entirecommunity across the globe stood together. Indialaunched its own Atmanirbhar vaccine in January 2021and "many skeptics talked against the vaccine and theresult was that second wave (of the pandemic) took itstoll. But before the second wave could take its toll,because we were stable and we had fought the first wavewell due to timely lockdown and other procedures, wewere helping the countries which were going throughdifficult times. At the same time when the second wave

hit us, because of people like you across the globe wewere helped by several other countries who we stood for,and they stood for us. We stand for friendship, we standfor goodwill, we stand for cooperation."

Meenakshi Lekhi posted on social media after theevent - "Addressed the vibrant Indian community inNew York and witnessed how deeply they are connectedto their roots. Invited the diaspora to support and builda new India."

Earlier, the Consul General Randhir Kumar Jaiswalwelcomed the minister. "It's a very special occasionbecause it is the maiden visit of Madam Lekhito NewYork as a minister. The Indian community herewelcomes you in their own style, and their own colorfulmanner. There is a reason to celebrate - Azadi Ka AmritMahotsav, with you being here. For us it is a privilege tohave you here at the Indian consulate', Mr. Jaiswal said.

Representatives of various organizations and mediapersons were invited to the event which witnessedimpressive Indian classical dance performances.Maithili Patel gave a performance of Kathak while BaniRay impressed with the Odissi performance. Both the

artists are associated with Sneh arts.Deputy Consul General Dr. Varun Jeph thanked the

Minister and the guests.

Consul General Randhir Kumar Jaswal in his welcome to theminister said it is a special occasion because it is the maiden

visit of Madam Lekhi to New York as a minister

Maithili Patel giving a Kathak performance Bani Ray gave a performance of Odissi dance

Deputy Consul General Dr. Varun Jeph thanked the Ministerand the guests

Bank of India celebrates 116th Foundation Day

NEW YORK CITY (TIP): One of the top 10 banks ofIndia, Bank of India celebrated its 116th FoundationDay on September 07, 2021 at its New York Branchlocated at277 Park Avenue Park Avenue, New York.

Many distinguished guests, customers, staffmembers and their family members were present tocelebrate the joyous occasion.

Chief Executive, US Center Mr. Chander MohanKumra welcomed all the distinguished guests andfamily members.

Narrating the glorious history of the Bank of India,which was founded in 1906, Mr. Kumra said that BOIis aleading commercial bank in India with a very largenetwork of more than 5000 branches, spread all acrossthe world, with its presence in 18 countries spread over5 continents. These branches are situated in keybanking and financial centers, such as New York,Tokyo, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Belgium, Kenya,and Paris. Due to its large and diverse presence indifferent time zones, it is said: "Sun Never Sets in the

Branches of Bank of India".Mr. Kumra expressed his sincere gratitude to all the

guests, customers and the staff members for theirpresence at the celebration of the 116th Foundation Dayof the bank, and their continued patronage to achieveproud milestones.

Guests were profusely felicitated followed by a cakecutting ceremony.

Assistant Vice President at the Bank of India USCenter, Mr. Tapana Patro,who emceed the program,thanked the gathering.

At the Foundation Day celebrations on September 7, 2021. Left to Right: Tapana Patro, Olga Gold, Jerry Rodrigues, Jinen Jain,Mukesh Desai, Kamlesh Vaswani, C M Kumra (Chief Executive), Mrs Kumra, Mrs Desai, Mrs. Menon,Appen Menon, Meghav Parikh,

Nitin Parikh, Ranjeet Kumar

Chief Executive CM Kumra cut the cake.

Seen in the picture, from L to R: Jinen Jain, Mukesh Desai,Kamlesh Vaswani, C M Kumra, Appen Menon, Nitin Parikh,

Meghav Parikh

INDIAN ABROAD THE INDIAN PANORAMA


INDIAN-ORIGIN BUTCHERVIKAS BACHU WINSSOUTH AFRICAN SAUSAGECONTEST AFTER 12 YEARSOF TRYING

JOHANNESBURG (TIP): Indian-origin South African butcher VikashBachu is thrilled at finally beingnamed the country's boereworschampion after persevering for 12years. Boerewors, literally translatingas 'farmer's sausage' in Afrikaans, is athick sausage believed to have firstbeen created by farmers about 200years ago.

Since then, all South Africans haveadopted it as a favorite outdoorbarbecue item, although it can also beprepared indoors.

Bachu, a 38-year-old father of four,was only the second Indian-originSouth African to win the title in its 29-year history. Jeffrey Soobramoney wasnamed Boerewors Champion in 2007.

Besides winning the title and abrand-new Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD-64X2 6AT, Bachu's recipe will also beused in the boerewors which goes onsale on Friday at over 2,300supermarket stores in the Shoprite andCheckers group, which host the annualchallenge.

Bachu has been passionate aboutmaking boerewors since he firststarted working as a butcher part-timeand then full-time since his high schooldays. "I'm absolutely delighted tofinally win the ChampionshipBoerewors competition - it was abouttime," Bachu jested after the panel ofjudges announced that he had beatennine other finalists from among thethousands of entries received andconsidered over a four-month period.

The judges, all members of the SouthAfrican Chefs Association, preparedthe 10 finalists' boerewors as theywatched online, due to the Covid-19restrictions on gatherings.

The stringent guidelines for entriesdisallowed a wide range of items,including the chili, ginger and garlicthat are staples in Indian cuisine, soBachu developed his own unique mixthrough constantly working on hisrecipe. Bachu said it did not matterthat it took 12 attempts to get to wherehe was. "As a butcher, I wanted to beable to say that I am the best atsomething and stand out from the rest.After every competition, I alwayscompared the winning recipe to mineto see how far off my recipe was.

"Just reaching the finals was amatter of great pride - to win is adream come true," Bachu said, as hethanked his family who he said hadmotivated him to keep entering,assuring him that he would win oneday.

Indian American Harry Sidhu appointedto Orange County Water Board

LOS ANGELES (TIP): Harry Sidhu,first mayor of Indian heritage ofAnaheim city, home of the DisneylandResort outside Los Angeles, has beenappointed to the Orange County WaterDistrict (OCWD, the District) Board ofDirectors.

Sidhu, who was elected mayor ofAnaheim, second largest city in OrangeCounty, in November 2018, representingthe city at large, would represent the city'sDivision 9, according to a press release.

"Water is the lifeblood of our city," hesaid. "Our partnership with OCWD iscritical to meeting one of life's daily needsfor residents and providing a vitalresource for our city's growth andprosperity.

"I'm honored to join the OCWD Boardand to work together on behalf of thosewe serve," said Sidhu who previouslyserved on OCWD's Board from 2012-2015.

He previously served on Anaheim's CityCouncil from 2004-2012, including asmayor pro term from 2009- 2011 and in2012. From 2013-2015, Sidhu also served asa Santa Ana Watershed Project Authorityalternate commissioner.

A licensed Professional Engineer - aRegistered Mechanical Engineer in theState of California - Sidhu received abachelor's degree in mechanicalengineering from Philadelphia's DrexelUniversity.

He is also a licensed California RealEstate Broker, and a licensed general

aviation and helicopter pilot."It is great to welcome back Harry

Sidhu to the OCWD Board of Directors,"said President Stephen R. Sheldon. "Hisindustry and leadership experience willserve him well as we work together toenhance the reliability of our local watersupply, serving 2.5 million people."

Born and raised in India, Sidhu came tothe United States in 1974 with his family,settling in Philadelphia, and becoming aUS citizen in 1979.

He is part of a 10-member board atOCWD - seven elected from divisions thatconsist of cities throughout north and

central Orange County, and threeappointed to represent the cities ofAnaheim, Fullerton and Santa Ana.

Before first serving on the City Council,Sidhu was chairman of Anaheim'sBudget Advisory Commission and servedon the city's Audit Committee.

During his first tenure on Anaheim'sCity Council, Sidhu started the city'sannual free Anaheim Health Fair as wellas the yearly Anaheim/OC Job Fair andExpo, according to his official bio.

Sidhu came to Southern California in1980 to work as an engineer for aerospacecompanies Rockwell International,General Dynamics and Hughes Aircraft.

He worked his way through college and,after a successful engineering career,started a small business that began with asingle restaurant.

He is now recognized as a successfulCalifornia businessman and owner ofrestaurants in Orange County.

Sidhu and his wife Gin have lived inAnaheim since 1994 with their twochildren.

His community involvement hasincluded service as a board member of theBoys & Girls Clubs of Anaheim, anadvisory board member of the AnaheimFamily YMCA and a member of theAnaheim Chamber of Commerce and theAnaheim Small Business Chamber.

Sidhu also has coached youth soccerand is a supporter of the arts and artseducation.

Harry Sidhu, first mayor of Indian heritage ofAnaheim cityhas been appointed to the

Orange County Water District (OCWD, theDistrict) Board of Directors.

Bachu, a 38-year-old father of four,

was only thesecond Indian-

origin SouthAfrican to win thetitle in its 29-year

history

OAKLAND,CA (TIP): IndianAmerican social justice lawyer, activist,and artist Janani Ramachandran haslost the race for California's AssemblyDistrict 18 seat in a special runoffelection.

Her opponent Mia Bonta declaredvictory in the August 31 election for theseat her husband vacated earlier thisyear, as she picked up 56.83% of the77,000 ballots counted toRamachandran's 43.17% by mid-afternoon Friday.

Only 904 of the ballots were cast inperson and the rest were mailed in, theMercury News reported citing theregistrar's office. So far, with anunknown number of mail-in ballotspossibly still on the way, the overallturnout was 26.77% of all registeredvoters in the district.

Ramachandran, an attorney who hasrepresented tenants facing eviction andserved on the Oakland Public EthicsCommission, ran for State assemblybecause of the unprecedented challengesof Covid-19, and worsening incomeinequality, environmental catastrophes,and racial injustices."

"These problems demand a freshperspective from a leader who has been

working directly with her communitiesfor years," she declares on her campaignwebsite.

"California doesn't need just anotherDemocrat in Sacramento - we need a boldadvocate who isn't bought by corporateinterest groups and who will deliver realprogressive change for Californians."Ramachandran stated.

Ramachandran laid down six key

policy principles declaring Housing,Economic opportunity, Safety in homesand communities, Healthcare, A livingwage and Clean as human rights.

An East Bay native, Ramachandran isthe daughter and granddaughter ofimmigrants from a small South Indianvillage.

Her passion for justice was evident atan early age, according to her official bio.At 16, while relocating to India for a fewyears, she founded a nonprofit that builtlibraries in under-resourced schools inher local community.

After graduating from StanfordUniversity, Ramachandran worked as ahome-visiting case manager at acommunity health clinic, servingimmigrant mothers experiencingdomestic violence and homelessness.

Ramachandran attended Berkeley Lawand represented tenants facing evictionfrom some of Oakland's mostnotoriously corrupt landlords.

She has previously served on theOakland Public Ethics Commission, andcurrently serves on the CaliforniaCommission on Asian and PacificIslander American Affairs.

(Read full story atwww.theindianpanorama.news)

Indian American Janani Ramachandran losesCalifornia assembly special election

Janani Ramchandran lost the race forCalifornia's Assembly District 18 seat in a

special runoff election to Mia Bonta

INDIAN ABROAD THE INDIAN PANORAMA


INDIAN-ORIGIN AUTHORMAHMOOD MAMDANISHORTLISTED FOR UKPRIZE

LONDON (TIP): Indian-originauthor Mahmood Mamdani is amongfour writers shortlisted for the 2021British Academy Book Prize for GlobalCultural Understanding on Tuesday,September 7.

The 75-year-old Mumbai-bornUgandan academic and writer is in therunning for the GBP 25,000 non-fictionprize for 'Neither Settler nor Native:The Making and Unmaking ofPermanent Minorities'.

INDIAN AMERICAN WHIZKID MILAN BHAYANA NOWON 'TOP CHEF FAMILYSTYLE' SHOW

MARYLAND (TIP): After makingwaves on the popular card game"Magic: The Gathering" IndianAmerican whiz kid Milan Bhayana isdonning the apron on a cooking realityshow with his journalist mother by hisside.

The 15-year-old sophomore at HighBethesda-Chevy Chase High School,Maryland, two years ago became one ofthe youngest players ever to make it tothe professional circuit of "Magic,"created by mathematician RichardGarfield.

And now he is trying his hand in thekitchen with a dozen other young chefsfrom across the country, he iscompeting on the Peacock series "TopChef Family Style."

The show pairs each youthcontestant with an adult familymember. His mother Chandrani Ghoshjoined him. The first episode of theseries airs on Thursday, September 9.

(Read full story atwww.theindianpanorama.news)

Two Indian teachers shortlistedfor 2021 Global Teacher Prize

LONDON (TIP): Satyam Mishra, amathematics teacher from Bhagalpur inBihar, and Meghana Musunuri, a socialstudies, English and math teacher fromHyderabad have made it to the top 50shortlist for this year's USD 1-millionGlobal Teacher Prize announced onThursday, Sept 9.

The USD 1-million Global TeacherPrize, organized by the VarkeyFoundation in partnership with UNESCO,attracted over 8,000 nominations andapplications from 121 countries.

"It is only by prioritizing education thatwe can safeguard all our tomorrows.Education is the key to facing the futurewith confidence," said Sunny Varkey,founder of the Varkey Foundation.

Mishra made the cut for hisdetermination to change the way childrenlook at the world and uses coolmultiplication tricks to bring his subjectalive for students.

Musunuri, the second Indian teacheron the 2021 shortlist, is described as aneducation futurist, philanthropist and a

passionate entrepreneur as the founderand chairperson of Fountainhead GlobalSchool & Junior College and alsoHyderabad Champion for Google'sWomen Entrepreneurs On The Web(WEOW), guiding women entrepreneursin establishing their online presence.

"UNESCO is a proud partner of theGlobal Teacher Prize, which has done somuch to highlight teachers'transformational role in young people'slives. Inspirational teachers andextraordinary students alike deserverecognition for their commitment toeducation amid the learning crisis wesee today," said Stefania Giannini,Assistant Director General forEducation at UNESCO.

"If we are to rebuild a better world inthe wake of Covid we must prioritizegiving every child their birthright of aquality education. It is the nextgeneration, with teachers as their guide,who will safeguard the future for us all,"she said.

Alongside, an inaugural sister prize -

the Chegg.Org Global Student Prize -includes four Indian students in the top50 shortlist with Kaif Ali, a 21-year-oldarchitecture student at Jamia MilliaIslamia, New Delhi; Aayush Gupta, a 23-year-old MBA student at IIMAhmedabad; and Seema Kumari, a 17-year-old student from Jharkhand; andVipin Kumar Sharma, a 24-year-oldstudent from the Central University ofHaryana.

The prize money for the new studentprize has now also been doubled to USD100,000.

"In this age of Covid, students like Kaif,Aayush, Seema and Vipin have showngreat courage to keep studying and keepfighting for a better future despite hugeobstacles," said Lila Thomas, Head ofChegg.org.

"We were so inspired by theachievements of these extraordinarystudents throughout the world thatapplied for the inaugural Global StudentPrize that Chegg chose to double thevalue of the prize to USD 100,000," shesaid.

Students who applied for the GlobalStudent Prize are being assessed on theiracademic achievement, impact on theirpeers, how they make a difference intheir community and beyond, how theyovercome the odds to achieve, how theydemonstrate creativity and innovation,and how they operate as global citizens.

Following the shortlist announcement,the top 10 finalists of both prizes will beannounced next month.

The winners will be chosen by theGlobal Teacher Prize Academy and theGlobal Student Prize Academy,respectively, and unveiled at an awardsceremony in Paris in November.

Last year's Global Teacher Prize winnerwas Ranjitsinh Disale from Maharashtra.

Meghana Musunuri from Hyderabad and Satyam Mishra from Bhagalpur have been shortlistedfor Global teacher Prize 2021 - Photos / globalteacherprize.org

Mamdani has been shortlisted for the GBP25,000 non-fiction prize for his book

"Neither Settler nor Native: The Makingand Unmaking of Permanent Minorities".

Milan Bhayana is donning the apron on acooking reality show with his journalist

mother by his side.

Indian American Community leader gets GlobalCommunity Oscar Lifetime Achievement Award

Prakash M. Swamy

CHICAGO (TIP): Prominent Indian-American community leader ofHouston, Texas, Sockalingam SamKannappan was honored with GlobalCommunity Oscar LifetimeAchievement Award at a function inChicago recently.

Presenting the award at the tenth annualinternational gala celebrations of theAmerican Multiethnic Coalition,Congressman Danny K Davis praised theservices of Kannappan to his adopted landand said people like him make the US thegreatest nation in the world.

In his brief video speech, Kannappansaid he came to the US in 1968. Hementioned names of Houston USCongressman Al Green, CongresswomanSheila Jackson Lee and University of

Houston Chancellor Dr. Renu Khator asmutual friends with Congressman Davisand who encouraged him to docommunity service.

The prestigious tenth annual awardcalled Community Oscars was broadcastinternationally and viewed by 65 millionviewers.

L to R: Mrs. Santosh Kumar, Sam Kannappan, Congressman Danny Davis and Mr. Lu

NEW YORK (TIP): Jaipur Foot USAand Gracious Givers foundationwelcomed Ms. Meenakshi Lekhi,Minister of State for External Affairsand Culture at the Jan Aashirwad Abharevent organized in New York City. Mr.Randhir Jaiswal, Consul General, NewYork, was also present at the event. AlokKumar, former FIA president, did theintroductions.

Ms. Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister ofState for External Affairs and Culturespoke on occasion. She highlighted that

Indian diaspora acts as goodwillambassadors for the country, and theirachievements in the professional,business, and education fields add valueto the country's goodwill. She alsoappreciated the contributions of thepowerful Indian community in helpingthe country whenever in need. She alsohighlighted the COVID pandemicimpacts in India and the capacity to dealwith such grave situations and comingtogether to dealing with these. Thecontributions of the Indian community,

including doctors & nurses, oxygen helpduring COVID was commendable. Shealso voiced that the whole world is onebig family and each member countrysupported each other during the COVIDcrises, considering the COVID infectionsand waves going in circles affecting theentire world. She also highlighted India'scontributions through providingvaccines and other required help to theworld. She also praised honorable PMNarendra Modi ji and the timing of hisleadership and the serious health crisisIndia and the world is going through. Shementioned that bureaucracy has been inplace before and will be in the future, butthe way current

leadership under Shri Modi ji is takingright decisions at the right time anddrive bureaucracy relentlessly toimplement these decisions so people onthe ground get help and positive impactsvery quickly. She also praised Shri Modiji's quick decision-making, allocating Rs3000 crore for vaccine research to enablemedical scientists to conduct researchand development rolling out vaccines inless than one year, which used to takeyears. This is a great achievement forour Indian scientists and is a great levelplaying for India on internationalresearch and development in the medicalfield.

Earlier, Mr. Prem Bhandari, JaipurFoot USA Chairman and socialactivist, strong voice for the Indiandiaspora spoke at the event. He spokeabout the difficulties the Indiandiaspora faced due to lockdown andtravel restrictions that came into placeduring COVID and the help, andexcellent support received from MEAand secretaries from Home, ExternalAffairs, and Civil Aviation. He alsobriefed about the partnership ofBMVSS, the parent organization ofJaipur Foot USA and MEA under Indiafor Humanity banner to conductprosthetics fitment camps to helpdifferently abled people around theworld and reinforce India's soft power.He also thanked honorable PrimeMinister Narendra Modi ji, the guidingforce and blessed this partnership. Thehost countries very well received these13 camps and BMVSS helped over 6000

differently abled people. TheGovernment of India provided fundingfor all these 13 camps and the Ministryof External Affairs offices coordinatedand facilitated these prostheticsfitment camps.

Prem Bhandari also extended hisheartfelt thanks to Shri Harsh VardhanShringla, Foreign Secretary of India forextending the partnership to organizeanother 12 prosthetic fitment camps on ahistorical day, Aug 5th, 2020. Under thispartnership, BMVSS already conductedthe first prosthetics fitment camp lastDecember in Uganda. Mr. Bhandarivoiced words of Padma Bhushan, D.R.Mehta, Founder & Chief Patron ofBMVSS, about the bravery of our leg-warriors, who conducted this Ugandacamp in the middle of the COVIDpandemic. He also expressed that JaipurFoot USA is working under the guidanceand mentorship of Mr. Mehta and hisvision to expand the help of theprosthetic within India and abroad.

Another important point Mr. Bhandaribrought forward was related to 6 million-plus OCI cardholders who sufferedtremendously since 2019 due tocumbersome renewal regulations andadministrative issues when one istraveling with OCI. These regulationsare eased, made simple and frequent OCIrenewal is not required. Earlier, therewere many difficulties and to name a few,the most difficult one was the necessityto renew OCI every 5 years; every timeforeign passport is renewed, OCI neededrenewal due to regulation to carry thepassport which has OCI stamp alongwith the new passport until the age of 20years, as well as renewal of OCI at theage 50 again. As a result of thisrequirement, 1000s of passengers andtheir families around the world were notallowed to travel without carrying old,expired passport with OCI number and itcaused emotional pain and resulted insignificant financial loss and logisticalnightmares.

(Based on a press note issued by NishantGarg, Secretory, Jaipur Foot USA.)

NY/NJ/CT THE INDIAN PANORAMA


MOS for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi Welcomedat the Jan Aashirwad Aabhar Meet in New York

KK Mehta and wife Chanda Mehta welcome minister Meenakshi Lekhi with a bouquet."Indians abroad are informal ambassadors of

India", said minister Meenakshi LekhiJaipur Foot USA Chairman Prem Bhandari(extreme right) speaking on the occasion.

Seen sitting, from L to R: Attorney SanjayChaubey, Consul General Randhir Kumar

Jaiswal, minister Meenakshi Lekhi

ADVERTISEMENT THE INDIAN PANORAMA


"Soon after the attack, America invadedAfghanistan and ousted the Taliban thatwas providing a safe haven to al Qaedaterrorists who planned and executed9/11 destruction. By 2011, U.S. forceshad also located the mastermind OsamaBin Laden, who was hiding in Pakistan,and killed him. However, to thewarmongers in Washington underGeorge W. Bush, it was anotheropportunity to expand the power of themilitary-industrial complex.At the urging of neoconservatives inWashington, Iraq was also invaded, andthe poorly executed and error-riddenplans subsequently destabilized thewhole region giving birth to ISIS andtriggering a long-running and anti-insurgency campaign. The impact of9/11 is still reverberating here in theU.S. after spending almost 2 trilliondollars and sacrificing thousands ofAmerican and Afghan lives; it is a sadand pitiful spectacle to see the Talibangovernment full of terrorists back inpower on this 20th anniversary of the9/11.Although many of these geopoliticalissues are complex, the world we live inhas been indelibly shaped by 9/11 andits aftermath."

9/11/2001 may be a distant memory, but the terrorthat shook America is still very much in our thoughts.It was a beautiful and clear sunny day, and I was drivingmy younger son, Steven, to the United NationsInternational School in Manhattan. After droppingSteven at school and parking the car at the U.N. garage,I joined the prayer breakfast, an annual event fordiplomats from around the world, before the start of theGeneral Assembly on the third week of everySeptember.

The message at the prayer breakfast was plain and

straightforward; there is so much injustice all around,and we must not shy away from confronting the evil butdo it courageously and assiduously with the divinehelp. Looking back, I couldn't imagine that the evildoerswere busy at work at the same time wrecking lives,wreaking havoc only couple of miles down the streetand bringing a nation to a standstill.

As I was climbing the stairs to reach my office, I couldfeel an eerie silence all around, and there was not a soulto be found anywhere. Finally, I reached a SecurityOfficer and inquired what was happening? He had anoffbeat look on his face and said, 'Haven't you heard thatthe World Trade Center was hit, and the U.N. buildinghas been already evacuated'. I couldn't still fathom thegravity of the situation until reaching a T.V. monitorthat had a live feed from the burning Tower 1. The fearand uncertainty surrounding the event were sopalpable, and I was not spared either.

I ran to my office and found out that the entire staffhad already left the building, and the security orderedthe evacuation as a precautionary measure because theU.N. Secretariat building itself could be a potentialtarget. Soon my attention was turned to finding my son,whom I had left at school, and I tried to ring theprincipal's office, and there was no response. Soon after,I walked out of the Secretariat building to the FirstAvenue only to hear the sirens of fire trucks andambulances racing towards downtown.

I felt as if life had come to a standstill on the East sidewith police blocking all traffic in and out of Manhattanand vehicles stranded in a gridlock mode. I almost ran20 blocks to reach the school only to learn that thebuilding had been evacuated and the students were senthome. I met few students who had gathered in front ofthe school, waiting eagerly for their parents orguardians to come around.

As I came out of the school gate still looking forSteven, I found a man totally covered in white asheswalking towards north on the side road of the FDRdrive. I inquired and found him totally shaken andhardly audible but understood that the tower had comedown, and he was one of the lucky ones either from thebuilding or its surroundings. I couldn't believe my earsthat those towers of grandiose and pride for the bigapple were no longer standing. As an early immigrantto this country from India in the late 60's, I havewitnessed the construction of these towers and visitedthem many more times with family and friends.

At that point, I was not sure whether all theoccupants of the tower were evacuated. The Restaurantat the top of tower two was a familiar place to me asmany of the technical conferences were held there, andI distinctly remembered the service manager and manyof the crew who were originally from Bangladesh. Soonafter, I got connected with my son, who went to afriend's home nearby, and together we picked up the carand waited for an hour to reopen the midtown tunnel toreach home.

Only after I reached home, I fully realize the carnagethat took place with the collapse of two towers and the

body blow it had inflicted on the U.S. psyche. The UnitedStates that had not seen a major attack on its soil fornearly 200 years, was shocked to find its financial centerand military headquarters Washington hit by a smallband of terrorists from abroad. Almost 3000 innocentlives were lost on that day including Valsa John andmany other Indian immigrants to this country.

The catastrophe unleashed a sequence of reactionsand unintended consequences the country has beendealing with ever since. An unending war on terror,western antagonism towards Muslims, and decline ofU.S. power, and Donald Trump's rise, and others likehim are all outcomes directly or indirectly related tothis earth-shattering event. There is little doubt that thepost 9/11 period has seen civil rights being erodedacross the world. Many governments have used it as acover to justify increased surveillance and curbingdissent.

Soon after the attack, America invaded Afghanistanand ousted the Taliban that was providing a safe havento al Qaeda terrorists who planned and executed 9/11destruction. By 2011, U.S. forces had also located themastermind Osama Bin Laden, who was hiding inPakistan, and killed him. However, to the warmongersin Washington under George W. Bush, it was anotheropportunity to expand the power of the military-industrial complex.

At the urging of neoconservatives in Washington,Iraq was also invaded, and the poorly executed anderror-ridden plans subsequently destabilized the wholeregion giving birth to ISIS and triggering a long-running and anti-insurgency campaign. The impact of9/11 is still reverberating here in the U.S. after spendingalmost 2 trillion dollars and sacrificing thousands ofAmerican and Afghan lives; it is a sad and pitifulspectacle to see the Taliban government full ofterrorists back in power on this 20th anniversary of the9/11.

Although many of these geopolitical issues arecomplex, the world we live in has been indelibly shapedby 9/11 and its aftermath.

May I join all of you in paying heartfelt gratitude toall those heroes, including the first line responders whoperished in this devastating tragedy and to the familieswho have suffered the harrowing loss of their lovedones!

(The author is a former Chief Technology Officer, the UnitedNations and Vice Chair of IOC USA. He can be reached at

[email protected])

AS I SEE IT THE INDIAN PANORAMA


AS I SEE IT

BY GEORGE ABRAHAM

MEMORIES OF 9/11ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, 19 MILITANTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ISLAMIC

EXTREMIST GROUP AL QAEDA HIJACKED FOUR AIRPLANES AND CARRIED OUTSUICIDE ATTACKS AGAINST TARGETS IN THE UNITED STATES. TWO OF THE

PLANES WERE FLOWN INTO THE TWIN TOWERS OF THE WORLD TRADECENTER IN NEW YORK CITY, A THIRD PLANE HIT THE PENTAGON JUST

OUTSIDE WASHINGTON, D.C., AND THE FOURTH PLANE CRASHED IN A FIELDIN SHANKSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA. ALMOST 3,000 PEOPLE WERE KILLEDDURING THE 9/11 TERRORIST ATTACKS, WHICH TRIGGERED MAJOR U.S.

INITIATIVES TO COMBAT TERRORISM.

Frightened people run for life after the World Trade Centerwas hit and the twin towers were afire

"The SKM has spectacularly reassertedthe secular language particularly in thepost-2014 socio-political environment.Its act of courage in the MuzaffarnagarKisan Mahapanchayat is a reminder tothe 'timid' political Opposition and otherpolitical parties to do theirconstitutional duty in maintainingIndia's political legacy. In their appealfor communal harmony, Mr. Tikait andother farmer leaders have categoricallysaid no to communal violence in theregion. Mr. Tikait and other farmerleaders accepted being swayed bycommunal divisiveness and have vowedto counter the hatred and violence."They talk of dividing; we speak ofuniting. The hallmark of the BJP is thehate politics", Mr. Tikait declared loudand clear."

On September 5, 2021, in Uttar Pradesh, lakhs offarmers gathered at Muzaffarnagar'sgovernment inter-college ground for the kisan

mahapanchayat organised by the Samyukt KisanMorcha (SKM). At the mahapanchayat, BharatiyaKisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait reiterated thefarmers' demands to repeal the three farm laws and forthe "legal guarantee of MSP [Minimum SupportPrice]." Mr. Tikait and other farmer leaders presentdeclared their determination to oust the BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh in theupcoming 2022 State legislative elections. The farmerleaders unanimously appealed for communal harmonywhile chanting 'Allah Hu Akbar' and 'Har Mahadev'together with an estimated three to four lakh farmers.

