ATNA (TIP): Union Minister Giriraj Singh has been booked for grabbing land belonging to a Dalit in his native Bihar, the police said today.
The FIR against Singh and 32 others was lodged on February 2 on the orders of a special SC&ST court where the complainant had filed an application under Section 156(3) of the CrPC, seeking directions to the police for registering a case against the accused, SHO of Danapur police station in Patna district Sandeep Kumar Singh said.
The BJP MP from Nawada is Union Minister of State (independent charge) for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. The complainant, Ram Narain Prasad, a resident of Asopur village, alleged that the accused grabbed 2.6 acres that he owned and abused him when he protested.
Tejaswi Yadav, Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar, whose party (JD-U) is a BJP ally, tweeted:
“Nitish Kumar ji, don’t hesitate, speak up, awaken your inner voice and rush to the Governor’s house with your letter of resignation. Your dearest friend Giriraj Singh has grabbed three acres of land belonging to Dalits.” In another tweet, he took potshots at Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.BJP spokesman Rajiv Ranjan said Giriraj Singh was a law-abiding citizen. “Attempts by some people to politicise the issue is deplorable.”
SRINAGAR (TIP): Four men have been arrested for yesterday’s firing in a Srinagar hospital that enabled Pakistani terrorist Naveed Jutt to escape from police custody. The police said they have tracked down on the motorcycle and the vehicle they had used for the getaway.
The escape of 22-year-old Jutt when he was taken to the hospital for a routine check-up with five other prisoners, has been put down to a detailed conspiracy.
The superintendent of Rainawari Central Jail has been suspended, Jammu and Kashmir home secretary said.
Gunshots rang out in the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital yesterday, when the prisoners were brought into the Out Patients’ Department. Two policemen accompanying the prisoners collapsed. One died on the spot, the other in the hospital. In the confusion, Jutt managed to escape with the pheran-clad men, who had come on a motorbike.
Naveed Jutt, 22, has been at the jail since 2016, since his arrest two years before. Senior police officers said he managed to get a court order to stay in a Srinagar jail even though all Pakistani terrorists are lodged outside Kashmir.
His escape, said state police chief SP Vaid, had been carefully planned with active collaboration from inside the jail.
The police had prior information about Lashkar activities inside the jail.
Naveed Jutt was known to be close to Abu Qasim, who headed Lashkar-e-Taiba in Kashmir and was killed by security forces in 2015. He is also close to Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi, one of the masterminds of 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai.
The police said Naveed Jutt was involved in several terror attacks in Kashmir, including one in which a teacher on election duty was killed. He is also believed to be behind the killing of at least seven policemen. Source: NDTV
NEW DELHI (TIP): The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Feb 5 released a video of a purported sting operation of former Congress MP Jagdish Tytler wherein he has allgedly admitted to killing 100 Sikhs during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
While releasing a series of five video clips before the media in New Delhi, DSGMC president and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) national spokesperson Manjit Singh GK claimed that an unknown man on February 3 handed over an envelope to his security guards. The envelope had GK’s name written over it with the instruction “to be opened only by GK.” It contained a pen drive having the five video clips allegedly recorded in 2011 and some documents of transcripts thereof, he added.
GK alleged that in clip 3, Tytler has admitted that he has killed 100 Sikhs and nothing happened to him except a sham inquiry.
“This is Tytler’s confession to the crime he has committed during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He should be arrested,” he said.
He added, “Tytler has audaciously confessed to his crimes like a proclaimed offender. In clip 1, Tytler has expressed remorse for not being able to recover Rs 150-crore cash from his friends. In clip 2, he has stated that his son is in a company which has accounts in Swiss bank and he also boasts about going to Rajya Sabha or being offered the chief ministership of Delhi.”
GK further alleged, “Clip 3 is shocking wherein Tytler said he had lost faith in then PM Manmohan Singh. Clip 4 contains videos where Tytler boasts about being close to judiciary and how he got justice Pathak and his wife appointed to the court.”
He warned that in case the investigation agencies fail to arrest Tytler within 24 hours, the DSGMC will launch protests against the police and other government agencies, besides raising the issue in Parliament.
SUKHBIR SEEKS CASE AGAINST GANDHI FAMILY
Meanwhile, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal demanded a case be registered against the Gandhi family for “engineering the massacre” of thousands of Sikhs in Delhi and in other parts of the country in the wake of the “evidence” on Tytler.
Sukhbir alleged that the fact that Tytler was seen bragging that he was behind the murder of 100 Sikhs in Delhi in 1984 and boasting that he had been promised a Rajya Sabha seat or chief ministership of Delhi by the Congress high command proved the Gandhi family’s “direct involvement in the 1984 genocide”. He added, “Now it is incumbent that the courts of law to ask the Gandhi family to explain why it was offering such inducements to a criminal who had the blood of innocent Sikhs on his hands?”
Tytler files police complaint against GK
NEW DELHI (TIP): Senior Congress leader Jagdish Tytler has filed a complaint with the Delhi Police against Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjit Singh GK and unknown persons, saying that they had released a doctored video which allegedly showed him admitting to killing hundreds of Sikhs in 1984.
He asked the Delhi Police to register an FIR against Manjit Singh and remove the objectionable video from websites and social media.
The complaint said: “Manjit Singh recently played several doctored video clips at a press conference claiming them to be of some sting operation. He falsely stated that I had confessed to having killed hundreds of Sikhs in the riots. The statement attributing the killing of Sikhs to me is false and outlandish and the video clips are doctored.”
“GK could not convincingly state as to how he got the alleged video clips and/or who conducted the sting operation. His explanation was that an unidentified youth had left a sealed packet with a security guard at his residence is ridiculous,” the complaint reads.
? She said she was convinced Congress’s defeat in 2014 was an aberration
? She urged the party to be ready for the national elections
? “Reality is different,” she said on PM Modi’s offensive against Congress
NEW DELHI (TIP): Launching an all-out attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Narendra Modi government, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Feb 8 said she would work with “like-minded political parties” to ensure its defeat in the next general elections.
Addressing the Congress Parliamentary Party, of which she is the chairperson, Sonia alleged that the government was orchestrating violence against minorities to polarise society for narrow political gains.
She added that this would also be seen in Karnataka, which goes to the polls in a few months.
Sonia told party MPs to work with dedication, loyalty and enthusiasm, asking them to work with new party president Rahul Gandhi to strengthen the party.
She added that Rahul is also her boss. “We have elected a new Congress president and on your behalf and on my own, I wish him all the very best. He is now my boss too — let there be no doubt about that — and I know that all of you will work with him with the same dedication, loyalty and enthusiasm as you did with me,” she said.
“I am confident that we will work cohesively under his leadership to revive our party’s fortunes. That process has begun,” she said.
However, News18 reported that a section of the old guard in Congress was reluctant to deal with Rahul for political negotiations.
Congress’ call for a metting of Opposition parties ahead of the Budget Session was also met with a lacklustre response from non-BJP parties, the report said.
“It has been almost four years since this government came to power, this has been a period in which institutions which have come under systematic assault — Parliament itself, judiciary, media and civil society.
Investigative agencies have been let loose against political opponents,” The Indian Express quoted Sonia as saying.
“The minorities feel unsafe and are being subjected to barbarous attacks. Dalits have come under renewed and widespread atrocities, as have women. In many cases, this violence, especially against minorities and Dalits, is not sporadic or random, but orchestrated to polarise our society for narrow political gains. We saw this both in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. We will no doubt see it again in Karnataka. Such polarisation is criminal in a democracy, yet those in power look the other way,” NDTV further quoted her as saying.
