“Music has connected the world and is the common expression of every human being” – Maestro Amjad Ali Khan
“…the finest living exponent of the sarod” – The Guardian
Sarod Maestro Amjad Ali Khan’s concert ‘Musical Celebration of Lights and Life’was presented by the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) on November 3, at Symphony Space, Manhattan, New York City.
The theme of the concert was “Diwali, The Festival Of Lights”.
The event was enthusiastically attended by about 600 leading members of the Indian diaspora from the fields of the arts and culture, entertainment, sports, finance, and medicine, among other fans.
The evening began with an address by IAAC board member Anurag Harsh,who thanked the patrons and IAAC members for supporting Indian arts. Chairman Dr. Nirmal Mattoo spoke of his long association with Amjadji.
This was followed by the lamp lighting ceremony to kick off the Diwali concert. Besides, the stage was lit with diyas and flowers giving a very festive appearance.
“The most charismatic performer of Indian Ragas…”
-The New York Times
THE CONCERT
The concert was in 3 sections.
The first section or the appetizer to the “main course” as his younger son Ayaan put it, was performed byhis sons, Amaan Ali Bangash (older) and Ayaan Ali Bangash (younger). They played Raag Jhinjhoti in 2 compositions with 91/2 beats and 16 beats.
The second set or the “main course” brought Khan Saheb, as he is popularly called, to the stage. Accompanying the Maestro on the stage were Anubrata Chatterjee, son and disciple of Pandit Anindo Chatterjee andAmit Kavthekar, disciple of Alla Rakha Khan Saheb and Ustad Zakir Hussain.
Commending IAAC for their service, he also spoke about his association with New York City,coming here as a young boy in 1963. “Music has connected the world and is the common expression of every human being” he said. It being Diwali, he decided on melodies played at the time of roshni, melodies that have the happiness of light and also sadness of entering a different world. He started with Raag Shyama Gauri with 14 beats time cycle.
The next piece played was Raag Saraswati, which is a rare raga, having no record of this raga on sarod and hence is difficult, technically. Another composition was Raag Durga. Both are named after goddesses and are so different musically, but they come with a beautiful message.
In addition, celebrations continued for #GandhiAt150 with the maestro playing a few songs popularized by Mahatma Gandhi.
left to right: Anubrata Chatterjee, Amaan Ali Bangash, Amjad Ali Khan, Ayaan Ali Bangash, Amit Kavthekar
Khan Saheb noted that most of the songs are based on language whether folk music, Dhrupad, Dhamar, Thumri etc. In the 13th century sufi saint Hazrat Amir Khusrau created the qawwali with many new instruments, new raagas. He created a new style of singing called tarana that doesn’t deal with language, so he created a language of music, of syllables. Khan Saheb having composed many taranas, sang one at the concert in Raag Bahar. His next piece was Raag Malkauns composition in Jhaptal 10 beats time cycle with a taarana of different kind.
In conclusion of his solo, he played the devotional songs which were also favorites of Mahatma Gandhi, Vaishnava Jana To and Ram Dhun.
In the third set, joining him on stage were his older son Amaan Ali Bangash and younger son Ayaan Ali Bangash. They played Raag Desh, a composition in a beautiful melody and the Bengali song by Tagore Ekla Chalo Re.
Amjad ji spoke to the audience, explaining the necessity to file his nails on stage, as there are grooves in his nails, after each item. Sarod cannot be played with fingertips and the musician needs to press with the edge of the fingernails to bring out the resonance, to bring out the human emotions.
Khan Saheb also spoke of Tagore, who was a great poet and also a great composer. The maestro had the honor of playing with the great singer Suchitra Mitraand had made an album of 10 songs of Tagore. Most of Tagore’s songs were based on Indian classical Ragas but Tagore took liberty with them. Only a genius can do that and only another genius such as Amjad Ali Khan Saheb can play as melodiously as he did this evening.
Ending the event, host Anurag Harsh, whom the maestro had praised earlier in the evening, wished the audience a very happy Diwali. The event was followed by a dinner and VIP reception.
Amaan Ali Bangash, Amjad Ali Khan, Ayaan Ali Bangash Photos / Courtesy IAAC.
ABOUT MAESTRO AMJAD ALI KHAN
He is India’s most celebrated classical musician and an undisputed master of the Sarod, a stringed instrument used in classical Indian music. He is the seventh generation of musicians playing the same instrument, being heir to a long and distinguished musical lineage. He gave his first performance at age six and has since performed his own compositions with the finest orchestras and ensembles in venues around the world, including an acclaimed performance at the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Norway. The Grammy-nominated musician has won many prestigious awards including the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum, UNICEF’s National Ambassadorship, and India’s prestigious awards, the Padma Vibhushan and the Sangeet Natak Academi award for music.
Based on his belief that music transcends all, he has broadened the appeal of Indian music and its spirit throughout the world, transcending race, region and generation. In the current political climate, there is even more reason to find commonality and feel inclusive. Human emotions are universal and are the common thread binding us as a community. Khan affirms “Since my childhood, I always wanted my instrument, the Sarod to be able to express the entire range of human emotions…to Sing, Shout, Whisper and cry. All the emotions! It has been a long journey so far and by the benevolence of the heavens, the Sarod has become far more expressive than it was 35 years ago.”
Khan has had a long association with New York. In his own words, “ New York holds a very special place in my heart and my association with this city goes back nearly fifty-five years. Today, I feel so happy to see the awareness and love that Indian music has generated over the period of time, especially in this part of the world.”
To learn more about Maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his sons, visit ww.sarod.com.
Aries:Ganesha says a marvelous of inspired activities and results follows last period’s similar one. The activities themselves will be many and varied – there’s nothing left out I could say. Home, family, parents and pets, dependents, work, performance, office, colleagues, social life, the arts and creative pursuits. You need to have the time and energy for it all, of course, but you’re genuinely inspired and can definitely handle it all. You do your best in this busy, very active phase. The main thrust and focus of all your activities will definitely be finances.
Taurus:Your schedule will be even more frantically busy. You’ve taken on a lot and are determined to do justice to do it all. This will be the way things are for most of the month ahead that is certain. If you were busy last period, now it’s something in a different league altogether. Work, family, socializing, partying, hectic lobbying, net – working – you name it. Rest and relaxation will therefore be vital and imperative on a regular basis to prevent a burnout. Prayers, meditation, tantra and mantra, religion and rituals will give solace, strength and inspiration. Love, romance, money matters, sheer unadulterated hard and slogging are what you’re busy with.
Gemini:Journeys and relationships and acquisitions all conspire to come together, and yet you are both enthused and happy as you cope. Not just cope, you will handle them rather brilliantly, despite your hectic schedule of activities. They will center around all/some of: travel, loans, sex, passion, funds, buying/selling/shopping, (these three most certainly) and reaching out to people Both professional networking and personal bonding will be equally important, equally valid in your mind.
Cancer: You will start implementing your new plan/scheme for living right from this period. Journeys, travels and/or mental growth take precedence in your schedule. You will embark on both with zest and great sincerity – a) as a true learning experience, and also b) as a means of contacts, relationships/ties. You have realized both the value and relevance of genuine bonding and are keen to have the best of it all. Your own siblings, relatives and people really close to you will come to mean much more and react well to you. You will also be drawn greatly to the much more elevated plane, to intellectual activities, education and higher studies, even research.
Leo: Another grand period, full of joys and achievements, Ganesha gives you much. Achievements, Accomplishments, wish-fulfilment, but at a price. There’s always a price, remember – there are no free lunches in life as they say. But you are both willing and able to say this price – effort, sincere commitment, and of course hard work. You will concentrate on increasing your influence and status as well as your bank balance, realizing that both matter equally to you. Money issue will be handled with both flair and wisdom, especially your resources, income so that you can maximize them. Expenses have to be addressed and dealt with.
Virgo: From the last period where you zeroed in on finances and achievements, you shift your focus to your good interactions and bonding with people you care for. Games, parties, ceremonies and functions, lots of publicity and lots of business activities. Your mood will be very focused on – loving, giving and sharing. It is truly this cementing of ties is probably what you enjoy the most, even at your party and socialize. Alongside, the mental stresses will continue in your money angle, and you’ll still have to give income and assets a lot of attention. Ganesha says – brokerage, commission agencies, ties and collaboration will all prove fulfilling.
Libra:You’re able to really relax, let go of your worries. Peace and harmony, striving for balance and Excellence, and above all, realizing the value and place of domestic commitments, will make you both happy and contented. Your personal, intimate life of love, and bonding, as well as family attachments and caring will be of paramount importance. You will try to seek and find these in love, romance, marriage, or in a relationship that brings the same kind of ties. Your own responses are strong too.
Scorpio:Your ties and bounds have been reinforced, and there has been quite a shift in your thinking and focus. All these lead you to enjoy rather than resent your daily round of activities – domestic chores and commitments/duties at home and at work, family and filial responsibilities will all be handled with sensitivity and grace to your own gain. The main thrust of activities will definitely deal with house, home, land, property, building or matters connected with all of the above.
Sagittarius: You’ve put your house in order, both literally and figuratively, over the past period. This period will therefore be really and truly time to relax and be happy. Have a load of fun, wine and dine your friends, be a happy host, enjoy life and above all live well, love well. More than assets, success, money you will realize that to make these meaningful, you need love, the warmth of companionship, and you will be going all out to get it. It’s what you feel will be your greatest achievement to date. This is the outcome of your changed attitude, in which you have the firm conviction and strong belief that marriage, romance, the joys of wedded bliss are much more your scene.
Capricorn:Your self-belief and confidence have increased, and you now feel a surge of power and greatness with Regard to passion, sex, finance, religion. Religion may take the form of ceremonies and praying for the living and the dead. You also need to build up your own mental and spiritual strengths, says Ganesha. They will be of help since there is a slight risk of ill health, or of accidents befalling you. This is something you have definitely to watch out for, guard against. Adequate precautions – of all kinds, not just physical or health wise, will need to be put in place. Even in your emotions and your relationships, adds Ganesha.
Aquarius: You’re both busy and active once again on the professional and social scenes, both. What this period will definitely bring in will be the 3 Fs of family, finance and food, and much more. A wide spectrum of business and professional transactions, deals and negotiations will have to be handled as well, along with the angles of money of high finances even should. As I explain, the threes Fs will be linked to form part of the whole, and on a large scale. You will be entertaining, attending or giving parties, being a good host/hostess, even dealing with dietetics and nutrition.
Pisces: You will need to pull out all the stops and not just work hard but think and plan ahead equally intensively. You will now find yourself entering extremely busy, involved, perhaps occasionally even confused phase, with much to do/cope with/handle. There will be both personal and professional issues to address. Some Compromises, too, will have to be worked out. You’ll have to do within your involvements with domestic pursuits and family matters, your children, and their affairs, and finally your own creativity, most especially. You’ll have to work at reconciling this last with all the huge demands on yourself that you will now perceive. To be fair, you do try to do your best.