Secular vs the divisive

This retrieval of the old secular political languageopenly counters the BJP's divisive and communalpolitics that has gripped the local and the nationalscene after the 2014 general election. Women and youngfarmers across religious and caste lines, from UttarPradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Karnataka,Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand and other Statesattended the mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar. It is asurprise that the ongoing farmers' movement has beenopenly engaging with gender and environmental issuesand has provided them their rightful space.

By enabling the convergence of different farmerorganizations and space for the voices of marginalizedgroups, the Muzaffarnagar Kisan Mahapanchayat hasnot only reclaimed the language of secularism andcommunal harmony but also shows cautious potentialto challenge the BJP's politics and hegemony in thelegislative assembly elections due in five States nextyear (Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Goa andManipur).

Message of harmony

Muzaffarnagar had communal riots in 2013 whichpolarized the western Uttar Pradesh region alongreligious lines. The BJP local leadership converted acaste dispute into brutal communal riots which endedup benefiting the BJP in the 2014 and 2019 generalelections, across Uttar Pradesh, as this was the localscript used at the State and the national levels. Thecommunal polarization not only caused fissures in thesocial fabric but also impeded the farmers' identity andunity that was traditionally the support base of theBKU under the leadership of the late Mahendra SinghTikait in the 1980s.

Realizing this social and political loss, his son,Rakesh Tikait, and his supporters, over the last coupleof years, began to revive the BKU's old legacy ofsecularism. However, these attempts have only gatheredmomentum since January 2021 when the BJPgovernment forcefully attempted to remove theprotesting farmers including Mr. Tikait from theGhazipur border of Delhi. An emotional appeal by anoverwhelmed Mr. Tikait mobilized both Hindu andMuslim Jat farmers, changing the epicenter of thefarmers' protest from Punjab to rural western UttarPradesh and Haryana.

The SKM has spectacularly reasserted the secularlanguage particularly in the post-2014 socio-politicalenvironment. Its act of courage in the MuzaffarnagarKisan Mahapanchayat is a reminder to the 'timid'political Opposition and other political parties to dotheir constitutional duty in maintaining India'spolitical legacy. In their appeal for communal harmony,Mr. Tikait and other farmer leaders have categoricallysaid no to communal violence in the region. Mr. Tikaitand other farmer leaders accepted being swayed bycommunal divisiveness and have vowed to counter thehatred and violence. "They talk of dividing; we speak ofuniting. The hallmark of the BJP is the hate politics",Mr. Tikait declared loud and clear.

More importantly, Mr. Tikait and the BKU's activistshave been visiting village after village and organizingcollective meetings with Hindu and Muslim farmers. Innumerous street corner meetings, BKU activists havebeen attempting to recreate a common platform forfarmers across religious and caste divisions byreclaiming and reasserting religious and caste unityamong the farmers to heal and repair the damagecaused by the Muzaffarnagar riots.

Mission 2022 and hope

The Muzaffarnagar Kisan Mahapanchayat hastransformed the ongoing farmers' protests into anational movement. With the BJP government's lack ofacknowledgement and response to the movement,farmer leaders under the SKM have decided to connectthe sufferings of farmers with electoral politics directlywith the announcement of 'faslo ke dam nahi, to votenahi (no vote, if no legal guarantee of MSP') andpronouncing their method as 'vote ki chot (hit by vote').The SKM and its leadership will campaign against theBJP in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due nextyear. In addition to spreading the message of peace andcommunal harmony, farmer leaders including Mr.Tikait have announced that they will go to every homein the villages to educate farmers about the three farmlaws and the ways in which these laws will destroyfarmers and farming. Using the idioms of kheti, kisaniand bhaichara, the BKU and its leadership will alsoinform them about the BJP's betrayal of farmersthrough its pro-corporate policies.

Besides the farm laws, several other proximatefactors have set the stage for broad electoralmobilisation that may convert angry farmers andlaborers into politically conscious voters when they

face continued agrarian distress, the doubling ofelectricity charges, and the rising cost of diesel andfertilizers. More importantly, the unpaid dues ofsugarcane mills to farmers have severely affectedfarmers and laborers across generation, caste andreligious lines.

Furthermore, in Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government's stringent anti-cattle slaughtermeasures have devastated already broken farmers asstray cattle continue to plunder fields and ruin crops.The COVID-19 epidemic has not only struck anothermajor blow against the rural economy but has alsohighlighted the fragility of urban jobs. Theparticipation of young farmers in large numbersexplains in one go the ongoing agrarian crises andjobless growth that has created a big class of rural-urban precariat.

While the emerging broad alliance and solidaritygenerate hope and a new grammar of politics,competitive party politics and existing socio-economicdivisions continue to pose several challenges to Mission2022. The ongoing farmers' movement does not showany sign of converting itself into a political party. Inthis case farmer voters depend on the existing politicalparties that have already lost steam and failed in theface of the BJP's propaganda, organizational skills andpolitics. In fact, some of them have started imitating theBJP's style by adopting a softer version of theHindutva.

U.P. politics today

In Uttar Pradesh in particular, Opposition politicalparties such as the Congress, the Samajwadi Party, theBahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal arecompeting for the same pie. Hence, it is too early toknow how these competing parties will compromisetheir interests and put up a united opposition. Besides,the Jats are no longer a politically united group as theywere in the 1970s and 1980s. The emerging politicalcompetition led by the aspiring middle class within theJats has produced new leaders such as Sanjeev Baliyanthat has opened a chasm to be exploited by the BJP'sstyle of politics. Moreover, farmers from the most'backward' castes such as Morya, Nishad and Gaderiyashave hardly been an ally of the BKU and a part of the'kisan' identity popularized by Charan Singh.

By projecting these farmers as the victims of thedominant landowning farmers the BJP has weaponizedthem as new warriors of Hindutva. Despite theselimitations, the Muzaffarnagar Kisan Mahapanchayathas shown the way to reclaim the Indian Constitutionand the legacy of secularism by simultaneously linkingsocio-economic injustices to environmental and genderissues.

(The author teaches Sociology at the G.B. Pant Social ScienceInstitute, University of Allahabad)

PERSPECTIVE THE INDIAN PANORAMA


BY SATENDRA KUMAR

Farmers’ stir, the new dimension in U.P.’s politicsITS RETRIEVAL OF THE OLD SECULAR POLITICAL LANGUAGE OPENLY

COUNTERS THE BJP'S DIVISIVE AND COMMUNAL POLITICS

Farmers at the Muzaffarnagar protest rally on September 5,decided to remain defiant against the government over

controversial laws they say will destroy their livelihoods.

"Moreover, theorganization's founders -whose pictures adorn everyRSS gathering - were openlyand unapologetically inspiredby Benito Mussolini's FascistItaly and Adolf Hitler's NaziGermany. Citing Hitler'sGermany as an ideal exampleof the xenophobic societythey desired, they praisedthe "race consciousness"and "race spirit" thatprompted the expansionistconquests of the Europeanfascist movements. NamingChristians and Muslims as"internal threats," membersof "foreign races," and"traitors," they applaudedthe "race pride"demonstrated by the Nazis in"purging the country of theSemitic races - the Jews,"identifying it as a strongexample of the supposedfailures of diversity,inclusivity, and pluralism,and, thus, a "good lesson…to learn and profit by."

USPresident Joe Biden offereda glimmer of hope in April2021 when he called out

white supremacy as "the most lethalterrorist threat" to America today, buthis words ring rather hollow after hisacting ambassador to India, Atul Keshap,staged an 8 September photo-op with thechief of the RSS, a paramilitary that notonly grew with direct inspiration fromthe European fascist movements of the1930s-1940s but has inspired modern-daywhite supremacist terrorists.

The US Embassy's Charge d'AffairesAtul Keshap (appointed interim envoy toIndia in June) celebrated his "gooddiscussion" with RSS's "Mohan Bhagwatabout how India's tradition of diversity,

democracy, inclusivity, and pluralismcan ensure the vitality and strength of atruly great nation." The offensive ironyof his remarks is that the RSS - which isquite literally Nazi-inspired - seeks tocreate a homogenous society in whichminorities, especially Muslims andChristians, are eliminated (at worst) orrelegated to second-class citizenship (atbest). The meeting marked Keshap's finalact as the US envoy to India; two hoursafter reporting on the meet, heannounced that he will be returning toWashington, DC.

"We won't ignore what our intelligenceagencies have determined to be the mostlethal terrorist threat to our homelandtoday: white supremacy is terrorism,"declared Biden in April. Keshap'smeeting, however, suggests that theBiden administration is ignoringAmerican intelligence agencies - as wellas US State Department entities - when itcomes to the RSS.

As far back as the 1950s, the CentralIntelligence Agency (CIA) was describingthe RSS as "militant" and expressingconcerns about its "strength." Accordingto declassified CIA documents, theparamilitary's two most importantprinciples were "being anti-Muslim andanti-West." In 1998, the CIA described theRSS as the (now ruling) Bharatiya JanataParty's (BJP) "chauvinist parentorganization," explained that it was firstbanned in 1948 "after one of its membersassassinated Mahatma Gandhi," andreported: "The RSS depends on the BJP tokeep Hindu nationalism in the public eyeas a political issue, and the BJP relies onthe RSS for manpower and organizinggrassroots electoral support." In 2018, theCIA labeled two subsidiaries of the RSS -its religious wing, the Vishwa HinduParishad (VHP), and the VHP's youthwing, the Bajrang Dal - as "militantreligious organizations."

For over two decades, human rightsreports from the US State Departmenthave regularly termed the RSS as a"hard-line" group or a "Hindu extremistorganization," typically in connectionwith allegations of RSS involvement inviolence against religious minorities.

Furthermore, the US Commission onInternational Religious Freedom(USCIRF) - an independent StateDepartment entity - has incessantlyhighlighted the influence of the RSS andthe "Sangh Parivar" (Family ofOrganizations) which spring from it.Noting that the late 1990s saw a "markedincrease in violent attacks againstmembers of religious minorities,particularly Muslims and Christians,throughout India, including killings,torture, rape, and destruction ofproperty," USCIRF explained, "Theincrease in such violence in Indiacoincided with the rise in politicalinfluence of groups associated with theSangh Parivar, a collection oforganizations that view non-Hindus asforeign to India and aggressively pressfor governmental policies to promote aHindu nationalist agenda."

In 2015, USCIRF reported that,following the election of BJP PrimeMinister Narendra Modi (an RSSmember who is himself accused oforchestrating an anti-Muslim pogrom in2002), "religious minority communities"were subjected to "numerous violentattacks and forced conversions by Hindunationalist groups, such as RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and VishvaHindu Parishad (VHP)." In 2017, thegroup reported that the RSS and itsaffiliates had "perpetrated numerousincidents of intimidation, harassment,and violence against religious minoritycommunities and Hindu Dalits." In oneexceptionally disturbing incident, "TheRSS reportedly placed signs in train

stations throughout India that saidChristians had to leave India or convertto Hinduism or they will be killed by2021." In 2019, the group attributed thedeterioration of "conditions for religiousminorities" to "a multifaceted campaignby Hindu nationalist groups" such as theRSS "to alienate non-Hindus or lower-caste Hindus," concluding that it was "asignificant contributor to the rise ofreligious violence and persecution."

In light of such reports from his owngovernment, Ambassador Keshap'sdecision to meet the RSS chief - and,particularly, to describe his visit asintended to "ensure the vitality andstrength" of India - truly boggles themind. However, even if Americaninstitutions had remained silent,countless other factors ought to haveinspired Keshap to shun the notoriousHindu nationalist outfit.

The RSS has been banned three times,most recently in 1992 after instigatingthe mob demolition of an historicmosque and subsequent riots that left upto 3,000 Muslims dead. Since the 1940s,the RSS has been repeatedly implicatedin assassinations, bombings, and evenpogroms targeting minorities as well asits critics. The paramilitary's currentSupreme Leader, Mohan Bhagwat (withwhom Keshap met), has frequentlyasserted both that all Indians (regardlessof their personal self-identification) areHindus and that it is "non-negotiable"that India is a Hindu nation.

Moreover, the organization's founders -whose pictures adorn every RSSgathering - were openly andunapologetically inspired by BenitoMussolini's Fascist Italy and AdolfHitler's Nazi Germany. Citing Hitler'sGermany as an ideal example of thexenophobic society they desired, theypraised the "race consciousness" and"race spirit" that prompted theexpansionist conquests of the Europeanfascist movements.

CONTD ON PAGE 44

OPINION THE INDIAN PANORAMA


Biden Administration Whitewashes Nazi-Inspired RSS with Official Meet

BY PIETER FRIEDRICH

"We won't ignore what ourintelligence agencies havedetermined to be the mostlethal terrorist threat to ourhomeland today: whitesupremacy is terrorism,"declared Biden in April.Keshap's meeting, however,suggests that the Bidenadministration is ignoringAmerican intelligenceagencies - as well as USState Department entities -when it comes to the RSS."

Acting US Ambassador to India stages photo-op with paramilitary's chief in India on Sep 8

FEATURE THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 119/11: 20 years of the tragedy

September 11 attacks, also called 9/11 attacks, seriesof airline hijackings and suicide attackscommitted in 2001 by 19 militants associated with

the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda against targets inthe United States, the deadliest terrorist attacks onAmerican soil in U.S. history.

The attacks against New York City and Washington,D.C., caused extensive death and destruction andtriggered an enormous U.S. effort to combat terrorism.Some 2,750 people were killed in New York, 184 at thePentagon, and 40 in Pennsylvania (where one of thehijacked planes crashed after the passengers attemptedto retake the plane); all 19 terrorists died. Police and firedepartments in New York were especially hard-hit:hundreds had rushed to the scene of the attacks, andmore than 400 police officers and firefighters werekilled.

The plotThe September 11 attacks were precipitated in large

part because Osama bin Laden, the leader of themilitant Islamic organization al-Qaeda, held naivebeliefs about the United States in the run-up to theattacks. Abu Walid al-Masri, an Egyptian who was a binLaden associate in Afghanistan in the 1980s and ’90s,explained that, in the years prior to the attacks, binLaden became increasingly convinced that Americawas weak. “He believed that the United States wasmuch weaker than some of those around him thought,”Masri remembered, and “as evidence he referred towhat happened to the United States in Beirut when thebombing of the Marines base led them to flee fromLebanon,” referring to the destruction of the marinebarracks there in 1983, which killed 241 Americanservicemen. Bin Laden believed that the United Stateswas a “paper tiger,” a belief shaped not just byAmerica’s departure from Lebanon following themarine barracks bombing but also by the withdrawal ofAmerican forces from Somalia in 1993, following thedeaths of 18 U.S. servicemen in Mogadishu, and theAmerican pullout from Vietnam in the 1970s.

The key operational planner of the September 11attacks was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (often referredto simply as “KSM” in the later 9/11 CommissionReport and in the media), who had spent his youth inKuwait. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed became active inthe Muslim Brotherhood, which he joined at age 16, andthen he went to the United States to attend college,receiving a degree from North Carolina Agriculturaland Technical State University in 1986. Afterward hetraveled to Pakistan and then Afghanistan to wagejihad against the Soviet Union, which had launched aninvasion against Afghanistan in 1979.

According to Yosri Fouda, a journalist at the Arabic-language cable television channel Al Jazeera whointerviewed him in 2002, Khalid Sheikh Mohammedplanned to blow up some dozen American planes inAsia during the mid-1990s, a plot (known as “Bojinka”)that failed, “but the dream of Khalid SheikhMohammed never faded. And I think by putting hishand in the hands of bin Laden, he realized that now hestood a chance of bringing about his long awaiteddream.”

In 1996 Khalid Sheikh Mohammed met bin Laden inTora Bora, Afghanistan. The 9-11 Commission (formallythe National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Uponthe United States), set up in 2002 by Pres. George W.Bush and the U.S. Congress to investigate the attacks of2001, explained that it was then that Khalid SheikhMohammed “presented a proposal for an operation thatwould involve training pilots who would crash planesinto buildings in the United States.” Khalid SheikhMohammed dreamed up the tactical innovation ofusing hijacked planes to attack the United States, al-

Qaeda provided the personnel, money, and logisticalsupport to execute the operation, and bin Laden wovethe attacks on New York and Washington into a largerstrategic framework of attacking the “far enemy”—theUnited States—in order to bring about regime changeacross the Middle East.

The September 11 plot demonstrated that al-Qaedawas an organization of global reach. The plot played outacross the globe with planning meetings in Malaysia,

operatives taking flight lessons in the United States,coordination by plot leaders based in Hamburg,Germany, money transfers from Dubai, andrecruitment of suicide operatives from countriesaround the Middle East—all activities that wereultimately overseen by al-Qaeda’s leaders inAfghanistan.

Key parts of the September 11 plot took shape inHamburg. Four of the key pilots and planners in the

In the worst terrorist attack ever against the United States, hijackers struck at thepreeminent symbols of the nation’s wealth and might, flying airliners into the World

Trade Center and the Pentagon and killing or injuring thousands of people.

An explosion rips through the south tower of the World Trade Center as smoke billows from the north tower.


FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 12“Hamburg cell” who would takeoperational control of the September 11attacks, including the lead hijackerMohammed Atta, had a chance meetingon a train in Germany in 1999 with anIslamist militant who struck up aconversation with them about fightingjihad in the Russian republic ofChechnya. The militant put theHamburg cell in touch with an al-Qaedaoperative living in Germany whoexplained that it was difficult to get toChechnya at that time because manytravelers were being detained in Georgia.He recommended they go to Afghanistaninstead.

Although Afghanistan was critical tothe rise of al-Qaeda, it was theexperience that some of the plottersacquired in the West that made themsimultaneously more zealous and betterequipped to carry out the attacks. Threeof the four plotters who would pilot thehijacked planes on September 11 and oneof the key planners, Ramzi Binalshibh,became more radical while living inHamburg. Some combination ofperceived or real discrimination,alienation, and homesickness seems tohave turned them all in a more militantdirection. Increasingly cuttingthemselves off from the outside world,they gradually radicalized each other,and eventually the friends decided towage battle in bin Laden’s global jihad,setting off for Afghanistan in 1999 insearch of al-Qaeda.

Atta and the other members of theHamburg group arrived in Afghanistanin 1999 right at the moment that theSeptember 11 plot was beginning to takeshape. Bin Laden and his militarycommander Muhammad Atef realizedthat Atta and his fellow Western-educated jihadists were far better suitedto lead the attacks on Washington andNew York than the men they had alreadyrecruited, leading bin Laden to appointAtta to head the operation.

The hijackers, most of whom werefrom Saudi Arabia, establishedthemselves in the United States, manywell in advance of the attacks. Theytraveled in small groups, and some ofthem received commercial flighttraining.

Throughout his stay in the UnitedStates, Atta kept Binalshibh updated onthe plot’s progress via e-mail. To cloakhis activities, Atta wrote the messages asif he were writing to his girlfriend“Jenny,” using innocuous code to informBinalshibh that they were almostcomplete in their training and readinessfor the attacks. Atta wrote in onemessage, “The first semester commencesin three weeks…Nineteen certificates forprivate education and four exams.” Thereferenced 19 “certificates” were codethat identified the 19 al-Qaeda hijackers,while the four “exams” identified thetargets of the attacks.

In the early morning of August 29,2001, Atta called Binalshibh and said hehad a riddle that he was trying to solve:“Two sticks, a dash and a cake with astick down—what is it?” Afterconsidering the question, Binalshibhrealized that Atta was telling him thatthe attacks would occur in two weeks—the two sticks being the number 11 andthe cake with a stick down a 9. Putting ittogether, it meant that the attacks wouldoccur on 11-9, or 11 September (in mostcountries the day precedes the month innumeric dates, but in the United Statesthe month precedes the day; hence, it was

9-11 in the United States). On September5 Binalshibh left Germany for Pakistan.Once there he sent a messenger toAfghanistan to inform bin Laden aboutboth the day of the attack and its scope.

The attacksOn September 11, 2001, groups of

attackers boarded four domestic aircraftat three East Coast airports, and soonafter takeoff they disabled the crews,some of whom may have been stabbedwith box cutters the hijackers weresecreting. The hijackers then tookcontrol of the aircraft, all large andbound for the West Coast with full loadsof fuel. At 8:46 AM the first plane,American Airlines flight 11, which hadoriginated from Boston, was piloted intothe north tower of the World TradeCenter in New York City. Most observersconstrued this initially to be an accidentinvolving a small commuter plane. Thesecond plane, United Airlines flight 175,

also from Boston, struck the south tower17 minutes later. At this point there wasno doubt that the United States wasunder attack. Each structure was badlydamaged by the impact and erupted intoflames. Office workers who were trappedabove the points of impact in some casesleapt to their deaths rather than face theinfernos now raging inside the towers.The third plane, American Airlinesflight 77, taking off from Dulles Airportnear Washington, D.C., struck thesouthwest side of the Pentagon (justoutside the city) at 9:37 AM, touching offa fire in that section of the structure.Minutes later the Federal AviationAuthority ordered a nationwide groundstop, and within the next hour (at 10:03AM) the fourth aircraft, United Airlinesflight 93 from Newark, New Jersey,crashed near Shanksville in thePennsylvania countryside after itspassengers—informed of events viacellular phone—attempted to overpower

their assailants.At 9:59 AM the World Trade Center’s

heavily damaged south tower collapsed,and the north tower fell 29 minutes later.Clouds of smoke and debris quicklyfilled the streets of Lower Manhattan.Office workers and residents ran inpanic as they tried to outpace thebillowing debris clouds. A number ofother buildings adjacent to the twintowers suffered serious damage, andseveral subsequently fell. Fires at theWorld Trade Center site smoldered formore than three months.

Rescue operations began almostimmediately as the country and theworld sought to come to grips with theenormity of the losses. Nearly 3,000people had perished: some 2,750 people inNew York, 184 at the Pentagon, and 40 inPennsylvania; all 19 terrorists also died.Included in the total in New York Citywere more than 400 police officers andfirefighters, who had lost their lives after

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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 13

rushing to the scene and into the towers.On the morning of September 11,

President Bush had been visiting asecond-grade classroom in Sarasota,Florida, when he was informed that aplane had flown into the World TradeCenter. A little later Andrew Card, hischief of staff, whispered in thepresident’s right ear: “A second plane hitthe second tower. America is underattack.” To keep the president out ofharm’s way, Bush subsequentlyhopscotched across the country on AirForce One, landing in Washington, D.C.,the evening of the attacks. At 8:30 PMBush addressed the nation from the OvalOffice in a speech that laid out a keydoctrine of his administration’s futureforeign policy: “We will make nodistinction between the terrorists whocommitted these acts and those whoharbor them.”

On September 14 Bush visited“Ground Zero,” the smoking pile ofdebris of what remained of the WorldTrade Center and the thousands who hadperished there. Standing on top of awrecked fire truck, Bush grabbed abullhorn to address the rescue workersworking feverishly to find any survivors.When one of the workers said that hecould not hear what the president wassaying, Bush made one of the mostmemorable remarks of his presidency:

Bush’s robust response to the attacksdrove his poll ratings from 55 percentfavourable before September 11 to 90percent in the days after, the highest everrecorded for a president.

The aftermathThe emotional distress caused by the

attacks—particularly the collapse of thetwin towers, New York City’s mostvisible landmark—was overwhelming.Unlike the relatively isolated site of thePearl Harbor attack of 1941, to which theSeptember 11 events were sooncompared, the World Trade Center lay atthe heart of one of the world’s largestcities. Hundreds of thousands of peoplewitnessed the attacks firsthand (manyonlookers photographed events orrecorded them with video cameras), andmillions watched the tragedy unfold liveon television. In the days that followedSeptember 11, the footage of the attackswas replayed in the media countlesstimes, as were the scenes of throngs ofpeople, stricken with grief, gathering at“Ground Zero”—as the site where thetowers once stood came to be commonlyknown—some with photos of missing

loved ones, seeking some hint of theirfate.

Moreover, world markets were badlyshaken. The towers were at the heart ofNew York’s financial district, anddamage to Lower Manhattan’sinfrastructure, combined with fears ofstock market panic, kept New Yorkmarkets closed for four trading days.Markets afterward suffered recordlosses. The attacks also stranded tens ofthousands of people throughout theUnited States, as U.S. airspace remainedclosed for commercial aviation untilSeptember 13, and normal service, withmore rigid security measures, did notresume for several days.

The September 11 attacks were anenormous tactical success for al-Qaeda.The strikes were well coordinated andhit multiple targets in the heart of theenemy, and the attacks were magnifiedby being broadcast around the world toan audience of untold millions. TheSeptember 11 “propaganda of the deed”took place in the media capital of theworld, which ensured the widest possiblecoverage of the event. Not sincetelevision viewers had watched theabduction and murder of Israeli athletesduring the Munich Olympics in 1972 hada massive global audience witnessed aterrorist attack unfold in real time. If al-Qaeda had been a largely unknownorganization before September 11, in thedays after it became a household name.

After the attacks of September 11,countries allied with the United Statesrallied to its support, perhaps bestsymbolized by the French newspaper LeMonde’s headline, “We are all Americansnow.” Even in Iran thousands gatheredin the capital, Tehran, for a candlelightvigil.

Evidence gathered by the United Statessoon convinced most governments thatthe Islamic militant group al-Qaeda wasresponsible for the attacks. The grouphad been implicated in previous terroriststrikes against Americans, and binLaden had made numerous anti-American statements. Al-Qaeda washeadquartered in Afghanistan and hadforged a close relationship with thatcountry’s ruling Taliban militia, whichsubsequently refused U.S. demands toextradite bin Laden and to terminate al-Qaeda activity there.

For the first time in its history, theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) invoked Article 5, allowing itsmembers to respond collectively in self-defense, and on October 7 the U.S. and

In 2002 President Bush hadappointed a commission to look intothe September 11 attacks, and two

years later it issued its final report.The commission found that the key pre-September 11 failure at the CIA was itsnot adding to the State Department’s“watch list” two of the “muscle”hijackers (who were trained to restrainthe passengers on the plane), thesuspected al-Qaeda militants Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar. The CIAhad been tracking Hazmi and Mihdharsince they attended a terrorist summitmeeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, onJanuary 5, 2000. The failure to watch-list the two al-Qaeda suspects with theDepartment of State meant that theyentered the United States under theirreal names with ease. On January 15,2000, 10 days after the Malaysianmeeting, Hazmi and Mihdhar flew intoLos Angeles. The CIA also did not alertthe FBI about the identities of thesuspected terrorists, which could havehelped the bureau locate them oncethey were inside the United States.According to the commission, this wasthe failure of not just a few employeesat the CIA but a large number of CIAofficers and analysts. Some 50 to 60 CIAemployees read cables about the two al-Qaeda suspects without taking anyaction. Some of those officers knewthat one of the al-Qaeda suspects had avisa for the United States, and by May2001 some knew that the other suspecthad flown to Los Angeles.

The soon-to-be hijackers would nothave been difficult to find in Californiaif their names had been known to lawenforcement. Under their real namesthey rented an apartment, obtaineddriver’s licenses, opened bankaccounts, purchased a car, and tookflight lessons at a local school; Mihdhareven listed his name in the local phonedirectory.

It was only on August 24, 2001, as aresult of questions raised by a CIAofficer on assignment at the FBI, thatthe two al-Qaeda suspects were watch-listed and their names communicatedto the FBI. Even then the FBI sent outonly a “Routine” notice requesting aninvestigation of Mihdhar. A few weekslater Hazmi and Mihdhar were two ofthe hijackers on the American Airlinesflight that plunged into the Pentagon.

The CIA inspector general concludedthat "informing the FBI and goodoperational follow-through by CIA andFBI might have resulted in surveillanceof both al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi.Surveillance, in turn, would have hadthe potential to yield information onflight training, financing, and links toothers who were complicit in the 9/11attacks."

The key failure at the FBI was thehandling of the Zacarias Moussaouicase. Moussaoui, a French citizen ofMoroccan descent, was attending flightschool in the summer of 2001 inMinnesota, where he attractedattention from instructors because hehad little knowledge of flying and didnot behave like a typical aviationstudent. The flight school contacted theFBI, and on August 16 Moussaoui wasarrested on a visa overstay charge.Although Moussaoui was not the "20thhijacker," as was widely reported later,he had received money from one of theSeptember 11 coordinators, RamziBinalshibh, and by his own accountwas going to take part in a second waveof al-Qaeda attacks following theassaults on New York and Washington.

The FBI agent in Minneapolis whohandled Moussaoui’s case believed thathe might have been planning to hijack aplane, and the agent was alsoconcerned that Moussaoui had traveledto Pakistan, which was a red flag asmilitants often used the country as atransit point to travel to terroristtraining camps in Afghanistan. OnAugust 23 (or 24, according to somereports) CIA director George Tenet wastold about the case in a briefing titled"Islamic Extremist Learns to Fly." ButFBI headquarters determined thatthere was not sufficient "probablecause" of a crime for the Minneapolisoffice to conduct a search ofMoussaoui’s computer hard drive andbelongings. Such a search would haveturned up his connection toBinalshibh, according to RepublicanSen. Charles Grassley, a leadingmember of the Senate JudiciaryCommittee, which has oversight of theFBI. The 9-11 Commission alsoconcluded that “a maximum U.S. effortto investigate Moussaoui conceivablycould have unearthed his connection toBinalshibh.”

The September 11commission and its findings

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allied military forces launched an attackagainst Afghanistan. Within monthsthousands of militants were killed orcaptured, and Taliban and al-Qaedaleaders were driven into hiding. Inaddition, the U.S. government exertedgreat effort to track down other al-Qaedaagents and sympathizers throughout theworld and made combating terrorism thefocus of U.S. foreign policy. Meanwhile,security measures within the UnitedStates were tightened considerably atsuch places as airports, governmentbuildings, and sports venues. To helpfacilitate the domestic response,Congress quickly passed the USAPATRIOT Act (the Uniting andStrengthening America by ProvidingAppropriate Tools Required to Interceptand Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001),which significantly but temporarilyexpanded the search and surveillancepowers of the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation (FBI) and other law-enforcement agencies. Additionally, acabinet-level Department of HomelandSecurity was established.