DALLAS (TIP): The online retailing giant plans to roll out two-hour delivery at the organic grocer this year to those who pay for Amazon’s $99-a-year Prime membership, an Associated Press report says.
The move is the latest by Amazon to put its stamp on its recent purchase of Whole Foods. Amazon has cut prices on bananas, yogurt and other items, and began selling Kindle e-readers in some of its 470 stores.
Since Amazon bought Whole Foods last year, rival grocers have been working to increase delivery, worried about what Amazon might do. Target, for example, bought grocery-delivery company Shipt. Others have partnered with Instacart.
Amazon said deliveries will start Thursday, February 8, in Austin, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio; Dallas, Texas; and Virginia Beach, Virginia. The service will be nationwide this year, the company said.
Shoppers will be able to order meat, seafood and other grocery items through Amazon’s Prime Now app and website.
Amazon.com Inc., based in Seattle, said there’s no extra fee for two-hour deliveries above $35, but one-hour delivery will cost $8.
WASHINGTON DC (TIP): A Democratic lawmaker is taking aim at his Republican colleagues following reports that White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter was able to continue to work in the West Wing despite being denied a permanent security clearance due to domestic abuse allegations made against him.
In a letter released on Thursday, February 8, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, slammed Republicans for stonewalling his efforts to obtain information about the security clearance process at the White House.
“If you had agreed to any of our previous requests for information on these matters, the White House would have been required to answer key questions about why Mr. Porter was denied a final security clearance, who at the White House was aware of this information, and how Mr. Porter was allowed to remain in his position,” Cummings wrote in his letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-South Carolina.
“In this and many, many other areas, it appears that the Oversight Committee has constructed a wall around the White House in order to prevent any credible oversight whatsoever,” he wrote.
A spokesperson for Gowdy declined to comment on Cummings’ letter.
Porter, who as White House Staff Secretary controlled access to the president and the flow of information into the Oval Office, resigned Wednesday after his two ex-wives went public with multiple allegations of domestic violence.
According to reports, Porter served in the White House without a full security clearance. Sources tell ABC News that senior White House officials were aware of the allegations against Porter while he worked in the Oval Office.
Cummings has repeatedly pressed Gowdy to subpoena the White House – and asked the White House directly – for information regarding the security clearances Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser. He and other Democratic leaders have asked the administration to explain the status of Kushner’s clearance given reported omissions on his security clearance questionnaire.
Cummings recently revealed that the Department of Defense approved 165 interim security clearances over a three-year period, giving access to the government’s sensitive and secret information to people who later failed background checks.
Cummings is not alone in calling for a congressional inquiry into questions about Porter’s security clearance. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-New York, who served as President Bill Clinton’s White House staff secretary and as a deputy staff secretary, wrote to Gowdy on Wednesday asking for an investigation.
“Mr. Porter’s history made him a primary target for blackmail while serving in the role,” he wrote. “Allowing him to handle sensitive national security documents without conducting a background check is cause for bipartisan concern.”
WASHINGTON DC (TIP) : Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Grace Meng, Washington State Senator Manka Dhingra, and DACA recipient Parthiv Patel held a press call to discuss President Trump’s immigration policies and the destructive effects they have on Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities.
“I’m the daughter of immigrants. The first one in my family to come to the US was my grandmother,” said Meng. “ She worked for years as a nanny and was eventually able to sponsor my mom.”
She said that without family-sponsored immigration, she would not have been able to be here today representing communities and the country in Congress.
“Contrary to what this administration says, (Dreamers are) the hardest working Americans that you will see,” she said.
Washington State Senator Dhingra said that she has been involved in addressing hate crimes in King County since after 9/11.
“The area that I represent—45th LD is home to many tech employees—some of whom are here on a H1B visa—it is taking them decades to convert that visa into a green card. Decades,” said Dhingra. “The question that people forget to ask, is what happens to their children when they turn 18. These kids come here at a young age with their parents, but when they become adults, they suddenly have no legal status. We are a country of immigrants. Immigrants enrich and contribute to the success of America every single day.”
DACA recipient Patel, the first DREAMER admitted to the Pennsylvania and New Jersey State bars, said he did not what to do.
“All I thought was – was all of my hard work for nothing? Was I ever going to be admitted to the bar? Was I ever going to be able to fulfill my dreams of becoming an attorney? But I decided to do what Dreamers do best; I decided to preserve,” Patel said. “I was never really big about speaking out and showcasing my status. But that kind of changed for me over the course of the last six months. Realizing that Dreamers have a lot on the line. There are nights where Dreamers toss and turn in bed not knowing what’s going to happen.”
Patel said that he felt like this was a time where Dreamers who can lend their voice, and speak out.
“That’s why I began to speak out. Also, another reason that I began to speak out was because I realized that especially in the Asian community, there is this notion that nobody speaks about their status,” Patel said. “I think it’s important that we begin to speak out, because this is not just a Latino issue… this is a global issue.”
WASHINGTON DC (TIP): Indian American, Raj Shah, 32, began his temporary stint at the press briefing Feb. 8, to fill the shoes of Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders who is away on a well-earned vacation. He was bombarded by questions on a senior White House advisor’s sudden exit. Shah faced the press in what is considered a grueling position, in the midst of a tumultuous few days at the White House when President Trump’s staff secretary, Rob Porter, resigned Feb. 7, after spousal abuse allegations surfaced.
But Shah was thrown a question by an Indian journalist, about the president’s thoughts concerning legal immigration as it affects Indian immigrants, and those applying for Green Cards through the normal route, and on lifting the country quotas for legal immigration
“The President wants to see legal immigration reforms. He wants to see us move from a process currently existing in law, of extended family chain migration toward merit-based legal immigration reform,” Shah said.” We want to ensure that people coming in the country are the best and the brightest regardless of nationality, creed, religion or anything else in-between,” Shah added.
“We want to look at educational backgrounds, ability to contribute to the workforce in a way that helps American workers,” Shah said, adding, “The President wants reforms that improve America’s economy.”
The administration has consistently referred to family-reunification provisions in the U.S. Immigration Act, as “chain migration,” a term that some have said, gives a derogatory connotation to a clause that is held in high regard by Indian-Americans who have fought over decades to protect the right to bring in their immediate family members to this country.
The press briefing came on the heels of stories revealing Shah’s own scathing remarks about President Trump’s candidacy in 2016 emails with colleagues. However, reporters preferred focusing on the latest scandal to hit the White House.
The New Yorker magazine in an article earlier this week, unearthed emails Shah sent while at the Republican National Committee, where he is known to have crafted the White Paper on how to defeat Hillary Clinton.
When President Trump’s “Access Hollywood” tape surfaced where he talked about being able to grope women because of his celebrity status, Shah, sent the following email to a colleague, as reported by New Yorker – “U wanna hear something a little f–ked up?” adding, “I’m kinda enjoying this, some justice. I honestly don’t think it’s the worst thing he’s done but he somehow got passes for the other acts.”
But Shah is not the first nor only staffer, neither is he the first Indian American in the Trump administration, to have made negative comments about Trump during the Republican presidential primaries. These appear not to have influenced the president’s choice about hiring them.
The prime example is former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is now the only Indian-American to hold a cabinet-level position in the Trump administration as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, opposed Trump strongly during the campaign.
Haley openly backed Florida Senator Marco Rubio and then Texas Senator Ted Cruz, before finally endorsing Trump as the presidential candidate. She also demanded Trump release his tax returns, castigating him for using strong divisive rhetoric, and also opposing his singling out of Muslims for an immigration ban.