The Democratic Party made a comeback in Tuesday’s midterm elections after spending two years in the political darkness, when it seized control of the House of Representatives. Yet, predictions of a “blue wave”, as a backlash to the racially charged, polarizing campaign led by President Donald Trump, failed to materialize. The Democrats secured control of the 435-member lower chamber of Congress, flipping at least 26 seats from their Republican incumbents. This outcome, which will likely give the Trump administration pause for thought on the policy agenda for the remainder of its tenure, ends one-party rule in Washington. Yet, Mr. Trump hailed the results as a “tremendous success”, alluding to the fact that Republicans gained at least two seats in the Senate, giving them a clear majority in the 100-seat upper chamber. Results among the 36 gubernatorial races favored Democrats: although Mr. Trump’s support paid off in some swing States crucial to his 2020 re-election campaign, including Florida, Iowa and Ohio, his party failed to hold on to power in Wisconsin and Michigan. Democrats flipped seven States out of Republican control. While the 2018 midterm election results tracked the typical historical pattern of the party controlling the White House facing setbacks on Capitol Hill, the voter split appeared to reflect the legacy of Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign. Republicans polled well in small towns and rural areas, while Democrats fared well in urban and suburban districts across the country. The Grand Old Party scored well in Senate races in Texas, Indiana, North Dakota and Missouri.
Does this mean that the bitter polarization, racial hatred and culture wars that buoyed Mr. Trump’s prospects in 2016 have become entrenched in American society? Perhaps, but what the Democratic sweep of the House implies is that the constitutionally mandated system of checks and balances will be actively in force from January 2019. This could come in the form of House subpoenas to the White House, impediments to the progress of the additional tax cut proposals of the White House, or even putting the brakes on hardline stances impacting trade policies. Democrats under the likely leadership of Representative Nancy Pelosi may be tempted to lead the charge on inquiries into some of the Trump Organization’s murkier business dealings, or the Robert Mueller-led investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. But for now the Democrats are unlikely to go as far as attempting to impeach Mr. Trump. And rightly so, for a sober assessment of the midterm election mandate would focus on jobs, healthcare, and immigration, issues that matter most to the common American. If bipartisanship, and not belligerence, emerges between the two sides, that might then afford some space to discuss concerns about the functioning of the U.S. democratic machine, including campaign finance laws, redistricting and voter suppression.
His temporary replacement, Matthew Whitaker, has expressed skepticism over the scope of the Russia investigation—which he’ll now oversee.
Intelligence and law-enforcement experts—as well as sitting members of Congress—have pointed out that the question of whether Russia has any kind of financial leverage over the president is highly relevant to determining whether Trump could have been coerced into conspiring with Moscow’s election interference in 2016. Indeed, several of the Justice Department and FBI officials who have investigated Trump’s campaign—and who have been attacked by Trump directly—have extensive experience in probing money laundering and organized crime, particularly as they pertain to Russia.
President Donald Trump has forced out Attorney General Jeff Sessions just one day after the midterm elections and after nearly a year of berating him for recusing himself from the Justice Department’s Russia investigation. His temporary replacement—Matthew Whitaker, his chief of staff—is now effectively Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s new boss. But he’s expressed repeated skepticism over the scope of Mueller’s inquiry in the past, raising immediate questions about whether he will try to limit it.
Trump, who has been unsparing in publicly castigating his own Cabinet official, had been hinting that he would ask for Sessions’s resignation following the elections. Privately, Trump has reportedly called him an “idiot” and said that hiring him was a mistake. He first asked Sessions to resign following Mueller’s appointment to lead the probe in May 2017, according to The New York Times, but then wouldn’t accept his resignation.
Legal experts and political strategists who have either worked directly with the president or observed his behavior from afar attributed Trump’s reluctance to fire Sessions to two major considerations: fears in the White House that the move would cost the president support among GOP voters and members of Congress, who generally like and support Sessions, and the risk of provoking further allegations of obstruction of justice—both of which could deepen the challenges already facing the administration.
Elie Honig, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, told me that Trump’s decision to oust Sessions and replace him with Whitaker probably wouldn’t be considered an obstructive act in and of itself. But it could add to the “totality of the circumstances” surrounding a series of moves Trump has taken to try to stymie the Russia investigation since early last year, Honig said, including his firing of former FBI Director James Comey and his attacks on Sessions.
David Kris, a founder of Culper Partners who served as the assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s National Security Division from 2009 to 2011, said it was “obvious” that Trump was motivated “by his well-expressed feelings of dislike toward the Mueller investigation. There can be no serious question about that.” Kris, like Honig, said that ousting Sessions and appointing Whitaker “could be another element in a bill of particulars” used by prosecutors to specify the ways that Trump “has used the powers of the presidency toward a corrupt end.”
With the midterms out of the way, however, Trump evidently feels freer to make changes to his Cabinet, regardless of how it may be perceived by investigators who have been closely examining his behavior for signs of corrupt intent with regard to the Russia investigation over the last 18 months.
Whitaker will be the acting attorney general until a permanent replacement is nominated, Trump tweeted on Wednesday, and he’ll be overseeing the Mueller investigation directly in his new post. While he has touted Mueller’s character—“There is no honest person that sits in the world of politics, in the world of law, that can find anything wrong with Bob Mueller,” he told CNN last year—he seems to have already formed an opinion on the probe itself. In a tweet, Whitaker said an article that characterized Mueller’s investigators as a “lynch mob” was a “must read,” and he told CNN that if Sessions were fired, his replacement could “reduce” Mueller’s budget in such a way that it would grind his investigation almost to a halt. He also shared an article on Twitter that explored the process by which Trump could fire Mueller, said in a radio interview that “there is no criminal obstruction-of-justice charge to be had” against Trump, and defended the Trump campaign’s decision to meet with Russian nationals to obtain dirt on Hillary Clinton—a meeting Mueller has been closely examining. “You would always take the meeting,” Whitaker told CNN last year. “You certainly want to have any advantage, any legal advantage you can.” Whitaker is also friendly with Sam Clovis—a key grand-jury witness in the Mueller probe—and chaired his state-treasurer campaign in 2014.
Whitaker most clearly expressed his view of the Mueller probe in an op-ed last year, writing that the inquiry had gone “too far,” and arguing that the president’s personal finances were a “red line” that the special counsel had come “dangerously close to crossing.” (Mueller subpoenaed the Trump Organization earlier this year, but it is not clear which documents his team had requested. ) Whitaker added that “investigating Donald Trump’s finances or his family’s finances falls completely outside of the realm of his 2016 campaign and allegations that the campaign coordinated with the Russian government or anyone else. That goes beyond the scope of the appointment of the special counsel.”
In reality, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein gave Mueller a fairly broad mandate when he appointed him following Sessions’s recusal in May 2017: Mueller was free to investigate not only Russia’s election interference and potential coordination between Trump’s campaign and Moscow, but “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation” as well. Mueller has also been farming out aspects of the investigation to prosecutors in New York and Washington, D.C., that don’t fall squarely within his mandate.
Moreover, intelligence and law-enforcement experts—as well as sitting members of Congress—have pointed out that the question of whether Russia has any kind of financial leverage over the president is highly relevant to determining whether Trump could have been coerced into conspiring with Moscow’s election interference in 2016. Indeed, several of the Justice Department and FBI officials who have investigated Trump’s campaign—and who have been attacked by Trump directly—have extensive experience in probing money laundering and organized crime, particularly as they pertain to Russia.
David Laufman, a former high-ranking DOJ official who oversaw parts of the Russia investigation in his role as chief of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, said Trump’s “installation of a political loyalist who previously questioned the merits of the special counsel investigation must be viewed precisely for what it is: a preliminary assault on the special counsel’s latitude to complete his essential work and by extension on the rule of law.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday, following Sessions’s resignation, that Whitaker “should recuse himself from” the Russia probe “for the duration of his time as acting attorney general” given his previous comments “advocating defunding and imposing limitations on the Mueller investigation.” Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings, who is set to chair the House Oversight Committee when the new Congress convenes next year, called Whitaker’s supervision of the Russia probe “wholly inappropriate” and told the Justice Department to preserve documents in preparation for an inquiry into his appointment. House Democrats could also opt to subpoena Whitaker to testify under oath once they take power in January.
Trump’s move could still backfire. Without the administration’s protection, Sessions may now find himself both more vulnerable and more inclined to cooperate with Mueller, who has been investigating a period last summer when Trump privately discussed firing Sessions and attacked him in a series of tweets. At one point, the FBI opened an investigation into whether Sessions perjured himself in congressional testimony when he said he had no contact with Russians during the campaign. “It’s possible that Sessions will now be either angry or, at a minimum, no longer feel any need to curry favor with the president,” Kris said. Sessions’s conversations during the campaign with former Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and the Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos have been closely scrutinized by the special counsel, moreover, and Sessions’s campaign-era interactions with Trump would not be covered by executive privilege, Kris noted.
Sessions had mostly laid low in the face of the president’s taunts, but he’s not shied away from defending himself when necessary. “I took control of the Department of Justice the day I was sworn in,” he said in August. “While I am attorney general, the actions of the Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations. I demand the highest standards, and where they are not met, I take action.”
(The author is a staff writer at The Atlantic where she covers national security and the intelligence community)
(First published in The Atlantic, Nov 7. Republished courtesy The Atlantic)
“Modi with his mismanagement of economy and administration has brought the biggest insult and miseries to Indians with India now ranking 103rd out of 119 countries on the Global Hunger Index 2018. In 2014 India used to rank 55th on GHI. India stood 103rd on the Global Hunger Index along with Nigeria and has been categorized as a country with ‘serious levels of hunger’,”says the author.
According to Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), there are currently nearly 31 million unemployed Indians looking for jobs. CMIE is a board that tracks business and economic data of the country.
5 states with highest unemployment rate in descending order are; Tripura 39.1%, Chhattisgarh 22.2%, Haryana 17.6%, Chandigarh 15%, Himachal 14% and all 5 are ruled by the BJP.
5 states with lowest unemployment rates in ascending order are; Telangana 0.4%, Karnataka 0.8%, Tamilnadu 1.9%, Uttarakhand 2.4%, Puducherry 3.5%, except Uttarakhand that is ruled by BJP, rest 4 are ruled by opposition parties.
If there can be a grade below “F” in economy management and general administration Modi deserves to be awarded that grade for ruining Indian economy, general administration and above all peace and harmony among different sections of the Indian society. Modi inherited the economy when it was on an upswing, and oil prices were sliding down. His predecessor PM Singh steered the economy through the difficult Great Recession that practically bankrupted the world economy in 2008. Under him India made a commendable comeback averaging a GDP growth rate of 8.2 per cent (2004-014) despite steeply rising crude oil prices. Modi is still below this at 7.2 % average with a few months left of his 5 years term. That too after changing the base year for GDP calculation to 2010-11 from 2004-05 — the benchmark used under PM Singh. If previous bench mark is used for Modi than GDP growth rate will come down to below 5% and if Modi benchmark is used for Singh; than growth rate will be 10.4% under PM Singh!
India has become a laughing stock around the world because Modi is in perpetual election mode blurring rhetoric’s and no actions along with promoting Savarkar/Golwalkar’s understanding of religion to divide India. Truth, facts, reality, data, problems, challenges, genuine issues have become meaningless for Modi. Some of the world-renowned economist has ranked his government probably the worst ever in governance standards for his mindless demonetization to rob the poor, ill planned GST implementation with over 213 amendments in its first year, negligible to no recoveries by banks under NPA aka Bad Loans that has gone up to USD 135.6 Billion under Modi from USD 27 Billion in 2014, Aadhaar execution and foreign policy etc.