Despite their success in causingwidespread destruction and death, theSeptember 11 attacks were a strategicfailure for al-Qaeda. FollowingSeptember 11, al-Qaeda—whose name inArabic means “the base”—lost the bestbase it ever had in Afghanistan. Latersome in al-Qaeda’s leadership—including those who, like Egyptian Saifal-Adel, had initially opposed theattacks—tried to spin the Westernintervention in Afghanistan as a victoryfor al-Qaeda. Al-Adel, one of the group’smilitary commanders, explained in aninterview four years later that thestrikes on New York and Washingtonwere part of a far-reaching andvisionary plan to provoke the UnitedStates into some ill-advised actions.

But there is not a shred of evidencethat in the weeks before September 11 al-Qaeda’s leaders made any plans for anAmerican invasion of Afghanistan.Instead, they prepared only for possibleU.S. cruise missile attacks or air strikesby evacuating their training camps.Also, the overthrow of the Talibanhardly constituted an American“mistake”—the first and only regime inthe modern Muslim world that ruledaccording to al-Qaeda’s rigid preceptswas toppled, and with it was lost anentire country that al-Qaeda had onceenjoyed as a safe haven. And in the wakeof the fall of the Taliban, al-Qaeda wasunable to recover anything like thestatus it once had as a terroristorganization with considerable swayover Afghanistan.

Bin Laden disastrously misjudged thepossible U.S. responses to the September11 attacks, which he believed would takeone of two forms: an eventual retreatfrom the Middle East along the lines ofthe U.S. pullout from Somalia in 1993 oranother ineffectual round of cruisemissile attacks similar to those thatfollowed al-Qaeda’s bombings ofAmerican embassies in Kenya andTanzania in 1998. Neither of these twoscenarios happened. The U.S. campaignagainst the Taliban was conducted withpinpoint strikes from Americanairpower, tens of thousands of NorthernAlliance forces (a loose coalition of

mujahideen militias that maintainedcontrol of a small section of northernAfghanistan), and more than 300 U.S.Special Forces soldiers on the groundworking with 110 officers from theCentral Intelligence Agency (CIA). InNovember, just two months after theSeptember 11 attacks, the Taliban fell tothe Northern Alliance and the UnitedStates. Still, it was just the beginning ofwhat would become the longest war inU.S. history, as the United States tried toprevent the return of the Taliban andtheir al-Qaeda allies.

In December 2001, faced with theproblem of where to house prisoners asthe Taliban fell, the administrationdecided to hold them at Guantánamo Bay,which the U.S. had been leasing fromCuba since 1903. As Secretary of DefenseDonald Rumsfeld put it on December 27,2001, “I would characterize GuantánamoBay, Cuba, as the least worst place wecould have selected.” Guantánamo wasattractive to administration officialsbecause they believed it placed thedetainees outside the reach of Americanlaws, such as the right to appeal theirimprisonment, yet it was only 90 miles(145 km) off the coast of Florida, makingit accessible to the various agencies thatwould need to travel there to extractinformation from what was believed tobe a population of hundreds ofdangerous terrorists. Eventually, some800 prisoners would be held there,although the prison population wasreduced to less than 175 by the time ofthe 10th anniversary of the September 11attacks.

In his State of the Union speech onJanuary 29, 2002, President Bush laid outa new doctrine of preemptive war, whichwent well beyond the long-establishedprinciple that the United States would goto war to prevent an adversary launchingan attack that imminently threatenedthe country. Bush declared:

“I will not wait on events while

dangers gather. I will not stand by asperil draws closer and closer. The UnitedStates of America will not permit theworld’s most dangerous regimes tothreaten us with the world’s mostdestructive weapons.”

Bush identified those dangerousregimes as an "axis of evil" that includedIran, Iraq, and North Korea. At thegraduation ceremony for West Pointcadets on June 1, 2002, Bush elaboratedon his preemptive war doctrine, sayingto the assembled soon-to-be graduatesand their families, “If we wait for threatsto fully materialize, we will have waitedtoo long.” Bush believed that there wouldbe a “demonstration effect” indestroying Saddam Hussein’s regime inIraq that would deter groups like al-Qaeda or indeed anyone else who mightbe inclined to attack the United States.Undersecretary of Defense Douglas J.Feith later explained,

What we did after 9/11 was lookbroadly at the international terroristnetwork from which the next attack on

the United States might come. And wedid not focus narrowly only on the peoplewho were specifically responsible for9/11. Our main goal was preventing thenext attack. Thus, though there was noevidence that Saddam Hussein’sgovernment in Iraq had collaboratedwith al-Qaeda in the September 11attacks, the United States prepared forconflict against Iraq in its global waragainst terror, broadly defined.

On March 19, 2003, on the eve of theinvasion of Iraq, President Bush issuedthe order for war:

For the peace of the world and thebenefit and freedom of the Iraqi people, Ihereby give the order to executeOperation Iraqi Freedom. May God blessthe troops.

On March 20 the American-ledinvasion of Iraq began. Within threeweeks U.S. forces controlled Baghdad,and the famous pictures of the massivestatue of Saddam Hussein being toppledfrom its plinth were broadcast aroundthe world.

A strategic failure for al-QaedaFrom page 13



In September 2001 President Bush announcedthat he wanted Osama bin Laden captured—dead or alive—and a $25 million bounty was

eventually issued for information leading to thekilling or capture of bin Laden. Bin Laden evadedcapture, however, including in December 2001,when he was tracked by U.S. forces to themountains of Tora Bora in eastern Afghanistan.Bin Laden’s trail subsequently went cold, and hewas thought to be living somewhere in theAfghanistan-Pakistan tribal regions.

U.S. intelligence eventually located him inPakistan, living in the garrison city ofAbbottabad, and in the early morning hours ofMay 2, 2011, on orders from U.S. Pres. BarackObama, a small team of U.S. Navy SEALsassaulted his compound and shot and killed theal-Qaeda leader.

One World Trade Center and theNational September 11 Memorial andMuseum

The physical and symbolic void left by the destructionof the Twin Towers was filled on November 3, 2014, withthe opening of One World Trade Center, a 1,776-foot (541.3-metre) skyscraper, which instantly became a dramaticnew landmark on the Manhattan skyline. Adjacent to OneWorld Trade Center are the National September 11Memorial and Museum (completed in 2011 and 2014,respectively). Within the 8-acre (3.2-hectare) memorialplaza, twin 1-acre (0.4-hectare) reflecting pools occupy thefootprints of the Twin Towers. The pools feature thelargest man-made waterfalls in North America and areedged by bronze panels inscribed with the names of thevictims of the September 11 attacks as well as the namesof the six people who died as a result of the truck bombingof the World Trade Center in February 1993. Among morethan 400 trees in the grove that surrounds the pools is the“Survivor Tree,” a Callery pear tree that was discoveredbadly damaged at Ground Zero, removed and nursed backto health, and then returned to the site in 2010. Thememorial and plaza were designed by architects MichaelArad and Peter Walker, winners of a design competitionthat featured 5,201 submissions from 63 countries.

The museum includes a glass-encased pavilion with anatrium that features two 80-foot (24-metre) trident-shapedsteel columns that were part of the facade of the NorthTower. The museum’s Memorial Hall is adorned with 2,983tiles (representing the victims of the September 2001 andFebruary 1993 attacks), each one a blue watercolour withwhich artist Spencer Finch attempted to capture thecolour of the sky on the day of the September 11 attacks.At the centre of the tiles is a quote from Virgil’s Aeneid:

“No day shall erase you from the memory of time.”The museum’s Foundation Hall is a high-ceilinged,

nearly 15,000-square-foot (1,400-square-metre) room thatencompasses part of a surviving retaining wall of theWorld Trade Center and displays the “Last Column,” a 36-foot (11-metre) steel beam to which workers and othersattached messages and posters during Ground Zerocleanup operations. The international impact of theSeptember 11 attacks is demonstrated along the ramp thatdescends into the museum by a multimedia exhibitfeaturing recorded reminiscences by people from 43countries in 28 languages.

9/11: Lessons for AmericaSeptember 11, 2021 marks the 20 years of 9/11 terror

attacks in America. The image of two passenger planesflying into the twin towers of the World Trade Center ispermanently etched on public memory. This was,however, not the first time that the World Trade Centerwas under attack from terrorists.

In 1993, a suicide bomber had driven a truck to theWorld Trade Center in New York but it did not bring downthe towers. Six people had died back then.

In 2001, the World Trade Center was also not the onlytarget to have been hit by the terrorists - 19 of thembelonging to al Qaeda. Four passenger planes had takenoff from different airports in the US with three pre-decided targets. Two planes hit the New York buildings.

Third one hit Pentagon, the headquarters of the US

Department of Defence and caused little damage to thebuilding. The fourth had a bigger target - the Capitol Hill,the seat of US government in Washington DC.

The passengers of the United Airlines flight showedremarkable sense of courage and willingness to sacrificetheir lives to protect the US. They challenged theterrorists and thwarted their attempt to take the flight toWashington DC. It crashed into an open field inneighbouring Pennsylvania.

For that one day on September 9, 2001, terror seemed tohave become the master of the world. There was panic inevery country. This was the first time that the US had beenattacked by an outside force since 1941 when Japantargeted Pearl Harbour in the Hawaii Islands and the firstever on the mainland America since the RevolutionaryWar of 18th century.

The terror attack taught several lessons not only to theUS but the whole world. These lessons could besummarised as ahead.

No country is invulnerableThe audacity and the meticulous planning by Al Qaeda

exposed the vulnerability of the security establishment ofall the countries of the world. No country could now beseen as invulnerable.

For long, terror attacks in India from Paskistan-basedgroups were treated by the international community aslocalised affair arising out of the long-held animositybetween India and Pakistan and religious bigotry in thetwo countries.

The 9/11 attacks shattered that myth. For the first time,the world learnt this lesson that terrorism is a policy ofsome state and groups aspiring to acquire political powersby stoking religious fundamentalism.

Policing is keyPolicing is key to stop any crime including terrorism.

Policing is, by the way, not only done by the police forcesbut all the vigilance agencies. A few days after the 9/11attacks emerged videos showing hijackers of the planethat crashed on to the Pentagon were being screened atWashington's Dulles airport.

The security person is seen in the video doing just aroutine job of screening the hijackers, two of whom wereon an anti-terrorism watch list and one person had nophoto-ID. Still they all were given clearance to board theplane. This happened in the US, which was known to friskeven high and mighty from the other countries.

Had the policing been done efficiently, the plot mighthave been exposed or at least one target could have beensaved and terrorists caught alive. Jaish-e-Mohammedchief Masood Azhar, now the UN-designated terrorist, hadbeen arrested in Kashmir in 1994 due to simplest ofpolicing.

Intelligence info should not be ignoredMost powerful countries or the ones aspiring to be

powerful boast of their robust intelligence gathering. TheCentral Intelligence Agency of the US is the mostpowerful and resourceful of them all. The CIA had pickedup definite intelligence about an "imminent" terrorist

attack on the US soil.Reports suggest that the CIA had sent its

report to Condoleezza Rice, then nationalsecurity advisor to US President GeorgeBush, apparently several months before the9/11 attacks happened. The CIA intelligencewas specific that al Qaeda was planning"multiple" and "spectacular" attacks in theUS in immediate future.

Similar warnings have reached the WhiteHouse of George Bush but the state agencieslargely ignored them, considering "usualreports" from the ground operative with no"actionable intelligence". This provedmassively fatal. The lesson learnt was thatintelligence of terror plots cannot be takenlightly irrespective of the number of reportsground operatives send.

Terrorism follows moneyIn every single case of terror attack,

money has been involved. In 9/11 attacks,money flowed through international agencies but theauthorities ignored it.

Probe into the 9/11 attacks revealed that money wassent to terrorists who hijacked the planes from overseas.The hijackers, in turn, sent money to United ArabEmirates in four batches only three days before theystunned the world.

All the four payments were made through WesternUnion but the company or the security agencies fail tonotice the transactions, which were suspicious in naturein the backdrop of intelligence inputs.

The agencies have become more alert and moneylaundering laws in most countries have been tightened.Still, some safe havens for money laundering are in playand they can play perfect foil to future terror plots. Acountry can forget this lesson from the 9/11 attacks onlyon its own peril.

Political instability breeds terror

Political instability or infighting could be a breedingground for terrorism. This is a disguised yet veryimportant lesson from the 9/11 terror attacks. It acts bothways - political instability in the source country (e.g.Pakistan, Afghanistan) and a target country (e.g. the US,India).

The US witnessed an unusual political instability in themonths and years before the 9/11 attacks. Then USPresident Bill Clinton survived impeachment after theHouse of Representative voted to commence theproceedings. The motion fell in the Senate.

This had followed a sexual harassment case against BillClinton by a former Arkansas state employee Paula Jones.This case brought to light another massive scandalinvolving Bill Clinton and a White House intern MonicaLewinsky.

The political infighting at that time in the US wasunseen for decades. When presidential election happenedin 2000, it remained unresolved for 41 days. The US wasliving a political mistrust. Ten months later, coordinationamong the government machinery failed and terroristssucceeded in killing 2,977 people in one swoop.

Fight against terror is not overThat the fight against terrorism is far from over is a

lesson that is not lost on any country except for thosesponsoring terror and hobnobbing with terror masters.The US is fighting to destroy terror infrastructure andgroups in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

India is fighting its own battle against Pakistan-backedterrorism. According to Global Terrorism Index, 77countries witnessed acts of terror in 2017. This number isonly half the story as only three years ago in 2014, therewere 106 countries as victims of terrorism.

Clearly, the lesson from 9/11 attacks that the worldcannot afford to forget is that the national and globalsecurity agencies cannot lower their guard at any point oftime in their fight against terrorism. These agencies needto be foolproof every single time while terrorists need justone loophole to succeed and kill humanity.

The hunt for Osama bin Laden


FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 1620 years after 9/11, mastermind Khalid

Sheikh Mohammed still awaits trial

GUANTÁNAMO BAY, CUBA (TIP): It should bethe trial of the century, but most Americans long agostopped paying attention.

Two decades after the 9/11 attacks and nine yearsafter war crimes charges were filed, the pretrialwrangling in the case against accused 9/11mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and fourother defendants resumed Tuesday after a long Covidshutdown. It marked KSM's first court appearance inmore than a year. No trial date has been set, and noneis anticipated any time soon.

Alka Pradhan, a civilian employee of the DefenseDepartment who represents one of the five, calledwhat's happening here a "farce." While other lawyersdecline to go that far, nearly everyone seems to agreethat the effort to bring these defendants to justice hasgone badly off the rails.

"This failure is not on the people prosecuting,defending or the judges involved," said Kevin Powers,a national security expert at Boston College who onceadvised the Pentagon's office of militarycommissions on Guantánamo issues. "It's really theway the system was set up. And that's what reallypeople have to understand: The system is set up tofail."

It was 15 years ago Monday that President GeorgeW. Bush announced the arrival of al Qaeda detaineesat the Guantánamo prison, joining hundreds of otherprisoners already held in this U.S. enclave. Thereasons the wheels of justice are moving so slowlyare many. It's a logistical nightmare to travel here.The military commissions system set up for this trialwas created from scratch in the Obamaadministration, so every rule can be a point ofcontention — and hours of litigation. There has beenfrequent turnover of judges and lawyers.

But the biggest factor in why it's taking so long,defense lawyers and other experts say, is the secrecy.It took years for defense lawyers to get summaries ofthe classified evidence against their clients, and theysay they still don't have everything they need, eventhough they all possess top-secret securityclearances.

Inside the courtroom, journalists and familymembers must watch behind a wall of thick glass.The sound is piped in on a 40-second delay to guardagainst the defendants blurting out somethingclassified, officials said. And what classifiedinformation might al Qaeda operatives possess?

Defense lawyers say there is one main reason somuch here is shrouded in secrecy: The government isstill trying to hide the details of what happened to thedetainees who were held and tortured by the CIA insecret prisons before they were transferred toGuantánamo.

"Covering up torture is the reason that these menwere brought to Guantánamo, and the continuingcover-up of torture is the reason that indefinitedetention at Guantánamo still exists," said JamesConnell, a lawyer for Ammar al Baluchi, who, hislawyers say, was a model for the detainee who wastortured in one of the opening scenes of the film"Zero Dark Thirty."

"The cover-up of torture is also the reason that weare all gathered at Guantánamo for the 42nd hearingin the 9/11 military commission on the 15thanniversary of the transfer of these men toGuantánamo."

The prosecution has not granted interviews to thenews media for years, longtime Guantánamoobservers say, but said in a statement that it wascommitted to a fair proceeding. In court papers,prosecutors have blamed the defense for the delays,

noting that defense lawyers have filed motion aftermotion challenging huge swaths of evidence.

"The goal of the United States has been to affordfairness in reaching just outcomes to these cases," theprosecution said. "Beyond that, the Department ofDefense cannot speculate on matters related to theCommissions' timeline."

Experts say at the rate the case is proceeding, therecould be another decade of procedural hearings.

"There's the possibility of having no trial at all,"said Madeline Morris, a Duke law professor, whoheads the Guantánamo Defense Clinic, which assistsdefense counsel for military commissions.

"What we've been doing is to have, in essence, notrial at all," Morris said. "It's not necessarily aforegone conclusion that there will be a trial."

Meanwhile, the New York Times estimates that itcosts taxpayers around $13 million per prisoner peryear to operate the detention facility here, on a rockycoastline in a part of Cuba that the U.S. has occupiedsince the end of the Spanish-American war.

There are just 39 prisoners now, down from a heightof nearly 700.

And while the Biden administration has said itwants to close the facility, a $15 million expansion isunderway, officials here said, including theconstruction of a new courtroom and workspaces.

To get here Saturday, more than a hundred peopleboarded a military charter at Joint Base Andrews inMaryland at the crack of dawn — prosecutors, defenseattorneys, FBI agents, military officials, relatives ofvictims and journalists — after taking a rapid Covidtest. It was a full day of travel, underscoring thelogistical difficulty of getting in and out.

After a status conference Sunday, it became clearthat even less may happen this week than expected. Asenior lawyer on one of the legal teams is absent forunspecified personal reasons, and it's not clear thatsubstantive arguments can proceed.

Bush opened the detention center in 2002 as helaunched what he called a War on Terror, with theidea of keeping so-called enemy combatants thereindefinitely. He filled it up, mixing low-level foot

soldiers with terrorist masterminds, all held withoutcharges being filed.

Amid worldwide condemnation, his administrationended up releasing more than 500 captives andgranting the remaining prisoners access to lawyers.Many were sent back home or released to thirdcountries without incident. About 17 percent have re-engaged in terrorism, according to the Office of theDirector of National Intelligence. Two formerGuantánamo detainees surfaced last month in keyroles with the Taliban as they took control ofAfghanistan.

As president, Barack Obama promised to close theprison, but failed, though he shrank the populationfurther, to 41. Donald Trump pledged to "load it up"with new inmates, but never did.

Stung by revelations of torture, the CIA and themilitary long ago stopped holding enemy combatantsfor more than a few days. The U.S. instead has reliedon allies to jail those captured on the battlefield.Critics say it has become easier to kill terror suspectswith drone strikes than for America to capture andhold them.

Charges against many of the remaining inmatesmay not be possible, experts say, either because theevidence is too sensitive or the torture theyexperienced has tainted the case beyond repair.

Meanwhile, the 9/11 defendants await justice. Aplan to try them in New York City during the Obamaadministration blew up amid widespread politicalopposition.

"I have no doubt whatsoever that KSM is guilty,"said Terry McDermott, co-author of "The Hunt forKSM," the definitive account of how the U.S. trackeddown Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

"He's admitted it himself over and over again. Sothis should have been a very straightforward, open-and-shut case. If they had done this in the SouthernDistrict of New York, where they've done 200terrorism trials, the guy would have been in jail orexecuted 10 years ago. But if you've been toGuantánamo, you've seen the situation. The wholething is ridiculous." Source: NBCnews

It's all about how the justice system at Guantanamo was set up, says one nationalsecurity expert: "The system is set up to fail."

Khalid came to be known as the ‘principal architect‘ of the attacks, according to the9/11 Commission which investigated them. He is said to be the one who came up withthe plan and proposed it to al Qaeda.


FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 17The man behind the rebuilding

of 9/11’s Ground ZeroDeveloper Larry Silverstein signed a

$3.2 billion 99-year lease on NewYork's World Trade Center six weeks

before the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. He recallsthe smoldering ruins of the Twin Towers as"probably the worst day of my life."

Now, as the 20th anniversary of 9/11approaches, Silverstein says that whatremains are his memories of the goodnessof New Yorkers in the days that followed.

"Thousands of New Yorkers decided tocome down to the site. ... They simplyvolunteered to put themselves in terribledanger ... and endeavor to rescue people," hesaid.

"It was New York at its best, at its finest.And I was so proud to be a New Yorker. I wasso proud to know that these people werecoming down to help the best they could. Itwas something that I could never forget."

The Twin Towers and surroundingbuildings were destroyed by al Qaedahijackers of two U.S. airliners, killing 2,753people.

Silverstein, 70 years old at the time, wasready to retire.

"I said to my wife, 'Now that we've got thebrass ring ... whatever you want to do thatwe delayed all these years doing, we can do.'It didn't turn out that way," he said. "Such islife."

Silverstein's agreement covered themanagement and operation of the TwinTowers, Four and Five World Trade Center,and approximately 425,000 square feet(nearly 40,000 square meters) of retailspace. It also gave Silverstein, asleaseholder, the right and the obligation torebuild the structures if destroyed.

Silverstein immediately decided torebuild after the 9/11 attacks. A protractedlegal battle ensued with insurers.

In 2007, New York's then-Governor EliotSpitzer helped to end nearly six years oflegal battles that seven World Trade Centerinsurers had with Silverstein.

A plan was born, and a lengthymetamorphosis turned the disaster zoneinto a giant pit, then a walled-offconstruction site, and finally, some $25billion later, a tourist attraction andbusiness center with three skyscrapers, atransportation hub, a museum and amemorial.

Silverstein thought the entire site wouldbe rebuilt by 2020, but that changed after theplanned anchor tenant for 2 World TradeCenter pulled out.

"We're still not finished," he said. "Butsince I'm only 90, no rush. I have plenty oftime."

9/11 attacks: 20 years on, scars remain

Americans mark the 20th anniversary of9/11 on Saturday with troops finally gonefrom Afghanistan, but national discord -and for President Joe Biden, political peril -are overshadowing any sense of closure.

A whole generation has grown up sincethe morning of September 11, 2001. In theinterim, Al-Qaeda founder Osama binLaden has been hunted down and killed. Atowering new sky scraper has risen overManhattan, replacing the Twin Towers.And less than two weeks ago, the last US

soldiers flew from Kabul airport, ending theso-called “forever war”.

Yet, 9/11 never fully went away. TheTaliban who once sheltered bin Laden areback ruling Afghanistan. The mighty USmilitary has been humiliated. InGuantanamo Bay, accused 9/11mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammedand four other men continue to await trial,nine years after charges were filed.

Even the full story of how the attackcame to happen remains secret. Only lastweek did Biden order the release ofclassified documents from the FBIinvestigation over the next six months.

Monica Iken-Murphy, who lost her 37-year-old husband Michael Iken in the WorldTrade Center, says this will be a“heightened” anniversary for manyAmericans. But for her, as for many othersurvivors, the pain hasn’t wavered. “I feellike it just happened,” she told AFP.

Simple, heart-wrenchingceremonies lined up

Same as every year, simple, heart-wrenching ceremonies will unfold at eachof the three places where Al-Qaedahijackers crashed packed airliners, strikingthe cultural, financial and political heartsof the US.

Ground Zero in New York was where themajority of the about 3,000 fatalities,including people from all over the world,were killed in the initial explosions, jumpedto their deaths, or simply vanished in theinferno of the collapsing towers.

At the Pentagon, an airliner tore a fieryhole in the side of the global superpower’smilitary nerve centre.

And in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, thethird wave of hijackers crashed into a fieldafter passengers fought back, sendingUnited 93 down before reaching its intendedtarget - likely the US Capitol building inWashington, a short flight further on.

Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will stopat each of these places on Saturday to“honour and memorialise the lives lost”,the White House said.

Shadow of AfghanistanBiden planned for this to be a pivotal

day in his nearly eight-month-oldpresidency. Taking over from DonaldTrump in January, he promisedAmericans unity - exiting Afghanistanagainst the background of the 9/11anniversary was going to be a big partof that. Biden changed the pull-out dateto September 11. Even if hebacktracked to a less politicallysensitive cut-off of August 31, heclearly meant to own both thewithdrawal and the anniversary.

However, instead of presiding over amoment of unity, Biden will traverse acountry angry about the chaotic Kabulevacuation and stung by the broaderrealisation of failure and defeat.

When Biden tours the three sites onSaturday, the weight of 20 years ofhistory - and the need somehow to turnthe page - will be on his shoulders.

Source: Reuters/AFP

Real estate developer Larry Silverstein, poses at 7 World Trade Center in New York, U.S., August12, 2021. REUTERS

Rebuilding of the towers.

NEW YORK THE INDIAN PANORAMA


Hindutva movement's massive effort to silencedissent and restrict Academic freedom decried

NEW YORK (TIP): George Abraham,Vice-Chair of Indian Overseas Congress,USA, decried the Hindutva movement'smassive effort to silence dissent and

restrict Academic freedom."The massive effort undertaken by the

Hindutva forces in the U.S. to silence itscritics and restrict Academic freedom inresponse to a conference titled'Dismantling global Hindutva' reveals howdeeply entrenched, resourceful anddangerous these forces are in challengingAmerica's own value system' said GeorgeAbraham, Vice-Chairman of the IndianOverseas Congress, USA. "It is quiteamazing to witness their efforts to turnAmerican Institutions similar to whatthey have accomplished with JNU. It istime for Indian Americans who trulybelieve in democracy, freedom and humanrights to come together and condemn thecampaign of harassment and intimidationmetered out to the organizers andspeakers of this event," Mr. Abrahamadded.

The 'dismantling of global Hindutva'conference was co-sponsored by 70 plusdepartments of Universities in the U.S. todiscuss the impact of the growing clout of

the Hindutva movement globally and thecorresponding escalation of violenceagainst religious minorities andmarginalized communities in India.According to the organizers, globalresearch networks have noted the overallerosion of democratic practices andfreedoms in India. The meeting may alsofocus on the need to develop acomprehensive understanding ofHindutva and its different iterations in thelarge Indian Diaspora and its potential forbuilding links with other supremacistideologies to expand their influence wellbeyond India.

The Hindutva groups are makingconcerted efforts to paint this conferenceanti-Hindu, confusing the public andintimidating academia. Over the pastthree weeks, the Viswa Hindu Parishad ofAmerica and Hindu American Foundationclaims to have collectively sent 1.3 millionemails to universities to withdraw theirsupport for the conference. Speaking to themedia, Gyanendra Pandey, Professor of

History at Emory University, one of theparticipating schools, said a deliberateattempt is being made to create confusionover the usage of Hindutva and Hinduism.Mr. Pandey said, "Anyone with any seriousknowledge of South Asia knows thedifference between Hindutva andHinduism. Hindutva is almost the polaropposite of Hinduism. It is an aggressivepolitical movement aimed at installing anexclusionist, Hindu nationalist regime inIndia, in line with right-wingauthoritarian movements in many parts ofthe world."

Stanford University anthropologistThomas Hansen, who has been at thereceiving end of Hindu right-wing attacksover the last few years, called on US-basedinstitutions to vigorously defend academicfreedom. Mr. Hansen said, "It is importantnot to give up and not to cave into pressurefrom the forces that represent themselvesas representing Hindus as such but whoactually represents the interests of aforeign government."

It is time for Indian Americans who trulybelieve in democracy, freedom and humanrights to come together and condemn thecampaign of harassment and intimidation

metered out to the organizers and speakersof this event," Mr. Abraham said.

Justice Department sues Texas to block six-week abortion ban

WASHINGTON (TIP): The Biden administrationsued Texas on Thursday, Sept 9 to try to block thenation's most restrictive abortion law, which bans theprocedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy andallows private citizens to take legal action againstanyone who helps a woman terminate her pregnancy, aWashington Post report says.

The law took effect Sept. 1, effectively ending mostabortions in the nation's second-most-populous state,with no exceptions for rape or incest.

The suit filed by the Justice Department in federalcourt in Austin asks a judge to "protect the rights thatTexas has violated" by declaring the abortion lawunconstitutional and issuing an injunction blocking itsenforcement. At a news conference, Attorney GeneralMerrick Garland said the ban "is clearlyunconstitutional under long-standing Supreme Courtprecedent."

"This kind of scheme to nullify the Constitution ofthe United States is one that all Americans, whatevertheir politics or party, should fear," said Garland,warning that what he called the "bounty hunter"element of the law may become "a model for action inother areas by other states and with respect to otherconstitutional rights or judicial precedents." The U.S.government, Garland added, has a responsibility "toensure that no state can deprive individuals of theirconstitutional rights."

A spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R)defended the law and accused the Biden administrationof acting for political reasons - to distract Americansfrom the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and theinflux of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

"We are confident that the courts will uphold andprotect that right to life," press secretary Renae Eze saidin a statement.

The case was assigned to District Court Judge RobertL. Pitman, who is already deeply familiar with the law:he is also presiding over a separate pending legal

challenge to the abortion ban brought by a coalition ofabortion providers and advocates.

In that case, Pitman had scheduled a hearing for Aug.30 to consider whether to block enforcement of the banbefore it took effect. But the conservative U.S. Court ofAppeals for the 5th Circuit called off the hearing andrefused to consider the legal challenge on an expeditedbasis. That action led to an emergency petition to theSupreme Court, which decided 5-4 to allow the Texaslaw to stand while the litigation continues.

Pitman, a 2014 nominee of President Obama,previously served as U.S. Attorney for the WesternDistrict of Texas and as a magistrate judge.

The Biden administration's suit argues that the Texaslaw violates the 14th Amendment's due process clause,saying the measure deprives women in Texas of theright to an abortion and imposes an "undue burden" -and that the Constitution generally takes precedenceover state laws.