In response Trump described her as “very weak” on immigration, and tweeted, “The people of South Carolina are embarrassed by Nikki Haley!” on March 1, 2016.
BOSTON (TIP): NBC Boston anchor Natasha Verma felt a lump on her neck last year, and soon she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The 23-year-old Indian American lost all her hair from chemotherapy and found it even difficult to manage the wig she got.
Now having successfully battled cancer, Verma has launched a “Cap Wig” fundraiser, as a part of her “Put a Cap on Cancer” project, to help female and children battling cancer by providing quality “cap wigs.”
“Losing my hair was the hardest part of chemotherapy,” she writes on the official website of her Verma Foundation. “When doctors told me, I’d lose my hair to treatment. I felt panicked. It sounds so trivial, but that’s my identity and that’s how I express myself. It was a really big punch after already hearing you have cancer.”
“Dealing with ill-fitting, itchy, and expensive wigs on top of all only made it worse,” she adds. “I would throw a baseball cap on top of my wig to avoid the problems, and that’s when the light bulb went off.
On January 3, 2018, I launched a ‘Cap Wig’ fundraiser to raise enough money to produce free hats with hair for female and children cancer patients who want to have a wig look, without the hassle of cost or style. Many women, especially those struggling to cover health care bills, cannot afford the cost of a quality wig.”
Verma was the youngest-ever graduate from the University of Texas, when she earned broadcast journalism and biology/pre-med UG degrees at 17. She joined NBC in 2016 after completing a master’s in journalism from Columbia University.
Verma says she is in remission and distributes wigs free of cost.
The wigs are made from 100 percent human hair, customizable, and completely free for cancer patients. Each patient is entitled to a cap and can choose the color of both cap and hair, each cost around $150 to $200.
All donations will go toward the Leukemia and Lymphoma Research Fund at Bet Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where she was treated.
NEW YORK (TIP): Two Indian Americans, Parmjit Singh, 44, and Parthey Patel, 30, were the victims of a shooting that happened at two different gas stations and convenience stores in Rome, Georgia, according to a myajc.com report.
Singh was pronounced dead at the scene while Patel is still in critical condition, according to myajc.com.
Police say that Lamar Rashad Nicholson, 28, walked into the Hi-Tech Quick Stop on Burnett Ferry Road on the night of Feb. 6 a little before 9 p.m. and walked “right up to the counter pulls a gun out of his right pocket, fires 3 rounds, and runs out, he’s in and out in under 12 seconds,” Floyd County Police Sgt. William Wacker told Fox News.
Police added that there was no robbery or altercation.
Ten minutes later, Nicholson got into his car, drove a mile and a half down the road and entered Elm Street Food and Beverage, another convenience store, stealing some money before shooting Patel, according to myajc.com.
“For whatever reason after he stuffed his pockets full of money he shot the clerk anyway,” Rome Police Lt. John Walters told Fox News.
According to Fox News, while Patel was being rushed to the hospital, police spotted Nicholson in his car less than two miles away, along with a pistol and some money on the seat.
According to myajc.com, Nicholson was arrested on multiple charges including murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm while committing a crime and use of a firearm by a convicted felon though he was not charged with robbery in Singh’s shooting; he is being held without bond in the Floyd County jail.
Nicholson, a convicted felon, was arrested just a few weeks ago for violently snatching up his 3-year-old daughter by the arm, according to a report from the Floyd County sheriff’s office. He faced charges of child cruelty, disorderly conduct and simple battery in connection with that incident.
Friends of Singh, who was also known as “Remi,” dropped off balloons and flowers in front of his store and prayed for his two children who are in high school.
“That’s the sad part, they’ve got to grow up the rest of their lives without a dad because someone wanted to take their anger out on him,” Michael Dykes, a friend, told Fox News.
Singh’s brother-in-law, Harry Singh, remembered him as a “personable man who was friendly with everyone he met.”
“Whenever we all sit down and have a family get-together, he’s always the center of attention. He’s the one who tells us stories and jokes,” Harry Singh told myajc.com.
Harry told myajc.com that his brother-in-law started out driving limousines in New York before moving to Michigan to get into the convenience store business.
“He moved to Georgia about five years ago to be closer to family and ended up owning two stores in Rome, one on Martha Berry Boulevard and another on Burnett Ferry Road, where he died. He and his wife of 20 years had just bought a house, one of his lifetime goals. He was a very hardworking man and worked 14 hours a day,” Harry told myajc.com.
Singh’s customers paid a tribute to him on Facebook, remembering his as “a kind and polite man who enjoyed joking with his customers.”
Florence McCain, one of Singh’s customers, told myajc.com that his family had just bought and renovated the Burnett Ferry store in September.
“They were just so nice, the whole family. I was kidding with him just a couple of weeks ago,” McCain said.
Daniela Comacho told myajc.com that she shopped at the Hi Tech Quick Stop specifically because of Singh’s kindness.
“I liked to go, not because it was close by but because of how nice of a person he was. He was always interested in knowing that everyone was having a good day,” Comacho said.
NEW DELHI (TIP): Amid claims and counter-claims by various Hindu and Muslim leaders over the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya, the Supreme Court on Feb 8 refused to be drawn into religious arguments, saying it was only a property dispute.
“We are treating it only as a land dispute. There are appeals and crossappeals,” a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said after an advocate, who wanted to intervene in the matter, said it involved sentiments of 100 crore Hindus.
The Bench chose to keep pending all intervention applications filed by those who were not parties to the dispute before the Allahabad High Court. “We are not allowing the intervention application… We are not dismissing them… The applications for impleadment and intervention shall be considered at the appropriate time,” said the Bench, which also included Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer.
One such intervention application pending before the Bench is from BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.
The top court asked all parties to file English translation of documents relied upon in two weeks and posted the matter for March 14. It did not commit to a “dayto- day” hearing of the case.
The top court is seized of crossappeals challenging the Allahabad High Court’s September 30, 2010, verdict dividing the 2.7-acre disputed land at the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site equally between Ram Lalla, Nirmohi Akhara and Sunni Wakf Board. All three chose to challenge the order before the top court. Besides, there are more than 10 other appeals as well.
Thursday’s hearing was in sharp contrast to the one held on December 5, which was marred by a heated exchange after senior counsel Kapil Sibal, Rajiv Dhawan and Dushyant Dave — representing Muslim appellants — insisted that the case should be heard only after the 2019 Lok Sabha poll as it might impact the electoral outcome.
Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Uttar Pradesh Government, told the Bench that 504 exhibits, including scriptures such as the Ram Charit Manas and the Bhagavad Gita, their excerpts and 87 depositions along with the translations had been filed.
Advocate Ejaz Maqbool, appearing for one of the appellants, gave an overview of the documents already filed and those required to be filed. The Bench directed the Registry to make available copies of two video cassettes to advocates for various parties on payment of actual cost.
The otherwise peaceful proceedings witnessed some banter after senior counsel representing Ram Lalla, CS Vaidyanathan, said the other side should submit a synopsis of their legal propositions to make it easy for all concerned to assist the court.
“The High Court’s verdict is an insult to justice,” Dhawan said. He requested day-to-day hearing, but the Bench didn’t appear inclined. “There are 700 cases pending where citizens are crying for justice,” said CJI Misra, clarifying he was not commenting on the importance of the Ayodhya case.
Is a new liberalism, shaped profoundly by Indian cultural conditions, just round the corner?