Foreign portfolio investors have withdrawn over USD 7.1 Billion in the first quarter of 2018-19. Under Modi Rupee that was 63.38 to a 1 USD in 2014 as of Oct 31, 2018 was trading at 74.02 to 1 USD; a whopping 16% devaluation. 52 per cent of India’s Foreign Exchange reserves are short-term foreign currency debt maturing this fiscal year which makes India highly vulnerable, especially when US Fed is raising interest rates to cool down the US economy from overheating and inflation.
Modi with his mismanagement of economy and administration has brought the biggest insult and miseries to Indians with India now ranking 103rd out of 119 countries on the Global Hunger Index 2018. In 2014 India used to rank 55th on GHI. India stood 103rd on the Global Hunger Index along with Nigeria and has been categorized as a country with ‘serious’ levels of hunger.
The World Bank released its first report on Human Capital Index (HCI) on Oct. 18, 2018, which placed India at the 115th position, lower than Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh. The report ranked 157 economies on parameters like child mortality, health and education. Singapore topped the list after it was highly rated for its universal healthcare system, education exams results and life expectancy figures, followed by South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Finland.
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Recent Oxfam survey showed that that the share of the wealth of the richest 1% persons had increased to 73% this year. According to the survey, India’s poorest saw their wealth rising by one percent during the same period. In 2014 when Modi came to power the share of the 1% richest persons was 49%. A 25% gain for the wealthy in 4 years of Modi!
On the other hand under Singh, India lifted a miraculous 271 million out of poverty establishing irrevocably that “inclusive growth model”, is the most suitable option for India. Under Modi rule only his Crony Capitalist and Religious Gurus turned Crony Capitalist friends; their net worth has grown from 100% to 200%. None of these industrialist or Religious Gurus have ever invented anything; they have become rich by getting free access to PSU Banks aka public money, natural resources like oil, gas, minerals including land belonging to Indians and by exploiting or getting changed the trade & commerce policies to their advantage by bribing the politicians across the aisle.
According to a report by Centre for Sustainable Employment of the Azim Premji University; “The current rate of unemployment is the highest seen in India in the last 20 years.” This shortage of jobs is compounded by depressed wages, with 82% of men and 92% of women earning less than Rs 10,000 per month. The report also notes that the growth in GDP hasn’t resulted in a commensurate increase in employment.
A 10% increase in GDP now results in less than 1% increase in employment,” says the study. “Nationally, 67% of households reported monthly earnings of up to Rs 10,000 in 2015. In comparison, the minimum salary recommended by the Seventh Central Pay Commission (CPC) is Rs 18,000 per month. This suggests that a large majority of Indians are not being paid what may be termed a living wage, and it explains the intense hunger for government jobs,” the report observes. Worryingly, it adds that 90% of industries even in the organized manufacturing sector “pay wages below the CPC minimum. The situation is worse in the unorganized sector”.
According to Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), there are currently nearly 31 million unemployed Indians looking for jobs. CMIE is a board that tracks business and economic data of the country.
5 states with highest unemployment rate in descending order are; Tripura 39.1%, Chhattisgarh 22.2%, Haryana 17.6%, Chandigarh 15%, Himachal 14% and all 5 are ruled by the BJP.
5 states with lowest unemployment rates in ascending order are; Telangana 0.4%, Karnataka 0.8%, Tamilnadu 1.9%, Uttarakhand 2.4%, Puducherry 3.5%, except Uttarakhand that is ruled by BJP, rest 4 are ruled by opposition parties.
According to mathematician Anand Kumar, founder of Super 30 educational program for the underprivileged; “In India, there is a huge craving for education, but quality education is not accessible to all of them. There is no dearth of talent in India, but equal opportunities in terms of quality education and modern-day requirements often eluded a large number of students.” But for Modi with dubious educational record of his own, hardly educated ministers and the states ruled by his party BJP; “Education is not on their priority list.” Only Kerala ruled by left front and Delhi ruled by AAP in India had made “Education” a priority under their governance. Modi can spend almost a USD 1 Billion on 2 statues of Sardar Patel & Shivaji but not on Education! In the name of education he can grant $135 Million, subsidized land and “Institute of Eminence” status to yet to be born Jio Institute of his friend Mukesh Ambani a crony Capitalist that has grown from $19 billion to $43 Billion in net worth under Modi. Funniest part is Ambani group companies have no experience or expertise in the field of Education. Their experience is in how to get easy money/funding and natural wealth like oil wells, spectrum, land, mining rights etc. and defense contracts at terms favoring to them not to the owners the “Indian Public”. Team Modi is spreading lies and misinformation for last 41/2 years by using people’s money through ads in India’s morbid media: They have been shouting from the roof tops in India and the world arena that “India has superseded China as the world’s fastest growing economy. The fact is in 2017 India’s GDP was $2.59 Trillion and China’s $12.24 Trillion that is almost 5 times the Indian GDP. Per Capita GDP for China is $8,827.00 and for India it is $1,940.00 that is almost 1/5 of China. India’s Military spending was $63.9 billion, and China spent $228 billion almost 4 times than India. For India to take over China’s per capita GDP, the Indian economy needs to grow more than 30 percent annually. At the present rate of 6.1% at which Indian economy is growing it will take more than 125 years for India to match China’s success story. (Ashok Swain professor of Peace & Conflict Research at Uppsala University, Sweden)
India Under Modi is heading for the biggest humanitarian crisis:Modi’s moral police is more concerned with the length of a prominent celebrity women’s skirt or cleavage exposure or cows being transported or beef being consumed or love-Jihad or anti-Romeo squads than the lack of healthcare for the poor, modern education and employment opportunities for the youth or the unabated farmer suicides or rampant unemployment. The worst is cow transporters and beef eaters can be lynched to death by cow vigilantes with impunity from the government. The people’s courts dispensing instant justice without a trial and lynch mobs carry out the execution. Modi was describedby Katrina Lantos-Swett, vice-chair of the influential US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) as the “poster child for India’s failure to punish the violent”. Cow protection has taken higher precedence over the right to life of humans. More precious resources are being directed for unproductive cow sheds, money to feed them, hospitals and ambulances than for the basic health care facilities for poor human beings. They don’t even get transportation for their dead loved ones from the hospitals.
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Earlier, India was compared with modernizing countries like China, but today India is being bracketed with regressive Islamic fundamentalist regimes. India’s international image on being democratic, secular and scientific has been seriously dented. Modi himself gave examples of Karan and Ganesh to support the claim that cosmetic surgery and genetic science existed in India thousands of years ago. The first head transplant that of Lord Ganesh was done in India! An analysis of 198 countries by the Pew Research Center finds India is the fourth-worst country in the world for religious intolerance and violence. Only three countries – Syria, Nigeria and Iraq – are before India in this name-and-shame list, and even Pakistan fares much better than India on this front, being in the tenth position.
According to a very prominent economist, former High Commissioner to UK, journalist, author, human rights activist and former BJP Federal Minister Arun Shourie; current problems in India reflects “The Gujarat Model.”No Cabinet functions there and no cabinet functions here. The state legislature was reduced to impotence and irrelevance. The Parliament has been reduced to impotence and irrelevance. The judiciary was subordinated there and judiciary has been subordinated here. The Agencies and Police forces were made into Private Forces and Private Armies. That has been done here. It is exactly “The Gujarat Model.”
He further added that Modi invoke God and says it is God who has willed in whatever he is doing citing “Higher Purpose”. If anybody gets hurt, if any institution suffered upon or country is being torn apart; it is done for “Higher Purpose”. Modi has become the Agent of God!
All the above points to that Indian’s have been let down again byits morbid media, economist, intellectuals, religious, business & political leaders across the aisle. Whatever little integrity was left of them under Congress; that has been reduced to Zero rather negative under Modi. Barring a few dozen journalist, intellectuals, economist, religious & political leaders; the millions from the privileged class that could have spoken against the Modi’s atrocious regime either have been bribed to keep quiet rather to praise Modi government and some have chosen to keep quite under the extreme fear created by Modi supporters that any criticism of Modi regime is anti-national.
Behind most neighbors
Modi regime is propagating, encouraging and protecting misguided Hindus to impose their personal Hindutva beliefs on other Hindus as well as on non-Hindus. Some of their beliefs are indefensibly hateful and insulting, and do not concur with Hinduism.
It is a lesson for Indian voters as well as other voters around the world that they cannot vote for development only if it does not include tolerance, human rights, healthy debates on important issues like education, healthcare, employment, inclusive economics and progressive politics. Unfortunately Indians voted for Modi for his exclusive promise of development in 2014 that even after his 41/2 years of rule is nowhere to be seen rather country is facing a grim reality of biggest humanitarian crisis in the near future because of extreme poverty, massive unemployment, lack of healthcare, intolerance, fewer economic & education opportunities for majority of the population.
(Compiled by the author with inputs from eminent scholars, historians & journalists. The author is a New Jersey based social activist. He can be reached at davemakkar@yahoo.com)
WASHINGTON(TIP): A record high number of immigrants were ordered to be removed from the U.S. in 2018, a rise that many immigration advocates call the culmination of nearly two years of anti-immigration measures from the Trump administration. The president made immigration a central focus of the midterm election campaign.
Immigration officials ordered 287,741 new deportations in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018, according to the report from Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). TRAC obtained the data from the Department of Homeland Security through Freedom of Information Act requests.
It’s the highest number of new removal filings since the group began tracking deportation orders in 1992.
According to TRAC’s data, the most common reason for new deportations was “entry without inspection,” accounting for 42.5 percent of new deportees. This group includes any undocumented individual living in the U.S. who hasn’t declared themselves to immigration officials, Mackler said.
Just over 5 percent of new removal filings were based on aggravated felony charges, and 1.3 percent were on the basis of possible terrorist ties, according to data compiled by TRAC.
Immigrants from Mexico were the most frequently expelled nationality, accounting for just over 26 percent, or 73,339, new removal filings.
Migrants from three Central American nations — including Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras — together accounted for nearly half of all new deportation filings, or 130,667 cases, according to TRAC’s report. Those countries, wracked by violence and economic hardship, are the source of the migrant caravan currently making its way north through Mexico to the U.S. border.
Courts in Texas ordered more new deportations than any other state, ordering 60,431 new removals in the year ending September 30. Texas courts have led the number of new deportations since 2008, according to TRAC.
THOUSAND OAK CITY, CA(TIP): A US Marine veteran dressed in black sprayed bullets inside a crowded dance bar popular with college students Wednesday, November 7 night, killing at least 12 persons, including a police officer, Sgt. Ron Helus, here in a ‘horrific’ mass shooting incident, reminiscent of Oct. 1, 2017 shootings in Las Vegas where 64-year-old Stephen Paddock broke through the window of his suite at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and fired at 22,000 people gathered at the country music concert, resulting in the death of 58 persons.
Besides the 12 killed, twenty-one persons were hurt. They were taken to area hospitals where they were treated for their injuries and released.
Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean identified the gunman as 28-year-old Ian David Long, a retired Marine who served in Afghanistan. The suspect used a .45 caliber Glock handgun during the shooting, Dean said.
Long, who shot himself, was dead when officers made entry into the bar, Dean said as he described the shooting incident as ‘horrific’.
He said the motive of the shooter is still unclear. He was known to authorities for minor crimes. The shooter was on active duty with the US Marine Corps from August 2008 to March 2013, according to Department of Defense records. He also served in Afghanistan from November 2010 to June 2011.
Sheriff Sgt. Ron Helus was among the first to arrive on the scene, entering the bar with a California Highway Patrol officer. Helus exchanged gunfire with the suspect before being shot multiple times. He later died at a hospital.