The suit also says the measure interferes with thefederal government's constitutional obligation toprovide access to abortion, including in cases of rape or

incest, to people in the custody or care of federalagencies or government contractors, including atprisons.

President Biden and Democrats in Congress havecriticized the Texas law and the initial refusal of thehigh court to block the ban.

Any action Pitman takes in response to the lawsuit islikely to be appealed to the 5th Circuit and, eventually,to return to the high court.

A dozen other states have passed legislation banningabortions after about six weeks into pregnancy. Butfederal judges have stopped those measures from takingeffect, finding the laws inconsistent with Roe v. Wade,the 1973 Supreme Court decision guaranteeing the rightto choose abortion before viability, usually around 22 to24 weeks.

Texas created a blueprint to restrict abortion. Otherred states may follow.

The Texas law was designed to withstand a similarpreemptive legal challenge. It intentionally barsenforcement by state government officials, whomabortion providers would typically target in a lawsuit.Instead, the law empowers private citizens to file civillawsuits against anyone who helps a woman get anabortion after the six-week window. Individuals canreceive a $10,000 award if their lawsuits are successful.They can sue abortion providers, clinic workers orthose who help a woman pay for the procedure or driveher to a clinic.

In its 5-to-4 decision last week, the Supreme Court'sconservative majority said abortion providers and civilrights groups had "raised serious questions regardingthe constitutionality of the Texas law." But the courtallowed the ban to take effect while the legal battle playsout, saying the abortion providers and advocates whohad challenged the law could not show they were suingthe right people.

(Read full story at www.theindianpanorama.news)

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Sept. 9 said the JusticeDepartment is pursuing legal action to stop Texas' near-total

ban on abortions

US THE INDIAN PANORAMA


Vice President Kamala Harris meets withPartnership for Central America Leaders Ajay

Banga and Jonathan Fantini PorterWASHINGTON (TIP): Vice

President Kamala Harris, onSeptember 5, spokewith AjayBanga, Executive Chairman ofMastercard and Board Member ofthe Partnership for CentralAmerica (PCA) and JonathanFantini Porter, PCA's ExecutiveDirector, about their work in ElSalvador, Guatemala, and Hondurasand applauded their efforts toincrease private sector investmentand improve livelihoods in theregion in partnership with theDepartment of State, USAID, andother agencies. The Vice Presidentshared her vision for the RootCauses Strategy and the Call toAction she announced in May,updates from her trip to Guatemalaand Mexico in June and discussedways to continue working together.In addition, they also discussed hertrip to Singapore and Vietnam.

The Partnership for CentralAmerica is a non-profitorganization created in response toa Call to Action by Vice PresidentKamala Harris, in her roleoverseeing diplomacy towards theNorthern Triangle and Mexico. ThePartnership aims to coordinatepractical solutions to advanceeconomic opportunity, addressurgent climate, education andhealth challenges, and promotelong-term investments andworkforce capability in support of avision of hope for Central America.

Partnership members will makesignificant commitments to helpsend hope to the people of theregion and sustainably address theroot causes of migration bypromoting economic opportunity.

(Source: Partnership for CentralAmerica)

Mastercard Chairman Ajay Banga in conversation with Vice President Kamala Harris

IRS highlights employer taxresponsibilities and benefits during

Small Business Week

WASHINGTON (TIP): In support ofNational Small Business Week, theInternal Revenue Service will issuenumerous online materials that focus ongetting small business owners theinformation they need to comply withfiling and paying requirements.

The IRS also reminds employers of thetax benefits available to them.

Here are some of the coveredtopics:● Employer Responsibilities● Employee vs. Independent

Contractor● Work Opportunity Tax Credit● Employment Tax Compliance● Expanded Tax Benefits

During Small Business Week, the IRSalso encourages employers to help getthe word out about the advancedpayments of the Child Tax Credit.Employers have direct access to theiremployees, who may receive this credit.More information on the AdvancedChild Tax Credit is available on IRS.gov.The website has tools employers can useto help spread the word.

Below are some helpful resourcesfor small businesses and the self-employed:

● "A Closer Look" at CelebratingResilience and Renewal DuringNational Small Business Week.

● The Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center provides avariety of resources, forms and toolsin Spanish, Chinese, Korean,Vietnamese, Russian and HaitianCreole. The Center includes a Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center,information on independentcontractors vs. employees, filing andpaying your business taxes and more.

● The Gig Economy Tax Center is aresource for people who earn incomeproviding on-demand work, servicesor goods.

● The Online Learning andEducational Products page has toolsto help business owners learn at theirown pace such as the Small BusinessVirtual Tax Workshop.

The IRS YouTube Video Channel hasvideos for small businesses on the SmallBusiness playlist.

E-News for Small Businesses is a free,electronic mail service that offers taxinformation for small business ownersand self-employed individuals includingreminders, tips and specialannouncements.

INDIA THE INDIAN PANORAMA


Nearly 73 crorevaccine doses

administered inIndia so far

Nearly 73 crore vaccine doses havebeen administered in thecountry so far, the Union Health

Ministry said on Friday, September 9.According to a provisional report,

more than 56 lakh vaccine doses havebeen administered till 7 pm on Friday.

The daily vaccination tally isexpected to increase with thecompilation of the final reports for theday by late in the night, the ministrysaid.

The vaccination exercise as a tool toprotect the most vulnerable populationgroups in the country from Covid-19continues to be regularly reviewed andmonitored at the highest level, thehealth ministry said.

Punjab to sendunvaccinated

govt employeeson compulsory

leavePunjab on Friday, Sept 9,

announced that governmentemployees without even one

Covid-19 jab for any non-medicalreasons will be compulsorily sent onleave after September 15, becoming thelatest in a handful of states to attempta mandatory vaccine mandate.

A government statement said chiefminister Amarinder Singh took the“strong measure” to protect the peopleof the state and ensure that vaccinatedpeople do not pay the price forcontinued vaccine hesitancy.

“Special efforts are taken to reachout to government employees, andthose who continue to avoid gettingvaccinated will now be asked to go onleave till they get the first dose,” thechief minister said at a a high-levelvirtual Covid review meeting.

Till Friday, Punjab hadadministered nearly 15.9 million dosesof the Covid-19 vaccine, of which12,039,477 were first shots and 3,826,637were second. This translates toroughly 53% of the state’s adultpopulation having received at leastone shot of the vaccine, which putsPunjab among the bottom 10 of India’sstates.

Active Covid cases inIndia decline to 3,90,646

NEW DELHI (TIP): Indialogged 34,973 new coronavirusinfections taking the total tallyof Covid cases to 3,31,74,954,while the active cases declinedto 3,90,646, according to theUnion Health Ministry dataupdated on Friday, September10.

The death toll climbed to4,42,009 with 260 freshfatalities, according to the dataupdated at 8 am.

The active cases comprise1.18 per cent of the totalinfections, while the nationalCovid recovery rate wasrecorded at 97.49 per cent, theministry said.

A reduction of 2,968 cases has been recorded in the active Covid caseload in a span of 24hours.

As many as 17,87,611 tests were conducted on Thursday taking the total cumulative testsconducted so far for detection of Covid in the country to 53,86,04,854.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.96 per cent. It has been less than three per centfor last 11 days. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 2.31 per cent. It has been belowthree per cent for the last 77 days, according to the ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,23,42,299, whilethe case fatality rate was recorded at 1.33 per cent.

The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwidevaccination drive have exceeded 72.37 crore.

The 260 new fatalities include 125 from Kerala and 55 from Maharashtra.Maharashtra has reconciled the data leading to a decrease in total number of cases and

discharges as compared to Thursday. A total of 4,42,009 deaths have been reported so far inthe country, including 1,38,017 from Maharashtra, 37,462 from Karnataka, 35,094 fromTamil Nadu, 25,083 from Delhi, 22,863 from Uttar Pradesh, 22,126 from Kerala and 18,539from West Bengal.

ICMR: 2 doses give 97.5% protection against deathTwo Covid vaccine doses offer near-total protection against death and even one dose is

more than 96 per cent effective in averting fatality, the first government analysis of vaccineefficacy among the inoculated population has shown.

The Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) vaccine effectiveness study conductedbetween April 18 and August 15 this year found that vaccines were preventing seriousdisease and death. It also revealed a high rate of mortality among the non-vaccinated.

“We synergised the data from several sources, including CoWIN, and found vaccineeffectiveness in preventing mortality with one dose to be 96.6 per cent and with two doses97.5 per cent,” ICMR chief Balram Bhargava said.

“Reinfections and breakthrough infections are under analysis. We first looked at deaths,which is what most people are interested in and vaccines are definitively averting seriousdisease and death,” the ICMR DG said. As of today, India has administered over 72 croredoses with 58 per cent people above 18 years covered with one dose while the two-dosecoverage is a little over 16 per cent. Source: PTI

‘No mafia will get party ticket’: BSP drops MukhtarAnsari, to field Bheem Rajbhar from Mau

NEW DELHI (TIP): Bahujan SamajParty chief Mayawati Friday, Sept 9,attempted an image makeover for herparty as she announced that it would notfield bahubalis (strongmen) or mafiamembers in the 2022 Uttar PradeshAssembly elections and dumped MauMLA Mukhtar Ansari, the jailedgangster-turned-politician, as a pollcandidate. Mayawati said the party willinstead field state chief Bheem Rajbharfrom the constituency. Rajbhar had lostto Ansari, then an Independent, fromMau in 2012.

Just hours after the announcement,the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) opened a door forAnsari, currently incarcerated in Bandadistrict jail on the charges of criminalintimidation and extortion. The AIMIMstate chief Shaukat Ali said if Ansari

approaches the party, it would give him aticket and induct him. “The cases lodgedagainst him are under trial. BSP usedhim and threw,” Ali said.

Mayawati, meanwhile, said the BSPhas resolved to put in place the rule oflaw in Uttar Pradesh to change thestate’s image. The former chief ministersaid in a series of tweets that she hasasked party leaders to keep thatresolution in mind while short-listingcandidates. “In upcoming assemblypolls, the BSP’s effort will be to not field‘bahubali’ and mafia elements. So, thename of Bhim Rajbhar, the BSP UPpresident, has been finalised from theMau assembly seat in place of MukhtarAnsari,” she said in a tweet in Hindi.Ansari has had an on-again-off-againrelationship with the BSP over the years,getting expelled and reinducted multiple

times. He was elected the MLA from Mauin 1996 on a BSP ticket. In the next twoassembly polls in 2002 and 2007, he wonfrom the same seat as an Independentcandidate.

Before the 2009 Lok Sabha polls,Ansari rejoined BSP but the partyfielded him from Varanasi, where he lostto BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi. InApril 2010, Mayawati expelled Ansarifrom the party citing his allegedinvolvement in criminal activities.Mukhtar’s brother Afzal Ansari was alsoremoved.

Ansari then floated his own politicaloutfit, Quami Ekta Dal (QED), and wasagain elected from Mau in 2012.

Ansari’s family again returned to theBSP in 2017 after Samajwadi Party chiefAkhilesh Yadav denied a merger of QEDwith his party.

RSS leaders’books in varsitysyllabus fan rowTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM

(TIP): The Kannur University onFriday set up an external panel toreview the inclusion of booksauthored by prominent RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh (RSS)ideologues in one of itspostgraduate courses, in view ofprotests by several student unionsagainst the varsity’s allegedattempts to saffronise the academicsyllabus.

The books, written by RSSideologues VD Savarkar, MSGolwalkar and DeendayalUpadhyaya, are among 30 othersincluded in the third semester ofthe public administration course atGovernment Brennen College inThalassery.

Extracts of ‘Savarkar’s Hindutva:Who is a Hindu?’, Golwarkar’s ‘Weor Our Nationhood Defined’,Upadhyaya’s ‘Integral Humanism’and Balraj Madhok’s‘Indianisation, What, Why andHow’ are among those included inthe syllabus.

According to news agency PTI,vice-chancellor GopinathRavindran said a two-membercommittee, comprising expertsoutside the varsity, was directed tosubmit its report within five days,after which decision on the syllabuswill be taken.

“The saffronisation allegation iscompletely baseless. If you raisesuch allegations against KannurUniversity, you can raise similarcharges against Jawaharlal NehruUniversity in New Delhi also. V DSavarkar is included in the syllabusof JNU also,” he told the media.

Members of various studentunions burnt copies of the books onThursday, prompting state highereducation minister R Bindhu toseek a report from the V-C. “This isa sensitive issue. I have soughtdetails from the V-C. I feel that suchcontent is not good,” Bindhu said.

INDIA THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 21Emergency landing facility for Indian

Air Force inaugurated in BarmerJAIPUR (TIP): Defense Minister

Rajnath Singh and Union Minister forSurface Transport & Highways NitinGadkari jointly inaugurated anemergency landing facility (ELF) for theIndian Air Force (IAF) at Satta-Gandhavstretch on NH-925A near Barmer districtof Rajasthan on September 9, Thursday.The two ministers travelled to Barmeron C-130J aircraft to inaugurate thefacility.

This is the first time that a NationalHighway has been used for emergencylanding of aircraft of Indian Air Force.This landing strip will be able tofacilitate landing of all types of IAFaircraft. The strip is 3.5 km long and 33meter wide on the national highway inBarmer-Jalore districts (NH-925A) thatis readied to meet any emergencylanding of IAF fighter jets, Sukhoi,Hercules and other aircraft.

Speaking after witnessing the aircraftoperations, Rajnath Singh said EFL nearthe International border was a shiningexample of the government'scommitment to protect the unity andsovereignty of the nation.

"This highway and landing field willfurther cement the basic infrastructurealong the western border and strengthennational security. Such emergency fieldswill provide more edge to theoperational and civil assistance of ourforces. It will also play a crucial role infacing natural calamities," DefenseMinister said.

Singh commended the Armed Forcesfor displaying the same level of courage,dedication and promptness duringnatural calamities as they show whenthey face their adversaries. He laudedthe Indian Air Force for playing acentral role in dealing with the situationarising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.He also lauded the Indian Air Force forplaying a central role in dealing with thesituation arising out of the COVID-19pandemic.

Referring to the Cabinet's approval to

procurement of 56 C-295MW transportaircraft for Indian Air Force, Singh saidthe decision was a big step towards

'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' as envisioned byPrime Minister Narendra Modi, as theaircraft would be manufactured under

the 'Make in India' initiative.Singh further hailed the IAF, NHAI &

the private sector for joining hands andcompleting the construction ofEmergency Landing Field in 19 monthsdespite COVID-19 restrictions. It is agreat example of coordination amongmultiple departments & Ministries;Government & private sector and Civil &Defence.

Union Minister for Jal ShaktiGajendra Singh Shekhawat, Chief ofDefense Staff General Bipin Rawat,Chief of Air Staff Air Chief MarshalRKS Bhadauria, Secretary, Departmentof Defence R&D & Chairman, DefenceResearch and DevelopmentOrganisation (DRDO) Dr G SatheeshReddy and other senior central & stategovernment officials were presentduring the inauguration of theEmergency Landing Facility.

About ELFThe NHAI has developed the three-

kilometer section as an ELF for IndianAir Force. It is part of the newly-developed two-lane paved shoulder ofGagariya-Bakhasar & Satta-GandhavSection having total length of 196.97kilometres and costing Rs 765.52 croreunder Bharatmala Pariyojana. The workcommenced in July 2019 and wascompleted in January 2021.

This project will improve connectivitybetween villages of Barmer & Jaloredistricts located on the internationalborder. The stretch located in thewestern border area will facilitate thevigilance of the Indian Army andstrengthen the basic infrastructure ofthe country. During normal time, theELF will be used for smooth flow of roadtraffic.

Apart from the Emergency LandingStrip, three helipads have beenconstructed in Kundanpura, Singhania& Bakhasar villages under this projectas per the requirements of the ArmedForces.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh terms it new strength of New India

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has developed the 3 km section of Satta-Gandhav stretch of NH-925 as an Emergency Landing Facility for the Indian Air Force.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh (right) and Union Minister for Surface Transport & HighwaysNitin Gadkari (2nd right) during the inauguration of an emergency landing facility (ELF) for the

Indian Air Force (IAF) at Satta-Gandhav stretch on NH-925A near Barmer district of Rajasthan onSeptember 9.

Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific on table at India-Australia meetNEW DELHI (TIP): Afghanistan and the Indo-

Pacific were discussed in detail as Defence MinisterRajnath Singh met his Australian counterpart PeterDutton on Friday, September 9.

The meet came on a day when navies of the twocountries ended their five-day drill named “Ausindex”and a day ahead of the 2+2 dialogue involving theForeign Ministers and Defence Ministers of eitherside.

India is keen to engage Australia on Afghanistanand shared the opinion of having an internationallymandated mechanism to implement the UnitedNations Security Council (UNSC) resolution, whichsays Afghan territory will not be used to launch terrorstrike on other countries.

The issue of violation of rights of women, childrenand minorities in the strife-torn country also came up.Australia has already come out strongly against thenewly set up Taliban-led government in Afghanistanfor having banned women from playing sport.

In a joint statement after the meeting, Rajnath Singhsaid, “The partnership is based on our shared vision of

free, open, inclusive and rule-based Indo-Pacificregion.”

“Both Australia and India have tremendous stakes

in peace, development and free flow of trade, rules-based order and economic growth in the region,” saidthe minister.

This was clearly a take on China, which has notifiedits own unilateral maritime law from September 1 andis insisting on foreign vessels (military or cargo)sailing in South China sea and in the Taiwan straits toreport locations and other details.

Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton said,“Today I have agreed to enhance Australia’s posture inthe Indian Ocean region by ramping up our air forcecooperation, maritime engagements and exercises.”The sides have also agreed to reinforce each other’smaritime domain awareness through increasedinformation sharing and practical cooperation,Dutton added.

The discussion at the meeting was focused on ourbilateral defence cooperation and expanding militaryengagements across the three forces, enhancingdefence information sharing, cooperation in emergingdefence technologies and mutual logistics support.

Source: TNS

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with his Australian counterpartPeter Dutton in New Delhi on Friday.


FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 22India in history this Week

SEPTEMBER 10 TO SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 11 SEPTEMBER

1895 Birth of freedom fighter fighter, social activistand famous Gandhian leader Vinoba Bhave.

1906 Mahatma Gandhi named the first non-violencemovement in South Africa as 'Satyagraha'.

1961 World Wildlife Fund was established.1965 During the Indo-Pakistan War, the Indian

Army captured the city of Burki near South EastLahore.

1996 First time elected a female president inCommonwealth Parliamentary Union

2006 Eminent Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreendemanded Indian citizenship.

1911 Birth of cricketer Lala Amarnath, who scoredIndia's first century in international cricket.

2009 Moninder Singh Pandher, an accused in theNithari case, was acquitted by the High Court ofAllahabad in one of the 19 cases in the Ripa Haldarcase. The Supreme Court stayed the construction of theKanshi Ram memorial site.

12 SEPTEMBER

1931 Mahatma Gandhi arrived in London to attendthe Round Table Conference.

1966 Indian swimmer Mihir Sen swam across theDardanless Strait.

2008 Sahara India Investment Corporation closed itsnon-banking financial business.

1912 The birth of Feroze Gandhi, a famous freedomfighter and influential member of the Lok Sabha.

1922 Renowned litterateur Chandradhar SharmaGuleri passed away.

2009 The Indian women's team defeated America 3–1in the final round at the World Chess Championship,finishing seventh.

13 SEPTEMBER

1947 Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehrusuggested mutual transfer of 40 lakh Hindus andMuslims.

1929 Jatin Das died after 63 days of hunger strike inLahore jail.

1971 The World Hockey Association was formed.1977 The first diesel automobile was introduced by

General Motors.2000 India's top chess player Vishwanathan Anand

won the first FIDE Chess World Cup in Shenyang.2008 Four bomb blasts occurred one after another at

three places in Delhi, killing 30 people and injuring

more than 130.1948 Deputy Prime Minister Vallabhbhai Patel

ordered the army to enter Hyderabad and take actionand integrate it with the Indian Union.

2006 The first summit of IBSA (India-Brazil-SouthAfrica Trilateral Organization) begins in Brasilia, thecapital of Brazil.

2009 ISRO-NASA's campaign to find ice on the moonfailed.

2009 Charles Dias of Kochi was nominated as therepresentative of the Anglo Indian community in theLok Sabha.

1845 Indian Cotton Congress President HenryCotton was born.

1926 India's revolutionary woman Nagendra Balawas born.

1929 India's famous revolutionary Jatindranath Dasdied.

14 SEPTEMBER

1803 British general Lord Lake captured Delhiduring the Second Anglo-Maratha War.

1949 The Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi asthe official language of India. Since 1953, 14 Septemberis celebrated every year throughout India as Hindi Day.

1947 The famous poet Chandra Kunwar Bertwaldied as Kalidas of Hindi.

2009 India won the Compaq Cup of the tri-series bydefeating Sri Lanka by 46 runs.

1923 Birth of eminent serialist and former UnionLaw Minister Ram Jethmalani.

1985 Renowned composer of Hindi cinema,Ramakrishna Shinde, passed away.

15 SEPTEMBER

1860 M Visvesvaraya, considered India's greatestengineer, was born. It is celebrated as Engineers Day inthe country.

1948 The first flag of independent India INS-Delhireached the port of Bombay (now Mumbai).

1958 The deadly disease trachoma virus was firstdiscovered in medical science.

1959 India's national broadcasting serviceDoordarshan started in Delhi for the first time.

2004 'Woman of the Year' award to British citizenGurinder Chadha.

1931 Gandhi-Irwin Pact.1909 Famous Tamil Nadu leader and former Chief

Minister C.N. Birth of Annadurai.1939 Birth of Subramanian Swamy for Indian

Economist, Educational, and Politician, Law Ministerand Justice India.

1946 Jokin Arputham, a man who struggled for theslums of Mumbai, was born.

16 SEPTEMBER

1916 Classical singer and actress MS awardedBharat Ratna, the country's largest civilian honor.Subbalakshmi was born.

2008 The employees of Bharat Heavy ElectricalsLimited (BHEL) were awarded the VishwakarmaAward.

2009 The Incredible Bharat Vigyan Abhiyan,presenting India as an outstanding tourist destinationto the world, received the British Award.

1882 Freedom fighter Balwant Singh was born.

2017 The most senior of the Indian Air Force andthe only Marshal to reach the five-star rank, ArjanSingh died.

1965 Indian soldier AB Tarapore, awarded withParamveer Chakra, died.

SOUTH ASIA THE INDIAN PANORAMA


EX-VP’S BROTHEREXECUTED BY TALIBAN,SAYS FAMILY

KABUL (TIP): The Taliban haveexecuted the brother of AmrullahSaleh, the former Afghan vice-president who became one of theleaders of anti-Taliban oppositionforces in the Panjshir valley, hisnephew said on Sept 10 .

The news that Saleh's brotherRohullah Azizi was killed came daysafter Taliban forces took control ofthe provincial centre of Panjshir, thelast province holding out againstthem. “They executed my uncle,”Ebadullah Saleh said in a textmessage to a news agency. “Theykilled him yesterday and would notlet us bury him. They kept sayinghis body should rot,” he said.

The Urdu language account of theTaliban information service‘Alemarah’ said “according toreports, Rohullah Saleh was killedduring fighting in Panjshir”.

Saleh, a former head of theNational Directorate of Security, theintelligence service of the Western-backed government that collapsedlast month, is at large, though hisexact location remains unclear.

The National Resistance Front ofAfghanistan, which groupsopposition forces loyal to localleader Ahmad Massoud, has pledgedto continue opposing the Talibaneven after the fall of Panjshir'sprovincial capital Bazarak. —Reuters

SRI LANKAN PM’S ITALYVISIT SPARKSCONTROVERSY

COLOMBO (TIP): Sri Lankan PMMahinda Rajapaksa's visit to Italyhas sparked a controversy after thecountry's Catholic churchArchbishop Malcolm CardinalRanjith claimed the trip was anattempt to "mislead" the Vaticanabout the probe into 2019 EasterSunday attacks that killed over 270people, including 11 Indians.

Rajapaksa left for Italy on Fridayto attend an international event tobe held in Bologna. He is scheduledto deliver the keynote address at theopening session of the internationalsymposium to be held at theUniversity of Bologna. The eventwill also be attended by the primeminister of Italy Mario Draghi.Cardinal Ranjith at a pressconference two days ago slammedthe visit. He alleged Rajapaksa wasdue to meet Pope Francis and wouldtry to mislead the Vatican on theongoing investigations into theattacks. “When there is a deadlypandemic in the country, we’reseeing a conspiracy being attemptedto cover up the Easter Sundayattack,” Cardinal Ranjith told amedia briefing. — PTI

Pakistan terrorist gets 7 yrs ofrigorous imprisonment for conspiring

to carry out attacks in IndiaISLAMABAD (TIP): A special NIA

court here on Friday sentenced aLashkar-e-Taiba militant from Pakistanto seven years of rigorous imprisonmentfor conspiring to carry out terror attacksat different locations in India on thedirections of his handlers from acrossthe border.

Mohammad Amir of Karachi wassentenced under the Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Act, the Arms Act, theExplosive Substances Act, theForeigners Act, the Indian WirelessTelegraphy Act and relevant sections ofthe Indian Penal Code, an official of thepremier investigating agency said.

Amir along with three others hadinfiltrated into India from Pakistan with

weapons, ammunition and other war-like stores with an intention to carry outterror attacks at different locations OfIndia on the directions of their handlersbased across the border, the NIA officialsaid.

He was arrested in November 2017

from Magam in Jammu and Kashmir’sHandwara, while his three associateswere killed in an encounter withsecurity forces the same month, theofficial said.

The NIA filed a charge sheet againstAmir in May 2018.

After consideration of evidencebrought on record during the probe bythe National Investigation Agency, theNIA special court, Patiala House,convicted Amir on April 6.

Pronouncing the quantum ofpunishment on Friday, Amir wasawarded sentences for seven differentoffences each ranging from two to sevenyears of rigorous imprisonment andfine, the NIA official added. — PTI

Nepal’s iconic Pashupatinathtemple opens after nearly 5 months

KATHMANDU (TIP): Nepal’s iconicPashupatinath temple, the 5th centuryholy Hindu shrine, opened for devoteeson Friday after nearly five months as thenumber of fresh Covid-19 cases declinedin the country.

PASHUPATINATH TEMPLEIS THE LARGEST TEMPLECOMPLEX IN NEPAL ANDSTRETCHES ON BOTHSIDES OF THE BAGMATIRIVER AND SEESTHOUSANDS OFWORSHIPPERS FROMNEPAL AND INDIA DAILY.

It was closed on April 23 due to thesecond wave of the coronaviruspandemic. On the first day, devotees

thronged the temple to pay homage sincemorning, according to the temple’sauthorities.

They said that the temple remainedopen until 1 pm as the risk of Covid-19was not fully over though the number ofcases has declined of late.

Devotees were asked to wear facemasks and use hand sanitizer, accordingto the Pashupati Area DevelopmentTrust’s (PADT) administrative officerRewati Raman Adhikari.

Only 25 devotees, maintainingphysical distance, will be allowed toenter the temple premises at a time, hesaid.

As the temple remained closed formore than four months, its authoritiesorganised the Chhyama puja(forgiveness worship).

The PADT has made arrangements fordevotees to enter the temple through asingle door and exit through the next.PTI

PAKISTAN REJECTSREPORTS ALLUDING TO ITSINVOLVEMENT INPANJSHIR VALLEYOFFENSIVE

ISLAMABAD (TIP): Pakistan hasrejected reports that it was aiding theTaliban offensive in Afghanistan’sPanjshir Valley, terming these as a“mischievous propaganda campaign”.

The Taliban said on Monday that theyhad seized Panjshir Valley, the lastprovince not in their control after theirblitz through Afghanistan last month.

Some reports quoted a CENTCOMsource saying that the Pakistanimilitary was assisting the Talibanoffensive in Panjshir with 27 helicoptersfull of Pakistani Special Forces backedup by drone strikes.

Foreign Office spokesperson AsimIftikhar in an overnight statement“categorically rejected these allegationsas part of a mischievous propagandacampaign”. "These maliciousallegations were part of a desperateattempt to malign Pakistan and tomislead the international community,”read the statement.

The spokesperson reiteratedPakistan's abiding commitment to apeaceful, stable, sovereign andprosperous Afghanistan.

The Taliban insurgents seized controlof Afghanistan in mid-August, oustingthe previous elected leadership whichwas backed by the West.

The takeover comes nearly 20 yearsafter US forces led an invasion to topplethe Taliban. Panjshir, a ruggedmountain valley, is home to between150,000 and 200,000 people. It was acentre of resistance when Afghanistanwas under Soviet occupation in the1980s and during the Taliban's previousperiod of rule, between 1996 and 2001.PTI

Actor Mandira Bedi on Sept 9,Thursday said that there is a'long way to go' before she feels

normal again, months after the deathof her husband Raj Kaushal. Taking toInstagram, she shared a picturecollage of herself and her fitnessband.

In the photo, Mandira Bedi posed forthe camera with a no-makeup look.She wore a black sports bra pairedwith a pink and white leggings.

She captioned the post, "It’s a longway to go to feel normal again.Emotionally, mentally and physically.But I wake up every morning withpurpose and aim for as muchpositivity that I can muster."

"And in all of this I still practice#gratitude .. because there is always,always something to be grateful for.Have a nice day all of you#nirbhaunirvair," Mandira added.

Reacting to the post, Gaurav Gera wrote, "Love." Adil Hussain said, "You are such an inspiration... Lots oflove." Aditi Govitrikar commented, "Big hug."

Mandira has been giving her fans glimpses of herself on social media after Raj's death. He died on June 30after suffering a heart attack at the age of 49. He directed films like Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi and Shaadi KeLaddoo. Mandira had performed Raj's last rites.

Kangana says she will joinpolitics if people want her to

Kartik loses his voiceduring shoot of BhoolBhulaiyaa 2 climax

The shooting of Anees Bazmee’scomedy-horror Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2has turned out to be far more

adventurous than was expected. Firstlythe pandemic put a brake on the shootingfor an entire year. Now during theshooting of the climax of the film KartikAaryan lost his voice.