Liberalism is probably more challenged in India today than in any other democracy in the world. Why? First, conservative communities appear to have gained untrammeled power in recent times. Self-proclaimed custodians of caste and religion are perpetually breathing down the necks of young men and women, dictating who they must meet, converse with, befriend and marry, what they should eat, wear, watch or read, whether they can use mobile phones, and even where they can go and when. By encroaching on the most intimate relationships of love and friendship, interfering in matters of pleasure or habit, they suffocate personal freedoms and violate the very basic norms of individual choice.
Second, people find it increasingly difficult to express themselves freely. A public culture of hurt sentiment, violated collective honor, offence and alleged humiliation and the social and political license to react to it in whatever brutal manner possible have created such a climate of fear that creative artists, intellectuals and even ordinary persons in public conversations hesitate to say what comes to their mind and look over their shoulder to see if big daddy is watching. The threat of social intimidation and legal harassment makes public expression so expensive that people would rather stay silent or remain aloof from public life.
Third, large corporations and the government have access to virtually every detail about us, making us vulnerable and insecure. Methods of surveillance become more opaque, even as they attempt to make us transparent against our will. The minutest details of one’s private and intimate life are available today to large, powerful organizations at the press of a button. Is it not frightening that to call or visit friends and family, we must undergo CCTV cameras, finger printing and face recognition?
Fourth, confidence in the rule of law is badly shaken. Is there any assurance that law will be enforced evenhandedly, indeed, that it will be enforced at all? On the contrary, we often fear excesses by official agents at every level of government, worry that power will be abused, that some person in charge of law and order will behave lawlessly, even brutally.
Freedom to say ‘no’
What do the power of the state, the community, individual choice and expression have to do with liberalism? Everything. The term ‘liberalism’ has come to mean different things to different people and is associated with: (a) demands for greater overall equality, (b) defense of individual reason and autonomy, (c) a tool against moral conservatism, (d) cosmopolitanism and humanism, and (e) free markets. Overused, it suffers from what happens routinely to words with wide currency: it generates less light, more heat, and even greater cacophony. Yet, a moment’s reflection shows that one value has always lain at its heart: the freedom of an individual to say no; to say that enough is enough and that something ominously coming towards me up close, stalking me, is no longer bearable and must be stopped; that there is a little world of my own, my private universe, that no one may enter if I do not give permission, and a place exists in public for me too that must not be impeded as long as others are not harmed. In my largely private but also partly public world, I must live without fear or favor.
One such bulwark against habitual and pervasive acts of cruel interference is the dismantling of private armies commanded by powerful custodians of communities and the creation instead of an impartial public power (the state) governed minimally by the rule of law — a law that protects my mini-kingdom, where I am sovereign — and that liberates me from fear itself. But then the same rule of law must also shield me from arbitrary, unexpected and unnecessary acts of state coercion. Whatever else liberalism might come to have mean, it stands for personal freedoms in the face of intrusion by every form of organized power. Indeed, classical liberalism in western societies emerged precisely in response to persistent attempts to throttle the then bourgeoning assertions of individual freedom by oppressive communities, a meddlesome church, and abusive state power.
In this minimal sense, the term ‘liberal’ no longer has a restricted spatial or temporal application. It has a much wider usage and has resonated in India with acts of renunciatory Brahmins, with movements led by the Buddha and Mahavira, by the early Lingayats, by those inspired by Nanak, Kabir, Akka Mahadevi and Mira as well as Phule and Ambedkar. This ‘thin’ liberalism has nothing uniquely western about it. Indeed, there are modern liberalisms and ancient ones, and just as there have been liberalisms in the past, there will be liberalisms in future. The message in all these is common, clear and simple: don’t force anything down anyone’s throat, stop the deliberate infliction of physical or emotional pain on individuals, especially upon a weaker person, no matter how valuable you believe your cause to be.
An inevitable revolt
If the current climate of oppression or violent threats continues, a revolt against the current set-up will invariably arise. Young, self-reflective men and especially women facing continual restrictions, Dalits, lower Other Backward Classes, poor Muslims, people from smaller towns and rural areas will seize the moment, demanding greater opportunity to exercise individual choice and freedom of expression. Is a new liberalism, different from the one articulated by traditional, metropolitan English-speaking elites, shaped profoundly by Indian cultural conditions, just round the corner?
India and Pakistan must restore calm along the LoC and International Boundary
The 2003 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan is now alive only in the breach, with violations intensifying in number and much damage to life and livelihood along the border. The drift can only be arrested through high-level political intervention to save this very significant bilateral agreement between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. In the latest incident, four Indian soldiers, including an Army Captain, were killed in the Bhimber Gali sector in cross-border firing that went on through most of Sunday. These casualties are a natural extension of what has been unfolding along the International Boundary as well as the Line of Control for the past several months. As a result, 2017 has turned out to be the worst year since the agreement brought calm to the border 15 years ago. The ceasefire agreement had resulted in a dramatic drop in military casualties, and thousands of border residents had been able to return home from temporary shelters on both sides. It is important to see the 2003 agreement in the immediate context of the time. It came just four years after the Kargil war, and soon after India and Pakistan almost went to war following the December 13, 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament. The agreement was historic, and a triumph of diplomacy — Pakistan Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali announced a unilateral ceasefire on the Line of Control on Id; India suggested including the Siachen heights, and the ceasefire was eventually extended to the International Boundary. It was the high point of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s premiership, and his successor, Manmohan Singh, heeded the legacy.
Now, as the two countries are caught in a spiral of almost daily exchanges of fire along the border, there is a danger of political rhetoric acquiring its own momentum. Already, 2017 has been the worst year along the border since the ceasefire came into force, with at least 860 incidents of ceasefire violations recorded on the LoC alone. By way of comparison, in 2015 there had been 152 incidents, and in 2016 there were 228. January 2018 recorded the highest number of ceasefire violations in a month since 2003, according to estimates. According to data mentioned in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, between January 18 and 22, 14 people including seven civilians were killed and over 70 were injured in firing from the Pakistan side along the International Boundary in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts as well as along the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts. Thousands of civilians have been forced to flee their border homes. Peace on the border is difficult to achieve at the tactical level by military leaders. Restoring the ceasefire requires real statesmanship, not brinkmanship.
NEW YORK (TIP): Yoga has emerged among the top 10 fitness trends worldwide for 2018, according to “Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2018” by American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
“The sustained popularity of yoga seems to be that it reinvents and refreshes itself every year making it an attractive form of exercise”, Survey points out. “Based on ancient tradition, yoga utilizes a series of specific bodily postures practiced for health and relaxation. This includes Power Yoga, Yogalates, Bikram, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Kripalu, Anurara, Kundalini, Sivananda and others”, ACSM release adds.
It reportedly surveyed over 4,000 fitness professionals from Mexico, Chile, Columbia, Venezuela, Portugal, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, Serbia, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Taiwan, Switzerland, Jamaica, South Africa, Bermuda, Greece, Ireland, Finland, Kenya, New Zealand, China, Barbados, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. Now in its twelfth year, this Survey provides 40 potential trends to choose from and claims to help the health and fitness industry make critical programming and business decisions.
Meanwhile, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement said that Hindus were highly pleased with the fast and tremendous growth of yoga worldwide.
Yoga, referred as “a living fossil”, was a mental and physical discipline, for everybody to share and benefit from, whose traces went back to around 2,000 BCE to Indus Valley civilization, Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, noted.