The tragedy left a community that is annually listed as one of the safest cities in America reeling. Shootings of any kind are extremely rare in Thousand Oaks, a city of about 130,000 people about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from Los Angeles, just across the county line.
Scores of people stood in line for hours to donate blood for the wounded, and all morning, people looking for missing friends and relatives arrived at a community center where authorities and counselors were informing the next-of-kin of those who died. Many people walked past TV cameras with blank stares or tears in their eyes. In the parking lot, some comforted each other with hugs or a pat on the back.
It was the nation’s deadliest such attack since 17 students and teachers were killed at a Parkland, Florida, high school nine months ago. It also came less than two weeks after a gunman massacred 11 people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.
Democratic Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, in his first public appearance since winning office on Tuesday, lamented the violence that has come again to California.
“It’s a gun culture,” he said. “You can’t go to a bar or nightclub? You can’t go to church or synagogue? It’s insane is the only way to describe it. The normalization, that’s the only way I can describe it. It’s become normalized.”
President Donald Trump praised police for their “great bravery” in the attack and ordered flags flown at half-staff in honor of the victims.
Authorities searched Long’s home in Newbury Park, about 5 miles from the Borderline bar, for clues to what set him off.
“There’s no indication that he targeted the employees. We haven’t found any correlation,” the sheriff said. “Maybe there was a motive for this particular night, but we have no information leading to that at all.”
Long was in the Marines from 2008 to 2013, rose to the rank of corporal and served in Afghanistan in 2010-11 before he was honorably discharged, the military said. Court records show he married in 2009 and was divorced in 2013.
Authorities said he had no criminal record, but in April officers were called to his home, where deputies found him angry and acting irrationally. The sheriff said officers were told he might have PTSD because of his military service. A mental health specialist met with him and didn’t feel he needed to be hospitalized.
WASHINGTON(TIP): President Donald Trump on Wednesday, November 7, sacked US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, virtually taking operational control of a sensitive probe into foreign interference in the 2016 election and the possibility of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
For months, Trump publicly attacked Sessions for recusing himself from overseeing the probe in 2017 and blamed his decision for allowing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appoint a special counsel.
Trump said Sessions will be temporarily replaced by his chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker, who is a Republican loyalist. Now, with Whitaker at the helm, Trump has someone leading the Justice Department who has already suggested that Mueller’s probe should be reined in.
CBS News reported that Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein is no longer leading the Mueller inquiry, and that Whitaker will now assume control.
In a tweet on Wednesday Trump said: “We are pleased to announce that Matthew G Whitaker, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Department of Justice, will become our new Acting Attorney General of the US. He will serve our country well (sic).”
“We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service and wish him well! A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date,” he tweeted.
Observers opine that Trump’s move will have potential implication on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe as Whitaker has been overtly critical of the Mueller’s team to investigate beyond allegations Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia in 2016 and other ties between the President, his family and aides, and Kremlin.
Questions are also being raised about the validity of appointment of Whitaker as Acting Attorney General.
Meanwhile, thousands, on November 8, took to streets asking Whitaker to recuse himself from Mueller investigation.
The coming days are likely to witness an interesting tug of war between Republicans and Democrats on the issue of Mueller Investigation.
New York Attorney Ravi Batra described Jeff Sessions as a man of honor.
“Attorney General Jeff Sessions is a man of honor – he honored his oath to the Constitution, and then he honored the president of the United States in faithfully discharging the laws of the United States. The uncomfortable tension between the attorney general and the president speaks to American exceptionalism. Indeed, it is dissent itself that serves to ‘check and balance’, so that we may form a more perfect nation.”
Record number of women win; Four Indian Americans re-elected to House
WASHINGTON(TIP): US President Donald Trump has described the midterm election results as a “tremendous success” even as opposition Democrats wrested the House of Representatives from the ruling Republican party, which managed to retain its majority in the Senate in the highly polarized polls.
Trump, who campaigned aggressively in the last several weeks, Wednesday, November 7, offered an olive branch to Democrats, saying he wanted to work together with the Democratic leadership to continue delivering for the American people, including on economic growth, infrastructure, trade, lowering the cost of prescription drugs.
“Last night the Republican Party defied history to expand our Senate majority while significantly beating expectations in the House for the midterm year,” Trump told reporters, hours after the Republicans lost control of the House for the first time in eight years.
“These are some of the things that the Democrats do want to work on, and I really believe we’ll be able to do that. I think we’re going to have a lot of reason to do it,” he said as he termed the midterm poll results as a “tremendous success”.
The Democrats now have majority in the 435-member House, while Trump’s party has retained majority in the 100-member Senate.
At the time of going to press, late November 8 night, Democrats had won 229 House seats with Republicans getting 199, while 11 were still undecided.
Democrats polled 52% of votes in an election which has sent 99 women to the House, surpassing the previous record of 84 women elected to the House.
In the Senate, Democrats won 46 seats, a loss of 2 seats while Republicans won 51, a gain of 2 seats. 3 remain to be decided
The statements from the Democratic party leaders after the results indicated it would make it tough for President Trump, who wants major legislative changes on some of his signature issues including immigration, tax and healthcare reforms.
By capturing the House of Representatives, the Democrats may exert a major institutional check on Trump and break the Republican monopoly in Washington.
In the House of Representatives, the Democrats seized at least 30 seats from Republican hands, enough for the majority in the 435-membered chamber. In the outgoing House, the Republicans had 235 seats while the Democrats 193.
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi hopes to return as Speaker when the new Democratic majority takes over in January. After House win, the top Democrat in the US House of Representatives pledged a new era of congressional scrutiny over President Donald Trump, shrugging off White House threats of political warfare if Democrats launch investigations into his affairs.
Emboldened Democrats want healthcare protected and Trump impeached.
Democrats have a clear message for party leaders who will take control of the US House of Representatives next year, according to a Reuters/Ipsos national opinion poll: Protect their healthcare and impeach President Donald Trump.
The poll released on Thursday, November 8, found that 43 per cent of people who identified as Democrats want impeachment to be a top priority for Congress. That goal was second in priority only to healthcare
Party leaders on Wednesday, November 7, vowed to use their majority to impose a new level of scrutiny on the Trump White House, but said impeachment would require evidence of action to subvert the Constitution.
A divided country has much to worry in the coming months, even as the Republicans and Democrats head for a collision course.
Xfinity X1 Customers Can Easily Access the Destination by Saying “South Asian Entertainment” into the X1 Voice Remote
PHILADELPHIA, PA (TIP): Comcast, on October 15, announced that from October 15 – November 15, Xfinity TV customers will have access to a specially curated collection of over 370 hours of South Asian entertainment in celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights that coincides with the Hindu New Year. Customers can say “South Asian Entertainment” into the X1 voice remote to access the Rangoli-themed destination, including:
A free preview of Eros Now On Demand from November 1-7, including South Asian movies like Sniff and Munna Michael.
Streaming movies like The Tiger Hunter and Miss India America on Netflix, which is now integrated on X1.
A collection of TV programming from India network favorites such as Zee TV, Sony Entertainment Television, STAR India PLUS, TV Asia, STAR BHARAT, STAR India GOLD, NDTV 24×7 and NDTV Good Times, plus sports content through Willow.
A unique on demand video featuring a burning Diya to play on the TV during Diwali celebrations.
Stingray Music Videos such as: Dochey: A.R. Rahman Feat Shreya Ghoshal and Lady Kash and Krissy; Sonu Nigam: Bole Chudiyan; Bally Sagoo: Dil Cheez; and Alka Yagnik & Sonu Nigam: Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.
“We’re proud to offer the most international content from around the globe with over 415 networks in more than 20 languages year-round,” said Rebecca Simpson, Executive Director International Strategy. “Diwali is now upon us and we’re thrilled to join the festivities by offering our On Demand Diwali destination, giving customers access to a comprehensive library of films, a beautiful Diya video, music, and hundreds of South Asian channels – underscoring our commitment to provide the largest international offering in the industry along with a truly unique and easy to navigate user experience.”
In addition to the Xfinity On Demand Diwali programming, Comcast is partnering with the Shah twins to celebrate Diwali in style. Poonam and Priyanka Shah are viral internet sensations who have wowed audiences with their unique Indo-American choreography, modeling and now acting. The Shah twins will be performing at select Xfinity stores in Ashburn, VA on November 2nd, Union City, CA on November 3rd and Sugar Land, TX on November 4th. Their Comcast Xfinity commercial can be accessed online and in Xfinity stores across the country.
About Comcast
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation’s largest video, high-speed internet, and phone providers to residential customers under the Xfinity brand, and also provides these services to businesses. It also provides wireless and security and automation services to residential customers under the Xfinity brand. NBCUniversal operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures and Universal Parks and Resorts. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.
WASHINGTON DC. (TIP): The National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA), an organization of several Indian American groups, will host a three-day conference in Tysons, Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC, from November 16 to 19.
A number of NFIA members from different parts of the country will discuss issues pertaining to Indian Americans at the event, the organization said in a press release.
WHAT: NFIA Convention WHERE: Sheraton Tysons Hotel, Tysons, VA WHEN: November 16-18, 2018
The theme of the conference will be “NFIA and Indian Americans: We’re going places.”
The event will include seminars, banquets, cultural programs and opportunities for delegates to network, the release said.
The convention will be held under the leadership of NFIA President Sudip Gorakshakar of Artesia, Calif., Convener Pooja Thomre and Secretary Lavanya Reddy.
The release four co-conveners that will oversee the event: Angela Anand from Virginia, Y.N. Gupta from Maryland, Pat Patnaik from California and Raj Razdan from Georgia.
NFIA was founded in 1980, by Dr. Abraham Thomas, among others, with the goal of unifying the Indian American community by coordinating and promoting the activities of its member associations throughout the United States.
NEVADA(TIP): A multi-faith service to express “Solidarity with Pittsburgh and the Jewish Community” was held at Temple Emanu-El, Nevada’s oldest Jewish congregation, in Reno, on October 30 evening.
Few hundred religious-community-civic leaders and others from northern Nevada attended the service. It included various prayers, remarks, candle-lighting, etc.
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, and who spoke on the occasion; recited Gayatri Mantra, considered the most sacred mantra in Hinduism, in Sanskrit and most of those gathered recited after him.
“At the very end of every struggle comes a precious reward that is worth all your blood, sweat and tears.” ― Edmond Mbiaka
Ranju Batra, Chair of Diwali Stamp Project, now also Chair of Diwali Foundation USA recalled with relish and pride the notification USPS issued on October 5, 2016. She showed it to The Indian Panorama reporter who had visited her to know how she felt now that the Diwali stamp was two-year-old and was one of the hottest selling Forever stamps.
The notification read: “The U.S. Postal Service commemorated the joyous Hindu festival of Diwali by dedicating the Diwali Forever stamp today (October 5, 2016). The first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony took place at the Consulate General of India in New York City.
The public is asked to share the news using the hashtag #DiwaliStamp.
“The Postal Service is honored to issue this Forever stamp that celebrates the Festival of Diwali,” said U.S. Postal Service Vice President of Mail Entry and Payment Technology Pritha Mehra. “We hope these stamps will light up millions of cards and letters as they make their journey through the mailstream.”