As the shocking news spread across thecountry, I tried to find out the veracity ofthe incident.

A source from the film’s core crewconfided, “Tabu and Kartik Aaryan wereshooting the climax of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2.It is a massive undertaking, with lots ofdrama and action and Kartik had aninsane amount of screaming and shoutingto do. At the end of it, Kartik just lost hisvoice. It was frightening. We allpanicked.”

Medical assistance was immediatelysummoned. Everyone breathed a sigh ofrelief when the doctors assured Kartik hisvoice needed some rest, nothing moreserious.

Kareena Kapoor, trolledfor ‘hiking’ her fee

Actor KareenaKapoor Khan,who was

recently the subject ofa controversy after itwas reported that shehad hiked her fee tostar in a reimaginingof the Ramayana fromSita's perspective, hassaid that more peopleare talking about paydisparity in theindustry now.

In an interview,Kareena Kapoor said that she makes it clear how muchshe should be paid for projects, and likened it to‘respect’. While Kareena has never spoken about theunconfirmed reports that suggested she'd asked forRs12 crore to appear in the epic film, she spoke aboutequal pay in the industry in light of the controversy forthe first time.

“Just a few years ago, no one would talk about a manor woman actually getting equal pay in a movie. Nowthere are a lot of us being very vocal about it," she toldthe Guardian. “I make it quite clear what I want and Ithink that respect should be given,” she added. “It’s notabout being demanding, it’s about being respectfultowards women. And I think things are kind ofchanging.”

Recently, in Thalaivii, KanganaRanaut's onscreen portrayal offormer Tamil Nadu CM J

Jayalalithaa has led to comparisonsbetween their actual lives. Kangana hasalways been extremely vocal aboutvarious socio-political events and oftentaken as a process of her building herimage as a future politician.

At a press event in Delhi on Thursday,September 9, Kangana said, “I am anationalist and I talk about issuesrelated to the country, so people think Italk about political issues. Maybe it’sthe same thing, but not for me, becauseI am not a politician. I talk as aresponsible citizen and a person whohas been elevated to celebrity status bythe people. So I talk about the rights ofthe people and the country.”

She added, “Whether I can become apolitician or not, that’s not in my hands.You cannot even have a panchayatelection without the support of thepeople. If have to join politics, it willhave to be because the people want meto, or if I have that caliber. For now, Ithink I am good as an actress, and I’mhappy with that. But in the future, ifpeople choose me, elect me, I woulddefinitely love to.”

Kangana also said that playing apolitician on-screen has made her evenmore aware of the struggles of winningpeople’s hearts. She said, “We havecertain preconceived notions aboutpoliticians, we usually don’t know whatthey have been through to reach wherethey have. We think they are sopowerful, but we aren’t aware of thework they have done at the ground leveland delivered results. Similarly, I had an

image in my head about Jaya amma.When I used to look at her photos, I usedto think it must be so great to be inpower.”

Kangana further explained, “Afterdoing this film, I realized it’s a lot ofhard work and there’s so muchcompetition. Politics is like playing

chess. Your friends become yourenemy, there are threats to your life.Without understanding all this, wejudge politicians more harshly than wewould judge a successful doctor or anactor. We forget that they have put theirlives at stake to reach a certainposition.”

BOLLYWOOD THE INDIAN PANORAMA


Mandira says it's a long way ‘to feel normalagain’, months after Raj’s death

Olivia Munn expectingfirst child with John

Mulaney

Actor Olivia Munn and her beau John Mulaneyare all set to embrace parenthood for the firsttime together. According to E! News, during a

visit to Late Night With Seth Meyers show on Tuesday,John confirmed that Olivia is pregnant with thecouple's first child.

"In the spring, I went to Los Angeles and met andstarted to date a wonderful woman named Olivia--Olivia Munn. I got into this relationship that's beenreally beautiful," John told host Seth Meyers.

John also recalled how Olivia held his handthroughout his recovery process amid addictionissues.

"She's held my hand through that hell, and we arehaving a baby together. I'm going to be a dad. We'reboth really, really happy," he said.

The Matrix Resurrectionstrailer: Priyanka sends Keanu

after white rabbits

Daniel Craig details mistakesmade on Quantum of Solace,

working without script

James Bond star DanielCraig and his producersBarbara Broccoli and

Michael G Wilson spokeabout what went wrongbehind-the-scenes onQuantum of Solace, theactor's second film as Agent007. Daniel Craig will appearas Bond for the fifth and finaltime in No Time to Die, whichis due out next month.

Ahead of the film's release,a documentary titled BeingJames Bond was released. Inthe film, the actor spokeabout how they startedshooting Quantum of Solacewithout a script. He said that he would try and ‘bash things out’ withdirector Marc Forster on set, but because he wasn't a writer, he threwhimself into the stunts more aggressively. In hindsight, he said, it was ‘abad mistake’ because he got badly hurt.

He also admitted to being ‘overwhelmed’ by fame in the aftermath ofhis first Bond film, Casino Royale's success, and having his ‘world turnedupside down’. “I can honestly say I was in a bit of a cloud cuckoo land,”he said.

“We had a writer's strike. We had a script; it wasn't completed, but itwas nearly completed. The movie kind of works. It's not Casino Royale,and that was always going to be… It was like, literally, troubling secondalbum syndrome. In a way, we could not top Casino… It's easy to say that.Of course, we wanted to top Casino Royale, but, you know…” the actoradded.

The first trailer for The Matrix Resurrectionsis out. The fourth film in the Matrixfranchise marks the return of Keanu

Reeves as Neo. The film also stars Carrie-AnneMoss as Trinity, Priyanka Chopra, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Jada Pinkett Smith, among others.

The action-packed trailer, set the tune of WhiteRabbit, opens with Neo having no memory of hispast. However, he has glimpses of the life in theMatrix. As the trailer opens, he crosses paths withsome old and some new characters, one of whomis played by Priyanka Chopra. The actor, wearinga huge pair of glasses, appears to be seated in acoffee shop and is waiting for Neo to arrive.

Ahead of the trailer release, Warner Brosresurrected the old Matrix website and offeredfans titbits of information about the new film.Users were given the option to choose between thered and the blue pill. Based on their choice andthe time of the day, they were shown glimpsesfrom the movie. According to EntertainmentWeekly, more than 180,000 video variations, withnarrations from each cast member was featuredas part of the tease.

Priyanka had filmed for her role last year inBerlin. Although the actor hasn't revealed detailsabout her part in the film, she wrote in a socialmedia post that she is simply a small fish in alarge pond.

Directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowsky, the firstMatrix film released in 1999. It was followed byThe Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutionsin 2003. The Matrix Resurrections, which is solelydirected by Lana, is set to release on December 22.

The Voyeurs review:Amazon’s timid erotic thrillerwastes sultry Sydney Sweeney

Amazon’s The Voyeurs is a Gen Z-centricupdate of Alfred Hitchcock's RearWindow, a film that the millennials

already had a crack at reimagining with 2007’sDisturbia. While that film did an admirable jobof capturing the angst that defined an entiregeneration, The Voyeurs’ erotic stylings andvaguely trashy European vibe prevent it fromever becoming more than what it is — a sub-standard morality tale about mass-dependenceon technology. After watching the openingmoments of the film, in which the credits playout over shots of irises (get it?) and a sultrySydney Sweeney walking along the street withsynth music blaring in the background, youmight wonder if you’ve mistakenly switched onan episode of Euphoria. The film certainlymilks her newfound status as the sex symbol forkids who spend after-school hours twerking onReels. But with no idea what to do withSweeney's magnificently mysterious aura, TheVoyeurs builds to a final stretch in which itbasically corners her into removing her clothes.

Two 20-somethings named Pippa andThomas, played by Sweeney and Justice Smith,move into a spectacular studio apartment in anundefined European city, and are almostimmediately drawn to the fancy couple who liveacross the street from them. Neither Pippa and

Thomas nor their next-door neighbours, whomthey give made-up names, look old enough tovote. So how they’re able to afford such swankyaccommodation at their age is beyond me.

HOLLYWOOD THE INDIAN PANORAMA


FILM FEST THE INDIAN PANORAMA


FESTIVAL OF CINEMA NYC @ 5BY MABEL PAIS

IN-PERSON SCREENINGS ARE BACK

@ Regal UA Midway in Forest HillsSEPTEMBER 24 - OCTOBER 3, 2021

OPENING: John Carlucci's & Brandon Laganke's"DRUNK BUS"

CLOSING: Erin Granat's & Machete Bang Bang's"MOON MANOR"

VISHAL P. CHALIHA'S "SIJOU" - North AmericanPremiere

SHAHID KAMAL'S "MATTY BOY," NEERA ZAVERI'S"MISS YOU, DAD"

and INDRANI PAL-CHAUDHURI'S "THE GREATARTIST" among SHORTS

"In our 5th year, and despite the pandemic, we stillcontinue to grow by nearly every metric - submissions,films selected, screenings, and more. We could not bemore excited to return to our home at the Regal and tosee these amazing films on screen and meet all of the 85filmmakers we are expecting to join us here in ForestHills. We pride ourselves on bringing world cinema tothe many film lovers here in Queens, and this year'slineup really delivers on that front."- Jayson Simba:Founder and Executive Director, Festival of CinemaNYC

The Festival of Cinema NYC proudly returns for

its 5th year, as a live in-person 10-day event,

September 24-October 3.

Bookending over 120 independent films fromaround the world with many premieres amongthem, will be the Opening Night selection of

John Carlucci and Brandon Laganke's crowd favorite"Drunk Bus," and the Closing Night screening of ErinGranat's and Machete Bang Bang's acclaimed LGBTQfilm, "Moon Manor."

Over 85 filmmakers are expected to attend Festival ofCinema NYC hosted once again by the Regal UAMidway in Forest Hills, Queens, famous for their state-of-the-art projection and sound.

John Carlucci and Brandon Laganke's raucouscomedy "Drunk Bus" opens the Festival on Friday,September 24. Both Carlucci and Laganke will attendand participate in a post-screening Q&A.

Erin Granat's and Machete Bang Bang's Moon Manorwill make its Queens Premiere on Saturday, October 2as FOC NYC's Closing Night selection.

TICKETS

Individual Tickets, Discounted Tickets, MemberTickets and Tickets for Special Events are available.Visit festivalofcinemanyc.com for more information.

2021 FESTIVAL OF CINEMA NYCSELECTIONSOPENING NIGHT: "DRUNK BUS"

DIRS: John Carlucci & Brandon Laganke l USA l 1h40m

Michael (Charlie Tahan) is a recent graduate whosepost college plan is derailed when his girlfriend leaveshim for a job in New York City. When the bus servicehires a security guard to watch over the night shift,Michael comes face-to-tattooed-face with Pineapple, a300-lb punk rock Samoan who challenges him with akick in the ass to break from the loop and start living orrisk driving in circles forever.

CLOSING NIGHT: "MOON MANOR"

DIRS: Erin Granat & Machete Bang Bang l USA l 1h42m l Queens Premiere

With advancing Alzheimer's and a determination todo things his way, Jimmy's decided to throw himself afabulous FUNeral before his intentional death, showinghis estranged brother, salt-of-the earth caretaker, sharp-witted death doula, a novice obituary writer, a cosmicbeing, and the guests at his FUNeral - that sometimesthe art of living just may be the art of dying.

ADDITIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURES: (20)

"6:45," "A Cisterna (The Well)," "Angie: Girls," "AnyGiven Day," "Dreamover," "Electric Jesus," "TheEnemies, "Finding Ophelia," "Lair," "Leda,""Lightships," "Omar and Us," "Only Human," "ThePrince," "Savage Days," "Shellfish," "Sijou," "The SilentParty," "Ten Tricks," and "Two is the Magic Number."

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES (9)

"(C) Answers," "Alexandre the Fool," "Beer Boom,""Escape from Room 18," "Loving Mona," "Never Events,""Safeguard: An Electoral College Story," "Sex, Drugs &Bicycles," and "The Singular Story of Unluck Juan."The ".....Unluck Juan."

On Tuesday September 28 at 7:00PM, the festival willbe presenting the animated short film Esperanza vs. theU.S. Embargo of Cuba preceded by Ricardo Figueredo

Oliva's documentary "The Singular Story of UnluckyJuan." The screenings will be followed by a 60-minutemoderated discussion with guest speakers andactivists, Roberto Monticello and Isabel Alfonso leadingthe conversation. Proceeds from the evening'spresentation will be donated to assist in Cuban Reliefefforts.

SHORT NARRATIVE FILMS (62)

"#PrincessProblems," A Day Off," "Ali's Realm,""Amplitude Modulation," "Angst," "Art: An UnexpectedVocation," "At Last," "Biff & Me," "Blue Lanterns,""Captain Kinesis," "Christopher Nolan is God," "Daisy -A Violent World Story," "Divertimento," "Echoes of aWinter Sunshine," "Eternal," "Fantasmas," "Fear ofOpen Spaces," "Frank," "Grafton," "Half-Light,""Happenstance," "Interrogation," "Kiko's Saints," "LastDays," "Lea," "Lepidopterist," "Like Mother, LikeDaughter," "Limbo," "Matty Boy," "Miss You, Dad,""Moving On," "Mrs. Osbourne," "Perro de Calle,""Psycho Therapy," "Purgatory," "Remembrance,""Rooftop Intermission," "Shadowed," "Smoking Wet,""Sudden Drop," "Swipe," "Top," "Thank You for PatientlyWaiting," "The Beast," "The Beautiful Logic," "The BlueCave," "The Caretaker," "The Cord," "The Feeder of Mir,""The Fixer," "The Great Artist," "The Karening," "TheKiller Across the Street," "The Owner Is In," "TheTaxidermist," "Things I Can't See," "Throw Away Boy,""Trophies," "Vacation," "Valley," "Where You Are," and"With Nora."

SHORT DOCUMENTARIES (2)

"Birth of a Union" and "L'eau Est La Vie."

ANIMATION, EXPERIMENTAL AND MUSICVIDEOS (17)

"A New Generation," "Behind The Glass," "CloudGazing," "Communication," "Cookie," "Elysium," "HereYou Are You Here," "Highland Home," "Hostage," "In APickle," "In the Pines," "Kevin Verses," "Lea's Secret,""Little Guys in Space," "On The Floor," "Open HeartSurgery," and "Talking Cure."

WEB SERIES (8)"Happily Ever Ally," "Mares & Kaps," "Modus

Operandi: Pseudo Fantasies of a F*cked Up Shrink,""My Life as a Doormat (Pilot)," "NOC - Non-OfficialCover," "Procedural Justice," "Tales From the Jumpseat:Sudden Drop," and "The Resentful Angel."

Festival of Cinema NYC:Festival of Cinema NYC was founded by local

independent filmmakers with a passion to get moviesmade and to expand the reach of artists' work.Recognizing the challenges filmmakers face in the filmindustry, the festival's aim is to establish a presence,and spread awareness, of cinematic creativity.

(Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, The Arts andEntertainment, Spirituality, and Health & Wellness.)

"Drunk Bus." - Photo /festivalofcinemanyc.com

"Sijou" poster - Photo /festivalofcinemanyc.com

Moon Manor." - Photo /festivalofcinemanyc.com

"The Singular Story of Unluck Juan."

Photo /festivalofcinemanyc.com

CAMDEN FILM FEST THE INDIAN PANORAMA


Camden Film Fest Marks 17 BY MABEL PAIS

PAYAL KAPADIA Among Emerging

Directors

YUDHAJIT BASU'S "KALSUBAI",

ALISHA TEJPAL'S "LATA",

SUNEIL SANZGIRI'S "LETTER

FROM YOUR FAR-OFF COUNTRY"

Among SHORTS

September 16-26, 2021

"As programmers, we have beentransformed by these films. And in amoment when we are all feeling theforced distance between us, we aregrateful to the filmmakers who havemade these works of art and sharedthese stories with us. Cinema is abeacon, and there is no question that thenear seventy films that will be presentedboth in person and online at CIFF are, allin their own way, a light in the dark."-Ben Fowlie, Exec.-Artistic Director,Points North Institute & Founder, CIFF

The Camden International FilmFestival (CIFF), for its 17th edition offeature and short films, presents films inperson from September 16-19 at venues inCamden and Rockland, Maine, andonline from September 16-26 foraudiences across North America.

This year's festival will present 37features and 33 short films from over 30countries. Recognized as a growingplatform for championing the nextgeneration of nonfiction storytellers,52% of the films presented this year aredirected or co-directed by POC directors.Since 2017, the festival has beencommitted to gender parity across allsections and competitions. 57% of thisyear's slate of films have been directed orco-directed by women.

Opening Night on September 16 isNational Geographic DocumentaryFilms' "Becoming Cousteau," from two-time Oscar nominated filmmaker LizGarbus, about the iconic underseaexplorer and filmmaker who trieddecades ago to warn the world about theclimate crisis. The festival will Close itsin-person festival on Sunday, September19 with NEON's Sundance Grand JuryPrize winner "Flee" recounted mostly

through animation by director JonasPoher Rasmussen, the film tells AminNawani's extraordinary journey as achild refugee from Afghanistan.

2021 CIFF FILM SLATE:

There are 36 Feature Films and 33Short Films presented.

2021 CIFF FEATURE FILMS:

A COP MOVIE

Alonso Ruizpalacios | Mexico | NorthAmerican Premiere

A NIGHT OF KNOWING NOTHING

Payal Kapadia | India, France | USPremiere

AFTER ANTARCTICA

Tasha Van Zandt | United States,Canada, Antarctica

ALL THESE SONS

Bing Liu, Joshua Altman | UnitedStates

ARCHIPELAGO

Felix Dufour-Laperrière | Canada | USPremiere

ASCENSION

Jessica Kingdon | United States BECOMING COUSTEAU

Liz Garbus | United States CITIZEN ASHE

Sam Pollard, Rex Miller | UnitedStates, United Kingdom

CUSP

Parker Hill, Isabel Bethencourt |United States

EXPEDITION CONTENT

Ernst Karel, Veronika Kusumaryati |United States, West Papua

FATHOM

Drew Xanthopoulos | United States FAYA DAYI

Jessica Beshir | Ethiopia, UnitedStates, Qatar

FLEE

Jonas Poher Rasmussen | Denmark KÍMMAPIIYIPITSSINI: THE

MEANING OF EMPATHY

Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers | Canada | USPremiere

LAKE FOREST PARK

Kersti Jan Werdal | United States |World Premiere

LAST DAYS AT SEA

Venice Atienza | Philippines, Taiwan |US Premiere

LISTENING TO KENNY G

Penny Lane | United States | USPremiere

MAGALUF GHOST TOWN

Miguel Ángel Blanca | Spain, France,Switzerland | US Premiere

NO KINGS (SEM DEUS SEM

DEMÔNIO)

Emilia Mello | Brazil NORTH BY CURRENT

Angelo Madsen Minax | United States OSTROV - LOST ISLAND

Svetlana Rodina, Laurent Stoop |Switzerland | US Premiere

OUR MEMORY BELONGS TO US

Rami Farah, Signe Byrge Sørensen |Denmark, France | North AmericanPremiere

PAPER & GLUE

JR | United States, FrancePROCESSION

Robert Greene | United States ROOTS

Tea Luka? | Serbia, Croatia | North

American PremiereSHARED RESOURCES

Jordan Lord | United States SILENCE OF THE TIDES

Pieter-Rim De Kroon | TheNetherlands, Germany | US Premiere

SONGS THAT FLOOD THE RIVER

Germán Arango Rendón | ColombiaTERRA FEMME

Courtney Stephens | United States THE FAITHFUL: THE KING, THE

POPE, THE PRINCESS

Annie Berman | United States,Portugal, United Kingdom | WorldPremiere

THE MUSHROOM SPEAKS

Marion Neumann | Switzerland |North American Premiere

THE REAL CHARLIE CHAPLIN

Peter Middleton & James Spinney |United Kingdom

THE RESCUE

Jimmy Chin, E. Chai Vasarhelyi |United States, United Kingdom

THE VELVET QUEEN

Marie Amiguet, Vincent Munier |France | North American Premiere

TORN

Max Lowe | United StatesUNDERDOG

Tommy Hyde | United States | WorldPremiere

2021 CIFF SHORTS:

.srtAfricanus Okokon | United States 0.2 Milligrams of GoldDiego Quinderé de Carvalho |

Belgium, Brazil, Portugal, Hungary |World Premiere

Ancient SunshineJason Livingston | United States Arctic SummerDaniel Fradin, Kyle Rosenbluth |

United States, CanadaBABYBANGZ

Juliana Kasumu | United States Datura's AubadeJean-Jacques Martinod, Bretta C.

Walker | United States | World PremiereDEATH

Nadia Hallgren | United Statesdeath and her compassAnnie Munger | United States Desert Lights (Luces del Desierto)Félix Blume | France, MexicoDial HomeCésar Martínez Barba | United States,

MexicoEating SoilLaura Weissenberger | Austria Faraway [Lointain]Aziz Zoromba | CanadaHomage to the Work of Philip Henry

GossePablo Martín Weber | ArgentinaKALSUBAI

Yudhajit Basu | India | NorthAmerican Premiere

LATA

Alisha Tejpal | India, United States Lemongrass GirlPom Bunsermvicha | ThailandLetter From Your Far-Off CountrySuneil Sanzgiri | United States, IndiaNegotiating LiberationAmirah Tajdin | United Arab EmiratesNOVA: A New Spelling of My Name

Nova Scott-James | United States |World Premiere

Silence of the Sirens (Le Silence dessirènes)

Diana Vidrascu | France | USPremiere

Son of SodomTheo Montoya | ColombiaSouthMorgan Quaintance | United Kingdom Spirits and Rocks: an Azorean Myth

[Espíritos e Rochas: um Mito Açoriano]Aylin Gökmen | Switzerland, PortugalThe Beauty President Whitney Skauge | United States The DiamondCaitlyn Greene | United States | World

PremiereThe ElvermenIsla Badenoch | United Kingdom |

International PremiereThe Rifleman Sierra Pettengill | United States They Won't Call It MurderMelissa Gira Grant, Ingrid Raphaël |

United States Vida BuenaBenjamin Buxton | Cuba | World

PremiereYou Can't Stop SpiritVashni Korin | United StatesListen to the Beat of Our Images Audrey Jean-Baptiste, Maxime Jean-

Baptiste | France, French GuianaMelting SnowJanah Elise | United States, Puerto

RicoMotorcyclist's Happiness Won't Fit Into

His Suit (Al motociclista no le cabe lafelicidad en el traje)

Gabriel Herrera | Mexico | USPremiere

CIFF

The Camden International FilmFestival (CIFF) & The Points NorthInstitute

Founded in 2005 and recognized as oneof the top documentary film festivals inthe world, the Camden InternationalFilm Festival (CIFF) brings the finestnonfiction cinema to the coast of Maine,showcasing documentary films andimmersive works from around the globeeach fall.

The Points North Institute, establishedin 2016, is the launching pad for the nextgeneration of nonfiction storytellers.Building on the success of the CamdenInternational Film Festival, PointsNorth's mission is to bring together aunique, interdisciplinary community offilmmakers, artists, journalists, industryleaders, and audiences, forming acreative hub on the coast of Maine wherenew stories and talent are discovered,collaborations are born, and the future ofnonfiction media is shaped. To learnmore, visit

facebook.com/camdeniffpointsnorthinstitute.orgfacebook.com/pointsnorthinstitute

(Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, The Artsand Entertainment, Spirituality, and Health &

Wellness.)

CIFF Organizers - Photo / CIFF

CIFF Audience - Photo / CIFF

RUSSIA SUMMONS USENVOY OVER ‘MEDDLING’

MOSCOW (TIP): Russia summonedUS Ambassador John Sullivan onSeptember 10 over allegedinterference by the US in an election,Russian agencies said. Russian newsagencies reported earlier thatSullivan had been summoned over anissue with accreditations for Russianjournalists working in the US. —Reuters

AUSTRIA: MAN KEPTMOTHER’S BODY INBASEMENT TO DRAWPENSION

BERLIN (TIP): Austrian police saya man hid his mother’s body in hisbasement for over a year in order tocontinue receiving her pension andnursing allowance.

Police in Tyrol province said onSeptember 9 that officers paid a visit tothe man in the Innsbruck area lastweekend because suspicions hadarisen that his 89-year-old mother haddied in June 2020.

They said in a statement that the 66-year old admitted in questioning tohaving kept her body in the basementafter she died at home so that he couldkeep receiving her benefits.Investigations so far suggest that hetook in a “mid-five-digit” sum of euros.

Authorities conducted an autopsy onhis mother’s body on Wednesday andfound no evidence of foul play. —AP

JOHNSON GETSPARLIAMENT BACKINGFOR HEALTH AND SOCIALCARE TAX

LONDON (TIP): British Parliamenthas approved Prime Minister BorisJohnson-led government's new taxplan to fund its National HealthService (NHS) and social care services.

The House of Commons voted by 319to 248 on september 8 evening to backthe proposed Health and Social CareLevy, a new 1.25 per cent tax onworkers and employers across thecountry, to be effective from April 2022.Comes into effect in april next year : Theproposed Health and Social Care Levy, a new1.25 per cent tax on workers and employers,will be effective from April 2022 The PMBoris Johnson-led government’s plan isexpected to raise an extra GBP 12 billion a

year towards health and care costsThe dividend rates for companies

will also go up by the same amount tocover what Johnson described as"biggest catch-up programme" for thestate-funded National Health Servicein the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.It is expected to raise an extra GBP 12billion a year towards health and carecosts.

As the move breaks one of the rulingConservative Party's central electionmanifesto pledges, it has angeredmany of Johnson's backbench ToryMPs. — PTI

WORLD THE INDIAN PANORAMA


Canada's Trudeau, trailing inpolls, defends early election call

HAMILTON, ONTARIO (TIP):

Canada's Prime Minister JustinTrudeau, facing possible defeat in a snapSeptember 20 election, on September 10defended his decision to call the electionearly and said his main rival wouldundermine the fight against Covid-19.

Trudeau, who heads a minorityLiberal government that needsopposition support to pass legislation,had hoped Canadians would reward hishandling of the coronavirus pandemicwith a majority in the House ofCommons.

But polls show voters are unhappy thatTrudeau, 49, who has held power for sixyears, called the vote during a fourthwave of the pandemic. Conservativeleader Erin O'Toole, 48, holds a slightlead over the Liberal leader, surveysshow.

Asked whether he regretted theelection call, Trudeau told reporters inHamilton, Ontario: "Absolutely not ...What we see is a very clear contrastbetween all the different parties on howwe need to move forward as a country."Attacked daily by rivals for takingCanadians to the polls this month,Trudeau has struggled to turn thecampaign toward policy issues. He isrunning out of time.

On September 10, a day after aninconclusive leaders' debate, Trudeaublasted O'Toole for arguing that Covid-19vaccinations are a personal choice andshould not be mandated.

Unlike the Conservative leader,Trudeau requires his fellow Liberalcandidates be inoculated against thevirus and last month his center-left

government introduced vaccinemandates for domestic travel.

"He's better and quicker to stand up forthe rights of those who choose not to getvaccinated than he is for your wife andyour kids' rights to be safe from Covid-19," Trudeau said.

The Liberals compete for the samecenter-left electorate as the smaller NewDemocrats of Jagmeet Singh. Trudeau,adopting tactics he used in the 2019election, said O'Toole could becomeprime minister if the progressive votesplits. "The choice is clear in thiselection. Don't let Jagmeet Singh tell youthere is no difference between a Liberalgovernment or a Conservativegovernment," he said.

Speaking earlier, Singh told reporters

that "you do not have to chose betweentwo parties that are arguing about who isworse ... better is possible." (See briefprofiles of all candidates: )

The campaign's final stretch kicked offafter Statistics Canada reported that thenational unemployment rate fell to 7.1per cent in August, its lowest during thepandemic.

"We have now recovered 95 per cent ofthe jobs lost during the Covid recession,"Finance Minister Chrystia Freelandsaid, speaking alongside Trudeau.

A rolling Nanos Research poll of 1,200voters on Thursday showed theConservatives with 33.3 per cent supportand the Liberals at 31.3 per cent. The left-leaning New Democrats had 19.2 percent. Reuters

Chinese woman involved in 7murders sentenced to death

BEIJING (TIP): A Chinese womanwho was allegedly involved in severalrobberies, abductions and the murder ofseven people has been sentenced to deathby a local court in the southeasternJiangxi Province.

Lao Rongzhi conspired with her then-boyfriend in several robberies,abductions and murders in variousprovinces during 1996-1999 that led to thedeath of seven people, NanchangIntermediate People’s Court said in itsjudgement on september 9.

Lao was arrested in November 2019after absconding for some 20 years usingpseudonyms, the state-run Xinhua newsagency reported.

The court also stripped her of herpolitical rights and ordered that all herpersonal property be confiscated. Afterhearing the court’s first instance verdict,Lao cried in court and said she wouldappeal the ruling, the state-run Global

Times reported.According to the People’s

Procuratorate of Nanchang city, between1996 and 1999, Lao committed fourkidnappings, robbery and murder inEast China’s Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsuand Anhui provinces together with herthen-boyfriend Fa Ziying.

The two conspired and divided thework, with Lao working as a hostess inentertainment venues to find rich peopleto commit crimes. Seven people werekilled, and Lao was involved in killingfive of them and robbing a large sum ofmoney.

Fa was captured in Hefei in 1999 andwas sentenced to death. Lao then becamea fugitive and used fake identities toevade, and was finally captured inXiamen in 2019 after nearly 20 years onthe run.

During the trial which began inDecember, Lao repeatedly argued that

collusion did not exist and that she wasalso a victim, saying that she was usedand coerced by Fa when she was 21 yearsold.

Lao tearfully apologised to the victim’sfamily and offered to compensate.

After the trial, the court held thatLao’s behaviour constituted the crime ofintentional homicide, robbery andkidnapping. At the same time, becauseLao’s criminal methods wereparticularly cruel, the purpose wasextremely vicious, and thecircumstances of her offenses wereextremely serious.