Rajan Zed further said that yoga, although introduced and nourished by Hinduism, was a world heritage and liberation powerhouse to be utilized by all. According to Patanjali who codified it in Yoga Sutra, yoga was a methodical effort to attain perfection, through the control of the different elements of human nature, physical and psychical.
According to US National Institutes of Health, yoga may help one to feel more relaxed, be more flexible, improve posture, breathe deeply, and get rid of stress. According to a “2016 Yoga in America Study”, about 37 million Americans (which included many celebrities) now practice yoga; and yoga is strongly correlated with having a positive self-image. Yoga was the repository of something basic in the human soul and psyche, Zed added.
Besides ACSM, other participating organizations included American Council on Exercise, National Council on Strength and Fitness and The Cooper Institute. Dr. Walter R. Thompson, associate dean at Georgia State University, is the President of ACSM, which is headquartered in Indianapolis and claims to be “world’s largest sports medicine and exercise science organization”.
Government of India keeps its promise to honor “Unsung heroes”.
NEW YORK (TIP): Sixteen persons under the category of foreigners, NRI, PIO and OCI were among 85 individuals announced the winners of the Padma awards.
Prominent among them were Alexander Mikhailovich Kadakin, former Russian ambassador to India, Sanduk Ruit, an eye surgeon from Nepal, and Nguyen Tien Thien, a badminton player from Vietnam. Kadakin, who was the Russian Ambassador to India from 2009 until his death in 2017, was given Padma Bhushan. Ved Prakash Nanda OCI (overseas citizenship of India), US, has also been awarded the Padma Bhushan. The Padma Shri recipients include Jose Ma Joey, the Philippines, Ramli Bin Ibrahim, Malaysia, Bounlap Keokangna, Laos, Tommy Koh, Singapore, Hun Many Cambodia, Nouf Marwaai, Saudi Arabia.
Keeping its promise of honoring “unsung heroes”, the government of India announced Padma Shri awards for personalities who served the poor, set up free schools and popularised tribal arts globally.
Lakshmikutty, a tribal woman from Kerala, who prepares 500 herbal medicines from memory and help thousands of people especially in snake and insect bite cases, is among the awardees.
Arvind Gupta, an IIT Kanpur alumnus who inspired generations of students to learn science from thrash, has also been honoured. He has made 6,200 short films on toy-making in 18 languages and also hosted popular TV show Tarang in 1980s.
Gond artist Bhajju Shyam has also been awarded the Padma Shri. Shyam is famous for depicting Europe through Gond paintings, a tribal style of painting of Madhya Pradesh. His ‘The London Jungle Book’ sold 30,000 copies and it was published in five foreign languages.
West Bengal’s Sudhanshu Biswas, a freedom fighter who serves poor, runs school and orphanages and set up free school for poor, is also among the winners. Kerala’s medical messiah to terminally ill, MR Rajagopal, has also been honoured with Padma Shri. Rajagopal has specialized in pain relief care for neo natal cases. Maharashtra’s Murlikant Petkar, India’s first Paralympics gold medalist who lost his arm in 1965 Indo-Pak war, is another winner of Padma Shri.
Subhasini Mistry, from rural West Bengal who toiled 20 years as housemaid and daily labourer to build a hospital for poor, is another awardee. Nonagenarian farm labourer Sulagatti Narasamma, who provides midwifery services in the backward region of Karnataka, too was awarded Padma Shri. Another awardee is Yeshi Dhoden, monk physician of Tibetan herbal medicine working in remote areas of Himachal.
Winner of President of India’s award for the best score of music in Indian film industry for film “Nanak Naam Jahaz Hai” in the year 1969, music director S. Mohinder (92) is a close friend of mine. He lives in Northern Virginia in suburban Washington D.C. While on a visit to New York – New Jersey area, he stopped over for lunch at my house in New Jersey. He narrated to me an interesting story about his tryst with destiny in 1947.
He was a radio singer at All India Radio Lahore and was living in Lyallpur in 1947. On a hot and humid August morning, he boarded a train heading to Lahore to sing a few songs at the only radio station in the province of Punjab. After finishing his singing assignment, he was paid rupees twenty, the rupee was worth a lot during those days. Coming out of the radio station, as usual he saw a number of tongas parked outside in a corner. He paid two annas to the Tonga (horse driven carriage) driver to drop him off at the railway station. He could not, for a minute, visualize that this was possibly his last experience with his favorite city of Lahore.
He purchased a ticket for less than rupees two for Lyallpur and started walking towards the likely platform. Suddenly he heard some tense sounding voices. One person was saying that serious violence has erupted in the Hindu and Sikh dominated areas of Lahore, some incidents of arson, stabbing and gun fire had occurred in parts of the city. He further exclaimed that reports of violence against the Hindus and Sikhs at other places have also been reported.
One neat and clean train with markings of Bombay was about to steam off at platform one. Without caring for his destination, he hurriedly entered the over-crowded train. No seat was empty in a train packed with humans like sardines. Standing up space could be managed with difficulty. The train stopped briefly at Amritsar Junction, where more than half of the passengers disembarked, and a few got in too. More passengers got off a Jullundur, Ludhiana and Ambala. At Delhi, for a change, more passengers got in than those getting out.
After a one and a half day’s journey, the train reached the magnificent Victoria Terminus railway station. The building was awe inspiring. Surprisingly throughout the journey no one asked him to show the ticket. A neatly dressed ticket collector was on duty at the platform. S. Mohinder reluctantly handed over the ticket. The ticket collector smiled and told him that the ticket was for a shorter distance and not for Bombay. S. Mohinder explained the entire story to the officer. After looking at S. Mohinder’s tired face and ruffled up clothes, the officer believed his story and let him go without charging a paisa.
On reaching Bombay, S. Mohinder found out that life was very tough in India’s second largest metropolis. The distances were long, the food and shelter were expensive, but there was no communal tension in the city. He was made to go to other places also, but after a long struggle he did become a music director in what is now called Mumbai.
Aries: Ganesha says the overlying theme of this period is finance and you will be busy with loans, funds, buying and selling of personal assets, even trying your luck in the stock market. It is a time for new beginnings and you are keen to make your work more profitable. You can definitely do it if you put in focused efforts. You attract money this period and will possibly see an increase in your personal income through loans, fixed deposits, dividends.
Taurus: You will be daring and enterprising and even a pioneer of sorts. Money trends are positive as you ponder your goals and aims for the current period. Settings goals, making plans and implementing them will occupy you and keep your energy levels high. Take care of your health, as you could overextend yourself in pursuit of material gains. You push ahead with all guns blazing and see most of your plans being released.
Gemini: Your creative streak reveals itself and you find ingenious solutions to your money and relationship problems. But, despite it, you are plagued by a sense of insecurity deep down. It is possible that you feel restless and dissatisfied with your life and this could spill over into your intimate relationships. Children and pets could be a source of worry. Travel for work / pleasure will be beneficial and you attend meetings, seminars and conventions and win applause for your prowess in work.
Cancer: You have worked hard to consolidate your position and now feel confident that your finances are stable. You have taken a lot of risks earlier which could have led to some degree of loss at work. You are now cautious and read the fine print carefully. There is better rapport too between you and your co-workers and boss. You could be involved in developing new contacts or more business for your company and will be travelling on work.
Leo: This is a time to slow down but it won’t be easy as your sights are firmly fixed on making more money. Children / siblings / extended family will crave and need your attention and your time. Health may need attention too and alternative therapies will prove effective. Visits to places of worship will calm your agitated mind. You look for truth and the meaning of life and may seek out a guru for guidance. Your life is fairly well balanced but there could be stagnation in relationships.