Ranju speaking at the United Nations , December 11, 2017, on the occasion of giving away of “Power of the One” awards Photo / Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
An overwhelmed Ranju Batra had then commented: “While this journey may have taken years, the Postal Service has issued a Diwali stamp that will continue to resonate forever.”
“Now for the first time there is a stamp that celebrates Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists as Americans forever. Our heartfelt thanks to all of those who have supported this stamp. The Diwali stamp will be a matter of pride for generations to come”, Ms Batra said.
Her man, Ravi Batra, always supportive of his wife had said on the launch of the Forever Stamp on October 5 , at the Indian Consulate: “Since the start of the American Revolution, destiny has beckoned the United States and India to be the closest allies. The Diwali Forever stamp represents nothing short of respectful inclusive indivisibility: E Pluribus Unum — within America and between the two sovereigns.”
Well, it is history. All that the people now know is there is a beautiful stamp with a lighted diya, symbolic of the most popular festival of Diwali, and it fills Indians with pride and joy to have the kind of unique recognition of their culture in the US.
Diwali is a festival to celebrate victory of good over evil, of virtue over vice. It is a day of celebration of unity, like the unified flame of the diya.
Recalling her struggle for a Diwali stamp, Ranju said it was a grim struggle. At times, she felt frustrated. Even thought of giving up. But something in her told her to go on , and on, until the goal is achieved. And in this, support of her husband Ravi Batra made all the difference.
Ambassadors, including India’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Syed Akbaruddin, light the lamp to inaugurate the Power of One Award Photo / Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
Of the many meetings she had with a number of officials and politicians, she referred to the one in particular. It was a meeting in Washington, D.C., with the USPS team, that had been facilitated by Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney two weeks before the dedication ceremony, Batra said: ‘They asked me, ‘You were saying all along that the stamp is going to sell a whole lot, do you still believe that so many stamps are going to sell?’ I said, ‘Of course’, and they also asked me if I’d be willing to sell stamps on their behalf.”
She did, and by doing so, she created a history of sorts when she single-handedly sold 170,000 Diwali stamps.
“No other stamp has sold as much on day one as the Diwali stamp in USPS’ 200-year history,” Batra said, noting that the postal service does not authorize any single person or an entity to sell stamps on their behalf, but this was one of the exceptions.
Batra said that in 2016, shortly after the stamp came out, she personally visited several post offices and requested them to display a sample at their respective offices.
The Diwali stamps are here to stay, stated Batra, adding that she has initiated a drive to check the availability of these stamps at every post office in the country. Her goal, she said, is to keep the light of the Diwali stamp shining bright.
“Two things are close to my heart, the Diwali stamp and Diwali holiday. I’ve already started working towards the holiday.”
Recalling the more than two-decade-long uphill battle undertaken by several Indian American community leaders/members before her to get the approval, Batra said that she was told it was a lost cause since their efforts yielded no results.
“I kept asking myself, ‘How is it possible that they are issuing other stamps but refusing to issue Diwali stamps when there are so many Indians and they are trying so hard?’ Then I found out they were trying the wrong way,” said Batra.
In a meeting with the USPS officials, arranged by Maloney, Batra said she questioned them about what could be done to set the ball rolling.
“They said, ‘Ranju, a postage stamp goes on paper.’ We were collecting signatures online. They could not care less. They want their stamps to be sold and we wanted our Diwali stamp.”
She then enlisted the help of other community members/organizations – who had put in years of hard work into this campaign – and started working towards a common goal.
“It wasn’t an online petition. We created paper petitions…it was going person to person, explaining them what we were doing, having their signatures, addresses…,” said Batra. “It wasn’t just Hindus or Indians. It was Christians, Muslims, Chinese, Koreans…Not a single person said they didn’t want to.”
In her final petition, which featured images of stamps celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, and Eid, among others, she wrote: “We are very happy that you have issued all these stamps, and now it’s time for a Diwali stamp.”
“I kept pushing them to issue a Diwali stamp,” said Batra. “And finally, they heard it.”
Batra said that the Diwali stamp isn’t just a stamp, it represents something much larger.
“I feel the Diwali stamp is not just a celebration of a religion or a nation, but it is the spirit of inclusiveness and cultural understanding that it represents. I’m happy to say that Diwali stamp is here, and it is here forever. This will be a matter of pride for generations to come.”
“In this digital age, a small piece of paper called Diwali stamp celebrates the heritage of over a billion people. To me, Diwali stamp gives out a message of human unity and peace. I’d say Diwali has really put its stamp on America,” added Batra.
Ambassador Lakshmi Puri (extreme left) , one of the recipients of the maiden award “Power of One” instituted by Diwali Foundation USA in collaboration with Belarus, Georgia and India, is seen with Ranju Batra, Ravi Batra, and UN diplomats, including India’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Syed Akbaruddin Photo / Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
In 2017, Diwali Stamp made its way to the United Nations. On December 11, 2017, Belarus, Georgia and India joined with Diwali Foundation USA, as Co-Organizers, to bestow “Power of One” Awards – essentially the “Oscars of Diplomacy” upon six exceptional diplomats: Amb. Maged Abdelaziz, Amb. Ion Botnaru, Amb. Lakshmi Puri, Amb. Matthew Rycroft, Amb. Nawaf Salam, & Amb. Yuriy Sergeyev.
This historic event was co-sponsored by Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Botswana, Cyprus, France, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Malta, Morocco, Republic of Korea, Romania, Slovakia, Spain,
Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Permanent Observer State of Palestine, and International Atomic Energy Agency-NY.
Ranju takes legitimate pride in popularizing the already popular festival of Diwali, across the world, through the diplomats at the United Nations. I think, someday, the power of one -Ranju Batra-will be appreciated, recognized and saluted.
Ranju has been variously and honored for her immense contribution. To add to many, August 8th, 2018 was declared Ranju Batra Day in Westchester County by Westchester County Executive.
(The author is the chief editor of The Indian Panorama. He can be reached at salujaindra@gmail.com)
“American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) is excited to join in and collaborate with the over decades of service to humanity by Dr. V.K. Raju and Eye Foundation of America (EFA) to provide vision care to millions in India,” declared Dr. Naresh Parikh, President of AAPI, who has been in the forefront, identifying noble projects by Physicians of Indian Origin in India and working with them and coordinating their efforts to maximize the many services they provide across India.
AAPI leadership at the Indian Consulate in New York where AAPI President declared support for the Eye Foundation of America. Dr. Raju is seen standing third from right.
AAPI has been instrumental in establishing and coordinating several projects and programs across India and established many charitable clinics, serving hundreds of thousands of people in several states in India. AAPI has been doing Global Healthcare Summit for over a decade in India and is known for its commitment to give back to India, their motherland. “The collaboration with Dr. Raju and the Foundation will help mobilize the resources at AAPI’s disposal in strengthening the efforts of Dr. Raju,” adds Dr. Parikh.
For the past four decades, Dr. Raju and the EFA have been actively and tirelessly on a crusade to eliminate avoidable blindness in areas plagued by poverty and poor access to medical care. The EFA’s mission is to eliminate avoidable blindness under the guiding principles of service, teaching, and research.
The realization of Dr. Raju’s vision, the EFA, has a reach that currently extends to 30+ developing countries and the USA. The EFA has served approximately 2.5 million patients and performed 340,000+ vision-saving surgeries, with 30,000+ surgeries performed on children alone.
The over 40 years of noble work bringing vision to millions in India started unexpectedly for Dr. Raju. While living in London, Dr. V.K. Raju traveled home to India on vacation, where a farmer asked him to examine his eyes. Dr. Raju complied, but without any instruments. In 1977, Dr. Raju returned to rural India with personnel and equipment and offered his first eye camp near his hometown in 1977. This was the inception of the foundation’s work, beginning with the West Virginia Ophthalmology Foundation. The West Virginia Ophthalmology Foundation subsequently became the EFA in 1992.
“I feel so incredibly thankful for my personal and professional gifts, and I make great efforts to share those gifts with those in need of my services,” says Dr. Raju, and he generously gives freely of his own time, money, and medical expertise to help the less fortunate for the past several decades.
This is accomplished through eye camps and brick-and-mortar hospitals in developing countries, training of medical personnel to serve the needy, and educating the population at large on preventative eye care and healthy lifestyle choices. With adequate education, patients are empowered to take charge of their lives and their own health and prevent further deleterious consequences of their poor lifestyle choices, while sharing this knowledge with their friends and families.
The public is educated on eye care and injury prevention, and local teachers are taught how to screen for early eye problems in children. Patients, their families, and the greater community benefit from preventative medical care, free procedures, and access to education.
When education and preventative measures are insufficient, medical and surgical interventions are performed. With the aim of permanently providing world-class state-of-the art services to populations with poor access to health care, the EFA helped to build 2 hospitals in rural India: the Srikiran Eye Institute and the Goutami Eye Institute.
A few of the thousands of children treated by the FoundationGoutami Eye Institute and Hospital in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India is a leading eye hospital run by the Eye Foundation of America
The Goutami Institute has a wing dedicated exclusively to children, and the EFA has future plans to build a service and research eye hospital in India where no child will be denied treatment and children from around the world can come to receive services. Dr. Raju and the EFA are also committed to finding new cures for age-old eye disease in children.
The Institute has provided service to more than 400,000 patients and 50,000 surgeries have been performed. It has become an autonomous institution, and Raju has raised over $6 million to establish and fund the two facilities. “You can never be tired of giving back,” he says. “But to have real success, your intentions should be pure. It is a spiritual act.”
Since its inception, the EFA has facilitated 600+ physician exchanges and trained 200+ ophthalmologists, equipping these medical practitioners with the tools to join the global fight against blindness. The EFA not only trains medical practitioners to join the global fight against blindness through exchange programs, but also provides workshops and training opportunities for medical students and physicians.
Born and raised in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India, Dr. Raju earned his medical degree from Andhra University and completed an ophthalmology residency and fellowship at the Royal Eye Group of Hospitals in London, England. He is board certified in ophthalmology and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons. He has resided in Morgantown, WV since 1976, where he is currently a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at West Virginia University (WVU), the Section Chief of the Ophthalmology Department at Monongalia General Hospital, practices at Regional Eye Associates, and is the Founder and Medical Director of the EFA, a registered non-profit organization.
Rotary appreciation of Mrs. & Dr. V.K. Raju
Dr. Raju has received many honors and awards, including 26 distinguished awards and 17 gold medals. In Dr. Raju’s adopted home state of West Virginia, he was awarded both the Lions Club International (Morgantown) Jarrett Award and the WVU International Service Award in 1995. Morgantown Rotary International presented Dr. Raju with an award for community service in 2000. He also received the Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award from WVU in 2008.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) has awarded Dr. Raju 4 times for his teaching and research contributions, including the Outstanding Humanitarian Award in 2002 as Dr. Raju had donated more than $1 million dollars of his own money that went into building hospitals in India, teaching, and providing services to needy patients.
Dr. Raju received a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Association of Asian Indians in Ophthalmology in the same year and received the Free to Achieve Award from the Maryland chapter of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) for his philanthropy.
AAPI awarded Dr. Raju with their prestigious Distinguished Community Service Award in 2007 for his service, patient care, teaching, research, and professional and community involvement. In 2011, he received a Senior Achievement Award from the AAO. He has received awards from Lions International and Rotary International. For his humanitarian work, the American Medical Association Foundation acknowledged him with the prestigious Dr. Nathan Davis International Award for Excellence in Medicine in 2013. For the past 2 39 years, Dr. Raju has expanded his humanitarian efforts in African countries by joining and joined the Carter Center’s Ambassador Program 2 years ago. President Barack Obama presented Dr. Raju with the 2016 President’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He was recently inducted into the University of Toledo Global Medical Missions Hall of Fame Class of 2017.