Although Lao confessed to the crimes,she couldn’t be leniently punished.

Zhu Dahong, the widow of LuZhongming, one of the victims in thecase who observed the sentencing saidshe felt relieved after the verdict wasannounced and would take her childrento visit Lu’s grave. —PTI

WORLD THE INDIAN PANORAMA


TIANANMEN VIGIL: 12FROM HK PLEAD GUILTY

HONG KONG (TIP): Twelve HongKong pro-democracy activists pleadedguilty on Thursday to participating inan unauthorised candlelight vigil tomark Beijing's bloody crackdown inTiananmen Square on June 4 last year.

Thousands had turned up to lightcandles despite police warnings. Sevenof them were charged with incitingothers to take part in the assembly. —AP

HUNDREDS EVACUATEDAS WILDFIRE GROWS INSOUTHWESTERN SPAIN

MADRID (TIP): At least 500 peoplehave been evacuated from their homesand road traffic has been disrupted asfirefighting teams and planes fight awildfire in southwestern Spain,regional authorities said on Thursday.

The blaze in a mountain range of theMalaga province started late onWednesday and grew overnight,prompting the first evacuations nearthe resort town of Estepona.

As the blaze expanded, a housingdevelopment with about 50 residentswas also emptied by authorities onThursday morning.

Around 250 firefighters wereworking to extinguish the fire on theground, helped by 29 planes,authorities said.

Smoke from the blaze also led to theclosure of some 14 kilometres (9 miles)on the AP-7, a major motorway,although traffic resumed by mid-Thursday. At least two smaller roadsremained closed.

The regional fire extinguishingservice said that the rugged terrainmade quelling the flames “difficult”.

“It has pronounced slopes and thereis a strong west wind that iscomplicating the work,” Infoca said ina statement.

Wildfires are common in southernEurope during the hot, dry summermonths.

Spain’s Ministry for EcologicalTransition said that, as of August 29,74,200 hectares (186,000 acres) of forestand bush areas in the country hadburnt in 2021. — AP

JAPAN EXTENDS VIRUSEMERGENCY UNTIL ENDOF SEPTEMBER

TOKYO (TIP): Japan announced onSeptember 10 it is extending acoronavirus state of emergency inTokyo and 18 other areas until the endof September as health care systemsremain under severe strain, althoughnew infections have slowed slightly.

The current state of emergency,which was to end on Sunday, wasissued first in Okinawa in May andgradually expanded. Despite theprolonged emergency, the largelyvoluntary measures have become lesseffective as the exhausted publicincreasingly ignores them. AP

Japan vaccine minister Taro Konoseeks to be next prime minister

TOKYO (TIP): Japan’s outspokenvaccinations minister, Taro Kono,announced on september 10 that he isrunning to become head of the governingparty, who usually is chosen primeminister, and pledged to be reform-minded and gets things done.

Kono, 58, a graduate of GeorgetownUniversity in Washington, D.C., who isfluent in English, has many fans amongyounger people, with whom hecommunicates via social media. Suchthings are still a rarity in Japanesepolitics.

“I will embrace your views andworries, share information with you,convey a solid message and work withyou to overcome this crisis that we face,”Kono said at a packed news conference inTokyo, referring to the pandemic.

Kono’s declaration comes a week afterPrime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s suddenannouncement that he will not seekanother term as head of the governingLiberal Democratic Party in a September29 vote. The winner is virtually certain tobe elected prime minister by parliamentbecause the party and its coalitionpartner hold a majority of seats.

Two other lawmakers have alreadydeclared their candidacies: centristformer Foreign Minister Fumio Kishidaand former Internal Affairs MinisterSanae Takaichi, who shares formerPrime Minister Shinzo Abe’s right-wingideology and revisionist views onwartime history. She is seeking tobecome Japan’s first female leader.

Kono emphasised his achievements asvaccine minister, portraying himself assomeone who gets things done, by tearingdown bureaucratic barriers if necessary.

Kono, who is also regulatory reformminister, was picked by Suga to lead thecountry’s vaccination campaign inJanuary before its rollout in mid-

February, months behind othercountries.

Within weeks, Kono was tasked withthe ambitious goal of fully vaccinatingall of the nation’s elderly by the end ofJuly, which he achieved by boosting theadministration of doses to 1 million perday — another goal set by Suga.

Japan is now on par with the UnitedStates in terms of percentage of peoplewho have received at least one shot, andwill be in the “top class” among theGroup of Seven industrialised nations bythe end of September or early October, hesaid.

Kono, considered a liberal on socialissues such as gender equality anddiversity but hawkish on nationalsecurity, is seen as standing somewherein the middle between Takaichi andKishida, though he has shifted somewhatto the conservative side, apparently tobroaden his support amongconservatives.

Some governing party lawmakers are

cautious about Kono’s past support for aphasing out of nuclear energy.

Suga, who became prime minister ayear ago, has faced nosediving popularityover his government’s handling of thecoronavirus, which many saw as slowand limited, and for insisting on hostingthe Olympics despite widespreadopposition due to health concerns.

Having a fresh leader is important forthe Liberal Democrats as they seek toincrease their popularity ahead of anupcoming general election that must beheld by late November.

Kono was the most popular choice forprime minister in at least three recentpublic opinion polls, with formerDefence Minister Shigeru Ishibasecond and Kishida third. Takaichi,who is less well known, was lower inthe rankings. Public popularity doesnot directly affect the selection ofprime minister, who is elected byparliament from candidates presentedby various parties. —AP

Canada PM Trudeau angrily accuses main rival offavouring abortion curbs, gun owners

OTTAWA (TIP): Canadian PrimeMinister Justin Trudeau, facing apossible election defeat, on Wednesdaylashed out at his main rival, accusinghim of favouring restrictions onabortion and wanting to loosen guncontrols.

Opinion polls show the right-leaningConservatives of Erin O'Toole couldwin the September 20 vote, ending sixyears of rule by the left-of-centerLiberals.

At the end of an otherwiseunremarkable two-hour leaders' debatein French, Trudeau said O'Toole hadsided with the gun lobby and wanted tooverturn a Liberal ban on assaultweapons.

He also said dozens of ConservativeParliamentarians had voted in favour

of draft legislation to curb abortionsthat was defeated in the House ofCommons in June.

"Mr O'Toole refused to tellCanadians what he wants to do.

He signs deals with special interestgroups," Trudeau said. "He is offeringweak leadership ... he can't be trusted."O'Toole, who has consistently attackedTrudeau's decision to call a snapelection during the Covid-19 pandemic,retorted that the Liberal leader would"say anything to win" and said he wasin favor of abortion rights.

Last Sunday O'Toole scrapped acampaign promise to eliminate a banon some assault weapons afterTrudeau accused him of cozying up tothe gun lobby.

Trudeau called the election two

years ahead of schedule as areferendum on his handling of thepandemic but has struggled toovercome voter fatigue.

Wednesday's two-hour debate wasthe second and final one to be held inFrench, which is predominantlyspoken in Quebec. The provinceaccounts for 78 of the 338 seats in theHouse of Commons and is crucial forany party seeking office.

The leaders will hold another debateon Thursday in English, the languagespoken by two-thirds of Canada's 38million population. An Ipsos Researchpoll for Global News on Wednesday putthe Conservatives at 35% publicsupport, with the Liberals at 32% andthe left-leaning New Democrats at 21%.Reuters

ASTROLOGY THE INDIAN PANORAMA


Aries Ganesha says for you, dear Aries natives, this is

going to be a typical seven days. This week'sindustrial fronts imply that you may have ahiccup. You must be diligent in your accountancyand solely protect your industry's anonymity. Itmight suffer a major blow, putting you and yourfamily in danger. Strive to put in the effort anddon't deceive others. You can handle yourfinancial issues if you can keep your attitudeunder command.

On the romantic front, you'll be ready to talkabout starting a family this week. If you want tomatch star signs, Wednesday and Thursday arethe best days to accomplish so. This week, avoiddepending on the views of others when it comesto parenting. In terms of your health, you'll beable to keep in good shape this week. You'll alsostick to your schedule.

Taurus In terms of accomplishments this week, you're

going to have a great time. You must secure thewelfare of your friends and family and maintainyour optimism while escaping a mentalbreakdown. If you succeed in doing so, you willhave the best and most pleasant week of thequarter. You'll have a good weekend on all frontsin terms of your work life. In the early half ofthe week, you'll also have fresh work chances.The twelfth house of your zodiac predicts thatyou will obtain decent penny stocks.

This week, your emotional fronts will be onpoint, and the second half of the week will beideal for spending more time with yourcompanion. This week, your health is looksexcellent; you've acclimated to your newenvironments and haven't experienced anyhealth issues. Simply keep a clean environmentand avoid consuming sugary snacks, which canbe harmful to your health.

GeminiYou'll need to be strong and indestructible this

week since you'll be dealing with a lot ofchallenges. Some important ties will have to beabandoned forever. This week, you'll be hugelyamazed with yourself. You may have to cope withwork on other fronts, but by the end of the week,everything will be great. When it comes toeconomics, don't make choices withoutconsulting with others. In the second part of the

week, you'll want to make sure you're on thecorrect track when it comes to professionaldecisions.

This week, you'll need to be gentler and moregenerous in your relationships. Your spouse willhave to express himself more as well. If you'remarried, be careful not to fall into the temptationloop. In terms of your health, you'll have to paymore attention to your cholesterol levels thisweek.

Cancer This week, you'll be fully prepared to go

forward. You'll be able to fix the problem thatwent wrong a long time ago. You will be able tofind ideal solutions to your work problems. You'llget along with everyone in the office as well. Thismonth, you must avoid arguing with anybody.You will win handsomely from your previousequities in the first part of the week. This week,make the most of your time.

In terms of your romantic relationships, you'llneed to make sure that your partner and you areon the same page when it comes to movingahead. In terms of your health, you will not haveany problems this week. This week, pay specialattention to your youngsters.

Leo You'll be in a terrific mood this week. This

week, you'll have to keep your energy undercheck. You'll have to be extra cautious and awareof certain aspects of your work life. If you're astock exchange investor, keep your avarice incheck this week. If you're in the contractingsector, don't sign any major contracts this week.This week, if you work as an architect, you'llhave to be more attentive with your scheduling.

In terms of your love life, things will getBetter. During the week, you will have a sense ofsecurity. This week, people looking for amarriage partner will discover Aries andCapricorn to be the most suitable signs for them.You will be able to take good care of yourself interms of wellness. You'll have to be morecautious when it comes to eyesight and hearingproblems.

Virgo You will be free to pursue Jupiter' and Lord

Ganesha's favours this week. You will berewarded with both love and fortune. On thecompetent front, you'll be able to overcome the

impediments this week. You'll need to becautious when making protracted plans. You'regoing to muck up the second part of the week byrushing about excessively. On a positive note,your financial prospects will be better than everthis week. When it comes to individuals in jobs,the eighth house denotes a period of hardship,but things will undoubtedly improve before thestart of the next week.

You will be able to draw your companion closerto you on the romance front. This week, you'll belooking for attentiveness from your companionas well. Ascertain that your health improves thisweek. This week is going to be the week thatyour troubles go away.

Libra You'll have a hard time this week. To go

through this, you'll have to restrain your bravery.This week, you'll have to take extreme measures.This week, you'll have to be extra cautious aboutyour professional decisions. If you're starting anew job, start in the second part of the week. Ifyou're in commerce, you'll be able to make extramoney this week. You will feel better this weekas your job stress decreases. On Thursdays andSundays, avoid investing in the stock market.

In terms of your love life, you will spend a lotof time with your spouse, which may make youfeel a bit overwhelmed. If you are engaged, youmay have a disagreement with your partner inthe second part of the week. Make sure you takecare of oneself this week, since Ketu's unwantedadverse stance is likely to impact you.

ScorpioThis week will be pleasant, but owing to Rahu's

location, you will be reluctant to concentrate onanything besides your studies. This will have animpact on you from all sides. Aside from that, themoonlight will be able to discover the perfectlocation for your economic pursuits. Venus mayshower you with benefits this week, resulting insignificant profits. You may be recognized foryour good acts. Profits will be made, and you willget a competitive edge in the economy.

In terms of romance, you'll have to be extracautious this week since you're likely to meet theincorrect person in the first part of the week.One point to note about your health: you couldbecome sick this week, so try to stay as hygienicas necessary, and recall that avoidance is betterthan treatment, so take good care of yourself.

Nastur Bejan Daruwalla is available for astrological consultations.

He can be reached at [email protected] and on phone

+91-9638770377 www.bejandaruwalla.com

WEEKLY HOROSCOPE - 13th Sept to 19th Sept 2021

The Indian Panorama brings you Weekly and Birthday Horoscope by NASTUR BEJAN DARUWALLAVEDIC ASTROLOGER NASTUR

BEJAN DARUWALLA

Shree Ganeshaya Namah

CONTD ON PAGE 31

ASTROLOGY THE INDIAN PANORAMA


BIRTHDAY HOROSCOPE :13TH SEPT TO 19TH SEPT 2021

Sept 13You will have a very interesting day today as it

is a pivotal day in your life today. You willunderstand the importance of being mature,responsible and taking your future seriously. Youwill realize today that you're lucky to putminimal efforts into anything you want and yetget the best results out of it.

Sept 14

You will feel indomitable today and henceextremely powerful. Although the ball is in yourcourt today, you will have to make sure that youstill fear karma and do not misuse the power thatyou have today. Make the best of today by beingkind, loving and lighting the lives of thosearound you and those you immensely care aboutyou.

Sept 15

You have hyperactive energies today whichmight make you act or rather overreact a bit too

much. Even an extremely minor inconveniencehas the power to ruin your day today, but only ifyou let it. You will have to exercise immensecontrol on your anger and focus on what you dotoday to make sure that you're well behaved anddo not hurt anyone's feelings today.

Sept 16

You will have a great time working today. Youare most like to spend today with new people onlyand you will have fun doing so. Financial securityis on your way today. Probably because a lot ofgood luck is in your sign today. Positive energiesare all for you today. Today you will realize theimportance of your family as they will supportyou a lot in all of your decisions made recently.

Sept 17

Your immaculate skills will impress a newprospect today and will yield you very positiveresults with very little of your time and attentionneeded. A lot of applause and appreciation fromyour colleagues and family will set a very positive

tone of today for you today. You will experiencehow rewarding it is when you work hard and youare punctual.

Sept 18

Financial situations will teach you a lot of lifelessons today. You will always remember today.Make sure you take time to relax and rejuvenatetoday as you need to feel the amount of happinessand love you're blessed with. Whatever you doregarding your love life will turn out to bebeneficial for you. Take full advantage of today ifyou're single, socialize and try to meet new peopleas well as catch up with old friends.

Sept 19

You will feel at a very good place in your lifetoday. Although it has been a tough ride todaywill feel like a fairytale for you. You will receivemany good wishes from your supporters and theywill provide you with much-needed support.Especially your partner and your parents will bestanding by your side today.

CONTD FROM PAGE 30

WEEKLY HOROSCOPE - 13th Sept to 19th Sept 2021

Sagittarius This week will go by quickly. This week may

provide you with a number of obstacles, but theywill all disappear soon. Try to deal with all of thedifficulties with the help of a grownup orcompetent person, as their viewpoint will have abig impact. As an outcome of your earlieractivities, such as operating expenses, there's aprobability you'll generate revenue this week. Thisweek, you might be able to charge higher pricesfor more than the estimated valuation. But, ratherof being anxious, be grateful for what you have.Aside from that, every day, pray to Lord Vishnu forwealth.

This week will be really beneficial to yourhealth. The temperature will be unpleasant thisweek, so don't plan a trip. This week will befantastic for your romantic life. This week, youcan decide whether or not to inform your friendsabout your love, as well as whether or not toarrange a ceremony.

Capricorn This week promises to be exciting. Situations

will put you under a variety of trials, but youmust pass each one. You will become amazinglypowerful as a result of these life trials, and you

will be able to confront any circumstance. Make anattempt to concentrate on all of yourresponsibilities. Aside from that, spend qualitytime with your friends this week, which will makeyou joyful. Academic youngsters should visit areligious location to help them refocus on theirstudies. This week might be lucky for you. In needfor your company to develop, you'll need to go onyour economic horizons. When you go on a trip,strive to stay for as long as possible.

The intersection of individual and career tieswill have adverse repercussions. On an intimatelevel, this is the week to have faith in your partnerand treat them with respect. Many others areenvious of your intimate relationship with yourpartner, and they will strive to destroy it. Thisweek, your health will function normally. There's achance you'll take additional condition, but it'll besmall.

Aquarius It will bring both delight and sorrow, as this

week has proven. You have the ability to make alarge discrepancy in your organisation. You mightmake a fortune for your firm this week. You willbe able to gain a better economic presence. Youwill be richly rewarded for your efforts. You may

even establish a new agriculture or clothingenterprise that will make you a lot of cash. Thisweek, your love fronts will be in full swing, but nonew relationships will emerge.

Ketu says, this week illustrates how theenvironment may affect your health. You mightbecome ill, which could lead to poor outcomes anda sense of hopelessness. So, take care of yourselfand take precautions.

Pisces Your firm has a lot of opportunity to grow this

week. This week will offer you considerably morethan you intended for, as well as a bunch of newchallenges, so be prepared. Accept it and use it toget more information. Briefly put, don't allow yourinner essence collapse, associate yourself withgood vibes, and take care of the body because itmay have an impact on both your work and yourconnection. This week, stay away from gloomycolours since they may make you feel awful.

Your ties will be stronger, and any ambiguitiesor disputes will be rectified. To be a good humanwithin yourself and everyone, you just must keepyour composure and regulate your rage. Yourconnections will be strengthened if you spendlonger hours with your best friends.

DIY facemasks thatBollywood divas swear by

Ingredients:

Chicken boneless - 7 pcs, 170 gmsCheese - 15 gmsGarlic chopped - 15 gmsGinger paste - 5 gmsCoriander chopped - 2 gmsGreen chilli paste - 7 gmsFresh cream - 18 gmsCurd - 40 gmsKaju paste - 10 gmsSalt - 2 gmsBlack salt - 0.5 gmsChicken masala - 1 gramChat masala - 0.5 gmsElaichi - 0.5 gmsJeera powder - 1 gramWhite pepper powder - 1 gramSalad oil - 5 gmsDaniya powder - 1 gram

Method:-The first step is to marinate the chicken with all the

ingredients.- Marinate the chicken pieces with curd and then add

chopped garlic, ginger paste, kaju paste, green chilli paste,chopped dhaniya, salt, kitchen king masala

- Add black salt, chat masala, elaichi, dhaniya, jeerapowder, white pepper powder, salad oil, cream and cheese.

- Keep aside for 30 minutes to abstract flavour.- Apply 5 ml of butter.- Grill it in charcoal tandoor for 8 - 10 minutes.- Serve in a platter.

Do you also want glowinglooking skin like one of yourfavourite Bollywood

celebrities? There is a lot that theydo to keep their face glowing. Wehave unravelled some of theirsecrets, and we are surprised bythem.

Most of the young stars love to tryout DIY facemasks and recipes fortheir skin. Yes, it is true. They haverevealed their secret for that instantred carpet glow. Do you also want tolook radiant like them? Then keepon reading!

Pro tip: Always try a small patchof these before just to check if youare allergic or not.

Radhika MadanOnce starting with television

shows, Radhika Madan has now sether foot in the Bollywood Industry.She is known to be one of the mosthardworking actresses. Alwaysglowing and smiling, she also hasher own beauty secrets.

The Angrezi Medium actressshared a DIY face pack recipe givenby her mom.

Ingredients:Two-Three tablespoon Chickpea

Flour (Besan)?One teaspoon Turmeric (Haldi)Five-Six Soaked AlmondsMilk (As required)Few strands of Saffron (Kesar)

Procedure:

Take the chickpea flour and addturmeric to it. Now make a paste ofthe almonds by grinding them andmix it all. Add milk as much asrequired to get a paste consistency.Saffron is the magic ingredient soadd it as well. Apply it all over yourface and keep it on for as long as youcan.

While washing, keep in mind notto wash with water. Either use milkor just wet your hands and scrub itoff by massaging. Don't use a soapor a face wash later to retain theeffects.

Benefits:Makeup, dirt, pollution, etc., can

damage your skin. This face packhelps with tanning by acting as ascrub and will leave you with anatural glow. It also helps with acneand breakout.

Janhvi KapoorThe Roohi actress is loved for her

style. Have you ever seen her ineveryday routine? She is alwaysbare-faced with no hints of makeup.Her love for homemade remedies isnot hidden, and she has even sharedsome facemask that she uses, evenfor a red carpet look.

Ingredients:One tablespoon Curd/Yogurt

(With Malai if possible)?One teaspoon HoneyMashed seasonal fruit (Anything

that's available)Half-cut Orange

Procedure:Wash your face and pat dry. Mix

the yogurt, honey and the mashedfruit in a bowl and make a paste.Apply it all over your face. Now, takean orange cut in half. Squeeze a bitto loosen it, and the juice comes outeasily. Take the orange and scrub itgently all over your face. Avoidgetting cut. Wash your face withcold water.

Benefits:The curd and honey make your

skin moisturizing and glowy.Orange acts as a scrub and helpsremove the tan and dead skin.

Priyanka ChopraOur desi girl has proved she may

be living outside India but is stilldesi at heart. Priyanka has been asuperstar of the Bollywoodindustry and has also made usproud with her Hollywoodperformances. She is loved for herbeauty. Do you also want to knowher secrets? Mrs Jonas revealed herskincare secret, and it is none otherthan a DIY recipe learned from hermom.

Ingredients:One cup Gram Flour (Besan)?One tablespoon Curd/YogurtHalf Lemon MilkTwo-Three Teaspoons

Sandalwood Powder (ChandanPowder)

One teaspoon Turmeric (Haldi)

Procedure: Take the gram flour and yogurt

according to your requirements andmix them well. Squeeze some lemonjuice and mix it. If your paste is

thick add some milk to make itsmooth. Add the sandalwoodpowder and turmeric. Mix all of itwell into a paste.

Apply it over your face or yourbody. Let it dry completely. Scrub itoff with your hands and remove it.Wash your face with waterafterwards.

Benefits: It is a scrub used on the face as

well as the body. It is an exfoliator,hydrator, and moisturizer for theskin. It will also remove any kind oftanning. It also removes baby facehair.

Ananya PandayAnanya has been a fashion inspi-

ration for many young girls. Welove her style but we also love herbare face looks when she steps out.Ananya shared her secret onInstagram stories for naturallyglowing skin and it's just an easyDIY recipe.

Ingredients:One-Two tablespoon

Curd/yogurt?One teaspoon HoneyOne teaspoon Turmeric (Haldi)

Procedure:Mix all the ingredients in a bowl

altogether. Apply it all over the face.Leave it for 10-15 minutes. Also

apply it in scrubbing motion forexfoliation. It dries so wash yourface in rubbing motion with normalwater.

Benefits:It helps in hydrating and moistur-

izing the skin. Also makes your tanand dead skin go away. It purifiesyour skin and also has healingproperties.

Source: Pinkvilla

Dahi Lasooni Chicken

WOMEN THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 32FOOD CORNER

Skincare in your 30s: Hereare some basic rules to follow

Women in their 30s begin to face someproblems with their skin. Your skin is goingto need all the care. All you have to do is

follow the basics of taking care of your skin, ensuringthat it is well-nourished. When you try out thesebeauty tips, the 30s get easy and fun.

Most women ignore the cleansing, toning, andmoisturising routine during their younger days.This routine is even more essential and shouldbe followed in the 30s.Have a diet plan that includes many varieties ofvegetables and fruits. Salads made from healthyand fresh vegetables and fruits will help to getrid of toxins in the body.Take supplements like vitamins C and E as theymake you comfortable in your skin.Start looking for key ingredients in yourcosmetics that will help to make your skin lookradiant and youthful.Avoid using lots of ingredients on hair and skin.Drink plenty of water every day. Have around 8-10 glasses of water as it is needed not only for ahealthy body, but also for beautiful skin. It willalso help eliminate toxins from the body.Try giving up or at least reducing consumptionof alcohol and smoking. Reduce the intake ofsugar and caffeine as well.Night creams will help to hydrate your skin andreduce patchiness. It will also help to boost thecollagen in the skin.

DR. SATISH AND GITANJLI ANAND DDRR.. SSAATTIISSHH AANNAANNDD

FFoorrmmeerr CChhaaiirrmmaann,, BBooaarrdd ooffTTrruusstteeeess,, AAAAPPII NNaattiioonnaall

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FFoorrmmeerr PPrreessiiddeenntt,, IInnddiiaaAAssssoocciiaattiioonn ooff LLoonngg IIssllaanndd((IIAALLII))

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PPAAGGEE SSPPOONNSSOORREEDD BBYY

No serious Covidvaccine side effects inbreastfeeding moms,

infants: StudyLOS ANGELES (TIP): Breastfeeding mothers

vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna preventiveexperienced similar side effects to what havepreviously been reported in non-breastfeedingwomen, while infants exhibited no adverse eventsafter immunisation, a study has found.

The research, published in the journalBreastfeeding Medicine, involved 180 breastfeedingwomen who received both doses of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.

Over 85 per cent of the participants reportedtemporary localised symptoms, such as pain, redness,swelling or itching at the injection site, and systemicside effects, including chills, muscle or body aches,fever and vomiting, with higher frequency followingthe second dose.

"A mother's first concern is the safety of her child,"said Christina Chambers, a professor at the Universityof California (UC) San Diego School of Medicine inthe US.

“Our study, along with previous research, suggeststhe Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are not red flags forbreastfeeding mothers and their infants," Chamberssaid. Following the second dose, women who receivedthe Moderna vaccine were significantly more likely toreport symptoms, according to the researchers.

A small proportion of women following the firstdose of either vaccine brand reported a reduction inmilk supply, and significantly more women reported areduction in milk supply following the second dose ofModerna, they said.

"We want to emphasise that the reduction in milksupply was in a small subset of women and came backfully within 72 hours after vaccination. We also cannotbe certain that the supply reduction was a side effect ofthe vaccine or another unknown factor," saidChambers. "What we do know is that the vaccine isincredibly effective in providing protection fromCovid-19, which has proven to be a devastating andserious virus with possible long-term side effects," hesaid. Source: PTI

HEALTH THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 33Who is at higher risk ofcontracting COVID-19?

Michael Dreis, MD

We all know that everyone is at risk for COVID-19. But there are some conditions that can putsomeone at a higher risk of infection than that

of the general population.The strength of your immune system plays an

important role in your risk of getting COVID-19. Youare at higher risk of infection if you have a weakenedimmune system, meaning you:

Have a condition that affects your immune system,such as HIV, autoimmune disease, or cancer Are taking immune system-suppressingmedications, such as steroids, organ transplantmedications, or chemotherapy

Of course, the best way to prepare your immunesystem against possible infection is vaccination, whichtrains your body to fight off the virus should you havean exposure.

Other factors that may put you at higher risk forinfection include:

Where you live: If you live in close proximity toothers, you are more likely to be exposed to thevirus. This includes a skilled nursing facility, acrowded family home, or a homeless shelter.Historically underserved communities: If youdon’t have insurance or access to healthcare, youare also at higher risk for COVID-19. Theseconditions can make it harder to get vaccinated,receive reliable treatment for other medicalconditions, or even prevent infection by socialdistancing or staying home from work.

Who is most at risk for getting seriously ill fromCOVID-19?

Some underlying medical conditions can increaseyour risk of a severe COVID-19 infection, meaning youwould need to be hospitalized and could potentiallydevelop complications. This risk increases with age forall of us, but other factors play an important role aswell.

According to the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention (CDC), you are at high risk of severe illnesswith COVID-19 if you have:

A history of smokingLung conditions, like asthma or COPDHeart disease High blood pressure DiabetesA condition that weakens your immune systemCancerObesityKidney or liver diseaseA history of stroke, dementia, or otherneurological conditionsActive substance use

Been recently pregnant (within 6 weeks), or arecurrently pregnant

While researchers have been able to identify these asrisk factors, they are still trying to understand exactlywhy these conditions contribute to severe illness.

What extra precautions should you take if you’re in a high-risk group?

If you’re at higher risk for COVID-19, you can takesome extra steps to protect yourself. Most importantly,get a vaccine as soon as you can. It is safe and effectivefor preventing COVID-19 infections and serious illnessfrom COVID-19. But regardless of your vaccinationstatus, wear a mask and socially distance, wheneverpossible.

Some other tips from the CDC:Be sure to take your daily medications for yourunderlying health conditions.If possible, talk to your provider about getting alarger supply of your medications to avoid extratrips to the pharmacy.Consider nonperishable or frozen food items soyou can limit trips to the grocery store.Attend all your healthcare appointments, and seekemergency medical care when needed.

The bottom line Some conditions put people at higher risk of getting

infected with COVID 19 as well as developing severeillness if infected. If you have any of these riskfactors, you can take extra steps to protect yourself.These include getting vaccinated, wearing a mask,and paying attention to your follow-up and treatmentplan for any underlying medical conditions.

Source: Googrx.comMichael Dreis, MD, is a medical writer and

practicing emergency medicine physician, trained atthe University of Wisconsin – Madison and Henry FordHospital in Detroit, Michigan.

Key takeaways

You are at higher risk for contracting COVID-19 if youhave a weakened immune system, live in more crowdedconditions, or are part of a historically underservedcommunity.You are also at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 when you have underlying medical conditions, suchas lung disease, heart disease, and kidney disease. If you are in a higher-risk group, it is important to takeextra precautions to avoid infection and to follow yourtreatment plans for any underlying medical conditions.

SCIENCE & TECH THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 34Steps to enable

two-factor authenticationon your Google account

Staying safe online is one of the most important things intoday’s time. Keeping a strong password for all your digitalaccounts is no longer enough and so most applications and

websites now give you the option of enabling a two-factorauthentication system. Through this, users get the option ofverifying a login, enabling an extra layer of security. Usually,two-factor authentication requires a code sent through SMS ora code generated by specific apps like Duo. This securitymeasure lessens the chance of hacking and misuse.