Virgo: Your interest in money matters continues and you think of ways and means to increase your assets. You love making money and spending it too. You can also be flamboyant and make it a point to display your material worth. Meetings with financial planners, and dealing with loans, funds, assets will keep you occupied. There will be fun times too with social and outings with loved ones. This is a good period in life and you taste success in whatever you do.
Libra: The financially hectic period of the last period slows down and there is a sense of a quiet and calm now. This low-key period could propel you to seek out adventures and shake things up a bit. Nothing ventured, nothing gained – so true in your case, and you are ready to try your luck, gamble away your money, and also seek out adventures of the heart. You might even find the courage to propose to your sweetheart, and then there may be an engagement or marriage on the cards.
Scorpio: Keep your bags packed as you may have many trips this coming period. Yes, says Ganesha, be prepared to take overnight trips or short getaways for both work and pleasure. Meeting new people and even those you have lost touch with, personally or through email, phone or snail mail is not ruled out. Check out new technology to raise your communication levels. There will be some obstacles at work, but the family and close friends are behind you like a rock to motivate and support you.
Sagittarius: You also have the co-operation and support of your boss and co-workers. People find you pleasant and agreeable as you go out of your way to help others in need. There may be a windfall now and you could gain a lot from an inheritance which you didn’t expect. Loans / interest / bonuses and even payment stuck for a long time will now be accessible to you. Don’t go overboard and spend it all. Exercise control and be moderate, says Ganesha, and success is yours.
Capricorn: A really busy period, even a hectic one, as everyday chores take your time. Despite leaving you totally engrossed and sometimes exhausted, it is still an enjoyable period. You also manage to find time for your spiritual aspirations. Apart from work, there are social interactions and quality time spent with friends, family and loved ones. You love entertaining and being entertained and there will be a plethora of outings, picnics and get-togethers. You will be the soul of the party.
Aquarius: Your fine interactions with people, especially with family members / work associates have been enjoyable and even empowering. The introspective phase gives way to more pressing, earthly concerns. The welfare and security of your loved ones is of paramount importance now and you need to take care of their needs and wants. There could be unexpected expenses as you over-reach yourself to help others.
Pisces: Your sustained hard work now bears fruit. It is payback time now and Ganesha shows you with rewards. Salary raises, promotions and perks are part of this well – deserved package and you will have to take care that it doesn’t bloat your ego further. Other money-related matters such as funds, loans, deposits, taxes, trade, agencies, legal matters could give you gains, both expected and unexpected, and could become a cause of great jubilation at home.
MINEOLA, NY (TIP): The Indian American Community from long Island organized the 69th Republic Day Celebrations on January 26, 2018
Prof. Indrajit S Saluja, Publisher and Chief Editor of The Indian Panorama was honored with India Republic Day Award by Nassau County Executive Laura Curran on the occasion of India’s 69th Republic Day celebration in the Nassau County legislature building on January 26 evening. Prof Saluja, who is President of INDO-US Foundation Inc., is also famous as a Writer, Speaker, Actor, and Television Host and well known in the Media and Community for his contributions and support to society. Along with Prof Saluja Laura Curran also presented India Republic Day Awards to:
Dr Bhupendra R Patel, Doctor of Medicine in appreciation for his good work. He is also former chief of Medicine of the department of medicine at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Queens. Dr Patel also known as Bhupi is an Icon and pillar of our society.
Dr Anila Midha is the founder of South Asian American Womens Alliance a nonprofit organization that promotes the education of STEM subjects along South Asian American Women and give scholarships to deserving female students in High School.
Dr Himanshu Pandya is currently the Vice President of AAPIQLI. Dr Pandya has published several articles in Health Journals. He is Founder of SPARK Club of New York. Dr Pandya is the Co-owner of Social Day Care Center in Long island
Dr Runi Mukherji Ratnam is the Chair of the Psychology Department at SUNY College at Old Westbury and also served as the Director of General Education program for the college. She serves as consultant to the center for immigrant Health and Center for the study of Global Health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Deborah Misir Esq. is the Founding Partner of Lally & Misir LLP.
Indu Jaiswal Chairperson of Indian American Forum welcomed and greeted all the guests. Keynote Speaker Dr Parveen Chopra highlighted the significance of India’s Republic Day. Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and Presiding Officer Mr Richard Nicollelo also graced the event.
Bollywood dance performances on January 26 at NASSAU county legislature building
Republic Day was also celebrated in Hempstead Town Hall on January 26 morning and February 1 evening. Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen and Board members of Indian American Forum, Hempstead Town Clerk Silvia Cabana, Councilwoman Erin King Sweeney, Councilman Mr Dennis Dunn, Dr Urmilesh Arya, President National AIA, Indu Jaiswal Chairperson of Indian American Forum, Members of Indian Veterans Association, Varinder and Ratna Bhalla and several community leaders graced the flag-hoisting event.
Flag Hoisting Outside the Hempstead Town Hall with Supervisor Laura Gillen, Town Clerk Silvia Cabana, Members of Indian Veterans AssociationRepublic Day celebrations at Town of Hempstead. Seen in the picture: Town of Hempstead Councilman Dennis Dunn, Town Clerk Silvia Cabana, Supervisor Laura Gillen with Dr. Urmilesh Arya , National President of AIA , Indu Jaiswal Chair IAF, Nilima Madan, Bina Sabapathy, , Ratna BhallaMembers of Indian Veterans Association with Town of Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen and Town Clerk Silvia Cabana
On February 1, The Board of trustees and, members of Indian American Forum organized India Republic Day Celebration at Nathan L.H, Bennett Pavilion, and Hempstead Town Hall. Dr Swadesh Rana, first ever woman to become the chief of Conventional Arms Branch in the Department of Disarmament Affairs at the United Nations, was the keynote speaker.
Town of Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen, Councilwoman Erin King Sweeney, Town Clerk Silvia Cabana presenting Citation to Indian American Community
During the event India Republic Day Awards were presented to Dr Sunita Saini, Founder and Director of South Shore Psychological Services of Long Island and Dr Inderpal Chhabra, clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Hofstra North Shore School of Medicine.
LONG ISLAND, NY (TIP): The Coalition of Indian Organizations of Long Island celebrated the 69th Republic Day of India on January 31, attended by the Consul General of India in New York, Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty, judges of NY Supreme Court, public officials at the local and state level as well as who’s who of the Indian community on the island.
The rare event bringing fourteen Indian organizations of Long Island under one umbrella along with the largest gathering of the American dignitaries was the brainchild of Varinder Bhalla, Chairman of the Indian American Voters Forum, and the culmination of inspiration and support by Ambassador Chakravorty. The community responded enthusiastically packing the Clinton G Martin Hall in New Hyde Park to capacity.
(From L to R): Dr. Ajay Lodha, former President of the American Association of Physicians from India, Emcee & Event Coordinator Ratna Bhalla, Hempstead Town Clerk Sylvia Cabana and Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen presenting a Citation to Ambassador Chakravorty, with Varinder Bhalla.