Dr. Raju’s international awards date back to the 1970s, when he received 2 separate awards for service for the blind: Lions (India) and Jaycees (Vijayawada, India). He received several gold medals, including the AP (India) Gold Medal for Contributions to Advance Ophthalmology in 2001 and the Dr. Hardia Gold Medal for Best Paper on Refractive Surgery for the All Indian Ophthalmology Society in 2002. He received the Vaidya Ratna in 2002, as well as an achievement award from the House of Lords, London, and the Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Samman Award for Achievement in Medicine in 2014. He was also recognized as one of the Leading Physicians of the World by the International Association of Ophthalmologists in 2014. Dr. Raju was an invited guest of honor at GITAM University and the All Indian Ophthalmology Society Meeting in 2012.
Dr. Raju, who has travelled to more than 50 30 countries to help people with defective vision, says, he not only sees hundreds of patients in a day, but also teaches other eye doctors. He feels that most of his trips are enjoyable working vacations, particularly in India. “With each visit, I get my insights improved,” he says. “It is like I am getting a gift. Sometimes trips like this feel better than a holiday.”
“As I had said, the farmer I met long ago is the beginning of this work. Maybe so many friends getting involved in the Foundation’s work may be my greatest motivation,” says Dr. Raju. “Confidence is that which compels you to do the thing you think you cannot do, but you continue to do it. Many friends gave me the confidence to keep going. Many close friends were peripherally involved with the Foundation initially, but as the work of the Foundation continued, so did their involvement. This gave me incredible confidence.”
Recalling how a friend of Dr. Raju had told him that after 20+ years of foundation work, “Raju, I believed in your character. That’s why I’m very much part of it,” Dr. Raju says, “I was reminded of Abraham Lincoln’s quote, “Reputation and character are two different things. Reputation is your shadow and character is the real you.” He states, “People from distance know your reputation, but only close friends know your character. This kind of involvement from close friends maybe one of the biggest motivators for continuing the work of the Foundation.”
“Over these years, I read volumes of books by Nani Palkhivala, Mortimer Adler, and some Telugu poets. This also must have motivated me. Finally, I will add this- my mother used to say, “Whatever you do, you keep on doing more and more of it.”
Doctors in America have too many comforts, he comments. “There may be some emptiness in many of us, there is also an intellectual poverty,” he says. “Some of this can be relieved by voluntary service. We have so much potential to help others — and in doing so, we may be helping ourselves much more than others.”
The Founder and President of the Eye Foundation of America, Dr. V.K. Raju is an eminent ophthalmologist who has authored a number of articles and a book “Musings on Medicine, Myth, and History: India’s Legacy “. His vision is to create a world without childhood blindness.
With all of Dr. Raju’s momentous achievements, he has also ensured that his life’s work and vision are self-sustaining. Dr. Raju has passed on his knowledge, plans, and vision to the future leaders of this movement: Dr. Leela Raju, Dr. Raju’s daughter and fellow ophthalmologist, is the EFA’s Secretary and Coordinator for Education and actively participates in its mission. Her father’s humanity and passion stimulate whatever she undertakes, Leela says. “This is not a job for him; it has never been a job,” she says. “He does his work with passion and he enjoys it. His enthusiasm and passion are infectious.”
He believes in and practices Ayurveda, an ancient Indian health care philosophy that emphasizes a holistic approach in which prevention is stressed to help lessen the need for treatment. “Eating right and exercising are the most important preventative measures according to Ayurveda,” says Dr. Raju. “The word ‘doctor’, in Latin, means teacher. A doctor’s primary responsibility is educating the patient,” he continues. In West Virginia, Dr. Raju accepts patients that do not have medical insurance and performs surgical procedures that are not covered by insurance.
India and Ghana are actively engaged in avoidable blindness elimination projects with cooperation from their governments. More than 11,560 children received vision screenings in Ghana schools; eye glasses and follow-up care were provided when necessary, Dr. Raju describes with a sense of satisfaction and pride.
Dr. Raju hopes that the AAPI joining and collaborating with successful projects such as the Eye Foundation of America’s children’s project will provide continuity of care and the mission of AAPI will be realized, benefitting millions who need eyecare.
Praising Dr. Naresh Parikh for his great vision and for seeking collaboration with several individual projects across India by numerous Physicians of Indian Origin, Dr. Raju says, “I dream to do a well-planned mega fundraiser by AAPI for a WORLD WITHOUT CHILDHOOD BLINDNESS.” According to Dr. Raju, the first project will be implemented in India. We will reach 100, 000 children in remote villages of India in the next 12 to 18 months.” Dr. Raju says, “EFA and Goutami Eye Institute have the infrastructure to accomplish this, which could be a model project.”
Dr. Raju’s charisma and vision inspire the EFA’s trainees return to their native countries to prevent and/or alleviate blindness in the field. The execution of his vision, affordable and accessible healthcare, has provided innumerable individuals with the invaluable gift of sight. In children, this gift results in 75 years of a full and productive life. These children, who would be considered a burden to society, are then able to contribute to their families and to society. Never too tired to give his best for preventing, caring, and sustaining the vision for the visually impaired, Dr. Raju says, “Our work is only just beginning.”
As one of the Upanishads say:
“YOU ARE WHAT YOUR DEEP DRIVING DESIRE IS
AS YOUR DESIRE IS , SO IS YOUR WILL
AS YOUR WILL IS, SO IS YOUR DEED
AS YOUR DEED IS , SO IS YOUR DESTINY.”
For more information on AAPI and the EFA, please visit www.aapiusa.org and www.eyefoundationofamerica.org
Ireach back to scholarly remarks made in 2011 by a real legal scholar – whose views have the power of law – now-EDNY Federal District Judge William Kuntz II. Then distinguished Attorney-Bill Kuntz, as Keynote speaker celebrating Black History Month convened by NYS Office of Court Administration – explains why Birth Citizenship is embedded in our Constitution, and free of low-wattage Presidential Executive Action. We are a nation of laws, not men or women running for office and engaging in sexy mass electoral dating that is repugnant to our highest law: our Constitution.
“President Trump, who I voted for in 2016 as the American Dream had either died or become unrealizable for too many of my fellow Americans on the altar of “globalization,” beyond Ricardo’s Comparative Advantage principle in an analogue society that drives commerce, as digitalization has robbed jobs and Ricardo of geographic distance, has recently confused the Midterm electioneering with his threat of ending Birth Citizenship by Executive Order. While we are a presidential system of government, as opposed to parliamentary, we are exceptional because of Separated Powers that are untouched and un-trampled by presidential actions.
While I am against porous borders and sanctuary cities, I am all for our cherished Constitution, and having taken an Oath to defend and protect the Constitution from enemies foreign & domestic, I reach back to scholarly remarks made in 2011 by a real legal scholar – whose views have the power of law – now-EDNY Federal District Judge Dr. William F. Kuntz II. Then distinguished Attorney-Bill Kuntz, as Keynote speaker celebrating Black History Month convened by NYS Office of Court Administration – explains why Birth Citizenship is embedded in our Constitution, and free of low-wattage Presidential Executive Action. We are a nation of laws, not men or women running for office and engaging in sexy mass electoral dating that is repugnant to our highest law: our Constitution. Without protecting our Constitution, there can be no “Justice for all.” To truly enjoy Judge Kuntz’s erudite scholarship that honors the Constitution for us all, please write to him to get a copy, or email me, and I will send it. As the Editor has asked me to quote from the about 10,000-word Remarks, I do so gingerly – freely admitting that space, rather than juicy deliberative content, limits my quotations.
“The Real Debate Between Lincoln and Douglass,” starts with Professor Lino O. Graglia’s article [14 Texas Law Review of Law and Politics, pp 1-14] and his Question: “Why did he 14th Amendment to the Constitution, written in 1866 and ratified in 1868 provide birthright citizenship. As he put it, quote, “how, then, should the jurisdiction requirement of the citizenship
Clause be interpreted in regard to that question? Like any writing, or at least any law, it should be interpreted to mean what it was intended or understood to mean by those who adopted it – the ratifiers of the Fourteenth Amendment. They could not have considered the question of granting birthright Citizenship to the children of illegal aliens because, for one thing, there were no illegal aliens in 1868, when the Amendment was ratified, because there were no restrictions on immigration.” Washington Post columnist George Will agreed and wrote, “there were and had never been any illegal immigrants [up to that time] because no law ever had restricted immigration.” [IBID, PP. 5-6]
“I Found that hard to believe. And so I personally reviewed the historical Record, and indeed, at first concluded that they were, in fact, correct: No statutes enacted prior to 1868 restricted immigration to our country.”
“My efforts to solve this mystery, to understand why the 14th Amendment contains that birthright language led to me to the heart of my remarks this evening: to what I refer to as the real Lincoln-Douglass debates: Not the ones between the little judge named Stephen A. Douglass and the tall, laconic lawyer from Illinois named Abraham Lincoln… No I want to discuss the infinitely more subtle but ultimately vastly more important debate between Frederick Douglass and President Lincoln on the question of the Unity of Freedom. And In our analysis of that debate comes the answer to the question posed by the Professor and Mr. Will: Why the 14th Amendment provides unqualified citizenship to all born here when illegal immigration had not been the subject of a single statute between 1776 and end of the civil war.” Then taking a page from actor Nicholas Cage in National Treasure movie, Judge Kuntz said: “ I too found a treasure — not buried gold – but accessible text: the Declaration pointed me to the United States Constitution, and, moreover, I found in the Constitution particular clauses, clauses not often thought of as enhancing freedom but limiting it, clauses that provide the answer to the question raised by Mr. Will and the Professor.
Our starting point turned out to be Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution which provides that “representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several states which may be included within this union, according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term
of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other persons.” … “Why is it that the same Men who seemed able only to write “all men are created equal” were quite able to use the modern sounding phrase persons? And, perhaps, above all, why on earth not mention slavery by name? The mystery deepened.
I next considered Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution: The provision that provides, quote, “the migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten Dollars for each such person.”
“What is the strange reference, again to other persons? Why does this Clause limit its reach to the migration or importation of such other persons, but only to the states as are quote “now existing?” why a duty of ten dollars and why end that limitation to a duty or tax of ten dollars for each such – again gender neutral language — to 1808? What the heck is going on here?”
“What led to such extraordinary provisions? Well, the historical Record reveals that the founders, despite their personal flaws and well documented limitations knew that all people were created equal, that men and women were in fact created equal, and that as such they were all to be covered by and over time protected under our Constitution. They knew from their experiences with the British Imperial Crown, that the power to tax was the power to destroy. For them, limiting the power of the south by limiting the representational count of those other persons, the portion of the nation that did not fully empower human beings with full rights resulted in that odious 3/5ths provision.” … “the founders did it because the impetus, the power of the American call to freedom could not and would not countenance an express protection of slavery. In fact the Constitution provided the express mechanism for its extinction, for future generations to kill it by taxation after 1808 and by not extending it to newly admitted states in future generations.
And so we come to our heroes: Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln….”