If you have enabled the two-factor authentication then youwill have to enter a code after correctly entering the password.Google also offers a variety of two-factor authenticationmethods, however, the easiest one to enable is the GooglePrompt. Once this is activated, whenever you sign in to a new oran unknown device, the technology giant will send a prompt onyour phone and till the time you don’t confirm the prompt, youwill not be able to sign in to the account on the unfamiliardevice.

For enabling the two-factor authentication system on Google,follow these easy steps:

Step 1: Open any internet browser of your choice andsearch for https://myaccount.google.comStep 2: On the left column of the homepage you will find anoption that reads security. Click itStep 3: You will be directed to a new page where you willfind the ‘2-Step Verification option. Click itStep 4: A pop up will appear though which you will have toconfirm the enabling by clicking the “Get Started" tabStep 5: A new window will open wherein you will be askedto enter your Gmail password for security purposesStep 6: Once done you will be taken to a new page on whichyou will have to choose the device on which you want to getthe prompt

Step 7: After you have confirmed the device hit the “try it"tab to confirm if the two-factor authentication is workingor notStep 8: Make sure you have confirmed your phone numberin the backup field tabStep 9: A code will be sent via text message to your mobilenumber. Enter it and hit on “Next"Step 10: On another page click on “Turn On" to enable thetwo-factor authentication. After you have done that thetwo-factor authentication will be activated for your googleaccount.

Social media giant Facebook touts WhatsApp as asafe messaging platform where users chats areend-to-end encrypted. A recent report has now

found out that WhatsApp may allow contentmoderators to access users’ messages in certain cases.According to a report in ProPublica, there are morethan 1,000 contract workers in office buildings inAustin, Texas, Dublin, and Singapore. These hourlyworkers, according to the report, can only viewmessages that the users have reported. This means thatthese moderators can only see users messages, imagesand videos only when the receiver hits the reportbutton to report the message to WhatsApp.

The report in ProPublica says that this messagesreview is one element in a broader monitoringoperation in which the company also reviews materialthat is not encrypted, including data about the senderand their account. A 49-slide internal marketingpresentation from December 2020 accessed byProPublica emphasizes the “fierce" promotion ofWhatsApp’s “privacy narrative." It compares the brandcharacter to “the Immigrant Mother." This marketingmaterial doesn’t mention the company’s contentmoderation efforts.

WhatsApp’s director of communications, Carl Woogacknowledged that teams of contractors in Austin andelsewhere review WhatsApp messages to identify andremove abusers. However, he told the publication thatFacebook does not consider this work to be contentmoderation. “The decisions we make around how webuild our app are focused around the privacy of our

users, maintaining a high degree of reliability andpreventing abuse," Wong was quoted in the report assaying.

A ProPublica investigation that draws on data,documents, and dozens of interviews reveals howWhatsApp’s security has been compromised sinceFacebook’s purchase of the platform in 2014.

WhatsApp is not as private as you maythink despite end-to-end encryption

iPhone 14 ProMax allegedlyleaks ahead of

iPhone 13 launch

The iPhone 13 series is all set to belaunched on September 14. Whilehearing rumours and leaks ahead

of a launch isn’t something new, aleaker has taken things to a wholedifferent level. Popular tipster JobProsser has leaked details of theiPhone 14 Pro Max a week before eventhe iPhone 13 lineup is announced. Theleaker has revealed several ley detailsalongside design changes on both thefront and back of the device. Here’swhat the tipster has revealed aboutnext year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Jon Prosser has shared allegeddetails about next year’s iPhone 14 ProMax on his Front Page Tech website. Asper the tipster, the 2022 high-end iPhonewill feature a new design that will bidadieu to the infamous notch. It is tippedthat the iPhone 14 Pro Max will featurea hole-punch front camera - in the past,analyst Ming Chi-Kuo has also claimedthat this design change is incoming.Furthermore, the 2022 iPhone is said tohave a thicker chassis allowing for norear camera bump, with the lenses,LED flash, and LiDAR Scanner sittingflush with the rear glass. It could comewith a titanium frame.

Apple is also allegedly borrowingdesign elements from the iPhone 4 forits 2022 iPhone lineup. As per the leak,the iPhone 14 series will feature roundvolume buttons that look similar to theiPhone 4 and iPhone 5 design.

NASA roverPerseverance collects

first Martian rocksample

NASA's Mars science rover Perseverance hascollected and stashed away the first ofnumerous mineral samples that the US space

agency hopes to retrieve from the surface of the RedPlanet for analysis on Earth.

Tools attached to Perseverance and operated bymission specialists from NASA's Jet PropulsionLaboratory (JPL) near Los Angeles drilled a rock coreslightly thicker than a pencil from an ancient Martianlake bed, then hermetically sealed it in a titaniumspecimen tube inside the rover.

The feat, accomplished on September 1 and publiclyconfirmed by NASA late on Monday, marked the firstsuch mineral sample obtained from the surface ofanother planet, according to the space agency.

NASA chief and former astronaut Bill Nelson hailedit as "a momentous achievement."

The space agency plans to collect as many as 43mineral samples over the next few months from thefloor of Jerezo Crater, a wide basin where scientiststhink water flowed and microbial life may haveflourished billions of years ago.

The six-wheeled, SUV-sized vehicle is also expected toexplore walls of sediment deposited at the foot of aremnant river delta once etched into a corner of thecrater and considered a prime spot for study.

BUSINESS THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 35China’s factory

inflation hits 13-year high as

materials costs soar

China's factory gate inflation hit a13-year high in August driven byroaring raw materials prices

despite Beijing's attempts to cool them,putting more pressure on manufacturersin the world's second-largest economy.The producer price index (PPI) rose 9.5%from a year earlier in August, theNational Bureau of Statistics (NBS) saidon Thursday, faster than the 9.0%increase tipped in a Reuters poll and the9.0% reported in July. That was thefastest pace since August 2008.China'seconomy has recovered strongly fromlast year's coronavirus slump but hasbeen losing steam recently due todomestic Covid-19 outbreaks, high rawmaterial prices, tighter property curbsand a campaign to reduce carbonemissions.

Cairn accepts$1-bn refundoffer, to dropcases againstIndia: CEO

UK-based Cairn Energy PLC onTuesday said it will droplitigations to seize Indian

properties in countries ranging fromFrance to the US, within a couple of daysof getting a $1-billion refund resultingfrom the scrapping of a retrospective taxlaw. The firm termed “bold” thelegislation passed last month to cancel a2012 policy that gave the tax departmentpower to go back 50 years and slap capitalgains levies wherever ownership hadchanged hands overseas but businessassets were in India.The offer to returnmoney seized to enforce retrospective taxdemand in lieu of dropping all litigationsagainst the government “is acceptable tous,” Cairn CEO Simon Thomson said inan interview from London.

RBI optimisticabout 9.5% GDP

growth for currentfinancial year

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das onThursday said many fastindicators are showing an uptick

in economic activity and the RBI isquite optimistic about its 9.5% GDPgrowth estimate for FY2021-22 atpresent. He said the impact of thesecond wave of Covid has waned byAugust, and economic growth will bebetter from the second quarter onwardson a sequential basis. Speaking at anevent in Mumbai, Das said the RBI hasdecided to give more emphasis ongrowth because of the pandemic andoperate in the 2-6% inflation band set bythe government for it.

Ford to cease localproduction in India, shut

down both plants

Ford Motor Co will stopmanufacturing in India and take ahit of about $2 billion as it does not

see a path to profitability in the country,becoming the latest automaker to leave amajor growth market dominated byAsian rivals. The decision by Ford comesafter it struggled for years to win overIndian consumers and turn a profit. Thecarmaker entered India 25 years ago buthas a less than 2% share of the passengervehicles market.

In its statement, Ford said itaccumulated operating losses of morethan $2 billion in 10 years in India anddemand for its new vehicles had beenweak. "Despite (our) efforts, we have notbeen able to find a sustainable pathforward to long-term profitability," FordIndia head Anurag Mehrotra said in thestatement. "The decision was reinforcedby years of accumulated losses,persistent industry overcapacity andlack of expected growth in India's carmarket," he said.

Ford follows other U.S. carmakers suchas General Motors and Harley Davidsonwhich have already left India, a marketthat had once promised exponentialgrowth. The country is dominated bymainly low-cost cars made by SuzukiMotor Corp and Hyundai Motor. As partof the plan, Ford India will wind downoperations at its plant in Sanand in thewestern state of Gujarat by the fourthquarter of 2021 and vehicle and enginemanufacturing in its southern Indianplant in Chennai by 2022.

The U.S. automaker will continue to sellsome of its cars in India through importsand it will also provide support to dealersto service existing customers, it said.Around 4,000 employees are expected to beaffected by its decision.

The decision to stop production in Indiacomes after Ford and domestic carmakerMahindra & Mahindra failed to finalise ajoint venture partnership that would have

allowed Ford to continue producing carsat a lower cost than currently but cease itsindependent operations. The companysaid the decision to cease production wasmade after considering several otheroptions including partnerships, platformsharing, contract manufacturing and thepossibility of selling its manufacturingplants, which is still under review.

Source: Reuters

Ford made the decision as it was not profitable for them tocontinue, said one of the sources, adding that the process will

take about a year to complete

Ford currently has two plants in India - one is Tamil Nadu and one is Gujarat. Ford is the latestcarmaker to cease production in India, following companies such as General Motors and Harley

Davidson.

Inflows into MFs fall in Aug; SIPs, retail folios at peakMUMBAI (TIP): Even as the stock

markets hit record highs, the mutualfund (MF) sector reported a decline ininflows into equity and debt schemeswhile balanced advantage fundsmobilised a higher amount through newfund offers (NFOs). While fundsmobilised via SIPs hit a new high of Rs9,923 crore and folios under retailschemes shot to a peak of 8.95 crore,investors pumped in a net Rs 8,666 croreinto equity mutual fund schemes inAugust, lower than the Rs 22,583 croreinvested in July.

However, the balanced advantagecategory continued to attract big inflows,as it saw net inflow worth Rs 16,570.97crore last month , as per Association ofMutual Funds in India (AMFI). Flexi capfunds saw inflows of Rs 4,741 crore,followed by focused funds.

On the other hand, ELSS and value

funds saw outflows.New fund offers continued to attract

big money from retail investors andmobilised Rs 23,668 crore in August.

Debt MF schemes saw net inflowsworth Rs 1,074 crore in August, Thenumber was much higher at Rs 73,694.04crore in July.

Similar to last month’s trends, floaterfunds attracted the biggest investment.

However, overnight and low durationfunds saw big withdrawals of Rs 11,807crore and Rs 7,407 crore respectively.

AMFI Chief Executive N S Venkateshsaid, “Overall positive flows into open-ended MF schemes and all-time highmarket indices helped Indian MFindustry’s net assets under management(AUMs) to breach record Rs 36 lakh croremilestone in August 2021.”

According to him, retail assets were atRs 17.15 lakh crore, almost half of totalIndustry AUMs. SIP AUMs hit a recordhigh of Rs 5.26 lakh crore, which nowforms a third of retail AUM. On the otherhand, there has been a healthy rise in SIPaccounts to a record 4.32 crores andmonthly SIP contribution at an all-timehigh of Rs 9,923 crore, reflecting therising retail preference towards mutualfunds as a long-term wealth creationavenue, he said.

This year, the month of September marks one ofthe most auspicious festivals for Hindus - GaneshChaturthi. The celebrations for the 10-day festival

will begin from September 10 this year. It will bemarked with much pomp and fervour in Maharashtra,Karnataka, Gujarat, Odisha, Goa, West Bengal,Chhattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh. The festival will cometo an end on September 21.

To celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, also known asVinayaka Chaturthi, devotees bring home idols of LordGanesh to worship the deity, eat good food, enjoy withfriends and family, and in the end, immerse the idols.Additionally, temples offer prayers and distributesweets such as modaks because it is Lord Ganesh'sfavourite. The festival marks the birth of Lord Ganesh,the god of wisdom and prosperity. It falls in theBhadrapada month of the Hindu calendar, which fallsin August-September.

Lord Ganesh is considered a symbol of wisdom,writing, travel, commerce and good fortune. He is alsocalled Gajanana, Gajadanta, and Vighnaharta. Theseare few names among his 108 other titles.

The Indian mythology tells the legend of GoddessParvati creating baby Lord Ganesh using sandalwoodpaste and asking him to guard the entrance while shetook a bath. When Lord Shiva arrived at the entranceand told Ganesh that he wanted to visit GoddessParvati, Ganesh refused to allow him to pass through.This made Lord Shiva angry and enraged he severedthe child's head. When Goddess Parvati realised whathad happened, she was heartbroken.

Seeing Goddess Parvati overwhelmed with grief, LordShiva promised to bring baby Ganesh back to life. Heinstructed his followers to search for the head of thefirst living creature they could find. However, theycould only find a baby elephant's head. That is how LordGanesha came back to life with the head of an elephant.

Puja TimingsThis year the tithi for the Chaturthi will last from

12:17 am to 10 pm on September 10. The timing for Pujavidhi will begin from 11:03 am and will last till 1:33 pm.Devotees pray to Lord Ganesh on this day, as it isbelieved that worshipping him removes obstacles fromone's life and brings peace.

Anant ChaturdashiAnant Chaturdashi is the day devotees bid farewell to

Lord Ganesh by immersing the diety's idols in the localwater bodies and asking him to return next year. Theseare the idols that people keep inside their homes for the10-day Mahotsav. The celebrations marking thefestival's conclusion include playing devotional songsand dancing to their beats during processions.

PUJA VIDHIIt is believed that worshiping lord Ganesh duly helps

in resolving all the problems. Lord Ganesh’s Idol, Waterpot, ‘Panchamrit’, red cloth, ‘roli’, ‘Akshat’, ‘Kalavajaneoo’, cardamom, coconut, ‘Chandi ka vark’, ‘supari’,‘laung’, panchmeva’, ‘ghee kapur’, ‘chaukee’ and‘gangajal’ need to collected for completing theworshipping.

As much as people love welcoming Lord Ganesh totheir house every year, it also makes them sad when heleaves. But both his welcome and his farewell are donewith the same amount of devotion in the heart. LordGanesh is very commonly referred as ‘Vighnaharta’which means the one who removes all obstacles.

During this 10-day duration of Ganesh Chaturthi,

there are 16 rituals performed. Among them we canbroadly classify them as 4 key rituals:

AVAHANA AND PRAN PRATISHTHAThis is the maiden step after devotees do ‘Deep-

Prajwalan’ and ‘Sankalpa’. With mantra recitation,Lord Ganesha is reverentially invited and life isinvoked in the idol placed in the pandal or temple or athome. It’s a ritual to consecrate the ‘murti’ or statue.

SHODASHOPACHARANext step involves the tradition of 16-step puja

wherein ‘shodasha’ means 16 and upachara means‘devoutly offering the lord’, in Sanskrit.

Having washed Ganesha’s feet, the idol is bathed inmilk, ghee, honey, curd, sugar (panchamrit snan)followed by scented oil and then ganga jal. Then newvastra/clothes are offered (vastra, uttariya samarpan);along with flowers, unbroken rice (Akshata), garland,sindoor, and chandan. The idol is decked andworshipped religiously by offering modak, betel leaves,coconut (naivedya) lighting incense sticks, diyas,chanting hymns, mantras.

UTTARPUJAThis ritual is performed before visarjan. With great

joy and devotion, people of all age groups participate inthe festival. Be it in pandals, temples or homes,Ganesha Chaturthi is observed with immensehappiness. People sing, dance, and light up fireworks.With the beautiful chant of mantras, aarti, flowers,Ganesha is worshipped to bid farewell. The sequence ofsteps involved are Niranjan aarti, Pushpanjali arpan,Pradakshina.

GANPATI VISARJAN

This is the final closing ritual of the grand festival.Ganesha idol is reverentially immersed in the waterbodies wishing for the Lord of wisdom to return nextyear. People cry out loud “Ganapati Bappa Morya,Purchya Varshi Laukariya” while they head forimmersion.

ARISH K. SAHANI SSeerrvviinngg SSiinnccee 11997722

Please Call or Write for YourInsurance Needs

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PPAAGGEE SSPPOONNSSOORREEDD BBYY

““IIff HHiinndduuss ddoonn’’tt mmaaiinnttaaiinn HHiinndduuiissmm,, wwhhoo sshhaallll ssaavvee iitt??””

““IIff IInnddiiaa’’ss oowwnn cchhiillddrreenn ddoonn''tt cclliinngg ttoo tthheeiirr ffaaiitthh,, wwhhoo sshhaallll

gguuaarrdd iitt??””

““IInnddiiaannss aalloonnee ccaann ssaavvee IInnddiiaa,, aanndd IInnddiiaa aanndd HHiinndduuiissmm aarree

oonnee..””

SPIRITUALITY THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 37Ganesh Chaturthi: The birth of Lord Ganesha

People celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi with a lot of enthusiasm in India. This year it willbe celebrated on September 10. This 10-day festival will end on September 21.

HISTORY THE INDIAN PANORAMA


HISTORY THIS WEEK SEPTEMBER 10 TO 16, 2021 "WHAT IS HISTORY? AN ECHO OF THE PAST IN THE FUTURE; A REFLEX FROM THE FUTURE ON THE PAST." - VICTOR HUGO

September 10

SEPTEMBER 10, 1898 - Elizabeth,Empress of Austria-Hungary, wasassassinated in Geneva by an anarchist.

SEPTEMBER 10, 1919 - Following thedefeat of Germany in World War I, thevictorious Allies signed the Treaty ofSaint-Germain ceding parts of pre-warGerman-Austria to Italy andCzechoslovakia. Austria was alsoforbidden to unite with Germany.

SEPTEMBER 10, 1943 - Hitler'stroops occupied Rome and took over theprotection of Vatican City.

September 11

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 - The worstterrorist attack in U.S. history occurredas four large passenger jets werehijacked then crashed, killing nearly3,000 persons. Four separate teams ofMideast terrorists, operating from insidethe U.S., boarded the morning flightsposing as passengers, then forciblycommandeered the aircraft. Two fullyfueled jumbo jets, American AirlinesFlight 11 carrying 92 people and UnitedAirlines Flight 175 carrying 65 people,had departed Boston for Los Angeles.Both jets were diverted by the hijackersto New York City where they werepiloted into the twin towers of the WorldTrade Center. The impact andsubsequent fire caused both 110-storytowers to collapse, killing 2,752 personsincluding hundreds of rescue workersand people employed in the towers. Inaddition, United Airlines Flight 93,which had departed Newark for SanFrancisco, and American Airlines Flight77, which had departed Dulles (Virginia)for Los Angeles, were hijacked. Flight 77with 64 people on board was diverted toWashington, D.C., then piloted into thePentagon building, killing everyone onboard and 125 military personnel insidethe building. Flight 93 with 44 people onboard was also diverted towardWashington but crashed into a field inPennsylvania after passengersattempted to overpower the terrorists onboard.

BIRTHDAY - Ferdinand Marcos (1917-

1989) was born in Sarrat, Philippines. Heruled the Philippines from 1966,imposing an authoritarian regime untilhe was ousted in 1986.

September 12

SEPTEMBER 12, 1943 - FormerItalian Dictator Benito Mussolini wasrescued by German paratroopers onorders from Adolf Hitler. Mussolini wasbeing held prisoner by Italianauthorities following the collapse of hisFascist regime.

SEPTEMBER 12, 1953 - John F.Kennedy, 36, married JacquelineBouvier, 24, in a ceremony before 750invited guests at St. Mary's Church inNewport, Rhode Island, conducted byArchbishop Richard Cushing of Boston.

SEPTEMBER 12, 1953 - NikitaKhrushchev was elected First Secretaryof the Central Committee of theCommunist Party of the USSR.

SEPTEMBER 12, 1974 - HaileSelassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, wasdeposed by an army coup after 44 yearsas ruler.

SEPTEMBER 12, 1977 - Steve Biko,the South African black civil rightsleader, died while he was in policedetention.

SEPTEMBER 12, 1990 - A treaty wassigned by East and West Germany andthe Allies of World War II allowing forthe restoration of sovereignty to a re-unified Germany.

BIRTHDAY - African AmericanOlympic athlete Jesse Owens (1913-1980)was born in Oakville, Alabama (as JamesCleveland Owens). He won four medalsin track and field at the 1936 OlympicGames in Berlin, defeating Nazi athletesand disappointing Nazi leader AdolfHitler.

September 13

SEPTEMBER 13, 1788 - The U.S.Congress chose New York as the Federalcapital of the new American

government.SEPTEMBER 13, 1814 - The Battle of

Fort Henry in Baltimore Harboroccurred, observed by Francis Scott Keyaboard a ship. He watched the Britishattack overnight and at dawn saw theAmerican flag still flying over the fort,inspiring him to write the verses whichwere later coupled with the tune of apopular drinking song and became theU.S. National Anthem in 1931.

SEPTEMBER 13, 1971 - State policeand National Guardsmen stormed Atticaprison in New York State ending a five-day prisoners' revolt. Thirty-oneprisoners and 11 guards were killed.

BIRTHDAY - American Armyphysician Walter Reed (1851-1902) wasborn in Gloucester County, Virginia.Best known for his Yellow Feverresearch, he served as an army surgeonfor more than 20 years. The U.S. Army'sgeneral hospital in Washington, D.C., isnamed in his honor.

BIRTHDAY - Army General John J.Pershing (1860-1948) was born in Laclede,Missouri. He commanded the AmericanExpeditionary Force (AEF) during WorldWar I and oversaw the Meuse-Argonneoperation that helped bring about theArmistice of November 11, 1918.

September 14

SEPTEMBER 14, 1901 - Eight daysafter being shot, President WilliamMcKinley died from wounds sufferedduring an assassination attempt inBuffalo, New York. He was succeeded byTheodore Roosevelt.

SEPTEMBER 14, 1927 - In Nice,France, famed ballet dancer IsadoraDuncan was killed in a freak accident asthe long scarf she was wearing becamecaught in the moving wheel of the car inwhich she was riding, strangling her.

SEPTEMBER 14, 1930 - The NaziParty became the second largest party inGermany following a stunning electiontriumph by Adolf Hitler.

SEPTEMBER 14, 1960 - TheOrganization of Petroleum ExportingCountries (OPEC) was formed byrepresentatives of oil-producingcountries meeting in Baghdad.

SEPTEMBER 14, 1982 - Princess Graceof Monaco died following an accident inwhich her car plunged off a mountain road

in Monte Carlo. Her daughter Stephanie,also in the car, survived and was treated forshock and bruises. Princess Grace (GraceKelly) was a Hollywood actress who metPrince Rainier III of Monaco duringfilming of the Hitchcock film To Catch aThief. She then gave up a successful actingcareer and married him in 1956.

September 15

SEPTEMBER 15, 1940 - The height ofthe Battle of Britain occurred as massiveGerman air raids took place against London,Southampton, Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpooland Manchester. The British claimed 185German planes were shot down.

SEPTEMBER 15, 1944 - The firstentry of American troops into Hitler'sGermany occurred as elements of theU.S. 7th and 5th Corps reached thesouthwestern frontier of Germany.

BIRTHDAY - American novelist,historian and social critic, JamesFenimore Cooper (1789-1851) was born inBurlington, New Jersey. Best known forThe Last of the Mohicans.

BIRTHDAY - William Howard Taft(1857-1930) the 27th U.S. President wasborn in Cincinnati, Ohio. He served asPresident from 1909-1913, then became alaw professor at Yale University until hisappointment as Chief Justice of the U.S.Supreme Court in 1921.

BIRTHDAY - British mystery authorAgatha Christie (1890-1976) was born inTorquay, England. She wrote nearly ahundred books including mysteries,dramas, poetry and nonfiction.

September 16

SEPTEMBER 16, 1810 - Mexico'sbreak from Spain began in the town ofDolores Hidalgo as Father MiguelHidalgo y Costilla rang his church's bellsand exhorted local Indians to "recoverfrom the hated Spaniards the land stolenfrom your forefathers..."

SEPTEMBER 16, 1908 - General Motorswas founded by entrepreneur WilliamCrapo "Billy" Durant in Flint, Michigan.

SEPTEMBER 16, 1976 - TheEpiscopalian Church in the U.S.approved the ordination of womenpriests and bishops.

SEPTEMBER 16, 1982 - Beginning of atwo-day massacre in Palestinian refugeecamps in West Beirut as Christianmilitiamen (the Phalangists) enteredSabra and Shatila and began shootinghundreds of Palestinians, includingelderly men, women and children.

Terrorists attack America. The World TradeCenter in New York was one of the targets

John F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier

Olympic athlete Jesse Owens was born

Princess Grace of Monaco died

General Motors founded

SPORTS THE INDIAN PANORAMA


After a long break, I finally moved toHigh School. With high first division, Iwas confident of getting admission inGovernment Model High School,Cemetery Road in Civil Lines. It wasperhaps one of the best English mediumschools those days.

Most of my class fellows in Model TownModel School, too, got admission there.Our school was known for its sportsteams, including hockey and basketball(both boys and girls), besides table tennisand badminton.

In 1970, when the newly set up PunjabSchool Education Board conducted itsfirst ever Matriculation Examination, ourschool not only produced the State topperin Rajinder Singh Bhatia (753/900) butalso had 27 students (with 625 or moremarks) in the merit list. I was second inthe school with 681 marks and 111th in theState. Incidentally, I was the only regularplayer in the school to figure in the meritlist.

Earlier, the matriculation examinationused to be conducted by PanjabUniversity. But reorganization of Punjabin 1966 had the schools in the undividedState distributed among Punjab andHaryana Boards.

Our school hockey team thathadbesidesme (Prabha), Gurdishpal Singh(Lalli), Ajinderpal Singh (Kallu), SukhjitSingh Raju (Sheikhu), Bhawanjit SinghGill (Daana), Harpal Singh Brar (Palli),Manjit Singh Sidhu (Manna), Barmibrothers, Bahal Singh Jagday, andSimmar Pal Singh Gill (Peter), wasknown to play neat, clean and attractivehockey.

Since the Cemetery Road School did nothave any playfield of its own, we used topractice at Gymkhana Stadium whichwas later renovated and named after thefirst Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji, tocoincide with his 500th birth anniversary.

It was not only our hockey trainingcenter but much more to us.

The most memorable was the Zonalfinal of Inter-School hockey in which wewere to play Malwa Khalsa HigherSecondary School. Our opponents had animpressive line-up with tough players likeBaldev Singh (Dronacharya awardwinner and famous coach of ShahabadMarkanda Centre that produced scores ofOlympians and internationals), KuldeepSingh (he played for Western Railway for

many years), Gurwinder Singh aka asGolu (great goalkeeper), Tara (speedyforward), besides Jasbir Nagi (we laterplayed together for Government College,Ludhiana). Master Charanjit Singh, atough task master, was the coach-cum-manager of Malwa School team and italso happened to be the defendingchampion team.

Since we were from a high-profileschool, we were known to play textbookneat and clean hockey while ouropponents were known for their toughand robust tactics.

The match had already evoked greatresponse. Malwa School used to get astrong crowd support from nearbyvillages. We were primarily an urbanschool, we felt handicapped as we had nosupporters.

Just a day before the final game, ourteam meeting was addressed by Mr.Harbhajan Singh Sandhu, father ofGurdishpal. He was then DistrictDevelopment and Panchayat Officer. Tocheer us up, he said he would get a bigcrowd from nearby villages to counter thesupporters of Malwa School.

As expected, there was a big crowd forthe game. We started well, attacking ouropponents from the right flank whereSukhjit and Peter were in great nick. Evergreen Bhawanjit (Daana) did torment theopponents defense with some superbmoves worked out by our dribblingmaster and playmaker Ajinderpal.

Ajinder would often hoodwink hisopponents with his superb stick work andcreate openings for his forwards thatwould catch opponents defense on thewrong foot.

Our tactics played dividends as we tookthe lead in the first half. It did not deterthe forward line of Malwa School. Led bybrilliant Tara, it did threaten our defense.

On one occasion as Tara broke loose,Gurdishpal tackled him from the wrongside and hit him hard on his knee. Taracame down crashing, bleeding profuselyfrom his knee. All broke loose. Crowd wason the field. Gurdishpal disappeared. Wewere also scared. Fortunately, some of thepeople brought in by the father ofGurdishpal stood cover for us.

It took a while for tempers to cool downand the game to resume. After assurancethat there would be no retaliatory actionagainst our players, we agreed to returnto the field.

Though we played our hearts out, welost the game 1-2 and not without gettingSukhjit bruised badly after he was pushedfrom behind on the adjoining brick-basedbasketball court while he was building anattack from the flank.

Barring these two incidents, the gamewas played on a brisk note and most ofthe spectators went back satisfied. Wewere, however, disappointed as it was our

best chance to dethrone Malwa School.None of us at that time realized thatschool rivalries would just evaporate aswe all get into college in the followingyear.

Kuldeep, Gurwinder and Jasbir Nagi,for example, joined Government College,Ludhiana, and we became teammates.

It was in 1970, the year the college wascelebrating its Golden jubilee, I gotadmission in Pre-University (Medical). Itis one of very few educationalinstitutions that used to boast of thebestgrassy hockey ground, exclusivefootball and cricket grounds, aninternational standard athletic track, aswimming pool, basketball, tennis andvolleyball courts besides a weightstraining hall.

Hockey ground was so famous that itplayed host to a Test match against thevisiting national team of France. For itsmaintenance, no one was allowed to walkon its sprawling green lawns, andtrespassers were fined heavily. As ahockey player, it was a dream comes truefor me as I played hockey on this groundfor six years. During this period, thecollege hockey team created history. In1974, it won the Panjab University Inter-College championship for the first time in54 years.