The participants were the Association of Indians in America represented by its national President Dr. Urmilesh Arya, and its NY Chapter represented by its President Gobind Munjal; the Arya Samaj of Long Island represented by its Founder Veer Mukhi; Asa Mai Temple represented by Founder Gobind Bathija; Brahmakumaris of Long Island represented by Anjani Persaud; the Federation of Malayalee Associations represented by its Chairman Thomas Oommen; the Gujrati Samaj of New York represented by its President Minesh Patel; Indian American Physicians of Long Island represented by Dr. Rakesh Dua & Dr. Ajay Lodha; the India Association of Long Island represented by its President Gunjan Rastogi; the Indian American Voters Forum represented its Chairman & the event coordinator Varinder Bhalla; International Punjabi Society represented by President Dr. Rajinder Uppal; Rajasthan Association of North America represented by President Dr. Ajey Jain; SPARK Youth Club of New York represented by its Founder Dr. Himanshu Pandya; the World Spiritual Awareness Forum Inc. represented by Rakesh Bhargava and the World Malayalee Association represented by its President Koshy Oommen.
(From L to R): Ratna Bhalla, State Senator Elaine Phillip honoring Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty with a Proclamation from the Senate of New York, First Lady of the India Consulate Taruna Chakravorty, and Event Chair Varinder Bhalla.
New York Supreme Court Justices Denise Sher & Ruth Balkin represented the judiciary; NY Senator Elaine Phillips presented a Senate Proclamation to Ambassador Chakravorty; Nassau County was represented by its Legislature Majority Leader Rich Nicolello and Legislator Tom McKevitt. Also in attendance was Nassau County Comptroller Jack Schnirman who was profusely applauded for including a Hindu prayer in his inaugural program earlier in the month.
Hempstead Township, larger than seven States of America, was represented by its Town Clerk Sylvia Cabana and Supervisor Laura Gillen, the first Democrat in over a century elected to that post. On January 26, Gillen hoisted the Indian tricolor flag atop the Town Hall.
Gillen also presented a Citation to Ambassador Chakravorty honoring the 68th anniversary of the India Republic Day. Another Republic Day Citation was presented to the Ambassador on behalf of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino.
Niketa Bhatia, who successfully petitioned the Syosset School District to have the Festival of Diwali designated as an official holiday was honored with a Citation from the Oyster Bay Township.
The highlight of the cultural segment was a performance by the artists of the Surati for Performing Arts, nationally acclaimed group which has performed at the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and the United Nations among others. The Indian kids in the tricolor dresses enthralled the Indian audience and the American dignitaries alike. Manav Khurana, 13, a self-taught dholak player at the age of 8, captivated the audience with his stellar performance.
The pageantry of the Republic Day event was enhanced by bagpipers of Nassau County Firefighters Band which had earlier played at the Trump Presidential Inaugural in Washington DC and in Europe on the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.
Year-Long Workshop Series to Help M/WBEs Find Opportunities for Growth Through the City. The initiative, M/WBE University, will train and support M/WBEs in an effort to help small businesses grow.
NEW YORK CITY (TIP): Comptroller Stringer has announced a 2018 initiative to help minority and women-owned business enterprises – known as M/WBEs – gain access to City contracts. Known as “M/WBE University,” the year-long series of workshops is designed to help M/WBEs get certified with the City, navigate the procurement process, and gain access to government business.
While City agencies are making important strides in delivering contracts to M/WBEs, major gaps remain. Last year, the City awarded just over $1 billion in contracts to M/WBEs, which represent only 4.9 percent of all awards.
“Four years ago, we did something no one had before. We started analyzing and holding agencies accountable for how – and to whom – it delivers contracts. We saw deep inequities, and a playing field that was far from level. With M/WBE University, we’re building on our office’s work and helping business owners navigate the City procurement process. This is about fairness,” Comptroller Stringer said. “M/WBE University is so important because these companies help to build real, local wealth across all of our communities. That’s why we need to work with these businesses closely. If we’re going to have a true five-borough economy where everyone has a fair shot, we have to make sure our M/WBEs are successful.”
The year-long series of workshops will, for the first time, bring in representatives from major companies like IBM, CDW, and Ricoh Partner, as well as other businesses that contract with the City for legal, construction, and accounting services. Along with opening the doors to City contracting, M/WBE University will provide businesses with opportunities in contracting directly with the Comptroller’s office.
The list of workshops include:
February 23
Doing Business with NYC as an IBM, CDW, or Ricoh Partner
https://MWBEUnivIT2018.eventbrite.com
March 23
Become a Prequalified NYC Auditor
https://MWBEUnivCPAs.eventbrite.com
May 25
Capital, Bonds, & Tax Breaks for Businesses Impacting NYC
https://MWBEUnivEconDev.eventbrite.com
July 13
Doing Business with the Comptroller
https://MWBEUnivComptroller.eventbrite.com
August 17
Prevailing Wage: What Your Business Needs to Know
https://MWBEUnivPrevailingWage.eventbrite.com
December 14
The Future of M/WBEs in NYC
https://MWBEUnivFuture.eventbrite.com
Since taking office, Comptroller Stringer has launched several initiatives to increase transparency and improve access to City contracting by M/WBEs. Those include his “Making the Grade” report, which assessed each City agency’s actual spending with M/WBEs compared to citywide procurement goals established by Local Law 1 of 2013 and a Red Tape Commission that pinpointed roadblocks for small businesses.
M/WBE data from the most recent Making the Grade report shows:
Since the letter grade report started in 2014, annual spending with M/WBEs increased by $208 million to $554 million in FY 2017.
More agencies receiving “A” and “B” grades than ever before and compared to FY 2016, grades increased at 13 agencies in FY 2017. Overall, 42 percent of agencies saw their grade increase in FY 2017.
In FY 2017, the City awarded $21 billion total in goods and services to outside vendors. Of all contracts, just over $1 billion was awarded to M/WBEs. That represents 4.9 percent of all awards – an uptick from 4.8 percent a year ago and a rise from 3.9 percent in FY 2014.
To read the full “Making the Grade” report, click here.
To see the schedule of M/WBE University events, click here.
Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ is the recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director), and Todd Schmidt (Managing Director). The Playhouse is one of the country’s leading regional theatres.
The Playhouse shares the wonder of creation in its 2017-2018 season with an astonishing 4 premieres: The Honeymooners, the major revival of a cherished holiday classic Annie, A new musical: Half Time, and the current new play The Outsider.
Paper Mill has been consistently recognized for the high-quality artistry of its re-imagined classic musicals as well its commitment to development of new works and careers of New York Broadway’s best talent and emerging artists both onstage and behind the scenes.
Along the way, some of today’s best classical singers, dancers, directors, choreographers, actors, playwrights and designers share their talents to transport you with captivating, human and funny American stories.
It’s all part of what has placed Paper Mill Playhouse center stage in bringing the new American musical theater to life, and it’s why anyone looking for what’s truly next and noteworthy subscribes.
In politics, the less you know, the higher you’ll go!
(From L to R): Burke Moses (Arthur Vance) and Lenny Wolpe (Ned Newley Photo Credit /Matthew Murphy(From L to R): Manoel Felciano (Dave Riley) and Lenny Wolpe (Ned Newley). Photo Credit / Jerry Dalia
At once a razor-sharp satire and an inspirational tribute to democracy, The Outsider by Paul Slade Smith is a timely and hilarious send-up of modern American politics.
Completely fictional, the story begins in the midst of a political scandal, Ned Newley, the ultimate policy wonk, is unexpectedly thrust into the position of Governor. A complete unknown, with no political instincts and a paralyzing fear of public speaking, to his ever-supportive chief of staff, Ned seems destined to fail. But a political guru, Arthur Vance sees things a little differently: Ned might be the worst candidate to ever run for office. Unless the public is looking for… the worst candidate to ever run for office!