America has enjoyed unprecedented success in reforming the United Nations thanks to President Trump. First, he selected Nikki Haley – a distinguished conservative governor who is a proud daughter of Indian-American Sikh parents. Nikki went on to be an exceptionally effective team player with Secretary Rex Tillerson and now Secretary Mike Pompeo and NSA Ambassador. John Bolton. She has served America and President Trump without confusion, and enhanced America’s respect globally worthy of being the preeminent super power that we are and the security-umbrella we provide nation-States.
Nikki’s resignation, while a clear loss, was a difficult opportunity for President Trump to continue America’s necessary leadership in the geopolitical world that exists in the UN buildings in Manhattan. Just as the US Dollar is a reserve currency, the UN being in America adds American gravitas to geopolitics as humanity seeks to survive regional wars & destruction without end, while Mother Nature puts us all on notice of weaponized weather that knows no border, sovereignty or race.
Well, seems the world may get a second gift from President Trump by his appointment of the next US Ambassador to the UN: the nuance-rich Heather Nauert who has Olympic-level ability to safely dance in the minefield of geopolitics, more dangerous than land mines. The grand stilettos of Nikki Haley will be both honored and wore well if indeed Heather Nauert – already a trusted team player – becomes the latest protector of vital American interests, while spreading freedom and human rights to every dark corner of our globe. God bless Nikki, and Heather for agreeing to follow a giant – including, the United States continuing to support, by co-sponsorship at the UN, Diwali Foundation USA’s Power of One Awards celebrating victory of “Good over Evil” by now-former exceptional diplomats. Ranju Batra, chair of Diwali Foundation, joins me in celebrating President Trump’s wisdom in his appointments.”
WASHINGTON(TIP): Pallavi Gogoi, a US-based editor, has accused MJ Akbar of raping her while working under the “brilliant journalist” in India, an allegation denied by the former Union minister who called it a “consensual relationship”.
Gogoi, the chief business editor of National Public Radio (NPR), a Washington-based American media organization, has detailed the “most painful memories” of her life in the Post article.
She said that Akbar, the editor-in-chief of the Asian Age newspaper at that time, was a “brilliant journalist but used his position to prey” on her.
“What I am about to share are the most painful memories of my life. I have shelved them away for 23 years,” she said, detailing how Akbar physically and mentally harassed her for years while working at the Asian Age newspaper from New Delhi to Mumbai to Jaipur to London.
Gogoi said she was 22 when she joined the Asian Age. She was star-struck working under Akbar. She was mesmerized by his use of language, his turns of phrase and took all the verbal abuse.
At 23, Gogoi became the editor of the op-ed page which was a big responsibility at a young age, she said.
“But I would soon pay a very big price for doing a job I loved.
“It must have been late spring or summer of 1994, and I had gone into his office — his door was often closed. I went to show him the op-ed page I had created… He applauded my effort and suddenly lunged to kiss me. I reeled. I emerged from the office, red-faced, confused, ashamed, destroyed,” she alleged.
The second incident was a few months later when she was summoned to Mumbai to help launch a magazine, she claimed.
“He called me to his room at the fancy Taj hotel, again to see the layouts. When he again came close to me to kiss me, I fought him and pushed him away. He scratched my face as I ran away, tears streaming down,” she wrote.
When she got back to Delhi, Akbar threatened to kick her out of the job if she resisted him again. But she didn’t quit the paper, she said.
While she was in Rajasthan on an assignment, Akbar said she could come to discuss the story in his hotel in Jaipur, she claimed.
“In his hotel room, even though I fought him, he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me,” she alleged, adding that instead of reporting him to the police, she was filled with shame.
Gogoi claimed Akbar’s grip over her got tighter. “For a few months, he continued to defile me sexually, verbally, emotionally. I died a little every day,” she said.
Akbar said he would send her either to the US or the UK as a reward for excellent work on covering the 1994 polls, she recalled.
“I thought that finally, the abuse would stop… Except the truth was that he was sending me away, so I could have no defences and he could prey on me whenever he visited the city,” she said.
Gogoi alleged that Akbar once worked himself into a rage in the London office after he saw her talking to a male colleague. He hit her and went on a rampage, throwing things from the desk at her — a pair of scissors or whatever he could get his hands on. She ran away and hid in Hyde Park.
“I was in shreds—emotionally, physically, mentally,” she said.
Akbar summoned her back to Mumbai after which she left the job.
Gogoi wrote: “Today, I am a US citizen. I am a wife and mother. I found my love for journalism again. I picked up my life, piece by piece… Today, I’m a leader at National Public Radio. I know that I do not have to succumb to assault to have a job and succeed”.
“Over the years, I have not brought up Akbar in conversations. I’ve always felt that Akbar is above the law and justice doesn’t apply to him. I felt he would never pay the price for what he had done to me”.
He has called these allegations “baseless and wild” and has filed a lawsuit against one journalist who spoke out, she said.
“It doesn’t surprise me. He feels he is entitled to make up his own version of ‘truth’ today, just like he felt entitled to our bodies then,” Gogoi added.
‘Consensual’
The 67-year-old Akbar, who recently resigned as junior foreign minister after multiple women came out with accounts of alleged sexual harassment, called their relationship consensual.
“Somewhere around 1994, Ms Pallavi Gogoi and I entered into a consensual relationship that spanned several months,” Akbar, who filed a criminal defamation case against of his women accusers, amid the raging #MeToo campaign in India.
Responding to Gogoi’s allegations, Akbar said several people who worked with him knew about his relationship with her and at no stage did her behavior give any one of them the impression that she was “working under, or in any way, under duress”.
“In the past few weeks, I have been subjected to a barrage of false and fabricated accusations, which I am now addressing,” Akbar said. “This relationship (with Gogoi) gave rise to talk and would later cause significant strife in my home life as well. This consensual relationship ended, perhaps not on the best note.
Here’s his complete statement
“On October 29th, the Washington Post forwarded to my lawyers a series of cryptic and non-specific questions, regarding incidents alleged to have taken place approximately 23 years ago. These allegations were false and were consequently denied. On the morning of 2nd November 2018, the Washington Post ran a piece written by Ms. Pallavi Gogoi, detailing false allegations of rape and violence against me. I have had occasion to read this article and it has become necessary, at this point in time, to bring certain facts to light.
Somewhere around 1994, Ms. Pallavi Gogoi and I entered into a consensual relationship that spanned several months. This relationship gave rise to talk and would later cause significant strife in my home life as well. This consensual relationship ended, perhaps not on the best note.
Several people who worked with me and knew both of us have come forward to indicate that they would be happy to bear testimony to what is stated above and, at no stage, did the behavior of Ms. Pallavi Gogoi, give any one of them the impression that she was working under, or in any way, under duress.
In the past few weeks, I have been subjected to a barrage of false and fabricated accusations, which I am now addressing.
For the moment, this is all I wish to say.”
‘Lies’
In a separate statement, his wife Mallika Akbar also dismissed Gogoi’s accusations as a “lie”.
In her statement, his wife Mallika admitted that she knew about the relationship between her husband and Gogoi, and the relationship caused unhappiness and discord in her family.
Gogoi, in an earlier tweet, thanked the “journalists who have spoken out before me. I stand on their shoulders”. PTI
Mallika Akbar also issued a statement calling Gogoi’s statement “a lie”.
Her statement said:
“I have been silent all this while as a `me too’ campaign has been unleashed against my husband, Mr. M.J. Akbar. However, the Washington Post article by Pallavi Gogoi alleging that she was raped by him forces me to step in with what I know to be true. More than twenty years ago, Pallavi Gogoi caused unhappiness and discord in our home. I learned of her and my husband’s involvement through her late night phone calls and her public display of affection in my presence. In her flaunting the relationship, she caused anguish and hurt to my entire family. At an Asian Age party at our home, crowded with young journalists, I have watched with mortification and pain as they danced close. I had confronted my husband at the time and he decided to prioritize his family. Tushita Patel and Pallavi Gogoi were often at our home, happily drinking and dining with us. Neither carried the haunted look of victims of sexual assault. I don’t know Pallavi’s reasons for telling this lie but a lie it is.”
Over $175,000 raised at the gala for treatment of cancer for patients in India
UNIONDALE, NY(TIP): The Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation (NDMF), hosted close to 400 people at the Marriott, Long Island for their 37th annual gala. The Gatsby themed gala was a prestigious event attended by community members, of Long Island, NY and New Jersey.
Sam Pitroda, Priya Dutt and Nargis Dutt Board Members at the press conference Photo / Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
The foundation honored some pivotal members of the community and their philanthropic endeavors. The honorees include Dr. Urmilesh Arya, a pediatrician and fellow of the American College of Pediatrics; Dr. Manjeet Baines, a highly regarded Thoracic Surgeon from MSK, and Professor of Surgery at Cornell University Medical College; Dr. Himanshu Pandya, president elect of AAPIQLI, and a medical director of a nursing home in Queens, Long Island; Mr Kanak
Golia, President and CEO of Perfume Center of America; Mr Sher Singh Madra, former president of NDMF and the owner and operator of BKM International Inc; and Mr. George Tsunnis, Chairman of Board at NUMC and Chairman and CEO of Chartwell Hotels, LLC.
Priya Dutt honored the family of late Shakir Mukhi, one of the founders of the Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation Photo / Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
The foundation also recognized the late Dr. Shakir Mukhi, a former founding member of the Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation. The Keynote speakers for the evening included Dr. Digpal Dharkar of the Indore Cancer Foundation and Hospital, and the highly respected telecom inventor, Mr. Sam Pitroda. Both speakers delivered touching and informative speeches which moved the attending guests.
The gathering was addressed by Sam Pitroda, Priya Dutt, and Congressman Tom Suozzi Photos / Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
Sunil and Nargis Dutt’s daughter, Priya Dutt, a former Member of Parliament , also made a very heartwarming speech about the foundation’s ability to uphold her mother’s vision. Priya said, her mother Nargis Dutt died of cancer in 1981 while at a hospital in the US. While undergoing treatment at MSK in New York, Priya says, “my mother used to tell my father, Sunil Dutt, “Since you have money you have taken me to US for treatment, but what about poor people in India who suffer from the deadly disease?” Hence, the Nargis Dutt Foundation was formed for taking care of poor patients of cancer.
Lahore Fashion designer Rana Noman Haq presenting his Signature collection during 37 the Nargis Dutt memorial Foundation Gala Dinner in NY on 28th oct 2018 Photo / Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
The highlight of the evening was a Gatsby inspired fashion show presented by Rana Noman Haq. The luxury fashion designer flew in from Lahore to be part of this notable event.
The gathering was addressed by Sam Pitroda, Priya Dutt, and Congressman Tom Suozzi Photos / Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndiaTom Suozzi presented a citation to NDMF President Andy Mansukhani Photo / Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
Some of the key guests of the evening included: Mr. Thomas Suozzi – member of the House of Representatives and former Nassau County Executive – who presented Mr. Andy Mansukhani a citation honoring NDMF. Mr. Curtis – founder of the Guardian Angles and Chairman of the NYS Reform party and his wife Mrs. Nancy Sliwa – who is currently running for NYS Attorney General, and Megan Ryan – Executive Vice President and General Counsel at NUMC.
A group of honorees Photo / Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
About Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation
Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation was established in 1981 in memory of Nargis Dutt, a famous Bollywood movie star of India. She gave numerous memorable performances in movies including Mother India, which was nominated for an Oscar in 1957. She was a very caring human being whose dream was to see that the best available medical care could also be provided to under privileged and needy people.