This historic triumph was not withoutsome pulsating moments and a drama.Four teams that had qualified for Inter-Zonal that year were SGGS College,Chandigarh: Jat College, Rohtak,Government College, Gurgaon, andGovernment College, Ludhiana. Till then,all Haryana colleges were still affiliated toPanjab University. We played a goallessdraw against SGGS College, Chandigarh,in our opening game of the round-robinleague. A 2-0 win over Jat College, Rohtak,in the second game boosted our chancesas we started tasting our first title victory.In our third and final game, when we leftthe Hostel for hockey ground, we were all

determined to score a big win as SGGSCollege was also expected to win its lastgame against Jat College Rohtak. To winthe title, we needed a better goal averageas we and SGGS College had the samenumber of points with one win and onedraw in our first two games each. Andsince Jat College with brilliant right-winger Phool Kumar, in its side, weexpected it to give a tough fight to SGGSCollege. Our game was the first of the lastday. Gurgaon College also had anoutstanding and speedy center forward

Shamsher Singh. Since he was the onlydangerous man in our rival team, wedecided to mark him tightly.

We started very well, scoring five goalsin the first 23 minutes before Shamsherbroke loose and dribbled past almost ourentire defense. Before he could do a shotat the goal, our center-half, Kuldip Singh,who later played for Western Railway andRailway, physically checked him and hithim in the knee. Withering in pain, hesprawled on the field. Umpire GurcharanSingh Bodhi (coach of the 1975 World CupChampion Indian hockey team) gaveKuldip marching orders. Trailing by a bigmargin and losing their star player wastoo much for the Gurgaon team.

It walked out in protest saying thatUmpiring was biased. Repeated requestsby umpires to the Gurgaon team to returnand resume the game met with noresponse. An SOS was sent to Dr. B.L.Gupta, the then Director of Sports.Within minutes he arrived on the groundand talked to the two Umpires. He askedumpires to blow a whistle and ask theteams to resume the game.

The Gurgaon team, however, refused torelent. After a couple of warnings, Dr.Gupta threatened to scratch our rivals fordefying umpires. The threat did not work.After a few minutes of Gurgaon refusingto take the field, Dr. BL Gupta went insidethe ground and called the Manager ofGurgaon to send his team. He refused.Furious Dr. Gupta then not only scratchedthe team but also ordered Gurgaon boysto vacate the university hostel within thenext 30 minutes.

CONTD ON PAGE 44

PRABHJOT'S COLUMN

PRABHJOT SINGH Nostalgia - My early hockey daysin High school and college

WHEN SCD GOVERNMENT COLLEGE WON PANJAB UNIVERSITY TITLE FOR THE FIRST TIME

Government College, Ludhiana

TURN THE INDIAN PANORAMA


contd from page 1

U.S. President announcessweeping measures tovaccinate Americans

COVID-19 patients in hospitals acrossthe country.

"We've been patient," Mr. Biden said tounvaccinated Americans on Thursdayevening, as he announced the measuresat the White House.

"But our patience is wearing thin, andyour refusal has cost all of us. So pleasedo the right thing," he said.

Biden's six-pronged approach to battleCOVID-19

As part of his six-pronged approach totackling the current phase of thepandemic, the U.S. President has orderedthe Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration (OSHA) to require allcompanies employing 100 or more peopleto vaccinate their entire workforce orrequire negative tests from unvaccinatedemployees on a weekly basis. This isexpected to impact 80 million adults.

Another 17 million individuals will becovered by a mandate requiringvaccinations for healthcare workersemployed at health facilities that receivegovernment funding (via the Medicaidand Medicare programs).

Another 2.5 million individuals will becovered by a vaccine mandate for federalemployees and contractors who dobusiness with the federal government.

Pandemic politics

Mr. Biden did not mince his words onThursday, calling out "pandemicpolitics".

"… we have the tools to combat COVID-19 and a distinct minority of Americans,supported by a distinct minority ofelected officials are keeping us fromturning the corner," he said.

The federal government would fullyrestore the pay of local school officialsand teachers whose pay had been cut bystate governors in retaliation for the

officials requiring safety measures inschools, according to Mr. Biden.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hastaken on schools that require masking,with lawyers for the governor going tocourt to halt mask mandates and thestate threatening to withhold fundingfrom districts that required schoolchildren to mask up.

"Talk about bullying in schools," Mr.Biden said.

Several governors opposed Mr. Biden'srules, pointing to executive overreach.Texas Governor Greg Abbott called it a"power grab" and Wyoming's governorasked his attorney general to counter the"unconstitutional overreach of executivepower," the Washington Post reported.

He also directed the TransportationSafety Authority (TSA) to double finesfor those not complying with maskmandates.

"If you break the rules, be prepared topay," Mr. Biden said.

"And by the way, show some respect,"he said, a reference to passengersdirecting their anger towards flightattendants enforcing the rules.

Mr. Biden also said he would make anannouncement later in September,regarding vaccinations for othercountries. The U.S. has alreadycommitted to sending more than fivehundred million vaccine doses to the restof the world by June next year.

BRICS Leaders Call forSettling Afghan Situation byPeaceful Means

Very strong comments on the subjectduring the summit came from RussianPresident Vladimir Putin, who spoke ofthe possible threats an unstableAfghanistan might pose to neighboringcountries.

Afghanistan should not become a"threat to its neighboring countries, asource of drug trafficking andterrorism". Its citizens, he said, "deserveto exercise their rights of defining of

what their state will look like on theirown".

He also made it clear whom hiscountry held responsible for thissituation.

"US and its allies' withdrawal fromAfghanistan has created a new crisis," hesaid. "Global security has faced seriouschallenges and system of strategicstability has gone downhill. Outstandingregional conflicts haven't stopped".

This situation, he said, "stems fromirresponsible attempts to impose alienvalues... To build a so-called democracywithout taking into account historicfeatures and traditions that other peoplehave followed. It results indestabilization and chaos and after that,the authors of this left and entireinternational community will have toclear up this mess".

47 Punjab-origin candidatesin fray for Canada polls

New Democratic Party (10), People'sParty of Canada (5), Green (1) and onewill contest as an Independent.

The 2019 polls also saw the samenumber of candidates, 19 of whommade it to the House of Commons. With16 of the sitting MPs and a Punjabi-versus-Punjabi contest on several seats,their relatives back home are keepingfingers crossed. The prominentPunjabi NRI faces in the poll fray are:Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan fromVancouver South, minister AnitaAnand from Oakvilla in Ontario,minister BardishChaggar fromWaterloo and Jagmeet Singh, leader ofNew Democratic Party (NDP) whoprovided support to the minoritygovernment of Justice Trudeau, isseeking reelection from BurnabySouth.

The Liberals have fielded RubySahota (Brampton North), Sonia Sidhu(Brampton South), Kamal Khera(Brampton West), Anju Dhillon(Dorval-Lachine-LaSalle), Randeep S

Sarai (Surrey Centre), Maninder Sidhu(Brampton East) and Sukh Dhaliwal(Surrey Newton) for reelection. Theother candidates fielded by the Liberalsare Lakhwinder Jhaj, Parm Bains andSabrina Grover. Raj Saini was fieldedfrom Kitchender Centre, but hewithdrew his candidature on Saturdayafter facing allegations ofinappropriate behavior towardsstaffers.

The NDP has fielded Tejinder Singhform Brampton South, Gurprit Gillfrom Brampton West, Avneet Johalfrom Surrey Newton and GurinderSingh Gill from Calgary Skyview. Thecandidates fielded by the Conservativesinclude sitting MPs Tim Uppal, JagSahota and Jasraj Singh. Othercandidates are Indira Bains, PritiLamba, Naval Bajaj, Medha Joshi,Ramandeep Brar, Jagdeep Singh, TinaBains and Sukhbir Singh Gill.

Navdeep Bains (Mississauga-Malton), who was earlier a minister inthe Trudeau cabinet, has reportedlyquit politics and is not re-contesting.Along with him, Liberal MP GaganSikand (Mississauga-Streetsville) andIndependent Ramesh Sangha(Brampton Centre) are also not seekingre-election this time.

Even Parveen Hundal is contesting asan Independent from Surrey Newtonand Devyani Singh from Green party isin fray from Vancouver Quadra. Thepower of the Sikh community has beengauged from the fact that in last House,it had 18 Sikh MPs in Canada.

The Sikh community comprises just1 per cent of the country's population,but they have come to wield morepower than most of their immigrantcounterparts. The credit goes to arobust culture of grassroots politics,organizational skills and fundraisingcapabilities, and a particular feature ofCanada's electoral system that requireseach candidate to bring in a certainnumber of signatures and partymembers in order to get nominated.

TRAVEL THE INDIAN PANORAMA


Chhattisgarh, one of the fewlandlocked states in central India, isa treasure house of natural beauty.

Tourists wanting to experience the rawside of nature will find themselves athome here. It is its rusticity that makesyou fall in love with it. Dense forestsabound in the state, and in them, residevarious tribes, each with their uniquecustoms, traditions and way of life. Thepoints of tourist interest in Chhattisgarhalso include ancient temples and townswhich have constantly attracted historiansand archaeologists. There are plenty ofwildlife sanctuaries which house a richwildlife, with the gaur never ceasing tosurprise onlookers. Other must visittourist attractions include dams,museums and waterfalls.

Travelling to Chhattisgarh is likeplanning a trip to ultimate bliss. The stateis blessed generously by nature and youcome across examples of that every fewmiles. Its landscape, which is dominatedfor the most part by dense forests, is dottedwith waterfalls, caves and a rich wildlife.Located in central India, it offers its fairshare of adventure, sightseeing andexploration. The state is home to manytemples and some towns which trace theirorigin to historical times, thus fascinatingtourists, historians and archaeologistsconstantly. To escape the sweltering heatduring summers, nature has gifted it withseveral hill stations, each as beautiful asthe other.

Barnawapara Wildlife SanctuaryOne of the most famous tourist

attractions in Chhattisgarh, theBarnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary is hometo the Bar and Nawapura forest villages. Itwas established in the year of 1976 and isspread over a vast area of 245 sq. Km. Therich and lush vegetation caters to a broadspectrum of wildlife in this region. Thelandscape is mostly flat terrain withoccasional low and high hillocks.

Raipur The capital of Chhattisgarh, Raipur is

the largest city in the state. With morethan hundreds of steel mills and six steelplants, Raipur is also one of the largestindustrial centres of the country. Besidessteel, it is also home to the aluminium andcoal industries. A primary business andindustrial hub, Raipur is even fastemerging in the tourism sector, attractingtourists from across the world. The city isknown for its temples, lakes, factories,educational centres as well as thedevelopment of Naya Raipur. Naya Raipuris a newly planned city and is about 17kmaway from the current town. The SwamiVivekananda Airport lies in betweenRaipur and Naya Raipur facilitatingtravel.

Raipur has a rich history and until 2000was a part of Madhya Pradesh. After theformation of the new state ofChhattisgarh, Raipur was made its capital,primarily because of its centralisedlocation. Located in the centre of theplains that are also called the ‘rice bowl ofIndia’, Raipur is surrounded by the

districts of Durg and Bemetara. The city isa bustling capital city with a multiculturaland multi-religious society. With manyfestivals, shopping outlets and citylandscapes Raipur is also an excellent basefor venturing into the surroundingattractions. These include theBarnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary, DandakCaves, Bilaspur, Chitrakoot Falls,Amarkantak, Bhilai, Kanha National Parkand the Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary.

Visit Raipur to explore its variousnatural, wildlife and historical touristattractions. Chhattisgarh is mostly aforested region. Raipur understands theimportance of maintaining its ecologicalbalance, and there is a governmentproposal under works to construct a micro-forest in the heart of the city. Raipur is alsoabout its various festivals, such as Hareli,Champaran Mela, Pola and Teeja that arecelebrated during monsoons. And no cityin India is complete without a taste of itsunique flavours. Raipur is no differentoffering its many fascinating cuisines and

street food that are an integral part of thecity’s cultural and social layout.

Charre Marre WaterfallsCharre Marre Waterfalls is a refreshing

and offbeat place to visit in the state ofChattisgarh. The tortuous waterfall is 16meters high and the clear water fallingfrom such a great height is quite a sight tosee. The bountiful and pristine Jogidharariver is the reason behind the birth of thismesmerizing and bubbling waterfall. Thewater meanders through hills and verdanttrees producing ear pleasing sounds. Thereservoir that forms at the bottom of thewaterfall is perfect to take a dip in. Thecool water will rejuvenate your soul andbody. You can also dangle your feet into thesmall pond formed at the bottom andspend some peaceful time enjoying thepicturesque beauty of this place.

SirpurSirpur is a small village located in the

state of Chhattisgarh, situated on the

banks of river Mahanadi. It is 35 km awayfrom the Mahasamund district and around78 km away from the city of Raipur, whichis the capital of Chhattisgarh. The villageof Sirpur is an archaeological wonder.Inspiration to many architects, this villageis rich in its temple culture. A quainthidden gem, it has a deep connection to theBuddhism world and a treasure forarchaeological findings from the 8thcentury.

There are numerous temples one canvisit, and is generally a hub for passionatehistorians. A look at the historicalartefacts and the deep carvings on thewalls of the temples have inspired manyarchitects around the world. The Buddhistmonasteries of this village are said to beone of the most important and mostsignificant in India. Apart from the richhistorical importance and fascinatingfindings in these villages, there is more tothis village. The Chhattisgarh TourismBoard organises a music and dancefestival here to promote the Buddhist sitesand celebrate its culture. Offering a raremix of art and culture with differentperformance and a deep history andevolution of art, Sirpur is a peacefulvillage filled with wonders.

MainpatMainpat is an underrated hill station

with green pastures, deep valleys,breathtaking waterfalls, dense forests anduntouched rivulets. The hill station hasn’tbeen completely commercialised yet andreceives a relatively smaller influx oftourists compared to its counterparts.Mainpat is often called as Shimla ofChhattisgarh and Mini Tibet owing to itshuge Tibetan population and influenceover the area. The Tibetan refugees wererehabilitated in Mainpat after the Chineseinvasion of Tibet and have since found ahome in Mainpat. That’s another greatthing about Mainpat, the confluence ofcultures and diverse traditions only add tothe picturesque village’s charm.

Madku DweepMadku dweep is a beautiful island

situated near the silent river, Shivnath, inthe Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh. Thename Madku stems out from the fact thatthe island is of the shape of a frog. Thebeauty of this island is considered to bespell-bounding. The picturesque MadkuDweep has an area of around 24 hectaresand is full of greenery. The island is alsofamous for its ancient temples and theirhistorical and archaeological importance.

Archaeologists have discoveredprehistoric stone tools, epigraphs, and coinson this island. Stone inscriptions have alsobeen found, which are believed to date backto the 3rd century BC. One stone inscriptionwas in Brahmi script and another inShankha script. Madku Dweep is also hometo several ancient and unique idols of LordShiva, Ganesha, Shiv-Parvati, Nandi andvarious other Gods. There are temples, bothold and new, that are frequented equally bydevotees from across the globe. MadkuDweep is popularly known as Kedar Tirthand Harihar Kshetra Kedar Dweep.

Chhattisgarh: The land oftemples and waterfalls

CLASSIFIEDS THE INDIAN PANORAMA


KABUL (TIP): Leg-spinner RashidKhan stepped down as Afghanistan T20captain shortly after the AfghanistanCricket Board (ACB) named their teamfor the ICC Men's T20 World Cup to beheld in the UAE and Oman in October-November this year.

The all-rounder announced the newsminutes after his country confirmedtheir World Cup squad late on Thursday(September 9)

"As the captain and responsible personfor the nation I reserve the right to bepart of the selection of the team. I amtaking the decision of stepping downfrom the role as the captain ofAfghanistan T20 side effectiveimmediately."

Mohammad Nabi is expected to take

the captaincy role for the World Cup.Rashid Khan is part of a spin-heavy

roster announced for the prestigioustournament, joining fellow all-roundersMohammad Nabi and SharafuddinAshraf in the squad.

Front-line spinners Qais Ahmad andMujeeb Ur Rahman were also selected.

Afghanistan will get their tournamentunder way in Sharjah on October 25against one of two of the qualifyingteams in Group B. Rashid and companywill also face India, New Zealand andPakistan in the group stage.

T20 squad: Rashid Khan, RahmanullahGurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, UsmanGhani, Asghar Afghan, MohammadNabi, Najibullah Zadran, HashmatullahShahidi, Mohammad Shahzad, Mujeeb urRahman, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib,Naveen ul Haq, Hamid Hassan,Sharafuddin Ashraf, Dawlat Zadran,Shapoor Zadran and Qais Ahmed.

Reserves: Afsar Zazai and FaridAhmed Malik. Source: IANS

SPORTS THE INDIAN PANORAMA


Rashid Khan steps down as Afghanistanskipper for T20 World Cup

India’s T20World Cup

squad: R Ashwinpicked, MS Dhoni

named mentor

Four years after he was discardedfrom India's T20I set-up, RAshwin has forced his way back

in, named in the squad of 15 for the2021 T20 World Cup. In anothersurprise move, the BCCI has roped informer captain MS Dhoni as the teammentor specifically for thistournament. Dhoni, who retired frominternational cricket last August, wasappointed to "provide support anddirection" to the Indian teammanagement led by head coach RaviShastri. So said BCCI secretary JayShah.

The main group of 15 comprises sixspecialist batters, three allrounders,three specialist spinners and threespecialist fast bowlers. The selectionpanel led by former India fast bowlerChetan Sharma also named the trio ofShreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar andShardul Thakur as reserves, who willact as injury or Covid-19 replacements.

Among the notable absentees wereShikhar Dhawan, who captained Indiain their short limited-overs tour of SriLanka recently, and lead legspinnerYuzvendra Chahal. Instead, theselectors opted for mystery spinnerVarun Chakravarthy and legspinnerRahul Chahar, who, along withSuryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan andAxar Patel are heading into their thefirst World Cup.

World Cupqualifying:

England loseperfect record,Spain’s big win

England’s perfect record in WorldCup qualifying vanished afterconceding a stoppage-time

equalizer in Poland, while Italy,Germany, Spain and Belgium all wonto build big leads in their groups on theroad to Qatar. Harry Kane’s 41st goalfor England — a 30-meter pile driver —was canceled out when RobertLewandowski crossed for DamianSzymanski to head home in the secondminute of injury time in a 1-1 draw inWarsaw. England’s five-match winningrun in qualifying ended, leavingDenmark as the only nation with a100% record so far. Still, England holdsa four-point lead with four gamesremaining and should have no problemgetting to next year’s World Cup.

Italy shouldn’t, either, afterdispatching Lithuania in a 5-0 win toopen up a six-point lead in its group.The recently crowned Europeanchampions extended their recordunbeaten run to 37 games.

5th Test between India andEngland called off over

Covid ‘anxiety’MANCHESTER (TIP): The fifth and

final Test match between India andEngland was on September 10 called offat the last minute due to ‘anxiety’ amongthe Indian players of a possible Covid-19outbreak in the team.

The status of the series, which Indialead 2-1, remains unclear as the Indiancricket board (BCCI) has offered to playthe deciding Test at a mutuallyacceptable time in the future. Due to thepacked schedule, the only likely windowto reschedule the match is next year,when the Indian team visits England forsix limited-overs matches.

The status of the fifth Test and theseries was mired in confusion forseveral hours today as chaos reigned —hosts England and Wales Cricket Board(ECB) first claimed that India hadforfeited the match, which meantEngland had won the match to draw theseries 2-2. However, in a subsequentstatement, ECB removed the word‘forfeit’ and instead said: “Due to fears ofa further increase in the number ofCovid cases inside the camp, India areregrettably unable to field a team.”

After further talks betweenrepresentatives of the two boards, BCCIissued a statement that said: “In lieu(sic) of the strong relationship betweenBCCI and ECB, the BCCI has offered toECB a rescheduling of the cancelledTest match. Both the Boards will worktowards finding a window to reschedulethis Test match.” Under the rules of theWorld Test Championship — of whichthis series is a part — Covid-19 isacceptable as a reason for not playing“should there be a significant impact ofit on the team being able to play”.

On Thursday, September 8, the Indianplayers had got the all-clear after testingnegative for Covid-19, but they werereluctant to take the field because manyof them had worked closely withassistant physiotherapist YogeshParmar — who tested positive on

Thursday — during and after the fourthTest in London.

Further, with chief coach RaviShastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun andfielding coach R Sridhar recoveringfrom Covid-19 in London, the Indianteam would have had to play the high-stakes deciding Test without keymembers of its thinktank; and alsowithout its physiotherapists, sincesenior physio Nitin Patel is isolating inLondon after being identified as a closecontact of Shastri.

Despite their negative results, theIndian players were worried because,factoring in the 96-hour incubationperiod for the virus, it is possible that aplayer could have tested positive duringthe match.

The ECB was keen to go ahead withthe match, or at least declare it aforfeiture by India, because it wasworried that insurance companiesmight not compensate it for the financialloss — reported to be over GBP 30million — in case the match was simply

mutually ‘cancelled’ by the two teams.If the Test were to be cancelled

altogether, the hosts would stare at a“multi-million” pound loss. TheLancashire Cricket Club has sold outtickets for the first three days and itmust reimburse all the ticket buyers,apart from hospitality vendors andothers suppliers, and could lose GBP 1million.

For BCCI, too, there are financialconsiderations — the multi-crore IPL,halted by Covid-19 in April, isscheduled to resume in Dubai onSeptember 19. A further spread of thevirus among the Indian team wouldhave had very severe consequences forthe tournament.

Monetary concernsIf the Test were to be cancelled

altogether, the hosts would stare at a“multi-million” pound loss. TheLancashire Cricket Club has sold outtickets and it must reimburse thebuyers. It can lose GBP 1 million.

MISCELLANY THE INDIAN PANORAMA


contd from page 10

Biden AdministrationWhitewashes Nazi-Inspired RSS withOfficial Meet

Naming Christians and Muslims as"internal threats," members of "foreignraces," and "traitors," they applauded the"race pride" demonstrated by the Nazisin "purging the country of the Semiticraces - the Jews," identifying it as astrong example of the supposed failuresof diversity, inclusivity, and pluralism,and, thus, a "good lesson… to learn andprofit by."

It should come as no surprise then thatNorway's Anders Breivik - "an icon for ageneration of white supremacistterrorists" - pointed to the RSS as one ofhis influences, urging Western right-wing extremists and the RSS to "learnfrom each other and cooperate as muchas possible." Throughout the past sevenyears of the Modi regime, whitesupremacist publishers have followedthat advice, both publishing materials byHindu nationalists or which praise theRSS as well as pursuing collaborativemeetings with RSS officials in India.

As a US diplomat of Indian origin, it'simpossible that Ambassador Keshap isfully ignorant of such issuessurrounding the paramilitary. AsAmerica's acting ambassador to India,it's impossible that he failed to do his duediligence by conducting the most basicresearch about the group with which he

was meeting. It's also impossible that hewas unaware of the controversyprovoked by previous meetings ofambassadors with the RSS.

In 2019, German Ambassador WalterLindner met Bhagwat. His visit swiftlyprompted shocking headlines around theworld. In India, The Wire reported on"the cruel irony of the GermanAmbassador's visit to the RSSheadquarters," comparing it to "DonaldTrump's ambassador meeting neo-Nazisin Germany." In Germany, DeutscheWelle reported that "Germany's Indiaenvoy visits 'Nazi-inspired' Hindugroup," explaining, "experts say theHindu extremist group glorifies AdolfHitler and his 'cultural nationalism'." InIsrael, The Jerusalem Post reported thatthe "German ambassador causes outragevisiting fascist Indian group," stating,"The RSS shares the fascist ideology ofthe Nazi Party and supports extremeHindu nationalism."

Similar outrage erupted in 2020 afterAustralian High Commissioner to IndiaBarry O'Farrell met Bhagwat to praisethe RSS's social activities.

In Australia, Crikey reported that "theRSS has had its fingerprints on some ofIndia's most horrific moments ofviolence." Questioning why O'Farrellmet "the leader of the Nazi-inspired RSSparamilitary," PEDESTRIAN.TV claimedthat the group has a "bloody history ofextremism," including "burningAustralian missionary Graham Stainesand his two young sons to death in 1999."From the floor of the AustralianParliament, Senator Janet Rice, calling

the commissioner's visit a "disgrace" anddemanding he resign, described the RSSas "a fascist organization that openlyadmits admiration for Adolf Hitler andthe appalling genocide that occurredunder his Nazi regime."

Trump was infamously intimatefriends with Modi. Upon Biden'selection, many Indian-origin Americanshoped, prayed, and demanded that hewould adopt a radically differentapproach in his foreign policy towardsIndia - one that placed a priority onhuman rights issues, especiallyconsidering the seemingly irrepressiblerise of the Hindu nationalist movementunder the Modi regime. YetKeshap'sinexplicable whitewashing ofthe RSS demands a rapid and relentlessinterrogation of the Bidenadministration and its intentionstowards the persecuted peoples of India.

(Pieter Friedrich is a freelance journalistspecializing in analysis of South Asian affairs.He is the author of Sikh Caucus: Siege in Delhi,Surrender in Washington and Saffron Fascists:India's Hindu Nationalist Rulers as well as co-author of Captivating the Simple-Hearted: A

Struggle for Human Dignity in the IndianSubcontinent. Discover more by him

atwww.PieterFriedrich.net)

contd from page 39

Nostalgia - My early hockeydays in High school andcollege

We heaved a sigh of relief when wewere declared winners of the game. Andin the last game, contrary to expectations

Jat College beat SGGS College to confirmour number one position in the league.

Interestingly, that team had three Nagibrothers - Onkar, Harpal and Jasbir - andtwo Grewal brothers - Sukhvir and Jagbir.Besides Sukhvir Grewal, anothermember of the team, Gurdeep SinghPannu, who happened to be a nephew ofthe then DPE of our college, Sohan SinghPannu, also played for India. Gurdeep waschosen to represent India in the 1975 ReneFrank International Tournament inMadras. The tournament was held a fewmonths after India had won the thirdWorld Cup in Kuala Lumpur. Sukhvirplayed for India for a number of years andhad the distinction of coaching the IndianOlympic hockey team to Barcelona in1992.

Fortunate as we were, our first year inthe college saw us come face to face withmany of country's eminent personalities,including Sahir Ludhianvi and AmritaPritam, Harkishen Lal (painter), KekiDaruwala, Mohan Sehgal, and AvtarSingh Cheema, besides others. We feltproud that General TN Raina and Maj-Gen Himmat Singh Gill, bureaucrats NNVohra, MS Gil, IC Puri, SS Puri, JagpalSingh Sandhu, top police officersJoginder Singh, Rupinder Singh had beenstudents of this great institution. Tohonor one of its outstanding alumni andscientists, the college was renamed SatishChander Dhawan (SCD) GovernmentCollege in 1976.

(Prabhjot Singh is a senior journalist andawell-known Sports commentator. He can

bereached at [email protected])

NEW YORK (TIP): Four persons of Indian-originhave been killed in the US states of New Jersey andNew York after they were swept away by flash floodscaused by Hurricane Ida.

Hurricane Ida, which made landfall on August 29 inPort Fourchon, Louisiana, is the second-mostdestructive hurricane to hit the state on record, onlyafter Hurricane Katrina (2005).

A report in patch.com said 31-year-old DhanushReddy from Edison died last week after being swept intoa 36-inch storm sewer pipe in South Plainfield, NewJersey.

The report added that South Plainfield Police,Middlesex County Water Rescue Team and PiscatawayPolice arrived at the scene where officials wereassisting motorists in the area of Hadley and SteltonRoad and heard cries for help.

Authorities said two men were swept into the pipe,which goes from South Plainfield to Piscataway.

While one of the men was rescued, the other couldnot be located and authorities found Reddy's body in awooded area a few miles away the day after he drowned.

"Many of the flood's victims lived in basementapartments, some of which were subterraneandwellings carved out illegally from larger homes andmay have lacked the emergency egress required oflegitimate apartments. Comparatively low-cost livingspaces, they are a refuge of thousands of the city's poor,even as they are known to be firetraps," a report in TheNew York Times said.

"Overnight, the basements became traps of water," itadded.

The NYT report added that the Ramskriets, a familyof four, were in their Queens home when floodwaterreached their ankles. As they tried to get their things,"they heard a collapse and a gush of water shoved themthrough the pitch-black apartment as the walls cavedin."

The flood swept the elderly Dameshwar Ramskrietsacross the home as he clutched for the hand of his wifeTara. "I tried to hold on to my wife, and she was tryingto hold on to me," he said on Thursday according to theNYT report. "But the water pushed me away and Icouldn't feel her hand anymore." Tara Ramskriet andher 22-year-old son, Nick, drowned.

Another Indian-origin person, Malathi Kanche, 46, asoftware designer, was driving home with her 15-year-old daughter on Wednesday when her vehicle halted in

waist-deep floodwater on Route 22 of Bridgewater, NewJersey.

Kanche and her daughter held onto a tree asfloodwaters pulled them, according to a family friend,Mansi Mago, but the tree fell, pulling Kanche in thetorrent.

Initially, officials put Kanche on the list of "missingpersons".

She was confirmed dead on Friday, the NYT reported.A Nepali family who lived in a basement apartment

in Queens also died as the storm waters inundated theirapartment, leaving them trapped inside.

Mingma Sherpa had frantically called her neighborChoi Sledge who lived upstairs for help, saying "Thewater is coming in right now."

"Get out! Get to the third floor!" Sledge had toldSherpa.

The NYT report said that the family did not comeupstairs. Sledge called them again and in the brief call,Sherpa told her "The water coming in from thewindow."

Sherpa, her husband, Lobsang Lama, and their littleboy named Ang all drowned in the storm.

Ida transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone onSeptember 1, killing 65 people across the US, with themajority deaths in New Jersey, New York andLouisiana.

Apart from deaths and damage to the ecology,Hurricane Ida has battered the civic infrastructure inthe northeastern states of the US.

The storm has caused at least USD 50 billion indamages, according to official estimates.

Four Indian-origin persons killed in USfloods due to Hurricane Ida

Four persons of Indian-origin have been killed in the US statesof New Jersey and New York after they were swept away by

flash floods caused by Hurricane Ida.

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