In March 2016 at a successful reading of the play attended by top Broadway (NY theater) insiders, “declared it one of the funniest – not to mention topical – plays in years” quipped Mark S. Hoebee, Producing Artistic Director and Todd Schmidt, Managing Director of Paper Mill Playhouse.
Governor Phil Murphy, and 7 former governors of NJ teamed up to promote The Outsider in an unusual video. The 2-minute video, which went live a few days before the start of the performances, got over 150,000 views on YouTube in its first 3 days. You can view it at https://youtu.be/JORleE_3jYE
“We’ve had hundreds of shares, tons of views,” says Hawley Abelow, director of communications, marketing and membership for Paper Mill. “I think when all is said and done, this is going to be extraordinarily successful for getting attention and selling tickets.”
Book: Paul Slade Smith
Starring: Kelley Curran, Julia Duffy, Manoel Felciano, Erin Noel
Grennan, Mike Houston, Burke Moses, Lenny Wolpe
Directed by: David Esbjornson
The production team includes set design by Michael Schweikardt, costume design by Elizabeth Hope Clancy, lighting design by Ben Stanton, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, and sound design by Randy Hansen.
The Outsider runs from January 24 to February 18, 2018.
The following link is a hilarious promotional video for The Outsider
The film depicts a man’s crusade to make India a 100% pad using country
Consul General of India in New York is hosting a show on February 12
NEW YORK CITY (TIP): Pad Man, which hits theaters in North America on February 9, aims to raise the curtain on all myths, taboos and beliefs around periods and menstrual hygiene, which have held women and girls back from empowerment for centuries. The curtain raiser gives us some of the exciting insights into what Pad Man has in store for us. It opens with an awestruck Sonam Kapoor trying to come to terms with the fact that how can a man be so obsessed with ‘chumming,’ as menstruation is commonly called. We are then taken to a festive scene in Akshay Kumar’s village where a celebration takes place in honor of a young girl getting her first period.
Akshay Kumar and Sonam Kapoor in a still from the film
SYNOPSIS:
Pad Man is a fictionalized account of Padmashri Arunachalam Muruganatham, the man who revolutionized the manufacture of the low cost sanitary napkin in India. Lakshmi is a newly married, humble welder from a rural village in the heart of India. Lakshmi’s incredible journey starts when he is shocked to discover that his wife uses an unhygienic cloth during her periods. Unable to afford a branded pad, he decides to make a sanitary pad himself. After several attempts, his irate wife refuses to be a part of his experiments. Lakshmi’s love and concern for his wife, his determination to make the pad, leads him into situations that cause so much shock and embarrassment that it compels his wife to leave him and his village to banish him.
Lakshmi doesn’t give up. His simplicity of thought, his resilience, his focus and his complete disregard for convention finally leads him to his destiny. A machine that can make a pad! The revolution that follows…from spreading menstrual hygiene, to empowering women, to starting mini cooperatives, to a vision of making India a 100% Pad using country, to accolades, to international glory and to a final resolution of his personal life, makes the rest of the feature “PAD MAN”. His journey to make India a 100% pad using country goes on…even today.
Produced by Mrs. Funnybones Movies, SPE FIlms India, Kriarj Entertainment, Cape of Good Films and Hope Productions, Pad Man is written and directed by ad-man turned film-man R Balki (Paa). It is billed as the most progressive family entertainer yet, starring international megastar Akshay Kumar (Toilet: Ek Prem Katha) who assumes the titular role of Arunachalam Muruganantham to once again showcase his commitment to social entertainers. He is joined by critically acclaimed actresses Sonam Kapoor (Neerja) and Radhika Apte (Kabali). One for the mad ones, the ones who are crazy enough to change the world, Pad Man is the one-of-a-kind feature film, tackling the taboo and stigmas attached to menstrual hygiene through the art of entertainment.
Consul General of India, Sandeep Chakravorty is hosting a special show of the film on February 12. Those interested in watching the movie may email request to culture.newyork@mea.gov.in
NEW YORK (TIP): Miss World 2017 Manushi Chillar from India has announced that she will be gracing the South Asian Women Empowerment Gala 2018 to be hosted by Bindu Kohli in New York.
This black tie gala event is title sponsored by Premal Badiani. Today, women have excelled in all domains and we have a lot to learn from each other. We believe in our uniqueness and are happy to be part of this event showcasing women who have made a big difference “, said Premal Badiani.
Manushi Chillar won the coveted title after seventeen years when Priyanka Chopra, a fellow Indian won the same title. Earlier Ms Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had won the title and become the first Indian to ever win the Miss World title.
Bindu Kohli, a household name on the East Coast is a well-known television host and a promoter of high quality events. She hosted Miss Shilpa Shetty last year in various cities in US with multiple events to mark women empowerment in USA. “This premium event will be ideal to present and felicitate Miss Manushi Chillar in USA amongst high profile guests and several women achievers in USA”, said Bindu Kohli. She continued, “I believe in quality and class and I am sure to make it a memorable event”.
Bindu Kohli entertainment is an event management and production company based in New York. Some of the others proud sponsors for this event are Shaheen, Leonard Palazzo, Munawar & Andrews-Santillo LLP, AR Helping, and The Indian Panorama.
Son, tried in absentia, and 4 others jailed for 10 years
DHAKA (TIP): Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was, on February8, sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment for corruption, a body blow for the main Opposition leader who may be disqualified from contesting the next election in December, as thousands of her supporters staged protests against her jailing.
The 72-year-old three-time PM was sentenced by Dhaka’s Special Court in connection with the embezzlement of 21 million taka ($250,000) in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust, named after her late husband Ziaur Rahman, a military ruler-turned-politician.
The verdict simultaneously sentenced Zia’s “fugitive” elder son and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) senior vice-president Tarique Rahman as he was tried in absentia. Rahman and four others have been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The case is one of dozens pending against Zia, who has been a rival of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for decades. The charges against her had already led to her boycotting polls in 2014, which triggered widespread protests.
Zia, wearing a white sari, appeared in the heavily guarded courtroom amid heightened political tension. While sentencing Zia, the judge read out the abridged version of the 632-page verdict in 10 minutes.
He said though all convicts played an identical role in the crime, Zia was given a lesser term taking into account her “age and social status”. The court also said that the defense tried their best to hinder the trial proceedings as they sought time on 35 occasions in the name of changing the court.
The other convicts are former lawmaker Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal, businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed, ex-PM’s principal secretary Kamal Uddin Siddiqui and her nephew Mominur Rahman.
Zia became the second head of government after former dictator-turned-politician HM Ershad to be convicted in a graft case.
“I will be back, there is no need to cry,” Khaleda Zia today told her weeping relatives and supporters, minutes before the three-time former Bangladeshi premier was sentenced to five years in jail related to a graft case.
According to experts, Zia will have to stay in jail for at least three days until Sunday. It will depend on the High Court whether it will give Zia bail or not. The conviction means that Zia, could be barred from contesting the General Elections in December this year.
The law says if someone is convicted for at least two years, he or she cannot contest the election for the next five years, The Daily Star said. n Zia’s case, if the high court gives her bail and yet upholds the sentencing, then she will be disqualified from the poll, it said. — PTI
BNP stares at split
Political analysts believe Bangladesh Nationalist Party may split as several senior leaders could disassociate them from Zia. Their grouse is Zia’s elder son Tarique Rahman, BNP senior vice-president, who is learnt to be wielding authority from London, ignoring the party veterans. Rahman has sought asylum in the UK as he is also facing several criminal charges.
(With inputs from PTI)
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