While undergoing specialized medical treatment in New York for cancer, Mrs. Dutt articulated her dream and repeatedly expressed her regret that the medical care that she was able to receive was unavailable in her Motherland. Her deep concern for the sick and disabled led her to set definite goals towards making improved medical services available to the poorest in India.
She already had considerable work to her credit in rehabilitation, and education of handicapped children in India.
Unfortunately, she did not live long enough to see the evolution of her dream. After her demise, her husband Sunil Dutt, who recently passed away, established The Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation through various chapters in USA, UK, Canada, Germany and Holland to keep Nargis’s dream alive.
NEW YORK(TIP): The Modi government’s actions are constantly undermining democratic institutions, and the very idea of India is under attack,” said Dr. Sam Pitroda, the Chairman of the Overseas Congress Department of AICC.
He was addressing a leadership conference of Overseas Congress leaders held in New Hyde Park, New York. “Congress party always stood for inclusiveness, and bottom-up development and people of India aspire for a country they could live in peace and harmony” Pitroda added.
He told the gathering that the NRIs have always played a significant role not only in liberating the country from the colonialists but also contributing to its development by bringing together every segment of the society.
He cautioned that this is not the time to relax and a critical election is only a few months away. He urged everyone to help develop IOC as a powerful voice representing the NRIs in defense of freedom, democracy, and equal justice. He asked the gathering to reach out to the community and bring them in as members to strengthen the organization by enrolling new members.
Dr. Sam Pitroda thanked the members and said he was impressed by how much they were au courant with the political situation in India. Delegate after delegate recounted to him a litany of failures and disappointments of the present government and narrated how badly the people were affected by the Modi policies and practices. In many instances, they said, the administration was falling apart, and the prevalence of joblessness and lack of proper healthcare or educational support was seriously affecting the people. Several shared what efforts they had themselves embarked upon to boost voter growth
Dr. Pitroda said that Rahul Gandhi was making strong and astounding progress in reaching out and establishing a dialogue with the disgruntled people and advised them to translate these sentiments into vote strength and bring about the change that the people desperately are demanding.
In opening remarks Harbachan Singh Secretary-General of the Organization praised the great interest that the delegates had generated and urged that this interest be turned into action items immediately. He added that the Congress wave was powerful in India and was gaining a stunning momentum progressively.
Mohinder Singh Gilzian, President of Indian Overseas Congress, USA who was instrumental in organizing the event, said IOC should be strengthened and requested members to follow the advice of Pitroda and join this endeavor in creating an active IOC in the future.
Ravi Chopra hosted the get-together at his residence and in his capacity as the Chairman of the Finance Committee urged the gathering to be generous in their giving to strengthen the organization as it requires resources to meet the ongoing demand. Vice Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress George Abraham thanked the delegates for their continuing efforts.
Phuman Singh and Tejinder Singh Gill, Senior Vice-Presidents, Gurmit Singh Mullanpur, Chairman, Campaign Committee and President of Punjab Chapter, Charan Singh, President, Haryana Chapter, Dr. Dayan Naik, President, Karnataka Chapter, Shalu Chopra, Chairperson, Women’s Forum, Rajinder Dichpally, General Secretary, Sawaran Singh, former President of Haryana Chapter, Chandu Patel, Ram Gadula, Leela Maret, Jayesh Patel, Harkesh Thakur, Sonia Sodhi, R. Jayachandran and others participated in the deliberations.
NEW YORK(TIP): In a historic development, the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) will celebrate Diwali with diya lights at the iconic Empire State Building in Manhattan, on Wednesday November 7th, 2018.
The event is being organized by FIA in cooperation with Empire State Realty Trust. This will be the first time that Diwali celebration up in the sky will be witnessed by thousands of people including tourists from all over the world.
The organizers, in a press release said, “ We would like to gratefully record here that Empire State Realty Trust and FIA together have already illuminated Empire State Building in each August symbolizing celebration of India’s Independence Day for almost over two decades by selecting vibrant tri-colors on India’s flag – Orange, White and Green. This incredible illumination has won the hearts of growing Indian American community as well as global tourists.
“These repeated gestures by ESRT indeed helps in spreading ancient Indian Philosophy Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The world is one family) and also demonstrates a great harmony in spirit and deeds between the people of world’s largest and oldest democracies in this Nov. 7th Diwali Illumination ceremony. Jay Sean the young popular Indian singer and Miss America 2014 Nina Devuluri with glorify it by their presence and performance besides other invited guests.”
LONDON(TIP): New York based well-known community leader and philanthropist Peter Bheddah received the prestigious Bharat Samman Award at the 30th annual NRI Pravasi Divas on October 26 for being a successful businessman turned outstanding humanitarian helping the needy in India and the United States. The award was conferred upon Mr. Bheddah in the presence of Lord Swaraj Paul, Lord Bilimoria, Commissioner of Canada to India Mr. Patel, and many other dignitaries at the House of Lords in London, United Kingdom.
The Bharat Samman Award is bestowed upon a group of select People of Indian Origin (PIOs), living in India or abroad, for their outstanding achievements in their respective fields, and their contribution to the socio-economic development of India as well as their country of residence.
The award is conferred by the NRI Institute, a non-profit NGO that is a registered body of PIOs connecting the Indian Diaspora since 1989 as a platform to honour exceptional individuals and organizations for their global achievements, and to encourage overseas Indians to be a part of the socio-economic development of India. The recipients of The Bharat Samman Award demonstrate an understanding of a community’s needs through exemplary selfless voluntary service.
Sri Kulkarni’s innovative midterms strategy: campaigning in 16 languages.
When Democrat Sri Kulkarni started campaigning in the deep-red Texas district once represented by Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, consultants told him not to even bother trying to get the district’s Asian-American vote.
“I was told, ‘Don’t chase after Asian voters, they don’t vote,’” Kulkarni said in a recent interview with Vox, adding: “Maybe they don’t vote because we don’t bother.”
Kulkarni, a 40-year-old former foreign service official under the Bush and Obama administrations, is doing the opposite of what the consultants told him. “Why don’t we try reaching out in other languages, not just English?” Kulkarni thought. He’s running a campaign with volunteers speaking to voters in 16 languages — aggressively trying to convince the district’s Asian-American voters to cast their ballots for him.
The district sits in the Houston suburbs, a rapidly diversifying part of Texas. The non-Hispanic white population has fallen to 40 percent, while the Asian community now makes up nearly 20 percent of the district.
It’s a simple premise: greeting a voter in his or her native language builds a relationship with that voter and opens a door to the community. Kulkarni already proved it worked in the primary, emerging on top in a field of five candidates. His campaign’s internal numbers suggested their outreach had dramatically increased Asian-American primary turnout, from 6 percent in 2014 to 28 percent in 2018.
“This thing that was a waste of time resulted in a 12-fold increase in people coming out in the Asian community,” Kulkarni told Vox.
Winning against Republican Rep. Pete Olson on Election Day will be tough. But Kulkarni and his campaign believe he has a fighting chance, and are buoyed by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report recently shifting the race to merely “Lean Republican.”
“I’d watch this one,” Cook’s Dave Wasserman tweeted.
Though Kulkarni appears to be proving the political consultants wrong, there was a reason they advised him not to chase the Asian-American vote.
Asian-American and Pacific Islander voters are a rapidly growing demographic; nationwide, the Asian-American population grew 72 percent between 2000 and 2015. They also have a tendency to register as Democrats. But the Democratic Party has had a tough time successfully courting this bloc.
A recent Pew study found 65 percent of Asian Americans identify as Democrats or lean Democrat, compared to 27 percent who identify as Republicans or lean Republican. But they don’t turn out as often as white voters: In the 2016 election, 49 percent of eligible Asian-American voters cast ballots, compared to 64 percent of white voters.
Institution’s Highest Honor Awarded to Couple for Contributions to Global Literacy
HOUSTON(TIP): Asia Society Texas Center presented its annual Roy M. Huffington Award to Dr. Marie and Mr. Vijay Goradia at The Houstonian on October 23. Drs. Chinhui Juhn and Edward R. Allen, Dr. Anne Chao and Mr. Albert Chao, and Mrs. Andrea White and Mr. Bill White (former Mayor of Houston), served as honorary co-chairs for the event.
After dinner, KTRK Channel 13 anchor Melanie Lawson moderated a discussion with the Goradias about their life stories and their dedication to advancing educational and healthcare issues around the world. Both were raised in humble circumstances in India and came to the U.S. in the 1970s. Soon after emigrating, Vijay founded Vinmar International, a global petrochemical trading and marketing company which recently tallied over $4 billion in annual revenue. While back in India on a business trip in 1999, he was inspired by the educational interventions he saw being implemented by a charity called Pratham (meaning “first” in Hindi), and he founded Pratham USA, which supports the work being done in India for underprivileged children. Additionally, Vijay has been involved with similar U.S. initiatives, such as the American India Foundation. When asked about his philanthropic inspiration, he responded, “My parents taught me empathy and sympathy, thus giving back to the society we adopted was a natural thing to do… it is fulfilling to give back to those less fortunate.”
Marie, who earned advanced degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology from Bombay University, journeyed to the U.S. to do scientific research. Her current portfolio is wide-ranging, including becoming a distinguished toastmaster, ballroom dancer, and an active community volunteer. In addition to Asia Society, Marie has been deeply engaged with the MD Anderson Cancer Center, among other organizations. Like her husband, she shared her reasons for giving back to the community, saying, “[Philanthropy] is important because you never have the opportunity to thank everyone who helped you in the past, but we can pay it forward and help provide a better life for those who have less.”
This was the first Huffington Award to be presented in a dinner format since Asia Society opened its new Museum District headquarters in 2012. In recent years, the program has been a luncheon with a predominantly business-centric focus, whereas the dinner setting heightened the event’s gravitas and ambiance. The 400 guests enjoyed musical accompaniment during dinner by Divisi Strings, floral arrangements by Lanson B. Jones & Co., and an elegant dinner including arugula salad with dried cherries and crumbled feta, BBQ-glazed wild salmon, and delectable chocolate desserts.
In addition to the honorary co-chairs, luminaries who attended to add their support to the Goradias’ award included Nancy Allen, Y. Ping Sun, Monjula and Ravi Chidambaram, Sylvia and Gordon Quan, Shaista and Shahzad Bashir, Lynn Wyatt, Sushila and Durga Agrawal, Muffet Blake and Bob Murray, Lily and Charles Foster, Dr. Ellen Gritz and Mickey Rosenau, Nancy Pollok Guinee, Akeni Saitoh, Nathalie and Charles Roff, John Cogan, Paul Murphy, Shazma and Arshad Matin.
The Huffington Award recognizes leaders who have been a major force on the international stage. Named for the Houston oilman and former ambassador who played a leading role in creating Asia Society Texas Center, the Roy M. Huffington Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Texas Center. Prominent former recipients include President George H.W. Bush; former Prime Minister of Australia, the Honorable Kevin Rudd; former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III; former Governor of Utah and U.S. Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China Jon Huntsman Jr.; former ExxonMobil CEO and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson; and President of Rice University David Leebron.
With 13 locations throughout the world, Asia Society is the leading educational organization promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among the peoples, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the rest of the world. Asia Society Texas Center executes the global mission with a local focus, enriching and engaging the vast diversity of Houston through innovative, relevant programs in arts and culture, business and policy, education, and community outreach.
(Source: Houston Asia Society)
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